"...TO MAKE EVERY CHILD FEEL SAFE EVERY DAY."

Born and raised in Everett. Mr. John Obremski has worked in the Everett school district for 25 years, the last two years as Principal at Lafayette Elementary, a K-8 school with 950 students. He brought his previous school up from Level 3 (probationary status) to Level 1 (excellent). With his wife Jennifer, who is a grade one teacher, John has dedicated his life to supporting and advocating for children in public schools. He also serves on the school committee in Melrose Massachusetts.

A Culture of Compassion

Everett Superintendent Fred Foresteire writes,

“John has spent over 20 years in education as a teacher, guidance counselor, assistant principal and 11 years as a principal. Early in his career as an administrator he learned one of his students had a food allergy. Mr Obremski made it part of his mission to make certain that the student did not feel out of place at school.”

“He believes in teaching the Whole Child. His building has a thriving art and music program. His expertise in budget building and grant writing has brought millions of dollars to the district to support afterschool programs and healthy activities for students and professional development for staff. 

He wrote a children’s book, The Walking School Bus” to inspire children to walk to school in groups as part of his healthy living approach to education. 
If you ever want to find Mr Obremski, just look for children because that’s where this champion will be. “

Students meet at different locations and walk to school together. They play music outside and give out book marks and bracelets when they get there." --Eleanor Gayhart 

Health and Wellness = A Safe School Culture

Linda Sala has been active in the Lafayette Parent Teacher Organization since 2005 and is now PTO President. She says,

“Mr. Obremski gives his all for the kids, 110%. It is only his second year at the school and he knows all the kids. He is adamant about not taking any chances with kids’ safety. He has amazing relationships with the kids, parents and staff. His door is always open to every parent. His priorities are the kids’ health and wellness and their social emotional development.”

“Mr Obremski is very sincere, compassionate, and understanding. He can relate to everyone. He believes school needs to fun. He gets involved in every event. The school is very clean, well kept. The kitchen is spotless. Bathrooms are clean. Every other summer they repaint. They do a very good job on air quality.”

“He started a monthly program, Caught in the Act, that recognizes three students who show acts of kindness. In a short period of time, he has improved programs for the whole school. He has brought in sports, yoga and exercise as part of the Health and Wellness program. He has also provided up to date technology. Kids in grades 3, 4, and 5 got iPads. And he is very concerned about kids with allergies.”

As part of the school’s Health and Wellness Committee Obremski has emphasized healthy snacks. No outside food. No cupcakes or candy. He creates alternatives that the kids enjoy such as field days and in-school field trips. Students are rewarded for their achievements with stickers and privileges instead of candy.

​​At the Homecoming Parade 2017 
Assistant Principal William Donohue, 
Evelyn Gayhart, Principal Obremski

The school provides all students with a free breakfast and lunch. Obremski recognized that the large cafeteria could be intimidating to some younger students so he decided to serve breakfast in the classroom. He increased the number of students eating breakfast from 300 to 800.

In response to seeing a remarkable increase in the number of students with allergies, Obremski made new rules starting on his first day at Lafayette. Parents no longer send in outside food for class parties. Now children enjoy doing crafts, dancing, listening to a parent read a book, in-school field trips or outside games. For teachers, it reduces the stress of constant vigilance by limiting food in the classroom.

Inclusion Based on the Friendship Model  

Like Principal Obremski, many of the teachers grew up in the community. He says there is a deep feeling of home, of collaboration, of purpose, of paying it forward. The school serves over 200 students with Individual Education Plans. It is a multicultural community. Many students are learning English as a second language. The teachers pride themselves in relationship building with students and parents. They use a “friendship model” to include all students.

Obremski says his mission is to make every child feel safe everyday. ”I believe that schools should be one of the safest places on earth.” 

Every Town Needs A Squeaky Leak Project

Healthy Kids Hero 2017 Audrey Schulman, Cambridge MA

For Release February 2, 2017

Contact: Ellie Goldberg, ellie.goldberg@healthy-kids.info
Blog: ​LESSONS OF THE 1937 TX SCHOOL EXPLOSION​ 

Every year, to mark the anniversary of the March 18, 1937 Texas School Explosion, I salute a hero for inspirational leadership and a commitment to the safety of children and their communities.

The Hero Award was created as an annual opportunity to remember the 1937 tragedy — a gas explosion that killed more than 300 people, mostly students, in their new state-of-the-art public school where no expense had been spared except when it came to safety.

​
One lesson the 1937 tragedy is that a safe quality environment depends on champions with an extraordinary sense of responsibility. We can't take it for granted that elected officials make community safety or health a priority.

Audrey Schulman is the 2017 Hero because of her strategic advocacy and creative leadership confronting the threat of Climate Change. She is raising awareness of methane leaks from old pipelines, engaging ever widening circles of allies and partners, and achieving major advances in utility company cooperation and infrastructure best practices.

“​The federal government won’t take action 

on a clean energy future, but we can.“

​Creating a Culture of Responsibility. 

Schulman is a master at connecting the dots from data to public policy. Policy makers, advocates and utility companies who share her sense of urgency about reducing methane emissions rely on Schulman for accurate data, beautifully designed resources, and trusted relationships.

“Audrey took the results from our 2013 Boston gas study to the next level by meticulously mapping leaks from hard-to-access records in over 200 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. Along the way she has engaged and activated communities to create a groundswell of public support to save ratepayer money, our urban trees, air quality and our climate. Audrey is a hero for all these reasons but most of all for our children's health and their future.” — Boston University Professor Nathan Phillips. 

"Audrey Schulman has diligently worked to reduce energy bills in houses of worship, plug holes in leaking gas lines and make our state's government work better. She's incredibly thorough, creative, persistent and a great contributor to the environmental movement.” — Joel Wool, Advocate for Energy and Environment at Clean Water Action/MA

​... Schulman's efforts will have implications for the efficient and quality management of gas pipelines nationwide and for shaping legislation for regulating utilities. The results will save municipalities, utilities and ratepayers the huge cost of lost gas, avoid disruptive and duplicative road work, lower the health and life-threatening safety risks of neighborhood gas leaks, and reduce the threat of climate change.

Read full ​story: Every Town Needs A Squeaky Leak Project

Contact: Ellie Goldberg, ellie.goldberg@healthy-kids.info

​Blog: ​LESSONS OF THE 1937 TX SCHOOL EXPLOSION​

Heroes 2004 - 2016  |  Who Is Your 2018 Hero?

 REDUCING RISKS TO CHILDREN 

New National Report Documents Risks, Urges Federal-State Actions

• Towards Healthy Schools: Reducing Risks to Children 2016
• Back to School Toolkit Reduces Environmental Risks
• "Will Your School Building Be Safe for Your Child?” Huffington Post
• Environmental Health at School: Ignored Too Long(Coalition for Healthier Schools)

The Coalition for Healthier Schools provides the platform and the forum for environmental health at  school and has some 150 participating NGOs and hundreds of other members. It is coordinated by Healthy Schools Network.  

The Network is a national not for profit organization established in New York in 1995 whose collaborative efforts have resulted in child-protective reforms and new federal and state funding for school facilities and for children’s health. For more information, see www.HealthySchools.org and Healthy Schools Network Newsletter.

National Healthy Schools Day
Activities for Healthy Schools Day and Beyond. 

Adopt a "Safety Bill of Rights" for your school.  

• Parents, educators, and health professionals owe it to children to teach safety and teach safely.
• Every child has a right to an environmentally safe and healthy home and school.
• Schools should be role models for environmental safety and environmentally responsible behavior.
• Everyone has a right to know about unsafe and unhealthy school conditions and to be involved in efforts to create and maintain safe conditions.

See more Bring the Lessons of 1937 to Your School

2016 Healthy Kids Heroes

Every year, to mark the anniversary of the March 18, 1937 Texas School Explosion, I salute inspiring individuals who show extraordinary responsibility and inspirational leadership for school and community safety. They live and work by a standard of excellence and integrity — often in the face of denial, willful blindness, and indifference about hazards and unsafe conditions.

What was the 1937 Texas School Explosion? 

One lesson of the 1937 tragedy is that a safe quality environment depends on champions with an exceptional sense of responsibility. Another lesson is that we can’t take it for granted that local officials or elected representatives make community safety or health a priority. 

These four Heroes are inspiring for a combination of personal qualities and qualifications beyond credentials. Each, in his or her own way, promotes the values that build and continuously strengthen a culture of responsibility for safety and continuous improvement.

Todd Dresser, Courageous Visionary

Rick Reibstein, Prevention First

Todd and Rick are heroes because both have dedicated their lives and long careers to helping people make good decisions to prevent pollution and reduce environmental hazards in schools, workplaces and communities. As public agency officials, educators, mentors, and consultants, they have been innovative problem solvers in a variety of business, private, government and academic settings. They are experts at building relationships and trust with clients and communities.  

 

Jane Winn is a grassroots leader gifted at building community power to oppose pollution and advance sustainability. 

Brooke Leifer is an inspiring young woman dedicated to using music to inspire people “to make the world a better place, a special place, a healthy place, to stop pollution."

Todd Dresser, Courageous Visionary

Todd Dresser, CHMM, TURP, Nashua, NH, excels at managing the risks as well as the politics and psychology of hazards in schools and communities. He is a Senior  Project Manager at Hydro-Environmental Technologies, Inc. (HETI), Acton, MA.  

Todd is widely admired for making it easier for people to do the right thing. He is a master at communicating the benefits of safety and sustainable principles and changing the mindset from resistance, avoidance and “waiting to get caught” to eagerness for technical assistance.

Todd emphasizes “lessons learned” in his professional consulting work, his public advocacy, and in his publications, training and teaching. He is known for his extensive knowledge, expertise, and field experience in hazard analysis and mitigation, site assessments, industrial hygiene, pollution prevention, brownfields, occupational health and safety, and emergency plan review and development.

Environmental Health as a Public Service   

Barnstable County Environmental Health Specialist Marina Brock calls Todd “a courageous visionary.”

As an environment management professional, Todd has always acted as the eyes and ears as well as the voice of the community whether the issue is water quality, waste site cleanup, emergency response, or school environmental health and safety. He is dedicated to promoting accident prevention and risk minimization, to correcting deficiencies in operations, and to helping people learn from mistakes.

For over twenty-five years, Todd has built a track record of success helping companies and municipalities improve compliance and safety. Using terms such as “resource management,” he keeps a strategic focus on aligning “compliance” with the bottom line. He offers companies ways to increase efficiency, meet regulatory requirements and become more competitive while reducing risks to workers and the community. He connects companies and community members with similar needs and promotes positive relationships and trust between companies and agency personnel.

“The key to my success has been my ability to break large complex problems down into smaller manageable tasks which has allowed me to make incremental improvements.”  

Todd helps business see that some materials considered waste have value and can be sold. He helped one company market one of its hazardous waste streams to a second facility that could use the material is an ingredient for one of its products.  This allowed the first company to eliminate the disposal cost for this waste while also reducing its regulatory responsibilities.

A second firm benefited by obtaining a product input at a lower cost from an in-state source.  This saved money for both firms and prevented pollution be extending the useful life of the solvent and decreasing the need for transportation.  This was a win for both businesses and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Public Advocacy

As an environmental engineer for the Burlington (MA) Board of Health from 1991 to 2004, Todd worked on a variety of challenges including 160 hazardous waste sites and serious school indoor air quality problems. He discovered he loved public advocacy.

One of the political realities of conservation and environmental protection is that municipal boards are often connected to developers. They may be unaware, indifferent or even hostile to environmental risks or health concerns.

In one case, developers and the municipal officials planned to build a golf course on a 350 acre parcel. In order for the community to operate and maintain the golf course, the town would have had to install and fracture a series of bedrock wells to supply water to the new course. The site was located adjacent to an industrial park that contained numerous chemical spill sites. As a result, the new well would likely have captured and re-located contaminants from 15 to 20 nearby plumes. This could have created significant financial liability for the community. Todd spoke up at town meeting to explain the risks of the project. It was an uncomfortable presentation but it got the community’s attention. They didn’t build the golf course.

Protecting Community

Todd knows that community residents may have unrealistic expectations when they think that local municipalities have Emergency Plans and are prepared for industrial accidents that might threaten the community. People often assume that their local officials know about the risks and are prepared to respond to any accidents.

“In reality,” says Todd, “most don’t know and/or don’t care. The sad reality is that, in many places, Emergency Plans don’t exist. Most officials are not qualified technical experts to complete the hazards analysis and to manage hazards. They do not monitor for problems with infrastructure or old contaminants.”

In 2000, the US EPA Region 1 presented Todd and the Burlington Board of Health an EPA Merit Award for its innovative Universal Waste Recycling Initiative for reducing the amount of mercury and heavy metals in the waste stream. It was a model for other communities.

The scope of Todd’s dedication to pollution prevention extends statewide and beyond.  In the late 1990s Todd and Marina Brock won grants from the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (UMass/Lowell) to create programs for municipal officials, health agents, public works, police and fire departments in chemical safety and emergency planning.  (Also see Marina Brock’s article: Impediments to Implementing P2 in Public Schools.)   

Todd’s environmental awards and recognition, in addition to the EPA Merit Award, include three Massachusetts Governor’s Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Toxics Use Reduction, and recognition by the Ford Foundation and the Harvard School of Government for Excellence in American Government.

Changing the Status Quo

“I love working in academic environmental health and safety because often times no one speaks for the students or wants to address known safety issues. The status quo is simply the easiest path.”  

 Indeed, few parents imagine that their children are in harm’s way at school from old stockpiles of explosives and flammables in classrooms, labs, closets and storerooms. Many parents would be surprised to learn that many schools do not teach safety nor teach safely, even in science and vocational classes.

 A case in point is Burlington High School where students and teachers were suffering mold-related symptoms  Members of the Board of Health were turning a blind eye to the conditions that included water infiltration, wet carpet, holes in the ceiling, barrels of moldy water, a poorly designed and poorly maintained ventilating system.

Concerned parents started calling the media and the state health department for help. After a chemical fire in a storage area Todd found serious chemical hazards throughout the school including unsecured chemical storage in the classroom, open chemical containers in boiler rooms and  maintenance areas, and the joint storage of incompatible substances in classrooms and maintenance areas.

“My inspiration is my dad who was an engineer. He died at age 55 due to occupational exposure. I was motivated to act In Burlington because I was disgusted by the problems I found and by the fact no one cared enough to try to improve things.”

After US EPA and state health department experts came out, the school system learned it would take $1.5 million to fix the problems.

While attempting to research and resolve the schools IAQ problems, Todd noted a lack of readily available guidance for identifying school environmental health and safety issues as well as a reluctance of regulatory agencies to get involved with school issues.

Documenting Success 

So Todd wrote a comprehensive analysis of the hazards, their contributing causes, and his recommendations for corrective action, "A Case Study of Environmental, Health and Safety Issues Involving the Burlington, Massachusetts Public School System Indoor Air Quality." It is a guide for parents, school staff, and public officials everywhere.

He wrote, "A significant problem noted was that no one employed by the school system had been assigned the task or made accountable to investigate or resolve environmental, health and safety concerns or complaints. As a result, such complaints were either ignored, disputed or referred to a consultant for resolution without  consideration for the original cause. This resulted in the long term persistence of many hazards."

“Even though some of the anecdotes I will report may suggest otherwise, our story is a success story in that we have made the effort to identify the concerns and to take action to correct the problems.”

 The challenge can be professional as well as personal. In another school district, at the parents’ open house night, Todd saw the chemistry teacher do the dangerous woosh bottle demonstration, where a volatile flammable liquid was detonated in a 5-gallon water bottle as a demonstration of “fun with chemistry”. Fire officials define this as the detonation of an improvised explosive device in a place of public assembly because this demonstration routinely results in flaming liquids and shrapnel being projected into the observers. 

Concerned, Todd shifted into professional mode. Although the school was only three or four years old, he noted the cabinet shelves in the chemical storage room were heavily corroded signaling a serious lack of ventilation and knowledge about hazards material management. Todd went to principal to share his Burlington School Case Study. And, even though Todd was a consultant for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the school stalled at providing a chemical inventory. Eventually, the fire marshal found five fire codes violations.

Safety First

The importance of safety has been a theme of Todd’s life. Todd studied at Bowdoin College where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology. Later, he earned a Master of Arts Degree in Environmental Biology from Hood College with a concentration in toxicology.

 After college he went into the army where people with an interest in science and talent got resources and support. As a biological researcher in the US Army Biomedical Research & Development Laboratory, he planned and conducted aquatic toxicological research to validate the effectiveness of a rapid screening test.

Todd chose to screen four solvents that are commonly used in industrial and pharmaceutical applications for toxicological and teratogenic impacts (birth defects). He learned it didn’t take much to screw things up.

At the age of 23, he published and presented findings to the Society of Environmental Toxicologists and Chemists, and published his findings in the Journal of Applied Toxicology. (Teratogenic Assessment of Four Solvent Compounds using the Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay-Xenopus (FETAX), Journal of Applied Toxicology Volume 12, Issue 1, pages 49–56, February 1992.)  

After the army he worked for private industry conducting superfund site investigations and quality assurance work for EPA and state environmental agencies. He gained insight into the politics of regulation. ”It was a great training ground.”

More recently, as a teacher of Environmental Science at Nashua Community College, Todd has enjoyed helping his students understand how environmental management and regulatory standards affect them. His students prepared maps with their house in the bull’s eye and then asks them to find information from the US EPA website such as Local Environmental Indicators Reports, Toxics Release Inventory for Communities and the Environmental Health Resources for Community Members.  

In His Own Words

Todd is also a writer. Throughout his career, Todd has written articles, reports, guidelines, and case studies about his school and community pollution prevention activities and hazard management projects. As a result, we can see the world through his eyes. We feel his extraordinary commitment to excellence, to safeguarding our families, schools, workplaces and communities and to educating us all to be partners in the work of responsible stewardship of our precious resources.

Publications, Todd H Dresser

A Case Study of Environmental, Health and Safety Issues Involving the Burlington, Massachusetts Public School System Indoor Air Quality, Todd Dresser, 1998.

• A synopsis of my investigation of various indoor air quality issues plaguing the Burlington school district.  The document also offers a number of tips, suggestions and lessons learned that can help guide other schools seeking to evaluate IAQ issues within their district.
  
  

A Case Study of Environmental, Health and Safety Issues Involving the Burlington, Massachusetts Public School System (ERIC, Institute of Education Sciences)

• The complete school EHS case study. It reviews the 20 major issues Todd  evaluated at the Burlington School district.  Each section describes methods and observations. It also offer tips, suggestions and lessons learned for each topic.

LinkedIn posts

• 2016 is a TURA Planning Year in Massachusetts November 25, 2015
• Are you ready for an EPCRA Inspection? November 8, 2015
• Consider the Hidden Cost of "Free" Water August 10, 2015
• Emergency Planning Makes Sound Business Sense July 15, 2015
• Pollution Prevention - A Starting Point June 30, 2015
• Beware of Inconsistency Amongst Regulators May 28, 2015
  
  

Municipal Advocate, The Massachusetts Municipal Association, Vol. 21. No. 2, 2004 (Posted with permission.)

Site Plan Review Can Be Tool to Protect Public, Todd H. Dresser, Page 11; Concerted Effort Needed to Reduce Health Risks at School, Marina Brock and Todd H. Dresser, page 14; Town Program Helps Businesses with Environmental Management, Todd H. Dresser, Page 20.   

Todd H. Dresser†,  Edna R. Rivera‡,  Florence J. Hoffmann and  Robert A. Finch*    Teratogenic Assessment of Four Solvent Compounds using the Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay - Xenopus (FETAX), Journal of Applied Toxicology, Volume 12, Issue 1, pages 49–56, February 1992. Copyright © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  (Article first published online: 11 JAN 2006  DOI: 10.1002/jat.2550120111)