By HOLLY WAGNER
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
Courtney Deming is a senior at Quincy High School and eight months pregnant. When her baby is born, she'll return to QHS to finish her senior year and graduate with her class.
Her baby will stay in the nursery of the Teen Mothers Program at QHS while Deming attends classes. If she can fit it into her schedule, she'll contribute an hour of her day to help out in the child care program. She takes a parenting class and can visit her baby whenever she's free.
Otherwise, she's no different from the rest of the teens at QHS earning credits toward graduation. She just happens to be pregnant, said director Laura Henke, RN.
"The Teen Mothers Program has always been about high school graduation," she said. "We moved to the high school four years ago to enable the girls to get all the classes they could -- advanced placement, fine arts, foreign languages. ... QHS is more of a college prep program."
That's one of the differences between the Teen Mothers Program at QHS and Teen Parent Services also offered by the Quincy School District.
Superintendent Lonny Lemon recently announced that the district was eliminating Teen Parent Services and its Adult Ed program at 1416 Maine as part of efforts to cut $3.8 million from the budget.
Lemon said the students now served in the Teen Parent Services program would go back to their home schools and those being served by Adult Ed would get services in existing programs, such as the one at John Wood Community College.
"The offerings at TPS can't compete with what we can offer at the high school," Lemon said. "They'll be eligible to take any class there."
This is the second time in two years the district has targeted TPS for elimination, in part because the services are being duplicated elsewhere. The TPS program also has been operating at a deficit of about $50,000 to $75,000 a year, and some additional savings will be realized through attrition of staff.
But TPS students and staff are not going quietly. At a special meeting on March 3, speakers pleaded with the School Board to save their school.
TPS' small-school environment, on-site nursery and staff support attracts students from around the county who are recommended to the program because they have dropped out or fallen behind on high school credits, or are uncomfortable being pregnant in their home school.
There are 175 students enrolled at Teen Parent Services, but about 130 actually attend some classes. There are an average of 40 to 50 students at any one time.
"I believe in giving kids chance after chance," said Citro. "I always hope the next time is going to be the time that they make it."
Because TPS is funded partly by an Adult Ed and Family Literacy grant, students can attend classes to work toward their high school diploma into their mid-20s and beyond.
At QHS, students have to leave high school if they can't graduate by age 21. The only option now for students who are behind on credits or who choose to drop out is to work independently toward a GED (General Educational Development) degree. For many of them, working for a high school diploma in a classroom with a teacher is much more likely to lead to success, Citro said.
Many of the students testified that without TPS, they would have left school. Some told how they had turned around their record of Fs and were graduating early with all As.
"They exaggerate that," Citro said "That isn't true, (but) it may be the way they feel."
When Kaylie Gilbert learned she was pregnant, she chose to stay at QHS where she has friends and knows the teachers rather than transfer to Teen Parent Services. She keeps up with her membership on the flag team and in band.
"You can go there (to TPS), and you can have things a little bit more laid back," she said. "It's easier. You can wake up an hour later if you choose to.
"You go there for support, but there's just as much support here."
Henke checks on the teen moms' classwork, either working with the ones who have fallen behind or having them enroll in a focused study hall at the high school. The Teen Mother Program can also draw on the special ed resources available at the high school.
The nursery at QHS, staffed by two paraprofessionals trained in child care, has four babies and is anticipating two more. The mothers can bring their babies as young as 2 weeks old, and can visit them between classes and when they have a free period.
The school emphasizes bonding between the parent and child, Citro said.
"Poor attachment is one of the reasons parents aren't successful," she said. "We're trying to break the cycle" of poverty, with teen moms who don't value education raising another generation of teen mothers.
Some TPS students have enrolled because they were bullied in their home school. Gilbert and Deming, as two of about a dozen students in TMP among nearly 1,500 students at QHS, said their pregnancy didn't cause problems with other students.
"Some people will talk about it, but they don't ... call me names or anything," Deming said. "They just ask me about it."
"We've not had reports" of bullying or teasing the pregnant students, said QHS Principal Danielle Edgar. "I hate to say (teen pregnancies have) become common, but it is something that goes fairly unnoticed within our building.
"There are lots of kids here who are struggling with multiple issues or have a variety of experiences in their background. That's one of the great things about Quincy High School. All of those things are accepted or have a niche. They have a group that they can blend into and find support."
Citro believes QHS' program works for students who have lots of resources available to them.
"We've had a wonderful 16 years," she said. "I hope that we have helped some mothers rise out of poverty."
Henke agreed that "there are special circumstances in which some girls will succeed."
"But they've got to give us a chance ... We're not going to let them (drop out) without a fight," she said. "My wish is for every student to get their education here at QHS. This is the best place for them."
-- hwagner@whig.com/221-3374
