In a sea of freshman are 22
neon green shirts scattered
across the gym floor. There
are four more on stage in
front, showing the freshman
how to put on a condom.
This is one of the many
responsibilities that the
members of teen pep have
to tackle in their mission to
help Hunterdon Central
make the right sexual choices
and break the ice between
Juniors and Freshman.
Teen Pep stands for Teen
Prevention Education
Program. They are a group of
teens that are trained in
leadership and sexual
decision making covering
topics such as Pregnancy
Prevention, Abstinence,
Sexual Harassment, HIV/AIDS
and Homophobia reduction.
"Without a doubt in my mind
it is a positive influence" says
Principal Christina Steffner,
"whenever students get the
opportunity to teach and
learn from each other, the
learning is deeper". She
believes that overall, Teen
Pep has been a positive
impact on central, and she is
not the only one.
“Without teen pep, kids
would be less aware about
the consequences of
homophobia, drugs, and sex”
says sophomore Kaitlin Pang,
“It has helped me weigh
around the options and has
opened my eyes to what can
happen if you do have sex or
take drugs”. There has been
an impact from teen pep on
the students in Central. Mrs.
Steffner encourages teen
pep and believes that As long
as students continuously
receive the information
correctly it can and will be
effective. “It has showed me
that you don't have to have
sex to be cool and that there
are always people to turn to
if you have questions and
need help” says Kaitlin Pang.
She is one of a multitude of
students really appreciate
and need teen pep in their
life to make good decisions.
Another being Sophie
Rowland, a freshman who
sees Teen Pep workshops
every few weeks, “The
biggest impact it has had on
me was to change my
opinion of when it is right to
have sex I used to be a firm
believer in Chastity until
marriage” she says “but now
I am more accepting of those
who don’t.” She, unlike many
others, had a different
opinion on sex than many
other teens, and Teen Pep
helped open her eyes on the
reality of it all.
The students of Teen Pep go
on a retreat at the beginning
of the class to be trained in
maturity and leadership in
issues such as sexual
decisions. "I'm always
impressed by the maturity
and really inspired by their
tenacity and bravery to take
on a really personal topic"
said Mrs. Steffner. They
undergo a lot of work, and
they impress the staff by
their courage in tackling a
task that not even most
parents dare approach. “I
trust most of the students
they seem like nice people
and good role models,” Says
Kaitlin Pang. The students in
Teen Pep are selected and
only about fifty are chosen
for the two semesters. They
are chosen based on their
character, maturity level, and
attitude towards some of the
issues Teen Pep covers.
Not only is Teen Pep
affecting the students being
taught sexual lessons and the
staff, but it is also having a
life changing influence on the
members of the class. Keri
Winebrenner is currently a
member of Teen Pep and
loves being a part of it. “. I
trust everyone, she says,
“They’re all open with me
and we've all talked about
things we haven’t shared
with others. The retreat
really helped me to feel
comfortable with each
other”. Not only has it
helped Keri break out of her
shell, but it helped her
become a better leader. “I
can talk to people and be
comfortable around them no
matter what the subject
matter is” She said, “I can
lead conversations and know
when to come into certain
situations”. Of course, the
members of Teen Pep don’t
know all the information
going in, and she has learned
a lot about sexual decisions
herself being a part of this
program. “I’ve learned a lot
about sex and STI’s, more
things than you learn by just
participating in workshops”
she said, “It’s helped me
learn my value I’ve learned
to be safer and take a lot of
thought in my decisions: see
who and how it’s going to
effect”. Overall, this has had
a major impact on Keri, and
all of the members in Teen
Pep both in leadership and in
their personalities.
Teen Pep has been around
for 19 years, and 10 years in
Central. New Jersey is one of
very few schools to support
teaching kids how to make
sexual decisions as opposed
to complete abstinence.
Teen Pep students have a
responsibility to help
freshman and answer
questions they may not be
able to go to anyone else
with. "Do I believe there is
sex in our school? Yes,” Says
Mrs. Steffner, “ Do I believe
everyone is doing it? No."
Teen Pep tells us that over
40% of high school students
are sexually active, almost
half, which is why there is
such a need for a program
such as Teen Pep in Central.
"It's critical that students
don't forget the lessons
taught" If a student were to
forget the quadratic formula
it won't kill them. If a student
were to forget how to put on
a condom it would be a
different story,” said Mrs.
Steffner.
Overall, Teen Pep has had a
major impact on the staff,
the students, and the
members. There is an overall
importance to have a
student to student
relationship when discussing
issues on sex because it’s
something that can’t be
graded and then forgotten.
Without teen pep, a lot of
teenagers would not know
the correct decisions and a
lot of fatal consequences
could occur. Thanks to Teen
Pep, and all of the support
from Mrs. Steffner and the
parents, our high school
teenagers are safe and well
educated.