Calling all drama enthusiasts! “The Big Pitch” is your opportunity to showcase your theatric skills. Open to students in grades nine through twelve in Arkansas public and private schools, the drama contest allows your inner creativity and voice on the harmful effects of tobacco to shine.
The Healthy Hero Essay contest focuses on students grades two through nine. The contest is divided into three brackets: grades 2-4, 5-6 and 7-9. This contest asks students to write essays on a personal hero who exemplifies a tobacco-free life and healthy lifestyle. Last year, SOS received excellent essays about all types of healthy heroes in students’ lives across the state.
All entries must be submitted through the SOS Web site (stampoutsmoking.com). Essays should be original and must be no less than 300 words and no more than 750 words.
Communications will be sent to public and private school counselors across the state, so ask your teacher about becoming involved in this excellent contest.
In a partnership with the Arkansas Press Association’s Newspapers in Education, SOS is proud to present a coloring contest for students in grades kindergarten through third, and a poetry contest for students in grades four through eight. These contests teach students early in life that tobacco is bad and has severe effects on their lives if they decide to use tobacco.
Beginning in January, look for coloring contest entry sheets in your local newspaper. Last year, the coloring sheets featured animals pursuing a smoke-free, healthy lifestyle.
Also beginning in January, look for the poetry contest entry form in your local newspaper. The poetry contest asks students to write a poem about their thoughts on tobacco.
All entry forms will be returned to the respective newspapers for judging.
The Service Learning Program allows students to learn and develop through participation in organized service projects, which help meet the needs of their community.
Each team selected will receive $1,000 grant money for funding their service learning project. Funding goes toward educating each team’s hometown/community citizens about the dangers of tobacco use and secondhand smoke. Each team is to be comprised of six (6) students, two (2) of which must be seniors.
Teams must submit a final presentation reflecting the effectiveness of their service learning project. Final presentations should be no more than 35 pages and should reflect the benefits to the health and welfare of the audience and/or the community at large, how the team felt about the program overall, personal reflections of the service learning project and should answer the following questions: Who? What? When? Where? How? Why?
The Oxygen Project promotes the creation of an information campaign developed by college students. Different colleges across the state will be contacted to participate. An organization, a club or a class is encouraged to sponsor students who are interested in participating.
Students will be asked to create a campaign or project that targets their peers. SOS and The Oxygen Project will provide schools or organizations with guidelines on what can or cannot be done, information that should be used as reference when developing the project and general goals and objectives.
SOS and the Oxygen Project will encourage creativity in development of the project. Students will decide whether to create an advertising campaign, a community service project, a research project, an art project or an information/awareness campaign. There will be no limitations on what the concept or nature of the project is.
One important aspect of the Oxygen Project is its Web site that encourages students across Arkansas college campuses to post pictures and blogs about efforts taking place on their campus.
Stamp Out Spit brings information to you about the deadly effects of spit tobacco because it’s NOT a safe alternative to smoking
For more information click here.
One of the most targeted audiences is movie-goers. The Smoke-Free Movie campaign encourages students to bring the message of harmful tobacco to movie executives. The primary vehicle is a letter campaign that asks students to write letters to the presidents of major movie studios asking them to ban smoking from their movies due to the negative effects it has on audiences.
Stamp Out Smoking enlists the help of Arkansas schools to reach students
early and warn them about the dangers of tobacco use. Schools partner with
SOS by hanging banners in their buildings to support tobacco-free lifestyles
and promote the SOS message.