(upbeat music) - Coming up next on "NewsDepth," we meet high schoolers who are saving endangered fish from a drought.

How close is a COVID vaccine for kids?

We've got the latest.

Plus, this kid is a pro at producing pumpkins for profit, and Margaret digs in to why kids bully in this week's "Spot on Science."

"NewsDepth" is now.

(upbeat music) Closing in on a COVID vaccine for kids.

Hello, everybody, I'm Rick Jackson.

Thank you for joining us.

Remember how excited we were way back in December of 2020 with news that the very first COVID-19 vaccine was finally administered in the United States?

It went to a nurse in New York City.

Since then, 75% of folks who are 12, or older have received at least one shot, with 65% of Americans being fully vaccinated.

Remember, some of the vaccines require two shots.

Well, for the more than 40 million children 11 and under there have been zero shots.

Why not?

Because no vaccines have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for that age group, which includes many of you.

But drug makers Pfizer and BioNTech say they are getting close to a COVID shot for kids.

Our Lisa Ryan has more.

- [Lisa] Pfizer and BioNTech submitted key data from trials of their vaccine in kids ages five to 11 to the US Food and Drug Administration last week.

The drug makers' trials used two doses of a vaccine given three weeks apart, and it used a much smaller dose than what is currently used for adults, 10 micrograms for children, compared to 30 micrograms for adults.

Pfizer says the trials showed their vaccine is safe and effective.

- I think this is gonna make a huge difference in the fight against COVID-19.

- [Lisa] But before shots can go into arms, there are a few more steps that need to happen.

Pfizer and BioNTech will need to request Emergency Use Authorization of the vaccine from the FDA.

Once the FDA gives their approval, then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will decide whether it should be recommended for younger children.

How long could that all take?

- I would hope that by the end of October, we'll be there.

I can't guarantee it, but I'm hopeful that that will be the case.

- [Lisa] Once the approvals have gone through, it will be up to parents to decide when and if their child will be vaccinated.

Experts say it might not be easy.

- It's gonna be hard to get these children vaccinated, just as hard as adults to get them vaccinated, unless we have mandates.

- [Lisa] A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll showed more than a third of parents with children ages five to 11 said they would vaccinate their child right away once the vaccine is authorized.

But another third said they would wait and see how the vaccine is working.

- It's a serious issue among children, and the best way to protect them is with this vaccine.

- Thank you, Lisa.

Pfizer and BioNTech say they expect to have data on a vaccine for two more age groups, children two to five, and six months to two years, later this year.

But before some people get one shot, there are already some folks who are fully vaccinated being encouraged to get another shot, a booster shot.

A booster is a dose of medicine to renew, or boost the effectiveness of the original dose.

The new shot essentially helps remind your body how to fight off an illness.

They're pretty common for vaccines, including those that keep you safe from measles, mumps, tetanus, and more.

Well, the FDA and the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control, recently recommended boosters for a select group of folks.

Anyone 65 years and older, anyone who's at high risk due to their health, and anyone who lives, or works in a place that gives them a higher risk of getting COVID, think healthcare workers, grocery store workers, and teachers.

President Joe Biden even got a booster shot last week.

- Now I know it doesn't look like it, but I am over 65.

I wish I (laughs), way over, and that's why I'm getting my booster shot today.

The bottom line is that if you're fully vaccinated, and you're highly protected now from severe illness, even if you get COVID-19, you're safe, and we're going to do everything we can to keep it that way with the boosters.

But let me be clear, boosters are important.

But the most important thing we need to do is get more people vaccinated.

- Of course, keeping healthy is about more than vaccines.

You need to eat right and stay active.

Maybe head to the local park for a pickup game, or sign up for an afterschool sport, which brings me to our next story.

Sports can be a good way to stay active and to learn teamwork.

But being a student athlete comes with a lot of pressure to perform.

Our Anna Huntsman has details on how to stay in the game.

- [Anna] Fall sports are back, and the benefits are boundless for children who take part.

- There are so many things that they learn as far as improving friendships.

They learn how to problem solve.

They learn to work as a team.

- [Anna] And sports keep kids active.

But playing on a team can also be a lot of pressure.

So how do you keep your head in the game while also caring for your mental health?

Dr. Stephanie Walsh with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Strong4Life says kids and parents should focus on fun.

- Every time that a kid runs out on the field, I want the last thing they shout out to them to be, "Have fun," and the first thing they say to them when they come off the field is, "I loved watching you play."

- [Anna] Practice plays a big part in sports, but Dr. Walsh says if a parent, or guardian pushes a child to practice more and more, it can cause resentment.

Resentment is feeling angry about having to do something you don't wanna do.

She says it helps to talk it out with an adult about how you are feeling, and why you aren't having fun with sports anymore.

Dr. Walsh says to balance your schedule.

Committing to too many sports can be overwhelming and exhausting.

Make sure you have time for your schoolwork and your friends, too.

And in sports, just like in life, failure is hard, but it allows you to learn.

- [Dr. Walsh] Make sure that you're not blaming somebody for a loss.

A lot of times, we always hear kids say, "Well, the ref was bad," or, "One of the players didn't do well," and really pushing it off on the fact that sometimes you just lose a game.

- [Anna] But learning that lesson is a win in the long run.

- Thanks, Anna.

For this week's poll, we wanna know do you play any team sports?

Head to our online poll to choose, it's an easy one, yes, or no, easy poll this time.

Now, for last week's poll, we asked you which social media sites do you use?

84% of you said you use YouTube.

Hey, you know "NewsDepth" is on YouTube, right?

Okay, sign up if you're old enough.

Another 45% of you said you use TikTok.

Wow, only 12% of you said you don't use any social media.

Last week, we also talked about how social media can make you feel bad about how you look, or how you live.

The platform Instagram has been facing scrutiny after it was revealed they knew about the negative impacts.

Scrutiny means a close, or intense look at something.

As a result, the company has paused its efforts to develop a version of its photo-sharing app for children who are younger than 13, which it announced in July as a new Instagram experience for tweens.

Instagram now says it will take time to discuss concerns with parents, experts, policymakers, and regulators.

In the new version, they say accounts would be managed by parents and guardians to reduce the number of people lying about their age to get onto the regular platform.

It's not just comparing yourself to other people that you need to watch out for online, though.

Unfortunately, the internet can be a pretty mean place, and an easy spot for bullies to hide.

Our Margaret Cavalier talked with a mental health counselor all about it and what to do if you're bullied.

She's got the scoop in this week's "Spot on Science."

- Anyone else ever get picked on?

It's not a fun experience, and the excuse kids will be kids really isn't a good one.

To find out some of the science behind bullying and what to do when it happens to us, or a friend, I called up Robyn Hill.

She's a licensed mental health counselor and has some great insights on bullying.

I started by asking her to tell me a bit about her job.

Take a look.

(electronic music) - Yes, I'm a mental health therapist, so basically what I do is I talk to people for living.

I sit down with them and talk about how things are affecting their mood, or their feelings, and help them find ways to feel better about the way they're feeling.

I went to school, I got a master's in counseling, and I learned different techniques to help people change their emotions and change their thinking patterns, so that they could feel better about themselves.

- And so, I know that you talk with kids a lot about bullying.

What exactly is bullying?

'Cause it's not just someone, you know, name-calling, or picking on you.

- Yes, bullying is when a child tries to give themselves power over other children.

And so, they do use a lot of words.

There is picking, sometimes there's physical violence.

One of the main things that is very hurtful is when they isolate a child from the social group.

Now, not only are people picking on you in class, or in a social environment, but it's also on the internet, and it can be very, very hurtful, because that stuff people can't get rid of, and once a meme is out there, and it's viral, it doesn't go away, even if the original person takes it down.

So we definitely wanna stay away from cyber bullying.

- What might cause someone to bully?

- It's various reasons.

There's no exact science to it, but a lot of times, it's people who have grown up, or children who were raised in environments, where being mean is a common factor.

They're protecting themselves from those around them.

And so, they become mean towards everyone that's around.

- You're not born a bully, but you can learn that this is a way that you navigate through the world.

- Definitely, definitely.

- And so, I wonder what is something that kids can do if they see someone being bullied?

- I always say point it out to an adult.

Let the adults intervene.

Don't try to handle it yourself.

But what you can do is not participate in it.

If you see a kid being bullied, or being isolated, bring them into the group.

Don't let them get pushed out and ostracized from everyone else.

- Is there anything I should do different if I'm being bullied myself?

- If you're being bullied yourself, I would say, first, make sure you let an adult know, whether it's a teacher, school counselor, principal, parents, whoever, so that they can help change the situation.

But also your own thing that you can do is your affirmations is a great tool to use.

Say things in the morning, remind yourself of how great you are, so that those words throughout the day do not, don't hurt you as much, because you know who you are.

- I like that, so we kind of talked about how bullying can be learned, but you can also kind of unlearn it- - Yes.

- By building yourself up.

- Definitely, definitely, it's a great tool to use.

- Well, thank you so much for chatting with me today, Robyn.

I appreciate it.

- Thank you so much.

(bell chimes) (logo whooshes) (logo boings) - Thank you, Margaret.

I like the idea of affirmations.

What a great way to build yourself up.

Now, last week, we also asked you how you could build up your peers.

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

(graphics whoosh) Justin from Princeton City Schools in Cincinnati wrote, "I can be nice to my peers by doing something "to cheer them up when they are sad, "and telling them to come play.

"And another to be nice to your peer is "to stand up for people that are getting bullied "and be their friend."

(message whooshes) Here's one from from Sathvik from Strongsville Middle in Strongsville.

"There are many ways for me to build up my peers.

"One way that I can build up my peers is "I can encourage them by saying nice things, "like, 'You got this,' or, 'You can do it,' "if they're doing something hard.

"Another way I can build up my peers is I can inspire them "by doing something that is hard for me "to show that they can do things "that are hard for them as well.

"A different way of building up your peers is even "to evenly distribute work if you're working in groups, "so one person doesn't get all this stress.

"These are the ways you can build up your peers."

(message whooshes) Gunner from Miami East in Troy has a few good tips.

"How I would help my peers is to cheer them up every day, "play games at recess, or help with their homework, "send them Gmail, or meet them on a video game."

(message whooshes) I like this letter from Samantha at Ledgeview Elementary in Macedonia.

"You can build up your peers by doing little things "like small compliments.

"Another thing that could help build up your peers is "by agreeing to be partners when you are working "on an activity where you need a partner.

"Even little things can make a person "feel good about themself."

(message whooshes) Finally, Will from Ayer Elementary in Cincinnati wrote, "I build up my peers by making them feel like they belong "and matter to me and in life.

"Also, I pick them up when they fall down.

"That is how I build up my peers."

Again this week, awesome writing everyone.

Now, back to the news.

This past year has been one of the driest on record for many parts of California.

The so-called water year, which tracks surface water supply, runs from October 1st to September 30th.

According to the US Drought Monitor, many areas saw 50%, or less of their normal level of precipitation.

Take a look at this map.

You can see that the entire state is in a drought.

A drought is an extended period without rain.

The brighter red, which makes up about 88% of the state is in an extreme drought state, which means cattle will need extra feed, and water is inadequate for agriculture, for wildlife, and for city needs.

The dark red symbolizes exceptional drought, meaning fields can't produce crops, fire season can be extremely damaging, and fish may even need to be rescued from shallow streams.

As I mentioned, the drought has been especially bad this year.

Over the summer, reporter Stephanie Elam talked to some people feeling the impact.

- There's seven of us living in the house, and we've had no water for a month now.

- [Stephanie] For the Boylan family, the drought is hitting home.

- You still walk over to brush your teeth and turn on the faucet, and then you realize, "Oh yeah, there's no water."

(water sloshes) - [Stephanie] The lack of running water makes the simplest of routines challenging, especially as temperatures rise above 100 degrees.

- Our neighbor who has a house across the street with no one living in it said we can use his hose out front to fill our water bucket.

- [Stephanie] All this because the well at their Clovis, California home literally ran dry, the result of years of underwhelming precipitation in the region.

- It went from being sufficient to being gone overnight.

Now, you can move this, because there's no water in it.

- [Stephanie] By a stroke of luck, the Boylans came across Self-Help Enterprises, which helps residents get the water they need.

- It's a 2,500-gallon tank, and then we haul water weekly, and they can resume normal household activities.

- The Boylans aren't the only ones in this predicament.

Across the state's Central Valley, wells are drying out, drawing up demand.

The family is on a nine-month waiting list to drill a new deeper well.

How early during the year did the calls start to come in for the need for water?

- 40% more calls in March, and then April, we were pretty much full into a drought.

- [Stephanie] In fact, California just recorded its lowest rainfall year since records began in 1895.

And it's not just homeowners.

Even towns are being forced to drill deeper to find water.

- We all just expect to go up to the faucet, turn it on, and there's water.

But when there isn't, it's a shock.

- [Stephanie] Frank Galaviz lives in Teviston.

He says in early June, 700, or so residents were left high and dry for about two weeks after the town's well failed.

Now, they are relying on these four massive above-ground tanks that get refilled daily.

Each holds 10,000 gallons of crucial H2O in a district, where only one of three wells is now functional.

A quarter of America's food is produced here in the Central Valley, with 80% of California's water supply going to agriculture.

So with the lack of rain, growers are relying heavily on ground water pumped from across the region to irrigate their crops.

While some worry that increased pumping could impact smaller wells, Galaviz says the giant agriculture machine is a necessity.

- We have to have the food.

We have to have the work for our farm workers.

- [Stephanie] As for Laurel Boylan, she was awash with emotions as the plumbers finally arrived with her tanks.

- The tank installer called this morning.

I busted out bawling.

You telling me I'm gonna have it today just was a little overwhelming.

- What does that sound like to you?

- It sounds like heaven!

I just, I can't even imagine we're actually gonna be able to shower tonight.

Woo-hoo!

You take running water for granted.

I'll never take it for granted again.

- Thanks, Stephanie.

A group of high school students is making a difference to offset the negative impacts of the drought in California.

They have a special hatchery at their school.

A hatchery is a place where fish eggs are hatched.

The teens have taken in fish in need of a cool home, and it's a pretty unique program.

Liz Kreutz reports.

- [Liz] Sixth period at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma likely looks a lot different than yours did.

It certainly does for me.

That's because these students are part of a one-of-a-kind fish hatchery program, learning firsthand about conservation.

- [Student] He's cleaning the side of the waterline to make sure grime doesn't build up.

Right over here, they're doing weight counts right now.

- [Liz] Typically, these students care for steelhead trout from the Russian River, but because of extreme drought conditions this year, they've been called upon to do something different.

They've taken in thousands of coho salmon that are at risk of extinction.

- And suddenly, the summer after COVID, Mr. Hubacker said, "Oh, the drought is so bad "that these other hatcheries need help."

- [Liz] Science teacher Dan Hubacker explained that usually the coho salmon are cared for at the hatchery at Lake Sonoma, but water temperatures got so hot there this year that they needed to find the fish a new home.

- Making a long story short, ultimately, we ended up with fish from Mendocino County, from the Russian River itself, and also Santa Cruz.

- This hatchery opened in 1993, and this is the first time in the program's history that the students have been approached and asked to care for coho salmon.

- They're so endangered, and I think being a part of that is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

- 'Cause they need our help, they're extinct.

They're part of the ecosystem.

- [Liz] The hope is for the salmon to return some time this fall to the hatchery at Lake Sonoma, their time at Casa Grande High School a short-term solution, but with a lot of impact.

- And seeing that we can really make a difference, it's amazing.

It's gonna stay with us for the rest of our lives.

- Thank you, Liz.

Now, we turn from the environment to the economy.

Experts are advising that folks might wanna start their holiday shopping early.

I know, I know, we haven't even got to Halloween, let alone Thanksgiving, but it appears shortages of workers and supplies and shipping hangups could make checking off holiday shopping difficult.

Jenn Sullivan has a closer look at all the causes.

- [Jenn] A global supply chain mess already impacting holiday shopping.

Labor shortages, scarce, and expensive shipping containers, and an ongoing computer chip crisis, all leading to costly price tags, and fewer options.

- It's a huge problem.

Companies have been able to keep up, but it'll just, it'll be more of what we're seeing, essentially higher prices.

- [Jenn] Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo admitting computer chip shortages will likely lead to price increases for some of the items on your holiday list.

Meanwhile, shipping issues are so severe that some big retailers are taking drastic measures to make sure there's enough supply to meet the demand this Christmas.

Costco is chartering ships and renting containers to transport inventory between Asia, the US, and Canada.

The move comes as Costco deals with major delays in toys, computers, tablets, and video games.

- I think we're gonna be struggling with it well into next year, until we can really smooth out some of these bottlenecks.

- [Jenn] Meanwhile, top toy makers say their products will be harder to find and more expensive this holiday season, blaming higher shipping costs that typically get passed down to consumers.

- We do see inflationary pressure in the freight cost, ocean freight cost, and material.

So we have to address that.

- [Jenn] And it's also Christmas trees and decorations that will be more expensive as well.

Some large sellers of artificial trees say they are already increasing their prices by double-digit percentages.

- Thank you, Jenn.

When it comes to money, it's never too early to start saving.

Boston Beck certainly knows this.

The Kansas boy is growing his college fund by growing pumpkins.

He's 13 years old, and already has years of experience.

Morgan Mobley visited the young entrepreneur in his pumpkin patch, Morgan?

- [Morgan] Every year, Boston Beck spends hours out here.

- You gotta give it lots and lots and lots of water, and it's Kansas, so it's gonna be really hot.

You gotta do that about every single day, until they are about the size of a basketball.

- [Morgan] He's been growing pumpkins since he was eight years old.

- I just thought it was something fun to do, and just to give us another hobby, and it turned out to be something big.

- [Morgan] Something so big just a regular truck to transport the crop won't do.

So Boston takes a lap around his patch in a school bus.

- It can hold way more.

- [Morgan] Off to his front yard they go, and demand is high for Boston's homegrown pumpkins, selling out just about every night.

- This weekend, we might've made $1,000 alone.

We didn't think we were gonna be making money, but then once we're starting to do that, it's like, "Well, what am I gonna do with all this?"

- [Morgan] This 13-year-old has his sights set far beyond buying the newest video game.

With his future in mind, he started a college fund.

- I mean, you never know what's gonna turn, and what might go wrong.

So you just gotta have some backup plans and some backup money.

- [Morgan] But the payoff is coming even before he steps onto a college campus.

(bus door creaks) He's learning about life, and himself, (bus horn honks) on a Monday afternoon in his pumpkin patch.

- [Boston] Sometimes, the smallest plant produces the biggest pumpkin, so it's kind of fun to watch.

- Thank you, Morgan.

Now, Boston says his dream is to go to Kansas State University and become a veterinarian.

Great goals.

For this week's question, we wanna know what kind of business would you like to start?

Head online to submit your answer, and remember, you can send in video answers, too, but if you do that, you'll need to make sure you include your teacher, or parent's email, so we can make sure it's okay with them.

No need to get a permission form if you're just sending in a written response, though.

Well, you don't have to go all the way to Kansas to find inspiring kids.

We've got some of those right here in Ohio.

For instance, what happens when you combine an interest in helping teachers and school staff, energetic boys, and a secret handshake?

Did you guess the Meadowlawn Young Men's Association?

This week's "NewsDepth" A+ goes to the members of the Meadowlawn Young Men's Association at Meadowlawn Intermediate School and at Briar Middle School.

"Two years ago, I was really lucky to have about a dozen "young men in my classes who were motivated "by helping others," shared fifth grade teacher Mr. Fahr.

"They made the commitment to get together "two to three times a week during lunch "to help around the building."

The Meadowlawn Young Men's Association meets a few times a week during those lunch periods, and some of the students volunteer to help the school's janitorial staff cleaning the hallways, keeping the lunch room in order, and keeping the campus looking nice.

"I really liked helping the grounds crew "with weeding the gardens," Carson shared with us.

A lot of the club members help tutor, or read to younger students.

"I'm really good at math, "so I went to the third grade classrooms to help do that," Dominic shared.

"It's a great opportunity for their former teachers "to see how much these young men have grown "into leaders and scholars," Mr. Fahr added.

Robert told us that, "It really helps us "get to know each other, and younger kids, "and get to know our teachers better."

The Meadowlawn Young Men's Associations members are in eighth grade with a fifth grade group in the works for this year.

The fifth graders will provide the tutoring and help around Meadowlawn Intermediate.

The eighth grade students at Briar Middle will serve as mentors and big brothers for the fifth graders.

"I really like that we get to help other kids "and make our school a better place," Braxden shared.

This week's "NewsDepth" A+ goes to the Meadowlawn Young Men's Association for volunteering their time to help their peers and make their school a better place.

We tip our hats to you, gentlemen.

I'm not wearing a hat, but get the idea.

Okay, your favorite time.

Let's see what News Cat's pawed up for us in this week's "Petting Zoo."

(rhythmic music) (cat meows) News Cat, sometimes you are such a couch potato.

What, we waited too long for your story?

Okay then, give us the news.

Okay, that's better, what'd she find?

A story about a saving squirrel?

Oh, I get it, the squirrel loaded up for the winter.

Well, to find out how many nuts were stowed away in this guy's truck, click the "Petting Zoo" button on our website.

(lively music) (logo whooshes) (logo boings) Thank you, News Cat.

Okay, that's gonna do it for us, but as always, we wanna hear from you, and there are plenty of ways to stay in touch with us.

Write to us.

We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue.

That's Cleveland, Ohio.

Our ZIP code here, 44115.

You can email us, newsdepth@ideastream.org, or you can tweet us, our handle, @NewsDepthOhio.

Plus, you can catch all of our special segments on YouTube, and we know from the poll that you watch.

Hit Subscribe if you're old enough, so you don't miss out on any of our new videos.

Meanwhile, thanks for joining us.

I'm Rick Jackson.

We'll see you right back here next week.

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

(upbeat music) (bright music)