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Grace Baldwin

Guest Columnist

It is old news by now that the Pirate football team has been on quite a roll this year, breezing through playoffs. By them making it to the state championship game for the third consecutive year, some might even say “they’re on fire,” meaning it only as a metaphor. However, this year that phrase could also be taken quite literally because on Wednesday our school really was on fire.

I was sitting in class and it was a typical day, if anything a little less exciting than usual. Then all the sudden it was like complete chaos. There was smoke coming from the old home economics room and could be detected in several surrounding rooms. Of course, the principle was immediately notified and the school was quickly evacuated. There were announcements informing us that this was not a drill, and the fire alarms were screaming down every hall. I think that combination motivated even the generally slow moving crowd to pick up the pace a little.

Once students realized that it wasn’t a drill and was a legitimate fire, there were a lot of loud conversations taking place as we made our way to the football bleachers. Some were worried about the school and fellow students they knew had classes on that hallway, others were simply appreciative for getting out of class. Almost immediately everyone in the community was informed of the situation by social networking sites.

Once everyone was safe and evacuated from the building, there was a lot of waiting outside to do. Luckily, Wednesday wasn’t as cold as some of the other days we’ve had this month but I have to admit, it wasn’t all too warm either. We all sat bundled up in what clothing we had on or had grabbed on the way out and watched the fire trucks come in. After four trucks and a crew of firemen came to the school, it was determined that the fire was due to an electrical issue. Many students had parents come sign them out, but the ones that waited it out were outside for approximately two and a half hours. Right before dismissal time, students were cleared to go back inside and gather their belongings before leaving for the day.

At school a fire drill is just a part of routine and a good chance to get out of about 5 minutes of class. When it’s a real fire it’s a little different. Although it was slightly alarming at first, we were fortunate that no one was hurt. The worst thing that affected any of us was the unpleasant smell of smoke. I’ve always been told that you should look for the positives in a bad situation, and this was one time that the student body had no problem doing just that. I certainly didn’t hear anyone complaining about not having to go to class, or how upset they were that they could sit outside with their friends instead of taking a quiz. I guess that’s just how we do it at Belfry; we’re always prepared to look on the bright side.