About 1.63 million students vape in the United States, according to the CDC, which no doubt creates problems in school. According to the most recent data available, the Palm Beach County School District reported 2,069 vaping incidents during the 2022-2023 school year, reported by the Florida Department of Education and published in The Palm Beach Post.  

Too many students are being caught in bathrooms with puffs of smoke clouding them – not to mention the more deadly, long-term risks of cancer and lung damage and blood clots.  In fact, tobacco and nicotine are two of the leading causes of death in the world, killing up to about a third of their users. This substance abuse epidemic is one of the many reasons that Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) has formed a club at Olympic Heights High School.  

SWAT is a Florida organization that hopes to eradicate smoking in schools and strives to decrease and eventually fully eliminate the percentage of students who abuse vapes and/or tobacco outside of schools.  During meetings, “I strive to bring awareness to the dangers of vaping and nicotine while also providing students opportunities for community service,” states Aurora Miller, a school counselor at Olympic Heights and the current club sponsor.  

This club isn’t just working against major issues like tobacco and vaping. It has also provided assistance and fought other public health threats. The dedicated club members learn about community service opportunities, such as cleaning up local beaches and working with Boca Helping Hands to pack food for those with financial disadvantages. Participating students earn community service hours. In Sept. 2024, volunteers from SWAT worked tirelessly alongside the non-profit organization 4Ocean in a public beach clean up at Spanish River Park in Boca Raton. Through their hard work and participation, students not only were rewarded with five community service hours, but they also helped eliminate blight on our beaches as a result of collecting fourteen pounds of trash. Another beach clean up is scheduled for Jan. 18 at Spanish River Park.

Miller actively promotes and hopes for students of any grade to join SWAT and earn community service from volunteering while also working against vaping and cigarettes in schools. She encourages everyone to work for such a vital cause. “I plan to decrease teen vaping in schools in total,” Miller explains. At her previous school, SWAT lessened the percentage of vaping by a considerable amount, with the feats and efforts of the club undoubtedly a key factor. 

Fortunately, now that the club is present in OH, SWAT strives to achieve those same results. The club’s timing couldn’t be better as the alarming vaping trend continues to rise.  FIU News reported a “410% increase in adolescent e-cigarette use since 2011.” The epidemic of students vaping on and off campus increases annually, and hopefully SWAT is here to stop it.

If you are a student at Olympic Heights and would like to join SWAT, the Google Classroom code is b6efgjs. SWAT meets the second Monday of every month during lunch in room 4-102.