David Jensen photography was kind enough to photograph the entire Spirit of Youth banquet last Saturday at the Egan Center in Anchorage. Photos from the event can be viewed at David Jensen's Web site.

If you would like to order prints, please call David Jensen Photography at 868-1680 rather than ordering online, so they can further help with any touch up requests, questions, as well as give you a better price!

2008 Spirit of Youth winners: The Spirit of Youth Teen Action Council poses for a shot with the award winners. Photo courtesy of David Jensen Photography.

Celina Brown, along with her two younger sisters, Michaela and Olivia have formed an acapella singing group in Anchorage, called Praise 3.

Praise 3 trio

Celina and her sisters were honored at the Spirit of Youth banquet this past Saturday with a faith-based service award.

Three years ago, they started harmonizing together and then began to take voice lessons. Celina had the idea that they should take their singing into their community. So the young trio started singing at places like the Anchorage Market and Festival, local churches and hospitals near Anchorage.

SOY Awards Banquet

Roll out the red carpet! Saturday evening, 22 Alaska teens will give a victory speech and take home an award at the annual Spirit of Youth Banquet at the Egan Center in Anchorage.

Winners include youth who have voiced their opinions in their community, created new community groups, saved lives and shared their culture through art, music and dance.

This year there were about 140 nominations from 57 Alaska communities. A complete list of winners can be found at the Spirit of Youth Web site.

Noah Magen

Noah Magen, a reporter for the Alaska Teen Media Institute, tagged along with State investigators who try to catch people in the act of selling alcohol and tobacco to minors. He produced an audio story with perspectives from teen and adult investigators about why they think this work is important.

Noah, along with Alaska State Troopers, witnesses a sting operation involving a teen who asked adults if they would give him alcohol for a party, even though he is only eighteen years old.

Some teens in Alaska don't worry too much about not having a toilet that flushes in their home, some screech at the idea of having to go in a honey bucket. Some Alaska teens have a family history in this state that goes back centuries, others have just moved here with their families.

The Rose Urban Rural Exchange, funded by the Alaska Humanities Forum, is giving teens the unique opportunity to experience how other Alaskans live.

St. Paul School: Donna Rae Faulkner chats with students in St. Paul about how we all look at situations differently, we all have different cultural lenses.

The Spirit of Youth Banquet is fast approaching.

Teens from Anderson to Unalaska will be recognized and celebrated at the 10th annual awards banquet March 29 at the Egan Center in Anchorage.

Teens like Joshua Cotton from Skagway, who has combined his love of Alaska Native culture with his creative talent. For the past two years, he’s attended the Southeast Arts Fest, and perfected his skill in carving fishhooks. After a local gift shop owner saw Josh’s hooks displayed in the hallway at school, she asked him to sell them in her gift shop.

Joshua Cotton

Staying in town this spring break? Well, don't fret. There will be plenty to do. And by attending a video production workshop, you might even have your friends wishing they weren't in the Bahamas.

Well, we did say might.

Out North, Alaska Theatre of Youth, KACN and Alaska Progressive Media present "Teen Soap," a TV/video workshop. Teens ages 13 to 18 have the opportunity to learn script writing, editing, acting and video production, while creating a soap opera about their lives. The workshop is $250 but there are also scholarships available.

Sign up soon, the workshop begins March 10.

Phyllis's: Open mic nights are held every Wednesday and Friday from 9 to 11 p.m. at Phyllis's Cafe and Salmon Bake.

Getting together with your friends, having a bite to eat, playing some music for a few friendly folks. Sound like a good time?

Well, Alaska Teen Media Institute reporter Nakeen Peterson has found the spot! She stopped by Phyllis's Cafe on D Street in Anchorage to check out an all-ages open mic night they hold there twice a week. She produced this audio story, which will air on "In Other News" on KNBA 90.3 FM in Anchorage on March 29 at 4 p.m.

Remember back in March of last year when the small community of Anderson, Alaska gave away its land for free?

Well, who knew a group of high school students were the masterminds behind this?

Take a listen to this Spirit of Youth audio story.

Land give-away: Anderson High School students discuss their land initiative with Gov. Sarah Palin.

Daryl Frisbie's social studies class noticed Anderson wasn't experiencing any economic growth and had a hard time attracting new families. To solve the issue, the students administered a survey to area residents, and what started out as an experiment in economic development turned into countless hours of volunteer work and a wildly successful land initiative.

Magic Eddie

What if your server at your favorite after-hours restaurant was magic? Would it mean your food would be ready pronto, zapped into existence? Abracadabra!

Well, not in 19-year-old Edward Hoecher's case. He knows how to keep his magic from getting him in too much trouble.

High School freshman and Alaska Teen Media Institute reporter, Max Jungreis, interviewed Magic Eddie for ATMI's radio show "In Other News," which airs on KNBA 90.3 FM on the last Saturday of the month.

A year ago, on a chilly, February day in Juneau, Lucas Merli, his friend Kanaan Bausler and Kanaan's sister Kaitlyn ventured to the isolated location of Mt. Ben Stewart. The plan was to film Kanaan as he jumped out of a helicopter to land on a narrow opening of snow, but just as Kanaan hit the ground an unexpected wash of snow surrounded him, disabling his sight. Without his vision, Kanaan smashed directly into a wall of solid rock, breaking 10 of his ribs on his left side and puncturing a lung.

Lucas Merli

The Anchorage School District's Safe and Drug Free Schools program has some money to hire a teen in Anchorage part-time as an expert on youth culture.

The Youth Culture Guru is a translator of youth culture for adults and is a spokesperson to other youth, according to the job announcement. The gig pays $7.15 an hour for a minimum of 8 hours a week.

Deadline to apply is March 3. So get on it! You'll find a PDF of the announcement and application below.

"Devil did the Pebble": Photo by Tricia Ward

A group of seventh graders from Dillingham, Alaska have come together in opposition of the Pebble Mine, a proposed copper and gold mine near Bristol Bay.

After completing a class project on Pebble, the group of middle-schoolers developed a strong interest in voicing their opinions.

"They wanted to talk to people who mattered, powerful people, people who could make a difference," their teacher Kathy McLinn told National Public Radio. "I had a 100 percent group of kids who were opposed to the Pebble mine."

Did local bully Sam Meikuk scare Logan Wheeler into assaulting him/her? Or did violent, drunk Logan Wheeler assault Sam Meikuk over alleged cheating in a softball game?

Students will examine both sides in the 2008 Alaska High School Mock Trial Competition, sponsored by the Anchorage Bar Association, which occurs Feb. 15-16 at the Boney Courthouse, located at 303 K St.

This year, high school students will argue the case of State of Alaska v. Logan Wheeler, which concerns an assault allegedly made in self-defense. Students are involved in all aspects of the case, including direct and cross examinations, opening and closing statements and giving testimony.

Tonei Glavinic

The Alaska Teen Media Institute's Tonei Glavinic was featured on Weekend Edition this past Sunday on National Public Radio.

Glavinic, an 18-year-old student at Steller Secondary School, talked about how he sees the presidential election and what he would talk to a candidate about if he actually got the chance.

He was among three young people from across the country, who got to speak out on the election. Listen to his commentary, along with Miriam Archibong in Atlanta and Martin Macias in Chicago, on the NPR Web site.

SOY Awards Banquet

The winners have been announced! Teens from Anderson to Unalaska will be recognized and celebrated at the 10th annual Spirit of Youth Awards banquet March 29 at the Egan Center in Anchorage.

A complete list of 2008 winners has been posted to the Spirit of Youth Web site.

SOY recognizes teens for positive contributions to their communities each year. Anyone can nominate a teen for an award by filling out this nomination form.