Courtney Stein

Radio Rookie AJ Frazier spent his 8th grade year reporting on the effect of New York City's public school policy changes on him. His story was just featured in Schooled: Teens' Stories About American Public Education. This hour-long youth produced special is a collaboration between Seattle's KUOW and Generation PRX.

We took a group of 14 Rookies from the Bronx and Queens down to Washington DC to see the sights. There were 17 of us, traveling on a double-decker bus, staying in a hostel.

Mr. Grzelecki, a teacher at Ditmas Junior High School (IS 62) in Brooklyn, used Jacuyra's Rookies story to teach his students a lesson. After listening to 'My Mother vs. The Streets' his 7th graders wrote responses to 5 questions.

When Kaari, Sanda and I walk into the Next Generation Center, the home of our current Bronx workshop, it's like walking into a house party. Hip hop and rap deejayed by kids from the center thumps just a little too loud. I keep thinking some adult is going to put the kabosh on this, but they don't seem phased.