>> welcome to "teen kids news." i'm veronique. let's begin with our top story for this week. what do you call a teen who loves playing softball, dancing, and eating chocolate chip cookie dough? oh, and one more thing, she has a crown. amelia has the answer. >> you call her katherine haik, miss teen usa 2015. >> the winner of miss teen usa

so, the first runner up is california. >> katherine won more than just the crown. she also won a place in history books. not only was she the youngest contestant to make it to the famous pageant, at 15 years old, she is the youngest winner, ever. hi, katherine. >> hi, thank you for having me. >> our pleasure. what was it like competing against 50 girls who were quite a bit older than you? as a really mature 15-year-old. so, i don't think my age really held me back from having the same experience as everyone else. i made so many friends, and i just had the time of my life. it was so much fun. >> now, you grew up in a small town in louisiana. what was that like? >> i did. well, living in a small town, i love living in a small town. you know everyone, they are so supportive, and when i won, they just went crazy. they're amazing. i love living there. >> you must be a pretty big celebrity

>> i would say so. >> you actually started playing softball at three? >> i did. my sister actually played softball, and my dad wanted me to get involved. and i started playing at three, and it went from there. i'm on my high school softball team, and i just love doing it. >> what position do you play? >> right, well, i did play first base, but i'm currently playing second base, but i move around. i have played everywhere. >> are you better at hitting or fielding? >> i would say i'm -- it's kind of equal. i did hit it an over-the-fence home run, last year. that was really exciting, so maybe hitting. it just depends on the game. >> well, you certainly hit a home run with the miss teen usa pageant. what made you enter in the first place? >> right, well, i did a lot of small pageants when i was younger, but this is actually my first really big one. i really entered pageants just to get the full experience that you get so many things out of doing pageants, like confidence and just the speaking skills and doing interviews like this. it will just help me through

in jobs and different things. so, it's definitely a really positive experience for me. >> for those of us who have never been in a major pageant, what are some of the skills you need to master? >> right, well, i think you really need to master just finding out who you are and being confident in who you are, because that really shows while you are on stage or doing an interview and just being yourself. that really helps in pageants. >> speaking of pageants, before making it to the national competition, you have to win the state competition, and you had a nervous moment there, >> i did. it was actually my first really big pageant where i had to answer an onstage question, and i just got stage fright and really nervous. so, i kind of blanked out at the moment. i didn't really answer the question really well. so, it kind of held me back, but in the end, the judges said that i did really well on my one-on-one interview, so that really helped me win the pageant. but after that, i saw that that's what i really need to work on for the national pageant. so, it told me what i needed

miss teen usa, i didn't bobble on the question, so all was good. >> obviously it worked out for you. you went on to win the title of miss louisiana teen usa and, ultimately, the title of miss teen usa 2015. when we return, we'll hear how katherine's knowledge of history helped her win the talent competition. "teen kids news" will be right back. >> closed captioning is brought

>> we're talking with katherine haik, miss teen usa 2015. when one thinks of a talent competition, they think of dancing, singing or maybe playing an instrument, but you did something a bit different, didn't you? >> i did, and we actually don't have a talent portion in miss teen usa, but it was kind of a get-to-know-you question. we had to put three interesting facts on our bio, and they chose the one where i could sing all of the presidents in order while singing a song, so i had to do it in front of the whole audience, and it was kind of cool to do it front of all of them. it was fun. >> how can i not ask you to show us? >> okay. ? washington, adams, jefferson, madison ? ? monroe, adams, jackson, buren ? ? harrison, tyler, polk, and taylor ? ? fillmore, pierce, buchanan ? ? lincoln, johnson, grant, hayes, garfield ? ? arthur, cleveland, harrison, cleveland ? ? mckinley, roosevelt, taft, and wilson ? ? harding, coolidge, hoover ? ? franklin d. roosevelt, harry s. truman ? ? dwight d. eisenhower, john f. kennedy ? ? johnson, nixon, ford, carter, reagan ? ? bush, clinton, bush, obama ? it's a mouthful for sure.

just recite the names, but you also asked the audience to clap along. did they? >> they did. it was kind of a way to get them involved, and the final question is kind of an intense point. so, i think it kind of broke up the mood and made everyone more relaxed. >> what gave you the idea to sing the presidents song? >> well, i actually learned how to do that in seventh grade. my history teacher used to bring his guitar to class to help us remember information, because it's so much easier to remember it in a song. and fun that i remembered i could do, and it just made me stand out from the rest of the contestants. >> stand out, you did. what's it like to hear your name announced as the winner as miss teen usa? >> it's a very crazy moment, a very exciting and surreal moment for sure. i always dreamed of it, but i never really thought it would happen. a year ago today, i would have never imagined being in the final two and hearing my name called, so it was crazy, um,

so much fun since then. >> if any of our viewers want to enter the miss teen usa competition, what advice could you share? >> i would tell them to go for it. don't let the fear of trying something new stop you from doing it because you never know. you could win and go really far from there. it's a great experience, and i've definitely learned a lot of things about myself and just, you know, being independent and learning so many skills from doing it. >> terrific. thanks for speaking with us, and congratulations! >> thank you. about miss teen usa pageants or competitions in your area, check out their website. for "teen kids news," i'm amelia. >> there is nothing funny about being bullied, except maybe for this. believe it or not, the word "bully" was originally a compliment. back in the 16th century, it meant sweetheart. not that i'm suggesting that if you are faced with a bully, that you should call him or her "sweetheart," but it does make one wonder how things can get

>> we've got to take a short break, but don't go away because "teen kids news"

>> imagine a classroom without basic supplies to read and write. unfortunately, there are many schools like that in poor countries around the world. you are about to meet an organization working to change that. >> these students in sri lanka are on their way to a special library. what makes it special would be surprising to us -- >> room to read is an organization that is opening schools and libraries across the developing world for the poorest of the poor. hundreds of schools, thousands of libraries so that every child everywhere is no longer denied an education because they were born in the wrong place at the wrong time. >> john wood is an amazing guy. he used to be a big executive at microsoft until he went on vacation in nepal.

he changed the course of his own life to change the lives of children all over the world. >> when i was growing up in pennsylvania, we had actually a book mobile that came to our town, and we think of this kind of as a nepalese yak mobile. we got our yak loaded with books, and we are about to head off to go to a secondary school here in jomsom to deliver about 500 books to help them start their first library. >> when john with his yak mobile, just look at the reaction. reading isn't just fun, it's a way for them to connect to the world beyond their isolated community. >> what does suresh like? >> he likes ice cream. >> he likes ice cream. what do annie and unni like? >> what do annie and unni like? they like ice -- they like chicken curry.

do you like chicken curry? yes? okay. >> in nepal, children express gratitude with flowers and their traditional namaste. >> namaste. >> there are also grateful children in africa, cambodia, india, and laos. since it started, room to read has reached more than 1,600 schools and built 15,000 libraries -- libraries filled with books published in theoc this is made possible by donations of all sizes, including help from american teens. >> students throughout america have gotten very involved in room to read. we have a movement called students helping students. so students pick a goal, they pick a country, and we don't dictate to them, "here's what you need to do. here's how you need to do it." we say, "here is the menu. you can decide." you decide on a project. you decide on a country. we will tell you how much it's gonna cost, and then we'll report back to you on how the money was spent.

room to read to open a school. that's a lot for teens to collect. >> what's great about this is that no one individual probably is gonna raise enough money to build a school, but if 20 or 30 or 50 or 100 students come together and make it a project, they are gonna do it together, and it's gonna give them a great feeling of saying, when they hear about poverty, when they hear about global issues, they are gonna be able to say, "you know what? i did something." >> by just raising $250, you can sponsor a scholarship for a girl. in many parts of the world, school. >> when you think about the fact that over 100 million girls in the developing world woke up this morning and did not go to school, that to me screams opportunity. it's an opportunity to get out there and make positive change in the world and then say, "no longer should we live in a world where any child, boy or girl, is denied education." >> if you're looking for a great service project, read my lips -- room to read. to find out how you can help, there is a link on our website. >> one way to tell if someone is a really good friend is not

other but maybe by how little you say. well, sort of. experts say that a true friend is someone you can spend time with and not feel you have to keep a conversation going. of course, if you are both busy watching tv, surfing the web, or playing video games, that doesn't exactly count. >> it's time for another important message brought to you by the national road safety foundation. [ car door closes ] [ engine starts ]

>> oh! >> oh, no! [ clicks ] >> yeah! [ clicking ] >> you may be surprised where experts say you should do some of your studying. i'll have that story

>> it's time for "make the grade." here's christin. >> things like noise and distractions aside, the experts say where you study can have an impact on how well you study. for reviewing major topics for a test, they recommend sitting at a desk or table. in fact, they say you should try

possible, the setting where you'll be taking the test. but wait till you hear where they recommend you should study for simple memory tasks, such as flash cards or memorizing a poem. in bed, at least for some of the work. research shows that it may be easier to memorize things before you go to sleep rather than in the morning. it seems the mind keeps on working overnight. by the way, if you think sleeping on your text books will help, it won't. i'm christin, here to help you where was i? "i never saw a moor, i never saw the sea, yet know i how the weather looks and what a billow be." >> across the country, there are weird laws that haven't been enforced for decades but are still on the books. for example, in one california town, it's illegal to kiss

doing the kissing first wipe their lips with carbonized rose water. what on earth were they thinking when they came up with that? >> the oldest baseball stadium in continuous use is fenway park. fenway park is located in the fenway district of boston, massachusetts, and is the home of the boston red sox. but why is the park called fenway park? well, a fen is another word for a marsh, and before fenway park was built, the area was very marshy. but why they decided to build a baseball stadium over a marsh? i'm not sure. i'm matt with "teen kids news." >> most of us know that sugary drinks can be unhealthy. but sugar is not the only thing we need to be careful about. daniella explains. >> when it's time to focus, do you reach for a caffeinated drink, like soda, coffee, or tea? if you do, you could be reaching for trouble.

more than just a chemical compound. it's actually a mood-altering drug. that means it gives you ups and downs, sort of like being on an unpleasant merry-go-round ride. on the upside, caffeine can give you a short-term energy boost, but here is the downside. caffeine can also cause anxiety, the jitters, and trouble sleeping. and when it wears off, you can feel sluggish. even worse, if you drink caffeine on a regular basis, your body begins to crave it. so when you don't get caffeine, you could have withdrawal symptoms, including headaches and difficulty concentrating. and that's not good for your schoolwork. so, whether it's soda, coffee, or tea, go for decaf. you are under enough pressure from school as it is. don't let caffeine make things even harder. i'm daniella for "teen kids news." >> a great way to eat your veggies. my recipe is next on "teen kids news."

are sharing some of their favorite recipes with "teen kids news." here's one you can make. >> today, we are going to make a dish that's great for lunchtime or anytime you want a healthy snack. my pasta and vegetable salad is easy to make and take with you on the go. i'll show you what you need. i've picked out elbow macaroni. i'm gonna use about half a box. i've chopped two stalks of celery, one can of black sliced olives, and then i've diced one cucumber, one red bell pepper, one green bell pepper, and one half of a red onion. i'm gonna finish it today with mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan. let's start the pasta. i'm gonna give this a nice stir. but you can use any pasta you would like, really. my favorite is elbow macaroni. while the pasta is cooking, i'll show you how we are gonna make the italian dressing. i've used 1 teaspoon of celery salt, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme,

and 1 teaspoon of parsley. i used fresh today because it was in the garden, but you can use dried as well. gonna add 1 tablespoon of black pepper, 1 tablespoon of white sugar... 1 tablespoon of onion powder and 1 tablespoon of garlic powder. i'm gonna mix all of those ingredients with 1/4 cup of cid v now, i'm gonna add the 1 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil. you want to add it slowly so that it mixes together well. this pasta salad is great the next day

to get nice and cold, all the flavors will come together, and it's my favorite to take to school. when i was a kid, my mom used to make this every day before school. now that the dressing's done, let's go check on that pasta. it's been cooking for about 7 to 10 minutes now. you should follow the directions on the box. they are always right. our pasta is done. now that the pasta is cooked, there's two ways we can cool it. after you drain the pasta, you run cold water over it to cool it off quickly and to stop the cooking or the other way is just to drain it and allow it to cool naturally on the side. let's add all our ingredients. i'm gonna add the celery and then the onion. next is the black olives

going to add the cucumber and the red bell pepper next. and then i'm gonna mix it all together. there's a lot of vegetables in here, and the good thing about them is that they are all raw, so all the nutrients, all the nutrition, and all the health benefits aren't lost at all. doesn't that look nice? i'm not even finished yet. i'm gonna add the cheese next. little bit of mozzarella, you don't have to use all of it but just enough, as much as you would like. of course you can add any cheese that you want, i like mozzarella with my pasta. you can add cheddar. i'm using parmesan next, a little bit there. give that another good mix. and sometimes, you might need a bigger bowl. we are gonna add the dressing next. give it a good mix just to mix it all back together again. and again, you don't have to use all of this.

in the fridge. you can use it on your salads if your mom makes salad with steak some nights or if you want to make more pasta salad. i'm gonna use about 1 cup here. now that it's all mixed, i like to season. seasoning to taste just means adding a little bit of salt and a little bit of pepper to make it taste better. it's up to you how much you add. i add a little bit of both. let's taste. mmm, delicious. this is my pasta recipe -- pasta and veggie recipe at the culinary institute of america. for "teen kids news," i'm fletch. >> wow! that looks really good. you can find the full recipe on our website. "teen kids news" will be back next week. you won't want to miss it. bye for now.

>> write to us at

- [danni] nature is a game of survival of the fittest. and every creature still standing has found a way to keep themselves from harm. - nature's had millions of years to perfect this. - [danni] so it only make sense that we turn toward them for ways to keep ourselves safe. this little collar could seriously reduce the concussion problem in sports. seeing how synthetic fish scales can be a form of armor. i'm ready. - alright, so let's do it. toxic creature to protect us. - poison dart frogs could eventually help save lives. - and, using soda to prove that woodpeckers can prevent concussions. (screams) (laughs) that's awesome. i'm danni washington, marine conservationist, biologist and thrill seeker. and this week we explore how when it comes to safety,