Long Beach schools gear up for a safe summer

With summer vacation just around the corner, two Long Beach schools held special programs to remind students to stay safe, active and healthy throughout the summer. West Elementary School held its annual Health Fair Olympics, combining relay races, yoga classes and dance activities with demonstrations about water, skate and sun safety from local lifeguards, skateboarders and teachers.

The highlight of Long Beach Middle School’s summer safety assembly was a presentation by teacher Mike Lundwall, who is also a Long Beach lifeguard captain. He showed students exactly what they should do if they are caught in a rip current, demonstrated the different lifeguard whistle signals, and explained the significance of the red and green flags on the beach. When he asked how many of them knew how to swim, he was pleased to see almost every hand go up. He reminded them to always follow the directions of the lifeguards and never swim anywhere when lifeguards are not on duty.

Vice Principal Michele Natali continued to engage students with a video she had prepared about sun safety, which reminded them to apply sunscreen thoroughly and often, stay out of the sun during midday, wear sunglasses and avoid tanning salons. The video alerted students about the dangers of skin cancer and even showed them how to recognize melanoma. She explained that this is a topic near and dear to her, as a close family member was diagnosed with melanoma, but thankfully detected it early enough to save her life.

Officer Chris Monahan of the Long Beach Police Department gave the final presentation on bike safety, reminding everyone to ride with the flow of traffic, wear a helmet, avoid busy streets and to keep bikes locked to avoid thefts. He also reminded students to register their bikes at the Police Station as an extra measure of security.

“We don’t want to scare you,” Natali told students. “We just want you to be safe. Long Beach is a beach community. You’ll be spending a lot of time in the sun this summer. Remember to wear sunscreen when you are outside, wear your helmet when you are on your bike, and never, ever swim in unprotected waters. We care about you.”