With the school year coming to an end, KENS 5 Meteorologist Jeremy Baker, HEB and the American Cancer Society brought the sun safety message to Collier Elementary.
SAN ANTONIO — Sun safety is a must for both adults and children. That’s why the American Cancer Society has partnered with HEB to bring sun safety information to schools as part of the “I Love You Get Screened” campaign. KENS 5 Meteorologist Jeremy Baker took part in the program Friday at one elementary school with students that were not only eager to get out of school for the summer, but eager to learn some weather wisdom.
At Collier Elementary School on the city’s south side, the school year is coming to an end. Kids are getting ready for summer, but before they head out of school for the summer, it was time to learn about sun and skin safety.
Hundreds of elementary school students, along with H.E. Buddy, filled the gymnasium at the school to learn how to keep their skin safe in the summer sun.
David Escamilla, the Collier Elementary School Physical Education teacher told us, “That’s very important, especially when we have our field days, our field trips. The kids need to know they need to be protected from the sun.”
The school is already taking all sorts of sun protection measures to keep the kiddos okay in the sun. Lanor Cantu, the Academic Dean for Collier Elementary said, “If it’s an ozone action day, we do not take the students out. We make sure we have indoor recess. Our teachers do an amazing job of planning fun activities in the classroom if we feel like the sun is going to be too much for the students.”
To drive the point home the kids learned this very important phrase, “Slip, slop, slap, and wrap.” That stands for slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen. Slap on a hat. And, wrap on sunglasses.
Victoria Gonzalez, the Associate Director for Central South Texas American Cancer Society added, “It is a catchy way to remind kids something that they can remember and repeat again, to practice on safety. We’re hoping that our kids can be our advocates out there in their homes and remind their parents to why sun safety is so important as they head out for the summer.”
Escamilla chimed in, “It’s something easy. They can say it over and over again, and once they get the sheet and color it, maybe it’ll be more ingrained in their in their memory.”