National Pest Management Association Awards School $3,000 towards Science Education
March 11 (Fairfax, VA) — Red Bank Middle School, of Red Bank, NJ, is the grand prize winner in a national science and technology competition for students sponsored by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) through its educational children’s Web site, PestWorldForKids.org. The contest challenged teachers and students (grades 4 through 8) to create educational Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that highlighted the health and property risks posed by household pests such as rodents, ants, termites, cockroaches, stinging insects and ticks.
Red Bank will be awarded a $3,000 grand prize in support of science education for its entry titled “Club Roach.” In addition to winning the grand prize, two of Red Bank Middle School’s additional entries placed among the top five finalists in the contest. Other finalists included Marion Junior/Senior High School in Marion, WI and Lakewood Christian Schools in Long Beach, CA. All entries were judged on originality and creativity, adherence to creative assignment, health messaging and overall appeal. The top five finalists’ entries can be viewed at www.PestWorldForKids.org.
“The NPMA was thrilled to receive more than 50 excellent submissions to our Pest PSA Contest on PestWorldForKids.org,” said Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for the NPMA. “We had an extremely difficult task of selecting a winner, but Red Bank Middle School’s ‘Club Roach’ entry stood out for its creativity, humor, and emphasis on educational messaging about the health and property threats posed by cockroaches and other household pests.”
The NPMA will hold its second annual Pest PSA Contest in the fall of 2010. Entry information and guidelines will be available on www.PestWorldForKids.org.
PestWorldForKids.org is a free, educational Web site developed for students and teachers in grades K through 8. The site features a pest glossary, a comprehensive pest guide, downloadable fact sheets and project PDFs, a report writing center, science fair projects and teacher lesson plans and games.
The NPMA, a non-profit organization with more than 7,000 members, was established in 1933 to support the pest management industry’s commitment to the protection of public health, food and property.
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