Instead of awakening to Spot barking or Frisky purring, Lauren Van Atter listens to Fiyero sing a solo at 6 a.m. Fiyero, named for a character in the musical "Wicked" is Lauren's cockatiel. Most kids have pet dogs and cats, but according to Dr. Angela Lennox, more young people are choosing to own exotic pets than ever before.

Anneliese Toumey wanted to make a milk carton look like artwork by Edward Hopper for a class project at Sycamore School. After her research, she decided to draw pictures on the carton in the famous artist’s style. But the eighth grader got frustrated when she couldn’t draw the pictures well – even though Hopper is considered one of the best realist artists of the 20th century.