It was a nice morning. The bell had just rung to go to our lockers. All of the sudden, someone went on the intercom. We were in a level two lockdown. This is what we all heard Wednesday, March 29, 2023. This is a pretty common thing in the US. You might hear things like a lockdown was in place at a school in the news. But it’s important to go over all the different drills.

        The first drills I’m going to talk about are the level one, two, and three lockdowns. Level one lockdown drills are when something outside is threatening. Nobody can go outside during this. Level two lockdowns are when something is inside of the school that is not life-threatening but still dangerous. The teachers will lock their classroom doors. Level three lockdowns happen when something life-threatening is inside of the school, like an active shooter. Follow the procedures, Run, Hide, Fight. If you have any questions about these, you can ask a teacher.

        The second drill I’ll be talking about is a fire drill. A fire drill can be because of a bunch of different things. For example a gas leak, carbon monoxide, or an actual fire. When one of the things is happening listen to your teacher and don’t split up. If you are in the hallway or bathroom, hurry up and follow a teacher outside. They can then tell one of the principles and get you to your class.

        The last drill I’m going to be talking about is a tornado drill. A tornado drill is issued when severe weather or a tornado is in your area. Listen to your teacher. They will then lead you to the inside a classroom with no windows and inside the school, this could be a teacher’s classroom or the teachers’ lounge. When this happens, hang on to something that won’t fly away when the tornado hits.

        Practicing drills is a very important thing. Especially in school. If you have any questions about any of these drills, or what to do in other situations, you can ask a teacher or Mr. Jones the 8th-grade principal. Some questions you should ask your teacher would be, what would happen if we were at lunch or in the hallways when any of these happen? Always be aware and most important stay safe!