Have you ever heard a piercing scream while taking a crucial test or the sound of another fire alarm shattering your eardrums? Yup, sounds like Irvington High! Here, I will be ranking the top 8 WORST sounds of Irvington, all collected from first-hand experiences and various complaints from students.
Starting off strong is the sound of that annoying little red box, typically found on the walls of hallways. That’s right! You called it. The sound of fire alarms going off for the 149th time. And you know what that means — yet another vaping issue! Fire alarms take the top spot without a doubt, simply because of how unnecessarily much they go off. Hearing a loud blare absolutely scaring the life out of you, accompanied by “Please evacuate the building,” is enough to take 10 years off of your lifespan.
Followed closely is the iconic “BUUM Challenge!”, which is especially traumatizing for freshmen and sophomores enrolled in PE. Imagine a day similar to this: you’ve just woken up from 2 hours of sleep, dragged yourself out of bed for another miserable day of school, hoping it’s a carefree day, and then once you step foot onto the blacktop, you hear the dreaded “BUUM Challenge.” Within 5 minutes, you’re sprinting for your dear life around the track, trying not to wince in pain as sand particles stab your eyes, all while your PE clothes feel like you’ve just jumped into a pool of slimy green water. Not so carefree after all, right?
Third are the pure screeches of seagulls flying over your head during a random Monday lunch. Once you hear their horrible shrieks, your only two options are to duck and cover (79% success rate) or run to find the nearest shelter (98.22% success rate if fortunate enough).
Next is the sound of the bell ringing when you unfortunately oversleep. Don’t worry, it’s happened to many of us. To put it simply, you slept straight through your alarm, ran to school, and then heard the bell blare into your ears as you were just 10 feet away from the door of your 1st period classroom. That’s just unfortunate.
Reaching the halfway mark, fifth is the pure, heartfelt scream of a random person in the hallway while you’re taking a test determining the rest of the future. It’s tragic enough being in such a pressuring situation, but being accompanied by a wail in the hallway is 10 times worse. But due to its rarity, it is ranked lower compared to the other skin-crawling, goosebump-inducing sounds heard in Irvington.
Next is the very recognizable sound of a golf cart approaching closely from behind. It is typically heard when walking near the horseshoe, courtyard, or lunch area. Once you hear it, just know the Golf Cart Lady won’t stop for you. RUN.
Your chances of hearing this one are slim but never zero — hearing FE!N play during a school dance, specifically HOCO. Admit it. FE!N is a hyped song, but to be broadcast for the 500th time is another story. Many have complained that the lyrics have been stuck in their heads to this day, even accidentally blurting out “FE!N” during school presentations. It definitely makes the list as one of the most annoying sounds to hear on campus.
Finally, ranked last is a stereotypical sound you most likely have heard of from hours of Instagram doom scrolling. The bone-jiggling, feet-curling noise of a grey stainless steel 18 oz. Hydro Flask hitting the floor, or any water bottle in general. Most commonly heard in classroom settings, this sound is a killer, and that is enough to scar you for life!
Overall, these sounds are absolutely horrendous and have given PTSD to many unfortunate Irvington students. However, if you listen closely, all these sounds combined make up a lovely melody!
