Billboards promote abstinence
Billboards are usually used to promote commercial products or services, but several of these advertising signs around town will soon be promoting the virtues of saving sex until marriage instead.
The billboards, which were designed through a contest featuring high school art students, will be seen on city roads as soon as next month. They are part of a high profile abstinence campaign put on by the Warren County Schools Abstinence Education program.
According to abstinence education coordinator Lequita Dickson, the second annual design contest was held as a way to get the teen-age students more involved in abstinence education and to further the abstinence message. She was pleased, she said, that approximately 140 students chose to enter the contest.
Winning first place and $100 in the contest was junior Donna Martin, whose design reads “Is it worth it? Save sex until marriage” and features a broken heart profiling many of pre-marital sex’s adverse consequences, including sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. Second place and $75 went to sophomore Matthew Crouch, while third place and $50 went to freshman Taylor Hale.
The designs of all three students will be featured on billboards throughout the year.
An abstinence-themed license place contest was held for ninth-graders. Winning first place and $100 in this contest was Karlee Holcomb for her license plate which reads “Abstinence – To be or not to be – There is no question!” Second place and $75 went to Laurie Hillis, while Katie Bradbury took home third place and $50.
An abstinence poster contest is scheduled to be held soon at the three county elementary schools which have SISTER ACT clubs.
The concept of saving sex until marriage has been taught at the middle school and high school levels for the past five years, and Dickson said the abstinence message seems to be working.
“Our teen pregnancy rate is down considerably and teens know more about the consequences of sex and why they should stay abstinent,” she said.