Saddest Day Yet in SLPS

Well, we almost made it through the day without a major hitch. The last day before Spring Break. The atmosphere felt a little tense all day, but at 5th period nothing yet had happened. However, at the end of 5th period, the fire alarm went off. Ms. Small and I (Ms. Morton's student teacher) exchanged a glance that said everything, "This fire alarm is not for a fire, it is for a fight." My suspicions were confirmed as soon as I step outside and see a very large fight break out on the football field. It was quickly squelched by our principal and crew, but two minutes later another fight broke out, this time on the bleachers. (I'm not sure who developed the contingency plan for a fire, but to have the kids sit in the bleachers while waiting to go back in is just asking for a 'show' of some sort.) In the fifteen minutes that we were outside, 5 more fights broke out. They finally let the students back in the school, my guess in hopes that the fights would stay outside and the kids not participating would go back to class. Fat chance. What ensued once the kids were inside will not soon leave my memory. Yes, I have seen dozens of fights this year, but this was a riot. Teachers were in the hall frantically trying to get kids to head to class, but each time it seemed like the violence was going to cease, the mob just sprinted to another hallway and went at it again, and again. Finally, some of the kids were apprehended and the hallways cleared. I went to my classroom and heard a knock at my door. I was worried that it was going to be a student trying to keep from getting in trouble, but it was Ms. Morton, in tears. She shared with me that she's been here for 10 years and never seen anything like this. As I was trying to fight back my own tears to console Ms. Morton, my mind was just racing with questions and concerns. Once I hear the full story (or what we'll be able to get of it) I promise to write more. For now, it is 2:30, and spring break has begun - time to decompress.