2/9/10 Teen news: local(∆) and national

(∆)NCSSM senior is finalist in Intel Search – Lanair Lett is the only NC student to reach the final round of the 2010 Intel Science Talent Search and has already won a $30,000 scholarship from the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology.  “Lanair’s a very hard worker,” said Jeffery Tessem, a post-doctoral fellow at Duke who supervised Lett’s summer research. “I think that’s one of his best qualities. He’s extremely smart, I don’t want to take away from his intelligence, but I think he shows a high level of dedication that you don’t always see in people his age group.” (Durham Herald)

(∆)Parents sue over CHHS player’s death – The family of Chapel Hill High School football player Atlas Fraley is suing Orange County for alleged negligence in not providing proper care that could have saved the life of the 17-year-old. “Atlas was only 17 years old when he called 911 desperately trying to get the emergency medical care that he needed,” Donald Strickland, the lawyer for the Fraley family, said on Saturday. “He got an EMS worker to his house, but he received no medical care and was left home alone to die alone.” (N&O)

(∆)Raleigh ad company wins Doritos contest – 5 Point Productions earned $650,000 for their 30-second ‘Underdog’ Superbowl ad, the second time this company of young producers has won this contest.  MSNBC also lists their best and worst Superbowl commercials.  (WRAL)

LA student sent home for Colts jersey - A Louisiana high school student who moved from Indiana three years ago was sent home for wearing a Colts jersey on a day the principal encouraged students to wear Saints jerseys.  “If they tell other students to support their team, why can’t I support mine?” Brandon Frost, 17, told The Associated Press. “I thought I remember him saying, ‘If you like Indiana so much, why don’t you go back?”‘ (CBS Evening News)

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

STD’s among teens still on rise - Researchers point to abstinence-only sex education for continual increase of chlamydia, gonorrhea,and  syphillis. “Overall, CDC estimates that 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur each year, almost half among 15- to 24-year-olds.” (MSNBC)

(∆) Teen researcher could win $100,000 – NC School of Science and Math senior Lanair Lett has reached the finals of the 2009 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology for his work on genes and diabetes.”My grandmother always told me that talent is ten percent and everything else is hard work,” the 17 year-old said with a big grin on his face. “I think I’m more of a testament to that than being a whiz kid.” (MY NC)

ACORN ‘prostitute’ is conservative rock star - Conference of conservatives honors Hannah Giles, the young woman who initiated and starred in the “pimp and ho” video that took down ACORN. In her lecture Friday about how to take down liberal organizations and expose what she called media corruption, Giles sought to stir others to action. “Above all, attack, attack, attack,” she said, quoting Republican consultant Roger Stone. “Never defend.” (LA Times)

‘Unfriend’ is 2009 dictionary’s ‘Word of the Year’ - New Oxford American Dictionary’s 2009 Word of the Year’s other finalists were netbook and sexting. (News and Observer)

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

(∆) Teen earns awards for science discoveries – For discoveries about how tiny particles of mercury clump together, 17-year-old Eileen Jang of the School of Science and Math has won science contests across the world, including a trip next month to Sweden to collect her prize in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize Competition. She will attend Yale this fall. (News & Observer) photo by TAKAAKI IWABU

Should teens have credit cards? – This editorial by the Wall Street Journal says yes. (WSJ)

(∆) Wilson teens on MTV tonight -Jamereo Artis and Gregory Cox are two hopefuls on P. Diddy’s “Making His Band” reality show. (News & Observer)

Teens girls in finals of demolition derby - Standing at barely five-foot, two inches tall, Abby’s pit crew had to put foam mats behind her back so she could reach the pedals. She doesn’t even have her driver’s license yet.”I figure we’ll get all the crashes out of the way first,” joked her father. (Daily Herald) photo by Scott Sanders

TN uses stimulus money to create teen jobs – Tennessee has used $25 million in stimulus money to create 12,000 teen jobs.  The workers say they are using their money to buy clothes or to pay household bills. (Tennessean) photo by Larry McCorrmack

Indian teens rap about tribal problems – More specifically, prescription pill and gambling addictions on the reservation. (Seattle PI) photo by Noah Friedman

Funny young adult novels – The movie I Love You Beth Cooper does not do the book justice, as recommended by the Kansas City Star.

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

(∆) Minimum wage rises to $7.25 – Higher wages and more consumer spending but will small businesses be forced to lay-off workers to pay higher wages? 78,000 workers earn minimum wage in NC. (News & Observer) photo by Ted Richardson

New dorms for 1st-gen college students – First-generation college students are often overwhelmed, only 11% graduate in six years.  In response, the University of Cincinnati is experimenting with a new dorm just for first-gen students. In addition to strict rules, there are in-house tutoring and study sessions — sometimes mandatory, depending on a student’s grades. There is advising, counseling and mentoring by faculty members, administrators and peers. The program coordinator, Judith Mause, teaches a yearlong course for credit on the first year of college; it focuses on topics like study skills and time management. (NY Times) photo by Tom Uhlman

Nordstrom launches Twilight clothing line - Just in time for New Moon. (Charlotte Examiner)

Are “black covers” segregated in book stores? – YA novel about black girl uses photo of white girl on cover because publishers claim that “black covers don’t sell.” (Jezebel)

Book: Lebron struggled with fame in H.S. – In his autobiography ‘Shooting Stars,’ Leborn says he became arrogant and let celebrity get to his head and that he also smoked marijuana his junior year. (Sports Illustrated)

Amputee works to help others - Jordan Thomas lost both of his legs in a boating accident, then started a foundation that raises money to purchase top-quality prosthetics for other young people. “I’d really like to move into advocacy, giving a voice to the amputee community and just helping as many people as possible,” he said. “Just making a difference and letting these kids live normal and happy, productive lives.” (CNN) photo by Amy Chillag

(∆) Apex H.S. partners with China school -There are some major difference between Apex High and Jiangsu Yancheng Middle. The Chinese school has 12,000 students who live on the sprawling campus. There are also 800 teachers who hold classes six days a week with as many as 60 students in a classroom. (Apex Herald)

(∆) Advice: Paying for college in bad economy – A record number of students are applying for financial aid this year in NC but there is also more tuition money available.  According to this story, the first steps are to apply for FASFA and Pell grants, but there is more information available at the College Foundation of North Carolina website. (MyNC)

Dallas school’s tests investigated – 400 eight graders were forced to retake a standardized test after authorities noticed a significant number of erasures on the original test.  Scores plummeted on the retake, officials do not believe students were involved. (Dallas News)

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

(∆) Raleigh family has 3 valedictorians – Sister and two brothers all graduated top of class from Cardinal Gibbons and now attend Norte Dame. “It’s unbelievable,” said their mother, Mary Ann Enzweiler. “We don’t know what they did, but they’re so competitive with each other. When number one did it, number two did it. It’s contagious.” (News & Observer) photo by N&O

Half of HIV-positive teens unaware – According to a new study by the CDC, 48% of teens with HIV were unaware of their infection and less than 25% of sexually active teens ever get tested for HIV. (RedOrbit)

Valedictorians discuss future with NYTimes – Profiles and excerpts. “For our entire lives someone or somebody or some entity somewhere has been controlling what we do,” Ms. Edwards said. “I can’t imagine how liberating it’s going to be.” (NYTimes) photo by Beatrice de Gea

(∆) Top 10 teen novels of 2009 – According to Wake County Library.

NJ law grants immunity to teen drinkers – If a teen drinks too much and needs medical attention, a friend can call police without either person being charged for underage drinking. (Philly.com)

10 Warning Signs of Teen Dating Abuse – And 10 ways to protect yourself. (ABC News)

Terrible job market for teens – Many places not hiring and if they do, are hiring older workers who were recently laid-off.  Myra Arias said the sour economy has been driven home for her …. when she visited the sandwich shop where she had worked during high school and found a friend’s mother, laid off from a managerial job, behind the counter. (LA Times) photo by Allen Schaben

Fewer college scholarship opportunities – Recession has forced foundations, corporations, colleges and state governments to reduce their financial support for scholarships.  The result is more applications for loans and federal aid.  (NYTimes)

Urban high school has 0 dropouts – Untraditional, small public school in Camden, NJ teaches students to follow their passions. “Our students have the same issues, dilemmas and challenges as students at the larger high schools,” says principal Timothy Jenkins. The graduating class includes students who became pregnant or homeless but still made it through school. (AP) photo by Mike Derer

Study: 15% of teens think they’ll die young - Researchers claim that these teens engage in risky behavior because they believe they are likely to die before 35. The study, based on a survey of more than 20,000 kids, challenges conventional wisdom that says teens engage in risky behavior because they think they’re invulnerable to harm. (LA Times)