DAWN CULL, first-grade teacher at Stone Spring Elementary School in Harrisonburg, Virginia, was named the 2008 Fire- and Life-Safety Educator of the Year. Lieutenant Wanda Willis of the Harrisonburg Fire Department nominated the teacher for the award.
In the single year that Cull has been teaching Risk Watch, NFPA's comprehensive injury prevention curriculum designed for use in the classroom, to her first graders, her accomplishments have far exceeded expectations at the school.
With Risk Watch, she developed her program, Wilco Warriors, in memory of Harrisonburg Police Department K-9 police dog, Wilco, who died of cancer after years of service. She has made Risk Watch part of her first graders' daily classroom routine.
As a supplement to the Risk Watch safety messages, which can be found at riskwatch.org, Cull's students receive a Wilco Warriors handbook filled with quizzes to reinforce the lessons. A Wilco puppet is also tool in the program. The year of lessons concludes with a Wilco Warriors obstacle course to demonstrate the lessons learned and to remind parents and children about the safety issues taught during the year.
"The students have all responded so well to learning about safety issues, and they are constantly pointing out things that could be unsafe. I hope this fledgling program will become well-known throughout the City of Harrisonburg and beyond," says Cull.
Cull has been awarded an honorarium of $1,000 and a Steuben crystal award. The Harrisonburg Fire Department received $1,000 to enhance its fire- and life-safety educational efforts.
Copyright 2008 NFPA Journal
