11 December, 2018

UV SunSmart trial launches at Stanley Bay School

SunSmart students… from left to right: George Kalupahana, Marco Parker, Ryo Tanaka-Avers, Thomas Green (middle front) and Zack Beckmann go through the UV Lab at Stanley Bay School

Stanley Bay School was last week the first in country to test out a programme of ‘UV Lab’ investigations. Over several days, all of the school’s 245 students went through the programme, which aims to teach primary and secondary school children about the risks of solar UV radiation and to discover for themselves the SunSmart strategies that can cut harmful UV exposure.

Originally developed at the University of Southern California, the approach is being trialled in New Zealand by Associate Professor Martin Allen from the University of Canterbury. Stanley Bay pupils were taken through the priniciples of ‘slip slop slap’ and the importance of shade, with the help of students from Takapuna Grammar and UV ‘dosimeters’, designed by Allen to gauge levels of harmful sun exposure.

Students measured the reduction in UV radiation from types of shade, sunglasses, school clothing, and sunscreeen, and compared the results with their own predictions. Stanley Bay Principal Lucy Naylor said the programme was a great opportunity for the students to learn to keep themselves safe. The school hopes to gain accreditation as a SunSmart school from the Cancer Society, she said.

Source: Devonport Flagstaff 7 December 2018. View Online.