Noblesville school shooting supporters honored at football game

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Hundreds of fans came together Tuesday for a middle-school football rivalry and to honor the heroes from the Noblesville West Middle School shooting this past May.

The ovation lasted more than two minutes. 

Noblesville Police Chief Kevin Jowitt reacted to the ovation. “It shook me up. May 25 we were all just doing our jobs.”

The honor was for every hero who helped stop the danger at Noblesville West Middle School on the morning of May 25 and helped keep the community safe after.

“Watching all the public safety people together so absolutely seamlessly,” Jowitt said.

The images have been seared into the minds of many in the Noblesville community.

Parent Nate Richardson said, “There’s nothing worse than getting a phone call from your child running saying there’s something going on at the school.” 

That’s why it was so important to come together Tuesday night to say thank you. 

“Without them, we wouldn’t be as strong as they are,” said Stacey Swan, the principal at West Middle School. 

Jason Seaman was there, too. He’s the hero teacher who stopped his student from shooting anyone beyond the already-injured seventh-grader Ella Whistler. Seaman was shot multiple times while protecting his students.

But, on Tuesday  night, Seaman was preparing for his football game. He’s head coach for the eighth-grade West Middle School team. West’s seventh- and eighth-grade teams played East Middle School, an established rivalry. That’s why they picked to have the heroes ceremony Tuesday.

The principal said, “Every student in Noblesville, whether they were in elementary or the middle school, were impacted.” 

In dramatic fashion, the seventh-grade West team erased a 16-point, fourth-quarter deficit to win in the final seconds.

Richardson said about the final score, “That’s the clouds aligning. It’s very special moment, but we’re all together, so again, Noblesville strong.”