Cabot High School earns Second Place in Great American Smoke- Out Event

Cabot High School Alternate to Suspension Program Places Second in Great American Smoke-Out Event

The Cabot High School Alternate to Suspension Program recently was awarded second place in a national contest in honor of the Great American Smoke-Out.  A total of 1,287 students from 25 schools across the nation participated in this year's event.  Awardees were determined by the percentage of students who graduated from the program.

According to Kelly Spencer, District Health and Wellness Coordinator, the Alternate to Suspension program was implemented in secondary schools in the Cabot School District this fall. “In the past, first time students who violated the tobacco policy were suspended. This practice addressed the issue from a disciplinary perspective; however, we were not providing an intervention to help the student stop using tobacco. The ASPIRE program allows the district to offer an intervention for students in the in-school suspension setting, which reduces the time spent out of the classroom. Once students complete the program, they return to class the same day. We are able to reduce the time spent out of class while also providing cessation education interventions.”     

The ASPIRE (A Smoking Prevention Interactive Experience) curriculum was jointly developed by MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and was funded by a grant from the National Cancer Institute. The curriculum is a self-paced, web-based curriculum in which students complete interactive training on tobacco cessation. Student response determines the direction of the training which results in a personalized intervention. There are five 30-minute modules to complete in order to graduate. The Cabot High School program had the second highest graduation rate among national participants.

Kelly Spencer stated, “We are excited that the district can offer a tobacco cessation intervention for our students. Tobacco use leads to countless health issues, and we are pleased that we can provide a program that can help them quit and hopefully add years to their life.”