Written by

Beth Farrah, SMT Writer

Essex, Missouri - Richland students grades six through twelve recently received ALICE training, which is a program that trains students how to react to a possible intruder or school shooting and allows teachers and administrators to know the quickest and safest way to protect their students in their very own classrooms. Last year, the staff members were trained for this occasion and taught what they learned to their students throughout the week and practiced drills in each classroom and discussed a safety plan after the Sandy Hook shooting in Connecticut. This year, the administrators found that the students should be the ones going through ALICE training, so they can understand it and see it first-hand so that they too can learn the importance of the training.

ALICE stands for Alert, Lock down, Inform, Counter, and Evaluate. Today, the fear of school shootings has risen tremendously, so it is important that students and teachers feel safe in their every day environments so that parents can rest easy when it comes to thinking about their children’s safety. Learning how to react, thinking quickly, value possible options, and how to escape (if at all possible) are only a few things that the students have learned throughout their training. The officers that visited the school went over numerous possibilities the students could have during these types of situations and explained that this training could help not only save their lives but save lives of others as well.

ALICE training has been taught at elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and even universities. The threat of a terrible event that involves an intruder or school shooter happening at any of these places is now equal and both officials and administrators of these schools feel that it is necessary to be trained in drills such as these just like the students are trained in tornado, earthquake, and fire drills.

The students at Richland were split up into two different groups for their demonstrative ALICE training. The students ranging from sixth grade to twelfth grade all sat through an hour long presentation that explained statistics of school shootings over the past couple of years and how they can stop the climbing numbers. The students were encouraged to react in these types of situations and not be “sitting ducks” like the students have been previously trained to do. Instead of turning off the lights, hiding, and laying low as the attacker raids the school, students were encouraged to counter the attack and find ways to escape during ALICE training. The faculty stressed to the students that it is not their “job” to protect themselves or save others, but if a situation like this ever occurred, they would have to react somehow in some way to help save themselves.

After the presentation, the students were taken into classrooms with the police officers so that they could walk through multiple demonstrations and different types of situations. The officers taught the teachers how to use ratchet straps to keep the doors closed so that the intruder had a hard time getting into the classroom. Students were taught to turn off the lights, stay quiet, and barricade the doors. They were also encouraged to throw things at the attacker, such as books and other items to distract them as they tried to enter the room.

The teachers as well as the officers helped act out these situations to see how fast the students could react. Each scenario was different and kept the students on their toes. It was truly amazing how quickly the students reacted to the sound effects in the hallway. Once they heard the intruder, they jumped into action by tying the door, flicking the light switch, barricading the door, and looking for an exit. The presentation and demonstration was very beneficial for the administrators as well as the students.

Dexter T.S. Middle School- This listing of activities is a service offered by the ShowMe Times, working in partnership with the Dexter Public Schools for your convenience.

The ShowMe Times would like to encourage all of our readers to support our local school system. The education and growth of young people in our community is important to everyone's future.

We would like everyone to join us as we encourage these young students in their pursuits. 

So lets get involved by supporting the events at our schools. If you would like to submit information and a picture of a student and his/her accomplishments, send it to news@showmetimes.com.

Dexter Senior High School - This listing of future activities is a service offered by the ShowMe Times, working in partnership with the Dexter Public Schools for your convenience.

We hope you will mark your calendar and we encourage everyone to support our local students and their activities.  The education and growth of young people in our community is the key to everyone's future!

If you would like to submit information and a picture of a student and his/her accomplishments, send it to news@showmetimes.com.

Dexter Senior High School- This listing of activities is a service offered by the ShowMe Times, working in partnership with the Dexter Public Schools for your convenience.

The ShowMe Times would like to encourage all of our readers to support our local school system. The education and growth of young people in our community is important to everyone's future.

We would like everyone to join us as we encourage these young students in their pursuits. 

So lets get involved by supporting the events at our schools.

If you would like to submit information and a picture of a student and his/her accomplishments, send it to news@showmetimes.com.  We would love to hear from you.

Submitted by Jill Temples

SMT Writer 

The Festivus Scholarship is a scholarship competition that is open to everyone that is out of school. This scholarship is provided through the Common Knowledge Scholarship Foundation.  This foundation has high school scholarships, college scholarships and now the Festivus, which is a scholarship for the rest of us: parents, out of school, etc.. Participants are quizzed on basic common knowledge facts.

We couldn't come up with a catchy scholarship name when someone asked, "what about the rest of us?"  Seinfeld fans will understand the reference.

Eligibility

Out of School

Award

1st place - $250

How it Works

Participants must register with CKSF to take the scholarship quizzes.  The Challenge Round quiz runs twice a year, September through December and January through April. A new quiz begins during the first week of every month. Scores from each quiz are added together for each participant and the top 25% of scorers will be advanced to the Championship Round. The highest scorings student from the Championship Round will receive a $250 scholarship.

Quiz Details

To participate, you must register with the Common Knowledge Scholarship Foundation at www.cksf.org. For all CKSF scholarship quizzes, 500 points are awarded and one point is deducted for each second taken to complete a question. Results are available immediately to each participant and the overall ranking is available within three hours under the "Results" tab at www.cksf.org