(upbeat music) - Coming up next on NewsDepth, as Russia invades, the world lends a helping hand to Ukrainians.

President Biden delivers the State of the Union and makes one birthday boy very happy We'll be springing forward, but how necessary is daylight saving time?

And inclusion is in the air, as the Paralympic games begin in Beijing.

NewsDepth is now!

(upbeat music) More than one million Ukrainians flee their homes, as Russia continues its invasion.

Hello everybody!

I'm Rick Jackson.

Thanks for joining us.

Last week, we told you about Russia's shocking attack on the neighboring nation of Ukraine.

As the fighting continues, Russian forces have gained ground further into the country, forcing more than 1.5 million Ukrainian residents to flee.

Many of Ukraine's European neighbors have stepped up, welcoming the refugees into their countries.

A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country, in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

Ukrainian refugees have found safety in countries including Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Moldova, but most have gone to Poland.

There, Polish volunteers met exhausted Ukrainians and offered food, shelter, and hope.

In Korczowa, a small village on the border of Ukraine, the new arrivals were greeted with music, as a local pianist offered his services to provide a small bit of joy after a difficult journey.

More than 500,000 of these refugees are children, and the United Nations expects that number will grow in the coming weeks, if the war continues.

Up next, Ivan Watson introduces us to some of the families forced to flee to the Ukraine-Hungarian border.

- Forced to flee their homes and their country, Ukrainians on the run.

their children making the best of it, oblivious to the fact that a week-old war just turned them into refugees.

This is one of Hungary's border crossings with Ukraine.

There is a steady stream of people arriving here in vehicles and on foot.

All of the Ukrainian new arrivals are women and children.

Hungarian aid workers welcome the refugees and bring them free of charge to the nearest village, where the community center is now a place of refuge.

Some people stay here, others pause for food and warmth before moving on.

Among those here, Anna Teperchuk, her mother Svetlana and her 16-month-old son.

They crossed the border to Hungary this morning, after spending nearly a week on the road.

- We very thanks for Hungary people.

It's very hard work that he's doing.

- The Hungarian village of Barabas has a population of 1,060 people.

the deputy mayor tells me, the village has taken in more than 100 Ukrainians, including housing families in at least 20 village homes.

As we speak, another family arrives from Ukraine.

There's a little baby.

"Yesterday, we took care of a five-day-old baby who came across the border," the deputy mayor tells me.

A five-day-old baby.

Victoria Kurinna says when the Russians invaded, she fled her home near Kyiv for what she thought would be one night.

A week later, she and her son just arrived in a foreign country.

What belongings do you have?

- I have just one jacket.

I think Ukraine is very strong.

It's a country with strong people.

Strong nation.

And amazing power.

That's why I don't worry.

But of course my heart is broken.

- [Ivan] She says she tried to convince her friends in Russia via social media about the deadly attack their military is carrying out on her homeland.

What do your Russian friends say to you?

- "It's not true.

No.

It's not possible."

- [Ivan] They don't believe you?

- No.

(Timur speaks in foreign language) - [Ivan Voiceover] 10-year-old Timur chimes in saying, "Vladimir Putin is like Adolph Hitler.

He's attacking the world, just like Hitler did."

There are almost no men here, aside from the elderly, because all Ukrainian men of fighting age have been ordered to stay behind to defend their country from the Russian invasion.

- I'm very angry for Russia people.

- [Ivan Voiceover] "I want to tell Russians that it's time to do something, it's time to change something," says Anna Teperchuck.

"My son doesn't deserve to be forced to run across Ukraine and across borders," she adds.

"He doesn't deserve to grow up like this."

- Thanks, Ivan.

While many European countries have stepped up their support, here in the US, businesses and volunteers are gathering money and supplies to send overseas.

In Massachusetts, volunteers are packing up medical supplies for people in Ukraine, and a baker there concocted a delicious way to raise money: he baked up a batch of special Ukraine cupcakes, with profits going to the Save the Children Foundation.

And one American medical student found herself in an ideal position to lend a hand.

Colorado-native Joanna Rak is finishing her degree in Poland, where refugees are pouring in, and like many people there, she found a way to pitch in.

Brian Johnson has her story.

- [Loudspeaker] Stand with Ukraine.

Stand with Ukraine.

- [Brian] This message is heard around the world and people are responding.

- Everyone's just kind of come together in such a way that I've never even really thought possible.

- [Brian] Joanna Rak is a US med student finishing her degree in Krakow, Poland.

It's where thousands of refugees are fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.

(crowd sings in foreign language) She captured these images of the local town square where people sing the Ukrainian national anthem to show support.

- Basically a few days ago I was like, how can I help personally?

- [Brian] She purchased these toiletries and supplies after doing a fundraiser on social media.

- I just shared my Venmo and was overwhelmed with support.

- [Brian] Rak and her friend raised $6,000.

They've filled baskets and suitcases to take to a local refugee aid station.

- [Woman] There's a constant flow of people coming in.

- [Brian] This is where refugees are coming to pick up supplies.

People are helping the best they know how.

- [Crowd] Save Ukraine!

- [Joanna] Definitely unexpected turn of events here but we're doing everything we can.

- Thanks, Brian.

Ukraine was top of mind during last week's annual State of the Union address.

The State of the Union is an opportunity for the president to express his goals for the nation, and to comment on how things have been going.

It's so important that giving it is actually written into the Constitution.

It was our first president, George Washington, who gave the very first State of the Union speech.

Over time, the speech has built up some traditions.

It usually takes place at the House of Representatives Chamber in Washington, DC.

The Sergeant at Arms introduces the president, who heads to the podium for his speech.

The vice president sits to his right, and on his left is the Speaker of the House, but this time, for the first time in history, both of those seats were occupied by women: Vice President Kamala Harris, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

On the evening of the speech, members from the House and Senate gathered together, along with Supreme Court justices.

But there was one person missing, and that's on purpose.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was the Designated Survivor during this year's State of the Union address.

Since all of the important government officials were gathered together in the same place, the designated survivor would take charge of the country, if disaster struck.

Luckily, the event went off without a hitch.

This was President Joe Biden's first State of the Union speech, and it was one of the shortest in recent history, at just an hour.

But President Biden still managed to fit in some of the nation's top concerns, such as the war in Ukraine, and inflation.

As we mentioned a few weeks back, inflation is the general level of prices going up, making things more expensive.

President Biden spoke specifically about the high cost of prescription drugs, like insulin.

For most people, inulin is an important hormone created naturally in our body, but people with diabetes do not produce their own insulin, and they must inject it, sometimes up to four times a day.

To make his point, President Biden introduced a special guest, who happened to have just celebrated a special day.

- One in 10 Americans has diabetes.

In Virginia, I met a 13-year-old boy, the handsome young man standing up there, Joshua Davis.

(audience applauds) He and his dad both have Type 1 diabetes, which means they need insulin every single day.

Insulin costs about $10 a vial to make.

That's what it costs the pharmaceutical company.

But drug companies charge families like Joshua and his dad up to 30 times more.

You know, yesterday... Joshua's here tonight, but yesterday was his birthday.

Happy Birthday, buddy, by the way.

(audience cheers) - That nationally-televised birthday salute, and thrilled reaction from Joshua Davis stole a lot of hearts across the country.

Now Jeremy Roth tells us more about this delighted birthday boy.

- [Jeremy] Getting a birthday shoutout is always awesome.

Getting one from the president during the State of the Union address?

- Happy birthday, buddy, by the way.

- [Jeremy] That's next-level awesome!

That moment of presidential props propelled 13-year-old Joshua Davis to viral stardom with his giddy reaction stealing the spotlight.

- [Joshua] After he said it, I realized how much of a big deal that was.

- [Jeremy] Davis and his dad attended the speech as special guests of the First Lady and weren't anticipating the moment, or the attention that followed.

- I'm excited to tell you that I'm no longer trending on Twitter.

Thankfully.

I don't really like this whole popularity thing.

- [Jeremy] The Davis family are advocates for more affordable insulin and are working with lawmakers to lower costs nationwide, while hearing their issue addressed in the national spotlight was a significant achievement, the Biden birthday salute was just icing on the cake.

- Thank you, Jeremy.

While President Biden's speech focused on recent events in the news, like Ukraine, and inflation, it also included a line that nearly every president for the last 35 years has included: "The State of the Union is strong."

- The State of the Union is strong because you, the American people, are strong.

(audience cheers) - Even when the country is in rough shape, presidents tend to use this phrase to end their speech on a hopeful note.

Now, we just told you all about "the State of the Union" speech, and for this week's question, we want you to create a speech of your own.

But, instead of a "state of the union," we want you to write a "state of the school year" it's a speech that you'd give to your parents.

Is the state of your school year strong?

Head online and let us know!

And, last week, we asked: If you were picking a Supreme Court Justice, what qualities would you look for?

And based on these responses, I think we've got some budding future presidents in our midst.

Let's open up our Inbox!

(upbeat music) Ms. Snyder reports on what the 5th grade at Cleveland Remote School had to say: "We think a Supreme Court Justice, or SCJ, should be fair, which means they can listen to both sides carefully without judgment.

An SCJ should be smart, tough, and respectful.

An SCJ should not favor someone because of money, race, or gender.

An SCJ must be a good communicator.

An SCJ should be kind to all people, be loyal and do the right thing, that means have integrity."

Kyndall from Euclid Middle School likes Judge Jackson, the Supreme Court pick we told you about last week: "The qualities I look for in people on the Supreme Court are smart, honest, ready to take up any challenge, and not afraid of speaking their mind.

I really like the person Biden has chosen.

She had the courage to talk about herself without feeling guilty.

She spoke her mind clearly.

I would love to have a woman like Ms. Jackson on the Supreme Court."

Alisia from Parma Constellation Middle School wants a justice with a good set of ears: "For me the most important qualities would be patience and strong decision making.

I say this because you can not rush people when it comes to listening to cases, you need to listen to the details and truly understand the person.

Strong decision making is extremely important, a lot of things are put at risk, so you have to be smart with your decisions."

Addison from Briar Middle School says it's the inside that counts when picking a justice: "If I had the chance to appoint a new Supreme Court justice, the qualities I would look for would not be the ones that describe people on the outside, but rather what is on the inside.

I don't think I would only allow a certain gender, race, etc.

I would want an assertive, kind, truthful, responsible, strong-willed type of person."

Raziah from Olmsted Falls Intermediate School says justice should be blind: "The qualities I would look for in a Supreme Court justice is someone who is kind, mature, trustworthy, hard working, cares, helpful, and doesn't shame or blame someone because of their race or what a person looks like, no matter black or white, religious or not religious."

Wow!

Thank you all for suck thoughtful letters this week!

Now, as we inch ever closer to Spring, you'll notice the days getting longer, and getting out of bed in the morning becomes a little bit of a struggle.

But there is a remedy: At 2:00 AM, March 13 comes daylight saving time, the twice yearly tradition of springing forward or falling back.

In the spring, Ohioans reset our clocks one hour forward, which means on that day we lose one precious hour of sleep, and show up to school and work yawning a little bit more than usual.

Daylight saving time really messes with our sleep schedule, and that can have disastrous effects on our health and safety.

Studies show that the sudden change in sleep can lead to a higher risk of a heart attack.

And sleepy drivers on the roads cause more accidents.

Arizona and Hawaii, and some US territories like Puerto Rico, have opted out of daylight saving time altogether.

But for the rest of us the shift in the day means we get more sunlight, while we're awake.

In fact, daylight savings time began as a way for Americans to save money on electricity, there's no need to turn your lights on while the sun is out!

And businesses love it, because people tend to spend more money in daytime hours.

So now, we want to hear from you: Should the US eliminate daylight saving time?

You can answer, "Yes, I need that hour of sleep!," "No, I'm not convinced," or "I don't know."

Whatever your answer, be sure to turn in early so you can catch enough z's!

And in last week's poll, NewsCat asked you to put on your binoculars and head outside to tell us: Which Ohio birds have you seen flying around?

And most of you, a whooping 77%, spotted Ohio's official state bird: the cardinal!

That was followed by 72% who scoped out the blue jay.

And 70% of you saw the robin.

The rarest sighting, though, the American Goldfinch.

Only a lucky 33% of you saw that one!

While the Olympics might have ended last month, another international competition is underway in Beijing: the Paralympics.

Like the Olympics, the Paralympics feature elite athletes, competing in a range of different sporting events, but all the participants of the Paralympics are affected by some form of physical or intellectual disability.

The Paralympics shares the spirit of peace through sport with the Olympics, but they also have another goal, according to the United Nations it's "to challenge the boundaries set by society."

In addition to becoming world-class athletes, Paralympians must also strive to overcome limitations placed on them, because of their disabilities.

The Paralympic motto is "Spirit in Motion," representing the strong will of every Paralympian.

Ohm and the 2022 Paralympics have their own fun mascot.

Move over Bing Dwen Dwen, meet Shuey Rhon Rhon, a Chinese lantern child with a glowing heart.

Some of the athletes competing in the Winter Paralympic Games have cerebral palsy, like Team USA snowboarder Zach Miller, who just won a gold!

Or vision impairment, like skier Danelle Umstead.

And many Paralympians are amputees, like hockey player and Iraq War veteran Rico Roman.

Paralympians with amputations, like Rico, are able to compete with the help of special prosthetics.

A prosthetic is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, and the people who make them are prosthetists.

Prosthetists are at the intersection of art and engineering, and they get to help people!

They design, measure, fit, and adapt artificial body parts and supportive devices for people who have disabilities.

Prosthetists must be good listeners, and have excellent critical thinking and decision making skills.

They must be able to listen to their patients and come up with a custom design that works for them.

Prosthetists need to earn a Master's degree from a college or university, and go through a year-long residency program.

Up next, we learn about a groundbreaking Ohio prosthetist, who used his ingenuity to forge a new business, and make it possible for athletes to overcome their disabilities.

- [Reporter] Losing a limb can be a devastating, life-changing experience.

After Paul Leimkuehler of Cleveland lost his leg in World War II, he started a new business and a new winter sport, known as adaptive skiing, which allows amputees to ski.

Paul Leimkuehler grew up in Cleveland.

He graduated from West Technical high school.

He was an elite speed skater and cyclist, and competed for a spot on the US Olympic cycling team.

- He competed in the US cycling trials, actually like underage, so that's one of the reasons he got disqualified, but I think he was maybe in the top 15.

- [Reporter] He attended Ohio State University before going to work as a research engineer at Tinnerman Profucts of Cleveland, a manufacturer of fasteners, nuts and bolts.

(tanks shooting) Leimkuehler was drafted into the Army during World War II.

As a Lieutenant in a six-week incursion that later became known as the Battle of the Bulge, Leimkuehler was severely wounded by a grenade and lost his left leg above the knee.

- A piece of shrapnel flew off from a grenade explosion and cut his leg and it got severely infected.

So he'd actually ask for his own leg to be essentially removed.

- [Reporter] During his recovery, Leimkuehler put his skills as an engineer to work, designing his own prosthetic limb.

He later fabricated artificial limbs for other servicemen.

- [Katie] My grandfather was extremely driven person.

He really taught himself, so he was in the hospital, he build his own artificial leg.

- [Reporter] After returning to Cleveland in 1948, he started the Leimkuehler Limb Company, becoming one of the first certified prosthetists in the country.

- He starts a prosthetic company, and I think it really was powerful, because he was a patient and also the prosthetist seeing the patients.

And most of his patients didn't know that he was an amputee until he'd show then.

So they were all really in shock because he could walk so well, he knew how to adjust their artificial legs to make it great for his patients.

- [Reporter] His commitment to helping others extended well beyond the business.

While on a winter vacation, Leimkuehler learned of amputees in Europe using makeshift ski equipment to go skiing.

After a bit of research and development, Leimkuehler designed a support system, that allowed him to hit the slopes, becoming one of the first adaptive skiers in the country.

- He wanted to get back into sports, and he discovered skiing and developed a device called an outrigger.

It wasn't success right off the bat, they had to make adjustments, and learn how to ski, essentially.

So, yeah, they definitely had to experience the falling, the crashing, all of that, but I think, he didn't see life as full of limitations, he saw it as, oh, well, let's just adapt and evolve this way, and how can I do this?

- [Reporter] Instead of patenting his designs, Leimkuehler shared his discoveries with the amputee community.

- He just really wanted to help people, and that's why he didn't patent the outrigger design, because he wanted everybody to have access to skiing, the sport that he loved.

- [Reporter] Considered the father of adaptive skiing, Paul Leimkuehler was inducted into the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 1981, and into the National Disabled Ski Hall of Fame in 1996.

- More than a century before Paul Leimkuehler helped amputees live their dreams, another Ohio institution was at the forefront of teaching kids with a different disability: deafness.

Up next, Gabriel Kramer fills us in on the Ohio School for the Deaf.

(upbeat music) - Hello, my name is G-A-B-R-I-E-L, Gabriel.

What I was doing with my hands there is American Sign Language.

Maybe you've seen it before.

It is a way for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing to communicate through hand gestures and facial expressions.

Sign Language has been taught in Ohio since the 1800s.

We have a pretty welcoming history of teaching the deaf.

See, in the early days, many people didn't think the deaf could learn, but they were wrong.

Very wrong.

The first permanent school for the deaf in the US was founded April 15, 1817 in Connecticut.

It wasn't long until Ohio opened their own.

In 1829, the Ohio School for the Deaf opened in Columbus.

It began with just one teacher and one 12-year-old student.

At that time, most Americans lived in small towns or on farms, so it was difficult to meet the needs of deaf students in the tiny schools scattered across the countryside.

For this reason, most schools for the deaf were boarding schools where students could come from far and wide to live in a community with other deaf children, and to learn from teachers who were specifically trained to meet their needs.

An 1850 account of life at the school give the following daily schedule.

At 5:00 AM, the students woke up and had breakfast family-style with teachers and administration of the school.

Then it was time for the household chores and a study hall until 8:30 AM when recess began.

At 9:00 AM, everyone gathered in the chapel for prayers, then class time until lunch at noon.

More school until four when it was time for chores again!

Boys did the yard work, and the girls sewed.

And finally, supper at six.

They were busy days for the students and busy weeks with school even happening on Saturdays.

The Ohio School for the Deaf worked hard to prepare students to lead productive lives.

Children enrolled in the school, learned standard subjects like reading and math, but they also learned skills like carpentry and sewing that they could used in jobs once they graduated.

By 1904, the Ohio School for the Deaf population had grown to its peak with 532 students.

As time went on and the school grew, deaf students learned more skills like autobody repair, business, graphic design, and commercial baking.

The Ohio School for the Deaf continues to serve needs of deaf students after almost 200 years!

In 1975, Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Act to provide children with disabilities an equal opportunity for education.

So nowadays, fewer deaf students need to attend boarding schools because many of their needs can be met in public schools right where they live.

- Thanks, Gabe!

People always say if you shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.

Well, this week's NewsDepth A+ Award winner did just that!

Grant Bauer, an eighth grader at Huron Middle School, recently got a personal message from NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover.

Grant was one of 20 students from across the country selected by NASA to speak with the rover team at the Jet Propulsion Lab in California.

Students were nominated by teachers and chosen for showing the attribute the rover was named for, perseverance.

"Grant is a really hard worker.

When he faces a challenge he sticks to it until he's successful," Mrs. Lacrosse, Grant's teacher and cross country coach told us.

She also shared that he is the "go to guy" for keeping the school's three 3D printers operational.

She also told us that he was able to use the technology to build models of the rover and space shuttle.

Grant told us that he hopes to eventually work for NASA and that his interest began in fifth grade.

He has a particular interest in microgravity.

Grant taught us that microgravity is the condition in which people or objects appear to be weightless.

Microgravity can be seen when astronauts and objects float in space.

It's what keeps the International Space Station in orbit.

Grant also told us about his conversation with the rover team at the Jet Propulsion Lab.

The engineers at NASA told him that the rover's trip to Mars was not as easy as it seemed.

They were challenged with two system restarts and a coding error!

Grant's dad told us that he's most proud of Grant's character and his unwillingness to give up.

And that brings us to the message Grant received from the rover.

Grant told us that the rover's message was "Keep going.

Never stop.

Stopping will get you nowhere."

That message sums up Grant's approach to life.

So this week's A+ Award goes to Grant Bauer, from Huron Middle School for his grit and determination.

Keep reaching for the stars, Grant!

And now onto a famous feline whose paws are always reaching for the keyboard.

Let's see what NewsCat's got for us in this week's Petting Zoo.

(upbeat music) (NewsCat meows) NewsCat!

It's not daylight savings time yet.

You've got no excuse for sleeping in!

Up and at 'em!

Inspired by this week's stories about inclusion, NewsCat has found us a penguin who makes kids feel better about their differences!

To find out what makes this penguin such an inspiration, click the petting zoo button on our website!

Thank you, NewsCat!

Now we want to hear from you, and there are plenty of ways to stay in touch.

You can send a letter, we're at 1375 Euclid Avenue, that's downtown Cleveland, Ohio.

Our Zip code is 44115.

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.

We'll see you right back here next week!

(upbeat music) - [Child] New Steps has made possible by grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

(upbeat music) (light music)