Triton Program Helps Reduce Teen Pregnancy
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
BOURBON - Triton High School Principal Mike Chobanov and family and consumer studies teacher Ruth McCullough both made presentations to the Triton School Board Monday night.
McCullough discussed a program which has taken place at Triton in her estimation for 12 years.
It's a simulation program that makes students deal with a newborn baby. Students must feed, cloth, change and tend to programmed dolls that record the treatment received from students. Students are responsible for the child for an entire weekend and must tend to the doll without the aid of a babysitter or family members.
McCullough said the reaction from students has been what she wanted to hear.
"At first on Friday, they're looking forward to playing with the baby, then by the time they come back to school, they are like, 'Get this away from me.' They say that physically they could handle it but they weren't ready."
McCullough said the program has cut down on teenage pregnancy at Triton. Over the past couple of years, said McCullough, the amount of teen pregnancies has dropped to an average of two per school year.
Chobanov then presented a safety report detailing potential safety hazards on the grounds of the high school, elementary school and the old school building site as well as hazards inside the buildings.
Chobanov pointed out hazards like partially blocked exits, cracks in the sidewalk, lack of signage and lack of eyewash stations and first aid kits in laboratories.
Small problems, said Chobanov, have begun to be fixed, but bigger problems that require more funds, such as the repaving of the high school parking lot, need to be addressed at next year's budget meeting.
Other areas of concern for Chobanov were unlocked breaker boxes, a bike rack that is out of the line of sight from the elementary school, no visitor parking and he also expressed the need for 360-degree security cameras in the parking lot.
The board also heard reports from Chobanov and elementary school principal Thomas Bowers.
Both discussed recent parent/teacher conferences at their respective schools. Bowers said that there was a 96 percent participation rate of parents and teachers while Chobanov said there was increased participation at the high school from last year.
Chobanov said that the Indiana High School Athletic Association recently informed him the school earned a sportsmanship award for its athletics program.
Bowers said that this week marks a red ribbon week for his school and the theme for the ribbons this year is "Stomp Out Drugs."
In other business, the board also approved:
• A request by the high school cheerleading squad to attend a competition in Indianapolis in January and approved a request to change the type of fundraiser the cheerleaders will use to raise money.
• The resignation of Glen Widner as the 10th-grade sponsor. No replacement was named.
• The hiring of Laudice Meinert as the new special education bus route driver.
• Ryan Meister as the new junior high school assistant boys basketball coach.
Triton School Board members are Dick Trowbridge, Steve Blackford, Larry Lemler, Deb Shively and Kris Glingle. [[In-content Ad]]
BOURBON - Triton High School Principal Mike Chobanov and family and consumer studies teacher Ruth McCullough both made presentations to the Triton School Board Monday night.
McCullough discussed a program which has taken place at Triton in her estimation for 12 years.
It's a simulation program that makes students deal with a newborn baby. Students must feed, cloth, change and tend to programmed dolls that record the treatment received from students. Students are responsible for the child for an entire weekend and must tend to the doll without the aid of a babysitter or family members.
McCullough said the reaction from students has been what she wanted to hear.
"At first on Friday, they're looking forward to playing with the baby, then by the time they come back to school, they are like, 'Get this away from me.' They say that physically they could handle it but they weren't ready."
McCullough said the program has cut down on teenage pregnancy at Triton. Over the past couple of years, said McCullough, the amount of teen pregnancies has dropped to an average of two per school year.
Chobanov then presented a safety report detailing potential safety hazards on the grounds of the high school, elementary school and the old school building site as well as hazards inside the buildings.
Chobanov pointed out hazards like partially blocked exits, cracks in the sidewalk, lack of signage and lack of eyewash stations and first aid kits in laboratories.
Small problems, said Chobanov, have begun to be fixed, but bigger problems that require more funds, such as the repaving of the high school parking lot, need to be addressed at next year's budget meeting.
Other areas of concern for Chobanov were unlocked breaker boxes, a bike rack that is out of the line of sight from the elementary school, no visitor parking and he also expressed the need for 360-degree security cameras in the parking lot.
The board also heard reports from Chobanov and elementary school principal Thomas Bowers.
Both discussed recent parent/teacher conferences at their respective schools. Bowers said that there was a 96 percent participation rate of parents and teachers while Chobanov said there was increased participation at the high school from last year.
Chobanov said that the Indiana High School Athletic Association recently informed him the school earned a sportsmanship award for its athletics program.
Bowers said that this week marks a red ribbon week for his school and the theme for the ribbons this year is "Stomp Out Drugs."
In other business, the board also approved:
• A request by the high school cheerleading squad to attend a competition in Indianapolis in January and approved a request to change the type of fundraiser the cheerleaders will use to raise money.
• The resignation of Glen Widner as the 10th-grade sponsor. No replacement was named.
• The hiring of Laudice Meinert as the new special education bus route driver.
• Ryan Meister as the new junior high school assistant boys basketball coach.
Triton School Board members are Dick Trowbridge, Steve Blackford, Larry Lemler, Deb Shively and Kris Glingle. [[In-content Ad]]