On Jan. 10, some people may have been surprised by the alarm sounding for a disaster drill, or that it took about 45 minutes, shortened classes by 3 minutes and removed homeroom from the day’s schedule. 

“I think the disaster drills help keep students and staff safe if there were to be an earthquake or other disastrous event,” junior Jakob Driscoll said.

Some students are called up to an area to simulate a student being picked up or checked out by their parents.

“I personally feel prepared for an event like the ones we practice for, but I feel that some students may not take these drills seriously, even though they could save their lives,” science teacher Shelby Bueno said.

During a disaster drill, teachers may have to move students with injuries that impede movement in special ways which helps prepare for a real event if there are serious injuries. Having multiple routes could be beneficial as blocked exits during a real event could be catastrophic.

“There should be more or changed routes to the field because there is always a bottleneck of students walking to the football field when going around the baseball fields,” math teacher Donna Liska said.

The disaster drills are a way to remind students that earthquakes can happen at any time and that these events are taken seriously. California schools will continue to practice these drills to help keep students and staff safe.