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PARKERSBURG - More than a hundred students gathered Monday at Fairplains Elementary School to learn valuable lessons in staying safe.

The annual Safetytown program held morning and afternoon sessions Monday and will run through June 26. The program teaches everything from what to do in case of a fire to boating safety to the proper way to cross a street.

Program director Mary Ann Osborne said about 105 students were signed up for the two-week program and openings were still available for the afternoon sessions.

"These are life-long skills," Osborne said. "The more the students are exposed to these safety skills the safer they'll be."

The program, which is funded in part by the United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley, has been teaching safety to Wood County students for 25 years.

Each day the children rotate through five 30-minute sessions, usually a speaker, a movie, an art project, an outdoor activity and a snack. Children going through the program are given a certificate of completion on the final day.

Students go through a model town outside of the school, learning about traffic and pedestrian safety.

Jefferson Elementary School teacher Debbie Stewart has been working with the program for 15 years.

"I think it is important to start at a really young age teaching these lessons," she said.

Though students on Monday concentrated on pedestrian safety, Stewart said the program covers a wide range of issues.

"We have traffic safety, Internet safety, bike safety, water safety," she said. "Kids have such busy lives nowadays."

About 15 teen volunteers are helping with the program this year.

"Many of them are Safetytown graduates," Stewart said. "For a teen to take two weeks of their summer to volunteer here, we are really fortunate to have them.

Osborne said while the Parkersburg Safetytown program attracts a large number of students, similar programs are being held in counties outside of Wood County. Belpre's Safetytown program started last week.

"There are a lot of good Safetytown programs in this area," Osborne said. "If a child has an opportunity to go to one, they should go."