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

(∆)Durham skate park a big draw – Skaters from across the state and nation are coming to Durham to ride the new skate park.  “This a probably one of the most innovative skateparks I’ve been to in a long time,” said skater Willie Hausmannn, 20, of Ocean City, Md. “It’s perfect for the city. Very perfect. It’s a place to give all the kids an opportunity to get better at something and feel free. I love it.” (Herald-Sun)

(∆) Durham police to enforce skate helmet law - Durham police will begin issuing citations of fines up to $140 to skaters at the Durham Skate Park who are not wearing helmets and protective pads. ”If you’re 18 and up, it should be your choice whether you want to wear pads or not,” an adult skater said. “But like the little kids that were out here, there is a good reason why you should wear pads, because some little kids are just stepping on a skateboard, and they’re going to fall.” (Herald-Sun)

Teen sex magazine to stay in Iowa library – Over 100 parents signed a petition Sex Etc. from the shelves, but the Ames Library Board voted 6-1 to keep the magazine which is written by teens and addresses teen sexuality issues, substance abuse and eating disorders. (Fox News)

Lambert’s man on man kiss ‘in the moment‘ – “I do feel like there’s a bit of a double standard in the entertainment community, on television, on radio,” Lambert said of kissing his male keyboard player at the AMA awards. “I feel like women performers have been pushing the envelope, especially, for the past 20 years. And all of the sudden a male does it and everybody goes ‘Oh, we can’t show that on TV.’ For me, that’s a form of discrimination and a double standard. And that’s too bad.”  Taylor Swift defeated Michael Jackson as artist of the year. (CNN)

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

(∆) Greensboro program pays teens $1 a day not to get pregnant – Girls in the College Bound Sisters program attend 90-minute meetings every week where they receive lessons on abstinence and contraception use.  For every week they remain in school and not pregnant, $7 is deposited into a fund which they collect when they enroll in college.  According to the director, only six girls out of the 125 girls who have enrolled in the program since 1997 have dropped out or become pregnant. (Fox News)

(∆) ECHHS cheerleading team wins BET contest – Link to ‘sassy but classy’ performance on BET.

(∆) NC sex ed classes to be more comprehensive – The House narrowly passed a bill 60-55 that will allow for more information about contraceptives and STDs but the overall curriculum will remain abstinence based.  NC ranks 9th in the nation in teenage pregnancy rates. (N&O)

Supreme Court rules strip search violated teen’s rights – In a 8-1 decision, the Supreme Court ruled school officials violated a 13-year-old girl’s 4th Amendment rights by strip searching her for prescription-strength ibuprofen.  However, the Court did state that school officials had a right to search her outer garments and backpack.  Judge Clarence Thomas was the lone dissenter and said this decision alerts students as to where they can safely hide drugs. (NYT)

Homeless teen hopes for Harvard – Kenneth Chancey of Los Angeles is top of his class, student body president, starting running back on the football team and homeless.

Ga. home schoolers form football league – Not allowed to play on local high school teams, home schoolers formed successful 8 team Glory for Christ Football League. (NYT) photo by Mike Tierney

Chicago public schools to test teens for STDs – 11th and 12th grades will be voluntarily tested and treated in the health centers at six high schools.  Cook County leads the nation in reported cases of gonorrhea and is second in cases of chlamydia.

N.Y. teen surfer making waves – 17-year-old Belaram Stack is competing in national h.s. championships this weekend and will turn professional this summer.“I’ve had countless times where people have said: ‘You’re from New York? Is there even an ocean there?’ ”said Stack. (NY Times) photo by Mike Nelson

Mother charged with changing daughter’s grades – A Pa. high school secretary raised her daughter’s grades (and lowered others) to improve her class ranking. (Modesto Bee)

Interview with Michael Jackson by Regina Jones – Vibe Magazine