A group of middle schoolers in Kewanee have made a claymation film for their art class. It follows 10-year-old asylum seeker Estrella on her way from El Salvador to the U.S. Plus, beginning this school year, Illinois students will be required to participate in active shooter drills. But some parents worry the drills may do more harm than good. And, last month, Weight Watchers released a weight loss app targeted at kids as young as eight years old. It caused a public outcry. We’ll discuss how we should talk about health and food with kids. 

In highly politicized times such as these, teachers are often warned to remain neutral in the classroom. But at a public primary school in Kewanee, Illinois, one art teacher is showing kids it’s their duty to speak out about injustices.

Marc Nelson's goal is to teach his students at Central Junior High School in Kewanee that there is more to art than paintings hanging from a gallery wall. The students are learning that lesson by creating images of the civil war and humanitarian crisis in Syria -- artwork that is shared on Twitter via the hashtag  #StandWithAleppo.

On Friday, the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice announced it plans to close the youth correctional facility in Kewanee by July first. The Juvenile Justice department says the closing would save the state about 14 million dollars, improve rehabilitation for young offenders, and improve community safety. It will also eliminate 200 jobs.