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Students: Hi, we are Hilliard Station Sixth Grade. This is Mr. Kaufman's STEM class, and you are watching Channel One News!

Arielle: Some Friday fun from the group over at Hilliard Station — got to love it. Hey guys, I am Arielle Hixson, and let's get this show going.

Now, first up today, President Trump is taking on the opioid crisis in America, declaring it a national public health emergency.

In the White House, the president was surrounded by families affected by opioid abuse as he made the announcement yesterday. 

President Donald Trump: We can be the generation that ends the opioid epidemic. We can do it.

Arielle: Now, there are legitimate reasons for taking opioids. Doctors prescribe them for cancer patients who need them for pain and patients who need them to control pain after surgery. But some are taking these pills and getting hooked, and other opioids are illegal, like heroin.

The president's aim is to reduce addiction to prescription pain medication and also to end illegal drug use, like heroin and fentanyl. The United States is the No. 1 country in the world for opioid use. Today's declaration gives states the ability to shift funds away from other medical issues such as HIV, diabetes and maternal care to provide more opioid treatments. Last year 59,000 people died from opioid overdose.

The president's directive falls short of declaring a national emergency, and so no new money will be used to deal with the crisis, but the White House says it is working with Congress to add money to the budget. 

Now on to today's Word in the News: conspiracy theory, a belief that an event is a result of a secret plot, usually by powerful people.

Which brings us to take a look back in American history and the assassination of America's 35th president. Now, Emily, there are probably more conspiracy theories about the assassination of John F. Kennedy than about any other event out there.

Emily: Yeah, Arielle, for sure, and yesterday, secrets were finally revealed as the Trump administration opened up classified files that were once sealed and under wraps.

Nearly 54 years after President Kennedy's assassination, nearly 3,000 previously secret documents surrounding the investigation into his murder are being made public. 

Philip Shenon: These are government reports written for other government officials.

Emily: Experts don't expect any bombshells but hope the material will shed light on the man who shot and killed President Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, and why he took a trip to Mexico City weeks before the assassination in 1963. 

Shenon: The question in the back of my mind has always been “Didn't the CIA know much more about what was going on with Oswald in Mexico City? Didn't they suspect that he was a much bigger threat? And why didn't they warn Washington of that at the time?"

Emily: The National Archives are responsible for releasing the material, but experts say it will take days — if not weeks — to make sense of it all. Oswald was shot and killed by Jack Ruby while in police custody, giving rise to conspiracy theories about the Kennedy assassination. 

Some say releasing these files is a step in the right direction, but it is possible the documents could raise more questions than they answer. 

Emily Reppert, Channel One News.

Arielle: Now there are nearly 3,000 files that are being released, but the president is still blocking a few of them until he can take a deeper look. 

Okay, up next, students are taking charge and taking names.

Arielle: Okay, Azia, now, there has been a lot of debate lately about history, how we remember it and who we choose to honor, especially when it comes to Civil War.

Azia: Yeah, Arielle. So Confederate flags and monuments have been taken down because many people feel they symbolize racism and slavery. Now things are about to change at one school in Jackson, Mississippi, and it is all thanks to the students.

The Davis Magnet School is the pride of the Jackson Public School District. It is one of the best-performing public elementary schools in the state of Mississippi. But for some, there was still one problem: the name.

Jefferson Davis served as the president of the Confederate States and owned slaves. The Confederate States of America was a union of 11 states which tried to break off from the U.S. and create their own country. Historians say one of the main drivers was to keep slavery legal, and when the states seceded, civil war broke out. 

Even though the South lost the war, years later, monuments to Confederate leaders were erected, and the Confederate flag could be found flying across the South. Some in the community, where 98 percent of the students here are African American, found that troubling — like Farah, who was a former student at Davis. She wrote a letter and started a campaign to change the name. And it worked.

Farah: I was really excited about it, to hear that there was going to be changes — like a dream come true for me.

Azia: This month, the school board let parents and students decide on a new name.

Janelle Jefferson: It was overwhelmingly — there was support from the parents and from the student vote, you know, for President Obama.

Azia: So, starting next year, the Jefferson Davis Magnet School will become the Barack Obama Magnet School.

At least 109 public schools across the country still bear the names of rebel leaders, like Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee. Almost a quarter of those schools have a majority of African American students.

Farah: I’m gonna say I went to Barack Obama Elementary School.

Azia: A name these students and parents say they can all be proud of. Azia Celestino, Channel One News.

Arielle: All right, Keith is here with today's Feel-Good Friday that will have you singing in no time.

Keith: Yeah, Arielle, when I was in Australia for Channel One, I ran into one talented teen who changed his life around with his powerful voice. His story couldn't be better as we close out our coverage of Bullying Prevention Month. 

There is a lot to see in Sydney, Australia: awesome skyline, picturesque waterways, the iconic Sydney Opera House — and, of course, Alex Marcel.

Alex Marcel: Music means to me — it’s like, I want to tell a story. I want to express my emotions as well, so there's no better way of telling a story and expressing your emotions than playing music.

Keith: You have got to be brave to do what 18-year-old Alex does. He has been busking, also known as street performing, for several years now, spending five to six hours a day out here at this mall in Sydney, playing some stuff you might recognize — and some originals. 

Equipped with just a mic and stand, an amp, guitar and his voice, he usually draws a crowd and thousands of followers on social media. He appears poised, confident and courageous, but it hasn't always come easy for Alex. 

Marcel: When I was younger, I had complete — no confidence in myself, and it was just — I was overweight. People would just make, like, little remarks about, little jokes under their breath, and that really affected me, and I hated the fact that, like, I couldn't fit in with them. Girls would never want to speak to me and stuff, and yeah, it’s just, I was at a bottom, you know, at the pit.

Keith: So Alex decided to take the situation into his own hands. He began training, losing weight, and he took singing lessons, building confidence through music. 

Marcel: I just took a shot. I just went out there, and I'm just gonna take a risk, see how it goes. I was very scared to start off; I’ll be honest. I was like, I don’t know how these people are gonna respond; I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but it worked out, you know? You never know until you take a risk.

Keith: And Alex isn't the only one. There are countless other street performers in every big city around the world trying to make it big and get noticed. Fame doesn't come easy here, but in fact, it does happen. A lot of big-time artists got their start street performing, like Notorious B.I.G., Passenger and even the Beebs.

Alex has those same hopes and dreams of one day being discovered and making it big in the music industry. 

Marcel: I’ve struggled the last couple months trying to support myself. I took a risk just by investing all my money I made to go in the studio to record my stuff, and it's paid off at the end of the day, which is crazy. It really makes me believe that there's always hope in life. You just got to keep pushing, keep fighting, you know? 

Keith: And that is exactly what Alex has kept doing. So who knows what Alex's future will hold? But as for now, you can find him here in Sydney playing for people passing by, confidently belting away — from bullied to brave. 

Keith Kocinski, Channel One News. 

Arielle: That boy can sing! Thanks, Keith.

And before we go, we all know what holiday is just around the corner — Halloween! Guys, it is one of my favorite holidays, and I am super excited, so I know a bunch of you will be decked out in the coolest costumes. So do me a favor and share them. When you post on Insta, tag your spooky pics with #Ch1Halloween, and they just might end up on the show next week. 

Alrighty guys, it is time to head out, but we will catch you right back here on Monday.

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