On September 24th, 2025, Stafford students made their way back from a holiday, back to dimly lit hallways, crammed cafeterias, and overall confusion. Everything was seeming like a normal school day until the end of first block, when an impromptu lock down alarm came on overhead.

My classmates and I were in the middle of transitioning from our AP Physics class into AP Lit, but we were confusingly greeted with a robotic voice over the intercom telling us to hide. We stood still in confusion until reality struck, and we instinctively ran into the nearest classroom and immediately crouched in the corner.

Being students in America, hiding from danger in school is essentially second nature to us. 

The first drill was filled with intensity, as teachers and students were all unaware whether or not this drill was real. The lockdown started at 8:50 a.m. on the dot, just waking moments before second block began. Roughly after 30 minutes of knees clutched to chests, blinds drawn closed, and a stirring anxious silence, students were allowed to go back to normal operations. 

At 9:29 a.m., Principal Chelsea Tryon notified Stafford County students, parents, and staff via email explaining what happened. “Stafford High School was placed in a brief lockdown this morning due to an accidental activation of an alarm… Law enforcement investigated the incident and determined it a false alarm.”

Tryon accommodated a pause to the state-wide phone ban so students had the opportunity to reach out to their parents to reassure them that they were okay. She applauded students’ and staff’s efficiency regarding the surprising turn of events. “I am so proud of our students and staff for their response and cooperation, and for our law enforcement partners for responding so quickly,” she added in the same email.

As second block came to an end, students flooded back into the hallway like sardines to make their way back to class. Ironically, I made a joke to my friend and said, “Imagine the alarm came back on while we were all stuck in the hallway, what would you think would happen?” 

After we parted ways and headed to our reserved classrooms, we were greeted by the same robotic male voice announcing us to go into lockdown… again. If I accidentally manifested the second alarm with my harmless joke, I do apologize.

As if we were all living in the movie “Groundhog Day”, my classmates and I all huddled together in the corner again in a traditional lockdown routine, until we realized this was simply a malfunction and no one seemed to take it as seriously. 

“I think everyone is feeling a little intense right now due to the first one, but also some may be taking it [the second lockdown] less seriously due to the first one,” History teacher Kendi Zacherl shared. 

This lockdown had a more calm environment compared to the first one, just with a little more complaining and less formality.

“I genuinely think they should send us home. This has happened twice, and that is two times too many,” Junior Angelica Osei-Agyemang said. 

Third block is when us students get to sit down to eat delicious school provided food. Today we were supposed to eat nachos (a student body favorite). “I seem to pick the worst days to buy lunch”, Senior Owen Mellors joked with an empty stomach, as he was one of the unlucky second-lunch-students whose meal was disrupted by the malfunction. The students who had first lunch were almost lucky enough to enjoy their lunch, until the second alarm came.

First lunch students flocked to spots outside of the campus. From staff parking lots to the woods behind the school. Students stuck in their third block classes ran to the windows to watch the circus that was happening outside. “There were students running around everywhere, and now it seems they just dispersed throughout the woods,” Senior Vincent Zaffram said.

Though you’d think there was a sense of urgency about the situation, many students took it lightheartedly. “It was pretty cool seeing those kids sprint off into the woods,” Senior Ethan Govar joked. 

Following the second lockdown, Tryon sent out another email explaining the situation again. “As a precautionary measure, a deputy will be at our school until we are able to determine the issue with the malfunctioning alarm.”

Students took the conclusion of the second lockdown with a grain of salt, as they jokingly anticipated another one to happen later in the day. 

At 11:15 a.m., Mrs. Tryon defeatedly came back onto the announcements, and with a heavy sigh said “Today has been a day,” hopefully announcing a commence to today’s exhausting turn of events.