School Daze

The Lincoln School Board is considering a four day school week. Students would have the same amount of instruction just in four, longer days.

What do you think?

Huffing is a trend growing around the country. What do you think about sniffing household products such as Dust Off that get you high.

With the death of two Helena teenagers last month it brings attention to appropriate activities while driving. Do you think cell phone use should be illegal while driving or a law that only allows hands-free devices as other states have done?

Over the past decade young people have less contact with the outdoor world and officials say that has implications on their health and well being. Author Richard Louv describes it as “nature deficit disorder.”

The Montana Children and Nature Summit is schedule for Sept. 23, 2008 in Helena to bring awareness to the issue and explore solutions.

How much time do you or your children spend in nature?

Do you have suggestions about how to get children to spend more time in the great outdoors?

Youth Connections Coalition is asking the Helena City Commissioners to pass a social host ordinance, a municipal civil law that holds hosts accountable if they allow minors other than their own children to consume alcohol on private property at parties or gatherings.

Youth Connections organizers say studies have found that such a law lowers the probability of binge drinking and drinking and driving among all drinkers and currently 23 states have enacted such ordinances.

What kind of effect do you think a law like this would have on under age drinking?

Helena’s young people say there is nothing to do in town. What kinds of activities would you like to see in Helena?What kinds of shops are we lacking?

The Townsend School Board voted Dec. 11 to not renew the contract of head football coach Travis Rauh. No reasons were stated by the three school board members voting for nonrenewal.

Hundreds of Helena residents attended a town hall meeting last week about the problem locally of teens abusing alcohol.  In Lewis and Clark County 10 percent of seniors report binge drinking (five or more drinks at one time) in the last two weeks prior to the survey. Montana drivers between the ages of 18 and 20 had the highest incidence of fatal alcohol related crashes in 2006 by age group.

What is the issue? Are young people just bored with not enough healthy entertainment opportunities?

Is this just an age-old problem and not really anything new?

Are young people just behaving as they see the adults in their lives act?

Thirty-one percent of 12 to 17-year-olds and 34 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds report regular consumption of energy drinks, according to a report from the Marin Institute, a watchdog of the alcohol industry.