Newcastle students receive emergency preparedness class

Newcastle students receive emergency preparedness class News Staff Tue, 05/28/2024 - 10:34 am

• (TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Newcastle students raise their hands to participate in a learning activity during a Red Cross presentation about tornado safety Tuesday, May 21.
• (TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) aylor Johnson, from the American Red Cross, presents information to Newcastle students at an emergency preparedness class Tuesday, May 21. Students learned about tornadoes and how to respond in the event of that sort of emergency.

TC Gordon news@grahamleader.com

Elementary students at Newcastle ISD took a step towards being more prepared for situations when they participated in an emergency preparedness class last week presented by the American Red Cross.

Third, fourth and fifth grade students gathered in the school’s auditorium Tuesday, May 21 for a presentation from the Red Cross on what to do in the event of a tornado.

This was the primary focus of the class, but students also learned about some of the dangers of home fires.

Taylor Johnson, a representative of the Red Cross who also taught a CPR course to senior citizens in Graham a few weeks ago, shared with Newcastle’s students about The Pillowcase Project.

“The Pillowcase Project is aimed at the K through (eighth grade) age group. It’s meant to teach just a baseline of emergency preparedness with the goal being for them to feel prepared, but not scared,” Johnson said. “So we’re also encouraging them to take some ownership of their safety and feel like that they can be kind of child community safety liaisons and teach their parents a little bit about what they’ve learned.”

Throughout the length of the course, students learned about how tornadoes form, the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning, best safety procedures and supplies to have ready in an emergency.

The idea of the pillowcase is it’s something nearly everyone might have available in their home. It’s big and sturdy enough to be able to fill with emergency supplies such as food, water, clothing, flashlights and batteries, first-aid kits and more.

“With students we really want to engage their natural curiosity. So we’re teaching them just about tornadoes, because from the outside it is a really cool phenomenon,” Johnson said. “So we’ve talked about how and why they form and what they look like and what they sound like. We really want them to soak in this knowledge in an environment that isn’t filled with fear.

“... We talk about how we’re going to make good decisions the best we can during a tornado, whether we’re at home or in the car or at school, getting to the safe place for the situation.”

Newcastle’s students actively participated in the course and after they passed a short quiz at the end, they received their pillowcases and were encouraged to decorate them to make them their own.

Johnson also passed out door hangers which provided a link for the students’ parents or other individuals to reach out to the Red Cross about getting free smoke detectors in their homes. These detectors have batteries that last up to 10 years and come at no cost. Interested homeowners can register at redcross.org/NTXAlarmRequest.

This tornado presentation was just one of many free courses the Red Cross offers. Johnson and other representatives from the organization go around the country spreading awareness and knowledge to help people feel prepared for anything that comes their way.

“Today we presented tornadoes, but we also have hurricanes, extreme heat, extreme cold and flooding to teach people what to do,” Johnson said. “...We much prefer, at least on my end, preparation is so much more helpful than recovery.”

• News