WarriorCall

Okay people, put on your big kid pants. Stop giggling. This is serious. Do you know where babies come from? As humorous as this is, this is an issue over which educators all over the U.S. are torn. Should we provide sexual education for our students?

Nokomis answered with a "no," making health class the only thing nearly resembling sex ed.

Is this, however, for the better of our students' body? As you may or may not know, throughout the many years this amazing school has been around, it has earned a fairly indecent nickname: Knockemupis. Though, according to a comprehensive report done by the CCSSO, Maine was far lower in teen pregnancy rates than the national average (25.4 to 43 as of 2002), it is because of the very good sexual education courses Maine's government have, which Nokomis has not taken advantage of.

And, according to a study of British and American high schoolers, entitled Sexually Transmitted Infections, the rate of sexually transmitted diseases in high school students over the last ten years has been very steady, not inclining, nor declining. Furthermore, the average student doesn't actually know how to properly use a condom.

Sexual education courses also encourage kids to wait to have sex, increases the use of condoms, decreases the number of sexual partners a person has, and decreases the frequency with which teens have sex, says the Family Planning Association of Maine.

I think it's completely ridiculous that in a world like we have today, with deadly epidemics like AIDS, teen pregnancies as high as 40 percent nationwide, and abortions totaling 1,293,000, we don't have a sexual education program.

It's not common sense like most people at this age believe. There's a lot of chance involved in sexual activity, but that chance can be seriously reduced if we know what we're doing.

I think it's time to stop being Knockemupis, and start being sexually educated.

By Taylor Gould

                "Potential." Says new math teacher Mrs. McNaughton, which made me question: What is potential? It's a word thrown around and placed into hundreds of different meanings and scenarios. Coal is a potential diamond. A young baseball prospect might have potential to be a great star in the big leagues. A hurricane may have the potential to knock out a whole city. In this situation, it is our math department that is exhibiting the potential.

            After losing (for lack of better word) three math teachers, one of them the department head, over the summer, you would think the math department would be in shambles. It's not. Two new teachers, a department head, and the move of two others from different parts of the school later, the math department seems to have immense potential.

            What I mean by this, is they have started their drift away from the dreaded Core Plus program, the metaphorical thorn in the student body's side. They are now moving toward a more conventional, structured program. Math will once again be math. Not English, science, or even study hall.

            A good side to this, though, is that there will still be some core plus incorporated into the lessons. This is done because of the fact that many different students may have many different learning styles. The approach they'll be using is like this "this is one way to do it. If you can't do it that way, here is another way to do it." This way, all learning styles are represented and each student has the opportunity to learn.

            As great as it sounds on paper, the results will lie within the student. When I asked a sophomore what they thought of the recent changes in the math department, they said, "What changes?" Okay. Maybe she just hasn't really noticed. I explained the changes and asked what she thought of them. "I don't care" was the response. As you can see, there's a lot more involved with the success of a school department than just a change in scenery and curriculum. Discouraged by my first attempt at a student interview, I approached a junior student and asked what he thought of the changes in the math department. "I think the changes are definitely the first step to a better math department," and after a short pause added, "but it'll probably take a good year or two before everything starts clicking."

            "It's a great resource. A great math department. I think we should utilize it by creating more classes." Stated Mrs. McNaughton in a recent interview regarding the situation at hand. When asked to elaborate on what kind of classes she would be interested in seeing added, she suggested classes like Statistics, "Life Math", and a different array of Advanced Placement courses for students who excel in mathematics.  "Everyone will have to tip a waiter someday. Everyone will have to do taxes. A life math type class could be helpful in teaching kids how to properly do things they'll need to know how to do in every day life."

            While these are just ideas off the top of her head, only speculation on the possible futures in the department, they all have potential. Potential... such an unproven wonder. Let's see if the math department can live up to its potential.