Bounce! Program Offers Emergency Prep, contest opportunities for students
By Alexis Ramos and Lauren Roth
Recent years have been difficult for thousands of OCPS students.
Wanting to improve students’ ability to bounce back from difficult life events, the district Safety and Emergency Management team set about to pitch in. With the help of a Title IV grant, the team has created a program to improve student preparedness and resilience.
The Bounce! Student Preparedness Program launched in September to all OCPS elementary, middle and high schools. The program aims to help students nurture their ability to mitigate the impacts of unfortunate life events both personally and in the community.
Prior to developing the Bounce! resource materials, SEM held student, parent and principal roundtables to discuss safety and preparedness. Out of these discussions came an array of topics the students wanted to learn more about, such as weather and fire prevention. Each monthly topic includes an accompanying video and student learning activity. The time investment is minimal at around 12-15 minutes and depending on grade level, the activities can be student or teacher led.
Each month is centered around a different theme, ranging from severe weather to personal safety. Students have the opportunity to participate in visual arts and creative writing contests centered around the given theme. Staff have access to learning materials, activities, service projects and other resources to teach students how to tackle problems head-on and overcome adversity.
Materials developed for four age brackets - grades K-2, 3-5, middle school and high school - are available through the Bounce! Program Canvas course.
This month, Bounce! Is hosting a music composition contest open to elementary, middle and high school students. Each entrant will submit a sample of originally composed music based on the theme of Severe Weather Awareness. There are also art and writing challenges. The deadline is Jan. 22. Students can enter through the current month's Bounce! Canvas course for the appropriate grade level. Winners and runners-up will be featured on the Bounce! Canvas homepage.
Students and teachers will find the Bounce! course on their Dashboard after logging in at canvas.ocps.net. Students can participate on their own or with a class.
Questions can be directed to the Office of Emergency Management at [email protected] or dial (407) 317-3468, then press 1, or visit: BOUNCE! - Orange County Public Schools (ocps.net)