What is a pod? Is it a storage bin? A container that holds peas? Something from outer space? A pod is all of these things, but the pods we're talking about are groups of philanthropic children who want to help their communities. In 1981, Chester E. Dekko of Kendallville founded the Dekko Foundation to support educational opportunities in the communities where he lived and worked. In 1994, the foun

"It's like living in the shadow of how I used to be." Barbara Penrod, 16, a student at Lawrence Central High School, has obsessive-compulsive disorder. It affects about 1 million U.S. children, according to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. "An obsession is an unwanted thought that you think about constantly," Barbara said. "And a compulsion is something that you do to rid yourself of th

All around the nation, people have experienced different reactions and emotions to the events of Sept. 11. Although many people were affected, some of the most riveting accounts are from the people who live and work in New York City. New Yorkers, known for being aggressive and blunt, became one family, united in their grief. In October, Y- Press spoke with several members of the Children's PressLi

Twenty years ago, high school students with special needs would have been placed in separate classrooms, with limited interaction with other kids. Today, Kelly Kaser, a 19-year-old Carmel student with Down syndrome, has a totally different experience. Her school day consists of helping out at a preschool and attending inclusion classes, where she works beside students without disabilities. She pla

Watch out, television: Video games are homing in on your play time. Since video games were introduced in the 1970s, they have become increasingly popular among kids of every age. A 1994 study reported in the Educational Resources Information Center Center's ERIC Digest online finds that 65 percent of males and 57 percent of females in Grades 7 and 8 played from one to six hours of video games at