Teen Scene Unplugged, 2009
Bowman High School
On September 23rd, Bowman students and their parents participated in the City of Santa Clarit
a’s “Teen Scene Unplugged: Helping Parents and Kids Survive the Teenage Years.”
It was standing room only for this riveting performance, organized by the City of Santa Clarita’s Blue Ribbon Taskforce, and held at the Valencia Hyatt. Susie Vanderlip, a nationally renowned speaker, author, and expert on teenand family issues presented a dynamic and thought-provoking performance anddiscussion. She accurately depicted the personas of a gang member, pregnant teen, an alcoholic parent, and several other characters in a moving dramatic performance, giving a graphic voice to the issues of teen stress, social and academic pressures, and the reasons behind teen drug and alcohol abuse, gang immersion, and the dangers of teen sex.
Bowman student Nico Di Nardo thought that “Susie’s performance was awesome! She was an excellent actor and seemed to really understand how teenagers feel.”
Senior Curtis Smith observed, “She performed real scenes that happen to real teens when they abuse drugs and alcohol. I learned that these characters could be me if I follow the wrong path.” Curtis’ cousin, Calene Obergeon, who graduated from Bowman in the 1980’s, attended with him. She felt that thethe performance “was an accurate portrayal of the problems teenagers face, and it reminded me of my past. I am so grateful that Curtis brought me with him to experience this special event!”
Jordan Ortega and his mom attended the event together. Jordan summed up the intent of the experience for opening the channels of communication with teens: “The whole performance was great. I liked how the actress portrayed different characters. My mom and I have a good relationship, and she appreciated the importance of communication between teenagers and their parents.”