Hunter Wilson/Daily NewsSophomore Chelse Dixon, 16, wraps her interactive baby doll in a blanket during a parenting class Thursday at Warren Central High School.   advertisement

CiCi Cerimovic doesn’t like the way people stare at her.the 16-year-old gets frustrated by her belly, which is heavy and embarrassing, plus it makes her hot and it pushes on her bladder. For CiCi, being pregnant is no fun - even if it’s a fake pregnancy.CiCi, a junior at Warren Central High School, is one of several students who wear a fake pregnant belly and carry interactive baby dolls as part of a parenting class. as teen pregnancy becomes a hot topic, with the popularity of TV shows such as “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom,” local teachers are using different techniques to educate children about parenting and safe sex.In Chrissy Storms’ class, students are graded for wearing the pregnancy belly and taking care of computerized baby dolls. CiCi and her fellow students must keep the dolls with them, and they must wear the pregnancy belly at least during the school day - some opt to wear it home and in public.“People laughed at me today,” CiCi said. “I didn’t expect them to laugh at me.”the parenting and child development classes have been offered at Warren Central for years, teaching students how to handle children and pregnancy and, hopefully, encouraging them to make smart decisions when it comes to sex, Storms said.“Our goal is to get them to see, ‘right now you’re young. You don’t need to make those decisions,’ ” Storms said, “ ‘and these are the consequences if you do.’ ”In 2009, 95 percent of Kentucky high school health classes taught key pregnancy and STD prevention topics. About 48 percent of high school students surveyed had sexual intercourse; 40 percent did not use a condom the last time they had intercourse; and 72 percent did not use birth control pills, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.“Many times, these high school students aren’t ready for an emotional relationship as well as a physical relationship,” said Lisa Correa, health and physical education teacher at Bowling Green High School. “It’s kind of difficult to get through to everyone.”Correa uses textbooks, videos and interactive online materials to teach students about making healthy decisions and to explain how an unplanned pregnancy can affect their futures. It’s important to give students information to make wise health decisions for themselves, especially in today’s society, when sex is prevalent and glamorized on television, she said.“Many of the students have seen the “16 and Pregnant” show and have commented to me. That really kind of hits home with them, I guess the way it’s presented,” she said. “It’s difficult nowadays to find a sitcom that doesn’t have sexual innuendoes throughout the sitcom. the days of ‘the Brady Bunch’ and ‘Gilligan’s Island’ are long ago.”In fact, teen pregnancy is becoming more common to some students. Several students in Storms’ class are friends with other teenagers who have children, and Storms teaches some teen parents.Katie Taylor, 15, a sophomore, is friends with three people her age who have babies.“They’re good (parents),” she said, “but a lot of them have to be home-schooled.”Students, such as Katie, are learning firsthand the difficulties of being a teen parent. Students are graded based on how well they take care of their dolls. a computer chip is inserted into each doll, keeping track of how often the baby is neglected, hungry or abused. Storms then reads the computer chip to determine the students’ grades. One student received 66 points Thursday after turning in a doll that showed signs of shaken baby syndrome.Students can opt out of the baby doll assignment by doing an in-depth report, but most take the baby dolls for at least a day. Some decide to take the doll for a weekend and others have requested to keep it over holiday breaks. Students are graded the same, regardless of how long they keep the baby, but some just want longer time with the doll, Storms said.“they want to see what it’s like,” she said. “Some will tell you that 24 hours is not enough for an entire experience.”the front of Storms’ classroom is scattered with baby clothes, car seats, blankets, bottles, diapers and other baby items. on Thursday, Raymond Smith toted his baby doll, which was wrapped in a blue blanket. After keeping the baby for one day, 16-year-old Raymond decided to keep it longer.“the first time I took it for 24 hours, it wasn’t so bad. then over the weekend it drove me crazy,” said Raymond, a sophomore. “It kept crying. I couldn’t fall asleep … because the baby kept crying. I lost my patience.”One day, Chelse Dixon decided to venture into public with her doll. she took it to the mall with her, but soon found herself running in and out of the bathroom to feed and change her baby.“I got dirty looks. I was embarrassed to have it,” said Chelse, 16, a sophomore. “It just cries for no reason. everybody was looking at me like, ‘Just shut that baby up.’ ”Rondazia Owens learned that some activities had to be put on hold when she was caring for an infant. she once left her doll in the pew while she was singing in the church choir.“I was singing a solo, and the baby just started screaming,” said Rondazia, 16, a junior. “my grade was terrible. It didn’t turn off or nothing; it kept hollering for an hour.”Rondazia also wore the fake pregnancy belly - a 35-pound pregnancy suit dubbed the Empathy Belly. Not only did she deal with snickering and stares from others, but she experienced typical pregnancy symptoms. the belly pushes on a person’s abdomen and organs, causing body aches, fatigue, increased blood pressure, frequent urination and other symptoms.“I had bruises all across my ribs,” Rondazia said. “I could (only) sleep in a ball … I was so uncomfortable.”Both the bellies and the dolls serve as an eye-opener to students. In addition to teaching children about safe sex practices, it prepares them be good caregivers - habits they can use as baby sitters or as parents themselves. Storms also teaches a child development course, which prepares students for work in the child care field.Representatives from college child care and nanny programs drop by her classroom, as well as people from Hope Harbor, social services and local adoption agencies. since taking the class, several students have expressed that they want to wait to have sex and to have children. others are more extreme, Storms said.“I ain’t having kids,” Rondazia said. “I’ll adopt.”