Pink for a purpose

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would do as much as she could to help others with breast cancer. Who knew that one sister’s promise would start a revolution in medicine?

Nancy started a foundation, in her sister’s name, which promotes breast cancer awareness and helps individuals who have a cancer diagnosis. The foundation has many fundraisers, but none as famous as Race for the Cure. This event serves as a celebration of life and freedom breast cancer and also promotes breast cancer awareness and early detection. 

Recently, I participated in one of the many Races for the Cure that take place around the world. The one I was part of happened on Daniel Island, South Carolina. Approximately 10,000 people gathered to run or walk for this cause. Symbolic pink trappings were everywhere, from survivors decked in pink shirts and hats to posters and even ornamental pink ribbons tied to the trees that marked the route. Along the 5K route people waved posters with messages like "Fight like a Girl” and “Go Pink.”

While running in the Race for the Cure, I saw how many people had flocked to support this cause. Many people running/walking were actual breast cancer survivors. Seeing these people run kept me going even when I started to get tired. It felt great at the end to know that I had just run for a wonderful cause that affected so many people. 

I will always support the work that the Susan G. Komen Foundation does. Thanks to this foundation many lives have been saved and a lot of scientific research has been funded in hopes of finding a cure to breast cancer.

—Kid Reporter Faith Dalzell

Photo: Kid Reporter Faith Dalzell after finishing the 5K Race for the Cure. (Courtesy Faith Dalzell) 

Stand Up to Bullying

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. For Safe Schools Week, which is October 17-21, the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps kicks off a continuing series about bullying prevention, Stand Up to Bullying.

Kid Reporters have talked to their teachers, parents of kids who have been bullied, singers, songwriters, and actors who are taking part in bullying prevention programs, and authors about how to keep bullying out of kids' lives.

Have you been the victim of bullying? Do you see it happening in your schools? How do you stand up to bullies?

Tell us your story, and share your experiences and ideas with other kids in the comments section below!

Being bullied? Talk to an adult!

In August 2005, I moved from a small private school to a charter school. The new school wasn’t much bigger than my old one. The new school was a tight-knit community. Everyone knew each other, and I was the odd man out. At first, I made a few great friends, ones I still know and go to school with today. But for some reason, there were kids who made a point not to like me because I was the NEW KID.

From the very beginning, these kids would trip me as I was walking in the hallways, push me in the playground, and start fights with me every time they had the chance. I know they say violence is never the answer, but my instincts told me if I didn’t stand up for myself the bullies would never stop.

The bullies were made up of six kids who would attack as a pack. I tried my best to hold my ground, but there were just too many for me to hold my own. I never thought second graders could be so cruel and abusive. Every day was a struggle, and I did my best to weather it. But it continued. Finally, I told my parents I did not want to go to school anymore. My parents immediately knew there was something wrong. Being seven years old, I was a terrible liar and my parents saw right through the lies.

My parents told me to get dressed and took me to school. They met with the principal and explained to her what I was dealing with every day. The principle assured my parents that she would address the issue immediately.  The principle came to my class and addressed everyone on bullying. All the kids voiced their opinion, and some of them even came forward and admitted that they were also the targets of bullying.

The discussion with the class was long, but there was no yelling or punishment for anyone. I thought to myself this was not going to go very well. But after an encouraging wink from the principal, I felt hopeful. For the next few days I felt a little nervous, not sure whether or not the discussion with the principle would work.  And to my surprise, I never again had a problem with the so-called “bullies.” I still go to the same charter school, but I will never forget the bullying I encountered in the second grade.

The lesson here is that it is always best to get an adult or teacher to intervene instead of taking on the problem by yourself. That might sound strange, but it’s true. I tried to be tough, but in the end all I did was prolong the bullying.  What really saved me was my parents bringing the problem to the attention of the principle and teachers and having them address the issue. 

If you ever get into a similar situation, get help from the adults immediately. Trust me, you will not regret it.

Check out the Kid Reporter Special Report Stand Up to Bullying for more stories about kids and adults confronting bullying in their schools and lives! 

—Kid Reporter Albert Ordonez

Have you been the victim of bullying? Do you see it happening in your schools? How do you stand up to bullies? Let us know in the comments section below!

Photo:  SW Productions/Photodisc/Getty Images

 

Nearly 20,000 people march on Wall Street

I must say, I witnessed something very special yesterday in lower Manhattan. I have never seen anything like this. People with different ideas, beliefs, and agendas gathered to make positive change.

An estimated 15,000 people peacefully marched up Broadway from Zuccotti Park to Foley Square. This new movement is called Occupy Wall Street. The movement reached an amazing turn out today, including at least 15 major labor unions such as the United Federation of Teachers, the AFL-CIO, and the Transit Workers Union.

The march was carefully organized and amazingly orderly considering the enormity of the participation. I felt safe and protected the whole time I was at the event (nearly three hours). The organizers of Occupy Wall Street had placed members spread out over short distances along the way to the rallying point in Foley Square to direct marchers and to keep the event non-violent, peaceful, and law-abiding.

The march was loud but calm and even cheerful. The protesters carried colorful placards and banners to make their point. Some placards said, “We are the 99” or “Stop Corporate Greed” and others had environmental messages. Some protesters wore eye-catching costumes and make-up to express their concerns and ideas. Some danced or played drums or guitars as they marched. 

One person I interviewed was a Vietnam veteran. He tearfully told me that he was so happy to see that all those people came together to voice themselves and exercised our freedom of speech.  I also met one family of six from Brooklyn, New York, who took time out to be part of this historic event. The family had four children who were holding handmade banners.

This protest may have begun with young Americans but from what I saw has now become inclusive of all ages and nationalities. Being at the march, I felt like I was part of an event that will be remembered for a long time.

Be sure to check out my report on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website!

—Kid Reporter Cecilia Gault

Editor’s Note: Cecilia and I were at the Occupy Wall Street rally yesterday for nearly three hours. After we left, and the protesters marched back to Zuccotti Park, altercations erupted between police and protesters according to people at the scene who posted videos online. Some protesters were hit with clubs, while others were sprayed with mace. We didn’t witness these events, but it’s important to ackowledge that they happened as part of the march and rally yesterday.

Photo: Four kids hold up a sign during the Occupy Wall Street protest yesterday. (Photo: Dante A. Ciampaglia) 

Pottermore: A World of Magic and Imagination

Caption: Scholastic Kid Reporter Andrew Liang brews a potion on Pottermore

As a devoted Harry Potter fan and enthusiast, I was extremely excited about the announcement of the website Pottermore this past summer by author J.K. Rowling. She was finally going to reveal secrets we had wanted to know for so long and was going to lead us through an interactive experience like never before. The pages were going to come alive and tell their own stories about everything in the Harry Potter universe.

My first wish was to get exclusive entry onto Pottermore by entering the Magical Quill Challenge that was announced on the website before access was granted. The task was to look out for a question on the Pottermore website and to answer it as quickly as possible since only 1 million lucky readers would be granted early access. After answering the question, I was to find a Magical Quill (like the one that finds magical students in the book series) and sign up. I checked my email many times during the months of August and September, hoping that one day the confirmation would come to me.

And it did! I was confirmed to enter Pottermore early; now they had to set me up with a special time to enter Pottermore since the demand was so high that people all around the world with early access were already indulging themselves in the fantastic storyline of Pottermore. Finally, at the end of September, I was able to log on myself to have a first glimpse of the website. From the first moment I deeply enjoyed it, reading extras written by Rowling herself and explanations on just about anything, from the history of the Hogwarts Express to the types of wands.

I retraced Harry’s route from the Dursleys all the way to Diagon Alley, then started my own little adventure. There, in the wizarding community of Diagon Alley, I virtually entered Gringotts Bank, purchased necessary materials, bought myself an owl, and even visited Ollivander’s Wand Shop. A questionnaire helped the wand choose its master and now in my possession is a beautiful beech dragon core wand that is 13 inches long. Just as exhilarating was the ride to Hogwarts and the moment I was sorted by the Sorting Hat.

Another questionnaire was used to tell my true personality and I was very nervous — the house I would be sorted in today would be the house that I would keep for the rest of my journey through the seven books. The virtual Professor McGonagall warned the first year students to take it seriously and that “its decision would be final.”

In the questionnaire, I wished to be a trustworthy and kind person to others and someone who was not boastful of their own accomplishments. The hat quickly decided and announced that I was a... HUFFLEPUFF! I had always thought of Hufflepuff of being the weaker house, but my prefect seemed to have read my mind and my welcome letter from him said, “First of all, let’s deal with a perennial myth about the place, which is that we’re the least clever house. WRONG. Hufflepuff is certainly the least boastful house, but we’ve produced just as many brilliant witches and wizards as any other. Want proof? Look up Grogan Stump, one of the most popular Ministers for Magic of all time. He was a Hufflepuff – as were the successful Ministers Artemesia Lufkin and Dugald McPhail.”

Did you know that Newt Scamander was a Hufflepuff? See, there are loads of information you will love on Pottermore. Also, the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room has been so well concealed that in a thousand years of Hogwarts school history, no outsider has ever seen it!

I am still only on the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and I’m having a blast exploring Hogwarts, visiting Hagrid, brewing potions for Professor Snape, and making new online friends. Whether you’re looking to collect chocolate frogs online or you would like learn more about how the Dursleys met each other, Pottermore is just right for you. I encourage you to sign up and with one swish and a flick you’ll be ready to begin your expedition through the mind of Harry Potter!

—Kid Reporter Andrew Liang

Diamondbacks go from worst to first

At the end of the last Major League Baseball season, the Arizona Diamondbacks had won only 65 games and finished in last place in its division. But in 2011, the Diamondbacks made a remarkable turnaround to finish in first place in the National League West division.

The Diamondbacks’ final record this season was 94 wins and 68 losses — a 29-win turnaround from 2010! The team also found itself in the playoffs, where they have been facing the Milawuakee Brewers, the team that won the National League Central division.

Game 3 of the Diamondbacks’ first-round series against the Brewers is tonight, and Arizona down 0 game to 2. If the Diamondbacks lose tonight, its season is over. But the team is playing at home, which it hopes gives the players an advantage. If Arizona wins, Game 4 will also be played in Phoenix. And if the D’backs win Game 4, the final game of the series will be played in Milwuakee. The winner will then take on the winner of the Philadelphia Phillies - St. Louis Cardinals series in the National League Championship Series.

But however things turn out, this has been a great season for the Arizona Diamondbacks!