Parkland Shooting; Through the Eyes of a Neighboring High School Principal

Entrance to West Boca Raton High School

On February 14th, Valentine’s day of this year, one of the deadliest school shootings in United States history occurred at Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida. You may have heard about the shooting through watching your television screen or on social media, but now it’s time to learn about this horrific event through the eyes of a nearby school principal.

Craig Sommer, Principal at West Boca Raton high school located about 10 miles from Stoneman Douglas, received a text from an assistant around dismissal time explaining that there had been a shooting.

When asked what his initial reaction was to the situation, Sommer said, “As a school principal, I’m always thinking about worst case scenario; but something like obviously this caught everyone by surprise.” He then went on to describe how all county schools were put on lockdown for the remainder of the day. “I thought about the kids first. I wanted to make sure each and every one of them got home safely.”, Sommer commented.

The following next few days were anything but easy for West Boca high school. Sommer mentioned that at least “30 percent” of his students didn’t show up to school the next day. Some students, ranging from all grades, were hesitant to attend class even up to a week past the shooting. “This effected much more than just one school. This effected an entire community, and the many students who had friends at [Stoneman] Douglas high”, Sommer said.

It took only a week after the shooting to perform their own school walkout. On February 20th, a Tuesday, students gathered together in the school’s courtyard for 17 minutes of silence. After 17 minutes, students began their march to Stoneman Douglas to show their support.

“The whole thing was planned together on their own. The 17-minute sit-down, the eleven-mile walk, it was all them. Not me or any other administrator even knew about it, but we were certainly not opposed.”, Sommer said about the school’s walkout.

Principal Craig Sommer mentioned this has taken a toll on his own family as well, as his eleven-year-old daughter is still feeling nervous about going to school. He pointed out that the shooting is just a reminder that something as terrible as this can really happen anywhere. “At no point during my time here in Palm Beach County would I have ever thought it to happen here…no way”