Benjamin O. Davis Jr. was treated badly as a student at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Benjamin O. Davis Jr. was treated badly as a student at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

But more than 80 years later, a new building there is being named for him.

West Point is a military school in New York state. It trains men and women to be military officers. Its students are called cadets.

Davis said he was an “invisible man” there. In 1932, he was the school’s only black cadet.

The other cadets “silenced” him. That means everyone agreed to ignore him. He lived in a room alone. He ate his meals alone. Other cadets spoke to him only when it was needed.

But Davis had a goal. He wanted to graduate.

What the other cadets did not realize is that I was stubborn enough to put up with their treatment,” he wrote in a 1991 book. He said the school’s leaders knew about it.

He took long runs by himself. He listened to his radio. He wrote happy letters to his family.

9. There were 276 cadets in his class. When he graduated, he was 35^th in his class.

He went on to become a member of the famous Tuskegee Airmen. They were an all-black group of pilots who fought in World War II. He also the first black Air Force general. He retired in 1970. He died in 2002 at the age of 89.

11. He was not West Point’s first black cadet. The first graduated in 1877. David was the first to graduate in the 20^th century.

12. His four years there were hard. But the other cadets respected him at the end. His yearbook said that he had “earned the sincere admiration of his classmates.”

Colonel Ty Seidule leads the school’s history department.

14. He said Davis was the best example of “what we wanted at a time when we didn’t know what ‘right’ looked like.”

The Davis Barracks will open in 2017. It will be six stories tall. It will be the home of 650 cadets.

Seidule said Davis was a great choice for the honor. His story is inspiring to others. His life also tells the story of how West Point students played a role in the start of the Air Force.

17. “This is not West Point at its finest hour,” he said. “This is a chance for West Point to recognize one of its finest.”

News for You, May 27, 2015

Some Students Make Prom About

GOOD DEEDS, SOCIAL CHANGE

Sometimes, the prom can seem petty.

The prom is a school dance often held at the end of junior or senior year. Students wear fancy dresses and tuxedos. They rent limos.

Before the big night, students talk about dresses and dates. There are always teens who feel left out. Maybe they don’t look or act the same as other teens. Maybe they won’t get a date.

But proms are changing. Some students are making the prom mean more. They are reaching out to those who are often left out. They are choosing to do a good deed. Or they are standing up for something that matters to them. Here are a few cases.

Kaitlin McCarthy is 17. She is a high school junior. She lives in Canton, Massachusetts. She didn’t ask her boyfriend to the prom. Instead she asked her friend Matty Marcone. Matty has special needs and health problems.

6. “He’s the sweetest kid,” Kaitlin said. “I see Matty for who he is.”

The whole school helped made the night special. Kaitlin and Matty were even named prom king and queen.

There was magic in the room that night,” said Matty’s mom, Susan Marcone.

Sarah Kardonsky also asked a fried with special needs to the prom. She lives in Levittown, New York. He friend Michael Pagano has autism. The girls he asked to the prom all said no.

He’s such a great kid. I didn’t want him to go alone,” Sarah said.

She found a very special way to ask him to go. Michael is a New York Jets fan. So Sarah asked Jets players to help her make a video. Nine players sent videos of themselves saying, “Mike, will you go to the prom with Sarah?” Mike said yes.

12. “Prom is about having a good time,” Sarah said. “You should just be surrounded by people who make you happy.”

Claudetteia Love is 17. She is gay. She goes to school in Monroe, Louisiana. She asked to wear a tuxedo to the prom. She was told it was against the rules. So the president of the school board helped change the rules.

News for You, May 27, 2015

Tutu Tuesday

Workers at Joe DiMaggio like to make their young patients laugh. There is a clown working there.  The clown’s name is Lotsy Dotsy. The clown wears a tutu. After seeing Smiths’s photo, workers started asking Lotsy Dotsy for tutus.

Tutu Tuesday starts in the parking lot. There, John Aristizabad greets patients. He parks their cars. On a normal day, he wears shorts and a baseball shirt. The hospital is named after baseball star Joe Di Maggio. On Tuesdays, Artistizabad also puts on a tutu.

12. “People laugh and ask why I’m wearing a skirt,” he said, “It’s all for the kids, to catch a smile.”

News for You, May 27, 2015

Hubble Telescope

Circles in Space for

Amazing Years

The Hubble is like an old car that just keeps going. It might look worn out and banged up. But over the years, new parts and fixes have kept it in good condition. It is still running strong. At least, it is for now.

News for You, May 27, 2015

 

Benjamin O. Davis Jr. was treated badly as a student at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

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