May marks the 2009 National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, a country-wide campaign to curb the ever growing number of teen pregnancies.
  "As of 2007, 48 percent of teens nationwide admit to being sexually active," said Erica Ho, a member of CommuniCare Health Centers, a non-profit healthcare organization located throughout Yolo County. "In Yolo County, 214 babies were born to mothers between the ages of 15 and 19 in that same year."
  Ho, along with fellow CommuniCare members and Education Specialists Christy Traynor and Carlos Peña, were on campus on April 29 to speak to students in Health teacher Anne Mapalo's freshmen class.
  "WHS has been working with CommuniCare for years," said Mapalo. "Their presentations are very informative and their expertise in this subject makes the presentations very interesting."
  Ho and Traynor encouraged students to get involved in protecting themselves from the possible dangers of sex.
  "The visuals on STI's (sexually transmitted infections) make a huge impact on the consequences of being sexually active," said Mapalo.
  "We tell students to visit stayteen.org and take the quiz," said Traynor. "We want to raise awareness."
  CommuniCare's campaign against teen pregnancy is themed around learning the truth and becoming aware of the facts. The slogan for the campaign calls for students to "See the truth, Hear the truth, and Speak the truth."
  "Students don't really get a lesson on teen pregnancy," said Mapalo. "They learn how to protect themselves."
  A documentary entitled "Open Your Eyes: Teen Pregnancy" is set to premiere at the Yolo County Health Department in Woodland with free admission on May 27.