June 4th and 5th the nightmare continues! For a zombie reunion we are hoping to have an OVERNIGHT simulation on the first Saturday of June. I cannot plan this all by my self so I need your help! I can take care of transportation and permission slips, you all have to do the rest! We need: -AT LEAST 4 volunteers, 2 women and 2 men. They need to get a background checks through the school in order to come. (Ayla, Emmit, Kaity) -A place. We need a camping spot big enough for a whole group of tents with wilderness area near by. Once you find one, I can reserve it. Windberry was a place suggested at the meeting. (RC, Carlos, Elizabeth, Sam) -Tents and camping gear for everybody. We will need plenty of camping gear to make this happen. Some of you may have your own, but we need some for everyone. One possibility is the U of O Outdoor Pursuits Program. They rent all sorts of equipment. (Sammy and Anahkin) -Food. We need enough food to feed everyone for lunch, dinner and breakfast the following day. We need to do this as cheaply as possible. We need a budget and a list of supplies. -Event Plan. We need some challenges to complete during the simulation. I can upload the ones that I already made to this website but you will need to create new and exciting ones. (Elizabeth, Callysta, Emmit and Anahkin) Happy Planning and Good Luck! Class in surviving a zombie attack has a serious side, too Student Hailee DeWitt (left) applies zombie makeup to student Anahkin Hand as they take part in the Academy of Arts and Academics’ “Zombie Apocalypse Survival” course. (Shiloh Powers) By Jessica Ferguson For The Register-Guard Published: 12:00 a.m., Feb. 28 A zombie virus has been released upon the world. The vicious, ravenous creatures are crawling your way, ready to infect you and bring you into their hoard. What do you do? Where do you go? It’s time to act and act fast! Are you prepared? No? Well, maybe you need to be in the company of one of the 26 students at downtown’s Academy of Arts and Academics who recently completed a “Zombie Apocalypse Survival” course. With the knowledge they carry, these students might just save your life when the zombies come to eat your brains. They know what kinds of plants you can survive on, they know how to build a shelter that will stand against any attack, and they know how to treat any wounds received while on the run. The course may seem like just fun and games, says teacher Shiloh Powers, but the students are secretly learning real skills under the guise of a zombie attack. “I wanted to get the kids interested in wilderness survival and survival tactics,” said Powers, in her first year teaching at A3. When she realized that zombies could be a good draw for her students, she started researching and discovered that the topic of zombies “is actually pretty cool.” A3 is a small charter school affiliated with the Springfield School District. A magnet/alternative four-year high school, it offers traditional academics such as math and science, but has a focus primarily in the arts. Students at A3, as the school is known, have a passion for theater, literature, visual arts and any other activity that utilizes that creative left side of the brain. The school’s focus is evident throughout the building and in its occupants. Students are free to go where they wish. Even during class time, they’re walking from place to place. Shoes line the hallways as many students go barefoot. The walls are covered in art: paintings, drawings, and videos showing on TV screens. Students create their own fashion statements with hair colors and styles, striped stockings, laced-up boots, animal hats and whatever else they can find to express themselves. Which makes it no surprise that the curriculum would hold a course like Zombie Apocalypse Survival. The first week of class focused on zombies in literature. The students discussed the many types of zombies found in legend and different cultures. They looked into how the varying stories reflected the fears of the society at the time. Powers explained, for example, that zombies from the 1920s or 1930s had a lot of racial overtones. The zombie stories we see today, she said, are about dependency on consumerism and the capitalist system. The modern examples explore what would happen if that system ceased to function. Powers invited several guest speakers to her class, including Jenni Miner, who specializes in training for wilderness first aid and first response. Miner tailored her lesson to the topic of what to do in the event of a zombie bite, but students also learned CPR and other first aid responses. The entire class is now officially first aid- and CPR-certified. Jennifer Lippert of the U.S. Forest Service taught about plant identification, plant uses and whether plants are edible or not. The students went to Mount Pisgah to put their skills to work, identifying various plants using the “dichotomous key,” a series of scientific observation steps used to identify plant life. Also, they welcomed Daniel Tewksbery from the University of Oregon’s Outdoor Pursuits Program, who taught how to use a compass and read a map — skills that Powers says helps students utilize their math skills. These are all lessons that are not only useful in the event of a zombie attack, Powers says, but also in such emergency situations as getting lost in the wilderness or witnessing an injury. Powers was able to teach the course because of what A3 calls its “J-term.” Instead of coming back from winter break and finishing the same term, students get one extra four-week term to try something different, pulling them out of a dragging school routine. Teachers offer a variety of courses ranging from painting the school to dance workshops to “jug music physics.” Students sign up for what looks most interesting to them. Senior Jordan Ledbetter, 18, was one of the lucky ones who made it into Powers’ class. He said he’s fascinated not only by the topic of zombie survival but about survival in general. “In the event that I do get lost or someone is injured or there is a heart attack, I can actually help and contribute to whatever is going on,” he said. “They’re finding a way to take life skills and survival skills that everyone should know and make it interesting enough to draw in kids who would otherwise” cringe at the idea of something like a first aid course. Powers has one hope for her students now that the class has ended. She wants them to go home and make an emergency survival kit for the possible event of a flood, power outage, earthquake or even, maybe, a zombie outbreak. “If you’re not prepared,” she says, “you’re not going to do very well.” So you want to learn how to survive the imminent zombie apocalypse? Well this is the class for you! We will be learning many essential skills for survival including, navigation, thermoregulation, shelter building, first aid, and native plant identification. A few things you need to know before we start: 1. Important class information is listed on the syllabus below. Please read through before the class starts.
There is a tentative calendar on the syllabus but it will most likely change throughout the term. For the most up to date information, check the online calendar under the zombie apocalypse tab above.
2. We will be reading World War Z over the course of the term. To keep costs low, we will be using an online copy of the book that can be accessed here: http://postapocal-book.clan.su/World_War_Z.pdf If you do not have access to a computer or internet at home, you can print out any pages needed at school. 3. We will have many practical exam days where we will be spending the majority of the day outside. On these days please dress appropriately. This includes good walking shoes or boots, a water resistant jacket, and warm layers. 4. On the first day of class please bring your $5 class fee and a new notebook that can be used just for this class. |