SAD 54 teen survey results mixed

Morning Sentinel, February 23, 2008

(excerpt) Lisa Larrabee, a member of Somerset County Association of Resource Providers (SCARP) who is helping to organize the committee, said students surveyed in SAD 54 come from Skowhegan, Mercer, Smithfield, Norridgewock, Canaan and Cornville.

Pointing to several categories in the survey, Larrabee said only 23 percent of the students said their parents and other adults model positive, responsible behavior. And only 25 percent said their parents are actively involved in helping students succeed in school.

"That's one in four youth (surveyed) who feel their parents care," Larrabee said.

In other survey responses, only 13 percent said they spend three or more hours a week in creative activities such as music or art. However, 50 percent said they spend three or more hours per week in sports, clubs or organizations. Twenty-one percent spend one or more hours per week in religious activities.

Some 60 percent said they were motivated to do well in school and 70 percent said they stand up for their beliefs. Larrabee pointed out, however, that only 34 percent said they seek to resolve those conflicts nonviolently.

The great news, she said, is that 72 percent of the respondents said they are optimistic about their future.