Dress Code Controversy
School dress code, religious clothing, alleged gang affiliation and school safety: There were a lot of elements in play concerning the Oregon school controversy in Friday's show. Different districts have different ways of handling situations like this. When I worked as the writer of CNN Student News, we covered debates from American to French classrooms concerning Muslim headscarves.
This was the first time I remember covering a debate concerning rosaries, though. And we'd be interested to see what you thought – whether the two suspended students should've continued wearing their rosaries (as they did), tucked them in (as they were asked to do), or left them at home altogether.
Carl Azuz, Anchor
School Segregation Study
You see in Thursday's show how one high school's segregation experiment worked out – and what kinds of controversy it caused. A key difference from the actual 20th-century segregation: Students at Schlagle High School who were considered "dark-skinned" got all the privileges in their school's recent exercise.
What did you think of this event? How would this go over at your school? Do you think this was an effective way to show students how segregation made people feel, or did it do more harm than good, causing a racial rift? We're looking forward to your comments!
Carl Azuz, Anchor
SPLAT!
Michael Guggenheim's program, Showing People Learning and Technology (SPLAT), is a perfect example of overcoming one's own challenges and then using what was learned to help others. Of course, not everyone starts a charity or changes a community. But there are other ways of helping people: One good friend of mine assembles care packages for U.S. troops serving overseas; another leads a group of teenagers at his church. And a bunch of folks at Turner, where I work, spend a lot of time volunteering.
How do you (or how does a friend of yours) help others? Large-scale or small, whether it's for people or pets, let us know right here how someone you know is making a positive difference.
Carl Azuz, Anchor
What Do You Live By?
George Washington lived by some SERIOUS principles. (You can check out some of them at this CNN.com article.) They all make sense, though I'm not sure how much fun he'd be at a party. And who'd heard that it's bad etiquette to warm your feet by a fire if there's meat cooking over it?
Anyway, it got me wondering what kind of rules you live by. Are there any pieces of advice you have for our viewers? Stuff like, "Always check your sources," "Don't squat with your spurs on," "Never take a cat surfing..." What principles, factual or funny, guide your life?
Carl Azuz, Anchor
Surprised? Oh, yeah.
I'd like to give a quick shoutout to the students and teachers of Holy Innocents' Episcopal School in Atlanta. I spoke there on Tuesday morning and found the viewers' questions to be excellent – especially the one about whether I'd ever been surprised while on the air! If you saw the last segment of our last program from 2007, you already know the answer I gave...
Carl Azuz, Anchor
Tough to Tell, Tough to Watch
The California beef recall report was really rough. We put in the warnings to give teachers a heads-up about the graphic images that the report showed. But we couldn't tell the story without them. You need to see the pictures to understand why everyone from the Humane Society to health officials are so concerned – and to have an idea of how far the alleged mistreatment of the animals went.
Will it change your eating habits?
Carl Azuz, Anchor
Congrats JB's!
That would be our own Jordan Bienstock and Jennifer Burkett, who were married on Saturday night at the Fox Theater in downtown Atlanta. The bride wore Converse, the groom donned his formal Vans, and a swell time was had by all. I will spare you the potentially frightening photos of the Student News crew dancing, and leave you with a candid shot of the groom, in a rare moment away from groom duties, sipping his customary Diet Coke. Congrats!
Jerry DeMink, VP, CNN News Services
Steroids and Baseball
Today, I saw a newswire characterize the Clemens-McNamee testimonies as a case of "he said, he said." A lot of folks have mixed feelings about whom to believe when it comes to the issue of steroids in baseball – Thursday's show featured the opinions of both young players and parents.
Step up to the plate and tell us whether the steroids controversy has tainted your image of baseball – either the game or the players. And while you're here, let us know how you think the issue should be handled.
Carl Azuz, Anchor
Is Romance Dead?
I had a girlfriend in 7th grade who totally showed me up on Valentine's Day. I thought a single red rose would be a simple, but romantic, symbol of how I felt for her. She showed up with a HUGE card, box of chocolates, and a stuffed doll. You can guess how I felt...
One thing our gifts had in common, though: They were pretty traditional. Most Americans probably think cards, chocolates, and roses for Valentine's. Some write a love song or poem to capture someone's heart; others just take a deep breath and tell someone how they feel, hoping not to get rejected.
But do you think any of this stuff matters? When was the last time you asked someone to dance? Do you think that holding hands is sweet, or do you think all of this is best left to old movies? I want to know... Is romance dead?
Carl Azuz, Anchor
The real "Breakfast Club"
A new movie gives '80s classic "The Breakfast Club" a dose of reality. "American Teen" debuted at Sundance Film Festival last month. What do you think about portrayal of teens in movies and television?
Gerald Smith, CNNSN Producer
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