New York: Spring Valley Key Club Members Take Over Podium on AIDS Awareness Day

About 20 Key Club members spent almost two months preparing to take part in AIDS Awareness Day events on March 6 at Spring Valley High School. "It's surprising how many people say they know about AIDS, and don't," said senior Karan Kapur.

AIDS Awareness Day at the school has been a Key Club project for more than 15 years. Early on, professionals from two groups -- Community Awareness Network for a Drug-free Life and Environment, and Together Our Unity Can Heal -- provided the training, with the county Department of Health assisting the students recently.

Club members talked about HIV/AIDS in each of the day's social studies class, describing the disease's symptoms and ways it is spread. The students emphasized abstinence as the best way to prevent STDs and HIV.

For some, the discussions can be awkward. Freshman Kormal Desai said her audience of teens tended to laugh at some of the frank words she used. "Eventually, everybody gets comfortable, and then you get comfortable talking," she said.

Shayanna Bailey, a 10th grader, was among those on the receiving end of the HIV/AIDS education presentation. "This is a good idea, because it gives you information on how to protect yourself," she said. "It's like peer-to-peer. You understand it a little better and you feel more comfortable with people our own age."

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