Students From High School Outside Denver Make Art From Vapes

Mountain Range High School visual arts teacher Kyle Wimmer usually takes one specific day off every year: November 2, he says, “is a really personal thing.” It’s his sobriety anniversary, and Wimmer celebrated eight years without alcohol this year. But on his sixth sobriety anniversary in 2021, he ended up going to work. It made a huge difference.

“I was really honest with the kids,” Wimmer says. “I told them why it was a day I usually wasn’t here for, and why.” On his seventh anniversary, inspired by his students’ reactions the year prior, he took the conversation to the next level. “I became a guest speaker for myself,” he says, “and challenged the kids to go 24 hours without vaping. Or just give me your vape pen.”