Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, May 23, 1995                   TAG: 9505230073
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

DROP-IN STUDENT'S COLUMN SPEAKS FROM EXPERIENCE

His column, called ``Ask Greg,'' was in response to the question, ``What is stress?''

Stress is always thinking about something that is on your mind and is very complicated in solving.

Stress is the body's reaction to any situation.

Let me tell you about it:

Stress is getting locked up.

I got locked up for 10 days in January/February because of something dumb I did in September.

Getting locked up is humiliating.

First, when you walk through the doors, they strip you of your clothing and give you somebody else's underwear and T-shirt to wear the whole time you are there.

Second, they give you cold food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the food be nasty.

Then, whenever you go somewhere inside the jail, they check you over and pat you down because they have the right to do that 'cause it's the law in there, and they make the law.

I am glad this is almost over. I learned something from this. I will never go back to jail for something as petty as driving without a license and runnin' from the police again.

One good thing happened: [School workers] told the judge I am a good student trying to graduate, and he let me leave every afternoon from 1 to 6:30, so I can get to my classes and earn my credits to graduate. I did not miss a single day of class as a result of this unpleasant situation, and I am still on schedule to graduate from high school this June.

|n n| Drop-In Academy eighth-grader Brian Taylor wrote this poem, called ``Making Choices,'' after being kicked out of his home school for hitting a teacher. Drop-In director Rebecca Sears says he was embarrassed by his peers' reaction to the poem in the school paper - they teased him mercilessly.

But Taylor has since started to write again, even requesting that The Flavor News run his picture with his next poem. Sears believes Greg Bundick's positive influence caused the turnaround.

All right, Armorer

Make me a sword.

Not too sharp

A bit hard to draw

And on cardboard preferably.

On second thought, stick

An eraser on the handle.

Somehow I always

Clobber the wrong guy.