Dominic Smith, 13, said he got a lot more than he expected from Bishop Kwabena Rainey Cheeks' lecture.

"I got knowledge and support," the Farrell Middle School student said. "I learned you can't tell just by looking at someone if they have HIV."

Mario Rubano, 14, said Cheeks taught him some "different strategies" for dealing with pressure.

Smith and Rubano were among 105 seventh- and eighth-graders who participated in the Lawrence/Mercer County Peer Power conference Friday at the Radisson Hotel of Sharon, Shenango Township.

Organizers said the Farrell students made up the largest single group at the conference, hosted by the Family Health Council's Center for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention. Two seniors, two sophomores and two educators from West Middlesex High School also attended.