Students arriving at St. Mary’s International School this morning were met with a surprising sight across several elementary classrooms. Bright green footprints stretched across the floors, traps had been knocked over, and colorful blocks were scattered through nearby hallways.
The day before, elementary students had built leprechaun traps as part of a St. Patrick’s Day activity. Using cardboard boxes, tubes, cups, ramps, and decorations, the traps were designed to lure and capture the famous creatures. By the next morning, however, many traps had been triggered or overturned, and the mysterious footprints suggested that something small had visited during the night.
The idea of leprechauns comes from Irish folklore, where the creatures are often described as tiny, mischievous fairy shoemakers who hide pots of gold at the end of rainbows. In traditional stories, leprechauns are known for playing tricks on humans and escaping quickly when someone tries to capture them. According to legend, if a person manages to catch a leprechaun, the creature may grant three wishes in exchange for its freedom, but most stories say leprechauns are far too clever to be trapped.
Over time, leprechauns became closely associated with Saint Patrick’s Day, a celebration of Irish culture held every year on March 17. Many schools celebrate the holiday with activities such as building traps, decorating classrooms with shamrocks and rainbows, and searching for signs of leprechaun mischief the next day.
At St. Mary’s, the signs left behind suggested that the traps were triggered but unsuccessful. Footprints moved between traps before disappearing, and scattered materials in the hallway hinted at a quick escape route.
“They made a big mess and destroyed the house (trap)! But I wasn’t surprised!” said Baraka (’38) from RPC.
Although none of the traps managed to hold a leprechaun this year, the evidence left behind, green footprints, overturned traps, and scattered materials, suggests the mischievous visitors may have slipped through the school overnight before vanishing again. 🍀
