Washington School Celebrates Food Allergy Week
Washington Primary School took advantage of Food Allergy Week to educate its more than 400 students about a potentially life-threatening condition.
Sponsored by the Washington PTA, the week included daily announcements over the school’s public address system by Principal Marsha Neville about different aspects of food allergies and some facts and figures to go with them. There was a poster contest, too.
The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, which now goes by the acronym FARE, created the special week in 1998 to highlight issues surrounding food allergies, which affect an estimated 15 million Americans, including six million children.
Mrs. Neville’s daily announcements were reinforced by classroom teachers to educate and raise awareness about various food allergies, many of which heretofore were unknown by most students.
The poster contest winners included kindergartener Jasmine Adcock, first grader Charlotte Cassatto, second grader Teah Login, third grader Juan Quintanilla and fourth grader Aiden Delfino. The honorees all received Target gift cards, compliments of the Washington PTA. Every participant in the poster contest earned a homework pass in recognition of their hard work.
“Our students learned so many new things about food allergies over the course of the week,” Mrs. Neville said. “We had some very informative posters submitted for the contest. It was a fun experience.”
The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network’s mission “is to improve the quality of life and the health of individuals with food allergies and to provide them with hope through the promise of new treatments,” according to the organization’s website.
FARE’s efforts are focused on:
Life: Support the ability of individuals with food allergies to live safe, productive lives with the respect of others through our education and advocacy initiatives.
Health: Enhance the healthcare access of individuals with food allergies to state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment.
Hope: Encourage and fund research in both industry and academia that promises new therapies to improve the allergic condition.