Print edition: 
Wichita schools began vaccinating students against H1N1 today at four west-side elementary schools.
About 200 children got either the nasal mist or injectable vaccine this morning at Peterson Elementary, the district's first H1N1 clinic. Other school sites today are McCollom, Benton and Kensler elementaries.
Peterson students who had turned in parental permission forms filed into the latchkey room by grade level — kindergartners first — to get the vaccine. About a half-dozen volunteer nurses administered the vaccines.
"I'm really glad they're having this, because most doctors don't have the vaccine yet," said Amy Pape, who attended the clinic to be there when her two children got their shots. Both kids have asthma.
While students waited for their vaccine, they watched a "Sid the Science Kid" episode titled, "Getting a Shot: You Can Do It!" Most children received the nasal mist version; children with certain health conditions, such as asthma, required an injection.
At McCollom this afternoon, students receiving the vaccine will get a treat bag with Smarties, Life Savers and erasers — for "helping erase the spread of the virus," officials said in a news release.
The H1N1 vaccine is not mandatory for any student, said district spokeswoman Susan Arensman. The district is offering them at school clinics in an attempt to make getting the vaccine more convenient for young children, a priority group.
For more on this story, see Saturday's Eagle.
