The issue features --

• The winners of the 2000 Youth Honor Awards and their creative works (See sample writings below).
• A 12-page spread, including a photo essay on Hawai'i and Hawaiian Culture.
• A photo essay on the Maasai people of East Africa,
• "Come Back Thursty," a Pennsylvania Dutch Folktale
• ... Plus the regular departments: International penpals, What's on Your Mind, Bookshelf, News, Letters to Editor, and Dear Hanna.
  The 2000 Youth Honor Award Winners!

  Sam Miller, 7, Dunn Elem. School, Fort Collins, Colorado
  Corrine Nicole Kline, 14, Florence, South Carolina
  Samantha Brady, 13, Stephanie Craft, 14, & Amanda Burk, 14,
  students at Pine-Richland Middle School, Gibsonia, Pennsylvania
  Jessi M., 15, Rosemont School, Portland, Oregon
  Brittany P., 15, Rosemont School, Portland, Oregon
  Christina Jeffery, 15, homeschooler, Barrow, Alaska
  Amanda Marusich, 16, South Eugene High, Eugene, Oregon
  Mike Reszler, 16, Celebration Academy, Ashland, Wisconsin
  Janiva Cifuentes-Hiss, 17, Capital High School, Olympia, Washington
  Cultural Awareness Committee, Capital High School, Olympia, Washington

  ---

  A few sample writings

  Hija de las Estrellas: Child of the Stars

  The ocean purrs against the sand
  and the moon hovers strangely in the blue sky
  feeling awkward and out of place
  yet pleased at the feel of her languid azure bed
  I gaze into her swiftly darkening mirror
  and see my face in her pearly beauty
  Smiling at the pleasant incongruity among fields of trembling clouds
  Her smooth icy face is troubled with questions
  She wonders inwardly who she could be
  Who could she be in a world that sees too much and not enough?
  As she whispers,
  The sun is my father, the night my mother
  And neither is more powerful or more meek
  For they reign in turns
  making the earth her blush under
  their rays of love and tranquility
  And though outside the star is pale, she hides her soul behind a mask of porcelain
  For that is all they see because they are so far away
  How can they see not that she is dark beneath layers of skin?
  How can they see not that Hispanic blood runs warmly through her veins
  And gurgles beneath her eyes of sea-stone light
  while whirlpools of chocolate brown swirl beneath?
  Again she whispers clumsily,
  yet purring the words that spill so naturally off her tangled tongue,

  Y suspira suavemente
  As' suspira el viento
  As' suspira mi alma
  Y la sangre Colombiana canta en mi cuerpo
  Como los pajaros cantan en las ramas de los arboles.
  Y como puedo cantar
  cuando todo el mundo ve que soy blanca
  Y si pudiera pelar esta piel podrian ver que
  adentro soy cafe
  debajo de estos ojos azules hay ojos de chocolate
  Mira, mira. Acercate
  Oye el murmuro de mi sangre
  Oye que canta con orgullo
  Oyeme -- que soy la hija del sol y de la noche que soy la hija-estrella
  Entiende que yo me amo y me odio a la misma vez
  Trata de entender que duele ser la hija de dos mundos
  Y que diciendo esto estoy rasgu-ada y desnuda

  And I understand that when I tell you this I am raw and naked under your condescending eyes
  You can never understand, unless you're one of us
  One of us daughters or sons of day and night
  Who are twilight children
  Straddling two cultures... two worlds
  And realizing that it was love that made us who we are
  Love that created twilight children, not knowing their suffering
  Love that I have to make myself believe in when I feel I belong to no world but the twilight world
  Love that I will never quite understand
  Love that made me a part of two worlds
  Never quite belonging to either one
  But you can't see, and never will unless you are an offspring of day and night, like me.
  For we will wander and wonder in the moments where night touches day... In a silent kiss
  and father sinks into the ocean while mother floats into the sky
  No puedes ver, hasta las estrellas m‡s brillantes se esconden detras de las nubes a veces tambien?
  Can't you see that even the brightest stars can be hidden by the clouds sometimes, too?

  -- Janiva Cifuentes-Hiss, 17, Olympia, Washington. Janiva writes, "My poetry is inspired by my emotions about being bi-racial. Sometimes it seems that straddling two cultures is a challenge, especially because my outward appearance betrays half of my racial identity, but I realize that I have been doubly blessed by being able to relate to, and understand two cultures. My activities include chess, salsa and merengue, tennis, snowboarding, various clubs, and community service. In the future I hope to write and publish novels, become a dentist, and return to Columbia to give free dental care to impoverished people.

  Our Journey

  We've been living here forever,
  beneath the stars above, children of
  the same creation.

  We've been given sustenance to share
  what's natural, our duty, we understand,
  returns a life of love.

  We give thanks for birds of beauty,
  who spread their wings and sing, and for thunders,
  who wake up the earth in spring.

  Sisters of the planet world, forest trees,
  stand firm and tall, the Spirit of flowing
  waters, purest medicine of all.

  We greet each other in our minds,
  our voices singing song, acknowledging
  we're part of what belongs.

  When the syrup from the maple brings
  the winter's end, we give thanks for where
  we've come from and know where we have been.

  -- Mike Reszler, 16, Ashland, Wisconsin. Mike is a member of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa. His Indian name is Sching Wak (Big White Pine). He lives on the reservation with his maternal grandparents. The inspiration for Journey came when he was in the woods one Spring day. He writes, "I have three sisters, all younger. My hobbies include reading, writing, and playing golf. I also like learning about our Tribal government. A dream of mine is to one day become Tribal Chairperson for my reservation."

  Peer Mediation Program

  When I attended Longfellow Elementary School several years ago, I was part of the peer mediation program. Although many of the conflicts that we encountered were trivial, we did manage to solve some hateful playground problems. We also learned a helpful approach to handling a conflict. These simple steps can be applied anywhere.

  1. Ignore. The peer mediation program recommended that students simply not respond to hateful comments or actions directed towards them. This holds true everywhere. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his followers practiced nonviolent resistance, and they learned to successfully ignore racial slurs and other comments.

  2. Move away. In simple terms, this means to walk quietly away to another place if the problem persists. Today, we can do the same by moving into more peaceful areas of our lives, and persuading others to move into a nonviolent world also.

  3. Talk friendly. Use friendly terms when making a point or working for a cause. By displaying the message in a nice way, people will not be offended or angered and we can begin to turn the world into a peaceful and non-violent environment.

  4. Talk firmly. At times it is difficult to persuade others into listening to a cause, and this step ensures that attention will be gained. Present facts and details in a firm but clear tone. This will alert others that the cause is important and demands attention and respect.

  5. Get adult help. This merely refers to attracting the attention of higher public officials and authorities to the cause. Once their support has been gained, it is easier to receive even more supporters for peace and nonviolence.

  A peaceful and nonviolent world can and will exist if we take the initiative and make it happen through hard work, respect for all people, love for everything on earth, and a smile to share. Now is the time to make a difference.

  -- Emily Funderburk, 17, Bushwood, Maryland

  Rainbow of Flowers

  I have a rainbow in my yard, with
  	red,
  	       orange,
  		        yellow,
  			         green,
  				         blue,
  			                            purple.         
  How my rainbow starts out is a little seed, a tiny seed. All it needs is sun, 
  water, and air. Suddenly, it happens, it sprouts! A little green fist pops up. 
  A little more each day. Each day one sprouts. All six days they are 
  opening. Suddenly it is finished.
  red tulips,
       orange poppies,
             yellow marigolds,
                  green mountain ash,
                        blue pansies,
                              purple grape hyacinth. 
              			
    That is my rainbow.
  
  

  -- Sam Miller, 7, Dunn Elem., Fort Collins, Colorado, writes, "I wrote this poem this spring to tell kids that you can have a rainbow in your backyard. I like flowers, so I thought I would make up a story that told about what I like. I like science, reading books, and having fun writing stories."

  Surrounded

  If someone were to ask me about my early years,
  I would only have to say
  		one word,
  			love,
    because kisses planted on cheeks and arms
   	enfolded in hugs
  		outnumbered the
  			discipline and tears and
  	whether we were dancing in circles or
    racing down the beach during a cookout, being
  	together
  		  as a
  			loving family
  				was what mattered.
  

  -- Christina Jeffery, 15, Homeschooler in Barrows, Alaska.