>> you're watching "teen kids news." i'm livia. here's this week's top story. ?? >> this report is brought to you by school bell partners. you don't have to be an "a" student to see that many schools are battling to balance their budgets. if your school has had to scale back activities like music, art, or phys ed, then you know exactly what i'm talking about. in fact, in some districts, there's so little money for basic school supplies, many teachers often have to buy them themselves.

average teacher spends about $500 a year out of their own pocket to get supplies for their students. from car washes to bake sales, schools are always looking for ways to raise money for special classes and activities. and that brings us to our guest, alex demeo. he's co-founder of school bell partners. hi. >> hi. thanks for having me. >> great having you. why are schools having such budget problems? >> because their budgets have been cut across the boards for over a decade now. >> well, what happens when a how does that affect the students? >> it costs money to teach students the basic textbook things they need to know, but, on top of that, what about the arts? what about music? what about sports? what about thinking about their future? those things cost money, too. when budgets are cut, that's where students suffer. >> so, how can school bell partners help? >> we can help by bringing the schools an opportunity to raise money through their websites

typically so that they can focus on teaching and not have to focus on fundraising. >> so, how exactly does it work? >> the webmaster of the school puts our sponsor window onto the school's website. in a matter of minutes and from that point forward, the school's raising money around the clock. >> does this mean that you're simply putting ads on the school's website? >> not as much ads as sponsorships -- what you would see in the yearbook and the gyas basically, businesses showing that they care to help the school, and they're being good citizens in doing it. >> how much can schools actually make? >> in the first year, the average-size school's website could bring in over $10,000. and then, from there, as more sponsors come on board or local businesses get involved, it grows exponentially. >> wow! but there's more benefits here

think about what the internet does for us. using our sponsor window, we could give parents access to advice that could help them with their children, with their homework and assignments. we can bring children exciting apps -- we call them "edutainment" -- where they could get involved and learn their basics but have fun doing it and also create a community where parents, teachers, and students can share ideas and create a much more exciting and engaging educational experience right through the school's website. >> what's the advantage of this over traditional fundraising ideas like bake sales and raffles? >> we look at our fundraiser as being right alongside the fundraising that the schools are doing traditionally. but here, since there's no extra effort involved, it's all new money to the schools without distracting them from teaching

the classroom, right into the home computer of the students and the families who see the sponsors and can patronize them and bring money into the school instantly. >> is this available to all schools? >> every k-12 school district and school in the united states can be part of this, and, looking to the future, we're gonna be bringing colleges and universities in, too. >> so, if i'm a student and i have a club and i'm trying to raisne uniforms or maybe to go on a trip, would this be a great idea to help me raise that money? >> yes, as a matter of fact, this fundraiser has the ability to allocate funds from a specific department or even a function or an event and raise the money and let the school administrator know here's how much money was raised by the glee club, by the football team. and they can put the money back to those places who've put in

fundraising for the school. >> interesting. so, if students, families, or school officials want to learn more, how can they? >> it's very easy. just visit our website, schoolbellpartners.com. we have all the answers there, and you can get started with a click. >> thanks for the great information. >> thank you. >> when it comes to education, we've all heard about the three r's -- reading, writing, and arithmetic. but for too many schools these days, there's a fourth "r" for "raising," as in "fundraising." if your school needs some new ways to raise money, the internet may open a whole world of options. for "teen kids news," i'm katie. >> we've got lots more to tell you about on "teen kids news," so don't go away.

>> if you've ever wondered what it's like to live aboard a submarine, then you'll want to "dive" in to this next story. scott takes us to the intrepid sea, air & space museum to check out their exhibit called "submerged." >> megan bednarz is a museum educator, and she'll be our guide. how are you? >> hello. very good. how are you? >> good. so, let's go look at submerged. yeah, let's do it. >> all right! so, this is it? >> yeah, this is it. this is an overview of the history of submarines. it all started with the turtle during the revolutionary war. >> that little thing? >> yeah, that little thing right up there. it was designed just to go deep enough to be below a wooden ship

the submarine that you can find at our museum is the uss growler, and that was a grayback class. so, that could go about 300 feet, and since then they have just gotten bigger and faster. >> all right, so now we have -- what do we have here? >> here we have berthing, which is the living area, the sleeping area. as you can see, there's not a lot of space. so, this box here would be where you had to fit all of your prized possessions. >> everything? >>ry >> yeah, you had to be very, very choosy. [ chuckles ] and oftentimes, you might be sleeping over torpedoes. so, there were bunks in the torpedo rooms for anyone on that watch. >> and these worked? >> yes, they all work. >> so, that's the ultimate alarm clock if you don't wake up. >> absolutely, yeah. if that goes off you have to wake up. >> okay, all right, good. >> mm-hmm. >> so, what do we have over here? >> over here this is -- these are the controls.

steering the sub. it took three people to operate. you have one yoke for going up and down and then the others for going right and left. >> so, why are all the lights red in this room? >> okay, so in the control room, we have these red lights because there isn't really any night or day inside the sub, but when you're looking through your periscope out at night, you have to have your night vision ready. so this red glow helps your eyes adjust to view the horizon as it is at night. >> wow. so, this must he so, you would have to get behind the periscope. you control it by rotating it with these handles, and this gives you a view of the horizon above you because you can't see it from inside the sub. >> so, it looks like i'm looking straight out. how does this really work? >> let's check it out. >> okay. >> so, we have here a diagram that shows us how the mirrors inside of a periscope work, 'cause you were able to see the horizon, but you're underwater.

you can see the way light bounces off of these mirrors to bring that image to your eye. the mirrors are set at 45 degrees. so, whatever's on the horizon is gonna enter in, bounce down, and then bounce again right to your eye. >> oh. >> yeah. pretty nifty. >> so, it reflects the whole thing out from up top to down low. >> exactly, yeah. >> and that's -- they didn't have any windows on the submarines. so that's how they would see? >> yes, that was your eye into the outside world -- no windshield, no nothing. >> is that how they would know how toer different. that helps them decide where they're going, but there's more to it than just the periscope. we use sonar to detect objects. [ sonar pinging ] so, there's two ways to use sonar. one way would be active use of sonar. so that's what being shown here. the submarine sends out a ping, and then that sound bounces back to the sub. so the pings that you hear are used to find objects that might be approaching.

close together, you know that there's something approaching you. if you hear pings far apart, something's leaving. but most subs like to stay very, very quiet because they're designed to be very, very stealthy. >> ah. >> so, that's where passive sonar comes in. that's just listening. you're just listening for other sounds. you're not sending out any sounds. >> so, sonar is the same thing that a bat would use to find out what's around it. >> oh, yeah, absolutely. a lot of wildlife uses this to map out the space they're in. sound is gat bounces off of everything and comes right back. >> okay. >> here is our mess area. so this is where you're gonna find the enlisted men doing all of their eating, doing all of their lounging and relaxing. storage was very, very scarce on the sub, so if you look below you... >> are those cans? >> yes, these are the tops of cans. so, in order to save space, they actually filled up all the walkways with canned food. >> so it made everybody a couple inches shorter, huh?

you'd get. [ laughs ] >> got it. okay. >> and here you can see table settings. so, board games were extremely important aboard a submarine, and also movies were always shown in the mess area. so, this was the time of the day where enlisted men could actually finally relax and let their guard down a bit and enjoy some games. >> and this is where they ate, as well, on these tables? >> absolutely, yeah. multipurpose was also a big deal because there's no space. >> so, it's called a mess 'cause they don't eat very cleanly? >> very messy, yeah. [ laughs ] >> so, what do we have over here? >> all right, the last space here is the engine room. >> okay. >> so, a diesel engine, a diesel-powered sub is going to have to surface to get power. so, while it's on the surface, it's set to diesel. it charges up its batteries that will later power the engines when it's below the surface. so, below the surface, it can switch to electric power. >> oh. >> yeah, today's subs are nuclear-powered. they work a little differently.

an electric-diesel sub. >> okay, so it's like the hybrid of the old days. >> yes, absolutely. very good, yeah. >> so, when men wanted to be on a submarine, were they just drafted on, or did they have a choice of some sort? >> well, the men that were already enlisted in the navy had the chance to volunteer to work on a submarine. yeah, conditions are considered very, very extreme. it's homesickness. it's not knowing day or night. you're underwater for months at a time. it's a small environment. so those stresses were so extreme that they waen there that would be up for that particular challenge. so you were volunteering at that point. >> so they weren't being forced into anything? >> exactly. >> all right, i have one last question. >> yeah. >> how does something that small power something that big? >> yeah, well, so, submarines are underwater. it's easier to move once you're under the water. so you don't need that giant of a propeller. the propellers for the intrepid would've been as tall as this sub, and there would have been four of them.

submarine. >> okay, well, thank you so much. you've covered everything. i really appreciate it. >> yeah, great to be here. >> you too. a submarine's greatest asset is being able to travel undetected. that's why the unofficial motto of the u.s. submarine fleet is "silent service." for "teen kids news," i'm scott. >> coming up, the do's and don'ts of community service. my "make the grade" report is next on "teen kids news."

>> christin's back witot "make the grade" report. >> i want to talk to you for a moment about college applications and community service. you've probably heard stories of teens who travel to exotic places for their service projects -- you know, helping to build a school in africa or teaching english for a week in latin america. you don't need to go to such extremes. in fact, many college-admissions officers say they're not overly impressed by expensive service adventures, especially those

minimal amount of time. what colleges are really looking for is a steady commitment, service from the heart. i'm christin, and that's this week's advice on how to make the grade. >> 50 u.s. states, 50 state flags, each one with it's own unique history -- here's eric with "flag facts." [ up-tempo march plays ] >> virginia is often called "the mother of presidents." four of our first five presidents were born there. since then, four more presidents have been proud virginians. >> virginia's state flag is a reference to overthrowing king george. you see the roman goddess virtus standing atop a tyrant, and she's holding a sword in one hand, a spear in the other, and the tyrant is laying on the ground with his crown knocked off of his head.

a broken whip. "sic semper tyrannis" means "thus always to tyrants." with "flag facts," i'm eric. >> it's time for another important message brought to you by the national road safety foundation. [ suspenseful music plays ] [ thuds ] [ cellphone vibrates ] >> what if your mom or dad texted while driving and got hurt or worse? imagine how you would feel. >> is everything all right? >> i don't know. >> that's why they don't want you to text and drive. ?? >> coming up, how teens are teaching their parents to --

"teen kids news" will be right

>> have you ever been at a party and your parents start to dance? pretty funny and maybe a little bit embarrassing, right? well, this video from the folks at hooplaha shows that you're not alone. >> i think my first memory would probably be in the '70s, dancing in my basement. [ electronic music plays ] >> [ laughs ] >> back in the caribbean, when we did calypso dancing, it's basically just moving your waist. [ >> back in india, five, six years old, i used to dance. [ grunts ] thank you. >> when she was two years old, she tried to copy me to dance. and it was... [ laughs ] ...happy because we dancing. >> i'm not a good dancer, but i always say, "dance for yourself, not for anybody else," and i'm the living proof of that. >> my mom does not really have rhythm.

>> yes. >> ? rhythm, rhythm ? >> mom, singing "rhythm" doesn't mean you have rhythm. >> yes, it does. >> this is how my dad dances. >> no, i don't. [ chuckles ] >> [ laughs ] >> [ laughing ] i don't know. he made up something. >> he'll get no dinner tonight. >> ohh! [ r&b music plays ] something that everybody's doing now because, you know, when we do go out together, i need you to be on...point. >> you put one of your hands up. and you kind of shake it as you step back. [ chuckles ] that's bad. that's really bad. just shake the leg. just shake the leg. >> shake a leg. >> break it. >> oh, this is tired. >> break your legs! [ r&b music plays ] >> ohh. >> [ laughs ] >> wait. i have it all backwards. okay, now i'm gettin' it.

[ laughs ] whoa! >> this one up here like you have a lasso in the air, and turn around. [ laughs ] >> so... [ laughter ] what kind of dance is this? >> so, watch me first. [ vocalizing ] no, no. get it, get it, get it! >> get it! am i gettin' it? yeah! >> now that i taught you some moves... >> mm-hmm. >> ...we're gonna play a game. it's called "just dance." to the app, "just dance," and that's gonna make this the controller for the game. are you ready? >> okay, i'm ready. >> all right, let's do this. >> ? won't be no stick-figure silicone barbie doll ? >> ? shoo-wop-wop ? ? sha-doo... ? >> yeah, exactly, yeah. >> ? so if that's what you're into... ? >> twirl. twirl. >> ah! yes! whoa! you were really close! >> i won? >> [ laughs ] wait! >> did i win?

about! >> she did good today. >> yeah, you did good. >> thank you. >> the family that dances together stays together. >> yeah. >> job well done? >> yeah! high five. >> really bad high-five. [ upbeat music plays ] >> if snappy putdowns were an olympic sport, then this guy would be a gold medalist. i'll tell you why when

>> nicole continues her special of the united kingdom. [ "rule, britannia!" plays ] >> parliament square is a park that pays silent tribute to some of the world's greatest leaders... people like britain's bulldogged prime minister winston churchill. his indomitable spirit and

stiff during the dark days of world war ii. not all those honored here with a statue are from the united kingdom. there's nelson mandela, south africa's first black president and nobel peace prize recipient... as well as abraham lincoln, the american president who fought the civil war to preserve the union and to abolish slavery. but there was one particular person's likeness i wanted to they say the statue of prime minister disraeli is here in parliament square. let's see if we can find it. disraeli actually served twice as britain's prime minister under queen victoria. nope. that's not him. in the age of imperialism, disraeli is credited with helping to extend britain's influence around the world. a popular saying in his day was

british empire." neither is this. even though i was assured his statue was in the square, i couldn't find it. do you think they take statues away for cleaning? exasperated, i googled him and discovered that his statue is here, after all. in fact, it was one of the first i looked at... except that the name on the base isn't disraeli, but his official title o earl of beaconsfield. so he was here, after all. the reason why i wanted to find him was because he's famous for making one of the most devastating insults of all time. disraeli was once asked, "what's the difference between misfortune and disaster?" disraeli replied that if his political opponent gladstone fell into the river thames, that would be misfortune. however, if someone helped him out of the river, that would be disaster. for "teen kids news," i'm nicole.

week, but be sure to tune in again next week for more "teen kids news." bye.

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