It is well-known that Elkhorn North is a service deadzone. Connecting to the Wifi in certain parts of the school is a miracle, and in the basement it is virtually unheard of.

Students, family, and journalists who attend sporting events in the gymnasium constantly face the “SOS” symbol in the place where the three bars of service should be. While some may see this as a petty complaint from teenagers who are “addicted to their phones,” the gravity of this situation hit me during the tornado that destroyed parts of Elkhorn only two miles from Elkhorn North.

As students were ushered down to the locker rooms on April 26, 2024, a universal and frustrated sigh was let out when everyone lost service. Crammed on the floor of the locker room, students and teachers wondered what was happening outside. A few students were able to pull up the news radar on their computers and give minor details on the path of the tornado. Tensions began to rise as students realized how close and severe the tornado actually was. Then someone said to me: “I think it’s headed for your neighborhood.”

In this moment, my only thought was my mom who was home alone. I began frantically texting her, but, unsurprisingly, the texts did not go through due to the lack of cell service in the basement of the school.

Thankfully my mom and house are both okay, but, for over an hour, I truly did not know. Many other students experienced the same anxiety being unable to reach loved ones. 

Senior Koral Jarzynka had a friend house-sitting for her family during the tornado. Jarzynka’s family had a storm shelter with a code on it and she was unable to reach her friend to tell her the code. Jarzynka had to scramble around the school to find someone with service as the tornado neared her house.

“I was really worried and couldn’t get through to her for a while,” Jaryzynka said. “I just kept sending texts over and over again, but it just wasn’t working.”

Being in the locker room, disconnected from my family and the outside world made me realize the severity of not having cell service inside the school, beyond tornadoes. 

Since elementary school, I have been put through lock down drills and watched many videos in order to prepare for the threat of an intruder. One particular video I remember is from a crisis response program, The “I Love U Guys” Foundation. This specific video resonated with me because it is named after the text that an unfortunate set of parents received from their daughter before she was killed in a school shooting. During lock down drills, teachers often bring up that, in the event of an intruder, students should silence their phones and text their parents that they are okay. The thought of not being able to send that text because I am in a part of the school without service is heart-breaking.

Put yourself in the position of a parent during an emergency while your child is at school. Many parents faced this during the tornado on April 26th. For over an hour, parents could not reach their children with a tornado only miles away from the school. The job of a parent is to keep their child safe. At school, when their child’s safety is out of the their hands, parents deserve to know that their child is okay. 

The cell service issue at Elkhorn North shouldn’t be brushed aside any longer or until it’s too late.

“Getting information out during scary or dangerous situations is really important,” Jarzynka said. “You have to be able to know if people are safe.”