The April 21 Supporting Teens at Risk (STAR) meeting was held in the Theatre and was the last meeting of the year that was open to all students. The topic discussed was sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

The guest speaker was Robert A. Bergamini, M.D at Mercy Children’s Hospital. Bergamini’s presentation consisted of a slide show with different facts about STDs, along with pictures.

“I was shocked to hear the high percentage of people that walk around every day with an STI and don’t even know it,” freshman McKenley Meadows said.

This was hard to handle for a majority of the students that attended the meeting. Many groaned and had to look away.

“It was gross and I don’t want to get one [STD],” freshman Jordan Brewer said.

However, Bergamini helped lighten the mood with a couple of well-timed jokes, and constantly told students to take a deep breath to help them calm down.

The meeting was an overall success because Bergamini didn’t cushion the truth, but told the real facts about the dangers of STDs, and how they can affect everyone.

“Some of the pictures might have been a little much, but I know that they made me think twice about getting the HPV vaccine or partaking in actions with people I don’t know for sure are infection free,” Meadows said.