Have you ever wanted a candle that smelled like the school? Me either. My Christmas list has candles all over it, but none of them have the scent of the school septic system. When I think about AHS, my mind goes beyond the amazing staff and administration and goes straight to the smell instead. The smell of an unstable sewage system, stinky teenage boys, and constant construction.

One may think that I am being overdramatic, but I promise, it truly is a scent that will stick with you. It is one of those lingering smells that you are worried will get on your clothes. Olfactory bodily structures serve as a sense of smell and taste, but can decrease kids’ concentration and willingness at school when overloaded.
According to Integrated learning strategies, “An individual can be going throughout their day and a strong foul smell tells the brain to plug their nose, or a comforting, baking smell fills the house and someone instantly is in a better mood. Smell is linked to our memories, our emotions and our taste.”
If smell is linked to our memories, I wonder what students are going to remember most when they graduate high school this spring. I doubt it will be the new and improved library, the questionable floors, or the overwhelming sense of knowledge they have gained. Do you know when the students at AHS are asked to discuss one of their favorite memories with emotion and detail? The student body could instead go on and on about the appalling smell, and how it affects them.
Coming from a personal experience, wherever the school has an outraging smell, by day it hits an extreme decline. It messes with my day as well as how effectively I work. Attempting to socialize in the commons is hard enough in the morning already, but the smell is the only thing that makes me want to get to my period one class.
Although the school’s smell is not optimal, other smells can increase learning rates. According to ambius, “ Specific smells have been found to increase alertness which in turn results in higher productivity rates. One study found that when lemon oil was diffused throughout a Japanese office building, productivity among data entry operators increased by 54%.” The school should take into consideration diffusing lemon into the school, instead of the sewage system smell.
With all of the complaining I have done in the past 345 words, I hope this problem gets solved. I wish that when I graduate in the spring of 2024 the smell of the school is not categorized as my most memorable memory.