On Wednesday, February 4th, at 11:30am, the entire student body GHS excitedly scurried out of the doors, and rushed to squeeze as much fun into their half-day as possible.. But while the students were all out enjoying a brief recess from school, the teachers went through a great deal of stress. As the students fled the building, the local police, SWAT team, and other 1st responders entered, preparing for an intense, hands-on school shooting simulation.

The police training drill was designed to help prepare, not only teachers, but also 1st responders for a potential school shooting. By enlisting the help of a volunteer, University of Dubuque student, the police had their mock-intruder chosen. With the intruder decked out in a dark hoodie, covered in gorey face makeup, and wielding a gun, the simulation began.
At the start, teachers were told the simulation would not be very physical, but were advised to escape if at all possible; And if escape was not an option, they were told to prepare for an attack by locking themselves in their rooms and hiding. The teachers were also given roles to play; some teachers played teachers, while others played students. Teachers were instructed to lead their students to safety once the drill began if escape was possible.
Several of the many groups that participated made it out of the school successfully. Mrs. Huber, a student at the time, said “ [Mr. Etzel] did a wonderful job of getting us out safely.” Mr. Etzel’s group ran through the garage, and escaped to the middle school. Although effective in the drill, the escape route could have been improved. Mrs. Huber thought that running past all of the open windows past the front of the building could potentially, in a real scenario, make Mr. Etzel and his students, “like ducks in a shooting range.” Despite the flawed escape route, Mrs. Huber believed that the simulation was a success, and thought “All the emergency first responders did a wonderful job.” Their group never saw the shooter.
Along with Mr. Etzel’s class, Mr. Knight’s class was also a successful group. With Mr. Knight as their designated leader, the class quickly escaped their classroom. While Mr. Kluzek checked one stairwell, Mr. Knight checked the other. The class seized an opportunity, ran down one stairwell, and escaped through the boiler room. Although the escape was successful, Mr. Knight believes, if their was a group the size of an actual class of students, they would have become congested, and they may not have made it out successfully. When asked if they had encountered the shooter, Mr. Knight said, “I saw the intruder in the bathroom cleaning off his blood…after the activity was over.” Their group never encountered the shooter.
Another success story, Mrs. Howard’s designated class escaped, not only quickly, but with flair. When her room got the announcement, Mrs. Howard “jumped up, and ran to the door.” Unfortunately, Mrs. Howard’s door is notorious for “swelling” and got stuck. Mrs. Howard, realizing the door was stuck, admittedly “swore a little bit,” but eventually got the door open with Mrs. Lange’s help, and led her class out the nearest exit. Mr. Baglione, a student, claimed, “Mrs. Howard was fast! Like, way faster than all of us!” Like the other aforementioned groups, they did not encounter the shooter.
Not all of the groups made it out of the school though. Mrs. Stadel’s classroom, under her leadership, were unable to escape their room. “When we heard the announcement,” Mrs. Stadel said, “we actually heard the shots outside my door.” They then proceeded to “hide in the corner” and “texted people to see if they were okay.The drill was definitely beneficial, more so for the SWAT team, EMT, and other groups,” she said. Mrs. Stadel’s class never left their room.
With limited casualties, the drill appeared to be a success. It not only helped prepare outside aide for a possible emergency, but also helped prepare the teachers emotionally and physically for the stress of the real situation. It also helped expose potential flaws in escape routes. Overall, the drill was a learning experience for all, and will hopefully prepare GHS for any similar situation in the future.