Twelve-year-old Maddy Mansky, a student at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, found herself in a harrowing ordeal when an armed teenager entered the school on February 10. Tragically, the assailant fatally shot five students and an education assistant, most of whom were in the library – a place Maddy was meant to be.
Thankfully, Maddy and a friend were in the bathroom when the sound of gunfire jolted through the school. The loud bangs initially seemed innocent to Maddy, but the reality of the situation dawned on her as she heard the shells hitting the ground. Amidst the chaos and screams, Maddy and her friend sought refuge in a bathroom stall, locking themselves in, trembling with fear.
For two agonizing hours, Maddy huddled in that confined space, reaching out to her loved ones via text messages while her friend stood quietly beside her. The tension was broken only when police forcefully entered the bathroom, leading them to safety past the shooter’s body, a moment that Maddy describes as deeply chilling.
The victims of the tragic event were not strangers to Maddy; they were her friends. She fondly remembers Ezekiel Shofield’s ability to make her laugh, Kylie Smith’s light-hearted jokes, and Ticaria Lampert, one of her closest companions whom she regrets having a disagreement with on the fateful day.
Still grappling with the trauma, Maddy is taking each day as it comes, finding solace in family conversations and steering clear of social media. Despite calls from politicians and school authorities to relocate, Maddy believes that students like her need the school to remain as a symbol of resilience and safety. She emphasizes the importance of confronting fears and moving forward collectively.
Amidst the aftermath, the community has decided to suspend all schooling activities for at least a week, allowing time for healing and reflection.