Riya Shah
eSomethin staff
February 14th, 2018: A day that changed the lives of so many, a day that will forever be remembered in history, and one that ignited a revolution in the souls of young people all over the country.
Kerrigan Lockhart, a current Perrysburg High School sophomore, was enrolled in one of Parkland’s four elementary schools as a fifth grader at the time of the infamous shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018. The day began as a regular day for Lockhart. After school on most days, Lockhart was subject to a daily, long 45-minute bus ride where she made a stop at the high school before getting home.
At the moment the first gunshot ripped through Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Lockhart was still on her school bus. The bus drove by the high school, when she and her classmates noticed an abnormal amount of police cars, newspaper vans, and a lot of commotion. The bus turned silent for a minute, then once it passed the high school, normal chatter and buzz picked back up.
WHAT HAPPENED ON FEBRUARY 14TH?
On February 14, 2018, a former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student opened gunfire, killing seventeen people and injuring seventeen more, making it one of the deadliest shootings at a school yet.
Many people remember the infamous Parkland school shooting; however, most may not know the real, raw, and reliable facts. They do not know the full horror, pain, and heartache that the forever-changed Floridian city faced.
WHAT IS LOCKHART’S STORY?
As a ten year old, Lockhart did not think to take the shooting seriously at first. Considering her age, she was pretty disconnected from the gravity of the situation, with no knowledge of what was actually happening just two miles from her house. This was only until the next day, where she became all too familiar with the events, after hearing and witnessing many stories, fights, and arguments over what happened the previous day.
As is the natural propensity of elementary school age children, Lockhart’s classmates were discussing the events, and sharing their opinions or the stories that they heard. Lockhart says people with siblings at the high school would use their siblings as an identification of credibility to prove their version of the story.
Lockhart adds that “there was not a lot of information, so there was no full story, and most people were young to know what the real sources were, leading to a lot of made up stories and opinions forming.”
The Parkland community was an upbeat and cheerful community; everything changed after the shooting, Lockhart said.
Students were scared to be in class, teachers were scared to teach, and parents were scared to send their kids to school.
She mentions that, “a lot of teachers had PTSD and everyone was a lot more on edge.”
“A lot of teachers had PTSD and everyone was a lot more on edge”
Kerrigan lockhart
Lockhart noted that “if anything small happened at school, everyone would freak out and there were many frequent lockdowns coupled with many new and strict precautions.”
A few days after the shooting, there was a lockdown drill at Lockhart’s elementary school. Lockhart can still vividly recount what happened that day.
A balloon popped in Lockhart’s school – something that would have been an insignificant event a few days prior, but kids were scared and many started crying, while others panicked.
She said, “everyone screamed or jumped, and students were nervous while trying to figure out where the noise came from.”
For the rest of the school year, there were police officers surrounding the school daily. They held large rifles. The community was exposed to helicopters constantly circling around above them for a few months after the incident. The amount of press vehicles clogged up the streets of Parkland so much that Lockhart’s 45-minute bus ride turned into a two-hour long ordeal.
WHAT WAS PARKLAND’S RESPONSE?
After being struck by this awful tragedy, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School enacted a series of rules in hopes of preventing another shooting. Students could not leave the classroom without an adult escort. There was a requirement that every student had to have clear backpacks so that no one could easily bring a weapon into school. The school also frequently went into lockdown to make sure the students were well versed in what to do in dangerous situations.
Lockhart acknowledges the steps that Perrysburg has taken to ensure school safety; however, she says, “the precautions are not as advanced as my old school’s safety measures.”
Lockhart recalls a large, very tall gate around the elementary school’s parking lot. This served to restrict access, and made it so that only pre-approved people could enter into the school’s proximity. There were also multiple staff members who would patrol the school’s campus in addition to multiple school resource officers.
There were also systems in place to keep students as safe as possible indoors. Lockhart mentions that “to leave class, go to the office, go to the bathroom, or pretty much go anywhere, you had to have a buddy with you.” This worked to help make sure that no student would be alone in a dangerous situation.
Additionally, the schools’ hurricane glass in all their windows served as extra security for possible bullets and weapons. Lockhart said, “the glass was reinforced after the shooting.”
Lockhart said initially there were signs that the community cared. She remembered a day where she went to the grocery store, and everyone that she could see had a Parkland support bracelet on, which instilled hope that the community would overcome the tragedy together.
However as time passed, Lockhart said it seemed as though no one in her school continued to care.
Lockhart said that “people disregarded it and students would not talk about the shooting at all.”
She adds that even on the anniversaries if students went to school, they would just make valentines, and there was never a conversation or assembly about the shooting on those days. People did not really talk about it anymore and ignored it, which confused her because it made such an impact on her.
Lockhart thought it was “really strange because it would have been better to have a conversation about it, than to have misinformation circulating.”
“[It was] really strange because it would have been better to have a conversation about it, than to have misinformation circulating”
Kerrigan lockhart
WHAT EFFECT DID IT HAVE ON LOCKHART?
The shooting did not leave Lockhart unscathed. She still has nightmares and troubling dreams centered around the shooting. Loud noises and disruptions such as balloon or chip bag pops still make her jump.
Lockhart said after going through this traumatic event, her family has evolved for the better. They are much more aware of possible dangers, and feel as though they are much better prepared if something were to happen again.
She credits the impact that the shooting had on her to the fact that she had a broader knowledge about gun violence and the reality of school shootings than what her peers had. The shooting brought a lot more awareness into Lockhart’s daily life. After the incident, school shootings became a much more real subject. With actual experience with gun violence in schools, Lockhart is now easily able to advocate strongly for stricter gun laws.
Her experience has helped immensely in her career choice and inspired her to become a lawyer. She gained a strong interest in law and politics after the shooting, and enjoys routinely advocating for causes that she deems important to her personal morals and values.
WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE?
When asked on what she would like to see change in regards to gun laws, Lockhart responded with her hope that one day there will be limitations on dangerous guns. She says that schools should not be solely responsible for school shootings, and that it starts with the governmental laws to actually prohibit and limit guns.
She is saddened by the fact that “people only take precautions after bad things happen.”
“People only take precautions after bad things happen”
Kerrigan lockhart
She wishes that people would stop joking about gun violence and school shootings. Saying things like “that kid would be a school shooter”, “it would be so funny if a school shooting happened”, or “they might shoot the school up” is extremely insensitive. You never truly know what could happen, and school shootings should never be something to joke about, as countless innocent people have lost their lives to these tragedies.
Lockhart admits that she thinks about the Parkland events a lot more in the month of February and around the anniversary date. February 14th is a date that is on Lockhart’s mind year round.
For Lockhart’s peers at Perrysburg, it is just a normal Valentine’s day; however, the 14th is an important day for Lockhart. February 14th is now a day off from school at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, as a tribute to the deceased and for remembrance of the day.
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