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Conifer High School lockdown

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Contributed by: Karen Groves/YourHub.com on 9/27/2006

Sept. 27 was supposed to be Caribbean Cruise Day at Conifer High School as part of homecoming week. Principal Pat Termin wore a bright Hawaiian shirt.

Coach Jarod Nicholson wore a lei.

Instead the phones were ringing and people were talking on walkie talkies during a lockdown at the school.

Jim Ferguson, campus supervisor at the high school, unlocked the gate to let me in at approximately 12:30 p.m.and said, "Well, there's a situation here. Go to the office."

I was there to give students a presentation about YourHub.com.

There was another campus supervisor who told me, "We're in lockdown," because of a situation at nearby Platte Canyon High School in Bailey.

Counselor Debbie Newman met me at the counseling office.

Principal Pat Termin and several teachers and campus security people were at the entrance to the school, which was quiet, in an otherwise active place.

Termin made this announcement on the intercom: "We are in a lockdown situation."

This message was repeated on the phone to parents, other educators and anyone who called by athletics and activities supervisor.

Termin announced to teachers that an e-mail had been sent out at 12:45 p.m. and teachers should share that with students.

"There's a bomb squad at Platte Canyon,"Conifer High student Tom Owsiany, 18, said. He was among students called out of classes because they have siblings or parents at Platte Canyon.

Owsiany's father , Jim, is the athletic director at Platte Canyon and his mom is head custodian. Tom said he had talked to his dad only for a second.

"I heard that shots were fired and supposedly they've evacuated the school, and we're in lockdown, " Owsiany said.

Decker Brown, 16, was on the phone to call his parents. His dad is an English teacher at Platte Canyon.

Coach Nicholson said, "My geography class is in the library. We were told to let the students know about."

As students with family members at Platte Canyon were pulled from class and gathered in the office, they hugged and pulled out cell phones. Some students were crying.

Laurel Scott, 16, was pulled from her math class. Her mother is Kathy Scott, the art teacher at Platte Canyon.

Scott pulled out her cell phone and said, "I don't really know why people are flipping out. It takes a lot for me to cry. "

Secretaries Pete Wambeke and Sandy Miranda answered phones at a furious pace during the lockdown.

Student Travis Stickney, 17, said "I was coming from Black Mountain Grill driving north on U.S. 285 and there were a lot of cop cars storming through. I know football players at Platte Canyon," he said.

Another student pops her head out of an office where they've been stationed temporarily and says, "Is there anything we can do? 'Cause we're really bored."

Student Jason Wilson says, " I know lots of people there at Platte Canyon."

There is no television in the school's office.

Termin says, "This will change."

English teacher Amy McTague said news reports were consistent on these reports: An adult with a gun holding a female, people have been evacuated to undisclosed sites, no injuries reported.

This is what she tells a student who comes to her and asks, "Does anyone know what's going on? I just wonder if we'll be allowed to leave at the normal time."

At 2:15 p.m., McTague reassures the student, "Ms. Termin is working with the district to coordinate that."

Editor's note: You can share your opinions about the hostage situation here. And if you were involved in the incident or know someone who was and want to share the experience with the community, you can post photos or a story here. Or e-mail your story, photos and video to baerf@yourhub.com.

If you're a registered YourHub.com user, you can comment on the situation below.

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