Tuesday, November 17, 2009

5th Grade Lock-Down

Ms. Arcen is pointing towards the BB&T branch that was held up Thursday afternoon. Upon closer inspection of the Cupola on the bank's roof, the wind appears to be blowing out of the south and west.
Ms. Arcen leads me through the Hallowed Halls of her school en route to her location when the entire student body went to lock-down on Thursday.
Here she is demonstrating where she and her lunch mates sought shelter per the instructions of several staff members when the alarm was sounded. This is the exact table that she spent 8-10 minutes under on Thursday.
My kid, the best one I have ever had. The attempted armed robbery details are sketchy to say the least but on Thursday afternoon at approximately 1300hrs the BB&T across from her school's campus was held up by a gunman seeking free In God We Trust Unit transfer. As the alarm was sounded her school's administrators made the decision for the safety of the students to lock-down the entire campus until the CMPD had the situation across the street secure. Lock-down is something that I had never experienced growing up in the late 70s and awesome 80s but so far through the start of her 5th grade year Ms. Arcen has dealt with it twice. Last year her first LD came while she was in class when a commoner held up a check cashing place in a nearby strip mall. The perpetrator had been seen running towards the school buildings when the alarm was sounded.
Her and I went on a neighborhood father and daughter ride last night which gave me the chance to interview her about the latest set of circumstances around being locked down as a kid in elementary school.
Dad: So Ms. Arcen you were locked down on Thursday, can you tell me what happened?
Kid: Well, we had just got to lunch when the teachers started shutting the blinds and telling us that the school was being locked down. They told us to get under the tables.
Dad: Where were you?
Kid: In the cafeteria, dad.
Dad: What happened next?
Kid: My friends and I got under the table like the rest of the lunch room and kept quiet like we were asked to do.
Dad: Were you scared?
Kid: Not really, I did not feel like anything bad was going to happen.
Dad: Did you know at the time that there was an armed robbery happening at the bank?
Kid: No, they did not tell us that. They only said that there was an emergency and that we needed to be very quiet until they told us the lock-down was over.
Dad: Was any other kid around you scared?
Kid: Maybe one or two but none under my table.
Dad: This is your second lock down in about a year, how did it compare to the first one?
Kid: Well last year I was in Ms. B's classroom upstairs and that one was scary because I saw the helicopter outside not far above the trees making circles for over 10 minutes. And, there were many police officers running around that day.
Dad: Did you see police officers during this latest lock-down?
Kid: Yes, like 12 or maybe more were all around as lock-down ended.
Dad: How long did this LD last?
Kid: Maybe like 10 or 13 minutes.
Dad: I am truly glad that you are okay and in future lock-downs please listen to you teachers and pay attention to what is going on around you.
Kid: Thanks Dad, I will.
This whole lock-down thing is bizarre. Since she was small we have had her in various private learning settings which I am convinced is internally safer than the public system or I would not have her there. I have always felt that she is surrounded by some very intelligent teachers and caring folks. The external forces around those institutions is something that I cannot control, all I have is faith in her intuition, strength and awareness which will be supported by the school's staff and the local authorities that are there to protect the students.

5 comments:

The Ghost of Jerry Reed said...

This post is why THIS blog should be in your "must read" list every morning. C'mon people, give it up!

wv: sescrott

Billy Fehr said...

GJR-Thank you, I think...

rachelvanslyke said...

I have agree with GJR, Billy expresses to us truth and connections from all around - Thank you for sharing with all of us!
ps Thank you Ms. Arcen for being you.

Billy Fehr said...

Thank you Raytch as well...
Hopefully we will see you soon.

The Ghost of Jerry Reed said...

i have no comment, but my wv is awesome:

flockedo