[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 106 (Friday, July 31, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1487]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E1487]]



                    ISSUES FACING YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BERNARD SANDERS

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 30, 1998

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to have printed in the Record 
these statements by high school students from my home state of Vermont, 
who were speaking at my recent town meeting on issues facing young 
people today. I am asking that you please insert these statements in 
the Congressional Record as I believe that the views of these young 
people will benefit my colleagues.

Statement by Trevor Gingras, Miranda Girvan, Jessica Bordeaux and April 
                    Hathaway Regarding Teen Smoking

       Trevor Gingras: We interviewed teenagers to see how many 
     did and didn't smoke. Out of the ten, eight of the teens 
     smoked. Teenage smoking rates go higher and higher each year. 
     They start at a young age and get addicted to it. Some 
     teenagers got started by getting pressured by their friends, 
     some started smoking because they think it is cool, and some 
     teenagers smoke because their parents smoke and they figure 
     it is okay.
       Teens get their cigarettes by either their parents or 
     someone who is old enough to buy them. No law or even raising 
     the price of the cigarettes are going to stop the teens from 
     smoking. Teens save their money for gas for their cars and to 
     get cigarettes. There are many places where teens are allowed 
     to smoke, so this doesn't help the issue any.
       We also did a survey on what types of cigarettes teens 
     smoke. These were the results: Marlboros, Camels, Newports 
     and Parliaments.
       Congressman Sanders: Thank you.
                                  ____


Statement by Shawn Brackett and Sid Messick Regarding Federal Funds for 
                             Youth Programs

       Shawn Brackett: Hello. My name is Shawn Brackett, and this 
     is Sid Messick. We represent Youth Build Burlington. Youth 
     Build Burlington is a unique program dedicated to helping 
     out-of-school youth complete their education and prepare for 
     the world of work. Youth Build does this by providing 
     alternating weeks of academic instruction and on-the-job 
     training in construction skills. We also perform community 
     service by building or renovating affordable housing units 
     and providing our help to local agencies.
       For example, Youth Build provided assistance during the 
     Montgomery flood cleanup efforts last summer, and during the 
     ice storm cleanup this January. We are currently completing 
     the construction of a new house on Hyde Street.
       Currently, I am completing my high school diploma through 
     Youth Build, and Sid is completing his GED requirements. Over 
     the past ten months, Youth Build has helped four of us earn 
     our high school diplomas and eleven of us have already earned 
     our GEDs. Youth Build has provided us with a supportive 
     atmosphere. It has made counseling available and instruction 
     in small groups or on an individual basis. Without Youth 
     Build, none of us would have completed our education or 
     learned the work readiness skills that we need to move ahead 
     in our lives. If this program is not funded in the future, it 
     will be an immeasurable loss to the youth and the community.
       Sid Messick: What Youth Build has done for me has changed 
     my life a lot. I was in trouble a lot all the time. So I 
     decided to go back to school, because my probation officer 
     said Youth Build would be a good program. So I just about 
     have my GED completed, and my construction certificate.
       The amount that it cost for one Youth Build student for one 
     year is $20,000. We do activities like volunteer work also. 
     Like the ice storm, we helped like elderly people clean up 
     their yard and whatnot. We do like activities, like at the 
     Racket's Edge. We are trying to set up one to go to Camp 
     Abanaki.
       That is pretty much it, but it has done a lot for me.
       Congressman Sanders: Shawn?
       Shawn Brackett: For people that are looking for places to 
     go for the youth in the community, I think Youth Build is the 
     best program for a lot of kids that will jump at the 
     opportunity, if they research it, with Youth Build. It is the 
     ideal program for this community.
       Congressman Sanders: Thank you very, very much. That was an 
     excellent presentation.
                                  ____


 Statement by Andrew Jaspersohn, Heather Cook, Debbie Cole and Alexis 
                       Oustinoff Regarding Issues

       Andrew Jaspersohn: Thank you Congressman Sanders, 
     distinguished panel members. My name is Andrew Jaspersohn. I 
     am a senior at Lamoille Union High School in Hyde Park, 
     Vermont. I am also a product of school overcrowding. From 
     grades one through six, I attended an elementary school, 
     Johnson Elementary, that has some 375 students in a turn-of-
     the-century building meant for fewer than 300. At Lamoille 
     Union High School, my student life in overcrowded conditions 
     has continued. I have taken math classes with as many as 30 
     students in a classroom designed for fewer than 25. I 
     witnessed teachers teaching in hallways, closets and 
     stairwells, and have seen one of Lamoille's finest teachers, 
     Mark Gilbertson, who is also a member of 1990 U.S. winter 
     Olympic ski team, pushing a grocery cart full of the teaching 
     materials through the crowded hallways of our school for want 
     of a permanent classroom.
       Congressman Sanders, I have managed to have a decent high 
     school education despite overcrowded conditions, but I 
     wonder, sir, how much better that education might have been 
     given more space. I also wonder about those students, many of 
     them friends of mine, who dropped out of school early, who, 
     in effect, fell through the cracks of our overcrowded 
     infrastructure. Education takes time, but it also takes 
     space.
       Debbie Cole: As a student at Lamoille Union, I have been 
     overall satisfied by my education, but continually frustrated 
     by the limited opportunities. As a result of overcrowding and 
     underfunding, there is a lot that my school has not been able 
     to offer me.
       The beginning of ever semester finds me in the guidance 
     office pleading for more classes and less study halls. 
     Usually, I end up pursuing the list of courses offered and at 
     what times, and rearranging my own schedule. In this way, I 
     have incorporated woodworking, cooking and creative writing 
     into my schedule, usually with the help of my counselor 
     pulling strings to get me into an already full class. By 
     second semester, senior year, I was left with 18 out of 40 
     periods per week as study halls, almost 50 percent. Two of 
     the classes were only being taken to fill time because that 
     was all that was available. They held no real interest to me. 
     The other classes that I would not have minded taking were 
     only offered during the periods when I had my essential 
     courses.
       The one thing my school could offer was an honors program 
     which allowed me to take up to two courses at Johnson State 
     College for $50 apiece. I took advantage of this, and now 
     have two college credits that are transferable. However, by 
     the time I paid for the classes, the fees and the books, the 
     cost was up to $150 per class, not to mention I needed my own 
     transportation. This was a valuable alternative, but not an 
     ideal one for many people.
       Students should have alternatives within the school which 
     could be provided by more space and more funding. I would 
     have much preferred to take other high school classes than to 
     be removed from the high school environment for over half the 
     day. With more space and more teachers, more classes could be 
     offered, not to mention the current class size would 
     decrease, making all the courses more effective. Space and 
     money are also key aspects to incorporating satellite 
     learning into the school systems.
       Students should have more options within their schools. 
     They should be completely satisfied by their high school 
     careers, based solely on the offerings of their schools, and 
     not have to search elsewhere, if they don't choose to.
       Alexis Oustinoff: There always has been a greater demand 
     for tax dollars than will ever be available. However, a look 
     at the news on any given day sends warning signals that we 
     need to deal with the youths of this country.
       By doing this, many problems may be prevented in the 
     future. The best place to deal with youth is in a school 
     system, especially as the schools are forced to take on roles 
     formerly left to the families. By spending money on the 
     schools to upgrade facilities, install adequate technology, 
     and make sure quality teaching is provided, we can only 
     enhance the education, and also make school a better vehicle 
     to help our youth and prevent outbreaks of violence that we 
     have seen so much of lately.
       Our proposed solution to these issues is that the Public 
     School Modernization Act be passed. Until now, our district 
     has been able to fund temporary fixes, such as our now 
     decrepit modular classrooms, instead of projects that would 
     not only accommodate our immediate needs but our future 
     needs. The Public Schools Renewal Act would also improve 
     education by providing grants and programs to help schools 
     improve conditions and train teachers. Our school is not 
     alone in this problem. Other states have been struggling with 
     these problems of overcrowding for years. And what we would 
     like to see is some of these acts actually passed into law.
       Congressman Sanders: Thank you very much.



     

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