Jessica, 18

Who was the first person you told?

Once I knew, my immediate thought was how was I going to be financially capable of supporting my child and myself. The first person I told was my boyfriend, Trevor. Then one day after work, I told my mom that we needed to sit down and catch up on the things going on in my life. By the time I sat down to tell her, she already had a good idea of what we would be discussing. She was the one who told the rest of my family because I had no idea how anyone of them would have reacted and I didn’t want to be criticized.

Did you tell your friends?

At school I told everyone I knew and didn’t want to keep it hush hush because that’s what causes whispering and rumors. I get a lot of starring. None that were mean glares from what I knew of, but who doesn’t look at a pregnant girl?

Have you faced any stereotypes?

Stereotypes weren’t such a big deal to me. People asked if the pregnant teens at our school formed a “group” and planned it. Of course not. But I did meet/earn a new best friend from all of this, Shania. I didn’t really have any harassment personally, but I did witness a lot that was given to Shania. I stood by her and was as much support as I could be.

What was the first ultrasound like?

Seeing the first ultrasound was one of the most anxious times during the pregnancy, and also the scariest. I knew I was pregnant but seeing him for the first time made everything that much more real to me. It made me realize this was actually happening, it wasn’t a dream.

How did you prepare for your pregnancy?

I prepared for the baby by changing my diet, and my daily activities. Also, I had to make a baby nursery for him. The most fun part was painting, picking out designs and getting new furniture.

Who will be at the hospital with you?

In the room to support me will be my mother, Trevor, and his mom. I’m sure all my friends will be there; the one’s who’ve been there through this whole pregnancy, and who’ve given me support. I thank them for that.

Are you going to do an epidural?

I’m not sure if I want do an epidural. I’m going to wait to see how I feel during labor. If I think I can handle the contractions, I will give birth naturally.

When are you due?

I’m due May 7^th, two days after prom so if all goes well I can still go. I want to go because it’s my senior year and I think I’d look pretty darn cute 9 months pregnant in a dress. But I’m not going out to buy one for $500; EBay is where it’s at. I’m looking cheap so if I don’t end up going I won’t be out of hundreds of dollars. 

Did you consider abortion? Why or Why not?

Never. I don’t believe in killing innocent children for my mistakes. They didn’t mean to be born so why punish them? I mean, if raising your child is that big of a damper on your life at least give him/her up.

Have you considered adoption?

Also no, never. I also don’t believe that giving up your flesh and blood is right. If you’re mature enough to make the decision to have sex, then you should be mature enough to raise your child that you made. In some cases, such as rape, I believe that adoption is appropriate.

What is your advice for teens?

Yes, people have sex. It is a natural thing and I’m not going to sit here and protest against sex before marriage. Just don’t be dumb about it. I thought being on birth control (the pill) was enough to keep me safe but it wasn’t. There are more protections against teen pregnancy to use besides just birth control and condoms. Also, if you can’t look at the person you are with and envision spending the rest of your life with them, if you can’t imagine waking up to them every morning for the rest of your life, then don’t do it. Don’t make a one-night decision influence the rest of your life. Like I said, I’m not telling you not to do it, just be smart.

I hope this opens a lot of eyes at North Scott.

*Jessica gave birth to Chase on May 1^st.  On the topic of natural birth, Jessica says, “No way,” she laughs, “I thought I was dying.” She still intends to attend Prom.

An annual Post Prom highlight.

By Kevin Nelson

Post prom 2012 was an overall success. The games and activities were a hit for the students, but there were issues with the way prizes were given. The committee in charge of awarding prizes and gifts to juniors and seniors had a goal to ensure that every upper classmen received a gift.

A member of the committee mentioned that there was over 300 gifts for the students, and somehow there were quite a few students who didn’t receive anything. There were also students who received multiple gifts and some students received more than one large ticket item, myself included.

The system was set up to be error free, and fair for everyone, but as we know, nothing is perfect.

Students that didn’t receive anything wanted to make sure that next year’s committee addressed these issues and included everyone. I thought the system was more efficient than last year, but I believe the way the committee drew names could be more error free and less time consuming.

By Noah Gumpert

The 2012 North Scott Football team will be running out in some new jerseys next year. With all of their funds from last year they were able to purchase new white away jerseys.

The jerseys are Under Armour brand with a white base and red and silver accent colors. They are shorter and a tighter fit than the current home jerseys.

The football team was also able to purchase new pants to match their new jerseys. The pants are also white with accent colors of red and silver. The Lancer Football program is hoping that they will be able to purchase new red home jerseys by the end of next year.

This year’s winter musical called “The Spitfire Grill” will run for the next two weeks. The cast and crew will be performing on February 11,12,18,19 @ 7pm, and February 20 @ 2pm.

To start the show LP has a group of performers called the Sodapoppers that will entertain with singing and dancing for about 15 minutes before the show starts.

“The Spitfire Grill” is about a young woman, Percy Talbott (Analisa Percuoco), who gets out of jail and begins looking for a new life. She makes her way to a town called Gilead, Wisconsin. Arriving very unexpectedly she takes the towns people by surprise, but ends up changing the town in a good way.

If you enjoy music, drama, or just being there for your friends in the show then definitely make it a priority to come!