On Monday, January 5th, just after HHS’s return from winter break, the school was sent into lockdown. The police force was brought in, and from underneath the corner of the blackout screens that hung from doors, students could see them grimly walking the halls. An anonymous threat had been made on “Yik-Yak”- a public social media website that allows users to view and create posts without anyone knowing their actual identity.

This website was was created by Tyler Droll and Brooks Buffington, two graduates from Furman University in South Carolina. It was launched in November 2013, and by 2014, it was the ninth most downloaded app on Android and iOS platforms alike.

On January 5th, a school-wide announcement was made by Principal Dr. Jeff Nesbitt, alerting all that doors should be shut and no students would be allowed out in the hall until further notice. Officially, it wasn’t a “lockdown”, but a “shelter-in-place”- classes were supposed to continue normally, but with all the excitement from the police presence and nervous energy from the threat and rumors going around, not much productive work was done.

The announcement was made about ten minutes before 9 o’clock in the morning, and students were kept in their first block classrooms for approximately an hour. During the hour, searches were conducted by the Haverford Township Police Department, and the school principal- specifically through red backpacks, following a tip about the threat. Many students with accounts on the anonymous website on which the threat was made saved it to their phones, spreading the message quickly around the school.

“I read the threat – my friend showed me a screenshot. It actually made it seem less serious, even silly. It didn’t feel real…The person who wrote it sounded deprived- i don’t think an actual shooter would have said anything,” said Gabe Ullman casually, a junior who was in the Media Studies room when the announcement was made. Other students were a bit more concerned, but all agreed that anyone who would target a special needs class like Best Buddies had some serious issues:

“I have no clue why someone would go after the Best Buddies,” Sophomore Josh Cunningham said with a disconcerted look. “I was very concerned about what was going on- even the teacher seemed scared.”

Students familiar with Yik-Yak and other anonymous websites also gave insight into the ordeal that took place on Monday- while some believe that they are fun and okay to use, others believe that they could be much more harmful, and need to be used with a word or two of caution.

“I think there are upsides and downsides to them- you can share thoughts and unbiased opinion, but people also say stupid things. I think the person should be caught- it’s not right if they get away with this. And I believe that what should be done will be done,” remarked Chris Trainor, another sophomore who gave strong insight into the situation and what can be done by the police force and students alike.

Best Buddies is a program that is highly popular and supported by HHS, and it was appalling to many that it would be the target of such a callous threat. Many students are happy to see the police outside the room in the hall, and many hope that it is all resolved quickly.

“Some of my best friends are special needs, so i was scared for them and actually a little bit angry; I think the person can still be caught. Even though it was an anonymous website, i think there are ways they can use to track it,” said Kelly Burke strongly, one of many HS students who actively take part in the Best Buddies organization.

The resolve of many students to stand by the Best Buddies class and support them is applaudable, and coupled with police involvement and student body cooperation, it is only a matter of time before the situation is concluded, and Haverford High School can return to normal. Social Media has shaped this generation of students, but whether or not it will help to develop in a positive or negative way is up to the students who use it.