4/26/10 Local college news

 Barrel Monster creator gains commissions – NC State student Joe Carnevale, first famous for his barrel monsters, has recently become an unofficial artist-in-residence in Raleigh, including his latest piece Sir-Trash-A-Lot.  One of his other big passions is what he calls urban adventure, which, he said in an interview last year, involves things such as climbing tall stuff he really shouldn’t. Indeed, he has a Web site about this passion, which features pictures and stories of surreptitious expeditions into construction sites, the tops of bridges and whatever lies beneath manhole covers. (N&O)

 Want better grades? Go to private college - A recent study shows that average GPA’s has increase 0.1 per decade from 2.52. in the 1950s to 3.11 now, with the majority of grade inflation coming from private colleges. The authors suggest that these laxer grading standards may help explain why private school students are over-represented in top medical, business and law schools and certain Ph.D. programs: Admissions officers are fooled by private school students’ especially inflated grades. (NYTimes)

 Student designers show, critique work – NC State textile program has changed their senior class to include two critiques and a final fashion show of a six-piece collection. Kristen DePalmo’s collection revolves around resort wear and uses braids and knots as embellishments. She began gathering inspiration and sketching over Christmas break.“I wanted to make a line that would simplify packing,” DePalmo says, citing her personal inability to pack light. “It’s elegant and mix-and-match. You can slip on a long dress that would also double as a cover-up.” (Indy)

 Why do h.s. students want to go to Duke? - As written by a Duke student.  My roommate, on the other hand, said she preferred the Fiske Guide to Colleges when she was school searching, and it sings similar praises. “What fun to be a Dukie—face painted blue, rocking Cameron Indoor Stadium as the Blue Devils score again. Duke is the most prestigious private university in the South—similar to Rice in selectivity and academically competitive with the Ivies and Stanford.” It does mention that, “Students say language development is weak” and that “Students of different ethnicities and races tend to ‘self-segregate,’ students say, producing little tension but also little interaction.” (Duke Chronicle)

Interview with photographer Sarah Harrison

Sarah Harrison, a senior in Rita Rathbone’s photography program at Durham Riverside High School, recently earned a Gold Key Award from Barton Art Galleries for her well-conceived photography portfolio of students enrolled in the Special Education program at Riverside. What is your background in photography? Sarah Harrison: Ms. Rathbone has taught me photography at Riverside for the past three years. I took Photo One as a sophomore, Two and Three as a junior, and now, as a senior, I am in Portfolio. What do you enjoy about photography? I have always loved expressing myself artistically and photography is a perfect medium for me to do so. I tend to create a vision for what I want my art to look like and photography allows me to capture that vision. How would you describe your philosophy with regards to photography? Most of my work is planned, thought out, and has a specific goal. I am not the type of photographer who brings a camera with them and snaps what appears to be beautiful. I usually have an intended message that I attempt to convey, however I love different interpretations of my work. Where did you get the idea for this portfolio? My photography teacher at Riverside, Rita Rathbone, suggested this project to me. The teachers of the special needs class asked her if any of her students would take pictures for a class project. They wanted to hang up pictures of their students on the classroom wall. I had just shifted my style from formalism to portraits and Ms. Rathbone thought it would be an interesting project for me and challenge me to move away from my comfort zone.

What was the actual process in producing this work? I talked to the teachers of the class to get an idea of what they wanted to get from this project. They asked for very simple, black and white portraits of each student. I shot the photos in the special needs classroom. I set up black sheets and studio lighting next to a large window. I utilized natural light because the weather was perfect. It was overcast the entire week and soft lighting is exactly what I wanted. I normally work with a 35-mm camera, but for this project I wanted to work in digital so I could have an unlimited amount of shots. I used a Nikon D-90 on manual. My editing process was pretty minor. I converted to black and white in Photoshop and enhanced contrast where needed. How would you describe your experience in working with the students and what was their reaction to the final project? Learning the unique qualities of each student was an enlightening experience. I was nervous about photographing these students because I was worried I might disappoint their teachers or families, but everyone was very supportive and easy going. I spent time in the class with the teachers and peer helpers and they helped me get to know each student. For one photo shoot I sang Mary Had a Little Lamb the entire time because it was the girl’s favorite song. For another student, Pablo, I spoke Spanish because that is the language his family speaks to him in. I have a story like this for every person I photographed in the class and learning about them helped me to acknowledge them as unique individuals.

What do you hope that your photos achieve in this project, what do you hope viewers are able to take away from this series? I hope the viewers will gain insight into each of these beautiful people and learn, like I did, that each one of them is unique and beautiful. What are your future photography plans? Although photography was my first love, my future aspirations deal with motion pictures. Next year I will be studying filmmaking at Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.

3/19/10 National Teen News

Teen diagnosed with carpal tunnel from texting – 16-year-old girl is forced to wear arm braces after developing carpal tunnel from texting 300-400 messages a day.  Symptoms start gradually and include not being able to grasp things or losing your grip, frequent burning, tingling or itching numbness in the palm of the hand and the fingers — especially the thumb and the index and middle fingers.”I still prefer texting,” said Annie, “but I’ve learned that some communication is not worth it.” (Sun-Times)

Photo program for teen girls – A Harlem museum is in the 10th year of providing digital cameras to young people in a successful effort to allow low-income teen girls to document their lives.  One girl who had grown up in foster families decided to photograph those families. Another girl, who was born with a physical disability, decided to document children in similar circumstances. A girl who had lost her mother suddenly at age 11 found herself taking pictures of mothers and daughters together on the street at surreptitious angles, with the lens implying the longing, envious eye of a motherless child. (NYTimes)

Lesbian teen sues school to have prom – With the help of the ACLU, Constance McMillen is suing her Mississippi school district for canceling prom instead of allowing her to bring a female date to prom.  “I want my prom experience to be the same as all of the other students, a night to remember with the person I’m dating,” McMillen said. (AP) Also, designer Zach Posen says his latest line for Target is now inspired by “Lesbian Proms.” (Jezebel)

3/05/10 Local Teen News

CHHS art show focuses on Haiti – Students created art using the events of Haiti as inspiration and are selling the works at a local coffee shop with proceeds going to American Red Cross.  “Kids feel like they want to help and contribute something, but that they don’t have a lot that they can offer,” Watson said. “This gave them an opportunity to give something of themselves.” (Carrboro Commons)

Should schools require minimum GPA for athletes - Daily Tar Heel column argues that all high schools should follow Chapel Hill’s consideration of requiring athletes to maintain a 2.0 GPA instead of the current policy which requires students to pass 5 classes the previous semester.  Sure, some of these students are aspiring to play professional sports after high school. But most of them will not make it, and the school board owes it to every student to ensure they are prepared to join the work force or enrol in post-secondary education. (Daily Tar Heel)

6 local students selected as Park Scholars - 6 Triangle winners were among the 53 Park Scholars who receive a full-ride at NC State and other stipends, valued at $80,000.  Nicole Doris Roscoe from Chatham Central High School and plans to major in biology. Ansilta Zulima De Luca-Westrate from Durham Academy and plans to major in elementary education. Madhulika Vulimiri of Morrisville from Enloe High School and plans to major in biology or public health. Alex Jin-Wei Chin from Broughton High School and plans to major in mathematics and physics. William Hampton Coe from Sanderson High School and plans to major in philosophy. Stephen Thomas West from Trinity Academy and plans to major in aerospace engineering. (N&O)

“Alternative Spring Break” – More and more college students are foregoing the beaches of Florida and instead opting to volunteer for public service projects around the nation and world.  ”Some students come back saying they’ll change their major or career path,”Samantha Giacobozzi says. “Some come back and think differently about the world a little bit. Many students think it was best experience of their lives.” (US News)

Millbrook H.S. Winterfest (photos)

(CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE – photos by wjzo.com)

Millbrook High School Winterfest