The unpleasant odor that students and staff first noticed last spring made its way back into the school, but did not linger quite as long.

According to a March 2009 inspection performed by Building Dynamics, LLC, a private consultant hired by the county, the smell was attributed to “floor drains from the boiler rooms.”

Building Dynamics gave the school recommendations for how to fix the problem to prevent it from occurring again. However, even after venting out the smell it reappeared in late January.

“[It was] up to the MCPS Maintenance plumbing department to [fix the problem],” building services manager Angel Delgado said.

According to Delgado, the plumbers are done with all their repairs on the current odor problem in the foreign language hallway.

This problem was not only detrimental because of the apparent flaws in the ventilation exhaust system, but teachers said it wreaked havoc on classroom instruction and some students said it affects their ability to concentrate in class.

“Almost [all of my students] noticed it,” French teacher Bharati Umarji said. “Some [students] worked through it, others used it as an excuse to distract themselves and others.”

According to Umarji, some students also had to cover their noses, which disrupted teaching. Since hers is a foreign language class, students are often required to speak, which is difficult with the strong odor.

Frustration over the return of the smell was also common among the students, who felt the problem should have been solved correctly the first time.

“In a school where students are trying to focus, a nauseating smell is a great distraction,” junior Reuben Jacobson said.