By Anna Zhang

Want to be surprised? Well Hathaway Brown is just crawling with many lurking secrets waiting to be discovered, both in the past and the present. Here’s just a few of the fun facts that HB has to offer:

7. Hathaway Brown used to be the site of a cemetery

Before HB was a school, the grounds were a burial ground for many families. But in the name and spirit of learning, it was demolished and promptly replaced with a school. However, some of the graves weren’t dug out and replaced, like in the ones under the parking lots. 

Maybe that’s where the theater ghost originated. 

6. HB’s secret dumbwaiters

Dumbwaiters are little compartments within buildings that act as an elevator for food. They deliver the dishes to the desired floor and are served to the people there. You may recognize them as they’re frequented in horror movies, usually depicting some horrific death when some foolish children decide to ride in them and mysteriously end up dead. 

Well, would you know it, but Hathaway Brown used to have one of those interesting appliances. It served food directly from the kitchen to the Teachers’ Lounge, but it’s no longer used—for unknown reasons. 

5. HB orders around 500,000 bananas a year

4. Queen Elizabeth Visited HB as a Guest Speaker

The very Queen of England paid Hathaway Brown a special visit in 1971, appearing to read books for the primary students. 

3. Someone put cheese in the toaster

2. Primary student expelled for touching the elf on the shelf

A primary school student back in 2013 got expelled because she touched the elf on the shelf. She was expelled less on the fact that she touched the elf on the shelf, and more so on the fact that she caused every primary student to cry because of that and have to be sent home. 

1. In 2001, 25 students were attacked by squirrels and sent to the ER

Apparently, two mentor groups were eating outside when a hail of squirrels rained down on the students and stole their food. The problem was that the squirrels didn’t cut their nails so the resulting ambush caused many heavy scratches and bite marks all over the students. 

Thankfully, after several stitches and plenty of hugs to go around, the students were fine.