For the Classroom

Prevention 1st Conducts Kids’ Poster Contest at Lifespan

carolyn News , ,

Prevention 1st has a long tradition of bringing creativity together with fire safety education. In the fall of 2021, the school districts in Monroe County received complimentary “Fire Drill Reminder” posters and an invitation for students in grades K-5 to enter the Prevention 1st 14th Annual Fire Safety Poster Contest. This year saw 109 local students, representing seven schools and three districts, heed the call by the January 22, 2022 deadline. Last year’s entries numbered 87.

The training room at Lifespan is temporarily turned into a judging room.

“A pandemic of over two years has not dimmed enthusiasm for the poster contest,” said Charly Sommers, the program’s administrator. “The kids share their own unique messages, urging others to take steps to prevent fires as well as how to respond in the event of a fire emergency. Having the contest at Lifespan brings a lot of joy—people are starting to look forward to it now.”

This year’s winners were chosen by the staff of Lifespan, who recently took over Prevention 1st as an in-house program. “Lifespan has served the Rochester community for over 50 years, and we are very pleased to take on the work of Prevention 1st,” said Jody Rowe, Chief Operating Officer at Lifespan. “Providing safety and injury prevention education fits well with our mission to help older adults and caregivers take on both the challenges and opportunities of longer life. Interacting with school-age children through the poster contest is uplifting and offers an intergenerational opportunity.”

Qualifying posters were arranged across surfaces in a meeting room, grouped according to grade level. Each employee was given one vote, or “ticket” to be dropped onto their favorite poster in each grade level. Tickets were counted and removed frequently to prevent the influence of popularity. Those who couldn’t vote in person were invited to vote online.

The votes have now all been tallied and Lifespan is pleased to present the results of this year’s Prevention 1st Annual Poster Contest:

Dylan T. (Listwood, West Irondequoit)

Kindergarten: Dylan T. (Listwood, West Irondequoit), submitted by Ms. Nassimos

Honorable mentions: Rhea M., Eloise T., Brooklyn C. (Seneca, West Irondequoit), also submitted by Ms. Nassimos

Remas A. (RISE Community, RCSD #106)

1st Grade: Remas A. (RISE Community, RCSD #106), submitted by Ms. Riemer

Honorable mentions: Thaddaeus D., Elliany B. (RISE Community, RCSD #106), also submitted by Ms. Riemer

Ellie K. (Colebrook, West Irondequoit)

2nd Grade: Ellie K. (Colebrook, West Irondequoit), submitted by Mrs. Ellis

Honorable mentions:  Yohana E., Jayden C., Arianna B. (RISE Community, RCSD #106), submitted by Ms. Riemer

Jimmy N. (Southlawn, West Irondequoit)

3rd Grade: Jimmy N. (Southlawn, West Irondequoit), submitted by Mrs. Stewart

Honorable mentions: Noah N. (Colebrook, West Irondequoit), submitted by Ms. Edell; Emma M. (Southlawn, West Irondequoit), submitted by Mrs. Stewart

MiKenzie B. (Chestnut Ridge, Churchville-Chili)

4th Grade: MiKenzie B. (Chestnut Ridge, Churchville-Chili), submitted by Mrs. Chalifoux

Honorable mentions: Grace M. (Rogers, West Irondequoit), submitted by Ms. LaPierre; Amaris M. (Chestnut Ridge, Churchville-Chili), submitted by Mrs. Chalifoux

Angelise Torres (Abelard Reynolds, RCSD #42)

5th Grade: Angelise Torres (Abelard Reynolds, RCSD #42), submitted by Ms. Graham

Honorable mentions: Isla B., Jaylani M., Adaniel M.G. (Abelard Reynolds, RCSD #42), submitted by Ms. Graham

Qualifying posters met the size guidelines (11” x 17”) and did not contain any personal information on the front of the poster. First prize winners in each category will receive a $50 gift card, and their schools will each receive a check for $200 from Prevention 1st at Lifespan. First prize winners and Honorable Mentions also receive merit ribbons, and all entrants receive a certificate of appreciation for their work.

The coveted Grand Prize, a ride to school on a fire truck, was determined by raffle, open to all students who entered the contest. This year’s Grand Prize winner is: Eric B., a fifth grade student from Abelard Reynolds School #42 (RCSD). Prevention 1st will coordinate the ride to school for Eric when the weather is more agreeable.

Contest posters will be on display at various locations around town beginning April 2022, including the Monroe County Government Office building, Rochester City Hall, and the Frederick Douglass Airport. “We’re also considering putting up some of these posters at our Lifespan service centers,” Sommers said, “as a way of one generation looking after and connecting with another.”

Lifespan conducts this and other programs with the help of volunteers. To find out more about Volunteering with Prevention 1st at Lifespan, please contact us at: https://prevention1st.org/home/contact/.

Milwaukee Students Stay Safe With“Before the Fire”

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All second-graders in Milwaukee Public Schools will be learning lessons from Prevention 1st’s Before the Fire: Prevention Works curriculum as part of their Learning Journeys.  The free program includes lesson plans with learning objectives, activities, and links to resources.

Learning Journeys are beyond-the-classroom learning experiences. As part of theirs, more than 5,000 second-graders from 133 elementary schools will attend the Milwaukee Fire Departments Education Center’s Survive Alive House.

“The lessons in Before the Fire: Prevention Works! will be excellent to use prior to and after their Learning Journey”, said Michelle Wade, Learning Journeys Coordinator.

The free Before the Fire program was created by educators and fire safety experts to provide effective fire safety lesson plans for teachers, preschool and day care providers, parents and caregivers  to teach children about fire, fire prevention, and escaping a fire.

Teaching Teens With I/DD Fire Safety: Classroom Plans and Modules

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Effective fire prevention and survival skills—life skills that can protect young lives now and in their future lives—are more than school fire drills, a session of stop, drop and roll, or a mention of pot holders during a cooking lesson. Children and teens with intellectual disabilities are at higher for preventable injuries, including fire and burns. Teens are an especially important group to reach with effective fire safety skills, because they are approaching an age when many will move into more independent living situations—where their risk increases. This article includes six modules for lessons and classroom activities, discussion prompts and take-home materials that cover the key skills of kitchen safety, smoke alarms and exit plans, and calling 911.

Get the full article and fire safety lesson plans.

Students Teach Younger Schoolmates to Avoid Injuries and Stay Safe

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6thGradersTeachSixth-graders at Rochester City School #17 learned about home safety and practiced their presentation and leadership skills through a recent series of Peer to Peer Home Safety Trainings through a grant to Prevention 1st from the John Wegman Fund of the Rochester Area Community Foundation.

In these workshops, students typically learn about such safety topics as fire and burns, smoke alarms and exit plans, household hazards, kitchen safety, and poison prevention, which they then teach to their schoolmates. For this training, the school’s principal asked for a presentation on one particular aspect of poison prevention–exposure to lead. Two students whose lives had been affected by lead poisoning took on the topic, telling their own stories and teaching schoolmates how to help keep themselves, younger siblings and their families safer. Learn more about lead poisoning prevention in this article by our training partner Community Health Strategies.

John Wegman Fund board members Betty Wells and Susan Touhsaent attended the students’ presentations to second- and third-graders at School #17. Ms. Wells told Prevention 1st:

“I was impressed by both the individuals staffing the program and the young people attending. The adults gave lots of individualized attention but allowed the students to follow their own plans.  Each adult offered a different skill set which helped all students. [The youth] showed an ability to work as teams and come out with a good product in a fairly short period of time. Each power point was so different and had their individual touches.”

 

Learn more about Prevention 1st‘s Peer to Peer Home Safety Training.