Engineering students at a local high school created an idea they hope will save lives if an active shooter ever steps onto campus.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Engineering students at a local high school created an idea they hope will save lives if an active shooter ever steps onto campus.
After the shooting deaths of the high schoolers in Florida earlier this year, school leadership challenged the students at Olympic High School.
“We heard about a child at Parkland barricading himself against the door and getting shot five times,” said Mike Realon, Academy and Career Development Coordinator. “Can’t we come up with an idea possibly that can help us in the future to make schools safer?”
The students in Matthew Wykoff’s classroom came up with an idea: A barricade that can attach to any kind of door and prevents an intruder from entering.
“Anytime you have lives on the line, you’ve gotta protect them,” Wykoff said, fighting back tears. “I’m passionate about what I do because I know it can change lives for the better.”
His students designed, cut, drilled and put together a prototype in the machine shop on campus, then tested it on doors at school. For just $75 a door, they believe they have a barricade that will stop an intruder at almost any force.
“I do feel very confident that it does work,” Wykoff said.
The students posted video on YouTube showing the barricade in action with the hope that a company will see it and want to manufacture it.
“It’s simple to install; it’s an easy solution. It can be done very quickly and provide this peace of mind to teachers to students and, I think, their parents,” Realon said.