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Kid governor urges districtwide anti-vaping course and school presentations
Summary
Liv Crete Sayer, New Hampshire’s 2026 Kid Governor, told the Merrimack Valley School Board her three-step plan to teach fifth graders about the dangers of smoking, vaping and drugs: in-school presentations with police and health professionals, a 'Drug Free Students' course with certification, and distribution of take-home booklets and activities.
Liv Crete Sayer, New Hampshire’s 2026 Kid Governor, presented a three-point plan to the Merrimack Valley School Board on May 4 to prevent vaping, smoking and drug use among elementary students.
Sayer told the board she will: (1) deliver presentations in schools alongside police, doctors and dentists to show students health consequences; (2) launch a ‘Drug Free Students’ (DFS) course for fifth graders that provides a completion certificate and a blue ribbon; and (3) distribute booklets, posters and activities to reinforce lessons at home. "When students are informed, they can make safer and smarter choices," Sayer said.
The presentation included short videos featuring a school resource officer and local health professionals. Corporal Murray of the Bosqueam Police Department told students that vaping harms brain development and urged them to report incidents to a teacher, school resource officer or parent. A hygienist and a dentist described oral-health harms from smoking and vaping, citing cavities, gum disease and oral cancer.
Sayer said the statewide Kid Governor election involved roughly 3,600 fifth graders across more than 100 classrooms and that she has presented to two schools so far. She plans to record her presentation for wider distribution to participating New Hampshire schools and estimated two more school visits in the near term.
Sayer described educational materials she developed: fact pages, quizzes, a simple math problem illustrating the cost of a weekly vape purchase, word searches and a student activity packet. She said the packet includes age-appropriate information drawn from public-health sources and that her team will hand out materials to students she presents to.
Board members asked how many schools she planned to visit; Sayer replied she has presented to two schools and expects to visit two more while also distributing the recorded presentation to other participating schools.
The board thanked Sayer for the presentation and accepted a sample packet and certificates of completion for interested teachers. The district did not commit to adopting the DFS course as a formal curriculum during the meeting; next steps were limited to acknowledging Sayer’s outreach and accepting her materials for review.
