ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, December 9, 1996 TAG: 9612100166
SECTION: NEWSFUN PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN GRIESSMAYER STAFF WRITER
How cool do you think you are?
Do you have the style and fashion sense of a star from the movie "Clueless"? Or are you just plain clueless?
Are your moves on the basketball court like Michael Jordan's? Or Michael Jackson's?
Well, on a scale from geeky Steve Urkel to super-cool Stefan Urquelle, most of us rank somewhere in the middle.
Most of the time, when we dress in the latest styles, have our hair done just right and go through an entire day without doing anything completely embarrassing, we we feel pretty cool.
But every now and then a day comes along when you have to wear your little brother's Barney T-shirt because Mom forgot to do the laundry. And your hair looks like Cruella De Vil's. And you trip over your own feet in the cafeteria and send your chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes flying into orbit.
Then you don't feel so cool.
According to many middle school students, being cool is not hard. They say it's not nearly as important as many TV shows and movies make you think, and it's not always about where you buy your clothes or how you do your hair.
Josh White, a sixth-grader at Andrew Lewis Middle School in Salem, said the definition of cool is "being yourself and standing up for what you believe in."
Sarah Dyer agrees. She said you don't have to act like anyone special to be cool. She also said the secret to cool is to be nice without acting like a nerd.
"It's cool to get good grades," she said. "But you don't have to always brag about everything you do. That's not cool."
Cameron Sams, also a sixth-grader at Andrew Lewis, thought that being a good friend is what cool is all about.
"If you talk behind your friends' or other people's backs, everyone in the school will hate you," he said. "Going around and blabbing all the time is definitely not cool."
So it's obvious that having a positive attitude and being a considerate friend go a long way to making a person cool. But what about style?
Style is important, too, but that doesn't mean you have to buy a whole new wardrobe at the Gap to be cool.
In fact, many kids said these days a person can look good dressed in clothes from just about anywhere. Brand names aren't as important as they used to be.
Baggy clothes are cool. For boys, hockey and basket jerseys and corduroy or khaki pants are cool. For girls, it's wide-leg jeans or overalls, baby doll T-shirts and clogs.
Allicia Lewis, a sixth-grader from Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Roanoke, said shirts, sweatshirts or anything else with a cartoon character on it is cool.
"Anything with Looney Tunes characters or Winnie the Pooh is popular," she said. "Things you used to think were just for babies."
The best part about all these items is that they can be found anywhere from the expensive stores at the mall to more reasonably priced places like Wal-Mart. It doesn't have to cost your mom and dad a fortune to buy you everything you need to be the coolest kid you can be.
Best of all, you can get some major cool points by doing something that won't cost you or your parents anything at all.
"Just be yourself," said Cameron. "And hang out with some cool people."
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: DON PETERSEN STAFF Some of the cool kids at Woodrowby CNBWilson Middle School in Roanoke (from left): Heather Lawson,
Allicia Lewis, Carter Mundi, Brittany Garcia and Morgan Brooks, all
11. color