Jagerbombs Anyone?

For starters, violence in our schools is no laughing matter. Many of you who live in the Oswego area are probably aware by now, of the recent bomb threats at the Middle School and High School. Without going into great detail, there were virtually simultaneous bomb scares at both schools this week. Consult the local "fish wrap", otherwise known as The Palladium Times for the related scoop.

The news of these threats were a reminder to me of my formative years at Oswego High School. When I was a Junior, we too had a bomb scare during school. While sitting in typing class a voice came on the loud speaker and said:

"Would Mr. Thompson please report to the main office."

No big deal, right? So the principal wanted to talk to some dink named Mr. Thompson. Chances are he went out to lunch and tied one on, getting him in hot water with the boss. Nobody had ever even heard of a Mr. Thompson before, except for the teacher. She looked up at us with a stunned look on her mug and exclaimed:

"Mr. Thompson? MR. THOMPSON!! That's the code word for teachers, to let us know there's a bomb in the building, without alarming you kids!!"

Well, I guess she dropped the ball on that one and let the cat out of the bag. Sure enough, it was a bomb threat, as 3 minutes later the same voice came on the loud speaker and said to remain in your classroom when the bell rang. In the end, there was no harm done to anyone.

Now fast forward to the present. Working at Greene's has rewarded me with a great deal of educators patronizing this establishment. And it's not just the financial benefits of their attendance which delights me. I've become friends with many of them too, so I am able to pick their brains about how the faculty and student populations react to sensitive situations, such as these threats of violence.

What I've gathered is that frustration was the overwhelming emotion among both groups. I know what you're thinking. It's usually just a harmless prank in the end when nobody is actually hurt. WRONG. Anybody who's lived here knows all too well that even in early October, it can be quite unseasonably chilly. Especially when you're stuck out in the cold for over and hour because some douche-bag didn't study for a math test 5th period and wants any easy way out.

I bet you're also thinking, 1/2 of them would rather not be sitting in a boring classroom. (That goes for both students and faculty.) And the other 1/2 are upset that they are missing out on valuable classroom time. That would be the nerds and the dedicated teachers who aren't in it for the paycheck. I can make cases for both sides, but ya gotta suck it up and suffer through the cold for an hour if it gets you out of school.

What about after school activities? Once again, it goes both ways. All of the derelicts carousing the halls all day long, who had after school detention, were off the hook for a day. That just allows them to smoke their "cigs" an hour earlier. The ones who suffer are the athletes who have games and practices postponed, and the dorks who stay after school to "brown nose" and work on extra credit.

If the athletes and "brown nose-rs" would team up, I could offer a solution. Have the quiet kids keep their ears open and find out which one of the burnouts called in the threats. Then they could simply turn that information over to the jocks and they could kick their asses all over campus. Even if they beat up the wrong person, who cares. At least the message would be sent. These threats are nothing more than foolishness. DON'T DO IT AGAIN!!

Through this method I believe the children could come together and foster a nourishing environment, both academically and socially.