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Italian News

Sigonella NAVSUP FLC sailor Kristin Ceresola (right) recently presented an artwork donation to the Principal Maria Paola Iaquinta of the Catania “Cesare Battisti” School (left).

Photo by Robert Foti.

Sigonella Sailor Donates Artwork to Catania Battisti School

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By Dr. Alberto Lunetta, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

When the students of the Catania “Battisti” School return in September after the coronavirus pandemic, they will find a special gift from the big heart of Kristin Ceresola, a Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Sigonella Sailor with an artistic talent. The gift is a farm scene made of paper, recycled materials, watercolor paints, and pen.

Ceresola’s first idea to create the paper farm came from enjoying looking at the beautiful views of Sicily, especially Mount Etna and the many farm landscapes. She explained she wanted to create an art piece that would show the many layers of farm life, making the environment a three-dimensional display. Her overall goal was to inspire children to use their imagination and be creative.

“Since COVID-19 started, it has impacted all of us,” explained Ceresola. “I wanted to use my time by giving back to my community. I wanted to donate my artwork to local elementary school because they are our future. To creatively inspire the children and to help them learn about what’s outside of the cityscape by showing the importance of agriculture and farm land.”

Ceresola coordinated the project through the community relations program who put her in touch with the Istituto Comprensivo “Cesare Battisti” in Catania, a school located in the city’s working-class neighborhood of San Cristoforo.

NAS Sigonella has supported the school for about ten years with volunteer maintenance projects and language intercultural community relations (COMREL) events, and the longstanding relationship continued this month despite the lockdown, which has shut down schools in Italy. Base volunteers from the Naval Hospital and the Marines have been facilitating virtual English and Spanish virtual classes to help the students improve their foreign language skills.

“By creating this piece of artwork, I wanted to show how farms are very important in the local economy and how farms impact everyone,” added Ceresola. “My hope is for children to enjoy the details such as the animals and people working on the farm. We should all take a moment to enjoy the beauty that is around us all.”

The donation took place on Wednesday, May 27. Battisti School Principal Maria Paola Iaquinta warmly welcomed Kristin, who was accompanied by Chaplains Religious Enrichment Development Operation facilitator Richard Graves.

“I’d like to thank both the artist and the NAS Sigonella base volunteers who donated their time and talents to support the children of my school,” said Iaquinta. “I was so overwhelmed by their kindness in this very difficult time of pandemic and social distancing.”

Italy’s Gyms and Swimming Pools Reopen Among Anti-COVID-19 Strict Measures

By Dr. Alberto Lunetta, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

On May 25, gyms and swimming pools were authorized to reopen their doors across Italy with the exception of the region of Lombardy, which has been the most hard-hit by the pandemic. However, due to the rigorous sanitation, social distancing and cleaning requirements and fear of the contagion, few patrons, and fewer among the elder ones, returned to exercise. Some gyms even declined to reopen as they were required to drastically reduce their capacity to comply with safety guidelines imposed by the Sports Minister.

Guidelines require sports centers to assess their own plan to keep their patrons safe. Their employees are obliged to respect the national health rules, such as the obligation to stay home if they are experiencing any coronavirus symptoms and report any contacts with infected people.

Health requirements also include criteria for cleaning, sanitation, and ventilation of the facilities, which have been closed for almost three months, to avoid the proliferation of other airways diseases like legionellosis or staph infection.

Gyms must space their training machines apart and mark pathways to keep gym-goers at a safe distance from each other. They also need to have a sanitation plan and inform their patrons about the procedures to follow when they access common spaces, areas of sporting activity, changing rooms or bathrooms.

Special procedures to collect potentially contagious trash (such as tissues and face masks) must also be implemented.

Clothes used for physical exercise cannot be left behind or hung in common areas, but instead need to be put into bags, taken, home, and washed separately from other garments. Personal items, such as water bottles, tissues and equipment, must be disinfected and should not be shared.

Temperature checks will be performed at the entrance of the gyms and persons with a temperature equal to or higher than 37.5°C (99.5 degrees Fahrenheit) will be denied access. Patrons are required to go to the center already dressed for their sport activity and bring bags to dispose of potentially infected trash.

Strict safety measures will be implemented for the use of showers, changing rooms and bathrooms, where access is to be limited to a set number of people. People should also avoid using the facility’s communal devices, such as hairdryers, and remember to always drink from your own disposable bottle and cup.

Gym members must wear a mask as they enter and move across the gyms but are not required to wear one while working out, and each piece of equipment must be disinfected after every use.

Swimming pool users must have at least seven square meters of space to themselves and keep at least a meter and a half away from other swimmers. Swimming pools and gyms must keep a record of who has attended for at least two weeks which is the virus’s incubation period.

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