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Features
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
By Ashley Richardson & Jalessah Jackson
SHS Nurse Christine Simmons
attributes unprotected sex amongstudents to a lack of access to propermaterials or spur-of-the-momentdecisions.
A
ccording to a recent survey on NBC-TV, one
in every four sexually active teenage girls has
an STD, or sexually transmitted disease. Most
of these girls didn’t even know they were infected because they had few symptoms of the disease. “The
only time I ever had an STD scare was with a boy that
I wasn’t dating,” Jane (not her real name) said. “A lot of
people told me that he had an STD, but he didn’t have
any symptoms as far as I could tell. I was still nervous,so I got checked, and found out that I’m clean. He did
end up having an STD, so I’m really glad that I used a
condom. I will never not wear one again.”
Considering how many teens who are sexu
-ally active don’t use a condom, the number of teenagers
with an STD isn’t very surprising. “A lot of girls think
that they are all set with just birth control,” Heather (not her real name) said. “They need to realize that birthcontrol only protects them from getting pregnant, and
that isn’t even always the case. Yes, it’s a good thing to
have, and to use protection. But it won’t protect you
from an STD.”STDs are spread from oral, vaginal, andanal sex, as well as from intimate touching. During aninformal interview at Springeld High School, four out of nine students didn’t know that an STD could be
passed through skin-to-skin contact. “I didn’t know that
an STD could be passed through intimate touching,”Matt (not his real name) said. “I thought [the disease]
could only be passed by having sex.”“So many people think that oral sex isn’treally having sex,” Laura (not her real name) said. “Butthe truth is, it’s just as dangerous. People need to realize
that many STDs are spread through oral sex.”Condoms and abstinence are the only protec
-
tion against STDs. Unfortunately, many teens do not use
condoms. “There could be various reasons why people
do not use protection,” SHS Nurse Christine Simmons
said. “Some people do not have access. It could be spur of the moment, or they simply are just unprepared.”In some cases, one partner may want to usea condom, while the other partner has an issue with it.“I always want to,” Bobby (not his real name) said, “butsometimes they don’t.”Since many teens are not properly educated
about STDs, they may not see it as vitally important to
use condoms each time they have sex.
“Although presentations about STDs and
intercourse can be seen as repulsive by students, itneeds to be shown,” Jane said. “I think it should bemandatory. A lot of kids just don’t know enough aboutthese diseases, and they always think ‘It won’t happento me,’ but really, it can happen to anyone. Even if youonly forget a condom once.”Forgetting a condom once is a big risk.With such negligence, a person has the same chance
of contracting an STD as someone who never uses acondom. STDs spread from one person to the next. They
do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or sexualorientation.“When dealing with a sexual relationship,trust becomes an issue,” Joe (not his real name) said.“Obviously it’s a huge part of a relationship. But whentalking about how many sexual partners your boyfriendor girlfriend has had, you need to think about the broadsubject. If you sleep with someone, you’re also sleepingwith everyone they’ve slept with, and so on. Teens lieabout these things, and aren’t as honest as they should be.”Added to a lack of honesty, many teens don’t
know that they have an STD because they do not havesymptoms of the disease. “I had an STD, and I didn’t
even know I had it,” Fred (not his real name) said. “Ihardly ever had sex with a condom, but when I found
out that I had the STD, it was too late. I’d already passed
it on to someone else. I didn’t think it could happen tome.”
Sexual partners can pass an STD to otherswithout realizing it, and for some, it’s their rst time
and they are unaware that it could happen. According
to health care experts, a person will not get an STD just
because they are sexually active. But if they engagein unprotected sex, they will have a high risk of beingexposed. “I was in a relationship for three years,” Lisa(not her real name) said. “I never thought my boyfriendwould cheat on me. I was wrong.”
No one wants to think about catching a dis
-ease, or wondering if their partner is cheating on them, but for sexually-active individuals, such thoughts are
important to preventing STDs. “I think both boys and
girls need to be taught that using a condom should be
second nature,” Jane said. “No matter what, but espe
-cially with new partners that you don’t know are 100%clean.”“A lot of teenagers take health class as a
joke,” Matt said. “It’s just a class they have to take
to graduate. But really, it’s much more than that. It’s
showing students the risks of an STD, how they are
passed, and what to do to prevent it. All teens think
they are above getting an STD, but we’re all the same.
Anyone who is sexually active without protection canget one.”Herpes, caused by the herpes simplex virus,
is the most common form of STD, both in teens and in
adults. There is no cure for herpes, and although thenumber of outbreaks decreases over the years, it never
leaves one's body. Having an STD can result in perma
-nent damage. These diseases can lead to infertility and
sometimes death in newborns. “An STD can affect the
child’s entire system,” Simmons said. “A lot of peopledon’t realize that they can transmit the disease throughchildbirth.”
“My STD scare was something that made me
think,” Jane said. “It made me think that my romanticlife was over for good. I never want to feel like thatagain.”“I honestly thought that this could never happen to me,” Fred said. “But now that it has, I’m
forever changed. Knowing that I’m not above everyoneelse, and knowing that I can get another STD scares me.
I wear a condom every time now. I wish more teenswould understand the risks they’re taking when theyhave unprotected sex.”
E
lementary school. Crayons. Magic Markers.Macaroni Ornaments. Elmer’s Glue. Around theWorld. Kickball. Bullies.
When parents gather to discuss bullying,they tend to focus on middle school, the transition years.But bullying is everywhere, in high school, elementaryschool, and even outside of school.Bullying comes in all shapes and sizes. For boys, it tends to be more physical, therefore easier tospot. But girls, who rely more on verbal abuse, can be just as mean.HOSTS (Helping One Student To Suc-ceed), a mentoring program through the Three River
Valley Regional Business and Education Partnership inSpringeld, gives kids role models to offset bullying.Marie Gelineau, Executive Director of the Three River Valley Business and Education Partnership since 1998,
became involved in HOSTS last fall.After the school day ends, high school men-tors go to Park Street and Elm Hill elementary schoolsto spend an hour with younger students. They participatein activities ranging from arts and crafts to outdoor games.Junior Ashley Richardson recently becamea mentor. Her love of kids, and helping others, pushedher to join. “We basically do anything the kids want todo," Richardson said. "We are like their playmates. Butwe are there to set an example as well."As a child, Richardson considered herself
a bully. Mentoring has made her realize how she used
to treat her peers. “It made me see how I used to act,”Richardson said. Using her experiences in elementaryschool as inspiration, Richardson became involved in
the mentoring program to positively inuence younger
children.
Mentoring
Benets All
By Jenny Bradley and Emily Reeves
See
Mentoring
page 23
The Empty Myths and the Ghastly Reality
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