4/14/10 Teen News: Local(∆) and National

(∆)Sanderson H.S. hosts Alive at 25 event – A staged auto wreck, the grim reaper and speeches by parents of children caused in car crashes are all part of an assembly to encourage safer driving among teens.  Erin Smothers and two friends, all seniors, said they remember attending the first Alive at 25 as freshmen. They were impressed.”It was so realistic, it was kind of scary,” Smothers said.”This is one assembly people will talk about after,” said Rachel Clark, a senior. (N&O)

(∆)Profile of Phoenix Alternative H.S. - Daily Tar Heel editorial argues for the necessity of alternative high schools such as Pheonix Alternative in Chapel Hill, which has 43 students. Some students get sidetracked. Others have obligations that take them away from their studies. But regardless, all students deserve an opportunity to reach their potential. What makes Phoenix Academy — and others like it — work so well is its small size. Teachers are able to tailor to the specific needs of their students. (Daily Tar Heel)

(∆)Brother, sister help Shaw win – Lolia Kienka followed her older brother from Nigeria to Shaw, where both are the top-ranked tennis players on undefeated teams.  It’s a seriousness instilled by their father, Godwin Kienka, a self-taught tennis player who placed tennis balls in his children’s cribs. From the time they learned to walk, they swung rackets in the air. ”Their dad is like a tennis fanatic,” said Shaw coach Sunday Enitan, who is also from Nigeria. He brought the siblings to the university following their junior careers in Africa. (N&O)

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

Ky. school trip included baptisms – Parent upset with football coach who took 20 players on a voluntary field trip to a revival where her son got baptized without her knowledge.  She said she was told the trip was for a dinner and doesn’t understand how a city school bus could be used for a religious trip.  Other parents said they were the coach was offering to take players to a revival and that there is no problem since it was voluntary.  (USA Today)

(∆) Numbers of Wake Co. females in AP classes rising – Up 26% in biology, 47% in calculus in last three years, SAT scores between genders shrinking.  However, this year’s enrollment in advanced classes is hurt by budget cuts. (MY NC)

Teenage unemployment rate hits record high – 25% of teens who want work unable to find jobs, highest number since tracking started in 1948.  Reasons include: businesses hiring less seasonal labor, college graduates unable to find better jobs working traditional teen jobs, older workers not retiring, more teens entering college rather than working, etc. (NY Times)

NE prep school builds library without books – Cushing Academy is giving away 20,000 books and building a $500,000 virtual learning center with computers that can access millions of books.“When I look at books, I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books,’’ Cushing headmaster James Tracy told the Globe. “We’re not discouraging students from reading. We see this as a natural way to shape emerging trends and optimize technology.’’ (Fox News)

(∆) H.S. sports help build community – According to new book by assistant football coach at Durham Jordan High School, sports help build local community in an era where the sense of community is disappearing. (News & Observer) Photo by Ray Black III

US teen reaches US Open quarterfinals – 17-year-old Melanie Oudin is the story of the tournament, youngest American to reach this stage since Serena Williams. (Sports Illustrated)

Untucked shirts lead to suspensions – 85 students at a Pittsburgh area high school were sent home for violating their school’s dress code by refusing to tuck in their shirts.  The school says this dress code is necessary to make sure students are hiding anything in their clothes. (Philly.com)

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

Coach faces felony charges in death – Kentucky high school coach charged with reckless homicide after a player died during sprints at the end of practice.  The coach denied water to players until after sprints.  Coaches groups have raised $90,000 for his defense fund.”I think every coach in the nation should be behind this guy, because this could be any one of them,” Daugherty said. (Sports Illustrated)

College Republicans compiling list of liberal professors – University of Toledo Republicans claim they are not making the list to bash liberal professors, but rather to alert conservative students as to which professors will have a bias against them.  (Fox News)

Pledge, hijab confrontation leads to suspension – 16-year-old Heather Lawrence was suspended five days for bullying after demanding that a Muslim girl stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and to “take that thing off your head and act like you’re proud to be an American.” Although acknowledging his daughter should not have said the last part, her father did add, “”You have someone in the States who is able to enjoy our educational and health care systems, yet it’s okay for them to be disrespectful, and it’s not okay for my daughter to speak her mind.  That’s her First Amendment right. That’s her freedom of speech.” (St. Petersburg Times)

52-year-old man arrested for posing as h.s. student – Chris Schildt’s elaborate ruse was foiled on the first day when teachers suspected he was older than he claimed.  Authorities say he was trying to gather material to write a book, Schildt says he was trying to show the security flaws in a school. (The CT. Day)

Colleges upset about beer fan cans – SMU is one of many colleges upset that Bud Light beer cans in college colors undermines their efforts to curb underage drinking. (US News)

Pro tennis requires alternative education – Travel and practice schedule is such that very few top-level youth tennis players are able to attend a traditional school. (NY Times)

Converted Muslim teen fears for her safety – Ohio girl who ran away from her family to a Christian church in Orlando claims her old mosque has terrorist ties.  Teen met Orlando church through Facebook prayer group. (AP)

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)

Tuesday News (national)

Girl beats boys and they don’t like it – Senior Hannah Berner of N.Y.C. finished the year 16-2. Cardozo Coach Howie Arons complained that Ms. Berner gave Beacon an unfair advantage in the match, in part because her presence was unnerving to the boys. “It’s a lose-lose situation,” he said. “If he wins, he’s supposed to win. If he loses, he lost to a girl.” (NYT) photo by James Estrin

Electronic cigarettes? – Of the e-cigarettes themselves, Dr. Hurt added: “We basically don’t know anything about them. They’ve never been tested for safety or efficacy to help people stop smoking.” Public health officials also worry that the devices’ fruit flavors, novelty and ease of access may entice children. (NYT)