The brochure includes student art and writing.
January 2017… Nearly 3,000 students in the School District of Philadelphia are receiving a brochure about dental health, thanks to a collaboration between fifth graders at William Cramp Elementary School and the Community College of Philadelphia.
“Take Care of Your Teeth to Help Avoid Cavities” features an interview conducted last year by members of William Cramp’s Fit Flyer health newspaper, part of the Healthy NewsWorks program. Theresa Grady. the director of CCP’s dental hygiene program, visited the Cramp newspaper staff for a lively press conference that provided tips to prevent cavities and wide-ranging dental health facts. For instance, the word gingivitis has its roots in “gingiva” (gums) and “vitas” (infection).
The Fit Flyer reporters turned the information into a news article for their school health paper and the article was reproduced in the brochure. The brochure also features a list of dental practices offering free or low-cost care and illustrations that Cramp students contributed to the Healthy NewsWorks poster contest.
As a capstone experience, CCP invited Fit Flyer reporters to tour the college and visit the dental hygiene program where they continued to ask questions of Ms. Grady and several of her students.
“Going to CCP for so many reasons was exciting to the reporters,” said Sandi Fisher, the William Cramp fifth grade teacher who leads the Fit Flyer. “In addition to asking so many questions, they were able to tour not only the dental clinic but also the rest of the school. They were so impressed and many expressed a desire to return there after High School. For many of the students, ‘It was the best trip ever!'”
The school district’s office of Academic Enrichment and Support distributed the brochure to students in third, fifth, and seventh grade in 17 Philadelphia schools.
