On May 16, Oswego High School and surrounding areas were placed under a tornado warning, causing students to shelter in place, followed closely by a false fire alarm and evacuation.
At the very beginning of 6th period on Thursday, students were rushed into their shelter in place positions where they have to sit down with their heads facing the wall and their hands over their head. This shelter in place lasted for about 50 minutes before being able to go back to class.
This was the first time in years that students have been put in a shelter in place. This was also the last day for seniors so most students, according to senior Justen Callion, were not taking this seriously.
“There were a lot of people messing around and making jokes,” Callion said. “I don’t think anyone thought too much of it. Most students didn’t think there was a tornado or even a threat of one.”
According to Kendall County Now, no tornadoes were spotted in Kendall County, but the teachers and administration did their best to assess the situation as fast as possible and try to keep everyone safe.
At roughly 1 p.m., students were released back to their classes and sat there for about 20 minutes before the fire alarm went off and students were escorted outside. The fire alarm going off was a only a system malfunction.
Some found the situation humorous, such as sophomore Anthony Myers.
“Oh dear god,” Myers said. “I was laughing, I thought it was kinda funny. I knew something like this was going to happen today.”
Others like sophomore Karli Berk reacted in the opposite way once the fire alarm went off.
“I got really annoyed and wanted to punch someone,” Berk said.
Students were released to go back inside at 1:40 p.m. Shortly after, Assistant Principal Mr. William Nunamaker came over the intercom and announced that students would be dismissed early. Staff and parents have been informed through email about the situation and the events that took place.
“With this being my last day of high school, this is definitely a highlight,” Callion said. “It’s an interesting way to go out”
