Recently University Prep lost a Puma. Loki the hamster recently died on December 20, 2019.

Loki was a resident of the science classroom C203, with eighth-grade science teacher Mr. Slatts. Loki had been a part of UPrep for three years and will continue to be as we remember him.

Loki helped students feel less anxious before tests and relaxed in general.

“Hamsters make me in a better mood,” said eighth-grader Julia John.

“It’s emotionally really helpful because I think it helps calm me down a little bit. When we get to you know, just pet the hamster or the snake and just kind of be in the moment. I think that’s really good for our emotional health and for our stress. And I really just liked having Loki in the classroom. He did help me focus. I mean, I don’t feel like people have ever been super distracted, with the hamster in the classroom,” said eighth-grader Sidney Chandler

“One of the things that Loki was really good at is living in pockets and then sticking his little nose out. And so there were many times when I had not realized a student had Loki until I saw like the little nose sticking out of the pocket or sometimes they would stick them in their little hoods or sometimes in their little sweater pockets. And sometimes the kids would forget that they had Loki there and he’d fall asleep and they would walk out and then come back like nine or ten minutes later and go oh, that’s oh forgot I had Loki,” recalled Mr. Slatts. “They interact with it, they play with it, it takes their mind off of the stress and the worries and it’s a little soft, little furry animal and it just makes them happy.”

The day Loki died was upsetting. Many students had tears in their eyes and sorrowful expressions as they said their goodbyes to a great pet and classmate.

“He was just struggling to breathe but not fully dead yet so I picked him up and just started crying. Then I just stayed with him,” recalled eighth grader Julia John.

Many tears were shed that day for the beloved hamster that many loved. Mr. Slatts recounted the day after Loki’s death where they held a funeral for Loki.

“The next day with some students, we did a little ceremony where we recounted our favorite memories of Loki and thought about how he had brought joy and comfort to our lives. And so I thought that was really meaningful,” Slatts said

Loki was a Syrian Hamster, or golden hamster. Loki was buried in Mr. Slatts’s pet cemetery in his backyard. Loki was approximately three years old when he passed away.