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High school students have many options in extracurricular activities today, allowing them to explore a wide range of interests. For students who want to move beyond the basic theatre productions, school newspaper, and high school athletics, there is another choice available at a growing number of schools today � atheist clubs. These organizations of self-proclaimed free-thinking students have been cropping up at high schools from coast to coast, thanks in part to the rising number of religious clubs that have also been making their way into classrooms today.

The Rise of Atheist Clubs

According to the , the increase in atheist clubs is being fueled in part by an organization known as the . This group is responsible for placing more than 300 college-based clubs into schools nationwide for free-thinking students, and it is now moving into the high school realm.

This video reports on an atheist group's activities.

The director of the high school program for Secular Student Alliance, JT Eberhard, told the Huffington Post that he would like to see the rise in both atheist and other religious clubs inspire a dialogue between all students. In addition, Eberhard said, “I also hope it will let the atheist students know that you can be an atheist and it’s okay.�

At the start of the 2011-2012 school year, there were approximately one dozen clubs established at

There are over 1 billion people all over the world learning English right now. Luckily for them, there are now, more than ever, a plethora of great resources on the Web to make this challenge easier.

Knowing English is beneficial in many ways, especially if you're looking for public school jobs. We've put together this guide to help students, from teens to adults, get the help they need to achieve their goals with learning English. We've divided the resources into five sections to help you find exactly what you want.

General - Vocab & Grammar - Listening & Reading - Business English - Writing

General

• : This webpage is one of the most comprehensive ESL sites we have seen. This site offers very helpful links to English videos, vocabulary builders, quizzes, worksheets, tutorials and more. It truly is "Your One-Stop Shopping for Great Ideas and Help" for ESL. This site is maintained by Dr.Becker, an emeritus professor at the University of North Iowa.
• : This site includes exercises, puzzles and quizzes to help students learning English as a second language. The content is contributed by teachers and categorized by language and difficulty level.
• : This is a companion site to Paul Brians' book of the same title. The site explains some of the most commonly misused and misunderstood aspects of English. For example, apostrophes are only used

Students under pressure to make good grades and keep up with a myriad of extracurricular activities are turning to an unexpected place to get the edge they need to succeed: stimulant drugs. Many high school students across the U.S. are turning to prescription medications typically used to treat ADD and ADHD to increase their energy levels and focus when their physical bodies cannot do it on their own. The increased use of these drugs has many educators and health care providers concerned, but students who have seen their results continue to turn to the medications - and turn their friends onto them as well.

This video looks at the effects of on study habits.

Driven to Excel

The reports that students in high school today face enormous pressure when it comes to competing with their peers for class placements, test scores, and college entrance applications. The medications have been used on college campuses for some time but are slowly trickling down to the high school level as well. Students find that stimulant use gives them the necessary edge to perform at a higher level with less sleep required.

As many as 200 students sent their views on prescription medication abuse to the , frequently eluding to the fact that pressure to perform � from

With the Obama Administration’s recent addition of an abstinence-only program to the pregnancy prevention programs the government will fund, many are questioning once again whether abstinence teaching is really the best way to prevent teen pregnancy and lower the rates of sexually transmitted diseases. While many conservatives are applauding the President’s recent decision, liberals are voicing serious concern over the direction the Administration is taking in sex education. Who is right? It may depend on who you talk to and which research you review.

Misinformation Common Problem for Young Adults Recent Study Found

According to one recent study published in Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, the lack of comprehensive sex education in schools does not appear to do young adults any great favor. The study, conducted by the Guttmacher Institute and reported by , found that young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 do not appear to have a clear and accurate picture of the importance of contraception use in preventing pregnancy. A quiz was given to 1,800 men and women in this age range, and the results were discouraging, to say the least.

This TED Talk discusses the abstinence of essential information about sex education.

The large majority of young adults who took the quiz scored poorly, with more than one-quarter earning a “D� or “F� grade. In addition, approximately 60 percent of

As summer vacation approaches, kids are gearing up for the season with little regard for the academics they will leave behind when the backpacks are hung up for the year. On the other hand, parents and teachers often worry about the loss of important skills throughout the summer months, which must be retaught once school rings in again. For parents intent on avoiding the academic summer slide, there are a number of ways to keep kids� brains in the game, even as they are looking forward to their break from the classroom.

This video offers tips to avoid the summer slump.

Keep Them Reading

Studies have shown that kids can lose up to 25 percent of their reading skills over the summer months, which can have a significant impact on their ability to get back into the school swing in the fall. A report at shows that income disparity widens the reading gap over the summer even more. Children in low-income households consistently lose more than two months of reading ability each summer. In contrast, children in middle to upper-income homes may remain steady or gain skills during vacation.

cites research that shows reading just six books over the summer can keep students on track when they return to the classroom. One way to ensure your kids keep reading all summer long is to schedule regular