The NYC Arts in Education Roundtable is partnering with NYC Children’s Theater to provide a step-by-step, trauma-informed exploration of what to do before, during and after emergency drills in classroom settings.
Tragically, stories of school shootings have become prominent and prevalent national news in America. February 14, 2023 marks the 4th anniversary of the mass shooting that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. As a result of tragedies like this, 95% of schools in the United States practice drills designed to prepare students and teachers for an active shooter emergency. In this reality, we must consider: how are we taking care of ourselves and our students during the practice of emergency drills?
In Start the Conversation: Emergency Drill Support, creator Caitlyn McCain will take educators through a step-by-step trauma-informed exploration of what to do before, during, and after emergency drills in classroom settings. Participants will engage in courageous conversations about school shootings, safety, and self-care while exploring a variety of emotion regulation tools with trauma-informed expert Allison Finder, RDT, LCAT.
Key Questions
- How are we helping young people feel safe, prepared and supported during the practice of emergency drills?
- What tools do classroom educators have to support themselves and their students in these moments?
About the Facilitators
Caitlyn McCain (she/her) is the Education Associate of Public Engagement and host of Start the Conversation at New York City Children’s Theater. She holds a BFA in Drama from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies and is currently pursuing her MA in Applied Theatre from the City University of New York. As a teaching artist, Caitlyn has served a wide range of student populations, including young people in transitional housing, neuro-diverse populations and teens across all five boroughs of NYC. Her work centers social emotional growth through a trauma-informed lens with the goal of fostering a generation of critical thinkers who have the tools to mindfully and meaningfully engage with the world around them. Additionally, Caitlyn works as a Drama Curriculum Specialist with Juilliard’s K-12 Programs and Initiatives and has been featured in the New York Times for her work engaging young people through theatre during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Allison Finder, RDT, LCAT (she/her) is a licensed creative arts therapist and registered drama therapist living and working professionally in New York City. Allison received her master’s degree in drama therapy from NYU in 2014, and has primarily worked in educational settings since then, focusing on using social emotional skill building as a tool for high-risk behavior reduction with adolescents. She also facilitates professional development workshops and educative trainings for teaching artists, school faculty members and parents around mental health, trauma informed practices, social-emotional wellness, high-risk behavior prevention and more. Allison currently works as a mental health counselor and health & wellness program coordinator for high school students in the Bronx.
