When you see the initials M.J., you probably think of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson or Michael Jackson. Is there anyone else who is qualified enough to be considered for this elite group? How about Montell Jordan? He has become one of the hottest new R & B artists this year with his hit song, "This Is How We Do It." Children's Express talked with him this summer about his background and his mu

Some kids don't give a lot of thought to what they wear. They pick out clothes that are comfortable. To other kids, clothing means much more. "It's the power to express yourself through the way that you look and dress," said Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman, a designer for Fila in New York City. The 34-year-old designer believes kids have limited power, and how they dress is one choice they can make.

With the first day of class just a few days away, many students are shopping for back-to-school clothes. Looking cool is always a must. But some of the latest styles you want to sport might not be what your school or parents want you to wear. Children's Express conducted a roundtable discussion with a group of teens at Boys & Girls Club Inc. in Zionsville on their ideas about fashion. LATEST L

Many of us are content with our lives and don't bother to worry about problems that Tylenol can't cure. Yes, things could always be better, but mostly we sit and sip our tea, jog our miles and don't think anything at all about what we'll do in the next 15 minutes. Well, recently we met two kids who deserve a pat on the back for putting up with chronic illnesses. First we met Billy Muller. Bill

School is back in session, and many kids are expecting the same old routine. Well, guess what? IPS Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas has some changes in mind for the whole school district. As most people in the city know by now, Zendejas comes to us from Brownsville, Texas, where she was the school superintendent. In the past few years, Indianapolis Public Schools has had many problems, from k

To many Americans, poverty seems too much of a problem for them to tackle. Instead, they push it out of their minds and comfort themselves by saying, "What can I do? I'm only one person." Unless you have experienced it, poverty is difficult to comprehend. Unfortunately, in 1994, more than 16 million children in America had to live with the problem, 159,000 of whom lived in Indiana. A group of

He's fat. He's lazy. He's selfish. He's cynical. He's generally endearing, because those kinds of things are forgivable in a cat. According to cartoonist Jim Davis, that is why we identify with his creation, Garfield. Not only do we like him because he's a cat, but because we see ourselves in him. "All I do is just create a mirror to life and show it back with a humorous twist," Davis admitted

As a child in Modesto, Calif., filmmaker George Lucas remembers sitting passively in classrooms and being bored beyond belief. It was not until he attended junior college that the creator of the blockbuster Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies excelled by taking classes that interested him. Disappointed that his elementary and high school years weren't as exciting as they could have been, he won

When a baby is born, one of the first things parents do is take pictures and show them to relatives and friends. In Francis Smith's case, his parents had other things on their minds. Smith, now 19 years old, was born with a craniofacial disorder called Treacher Collins Syndrome. Treacher Collins is a condition in which the cheekbones and jawbone are underdeveloped. The ears are often abnormal

By the time most children turn 4 years old, the only hospital trip they may have made is when they received a bad cut, or maybe a minor burn. To have been to the hospital for 10 surgeries by that young age is heart-rending, but that is just what happened to Jennifer Johnson of Midland, Texas. Jennifer, now 13, was born with cleft palate, a type of craniofacial disorder in which the palate (th

A child sits in a classroom and stares at an open book with a blank expression and a look of frustration. "Bobbi," when asked to read in class, can't pronounce the words on the page in front of her. She is trying to sound out each word and letter on the page, but she's having a rough time. Bobbi's classmates are realizing that there is a problem. More than likely they do what every kid does wh

Segregated playgrounds and water fountains are history, but can true interracial harmony ever be achieved? Jan Clark, co-chair of race relations for the Vision Indianapolis Task Force, is helping frustrated but hopeful residents vent their feelings about racial differences and tolerances at forums throughout the city. Clark fights prejudice because she knows its effect. When she was in the fi

Children's Express recently talked by telephone with several children from South Africa to find out about their lives under apartheid, or racial separation. Theona Canster, 15, lives in a township outside Cape Town. People are dying. Some of them are dying for no reason - maybe for the color of your skin or the language that you speak. And to some people, (if) you don't look good or if you d

For most kids, memorizing speeches is boring. But for King's Kids, memorizing speeches means doing something for the community. King's Kids is a local oratory team which tries to help local youth become more knowledgeable about black history. Working out of the Martin Luther King Multi-Service Center, the organization teaches kids of any race the works of famous African-Americans, such as Mar

SOUTH AFRICA In the United States, you're still technically a kid when you are 17. But in South Africa, violence forces kids to grow up faster. In the United States, we complain about things such as sharing a room with our brother or sister, getting a cold or hearing racist remarks on the street. But in South Africa, some children must live away from their families just because their house is