A regular Tuesday schedule on November 12 took a turn at 12:00 when a potential gunman threat placed campus under a temporary shelter in place while the Moraga Police Department determined the call to be a hoax and non-credible threat.
The quick response of law enforcement with Walnut Creek Police Department provided drones to ensure all areas were secure and Moraga Police entering campus within minutes demonstrated readiness in the event of any emergency. With safety being one of Campolindos highest priorities, the school followed through with holding a previously scheduled safety drill on Friday, November 22, to practice Shelter-in-Place safety procedures.
The drill was held in collaboration with the Moraga Police Department. The alarm sounded at 10:05 a.m and students joined with staff to secure themselves in a classroom while the Campolindo administration and Moraga Police performed a campus sweep. The drill lasted about 15 minutes and at the conclusion, students and staff returned to their regular schedule.
“I was walking from my car onto campus and I saw a bunch of police cars,” said senior Analiese Castillo. She arrived late to school and when she walked onto campus, she was stopped by the police. “They told me the school was under a lockdown and then walked me back to my car. They said to come back in a few hours” reported Castillo. Following her lockdown experience, Castillo felt the drill was helpful “to understand what to do in different circumstances when campus is under lockdown.”
“I was in Mr. Blumbergs AP Lit class when the lockdown announcement happened,” said Isabella Tritto. After the alarm sounded the senior said “at first class continued as normal but many students were very anxious since we were not aware if it was real or a drill.” On the Friday drill, Tritto felt it “reinforced the importance of staying calm and prepared.”
Senior Gwen Koplan was in her “calculus class with Mr. Schoen” in A hall when the campus went into a shelter in place. “My class thought it was a drill at first so no one panicked, we just locked the door” she said. Koplan felt that “the drill after was a good idea because it made us all realize how serious a real emergency could be.”
After these events, Campolindo staff and students have demonstrated their preparedness both in a real life situation and in a practice scenario.
