Walking down the Staples hallway, any average person can detect that something is in the air. What that might be? No one is really sure. However, it appears to be spreading like wildfire. Some students have been absent from school for the past two weeks due to, what students are referring to as, the ‘Wrecker flu.’ 

“I have seen a slight rise in absences due to illness with sophomores over the last two weeks,” Karla Quinn, the 10th Grade Level Assistant, said. 

 Whatever this mystery illness might be, many feel the effects. 

 “My symptoms have been a stuffy nose, sore throat, cough, congestion, I have been puffy and my head hurts,” Maya Sherman ’24 said. 

Other students, such as Maggie Wiele ’25, have also experienced a cough, headache and a stuffy nose. Both Sherman and Wiele have been tested negative for Covid-19. So, where did the ‘Wrecker flu’ come from?

“It is hard to say if this is just a common cold because everyone is an individual so we are unable to really diagnose as a whole,” Anna Fitzpatrick, school nurse, said. “However, it just makes sense because people are together again in the building and they are not wearing masks, so they are gonna catch things that they previously may not have caught last year.

Common colds and viruses will always be in our lives. They are almost unavoidable, but there are preventative actions as a community that can be taken. 

“The best defense is to continue good hand washing, getting a lot of sleep and eating healthy foods,” Fitzpatrick said. “ Also, if a person has a fever, sore throat, fatigue or other signs and symptoms of illness- they should stay home, see a doctor, and do a test to rule out flu or covid.