The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

This last Thursday, February 28th, Big Sandy High School was put under lock-down for two hours. The students at BSHS have been through plenty of fire, earthquake, and shooting threat drills throughout the years for preparation. The students were affected by the experience but did very well with dealing with everything.

The lock-down was initiated before the lunch break at around twelve o’clock. The school secretary, Wendy Taylor, announced to the whole school to stay in the classrooms with locked doors. At first, the announcement felt like a drill but after a half hour of being on lock-down, people started to become curious and nervous. The experience affected each student differently. Some students didn’t take the concept seriously, some feared the possibilities, and some were angry about the confusion, some students were making jokes about the whole thing, and others were very shaken up. Mrs. Brumwell, the high school math teacher, stated how not knowing what was going on for a long period of time was difficult. After the drill ended at around two o’clock, the students were taken to lunch where they ate and discussed the experience.

The superintendent and principal explained to the school how well they dealt with the lock-down. Two students texted 911, resulting in the police being at the school in a matter of five minutes. Once the police showed up they looked at the cameras to see who went into the girls’ bathroom during fourth period. The superintendent, principle, and the police began to question students who went into the bathroom during that time. As a teenager being questioned by the police can be intimidating but the students cooperated and helped the police find out who did it and why.

The superintendent is not allowed to say who did it, but hopefully, he/she completely understands how serious a stunt like this can be and can get help if needed. The rest of the students in the school should take an example from this experience and realize how serious this concept is. Overall, last Thursday was a scary time for BSHS, but everyone handled the situation very well and hopefully learning can come from this experience.