Resources, Statistics, Articles, Blogs, Writing Contests, Discounts and more for High School Students

7 Easy Ways to Become a Teen Service Superstar

So, your summer job plans didn't exactly pan out (hey, we're in a recession) and you have some extra time on your hands. Or maybe you're keeping up with the news and want to make some kind of positive difference in your community or the world. Maybe your school even has a community service requirement for graduation. Whatever the reason, there's no better time that right now to start volunteering. As the founder of a nonprofit myself, the Youth Literacy Fund, I have spent quite a bit of time writing about my work and advocating youth service in my local communities. The number one question I get from students or parents is: How do you get started? If you're uninitiated to the volunteering world, the deluge of opportunities can feel like a daunting task. But don't worry, here are seven eas... Read More

College is Difficult Because: Money is Scarce

Though the backgrounds and circumstances for the nontraditional college students in “Degrees of Difficulty” are all different, essentially all their problems with college stem from—or lead to—a much larger, overarching problem: money. The top universities in America—the Harvards, the Princetons, the Yales—have adopted need-based, loan-free financial aid systems, but many students, especially those who are nontraditional, do not have the ability to attend these schools. The only other option is attend a school where your transcript trumps those of other applicants and hope for a scholarship based on academic merit—or to be athletically recruited by colleges looking for players in your arena.

Yet the vast majority of students applying to colleges, traditional or not, don’t fit an... Read More

Remember

Four years ago today, I lost one of my best friends to cancer. Last night I felt like writing about it, and it turned out to be this poem.


This butterfly on my foot is just for you,
It’s your favorite colors; orange and blue.
Stitch is a name that I’ll never forget,
You’re still one of the strongest I’ve ever met.
Out of sight but never far from mind or heart,
You were one of my best friends from the start.
Too many years and seasons have gone by,
I never really had the chance to say goodbye.
RLSB’s number seven has been retired,
But it’s all of us you have greatly inspired.
No matter where I go or what I do,
I will always remember you.
And until the day when we meet again,
I will always “do it for Jenn.”... Read More

Food-"How To Save Our Future"

Famed author Mark Twain once said, "…eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside." It might have been a joke in the 19th century, but today it is the truth when describing the near majority of Americans. America is universally seen as overweight, which is evident through our growing statistics for childhood obesity, adult obesity and even pet obesity. With the trend of unhealthy eating conditions leading to overweight citizens, the future of our nation seems clear; a vicious cycle of fast-food and early death rates. Our country's bad eating habits have to come to an end.

Looking at the world through the eyes of a child at Disney World, one might think, "if there are that many fat people on the earth, won't the earth collapse?" Thanks to gravity, no. However, if we r... Read More

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Food- What is the Price of Cheap Food?

With cups of ice-water replaced by sugary soda and people munching on chips instead of fresh fruit and vegetables, it is no surprise that twenty-seven percent of American adults are clinically obese. But with the expected percentage for 2030 skyrocketing to a whopping eighty-six percent, it is time to take responsibility for what we put into our bodies. Just like getting shots and making that dreaded trip to the doctor’s, we have an obligation not only to ourselves, but to our loved ones to become healthier by changing our dietary habits. While ice-cream and chocolate are admittedly therapeutic, a constantly poor diet leads to bad emotional health, low physical fitness and bone density levels and type two diabetes among other complications. A major consequence of long-term relatio... Read More

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Food: Necessity of Excuse?

I have been a bit overweight for a while now, basically since the 4th grade. At first, I was told, “don’t worry sweetheart, it’s just baby fat. It’ll go away as you grow.” But all of the excuses I had made for myself in middle school failed. I was caught in this perpetual cycle of unhappiness. I didn’t want to be big, so I ate my feelings, but obviously that emotional trickery was causing the problem to begin with. I had been fed statistic after statistic, but simply couldn’t get the motivation I was looking for from myself. I thought about why the rate of obesity was increasing to begin with. Did people care less about weight? Did people now ignore their appearances? Why was it that people ignored the risks and damages or being overweight and simply continued on with their dangerous life... Read More

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