Students: Hey guys, we're from Fort Hamilton High School, and we're Fort Ham for Ham, and Channel One News starts right now!
Azia: Thanks for getting us started, guys. We will check back in with those “Hamilton” fans in just a bit. I am Azia Celestino, and today we are starting off with headlines.First up, rallies were held in cities across the globe yesterday. People took to the streets to push for workers’ rights in an annual observance called May Day.
In more than 80 countries,May 1 is a holiday honoring workers and the labor movement. Thousands of people rallied in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The protestors also used the opportunity to speak out against the Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff,who is facing impeachment and might be kicked out of power.
Over in Paris,France, protestors were angry over new laws the government is considering that would limit workers’ rights. Things grew heated, and clashes broke out. In Istanbul, Turkey, police pushed back crowds.Rallies were held in some U.S. cities as well.
Next up, the bald eagle has long been the national bird, but now we are getting a national mammal. Any guesses as to what it is?
It is the North American bison. Both the House and Senate approved legislation last week designating the bison as the national mammal, saying it was a "historical symbol of the United States." Now the measure goes to the president for his signature.
Bison, also known as buffalo, once numbered in the millions, and they long roamed the Great Plains. But, beginning in the 19th century, overhunting nearly wiped the bison off the face of the Earth. By the time protective laws were passed in the late 1800s, only a thousand or so survived. Today conservation groups say the bison population is around 500,000.
And last up, Malia Obama, the president's daughter, has announced where she is going to college. The 17-year-old graduates from high school inJune; then, she is taking a year off — a gap year. That is before she heads to Harvard in fall 2017. That is where both her parents went to law school. Congrats!
Okay, after the break, we have a robo wrap-up in the state of Missouri.
Azia: It is time to get your geek on. Last week we told you about the FIRSTRobotics championship kicking off in St. Louis, Missouri. Keith is here now for a bot breakdown.
Keith: Azia, the four-day event came to a close on Saturday night in front of a crowd of more than 40,000 people. You guys have got to check this out.
It was the showdown of all showdowns in the robot world. The event brought out more than 20,000 students from 42 countries, and even FIRST supporter and entertainerwill.i.am took part in the action.
will.i.am: This stadium is the most important place to be in right now today. It is an amazing place where the world comes together for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is excellence around science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and the arts and robotics.
Keith: It started out with 600 teams, but in the end only 4 got medals and bragging rights.
Marrisa Harrison and Iris Harris: I’m feeling excited! Awesome! I can't explain how Iam feeling right now.I am so excited right now. This is, like, so good! Amazing. It is actually like an adrenaline rush. I feel like we deserved this. We wanted this so bad.
Keith: Marrisa and Iris' team, dubbed Cleveland's Team, represented my hometown and was one of four winners from the weekend. They were joined by the Beach Bots from Hermosa Beach, California;Team Blue Cheese from Glen Allen, Virginia; and the Roboteers from Tremont, Illinois.
Charlie Woodward: Our robot broke a couple times. I almost cried when we won. I can't believe we made it this far.
Keith: And if you remember the Lady Cans from Austin, Texas, we featured last week, well, they ranked 57th out of 75 in their division, but it just wasn't enough to advance them to the quarterfinals.
Better luck next year to the Lady Cans and the others who put together a valiant effort. Also, another thing to keep in mind is that FIRST offers more than $25 million in scholarships to its students who apply.
Azia: So awesome. Thanks,Keith.
All right, coming up,Arielle Hixson hits us with a little history at one of the hottest Broadway musicals.
Azia: This musical has taken Broadway by storm, and its songs have sparked a new interest for students to learn about the American Revolution. Arielle Hixson hit the theaterto find out more.
Arielle: The anticipation was building.
Mehnaz Houssaan: I literally want to die. Like, I am just so overwhelmed and thrilled with excitement to be at this play.
Arielle: Lines stretched around the block…
Lala Jafatafer: I feel really excited;I really want to see this show.
Arielle: …all to see the hottest musical on Broadway.
Okay, now, who is excited for “Hamilton”?
But this performance was special, mainly because of the unique audiencefilled with teens and their teachers. Today kicks off the Hamilton Education Initiative, where 20,000 New York City students will get to see “Hamilton” on Broadway. Now, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get today's younger generation into the theater.
“Hamilton”'s creator,Lin-Manuel Miranda, teamed up with the New York City Department of Education, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Gilder Lehrman Institute to create a “Hamilton”-based curriculum for students. With this unique classroom-to-theater experience, students learn about one of our founding fathers,Alexander Hamilton — that guy on the $10 bill who helped write the Constitution and establish America's financial system after the American Revolution.
Talk to me about this initiative; why is it important for New York City schools?
Lin-Manuel Miranda: Well, listen. Theater changed my life because I was lucky enough to be exposed to it at a very young age. I saw “Les Miserables” when I was 7 years old, and cut to a few decades later, and we have “Hamilton.”It exists because I saw “Les Mis” when I was 7 years old. And this initiative to bring 20,000 11th-graders to see the show is really — it’s both unprecedented and it’s both — andreally exciting.
Arielle: These days, all eyes are on “Hamilton” because it is like nothing ever seen before on Broadway. If you listen closely, these rap bars can walk you through a few pages in your history book.
Morgan Marcell: It's taking an old story, an important story, you know, about our founding fathers, and making it so relatable.
Arielle: A way to combine arts with education, and it comes just as many art programs are being cut from schools around the country because of funding problems.Instead, the money is used for programs like math, science and even sports.But studies showthat art and music can actually help students perform better in other subjects.
Anthony Ramos: I think the public school system has neglected the arts a little bit.
Arielle: Anthony Ramos, one of the stars of “Hamilton,” went to public school in New York City way before he made his way to Broadway.
Ramos: And I think it's important, especially for students, to see shows. And, you know, just like they go see, you know,a concert for their favorite artist,I think it is equally as important for students to come to Broadway.
Arielle: Students attending “Hamilton” not only watched the play for only $10 apiecebut got to perform their own “Hamilton”-inspired skits, followed by a QA with the cast, who were very excited about their special audience.
Ramos: You have no idea how long we’ve been waiting to see you. This show's about to be dope.
Arielle: This is the first of many of these types of performances, with the hopes of eventually expanding across the U.S.
Daveed Diggs: Hopefully, it gives young students a reason to engage a little bit more in American history. I could have used something like that, probably, at the time. Everything that happens in this play I learned for the first time doing this play, and I'm in my 30s. So, you know, these were all things that were certainly taught when I was in highschool, but I didn't pay any attention because I wasn't interested.
Arielle: These students walked away with a personal perspective of American history —one that the books couldn't deliver — …
Hayet Chebbi: It's so different than what you really read and what your teacher teaches you.
Arielle: …and the inspiration to create something more.
Youssif Shehab: Anything is possible, and if we are exposed to this, we have a greater chance of being the next Hamilton or the next Miranda, and in a lot of public schools, we aren't given that chance.
Diggs: I hope we see it in some of the future playwrights and artists who are young now and who have yet to sort of get their shot. I hope those are the ones who sort of cite “Hamilton” as a moment that changed something for them, that allowed them to realize that maybe there was a place on Broadway for them.
Arielle: Arielle Hixson, Channel One News.
Azia: Ah!Now I want to see the show.So how much do you guys know about Hamilton and our founding fathers? Take our quiz over atChannelOne.com.
And don't forget, tomorrow is Teacher Appreciation Day, so make sure you send us those shout-outs for your favorite teacher on video and have them featured on the show. You can send those to .
All right,guys, that is all for now, but we will see you right back here tomorrow.
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