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Page 14 September 10,2017 StarNews www.starnewsga.com
NEWS RECAP -
from stories on StarNews Online
website at www.starnewsga.com
State’s Student Ambassador
program: 1500+ high schoolers
will attend training
Secretary of State Brian Kemp recently
announced a new milestone for his Student
Ambassador Program. 175 high schools and
organizations in 94 counties will participate
in Kemp’s leadership initiative encouraging
civic engagement and voter registration
among young adults. Starting next month,
over 1,500 sophomores, juniors, and seniors
will attend training across the Peach State as
the program’s yearly competition begins.
“Since the program’s inception, we have
seen tremendous personal growth among our
Student Ambassadors as they take on leader
ship roles in their schools, organizations, and
communities. They are excited to be a part
of this initiative to build their resumes and
prepare for life beyond high school, and their
teachers are enthusiastic about the program’s
results,” stated Secretary Kemp. “In three
years, thousands of students have registered
to vote as a direct result of this program.”
Following the program’s initiation, elec
tronic voter registration among eighteen-
year-olds has more than doubled through the
state’s online platform and free “GA SOS”
mobile app for Apple and Android devices.
Prior to the program’s pilot year in 2016,
only 8,132 young adults registered to vote
using the state’s electronic platforms. Now,
16,737 young adults - and counting - have
electronically registered to vote in Geoigia.
“This program is truly one-of-a-kind, and
it will continue to flourish as word about its
success spreads across the state. Thousands
of young adults who were previously unin
terested or unaware about the nation’s elec
toral process now show an overwhelming
desire to get involved. We are appealing to
this generation’s need to make a lasting
impact on their surroundings, and we are
building an informed electorate in the
process.”
In January of 2016, Kemp implemented
the pilot program with fourteen Georgia high
schools and 160 students. Next month, the
program’s third year will kick off with a
statewide tour with events in metro-Atlanta
for Middle and North Georgia schools; at
Georgia Southern University for Coastal and
Southeast Georgia schools; and in the Tift
region for Southwest Geoigia schools.
Students will learn how to register their
peers to vote, plan community service
events, and engage with their local officials.
The first and largest event in the statewide
tour occurs on September 6, 2017 with 1,100
high-schoolers at the Georgia World
Congress Center.
Facts and myths about germs
in public schools
Experts say that American children miss
22 million days of school annually due to
colds, flu and other infections.
“Avoiding germs at schools isn’t as simple
as just washing your hands in the bathroom
or sneezing into your sleeve,” says Charles
Gerba, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and
environmental sciences at the University of
Arizona. “Germs are on eveiything kids
touch in the classroom, as well as around the
hallways, cafeteria and playground.”
• Fact: Desks Are Among the Most
Germ-Prone Items. It’s true. Students
spend most of the day at their desks --
sneezes, coughs and all — and, in some
schools, they often switch classrooms and
share desks with others. At the end of the
day, students bring home that cocktail of
germs to their families.
• Myth: Any Hand Sanitizer Will Do.
According to research from the University of
Colorado at Boulder, people carry an aver
age of 3,200 bacteria on their hands. While
most hand sanitizers are 99.9% effective at
killing germs, some only last for a few min
utes or until the application dries on the skin.
Therefore, parents should consider applying
hand sanitizers for their children that last
throughout the day.
• Fact: Germs Can Affect Kids Outside
the Classroom. Germs in schools aren’t just
isolated to classrooms. They are everywhere,
including cafeteria trays, playground jungle
gyms and sports equipment. In fact, the
Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine found 63
percent of gym equipment is contaminated
with rhinovirus, which causes the common
cold. Reminding children to wash their hands
before and after using these items (and wip
ing them down) will go a long way toward
See NEWS RECAP page 16
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