By: Kaitee Horstmann

October 7th through the 13th is Fire Safety Week. Why? Fire Safety Week was started because of the Great Chicago Fire that happened during this week and killed many people caught in it.
Here in Galway we are participating in Fire Safety Week by having an assembly on ice safety. The junior high school attended this assembly on Wednesday, October 10th and saw some familiar faces. Mr. Reynolds, our seventh grade science teacher here at Galway, was the presenter at this assembly and talked a lot about how to be safe on the ice and how the fire department can help you if you fall in the ice.
During the presentation some students from each grade were chosen to go up and dig some change out of a freezing cold ice bucket to see how it feels to have their arms feel frozen and even go numb. It gave them a better understanding on how their whole body would feel in that cold water.
The fire department also gave a demonstration on how a rescue would happen if you fell through the ice. They told the students about some of their equipment such as a dry suit and a special lifeboat. The drysuits keep the cold water out while a rescue is being performed. Each suit costs about $1,000 and a life boat like the one they had would cost about $3,000.
The students of Galway High school (Austin Williams, Dylan Gregory, Tim Keller, Logan Wieland, and Evan Morgan)helped out during the assembly to spread awareness of ice safety.

The Galway elementary students had an especially wacky assembly on Wednesday, October 10th as well with the Zucchini Brothers. The Zucchini brothers are a band of three brothers that go to different schools around the area and make fun songs about simple things that younger children need to know.
The assembly at Galway was actually the first time the Zucchini Brothers ever sang about fire safety. They also sang about hygiene, other safety, and nutrition. They sang and danced about it and allowed some of the kids to go up on stage and dance with them. The kids in the audience were invited to sing along and clap their hands. At one point in the assembly they actually asked the teachers to get up and dance.
The three brothers have been going to schools and singing to kids for about twenty years. They all went to college to become teachers but really loved music so they decided to sing educational songs to today’s youth as the silly Zucchini Brothers.
The guitarist and lead singer of the group said, “I think it’s important to reach out to the younger age groups and show them the importance of everyday things that help us in life. They are so innocent and young and a breath of fresh air for us.”
Some songs they sang were about brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, emergency plans, and friendship. They gave the kids at Galway a good time and they left with songs about safety and healthy living stuck in their heads.

Just remember, as Mr. Reynolds would say, “Preach, Reach, Throw, Row, Go!!!”