For some middle-schoolers, ripped Hollister jeans, American Eagle graphic tees and big earrings are part of a look that defines personalities and are worn to impress their peers. Some might be able to wear such clothes to school, but not these private-school kids. And they don't really mind. Two Northside private schools enforce student dress codes, but with different criteria. At St. Richard's Sc

E ach year, many eighth-graders have to make a decision that will affect the next four years of their lives: Where will they go to high school? Several factors must be considered, such as the size of the school, distance from home, friends' plans, extracurricular interests, parents' wishes and academic challenges. Y-Press talked to four eighth-graders from St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic School o

Last fall, the toy manufacturer Mattel introduced a new version -- a pregnant one -- of Midge, Barbie's friend. She comes with a removable abdomen and is sold as part of the "Happy Family" set, along with her husband, Alan, and toddler, Ryan. Some shoppers felt the toy introduced "adult issues" that might be inappropriate for Barbie's target audience of girls between the ages of 3 and 12. Some sto

Almost everyone knows someone who's been directly affected by divorce. In 2000, there were almost 6.4 million divorced or separated parents in the United States, according to the census. A divorce is hard on the whole family, but especially on children. Y-Press recently talked with a 15-year-old girl whose parents are divorced. To protect her privacy, she will be called Elizabeth. She is one of th

In school, children are sometimes asked to draw pictures of their families. At Children of Divorce therapy sessions, kids are often asked to do the same thing. The drawings give the therapist an inside view of how the divorce is affecting them. "We had a family with two boys, and we had them draw pictures. . . . It just broke my heart," said Linda Emmert, director of the program based in Columbus,