continued from TT1 advice column Dear real-life answers for high-schoolers facing the real world. Editor's Note: We're happy to introduce an advice column for teens by teens. Send your questions to kcohen@renmedia.us . She will forward them to Aver. Dear Ava, r Kuianu members perform at the talent show; the chapter won the BBG Most Distinguished Chapter award. I am in eighth-grade and soon will be starting high school. Everyone keeps warning me about peer pressure and how it is a big problem in high school. What is peer pressure anyway? I don't understand how it will even affect me because I feel as if I am smarter than that. Anonymous with new moves because what may take up 30 seconds in the act takes about an hour to choreograph and teach," said Adam Bussell, 17, of Farmington Hills. Greenberg members worked on the show at least once a week for about three months to plan out and learn the entire act. For many chapters, prep- arations also include rehearsing lyrics or musical instruments. Although tensions often rose as the show neared, cooperation and patience were essential to success. Once the chapter finishes the nuts and bolts of the act, the members usu- ally meet the week of RC for a dress rehearsal. At this stage, members step into their costumes for the first time. In my case, I squeezed into a skintight, somewhat revealing dress — an experience I obviously wasn't used to. Finally, the act seems to come together. Performers master their moves and look the part. Everything seems to fall into place. Before the show, chapters gather in a Temple Israel hallway, decked out in costume. This year, it would have been easy to spot the colorful creatures of the Lion King, toys from Toy Story, Israeli soldiers, '50s greasers, guys in dresses, characters from Mulan and Harry Potter and, of course, the "wedding guests" from my chapter. Dear Anonymous, You will know peer pressure when you see it. lb" Peer pressure can consist of doing drugs, drink- 40% ing, cheating on tests, bullying and many other real-life situations. It is hard to tell when peer pressure is heading your way; how- ever, you can avoid it. This may sound cheesy, but just say, "No!" — especially if what your friends want to do goes against your sense of right and wrong. You will be tempted because others are joining in and you want to be part of the crowd. Just know that if your friends are really who you think they are, then don't worry about their opinion because they will still be your friends even if you don't want to participate. You have to realize that every typical teenager faces peer pressure. Always remember to be secure with yourself and stay strong. You won't feel the need to "join in" if you stay confident in who you are as a person. In the long run, you will be proud of yourself. xoxo, Ava Frankel Jewish Academy sophomore Stephanie Curhan displays a gift she wrapped for a student at the Reyes Center, a preschool in Detroit. Students in Mindy Robert's Spanish classes have been donating Christmas gifts to children there for several years. The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher. teen2teen staff • hotline: (248) 351-5144 • kcohen@thejewishnews.com Reporters Chaviva Bluth, Molly Grossman, Hannah Korelitz, Avi Mendelson, Avielle Movsas, Jamie Rashty, Stephanie Schulman (Akiva David Banooni of Bloomfield Hills and Brandon Klein of West Bloomfield, both 17, as the Hebrew Day School, Southfield); Yona Isaacs, Gabriella Ring, Claire Sinai (Berkley); Nechama Tawil (Beth Jacob, Oak Park); Madeleine Gonte (Birmingham Groves); Rachel Gorosh, Emily Schottenfels, Mara Stein, Rachael Vettese, Rachel Wein (Bloomfield Hills Andover); Blues Brothers backed by Shapiro AZA members Hills); Jillian Apel, Tamar Brown, Abbie Ginis, Polina Fradkin, Emily Goodman, Helene Glickman, Rachel Goutman, Heather Grossman, Jes- Finally, the music starts and the audience roars. It's the opportunity to wow the judges and electrify the crowd. It's the moment to act a little crazy, leave usual comfort zones and embrace the embarrassing costumes and dance moves inevitably involved. "So much work and time was put into the act — more than I could've everimagined," saidAlec Shapiro, 14, ofFarmington Hills, who participated for the first time. "Being a part of it was a feeling I'll never forget." Talent show winners were Savage BBG and Jolson AZA;RC2010's MostDistinguished Chapters were Kulanu BBG and Shapiro AZA. Sam Gringlas, 17, is a junior at North Farmington TT4 teen2teen January 20.2011 High School. sica Kahn, Rachel Klein, Noam Saper, Talia Schechet, Lexi Smith, Zoe Soble, Maddy Soltz, Sara Weinfeld, Samantha Zwick (Frankel Jew- ish Academy, West Bloomfield); Rachel Hollander, Ari Weil (Harrison, Farmington Hills); Daniel Chandross (Hillel, Farmington Hills); Mayer Schneider (home schooled); Rachel Berlin, Sam Gringlas, Elie Neuman, Nate Strauss (North Farmington); Rob Pasick (Novi); Jordana Hoffman (Oakland Earlyl College, Farmington Hills); Lily Grier, Liza Kohlenberg (Orchard Lake Middle, West Bloomfield); Batsheva Honig (Walled Lake Northern);Liz Nagle (Walled Lake Western); Jennifer Finkel, Abigail Jankelovitz, Heather Rosenbaum (West Bloomfield); Liza Kohlenberg (West Bloomfield Orchard Lake Middle School); Mackenzie Coden (West Bloomfield Walnut Creek) Photographers I Jessica Avery Polk (Frankel), Colton Graub (Cranbrook-Kingswood ) supervising staff Chief Operating Officer I F. Kevin Browett Editorial Director I Robert Sklar Creative Director I Deborah Schultz IT Director I Deanna Spivey Executive Editor I Keri Guten Cohen Teen Consultant I Jon Layne umaloNf usTA Abby Hyman (Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood); Mari Cohen (Community, Ann Arbor); Emily Zussman (Detroit Country Day, Beverly Jewish Renaissance Media — 29200 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034 Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit ALUANCE. FOR iFt8i5+FEWCATION 1 Supported by a generous grant from the Stephen H. Schulman Millennium Fund. A Jewish Renaissance Media publication © 2010 DETROIT J EWISH NEWS