Remarkable Kids | 60 Minutes Full Episodes

St. Mary's (11s)

• Two high school seniors, Kelsey Johnson and Naya Jackson, proved a mathematical puzzle that was thought to be impossible for 2,000 years, specifically a proof of the Pythagorean theorem using trigonometry (24s).
• The students, who attend an all-girls Catholic high school in New Orleans called St. Mary's Academy, were working on a schoolwide math contest with a cash prize when they tackled the challenge (2m0s).
• The bonus question asked them to create a new proof of the Pythagorean theorem, a fundamental principle of geometry that states a^2 + b^2 = c^2, which they were familiar with from their geometry and trigonometry studies (2m25s).
• Despite the theorem having over 300 documented proofs using algebra and geometry, a proof using trigonometry was thought to be impossible for 2,000 years, making their achievement remarkable (3m0s).
• Kelsey and Naya spent almost all their free time for two months working on the proof, with Kelsey's work filling over 20-30 pages, and their math teacher, Michelle Blen Williams, did not expect anyone to solve it (3m32s).
• The students' groundbreaking work, titled the "Waffle Cone" proof, was initiated by their math teacher as part of the schoolwide math contest, and they were motivated by the challenge and the monetary incentive (4m40s).
• St. Mary's Academy, where the students attend, is a private Catholic elementary and high school that was started by an African-American nun for young black women just after the Civil War, and it emphasizes excellence and boundless possibilities for its students (1m36s).
• The school's approach and support from their families and teachers helped Kelsey and Naya achieve their remarkable feat, with their parents and teacher expressing pride and surprise at their accomplishment (3m40s).
• Two high school students, Kelsey Johnson and Naya Jackson, independently came up with a proof of a mathematical theorem using trigonometry, joining a very exclusive club in mathematics (6m2s).
• The theorem had only one other documented proof in 2,000 years, which was by mathematician Jason Zimba in 2009 (5m49s).
• Kelsey and Naya's proof involves creating a pattern of similar but smaller right triangles, eventually forming a larger waffle cone shape (5m8s).
• To figure out the proof, Kelsey used a right triangle, a circle, and a perpendicular bisector to divide the triangle and create a small right triangle (5m41s).
• The students' math teacher submitted their proofs to an American Mathematical Society conference in Atlanta in March 2023, where they presented their work (6m30s).
• The students' achievement gained international recognition, with a write-up in South Korea, a shout-out from former First Lady Michelle Obama, a commendation from the governor, and keys to the City of New Orleans (7m9s).
• Kelsey and Naya believe that people were surprised by their achievement because they are young African-American women (7m36s).
• The students' school, St. Mary's Academy, has a history of producing barrier-breaking graduates, including the late Queen of Creole cooking Leah Chase and the first African-American female New Orleans police chief Michelle Woodfork (7m58s).
• The school's president and interim principal, Pamela Rogers, attributes the students' success to the school's message that all students can succeed and learn, regardless of their environment (8m41s).
• Despite the students' achievement being widely applauded, there were also naysayers who doubted their ability to solve the math problem due to their race (9m6s).
• The vision of who can be successful is not always an African-American female, but some people believe it should be, and when teachers lay out expectations that say students can do something, kids will work hard to achieve it (9m26s).
• Gloria Ladson-Billings, a professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, has studied how to best teach African-American students and believes an encouraging teacher can change a life (9m52s).
• A whole school dedicated to the excellence of African-American students can make a significant difference, as seen at St. Mary's, where young women are told what is expected of them and how to achieve it (10m17s).
• At St. Mary's, half the students receive scholarships subsidized by fundraising to defray the $8,000 a year tuition, and there is no test to get in, but expectations are high and rules are strict (10m48s).
• Students at St. Mary's appreciate the rules and rigor, especially the high standards set for them, and believe that the school's philosophy, "The Sisterhood," emphasizes the importance of going to college (11m14s).
• The school has a 100% graduation rate and a 100% college acceptance rate for 17 years, with every senior being accepted into college (11m54s).
• Naya Jackson and Kelsey, who graduated last year, both went to college and received scholarships, with Naya getting a full ride to Xavier University's pharmacy school and Kelsey studying environmental engineering at Louisiana State University (12m5s).
• Naya and Kelsey, who were previously involved in math, do not plan to pursue careers in math, but are still working on further proofs of the Pythagorean theorem (12m46s).

Flying Blind (13m16s)

• There are two types of skiers: those who prefer groomed runs and those who enjoy free riding, which involves skiing the whole mountain and navigating obstacles created by nature, such as drops, jagged cliffs, and deep shoots (13m16s).
• Free riding is a fast-growing discipline in skiing that attracts brave and adventurous skiers, and 15-year-old Jacob Smith stands out among them due to his exceptional skills despite being blind (13m58s).
• Jacob Smith, who is blind, skied down the 11,000 ft High Lone Peak in Big Sky, Montana, three years ago at the age of 12, making his way through a narrow rock-walled shoot with a 50° slope (14m22s).
• Jacob became the only legally blind athlete to ski the legendary run, and he has since repeated the feat multiple times, testing his luck and good sense (15m6s).
• Jacob competes in junior regional free ride tournaments, including one in Big Sky, where he skied down a triple diamond shoot called DTM, which has a 45° slope, and received no special treatment from the judges despite his blindness (16m0s).
• Jacob has extreme tunnel vision, no depth perception, and blurry vision, with a visual acuity rated 2,800, four times the level of legal blindness, but his family helps him navigate the course (16m38s).
• On competition days, Jacob's family, including his father Nathan and brother Preston, assist him in getting to the top of the venue and provide guidance through a two-way radio, with his father calmly directing him down the mountain (17m20s).
• Jacob, a young boy, is a competitive skier who is blind, relying on his father's voice to guide him through the course, and his adaptation to this method is impressive (17m42s).
• Jacob's siblings, Andrew, Preston, and Julia, are also competitive skiers, and when Jacob participates in competitions, his blindness is often announced over the intercom, drawing attention from the other competitors (18m20s).
• Jacob was born with vision but began experiencing headaches and bumping into things at the age of 8, leading to the discovery of a cancerous brain tumor that was crushing his optic nerve (19m18s).
• Jacob underwent an emergency 12-hour surgery to relieve the pressure on his optic nerve and had three more major brain surgeries over the next three years, all before he was 12 years old (19m48s).
• Despite the challenges he faced, Jacob remained positive, praying to stay alive and get through the difficult times, and in 2017, a course of radiation eradicated the cancer, giving him a clean scan (21m25s).
• However, Jacob's doctor warned that the radiation increased his lifetime risk of another brain tumor by up to 30%, leaving his family with a sense of uncertainty and a constant "what if" (21m34s).
• Jacob's family, including his parents and siblings, have been supportive throughout his journey, and his father guides him through the ski courses, helping him to navigate the challenges of being a blind skier (17m42s).
• Jacob, a blind child, learned to ski with the help of his father, Andy, who had no prior experience teaching a blind child to ski, and they developed their own method instead of using a rope and sign (22m22s).
• Jacob relies on his sense of hearing to navigate the slopes, listening for dangers such as other skiers, the churning of a lift, or icy conditions underfoot (22m53s).
• Andy remembers many of the runs from when he could see and can feel his way down a run he didn't go on before he lost his vision, although it can be scary and take some time (23m5s).
• Jacob had many crashes in the early days, including a severe accident at age 10 where he shattered his femur in 60 places when he skied into a tree (23m32s).
• Andy is not nervous about Jacob getting hurt, as he believes the consequences of falling are not life-threatening, and his biggest fear is not succeeding (23m49s).
• Jacob is cautious about skiing and competing on low visibility days and prefers to ski with people he trusts (24m34s).
• Despite his blindness, Jacob is able to keep up with his siblings on the mountain and has developed a keen sense of hearing that allows him to focus on specific sounds (24m58s).
• Jacob's success in skiing is not about winning trophies but about freedom and showing others how to negotiate obstacles even when they can't be seen (25m33s).
• Jacob's approach to life is about adapting to challenges and finding a way to overcome them, as demonstrated by his perseverance in skiing despite the risks (25m57s).

College of Magic (26m11s)

• The College of Magic in Cape Town, South Africa, is a unique school that teaches students, aged 10 to 18, various forms of magic, including card tricks, juggling, and ventriloquism, in addition to life skills such as honesty, humility, and respect (26m22s).
• The school, which is not an accredited institution, has a diverse student body reflecting the demographics of South Africa, with students coming from both privileged and impoverished backgrounds (26m32s).
• To become masters of magic, students must be both tacticians and technicians, requiring practice, application, and discipline, with a six-year program to earn a diploma (27m14s).
• A teacher and graduate of the school, CA Bti, now a practicing magician, shows students the tricks of the trade and aims to teach them honesty, humility, and respect (27m48s).
• CA Bti's passion for magic is driven by his desire to put a smile on people's faces, entertain, and make a living, having initially not considering magic as a career (28m1s).
• The school's founder, David Gore, a former lawyer, opened the College of Magic 40 years ago, devoting it to wonder and illusion, with the goal of teaching students valuable life skills (28m37s).
• Gore attributes the appeal of magic to people's curiosity about suspending the laws of nature and the magician's ability to offer a gateway to a world where gravity can be defied (29m24s).
• During a visit to the school in July 2022, students were preparing for the annual Children's Magic Festival, with a dress rehearsal showcasing their skills (29m49s).
• Michael Barta, a long-time teacher at the school, specializes in teaching children how to use their hands and has been juggling for decades (30m25s).
• The school was conceived to go beyond what is seen or missed, and it aims to develop skepticism and curiosity in its students, which are essential in education (30m36s).
• The school reflects a cross-section of South Africa, with students coming from wealthy suburbs and impoverished townships, providing a diverse environment for learning (31m6s).
• Duma, a student, starts his day at dawn in a tin shack he shares with his grandmother and aunt in a sprawling shanty town plagued by violence and drugs (31m16s).
• Despite the challenges he faces, Duma finds solace in the school, which has helped him become an artist and take care of himself, and he describes himself as a magician and artist (31m59s).
• The school arranges transportation for students when needed, and there is no uniform, but students are encouraged to dress smartly (32m44s).
• Tuition is $350 a year, which is unaffordable for most students, but the college, a nonprofit, raises funds for scholarships and provides breakfast and lunch (33m5s).
• The school's approach is focused on teaching imaginative thinking, which is considered the most important skill in the 21st century, rather than practical skills like coding (33m52s).
• The school's founder believes that imaginative thinking is essential for any career, as knowledge is freely available on the internet, and it's how you use that knowledge that matters (34m4s).
• A student, Nan, had to beg her mother to allow her to enroll in the school, but she is now a rising star and proud to be a magician, despite her mother's initial skepticism (34m25s).
• In the townships, magic is often associated with negative connotations, but the school aims to change this perception and provide a positive outlet for students (34m51s).
• Milo Dreer Smith performed magic for his grandmother, who initially thought magic was related to darkness or evil powers, but he explained that magic is not black magic and involves secrets and practice that take time to master (34m58s).
• Milo was very shy before enrolling in the College of Magic, and his mom encouraged him to join to develop his social intelligence skills, which seems to be working as he has become more confident (35m34s).
• As a magician, Milo feels like he's part of a secret society or a secret agent, and he doesn't reveal his secrets, although his family has learned some of his tricks by watching him practice (36m10s).
• Lulo Stoil, also known as Lulo the Great, lives with his family in a one-bedroom home and has transformed from being very shy to being hyperactive after joining the College of Magic (36m52s).
• For Lulo's parents, magic is not only a way to help him overcome his shyness but also a potential path out of poverty, and they encourage him to continue with his magic to succeed in life (37m22s).
• Lulo's goal is to become a famous magician, and he is excited to perform at the children's magic festival to show people his talents, which include juggling, spinning rings, cards, and dancing (38m0s).
• The children's magic festival featured an abundance of talent and wide-eyed wonder, with many kids and parents in attendance, and the performers, including Duma Mccor, brought happiness and a sense of possibility and imagination to the audience (38m31s).
• The feeling of achieving something remarkable is great, but the explanation for the achievement is often attributed to magic when asked how it was done (39m10s).

The Harvard Lampoon (39m24s)

• The Harvard Lampoon, a student magazine at Harvard University, has been in publication for 142 years and remains a relevant source of comedy in America today, having been the starting point for many successful comedians and writers (39m26s).
• The magazine has evolved over the years, with three of its last five presidents being women, but it still maintains its tradition of poking fun at those in power, including the current occupant of the Oval Office (39m56s).
• To become a member of the Harvard Lampoon, students must go through a process called "comping," where they are required to demonstrate their comedic skills and submit six pieces of humor writing to be critiqued by current members (40m57s).
• The comping process is highly competitive, with only a small number of students being selected each semester; out of about 100 pledges, only six made the cut last semester (42m7s).
• The Harvard Lampoon is published five times a year and has a circulation that barely extends beyond Harvard's gates, but members are not motivated by a desire for external recognition or impact (42m44s).
• Instead, members see the magazine as a way to express themselves and have fun, with the freedom to write and create without worrying about what others might think (42m56s).
• The magazine's current president, Lyanna Speiro, believes that the comping process helps students develop their comedic skills and become funnier writers (41m52s).
• The Harvard Lampoon is a unique and eclectic publication that features original illustrations, niche advertising, and a wide range of comedic content, including dialogue pieces, comics, and humorous articles (42m20s).
• Despite its limited circulation, the Harvard Lampoon has a significant impact on the careers of its members, providing them with vocational training for careers as comedy writers (40m20s).
• The Harvard Lampoon is a student organization that focuses on comedy and satire, with many of its members aspiring to a career in comedy, and it serves as their first writer's room (43m23s).
• Alice Jew, a philosophy student and former Lampoon president, spends most of her time at Harvard working on the Lampoon, with 99% of her time devoted to it, 1% to sleep, and 0% to regular school work (43m30s).
• The Lampoon has a rich history of deploying irony in special edition parodies of other publications, including a classic parody of Cosmo with Henry Kissinger as the centerfold (44m5s).
• The Lampoon's latest parody is an absurdist take on Harvard's daily student newspaper, the Crimson, and they often pull off pranks and schemes to distribute their parodies (44m20s).
• Lyanna Spiro, a Lampoon staff member, hacked into the Crimson's website and wrote fake headlines about Mark Zuckerberg, changing his name to "Mink Zinle Tonk" in a comedic tone (44m55s).
• The Harvard Crimson was upset about the prank, and Spiro's roommate, who works for the Crimson, was particularly upset as she had worked on a long piece that was overshadowed by the prank (45m20s).
• Tom W, a senior, pulled off a bold prank by stealing the Crimson's president's chair and offering it to Donald Trump as a prop for a fake endorsement photo shoot (45m53s).
• Trump agreed to the photo shoot, and Tom W and his crew lugged the 150-200 lb chair to Trump Tower, where Trump posed for the photo with the chair (46m19s).
• During the photo shoot, Trump had his hair fixed and asked the students to testify that his hair is real (46m50s).
• The prank was a success, and Tom W and his crew were able to capture the moment with a photo of Trump giving a thumbs up with the chair (47m6s).
• Tom Watk, a Harvard student, received a call from Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen after Watk and his friends prepared to publish a prank endorsement of Donald Trump, with Cohen threatening to get them expelled if the photo got out (47m15s).
• Watk sent his Harvard ID to Cohen, fearing he might actually follow through on his threat, but the Trump campaign never followed up (47m41s).
• The Harvard Crimson published the story of the prank later that summer, complete with a photo, which gained Watk and his friends a measure of Lampoon immortality (47m54s).
• The Lampoon has a long history of producing notable alumni, including Conan O'Brien, Colin Jost, and David Mandel, who has written for shows such as SNL and Seinfeld (48m26s).
• The Lampoon is headquartered in a castle built in 1909, which is strictly off-limits to non-members, and has been the site of legendary parties that have been immortalized in movies (49m0s).
• Jim Downey, the unofficial Godfather of the Lampoon, recalls his late nights at the castle, where he and his friends would insert the word "frankly" into any answer to a question for comedic effect (49m34s).
• Downey made a career of mining humor from the mundane and has written some of the most enduring political satire of the last 40 years, including sketches for Saturday Night Live (50m10s).
• Downey's most memorable moment in comedy was when he and the Lampoon invited John Wayne to campus in 1974, and Wayne rode through town on a tank that Downey and his friends had borrowed from a nearby military base (50m35s).
• Downey's most lasting contribution to the Lampoon was opening an employment pipeline, hiring and referring countless Lampoon alumni who now fill writers' rooms (51m7s).
• Al Jean, a member of the class of 1981, came through the Harvard Lampoon pipeline and now runs The Simpsons, the longest-running comedy in television history, with half his writing staff being former Lampoon members (51m18s).
• Subversive references to Harvard Lampoon often make their way into Simpsons episodes, and Al Jean reads scripts to hire people, but sometimes regrets hiring another Lampoon alumnus due to a desire for more diversity in the show (51m41s).
• The Lampoon pipeline to TV writers' rooms has been called a mafia that favors Lampoon alumni, often resulting in a lack of diverse voices, with many alumni being white men of varying ages who are into comedy (52m5s).
• When alumni return, they often feel like clones of each other, making it difficult for people from different backgrounds to relate, and acknowledging the lack of diversity is seen as a crucial step towards change (52m20s).
• David Mandel, a Hollywood figure, has two pieces of advice for the current generation of Harvard Lampoon members: to make him laugh and not to burn down the place, as they carry the torch and handle the challenge (52m35s).
• The Harvard Lampoon has had its share of mishaps, with the fire alarm going off four times in the last year, but the organization is still standing, and its future remains to be seen (52m55s).