I

An Update on EPA’s SunWise Program 

Awards

n 2003, SunWise and the Curt and 

Shonda Schilling Melanoma 

Foundation of America (SHADE) 

together received the “Excellence in 

Cancer Awareness” award. Presented 

by the Congressional Families Action 

for Cancer Awareness, a program of 

the Cancer Research and Prevention 

Foundation, the award honored EPA 

and SHADE for their partnership and 

SunWise Program Receives National

fight to eliminate skin cancer. 

The Congressional Families Program is 

a network of more than 110 

Congressional, Administration, and 

Supreme Court spouses committed to 

reducing cancer incidence through eduKenausis, Paula Selzer, Sue Gorham, 

Linda Rutsch, and Curt Schilling 

cation and prevention. It presents the 

excellence award each fall to an individual or organization for outstanding conSunWise Partners with SHADE

F

ounded in 2002 by Shonda Schilling—wife of Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt 

Schilling, mother of four small children, and melanoma survivor—the SHADE 

Foundation strives to protect children from melanoma through education. In its 

first year, SHADE reached 21 million people through a public 

awareness campaign, distributed 50,000 free SPF 30 sunscreen samples, provided SunWise education to 126,000 

children in 233 schools, engaged 3,100 children and 50 

schools in a poster competition, and provided shade coverings to eight schools. 

SHADE’s Web site, <www.shadefoundation.org>, is a 

place where melanoma patients, survivors, and their families can find information and support. Parents and teachers 

can find information on the SHADE SunWise partnership and 

programs to educate their children. Corporations and individuThe Schilling Family als can learn how they can provide sun safety lessons to children. SunWise looks forward to working with SHADE in 2004 

to educate even more children and their families. 

tribution to cancer prevention and 

education. Past award recipients 

include: Katie Couric, Senator Bob 

Dole, Sam Donaldson, Patti LaBelle, 

Senator Connie Mack and Mrs. Priscilla 

Mack, Nancy Murkowski, the 

Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor, 

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, 

and Jane Seymour. For additional inforLeft to right: Shonda Schilling, Kristin mation, visit <www.preventcancer.org>. 

In 2002, EPA’s SunWise Program received 

the Federal Council on Skin Cancer 

Prevention’s Annual Achievement Award, 

which recognizes a federal agency or individual within an agency for outstanding 

skin cancer prevention efforts. 

First launched nationally in May 2000, 

the SunWise Program is now implemented in more than 9,000 schools in all 50 

states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC. 

For information on how to join, visit 

<www.epa.gov/sunwise>. 

HIGHLIGHTS 

Shade Structures in Schools ................2 

In the SunWise Spotlight ....................3 

Featured Activity ................................3 

Schools Receive Recognition ..............4 

School Health Policy Guide ................6 

New Partnerships ..............................7 
2 SunWise Monitor 

Made in the Shade

A survey of elementary school principals, published in 2002 in the Archives 

of Dermatology by David B. Buller, 

PhD, and Alan Geller, RN, MPH, found 

that nearly three-fourths of schools 

report having shade structures, but 

most of those structures cover less than 

one-fifth of the school grounds. 

So what’s stopping schools 

from erecting playground 

shade structures or ensuring 

that shade trees are planted 

on school grounds? Funding 

is certainly an issue, but the 

main problem appears to be 

lack of awareness. This lack 

of awareness, as well as other 

organizational barriers, has 

resulted in only 3 percent of 

schools surveyed having sun 

Merryhill School, Davis, California protection policies in place. 

Most principals (84 percent) 

Thanks to a determined mother 

and melanoma survivor, kids in 

all 22 elementary schools in 

Collier County, Florida, now swing, 

slide, and climb on playground equipment covered by sun-protecting mesh 

canopies. 

A native of the “Sunshine State,” Teryl 

Brzeski is intimately familiar with the 

hazards of sun overexposure. First diagnosed with melanoma 18 years ago, 

Brzeski has beaten the odds in her battle 

against this most deadly form of skin 

cancer. Now she wants to make sure her 

young daughter and all other Collier 

county kids are as sun safe as possible. 

After two years of persistent lobbying, 

the county school board voted to allocate the $2 million necessary to erect 

the shade structures at each of the 

county elementary schools. The 

canopies were put in place over the 

summer, in time for the new school 

year. Collier County might be the only 

school system in the country with all of 

its playgrounds covered by shade. 

The polyethylene canopies, which cover 

the 8,000-square-foot playgrounds, block 

out 90 to 95 percent of the sun’s UV rays 

and lower the temperature underneath by 

15 degrees. The mesh construction 

allows heat to escape, lowering the risk of 

heat exhaustion and dehydration. Such 

canopies are widely manufactured and 

available in the United States. 

Fast Facts:

Outdoor school recess often takes 

place during the peak sun hours 

between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. 

The federal government has classified UV radiation as a human 

carcinogen, along with other cancercausing agents such as asbestos, 

radon, and tobacco smoke. 

reported that their students were outdoors during the peak mid-day sun 

hours, and most (76 percent) said 

they’d be willing to increase shade 

structures. 

I

n Guidelines for School Programs to 

Prevent Skin Cancer, the Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention 

(CDC) conclude that by actively promoting sun safety and implementing 

sun-safe lessons and policies, schools 

can change student behavior and help 

prevent skin cancer. 

Among the recommendations presented in the report: 

• Schools should adopt policies that 

reduce students’ exposure to UV 

rays, such as limiting mid-day outdoor activities, building shade structures, and allowing students to wear 

sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses. 

• Sun safety lessons should be included as part of a comprehensive health 

education curriculum and integrated 

into other subject areas as well. 

• Schools should provide skin cancer 

education and reinforce key messages over time, from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. 

• Sun safety lessons should be delivered during times of the year when 

students have the most opportunities for sun exposure and sun protection. 

The CDC worked with specialists in 

dermatology, pediatrics, public health, 

and education; national, federal, state, 

and voluntary agencies; schools; and 

other organizations to develop the 

guidelines. 

For more information on the CDC 

guidelines, visit <www.cdc.gov/ 

nccdphp/dash/healthtopics/ 

skin_cancer/guidelines/index.htm>. 

CDC Guidelines for Sun

Safety in Schools
SunWise Monitor 3

In the SunWise Spotlight

H

ow can we teach sun safety to every student in a school? That was a question fifth 

grade teacher Kristi Cameron asked her students at Glenallan Elementary School 

in Silver Spring, Maryland. The students responded by working in teams to first 

learn about sun safety themselves, then produce PowerPoint presentations to teach the 

younger students in the 

school about sun safety. 

Based on a short preassessment discussion at the 

beginning of the process, 

Cameron was surprised by 

her students’ overall lack of 

knowledge about sun safety. 

But by using various activities in the SunWise kit, such 

as the UV Frisbee, to enhance her solar energy curriculum unit, Cameron helped her students learn sun safety basics. By researching, constructing, and then presenting their PowerPoint slides, students learned even 

more about sun safety and practiced their organizational and public speaking skills. 

Other teachers in the school gave positive feedback to Cameron’s students, commending them on their attentiveness to detail and good coverage of information presented. 

The effort clearly had an effect on all the students’ behavior, as more hats, sunglasses, 

and sun block began to show up during recess. “Hats on” to this creative teacher and 

her students! 

The SunWise staff is eager to hear what is 

happening in your classroom. Please contact 

us by using the “contact us” link from our 

Web site at <www.epa.gov/sunwise>. 

Why It’s Wise

to be SunWise:

Skin cancer is the most 

common form of cancer in the United States 

—more than 1 million 

cases of nonmelanoma 

skin cancer are found 

in this country each 

year. 

Next, working in groups of three or four, students will 

select an appropriate number of guests and a time limit for 

their show. Students will research the contributions their 

specific guests have made and then develop engaging and 

factual dialogue for the show. The show should include an 

introduction, a description of each guest and their contribution to the protection of the ozone layer or their work as 

a positive role model for sun protection behaviors, as well 

as dialogue, which can take a question-and-answer format. 

Dialogue should probe deeper into the work of each guest. 

Each group of students will then 

present their “talk show” to the rest 

of the class. Students 

should be evaluated 

on the content and 

general presentation 

of the show. 

Featured SunWise Activity

“The Talk Show”

Grades: 6-8 

Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Health 

Suggested Time Allowance: 45 minutes to 2 hours (with 

presentations) 

In this activity, students will set up a “talk show,” then 

research and play-act guests. First, the class will develop 

criteria for guests and generate a possible guest list. Guests 

should be individuals or organizations that have made a significant contribution to the protection of the ozone layer or 

have been a positive role model for sun protection behaviors. Some suggestions are: scientists who developed sunscreen, the organizations/people responsible for developing 

the UV Index, legislators who have set positive policies for 

youth sun protection, or schools with active community 

involvement in providing shade structures for students. 
4 SunWise Monitor 

Nominate Your School for an Award

Deadline: March 30, 2004 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is serve as a model to other schools/districts; erecting a 

pleased to announce a call for nominations for the shade structure; or addressing the issue of sun safety 

second annual SunWise Recognition Program. in a way that sets them apart from the Shining Star 

The awards recognize schools at two levels: Schools. 

• The Shining Star Schools and Educators Award is	 Anyone may nominate a school for a SunWise award. 

presented to 10 schools nationally, one in each EPA Awardees may receive the following: a letter of congraturegion. This designation recognizes partner schools lations from EPA, a plaque or framed certificate, addiand educators who are enthusiastically implementing tional UV Frisbees, media attention


the program in a variety of different ways. Shining from your local press, recognition


Star schools and educators have shown a lasting from EPA on the Agency’s Web site,


commitment to sun safety education by either adapt- a free pass to a national teachers


ing the SunWise program in new and effective ways, conference, or other exciting prizes. 


discovering unique ways to share the SunWise mes- For complete information on how
 sage in the community, or by implementing the pro- to nominate a school and specific
 gram in multiple classrooms or grade levels. award information, visit


• The Helios Leadership Award is presented to schools	 <www.epa.gov/sunwise/


making outstanding contributions to promoting sun recognition>. Award nominations


safety. Schools must meet all of the eligibility criteria must be received by March 30,


for the Shining Star Award and have shown leader- 2004, to be eligible for considera-


ship in school-based sun safety education either by: tion this school year.


instituting a policy to address sun safety that can
 SunWise

Schools Receive National Recognition from EPA

E

PA’s SunWise Program recently rec- • Merryhill School in Davis, California • Geneva Elementary School in


ognized 14 schools for their superior • Bryon A. Barry Elementary in Bellingham, Washington


efforts in sun safety education. Phoenix, Arizona
 • George School in Westwood, New 

EPA presented the Helios Leadership	 Jersey • Center for Creative Learning in St Award to those schools that made Louis, Missouri	 • Charlotte A. Dunning Elementary changes to school policy or influenced 

district policies regarding sun safety. Schools that implemented the SunWise School in Framingham, Massachusetts 

The winners were:	 Program in an exemplary way by reach- • Marin County Office of Education in 

ing a large number of students, report- San Rafael, California 

ing UV data to EPA’s Web site, sponsor- • San Simon School in San Simon, ing poster contests, or developing cur- Arizona riculum received the Shining Star 

Schools and Educators Award. Award • Gus Garcia Middle School in San 

winners were: Antonio, Texas 

• Larson Middle School in Troy, • Goddard Middle School in Glendora, 

Michigan California 

• North Catholic High School in	 Congratulations to all! Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania For more information about the 

• Sacred Heart in Louisville, Kentucky	 SunWise Program, visit 

• Harrington Elementary School in <www.epa.gov/sunwise> or contact 

Denver, Colorado Paula Selzer at (202) 343-9361. 

Students at the George School 
Frequently Asked

Questions

I have very little “free” teaching time to use the SunWise

Program with my class. What can I do?

Flexibility is key to the SunWise Program. You can use as 

much time as you have available to impart important lessons 

about sun safety. The following are some helpful hints 

received from educators across the country for incorporating 

the SunWise Program into the classroom. 

• Use the newspaper weather page as a “scavenger hunt” for 

the UV Index readings, cloud cover, and other meteorological information. 

• Use SunWise activities for “testing day” activities. The 

SunWise activities are the perfect informative and fun solution for the teachers and students on these statewide or districtwide days. The activities are challenging and will allow 

teachers to maintain the same “theme” throughout the 

entire testing time frame. Small group and individual activities require a minimal amount of teacher preparation and 

are of high interest to students. 

• Use the SunWise fact sheets as part of field trip permission 

forms and as inserts for PTA newsletters. These tips will 

provide valuable information to parents, who will be better 

informed to protect students during field days and outdoor 

field trips. 

SunWise Monitor 5

• Use the SunWise activities as part of a unit on outdoor education. 

• Use the SunWise activities as part of student service-learning or family involvement nights. Organize activities that 

involve the community. 

How can I purchase another UV meter?

For the past several years, EPA was able to 

distribute a limited number of 

UV meters to educators and 

meteorologists. Due to 

resource constraints, EPA is 

phasing out the free distribution of these meters. 

EPA procured the meters 

through a competitive 

process in which two vendors were selected. They 

are: 

• The Safesun personal UV meter 

from Optix Tech, Inc., <www.safesun.com> 

• The UV Index solarmeter from Solartech, Inc., 

<www.solarmeter.com> 

If you would like to obtain a UV meter, you may contact one 

of the vendors above, or select any of the other suppliers of 

these meters in the open market. We urge you to check the 

open market for price, quality, and delivery terms before purchasing UV meters. EPA cannot endorse the products and 

services of these vendors. 

SunWise Vi

D

esigned for teachers, school nurses, parents, and 

school administrators, SunWise: A Sun Safety 

Program for Grades K-8 is a free,12-minute 

the easy-to-use SunWise program. The video


describes the SunWise program by:


• Using classroom footage and interviews. 

•


illness.


• Illustrating the historical context in which


Americans developed risky sun behaviors.


Call the National Service Center for Environmental 

Publications at (800) 490-9198 for a free copy of 

the video. 

deo

video for those who would like to learn more about 

Outlining sun safe behaviors to prevent long-term 

The SunWise Tool Kit is

now available in

Spanish!

Las materias de SunWise

están disponibles en

español!
6 SunWise Monitor 

School Health Policy Guide Issued by NASBE

According to NASBE’s Executive Director Brenda Welburn, 

“Schools have an absolutely critical role to play in protecting 

children under their care from too much sun exposure in the 

short-term and instilling in them the knowledge they need to 

make informed, healthy lifestyle decisions to reduce their risk 

of skin cancer in the long-term.” 

Part II: Policies to Promote Sun Safety and Prevent Skin Cancer 

can be ordered for $12 (plus shipping and handling). 

Contact NASBE at (800) 220-5183 or visit 

Sun

Safety 

Policy 

Looking for engaging online activities for your students? Send them to the 

SunWise Web page at <www.epa.gov/sunwise> (click on the “KIDS” 

tab). Selecting activities in three levels of difficulty, students can practice 

their mouse skills while making SunWise clothing choices, find hidden 

SunWise vocabulary words, solve word puzzles, answer SunWise trivia 

questions, and play with a SunWise slide puzzle. 

SunWise Online

<www.nasbe.org/Merchant2/merchant.mvc> 

and click on “Safe and Healthy Schools.” 

The National Association of State Boards of Education 

(NASBE) recently released a new chapter of its popular 

publication, Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn: A School 

Health Policy Guide. Entitled Part II: Policies to Promote Sun 

Safety and Prevent Skin Cancer, this new section helps state 

and local decisionmakers develop policies to help students 

adopt lifelong healthy sun safety practices. The chapter was 

created in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention (CDC) and the National School Boards 

Association. 

The new material provides information about the five important parts of a comprehensive school sun safety policy, such 

as the importance of developing an efficient statement of purpose and a series of goals. It also advocates sun safety education and behavior among both students and staff. In addition, 

the book introduces ways to implement sun safety practices 

during outdoor activities and emphasizes the importance of 

family and community involvement. Also included are recommendations for easy and inexpensive prevention measures 

to integrate the information into academic, health, and physical education programs. Finally, the guide contains several 

state and local “best practices,” relevant scientific data, and a 

list of key resources. 

Why It’s Wise to

be SunWise:

• Effective sun protection

is practiced by less than 

one-third of U.S. youth. 

• In 1935, the lifetime

risk of someone in the 

United States developing melanoma was one 

in 1,500. In 2001, the 

risk was one in 71, and 

by 2010 it is projected 

that the risk will rise to 

one in 50. 
SunWise Monitor 7

SunWise Forms New Partnerships

As part of a long-term strategy to make sun safety a sustainable and community-based effort, the SunWise 

Program has expanded from a traditional K-8 classroom audience to include a number of informal education, 

sports, and non-profit sun protection organizations. By forming partnerships, SunWise is able to pursue a more comprehensive approach to teaching children and caregivers about 

sun safety. New partners include: 

• Meteorologists. SunWise, in partnership with the National 

Weather Service and the American Meteorological Society, 

has developed a tool kit specifically for meteorologists. The 

kit is intended to assist meteorologists in educating children 

about UV radiation and sun protection. 

• Science Museums. With the help of the American 

Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 

SunWise is expanding its reach to science centers and other 

informal institutions nationwide. Through programming 

such as summer camps, planetarium 

shows, children’s theater, and special events, kids learn about 

the importance of 

sun safe behaviors 

with an emphasis on 

science. 

In spring 2004, EPA and AAAS will host workshops to 

recruit science centers in Los Angeles, Tampa, and Chicago. 

In addition, the Capital Children’s Museum in Washington, 

DC, and the McWane Center in Birmingham, Alabama, will 

host Teacher Training Workshops. EPA is also working with 

the New England Science Center Collaborative to introduce 

SunWise to New England science centers this spring. EPA’s 

goal is to reach 50 science centers by the end of 2004. 

• U.S. Soccer Foundation. SunWise is partnering with the 

U.S. Soccer Foundation on the Make Sun Safety Your Goal 

campaign. Through this partnership, SunWise promoted 

sun safe behaviors by sponsoring game-day events and promotions such as give-aways (e.g., sun safety posters, a 

bookmark, lip balm). This past 

season, sun safety game days 

were held in five cities. In 

spring 2004, SunWise will 

expand this outreach to include 

youth soccer leagues and 

coaches and a pilot pledge program. Look for more details on 

this initiative in the months to 

come. 

“Check Your Insides Out” Tour 

Features SunWise 

The “Check Your Insides Out—From Top to Bottom” tour, 

featuring the SunWise Program, is designed to teach people 

of all ages about the prevention, early detection, and treatment of skin, breast, prostate, lung, oral, and colorectal cancers. Hands-on activities make this unique exhibit educational and enjoyable. The tour will be brought to cities around 

the country by the Cancer Research and Prevention 

Foundation, who also brought you the Colossal Colon Tour. 

For information on the tour schedule, visit 

<www.checkyourinsidesout.org>. 

Skin Cancer Prevention Workshop 

SunWise is exploring the possibility of hosting a free one-day 

workshop in Washington, DC, for those interested in skin 

cancer prevention education. The goal of this event is to 

bring together organizations with similar goals to learn about 

each other’s work, examine ways to pool resources, and 

become an effective force in promoting skin cancer prevention education. Specifically, SunWise would like to discuss 

what resources EPA can provide to these organizations to 

help support SunWise at the local level. 

For more information, contact SunWise at 

<sunwise@epa.gov>. 

Events
8 SunWise Monitor 

New SunWise Lesson Examines Tanning Culture

The purpose of the new lesson, this new lesson includes a teachers ance. The goal is to encourage students 

“Historical and Cultural Influences guide, a set of questions for discussion, to think about the historical, social, and 

on Tanning,” is to educate stu- and three sets of questions for classroom cultural forces behind sun tanning. 

dents about society’s relationship with group work. In addition, the lesson This lesson, developed at the Boston the sun over the centuries, to stimulate includes an interactive classroom game University School of Medicine and per- thought about the role of the sun in that addresses the conflict between formed under an EPA contract, is avail- their own lives, and encourage sun safe health and beauty, societal impacts on able by contacting Linda Rutsch at behavior. what is perceived as attractive, and con- <rutsch.linda@epa.gov> or Alan Geller at 

Available to teachers and school nurses, formity in regard to physical appear- <ageller@bu.edu>. 

SunWise on the Road in 2004

• March 20-21: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development 

(ASCD), New Orleans, LA 

• April 1-4: National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), Atlanta, GA 

• April 17-19: National Association of Elementary School Principles 

(NAESP), San Francisco, CA 

• April 21-24: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), Philadelphia, PA 

• July 11-14: National Association of School Nurses (NASN), Seattle, WA 

• November 4-6: National Middle School Association (NMSA), Minneapolis, MN 

* Check the conference program to attend a SunWise workshop session. 

United States 


Environmental Protection Agency


1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.


(6205J)


Washington, DC 20460


Official Business


Penalty for Private Use $300


EPA 430-F-04-012


March 2004