Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Sun Youth Forum:

Youth Airs Views On Top Issues

“If the United States allows Red China to be admitted to the United Nations, we will be condoning communism,” a participant said at the 5th annual sponsored Youth Forum, held yesterday at the Convention Center.

Seven selected topics were discussed in the 14 panels comprising 400 high school students from the Southern Nevada area.

Music, foreign affairs, American government, law enforcement, teenage behaviors, school and sports were the topics discussed.

The conclusions of the panels will be summarized by selected finalist tonight in the Rancho High School gymnasium beginning at 7:45 p.m.

The students that are delivering the conclusions are:

Michael King, Las Vegas High School; Tom Constanten, Rancho; Jim Lang, Boulder City; Edith Barker, Basic; John Duty, Basic; Bob Gagliano, Gorman; Mary Lou Savage, Gorman; Bob Kagan, Rancho; Shane Greer, Virgin Valley; Harvey Boya, BC; Yvonne Rishey, LV; Robert Naylor, LV; Mike Cunningham, Rancho; and Jean Klanderud.

A brass ensemble was a special feature of the music panel. It was used as a supplement to the morning’s discussion of music as a universal language. Music in the fields of dentistry, education and farming produced a lively debate as the different views of the participants were expressed. Moderating this panel were Cecil Blackhart and Lewis Elias.

John Wawerna and Zel Lowman, moderators of the foreign affairs panel, listened as the students debated the pros and cons of the veto power in the United Nations and disarmament.

In discussion of Cuban affairs the youths concluded that the process on reaching an understanding with Cuba would take many carefully planed moves in the part of the United States.

Among the important topics discussed in the American government panel were civil defense as an aid to our country and communism as a threat.

“The people must build up their own defense to prevent war,” was the consensus of the panel’s discussion. Dr. Eleanor Bushnell and Donald O’Callaghan were the panel moderators assisting the students in their discussions.

A Nevada highway patrolman aroused the law enforcement panel with a fiery debate with his remarks on clauses and effects of corruption in law enforcement agencies.

Panel members reached the conclusion that their should be no criminal offenders tolerated on the police force.

Dr. Irving Katz and John Belville moderated a discussion on curfew laws. The group felt as a whole that the curfew hours should be extended during the summer months.

Should the Nevada State laws for issuing drivers licenses require a high school student to complete a course in driver’s education? This was one of the more controversial points discussed by the teenage behavior panel.

“Proper conduct at public functions begins in the home,” decided the panel moderator by Mrs, Charles Hyde and Mrs, Wendell Bunker.

A Working student sacrifices his grades and personal care, was the argument of the panel members discussing schools. Moderators of this panel were Sherin Garside and Dr. Paul McCollough.

It was decided that rules made by the school administration should hold true in all cases.

“If one organization is allowed to have privileges than so should others,” remarked a panel member.

Whether higher academic achievement should be considered in athletic scholarships was a point which divided the panel members.

“Another student fulfilling the necessary requirements, instead of the select few, should be allowed to compete for a scholarship award,” agreed the majority of the panel members. They also thought that more information concerning scholarships should be more available to the students.

A panelists on Sports believed the Americans should consider subsidizing their Olympian athletes to a certain extent. However, the consensus was to retain individual support in spite of the fact that other countries do subsidies. More emphasis should e placed upon individual instead of international competition.

Not enough interest in minor sports in our high school system was attributed to the compulsory participation in these sports in physical education classes.

The panel thought that if students wanted to include these sports in their program, the administration could cooperate with them.

The conclusion of the forum will be marked as the finalists give their resolutions of the panel discussion tonight in the Rancho gym, with Harvey Dondero as master of ceremonies.

The SUN Youth Forum committee includes H. M. Greenspun, publisher of the Las Vegas SUN, Harvey Dondero, coordinator, Clark County school administration; Ruthe Dekin, Youth Forum director; and Raymond Germain, assistant.