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

Obama wants longer school year - President wants longer school day, more time in class and shorter school year to compete with schools in other nations. “Now, I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas,” the president said earlier this year. “Not with Malia and Sasha, not in my family, and probably not in yours. But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom.” (AP)

New twist on female hazing – ‘Slut List’ at prestigious NJ school shows taunts are more explicit and that it is now a badge of honor to be taunted, to be labeled as sexually promiscuous. “Being on the list means you are rich, you wear expensive clothing, and probably fall under the general umbrella of attractiveness. Essentially, the slut list is the Goldman Sachs daughters list, a distorted assertion of wealth and power within a highly pressured upper middle class environment.” (NY Times)

Teens struggle to adjust from weight loss surgery – Stories of three San Diego teens who lost a combined 250 pounds through gastric-bypass surgery. “I thought I was going to just lose all the weight and everything would be good,” said Shelby, now 18, who gradually dropped 90 pounds after surgery in October 2007 but put back 13 this past summer. “I still like to eat as much as I did before, and I still dislike exercising.” (SD Tribune)

Challenges of h.s. to college transition – 90% of high school graduates want to attend college, 72% enroll but only 41% ever complete a 2- or 4-year college.  According to the author, the reasons students struggle in college: lack basic math and English skills, lack of work habits and study skills, and difficulty adjusting to a new environment. (KC Star)

(∆) Durham celebrates ‘Banned Book Week’ - At a library event on Sunday, actors recreated scenes from ‘A Clockwork Orange,’ ‘Go Tell It on The Mountain,” How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents,’ etc.  Other events to follow this week.  (Durham Herald)

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

Parents complain about h.s. hazing – At the top high school in New Jersey, senior girls create a “slut list’ of freshman girls that is distributed throughout the school.  They also physically harass certain freshman girls.  Interviewed freshmen claimed to not know of any hazing but one girl later admitted that no one wanted to be the one to name names.  One parent says her child will never feel safe again in the school while another parents says hazing is a tradition and that parents are being too sensitive.  (NY Times)

Young bloggers have ear of fashion heavyweights – Alie Suvelor, who started online fashion magazine Dirrty Glam when she was 18, is one of many young bloggers competing with traditional publications.  TeenUgly editors were invited to Fashion Week this year while Sea of Shoes teen editor created her own line of shoes for Urban Outfitters. “There are very respected fashion journalists that can evaluate the state of the market. However I don’t see how a fashion editor’s perspective on a Prada shoe is more valid than that of a teen blogger in Evanston, Illinois.” (NY Times)

Rivals cooperate on TD for player with Down syndrome – With his freshman football team trailing 46-0, a coach in Kansas City asked the opposing defense if they would allow a player with Down syndrome to run a play.  They allowed him to score a TD. “It’s just amazing how one play can mean so much to one kid and then to a team and then to a community,” the coach said.  (KC Star)

Teen model wins environmental award – San Francisco teen Erin Schrode started environmental group Teens Turning Green and also created eco-friendly line of body care products. “I think for my generation, being green is hip,” Schrode said. “It’s cool. It’s not the granola-hemp-Birkenstock-hippie-thing of the past. And it’s only becoming more mainstream.” (SF Chronicle)

Cursive writing is a lost skill – Schools are now teaching technology instead of penmanship. “I am not sure students have a sense of any reason why they should vest their time and effort in writing a message out manually when it can be sent electronically in seconds,” said an education professor.  Apparently, this same conversation was discussed when typewriters became popular.  (AP)

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

 Independent college advisers – Charge families up to $40,000 to guide students through the college application process although there are no guarantees. “It’s annoying when people complain about the money,” the Vermont-based counselor, Michele Hernandez, said. “I’m at the top of my field. Do people economize when they have a brain tumor and are looking for a neurosurgeon? If you want to go with someone cheaper, or chance it, don’t hire me.” (NY Times)

(∆) Girls reaching puberty earlier – Studies show girls now reaching puberty at average age of 10, but as early as 7. Some scientists believe chemicals in household cleaners and hormones in meat and dairy are responsible but there in not enough data for a certain link. 13 and in eighth grade, people have mistaken Kayla Madia for a college student.”It’s very odd having people ask me if I’m in college when I’m in middle school,” Kayla said. “I didn’t realize I looked that old to them. (WRAL) photo by wjzo.com

 Pregnancy, STDS on rise again for US teens – After 14 years of progress, study by Center for Disease Control shows numbers headed in the wrong direction.  Same study reported one-third of adolescents hadn’t received instruction on methods of birth control before age 18. (ABC News) photo by wjzo.com

 Chris Brown apologizes for assault – In video to fans: “I’ve told Rihanna countless times and I’m telling you today, I’m truly, truly sorry that I wasn’t able to handle the situation both differently and better.” (MTV)

 

 

 School shooting game banned from Iphone – Developer of Zombie School says game “is not promoting school shooting; it’s rather promoting elimination of zombies to protect the humans.” (Wired)

10 best Iphone apps for college – Dictionary.com. Kindle, Pi Cubed, etc. (US News)

 Is childhood obesity child abuse? – SC mother charged with criminal neglect for allowing 14-year-old son to reach 555 pounds. “If she’s found guilty on those criminal charges, you have set a precedent that opens Pandora’s box,” Grant Varner says. “Where do you go next?” (USA Today)

 

 Tokyo park repels teens – To stop minor vandalism in park, authorities are using the Mosquito MK4 Anti-Vandal System, which emits a high-pierced whine that adults can’t hear but teenagers can. (Washington Post)

 

 Borders opens teen section – Stores will stock graphic novels, fantasy and young-adult titles together, where the music used to be. At a time when book retailing is slumping, young-adult titles and graphic novels are still delivering growth. (Wall St. Journal)

 

 Obituary of author/teacher Frank McCourt – From Angela’s Ashes: “When I look back on my childhood, I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: The happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.” (NY Times) photo by John Sotomayor

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

(∆) Hillside golfer 1st to make regionals – Andre Jones has a 6-handicap after playing for only three years.  He “often notices that at some tournaments he’s the only African-American there, but he’s not concerned with issues of race while on the links.” He also has a 4.0 G.P.A. (N&O) photo by John Rottet

(∆) NASCAR pioneer helps teen with full scholarship - Humpy Wheeler read a newspaper profile of Angela Padilla-Ramirez, who was postponing her college plans until her step-father returned from Afghanistan, and decided to help her with a $88,000 scholarship to Belmont Abbey College. “I just like to help people out and particularly people who are having a tough time,” Wheeler said. (N&O)

(∆) Class gift dedicated to retiring principal - Students, community raise funds to construct outdoor classroom dedicated to retiring principal of East Chapel Hill High School, David Thaden. (Durham Herald)

‘Gangsta’ gene – A study of 2,000 U.S. teens concludes that males with a particular form of gene called MAOA are twice as likely to join a gang and use a weapon to commit violence. (ABC News)

Phony ticket scam bars hundreds from graduation – Families with legitimate tickets prevented from entering ceremony filled with spectators holding fake tickets.  (Mercury News)

14-year-old discovers supernova – N.Y. teen youngest person to ever discover a supernova, used a small telescope. (US News)

Students, school battle over skirt length – 100 British high school students staged a walkout to protest new rule mandating longer hemlines. “At issue were the teensy skirts that head teacher Jane Holland said made male teachers walking behind the girls confused over “where to look.’” (NY Daily News)

Monday’s teen news (local)

Enloe High senior speaks from heart - In a graduation speech to fifth graders, 18-year-old Aziel Faison offered his own life as evidence that change is always possible. (N&O)

The challenges of leaving foster care - Profile of recently emancipated 18-year-old Deshaun. “Within 18 months of leaving foster care, only 54% of those who have aged out of the system have earned high school diplomas while 84% have become parents, 51% were unemployed and 25 percent had been homeless.” (Herald-Sun)

N&O’s H.S. Athletes of the Year – Boys, girls, and profiles of Adam Flur of Northern Durham and Adrianne Soo of Durham Academy.

Durham Hillside principal resigns – Earl Pappy leaves after only three years. “Fabian Burch, who recently graduated from Hillside High, said the school ‘was kind of a crazy place to be, kind of wild and frantic and crazy’ before Pappy arrived. He credited the principal with turning the school around.” (WRAL)