THE TEEN SCENE

by Sarah Lounges


AMERICA UNITED...

    Like each of you, I was deeply affected by the tragedy that took place on
September 11th and felt the need to express my thoughts and feelings on the
situation facing our nation.  I just wanted to say that my heart goes out to
all the victims of the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Pennsylvania plane
crashes and their families.

   I did not believe my boyfriend as he came bounding through the crowd of
students outside the school cafeteria that Tuesday morning saying that New
York had been attacked.  I thought that it was some terrible joke or rumor. 
But when I got to World History class that day, I saw to my horror that it
was indeed very real.  As my class and I watched CNN, I felt as if I was
watching a movie.  “Planes just don’t go through skyscrapers in real life,”
I thought to myself.  The burning, collapsing buildings just looked like a
spectacular special effect.  But the more I watched that mind-numbing scene
play over and over, the more I began to realize the reality of it.

     The days following the crashes, the news was filled with scenes of
smoking rubble and rescue workers searching for survivors, although sadly,
they found very few.  I know that as of the time I’m writing this column, the
news reported that there are over 6,000 people dead or missing. 

     I think that perhaps the hardest thing for me personally to watch was
family members and friends of the victims on television holding pictures of
their loved ones and saying that they had not yet lost hope that they were
still alive.  I could not imagine having to look through rubble for one of my
friends or family members.  Those people who keep hope day after day are very
strong and brave, and my prayers are with them.  I wish that they could find
all the missing people in the debris alive and well, but I know that kind of
happy ending could only happen in a Hollywood film. 

    I am so glad to see though, that even in this terrible time, America is
strong enough to stand together against these terrorists.  What was intended
to destroy us has only made us stronger.  It has been great to see our
nation’s flag on every house, tied to cars and sported on people’s clothing.

    Together we will stand united against these faceless terrors and show
that we are truly – “One nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and
Justice for all.”


A TEEN'S VIEW OF THINGS...      
   
     One thing I have noticed in the past few weeks is that people have been
reaching out to one another by donating blood, time and money.  As great as
that is, it is kind of hard for we teenagers to do such things. 

    You have to be over 17 to donate blood, so that rules out a large
percentage of us, and as far as money goes, many of us don’t have jobs, or if
we do, they are only part-time and don’t pay much.

   But it is our country too, and so I think that we should try and figure
out other ways to help.  We could help to raise money for rescue workers by
having a car wash or maybe a dance or bake sale.  That way we too are doing
something to help. 

     On Sept. 22 at Broadway in Merrillville, a large group of students
decorated their cars in red, white and blue and held a public rally where
they shouted pro-American slogans and waved flags.  It was a spirited but
well behaved gathering that was like a pep rally for America.  That these
young people would think to spend their Saturday night doing such an
undertaking speaks volumes for how we teens feel about what is happening
around us.

     A lot of people think that teenagers do not care about their country,
but that’s wrong.  I was watching MTV last week and since they are based out
of New York, they had people down at the rescue site and the doctors and
professional rescue people said that majority of the volunteer workers were
teenagers and people in their early 20s.  They interviewed a few of them and
they were saying how much they wanted to help. Seeing these kinds of things
shows that my generation as a whole isn’t so bad.

    My point here is to ask my readers, my peers, to please find some
constructive way of showing support for your country right now, at a time
when we too need to stand up proud and be counted.
 
    I’m proud to say that The Midwest Beat is trying to do its part by
putting together a huge benefit concert Sept. 29th.  It will be an all day,
all-ages family event featuring a couple of teen artists, some top club bands
and some great national acts.

    Representing the teen faction at the Midwest Beat-sponsored “Freedom
Fest” will be Portage’s Marine ROTC color guard, with whom I will sing the
national anthem.  We will open the day’s events at 12 noon. 

    Following shortly behind us will be Level 7, a great band consisting of
teenage students from Crown Point.   Later in the day, there will be
performances by Free Raine and Tristen, who both have large teen followings. 

    Tristen, who we are used to seeing perform acoustically, now has a full
band that she will debut on this show.  I can’t wait to see her, she’s a
truly super talent with a very bright future.

    I hope everyone will come out to show support for this event.  There is a
$10 minimum donation for adults.  Children 12 and under are free with an
adult. 

     That is all for this month.  I’d just like to end my column by wishing
“Happy Birthday!” to my best friend Ashley.

  C-ya next month people!