by Katy Kim ’18, Middle School Editor

As I work with the middle schoolers to produce their own newspaper, I sat down with Mr. Ashburn, the principal of the Middle School, to get his perspective on vaping.

This interview has been condensed for clarity.

Do you think peer pressure is a problem in the middle school/at this age?

Yes, absolutely. One of the biggest things with early adolescents is they learn to separate from their parents and connect with their peers; it’s a natural part of growing up. And one of the ways they do that is through trying to assimilate to their peer group. So making sure the group values are the values we think are important for young people is a really important part of the middle school’s mission.

Do you have any advice for a middle schooler dealing with peer pressure relating to risky or illegal behaviors?

It’s hard, but the biggest things for kids is to understand right now is that a lot of the science on brain research shows alcohol and nicotine can have a very detrimental and more lasting effect on adolescent brain development versus the impacts it can in adulthood. And the other thing is that these behaviors are illegal for those under 21, and of course, a violation of the Newark Academy Honor Code’s tenets.

What do you think the middle schoolers know about vaping?

The middle schoolers know about vaping because it is something we have talked about in our classes and it is something we have experienced in the past – our approach towards vaping is three-prong: there’s education, or making sure that the kids want to make better choices; a disciplinary consequence; and finally, involving their parents, to make sure that the student can make better choices in the future.

What are some other ways the Middle School is sharing education on these issues?

We’ve been doing a lot of classes – I did a presentation at a NAPA coffee where I talked about it and sent a resource for parents, as well as training faculty in terms of the appearance of vape pens. What we need to remind ourselves though, is that whatever education piece we do this year, we need to do every year because we have 100 new students that arrive to the Middle School and ninth grade at the start of each year.

Do you think the middle schoolers know enough information to make an informed choice to vape or engage in these risky behaviors?

I think we’ve done a better job telling them about it this year, but I don’t think middle schoolers and people in general can always connect knowledge with action so easily. I’m not sure if kids today see it as the serious piece I believe it is.

Do you think the middle schoolers are aware about some of the high school issues with vaping, both in NA and in schools nationwide today?

Yes they do. These behaviors set a really poor example for these younger kids who naturally look up to the older students.

Do you have any advice for a middle schooler, or anyone, who may be considering trying vaping or might be influenced by peer pressure?

I would just say that the nicotine is so highly addictive – once you try it and get to a certain point, there’s an unavoidable physical component – it’s not making a choice at that point, it’s your body physically craving those chemicals. There’s many worrisome immediate health effects, like a racing heart, and more down the road that haven’t been fully studied yet.

Any final thoughts?

I hope as a school, we can develop enough education around vaping, so that culturally, kids don’t do it. I’d hate to see us go to a public school type of situation with bathroom passes, etc. I  don’t think that’s been the culture for the 19 years I’ve been here and I don’t think that’s where we want to be.

I also worry about New Jersey legalizing marijuana, because it’s so easy to vape. I think the adults sense that the possibility we are going to make 300 million dollars in taxes outweighs the public health crisis that it could cause in the future. So I think that down the road that could be a big concern for NJ in general, not just NA. As adults and educators we need to voice our opinions now before it is legal – because once it is legal, we need to deal with it.