Winnipeg school pays homage to skunk that forced relocation
One Winnipeg elementary school is making the most out of a smelly situation.
Last week, students and staff members at Stevenson-Britannia School were forced to leave their classrooms due to a smell left behind from a skunk that made its way into the school’s crawl space.
“It took a few days, but finally they caught a skunk,” said Jane Couch, the school’s principal.
“That’s all we know of it at this point, that all of this fuss was caused just because of one skunk.”
Though the smell had students leaving the premises last week, now they’re celebrating it.
“The first day [of the smell] was not that bad, but the second day, I just couldn’t stand the smell. It was really bad,” said Grade 3 student Harsehajdeep Hehar.
Monday marked the start of spirit week at Stevenson-Britannia School and it kicked off with Skunk Celebration Day.
As an homage to the critters, students wore black and white -- the colours of a skunk.
They also named the skunk that started all this chaos, calling her Sardinia. The name pays tribute to sardines, which were used as bait to catch her.
“All of us decided at the end of last week that we had to have a skunk celebration day in honour of this skunk that turned our lives around for a week,” Couch said.
“They’re a small, but powerful animal.”
Sardinia’s legacy at the school may now continue. Currently, the school’s mascot is a sabre-toothed tiger. However, Couch said that the ‘Stevenson Skunks’ has a nice ring to it, so that change could be coming.
“The kids said we need to have a Treaty 1 animal, that was what was most important to them, and a skunk is a Treaty 1 animal,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.