Sophomore Carla Alvarez from Bethel High School in Vallejo CA performed "Barbara" from Roger Karshner's monologues. Barbara is a student who is annoyed by her mother's outrageous dietetic demands (Courtesy of VCAT, California)
20091023
20091022
Humanity
Rahul Salagame , 4th Grade
Sunnyvale CA
Carden Academy
We need change! Well, people talk about ending poverty or war or giving money to charity. These things are fine; but I wanted to do something that was within my reach. I wanted to do something that I could see and feel. Could a nine year old change the world? I was not so sure about that.
One day, my mom was packing away all my old toys to save in the garage. I asked her why she was saving my old toys. She said “These have sentimental value. They remind me of your childhood and that is why they are precious.”
I kept thinking about why my mom had said and then an idea truck me. I told her that I would like to give away all my used toys to under-privileged kids. The same toys that made me happy could make other kids happy too. Let’s face it, kids just love toys. I knew it was just a drop in the bucket, but I still wanted to do it. There were lots of toys so it took some time to get prepared and sort out the toys. I got some empty boxes from the garage and started filling them up with my toys. My mom was watching me and now she started panicking!
She was saving my toys for keepsake. I told her she would always have me at her side. I convinced her to take me to the orphanage close to our home. She agreed reluctantly.
When we reached the orphanage, me and my mom were both nervous. We did not know what to expect as none of us had done this before. The lady at the orphanage was very helpful. She guided us through the right channels. She said that I should hand out the toys to the kids myself .We arrived in a room full of little kids. They were a noisy bunch. When they saw me and my mom, they became quiet. They all sat down and sort of waited for us. Their eyes sparkled and they looked questioningly at us wondering why we were there.
I started handing out the toys one by one. Each kid walked up to me and took the toy from me. All the kids were happy. One American kid walked back to me. I had given him my radio-controlled car. He gave me a warm hug. That made me feel so good. I have never been hugged by a little kid before as I am the only kid in the house. He even called me Santa, but let’s just keep that between you and me. He did not care that I was Asian.
The whole incident made me think that giving back to our community is such a simple change. It is a change in our way of thinking. It is a change in our way of living. It is a change that is achievable.
So, if there is one thing in this world to make it a better place, it would be to change the way people think about giving. I would like to plant the seeds of humanity in people’s minds. IF I can do it in my community, and other kids do it in their community, then little by little the whole world would change. WOW! That change would be immeasurable.
Sunnyvale CA
Carden Academy
We need change! Well, people talk about ending poverty or war or giving money to charity. These things are fine; but I wanted to do something that was within my reach. I wanted to do something that I could see and feel. Could a nine year old change the world? I was not so sure about that.
One day, my mom was packing away all my old toys to save in the garage. I asked her why she was saving my old toys. She said “These have sentimental value. They remind me of your childhood and that is why they are precious.”
I kept thinking about why my mom had said and then an idea truck me. I told her that I would like to give away all my used toys to under-privileged kids. The same toys that made me happy could make other kids happy too. Let’s face it, kids just love toys. I knew it was just a drop in the bucket, but I still wanted to do it. There were lots of toys so it took some time to get prepared and sort out the toys. I got some empty boxes from the garage and started filling them up with my toys. My mom was watching me and now she started panicking!
She was saving my toys for keepsake. I told her she would always have me at her side. I convinced her to take me to the orphanage close to our home. She agreed reluctantly.
When we reached the orphanage, me and my mom were both nervous. We did not know what to expect as none of us had done this before. The lady at the orphanage was very helpful. She guided us through the right channels. She said that I should hand out the toys to the kids myself .We arrived in a room full of little kids. They were a noisy bunch. When they saw me and my mom, they became quiet. They all sat down and sort of waited for us. Their eyes sparkled and they looked questioningly at us wondering why we were there.
I started handing out the toys one by one. Each kid walked up to me and took the toy from me. All the kids were happy. One American kid walked back to me. I had given him my radio-controlled car. He gave me a warm hug. That made me feel so good. I have never been hugged by a little kid before as I am the only kid in the house. He even called me Santa, but let’s just keep that between you and me. He did not care that I was Asian.
The whole incident made me think that giving back to our community is such a simple change. It is a change in our way of thinking. It is a change in our way of living. It is a change that is achievable.
So, if there is one thing in this world to make it a better place, it would be to change the way people think about giving. I would like to plant the seeds of humanity in people’s minds. IF I can do it in my community, and other kids do it in their community, then little by little the whole world would change. WOW! That change would be immeasurable.
20091021
A Super Kid!
Six-year old Ethan Bortnik, a kindergarten student, is a piano genius and can play 200 different classical and contemporary songs from memory. A son of Russian-American immigrants, Ethan stunned master-showman Jay Leno and his late night audience with his astonishing wit and piano skills (Courtesy of the Jay Leno Show).
20091020
Lending a Helping Hand
Divya Saha , 7th Grade
San Jose CA
Joaquin Miller Middle School
San Jose CA
Joaquin Miller Middle School
On one fine Thursday in January, I made my way to my group of friends for lunch. Before I made my way to the tables, my vice principal stopped my path and asked, “Divya, there is a new kid in school. Could you sit with him at lunch and get to know him a little better?” I turned to where he was pointing and saw a small boy near the tables. His jet black hair shone in the sun as he looked around for company. I made my way over to the tables and saw other students back away from him, with looks of fear and awkwardness. I looked down to see, a walker besides the crippled legs of the new student. I sat down with him and as he introduced himself, a feeling of pain struck my heart. At school, many kids feel uncomfortable near the children with disabilities and tend to avoid them. It hurts me to see people being mistreated because they are not like everyone else. Even if the disabled students are different than others, they all want companions just like anyone does. Instead, they are mocked and neglected. If I could change one thing in the world to make it a better place, I would change the way others react to people with disabilities.
I am an Indian who has lived in the United States of America for almost 12 years. I have experienced a rainbow of races, beliefs, and religion here. One major maxim that my family has taught me is “Treat others the way you wanted to be treated,” With this in mind, I want people to accept other beings with disabilities by influencing friends and family. I can set a good example in school by being kind and helpful to special kids. I have a good family friend who is disabled. Though he cannot talk or walk or comprehend many things, he is one of the sweetest friends I have, because he listens to me. He is a genuine person who has taught me to smile at times when splitting into a grin is quite impossible. He has inspired me to help disabled children and adults. I would like to bring my community together to help out disabled people of the Bay Area. With many hands helping out, we can work wonders. Only by interacting with disabled people, people will realize how truly kind they are and make great friends.
All over the world, people are being rejected, ridiculed, and avoided because they are disabled. This type of discrimination can cause more damage to a disabled person, because it breaks their heart. Many countries around the world look down upon disabled children and adults. A way I can prevent the uncomfortable feeling of being around people with disabilities around the world is by starting a website that could help all kinds of people relate to the kinds of things disabled people go through. In this website, I would help people of different races connect and share their experiences and perspective of being disabled or knowing someone disabled. Only by reaching out can one get over the fear and awkwardness. This will allow the gap between people with needs and people without lessen.
Lastly, a way to help change the way people react to disabled ones is by starting an organization to gain money for them. In the United States of America and many other countries, there is an economic crisis. This affects people with disabilities because it cost more to treat them. I would start an organization to raise money for families with disabled family members because it cost quite a bit on money to take care of people who cannot perform tasks and functions that normal humans can do. While people help raise money for a benevolent cause like this, their way of classifying disabled people as “freaks” will slowly fade. Organizations to help people who are disabled will not only help them financially, but also help them morally.
“All men are created equal” is no doubt one of the most famous and well know quotes in the world. However, human beings do not always stick to these words of gold when it comes to people who are may be a tad bit different than others. Disabled people are considered by many as freaks because of their physical or mental needs. I believe that people with disabilities should not be treated like this because they are just as human and unique as every other individual. If I could change one thing in the world, I would definitely change the way people look at disabled people. By being kind and helpful to people with needs, we can bring the world together.20091019
Humanity
Rahul Salagame , 4th Grade
Sunnyvale CA
Carden Academy
We need change! Well, people talk about ending poverty or war or giving money to charity. These things are fine; but I wanted to do something that was within my reach. I wanted to do something that I could see and feel. Could a nine year old change the world? I was not so sure about that.
One day, my mom was packing away all my old toys to save in the garage. I asked her why she was saving my old toys. She said “These have sentimental value. They remind me of your childhood and that is why they are precious.”
I kept thinking about why my mom had said and then an idea truck me. I told her that I would like to give away all my used toys to under-privileged kids. The same toys that made me happy could make other kids happy too. Let’s face it, kids just love toys. I knew it was just a drop in the bucket, but I still wanted to do it. There were lots of toys so it took some time to get prepared and sort out the toys. I got some empty boxes from the garage and started filling them up with my toys. My mom was watching me and now she started panicking!
She was saving my toys for keepsake. I told her she would always have me at her side. I convinced her to take me to the orphanage close to our home. She agreed reluctantly.
When we reached the orphanage, me and my mom were both nervous. We did not know what to expect as none of us had done this before. The lady at the orphanage was very helpful. She guided us through the right channels. She said that I should hand out the toys to the kids myself .We arrived in a room full of little kids. They were a noisy bunch. When they saw me and my mom, they became quiet. They all sat down and sort of waited for us. Their eyes sparkled and they looked questioningly at us wondering why we were there.
I started handing out the toys one by one. Each kid walked up to me and took the toy from me. All the kids were happy. One American kid walked back to me. I had given him my radio-controlled car. He gave me a warm hug. That made me feel so good. I have never been hugged by a little kid before as I am the only kid in the house. He even called me Santa, but let’s just keep that between you and me. He did not care that I was Asian.
The whole incident made me think that giving back to our community is such a simple change. It is a change in our way of thinking. It is a change in our way of living. It is a change that is achievable.
So, if there is one thing in this world to make it a better place, it would be to change the way people think about giving. I would like to plant the seeds of humanity in people’s minds. IF I can do it in my community, and other kids do it in their community, then little by little the whole world would change. WOW! That change would be immeasurable.
Sunnyvale CA
Carden Academy
We need change! Well, people talk about ending poverty or war or giving money to charity. These things are fine; but I wanted to do something that was within my reach. I wanted to do something that I could see and feel. Could a nine year old change the world? I was not so sure about that.
One day, my mom was packing away all my old toys to save in the garage. I asked her why she was saving my old toys. She said “These have sentimental value. They remind me of your childhood and that is why they are precious.”
I kept thinking about why my mom had said and then an idea truck me. I told her that I would like to give away all my used toys to under-privileged kids. The same toys that made me happy could make other kids happy too. Let’s face it, kids just love toys. I knew it was just a drop in the bucket, but I still wanted to do it. There were lots of toys so it took some time to get prepared and sort out the toys. I got some empty boxes from the garage and started filling them up with my toys. My mom was watching me and now she started panicking!
She was saving my toys for keepsake. I told her she would always have me at her side. I convinced her to take me to the orphanage close to our home. She agreed reluctantly.
When we reached the orphanage, me and my mom were both nervous. We did not know what to expect as none of us had done this before. The lady at the orphanage was very helpful. She guided us through the right channels. She said that I should hand out the toys to the kids myself .We arrived in a room full of little kids. They were a noisy bunch. When they saw me and my mom, they became quiet. They all sat down and sort of waited for us. Their eyes sparkled and they looked questioningly at us wondering why we were there.
I started handing out the toys one by one. Each kid walked up to me and took the toy from me. All the kids were happy. One American kid walked back to me. I had given him my radio-controlled car. He gave me a warm hug. That made me feel so good. I have never been hugged by a little kid before as I am the only kid in the house. He even called me Santa, but let’s just keep that between you and me. He did not care that I was Asian.
The whole incident made me think that giving back to our community is such a simple change. It is a change in our way of thinking. It is a change in our way of living. It is a change that is achievable.
So, if there is one thing in this world to make it a better place, it would be to change the way people think about giving. I would like to plant the seeds of humanity in people’s minds. IF I can do it in my community, and other kids do it in their community, then little by little the whole world would change. WOW! That change would be immeasurable.
20091018
American Idol
Grade school student David James Archuleta started his singing career at the age of ten. In his singing debut, he won the children's division of the Utah Talent Competition leading to other television leading appearances. At the age of twelve, he became the Junior Vocal Champion on the popular television show Star Search. In 2007, at sixteen years old, he auditioned and became one of the youngest finalists of American Idol finishing second to David Cook, receiving 44 percent of over 97 million votes.
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