Juniors attend sex-ed LIFE assembly

Upper+school+math+teacher+Jane+Keller+leads+the+juniors%E2%80%99+LIFE+discussion+on+sex+education+this+morning.+The+next+event+for+the+juniors+will+be+an+eagle+buddies+event+on+Jan.+28.

Maya Valluru

Upper school math teacher Jane Keller leads the juniors’ LIFE discussion on sex education this morning. The next event for the juniors will be an eagle buddies event on Jan. 28.

by Maya Valluru, Copy Editor

The LIFE assembly that discussed sex education with juniors took place this morning in the Nichols auditorium.

Upper school math teacher and head of the LIFE program Jane Keller led the discussion, grabbing the students’ attention with Al Vernacchio’s humorous TED Talk video comparing sexual activity to pizza and baseball.

Keller continued to discuss safety measures, kinds of relationships and decision-making. By speaking frankly and without much hesitation, Keller normalized this tabooed subject with the students. She stated that informing teenagers of ages 16 or older about such topics is vital to their wellbeings.

“Not all juniors, but many juniors, are beginning to explore beyond their current realm of high school activity,” she said. “Second semester before junior year is typically when students begin to go to more parties, and they start having deeper relationships with their partner or start looking to have a partner. It’s time for them to have an idea of how to talk about it, because sex is hard to talk about.”

Many students thought this seminar provided some helpful tips and interesting facts. Maya Rai (11) found it especially helpful, as she does not often discuss topics regarding sex with adult figures.

“I think [the assembly] was necessary because, especially in my family, my parents never discuss sex with me, or I’m too embarrassed to ask my parents about these things,” she said. “It was good to have this and learn about the importance of consent.”

The juniors listen as upper school math teacher Jane Keller leads the LIFE discussion on sex education this morning. The next event for the juniors is on Jan. 28, where they will be meeting their eagle buddies.
Maya Valluru
The juniors listen as upper school math teacher Jane Keller leads the LIFE discussion on sex education this morning. The next event for the juniors is on Jan. 28, where they will be meeting their eagle buddies.

Others, however, did not find it as informative as they had hoped it would be. Chelsie Alexander (11) felt the assembly was redundant and did not introduce any useful information.

“It was helpful for people who didn’t know about this stuff before,” Chelsie said. “Otherwise, it was just reinforcing what we already know. It was just, ‘Think about what you’re doing before you do it’.”

While Keller always expects an awkward response to this discussion, she feels that the ideas she explains will aid the students during future experiences in which they must make decisions quickly.

“You can’t effectively hit all 200 people,” she said. “You can throw it out there, and shake the tree a little bit, and leaves fall, and some people get it and need it. Some of the people will have heard it, and it will pop back into their head when it becomes important.”

The next event for the junior class is an Eagle Buddy gathering on Jan. 28 at the Upper School.