Chris Schnitzius

Schnitzius' idea, "Teens Teaching Teens Initiative", will allow approximately 80 11th and 12th-grade students at Bishop Dunne Catholic School to leverage the Internet, podcasts and blogs as part of a student-created website that offers positive, life-affirming values for teens. On the site students will address a variety of physical, mental and psychological health topics they have selected and researched themselves. Schnitzius believes that empowering students to be active participants in their education helps make the entire learning process more meaningful to them, which in turn, increases the likelihood for retention and success. The content, which will be supervised by school teachers and administrators, will bring attention to teen issues such as drugs and alcohol, dating, stress and parent relations. He says this project is unique because it combines information and entertainment to build a global Internet community of teens who offer a space for friendship, cultural exchange, compassion and tolerance. Schnitzius lives in Grand Prairie.