Sherlyn Ovando and Sherli Perez
Crimson Chronicle Reporters
Teens are always influenced by social media trends and what other kids around them wear. The hottest trendy shirt at Hollywood High helps spread awareness for teens to stop vaping. The super catchy phrase on the shirt says “Hollywood Sheiks Escape the Vape.”
No one knows how the mystery shirts came to be. Coach Carter found them in a box in her closet and started to leave them in the college center for students to grab. Dr. .Pelikhova service students and seniors got the privilege to get the shirts first.
“It is very fashionable and helps spread awareness,” said Mariam Gasparyan, NMA junior. ”I told my friends to come and get shirts.” Mariam thinks the shirts fit the style of teens today and can help influence students to make better choices. The shirts have a basic black background with white font saying “ Hollywood Sheiks escape the vape. “ The shirt can go with any outfit because of the simple colors. She encouraged her friends to come get a shirt so they can all help spread awareness together. Teens haven’t fully grasped the idea of how damaging vaping really is.
“The buzz you feel from a vape is your body fighting off the poison,” said Assistant Principal Alonzo Jones, who used to be a chemist before his profession of being an assistant principal and has worked with chemicals from Bath and Body Works up to the government. Jones said that when he confiscates vapes or other smoking devices from students he has to keep them locked away in a bucket with sand to stop them from exploding. The batteries aren’t regulated in vapes causing them to be flammable. The long term effect from smoking a device that is flammable is you won’t be able to fight off lung diseases in the future, he said.
“People turn to smoking devices because of anxiety and depression,” said art teacher Nicole Gelornimo. Students facing mental health issues are the main targets for the tobacco industry to create new addicts. They design smoking devices specifically for teens by adding colors and flavors to get their attention, she said. The shirts can help grab students’ attention to help spread awareness for students to stop vaping.