For more information, contact:

Jessica Erickson, AT&T

608-692-5340 (cell)
jessica.erickson@att.com

Waterford 5th Graders Learn How to

Be Prepared for Disasters and Emergencies
STEP Program Teaches Students How to Assemble
Emergency Kit and Develop an Emergency Plan with Their Families
WATERFORD, Wednesday, April 29, 2015 With severe weather season in full swing, nearly 50 fifth
graders at Woodfield Elementary School in Waterford learned today how to be prepared to respond in the event
of a disaster or emergency.
The students are participating in the STEP, or Student Tools for Emergency Planning, program for the first year.
The statewide program teaches fifth graders how to be prepared for various disasters and emergencies, how to
assemble an emergency kit, and how to develop an emergency plan with their families.
We believe it is so important to prepare our students because emergencies and disasters can happen at any
time to anyone with little to no warning, said Principal Shirley Guelig. Were excited to teach the STEP
curriculum for the first time this year to help give our students the tools and knowledge they need to have
confidence in an emergency situation.
This is the fifth year that STEP is being offered to schools in Wisconsin. This year, the STEP program is
supported by a $13,000 AT&T Innovation & Investment Award, as well as an educational grant from the
Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation.
During todays assembly, students heard from officials from Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM), AT&T
and Racine County Office of Emergency Management, as well as State Rep. David Craig, about actions they can
take to be prepared in an emergency or disaster situation.
The STEP program is a great way to engage our schools and our young people in emergency preparedness
because all of Wisconsins communities need to be ready should disaster strike, said Rep. Craig. This program
not only gives students the skills and knowledge they need to be confident in an emergency situation, but it also
encourages them to share that information with their friends and family.
Nearly 125 schools from across Wisconsin are participating in the STEP program this spring. To view the list of
participating schools by county, please visit http://readywisconsin.wi.gov/STEP/STEP_2014-15_County.pdf

This is the third year that the STEP program has been financially supported by AT&T, with donations totaling
$43,000. AT&T has a long-standing commitment to disaster preparedness and business continuity, and is the
first company in the nation to earn U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) certification for disaster
preparedness.
We know how critical it is to be ready and prepared to respond in the event of a disaster or emergency, said
Scott T. VanderSanden, president of AT&T Wisconsin. Not only are we proud that our network operations are
state-of-the-art when it comes to performing both during and after a disaster, but we are also proud to help
prepare Wisconsin families to respond to emergencies through our support of the STEP program.
The STEP program provides teachers with all materials to teach the curriculum at no cost to the schools,
including instructor guides, DVDs and copies of student handouts. All students participating in the program also
receive an emergency kit to take home, which includes a flashlight, first aid kit and emergency blanket. The basic
lesson is only one hour of instruction, but teachers can expand the lessons to cover eight hours of materials.
For more information on STEP, please visit http://readywisconsin.wi.gov/step/.
The AT&T Wisconsin Innovation & Investment Award program provides funding to local organizations and
programs that improve the community by advancing education, enhancing the environment, promoting economic
development, or delivering other community services.

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needs. In 2013, more than $130 million was contributed or directed through corporate-, employee-, social investment- and AT&T Foundationgiving programs. AT&T Aspire is AT&Ts signature education initiative that drives innovation in education by bringing diverse resources to
bear on the issue including funding, technology, employee volunteerism, and mentoring.
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