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Edmond school keeps students calm during tornado
BY JOHN WILLIAMS and DIANA BALDWIN
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Published: February 12, 2009
Oklahoman
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EDMOND — Sirens Tuesday put Edmond and Deer Creek schools in lockdown status while a tornado skipped across the area leaving a path of devastation.
Damage to a home in the Oaktree addition on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009, after a tornado hit the area on Tuesday in Edmond, Okla. PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN
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"Some of the kids were panicking and crying,” said Brooke Robertson, a Washington Irving Elementary fifth-grade student. "Some of us took books from our cubbies to put over our heads when they told us to ‘duck and cover.’”
Shele Cook, a fifth-grade teacher at Washington Irving Elementary took third-, fourth- and fifth-graders to her safe room.
"Some were visibly upset, and we did our best to keep them calm,” Cook said. "They were concerned about what would happen to their mom or their dog.
"When the power went off, we kept the kids busy by telling campfire stories by flashlight, and with the air conditioning off, we made paper fans to keep us cool.
"We (the school district) have a good procedure, and when it is followed, we know the kids will be safe.”
Edmond’s school day ended at 3 p.m., but some students were kept until after 5 p.m. Students who lived north of Covell Road and west of Kelly Avenue were kept at their schools because debris on the roadway prevented buses from running routes.
"The longer we were in lockdown the more tense some kids were, but one by one, parents were able to pick us up,” Robertson said.
Contributing: Staff Writer
Jesse Olivarez
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