JACKSON, MI – Students in Jackson County’s Most Teens Don’t organization planted black flags at their schools and other locations this week to encourage people to reduce tobacco use.
Students from da Vinci Institute, Jackson, Grass Lake, Hanover-Horton, Springport and Western high schools and the Middle School at Parkside planted 40 flags each at different locations to represent the number of people who die each day in Michigan from chemicals in tobacco smoke, said Wendy Murdock, Drug Free Communities coordinator.
Most of the flags were planted at the schools, but Jackson High School students put theirs in front of the United Way of Jackson County, 536 N. Jackson St.
Students also created displays at their schools that included examples of household products, such as toilet cleaner, moth balls and hair dyes, that have the same chemicals in them as tobacco smoke, Murdock said.
“Both projects will have high impact and will be a great visual for students, staff and the entire community,” Murdock said in a press release. “Every student we can keep from smoking will help prevent a lifetime of poor health, higher health care expense and unnecessary family tragedy.”
Students coordinated their efforts around the national “Kick Butts Day” on Wednesday, March 20, which is organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
Most Teens Don’t is supported locally by such groups as the Jackson County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition and United Way of Jackson County, and is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Drug-Free Communities Support Program grant.