May 16, 2024 By Jon Andreassi 3 min read

Penn State Extension of Washington County’s pesticide education program had fallen by the wayside since the pandemic, but the organization hopes Mr. Yuk will be back in all of the county’s first-grade classrooms next school year.

Cathy Witsberger, a master gardener and coordinator of the Washington County program, started giving presentations to elementary school students this spring.

“It has been more active in other counties … Washington County didn’t really do it at all last year. We’re sort of getting back into it. We’re doing live and in-person presentations,” Witsberger said.

The purpose of the program is two-fold. Witsberger said she talks to students about both how to identify what counts as a “pest,” and how dangerous household chemicals used to deal with pests can be.

“What makes something a pest is where it is and what it’s doing. A bat in your basement or house is a pest. Outside, it’s not a pest. Poison ivy is a pest if it’s in a playground. In the forest, it provides nutrition for birds who eat the berries,” Witsberger said.

Witsberger added that she goes through different types of pest management and advises kids that there are alternatives to pesticides. For example, a mouse problem might be solved by just staying tidy and not leaving food out.

When it comes time for chemicals, though, that is where Mr. Yuk comes into play. Mr. Yuk is a symbol created by the Pittsburgh Poison Center in 1971 as part of an effort to prevent poisonings. Witsberger said children are given a sheet of Mr. Yuk stickers to take home and identify potentially harmful substances in their home.

Witsberger discusses a variety of common household products – from dishwasher detergent to rat poison – and what signal words to look for on the labels. These words include caution, warning and poison, and signify how toxic the product may be.

In addition to the stickers, students are also sent home with a letter to their parents and an activity asking them to place Mr. Yuk stickers on toxic products and make sure they are stored at least five feet high.

Elementary schools that Witsberger visited this year include Avella, Beth-Center, Hills-Hendersonville, Ringgold North, Trinity North and Trinity West.

Susan Crawford, a first-grade teacher at Trinity North, felt it was a useful lesson for her students when WItsberger visited her classroom in February.

“We are so thankful that you came in and gave us this valuable presentation. You have no idea the lives you might be saving,” Crawford recalled saying to Witsberger.

According to Witsberger, they connected with more than 460 first-graders. Next year she hopes the program can reach every public and private school in Washington County.

“Our hope is that children will recognize dangerous substances and understand why they need to stay away from them,” Witsberger said.

In Fayette County, the pesticide education program has been in full swing. Susan Shoemaker, the coordinator of the Master Gardeners of Fayette County, said they visited each elementary school in the county and talked to about 1,300 first-graders.

“The kids absolutely are very receptive to it. They ask great questions,” Shoemaker said.

Shoemaker said the program is helpful to both kids and parents.

“The children learn that there are pesticides and poisons that they absolutely should not touch. You see that green Mr. Yuk sticker, stay away,” Shoemaker said.