On February 2^nd, 2023, a half day assembly took place at Prep to discuss the current issues of a lethal threat, or school shooters. Jesus Villahermosa, from California, led the assembly and gave a 90-minute speech about the ongoing issue of school shooting and how Prep students can best handle it. 

Villahermosa was a police officer in California, who now is the president of Crisis Reality Training as he dedicates his time and career to educating students across the United States about the dangers and preparation for a school shooting. His speech provided many statistics and real-life stories to back up his evidence as he was on the Pierce County SWAT team for 30 years. He has firsthand experience with school shooting events and knows how to respond accordingly. 

His main advice is to run, hide, or attack depending on one’s location and proximity to a shooter. To run means to get as far away from the school campus as possible. To hide means to find a place effectively and quickly where you can quietly locate yourself. To attack, one can use resources in their classroom, such as sprays or cleaning supplies. Jesus’ main point was that in this situation, it is okay to break the rules, when there is a school shooter on campus, there are no school rules that apply, it is only about survival.  

Mr. Chism, the head of security at Seattle Prep, informed that the assembly was very necessary and essential for a safe environment at Prep. He stated, “These assemblies are a necessary evil.”  

In most mass shootings, people have been unprepared which resulted in danger. While this event is rare, it is especially important to be prepared and acknowledge how to stay most efficiently safe.