Merriam Ave fifth graders kick butts!

Newton - Kids at Merriam Avenue school know that “just say no” has never been enough when it comes to cigarette smoking. They need knowledge and encouragement. For the past four years, fifth graders have participated in a national campaign to educate and empower young children against smoking. The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids is a national organization which offers information and activities free of charge to anyone- schools, communities, other organizations, even a group of concerned parents- who wishes to help America’s youth steer clear of smoking. According to their website, each day 4,000 children try smoking, and 1,000 of them become regular, daily smokers. When physical education teacher, Mary Meska, arrived at Merriam Avenue, she organized the school’s first Kick Butts day. Last Wednesday saw an hour of activities for the fifth graders to let loose while learning about the dangers of smoking. There were 10 physical activities with flags posted near each one explaining how it emphasizes to “just saying no”. The kids were in small groups and rotated around the gym to each activity, which included Knock ‘em Out Butt Bowling, Elbow wrestling, Tug o’War, and a Back to Back Push -”can someone push you over the line to smoke?” Meska was manning a station where kids had to squeeze a tennis ball for one minute, then 30 seconds more, to feel how hard the heart of a smoker has to work. There were also stations for the kids to simply learn from. Smoking Suzie, operated by a volunteer parent, was a puppet that smoked a real cigarette into a test tube to show how much tar goes into your lungs from just one cigarette. The overall reaction of the kids was “yuck”. Shelley Stewart, a representative from the Center for Tobacco Prevention, was on hand taking mini Polaroids of the kids which were put on Communities Against Tobacco promise cards as the kids came away from signing a giant Pledge banner. Kids also got to place their votes for their favorite Funny Face. Educating the children about the dangers of smoking is a very important issue for Meska. She used to be a “social smoker,” and knows first hand how awful it is. And as a teacher, “I detest smoking, it turns my stomach, and I believe it is the first step to drug use, most kids start with tobacco.” She hears her students complain about the parents smoking habits, too, and can smell the second hand smoke on their clothing. “So many parents smoke, and I’ve seen them in the car with the windows closed smoking with the kids inside. It appalls me.” The winners of the Funny Face Contest were as follows: 1st place- Richard Murra, 2nd place - Stephen Frangieh., 3rd place - Gary Nesta, and 4th place - Mackenzie Kratszch.