Good morning,
As was mentioned in the December Monthly Memo, we are excited to announce another free service to help youth quit vaping. This is Quitting is a text-based service for Kentuckians ages 13 to 24. Young people who want to enroll in This is Quitting should text KENTUCKY to 88709.
The Cabinet for Health & Family Services’ press release about this service (below) went out this morning, so you may begin to see media inquiries about it over the next few days.
It is important to emphasize that This is Quitting does not replace either of our existing free services for quitting tobacco. We still encourage people of all ages to useQuit Now Kentucky and people under 18 to use My Life, My Quit. This is Quitting is just a third option to help us ensure that everyone can find a service that meets their needs. This document explains the differences between Quit Now Kentucky, My Life, My Quit, and This is Quitting.
Feel free to share the press release below, our Quitting Tobacco webpage, or the post(s) on our Facebook page.
If you have any questions about This is Quitting or Kentucky’s other free quitlines, please contact Cessation Administrator Heather Shaw.
Ellen H. Cartmell, MPA
Communications Specialist
Kentucky Department for Public Health
She/Her/Hers
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FREE TEXT SERVICE TO HELP YOUNG KENTUCKIANS QUIT VAPING
Service Touted as New Federal Law Impacting Tobacco Sales Takes Effect
FRANKFORT, Ky. (1/9/20) — The Kentucky Department for Public Health, within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, encourages teens and young adults who want to quit vaping to get free help from This Is Quitting, a nationwide texting service. CHFS and DPH officials say cessation services such as This Is Quitting are critical for young people and emphasized that many will be impacted by the recent federal law increasing the legal age to purchase tobacco and vaping products to 21.
This is Quitting was developed by Truth Initiative and is being promoted directly to Kentuckians through a collaboration with DPH. The service is intended for young people ages 13 to 24, and is tailored by age group to give appropriate recommendations about quitting vaping. It was developed with input from young people who have already attempted to or succeeded in quitting e-cigarettes. Participants should text KENTUCKY to 88709 to enroll in the program, which provides up to nine weeks of coaching.
CHFS Acting Secretary Eric Friedlander said quitting tobacco, nicotine, or vaping products will improve your health at any age, and with the resources offered through DPH and other providers, it takes just a few steps to be on the path toward quitting.
“In light of a recent federal law increasing the age of legal tobacco sales to 21, we know many young people will need support giving up tobacco and e-cigarette products,” he said. “This Is Quitting is a great resource specifically created to help young people quit using e-cigarettes and we are very happy to partner with the Truth Initiative to help more young Kentuckians lead healthier lives.
“Many young people who started vaping now want to quit, but they don’t know how,” said Dr. Amanda Graham, Chief of Innovations at Truth Initiative. “The fact that young people are setting a quit date the day they enroll shows that they are eager to break free from vaping. Our program allows them to get support discreetly and anonymously without having to disclose to an adult that they are vaping.”
Young people who enroll in This is Quitting will receive one support text per day leading up to the day they quit vaping, and for at least 60 days after their ‘quit date.’ For those not ready to commit to quitting but who are still interested in learning more, This is Quitting will send at least four weeks of messages focused on building skills and confidence to prepare for quitting. In addition to their scheduled messages, participants can also receive on-demand support for cravings, stress, and set-backs in their quitting journey.
According to the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, more than 53 percent of Kentucky’s high schoolers have ever used an e-cigarette. More than half of those students are current users. By comparison, around 30 percent of Kentucky high schoolers have ever smoked a traditional cigarette, and approximately 9 percent are current smokers.
“E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among Kentucky youth,” said DPH Health Promotion Section Supervisor Elizabeth Anderson-Hoagland. “While we absolutely do not want any teen to start vaping, we also want to make sure we’re providing resources to help them quit.”
Quitting vaping can be challenging because almost all e-cigarettes contain nicotine, the same addictive chemical found in cigarettes and other tobacco products. One JUUL pod contains as much nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes. A 2018 Truth Initiative study found that 63 percent of youth and young adult JUUL-users did not know that the product always contains nicotine.
This is Quitting and DPH’s other free tobacco-cessation resources like My Life, My Quit and Quit Now Kentucky are especially important for teens and young adults, for whom nicotine is particularly detrimental. The U.S. Surgeon General has reported that nicotine exposure is particularly dangerous in adolescents because it can “prime the brain for addiction to other drugs such as cocaine.”
This is Quitting also comes alongside DPH and the CDC’s investigation into the nationwide outbreak of e-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury (EVALI). More than 2,400 people across the country have been hospitalized with serious respiratory issues as a result of using e-cigarettes, though the exact cause of their injuries remains unknown. More than 50 patients have died as a result of this outbreak. Many of those affected are young people, probably because they are more likely to vape than other age groups.
DPH provides updated EVALI information at https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dph/dmch/hpb/Pages/pdinfo.aspx.
Truth Initiative launched This is Quitting nationwide in January 2019 and has since enrolled over 70,000 teens and young adults. Peer-reviewed research on the program has revealed that more than 60 percent of participants reported they had reduced or completely stopped using e-cigarettes after just two weeks. CHFS will be promoting This is Quitting on college campuses and through its social media accounts.
Truth Initiative is a nonprofit tobacco control organization that focuses on helping youth and young adults in America stop using tobacco products. “Quitting e-cigarettes can be isolating for young people,” added Graham. “Text messaging is a proven, powerful strategy to deliver interventions that drive behavior change. We’ve taken input directly from young people and positioned This is Quitting as a supportive, non-judgmental friend, with text messages written in the first person or as quotes from other users.”
Flyers and palm cards with the text code and number will be distributed to schools and other community partners across Kentucky who engage with youth and young adults. For more information about the program or to request materials contact DPH Tobacco Cessation Administrator Heather Shaw at [email protected] or (502) 564-9358 ext. 4017.
Additional information is available at http://chfs.ky.gov/.
The December Kentucky Counselor Connection is now available at https://www.kheaa.com/website/kheaa/guid_ky?main=6 by clicking on the link to get the latest edition.
You will find the following articles in this month’s issue:
- Pay attention to scholarship deadlines
- Changes coming to ACT in the fall
- College outcomes by county
- Students should learn about credit scores
- Next Gen FSA to combine USDE sites
The Kentucky Counselor Connection is a newsletter created to inform counselors about state education news, financial aid, financial literacy and other educational topics
“I am an Alexander Hamilton Scholar, and it has changed my life. I became a part of the 'Hammie family' as a junior in high school and have since had the support of amazing mentors, other aspiring Scholars, and generous sponsors. The Alexander Hamilton Award isn't your regular scholarship; it is an Empowerment Program focused around 5 things: Transition, Heritage, Empowerment, Financial Literacy, and Leadership. We are trained in a series of conference calls, a mentor program, and leadership weeks that help us with the transition to college and into our future careers. This year marks my third year with the Alexander Hamilton Program and no matter what challenges lie ahead of me, I know that I will always have someone from the Hamilton Program to talk to and to support me. I encourage you (high school juniors) to consider applying to this amazing opportunity to become a nationally-recognized Alexander Hamilton Scholar.” Beatriz Najera (2015) |
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Dear Cynthia,
At the Bill of Rights Institute, we love to ask challenging questions. We also love to reward students who rise to the challenge by tackling some of the most compelling questions of our time. For this year's We the Students Essay Contest, we are challenging students to tell us what civil discourse means to them. The students who provide the most thoughtful, meaningful responses to this question will receive scholarship awards of up to $7,500. A total of fourteen students will receive scholarship prizes totaling $20,000.
For this essay, we are asking students to not only share their comprehension of what civil discourse is meant to be but to also relate what it looks like when it works – and when it doesn’t – and why. Perhaps they will choose to include mention of a time when they, themselves, were part of an exchange intended to understand something – how did they go about it? We encourage them to bring emotion, creativity, specific examples (including current events), and well-researched facts into what they write. |
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Good Afternoon Educators,
I hope this message reaches you doing well and transitioning into a great new semester. Below are two scholarship application opportunities offered by the Community Foundation of Louisville for students to pursue. We proudly administer more than 100 scholarship funds and awarded more than $1.6 million in scholarships for the 2019-2020 academic year!
= General Scholarship Application – The application features 60-plus scholarships. Eligibility requirements vary, but the application’s technology matches students to all scholarships they are eligible to receive. The application will close Monday, March 16, 2020 at 5 p.m. EST.
= Louisville Artisans Guild Art Scholarship – The application features one scholarship opportunity for Metro Louisville (Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, and Bullitt counties in Kentucky and Floyd, Clark, and Harrison counties in Indiana) students seeking to pursue the visual arts in college. The application will close Friday, February 14, 2020 at 5 p.m. EST.
To learn more about our scholarship program, please visit our web site. To learn more of the eligibility requirements for each one of our scholarship opportunities, please see this printable PDF document. Please note that applicants should not select the green “Log in” icon at the top of CFL’s web site as that is intended only for donors. Instead, you may provide applicants with this link that takes them directly to the online application’s login page.
If you have any questions, or would ever like for me to speak with students, please let me know. Thank you for your commitment to our students and their education!
Best,
Emory
Emory Williamson
Scholarship Coordinator
Community Foundation of Louisville
325 W Main St., Suite 1110 • Louisville, KY 40202
P: 502.855.6989 • Follow us on Facebook
We are a force for good and create lasting impact in community so people and place thrive.
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Happy Holidays from GSE! Remember, the 2020 GSE application is due January 20th, 2020. If the newsletter isn't showing for you, visit this link: https://www.smore.com/4p0e7
-- Tasha Sams |
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See Your Students Thrive at Stanford This Summer |
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Dear Cynthia Miracle,
As a high school college counselor, you are a critical resource to your students as they plan for their future. We hope that you will look over our program information and discuss the benefits of attending a Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies summer program with your top students as they make plans for Summer 2020.
Please direct students to our website to learn more about our diverse program offerings. You will also be receiving a poster in the mail soon, and we hope that you will display it so that students at Anderson County High School can discover our summer program opportunities.
We offer programs across a wide variety of disciplines—including arts, business, humanities, math, science, and more—allowing highly motivated students to investigate advanced topics not typically taught in secondary schools. Participants engage in small classes with brilliant instructors and peers who share their passions.
Deadlines for most of our summer programs are in February, with some early round deadlines in January. Admission is selective. Limited financial aid is available.- Stanford Summer Humanities Institute brings students in grades 10 and 11 together to explore the big questions at the heart of the humanities. Seminars are led by distinguished Stanford professors during this three-week residential program.
- Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes allows students currently in grades 8–11 to apply to a single-subject intensive course selected from a wide range of disciplines, and benefit from small class size and academically themed residences.
- Stanford AI4ALL invites students in 9th grade to apply to this three-week residential summer program. Participants learn about topics in AI, partake in ongoing research at Stanford, and receive mentorship from professors, graduate students, and industry professionals. Young women and students from underrepresented and/or low-income backgrounds are particularly encouraged to apply.
- Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC) students participate in a highly-selective program centered around lectures, guided research, and group problem-solving in advanced math topics. This four-week program is intended for an elite group of talented students in grades 10 and 11.
- Stanford Pre-Collegiate University-Level Online Math and Physics offers 13 courses throughout the year, including a summer term for high school students, grades 9–12. Students earn Stanford University Continuing Studies credit.
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Again, we hope that you will share these opportunities with your students and encourage them to apply to join us on the Stanford campus this summer.
Sincerely, Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies Team |
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This is a great time to send those juniors home with some information about the Commonwealth Honors Academy at Murray State University so that they can think about it (and apply!) over the winter break.
The major details:
- Held June 6-27 in Murray, KY, on Murray State's beautiful campus;
- Earn 6 hours of honors-level college credit with the ability to take 6 additional hours tuition-free during their senior year;
- A $2,000/year housing scholarship renewable for four years if they attend Murray State;
- An active living-learning community with no more than 120 scholars, giving them the opportunity to form life-long friendships with other students and fantastic relationships with talented faculty.
You, students, and parents can find more information at our website (
www.murraystate.edu/cha). The applications are easy-to-fill-out GoogleForms.
Please help me in spreading the word to your students who are around the 25 ACT/3.5 GPA range!
Stay strong. Have a good week and a great break!
Dr. Danielle Nielsen
Academic Dean
Commonwealth Honors AcademyMurray State University Honors College
304 Lowry Center
Murray, KY 42071-3385
270-809-3166
See attached flyer for juniors to apply for the High School Student Congress.
An article I came across and thought I would share with fellow parents of teenangers:-)
https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/teenagers/a-parents-guide-to-sadfishing/?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Another article I thought I would share; helping students find scholarships:
https://www.savingforcollege.com/article/how-to-find-scholarships-for-college
Help your high school student earn micro scholarships through RaiseMe:
https://www.raise.me/blog/parents/new-for-parents/