By Melissa Boyd (Whetstone Staff Writer)

Junior Emily Overlander started her biology lab just like she would have any other day: by sitting at the lab table and preparing for class in Cannon Hall.

However, lab class on Sept. 5 started a little differently.

After sitting on her chair, she noticed a green goo oozing from underneath the table and spreading all over her pants.

“Dr. Kroen said he didn’t know what it was so we went on with lab as usual, sitting with this unknown green stuff on our pants,” she said.

Overlander said another teacher, Tommie Staley, said in her first class during the first week of school, that there was mold in the lab room.

“She was telling us there was mold dripping and falling from the ceiling,” she said. “It fell on the tables and maintenance came and cleaned the lab room that day. Classes resumed as usual.”

Junior Sabria Oliver left her classes with green mold on her pants twice.

“I don’t know why they didn’t go through all of the buildings and check them prior to school starting,” she said. “Who knows what we’ve been breathing in for a month? We honestly don’t even know what kind of mold it is, if it’s harmful or not.”

An email was sent to all students, faculty and staff on Thursday to alert them of the incident.

It read, “Since the beginning of school, there has been a concern about mold in Cannon Hall. We are not sure why there would be an outbreak of mold.”

The email, written by Ron Reck, the school’s new chief financial officer,  said there were “concerns about airborne contaminants.”

Overlander said she’s mad that the school knew about the issue the first week of school but took three weeks to have the building closed.

“It’s hazardous and I would’ve hoped they’d have done something sooner to protect the students,” she said.

Not all of the classes held in Cannon were relocated to new classrooms.

“My anatomy class was canceled on Friday and we don’t have lab this week because Cannon is closed,” she said.

Dr. Bill Kroen, a biology professor, said he hasn’t had any classes canceled but they’re taking it one day at a time.

“I don’t have lab until Thursday but my lectures have all been moved to different locations,” he said. “We’ve been apologizing to students.”

He said he’s temporarily changed his office location to the front of the library so that students can still meet with him.

“We still have to be available and meet with students,” he said. “It’s important to try to do what you can.”

He said the situation has made the semester a little chaotic.

“I want to try to give as much education as I can and have the situation be as least disruptive as we can,” he said. “It’s tough on everyone, students and teachers alike.”