download a PDF of this edition - My High School Journalism

ack at yaRELatIONSHIPS“Frustration Nation” conversation“Frustration Nation,” the cover story in ourNovember/December issue, drew heated debatein the corridors and classrooms of BPS, as itdescribed the harsh treatment of new immigrantsat the hands of other youth. At Boston CommunityLeadership Academy, members of Kevin McCaffrey’sWriting Workshop for English Language Learnersexpressed their opinions in these blog entries:Monica:Although I grant that immigrant students should speakmore English, I maintain that it’s of a great matter to berespected and to be respectful, and, therefore, I believethat immigrant students should not feel hostility or beafraid of going to school.Vicky:Although I am an immigrant, my English is not good, andI have an accent, I maintain that I never experienced allthis violence. I think it all depends on the community. Forexample, in BCLA for me this article seems like it is fromanother place. Students often make fun of my accent, butit doesn’t bother me because I accept how I speak and I’mproud of it. Therefore, I believe that it all depends on thecommunity and how we take the comments.Letter, go!Dear Editors of Teens in Print,As editors of a fellow publication for teens, we want to complimentT.i.P. on it’s timely, well-written features -- not to mention your coollayout. We recognize the extremely talented teen writers who are featuredeach month in T.i.P. and want to commend your success.Teen writers become the next generation of journalists, novelists,and great thinkers, and so, we wanted to inform you and your readersof our new online literary journal also designed to celebrate writingfor and by teenagers: The Young Adult Review Network or YARN. Wepublish all kinds of creative writing for a teen audience -- fiction andessays as well as poetry and an interview.Part of what makes YARN special is that we want to discover greatnew teen writers, and publish you alongside the well-known writersyou, and we, already admire. In our first issue, for instance, we’velined up Tina Ferraro, Alisa Libby, and Susan Beth Pfeffer. For moredetails on how to submit your writing, and to find out more about ourvery first issue, we hope you’ll visit our website at www.yareview.net,and fan us on Facebook!Thanks for your time, and we hope to read your writing soon.Sincerely,Kerri Majors & Shannon MarshallEditor & Assistant Editor of YARN4 / BOSTON TEENS IN PRINT / JAN/FEB 2010 / www.bostontip.comIbrahim:Although I agree with the fact that immigrant studentsare bullied in their respective schools, and sometimesin their community by some American kids, I must alsosay that not all immigrants are targets of bullying in theirenvironment. So I think to make this ignorance of certainAmerican kids stop, we should open their eyes on theissues that immigrants face every day of their lives so theycan understand what it is to be an immigrant.Hector:Although I grant that bullying immigrants is bad, I maintainthat anyone who lives in the United States gets bullied,and, therefore, they should resist like anybody else.Okey:The factor of assimilating a weaker culture in the predominantone can be a problem to face. Multilingual studentsare more secluded and forsaken by American students;however, both parts contribute to worsen those complications.If American students are more tolerant and if foreignstudents are more open and do not isolate, we couldreach a balance and a point of social community with differentcultures.Uche:While it is true that life in the U.S. might be initially difficultfor some immigrants, it does not necessarily mean thatit is like that for everybody, and that the situation is notgoing to change with the passing of time while we adapt toa total new culture. Instead, I think that acts of racism andintolerance in the U.S. take place even among Americansthemselves. It is not just an American vs. immigrant situation;violence is everywhere and we need to stop it.Martial:Although I grant that immigrant students should be carefulwhen choosing their friends, they should be allowedto wear expensive clothes, or show off their iPods or cellphones and speak any languages they want without bullyingfrom American students. I maintain that immigrantstudents have been the victims of a lot of bad, cruel,disrespectful, and selfish things from some American students.Therefore, administrators should take this matterinto consideration by talking to the bully and the victim atthe same time, so they can understand those immigrantsaren’t here to take over.Rakhi:On one hand, I agree that immigrants are treated badly,beaten up for being quiet or saying no to the Americans.However, on the other hand, American students are jealousof immigrants, how they work hard and become successfulin their countries. Immigrants take advantageof the opportunities and move forward, whereas someAmericans just don’t care and make fun of others. ■FeedbackWas it something we said?Or didn’t say?Something with which you agree– or disagree?Let Teens in Print know what’s on your mind by sendingus an email at ric.kahn.jcs@cityofboston.govPlease include your full name, neighborhood, and your dateof birth (this won’t be printed but is just to verify your ageat the time of publication) and we may run your letter inan upcoming edition.Thank you.Love me/sext me/say what you wantabout me…uuuh, no!By Cheila Martinez // Staff WriterSexting: The act of sending sexually explicitmessages or photos electronically, primarilybetween cell phones. According to TheCenter for Parent/Youth Understanding,the majority of revealing images are being sent fromfemales to males. For girls, the recipient is often aboyfriend. In some cases it may even be an ex-boyfriend,as an act of getting him jealous. If sent to a boyfriend,the female mostlikely wants to keephim interested, as in:“Maybe if I send thishe’ll want to be withme more.” But, someteens wonder, is itreally worth it?SmuckerAlmonord, 15, fromthe John D. O’BryantSchool of Math &Science, says thatwhen he started tosext, “One thing ledto another, and westarted talking abouther breasts and myprivates -- but I don’tconsider myself aman-whore.”Locally, the numberof sexting incidentswas not readilyavailable. But nationwide,the promiscuouspractice is out ofcontrol. Thirty-ninepercent of teens interviewedsaid they sentor posted sexually suggestive messages, accordingto a recent survey by The National Campaign toPrevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, andCosmoGirl.com.Girls view celebrities such as Vanessa Hudgens andMiley Cyrus as role models -- and they had racy picturessurface worldwide. Just because you see a so-called stardoing it doesn’t mean you have to, teens say. “A guy wouldonly like you for sexual reasons,” says Almonord.On the 2009 season premiere of the show “Degrassi”on TeenNick, Alli sent naked photos to her boyfriendJohnny hoping that it would make their relationship morepublic. But it backfired when, out of anger, he sent thosemessages to one of his friends. As a result, Alli’s reputationwas ruined.In the real world, the consequences can be more serious.In one case, in September, a 13-year-old Florida girlsent a topless picture of herself to a boy she liked. Theimage got into the wrong hands. Schoolmates called her aslut. The teen ended up hanging herself in her bedroom.Joe Kidd, New Media and 21st Century Learning SkillsCoordinator forBoston PublicSchools, says thatwhen explicit informationis found ona phone, “It shouldimmediately beturned in to theadministrator ifconfiscatedin school.”Some girls maythink that you couldkeep a guy in therelationship if youdo dirty things --such as sexting andmaybe even physicalsex when you’renot ready, just toeither please himor to build a wallto block yourinsecurity.Taylor Martin,15, from theO’Bryant, says:“It’s really stupid,because obviously▲ AFH photo by Vicki Chinthe person you’resending it to isn’t going to keep it to themselves. If a guyreally loves and wants to be with you he wouldn’t ask youto take racy pictures. He’ll want to be with you for who youare inside. It’s not just a photo or a video of yourself; it’s abasic disrespect of your body.”Jaquan Wallace 15, from Boston CommunityLeadership Academy, agrees. “Sexting is not a good wayfor teens to communicate to one another,” he says. “Iwould never do it.”No one can protect your body but yourself. According tolaw enforcement authorities, it is illegal to force anybodyunder 18 to pose in a nude photograph for sexual gratification.So, stand up: DON’T PRESS SEND. ■Sextual beingsBe smart: Think before you send pictures,knowing that nothing is private in cell phonesor cyberspace. These photos can wind up inthe hands of potential employers or collegeadmissions officers.Be strong: Don’t do anything you’re notcomfortable with, like sending a naked photo.Be responsible: Never ask someone to sendnude photos to you, and never forward nudephotos to others.--- Cheila MartinezSources: BPS and eSchool NewsSeXXXting marks the spot•Thirty-three percent of young people havebeen involved with sexting naked images.•Girls are more likely than guys to share a nudeimage of themselves, 13 percent to 9 percent.•Sixty-one percent of those who have sexted anude photo or video of themselves say they werepressured to do so at least once.•Twenty-nine percent of those who have sextednaked images of themselves sent them to peoplethey knew only online, and had never met.--- Cheila MartinezSource: September 2009 Associated Press/MTV studyIllicit sextFor teenagers in Massachusetts, sexting canlead to serious criminal charges that include:•Possession of child pornography.•Posing a minor in a state of nudity.•Distribution of harmful matter to a minor.-- Cheila MartinezSource: Berkshire District Attorney’s Officewww.bostontip.com / BOSTON TEENS IN PRINT / JAN/FEB 2010/ 5