• Student Name: Samantha McCain
  • School Name: Palestine / Wheatley
  • Grade: 7th
  • City, State: Wheatley
  • Teacher's Name: Spears
  • Essay:
    My name is Samantha McCain, age 13, and my sister is a tobacco tackler. She is 21 years old, married, and has a nine-month old baby. In junior high and high school, she was tempted to smoke tobacco because of peer pressure. Jessica, my sister, once picked up a cigarette and then threw it back down because she didn’t want to pick up that habit. She tells me all the time to never pick up smoking. If I do, quote: it may seem fun and cool the first time, but, eventually, it will do damage to those healthy lungs you’ve got, unquote. 

    She cares about my future and my health. So every time she sees me she says "you’re not smoking are you?" I will always and forever say "no!" My dad, on the other hand, gave in and said yes. He thought it’d be cool. Jessica’s health is so good that she can outlast me in a sport, and I’m an athlete. I look up to her; she’s my idol. 

    She teaches me the defects of smoking and tells me things she has witnessed with other people that do smoke. She now leaves the room if someone lights a cigarette for, one, her health and, two, her baby’s health. To me it’s hard to stay away from smoke because it’s everywhere you look, but she manages to stay clear away from it. My sister could be like this comic book super hero fighting against the tobacco team. People die every day from lung cancer due to smoking and I’m just glad to say she won’t be one of them. Jessica has multiple friends who smoke, including our other sister, Brittany, but Jessica has never smoked, ever. 

    There’s one specific thing I admire most about her. When someone who smokes is holding her son and they pull out a cigarette, she will take her baby or the cigarette. My mom did the same with me. 

    Her attitude for smokers is no different than it is for non-smokers. She may not like that you smoke, but she will still give you her undivided attention. She tries to encourage people to stop smoking, and that inspires me. If she can do it, so can I. 

    She has choices and she chooses to not smoke. She chooses to try and stay away from smoke. She chooses to try and talk to daddy about his health and smoking habits, but he chooses not to listen. I know, eventually, people will try to get me to try it, but, I know I can count on Jessica to talk me through it, or my mom. My sister, Jessica, is a tobacco tackler. 

Guidelines

Open to students in grades 2-9, with judging falling into three categories:Grades 2 & 3, 4-6 and 7-9.

The essay must be written by the student and should focus on the healthy hero’s lifestyle choices and attitudes about being tobacco-free. The essay should be at least 300 words but no more than 750 words.

Entries must be submitted before 5 p.m. on Friday, October 30.

Winners will be announced by 5 p.m. on Monday, December 7.

Prizes

Grades 2-3:
  • First place: Nintendo Wii
  • Second place: portable dvd player
  • Third place: Nintendo DS
Grades 4-6:
  • First place: laptop computer
  • Second place: 160 GB iPod Classic
  • Third place: 4 GB iPod shuffle
Grades 7-9:
  • First place: laptop computer
  • Second place: 8 GB iPod touch
  • Third place: 8 GB iPod nano