NewsBites for Kidz™ May 25-31 2003

Urgent Need for Food in Ethiopia

News Photos -worldwide

Intended 9/11 Tribute Turns Into Bears Across America -Ohio U.S.A. 

International Children's Day - [News Reports from] South Africa, Bulgaria, China

Another Miracle Kid -Iowa, U.S.A.

Only white children can play these games-South Africa

Children Respond With Glee At Omo Art Challenge -Lagos, Nigeria

Algebra no problem for math whiz-kid -New Jersey, U.S.A.

Children take a whirlwind "world tour" in school gymnasium- Connecticut, U.S.A.

An 'o' ends Georgian's spelling bee -Washington, U.S.A.

'Not too hard' - Murray Valley, Australia

Navarro students released for summer- Texas, U.S.A.

Obesity a growing problem among Taiwanese kids-Taiwan

President charms children -Bihar, India

Children step back in time for some real learning-Maharashtra, India

Best Friends Find Families in America- From Belarus to Kansas, U.S.A.

 

 

Urgent Need for Food in Ethiopia

Save the Children USA "More than 12 million people in Ethiopia--most of them children--need food aid immediately, and the situation is getting worse every day.

Please log on to http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/57138/1/ to see how you can help

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NEWS PHOTOS

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030528/168/47ijf.html -Afghan orphans study at the Tahe-e-Maskan Orphanage in Kabul, Afghanistan

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030528/168/47iiq.html - Kids playing soccer, Kabul, Afghanistan

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030527/170/470wp.html - Filipino kids play in a flooded street in Malabon district in Manila, Philippines

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20030529/lo_wlwt/1636443

 

Intended 9/11 Tribute Turns Into Bears Across America

What started as a Sept. 11 memorial got spun into something entirely different at one Tri-State school.

 Cincinnati,Ohio  USA May 28 Students dressed in red, white and blue were going to deliver patriotic messages to other schools after last year's Sept. 11 anniversary. Instead, they decided to share stories and photos of life in their hometown, Gnau reported. Six unique students just got back from a cross-country tour aimed at helping them learn how students in different states live.

The six students were actually stuffed animals: Libearty, Freedom Freddy, Abearica, American Teddy, Braveheart and Liberty Bear.

"Each grade level had one that we named and sent with different things, like a backpack and a journal," Monroe sixth-grader Jenny Schawe said. "And they'd write in a journal and send back pictures or whatever of what our bear did with them."

All six grades sent a bear to a school in Keyport, N.J., Gnau reported. Children there sent them to a school in Staten Island, N.Y. The path continued with shipments to several schools in West Newton, Ind.; St. John's, Mich.; Delano, Calif.; Nashville, Tenn. and finally back to Hamilton.

"We've got lots of pictures and lots of stories of where the bears went, and it looks like they had a lot of fun," DeLorenzo said.

Added Schawe: "I liked all the pictures they sent back and stuff. And I saw the memorial that (one of the bears) went to, and places I never actually (visited), but the bear did."

Second-grader Brandi Sauerwein said she's glad the bears had fun, but she would have had fun traveling, too.

"I was selfish," she said. "I wanted to go."

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http://allafrica.com/stories/200305290261.html

Social Development Minister to Celebrate International Children's Day

David Masango, BuaNews (Pretoria)

Pretoria, South Africa, May 29-Social development minister Zola Skweyiya is expected to lead a team of ministers to the Eastern Cape to mark International Children's Day, being commemorated on 1 June.

'Children are the future and must be nurtured now to make sure that they are indeed leaders of tomorrow, said Dr Skweyiya.

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http://www.sofiaecho.com/art.php?id=7401&catid=47

Celebrating the children

Velina Nacheva, Sofia Echo.com

Sofia, Bulgaria, May 30-This year's International Children's Day celebration will be very special for talented children with disabilities, who are to participate in a concert organised by the Love That Child Foundation in the Domn Na Kinoto on Sunday.

The progamme also includes recitation of poems by child refugees.

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http://english.eastday.com/epublish/gb/paper1/918/class000100006/hwz138677.htm

Ballads for Children's Day

Vicky Xu / Shanghai Daily news

 

Beijing, China May 30-The China Album (Shenzhen) has introduced a 4-CD series of "Beijing Children's Ballads" to celebrate the upcoming Children's Day.

To make the content more attractive to children special acoustic effects have been added, such as animal sounds, wind blowing, rain beating, children's laughs and Beijing hawkers' chants.

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http://www.kplctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1299936&nav=0nqxG6RJ

Another Miracle Kid
Reported by Shelley Brown,
WorldNow and KPLC

Iowa U.S.A. May 28- Every year the Children's Miracle Network helps kids of all ages and backgrounds overcome diseases and injuries. KPLC talked to a 15-year-old Iowa teen about the role the Children's Miracle Network has played in his life.

"I was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus."  Two days after he was born, Phillip Vincent suffered a neo-natal stroke.  Fluid was building up inside his brain, causing swelling. "The doctors told my parents I would be a vegetable. I would never walk, I would never talk, I would just be a nobody," says Phillip. 

A second grader at J-I Watson Elementary in Iowa at the time, Vincent needed a shunt extension.  "If it wouldn't have happened, I would have died. The shunt would have just stopped and I would have had a seizure and died."

Seven years later, Phillip vincent continues to prove doctors wrong. He comes back to this 2nd grade classroom every year, a place he holds very close to his heart.  "It's a tradition every year to come and teach the class."  "This was my second grade classroom, and it's just so wonderful to come back every year, they made special stuff for me when I had my surgery."  

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http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=79&art_id=vn20030529033524341C256730&set_id=1

Only white children can play these games

By Jermaine Craig and Peroshni Govender, The Star

School sports events exclusively for white Afrikaans children have drawn outrage - but the organisers claim they are purely "for the culture of Afrikaners".
Afrikaner Volkseie Sport (AVS) has circulated a letter to schools announcing rugby, netball and hockey trials for a tournament called Bokkiesweek that is open only to white Afrikaner pupils.

Education authorities and the Human Rights Commission believe Bokkiesweek is nothing but a racist endeavour that is "a travesty of our democracy".
Nolte said initially that the tournament was not just for whites, but for all Afrikaans-speaking pupils.

However, when asked if Afrikaans-speaking children of other races could participate, he said they couldn't because "they are not Afrikaners".
"It's got nothing to do with racism, it's got to do with culture and the Afrikaner people," said Nolte, a former Conservative Party MP.

Nolte said "hundreds" of schools in 14 regions around the country were invited to provincial trials, at which children were selected to represent their regions in Bokkiesweek.
At the end of the week, pupils selected for a "Bokkies" team got representative blazers.
The Gauteng Department of Education has slammed the sports week.

Department spokesperson Thebe Mohatle said: "It is very unfortunate that people are still organising activities along racial lines. It is a travesty of our democracy."

The national Education Department intends to investigate the matter.

"Sports should be for all children - no one should be excluded because of race," department spokesperson Molatwane Likhethe said.

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http://allafrica.com/stories/200305290100.html

Children Respond With Glee At Omo Art Challenge

Ijeoma Oguachuba, This Day (Lagos)

Lagos, Nigeria, May 29-The winners of the Omo Art Challenge, organised by Unilever Nigeria Plc, were recently announced at the OMO Children Day Art Challenge Exhibition, where the recent drawings of some children were displayed. The event held on May 27 2003, with different school children in attendance, was in celebration of the Nigerian child.

The theme of the competition "Africa's Best" was well chosen as it gave the children a chance to positively create works that would reveal their hopes and glimpse of the future.

 According to the Marketing Director of Unilever, Frank Schott,the "works show honesty of innocence and the infinite potentials of the minds of children."

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http://www.njherald.com/news/newspro/viewnews.cgi?newsid1054214730,73890,

Algebra no problem for math whiz-kid

By CINDY WEIGHTMAN, New Jersey Herald Staff Writer

NEWTONNew Jersey U.S.A.May 29 - An eighth-grade math wizard from Lafayette has proven himself the equal of many of the nation¡¯s high schoolers and brighter than the majority of his peers after winning a national algebra competition. Richard Monti, of Saint Joseph¡¯s Regional School, in Newton, was honored Wednesday at a school meeting for placing first nationally in the Mathfax parochial honors division Algebra I competition.
When asked about his many achievements, Monti remains modest. ¡°It just comes natural. I always just wanted to learn more.¡± Monti said.
Monti¡¯s parents were quick to give credit to his teacher. ¡°I think Mrs. Sullivan is a very unique teacher, very devoted to the students± Jeanne Monti said.
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http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=8153174&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=7577&rfi=6

Children take a whirlwind world tour - in school gymnasium

Jean Falbo-Sosnovich, New Haven Register Correspondent

SEYMOUR , Connecticut, U.S.A. May 28 - Bungay School students recently took a trip around the world without leaving school grounds. Youngsters embarked on a journey into diversity, thanks to the staging of the school's annual "Multicultural Fair."

The school gym was transformed into a melting pot of cultures that featured parent-manned booths, displaying worldly artifacts and exotic treasures from abroad.

 

Teacher Darlene O'Callaghan coordinated the event, which found students in grades pre-K through five taking a tour of countries that included Japan, India, Malaysia and Morocco. Students were armed with passports, and upon visiting each booth, had them validated and stamped.
Students Lee Marchetti, 6, and Daniel Foster, 7, enjoyed their stop-over in
India, where they were treated to some authentic Indian cooking. The boys ate pakoras, which they said tasted just like potatoes.

Over in
Italy, Javiera Briceno, Savannah Glatzhofer and Daniel Cacchillo, all 7, learned about Italian cooking, courtesy of a machine that churned out homemade pasta and that famous Italian cookie, the pizzelle.

"I think the cookie maker is neat," said Javiera.
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http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/0503/30spelling.html

An 'o' ends Georgian's spelling bee

By PATTI GHEZZI , The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

WASHINGTON, U.S.A. May 30 -- By the time a champion was finally named in the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee on Thursday, Georgia's state winner was in the audience with her father, both applauding wildly.

Athena Lao, 13, of Athens lasted through round after harrowing round before falling on an obscure French word -- fichu -- and ending up tied for 12th place, considered a strong showing for a first-timer.

"Next year!" she said with a huge smile on her face, settling into the audience next to her father, Wilfredo, a statistics tutor.

Another Georgia contestant, Joe Shepherd, 11, of Waynesboro, got to nationals by winning a smaller bee in Augusta. He was eliminated in the third round when he tripped on the word preterlabent.

Athena made it through round after grueling round, while her parents, both immigrants from the Philippines, wrung their hands in the ballroom at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel.

Early in the day, she stunned spectators and officials by barreling through the word neuromyelitis so fast the judges could not be sure she got it right. In an unusual move, they had to replay a tape of her performance to determine if she had spelled the word correctly. She had.

Athena returned for the afternoon rounds determined to spell more slowly, wanting to make sure she didn't irritate the judges.

She was confident for most of the afternoon, but after more than six hours of competition, she stumbled in the seventh round. The word that got her: fichu, a white, rectangular scarf worn by women. Athena had never seen, heard or studied the word. She misspelled it fichou.

When she sat down with her parents, Athena said she clearly had not studied as much as the spellers who were still on stage.

"Mom, they are really good," she said. "It's scary. They must have studied a lot, or they knew what to study. I didn't."

Yet the bee's conclusion delivered a satisfying punch, with Sai dueling with a New York girl who tied for 59th last year. When Sai nailed the winning word, Athena and her father rose to their feet, clapping and smiling.

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http://murraybridge.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&category=general%20news&story_id=231203&y=2003&m=5 - click for a picture

'Not too hard'

The Murray Valley Standard

Murray Valley, Australia May 30-Understanding and celebrating Aboriginal culture is the focus for children at Murray Bridge South Kindergarten this week.

National Reconciliation Week kicked off with 'Sorry Day' on Monday and continues until Tuesday.

This week children at Murray Bridge South Kindergarten had access to local Aboriginal people who were able to deepen their understanding of the Ngarrindjeri culture through storytelling, mural making and face painting.

Meningie Kindergarten director Shirley Hartman helped the children paint a mural to show their understanding of, and depict their views on, a story about the ancestral being Ngurunderi.

"The children have watched Ngurunderi and Ngarrindjeri dreaming and this part of the dreaming was where the River Murray was created," she said.
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http://web.seguingazette.com/report.lasso?wcd=4257

Navarro students released for summer

By Janet Grafe, Seguin Gazette

GERONIMO, Texas USA May 29- Halls echoed with children's laughter Thursday at noon, but a few hours later, they were empty and still.

Summer vacation began Thursday afternoon for students at
Navarro Independent School District. Teachers and students have bittersweet feelings about the day.

"I would like to stay in school some more,"said third grader Katy Martinez. "I'm going to miss my teacher and my friends."

Other students have enjoyed the last days of school and are ready for summer.

We've watched movies, played games and had extra recesses± said third-grader Austin McGrew. "This summer, I'm going swimming, going to the Outdoor Learning Center Camp and to Bible camp."

"
I feel excited and sad at the same time± said eighth-grader Jared Jaroszewski. "I'm going to miss seeing my friends over the summer. But we'll get together. I'm going to football camp and SPJFC camp."
Ready or not, the last day of school at Navarro is over. Summer vacation is here.
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http://www.etaiwannews.com/Taiwan/2003/05/30/1054258015.htm

Obesity a growing problem among Taiwanese kids

Taiwan News, Staff Reporter / By Bryan Tsao

Taiwan May 30-Liao Ming-hsun , a fifth grader from Changhua County, once dreamed that he would one day become a sumo wrestler. With his parents' blessing, he chose to pursue his dream by consuming copious amounts of food: often up to three box lunches, seven kilograms of pork and eight tsung-tze (glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in leaves) per meal.

Now packing 160 kilograms on his 1.53 meter tall frame, the 11-year-old Liao has seen his dream turn into a nightmare.

He is not alone.

"Obesity is a significant problem among Taiwan's youth," said Dr. Liao Mei-fen  ...

"Family support is critical," she said. "Ming-Hsuan's parents never seemed concerned about his weight, and even seemed to be proud of his ability to eat large amounts."

CTASO agrees. In a statement on the association's Web site, it says, "the support and cooperation of ones' family is a crucial consideration when trying to battle childhood obesity."

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http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/may/30bihar.htm

President charms children

Rediff.com

Patna Bihar India May 30- President A P J Abdul Kalam charmed over 3,000 school children in an interactive session at the Raj Bhawan in Patna on Friday morning, answering a volley of questions ranging from his ideals in life to how to make India prosperous.
When Manisha Kaushik, a student of Mount Carmel School, asked him what could be done to make India a developed country, the President said: ''If we teach poor children by sparing time on holidays, we can spread the light of learning among millions of illiterates."

The children, dressed in school uniforms, were all bubbling with excitement. Ankita, Aisha and Deepshika of Notre Dam School said the session with the President was an experience of a lifetime for them.

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http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=53246

NEWSLINE SPECIAL: Children step back in time for some real learning

Falguni Benerjee


Pune, Maharashtra India May 28: IT’S vacation time but Akhilesh woke up without any fuss at 6 am today, unlike the times when he has to go to school. Because Akhilesh, along with seven other kids, is about to set off a fascinating journey across the city.

Organised by a group of city architects, the Heritage Walk is a week-long unique camp for children between eight and 12 years old. Right from Shaniwarwada to Vishrambaug, the group takes the kids to various places in the old city.

The idea of conducting the Heritage Walk struck architect Arati Kalmadi and her friends when they noticed the dwindling number of heritage sites in the city. ‘‘We saw several precious sites being broken down or altered in an attempt to give a new face to our city. The feelings attached to these buildings are no longer visible. This gave us the idea of conducting such a tour to create more awareness,’’ said Arati.

The Heritage Walk seems to have had an impact.

Twelve-year-old Shraddha says she liked Nanawada the most. ‘‘I had studied about the ruin of Nanawada. When I saw it, I felt very sad,’’ she said. She wants to go back to school and tell her friends all about the Nanawada.

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http://www.sltrib.com/2003/May/05252003/nation_w/60068.asp - click for picture

Best Friends Find Families in America

By Sharon Cohen
The Associated Press

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., U.S.A  May 25-- From the beginning, the two boys, best friends all their lives, had a plan.
    They talked it over one spring day on a bench in a playground in
Belarus, imagining how different things could be after they arrived in America.
    The two, as tight as brothers, shared one dream: to have a family.
    They had lived together in an orphanage as toddlers. Then as little boys, they were carted off in a blue van to a state home for older children. There they remained for about six years.
And now, the boys, both 12, were heading from the Ivenetsky Children's Boarding School to the heart of
America to receive free medical care. Afterward, they would fly home.
    But as they sat in front of the red-brick building, down the road from a farm where horse-drawn milk wagons ambled by, the boys couldn't help wondering if this was their big chance, maybe their only chance.
    It was Andrei who turned to Oleg and asked:
    "What do you think about us staying there and trying to never come back here? Maybe, somehow we can be adopted."
   
    Daring to dream: It was more a pipe dream than a plan.
Enter Mark McMillan, a teacher called in to design a program for the newcomer from
Belarus. McMillan had no plans to become a father, either. He was single, busy and sometimes balanced three or four jobs at a time.
    "But," he says, "there was something about him that captured my heart."
    By spring 2001, Oleg was pressing. He wanted McMillan to adopt him.

At the adoption ceremony two weeks ago, Oleg officially took McMillan's name three days before his 16th birthday.  Father and son, sitting side by side, were dressed identically -- down to matching ties featuring rows of American flags.
    The same judge had presided over Andrei's adoption in the same room.

The boys' journey had ended just how they dreamed -- both have families and live just 15 minutes apart.
    Sometimes life does go according to plan.
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