Rob is a seventeen-year-old high school actor. Rob’s father is very opposed to Rob’s interest in theater, and several years ago tried to redirect him toward activities that are more conventional for boys in their town. A year ago, Rob’s father told him that he could no longer be involved in theater at all. For six months, Rob avoided all theater activities, and sank into a deep depression. Finally, he ended this hiatus (against his father’s wishes), and was cast in a high school production. Despite his father’s opposition, Rob has sustained his passion for theater, and has decided to major in musical theater at a conservatory program.
To Print or Not To Print (*Sensitive)
Debbie is a high school senior and the editor of her school newspaper, The Gazette. Debbie takes her position at The Gazette very seriously. Her goal as Editor is to balance the paper’s content for the broad audience of students, faculty, alumni, and parents, which can prove challenging. Recently, during an open meeting for admitted students, a student accused the administration of ignoring rapes on campus, and these allegations began to circulate across the country. Debbie had to decide whether The Gazette would print a story covering the incident. While these allegations were an important story, she knew that as soon as anything about the incident appeared in the school newspaper, it would spread farther and could potentially be damaging to the school.
There’s No “I” in Team
Jesse is a young high school actor. During his school’s Spring Drama Festival, Jesse was fortunate enough to be cast in two different shows—a striking affirmation of his talent. His first show was a wonderful but draining experience, and he became involved in the second show right after finishing the first. Jesse was tired, both physically and emotionally, and, in addition, the second show was not of the same caliber, and he felt he didn’t understand where the director wanted to go with the material. As a result, he had a very negative attitude in rehearsals, and finally, a fellow member of the cast who was a close friend approached him about it. She told him that the rest of the cast was getting a very “negative vibe” from him.
Money Matters
William is a high school junior at a science and technology school. He has always loved science, and his interest in science led him to pursue research in high school. He is currently a student researcher at a nearby college, where he has had a chance to work independently on biology experiments. He says he chose to take the research position because of his “love of research.” However, William says that after he earned first place in a science competition, he became more interested in participating in research projects for the prize money. He says that some of the competitions he wants to enter do not allow research projects involving live animals, so he is willing to forgo the projects that most interest him in hopes of winning.
Hiding Your Heritage?
Elena is a high school student in New Jersey who immigrated with her parents to the United States from Mexico at a young age. She is proud of her Hispanic heritage, and she volunteers at a cultural center after school to share her culture with others. However, Elena notes that Hispanic people are treated unfairly in America, something she has witnessed personally with her father, who often has a difficult time staying employed in the construction industry. She is currently required by her school to take part in a senior internship experience, and she is applying for a few different opportunities. She wonders if she should “hide” certain aspects of herself, such as her full name and experiences related to her ethnicity, from her resume when she is applying for the internships in order to eliminate the possibility that she will be discriminated against by hiring managers. Ultimately, she decides that it is better to represent herself truthfully, come what may.
When in Doubt… Make It Excellent
James is a senior in high school and chair of the school’s weekly newspaper. James takes his responsibilities as chair seriously. He wants to put out a high-quality newspaper each week, and at the same time, wants the staff to enjoy their work. When James began to work at the paper, the motto was “When in doubt, make it up.” James changed the news room culture, and now encourages staff members to feel personally accountable for their work every week. He also recently established an Association of School Journalists, the goal of which is to “encourage the study of journalism in local communities … and serve as a forum for the exchange of administrative and editorial ideas among partner schools.” He gives up a great deal for his work, including personal time, time for homework, and time for other activities. Nonetheless, he feels the experience he has gained makes it worth his time.
Beyond the Science Club
Allison is a high school student who worked in a neurobiology lab one summer with the intention of submitting her project to a science competition. Allison decided on her own to work on a learning experiment involving mice, despite the fact that her supervising professor had warned her that projects based on neurology and behavior of “live” animals do not seem to capture the fancy of the judges. Allison maintains strong values about the ways in which scientists should work. However, knowing that she was unlikely to win the Intel competition because she worked directly with animals, Allison decided to hide the truth in her research paper. Allison phrased her paper carefully to make it seem as though she had not actually handled the mice directly. In the end, Allison was named a semifinalist and won a college scholarship worth $2,000. She was accepted to college, where she has chosen to pursue scientific research.
Tough Love
Mara is a ten-year-old gymnast who dreams of winning a gymnastics championship. Mara feels a great deal of pressure from her mother and two coaches to succeed and move to the next level. Originally, her mother was simply supporting Mara’s interest and desire to be involved in gymnastics, but now she takes more of an active role in her participation and sometimes applies a great deal of pressure. A few weeks ago, Mara felt tired, and her dad let her take the day off instead of attending an optional Sunday lesson. When Mara’s mother found out, she was angry with Mara, and made her feel guilty.