Comic creations

POST FALLS — A school project doesn't always have to involve creating a poster, said Post Falls Middle School teacher Janelle Gibbs.

Gibbs, who teaches a family and consumer science course called Young Living to the junior high students, told The Press Wednesday she was thinking of a fun and creative way for her class to learn about foodborne illnesses. Thinking outside the box led Gibbs to assign her students a project to create their own comics.

"The kids retain the information better when you make it fun," Gibbs said. "And they're doing it in their own words as well."

In teams and as individuals, the students used the school's computer to research an illness assigned to them by Gibbs. After the research was complete, Gibbs said the students had to write and illustrate a six-panel comic strip demonstrating how the illness was transmitted, what the symptoms of the illness are, and how to prevent catching it.

"It really helps them understand 'If I do this, then this won't happen,'" she said. "They won't be getting a foodborne illness later on in life now because they are aware of them."

Josiah Eberly, an eighth-grade student, told The Press he was assigned to create a comic about E. coli. At the beginning of the project, Eberly said he wasn't really sure what the illness was other than how it is commonly transmitted to a person through meat products.

"I decided to have my comic take place in a steakhouse," Eberly said. "One person at the steakhouse orders a rare steak and gets sick from it. But his friend knows about E. coli so he ordered his well-done and did not get sick."

The comic goes on to illustrate the symptoms of E. coli, and ends on a positive note with the friends reuniting after learning a valuable lesson. Over the course of his research, Eberly said he learned E. coli can also be transmitted through unwashed fruits and vegetables.

"If you don't wash your utensils, you can get foodborne illnesses," Lacey McElway, an eighth-grade student, said.

To illustrate the concept, McElway and her classmate, Justin Rasco, created a character named Jeffrey. In their comic, Jeffrey decides to cook a meal featuring chicken, but neglects to wash the cutting board after portioning the chicken before proceeding to use the board to prepare other aspects of the dish.

"The virus he got from the board started to spread and he got sick," Rasco said. "He then calls the doctor and tells the doctor his symptoms."

At the conclusion of the comic, the doctor helps Jeffrey and gives him advice on how to prevent the foodborne illness in the future. All of the students interviewed told The Press the exercise was entertaining and educational.

"We got to have fun while learning about fooborne illnesses," said Vanessa Davis, a seventh-grade student.