by Melanie Sidman, BSW Teen's Take Editor

I have been playing organized sports since I could efficiently use my motor skills. My parents may argue that use of efficient (and safe) motor skill bit, but what does it really matter? The point is that sports have been a staple in my life for as long as I can remember.

By Kattey Ortiz

Phoebe Prince was 15 years young when she hung herself in the stairwell of her home. Carl J. Walker-Hoover was merely 11 when he did the same. Both were from Massachusetts, both were subjected to bullies in the hands of classmates, and both died within a year of each other.

In Springfield, Carl J. Walker-Hoover endured anti-gay slurs even though he never identified himself as gay. His mother pleaded week after week, begging the school to address the problem. She found him on April 6, 2009, hanging by an extension cord, just minutes before she was set to leave to confront the school again. "I am brokenhearted," she told ABC News. "We worry about the economy and about Iraq, but we need to be worried about our schools."

In the case of Phoebe Prince, it is alleged that teachers and staff knew of the relentless taunting. In the last incident, on January 14, she was "harassed and threatened in the school library and in a hallway," according to District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel. During her walk home alone, a group of the tormenters drove by and threw a can of Red Bull at her. That is when she ended the 4 months of bullying by tragically ending her life. So far, 6 of her classmates have been indicted in her death.

Apparently, the death of Phoebe Prince was the last straw. Her pictures were plastered and glossed over magazine covers across the nation, and also in her native country of Ireland. Although her story is beyond heartbreaking, it is absurd that one suicide of this nature is almost glamorized while the others are skimmed across.

Massachusetts has finally passed a law to subdue bullying both inside and outside the classroom walls, including cyberspace. But there were also three known cases of bullying-related suicides previous to Carl's in 2009 that took place in Chatham, Ma., Evanston, Ma., and Chicago, Ill. All were middle-school students.  How does it take 5 children to kill themselves for the anti-bullying movement to move through? Why did adults and teachers overlook and sometimes ignore the complaints? Every single one of these tragedies could have been prevented had someone listened to the crying teenager, or the parent so concerned about her child.

As the mother of Carl J. Walker-Hoover said, we are sending troops across the world to render the broken schools in other countries. How about we facilitate the kids on American soil first? If adults are turning their cheeks away from the children they mentor, they ought to be considered a bully too.

By: Kattey Ortiz

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know, what do you want to do?"

"Where should we go?"

"Who's driving?"

 We all love being with our friends. After a monotonous week of school, sports, work, and whatever else, it's great to unwind and share some laughs. But let's face it - it seems like we do the same damn thing every single weekend.

Let's just drive.

Teens nowadays itch at the thought of staying home on a Saturday, but they don't see that a destination is not necessary. The best part about it? It never disappoints. All you need is a GPS, some friends, and your keys.

Aimless driving, better known as "cruising," is one of the best hidden alternatives to a boring night. The 1973 film "American Graffiti" features a group of teens who spend their very last night of summer before college driving around the strip in Modesto, California.

The spontaneity in cruising is somewhat refreshing and thrilling at the same time. You have the amount of time it takes for the red light to change to green to decide which direction you'll go. Main Street? The interstate? Follow your heart, if you will.

Aside from the lack of destination, the most essential piece is the journey. If you are with your friends, you have until the end of time (or your curfew) to converse with them about untouched subjects. Heart-to-hearts are always enjoyable, and even if you thought you couldn't connect any deeper with your friends, or thought you knew them inside and  out, you could very well be wrong.

But who needs conversation when you can blast your sound system with your favorite jam? Roll the windows down and scream the lyrics at the top of your lungs with the other passengers. This is THE MOST enthralling experience you will ever have in your car. Ever.

On the other end of the spectrum, cruising is the best way to clear your head and think about all of the things in life, whether great or not so great, and still be home for dinner. Drive by yourself and cry over your ex. Yell all of the profanities you wished you could when you fought with your parents. Just let go. Clear off your mind, and your slate.

While you do that, the scenic drive can help to put you at ease. You may think New Hampshire is only where the cows graze, but there are routes that can help you appreciate the simpler things in life. Between Hampton Beach and Portsmouth, route 101 offers panoramic ocean and coastal seascapes. If you want to go on an extra long cruise, route 101, between Keene and Temple Mountain, is also a recommended drive.

Now go be a free spirit.

By Lauren Rose

Get the tissues ready, it’s going to be a tearjerker.  Whether people read The Last Song, written by Nicholas Sparks, or watch the movie on the big screen, the touching plot will leave them crying.

    Nicholas’ fifteenth book was written for the purpose of making a movie with the same idea.  The novel covers aspects that the reader will enjoy from start to finish.  Ronnie Miller, the main character, is a rebellious seventeen year old who is forced to spend a summer down in Wilmington, North Carolina.  Her brother, Jonah, also tags along, but is more excited to spend a couple of months with their father, Steve, who after divorcing their mother, moved from New York to Wilmington.

    Ever since the divorce and the move, Ronnie refused to talk to her father, ignoring his letters and calls.  A passion that the two shared was playing the piano, as Steve spent all his time teaching Ronnie and students at Julliard.    

    It’s a typical boy-meets-girl type of story line, when Will, the well-known beach-volleyball player runs into Ronnie during a match and spills her drink everywhere.  From then on, Will works to find out more about “the girl from the beach” and eventually crack her ice-in-the-veins attitude.

    The movie starts off with a scene from the fire that burned down the church as firefighters carry out a character.  It was equally as good as the novel, but still differs in a few ways.  In the movie, the father, played by Greg Kinnear, is blamed by the townspeople for burning the church, while the book says it was an act of mysterious arson.

    Ronnie is played by Disney actress and singing sensation Miley Cryus, making it harder for the audience to find a connection with the actor and the rebel-wearing-black role.  Cryus nonetheless does a solid job convincing the viewers of love and heartache.

    Some things do remain the same in the movie and the book.  Steve works diligently with Jonah, played by Bobby Coleman, throughout the summer to finish a stained glass piece of work for the church to place in its walls once it is rebuilt.  After Steve’s cancer progresses, Jonah, along with Ronnie and Will, work together to complete the artwork before their fathers passing.

    There are a few hints throughout the book and movie that Steve is sick, whether it be that he coughs a little too much in church or he gets tired and the days go on.  In a sudden shocking moment, Ronnie and Jonah’s father collapses, prompting them to call and ambulance.  It is then that the kids find out their father is dying from cancer, a secret he kept from them through the summer so he could spend his last few months with the children he loved more than life itself. 

    In the end, The Last Song is a book worth buying, and a movie worth seeing.