Masuk holds many more things than just students and schoolwork; it holds history. There are many stories that illustrate the halls of Masuk, yet one of them stands out among the many. The Great Mercury Spill of 2003 was an unbelievable moment for students, and a learning experience for unwary teachers.
Peter Lopuch, a biology teacher at Masuk, was one of the teachers present during the incident who still continues to teach here.
According to Lopuch, “The school was a mess that year. There were no ceiling tiles in, and all the floor tiles were out too, so there was just concrete on the floor. Kids were eating their lunch in the library, it was super hot in the school overall.” Conditions were already difficult, particularly for students eagerly awaiting the end of the school year.
“Since there was renovation at the time, and it was the end of the school year, we wanted to safely get rid of all the instruments with mercury, which shouldn’t have been in the school anymore. So [a science teacher] got in touch with the first selectman, who showed up with a pail. The pail apparently had a hole in it, and some of the instruments broke,” said Lopuch.
“It was in the main hallway, but it happened sometime with a couple of periods left to go in the day, so we had passing periods in between. When the realization came to our attention, [administrators] did a stay-put drill.” Lopuch recalls that the drill lasted from about an hour to two hours, and students grew impatient. The day, however, was far from over.
“[Security] had asked anyone that had gone down the main hallway to go into the auditorium, and some state inspectors came down with a machine that could measure mercury.”
Lopuch explained that the inspectors aimed to find traces of mercury on the shoes of students.
“Several of them had their shoes confiscated, they couldn’t give them back because they’d been contaminated.”
While the spill had people in hazmat suits clearing the hallways of the chemical, there was once a time when mercury was perceived quite differently. Jon Badolato, a math teacher at Masuk who was also present that day, revealed a deeply ironic approach to the toxin back in the 1970s to 80s.
“The funny thing about mercury is, I went to middle school in the 70’s, but I do have a distinct recollection of one of my science classes. They used to pass out, believe it or not, small little balls of mercury. Students would play with it in their hands a bit and roll it on their desks,” said Badolato.
“Back in my day, I guess it wasn’t as huge a hazard.”
This situation was much more serious than it seemed. In fact, it took many days to clear out the hallways.
“[Faculty] had to get people here in hazmat suits. They had to seal off parts of the building to do it, so it’s more complex than it sounds,” said Badolato.
Students weren’t bothered by this, though. Later that day, an important message came out to students.
“They were given the option. They could come in the summertime and take their exams, or just leave for the summer and take the grade they’d earned up to that point.” said Lopuch.
“Over 90% of the students decided to take the grade they’d earned.”
Badolato added to the utter shock that this result brought.
“Of course, the kids were happy about that. I’ve been at Masuk for 31 years now, I think that’s the only time finals were ever canceled. So it was a unique event, that’s for sure.”
Lopuch agrees with that sentiment.
“It was a pretty eventful day. I don’t think anything that had that kind of lasting impact [has happened] or disrupted the school to that extent since then.”
The Great Mercury Spill of 2003 was by far one of the most, if not, the most interesting and bizarre event that has ever happened at our small-town high school. Its result still leaves students shocked to this day.
“Students wish for final exams to be cancelled every year, yet 2003 was the time it actually happened,” said sophomore Mila Potash.
In fact, students from 2003 wondered the same things. In an old issue from 2003, an article written by Katz Mucherino on the spill highlighted similar opinions to those of modern-day Masuk.
In response to what the incident was like, senior Stefanie Heid said, “The mercury spill was great. We got the day off, but we still had a lacrosse game that day. But it was nice to relax before.”
In concluding her article, Mucherino generalized the majority opinion of the students that experienced the incident. “People are joking all the time about the finals for 2004 and what will occur. Will there be another ‘mercury spill?’” wrote Mucherino.
No other event at Masuk has so greatly affected its people, exams, and trajectory of its future like the Great Mercury Spill of 2003. Of course, while there’s hope that no harmful event like this happens again, the consensus of students at Masuk can definitely reveal that we hope the luck of the students in 2003 will channel this school year with no final exams!
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