Pets are such a loving thing that most people have. They are a wonderful thing, by your side all the time and they can also be cute and cuddly and are great to spend time with. Sometimes though they can get away from you and in some cases can spend days on their own, venturing where they please and having you wonder where they are, how they got out, why they left, and when will they come back? Funny enough, not actually funny it was quite scary, Mrs. Roop’s hamster, Riley, got out of her cage and was on the run for a week. Yes, seven days!!
The faculty found this occasion as an outlet for their creativity.
Mr Perlmutter made this Wanted Poster
Mr. Knaur determined that our mascot should be changed to a hamster.
The following is a proclamation honoring Riley‘s return to safety…
WHEREAS, Riley the Hamster is safe and sound despite a perilous adventure; and
WHEREAS, Riley the Hamster defied all odds of hunger, thirst, temperature, and being lost; and
WHEREAS, Academic Magnet faculty and staff followed the email updates of Riley‘s lonesome adventure with dwindling hope and faith; and
WHEREAS, Academic Magnet adults and children rejoiced at Riley‘s safe return and is thus a dually proper moment to honor; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED that I, Raymond Knauer, in self-appointed representation of all Academic faculty and staff, of the school of Academic Magnet, do hereby declare November 6, 2025, as RILEY THE HAMSTER’S RETURN FROM PERLI DAY and hereby have changed the school’s mascot and logo for this momentous occasion to the ACADEMIC MAGNET HAMSTERS, and recommend this observation and celebration from all Academic Magnet faculty, staff, students, and stakeholders alike.
Dr Bard chose to write a poem revealing his interest in medieval literature:
Epic adventure you say? Yes! and that calls for an epic poem.. Here are the first two stanzas of the Song of Riley, loosely (VERY loosely) based on the Song of Roland. Notes and commentary are available upon request.The Song of Riley
Riley the Hamster, our great lab friend
Had been out of his cage for 7 days on end
Roaming down the hall and around the bend.
No crumbs remained before him, no rodent blend,
No hamster snacks did he accept again,
Except those they to catch a hamster intend.
Mousile set them, hoping to vend
A new lab associate–not a friend
Now this Mousile was in his shop
Seeking to avoid an economic flop
And the signs that his business might have to stop.
All his workers, who prefer selling mice to using a mop,
Ask if he has plans this Riley to swap,
Riley the Hamster, who rules at the top,
And who shows no signs of giving up.
Ms E. proclaimed :”It’s a Magnet Miracle!”
And Ms Lankford: I, too, had given up hope. Riley has given us all reason to hope again.
————————————————————————
So now Riley has been found and safely brought back into her home I thought it would be a good idea to have some students tell me what they thought Riley did while she was on the loose. Dr. Francis first had this idea and he did it with his spanish classes, it was a lot of fun and was very interesting to hear all of the creative ideas that people came up with. This is a much less in depth story from everyone but they will still be quite interesting. All of the people I will be asking are in class with Mrs. Roop so they all know Riley on a personal level.
Henry Lannan: A golfer who loves to talk and think about the game. Henry thinks that Riley took her time to spend outside and catch some fresh air. Lannan thinks that Riley went to go play some golf. He even said that he saw Riley out on Kiawah playing the golf course Cassique. After she played some golf he thinks that next she went to the beach and threw the football with some fellow hamster pals. But since it got cold due to the fact that winter is coming Riley went back to be cozy in her cage.
-Very interesting story Henry, it almost sounds like you would like to live Riley’s week. Wouldn’t we all
Charlie Claus- Rather than peacefully enjoying her time away. Charlie thinks that Riley went from bank to bank robbing them and taking it all for herself. He thinks that after she was free she thought that the only way to improve her status was to commit crimes and get more money. Charlie believes that Riley should have just got a job and then she would’ve had great things that would make her life meaningful. But after Riley got done with her sixth bank, she was caught and returned to Mrs. Roop, who was rather upset with Riley’s actions.
-This is quite a surprising tale. Hopefully Riley did not go rob some banks, but it was nevertheless an awesome intriguing tale.
Sam Abney- Possibly the most realistic thought of what Riley did while she was out. Sam thinks that Riley was just out and about in the halls exploring the class rooms. There are some awesome classrooms here in the school. I am sure that Riley learned a lot on her journeys but there is one classroom that I hope she visited and spent some time in. Mr. Percy’s this way Riley could become a gamecock fan and know what it feels like to cheer for the greatest quarterback of all time.
-Well Sam, I agree that roaming that falls would be quite an adventure for the small creature. But her time was short spent and she probably did not have enough time to go to every class.
Zuriel Nyamutsaka- “ ” Zuriel thought that Riley took her time to go work on her craft in the lab. With the NBA season just beginning this is a very likely case to happen. He thinks that she probably met up with some of her friends on the outside and they all together went to go get some runs in.
-I think that this is also a very likely case of what might have happened and I know for a fact that Riley would be a straight baller on the court.
Reed Clendaniel- “She went bowling in the hallway”. Furthermore Reed also thinks that while she was out, Riley was taunting all of the other animals that Mrs. Roop has. Riley knew that she was free and wanted everyone to know it. But when she was done doing her taunting she found a gumball rolling around in the hallways and used it like a bowling ball in order to knock down the pencils that she had set as bowling pins.
-As someone who enjoys bowling from time to time I think that this would have been a great idea for Riley.
Saiana Elkins -”I think she was tidying up Mrs. Roop’s closet”. Riley decided to be productive with her away time and wanted to help out Mrs. Roop with some chores. Because of all that Mrs. Roop does for Riley she thought that a simple and nice way to thank her would be by simply cleaning up. I’m sure that this made Riley finally getting found all the better because not only did she get Riley back but also got a clean room in return.
-If this truly was what Riley was doing while she was away then I am sure there will always be place for her with Mrs. Roop. Not only is she an adorable hamster but she is also one that cleans all the time when she has some days off. Sounds like a win win to me.
Jack Tierney- “Stole food from the cafeteria”. We all know if it was grilled cheese and soup day then this is one of the most likely cases. Those sandwiches will keep no one or no thing from getting to them. As well as how delicious they are they are also quite filling. This would have given Riley the fuel she needed to carry on all of her adventures throughout the rest of the week.
-Riley definitely enjoyed all the food that she was getting in the cafeteria and was definitely out for a week because she was waiting for the next time they would be on the menu.
