Pictured from left to right at Owen J. Roberts Middle School: Austin Kincaid (3rd Place) and Taylor Vermillion (1st Place).
The Chester County Tobacco-Free Coalition and the Chester County Health Department recently selected three middle school students as winners in the annual Kick Butts Day Meme Contest. Students were recognized during the school day on Tuesday, March 19, and Wednesday, March 20, 2019.
Kick Butts Day is a national day of activism that empowers youth to stand out, speak up and seize control against Big Tobacco. In recognition of this event, the Chester County Tobacco-Free Coalition challenged Chester County middle school students to participate in a contest to create anti-vaping memes, which are typically humorous, captioned photographs shared on web and social media.
The Coalition received over 100 contest entries. The 2019 finalists are youth advocates from Saint Agnes School (West Chester Borough) and Owen J. Roberts Middle School (South Coventry). Each contest winner created a compelling meme appropriate for an adolescent audience, where vape initiation remains at peak. Entries were judged by members of the Chester County Tobacco-Free Coalition. The winners received gift cards and certificates of recognition; the winning schools received posters of their students’ winning meme to be displayed at school.
Contest winners:
- 1st Place: Taylor Vermillion, Owen J. Roberts Middle School, Grade 7
- 2nd Place: Madelyn Kelley, Saint Agnes School, Grade 7
- 3rd Place: Austin Kincaid, Owen J. Roberts Middle School, Grade 7
The winning memes can be found on the Chester County Tobacco-Free Coalition website: www.chesco.org/cctfc in addition to free prevention and cessation services that you may request for your school or community.
