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The entire Classical High School 'family' received the somber, yet calming, telephone call at 6:10pm Friday night.

"Good evening, this is Mr. White, the Principal of Classical High School. As you may know, there was an incident that occurred on O'Callaghan Way this afternoon. As a precautionary measure, Classical High School immediately went into 'LOCKDOWN' mode. The police arrived at the scene and secured the area. All students, faculty , and staff were safely evacuated. Thank you to the students, staff, and parents who acted in an exemplary manner to this situation."

We have practiced the drill a number of times this school year. When an announcement comes over the loudspeakers saying "THIS IS A LOCKDOWN", everyone must immediately go into the closest open classroom with a teacher. The teacher then secures the room and congregates the group in a safe area. But at this time of day, could it really be another practice drill ?

It was Friday afternoon at 2:30pm, and most students left the building as the last class of the week ended. But there were many people still in the building. Various after-school clubs were meeting with the advisors. Students were doing make-up work, teachers were preparing lessons for next week, athletic teams were preparing for practice, and workmen were arriving to the sectioned-off reconstruction area. But at 3:00 pm, when Assistant Principal Richard Sakowich announced the lockdown , there were still hundreds of people in the building.

We knew the lockdown was real because of the specific way the announcement came over the speaker system. The Junior Class Advisors, Junior Class Officers and volunteers were meeting in a 2nd floor classroom, making final preparations for the Junior Prom to be held next week. This webmaster-reporter for www.lynnclassical.org jumped into the classroom immediately after the announcement. As practiced, the teachers locked the room, turned off the lights, closed the shades, and relocated everyone to a safe corner. We were all waiting for an announcement that the lockdown was over, but instead heard the continuous sound of police sirens coming closer to the school.

The Police Department and our school Safety Officer had spent a lot of time and effort to prepare us for a real lockdown. Each classroom now has an Emergency Booklet in plain sight. The procedures have been discussed and practiced with faculty and students. But after 15 minutes in the room, everyone with a cellphone started getting or sending text messages or calling their families to let them know we were okay. One student told her mother who was parked outside to drive away and wait for her next message. Teachers made calls to family to explain the situation and why they would be late getting home. News from family members gave us part of the developing story.

The next hour went grindingly slow. We heard through the cellphones that there had been shots fired outside and that an armed person may have entered the school. We heard noises in the hallway just outside the room and hoped it was the police checking the corridors. Finally, a little after 4:00pm, the classroom door was unlocked and we were all relieved to see the faces of Assistant Principal Constantino and Sakowich, and a group of Lynn police officers. They cautiously had us wait in the hallway until the area was secured, then escorted us down the stairs and to the front door. It was an extra relief to see School Superintendent Kostan , other administrators, some School Committee members, and more police waiting at the main entrance. Most teachers and students seemed relieved, but some were emotionally upset. For others, like this reporter, there was a delayed emotional response to the situation.

The follow-up story, written by reporter Robin Kaminsky of the Daily Item of Lynn will give our readers an understanding of the incident that caused the lockdown. Photographer Reba Saldana, as usual, got the good shot, the arrest of one of the suspects.

LYNN-Multiple shots fired outside of Lynn Classical High School resulted in police locking down the school for over an hour around 2:30 p.m. Friday.

Approximately 500- 600 kids, roughly half of the student body, were trapped inside the building during the incident. No injuries were reported.

Steven My, 18, of 19 Chase St., #1, Lynn, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing shortly after the incident occurred.

According to police and witnesses, several Asian males all dressed in red clothing with a pistol, a shotgun and a rifle, were seen in a 2005 red Nissan Pathfinder at the time shots were fired.

The SUV reportedly fled in the area of Walnut Street, and several shell casings were later found on Holyoke Street near the school.

Anxious parents paced back and forth on the front lawn of the school, sending text messages their children inside the building.

The mother of a senior at Classical, said her daughter called her on her cellular phone to let her know what was going on.

“I have a red SUV and I was almost pulled over by the police because they were looking for the same vehicle,” she said in a panic. “I just thought, oh my God almighty, what is going on?”

A man said while he was picking up his two daughters from Breed Middle School, he witnessed the incident unfold before his eyes.

“I got the license plate number of the vehicle and gave it to the police,” he said. “I followed the car and saw Cambodians in it…I saw one with a rifle in his hand, he (the driver) cruised through a red light. I was definitely scared as a parent to see that.”

After about an hour, students began to slowly trickle out of the building, hugging their parents and friends, and shedding tears of joy that everyone was safe.

A junior and a member of the baseball team said he spent about an hour in silence with six of his fellow teammates in a classroom, huddled together for safety.

“We heard a lot of banging on the lockers and doors, we didn’t know what was going on, if it was the police or a gunman,” he said. “Some of the kids were hiding under tables or sitting in the corner, and we were all pretty nervous and scared.”

Several students said they believed the shooting was a result of a fight that previously happened at the school, while others said it was the work of gang members.

“I was scared for my life,” a female junior at Classical said. “Most of the kids were calm, but I was scared. Everyone is hearing different stuff right now about what happened.”

Superintendent Nicholas Kostan said people were seen with a gun in the area when a shot was allegedly fired across the street from the school.

“The good news is, as far as we know, there are no injuries,” he said. “It was just a tough way to end the week. We very seldom have problems here at Classical.”

Kostan said he was unsure if the gunman was a Classical High student, but did mention that he saw an Asian male in handcuffs with police.

“The Lynn police did a tremendous job, and the teachers and the students were fantastic in the way they reacted to this and the way they cooperated with police. They all did the right thing, followed procedure and they knew exactly what to do.”

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Lynn police at 781-595-2000.