Three billboards designed by an eighth-grade class at St. Ambrose School, Schuylkill Haven, recognizing that "tobacco use and sports don't mix" will be put up in Schuylkill County next week.
The class, under the guidance of their teacher Ann McGee, designed the winning poster. It will be recreated on billboards as part of the first Schuylkill County Tobacco-Free Youth Coalition's 2014 "Top Notch" Tobacco-Free Message Contest.
The anti-tobacco message was aimed toward sports fans in Schuylkill County "because it's a big sports area, and a lot of teenagers do it," Patrick Stone, 14, of Cumbola, said.
Entries were required to be based on a short essay written by the class. The nine students in McGee's class focused on the story of a boy who was great in sports but started using tobacco. In the end, the boy lost the baseball game for his teammates due to the effects of tobacco use.
The students also acted out a skit on the issue for the other students in the school.
"They were the perfect audience; they were really listening and asking questions," McGee said.
McGee said some younger kids started crying when they heard about the effects of tobacco because many of their parents use tobacco products.
"Knowing that we were helping little kids was the best part," Jourdan Starr, 14, of Schuylkill Haven, said.
Michelle Ditzler, 15, of Schuylkill Haven, said acting it out for the students was her favorite part of the process.
McGee said the two other schools that reached the final of the contest were Mahanoy City and Tamaqua.
Julia Klembara, 14, of Schuylkill Haven, said they asked their friends and family to vote on Facebook, as the poster with the most votes would win.
"I think we had around 80-something (votes) and the other two had about 20-something," Klembara said.
"The principal approached us last minute in May and asked us to do this," McGee said. "It was around the end of the year crunch time with finals and graduation, but we said we can do it because of how important the message was."
The students agreed on the importance of spreading the message against tobacco use.
"It was, like, a right-away 'yes,' " Klembara said.
The class was chosen to enter the contest because they "are the role models of the school and the graduating class," according to McGee.
"We had to do a lot of research," Stone said. "We had to look up the effects of secondhand smoke and firsthand smoking, tobacco, chewing and the benefits of stopping."
Klembara drew the winning poster after sitting down to collaborate with her classmates.
"We all had papers and everyone drew a poster ... and decided what we wanted, then Julia went home and drew it," Starr said.
Klembara said sharing this information with kids and letting them know about the dangers of tobacco was why she wanted to be involved.
Tobacco use is something the students may have to deal with in their future with friends.
"I would tell my friends they're not going to get married because they look disgusting," Starr said.
Klembara had the same point of view as Starr.
"I would just ask them what are they gaining from it," Klembara said.
Three billboards will feature the poster next week for a month in Mount Carbon, Frackville and a third yet to be determined on Route 61 near Route 895, according to McGee.
The billboards should be put up sometime next week according to McGee.