10 WINTER 20
Coy
Stewart (Are We There Yet?)
Has Arrived
Bullying
Is Out of Control Year in Review:
Entertainment
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CONTENTS EXPOSE’ 6 BULLYING IS TOO COMMON BY TAJA ROBERTSON
4EVER YOUNG 21 PUPPY LOVE:
WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?
7 A MILITARY LIFE
BY NYA COATES
BY QARIAH POWELL
22 HEALTHY FOODS
8 LIVING WITH CHALLENGES:
FOR YOUR SKIN BY PAIGE FLOWERS
MALACHI’S STORY BY JOSHUA CHAPMAN
9 FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM BY DAYTWON WALTON 10 REALIZING MY DREAM BY TAYLOR JACKSON
PLEASE LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON TRUE STAR JR. MAGAZINE CONTACT US: LETTERS TO TRUE STAR JR. 1130 SOUTH WABASH, SUITE 302 CHICAGO, IL 60605-2717 EMAIL TRUESTARJR@TRUESTARMAGAZINE.COM
TALKIN’ NERDY 11 GADGETS WE USE BY MEKAL STEWART
FALL/WINTER 2010 12 FASHION: WHAT’S HOT BY KRISTIAN JACKSON & RAKIM SINGLETON
13 FASHION: OUR STYLE WOODSON 14 EXCEL INSTRUCTORS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS DEANNA MCLEARY J. NA-TAE’ THOMPSON MANAGING EDITOR EDGAR MOLINA EDITORIAL COORDINATOR KATHY CHANEY VERONICA HARRISON ROZANNA RIVERA WEB CONTENT MANAGER RASHAAN MEADOR ART DIRECTION DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION ANGEL D’AMICO-BAUER
BY KENNEDY BANKS & RAKIM SINGLETON
CELEBRITY BOOKER RANDY C. BONDS
WINS TOURNEY
PHOTO COORDINATOR DESHAUN ADAMS
15 PANTHERS HOOP TEAM HOT OFF THE PRESS 16 COY STEWART: Q & A
BY TAJA ROBERTSON & NIA LACKLAND
17 17 THE DRAKE FACTOR BY MICHAEL BLAIR
18 YEAR IN REVIEW: VIDEO GAMES 19 TIS THE SEASON: TOP 10 HOLIDAY GIFTS 20 HOW MUCH DO YOU TWEET? BY DAVEY HINES JR.
SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER DESHAUN ADAMS PHILISTINE THOMPSON PUBLIC RELATION & MARKETING OUTREACH SPECIALIST KIKANZA HARRIS OPERATIONS MANAGER SAFIYA EDWARDS PROJECT ASSISTANTS QIANTE ALEXANDER HENRY COLLINS MICHAEL MAHAFFY MARY RUFUS-ROSS BOYS & GIRLS CLUB COORDINATOR DAVID LEVERON
TRUE STAR RADIO
TRUESTARIS.COM TO DONATE TO TRUE STAR FOUNDATION, VISIT TRUESTARFOUNDATION.ORG
CONTRIBUTORS
COROVON RAYFORD
DALIA SANDERS
CARTER G. WOODSON CHARTER
CARTER G. WOODSON CHARTER
JUJUAN ROBERSON
KENNEDY BANKS
CARTER G. WOODSON CHARTER
CARTER G. WOODSON CHARTER
LAWRENCE JOHNSON
NYA COATES
CARTER G. WOODSON CHARTER
CARTER G. WOODSON CHARTER
4 TRUE STAR JR.
NIA LACKLAND CARTER G. WOODSON CHARTER
NOELLE WALTON CARTER G. WOODSON CHARTER
PAIGE FLOWERS
QARIAH POWELL
CARTER G. WOODSON CHARTER
CARTER G. WOODSON CHARTER
RAKIM SINGLETON
TAJA ROBERTSON
CARTER G. WOODSON CHARTER
CARTER G. WOODSON CHARTER DAYTWON WALTON DODGE R. ACADEMY KRISTIAN JACKSON CARTER G. WOODSON CHARTER MEKAL STEWART CARTER G. WOODSON CHARTER TAYLOR JACKSON JOSE DE DIEGO COMMUNITY ACADEMY DAVEY HINES JR MT. CARMEL
JOSHUA CHAPMAN LINDBLOM MATH & SCIENCE
MICHAEL BLAIR NORTH LAWNDALE COLLEGE PREP NOT PICTURED
EXPOSE’
Bullying
is too common BY TAJA ROBERTSON
W
hat is bullying to you?
Bullying can be expressed in different ways. The most common are physical and emotional abuse. When being physically bullied, you usually experience pain and anger. You experience pain as they hit, punch, kick, bite or even scratch you. You experience anger at the bully for feeling like they have the right to hit you. One thing you can do to reduce the risk of getting bullied is as soon as it starts, tell an adult. Bullying is something you should not fight back on; fighting back on physical bullying can make things worse. Cyber-bullying is when a person on a social network such as Facebook and MySpace harass you via the internet. This is one of the most common forms of emotional abuse of our generation. During these, social networks can include a chat and during that chat you and many other people can be verbally abused, threatened, or even your feelings can be badly hurt.
*35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly 1 in 5 have had it happen more than once. *21% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mail or other messages. *58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than 4 out of 10 say it has happened more than once. *53% of kids admit having said something mean or hurtful to another person online. More than 1 in 3 have done it more than once. *58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online. What needs to happen to keep the bullying down is stop the violence, stop the silence, speak up and keep this world safe. TIPS: HOW TO AVOID VIOLENCE *WALK AWAY (REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THE SITUATION) *TRY TO TALK IT OUT (LISTEN TO EACH OTHER)
Based on a recent survey of 1,500 middle school students across the nation by i-SAFE America (i-SAFE is a non-profit educating and empowering youth to safely use the Internet.)
*ASSOCIATE WITH MORE POSITIVE PEOPLE *GET AN ADULT INVOLVED (IF SITUATION HAPPENS IN SCHOOL) *GET PARENT INVOLVED (IF SITUATION HAPPENS OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL)
*42% of kids have been bullied while online. 1 in 4 have had it happen more than once. 6 TRUE STAR JR.
*CONTACT POLICE IF NECESSARY
Compiled by Woodson Charter School
A Military Life BY QARIAH POWELL
Y
ou all know how we have parents that are strict? Well my parents are way stricter than your parents and family. Do you know why? Well that’s because my family is a military family. My aunt, cousin, and three of my uncles worked in the military. My cousin worked in the army and his title was guard duty. His favorite part of the job was traveling. He said that Social Studies helped him in his job. The least favorite part of his job was not seeing family often. I also want to be in the army. I want to be in the army because it will be a great opportunity for me and also because our troops risk their lives for our country. It affects me because I miss my family when they have to go to work. TRUE STAR JR. 7
Challenges Living With
M
BY JOSHUA CHAPMAN
y little brother, Malachi, has the condition SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy). SMA means that a person’s muscles are weak from the neck down. Malachi can’t walk, talk, eat, or breathe on his own. He was diagnosed at 5 months and my parents were told by doctors that he would never make it to his second birthday. But his story continues. In fact, he will celebrate his 12th birthday on January 16th. There are a lot of blessings being Malachi’s big brother. Malachi has brought so many wonderful people into our lives, especially nurses. One nurse in particular, Nurse Julie Fitzsimmons, has been with us since Malachi was 6 months old. There are also burdens that come with being his brother, however. It’s hard taking Malachi to everyday places, such as the zoo and the doctor’s office, because it’s difficult packing up his stuff into the van and unloading it once we get to a destination. It also stinks whenever we go to public places with Malachi and people, even adults, stare at him like he’s a part of a museum or something and I have to act like his bodyguard. My cousin, Julian, had to say in response to that: “It’s just human curiosity. I don’t think people do it on purpose.”
cool, calm, and collected of the entire family. In fact, whenever we go to get our annual flu shot together, I’m always the one that’s more skittish than he is. Malachi is never thrown by life’s curveballs. One time, when our van ran out of gas, my parents were worried sick about how we would continue on while Malachi was as happy as can be, listening to Bob Marley. “I think we can all learn from Malachi, his courage and faith. We cry over little things, but Malachi stays calm and he’s been through a whole lot and he’s still standing,” says mom. I love being Malachi’s big brother, but sometimes I do wonder why it happened to him. I’ll also wonder why I didn’t get the disease and he could live a normal life. I usually don’t spend much time thinking about that, but it does come across my mind from time to time. I also wonder if stem cells could actually cure him fully and if that would be the right thing to do for him. Being Malachi’s big brother is somewhat of a burden at times, but it is also a joy. I love to watch movies with him and read books to him. Malachi is one of the coolest, laid back people I know.
“It’s really about educating people. We might react the same way if we didn’t know about the disease,” said my mother.
“It’s humbling. I realize how blessed I truly am. He makes me appreciate life more,” says Julian.
One of the things that I’m amazed by Malachi is his strength and bravery. The few times that Malachi has had to go to the hospital, he hasn’t seemed extremely worried; he’s usually the most
Courage: the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action. My brother is most definitely courageous.
8 TRUE STAR JR.
FIGHTING for Freedom! BY DAYTWON WALTON
L
ife is rough! To me, life is like a bowl of Cap-N-Crunch… which are really hard. When I think of life, it feels like jail because you can’t live your life freely. These days people are coming up missing, getting killed, getting raped, or even kidnapped. I believe that it’s not right how people are losing their kids to drugs, gang-banging, or getting killed. I believe people need to start fighting for their lives and family members’ lives. People don’t want to die because some thug shot them. I believe that these drug dealers that are selling drugs to kids should be in jail! Lock-up these drug dealers by calling the police when you see something happen, so people can have their family and their lives back! I feel life is nothing to play with, so if you want to keep your life: fight for your freedom!
TRUE STAR JR. 9
Realizing
My Dream BY TAYLOR JACKSON
S
inging and acting has been a dream of mine since I was 4 years old. I noticed this dream when I was at home with my uncle and my mom was at work (as always). My uncle, who was always the goofy one said, “Hey lets make a home video!” He got his camera out and started recording. I have never been shy around people or let alone in front of a camera. So I said to myself, “I’m in front of a camera, let me give them a show!” I started to sing my favorite song which was, “Heal the World” by Michael Jackson. At the moment that I started singing I realized, I had so much fun and I decided I wanted to become a singer. So now I am determined to make that dream happen. I’m going to work hard, and I’m going to do whatever it takes. I feel I can do anything if I keep my mind on it. I can’t let anyone pull me down by distracting me with drugs, gangs, crimes, etc. I know I can fulfill this dream if I just keep my head up.
10 TRUE STAR JR.
TALKIN’ NERDY
ELECTRONIC
playground BY MEKAL STEWART
EVERYONE LOVES ELECTRONICS. ANYTHING THAT’S ENTERTAINING LIKE LAPTOPS, PHONES, MP3S, VIDEO
CAMERAS, YOU’LL BE SURE THAT
WE WILL WANT THEM.
TRUE STAR JR. 11
FASHION FALL/WINTER 2010
Fashion Police Fashion victim Hadiya Pendleton (left), Fashion Police Tyanna Liggett
What’s Hot
What’s Hot Front row (left to right): Diamante Jefferson and Kennedy Chaney Back row (left to right): Dalia Sanders, Tyanna Liggett Noelle Walton
12 TRUE STAR JR.
What’s Hot BY KRISTIAN JACKSON AND RAKIM SINGLETON
What’s Hot Tyanna Liggett (left) Hadiya Pendleton
SILLY (RUBBER) BANDZ ARE THE NEW FASHION CRAZE. IF YOU FEEL UNORDINARY, SILLY BANDZ HELP YOU STAND OUT WITH THEIR DIFFERENT SHAPES AND COLORS. PALLADIUM SHOES AND PF FLYERS HAIR ACCESSORIES AND SHOES THAT COME IN BRIGHT COLORS. PEOPLE WILL AUTOMATICALLY SEE YOUR CREATIVITY.
What’s Hot Diamante Jefferson
SKINNY JEANS TUTUS. WHETHER IT’S WORN OVER SOME LEGGINGS OR IT’S ATTACHED TO A SHIRT, TUTUS ARE BACK IN STYLE. JERK GLASSES KNEE-HIGH GYM SHOES AND COLORFUL KNEE-HIGH SOCKS ARE ALSO THE LATEST BUZZ.
What’s Hot
SHOWING UP TO A PARTY AND DRAMATIZING THE PARTY’S THEME WITH YOUR OUTFIT. PEOPLE WILL SEE THAT YOU LOVE TO DRESS UP AND YOU’LL BE KNOWN AS A FASHIONISTA. TRUE STAR JR. 13
WOODSON
Woodson Excel Instructor Profiles
Carl Hubbard
EXCEL SPORTS INSTRUCTOR ON MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS.
Daria Amerik
EXCEL VISUAL ARTS INSTRUCTOR ON MONDAYS. 14 TRUE STAR JR.
Panthers Hoop Team Wins Tourney UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO-CARTER G. WOODSON BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM WON THE BEACH CLASSIC CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT IN NOVEMBER AT RAINBOW BEACH. THE PANTHERS BEAT THE RAINBOW BEACH ALL STARS 39-33.
TRUE STAR JR. 15
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Coy Stewart BY TAJA ROBERTSON AND NIA LACKLAND
‘KEEP TRYING, KEEP PERSEVERING. NEVER GIVE UP.’ - COY STEWART TSJ: How did you get the role as Kevin in “Are We There Yet?”
TSJ: Would you like to have your own show one day?
Coy Stewart: I auditioned in New York. I’m originally from South Carolina. I auditioned and they told me that they like me…they called me up…we talked…about two weeks later they said they wanted me for the part. I was really excited about that.
CS: That would be really, really cool. I love doing the comedy stuff. I think that’s my favorite. Yeah, I think having my own show would be really awesome.
TSJ: How did you get into acting?
TSJ: What advice would you have for other kids that would like to become an actor?
CS: I started acting when I was five. When I was about nine or 10 I stopped and started playing different sports. Then I got back into acting again. I’ve been doing it off and on.
CS: I would tell them to keep trying, keep persevering. Never give up. Always know that something good will come out of it. Never give up.
16 TRUE STAR JR.
The Drake Factor BY MICHAEL BLAIR
“D
o right and kill everything,” that’s what rapper Drake proclaims his name means. When examining that, several people may agree or disagree whether or not his style has changed the music game. According to Drake, he is the man of the year, the title to track number 24 on his mix tape titled “Comeback Season.” His first official album just released mid-June of this year. “Thank Me Later,” which sold 500,000 copies in the states alone. Charles Metoyer, 28 year old resident of the Westside, said he rushed to pick up Drake’s album. “He is who holds Young Money together,” said Metoyer. In the year 2005, Lil Wayne was named president of Cash Money, and in the same year he founded Young Money Entertainment as an imprint of Cash Money. However, late in 2007 he stepped down from the management of both labels and handed over the management of Young Money to Cortez Bryant. On December 23, 2009 Lil Wayne dropped the collaboration album with Young Money which consists of Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Mack Maine, Tyga, Gudda Gudda, Jae Millz, Lil Chuckee, Lil Twist, Shanell, and T-Streetz. On December 23, 2009, Lil Wayne and everyone in Young Money released a collaboration album entitled “We Are Young Money.”
The mind behind the man has been on top of his game even more after the albums release date. Drake has taken his hometown Toronto, Canada and created its own music festival, October’s Very Own Fest (OVO Fest). The event took place for the first time on August 1st of this year. Then there is Drake, the actor. The acting skills that he has gained from Nickelodeon’s DeGrassi have inspired him to want to play President Barack Obama in any possible up and coming biopic. “Can you see me, can you see me, get your Visine on,” Drake urges his audience. He has gone into the airplane business, so his audience better look up. Drake has a commercial airplane named after him called “Air Drake.” This is under Virgin America, a flight that goes between Toronto, Canada to California, USA in San Francisco and Los Angeles. So does the Drake factor work for everyone? “I don’t like Drake as a rapper,” said Shannon Braswell, a graduating senior from North Lawndale College Prep and future student at Upper Iowa University. “There are some of his songs I do like, but I feel that he should go back to DeGrassi. He is a better actor than he is a rapper.” Drake feels that it is far from over and for those who are not feeling him, he says “point the biggest skeptic out, I’ll make him a believer.” TRUE STAR JR. 17
Top 10
Performers of 2010 The world of junior performers this year just keeps turning as younger people take the stage. Singles by our favorite artists and movies by our favorite actors has had us all grip the arms of our seats and boost up our volume in our headphones. And as the world continues to turns, the list gets longer‌
10. ViVi Brown 9. KeKe Palmer 8. Demi Lovato 7. Amanda Cosgrove 6. Jaden Smith 5. Willow Smith 4. Miley Cyrus 3. The Jonas Brothers 2. Taylor Swift 1. Justine Beiber 18 TRUE STAR JR.
Top 10
Holiday Gifts 10. Laptop 9. Xbox 360 8. Flip camera 7. Fushigi Ball 6. Flat screen TV 5. Wii 4. PS3 3. Blackberry 2. iPod 1. iPad
Top 10 Movies
of 2010
The big screen seems to have gotten even bigger this year. Movies for this year’s junior audience spanned from action to animation, romance to horror. Regardless of its category, each movie landed its place on the top ten list…
10. How to Train Your Dragon 9. Toy Story 3 8. Step Up 3D 7. Lovely Bones 6. Takers 5. Twilight Eclipse 4. Just Wright 3. Shrek Forever After 2. Karate Kid 1. Paranormal Activity 2
Top 10 Video Games By the control of your fingers, video game characters came to life this year. Just when you thought you’ve found your favorite, another hot video game released. As your fingers did the playing, and your mind cracked the codes, the best of the best helped create not only a competition of winners, but a competition of video games.
10. SPLIT/SECOND 9. X-MEN ORGINS: WOLVERINE 8. URBAN TERROR 7. CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2 6. RAGING BLAST 2
5. TRON LEGACY 4. HALO REACH 3. BIO-SHOCK 2. RAW VS. SMACKDOWN 2010 1. NBA 2K11 TRUE STAR JR. 19
How Much do you
Tweet? BY DAVEY HINES JR.
1. What year did Twitter start? A. 2001 B. 2002 C. 2005 D. 2006 2. Who is the most followed celebrity on Twitter? A. Britney Spears B. Lady Gaga C. Lil’ Wayne D. Nicki Minaj 3. How many fans do they have? A. 5,330,174 B. 7,543,567 C. 1,500,543 D. 6,194,803 4. How many characters can you type on Twitter? A. 150 B. 140 C. 130 D. 120 5. Who made the song ‘Hit Me on Twitter’? A. Trey Songz B. Drake C. Mistah FAB D. Chris Brown 20 TRUE STAR JR.
6. How many tweets are posted a day? A. 1.9 million B. 5.1 million C. 2 billion D. 3.1 million ANSWER KEY: 1. D 2. A 3. A 4. B 5. C 6. A If you got between 4 and 6 correct, you are a Tweeter Expert and should be very proud of yourself. If you got 3 correct, you are a basic Tweeter Fan and should step up your game. If you got between 1 and 2 correct, you are a Tweeter Rookie and should probably just stick to Facebook.
4EVER YOUNG
What’s
Puppy Love? BY NYA COATES
Y
OU KNOW THAT FEELING WHEN YOUR KNEES GET WEAK AND YOU WANT TO CRAWL INTO A CORNER AND HIDE? Well, that’s the feeling you get when you see the person you like. You slowly look into their eyes and they’ll finally come up to you and ask your name. Then your heart starts to melt. Next the conversations start and you’ll start doing homework together, studying together and sitting next to each other at school games. THIS IS PUPPY LOVE. TRUE STAR JR. 21
Healthy Foods For Your Skin BY PAIGE FLOWERS
‘IF WE START GOOD HABITS NOW, WE’LL CONTINUE THEM AS ADULTS.’
N
ow is the time for us to take good care of our bodies. If we start good habits now, we’ll continue them as adults. Did you know that some of the foods we already eat (and drink) are helping us take good care of our bodies?
Water: Keeps skin clear and keeps you hydrated
Green tea: Helps fight off bacteria Almonds: Has Vitamin E and helps your skin look young
Fruits: Keeps your skin looking young Cucumbers:Takes away the puffiness around your eyes
Yogurt: Has Vitamin A and keeps your skin looking young
Avocados: Has Vitamin B-complex and soothes your skin when it’s irritated
Mangos: Has Vitamin A and keeps your skin from looking flaky
Cottage cheese: Keeps your skin looking young and glowing
Salmon: Helps your skin stay moisturized 22 TRUE STAR JR.
TRUE STAR JR. 23
24 TRUE STAR JR.