By JON BAKER

LINCOLN  — “Hello, citizens of Lincoln, we are dealing with a crisis! Our air is getting polluted. Please stop smoking. Also, please get your car inspected every year. Please keep our environment clean!!! We need to keep (it) as clean as it can be, so we (as children) can do what we want to do.”
Matthew Thibadeau, a Lonsdale Elementary School third-grader, wrote this impressive note to the town back on May 1 as part of instructor Jan Boucher’s health class. The reason: It was an assignment intended to appeal to smokers and other tobacco users to refrain from the products altogether, and also to recognize World “No Tobacco” Day on May 31.

The idea? “Just quit!”
When Pam Shayer, the Lincoln Prevention Coalition coordinator, received a $5,000 grant from the Rhode Island Department of Health, under the Substance Abuse Prevention Act, back on Nov. 25, she decided to use such funds to expand the town’s public schools’ resources for tobacco education and cessation with programs.
“I never thought I’d get the amount of schools to collectively agree on this initiative,” Shayer said at Town Hall on Tuesday afternoon. “It’s worked great. We sent letters to school nurses the second week of March to explain the grant, and what we wanted to do with the money, which was to give a portion to each to use on tobacco education supplies.
“I left it up to each school to purchase books, fact sheets, visuals, DVDs, and — depending on what the lesson was on smoking — for the kids to manufacture drawings and statements, and their posters would be displayed at Town Hall,” she added. “It was nice to see.
“I think the kids loved doing this,” she added. “Like I said, I promised their works would be displayed here at Town Hall, and that was exciting to them. This wasn’t just an assignment to be turned into their teacher; this was an incentive for them to think about how tobacco has affected their lives … There were a lot of kids who mentioned their parents or grandparents, and I think it generated a lot of discussion between the generations.
“It’s similar to ‘Kick Butts Day’ and ‘Red Ribbon Week.’ It makes them aware of the health issues involved. I love their artistic ability and the knowledge they have. I absolutely know that the money from this grant is working.”
Shayer explained between 400-500 students took part, and that about 150 pieces of assorted art work/creations are posted on the walls of the hall. Teachers representing the high school, as well as Saylesville, Lonsdale, Northern and Central elementary schools, as well as the town’s early learning centers, submitted their students’ works to Shayer the second week of May.
Engineering Department and Department of Public Works aide Mike Gamage and custodian Ron Chudy helped Shayer with the postings.
On a sheet of paper depicting a blank pack of cigarettes, Sofia Ness – a seven-year-old at the Fairlawn Early Learning Center – drew a picture of a blonde girl coughing with the accompanying phrase, “Smoking kills!” Classmate Caitlyn Quigley indicated in her work that smoking causes “yellow teeth and black lungs.” Under her piece were two red eyes, with the phrase “Nicotine burn.” A more serious message: She fashioned a gravestone, with the letters “DIE,” and grass by and underneath the monument.
“I can’t believe how much knowledge these kids have at such a young age,” Shayer explained. “A lot of students are aware of the dangers of smoking, but they don’t take into account the environmental factors. Matthew Thibadeau nailed it. I’m very impressed by his words, for someone so young.”
Shayer admitted she was thrilled with another work, under the title of “Nicotine.”
Produced by student James Heineman, he wrote, “What I learned? I learned that nicotine is a chemical in tobacco that could give you lung disease. Tobacco is a plant grown for its leaves, which are dried and crushed into little pieces, then used to make cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco. I also know what ‘addiction’ means, and — last but not least — I learned that I never want to start smoking.”
That was just the message Shayer and the rest of the coalition were trying to send.
“Resources are scarce because of the lack of funding — especially in this economy,” Shayer said. “Any type of prevention efforts require funding. Prevention is always an ongoing process, and by having the opportunity to utilize a grant like this, it really helps to expand our students’ knowledge about tobacco awareness.
“I think it also helps not only to have those resources available to students, but we also have speakers, assemblies, etc.,” she added. “We had one at the high school on April 21, and it was called “DIRT.” It’s not an acronym, and it was for ninth and 10th graders. It’s a one-man show by John Morello, who’s from Worcester and is a former smoker and drug user.
“He addresses the core reasons for students who are substance abuse users. He talked about self-esteem, depression and anxiety, and also that they need to find a purpose in this often-chaotic life to rid themselves of those things.
“He was awesome, he was great. I had parents e-mail me about what an impact this guy had on their sons and daughters, and their friends. The high school students actually focused on alcohol abuse, because Michelle Botelho, a health teacher, said she already had addressed tobacco use this fall.”
Shayer noted she wanted every school in the community to be represented in this program, but the middle school wasn’t.
“It would have been very easy for me to spend this money on programs, but I wanted students to get involved on their own, think for themselves and create their own works. This way, they educate themselves and each other.”