Rovetto Sees Decrease in Vaping

Every year, students are caught vaping and face disciplinary action. Vice Principal Rovetto has seen a decrease this year, however: “Last year we had 24 students caught vaping; these numbers were the lowest I have seen in years,” he said.

Younger classmen make up the majority of students disciplined for vaping on school premises. “Twenty out of twenty-four students were freshmen and sophomores, and four were upperclassmen,” Rivetto said.

Vaping paraphernalia has also been found on school grounds. “I have found three vapes around the school: one was in the garbage, [one in] the sink, and one fell out of a student’s pocket during a fight,” Rovetto said.

Students are also seen vaping outside of school. “They are usually found in groups of three and four,” Rovetto said, adding that he thinks that he has an idea of where the vapes coming from: “There are about five vape stores within half a mile of our school; these vape stores presumably don’t check their IDs,” Rovetto said. 

Peer pressure may be a big influencer for the problem of students vaping. “I think it is a social media thing that plays a major role. Some students probably think it's cool if they see other people their age vaping; social media has almost made things too accessible,” Rovetto said. 

Others also think that peer pressure plays a big role. “I think that if one student is seen vaping it almost creates a domino effect as everyone starts to do it and wants to join in,” said Freshman Abigail Visotsky. “Students probably think it’s cool to vape. They are probably getting vapes from an older sibling or friend.” 

Parent Amy Visotsky sees how friends can influence each other. “Students are likely to be influenced by other students. Peer pressure and social media have been one of the top contributors to students vaping,” she said.

“I think some students choose to vape at such a young age because there have been many misconceptions about the safety of using them. They were probably taught that they wouldn’t do as much harm to their body as smoking traditional cigarettes. I’ve seen many companies market them as ‘harmless’ alternatives,” she said. 

“Students could be easily addicted to vapes as there are various kinds of flavors and the way companies market them,” Visotsky said. 

Vaping has become a complex issue in today’s society amongst the younger audience. The way companies continue to market their products, younger people get introduced to them, and despite attempts to prevent them from starting, they start the unhealthy habit.