On Monday, April 23rd, 2024, at approximately 4:35 pm, Arrowhead High School was placed in a hard lockdown. 

Area law enforcement arrived after a report of an individual entering the North campus main doors with what appeared to be a long black gun.  

“One person who was in the room was saying the police came into our rooms with their guns drawn and that is not accurate at all. They had flashlights in their hands. No guns were drawn,” says Maralynn Markano, the drama department teacher.

Town of Oconomowoc Police, Hartland Police, Delafield Police, Chenequa Police, and the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department arrived on Arrowhead’s campus within minutes of receiving the call and immediately entered the building. 

“We were fortunate to have the quick response of area law enforcement who entered the building without hesitation to support.  We appreciate the parents willing to make the call to law enforcement and prioritize the safety of our students,” principal Adam Kurth said in an all-school email.

The administration worked with law enforcement to identify the location of the student. Officers confirmed that the gun was a prop gun for the upcoming spring play. 

“One of our spring plays is called 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, by Don Zolidis.  It is a silly, over-the-top zany comedy.  The survivors use ridiculously large Nerf-style guns to fight the zombies. The prop gun that was brought in had not yet been decorated to reflect the silly nature of the show. We have several other Nerf guns to use, so we are not using the gun that was brought in that day,” says Markano. 

Students in extracurricular activities such as sports were told to leave campus; some events were canceled for the evening. Athletes were told to notify coaches and teammates once they safely made it home. Sports that were affected included lacrosse, baseball, and girl’s soccer.

“It was crazy watching all the cops come into North [campus]. We all were distracted at practice until Coach Switzer told us to go home,” says Nicole Rivard, a junior and lacrosse player. 

In a Facebook post, Kurth said he would like to reiterate that there was and is no threat to students who were in extracurricular activities.