Portage High School Health Department Good News, December 16, 2014

PHSCrestThe Portage High School Health and Wellness teachers have been busy teaching several units this second nine weeks. In the Reproduction unit students learned about prenatal development, the development of a fetus though out the nine weeks of growth, the steps of giving birth, viewing a child birth video and learning about the stages of infancy to childhood.

In the Sexually Transmitted Diseases unit many STD’s were discussed both bacterial and viral. A speaker was brought in to talk to the health classes all day long about the symptoms, causes and consequences of getting an STD. This is a unit that the students are really interest in. Lots of questions and good discussion.

The health teachers then went on to the Alcohol unit. Numerous topics were discussed such as under-age teen drinking, short-term and long-term effects of alcohol use, binge drinking and alcohol poisoning, alcohol and drug interactions and benefits of living an alcohol-free life.

Driving drunk, the implications of getting caught with alcohol, the stages of Alcoholism, and the effects of alcohol on the unborn fetus were also discussed. Treatment for alcoholism and getting help for parents who are alcoholics was a concern of many students.

The last health unit for the semester, in which students are currently working, is a comprehensive Drug unit. Many drugs are being discussed from Schrooms and Marijuana to Methamphetamine, LSD, Ecstasy, Heroin, date rape drugs and more. Videos help enhance this unit. Students are very interested in this unit and many good discussions are happening as a result. The symptoms of drug addition, getting help for the drug addict and treatment are subjects to be covered before the end of the semester January 13, 2015.