(upbeat music) - Coming up next on "NewsDepth," we take a look back at everything we learned this year.

We check out some pretty cool school programs around the US.

Cedar Point has a long history with ups and downs.

And we meet a club that's been collecting postcards for 50 years.

"NewsDepth" is now.

(upbeat music) We made it to the end of season 53, I'm so proud of us, well, more proud of you.

Hey everybody, I'm Rick Jackson.

Thank you for joining us for the final episode of the 2022/23 school year.

Wow, a lot can happen in a year.

We saw some extreme weather across the US, Ohio reelected Republican Mike DeWine to be governor of our state last November.

We heard about protests around the world.

And a train derailed in East Palestine, creating environmental and health concerns.

Let's review what we learned together this year, kind of like you do in class before an exam.

But don't worry, I'm not gonna test you on this one.

Drew Maziasz has this season's year in review.

- [Drew] Hi, I'm Drew Maziasz, and this is your review of season 53 of "NewsDepth."

The Federal Reserve, or Fed, is the central bank to the United States, and last year Fed chairman Jerome Powell, announced it raised interest rates seven times.

This came with higher prices, for anything from groceries, to cars, and home loans.

Last fall, the James Webb Telescope, which was launched back in December of 2021, had sent back images with amazing discoveries.

- [Jeff] Part of the telescope's mission is to look for planets outside our solar systems, they're called exoplanets.

- [Drew] November 8th, 2022 was election day in Ohio.

The candidates for governor were Mike DeWine and Nan Whaley.

And Ohio reelected Republican, Mike DeWine, to be the governor of our state.

We learned what it takes for a bill to become a law.

- [Nick] A representative with an idea for a new law, proposes the bill to the House so they can vote on it.

Before they vote on the bill, this House assigns a committee for due diligence.

- [Drew] The US was hit with some record setting weather, including a bomb cyclone that dropped up to 24 inches of snow in Buffalo, New York, and the worst flooding the Mississippi River has seen in 20 years.

We asked a professional pilot your questions about her job.

- Ellie from William Bruce Elementary in Eaton asks, how long did it take you to get through training and college to be a pilot?

It took me four years to finish training and university in order to become a pilot.

- [Drew] And we learned about a hiking pioneer from Ohio.

- [Anna] And on September 25th, 1955, Grandma Gatewood became the first woman ever to through hike the Appalachian Trail.

- Thank you, Drew.

Time is running out for Congress to nail down the debt ceiling legislation before the June 1st deadline.

That's when the US Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, says the country will run out of funds to repay debt already incurred by our federal government.

The debt ceiling has been raised without too much fuss in previous years, but Republicans want to tie that to budget cuts and neither side can agree on spending levels.

Economists say the longer this stretches out, the greater the impact on the economy will be.

Ivan Rodriguez explains what this means for the country and for families.

- [Ivan] Washington's window to raise the debt ceiling is narrowing.

- If Congress failed to raise the debt limit by the time we default, we would go into a recession and it would be catastrophic.

- [Ivan] Weekend staff level talks between Capitol Hill and the White House were productive, according to sources familiar with the talks.

But as President Joe Biden may be preparing to meet with top Congressional leadership, the way forward appears unclear.

A US financial crisis could unleash chaos around the world and impact millions of Americans.

- Defaulting on our debt isn't only about financial markets, it's about paying our social security recipients, it's about paying our troops, it's about paying the men and women who are working in the border today.

- [Ivan] Bank rates, Greg McBride says, the uncertainty alone is enough to wreak havoc on family finances.

- It doesn't take more than just a brief disruption to create a hole that households may take months, if not years, to dig out.

- [Ivan] This, as Americans are already contending with record household debt, more than $17 trillion worth, according to a new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

- The more money that households are putting into debt payments, that's less money that's available for discretionary spending, which is a headwind to the economy.

- [Ivan] But McBride says there are two key ways to protect yourself as economic conditions grow less stable.

- Paying down debt and boosting your emergency savings.

- Thank you, Ivan.

It is graduation season and young adults are facing adulthood amid a looming potential US debt default, high inflation and ongoing recession fears.

It can all seem daunting for new grads navigating how to gain control of their finances, from budgeting and negotiating salaries, to adopting good money habits.

Budgeting is planning out how to save and spend your money.

When you budget, every paycheck you set aside an amount for groceries, for rent, for your mortgage, your bills, some to save, a little bit to spend on yourself.

In today's Consumer Watch, one expert weighs in on how graduates can set themselves up for success.

Shelly Molaschi has more.

- [Shelly] Graduation season is underway across the country, and young adults are entering the real world amid an uncertain US economic outlook.

- For current grads or recent grads, it's really important to make sure that you are not too intimidated by that.

- [Shelly] Personal finance expert, Jully-Alma Taveras says, a bit of planning now can help new grads gain control over their finances for life and has these five money tips.

Number one, track expenses for at least six months to see your habits before creating a new budget.

- That allows you to see, okay, where's my money actually going so that I can then after that period, really start to think about how do I wanna strategize in terms of how I spend my money?

- [Shelly] Two, use the 50/20/30 method, where 50% of your paycheck pays for living expenses, 20% goes to your savings, and the last 30% is for things you enjoy.

Three, learn to negotiate your salary.

Research how much your role pays and advocate for yourself.

- That's going to give you a really great start right from the beginning in terms of salary, that is only going to go up from there.

- [Shelly] Four, get health insurance coverage.

Since many young adults are under their parents' policy, Taveras says, this is a good time to shop around.

And finally, create a financial strategy that fits your short-term and long-term goals.

- What is it that I want out of life?

Do I really want to start saving now so that I could buy a home in the near future?

Do I really want to just focus on investing for an early retirement perhaps?

- Thanks, Shelly.

Now, throughout the year, we've featured a lot of stories dealing with economics.

Economics is the science that explores the production, consumption and transfer of wealth, often through labor and providing goods and services.

This week's A+ Award Winners took their growing knowledge of economics and put them to work.

Mrs. Igarashi's second grade class at Ellison Elementary School in Willoughby, planned a market day.

Each one of the seven teams of students brainstormed, designed and produced a product.

They considered a wide range of factors in their production, including the ideas of wants and needs.

As Savannah explained, a need is something that helps you survive, but a want is a luxury.

They also thought about supply and demand, which helped them to determine the prices of their products.

Cooper told us that if there's a high demand for a product, you can charge more, but if there's a lower demand, you should reduce your price.

Cooper and his partners, Ava P., Oliver, and Savanna, are hoping that they can charge a high price for their pillows.

That's not all, each team also created a marketing campaign to help advertise their products.

Selena told us that this is an important step when you're trying to sell something like the Eye Spy Bottles that she created with her partner, Ava H. Now, James explained to us that they're using Eagle Bucks to buy the items.

Eagle Bucks are a reward that students at Edison can earn through being good citizens and good students.

James and his partners, John and Rosie, are charging three Eagle Bucks for the stress balls they've made.

This group of entrepreneurs from Edison told us they considered things that they knew their classmates would like when they decided what to make.

Grant and Nolan painted pet rocks.

They promised us that the pet rocks don't need to be walked as much as Newshound.

Niko and Tyson decided to be art dealers and are selling original works of art.

Amelia and Emily are selling Girl Power Bracelets, but they assured us that boys can buy them as well.

And finally, Kane, Christopher, Srithik, Cade, are selling some Ooey Gooey Slime.

So this week's A+ Award goes to Mrs. Igarashi's Edison Entrepreneurs for putting their knowledge of economics to work.

Congratulations.

Now, when I was in school, my favorite class was English, but I might have had a different answer if my school had programs like the ones in these next couple of stories.

Students in an elementary school in Nevada are learning outside of the classroom.

They're learning how to take care of animals.

Les Krifaton has that story.

- [Stacy] That they wave at, they're hands on with the animals that are inside the cages, and as well as the animals that are outside.

- [Les] From Guinea pigs and tortoises inside, to chickens and potbelly pigs outside, this is not your typical elementary school.

There are about 150 animals at Hoggard Math and Science Magnet School, where students learn a regular curriculum, but they also learn to care for animals, according to principal Stacy Scott-Cherry.

- They love the responsibility that this gives them, and they love the pride that they have taking care of the animals and knowing that they're responsible for making sure that they eat.

- [Les] The kids, they beam when talking about their school activities.

- Because I come after school then and before school to come take care of the animals and get to like carry some of them.

- [Les] Some are too big to carry, like these guys that live outdoors.

But the kids still can't get enough when it comes to their daily responsibilities.

They even develop a business sense.

- The third graders do all our egg collecting and getting the eggs ready to sell.

The big kids will build habitats.

Even our little kids have been involved in building some of the habitats.

- [Les] Life science strategist, Kimberly Law, has been with the school for about 14 years and has seen its success.

- The kids learn so much, they learn to work with all kinds of different kids, because they come from all over the city, especially in math and science.

- [Les] For Law, it's a full-time, year-round job because the animals need to be cared for daily.

And the kids, they love their curriculum.

- I think I'm learning their personalities and seeing the difference between what animals need and how to care for all of them.

- Thanks Les.

At a school in the Seattle area, students can learn traditions of Mexican heritage, traditions like Folklorico dance and mariachi music.

Maddie White takes us into their classroom.

- [Maddie] In Skagit County, the only thing brighter than the tulips.

- [Teacher] I'm gonna bring out the dancers.

- [Maddie] Are the skirts on the students.

- [Teacher] All right, girls.

- [Maddie] At Mount Vernon High School, - [Teacher] Here we go, one, two, three.

(upbeat music) - It's a class that anyone can take, it counts as P.E credit here at the high school.

- [Maddie] Where teenagers can learn to live out the traditions of their heritage.

- My mom used to dance when she was young.

(speaking foreign language) - [Maddie] Like Folklorico dance.

- [Teacher] I love the Zapateado.

- [Maddie] And mariachi music.

- One, two, three.

(upbeat music) - I get to play songs that are from my country and my homeland.

- [Maddie] Because even in a music genre, traditionally male dominated, you'll find students unafraid to break the mold.

(upbeat music) - That's a beast of an instrument, but she plays it well.

- [Maddie] And say their teacher, Mr. Ramon Rivera, empowers them.

- I could have chosen a completely different instrument and I chose this one because I wanted to show my fellow Latinas, you can do this.

- [Maddie] And she says, mariachi's done wonders for her social and emotional wellbeing.

- Socially, it has made me a way more confident person.

When I first met Mr. Rivera I was a really anti-social kid.

- [Maddie] Something Eddie Gonzalez relates to.

- There was a time where I literally just stayed at my desk, hoodie on, just did my work quietly, I never talked to anyone, I was like pretty much alone.

- [Maddie] But how those days have changed.

- I'm more social, I'm more of a positive person now.

I talk to my teachers a lot more.

- [Maddie] One study shows schools that have music programs have a higher attendance rate of 93%, compared to 85% in schools without music program.

Rivera says 95% of his mariachi seniors this year are doing things no one else in their family ever has, to graduate high school, and- - A lot of their parents never went to college.

- [Maddie] But these kids tell me they are.

- I really wanna go to UCLA.

- I'm gonna attend Desert Valley College, - Eastern Washington University.

- [Maddie] So it's not just their Folklorico skirts that are bright, it seems their futures are too.

- Thank you, Maddie.

Well, I hope you brought some sunblock and your sunglasses because we're spending the day at Cedar Point.

Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located on Lake Erie Peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio.

It opened way back in 1870, so it's considered the second oldest operating amusement park anywhere in the United States.

Gabriel Kramer might have the best assignment of the week.

He's there to learn about the park's history and ride some rides, of course.

- It's finally summertime here in Ohio.

Today we are at Cedar Point.

This amusement park's been around for more than 150 years.

For reference, at the time of its opening, Ohio native, Ulysses S. Grant was the US president, and it's the same year that the Ohio State University first opened.

This place, like a rollercoaster, it's history has a lot of ups and downs.

So let's ride.

(upbeat music) We're here at Cedar Point with my man, Tony Clark.

Tony, nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you as well, welcome.

- Tony, tell me, this place wasn't always an amusement park.

What was here before all this?

- There really was literally nothing.

This was literally just a peninsula on Lake Erie that had lots of cedar trees, hence the name Cedar Point.

And over the years, those trees have been moved, cleared, and new attractions built for over 150 years.

And this is what it is today.

So when it started, it was actually just this beach behind us, in 1870 is when this beach opened, and the very first time people came over here was on a steamship.

And a man named Louise Estelle would shuttle people over here, they would spend the day at the beach.

He brought people over here for the day.

He was like an entrepreneur, a businessman, who wanted to capitalize on having this beautiful property.

And then over the years, more and more people came.

(upbeat music) - [Gabriel] What were some of the first attractions and rides here?

- The first attractions were really not that exciting.

I think our first, everyone likes to hear about our first roller coaster, which was built in 1892.

It was called the Switchback Railway.

It was 25 feet tall and had a top speed of about 10 miles per hour, which is not very exciting of by today's standards when you see some of our rides go 93 miles per hour.

(upbeat music) - All right, tell me, what is your favorite thing about Cedar Point?

- The Gemini.

- Just everyone, and they're always like so happy, And it's like the rides are really fun.

- The chain one.

- All the roller coasters.

- Which one's your favorite rollercoaster?

- [Kid] The Gatekeeper or The Maverick.

(upbeat music) - Growing up not far from here, we would constantly hear things like Cedar Point's done it again, they broke this record, they have the fastest, tallest, this and that.

- Yeah.

- Cedar Point must take a lot of pride in being that.

And talk to me, what are some of the record breaking attractions we have here at Cedar Point?

- This has always been known as the roller coaster capital of the world.

We were the first amusement park to have a ride that goes over 200 feet tall, that's Magnum XL 200.

We were the first park to have a ride over 300 feet tall, that's Millennium Force.

The first ride over 400 feet tall, the Top Thrill Dragster.

We've innovated new technology, so hybrid technology, of a wooden structure and a steel track, and that goes back to 1978 with The Gemini.

(upbeat music) - [Gabriel] How many people are coming to Cedar Point?

- For the whole year, we typically attract more than 3 million visitors on the property.

And they don't just spend time here at Cedar Point, that's what's great about this area, they can go to the islands, they can go visit the other attractions in the area, but that's a lot of people in a period of four to five months.

- What is it about Cedar Point that it has such great success?

Why has it been around for 150 years?

- Tradition, that's really what has been the foundation of Cedar Point since it started.

When we brought those visitors over every summer in 1870, they started doing that every year, that was the start of what was a family tradition.

It's still a family tradition.

People who visit us every year, remember, when I was a kid, we rode this, or when my grandparents took me, we rode the train together and I have photos from that.

That's what really keeps this successful.

(upbeat music) - Wow, thanks Gabe.

I hope you had a good time at Cedar Point.

Now for this week's poll, and this is a fun one.

We want to know what's your favorite amusement park or carnival ride?

Jump over to our poll page online to choose between rollercoaster, carousel, the log ride, that might be my favorite.

No, maybe the roller coasters.

Oh, maybe the tilt-a-whirl, the Ferris Wheel, the bumper cars, or you could put down, I really don't like rides.

Okay, last week we asked you how you plan to stay active this summer?

It turns out that 60% of you said you'd be playing sports.

60% of voters also said you're planning on playing in the water.

42% of you said you'd be riding your bikes all summer.

30% voted for running, 27% said hiking, and in last place was fishing.

Just 23% of you said you'll go fishing this summer.

It's increasingly difficult these days to remember a time without computers or cell phones, the internet, cameras.

If a person went on vacation, how could they let loved ones know where they traveled without social media?

Well, they'd send a postcard.

For this week's Sketchbook, We meet the Western Reserve Postcard Society as they're celebrating their 50th anniversary.

(scribbling) - [Harlan] I probably have one of the most extensive Cleveland postcard collections.

I wouldn't say it's the most, but I'd say I'm up there.

- [Shirley] Everybody always enjoys looking at postcards.

- My name is Harlan Ullman.

I am the newly elected president of the Western Reserve Postcard Society.

I've been a collector a long time, and it took me a while before I joined the club, I'd probably been a member about 20 to 30 years, probably closer to 30.

- I'm Shirley Goldberg and I welcome you to Western Reserve Postcard Society.

Many people that enjoy collecting postcards of every subject matter, even part of their life, their history, different hobbies that they have.

When I started looking for postcards for my children, then I noticed my stack was getting larger than what I was picking out for them.

- The postcard, as we know it, was created by an act of Congress, I think was 1898.

Before postcards, they were called private mailing cards or PMCs.

And they were developed as a quick, easy way to communicate with people.

The postage rate was cheaper and you would have a photo of where you were or something.

And the intent was people to mail these things, quick little note, the so-called wish you were here thing.

But I think what unexpectedly happened was people didn't have cameras then, and they would use postcards to have pictures of what they were seeing.

That led to what was called the Golden Age of Postcards, which millions of cards were created and bought, and many of which are brand new.

I mean, you find cards all the time from over 100 years old, that were never sent.

And the reason was people bought them because that was their photo album of their trip.

(upbeat music) - My name is Jim Sens, well, I've been an artist, seems like almost all my life.

When I would be on the road, traveling, I would make postcards to send to my grandkids.

So that's really how I started doing postcard art.

And I'd been doing postcard art for quite a long time.

Everybody has a different specialty that they might want to collect.

I never declared it, but I think now that I think about it, I'm starting a collection of carousels, things like that, that I can use as a reference, but create an original piece of art myself.

- And I think nostalgia is something that people will always be interested in.

People want to, they wanna see where things were, they wanna see what it was like for their parents, their grandparents, their great grandparents.

They'd be ashamed to see the hobby become extinct.

And I don't think it will in in my lifetime, but lot of things people think are gonna be there forever are not there.

But these postcards will be here for a long time, even when we're gone.

(gentle music) - Special thanks to our arts producer, Jean-Marie Papoi, for sharing that video with us and for inspiring our last Write to Us of the season.

We want you to send us a postcard.

Now, it could be virtual or physical, but we want to hear about your summer plans.

Send us a handwritten postcard to 1375 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, Ohio, our zip code, 44115, or send us a virtual card using our inbox form online.

Now, I hope Newscat will send me a postcard of what she's up to this summer.

You know, this will be her last Petting Zoo segment ever.

She'll be retiring from "NewsDepth" after the season.

Well, without further ado, one last time, take it away, Newscat.

(upbeat music) (cat meows) Hey there, oh wait.

Looks like she's not quite enjoying her lion costume, come on, think big Newscat.

Okay, she's found a story of a pair of parrots who invaded a college women's softball game.

To find out how they finally made it back to their owner, just click the Petting Zoo button on our website.

Thank you Newscat, and thank you for all your hard work over the years here at "NewsDepth."

Okay, well last week, Newscat and I both announced our retirement, so we got a lot of heartfelt messages from all of you, wishing us a farewell.

Let's read what you had to say by opening up our inbox.

Owen and Jackson from Marion Local and Maria Stein, teamed up to write this letter.

"Dear "NewsDepth," we are so sad to hear that you and the Newscat are retiring.

Our class does this thing where a Newshound or a Newscat are doing their segment.

We meow when Newscat meows or with Newshound we bark.

And Rick Jackson, you're such a big part of "NewsDepth," I don't think anybody or anything can replace you.

We'll miss you guys."

Jocelyn from Strongsville Middle School in Strongsville, has been a "NewsDepth" fan for years.

"Dear "NewsDepth," I will miss you and Newscat very much.

I've been watching since third grade.

I always got so excited when my teacher told me we were watching "NewsDepth."

I am going into seventh grade and still love to watch.

I will miss you very much.

PS you should come on every once in a while."

Well, there's an idea.

Maybe I'll make a cameo appearance next year.

Rawimon from Richardson Elementary School in Cuyahoga Falls.

I hope you're excited to see your letter in today's episode, it says, "Dear News Death.

I would like to say goodbye to Rick and Newscat.

I would like to thank them for taking their time to entertain kids.

Ever since I started watching "NewsDepth," I was able to tell my parents what's happening in the world and reasons why stuff is happening.

Also, when I started watching "NewsDepth," I would get to know about other students with the A+ Awards.

I would also get to hear other kids' responses and their opinions."

Rorie From Tallmadge Elementary in Tallmadge thinks I'm very funny.

"Dear "NewsDepth," I can't believe you're leaving us this quick.

I've seen so many episodes in class and they are all so interesting.

Rick, you were so funny and make the best dad jokes.

Newscat shows the best animal videos and they are so cute.

You guys can't leave so fast, we will all be so sad.

You need to make more fun episodes next year."

And finally, Ulysses from Grant Elementary in Lakewood has a favorite "NewsDepth" story.

"I've been watching "NewsDepth" since I was in the first grade, getting out of bed early every Friday just to watch it.

My fourth grade teacher plays it every Friday for my class to watch, so this year I didn't have to get up early.

My favorite part of "NewsDepth" is Know Ohio.

My favorite Know Ohio was the one about the Cuyahoga River catching on fire because I didn't know that could happen until I watched that video."

Thank you everyone for writing in, and also thank you to all of our viewers for making this season so amazing and interesting.

And the idea about maybe popping in and doing a cameo, who knows?

But I do like visiting schools and talking to kids, so maybe I'll pop up in your classroom.

Either way, that's a wrap for season 53 of "NewsDepth."

Teachers, we do want to know how we did this season.

To share your input, can you take that teacher survey at the bottom of the episode page?

It's also included in our latest newsletter.

And students, you know, we always want to hear from you of course, and there are plenty of ways for you to stay in touch with us.

You can write to us, 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, our zip code, 44115.

Send the postcards, remember that part too?

You can email us at NewsDepth.ideastream.org, or you can tweet us, our handle is @newsdepthohio.

Thanks for joining us, I'm Rick Jackson, and the "NewsDepth" team will see you right back here next school year.

(upbeat music) - [Kid] "NewsDepth" is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

(upbeat music)