It happened again. I was sitting in my 11th grade English class last month when an announcement came over the intercom: “We are entering shelter-in-place,” a deep, urgent voice warned. I was immediately spooked. So was most of the class.
My teacher rushed to the door and locked it. For a minute or two, we all focused on our work in a tense silence. But soon, the murmuring started. Students began joking about how miserable it would be if the last thing we ever did on Earth was an English assignment. Then one student yelled that he could hear a helicopter. For a moment, the entire classroom turned chaotic. Some people rushed to the window to check.
I later found out that Belmont Middle and High School was the victim of another “swatting” attempt, where someone makes a fake claim to police. In this case, the caller said they had heard shots fired inside the school. It was a lie. We were safe the entire time. And looking back, no one truly panicked. Most of us were calm, because, good or bad, we are used to these kinds of threats.
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It made me think back to my first year here in Belmont in 2023.
My First Lockdown Drill
I was a freshman, sitting in what was probably the only windowless classroom in the entire school. A siren went off during French class. My teacher immediately closed the door and opened the closet, making sure no light could come in from outside or escape from inside. This was my first-ever lockdown drill.
I’m from South Korea, which was where I lived until I was in 5th grade. We had occasional fire and earthquake drills, but lockdown drills and hiding in a classroom for our safety were not a normal part of school life. So when I first experienced it in the United States, it was strange, not necessarily terrifying, just surreal.
I lived in Australia during middle school, and when I moved to the US, some friends sent me messages telling me to be careful. To them, it seemed like school shootings happened every day. Yes, the U.S. does have a reputation for gun violence, especially in schools. And, yes, before moving here, I thought my family might need to own a gun to protect ourselves. But after living here for a while, I realized I might have been overly dramatic.
Boston and Belmont are safer than I expected. School feels normal. And I think the fear people abroad have about American schools is mostly based on the worst headlines, not the everyday reality.
Still, reality has a way of reminding you of where you are.
String of Threats
During my freshman and sophomore years, there were several threats, including bomb scares. The first time, I remember, we were all on edge. By the second or third time, it seemed like we had all gotten used to it. People whispered. Some would check their phones. Others made jokes. Not because anyone thought the situation was funny, but that’s how teenagers deal with awkward situations. And each time, the school and police acted quickly. The announcements were clear, teachers stayed composed, and everything seemed organized.
Last year, there was an anonymous call claiming someone was preparing to arm themselves in a school bathroom. I was in the auditorium with my friends. We were sitting in the dark and talking quietly. When it turned out to be a false alarm, we walked out and saw several police officers inside the building, carrying assault rifles.
It was one of those moments where you do not know how to feel. Part of me felt like I was in a movie. Part of me thought, this is a little ridiculous for a school hallway. Still, I was glad they were taking it seriously.
Sometimes it feels like lockdown drills are overkill. But this is the reality many students in America live with. In the moment, all we can do is trust the teachers, administrators and police, who are there to protect us. But that doesn’t mean any of us should get used to it.
Junyoung Hong is a junior at Belmont High School, and is interested in writing about social issues, getting to know people, and playing sports. He plays for the Belmont varsity golf team. He also practices taekwondo and leads the demo team, which performs at Belmont Town Day every year.