Buddy Taylor Middle School's Community Problem Solver students have created a project to help keep children safe if they're faced with an active shooter situation or an intruder on campus.

  • Seventh grade students' project meant for crisis situations
  • Includes "go baskets" for classes on lockdown
  • Students also created special lanyards for substitute teachers to help them remember what to do

It's a sensitive topic seventh graders like Nick Blumengarten says no one wants to talk about, but their project teaches students to prepare for the worst.

"You don't know when it's going to happen and you don't know how it's going to happen," Blumengarten said. "And it comes over the loud speaker that we're in a code red lockdown, it's kind of scary thinking that somebody's in the school and they're not supposed to be."

They're putting "go baskets" together for every classroom that includes food, water and first aid kits. The students packed the items into orange buckets in case they're on lockdown for hours. The items were purchased with donations from big box stores in the area and generous community members.

Blumengarten said he got the idea while on vacation with his family during the Pulse night club shooting in Orlando.

"So that made me come up with the project and think more if we can help with this in the schools, because if it can happen out in the community, it can happen out in the schools too," said Blumengarten.


Buddy Taylor Middle Schools's Community Problem Solver students came up with a safety project to deal with an active shooter situation. (Brittany Jones, Staff)

The student's "Project Safety" tackles several issues. They are also working on a children's book on how to deal with an intruder.

"I have a little sister and she's scared of bugs, snails, everything above. Now imagine an intruder on campus and she doesn't know what to do," said student Wyatt Hansen.

The students also ordered lanyards that would have a quick reference guide and a key inside a holder for substitute teachers to have information they need in case there is a code red alert on campus.

"When there's a lockdown the teachers are to double check that their doors are locked to make sure that when you close it from the outside you can't open it up again. So we're trying to make sure that the substitutes know what to do with those keys," said Blumengarten.

"We want them to be proactive instead of reactive in the classroom," said Joellen Caines, Community Problem Solvers coach.

Student Jesse Doolin said it's projects like this that led him to join the Community Problem Solvers Team.

"The objective of community problem solving is to really make an impact in your town or city. That's the end goal of this, protecting schools around the county that really helps our community and our city," said Doolin.

Now they're trying to take it beyond Buddy Taylor Middle School, so everyone across the district won't be afraid and will be prepared for those type situations instead.

"We are trying to just prepare everyone and get everybody safe," said Blumengarten.

The students hope the project will reach all schools across the county.

Currently they're working with the school district to make the additional keys for substitute teachers.

The students will also take this project to a state competition next month in Orlando.