(bright upbeat music) - Coming up next on NewsDepth.

Did you know that there are islands on Lake Erie?

We visit a museum all about Cedar Point.

We meet some horses helping people build their strength and confidence, and we learn how to create a dopamine menu for when we're feeling down.

NewsDepth is now.

(bright upbeat music continues) Have you ever wondered what it's like to live on an island?

Hello, everybody.

I'm Gabriel Kramer.

And welcome to our last episode of season 55 for NewsDepth.

It has been a great year.

I can't believe how much we've all learned together.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for vacation.

Luckily, we don't have to go very far because we have some great beaches here in Ohio.

An archipelago in the western half of Lake Erie holds summer hotspots, the state's smallest public school, and evidence of the Ice Age and Crystal Cave.

Ashton Marra has this week's Know Ohio all about Lake Erie beaches.

(bright relaxing music) - Today we are talking about island life, and yes, we are still talking about Ohio.

Okay, so maybe our islands aren't quite that tropical, but Ohio does have some pretty cool islands up in Lake Erie.

Ohio's islands form an archipelago, take a look.

An archipelago simply means a group of islands.

Now, not all of the islands are part of Ohio.

The largest island in the group, as well as a few smaller islands, actually belong to Canada.

However, Ohio does get to claim the majority of them.

These islands are concentrated in the western part of Lake Erie, and that's because this side of the lake is actually much shallower than the eastern side.

Way back during the Ice Age, a glacier carved out Lake Erie.

As the glacier scraped by, it was able to cut more deeply into the softer rocks of the east than the harder rocks of the west.

Some of those hard rocks resisted erosion so much that they stayed above the waterline.

In other words, they formed our islands.

You can find some of the best evidence of glacial movement in the rocks at Glacial Groove State Park on Kelleys Island.

Another rock you can visit on Kelleys Island is called Inscription Rock.

As early as the mid 1600s, native Americans left messages in the form of pictographs etched into this large limestone rock.

You can still see some today.

No one knows for sure what the messages mean, but some believe they contain information about hunting conditions or travel plans.

For those of you who prefer a little sparkle on your rocks, you can find the world's largest geode on South Bass Island.

A geode is a stone with a hollow space inside lined with crystals or mineral matter.

And Crystal Cave in Put-in-Bay contains crystals up to three feet wide.

On South Bass Island, you can also find Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial.

This giant column commemorates soldiers who fought in the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813.

The battle was a turning point in the war of 1812.

The monument also celebrates the lasting peace between the United States, Canada, and Britain.

From the top of the monument, it's possible to see views of the other islands all the way into Canada.

Today, Ohio's Lake Erie islands are busiest.

During the warmer months, tourists flock over on ferries to visit restaurants and attractions.

But when the colder months come around, the ferry stops running regularly, and many businesses shut down.

But there are some hardy folks who live on the islands year round.

In fact, the smallest public school in Ohio is located on South Bass Island in Put-in-Bay.

This school serves students who live on other islands too, which means that in winter months, they take an airplane to school instead of a bus.

Now that's island life in Ohio for you.

(graphic whooshes) - Thank you, Ashton.

The history of the beaches on Lake Erie have a lot of ups and downs.

A high point is everyone's favorite amusement park, Cedar Point, of course.

In this week's sketchbook, we follow David Kamen, the curator and executive director of the Downtown Sandusky Cedar Point Historical Museum, as he shows us the countless items he's been collecting for the past 50 years.

From historical items, like a ribbon from 1893 to wacky souvenirs, this museum has it all.

Cedar Point takes you away to a wonderful place.

(graphic whooshes) (graphic whooshes, then scratches) (gentle music) - Good day, and thank you for coming to the Downtown Sandusky Cedar Point Historical Museum.

My name is David Kamen, and I have the pleasure of being the curator and executive director of this museum.

Over the last 50 years, I have been in love with Cedar Point, and I have amassed a tremendous amount of different Cedar Point memorabilia.

I loved sharing this memorabilia with my family and friends, but as the amount of items that I had grew greater and greater, I felt a bigger and bigger need to share it with other Cedar Point lovers.

And as a result, we've created this beautiful Cedar Point Historical Museum within the very friendly confines of the downtown Sandusky Merry-Go-Round Museum.

This case goes back to 1890.

Our oldest item that we have is here.

It's a ribbon from 1893.

And in the olden days when groups of people would come to Cedar Point, the entire group, everyone in the group would wear their ribbon showing where they were from, what city and the year.

A lot of people have asked me, "David, how did you get started in all of this?"

And it is really a love story.

When I graduated from high school here in Sandusky, that summer, I started working at Cedar Point.

I worked from 11:30 at night till 8 in the morning, changing light bulbs.

At that point in time, I just fell in love with the park.

My dad had six or eight postcards that he had showed to me.

I started collecting postcards and then it expanded to all the things that you see.

(lively music) One of the delights of putting this museum together has been the people that I've met who've made contributions to it.

- I have a, also have a collection of Cedar Point, and I had also tried to find a place to place my items.

It's not quite as large as David, but I have different things than he does.

So when I would see something or when I would see a where there's a gap, such as he had no green glass in the display case, or none of the pink or the custard or milk glass, so I have added some of my pieces from my collection to his collection.

So we have more of a, you know, everything's covered.

- Every year, so for as long as I can remember, I have had numerous visits to the beautiful place known as Cedar Point.

I've been on every rollercoaster.

I'm still a rollercoaster freak.

Hence, we have all these inaugural rider medallions here in the museum.

But Cedar Point is just so much more than the rollercoasters.

I just love the atmosphere of seeing families have fun.

Cedar Point takes you away to a wonderful place.

(graphic whooshes) - Special thanks to arts producer Jean-Marie Papoi for sharing that story with us.

(graphic pops) If you'd like to learn more about the history of Cedar Point, you can check out our Know Ohio all about it on newsdepth.org.

And that brings us to our last poll of the season.

What are you looking forward to this summer?

Slide over to our poll page to vote.

You can choose between vacation, staycation, getting a break from school, catching up on your hobbies, or simply hanging out with friends and family.

And this one is a multiple choice question, so you can select everything you're looking forward to this summer.

Me personally, I'm excited for some staycationing and maybe having a cookout or two with some family and friends.

On our last episode, we heard about the rising costs of college and universities, and we wanted to know if all of you at home were considering going to college.

Almost 40% of you said you want to go to a four-year college.

About 30% of you said no, that you had other plans.

16% of you said you were undecided.

8% reported you were thinking of getting a two-year degree, and another 6% of you said you were considering going to a trade school.

Thank you all for voting.

Okay, now hold onto your horses.

We've got some more stories coming up.

Roping a new era of rodeo in Louisiana.

That's what a group of young cowgirl are doing by redefining one of America's oldest traditions.

Jay McCulley has more on their inspiring story.

- [Jay] In arenas across America, a new generation of cowgirls is redefining rodeo, not just with grit, but with heart.

- Just having this community, like we're all competing against each other, but we're all friends at the same time.

- [Jay] Young Macie McBride has big dreams.

- I wanna make it to the national finals in the breakaway roping 'cause that's my favorite event.

- [Jay] Barrel racing has long been the standard, but now these girls are riding straight into history.

- Because now they've opened up the breakaway to be in the pro rodeo.

And I'm really excited about that.

- [Jay] For Ava Williams, it's more than a sport.

It's a legacy.

- My mom, she is, she rodeoed her whole life.

And then whenever I was born, I just love horses.

- [Jay] Her mother taught her the value of hard work and structure, lesson she lives every day.

- In the mornings, feed horses before I go to school.

And then whenever I get back from school, I feed horses, ride horses.

It's a lot, but it's fun.

- [Jay] Reece Chaffin competes in barrel racing and pole bending.

A first generation cowgirl.

She's already planning her future.

- I just wanna keep improving right now, keep getting better.

In the future, I wanna train horses.

- [Jay] That journey starts with her horse, Bailey, a bond she built from the ground up.

- The one I have right now, I trained her.

When I got her, she didn't know anything.

So I've got a strong connection with her.

I, she's taught me, I've taught her.

It's important to have a bond with your horse.

If you don't, then you ain't got nothing.

- [Jay] All three girls competed in this year's DeRidder Junior High Rodeo.

The top 15 teams will move on to state finals, and if they place there, it's onto nationals in Des Moines, Iowa.

And McBride hopes her run is doing more than winning buckles.

- I'm really hoping I'm inspiring some three-year-old who wants to rope.

And I've had girls who come to me like, "You're so cool, you're a breakaway roper."

And I'm like, that makes my day sometimes, just you can see how inspired they are.

- Those cowgirls are great role models.

Thanks for the story, Jay.

Since it's our last episode of the season, I think it's okay if we horse around a little bit.

Kingsport, Tennessee, hosted its first-ever Hobby Horse derby, proving that you don't need a real horse to race.

Just a stick, a little imagination, and a whole lot of energy.

Samantha Allen has look at the fun and unique event.

- [Woman] Woo-hoo.

Go, girl, go.

- [Samantha] Hobby horsing, yes, riding a stick horse is taking center stage at the Allandale Mansion, from barrel racing to jump courses to a mini arena for the youngest riders, there's a little something for everyone.

And with food trucks and family fun on site, this derby is less about speed and more about smiles.

- I don't feel like winning.

I just think I'm just gonna do good.

I'm gonna be like good, but not bad.

Not super good, but not super bad.

(crowd cheering and applauding) - On the internet, I saw a video of someone at the Hobby Horsing Championships, which is an event that occurs every year.

Allandale is that old horse and cattle farm, and I thought this is something that we could do, a silly little thing for the community to enjoy.

- [Samantha] The event was held Sunday afternoon with different races for kids, teens, and adults.

- My mom asked me, she's like, "You wanna sign up for Hobby Horsing?"

I'm like, "Yeah, sure.

It's fun."

It's my first competition I've ever been to, so.

- Do you plan on doing more?

- Mm-hmm.

- [Samantha] Whether you're in it to win or just in it for the laughs, the Hobby Horse Derby is for riders of all ages.

- Thank you, Samantha.

Camp Cheerful located in Strongsville, Ohio, opened as Ohio's first camp with recreation programs for children with disabilities in 1947.

Today, children and adults with physical, developmental, and sensory disabilities can take part in and benefit from various activities and programs.

One program they have is therapeutic horsemanship.

Therapeutic horsemanship is a form of therapy that involves activities with horses to help with a person's physical and mental health.

When used as physical therapy, like with adaptive riding, the motion of a horse can be therapeutic since they mimic the normal movement of human walking.

This can improve flexibility, balance, and muscle strength.

Thanks to this program, anyone with a wide range of abilities is able to ride a horse.

Wanna learn more?

Great.

Because we have a Spot On Science all about it.

Check it out.

(graphic trills) (upbeat music) (graphic whooshes) (gentle music) - Camp Cheerful was established in 1947.

It's run by the Achievement Centers for Children.

We have three locations.

One in Westlake, one in Highland Hills, and Camp Cheerful here in Strongsville.

Part of the therapeutic horsemanship program is the adapted riding, which is what most people are familiar with.

- You got it, good.

Thank you.

Very good.

Okay, we use these straps.

- The adapted riding program is geared towards a rider's individual goals.

So although the rider has disabilities, we gear the lesson towards what their goals are.

So for some, it may be following directions, it may be improving their posture and sitting up tall.

Some of them may be sequencing, building some self-confidence, that sort of thing.

Okay, tell him to walk on.

- Walk on.

- Good.

And you're gonna turn left.

Go down the... - Well, I had her at 24 weeks.

She was in the incubator.

They gave me a 50% chance of her going to live or not, so that's why I named her Miracle Mae.

And when she was in the NICU, we called her Eminem.

- Okay, get ready for two point.

Hands on the neck, push yourself up, eyes up and head.

Awesome.

Well done.

- We started when she was younger and then we stopped for a while, and then she had to have surgery.

But now we're back, and she's all excited.

- [Cory] Good, (indistinct).

Very good.

Good job.

Awesome.

- Well, I mean, I think everybody who comes here as a volunteer will say, "This is our happy place."

We do a lot of the things you saw Miracle do, you know, because this helps with balance.

To go around a barrel, you have to keep yourself balanced as the horse kind of tilts and use muscles to keep themselves upright.

- Three, four, five.

And point to your horse's ears for 5.

One, two, three, four, five.

I was doing an intake and the child was on the horse.

He was about four.

And we asked the riders to tell their horse to walk on to go and to say, "whoa," to stop.

And the child was saying, you know, I said, "Say walk on."

And the child said, "Walk on."

And I looked over and the parent that brought the child was crying and I went over and said, "Is everything okay?"

And she said, "He has never spoke.

Those were his first words."

I still get choked up saying that, 'cause it's, it was so exciting for them.

(gentle music continues) (indistinct chatter) - Yeah, that's right.

There we go.

And then they make progress.

And you know, somebody who is scared, sometimes by the time six weeks are up, they're just not scared at all anymore.

And that's a wonderful thing too.

- 'Course, it's making me feel happy.

(uplifting music) - We have 10 horses and ponies.

Some of them have been donated, some of them we've purchased.

We really look at what the program needs.

They have to be very forgiving and they have to love a lot of attention (chuckles) because they get a lot of grooming and a lot of hugs and a lot of people around them.

So they have to have that type of a demeanor.

A lot of these horses have a soft place to land, especially those that have been donated.

A lot of times they've had a previous career or they've worked very hard.

And while this job is, it is not an easy job for them, but it's a soft place to land for them, for sure.

(graphic whooshes) - Special thanks to our intern from last year, Alexandra Samame, for producing that story.

Great job, Alexandra.

Last week we talked about feeling academic anxiety due to final exams, school projects, and end-of-year performances.

And we wanted to hear what are some of the things you do when you're starting to feel anxious?

Let's read some of your calming tips by opening our inbox.

(graphic whooshes) (graphic clicks) Skyler from Applewood Elementary School in Brunswick, that's where my niece Rosella goes to school, starts us off with, "Dear NewsDepth, how I deal with school anxiety is when I get home, I text my best friends and they make me feel better.

And when I have hard days at school, I go to sleep early to get rest for the next day."

It was great visiting Applewood this week.

I had a blast.

Jay from Gates Mills School in Gates Mills likes to get to the root of the problem.

"When I get school anxiety, I like to deal with it by finding out what I'm stressed about and trying to fix it.

For example, if I find out that I'm stressed for a test or quiz, I like to study until I feel ready for it.

I also like to pet my dog to deal with anxiety."

Leopold from Hanby Elementary in Westerville likes to play with their cat on good days and bad.

"I deal with anxiety with the help of my dog, he always makes me feel better.

My cats sometimes also calm me down after a test."

Makiah from Winchester Trail Elementary in Canal Winchester gets musical when they need a break.

"My teacher, Ms. Brown, lets us play instrumental music when we are at the carpet and she lets us look at YouTube videos and I love her for that."

And Zoe from Falls-Lenox Primary School in Olmsted Falls knows that good friends can make any day better.

"To deal with school anxiety, I first take deep breaths.

And if that doesn't work, I start drawing.

And if that doesn't work, I would tell my teacher or I would go to my friends to comfort me, aka, my bestie Lyla."

Thank you all for writing.

There's no doubt that this time of year can be especially busy.

And if your energy to get things done is zapped by the end of the day, your brain may just need a dopamine hit.

Dopamine is the chemical compound that is in charge of the brain's reward system.

It helps regulating your motivation, cognition, and even movement.

In today's Health Minute, Mandy Gaither has more on how to design a dopamenu to help boost focus and motivation.

- [Mandy] If your to-do list keeps getting longer, but the motivation to get things done is in short demand, you're not alone.

And experts say a dopamine menu or dopamenu may be just what you need.

- It's a personalized list of activities that can bring you relaxation, relief, and reward.

- [Mandy] Dr. Sanjay Gupta says, dopamine is a neurotransmitter and a key part of our brain's reward system.

He says it's critical for decision making, planning, and the ability to pay attention.

- If you can trigger your brain and access that dopamine, it can help you focus.

- [Mandy] To design your own dopamenu, Gupta says to write down a list of activities you can turn to before it's needed.

They should be reasonable to do and ones you personally enjoy.

Consider ones that involve mindful movement, like a short walk, a one-song dance party, or a bike ride.

You can also consider creative outlets like writing, social connections, such as taking a break to see a friend, or rest and recovery, like a short nap or soothing bath.

- Organize your menu the way a restaurant does.

Appetizers are small breaks, main dishes take a bit longer, and desserts are more indulgent.

Just remember, have fun with it.

- Hmm, my dopamenu would include hanging out with my friends, maybe reading a book, but definitely reading your letters.

(graphic whooshes) David from Bellevue sent us this picture of Newshound and said, "Dear NewsDepth, give Newshound extra treats."

You know, David, he usually does get extra treats.

Penny, Abey, Grace, Serenity, and Violet, from Emerson Elementary School in Lakewood, wrote, "Our class watches your show every Friday.

We love your show, especially Petting Zoo.

We love the A+ Awards too."

You can actually nominate an A+ Award winner by going to our website NewsDepth.org.

Reading books can inspire people to do great things, and when those books are about our furry friends, who we love dearly and makes us want to do so much more.

The fourth grade students at Fort Meigs Elementary won this week's A+ Award.

These students read the free-verse poetry book called "Love That Dog."

The story follows a young boy named Jack that loses his dog.

And the book was able to teach these students the difference between having a literal and a figurative great heart.

For two years, Fort Meigs has been part of the K9 Student Teacher program, where after dogs graduate from The Ability Center, they do some onsite training for six months at Fort Meigs, The Ability Center is a nonprofit program that assists and trains dogs and they have tons of different dogs ranging from service dogs, school facility dogs, and companions.

This is all done through the school's language pathologist and doggy handler, Mrs. Sparks.

Fort Meigs already has a couple dogs from The Ability Center, a service dog named Raven and another dog named Flint.

And these pups sure are celebrities around the school.

Fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Cotterman, had a great idea that she knew the students would love.

After receiving an Amazon wishlist from The Ability Center, the students were able to get their hands dirty and start a doggy support drive.

They did a ton of work to get these dogs as things that they need.

Some students like Sebastian, Mary Lou, and Elijah even gave up recess.

They made posters for the drive, wrote scripts for the morning announcements, and even manned the donation tables themselves.

Those students sure know what it means to be a doer, and they were super proud of how much they were able to donate.

While learning how to foster and give back, they filled up eight boxes with doggy treats, toys, training equipment, beds, crates, and medicine.

Great job, Fort Meigs, for showing what it means to have a great heart.

Okay, I think that's Newshound's cue.

I hope he's ready with a good Petting Zoo story.

(percussion music) (dog barks) Whoa, Newshound, are you just eating ice cream?

Is that two scoops of my favorite flavor?

And you didn't invite me?

You better save me some.

Well, what story do you have for us today?

Oh, it's a story about a therapy dog that got his own children's book.

To check out the complete story, you can visit us at NewsDepth.org.

(graphic whooshes) Thanks, Newshound.

(video rewinds) What's going on?

Oh, you have our Write To Us for this week.

For our last write-in of the season, Newshound would like you to write a book about him.

Students can share their stories using our inbox form on our website, or by sending us an email to newsdepth@ideastream.org.

(graphic whooshes) And that is a wrap for this season of NewsDepth.

Teachers, we'd love to hear how we did.

To share your feedback with us, you can fill out the end of season survey linked at the bottom of this episode page.

And students, you know we always wanna hear from you as well, and there are plenty of ways for you to stay in touch with us.

You can write to us.

We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio.

Zip code here, 44115.

Or you can send us an email at newsdepth@ideastream.org.

Plus you can catch all of our special segments on YouTube.

Hit subscribe if you're old enough so you don't miss out on any of our new videos.

Before saying goodbye, I wanna thank you all for tuning in each week.

I do a lot of different things for my job at Ideastream, but my favorite, absolute favorite is hanging out with all of you.

Thank you for joining us.

I'm Gabriel Kramer.

We'll see you right back here next school year.

See you around.

(graphic whooshes) (upbeat music) - [Kid] NewsDepth is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

(upbeat music continues) (bright music)