CHP and HSDA Host Annual Blackstone School Field Trip
The 13th Annual Blackstone School field trip was held on Friday, June 15, 2012. As part of the trip, four classrooms of third grade children from the South End elementary school visited GSDM for the day. Fransheska Ovalles DMD 13, a member of the Hispanic Student Dental Association (HSDA), played a key role in assisting Division of Community Health Programs (CHP) Oral Health Promotion Director Kathy Lituri with the coordination of the event.
The day started in G-301 with Assistant Dean of Students Dr. Joseph Calabrese welcoming the Blackstone students and leading a Q&A session. The children were treated to a healthy snack food: yogurt parfaits.
Escorted by BUMC public safety officers, the children moved on to the Simulation Learning Center (SLC) for some hands-on learning. Once they were dressed in gowns and masks, they were ready to participate in activities such as a walnut/sealant experiment, a hand-washing exercise with glitter as germs, and thumb impressions with alginate and stone.
The field trip would not have been complete without an appearance by Captain Cavity Fighter, played by Peter Meany DMD 14. The children enjoyed posing for photos with Captain Cavity Fighter and asking him questions about oral health. Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter, known as the “Principal” by the children, visited during the time in the SLC. One child asked, “Do you treat people other than children?” Dean Hutter responded, “Yes, we treat people of all ages. However, there is a special type of dentistry, called Pediatric Dentistry that treats children specifically. Great question!”
After a morning filled with learning, the children and GSDM volunteers moved outside to Talbot Green for a pizza lunch.
“I would like to thank each and every one of the volunteers for their contributions. Their efforts behind the scenes, as well as during and after the event, are essential to the success of this program,” said Ms. Lituri. She continued, “I would especially like to thank Peter Meaney for playing the role of Captain Cavity Fighter and Fransheska Ovalles for helping to plan this on behalf of the Hispanic Student Dental Association.”
Faculty and staff volunteers included: Ms. Kathy Held, Ms. Sheree Norquist, Ms. Thayer Scott, Ms. Joyce Ganas, Ms. Cindy Cadoret, Ms. Flor Amaya, Ms. Sharon Boyle, Ms. Meg Loadholt, Ms. Dee Devlin, and Dr. Ana Keohane.
Student volunteers included: Navneet Chahal AS 13, Delia Cruz Elizundra AS 13, Adelina Duka AS 13, Marian Ibarra DMD 13, Navid Kabiri AS 13, Thomas Keeling DMD 14, Jenny Lorenzo DMD 13, Peter Meaney DMD 14, Fransheska Ovalles DMD 13, Michael Posada AS 13, Chelsea Randall DMD 13, Kenia Rodriguez DMD 14, Darshit Shah AS 13, Kushal Shah AS 13, Manu Sharma AS 13, Martha Vasquez AS 13, Karina Vergara DMD 14, Josh Williams DMD 15, Jaspreet Wirring DMD 14, Boston University pre-dental undergraduate student Asia Yip.
Photos from the field trip are available on facebook and flickr.