- KIM WEIMER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
(Friday, April 2, 2010) Reprinted with permission from The Intelligencer and Courier newspapers.
By Rachel Canelli
STAFF WRITER
Coming to a classroom near you . . .
More than a dozen teens from the Council Rock and Bristol area school districts filmed a video this week at Council Rock High School South in Holland that will be part of Vita Education Services Education Services’ Decisions for Teens program.
The plan uses relevant personal stories to teach a five-step interactive process for seventh through 12th graders making decisions in real-life situations about school, family peer relationships, alcohol, drugs or sex, said Linda Wolfson, Vita Education Service’s executive director.
For example, in one of the scenes, students will see a seemingly popular guy get nervous about asking a girl to dance.
“A lot of young people don’t get it until they see it,“ said Sheryl Miller Hosey, a CR-South English teacher who participated in the filming. “This is trying to help kids understand that just because something seems one way on the outside, that doesn’t mean it’s the same on the inside.”
Teens need something like that, according to GiGi Northrop, 16, a sophomore at Bristol Borough Junior/Senior High.
“I’ve seen kids that don’t make good decisions and end up pregnant or on drugs,” GiGi said. “If they see someone they know in a video like this, it might make them think about things a little more because they need guidance. They won’t go far if they make rash decisions.”
The idea behind the program is to help teenagers develop an awareness of their thoughts and feelings and responsibility for the control they have over their actions and attitudes, Wolfson said.
Sean Baron, 18, a senior at CR South, said the fact that the film had such a purpose made taping so much more meaningful.
“There are definitely kids who aren’t in the best situations,” he said. “People make mistakes. So, it’s worth giving our time to show them what not to do by setting that example.”
