May/June 2012

2012 National Awardees Announced for the Healthy Schools, Healthy People, It's a SNAP Program

A Look at Some Commendable Ideas

The Healthy Schools, Healthy People, It's a SNAP (School Network for Absenteeism Prevention) program is a joint initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Cleaning Institute^®. This program seeks to improve hand-hygiene habits to help prevent the spread of infectious disease and reduce related absenteeism. Students K-12 in the United States create projects that will improve hand hygiene in their schools and communities, and award recipients receive national recognition, cash and cleaning supplies for their schools.

Congratulations to all participants, and to the 2012 Award Recipients: 

• Diamond View Middle School in Susanville, California, earned the National Award for the comedic skit "Jeremy Germ and the Germinators." "Jeremy" appeared in posters around the school and even attended the community Halloween Festival! Students hosted a coloring contest, distributed brochures and took a pledge to fight off germs by properly washing their hands. 
• Kittitas Secondary School in Kittitas, Washington, earned a Runner-Up Award for its "Coyote Clean Hands Campaign." Students promoted handwashing at the Ellensburg Rodeo and the Kittitas County Fair by placing hand sanitizers around the events, and creating a public service announcement and posters. They also created handwashing awareness activities on Global Handwashing Day and Halloween, and taught handwashing to first graders.
• Myers Middle School in Savannah, Georgia, also earned a Runner-Up Award for their handwashing project. After surveying classmates and determining that at least 15% did not wash correctly, students created a brochure and posters to teach proper handwashing. They also wrote and performed a rap song and shared facts about handwashing over the school intercom system.
• Fifth graders at Douglas MacArthur Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia, received a special Honorable Mention for creating a video of their "Wash Your Hands" rap song with original verse and choreography. They also made a "Soapy and Sudsy" banner and shared their video on the school mini-TV program.

Thank you to the review panel of experts from Virginia Cooperative Extension, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Potomac Home Economics in the Northern Region of the Virginia Family and Consumer Sciences Association for their thorough review of all the applications.

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