Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
THE FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS-WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17,1980
Teenage Pregnancies 111
Some Teens Might Not Learn Sex Education Soon Enough
Now that pregnancy
among school age girls, in
Forsyth County has been ex
amined from the standpoint
of available statistics and
available options, what re
mains to be answered is why
unmarried teenagers are
getting pregnant in the first
place.
Could it be that the girls
don’t realize the conse
quences of sexual activity?
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TRUELOVE SHOWS CONTROL PANEL
...mounted on the end of his solar hot water storage tank
Solar System
From the Front
plained.
Yet a third pump is con
nected to the home’s fire
place. When a fire is
burning, this pump will auto
matically circulate water
through a grate in the fire
place to let the heat of the
fire warm up the water in
the basement storage tank.
Estimates of possible sav
ings on his utility bills range
up to 80 percent, Truelove
said.
Using 1978 and 1979 fig
ures, Truelove estimated a
four to six year payback
time for his solar system.
The price of energy is al
ways rising and the payback
time should be even shorter
then, Truelove said. “The
sun will always be there. As
energy goes up, it (his solar
system) will be more attrac
tive all the time,” he said.
Additionally, much of the
cost of a solar system can be
Metro Phone
From the Front
Creamer said the dam
would destroy six miles of
the Chattahoochee. Barnett
said the county would lose
whether or not the dam were
built, either through fluc
tuating water levels on Lake
Lanier, or having more land
flooded in the new lake.
Barnett added he was not
sure which of the Corps’ al
ternatives was best. He said
“I’m not for doing anything
for giving our natural re
sources to the City of At
lanta.”
Bank of Cumming presi
dent Buddy Hobbs said he
did not want to see either
fluctuating water levels in
Lake Lanier or the loss of
the river caused by the new
dam. He suggested the
chamber investigate further
Emory Ramey
Has Finished
AF Training
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS-
Air National Guard Airman
Emory G. Ramey, son of
Mr. and Mrs. E. Douglas Ra
mey of 110 Ramey Drive,
Cumming, has completed
Air Force basic training at
Lackland Air Force Base.
The airman, who is re
maining at Lackland for
training as a security po
liceman, studied Air Force
history and traditions, its
mission, its organization and
human relations.
Ramey earned credits to
ward an associate degree in
applied science through The
Community College of The
Air Force.
Or if so, could it be that they
just don’t care? Or is there
no alterior motive?
Jerrie Gober, caseworker
principal for the Depart
ment of Family and Chil
dren Services (DFCS), says
most don’t really know and
some don’t really care.
Ms. Gober notes that
many of the girls who come
into the DFCS office aren’t
even sure if they are preg
written off on federal in
come taxes. Georgia may
add a similar provision to its
tax laws, too, Truelove
added.
“I think the thing is going
to work out fine,” Truelove
said as he explained the in
strument panel on the side of
the storage tank. He hasn’t
yet used his solar system in
cold or extended cloudy
weather yet, but he antic
ipates no problems.
His solar system is man
ufactured by a Rome firm
and was installed by a local
contractor. They offered
him a good price if he would
allow his system to be shown
to the public, Truelove ex
plained.
Truelove said he would be
glad to demonstrate his so
lar hot water system to any
one who will make an
appointment.
before taking a position.
Dr. Judy Moses said he
doubted taking a stand
would accomplish anything.
The dam was a political is
sue, he said. It should be left
to the county commission,
he said. McGuinn called the
dam a “hot potato.”
The chamber also ap
pointed a committee to
choose candidates for a va
cant director’s position. The
committee is to report at the
next meeting. The chamber
will elect new officers in De
cember.
The need to have a retail
merchant on the board and
for someone with sufficient
interest and time to work ac
tively for the chamber was
stressed by some chamber
members present.
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nant. And those that are pre
gnant are ‘‘very
unsophisticated” about how
it happens.
The optional sex education
that is available to eleventh
and twelfth graders at the
high school (See separate
story) is “a little late” for
mos most of the girls DFCS
sees, according to Ms.
Gober. “Most DFCS cases
(frequently ninth graders)
Sex Courses Available
By LANE GARDNER
Staff Writer
Whether or not anyone
needs or approves of sex ed
ucation in Forsyth County, it
is available.
Because there is a belief
that the best deterrent of
teenage and unwanted preg
nancies is knowledge, some
sex education is taught at
Forsyth County High School.
There is no course dealing
strictly with this subject.
The material is, however, in
cluded as a part of a course
called “Family Living.”
“Family Living” is of
fered trough the Home Eco
nomics department and is
available two periods every
quarter, mainly to eleventh
and twelfth graders. No one
is required to take the class
and students may drop it if
they find any material not to
their liking or their parents’
liking.
Martha Chastain, a home
economics teacher who tea
ches the class, says that ap
proximately two weeks of
the quarter are spent on
what might be called “sex
education “
In the class’s beginning,
students are instructed to go
home and talk to their par
ents, telling them “exactly”
what will be covered. And
when the material on sex is
about to begin, the students
are again told to go home
and talk to their parents.
By doing this, it is hoped
that students and parents
will understand the extent of
the course’s material. Also,
parents are encouraged to
sit in on classes.
The major areas of dis
cussion in the two week “sex
education” period are the
male-female reproductive
system, how a female be
comes pregnant, birth con
trol and venereal disease.
Other related topics are also
touched on.
Teachers of “Family Liv
ing” usually bring in a num
ber of speakers: doctors,
nurses, ministers, etc. Ms.
Chastain explains that these
people are often more qual
ified to talk about certain
subjects than the teachers.
When asked how much the
students already know be
fore entering the class, Ms.
Chastain said that the stu
dents seem to have miscon
ceptions more than anything
else. She says she’s found
students most naive about
parts of the body.
The course uses a lot of
“opinion type question
aires” to help students real
ize their thoughts and
feelings on various sex re
lated topics. There are no
right and wrong answers in
volved. Materials used in the
course are obtained from a
number of sources including
the Forsyth County Health
Department, the Hall
County Healtn Department
and the March of Dimes. A
special “live’ birth” film is
w
never reach that point,” she
says.
Elizabeth Riggs, nursing
program specialist with the
State Department of Human
Resources, says “family
planning” is not having an
impact on girls aged 15 and
under. “These girls are hav
ing accidents. They’re fall
ing into sexual activity,
rather than planning it.
also shown to the students in
the class.
Besides the two weeks of
sex education, “Family Liv
ing” also includes discussion
of such things as adoles
cence, dating, “infatuation
versus love,” engagement,
marriage, money manage
ment and even child devel
opment. In this way,
students get a well rounded
exposure to what family life
is all about.
Ms. Chastain says she
doesn’t know if the material
on sex education has ever
stopped anyone from having
sex or has ever kept a girl
from getting pregnant.
Maryellen Raimondi, an
other home economics tea
cher who handles the course,
says, “We can only hope we
are giving them food for
thought.”
One thing the teachers do
know is that the “Family
Living” course “reaches a
great deal of kids.” At 24
students per period each
quarter (two periods in a
quarter), 144 high school stu
dents receive some sex va
cation during the a
year.
Also, some minor % pec ts
of sex may be touchy on An
the school’s biology; health
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“I’m not saying teenagers
should plan sex, but from a
health standpoint, I wish
they would plan ahead.” she
says.
Birth control counseling
and materials are available
in Forsyth County for those
who seek it mainly
through the Forsyth County
Health Department. (The
health department also of
fers family planning clinics
and child development
classes. If anything, stu
dents learn from these
courses something about hu
man anatomy, healthful hu
man activities and growth.
The Home Economics de
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Camming, Ga. 887-8600
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on the second and fourth
Thursdays of each month by
appointment.)
Also, there are those girls
who become pregnant “out
of spite,” according to Ms.
Gober. TEike away the half
that is careless and there is
the half that has it planned
in their minds.
A girl’s reasoning for be
coming pregnant is usually
that she’s not receiving any
partment offers two courses
in child development.
As for the “Family Liv
ing” course, Ms. Chastain
says, “We’re a far cry from
perfect; we learn every time
we teach the course.”
: PARSONS
;U CUMMING
love at home. By having a
baby, she says she will hav
ing something to love. “The
girls think a baby is the an
swer’,” says Ms. Gober,
“and this is why they keep
them.”
Martha Chastain, home
economics teacher at the
high school, also has found
that many girls believe that
“if they’re in love, then it’s
0.k.” to engage in sex and
run the risk of becoming pre-
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gnant.
Another thing Chastain at
tributes the situation to is
the fact that kids today are
“blasted” with sex from all
around. “Television and
movies show how wonderful
and exciting it all is, but at
home the kids are' told it’s
wrong.”
One anonymous individual
commented, “It’s amazir.g
they handle it as well as they
do.”