By Rachel Vigil

Scores of rats have been running loose in the halls of Wheat Ridge after the GT program’s rats gave birth to hundreds of baby rats.

This is due to an oversight on behalf of the teachers and students.

“We were sure that there were all males, but, as it turns out, there must have been at least one female rat in the mix,” said GT teacher Elliot Holm. “All of a sudden, there were more rats than we could keep track of. No one is quite sure how it got so out of hand.”

Despite the program’s best attempt, the rats have taken over the annex. There have been several complaints about rats in both halls and classrooms. At least 60 students have been sent to the hospital with rat bites and more reports are coming in hourly.

The annex cannot be closed off, however, because it is imperative that the labs are used for PARCC testing. The administrators have had more trouble with the rats chewing through the cords for the computers than they have had with the rat bites.

Though most students now avoid the annex and rush through any testing in it with reckless abandon, some students have embraced the new presence. A group has been founded dedicated to the sole purpose of keeping the rats in the school.

“We aren’t asking for anything out of the ordinary, just let the rats stay in the annex,” Shane Sand claimed in a recent interview as we stood on top of tables to keep ourselves out of the rat’s reach. “They have just as much a right as us to stay here, if not more. Every rat that roams these halls was born here. This is their home”

The group, who has labeled themselves Rat for Change, has staged protests whenever the administration has tried to have the rats removed. All have been successful.

“If everything goes according to plan, no rats will ever be forced from their home,” said Shane Sand smugly.

The GT room was closed off two weeks ago. Three students were trapped in the classroom haven’t been heard from since.

Even though most students do not care for the school’s new rodent addition, it has slowly become an accepted part of life. “Sure it’s not good to have this many rats, but school’s pretty much the same,” said freshman Lillian Harden. “If you remember to run through any halls in the annex, not carry food with you, never touch the floor with your feet in class, and carry a blunt object with you, there’s only about a 10% chance that you’ll get bit and a 30% chance a rat will make contact with you. I’d say the odds are pretty good.”

Whether you are for or against the school’s new rodent population, they don’t seem to be going anywhere.