MENTONE - Student liaison board member for Tippecanoe Valley School Corp., Gail Rathbun, junior student government member, presented a new program proposal to board members Monday.

Rathbun's first meeting with the school board was Sept. 11.

The program Rathbun proposed is "Peers Educating Peers." She previously approached the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Local Advisory Committee of the TV School Corp. with the idea of instituting the "Peers Educating Peers" abstinence education program in grades six through eight at Tippecanoe Valley Middle School. The program would use peer mentors from TVHS.

Rathbun gained support from the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Local Advisory Committee, with her next step occurring Monday. She presented the program, along with help from Brett Boggs, Akron elementary school principal and chairman of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Local Advisory Committee.

"I've always wanted it," Rathbun said of the program, "because I think that's something we need."

"It's going to take some guidance from adults to get it going," Boggs said.

Both Rathbun and Boggs said cost for the program will be minimal.

"I think when you bring high school kids in to talk (to younger students), they're going to listen," Boggs said. "Hopefully, through a program like this we can make abstinence the cool thing to do."

He also said a lot of students are already sexually active and it's not uncommon to see young girls drop out of school because they're pregnant. This program would provide education for students.

"We already have our sponsors," Rathbun said.

She said Rochester has had a program like this, which they fund largely through grant money, for three years.

"Peers teaching peers - there's power in that," board member Tom Weaver said.

Board president Rod Eaton said he was impressed with Rathbun because she is not only a student representative sitting on the school board, but also because she is actively looking for improvements for the school corporation. She came up with an idea and is now pursuing and organizing it.

Boggs said representatives from Rochester will be at next month's board meeting to discuss how the program is working for them.

"It fits nicely with our health curriculum," Superintendent Dr. Karen S. Boling said.

The program is on the school board's agenda for approval at next month's meeting. [[In-content Ad]]