Page 8 - School Planning & Management, November 2017

NEWS & VIEWS
Hot Tips
This Month
Emergency Preparation
PREPARING FOR
EMERGENCIES
PERFORMING DRILLS DISRUPTS THE FLOW
of an already-full school day. Without adding more time to the drill, how can schools ensure they are getting the most value from these activities?
Teach staff to initiate the drill. The princi- pal typically announces a drill. But the person most likely to encounter an emergency, like a strange odor or a student with a knife, is actu- ally a staff member. Teaching staff to initiate drills gives them the means and responsibility to help keep students safe.
Use scenarios to put the drill in context. When a real emergency hits, emotion and adrenaline will significantly affect how successfully everyone responds. Scenarios
put drills in context and incorporate a level
of emotion and adrenaline. For example, the principal hands a 6th grade math teacher the following scenario printed on an index card, “You’re in the middle of teaching a class when you and several students notice smoke and flames coming through the ceiling tiles just over your head. Go!” Now, it’s up to the teacher to respond and alert the building.
Assess the fidelity of your safety plan. In addition to preparing for various emergen- cies, drills tell you if your safety plan works. We’ve all encountered situations where what looks good on paper doesn’t hold up in a real scenario. Documenting lessons and modifying your safety plan is critical to ensuring a safe learning environment.
Putting drills in context and empowering staff to initiate them improves staff engage- ment, better preparing everyone to respond effectively during a drill or emergency. It ensures the right safety plan is in place, which is valuable.
>> Thom Jones is the general manager of NaviGate Prepared. He can be reached at 740/963-3141.
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teach a course and build an identity
as a community space. Preparing students for life after Monarch includes innovative exploration, critical thinking, problem solving, hands-
on learning experiences and team collaboration. The space will support these concepts with three academies:
information technology, building
and construction and social services. Architecture, structural engineering, MEP engineering and interior design for the project is being handled by LPA Architects. To read more, visit webspm. com/articles/2017/10/06/new-school- promotes-experiential-learning.aspx.
New Middle School Celebrated at Dedication Ceremony
Community, administrators and staff gathered recently for the dedication ceremony of Vista Ridge Middle School in Keller, Texas. The new middle school’s initial capacity is 900 students and master planned for future expansions to
accommodate 1200 in upcoming years. With the construction of new neighborhood com- munities around Vista Ridge, students will be very close to local parks and trails provid- ing teachers with opportunities to take their students beyond the walls of the classroom and outside to explore. In addition to providing innovative learning environments, Vista Ridge also exists to help students meet their potential and become fully equipped to im- pact the world in a positive way. VLK Architects partnered with Keller ISD in the design of this non-traditional fifth-eighth grade campus. Each design decision was predicated by what is in the best interest of kids and how the space will support all learning styles. To read more, visit webspm.com/articles/2017/10/20/new-middle-school.aspx.
Student Center Addition to Historic High School Honored by AIA Northeast Illinois
The design of a new student center for a castle-like Collegiate Gothic high school was recognized with a Preservation/Adaptive Reuse Award from the Northeast Illinois chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) this month. Built in 1901, Joliet Central High School is listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. The limestone
building features arched Gothic entrance
doors and an elaborate interior with plaster
relief panels, marble wainscoting and
decorative cast iron staircases. Wight &
Company (Wight) designed this addition to
be the heart of the school, one that honors
the history and elegance of this extraordi-
nary building. design includes a three-story
glass curtain wall façade that leads into a
light-filled student center and open plan caf-
eteria that can seat up to 600 people. To read
more, visit webspm.com/articles/2017/10/18/
collegiate-gothic.aspx. SPM
8 SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / NOVEMBER 2017
WEBSPM.COM
PHOTO BY PAUL SCHLISMANN PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF WIGHT & COMPANY