Originally Posted in 2011.
There is a pencil hanging from the ceiling of the library. It has hung there for as long as I can remember (all of 2 ½ years) and will probably hang there till the end of time. How did it get there? Was it built into the school? Was it shot up into the paneling by a bored student? Perhaps it’s a disguised spaceship left by the tiny aliens that have invaded our school (unrealistic, but I can dream). This is my journey to find out.
Since the pencil is in their territory, the librarians would know best. Ms. Germer gave me the scoop. She told me that the pencil must have been launched between February and June of 2008, the year that the library was “born.” Although she was not there to witness the act she admits that she was quite impressed by it. She also shared that a previous physics teacher at the school was very impressed with the physics of the pencil. Ms. Germer firmly believes that if the pencil can outlast workers stamping on the roof for four years, then it will never fall.
Many students have theories about the pencil. Lainie Rowland believes that one day it will fall, impaling a student below like a penny falling from the empire state building. I personally believe that it will still be up there when we return for our high school reunions. Maybe one day, the physics classes will try to launch their own pencils in the name of science! Whether or not it hangs on, that pencil is a source of amusement, a shining beacon of quirkiness for our beloved school. It’s just one of the weird things that make our school unique. So if you are ever in the library, look up at the pencil, and see it for what it truly is: a landmark of MHS.
R.I.P Library-Pencil:
https://www.mhsdodgermedia.com/opinion/2012/12/04/library-pencil-dislodged-after-5-years/