Vinal decided to have a little fun and host a "Club Day" where students could go let loose for a few hours. Mr. C and Mr. L created "Apocalypse Club" which focuses on preparing for the end of the world... sort of ;) Here's how the first day went!

When the apocalypse comes, the first thing you'll do is collect as much canned food as possible... but did you remember a can opener?! No!?! Guess you'll be opening your can with a rock!

Wood and sticks is all you'll have after awhile... can you make fire?! Not easy! With an infrared thermometer, the winner was Aaron with 108 degrees after 60 seconds.

After failing horribly to make fire, about a dozen people volunteers to eat RAW SARDINES! Was not a pleasant experience!

Realizing the need for food, the apocalypse team attempted to pop balloons with Nerf darts from a distance. There was a small consequence however... if the students popped the balloon, they got to PIE Mr. C or Mr. L in the face. If they didn't, we got to pie THEM in the face. Teachers 3, Students 0.

 What a fun cycle! We welcomed our new freshman class into the shop with some fun getting-to-know-you activities, career exploration, and scene safety activities which included building a model city for scene response practice! In the meantime, the seniors have been cranking away at the very challenging EMT curriculum with amazing success. Only 1/3 of the way through the class and we already have many students passing the National Registry practical skills stations! We had some fun with lifting and moving; including a stair chair collapse which ended up very funny. Also had a surprise visit from a hedgehog?!?

Thanks to some friends at FEMA and HHS, CJPS was afforded an amazing opportunity to visit the Region 1 Response Coordination Center (RRCC) and actually get a tour of the command bunker deep underground! The students learned about the operation of the center, met some people who work there, and learned how to pursue jobs within the field. Staff was impressed with the students level of knowledge, certifications they already possess, and the questions they asked. It was a super fun trip that we hope to make an annual experience!

As part of their Emergency Medical Technician course, the juniors took the American Heart Association's Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers course. The students are about a quarter of the way through their EMT course at this point and doing an absolutely amazing job. We have never seen so many note cards, students re-writing their notes, and studying in our time at Vinal! We are excited to turn out a huge batch of EMTs this Spring!