education Putting the Pieces Together for the 90s Ss TheReview Wednesday, March 21,1990 — B9 KEYNOTE SPEAKER Kathleen McKinnon, a counsellor from the Sooke Schoo! District, addresses Stelly’s crowd. by Nicole Nelles and Fraser Syme Special fo The Review The sign painted on the wall in Stelly’s multi-purpose room said: “Education Today — Preparation for Tomorrow.” Below it were 200 . Grade 11 and 12 students, taking part in the student-organized con- ference, Putting the Pieces Together for the 90s. Sometimes they cheered and clapped, and Other times they listened in shocked silence. ‘Today we talk to * one another about our cultural and generational Gifferences’ In a Donahue-inspired panel discussion, a sexologist, an AIDS patient, a doctor, a sexual assault worker and a teen motherhood educator fielded questions from the teenage audience. Discussion ranged from teen pregnancy to homosexuality, from communication to substance abuse. It was honest and at time horrifying. And when it was over, the young audience gave the panel r members and moderator Colin Plant a standing ovation. “Putting the Pieces Together for the 90’s’ was organized by stu- dents for students,” said Grade 12 student Doug Helmersen, who chaired Thursdays conference. “The idea came as an alternative to the 10-hour family life course taught by school counselors last year.” Helmersen said students wanted to hear more points of view on controversia! issues like AIDS, birth control, family life and rela- * tionships. “What we did this year,” he says, “was survey students in November to see what issues they were concemed about. The feed- back was resounding. The biggies were communication, coping with _ stress, _parent/teen relationships and sex.” Grade 12 student Shelly Gal- loway also co-ordinated the one- day conference. “It took a lot of time to organize. After we got the survey results, we had to find guest speakers to lead the morning ses- sions, plus a keynote speaker and the afternoon panel. In all it was 20 people.” 4 Galloway says students were surveyed again recently to finalize choices. “Dave Hardcastle, the school district department head of counselling, was a huge help. He found guest speakers and made sure we covered the Family life curriculum.” Hardcastle says Putting the Pieces Together was entirely stu- dent driven. “Students selected the topics, organized the conference, arranged the details, did the food, and even designed the brochure. The committee did a superb job, and the presenters were extremely impressed at the professionalism of the event.” Keynote speaker Kathleen McKinnon, a counselor in the Sooke School District, said, “Teens have recognized and named the problems by choosing these conference topics and open- ing themselves to the light at the end of the tunnel. Today, more with more choice. “Today we talk to one another about our cultural and genera- tional differences and are given the chance to express our feel- ings.” Student reaction to the day was enthusiastic. Angie Cobb, a Grade 11 student, said, “It was neat to see students working together for a common goal. It was a great day.” Grade 11 student John Wake said: “It was interesting. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I think I learned quite a bit. The Donahue thing was really good.” Principal Lyle Garraway was equally enthused. “The day was absolutely exceptional. The kids have done a great job. 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