The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 124

'Degrassi High': Unflinching look at teens CENTERS- 'aya; drug use. teen age motherhood and di mm vorce. The producers try to avoid an "issue-of-the-wcek" feel with a sense Sf J- NEW YEAR'S SPECIAL! Tr.li Vmr Wt'vt Mad II loiy for Teg Te Keep Tour New Year'f Resolution! of humor and plenty of advice from their young cast. Putting kids first appeals to young viewers and to adults who work with them. One such adult is Stanley Wal- YES! fish, a Degrassi enthusiast and di rector of the health and biomedical program at John H.

Roberts Junior YOU CAN LOSE WEIGHT High School in East Harlem, N.Y. Wal-fish found the show by accident three years ago as he flipped channels, but and you can lose It for once he found it he was hooked. ONLY Walfish started taping the show and, with the approval of the principal, structuring guidance classes around it. It quickly became the high point of his SVfc-J I rill I. jl.

students week. Walfish found some By MARTHA SOUTHGATE Itaa Maw Vert Ml Mm For most kids, early adolescence isnt exactly "The Wonder Years." It's a time of raging hormones, intense peer pressure and confusion about values. Most network TV shows that feature adolescents (such as "Head of the present them either humorously or through the rosy haze of memory. "Degrassi High" is different. The public TV series, a co-production of the Canadian company Playing With Time Inc.

and Boston's WGBH-TV, takes an unflinching look at contemporary teen-age life. Though it's set in Canada, the situations are typical of adolescence throughout North America. The show attracts more than 10 million viewers in more than 40 countries and won numerous awards, including an International Emmy for Best Children's Program. "Degrassi High" enters its third season today at 3:30 on Iowa Public Television. The primary plot line for today's premiere points up the rocky road grass." travels.

In it, Erica (Angela De-iseach) discovers she is pregnant as the result of a summer romance. Her twin sister. Heather (real-life twin Maureen Deiseach), believes abortion is sin and counsels strongly against it Erica believes she is not ready to be a mother. After a counseling session at a clinic and a heated discussion in school, she decides to have the abortion. Heather ts still resistant, but finally chooses to accompany her sister, telling her, "I still think what you're doing is really wrong, but you re my 1 PER U.

VISIT VmJ Avg. Coil thing more when he talked about and screened "Degrassi" with family at home and at neighborhood youth The public TV aeries "DeGrassi High" makes Its thlrd-Masoa debut today. Among the sew shows this season will be one titled "Dream On" (above), starring Duncan Waugfc and Stack Mlstysya at friends who share an unlikely romantic dinner. group meetings. "I found that this show cut right across ethnic lines, cultural lines, class lines and racial lines.

I realized that the kids in Scarsdale where I live have many of the same emotions and prob lems that kids East Harlem da" Helping kids is what "Degrassi High" is all about The theme that all connected with this show want to con vey is summed up best by producer Toronto Rtght-to-Ufe was not so sanguine. Laura McArthur, president of that organization, says, "There's nothing nice or necessary or reasonable about an abortion. Abortion is not something that should be an option in our society, so we felt that it was a very bad message to give to teen-agers." Kate Taylor, executive producer of the show at WGBH, feels that the program strikes a balance and that the response in Canada reflects that Though the abortion episode has garnered much attention, "Degrassi" has dealt with big issues before, such as interracial dating, homosexuality. sister and I can't let you go through this atone." The reaction to this story in Canada, where the show has already aired, was not particularly vehement either pro or con. For the record, Malika Mendez, public affairs director at Planned Parenthood of Toronto, says, "Abortion is legal and freely available in Canada.

We felt that the subject had been handled very sensitively. We want to make tt dear that we do not advocate abortion, but we recognize it as one of the pregnancy Taylor. Your Formu-3 Weight "I think the main thing is to help kids understand that they can make positive choices for their lives. We want to Lass Proeram will cost 60-70 less than other encourage them to think for them- nationally advertised selves sometimes despite what their peers teu them to do and come up with their own answers. weight loss programs, based on a 50 pound weight loss.

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