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SCMP Reporter

Let's spread  the happiness
I think we should share around more happiness. 
Too often we worry about the pressures we have to deal with, and we keep one another at a distance.
But being alone can easily make us negative. We need friends. 
When we concentrate on spreading happiness, we feel happier and so does everyone around us. When we smile, other people smile. The result is psychological well-being for yourself and others. 
So, come on, let's spread the happiness.
Jojo Wong Ming-fong, Fung Kai Liu Man Shek Tong Secondary School
Schools, take the environmental lead
We have to wake up to the fact that global warming is really happening. 
The average temperature of the Earth is going up, and we should be doing something about it.
School is one place we can start setting an example.
To save electricity, schools should lead the way in using solar energy. Windows should be better designed to let in  more light and allow better ventilation.
 An eco-friendly school should provide recycled paper. Recycling bins are also needed in the school - they can teach students how to sort rubbish.
 School is an institution designed to allow and encourage students to learn. 
An ideal eco-friendly school will help students understand their responsibility to the future.
Renee Wong Pui-yu, Our Lady of The Rosary College 
Do more to prevent teenage pregnancies
Recently, a 13-year-od British boy became a father with his  14-year-old girlfriend. Perhaps some people do not think much of it, but I think it is a serious problem. 
In the past, men and women never had physical contact in public. Then, they began holding hands or hugging each other. Before long they were kissing on buses, and now, children are becoming parents. 
Instead of seeing it as crisis, people are raising money to help the young couple. Although their intentions are good, I think it is actually encouraging more teenage pregnancies. 
When the young father said he was happy about having a baby, it just shows he does  not know how serious fatherhood is. 
It also shows he is not going to teach his child not to do the same thing. 
He even said he wanted to write a book about it and make money.
The message overall in all this is - it's OK for children to have children. 
I think we need to take this situation more seriously, and do more to prevent teenage pregnancies. 
Jasmine Chan Lok-yiu, St Paul's Co-educational College 
Make the downturn an opportunity
Amid this financial crisis, many people are rightly worried about their jobs and their future. 
Some economists predict the Hong Kong jobless rate will reach 6 per cent this year. 
As a result, people are working much harder than before to retain their jobs. But they should also think about how this is a good opportunity to take courses and undergo training.
If someone loses their job and seeks another one too quickly, they may find themselves overworked and underpaid when the economy bounces back.
 In contrast, if our abilities and knowledge have been improved by study and courses, when the economic situation becomes more favorable, we will be more likely to choose  a better job with a higher income.
 The financial crisis is not the end of the world. Money is not the only thing in life. 
Seize this opportunity to improve you prospects.
 You may one day thank yourself for having used the downturn to hone your skills.
Lo Chi-chung, Tang Shiu Kin Victoria Government Secondary School



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