ANN ARBOR, Mich. - NSF International today announced the winners of the 2010 NSF Scrub Club Clean Hands Game, which challenged elementary teachers and students across the country to start scrubbing and learn the best handwashing habits.

Created by NSF International, a public health and safety organization, the Scrub Club® is a free educational program that teaches children the proper way to wash their hands, and includes an interactive website.

This year's NSF Scrub Club Clean Hands Game winners include schools from across the country:

• Starrla Sims's Head Start class, Union Street Head Start in Shawnee, OK
• Gloria Balmes's 2nd grade class, Superior Hills Schools in Marquette, MI
• Marian Foster's 2nd-5th grade class, Quarles Elementary School in Long Beach, MS
• Linda O'Brien's 2nd-3rd grade class, North Star Elementary in Marquette, MI
• Mary Mertes's 3rd grade class, Mead Elementary in Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Linda O'Brien's 2nd-3rd grade class, North Star Elementary in Marquette, MI Mary Mertes's 3rd grade class, Mead Elementary in Wisconsin Rapids, WI The Clean Hands Game was launched to make handwashing fun. Educators tracked how often a students washed their hands over a one-month period and submitted the results to NSF International. Each of the winning classes will receive a certificate of achievement for their handwashing efforts and a $100 gift card to spend on school supplies.

"Handwashing is key to avoiding illness and maintaining health at all ages, but especially important in young children," said Jodi Friday, Nutrition Educator for the Wood County Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program. "The NSF Scrub Club Clean Hands Game is fun for the kids but also provides teachers with a great tool for teaching the importance of proper handwashing at an early age." The Wood County Nutrition Education Program is a part of the statewide Food Stamp Nutrition Education program of Cooperative Extension.

The NSF Scrub Club website is a free resource that features fun activities and games for kids, including an interactive webisode about the battle against harmful germs and bacteria. Educational materials (in French, Spanish and English) for teachers, as well as information for parents are also available at nsfscrubclub.org.

"We launch the NSF Scrub Club Clean Hands Game at the beginning of each flu season, as it provides teachers an additional resource they can use to teach kids the importance of handwashing and to help prevent the spreading of germs in their classrooms," said NSF International Vice President Elizabeth Jones. "We congratulate the winners of this year's Clean Hands Game and encourage all educators to visit the website to keep the handwashing enthusiasm going year round."

For more information about the NSF Scrub Club or the Clean Hands Game, visit www.nsfscrubclub.org. To view last year's winners, visit the NSF Scrub Club newsroom.

About the Scrub Club®:
NSF's Scrub Club®, is a series of web-based, interactive resources designed to teach children proper handwashing techniques and hygiene habits. Each of the Scrub Club® Soaper Heroes represents one of the six steps in the handwashing process - "Hot Shot" and "Chill" combine to make warm water essential for proper handwashing; "Squeaks" turns into various forms of soap; "Taki" becomes a clock that counts down the required 20 seconds for proper handwashing; "Scruff" reminds kids to clean around their nails; "Tank" turns into a sink to rinse away the germs; and "P.T." transforms into paper towels.

The free website includes activities and interactive games for kids, educational materials for teachers, as well as information for parents.

About NSF International:
NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization, helps protect you by certifying products and writing standards for food, water and consumer goods to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment (www.nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting public health and safety worldwide. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment. Additional services include Education and Training and safety audits for the food and water industries.