A trio of students from All Saints Regional Catholic School in Manahawkin, N.J. took the Top Classroom Award for their hand washing project in the school’s science lab.  Calling themselves the “Bubble Trouble Team,” the students completed three studies and tested their subjects before and after educating them on the proper way to clean their hands.  They also created brochures and posters for their school to encourage their classmates to clean their hands more often.

The runner-up schools were Carwise Middle School in Palm Harbor, Fla., where students created an original music video to promote hand washing, and Hauppauge Middle School in Hauppauge, N.Y., where students in art classes and family and consumer science classes created a clean hands campaign.

The “Healthy Schools, Healthy People, It’s a SNAP” program is a joint initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA).  The School Network for Absenteeism Prevention (SNAP) program seeks to improve hand hygiene habits among middle school students to help prevent the spread of infectious disease and reduce related absenteeism. 

Teachers can visit the SNAP web site – www.itsasnap.org – for information on how to participate in the program.  Hand hygiene education materials that can be downloaded at no cost are also available on the web site.

Henkel was among several SDA member companies that contributed products and/or financial assistance for the SNAP National Awards Program, including Arylessence Inc., GOJO Industries Inc., Reckitt Benckiser Inc., and Water Journey Ltd.

Henkel in North America:

Henkel markets a wide range of well-known consumer and industrial brands in North America, including Dial® soaps, Purex® laundry detergents, Right Guard® antiperspirants, got2b® hair gels, and Loctite® adhesives. Henkel has been committed to making people’s lives easier, better and more beautiful for more than 130 years.  A Fortune Global 500 and Germany’s most admired company according to a recent Fortune survey, Henkel offers strong brands and technologies in three areas of competence: Home Care, Personal Care, and Adhesive Technologies.  Each day, more than 52,000 employees in 125 countries are dedicated to fulfilling Henkel’s claim “A Brand Like a Friend.”  In fiscal 2008, Henkel generated sales of $20.8 billion and adjusted operating profit of $2.1 billion.