Summer Cold Plagues Halls of EHS

Hannah Wente, Co-Editor-In-Chief

The sound of coughing, sneezing and sniffing is in the air.  It sounds like a hospital during flu season, but instead this is just the everyday sound of an average classroom.

“You turn around in the classroom, and five people are coughing,” freshman Samantha Boyer said.

It’s only been the first few weeks of school, and already students are missing school.

“I think it’s because our immune systems aren’t used to being around so many different people,” senior Madeline Litterst said.

This is confirmed by Nurse Pam Harmon, who has seen a large number of students come into the nurse’s office the past few weeks.

“A lot more [students came in] the second week versus the first week of school,” Mrs.Harmon said.  She estimates an increase of about 30 percent.

She thinks the cause of the widespread sickness is the time of year.

“I think there’s two reasons,” Mrs.Harmon said. “The first reason is that they’re all back to school so everybody’s together again. You walk in the halls, there’s a big crowd of people all at once so they’re coughing and sneezing and spreading germs. The reason I think they’re coughing and sneezing and stuff is the allergies right now out there.”

The combination of back to school and allergies is the reason why the annoying cold symptoms are so common.

“I had a runny nose and a sore throat,” junior Hannah Griffin said.  Students also reported head congestion and watery eyes.

Besides the physical symptoms, the social aspect of being sick is annoying. Having to blow your nose in the hallway, getting up to get tissues and coughing your head off in the middle of a lecture are the status quo for a sick student.

“It’s embarrassing to step out of the classroom,” freshman Paityn Schneider said.

And when you’re stuck in a classroom, it’s always obvious who’s sick.

“Blowing your nose takes self-confidence,” freshman Jacob Hinds said.

So what can you do to avoid getting sick and spreading your germs around?

“Hand washing is probably the biggest thing,” Mrs.Harmon said. This, and covering your mouth when you sneeze, is best way to avoid spreading the sickness further around school and prolonging the misery.