A virus is spreading throughout schools all over the nation
Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Although parents don't need to worry, there is a virus spreading through schools all over the nation. It doesn't affect students or teachers. In fact, it doesn't affect people, but it is damaging the environment and at least one Rogers teacher is looking for a cure.
So far, the virus doesn't have a name, but Ryan Finley believes his students will soon take care of that. They've already diagnosed one victim of the virus, one of the school's copiers.
The mystery disease, Finley said, is "contagious, and rapidly spreading from school to school. This mysterious, CO 2 producing'virus, ' seems to feed on paper, white copy paper. Consuming massive amounts of paper is reportedly needed by this'virus'to maintain its steady spread and apparent hold on schools across this nation."
It's difficult to say how much paper the virus consumes, Finley explained, but he believes it might be as much as 40, 000 sheets of paper each week at Grace Hill Elementary. At the same time it consumes massive amounts of energy.
It leaves behind a nasty environmental footprint, Finley said, that may never be completely erased.
The cure he proposes for the Grace Hill copier is a day of complete rest. A day without any copies.
The copier virus was first discovered by a New York science teacher named Kenny Luna. He asked other teachers to try and diagnosis their own copiers and post the results on the Internet. Schools all over the country are participating and one will win a $ 125 grant to pay for a tree at their school.
It's not the first time Finley has focused his colleagues attention on environmental issues. He created a bulletin board, using recycled materials, to monitor the school's energy use. He and his students often post notes to remind teachers to turn off the lights when not in use. This year, he and his students are collecting the large sheets of butcher paper that are used to cover classroom walls during Benchmark testing. He'll find another use for the paper, he promised.
Grace Hill was the first school in the state to join the "Go Green Initiative. "Students at the school recycle paper, cans, plastic bottles, even food waste with a worm composting project in Finley's classroom. He believes his students have a good understanding of environmental issues.
"I have had parents (especially my own student's parents ) come in complaining that their child will not let them do anything without turning off the lights, or shutting off the water when brushing their teeth ! They are complaining in a fun way, but yes, the kids are spreading the word," he said.
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