False alarm takes its toll on day of morning

The Watchdog

May 2007 Vol. 16 No. 4 C.D. Hylton High School Woodbridge, VA

False alarm takes its toll on day of morning

By Heather Gioia
Features Editor

It was a cloudless Friday morning that was typical of a spring day, a change from the bleak skies and low temperatures the nor’easter brought earlier that week. Hokie Hope and Bulldawg Pride Day, April 20, 2007, was to be a day of commemoration for Hylton’s lost alumni, Kyle Wilson and Daniel Perez, and those victimized by the Virginia Tech shootings. Unlike the weather, however, students and faculty alike found conditions at the school that morning less than sunny and joyful. A bomb threat had been reported to the school.

The traffic to enter the school was ridiculous. A line of cars spanned from the school in both directions. As they pulled into the parking lot some students thought the traffic was related to the ceremony that was to take place that day; others quickly found out the truth.

“I should have turned around this morning,” said senior Waiss Qamari, reflecting on his decision to park and find out what was going on.

Just days after the incident at Virginia Tech, which was preceded by reported bomb threats, Hylton and other high schools in the county received bomb threats as well. The bomb threat to Hylton came in at 6:43 A.M. Friday and the few teachers and students in the building were immediately evacuated. Arriving students never made it near the school building that morning. The buses pulled up along side of the stadium; students piled off of them and into the stands. Students driving into the lots were directed to unusual parking spots, and were told by teachers and police officers to head straight to the stadium. Students spent the next three and a half hours in the stadium.

“I didn’t plan on this. I planned on being in school learning,” said sophomore James Hylton.

The crowds inside and outside of the stadium were upset and confused as to what was happening. Outside, parents argued with teachers and administration about the release of their children. Inside, students were jumping the fences around the stadium and making mad dashes for freedom.

Despite all of the chaos, many students stayed calm. When Custard gave the “okay” for students to move from the home side of the stands to the away side in hopes of warming up, some students found a soccer ball at a far end of the football field and started passing the ball around. At the other end of the field, lacrosse players picked up there sticks and tossed the ball around. Other students keep there cool and out of the way of administration, staff, and security by walking around the track.

All morning, Principal Carolyn Custard and Assistant Principal Brenda Byrd called names of students who were to be released to their parents over the press box intercom. Although everyone stepped up to the plate, doing there best to keep everything in order, and many teachers assisted administration by running the names of soon to be released students to the press box, there were still the pleas from staff for students to stay calm and bear with them, as students became struck with cabin fever.

“We are all waiting. Please wait patiently with us,” Byrd announced from the press box.

Around 10:30 A.M. police gave the “all-clear” for everyone to enter the building once again. Classes that day continued as scheduled, starting with fifth period, Custard gave a free lunch to every person in building. That afternoon, all after school activities went on as scheduled.

The day resulted in nothing that had been planned. Hokie Hope and Bulldawg Pride Day was disrupted and placed on hold until Fri., Apr. 27, 2007. Students were to be rewarded with free ice cream for Hylton’s fourth year as a school of excellence; this event was rescheduled on Tues, Apr. 24.

Hylton was one of three high schools in the county to have bomb threats called in. Around the same time Hylton’s was called in there was a bomb threat called in to Osbourn High School in Manassas. Later, when Hylton students were finally able to enter the building around 10:30 A.M., Gar-Field High School in Woodbridge received a bomb threat. At each school there was a different group calling in bomb threats. Here at Hylton, Prince William County Police told the Potomac News that they have obtained detention orders for two juveniles whose names have not yet been released.

Four days after the incident at Virginia Tech and eight years after the incident at Columbine, high schools in Prince William County, including Hylton, were forced to consider what to do when faced with the chaos of a bomb threat.