On Wednesday, November 14th, students may have heard Ken Latka, Assistant Principal for Operations and Program, talking about Situational Awareness Day on the morning announcements. Latka asked students and teachers to identify their closest blue “Get Safe” maps, and nearest “Get Safe” location in each period.

Feedback from the student body on Situational Awareness Day has been generally positive.

“The efforts were clearly shown and it was really well broadcasted on the morning announcements,”  Sophia Zhuang ’21 said.

When it comes to an emergency situation, it is crucial students are prepared and aware to do the proper steps towards safety. School safety takes collective effort from all parts of the school and as students, it is crucial to know how to respond in a calm manner when disaster strikes and where to go in a moments notice.

“Comprehensive school safety and crisis planning is ongoing, relentless and needs to be constantly taught,” Latka said.

For example, when a lockdown emergency occurs, all doors lock, blue strobes flash, announcements are made repeatedly, and police and fire are contacted automatically. Students should be ready to follow the protocol in their classroom and respond swiftly and cautiously. Amongst school officials, safety in general is a top concern especially in the administrative safety operations team.

“There is a delicate balance between being exceedingly safe while simultaneously affording students freedoms of open campus, free periods and even natural lighting,” Latka said.

Hopefully, after Situational Awareness Day, students, teachers and staff have thought about lockdown safety throughout the school day. Events such as Situational Awareness Day help to create a safer community culture for all.