Denise Lucas isn't the first parent who's had to figure out how to teach her children about puberty and sex.

And, her 10-year-old twin daughters, fifth-graders at Trinity North Elementary in Canton, aren't the first to be horribly embarrassed -- or should we say mortified -- by the prospect of having to sit down with a parent to discuss what's going to happen to their bodies as they grow up.

Seriously, is there anything yuckier to a kid?

Yet where there's a will there's usually a way -- even if it means cooling your heels for a year on a waiting list, as the Lucases did, to snag seats in one of Mary Jo Podgurski's parent/daughter "What's Up as You Grow Up" early sexuality class at The Washington Hospital.

As president and founder of the Academy for Adolescent Health and director of the hospital's Teen Outreach, Mrs. Podgurski has presented more than 500 workshops on adolescent sexuality and pregnancy, making her a verified expert. But it's her innate ability to introduce the sensitive subjects surrounding sexuality and puberty in such a gentle and relaxed -- and believe it or not, comedic -- fashion that earns the certified childbirth educator standing-room-only status.

"She brings humor to a subject that's quite uncomfortable for most kids," Mrs. Lucas said, like sticking sanitary pads to her lapel at a recent class when talking to girls about when they might get their first periods, or describing semen as "Gatorade" for sperm.

Mrs. Podgurski is so respected, and trusted on this most squeamish of topics that her parent/youth programs aren't the only activities that draw a crowd. All 14 school districts in Washington County, plus a few more in Greene and Fayette counties, participate in the Postpone, Prevent, Prepare sex-education program she devised in 1989. That translates into some 10,000 middle- and high-schoolers from 39 public and private schools who have taken the PPP program which encourages students to abstain from sexual activity and corrects misinformation and misconceptions regarding sexuality. (Sorry kids, but you really can get pregnant the first time you have sex.)

And you know what? They're actually listening. Since the PPP program was introduced, the teen pregnancy rate in Washington County in the target population of ages 15 to 17 has fallen from 36 per 1,000 girls in 1989 to 13 per 1,000 in 2005. She's had equal success with her lesser-known teen outreach programs, including the Pregnant and Parenting Teen Program for young parents. Whereas the state has a repeat pregnancy rate of 15 percent among teen parents within two years of a baby, the PPT program in 2005-06 enjoyed a 1 percent rate.

This tough and important work hasn't gone unnoticed. On Friday, Mrs. Podgurski will receive the Human Rights Award from the Washington branch of the NAACP at its annual banquet at the Holiday Inn Meadowlands. It recognizes outstanding accomplishments in the area of human rights in Washington County, as demonstrated by a single significant activity or -- as in her case -- long-term commitment displayed through various activities.

In honoring Mrs. Podgurski, the group is paying homage to the "tremendous impact" she's made on teen pregnancy, said chapter President Dean Ellis. It also recognizes what Mr. Ellis characterized as her "absolute moral compass."

"She has uncompromising values and a moral scrutiny that has set a higher standard for all of us," he said.

Seeing that her message is one of abstinence and respect, he's probably right. The main focus of the PPP program, which begins with puberty education in sixth grade and concludes with a full curriculum on prevention in ninth through 12th grades, is to encourage students to postpone sexual activity. And it starts with the very first class.

"Anything that has to do with making babies is for adults," she told the girls in a recent class who ranged in age from 9 to 12. "Having a period doesn't make you a mother."

One reason Mrs. Podgurski strikes such a chord with her audience is that she's careful never to preach, but to instead encourage a dialogue. She also peppers her lessons with personal anecdotes and funny stories aimed at putting kids at ease.

She's also not afraid to use props or offer kids interactive, hands-on activities and games. A discussion of menstruation involved Mrs. Podgurski blowing up a balloon to show the girls how the vagina will stretch to accept a tampon. Then, she gave them all samples and encouraged the girls to dip them by the strings into a cup of water so they could see firsthand "what they do." Expand to fit the confines of a woman's body, that is.

"Good education is part drama," said Mrs. Podgurski, who has also authored a one-act play on adolescent pregnancy.

Yet for all her authority, she's unfailingly gentle. When answering kids' questions or discussing a particularly uncomfortable subject, words like "love" and "baby" fall from her lips. She also makes herself available to each and every child she interacts with 24/7. As soon as she walks into a classroom, she writes her cell phone number on the blackboard and she also hands them a business card with her home number.

Most of all she's "real," because as Mrs. Podgurski will tell you, kids know when you're not giving them the full story.

"We respect and love them," she said.

So much so, that Mrs. Podgurski -- who works with a staff of 15 -- meets with the Adolescent Advisory Board, comprised of kids from 14 school districts, once a month to review curriculum. She has also developed a peer education program where kids are trained to provide role plays, interactive learning experiences and discussion on relationships, peer pressure and postponing sex to younger students.

"When they speak, it's a shout," she explained. "When we do it, it's a whisper."

Parents, in turn, love and trust her because she takes great pains to get them involved. A common message is that kids can, and should, go to their moms and dads with questions and concerns; if they're too embarrassed to talk, she advises them to write a note.

That's no small feat, because many American parents -- unlike their European counterparts -- think there has to be a certain time to teach kids about sex, said Mrs. Podgurski. But it's actually much better if you weave that information throughout their childhood via teachable moments.

"They're a child's first teacher," she explained. "They're giving a message, even if they're silent."

Despite her knack for the subject, Mrs. Podgurski didn't set out to be a sex educator. One of her first jobs after earning a nursing degree from Westmoreland School of Nursing in Greensburg was at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Seeing so many children die, however, made her realize she wanted to work with life. So she changed to obstetrics and then later, teen pregnancy. She's currently working on her doctorate of education so she can do research on her programs and show what she and her staff are doing can be replicated.

Maybe that explains why Mrs. Podgurski sees what she does not as a job, but as a mission. Research, she said, shows that even one class is worthwhile when it comes to sex ed. So it's important to empower them with information.

"We have to teach them to set boundaries when they have their clothes on," said Mrs. Podgurski.