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SHEFFIELD, Ala. (AP) — Sheffield High School 10th-grader Daniel Whitehead looked at the toilet-sink combo in the 8x8-foot prison cell, grimaced, and shook his head.
"Man, I couldn't do it," he said. "That toilet and sink thing and the metal bed sure makes you want to do right in life."
Whitehead was among the high school and junior high students who participated Thursday in the Choice Bus project, a popular nationwide student-retention program that encourages students to make good choices, stay in school, and obtain their high school diploma.
The program is a product of the nonprofit Mattie C. Stewart Foundation, of Birmingham. Its mission is dedicated to reducing the high school dropout rate.
The mock prison cell is housed in the back half of a school bus. The front half serves as a classroom, where students hear a short presentation and see a straightforward video of actual inmates, all of whom are high school dropouts.
The cell is furnished with real prison furnishings.
"Alabama inmates slept on these metal bunks, with a pad about an inch thick," said Janice Embry, measuring the thickness with her fingers. "And just imagine, you're brushing your teeth right where you use the toilet. It's no life."
In its sixth year on the road, the Choice Bus, which actually is a fleet of four, has hosted 2.5 million students in 22 states.
Presenter Eryka Perry said the effectiveness of the program can be measured by the fact "every school we've been to has asked us to come back."
Sheffield Junior High Guidance Counselor Vanessa Bowser said the Choice Bus is part of the school's participation in the state-funded Kuder program, a research-based career planning system that provides career counseling services for all students in grades sixth through 12th.
The Web-based program allows students to take assessments, learn about the 16 national career clusters, explore colleges and create electronic portfolios.
"Through the program, students have a good idea of what's available career-wise and even where the best job markets are located in their areas of interest," Bowser said. "The Choice Bus is another way we can reinforce the importance of staying in school and making good decisions. That's the first step."
One video testimonial for staying in school came from a 19-year-old inmate who went to prison at age 14. She is serving a nine-year sentence because of what she called "one stupid decision."
A one-time honor student, she said she fell in with the wrong crowd and through gang involvement gravitated toward criminal activity.
"I was a good student and had good friends, but I gave all that up and now I'm here," she said. "It's not what anybody wants for their life. I live with regret every day."
Tenth-grader David Abernathy called the program "a mind changer."
"One of the inmates on the video said his dreams died in prison, and that really struck me," Abernathy said. "I wouldn't ever want to be in a position to have to say that a bad decision killed my dreams."
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Information from: TimesDaily, http://www.timesdaily.com/
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