It’s December of 2008, and while most of her classmates are getting ready for Winter Ball, a Granite Bay High School  senior is sitting in the lobby of Planned Parenthood. She waits for the dreaded results of her sexually transmitted disease  test with millions of possibilities running through her mind. 
 The nurse’s face turns white as she glances at a piece of paper. She motions the girl to follow her to the back where the doctor gives the medical diagnosis: she has human papilloma virus, an STD commonly linked to cervical cancer.
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   During their freshman year, GBHS students are required to take a health class which includes a section on sexual education.
   They learn what the symptoms are of several STDs, how they are contracted and most importantly, how to prevent them.
   Even though GBHS teachers thoroughly go over the dangers of STDs, GBHS students are among those who still contract them.
   According to the Center of Disease Control, nearly 19 million people contract sexually transmit infections each year, and more than half of those cases affect 15- to 24-year-olds.
   Granite Bay is definitely not immune. In fact, Placer County has the third highest STD rate in California.
   “(Placer County has) a higher rate of STDs than most large cities do,” GBHS health teacher Kathie Sinor said.
   Many city schools are more open on the topic of safe sex. Some high schools even pass out condoms on campus, Sinor said.
    But many students find the high STD rate hard to believe when students are receiving the education they need to keep themselves protected.
   “I don’t see why people at our school are getting STDs when we learn all about safe-sex in ninth grade,” GBHS senior Molly Hyland said.
   According to GBHS health teacher John MacLeane, the high STD rate may be beneficial to further teach upperclassmen about safe sex, considering they are statistically more sexually active than freshmen.
   Over the summer, a few of his graduated water polo players came to him with questions regarding sexual education. 
   “I was thinking, ‘Guys, you already got this information during your freshman year,’” MacLeane said. “But they didn’t remember any of it, because it didn’t mean anything to them back then.”
   An anonymous GBHS graduate said she “forgot all of the information about STDs” by the time she reached her senior year. She might not have contracted an STD, she said, if she would have remembered.
   Although she had been sexually active for more than two years, she had never seen any obvious signs that she had an STD, so she figured she was fine.
   One day, she stopped by Planned Parenthood and took an STD test out of curiosity. When the results came out positive for HPV, she was shocked.
   “I honestly would have never expected to have (contracted an STD),” she said. “I had unprotected sex a few times, but I didn’t feel any different.”
   STDs without symptoms are often the most harmful, because once they are diagnosed, it may be too late, Sinor said.
   “There’s also a big denial factor,” Sinor said. “Some people think that if they have unprotected sex, and they don’t notice a rash, then they are okay, which is false.”
   Many serious STDs, such as HPV, chlamydia and gonorrhea, sometimes show no signs at all in both men and women.
   The family of the  GBHS girl, who now has HPV, was devastated when they found out about the diagnosis.
   “The hardest part was telling my parents,” she said, “but I knew I had to do it for my health.”
   Many students fear what their families will think if they inform them of their STDs.
   “I have friends that have minor STDs without their parents even having a clue,” said a sophomore boy who asked to not be identified.
   MacLeane encourages his students to talk to their parents about the situation if they suspect they have an STD.
   “The biggest thing is that you want to get them treated,” MacLeane said. “I realize that some kids cannot (talk openly) with their parents, so that’s why the law allows them to go to a doctor confidentially.”
   According to California law, schools must excuse minors during the school day for confidential medical care, and they cannot adopt a policy that requires parental consent or parental notification.
   However, GBHS and the rest of the Roseville Joint Union High School District have created their own rules regarding this policy, and they do not follow the state statutes.
   “The school is going against the law,” Sinor said.
   Although students cannot leave campus confidentially to get treated for STDs as the law permits, there are other options for those who cannot talk to their parents about the situation.
   “They can still go to Planned Parenthood after school or even to their personal doctor,” Sinor said. “If they go to Kaiser or anywhere else, their visit will be confidential.”
   But many GBHS students and staff members hope to see the problem addressed at the root by preventing STDs in the first place.
   “When I had unprotected sex, I was drunk,” the anonymous GBHS girl said. “I didn’t even think twice about protection.”
   Being under the influence of alcohol and other substances is one of the main reasons why STDs are a major issue among teenagers, Sinor said.
   While many students have no intention of having sex when they’re sober, Sinor said their judgment and inhibitions “go out the door” when they drink.
   According to the anonymous girl, using protection isn’t tough to do, but it can be “inconvenient sometimes.”
   “I say that some teens get caught up in the ‘sperm’ of the moment,’” Sinor said. “I don’t think they’re choosing to have unprotected sex, I think their emotions go out of control when (they’re) under the influence.
    Sinor advocates students to take a “refresher course” on the topic of sex education each year, even if it’s only for one day.
   “In 10th grade, (the physical education program) can address (STDs) and in (the) 11th grade, English teachers can assign a research paper,” Sinor said. “In 12th grade, government students can research statistics about the cost of health care when you have an STD without insurance.”
   In regard to the costs, “STDs affect not only individuals’ health, but also the economy,” the Center for Disease Control notes. According to CDC statistics, the conditions cost the U.S. health care system as much as $15.3 billion annually.
   The rise of STDs is affecting teenager’s financial, physical and emotional health.
   “A new (educational) program can be life-changing,” the anonymous graduate said. “Hopefully it can help keep students off the path that I (am) going down.”