After what seemed like weeks of gray days and rainy weather, students at Westgate High School welcomed the sun during the school’s “Kick Butts Day” picnic.

Kick Butts Day is an annual day of youth activism. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids sponsors more than 1,000 such events across the United States. This year, the focus is on kicking Juul, the e-cigarette that has become enormously popular among young people across the country.

For student organizer Emilee Lasalle, a sophomore at Westgate High School, the event was about education as well as enjoying a day in the fresh air.

“I got involved because I actually care about the health of others,” Lasalle said. “Even if they can’t stop from smoking, at least they will know the health effects.”

She said she was surprised at how open some of her fellow students were to learning more about what smoking, and e-cigs in particular, can do to the people who use them.

“It’s crazy not to what Juuling does to you,” she said, referring to Juul, a popular e-cig among high school students. “Most of the people I have talked to really want to know more about the effects. There is some apathy, but it has not been that bad.”

One of the main sources of the youth e-cigarette epidemic is Juul, a small e-cig device which looks like a computer flash drive. It is small and easy to hide, delivers a powerful dose of nicotine, and comes in kid-friendly flavors like mango, fruit and mint. According to the manufacturer, each Juul cartridge delivers as much nicotine as a pack of 20 cigarettes.

The first Kick Butts Day was held in 1996. Thenon-profit Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids sponsors events nationwide to foster education and awareness of the dangers of tobacco use.

According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 12.2 percent of high school students in Louisiana use e-cigarettes, while 12.3 percent smoke cigarettes. Tobacco use claims 7,200 lives in Louisiana and costs the state $1.9 billion in health care bills each year.

Jennifer Kidd, who has taught at Westgate for 18 years, secured the grant that helps fund the student awareness events.

“The students will be speaking to the city council, the parish council, and the school board to educate them on Juuling,” Kidd said. “They were out at the Sugar Cane Festival parade and at Shadows-on-the-Teche to help promote awareness. Some of them have done individual events, talking to people about the effects of smoking.”

Kidd said the grant, through the NextEra Healthy Air Coalition, helps to defray the costs of events like the picnic.

For the students, the event took on a festive air. Some formed a circle, batting a volleyball back and forth. Others spread out blankets and enjoyed their lunch, including the snacks they received in exchange for filling out a smoker survey form.

Assistant Principal William Regard, who joined the Westgate High administration in November, was smiling as he surveyed the scene.

“It’s a beautiful day for a picnic,” he said as he walked through the crowd of students. “We couldn’t ask for anything better.”