Haven Middle School students showed their stance against smoking on Kick Butts Day, March 21.        Photo by Cassandra Clegg

Getting your Evanston news from Facebook? Try the Evanston RoundTable’s free daily and weekend email newsletters – sign up now!

The Evanston Substance Abuse Prevention Council (ESAP) Coalition took a stand against tobacco on Kick Butts Day, March 21.

During lunch periods at Evanston Township High School, coalition members gave students an opportunity to test their tobacco knowledge by taking a brief quiz. 

Students answering all questions correctly received anti-tobacco prizes donated by American Cancer Society, and all participants were given Kick Butts Day stickers. Students also completed pledge cards, explaining how they would remain tobacco-free, stop using tobacco, and/or try to help a loved one quit smoking; the completed pledge wall can be viewed in the main lobby.

The ESAP Council invites Evanston residents to consider these facts:

• 90 percent of smokers start using tobacco regularly by age 18.

• Each day, more than 1,000 United States youth become new regular smokers.

• Roughly one-third of them will die from a tobacco-related disease.

Together, says the ESAP Council, “We can work to prevent this in Evanston – on Kick Butts Day, and every day.”