Boom! Splash! Kapow! Nearly all MHS science teachers have funny stories to tell of disastrous labs gone awry. Halloween is known for its tales of mad scientists, but it turns out MHS has had some crazy science experiments over the years. I spoke with a handful of MHS science teachers about failed experiments they’ve experienced. To protect the innocent and their pride, they will remain anonymous. Here are a few of their hilarious stories!

While performing a physics demonstration involving a pulley system in which a student would sit on a swing seat and pull himself up with a rope, this teacher wanted to review the lesson. They pulled down on the rope to show how easily it moved, forgetting he was standing on the swing seat. As soon as he pulled the rope, his feet flew into the air. The teacher’s mass was off center, and he swung through the air like Tarzan. As he fell, he pulled the rope with him and fell even harder on the swing. In essence, the instructor did a backflip onto the cement and got knocked out. When he opened his eyes, the students naturally looked concerned. Having the wind knocked out of him, he simply croaked… “I’m O.K.” Of course, there was “that guy” in the back of the group who cried “Let’s see that again!”

A 10th grade teacher once leaned over a table he thought had water on it. As it turned out, the table was actually covered in corrosive sulfuric acid, which burned a hole right through his sweatshirt. A disastrous lab also occurred while he was in college. One girl with long hair from the 90s quickly turned her head, burning her hair with a Bunsen burner! The following day, her hair was quite a bit shorter.

Another teacher was demonstrating an experiment for his class a few years ago. The lab involved making a hydrogen balloon and heating the bottom to make it rise upwards. For an unknown reason, the fire went downwards, not upwards, burning this teacher’s arm. A picture of this event can be found on the wall in the classroom (can you guess who?). Speaking of hydrogen balloons, many science classes made and released them outside a few years ago. Due to inclement weather, the experiment was moved to the Commons instead. When igniting the balloon to send it upwards, the fire got out of control. The flames burned an area of carpet in the commons before the fire was extinguished and everything was caught on security camera. Luckily, the fire was put out before it raged through MHS!