Shooting Threat at HS - I can't believe this is real

The following is what was sent home on the Friday after a "Shooting threat" was already announced for the the previous Monday (September 18, 2009). I know for sure that my mother never received a letter from the school like this, and that I never even worried about things like this when I was in middle school or high school. It begs the question, "What is happening in this world?" I can't believe that I have three students in the HS and one in the MS (schools are attached by hallway) that are having to deal with the thought that some strange person in their school is threating to shoot others. This is CRAZY!

NORTH OLDHAM HIGH SCHOOL
September 25, 2009

NOHS Parents, Faculty, Staff & Students:

Another written threat was discovered today on the stall wall in a girls’ restroom in our building. The threat referred to a shooting occurring on October 5th. Again, we are taking every measure possible to try and identify the individual.

I will be meeting with school district officials and law enforcement to determine our best course of action to ensure the safety of everyone at NOHS. We will discuss how we plan to increase supervision and surveillance at school not only on that day but the days before and after as well.

As I have stated before, please talk to your kids about the seriousness of this, whether you think it is a prank or a real threat. Encourage your kids to report any and all unusual behaviors or comments. It is most unfortunate that we have to deal with this again in such a short period of time, but rest assured that we will never take this lightly.

Respectfully,

Lisa Jarrett
Principal
Phone (502) 228-0158
Fax (502) 228-7735
E-mail lisa.jarrett@oldham.kyschools.us
Web site www.oldham.kyschools.us/nohs

1815 South Highway 1793
Goshen, KY 40026

Cc: Superintendent Paul Upchurch

To make matters worse - not better they came out with the following policy. I don't know why they think this policy is going to make a parent feel better - it hardly addresses the real issue - a shooting during school hours. As a matter of fact, this puts more students in danger because now more student population will be centralized in specific locations. Who comes up with this stuff?!!!! Read for yourself...

NEW Safety and Security Protocols
For North Oldham High School

SCHOOL BUILDING OPEN
* Before 7:00 am—building is locked; no student may enter the building without a staff member before 7:00 am.
* 7:00 am—Main front doors will be unlocked.
* 7:45 am—The student drop-off door (teacher parking lot), the door where the student drivers come in at the end of the 500’s hall, and the back entrance will be unlocked
* Students MUST enter through the main front doors between 7:00 am - 7:45 am.


RESTRICTED BUILDING ACCESS
* 7:00 am – 8:00 am, students must be in the cafeteria, main front lobby or be directly supervised by a teacher
* 7:30 am, library media center opens
* 8:00 am, all hallways open
* 8:15 am, students may report to the band room or choir room
* 4:00 pm, building is locked down, no students shall be inside without an adult


OFF LIMITS AREAS
* New gym lobby is off limits at all times with the exception of band and choir students walking to and from class
* New bathrooms by the new gym and band and choir room are only to be used by band and choir students during 1st period
* No student shall leave the building once they have entered the building unless authorized


LUNCH/CAFETERIA
* All students are expected to be in the cafeteria during their lunch
* Bathrooms need to be used before and after your lunch period, but not during


HALL PASSES
* It is the student’s responsibility to sign out with teacher permission with a hall pass if you need to leave class for any reason. Students in the hall without a hall pass will be given a detention or a more severe consequence on the discipline ladder depending on the number of infractions a student has.
* Use the bathroom that is closest to your classroom location.

Be RESPECTFUL of others and their property.
Be RESPONSIBLE for your actions and attitude.

Broken Finger (Poor Jessica)

Today was Jessica's doctor's appointment with Dr. Grossfeld. We were there for two hours - it was horrible. The bad news is that her index finger is a mess. She tore a ligament that tore off part of the bone in the knuckle. She is out of action for a few weeks at least.

So sad.

Jessica has a DRIVER'S LICENSE

It was Monday morning - stress and anxiety are in the air. Jessica has her driving test at 9:00 a.m.

This is how the day unfolded: Betsy picked up Jessica and Devon from Seminary at 7:45/7:50 am in Crestwood. She drives them to their school to drop off Devon for classes. Betsy and Jessica switch places so Jessica can drive to LaGrange (30 minutes away plus freeway driving). The morning is gray from all the rain we had the day before, but at least it isn't raining this morning.

We get to LaGrange and Jessica realizes that this is a much busier town than she thought - now let's go back one week ...

Betsy tells Jessica - "You should come with me to Robert's soccer practices this week so we can drive around LaGrange so you feel more comfortable while taking your driving test," mom says. "That's a good idea," Jessica responds. However, as the week went on Jessica didn't want to go with Betsy and didn't take advantage of the opportunity. Betsy reminds Mark and Jessica to try and get driving time in while she is away in VA. "Mark, don't forget to take Jessica out to LaGrange so she can familiarize herself with the area."

Well, as you can tell --- nobody listened to me (no surprise there). So, when Jessica got to LaGrange with about 30 extra minutes Betsy had her drive around the town; 4 way stops, over train tracks, back roads, busy roads, etc. It was a little stressful, but very worth it. There are some unique situations in LaGrange...

After just waiting a few minutes for the "Driving Evaluator" Jessica was on her own while Betsy had to wait at the office ... time seemed to go so slow ... I waited and waited what I thought was a normal amount of time, and then I waited more... Where could she be? What could be taking so long?

Finally, Jessica, Evaluator and car all return in one unharmed piece (YEAH), but they just sit in the car. I can see through the window that she is talking with Jessica and showing her some things. Oh, no - I think to myself - Jessica will be so disappointed if she didn't pass. Just as soon as I had that thought, the Evaluator gets out of the car and says, "SHE PASSED".

Actually, she did GREAT! There were only a few tips she gave Jessica as reminders. Jessica was on CLOUD 9! She could go back to school with her head held high - she passed! She can now drive herself and Devon to Seminary, school, basketball practice, church ... the possibilities are endless. She has her first "real" step towards FREEDOM.

The next step is getting a parking permit from NOHS! This takes a few days, but on Thursday she was awarded the permit. In order to get the permit you have to have good grades, good attendance, no citations, no disciplines (at school), no tickets.

So far so good!

CONGRATULATIONS JESSICA!

WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!

Enough is Enough

Basketball season is around the corner and girls (and boys) around the county are attending "Open Gym" to get back into the swing of things...

Well, Jessica was attending her second open gym when ... while going for a steal the ball hit her hand wrong and it appears that she may have broken her index finger and maybe her middle finger (the one she broke twice last year).

I felt so bad for her - my heart sank when Mark told me he was taking her from practice to the urgent care. (I was picking Robert up from soccer). I can't believe the bad luck of it all. Three hand breaks in just over 12 month... not to mention that Marissa is in a cast for breaking her arm.

Is a mother to endure all this ... yes! It could be far worse - I keep telling myself. There are mothers around this globe that are dealing with far FAR greater problems than this and I feel for them. If I feel this bad for my daughter's broken finger I can just imagine their pain. May the Lord be with everyone that is struggling at this time!

Attending my 25th HS reunion

It is so hard for me to believe that it has actually been 25 years since I graduated high school. I attended three high schools (George C. Marshall, Oakton) and graduated from South Lakes High School. I started attending SLHS in the middle of my sophomore year when my dad & Alison moved us (Kirstie & me) to Reston. We lived at 2606 Soapstone Drive - I took the kids past the house to show them what it looked like.

At 8:00 friends from years past gathered at Paulo's Italiano Restaurante in Reston Town Center. I hadn't seen most everyone there in 15 years. I did attend my 10 year reunion years ago. The evening was wonderful seeing people and getting reconnected after all this time. I found out what a small world it is - friends living here and there - for example AJ Pope's brother lives down the street from me in Crestwood, and his niece is the girl scout that created the Autism plates (which are on both our cars). Crazy


The sad thing is that my three best friends - Debbie Lind McCarthy, Danielle Bishop Blugrind, and Jenny Stone Terrizzi were not able to attend. I really missed them!

There were so many people - we were crammed into a tiny back room at Paulo's - not enough room! I was so happy that Kirstie was able to come with me. Mark had to stay back in KY because Robert had soccer games, Jessica had HS things, etc. SO it was wonderful to have Kirstie with me. We had a great time together. Kirstie, Betsy, and Cindy - long time friends from Oakton Ward and school!

Cindy was there with her husband - they look amazing! The classmates that attended.
I am behind Kenny Bolton - just right of the center in front
you can only see my head


Kirstie, Melanie Kirsh (Sandy's best friend) and me!
It was so wonderful to get connected with Melanie again.
She looks great!

The night ended around 11:00 for me - I had to get back to Marissa and Jern Jern at the hotel. We had a long 10 hour drive to make the next day!

Until next time fellow Seahawks! 84 Rules!

Reston Town Centre - One of my favorite places

At One Fountain Square it's a tradition to toss a penny and make a wish

Marissa and Jern Jern contemplating their wishes

I wish ... I wish ...

Betsy at the Reston Fountain. I used to come over here and eat lunch on beautiful sunny days.

Jern Jern and Marissa in the town center

The sidewalk cafes and restaurants are so inviting!

DAY IN DC (continued)

The day was full of touring monuments and memorials.

Here we are at the Vietnam Memorial Wall. It's a very humbling experience to visit the wall. So sad that all those people had to die.

I like this statue of women caring for the men. It's tender and caring.

This is a close up of the statue/memorial. It is very touching to me.

Here is Marissa at the Wall.

From the Vietnam Memorial we walked over the the Lincoln Memorial.

Now every time I see this I think of "Night at the Museum Two"

The Lincoln Memorial on a beautiful clear day!

This is the Korean War Memorial...

Do you see Marissa?

We also saw the back side of the White House! We saw the garden and the bee hive.

Picture perfect day!

I love this pond. When Mark and I were dating we came down to DC sometimes to jog around the area. This was always one of my favorite places to be.

Jern Jern, Kirstie and Marissa!

Now we made our way over to the World War II Memorial.

It is very impressive. It has symbolism our our country with the two oceans on each side with the 56 states and territories represented inbetween the oceans. There are quotes from famous men of that time period. It is a wonderful tribute. Betsy and Marissa at the Kentucky Pillar

I love fountains!

Marissa relaxing and taking in the view!

Jern Jern enjoying a break from all the walking we did...

Betsy - loving today!

The last place we went touring was the Jefferson Memorial over by the Tidal Basin. It is Kirstie and Betsy's favorite memorial because of all the beautiful trees that surround the basin.

WASHINGTON DC for the DAY

It was a perfect day for touring Washington DC. It started out with a light breeze, but by 9:00 a.m. the sun was up and the sky was clear. I picked up Kirstie and John around 8:30 and we drove down to DC, first driving past the Pentagon for the girls to see it.

We found parking with no problem - what a blessing! I guess everyone else was still asleep on Saturday morning (like I would be if only ...). It was worth getting up early. We reserved our tickets to go to the top of the Washington Monument and then walked up the mall to the Capital.

Kirstie and I at the Capital - it's been 27 years since we were at this spot together...CRAZY to think that I'm even over 27 years old. Silly - my head says I'm one thing and my body says another...

Jern Jern at the Washington Monument

Marissa and Jern Jern at the Capitol building of the United States

Jern Jern and Marissa waiting to go inside the Washington Monument

Kirstie, John, Jern Jern and Marissa in Washington DC

What a perfect day!

Marissa, Me, and My sister Kirstie in front of the Smithsonian Castle

John and Kirstie patiently waiting our turn to go to the top of the monument.

One of my favorite views from the top of the monument was seeing the Washington DC temple.
I couldn't believe that you could see the temple so clearly that far away from DC.

Isn't Marissa cute - she is at the top of the monument.

After our tour we all stopped for a snack.

Meeting up with my sister and friends!!

Friday night the girls stayed in the hotel to play in the pool and watch TV...(something they don't get to do much in KY), while I went to Reston Town Center to meet up with my sister, Kirstie and friends. It was so great to see her again.

We both have very busy lives, mine with my kids and her's with her work - that it makes it hard to find time that we are both available at the same time to see each other. The last time I saw Kirstie was in Hilton Head Island, NC for Thanksgiving with our dad and Alison in 2007. We met at this restaurant called Il Fornardo (or something like that).

One of the funniest things that happened that night was that we each shared memories, but the funny thing was that we each remembered it so differently - talk about a different perspective - that was definiately the case. We remembered things so differently, but could still laugh about it!

Here is Kirstie with her boyfriend, John. They've been dating for a year.
One of my friends from long ago (1985) was there.
This is me and Jack DeCou

It is so wonderful to see and catch up with people that you haven't seen in so long. I had such a great time catching up and talking about what is going on now. It's strange - words can't do it justice - it was just a really nice night!

TRIP BACK TO RESTON, VA (part 1)

I am so excited for this weekend!!!

Since blogs are written in past tense I will try to stay focused (but I had such a great time seeing friends that I hadn't seen in a long time that I might get caught up in the memory).

On Friday, September 18 I drove back to Virginia for my 25th High School Reunion. I took Marissa and Jern Jern with me because Marissa did not really remember Virginia or Washington DC, and Jern Jern had never been there.

First stop after the 10 hour car ride was to see someone so VERY special to me. To me she is Hein Nuegyn (I don't think I spelled that right), but now she is Hannah Whitcomb. Hannah was a Beehive when I was the Beehive advisor and then the 2nd counselor in the YW. I was so blessed to get to know her and see her grow up in the church. When we moved to Ohio, she came to visit us there! She even went on a Pioneer Trek back in OH.

We met at 6:30 in Sterling VA for dinner at TGI Friday... Betsy and Hannah together again!
Jern Jern, Marissa, Hannah and Me at Friday's!

Marissa and Jern Jern happy to travel in the car.

Watch movies,

Read books

and draw while listening to music

Going to a Field Hockey Game.

September 14 - Great Friends stick together! David, Jessica and Andrew at Frannie and Atalie's Field Hockey game.
In the bleachers they had just as much fun as the girls on the field -
maybe even more - Jern Jern, Andrew, David and Jessica!

Go Atalie!

Watch Out Charlie's Angels -

Jern Jern and Jessica are taking over!

The team won 2-1. Pictured above:

Atalie, Andrew, Lucy, Jessica, Frannie, David and Jern Jern!

Celebrating Jern Jern's 17th Birthday!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Jern Jern, Happy Birthday to you!

Jern Jern, Make a wish!
She got a photo album to remember her time with us.

Special day for Jern Jern!

The Girls!

Jessica and Jern Jern - best buds!

The next day we took Jern Jern out to a nice Thai restaurant "The Thai Cafe" in Holiday Manor to celebrate with Tom Yum soup and delicious Thai food. Then we stopped at Blockbuster and rented some great movies!