Safety drill a success

by Matthew Jones ’17

This past Tuesday, November 10th, the Saint Ignatius community had its first combination lockdown/evacuation drill of the year.  The purpose of this drill and future drills is to train students on what to do in the case of a violent intruder.  This is intended to ensure the safety of the students if such a thing were to happen.

IMG_2837
Juniors and Seniors eagerly await dismissal from St. Pat’s Church.

Although students were well aware of the drill beforehand, they were firmly instructed by Mr. Franzinger throughout the event on where to go and what to do. When given the instructions, students barricaded the doors with desks, hiding themselves from the mock intruder.  

After the lockdown drill, students were instructed by Mr. Franzinger through the PA system to begin their march to Saint Patrick’s Church.  Saint Pat’s, usually a house of worship, functioned as a safe haven for the students and staff.  With police vehicles as escorts, the school community made the brief trek over to the evacuation sites.  The general consensus suggested that the drill and routes were well organized and efficiently executed.

When asked about the drill, Chris Calkins ‘17 declared that, “It definitely verifies the safety of this school, to always help the students feel safe and secure.”

Ray Kman ‘18 commented on the roll of the teachers and staff: “It was pretty secure, a lot of teachers held it down for us.  It was well organized and they kept us together.  It was under control and well thought out.”

Although some degree of confusion is to be expected in safety drills of this magnitude, the evacuation drill was deemed a success.  It provided students with a sense of safety by showing them what to do in an emergency.