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

  • Miami University Approves New $242M Multipurpose Arena

    Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, recently announced that its Board of Trustees has approved construction of a new multipurpose arena at Cook Field, according to university news. The $242-million project will serve as a new centralized hub for student life and create space for economic development on campus.

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.

  • University of Kansas Breaks Ground on Entrepreneurship Hub

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new KU Entrepreneurship Hub, according to university news. The Hub is part of the university’s School of Business and will include spaces for experiential learning and programming.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.