They’re not all going to hell in a handbasket, no matter what the older generation says about their music, their tattoos or their pierced noses complete with diamond studs. Not all teen-agers should be launched into space orbit, only to be allowed re-entry after turning 20.

Take Sarah Hughes, for instance. This 16-year-old New Yorker skated her way last week into Olympic history … and into the hearts of audiences everywhere. By the time she finished twirling and jumping, gliding and spinning, the Salt Lake Ice Center was swaying with fans cheering and throwing flowers onto the ice.

Hughes stunned viewers – as well as herself, she later admitted – by leaping from fourth place to gold-medal winner in one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history. After her brilliant, flawless performance last Thursday night in Utah, the ecstatic young athlete got very little sleep. So she knew she wasn’t dreaming that the gold medal could be worth from $3 million to $5 million in endorsements, commercials and appearances.

Yet, what did the high school junior say when asked about her immediate plans? “My next goal,” said Hughes, “is to get in the high 1500s on my SATs.”

Earlier this month, two other teen-agers won applause and ovations for their performance, and they, too, were surprised. The two boys, 13-year-olds from Tampa, Fla., found $4,000 in a paper bag in the street and turned it in since the money didn’t belong to them.

And for their honesty, they were rewarded with baseball tickets, honorary titles, keys to the city and other gifts, including the respect of all of us who heard their story. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush even called them to say, “We’re really proud of what you did.”

The teens reportedly found the dirty paper bag stuffed with $100 bills as they waited for their school bus Feb. 13. They thought about keeping the money but instead turned in the bag when they arrived at school. They were commended for setting such an example for people of all ages.

Another story I read this week confirmed my faith in today’s young people, regardless of their fads and fashions. During the coming spring break, when university classes are recessed for two weeks, not all students are heading for Southern beaches.

Approximately 60 UMainers have joined the Alternative Spring Break Program – in its fifth year on campus -which offers students an opportunity to help others and “incorporates effective community service, alcohol and drug awareness, and community building among participants and the host community.”

This year the students will split up and go to the following destinations: The Washington Home and Hospice in Washington, D.C.; Project Lazarus (a home for AIDS patients) in New Orleans; Tara Hall Home for Boys in Georgetown, S.C.; Gay Men’s Health Crisis in New York City; Hands on Atlanta in Atlanta; and the Boggy Creek Gang Camp for chronically ill children in Eustis, Fla.

“It’s remarkable to find this many students to volunteer time,” said adviser Lynette Dexter.

Young people today, most of them, anyway, are indeed remarkable. And we of another generation should constantly tell them so.