What happens when you jam-pack the main gym at the Ritacco Center in Toms River with about twelve-hundred sixth graders from schools all over the county? A good lesson called "Choose to Be Tobacco Free."Students from the Carl W. Goetz Middle School in Jackson, Christa McAuliffe Middle School in Jackson, Ella G. Clarke School in Lakewood, Frederic A. Priff Elementary in Waretown, Intermediate School East in Toms River, Island Heights Grade School, Manchester Township Middle School, New Egypt Middle School, Russell O. Brackman Middle School in Barnegat, Seaside Park Elementary School and Veterans Memorial Middle School in Brick participated in the assembly. It was led by representatives of The Ocean County Community Partnership for a Tobacco Free New Jersey as well as their program sponsors ranging from the Ocean County Health Department to the American Lung Association of New Jersey.
The program has been going on for nine years and each time presented, the kids walk away with a wealth of knowledge. Lakewood resident Albert Petroni has been associated with the program since its inception in 1999. He says driving home this message is a "task they take very seriously." What makes the program unique is how it educates while entertaining. Petroni says "when I was in school, programs like this didn't exist. You had some guy standing in front of the class lecturing for a couple of hours about the issue but never getting through to the kids. They're going to take control of their lives, make a pledge to themselves and to their friends to be smoke-free." The session addressed health concerns and what to do when kids are pressured into taking a puff.Ocean County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bruce Greenfield was on hand at Tuesday's event. I asked him why sixth graders and not fifth or younger. They feel strongly that most of the experimentation takes place around ages 11 and 12 and the best way to get the message across is to those students who are the most impressionable. He says it is so important to spread the message for kids to stay away from tobacco because as we all know, it's a "hard habit to break." Greenfield says "its important that when these kids see this kind of program, we give them the information so they never start. There's a lot of interaction where the kids are involved and its a great way to do it and connect with them."
During the program, several local high school students performed skits and re-enactments of various situations where smoking could come up. Chris, a high school senior and one of the members of a youth advocacy group, performed in one of the featured segments regarding peer pressure and ways to combat the problem of "not being cool" or feeling like "a downer." He says "know who you are - you don't want to have that extra pressure when you come to high school and you gotta know that smoking isn't the best idea.
The kids seemed to enjoy the program. Everyone I spoke with said they will not be smoking. Some said it was because "it's unhealthy, gross and smelly" while others said "they don't want to end up with lung cancer and not see their mom and dad anymore."On the way out, I ran into a high school student who told me the program is great for the kids and he wishes he never started smoking. Organizers are already working at planning next year's program. For more information on The Ocean County Community Partnership for a Tobacco Free New Jersey, log on to occat.org
by Jason Allentoff
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