Story by Lindsey Coleman, News Editor
Photo courtesy of Project Linus Facebook page
“I never thought it would happen in Marshall, or in Kentucky, really,” she said. “You assume it’s never going to be you.”
Monica, a sophomore at Marshall County High School, said prior to the Jan. 23 shooting that killed two students and injured 21 others, security at the school was limited.
Now, she said students are only allowed to enter the school through one of four doors. Once inside, students have their backpacks and bags searched, and they are “wanded” with metal detector wands similar to those used in airports to search for weapons.
“Personally I think that if someone wanted to do something again, there would be no stopping it,” Monica said. “Quite frankly, I feel just as safe as I did before, which now, is next to nothing. I think that the people who have gone to this school and knew the boy have realized that this takes a big toll on people, so I think that most kids are really frightened by this idea.”
To help faculty, staff and students grieve together and attempt to diminish those feelings of fear Monica described, school officials said it was best to get school back in session as quickly as possible. Therefore, school resumed just three days after the shooting.
“I think it was too soon personally,” Monica said. “I know I was still really shaken.”
The school held an assembly on the Friday following the shooting when students returned. They were greeted by local church members holding signs providing words of encouragement.
The true first day back in school was on Monday, Jan. 29. Monica said the first few days were mainly just a time to be around each other, to play games in classes and to use pet therapy as part of the grieving process. She said the pet therapy was one of the best things they could have done.
“I think that it really helped students a lot, just because it was a scary place at that point,” Monica said. “School was scary.”
On Monday, Feb. 13, Project Linus delivered blankets to the high school for all 1,400 students. The blankets were handmade by volunteers from all over the country. Students and parents quickly took to social media to show off the kindness they had received and to thank the Project Linus.
One parent posted on Project Linus’ Facebook page: “My daughter loves her blanket and has been curled up in it since she got home.” Dozens of others shared similar stories and pictures of students with their blankets, including Monica.
“It came as a really big surprise to me,” Monica said. “I thought it was very sweet. I love mine.”
The blankets were not the only act of kindness she has seen since the shooting. One of her classmates raised money to buy the whole school donuts, not once, but twice.
Faculty, staff and students have seen an outpouring of support from the community, the state and the nation.
In the face of such a tragedy, Monica said the most encouraging thing has been the community’s response.
“It’s not only our community, but other communities,” she said. “People that you’ve never gotten along with or there’s something between you – that all went away. The community really has become like one big family.”
Monica said teachers have slowly returned to instruction in the classroom, but it is not exactly back to business as usual.
“I think it is as normal as we can get,” she said. “There is a new normal now.”
That sense of normalcy was stripped from the students at Marshall County High School Jan. 23, including Monica.
“I normally sit in the commons area with my friends, but the night before, I had forgotten to do my homework,” she said.
At around 7:50 a.m., she arrived at the school and went to a classroom upstairs to complete her homework with her best friend and their teacher, but at 7:57 a.m., she heard a commotion downstairs.
Initially, she said she heard what sounded like someone hitting on a locker, so she assumed students were fighting. Monica, her friend and their teacher ran to the hallway to see what was happening.
“When I got out there, one of my teachers was trying to unlock a door,” Monica said. “She was in a really big hurry, and I thought maybe she had something going on, maybe she was having a heart attack – that was my next thought.”
The teacher told them shots had been fired and an active shooter was downstairs.
“We hid in the classroom, and we really weren’t sure of what was going on, because they never came over the intercom,” Monica said.
Everything happened so quickly that she said school officials did not have time to make an announcement over the intercom.
Despite the uncertainty of what was really happening, she said they did what they had been taught to do.
“We just got in the far corner of the classroom and barricaded the door and just hid,” Monica said.
A horrific scene unfolded downstairs, as two students were fatally shot: Bailey Nicole Holt and Preston Ryan Cope. Twenty-one other students were injured as well, including 15 who sustained gunshot wounds.
Monica said the majority of those shot were in her grade. She had known Holt and Cope since middle school and recently had class with Bailey. She did not know the suspected shooter, but said he was in her grade.
The News has not released the name or other identifying information about the alleged suspect. At press time, the male 15-year-old student was still being held at a juvenile detention center and charged with two counts of murder and 12 counts of assault.
The grand jury convened on Tuesday, Feb. 13 to review the case and decide whether to transfer the juvenile to circuit court as a youthful offender and try him as an adult. Kentucky State Police spokesperson Jody Cash issued a statement to the media ahead of the grand jury meeting confirming that no information would be made available to the public.
“If the grand jury returns an indictment, the defendant will be arraigned in Marshall County Circuit Court at a date and time to be determined by Circuit Judge Jamie Jameson,” Cash said.
Monica said that she believes the suspect should be charged as an adult. “I understand he could have possibly been hurting,” she said. “If I had known, I would have been willing to talk to him or reach out to him.”
At the request of Monica and her family, The News changed her name in this story to protect her anonymity.