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ORVA
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 7
O RVAG ON IA N
MAY 2015
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
ADVICE COLUMN
- THREE TIPS TO
MAKE YOUR
MORNINGS BETTER
2
BOOK REVIEWTHIRTEEN
TREASURES
3
MUSIC REVIEW“SIGUR RÓS”.
4
BAKING—
MINIATURE
DONUTS
5
ALL OF THE
LATEST TECHNOLOGY DESCRIBED!
6
OUTINGS— LASER TAG
BY AUDREY WOJNAROWISCH
ORVA students and teachers get together
each month for in-person events organized
by our leadership team. These outings are
great opportunities to meet classmates face
-to-face. Last month, high school students
had a blast at Laser Tag outings around the
state.
When asked why she attends ORventures,
ORVA student Amani Hawash says, “I go to
see friends from classes, meet new people,
and have fun!”
If you do attend an ORventure, you will be given a
code word which can be used for student-teacher
contacts. Just fill out the Learning Connection survey
HERE and you’ll receive a contact with each teacher
who attended. Codes expire the Monday after the
event at noon.
Cont. on Page 3
Join us this month for an adventure in nature, at one of our final 2014-2015 outings.
High School ORventures are being held at
hiking trails and state parks in Portland,
Beaverton, Bend, North Bend, Medford,
Eugene and Salem, while grades K-8 are
celebrating at local bowling centers. To register for an event, please visit ORVA’s calendar page HERE.
Sarra, Cayla, Ashley and Amani had an awesome time
at the Portland laser tag outing!
SPECIAL POINTS
OF INTEREST:


Amazing humor
column about...
Spring in Oregon!
(Because really,
we all know the
feeling)
Check out what
new technology
is about to hit
the market!
APPLE, SAMSUNG, FLAMETHROWERS— OH MY!
JUSTIN BOEHNEN
Last month, a lot of cool tech was announced and showcased, some more interesting than usual. One thing that was particularly interesting this month was the announcement of the first consumer handheld flamethrower. Yes, flamethrower. The
XM42 Flamethrower is legal in every state
in the USA excluding Maryland and California, so Oregon is in the clear! The XM42 is
$700. In other tech news, Ford has come out
with a new technology that will be implemented in ford’s new S-Max series of cars; the
technology allows your vehicle to scan traffic
signs and then adjust your vehicles speed
accordingly, essentially eliminating traffic tickets. We will hear more about this technology
in the future. Cont. on Page 6
ORVAGONIAN
HUMOR COLUMN— SPRING IN OREGON
BY ERICA VIAN
Welcome, one and all, to the wonderful display of color and light that is spring.
We will be taking you on a tour of this beautiful season. First, however, we
would like to issue safety reminders.
Please do not touch that deceptively soft-looking goldenrod flower alongside
the road. Doing so will release a perfectly insane amount of pollen and cause a
staggering amount of sneezing. Unless you enjoy feeling like your nose took
vacation without informing you, do not touch that flower.
Always remember to carry a raincoat, hat, knee-high boots, and an umbrella.
This is Oregon – we are prone to sudden downpours of torrential rain that give
way to sunshine not five minutes later (after, of course, everyone has already
bundled up in the aforementioned raincoats and are now sweltering in the
sunshine).
About that sunshine: Yes, it looks very warm at the beginning of the day--warm
enough to simply run outside at the break of dawn in shorts and a t-shirt. We
must advise anyone who attempts this to invest in running shoes for the
goosebump-filled sprint back indoors. Sunshine does not equal warmth in early parts of the day.
This concludes our safety warnings. Please keep your hands, feet, head, hair,
breath, and words (no yelling) inside the vehicle, buckle your seatbelts and our
tour will begin.
ADVICE COLUMN- THREE TIPS TO MAKE YOUR
MORNINGS BETTER
BY SABRYNA DAMM
Mornings. Either you love mornings or you hate them, but
if you are a night owl like many of your classmates, mornings can be unbearable! Often, mornings are filled with
lack of motivation to get out of your cozy bed and start
your day, especially with a pile of homework to do. Right
now you may be moping around in your pajamas with a
cup of coffee in your hand. But there is hope!
Here are some surprisingly easy-to-follow tips to make
your mornings better. Who knows, perhaps they will even
make a morning person out of you.
1. Turn your attention to enjoyable things you can do
after you have completed your daily tasks. Even
though you may have an 8 hour school day in front of
you before you can even think about having some
fun, focusing your attention on that one thing you
want to do after school will motivate you to get out of
bed faster. Once you start your day, you will be one
step closer to that reward. A great way to remind
yourself of your is to put a post-it note next to your
bed, so when you wake up you will immediately be
reminded of what to work towards.
Cont. on Page 6
Page 2
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 7
Page 3
OUTINGS— LASER TAG (CONT.)
BY AUDREY WOJNAROWISCH
ORVA’s staff encourages you to bring friends
who are interested in learning more about our
school! Invite them come hang out, meet enrolled students and have all their questions answered by teachers and veteran families. We will
also be available to help if you have questions
about the upcoming school year and/or reregistration.
BOOK REVIEW— THIRTEEN TREASURES
BY DAJIA JONES
Meet two people: Michelle Harrison and Tanya. Michele Harrison is the author of Thirteen Treasures. Oh, but Tanya isn’t real.
Why should you take my word for it, though, if I told you Tanya is
real? Nobody believed Tanya when she said fairies were real
because no one had ever seen one. And that is why Tanya finds
herself plopped into an old mansion with her grandmother.
Tanya sees fairies--and they are not all that sparkly and nice like
in the movies. There is one fairy that likes shiny things, but that
is as close to a shiny fairy as the fairies get.
When Tanya comes across an article from a long time ago, she
finds herself digging into a mystery, a mystery of a girl who disappeared into the woods without a trace. So, with the aid of a
friend and her knowledge of fairies, she sets off to figure things
out for herself.
I adored this book! Honestly, if you are looking for a mediumpaced book full of mystery, adventures, and humor, pick up
Thirteen Treasures. Every single page makes you want more.
Plus, there may be more to fairies than you think. Like I said,
they are not all that nice and fluffy.
While waiting to
play laser tag,
Portland ORVA
students played
cards and hung
out with Ms.
Dowell, Ms.
Dahl, and Ms.
Tornquist! (Left
to right: Erik,
Cayla, Josh,
Sarra, Amani,
Ashley, Ms.
Dowell)
ORVAGONIAN
Page 4
MUSIC REVIEW— “SIGUR RÓS”.
BY JAMES KIMBALL
Hey there music fans! We’re almost through the school year and unfortunately, that means that soon, I will no longer be
able to introduce these amazing and wonderful artists to you all. But, I have saved my top two favorites for the end! I
present to you this month, the eccentric and brilliant band “Sigur Rós”.
Sigur Rós (pronounced see-ger rose) is an alternative band from Iceland. The band consist of lead singer Jónsi Birgisson, bass player Georg "Goggi" Hólm, and drummer Orri Páll Dýrason. Sigur Rós got its name from Jónsi’s little sister
“Sigurrós” which, when separated translates to “Victory Rose”. The band is most known for Jónsi’s beautiful falsetto
and use of a cello bow on his guitar, which creates a unique and ambient tone to their music.
Sigur Rós released their first album in 1997 titled “Von” (Hope) which had a classic 90’s feel. In 1999 they released
“Ágætis Byrjun” (A Good Beginning) which completely changed what people knew about Sigur Rós from their first release. Ágætis Byrjun featured cold and bleak instrumentals that were backed by minimal sound effects. This gave the
album a somewhat melancholy but cozy feeling. Ágætis Byrjun was also quite diversive, as the song “Ny Batteri” (New
Batteries) starts off with a quiet plethora of horn instruments and ends with a large climax, and then switches to “Olsen
Olsen”, a song that gives you a light airy feeling.
In 2012 the band released one of the greatest works of art that I have ever heard come out of music. The album titled
“Valtari” (Roller) featured slow, beautiful songs that made you feel as though time slowed for a while, just for you, the
listener, to enjoy life and take a break from daily struggles. Songs like “Ekki Múkk” (Pretty Quiet Here),
“Varúð” (Warning), and “Fjögur Píanó” (Four Pianos) were masterpieces that could make anybody’s ears and heart melt
with pure love for sound.
During the release of “Valtari”, the band decided to give a small budget to a handful of producers to make music videos
containing the songs from their new album. The result was the “Valtari Film Experiment”, a collection of 16 videos and
short films to promote the album. The experiment brought each track to life in new and interesting ways.
In 2013, Sigur Rós released their latest album “Kveikur” (Candlewick or wick), which was praised highly by fans and
considered to be the complete opposite of Valtari. While Valtari featured quiet and small instrumentals that made you
feel soft and calm, Kveikur gave you the sense that you had just downed ten energy drinks, smashed into a black hole,
and ended up in a post-apocalyptic future. The band stepped into the rock music scene with the first track
“Brennistein” (Brimstone). A hard-hitting, 8 minute song that eventually leads to the beautiful and melodic end track,
titled “Var” (Fuse).
Sigur Rós is an ingenious and creative band that reaches out to all kinds of people. They’ve done everything from classic 90’s, to folk, to instrumental, to rock. What I’ve introduced to you is only a drop in the bucket, so go check them out
for yourself and see just how amazing these gentlemen are!
The band is best known for
Jόnsi’s beautiful falsetto and use
of a cello bow on his guitar,
which creates a unique and
ambient tone to their music
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 7
Page 5
BAKING COLUMN— MINIATURE DONUTS
BY ASHLEY BLEOAJA
What do you do when you have violent craving for something sweet and delicious? You make miniature donuts! These donuts
will leave your mouth watering (and every other part of you on a sugar high)!
Recipe from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cinnamon-baked-doughnuts-recipe.html
What you will need (for the donut):
What you will need (for the topping):
2 cups all-purpose flour
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
You will also need:
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Measuring cup
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Knife
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
Donut tray (or cupcake/miniature cupcake
tray)
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
What you need to do:
Spoon
Saucepan
Large bowl
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk,
melted butter and vanilla. Stir the wet mixture into dry ingredients until just combined.
Spoon the batter into baking pans, filling each a little more than three-quarters full. Bake for 17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out
clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then tap the doughnuts out onto a sheet pan.
For the topping, melt 8 tablespoons of butter in an 8-inch sauté pan. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Dip each doughnut first in the butter and then in the cinnamon sugar, either on one side or both sides.
Ingredients you’ll need to make
donuts
Put an equal amount of batter in
Mix in your dry and wet
separately, then combine
Out of the oven!
All mixed together!
Part of the topping
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 7
Page 6
APPLE, SAMSUNG, FLAMETHROWERS— OH MY! (CONT.)
JUSTIN BOEHNEN
Here is some cool news for gamers! Virtual Reality is the technology that allows you to put a VR face-plate on and, well… you
become completely immersed in your game. Virtual Reality really began to take off in 2014 but this month we were presented
with the possibility to wear other VR clothing, such as gloves. This would allow us to move our hands in games just as we
move them in real life. Virtual Reality technology is improving every day and is becoming readily available to consumers. A pair
of VR glasses may even ship with future gaming consoles.
In the mobile world, we also had some cool announcements, like Apple’s
new MacBook or their smartwatch that drops in late April, or Samsung’s
new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge smartphones. The S6 will be very
similar to previous models but will be a bit prettier and smoother as is to
be expected, but the Edge is where things really get interesting. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has a screen that wraps around the side of the
phone. Crazy, right? But estimated sales for this phone are actually
much higher that many originally thought. The S6 starts at $679.92
while the edge starts at $779.76.
ADVICE COLUMN— THREE TIPS TO MAKE YOUR MORNINGS
BETTER (CONT.)
BY SABRYNA DAMM
2. Change how you perceive mornings by making them
enjoyable for yourself. You can do this by simply waking up
10 minutes earlier than normal, making yourself a hot
drink and a scrumptious breakfast, and relaxing. This way,
instead of running around in a frenzy to get your day started, you will spend your morning relaxing and slowly waking
yourself up.
3. Start your day by watching the sunrise. I know, probably
not what you were expecting, and most likely a majority of
you are thinking, “Who even wakes up that early?” However, the thought of watching a gorgeous sunrise may be just
the right kind of motivation you need to get out of bed every morning and take in the beautiful world we live in. It will
put you in a happier mood and also is a great time to slowly wake up as you take in all of the beautiful colors of the
morning sky.
Like many things in life, mornings are what you make of
them. So go ahead, give these tips a try, and remember to
think positively!
Meet the behind-the-scenes staff! This paper is student-run, and these amazing
students wrote, edited, and put together this paper!
Erica Vian– Editor in Chief
Sarra Hawash— Graphic designer
Cayla Bleoaja– Editor in Chief
Sabryna Damm— Advice
Column Writer
James Kimball– Music Reviewer
Ashley Bleoaja: Baking Column
Writer
Laura Marchi- Copy Editor
Not pictured:
Caitlin (Katie) Deering—
Graphic Designer
Dajia Jones— Staff Writer
Daniel Tersigni– Video Game Writer
Audrey Wojnarowisch— Staff Writer and Copy Editor