ORVAgonian November 2014 Oregon Virtual Academy Student Newspaper

Student

Publications

Return !

Photo by Hannah Smith

Middle school students are invited to showcase

their work and join the staff of the ORVAgonian and

ORVAtainment. Students must be in grades 6-8 to par-

)cipate, and they can submit non-fic)on wri)ng, fic)on

wri)ng, photography, artwork, and more.

The ORVAgonian is the student newspaper that

focuses on news wri)ng, feature wri)ng, reviews, real-

is)c photography, and comic strips. ORVAtainment,

the student literary magazine, showcases fic)on

wri)ng, poetry, abstract photography, and artwork.

For more informa)on about par)cipa)ng in these

publica)ons, contact advisor Cynthia Dauer by kmail.

A�end an ORventure! There are lots of opportuni)es com-

ing up to connect with other ORVA stu-

dents and teachers at in-person events.

Mark your calendar now and plan to

a1end.

This month, students are invited to

a1end “Meet the Teacher” night in Port-

land on November 17. Then, star)ng in

December, 8th grade students are invit-

ed to start a1ending ORventures with

the high school, and there are lots of

exci)ng events lined up for all grades.

For more informa)on and to register for

events, be sure to visit:

orva.k12start.com/calendar

Writers

Angel Watson

Alexandra Marchon

Alyssa Tucker

Emma Sewell

Emme� Rashleigh

Gavin Young

Jordan Elisabeth Thibodeaux

La+a Colton

Sophie Allee

Photographers

Dawnelle Dorsey

Hannah Smith

Tulsi Patel

Comic Strips

Tessa Kidd

Trevor Carr

Editors

Tatum Hamilton

Megan Baird

Anastasia Lawson

Layout and Page Design

Alfonso Restrepo - Bogarin

Ashley Davidson

Dawnelle Dorsey

Emma Sewell

Tulsi Patel

Student Contributors

ORVA teacher Jamie Voelker has started up Art Club again, but in

a new and exci)ng format. Mrs. Voelker calls it a “flipped classroom.” In

order to maximize the )me spent crea)ng art in the classroom, Mrs.

Voelker prepares a video for each month's session. The video gives the

history of the art technique, and shows famous ar)sts who used the

technique. It provides informa)on on any advance prep necessary to

create the art successfully, and includes a list of materials that need to

be purchased or gathered before a1ending the session.

Another change from last school year's Art Club is that there are

two sessions each month. So that there are less children in the class-

room at a )me, Mrs. Voelker has separated the age groups into K-4th

and 5th

-8th

. The younger group meets the first Tuesday of every month,

while the older grades meet on the third Tuesday. Both are at 2:00 pm.

There are different projects for each grade.

If you are interested and need more informa)on, just k-mail Ja-

mie Voelker. She'll be more than happy to answer your ques)ons. You

can also visit the ORVA Art Club website at: orvaartclub.weebly.com.

This is where you can view the monthly videos. You can also see art cre-

ated by other students here.

Crea)ng art can be a lot of fun, so come on to Art club this

month. Even if you think you don't like art, you may be pleasantly sur-

prised.

By Jordan Elisabeth Thibodeaux

ORVA Art ClubORVA Art ClubORVA Art ClubORVA Art Club

For more informa+on, visit:

orvaartclub.weebly.com

How many of you went to the October ORventure?

That’s one, two, five, ten…. Okay. For those of you

who didn't go, the October ORventure was on Thurs-

day the 23rd and Friday the 24th in October. . It took

place in Bend, Eugene, Salem, Portland, Beaverton

and many other places. The theme was "Soar above

Bullying."

To match that theme, posters were colored, paper

airplanes folded and thrown, and stories were read.

When you arrive at an ORventure, the first thing to

do is to find yourself a nametag. Then take your jack-

et off because it's too warm and make your parent

hold it. Run back and grab the nametag because it's

on the jacket. Now you're ready.

What do you want to do? Fold a paper airplane?

Do you want to fold a mundane and dull piece of

Students “Soared Above” in October

By Alexandra Marchon

Photo by Alexandra Marchon

Photos by Alexandra Marchon

Con)nued on next page ...

paper into something so amazing it flies?

Or maybe you want to see the poster first.

It's a piece of paper as big as a table, and

hanging slightly off it. Someone has wri1en

"LET'S UNITE AGAINST BULLYING" on it in

huge block le1ers. Li1le kids are already

drawing, a1racted by the magne)sm of

bright-colored markers and pastel pencils

and neon crayons. You color your own

le1er, fill it in or add polka dots or write

something in the corner of the poster. Or

maybe you don't. Maybe you want the pa-

per airplanes.

There's a table full of paper, pa1erned

and plain, small or big. And instruc)ons,

ranging from airplanes with )ps so sharp

they look like they could poke a hole in the

wall to one with four wings called "The Fly-

ing Ninja."

Later, a teacher calls everyone to order,

"If everyone could come and sit down,

please." Soon everyone is gathered

around. The teacher talks about bullying.

How it hurts. How terrible it is. How you

need to tell a parent or teacher or other

adult. She reads a story about bullying,

and just when it's going to end, surprise;

"You have to make the ending. You can

draw it like a comic!" And everyone dis-

perses to draw and make more paper air-

planes.

ANer, a paper-airplane-flying champion-

ship is announced. Kindergarten to second

grade first.

There's height, length in the air, dis-

tance, and accuracy at categories.

"Whoever gets closest to hiOng me on the

head wins!" There's a li1le plas)c trophy

for every winner. We applaud, and when

it's finished everything is quiet. It's winding

down, you can hear murmurs of ")me to

go soon" and here and there, "five more

minutes pleeeeease." Some last paper air-

planes are thrown; jackets are put on.

Time to go.

Photos by Dawnelle Dorsey

Photos by Dawnelle Dorsey

… October ORventures con)nued

from previous page

I was really looking forward to Halloween. In )ll I heard

that Hershey’s, one of the monoliths of the chocolate

industry, used forced child labor to grow the cocoa

beans used in its products. I had hoped that is was just a

rumor, but further inves)ga)on proved otherwise.

The cocoa bean or Theobroma cacao is a primary ingre-

dient in the chocolate bar we all know and love. But

that same chocolate bar hides a dark secret, forced child

labor. According to the Food Empowerment Project,

or F.A.P, young children are abducted from countries

such as Mali, and forced to work on planta)ons on Afri-

ca’s Ivory Coast. FAP’s ar)cle, ‘C� �� L���� ��� S���-

��� � ��� C�������� I�������’, the children are forced

to use chainsaws to clear forest, and climb trees with

machetes to harvest the crop. The children are also ex-

posed to heavy pes)cides that are used to deal with

insects.

The cocoa is turned into the chocolate products availa-

ble in convenience stores na)on-wide. This West Afri-

can chocolate is used in M&M Mars’s, Hershey’s, and

other chocolate giant’s products. For its credit, Her-

shey’s is trying to stop depending on slave labor for its

chocolate. According to CNN, it and other chocolate

companies, such as Nestlé, have set the year 2020 to be

free from slave holding chocolate farms in West Africa.

It remains to be seen if this will actually happen.

Now, far away from the chocolate industry’s planta-

)ons, it’s Halloween, and I am going to make a choice.

Can I happily gorge on candy that is made with the

sweat and tears of children my own age or even young-

er? Will I?

For more informa)on on child labor in the chocolate

industry, go to:

Chocolate's Child Slaves – The CNN Freedom Project

Child Labor and Slavery in the Chocolate Industry

Where's the Love Hershey? On Chocolate and Slave La-

bor

By Emme1 Rashleigh

Bittersweet Bittersweet Bittersweet Bittersweet

Chocolate’s Chocolate’s Chocolate’s Chocolate’s

Dark SecretDark SecretDark SecretDark Secret

You may know a lot about ISIS, the

militant group now in Iraq and Syria. But

they aren't new to the world as you may

think; they've been around since 1999. So

what have you been missing?

The group was founded by Abu Mu-

sab al-Zarqawi in '99 under the name "Jama

at al-Tawhid wa-al-Jihad", meaning "The Or-

ganiza)on of Monotheism and Jihad", or

simply JTJ.

In 2004, they swore loyalty to Osa-

ma bin Laden and became "Al-Qaeda in

Iraq", or AQI.

In 2006, aNer merging with other insurgent forces, they established the Islamic State of Iraq

(ISI), and the founder, al-Zarqawi, was killed June 2006.

For a brief )me, Abu Abdullah al-Rashid al-Baghdadi was the figurehead for the forces, with

the real power res)ng in Abu Ayyub al-Masri. They were both killed in April 2010 by an American-Iraqi

strike, and the new leader was appointed: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the current leader of ISIS.

You've probably heard about lots of recent ac)ons ISIS has taken, but one alarming thing I

haven't heard men)oned too much is their control of schools. Star)ng at first grade, they separate

boys and girls. Male teachers are forbidden to teach girls, meaning if there isn't a female teacher

around, the girls don't get taught.

These militants are not angry at

the U.S. and the world for no reason. Our

job as ci)zens of the United States is to find

out why they are angry and to do some-

thing about it.

(This militant group is Middle Eastern and

Muslim, but keep in mind not all Islamic

groups are the same or have the same

agenda, as is with Chris)an groups.)

Who is ISIS? By Sophie Allee

Here is you’re monthly weather report, date:

November 1st

, 2014.

The weather in the Portland area will be partly

cloudy keeping it anywhere from a max temp of 55 de-

grees to minimum temp of 46 degrees with a breeze of

5 mph and humidity of 78%. The comfort level will be

about 52 degrees. The rain probability is 47%. On the

second there will showers later, it will be overcast and

cool with a minimum temp of 46 degrees and a maxi-

mum temp of 55 degrees. There will be a 5mile an hour

breeze coming from the south. The humidity is 79%.

The comfort level temp will be 52 degrees. The precipi-

ta)on chance is 61% and the predicted amount of rain

fall is 0.05 inches. On the third there will be a light rain,

it will be overcast and cool with a 49 degree low and a

55 degree high with a 10 miles an hour coming from

the southeast. The humidity is 82% and a comfort level

temp of 51 degrees. Precipita)on chance is 72% and

expected rain fall is 0.05 inches.

Photo by Tulsi Patel

By Gavin Young

November Weather Forecast

SMALL

The very easiest - but every li1le bit helps!

Turn off the light when you leave the room. Look

through the house from )me to )me, make sure

there isn't a light bulb in a closet or corner that's

been leN on.

If you turn things off - turn them all the way off! Devic-

es in sleep mode or standby s)ll use energy.

Find (or make!) a cloth bag for groceries and other

things. You could ask your parents to use cloth

bags, too. Or you could give bags to people - they

make great presents!

Use less hot water - especially if you live in a dry area.

Do you really need a 15-minute shower? You could

even make it a game - how fast can you shower?

Another way to cut down on water use is to watch

for drips. Plug all the bathtubs and sinks in your

house, and see how full they are the next day. A

drip could waste gallons of water, a drop at a )me.

Turn down the brightness on your screens. It might

seem dim but it only takes a few minutes to get

used to. Some computers have an "eco mode"

seOng - it'll sacrifice some brightness, contrast

and speed for power savings.

Never li1er. Just don't.

MEDIUM

Take a li1le more )me- but it's worth it.

Reduce your paper use. Every page used to be a tree.

Print less - maybe work in MicrosoN Word or an-

other word-processing program. Recycled paper or

unbleached paper is a li1le less white, but works

just as well. You can print two-sided, or use the

unprinted side for scratch paper, like for math

problems. And when you're finished be sure to

Going

Greenfor

ORVAKids

On September 23, 2014, leaders from all over the world met to talk about climate change, and what they

should do about it. It's true; the earth is geOng ho1er because of all the greenhouse gases we are producing.

The ice caps are mel)ng. "But what can I do? I'm just one person!" you say. Well, we all have to start some-

where. And besides, if you go green, you aren't alone; millions of people already do their best to lessen their

carbon footprint. "Isn't it really hard?" Well, some things are, like installing solar panels, but there are many

small, easy ways to help too. So here is a list of things you, YOU, the one reading this right now, can do, from

smallest and easiest to big projects.

By Alexandra Marchon

Con)nued on next page ...

Photo by Alexandra Marchon

recycle.

Recycle. Quite a few ci)es have trucks that come and

get your recycling, just like garbage trucks. If you live

in one of those, good for you! Recycling is as easy as

rolling the recycling can down to the curb. If not,

you probably will have to bring your recycling to a

Recycling Center somewhere.

Buy organic and sustainable. From groceries to makeup,

there's usually an organic or sustainable version

somewhere. Local tastes the best! It might take

a li1le searching, but you can almost always find

something. Local is wonderful too - does it really

make sense to eat apples from New Zealand?

Plant a garden. It's not so hard! Even if you live in an

apartment, you can grow le1uce in the window, or

tomatoes on the balcony. And if you have a big

enough backyard, you can grow a large part of your

family's vegetables. And if you live in a rural area,

you might already have one.

Eat less meat, and if you do eat meat, make sure the

animals are raised sustainably. It can't hurt to make

sure they're treated well too.

Try not to use paper cups and plates - those will all go in

the trash. Really, try to avoid anything one-use or

disposable.

Consider buying things from a second-hand store. Sec-

ond-hand doesn't mean second-best - oNen they

just need a good wash.

BIG

These are bigger projects, which might take a while to fin-

ish. But you'll feel good in knowing that you're making a

difference.

Ride your bike. You can get groceries or ride a friend's

house. It's good for you and the environment.

Get chickens. Even if you live in a suburban area, you

can have fresh eggs or even meat. If you manage

them well, they won't s)nk, nor will they make a lot

of noise (unless you have a rooster.)

And no, you don't need a rooster for eggs.

Hang-dry instead of using your dryer. What do I mean?

Instead of using your big, energy-sucking tumble

dryer, hang your clothes outside on clotheslines. It's

not that much extra work, and over weeks and

months it really makes a difference.

If you need new furniture, consider buying used or gar-

age-sale. You can sand it down and give it a new

coat of paint - it's easy, and you can get exactly the

shade you want.

HUGE

You'll need your parents for these.

Convince your parents to buy a hybrid or electric car. It

doesn't just help the earth, it saves you money (in

the long run) And the range isn't really a problem

unless you are traveling hundreds of miles - and if

you have a plug-in hybrid, the gas engine can kick in

at that point and you can keep going.

Solar energy. Solar panels on your house are geOng ev-

er cheaper, with much of the cost being covered by

rebates. And once you've paid the start-up costs,

you get free electricity every day. Some people think

Oregon isn't good for solar panels, because of the

rain and clouds, but solar panels get energy even on

cloudy days. Plus with our long summer days, we get

lots of extra power - and then your electricity pro-

vider has to pay you!

To be really sustainable, try raising your own food. Gar-

dens, bees, rabbits, mini-goats, and chickens all can

be raised without more noise and s)nk then cats

and dogs. That's milk, sugar (as honey), vegetables,

fruits, eggs and three kinds of meat. And if you live

in a rural area with an acre or two, you can poten-

)ally feed a small family on your own. It's how peo-

ple lived for hundreds of years.

Maybe you already do all of these things. Maybe you're a

total newbie in the green revolu)on. Either way, I hope

this helps. Together we can reduce our impacts and (quite

literally) save the world. Have fun! Photo by Alexandra Marchon

Photo by Alexandra Marchon

As a kid, you probably don't get a lot of mon-

ey. It takes a lot of work to save up to get some-

thing you really want. And at Christmas, money

gets really scarce. I have discovered several places

where you can find Christmas presents that don't

cost much money.

I like to visit Tuesday Morning, a store that

gets surplus or discon)nued items from other

stores. Tuesday Morning carries everything from

art supplies to science tools, bedding to baby toys.

My five-year-old brother was able to purchase a

Wild Sports Football Kids set for only $5.00 at

Tuesday Morning. We later found out if you buy it

from anywhere else it can cost as much as much

as $20.99! I bought a Jr. Scien)st kit that cost

$10.00 at Tuesday Morning. On Amazon it costs as

much as $35.95!

Another place I go to is Dollar Tree. You've

probably heard of it or gone there yourself. Every-

thing in the store is $1.00. You can get food, toys,

decora)ons, cards, pre1y much anything.

According to Zach, a kindergartner, Goodwill is

a good place to go. Even though you may think it's

all used stuff, you may be surprised to find brand

new things there. I bought my sister a Christmas

giN there that was new and very inexpensive. I

also bought my brother a present that was hardly

used at all.

Finally, Target is a good place to look. At Tar-

get there is a dollar spot that “has great stuff

around Christmas,” Michaela, a 4th grader, says. In

the dollar spot prices range from a dollar to three

dollars. I have go1en presents there innumerable

)mes.

This year, see if you can't get everyone in

your family something they'll enjoy, AND stay

within your budget!

Cheap

Places for Kids

to Buy Christmas Gifts

By Jordan Elisabeth Thibodeaux

Collars—Neon pink collars are an everyday fashion for a

cat. If your cat is a boy try dark colors… like a dark blue.

Collar charms- a collar charm is a great way to show the

personality of your cat or dog, for example there is a charm

that says “It’s all about me.” To spice up your cat’s or dog’s

look try a collar charm or a bow )e that goes on the collar.

Clothes - Cute dog dresses also work. A dog sun dress with

a flower is a great look for your cat or dog. Most dog

clothes can be used for your cat. My cat, Mom Cat, is xx

small to x small. My other cat, Sage, is small.

Style note - When geOng an ou\it for your pet, pick some-

thing that goes well with his/her personality. Just like Kaci

did with her llama.

This is Sage. She is 1 year old

and loves to play. This is my best friend/

sister Kaci and her llama

Fonzie.

A plaid shirt is adorable on a

cat or dog.

CuteStylesForPets

By: Angel Watson and Kaci Spain

Give your cat a fashion

collar!

The Wizarding World of Harry Po1er is the newest

land located in Universal Orlando, Florida. Each theme

park of Universal Orlando has two lands for Harry

Po1er, connected by the Hogwarts Express train.

Hogsmeade/Hogwarts is located in Islands of Adven-

ture and London/Diagon Alley is in Universal Studios.

I would recommend star)ng in Diagon Alley then

go to Hogwarts by train. When you enter Universal Stu-

dios you no)ce a European looking area with a three

decker bus. If you go closer there is an opening that

takes you into Diagon Alley. When I walked in the main

thing, I no)ced was a large building that seems to be

)l)ng and a large almost white dragon on it. (If you

wait almost thirty minutes, I think, the dragon will

shoot fire.) You will see that shops are very colorful and

bright. Most of which actual sell things. The stores in-

clude an ice cream shop, 'pet' shop, robe shop, Ollivan-

der's Wand Shop, and much more.

The large )l)ng building is the ride, Harry Po1er

and the Escape from Gringo1s. I have never seen any-

thing like this ride. When you walk up to the ride the

a1endees are wearing an officer ou\it made for Grin-

go1s. You can enter the main entrance or go through

the single rider. Warning you might be separated from

your group in the single rider! Plus the main entrance is

really cool. There are several different rooms that you

walk through before actually geOng to the ride.

You will go through the bank lobby where all the

goblins sit and do their work by moving their hands and

heads. You con)nue to walk into another room to get

your picture taken for passport into the vault. Then you

will go into the next area where a head goblin and Bill

Weasley is. They explain to you what is going on and

they take you to an elevator. The elevator is almost a

pre-ride before the ride. It takes you down to the next

room where you pick up your 3D glasses then you take

the stairs up.

At this )me you will be geOng on the ride. The

mine cart looking vehicle are two cars each sea)ng

twelve people (four in each row). Each row is slightly

elevated so people in the back may see. The seat bar is

almost )ght against you but for a good reason!

As you start your journey you meet up with Bill and

the goblin then the lights start flashing red as a siren

goes off. Bellatrix, Voldemort, and a goblin come from

Review: Diagon Alley at

Universal Studios, Orlando

By Alyssa Tucker

Con)nued on next page …

Photo courtesy of Michael Gavin

the other cart way and Bellatrix blasts

you with a spell. The spell plummets you

down in an unexpected small drop. ANer

going around some turns and what not it

will bring you to a vast open area where

armored trolls appear and spin you

away. Somehow you start falling only to

be caught by Bill's magic. He sends you

away as he deals with Gringo1s’ dragon.

A snake appears to only spit at you then

slithers to Voldemort with Bellatrix next

to him. Voldemort is about to shoot you

with the killing curse as Ron, Hermione,

and Harry show up on the dragon. They

throw a hook on the cart and fly you out

of danger. The last scene is when Bill

talks to you and the dragon with the

Recently, DHX and Hasbro have created the sequel to

‘Equestria Girls’, known as ‘Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks’. I

was cau)ously excited, because other bronies might write

the sequel’s review as a fail. I went on Youtube one day to

see the reviews. I was surprised! It seemed the en)re fan-

dom was RAVING about it!

The storyline was amazing. I was shocked to find this

movie was about Sunset Shimmer, instead of Twilight Spar-

kle! Also, I love the songs and music! This movie made a

LOAD of fan service. Another problem is the character de-

signs for the antagonists of this movie were kind of weird.

Otherwise, Megan McCarthy gets an invisible cookie!

Review: Rainbow Rocks

… Diagon Alley review con)nued from

previous page.

Photo courtesy of Michael Gavin

three bust out of Gringo1s, hence the dragon on Gringo1s. This

ride was fun, exci)ng and one heck of an adventure. I went on it

three )mes with my family. Diagon Alley and it's ride is a very

family fun place to be.

Next )me… Review of Hogsmeade/Hogwarts

By Emma Sewell

Once upon a )me season 4 is here! A new season with new

characters and twice the ice. There are Elsa, Anna, Kristoff,

Hans, and Sven from Disney's movie “Frozen” and there is a

li1le of Bo Peep, the Knave of Hearts and the Snow Queen.

Things are not what you might think.

Rumpels)ltskin and Belle get married, Kristoff and Anna are

engaged, Prince Charming and Anna know each other. The

Snow Queen and Rumpels)ltskin know each other. Maid

Marion and Elsa are brought to Storybrooke. The Snow

Queen tries to destroy innocent lives and Hook and Emma

got something going on. Things are just geOng HOT or

should I say things are star)ng to get chilly.

If you do not know what Once upon a +me is

you can read this.

Once upon a )me is Sunday's most enchan)ng

drama. There is a world with Snow White, Prince

Charming, The Evil Queen, Rumpels)ltskin, Belle,

Captain Hook, Mulan, Robin Hood, Ariel, Peter

Pan, The Wicked Witch, Cinderella, Pinocchio,

and so many more of every child's favorite char-

acters live.

It will probably be nothing like you expect. Most

of the fairytale characters get transported to a

place without magic and forget who they are. Em-

ma Swan, an ordinary girl (at least that's what she

thinks) gets brought to a small town where many

fairytale characters live.

Rated PG. Not recommend it for younger children. Parents should preview first. If you want to watch you can watch it on

Ne\lix, Hulu Plus, or for episodes that just came out, abc.

By La)a Colton

Once Upon a Time: Season 4

By Tessa Kidd

ORVA Funny Pages

By Trevor Carr

ORVA Funny Pages

STAFF

PICS!

Alexandra Marchon Dawnelle Dorsey

Emme1 Rashleigh Anastasia Lawson Angel Watson

Emma Sewell

Tatum Hamilton