Just days after an alleged gunman was shot by a school resource officer, students in Dixon got to say thank you during their graduation ceremony on Sunday afternoon.
Officer Mark Dallas, who shot the suspect and very likely prevented a serious tragedy, was on stage during the ceremony, shaking hands and embracing all 182 graduates as they got their diplomas.
“I’m glad we all made it. It’s very bittersweet,” graduate Kylie Kutz said.
There was an increased police presence on campus after the shooting, and during the graduation, but Sunday’s ceremony went off without a hitch.
“We had a very high level of security. (It’s) unfortunate but very necessary,” Dixon Mayor Liandro Arellano Jr. said. “It’s very important to restore our children’s sense of safety as they come into our school.”
The graduates were very vocal about Wednesday’s shooting, which took place during graduation practice. 19-year-old Matthew Milby is accused of entering the school and firing shots at Officer Dallas, who returned fire and injured the suspect.
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Students were able to greet Dallas on stage during the ceremony, and they’re taking lessons forward as the community continues to grapple with what happened.
“I just hope that everybody takes what has happened at so many schools and tries to fix it, because it’s a little bit ridiculous at this point,” Kutz said.
Meanwhile, the safety measures at the school, in place before the shooting, will continue, and that discussions on how to improve safety at the institution will continue as this class moves on and as another comes into the school.
