Duck, Cover and Hold

WASILLA — Iditarod Elementary is all shook up over the potential for earthquakes.

The school spent part of Monday afternoon drilling for what to do if an earthquake were to shimmy the school. Students in Codruta Morgan’s kindergarten class dashed from their place on the floor during story time under their desks, where they ducked, covered and held.

“That’s what the kids need to do — duck, cover and hold,” said Iditarod principal Scott Nelson. “They duck down, go underneath a desk or underneath a table, and then cover their neck and head and hold that position.”

With more than 4,000 earthquakes in Alaska each year, it’s a safety precaution students in the Mat-Su Borough School District drill for, Nelson said. Other drills include potential emergencies from fire, bomb threats or if schools need to be locked down for any reason.

“Lockdown is if there were a dangerous intruder in the building who poses a threat,” Nelson said. “Lockdown would be where everyone would stay in their classrooms, and if students are in transition, like going to the bathroom, they need to stay there and be out of the hallways.”

Bomb threats are something many parents didn’t have to deal with when they were in school, Nelson said. “It is unfortunate we must contemplate such a scenario, but this is the reality of our time.”

In Morgan’s room, kindergartners were enjoying a story when the drill simulated an earthquake.

“Everyone be orderly, everyone get to your place,” Morgan said. “Duck, cover and hold.”

The students performed well, then gathered again to learn more about why they have to prepare for emergencies.

“What if something heavy falls on our heads?” Morgan asked. “Something like a shelf? What would happen? What’s something special in your head that has to be protected?”

“Your brain!” the students cheered in unison.

“That’s right,” the teacher said. “If your brain gets hurt, you can’t think like you normally do. A finger can be fixed much easier than a brain can be fixed.”

As students peppered Morgan with questions about earthquakes and what causes them, one boy had a special request for Mother Nature.

“I hope we don’t get it today,” he said, “because it’s my sister’s birthday today.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.