My day in the press box

I got to see President Obama talk at the Alcoa factory on June 28, 2011. It was so exciting to see him talk. It was not the first time I got to go to one of his events. About a year ago, I got to go see him in Iowa City and talk about the Health Care Reform Bill. But this was just as exciting. I was the only kid in the press box, so everyone was helping me out and being really friendly. They showed me where to go what to do after the speech. 

A lot of the reporters wanted to know who I was and who I reported for. They also asked my mom some of the same questions they asked me to see how she felt. About 4 or 5 different people wanted to interview me. I saw Marcia Lens from KWQC TV 6 News and went up to ask her if she had any advice for kids like me who wanted to write. When she finished she asked if she could interview me on camera. At 10 o’clock I was on the news. (My interview starts at the 42-minute mark of the video.) It was so exciting to see myself on there. Also, I found out that I was in multiple newspapers and I almost got interviewed on the radio.
It was a very exciting day!

—Kid Reporter Alysa Goethe

Photo: Kid Reporter Alysa Goethe interviews Iowa governor Terry Branstad at the Alcoa plant where President Barack Obama spoke about the economy. (Courtesy Alysa Goethe)

Summer Camp: Boy Scout Style

Where can an intrepid and adventurous boy go to build fires, trek mountains, and experience the outdoors? The answer is Boy Scout Summer Camp, where I was for a week this summer. Summer camps are run by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) organization, now more than 100 years old. The BSA encourages boys to preserve and protect the wilderness, to understand and appreciate nature, to be a leader in the community, and to learn various skills such as Lifesaving, Camping, and Swimming.

I went with Troop 2000, my Boy Scout unit, to go to the summer camp at Rainey Mountain in northern Georgia. Rainey Mountain is a Boy Scout reservation located by breathtaking mountains and a gleaming lake.

Each day for a full week, I took various courses to earn merit badges, awards for learning different abilities and skills. A Boy Scout needs at least 21 merit badges and needs to lead a community service project to rise to the sixth and highest rank: Eagle Scout. Only 5% of all Boy Scouts make it to the rank of Eagle.

My merit badge courses were First Aid, Environmental Science, Citizenship in the Nation, Communication, and Citizenship in the World. During these days, I acquired much knowledge in class, from treating snakebites to the benefits of greenhouse gases.

At night, my fellow scouts and I slept on bunk beds in wooden Adirondack cabins with no electricity.

Throughout the week, I participated in many activities, one of which was the Scout Skills Competition. I was a member of the team representing my troop and after an evening filled with tying knots, orienteering with compasses, lashing with ropes to make camp gadgets, and building fires with flint and steel, our team emerged in first place as the fastest to be done with the challenge.

Apart from classes and activities, we had meals in the dining hall, where the camp staff made breakfast, lunch, and dinner for us. Before breakfast and dinner, the highly patriotic scouts and staff lined up for the rising and lowering of the American and state flags, which would be accompanied by a loud cannon shot and a tune played on a bugle. Afterwards, staff members would make announcements about fun stuff happening around the camp and during our couple hours of free time, my friends and I went to many demonstrations and lectures held by Eagle Scouts that were part of the camp staff.

Also, I liked to go with my buddies during free time to the trading post to buy a slushy, some candy, or an ice cream. This little camp store was the embassy of the outside world.

Some boys went fishing for trout in the camp’s lake and I heard that someone in our troop caught six fish in four minutes!

Every boy had something to do at summer camp and we all had a blast! Boys were boys, and sometimes we were messy, but when it came to cleaning up, I think we did a swell job. From the minute we joined scouting, we knew to leave no trace. There was no physical trace or evidence that we were ever there at summer camp for a week, but in our minds, we boys will cherish the awesome memories of Boy Scout Summer Camp.

—Kid Reporter Andrew Liang

My Summer Dog Walking Service

Many kids do different things to ear money during the summer. They babysit, mow lawns, work at the local swimming pool, or run a lemonade stand. What did I choose to do to make money this summer? I chose dog walking. When I first came up with the idea, I thought it would be very easy and that I would make wads of cash off of it. But dog walking is a lot harder than I expected!

Why? First you have to plan it out. You can’t just go to a random person’s front door and ask if you can walk their dog. Before I did anything, I did some research. I looked up what the regular pay was for kid dog walkers. On most websites and blogs, it said that average pay was about $10 an hour. So I settled on $4 for thirty minutes and $8 dollars for an hour. It seemed just about right since I am not a professional and I am a kid. 

The next big question: How am I going to let people know I am offering to walk their dogs? I chose flyers. I got on the computer and wrote a few sentences on what this business is for and why I am doing it. I put my email address on the flyer so that they would know where to reach me if they wanted to set up a time. Then I included my rates — the price I was charging for how much time I was walking. I printed out about 40 flyers and then I started putting them in people’s mailboxes. I did it around almost the whole neighborhood.

Now, the last step: waiting. You have to wait if you want people to respond to what you have put out. If you get a lot of responses, that’s great! And if you don’t, that’s fine, too. Just get two or three people in your neighborhood that you know and ask them personally if you can offer them your services.

In the end, I didn’t get too many responses. But I still got three people in the neighborhood whom I know who were willing to let me walk their pets!

—Kid Reporter Mari Chiles

Photo courtesy Mari Chiles 

Pottermore is revealed!

On Thursday, June 23, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling held a press conference at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and announced that Harry’s wizarding adventures were going digital on a new, interactive, free-to-use website, Pottermore.com.

Pottermore is a place where Harry Potter fans can explore the entire famous series, starting with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  Choose your magic user name, then navigate through the books, clicking on interactive illustrations called "moments” which bring the scenes to life.

As you make your way through the books, you can read exclusive new writing from Rowling, and even join Hogwarts, just like Harry!  You can visit all the cool places mentioned in the books, mix potions with Professor Snape, and learn to cast spells along with Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Pottermore will also reveal for the first time the questions asked by the Sorting Hat.

"I want to give something back to the fans that have followed Harry so devotedly over the years and to bring the stories to a new digital generation," Rowling stated at her press conference. "I hope fans and those new to Harry will have as much fun helping to shape Pottermore as I have. Just as I have contributed to the website, everyone will be able to join in by submitting their own comments, drawings, and other content in a safe and friendly environment.”

Pottermore will be fully open in October 2011. But fans who tried to register their email addresses at the site today in anticipation of the opening had a long wait because the site was swamped by would-be visitors. Including me!

In the meantime, check out the Pottermore website to watch Rowling’s Pottermore announcement and you’ll see beautiful paper pop-up creations come alive from the pages of her books.

As a long-time Harry Potter fan, I love the very idea of Pottermore.  I think it’s a true Harry Potter revolution. 

—Kid Reporter Grace McManus

Photo: A screenshot from the Pottermore experience available starting in October. (Pottermore.com)

My visit to Fox 2 News

When I first received the email from my Scholastic editor requesting story ideas or possible journalists to interview for the Kid Reporter Tips from the Pros section, the first person I thought of was Lee Thomas.

I watch Lee on TV almost every morning, and I always noticed that his hands and side of his head were completely white. I did some research about him and found out he suffered from vitiligo. Lee’s story signified that there are barriers in life that attempt to keep you from doing the things you love to do best. For Lee, his passion was journalism.

As the day of my interview with Lee approached, I prepared the questions and supplies that I needed. Despite the treacherous road conditions due to snowfall, we headed out to Detroit for the interview.
When I first arrived, I was welcomed by Lee at the door as he was finishing up a few meetings before the nine o’clock show. He then took me into the Fox 2 studio as directors stood across the studio floor putting the show together.

As Lee took his seat for a quick news brief, I had the opportunity to watch what was going on inside the studio: the meteorologist standing in front of the green screen, the traffic reporter putting last minute touches on traffic briefs, producers collecting the latest news, directors looking through papers, and anchors reading their prompters. This made me wonder how much work goes into putting together a broadcast.

When Lee finished the brief, we went into the conference room where I had the opportunity to interview Lee. I learned that Lee has an optimistic and positive attitude and that he really has a motivated character. 

When I asked Lee about what he can tell people who may have barriers in their life, I thought of a barrier that I had. When I was just seven, I was hit by a car in a hit and run accident while I was riding my bike in my subdivision. With surgeries and physical therapy, I completely recovered from the incident. Despite the barriers that stopped me from the things I liked to do best, I learned to be fortunate for what I have. As Lee Thomas told me, “There is no barrier that you cannot overcome.”

—Kid Reporter Charlie Kadado

Photo: Kid Reporter Charlie Kadado interviews Fox 2 News broadcaster Lee Thomas (Photo courtesy Charlie Kadado) 

A visit to Pixar Studios

Kid Reporter Mimi Evans at the Cars 2 press day

The first thing that you notice when you walk into Pixar Studios is how much they love their movies. In one corner you can see a giant throne from Toy Story 3. Going up a floor, a giant storyboard for The Incredibles is placed as the backdrop for life-size statues of the Incredibles themselves. Across from them you can see an intimidating shark from Finding Nemo.

The second thing that you notice is how serious everything is. As soon as I got into the hall, I was suddenly surrounded by throngs of reporters doing, well, reporter-ly things — sipping coffee, taking pictures, or just chatting with the people next to them. And the reporters were from everywhere. I thought that they would only from around California, and maybe a couple out-of-staters. But there were reporters from as far away as the United Kingdom.

Security was also tight. Before we went to see a short clip from Cars 2 (sorry, no spoilers here!), our bags were thoroughly searched for any recording devices, including cell phones. I could hear some of the reporters grumble about that. But after they took anything that was remotely electronic, they still weren’t done. They used a metal detector extremely similar to the kind they use at airports, complete with some intimidating security guards. I can assure you that nobody was going to get any part of Cars 2 on camera.

What was also noticeable was how down to earth everybody was. I know, I wouldn’t believe it either. I always hear about how this star or that person is just “sooo down to earth,” and I never believe them. I mean, these are people making movies. How could you be down to earth when you’re doing something amazingly huge like that?

But really, everybody at Pixar studios is unassuming. As me and a half-dozen other reporters sat at round wooden tables, they were easygoing as they explained the workings of Cars and Cars 2. When they went into press round tables, they even looked a little nervous themselves.

Even the director, John Lasseter, and comedian Larry the Cable Guy (who is the voice of Mater) were laid-back. Just because Lasseter is a director doesn’t mean he wears a suit — in fact, he came in wearing a smile and a Hawaiian shirt with a print of classic cars.

When I talked to Larry the Cable Guy, he offered me a cucumber sandwich. LARRY THE CABLE GUY offered ME a CUCUMBER SANDWICH. There is so much wrong with that sentence! First of all, a “redneck” comedian eating a cucumber sandwich? “Everything goes with cream cheese,” he offered in his defense. Secondly he had offered it to ME?

I was flabbergasted with delight about the people of Pixar to say the least!

—Kid Reporter Mimi Evans

Photo: Larry the Cable Guy and John Lasseter at Pixar Studios for the Cars 2 press day. (Deborah Coleman ©Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved)

A cool time at the Mr. Popper's Penguins premiere

Don't get me wrong, growing up in Hollywood, California, has its perks. Like, for one, the best year-round weather, and two, the many celebrity sightings, and three, the home of movie making and premieres. But sometimes, out of the clear blue skies, you could be walking down Hollywood Boulevard and find yourself walking right into a blizzard!

It was Sunday, June 12, and I was heading toward Grauman's Chinese Theater for the premiere of Jim Carrey's new movie, Mr. Popper's Penguins. The streets were closed off and lined with fans awaiting the arrival of the stars for the movie. Expecting to see a red carpet, I was surprised to find that the whole theater was covered in frost and snow and a white carpet. Above, there were big machines blowing snow and from the speakers came howling wind sounds.

The crowd suddenly came alive with cheers and at first I thought it was Mr. Carrey himself, but I couldn't see because my spot was at the end of the "white carpet." I was so surprised when, before my eyes, I saw the stars of the movie waddling down the press line. It was the penguins themselves: Captain, Nimrod, Lovey, Bitey, Stinky, and Loudy! They waddled to an icy spot where they posed for pictures with people.

I met the director, Mark Waters, who told me they learned a lot working with the penguins and that they each had a personality of their own, which kept it very entertaining and interesting. I also met Maxwell Perry Cotton, (who plays Billy, son of Mr. Popper). He told me that they were constantly drinking something hot like hot cocoa or coffee to stay warm on the set. The set had to be kept at 30 degrees!

Then, just as the snowfall began to clear, I heard another roar from the crowds. It was much louder than before. It was Jim Carrey, walking down the snowy white carpet. He had that funny squint in his eyes and his humorous smile greeted everyone. When he got down to the end of the carpet, I introduced myself to him. He remembered me from the phone interview I did with him back in April. We both shared some laughs about the funny things penguins do. Who would have thought I'd meet my most favorite actor, Jim Carrey, who stars in a movie about my favorite animal of all time, penguins! Mr. Carrey was so busy with people all around him and he still made time to shake my hand and talk penguin talk with me.

The movie starts out getting to know Mr. Popper and, like the book it was inspired by, Mr. Popper is a serious business man who put his love of work before family. It wasn't until he inherited six penguins that his life was turned upside down. The penguins' loving and playful ways brought so much fun back to Mr. Popper's life that it made his family much closer and mostly made Mr. Popper himself see that he didn't want to keep missing out on spending time with his family just to work more.

The movie is full of the kind of funny mischief and stunts that you always get with Jim Carrey. It's a movie the whole family can enjoy, from oldest to youngest. The theater was laughing out loud and cheering a lot because there were some things in the movie you didn't expect.

You may be wondering is it the type of movie you want to see again? YEABSOLUTELY!! I will be going again, but this time with my Gramps!

Be sure to check out my interview with Jim Carrey on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website!

 

—Kid Reporter Damien Murphy

Photo: Damien Murphy on the white carpet for the premiere of Mr. Popper's Penguins. (Courtesy Damien Murphy)

NBA 101: A crash course in basketball from my brother

When my Scholastic editor asked me to write a piece on the NBA championship series, I immediately panicked. Granted, I played in a basketball recreational league or two when I was little, but I knew next to nothing about how the real thing worked, much less the national championship!

That’s when I remembered I have a brother, Nick, 12, who just so happens to watch SportsCenter and multiple other sports shows on a daily basis. Even though it took a little convincing (and bribing!), this reporter managed to get him to impart some valuable wisdom on the world of basketball as it pertains to this story.

Nick first informed me that this year, the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks are the two teams duking it out in the NBA Finals. Whichever team wins 4 games first will come away with the title.
My brother said that both teams feature superstars that carry a lot of their team’s weight. For the Heat, it’s the trio of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade, the core of a dream team assembled when the three were signed in the offseason as free agents. I’d already heard a lot about these three from my brother throughout the year.

Next, I learned about the Mavericks’ top contributor, Dirk Nowitski. Nick told me that the 7-foot forward, who hails from Germany, has played with the Mavericks for his entire 12-season career. And the two teams are already fierce rivals; they previously faced off in the 2006 NBA Finals, where the Heat prevailed in six games (although, as Nick was quick to note, Bosh and James weren’t on the team at that point).

He also told me that the Heat and Mavericks each have some strengths and weaknesses to watch for. While the Heat is a good all-around team, they often struggle to keep the Mavericks’ top scorer Nowitski in check. And even though the Mavericks lack other strong shooters besides Nowitski, when things are going right for them, their offense can be a real force to be reckoned with.

So all in all, I definitely learned a lot about basketball from my little brother. I guess putting up with his (slightly annoying) SportsCenter habit has finally paid off for me! And after all, maybe next time he starts bombarding me with NBA news and statistics, I’ll listen to him. Because as I just discovered, basketball can be interesting.

Check out my NBA Finals recap and tell me how you think I did!

—Kid Reporter Meggie Zahneis

A family of Kid Reporters

Three sisters.  Six years. A presidential election. Award-winning Newberry and Caldecott authors and illustrators...and the Houston Livestock and Rodeo.

This week, my sisters, Michelle and Brittney, and I were honored by the Mayor and City Council of Bellaire, Texas, with a Proclamation in recognition of our achievements as Kid Reporters for Scholastic News at a City Council meeting.

"Michelle, Brittney and Erin Sheena have become a unique family of young reporters for Scholastic News, with Michelle starting as a reporter in 2006 and Brittney and Erin joining in 2008 and 2009, respectively,"  proclaimed Bellaire Mayor Cynthia Siegel. "It is appropriate and desirable to recognize the Sheena sisters for their dedication as Kid Reporters, a role which has benefited many children and allowed children globally to learn about many newsworthy events."

Michelle applied as a sixth grader, and her first interview was with author Noah McCullough. She went on to write about Alexandra Pintus, a Scholastic Art & Writing Gold Key recipient, as well as the people affected by Hurricane Ike (which hit Texas in 2008) and its devastating aftermath.

"I met inspiring people my age, with captivating stories of their own,” Michelle remembered. “Meeting people with such prestigious qualifications so early in their lives was an honor, and being able to tell their story to the world was an even greater privilege."

She also covered other local and national stories — like the Houston Livestock and Rodeo. “After one of the rodeo shows, I was able to go behind the scenes and have a one on one interview with the Cheetah Girls. It was interesting to go behind the scenes and see what goes on to bring such a large event to life," Michelle explained.

The following year, Michelle covered the 2008 presidential campaigns. She stood next to news reporters such as Candy Crowley and  Carl Cameron who gave her tips on how to develop future stories. And Michelle was able to pass this knowledge on to her sister Brittney when became a Kid Reporter during the election.

"Whenever we went to cover the Presidential campaign events, security always told our parents that they were not allowed to bring in their children for the interviews and our parents always had to tell security that we were the actual reporters,” Brittney recalled. "I was able to interview Michelle Obama at one of the rallies. Later, I used the picture for a report for school. My friend thought I had been to the wax museum and could not believe that I actually had been able to interview her.  It is really a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

I started reporting last year, when I was in fifth grade. Over the past year, I have interviewed authors, reported on tar balls in Texas, stood on the court at the Final Four, and made a YouTube video on the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus. One of my favorite interviews was Gary Paulsen, Newberry award winning author and Iditarod competitor.

Reporting for Scholastic News has really been an amazing journey for my family.  I would highly recommend anyone who loves to read and write to apply.

Applications for the 2011-2012 Scholastic News Kids Press Corps will be accepted starting in August. But you can start working on your application now! Visit the How to Apply page to download the application.

And if you have questions for the Kid Reporters about what it takes to be a Kid Reporter, post them in the comments below!

—Kid Reporter Erin Sheena

Photo: L to R Mayor Siegel, Michelle, Erin , and Brittney Sheena (Photo courtesy Erin Sheena)
 

Inspired to create at the 2011 Art & Writing Awards

It was the second time I was at Carnegie Hall covering the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards at Carnegie Hall, and I was bouncing off the walls. 

Every year, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards honors teenagers from around the country for their art and writing. But they also present the Alumni Achievement Award, which honors older writers for what they have accomplished in their lifetime. It's one thing to see the art of a well known artist, and another to meet the artist himself. And on Tuesday night, I actually got to interview the artist, an experience I found very interesting.

This year's Alumni Achievement Award recipient was John Baldessari. He's a world renowned conceptual artists whose work includes painting, photography, and film. When he was a teenager, he won a Scholastic Art and Writing Award, and now at 80, he has won the Alumni Achievement Award. My favorite piece of art that he's done is a photograph called "Beethoven's Trumpet".  His art is full of wonderful, whimsical ideas. For example, "Beethoven's Trumpet" is a giant ear with a big funnel connected to it. The ear is Beethoven's, and the funnel is his trumpet. The piece of art hangs on the wall, and the viewer can walk up to it and shout into the trumpet. But because the ear and trumpet are so large, it makes the normal-sized person look very small. Works like these have sold for millions of dollars.

When I sat down with him, I was pleasantly surprised. He was very down to earth, as well as being a kind, gentle, man, willing to share the high points in his career with me. It was like talking to an old friend.

"Your only competition is yourself," he told me, his voice sounding like an oboe. "And all of art history."

I also met and talked to Victoria Ford, a high school senior from Memphis, Tennessee. She won two gold medals for her poetry and nonfiction writing. One of the things that struck me about her was her childhood. It wasn't as a childhood should be. Her mother had been convicted of drunk driving three times and was in prison. Her father, a former state senator, had been charged of taking a $55,000 bribe and was also in prison. Her home was going to be foreclosed on, and she and her three siblings were about to be placed in foster care. But at the last moment, an extremely kind aunt saved them. 

When asked how she felt when she writes, she told me her feelings were mixed. "Sometimes I am crying," she revealed.

I get inspired by stories like Victoria's and thinking of all she had been through. The hardest thing in my life is my math homework. But the hardest thing in her life is much bigger than that. When I look at these artists and how much they have been through and achieved, I am more determined to create something, or make something happen. Whether that means putting another painting in the world or writing an essay, I want to be make the world a better place, just like these artists have.

—Kid Reporter Grace McManus

Photo: Kid Reporter Grace McManus interviews artist John Baldessari backstage at Carnegie Hall, May 31, 2011. (Photo: Scholastic)