By DOUGLAS W. MOTLEY
Senior Writer
Students at all six Rim school district schools participated in the Great California Shakeout, a state-mandated earthquake drill that occurs on the third Thursday of October each and every year. This year’s shakeout took place at 10:17 a.m. on October 17.
At Valley of Enchantment Elementary School in Crestline, some 540 students quickly dropped to the floor beneath their table or desk at precisely 10:17 a.m. when an announcement came over their classroom loudspeaker informing that this was an earthquake drop and cover drill.
Teacher Katie Nicholson took part in the earthquake drill, alongside her students.
In teacher Katie Nicholson’s third-grade classroom, her students listened attentively as she explained all aspects of the drill, which were listed on a photo projected onto a screen at the front of the classroom. Prior to the announcement, the students were given a chance to practice each of the steps, which include ducking beneath the nearest table with one hand grasping a leg of the table and the other covering the back of their head or neck. Following this procedure during an actual earthquake, said Nicholson, will lessen the chance of being injured by a falling overhead light or a collapsing roof. She informed her students to follow the same procedure if an earthquake should occur when they are in the school’s cafeteria or at home.
Fourth-grader Izzie Barba stands ready to make the world a better place.
Nine-year-old Arron Wurtz advises others to not run out of the house during an earthquake because things could fall on you.
VOE Elementary School Principal Bethany Negersmith was instrumental in obtaining permission from two parents to have their child interviewed by the Alpine Mountaineer. Permission to interview 9-year-old fourth grader Arron Wurtz was given by his mother, the school’s PTA president, Stephanie Wurtz. In the meantime, the mother of 10-year-old fourth grade student Izzie Barba gave approval for an interview of her daughter. Izzie, who was asked how she would protect herself if there was an earthquake, said, “I would get under something sturdy like a table or a doorframe.”
Asked why it’s important to duck and cover during an earthquake, Aaron, who will soon be 10, replied, “It’s so you don’t get hit on your head if anything falls.” When asked what he should not do in the event of an earthquake, Arron said, “Don’t run out of the house because stuff could fall on you.”
According to Principal Negersmith, the school has monthly fire and campus intruder drills.
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