STAFF EDITORIAL: “What are we doing here?”

The Trail staff shares their experiences during the tornado warning on March 31

Grace Lovejoy, CJ Boxhill, Jozlynn Smith, Connor Lafontant, Betty Jane Plitt, Maddie Hines, Allie Hartman, Alyssa Barnfield, Camilla O’Connell, Jayden Wadlington, Lily Johnson, Robin Smith, Nyla Kërr, Yasemin Kalpakci, Ryan LeVan, and Cari Heinonen

Apr 3, 2025

Students looking at their devices in a science classroom during the tornado warning on March 31.

Lily Johnson

Editor’s note: The following editorial is a compilation of first-person experiences with the tornado warning on March 31., and was brought together into one account written by the entire Trail staff. Names of teachers, students and staff are anonymous.

Screenshot taken by Trail staffer Anthony Capobianco, who was at home during the warning and sent this message alerting the Trail staff.

Before

My friend and I were walking across the courtyard when her phone started going off with the tornado warning alert. I remember looking around and just realizing truly how windy and warm it was– the perfect conditions for a really bad tornado. My phone was still in the classroom and we were outside. I was kind of scared.

I was in my English class and the class was extremely quiet reviewing old work. All of the phones on the way blared with the emergency siren. I thought that it was an Amber Alert at first, but then I remembered the severe weather warning I saw earlier on my phone. Then everyone’s phones started going off. We just froze, even my teacher froze up. Suddenly shocked, my teacher jumped up and asked everyone to go check. When we all walked over and checked our phones it was obvious it was a tornado alert. We all sort of sat there for a minute, a brief moment where we all sat there and were like, “Are we doing this?” No one moved until there was the announcement over the intercom that we were going under a weather warning. Once in the hallway, it was crowded and our class wasn’t sure where to go. My class was right next to the door at the end of the hall, me and my friend looked out of the glass and saw it wasn’t even raining yet. We just kind of laughed, confused why this was happening since the weather seemed fine.

My teacher told us to put everything down and go. “I’m not playing, y’all need to go,” she said, as everyone started running out of the classroom. I kept getting shoved not knowing where I was going, and just following the crowd.

While [the teacher] was rushing us downstairs, I realized that we were the only class. All of the other teachers were just standing in the hallway, kind of like “Should we go too?” When they saw us, they decided to bring their class out too.

During – What worked

I want to note that I’ve never done a tornado drill at McIntosh High School. I had no idea where to go, and neither did the people around me, until our teacher told us what to do, just before the alarms even went off. This was comforting because I knew that the halls would be empty and less chaotic and that the staircase would be one of the safest spaces to shelter in.

Yes, we made it to safety on time, but we were so confused getting there, and we weren’t sure about the severity of the weather.

I texted both of my parents as well as my brother who I think was in gym class at the time. I texted my brother to make sure that he was okay then I texted my parents. My mom was watching the news as well as updating me and my brother on the news. Awhile that was going on I was playing Block Blast and iMessage games and one person even wanted to play a group among us.

The fact that my teacher remembered our shelter space was comforting because of her readiness and knowledge. All teachers should have been as prepared as my teacher because a ready teacher means that kids can be calm and understanding.

During – What didn’t

Nobody took this seriously, at least not where I was. My teacher had no sense of urgency, thought it was all a joke, and everyone was starting to converse about whether or not it was real. No one was prepared or sure what to do at all. When we got to the auditorium, the doors were locked. We had to go all the way around through several staircases just to get in. As we were moving, one of the girls from my class was unconscious and had to be carried through all of those hallways and stairs. It would have been so much easier if the auditorium doors had been unlocked.

Once we got to our designated area students would not stop talking when the teachers were telling us what to do. So once the overhead announcement happened a lot of people were not able to hear where to go once the warning was over. It’s important that we can hear so we can know how to adjust.. I texted my mother about the situation.

During the time that we were under the warning, everyone was just on their phones or laughing and talking with other students. To me, it seemed like no one took it seriously at all. People were loud, obnoxious and constantly joking around. At one time someone even played a fake tornado siren on their phone.

My back was getting more sore by the minute. When they announced that we would be there until 1:30, everyone sighed in unison. Everyone was talking to their friends even though the teachers were telling them to be silent so they could hear. It just felt like everyone was taking it as a silly joke that’s an excuse to skip class.

Students in their assigned location in the auditorium during the unexpected severe weather drill during the fourth period C lunch time. (Ryan LeVan)

My class was upstairs and I had no idea where we were supposed to be going in the event of a severe weather emergency. As my class walked out into the hallway, I expected for people to take this seriously, especially due to the known conditions of today with it being extremely rainy and thundery. Everyone was not sure where to go and had zero urgency in the hallway. I kept an eye on some of my classmates as we made it downstairs, but another classmate and I ended up getting lost in the sea of people. I kept asking “Where do we go?” and heard an adult instruct us to go to the chorus room, so that’s where I went. I squeezed myself underneath the bleachers and a friend of mine advised me to just stay put. As I laid there underneath the bleachers, wedged in between two people, the girl to my left was crying, and the girl to my right was trying to make light of the situation. We stayed in place and as I sat there, I really thought about how unprepared we were.

After we were just tracking the radar and making sure someone was ok after we knew that everyone was ok, we took some 0.5 and talked to keep everyone calm and okay while we waited. I also checked my phone and saw one of my friends post a picture under the risers in chorus saying, “What are we doing here?” People around were worried how their pets are, or that their sibling wasn’t responding [to messages] and how the radar showed the tornado was right above their house.

I wish that all of the teachers [took] better care of us and genuinely cared enough and knew enough to keep us safe in such a vulnerable position. They are adults and should know exactly what to do in one of these emergencies. If this tornado were any closer to us and actually started to affect us, I worry that we would’ve gotten seriously hurt.

After

[Teachers] are adults and should know exactly what to do in one of these emergencies. If this tornado were any closer to us and actually started to affect us, I worry that we would’ve gotten seriously hurt.

Why did communication fail when we needed it most? Finally, around 1:17, we were released and sent to the cafeteria. I got my lunch. The tornado passed. The flaws [in the sytem] hadn’t.

We need to bring awareness to the do’s and don’ts of a tornado drill, and better assign areas for every location because of all the lost students just following the crowd trying to get to safety.

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About the Contributors

Grace Lovejoy, Editor-in-Chief

Grace Lovejoy is serving as the Editor-In-Chief for the 2025-2026 school year. This year Lovejoy is a senior and this is her fourth year on the Trail staff. Last year, Lovejoy and other editors traveled to Philadelphia for the National Scholastic Press Association’s Fall Convention. Lovejoy has won 3 Best of SNO pieces, including her first piece “Collision course: teens and golf cart accidents in Peachtree City” which was the first for the Trail. Lovejoy has been involved in theater for 3 years and has performed and worked backstage on numerous shows. This year she is serving as the Vice President of the Ambassadors club. Lovejoy is eager to meet the new staff and have another successful year on the Trail.

CJ Boxhill, Multimedia

CJ Boxhill is serving as Team Multimedia for the 2025-2026 school year. Boxhill has now been on staff for two years and served as Team Multimedia for the 2024-2025 school year as well. Boxhill won a Best of SNO award last year for his podcast Red Blue and A Lot To Do with co-host Ava Flores which was the first multimedia best of sno for trail. Boxhill was also a part of the team that won Distinguished SNO site last year. Boxhill has also won a superior award alongside his peers for their staff editorial at GSPA. Boxhill is a current member of the Spirit of Mcintosh Marching Band, he serves a leadership role as percussion leader in the band. He also served as the Vice President of the Skills USA club. Boxhill has won two Rookie Of The Year awards and also two Student Choice awards. Boxhill made silver academic recognition these past two years. He is also a Mcintosh ambassador. Boxhill is also involved in the Tech crew for Mcintosh Theater. Boxhill has been working at Carrabba’s Italian Grill for the past seven months and serves as a certified trainer there. When Boxhill is not working or at school he enjoys playing video games, hanging out with his friends, or learning new music. Boxhill is very interested in politics and law. Boxhill is the last of his family to attend McIntosh High School, his sister Davian and Cousins Katrina and Chris have all attended McIntosh. One of his biggest goals in life is to be elected as a future President of the United States. Boxhill is excited for the upcoming year and working with new faces.

Jozlynn Smith, Staff

Smith is a two year veteran on the McIntosh Trail. She is a sophomore and is also serving her first year on the McIntosh varsity cheer squad. She wants to focus on getting the truth out for others to read and relate to. Smith wants her stories to give people the enlightenment of their peers, and give people the spotlight they deserve. Smith believes that everyone is a story. In 2023, Smith joined an international writing competition and came in the top 10 of all the people in her state. She wrote an outstanding essay, giving an insight of the book she was assigned. Placing in the top 10 in her state, Smith received an award that is hung up where everyone can see at her grandparents house. Smith has recently received a Best of SNO for her story Deer Season. Smith is very passionate about writing and doing things she loves. She hopes to bring joy to her readers and write stories that inspire everyone.

Connor Lafontant, Sports Editor

Connor Lafontant is a Junior at McIntosh, in his third year on the Trail staff, which earned a Distinguished Site Badge for the second consecutive time. He covers sports and international stories. A multi-sport athlete, Connor runs track, wrestles, and played soccer in Peachtree City. He also played trombone for three years and is on the honor roll. Outside school, he’s a student pilot at Horizon Aviation, aiming for a career in airlines. Connor volunteers at homeless shelters, providing over 14,000 pounds of food and essentials, and helped distribute COVID vaccines to over 1,000 people. He enjoys traveling and working out, but values helping others most.

Betty Jane Plitt, Photo Editor

Betty Jane Plitt is currently a sophomore at McIntosh and is serving her second year on the Trail as photo editor. Plitt often spends her free time hanging out with her friends, doing homework, or getting matcha. She also enjoys crocheting and reading as hobbies. Plitt is also a music enthusiast, tuning in to Laufey, Faye Webster, and Clairo most often. Plitt also enjoys volunteering at places such as the Midwest Food Bank or Royal Animal Refuge. Although when she gets a chance away from her usual activities, Plitt is also part of colorguard in the McIntosh Marching Band. She currently spins both flag and rifle. Plitt took part in the New Voices Student Leaders Institute this past summer, where she learned all about the New Voices bill and started advocating to get it passed in Georgia. She and two other journalists from Georgia are working on contacting legislators to introduce the bill. As a member of the Trail, Plitt hopes to expand her knowledge on writing, on-site journaling and meeting deadlines.

Maddie Hines, Social Media

Hines is a Senior at McIntosh and this is her third year on staff on the Trail. This year she serves as the Social Media Manager as well as her continuation on Team Multimedia. In her freshman year, she was Vice President of her class. Hines is currently a McIntosh Ambassador and has also done debate at the state level. Hines is interested in things like creative writing, film and law. In fact, from 2017-2019, she spent three weeks of each summer staying on campus at Emory University for this summer program called SIG (Summer Institute for the Gifted.) There she took classes like song writing, filming, working a camera, creative writing, things of that nature. At Emory, she was able to see what life would be like as a college student. She hopes to obtain some degree in law as well as journalism in the future. In the 2024-2025 school year, Hines was awarded Superior at the GSPA Spring 2025 Convention for her podcast episode “Putting the U in HBCU” where she talks about historically Black Colleges/Universities During her free time, she likes to play volleyball, bake, watch movies, and spend time with friends and family. Because she is new on staff, she hopes to learn new things and new life skills such as responsibility, punctuality and reliability.

Allie Hartman, Interactive Design Editor

Allie Hartman is a sophomore at McIntosh and this is her second year on the Trail Staff. Hartman enjoys reading and writing. In addition, she was on the McIntosh JV girls tennis team. Outside of school, Hartman likes to play tennis with her sister and hang out with her friends. As a part of the 2025-2026 Trail staff, Hartman hopes to focus on writing truthful and interesting stories.

Alyssa Barnfield, Business Manager

Senior Alyssa Barnfield is carrying out her second year on the Trail as the Business Manager, which is the same title she holds for the Legend Yearbook staff. Barnfield is the president of McIntosh’s Animal Care Organization and is a current member of the National English Honors Society, National Society of High School Scholars, The National Society of Leadership and Success, Beta Club, Key Club and HOSA. She has been involved in the Marketing, Healthcare and Latin pathways in school, and has taken multiple Dual Enrollment classes, even some during the summer. She was even part of the staff which earned the “Distinguished Site” award. In her free time she enjoys volunteering, viewing shows such as “Love Island” and “Game of Thrones,” watching many movies and making money. Barnfield is excited to exercise her skills in graphic design, marketing, photography and more to support the staff.

Camilla O’Connell, Photo Editor

Camilla O’Connell is a senior at McIntosh. This is her first year on the Trail, though she is a four year editor of the Legend Yearbook and is their Photo Editor for the 2025 book. O’Connell spent a week of her summer as a National Youth Correspondent representing Georgia at the Washington Journalism and Media Conference, in Washington DC, where she met many working journalists and learned how to write in Smart Brevity. O’Connell has won three All-Georgia awards for her storytelling and photography, one superior award in portrait photography and was the first place winner for the Georgia Scholastic Press Association’s 2023 on the spot photo contest. She has also won the Laws of Life essay contest twice. Her work has been published in local news sites. Fun fact she fought the Citizen and won because they used one of her photos without her permission or giving her credit. She has photographed every home football game in her high school career. Outside of journalism O’Connell is the President of the Knitting and Crochet club, is in Beta club, Key club, We the People, Chorus, Advanced Drama, the English National Honors Society and the National Honor Society. When she’s not doing something on campus she can be found at the pool as a head lifeguard, on the rink playing hockey, making content for Joestens as one of their Ambassadors or hanging out with friends. “Though I love photography, my favorite part of journaling is getting to interview and hear people’s stories and being a microphone to share them.”

Jayden Wadlington, Staff

Jayden Wadlington is a senior at McIntosh and this is her first year on the Trail Staff. While on staff she hopes to presume multimedia. Wadlington is going into her fourth year in The Spirit of McIntosh marching band. She has participated in The Black Student Union, The Unity Club, Sources of Strength and Knitting and Crochet Club. Her favorite subject in school is Government because she enjoys learning about politics. Outside of school Wadlington enjoys reading, hanging out with friends, working and keeping herself informed on politics and what goes on around the world. After high school Wadlington wants to go to flight school to become a flight attendant.

Lily Johnson, Opinion Editor

Lily Johnson is a junior at McIntosh High School and is serving her third year on the Trail and is currently serving as the Opinion Editor. During Johnson’s free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors. She loves going on long golf cart rides, watching the sunset and spending time with friends and family. She enjoys listening to music, her favorite genres consisting of punk, rock, and metal. “I think spending time with family is very important so I try to spend as much time with them as I can.”

Robin Smith, Staff

Robin Smith is a junior at McIntosh High school and she is currently serving her second year on staff. Smith has acquired Star rank in Scouts and was on the staff that acquired the trail SNO Distinguished site. She is a varsity lacrosse goalie who tends to draw in her spare time. She tends to look into a lot of internet dramas, including many gaming communities.

Nyla Kërr, News Editor

News Editor, Kërr is spending her third year on the McIntosh Trail. Kërr has always been passionate about writing and has been honing her craft for the past seven years. In her first year on the Trail, she earned a Superior rating on two of her articles at the Georgia Scholastic Press Association. She was a member of the first Trail staff to win a School Newspapers Online (SNO) Distinguished Site award in the 2023-2024 school year. The Trail won its second SNO Distinguished Site award in the 2024-2025 school year. Kërr has also contributed to award-winning journalistic pieces such as the house editorial “The Possibility is Never Zero”, which won a Best of SNO and an All-Georgia at the 2025 Georgia Scholastic Press Association spring convention. Additionally, Kërr has been recognized for high honor roll and has received academic awards for outstanding achievement in biology, anatomy and English. She has also been awarded the President’s Award for Educational Excellence. When she is not buried deep in her classwork, Kërr enjoys spending time with her family, playing the guitar and doing calisthenics.

Yasemin Kalpakci, Features Editor

Yasemin Kalpakci is a senior at McIntosh High School and currently serves as the Features Editor for the McIntosh Trail. She joined the Trail staff in early 2024 and was part of the staff that won the SNO Distinguished Site Award in both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years. In addition to her journalism accomplishments, Kalpakci has also achieved success in other areas. She won a nation-wide best of SNO award for her story, “McIntosh honors Vinny, the service dog of teacher and veteran Christopher Judy.” Kalpakci also won an All-Georgia award for her Critical Review, “Opinion: ‘I was a bad girl’ but was she?” and a Superior in Health/Medical Reporting with, “SOS: ending the stigma around finding help.” In addition to her journalism accomplishments, Kalpakci has also achieved success in other areas. Her art has been published on the board of education in the 2023-2024 school year. Kalpakci has been involved in the Beta Club since elementary school and is an active volunteer at animal shelters and various school activities. She was instrumental in creating her old school’s World Food Club, promoting cultural exchange through food. Outside of school, Kalpakci enjoys listening to Lana Del Rey, reading AO3, binge-watching Gilmore Girls, and spending hours on Pinterest. Like many high school students, she’s uncertain about her future plans but hopes to figure it out soon.

Ryan LeVan, Multimedia

Ryan LeVan is a Junior at McIntosh and a is serving his second year on staff. LeVan is very passionate about things such as family, friends, pets and fitness. LeVan’s specialty lies in photography, holds a GSPA superior rating and has extensive experience in nature and sky photography and videography. LeVan is on the McIntosh wrestling team and an advocate for personal fitness and training. He also is a Life Scout in Scouts BSA and is currently working on his eagle project. LeVan has won multiple awards in scouting. LeVan’s ambitions for the future include attending “ICE Culinary School” and obtaining a Masters Degree in business to ideally open and run his personal restaurant. LeVan is excited to have the opportunity to succeed in The Trail as a Multimedia Staffer and to help teach any less experienced staffers how to be successful in journalism and more specifically photography.

Cari Heinonen, Staff

Cari Heinonen is a sophomore at McIntosh and this is her second year on the Trail Staff. She plans to focus on photography and writing. Heinonen enjoys listening to music and writing poetry in her free time. Heinonen is a part of the Fashion Club, Animal Care Organization, HOSA, and the Envirothon. Heinonen also holds a job at Chic-Fil-A.