Great grads: Emma Chasen, West Babylon High School

Emma Chasen, 17, cares about current events, - and, as a result, so do many of her classmates.

During her freshman year, she launched a one-of-a-kind publication at the school called What Do We Care? - an effort to dispel the notion that most teens care more about the mall than social issues.

The color 8.5-by-11-inch newspaper - which is publishing its fourth issue this summer - includes quotes and commentary from dozens of West Babylon students on issues ranging from global warming to the economy. The concept came to her after a classmate played down the importance of the war in Iraq by saying, "What do we care?"

Today, the newspaper's printing costs are handled by the Town of Babylon, a move arranged by Supervisor Steve Bellone, who called Chasen after seeing the first issue in 2007.

Her plans: Attending Brown University to study pre-med.

In her words: "Teenagers need a voice. I created this to empower young people to voice their opinions and make them feel like their opinions matter."

The view from the guidance department: "I've witnessed the growth in Emma because of her determination to make her vision a reality. She stands behind her belief that teens do care. They just need new formats to help form and express opinions," said guidance chairwoman Stephanie Thomas