115 Out of 800 Girls Are Pregnant In Robeson High School

One out of Seven Girls Get Pregnant At Robeson High

By Kristyn Hartman
CHICAGO (CBS)
October 19, 2009

It is a Chicago public school full of energy and spirit. It has about 800 girls, and 115 of them have something in common – something you might find disturbing.

All those young ladies are moms or moms-to-be at Paul Robeson High School. It’s not a school for young mothers, it’s a neighborhood school. And all of the pregnancies have happened, despite prevention talk.

If you want to know why, the people closest to the situation say there’s no simple explanation.

Chicago Public Schools says it does not track the overall number of teen moms in the district. But Robeson Principal Gerald Morrow knows the count at his school in Englewood: 115 young ladies who are either expecting or already have had children.

To put it in perspective, their school pictures would fill roughly six pages of their high school year book.

Why is it happening at Robeson?

“It can be a lot of things that are happening in the home or not happening in the home, if you will,” Morrow said. Absentee fathers are another factor, he said.

LaDonna Denson and two other Robeson students say parents not talking to teens and, in some cases, the pursuit of public assistance also factor into the pregnancies. None of them thought they’d be moms at such a young age.

They said they have support at home. But not all girls do, they said. In fact, some girls get thrown out of the home.

Not on Morrow’s turf. “We’re not looking at them like ‘Ooh you made a mistake,'” he said. “We’re looking at how we can get them to the next phase, how can we still get them thinking about graduation?”

So there’s help in a teen parent program. And coming soon, right across from Robeson, developers are turning a one-time crack house into a day care for student use. “We have to provide some type of environment for them and some form of support for them,” Van Vincent, CEO of VLV Development, said.

It’s all made an impression.

“Just cause you have a baby, that doesn’t mean your life is over,” one student said.

One thing they might not know about their principal: His mom had him when she was 15. That’s why accepting the problem — and working through it — is so important to him.

Source: CHICAGO (CBS)

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. da@goldcoastchronicle.com

H1N1 Influenza Swine Flu

By Mary L. Gavin, MD
October 17,2009

 

H1N1 Is a New Flu

Usually, we think about just one kind of flu during flu season. But this year, you’ll hear about two: regular (or seasonal) flu and H1N1 (swine) flu. Seasonal flu comes around every year and there’s a vaccine (shot) for it. The H1N1 virus is new and there’s a vaccine for it, too.

The vaccine will be different from the seasonal flu shot that many kids and grownups get. So to be protected against both H1N1 and the regular flu, a kid will need both. For the H1N1 virus, flu mist — a vaccine that gets sprayed up your nose — is expected to be available first, so if you don’t like shots, you may be in luck.

Health experts say the H1N1 vaccine is a good idea, especially for young people. New viruses like this one are unpredictable and more people get the flu in the fall and winter. If we can keep people from getting it in the first place, that would be good for all of us.

Last spring, H1N1 (swine) flu was all over the news. The virus spread from Mexico and eventually people in the United States and other countries also got sick. Most people got better after having a fever, sore throat, and body aches, similar to the symptoms of the seasonal flu. But people who have other health problems may get very sick from this flu.

Health officials consider the swine flu a pandemic. That means the H1N1 virus has spread throughout the world, can make people very sick, and can spread easily from one person to another.

 

Washing Hands Is Best Defense

Most kids want to know: Should I worry or not worry about this flu? Medical experts say instead of worrying, wash your hands! Worry won’t keep you from getting the flu (or any infectious disease), but good hand-washing often can keep you healthy.

A virus is a germ, as you probably know, and germs are too small to be seen. Keeping your hands clean — and following other good habits like not sharing drinks and keeping your fingers out of your mouth, nose and eyes — can help protect you from germs.

Another way to be helpful is for sick people to stay home from school (if you’re a kid) or work (if you’re a grownup).

Symptoms of H1N1 (swine) flu include a fever plus one or more of these:

• cough
• sore throat
• runny nose
• body aches
• headaches
• tiredness

A person who has the H1N1 virus also might throw up or have diarrhea.

Be sure to tell a parent if you’re not feeling well. Most people who catch the H1N1 virus will get better on their own, but if someone has a medical condition, like asthma or diabetes, or is very sick and needs to be hospitalized, antiviral medicine might help the person get better faster.

 

What You Can Do

Here are some everyday steps you can take to stay well:

• Avoid people who are sick (coughing, fever, etc.).
• Don’t drink out of the same cup or share utensils (forks, spoons) with other people.

• Try to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. That’s how germs get in your body.

 

Just the Facts

News reports about the H1N1 virus may make you confused or worried. Because this is a new illness, the news covers both what has happened and what might happen in the worst-case scenario. Because you’ll be hearing more about H1N1, we recommend a “just the facts” approach.

Did you ever hear a TV detective say, “Just the facts, ma’am?” That means we stick with what we know and make decisions based on that. And if you get sick, just tell your mom or dad. With some help from your doctor, a parent can decide if you need to stay home from school.

Expect to hear about the H1N1 virus for a while. It may be months before we know the whole story and how many people it will affect. In the meantime, keep those hands clean and be sure to tell your mom or dad if you have any concerns.

Source: Kids Health

Kids Talk About: Halloween Candy

by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
October 18, 2009

Kids love Halloween, and why not? You get to dress up in a cool costume and go around the neighborhood filling your bag or plastic pumpkin with delicious candy. Then it’s time to head home with that heavy haul of chocolate and other sweet treats. But what happens next? Do you eat a lot that night? Or maybe your mom or dad says “Whoa!” and tells you to pick a certain number of pieces.

We asked about 1,200 boys and girls about their Halloween haul. Here’s what they said:

• Most kids said they get at least 50 pieces of candy, with over 44% saying they get more than 100 pieces.
• Only about 20% of kids said they eat all their Halloween candy.
• Whether they eat all or just some of their candy, it takes most kids a long time to do it. Nearly 60% said they need 2 weeks, 1 month, or more than a month. About 25% said they need only 1 day or less than 1 week. And the rest of the kids said they needed anywhere from 1 second (yeah, right) to a year!

But kids aren’t always in charge when it comes to how much candy they get to eat — half said their parents put limits on how much they can eat.

 

Limits

Kids who have limits were allowed to eat as little as one piece a week to as many as 10 or 20 a day, though not all at the same time. Sometimes the rules are complicated.

Juliet, 10, is allowed to eat one-eighth of her candy on Halloween night and then 12 pieces a day after that. “I would say that if I could choose, I would have one-sixth of my candy on Halloween night. Then, 20 pieces every day after that,” Juliet said.

The rules at Sophie’s house are relaxed on Halloween, but after that she’s not allowed to eat nearly as much as Juliet. “On Halloween, I can eat quite a bit, but not until I get home,” said Sophie, 11. “After that it’s usually one piece a day.”

Kris, 8, says she doesn’t have any limits on Halloween, but there’s a big catch. “That night we can eat whatever we want and then Mom throws it away,” Kris said.

Pete’s mom limits his Halloween candy by giving a lot of it back out to the trick-or-treaters that same night. “She leaves a small bowl for us to eat, which we do in 2 days,” said Pete, 10.

Allison, 12, has limits, too — seven pieces on Halloween and two per day after that. But she doesn’t keep all that candy for herself. “After Halloween, I separate what I want to keep (20–30 pieces) and donate the rest, in little baggies, to the homeless shelter or soup kitchen,” she said.

 

No Limits

Though most kids (60%) said parents should limit kids’ candy intake, plenty of kids (50%) said they did not have any limits. But more than 60% of kids said they voluntarily set their own limits. Why? To avoid getting fat, feeling sick, or getting cavities in their teeth.

Thalia, 12, said she wants to be a healthy kid, especially because she’s on a competitive swim team. “I’m kind of a ‘Don’t eat too much junk or you’ll get fat’ sort of person,” she said. “I don’t eat a lot of candy. I know what candy can do to your teeth and body, so I have limits on how much I should eat.”

Nathan, 13, said his parents think he’s old enough to decide for himself. “I am a teen and I know how much I want to eat,” he said.

Ally, 12, sets her own limits and then listens to her body when it comes to deciding how much candy to eat. “I say to myself, only a certain amount of pieces (for example, five) and then I have to stop. Or if I start getting full, I stop also,” she said.

 

Ooh, That Sick Feeling

If you’ve ever eaten too much Halloween candy, you probably remember the ooky feeling in your stomach. Of more than 1,200 kids who responded to our survey, more than half (625) said too much Halloween candy had made them sick or caused other problems.

Here’s what they remember:

“I felt sick all night,” said Zachary, 9.

“I got a huge headache when I was 7 years old after eating way too much candy and had to go to sleep early,” said Angelica, 11.

“My whole body felt really bad, I laid in bed until I felt better, and didn’t do that again,” said Aliyah, 10.

Shamyia, 10, said the top reason she puts limits on how much Halloween candy she eats is because she doesn’t want to get sick. When you hear what happened to her, you’ll understand why.

“When I had eaten extremely too much candy, I puked on my dad when I answered the door. Then the next 2 days, I had to stay home and miss a field trip to Six Flags!”

But maybe making a mistake like that can teach kids an important lesson — that it can be better to eat a little of your favorite foods, like candy, instead of enormous amounts.

Ellyn Satter, a dietitian who’s written a lot of books about kids and food, thinks kids need to figure out what their limits are — what it feels like to be full. When they do, they can adjust how much they eat so they don’t overdo it. She really practices what she preaches: Her 10-year-old son once ate six snow cones at a picnic! Do you think he ever did that again?

 

Which Way Is Right?

Maybe you’re wondering which way is the best way and if your parents are doing the right thing. Well, there’s no simple answer. Parents don’t have a secret rulebook that tells them what to do, so they usually just try to make the best decision they can.

Dr. Mary L. Gavin said parents need to make that decision based on what a kid is like. So if a kid is the type to be reasonable and stop eating candy before he or she gets sick, maybe the kid gets to decide how much to eat, said Gavin, a pediatrician and a medical editor at KidsHealth.org. But if the kid is the type to overdo it, maybe the parent needs to step in and set some limits.

Marion Nestle agreed. She’s a professor at New York University who has written books about food and nutrition. “At the very least, parents should have a good idea of what the kids have collected and how much candy they are eating on that one occasion,” she said.

Marilyn Tanner, a dietitian, thinks parents need to be role models. Role models about candy? Yep. Kids often follow in their parents’ footsteps, so if your mom or dad doesn’t pig out on Halloween, you’re more likely to set limits, too. Tanner knows about this kind of stuff because she teaches a class about healthy habits for kids and parents through St. Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri.

“Leading by example is important!” said Tanner, also a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

 

Candy Alternatives

While some Halloween candy is fun, quite a few kids were interested in getting non-candy treats on Halloween night. About half of kids said they’d like to get pencils, stickers, and other small items.

“I think people should give out fun markers/crayons, stickers, pencils, and anything else they think kids will like,” said Hannah, 11. “They should do this because it prevents kids (somewhat) from becoming overweight and it lasts longer than candy.”

Latavia, 10, whose favorite candy is Laffy Taffy, suggested toothbrushes, floss, and mouthwash.

Teeth were also on Olga’s mind. She has braces and can’t eat sticky, hard, nutty, or gooey candy. If she has Skittles, she said she has to suck on them. Here’s how Olga answered our question about whether more people should give out stuff other than candy:

“YES!!!! YEEEESSSS!!! I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH I CAN ENFORCE THIS, YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE that other stuff. I love people who appreciate that I have braces; :-). Whatever they give me, I’m thankful that it’s not candy.”

But the other half of the kids we surveyed said keep the candy coming on Halloween. Tani, 10, put it simply.

“Candy rocks!” she said.

Source:  Kids Health

Jack-o-lantern Puzzle

Source Jig Zone

Book Review: Twilight

By Amy Orringer
October 18, 2009

Our Review

Though fantasy stories and fairy tales continue to enjoy their hold on the younger set, thanks to a certain wizard-based series, the world of young adult and tween fantasy is experiencing its own coming-of-age. The stories are less about plunging readers completely into another world, and more about that other world being tossed into readers’ lives, the already complex mess of adolescence.

 

Twilight, The Twilight Saga, Book 1 (Little, Brown Young Readers, 2006) by Stephenie Meyer

This is one of the few young adult novels we can recommend for both grandmothers and granddaughters. Twilight, the Twilight Saga, Book 1 is the first in yet another brilliant series that’s well-written enough to suck in (excuse the pun) even the most cynical adult reader. Readers can immediately identify with the main character, 17 year-old Bella; she’s a completely regular, kind-of-clumsy, independent girl — the kind we root for because secretly (or for some tweens, maybe not so secretly), we’re a little like that too.

So the plot gets even more enthralling when we discover that Bella just happens to be cosmically connected to a handsome, dangerous, incredibly kind vampire. Sure, there are lots of books about love against all odds, but this one manages to conjure up that belief in true, immortal that love we develop as young girls and never really let go of, no matter how long ago we traded it for practicality.

Young readers find themselves wanting to believe that even amid midterms and homecoming and the whole vampires-eat-humans problem, they’ll somehow make it through; older readers will simply feel like young readers again. The entire series has been flying off the shelves for months, and the first book will be released as a movie, starring Kristin Stewart and Robert Pattinson, later this fall.

Price: $6
For ages: 14 and older
Available at: Amazon.com

Source Grandparents

Frank ‘n’ Friends

 By Family Fun
Oct. 16, 2009

Dried citrus rinds give this seasonal squash — and his companions — their un-natural good looks.

 

 

 

Materials

• Craft knife
• Hole punch
• Glue dots
• Spaghetti squash
• Two limes
• Black craft foam
• Duct tape
• Toothpicks
• Large bolts
• Black permanent marker

Instructions

1. Use a craft knife to cut a circle of rind from the top and bottom of an orange or lime for the eyes (a parent’s job). Cut a slit in the remaining peel and remove it intact to use for ears, teeth, and other features. If you’re making the witch, reserve the larger pieces of orange peel for the hair.

 

2. Clean the fruit from the rinds, then use scissors to snip out your character’s facial features, as shown. Cut them a little larger than you want; they will shrink as they dry. To dry the pieces, bake them on a foil-lined cookie sheet at 175 degrees for 20 minutes, then allow them to air dry for about 1K hours (or until glue dots will stick to them).

 

3. Use a hole punch to make a pair of pupils from the craft foam, then adhere them to the white side of the rind eyes with glue dots.

 

4. Attach all the pieces with glue dots, as pictured. To make the ears stick out (for Frank and the Count), tape a toothpick to the back, leaving about 1K inches of the toothpick exposed, then insert it in place.

 

5. Finishing touches for Frank: Cut the hair from craft foam following the diagram at right and attach it with glue dots. Bore a hole on each side of the squash with a pencil, then insert the bolts. Use a permanent marker to draw the teeth.

 

 

 

6. Finishing touches for Witch: Cut a small mouth from the craft foam. To make a hat, cut the shapes shown at right from a piece of black craft foam. Roll the half-circle into a cone with a base slightly larger than the center of the ring, and secure the edge with glue dots. Tuck the cone’s base into the center of the ring. For the buckle, double-fold a sheet of foil to create a square shape. Snip out the center, then adhere it to the hat with glue dots.

 

 7. Finishing touches for the Mummy: Wrap the pumpkin in gauze, using glue dots to attach the fabric as you go.

 

8. Finishing touches for the Count: Cut a collar and hair from the craft foam, following the diagram at right. Wrap each around the pumpkin and attach them with glue dots, as shown.

 

 

 

 

Variations:
 

 

 

 

Source Family Fun

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

 

Special Olympics – Meet Ximena

What is Future of Journalism?

By Jack Greenberg
October 16, 2009

Little Boy Asks Obama: ‘Why Does Everyone Hate You?’

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