On a sunny and warm November day, school was in session for Braintree students. However, there was something out of the norm. The usually empty football field was bustling with activity as students from Ross Elementary took part in a field day when the local brushfires interrupted their school day.
The woods behind Ross Elementary burst into flames and created a lot of smoke. The smoke could be seen in the air as it traveled through the town and inside the elementary school.
While Ross Principal Dawn Durant tried to keep students in the daily school routine, the smoke from the brushfires caused disruptions in the students’ school days.
“We had fans and air purifiers running. We offered [the students] water to make sure they were drinking water and keeping them safe.”
Despite the unexpected circumstances, Principal Durant and staff coordinated to make the situation safe and enjoyable for the kids.
“On the days [the smoke] was the heaviest, we made a plan to get the students up to the high school and did a field day so we could be in the fresh air”
Buses were arranged to bring the students out to the Braintree High Football Field. The kids enjoyed the games, the break from schoolwork, and the smoke in the halls.
“It was unexpected, but we were lucky with the weather. We turned it around in a couple of hours. The food and service department was great… they pulled together brown bag lunches. The high school students that support the preschool program came out and supported our kids. It was truly an all-hands-on-deck situation”
The brushfires affecting Ross were sparked in the woods behind the school due to the arid conditions in Braintree.
“Brush fires are usually constrained to small accumulations of dried leaves or dead vegetation that has accumulated in a particular area and where conditions are right … a spark sets that going,” said AP Environmental Science Teacher, Mr. DiMilla.
The lack of rain and high winds likely contributed to the outbreak of brush fires in the state. Mr. DiMilla gave insight into the brush fires and how the increase in fires could be linked to climate change.
“The climate is losing its predictability… the seasons are becoming longer or more intense”
According to Science.org, wildfires in the United States have increased in frequency and have grown larger since the 2000s.
“The increase [in frequency] and intensity of forest fires are increasing because of the climate change,” DiMilla said. “That also means on a local scale, we will see more brush fires.”
Despite the obstacles, Ms. Durant and the students at Ross enjoyed the day free from school. “It ended up being a really good day… They had a lot of fun.”
