North Newton Junior/Senior High lies in the Northwest corner of Indiana, in a county home to more dairy cows than people.
But students have no problem getting e-cigarettes in all shapes and sizes. Some look like pens, others like computer thumb drives.
鈥淧robably most people my age, if you鈥檙e not a smoker 鈥� not into that 鈥� it could be sitting right in front of you and you wouldn鈥檛 even know what it was,鈥� says teacher Bob Gonczy.
When he took an informal poll of PE students, junior high kids estimated that 65 percent of their classmates use e-cigarettes. And high school students said their numbers are even higher.
Nationwide, e-cigarette use rose an alarming 78 percent among high school students last year, the FDA says. The agency taken steps to address what it calls an epidemic. For example, it has warned manufacturers to stop marketing to kids by using fruity flavors and colorful packages.
But e-cigarettes are still a big problem in schools 鈥� even those in rural communities.
North Newton Assistant Principal Jerry Taylor has a bag full of confiscated materials. There are vape pens, a bottle of marshmallow-flavored e-liquid, an electronic charger and the
The school doesn鈥檛 have a specific disciplinary policy for the devices, so administrators follow the three-day suspensions of the smoking policy.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had 34 vaping episodes and we put kids out three days,鈥� Taylor says.
Because e-cigarettes are so easy to hide, they鈥檙e very disruptive in classrooms. Health teacher Josh Stringfellow says students blow smoke rings while the teacher is turned away.
鈥淭hey鈥檒l film it on Snapchat, send it around the school 鈥� because, 鈥楬ey I got away with it in so-and-so鈥檚 class. I did this trick in this teacher鈥檚 classroom.鈥� And now they鈥檙e one-upping each other,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 why they鈥檙e being caught so easily is because they鈥檙e being so blatant about it.鈥�
A senior from nearby Lowell High School, Cade Holdeman, says vaping became the hot thing after winter break last year.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty crazy. It鈥檚 definitely an epidemic,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 mean, for a long time you like couldn鈥檛 walk into a restroom without, like, vapers just being in your face because everyone at some point did it.鈥�
Holdeman says he doesn鈥檛 use e-cigarettes, but his friends do.
His mom, Stacy Stewart, says that鈥檚 worrisome.
鈥淢y smart kid over here started hanging out with some not smart kids who did stuff like that,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd, I mean, it was in his car a lot, and uh, we had a blow-up about it. 鈥� It鈥檚 just scary because there鈥檚 just so many health things that kids just don鈥檛 realize.鈥�
And those health consequences are serious, Newton County Public Health Nurse Kim Durham says. The problem: addictive nicotine.
鈥淭his is the kind of stuff that leads to heart disease later, that leads to cardiovascular problems that can lead to pulmonary problems,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 all kinds of different things that can go into play here.鈥�
Durham recently spoke about e-cigarettes to 6th and 8th graders at school health fairs. 鈥淚 was actually mostly surprised because we asked them where they started doing it and a lot of them said, 鈥榃ell, my parents do it.鈥� And some of them, that鈥檚 how they got introduced to it, was mom and dad.鈥�
Durham says there鈥檚 a misconception e-cigarettes are safe because some people use them to stop smoking. But she says nicotine levels can be much higher in e-cigarettes.
North Newton administrators want to curb the use of e-cigarettes next year.
Taylor says they鈥檙e considering having the local police get involved. 鈥淪tart ticketing these kids, if it鈥檚 $150 or whatever. And maybe that would curtail them buying these vapes and bringing them into school.鈥�
Gonczy agrees that will make a difference. 鈥淵ou hold the parents responsible. You get in their pocketbook a little bit, they鈥檒l curb behaviors, especially for their children.鈥�
For the fall, Gonczy and Taylor are working toward a school e-cigarette policy. They also want to develop information for the curriculum and for parents.
Meanwhile, they鈥檒l get some help from the FDA. New ads about the dangers of e-cigarettes are scheduled to hit the airwaves this summer.
This story was produced by, a reporting collaborative focused on public health.
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