When the Bomb Squad Was Called to School Because of Me
Most of you don't know this, but when I was younger, the bomb squad was called to my high school because of me. The recent stories about Ahmed Mohamed reminded me of this memory.
Here's what happened:
In 10th grade, my show choir teacher (also the school's vice principal), Mr. Jesse was a hero to me. He was extremely supportive of our Alpha-Omega club, got me to love musicals, and supported my dream of being an artist one day.
One day, I wrote a letter thanking him and included a small gift (one of those Jesus fish car magnets, since I knew his faith was important to him) and put it into a small, sealed envelope with his name on it. I left it on the desk in his office after class.
Later that morning, he found the envelope but thought it felt suspicious. The "IXOYE" letters of the fish felt like wiring, he thought. The staff just went through a special training on bomb threat detection. He called two of the staff leads, who called 911 right away.
The police came first. The demolitions expert felt the envelope and also thought it was suspicious. So, 2 fire trucks, an ambulance, 10 more police cars, a SWAT team van, and a bomb disposal unit followed. When they finally opened the envelope and looked inside, the bomb expert exclaimed, "Jesus Christ!" People jumped and asked what it was. He said, "No, literally, Jesus Christ. It's just a f**ckin Jesus fish."
I was called into the principal's office immediately but nothing happened. I saw all of the cars, police, bomb squad, not realizing that it was all caused by me. They all thought it was hilarious to prank me and make it seem like I was in a lot of trouble. But they ended up telling me the story and laughing. Mr. Jesse teared up after reading the letter, saying the gift was beautiful.
We never know the impact that we can make on others through a simple gesture. Intentions are only part of the picture Mr. Jesse's bravery and compassion continue to inspire me today - he didn't know how his daily composure taught me so much. And my simple gift ended up bringing a lot of authorities to our school even though it was supposed to be private acknowledgement and gratitude. But in the end, one can only hope that we focus on the lessons learned and find more ways to bring understanding in the world.