There’s a raccoon in the school, but wait – don’t call pest control! It’s already dead, stuffed, and mounted in room 210.
Mr. Amberger brought two dead and preserved animals with him when he started teaching at Harrison. One is a raccoon that was shot by his grandfather, and the other is a hybrid made from part fox and part coyote.
Not many people know about these creatures, unless you know the teachers in room 210, although you have probably seen them looking at you when you pass through the halls.
This little guy and his weird little friend belong to Amberger. According to Amberger, the story behind having this raccoon is “The raccoon is my grandpa’s. It was the first raccoon he had ever killed. He had it mounted, but did not like it, so he gave it to me as a joke. Ever since then, Kyle (the raccoon) has gone everywhere with me.” This is also the same for its friend. Its friend’s story is that “The other animal in my room was a school project from another school. It is the fur of a coyote, but the body is the shape of a fox. Since it’s a put together thing, we call him Frankie (short for Frankenstein).”
So, that’s the story of how he got these funny little creatures, but why are the raccoons always dressed up? Amberger said “I’m not sure who dresses him up. I have never put him in an outfit, so people come in all the time and change their outfits.” Little does Amberger know, we found the people behind this thanks to the two teachers he shares a room with. They claim that a former student, Aleeyah Marcum, was behind their clothes since last Christmas. Fellow Intervention Specialist Drew Banks is going to take over/finish her work, and he has some future ideas like his son’s clothes. Mr. Banks says, “If you have any ideas for the future, come see me and Amberger with a picture of your idea, and we will see whichever one we think is the best, and I will dress them up if I ever have time.”
Taxidermy is a very tricky process, especially if someone decides to do it themselves. Making these creatures is very tricky if you don’t have the skills. Hunting for the animals is also tricky. Especially, raccoons because they’re like little trash demons with rabies, so hunting it and dealing with its weird little dead body is something else.
