Seymour High School teens recently participated in the Melanoma Foundation of New England’s 6th annual “Your Skin Is In” No-Tanning Pledge contest from January to April 2013 which was held at high schools and colleges across New England.
The program was coordinated by Seymour Schools Director of Security Rich Kearns and Seymour High School Health Teacher Nick Aprea.
The Melanoma Foundation of New England’s program educates teens on the dangers of tanning and the direct link between tanning beds and melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Schools that gathered the required percentage of No-Tanning Pledges from teens were entered into a raffle to win cash, gift certificates, and trips to Six Flags New England.
Seymour High School students Julia Maturo, Kristina Biblekaj, Margaret Bruce and Abigail Lynch took things a step further and held a teen assembly for 11th and 12th grade students. At the assembly teens were given information on the dangers of tanning, viewed an informative PowerPoint presentation and heard stories of people who suffered the harmful effects of tanning.
According to Deb Girard, Melanoma Foundation of New England Executive Director, “Teens want to believe that ‘it can’t happen to them,’ or that it’s safe to just get a ‘base tan’ before the prom or before spring break. The truth is that tanning booths emit up to 15 times more UV radiation than the sun. There is no such thing as a safe tan.”
Girard adds, “Through Your Skin Is In we’ve been able to reach a quarter million students over the past 5 years and we hope the message resonates throughout adulthood. By taking the No-Tanning Pledge these students become empowered to take charge of their own health, and become advocates for safe skin-care.”
On behalf of the Melanoma Foundation of New England for participating in the “Your Skin Is In” program and for creating awareness about the dangers of tanning, Seymour High School was chosen as one of two winners from Connecticut from across New England!
Seymour High School will receive a $500 award for its participation in informing teens about the dangers of tanning and gathering pledges from 75.85 percent of the 11th and 12th grade classes at Seymour High School!
The contest winners are:
$1,000 Prizes:
Highest Percentage of Pledges:
Boston Latin Academy, Boston, MA
Highest Number of Pledges:
Waltham High School, Waltham, MA
$500 Prizes (2 per state):
Connecticut:
Global Experience Magnet School, Bloomfield, CT
Seymour High School, Seymour, CT
Maine:
Cheverus High School, Portland, ME
South Portland High School, South Portland, ME
Massachusetts:
Lynnfield High School, Lynnfield, MA
Norwood High School, Norwood, MA
New Hampshire:
Winnisquam Regional High School, Tilton, NH
Pembroke Academy, Pembroke, NH
Rhode Island:
Cranston East High School, Cranston, RI
Lincoln High School, Lincoln, RI
Vermont:
Arlington Memorial High School, Arlington, VT
