You might want to subscribe to the USGS BIGQUAKE E-mail list.
This will save you the effort of checking the web site for large
events, because information will be sent to you for any event
larger than 5.5 worldwide or larger than 4.5 within the US.
There is a new feature on our web site for these same events,
namely a record section showing seismograms from the US National
Seismic Network stations. To see what one looks like, go
click on an event larger than 5.5, and at that bottom of that
page, click on "Seismic Record Section."
The seismograms are plotted as a function of distance with stations
close to the earthquake at the top and more distant stations plotted
at the bottom. By looking at stations at roughly the same distance
as your school, you will get some idea of how your seismogram
should look. Your surface waves will be smaller, because the
AS1 system gain at 20 seconds period is less that that of
an NSN station.