WTOL.com, Toledo's News Leader, News 11 | Findlay High School posts video on the web to combat smoking

Findlay High School posts video on the web to combat smoking

By Tanieya Lewis - bio | email

Posted by Jason Rzucidlo - email

(WTOL) - Facebook and YouTube are popular websites among teens. But now, schools are logging onto their very own space on the internet to stop smoking on school premises.

"I'm glad I'm a smoker," a student said on camera.

Smokers across the street from Findlay High School were captured on camera speaking candidly by Carrie Lambers, a communications student on a mission to cleanup the corner.

"It was an eyesore to the high school," Lambers said. "So my goal was to show students to do it as a public service announcement, to show that there are teenagers smoking, and I believe that it needs to stop."

The students tackle tough subjects often avoided by schools.

But their advisor, Jim McGonnell, says the kids have full support from the school district to speak freely.

"No one censors us, either newspaper or the video yearbook or the broadcast, which I think is a real compliment to our administration," McGonnell said.

The video's message is reaching viewers across the country, thanks to the website Schooltube.com.

So far, the near three-minute story has gotten more than 500 hits.

"I would hope that if a health class was doing something on smoking, they would pull up my segment and that there is a problem with smoking," Lambers added.

If not, this video has already made a difference. During her investigation, Lambers learned the school could enforce an anti-smoking policy, even if it's happening across the street from school grounds.

"That corner is now gone," McGonnell said. "It may have moved down the street a little bit, but at least some of the kids have totally backed off that."

Copyright 2009 WTOL. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.