Several Myers Park High students don’t want to contract the H1N1 virus or flu, and they don’t want their classmates getting sick either. So they are developing and implementing proactive strategies to bring attention to preventative measures that can reduce the spread of infectious disease.

The students, nicknamed The Germ Squad, are part of the Myers Park High International Baccalaureate Council. They have been spreading the word to fellow students since the first day of school to wash their hands frequently and cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing. They are encouraging use of hand sanitizers whenever handwashing is not available and asking students to donate extra alcohol-based hand sanitizers for school use. The Germ Squad also developed a catchphrase for the effort: H1N1 for No One.  

The Germ Squad took its message to a recent football game and encouraged attendees to use and donate alcohol-based hand sanitizers. The students have been posting and distributing informational flyers throughout Myers Park High about disease prevention, and are working on various efforts to get their message out to other schools and into the community.  

Hannah Brown is one of the students leading the effort. 

“We don’t want anyone in our school to get sick and miss several days of school,” said Hanna. “So we are coming up with creative ways to get the word out to keep students healthy.”  

The students met with health professionals, including Myers Park High school nurse May Cappleman and Nancy Langenfeld, the director of coordinated school health for CMS, to ensure their message follows medical recommendations and protocols. For more information on proactive measures by CMS to prevent and reduce the spread of the H1N1 virus at its schools, click here.