Charity Spreads Cheer
Throughout the holiday months there are many people in need and many students willing to lend a hand.
Kristin Caugh/Kylie Potvin
caughkri46@tcapsstudent.net
During the holidays, the struggles of the less fortunate who provide for their families becomes more prominent than any other time of the year. Certain groups here at West are helping to combat this issue.
“We continue to have a lot of different student clubs that work with charities in the community and I think it’s good for the students, it helps give them perspective of what people outside of their neighborhood or their school might be dealing with in the community, it gives them the perspective and empathy,” said Joe Esper, the head principal at the school.
There are a lot of different reasons to help out charities. For some, like Katie Kaberle the vice president of National Honor Society (NHS), it’s a time of reflection.
“Helping out the community gives me immense perspective on how fortunate I am and it makes me happy to know that my actions are making a sufficient impact on the lives of others,” she said.
Senior Aiden Griggs, governor of student senate, has a similar view on how students should help with charities.
“I know it’s a requirement for Senate but everyone loves to do it; it makes everyone feel good and it’s good to know you’re helping people out.”
For some, instead of a time for joy and relaxations, the holidays are rough and anxiety inducing. Some may have stress about some unrealistic expectations that families can have for the other family members. People also have hope that they might get something that their family can’t afford at the time being.
“It’s kind of stressful on the families that don’t have the same opportunities that we do, so it’s nice that we can provide as much help as we can and hopefully they get a better experience out of it.” Griggs said.
Volunteering doesn’t only give a different view point on life, but also helps open opportunities for you in the future.
“Working with charities hopefully helps build some habits for when they’re adults outside of high school. After they’ve graduated they can continue to give back in some of those ways,” Esper said.
One of the responsibilities of clubs is to choose the charities that their group will be participating in.
Katherine Kiessling, the president of NHS, was assisted by others when she chose the association to volunteer with.
“I talked to my family members, and also my friends.
They all helped to come up with some ideas and also seeing stuff on social media and getting ideas from that,” she said.
Kaberle explained that she wanted to help with an organization in which her traits would be best suited.
“We thought about the different groups in Traverse City that could use our help. We just wanted to make sure we are providing well rounded service to the community,” she said.
Due to the fact that the clubs here at West can only do so many charities they have to pick which ones they want to do. Then they have to vote on that charity or charities they want to focus on.
“The clubs identify the groups and they kind of voted on which ones they wanted to have be their primary focus,” Esper said.
Not all students are participating in the same charities. Kaberle provided some examples of the organizations and places that NHS is helping,
“Women’s Resource Center, Humane Society, Big Brothers Big Sisters, various elementary schools, Father Fred, Munson Healthcare, and the Traverse City Veterans,” Kaberle said.
NHS also hosted a peanut butter and jelly party Dec. 6 to help those in need.
“We made about 200 sandwiches and brought them over to Goodwill Inn for the homeless to have for the weekend,” said Kiessling.
NHS is also partaking charity work at the school.
“We are collecting gifts and gift cards for the homeless kid at Traverse City West right now,” Kiessling said.
Another school group, Student Senate, does something a little different. Instead of choosing new organizations every year, they work together with the same one over the course of many years.
“As a group we work with the Women’s Resource Center every year, and they do this little kids shopping spree where the kids come in and they buy presents for their parents and we come and walk around with them, but I don’t think they are doing it this year so we are looking for another opportunity,” said Griggs.
Helping charities isn’t just for clubs, you don’t have to be apart of a club to help with charities.
“Any student at West can get recognized for service they do outside of this building when they graduate,” Esper said.
Samuel Fikes/Hope Thompson
fikessam15@tcapsstudent.net
Library
Celebrates with Creativity
The day that students returned from Thanksgiving break, Dec. 2, they entered the library to find a prominent Christmas tree atop a table in the center of the room. Students then were able to contribute to the tree themselves, by designing hand-crafted ornaments.
“It’s definitely exciting to see what other people from all groups in the school like to make and see them all get together to make something for the school,” said sophomore Hattie Holmes, who bought materials for the ornaments and helped students craft them at lunch.
Holmes is a member of Student Senate, the group in charge of this particular tree. However, the Senate tree is normally found in the Commons next to the kiosk rather than in the middle of the LMC [Library and Mediation Center]. It was senior Aiden Griggs and junior Patrick O’Connor’s idea to change the location of the tree this year.
“These past couple years I didn’t really notice the tree at all when it was in the Commons,” O’Connor said. “So I thought that a lot of people go into the library, and I feel like standing on the table it’s just presentable.”
Others agree with O’Connor that the tree was much more suited to the library than the Commons.
“I feel like it’s more of a calm area to just look at the tree and partake in the vibes it produces,” sophomore Kale Cerny said.
Cerny was one of the students who contributed to the decoration by crafting ornaments. He feels that his are “the best on the tree.”
“My first ornament, I used a whole sheet of ornament paper. It spelled out J-O-E, also known as Joe, for a commonly-known joke, ‘Joe Mama.’ Thought it’d be a comedic thing to put on the Christmas tree,” he said. “My second ornament was a late rapper, XXXTentacion, also known as Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy. Great guy. Me and my buddy did it together with a combination of the brown skin and the yellow hair and the black hair, and we put him on the Christmas tree for remembrance.”
Among these ornaments, there are also seemingly out of place paper airplanes.
“There was a paper airplane flying contest in the library… It kind of started with kids just throwing airplanes into the tree,” said Genevieve Minor, a member of the LMC staff. “Anybody could do it at any time. There were students flying them at lunch or during an open hour.”
These paper airplanes are part of what makes this year’s Senate tree stand out from those of previous years.
“I think people notice it more actually, especially since it’s elevated and has the paper airplanes from the competition,” Holmes said.
This tree is just one of many Student Senate projects around Christmastime. One of the other activities they planned for this time of year is a holiday spirit week, so if students want to participate they can make sure to wear their ugly Christmas sweaters Friday, Dec. 20.
Come Together and Make Some Noise
Band members and parents gather to help community members in need during the holiday season.
Megan Holm/Ashley McFadden
holmmeg54@tcapsstudent.net
A rising school tradition is here to stay. Organized and run by a Traverse City mother, the Band Together Drive is meant to help those in need, living in the Traverse City Area.
The Band Together Drive was first started four years ago and occurs every November. It aims to fill the shelves of pantries at two local high schools.
“The drive benefits both Traverse City West and Traverse City High School food pantries. Students in need from those schools are then able to take what they need,” Parent Mary Friar said.
The drive was started after a grandparent visited the TC High pantry and saw how bare it was. Concerned, she went to a Band Parent Organization meeting and explained that the band should help fill it. From there, Robin Smillie and Mary Friar volunteered their time to help start the tradition.
“Robin Smillie took charge and I helped. As we were organizing we learned that West too had a pantry and was in dire need of all items. We quickly made it to benefit both pantries,” explained Friar.
Other parents, such as Miles Lindberg’s mother, play a large part in the event.
“It was less that I contributed to the drive and more of my mom contributing to the drive. She would stand outside every day where the trailer would be and she would collect donations and I would sometimes be along for that to support, but I haven’t been doing as much [this year],” said Lindberg.
When first started in 2015, the drive finished with a trailer and car full of products to take to Traverse City High School.
“Our first year was the most successful. Not sure why, maybe because it was new. Every year we have been able to fill West’s shelves to overflowing and take at least one car load of items to TC High,” said Friar.
However, this year was not the most rewarding. Friar feels as though she could have done better.
“Perhaps my only regret is not getting the word out more. Some people said they didn’t know about it until they saw the sign/trailer at school,” she said.
Student and current band member Jacob Varner, however, feels as though the goal
of reaching out has been met.
“Not in the whole community, but enough people in the whole school [knew about it],” said Varner.
On the other hand, he felt as though usage of the internet could have broadcast the word further.
“Social media [could have gotten the word out more],” he said.
From the beginning and onward, the trailer and the car have yet to not be filled. If any perishable food is donated, it doesn’t go to waste.
“If something is expired sadly we have to throw it away. If a perishable food is donated we make sure that goes to TC High. They have a refrigerator that it can be put in,” Friar said.
This drive will continue to happen, hopefully becoming more and more successful as the years go on.
“Sometimes I think people think it’s just a band thing. It’s not, it’s meant for everyone at the school to help out,” Friar ended.
Graphic: C.McCaffery
Students Sign Up for ASL Club
Blase Gapinski/Daniel Rosa
gapinskibla42@tcapsstudent.net
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Jennifer Campbell started teaching at the high school level a bit differently than others.
“I got into teaching backwards, so I started out as a social worker and came here and couldn’t find a job in my field so I started teaching because I knew sign language. The position had been open for a while and I went back to teaching because I fell in love with these yahoo’s [Campbell’s students] and I really just enjoy it very much,” said Campbell.
As well as being one of the school’s ASL teacher, Campbell is also the director of the ASL club. Campbell and the club have put on events to try and get others to learn and be more involved with the deaf community.
“I would say that the outcomes for the various events that we’ve had were better than expected. We have done things like movies where we’ve gone to the AMC theater and seen movies that had closed captioning right on the screen which I never thought was a possibility, so that was pretty cool because that was something that we started,” said Campbell.
She believes that getting ASL learners out and interacting with deaf people is great for the club.
“I think what changes is we are having more of a presence in the community so it’s a chance for sign language students and sign language learners to get out and interact with deaf people which is something we are lacking, so it’s not really about the number of members we have in the club, it’s really about the opportunities the students have to get real-world exposure and interacting with deaf people,” said Campbell.
Campbell expresses that even students that don’t know sign language should try the club out.
“Yeah, it’s really great because we have had kids who don’t take an ASL class join the club and it’s really fun because we get to start from
the beginning and it’s even great for ASL one students who only know a few things, but they get to teach them how to fingerspell and kind of just start from the beginning.”
President of the ASL club, Alden Wack, also got into learning ASL in a different way.
“Freshman year I took Chinese and I hated that. My next choice was Sign Language so I took that Sophomore year. I kind of just fell in love with it,” said Wack.
Wack believes the club is preparing him for his future career path and can help him and others achieve better people skills.
“I’m going to be going to Lansing Community College to become an interpreter. Sophomore year I joined ASL club which has changed a lot since then. I became the president of ASL club and I’ve just been helping to create different and more events for being with the deaf community and getting more experience,” said Wack.
Many who join this club and class have little experience with the deaf community. Student Kate Zanavich lives her everyday life with her deaf father. Zanavich talked about some of the problems that she has experienced throughout her life.
“It occasionally is really hard unless you know sign language and not being able to like scream across the room to get someone’s attention. You aren’t able to do that so it’s just communication,” said Zanavich.
Zanavich has helped out in the ASL and Deaf community before. She has helped out as an assistant in the club.
“Sometimes I go to the ASL club. I haven’t been attending but I’ve went before, but the second way is helping the teacher as an assistant and just helping her as much as I can,” said Zanavich.
Zanavich believes that being apart of this club and class can help with real-world skills.
“It teaches them what ASL is like in real life and I think that it helps students who want to know ASL more to become better with their knowledge of ASL,” said Zanavich.
Students Strategize to Stay Safe Online
Despite the dangers present online, students use
social media anyway and have to take responsibility for their personal online safety.
Hope Thompson
thompsonhop04@tcapsstudent.net
Teenagers are aware that they should have boundaries online. According to a recent survey of West students, 85 percent of students actively avoid particular people, websites, and activities online. Still, these boundaries get crossed all the time.
“I know I’ll get away with it,” said student Mary Mills*, in reference to talking to strangers online. “I don’t talk to people I don’t know for the most part… but when I’m bored I want to meet new people.”
Knowing the identity of people they are talking to online should be a top priority for teenagers, according to Detective Nathan Ritter from the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office. Currently Ritter is assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program, which operates in Traverse City and across the nation to investigate crimes happening online in which children and teens are the victims.
“I believe that they need to know who they’re speaking to when they’re online,” Ritter said. Talking to strangers on the internet can lead to ”getting caught up in conversations where you know the person on the other end is just trying to get information from you or extort images of you and personal information from you.”
Some students are very conscientious of this reality, and they take measures to protect themselves on social media, like Carmen Watson*, who keeps all of her social media accounts private.
“A lot of people don’t have private Instagram accounts, which I think is the easiest thing to do to avoid
being affected negatively on social media,” she said.
A little more than 60 percent of West students keep their social media accounts private, leaving a significant portion of students with public accounts.
“I would rather see that at 100 percent,” Ritter said. “I think everybody should keep it private, and once again, only accept those individuals as friends that you know of, that you know who they are.”
But for many teenagers, the responsibility of deciding what should be kept private online is overwhelming.
“I feel like people don’t know what should be private and what shouldn’t stay private,” Mills said. “I think I have a problem with that too—not knowing what a good boundary for my privacy is.”
One important limitation to keep in mind surrounds inappropriate photos. Ritter claims this is the biggest issue he sees concerning teenagers and internet safety.
“What we’re finding is that if there’s a boyfriend and girlfriend, and an inappropriate photo has been sent, later on, the two of them break up, and now the guy has a photo of the girl, and sometimes he has shared that with other people,” Ritter said. “When he does that, he’s committing a crime. What teenagers also need to know is that when you send inappropriate photos of yourself that are sexually explicit, they have committed a crime by what’s called manufacturing. Because [you’re] under the age of eighteen, you cannot take photos of yourself and send them to other individuals that are inappropriate.”
Among students, there seems to be a consensus that much of what causes them uneasiness online relates to sexually explicit images or messages. “If I care about someone or if I know a friend, and they ask me for inappropriate pictures… that makes me uncomfortable,” Mills said. “That’s crossing a boundary for me. Then it feels like that relationship is ruined. When people send unsolicited pictures too. I don’t like that. I don’t like when guys just send d*** pics without consent.”
Watson mentions this is especially a problem on social media.
“You get nudes on DMs all the time. People do. I feel like I know a lot of people that just receive random DMs,” Watson said. “Usually it’s a request for a DM and you can decline it, but you still see it. So if you’re a young kid with Instagram getting this stuff, I feel like that’s kind of dangerous and that’s harming someone’s adolescence.”
In response to a survey question asking students what aspects of certain online interactions made them uncomfortable, answers included “messages on Snapchat from boys asking for nudes,” “weird men flirting,” and “a lot of creepy men messaging me.” The references to men being the instigators in these responses reflect a trend that Ritter has noticed in his work.
“I think it’s fair to say that girls are more of the victims when it comes to the internet crimes,” Ritter said. “Speaking once again to the inappropriate pictures, the women are normally the victim of those images that are being sent around to numerous people. The guys are sometimes trying to extort those images as well from girls.”
There are certain warnings of malicious intent that teen
girls should pay attention to online.
“What I have found in a lot of the text threads that I see, people have really grabbed a girl’s attention—and this can be [a] red flag—with how they consistently tell them how wonderful they are or how beautiful or gorgeous they are, especially when they start asking for photos,” Ritter said.
As for advice for young people just starting to use social media and participate in online interaction, it varies from student to student. Watson’s advice: simply don’t start using social media at all.
“I wish that I hadn’t started using it,” Watson said. “It’s pointless.”
Mills’ advice is to avoid strangers, as she recognizes her mistakes doing this in the past.
“Don’t start talking to random people,” she said. “I feel like I’ve made some bad choices too, sending things to people I shouldn’t or having conversations with people I shouldn’t. Don’t talk to people you shouldn’t.”
Ritter has hopes that in the future, more teenagers will follow advice like this.
“We need to somehow find a way to relay the information to teenagers that privacy is important,” he said.
*Names have been changed to protect students
If you think you have been a victim of an internet crime, reach out to Ok2Say:
Phone: 855-565-2729
Website: www.mi.gov/ok2say
or search for “ok2say” on the app store
Contention within School Board Leads to Resignation
Sam Fikes
fikessam15@tcapsstudent.net
Tensions have been building within the school board over the last several weeks, and TCAPS
Superintendent, Ann Cardon, has resigned from office.
Board Trustee, Erica Moon Mohr, claims that recent criticisms on Cardon are a “bullying campaign” that was launched by Board President, Sue Kelly, in a letter addressed to her colleagues of which Mohr asks for the resignation of two.
“Knowing Ann’s position on the School Finance Research Collaborative (SFRC), Sue looked for opportunities to bully and attack Ann in discourse,” Mohr said. These disagreements arose in the board following budgetary disagreements between district Superintendent Cardon and four of seven TCAPS Board of Education (BOE) members, including President Kelly and Vice President Jane Klegman. Under the Soma administration, TCAPS condemned a narrative released by the SFRC. During a board meeting on Sept. 23, Cardon appeared to be in support of the SFRC. This created a power struggle between more than half of the Board of Ed. and Superintendent Cardon. Kelly called the SFRC narrative .“inaccurate” and “misinforming” in the May 13 resolution condemning it. “Districts were pleased with the consent formula that came out, although there is always hope for a more weighted formula,” Cardon said during the Sept. 23 board meeting. According to Mohr, Kelly used this statement and others as an excuse to malign Cardon’s character and systematically attack her. “Sue took the opportunity to call every BOE member and build a bullying campaign against her,” said Mohr. “Sue let every BOE member know her disgust with Ann.” Tensions reached a high point on Friday, Oct. 11 during a board meeting called by President Sue Kelly. The nearly 100 strong audience erupted when Kelly attempted to silence Mohr as she read from the letter she had addressed to board trustees, and again when Kelly attempted to adjourn the meeting without public comment. Mohr was threatened repeatedly with a misdemeanor charge for violation of the Open Meetings Act (OMA). The individuals making a public comment, accused board members of using the OMA to obscure transparency with the community. When board members refused to move the closed session of the meeting under the public eye, members of the crowd shouted “cowards” as they went behind closed doors. Retired band director, Pat Brumbaugh, attended the meeting on Friday. “What I have seen is cancer, a cancer that has gone into some of the upper echelons of the administration and of the school board and of the union,” said Brumbaugh. “I’ve seen great people leave because they are disgusted. You know who you are. This is a cancer in this school district.” Following the release of Mohr’s letter through local news, there has been a heightened sense of contention in the community towards four of the seven members currently on the TCAPS board, particularly Kelly and Klegman. There is already a movement petitioning to remove four of our district’s board members. “This is so embarrassing,” Mohr said. “It’s absolutely humiliating. No one is going to come to lead this district unless changes happen at the board level period.”
Mohr wrote a letter asking for the resignation of president Kelly and vice president Klegman.
“Your [Kelly and Klegman] actions toward Ann have been outrageous,” Morh wrote. “You continue to speak and act in an unprofessional and counterproductive manner. Our kids and our community deserve better. If we are to move forward, the two of you are to step down. Your presence on this BOE taints the entire TCAPS district, which we are sworn to serve. We need to consider the future of this district and we will never attract a new superintendent until there is a change on this board. The dysfunction is well known, and the community knows what took place this week. Your actions continue to shame our entire district. I am asking that you both step down so TCAPS can move past this disgrace.”
Another board meeting on Thursday, Oct. 17 was further evidence of public dissatisfaction with the TCAPS Board. The meeting started with a public comment in which community members voiced concern for the recent events that have transpired. Former band director Flournoy Humphreys spoke during the public comment section of Thursday’s meeting, calling for the resignation of Board President Kelly, Vice President Klegman, Trustee Pam Forton, and Trustee Jeff Leonhardt. Humphreys also claimed that the teachers side with Mohr, in opposition to a previous statement by current Teacher’s Union Leader Allyson McBride-Culver. “[Addressing McBride-Culver] You talk to your teachers, and you find out who they support. And it’s Erica Moon Mohr and Ann Cardon. Ann Cardon, like Pat Brumbaugh said earlier, is the best thing that has happened to TCAPS in years, and you have run her away,” said Humphreys.
The Oct. 17 meeting was called during a time when many parents and teachers were unable to voice their opinion, as there were a large number of them attending parent-teacher conferences. Many community members pointed this out in their speaking, claiming that many of the individuals who would be voicing support for Cardon and Mohr were not present because of this. One community member even read the speech of a friend and teacher who was unable to attend but wanted to voice their opinion.
Kelly has been asked repeatedly to comment on recent altercations within the board and during Friday’s meeting, but has, for the most part, remained unresponsive. Kelly claims that she did not bully Superintendent Cardon and that the reason for her resignation had to do with concerns of privacy, and information disclosed in a closed session. As for the current Interim Superintendent, former Superintendent Jim Pavelka has been unanimously elected, possessing more than 26 years of experience in the job overall. He started his new role on Friday, Oct. 18. Pavelka has made it clear that he wants to ensure that students are left undisturbed during this administration change, and states that he plans to focus less on the past and more on the future.
Honoring the Flag?
“I’m not going to focus too much on the past, I’m going to focus on the future. I’m gonna make sure this district keeps moving forward,” said Pavelka. Pavelka met personally and briefly with BOE President Kelly before assuming his role as Interim Superintendent, and also spoke briefly with BOE Vice President Klegman. “I don’t see any agenda or any kind of conspiracy or any of those kind of things, I have not seen that. I see a group of people that were elected to do a job, and they seem to be doing it.” said Pavelka, stating the situation was contentious, and that time should be given for facts to come out. Mohr expressed that although she would have conducted the process of filling the superintendency differently, she agrees with the decision to appoint Pavelka. Kelly has stated that no timeline is currently present for the hire of a new Superintendent. In terms of the financial impact of these decisions, it could be rather steep. A settlement has been reached with Cardon, but it has not been disclosed how much this settlement will be.
Honoring those who served in morning announcements and at the Patriot Game.
Football Players carry the flag horizontally across the field for the patriot game. Photo: Tess Crowley
Sonny Hawthorn
hawthornead@tcapsstudent.net
Nationally, the country is divided on how to respect the flag, the National Anthem, and those who serve. With the NFL protests, the hot topic keeps rising to the surface as the football season takes off.
The controversy of whether one should stand for The Pledge of Allegiance in first hour has gone on in the school since 2013, when Governor Snyder signed into law that all classrooms must have a flag displayed, and the school must offer the opportunity to recite the Pledge. A recent change to how the Pledge is read over the announcements has led to more students standing.
Each morning, before school announcements, the pledge is read, usually by Sparta principal, Charles Kolbusz. It is up to students to decide if they want to stand, recite the Pledge, or place their hand over their heart, and they are not required to do any of those things. In late October, the announcements changed, and now, before reciting the Pledge, the speaker asks the students to “Please stand as we honor….” and gives the name of someone who has served. Students can ask for a friend or family member to be honored, and can even recite the pledge in the morning if they choose to.
Choosing to stand or sit is each student’s prerogative.
“I stand for the flag because it shows respect to the troops,” sophomore Dominic Howell said. “I've just always done it."
​
But sophomore Danna Martinez has her own reasons for sitting in out. She chooses to sit as a protest to what she feels in an unjust treatment of both citizens and people of the Mexican descent.
“There’s a lot of deportation going on [in the United States] and people are being separated from their families,” she said. “People are calling us rapists and all this stuff, so I don’t stand.”
Football and patriotism seem to go hand-in-hand, and the national debate over the NFL players kneeling for the Anthem has taken center stage. The annual Patriot Game held at Thirlby Field is about honoring Veterans and first responders. For the opening ceremony, students wear red, white, and blue to honor those who serve, and a huge flag is carried onto the field.
Hours before the game, Head Principal Joe Esper talked with the school about honoring the flag at the school’s biggest game. He asked students to respect the flag, not wear it, or ball it up and toss it in the stands during the Patriot game. His call for respect fell in line with US Flag code §176 (d): “The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free.” His comments also reminded fans about section (i): “No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform.”
“I was trying to be proactive,” Esper said
about his address to the students. “What happens is there’s no student section in the middle school, so kids come to high school and they get excited about being a part of “The Bleacher Creatures,” but there is no other form besides pep assembly to educate people on [how to respect the flag]. In the past, at both West and Central, we’ve gotten complaints from Veterans and active service people about the stuff kids do during the Pledge. When they say that, they are often projecting some intent on it, like: here’s a student trying to be disrespectful by bunching up the flag in their hand and shaking it.”
As West and Central prepared for the big game, the J.V. and Freshman team members carried an enormous flag across the field at the opening ceremony. Surely, at that time, no one was thinking about US Flag code §176 (c), which states that “the flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.” While the U.S. code of respecting the flag may not have been carried out, it didn’t seem to matter as it was carried past the Veterans and first responders that the community came to honor.
While no ill harm is meant by carrying the flag horizontally onto the field, or by students wearing T-shirts or bandanas with the flag on it, in the truest sense, they are breaking from the U.S. Flag code. In the spirit of patriotism, these forms, along with the new morning announcements, are a way for students to show respect and love for their country.
FDA and school's response to e-cigarettes and vaping
By Shea Keyser
​
In mid-September the FDA launched a new campaign regarding the dangers of e-cigarettes. The Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan aimed to shed light on the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use by setting forth a new, comprehensive effort aimed at educating kids about the dangers of e-cigarettes. According to the FDA news release, “The campaign targets nearly 10.7 million youth, aged 12-17, who have used e-cigarettes or are open to trying them, and features hard-hitting advertising on digital and social media sites popular among teens, as well as placing posters with e-cigarette prevention messages in high schools across the nation.”
The school district was not far behind in notifying students and parents of the dangers of e-cigeratte use and sent out an email to families in the community with warning, specifically on using JUUL’s, which have been growing in popularity within the school. On Sept. 8 it sent out the following message:
Good Evening Families & Friends of WSH Students:
E-cigarettes or vape pens are small battery-powered devices that disperse nicotine and other associated chemicals that users can inhale. Originally developed as a “safe” alternative to traditional tobacco use, e-cigarettes and vape pens are steadily gaining tremendous popularity amongst teens. These devices heat up flavored liquids producing vapors - not actual smoke. Nevertheless, the State of Michigan has established laws prohibiting their use on public grounds and institutions, including school campuses. The Surgeon General of the United States has classified these devices as tobacco products and cautions against their use. (https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/documents/SGR_ECig_ParentTipSheet_508.pdf).
The Traverse City Area Public Schools’ Board of Education and TCAPS Student Handbook classifies e-cigarettes, vape pens, and similar devices as tobacco products as well. Therefore, the School Code of Conduct applies and may result in extra-curricular and co-curricular performance penalties for students who use them.
Parents, please take a moment to review the TCAPS Secondary Handbook, (https://www.tcaps.net/downloads/district/secondary_handbook.pdf) and speak with your student about the implications of using these devices on school grounds as well as their health.
Realizing the danger of e-cigarettes, the FDA announced that it was considering a ban on flavored e-cigarettes from Juuls and others as the agency grapples with an “epidemic” of youth e-cigarette use that threatens to create a new generation of nicotine addicts.
Juuling is the most popular form of vaping and one reason they are growing in popularity might be that they are small and compact, and they are merchandised toward the youth. With flavors that are appealing to youngsters like cool mint, frostbite, mango, etc. More students are trying them, and before long, they are addicted.
According to Principal Joe Esper, besides the negative health impacts, there are consequences for students who are caught with them.
“The consequences are usually in school suspension the first time,” Esper said. “If you’re caught with a vape it's the same as getting caught with cigarettes or marijuana or anything else that is banned in the handbook.”
Juuls contain 5 percent nicotine (50 nic) and according to the FDA, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product by youth. The FDA claims that more than 2 million middle and high school students were current users of e-cigarettes in 2017, and now believes that youth use of e-cigarettes is reaching epidemic proportions.
While e-cigarette use is on the rise, the school is on track to educate families about the dangers of nicotine use. Besides the email that was sent home to families, teachers have been trained to spot students using e-cigarette products in the school, and new devices have been installed to detect vaping in areas that are common for students to vape.