What Happened: Early on February 1, 2019, Mr. Hinds’ 1st block 3rd quarter oral communications class celebrated the 6th annual Hedgehog Day. Herbert the class mascot of A134 predicted that we would have an early spring this year.

Key Player: Herbert the Hedgehog came to THS in the year 2013 and began making his weather forecast predictions in February of 2014. Mollie Houin THS Class of 2014 & first handler of Herbert traced Herbert’s lineage and discovered that he is descended from British Nobility. The hedges of Raglan Castle in southeast Wales is his ancestral home.

Herbert went on a tour of America in the summer of 2016 to promote weather forecasting. Some of the places he visited were: the Alamo in San Antonio; Texas Rangers game in Dallas; the US Capitol and White House Oval Office; Niagara Falls, Pittsburgh, PA; Ohio State University; the Indianapolis 500.

Herbert’s main occupation is class overseer of Mr. Hinds’ Oral Communications & Debate classes. And, he also travels with the THS Debate Team as a motivational specialist.

They said it: On Feb. 1, on the English Knoll (main courtyard) senior Joshua Estess spoke in Herbert’s native language Hedgehogneese to ask him for a prediction on the weather. “Dingnauwimenwkwkznxudioannaiwjcnjciqk,” Estess said. A literal translation follows:

Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Hear Ye, now this 1st day of February in the year 2019 and the 6th and glorious year of standing atop English Knob, on the campus of Tupelo High School, Tupelo, Mississippi, Herbert Hedgehog, seer of seers, prognosticator of all prognosticators was awakened from his burrow in room A134 of the THS English Department and carried out to English Knob amidst the cheers of his faithful followers. Herbert waved to his fans and gazed at the sky then looked around English Knob. In Hedgehogeese, he directed his handlers to the precise prediction which reads:

The students of THS go to great ends
to keep me abreast of the latest trends.
Whether it be Gucci Mane who throws his money on the floor
or Joshua Estess who promises to skip class because of snow no more.

It might be due to Global Warming, the Polar Vortex or
Climate Change
But winter this year has been mighty strange.
Therefore it should come as no surprise
That an early spring is on the rise.

Up next: February 2nd Groundhog Day is celebrated. On this day Punxsutawney Phil will give his prediction about the end of winter 2019. It will be interesting to see if his prediction differs from Tupelo’s Herbert the Hedgehog’s prediction.