CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Middle's first dance this school year, in September, was supposed to be filled with music, food and fun.

Instead, students and teachers crouched in the hallways as four tornadoes passed through the county.

The experience was unnerving, but Principal Kathleen McLamb took comfort in knowing her students and staff knew what to do in an emergency.

“It never crossed my mind in a million years that we would have a dance and literally have to do [the tornado drill] for two hours and 45 minutes,” McLamb said. “We didn’t have to say, ‘What do I do next?’ You have to have it stylized and formalized.”

Last week, Johnston County schools marked Severe Weather Awareness Week by staging Tornado drills. Cleveland Middle, which has 840 students, rang its alarm bell Tuesday morning. For about minutes, students crouched against hallway walls in silence.

Teachers made sure the kids took the drill seriously, McLamb said. “I think the kids know this is not the time to play around,” she said. “We are blessed to have very good kids.”

Eighth-grader Anastasia Applewhite used to be scared of storms, but the drills at Cleveland Middle have eased her fears. She comforted the nervous sixth-graders at the September dance.

“I felt since I knew what to do, I could help the ones that were upset,” she said. “I told them if they stayed where they were supposed to and listen to what the adults had to say, everything would be OK. Talking to them and getting off the subject of tornados would calm them down.”

Ashley Stephenson, an eighth-grader, felt safe being inside the school during the dance. “If we did have a tornado at the house, I don’t know where I would go,” she said. “I feel safer here.”

Applewhite said being stuck at school during an emergency was not so bad. “I like being around my friends, because if I was at home, I’d be in tears,” she said. “I have bonds with my teachers, and it makes me feel a whole lot safer.”

Seventh-grader Darren Underwood and Charjon Frederick, president of the Student Council, encouraged families to practice their own emergency drills.

“I think you should be prepared for anything to happen at all times,” Underwood said.

“It is important, because a tornado could take your life and your family’s life,” Frederick added.