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He didn’t mean to create so much trouble. He was just mad when he took pencil to paper and wrote that note. Now he’s expelled from school and worse. “Alex” was in a lot of trouble.

Lucky for him he was only playing a part in a skit.

Onalaska Middle School’s Where Everyone Belongs team presented a skit last week demonstrating the aftermath of a bomb scare at the school and the consequences to the student.

Alex, played by Alex Kjome, was “the John” — the person who left the threatening note in the boys bathroom that, when found, caused an evacuation of the school. Middle school students watched on as police interrogated him and finally put him in handcuffs. The hardest part for Alex — and what made the kids squirm in their seats — was facing Mom and Dad.

Then Alex faced the school board, which expelled him. After leaving school, Alex faced the rejection of his application for a hunting license and hunting firearms. Then he faced the rejection of his application for a driver’s license.

OMS Associate Principal Bill Paris spoke to the students about the consequences of acting out of anger and encouraged them to think first before they act.

Miss Onalaska Katie Gorman echoed that theme as she told students that one of the tools they have to resolve conflicts in a nonviolent way was peer mediation or to learn from each other. Gorman said they needed to help each other make good decisions.

“Make decisions based on the big picture,” she said. “Always take a moment to ask yourself, or to ask your friend, ‘Is this a step forward to where I want to be or a step back.’”

School officials thought the skit was timely since the school had just experienced two bomb threats within two weeks and they wanted the students to have something to think about over the summer.