Ally Dansereau, Rachel Nakshian, Kayla Kelliher

Ms. Kusinitz

Writing 104

January 12 2018

Cumberland High School: Up in smoke

Mrs. Otis, the secretary at Cumberland High School briefly interrupts the school day with

an announcement, “Just a quick message from Officer Kolek regarding vaping. If any student is

found with a vape on school grounds, they will be reported to the police department

immediately.” Messages like these have become frequent at Cumberland High School due to the

recent surge of students who have been found

vaping on school grounds. Vaping has

become a controversial issue throughout the

nation, but now it has infiltrated the halls of

Cumberland High School.

Vaping is the use of e-cigarettes

or vaporizers used to breathe in nicotine.

The Washington Post defines these

vaporizers as “devices that heat up small

quantities of liquid or oil until they

produce an inhalable vapor (Ingraham).”

These liquids, often referred to as juices,

come in a variety of flavors and often

contain nicotine.
 While the concept of the e-cigarette emerged in 1927 when invented by Joseph Robinson,

it became popularized in 1963 by Herbert Gilburt (“Vaping – A Journey Through its History”).

Though vaping has been on the rise since the early 2000s, in the past few years the vaping trend

has exploded across American youth.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, not only are youth far more

likely to use e-cigarettes than adults, but “more than 2 million U.S. middle and high school

students used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days” in the United States (“Electronic Cigarettes”).

The New York Times reported in their article, “ “Use of E-Cigarettes by Young People Is Major

Concern, Surgeon General Declares,” that “ In 2015, nearly 38 percent of high schoolers

reported having tried an e-cigarette at least once” and this number has only been rising since

(Ritchell).

It is apparent that vapes have become a widespread trend among American youth, but

questions have begun to arise regarding the possible health risks associated with vaping. The

New York Times went on to say that “E-cigarettes, which turn nicotine into inhalable vapor,

can harm developing brains of teenagers who use them”(Ritchell). The article also highlights a

recent report by the Surgeon General claiming vape use can cause “a constellation of nicotine-

induced neural and behavioral alterations”(Ritchell).

While many believe vaping could pose possible health risks, many see the rise of vaping

among adolescents as a positive. The use of traditional cigarettes among adolescents has

plummeted in recent years, and many sources attribute this decline to the rise in popularity of

vapes. According to the Washington Post, “a fair amount of evidence suggests that vaping is less

harmful to individuals than smoking traditional cigarettes”(Ingraham). Additionally, the LA

Times notes that “nicotine, when you take it by vaping, is less dangerous than when you smoke
combustible tobacco”(Kaplan). Many see vaping as a much less harmful alternative to traditional

cigarettes, therefore making it a positive for the health of American adolescents.

There is no denying that vaping, though controversial, has become immensely popular

among American youth, but it is still unclear whether or not this nation-wide trend has affected

Cumberland High School.

Scott Carpenter, a

dean at Cumberland High

School, has played a vital

role in trying to stop the

ongoing problem of vaping

within the walls of the

school.

When asked in which grade vaping is the most prevalent, he said he catches more freshman than

anyone else. He believes this is the case because freshman tend to be more immature than the

upperclassman and aren’t used to facing such harsh consequences coming from the middle

school. From this, he said, “we catch an average of 3 a week, however, that varies and some days

can be more than others, for example, we may catch 5 in one day.”

There has been a decrease in the number of kids actually getting caught after an

announcement made by school police officer, Kevin Kolek, warning students about the

consequences that come along with getting caught with a vape on school grounds. Carpenter

strongly believes that vaping has become an epidemic throughout the school. He says, “It use to

not be much of an issue at school, but more so at sporting events and in parking lots. Only in the

past year or two is vaping becoming more prevalent. Students are seen using smaller things like
juuls because they are easier to hide, you are less likely to see a student with a mod, which is a

lot bigger.”

When asked if he saw an effect within the learning environment of the students, the

answer was yes. He said that the kids caught vaping are more often the ones constantly in his

office for disciplinary reasons or on social/academic suspension.

Carpenter mentioned that not many student’s parents are aware of how big of a health

issue it is. “When a student gets their vape taken by police, most parents will simply go and pick

it up at the station, completely disregarding the health effects these vapes have on their kids.”

In a survey sent

out to all four grades at

Cumberland High

School, data was

collected on vape use

among students in the

school. 300 out of

1,379 students

responded. The survey

showed that while only 10% of these students own a vape, 29% have used a vape before

(“Vaping Survey”). Additionally, 16% of students have vaped in the past month (“Vaping

Survey”).

By these numbers, it is easy to see that vaping is prevalent among a significant population

of the students. The results show that the number of students who are vaping is notably high, but
the survey asked students another question: Has vaping had a negative effect on our school

environment? A vast majority, 56.3%, answered yes to this question (“Vaping Survey”).

The survey gave students a chance to respond in their own words on how and if

vaping has affected their learning. Many respondents noted that “some students have used their

vape mod or pen during class and it will distract the whole class from learning”(“Vaping

Survey”).

Others even went as far to say vaping has made them “feel unsafe” and “scared to come

to school” (“Vaping Survey”). By far the most frequent complaint is that some students will

often leave class to vape in the bathroom, making some “afraid to use the bathroom.” One

student claimed, “I cannot even go to the bathroom without seeing someone vaping.” Students

will leave class for “10-20 minutes” and often “come back without any questions asked.” A

student who answered yes to both owning and using a vape said, “from leaving class to go get a

buzz in the bathroom I have missed a lot of instruction, all because of my addiction.”

It’s safe to say many Cumberland High School students feel as though vaping has

become prevalent throughout the school and has had an overall negative effect on the school

environment and their learning.

That being said, some students, 43.7%, claim that vaping has had no negative effect on

the school environment or their learning (“Vaping Survey”). These students claimed to have

“never seen it” in school and if they do simply don’t involve themselves with it. One respondent

said, “In no shape or form has it ever affected my school experience , if anything the numerous

announcements did.”

Many believe that administration’s “punishments are too harsh and the school is simply

taking it out of proportion”(“Vaping Survey”). These students believe that “administration is

more concerned about vapes than the learning conditions for their students.” In many ways, the

punishments implemented by the administration “slow down the hallways,” “intrude in class,”

and many students spend more time “complaining about the school’s authority, than focusing on

school work.” Overall many believe that administrations punishments are “way too harsh” and

create more negativity than vaping itself.

In the past months, the administration at Cumberland High School has made it their

mission to put an end to vaping on school grounds. Through warnings from the police, bag

searches, and harsh punishments, the school has managed to cut down the presence of vapes at

the high school significantly. It is clear to see that the staff believes the vaping trend is negatively

affecting our school and it appears as though most of the student body agrees. The students at

Cumberland High School are sick of people vaping in class and not being able to use the

bathroom without walking in on one of their classmates vaping. The majority of the school

believes that the vaping trend has become somewhat of an epidemic and has tainted the learning

environment as a whole. There is a small, yet vocal, population of students who believe the

school’s obsession with bringing an end to vaping is doing more harm than good. It’s possible

that administration’s crackdown on vaping could be the real cause of the school’s worsening

environment. At the end of the day, whether it be the school’s overbearing policies or vaping

itself, vaping has, in fact, had a negative effect on the school’s environment.
 Works Cited

Dansereau, Allison. Kayla, Kelliher. Nakshian, Rachel. “Vaping Survey” Survey. December

2017.

“Electronic Cigarettes.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 6 Nov. 2017. Web. 14 Dec. 2017.

Ingraham, Christopher. “Teen vaping is not what you think it is, researchers say.” The

Washington Post. The Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2016. Web. 14 Dec. 2017.

Keenan, Sasha. “Vape Culture Attracts Teens, Poses Harmful Risks.” The Washington

Post. The Washington Post, 6 Dec. 2016. Web. 14 Dec. 2017.

Kaplan, Karen. “Smoking, drinking and drug abuse decline among U.S. teens, who prefer pot

and vaping, study finds.” The Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2017.

Web. 14 Dec. 2017.

Richtel, Matt. “Use of E-Cigarettes by Young People Is Major Concern,Surgeon General

Declares”. The New York Times. The New York Times, 8 Dec. 2016. Web. 13 Dec.

2017.

“Vaping – A Journey Through its History.” Vaping Daily. Vaping Daily, 2017. Web. 14 Dec.
2017.