Something at Communications smells fishy. That is if fish smells like sewage and old food. For a large part of the school year, a putrid odor has plagued the halls of Communications High School. While students and teachers are mostly in the dark about where it came from, many have words for the stench they have experienced for part of the school year.

Sophomore Charlotte Ross of Fair Haven believes the smell was a manifestation of several issues.

“It almost smells like a combination of rotting sewer eggs mixed with body odor and humidity,” Ross said. “It smells worst in the stair area in the cafeteria, so as you go down the stairs from your upstairs class it’s an unwelcoming gust of reek.”

Students found the odor was strongest near the lunch area, occasionally making its way up the back stairwell or finding a home near the bathrooms.

With its scent hard to place, many wondered if something in the cafeteria could be to blame.

Freshman Sophia Filippelli of Little Silver thinks the microwave could be the culprit.

“The microwaves having so much different food in them might make it smell,” Filippelli said. “I think so many kids being in one place at one time in the hallways might do it too.”

Teachers and staff noticed the stench becoming an issue with students. At times, English teacher Jaime Vander Velde found that it interrupted her class.

“Students would definitely mention the smell occasionally if it was out there,” Vander Velde said. “There were one or two days when it got kind of bad, so we would open the window.”

With the student body haunted by this stench, principal James Gleason investigated the issue with a district manager. Like most students, he thought it was a sewage issue, but didn’t know where the source of the problem resided.

Administrators focused their search on drains throughout the school. Any room with a sink, toilet or another water source usually has a drain on the floor in the event of a spill. These lead to the piping system of the rest of the school, and based on the vague scent of sewage, were likely the root of the problem.

After what Gleason describes as “too long” a time searching, administrators found a dried-out drain tucked away in a closet was the issue.

“It’s a common thing,” Gleason stated. “Every once in a while the drains will dry out and you just put water in and that stops the smell.”

Discovering the source of the smell was critical to improving student life and mandatory for the staff. According to the 16th procedure of section VII-1.2 of the MCVSD Guide for Standard Operating Procedures and Internal Controls, CHS is required to comply with all OSHA requirements. This includes indoor air quality requirements, which are exclusive to New Jersey and California.

While these regulations mostly pertain to HVAC systems and less to the smell, finding the source of the smell was critical to ensure there wasn’t a threat to student and staff health. According to recent annual studies from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air pollution continually ranks as the top five leading environmental hazards to public health.

With the source of the smell discovered, administrators can prevent health issues in the student body and distractions to learning. When asked about the importance of eliminating the odor, Ross believed it was best for CHS.

“It’s important, the foul stench is enough to give a child a headache or nausea,” Ross said. “There should be an ongoing investigation at this point because it is insensible and just now bizarre.”