Family Service of Roanoke Valley has received a federal grant for programs to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including abstinence and contraception education.

Nearly $330,000 will be available in the first year of the three-year Personal Responsibility Education Program grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to Jenny Lee, director of development and communications at Family Service.

The initiative will use two curricula, "Making a Difference" and "Changing Scenes", to target at-risk youth in middle schools, high schools and after-school programs, as well as through partnerships with Carilion Clinic and Straight Street, according to a news release from Lee.

Roanoke's teen pregnancy rate from 2010, the most up-to-date information provided by the Virginia Department of Health, is the 12th highest in the state. There were 224 teenage pregnancies per 1,000 females in 2010, which was down nearly 32 percent from 2009.

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The results are in from this fall's Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety "Save Your TAIL-Gate, Buckle Up" campaign.

Lord Botetourt High School finished in second place among 52 high schools across Virginia.

Forest Middle School in Bedford County placed first in the middle school competition, followed by Auburn Middle School in Montgomery County and Hidden Valley Middle School in Roanoke County, respectively.

"The goal of the campaign is to make buckling up a habit for everyone," Sarah Watson, YOVASO program development coordinator, stated in a news release. "Out of the 83 teen fatalities in Virginia last year, 47 of those teens were not wearing their seat belts."

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An open house at Community School is slated for 10 a.m. Nov. 13 for parents of potential students. There will be a brief information session followed by classroom tours and opportunities to meet students, parents and staff. The private school, located at 7815 Williamson Road, focuses on hands-on activities for preschool through middle school students.

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I will begin hosting a new K-12 education blog later this fall on roanoke.com. The blog will be home to all things related to education, public and private, in the Roanoke region.

This blog is something I have been interested in since I took over the education beat three years ago. All that's missing is a name. If you have a suggestion, please share it by emailing courtney.cutright@roanoke.com.

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