Sunday, January 31, 2010 — Students Make History for Composers Festival: High School of the Arts Focuses on World War II Generation.
LOS ANGELES, CA: The Pacific Symphony's annual American Composers Festival, this year, is exploring the themes of "The Greatest Generation," the challenges and hardships faced during the turbulent 1930s and '40s will be seen through the eyes of the newest generation. The symphony has partnered with the Orange County High School of the Arts, tapping students from the film and TV conservatory to produce documentary shorts that bring the experiences of this older generation to a younger audience. Videos from three students will be shown during two of the three concerts that make up the festival. For example, Kaylen Hadley, a senior from Corona, selected as her subject Helen Miller, her longtime violin teacher. The 92-year-old Miller's experiences through the Depression and World War II led to personal consciousness-raising that Hadley captures -- the Rosie the Riveter opportunity for women to enter the workforce for the first time is something Miller values as a society-changing experience. The participating students’ determination, effort and the quality of their results represent what goes on at the school, which has 1,400 students from 92 Southern California cities, grades 7 through 12, supplementing their academic course work with 11 programs in music, dance, theater, film and TV. Hadley, who has a twice-a-day 90-minute commute, used her train travel time to edit her video on her Mac. Hadley's videos from the last couple of years have been shown at the Newport Film Festival and other regional festivals. As for her new piece, Hadley said her violin teacher's reminiscences led to a life lesson for current times: "What came through as I edited her comments was that back then it was more like a community facing these challenges, not just individuals, but everyone pulling together against hard times. We can learn now from how they came through it as a generation."
For FULL STORY, go to: the Los Angeles Times, 1/31/10
www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-ca-greatest3
1-2010jan31,0,1476430.story
Sunday, January 24, 2010 — New Beginnings for Juvenile Justice: Wiretap Tracks Top Youth Activism Victories of 2009.
WASHINGTON, DC: Wiretap Magazine presented an end-of-year summary of youth activism victories of 2009, including the decades-long battle to close some of the nation's most decrepit youth prisons. On May 29, Washington, D.C. closed long-troubled Oak Hill Youth Center after years of reported scrutiny over rat-infested cells, abuse by guards and dismal educational programming. The facility was replaced by New Beginnings Youth Center, a $46 million dollar campus that eschews razor wire fencing and clunky cells for electronic entry cards, a library and a landscaped courtyard. In August, California state officials announced plans to close Herman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility in Chino. A report released in 2007 concluded that the environment was so bad at the facility that youth were especially prone to violence or suicide. While federal officials stalled on immigration reform this year, students in Wisconsin went full steam ahead when they successfully passed a state-based version of the DREAM Act. On June 29, Wisconsin became the 11th state in the nation to allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition. Students organized with the support of immigrant advocacy groups Voces de la Frontera and Students United for Recognizing Immigrant Rights (SUFRIR). In addition, in February 12,000 young people descended on D.C. as part of the Power Shift '09 campaign -- organized by the Energy Action Coalition -- to push for a ban on coal, immediate action on climate legislation this year, investment in green jobs and a 40 percent carbon emissions reduction by 2020. Youth from all 50 states hammered their message home in some 370 meetings with Congressional members and staff. Other stories highlighted by Wiretap including voter registration drives, and reforming higher education standards.
For FULL STORY, go to: Wiretap Magazine, 12/23/09
www.wiretapmag.org/stories/44736/
Monday, January 18, 2010 — Chicago Students Step Up Debate on Immigration Reform: Immigrant Youth Justice League Holds 'Coming Out' Summit.
CHICAGO, IL: In an event that might have been stymied by fear even a year ago, more than a dozen undocumented students will risk making their status even more public Monday at a four-hour "coming out" summit in Pilsen coordinated by a new group hoping to push harder for reforms to the nation's immigration system. The Immigrant Youth Justice League, made up of about 15 Chicago-area students, is part of a wave of younger immigrant activists around the U.S. using more aggressive, in-your-face tactics to seek legal status as part of a volatile national debate that has stalled in Congress in recent years. They see an expected renewal of the debate this year as a last, best stand. The students whose activism was born during massive immigrant marches in Chicago and elsewhere years ago, have been behind several smaller recent battles, bouncing between Facebook campaigns and old-school organizing with equal ease. The Immigrant Youth Justice League was inspired by ongoing efforts to pass the so-called Dream Act, legislation that would grant conditional legal status to students who arrived as children. Uriel Sanchez, 18, had been promised financial aid for tuition, but the money vanished when an administrator asked him to provide a Social Security number. "When we fail to speak up, when we fail to criticize ... " he said. "It is a far greater blow to the freedom, the decency and to the justice which truly represents this nation we call home."
For FULL STORY, go to: the Chicago Tribune, 1/18/10
www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-immigration-reform-coll
ege-1jan18,0,1641076.story
Thursday, January 14, 2010 — Oregon Students Protest Uganda Anti-Gay Bill.
BEAVERTON, OR: Forced AIDS tests. Steep penalties for those who know about gay relationships but say nothing to authorities. Death for men who have consensual sex with a consenting adult partner. Those are some of the stipulations of an anti-gay bill in the Ugandan parliament that have horrified people the world over and brought threats of sanctions against Uganda from Western nations. But it’s not just the mighty and powerful that have spoken against the bill; in Oregon, a group of high school students have taken a stand against the bill, which has been deemed too harsh by Uganda’s own president. Students at Southridge High School in Beaverton, Oregon, have organized a rally against the bill; students from area schools plan to prove themselves allies in the struggle for human rights and show up for the rally, too, according to the Beaverton Valley Times. The school’s partnership with a Ugandan secondary school, Matale St. Andrew’s Secondary School, helped spark the rally, which will take place Jan. 23. The event is being called Respect Humanity: Uganda March and Rally, and is planned to being at several points around town, before converging at a single location. The goal, according to high school senior Chelsea Pfeifer, who visited the African nation in 2008, is "To spread awareness at a global level. Anything helps.” Her sojourn to Uganda "started my passion for human rights and especially Uganda because I know some of the kids personally and I know who this will affect." A senior from another high school, Evy Lopez, who hails from South Africa, is slated to speak at the event. Lopez described herself as "very shocked" by the bill: "It’s very sad... People are using their power to take advantage and that’s not a very Christian thing to me."
For FULL STORY, go to: the Edge, Boston, 1/14/10
www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&
id=101178
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 — NASA Launches Rocket Dreams at Texas High School.
FORT WORTH, TX: Seven Northwest High School students form the team of rocketeers selected to participate in NASA’s 2009-2010 Student Launch Initiative (SLI). They are designing and building a rocket that will be launched before NASA engineers at Bragg Farms in Toney, Ala., April 15-18. The projected size of the rocket is four inches wide and seven feet tall. "These are not toy rockets you shoot off at home. This is the real deal," said senior team member Logan Van Gorp. "This is something I’ve looked for ever since the end of my junior year." The team is one of only a dozen from high schools nationwide asked to participate in the SLI – which is not a competition as much as it is a data-gathering project. 37 teams from high schools, middle schools, colleges and universities are taking part. The NHS team finished 14th in the Team America Rocketry Challenge in May, launching a model rocket 750 feet in the air with a flight time of 45 seconds carrying a raw egg. The egg had to return to earth unbroken to qualify. Students will spend up to 15 or 20 hours working on the project each week, in addition to regular school work. Each student on the team had to apply for a position. The interview process was open to students campus-wide, and 11 finalists were chosen, of which seven have made the final cut. The team plans to launch a scale model of the rocket (about half its final size) Saturday. A test launch of the rocket they will take to NASA’s Marshall Space Center in Huntsville, Ala., in April will be conducted in either Dallas or Houston. The payload will be ladybugs, because if someday humans colonize space, ladybugs will be used to combat pests in the crops. A camera inside the rocket will record the ladybugs’ reaction to the flight, which can be studied later. "I’ve always thought this was an exciting field," junior Brannan Bradshaw said. "To be a part of something like this is fascinating. This is applicable to our lives. I want to pursue a career in engineering."
For FULL STORY, go to: the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1/12/10
www.star-telegram.com/Times-Register/News/story/1887971
.html
Thursday, January 07, 2010 — High School Students Participate in “Babies Driving Robots” Project.
WILMINGTON, DE: Four students from the Charter School of Wilmington (CSW) gained valuable research experience last summer on a University of Delaware project that has gained national attention--robot-assisted infant mobility. Under the direction of UD doctoral student Christina Ragonesi, the four high school students--Allaa Mageid, Ponni Vel, Emily Yang, and Carina Blair--participated in activities in the classroom at UD's Early Learning Center, including filming, data collection and coding. Ragonesi's research focuses on the effects of early mobility training on socialization development in very young children with mobility impairments, such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida. The project involved giving a small mobility device to a special-needs three-year-old in his preschool classroom, tracking the extent to which the child drove the device in the classroom as well as how his social behavior changed across time. “My favorite part of the work was that there was always a surprise the next day,” sophomore Blair says. “This taught me that things do not always go as you plan, so you have to be able to adjust. The project taught me about how the real world is going to be. In school, our experiments are all planned out, and we know what to expect. But in this case, we did not know how the results were going to turn out, and that was the most exciting part.” Yang, a senior, concurs: “Through this experience, I learned about the true nature of research. Sometimes, what was expected to happen didn't work out, or unexpected complications arose, but we always sought to look past these occasional frustrations and continue to work towards the end goal.” The interdisciplinary work, which involves mechanical engineering and physical therapy faculty, made an impression on the students. “When I witnessed how an innovation of engineering could profoundly change someone's life through a collaborative effort between two very different disciplines,” Yang says, “I was inspired to pursue engineering in college.” The four high school students are co-authors on a poster that will be presented at the International Conference on Infant Studies in Baltimore March 10-14. “These students did a lot of troubleshooting for us and contributed a great deal to the success of the project,” says Ragonesi. “It was wonderful to see them so passionate and involved. They still email me to see how the project is progressing.” The collaboration with CSW will continue next summer and into the future.
For FULL STORY, go to: the University of Delaware Daily, 1/4/10
www.udel.edu/udaily/2010/jan/robots010410.html
Monday, January 04, 2010 — Inner-City Charter School Succeeds with 'YES' Program.
HOUSTON, TX: It was Deadline Day at YES Prep North Central, the day college applications were supposed to be finished. So much was riding on this: the reputation of a charter school built around the mission of sending every student to college. Above all, the dreams of 43 North Central seniors determined to turn stereotypes and statistics upside-down. A few years earlier, college had been a vague notion for most of these students. "I didn't know anything about college," said Carol Cabrera, 17, the oldest child of Mexican immigrants who had not made it past high school. Elizabeth Martinez and Brandon Gunter, both 17, had long been told that a college education paved the road to a better life. But they didn't know how to turn the ambition into reality. In middle school, Eric Salazar often felt like the only student turning in homework, the only one striving for higher standards. Even his teachers expected little from the students.
Fernando Luna saw his future limited to technical schools or vocational colleges. "It's more difficult to be successful if you're ashamed to be the only person on time for a test, the only one doing homework," said Fernando, 17. "College was a goal for me, but not a tangible possibility."
Then these five students stepped inside North Central, where college for all is a vision infused into the fabric of the YES Prep charter school system. YES Prep—an acronym for Youth Engaged in Service--was founded 11 years ago by Chris Barbic, a Teacher for America alumnus who shaped his vision around a singular goal: Every student is expected to go to a four-year college, succeed there and return to give back to their community. More than 90% of YES Prep students are first-generation college-bound; 80% come from low-income families and 96% are Hispanic or African-American. At YES Prep, every aspect of the school is designed to steer students away from stumbling blocks and onto success. So far, the culture-of-college formula seems to be working. "We are the leaders here," said Carol. "We have to set the record for everyone else to follow."
For FULL STORY, go to: the Associated Press, 1/4/10
www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-01-04-yes-prep-col
lege_N.htm
Saturday, January 02, 2010 — Students Have Eyes on the Sky: Flight School New Program for Wannabe Pilots.
DETROIT, MI: Some juniors at Waterford Kettering High School soon will be soaring in single-engine Cessna 172s, as part of a new district program to cultivate wannabe pilots and aircraft mechanics. By the time the five 16-year-olds currently in the program graduate in June 2011, they will be licensed private pilots. The students so far have been studying aviation history and getting to know the planes parked outside Flight 101, the private flying school at Oakland County International Airport that is contracting with the Waterford School District to teach the kids. Next semester, they will begin intensive ground school. And once completed, will start flying in simulators, then actual planes. Sometime in their senior year, they will fly solo. Now that word has gotten out among the student body, next year's classes are expected to fill up quickly, school officials said. The students are in flight school at the airport from 12:45 to 2:10 p.m. three days a week. They spend many more hours studying at home--on top of their regular studies. As part of the program, they earn credits in science and technology toward their high school diplomas. A pilot's license can open many doors for a young graduate, said flight instructor Heather Jordan. They can continue to study flying and go on to become commercial pilots. Some become instructors. And some will ultimately go into aircraft mechanics, a well-paying high-skill trade. Student Nikole Fisher said she plans to be an air-traffic controller and thinks a pilot's license will help. Justin Smolinski said he looks forward to the day he can take his parents up in a plane. "Then I'll show them some stalls," he said, prompting his fellow students to laugh.
For FULL STORY, go to: the Detroit Free Press, 1/2/09
www.freep.com/article/20100102/NEWS03/1020363/1322/Wate
rford-students-have-eyes-on-the-sky
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 — Nevada Youth Forum Takes On Hot Topics, From Gay Marriage to Marijuana.
LAS VEGAS, NV: Las Vegas student SeHoon Park contributes an op-ed piece today in the Las Vegas Sun newspaper, writing, “For more than a half-century, the Sun Youth Forum has provided students across Southern Nevada with an opportunity to voice their opinions... On the issue of same-sex marriage, many in our group thought the time to recognize this relationship has come. Although many found the idea of gay marriage degrading to the tradition of marriage and generally unnatural, the majority pointed out the difference between religious and civic marriages and argued to define marriage to provide same-sex couples with the same legal benefits as married heterosexual couples....On the topic of curbing teen pregnancy, the majority agreed that the abstinence approach to sex education in schools did not work and that factors such as poverty, lack of awareness and availability, and the social stigma of obtaining contraceptives, have prevented teens from practicing safe sex. Some brought up that a joint effort between a better-educated public (parents, friends, etc.) and the schools could lead to a society with fewer pregnant teens... On the state of the high school education system in Nevada, many criticized poor budgeting at the district and local levels, coupled with reduced funding, which has left the schools in a precarious situation. Many schools have been equipped with new technology, but it has become obvious from the students’ perspectives that without proper training, these tools are wasted. The students suggested an income tax that would be dedicated to education, increased benefits for teachers coming to Nevada, and a system to better qualify teachers... Other intelligent discussions included immigration, legalization of prostitution and marijuana for economic benefits, substance abuse, and the creation of youth-friendly activities in Las Vegas.” Park concludes that “Students today are becoming more involved in politics. We have finally realized what it takes to make a difference in society... Listen to the youth, because this is our home, too.”
For FULL STORY, go to: the Las Vegas Sun, 12/30/09
www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/dec/30/teens-take-hot-top
ics-gay-marriage-marijuana/
Monday, December 28, 2009 — With DNA Testing, Students Learn What’s What in Their Neighborhood.
NEW YORK, NY: The New York Times reports that few of Brenda Tan’s classmates at Trinity School understood what she was doing when she went around requesting a single strand of hair from each of them, then subjecting the hair to DNA testing and research. The test was part of a project that Ms. Tan, 17, and Matt Cost, 18, conducted with Rockefeller University and the American Museum of Natural History to study DNA barcoding. That process involves identifying species based on a single gene rather than the compete set of genes in a cell or organism. The students spent four months collecting 217 samples of organisms in their neighborhoods and found that they were surrounded by traces of 95 species. Most of the conclusions were expected, until they examined a tiny specimen that they had found lying on its back in a West Side apartment. What first appeared to be a dead American cockroach could be a previously undocumented species of roach. So Mr. Cost and Ms. Tan collected a few more examples, searching the basements of other buildings. The DNA sequence of the specimens showed a 4 percent difference from any of the roughly 65,000 species in the database — which, in genetic terms, is colossal. But further study is required before it can be determined whether the two students came across a new species. Mr. Cost and Ms. Tan worked closely with Dr. Mark Stoeckle, a researcher at Rockefeller University, who had run a similar project a year ago with two other Trinity students and found that the fish in sushi restaurants in the city had been misrepresented. Mr. Cost and Ms. Tan discovered that 11 of 66 typical household food items were mislabeled, including sheep’s milk cheese that was in fact made of cow’s milk, venison dog treats that were made of beef and sturgeon caviar that was actually Mississippi paddlefish. Perhaps just as amazing was that a hot dog bought on the street showed nothing but cow DNA. “You could have a filet of fish, just the stuff you might throw on your grill, and an expert who spent his whole life couldn’t tell you what it was by looking at it,” Mr. Cost said. “But with this, it’s so simple.” Ms. Tan plans to study biology in college, while Mr. Cost hopes to pursue sequences in a different form — music.
For FULL STORY, go to: The New York Times, 12/27/09
www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/nyregion/27dna.html
Thursday, December 17, 2009 — Missouri Students Pushing for Road Improvements.
SPRINGFIELD, MO: Willard High School students have collected more than 1,200 signatures on a petition to improve U.S. 160 between Willard and Springfield. Thursday they made their plea before the Ozarks Transportation Organization. “This is a dangerous road, and it sparked our attention when three of our classmates were killed in a tragic accident,” said sophomore Charlie Bird. “We would like a change, and we think it’s a necessary change for the growth of Willard. More and more cars will be on the road, and it’s necessary.” The Oct. 8 crash claimed the lives of three Willard High students whose car hydroplaned into the path of a pickup during a torrential downpour. Kearsten Jones, a senior, said people from surrounding communities frequently travel U.S. 160, and would benefit from a safer four-lane highway. The road currently is two lanes. “We understand this is not something that will take place immediately and will be costly,” Jones said. “But we’re trying to think of our friends and family, for the future, and we just want to try to save people’s lives. We think it’s really worth it.” Sophomore Matt Bryant said the highway is a major route that students use to get to Willard High. A large number of Conco quarry trucks also use the road, making it a challenge for young drivers. “In addition to this petition that we’ve started, we’ve also worked toward safer driving for Willard,” Bird said. “We helped get a seat belt ordinance passed. We’re just doing everything we can. We really think our community needs this to help save lives.” The youths drew a round of applause from OTO members for speaking out. Mayor Jim O’Neal, who chaired Thursday’s meeting, said the $10 million four-lane project remains a high priority with the OTO and Missouri Department of Transportation.
For FULL STORY, go to: the News-Leader.com, 12/17/09
www.news-leader.com/article/20091217/BREAKING01/9121703
0/1007/NEWS01/Willard+High+students+pushing+for+road+improvements
Monday, December 14, 2009 — Charlotte Students' New Troupe Tackles Edgy Drama.
CHARLOTTE, NC: Ten years ago, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 15 people, themselves included, in a high school in suburban Colorado. This week they are portrayed in "Columbinus," a drama by Stephen Karam and P.J. Paparelli. Act 1 is an archetypal look at troubled students in a mythical high school and perplexed parents and peers. Act 2 takes us into the turbulent minds of the people of Columbine. The first show by Chaos Ensemble, a group formed through Providence High School's drama department, is extraordinary. Chaos got a rent-free deal from the Performing Arts Center, so the play will be likelier to catch the whole city's eyes. The production has elements as edgy as any in a Charlotte drama this year: harsh language, a reproduction of the infamous 911 call to the Littleton police and footage of the shootings on a video screen at center stage. This is the maiden voyage of a group that may ultimately embrace students from public and private schools around Mecklenburg County. Success depends on director James Yost, PHS drama teacher; on student director Jillian Claire, whose research informed and inflamed the nine-member cast; and on the hand-picked actors and crew. "Providence has tapped (an audience in) the Charlotte area, but many people don't think of high school theater as an entertainment alternative," says Yost. "Children's Theatre has an amazing (teen) ensemble, but there are other young actors who'd like to perform off campus at a professional venue. So I wondered: Could we create theater that showcases teenagers and is about them, too?" While Yost supervised rehearsals, he brought Jillian Claire in as student director. "With Mr. Yost, it's more than just taking notes for him," she says. "I'm the same age as the characters in the play, so he wanted my viewpoint about the ways they might behave. People around the school come to shows all the time, but I'm not sure they realize how unusual this is.” Yost hopes "Columbinus" will cause students and adults to pre-judge and condemn less often. He hopes Chaos Ensemble will stay strong at Providence but grow to embrace any high schoolers drawn to unusual drama: "Maybe we'd do 'The Laramie Project' (about the murder of a gay student in Wyoming) or 'The Wrestling Season' (in which eight young people struggle with the destructive power of rumors). Whatever we do will be challenging, but not preachy - no lesson plays!"
For FULL STORY, go to: the Charlotte Observer, 12/13/09
www.charlotteobserver.com/local/story/1115963.html
Friday, December 11, 2009 — Latino Youths Straddle Two Worlds in America.
SAN JOSE, CA: Latino youths, the fastest growing group of young people in America, are satisfied with their lives and optimistic about the future, but they're also more likely than most other American youth to drop out of school, live in poverty and become teen parents. A first-of-its-kind, nationwide snapshot of Latino youths ages 16 to 25, released today by the Pew Hispanic Center, comes at a time when 1 in every 4 babies born in the U.S. is Hispanic. They already make up 18 percent of all Americans in their late teens and early adult years. "If you want to have a clearer understanding of America in the future, you want to know what these young Latinos will be like when they grow into the adult population,'' said Paul Taylor, director of the nonpartisan institute. "Between Two Worlds: How Latino Youths Come of Age in America'' paints a mixed picture. Eighty-nine percent of those surveyed believe a college education is important for getting ahead in life, but just under half actually plan on earning a diploma. The percentage of young Latino immigrants living under the poverty rate, 29 percent, drops significantly for the second generation, 19 percent, but creeps up again for the third and later generations, 21 percent. The Pew researchers said Latino youths are clearly straddling two worlds and, oddly, the picture gets murkier in the third generation and beyond. For example, second-generation Latino teens are less likely to have a child or drop out of school than their counterparts who just arrived in the country. But the rates for those problems go up in the third generation. So why does it seem young Latinos are holding onto the mother country longer than previous waves of European immigrants? Possible reasons: Mexico and Latin America are only next door; the Internet helps young Latinos keep in touch with friends and relatives; Latin pop music is becoming more popular here, and robust Spanish-language television helps keeps the language and culture alive. "There is an ability to keep touch with the family back home that didn't exist before," Taylor said. For the study, the nonpartisan Pew Center interviewed 2,012 Hispanic youths and adults across the country by telephone. Yesenia Delatorre, a 20-year-old NHU student from Hayward, said she shares the optimistic outlook reflected in the study. Some 72 percent expect to do better financially than their parents, while only 4 percent expect to do worse. "My dad went to the fourth grade, my mom to the fifth grade," she said. Although her parents own a restaurant and are doing well, Delatorre sees a better future for herself with a diploma in hand. "I want to do what they didn't do."
For FULL STORY, go to: the Mercury News, 12/10/09
www.mercurynews.com/ci_13971958?source=most_emailed
Thursday, December 10, 2009 — Arizona Students Persuade Board to Keep Speech Class.
GILBERT, AZ: About a dozen Mesquite High School students pleaded Tuesday night with the Gilbert school board to not cut their speech and debate classes. Current and former Mesquite speech and debate coaches, teachers and a parent also urged the board to keep the “intellectually challenging” speech classes. Mesquite sophomore Alexa Curran said the class will give the competitive speech and debate team a chance to excel. “We won’t be given a fighting chance against our rivals without the (speech) class,” said Curran, who along with the other students wore business attire. “It’s in your control whether we shine.” Board members were discussing the junior high and high school course catalogs for the 2010-11 school year and were considering recommendations to cut classes that had low enrollment for the past two years. At least 18 students are needed for a class to be offered. The beginning speech and forensics advanced speech classes were on the chopping block at each of the district’s five high schools. Although Mesquite High has an active speech and debate competitive team, which meets after school, the class had fallen by the wayside. After more than a two-hour talk, board members sided with the speech and debate students and coaches and decided not to cut the class from the course catalog. A cheer erupted from the audience after the decision.
For FULL STORY, go to: the East Valley Tribune, 12/10/09
www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/148199
Sunday, December 06, 2009 — Teen Latinas Mentor Young Students in Indiana.
ANDERSON, IN: At Anderson Elementary, about 20 fourth- and fifth-grade students are getting an education in who they are and where they come from. “OK, niños y niñas,” says English as a New Language teacher Shirley Payne, as she begins a lecture in Spanish. The students listen, respond in Spanish, and, when asked, in English. At each table of youngsters sit high school girls who are there to help teach and guide the younger students, and maybe learn from them. They are Latina Mentors. “When you’re with the same people who speak the same language ... it’s beautiful,” says Wendy Santiago, a senior at Anderson High School and one of the first students who volunteered for the fledgling program, which mentors students in the after-school Club Latino. Anderson Schools psychologist Maria Hernandez-Finch developed the Latina Mentors program after seeing a need among the growing population of students from Spanish-speaking countries. Once a week, several Anderson High School students volunteer to visit Anderson Elementary’s Club Latino, sharing with younger students a common language and culture, and serving as role models in the novel program. Hernandez-Finch says, “Children really need to see someone from their culture who is successful.” She and other educators “were talking about their needs and some of the things they have difficulty with, emotionally, socially, being part of two cultures at the same time. We really needed to do something to develop leadership and interest in staying in school. That’s how (Latina Mentors) all started.” When parents of Hispanic students were asked their opinion of the Latina Mentors program before it began, response was overwhelming. “These families really want the best for their children and want a good education for their children. There is a misconception that they don’t value education, and it’s really quite the opposite. ... When I sent permission slips out, I got them back the next day.” The difference, Hernandez-Finch says, can be when parents know someone is speaking their language. “They feel like there’s a trust there. They feel comfortable.” Landy Mendoza, an AHS junior, wants to study to be a pediatrician after high school. She explained why the program is important to her. “It makes us feel proud,” Mendoza says, “knowing that our culture is being known worldwide.”
For FULL STORY, go to: the Herald Bulletin, 12/05/09
www.theheraldbulletin.com/local/local_story_339225541.html
Tuesday, December 01, 2009 — Student Activists Bring Laid-off Worker Back to Los Angeles School.
LOS ANGELES, CA: Christina Gutierrez, the beloved office worker for Hamilton High School's two magnets, was laid off by the L.A. Unified School District in mid-September. Students staged a 500-strong sit-in protest on her last day and eventually petitioned the Board of Education to let her return. Local district administrator Angela Hewlett-Bloch spoke to the students in the quad. When Principal Gary Garcia asked them to quiet down, he said, "they switched, on their own, to snapping [their fingers] . . . like an old beatnik thing." Someone in the crowd came up with the idea to write letters. The students collected 300 letters in support of Gutierrez. They had heard that the worker who had replaced Gutierrez preferred to work at an elementary school -- and Gutierrez had found substitute work at an elementary school. Why not switch the two? The students decided to bring their solution to the Nov. 17 school district board meeting. They watched videos of past board meetings to learn what not to do. They didn't want to sound repetitive -- a common mistake -- or unduly negative. "We want to create a legitimate student representation," organizer Maya Festinger said. "We don't want to be belligerent or bludgeoning. A lot of what we're about is proposing solutions, rather than listing grievances." A few days later, the students got word: Miss G. was coming back to Hamilton as a substitute. She's not totally out of the woods but at least she's back, for now. The students were the real stars, she said: "This isn't about me. They should feel so empowered. I am so proud of them."
For FULL STORY, go to: the Los Angeles Times, 12/1/09
www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-missg1-2009dec01,0,743
9934.story
Monday, November 30, 2009 — Boulder High School Launches Student 'Green Team.'
BOULDER, CO: The next generation will benefit or suffer from today's environmental efforts, or lack thereof, which is why the Boulder Valley School District is charging students with being "green" leaders. A core group of six students at Boulder's New Vista High School has been chosen to run a pilot "sustainability action campaign," and the members have been meeting weekly since August to brainstorm ways their school can shrink its environmental footprint. The student group calls itself the "Earth Task Force," and Boulder Valley School District officials are hoping it will be the first of many district-sponsored green teams. As students pledge to take Earth-friendly actions -- such as walking or riding to school -- the district will contribute money toward environmental projects at the school if they hit reduction goals. Boulder Valley aims to use New Vista's ideas across the district and launch sustainability campaigns at other schools. New Vista's team participated in an energy audit of the school Nov. 10 with Xcel Energy, and members are planning a kick-off event to get their peers excited about saving, reusing and reducing. The students have created environmental themes for the upcoming months, including Energy February, Waste-Reduction March and Alternative-Transportation April. For a week in January, the task force will celebrate a theme associated with each month. On the day representing "energy month," the task force will hang clothes on laundry lines around the school with energy facts attached to each item. They also will have an "eat local" day and a "bring your own coffee mug" day. New Vista sophomore Malcolm Marshall has high hopes of creating change in his school and across the district. "It's really exciting, and I'm glad we'll be the school to start Boulder off in getting more eco-friendly," he said. Marshall said that on one of the theme days in January, his team plans to sift through the garbage and find all the products that could have been recycled.
"We are going to keep everything that is recyclable that had been thrown away and string it in the front hallway and say, 'Hey, this is how much we are wasting in a day,'" Marshall said. "I think we are going to make a difference." New Vista Principal Kirk Quitter said he's proud of his students' initiative to make "authentic changes in our school." "We are a small school, and we have such a tightly knit community that I think we can make a real change," he said, predicting the initiative's spread across the district. "I think that if we can show we can do this in an organization like the Boulder Valley School District where we have 28,000 students, what business couldn't follow suit?"
For FULL STORY, go to: the Boulder Daily Camera, 11/29/09
www.dailycamera.com/schoolchoice/ci_13881909
Friday, November 27, 2009 — Recovery High School Students Have a Say in State Drug Report.
BEVERLY, MA: Jon Doherty began using OxyContin when he was 12, got addicted, and got arrested. He wanted to quit, but rehab and the Scared Straight Program weren't working. Through his father — not the school district, not the police, not the courts — he found out about Beverly's Recovery High School. Now, he's a junior there and drug-free. It's an option he wishes he had known about from the beginning and something that needs more awareness, he said. Doherty and 2007 graduate Alyssa Dedrick told their stories on a panel last year before public officials, health care specialists and lawmakers during a hearing organized by the Massachusetts OxyContin and Heroin Commission. Their testimony, along with others, provided the basis of a 71-page report released this month. It describes OxyContin use in the state as "an epidemic" and highlights support for recovery high schools as one of the ways to fight a growing substance abuse problem. "You could tell the people we were speaking to on the board genuinely cared about our responses," Dedrick said. "And you don't get that a lot when you're a recovering drug addict." The commission recommended continuing support of the three recovery high schools, in Beverly, Boston and Springfield, as well as increasing in the number of schools in the state. Recovery high schools were established in 2006 with state aid. In this year's budget, new legislation requires public schools to pay a per-pupil fee for the students they send there, in an effort to make the program self-sustaining. On the panel, Dedrick stressed the importance of drug education at an early age and the need for more adolescent treatment centers. When she was 16 and trying to get help, options were limited. "I was too old and mature for younger treatment centers, but not old enough for the 60-year-olds who still don't want help," she said. Recovery high schools are effective, she added, because students choose to go there. Sen. Steven Tolman of Boston said 92 percent of young people who go through treatment and return to mainstream schools start using drugs or alcohol again within two weeks. "The young people bravely shared their deeply personal stories and eloquently conveyed the need to recognize this epidemic, the need for proper treatment and how integral recovery high schools were in their recovery," he said in a prepared statement. Tolman said recovery high schools give students "a chance to succeed."
For FULL STORY, go to: the Gloucester Daily Times, 11/27/09
www.gloucestertimes.com/punews/local_story_331001431.html
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 — Students Fill the Fargodome with Food.
FARGO, ND: The Fargodome was filled with sandbags in the spring. The other night it was full of food. The student-led Fill the Dome project is almost complete, but did it reach its lofty goals? It's a movement that brings area high school students together, teenagers with huge goals to raise hunger awareness and make a difference in the community. Hundreds of students spent the day spreading all of donated food across the Fargodome floor. After only a short celebration it was time to get back to work, packing up the food to be weighed. More than 50 schools took part in the event; awards were handed out to Holy Spirit, Robert Asp, Carl Ben Eilson, and Oak Grove for making the largest donations. “I see it growing every year, but in different ways. I don't know if we'll ever raise over 200 tons of food. Maybe some day, but I feel that the awareness piece and the programming aspect of finding the issues that cause hunger.” When the food is all boxed up it goes to the Great Plains Food Bank and distributed across the state. The group raised more than 96 thousand dollars, collected 24 hundred signatures and 78 tons of food, and there are 2-semis full of food, not counted yet.
For FULL STORY, go to: WDAY-TV, Fargo, 11/23/09
www.wday.com/event/article/id/27165/
Thursday, November 19, 2009 — High School Students to Discuss Climate Change In Copenhagen.
BOW, NH: Almost every Sunday since the beginning of summer, ten students from Bow High School have been meeting in their school library. They’re preparing for the Zealand Consensus, named for the island region in Denmark where Copenhagen is located. Their meeting will precede the UN Climate Change conference. The Bow students will meet with 120 other students from around the world. Bow High School’s sister school in Haslev, Denmark invited the students. The students went through an extensive application process to determine their knowledge and abilities. The teachers also wanted students with differing views about climate change. At their final meeting last Sunday, students discussed what they think the U-S should be doing at the UN conference in Copenhagen. Some students think the climate talks in Copenhagen won’t result in any legally-binding treaty. But despite that, student Will Sheffer hopes the talks will still make progress. “I think what the message we want to leave is though it’s kind of our responsibility, there’s no reason for the adults now not to do something about it and they shouldn’t leave it on our shoulders to fix everything especially when there are things you can be doing now to fix global warming.” In preparing for the Zealand Consensus, each student tackled a different theme surrounding climate change – from renewable energy and personal behavior, to waste production and bio-fuels. After more than six months of research, many of the students have a clearer picture of how difficult the issues are. Student Lori Zibel says her research gave her a better understanding of all the forces at play. “What I really came up with and what I wrote a whole research paper about is that politics, more than science, formed the basis of our environmental policy.” Students also used their research in larger projects. Allison Baier studied green architecture and what it takes to earn recognition from the U-S Green Building Council. She knew little about environmental science and global warming before her research, but she believes this experience has changed her and the other students. "It’s important for us to understand what’s happening now and how that is going to affect our future and just because we’re kids doesn’t mean we’re not influential and I think we can go to Copenhagen and definitely say what we want to say and hope the UN will respect what we have to say and listen."
For FULL STORY, go to: New Hampshire Public Radio, 11/18/09
www.nhpr.org/node/27950
Monday, November 16, 2009 — Plays Go On: Judge Allows High School Students to Perform 'Rent' and 'Laramie Project.'
LAS VEGAS, NV: A District Court judge last week refused to drop the curtain on high school productions of "Rent" and "The Laramie Project." Henderson's Green Valley High School could proceed with both plays, including last weekend’s performances of "The Laramie Project," which deals with the murder of a gay college student in Wyoming. Sarah Balogh, 17, who has a role in "Rent," said the legal ruling was a victory for the plays' themes. "I think it's a start toward what they're all about: compassion and tolerance." "Rent," about starving artists coping with AIDS and drug addiction, will be performed early next year. Some parents who object to the plays' "mature content" had sought a preliminary injunction to stop both productions.
But lawyers for the Clark County School District said the parents' lawyer failed to prove that it would cause "irreparable harm" to the plaintiffs. Participation in the plays is voluntary and requires parental permission. Students are not required to attend the plays, which are extracurricular activities. "It's a matter of choice," Judge David Wall said. Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada filed a court brief supporting the district with constitutional arguments for free speech. Lawyers for the district argued that movie ratings and parents' right to "reconsideration and review" of curriculum materials do not apply to extracurricular theatrical plays, which have been edited for high school audiences. Students were relieved at the outcome. "I'm ecstatic," said Amanda Smith, 16, who has a lead role in "Rent." Green Valley drama student Anthony Bell, 17, felt the same way. "Now, we can concentrate on doing the show."
For FULL STORY, go to: the Las Vegas Review-Journal, 11/11/09
www.lvrj.com/news/judge-allows-high-school-students-s-t
o-perform-69740997.html
Sunday, November 15, 2009 — Chicago Students on Neutral Ground: CeaseFire Speakers Discuss Feud Dividing Area.
CHICAGO, IL: About 50 Fenger High School students found themselves in the Loop on Saturday, on the fifth floor of an arts center, surrounded by colorful abstract paintings and adults from the Chicago anti-violence group CeaseFire. What led them here was the videotaped beating death of 16-year-old Derrion Albert, which revealed to the world, in brutal detail, an inexplicable feud between Fenger students from two small swaths of Chicago. The day's event was a peace summit, an unorthodox plan to bring together teenagers from the Altgeld Gardens housing complex and a part of the Roseland neighborhood known as "the Ville" -- kids who've been taught to distrust each other for years. One of the keys for the day was to simply get the youth to open up, to try to identify the roots of the dispute between the two areas. As the CeaseFire workers -- many of them former gang members still respected in the neighborhoods around Fenger -- coaxed the teens to speak their minds, some of the harsh realities of their day-to-day lives seeped out. Before long, the issue of a beef between the two areas seemed to take a back seat to the daily issues most of the students face, from fights over boyfriends and girlfriends to a lack of adult support. CeaseFire workers had swarmed the area around Fenger. Through daily contact and hours of negotiations with students and parents, they convinced teens from both areas to commit to the summit. At the end of the summit, the CeaseFire workers gathered students from the Ville and students from Altgeld and put them in a line facing each other. They asked them to shake hands with or embrace the person across from them, and the kids did so with ease. Some doubted how much good would come from the day. Others promised to take what they'd learned and talked about back and share it with their friends. For now, introducing some people from each side seemed like a success. "This is the first time we were able to get many of the kids that we think are high-risk together," Ceasefire director Tio Hardiman said. "Now, at the very least, when these kids see each other in school, they'll know each other. That's a start."
For FULL STORY, go to: the Chicago Tribune, 11/15/09
www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-peace-summit-final-15no
v15,0,7934763,full.story
Friday, November 13, 2009 — High School Chefs Bring the Heat in Culinary Program.
ESSEX, VT: “Show, Explain, Do,” is the educational approach for students at the Professional Foods program at the Center for Technology, Essex, and the kitchen is a flurry activity. Students bustle about the room — running summer squash across a mandolin, filleting two large, slick salmon and carefully tending to risotto. It’s almost service time, and the dining room is filling up. First-year students prepare lunch for an in-house restaurant five days a week; second-year students prepare a lunch option available to the entire school three days a week. Aside from their youthful faces, not much about the chefs betray the fact that they are 16- and 17-year-old high school students in their first year of culinary education. Numbering around 40, the class of first-year students is fed from between six and eight area schools. From these students, 12-15 will continue onto the program’s second year, which was started five years ago. All of the students, except the ones from Essex, have left their own high school and friends behind to try their hand at professional cooking. “They leave the comfort and warmth of their home school for a place where they don’t know anyone,” said chef Brian McMann, an instructor. “They turn into a little family here; they learn team work.” Chef John Dowman describes the program as “a balance of learning and real world feel.” The students study in two-week rotations between the kitchen, the bakery and the front of the house. They are educated in everything from table service and presentation to pies, cakes and knife skills. Liz Goddette, 17, was monitoring two simmering cauldrons of enchilada sauce. Goddette hopes to attend the Culinary Institute of America next year. Neither she, nor her classmate Jacob Wallis, 17, of Colchester are fazed by the pressures of professional cooking. “I love it; it’s a good experience,” Goddette said. “It really gets you ready. You see everyone’s weaknesses and strengths.” As Goddette tends to her sauce, Wallis carefully minces fresh thyme for the wild rice soup. “Sometimes it’s hard, but the pressure is fun,” Wallis said. Every Friday the second-year students are out of the kitchen and into the classroom, honing their a mock-restaurant business model with such details as food cost and pricing, ordering, labor needs, funding and even the decor. Wallis’ restaurant is modeled after a steakhouse; Goddette’s is planned as a smaller cafe-style spot. From the second-year students Dowman estimates about one-third go directly into the restaurant industry, another third decides the business isn’t for them and the final third feeds into higher education culinary schools, such as Vermont’s New England Culinary Institute.
For FULL STORY, go to: the Burlington Free Press, 11/13/09
www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20091113/LIVING06/9
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