I don’t have a first block on red days, so I go to school at 9:35. On this day, I decided to wake up early and spend some time in the morning with my boyfriend. We went to breakfast, just hung out at our friend’s house until it was time for school. This day started off pretty routine. I rode back to school with my boyfriend, and that’s when things started to get a little weird. As we were driving up the road to Central we saw a cop car with its lights on…. I teased my boyfriend that “Oooo babe the cops are after you,” and we laughed about it because we didn’t think that anything serious was happening. The cop pulled into the parking lot at school, and we both thought it was weird. The thing that we both thought was more weird was then the cop blocked the entrance to the parking lot. He was getting his books out of the back of the car, and I was looking at the front of the school. There were cops all over the place, security guards at every entrance and administrators all over. I asked him what we should do and he replied, “Let’s go see what all this is about, there is something up and it’s serious.”

At this point we were about 15 minutes late for our second block because we were contemplating weather to sit in the car or to go in. Finally we decided to go to the front. About 35 feet from the door we heard the officers yelling “ Hurry! Run! This isn’t fake! You need to hurry and get in here for your safety!” We ran and ran, we got to the door and basically dove in. We got put in the ROTC room and couldn’t see a thing. At this point we had no clue what was going on… all we knew was to sit down shut up and we would hear more when the time was right. Then I heard the voice of Mr. Jones come on the intercom, saying what was going on. The terror that I felt, when I heard the words “…someone in the school with a gun…..”, could not be told with words.

The only thing I could think of was that I need to tell my mom and dad that I love them. I texted my dad and told him what was going on and what I knew, and told him to call mom and tell her what had been going on. I ended my text with “I love you’s” and that was it. He sent me back a single text that said “ Ook Sam, I love you……see you soon.”

- Sammi

Hear Sammi read it: Sammi’s Story

My teacher in the lock down was Mrs. Moore. We had been left in the care of Ms. Ducks. We went to our classrooms when the bell rang like normal. When the principal told us we were to go into lockdown mode we didn’t know what was going on. As the time passed we eventually figured out what was going on. We were all crammed in the back room of the science department. Luckily I was by my friends. We were barely able to sit down.

We sat there for a long time then we were allowed to return to the classroom where most of us took the whiteboard markers to write on the “witeboard tables,” which occupied us for the last hour we had to sit and wait to be evacuated. Once we were evacuated we went to the Civic Center where we sat down and immeadiately were told it was all a hoax and that we might have an extra day of school because of it. After that we were allowed to leave by the letter of the area we were in. My friends and I were sitting in letter F. When we got out side it was a battle just to get to the edge of the street. When you finally got to the street you could either cross and get your car and things from the school (if you were the lucky ones with a car) or you could start walking up the street to find your parents. I went to find my parents.

- Elizabeth

I wasn’t here for the lockdown on Tuesday, but as soon as I heard about it, it was all I could thing about. I was so worried for the people in the school, I wanted to inform and talk to the people I knew, but at the same time I wanted to ensure their safety by not making their phone ring. Although I did feel worried, at the same time I felt like there wasn’t really a threat. I was told that it was a “shooting” as in someone had been shot or was in danger of being shot, instead of just a threat. Thoughts were racing through my mind like worries about not seeing someone close to me again. It was the first time in my life that I actually felt that there was danger present. Its hard for people who haven’t had something so dangerous happen in their life to comprehend what it feels like. All I can say is that its like a shot of adrenaline and a shot of thoughts through your mind. Its scary.

Though my feelings during the period of danger were intense, as soon as I found out it was a hoax, at about 2:30 my thoughts were even more intensified at the person who would make something like that up. I felt like an outcast not being there for my peers and family, but it still effects you deeply. If it had been more than it really was, I would have been thankful that I wasn’t there, but still mad that I couldn’t be there to try to make things better for classmates or family.

- Andy

April 17, 2007 I went to school feeling not good and that something bad was going to happed. During 2ed block, my English class, Mr. Jones told us that it was a lockdown because someone had seen a man with a handgun in the school. How I felt about the lockdown was scared for my life and I was mad at the end. I thought that we were all going to die. I never thought that something like this can happen to my school in a small town. I was scared that the gun man would come throw the door and shoot all of us and we would be all killed.

During the lockdown it was a mess; I got really mad at some people that I didn’t like but I had to hold back. I was trying to make myself think about everyone that I loved in my life, even my boyfriend, and I thought of a happy place. I was texting my mom telling her what had happed and that I was ok, I was also texting my brother Anthony that is in 12^th grade where we would be meeting after if we were going to get out of here. I really felt like we were going to be getting shot after we leave the room but then again I thought that it might be all a joke on the school – I was not sure though.

An hour has passed and I was getting really scared for every one around me but at the same time I was not scared – I was half and half. I was really getting mad at one of the girls in my English class that was saying things that were not right and not true. I really wanted to slap her but I thought if I did that then I would be into trouble. I started talking to a guy in my class. We just sat and talked through the whole time pretty much. I was getting really hungry so I went through my purse and found some candy and started eating it.

After another hour had passed I had to go to the bathroom so I had to wait until we get out of there. I wanted to get out of that room so I can see my friends and my love ones. So after sitting in there for 3 hours it was getting boring. We heard sounds coming from the outside of the room and the first thought that went throw my mind was “can that be the gun man?” but it was a cop telling us that they are there way to get us out. Another hour had passed and it was really boring in there so I started texting my boyfriend to see if he was ok and all right because I heard that all the schools are in a lockdown right after us. Before I knew it some person was telling us to open the door for the cops so we did and they told us that we had to put our hands on the person’s shoulders in front of us.

When they were getting the other kids out of their rooms we had to stand there with our hands still on the person’s shoulders in front of us. So when they got the other rooms, we left to go down stairs and go outside and cross the street to the civic center. So we all went in there and sat there for a few minutes before Mr. Jones got on the microphone and told us what had happed and he also told us that it was all a hoax. I thought right then and there that this guy is going to be getting into a lot of trouble with the cops and the school; also I thought that it was stupid for him telling them that some one was here with a handgun and started crying. I hope that kid gets into a lot of trouble for putting our lives in danger. I am glad that it was not real because then someone would have been shot and killed. I am happy that we got out safe and that we were never in real harm. But some day it will happed to a school in Rapid like it did at Virginia Tech but I hope not though. I was really ticked off after what had just happed but then again I was glad that it was fake and not real.

- Tonia

My day started of by talking with my friends in the hallway. I had World Geography first hour which is fine with me except that I have no one to talk to. Second hour I have English with my next door neighbor as a teacher, which is kind of creepy at first, but then I got to know him and it was like, “Sweet, I can go and ask him question if I have any.” While I was sitting in my class with my friends talking with them about stupid stuff like I normally do, Mr. Jones came over the intercom and told the school that there is going to be a lockdown at this time.

We all thought it was a drill but Mr. Sheehy told us that this as not a drill because it was at the passing time between 1^st and 2^nd. About an hour in my classroom, my teacher started to creepy me out with his pacing back in forth because he had to use the bathroom so bad. I called my step dad when I got to the Civic Center because he called me when I was in my classroom. I had a hard time finding him when I got outside, when I saw him he was right in front of me the whole time I was looking for him and I was looking for his truck, not him.

- Katelyn

After 9:35 I was heading to English class and I usually talk to my friends before I head into English. I was in English when Mr. Jones said to go in to lockdown mode, everybody in my class thought it was a drill until the second announcement when Mr. Jones said a student saw a man with a hand gun in the parking lot. Then everybody in my class started texting to their parents or even calling their parents (which I was doing) telling them that they were in a lockdown. Some people in my class started freaking out and even crying, people were calling their friends asking them if they’re okay, and people were getting calls from their parents asking them if there were shots.

My teacher, some of my friends, some of my classmates, and I had to use the bathroom. My teacher kept pacing around the classroom and it was making us nervous because we had to go too. Classmates kept telling my friends and other people in my class to use a plant but it probably would’ve smelled and we probably would’ve been embarrassed to go because nothing would cover us.

Then at about 1:00 we were told that we are being evacuated from the school and over to the Civic Center. Once the administrator and the SWAT team came to our door people were happy and scared then we thought that he could still be in the building or out in the parking lot and once we didn’t see the guy we knew we were safe. Once we were in the Civic Center Arena there were a lot of people they had to put us in the seats at the top of the arena. Then my friends and I had to go to the bathroom we felt so much better and as we were coming out of the bathroom their were a lot of people lined up to use it.

- Shelby

It seemed more like a dream more then any thing and I though that I would just wake up and it would all be back to the way things always are. As me and my friend were sitting there in the dark texting our friends and family it finally hit me that it was really happening that some thing was not right. I remember having one of my best friends text me asking me, “are you ok and r u hurt.” That right there really made things seem more real.

The only thing we could do really was sit there and listen to music or text on our phones. Hearing how scared every one was by the text. There was one I got from my boyfriend telling me that he was so scared that he left his class down in his town and came up to Rapid City. That made me want to cry because, I knew this was bigger than what I could have ever dreamed it would have been. Getting texted from my boyfriend telling me what was going on outside and all the cops that were there, it’s something that you just can’t forget. There is nothing that you can comepare it to.

When the cop finally came to our room and it was is time to go was kind of scary but then you new that you would be ok. Seeing the guns and all the guys and how we couldn’t walk on the one side of the hall. It really is some thing you don’t want you have to see. I know that its some thing I will always remember. There is nothing like it. Knowing that some thing is not right and you don’t know what it is and you just have to sit there and try not to think about it. That long wait seemed like it went on forever, sitting there thinking about your family and the shooting the day before. You just have to real keep calm and think of the good and are happy that nothing did happen.

- Bailey

Two juniors interviewed a security guard, asking about his evaluation of the day’s events.
Interviewed by Tyler

Well, hmmm… It all started at about 9:35am during the passing period from 1^st to 2^nd block. I had forestry class and just as I was walking in the room I heard a kid talking about the whole Virginia Tech thing and that it is probably going to happen to our school. Just a little while after the bell had rung; Mr. Jones our principle came over the intercom and told us to go in to lock down status. No one took it serious: “Ohh they are just practicing this now because of what happened yesterday, how stupid”.

We happened to have a sub that day and we all went over into the computer lab, then the teachers had to check their e-mail, that’s when we started being quiet and wondering what was going on. What was going on??? That was the worst feeling, we had no idea what was going on. Then one administrator came over the intercom and said that someone had spotted a man with a hand gun in the school and to stay in lockdown.

That’s when some of my class mates freaked. ”Ohh my God, I don’t want to die” and other stuff. The teacher told us to come and sit in her office (hint: Her office was only 8ft by 10ft) and there were about 25 of us. By that time everyone had pulled out their cell phones and was calling their parents.

Then they said that they are evacuating the building and taking everyone to the Civic Center. I was like “What?” I did not want to go anywhere; I just wanted to stay where I was at. There was so many rumors by then, what he looked like, that there was more that one, that there were gun shots, and that he is still in the building, and way more, none of them were good.

We were at the opposite end if the school that they were starting to evacuate so we had to wait for probably 2 hours. During this time there was lots of commotion and scary conversations. I was scared. The sub kept getting up and looking around and we are like jezz just sit down even the other teacher had to tell her to get down and that this is very serious.

Also one kid, that poor kid, had to go pee really, really bad. He was going to pee his pants so he had to go in the corner and pee in a bottle. Eww – but I guess if you have to go you have to go.

Then came the scariest part for me, It was when the SWAT team came into our room. We were already pretty shook up by then, then we hear banging on the door and then it opened. There were 3 guys all dressed out; they had helmets, bullet vest, boots, and a big machine gun with a flashlight on the end of it. All of the classes met in the hall and were ordered to go one by one down the big hall with your hands on the shoulders of the person in front of you. No one was smiling everyone was serious. You wouldn’t think that all the kids would be so cooperative and so quiet, but when it comes down to it they will. We were walking fast but it seemed like it took forever, and the whole time I was thinking, “Why are they taking us out side?” I really didn’t understand he could be out there. We walked by rows and rows of cops, all of them we decked out.

We make it over to the civic center, and find out that it was a big fake, yeah a phony. Everyone had mixed thoughts and emotions: some mad, some sad, some happy, just all kinds. I was mad how could some stupid kid do this, there could have been way more important thing that those cops could have been doing, but no. We walked out of the Civic Center and there were tons of parents, it was kind of nice to know that they really cared. I went and saw my mom and talked with her, then I went home and talked with my dad and family. In the end I think it was kind of good for the community, I think it brought us together, and now we know that the schools are protected pretty well and the cops will be there in a snap.

- Presli

Well the day started out pretty smoothly for it only being Tuesday. My first block class went by really fast and I was sort of excited to go to my second block class because we get to cook and eat food in that class. However, immediately when I walked in the door and sat down my teacher ran to the door and locked it. She was reading the emergency packet and realized that we were supposed to be quiet with all the lights off and then she even made us sit on the floor away from the door. She wouldn’t even let us talk to each other.

As the day went on, I kept in touch with my mom through text message and she told me that she was locked in Albertson’s and they wouldn’t let her leave. She told me that there were a lot of police officers outside the school and that she had no way to get to me so she would keep in touch when she found something out. When Mr. Jones came on the intercom and told us exactly what was going on, I have to admit it was pretty scary. I didn’t know what to think or what to do and it didn’t really help that my teacher was really freaking out.

When we finally got evacuated to the Civic Center Arena, by men in SWAT uniforms, I was happy because that meant we would get to go home for the rest of the day. After like 3 hours, they finally let us go. When I got outside the Civic Center, they were a lot of very emotional parent and a lot of new broadcasters with cameras. I thought that the SWAT people and the news were a little dramatic but I guess it was a good thing and they were only there for our safety.

- Heidi