Fire, lockdown, and earthquake drills are all in a day’s work for today’s students. Because they practice these regularly, they know what to expect if and when a real emergency occurs. And that is what the leaders at Sherwood Heights Elementary are counting on.

“We have a fire drill every month, and we practice one other drill every month,” said TJ Presley, Assistant Principal at Sherwood. “By practicing these scenarios, our staff and students are all more prepared and able to remain calm in situations that do arise.”

Presley and Sherwood Principal Ronda Smith said they collaborate with local law enforcement officers when they have drills, so officers can be on site if possible to help discuss response time and things that could be improved. Pendleton School District School Resource Officer Lance Zaugg was in the building at the school’s March Lockdown drill and debriefed with school administrators afterward. “We test different modalities with our alarm system and phone system to ensure we practice different methods to initiate our emergency protocols when necessary and to be as quick and efficient in a real emergency,” Principal Smith said.

Sherwood recently received two grants totaling $10,000 from the Walmart Distribution Center in Hermiston to purchase new radios for all staff in their building. Presley said the new radios are helpful, as the ability to communicate quickly between all staff in the school is essential.

In addition to physical safety, Sherwood also focuses on social-emotional safety, with regular lessons about feeling safe, trusted adults, reporting concerns, and more.

At the school’s Open House last fall, several parents asked the school leaders to tell them about emergency procedures and protocols, which Smith said they were glad to communicate about. As part of a district-wide plan, Sherwood will host an after-school safety evaluation/walk-through in May with officers from several local law enforcement agencies to identify potential safety issues that can be resolved.

“Safety at our school for students, staff, and visitors is always our number one priority, no matter what,” Presley said. “Having consistent procedures, excellent communication, practice drills, and having everyone on board are essential for our teachers and assistants to facilitate learning and for students to feel safe and learn in the best environment possible.”

Sherwood Heights Elementary and the Pendleton School District use the I Love U Guys Standard Response Protocol for emergency response; visit https://iloveuguys.org/ for more information.