GPHS Campus Cat

In this article, Evangelene shares the story of one of the cats on our campus.

GPHS campus cat

By Evangelene Whitney

Those who reside at Grants Pass High School have heard, or seen, of a rumor that lurks our school, covered in fur and long claws... Our campus cat! Many have seen the cat, and many swear there are several hidden in the bushes of the commons. However, with so much speculation, it is important to find the truth behind these furry creatures who call our school their home. Luckily, one of these cat’s stories has been brought to light.

The first step to finding the answer was to trace one of these cats back to their origins.. Their human home! Maggie Pangburn, a senior here at GPHS, clarified many rumors about this cat. Firstly, she does have a family. Ten-year-old Sophia, sister of Maggie, was told to have been the owner of this cat named Bella. Bella is informally known as Burnt Marshmallow, which may be because of her fur or from the creativity of her young owner. This is most useful information, as we now have a name to attribute to this cat.

Bella laying in grass taken by Meredith Higa

Bella walking around campus taken by Meredith Higa

The next important question to the identity of this cat is why Bella resides at our school. How did she end up here? Why does she return, no matter if school is in session or not? According to the family, three years ago, they moved into a new house across the street from our campus. Multiple times, they lost Bella and only found her once they received calls from the school reporting on a cat in the senior parking lot. Ever since, Bella has continued to return to our campus for attention as a campus celebrity.

After finding this famous cat, questions arose regarding how this one pet has affected our community on a whole and individual level. Maggie stated that she is reminded often of how her cat roams our school by other students. From this, it is obvious how loved Bella is in our community. Additionally, another student at GPHS, London Whitney, agreed that with this common interest, our community has been brought together to share this universal love. These curious cats have been a positive influence on our campus, noted by their strongly positive impact on many students of GPHS.

Despite just one of our campus cats being shown, the story of Bella B. Marsh–Bella Burnt Marshmallow–gives insight into how these cats ended up here. These curious furballs eyed our sparkling campus full of potential friends, and now call this their second home. Either at sporting events in the summer or parking lots in the early morning fog, these cats have been a common appearance to many, but have still been surrounded by mystery. Now, when a student spots this black cat with white paws, they have a name and home to connect her to in our community.

Sources:

Interview with Maggie Pangburn
Interview with London Whitney

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