Ashland High students missed first period Friday and it stunk. Or more accurately, a stink bomb set off somewhere in the school stunk up the East Union Street school around 7:30 a.m., forcing its evacuation. It was a prank, but school officials did not find it funny, Principal Michael C. Tempesta said. "We take it very seriously," he said. "We're investigating. There could be school sanctions, or possibly police sanctioning." School officials noticed a strange smell near the front entrance and called the fire department. Firefighters arrived to discover the smell was even stronger on the second floor. "It met the protocol for an evacuation and we pulled the fire alarm," Ashland Fire Lt. David Iarussi said. Firefighters searched the building looking for the source of the smell, and also called an electrician to make sure it wasn't caused by a mechanical problem. The smell turned out to come from an aerosol can, Tempesta said. "Basically, it was a stink bomb. It was a really strong stink bomb," he said. It did not smell like a typical stink bomb, Tempesta said. Most smell like sulfur, or rotten eggs. This one, he said, almost smelled like a super-strong air freshener. "It was pungent," he said. The school was evacuated for an hour, and the town sent a Connect-CTY message home to parents to tell them what had happened. Tempesta complimented the police and fire departments for making sure the school was safe. "They were very thorough ...
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Ashland High students missed first period Friday and it stunk. Or more accurately, a stink bomb set off somewhere in the school stunk up the East Union Street school around 7:30 a.m., forcing its evacuation. It was a prank, but school officials did not find it funny, Principal Michael C. Tempesta said. "We take it very seriously," he said. "We're investigating. There could be school sanctions, or possibly police sanctioning." School officials noticed a strange smell near the front entrance and called the fire department. Firefighters arrived to discover the smell was even stronger on the second floor. "It met the protocol for an evacuation and we pulled the fire alarm," Ashland Fire Lt. David Iarussi said. Firefighters searched the building looking for the source of the smell, and also called an electrician to make sure it wasn't caused by a mechanical problem. The smell turned out to come from an aerosol can, Tempesta said. "Basically, it was a stink bomb. It was a really strong stink bomb," he said. It did not smell like a typical stink bomb, Tempesta said. Most smell like sulfur, or rotten eggs. This one, he said, almost smelled like a super-strong air freshener. "It was pungent," he said. The school was evacuated for an hour, and the town sent a Connect-CTY message home to parents to tell them what had happened. Tempesta complimented the police and fire departments for making sure the school was safe. "They were very thorough ...