Bonneville's Vaping Problem

Eric Perez
Staff Writer
  One of the staff writers was appointed to interview the Bonneville High School resource officer, Dan Sperry about the problem of vaping at Bonneville High School.
  "How has Bonneville changed throughout the years with the vaping problem?" Sperry started working at Bonneville around 2013; back then the problem was a bit different, as it was more cigarette and tobacco usage. As the years have gone by, he has seen more and more vapes; growing into a bigger problem for students' health and development.
  "What does Sperry do to try and stop kids from vaping at school?" When he catches people vaping or using tobacco, he visits with them, not to lecture them, but to help them lose the vaping addiction. There are many places he directs the students to; places such as rehabilitation programs, or he registers them for meetings with counselors to help them quit.
  "How can students help to prevent this vaping problem in our school?" Bonneville has this helpful system called the reward system where students can give information to the principal, a counselor, a teacher, or Officer Sperry himself, and if they give information that is good and catch worthy then they are paid a reward of fifty dollars. 
  When asked if Bonneville is the only school with this problem, Officer Sperry was unsure, but he does not doubt that it is happening in other high schools. He knows that it is a problem on all levels of school, from elementary to high school. Sperry’s goal is he just wants to see students graduate, and be as successful and healthy as they can. He also talked about other things used at Bonneville, such as, marijuana. Students that are using marijuana are slowing their brain development, and are not growing as fast mentally as other students who are not smoking marijuana. Officer Sperry is a huge resource at BHS.
 Students can also help their friends if they are vaping and encourage them quit. The best thing to do is just never start vaping in the first place. If anyone knows anything or has information about who is using nicotine or harmful drugs, they are encouraged to go talk to someone who can help them. Big thank you to Officer Sperry and everything that he does for Bonneville.

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