the environmental club at jefferson high school wants healthier lunch options. the students and their advisor took their plea to city council claiming that they are lacking alternatives. >> in the absence of both "a" and "b" there's no way we can choose "b," we have only unhealthy than that's our option." >> the teens hope their research will convince the city to place a ban on new fast-food restaurants near the school. students, 534, 89! >> you may have already seen his popular youtube video circulating the internet. david holmes is the rapping flight attendant. if you want another kind of drink, then just holler, because alcoholic beverages cost you $4. # he's received a lot of attention

for his hip-hop version of southwest airlines' safety speech. >> in the front, in the back with two exit doors, you'll find the light on the signs and the floor. # holmes says he wanted to try something different. >> i wanted to see if i could translate our instructions into a rap form. >> holmes says he might pursue a music career in the future, but for now, he's enjoys entertaining his passengers. welcome aboard! [ applause ] researchers looking for car parts that are earth-friendly have hit upon an unusual solution. coconuts. it turns out fiber from a coconut's shell can be used to make car floorboards. i kid you not. jessica? >> interesting, thanks lauren. marijuana. weed. some movies and comedians make it seem like no big deal. but a new study connects marijuana to depression. as felipe reports, experts say the problem can start in our teens. >> first the good news. according to the government,

fewer teenagers are smoking marijuana. still, teens use marijuana more than all other illegal drugs combined. >> i have known people who tried marijuana. i say yeah, i know people that do marijuana, a lot of my friends do it. >> a white house report found teens who smoke marijuana just once a month are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts. >> well, marijuana is a depressant, so it's not surprising that it might lead to kids having lower emotions and lower levels of energy which depression is all about. it does have an impact upon their day to day functioning. >> marijuana stays active in the nervous system for three days after smoking. so partying on friday night can affect kids in school on monday. they're often in a kind of fog that results in some problems with their relationships with kids. they usually get pretty isolated from their parents and so it makes good sense that it may actually then lead to more

emotional problems for kids. studies continue into whether marijuana causes depression or whether kids who are more at risk of mental illness are drawn to the drug. kids don't have as much capacity for solving problems. they don't have as much experience for being able to manage problems, so they are more likely to look for escapes than adults as a group. and there's one more bit of caution. this is not your parent's pot. experts say teens and parents need to take the drug more seriously. marijuana today is twice as strong as it was in the 1980s. the active ingredient, thc, is in higher concentrations. the market for marijuana is a market where people try to improve their product. and they improve the product by making it stronger. so the consequences are that it may result in much more difficulty in terms of functioning at the time that you are on the marijuana. it may also lead to more dangerous activities like

reckless driving and sexual promiscuity. the risk for mental illness later in life goes up as much as 40 percent, if you use marijuana as a teen. experts say more teens who try marijuana are becoming dependent on the drug. that's a big risk to take. for more information on the white house report check out our website teenkidsnews.com. mwanzaa? >> thanks felipe. some guys spend more money than they should. while you may call such behavior "irresponsible." some scientists now believe it's part of the male survivor instinct. it all goes back to the cavemen. the more possessions they had like hunks of mastodon meat the easier it was to find a mate. so, guys today who buy things like expensive tvs and cars might simply be responding to the call of prehistoric nature. >> of course, these days a guy who knows how to save money makes a better mate. just ahead an increasing trend for high schools students. getting a jump start on college. we'll tell you how, when "teen kids news" returns.

revlon skin matching makeup... begins with a weightless foundation that starts off white... and self-adjusts to precisely match your skin tone. with soft, flawless coverage. how cool is that? revlon skin matching makeup.

>> if you're like most teens, you're probably still not sure just what you want to be when you grow up. but as kristen reports, there's a growing number of students committing to their careers surprisingly early. >> in this school behind me are some students who are working towards their college degree in medicine. except they're still in high school. >> you're going to practice working on blood pressures together. >> this is a specialized high school. schools like this one, allow students to focus on academic subjects that lead towards specific careers. >> our particular specialized high school focuses in on allied health and the biomedical sciences, the life sciences. other specialized high schools have a different focus, performing arts. there's a whole range,

engineering. there's a lot of different focuses one can have. >> what's another name for that bicuspid valve? >> mitrol. and from there it goes into -- >> applications for admission to specialized high schools are made while students are still in elementary school. that means they need to develop a career focus at a pretty young age. connect electrodes. of course, many of us just don't know what careers we will choose, when we're still only in eighth grade. so specialized high schools may not be the right choice for everyone. but for those kids who have it figured out, like morissa, krishan and isabel, the benefits can be awesome. why did you choose to come here, instead of going to a more traditional high school? >> i chose this school because i really wanted to choose a medical career and be a pediatrician. >> my dad was a doctor and i wanted to go into the medical field. and i heard about this school. so i thought it'd be a good idea to go here. >> when you come to this high school, you get to learn how to

be a doctor before you go to college. you get college credits. >> but, in addition to participating in specialized classes, students who attend these schools also must take the same basic subjects required in non specialized high schools. you know things like reading, writing, and 'rithmetic. that means they have to learn how to manage their time well. >> i'm taking classes in biomedical sciences, intro to health professions, then i'm taking geometry and the other basic classes. there's a lot of memorization in the medical field. for now, we're learning about terminologies, and it's really hard, but i expected that from a medical high school. >> what does a heart look like? the way the schedule works is, every day, it's a block schedule, which means similar to a college, where you have those extended periods, so you can really delve into things. and that would actually cause the body --

>> but what happens to all that specialized study, if a student decides to go into a different career later on? they've still developed excellent learning skills. they have learned how to put things into practice, how to apply the knowledge that they've gained. those are skills that are gonna take them wherever they go. specialized schools like this one, are becoming more and more popular, all across the country. for more information, speak to your guidance counselor. for "teen kids news," i'm kristen.

>> she can go a half mile in a big hurry, and that's putting her "on track" for a great future. carina has the story. >> charlene lipsey is a runner with a mission. >> i want a better life for myself and my family. >> but that's not what she's thinking about when she's out on the track. >> when i'm running, i just think of techniques, like stay calm, just breathe, and just try not to use all your energy until

the end. >> the ability to focus on her goals and a lot of hard work have made charlene a winner. she's a national leader in the 800 meter race. that's about a half mile, and she clocks in under two minutes and ten seconds. she's also a regular winner in races of other lengths, indoors and outside. so it's no wonder she's the new york girls' track athlete of the year. >> she's like a multi talent girl, she doesn't run one event, she can run two, the four, the eight, occasionally the fifteen hundreds. >> charlene is also a leader for her team, at hempstead high school. >> we all stretch together. she leads us, she's always doing the right thing, never lacks behind and always being a good example. >> when we were in school, there

would be a lot of announcements about charlene and it really was an inspiration. >> so every time she competes, charlene knows her teammates, her coach and her family expect the best. i know that a lot of people have expectations of me. but i also have expectations of myself, so that makes it a little bit harder for me- i am under a lot of pressure. >> that means "stretching" to find enough time to do her work on the track and her school work. because hempstead high has a tradition of sending athletes on to college. >> so what charlene has done is dedicate herself in the classroom to do well with her grades, and that's one of the reasons why we think she's gonna go on to success both academically and athletically at the next level. >> by combining academics with athletics charlene has earned a full scholarship to college. and that's easier for my mother, because i don't think we would be able to pay for college a lot of financial aid. i know i want to graduate with my masters for whatever i do. and as far as track i just want

to be all american in track in college, as well. >> not only does she plan to compete in college charlene has her sights on the olympics. so remember that name, charlene lipsey. you might be hearing it again. i'm carina, and that's sports for this week. >> this report is brought to you by conair. >> the word "prom" comes from "promenade" a chance to stroll in front of an admiring crowd. of course we all know prom as one of the biggest celebrations of our high school years. >> i'm so excited for prom. it's going to be a lot of fun and we've been waiting for it for a long time. >> part of all the excitement is getting the right look. it starts with what you're going to wear. >> a dress i want something sort of very flowy and big sort of so i look like a queen. >> and of course the most important finishing touch is. your hair. >> i'll probably just wear it down and straight. >> well, between your dress, your shoes and the accessories your prom can be really expensive, but your hair doesn't have to be.

>> in fact you can create a special look for prom night, at home. well with the conair "you style" you can style soft curl by rolling the curved plates outward, turning away from your head and when you release the curl you twist the hair around your finger and you get this really great, loose, defined, trendy curl. and without an expensive trip to a salon you can add some "special occasion" touches. another item i love is the mini flat iron. it's easy to use. you put it right in your purse. it heats up in 30 seconds and you can use it for touch ups through out the entire night. that way your "do" won't be "drooping" by midnight. for more information and special discounts check out our website and follow the links. for "teen kids news" i'm jessica. >> what's not to love about mosquitoes? well, plenty. but they do one thing that's kind of cute. according to new research they harmonize to attract mates. so when you hear more than one buzzing bug the second one might be singing along.

and while they're making beautiful music together you can grab your fly swatter. we've got some great stories in the works for "teenki

ok, this time, i'm gonna do it. i'm going to actually go to school. tell me about some of the stuff you've had to deal with. i just dropped out completely. i just got caught up in it, the whole scene with the alcohol and the drugs. i was arrested. a lot of my friends were really concerned. especially my friend erin. you just have to find someone-- they don't have to tell you advice. they don't have to do that. they just listen. announcer: give your friends the boost they need to graduate. join us at boostup.org i don't need any commemoration in essence for just doing my job." >> the memorial has many parts. at the center, there's a pool with a huge fountain. the architects wanted this to be a joyful symbol of the allies' victory. it's also useful for cooling off overheated tourists. >> around the pool are 56 pillars. they represent each of the

u.s. states and territories that contributed towards the war effort. the giant arches symbolize the two main places the war was fought known as the atlantic theater and the pacific theater. then, there's the freedom wall of 4,000 stars. each one of those gold stars represents 100 americans killed in wwii. if you do the math, you'll realize that more than 400,000 americans laid down their lives in world war ii. >> it's an area where you're expected to be quiet and to be reverential. >> the world war ii memorial is still relatively new. but it's already a popular destination for visitors to washington, d.c. most americans, in fact virtually everybody, welcomes the addition of the wwii memorial. at the wwii memorial for "teen

kids news," i'm lauren. ♪ and now our fox in the classroom update. >> a major announcement in the nation's health care policy. in a move the white house is calling unprecedented, president barack obama is pledge to go reduce the rate of health care spending by 1.5% a year over the next ten years. that rate reduction adds up to a savings of some $2 trillion or more. >> we can't continue down the same dangerous road we've been traveling for so many years. the costs are out of control. and the reform is not a luxury that can be postponed, but a necessity that cannot wait. >> many of the largest private health care providers are being credited with coming up with the

cost-saving idea. experts say this new initiative could pave the way to providing health care for about 50 million people who aren't currently insured. meanwhile, they released the results of the stress test on banks to determine if financial snoogs institutions can survive. the good news is most banks can survive a deeper recession and the ones that can't, will get extra help from the government. >> that's going to make it easier for private cap tool to come into the system, help expand the capacity for banks to lend. >> president obama may be home, though, that laughter is the best medicine for the current competent, producing cause woes. best medicine for the current competent, producing cause woes. he left the white house my name's brandon. in 9 years, i'll be an alcoholic. all: hi, brandon. i'll start drinking with the older kids, and whatever they do... i'll do. announcer: kids who drink before age 15

are 5 times more likely to have alcohol problems when they're adults. so start talking before they start drinking. i know it'll start with alcohol. i'm just not sure how it's gonna end. narrator: every day is a brand-new journey of discovery for your baby. and when that journey is by car, the latch system will help keep them safe. it's easier and makes your car seat secure. so your baby's journeys will be safe and sure. to learn more, visit...

>> wars are so awful, when they're finally over, most people just want to forget about them. but we have a debt to those who served. especially those who gave their lives. lauren continues her special series on the memorials and monuments in washington, d.c.

world war ii began in 1939, when germany invaded poland. but the united states didn't get involved until two years later, when japan sneak-attacked our navy at pearl harbor. it took four long years before the allies finally won. the national world war ii memorial is a tribute to the heroism of that time. it's a memorial on a scale that matches america's massive commitment. 16 million men and women served in our military during wwii. it's located right at the heart of the national mall, between the washington monument. and the lincoln memorial. however, the memorial didn't open until 2004 almost 60 years after the war ended.

vietnam and korea both had monuments earlier, even though those wars were fought after world war ii. why wasn't there a wwii memorial earlier? >> that was a generation who said "i'm just doing my job. i don't need any commemoration in essence for just doing my job." >> the memorial has many parts. at the center, there's a pool with a huge fountain. the architects wanted this to be a joyful symbol of the allies' victory. it's also useful for cooling off overheated tourists. >> around the pool are 56 pillars. they represent each of the u.s. states and territories that contributed towards the war effort. the giant arches symbolize the two main places the war was fought known as the atlantic theater and the pacific theater. then, there's the freedom wall

of 4,000 stars. each one of those gold stars represents 100 americans killed in wwii. if you do the math, you'll realize that more than 400,000 americans laid down their lives in world war ii. >> it's an area where you're expected to be quiet and to be reverential. >> the world war ii memorial is still relatively new. but it's already a popular destination for visitors to washington, d.c. most americans, in fact virtually everybody, welcomes the addition of the wwii memorial. at the wwii memorial for "teen kids news," i'm lauren. ♪

>> well, here's something new to do with your hair. bury it in the garden. scientists say human hair makes good fertilizer. >> chances are you know the story, and even the music. but do you know what it's like to be on stage in a big broadway musical? sam got to meet the kids who share the spotlight. ♪ >> it takes motors, fog machines and a set that weighs

40,000 pounds to bring "mary poppins" to life on broadway. >> it took us about three weeks of technical rehearsals to get everything working and moving. >> it also takes dedication. meet cassady leonard and neil mccaffrey. or as they're also known, jane and michael banks. each week these two take the stage at the new amsterdam theatre. >> it's a lot of hard work. >> that's an understatement. even though they share their roles with other actors, like the ones shown here. both neil and cassady had to balance learning their lines, their songs, their dances, and don't forget, learning a new accent. >> we had a dialect coach through rehearsals so she coached us with the british accent. >> could i get a demonstration from you guys? >> hello, neil, how are you doing today? >> good, how are you?

>> wonderful. did i mention that they're still in school? >> i go to regular public school in my hometown. >> yeah, i go to regular public school. >> but the balancing act is worth it. so neil, do you plan on continuing acting when you're grown up? >> yeah, i love acting it's so much fun. >> and um, this is like a really big part of the set. >> as i mentioned, neil and cassady take turns doing the play. they're part of what's called a "triple cast." >> triple-cast means that the casting directors choose 3 girls to do the part and 3 boys to do the part and they alternate. in fact, we ran into some of the other janes and michaels when we visited the theater. >> oh, my gosh, hi. it's ali and -- >> what's going on? >> okay, this is marlon who is one of the three michael banks' and this is allie who is also one of the three jane banks. >> the stars gave us a tour of the dressing rooms, wardrobe and

showed us around backstage. so is this real candy? >> no this is not real candy. it is all plastic and sticks so if you ate that you'd be very sick. but sometimes there's -- we sneak in the candy bag and put some stuff in there. >> you do, eh? see that's part of my job, is to make sure there's no real candy on the set. >> as production stage manager that's not all mark does. it's his job to make sure the show runs smoothly. >> i basically am the person who becomes in charge of everything that happens, from the proscenium to the back to the back of the stage. >> a huge undertaking no doubt. we have a lot of magic in the show um all the stuff that mary pulls out of the bag and things that happen in the kitchen scene that to me is one of the exciting things and the flying and i mean everyth j