THE COUNTRYSIDE HIGH SCHOOL
PAW PRINT 3000 SR 580
Clearwater, Florida
Friday, April 6th, 2007 - VOLUME 28, Issue 6
Graduation requirements change for 2007 samanthaMALONE
opinion editor
In 2006, the Florida legislature passed a series of new curriculum requirements for all incoming freshmen in 2007. Among the changes made are HOPE, the new performing arts requirement, and the majors and minors legislation. H O P E , or health opportunities through physical education are the combination of the current health, physical education, and personal fitness classes into one semester long class. Incoming freshmen will be required to take HOPE in the tenth grade. Marching band and athletics physical education waivers will no longer be accepted as equal to the personal fitness class. All current high school students will stay with the current physical education graduation requirements. “I like it [HOPE] because you don’t have to take different classes; you can take it all at once,” said freshman Nicole Platt. Currently students must earn one-half credit of either vocational, performing or fine arts. In 2007 incoming freshmen must take one full credit of performing arts in order to graduate. This change will inevitably disrupt the distribution of students within these classes. Some students say performing arts classes will become over-crowded with
students who have no interest in participating while practical arts and vocational classes will dwindle in numbers. “That’s horrible, I’d hate it. Some people don’t have an interest in performing arts,” said freshman Katy Ann Brosseau. With the start of the 2007-2008 school years, all students will have to choose a major, excluding all current students. The major that a student chooses will depict what electives they take throughout their high school years. A student may change his or her major when it comes time to choose their classes for the following school year. Four out of the eight available elective spaces must be focused on the student’s major. The student’s remaining four electives will be used for required classes like HOPE, and economics. “I think the majors are good, I don’t know what I want to do, so it’s a good way to prepare yourself for the future,” said freshman Kelly Montoya.
High school has been referred to as the student’s gateway into the real world. The entrance to this gateway will be prolonged for all incoming freshman next school year with the creation of a ninth grade “house” to be modeled after the grade separations of middle schools. Ninth grade core curriculum classes will be housed in specific wings of the school building. All freshmen will have the same teachers throughout the school year. Students will leave the ninth grade house for electives and return for mathematics, science, English, and social studies. Any students that enter high school with credits significantly above or below average will take upper or lower level core curriculum classes outside the “house.” Freshman Experience will continue to be considered an elective and be taught by teachers outside the ninth grade house. Whether the new graduation requirements for next year’s freshman are effective or prove to be useless, they are inevitable. “I’m glad I don’t have to deal with the changes, I have enough to worry about as it is,” said sophomore Rachel Burns.
Graduation Requirement Changes Old
New
•Three mathematics credits needed to graduate •One full credit in either fine arts or practical arts or a half credit of each •One credit of physical education or a half credit of personal fitness and a half credit of physical education •One-half credit in Life Management skills to satisfy the health education requirement
•Four mathematics credits needed to graduate •One full credit needed in fine arts •One credit of health and physical education to be satisfied by the required HOPE class •Choose a major that affects four of the eight possible electives •All ninth grade core curriculum classes held in the ninth grade “house”
Human papillomavirus breakthrough vaccine alexHARRIS
staff writer
HPV (human papillomavirus) is the most common cause of cervical cancer. With the unsurpassed media coverage which HPV and the vaccine (Gardasil) has received, there should be a supreme understanding of the risks of HPV to the consumer. “Well they’re coming out with new technology and medicine to prevent such a horrible cancer. And it runs in my family; my grandma died from it in 2000. If I know that it runs in my family, I’m going to do everything I can to prevent it,” said senior Allison Langraf. There are more than 100 different strands of this particular virus, most of which are harmless and cause no apparent signs or symptoms. Other strands including type 16, 18, 6, and 11 can cause life threatening cervical cancer or genital warts. Roughly 70% of all cervical cancer is caused by type 16 and 18; types 6 and 11, according to WebMD, cause around 90 % of all cases of genital warts. The World Health Organization estimates that annually 500,000 women around the world contract cervical cancer and close to half of those will die from the preventable sickness. The American Cancer Society claims in America over 9,700 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer this year alone and 3,700 of these women won’t live through the ailment. It isn’t solely women who are affected by HPV; men can also acquire the virus. The human papilloma virus is a major cause of penile cancers and is also responsible for oropharyngeal cancers. Unfortunately the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to approve a vaccine for men. “The HPV shot didn’t hurt, the risks were pretty low, so I was for it. I decided to get the shot just to protect my-
self. It’s something you can protect yourself against so why not?” said senior Savannah Madley. Cervical cancer is caused almost exclusively from HPV. This may have been an irrelevant fact some years ago, but as of June 2006, the FDA approved a vaccine which would completely alter this. The vaccine, Gardasil, prevents the high-risk strands of HPV including type 16, 18, 6, and 11, nearly alleviating the threat of cervical cancer to all women who receive the shot. Although women can still develop cervical cancer without ever acquiring HPV. “The shot is kind of expensive if you don’t have insurance, but it’s worth it, because if you end up with cervical cancer or something like that it’s going to be a lot more in doctors bills,” said senior Ashley King. This dangerous cancer is preventable and the shot helps diminish virtually all cases of cervical cancer and most infections of genital warts. A study, funded by the manufacturer of Gardasil, found that the vaccine reduced persistent HPV infections by 90%. Merck’s study also found Gardasil to be 100% effective three years later in preventing precancerous cervical lesions and genital warts. The vaccine is most affective when given to girls before they become sexually active because it is not a method of treatment for HPV or genital warts. The HPV shot can also be given to girls as young as nine years old. The human papillomavirus can spread from sex with any infected person and is highly contagious. Approximately two-thirds of people who have sexual contact with someone who has genital warts will contract the STD within three months. In addition to the protection the HPV shot offers,
women can also protect themselves by having routine screening with pap smears, which can detect cell abnormalities. If the HPV shot is undesirable, another option is to use a condom during intercourse. According to the Mayo Clinic, in a recent study, condoms were shown to reduce the risk of contracting HPV by up to 70% when women used a condom every time they had sex. “[I would] absolutely [recommend getting the shot]. It might be a bit pricey, but what is a couple hundred dollars compared to your life?” said Langraf. The vaccine for HPV comes in a divided three shots, at a price of $360 according to MSNBC.com. The Gardasil shot has been controversially proposed as a serious contender to be added to the mandatory vaccines required for school children. Opposition to this proposal claims the HPV shot sends a message that underage sex is okay as well as violating parent’s rights of their children. Proponents against this shot argue it will undo all efforts currently in place to reduce teen pregnancy. The federal government’s Vaccines for Children program would also guarantee the shot to those who are uninsured, thus granting all girls access to the shot.
Did You Know? The U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005, passed by the U.S. Congress July, 2005, extended Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the U.S. by approximately four weeks. DST began on March 11, 2007 and ends on November 4th, 2007.