When Tamika Catchings was a kid, she did not show any signs of becoming an international basketball superstar. She was a girl with a speech impediment, hearing aids and braces. Children teased her, and she'd often come home crying, frustrated with school and life.

Allison "Allie" Eberle, an eighth-grade student at Guion Creek Middle School in Pike Township, works hard to maintain straight A's. She also plays viola and violin in the orchestra, and she's a soccer and basketball player.

I ndianapolis has won many accolades. In recent years, it has been praised for its greenways, Downtown development, community sports opportunities and relatively low home prices. And now, it is being recognized as one of the nation's best places for children. Last year, America's Promise, an alliance founded by retired Gen. Colin Powell to benefit the nation's youth, named Indianapolis one of the

"Just go out and see how difficult it really is." Morgan Pressel, top female amateur golfer in the country A ce, albatross, birdie, brassie, eagle, mulligan. If these terms are foreign to you, you're not a golfer. Morgan Pressel, the top female amateur golfer in the country, hears these terms a lot, and she'll be hearing them even more when the LPGA's "qualifying school finals get under way on Wed

T he movie "Hotel Rwanda" tells the story of a 100-day genocide in an African country that few Americans had heard about. The story, set in 1994, is told from the viewpoint of Paul Rusesabagina, manager of a four-star hotel in Kigali, the capital. Before 1994, Rwanda's population of 6 million was largely composed of two tribes -- Hutus, who made up about 85 percent, and the minority Tutsis. The Tu

don't walk around naked. I have never had a spear in my hand, chasing lions." So says Axelle Atchade, 18, a native of Benin and one of about 50,000 Africans who have immigrated to the United States each year since 2000. She has had to dispel a lot of misinformation that Americans have about her country. There are close to 1 million African immigrants in the United States, according to the U.S. Cen

Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. (Proverbs 22:15) In 1985, at age 15, Paula Cooper fatally stabbed 78-year-old Ruth Pelke in Gary. In 1986, she was sentenced to death, but three years later, her sentence was reduced to 60 years in prison. She is eligible for parole in 2015. Recently, Cooper reflected on her experiences in prison,

True love and Carolyn Baugh brought Tarek al Basti to the United States, but they didn't live happily ever after. While in Egypt as an exchange student, Baugh met Basti. They fell in love and were married. After the couple moved to Evansville, Basti worked hard at a restaurant and eventually saved enough money to buy it. He became an American citizen. Needing workers, Basti sponsored family and fr

"The majority of them do come back after rumspringa. Maybe a bit marred, but they come back." Joseph Yoder SHIPSHEWANA, Ind. -- A brown-haired, 15-year-old girl paces, gossips and giggles on a cell phone. She switches deftly from English to a German dialect, as she asks about friends, guys and Saturday night parties. After the call, Sarah Lambright jumps into her horse-drawn buggy and rides home.

In The Slippery Slope, the Baudelaires themselves on their own. They are trying to discover the headquarters to V.F.D., a mysterious organization that their parents supposedly belonged to. Violet and Klaus are determined to find out why their parents were involved with V.F.D. and what its purpose is. This is an exciting addition to the Series of Unfortunate Events family.

Most people are aware that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation annually gives away millions -- soon to become billions -- of dollars to assist needy people worldwide, but they might not know about the efforts of young Hoosier philanthropists. Indiana teens like Gary's Marquise McMiller and Franklin's Kayla Bell already have committed themselves to a lifetime of community service.

The Bill of Rights and the Constitution outline the rights that U.S. citizens have and how those rights are protected. But do all of those rights apply equally to youth? In a society where children are unable to vote for who runs the country, and where young voices are undervalued in the political discourse, what rights do we have, and how are they protected?