>> it was a tragedy an ocean away, but it's reaching our shores. scott reports on how an earthquake in asia continues to make waves. >> in march of 2011, catastrophe struck japan -- an earthquake triggered a tsunami. the giant wave of water washed away houses, cars, and even entire towns. millions of tons of debris were swept out to sea. a lot of it sank, but the rest started floating across the pacific, carried by currents and wind. >> these types of debris items -- these large debris items that float -- are starting to show up on our coastline on the west coast. >> asma is with noaa -- the national oceanic and atmospheric administration. >> it's a scientific agency that works on everything from weather to coastal and resource management to fisheries, really

impact on the oceans and what we can do to restore them. >> noaa has been tracking debris from japan that's been reaching our shores. some debris is hard to miss, like a giant dock that washed up in oregon. this motorcycle made it all the way to canada. it was inside a container that floated. >> we're encouraging people that see tsunami debris to report it to noaa at disasterdebris@noaa.gov. so if this is an unusual type of debris that may have characteristics, like possible japanese writing on it, or specific identifiers, like a license plate, those are clues as to this might be an item that is actually from the japan tsunami. >> but the debris coming from japan is only part of the problem. our oceans are being choked with all kinds of marine debris. >> marine debris is any man-made material that is lost or thrown away into the ocean.

gear that we have here, if it's accidentally lost into the ocean, it can become marine debris. >> even everyday items thrown away on land can wind up in the ocean. the cigarette butts in this jar came from the streets of washington, d.c. >> what happens when it rains is cigarette butts go down a storm drain, and through the storm drain, they go out into the ocean. and cigarette butts are actually made of plastic, so this does not degrade in the environment. so just like this plastic bottle, once this enters the ocean environment, it's there. >> marine debris comes in all shapes and sizes. >> some other examples of marine debris are a toothbrush, a glow stick, a cigarette lighter, fishing line, plastic bottle cap, a fishing lure, styrofoam, and even a golf ball. >> all of it is dangerous for sea creatures and birds. they swallow the junk or get

it's a big problem, but no matter where we live, we all can help. >> you can be in the inner city, you can be in the middle of nebraska, but anyone can have an impact on marine debris. so here's something everyone can do. instead of using single-use plastics, you can use reusable water bottles. >> the point is, the less waste we create, the less waste will end up in our waterways and oceans. >> so, teens can participate in beach cleanups, they can start their own cleanup. anyone can participate or organize a cleanup to help stop marine debris if it's at a beach, a park, your local neighborhood, or even at your school. >> marine debris is caused by humans, so it's a problem that can be solved by humans. and we teens can help make that happen. >> find out how turning

around. >> long before gabby douglas won

african-american gymnast was blazing the trail. now she's training the stars of the future. emily has the story. >> girls, when you kick, feel your arms as close as they can be to your ears. >> meet wendy hilliard, a woman who made sports history. >> i was the first black to compete for the united states in rhythmic gymnastics. >> rhythmic gymnastics is a relatively recent olympic event. it uses props, like ribbons and hoops, in routines. and although other countries had athletes of color, the u.s. didn't. >> yeah, this way -- one, two. >> back in the 1970s, wendy had to overcome racism to earn a spot on the national team. >> good. stretch, stretch, stretch! it was a challenge, because i had to sometimes go against situations where if it was a group routine, they didn't want to choose me 'cause i stood out and la la la. so it was unfortunate that i had

>> let's go, let's go, let's go. >> pace yourself. pace yourself. >> wendy succeeded. she even went on to coach the national team. but she never forgot how difficult it was for minority kids to get into gymnastics of any kind. the lack of role models, as well as the cost of equipment and training, often put the sport out of reach. so she started a foundation to turn that around. >> the goal is really to introduce kids to the sport of gymnastics, to allow them the opportunity to get the benefits of discipline and good health, and if they have the talent to take it as far as they can go, we will support them and make sure that happens. >> one of wendy's success stories is alexis. >> good. now, when you finish from here, finish in 5th position relev\. i saw these girls -- it was red leotards, but i guess you can call them purple leotards now. i saw these girls in purple leotards, and i told my mom, "i want to be one of those girls in the purple leotards." and it's something cool to do.

that lets you travel to places that you would never travel to if you didn't do the sport. and it's really cool. >> really cool for alexis. she made it all the way to the national team. now a coach, she's teaching not just the skills she learned, but the values, as well. >> it takes a lot of work to do make a perfect cartwheel. and if they get the discipline to do things over and over again, then that's what i'm giving them to give them a good work ethic so that they can do it in school or they do it in life. i want them to be champions, of course, but i want them to learn to appreciate hard work. >> it gives me discipline, a lot of confidence, a physical, nice body. >> it kind of keeps you out of trouble. you start to do things you're not supposed to when you don't have nothing to do in your house. so i'll be here. >> i'm learning that you have to be aggressive and don't give up. >> gymnastics is a very

say you'll be a well-rounded person when it comes to, you know, making good decisions and stuff like that with the discipline from your coaches. it's just a big learning experience. >> another coach with top-level experience is stacie. after competing around the world, she's now helping these athletes to rise to their potential. >> and here, it offers for people for free for the community, for kids that would never have an opportunity to do this without being from some sort of background of gymnastics or knowing someone who does it. >> this program in harlem started in 1996. over the years, thousands of kids have worn the iconic purple leotards. now even more want to come, because a gymnast named gabby won olympic gold. >> and she didn't have the kind of money and background that people usually associate with gymnastics. that made a very powerful story. so for the people that i serve, they said, "i can do it, too." and so that's why our gyms are filling up. [ laughs ]

it takes talent, hard work, and a helping hand from caring role models, like wendy hilliard. [ bat cracks ] [ crowd cheering ] >> the boston red sox and st. louis cardinals have squared off on four different occasions in the world series. the cardinals won the first two meetings in 1946 and 1967, but the red sox won the last two meetings in 2004 and 2013. i'm matt for "teen kids news." >> there's lots more ahead on

we'll be right back. >> one of the best weapons to fight disease is one of the simplest items we have in our home. jacelyn tells us more. >> what's the number-one invention that americans could not live without?

>> um, i would, guess... cars. >> i think, like, an iphone. >> your phone. >> um...i don't know. like, your phone, i guess? >> the answer may surprise you. according to the experts, the top invention we couldn't live without is this -- the humble toothbrush. the ancient babylonians used to clean their teeth by chewing on a stick, but we've come a long way since then. dr. gerry curatola knows a lot about toothbrushes. he's the go-to oral-health expert on a number of tv shows. welcome. >> hi. thanks for having me. >> so, doc, people really used to chew on sticks? >> yes. as a matter of fact, chewing on sticks has been popular for thousands of years, and it's the origin of the modern toothpick. >> all right. so, when was the actual toothbrush invented? >> well, the modern toothbrush that we know of today with those nylon bristles was invented by

>> is there a proper way to take care of your toothbrush? >> yes, there is. the first thing is -- it's really very simple -- you want to wash your toothbrush off. you can even use a little soap to clean your toothbrush the way you'd wash your face or wash your hands. but keeping it covered is important, and not those hard plastic covers, because germs can grow inside those and can't be clean. i recommend a disposable toothbrush cover called a toothbrush shield. it's almost like a surgical mask for your toothbrush. it'll last about a week, keeps it protected from all the germs in the environment around us, and you can simply throw it away after a week. so cover your toothbrush. >> how about storing your toothbrush? so, i finish brushing my teeth, and i put it in my toothbrush holder on the sink. do i have to be aware of anything else in the bathroom? >> yeah, you really don't want to keep it out near the sink. you know, even flushing your toilet can contaminate a toothbrush.

radius. so, very often, the toothbrush is right on the sink. so i recommend keep it in your medicine cabinet and keep it covered. >> is it better to use a brush with stiff bristles so that you can really get the teeth clean? >> no, the objective here is not to use a hard-bristled toothbrush. you really want soft bristles. i even recommend putting your toothbrush under warm water, which makes them almost like velvet. so you want a soft brush. remember, we're not scrubbing the kitchen floor. carpet. >> great advice. thanks, doc. >> thanks. >> and if you thought using sticks was strange, the chinese used to make their brushes out of bamboo -- with bristles from pigs. yum. >> you might think a road trip that takes three or four hours to reach your destination is hard, but imagine traveling for nine years. that's how long it took nasa's new horizons spacecraft to reach pluto.

piano, and it traveled 3 billion miles. the photographs it sent back to earth are incredible. they reveal pluto has icy mountains and frozen plains. in fact, everything on the dwarf planet is in a permanent deep freeze -- which is not surprising, considering the temperature there is -387 degrees fahrenheit. that's colder than the freezing point for oxygen. so if you plan to visit pluto one day, dress warm -- very warm. >> here on "teen kids news," we've often run stories giving tips on using makeup, but we've never done a makeup story quite

we'll be right back. >> some of the most amazing movie magic is created in the makeup chair. katie got to speak with an expert. >> if you've seen "pirates of the caribbean," "g.i. joe," or "smurfs 2," then you've seen the work of todd tucker. >> hi. how are you? >> i'm good. how are you?

masters. what does a special-effects makeup artist do? >> what a special-effects makeup artist does is they bring in the actor, they create a head cast of the actor, and then we sculpt and design out a makeup that fits the actor perfectly -- whether it's an old age or a character or a monster -- and then we create the appliances, go on set, glue them onto the actor, and then maintain him throughout the shoot and basically transform them into somebody completely different. >> so, what is an appliance? >> appliances are the pieces that we create. we start with the sculpture on the actor's face, and then we mold that and create an exact copy of that sculpture in either a silicone material or a foam latex material, and then that's custom-fit to the actor. so when we glue it onto their face, when they make expressions and smile, it moves with their face and it looks completely real and transforms them. >> so, what are some of your favorite creations teens might have seen? >> well, one of my favorite creations is hank azaria as gargamel in the "smurfs" movie...

>> ...mainly because we were able to take hank, who's a relatively good-looking guy, and then turn him into this kind of hideous, old wizard character. and hank is such a great comedic actor that when we put him the makeup, he just brings the character to life. >> [ screams ] >> right in the smurf berries! >> what we'll do is we'll bring the actor in and we will do a head cast first so we have an exact copy of his head. and then for "smurfs," what we did was we created a sculpture design of what we were gonna make hank azaria look like as gargamel to show to the director so that he can decide whether or not he likes it and if he wants to make changes. so for this makeup, we had hank shave his head. we did a full wig. we did fake prosthetic ears, nose, teeth, and eyebrows. and to give you an idea, this is the nose appliance that he wore. and it's made out of silicone. you can feel it. it feels very real. >> yeah. >> so it looks very real on camera. these are -- this is the silicone ear that he wore, 'cause we wanted to make

and then, one of the major things that changed his look were these dentures, which are very silly, giant dentures. >> ohhh. >> deeply disappointing experiment. >> pretty substantial. >> definitely. >> yeah. >> welcome to the party! [ laughs evilly ] >> how did you get started in this business? >> i was always a huge fan of horror movies and science-fiction films as a kid. and i was also an artist. i drew a lot. so i started learning how to sculpt and kind of transfer my drawing to sculpting and ultimately moved to los angeles in 1990, and my first film that i worked on was "hook." >> what kind of talent does it take? >> well, you have to be an artist to start. you have to be able to have that eye where you can visually draw or sculpt. you have to be able to make molds, teeth, eyes. i mean, there's a lot involved in doing makeup effects. >> can you show me a demonstration? >> sure. i'll do a 60-second transformation into a vampire.

how we do it. all right, so, first of all, what i'm gonna do is put a little bit of this dark-purple makeup around my eyes to give me a bit of a sunken-in look, a little bit of a sickly feel. right there and right there. see, all of a sudden, i don't look as healthy. and i'll put these lenses in. okay. >> oh, so they kind of change the color. >> they do. >> ohh. do the contacts hurt your eyes at all? >> they actually don't. >> ohh. >> and instantly... i am a bit scarier. >> definitely. >> yes. >> oh, that's definitely scarier. >> yeah. >> oh, impressive! you must be a hit at halloween parties. halloween. yes, we do.

for kids that want to do what you do? >> start getting videos and books that teach you how to do makeup effects and start learning in your garage and start building stuff and just have fun. >> so, if you're trying to "make up" your mind about a career and you have a talent for creativity, becoming a special-effects makeup artist might be just the ticket -- as in movie ticket. for "teen kids news," i'm katie. [ thunder crashes ] [ woman shrieks ] [ man laughs evilly ] >> well, that brings "teen kids news" to an end for

thanks for joining us.

info@teenkidsnews.com. (upbeat music) - [voiceover] the young icons gives you a glimpse inside the lives of the brightest and the best. coming up in this half hour it will sure be music to your ears. this high school sophomore is using her amazing talent

at first glance he might seem like a typical teenager, but he turned his beats into a budding business. and, she's one of the youngest recording artists who also happens to have a college degree before even graduating from high school. plus, lauren and colleen are sisters who go to school together, play the piano together, and donate to multiple charities together. all that and more on the young icons, starting right now. april cho is a student at marlborough, a private all girls college preparatory school in los angeles, california. (positive melody) (video reel clicking) - i participated in the vocalist in residence program here at marlborough, which is a program in which you audition and they pick four people to participate in the program. and it's where opera singers that have been hosted by the school, they're artists in residence here and you have four master classes with them where you learn

unless we had the change here. (opera singing) (piano melody) - [voiceover] marlborough has quite an elite program, so you better believe april has the chops to be there. - my name's ernie scarborough and i'm the vocal music teacher here at marlborough. i've known april since she's been in the seventh grade. i had her in class, and then in the eighth grade she joined one of my choirs, and in the ninth grade she joined the next choir, and in the 10th grade she auditioned for, and got into, chamber choir, which is our top choir. - [voiceover] music is a gift and a passion for april, and something she'll carry with her for life. - [april] i definitely want to have music with me throughout my life. i always want to keep it something pure, and something that i really enjoy for myself. - [voiceover] even her teacher realises she has something very special and rare. - april's strengths as a singer, she can do several styles, and she also has an innate ability to understand and present music with an emotional content to it. she, there are singers who just sing the song, but april

i once was lost but now i'm found - [voiceover] and it's teacher's like mr. scarborough, or mr. bro according to his students, that inspire april to keep pursuing her talent. - mr. bro's always encouraging, even when he's trying to correct something that you've done wrong he'll always say it in a positive way. - it gets it in the, to the top part of your head a little bit more, makes it a little brighter without having to put a lot of pressure on it. - [april] and always help you so that you can better yourself. (signs opera) (piano melody) the only thing that i fill myself on while i'm singing is, is my passion and that, i think everyone can help other people with their passion, if they're passionate about something then that love for something will show through when they're doing whatever they're doing. your heart knows all things great and true - [voiceover] she's also using her passion for singing to give back to children who don't always get to experience the arts. - with my choir, opera california youth choir,

when i was in sixth grade i think i went, as a youngest member, to peru, and we donated books and school supplies. there were 6000 kids who watched us perform, which was like the biggest concert we've had. i didn't really realize the meaning of my performances when i was performing for the kids in peru, or, or performing to raise money for the handicapped people, or handicapped students, so that they could have college scholariships. i looked back on everything that i've done, all the charity work and i realize that everything has a purpose, and that that purpose needs to be shown in when you sing. (sings opera) - [ernie] every year we bring in a vocalist of, nationally renowned, and april has been in that program, she's auditioned and gotten accepted to that program every year since she's been in the eighth grade. - [april] on top of singing there's a lot of work here at marlborough. there's a heavy academic workload. i think that learning is really a big part of even becoming a good singer because you need to be able to understand what you're singing.

to do when it comes to charity, school, and her budding social life, of course. - [april] i mean my friends are my life. school here is really hard like, the academic workload and everything, when you go home there's so much homework, and then there're your friends who are like always moaning and groaning too, it's what you bond over. they're literally like my sisters. (laughter) - i know april because i go to school with her and i've known her since seventh grade. we just became really good friends in the last like, couple years, i think, and it's been really good, i really love her (laughs). - april has such a big heart, and she has so much talent, and i think it's fantastic that she can use her talent to make people happy. it's amazing how she went to peru and she sang to all those kids that are not so fortunate. - april is a young icon because she's and incredible mix of someone who's very talented in, in the performing arts, she's very talented as a scholar. - [eva] to see april on stage feels great. it's really cool knowing that know someone who's so amazing

her voice is just like an angel, honestly, to me.