36 hours, 27 minutes, 31 seconds. That was the amount of time Trinity Prep students were held captive in their classrooms under the lightning alert this Friday. Students were finally released on Saturday, after the administration sent the long-awaited “ALL CLEAR” text, causing students to trample each other out of the campus.
“You don’t know what relief feels like until you get one of those texts,” junior Wilder Judelson said. “I have never run faster in my entire life. I needed to get out of Mr. Schneider‘s classroom.”
Judelson recalls Friday as being a sunny day, claiming there were no clouds in the sky. That is why the lightning alert did not stop him from walking to his car.
“I got the message, but I thought they were just kidding,” Judelson said. “There was no way there was any lightning nearby. As soon as I stepped outside of the math building and began walking across the Quad, I was tackled to the ground by Mr. McGimsey and nearly had my eardrums burst from all the teachers yelling at me through their megaphones.”
Judelson was escorted back into his 7th period class in handcuffs where he remained for the next 36 hours.
Upper School Dean of Students Kyle McGimsey claims that lightning alert was extremely necessary to keep the students under cover and safe.
“There was (REALLY DRAMATIC DESCRIPTION) lightning 200 miles from school,” McGimsey said. “In no circumstances were the students safe walking under cover.”
To prevent any students from coming in contact with the 200-mile-away lightning, admin barred all kids from leaving.
“After one hour locked in the classroom, I went outside to see if I could walk around,” senior Lauren Beers said. “As soon as I stepped outside, I was completely charged by the screaming Dr. Bonday, Dr. Dryden, and Mr. McGimsey. There was no hope for escape.”
As time passed, so did the worry of the parents and students. The parent carline was backed up down Aloma, due to the school closing the barrier gate.
“Our number one priority is the safety of our students,” Head of Upper School Tracy Bonday said. “I have never seen weather so terrifying in my entire life. It was not safe for the parents to even be near school or for the students to leave.”
However, reports from several students claim they did not see one cloud in the sky or hear any lightning, causing many to become frustrated.
“I mean, I couldn’t even use the bathroom by myself,” Judelson said. “Mr. McGimsey and Dr. Bonday would carry me to the bathroom on their backs. They would wait for me outside for exactly 1 minute and 37 seconds. As soon as I was done, they would immediately pick me up and sprint so quickly while blaring sirens through their megaphones.”
By the 5th hour, students realized they were not going to be released anytime soon. Around dinner time, the students were finally fed.
“We were all complaining of hunger when Mr. McGimsey walked in carrying a basket,” Beers said. “Each student got one piece of gum and one piece of mint. If we behaved well enough, he would come back with a second piece of Spearmint.”
Administration fed the students once more Saturday morning after a long night spent locked in the classrooms.
Now on hour 27, students were becoming extremely upset and impatient. Massive bathroom lines formed, as only Mr. McGimsey and Dr. Bonday could take the students, and parents were rioting through the gates of Trinity Prep with signs decorated with “free out kids.”
“We finally allowed the students to leave after carefully assessing the weather,” McGimsey said. “There was no more lightning in at least one thousand-mile radius, making it safe for the dear students to go home.”
The “ALL CLEAR” was sent at 7:49 PM on Saturday. The long-awaited buzz erupted cheers throughout campus, as students pushed each other out of the way to step outside the Trinity gates.
“The only other time I have been this happy is when OUR boys soccer team won the 2023 State Championships in Division 3A,” Beers said. “That was the best two hours of my life, getting released was a close second.”
