The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) urged smokers to quit on Kick Butts Day, Wednesday, March 20.

Kick Butts Day is a national day of activism designed to empower youth to raise awareness of the problem of tobacco use, reject the tobacco industry’s marketing practices, and stay tobacco-free. ADPH joins thousands of schools, organizations and communities across the United States in recognizing this important campaign.

Francis Marion School was one of the participated in Kick Butts Day on Friday.

Francis Marion School Student Ambassadors engaged with their fellow students with one-on-one education and fun activities like an obstacle course.

“We are informing younger students in our school about tobacco and hopefully we can prevent them from smoking or using tobacco products,” said Student Ambassador Chekyira Goree.

“This was not just another classroom project, but an empowering day for my students to advocate for their peers, siblings, themselves and the community by providing health education about tobacco prevention,” said Francis Marion School Health Science Teacher Shelicia Ford.

The student ambassadors also led their peers through a one-on-one “I promise” session in which students looked at themselves in the mirror and promised themselves to never use tobacco when under pressure and to be tobacco free.

“We are trying to warn the youth about the severity of smoking tobacco and the effects it will have on your adulthood,” said Student Ambassador Ty’Prentis Parrish.