By Audrey Levine Staff Writer
Achieving a strike or spare is no longer just about knocking down 10 pins with a bowling ball, as students are finding they are much more proud of striking out a smoking habit.
”Strike out smoking … spare a life” joined together more than 250 Somerset County high-school and middle-school students for a day of bowling and testimony about why they have chosen to remain tobacco-free.
The event was sponsored by REBEL/REBEL2, two youth-led organizations that allow teenagers the opportunities to prevent and reduce the spread of tobacco use among their peers.
According to Lauren Connolly, the Somerset County coordinator for the statewide group, REBEL which stands for Reaching Everyone By Exposing Lies holds two events each year where it invites all county chapters together for the cause.
”We bring together 15 school-based chapters of REBEL in Somerset County,” she said. “We are united as a county to fight against big tobacco companies that market to teenagers.”
During the event, which was held on Dec. 7 at Strike-n-Spare Lanes in Green Brook, Ms. Connolly said students from all over the county, including Hillsborough and Manville, shared testimony about why they joined the organization, while public service announcements were played to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking and second-hand smoke. In addition, she said, a rally was held where students gathered together to chant the organization’s slogan, “Not for sale.”
”Everyone had a great time,” she said, explaining that students also had the opportunity to bowl with friends. “This event shows the students’ dedication and passion to show awareness and prove the lies of the tobacco companies.”
Anna Mahler, advisor for the Hillsborough Middle School chapter of REBEL2, said the students not only enjoyed the eventitself, but were proud to be able to interact with the high-school students who are part of the other chapters.
”The kids loved it, and were able to meet kids from other schools in the county,” she said. “It used to be that bowling alleys were havens for smokers, so it was nice to go to one without smokers.”
According to Karen Lane-Nerod, advisor for the program in Manville High School and Alexander Batcho Intermediate School, the students were happy to see other participants from around the county.
”The main piece of the program was to see how many other kids in the county are involved in the program,” she said. “They get to see the bigger picture and can network with others.”
Ms. Connolly said REBEL, a program in high schools, and REBEL2, designed for middle-school students, is a chance for students to gather to implement programs in their respective schools that warn their peers of the dangers of smoking.
For example, she said, some schools have sent petitions to different teenage magazines that print cigarette advertisements, encouraging them to stop endorsing the tobacco companies.
”The petitions say that the students don’t appreciate this,” she said. “The organization does a lot of awareness programs.”
In addition to reaching out to outside sources, Ms. Connolly said the organization allows students to speak with their peers about the harmful effects of smoking. She said some high-school students participate in a reading and mentoring program, in which they visit kindergarten through second-grade students, and complete activities about secondhand smoke.
”They do peer-to-peer education in high school, and in middle school it is part of a curriculum (to teach their peers and younger students),” she said. “A lot of students join because they are affected by smoking in some way, and others just want to make a difference and get the word out.”
For those wishing to continue in the program in college, Ms. Connolly said there is a REBELU in several colleges in New Jersey.
”The really unique thing is that there is no other program like this where you can transition between groups with age,” she said. “A student can be in it from sixth grade through college.”
Ms. Mahler said that in Hillsborough Middle School, students are nominated by their peers and teachers for having leadership qualities. Once nominated, they can choose to fill out an application to participate in REBEL2, or other programs dealing with alcohol awareness and bully prevention.
”The organization meets weekly and trains them to go into the fourth grade classrooms,” she said. “They present lessons about how to say no, as well as about the lies of the tobacco industry.”
In Hillsborough High School, advisor Gilbert Pilarte said the program is open to any students wishing to join.
”The overall goal of the program is to reduce smoking among youth and bring awareness to the impact smoking has on people,” he said. “Students meet two times a month and develop projects to help bring awareness to their school and community.”
Ms. Lane-Nerod said the program is open to anyone wishing to participate in the Manville schools and right now she has 24 high-school students and 11 middle-school students participating.
”When we started the program last year, it sounded interesting,” she said. “A lot of the kids have personal stories about smokers in their families. If it’s not personal, the students join because they are just against smoking.”
Ms. Mahler said the 23 students in her school’s organization are simply doing what they can to educate people and hopefully make a difference. She said several students have reported that a family member has stopped smoking because of what they have heard from their loved ones through REBEL.
”It is empowering for the students,” she said. “The fourth graders look at them like they are celebrities, and many still remember the presentations when they get to sixth grade. The members feel good that they are making a difference.”
