Upper School students set a new record time of ten minutes for participating in a surprise fire drill Tuesday morning in between third period and class meeting.

Tuesday’s drill came as a surprise for students and faculty because it was an unannounced drill.

“The fact that we quickly lined up, accounted for students and adults, and were able to dismiss so other activity could take place during the class meeting time was certainly a great reward. It’s all in the interest of safety,” Greg Lawson said.

On the second day after break, the fire alarm prompted a round of chatter from many students who were either surprised or unaffected by the sudden noise. Students, such as Nikita Ramoji (10), reacted to the fire alarm with a calm attitude, as they would to a drill.

“It is unlikely that we would have a serious fire, so there was not really any reason to panic for me,” Nikita said.

Moreover, some students thought that they were faster in the fire drill because of a more relaxed attitude as well as being more efficient in coming out to the field.

“I think the students were better at only organizing themselves in their respective lanes,”Eric Cheung (11) said.

While the students may have acted in a proper manner to the drill, Lawson says there are many other things that can be improved about the process.

“We still have things to work on. For instance, we are adjusting where we have the substitute teachers report for attendance,” said Lawson. “The most important thing is that people react instinctively and smoothly to these drills – as they are now doing.”

For the upcoming fire drills, the staff is looking to improve many procedures while maintaining the tranquil attitude to the event.