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)

1/12/10 Teen news: Local(∆) and national

13-year-old fashion blogger finds fame – Author of the Style Rookie blog, Tavi Gevinson sits front row at Fashion Week and is the youngest author to ever appear in Harper’s Bazaar.“Life is boring in 6th grade,” said Tavi, whose blog debuted in March 2008 with a short entry titled The New Girl in Town. “It seemed like it would liven things up.” (Seattle Times)

Woman who hid Anne Frank dies – Miep Gies hid Anne Frank’s family from the Nazis for two years and first discovered her diary but refused to read it because it would violate Frank’s privacy. “Imagine young people would grow up with the feeling that you have to be a hero to do your human duty. I am afraid nobody would ever help other people, because who is a hero? I was not. I was just an ordinary housewife and secretary.” (USA Today)

(∆) Magazine may divulge gang secrets – Diamond Resort Magazine follows the case of Donald Shealey who is jail for life on drug charges and reprints witness testimony with photos.“People are already afraid to give information anonymously,” said Donna-maria Harris, whose 24-year-old son was one of four men murdered inside a West Durham townhouse five years ago. “Now we have a magazine that’s printing information about who comes forward, with their names and pictures. To me it’s just one step above kiddie porn. It comes across as an intimidation tactic.” (N&O)

Study: Wake Co. schools doesn’t challenge – SAS report concludes that school system gives low-income students a pass by lowering expectations for them simply because of their socio-economic status.  (MY NC)

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

(∆) Cary teen hosts free tennis camp – Aneesh Kodali of Car y Academy runs the Kids for Kids camp which seeks to introduce tennis to disadvantaged youth.  The camp started with only 30 participants last year but already has 130 campers this year.  “I wanted to combine my desire to do volunteer work with my passion for tennis,” Kodali explained. (MyNC.com)

Texas ed. chief wants ban on hiring H.S. dropouts – State Education Commissioner Robert Scott said businesses in Texas should quit hiring school-age dropouts to force those teenagers to either remain in school or continue their education elsewhere, such as through an online program. Business leaders appear unwilling to participate, arguing that the schools need to do a better job preventing dropouts. (Dallas News)

In program giving cash, more pass A.P exams – The Reach program pays students at 31 NYC high schools $1,000 if they pass an AP exam.  The number of students passing the test increased from 1,161 to 1,240 but critics are skeptical that such cash for success programs are effective. (NYT)

Mandatory screening for teen depression? - Some pediatricians and mental health professionals believe that many teen suicides can be prevented through a five- to 10-minute questionnaire that singles out at-risk teens for follow-up diagnosis and treatment. Experts in the story debate whether the screening should be mandatory.  Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people in the US. (LA Times)

Teen’s sight improving after stem-cell transfusion – Lawrence Brown of Texas traveled to China for a stem-cell transfusion, a medical practice not endorsed in the US. Two weeks later, he says his sight has already begun to improve. (Dallas News)

Chinese teen dies at Internet rehabilitation clinic -“My son was very healthy and was not a criminal. He just had an Internet addiction when I left him at the camp,” Deng Fei tells the paper. “We can’t believe our only son was beaten to death.” A survey last year found that more than 10% of China’s 100 million teenage Internet users are Internet addicts. (USA Today)

Top new career: statistics – The rising stature of statisticians, who can earn $125,000 at top companies in their first year after getting a doctorate, is a byproduct of the recent explosion of digital data.“I keep saying that the sexy job in the next 10 years will be statisticians,” said Hal Varian, chief economist at Google. “And I’m not kidding.” (NY Times)

Parents: Taliban brainwashing teens to become suicide bombers -“I am ready to carry out a suicide attack against any target with approval of my ameer (chief),” said 15-year-old Hamad, who claimed he received 40 days of training from the Taliban after being snatched last year. “The Taliban completely brainwashed my son, who was studying in ninth grade. He is now even more violent and doesn’t let his mother and sisters watch TV, calling it un-Islamic,” Furqan said. (AFP)