Kindergarten gets interrupted by an announcement of the Great Shake Out.

Kindergarten gets interrupted by an announcement of the Great Shake Out.

KPBSD schools “Drop, Cover and Hold On” during Great AK Shake Out

All schools in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District (KPBSD) participated in the Great Alaska Shake Out “Drop, Cover & Hold On” earthquake drill at 10:15 a.m, Thursday, Oct. 15. Students and staff joined an estimated 120,000 Alaskans across the state who registered to participate. Alaska joined over 42.6 million participants worldwide in the annual event.

“We need to be prepared for incidents we hope never happen, but if they do, we can minimize the danger to our students, staff and community,” said Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Support, Dave Jones.

At Redoubt Elementary, Darilynn Caston’s kindergarten class preformed the drill flawlessly.

“We practice all year how to remain calm, regardless of the situation so that if it ever happens we know how to do what we need to do to be safe and experience what that might look like,” she said.

Caston explained the meaning of Drop, Cover & Hold On.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“They are trained to drop as low as they can to the ground and quickly get under a structure that will protect their head and body and hold on to it so that if it starts to rattle or move around the structure, like a table, stays above them where they can be safe until they can come out and continue on,” she said.

At the completion of the drill, Caston explained to the class what would happen when the quake stopped.

“We talk about if we are under a table or structure when the event is over not to come out right away but to wait a little time to be sure it is really over,” Caston said. “What that looks like for a five or six- year-old might be (mean) saying their ABC’s at least a couple of times or counting to a certain ‘whatever.’ It is to give them (enough) time under that structure. The distraction of saying their ABC’s or counting also helps them slow down and stay calm so fear or panic doesn’t take over in a real situation. We also talk about that if an adult is not in the room what they need to do to make the choices so they stay safe and how to do that so they become their own little superhero, and protect themselves and be safe regardless of where they are in the community, school or home to take ownership to protect themselves.”

Six-year-old Banyan Joachim participated in the drill. He hid under his desk rather than the strawman or palm tree in the room.

“Because it would just break in half and we’ve done this before and we know to get under something that will protect you and not break,” Joachim said.

The drill went well and all schools also participated in a post drill radio check to test emergency communication equipment, said Pegge Erkeneff, school district communications liaison.

Darilynn Caston's kindergarten class has a normal school day at Redoubt Elementary.

Darilynn Caston’s kindergarten class has a normal school day at Redoubt Elementary.

Kids take Great Shake Out drill very seriously.

Kids take Great Shake Out drill very seriously.

Receiving instructions on how long to wait after a real quake once it stops.

Receiving instructions on how long to wait after a real quake once it stops.

Kids drop and head for cover as drill begins.

Kids drop and head for cover as drill begins.

More in News

Kachemak Bay is seen from the Homer Spit in March 2019. (Homer News file photo)
Toxin associated with amnesic shellfish poisoning not detected in Kachemak Bay mussels

The test result does not indicate whether the toxin is present in other species in the food web.

Superintendent Clayton Holland speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, July 7, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Federal education funding to be released after monthlong delay

The missing funds could have led to further cuts to programming and staff on top of deep cuts made by the KPBSD Board of Education this year.

An angler holds up a dolly varden for a photograph on Wednesday, July 16. (Photo courtesy of Koby Etzwiler)
Anchor River opens up to Dollies, non-King salmon fishing

Steelhead and rainbow trout are still off limits and should not be removed from the water.

A photo provided by NTSB shows a single-engine Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, that crashed shortly after takeoff in a mountainous area of southwestern Alaska, Sept. 12, 2023. The plane was weighed down by too much moose meat and faced drag from a set of antlers mounted on its right wing strut, federal investigators said on Tuesday.
Crash that killed husband of former congresswoman was overloaded with moose meat and antlers, NTSB says

The plane, a single-engine Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, crashed shortly after takeoff in a mountainous area of southwestern Alaska on Sept. 12, 2023.

Armor rock from Sand Point is offloaded from a barge in the Kenai River in Kenai, Alaska, part of ongoing construction efforts for the Kenai River Bluff Stabilization Project on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Work continues on Kenai Bluff stabilization project

The wall has already taken shape over a broad swath of the affected area.

An aerial photo over Grewingk Glacier and Glacier Spit from May 2021 shows a mesodinium rubrum bloom to the left as contrasted with the normal ocean water of Kachemak Bay near Homer. (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Greer/Beryl Air)
KBNERR warns of potential harmful algal bloom in Kachemak Bay

Pseudo-nitzchia has been detected at bloom levels in Kachemak Bay since July 4.

Fresh-picked lettuces are for sale at the final Homer Farmers Market of the year on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
USDA ends regional food program, pulls $6M from Alaska businesses

On July 15, the Alaska Food Policy Council was notified that the USDA had terminated the Regional Food Business Center Program “effective immediately.”

Exit Glacier is photographed on June 22, 2018. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
2 rescued by park service near Exit Glacier

The hikers were stranded in the “Exit Creek Prohibited Visitor Use Zone.”

Two new cars purchased by the Soldotna Senior Center to support its Meals on Wheels program are parked outside of the center in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)
State restores grant funding to Soldotna Senior Center

In recent years, the center has been drawing down its organizational reserves to provide some essential services.

Most Read

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Peninsula Clarion relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in