The Vape Edition

Vapin’ in the Boys Room

In 1973, Brownsville Station perfectly captured the image of the teenage rebel in their hit song, Smokin’ in the Boys Room. Suffering from a rough day, a group of boys sneaks into the 2nd floor bathroom to smoke cigarettes and make the world right again.

Collection of some popular vape models found at FHS.

Fast forward to 2018. Gone are the days of designated smoking areas in schools. Gone are the days of smoke-filled bathrooms. In their place is a tiny electronic device filled with flavored liquids that are vaporized when the user inhales the juice. Teenage rebel no more, vape users are defying the antiquated image of nicotine addict.

Here’s the skinny on vape use at Fremd High School:

• Vaping incidents rank #5 at our school for most common disciplinary infraction. Two years ago, vapes were barely on our radar.
• Students have been caught in the act of vaping or in possession of a vaporizer 58 times so far this school year. Two years ago, there were only 19 incidents involving tobacco (vapes or cigarettes combined) for the whole year.
• Vaping as a trend crosses age groups (freshmen are just as likely as seniors to vape), race and income level.
• 12% of students caught vaping have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. 78% have at least a 2.0 GPA. 

So what’s the big deal?

• While no definitive research is available--the first generation of vaping is just now taking up the habit--signs are starting to point to the health risks that one would assume results from inhaling chemicals into your body that weren’t meant to be inhaled.
• This article mentions how teens are developing a smoker’s cough and chronic bronchitis. It also mentions that there are toxic metals in vape juice that lead to cancer.
• This article talks about how vaping foreign chemicals messes with your immune system, which swoops in to fight unknown substances.
• This article notes that vapes and e-cigarettes still contain formaldahyde (carcinogen), lead (neurotoxin) and silicate particles (lung disease), not to mention nicotine, which is a drug!

What should you do?

• I’m always a fan of having a direct conversation with your teen. Find out if they have ever tried it. Find out if their friends have tried it. Make sure they have considered the possible long-term ramifications of vaping. Make sure they know that vaping is against school rules and the athletic code.
• Keep your eyes open in your house for unknown electronic devices of all shapes and sizes. Juul seems to be the hot brand right now. Their devices are very discreet and could pass for a USB storage device. We have also confiscated vaping devices that look like Zippo lighters and pens and markers. In some cases, parents have reported to us that a suspicious charging device should have tipped them off that their student was up to something.
• Proactively research what vapes look like. A simple internet image search will show you the wide variety of styles that are out there.
• Do your own research about the health hazards of vaping. Right now, vaping does not hold the same stigma as smoking cigarettes, but it should. There’s no reason for your teen to pick up this habit. 

Highlights and Successes:

• Congratulations to the Fremd Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Lab Band, and Jazz Combo for their success at the Rolling Meadows HS “Jazz in the Meadows” Festival.  The Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo were both awarded straight “Division 1/Superior” ratings from the three collegiate jazz band adjudicators in their respected divisions.  The Jazz Ensemble was also awarded third place in the competitive 4A Division (largest school). The Jazz Lab Band (non-competitive division) also had an outstanding performance and received an excellent educational clinic from three collegiate jazz band directors.  The Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Lab Band are co-directed by Matt Moore and JT Teichert, the Jazz Combo is directed by JT Teichert.
• Congratulations to Kevin Chen, Kristina Chen, Maegan Jong, Ed Li, Kevin Li, Anthony Mu, Kinllen Peng, and Flora Zheng for qualifying to take the AIME (American Invitational Mathematics Examination). Students must score in the top 5% of all AMC 10/12 Math Contest participants to qualify to take the AIME. The following students were recognized by the MAA with the highest score in the school on the AMC exam: Kristina Chen (AMC 12A, 112.5), Kevin Chen (AMC 12B, 109.5), Stella Chung (AMC 10B, 99.0), Anthony Mu (AMC 12B, 109.5), and Kinllen Peng (AMC 10A, 145.5). The AIME is being administered on Tuesday, March 6th.
• Congratulations to Fremd junior, Maegan Jong, on receiving the Prudential Spirit of Community’s Certificate of Excellence and the President’s Volunteer Service Award for her outstanding volunteer service. The Certificate of Excellence is granted to the top 10 percent of all Prudential Spirit of Community nominees.
• Congratulations to Coach Bob Widlowski and the Boys Basketball Team on winning the Regional Championship!
• Congratulations to the Scholastic Bowl team for placing 4th  in the Masonic State Tournament in Bloomington last Saturday. And additionally, the team won the IHSA Regional on Monday night, advancing to the Sectional this Saturday.
• Congratulations to Yoonseo Kim and Shreya Mukherjee on achieving a perfect score on the ACT exam.

For a more complete list, please visit our Athletics Page or the Athletic Department Blog.

Staff Spotlight

Name: Brian C Newby        

Position:  Physical Education / Driver’s Education Teacher

Years at Fremd:  21 years

Life Before Fremd: Professional Student

Hobbies/Interests: Pickleball, visiting tropical places like Florida and Hawaii, Scuba Diving

Insider Tip for Parents: I would say remember what it was to be a high school student when you were there.  Academics are important but the after-school clubs, activities, and athletics help shape the people we are.  Having an outlet to have fun, be challenged intellectually (like Chess club), artistically (like woods club or photo club) or athletically are important.  These are the four years that help us become what we hope the good hard-working individuals in society for our future.

Ask the Principal

Are you curious about something at Fremd but have never asked? Email me at ktenopir@d211.org. If your question is pertinent to a wider audience, I will include it in the next blog post.