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Students S.T.A.N.D. against tobacco

Thomas3.20.2010
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CORTLAND - Lakeview High School students have created a new anti-tobacco program.

Called S.T.A.N.D., each Wednesday for a half-hour during February high school students teach sixth-graders at Lakeview Middle School the dangers of tobacco use.

Jane Jackson, school nurse and program adviser, said S.T.A.N.D. (Stopping Tobacco and Nicotine Dependency) is an updated version of an American Cancer Society anti-smoking program.

Jackson said sixth-graders are the target audience.

Chris Marsco, a junior instructing the program, said he tries to show the younger students the dangers of tobacco use in all of its forms.

"Many of the students look up to us when we are there sharing the information. I hope we are able to make an impression on them," he said.

Marsco said at first the students were quiet but soon began to open up and ask questions.

"Often they are shocked at some of what they learn about what can happen when you are addicted to tobacco," he said.Megan Goedeker, a junior, said she likes being able to provide information and help change lives so that the younger students will make the right decisions.

Goedeker said she believes the program helps make a difference.

"It's a great club to be associated with," she said.

Jackson said the school started with the American Cancer Society's program, but three years ago re-wrote and updated the program with a new curriculum to customize it for Lakeview Middle School.

Jackson said last year's sixth-graders held a contest to name the program, and one student submitted S.T.A.N.D.

She said children often see tobacco on television, movies, advertising and in their own homes. "Too often, no one addresses what it does to your body," she said.

Program topics include costs of tobacco, effects of smokeless tobacco, addiction, and cancer-causing agents in cigarettes.

Principal Nancy Krygowski said it is important to get the information to the students at an early age so they can see the health problems that occur because of tobacco.

"The sixth-graders do look up to them and listen to what they are telling them. When they go to high school they realize those students have taken a stand against tobacco," Krygowski said.

About the Author
63 years old. 20 year smoker. 11 Years FREE! Diagnosed with COPD. Choosing a Quality LIFE! It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. -Galatians 5:1