Some Buffalo Grove junior high school pupils are trying to make a difference in their community by putting a stop to underaged smoking.
Cooper Junior High School pupils recently established a smoke-free committee to steer kids away from smoking and encourage those who have started to stop.
The pupils have held a petition drive to get signatures that they will present to the Village Board asking trustees to pass an ordinance prohibiting underage smoking.
The problem, as the pupils see it, is that junior high school smokers leave Cooper and smoke on nearby properties, creating a bad impression for younger children.
“I see (kids) smoking outside every day I leave school, and it’s not a good influence on the younger kids,” said committee member Brad Cutler, 13.
Colleague Scott Horwitz, 14, added: “I have friends who smoke, and I think it’s a real bad influence on other people in the school who don’t.”
Pupils said they believe the smoke-free campaign is making a difference.
The 25-member committee of 7th and 8th graders organized a number of activities in March for Love Your Lungs Week, said Principal Kathy Schoenwetter.
The petition drive received more than 300 signatures. The pupils also held a jelly bean contest for 10 cents a guess. Seventh grader Justin Stern picked the exact amount: 999, winning some candy. Licorice sticks were sold for 50 cents apiece to encourage pupils to “jump into a new habit,” Schoenwetter said.
The pupils’ efforts brought in more than $100 that will be donated to the American Cancer Society. They also held a scavenger hunt in which clues about smoking led to a prize.
In March, the Wheeling Elementary School District 21 board passed a resolution supporting the pupils’ efforts.
