I had just finished a quiz in my AP world class and my teacher decided to move onto a new lesson. Everything felt normal until the intercom crackled to life. A woman’s voice came over the speaker, sounding out of breath. She announced that we were going into a shelter in place and all students needed to remain in their classrooms.
My teacher didn’t seem too worried as announcements like that happen sometimes. However, two minutes later the intercom turned on again, this time the woman sounded even more anxious as she said “We are going into lockdown”. Suddenly the atmosphere changed, I was on the first floor and I could hear desks scraping on the floor and hurried footsteps from the second floor. The quiet classroom didn’t feel so normal anymore. That’s when I knew something was wrong.
On Monday, Feb. 9, a 16-year-old boy injured another teen at Thomas S. Wootton High School. He is currently being charged as an adult with attempted second-degree murder and numerous other charges after the shooting. Our school was on lockdown for about five hours while the police responded to the incident.
Students were not allowed to bring their backpacks or chromebooks with them when leaving classrooms. The only things students could bring were their phones, ID and keys. When leaving the school, students noticed SWAT officers and police dogs in every hallway.
Students were transported on a bus to Robert Frost Middle School, where parents could pick them up. While waiting to be picked up, the space felt extremely crowded and loud. Most students were ready to go home but the line for parents to pick up their children stretched a long line.
When parents finally arrived, most students had no intention of returning after such a traumatic event. Later that night at 9:23 p.m., Principal Dr. Joseph Bostic sent an email about the event. The email stated that school would still be open the next day and that there would be “mental health resources and extra staff on-site on Tuesday to support students and staff.”
Students were extremely outraged by the fact there was supposed to be school the next day. That’s when I realized that this shooting would impact my school community in ways no student would have expected.
When the shooting occurred, students weren’t aware why we were in lockdown. They didn’t know how long they were going to stay in our classrooms, especially since the school day was just about to end. Since students weren’t allowed to use their phones, people started going on their personal computers or the school chromebooks, looking up to see what happened.
“I was in my math class when it happened and I was really shocked because all we were told was that we were gonna be put in a lockdown. We had to find out what was actually happening through X or Instagram,” Wootton junior Genevieve Bulles said.
People either went to school to grab their backpack and leave or they didn’t show up at all. “I stayed at home in fear of what the next steps would be for school and how our administrators would go about handling this. I was extremely frustrated,” Wootton junior Brianna Ford said.
The shooting impacted more than just how students viewed going back to school. It also led to an increase in safety measures at Wootton. More cameras have been installed covering every hallway and stair. “I think that cameras should have already been there in the first place” Wootton junior Genevieve Bulles said, “I feel like the school is now adding more cameras to give students a false sense of security.”.
Furthermore, security and teachers are more strict about the usage of hallpasses, following the event. Before, students would walk in the hallways without a pass and it wouldn’t be a serious issue. However, now, if students walk in the hallways during class without a pass, security will stop and ask them where their pass is and how they need to have one. “While I do understand their purpose, I think it’s ridiculous. We no longer have the social freedoms like we did before the incident… staff members will constantly berate me for having a pass to go and see a teacher for help,” Ford said.
Although it has not been officially implemented, Wootton will later be making lockers mandatory for all students. Students will be forced to no longer carry their backpack throughout the day and only use their locker to grab the materials they need. Some students have already gotten lockers. While the school may see this as a good thing, students suggest otherwise. “Expecting students to go from one of their classes to their locker takes too much time. Especially since teachers are getting more strict on attendance,” Bulles said.
The shooting has left a lasting impact on the Wootton community and changed how students view safety at our school. While new security measures such as cameras and stricter hallpasses have been introduced, some students believe more significant change is needed for our future. “I feel as though the lesson being taught to the Wootton community is how we need to take threats and incidents much more seriously,” Ford said.
As Wootton recovers from this tragedy, the focus should not solely be on preventing another one, but on rebuilding a sense of confidence and security within our school. The event forced students, staff, and administrators to confront a difficult reality: schools must be better prepared, more transparent, and more responsive in moments of crisis.
Written by Morgan Wilson
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons