November 13, 2009
Student’s patriotic photo refused – New Hampshire high school student had his yearbook photo rejected because he broke the rules by posing in a hat (military) and with a prop (the flag). The mother wants to know why a Muslim student can pose in her ‘religious scarf’ but her son can’t show pride for his country. (Concord Monitor)
Why do students drop-out? – This editorial by a student cites uncaring parents, conflicts with teachers, and lack of motivation as the three main reasons. (LJ World)
Lack of exercise not to blame for teen obesity? – New study finds that today’s teen are just as active as they were two decades ago but are now much more obese. The most likely culprit? Teenagers’ unhealthy diet. (MSNBC)
Student suspended for Bengals haircut – Ohio school suspended student for ‘distracting haircut,’ a B surrounded by tiger stripes. His father says his son just wants to show pride in the 6-2 Bengals. (NBC Sports)
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October 21, 2009
California parents attempt to ban Caged Bird – Parents read aloud the rape scene from Angelou’s autobiography at a school board meeting, as was done in another California town, where the book is no longer allowed to be checked out of the school library. According to the American Library Association, Caged Bird is the third most challenged book in American schools. (OC Weekly)
(∆) Why fight? - Durham high school student Damion Graves explains why he used to fight in school but no longer does. One day I realized I was wasting my life, giving myself no chance to succeed. I still had family members looking to me to succeed, I had a job to do, and it was up to me to get right. (Durham News)
(∆) Anoop enjoying normal life - Finished with the Idol tour, Anoop enjoys the non-celebrity life in hometown Chapel Hill as he prepares for a final concert at the State Fair and then a move to Los Angeles.”This concert is almost like a farewell to the Triangle,” he said. “It’s fun for me. I sort of need this for a final hurrah and for my friends.” (Herald Sun)
Mass. seeks to raise dropout age to 18 – Teens that drop-out are less likely to have a job and are far more likely to go to jail or depend on public assistance than residents who have graduated from high school. Should the drop-out age be 18 instead of 16 in every state? (Boston.com)
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October 5, 2009
Foster child earns $1 million in scholarships – Derrius Quarles bounced from foster home to foster home before living on his own at 17, all while earning $1 million in scholarships and full tuition offers from 5 universities, including Morehouse College where he now attends.“You can’t go around thinking you are inferior just because you didn’t have parents,” he says. “For me, it’s about knowing where you are from and accepting it, but more important, knowing where you are going.” (Chicago Tribune)
(∆) NC A&T debates rapper’s appearance – Gucci Mane, who celebrates his allegiance to the Bloods gang, is scheduled to appear at NC A&T’s homecoming.Chancellor Harold Martin has said the school doesn’t want to censor any artist, but gang activity and drug dealing aren’t the things that should be showcased when welcoming alumni and celebrating the university. (My NC)
Column: Is Derrion Albert the new Emmit Till? – Hopefully, Derrion’s death will become a tipping point for the Black community and the country as a whole. Maybe, he will become a martyr for Black on Black crime as Emmit Till was to white racism, and the video of his beating will provoke the same anger against Black on Black crime that the Rodney King video did against police brutality. (News One)
(∆) Charlotte teen prostitution ring busted – Traffickers and pimps bring in young girls from poor countries, force them to have sex with as many as 100 men a week. The FBI estimates that some 18,000 people are trafficked into the United States for sex or forced labor. About a fourth end up in the Southeast; thousands come to the Carolinas. (News and Observer)
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September 28, 2009
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)
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September 14, 2009
School bans jelly bracelets used in sex game – A middle school in Colorado e-mailed parents to not let their children wear rubber jelly bracelets, which school administrators say are being used in a sex game called “Snap.” The bracelets supposedly indicate what level of sexual experience a girl desires or already had. Most girls at the school argue that the bracelets are just fashion items. (NY Times)
School board debates use of novel “Speak” – By author Laurie Halse Anderson, “Speak” centers around a teen girl who was raped and then considers suicide. Some on California say the book is too dark for young teens and that parents should be the ones to introduce such literature. Supporters say the book will interest teens in a way that classic literature does not. (LA Times)
Brooklyn cartoonist offers new sex ed - Through her auto-biographical comics, Martina Fugazzotto tries to teach teens about sex in a funny, realistic way.”Sex education in schools is so negative it’s all about doom, beware and sex will bring pain, danger, disease, pregnancy and death. No one ever tells you, it’s normal and natural, it’s ok for you to enjoy it,” she said. This article also interviews her about how she became a comic. (NY Daily News)
(∆) Knightdale teens honor friends with blood drive – After three Wake County teens died in auto wrecks over the past two weeks,Hunter Crowder organized a blood drive to give “the community a sense of helping, because you know everybody at this time wants to do something but they don’t know how.” (My NC)
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