The Wyoming Department of Health is inviting students around the state to enter the 2010 "SunWise with SHADE" poster contest.
"Skin cancer is preventable," said Jessica Perez, outreach specialist with the Wyoming Comprehensive Cancer Control Program. "Through this contest and our department’s "SunWise" program, we are teaching children the simple and easy ways they can be sun safe."
Perez noted one in five children grows up to develop skin cancer.
There are two age categories for poster entries: kindergarten through third grade, and fourth through eighth grade. Students in both categories should submit hand-drawn posters on an 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper by March 26, 2010. Entries should be original, creative, show ways to prevent skin cancer and raise sun safety awareness and be attached to an official entry form.
Poster winners receive state and national prizes, with the national winner in the fourth through eighth grade category receiving a family trip to Walt Disney World and a WeatherBug Tracking Station for his/her school with lifetime access to WeatherBug Achieve.
The Wyoming Sun Safe Schools of Distinction Program was formed to help raise awareness and enhance school policies surrounding sun safety. "Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer," Perez said.
To be named a "Sun Safe School of Distinction," schools must incorporate sun safety in three areas of concentration: Sun Safety Education, Promotion of Sun Protection Measures and Evaluation.
Perez said unprotected sun exposure during childhood is the leading risk factor for skin cancer. "Because children spend a large amount of the sun’s peak hours at school, schools can play a vital role in helping prevent skin cancer," she explained.
The annual poster contest is a joint effort by the SHADE Foundation of America, WeatherBug Schools and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information on the SHADE poster contest or how to become a Wyoming Sun Safe School of Distinction please contact Perez at 307-777-7362 or visit www.fightcancerwy.com.
