Three minute before the bell there’s a mass wave of kids clicking their crutches throughout the hallways while escorted by a friend’s carrying his or her bags. These are the sounds of injured students hobbling to class, something that is the new norm for Knoch High students.

“The students are working together to strike against the teachers,” said English teacher Mr. Miller. “I think they are all working together to show that the student parking lot is too far for the students to walk. They are probably even trying to switch the student and faculty parking lots.”

He is not the only one suspicious of these “injured students.”

History teacher, Mr. Amendola, says “I think that they are just trying to leave class early or get an excuse out of the metal detectors so they can sneak whatever they want to in.”

Most students on crutches don’t even about for leaving class early, but junior Logan Harrison does.

“It’s pretty beast,” Harrison said. “I get to club all my teachers and just leave.”

Other teachers, Mr. Smith and Frau Cramer, had different thoughts than the others about the conspiracies.

“It’s probably something to do with Area 51. They all got hurt when the raid was happening in September,” said teacher Mr. Smith.

Frau Cramer said, “It’s crazy. First everyone was sick and now they’re all hurt. It could be Kobe Ulrich running around breaking everyone’s kneecaps or Area 51 aliens.”

These metal sticks aren’t just accessories; these injured students earned them in various ways.

Senior James Johnston said, “I was running for the ball in our football game against Ambridge and I got tackled pretty hard. I ended up fracturing my ankle, tibia, fibula, and messed up some ligaments. I’ll get my hard cast off soon, get a boot, and then just go from there.”

Other kids’ “injuries” range from broken toes, both legs hurt, to whatever a tibia is.

Sophomore Brooke Cascio was the only student that almost died by her injury and she has a pretty crazy story about it.

“Well currently one foot is in a boot and the other is in a brace. I hurt my MPFL, cracked half my knee cap and they took a bone chip out from behind my right knee,” said Cascio. “I haven’t been able to do gym in over four years. I guess that’s a good part of it. I’m always hurt, but this time I fell over top of a guard rail on a bridge and actually almost died. That was not very fun.”

The hurt students have a different perspective on the causes for this epidemic.

“Well since I am the best player, and I was the first person to get hurt, obviously everyone is just copying me,” said Harrison.

While Harrison may believe everyone is copying him, other students believe there’s more of a sinister reasoning behind it like the teachers.

“It’s the ghost of Frank Whalen coming back,” James Johnson said.

In all seriousness, being injured doesn’t seem like a fun time. Everyone thinks this plague is spreading to too many people and getting out of hand.

“It sucks. I hate being injured and I know everyone else does too. No one can do what they like or have fun with their sports,” said sophomore Timothy [Walker] Schwalm. “My advice is if you’re not inured then don’t try to be because it’s not fun. Stay healthy, don’t do drugs and eat your veggies.”

Johnston has some advice to all non-hurt students as well.

“Yeah it definitely sucks. Then, seeing your friends get hurt as well is rough. I say, play every game as it’s your last. Ya never know, it might be,” he said.

So you heard it here kids, the Knoch plague went from colds to crutches in the span of one month.  Stay safe out there KHS.