4/02/10 Local teen news

Life in foster care - Riverside High School profile of a young man who lived in various foster homes during his teenage years.  “I went to six different places.  I started to keep my stuff in trash bags because I was tired of moving so much.  The systemʼs messed up; once you get in its hard to get out. You have no control. If you want a group of people to decide whats best for you, then foster care is for you.” (Pirate’s Hook)

Student review of Ipad Touch – ECHHS student offers lukewarm review of Ipad, saying that many of the features are already available on other Apple products and that other issues that still need to be worked-out.  However, the iPad was designed to target a specific audience: people who are not skilled with computers. In this regard, the iPad is a wonderful present for say, Grandma. Yet the device may actually encourage computer illiteracy, as people may settle for this tablet instead of gaining the basic skills necessary to use a laptop or desktop. (The ECHO)

Profile of KHS drum major – Student profile of multi-instrumentalist Tram Quach and her many responsibilities as the drum major of an award-winning high school band.  “They’ve become a close knit family,” says Quach. If one is in trouble the rest will come to their rescue. Quach discovered that it is the drum major’s job to take care of everyone in the band and watch over them all even if there is no beforehand knowledge of how to do the job. She explained, “Even if you come from no where and are totally lost, you’ve got to act like you know what you’re doing.” (Knight’s Scroll)

CHHS student raising funds for refugee youth – Profile of Maddy Kameny, who is trying to raise money to send local Thai and Burmese youth to summer camps. Kameny knew refugee children struggling to learn English in school could benefit from more interaction with English-speaking children their own age and thought summer camp would be a good opportunity. She then worked with Carolina Friends School to arrange for eight refugees, aged 7 to 13, to attend the school’s day camps. (Carrboro Citizen)

Monday’s teen news – local(∆) and national

Foster child earns $1 million in scholarships – Derrius Quarles bounced from foster home to foster home before living on his own at 17, all while earning $1 million in scholarships and full tuition offers from 5 universities, including Morehouse College where he now attends.“You can’t go around thinking you are inferior just because you didn’t have parents,” he says. “For me, it’s about knowing where you are from and accepting it, but more important, knowing where you are going.” (Chicago Tribune)

(∆) NC A&T debates rapper’s appearance – Gucci Mane, who celebrates his allegiance to the Bloods gang, is scheduled to appear at NC A&T’s homecoming.Chancellor Harold Martin has said the school doesn’t want to censor any artist, but gang activity and drug dealing aren’t the things that should be showcased when welcoming alumni and celebrating the university. (My NC)

Column: Is Derrion Albert the new Emmit Till? – Hopefully, Derrion’s death will become a tipping point for the Black community and the country as a whole. Maybe, he will become a martyr  for Black on Black crime  as Emmit Till was to white racism, and the video of his beating will provoke the same anger against Black on Black crime that the Rodney King video did against police brutality. (News One)

(∆) Charlotte teen prostitution ring busted – Traffickers and pimps bring in young girls from poor countries, force them to have sex with as many as 100 men a week. The FBI estimates that some 18,000 people are trafficked into the United States for sex or forced labor. About a fourth end up in the Southeast; thousands come to the Carolinas. (News and Observer)

Tuesday’s teen news – local(∆) and national

Documentary profiles school’s organic farm – Grown in Detroit features Catherine Ferguson Academy, a public school for pregnant girls that graduates 90% of their students and maintains a farm of organic vegetables and animals. (Time)

Profile of Lebron filmmaker - Kristopher Belman was just a 21-year-old film student looking for a class project when he began making the documentary of Lebron and his teammates seven years ago.  The deal was for him to originally just shoot a single practice but he kept returning day after day. Still, the project was going nowhere until Lebron saw a director’s cut, now the movie is in theaters. (LA Times)

How homeless children cope in Durham – Discussion of Daniel’s obstacles in the classroom and at home. (News and Observer)

Profile of popular school in Queens – Schools was built for 2,400 students but has twice as many.  First period lunch starts at 8:57 a.m. and the last classes don’t end until almost 7. “We’re big because we’re good and people want to send their kids here,” said Francis Lewis’s principal, Musa Ali Shama. “But how much longer can we keep getting bigger and stay great? There comes a point where too much is too much.” (NY Times)

Schools offering seminars on teen dating violence – 1 in 10 teens experience physical violence while dating, experts conclude violence is learned from families and culture.”Everyone agrees that violence is learned,” Wolfe says. “Someone is teaching it.” He points the finger at the violent and abusive culture kids absorb in adolescence. “It is worse today because of all the different media they can be exposed to,” he says, such as cyberbullying and video games. “Violence is entertainment. It’s fun. They take out their cell phones whenever there is a fight. They put it on YouTube.” (NPR)

Wednesday’s teen news- local(∆) and national

Obama speech featured Chicago student – Despite bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest part of Chicago, Shantell Steve found work at a health care center, started an anti-gang program  and is on-track to graduate with honors.  Obama said, “They aren’t any different from any of you. They face challenges in their lives just like you do. In some cases, they’ve got it a lot worse off than many of you. But they refused to give up.They chose to take responsibility for their lives, for their education, and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.” (Sun-Times)

(∆) Clayton votes against teen curfew – Town council changed their mind after hearing from town residents. Mayor Jody McLeod said some business leaders feared a curfew would deter new businesses from coming to Clayton. “There is a stigma that goes with youth-curfew ordinances,” he said. (News and Observer)

L.A. Times review of ‘Glee’ – Although there are definite problems, “it’s one of the best shows of the fall season.” (LA Times)

(∆) Michael Jordan as a NC kid – As MJ gets inducted into the Hall of Fame this weekend, the News and Observer goes to Wilmington to see where it all started. “I don’t care what you did with him, he wanted to be No. 1,” Neher remembered. “If we ran laps, he wanted to be the first one to finish them. When we laid down bunts, he wanted do the best on the most. Between innings, after getting the third out, he’d be the first one in the dugout; that’s just the way he was.” (News and Observer)

Houston: Highest teen pregnancy rate in US – Houston Chronicle editorial criticizes Texas’ “Just Say No” Abstinence Program that has cost taxpayers $1 billion while the teen pregnancy rate continues to raise.  Instead, the editorial favors a program called Education Works. (Houston Chronicle)

Vick tells Philly students of his ‘dark side’ – Speaking without notes, Michael Vick told high school to avoid the dangers of peer pressure and to never just follow the crowd. “I was influenced by so many people when I should have been a leader, not a follower.” (AP)

Monday’s teen news – local(∆) and national

High schools attempt to ban freak dancing – Students left a homecoming dance last fall en masse after a Kansas school disallowed grinding.  With similar rules, a different Kansas school canceled a dance at 9 p.m. after only 6 kids showed up. “Everybody’s staying away,” Salina junior Tayshaw Long told the Salina Journal. “We can’t dance the way we dance.” (Kansascity.com)

Advice question – Is it fair to ask teen to contribute summer job money to family budget? (Washington Post)

(∆) Maya Angelou addresses Duke freshman – Tells story of FOX executive using a racial slur in her presence, encourages students to see all people as human beings. (Duke Chronicle)

Teens without papers face extra challenges – Raised by the LA welfare system, Jamal King does not have a single piece of identification. He can’t open a bank account, obtain a job, receive government benefits, enroll in higher education.”It’s like I don’t exist,” King said. (LA Times)

Teens abuse of ADD drugs soaring – Trips to the emergency room for abuse of ADD drugs is up 76% in last eight years.  Use of other people’s prescription pills, according to experts, can lead to life-threatening symptoms.  (Newsday)

Profiles of 5 extraordinary teens - Diverse listing of teens who have brought attention to important causes. (Charlotte Examiner)

(∆) Jury foreman speaks of Castillo verdict - Jurors wanted to do more for the mentally ill defendant who had suffered such a hard knock life, but the foreman said they were bound by law to convict him to a life in prison.  (N&O)

Average gamer not teen, but 35 and overweight – The average gamer, far from being a teen, is actually a 35-year-old man who is overweight, aggressive, introverted — and often depressed, according to a report  from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Wired)