Decatur County Middle School launches student leaders to fight nicotine use

At Decatur County Middle School, student leaders are stepping into a fight that starts early and can shape health for years. All S.T.A.R.s, short for Students Taking Action for Resiliency, is the school’s new peer-led effort to help classmates build confidence and push back on nicotine use and other pressures teens face.

“We are excited to launch a new student leadership group at DCMS focused on building a stronger, healthier school community.” That message from the school gets at the point of the program, which is meant to be both a leadership opportunity and a wellness campaign. The group will spend the year spreading awareness through skits, morning announcements, poster contests and social media, using student voices to make healthy choices more visible across campus.

The stakes are local. Decatur County Middle School is the county’s only middle school, serving about 500 students in grades 5-8 at 2740 Hwy. 641 South in Parsons. It opened in August 2000 after students from Decaturville Elementary and Parsons Junior High School were consolidated, and it remains the one place in the county where many students move through those awkward, high-pressure middle school years together.

The school is not trying to do this alone. Sarah Burleson, the public health educator with the Decatur County Health Department, helped launch the program alongside Brian Morgan, the club sponsor. That partnership matters in a small county where school climate and public health overlap every day, from lunchroom conversations to what students see on their phones.

The public health warning signs are clear. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says nearly all tobacco use begins during adolescence. In 2024, 12.9% of U.S. middle school students had ever tried a tobacco product, 1.0% reported nicotine pouch use in the past 30 days and 1.1% reported cigarette use in the past 30 days. Current e-cigarette use among middle and high school students fell from 7.7% in 2023 to 5.9% in 2024, but youth nicotine use remains a serious concern because too many students are still being pulled toward addiction before high school even starts.

The school’s challenge now is to turn awareness into a change students can feel in daily life. If All S.T.A.R.s works, the payoff will not be a banner on the wall. It will show up in stronger peer support, healthier behavior and a school climate where students are more likely to stand up for one another than to follow the pressure.