PAREENTAL ADVICE
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MALAN
THE PITTSBURG
BOOSTER Friday, May 17, 2013 ■ Vol. 97 ■ Issue 10
Pittsburg High School ■ 1978 E. 4th Street ■
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x u d e R
Pittsburg, KS ■ 66762 ■ www.boosterredux.com
The silent side of an unspoken topic BY LOGAN RINK
The Booster Redux
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eenage sex is inevitable. 47.9 percent of US high school students surveyed by the CDC in 2011 said they had engaged in sexual intercourse. 57 percent of 215 surveyed PHS students said they had engaged in sexual intercourse. From an early age, students are encouraged to abstain from sex and are made aware of the health-related dangers of sex. Unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases are risks outlined in the sexual education portion of health class or during discussions with parents. However, one major component of sex that is often not discussed enough is the emotional risk associated with sexual activity. While abstinence is obviously important to encourage, knowing that nearly five out of every 10 high school students nationally have had sex, means that stressing healthy emotional interaction in health classes is necessary but does not occur as often as it should. School Behavioral Health Therapist Lindsay Moss emphasizes how important it is that a student is aware of their emotions as they relate to s e x . Before deciding to engage in sexual activity, she
encourages students to ask themselves a few questions: “Is their relationship healthy? Do they feel pressure to have sex? Are they emotionally prepared for a sexual relationship and all the possible consequences that arise from sexual relationships?” Sex should not be a quick and impulsive decision; it should be a decision that is thoroughly considered. Scarleteen.com, a website that calls itself “sex ed for the real world,” gives a checklist of questions an individual should ask themselves before having sex. “Do I want to have this kind/these kinds of sex for myself, physically, emotionally and intellectually? Do the other person’s physical, emotional and intellectual wants also seem in alignment? Do each of us feel like [...] we care as much about what the other wants as we want for ourselves? Do I want to do this at this time, in this setting, with this particular person? Does the other person want to do what we’re going to now and with me? Do I have a good sense of SEE TOUCHY SUBJECT 2D
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY HAYDEN PARKS
Nationals in Nashville HOSA students prepare for competition BY MORGAN PLANK The Booster Redux
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his summer, four PHS students will be packing their bags. Most students do not get the opportunity of competing at nationals, let alone in the country music capital of the world. This summer, four PHS students will be packing their bags and heading to Nashville, Ten. For the 36 annual HOSA National Leadership Conference. The conference will be held June 26-29. The students representing the PHS HOSA club include: senior Lizzy Willis and juniors Joban Mendpara, Reece Burns and Caden Yantis. Health Science and HOSA Sponsor Jim Foresman will also be attending. According to the National HOSA Guidelines, in order to qualify for nationals students must have placed first, second or third at the state competition. “It is pretty neat; they are very intelligent students and they now have an opportunity to showcase that,” Foresman said. Senior Lizzy Willis received first place in Nursing Assistance, Mendpara tied for first place in Medical Spelling, Burns placed second in Medical Photography and Yantis placed third in Extemporaneous Writing. Willis’ category involves taking a test over terminology in the healthcare field along with transferring a patient from their hospital bed to a chair. The judging is based upon how well the SEE HOSA NATIONALS 2D
New year, new handbook
Changes made to adhere to new trends and policies BY REECE BURNS
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The Booster Redux
he high school will be experiencing several policy changes with the 2013-2014 school year rolls around this coming August. This year Assistant Principal Chris Garzone organized a committee of teachers to visit a school that uses points in their disciplinary system. According to Garzone, he and committee tweaked the policy to fit our own school and then presented it to the school board, and was approved. For each disciplinary referral, students will be designed a predetermined amount of a points based on their transgression. Once a student accumulates a certain amount of total points the administration will take further action. “The school we visited experienced a decrease in disciplinary referrals due to their policy,” Garzone said. “The administration will be able to be more consistent with the consequences [in the new PHS system]. Students know the system is more black and white and will know what happens if they get a certain number of points.” School psychologist and policy committee member Beth Stockard believes that “consistency is
extremely important when dealing with behavioral issues.” “The expectation is that all staff members deal with problems in the same manner so then there should be consistency when disciplinary action has to be taken,” Stockard said. The administration will also be implementing a ‘Code of Conduct’ in the school handbook. The Code of Conduct states that “behavior not in compliance with public laws will result in student’s suspension from extracurricular activities.” If students admit to, are seen by USD 250 staff member, involved in a police or newspaper report regarding public law violations, the student shall lose a minimum of 1 or 10 percent of competition/ activity dates (whichever is more) and on the third offense will lose their activity for one year. “There are several faculty members who feel that students can misbehave daily in the classroom setting or in the community yet not have any real consequences for extracurricular activities,” Stockard said. “Learning has to take precedence as does being model citizens; the Code of Conduct will address this.” The attendance policy has also been addressed for the upcoming school year. Every third tardy per
class will result in an absence. A student is able to miss seven times per class per semester before truancy officers get involved. Students who are more than five minute late to class from the nurse’s office may be counted absent as well. Absences will no longer be classified as ‘parent verified’ or ‘non-verified.’ In PowerSchool any type of absence besides school activities will be classified as ‘Absence.’ “The whole point of changing the absence policy is that we want truancy to become involved so students don’t come close to losing credits with too many absences,” Garzone said. Friday Night School (FNS) will also be changing for the new year. FNS will only be one-hour long. The administration feels that the discipline point system (mentioned above) and In-School Suspensions (ISS) will be a suitable replacement for the three-hour FNS. “We felt that FNS has run its course and its effectiveness,” Garzone said. “We want to incorporate more ISS.” The dress code will have a slight change next year as “spandex pants or leggings must be covered by skirts, dresses or long designer shirts/sweaters.”