CLASS OF 2000 TAKES SMOKE-FREE PLEDGE, HEARS TALK

The message delivered to the Class of 2000 by law enforcement officials, educators and members of Teen Challenge was as sincere and natural as a breath of fresh air: Don't smoke.

Area seventh-graders gathered inside Rose Theater Friday morning to hear testimony from adults about the hazards of smoking. Students also read aloud a smoke-free pledge.

Brad Smith, 22, a member of the Teen Challenge New Creations choir, talked about how smoking and drinking led him into a downward spiral that included arrests for felonies and driving while intoxicated.

"I got kicked out of the Army and was in trouble all of the time," Smith said.

"I thought if I drank and smoked I could be as cool as the older guys," he said, adding: "I realized that I was just afraid to just be myself."

It took him a long time to learn that, he said, "but you guys can avoid that by not getting started with any of that right now."

Tony Coleman, a St. Louis County police officer, served as emcee for the event. Resplendent in a tuxedo, Coleman punctuated the hourlong event by offering a myriad of reasons why choosing to smoke is a bad decision.

"My dad, who was a chain smoker, died when I was very young," Coleman said. "My mother, who is 65, can barely get out of bed and walk across the room without wheezing. I don't smoke or drink because I don't want to end up like they did."

Notre Dame High basketball coach Chris Janet said a seventh-grader who starts smoking would never make the cut by the time he reaches high school.

"You may try it and decide it's not hurting you," he said, "but I can assure you by the time you're ready for high school, if you're still smoking, you'll never make it in sports."

Cape Girardeau Sgt. Carl Kinnison and Police Chief Howard "Butch" Boyd spoke about what happens when someone decides to smoke or break the law.

"You can be my friend if you abide by the law or you can be my worst enemy if you break it," Boyd said. "I want everybody to know that what you do now will follow you for the rest of your life."

Coleman read a top-five list of why smoking is bad.

"You can save up to $300 a year, your teeth won't look like road tar and you won't smell like the inside of your dad's tennis shoes," Coleman said.

The event was sponsored by St. Francis Medical Center, Vision 2000 and the Southeast Missouri Cancer coalition.