2004 Award Recipients

Helios Award Recipients:

Shonda Schilling The SHADE Foundation of America - AZ/MA Shonda Schilling and the SHADE Foundation have worked with SunWise to spread the message of sun safety to schools across Arizona, and now Massachusetts, assisting in providing knowledge on sun safe practices and helping to obtain shade structures for school playgrounds. http://www.shadefoundation.org

Sharon McKenna, Arizona Department of Health Services, Children’s Environmental Health Program - AZ In cooperation with the Arizona-based SHADE Foundation, Sharon McKenna and ADHS have tirelessly promoted the SunWise message to Arizona schools. ADHS also sponsors a SunWise poster contest to help engage AZ students in the SunWise way of life. http://www.hs.state.az.us

Bethann (and Emily) Nelson, Bonita Springs Elementary School – Bonita Springs, FL Bethann Nelson worked with the school’s PTA to fundraise for a shade structure for the playground. They are also working on obtaining an additional structure. Her efforts were featured in two articles in the local newspaper. Her daughter, Emily, assisted Bethann in promoting the shade structure and works with other groups promoting sun safety. http://www.lee.k12.fl.us/schools/bne/welcome.htm

Shining Star Award Recipients:

Diane Trantham, Center for Creative Learning – Ellisville, MO Ms. Trantham has been using the SunWise Program for several years with her students. Experiments with the UV Frisbee and meter are conducted with her students and she has adapted activities into her own “There’s No Zone Like the Ozone” lesson plan. Ms. Trantham also brought people from the American Cancer Society to speak to her students about these issues. http://www.rockwood.k12.mo.us/ccl/index.htm

Daniel Chuhta, Massabesic Junior High School - Waterboro, ME Mr. Chuhta consistently reports UV data with his classes and provides a link to the SunWise program on his class website. His students regularly collect and report UV data on their laptops. Mr. Chuhta’s effective use of the sun safety education tools provided by the SunWise Program sets an exemplary model by which his school community can benefit. http://fc.sad57.k12.me.us/~dchuhta/

Colette Coyne, Colette Coyne Melanoma Awareness Campaign (CCMAC) – New Hyde Park, NY Through CCMAC, Ms. Coyne has diligently promoted sun safety attitudes, especially among the nation’s youth. This continued effort has led to numerous additional participants in the SunWise Program. http://www.ccmac.org

Karen Green, The Swain School – Allentown, PA Ms. Green used the SunWise Program in numerous innovative ways, such as teaching the curriculum during the winter months to convey the need for year-round sun safety. In addition, she had her 3rd and 5th grade classes collect information from the EPA web site, collect and report UV data, and conduct experiments with the UV-sensitive Frisbee. Ms. Swain has also created her own “Are You SunWise at Swain?” test and concludes the semester with a SunWise Beach party which involves sending a letter with information about sun safety to the parents. http://www.swain.org

Carlos Olivo, Holy Cross Lutheran School – Dallas, TX Mr. Olivo has been a dedicated promoter of sun safety with his students. UV and Ozone alert bulletin board have been set up in the hallways where the data collected by his students is displayed along with a UV or Ozone related article that is used with the UV Mystery word game he created. UV updated are provided in the school’s newsletter, and Mr. Olivo and his classes organized the school’s 1st Environmental Fair during which workers from the City of Dallas Air Quality Department came and spoke to the students. http://hcdallas.org/school.asp

Paul Gross, Meteorologist, WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI Mr. Gross is one of the many meteorologists across the country who uses the SunWise Program. The SunWise Frisbee and UV meter were used on a TV spot featuring the UV Index. He also travels to local schools promoting sun safety and utilizes SunWise activities with these students and their teachers. http://www.clickondetroit.com

Doug Widner, Peggy Notebaert Nature Center – Chicago, IL Mr. Widner and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum have incorporated SunWise into teacher training workshops as well as festivals held for scour groups and students from their Voyagers After School Program. They also use SunWise as part of the programming for their summer camps, providing for widespread promotion of sun safety information. http://www.chias.org