Wenatchee High School went silent on Oct. 7. A day that would usually have involved a parade to showcase the school’s many clubs, an assembly to introduce the Homecoming royalty and a football game to celebrate the school’s unity, was replaced with emptiness. The only sound was the clicking of the security cameras and the quiet hum of the lights. School had been canceled due to threats that had surfaced earlier that month, leaving parents, students, teachers and the community on edge.  

Whether or not a concrete change of policy will result because of the incident is unclear at this time as administration reveals they are still debriefing from the incident. WHS Principal Eric Anderson explained that the analysis of the situation is ongoing. While the date in question has come and gone, uncertainty about the impacts of this threat in a notoriously safe and cautious school district are still being determined.

“Obviously the goal is always to learn from these things. What can we do differently? What can we do better? And we will be having those conversations. We are always looking… to improve what we’re doing,” Anderson said.

The first threat was discovered in the girls bathroom on Sept. 21 and suggested that an act of violence would occur on the Oct. 7. It wasn’t until the second threat, which urged administration and students making light of the situation to take them seriously, that sophomore Vasty Alpire became concerned.

“I felt like they weren’t telling us much, just simple things, so of course I became worried. After the second threat, everyone kept saying it would happen but I was scared,” Alpire said.

A threat also appeared at Foothills Middle School on the wall of a girls bathroom. For sophomore Adriana Lopez, the Foothills threat wasn’t worrying.  

“I just thought it was a joke, kids fooling around because they’re hearing about the high schoolers,” Lopez said.

WHS implemented numerous precautions to ensure security. All events planned for Oct. 7 were canceled and the Homecoming football game was moved to Oct. 6. Extra security was hired, and bags and purses were checked and often banned at other planned school events including Powder Puff, Buff Puff, and the football game.

School was also canceled on Oct. 7 to the surprise of many students and teachers.

“I felt like (canceling school) was not necessary,” sophomore Yassi Barrera said. “It felt like us running away from fear because what’s the point of canceling school? What will happen if this happens again? Will we cancel school again?”