Volume 4, Issue 1 - November 2024

GVA Star Volume 4 Issue 1 / November 2024

UNVEILING AUTUMN'S STORIES

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Enzo’s Facts and Review / Interest Pique / Fall Recipes / Student of the Month

contents

01

Interstate 70

10

Fall Recipes

02

Game Review

18

Crisis (Part 1)

04

Interest Pique

20

Student of the Month

08

Methylene Blue

21

Fall Activities

editor's note Welcome back!

I hope everyone had a great break over the summer.

I did; a lot changed for me. Maybe you’d like to make some great changes as well, maybe change up the routine and work with the Journalism Club! We have new faces this time around, and we would love to have more.

We hope you enjoy what we have in store in this fall issue!

JOURNEY C. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

GVA Star EDITORIAL BOARD Staff

Journey C. Launii G. Enzo G.

Journalism Sponsors

Emily Divis Linda Prior Susan O’Brien Cindy Nickelson

ABOUT THE COVER This photo perfectly incapsulates what I and many others plan to do this Fall as the weather cools and the air crisps; cozy down with a nice hot beverage and some good books!

photo by RoonzNL from pixabay

Interstate

Enzo Road Sign Facts: Interstate 70

Hi, Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major Interstate Highway in the United States and today we are gonna talk about it.

Fact Time!

Did you know that Interstate 70 was established in 1956?

Quiz Time!

When was interstate 70 established?

What is interstate 70 nickname?

How much states interstate 70 travels through?

1:1956

Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east– west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, just outside Baltimore, Maryland.

2:Trans-Siberian American 3:10 Here is another one did you know that a nickname for Interstate 70 is the TransSiberian American?

Last one did you know that a part of Interstate 70 has no gas stations, no bathrooms, and no exits?

Did You Know Time!

I-70 travels through 10 states! that is a lot!

Enzo’s Game Review: Roblox Edition Game Title : Twisted

Makers : Willzuh and Siryzm What the game is about...

A picture of a Thing in the game

It is about storm chasing and can get laggy because it has high graphics but it is delightful.

Advised for highend devices (meaning computers and new phones) due to high graphics.

The dominator 3 going to a tornado.

My favorite part of the game was...

Watching the tornadoes form and intercepting the tornados. Watching the funnel come down and touch the ground... just wow.

I give this game... 4 stars!

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[GVA STAR]

Interest Pique

By Journey C.

This is a segment where we talk and review things, which could be anything, ranging from video games and shows to music and books, and even pop culture.

In this edition, we are going to discuss something that might make some people’s skin crawl.

I know, I know! Snakes!? I warned you.

Recently, I have become absolutely enamored by these regal creatures. I’ve always been interested, but now I am 100% devoted to learning about wild and domestic snakes.

Snakes are a species that have, for a long time, been well-revered and feared by humanity. In Western culture, snakes are seen as evil and untrustworthy. However, many ancient civilizations have held them to a much higher standard, like the Aztecs and their Quetzalcoatl. I must say, when I see a snake I do happen to jump or startle if for a moment,

Python

SNAKES AND DOMESTICATION

but then I am enraptured and stunned by its raw beauty and power. We in Kansas are probably most familiar with the black rat snake and the garter snake.

And while those two can make good pets with the right person and when domesticated, there are so many different snakes that make great pets in their own right! These two photographs show ball pythons. There are many different kinds of morphs just for ball pythons alone, and the differences can be huge or slight, but my favorite so far has to be the Clown python morph. There are also blood matrix pythons, piebald morphs, dreamscicle morphs, cinnamon morphs, and bumblebee morphs. Ball pythons generally get 4-5 ft. long and are named so because of their tendency to ball up. They make great first-time snakes because of their shy and docile nature.

In Review…

I would love to go on and on about the other

are generally pretty easy to handle once they

snakes that make wonderful pets such as

are used to being around people and being

Columbian boas, corn snakes. I unfortunately do

handled. She has a variety of snakes, her oldest

not have a snake as a pet, but it is my dream to

being a boa, and she also has a ball python and

get one ASAP. I focused on ball pythons because

most recently got a reticulated python that

that is the kind I really would like, since they are

maybe I wouldn’t have ventured towards, but I

good first-time snakes, as well as the different

am excited to see her (the snake) grow to full

morphs and just their style and demeanor. I do, however, know someone who has a couple of different snake breeds, and she has told me they

size. I am not speaking from experience, to be clear, but the idea of having a well-demeanored snake as a pet sounds very exciting.

“SNAKES ARE JUST VERY INSTINCTIVE TO ME. I’VE BEEN PLAYING WITH SNAKES SINCE BEFORE I COULD WALK. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE OR WHAT IT IS, FROM THE BIGGEST TO THE MOST VENOMOUS.” -STEVE IRWIN

ENZO MICROSCOPE FACTS: METHYLENE BLUE I love watching a YouTuber, Journey to the Microcosmos, who sparked my love for microscopes. Now I'm sharing it with you!

Methylene blue is a salt used as a dye and as a medication.

But we are gonna talk about the dye used in microscopes.

Methylene blue is used in microscopes to stain microscope life (as you can see in the bottom picture).

Quiz Time!

1: Is methylene blue a salt or a color?

2: Is methylene blue used in microscopes or cooking? very easy 3: Is methylene blue used to hold liquids or to stain microscopic life?

1:salt 2:used in microscopes 3:to stain microscope life

Fact Time!

Methylene blue has been described as "the first fully synthetic drug used in medicine."

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Fall Recipes

BY: LAUNII. G.

Pup-kin Peanut Butter Treats Do you have a dog who loves fall treats?

Then this is the recipe is for you and your little fur baby!!!

First you will need to get these ingredients 1 cup of Canned Pumpkin 3/4 cups of Oats 2 1/2 Whole Wheat Flour 2 Eggs 3 tablespoons Peanut Butter 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric 1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger

Instructions 1.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. 2. Add all of your ingredients to your mixing bowl.

3. Mix it all together until everything is combined – it will be a bit dry and crumbly, but it will stick together and be malleable (you want to aim for the texture of playdough).

4. Using your fingers, press the dough into your favorite molds 5. Place your cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. They don’t have to be spaced too far apart because they won’t really expand, but they will stick together if they are touching 6. After you fill the trays and you realize that while your dog might be like Melly, a basic gal who loves her pupkin spice, she probably won’t notice if the treats aren’t shaped like bones or pawprints. I made the rest of the batch by rolling about a teaspoon of dough into a ball and then pressing it flat with my thumb.

Instructions

TO BE CONTUINED FROM PAGE2 7. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 40 – 45 minutes, until the biscuits are hard/crunchy. (If you use a mold, they will be a little thick and will most likely need the full 45 minutes.).

Let the treats cool for a few minutes, 8. and then let your pup try them out!

Oso (and a few of his dog friends that tried them) sure love them!

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Baked Apple Cider Donuts

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE THIS DELIGHTFUL TREAT Nonstick cooking spray 1¾cup/225 grams all-purpose flour 1¼teaspoon baking powder ¾teaspoon fine sea salt 2teaspoons ground cinnamon ½teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature ¾cup/165 grams light brown sugar ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar 2large eggs, at room temperature 1teaspoon vanilla extract ½cup/120 milliliters apple cider

1.

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly grease 2 (6-cavity) doughnut pans (or a 12-cup muffin tin) with nonstick spray. In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk to combine. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream 10 tablespoons/140 grams butter, brown sugar and ¼ cup/50 grams granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well incorporated after each addition, scraping the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla extract.

4.

Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated. With the mixer running, add the apple cider in a slow, steady stream and mix to combine.

Scrape the bowl well to make sure the batter is homogeneous.

5. Spoon the batter into prepared doughnut pans, filling them about ⅔ of the way. (You can also do this using a disposable piping bag or a resealable plastic bag with a ½-inch opening cut from one corner.) Bake until evenly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the thickest portion comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes.

Rotate the pans halfway through baking. (If you are making muffins, divide batter evenly between the prepared cups and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating halfway through.)

Instructions 6. While the doughnuts bake, whisk the remaining ½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together in a small bowl to combine. In a separate small bowl, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in the microwave. Let the doughnuts cool for 5 minutes after baking, then unmold them from the pans, brush with the melted butter and dredge them in the cinnamon sugar while they are still warm. Serve immediately, or let cool to room temperature.

Star]

When some people hear the word “crisis,” they may think of a natural disaster or a terrible war. Those are valid instant reactions to such a word, but what if I told you there was a crisis much closer to you than you might’ve thought before?

My Dad and I were in Lawrence weeks ago for a concert at the Grenada on Mass Street. We arrived early, so we walked up and down the famous Street a couple times, taking in the shops and small businesses. What I didn’t expect to see so clearly was the homelessness along the sidewalk. I never really see the unhoused so personally; it’s generally from my car or much further away than just a few steps from me on the pavement. Some had signs asking for help, and others were just there.

Honestly, it made me feel bad, but it also made me a little uncomfortable. I hate to admit that, but it’s true, and I think that’s a feeling many people experience when they come across the same situation.

I think that feeling may be what keeps people from helping. They don’t know what to do, but they feel uncomfortable. When you feel uncomfortable, you try to leave the situation or ignore whatever is making you feel that way, right? But this homeless crisis exists everywhere, whether you’re in urban areas, small towns, the city or the country.

There are many reasons one may become homeless.

You cannot simply use one reason as an umbrella.

Some people may be unable to pay the rent one month, and some may be in a domestic situation they must escape from. For others it may be mental illness, disability, or drug use. It could be any one or any combination of these things, and a multitude of other reasons.

What I hope to accomplish in Part 2 of Crisis is to help create and foster an understanding of the people and this situation. No one may think they will ever find themself in a scenario like this until they are. I don’t think anyone sets out with the intent to become homeless. As the weather begins it’s descent into an eventual bitter cold, I think it’s even more important to think about this issue with empathy. Despite the Crisis all around us, we never stop to think how real this homelessness is not just for the homeless, but for all of us.

CONTINUED IN NEXT ISSUE

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STUDENT OF THE MONTH What is a Student Of The Month?

Student of the month are when certain students get picked because they are always focused on their work or they are kind to other people and they participate in

Middle

High school

September

September

RUBY C.T.

GEORGIA B

October

October

PETER V.

JORDAN B

class. That is what Student of The Month is!!!!!

Adult

Adult

September

October

TREVONE F.

MAICOLL A.V.

High School

Fall Activities SEE WHAT WE’RE UP TO THIS FALL

This is a beautiful tree in my yard that is home to birds and squirrels, changing under a stark blue sky.

I love to enjoy nature when I can.

-Journey C.

here I am with my siblings because we like to go places and we sometimes get a lot of candy.

-Launii G

Enjoyed pumpkin carving this year! Light them up for display. - Cindy Nickelson, GVA Teacher

Creativity with pumpkin carving and painting! Susan O’Brien, GVA Teacher

Snuggle in some fall blankets on cool mornings.

Bonus points if you can snuggle with pets. - Emily Divis, GVA Teacher

Gathering and drying the last of the garden produce and putting the garden to bed until Spring is always bittersweet. Here are the last of the tomato harvest ready for drying. Linda Prior, GVA Teacher

MAGAZINE

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GVA STAR

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 1