As students returned for the 2018-2019 school year, things seemed to be a little different, almost spooky even. About three to four weeks into the fall semester students noticed the gym was chained up. This was, of course, an inconvenience for sports teams and even the Physical Education classes. Students later learned that the gym had been locked up because there were several endangered bats living and flying throughout the gym. Since the bats were endangered the removal process was a little more difficult.

The Grey bat (Myotis grisescens) is one of the endangered bat species in the state of Tennessee along with the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis)

. These bats are most commonly found in eastern and middle Tennessee. Because one of these two types of endangered bats were living in the gym, the school board had to hire an wildlife specialist who could remove the bats in a peaceful manner.

The LCHS volleyball players had the opportunity to see the bats with their own eyes. The bats even interrupted many of their practices. When asked about their encounters with the bats, the girls had a lot to say.

“They flew in my face,” said Lauren McQuilkin (11).

“We had to stop a game for ten minutes because of a flying bat,” said Molly Emory(11).

They said that there were several bats living in the gym, but no one had an exact number.

“The most I’ve seen was seven,” said volleyball coach Tim Smith.

Of course one question remained unanswered: Had any of the players or coaches ever been attacked?

“Don’t know if I would say attacked, but it flew right at me. They would chase each other around the gym,” said assistant basketball coach Stephanie Guth.

Within a couple weeks the gym will be reopened and things will be back to normal, but it sure did make for a spooky start