Hostage drama serves as a ‘shining example’

So much went well at Lakewood High School.

Even though Monday was an awful day, it ended so much better than it could have. So there’s room for reflection and lessons from the successes that averted tragedy.

Thanks to responsible people and good planning, no one was physically injured when an expelled student, armed with knives, took hostage a sophomore girl, 15 years old, and her English class. The girl had earlier been harassed by the alleged intruder, David Thomas Lengenfelder, 17. Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Mike Anderson, who is assigned to the school, arrested the intruder at gunpoint.

We can all be thankful for people who made good choices in a crisis. And many people — hundreds, from school board members to school staff and students — did advance work that paid off in the highest way Monday — with the preservation of lives.

Sheriff Rick Bart called Anderson’s excellent performance a "reflection of what we have always known about him." Bart and Lakewood Superintendent Kristine McDuffy said that they believed the situation was helped by Anderson’s knowing the intruder. "It certainly could have turned out a lot of different ways," McDuffy said. As it was, Anderson made the arrest without gunfire in a room full of students.

Before that could happen, others responded in wonderful fashion. April Worthan, a 16-year-old sophomore, noticed the expelled student — and observed him. After spotting his knives, ran to the office. Bart said, "That girl is the one who started the successful outcome because of the coolness she used and how quickly she responded." In the classroom, another girl courageously put herself in between the intruder and the harassment victim. As the school went into the kind of lockdown that had been practiced but perhaps never fully anticipated, Principal Catherine Matthews rushed to the classroom. When the intruder turned menacingly on Matthews, Anderson stepped into the classroom from the hallway.

Since the Columbine tragedy, there has been much talk about young people and school staff acting rather than ignoring dangers. All these people (and others we haven’t mentioned) acted — even at the expense of danger to themselves.

There is no exaggeration in Sheriff Bart’s saying that Lakewood should serve as a "shining example."

That’s also because of planning ahead of time. McDuffy and the school board picked up the cost for a deputy at the school when Bart’s three-year offer of a free deputy ended (two other schools made different decisions at about the same time, he says). And Bart said the school system supports a variety of programs, including mentorships, aimed at keeping young people out of trouble.

Lakewood had undertaken various training and communications efforts, ranging from the practice lockdowns to giving school staff skills in medical assistance and having an emergency response coordinator for the district. And, says McDuffy, relationships have been built with students.

On Monday, how critical was it that a student felt she could run to the staff? It was one factor among many that led to results that are good enough to remember despite the painful circumstances.