If an oil spill ever hits the waters around Ballard, students at the local high school are ready to respond and order clean up procedures.

Last Thursday, Ballard Maritime Academy teacher John Foster conducted an oil spill drill in his classroom at Ballard High and his students broke into four different groups to deal with the situation.

While oil was not actually spilled, students used computer programs, charts and maps to decide how to take action.

They acted like actual spill responders and formed teams to handle: Planning/Prediction, Logistics, Command and Safety. Science teacher Megan Vogel's class handled the Science team.

Foster's sophomore class has been studying real oil spills like the 1989 Exxon Valdez in Alaska to see how they affect the environment and how to take measures to prevent them.

The class has a NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Modeling Environmental Program on their computers. They found a location near Port Angeles for the oil to spill from the BigOil Marine tanker Energy Independence. The ship had collided with the ferry M/V Coho.

The Energy Independence ended up with holes in its No. 2 and No. 4 starboard oil tanks, with 50,000 barrels of oil leaking into the water.

"We need to get the boom in place to keep the oil off the beach. There's no bad weather coming up, encircle it," said Foster, as his students gathered around him.

Jaysen Niedermeyer and other students watched the computer simulation, showing how the oil would spread and in what directions. The computer program showed the actual weather conditions and wind patterns for that day.

A black dot showed where the ship was and red dots representing the oil, began dispersing in all directions.

"It shows where the oil is going and where it might hit, with the wind. It is constantly updated. We know the tides and where it is going," said Niedermeyer, who would like to be a marine biologist someday.

Tom Lorigan was at another table working with the Safety Team.

"We have to find out what equipment we need and how much contamination there is. I get information on how to cope with different situations like this oil spill," he said.

The drill went smoothly with the students knowing exactly what needed to be done. They spent a day learning what to do and another day practicing for the drill, said Chris Marasco. He wants to be a marine biologist.

"This is one of the better programs at the school. I want graduate and get a scholarship to get into maritime school," said Marasco.

Foster has 100 students at three grade levels in his maritime academy. They learn marine sciences and maritime trades.

It's a three-year program that is gaining in popularity. For the first time, the program had more applicants than it could accommodate. In the program's first four years, 12 students have gone onto marine jobs.

"It's a great program with lots of hands on stuff," said Greg Feise. He teaches maritime world history and was observing the drill.

Later this school year, the sophomores will take a science/sailing course on the vessel Carlyn. The juniors and seniors will learn sailing, navigation and boat handling skills on the schooner Zodiac.

Dean Wong may be contacted at 783.1244 or deanw@robinsonnews.com