Approximately 25 students had a little fun during their school lunch period on Thursday planting over 100 red tulip bulbs in the front landscaping of Nevada Union High School.
The event was a culminating activity marking a successful Red Ribbon Week, organized by Graham Gardemeyer, grade 12 and President of the Tobacco-Use Prevention Education (TUPE) through the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools Office (NCSOS).
“Red Ribbon Week is about healthy living,” Gardemeyer said. “Avoiding tobacco and vaping and smoking and drinking all together – just pro healthy lifestyles.”
The Friday Night Live club, also led by Gardemeyer with the help of Advisor/Teacher-Librarian Josie Andrews are helping to get the word out about the risks of vaping and tobacco use.
They have conversations with students and informational flyers explain some of the myths surrounding vaping in particular.
“A pretty broad group of people come to our meetings every week,” Gardemeyer said of his Friday Night Live (FNL) club.
The students in the club want to spend their time with other teens who live a healthy lifestyle, and want to avoid tobacco, vaping, or other harmful drugs, according to Gardemeyer.
Mood changes, irritability, exposure to harmful chemicals, and harm to the teen brain that is still developing are all part of the risks that come with vaping.
For teens that want free and anonymous support while quitting tobacco use or vaping are directed to online sources or adults in the district who specialize in addiction support.
The TUPE program is funded through a couple different means, including Proposition 64 tier one, tier two, according to Sara Keller, Intervention Program Specialist at NCSOS.
There are approximately 15 coordinators that help get the word out about tobacco use prevention, Keller said.
According to Keller there is a lot of misinformation leading youth to believe that vaping is a healthy alternative to cigarettes when that is not the case.
“Vaping is just a whole different beast,” Keller said. “And they’re just now coming out with studies. It’s different from the tar from cigarettes; it’s still severely damaging.”
Synthetic nicotine is now being produced to get around regulations in the FDA, and it is highly addictive, according to Keller.
“At the middle schools, we’re trying to talk a lot about marketing and how they specifically target young kids with the flavors and the cartoon characters,” Keller said.
One brand of vape even has a video game built into it, believe it or not, according to Keller.
“If you take a puff and you click some buttons, you can earn points,” Keller said. “Remember cash Camel (cigarette) rewards years ago? This is the digital version of that.”
Planting red tulips for Red Ribbon Week will produce a visual representation of the ‘Plant the Promise’ initiative and the members of the TUPE/Friday Night Live club hope that the red tulip bulbs they planted this week will blossom months later in springtime, symbolizing the growth of a healthy, drug free future, according to Andrews.
