On Wednesday, March 30th during 3rd period, the entire school was summoned to an earthquake drill. Students flocked to the soccer and football fields at their assigned locations and waited for further instructions.

   While students were sitting and waiting, teachers, administrators and staff were busy testing out the protocol should a major earthquake occur during school hours. Adults were assigned different duties such as “search and rescue,” “communications,” and “assembly.”

   To some on the field, the drill seemed long and monotonous. Maran Soliman (10) questions, “Why was the drill so long? It felt like forever and we did not seem to have anything to do. I would have rather have stayed in class and studied.” The reason why the drill lasted such a long time was because teachers practiced all procedures that would be necessary in the occurrence of a real earthquake. Members of the Play Production class were assigned different injuries and behaviors to act out. Chandler Johnson (10) comments, “I was in shock and I was huddled in a ball in building 5. I thought the teachers handled it pretty well and it was a fun experience.” In addition to cases of shock, some students were assigned to play dead, while others needed to be removed by stretchers because they were “paralyzed.” Overall, it seems that the staff handled the drill efficiently.

   The recent earthquakes in Japan have inspired people to be prepared and get ready for disasters. Mrs. Horsey notes that “[her] students are always interested in preparing and some even tried to see if they could fit under their desk in case of a duck and cover scenario. Preparation definitely helps prevent countless injuries, as is evident in the Japan disaster.”

   Overall, West’s yearly earthquake drill appeared a success, as it always has been, and it is always a great idea to look ahead and be prepared.