Ras
na hEireann, which shares its Gaelic name with a cross-country race in
Ireland, attracted participants from all over Massachusetts, and about
30 from Ireland, where the Somerville event made news. The race was won
by Irishman Mark Carroll, who has been touted as Ireland's top long
distance runner, and who holds the country's record in the 5k. Carroll
came in at 14:22, or only 4 minutes and 38 seconds per mile, and the
large crowd at the finish line had to wait nearly a minute to see the
second-place finisher come in.

When organizer Paul Collyer, a
Somervillian of Irish descent, spoke of his plans to organize an Irish
race on the Sunday before St. Patrick's Day, people thought the
Somerville event wouldn't be able to compete with the parade held in
South Boston. But this year had the biggest turnout to date, with 1200
more runners than last year, and a larger crowd.

"People are
really starting to make this a yearly event," Collyer said, "more
people are using it as their St. Patrick's Day celebration."

Alderman-at-large
Jack Connolly, an avid runner who helped create the race in Somerville,
said that the idea behind the race was to mirror what's going on in
Ireland. "We wanted to make St. Paddy's weekend special, we don't need
a 3-hour parade," he said, noting that that people can drop by for 15
minutes to watch the race, or stay all day for the festivities.

After
the race ended, the crowds flocked to local bars, and long lines ran
out of The Burren, Redbones, Sligo and The Joshua Tree in Davis Square.
Bars from Magoun to Union Square were filled as well, said Collyer,
"every bar in Somerville was packed." There was a line coming out of
the Druid in Inman square as well. "We're bringing overflow business to
Cambridge instead of vice versa," he said with a laugh.

"Our
goal was to bring lots of people to Somerville, including residents,
and make it an attractive choice for people on St. Patty's," said
Alderman Connolly. "It's a huge economic uptick to businesses, and a
win for everyone."

It's also a win for youth athletic
organizations who will receive the proceeds from the event, which
Collyer estimated would be around $25,000. Somerville Track PAC, which
provides college scholarship money to Somerville High School Students,
is the main beneficiary, but money will also go to other groups such as
Somerville YMCA Learn to Swim, Somerville HS Soccer, and Toys for Tots.
All these organizations provided volunteers for the race, said Collyer,
and were very involved. "I like to work with high school teams, because
with cuts, their budgets get whacked first," he said.

Both
Collyer and Connolly contrasted the Sunday's celebration, which brought
in 20 police officers and resulted in no noted altercations, to the
South Boston Parade, which required as many as 600 police officers and
in past years has led to arrests and citations for disorderly conduct
and public drinking.

Collyer seems excited by the event's
success, and noted that it is one in a series of recent high-profile
Irish events Somerville, including the U2 concert at Somerville
Theater. He's also proud of Somerville's "ability to go head-to-head
with with the larger parade." Poking fun at the rivalry, he joked
"people go 'South Boston who?'"

Brickbottom Gallery residents lined up to
take the microphone during the comments period and told the Executive
Office of Transportation (EOT) that the project – complete with glaring
lights in their windows – would kill the quality of life for the 150
families that live there, thwart the site's potential for the creative
industry, and divert dollars away from a commercial tax base.

The
impassioned pleas were followed by rounds of applause in the high
school auditorium that was nearly filled to capacity with Somerville
(and a few Cambridge) residents and city officials.

City officials were also unanimously against the maintenance facility proposal and urged the EOT to look for alternative sites.

"We
already have the commuter line and cargo lines right next to us, and
that is something that we can get used to," said Ramon Bueno, a 20-year
resident at Brickbottom. "But having a maintenance facility will
jeopardize our health, our quality of life, the air pollution…We have
families. We fear a loss of value…We should not take on this
permanent burden."

Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone was quick
to say that a blog comment, "community path design running along the
Green Line Extension in exchange for building a maintenance facility"
was false. Nothing is final yet-though much of the angst that night was
over the reported action of the EOT "shoving the project down our
throats," as one Brickbottom resident described it. The project also
involves building a community path parallel to the extension, from
Cedar Street in Somerville to North Point in Cambridge.

The
EOT wants to build a "support facility" to store and maintain Green
Line vehicles that serve the extension. The EOT has recommended that a
mid-sized maintenance facility be constructed at the Yard 8 parcel 50
feet away from Brickbottom because the site is the best size and
location. Read the EOT's Support Facility Report at
www.mass.gov/greenlineextension.

EOT project managers defended
the facility, stating that few other parcels existed – if any – in the
city to build. They said that the EOT would incorporate mitigating
features like window treatments to mange vibrations and lights directed
downwards.

There's also the argument that building a
non-taxable facility will cut off chances for commercial development at
the Inner Belt. Brickbottom resident Susanna Darling questioned why a
tax revenue study has not been conducted for Yard 8.

Still
others pointed out that Somerville is relying on state aid right now –
which is also being cut. "We only have two areas to build
(commercially) and one of those spots is the inner belt," said Bill
Shelton, a Union Square resident. "Developers will not want to build
anything by a maintenance facility."

He also urged residents
to be informed with their battle. "If all we do is say 'no,' we can't
get what we want," he said. "People must educate themselves to find
creative solutions.

Yard 8 concerns dominated, but residents
did have a few other comments. Ward 3 Alderman Thomas Taylor said the
Union Square location is too far up Prospect Street and should be moved
closer to the square.

Ron Newman of Davis Square said that the
community path is important. The path in Davis Square is a key driver
for pedestrians to get to the T Stations there. But the path along the
Lowell Street, Gilman Street and Brickbottom stops should be
reevaluated as they needed a better interface with the path.

East
Cambridge resident Alan Green said that the Lechmere relocation is a
concern because people will have to cross many lanes of the O'Brien
Highway to get to the trains. He added that the EOT needs to hold more
meetings in Cambridge and involve citizens there more. Planners
acknowledged that the Lechmere issue is "a complicated one" and the EOT
is aware of neighborhood concerns. The EOT vowed to hold more meetings
there.

The Green Line Extension must be completed by
the end of 2014, or else the EOT will have to pay penalties. The
project – which has been in the works for 40 years – is still in the
infant stages. The EOT must apply for funding and create the final
plans. In the short term, in the spring of 2009, EOT expects to submit
a draft Environmental Impact Report detailing the transportation and
environmental impacts, followed by a public comment period. Preliminary
engineering plans will commence this summer, Victor said.

The
Extension consists of two branches. The "mainline," the longer of the
two lines, will travel north from a relocated Lechmere Station to
Mystic Valley parkway/Route 16. The shorter of the two lines will veer
off to Union Square.

The pros of the project-which residents and officials congratulate-include the following:

o
It will operate in existing railroad rights-of-way, reducing the need
to purchase or take local property and limit construction.

o The branches will open many neighborhoods to new development

o It will connect residents to jobs and services

o It will improve air quality and reduce traffic and congestion

Following an impressive 15-5 mark, along with
an 8-0 mark en route to another Greater Boston League title, the
Highlanders delivered an impressive 66-48 first round win over Beverly
before succumbing to Andover in a 56-41 defeat in the Division 1 North
quarterfinal match. Also recording a milestone victory was veteran
coach Brian Harris, who posted his 300th career win in the Highlanders'
win over Beverly. Overall, Harris has delivered a 246-136 mark at
Somerville while boasting a 54-50 mark at Arlington Catholic.

"I
really didn't think about it (300th career win)," said Harris. "All I
knew was that we had two days to prepare for our game against Andover,
and we had to cram in a lot of information in one practice. If we had a
couple of more days to prepare, and study them, then who knows what
would've happened."

Top performances included sophomore
sensation Kelsey Garrity, who delivered a career high 25 points in an
overtime loss to Notre Dame of Hingham. Notre Dame of Hingham captured
the Division 2 Eastern Mass Championship and later vied for the state
title, which took place last weekend.

"In beginning of the year
we had hopes to make a statement for ourselves," said Garrity. "We have
always been the underdogs and never really hit our high standards. From
game one, all of us wanted to start out with a bang, but going down 0-2
right away just shocked us. Then we won our tournament and our
confidence flew back up."

Just when the season had appeared to
have turned the corner, the Highlanders continued to suffer roadblocks
along the way. During one game following the Christmas break, senior
Jill Liberatore suffered a season ending torn anterior cruciate
ligament in her knee while Jennie Vallesio sprained her ankle, forcing
her to miss the bulk of the regular season. As a result, the
Highlanders were searching for answers.

Despite the injuries,
the Highlanders overcame adversity and managed an impressive run,
including an 11 game winning streak to end the regular season,
including a season sweep of top ranked Lynn English.

"We hit
some rocks in the season losing our starting shooting guard to a freak
accident and our backup point guard to a really bad ankle injury in the
same game," said Garrity. "We really had no clue where that would take
us. We pulled it all together and won 11 straight. We just pulled our
selves together – we never put our heads down – we where there for each
other, worked hard in practice and didn't worry about the changes."

Finishing
the regular season on a high note, the Highlanders were seeded fifth
and cruised to a 66-48 win first round home win over Beverly.

"When
tournament time came coach Harris deserved his 300th win," said
Garrity. "I think that we were the perfect team to give him that win.
We had a lot of momentum going for us heading into the Andover game,
and we were hoping We felt really strong – when Andover came I really
thought we were going to shock Massachusetts, but it just wasn't meant
to be. We did everything we could do, but in the end we came up short.
I think from my 8 years of playing basketball that that game was the
moment I was waiting for."

While the Highlanders' season may
have fallen well short of a Division 1 state title, it's certainly been
a season to remember for both the players and the coaching staff.

"The
girls just kept working harder and harder every day in practice," said
Harris. "They kept working through the sicknesses and the injuries, and
did a fabulous job. They showed commitment to the team, and they left
it all out on the court."

With a whopping 12 seniors lost to the
cap and gown, the Highlanders will aim to regroup come next year when
they'll once again be favored to defend the Greater Boston League
title.

One key asset for the Highlanders' success over the
next two years will be Garrity, who averaged 18 points and six assists
per game while earning all-star status in the process and developing
into one of the league's top point guards.

Charting
subjects such as drug and alcohol use, bullying, and the roles of adult
family members in the lives of high schoolers, the survey shows that,
while Somerville's teens continue to be exposed to the requisite
dangers of their age group, they are generally less "at risk" than the
average Massachusetts teenager. Cory Mashburn, the Acting Director of
SCAP, was encouraged by the results. "We're lower than statewide
average in most categories," he said. "Since 2006, levels didn't go up.
That's a positive."

64% of Somerville high school students
reported having consumed alcohol, but only 37% had done so within 30
days of taking the survey. In each category, Somerville's numbers are
9% lower than the Massachusetts average and have decreased nearly 7%
since 2002. In terms of other substance abuse, 20.8% of high schoolers,
and 29% of 12th graders, have smoked marijuana, a slight rise since
2006 but nearly seven points lower than in 2002. "Hard" drug usage,
such as cocaine, oxycontin and heroin appear to have declined slightly,
while ecstasy showed a slight rise.

Though the numbers are
encouraging, the work of SCAP, and other community organizations
devoted to adolescent health, is far from finished and may be at risk
due to the declining economy. At a presentation of the results on March
5th, students repeatedly suggested more after-school programs, and
other projects that might engage adolescents in the community, as
antidotes to substance abuse and violence. "It starts with making sure
that the kids have something to do," said Mashburn. As the economy
contracts, however, such programs are being subjected to cuts. For
example, Teen Connection, a health clinic within Somerville High School
that is designed to provide teens and young adults with physical and
psychological assistance, has lost its funding and will close in June.
SCAP appears to be safe–at least for the time being–as it has been
guaranteed two federal grants that will provide funding for the next
two years.

Although drug and alcohol use largely decreased or
remained stable, not all the results were positive. A reminder of the
potential hardships of adolescence, the number of students who reported
having been bullied increased 6% since 2006, up to 24%, despite the
fact that fights on school grounds decreased by 2%. Bullying, said
Mashburn, has been known to lead to depression, weight loss and the
potential of self-inflicted harm.

Such issues of student
health and safety have recently been spotlighted by the two deaths of
Massachusetts teenagers in the last five months due to underage
drinking. "These kinds of incidents put more pressure on SCAP," said
Mashburn, "and it shows why we're needed."

The funding is set up to take care of the most
frequented bridges in the most need of repair across the Commonwealth
first, like the Longfellow Bridge of the Charles River, the Whittier
Bridge in Amesbury, the Route 9 Bridge of Lake Quinsigamond in
Shrewsbury and others. Then, the rest of the funding will be allocated
through a proposal system. Among the bridges in the running for the
priority list of ones in need of repair and restructuring is the Mystic
Valley Parkway Bridge over the Alewife Brook, which lies between
Somerville and Arlington. Last Wednesday, the DCR threw a proposal
dinner at the VNA conference room in which they gave a presentation
about the bridge.

This particular bridge currently is in need of
repair, and the DCR has decided that its rehabilitation should be
extensive. The bridge currently has two wider driving lanes and two
very narrow sidewalks. One of the ideas for the renovation is to widen
the bridge, enlarging both the driving lanes and the sidewalks with the
possibility of adding a shoulder, as well as making both safer and
easier to navigate.

According to Alan Moore of Somerville, one
of the topics which raised the most attention at this meeting was the
one to "widen the sidewalks for both pedestrian and bicycle usage and
adding shoulders for possible conversion to bike lanes in the future."
This comes in the wake of the Green Line Extension programs decision to
extend to the Mystic Valley Parkway (Route 16). The new Green Line T
stop, along with other factors, have most people believing that this
stretch of road will attract many other bikers and walkers in the
future.

Moore stated, "Many agreed that this Alewife Brook and
Mystic River area could eventually attract as many bicyclists and
pedestrians as the Esplanade in Boston." This proved to be a convincing
argument with listeners present from: "LivableStreets Alliance,
MassBike, Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership, Somerville
Bicycle Committee, WalkBoston, Mystic River Watershed Association,
Friends of the Mystic River and Medford Green Line Neighborhood
Alliance, Senator Pat Jehlen's office, the City of Somerville and
residents from Arlington, Somerville and Cambridge," according to Moore.

This
project will be part of the DCR's $900 million budget and will take
place between 2009 and 2011 if it is accepted as one of the priorities.
Because of the DCR's previous promises to improve the area's biking and
walking paths near the Alewife Brook and the Mystic River, this bridge
should be a shoe-in for a spot on the master list.

East Somerville Main Streets (ESMS)
held its second annual meeting at the neighborhood eatery amidst a
roomful of small business owners, residents and elected officials. The
positive energy that came from teamwork amongst the many volunteers
that comprise the group (ESMS Executive Director Carrie Dancy often
says she is the only paid staffer) was palpable amongst much applause
and shouts of a lot of good work done in East Somerville-the
"forgotten" part of the city-over the past two years.

Gatherers learned about revitalization efforts in East Somerville that spanned ESMS and city-wide initiatives.

"For
a long time, people thought about this area as a pass-through, and we
are now just starting to capitalize on all of our assets" said Mayor
Joseph Curtatone.

For example, the funding has come in to
rebuild the East Somerville Community School (a bout of applause
erupted here), Curtatone said. The owners of Stop & Shop in
Somerville have approached the city to build a hotel by Harris Park.
Over at Assembly Square, IKEA will finally have a home there and the
foundation is already in the ground, he said.

The Assembly Square project will be the greatest example of "smart" development in the region, Curtatone said.

Washington
Street will be repaved "one way or another," Curtatone said, before he
was drowned out by another round of applause. Additionally, 14 other
streets will be repaved this spring.

In essence, East Somerville will get the extra attention that it so deserves, he said.

Dorie
Clark, the ESMS vice president announced some exciting projects planned
for 2009. ESMS' main priority is to beautify the neighborhoods, she
said. Last fall, city officials held a gathering at Sullivan Square to
discuss ways to convert the sad, "no man's land" there to an inviting T
Station that residents want (more applause).

Enchanting murals
like the display along Mystic Avenue are planned for East Somerville.
ESMS is working with the Somerville Arts Council on a particular
project right now, which will soon be announced, Clark said. "We are a
neighborhood of many artists," she said.

ESMS has been looking
into guidelines to unify storefronts. For example, studies have shown
that erecting grates and bars on windows sends out a negative message
about the safety of a neighborhood, Clark said. "So we encourage all
businesses to take down the grates," she said, amidst another bout of
applause.

Clark stressed that many ESMS initiatives require
help from residents. Visit www.eastsomervillemainstreets.org to sign up
to volunteer. For example, ESMS will stage "outreach days," which
entails erecting a tent with information and inviting volunteers to
talk to people walking through the neighborhood about the neat stuff
going on in East Somerville.

A new ESMS committee-the "East
Somerville Cafe Recruitment Committee"-will commence working on getting
a Bloc 11 or Sherman Cafe-style cafe in their neighborhood, Clark said.
The committee is looking for others to join the effort.

Other ESMS efforts for 2009 including the following:

o A neighborhood cleanup on May 9, in conjunction with the city-wide clean-up

o To continue the International Movie Nights this September

o To continue the "Lights of Broadway" holiday contest

o The "First Tuesdays!" monthly neighborhood gathering, starting with a wine tasting at Sullivan Square Liquors on April 7

o Establish an East Somerville site during Somerville Open Studios at the Cross Street Senior Center

ESMS
will hold a fund raiser in November to pay for these initiatives, with
Jimmy Tingle serving as the headline performance, Clark said.

Ben
Grossman, who leads Green Marketing Solutions for the East
Somerville-based Grossman Marketing Group, delivered the keynote
address. He talked about how Max Grossman founded the company in
1910-fulfilling a dream to own a company when he was selling envelopes
out of a pushcart. His innovation to create a more secure pay envelope
that immigrants in Boston used to send money back home led to the
Massachusetts Envelope Company (which later became the Grossman
Marketing Group).

This same kind of entrepreneurship exists
amongst the students at the local colleges-such as MIT and Harvard-who
the city of Somerville should encourage and foster. Grossman suggested
a "student incubator" effort where local businesses would donate money
to start-ups based in the city.

"Our company is lucky to be
close to schools like Harvard and Tufts, but we want to encourage the
students to stay here," he said. "We want them to think of Somerville
rather than Route 128."

Grossman encourages people to contact him about this proposal via www.grossmanmarketing.com.

Entrepreneurship
is how the city can rise out of the recession, he continued. "So that
we can capture the potential," he said. "We are positioned to do so.
After all, business growth is critical to support the tax base and to
create new jobs."

For Somerville to grow, it's also important to
invest in teaching children in the public schools the importance of
technology and innovation, Grossman said.

Susan Fontano, the
ESMS president, was also quick to highlight that making East Somerville
a better place to live is up to the residents.

"We had a great
year, thanks to volunteers and residents," she said. "It's a great team
spirit, and Somerville, in general, is known for that."

SOMERVILLE
– Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone presented U2's lead singer, Bono, with an
official proclamation Wednesday on the occasion of U2's visit to
Somerville for a special mini-concert, one of only three nationwide, in
support of their new album, "No Line on the Horizon."

"The band
told us how much they enjoyed coming to Somerville, and we certainly
enjoyed their visit," said Curtatone. "I was extremely proud of our
city's people and of the Davis Square business community for helping to
make this a memorable and joyful event. A lot of people contributed to
making this a successful event, which wasn't easy with such short
notice. On the city side, our Police, DPW, Traffic and Parking, Fire
and Inspectional personnel put in a lot of extra work on this, but the
concert promoter covered the city's costs, which made it much easier to
put our best foot forward. Somerville is a great venue for events like
this, and Davis Square is continuing to enhancing its reputation as an
arts destination. Next up, we'll be hosting the seventh annual
Independent Film Festival of Boston, which begins on April 22nd.

The band U2, led by
singer and philanthropist Bono and guitarist The Edge, chose the
Somerville Theater as the venue to end their 3 Nights Live! Tour. The
tour was comprised of three concerts three nights in a row. The tour
began on Monday night with U2 playing in Hollywood, followed by Chicago
on Tuesday and finally Somerville on Wednesday night.

No tickets were available for purchase to the show. The event was strictly for special invite and radio contest winners.

Rumors
that U2 would be playing at the Somerville Theater abounded for a week
prior to the event. But with increasing media presence around the Davis
Square area on Tuesday, there was little doubt about who was coming
Somerville's way.

People started arriving in the Davis Square
area in the early afternoon. They gathered behind the Somerville
Theater where metal blockades kept them at bay from the band's vehicles
and equipment. Those gathered behind the blockades at around 4:30pm got
a very special treat when Bono and other members of U2 came outside the
theater to greet fans. The band was greeted with loud cheers and a
barrage of papers to be autographed and hands to be shaken. Bono and
others willingly obliged many seeking autographs, endorsing the notion
that this concert series was indeed about maintaining intimacy with the
fans.

After their warm greeting from Somerville residents, the
band retreated into the Somerville Theater for a sound check. There
were further rumors that the band would make a second public appearance
behind the theater before they left to get dinner. Many loyal fans and
interested pedestrians stayed behind the Somerville Theater, inspired
by the hope for this second appearance.

One young fan
explained she and her friend's plan if they were to see U2 behind the
theater: "My friend Tina is going to take the picture while we all get
the autographs," she said with much optimism. Unfortunately this plan
would never be executed. U2 did not make a second public appearance,
much to the disappointment of the eager crowds.

But for those
in the crowds listening intently, there was a pleasant surprise – U2
could be heard playing songs from within the theater. No one could
distinguish exactly what songs were being played but Bono's distinct
voice was bellowing. For those lucky enough to hear some of the
rehearsal music, it was an excellent treat.

At the front
entrance of the Somerville Theater an unexpected sight could be seen.
Seemingly random people from off the street were being allowed into the
building in spite of a large police presence. As it turns out, the
Somerville Theater, while still unaware it would be hosting a U2
concert, sold online movie tickets for the same night.

"The
theater is honoring all movie tickets purchased for tonight. They're
still going to be showing the movies," explained one police officer.

At
7:30pm a caravan of coach buses escorted by four police motorcycles
entered the Davis Square area. On these buses were the hundreds of
people who had won tickets to the Concert or received special
invitations. For organizational purposes, ticket holders met at the
Museum of Science and were given special wristbands. They were then
transported to Davis Square where they waited in front of the Theater
until the doors opened at 8pm.

Lauren Mattison, a Boston
local, had won her tickets on radio station WZLX by answering an
obscure U2 trivia question. Mattison considers herself a die-hard U2
fan. "This is my 17th U2 concert," She said. "It will be the most
intimate concert I've been to but not the best seats I've ever had. I
once was sitting in the front row."

Mattison was just one of hundreds of excited and eager fans ready to see a smaller U2 concert.

Arriving
in a well-guarded police van, special invite guests included Somerville
Mayor, Joe Curtatone and many Somerville Aldermen including Jack
Connolly, Thomas Taylor, Bob Trane,Sean O'Donovan, Rebekah Gewirtz,
Walter Pero and Maryann Heuston.

Hundreds of U2 fans and curious
bystanders gathered all along Holland Ave and watched as the lucky few
who had tickets entered the Somerville Theater.

Everyone
seemed in good spirits and ready to have fun, even if they couldn't get
into the concert. Mix 98.5 had a tent set up in order to broadcast the
concert so everyone in the Square could hear it. Street musicians
played throughout the night, some covering U2 songs, others singing
original tunes. There were even three unicyclists roving the area
throughout the night. The scene, at times, was a little reminiscent of
a carnival.

One woman carried a sign through the crowd that
read, "Bono, we lost our jobs today, buy us a drink." When asked about
the sign, the woman responded, "I lost my job today at a particular
newspaper in Boston. All we want is for Bono to buy us a drink." That
may have been a little too much to ask, but the woman did receive some
understanding laughs.

The action and fun in Davis Square last
night was a welcome sight. Even though most people did not get to see
the concert or to see the band, the spirit of the event was contagious.
There was much laughter and discussion amongst the crowds, who stayed
well into the night. There was also a sense of great pride that such a
world-renowned band would end their three date tour in Somerville.

While
the challenges have changed, our responsibility remains the same – and
that is to protect our children in every way that we can.

Let's
take a look at some of those safety challenges. The prevalence of the
Internet and other new modes of communication means that one bad choice
made by our kids now could have a lasting impact on them. Look no
further than the recent "sexting" cases that have arisen during the
course of the last few months as examples. In one case, a13-year-old
girl took a partially-nude photo of herself with her cell phone camera
and then forwarded that photo onto a boyfriend via text message. What
was a bad choice to begin with was compounded when that image was
forwarded on to many other kids throughout her school. She has now lost
all control of her image, can never fully recover it, and will never
know when it could reappear.

The anonymity of the Internet also
presents serious dangers to our kids. Our office has seen numerous
cases in which children have willingly provided personal information
about themselves to strangers over the Internet. Even more ominously,
some have even made arrangements to meet those strangers in person.
These seemingly innocent mistakes by our children could have
potentially lifelong and oftentimes tragic consequences.

A
recent survey conducted by Emerson Hospital illustrates the troubling
predicament we as parents face. The study, which surveyed 8,000 middle
and high school students, revealed that more than 24% of high school
students reported having given information about themselves over the
Internet to someone with whom they had never met (19.5% of eighth
graders had done so). According to the same survey, 14.8% of high
school students reported having met someone in person with whom they
had initially contacted online (13.6% of eighth graders and 12.8% of
sixth graders reported doing so).

There is no doubt that, as
these technologies become more prevalent, a growing number of our kids
are engaging in this kind of risky behavior at younger and younger ages.

So, what can parents do? Here are some recommendations.

Educate yourself

While
keeping up with technological trends may seem daunting to even the most
technologically savvy among us, it is absolutely vital that parents
know what our kids are doing, who they are talking to, and how they are
communicating. Websites such as NetSmartz.org and Wiredsafety.org have
important information to help parents educate themselves about the
latest safety trends. We at the Middlesex District Attorney's Office
also offer trainings to parents, teachers and student in communities
throughout the county on Internet Safety. If you would like to schedule
a training in your community, please contact our office at 781-897-6800.

Talk to your kids

Keeping
an open line of communication with your children is a fundamental tenet
that never goes out of style. With the explosion of the Internet and
other technologies, it is more important now than ever that you are
engaged and communicating with your children about these issues. You
must constantly be asking questions. Find out what they are doing
online. Ask them whom they are talking to. Ask them to spend some time
and walk you through their social networking site of choice. Make sure
that they know not to provide any personal information to someone who
they don't know. Explain to them the dangers of sending any images of
themselves out over the Internet or via text message. Keeping a strong
line of communication open now can go a long way in preventing your
child from making mistakes in the future.

Set Limits

We
are our children's parents before we are their friends. That means that
we must be willing to set strict ground rules for our children's cell
phone and Internet use. Among the strategies that we recommend is
placing the family computer in an open room, like the living room,
rather than allowing unsupervised access to a computer in your child's
bedroom. If your children use laptops, the same rules still apply.
Explain to them that a condition of using a computer is that you will
be periodically checking their browsing history and MySpace or Facebook
pages. If you believe your child needs a cell phone, consider giving
them a phone without camera capabilities or set a condition that you
will be reviewing their photos periodically. Engage age-appropriate
parental controls on your home computer, such as logging and filtering.
While your child may not always like these rules, remind them that this
isn't about punishing them, it's about protecting them because we love
them.

There is no greater priority for any of us as parents
than keeping our kids safe. The challenges will continue to evolve, but
by continuing to be engaged and proactive in dealing with these issues,
we can all better protect our children in the Internet Age.

Gerry Leone is the District Attorney of Middlesex County.