In October 2025, two of our EAST students, Karson Lee and Harper Wheeler, recognized that the classrooms district-wide did not have an emergency lock system in case of an intruder or an emergency. Our school resource officer, Officer Tomlinson, helped them decide where on the door the locks needed to be, which classrooms needed them primarily until they could get all the locks, and which lock system would be the best. They ended up choosing the Nightlock Lockdown Door Barricade. The elementary art teacher, Mrs. Miller, helped Karson and Harper apply for a grant to get the door locks. Initially, they were not able to get the grant, however they applied through DonorChoose and recently, they got a $500.00 grant from Walmart and some anonymous donors to help fund this project. They currently have 51 out of the 115 locks needed and are continuing to get more daily. With the locks that they already have, Karson and Harper worked with our district’s maintenance department to install these locks.
The way that the door locks work is that one part will be one the bottom of the door and the other aligned with it on the floor. There is a metal piece that they will slide through the top to the bottom to activate the lock system. They are also working on a holder for the metal piece while the locking system is not in use.
How this project fills CART:
Critical Thinking: Karson and Harper worked with Officer Tomlinson to determine what kind of safety locks to purchase and where on the doors that the lock system needed to be placed.
Advance: Karson and Harper worked persistently to get the safety lock systems funded through a grant. They learned how to apply for a grant and communicate with people.
Real: Karson and Harper’s client was Melbourne School District. Their community partners were Officer Tomlinson, Mrs. Miller, Walmart, and Melbourne School’s maintenance department. Their purpose was to improve school security.
Teamwork: Karson and Harper collaborated with Officer Tomlinson on which lock system needs to be used and the placement of the locks. Mrs. Miller helped them write a grant application. The district’s maintenance department helped them install the lock systems.
This project is ongoing and they will contact to seek out funding until all of the doors are secure district wide.