Active shooter training held at CCHS

Prior to school starting, Ekalaka Public Schools certified and classified staff underwent an active shooter training. The training was put on by Gordon Hahn, a retired Montana superintendent and teacher who resides in Saco. Over the last few years, Hahn has put on the training at several schools throughout the state.

Much of the training was focused on changing old concepts. In the past, trainings mostly taught employees a "lockdown and hide" method. Hahn showed grave statistics of how the concept hasn't really worked in the past, noting tragedies such as the school shootings at Sandy Hook, Columbine, and Virgina Tech.

Basically, Hahn described that doing something is better than doing nothing at all. He did not recommend exact protocols, though, as he stated that every school is different.

After his presentation, staff members participated in an active shooter drill. Ag teacher Seth Whitney was selected to portray the shooter and was armed with a bucket of table tennis balls. The rest of the staff was split into two classrooms.

First, all in each classroom were told to hide as best they could, but do nothing else. Whitney hit as many as he could with the ammunition he had in his bucket.

After that, staff members were instructed to be active. In one scenario, they barricaded the door. In another, they were given soft, baseball-sized balls to throw at an unexpecting Whitney. Hahn explained that throwing anything at an active shooter will cause the shooter to flinch, and is a better option than hiding.

Hahn's message seemed to be well received by the staff.

In addition to the active shooter training, Ekalaka Public Schools has also made changes to promote student safety this year, including keeping classrooms locked throughout the day and adding a buzzer system to enter the grade school and high school buildings.