Since 48 percent of high school students are reportedly sexually active and at risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), Kaiser Permanente performed a play to educate students about the risks of unprotected sex.

“I think teens and young people in general do not realize that for every partner that you have, you’re not just with that person you’re with every other person they have already been with,” principal Deb Smith said.

The school administrators wanted to make sure that all students got the information given by Kaiser’s Educational Theatre Program. However, due to the small size of the Multi-Purpose Room, not all students could fit so the play was held at Birmingham Community Charter High School’s Sally Field Performing Art Center on Feb. 24 during second period.

Kaiser Permanente tried to get their point across with musical acts, comedy, statistics and overall realistic scenarios. This appealed to some students, but in some others it provoked reactions such as eye rolling. In the Journalism 1 class, the students had an assignment in which they had to do a review on the presentation.

“Honestly when I think about performances that talk about sex and drugs and bullying they come off as cheesy,” freshman Jared Medrano said. “It was really fun to watch, not cringe worthy.”

In the play, the main characters were a group of teens, most of them sexually active and at risk for STDs. Two of the main characters contracted STDs while another thought he might also be infected. In the story the teens were about to graduate high school and because of unthought decisions, they all put their futures in jeopardy.

“I guess now in this time teens start to become sexually active,” Medrano said. “Even if you’re not planning to, it’s good to know at a young age when it’s not too late and you’ve already had multiple partners.”