News Gathering

      After completing two years of extensive journalism education as well as nearly a full year of being on the Hi’s Eye staff, I have learned the importance of effective news gathering in writing a story. The process of gaining insight from multiple perspectives is vital to the comprehensiveness of an article, and proper reporting can turn a good piece into an exceptional one. Here are two of my stories that demonstrate proper and effective news gathering.

‘It’s almost normal to Juul here’
Teen e-cigarette phenomenon hits high school, home life, parties

Greta Frontero, R2 Editor-in-Chief
January 8, 2018

A 12th-grade WHS female said she doesn’t bring her Juul to school, but will use someone else’s if the opportunity arises. “If we have a substitute in a certain class or if we aren’t doing anything important, it’s not uncommon for a few of us girls to go and Juul together in the bathroom,” she said.

A 12th-grade male at WHS said he Juuls “a few times every day,” adding, “It’s just easy to use anywhere, so if I’m bored or watching TV or something, I’ll just keep hitting it.”

Another senior female added that she has used the Juul at school, at parties and at home. “It’s not uncommon for me to hit my Juul in bed, while doing homework, and stuff like that,” she said.

Seven months ago, Hi’s Eye reported on the increased use of electronic cigarettes among WHS students. As 2018 begins, e-cigarettes, the most common being the USB-shaped Juul, have become a nationwide trend, particularly among teens. It’s a trend that is weaving itself into all aspects of teens’ social and academic lives, and it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.

This trend has become so commonplace at WHS that, as one senior male put it, “It’s almost normal to Juul here and has become just another part of teenage behavior.”

Another senior male said, “There is really no reaction from other students when it comes to Juuling, inside or outside of school, because so many people do it or have at least tried it.”

Juuls and other e-cigarettes are not a trend confined to Westfield, however. In fact, according to a report by the U.S. Surgeon General from 2016, “E-cigarettes are now the most commonly used tobacco product among youth.”

In addition, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that 16 percent of 12th-graders have used e-cigarettes in the past month. For 10th-graders, that number is 14 percent, and for 8th-graders, it’s at 10 percent. These numbers, by the way, are from a February 2016 study—the most recent numbers readily available from the U.S. government—so actual use today may be even higher.

Many teens have personal connections with their Juuls. Some students decorate them with stickers, or write their names on them using nail polish or Sharpies. They require chargers, just like smartphones do, and students carry those around as well. Some go so far as to steal one another’s. And they have no problem buying Juuls in town, despite a state law banning sales of e-cigarette devices to individuals under 21.

Student Resource Officer Ms. Elizabeth Savnik is worried about the increased popularity of Juuls among WHS students. “It has become a habitual thing for a lot of the kids here,” she said. “They’re so used to doing it that I don’t think they understand what they are actually putting into their bodies.”

Juuling in school is a rising trend in neighboring towns as well. Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Principal Dr. David Heisey said that Juuling/vaping incidents (use or possession) have increased at SPF High School, and that based on current information and conversations with officials from other schools, it is indeed a national trend.

Perhaps due to a rising awareness of the issue among faculty and staff, Juul-related suspensions have also increased at WHS. For instance, a single incident last month resulted in the suspension of three WHS seniors.

History Teacher Mr. Antony Farag was involved in the incident that led to the suspensions. He said that he suspected students were Juuling in the bathroom one day when a hallway monitor approached him, asking him to look inside.

“When I walked inside, it was more than obvious that the boys were not actually using the bathroom for what bathrooms are used for,” he said. “They were exchanging things underneath the stalls of the bathroom, and it became obvious that they were associated with Juuling.”

A senior male involved, who was suspended later that day, said that several administrators then surrounded the bathroom and escorted each boy to Office A to be searched. He claimed he was not using his Juul, but he had left his Juul charger in his backpack that day.

He said two WHS assistant principals asked if he was vaping in the bathroom, “to which I responded no, because I wasn’t,” he said. “But then they searched me and my backpack and found my Juul battery, and the rest is history.”

This was not the first time that WHS students have been suspended for Juuling in the building. Last year a senior male was caught Juuling during class when his chemistry teacher’s back was turned, resulting in a three-day suspension.

“I took a hit of it and blew it in my sweatshirt, but the smoke came out the back of my jacket,” he said. “When my teacher asked why there was smoke coming out of my jacket and I opened my mouth to respond, more smoke came out of my mouth.”

Assistant Principal Mr. James DeSarno said that the school has been working on prevention techniques, which includes taking measures to educate faculty and staff about this Juuling trend.

“We are trying to get more eyes and ears involved with the adults in the building,” said DeSarno. “We’re looking into better educating ourselves, as teachers and administrators and as the adults in the building, and researching things that we can do.”

Additionally, Principal Dr. Derrick Nelson believes it is just as important to educate students and parents on Juuls, because most of the activity is occurring at home. He said the best prevention method the school can use is “educating the students on the potential harms and dangers, but also helping to educate our parents in our community about the detriment and the dangers of the items and what the long-term effects could be in using these pieces.”

The pressing question on the minds of parents, teachers and administrators alike when it comes to Juuling, especially in school, is why? Some students say it is a good way to reduce stress during school.

“If I get an opportunity to Juul in school, I take it,” said a WHS senior female. “It’s sometimes a nice feeling when I’m stressed out.”

Another senior female said she Juuls in school “sometimes out of boredom or to relieve stress.” She added, “It gives a nice little head rush to reduce some of the pressure and stress of school.”

However, when Hi’s Eye asked students involved in the suspensions last month why they Juuled in the bathroom, a common response was to simply shrug and say, “I don’t really know.”

Farag has an idea that explains the phenomenon. “They want to be the ‘savage,’ they want to be the person that can get away with it,” he said. “I guess it makes them feel good about themselves, but it ends up being a costly and addictive way to just feel good about yourself in front of your peers and laugh and joke about something you got away with.”

​While students who Juul are likely aware of the potential punishment from both the school and law enforcement, teens are largely unaware of the health dangers of e-cigarettes.

As the devices are advertised on the JUUL Labs website as a healthier alternative to combustible cigarettes, many students believe that Juuls have no harmful effects, especially in comparison to other drugs.

“Honestly there aren’t any harmful effects [of Juuls], so it’s not a major problem,” said a senior male. “It’s not like it’s weed or some other drug.”

Similarly, a senior female said, “I understand that it’s not healthy for you and that it shouldn’t be done in school, but there could be other things going on that are far worse, like real drugs.”

However, the reality is that health experts do not believe that dangerous, long-term effects don’t exist—they just can’t determine what they are yet. Melanie Horton, a physician liaison at University Medical Center of Princeton, said that pulmonologists have been concerned with the rise in e-cigarette use by adolescents because it is unclear how exactly the drug affects the body.

“The nicotine concentration is higher, which many teens are unaware of, as they do not read the labels of e-cigarette products,” she said. “So health officials are concerned with determining long-term effects of e-cigarettes, as these products are still fairly new on the market.”

Health Teacher Ms. Susan Kolesar emphasized this point as well. “What I know about Juuls is that we don’t know much,” she said. “It is still a very new way to take in nicotine, but what I can tell you is that nicotine is highly addictive. It raises blood pressure and it raises heart rate.”

In addition, drugs other than nicotine can be used in Juuls and other e-cigarettes. For instance, Nelson said the main reason he is concerned with students Juuling is that they cannot always know what they are actually putting into their bodies.

“It’s odorless, it’s smokeless, and it’s been proven that you can have tobacco in it, as well as THC, which is marijuana, and even drugs like acid, heroin, and all of those different illegal substances without even knowing,” he said. “You really don’t know the quantity or potency of what you’re taking.”

However, the lack of available information and education on Juuls, which launched in 2015, has led to widespread unawareness among students of the devices’ health dangers.

“I think because we as kids and students see it all the time all around us, we are so normalized to it and don’t think anything of the effects,” said a senior female. “We see everyone doing it with no blatant or obvious negatives.”

The 2016 Surgeon General’s report identified several potential health effects of e-cigarettes, ranging from nicotine addiction and potential use of conventional cigarettes to effects on the brain and mental health (see chart).

Beyond affecting their health, Kolesar believes Juuling can be detrimental to other aspects of students’ lives, especially if they get suspended for it.

“This could affect their reputation, it could affect their college opportunities,” she said. “If they get suspended it could alter everything about their college acceptances, and it definitely puts them behind the eight-ball.”

Additionally, Juuling can negatively impact students’ relationships with their parents. One WHS senior female said that her parents know she Juuls and they “absolutely hate it,” which often leads to arguments at home.

A senior male, who was suspended for Juuling at school, said that his parents reacted very negatively to his suspension. “My mom came into the guidance office crying when she was called, and my dad didn’t talk to me for about a month,” he said. “I was grounded for two months and wasn’t allowed to go anywhere besides school and practice. I got yelled at pretty bad.”

The parental knowledge on Juuls and e-cigarettes, or lack thereof, also plays into WHS administrators’ perspective on this trend. “I look at this more as a parent than as an administrator,” said DeSarno. “I worry that the students who are doing this stuff don’t actually know what they’re doing, don’t have any knowledge of what’s in these things.”

Similarly, Nelson looks at the Juuling trend as it relates to his own daughter. “As a father, my daughter is only 4, but what scares me is what is going to be around when she’s 14,” he said. “If this is what’s happening now, 10 years from now, when she enters high school, what will kids be doing then?

“Let’s face it, there have been drugs in high schools as long as there have been high schools,” Nelson added. “But it’s changed, and in my opinion it’s increased over the decades. There is so much more out there that kids can get access to.”

So what does WHS do moving forward with this issue? Savnik said she is trying to educate the staff on e-cigarettes. “It’s a very important and personal issue to me, because I lost my mom to cancer,” she said.

Farag said he views Juul use as part of a student’s search for self. “I wonder if they need to find their place in a more positive way in the school,” he said. “And that’s where we come in as teachers and counselors and administrators. We are here to help them find their place. So it’s kind of a two-fold issue.”

A year ago, the WHS staff knew little about Juul use. But that’s no longer the case. “We all kind of know what’s going on,” Farag said. “We, the teachers and the administrators, know what’s happening. It’s just a matter of minimizing the usage of it. We could surveil the bathrooms more, because that’s where this seems to be taking place.”

And as the new year begins, this usage continues. A 12th-grade female says she enjoys the “head rush” of the Juul and says this feeling lasts “like 10 minutes depending on how many hits I take.”

But as she and many of her peers continue using Juuls, does she worry about what she’s doing? “I do think Juuling could be considered a problem, not for the academic sake of students, but more for their futures,” she said. “Since it’s such a new thing, no one really knows the possible outcomes it could have on users in the future.”

Businesses profit from Juuls

Greta Frontero, R2 Editor-in-Chief

March 23, 2018

Following the publication of the Jan. 5 Hi’s Eye article on the normalcy of Juuls at WHS and the dangers that experts are aware of, we received a statement from JUUL Labs, the company that owns the product, regarding their stance on underage use.

“We strongly condemn the use of our product by minors, and it is in fact illegal to sell our product to minors,” it said. “No minor should be in possession of a JUUL product.”

We took that as an invitation to look further into the adults who are profiting from e-cigarettes. From smoke shops to convenience stores to a nationwide company, there is no shortage of illegal sales to young Juul users. And yet the sales continue.

The JUUL Labs statement went on to say, “Our goal is to further reduce the number of minors who possess or use tobacco products, including vapor products, and to find ways to keep young people from ever trying these products.”

During a phone interview with JUUL Labs, a representative at their headquarters in Beverly Hills, CA, explained that the company has worked to reduce underage Juul use with many initiatives that are currently underway. This representative asked to be neither directly quoted nor identified, but explained some of these initiatives.

According to the representative, who reaffirmed the company’s position against the use of Juuls by minors, JUUL Labs has recruited educational consultants to develop a curriculum to be used in schools in order to inform teachers, parents and students about Juul and other vape products.

Additionally, through the use of a secret shopper program, the company is sending undercover teenagers into retail stores to ensure that identification is always requested where Juul products are sold, the representative said. The rep added that the company’s goal is to work with retailers and regulate channels that they have control over, such as their official company website, to prevent underage use.

With these initiatives in place, the question becomes whether or not the Juul epidemic among teenagers is improving or getting worse. With several stores within the area selling Juul pods and other vape products, just how easy is it for teenagers to obtain these illegal items?

An employee from Krauszer’s Food Store on Central Avenue, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “I don’t see many teenagers trying to buy vape products or Juul pods here, so I don’t think it happens very often.

“We ask everyone for an identification card, and if they are under 21 we don’t sell them any vape products,” he continued. “Especially if we suspect the customer to be a teenager, we always ask for ID.”

However, the response from WHS students was very different.

“I used to buy Juul pods from Krauszer’s all the time,” a WHS junior girl said. “I’ve never shown ID.”

In addition to Juul pods, there have been reports of WHS students, all of whom are under the legal age to buy tobacco products in New Jersey, easily obtaining all sorts of vape pens and electronic cigarettes from Krauszer’s without being asked for identification.

“I’m 18 and I’ve easily bought three electronic cigarette products from Krauszer’s,” said one senior girl. “They have never asked me for ID and always just hand it over.”

Similarly, a senior boy said, “I’ve walked into Krauszer’s three different times and bought an electronic cigarette and was never asked to show ID.”

One WHS junior boy said perhaps the prevention of teen Juul use should focus on local stores such as Krauszer’s rather than on tackling the national epidemic at large.

“It’s crazy how easy it is to buy vapes and Juuls and stuff around here,” he said. “All you have to do is walk into the store and ask. If we want to fix the problem, that’s where we should start. It’s just too easy.”

Following these reports, Hi’s Eye contacted the manager of Krauszer’s, Mr. Max Patel, via a phone interview. While he restated the store’s claim that each employee should request ID when selling vape and tobacco products, he also said that teens may be obtaining these devices through a third party.

“At my store, this guy comes in who’s about 22 years old, I don’t know his name,” Patel said. “He shows me his ID and then buys two or three hundred dollars worth of Juul products. I asked him about a month ago what he was going to do with all of it, and he told me he could sell them easily to kids—more than I sell in my store.

“And I tell him that it’s not right, and he tells me I have no control over what he buys,” Patel continued. “He’s 22, 23, so I have to sell to him.”

In addition to reports of adults mass-buying Juuls and re-distributing them to teens, Patel also claimed to have seen kids wait outside the store and pay adults to buy products for them.

“Sometimes when kids come [to the store], they wait for the people who have IDs with them and give them money to buy stuff,” he said. “The day before yesterday, this guy, about 65 years old, came in and bought products for a kid. A 65-year-old man bought a Blu electronic cigarette for a kid. I have the video. He gave the Blu to a kid.”

Because of this complicated, third-party sale of Juuls, Patel said he told the owner of Krauszer’s to remove Juul products from the store. “I don’t want this headache,” he said. “This isn’t just about you guys—a couple of parents have come into the store, too. This is getting too crazy. I’m seeing older people buying them and selling them to kids, and then I get blamed for it.”

From these reports, it can be concluded that illegally obtaining Juul and vape products in Westfield is not very difficult, and underage use of these products certainly appears to be growing. The question now becomes how parents are reacting to this increasing epidemic, and what action can be taken to prevent it from growing further.

The main concerns parents have regarding their kids using a Juul or other smoke product are the health issues that come with it. Although the specific health defects these new electronic products can cause are still largely unknown, parents are worried about the development of addiction to nicotine.

“The nicotine is addictive and teenagers don’t understand the real health dangers,” said one WHS parent, who will be referred to as Parent A. “I am so dismayed to see that Juuls have become the cigarette of this generation.”

Parents interviewed agree that it is necessary to take action against underage use and that JUUL Labs should be held accountable. However, when it comes to what parents can do in their everyday lives to stop this epidemic, communication and education seem to be the key.

“Parents can’t be by their children’s side all the time,” said another anonymous parent, who will be referred to as Parent B. “All we can do is teach our children right and wrong, good and bad, and healthy and damaging. We hope we have provided our children with the necessary tools to make the right decisions when they are faced with life choices.”

Due to the easy accessibility of these products, Juuls have become very popular within college and high school settings. However, recently middle-schoolers have been reportedly introduced to this product as well.

“I am horrified that my son in middle school has dozens of friends who Juul,” said Parent A. “It has become a problem and clearly Juuls are too accessible.”

Despite concerns from parents about the safety of these products, the managers of several local smoke shops, including Discount Vape Pen, Aladdin’s Glass & Vape, and Chillin’ Out Smoke & Vape Shop, all argued that vape products are safe if used properly. The manager at Aladdin’s Glass & Vape said that vapes only become dangerous if they are abused or not properly maintained.

As this epidemic continues to grow, it is becoming clear that teens are not using the products for their intended purpose. Juuls and other vapes were created to help people quit smoking cigarettes, and the smoke-shop managers reiterated this. However, most teens who use them never had an addiction to cigarettes to begin with.

The manager at Discount Vape Pen said, “The biggest problem is that teenagers are smoking Juuls without ever having been addicted to cigarettes, so they are getting addicted to nicotine when they didn’t have to be.”

The issue is that teenagers may be creating a dangerous addiction without realizing it when using these products incorrectly. The manager at Chillin’ Out Smoke & Vape Shop strongly believes that Juuls, for instance, should not be used to relieve issues like anxiety.

“With vape products, they should only be used to wean off nicotine,” he said. “This type of substance is not the answer [for anxiety], and you’re probably only making it worse for the future.

“Juuls absolutely hinder high school kids, and I know that because of how concerned parents are,” he continued. “If you knew how many parents and teachers came in here asking me what this stuff is, it would blow your f****** mind.”

But even these warnings haven’t stopped many teens from trying to buy smoke products. All three managers said that teenagers come into their stores all the time looking to buy Juuls or other products. Each store has posted a sign stating that photo ID is required and that customers have to be 21 or older, but some teens still attempt to purchase products with fake IDs.

“If anyone comes in here with a questionable ID, I bring it upstairs and look up if this person actually is a resident of Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, or whatever,” said the manager of Chillin’ Out Smoke & Vape Shop. “If I find it to be fake, I personally cut the ID in half, or I hang it on our ID wall of shame.”

Finally, when asked if the public should be worried about the teen Juul/vaping epidemic and its dangers, the managers had varying opinions. The manager of Aladdin’s Glass & Vape confidently said that the dangers of smoke products are “definitely overstated and exaggerated,” whereas both managers of Chillin’ Out Smoke & Vape Shop and Discount Vape Pen agreed that teenagers shouldn’t be using these products.

“Most people I know smoke vapes because they used to smoke cigarettes, but that’s usually not the case for teens,” said the manager of Discount Vape Pen. “Adults use vapes to transition, and teenagers don’t—that’s the difference.

“Kids using them at parties to look cool is not the purpose at all.”

Meanwhile, here in Westfield the Juul-smoking continues among teens around town. “I’ve never seen an experience like this before,” said Patel of Krauszer’s. “And I’ve been in this business the past 15 years.”

Lacrosse players’ tough decision: Early college commitments create dilemma amongst WHS students

Greta Frontero, R2 Editor-in-Chief
May 19, 2017

While many seniors made their final decisions on post-high school plans a few weeks ago, a number of WHS lacrosse players have known where they will attend college since the age of 15. Recent trends have shown WHS students are committing to college for lacrosse at a much younger age than any other sport, and this number is growing.

It is widely believed by members of the lacrosse community that athletes are making college commitment decisions too early, but oftentimes this is the only way to stay competitive in the recruiting process.

Junior Catherine Moriarty, who is verbally committed to the University of Florida, said, “The whole process is just so competitive, so you can’t commit too late if you really want to play in college, which is kind of what’s wrong with the system because we are all just so young.”

US Lacrosse, the national governing body of men’s and women’s lacrosse, issued a statement on recruiting in which the organization addressed concerns for early commitments.

According to the 2014 statement, the current state of recruiting has encouraged student-athletes to “forego a well-rounded high school experience based on unrealistic expectations about playing college lacrosse.”

US Lacrosse will continue working “to provide the information, resources and leadership necessary to enable high school student-athletes and their parents to make the best decisions about their lacrosse experience.”

With a total of six Westfield seniors going on to play collegiate lacrosse next year, it is clear that lacrosse is far more commonly recruited at WHS than any other sport. WHS Supervisor of Athletics Ms. Sandra Mamary credits this trend to the concept of supply and demand.

Mamary said, “There is a large demand from colleges to commit lacrosse players, and WHS has such a high-quality program that it’s more common for students to commit for lacrosse than any other sport.”

Despite this, Mamary thinks WHS lacrosse players are making college commitment decisions far too early. “It’s important to remember that these students are still kids and not professional players, and the pressure for these teenagers to make such an emotional decision so early on is very concerning,” Mamary said.

“I blame the NCAA,” she added. “I don’t think the NCAA is doing their job as a regulatory organization to fix this problem.”

Recently, the NCAA has made changes in response to this issue. According to NCAA proposal 2017-1, announced on April 14, college lacrosse coaches will be prohibited from contacting prospective student-athletes until Sept. 1 of their junior year, effective immediately. This new legislation has created a buzz in the lacrosse community.

Junior girls lacrosse captain and Stanford University commit Natalie Bond approves of the new NCAA rule.

“I definitely think the rule is appropriate,” said Bond. “It’s kind of crazy that freshmen commit to college when they have barely played a full year of high school lacrosse.”

But freshman Colin Freer, who is verbally committed to Princeton University, said he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Freer said, “I don’t think I committed too early because I feel that having the opportunity to attend one of the best schools academically is something that no one would pass up, and I think it’s the best fit for me and my family.”

Mr. Andrew Hubschmann is the director of boys recruiting at Building Blocks Lacrosse, a popular lacrosse club in the area, and he believes the recruiting process is warped.

He said, “On one hand, it’s a blessing for anyone to have the opportunity to commit to one of the top universities in the world, but when you are forced to do so at too early of an age, it’s a curse.”

The club’s director of girls recruiting, Ms. Sam Warner, shares these concerns, and said that she has seen many players choose to decommit because they realize their decision is not what they really want.

This was the case for WHS senior Parker Yarusi, who decommitted from the University of Denver.

When Yarusi committed as a sophomore she was very excited, and she said she felt like all of the work she put into lacrosse was finally paying off.

She later questioned her decision, and began asking herself if playing at Denver was really what she wanted to do, or if she was just pleasing those around her.

Once Yarusi decommitted, she never looked back. She is now looking forward to attending Indiana University in the fall, where she will not be playing lacrosse, and “meeting all types of people from all over the world who do many different things.

“People say college is the best four years of your life,” said Yarusi. “So you have to make sure you make the most of it and enjoy every second of it with no regrets, no matter what you choose to do.”