On September 17th, right after the lunch bell, Saint Stephen’s went on an all-school lockdown that had faculty and students alarmed. 

The cause of the situation was obscure and students were discomforted when teachers explained they weren’t sure what was happening.

Following lockdown procedure, teachers locked their doors, turned lights off, and guided classes to areas of their rooms where students were the least exposed to the door.

At first it was difficult to tell whether the lockdown was a drill or not, but after half an hour passed, students and teachers began to feel uneasy. 

The community was given an all clear, and following the relieving news, classes resumed as usual for the remaining 30 minutes of the day. 

During assembly, the following day, Upper School Director Mr. Forrester explained the situation: “At 1:19 p.m., a 911 call was received by the Emergency Response Center [of Bradenton] from someone claiming to be [here] on campus and [who] had seen two men with guns.” 

Due to the potential threat, police officers were immediately dispatched to the school and Captain Affolter, the Director of Security at SSES, called an immediate lockdown to ensure the safety of all students and faculty. 

After the campus-wide search, officers concluded that the campus was safe from any harm and that no gunmen were anywhere to be found. 

After a stressful afternoon, students and faculty were appreciative of Captain Affolter and local police for keeping the community safe and out of harm’s way.