Rules Of The Wild

STEPHANIE BOMBAY
Tuesday, January 25, 2000     Page: 12

More than 100 third-graders filed into the Rice Elementary auditorium Jan. 14
to learn a lesson that could save their lives. Diane Yakscoe, chairman of the
Rice Elementary School Parent-Teacher Association health protection program,
organized a presentation on rabies prevention. The goal of the committee is
simple: “To make sure our students stay healthy and safe. And to educate the
parents as well,” Yakscoe explained. The health-protection program nearly
went defunct this year when no one seemed interested in heading the committee,
Yakscoe said. “I’m the one who said, `Yeah, I’m going to do it,’ ” she said.
Christopher Heil, Pennsylvania Game Commission wildlife conservation officer,
visited the Rice Township school. He makes wildlife presentations at schools
throughout the Crestwood School District. “Rabies is a virus that attacks
the nervous system,” Heil explained. He told the room of children that
rabies is channeled through warm-blooded animals and is commonly transmitted
to people through domesticated pets, squirrels, raccoons, brown bats and
skunks. Heil warned that animals seen every day could be infected. “They
live in our back yards and Rules of the wild At Rice, featured lesson is how
to avoid `lots of needles’For Times Leader/STEPHANIE BOMBAY RABIES 1SB Cassie
DeLuca and Leanne Schenck listen as Christopher Heil, of the Pennsylvania Game
Commission, tells Rice Elementary School third-graders how to avoid rabies
infection. RABIES 2SB Rice Elementary third-graders get in some questions at
the end of the rabies discussion organized by Diane Yakscoe, the school’s
parent-teacher association health protection program chairperson. RABIES 3SB
Josh Norton, a third-grader at Rice Elementary, listens to the discussion
about rabies prevention. About 100 pupils attended the program in Rice
Township. RABIES 4SB Christopher Heil, Pennsylvania Game Commission wildlife
conservation officer, addresses pupils at Rice Elementary. He makes wildlife
presentations at schools throughout the Crestwood School District. By
STEPHANIE BOMBAY sbombay@leader.net More than 100 third-graders filed into
the Rice Elementary auditorium Jan. 14 to learn a lesson that could save their
lives. Diane Yakscoe, chairman of the Rice Elementary School Parent-Teacher
Association health protection program, organized a presentation on rabies
prevention. The goal of the committee is simple: “To make sure our students
stay healthy and safe. And to educate the parents as well,” Yakscoe
explained. The health-protection program nearly went defunct this year when
no one seemed interested in heading the committee, Yakscoe said. “I’m the one
who said, `Yeah, I’m going to do it,’ ” she said. Christopher Heil,
Pennsylvania Game Commission wildlife conservation officer, visited the Rice
Township school. He makes wildlife presentations at schools throughout the
Crestwood School District. “Rabies is a virus that attacks the nervous
system,” Heil explained. He told the room of children that rabies is
channeled through warm-blooded animals and is commonly transmitted to people
through domesticated pets, squirrels, raccoons, brown bats and skunks. Heil
warned that animals seen every day could be infected. “They live in our back
yards and near the school,” he said. “Never approach any type of wildlife.
If you can approach wildlife, there’s something wrong with it. The best way to
avoid human-animal conflict is for humans to stay away.” Heil recalled cases
of children who mistakenly picked up animals infected with the virus and had
to receive painful treatments. “If you do get in contact with rabies, you’ll
have to get lots of needles,” Heil warned. Yakscoe, a mother of a
kindergartner, thinks special programs get a little more attention from
students than regular class study. A few days before the rabies program,
kindergartners learned about poison prevention and bicycle safety. In March,
she will enlist the talents of local magician Mark Piazza for a discussion on
playground safety and fire prevention. She selected special topics for all
the classes. Fourth grade will receive a lesson in nutrition and participate
in the Junior Sheriff’s Program. She hopes seventh-graders will become more
aware of AIDS after a presentation with Mark Innocenzi of the American Red
Cross. Bill Hoch, Fairview Township police officer, will present the McGruff
Program to second-graders, and sixth-graders will study the importance of
wearing bicycle helmets. It is not Yakscoe’s intention to replace parents and
teachers; rather, she wants to supplement the education children receive.
Parents are encouraged to attend programs and continue dialogue at home.
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