RUMFORD — Near the end of a lesson on density, the students in Mountain Valley High School Room 201 heard Principal Matt Gilbert announce over the intercom, “The school is in lockdown.”

At first, the students followed directions and remained silent.

The fire alarm went off. Students looked at the teacher with questions in their eyes. The teacher whispered, “We need to stay here.”

A little while later, there was a loud knock on the door and the handle rattled. Again, the students remained silent.

As time wore on, they became less silent. Some began to whisper to pass the time. Others curled up on the floor and slept.

“I’m waiting for the next class,” said sophomore Jacob McInnis.

Freshman Wyatt Inglis added, “It is unnecessary for it [the drill] to be so long. We understand what we need to do.”

Thinking of various scenarios, freshman Isaac Gallant said, “I think it’s pointless. The kids who want to go in the service can’t be afraid. They would get the intruder.”

Freshman Grace Briggs said, “I feel like it’s necessary and not necessary. I get the point on how long it has to be so we know what to do when the time comes. It’s long, but its too long for a practice. But as long as it gets us prepared for what might happen, that’s okay. We’re going to complain anyway. We’re teenagers, that’s what we do.”

Shouting could be heard from the hall. “Police, open the door!” The students remained in their place and silent.

Finally, the assistant principal and a police officer unlocked the classroom door and said the drill was over.

Rumford Police Officer Doug Maifeld, who opened the door to 201, encouraged students to talk to their teachers about things they noticed that could improve safety.

The MVHS staff will have a debriefing and will talk about ways to improve the procedures based on what they learned.

The next period, sophomore Madeleine Kaubrys reflected, “The drill was both good and bad. It teaches us how to be prepared in a situation like that, but many students didn’t take it very seriously.”

“The kids in my class weren’t taking it as serious as they should,” sophomore Lynda Theriault added. “I think that they should make it more realistic so more people would take it more seriously. Some kids were joking around about the lockdown.”

Sophomore Ryley Flynn questioned, “What is going to happen if the teacher is out of the room?”

Principal Matt Gilbert summed up the experience. “These drills give us an excellent opportunity to practice, learn our flaws, become better prepared. Hopefully, we will never have to do an actual lockdown.”