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Teens go to school of hard knocks Innovative program helps PHS students experience poverty By Vicki Guarino PHOENIX � Ben and Betty already pawned the microwave and wedding ring. Ben was just turned down for a job. Then Betty was rejected. They had a fistful of bills due and one son sitting in jail waiting for them to come up with the $100 bail. "Jason, buddy...," Ben said, catching up to a friend who looked more prosperous. "Get the hell away from me,�� the supposed friend replied, shouldering his way past the couple. "OK,�� Ben said, "I�m just going to pawn the rest of these things.�� Turns out, Ben and Betty Boling never did scrape together the bail money. As dire as their family circumstances were, the Bolings were typical for this two-hour exploration of poverty staged at Phoenix High School on Thursday. The session was presented by sociology and health teachers and the Oregon State University Extension Service. The simulation of the setbacks and frustrations of poor families was intended to help participants understand how poverty can become a trap and to develop empathy for people in trouble. Ben and Betty, better known as Phoenix freshmen K.C. Cloyd and Darci Moore, were among the many down-and-out in the role-play. Some 50 to 60 students drew lots to land pre-set roles. Some students became business owners trying to collect on overdue bills. Most of the students became family members, taking the circumstances outlined for them and striving to fulfill their instructions and make the best of things. The hand of fate usually was cruel. "We started out with no money,�� K.C. said of the circumstances set out for the Boling family. "Then I applied for a job, but didn�t get it." Simulation designer Sally Bowman, an OSU family development specialist, said she has used the session in staff development programs for social service workers and as course work for OSU students. Phoenix was the first high school session in the program�s two-year history and the first presentation in Jackson County. "The kids are very innovative,�� Bowman said. The student families made the rounds of the employment office, the bank, school, grocery store, welfare office, check-cashing service, and Big Dave�s Pawn Shop, often the place with the longest line. English as a Second Language program teacher Julie Garcia was Big Dave, wheeling and dealing in the paltry household possessions doled out to families at the start of the game. "A microwave?" Garcia inquired of one young man. "I�m not sure I need any more microwaves. I already have a lot of microwaves. I won�t be able to give you very much for it. $15." The next customer was less fortunate. He only got $10. When the game began, Big Dave was paying $40. That was just one of the vagaries of the game. Check cashier Sharon Johnson, a local Extension Service agent who volunteered for the session, could be downright unscrupulous. "I was charging extra interest if I thought I could get away with it," Johnson confessed during the debriefing session at the end of the game. Some students confessed to even worse sins. "I robbed a bank," said junior Tavis Dunlap. "I took his stove and her purse, but we had plenty of money," said junior Will Louks, who turned his 8-year-old character into a stealthy felon. Several families said they made it through the session�s hypothetical month � until the grocery said about half the families never bought food, and the truant officer said nearly half abandoned their kids. And banker Kim Russell, a junior, said she finally ignored the criminals in her midst. "They just looked so desperate," she said. "I just let people steal." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA