LITTLE ARMENIA—On Oct. 16, Rose and Alex Pilibos students, faculty, and staff participated in The Great ShakeOut, an organized and synchronized earthquake drill among many states in the US and other countries. The purpose of the earthquake drill is to help people in their homes, schools, and other organizations “improve preparedness and practice how to be safe during earthquakes.”
At 11:35 a.m., the earthquake alarm rang across campus for 60 seconds to indicate the duration of the “earthquake.” The Pilibos student body and staff quickly dropped, covered their heads, and held on. After the earthquake simulation, students were led to evacuation areas on campus. Some exits were closed off to further simulate possibly naturally incurring impediments in the case of a real earthquake. All K-12th grade students and teachers evacuated the building in a very orderly and efficient manner.
In addition to participating in the Great Shakeout and conducting regular evacuation and reverse-evacuation drills, Pilibos systematically takes extensive and comprehensive emergency preparedness measures. Under the guidance of Dr. Dorian, this year the student council has been working to prepare for emergency situations such as lockdowns, fires, earthquakes, and more. They prepared lockdown kits for each classroom; they cleaned out and organized the emergency container; and they furnished all classrooms with necessary materials for teachers to keep track of their students and procedures for every kind of emergency. In addition, the School is going one step further and offering all seniors an opportunity to become first-aid and CPR certified in their Leadership and Development class.
Through the tireless and continuous efforts of the School administration and teacher and student volunteers, everyone at Pilibos is able to take an active role in the well-being and safety of all the members of the Pilibos Family. After the conclusion of the drill, Dr. Dorian proudly stated, “I am so proud of all my students! Make sure to put that in the student bulletin. They need to know how truly remarkable they really are!”
