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HSubmitted By Karen FoxUGE SHOUT OUT! Reagan’s Visual Artists competed on February 17, 2024. 83 ReaganHigh School students earned a total of 117 regional medals for their artwork entries in the Regional Visual Arts Scholastic Event (V.A.S.E.) competition. A total of 12 student artworks will be advancing to State V.A.S.E in San Marcos on April 27th. Congrats to State Advancers: Enoch Diaz, Abigail Blessing, Charlene Omictin, Deepshikha Pattadar, Hien Pham, Andres Devesa Lopez, and Caroline Ramsey with 2 pieces advancing, Sarah Gasca with 2 pieces advancing, and Emily Manley with 2 pieces advancing. Great work V.A.S.E. participants!By Andres Devesa LopezBy Enoch DiazBy Emily ManleyBy Abigail BlessingBy Hien PhamA multi-part series on Human TraffickingBy Sarah GascaCongratulations To All ArtistsPARENTS, Beware & BewareSocial Media Is Trying To Control Your Child!By Lou DugganBy Caroline Ramsey“ T echnology... It has changed our lives,” said Jack Staton, former Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge. “It improves lives, but it can also destroy lives. When used by Human Traffickers, it is a dangerous and effective tool. It can be used to facilitate the recruitment, enticement, and enslavement of children and adults into sex and labortrafficking.”Parents, does your child have accessto a computer or cell phone? Beware and be aware! Social media has become a significant tool allowing Traffickers to connect with potential victims, then recruit and control them. Traffickers often groom and control their victims through online computer and cell phone platforms. Potential victims are recruited through apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Craigslist, online dating sites, and cell phone chat rooms. Recruitment and GroomingGrooming is a tactic used by sexual abusers to gain access to potential victims, coerce them to agree to the abuse, and reduce the risk of being caught. It often follows a similar pattern, whether it occurs online or in-person. The following is an actual case of ‘grooming’ a young girl in the San Antonio area. To protect the victim’s identity, names and sources are not used.“My 12-year-old daughter was talking to someone on Instagram during the timeI received trafficking education from a local foundation. I started talking to my daughter, asked her to see her social media (in which she handed over without asking questions) and discovered a woman and their conversation. The woman was visiting with my daughter about things happening at school and reminiscing about her own school days. She was trying to make my daughter feel like this was all a normal part of school life. Her social media profile said she was in her early thirties with kids and a husband. She was trying to befriend my daughter by talking about her kids and family and asking about us as well. She was trying to earn my daughter’s trust.”“I told my daughter about the training I had just attended and that I thought this person was trying to earn her trust and groom her. She messaged the woman and asked her not to message her again. A series of messages followed saying that I was just paranoid and that she valued my daughter’s friendship. My daughter was weirded out about things this woman was asking and quickly unfriended and blocked her. I am so thankful my daughter trusted me and understood what this woman was doing. I think helping to identify ‘am I being groomed’ or ‘is my kid being groomed’ is a necessity to battling social media vulnerability.”Signs of grooming1. Access: Abusers exploit vulnerabilitiesTrafficking - continued on page 14 April 2024By Charlene OmictinBy Deepshikha Pattadar12www.stoneoakhighlights.com