1/26/10 Teen News

L.A. pulls dictionary from elementary schools – At least one parent complained about the explicit definitions provided for sexual terms.“I think it’s absurd that we will remove dictionaries from our library especially because these dictionaries are the same ones we use in our spelling bees,” the school board president said. “I think we are approaching censorship with this. If they ban this book, they better clean house and go through all of them. What’s good for one is good for all. I think we will open a big can of worms if these books are banned. It’s the dictionary after all, c’mon.” (LA Times)

Tyra hosts plus-sized teen model search – The contest is for girls between the ages of 13 and 19 between 5’9″ and 6’1″. “Plus-sized tends to have a negative connotation and I want young girls to realize that what’s considered plus-sized is the average American woman. That woman is healthy, fit and beautiful. Adolescence is such an impressionable time in a young woman’s life, and I hope this contest helps teen girls discover their own beauty from the inside out.” (People Magazine)

Teen pregnancy, abortion rate rise – For the first time in a decade, the teen pregnancy rate rose to 7% and critics debate whether abstinence-only education is to blame. “The issue here is clearly that we have a lot of teenagers who are having sex, but they aren’t careful enough at contraception to avoid pregnancy,” says Sarah Brown, executive director of the nonprofit National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. (USA Today)

This is your face on meth – A California sheriff is trying to prevent kids from trying meth by using image altering software to show how their faces would change after years of meth use.“You’re young. You’re vibrant. You have great-looking skin. Your hair is there, your teeth are there,” Allman says. “The software … morphs it into causing the physiological effects that meth causes — the open scabs, the droopy skin, the hair loss.” (NPR)

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)

Tuesday’s Teen News

Gang violence plagues Indian reservations – Indian youth are increasing joining reservation gangs, leading to an increase in violence, crime and fear on the reservations. Even as they seek to bolster policing, Pine Ridge leaders see their best long-term hope for fighting gangs in cultural revival.“We’re trying to give an identity back to our youth,” said Melvyn Young Bear, the tribe’s appointed cultural liaison. “They’re into the subculture of African-Americans and Latinos. But they are Lakota, and they have a lot to be proud of.” (NYT)

Taylor Lautner can’t save SNL – He was full of energy and ready for anything, but ‘the writing was terrible.’ I know it’s a decades-old tradition to bitch about the quality of SNL, but this season seems to be bad in the worst kind of way, and ultimately, it has been completely forgettable. Videos. (Jezebel)

New teen drug use survey released – Use of marijuana and hallucinogens are way down, but officials are worried about increasing numbers of teens who don’t disapprove of drug use.University of Michigan researcher Lloyd Johnston, who oversees the annual survey, said there was “serious softening” in the perceived risks of LSD, inhalants and the party drug Ecstasy — a sign that “a new generation of kids are interested . . . in rediscovering these drugs, because they don’t understand why they shouldn’t be using them.” (LA Times)

Queens teacher punched ‘Jersey Shore’s’ Snooki – In a clip constantly aired by MTV, main character Snooki is punched in the face at a bar by a man who turns out to be a NJ gym teacher.It’s not the first time the short-lived show endured controversy. Various Italian-American organizations have complained about the show’s portrayal of Italians and the use of the word “guido.” As a result, pizza chain Dominos has pulled their ads from the show. VIDEO(NJ.Com)

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

(∆) NAACP sues Wayne Co. schools – NAACP has accused “the Wayne County public school system of deliberately segregating schools, putting black students at a disadvantage and creating “a district of apartheid education.” One school district in the county is 99% black  with 94% receiving free lunch while the other school district is 90% white and has a much higher graduation rate. (N&O

Student activists return worker to school – 500 students at a LA high school held a sit-in to protest the dismissal of Miss G, then made a ‘polished’ presentation to the school board that allowed her to return to work.  “She just actually cares,” Veronica said. “Not like the fake pretending to care. . . . She takes it seriously.” (LA Times)

Struggles at Valdosta High School – The most prolific high school football program in the country has fallen on hard times as late, primarily as a result of white students leaving the city schools for the county schools. “Most of our friends’ kids go to Lowndes even though we all went to Valdosta,” said Robert DeCesare, a restaurant owner whose youngest son plays for a Lowndes County middle school. “Valdosta went from all-white to almost all-black. It’s sad the way some people talk about it. (NY Times)

Should high school students take supplements? – Do over-the-counter supplements fill-in nutritional voids of busy students or are they causing long-term harmful effects on developing bodies? “(Supplements) are actually more of a potential problem in our society than steroids,” said C. Roger Rees, a professor of human performance sciences. “Kids see supplements as safe and they’re sold over the counter. I’d be concerned about large use if I was a parent.” (Chicago Tribune)

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

Coming out as gay in middle school – New York Times magazine has a lengthy profile of middle school students who have and have not come out to their families and friends.  Their experiences range from acceptance and happiness to bullying and suicide. (NY Times)

School bans hooded sweatshirts – Students in Kansas were hiding cell phones in kangaroo front pocket and texting without looking as they have the keyboard memorized. “We had them in our pockets and they’d vibrated. So then we’d take it out and bring it to the side and type, and we could memorize our keyboards, because most of us have full keyboards.” (KWCH)

(∆) Teens’ donks grab attention – In addition to the rims and the custom interiors, decked-out cars are now featuring paint jobs with unpaid advertising for candy products. “Sugar Daddies. Mr. Goodbar. Nerds. It’s wanting to be different, standing out,” said Hopkins, 21, a student at St. Augustine’s College. “People have always been hooking up cars, buying hot paint jobs. This is taking it to the next level. It’s all about the attention you want.” (N&O) photo by Travis Long

Study promotes importance of family dinners – A new report by Columbia University concludes that teens who do not eat with their families three times a week are twice as likely to use tobacco or marijuana, one and a half times more likely to use alcohol, and twice as likely to try drugs as compared to children who eat with their families five times a week. “Having dinner as a family is one of the easiest ways to create routine opportunities for parental engagement and communication, two keys to raising drug-free children.” (Join Together)

Interview with teens from 16&Pregnant – People Magazine interviews young couple who gave up their baby for adoption, against their parents’ wishes, on the MTV reality show.’We were in Ohio a couple days ago and a girl came up to me and she was shaking. She came up to me and she just started crying and she’s like, “You’re a role model to me.” We get that a lot.’ (People)