By Tim Binnall
A Maine high school was recently forced to issue a rather odd apology for an "unfortunate accidental incident" wherein some students were inadvertently fed baked dirt at a dinner event. Medomak Valley High School in the community of Waldoboro posted the peculiar mea culpa last Thursday following its annual 'Empty Bowl Supper' gathering the previous evening. In the hours leading up to the event, the school explained, a science class had conducted an experiment in which students "baked potting soil" to see how this might later influence plant growth.
The proverbial dirt casserole was subsequently "placed in a baking dish covered with foil and set to the side of the stove area, away from food items for the dinner." However, as volunteers scrambled to serve the many families attending the popular event, someone grabbed the soil and brought it to a table, thinking it was a dessert offering for the evening. Presented with the tasty-looking dish, the school said, "three students briefly put some of the soil in their mouths ... before immediately realizing what it actually was."
Aghast staff at the supper quickly removed the dirt dish that mistakenly found its way onto the menu. Fortunately, the students were no worse for wear after sampling the soil. Deeply apologetic for the mix-up, the school stressed that the incident "was a completely accidental situation and absolutely not a prank." That said, one imagines that some mischievous members of the senior class likely wish they had thought of the headline-making moment that will undoubtedly be the talk of graduation this year.