Oologah High School Seniors Create Device To Help Protect Students During Shooting

Billy Durham and Hunter Gorry aren’t professional welders or designers. They’re high school seniors, and their newly designed door jammers are turning a lot of heads in Oologah. 

“With everything that’s been happening lately, it’s putting our school out there, just a little bit safer,” said Gorry.

The idea all started last year when the school’s principal approached the two agriculture students about ideas to make their building safer.

Durham and Gorry jumped right on it.

“We started thinking, started coming up with ideas, made prototypes,” said Durham. “Some of them didn’t work, and we eventually made some that worked for all doors.”

That’s when they came up with three different designs for the three types of doors in their school.

One is a small metal jammer, that fits over a door handle. One is a metal plate for doors with a drawback hinge. And their most challenging design - a wing nut mechanism for push doors.

AG and FFA teacher Kadie Smith said the boys went above and beyond.

“They volunteered their time to come up and worked with other professionals. Professional welders, professional construction guys,” said Smith.

For the past few months, the boys along with some other classmates, replicated the devices for every single door in the high school.