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(12/17/14 6:00pm)
By Banen Al-Azawi and Jonice Sylvester
Staff Writers
Do teens know enough about contraception? Do they know their options?
According to miplannedparenthood.org, Detroit has the highest percentage of teen pregnancies in the country and 20% of all births were from woman under the age of 20.
Many students believe they have to have parental consent to get access to contraceptives, and many say they feel weird about talking to their parents about it.
However, it is possible for minors to get birth control without parent consent. The Title X Family Plan Act is a federal law passed in 1970 that makes family planning services available free or at low cost to individuals, even to adolescents of any age. So teens can go to clinics that get Title X funding without their parents’ knowledge or permission.
Ruth Davis, program director at Alternatives for Girls said youth can go on the Michigan.gov website and search Title X and put in their zip code to find clinics that get Title X funding. And teenhype.org is a website that has a list of Detroit clinics that help teens.
“There is a number of types of contraception available. The hard part is the youth need to do research to know what’s available and what’s best for them,” Davis said.
Junior Kiara Duncan said girls need to be prepared for what’s out there.
“I can talk to my mom, but a lot of girls can’t because their parents automatically think they’re doing something wrong,” Duncan said.
Junior Martez Littleton says he’s glad Title X clinics exist because not all people have parents who will be up to talking about sex and birth control options, so they should have a good place to turn to.
Former DPS teacher Stephanie Radcliffe said her daughter was able to come to her with questions and she was open about everything. She wishes all teens could talk to their parents.
“Even though the idea of your ‘little girl’ having sex is a very sad thing to think,” Radcliffe said, “you should still let them have access to birth control because it’s better than having your 16-year-old daughter telling you that she is pregnant.”
(12/17/14 6:00pm)
By Kristian Craig
Staff Writer
Douglass teacher Kathleen Temple, assisted by Douglass wordsmith Dennis Donald, served up pancakes for students who could recite vocabulary words during Temple’s innovative and unique “Flapjack Fun” program.
The purpose of the program was for students to learn new words. For every new word they learned, they received a flapjack.
“Liking breakfast and conversation in the morning [myself], I thought it would be a great way to include the vocabulary words from the PSAT,” said Temple, an Autism Spectrum Disorder instructor.
Temple said that the food will not be changed from breakfast unless the kids want something else by democratic vote. The program will be held once a month and all the students are invited.
“When I did ‘Flapjack Fun’ with Ms. Temple, it was fun,” said Douglass junior Kamalle Seal-Brown.
Brown said that the pancakes were awesome and that he looks forward to doing “Flapjack Fun” every month.
(12/17/14 6:00pm)
By Desmond Johnson and Ariana Taylor
Staff Writers
The Future Project kicked off in September and since then has done several things to improve the school.
Renaissance’s Dream Team recently updated the new teacher planning area. The process took two days to complete. The Dream members painted and redecorated the walls with paintings, installed new lights and computers for the teachers to use.
“Personally, I was very proud of our work and was happy to see the staff’s reactions when we were done,” said future project member junior Lillian Taylor.
The Dream Team also started a new tradition for Renaissance called Freshmen Week. During November, the future project planned out several activities for freshmen to complete by the end of the week.
These activities included a scavenger hunt where ninth graders had to find upperclassmen that meet the descriptions on their list. And the Big Brother Big Sister Ice Cream Social, an icebreaker for freshmen and seniors graders.
(12/17/14 6:00pm)
By Sharneisha Morris and Isis Givans
Staff Writers
Detroit Public Schools is striving to increase the number of students attending classes daily by introducing and enforcing s the 3-6-9 policy this year.
This new attendance policy works in a series of stages:
After three days of consecutive unexcused absences, the student’s parent/guardian will be notified by a counselor. At six days, both student and parent will be summoned to meet with an attendance agent for a face-to-face meeting after nine days, the student is labeled a candidate for potential failure and then must stand before Wayne County Commissioner.
The policy falls under the DPS district’s five-year strategy plan to improve schools.
“As a district, we cannot stress enough to parents and students the importance of good attendance, being in school regularly, and being prepared to learn,” Karen Ridgeway, the DPS’s superintendent of academics, said in a press release.
This policy also defines what is deemed for an excuse. 3-6-9 policy also provides a standardized and constant district-wide policy for better enforcement.
However, not all students are thrilled about this policy.
“I don’t like the idea,” Communication & Media Arts student Rhondee Palmer. “It doesn’t seem fair in being referred to Wayne County Commissioner is too much.”
However school administrators are embracing this plan.
“The number of truant students has an impact on graduation rates. But so far, our attendance has been great,” CMA principal Donya Odom said.
This policy is currently being enforced by all teachers at CMA.
(12/17/14 6:00pm)
By Dionte Ford
Staff Writer
One of most prominent changes Pershing High School undertook this school year was intertwining technology and education in the new STEM Lab.
The new STEM Lab located in the school’s library was outfitted with five computer/technology islands for students to use for video editing, gaming, Photoshop, flight simulation, robotics, music mixing, and many other creative technology fields.
“It’s fun and helps you know more about technology before you go to college,” freshman Kayla Jackson said. “It helps provide opportunities in technology.”
STEM Lab teacher Caitlin Kozak said the equipment, designed by Creative Learning Systems, was installed by July and is worth about $250,000.
“The purpose of the Lab in the library is to prepare students for life after high school,” Kozak said. “No matter what you do you are going to use technology.”
STEM Lab was the reason Pershing students were able to participate in the Hour of Code Event on Dec. 10. The Hour of Code was a national event involving millions of students learning about computer science.
“STEM Lab helped me learn how to use PowerPoints and other things related to STEM,” said Jackson, who was one of the many Pershing students learning how to code during the Hour of Code.
The STEM Lab will all house an after school Robotics Club by January. Also, there are tutoring classes after school relating to STEM.“
“Classes are designed for students to put up an effort depending on the student. Meaning its up to the student to do the work,” said Kozak. “It’s about finding their (the students) strong point in STEM.”
(12/17/14 4:07am)
By Angelica Euseary, Renaissance Staff Writer
(12/17/14 3:55am)
[headline size="medium"]Darrell Hughes[/headline]
(12/17/14 3:41am)
By Abriana Walton and Ebony Tyson, Cass Tech Staff Writers
(12/17/14 3:35am)
By Gabrielle Ford, Benjamin Carson Staff Writer
