Irvington Campus Destroyed By Mysterious Virus

Irvington+Campus+Destroyed+By+Mysterious+Virus

Over one year ago, on March 12th, 2020, Irvington High School was closed down after an outbreak of a mysterious virus then known as COVID-19. Around the country and world, COVID-19 has devastated communities and killed millions. In Fremont, restaurants like Sweet Tomatoes have been shut down, playgrounds have been closed, and historic businesses like Cloverleaf Bowl have been forced to go out of business.

But at Irvington High School, the virus has taken a different route, mutating into what researchers believe is a new Building Obfuscating Focal Actinomycosis (BOFA) variant. It has not killed, or even infected any students or staff, but has instead destroyed classrooms and hallways. The IHS Voice was provided exclusive access to step back on campus to see the devastation the virus has caused, and the images are stunning.

On-campus, buildings have been leveled, and the field has gone dry. Classrooms once filled with desks now have open ceilings, with notably smoke coming out of SmartBoards during the day. Most notably, the virus appears to have even eaten away at the antimicrobial walls of the new building, feeding off of brains left over by the Synapsis Club’s Brain Dissection event. There is one classroom room (Tav’s room) that was spared, however, and remains the only classroom untouched throughout the entire campus. Researchers are unsure why that room was untouched, though some like Irvington High School Principal Melsby believe that the virus was unable to penetrate the classroom due to an outbreak of Influenza that infected dozens of students in late December 2020 in that exact classroom.

“It is truly unfortunate how much damage this virus has done to our campus,” said Mrs. Melsby, “But on the bright side, students will now have better mental health knowing that they will never have to come back to campus. On the other hand, I wish I had more time to save my office; my irreplaceable pens and papers were mercilessly caught up in this pandemic and I don’t know how I’ll survive without them in the coming years.”

While continuing on our tour, a custodian joined us in what remains of the cafeteria, a building that was recently destroyed after the virus entered a storage room filled with unsold Class of 2021 sweatpants, Blue Crews, and White Crews. The virus appears to have fed on this apparel, too, as many pieces of clothing in the storage room had holes and reeked of toxic fumes. Researchers now fear that materials within the Blue Crews and White Crews, widely worn by Irvington students, may put them at risk for contracting the BOFA variant, and are asking students to dispose safely of them as hazardous waste.

“The BOFA variant entered this building last week,” said Custodian Sars, “and despite our best efforts, we’re having trouble keeping it from containing it. We’ve been trying to spray Lysol and hand sanitizer to contain it, and that has so far kept it from spreading outside the school campus. Our methods are typically the most proven way to get rid of viruses. That’s why you never see any disease outbreaks on campus during in-person learning when we bring out our Lysol guns. But this BOFA variant, it’s something else.”

Custodian Sars is referring to a recent outbreak of mice in the main building, which he believes is a result of years of toxic sludge buildup in the boys’ bathrooms. When walking down the senior hallway, the IHS Voice counted fifteen mice in the hallway, each having grown to the size of a small child. While the mice had been tranquilized in the morning, Custodian Sars tells us that the mice haven’t been too kind to the cleaning staff. The IHS Voice has more information on the mice infestation here.

So what does this BOFA variant outbreak on campus mean for students? For the short term, students have been asked to remain in distance learning for at least the next three years as researchers begin to identify and neutralize the effects of the virus. Even epidemiologist Dr. Anthony Fauci has noted that it will remain unsafe for large groups of people to return until at least 2024.

“We don’t know what this virus is, but we’re concerned that it might be radioactive,” said Dr. Fauci, “Right now, we’re focused on COVID-19 however, and this virus is definitely not COVID-19, so we don’t have the resources to take a deep look at it just yet.

The FUSD Board of Education has also made plans to move students to other school campuses if new buildings can be built, but notes that money originally earmarked for clocks will have to be diverted in order for such actions to take place. For now, no decisions have been made, so stay tuned for updates with the Irvington Voice as we continue covering this virus!