Meet The Real Kung Fu Panda

Zoo Atlanta names 100-day-old panda after animated movie star!

My latest assignment as a Scholastic News Kid Reporter took me back to Zoo Atlanta and news about pandas. A year ago I visited the zoo to cover the departure of giant panda Mei Lan, who was returning to  to her home country of China. This time, the story was about the naming ceremony for a newborn giant panda—Mei Lan’s little brother.

Zoo Atlanta and the movie company DreamWorks formed a partnership, to name the panda Po in honor of the panda character from the 2008 movie Kung Fu Panda. It didn't hurt publicity for the upcoming sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2 either!

The Kung Fu Panda movies are about a laidback panda named Po who is a good cook, but dreams of Kung Fu fighting. He ends up finding a hidden talent in the martial arts. Actor Jack Black, who voices Po in the animated films was on hand to bestow the 100-day-old giant panda with his new name.

I asked Black about the new movie, which premieres in May.

“Kung Fu Panda 2 has some great scenes about Po's childhood, his origins," Black said. "He starts to have flashbacks of his youth and what happens to his mother and father.” He pauses before continuing. “I can’t really reveal too much though, it’s a secret. You’ll have to see the movie.”

You might be wondering how Black gets into character to play a cooking, Kung Fu kicking panda.

“I have watched a lot of pandas on YouTube,” he said. That is, until this naming ceremony, when he met a real panda for the first time.

It seems like Black has succeeded in creating an alter ego Kung Fu character in many ways. He has quite a few kung fu moves of his own, which he demonstrated several times at the zoo. Black leaped around the stage and captivated the audience with his moves.

Black is also a panda lover. He loves both the new baby panda and the big Kung Fu panda from the movie. So which one does he think is cuter?

“The newborn panda is cuter than Po in the movie, because he’s a little baby cub,” he said. “But I think the full grown panda Po in the movie is cute as well, if I don’t say so myself. They modeled some of his good looks after a certain actor, or so I have been told!”

Meeting Jack Black was an experience of a lifetime. Now after interviewing him, not only is he my favorite actor, but I really want to see Kung Fu Panda 2!

                                                                                                                   —Andrew Liang

PHOTOS: Jack Black and Dr. Hayley Murphy with giant panda cub Po. (Photo courtesy Paramount Pictures)

Snow in the South

An unusual winter storm hits Hot-lanta!

Recently, snowstorms have hit many states across the United States, from New York to Mississippi. I live in Atlanta, Georgia, which doesn’t normally receive snow. In fact, Atlanta's nickname is Hot-lanta for its steamy climate.

Even when it does snow here, it doesn't usually stick around for long. On the evening of Sunday, January 9, as Atlanta braced for a snowstorm, I doubted that there would be much buildup. When I woke up the next morning, I saw immedaitely that I was wrong!

Atlanta was entirely covered in a lush blanket of white after one night of snow. It was the most snow I had ever seen in my hometown. But there’s a downside. The snow made roads treacherous and the city only has 11 snow plows.

Schools and businesses were closed, so I had the day off. The snow was a whopping six inches deep outside! I couldn’t see my feet since they were buried in the snow.

This wasn’t the only snowstorm of this winter. Atlanta just had its first white Christmas in 128 years!

The Atlanta airport, the busiest in the world, is the largest hub for Delta Airlines. Hundreds of passengers were stranded there with the majority of flights being delayed or cancelled. I had just flown back from China and my plane arrived only an hour before the snow storm started. As soon as I arrived home, I got a welcome home present of snow!

I was more fortunate than many people. But looking at the bright side of things, snow means play for kids, and I’m a kid! So I made snowballs and even improvised a sled by using my surf board to slid down a nearby hill. I had to control the board just right and if I let go on accident, it meant I would turn into a slushy mess.

Tomorrow is another day without school and I am going to build a ginormous snowman! It is a heck-of fun to be lying in the cold snow and to marvel at the world of white, a miracle that has come to Atlanta. 

—Andrew Liang

PHOTO: Kid Reporter Andrew Liang in a southern winter wonder land in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo Courtesy Andrew Liang)

A Grand Old Party in Georgia

Nathan Deal new Peach State Governor; two new Republicans in House

When the Georgia Republicans gathered for their Election Night Party at the Grand Hyatt in Atlanta tonight, they had a lot to celebrate. The roller coaster ride campaign for Governor was over and Republican Congressman Nathan Deal defeated former Governor Roy Barnes for the state’s top political job.

Among the many GOP (Grand Old Party) members celebrating with Deal were U.S. House Representative Tom Price, also victorious, and U.S. Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson. While Chambliss was not up for re-election this year, Isakson was. Georgia voters sent him back to Washington, D.C., for another six-year term.

State Republicans were also celebrating two big wins in the U.S. House of Representatives that helped the GOP become the majority vote in that house of Congress. Republicans added 60 of its members to the House of Representatives. They only needed 40 to win a majority.  In the Senate, they gained six seats, the only bright spot for Democrats. While two seats are still too close to call, the Democrats will retain a slim majority in the Senate.

Before making a victory speech, Deal had to wait to be certain he had won. The wait was agonizing for both his supporters and himself. He did not address the crowds as Georgia’s next Governor until around midnight.

While others were celebrating, the candidates talked to reporters about what they would do after taking office.

“The first priority is to make sure next year’s budget is balanced,” Deal told the Scholastic Kids Press Corps. “Next year is going to be challenging, and I think everybody recognizes that.”

Voters have strong opinions too. Most of the ones at this celebration voted the party line and wanted to see changes locally as well as nationally.

“I think Nathan Deal listens to the people and knows that we need jobs,” said Randall Smith. “He’ll bring more people to the state, he’ll bring more jobs to the state, and it’ll become a cycle. That cycle then grows and we move forward.”

Senator Isakson summed it up. “We need to get our economy back and our jobs back,” he said. “That’s my number one priority.”

—Andrew Liang

PHOTO: Kid Reporter Andrew Liang with Nathan Deal, Georgia's next Governor at an election night party in Atlanta, November 2, 2010. (Photo Courtesy Andrew Liang)

Georgia’s Next Governor

Former Gov. and current Rep. fight to lead the Peach State

Two experienced politicians are fighting to be the next Governor of Georgia in this midterm election.

The race is between Democrat Roy Barnes, a former Georgia Governor from 1999 to 2003, and Republican Nathan Deal, a member of the U.S. House of Representtives since 1992.Both are debating different ways to create new jobs, improve the education system, and protect Georgia’s water rights.

Deal comes from a family of educators. His parents and wife all worked their entire careers in the education system. He has ideas on improving student achievement in Georgia.

“When there are fewer state dollars in the budget, local administrators and educators know what will work best for their school system,” Deal told the Scholastic Kids Press Corps. “We need to give them flexibility, especially at this crucial time.”

Barnes is pushing for more technology in the classroom to enhance education.

Another item on voters’ minds is water rights. Georgia has been in several disputes over water resources and water rights with neighboring states like Alabama and Florida. Barnes and Deal both promise to settle the disputes and help Georgia keep its rights to water such as Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River, both important water sources.

“The availability of abundant, clean water has become as important in Georgia as the availability of other natural resources, such as gas and coal,” Barnes said. “Currently, we are in a major water crisis because of the escalation of the dispute with Alabama and Florida over Lake Lanier. This poses a threat to everything we have built in Georgia. Immediate action is imperative.”

Boosting the economy is also what voters are looking for in the candidates, with unemployment rates exceeding 10 percent in Georgia.

Barnes’ strategy is to create public jobs in the short run. Deal has a plan to bring jobs to Georgia by creating a business friendly environment.

“I want to lower the corporate income tax by one-third,” Deal said. “This will encourage corporate businesses to hire more employees. Also, I want to give a waiver to small businesses that open in Georgia.”

Opinion polls show that Deal has a slight lead, but the margin of error in polls makes this a very close race.

Georgia governor’s race can make a difference in the balance of power in the U.S. Congress. Since Georgia’s population has increased according to the recent 2010 Census, Election Data Services estimates that next year, Georgia will gain one seat in the House of Representatives. The congressional districts in Georgia have to be redrawn, so every district has a population of equal size. Both parties will fight to redraw the districts to its own party’s advantage. It will up to the state legislature and the governor to veto or approve the new congressional districts. Whether that new district will be made up of primarily Republican or Democratic voters could be up to the next Governor.

As Deal and Barnes face off in the final few days before November 2, Scholastic Kids Press will be there to cover the final stage of the race. Check back here for the results on Election Night, November 2.

—Andrew Liang

PHOTOS: (Top) Nathan Deal. (Photo Courtesy Nathan Deal.) (Bottom) Roy Barnes. (Photo Courtesy Roy Barnes)

Kid Reporters On Assignment!

Trip to New York, hard work, great fun, new friends.

My greatest experience ever has to be my trip to New York with Scholastic as a Kid Reporter. Along with four other kids, I covered panel discussions during the NBC Education Nation conference at 30 Rock, the international headquarters for NBC Universal.

I flew in on Friday night and since the other kids had not arrived yet, I had some downtime with just my parents. We visited the Empire State Building at midnight, then the next day we traveled around the city, to Wall Street, the Statue of Liberty, and even to the Majestic Theater in Broadway where we watched the Phantom of the Opera. Then, on Sunday, it was work time.

I met with my editor and the kid reporters and we got started on our stories and videos. Kid Reporters Mariam El Hasan, Kenny Figueroa, Grace McManus, and I split up into two groups.

Mariam and I went to the Teacher Town Hall, which was moderated by Brian Williams, anchor of NBC Nightly News. I interviewed National Education Association President Dennis van Roekel and also the Executive Producer of the Town Hall. Then I met Brian Williams, who had already been interviewed by Mariam. I said I was his biggest fan. He replied, “It’s nice to have such a big fan in someone so young!”

That night the kid reporters had dinner together at the Barking Dog, where Kid Reporter Cecilia Gault joined us. Kenny entertained us with his magic tricks. We all watched with a critical eye, looking for the trick behind the magic, even my editors Ms. Freeman and Mr. Dante. Kenny told us he wants to be a skateboarder, CEO, and magician when he grows up.

Mr. Dante said, “I can imagine Kenny being a CEO and holding a meeting at the bottom of the Empire State Building and then right as it starts, he jumps on his skateboard and takes off up the side of the building!”

Kenny was the group clown, often joking and showing us his tricks, but he worked hard and flawlessly. He interviewed the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and then tried to get a representative of Research in Motion to reveal his secrets about a new computer tablet that will soon be competing with the iPad. He should add reporter to his list of careers!

Mariam and I teamed up again and went to the eighth floor of 30 Rock where we covered the Job One panel. She interviewed Sally Ride and I talked to Dick Parsons, Chairman of Citigroup and former Time Warner CEO.Grace was at a lunch where Top Chef competitors were trying to cook healthy and delicious meals on a school lunch budget.

On the last day, Tuesday, Kenny interviewed NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, while Cecilia was at a conference called “The Parent and the Village.” She interviewed Caroline Kennedy and others.

I left with Mariam to go to the Today Show where we were interviewed by anchors Ann Curry and Al Roker. We also met California Representative George Miller, who was also on the show. I told him that I was going to get a college degree in political science. He asked, “Are you running against me?” That punch line is something I’ll never forget.

The kid reporters reunited at Starbucks, which we adopted as a temporary office because it had wireless Internet, air conditioning, and (for the editors) coffee! The Kid Reporters made frequent trips to the press room for free potatoe chips, pretzels, and water.

With about two hours left together, we were working hard on completing our stories. This trip turned out to be a blast and I learned so much on the current state of education in America.

—Andrew Liang

PHOTO: Scholastic Kid Reporters line up at the Starbucks in the basement of 30 Rock in New York City, where they worked for three days covering the NBC Education Nation conference. (Photo Courtesy Scholastic, Inc.)

Kids Count, Even if They Can't Vote

Head of NYC schools and head of former Secretary of Education speak out.

On Monday, I attended a panel called "Kids Can't Vote," which was a conversation among education officials on how to run our public school system in the best interests of the kids who attend, rather than the politicians who set budgets and determine policies. The panel was part of NBC's Education Nation conference held in New York City this week.

David Gregory, MSNBC anchor and host of Meet the Press on NBC, moderated. Afterward, I chatted with two of the panelists—Joel Klein, Chancellor of the New York Department of Education, and Margaret Spellings, former Secretary of Education under President George W. Bush. They both spoke about student involvement and the government's role in the American education system. Click on the play buttons to hear what they had to say! 

—Andrew Liang

VIDEO: Scholastic, Inc. 

 

VIDEO: Scholastic, Inc.

In the Today Show Greenroom

You never know who you might meet on the Today Show!

The NBC Today Show is one of the most famous morning shows ever, hosted by Matt Lauer, Ann Curry, Meredith Vieira, and Al Roker. The headquarters are in New York City, where I was this week, along with other Kid Reporters, covering the NBC Education Nation Summit.

One of these Kid Reporters was Mariam El Hasan, whom I had teamed up with during several panel discussions during the summit. We were scheduled to both appear on the Today Show  to talk about our experiences.

We all met in a coffee shop in the basement of 30 Rock, home of NBC's world headquarters. At the Today Show set, we were put in the green room (which isn't actually green). The green room is where guests on the show wait before they go on live TV.

We waited there with another guest, Congressman George Miller from California. Miller has been in the House of Representatives since 1975 and is also the Chairman of the Education and Labor Committee.

He is a tall, nice man. He made us feel very comfortable talking to him.  Once he introduced himself, Mariam and I both jumped up and shook his hand. He launched us into a conversation.

Mariam quickly found a common topic. When he asked where we were from, she said, “Orange County, California.” He said that he was from California too and she said, “No way!”

“You know that there’s another part of California, right?” he said as we started laughing. Representative Miller represents a part of northern California. Mariam lives in southern California.

The Congressman then talked to us about school and covering the panels in the Education Nation. He asked us what we thought about journalism.

Mariam said it was her future career. I had a different answer.

“I want to have a degree in political science,” I said. 

He jokingly asked, “Are you running against me?”

Then I told him I wanted to become a CEO when I grew up, which my experiences in journalism should help with. He seemed to relax a bit.

My dad asked for a picture with him as Mr. Miller was told to enter the studio for his own segment. He went on right before we did.

“No company will turn you down when you have a picture with me,” Miller joked as we all posed for the cameras. I think that he is one of the funniest people I have ever met.

We walked up a few minutes later and saw his interview on education with Al Roker and Ann Curry. Those two would later interview us!

After he was done, I shook his hand one last time before he left. Then it was time for our interview! But that’s another story that my colleague Mariam is writing right now at a table in Starbucks. When I have memories of my appearance on the Today Show in the future, I won’t forget about Congressman George Miller.

—Andrew Liang

PHOTO: Representative George Miller with Kid Reporters Andrew Liang and Mariam El Hasan in the "green room" at the NBC Today Show on Tuesday, September 28, 2010. (Photo Courtesy Scholastic Inc.)

Bad Weather in New York Breaks NBC Tent

I entered the NBC Learning Plaza on Monday and I met Mr. Dante, a Scholastic editor, who would be my "sherpa" for a planned interview with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. My questions were ready, but Dante told me that the tent over the NBC Education Nation conference was  collapsing under the weight of rain water. The ten was built over the Rockefeller Plaza ice skating rink to house the event.

A day before, NBC NIghtly News anchor Brian Williams described during a Teacher Town Hall  meeting held in the tent that an inflatable roof designed to shelter Education Nation would not actually inflate. At the last moment, crew members found a replacement and the conference went on. However, a day later, as rain came pouring in over the city and sidewalks got drenched, so did the tent, leaking on dozens of dignataries including NBC newscaster Tom Brokaw.

"All of a sudden, Tom Brokaw told us that we needed to leave because of the weather," says Francie Alexander, Chief Academic Officer at Scholastic who was participating in the event. "So I have to say, with a lot of teachers and educators in the audience, it was orderly. Teachers know what to do because they teach others what to do."

She was talking about fire drills, tornado drills, and other emergencies that schools must be prepared for. Alexander knew how to evacuate the tent along with the other teachers. IF the audience had been another kind of audience, there might have been chaos.

As for the Education Nation conference, panels were moved upstairs into the NBC building. Some were held in the space set aside for Saturday Night Live comedy show, while others were held in the Dr. Oz studio.

No one was hurt and NBC pages and other workers certainly smoothed things out quickly. Like the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared, NBC certainly was.

                                                                                                              —Andrew Liang 

PHOTO: Workers clear rain from the Education Nation Learning Plaza on Monday morning. (Photo: Amanda Hebert)

Time Warner Exec Talks Success

It takes more than teachers: parents and students needed for better education

The first panel of Monday's NBC Education Nation was titled "Job One." The panel was made up of a group of businessmen and other top leaders of their professions, including Sally Ride, Dick Parsons, and others. Sally Ride is the first woman astronaut in space.Parsons is the former CEO of Time Warner, a media company.

Debates erupted into full swing during about one and a half housr of panel discussions about how to interest kids to learn more about science and math.

I spoke to Parsons, right after the discussions. The interview was not planned, but I managed to snatch a few minutes with him with the help of my Scholastic editor.

Parsons expressed views on having high expectations toward students and how to enhance interest in technology. The 21st Century is new and science is playing an important part in everybody's lives, he said.He came to be part of the Education Nation conference for that reason.

"I think we are entering an important time," he said passionately. "We're going to either embrace and make more vigorous, this public education for the public or we can walk away from it."

Parsons says he is choosing to embrace it and educate teachers and parents on how to do so as well.

As the panelists sat in front of cameras and also a live audience, Parsons was one of the main proponents of using current materials and strengthening American education with the tools we have right now. Others agreed saying that other countries have less than one tenth of the supplies we have and they are ranking higher on the overall education list.

"There are hundreds of ways that we can bring kids into math and science," he said. "We just have to be creative and find out the right innovative ways for the right kids."

When Parsons was a child, his family had high expectations for him. He developed a drive and interest in learning. For example, he never thought about not going to college or not going to school. He knew that that wasn’t the right choice and that his parents would be angry.

That brings me back to one of the discussions during the panel: how much parent involvement is needed in school  for students to succeed?

"Both of my parents had certain expectations for their children in terms of achieving different milestones and improving their life," he said. "They made those expectations clear from the time before memory began."

That's strict parents from a young age—or maybe just really interested parents. Either way, it worked. The result of that strictness: a bold businessman that eventually became the CEO of Time Warner.

Parsons now wants to promote better education for everyone.

"The bottom line is that we as a country need to put more focus on educating our young people," he said. "That's got to be one thing we can't just delegate to teachers. Parents have to play a role, and young people themselves have to play a role if they don't want to be left behind."

                                                                                                              —Kid Reporter Andrew Liang

PHOTO: Panelists at the Job One panel discuss the importance of science and math to American education. (Photo: Dante A. Ciampaglia)

Teachers Show Passion for Education

Teacher Town Hall kicks off NBC/Scholastic Education Nation conference

The first segment of the NBC Education Nation summit began Sunday in a temporary structure over the ice rink at Rockefeller Center. NBC Nightly news anchor Brian Williams moderated a Town Hall meeting in a white plastic tent full of teachers and journalists.

Thousands of teachers also participated online, sending in comments as the discussions got really heated. Teachers both at the event and online responded passionately to the topics discussed. They engaged in spirited discussions about what they need to do to help students achieve the very best.

“This was a terrific opportunity to let teachers have a voice,” said Mark Lukasiewicz, NBC executive producer for the conference. “What we planned was to make sure to get as many teachers as we can and let them talk. And boy, they did not disappoint.”

The teachers themselves also found that they could relate to other teachers and their stories. Many have faced low-income families whose students were not doing well in school. Others discussed how best to understand their students and how to help them be successful as adults.

“I met a girl who does a lot of project-based learning in her classroom,” said teacher Amy Beenedetti. “So, I plan to do more projects like that, too.” That’s just what one teacher learned while standing in line with other teachers waiting to be seated.

Teachers were buzzing with conversation during every commercial break and grouped together after the town hall to continue their discussions.

Dennis van Roekel, the president of the National Education Association, a labor union that represents public school personnel, spoke to this Kid Reporter after the event.

“I think there will be more discussion about education,” he said when asked what affect the conference might have on America’s classrooms. “And I hope what happens out of that is that we stop just talking about only a piece of education and look at the whole system.”

—Andrew Liang

PHOTO: Kid Reporters Andrew Liang and Mariam El Hasan at the Education Nation Teacher Town Hall at Rockefeller Center in New York City, September 26, 2010. (Photo by Suzanne Freeman)