Saint Jerome School - Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

St. Jerome Catholic School has an extraordinary tradition of devoting a week each year to celebrate Health and Safety Awareness Week.

On the week of May 17th, speakers around the county presented to Pre-K3 through 8th grade students. They discussed vital age-appropriate health issues.

The last day of Health and Safety Awareness Week culminated in an Ultimate Bike Safety event, in the school’s parking lot, for Pre-K3 through 2nd grade students.

Some of the topics the younger students enjoyed discussing were as follows: Bike & Helmet Safety, Stranger Danger, Fire Safety, Sun Safety, Pet Safety, Dental Health, Hygiene, and Germs. Older students learned a great extent from Internet Safety, Aquatic Safety, Sun Safety, Tobacco 411, Diabetes, and “Girl Talk” and “Boy Talk” (puberty). Numerous lessons were learned in addition to having a ton of fun.

Students had the opportunity to practice hands on how to approach a strange dog. They also discovered via a black light how easy it is to miss washing properly between one’s fingers and near one’s wrist. Students were shocked to find out about all the skin damage that can take place, even in the shade, and that one must also be careful to protect one’s eyes from the sun.

The upper grades learned new terms such as emphysema and how difficult it can be to breath while battling this disease. And just when tech savvy students thought they were abreast with the latest about the Internet, they learned more about how predators can try to allure young adults. Furthermore, students also were taught in more depth the harm of sexting and cyber-bullying.

St. Jerome Catholic School students, parents, and faculty are extremely grateful to the representatives from various Broward County organizations. The Broward Sheriff’s Office, Office of Prevention Programs, Youth Environmental Alliance, South Broward Animal Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital, the American Lung Association, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, and the Red Cross made these exciting and informative presentations possible.