CNN Student News 2012-05-08

(CNN Student News) -- May 8, 2012

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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GROUP: Our favorite teacher is Ms. Gass (ph) because:

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We get to do Amazing Grace (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wooly Race (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Preposition Pictionary.

GROUP: We love you, Ms. Gass (ph).

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CARL AZUZ, HOST, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Teacher Appreciation Week rolls on. It`s Tuesday, May 8th, and we thank you for spending part of it with CNN Student News from the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, I`m Carl Azuz.

First up, we`re looking at some connections between economic issues and political elections. Yesterday we talked about France and Greece. One country, France, elected a new president over the weekend. The other, Greece, voted for a shift of power in its parliament. But the election results from those two nations have something in common.

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AZUZ (voice-over): In both countries there was a backlash against austerity measures. That`s when a government tries to cut spending or increase taxes to try to reduce its debt. Some European officials are pushing in the opposite direction.

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AZUZ: They want to create policies that promote economic growth. Investors around the world are watching how all this breaks down, because what happens in Europe can have an impact around the world.

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AZUZ (voice-over): In Russia, Vladimir Putin is the new president -- again. He led the country for eight years before term limits forced him to step down in 2008. Since then, he`s been Russia`s prime minister. He won back the president`s office in a recent election.

During Putin`s first time in office, Russian presidents served four- year terms. Changes to the constitution have increased that to six years. So if Putin serves two terms again, he could be in power until 2024. Putin was sworn in on Monday in front of a crowd of about 2,000 people.

Some Russians don`t want Putin back in of course, though. There were accusations of fraud in the presidential election, and there were protests against the Russian leader yesterday. More than 100 people were arrested.

Some protesters got into fights with police officers over the weekend. More than 250 people were arrested during those demonstrations.

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AZUZ: Want to hear your school mentioned on CNN Student News? You know you do. One way is through our social media question of the week.

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AZUZ (voice-over): If you`re already on Facebook, keep an eye on our official Facebook page. It`s Facebook.com/cnnstudentnews. It`s where we will post the weekly social media video. Get that question right, and you might get a mention on our show. Like last week`s winner, Henfield (ph) High in Pennsylvania, congratulations to them.

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AZUZ: Indiana, West Virginia and North Carolina are holding primary elections today. We`ve talked a lot about presidential primaries, but voters are also casting their ballots in local and state elections. In North Carolina, today`s primary includes a controversial proposal to amend the state`s constitution. Randi Kaye explains what it`s all about.

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RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On Tuesday, North Carolina voters will be making a big decision at the polls, the decision to change the state`s constitution. Amendment One would make marriage between one man and one woman the only recognized domestic legal union in the state.

TATE REP. PAUL STAM (R), NORTH CAROLINA: The reason we have to put it in our state constitution is that half a dozen other states have, by judicial fiat, had a handful of judges change the laws of those states.

KAYE (voice-over): It`s something several other states have done. But Amendment One goes a step further. Not only would it ban same-sex marriage, which is already illegal in North Carolina, it would also invalidate all civil unions and domestic partnerships.

REV. WILLIAM BARBER, PRES, North Carolina NAACP: This is a bad law, because it will hurt heterosexual families because it does not recognize any other domestic union.

KAYE (voice-over): The measure raises all kinds of legal questions and is causing a heap of controversy in the state.

BARBER: It will hurt children. It will hurt those that need the protections in domestic violence issues.

KAYE (voice-over): Both sides are spending millions to convince voters to come to their side.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Vote for the Marriage Protection Amendment.

KAYE (voice-over): One of the leading voices against the amendment is the Coalition to Protect North Carolina Families, hitting airwaves with ads like this one.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Amendment One will take away my daughter`s health insurance. And that`s extremely unfair.

KAYE (voice-over): Recent polling shows the amendment is likely to pass Tuesday. But critics warn that if voters approve the measure, it will set a dangerous precedent.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today`s Shoutout goes out to Ms. Capshaw`s students at Washington Middle School in Cairo, Georgia.

Which element is found in all organic chemicals? You know what to do. Is it helium, carbon, nitrogen or krypton? You`ve got three seconds, go.

All organic compounds have carbon. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout.

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AZUZ: Take, for example, biodiesel fuel, can be made from vegetable oil and animal fats, and its chemical makeup includes carbon chains. Josh Wolf knows that, but he didn`t learn it in chemistry class. He hasn`t taken chemistry yet. Boyd Huppert of affiliate KARE explains how this high school sophomore is using his scientific know-how.

JOSH WOLF, HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORE: NC4 plant (ph) system is closed during the day.

BOYD HUPPERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before you`re impressed with the biologese of 16-year-old Josh Wolf --

WOLF: -- Auschland (ph) acid metabolism --

HUPPERT (voice-over): Check out the terminology Josh`s classmates use.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Intelligent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ambitious.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Creative.

HUPPERT (voice-over): -- to describe Josh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say brilliant.

HUPPERT (voice-over): Brilliant? Come on, students. This is science. We need proof.

WOLF: So what I`m doing right now is I`m collecting all the waste oil that`s in these fryers right over here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is really hot.

WOLF: She was a little weirded out by it, you know. Couldn`t -- wait, wait, what`s that -- you want oil? You want the waste oil?

HUPPERT (voice-over): But how else was Josh going to fill those 20 jugs in the back of the science classroom?

WOLF: In here.

HUPPERT (voice-over): Oh, yes, and that dumpster behind the school.

WOLF: At one point there was about 600 to 700 gallons of oil.

HUPPERT (voice-over): Using household chemicals, Josh has been converting that used cooking oil to diesel fuel.

WOLF: Here`s the diesel that connects buse (ph) straight into an engine.

HUPPERT (voice-over): That`s Josh`s friend.

And this is his friend`s dad`s diesel pickup.

WOLF: It has a little bit smaller of a carbon chain than regular diesel does.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Josh is smart.

HUPPERT (voice-over): He`s also just warming up.

Josh already has an agreement to collect the used oil from his first local restaurant, and now is in talks with Oak River`s school bus company about selling them his fuel. But that`s just to raise some capital.

WOLF: This is just startup.

HUPPERT: For something bigger?

WOLF: Right.

HUPPERT (voice-over): Dare we ask what`s in that portable garage Josh got for Christmas that now sits behind his house?

WOLF: So this is where I`m growing my algae right now.

HUPPERT: So what`s in here?

WOLF: Algae.

HUPPERT (voice-over): We won`t reveal all his scientific secrets, but by running algae through parts he salvaged from an old toy rocket launcher --

WOLF: And it shocks the algae --

HUPPERT (voice-over): -- Josh has been pulling ridiculous amounts of oil from the algae in that garbage can.

WOLF: At least one of these a day.

HUPPERT (voice-over): Now just imagine if he had hundreds of acres of algae. Josh already is.

HUPPERT: And then you`ve got tankers leaving.

WOLF: Yes.

HUPPERT: On the other end, right? Oil tankers?

MARK DURAND, ROBOTICS COACH: We met with some people from the industry and they said, you need a provisional patent and you need one yesterday.

HUPPERT (voice-over): So Josh is now the only kid at the science fair with a patent attorney. And he`s yet to take high school chemistry.

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AZUZ: Man, I hated high school chemistry, so I admire Josh.

Now we started today`s show with some students talking about one of their favorite teachers. Before we go, we`re going to hear about some more inspirational instructors. The people expressing their appreciation in this report, though, they`re not students any more. It`s some of the contestants and pros on this season`s "Dancing with the Stars." Watch this.

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MARIA MENOUNOS, TV HOST, EXTRA: Ms. Brenner (ph) actually has taught me how to speak English, so I always start there.

ROSHON FEGAN, ACTOR, "SHAKE IT UP!": I`m going to have to give the biggest coach, teacher, mentor award to my father. He is a teacher in every way, of life.

CHELSIE HIGHTOWER, PROFESSIONAL DANCER: My mom`s amazing. He`s been through so, so much and she`s always been so strong for her kids and always been such a good mom.

MENOUNOS: But there`s Ms. Dudley, who taught me to love Shakespeare.

JALEEL WHITE, ACTOR, "FAMILY MATTERS": I have to give proper respect to my preschool teacher. She`s the only reason why I`m in the business. She thought I was funny at age 3 and told my mom, this kid should be in commercials.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The reason I go back to my dance teacher, my ballet teacher from when I was a little girl. And when I was little, she would go, "Get on that stage. Do not come off. And don`t run off the stage. And you just fake it till you make it."

MENOUNOS: And then there`s Mr. Howard, because my parents didn`t know how to fill out college applications. He helped me so I could go to college.

DONALD DRIVER, WIDE RECEIVER, GREEN BAY PACKERS: My teacher was in high school, Ms. Barrow (ph). I`ll never forget her. She told me I had to go to summer school for to take her class over again. And it was English class, and it kind of upset me because I thought I did a great job. But she made it hard for me.

PETA MURGATROYD, PROFESSIONAL DANCER: I think I would have to say my first ballet teacher, who took me right up until I was 16, like 12 years of ballet (inaudible) from Russia. She taught me everything I knew and (inaudible).

MENOUNOS: Well, I have so many teachers, and I keep in touch with all of them. I love them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Teachers are amazing.

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AZUZ: See how dressed up they all were? Teacher Appreciation Week -- it`s all about class. All right. Now you don`t have to be a star. You can go to our blog at cnnstudentnews.com. Read up on a couple of my favorite teachers and what made them excellent. And talk to us about how a teacher has made a difference in your life.

We`ll be back with more headlines tomorrow and more teacher appreciation throughout this Teacher Appreciation Week. Looking forward to seeing you then. For CNN Student News, I`m Carl Azuz. Have a great day.

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