by Divya Kumar
News Editor

As part of an ongoing project that Anatomy students have been focusing on for the greater part of the year, melanoma awareness is the next step to spreading information beyond the classroom and to the rest of the students around the school.

Melanoma is the most severe form of skin cancer that can come about by too much exposure to the sun and not wearing sun screen. Particularly vile to look at, those infected with melanoma have black patches on their skin in reaction to the cancer.

Anatomy students have been studying melanoma in specific for the last few weeks. As part of their projects, they have been instructed to design a campaign to advertise what melanoma is, inform of its symptoms and warn of lasting influence on a person’s lifestyle. These advertisements will then be marketed to other members of the school, both students and faculty, to warn of the cancer.

The classes were then divided into groups to design ideas for campaigns. While there were the typical ideas of posters, some groups went even so far as to designate ideas regarding ‘temporary tattoos’ that looked like the blackened skin melanoma would bring about. After these ideas were established, they were brought down to three main ones: a “movie” advertisement, a T-shirt and an official poster to hang in the hallways.

Once the students have voted upon an idea, they will be created and then spread around the high school. While these advertisements will be helpful in spreading awareness, it is important for all students – especially ones who live in such Texas heat – to be mindful of the symptoms of melanoma and understand how to prevent skin cancer.