Friday, December 26, 2008

High school students: Get set, get prepared and enter to win a $500 Get Ready Scholarship


It's pop quiz time again here at Get Ready headquarters, so take out those earbuds and listen up. Today's topic? U.S. teens.

Q: Which of these topics are of importance to today's high school students? a) a driver's license b) more sleep c) cell phones d) college applications e) preparedness.

The answer? All of the above. While answer "e," preparedness, may not seem like an obvious choice, it's as important for high schoolers to be as prepared for emergencies as everyone else. After all, during a disaster, everyone is at risk, regardless of age, SAT score or number of MySpace friends. And with about 17 million U.S. high school students, APHA's Get Ready campaign knows they are a serious force for change.

What can high schoolers do to support preparedness? Lots, actually: Host a preparedness video contest, hold a school food drive or set out a table with information at your local library or grocery store. Need some more ideas? Check out Get Set: An Emergency Preparedness Project Kit, an action kit for high school students that was released by the Get Ready campaign in October. More high school students than ever are taking on volunteer and community projects, and preparedness makes a great focus.

High school students can also help get engaged by spending some time writing about preparedness, whether on a blog, through the school newspaper or a letter to the editor. And thanks to our Get Ready campaign, writing about preparedness can pay off in a big way: The high school senior who sends us the best original essay on preparedness by April 6 can win a $500 Get Ready Scholarship to help with college costs. Get the full skivvy on the scholarship on our Web site, and pick up some preparedness tips while you are there.

We've thrown out the challenge, high school students, and know you are more than qualified to take it up. So now's the time to show us what you can do.

Know a high school student? Forward them this message, link to this blog entry or share our news release.


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