The Abstinence Shtick, Minus Jesus

"I understand the division of church and state. To me, it's very clear," says Keith Deltano, who has addressed abstinence for 10 years. (Tracy A Woodward - Tracy A. Woodward -- The Washington Post)

"There is a curriculum . . . that goes through peer review and gets scrutiny from scientific experts," Budiansky said. "Teachers are very well trained to deal with questions that arise in class and to give accurate, scientifically valid information."

One parent who attended the assembly, Eva McGann, said she would like Deltano to speak at her daughter's school -- Stone Bridge High in Ashburn -- because she said it's important for students to hear the message from someone other than teachers and parents.

Students gave Deltano mixed reviews. Many cheered and laughed at his jokes; some blushed. Afterward, sophomore Megan Patlen, 15, said that she loved it.

"Abstinence is definitely the way to go," she said, describing herself as Christian.

Junior Ghislaine LeFranc, 16, said she didn't like how abstinence was "pressed" on her in her sex-education lessons and in the assembly.

"Although it's not about Christianity, there is an underlying conservative belief," she said, which she said she does not agree with.

Oblas said he thought that the students learned something. The presentation added to the school's curriculum by reaching students in different ways, he said.

They respond to his jokes, "his high energy and his loudness," Oblas said.