At about 10:30 AM, high school students were in their fifth period classes when a disturbance was felt throughout the building. Classrooms shook and students were alarmed as a 4.8 magnitude earthquake impacted the tristate area, classified as a light earthquake based on the Richter scale of earthquake measurement.

This is surprising because New York is not located near any tectonic plates, which causes earthquakes when they shift. The last earthquake recorded on Long Island was in 2011 with a magnitude of 5.8 based in Virginia.

This event followed another seismic event of a 7.4 magnitude earthquake based in Taiwan that also affected Japan, China, and the Philippines. This event resulted in a small tsunami hitting Japanese shores but thankfully no significant damages occurred.

Many students and staff throughout the building were confused about what was occurring. Mrs. Rudish, a living environment teacher, claimed her classes were nervous and didn’t know what to do for caution.

Freshman Layla Baum asked, “Will it get worse?” and senior Jack Salke questioned “are we supposed to leave?”

While some students and staff throughout the building felt the earthquake, others did not. Many felt the earthquake more violently on the second and third floors of the building rather than the first floor.

“Honestly it did not feel like anything was happening, but after I heard the news, I went online and did some research to see if everyone was alright,” said PMHS parent Simona Costigliola.

Despite student and parent concerns, the school district issued a statement asserting, “all students and staff are safe following the earthquake that was felt across the region”.

Ultimately, after the initial shock, all students, staff, and structures were safe.