IN Ross Township Summer 2014 | Page 46

U U.S. Congressman Keith Rothfus Speaks to NHHS Students N OR TH HI L LS SC HO OL DI STRI C T NE WS or th Hills School District .S. Congressman Keith Rothfus spoke to nearly 400 North Hills High School students enrolled in the Academy for Law and Government and Advanced Placement government classes. The congressman’s message touched on the current issues facing the millennial generation such as the debt, the rising cost of post-secondary education, environmental issues and international crises. Ross Elementary Students Learn Important Bike Safety and Brain Injury Prevention Tips R oss Elementary first-grade students learned important lessons about bike safety just in time for spring from Ross Township Police Department officers. Ross Township Police Department Sgt. Ben Dripps and Patrolmen and Cyclist Instructor Matthew Immekus shared information with each class about the value of wearing a helmet, making sure 44 Ross Township your bike is road worthy and differences between police officers who drive cars and those who ride bikes. Each class also had a chance to sit in a police car, turn on the flashing lights and have their bike helmet checked for proper fit. Students in Abby Linn’s class also expanded upon the bike safety topic by learning what could happen to your brain if you suffered an accident without a helmet. The class took part in Brain Games centers reinforcing how helmets can save wearers from concussions and other brain injuries. As part of the centers, each student tasted Jell-O and predicted flavors, only to learn they had lost their ability to taste from their concussion. Each student also donned goggles smeared with petroleum jelly to learn about disturbances and tried to dress themselves with one arm to simulate the loss of functionality in one side of your body due to hemiparesis. After looking at brain MRI images, students measured their heads and graphed the results as part of their daily math lesson.