Scholastic Choices articles from April 2003

Scholastic Choices archives from April 2003

Catching shut-eye. (Health).
April 1, 2003... Can't concentrate? Feeling cranky? Been clumsy lately? There may be an old remedy for what ails you. It's called sleep. If you're a teen and you're sleeping fewer than nine hours a night, you're not getting enough sleep. Lack of proper...

Going veggie. (Nutrition).
April 1, 2003... One in fourteens now think being vegetarian is coot, according to Teenage Research Unlimited, a market research group. But many nutritionists are warning teens that going veggie has its pitfalls. Why? The teen years are a crucial time for...

Laugh it up. (Mental Health).
April 1, 2003... Q: Where does a sick frog go? A: To the "hop" sital! If that joke didn't at least make your smile, you might be under too much pressure. Laughter is good medicine. Studies have shown that stress--periods of time where a person is...

Officer mom. (Personal Responsibility).
April 1, 2003... The school system in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is recruiting parents to make sure that kids are in school. On any given day, more than 12,000 students in Philadelphia are truant from school. That means they are absent without an excuse. This...

Tobacco bans. (Consumer).
April 1, 2003... Across the U.S., minors (kids younger than 18) are not allowed to buy cigarettes and chewing tobacco. In some places, the laws are even tougher. Thirty-three states already prohibit minors from possessing tobacco products, according to the...

Under a relative's roof: a growing number of kids are living with their grandparents or other relatives two teens tell what it's like not to live with their parents.
April 1, 2003... When you hear the word family, what comes to mind? Probably the standard 7th Heaven scenario--you know, that WB show's idealized view of life with a mom, a dad, and a brood of loving kids. Well, broaden your horizons. Believe it not 4.5 million...

Harassment in the halls. (Personal Responsibility).
April 1, 2003... DO YOU KNOW WHAT SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS? IF YOU DON'T, YOU SHOULD. MORE AND MORE TEENS ARE GETTING HARASSED AT SCHOOL. READ ON TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO STOP IT. Melissa Duval, 17, was hanging with friends at her high school in New...

Behind the bulk: one young man's story of steroid addiction, body obsession, and getting clean. (Close-Up: Streoids).
April 1, 2003... Every time he passed a mirror, Craig Costa flexed his muscles. He wanted to look "insanely big--like an action figure." "When I walked into a room, I wanted heads to turn," he says. People did notice Craig's 225-pound. 5-foot 9-inch frame....

Hooked on heroin: for a Baltimore teen, one experience with heroin led to a living nightmare. (Close-Up: Heroin).
April 1, 2003... Judy was no stranger to drugs. By the time she was 15, she smoked pot on a daily basis. She even tried ecstasy at a party or two. The Baltimore teen thought she was tough enough to handle anything that came her way. But this was like...

Swiss adventure: meet 17-year-old Rowan who's spending a year living in Switzerland. (Personal Development).
April 1, 2003... Life as a teen can be tough, right? You chafe under the authority of adults, your peers can drive you nuts, and there's pressure to figure out what to do with your life. Well what if you were experiencing all of that while living in a foreign...

Super salad: pick the salad that most nitritious for your body. (Nutrition).
April 1, 2003... Salads are a great way to get nutrients and vegetables into your body. When people head to a salad bar, they often think it will provide them with a more healthful alternative to other menu choices. But you may be surprised to discover that you...

Cool cookies: treat yourself to dessert by baking cookies. (Living).
April 1, 2003... What To Do 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2. Place the butter in a saucepan. Put the pan on the stove and melt the butter. 3. Crack the egg and put the contents in a mixing bowl. Beat the egg slightly with a fork or whisk....

Beware of blisters: blisters can be annoying and painful. Here's how to treat them. (Your Body & Mind).
April 1, 2003... If you play a sport, jog or run regularly, ever suffered from a bad sunburn, or walk in poor-filling shoes, you've probably suffered from blisters. When you get a blister, it looks like there's a bubble on your skin. But don't pop that bubble....

Help! I miss my mom: Marlene Tedeschi answers your tough questions. (The Advice Corner).
April 1, 2003... Q. When I was three years old, my mother died. I'm 13 now. I have four other siblings and all are older than me. I don't think it's fair that they got to spend more time with my mother than I did. It hurts living without a mother. I feel like...

How you can help protect the environment: in honor of earth day this month, here's what you can do to conserve energy and clean up your neighborhood. (10 Tips).
April 1, 2003... 1. Adopt a Plant Plants help reduce indoor air pollution and nourish the air with oxygen. If you're ambitious, plant a garden in your backyard. 2. Say No to Catalogues Find out which catalogues your family really uses and stop...

Advice from choices readers: students helping students sticky situation.
April 1, 2003... The problem: Dear CHOICES, My little sister keeps taking my clothes. I tell her to stop, but she doesn't listen. My mom tells her to stop wearing my clothes, but she doesn't listen. I tell her she's got her own clothes, but she says...