43
Presentation helps prevent Internet danger
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Judge Theresa Dellick gave a speech to those attending the Digital Danger presentation on April 19 at the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center.
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Pictured are, from left, Dr. Tim Conrad and Officer Dan Stanko presented the dangers of the digital world and things to do to make sure everyone is keeping safe online to students and parents.
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Counselors from schools all over the Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana and Portage counties attended the Digital Danger presentation on April 19 at Mahoning County Career and Techincal Center.
By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
Mahoning County Career and Technial Center hosted a Digital Danger presentation on April 19.
Digital Danger is an Ohio program that provides digital safety training to parents, children and students all around the Ohio area. Presenters travel around Ohio to teach people about the prevention of Internet related crimes.
Kelley Mills, an Austintown guidance counselor, helped set up the event. Mills started the event by giving a brief introduction of what is going to be discussed, then proceeded to tell the guests to use the clickers they received to answer a few questions. Some of the questions that were asked prior to the presentation were asked again after to see what the guests learned.
Mandy Scrocco, a Boardman elementary school counselor, was next to speak. She talked about how elementary counselors help students with various issues and challenges they may be dealing with.
Judge Theresa Dellick took the stage after Scrocco and spoke a little about what she sees in juvenile court dealing with Internet danger.
“The counselor’s goal, when you get to the heart of it, is to be an advocate for our children and to help create a learning environment that is safe, caring and supportive,” Scrocco told the audience.
Officer Don Stanko and Dr. Tim Conrad, two presenters with the Digital Danger program, spent the rest of the evening helping parents and school counselors learn how to keep children out of danger on the Internet.
“Doors open and doors close simply by the use of social media. That’s my message today, simply by what we post can we open doors for ourselves, can we help our kids open doors based on what we post and can we make sure that those doors do not close based on what they post,” Conrad told the audience.
Stanko and Conrad gave tips and tricks to help parents keep their children out of Internet danger. The two presenters told guests about anonymous apps and apps that are created to look like something they are not.
At the end of the night, the parents, counselors and students walked away with more knowledge about Internet danger and ways to prevent it and stay out of it. The night consisted of several stories, experiences and advice that would help benefit those who listened.