Puppet show, ‘Through with Chew’ warn against tobacco
By Brandi Miller For the FCT
Elementary students at Red Bay High School were recently treated to a puppet show focusing on the dangers of tobacco, and middle school students learned about the dangers of smokeless tobacco in a presentation by Junior SADD members.
Tobacco grant coordinator Christopher Hargett has been working diligently with Red Bay students, educating them about the many different dangers associated with tobacco use, and he took the opportunity through puppets to try and reach the younger children.
“I hope all students learned that tobacco and secondhand smoke is not good for their health, as the main message from the puppet program,” said Hargett.
The puppet show, which took place Feb, 16, focused on topics like how tobacco, smoking and secondhand smoke can harm a person’s health. The puppets talked about how secondhand smoke and the use of tobacco can affect the way a person looks, cause people to have cancer and other serious illnesses and cause difficulty breathing.
The puppet show was written by former RBHS teacher Phoebe Harrison, and the various parts were performed by students at RBHS. Jodi Shotts played the part of the cat, and Jean Burney played the part of the dog. The boy puppet was voiced by Max Bullen, while the girl puppet was voiced by Mary Moore. Katie Kelton delivered the introduction to the students before the puppet show began.
“I was impressed at how well all students were actively engaged during the program,” said Hargett. Hargett also sang the praises of the cast for the puppet show, noting that they spent several weeks practicing for the performance.
At the conclusion of the puppet show, the elementary teachers were complimentary of Hargett and his efforts and said they would like to see more of the same types of programs in the future for the elementary students.
Many times, teenagers do not consider smokeless tobacco to be as harmful as other types of tobacco, making it a common, deadly habit among teenagers. As part of reaching young Red Bay students before they begin making those kinds of harmful choices, RBHS participated in “Through with Chew Week” with the hopes of educating more students about the dangers of smokeless tobacco and why students should stay away.
The RBHS Junior SADD members presented a smokeless tobacco presentation March 7 to members of the fifth and sixth grades classes, with the intention of educating their peers on the dangers of smokeless tobacco.
“The Junior SADD officers did a good job presenting,” said RBHS tobacco grant coordinator Christopher Hargett. “The presentation was a great opportunity to educate students about smokeless tobacco.”
Junior SADD officers spoke about the ingredients of smokeless tobacco while providing a visual aide in the form of a tri-fold board. The visual aide helped to enhance the speech by providing the fifth and sixth grade students with a visual that will hopefully stay with them for years to come.
“The program sent a positive message of how students should make good choices now so they won’t suffer the effects of tobacco use in the future,” said fifth grade teacher Ginger Cole.
Junior SADD officer members are Will West, Lawson Glover, Gretchen Davis, Braden Holcombe and Cassidy Aldridge.
