The week before winter break we were told that sometime in the
following three weeks there would be a
”
code red
”
lock-down drill at brunch or lunch. The administration wanted to
make sure we would be prepared if an intruder came on campus during
brunch or lunch.
By Deena Morsilli
The week before winter break we were told that sometime in the following three weeks there would be a “code red” lock-down drill at brunch or lunch. The administration wanted to make sure we would be prepared if an intruder came on campus during brunch or lunch. We, the students, were not supposed to know when the lock-down was to take place so that we would be taken by surprise.
This is high school we are talking about. Secrets spread around campus so fast it is truly amazing. A few teachers let it slip to their classes that the lock-down would be the Friday before we left for break at 12:55, which is the very end of our lunch. Naturally, the entire student body knew about the lock-down by the middle of the week. Now, if there is a lock-down at brunch or lunch, you are supposed to go to your next class, or if your next class is too far away, any nearby classroom. By Thursday, everyone had planned where they wanted to go for the lock-down.
When I arrived in my first class that Friday morning, my teacher immediately announced that the lock-down drill had been cancelled because too many people knew about it. The administration had decided to reschedule the lock-down, and this time they would not even tell the teachers when it was going to be held.
That was the first week of the three-week period. The second week was President’s week, and we had no school, so we figured that by process of elimination, it had to be during the week we got back from break.
The week we got back we were all anxiously awaiting the lock-down. To prove my point about how quickly rumors spread at Gilroy High, a couple friends of mine started a rumor. They went around telling people that the lock-down would be that Wednesday at 12:55. They told me it was just a rumor from the start, so I just laughed when random people came up to me and told me about the “lock-down.” I was amazed by the number of people who were talking about the “lock-down” like it was fact that it would be that Wednesday, when no one outside the administration knew when it would be.
Sure enough, Wednesday came and went with no lock-down. Disappointment ensued among many. Thursday also came and went with no lock-down. It all came to Friday, the last day of the three-week period. Brunch came, but a lock-down drill did not. Lunch rolled around and the students waited. The bell rang to go to class. No one moved. The three-minute warning bell rang, and still students hovered, hoping to hear the strange bell that signals lock-downs.
The campus supervisors ushered us off to class, and we walked slowly, still hoping, but to the dismay of many, no lock-down came, and we were left simply wondering when this now infamous lock-down would occur, or if it would even occur at all. In the meantime, I’ll be sure and keep you posted on the status of the lock-down drill.
There may not have been a lock-down drill at school, but there was a talent show on Friday and Saturday night. Every year, the Art-Lit magazine puts on two talent shows to raise money. I was unable to attend the one earlier this year, so I made sure to attend this one. The talent show is always full of promising talent, as well as entertaining skits by the hosts, and this year the talent show did not disappoint.
I only attended Friday night’s show, so I can’t speak for Saturday’s show, but I was impressed. There were many bands, as well as singers and hip-hop dancers. There was even a band made up of GHS teachers.
The band that took first on Friday was a four-member band called Chasing Truth. To be honest when they walked on the stage I thought to myself, “Wow, they look like they are 12.” It turns out I wasn’t that far off. The band was comprised of two 14-year-olds, a 13-year-old, and an 11-year-old. Before they started to play the drummer warned the crowd that their music was “heavy.” I’ve never been that big on heavy music, but as soon as they started to play I was completely blown away by their talent. I know I wasn’t that talented when I was their age. Oh wait, I’m still not that talented. I’m sure we will be hearing more from this band in the future.
