The Nominations Are In!

This morning was one of the biggest moments of the year for Hollywood. At 5:30 a.m., the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 85th Annual Academy Awards. The Academy Awards — also known as the Oscars — are the most prestigious honor handed out to movies in America.

Oscars are awarded in 24 categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress. These awards usually go to grown-up movies, but there's a category for movies kids have probably seen, too. This is the Best Animated Feature award. This year, the five nominees are Brave, Frankenweenie, ParaNorman, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, and Wreck-It Ralph.

As it turns out, Kid Reporters have written about all five of these movies! Revisit their stories on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website, then let us know what movie you think should win the Best Animated Feature Oscar!

The Oscars will be awarded on February 24. 

Photos: (from left to right) A still from Brave (Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.); a still from The Pirates! Band of Misfits (Aardman Animations for Sony Pictures Animation); a still from ParaNorman (LAIKA, Inc.); a still from Wreck-It Ralph (Disney. All Rights Reserved.); a still from Frankenweenie (Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

—Editor Dante A. Ciampaglia 

Hurricane Sandy Recovery Special Report

Hurricane Sandy made landfall on October 29, hitting New York City, Long Island, coastal New Jersey, and parts of New England very hard. In early 2013, many communities are still struggling to recover from one of the worst storms to ever hit the region.

But the residents in the hardest-hit areas aren't alone. Kids and adults from all over the country have sent aid, assistance, and relief to the victims of Sandy. Schools have held fundraisers to help other schools, volunteers have traveled to affected areas to help restore power, and clinics and shelters have helped pets who were displaced by the storm.

Scholastic News Kid Reporters have found stories of communities across the nation standing with their east coast neighbors. Find out how kids are helping the relief effort – and catch up with the Kid Reporters' on-the-ground reporting during the storm – in the Hurricane Sandy Recovery Special Report.

Check it out on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website!

Photo: A young volunteer at Hoboken High School pushes a bin of clothing donations intended for distribution to the public as surrounding neighborhoods remain without power due to damage caused by Superstorm Sandy, Sunday, November 4, 2012, in Hoboken, New Jersey. (AP Photo/ John Minchillo)

—Editor Dante A. Ciampaglia

Tim Kaine projected to win Virginia senate seat

While Virginia might be too close to call in terms of the presidential race, the race for the open Senate seat in Virginia has a winner.

NBC News just projected that Democrat Tim Kaine will be the next Senator from Virginia. A few weeks ago, Kid Reporter Nick Berray interviewed Kaine about his candidacy. (The Scholastic News Kids Press Corps requested an interview with George Allen, the Republican candidate, but Allen's campaign declined the request.)

Check out our interview with Virginia's new Senator on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website!

—Kid Reporter Editor Dante A. Ciampaglia

Ted Cruz goes to the Senate

NBC News just projected that Republican Ted Cruz will be the new Senator from Texas.

At the Republican National Convention in late August, Kid Reporter Topanga Sena interviewed Senator-elect Cruz about his campaign. Check out her interview below!

 

—Kid Reporter Editor Dante A. Ciampaglia

Hurricane Sandy updates from NYC

The Kid Reporters will have continuing updates from New York about the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Right now, Kid Reporter Cecilia Gault is out talking to her neighbors in Lower Manhattan — one of the hardest hit areas of the city — for a story update about the storm. She and her family also went back to their apartment after a couple days in a nearby hotel. Cecilia and her family say their apartment suffered no damage, but friends in the neighboring community of Tribeca weren't so lucky. Still, they don't have power — like most people below 39th Street. Cecilia sent in this photo of glow sticks that were placed in a stairwell to help residents see where they are walking:



More photos and updates will be coming from Kid Reporters in New York and other areas affected by Hurricane Sandy. Stay tuned for their coverage. And share your story with us: Do live in an area affected by Hurricane Sandy? If you do, how did the storm impact your community? What did your family and neighbors do to prepare? Share your experiences with us in the comments below!

(Photos courtesy Cecilia Gault)

—Kids Press Corps Editor Dante A. Ciampaglia

BREAKING NEWS: Paul Ryan is Romney's Running Mate

At a campaign event in Norfolk, Virginia, this morning, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney made it official: Paul Ryan is his choice for Vice President.

"Today we take another step forward to restore the promise of America," Romney said.

Ryan has campaigned heavily for Romney over the course of the 2012 campaign. He has appeared with the Republican nominee on several occassions, and he has held his own events in support of Romney, too.

"I'm excited for what lies ahead and I'm thrilled to be a part of America's Comeback Team," Paul said.

Ryan is a United States Representative from Wisconsin. He has served in the House of Representatives since 1999. He is the Chairman of the House Budget Committee and made national news last April when he unveiled his plan to balance the federal budget and reduce the nation's debt.

The proposal, called the "Path to Prosperity," has made Ryan a star among Republicans and conservatives. But Democrats have held the Ryan plan up as the wrong choice for the American economy. According to the Wall Street Journal, among the proposals in Ryan's budget are: cutting trillions of dollars of spending, lowering corporate tax rates from 35 percent to 25 percent, and introducing sweeping changes to Medicare and Medicaid. 

During the 2012 presidential campaign, both Romney and President Barack Obama have highlighted Ryan's "Path to Prosperity." Romney says it's the road map for America's future, and he will sign it into law immediately upon taking the Oath of Office. Obama, meanwhile, says it's absolutely the wrong direction for the country and he would not sign it into law.

With the selection of Ryan and Romney's running mate, the Ryan budget plan will only take on greater importance as the presidential campaign nears Election Day on November 6.

Kid Reporter Andrew Liang has more on Romney's selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate on the Scholastic News Election 2012 website. Stay tuned to the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps for the latest on this story and all of the news from the 2012 campaign trail.

(Photo: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, right, and vice presidential candidate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, wave at the crowd during a campaign event on August 11 in Norfolk, Virginia. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer))

—Editor Dante A. Ciampaglia

What do you think about Mitt Romney selecting Paul Ryan as his running mate? Do you think it will help or hurt Romney's campaign for President? Why? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

Sally Ride Remembered

Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, died yesterday at the age of 61. Ride went to space twice, in 1983 and 1984. And besides doing experiments and tests high above the earth, she became a hero to all Americans — men and women, kids and adults.

Ride was also a role model for young people — especially girls — who wanted to become an astronaut some day. She showed what it takes to go to space, and after she retired from NASA she committed herself to preparing future generations of space explorers and scientists. She wrote nine books aimed at kids about space and science, and in 2001 she founded Sally Ride Science to educate and support kids' interest in science, math, and technology.

In 2010, Kid Reporter Mariam El Hasan interviewed Sally Ride at Education Nation in New York about the importance of science and math education. Ride also shared her advice for kids who might want to be an astronaut someday.

Watch Mariam's interview below, and let us know in the comments what Sally Ride and her accomplishments mean to you.

 

—Editor Dante A. Ciampaglia

Apply now to be a Kid Reporter!

Become a Scholastic Kid Reporter!

We are now accepting applications for the 2011-2012 Scholastic News Kids Press Corps!

To apply, applicants must complete and mail ALL of the following:

* a typed news article (maximum 400 words) about your community. The article must include at least two quotes from at least one interview.

* a typed essay (maximum 250 words) that answers the questions: Why do you want to be a Kid Reporter? What do you hope to learn as a Kid Reporter?

* two ideas for stories about people making a difference in your community that you would like to work on as a Kid Reporter.

* a basic background information form that lets Scholastic News Kids Press Corps editors know more about you and help us select a diverse group of kids from all over the country.

* a Student Release Form (form provided by Scholastic must be completed and signed by your parent/legal guardian).

* a recent photograph of yourself that, if you are selected as a Kid Reporter, will appear on the site when we announce the new Kid Reporters (this can be a color printout or an actual photograph, but we cannot return any submitted photographs).

Download the application on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website! All applications must be postmarked by October 11, 2011. NO LATE APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.