Lessons from Cowesport Primary: The Great Inkwell Incident of 1973

If you’ve ever set foot inside Cowesport Primary, you’ll know two things:

The building is old enough to have more stories than the town library.
Its students—past and present—have a habit of making history in the most mischievous ways possible.

That’s why we’re launching this new series, digging up the most memorable (and occasionally infamous) moments from Cowesport’s schoolhouse. Some are recorded in official school history, others exist purely in hushed whispers and exaggerated retellings. Either way, each lesson comes with a story—and a bit of mystery.

The Great Inkwell Incident of 1973

Our first tale takes us back to March 1973, when students still used old-fashioned inkwells, teachers wielded no-nonsense discipline, and mischief was alive and well in the classroom.

According to archived school reports (and a few dramatic eyewitness accounts from former students enjoying a pint at The Hare & Hound), the day started normally enough. But by the end of it, every single student in Class 4B had mysteriously turned up with ink-stained hands, faces, and—most baffling of all—one entirely blue sheep wandering the schoolyard.

The Official Record (As Told by Headmaster O’Donnell, 1973)

“An unfortunate and deliberate misuse of school property resulted in widespread disruption, unkempt uniforms, and the unnecessary involvement of livestock.”

Not exactly detailed, is it? Fortunately, the unofficial town record has a bit more color (literally).

The Unofficial Version (As Told by Those Who Were There)

According to former students—who shall remain nameless, since they are now fully grown adults with reputations to maintain—the chaos began with a science experiment gone wrong.

A group of enterprising students (some say led by a young Finn O’Shea’s uncle, no surprises there) discovered that ink could be made to “bubble” under the right conditions.
One miscalculated attempt resulted in an explosion of blue ink, covering students, desks, and a particularly startled class hamster.
The classroom erupted in delighted mayhem, with inking battles breaking out faster than the teacher could stop them.
At some point in the confusion, a small inkwell was tipped onto a student’s lunch, which was later… fed to a passing sheep.

By the time Headmaster O’Donnell arrived on the scene, half the class was dyed blue, the floor was a lost cause, and the now-infamous Indigo the Sheep was happily munching grass outside, looking as though he’d been painted by an overenthusiastic artist.

The Aftermath & Legacy

Needless to say, detentions were issued (though rumor has it some teachers struggled to keep a straight face). The school finally switched from inkwells to ballpoint pens by the end of the year, and the phrase “pulling an inkwell trick” became local shorthand for any school prank that gets wildly out of hand.

And as for Indigo the Sheep? He reportedly lived a long and contented life on a nearby farm, though his blue-tinged fleece remained a mystery for several months.

Lesson Learned?

School pranks may be harmless… until livestock gets involved.
Cowesport Primary’s students have always had a knack for history-making mischief.
And if you ever hear someone say, “This is nearly as bad as the inkwell incident,”—just know that whatever’s happening, it’s probably about to escalate.

That’s all for this week’s Lessons from Cowesport Primary. If you’ve got a school story worth telling, feel free to drop a note at The Fox & Thistle Bookshop—anonymity guaranteed (unless it’s too good not to share).

Until next time, keep your pens capped and your sheep out of the classroom.

🏫 Cowesport Primary