♪ >> welcome to "teen kids news." i'm veronique. let's begin with our top story for this week. ♪ competition -- in sports, it gets our adrenaline flowing. in class, competition helps keep us on our toes. but as amelia reports, too much competition isn't a good thing. >> our generation is possibly the most competitive generation ever. for many of us, it seems like we're in competition from the day we're born. >> well, in elementary school, it was about who could run the fastest, who could jump the farthest, who could play

basketball. then when i grew up, it became mainly about grades and getting the right grades and being socializing, you know, trying to have the most amount of friends amongst your peers. >> what are some things that you've faced competition over? >> sorry. >> going back as far as possible, what are some things you've faced competition over? >> um, i don't know. group projects in class maybe, trying to be the first to finish a race. i did cross country in the spring -- or at least get somewhere up there, maybe not first, but, you know, just trying your hardest. >> well, i feel like, as an actor, every time i have to audition for a role that i really want, i have to face competition, especially in this business where everyone wants to be the best they can be. >> mainly sports, such as wrestling or lacrosse. >> from getting into pre-nursery school to getting into college, we seem to always be competing. [ cheers and applause ]

competition is in our nature. the scientist charles darwin wrote that competition is part of the evolutionary process of all living things. that led herbert spencer to coin the famous phrase "survival of the fittest." fortunately, we don't have to compete with hungry animals or hostile neighbors like our ancestors had to in order to survive, but competition is still a major part of modern-day life. and while striving for a competitive edge can make us perform better, being too competitive is not a good thing. to discuss this, we're joined by dr. roni cohen-sandler. welcome. >> it's nice to be h here. >> don't we get ahead by trying to do our very best? >> well, it's great to be motivated because that inspires us to set goals, and then we can achieve them. but we want to make sure that we're not thinking we're gonna be the best in everything or that we're gonna be the best all the time because that's impossible. it's good to try to be the best you can be in that moment. >> how can we tell if we're being too competitive? >> well, if you find you're

getting very upset about small disappointments or if you find that you're becoming so competitive that you're seeing your friends and classmates as rivals, that can be a problem. also, if you find that you're not enjoying your achievements, that everything feels like it's not enough, it's never enough, then pretty soon, you're gonna feel like you're not enough. >> for some of us, competition doesn't come from ourselves, but from our parents. of course, i'm not saying my parents do that, but for those parents who put pressure on kids to excel, how can we -- i mean they -- handle that? >> you know, i think that's the hardest things that teen face, is when their parents really put pressure on them. i think it's important, if you can, to talk to your parents directly about it and to tell them how that pressure is affecting you. the thing is, yes, they want you to be successful, but they also want you to be healthy and happy. if you can't talk to your parents, find an adult that you really trust and can confide in, and perhaps they can help you

find a solution to this problem. >> what about getting tutors to give us an edge in class and applying for college? >> well, if you really need the help in class to learn the material or to keep up, then fine. it's okay to do that. but if you don't, if you just want an edge for college, i think you'd be so much better off spending your time doing something that you really enjoy, like a hobby that you love or resting or spending time with your friends. to be healthy, it's important to have a balanced life, and that also helps you keep a good perspective. >> any final advice? >> you know, i think that it's really important to set your own standards, not to compare yourselves to other people because the truth is, you'll never be the best at everything. and all you should be thinking about is being the best you. >> great. thank you so much, doctor. >> thanks for having me. >> interestingly, a lot of research shows that the people who tend to get ahead in this world aren't always the ones who are the most competitive. rather, the most successful people are those who are team

players, who are able to work well with others. for "teen kids news," i'm amelia. >> in theater, there's a saying that the show must go. well, i'll tell you what it takes to actually create that show when "teen kids news" returns. we'll be right back. >> closed captioning is brought to you by...

>> do you sometimes feel overwhelmed with all the work you have to do for school? well, christin's here to help with this week's "make the grade." >> when it comes to writing an essay or term paper, do you find

that the hardest part is writing that first sentence? ♪ too many of us try to come up with the perfect opening sentence. and if it doesn't come easily, we get frustrated or discouraged, and that only makes things harder. that's why you need to know about what's called free-writing. here's how it works. set aside a specific period of time -- say, 10 minutes. start by writing your topic on the top of the page. then just let yourself go. write whatever comes to mind about the topic. don't worry about spelling or grammar, and don't pause to reread what you've done. that leads the wanting to edit while you're writing, and that can really stifle your creativity. [ phone dings ] okay. time's up. now read through what you've written. while it won't be perfect, no doubt you'll be surprised at how free-writing enabled you to come

up with useful ideas, words, and phrases. now that you've got a pretty good start on your assignment, writing that first sentence shouldn't be so daunting. i'm christin, here to help you make the grade. >> want to do better on your next test? eat breakfast. studies show that students who eat good breakfast usually get better test results, especially if that breakfast contains food made from whole grains, like toast made with 100% whole wheat. of course, just eating breakfast isn't enough to get good grades. you still need on study. >> this report is brought to you by the concordia conservatory. long before the movie "high school musical," hollywood turned out lots of films about kids putting on their own musicals. some of the most famous were movies from the 1930s and '40s that starred mickey rooney. >> i've got an idea. our folks think we're babes in arms, huh? well, we'll show them whether we're babes in arms or not. i'm gonna write a show for us

and put it on right here in seaport. >> and with the help of his friends, he'd not only write the show, but rehearse and perform it almost overnight. but that required movie magic. in the real world, creating a musical takes a lot more time and work. >> all right, everybody, tonight is dress rehearsal. whoo-hoo! we finally made it. we have our guitarist here tonight with us. so, we're gonna get started. [ up-tempo music playing ] [ indistinct singing ] >> this is the final rehearsal for "the monster of guitaristan," an original musical written for the concordia conservatory. >> well, the story is that there is a town called guitaristan. >> everyone plays guitar. everyone -- everyone likes guitar. like, that's pretty much all they listen to. >> ♪ another beautiful day in guitaristan ♪ >> and they're all really happy, but then a monster comes. >> this particular monster in our story smells really, really bad. >> so bad, in fact, that he can't do what monsters are supposed to do.

>> he just can't scare anyone. he tries, but they're too disgusted by his smell. >> fortunately for the monster, he finally finds someone to frighten, but only because the victim can't smell very well. >> he meets a little boy who has nose blindness or, you know, a cold permanently. and he's able to scare him, but he doesn't feel so good about it. >> as it turns out, the boy has bigger problems than being scared by a monster. he's being bullied at school. so, on the one hand, we have a student who's the victim of a bully, and on the other, we have a monster who really doesn't want to scare people. >> they make friends, and they try to help each other through these problems. and the show ends up being about -- it's kind of an anti-bullying story. >> so now you know the story line, but this report focuses on how you write a musical. we'll tell you about that when "teen kids news" returns. we'll be right back. ♪

[ indistinct singing ] >> we're continuing our report on the making of the musical "the monster of guitaristan." >> it would be funny if you put both your arms on them, like, "yeah, i'm the tough guy of the group." >> before any rehearsal for a musical can even begin, there's a lot of work that has to first be done. so, step one is coming up with the idea. [ up-tempo music playing ] [ indistinct singing ] >> and the idea came about really accidentally. i was telling a story to my two sons, who are 6 and 3 years old, putting them to bed at night. and they liked it a lot. ♪ it's another beautiful day in guitaris-- ♪ is that gonna be too... >> a common second step is finding a partner to help you. that's called collaborating. >> ♪ bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ ba-bah-dum [ up-tempo music playing ] >> in this case, rami reached out to matt van brink. he teaches songwriting and

composition at concordia conservatory. >> [ scatting ] >> oh, yeah. >> so, when rami had this idea and he brought it to me, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do something together. so, i loved the idea. we definitely batted ideas back and forth, but the idea itself of a monster in the land of guitars was awesome. >> ♪ you know what i mean >> step three is finding a backer to help cover expenses and to provide support, as well as the location, for the musical. >> hey. >> hi. how are you? >> good. sorry i'm a little late. >> so, rami and i took the idea to kathleen suss, the executive director of concordia conservatory, and she loved the idea, too, and she wanted to put on it her musical adventures for children series. >> so, tell me a little about how the concept's gonna come together with the guitar town and then how you're really gonna write the book and then start on

the music and then with the collaboration between the two of you. >> and that brings to us when the hard work really begins -- composing the music and writing the song lyrics and dialogue. >> ♪ i couldn't run fast ♪ i ran lazily ♪ when i called for the ball, it sounded nasally ♪ [ nasally ] ♪ when i called for the ball, it sounded nasally ♪ well, matt and i have done a lot of shows together. sometimes one of us is writing and the other one's doing the music, sometimes vice versa, sometimes we collaborate. >> so, rami wrote the script and the music and the first version of the lyrics. then he sent it to me. i did a draft and then i sent it back to rami and we went back and forth. ♪ ...it's always green >> with the script, music, and lyrics roughed out, rami and matt then worked side by side the polish the production. >> ♪ ba-doo, ba-doo-boom [ up-tempo music plays ] no? yeah? [ indistinct conversations ] >> finally, it was time to start rehearsing. >> at the land of guitar, the sun is shining bright ♪

♪ a multitude of smiling ♪ a populist delight ♪ as you're walking along >> this is your wife. this is your daughter. >> ♪ you will see [ indistinct singing ] ♪ and all things guitar-y >> here at concordia conservatory, we write a lot of music for our students, whether they're very young, age 7, or more established, older students, like the ages that you'll see in this show. they're very excited about having something new written for them. just the idea of having -- of performing something for the first time really gets them excited. >> i think it is a great musical. >> it is very catchy. i find myself singing, you know, "you got to get clean" and "guitaristan." and i love this play. >> it's for younger kids mostly, but older kids, if they came to see it, they would understand and could relate to it. >> i think the message is, you shouldn't ostracize anybody because everybody can have a weakness. >> everyone's different, and

even though some people are more different than others, everyone has their gifts and talent. >> "the monster of guitaristan" is not just a great musical. it's a great musical with a great message. for "teen kids news," i'm katie. >> you'll probably be surprised to learn which state has a flag that celebrates mother nature. i'll have the answer next on "teen kids news." strike two [crowd cheers] ♪

strike three out two down out there two down [crowd cheers] ♪ ♪ [crowd cheers] [male announcer] sometimes, coming home can be a battle in itself. our wounded warriors need everyone's support to meet the challenges they face every day. the uso provides every american a way to support them and their families. it's how all of us, as a community, can give something back to our heroes. it's how we can say thank you and assure them that their sacrifice

is recognized and appreciated by every one of us. what? it's good to be back. join us. visit uso.org to learn how you can make a difference in the lives of our wounded warriors and their families. the uso. until every one comes home.

>> every state has one, but most us don't know why they look the way they do. here's eric with "flag facts." ♪ >> when you hear the name new jersey, images of highways, the jersey shore and rock-'n'-rollers may come to mind. but despite its small size and large population, new jersey is actually rooted in agriculture. thousands of acres of farmland

and forest cover the state. in fact, early european settlers came to new jersey because of its fertile soil. horse farms, dairy farms, and agriculture fueled the engines of new jersey's growth. >> the new jersey flag is unique because it emphasizes nature. new jersey often gets a bad rap, but there's a reason it's known as the garden state. the english used it as their garden in the new world. they would plant whatever it was they were interested in growing in new jersey. >> new jersey's flag pays tribute to its agricultural history. first, there's the horse, the official state animal. beneath that is the state seal with three plows. the goddess of agriculture stands to the right holding a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables. on the left, the goddess liberty holds a staff topped with a cap. the cap is a symbol of freedom from the french revolution. blue images on a field of gold represent the state's first european settlers, the dutch.

while stationed at jockey hollow during american revolution, george washington is said to have chosen blue and gold for his troops' uniforms. today, that new jersey site is recognized as our country's first national historic park. >> the flag really represents all that is good about new jersey. it's not necessarily unique so much as it is an appropriate image for the state. >> and it proudly displays an appropriate motto -- "liberty and prosperity." with "flag facts," i'm eric. ♪ >> let's say you're taking your elephant out for a walk and you decide you want to go into a store, say, for an ice cream. what do you do with dumbo? well, if you're in florida, you're in luck. the law there allows to you tie your elephant to a parking meter. however, you must put money in the meter, or you'll get a ticket.

good thing to remember. and if you don't, your elephant probably will. >> if you have a tough time falling asleep, here's a simple trick to try -- sniff some lavender. lavender is an herb with purple flowers. studies show that the scent of lavender not only can help you fall asleep faster. it's also helps you get a more restful sleep. you can find essential oils made from lavender in stores or online. >> this important message is brought to you by the national road safety foundation. they want to you keep your hands on the wheel, your eyes on the road, and your mind on driving. [ school bell rings ] [ indistinct conversations ] ♪ >> hey, what's up, loser? >> bullies. >> get out of the way, nerd. >> they're in school. ♪ >> get out of the way, nerd.

>> and they're also on the road... >> come on. let's go. let's go. >> ...especially when they tailgate. ♪ here, a sudden stop is no big deal. but on the road, tailgating can be deadly. [ tires screeching ] rear-end collisions cause approximately 2,000 deaths per year. >> a message from the wheeling park high school sadd chapter and the national road safety foundation. >> you may know how to make mac and cheese from the box, but i'll show you how to make it from scratch. it's easier than you think and even more delicious. stick around. "teen kids news" will be back in a minute.

>> students from the culinary institute of america are sharing some of their favorite recipes with "teen kids news." here's one you can make. >> today we're going to make mac and cheese from scratch. it's really pretty simple. let's get started. i'll show you what you need. i've got half a box, or 8

ounces, of dried elbow macaroni, one cup of low-fat skim milk, one cup of heavy cream, 2 cups of low-fat monterey jack cheese, and 2 cups of cheddar cheese. of course, you can use whatever cheese you like just using the same amounts. these are my two favorites for mac and cheese. let's start by boiling the pasta. when the water's boiling, add your pasta... and stir. as the pasta's cooking, let's make our sauce. over medium heat, in a larger pot, add your cup of milk. next is the cream. using a spoon, add in the cheese. you want to be sure to continue to stir so the cheese doesn't stick to the bottom and burn.

next, the cheddar. you want to cook this about five minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. once the sauce is done and the pasta is cooked, that's it. you're ready to go. the pasta's been cooking for about seven minutes now. i think it's done. let's drain it. after draining it, i'm gonna throw it right back in this pot... and straight into the sauce. i'm gonna grab the spoon and begin to stir. you want to mix all of the pasta in with all of the cheese.

make sure it coats it evenly. mmm. smells delicious. now, this is the important part. you want to season it. i'm using a little salt and pepper just to make sure the cheese is giving me all of its flavor. time for my favorite part. let's taste it. mmm. that's good mac and cheese, just like when i was a kid, and way better than what comes out of the box. at the culinary institute of america, for "teen kids news," i'm fletch. mmm. >> that yummy recipe brings our show to an end. but don't worry. we'll be back next week with more "teen kids news." see you then.

alex: coming next, helping injured and sick turtles. plus, a large horse falls into a well. can rescuers save the equine? this is "animal rescue." [captioning made possible by telco productions, inc.] thanks for joining us, i'm alex paen. every day, ordinary