Page 8
The INDEPENDENT, February 2, 2000
Vernonia hosts training session at Scout Cabin for STARS mentors
Judy Hil/The INDEPENDENT
Students from Vernonia, Clatskanie and Knappa and their instructors pose for a photo dur
ing a break in STARS leadership training which took place Monday and Tuesday at the Scout
Cabin in Vernonia. First row: Jennifer Bernardi, CJ Martin, Tabitha Ratten, Amanda Griffith;
second row: Bonnie Buchan', Megan Penra, Sarah Gregg, Sarah Finnell, Nina True; third row:
Juanita Dennis (Vernonia coordinator), Alishia Buffum, Jason Weber, Eric Edmonds; back
row: Roz Godwin (Clatskanie coordinator), Patrick Davison (STARS trainer), Ele Seibold
(STARS support), Melissa Thorn (Americorp volunteer), Pam Powell (Columbia County Public
Health).
Grab your Sweetheart
and join us to r our
The Vernonia Scout Cabin
was again in use by students
Monday and Tuesday, when
STARS (Students Today Aren’t
Ready for Sex) Teen Leader
training took place.
Twelve high school students
from Knappa, Clatskanie and
Vernonia participated in cur
riculum, over two days, which
prepared them to work in pairs
in sixth grade classrooms.
Based on the premise that
kids will listen to other kids
more readily than to similar
messages from adults, the
trainees will deliver a lesson
per week, over five weeks, to
middle school students, teach
ing them that saying no to ear
ly sexual involvement is the
best choice. Newly-trained
leaders will begin work at
Washington Grade School on
Monday, February 7.
What makes the STARS
program effective is that the
lessons show students how to
say no, said STARS coordina
tor Juanita Dennis of Vernonia.
Students learn, through their
own analysis, just what the
risks of early sexual involve
ment are. They are made
aware of social and peer pres-
sures to have early sex and
participate in finding out how to
assertively, rather than aggres
sively, resist those pressures.
STARS Program trainer Pat
rick Davidson and support spe
cialist Ele Seibold consistently
emphasized to the trainees
that answers must come from
the students themselves and
not be handed down as ultima
tums. The trainers also said
that the process should be fun,
even though the subject matter
is serious. In fact, the final
class, which reinforces skills
learned, takes place in a game
show format. And everybody
wins a tee-shirt.
The STARS program is co
ordinated by the Oregon
Health Division and uses state,
federal and privately-donated
funds to train local teens and
adult leaders. The program is
part of a middle school’s com
prehensive health education
program and does not provide
information on birth control.
Student must take a school-
sponsored sex education class
first and have parental permis
sion to participate in STARS
curriculum.
Please see page 11
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