A Slime Epidemic

Borax, glue, water, and a splash of food coloring: who knew these simple ingredients could cause a goopy school-wide epidemic? In early December, a small Tupperware container filled with a viscous, pastel-colored substance entered Sequoyah High School, attracting the attention and fingers of many students. Despite its instant popularity, the community was unaware of the rampant slime-outbreak that would ensue. Inspired students began to form their own concoctions at home, adding special, never-to-be-disclosed ingredients. Soon, a market began to emerge as slime providers competed for customers―targeting the most distractible students.Within a month, a wide variety of textures, consistencies, and colors could be found in every classroom, but the assortment soon served as an unwelcome form of diversity (something rarely uninvited at Sequoyah). Initially, the school’s tolerant administration identified slime as a focusing device that reduced conspicuous in-class fidgeting. However, they quickly grew wary of its messy, distracting qualities. When asked about his views on slime, Marc Alongi, Sequoyah’s High School Director, explained, “it could be a distraction itself or it could be soothing and therapeutic for some people.” Many teachers prohibited slime from their classrooms, while rumors and threats of an all-school ban became infamous throughout the Sequoyah community.https://www.instagram.com/p/BPa2WP2jxFP/?taken-by=stringbean.slimeNinth-grade student Sarah Hughes, a self-proclaimed “slime artist,” claimed she would feel “personally violated” by a school-wide ban, but she “[understands] banning it from classrooms during school hours.” Hughes said she now refrains from bringing her supply to Sequoyah, but continues to distribute outside of the school environment.As the school year has progressed, slime has become a less prevalent issue. Students have begun taking the sanity of teachers into consideration as the slime fad has started to dissolve. However, if one looks closely, they can find the unwelcome remains of slime on the inside of backpacks and underneath student fingernails – primary evidence of the Slime Epidemic.