For over 23, 336 marathon runners, the goal Monday, April 15, was to cross the finish line, but when the Tsarnaev brothers showed up to terrorize the city, runners found themselves running back, away from two bombs that left 3 dead and over 260 injured. To most people, the walls of Hackley may feel safe, but outside, events such as the attack on Boston have had very personal effects on the lives of students and faculty.
For junior Katie Mykrantz, the already stressful search for college became a nightmare, when it brought her two blocks away from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) shooting that left one officer dead. Katie stated, “When I left for Boston Thursday, I felt optimistic about going and just assumed the bombing was a one time scare and that it was over. But when I woke up Friday to ask my mom what time we were leaving for the colleges, she said we’re not going and told me to turn on the news.”
Nineteen-year-old suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, confessed there was more to the plan. The plans to target Time Squares quickly fell through when an iPhone left in a car the brothers had jacked helped police track them to nearby Watertown, Mass. When questioned if the MIT incident could have been prevented, Katie said, “Everyone was more focused on recovering from the bombing as opposed to predicting another attack.”
Head of the Science Department, Bill McLay, was pleased with the quick response after the attack. Having worked at Uno’s, a pizzeria near the finish line during his time at Boston University, he is familiar with the event, and has participated in a half marathon.
“It’s very hard to secure a marathon,” he said. “Back then, we lived in a pre 9/11 era. There was little security and not much other than extra police officers. Even with the number of guards there are now, these marathons are still very big events so you can’t blame security. I think they did a very efficient job and saved many lives.”
The Marathon is so big in fact that he called it “the shops busiest day of the year.”
“Runners would be in and out the day before the race, carbo loading. So it was definitely a good way to make money,” he laughed.
For two members of the Hackley community, the moments of not knowing proved to be especially terrifying. English teacher Bridgid Moriarty and junior Annie Wechsler were kept on the edges of their seat, when they found out about the events at the race their boyfriends were participating in.
Jonathan, Ms. Moriarty’s fiancé, had gone up to Boston for the event, which he finished with a qualifying time, just under 3 hours. Having finished the marathon over an hour before the bombs went off, he was already a nearby restaurant with his parents and two sisters who accompanied him. “He heard it and saw people running. They all tried to get to their car but the streets had been closed down,” Ms. Moriarty said.
She had gotten a text from him saying, ‘Don’t worry. I’m okay. We were far away from the bomb.’
Annie had the same feeling of urgency. Her boyfriend, Dan Norris ‘12, a freshman at Boston College was about to watch the marathon when the bomb went off, but fortunately, he arrived late. “He’s OK, but now I’ve experienced that feeling that can only be reciprocated when a friend, family member, or someone who means so much to you is at risk. Dan didn’t see anything, but it was a shock to many of them.”
Sophomore Emma Bhayani feels that events like school shootings have become too common. “We can’t just wait for the massacre of people or children to understand we need to change our laws surrounding gun control. We also can’t be after a tragedy that we all help each other out.”
She still felt very amazed at how the tragedy rallied people together. She described going to the Knicks vs. Celtics game, and seeing the entire Garden go silent in respect for the injured and having two rival teams be able to look past the silliness. She said, “it very much defines what it is to be American.”
Ms. Moriarty also intends to commemorate those affected at next year’s marathon. She said the attacks do not disillusion her, and “if anything make me want to keep participating. If we live in fear, we give terrorists what they want.”
Katie and senior Paula Stone (who will be attending Boston University) agree. “The incident hasn’t affected my college choice because it can happen anywhere and it was just bad timing for me to be looking at colleges in Boston.” Paula confessed to feeling uneasy, but she believes “you have to be careful wherever you go. You can find danger anywhere not just in form of a terrorist attack, even just when you’re crossing the street.”
Although these attacks can happen anywhere, students at Hackley feel safe at school. “I feel 100% safe, always have and I don’t see that changing,” Katie said.
