Students practice earthquake readiness in statewide Great ShakeOut

Story by Lilian Zhu
Staff Writer

Photo by Ella Jayasekera
Staff Photographer

SPHS students filed out onto the Roosevelt Field for the annual Great Shakeout on Thursday, Oct. 17. Schools and businesses across California executed the “drop, cover, and hold” procedure in preparation for a major earthquake. 

Administrators played a recording over the P.A. system, alerting classrooms about the start of the drill and instructing students to take cover under their desks. Students evacuated classrooms with their 4th period class to sit at a designated spot on the football field. 

Teachers wore bright neon yellow vests, while the rescue team and administration wore red and orange, ensuring that adults could be easily spotted. 

Rescue teams swept classrooms to account for and attend to any “injured” students. Multiple parents pretended to pick up their students at the pick up area to practice the student release procedure. 

The drill spanned only over 45 minutes, greatly reducing previous years that reached up to 2 hours for the ShakeOut. 

Junior Amelia Jarolim believes the drills may take away time in the classroom, but are necessary for student safety.

“Although this drill takes time, it’s very useful by helping us prepare for possible disasters in the future,” Jarolim said. “It’s important to practice these drills so we are better prepared and know what to do in an emergency.”

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