Prepping the Academy

With schoolwork and activities taking up most of our time, it is easy to fall into the trap of condoning the perils of our society by accident. This is especially easy in the town of Exeter where we, the Academy community, enjoy the safety of a quiet New England town with the 24-hour guard of our campus security. While we enjoy these conditions, it is important to keep in mind the dangers of the world at large and prepare for the most unlikely, yet haunting situations.With a low crime rate and a full time police department, Exeter is one of the towns in the country that needs to be least concerned about intruders on campus. It is still, however, not free from crimes. According to USA.com, from the 2008 to 2012, Exeter had an average of 4 rapes, 6 assaults and 122 thefts a year. Statistically, this is a relatively low crime rate compared to the rest of the nation, but it is important to realize that we do not live in a utopia.Geographically, the town of Exeter is located in an easily accessible area as well. With an Amtrak station on the west of the Academy campus, NH Route 101 going around the town of Exeter and 105 NH 101 traversing through the Academy, our campus is open to any individual.Now, danger does not loom over us everyday. The environment in which we live is definitely one of the safest environments in the country, and even in the world. The point is that, even such an environment is susceptible to danger, and we need to be prepared for the “worst case scenario.”A recent example of a “worst case scenario,” is be the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December 2012. Sandy Hook Elementary School is in Newtown, Connecticut, a town that had a statistically low crime rate before the shooting occurred. But even so, a total of 27 students and teachers were murdered by a single intruder, making it the second-deadliest mass shooting in American history caused by one individual.Although the shooting in Newtown is one of the many tragic school shootings in the United States, it was a wake-up call for the nation. Schools started to increase the number of lockdown drills, and in many cases, schools started incorporating lockdown drills into their calendars. Over a year has gone by since the shooting, and even though an annual lockdown drill has been continued at Exeter, we have somewhat forgotten the tragedy, the irreversible deaths and the clear fact that it can happen to us as well.Ultimately, it is essential for us to not only recognize and realize the dangers of our society, but also prepare and remind ourselves, through continued conversations, adviser and dorm meetings and assemblies. As one of the leading academic institutions of the country, it is crucial that we are aware and prepared for emergencies, and have a plan for all students and faculty, in dorms and in classrooms, to be secure in case of an intruder on campus, so that the shooting in Sandy Hook does not become a reality for Exeter.