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Bringing the Great American Smokeout into the Classroom

The importance of the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout is easily recognizable. The event has been instrumental in educating the public about the dangers of smoking, creating anti-tobacco legislation, and challenging smokers across the nation to quit. However, it can often be difficult to incorporate the Great American Smokeout into a classroom setting. Since students are not legally able to smoke, it may seem unimportant to celebrate the event in school. However, the Great American Smokeout may be more important for middle school and high school students than for any other demographic.

According to the American Cancer Society, smoking behavior develops in stages beginning in sixth grade. Supporting data collected by the CDC in 2007 reveals that by high school, 20 percent of students already consider themselves cigarette smokers. As a result, students need to be educated about the dangers of smoking before they reach high school. Students who stay smoke-free while in school will probably never start smoking. The Great American Smokeout is an opportunity to begin anti-tobacco education and encourage students to pledge to remain tobacco free. The American Cancer Society recommends celebrating the Great American Smokeout on November 19th by incorporating the following ideas:

Youth Contests

• Hold a contest for the best stop-smoking creation: a poster, essay, song, debate, radio or TV commercial, home video, editorial, poem, slogan, banner, cartoon, joke, comedy routine, nonsmoking pledge, or rap.
• Work with local radio or TV stations to sponsor a public service announcement (PSA) contest. Students will write the script for the PSA and a local radio/TV station will produce it. The winning entry will be broadcast during the news on Thursday, November 19, as part of the Great American Smokeout celebrations in your community. Be sure and coordinate with your local American Cancer Society communications staff person if you want to contact the media.
• Work with a local outdoor advertising company to sponsor a billboard design contest. Students will create an antismoking billboard that the outdoor advertising company will put on billboards as part of local Smokeout celebrations.
• Have a contest between students and teachers in which students challenge teachers who smoke to quit. If student smokers are willing to identify themselves, this contest can also work between students.
• Hold a contest for the best persuasive letter students write to their parents asking them to quit smoking. Ask the local paper to print the winning letter on the day of Smokeout. Work with your local American Cancer Society office to implement these ideas, to serve as contest judges.
• Work with cheerleaders to develop anti-tobacco cheers. Hold a district-wide cheerleading competition. Select winning cheers to share on your local TV PSA, media event, or radio message.

Youth Activities

• Incorporate anti-tobacco education into classroom activities such as:
  — smoking experiments in Science
  — essays on smoking in English
  — smoking equations in Math
  — effects of smoking in Health
  — review of cigarette ads to determine whom tobacco companies target with their ads in Social Studies
  — review of tobacco issues in current events
• Have students research and write stories for the school newspaper about the social and health consequences of smoking.
• Invite a motivational speaker who has "quit the habit" to motivate students and encourage them to say no. The speaker can talk about how he/she quit successfully and how quitting smoking has improved his/her life.
• Ask the school newspaper to cover tobacco issues, including health effects, cost of using tobacco, social ramifications, and the marketing practices of the tobacco industry.
• Put on a Smokeout comedy show at a school assembly. Aspiring stand-up comedians can perform routines and skits about how difficult it is to quit smoking and how many people die from tobacco use.
• Organize high school and middle school students to put on a show for elementary school students in your district. The older kids learn from writing and producing a show while the younger kids learn from people they look up to.
• Encourage students to "adopt" their parents or other loved ones that smoke. Students can promise to provide moral support and keep a watchful eye on those who are trying to quit as part of the Great American Smokeout.
• Invite high school athletes, cheerleaders, and band members to talk to elementary or middle school students about why they don't smoke.