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A Channel 9 report from Deer Creek Middle School about the first day of classes since a shooting last week injured two students is brief and uninformative — and I couldn’t be more relieved.
As I pointed out in a blog about how close to home the Deer Creek assaults struck, all three of my kids attended the middle school, and my niece — my goddaughter — is currently a student there; she was already on a bus when Bruco Eastwood opened fire. She returned to campus on Friday during an open house, accompanied by one of my daughters — and judging by the reports I got, the event couldn’t have been handled better.
For one thing, security was very high, with personnel checking and double-checking student IDs to make certain no unauthorized folks had run the gauntlet. For another, media was kept at bay; neither my daughter nor my niece reported having to dodge cameras or recorder-wielding reporters.
Inside, the lobby was filled with posters from other schools — Chatfield High School, Deer Creek’s feeder school, and Columbine were both well represented — offering words of encouragement, and attendees could also sign cards and other messages thanking first responders, law enforcement and others for their quick action.
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Finally, staffers like Dr. David Benke were everywhere, communicating warmly with students they knew, and students they didn’t. Example: My daughter’s favorite teacher specializes in eighth grade social studies — but she was able to introduce her cousin to her, establishing a connection that will no doubt bear fruit by this time next year.
Events like this shouldn’t make headlines. With luck, they won’t do so in the future.
