Saturday, September 17, 2005
The students developed a hand-washing promotion campaign.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
CORTLAND -- The school superintendent and a school nurse will be in Washington, D.C., on Monday for a ceremony that will honor five Maplewood High School students, who were national runners-up in a contest recognizing creativity in promoting good hygiene.
Superintendent Beverly Hoagland and school nurse Robin Mermer will attend the ceremony at the National Press Club, in which Maplewood High School students belonging to the Future Nurses Club will be recognized for receiving national runner-up status for the second consecutive year.
Maplewood students who participated in this year's winning project were Melissa Shipman, who graduated in June, Mallory Holko, Katherine Engstrom, and Laura Miller and her sister, Sarah. Mermer was project adviser.
Participating in last year's winning effort were the Millers, Holko and her sister, Megan, who graduated in 2004.
Hand-washing campaigns
Both years' projects were campaigns designed to remind elementary school pupils to wash their hands frequently to reduce disease transmission.
"They are going to be great community leaders. These are quality students that I'm privileged to work with, and no matter which path they choose to go in life, they will be successful," Mermer said of the Maplewood students.
In the first year, the high school students hung posters over school sinks reminding pupils to wash their hands and gave classroom presentations and issued age-appropriate activity sheets on the subject. This year, the students developed an activity handbook and a song and skit recorded on DVD to promote hand washing.
The national recognition is for a Healthy Schools, Healthy People campaign to reduce school absenteeism as cold and flu season approaches.
Sponsors of contest
The contest is sponsored by the School Network for Absenteeism Prevention -- a joint effort of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Soap and Detergent Association, a cleaning product trade organization.
Maplewood's Future Nurses Club has received a $250 cash prize associated with the award each year. Last year's cash award was used to buy food for a healthy breakfast program the club initiated for Maplewood students.
The Maplewood club is funded by Youngstown State University and the Eastern Ohio Area Health Education Center in Alliance.
milliken@vindy.com