As part of DCD’s readiness plan, we often practice exiting the building in the event of a fire. Thursday morning, this first drill of the year had a slightly different nuance than a typical drill.
This one was both silent and fun! The charge was to have no sirens or talking while students and teachers exited the building efficiently and quietly. And once the entire school was assembled on the front field, lined up according to class, the silence was broken by a rousing rendition of the Hula Hoop Challenge. The goal of the silent fire drill and subsequent fun activity, was to frame this very important exercise in a non-threatening community building way. “Rules are important especially in an emergency but, following them doesn’t have to be stressful”, says Ms. Webster, Head of School. Especially for the younger students, Ms. Webster knows that drills and sirens can be scary, so her goal was to take the fear-provoking sounds out of the equation so that everyone knows they can exit the building quickly, quietly, and safely. Follow that up with a fun community challenge and you have a great start to the day.
The fire drill isn’t so interesting to watch, but the Hula Challenge is! View it here. Thank you to Kevin Coakley and Mark Jackson for such a smooth execution!
