Robbinsdale students unruffled

Star Tribune

Last update: June 10, 2009 - 11:38 PM

A group of Robbinsdale middle-school students were told there was a "security issue" as they evacuated the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday, but no one in the group had any idea a gunman had opened fire in the crowded building.

The 41 students from Sandburg Middle School in Golden Valley and their four chaperones, who are on a five-day field trip to Washington, heard nothing and saw nothing of the chaos, said chaperone Shelly Phernetton.

At first, Phernetton noticed only that the steady stream of traffic through the museum had suddenly stopped. Their scheduled 1 1/2-hour visit to the museum ended after 45 minutes, and the students, who were culminating their eighth-grade American history lessons with the D.C. field trip that began Monday, calmly followed the directions to a grassy area in a park across the street from the museum. From there, they watched helicopters fly overhead and heard the wail of sirens.

"It was kind of an exciting thing for [the kids in] our age group," Phernetton said. "It was somewhat surreal because of all that was happening, and yet we all were calm."

Gridlocked traffic forced the group to walk some distance to get to their bus, Phernetton said. As word spread about the shooting, chaperones instructed the kids to immediately call their families. "The first thing we told them to say was, 'I am fine. We're all OK,'" Phernetton said.

The group toured more Washington sites Wednesday afternoon and will return to Minnesota on Friday.

MARY LYNN SMITH

Recent Nation stories

AP Sources: 5.7 mm pistol used in Fort Hood rampage was purchased legally at Texas gun store - June 10, 2009

AP Sources: 5.7 mm pistol used in Fort Hood rampage was purchased legally at Texas gun store - A 5.7-millimeter pistol used in the Fort Hood shooting was purchased legally by suspect Nidal Hasan at a Texas gun shop, law enforcement officials said Friday. More