The evacuations of two Evanston schools and the murder of a local high school student within the past six months have put Evanston schools’ security measures to the test.

Haven Middle School was evacuated Oct. 19 after a student was found in possession of an inert hand grenade. The object was later identified as an accessory to a Halloween costume.

“We wanted to make sure it was not a threat to students and faculty,” said Robert Stringer, security officer for Evanston/Skokie School District 65.

Stringer explained that, despite some security issues, this year has been “pretty quiet” with regard to safety matters. He praised District 65 Superintendent Hardy Murphy for “taking measures to ensure that safety is a major concern.”

Evanston Township High School was evacuated about 8:45 a.m. Oct. 23, after the school received an ambiguous threat from an unidentified caller indicating that “everyone would die at 9:06.”

The building’s more than 3,000 occupants were evacuated smoothly and efficiently within minutes, said Frank Kaminski, director of safety at ETHS. Faculty and students praised ETHSafety officers’ performance during the threat.

“(The evacuation) was handled pretty well,” said Paul Springer, an ETHS senior. “I felt pretty secure.”

ETHS math teacher Bill Sienkiewiczsaid members of the ETHS community reacted to the incident with a mature attitude.

“I was impressed with the teachers and students,” Sienkiewicz said.

Sienkiewicz is also one of eight ETHS Floor Leaders who assist in evacuation procedures during emergencies and work with ETHS safety officers to clear hallways of students who loiter after classroom hours.

He said the faculty’s level of preparation contributed to the success of the evacuation.

Evanston Police Department is investigating the incident, but the department hasn’t identified a suspect.

Both District 65 and District 202, which oversees ETHS, have Crisis Teams, which meet monthly to address safety plans, Kaminski said. The Safety Codes and Crisis Management Manual, used at ETHS and all 16 buildings in District 65, were developed at these meetings.

Both security-related incidents this year were classified as “code yellow,” which entails the total evacuation of the threatened building, he said.

Other codes include: “code red,” immediately lock-down of all students in the nearest classroom due to an internal threat; “code white,” locking exit doors to keep out an external threat and “code green,” resuming normal activity.

But schoolwide threats are not the only safety issues in Evanston schools. Although members of the ETHS community agree that safety initiatives had kept violence out of school, they said that youth crime in Evanston continues.

On June 28, Daryll Shannon Pickett, an ETHS rising senior and football player, was shot and killed in an allegedly gang-related incident less than a block from the school’s grounds.

Sara Navin, an ETHS senior, expressed her fear of gang activity outside of school.

“It was really scary when Shannon died,” Navin said.

One ETHS freshman, who wished to remain anonymous because of his connections to gang members, explained that larger inner-city Chicago gangs recruit youth in Evanston, which leads to crime locally.

Kevin Jamieson, another ETHS freshman, noted that many students create their own groups if they are not involved with “real” gangs.

ETHS students and teachers said they were aware of gang involvement among local youth, but also noted that gang activity very rarely occurred on school grounds during regular hours.

“Overall, (ETHS) is a safe place,” Sienkiewicz said. “I’m not blind to the fact that gang issues pop up, but it is kept to a minimum.”

He said while bathroom graffiti and minor fights between students are prevalent at school, most of the serious gang activity takes place off campus.

Students said gangs steer away from ETHS due to the presence of ETHS safety officers and security cameras.

“I feel safe in school,” said Navin, the ETHS senior. “Security is everywhere.”

Reach Sean Walsh at [email protected].