Schoolcraft Students and Staff Train for School Shootings

by Justin Gibson | Nov 1, 2018 | Schoolcraft, Schools

Tracey Branch one of the English Language Arts teachers in Schoolcraft shows students how to barricade a classroom door against an active shooter possibility.

By Schoolcraft 11th grade English Language Arts students Dalton Adams, Kaitlyn Parker, Savannah McDonald, Dawson Shearer, Bowen Steen, Josh Stokes

In August, teachers at Schoolcraft Community Schools began training for a new school shooter protocol called ALICE, an anticipated improvement to their previous lockdown procedure. The intense two-hour training introduced teachers to five options should they ever face a shooter in their school building.

ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate – the five options staff and students could use in order to stay safe from a potential intruder. While not a set of steps to be followed in a prescribed order, the ALICE acronym does provide staff and students with an easy way to remember their different options in a rapidly developing, stressful situation. “It allows us to use our own judgement and put our kids’ safety first,” said Schoolcraft Elementary teacher Amy Desmond.

Prior to the start of the school year, members of the Portage Police Department visited each building and trained the staff, putting them in realistic situations so they could compare the old lockdown strategy with the new ALICE training.

To make the training realistic, police fired real guns loaded with foam bullets while school staff – outfitted in long pants, tennis shoes, and safety glasses – responded with the appropriate ALICE option according to each situation. Alert and Inform options include verbal notification or the use of technology such as cell phones or the school’s PA system to keep people informed. Lockdown involves barricading doors with desks, chairs, and tables to prevent or delay a shooter’s access, possibly allowing for the Evacuate option, if it’s safe. Counter, the most frightening option, calls for quick action as students and teachers throw objects like books, laptops, or staplers at a nearby shooter to disorient him, inhibit his accuracy, buy time to escape, or possibly subdue him to secure the weapon.

“It was frighteningly realistic but empowering because we were given tools that not only will help save our own lives but could help save the lives of many of our students,” said Middle School secretary Shannon McDonald.

“Being shot at by real guns, although they were loaded with foam rounds, was sobering and unsettling,” said high school English teacher Doug Martin. “No one laughed. No one giggled. Huddling under a table with another teacher while hearing those rounds approach your classroom and hiding spot was terrifying.”

Training for high school staff differed from training of elementary staff, due to the age of the students. High school teachers were trained to work directly with students to help barricade classroom doors and throw things at a shooter; elementary staff members were trained to barricade the door themselves while small children help their teacher by supplying objects to distract an intruder and disorient him once inside a classroom. Elementary principal Matt Webster visited each classroom and read a book to young students called I’m Not Scared… I’m Prepared! by Julia Cook. The book allowed elementary staff to teach the children what to do in such a situation without scaring them.

Many students in the district agree the new procedure seems to make more sense than the previous lockdown-only procedure. It allows people to follow natural instincts in a “fight or flight” situation. Schoolcraft junior Carter Griffioen said, “It is a lot better because rather than sitting in a corner like ducks, we are actually able to do something about it.”

The ALICE training procedure has been adopted by several schools to improve the former “shut the door and hide” lockdown procedure. More trainings and drills are scheduled for Schoolcraft staff and students to practice together later this year.

Schoolcraft Facilities Committee Narrows Choices to 3

by Justin Gibson | Nov 1, 2018 | Schoolcraft, Schools

By Travis Smola

The Schoolcraft Community Schools Facilities Study Committee has narrowed down its options on how to address the district’s aging elementary and middle schools.

The committee has been meeting and working with Christman Construction and architect C2AE for over a year to narrow the number of options for the buildings from eight to three.

Each would call for a bond issue.

Option A is building a new building, approximately 88,000 square feet, housing preschool through sixth grade building on property next to the high school. This option would also add a seventh and eighth grade wing and middle school gym at the existing high school. The cost of this project is estimated at $36-38 million.

Option B would be a $39-41 million 117,000 square foot building to house preschool through eighth grade.

If the district chooses to go with either of these new building options, the existing buildings will be demolished. Their sites will be returned to grass. The costs of demolition are figured into both of those estimates. After demolition the district could either keep or sell the land.

If the district chooses the higher cost, the committee estimates a millage increase of 3.5 mills, $3.50 per $1,000 taxable valuation. The current millage is around 4 mills and has been steadily declining since 2010. With the increase, the levy for a home with a market value of $100,000 and taxable valuation of $50,000 would increase about $175 a year.

The committee also included what it calls a “baseline option” for simple additions and remodels to the existing elementary and middle school buildings. This option is the cheapest, coming in at a cost of $32-34 million. The baseline would just address the mechanical, electrical and handicap accessibility issues of the buildings.

“That’s a lot of money just to fix things,” School Board Secretary Jennifer Gottschalk said.

Brian Crissman of Christman construction agreed, saying the baseline didn’t even address issues like classroom size. “The problem with the renovations is it doesn’t solve all the problems,” Crissman said. “You still have a 50-year-old and 60-year-old building.”

At the school board’s regular meeting the following week, Gottschalk said the study committee would not support the baseline option at all because of the issues it would leave unaddressed. The baseline was included to show how new facilities could be provided for slightly more money.

A telephone survey will be conducted in November to further gain insight into what the community will support. The plan is to consider placing a bond issue on the May ballot, although Gottschalk said it might be put it off until August or November 2019.

“We’re not going to rush,” she said. “If we don’t get it right this first time, we’re toast.”

Common Bond Enjoys Success in Schoolcraft Schools

by Justin Gibson | Nov 1, 2018 | Schoolcraft, Schools

Pictured here are from left to right: Brendan Stoddard, Brady Flynn, Karson Leighton, Carter Graber, Logan Rinderspacher, Trey Schneider and Ryan Engle.

By Sue Moore

A huge gathering of students in support of those with disabilities celebrated the 20th year of the Common Bond organization in October. They were served pizza and drinks, played on a bouncy house, met with an artist doing drawings of kids’ faces as fast as she could, and took turns on a bull riding machine.

Common Bond is a club for Schoolcraft students which brings together students with disabilities and those who will mentor them during their years in middle school and high school. It is led by special education instructor Amy Green, a dedicated teacher of 31 years in Schoolcraft.

Coaches of the football, volleyball and cross-country teams delayed practice so all of their athletes could come to support Common Bond. The crowd of students swelled to at least 100 during the after-school party.

The mannequin in the picture, named Eugene Green, has become Common Bond’s mascot. He has become a symbol in the high school building to represent all of the clubs and activities. What started as a place for Common Bond announcements has evolved into a school mascot that has every school club shirt, athletic jersey, and marching band uniform. Eugene has shown up at school events and even the prom. He’s a fun icon that sports tons of outfits, wigs, hats and fun costumes. Amy Green is in charge of dressing the mannequin for each special occasion.