here's what we've got. fighting back against online bullying. coming up, i'll take you to an unusual school with an unusual name. >> all of the new york historical society where teens are learning about history in a whole new way. teens go the distance. i'm sloan, and i'll have the story from philadelphia. >> all that and more, stay tuned for "teen kids news." >> hi, i'm mwanzaa. >> and i'm jessica. let's check out this week's big stories from around the world.

across the country, the health care debate continues. americans are speaking out at town hall meetings. >> what do we want? >> healthcare! >> when do we want it? >> now! >> the main discussion is about how to reform health care. some people are in favor of the public option. that means people without health insurance could purchase it through the government. >> we continue to support the public option, that will help lower costs, give american consumers more choice and keep private insurers honest. >> others believe a plan run by the government is not a good idea. >> government control is not the answer, just more competition, more choices, and giving people fair treatment when they don't get their insurance at work is a good start. despite increased violence, afghanistan held elections for the second time ever. afghans voted for president and local leaders. final results will be announced

in mid-september. relief efforts in taiwan are underway after last week's devastating typhoon. it's being called the worst disaster in taiwan in 50 years. the u.s. and dozens of other countries are sending help. meanwhile, this cameraman quickly became part of the story when he was swept away by flood waters. he was trying to get footage of the typhoon's aftermath when he fell in. soon after, residents pulled him to safety. pop singer lady gaga toned down her rather wild style while in israel. she said she's honored to be visiting. >> it is so special. so to be here now and to see it is a very emotional and spiritual experience. a rare baby red panda -- yes red, made his debut at a zoo in poland. the 8-week-old was examined and given his first shots. this species of panda is endangered because of habitat

loss. there are believed to be only 2,500 adult red pandas in the world today. for "teen kids news," i'm lara. >> elephants are sending text messages in kenya. to protect local farms, the elephants have been tagged with devices that send a message when they get too close to civilization. that way the elephants can be shooed away before crops are damaged. jessica -- >> thanks, lauren. if it has happened to you, you know how much it can hurt. bullies attacking -- online. felipe is here to tell us how people are fighting back. >> jessica, cyberbullies are cowards. because they can hide their identity. but that doesn't mean you can't do anything about them. >> i agree not to use technology as a weapon to hurt others. >> these teens and tweens are taking the megan pledge. the oath to help end cyberbullying is dedicated to missouri teen megan meir. megan was 13 years old when she committed suicide after being

harassed online. >> it's not just megan. it's not just megan's story. there are thousands and thousands of kids out there every single day. >> megan's mom spoke out at the international cyber-bullying conference. she's working with internet safety experts, and teens to protect kids online. a study by i-safe america shows nearly half of middle-schoolers have been victims of cyber-bullying. nearly half also admit they've been the bully. some kids do it for laughs some kids do it to get a reaction and some kids do it because they're friends were victims and they wanted revenge. wiredsafety.org created the teenangels to help educate kids about staying safe online. members of this chapter at new york's ursuline school helped younger students identify cyberbullying. greg, a high school student, was changing in the locker room one day after school, when his friend matt took an embarrassing picture of him. within seconds the picture was sent among all the cell phones at the school.

even though many kids have been victims of cyberbullying, they don't tell their parents. >> we have found over 60 reasons why kids say they do not want to tell their parents. they are worried they will be considered a tattletale by their friends, they're worried that their parents will get worried and take away their computer. this 6th grader, also named didn't tell her parents because the boy doing the bullying was a family friend. >> after i told my parents i felt very open to them like i could talk to them about what bad things were happening on the im instant messaging and i felt like i really shouldn't hide anything more from them because they can help me with the situations. >> wired safety spreads the word through the teenangels that the best thing you can do when you're confronted by a bully online is walk away. >> stop and don't answer back. block the person and tell a trusted adult. >> by stepping away you also reduce the risk of firing back, and becoming a cyberbully yourself.

>> learning what cyberbullying is and entails has made me double check my actions a lot on the computer. i'm very cautious when i'm sending emails or ims to make sure my message comes across as i intended it and not in a mean way. >> one more tip to prevent cyberbullying. keep your passwords to yourself. don't share them. even with your best friend. for more tips to staying safe online. check out our website. teenkidsnews.com. mwanzaa -- >> thanks felipe. if you're worried a guy might be a bully, take a look at his fingers. if his ring finger is longer than his index finger research shows he's more likely to be physically aggressive. >> just ahead -- a school where the abcs stand for something very special. >> how animals help kids learn, next.

there's a school specially designed to help kids with learning and behavior problems. as hannah reports, at this school, the abcs really stand for animals, birds and crops. ♪ >> welcome to green chimneys, in new york. it's part school, part farm, and part zoo. >> i'm helping to care for them, feed them, give them fresh water. and i also help to somewhat train some of them. >> some are injured, some are

unhealthy, some are just lost and need help. i help them by pretty much feeding them, bathing them, taking care of them. >> the majority of children that come to green chimneys have been rejected from remaining in public schools. they have a variety of problems. >> they also may have some learning disabilities, or some lack of understanding of how to be successful in those schools. >> they think that they are failures because here they are, they can't go to their local public school. >> and we create an environment in green chimneys which allows these children to, in a short period of time, recognize their strengths and also that they can be successful. they can make friends, they can do the things that other kids have achieved in their home communities. >> for more than 60 years, green chimneys has been helping kids through what's called "animal-assisted therapy." >> the animals are cared for by children who have come to us

with problems of their own. and we really believe that when our children get a chance to heal some of the animals, through that process, the animals heal our children. >> they range from the ordinary -- to the very exotic. like this giant andean condor. a lot of these animals had been injured or taken from abusive owners. like humans, you have to be calm, try not to scare them. you have to act like they're some kind of baby and they need help. if somebody's injured, then they're gong to need help, and you need to bring them somewhere. >> what we're trying to do with the animals is the same thing we're trying to do with the kids. give them a second chance to heal, a second chance to recover, and then go back home. we tell them, "no, you are not a failure. and you can, we can, make you a success." or rather to say it better, that the children can make themselves a success. >> in case you're wondering why dr. ross' school is called by

such a strange name, all you have to do is look around. the buildings have chimneys painted, you guessed it, green. in future episodes of "teen kids news," we'll show you some of the special projects these kids are working on. projects that help both the animals and their human caregivers. at green chimneys, for "teen kids news," i'm hannah. >> now for indoor learning -- at museums. admittedly, some museums can be a bit tedious. there's so much to see and learn. and while an audio tour can help, it might get a little tiresome listening to an adult go on and on. that's why nicole found kids were really excited by a new kind of museum guide. >> it's the best museum ever, everyone should come. >> laura is talking about the new york historical society. and she's excited because they've come up with a cool approach to teaching history. >> can you guess where lafayette was born? here's a musical clue. ♪ the exhibit is called "french founding father: lafayette's

return to america." >> lafayette wasn't just some kid off the streets of paris. he'd been trained in military school. he came from a very rich family. >> and to draw kids into the exhibit the museum created the teen audio tour. where instead of hearing the typical dull textbook lingo, you're hearing voices you can relate to. >> and he had a title too, the marquis de lafayette. >> marquis is kind of the like duke or prince. >> and he even had a wife with a baby on the way. >> the main challenge is to make the subject interesting for today's teenagers. it has musical, like, hip-hop beats in the background. it's fun. it's interesting and it's fairly short while being informative at the same time. >> the audio tour was partly written and narrated by teenagers. ashley is one of the teens who helped out in the project. >> we started off walking through the museum and then picking out different art pieces, paintings, the carriage

downstairs, the guillotine, and we just made it into a story in our own way. >> after months of research and writing the script the students get to record their parts in a real recording studio. >> i was nervous, i had to have my friend there with me but it was a good experience. >> and it seems like the hard work paid off. >> i really liked listening to teens as opposed to adults because it didn't feel like school it felt like friendly conversation. >> it's like one of my friends was talking to me and just giving me facts about interesting things that happened in history. >> the teen audio tour has been such a hit that the new york historical society is planning to have one for every major exhibit coming up. for "teen kids news," i'm nicole.

>> it's a finish line many adult runners only dream of crossing. yet, teens are completing

marathon races. and reaching other important goals along the way. sloane has our story from philadelphia. >> the word marathon scares many people, but these kids take it on with courage. they're members of students run philly style. the program gets kids running down hills, up stairs and around the scenic areas of the city of brotherly love. it's led by seven time marathon runner heather mcdanel. >> at the finish of my first marathon, when i was done, i believed i could do anything i put my mind to. >> heather wanted to help teens believe in themselves. what was the farthest you've run before joining this program? >> probably about one mile, then i used to get tired. >> but now artez has completed the philadelphia marathon, 26.2 miles. >> when i got to about mile 23, i ran up a hill and i twisted my leg. so that was really demoralizing for me.

i really hated myself at that time. really wanted to stop, i wanted to quit, forget about it. i didn't want to do it anymore. but then i thought, "wait i ran 23 miles already and it's 26. i know i can finish this." >> students practice three to four days a week through spring, summer and fall. a marathon is their ultimate goal. but they start with shorter races that actually aren't very short at all. >> these two medals are from the half marathon. >> how far is a half marathon? >> a half marathon is 13.2, 13.1 miles. >> the goal isn't just to finish the race. adult mentors help teens find other strengths through the sport. >> it's not like basketball, football where you have a lot of people that participate in the main goal, it's really just you that has to push yourself to encourage yourself. so i think that's just something throughout life, that you have to always encourage yourself to do well.

so i think that's a life lesson that the kids hopefully are learning. >> how do your accomplishments as a runner help you in your regular life? >> it helps me by staying healthy, and being focused on school work and not always playing video games. >> heather says she sees results with every stride. >> their cardiovascular fitness is improved, their flexibility is improved and their self-esteem goes up and they focus better in school. so while we know we have a great program, now we can prove we have a great program. >> but before you hit the track remember to protect your growing bones. it takes expert supervision to go the distance. so look for groups like this, one that provide the guidance you need. there are other students run chapters around the country to find out more check out our website teenkidsnew.com. for "teen kids news," i'm website teenkidsnew.com. for "teen kids news," i'm sloane.

do you like this top? that's so gay. really? yeah. it's totally gay. you know, you really shouldn't say that. say what? well, say that something is "gay" when you mean it's bad. it's insulting. what if every time something was bad, everybody said, "ugh. that's so girl wearing a skirt as a top." oh. you are. ha ha. shut up. those are cute jeans, though.

you might remember the news stories about the tsunamis in 2004. the deadly waves surged after an earthquake under the indian ocean. 14 countries were affected. historians have been working ever since to determine how it compared to tsunamis in the past. they figured out it was the biggest in 600 years. >> it was the setting for an historic speech. but this memorial usually leaves visitors speechless. lauren visits a site in washington that you probably see every day. >> got a penny? then you have a copy of one of our most moving national memorials. the image of president abraham lincoln and his memorial are also etched onto the five dollar bill. but the contribution lincoln made to this country can't be measured in dollars and cents. >> lincoln was the person who persevered the most. he's the one who was the glue in essence that kept this country from falling apart and separating into two very different countries. >> lincoln saw the nation through its biggest crisis -- the civil war.

he decided the only way to survive as the united states was to abolish slavery. his most famous speech, the gettysburg address, is inscribed on the south wall. national park spokesperson bill line says visitors are visibly moved by the power of lincoln's words. >> part of what is written there as to how he realizes that the nation is on the precipice of possibly falling apart, of possibly dividing into two nations and how much that is causing angst and worry and how much he is wrestling with that comes through in the words. that he uses in the -- in the gettysburg address to see that in stone to see that in the area where lincoln is causes great emotional reaction on many people. >> as a great orator, he would be pleased to know, another great speech was given here 100 years later. five score years ago a great

american, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the emancipation proclamation. dr. martin luther king jr. honored lincoln, when he chose the memorial as the backdrop for his famous "i have a dream speech" in 1963. >> i have a dream today. >> he had the bravery the fortitude and his speech resonated so strongly and so widely with african americans but also with all americans it was time to recognize that our past practices were wrong and that they needed to change. >> like dr. king, president lincoln was assassinated for standing up for change. countless speeches, protests and celebrations have been held here since the memorial's dedication in 1922. it's, clearly, one of the most popular monuments in washington.

>> i like his speech the gettysburg address and he's just my favorite president. >> i just sort of think it's cool. it's got all his sayings and it's got a big statue of him and i just think that's cool. >> there are a couple of myths about the statue. some people think the face of robert e. lee is carved into the back of lincoln's head. it's not. that's just very wavy hair. another myth is that the sculptor cleverly positioned lincoln's fingers to send a message in sign language. supposedly the hands form lincoln's initials "a" and "l" -- also not true. >> let's get that clear, they are myth and nothing more than myths. >> what is true is that this tribute in stone honors a man who stood like a rock against forces that would have torn our nation apart. at the lincoln memorial for were the teen kids news," i'm lauren.

>> want to fight asthma? plant a tree! researchers found that kids who live on tree-lined streets have lower rates of asthma. but i guess it doesn't help if you're allergic to tree pollen.

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 hey, mark. hey, mark. hey. where've you been? i lost my cat. aw. that's not right. yeah. so i made this cat magnet to try and get him back. cool. does it work? kinda. [meow]

nice. yeah. but that's not my cat. i gotta keep working on it. see ya. see ya. see ya. announcer: anything's possible, keep thinking. get started on your own inventions or just play some games at... classroom. need another reason to stay in shape? doctors now say a ten-year-old who is seriously overweight can have the arteries of a 45-year-old. and that's not good. this report is brought to you by disney interactive studios. what do you do when the galaxy is under attack? fight back of course! >> in disney's spectrobes: origins it's up to you to save the universe. >> let's go! >> but don't worry, you'll have some help. spectrobe creatures will do battle by your side.

>> kumamodo! >> in this latest installment of the spectrobes game series, players will explore three dimensional worlds. along the way you'll discover secrets from the past, excavate fossils and uncover the key to preventing an intergalactic meltdown. spectrobes: origins is available exclusively for wii and is in stores now. for "teen kids news," i'm livia. >> that's all for us this week, thanks for tuning in. >> we'll see you next time, on "teen kids news."

he's a shout out. for including "teen kids news" for including it on their big screen in times square in new york city. write to us at new york city. write to us at info@teenkidsnews.com. 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.