Barberton High School had its first ALICE drill since the pandemic on October 13, 2022. The drill happened in 2nd period at around 8 am. Mr. Muren announced that a student had a gun by the main staircase. Students began to barricade doors and prepare for evacuation. About an hour into the drill the shooter was “eradicated” and police began to knock on classroom doors and escort students into the gym. “ALICE” stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. An ALICE drill’s goal is to help schools plan out what to do if an armed intruder were to enter the building. ALICE drill training has been around since 2000 and now takes place in almost every high school and in some colleges.
Assistant Principal Travis discussed that planning for ALICE drills starts in the summer and that they also meet with the Barberton Police Department monthly. Weeks in advance they have to inform local businesses, news, and radio stations about the drill so that people don’t think there’s an actual emergency. Planning for an ALICE drill can be quite stressful for students and administration, but the principals were happy with the turnout and the fact that this year’s drill went so smoothly. Drill like these are a necessary practice in today’s society. Mr. Travis said, “We really hope these drills will help students in real-life situations.”