Partnership works with teachers on tobacco education

By Staff
special to The Star
Nov. 2, 2003
The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi is working behind the scenes to help Mississippi educators and students through its teacher training program.
In conjunction with The Center for Tobacco Prevention and Health Promotion at the University of Southern Mississippi, The Partnership offers easy to teach, research-based classroom lessons that incorporate tobacco education into existing subject matter.
For the convenience of teachers, staff from The Center conduct training sessions at schools across the state. The sessions are free of charge, and teacher receive materials which allow them to easily incorporate tobacco information into existing lesson plans.
The nature of the training sessions depends on what grade the teacher's students are in. Teachers are trained in one of four developmentally-appropriate programs.
Statewide, more than 12,000 educators have completed The Partnership's teacher training program since it began in 1999.
During the 2002-2003 school year alone, trained teachers were able to reach more than 110,000 Mississippi students with messages about tobacco-free, healthy lifestyles. Even teachers who have previously received training and materials can receive new materials each year.
The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi's teacher training program is just one part of the organization's comprehensive outreach to change the culture of health in Mississippi.
For information about the teacher training program, contact The Center for Tobacco Prevention and Health Promotion at (888) 246-6183 or Sabrina Wilson at 696-4472.