19 students met with members of New York State legislature to speak out against the tobacco industry
Goshen, N.Y. (February 6, 2019) – Nineteen students from John S. Burke Catholic High School traveled to Albany on Monday, Feb. 4, 2019, to attend Legislative Day at the New York State Capitol building. Schools from across the state represented its various comprising counties; Burke Catholic students represented Orange County at the event.
The students, which include Marichen Montiel, Christopher Zacatelw, Aslynn Castro, Jazmine Echevarria, Alyssa Farmer, Alyssa Smith, Ariana White, Anna Dwyer, Larissa Nothnagle, Patrice Moore, Catherine Donohue, Anthony Calabrese, Julia Leary, Xyz-Naye Campell, Maddie St. Amand, Ashley Kim, Olivia Valentin, Kristina Ferrara and Joy Watsonare are members of Burke Catholic’s Reality Check program. They were accompanied by Kathleen Kish, a nurse at the high school, and Carissa Mazzeo, the Reality Check Manager for POW’R Against Tobacco.
At the event, students had the opportunity to meet with various members of the New York State legislature, including Assemblyman Colin Schmitt, Senator Jen Metzger, and Senator James Skoufis who represent Orange County.
During meetings in Albany, the youth educated lawmakers about their tobacco control work with local communities and health care organizations, including critical areas of need. In The Well of the Legislative Office Building, youth leaders hosted an interactive, life-sized board game called “Tobacco Trouble” set up to highlight recent tobacco control successes and the continued fight against Big Tobacco and how the tobacco industry has overfilled the state’s retail outlets with tobacco products.
In addition to the meetings, Assemblyman Schmitt took the time to take the students on to the floor of the chambers and educate the students on the legislative process.
“The use of electronic cigarettes threatens the well-being of our generation and continues to be a prevalent issue, especially amongst teenagers,” said junior Madelyn St. Amand. “It was an empowering experience to speak to our senators, people who actually have the ability to make a real change. We took a big step in furthering our mission at the New York State Capitol on Monday.”
“Here in New York State, we have made great strides to end teen smoking, but new products threaten to undo this progress,” said Mazzeo. “It is the amazing voices of the youth at John S. Burke High School and across the state that will address the social acceptability of tobacco in our communities. While 2018 was the first year for teen smoking to increase since 2000, I am sure with the dedication and hard work of this group we can create the first tobacco-free generation, address smoking related health disparities and inequities, reduce youth exposure to tobacco marketing, and increase the availability of tobacco-free outdoor spaces.”
“The smoking rate in New York State has decreased dramatically since our work began in 2000, however there is still a great deal of work to be done to assist disadvantaged groups who experience a disproportionate burden of tobacco use,” said Susan Lennon, Tobacco Program Manager from the Center for a Tobacco-Free Hudson Valley who attended several meetings with the Burke students. “These students are our future leaders and seeing how committed they are to create a generation free from addiction to tobacco products was very encouraging.”
“As a Burke Alumni and a part of the Class of 1999, it was incredible to work alongside our Reality Check youth from Orange County. They spoke eloquently about the impact of tobacco in their community and the unique perspective they have on the vaping epidemic,” said Meghan Dubois-O’Connor, Community Engagement Manager for POW’R Against Tobacco. “According to the Data from the New York State Youth Tobacco Survey, from 2014 to 2018 youth e-cigarette usage increased 160%, which now places 27.4% of youth using these products and 30.4% using any tobacco product. The fight against tobacco is far from over and dedicated youth like those at Burke are ready to keep educating their peers, teachers and parents.”
“Statewide initiatives such as this allow our students to demonstrate their skills and understanding through a real-world application,” said John Douthit, Principal-Operations at John S. Burke Catholic High School. “Becoming involved in governmental organizations, even at the high school level, provides valuable opportunities for learning and professional development.”
To learn more about John S. Burke Catholic High School, visit www.BurkeCatholic.com.
