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By CHARLOT M. DENMON
Staff Writer
Despite national concern that teenage preg-
nancies and related school dropouts are increas-
ing, a survey of the Back Mountain schools
revealed that the reverse is true in the local
area.
While there are only four known pregancies in
the Dallas and Lake-Lehman school districts
this year, Jane Grogan of the Luzerne Interme-
diate Unit said that in the 12 districts repre-
sented in the LIU 18, there are 82 teenagers
involved in their program. Forty one of these
are pre-natal and 41 are receiving post-natal
care and supportive services, but all of these are
continuing their education.
Neither Dallas nor Lake-Lehman District rep-
It was a
festive
week at
Lehman
Lake-Lehman Knights lost to
Crestwood Saturday afternoon,
at the Edward Edwards Sta-
dium but there was plenty of
enthusiasm on the field, at least
prior to the game.
It was Homecoming at Lake-
Lehman and, after a week of
special activities, the six mem-
bers of the Court were anxiously
awaiting the naming of the
Homecoming Queen.
Inside the stadium fans were
taking their seats; the Award-
winning Lake-Lehman Band
was nervously assembled in a
group waiting Band Director
John Miliauskas’ signal to file
onto the field and outside the
stadium gates six attractively,
well-dressed young ladies were
shivering in the cold while wait-
ing for the start of the festivi-
ties.
The week of events was
mulled over by the girls —
Dawn Smith, Jennifer Follmer,
Kyra Koflanovich, Dee Dee
Barber, Melissa Hontz and
Carol Kropp — while they
waited.
They recalled Monday and the
suspense during assembly while
waiting to hear who was nomi-
resentatives conceded they have any way of
knowing how many pregnancies are aborted, nor
how many are never made known to the
districts.
Nationally, the dropout figure for teenage
pregnancies is 50 percent but locally, in 1985, the
dropout figure was six percent.
In a conversation with Joan Makowski, Dallas
School District Home and School Visitor, she
stated that during the past two years there have
been only one or two pregnancies reported in the
district and no dropouts due to pregnancy during
that time.
Mrs. Makowski gives much of the credit to the
Luzerne Intermediate Unit 18 Multidisciplinary
Outreach to Teenage Mothers program
(M.O.M.) as well as the school district’s own
curricular support program which was provided
prior to the M.0.M. program and which is still
nated for the Court, then Tues-
day, “Don’t Talk to Football
Players’’, the day every student
was given a small football. If a
student was caught talking to a
football player, he or she had to
give up the football. At the end
of the day, the student with the
most footballs was declared the
winner. Winner was Rob
Michaels, who was awarded a
pizza and also earned points for -
his class.
The girls talked about Tues-
day and their ‘College Day.”
Each student voted for his or
her favorite college. The class,
who had the most votes for a
favorite college, earned points
for the class in the competition.
Wednesday was S.A.D.D. (Stu-
dents Against Drunk Driving)
(See FESTIVE, page 4)
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administered under the direction of the guidance
counselor and school nurse. :
Mrs. Florence Finn, guidance counselor at
Lake-Lehman Senior High School explained that
recent research points to the fact that education
has played a key role in the decrease in the
number of pregnancies.
She emphasized that the M.0.M. progam’s key
role is not to reduce the number of pregnancies
but to increase the number of teenage mothers
continuing their education.
The LIU program is funded by the Common-
wealth and the member districts receive the
services from the LIU. The program places
emphasis on the teenager remaining in school,
and also refers her to the proper medical,
nutritional and child care agencies as support
during and after the pregnancy.
Following the birth of the child, the mother is
given six weeks to remain at home with the
baby in order to become familiar with responsi-
bilities involved.
The school’s curriculum program begins in
seventh grade where students are taught human
relationships and to respect themselves and
others. In ninth grade, students receive addi-
tional information concerning their bodies, such
as caring and understanding themselves. Tenth
grade students are taught the risks and respon-
sibilities of teenage marriages and teenage
pregnancies and in the junior and senior year,
there are classes in parenting, child develop-
ment and child care and management.
The programs have been developed to support
both male and female students and from the
administration down, the district has an excel-
lent supportive program.
Faculty members, counselors and administra-
tors do everything they can to keep the children
in school. With the M.O.M. program made
possible through the LIU and the district’s own
program, Mrs. Makowski believes these have
been a major factor in the decided decrease in
teenage pregnancies and in student dropouts.
“The students realize that they can continue
their education and be better equipped to
provide financial assistance for their child and
themselves,” said Mrs. Makowski. She also
explained that if a teenager finds the need to
give the child for adoption, the M.0.M. program
also provides support services in that area.
“The program is a coed program and both
girls and boys are participating in the M.0.M.
program,” explained Mrs. Finn. ‘It is important
for the general public to understand that sex
education is. not for the purpose of teaching
students to have free sex, but rather to teach
them to try to deal with a situation they are in,
and help them find support.”
She pointed out that in the New York State
school system, they not only teach sex education
but also distributed birth control information
and since they have the number of pregnancies
have reduced drastically.
The Lake-Lehman District has no sex educa-
tion courses in its curriculum, but the district
does have access to the LIU M.O.M. program
services.
Neither Dallas nor Lake-Lehman District rep-
resentatives conceded they have any way of
knowing how many pregnancies are aborted, nor
how many are never made known to the
districts.
Ms. Grogan explained that the LIU received
two grants this school year totaling $127,000. The
M.O.M. program received $80,000 and Consumer
and Homemaking received $47,000.
Ms. Grogan said that their program deals with
three major concerns in teenage pregnancies —
1. Working with the girls in providing commu-
nity services; 2. Career Counseling, assisting in
long ange plans for their future; and 3. Parent-
ing Education. The funding also helps in provid-
ing support services even such practical things
as car seats.
In a recent M.0O.M. Teenage Advisory Council
Meeting, it was determined a problem exists
with nutrition and the knowledge of good nutri-
tion; there is a need for preventative education;
and there is a concern that teens are more likely
to become pregnant at 14 or 15 instead of 17 or
18 as in the past.
In a follow-up survey of 34 teenagers, who
graduated in 1986, it was learned eight are full-
time homemakers; two are full-time college
students; one a part-time college student; one
has full-time employment; two have part-time
employment and 20 did not respond.
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