Classes at Charlotte Amalie High School are to resume on Monday, following several days of cancellation this week due to a foul odor on the campus. But the source of the odor remains a mystery.
School officials said the smell had dissipated somewhat by Friday, after better ventilating areas where the odor was strongest. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is still trying to identify the origin of the smell, and air sampling was conducted several times this week.
At week's end, speculation ran high that sewage gases or fumes from fresh paint was causing the stink. The Department of Health's Division of Environmental Health has tested the air for contaminants, but so far has found nothing that would constitute a health hazard.
Reportedly, a few people who encountered the odor while the campus was still open complained of headaches and other minor discomfort, but there have been no reports of anyone requiring medical treatment.
According to one unconfirmed report, Juju trees on the CAHS campus were suspected initially. The trees, whose fruit is edible, are known to emit an unpleasant odor when blooming, but they have been on the campus for years. Nonetheless, several of the old trees were cut down.
An Education Department source said Friday the decision to cut down the trees was made by an official in the Turnbull administration.