Mel Cooke, Star Writer
Officially, Angela Russell is the morning shift vice-principal at Santa Cruz Primary and Junior High School in St Elizabeth. However, for the approximately 700 students who attend the school from 7 a.m. to almost noon, as well as the members of staff, she will also be the voice of calm if there is a critical incident.
Russell told The WEEKEND STAR that in the school's critical incident management process she is the media person, who uses the intercom to advise the teachers about what is happening. Critical to the process of containing and controlling the situation is keeping the students away.
So she would "tell the other teachers we had an incident and we are asking them to keep the students inside and as calm as possible".
Memorandum of Understanding.
Santa Cruz Primary and Junior High is one of 90 primary and junior high as well as 15 high schools islandwide in which the PALS programme is being implemented during the first phase of a five-year memorandum of understanding between PALS and the Ministry of Education. The teachers were trained in managing critical incidents by PALS trainer Maxine Wright.
While the school has not had any critical incidents, Russell performed her media role in a recent simulation, which she tells The WEEKEND STAR was successful. In the exercise a teacher left her classroom to retrieve something in the staff room for the lesson. On the way back to the classroom she heard a child in the classroom screaming; the parent of a classmate with whom the student had had an altercation the previous day had entered the classroom and attacked the child.
The 10-person critical incident management team executed their duties in the practice run, rendering first aid assistance and taking the 'injured' child to a health-care facility, a car with flashing lights and blaring horn playing the role of the ambulance.
Russell said the simulation was held close to dismissal time for the first shift and "we had other members of the team managing traffic". The afternoon shift also has a 10-member critical incident management team.
Immediate Action
"For me personally, it has been effective. If and when it happens for real we have the pre-plan, the follow-up and the immediate action," Russell told The weekend STAR. A whistle is used to alert the school community to an incident, as the bell is used for a fire. "The members will know once they hear the whistle that they take up position. They know what their roles are and what to do."
She says that for the training, Wright came with a manual and "we went through it". While the teachers were not surprised at the contents there were some things that were taken for granted as they do not happen at Santa Cruz Primary and Junior High.
"We are prepared. Let's say that," Russell said. "We used to do our own thing. But getting the actual plan you know where to focus now."
Officially, Angela Russell is the morning shift vice-principal at Santa Cruz Primary and Junior High School in St Elizabeth. However, for the approximately 700 students who attend the school from 7 a.m. to almost noon, as well as the members of staff, she will also be the voice of calm if there is a critical incident.
Russell told The WEEKEND STAR that in the school's critical incident management process she is the media person, who uses the intercom to advise the teachers about what is happening. Critical to the process of containing and controlling the situation is keeping the students away.
So she would "tell the other teachers we had an incident and we are asking them to keep the students inside and as calm as possible".
Memorandum of Understanding.
Santa Cruz Primary and Junior High is one of 90 primary and junior high as well as 15 high schools islandwide in which the PALS programme is being implemented during the first phase of a five-year memorandum of understanding between PALS and the Ministry of Education. The teachers were trained in managing critical incidents by PALS trainer Maxine Wright.
While the school has not had any critical incidents, Russell performed her media role in a recent simulation, which she tells The WEEKEND STAR was successful. In the exercise a teacher left her classroom to retrieve something in the staff room for the lesson. On the way back to the classroom she heard a child in the classroom screaming; the parent of a classmate with whom the student had had an altercation the previous day had entered the classroom and attacked the child.
The 10-person critical incident management team executed their duties in the practice run, rendering first aid assistance and taking the 'injured' child to a health-care facility, a car with flashing lights and blaring horn playing the role of the ambulance.
Russell said the simulation was held close to dismissal time for the first shift and "we had other members of the team managing traffic". The afternoon shift also has a 10-member critical incident management team.
Immediate Action
"For me personally, it has been effective. If and when it happens for real we have the pre-plan, the follow-up and the immediate action," Russell told The weekend STAR. A whistle is used to alert the school community to an incident, as the bell is used for a fire. "The members will know once they hear the whistle that they take up position. They know what their roles are and what to do."
She says that for the training, Wright came with a manual and "we went through it". While the teachers were not surprised at the contents there were some things that were taken for granted as they do not happen at Santa Cruz Primary and Junior High.
"We are prepared. Let's say that," Russell said. "We used to do our own thing. But getting the actual plan you know where to focus now."