editor's note
Hello! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I definitely did-- the food was obviously amazing, and letting everyone know I’m thankful for them was awesome, but I love my family tradition of watching new movies on Thanksgiving day a lot too! I hope everyone also has fun over winter break as well, and takes it as a time to reflect on everything they’ve done this semester and year (good and bad, but especially good!), and everything they will do and intend to do the next.
Maybe that will include joining the Journalism Club. We would love to see some more new faces and look forward to seeing you in the new semester and new year!
JOURNEY C.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
GVA Star
EDITORIAL BOARD
Staff:
Journey C.
Launii G.
Enzo G.
Elijah L.
Sponsors:
Emily Divis
Linda Prior
Susan O’Brien
Cindy Nickelson
ABOUT THE COVER
This issue’s cover is everything we hope for during the winter season; magic that brings warmth amidst the frigid cold. It’s the little moments, right?
Photo By alex ugalek
From Getty Images Pro
Nado Outbreaks
real picture of a tornado that hit on May 18 , 2019.
Tornado Outbreak of May 2019
It was a peaceful day on May 17 but no one could know what would happen next At 1:00am the SPC, which stands for Storm Prediction Center, issued an Enhanced Risk for Central Texas Then at 1:00pm the SPC issued a triple slight risk for the border of New Mexico and Texas, the border of Colorado and Nebraska, and for parts of Maryland, Virginia,andPhiladelphiaasDewpointsinthelowtomid-60s°Fsurgednorthinfrontof
a dry line
The atmosphere became extremely unstable while an eastward-moving dry line was expected to become the focus for severe thunderstorms later in the day Then late afternoon, several supercell thunderstorms formed across northwestern Kansas and progressed into western and central Nebraska Later in the evening one supercell formedandquicklybecameintenseandlong-livedasitprogressednortheastward Then it produced seven tornadoes, five of which were weak but two were not One EF2 tornado near McCook caused major damage to a house, outbuildings, and trees, while another EF2 tornado northeast of Stockville rolled 1,400 lb (640 kg) hay bales and snapped twelve power poles The strongest was an EF3 tornado that extensively damaged or destroyed well-built structures at a farmstead near Stockville Later in the evening,anotherlong-livedsupercellformedinsouthwesternKansaswheretheSPChad previously highlighted uncertainty in convective development This supercell produced fourtornadoesinareassoutheastofDodgeCity,includingoneratedEF3andtworated EF2 TheEF3tornadocausedseveredamagetofarmsteadsnearthetownsofMinneola and Bloom, and one of the EF2 tornadoes touched down in Lewis, causing damage there before striking several farmsteads A total of 21 tornadoes were confirmed The large-scaleupper-leveltroughshiftedeastwardintothemorninghoursofMay18 Strong mid- and upper-level winds associated with this feature spread across much of Oklahoma and Texas, accompanied by dewpoints in the upper 60s to lower 70s F and mixed-layer CAPE values on the order of 2,500–3,500 J/kg While the prominent threat was expected to be damaging winds along an eastward-moving mesoscale convective system, the SPC noted the potential for embedded and brief tornadoes Throughout the pre-dawn and early morning hours, a mixture of semi-discrete and linear thunderstorms developed across central and eastern Oklahoma down into northern Texas Strong southeasterly surface winds ahead of this convection in Texas provided the impetus for prolifictornadoproductionoversubsequenthoursasitmovedtowardthenortheast
Then a long-lived supercell produced seven strong tornadoes as it progressed from near San Angelo, Texas, to the northwest of Coleman Three of these tornadoes reached EF3 intensity, including a large multiple-vortex tornado that struck Ballinger, where homes were left with only interior rooms standing, and a water tower was punctured by flying debris The cities of San Angelo and Abilene both sustained direct hits from EF2 tornadoes, resulting in severe damage to many homes and businesses Farther to the north, a brief but strong tornado occurred east of Geronimo, Oklahoma, ripping the roofs and exterior walls off of two homes and injuring one individual A squall line progressed across eastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas through the late morning and afternoon hours In the presence of strong instability and extreme low-level shear, numerous tornadoes were confirmed across the region, all rated EF0 or EF1 Fort Smith, Arkansas sustained considerable damagefromtwoseparateEF1tornadoes Widespreaddamagingwindswerealsoobserved,reaching100mph insomeplaces
BytheearlymorninghoursofMay19,thesqualllinethathaddevelopedthepreviousdaywaspushingthrough Louisiana resulting in numerous embedded EF0 and EF1 tornadoes The strongest of these tornadoes was a high-end EF1 tornado that passed near Mamou significantly damaging multiple homes and manufactured homes Further to the northeast the Storm Prediction Center had outlined two Slight Risk areas One extended from Michigan down through Indiana, along with parts of Ohio and Illinois, and had a 5% risk area for tornadoes The other covered upstate New York and Pennsylvania, along with portions of Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia, and contained a 2% risk for tornadoes In Ohio, EF1 tornadoes caused mild damage in West Alexandria and Huber Heights In Pennsylvania, another EF1 tornado severely damaged homes near Cocalico and caused temporary closure of the Pennsylvania Turnpike 45 tornadoes were confirmed (this is not alloftheoutbreak)
Christmas Time
It is Christmas Time with Enzo and I will share pictures of how I celebrate my Christmas with you.
Photographs by Enzo
This background by Jakkpan21 from Getty Images
The star on the Chrismas tree fits so good
Ornaments
Bright lights and Christmas tinsels
It is just bright lights and Christmas tinsel
Ah, yes ornaments on the Christmas tree and Christmas tinsel.
Snowy Winterland
Snow is just a beautiful thing it can come out of nowhere and make your day.
Itistimetotakeasip ofhotchocolateand relax
Sip
gaming club meets blue scuti
Gaming club’s Zoom call with Blue Scuti
On October 22nd, the GVA Gaming Club met via Zoom with Willis Gibson(Alsoknownbyhisgamername-BlueScuti)Willisisonly14 years old, and he is one of the best Tetris players in the world. He is thefirstandonlypersontoeverbeatthegameofTetris,andthisisa video game that was released in 1984 When he beat the game of Tetris, this gained worldwide recognition. He was on Good Morning America, was interviewed by the New York Times, and was even on a Youtube video with celebrity social media influencer Logan Paul. He was also inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. He is both a middle school student and professional gamer, traveling the worldforTetristournamentsyear-round
Through the interview, [gaming club] also learned more about his future goals with Tetris. Willis’s main goal is to eventually win the World Tetris Championship.Hisbestfinishatthiseventthusfaris3rdplace.[Thegaming club]alsolearnedthathestartedplayingTetrisonly3yearsago Theywere curious how he reached such a high level in such a short amount of time He said that he improved rapidly through hours of practice, as well as watching professional Tetris players. [They] also learned that Willis has manyhobbiesoutsideofTetris,includingridinghisbikeandsolvingrubik’s cubes Lastly, gaming club learned that he is a Youtuber and streamer, but incollegeheplansonpursuingadegreeinengineering.
After the interview with Willis, he shared his screen with [the gaming club] and showed [them] some live Tetris gameplay. It was incredible to see how fast he was moving the pieces around. While [they] were watching him do his “rolling” technique, the kids noticed that he was wearing a glove He said this was to reduce friction from his hands to the controller It was so awesome to get to interview him and see him play Tetris live [They] were all blown away by his ability to play this game at such a fast pace.
Through the Zoom meeting, [the gaming club] got to ask Willis many questions. they learned a lot of new information about him and his journey as a professional video gamer. For example, [the gaming club] learned about the technique that he uses while playing Tetris called “Rolling”. He explained to [them] that rolling is done by tapping super fast through drumming your fingers across the back of the controller It lets players move pieces quickly to keepupathighspeeds
Whats up with all the different design??
The design is to represent the different holidays there are around the world.
The different religions that make up our world, in Norway people hide their mops and brooms, in Mexico they celebrate Noche Buena where they open presents at midnight! These are just two out of the many holidays that people of other cultures celebrate
Peanut Butter and Banana Dog Treats
1 cup (8oz/120g) plain yogurt (no sweetness or flavors)
1/2 cup (4oz/120g) peanut butter, smooth
1 ripe bananas
Peanut Butter and Banana Dog Treats
Directions
In a small bowl mash up the banana until smooth and no lumps.
Stir in the yogurt and peanut butter and mix until evenly combined.
Spoon into dog bone molds (or ice cube trays). Fill evenly and smooth the top.
Tap on the counter to ensure there are no air bubble and the mixture is evenly distributed. Freeze for a minimum of 5 hours or even overnight.
To remove tap on the counter to loosen then turn out. If you have any trouble, quickly run the mold under warm water to help the treats release then turn out.
Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Yeti Bites
Dogs can have sweet treats so can you!
75g cashew nuts
200g desiccated coconut
2 Tbsp coconut oil
3 Tbsp honey
Yeti Bites Directions
Place the cashew nuts in a high speed blender or food processor, along with the desiccated coconut.
Pop the coconut oil into a small microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave for 15 seconds at a time until melted.
Pour the coconut oil into the blender, along with the honey.
Whizz everything together until finely chopped and well combined.
Turn the mixture out into bowl, then take walnut sized pieces of the mixture, firmly press it together and roll it into balls.
Roll each ball in the extra desiccated coconut to coat then place on a small lined baking tray or plate.
Cut each pecan nut into horn-shaped slices, then push two into each ball for the yeti horn.
Finish the Yetis by gently pressing 2 candy eyes into the top of each one.
Place in the fridge for an hour until completely chilled through and set.
Winter Word Search
s b m o d n n r a w s n
n l N e a l x k c m n o
a e n a r n n k ı e l h o a g w r v m t r ı o f l a e y w y a s k D
Find the hidden winter words. f J a
l t k r t o u e h n a c w n y p p u a t w o r l ı r c e r a r f e p b k ı e a s a r n t f t k e e r i o y h i a s o
s s ı ı a l f a c c n e
e e u r e f a n f m t s snow fıreplace mıttens snowman ıcıcles January skıs blanket earmuffs snowflake
Homelessness is a crisis that exists virtually everywhere and affects all kinds of people I hope to achieve my point through facts and statistics that there are multiple reasons that people may become or are facing homelessness today.
Something I’d like you to ask yourself as we already face a cold winter is this: where are you sleeping tonight? If you know your answer, then consider those who don’t
Roughly 0 2% of Americans are considered homeless
That may not sound like a lot, but let me put it like this: that’s roughly 1 in 500 people. And that’s just those who are considered homeless. It can look different for many individuals.
Approximately 31% of homeless Americans report suffering mental illness. That means a significant portion of the homeless population battle mental illness
And that’s only those who report dealing with mental illness People often don’t know they are living with them, and they often go undiagnosed. Others may not want to report struggling due to the stigma surrounding mental illness. The number could be greater than reported.
Around 1/3 of homeless Americans have struggled and/or abused alcohol and/or drugs Addiction isn’t easy once it starts, and it’s a constant battle
About 10-13% of homeless Americans are veterans. That is a significant portion of the unhoused population.
Roughly 1/3, or 30%, of the homeless population in America consists of children. They often can’t choose their situation
Top Reasons One Might Become Homeless: Unaffordable Housing Domestic Violence
Substance Abuse
Mental Illness
Family Deterioration
Poverty
Decline in Public Assistance
Sometimes when people face the crisis of homeless, it is outside of their control. It’s an issue we as communities should come together for and take on.
https://icjia.illinois.gov/researchhub/articles/the-intersection-ofhomelessness-and-the-criminal-justice-system# Rates of homelessness | Youth.gov. (n.d.). https://youth.gov/youthtopics/homelessness-and-housing-instability/rates
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 may make you want to grab your headband and gi (Gee) and practice some flying crane kicks!
NETFLIX’S COBRA KAI
It’s all about my current favorite show on Netflix and the TV adaptation of the 80s classic, Karate Kid! It’s getting cold quick, so I figured what better to do than hop under some covers, grab a good snack, and watch this show to warm you up
It starts with good ol’ Johnny Lawrence, the original bully of Danny LaRusso in the first of the Karate Kid installments. He isn’t doing so hot. In fact, he is living in the same apartment complex LaRusso and his mother did when they first moved to California His is currently doing odd jobs, such as installing TVs. He is pretty vulgar and still has a fiery temper. Boy, has he fallen from grace.
In contrast, Danny LaRusso is doing just fine, great, even
C o b r a K a
i
He owns a car dealership and is self-sufficient.
He has a beautiful family, a wife, a daughter, and a son. He also gives away bonsai trees every time a car is sold. I’m sure the customers appreciate it; it was a really nice touch, and I definitely appreciate it.
Mr. Miyagi is no longer with us, but that doesn’t keep karate from being a big part of the LaRusso family’s life.
It’s still important to Johnny Lawrence too, especially when he fends off vicious bullies from his future protégé, Miguel.
Miguel had recently moved into the complex with his mother and grandmother, and he isn’t really liking it.
Needless to say, emotions are always high on this show I know it’s TV, so it can’t always be realistic, because who would watch that? Even so, sometimes the actions of the characters seem unbelievable And the way it’s written can seem a bit extra or a little too quirky, but for some odd reason I just can’t stop watching it, even as I’m saying to myself, the TV, or whoever I’m watching it with, “why?”
Maybe it’s just my teenage brain and all the drama that keeps me coming back and finding watchable qualities amongst the muddle. In the end, it’s a good show that I think outran its course. It’s been on longer than it should, and it feels like the writers are grasping at thin air for material. No spoilers, but in the latest season they are adding more, seemingly unnecessary, additions to Miyagi’s story. I liked it when there was a simple, unknown depth to the kindly older gentleman from a very honorable and respectful culture. A man who helped defend the and teach and guide the struggling underdog.
It’s a thing I think has become much more popular and commonplace this era in television and movies. Unnecessary backstory. We don’t always need it! Sometimes a little mystique, a little mystery and/or unknown, sometimes it goes a long way, even if it’s not by
DE S I N . G
IN REVIEW…
As I’ve said, it’s a good show, but much better in the earlier seasons. I understand that karate can be very important to people and culture, but as the show goes on karate becomes almost a maniacal obsession for the characters. And it’s not as if I couldn’t possibly understand I took karate for a year. I can see how people put the disciplinary art on such a high pedestal, but to let it run and ruin lives, friendships, relationships, and even families? that’s a stretch, I think Sometimes the absurdity of moments in the show can get a few laughs out of me and my family
However, because of the show not quite gracefully bowing out of the limelight, the antics that the writers might be hoping to be serious all too often are perceived as silly by me and my family. I love the show, but perhaps it’s time to let it sleep. At this point, I hate to admit it, but I think I have to give it a 7/10.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still my favorite show on Netflix so far, but I have to answer with honesty. At this rate, I might soon stumble upon a better show on the streaming service, though
“Put good into the world and good will come back to you.”
- Kumiko
Food Review!Food Review!
By Journey C.
I admit it I’m a foodie! I try my best to lead a healthy lifestyle, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t indulge in some over-the-top goodness from time to time. This new piece can range from anything from a food or beverage product to a restaurant or fast-food joint serving up some heaven. Since this is the first of this segment, I’ve decided to do a piece on a chain before I go small and local business or regional. I don’t personally eat meat, either, but my dad will happily be the voice of the meats! Please enjoy!
Yessiree, Chic-Fil-A! If you’ve never been, you’re missing out! We are sure to get it once a month after orthodontist appointments as a little pickme-up You might be wondering: isn’t that a chicken place? How do you eat there? You’re mistaken if you believe that’s all there is to it! Though their chicken gathers rave reviews and has inspired me before to make similar beyond chicken sandwiches, there is so much more to their beauty The efficiency and speed of their drive-thru is remarkable (another thing they’re known for), but they have other menu items available. The waffle fries. Perfection. The Mac n Cheese? Rivals the thought that the waffle fries are perfection The Chic-Fil-A sauce?
We love it so much in our household that we always grab a bottle from the grocery store if we’re low and doing the shopping. But we are almost always never out
And from what I’ve seen and heard of their chicken alone is mouthwatering Their shakes are known to be great as well, though my only encounter with those was a bit disappointing
As you can see I’ve definitely walked in blind to this tasting, but either way my judging is pure. Join me as I go into detail about my experience(s) with the famed Chic-Fil-A waffle fries, mac n cheese, sauce, and my father’s experience with their chicken items
Mac N Cheese: Such a comfort food! It’s something I could live off of if I didn’t feel so full and tired after eating it. Now, other than when my dad makes it himself, the Mac N Cheese from Chick-Fil-A is by light years the best. They are definitely the best when it comes to fast food, and possibly even restaurants. I don’t need to add anything or think about eating this cheesey goodness: I just dive right in. A couple things to note: they use elbow macaroni, but not the skinny and doesn’t-hold-anything kind. It’s always soft and never over or undercooked They also use a cheese sauce; which place doesn’t? I understand, it’s a base that goes a long ways. But this Mac uses an abundance of real, youcan-definitely-tell-and-see shreds of cheddar! I NEED the shreds of real cheddar sprinkled and then mixed evenly throughout. It’s not a Mac any other way, just noodles in cheese sauce And it’s always gross and slimey otherwise, tasting of flavorless and even boxy pasta I’d always have to add hot sauce with those kinds to try and spruce it up, and now I don’t even bother. I know my worth; it’s not worth it otherwise And they toast and cook it in an extra way as well. You can even see the little toasty bits that form from the webbed strands of cheddar, and the ooey-gooey-ness flows from your fork after you dig in, the shreds of cheddar melted and pulling like a fresh slice of awesome pizza once you cut and pull it from the pie. To make a long story short, I melt every time I eat this Mac N Cheese.
Waffle Fries: I might be making a controversial statement when saying this, but I think Chick-Fil-A’s waffle fries are better than McDonald’s. Combined with their signature sauce, these fries can take on any main course. They are nice and crisp, but soft and perfectly starchy on the inside And they are never overly greasy to the point of sogginess (can Mickey D’s say the same?) from my experience, as well as always perfectly salted. They know individuals will rarely not dip their fries, so why make them super salty? Mwah, chef’s kiss.
Chicken Items:
“The chicken sandwich was juicy, delectable, and flavorful. The spicy chicken sandwich just tantalized my tastebuds. The Honey Pepper Pimento chicken sandwich was a bit too salty due to the pimento, but the honey and pickled jalapenos elevated it to another level I’m partial to McDonald’s, but their chicken nuggets are real chicken breast nuggets But the real star was the Chick-Fil-A sauce and the lemonade.”
--Quoted from my Father
