16-year-olds can donate blood beginning July 15
Beginning July 15, Kentucky will join a growing number of states who have decided to allow eager 16-year-olds to donate blood for patients in need.
Gov. Steve Beshear signed House Bill 139 into law this spring. The law will allow 16-year-olds to donate blood with parental consent.
Presently, high school and college blood donors account for about 25 percent of all the blood donated to the Kentucky Blood Center (KBC). Now, more teenagers can learn the value of self-sacrifice and taking the time to help others in need.
Kentucky Blood Center receives more than 80,000 whole blood donations in a year, but the demand continues to grow at the nearly 70 hospitals and clinics in Kentucky that these donations serve. That makes the passing of this bill even more significant.
The Kentucky Blood Center will take all steps to make the donation experience not only safe, but satisfying for donors young and old alike.
· Appointment: All donors are asked to schedule an appointment to donate blood by making an appointment to donate either on KBC’s Web site or by calling (800) 775-2522. Donors must have an official signed parental consent form, provided in advance of high school blood drives or printed from the KBC Web site.
· Registration: Upon arrive at the blood center or mobile drive, students will register by presenting picture identification and the last four digits of their social security numbers.
· Medical Screening: Students then go to a private screening area where they will review questions about medical history and behavior that could put them at risk for various diseases. They will be checked for temperature, pulse, blood pressure and the iron level in blood (hemoglobin test).
· Donation: A phlebotomist will clean the arm and insert a needle into a vein, allowing the collection of about one pint of blood into a sterile, plastic pouch.
· Refreshments: After a few minutes of rest, refreshments are available in the donor cafe area to supply quick energy.
The Kentucky Blood Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring a safe, adequate blood supply for 67 Kentucky hospitals and clinics thanks to generous blood donors in more than 60 Kentucky counties.
Online college information search tool
CampusCompare offers a new way of tackling the college search and selection process.
It takes all the information out there, abridges it and adds the comments and thoughts of students who have experienced the college first-hand, allowing college-bound students to get opinions on schools.
This free and interactive online resource and social networking community helps college-bound students find the right school for them with up-to-date college information and reviews from students and alumni on the most important topics.
Kids can learn during summer months, too
While most children look at summer as a break from school and homework, it can still be a great time to continue the learning, too.
Even days at the beach, traveling to new places or going to a local park can open up so many doors to learning opportunities.
ACT.org offers these tips to enhance learning throughout the summer:
· Visit your local library. Public libraries are great resources for additional learning materials. Talk with a librarian to locate the items your children might need.
· Seek out tutors. Talk with teachers and school counselors for help locating individual coaching in areas in which your children need improvement.
· Use every opportunity to learn. While on the family vacation, spend time with your children learning about the area you are visiting, including its history and demographics.
· Read, read, read. Summer is a great time for children to read a book without a deadline.
June is Internet Safety Month
During the summer months, children need to be especially aware of outdoor safety hazards as they head outside to play, travel and sometimes just relax.
However, more time away from school and friends often means children, especially teenagers, will be on the computer communicating with friends or simply surfing the Web to pass the time.
June has been designated as Internet Safety Month so take some time to share your concerns with your children about their computer use.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children offers these safety tips for parents to discuss with their teenager. Others can be found on the Web link provided.
· Tell them not to give out personal information about themselves, their family situations, school, telephone number or address.
· If you become aware of the sharing, use or viewing of child pornography online, immediately report this to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at (800) 843-5678.
· When in chatrooms they must remember that not everyone may be who they say they are. For example a person who says "she" is a 14-year-old girl from New York may really be a 42-year-old man from California.
· If someone harasses them online, says anything inappropriate or does anything that makes them feel uncomfortable, contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
· Know that there are rules many Internet Service Providers have about online behavior. If children disobey an ISP's rules, your ISP may penalize you by disabling your account, and sometimes every account in a household, either temporarily or permanently.
STLP state champions named
More than 3,500 students from across Kentucky competed in the Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP) State Showcase Competition May 6 and 7 in Lexington.
The event provided P-12 students opportunities to present their projects to people outside their classrooms. STLP is a project-based learning program that empowers students in all grade levels to use technology to learn and achieve. It was established in 1994 by the STLP State Advisory Council, which is composed of teachers, students and community leaders. The program is open to all students in all grade levels in every school in Kentucky.
Student projects are judged on educational value, value to the entire school/community and entrepreneurship. Recognition also is provided to individual students, school teams and district champions for other categories, such as robotics, writing, presentations, college scholarships, digital creations and more.
Three schools were selected as overall School Showcase Champions and will represent Kentucky in San Antonio, Texas, in June during national competition:
- Pulaski County Elementary - created an electronic product called “Way to Be” that helped their teachers and administrators teach their school proper behavioral expectations
- Crittenden County Middle - created an electronic educational product and resource called the Student Action Network that students in any district can use to better understand significant contemporary world issues
- South Floyd High - created an electronic business that provides high-quality electronic products for school/community customers and brings in funding to support the school’s volleyball team
Links in this issue:
http://www.kybloodcenter.org
http://www.campuscompare.com
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=207