aThEENsAthens teens GoFrom ecofashions to eating organically

pg. 14 & 15

teen BloGGinGOn the decline?

pg. 8

Athens YouthsYmphonY Gearing up for its next performance

pg. 26

A new mAgAzine just for And feAturing

Athens teens

SPRING 2011

Green

aThE

ENs?

Too young to go to the bars and clubs, too close to be wowed by the University of Georiga campus, and too indifferent to cheer for the Dawgs, Athens’ teens have a completely different view of the town. They know Athens to be a place of incredible diversity - both racially and

economically. With a poverty rate hovering around 30 percent, they know it to be an “inner-city” comparable to bigger cities like Atlanta. They know it to be home of the “Gladiators and the “Jaguars.” Most importantly, they care about this town in a way college students cannont

understand, because this is truly their home. aThEENs is a magazine for Athens teens. It’s about issues teenagers face, some specific to Ath-ens and others applicable to all teens. It’s about what Athens teens do - for fun and for work. It’s about the high schools, the focal point for any teenager. And it’s about the future, because contrary to many Georgia students, Athens teens do hope to leave the Classic City someday. So dig in and hopefully you’ll find aThEENs informative, fun and specially for you. Also, hit

up the website at www.atheens.wordpress.com for more content, including video.

The Staff

Lilly WorknehCo-Editor, Media & Technology writer

Crissinda PonderCo-Editor, Media & Technology writer

Maggie SiuMedia & Technology

writer

Devon YoungCo-Editor, Media & Technology writer

Sydney KidaEnvironment Writer

Sarah Page MaxwellEnvironment Writer

Satyam KaswalaEnvironment Writer

Kerry BoylesEnvironment Writer

Meg GoggansHealth Writer

Patricia Miranda Community Writer

Nick SobrilskyCommunity Writer

Jen InglesCommunity Writer

Meredith SeayHealth Writer

Andrea KingCommunity Writer

Keir BridgesHealth Writer

Michael Barone Health Writer

- The aThEENs staff

In This Issue!

11Sprin

g4678910111213141617182022232426

Classroom Technology

Teen Jobs

Love at First Click

Battle of the Blogs

Cool Treats Heat Debate

Organic eating

Body and Soul

Eating Disorders

Going Green and Saving GreenTastefully Tackling Obesity

Green is the New BlackGreen Teen

Preserving Wildlife

Live FinaciallyA Taste of Local Flavor

Athens Youth SymphonyLGBTeensAlateens Assists

On The

Cover

Rosemary Gay, a UGA ecology major, tends

the UGArden along with other students. The

campus community garden on S. Milledge

Avenue was established last summer as a col-

laborative effort of UGA students, faculty and

staff and Athens Area Master Gardeners.

Cover credits: Design: Devon Young,

Meg Goggans and Lilly Workneh

Photography: Michael A. Barone.

By Crissinda Ponder

Schools are relying on multimedia to give students alternative platforms for learn-ing— both in and outside the classroom.

Gadgets and gizmos, projectors and PCs, screens and SMART boards – teachers may have banned these from classrooms before, but they are making their way back in today.

“Multimedia makes it so much easier for faculty to bring different kinds of content

to their students,” said Tom Beggs, coordinator of classroom support in the University of Georgia’s Center for Teaching and Learning.

Now that we are in the digital age, the technology teachers would normally confiscate is getting its use in education.

The more basic forms of multimedia – VHS tapes, and old school overhead projectors – are being replaced by SMART boards, laptops and much more.

“Today’s students are used to using technology and we have to engage the students in a way that they are used to,” Beggs said.

Although technology use could be limited in secondary school systems, institutions of higher learning make sure that students are receiving a 21st Century education, which includes a reliance on technology.

“I think higher education has been leading the way, we’ve been adopting much faster than K-12 [schools], but I think they are trying to catch up,” Beggs said.

Marc Ginsberg, an English teacher at Cedar Shoals High School, uses several forms of technology in his classes to en-gage students.

“All of the things that a lot of people would have done at one or two points in high school on their own for a project you can do in your classroom now, pretty easily,” Ginsberg said.

Ginsberg assigns projects for his students to bring out their creativity throughout the school year, including record-ing Othello soundtracks, and generating sound slides using Microsoft Photo Story.

“I think it’s more enjoyable, for both myself and the stu-dents, to offer those kinds of assignments because it’s a long year and I can only read the same essay on Othello so many times, and they can only write the same kind of assignment so many times,” he said.

Every classroom at Cedar Shoals is equipped with an LCD projector, a SMART board, a DVD/VHS player and wireless connectivity. Each department has a cart of laptops that can be checked out for class use.

The school also has a set of digital cameras, iPods and SMART response systems, which are similar to clickers.

“You have to change it up to let different students show their understanding in different ways, otherwise, it’s going to decrease motivation,” Ginsberg said.

When Beggs came to the University in 2003, only about 30 percent of classrooms had technology. Today, technology is present in 96 percent of the classrooms on campus.

He said most UGA classrooms are equipped with a “stan-dard model,” which includes a LCD projector, a Blu-ray player and a document camera.

Thomas Beggs poses with what he calls the “standard model” of technology in classrooms around UGA campus. Photo by Crissinda Ponder

“Multimedia makes it so much easier

for faculty to bring different kinds of

content to their stu-dents.”

-Thomas Beggs, UGA

Media & Technology

Technology Makes High School Classrooms SMARTer

4

Technology Makes High School Classrooms SMARTer Check out the multimedia feature

at aThEENs.wordpress.com!

“We’ve come a long way,” Beggs said. “For the last eight years we’ve been very busy trying to work with faculty to find out what it is they want, how to improve the technology they use and how they want to use it.”

Several instructors allow personal laptop use in class and often use com-puters during instruction to go through PowerPoint presentations, audio and video clips.

Marguerite “Peggy” Brickman, an associate professor of plant biology, uses alternative forms of instruction on a daily basis. For instance, her classes use audience response systems, or clickers, daily.

“I think if you just sat in the class and you’re kind of taking notes, you have this false feeling of, ‘I got it, I got it,’ it isn’t until you see a question you’re like, ‘I don’t know what she’s talking about,’” she said. “The clickers are more of having [the students] practice their understand-ing of what we’re talking about,” she said.

Because Brickman’s class sizes can exceed 300, it’s important for her to hold her students’ attention.

“I definitely feel like [the students] re-spond to visuals of all kinds, especially animations or video clips,” Brickman said. “Students don’t really want to sit there and just passively absorb what the instructor at the front is teaching; they kind of want to be actively engaged in learning and doing something.”

Beggs said using multimedia has more benefits when compared to lecture-only instruction.

“Instead of just saying it, you can give visual examples of what you are talking about,” he said.

The Center for Teaching and Learn-ing is thinking about what technologies will be implemented on campus in the near future.

“Technology is used heavily on this campus every day,” Beggs said. “I think we’re at a point where we are kind of slowly evolving, and I think that bringing in content and people from a distance using video conferencing tech-nologies is the next step.”

Peggy Brickman operates the projector and computer screen from the head of her biology lecture. Photo by Crissinda Ponder.

Cedar Shoals teacher Marc Ginsberg’s classroom SMART board projecting the daily agenda. Photo by Crissinda Ponder

Page designed by Kerry Boyles

Kaeli Jones knows about persistence. The 19-year-old said she started looking for retail jobs at age

16 but found no open positions for two years. She enrolled in a class on business, in which she built a resume and practiced interview techniques. But her applications were rejected three times for her lack of work experience, and in one afternoon, she drove to three different businesses for interviews. “You can get really frustrated,” she said. With an unemployment rate in Georgia of more than 10 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and competition from adults laid off during the recession, teenagers in Athens face strong difficulties finding a job. Knowing how to approach the job search as a teenager will help teens gain the work experience they need for future jobs. Roy Adams, 51, co-owner of the Adairsville, Ga. thrift store Heavenly Hand Me Downs, receives 10 to 12 job applications from teenagers each semester. He said that a teenager applicant’s knowledge is less important than their willingness to learn and put forth effort. “You can usually tell if they’re lazy,” he said. Adams expects his workers both to be dependable and responsible and to provide their own transportation. Teenagers who do not show genuine interest in the

position will often not get work, he said, and they should not anticipate high salary jobs while still in high school. “They’re not going to get rich on the first job,” he said. Some Clarke Central High School students have not only found work but must work so many hours that they have trouble keeping up with their studies. Sam Hicks, department chair of counseling at Clarke Central High School, said teachers will often send those students to his office for advice on balancing school and work. “There are a lot of kids here [at the school] who have to work 30, 40 hours to support their family,” he said.Students who want to work but have a less dire need, Hicks said, should fill out applications to many businesses, form networks with peers and possible employers, and show persistence with

possible workplaces. Jones said teenagers should “find a place that will go along with your schedule.” Clarke Central students who want more personal guidance through the job search, application and interview processes can visit the school’s career center. But even with school aid, Hicks said, persistence might not be enough.“Since the economy went south three years ago, those jobs for kids aren’t there anymore,” he said. Jones eventually landed a job.

Teen JobsHow Athens Teens Can Get HiredBy Nicholas SobrilskyaThEENs staff

Media & Technology

Can Teens Make Green?$7.25 The minimum wage in the

United States as of July 24, 2009

10.4 percent

The unemployment rate among people ages 16 and older in Georgia in Jan. 2011, seasonally adjusted. The national unemployment rate for this age group was 9.0

Martin Hogan, 19, a student food services worker at the University of Georgia in his employee uniform. Photo by Nicholsas Sobrilsky.

6

Gone are the days of meeting your potential date at school, church, the movies or even the mall. There is no longer the hesitation before reaching for the home line phone to ask for a date. When it comes to meeting new people and finding new

interests, technology has made it more effective than going out or joining multiple organizations to reach others. Instead of meeting new friends through mutual ones, you can friend each other on Facebook or mention each other on Twitter. Friends can Skype and see each other without actually meeting up.

However, cyber-dating also poses disadvantages. Users can easily lie about their age, appearance or location. They can post misleading photos or skew their interests or traits. According to a survey done by Northwestern University, approximately 45 percent of 65 surveyed users reported problems with significant others that were caused by facebook. While it’s usually reserved for adults, younger users are beginning to utilize social networks for meeting people and maintaining existing relationships.

“Sadly, some individuals do not consider themselves to be in a relationship until it’s announced via their social networking site,” said Asher Orr, a 16-year-old student at Jefferson High School in Jefferson, Ga. “Couples often deliberately post certain materials on their partner’s wall to display a public image.”

For some teens, the decision to become “Facebook official” has become as important as the decision to date in the first place. The question of becoming Facebook official is more common now than actually becoming an official couple. For some, the status simply does not define the relationship, but rather spreads the news quickly to the public.

As for meeting new people, Facebook suggests new friends and similar interests to other users. Twitter has a section to suggest followers that you have in common with current followers. Blogs often share links or connect through tags for users to find and discuss similar topics with each other. Social media connects all of us, whether we’re aware of it or not. According to Zogby Interactive, research shows 94 percent of Facebook users often use the networking site to check out someone

they’re interested in.

Social networking sites have made it easier to learn more about who interests you. “Facebook is a socially acceptable way to stalk people you meet. You’re naturally going to want to know if the boy or girl you met at a party last night is in a relationship,” said Orr.

Not only has social media helped people meet, it has also maintained couples’ relationships. Long distance seems more manageable when Skype allows webcam use or when Facebook shows new photo albums.

“[Social media] allows you to keep tabs on what [your significant other] is up to,” said Lexi Hall, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Georgia. “It sounds awful, but having a long distance relationship is difficult.”

Hall, who is currently engaged to a U.S. Navy sailor, frequents Facebook and recently started a Twitter account. Her fiancé is currently stationed in Pensacola, Fla., but she says social media has made their relationship more manageable.

“It has made it so much easier to communicate and feel closer to one another. Sometimes someone will post a comment on my

wall or photo on Facebook, and he’ll ask questions, but we’re really open with each other,” said Hall.

As these social media sites continue to gain popularity, they are also changing the dynamics of dating in the 21st century. Social media tools sound appealing when it comes to advancing communication and allowing more freedom to learn about others. However, with these changes, there are also complications on how to maintain a relationship in the social networking world.

Now instead of going steady, we’re going Facebook official. We’re not having friends seek out relationship statuses because we can read them on profiles. We’re advancing to messaging programs to talk instead of picking up the phone. We’re poking crushes on facebook, retweeting them on Twitter, calling them on Skype, or commenting on photos from Flickr.

Love at First ClickAthens Teens Explore Online DatingBy Maggie SiuaThEENs Staff

Media & Technology

Lexi Hall checks her Facebook account in between classes. Photo by Maggie Siu.

Page designed by Sydney Kida

7

It has been a gruesome battle: Many blogs have fallen and tweets currently stand in victory as teenagers move to-ward Twitter and abandon their blogs.

It is no secret: When it comes to find-ing out information, many of us want it to be short, clear and to the point. After all, isn’t that the genius mastermind plot behind Twitter becoming so popular?

Many take this to mean that the good ole’ use of blogging is becoming extinct among teenagers, as many of them resort to “micro-blogging” on sites such as Facebook and Twitter, where this form of expression is generally shown.

“I just don’t think I’m that interest-ing to blog about,” said Maegan Scott, a 17-year-old senior at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens, Ga. “I find it interest-ing that people think they’re that inter-esting to blog about.”

Research conducted between 2006 and 2009 showed that bloggers between the ages of 12 to 17 fell by half, leaving it now at only 14 percent of children between these ages who actively blog, according to a recent New York Times article.

Instead, teenagers are more active on sites such as Facebook and Twitter where many find easier ways to socialize and stay connected with friends.

“Tweeting takes less brainpower which is why I think this generation enjoys it,” Scott said. “Twitter limits you to 140 characters so if people don’t care about what you have to say, they don’t waste much time reading it.”

Many teenagers have turned away from blogging due to the time commit-ment required in writing lengthy posts. Some feel as though their work goes un-noticed due to a lack of a large following.

However, those who do continue to blog, do so with a passion that disregards a care for their number of blog followers, reposts or page views.

“I consider blogging as a pathway of expression,” said Alex Smith, an 18-year-old senior at Cedar Shoals. “I love pre-senting myself and getting my opinions out there.”

Teachers have encouraged blogging in the classroom as a way to create an open forum and allow students to be techno-logically aware of the different inven-tions of expressing themselves via social media.

“Any technology is better than paper and pencil,” said Mark Ginsberg, a literature teacher at Cedar Shoals High School. Ginsberg has incorporated blog-ging into his teaching lessons to allow students to be part of a virtual commu-nity and post their writing clips online. “I think that blogging will allow them to keep writing. Most of them are new to the virtual community aspect and I think they’ll like that.”

Yet, encouraging students to blog outside of the classroom has proven particularly difficult and Ginsberg also sees a decline in blogging and a shift to more popular sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

“I think students just don’t have the time to blog as much these days and many don’t have In-ternet access in their homes,” Ginsberg said. “I also think entertainment plays a factor. Many stu-dents would rather choose sites such as Facebook and Twit-ter because they are simpler, easier and entertaining.”

Although many students are not as receptive to blog-ging as others, some do find it enjoyable and consider it to be a valuable lesson in writing. Some students enjoy the closer sense of com-munity it brings in such a vast world.

“It enhances the feel of the classroom,” Smith said. “Soci-ety is growing technologically and I think that writing on the Internet passageway is another way to spread the word and build a closer environment.”

Smith enjoys blogging both inside and outside the classroom, often publishing many of his writing clips focused on a variety of topics ranging from political analyses to college football.

“I post my opinions on some kind of disposition dealing with society,” Smith said. “I enjoy talking about both positive and negative aspects.”

Despite the decline, blogging will always remain a favorite pastime of those who enjoy the benefits and advantages

through engaging in the activity.“The blog has been such a blessing to

my life,” said Sophia Danner-Okotie, a 19-year-old University of Georgia sopho-more. Okotie’s blog, Fresher Fash, focuses on her creative expression in styling and designing outfits. “Styling myself has given me the inspiration to style others.”

There are many motives behind blog-ging. Many teenagers see it as a way of self-expression, some find it as a way of releasing their thoughts and anticipating feedback, and others think of it as a great way to build an online portfolio of their interests, hobbies and talents.

“I have posted some of my styling on the blog and received amazing reviews, but most of all, I began to build a port-folio for a possible career in the fashion

styling industry,” Okotie said.There are many benefits blogging has

to offer. Along with discovering a sense of self, finding comfort in self-expres-sion, and relating to others on similar likes and viewpoints, blogging provides an outlet that allows teens to persevere and take pride in their individuality.

The battle is ongoing and perhaps blogs will soon be armed with a powerful weapon that will bring greater competi-tion to Twitter and Facebook. Regard-less, those who enjoy the true purpose of blogging and all it has to offer have already found victory.

Sophie Danner-Okotie, 19, is a sophomore at the University of Georgia, who enjoys publishing post to her fashion blog, Fresher Fash, along with spending time on other social media sites.

Battle of the BlogsBy Lilly WorknehaThEENs Staff

Media & Technology

Page designed by Sarah Page Maxwell

8 9

By Keir Bridges

Cool Treats Heat Debate Athens teens choose: Yoforia vs. Yoguri

Major newspapers and food and health blogs nationwide have been noting the rise in frozen yogurt’s popularity as a dessert, often citing health benefits as op-posed to other frozen desserts as the cause. The increase in national chains, such as Pinkberry, has been a subject of discussion as well.

With the opening of Yoforia and the con-tinued popularity of Yoguri, frozen yogurt shops are also on the rise in Athens.

Local teenagers have different opinions on the reasons for frozen yogurt’s recent surge.

“The health aspect. People think it’s okay to indulge in that since it’s supposedly better for you than ice cream,” said Audrey Smith, a 15-year-old Cedar Shoals High School freshman, while browsing at the Athens-Clarke County Library.

Ivy Hitchcock, a 13-year-old who is homeschooled in Athens, had a different take. Shaking her head, she said, “Tastes good. I don’t think we [teenagers] re-ally care if it’s healthy. The healthy part’s a bonus.”

“A little of both. I think that since it’s a relatively new phenomenon many people are still trying it out, and the ones who do try it often love it,” said University of Geor-gia freshman and Athens Academy graduate Rose Dasher, 18, an employee of Yoguri. “It’s sort of a novelty. People like to experience new things. Also, we do often get people who come in for the health benefits. It’s hard to find a treat like that that’s actually good for you.”

Smith and Hitchcock agreed that frozen yogurt is popular among teenagers.

“Definitely, yeah,” said Smith. “Very,” said Hitchcock.Dasher said the price can be a factor in

the number of teenagers they see. “Since it can be pricey, I think it’s often a matter of who can afford it. So if there is a high school kid who gets money from their parents, then they’re going to be able to come in pretty often,” she said.

Price can also affect a teen’s decision about which yogurt shop to visit.

At Yoguri, a small, plain yogurt with the customer’s choice of two toppings costs

$3.95, while at Yoforia, customers receive a tub they may fill with multiple flavors and toppings for 39 cents per ounce.

“I think Yoguri has better tasting yogurt,” Smith, who has frequented both shops, said, “but Yoforia is cheaper, and you get more, and there’s better variety of flavors.”

For Yoguri, its College Avenue location in downtown Athens could also affect its customers.

“It’s pretty popular with both [teenagers and college students], but in this town it’s often the college kids we see the most. There is also quite a large group of adults who come in on a regular basis, especially earlier in the day before the college kids get out of bed,” said Dasher.

As for the most popular type of yogurt ordered “It’s so hard to say,” said Dasher. “There are huge fans of all of the flavors.

Original is probably ordered the most, but many people are dedicated to one flavor in particular. Taro [a root vegetable] has been one of our biggest hits. Many people have never tried anything taro-flavored before and are intrigued because it tastes so dif-ferent from anything else. It offers a new experience.”

Hitchcock said she prefers the original topped with a variety of fruits such as kiwi, strawberries, pineapple, and blueberries.

“I really like their mango in either place,” said Smith.

Dasher said she enjoys working in the yogurt shop, because “It’s really fun to see all the different types of people. I love meeting new people and I get to do that a lot there. I especially love when our regular costumers come in. A lot of them are very nice and fun to talk to.”

Frozen Yogurt: A Healthier Option?

Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream

Made With Yogurt Cream

Fat Content Less fat, but fat-free yogurts may have more sugar

10-18 percent

Cultures Yogurt is fermented, meaning that live bacterial cultures are added to milk. These cultures are beneficial.

Ice cream is not fermented, so these beneficial cultures are not present.

Lactose Content Contains enzymes that make digestion easier, especially for lactose-intolerant people.

Does not contain these enzymes.

Sugar Content More sugar Less sugar

 

Sources: http://www.wisegreek.com/is-frozen-yogurt-heathier-than-ice-cream.html http://www.buzzle.com/articles/frozen-yogurt-vs-ice-cream.html

Health

Page designed by Andrea King

99

aThEENs staff

In Athens, consum-ers seeking organic and locally-grown foods have a number of options. Dianne Simpson, a Wat-kinsville resident with two sons, Alexander and Ben-jamin, attending Oconee County High School, says that books and documen-tary films influenced her decision to feed her family more organic and locally-grown foods. She says that, aside from the health benefits, the inhumane treatment of the animals in commercial farms discussed in these books and documentaries was a large factor in her decision. The Simpson family’s produce and meat are all organic, in many cases local, and they try to avoid all processed foods. During growing season, they buy their produce at the farmer’s market and from local farm Fields of Grace. The rest of the year, they buy boxes of organic produce online from Viking Produce, which delivers orders to the customer’s doors every Thursday. When asked how her sons feel about the food, she says she feels it’s about educating them to make healthy deci-sions for themselves and that establish-ing these healthy habits will help them once they are on their own. When she became a vegetarian for a while, she says her sons found it strange, but did not want to read the literature or see the films that had led to her decision. This statement was punctuated Alexander grimacing

and his brother Timothy, an Oconee Middle School student, affirming that they definitely thought it was weird. Laura, 17, and Leah Ballard, 14, are both Oconee County High School students. When asked if teenagers thought eat-ing locally-grown or organic food was weird, Laura said, “If you were super adamant about it, people might think that was weird,” but that, otherwise, it wasn’t something they thought teenag-ers think about very much. Each knew a classmate who felt strongly about eating organic but said both students came from families who also felt strongly about it. They eat organic food sometimes, but, as Laura said, “Food is food.”They agreed that you can taste a dif-ference in organic food, for example, sodas with natural sugar taste better. Leah’s first response to the question

was “Yummy!” They also noted, however, that it is usually more expensive. Local restaurant Farm 255, and the local organic farm supplying its food, are part of the Full Moon Cooperative. “We emphasize ecological approaches to agriculture,” says Farm Manager Jack Matthews. Community involvement is impor-tant to them; the Community-Support-ed Agriculture (CSA) program allows members to pay a certain amount in exchange for a weekly supply of fresh vegetables. Members also have designated days to help on the farm, connecting them with the food and with their local farmers, which Matthews cites as a main objective of the cooperative.

Page designed by Patty Miranda

The specials board at organic restaurant Farm 255, located at 255 West Washington St.

Organic EatingAthens strives for better living through farming, restaurants

By Keir BridgesaThEENs Staff

Health10 11

In a serene, white-walled room, a group of focused students appear to defy gravity. They carefully move their bodies across a strange, wooden contraption. Their defined legs fly upward, over their heads, and back down with poise. Elastic bands are stretched to their furthest lengths, positioned from the heels of the students’ feet to the backs of the wooden equipment. A soft, non-distinct melody glides around the room.

A slim, young woman calls out instructions for the class in a comforting, soft voice. Amanda Martin, the teacher at Balance, a local Pilates and wellness studio here in Athens, instructs her classes with enthusiasm and positivity. After the students fol-low her lead, the soothing quiet resumes and a series of steady inhales and exhales float through the air of the classroom.

Pilates is a well-known fitness method that has been catch-ing on for decades all across the country. Celebrities from Jennifer Aniston to Madonna to Gwyneth Paltrow all swear by it. It’s done in studios all around the world and today teenagers around in Athens are beginning to catch on to the Pilates trend as well.

When Maggie Swindle, a 19-year-old student at the Uni-versity of Georgia, tried the fitness method a year ago at a

local health club she was instantly hooked. “I think it’s very effective and fun. It definitely helped my core and general muscle tone.” After go-ing alone for a few months, Maggie also began encouraging some of her

friends to try Pilates with her. Mary Rabun, also a 19-year-old student at UGA, was

skeptical of the unconventional exercise at first, but agreed to accompany Maggie to a few classes. “I didn’t feel noticeably more toned at first, I mainly felt more limber. But the focus on breathing did make me feel more relaxed.”

Another 19-year-old UGA student, Elizabeth Karam, agrees. Karam began doing Pilates her sophomore year of high school at her local gym. “I prefer it because it doesn’t feel like I’m do-ing a strenuous workout that I would typically dread. Instead it just makes me feel stronger and more relaxed after.”

Rabun and Swindle now tend to focus on a less intense ap-proach that doesn’t involve the typical Pilates apparatus. They opt for mat-based exercises and classes that are just as easy to do at home. “It’s a really convenient way to keep up with your stretches at home” Rabun says.

Pilates was first developed by the German born physical trainer, Joseph Pilates. As a child growing up with health prob-lems, Joseph was always interested in improving health and personal fitness. After drawing from a variety of Eastern fitness techniques and even Zen Bhuddism, he began to emphasis the importance of breathing during his sessions. When he moved to New York City, his method continued to attract followers.

When asked how the method can attribute to this healthier lifestyle, Martin replies, “Awareness, breath, flow, concentra-tion, control, efficiency, harmony – you can apply this to all aspects of your life. It’s not just a resolution but a way of mov-ing that teaches you about your body – a learning process that lasts a lifetime.”

As with most exercise, Pilates increases energy and pro-motes balance. The focus on breathing further connects your mind and your body. Maggie and Mary both claim that Pilates has been beneficial in helping them achieve an overall health-ier lifestyle, especially with the stresses of school. “It definitely increased my self-esteem and decreased my stress level”, Mag-gie says.

At the Balance studio, Martin stays true to Joseph Pilates promotion of body, mind and spirit. “Teaching Pilates goes beyond the exercises, it will give you the tools to make health-ier choices outside the studio where the real transformation begins. It relaxes you, educates you, gives you energy, self-confidence and an awareness about your body that is immea-surable.”

Body & SoulBy Meg GoggansaThEENs Staff

Studioin Athens

Studio offers traditional Pilates classes daily, as well

as therapeutic yoga and Yamuna body rolling.

675 Pulaski Street678.596.2956

studioinathens.com

UGA Rec Center

The University of Georgia’s Ramsey

Student Center offers regular Pilates as well as a Yoga Pilates fusion class.

300 River Road706.542.5060

recsports.uga.edu

Balance Pilates & Wellness Studio

Along with their groupapparatus classes, Balance

offers classes on the mat for $10 and

your second class is free.

160-1 Tracy Street706.546.1060

balancepilatesathens.com

Teens shape-up with Pilates

Mary Rabun, 19, practices some of her Pilates exercises

Health

Healing Arts Centre

The Healing Arts Centre holds its Pilates classes in

the Sanghra studio. Remedy, an herbal phar-

macy, is also located in the centre.

834 Prince Ave706.613.1142

healingartscentre.net

11

Page designed by Jen Ingles

Mallory Williams, Rebecca Jones and Katie Smith, all 13-year-old

students at Clarke Middle School in Ath-ens, sit in the cafeteria with their daily lunches.

Smith pushes her almost finished sandwich aside. “I feel confident when I look in the mirror because I know that I was made the way I’m supposed to look,” she says.

Jones agrees with Smith, saying, “I don’t really feel any pressure from people. I like my weight the way it is.”

After the other girls distract them-selves with their brown bag lunches and school books, Williams is left at the table. When asked if she would change some-thing about her body she hesitates for a moment, looks up, and admits, “I am who I am, but maybe I might change my size a little.”

In a culture that is saturated with the fascination of beauty and self-image, adolescents can often find themselves wondering how they fit into society’s predetermined ideals of body image.

A recent poll done on advertising in America reported that the public is bombarded with nearly 5, 000 adver-tisements daily, whether consciously or unconsciously. These advertisements often show thin models and promote body images that are often not typical of the average person.

Maggie Grady, a 19-year-old student at the University of Georgia, has felt the pressures of these kind of media ide-als first hand. “I always see celebrities with perfect bodies and I think I want to look like them. I’ve considered skipping meals and I usually say I’m on a diet,” she admits.

Along with this media scrutiny, school, family, friends, sports, clubs, and other activities, teenagers are faced with certain expectations of body image, ac-cording to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). All of these factors

can take a toll on the stress and pressures adolescents face in their daily lives.

NEDA also states that while the main-stream media does seem to play a large role in teen body perceptions, reasons

for these disorders vary from person to person. Teens may develop them as a re-action to the demands of adolescence or pressure to fit in and be accepted by their peers. When life gets stressful, some tend to use food as a way to feel like they’re gaining some form of control.

Connie Crawley, a health and diet ex-pert at the University of Georgia, agrees with these reasonings. “Some people have control issues with their parents or a chaotic home environment and find that food and exercise are the only things they can control. Some people use food as a way to deal with stress and cope with the ambiguities of becoming an adult,” she says.

A recent study from the Archives of General Psychiatry surveyed more than 10, 000 adolescents ages 13 to 18.

Nearly .3 percent of those surveyed were anorexic, .9 percent bulimic, and 1.3 percent had a binge-eating disorder of some kind.

Subjects with disorders were much more likely to have problems with alco-hol and were more inclined to suffer from

some form of social phobia. Researchers say the numbers of this survey may be even higher, as many teens are ashamed of their disorders and choose to remain silent about their condition.

“People with anorexia definitely isolate themselves from others and social situations so they are less tempted to eat,” Crawley explains. “All people with eating disorders feel a sense of failure and shame that can interfere with their social interactions.”

Eating disorders can have both short-term and long-term mental and physical effects.

Some effects of anorexia can include a slowed pulse, muscle and hair loss, yellowing of skin, and thinning of bones. Bulimia holds consequences similar to anorexia, but can also cause severe intes-tinal problems and major throat issues.

Treatment for these disorders is often difficult to implement, but is a neces-sary means to provide healthy counsel to those affected. Exact treatments may vary from person to person and can often be a struggle.

Crawley recommends that family and friends show compassion and support for those they know who are affected. “It is a disease that just takes time for recovery. They need to understand that this is not an eating disorder. It is a stress and poor coping skills disorder that has the symp-toms of disordered eating. It is treated by helping the person to learn new coping skills and methods for reducing stress.”

Eating DisordersTeens push bodies to match media image, peer pressureBy Meg GoggansaThEENs Staff

Health

American adolescents often feel pressure from media outlets like magazines and television to be a certain weight. Photo by Meg Goggans.

“This is not an eating disorder. It is a stress and poor coping skills disorder.”

--Connie Crawley, health and diet expert

Page designed by Nicholas Sobrilsky

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“Hmm. Do I want Doritos, Skittles, a honey bun, or a Snickers?” is a question teenagers find themselves asking while staring through the glass of a vending machine loaded with sugar filled fatten-ing treats at school. As with many, at this point convenience and tastiness takes priority to healthiness.

Health officials recognize the rising rates of obesity as a growing epidemic that requires immediate attention. Kath-erine Ingerson, a registered dietitian at the University of Georgia’s Food Services Administration says that the main fac-tors contributing to teenage obesity are “poor nutrition choices, physical inactiv-ity, and over consumption of calories. Many times these factors arise from poor role models and nutritional ignorance at home.”

Shannon Clarke, 19 year-old sopho-more at the University of Georgia, agrees with Ingerson about the contribut-ing factors of obesity. “I kind of agree because if you have obese parents, like mine, it tends to be harder. They don’t get a lot of physical activity so they don’t push you to.”

Clarke struggled with her weight as a teenager due to poor diet habits at home. Her parents were out a lot when she was younger so instead of having a balanced meal she usually ate snacks out of the pantry. Unhealthy food coupled with inactivity caused her to gain weight.

In order to stop the weight gain and maybe shed some pounds, Clarke de-cided to join her school’s track team. She began to lose weight, which also lead to a healthier diet.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics last updated for 2007-2008, American preteens and teens aged 12-19 have an obesity rate of 18.1 per-

cent. The statistics also shows a steady rise compared to just eight years prior where the obesity rate was 14.8 percent. The Youth Behavior Survey data from 2007 gave data for youth in Georgia specifically. In Georgia, data shows that 18 percent of youth in grades 9-12 are overweight and 14 percent are obese.

Being obese is an issue within itself, but according to health officials it also leads to other problems. Having such an

unhealthy weight has also been cor-related with having an increased risk to chronic diseases including high cho-lesterol, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, and sleep apnea. Besides the medical risks involved, obese teenagers are often subject to ridicule and taunting by their peers that can cause feelings of inferior-ity and inadequacy.

In order to promote healthiness and change among youth, the state of Georgia has launched several programs geared toward the issue. The Georgia Recreation and Parks Healthy Vend-ing Resolution was adopted in 2005 to encourage healthier items being offered for vending Machines and concession stands.

More locally Clarke County School District has joined this movement by implementing a School Nutrition Pro-

gram that has a mission that “encourages a lifetime of healthy eating by providing each student with the affordable oppor-tunity to consume meals that are nutri-tious [and] appealing…”

Angie Garcia, Nurtition Services coordinator from Clarke County District says that “ the changes were made for the better and I hope that it can be a start to better habits for all of the students” when asked about the changes Clarke County has made to the lunch menu and vend-ing machines.

Along with high schools, colleges are also stepping in to help with healthy decision making. UGA’s Food Services offer private counseling sessions with the registered dietitian to patrons of the meal plan. Although this service is available and free, Ingerson is concerned that students are not taking advantage of the services. On a daily average she only meets with one to two students. “Con-sidering there are [more than] 8,000 students on the meal plan, this means only 4-5% of students take advantage of private nutrition counseling sessions.”

Clarke, who has been looking for guidance and advice on eating healthier, was not aware of the service, but “would like to at least meet with her for a ses-sion.”

The promotion of health to pre-vent teenage obesity is still evolving as schools in Georgia and across the nation adopt health programs. Students may complain about not having their favorite snacks available to them, but the ultimate goal is to teach students that healthiness should play a more impor-tant role over tastiness in decisions on food.

Shannon Clarke prepares a salad for dinner at The Village Summit Dining Hall. Photo by Meredith Seay

Check out the multimedia feature at aThEENs.wordpress.com!

Tastefully Tackling Obesity

By Meredith SeayaThEENs Staff

Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Page designed by Crissinda M. Ponder

Health13

&GoSaveBy Sarah Page Maxwell

Think ECO-nomically

The rain garden at Cedar Shoals High School serves as an outdoor classroom and helps the environment by collecting rainwater runoff.

Photos by Kerry Boyles.

Athens teens say the town’s envi-ronmental ethos

makes living an environ-mentally friendly lifestyle easily obtainable. An environmentally conscious attitude has become somewhat the status quo in the Classic City, according to one high school student. “I hear a lot of people talking about going green,” said Adele Mea-gher, a senior at Cedar

Shoals High School. “Athens is a hippy town, and living here for my entire life has

definitely had an impact on me. We care about our environment…” Meagher is a member of the PACS (Positive About Cedar Shoals) environmental club at her school, a club with strong initiatives in allowing teens to help preserve the envi-ronment. Sometimes the easiest, and most affordable, way to contribute to preserv-ing our environment is to take advantage of the resources provided around us.

Green Teens in Action!

Andrew Lentini, Program Coordinator, discusses sustainable living practices with Kevin Kirsche, Director, at the UGA Office of Sustainability.

Check out the multimedia feature at aThEENs.wordpress.com!

Students at Clarke Central High School help to keep the community clean.

Students use this trash bin to encourage recycling at Cedar Shoals High School

Environment14

aThEENs staff

Page designed by Lilly Workneh

“Living on campus makes it pretty easy to reduce my carbon footprint,” said Amy Wong, a freshman at the Univer-sity of Georgia. “There are bins everywhere in the dorms that make recycling easy. Also, I take the bus and walk every-where.” Wong is a member of the Go Green Alliance and the Environmental Health Science Club, both organizations that find importance in limiting waste and taking care of our natural habitat. Beyond the first step of eliminating our need to consume and replacing it with an attitude more focused on reuse, there are a number of smaller steps that can be taken on a daily basis that do not require a large financial nor time commitment. “In my room, using a power strip makes it easy to have a central source to turn off the power from different outlets when I’m not there,” said Wong. Being aware of pow-er usage is an easy way to control the size of our footprint. Both Wong and Meagher said switching from the incandescent light bulbs most people use now to either com-pact fluorescent or LED bulbs can make a noticeable differ-ence in energy usage. Watching the length of showers is also important for water conservation, but something that gets left at the wayside in the hustle and bustle of our busy lives. “We are a very green family,” Meagher said. “We compost the things we can and use them as fertilizer in our garden.” Both of these actions, composting and carpooling, can help to preserve the earth and save money. Living sustainably, when approached at a micro-level as opposed to a large-scale commercial level, is actu-ally less expensive than carrying on a wasteful lifestyle, said Andrew Lentini, program coordinator of the University of Georgia’s Office of Sustainability. The main change that must be made does not include increased spending, but a change in the way we think. “It requires thinking about things on the front end rather than the back end,” he said.

Green

Kim Yu-Na, philanthropist and world-renowned Korean figure skater, and Dr. Jim Yong Kim, Medical Anthropologist and Executive Director of Partners in Health.

Full Name: Andrew Wooyoung KimHometown:New York City, NYBirthday:March 7, 1993

Interests: Recycling, playing the Cello, tennis, environment, public health, medicine

Interesting Fact: He has competed at the Inter-national Science and Engineer-ing Fair in San Jose, California.

inspirational figures:

Exceptional Green Teen

Check out more about Kim on pg. 16!

Cedar Shoals High School is known for its great recycling program, but one

student in particular exemplifies what it means to be environmentally conscious.Senior Andy Kim is passionate about the environment. “The environment provides us all [with] the resources to live an adequate life, and sustain life in the lowest levels of exis-tence,” he said. “We need to conserve these resources in order to live a successful life.” Because of this passion, Kim considers recycling to be incredibly important and is incredulous so few people do it. “By conserving our natural resources such as potable water, gas, and forests, we can leave the remaining resources for our future societies,” he said. “All our society’s natural problems can be solved through smart environmental actions and non-selfish acts. “ Kim exemplifies his concept of “non-selfish acts” by participating in several different clubs, but he says that spreading awareness can be even more important. “When people become aware, their thought process changes…and in the end, their actions change,” he said. “A teacher once told me that you can’t have change without awareness, and I’ve lived through this for a while.” Kim spreads awareness by working in the school’s environmental fair. The fair invites local educational organizations like Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful, Storm-water, Sandy Creek and 4-H to speak to students and provide interactive activities. Kim says the fair is held in the school’s rain garden, which is used by the school as an outdoor classroom. The garden also accumulates trash and keeps contaminants from getting into the rivers.But if trash gets into the rivers, Kim is there to pick it up. “Another activity I’ve participated in is Rivers Alive, which is a river cleanup proj-ect across the state,” he said. Kim also participates in Positive about Cedar Shoals, PACS, and the Interact Club,

which help organize the recycling for the school. In 2003, PACS was named the best high school recycling program in the nation by Keep America Beautiful. “I’ve started our school’s first orga-nized recycling program for our sports program especially at football games,” he said. “Hundreds, even thousands of cans, bottles, and recyclables have been thrown away for the past years we’ve had football at this school…Next year, we hope to col-lect these recyclables and turn them in for cash to donate to charities.” These actions have not gone unnoticed by Kim’s friends and teachers. “You can find a few students scattered throughout high schools that are con-cerned about the environment but very few teens, and very few adults for that matter, care as deeply as Andy does,” said Kim’s friend Rachel Adam. “He doesn’t participate in environmental volunteer work for any ulterior motives like many teens, he does it because he genuinely wants to make a difference.” Adam also says she is inspired by Kim’s environmental awareness. “Andy’s interest in the environment

makes me conscious of how important it is to preserve and protect it,” she said. “When I see him so motivated, it makes me want to increase my efforts. He shows me that there are so many easy steps that can make a difference every day.” Sally Dowling, Kim’s Spanish teacher, says that Kim’s passion about the environ-ment makes him an extraordinary teen. “I really think that there is very little about Andy that is not exceptional,” she said. “He is a born leader and an energetic crusader.” Though Kim may not consider himself to be “an energetic crusader,” he still has high hopes for the future. “I’m looking at three possible career options now: doctor, policy, and research,” he said. “I’m thinking about exploring en-vironmental policy, since the Earth doesn’t really have its own attorney.”

Green TeenMaking Environmentalism his MissionBy Kerry BoylesaThEENs Staff

Environment

Kim poses with his environmentalism stand.

Interact Club Presidents Andy Kim (left) and Rachel Adam (right) with former sponsor Sally Dowling after the first recycling campaign was implemented.

Page designed by Devon Young

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Page designed by Devon Young

Sometimes environmental conscious-ness is not analytical or boring at all—it is fashionable. Don’t reserve the “Go-ing green” idea for environmentalists and politicians. Try it yourself here in Athens!

This environmental fashion move-ment is more than a short-lived trend because it’s impact is really important.

According to Starre Vartan’s The Eco Chick Guide to Life, clothing production directly affects people’s health and local ecosystems where fabric fibers are grown and manufactured. Every step of cloth-ing production requires its own set of chemicals, thus producing its own type of waste.

On the topic of green jewelry, Var-tan says, “No matter how supposedly environmentally sound the operation, mining is a dirty, eco-system destroying process.”

In Green Chic, Christie Mathenson explains that there is no farming process in the world more pes-ticide-intensive than conventional cotton growing. Organic cot-ton, however, is grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers. This means none of the nasty chemicals gets into the air, the water, the soil or your skin in organic cotton growing.

As the environmental movement grows, so do the outlets available offering and supporting environmentally sound products. Thanks to the Green Life

Expo at the Classic Center on January 29, many such businesses in the Athens-Clarke County area were highlighted, one of which was green jeweler Beth Carter of Beca Designs.

Carter’s jewelry pieces are made from fused recycled glass in her studio in Colbert, Ga. Though she has been in jew-elry production for about 10 years now, in 2007 she decided to make the jump to eco-friendly materials.

“Of course living in Athens we have an unending supply of bottles to work with,” Carter said of her recycled mate-rial. Indeed, home of a sprawling University and more than 90 bars to choose from, Athens provides the perfect setting for bottle-inspired art.

While recycled glass can make an outfit come alive, there is more to “green” clothing than eco-friendly bling. There are a number of different ways an entire outfit can pass as environmentally friendly.

Kika Paprika, a socially responsible clothing line started by a mother-daughter team in California, offers environmentally safe products to wom-en of all ages, shapes and sizes. The cloth-ing can be purchased through any of the numerous company consultants.

One such consul-tant is Cheryl White,

a Kika enthusiast and mother of three located in Woodstock, Ga.

“My sister sold the clothes for five sea-sons and I decided to become a consul-tant. I love what they stand for, I love the clothes and the choices that the company makes,” White said.

White decided to support the envi-ronmental prerogative in her business venture mainly because as a mother she wants her children and her children’s children to have a clean, safe environ-ment in which to live.

Kika Paprika products are green in a number of ways.

“We use organic cotton, and we grow it right here in the United States, it’s actu-ally out of South Georgia. We use recycled water bottles in many of our pieces, and we choose to use eucalyptus [plants],” White said.

Eco-friendly clothing has its unique struggles as a green product. For in-stance, it is more costly to make and to buy. While a couple extra dollars for a tank top that aids the environmental movement may be easily dropped by a full time employee, a teenager’s budget might not be as forgiving.

Andy Hitt, an 18-year-old pre-jour-nalism student from Lawrenceville, Ga., said “I would buy eco-friendly clothes if I thought it was really gonna help! A bunch of people would.”

However, when Hitt was asked if she would be willing to pay more than $20 for a tank top, she hesitated.

“I don’t know about $20,” Hitt said, “but I am all for cute tops!”

Athens has a ways to go before there is an eco-friendly clothing store on every block downtown, but the city provides more and more options for teens looking to be eco-chic.

Before the environmental movement reaches a point where every teenager can open his or her closet to a rack full of corn-based and organic cotton shirts, it is important to remember that a little social responsibility can still go a long way.

Green is the New BlackEco-friendly fashion at local boutiquesBy Sydney KidaaThEENs Staff

Cheryl White holds up her favorite shirt from the Kika Spring 2011 Collection. Photo by Sydney Kida.

“We use recycled water bottles in many of our pieces, and we choose to use eucalyptus.”

-- Cheryl White

Page designed by Maggie Siu

Environment17

Athens Teens Aid Conservation EffortsBy Satyam KaswalaaThEENs Staff

Everyone wants to save the world. But for young people in Athens, that may not be such an elusive goal. Wildlife and habitat conservation is paramount in protecting the future of Georgia ecosystems, which, according to one are expert, have been fragmented by the onslaught of urban sprawl. “There are things that we can do in the short term,” said Lindsay Boring, the director of the Joseph W. Jones Ecologi-cal Research Center in Newton, Ga. “But if young people become informed and knowledgeable about wildlife, then they will have a whole lifetime of caring, con-tributing and influencing good things to happen.” All over town, youth are doing just that. Andy Kim, a senior at Cedar Shoals High School, is one such teenager. Kim is a leader in multiple student-headed groups at his school, includ-ing Interact, a service based club, and Positive About Cedar Shoals (PACS), a group that sponsors an annual envi-ronmental fair. He is also a member of the 4-H Wildlife Judging team, where high school teams throughout the state compete in various contests dealing with knowledge and identification of wild animals and plants within certain eco-systems. Through all of these activities, teenagers work to protect the environ-ment. “Our main goal is to spread environ-mental awareness to the student body at Cedar,” said Kim. “When kids get more involved and know more about it, then they will be more willing to get out there and do something about conservation.” Indeed, the students of PAC do not limit their efforts to theoretical knowl-edge. They get their hands dirty. Teenage volunteers regularly main-tain a rain garden in order to demon-strate the beneficial effects of habitat conservation on biodiversity. The Cedar

rain garden soaks in rain runoff water, thereby preventing pollutants from con-taminating nearby natural water habitats and the wildlife that thrive there. “Getting active is the most important thing,” said Loran Posey, a sophomore 4-H leader at Clarke Central High School. For his part, Posey helps spread awareness about dangerous environ-mental pollutants such as radon gas. He makes PowerPoint presentations, post-ers and flyers about the hazards of radon gas and presents them to various classes. “My classmates may think I’m lame,” said Posey. “But at the same time, it’s good that they’re getting exposed to it [the information].” According to the Environmental Pro-tection Agency, radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in America behind smoking. It is also harmful to pets and wildlife near homes. Though these are seemingly small scale efforts, in actuality it is precisely specific, incremental steps like the ones these teenage volunteers are taking that will ultimately combat monumental issues like global wildlife protection or climate change, says Joshua Barnett, a junior at the University of Georgia , prominent environmental blogger, and former president and current Conser-vation Director of the Athens wildlife protection group Trout Unlimited. “If you try to take up climate change, for example, if that’s what you’re going to fight, that’s such a huge issue,” Barnett said. “It takes all these little things that will ultimately conquer this greater evil.” Barnett fights in his own way. He participates in Trout in the Classroom, which is a program where volunteers install a 60-gallon tank in science classrooms ranging from kindergarten to high school, and fill them with about 1,000 trout eggs. Students then raise and nurture the trout through every stage of life and later release them into state-approved streams. The goal, the program’s website says, is to foster lifelong conservation eth-ics in youth, understand ecosystems and appreciate natural resources and wildlife. “People were once very connected to the land,” said Steven Castleberry, a

professor of Wildlife Ecology and Man-agement at the University of Georgia. “We’ve lost that connection.” To bridge that lost connection, Bar-nett also teaches courses in fly-fishing. The first will be held on Sat. March 12 at Sandy Creek Park. He encourages teen-agers to enroll. Getting people invested in outdoor activities will help them real-ize that protecting nature and habitats means protecting entire ways of life, he said. Everything is connected. But there is something else teenagers can do. Teenagers, fresh on the heels of having their own set of wheels, are in a particularly unique position to help protect wildlife in an even simpler way, according to Boring. Opting for Georgia wildlife plates when buying a car for the first time helps provide funds for vital non-game conservation programs, says Dr. Bor-ing. Endangered or threatened Georgia species that once flourished in Georgia like red-cockaded woodpeckers, gopher tortoises, fox squirrels and Indigo snakes benefit from such programs, though they do not offset the loss of habitat caused by the same stretched highways those license plates will hover above. It is an inescapable irony. But it is important to start somewhere. Even small steps leave lasting footprints. “When I get a car I’m getting a hybrid,” said Posey. “But the wildlife license plate is a good idea. I’ll have to tell my dad.”

“If you try to take up climate change, for

example, if that’s what you’re going to fight, that’s such a huge is-sue. It takes all these little things that will

ultimately conquer this greater evil.”

Environment

Athens Youth Work To Protect Wildlife and Conserve Habitats

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- Joshua Barnett

Page designed by Keir Bridges

Athens Youth Work To Protect Wildlife and Conserve Habitats

Joshua Barnett, Conservation Director of Trout Unlimited, hurtles a fly rod on March 4, 2011 as he practices casting techniques in his Athens, Ga. home backyard in preparation for his fly-fishing courses. Photo by Satyam Kaswala.

Rain gardens protect streams from pollutants. This stream, located at Orange Trail Creek in the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, flushes into the wildlife-rich Middle Oconee River. Photo by Satyam Kaswala.- Joshua Barnett

A Taste of

Local storeowners and operators say that buying and growing locally are great ways to support Athens businesses.

There are many benefits of growing locally, ranging from environmental improvement to taste bud bliss.

“It comes down to a return to the way things used to be—more wholesome, less fossil fuel, more money directly into the local economy,” said Jan Kozak, Market Manager for the Ath-ens Farmers’ Market.

Shelby Wilson, a 19-year-old pre-business and finance major at the University of Georgia listed some of her favorite Ath-ens gathering places, including Jittery Joe’s and Your Pie.

However, she did say that she would be willing to check out some of the local places. “I heard of the Farmer’s Market at Bishop Park in ecology class,” Wilson said, “and I know Farm 255 grows locally.”

Places like the Ath-ens Farmers’ Market and the Athens Food Cooperative provide Athenians an opportu-nity to buy food from

local farmers themselves. “It’s an exciting thing to buy from

someone you know,” Kozak said. And there is more to supporting a

local business than a friendly face at the cash register.

Benjamin Myers started 1,000 Faces

Coffee, a local cof-fee café in down-town Athens. The coffee shop began as a research project in Ecuador. The University of Geor-gia and its student

ecology program supported the venture as they tried to figure out sustainable solutions for conservation research.

Still running years later, the coffee shop uses beans locally roasted by Myers in all of its brews. My-ers urges Athens locals not to turn to large-scale manufacturers and producers for their daily cup of java. It is his philoso-phy to push for slow enjoyment

Athens Businesses Offer DiversityBy Sidney KidaaThEENs Staff

“Food should be cultural. It should be something we take a

lot of pride in.”-Jan Kozak

Community

Freshly roasted beans sit in bins before they are bagged. Photo by Sydney Kida.

Designed by Meg Goggans

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A Taste of Local Flavor

“My main premise has been to work with

quality. Work with quality and you will

succeed.”-Benjamin Myers

Roaster Ben Myers talks with Amanda Stevens, 21, as beans are packaged. Photo by Sydney Kida.

of a quality product rather than rushed consumption of a mass-produced com-modity.

Myers also maintains that local busi-nesses offer oppor-tunities for local identity, character and diversity.

“By creating more producers, you’re creating more identi-ties,” Myers said, “You’re making your town inter-esting.”

For any dorm dweller show-ing Athens off to out-of-town guests, bringing them to the “local” Starbucks will not give them a unique cultural experience. The idea is the same in other places. Travelers do not seek out new foreign cuisine in hopes of finding more restaurants they already have at home.

The same can be true for small towns. “Food should be cultural,” Kozak said, “It should be something we take a lot of pride in.”

Interest and passion for sup-porting local businesses could largely benefit the environment as well. According to Christie Mathe-son’s book Green Chic, most food items travel around 1,500 miles before they arrive on your dinner plate. That

transportation process requires lots of fossil fuel, packing materials, pesticides and preservatives to ensure the food gets to its new location safely. Just as buying local may help save the local economy, it also helps save the ozone.

If environmental consciousness and

the local economy are not your top pri-orities, buying local might still be worth one try. Myers said that 1000 Faces does not focus on extras like free wi-fi or squashy couches because the café expe-rience there is all about the coffee.

“My main premise has been to work with quality. Work with quality and you will succeed,” Myers said.

College Food Townfinal four

Athens’ local flavors were recognized by the food blog,

Taylor Takes a Take. Check it out at

taylortakesatake.com

Page designed by Meg Goggans

Check out the multimedia feature at aThEENs.wordpress.com!

Others may be uneasy, but not Amanda Smith.

“It’s something that’s not comfortable to talk about,” said Smith, who as presi-dent of Live Financially, the University of Georgia’s peer financial counseling group, talks about money frequently.

Live Financially is a new initiative run by public relations students, like senior Katie Dean Williams, in the Grady Col-lege of Journalism and Mass Communi-cation at UGA.

Williams said most people learn about managing money from their parents, which works if your parents are knowledgeable in this area. But for those not so lucky, this lack of information can lead to a cycle of debt difficult to escape.

“If you were in that situation, who do you go to?” Williams asked. “What resources do you have to set you up?”

Live Financially reached out to young Athenians throughout the month of Feb-ruary to improve their financial literacy through its presence on the web and events tailored to the needs and tastes of

local youth. “Problems with money, it’s never an

amount problem, it’s a management problem,” said Joan Koonce, a professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at UGA.

Koonce and housing and consumer economics professor Diann Moorman both served as panelists, answering ques-tions about savings accounts, student loans, proper use of credit cards and how to develop a good credit score.

Adelina Simeonova, 19, said she came to the function because it was a blue card event (the University allows underclassmen opportunities to register for classes early if they attend a certain number of blue card events throughout the semester), but said she learned a lot.

“I’m very interested in develop-ing a credit history,” she said.

A discussion held at the Ath-ens-Clarke County public library featured more experts from the University, but was aimed at Athens residents instead of University stu-dents.

Williams said Live Financially decided it was important to take its message off campus to the broader Athens community because com-munity members may not have access to the type of resources available to students. She noted also Clarke County’s notoriously high poverty rate. In 2009, 39 percent of Clarke County residents lived in poverty.

The topics discussed at the library event ranged from pre-

paring to buy a home to sticking to a budget.

Panelist and graduate student in the Terry College of Business Tara Gray said she allows for what she calls “san-ity money” in her budget. Reigning in spending, she said, does not require the exclusion of all frivolous purchases. She advised guests at the event to plan ahead for the little pleasures they decide to al-low themselves.

After conducting research on resi-dents’ financial literacy last fall, Live Financially saw a need to reach out to young people, women in particular. Men and women participating in the study scored the same on knowledge level, but the group found women doubted their knowledge more than men, it also found young people of both genders tended to overestimate their financial knowhow. Williams said she did not start think-ing about money and how to manage it until she got her first job the summer after she graduated from high school.

University senior Mamie Cargile, also working on the Live Financially cam-paign, said she did not begin to consider her finances until college. She said that although her parents still support her financially, she still must make decisions about how to spend her money.

“Am I going to go to Kroger and buy groceries for the week or am I going to eat out?” she said. “As you reach adult-hood it becomes more and more impor-tant because you’re actually in charge of your finances.”

Living FinanciallyManaging Money Matters

By Jen InglesaThEENs Staff

Community

Tara Gray, a graduate student at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, shares budgeting tips with Athens residents at a recent Live Financially event. (Photo by Jen Ingles)

Page designed by Michael Barone

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Alateens AssistsAlcohol Anonymous offers support for Athen teensBy Meredith SeayaThEENs Staff

Did you know?• Almost one in five adult Americans

(18%) lived with an alcoholic while growing up.

• Children of alcoholics are four times more likely than non-children of alco-holics to develop alcoholism.

• Almost one-third of any sample of alco-holics has at least one parent who also was or is an alcoholic.

• Children’s perceptions of parental drinking quantity and circumstances appear to influence their own drinking frequency.

Source: www.nacoa.net

*Editor’s note: Last names have been omitted to respect privacy and anonymity of sources. Alcoholism is a physical addiction that causes compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcohol despite the nega-tives effects it may have on a person’s life and health. The teenagers of Alateens are familiar with the disease of alcoholism first hand not necessarily because they are alcoholics, but because they are the relatives and friends of alcoholics. Alateens is a group connected to Alco-hol Anonymous that is aimed toward teenagers of recovering alcoholic relatives and friends. It is a recovery program for the teenagers who have been affected and teaches lessons imperative for healing. Each teenager learns that compulsive drinking is a disease that is not caused by them and cannot be changed or controlled by them. They also learn that they can emotionally detach themselves from the alcoholic’s problems while loving them at the same time. Each Alateens meeting is only open to children between the ages of 12 and 19 af-fected by alcoholism. No adults are allowed besides the sponsors. Locally, Elyse is a former sponsor of an Ala-teens groups in Athens. Collectively she has worked with Alateens for more than eight years.  She was a sponsor for seven and half years then recently took the jobs as coordi-nator about a year ago. Elyse’s decision to work for Alateens was not difficult because she has a personal con-nection to Alateens. “I sometimes call it my calling because my mom, dad, and stepdad were alcoholics. Me giving back is really giving back what was given to me.” As a former Alateen, Elyse finds it easy to connect with teenagers that are part of the program. She identifies with all of the teens, but particularly points out two teens Nicola, 15, and Kayleigh, 17, that she has seen a dramatic change and improvement since joining the program.

Nicola qualified for the program because her mother, father, both grandfathers, and her best friend since kindergarten were alcoholics. She has been a member since she was 12, but still remembers her first meeting, which her dad encouraged her to attend. “At my first meeting I was terrified. I didn’t know if the people were going to be judgmental or if people I knew from school would be there. I thought Alateen was a secret cult of some sort.” Before joining Alateens, Nicola’s life was on headed down a path of destruction. She turned to promiscuity as a source for the attention her parents were not giving her. Since joining Alateens, Nicola has learned to be optimistic, healthier, and have higher self-esteem. “Alateens helped me realize I do not need to do destructive things to be loved.” Children who have parents that are alcoholic are four times more likely to be-come alcoholics and/or substance abusers themselves compared to children without alcoholic parents, according to the National Association of Children of Alcoholics. Kayleigh, one of the older members of Ala-teens, knows that this is a fact. She began experimenting with addictive drugs at a young age as a result of her family life. Soon she realized that that was not the life she wanted to live and got help. She has been sober since.

Kayleigh’s dad and stepdad were both al-coholics. She joined Alateens when she was 13 and believes it was one of the best deci-sions her mom could have made for her. Without Alateens she thinks “[her] life path would be completely altered. I think that as my life stands, without Alateen I may not be here today.” In Georgia, there are only 12 active Alateen chapters. Elyse believes that that the population of children of alcoholics is “underserved.” For that reason she is cur-rently working with her district to get more meetings. Though Elyse, Nicola, and Kayleigh are all different ages and have different stories, they all agreed on one thing: Alateens saved their lives. They also encourage teens strug-gling to cope with a life affected by alcohol-ism to join. “Reach out. You can make it. You don’t have to do it alone,” says Kayleigh.

GlossaryAlcohol Abuse- Use of alcoholic beverages

to excess, either on individual occasions (“binge drinking”) or as a regular practice.

Alcoholism-Physical dependence on alco-hol to the extent that stopping alcohol use will bring on withdrawal symptoms.

Source: medterms.com

Is Alateens for

you?If you are between the ages of 12 and 19 and relative or friends drinking bothers you then

you are eligible to become a part of Ala-teens.

For more information about a group close to you visit www.al-anon.

alateen.org/alameetings.html

Community

Page designed by Meredith Seay

23

LGBTeens Coming out as gay, lesbian, bisex-

ual or transgender is a lifelong process that starts with one proclamation. For Anna Jeffers, a student at the University of Georgia’s School of Veterinary Medi-cine, that moment came at age 15.

“My friend, Maggie, and I were at Spiderman of all places, at the theater,” Jeffers said. “I don’t even remember what we were talking about, but all of a sudden she said, ‘I think I’m bisexual.’ I was like, ‘Me too!’ We were both really excited because we were the first people either of us had told.”

Jeffers, who since her late teens has identified as gay, was one of many people who begin the process of coming out, if only to themselves, as a teenager. Coming out at any age can be liberating, scary or even dangerous. But coming out as a teen brings a specific set of challenges. Teens usu-ally still live at home and are dependent on parents or other adults to support them financially. Schools enforce policies controlling student dress and behav-ior. And sometimes queer teens are victims of scathing and unrelenting bullying by their peers. This brutal reality was pressed upon the public consciousness when seven teenage boys, hail-ing from California to New Jersey, killed themselves last year after they had been ha-rassed by classmates. Queer teens who lack support from friends and family can sometimes feel trapped, alone and unable to be who they truly are.

Ryan Moyer, 18, trans-ferred out of his Catholic high school where he was experiencing bullying

to non-denominational St. Francis in Alpharetta as a sophomore.

Moyer said his parents knew when he was quite young that he was gay. They took him to see a therapist in an attempt to “change” him, and told him he was going through a phase.

He said this was difficult and con-fusing, and he had a lot of girlfriends as

a younger teen to compensate. When Moyers was in middle

school, the father of one of his friends revealed to his family that he was gay. Moyers saw the pain this revelation caused his friend, so he resolved to be honest about who he was.

He said it was difficult to stop pretending to be straight. Beginning at around age 7 or 8, Moyers said, boys in our society are taught being a “faggot is

the worst thing in the world.” He first came out to a few

close friends who expressed their support. But after been seen making out with a boy at a party as a junior, he came out completely.

He came out to his par-ents soon after.

“I just said it. And it felt so weird to say. It was really awkward. But I think from there they were like, ok, let’s deal with the situation.”

Moyer said his parents are now accepting and supportive.

He continues to be open about his sexuality with new people who come into his life.

“It gets a lot easier,” he said. “You can just mention it. Whereas, before it was so hard to say those words. It’s so hard to say them for the first time.”

When Andrew Smith, 19, moved to Gwinnett County from small town New Jersey in 10th grade, he made a conscious choice to be completely out.

“It really sucks being in the closet,” he said, in part, because “you can’t talk about cute guys with anyone.”

As a student at Peachtree Ridge High School, Smith tried three times to organize a Gay Straight Alliance(GSA). Each time he submitted the paper-work, however, the administra-tion found a technical error, and did not grant the group

official status. Smith said several other schools

Athens teens show peers support despite struggle of coming outBy Jen Ingles aThEENs Staff

Community

Anna Jeffers, now a student at the University of Geor-gia’s School of Veterinary Medicine, recalls coming out as a teenager in high school.

24

in Gwinnet County have GSAs. In Clarke County, however, alliances are rare. Jonah Berkowitz is the faculty advisor for Clarke Central

High School’s GSA, and said he is not aware of a GSA at any other school in the county.

Berkowitz said it is illegal for a school with clubs to out-right bar students from forming a GSA.

Clarke Central’s GSA was formed last year. Nearly monthly meetings are run by students, and combine educa-tion, topical discussions and socializing.

Berkowitz helped to organize a statewide GSA summit that took place last month in Gwinnett County. Over 100 high school, college students and community members participat-ed. students from forming a GSA.

Berkowitz saw the summit as a way to give students an opportunity to get involved in advocacy, and to let them know “there are people like them throughout the state. They do have power. They do have strength.”

Jennifer Miracle also wants to remind queer youth they are not alone. As director of the LGBT Resource Center at the University of Georgia, she and her staff provide support for queer students on campus.

Miracle said the center wants to shine a light on the queer community at UGA to promote dialogue about difference, and to be a beacon to students looking for a place to be themselves.

“For some students it’s so hard for them to get here, once they have the notion,” Miracle said, explaining why she and her colleague, Cody Ward, have an open door policy.

Students who visit the center will find staff trained to talk them through feelings and situations that may arise during the process of embracing their sexual identity.

The center also regularly hosts a discussion series, has a resource library, and offers a lounge where students can drop by to hangout, safely being wholly themselves.

Shortly after Anna Jeffers first came out as bisexual to her friend at Spiderman, she told another friend who did not react positively to the news. This friend ended up outing her to other people, and it didn’t take long for the kids in the small rural community in Long County, Georgia, to hear about it.

Realizing she no longer had control over her process of coming out, she decided to be honest when confronted about it.

Smiling, she said, “I had kind of a f*** you attitude about it.”

Whip smart, quirky and introverted, Jeffers had already experienced more than her fair share of bullying. Her fifth grade year was particularly painful.

When Jeffers was coming to grips with her sexuality, she was terrified that if she came out she would be disowned by her conservative parents and lose all her friends, in essence a repeat of the mental anguish of her fifth grade year.

“It was a really terrible year,” she said. “I had no allies. And I could see it becoming like that.”

Jeffers’ family life was already difficult, but her parents, though they are still not completely comfortable with her sexual orientation, have learned to be more accepting.

Jeffers also was able to find friends who were supportive. “I was in the group with the nerds, and the Goths and the

leftovers,” she said. “And I loved it. We got along really well. It was nice to have that support. Even if I couldn’t come out to my family, even if I heard people making fag jokes, you know, that there were people that would accept it.”

She also found support through reading novels by queer authors, saying it reminded her “there was a bigger gay com-munity out there.”

Jeffers said coming out was difficult but worth it. “When I finally told someone it was an

amazing relief. It was like Christmas and my birthday all at once.”

Jeffers and Smith both expressed concern for queer teens who don’t have the acceptance and support of their family and friends.

Smith said teens should think before coming out. “If your parents are going to kick you out then don’t [come out to them].”

He advises teens to tell someone they trust, even a teacher.

“There is always somebody who will accept you.”

Page designed by Sydney Kida

“When I finally told someone it was an amazing

relief.” -Anna Jeffers, on coming out as a

teenager

Resource BoxMetropolitan Community Church

Phone: 706.202.3723Email: ourhope@aol.com

Website: http://ourhopemcc.com

Clarke Central High School Gay Straight Alliance

Phone: 706-357-5200Email: berkowitzj@clarke.k12.ga.us

Website: http://www.clarke.k12.ga.us/ClarkeHigh.cfm?subpage=37445

LGBT Resource Center at UGAPhone: 706.542.4077Email: lgbt@uga.edu

Website: http://www.uga.edu/lgbtcenter/

Community

In the half-hour before the Feb. 7 practice, the quiet shifting of chairs grew to a cavalcade of sound in the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church of Athens. Performers entered bearing music stands and cases for instruments taller than some of their players. Stray melodies and scales rose out of the din as they warmed up and tuned violins, cellos, trumpets, snare drums. At four claps, the performers fell silent. Then, at the sweeping gesture of their conductor, they began to play a march from sheet music they had never seen before.

So began the first rehearsal of the spring 2011 session of the Athens Youth Symphony, a local organization that has inspired young musicians to play. The group consists of more than 70 musi-cians in grades six through 12 from Northeast Georgia. On May 15, the symphony will celebrate its 10th an-niversary with a concert at the Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall at the University of Georgia.

Carson Lee, 15, a percussionist from East Jackson Comprehensive High School in Commerce, Ga., auditioned for the part after the symphony reported having a shortage of percussionists in fall 2010. Since then, he has helped the symphony fill its sound with timpani, snare drum, suspended cymbals, anvil and a bevy of other instruments.

“What I do as a percussionist is have fun,” he said.

Because the Athens Youth Symphony performs less percussion-heavy music than his high school marching band or wind ensembles do, Lee said, counting measures is crucial to keeping in rhythm with the group. Lee also said the classi-cal music performed with the symphony is often more challenging than what he performs in high school, but said he was honored to play at the University of Georgia.

“It’s a great sounding hall,” he said. “Not many people get to perform there.”

Lee brought percussive techniques from the Athens Youth Symphony back to his high school performance groups to teach his friends.

Melissa Spinelli, 16, a junior trom-bone player also from East Jackson Comprehensive High School, has per-formed with the Athens Youth Sympho-ny for the last three years. Spinelli now performs in her high school’s marching band and in the Governor’s Honors Program, but returns to the symphony each semester.

“It’s more relaxed,” she said, because the symphony has more and longer re-hearsal times than other groups in which she has performed.

Maggie Tatum, 17, a senior French horn player from Franklin County High School in Carnesville, Ga., joined the symphony in fall 2010 session after hear-ing about it from her band director.

Her favorite performances, she said, have all had “really good horn parts,” in-cluding solos or musical themes carried by the horn section.

Karl Schab, a professional violist raised in Athens, has served as the sym-phony’s musical director and conductor since its first rehearsal on Jan. 7, 2001. He helped the Athens West Rotary Club form the symphony, he said, because there were few extracurricular opportu-nities for young musicians in Northeast Georgia outside of school.

“There was a need here for some ensembles, at least for the string players,” Schab said.

Since then, he said, many of his past performers are either studying music in college or are teaching or perform-ing music professionally. One past performer, Jennifer Rae Litowich, has taught music at Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School in Athens. She serves as the symphony’s percussion coordinator and is conducting one of the symphony’s pieces.

“They have to be dedicated to it and love what they’re doing,” Schab said.

Schab’s wife, Debbie, directs the co-sponsored Athens Concert Strings and Philharmonia, two ensembles for grades six through eight and younger players who have less experience with reading or performing music. Both of these groups will also be performing in the spring concert.

Until that concert, the symphony will continue to fine tune its performances. In a later practice, the string section had trouble with a difficult passage. The notes ran either too fast or too slow, muddling together and clashing with the other sections. Noticing the prob-lem, Schab gave instructions on playing techniques.

“Violins and violas, when you’re doing your runs, try not to switch back and forth [across strings]. It’s all on one string,” he said.

The string section tried again. This time, the notes came in rhythm, shaky but on time. “Still not perfect,” Schab said. “But they’ll keep trying.”

Athens Youth Symphony Prepares for Spring ConcertBy Nicholas SobrilskyaThEENs staff

With members from grades 6 through 12, the Athens Youth Symphony gathers young north Georgia performers to practice and perform every semester. Photo by Nicholas Sobrilsky

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