Hall of Terror makes impact
CARLA GWALTNEY OWENS Sentinel Writer

CCTAG Student Member Hilary Nelson shows HMS students what the lung of a smoker looks like, and compares it to a healthy lung of a non-smoker. Nelson explained how smoking seriously damages a person's lungs and drastically cuts down on their air capacity. The dark, black lung barely inflates with air, while the large, red lung fills up fully when air is taken in.

Members of the Hayesville High School CCTAG (Clay County Tobacco Awareness Group) hosted Hayesville Middle School students Friday for the annual Hall of Terror. Student members of CCTAG transformed the local school auditorium into a serious educational experience for 5th through 8th graders by showing students the deadly effects of tobacco and other drugs.

With up-close and personal exhibits, like two lungs - one a healthy lung and the other black lung of a smoker, gave students a reality check about what choosing to smoke can do to their bodies. The display of the two lungs was hosted by a former smoker who now has a tracheotomy placed in her throat due to her battle with cancer. This former smoker shared the dangers of smoking with students from her first hand experience.

Photo by Carla Gwaltney Owens Adel Geraldi shows off her art work at the Hall of Terror sponsored by HHS Clay County Tobacco Awareness Group. Geraldi, a member of CCTAG, presented a project entitled "Please, God, I'm only seventeen."

Other exhibits set-up by students included a table displaying items found in cigarettes. Students learned how such items like acetone, ammonia and arsenic (or rat poison) are found in tobacco and tobacco smoke.

Other sobering facts were also shared with students, including the fact that tobacco use is the #1 preventable cause of death in the country and that for every 8 smokers who die from smoking, they take one non-smoker with them.

One student, Adel Geraldi, spent many hours working on a large poster which depicts a young student who dies tragically in a car accident. Geraldi, who did the art work for the poster, shared the tragic story of a young student who dies at the young age of 17 due to un-safe driving habits. The story, entitled "Please, God I'm Only 17," was read to students in the hope that they would understand how driving fast and recklessly can have tragic consequences.

Coordinator of the Coalition for a Safe and Drug-free Clay County Dawn Wilde was also on hand for Friday's Hall of Terror with a display of many of the common dangerous illegal drugs which are deadly. Wilde educated students about what the drugs look like and their common names, and more importantly the serious health risks of the drugs.

Susan Thompson with the Clay County Health Department and Clay County Healthy Carolinians Partnership (CCHCP) is the sponsor of CCTAG. Thompson thanked all those who helped with the Hall of Terror including the Clay County Health Dept., CCHCP, CSDFCC, Communities and Schools, and the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund. Thompson also thanked all the student members of CCTAG who worked hard on the project this year.

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