Stamford is full of nature. We have parks, forests, lakes and plenty more, but why go to those places when you could see the same things here at school? Stamford High School is home to plenty of animals. Bring your friends and family here to see birds of all types, ranging from pigeons to hawks, and don’t forget to see our school’s pet snake! Yes, a class baby pet snake was lost three years ago, so be the first to see how big he is now!

If you do decide to come and visit, please stop by Mr. Hough’s room on the second floor; this is the start of our bird exhibit. Monday morning after a long weekend last year, Hough entered his room to find it filled with birds. He was surprised to find his room had become the home to a family of birds, especially with his first period class on their way. When asked what kind of condition his room was in, Hough responded, “There was poop everywhere.” If that’s not the worst of it, he also said, “I ended up having to clean most of it myself.” He said that when his class came in they were just as shocked as he was. Hough then went on to say, “Yeah, you could say my class was a little distracted for the rest of that period.”

Next in our bird exhibit you can see our school’s hawk. He can be found in our courtyard doing what nature does best: hunting down its prey. According to journalism teacher Mr. Ringel, he was teaching one day when a student noticed a hawk in the courtyard. As everyone gathered around to see it, it swooped down and captured its first victim. It gruesomely ate away at a squirrel in the middle of the courtyard for everyone to see. Due to the fact that the courtyard is completely closed off, any squirrels trapped inside were completely doomed. The hawk stayed there all day capturing and eating squirrels. When Ringel was asked about his opinion on the event, he replied, “It kind of ruined the day because no one could pay attention to the lesson.” But then he quickly added, “But I thought it was pretty awesome; yeah, nature is amazing.”

Last on our list is SHS’s long lost snake. Back in 2014, science teacher Mr. Lewis was given a baby snake by friend and was asked to take care of it. A few months passed without any problems arising until a student of his decided to take the snake out for a better look at it. When the student was done he put the snake back, but failed to close the top of the tank fully. As the next day rolled around, Lewis realized that the snake’s tank was slightly open at the top. He quickly searched the tank for the snake, but it was nowhere to be found. Lewis said he looked for the snake for about two hours and even took apart the entire classroom heater thinking it may be in there. After failing to find it, he realized it could be anywhere and stopped looking. Lewis then said, “One day, a couple weeks later, I found a snakeskin in a corner all the way in the back of my room. After that I never really saw or heard anything about it.” Although he wasn’t able to prove it, Lewis said the snake was most likely dead due to the harsh environment of the school during the winter months. Lewis finished the interview by saying, “It’s most likely dead, but who really knows; it could honestly be anywhere.”

So don’t waste your time and money paying to go to the zoo or the Nature Center, just come on down to SHS. Go ahead and bring your family and friends to get a good look at our school’s birds and our snake free of charge!