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West Newsmagazine
is West St. Louis County's exclusive direct-mailed community newspaper. |
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| West Newsmagazine News |
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Rockwood students want to clear the air and snuff out tobacco useBy Diane Plattner
 Rockwood School District high school students are aiming to clear the air of smoke by spreading the word about the harmful effects of tobacco use.
On Feb. 23, Rockwood student Brent Folan, a senior at Lafayette High School, kicked off his anti-tobacco use campaign when he presented his first program to students at Chesterfield Elementary School. Folan and a classmate, Nick Standing, showed the students various lessons they planned, including the impact of smoking on one’s arteries and secondhand smoke. “The list goes on, but my favorite is the set of pig lungs,” Folan said. “We have one healthy pig lung and one that is simulated as a smoker’s lung that has been smoking a pack a day for 20 years.” Folan said he believed the young students responded positively to his presentation. “I believe that they can relate to the high school students who are teaching them,” Folan said. “We use visuals, discussions and hands-on activities to keep them engaged and learning to realize the value of tobacco prevention. This helps them to see that saying no to tobacco is cool, courageous and healthy.” The program is part of Folan’s involvement with a national program called Teens Against Tobacco Use (TATU). The prevention program is aimed at elementary and middle school students who learn about the impacts and problems caused by tobacco use. Folan said 53,000 Americans each year die from diseases caused by exposure to secondhand smoke. He said the Surgeon General, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Toxicology Program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have identified secondhand smoke as a cause of cancer, heart disease and other diseases in non-smokers. Folan said approximately 15 students are involved in Lafayette’s TATU program, which he and his brother implemented this year. The TATU program idea stemmed from their attendance last summer at Teen Institute (TI), a prevention camp that taught them about the wide variety of programs they could begin at their schools, he said. “TATU stood out the most to me because smoking heavily impacted my grandfather’s life,” Folan said. “We thought it would be a fun program that is very educational and would help kids make the right decisions about not smoking.” Folan not only is trying to clear the air in schools, but also the entire community. He said plans call for urging students to write newspaper letters to the editor to voice smoke-free support. In addition, Folan’s group plans to “picket” a smoke-free restaurant with signs stating, “Eat Here.” “We figure it’s a great way to drum up business for the restaurant while praising their smoke-free choice,” Folan said. Folan said his group recently attended Youth Empowerment in Action (YEA) in Jefferson City, where they urged state officials not to cut spending on tobacco prevention program and supported the passage of Smoke-Free St. Louis. “If this gets passed, all of the restaurants will become smoke-free,” Folan said. “I feel if the restaurants do this, their business will increase.” His group also plans to participate in “Kick Butts Day” on March 25, when activities will include asking local politicians for their support of local smoke-free workplace laws. “All of this is in the planning stages, but we do intend to follow through because we are passionate about getting the message out,” Folan said. “The bottom line is we can make a positive difference in helping our peers, students younger than us and even adults to make the healthy and smart choice of being tobacco-free.”
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