Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Going to Bat for School Safety

  • 04/01/18
Bilco

Kohlton Calvey is in the process of raising over $2,000 to purchase 16 Barracudas to help keep his school safer.

When a police raid at a nearby home triggered a lockdown at Clayton Intermediate School in Dennison, Ohio, Kohlton Calvey saw fear in the eyes of his classmates and knew he needed to respond. Now, the 10-year-old fourth-grader is raising money and taking measures to ensure the safety of his peers and help them find comfort in threatening situations.

Calvey recently outlined a request to the Claymont City School Board to purchase easy-to-use mechanisms that improve door security against unwanted trespassers. The Barracuda, a device invented by SWAT team member Troy Lowe and offered by The BILCO Company of Connecticut, is designed to lock down virtually any commercial door in emergency situations. The safety device is available in different models to protect doors that swing both inward and outward, and is adjustable to fit on varying door widths.

“After the lockdown, my mother and I were looking on the Internet and what I liked about it was that it’s easy to use,’’ Kohlton says. “I liked the demonstration in the video.”

Kohlton is seeking to raise nearly $2,000 to purchase 16 Barracudas, one for each room of the school. He had raised $673 and has several more fundraising ideas planned, such as a bake sale and a school-wide “Hat Day” where students can contribute. He has also received private donations and hopes to receive some funds from a school dodge ball tournament.

Zurcher says interest in The Barracuda developed after police raided a house a block from her son’s school. Administrators placed the school on lockdown. “I could see whenever we went on lockdown, my classmates would get nervous,’’ Kohlton says.

The Barracuada features heavy-duty steel construction and a durable powder coat finish. The product can be transferred easily between different access points.

www.bilco.com

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management April 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • CU-Lock Haven Receives $1.75M Gift for New Entrepreneurship, Media Center

    Commonwealth University-Lock Haven in Lock Haven, Penn., recently received a $1.75-million donation from entrepreneur and alumnus Nicholas Subich ’17, according to a university news release. The funds will go toward establishing the Nicholas Subich Center for Entrepreneurship and Media, a technology-driven hub for innovation and experiential learning.

  • Chicago District Completes Construction on New Elementary School

    North Chicago School District 187 in North Chicago, Ill., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Forrestal Elementary School, according to a news release. The new school marks a major investment in military-connected students and families at Naval Station Great Lakes.

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Acquires VPS Architecture

    Full-service planning, architecture, and engineering firm Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has acquired VPS Architecture, according to a news release. The move will help strengthen Wold’s education and public-sector design expertise, industries in which both companies have strong pre-existing ties and relationships.

  • Harvard Announces Replacement Facility for Native American Program

    Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., recently announced that construction will begin this spring on a new home for its Native American Program, according to university news. The 6,500-square-foot, all-electric building will stand three stories and serve as the central hub for the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP).