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[TRANSCRIPT]

Voice Montage:  

Did you know about Harwood’s old smoking room?

No.

Yeah, because my mom went to Harwood.

No.

No.

This is hidden Harwood. And I’m Alice Lindsey. I’m Artur Cantallops. I’m Maggie Aiken, and this is smoking Harwood.

Andreas Lehner:

I’m Andreas Lehner. I was a principal at Harwood. From 1980 to 1988. Eight very exciting years. I think that the idea of having a smoking room at high school was part of the original plan, or was adopted. And so when I came to Harwood in 1980, there was a smoking room, it was a loading dock, off to the right on the way into the cafeteria. You know, I felt a little funny about having a smoking lounge. When I got there, it seemed like, that wasn’t the kind of thing that we ought to be encouraging. Kids were allowed to go in and smoke and hang out. And it became a hangout, I think, for a lot of, for the kids who wanted to be in that setting. It was a great resource, actually, because for the kids who were there, they felt supported and positive. You know, the teacher’s lounge was also a smoking area for the adults. From 1970 to 1988, I’d smoke a cigar or pipe or something. And so I was part of the problem in the teacher’s lounge. I was a cigarette smoker, as a teenager, and I quit smoking in 1970. And I I broke the addiction, which was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. The fact is that smoking nicotine is addictive. And for many, if not most people who smoke, they are addicts. And they, you know, they’re addicts are hard to deal with.

Voice Montage:

It’s pretty scary, because like you can become addicted without even like realizing it. And it’s like super easy to get like everyone can get it pretty much. So it’s like definitely an imminent threat to a lot of young kids

To smoke cigarettes or to vape means you have you’re lacking brain cells, you don’t understand that you have the big risks that come from vaping. You’re literally putting toxic chemicals into your body for like a minute head rush. Because you do that and make it seem like you don’t know what you’re actually doing to yourself. And even if you try if you don’t like yourself, or if you’re addicted, just try to get help. Don’t vape if you’re stupid.

My grandfather used to smoke, and then he died of lung cancer. So don’t smoke.

Phil Stolz: 

I’m Phil Stolz. I’m one of the nurses at Harwood. So as far as nicotine on the adolescent brain can be harmful and in the development of the brain. Especially under the age of 25. Attention, learning mood, and impulse control are all affected by it. Alcohol is a depressant. Nicotine is a stimulant, like caffeine as well, right? It’s a stimulant and our brain. Once we get that, and we try to come off of it. It’s very hard to do that. So it’s very it’s got addictive components to it. We’ve seen a lung that has been smoking for a while. They’re pretty bad, aren’t they? Right? And if you’re trying to, you know, breathe with that, it’s nearly impossible to do. Cancers, Lung cancer, then those can spread and metastasize throughout your body and become different other cancers. One that people don’t think about a lot of times too with nicotine is Chew, chew tobacco, snuff whatever you want to call it. throat cancer, tongue cancer, jaw cancer are really prevalent with as well, it is still developing, your brain is still developing until your 20s. Right. And if you’re putting nicotine and any of these other carcinogens in, you’re delaying the development or stopping it altogether.

Anissa Davis:

My name is Anissa Davis. I was a student here at Harwood from 1987 until 1993, and I am the library assistant. My class was the last class that had as freshmen, they moved outside, it used to be inside. And then when we became sophomores, freshmen were no longer allowed to be in it. So by the time we were seniors, it was the last year that it was available. It was one of those things that students felt they had a right to. And whether they decided to use it or not, was not part of the conversation. Hindsight, I think it was awful. I can’t believe that a school allowed that for students. It was definitely like a social place where we could hang out and just talk and yeah.

Andreas Lehner:

There was a long period of time when smoking was present everywhere and part of the culture in that period of time, I think everybody would say would agree “Oh, smokings bad for you.” But I don’t think it really, people really understood how bad you know, it’s a it’s a social time. It’s your smoking is an activity that you’re doing with somebody else. And at the same time, it’s kind of parallel play. And it’s relaxing. It’s it’s very nice. Don’t recommend it, though.