High School “Influencers” Hired for Play Hard, Live Clean Campaign

By Diane Lee, Public Information Officer, Garrett County Health Department

The Play Hard, Live Clean (PHLC) healthy lifestyle campaign has added a new component this school year. Four high school students were recently hired to act as Influencers, using their peer influence to spread awareness about PHLC and the important topics addressed by the campaign.

PHLC is conducted jointly by the Garrett County Health Department and the Garrett County Public Schools. The campaign is designed to encourage youth to make good choices by recognizing and rewarding them for certain positive lifestyle accomplishments from kindergarten through graduation. 

“We chose four Influencers, two from Northern High School and two from Southern High School,” said Kendra McLaughlin, Director of Health Education and Outreach at the Garrett County Health Department. “It was a very competitive process, and the students who were selected have a lot of potential to take the campaign to the next level.”

From Northern High School, junior Shelby Mark and freshman Sarah Hamilton-Rumer are the Influencers. From Southern High School, senior Emma Michael and junior Allie Newman are the Influencers. The four participated in an orientation in early November and immediately began creating content for the campaign. They will meet monthly to strategize messaging for a variety of prevention topics including vaping awareness, tobacco prevention, mental health, underage drinking prevention, and healthy eating. 

While the Play Hard, Live Clean campaign targets students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, the Influencers will focus most of their efforts at the high school level. The campaign is primarily digital to these students featuring monthly prevention challenges with prizes. The Influencers will also assist the PHLC staff with some community activities to recognize elementary and middle school students for their achievements with the campaign. 

For more information about PHLC visit the PlayHardLiveClean.com website or call the health department at 301-334-7730 or 301-895-3111.

Cutline: Pictured above are the high school students chosen as “Influencers” for the Play Hard, Live Clean campaign. From left to right Shelby Mark, Sarah Hamilton-Rumer, Allie Newman, and Emma Michael. Their role is to spread awareness about the campaign and the prevention topics it addresses.