Students at Blackminster Middle School in the U.K. had the experience of watching a science teacher appear to be gunned down in the middle of their school playground; little did they know, they were all taking place in a “role-play” science project, according to Sky News.
Richard Kent, the science teacher in question, faked his own death on the school’s playground by using a clapper board, traditionally used in filmmaking to announce the start of a scene, to simulate gunfire. As colleagues rushed to pretend to resuscitate Kent, students in the surrounding area were ushered away.
Ten minutes later, Kent was walking through the school hallways completely unharmed, much to the students’ surprise.
Students of the school posted comments on Facebook about the experiment. One student called it “sick"; another student wrote, “Most of us were so scared we were crying.”
Kent has since admitted that the experiment was a “step too far” after parents complained, and the school has sworn off all future violent role-play.
“On reflection the time lag between the clapper board and the hall was too long,” head teacher Terry Hollands said. “It should have been seconds rather than minutes so it was made instantly clear what had happened.”