According to FEMA’s Pacific Northwest region director, “Our operating assumption is that everything west of Interstate 5 will be toast” in the face of the expected geologic activity.   Our expedition will respond to the need for our families and community to understand the impact of natural disasters.

Project Description

The Stayin' Alive, Stayin' Alive...Get Yourself Prepared Expedition will be taught to 7th grade and will be cross-curricular engaging students through their Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts classes. Through an in-depth study, students will learn about the causes of natural disasters, and the impact they have on the environment and human populations. Key activities will build student understanding of geography and science concepts as well as societal effects.  The guiding questions driving this expedition are:

• What causes natural disasters?
• How can natural disasters affect communities, my family, and me?
• What responsibilities do community members have to be prepared for natural disasters?
• In what ways are we ready for natural disasters? 
  

The pinnacle of this expedition will be the fieldwork which will take place at Mt. St. Helens or other site depending on the weather. While completing the fieldwork the students will participate in a ranger-led program to further their expertise in the geological process. The cost of transportation is estimated to be $850, so we are asking our community to support our efforts and help fund our transportation costs.

I am passionate about this Expedition because I feel as a society we are not prepared for natural disasters. Just recently, we have seen the impact of major earthquakes on nations and how being unprepared our local community is on a major fault line and the impact of a major earthquake would be life-changing. Due to a surge in natural disasters globally, this Expedition is timely because citizens are willing to become educated about being prepared based off all of the disasters that are happening now.

Building Character and Academics

The Stayin' Alive, Stayin' Alive...Get Yourself Prepared Expedition will challenge students to personalize the natural disaster events currently plaguing our world. Empathy, service, and compassion will motivate students to work with each other to help their families prepare with unique circumstances. For example, one student might face the added challenge of evacuating their great-grandmother, while another might need advice on how to care for their pets in an emergency. Sharing diverse perspectives will help inform students on how they should best educate the diverse community of Beaverton and the Portland Metro area. This Expedition allows for meaningful character development in support of and assessed through our school and district-wide Behavior Learning Targets.  The primary character development will be demonstrated in service to the community: empathizing with the unique challenges the Portland, OR metro area faces in respect to natural disasters, educating the public about emergency preparation, developing family emergency plans and handing out emergency preparation kits. The academic learning goals for this Expedition are narrative writing, presentation of ideas, collaboration, and landform change science targets. Students will master these goals through written explanations of landform change, descriptions of emergency preparation supplies and family plans.

Contribution to the Community

The Stayin' Alive, Stayin' Alive...Get Yourself Prepared Expedition will empower students to showcase their work outside of the classroom with both our school community and the local community. During our exhibition night, students will complete an emergency preparation plan with their families. Students will also pass out infographics that will educate visitors at the exhibition night about the key items they need in order to prepare an emergency kit. These infographic cards will be also given to our district Welcome Center and local businesses. Finally, students will create high-quality public service announcements that will be published via social media and potentially local news networks. This Expedition will contribute to our school’s effort to strengthen character by allowing all students to have the opportunity to show how they manage their responsibilities and collaborate with others by creating multiple drafts and providing feedback. Students’ character will also be strengthened by providing service to our school and the local community.   

Building Bridges of Understanding

As students dig into the learning of natural disasters causes and effects they will have many recent natural disasters to use as case studies. From this learning, students will have the tools to evaluate community preparedness and its impact after a natural disaster. When students view pictures and read articles of the devastating effects of natural disasters they will learn what can happen to anyone during a disaster and discuss the emotions that they have and build empathy for others. With this knowledge, students will be more likely to share with others the impacts of natural disasters and the importance of being prepared.