OC HIGH: STUDENT NEWS & VIEWS

OC High asks: “What can trigger a crisis in a teen-ager’s life?”

Responses gathered by Trisha Ginsburg and Brian Singer

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Does eliminating lockers make schools safer?

“The loss of a parent. I’ve had friends who have lost parents and that’s the biggest crisis I’ve ever seen.”

Gina Gallucci, 15

sophomore, Los Alamitos

“Drugs, because of the peer pressure and addiction.”

Nick Evans, 14

freshman, Sonora

“Peer pressure. You would start to feel insecure if peers are pressuring you to do something you don’t want to do. They would get on your case if you didn’t do it.”

Niki Nakagawa, 15

sophomore, Cypress

“The pressure to get into college is harder than it was a few years ago. We shouldn’t be so hard on ourselves to get into college. SAT’s and college entrance exams could cause a teen-ager to blow up.”

Paul Kim, 14

freshman, Cypress

“A death in the family. It would trigger a crisis if your mom or dad died. You’d have a different view on death, especially if no one close to you has died before. It could be traumatic.”

Samuel Lee, 14

freshman, Servite

“Gangs. They involve you in stuff. You need a family. All they do is get you in trouble.”

Ryan Parker, 15

freshman, Brea Olinda

“A divorce of parents. Teen-agers don’t know who to live with. If one parent moves out of state, the teen-ager has to decide whether to leave their friends and one parent and move out of state with the other parent. That can be a traumatic experience.”

Ivy Kiyomura, 13

freshman, Pacifica

“Breaking up with a boyfriend, because you’re emotional and depressed. It feels like you’re going to die.”

Karen Alton, 17

senior, Mater Dei

“Peer pressure or a death in the family. When you lose someone in your family, it’s a tremendous loss. You depend on your family and they’re always there for you and supporting you. It’s a crisis when that person isn’t there anymore.”

Janna Abo, 15

sophomore, Edison

“Stress. It can be a lot to handle.”

Joyce Leong, 14

sophomore, Edison

“Drugs. It’s kind of hard to talk to parents about it. They don’t understand.”

Jason Lythgoe, 15

junior, Fullerton

“Choosing colleges and making decisions about the future.”

Jerry DeSantos, 17

senior, Mater Dei

“Family problems. Any major family crisis that upsets, confuses or hurts a family member. It affects all the family.”

Robyn Fishman, 14

freshman, Los Alamitos

“Stress to get into a good college. Your family puts pressure on you to excel and be something great so you can help the family. They push you to succeed. A lot of times, it makes the student stressed over having to perform up to what their parents want.”

Darin Noda, 16

junior, Edison

“Trouble in the family. Parents getting a divorce. Sometimes you can’t exactly talk to a family member, so you need to talk to someone else.”

Andy Mulay, 15

sophomore, Fullerton

“Problems at home, like parents pressuring you. Teen-agers can get caught up in the problems at home and bring them to school and then it gets out of hand. They can make it bigger than it is and turn it into a crisis.”

Seth Linden, 14

sophomore, Los Alamitos

“A close relative or confidante passing away can cause trauma. It’s easy to cling to other people you care about when that happens.”

Patrick Cheesman, 14

freshman, Pacifica

“Divorce, because it destroys all family structure.”

Molly Shillington, 17

senior, Mater Dei