Sirens blared outside; students huddled together in the hallways; and buses turned back to EHS as the Monday tornado warning for the Metro-East went on … and on … and on.

The warning was issued at 12:27 p.m. due to strong thunderstorms and circulating air, making a tornado likely. EHS went into its shelter-in-place protocol for the first time in years, aside from drills, and students were surprised.

“It was definitely shocking that this all was happening,” junior Alec Wendleton said. “I thought the storm, along with the threat of tornados, were coming much later in the day, but I wasn’t super worried [because] I knew I would be okay.”

EHS planned to dismiss students at 1:15 when the warning was supposed to end, and buses even began to take students home before the warning was extended until 2:45.

EHS called the buses back to the school, and the shelter-in-place continued, much to students’ disdain.

“I was upset but did not want to be on the road during the tornado warning,” junior Nora Whitaker said. “I understand weather is unpredictable, but the whole of that [situation] felt sloppy. To release us, thinking it’s safe, then to immediately change their minds? The warning signs were there. They shouldn’t have released us then in the first place.”

Students trying to leave with their parents were also not allowed to go home, despite parents lining up outside.

“I was frustrated when the alarm went off after they dismissed us because my parents were sitting in the parking lot and they wouldn’t let me leave,” sophomore Madeline Feldmann said. 

While the warning went on, students were packed into any windowless space in EHS, such as hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms. Students described these places as loud, crowded and hot, and they felt uncomfortable as they sheltered.

“[The worst part was] being in a closet full of people,” junior Kyle Davenport said. “I really hate the fact that I was really close to people, and people touching me [and] not having any personal space almost put me in a panic attack.”

Some students also felt unsafe in certain areas of EHS.

“I do not feel very safe,” Whitaker said. “While we are able to get into a room away from the outdoors, there is not a basement in the school that I am aware of. It feels exposing. I really wish they would’ve given us early dismissal so I could be safe in my basement.”

The sentiment that the school should have been dismissed earlier or not held classes at all Monday is common among students, and some criticize the district for poor planning.

 “The school knew the tornado and the big storm was coming and still made us come to school,” freshman Nicholas Panico said. “This is very dangerous because some spots in the school are not safe. Even though the tornado didn’t hit us, this could be classified as child endangerment.”

With all these factors involved, many students had choice words to describe the Monday tornado fiasco, ranging from “unpleasant” to “terrible.”

“It was awful,” sophomore Lillian Wagenbrenner said. “At the end of a long school day, I just want to go home and relax, but I was instead forced to stay an hour after school. The hallways were cramped and hot, and it was uncomfortable to sit for over two hours in total.”