Esther the Bunny scampered to Williston in the middle of the night on Friday, April 14 to hide 500 eggs around campus for the first ever Williston egg hunt. But her job became more difficult when she had a run in with the authorities.

Esther had just finished hiding her last golden egg, close to midnight, when she heard a car. She didn’t want to get caught, so she scurried away to hide. Turns out, the vehicle was a police car and the officer changed directions to investigate the suspicious rabbit.

Esther recounted her conversation with the police officer: “So sorry officer, this is exactly what it looks like! My name is Esther, I have identification, and I am just here to hide eggs for the children of Williston Northampton School. I mean no harm!”

The police officer understood Esther’s responsibilities. “We shared a laugh and he let me hop on my way,” said Esther.

The student hunt the next morning was a success. Esther said the students found every egg she hid. The plastic eggs had candy inside, and the prizes for the golden eggs will be announced soon.

Some students were very motivated to find the hidden treats. Sahnet Ramirez ’20 woke up at sunrise to hunt for eggs. She and her friends scoured campus from 6:20 a.m. to 7:45 a.m., finding exactly 100 eggs. She also found three of the 12 golden eggs.

Others who slept in mistakenly stumbled upon golden eggs. Kevin O’Sullivan ’18 found his while walking back to his dorm in the afternoon. He saw a bright reflection in the top of a tree in front of John Wright, and he climbed up to grab his prize.

“I was filled with excitement when I found my egg,” he said.

Not every egg discovery was as exciting. Science teacher Ken Choo was surprised when he discovered one in an unlikely place — or, rather, it discovered him. “I was driving to an away tennis match, and an egg that was hidden in the bus fell on me.”

Junior Elise Dunn liked the idea of the hunt; it didn’t hurt that she found one of the golden eggs in the dining hall. “It made the weekend more exciting for the students and motivated us to be involved in our community,” she said.

Although an egg hunt is often associated with the Christian holiday of Easter, Esther is an inclusive bunny from Long Island and has no religious affiliation.

“I hide eggs for students from all backgrounds, genders, races, religions, abilities, wishing to never exclude anyone from the hunt!” said Esther.