A smoke detector was activated near the pool lobby at approximately 11:57 a.m. on May 18, prompting an evacuation of West Chicago Community High School.
The Wildcat Chronicle asked Dr. Limaris Pueyo, principal, for clarification regarding the cause of the alarm, but no additional information was provided beyond what was sent to students.
The evacuation interrupted classes just one day before underclassmen begin finals, causing frustration for some students who lost review time or missed parts of important class activities.
Sophomore Luna Alcanzar expressed frustration because the evacuation interrupted the cooking portion of her Foods final.
“I was so mad. They were in the oven, and I was so scared they were going to get burnt. It wasn’t our fault, I will say that,” Alcanzar said.
Students also lost valuable review time ahead of finals, which begin May 19.
Sophomore Gelila Abegaz also expressed frustration after missing information during AP World History review.
“We were talking about World War II and the Battle of Stalingrad. That would have been very helpful for my final, but now I don’t have that information,” Abegaz said.
Seniors Joseph Marszalek and Mohammed Aaqibuddin were also impacted by the evacuation because it interrupted a scheduled AP test retake. According to Aaqibuddin, the test had not yet begun.
Marszalek explained that his testing group was about to begin the exam when the alarm sounded.
“I remember hearing about AP tests having to be rescheduled in the event of a disruption such as a fire alarm, so I was pretty anxious. It was definitely a setback, and I got out of testing later than I wanted to,” Marszalek said.
