Among the most important emergency response drills that we conduct here at River Hill High School are lockdowns.  Lockdowns are executed when there is a threat of possible criminal activity, extreme violence, shots fired, or an active intruder somewhere in or near the building.  With the growing number of incidents occurring in schools involving acts of extreme violence, taking the proper precautions to educate our staff and students is an essential part of ensuring a safe and nurturing environment which is rudimentary to learning.  This week, we successfully implemented a lockdown drill to assess how effectively we as a school are prepared to respond to an incident that has the potentiality of harm or injury to our school population.  Teachers and students practiced immediately clearing all halls, locking doors, turning off lights, moving away from areas of visibility containing windows, and sitting on the floors to avoid possible detection.  We are proud of the efforts by our staff and students in handling these exercises seriously understanding that knowing what to do may be the difference in saving lives.