After school on Wednesday, Sept. 20, an adult male presumably in his mid-30s walked into the school while many activities and athletics were still in progress and the building was still well staffed. The man, who was reported as intoxicated, entered the campus around 4 p.m. through a door left propped open.
The individual was found in the girls locker room during volleyball practice and was reported to the custodial staff by members of the women’s volleyball team. He was then quickly escorted off of the premises by staff.
Ellie Johnson, sophomore and member of the MTHS volleyball team, walked into the locker room where she saw the individual.
“We [members of the volleyball team] were walking into the locker room, and in the shower area there was this man with his shirt off who looked like he had just taken a shower,” Johnson said. “We quickly ran past him and reported him to one of the custodians in the area.”
The incident was then reported to administrators, who dialed 911 and called officers of the Mountlake Terrace Police Department to the school. The officers performed multiple sweeps of the campus and the local area, though the individual could not be located.
Principal Greg Schellenberg sent out an email to the MTHS families on Friday, Sept. 22, in which he explained the incident.
“I appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding with the timing of this communication. We intentionally delayed the conveyance of this security incident out of sensitivity to our recent communication. Student safety is our highest priority. We have a wonderfully busy and engaged facility after school hours that we need to protect,” Schellenberg wrote in the email.
The main point of concern for administration was the fact that one of the doors was ajar, allowing the individual to enter the building without checking in with the school office.
“We communicated with staff on Thursday morning that propping open doors is not appropriate. During after-school hours, the front entrance set of doors will be the only point of entry into our facility,” Schellenberg said.
The goal behind having only one point of entry into the building is to prevent unauthorized individuals, such as the intoxicated man, from gaining entrance into the building, protecting students and staff safety during after-school hours.
