The Overachiever December—Midterm Meltdowns, holidays, snow,

and Winter Break!

December 2013

Vol. 9 Issue 10

International Academy

1020 E. Square Lake Road

Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304

Cover Design

Photo taken by

Nancy Huang

In this issue...

News………………………….…..3

Stress and Midterms..……...5 Catching Fire.…...….…...……7 Sports……….....…..…............9 Ready to Mingle…....…...…10 December…….........Back Page

Staff Principal

Ms. Lynne Gibson Associate Principal

Mr. Christopher Smith

Faculty Facilitator Ms. Sarah Clancy

Editor-in-Chief Nancy Huang

News Editors Jenna Wang & Rama-Armaghan K. Ahmad

Features Editors Alayna Wang & Eleanor Khirallah

Entertainment Editor Monali Desai & Alaina Valente

Sports Editor Mahum Farooqui

Perspectives Editor Vedha Ghanta

Back Page Editor Tami Lacasse

Contributors Omar Iliyas Sravya Mallaosyula Tarek Almsddi Anonymous Emily Moll

December 2013 3 News

Tragedy in Russia by OMAR ILIYAS

What is the result of an air-plane plunging in a near-vertical crash? A huge, blinding fireball. This is what happened to the air-plane Boeing 737 on November 17. The crash of this airplane caused the deaths of all 50 people on board the plane, including the son of the provincial governor and the chief of the local branch of Russia’s main security agency. The most confusing aspect of this tragedy is that the pilot was not trying to land the plane during a terrible storm, but instead he was trying to land the plane in clear, good weather.

This raises the question:

What happened to cause everyone aboard to die in a blinding fireball? Russian investigators went through the wreckage of the airplane on Monday after an assembly of fire-fighters extinguished the flame; as of yet, the investigators have not found any conclusive data. The only other evidence that the Rus-sian investigators have is the cryp-tic message that the crew of Boe-ing 737 left—stating that the air-plane was not ready to land yet. The message, however, did not specify why, and before the traffic controller could ask, the line went dead.

Investigators were forced to

look into the company’s records, which indicated that the plane was built 23 years ago, and had been used by seven other carriers prior to the current carrier, Tatarstan Air-lines, in 2008. It was also revealed that the plane was damaged in a landing error in 2001 in Brazil, but no one was hurt. The company in-sists that the plane was in good working condition for this flight.

The carrier of this airplane, Tatarstan Airlines, has a good safety record, but has had financial problems recently. These financial problems have led to personnel to go on strikes over decrease in wages. Furthermore, according to industry experts, this plane crash occurred due to the neglect in safety in order to cut costs. Insuffi-cient pilot training and a lax in gov-ernment control has been cited as a factor that may have affected the Russian flight’s safety.

The latest reports even sug-

gest the pilot of the plane had a fake license. He had received his license from a small training center that has closed down. Investigators believe he was not qualified to pilot a Boeing 737. Struggling airline companies, like Tatarstan Airlines, accept these kinds of pilots be-cause they are paid much less than professional certified pilots.

Unfortunately, finding the

answer to why the plane crashed may not be enough for many peo-ple who lost their loved ones on this plane. Many of the 50 people in this crash were young and there are stories about how some of the people had recently been married or engaged. This tragedy seemed to touch millions of people around Russia, including the president of the Russian province of Tatarstan, who lost his 23-year-old son, Irek Minnikhanov, in the crash. Irek had just celebrated his marriage a few months earlier. Irek did not take his wife with him on the plane saying it was too dangerous for her because she was pregnant with their first child.

Another story has also

emerged dealing with the wife of the regional chief of Russia's Fed-eral Security Service, who is too scared to tell her ten year old daughter that her father is never returning from this trip. The re-gional chief’s mother was also hos-pitalized in intensive care with heart issues shortly after hearing about this tragedy. These two stories do not even begin to cover all the damage that this crash caused to the family of those on board. Alas, this is not the first time Russia has seen a crash of this caliber.

Last December, Russia had

another plane crash which killed nearly everyone on board. Even though a pattern has begun to emerge for Russian airplane crashes, there has been no initia-tive by Russia to develop a solid solution to this crisis. If Russia starts to find why these plane crashes keep occurring and de-velop a plan to stop it, there will be one heartbroken family and one less orphaned child.

Wreckage from the plane Image taken from: http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1519943!/img/httpImage/

image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/aptopix-

russia-plane-crash.jpg

News The Overachiever

Shocking Smog Levels in Shanghai

by JENNA WANG

4

A screen in Tiananmen Square, Beijing shows a picture of clear skies on a par-

ticularly polluted day. Image taken from: http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130130163112-03-beijing-smog-0130-horizontal-gallery.jpg

Shanghai residents wearing masks in front of the city's iconic Bund wa-terfront, with a shadow of the Orien-tal Pearl Tower in the background .

Image taken from: http://sensiblereason.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/smog.jpg

Michiganders are benignly familiar

with the concept of snow days dur-

ing the heavier months of winter, but

on the other side of the world, 14

million Shanghai citizens are quickly

becoming accustomed to a more

sinister type of day off: smog days.

Earlier this December, pollution lev-

els in the number one most popu-

lated city in China became so haz-

ardous that authorities issued a mu-

nicipal-wide health warning for all

residents. Flights from Shanghai’s

two major airways, Pudong Interna-

tional Airport and Hongqiao Interna-

tional Airport, were grounded due to

the environmental risk. Construction

projects throughout the city halted,

and schoolchildren were told to stay

indoors.

The pollution index of Shanghai has

since rocketed to a record of 582

micrograms per cubic meter, far

above the World Health Organiza-

tion (WHO)’s recommendation of 25

and below. The index measures the

amount of PM2.5 (particles less than

2.5 micrometers in diameter) in the

atmosphere in order to determine air

quality. According to the U.S. Envi-

ronmental Protection Agency Air

Quality Index (AQI), 582 is a number

that literally goes off the charts, as

utmost “hazardous” levels are be-

tween 301-500.

In response to this alarm, the

Shanghai Environmental Protection

Bureau lowered its standards for

what constitutes breathable air. The

minimum level of pollution that

needs to be reached before alerts

are released to the city is now 115,

up from the previous index rating of

75.

Smog is defined as a thick, grayish-

brown fog that often hangs over ur-

ban areas due to a mix of car ex-

haust fumes, coal plant emissions,

and a lack of wind to blow the parti-

cles away. This environmental haz-

ard, sadly, is no stranger to the most

highly industrialized cities in China.

The financial and cultural hotspots

of Hong Kong and Beijing consis-

tently join Shanghai as megalopo-

lises of questionable health safety.

Large-screen pictures of garishly

scenic landscapes are projected in

Tiananmen Square on days of ex-

treme bogginess, and in Hong Kong,

it is common to see pedestrians and

workers everywhere sporting sur-

geon-like smog masks over their

faces while going about their daily

activities outdoors.

Even in Michigan, the news of

China’s smog problem is making

unsettling news. Due to the auto-

motive connection between De-

troit and Shanghai, several stu-

dents at the International Acad-

emy have had personal expatri-

ate experience living in Shanghai,

as well as personal connections

to the city and its current environ-

mental issues.

The Overachiever’s Editor-in-

Chief, Nancy Huang, who is also

a former Shanghai resident,

agrees with this sentiment. “[The

health dangers are] very signifi-

cant! If school is cancelled and

the smog’s in the streets, even,

then I think it’s very unsafe to

drive/walk/bike anywhere. Trans-

portation’s virtually rendered use-

less!”

by ALAYNA WONG

5 December 2013 Features

Tips for Going Green! Every issue, the Overachiever will be sharing a new idea to help you live an eco-friendly life. So, keep a look-out for more green tips in future issues!

Tip for Month: Wrapping presents is always lots of fun and helps to build suspense for the sea-son. After all the pre-sents are opened, don’t forget to recycle all of

your wrapping materials!

Stress and Midterms by SRAVYA MALLAOSYULA

Stress: it’s the most common word in every IA student’s vocabulary. You would think that with mid-term exams approaching at a speed faster than light, IA students would tend to either start ripping out their hair or burst into the occasional flood of tears, but that should not and will not be the case if you follow simple ways to calm down during this “hell week” of midterms. First and foremost, be organized. Nobody can help you if all your study materi-als are strewn about in your already cluttered room. Take the time to use a hole puncher and punch those papers so that they have three beautiful holes on the left hand side screaming for home. Oh, what home you ask? Simple, a binder! Once

you have organized your study materials, you know what’s left to do now, study! Now, studying can be done in a myriad of ways. For example, sitting in the middle of your family room watching Grey’s Anatomy or The Walking Dead and eat-ing cheese puffs, sitting in your room and diligently working away with your study materials in front of you, or working in a study group. The latter two would be the most likely environ-ments to bring you success in your midterm endeavors. Studies show that a tranquil environment with minimal distraction stimulates your brain to focus on the object in front of you which will in-duce you to study effectively and hence do excellently on

your exams, and stress less. Another huge factor in reducing the stress of doing well on a midterm is sleep. Plan out a study schedule and study only until 9.30pm if need be. Sleep is of ut-most importance as it can heavily affect your perform-ance on the test day. If you cram all through the night and until the minute before the test begins, you will have nothing but a headache, bloodshot eyes, and taunt nerves; all of which can cause a potentially very bad score on the midterm. To do well, you need a

clear head full of pre-studied

information and a good

night’s sleep. Good luck,

friends!

by ANONYMOUS

6 Features The Overachiever

Pride for the Pistons

During the time of the

Dream Team, the Pistons

were at the peak of their

game as well. They had just

won two championships,

and Isaiah Thomas was a

hero in Detroit. The Pistons

were known as the “Bad

Boys” because of their

rough play and aggressive-

ness. They were known for

this, especially against the

star-stacked team of the

Chicago Bulls, and they

would always push around

Jordan because he hated

the Pistons. So, when the

Dream Team was being as-

sembled, Thomas had a

spot on the team but Jor-

dan did not approve. He

said that he was not going

to play with someone from

the team that abused

him. Obviously, Jordan and

Thomas were not fans of

each other! Because of this,

Thomas was forced to

leave the Dream Team so

Jordan could have a spot.

This shows that the only

thing that could slow Jordan

down was the Pistons and

their key players!

The Dream Team by TAREK ALMSDDI

One of the best

teams assembled in sports

history was the 1992 men’s

Olympic basketball team.

The U.S “Dream Team” was

a collection of superstar tal-

ents including Michael Jor-

dan, Earvin “Magic” John-

son, Larry Bird, and many

more. All of these players

were at some point entered

into the Hall of Fame and

some are among the top 50

players to ever play the

game of basketball. This

team is considered one of

the best ever created!

The team not only

won the gold medal, which

was expected by everyone,

but the statement they put

out was phenomenal. The

Dream Team would beat

their opponents by an aver-

age of 40 or more points.

The team once beat their

opponent, Angola, 116 to

48! Their closest win was

against Croatia, by a mar-

gin of 33 points. Other op-

ponents knew that their

team was going to be de-

molished, and after they

were, showed no sign of

disbelief. Some players

from other teams would

even ask the members of

the Dream Team for auto-

graphs and pictures.

In addition, there

were lines of fans support-

ing the Dream Team rather

than their home country

who stood outside the team

bus when the players ex-

ited! It was as if the Dream

Team did not even leave

home.

by ALAINA VALENTE

December 2013 Entertainment 7

Person of the Month: Ellen DeGeneres

Be kind. Two simple words that don’t mean much when separated . Yet, when put together they mean something that everyone in the world

should live by. At least one person does: Ellen DeGeneres. At the end of every one of her talk shows, these are the last words that she speaks to her audience. Two words that she lives by. And in honor of the holiday sea-son, Ellen is recently in the middle of her “twelve days of giveaways”. Dur-ing twelve of her shows, Ellen gives away expensive, marvelous and much wanted gifts to all of her audi-ence members. On the first day, the audience received a $1,500 target gift card, $200 American express gift card, $300 Retail Me Not gift card, a IPad 2, $500 Catalog Spree gift card, a iHome speaker system, Con-verse Chuck Taylor All-Star shoes, a Gap T-shirt, and finally, a pair of special Beats headphones. Though some people might argue that the true meaning of Christmas is about giving thanks and spending time with family, not the gifts, Ellen’s gift-giving only highlights this concept even more because her giving does-

n’t stop when Christmas is over. All throughout the year, Ellen gives away meaningful gifts to people who honestly deserve them. After Hurricane Sandy, a family who lost everything was given a new home, courtesy of Ellen. She has also tracked down a waitress that inspired hundreds of people when she paid two veterans’ lunch bills when they were short on money. Not only did Ellen pay her paid back with $10,000, but also with a 50” in-signia TV as well. What is taught by all this is that there should be no start or stopping point for kindness. Just because holidays come and go does not mean the goodness of life should. That is what Ellen teaches by her giveaways. Life should be cele-brated all year round, not just when you feel obligated to because its’ the “giving season”. So, next time when your feeling down or angry, remember to be kind.

Movie of the Month: Catching Fire by ALAINA VALENTE

Explosive action and emotion, with

tender romance, Catching Fire is one of

year’s best films. The teen franchise

earned $161 million dollars just on

opening night, surpassing what the first

movie made. It is not often that the se-

quel can out-do the original, but in this

case it does.

The film follows Katniss Everdeen

after her return home from making a

fool out of the capital in the last Hunger

Games. Soon, Katniss and Peeta are

again picked and are sent to compete in

the 75th Hunger Games. This time

though, they are up against other previ-

ous victors. In other words, trained kill-

ers.

The acting of Jenifer Lawrence and

Josh Hutcherson has matured the charac-

-ters of Katniss and Peeta to a whole

new level. The meaning of their relation-

ship is critically expressed, as well as

their hatred for the tormenting Capital.

Not only that, but the true identity of

Katniss is discovered as she makes bold

decisions that will almost always put her

life in danger and show what she is

really willing to die for.

The movie is also true to its fans.

Minimal changes are made to the plot of

the story, so it is almost identical to the

book. And everything that is done is

done to the perfect extent, so that it

makes you feel like you are living in the

world of the Capital and 12 distracts.

The precision to detail in the set, cos-

tumes and dialog is what makes this

movie so great.

Catching Fire is a capture movie

that will keep its worth in the box office

and keep drawing viewers in for a 2nd or

3rd viewing. For it shows that the “odds

may never be in your favor” unless you

try to change them.

N.d. Photograph. E! NBCUniversal, 21

Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2013

N.d. Photograph. Fans Share. Fans

Share. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.

Entertainment The Overachiever 8

Movies to Watch: Christmas Edition by MONALI DESAI

Ho Ho Ho! It’s the jolliest time of the year, and what bet-ter way to celebrate the holiday season than to slave to the capitalist system by buying Christmas presents until you’re in debt? Why, watching Christ-mas movies, of course! Nothing says money at the box office for movie studios than a heartwarming Christmas film, and so there are countless Christmas movies to choose from. One of the most cele-brated and beloved Christmas movies of all time is Miracle on 34th Street. This classic is about an erratic old man named Kris Kringle who gets offered a job as Santa in a department store. The catch is, he believes himself to be the one and only Santa Claus. This causes problems down the road, as Kris is about to be locked up as a lunatic. This touching story explores the true meaning of Christmas. For those who prefer a more comedic take on life, there are many humorous mov-ies to enjoy. Elf is a favorite among almost everyone. Star-ring Will Ferrell as Buddy, an elf who as just learned that he is actually a human, this movie is sure to make even Ebenezer Scrooge laugh. Another classic Christmas movie is Home Alone, a story about a boy named Kevin that accidently got left behind while his family left for vacation. When burglars enter

his house, it’s up to Kevin to stop them. Using techniques that would now be considered unusually cruel and still hilari-ous, Kevin wards the thieves off. For another comedy movie that doesn't consist of dropping large objects on the heads of common burglars, viewers may want to watch The Santa Clause. Starring Tim Allen as Scott Calvin, a man who acci-dently kills Santa and so has to take his place. This light-hearted comedy is perfect for the whole family, and if that doesn’t convince you to watch it, then maybe the fact that there is a fat man in a red suit falling off the roof will. There are also many amazing animated Christmas films. One of the most praised is The Polar Express. The movie is about a boy who is question-ing his belief in Santa, and then finds himself on a train to the North Pole. The stunning ani-mation paired with the touch-ing, and even slightly haunting,

story makes this movie unfor-gettable.

No matter

your tastes,

there is a

Christmas

movie for eve-

ryone.

Tim Allen as Santa Claus in The

Santa Clause. Santa, who wears all

red and gives free presents, has not

been sucked into the capitalist spirit

of Christmas.

Image courtesty of: http://

www.rankopedia.com/

CandidatePix/89488.gif

by MAHUM FAROOQUI

by MAHUM FAROOQUI

December 2014 Sports 9

‘Tis the Season IA Athlete of the Month Being involved in extracurricular

activities and managing the work

load of the IA can be quite difficult.

So how do people who play sports

and got to the IA manage their time?

Michelle Chen a senior at the IA and

this month’s Student of the Month,

will help answer this question. She

plays softball for Andover (Now

Bloomfield Hills High School) and

will talk to us about her thoughts and

experiences while playing a sport

and still managing school work

Q. What sport do you play?

A. I play softball.

Q. How long have you been playing

for?

A. I’ve been playing since freshman

year. I played for Andover High

School in my freshman, sophomore

and junior years. Junior year I played

varsity. This year Andover is Bloom-

field Hills High School and I hope

that I qualify for Varsity this year as

well.

Q. How do you manage playing a

sport at the IA while playing a sport?

It’s not that bad. On game days,

games take a little longer so I get

home at around eight or so. But its

not too bad so I feel like I can man-

age it pretty well.

A. Do you feel like playing a sport is

a good stress reliever from the heavy

workload of the IA?

Q. Its like a good way to end the day

while playing softball. I feel accom-

plished and relaxed, and ready to

start my work when I get home. It is

a great stress reliever.

Q. What advice would you give to

International Academy stu-

dents who plan on playing a

sport?

A. Don’t let academics prevent

you from playing a sport be-

cause sports are very impor-

tant. It teaches you leadership

and teamwork. And if you feel

like you cannot commit to a

sport, then I would suggest you

play like an out of school sport

where you can easily play on

your own time. For example

freshman year I wanted to play

tennis, but Tennis and softball

are sports that happen in the

same season. But I found an

out-of-school tennis league

where I played every other

weekend or so for a few

months. And I realized that I

could easily manage it with my

time schedule. So if you can’t

commit to both sports than you

can easily find another alterna-

tive.

Q. Well thank you so much for

letting me interview you! Best

of luck next season.

A. My pleasure.

Midterms. College decisions.

College applications. Scholar-

ships. Deadlines. Employment.

Standardized tests. Sports. Ex-

tracurriculars. More projects.

More tests. AHHHH! isn't it

stressful? Does it feel like it’s

eating you away? Well no

fear! Winter break is right

around the corner and there is

a plethora of winter activities

that you can do to get your

mind off the boulder of stress

that school or whatever else

has placed on your shoulders.

The first is going on a thrilling

and memorable adventure that

4-6 inches of snow may pro-

vide for you. For example, ski-

ing, sledding, ice-skating, win-

ter-hiking, or building snow

creations can all help you have

a fantastic winter adventure

and at the same time help you

take your mind off school.

They will challenge you physi-

cally but will help you create a

truly unforgettable winter

memory.

You can also make some tradi-

tional winter food! cinnamon

bread, fruitcake, granola, and

hot cocoa are all typical reci-

pes for the winter, and making

food can allow you to feel

more connected to you home

and sitting in front of the fire-

place with home-made food

and a Christmas movie is a

great way to escape the stress

of the world.

These are just suggestions.

Whatever you choose to do

over break, just make sure you

are happy and able to get your

mind off school. Have a great,

adventure-filled, stress-free,

school-void break!

10 December 2013 Perspectives

Ready to Mingle by NANCY HUANG

My friends act like it’s the

Eleventh Commandment or what-

ever—“Nancy shall not seriously

date anyone”—which is something

I don’t understand. Plenty of people

don’t date. It’s perfectly normal. I

am not ashamed.

There are a lot of theories

going around. Like, there are as-

sumptions that I’ve been burned by

the love of my life and my heart is

just splintered kindling, or that I’m

basically a mobile therapist who

empathizes deeply with people who

get dumped, or that I’m wading

through the aftermath of numerous

failed relationships while looking for

my soulmate, or that I’m a

sociopath, because even so-

ciopaths have to get through high

school.

Friend #1 doesn’t agree.

Friend #1 does not care about the

common perception. S/he thinks

that I have plenty of nearly-there

healthy relationships. There are

definitely people I find attractive,

s/he says. Plus, I text. Which is

a...bonus?

Friend #1: Plus, you also

text people. Which is pretty intimate

if you think about it.

Me: Is texting a requirement

for any relationship?

Friend #1: No, but it’s a

pretty good indicator. You know,

staying up late with someone and

texting/messaging them. It’s nice.

I should mention that the

last text I sent was to Friend #1.

(Me: halp I think I acciden-

tally ate a piece of lint.

Later: nevermind it was a

shred of coconut.

Friend #1: stop eating eve-

rything in sight.)

Intimacy, huh.

I’ll admit, I get lonely some-

times whenever I see my friends go

out and do stuff that could be con-

sidered dating with other people.

But it’s not a total hindrance. I have

friends. I enjoy things. I am socia-

ble.

Friend #2 has a different

opinion. Friend #2, unlike Friend

#1, is not single.

Friend #2: If you want to

date, go ahead.

Me: You make it sound so

easy. Like, all I have to do is want

it, and then bam! I’m dating. There

you go.

Friend #2: Well of course

there’s effort involved. Every rela-

tionship is a commitment. You can’t

be totally lazy about it.

Me: I think I’m content right

here.

Friend #2: That’s fine too.

It’s not like it’s shameful. As long as

you get out of the house occasion-

ally.

Me: Um.

The two perceptions—

Nancy is already dating people vs.

Nancy does not have to date—are

both a little unappealing to me.

Can’t there be some kind of in-

between for relationships? Kinda-

dating-but-not? Why is it strictly

Friends and Something More?

Friend #3 is very wise and

intelligent and likes jellybeans, so I

decided to go to him/her.

Friend #3: Of course

there’s an in-between, you doofus.

Me: There is?

Friend 3#: Yeah. It’s like a

spectrum (inside joke).

Me: I mean, I’ve never

heard of any before.

Friend #3: Well duh. There

are only two sides that make it into

the media. In reality there’s a ton of

complication involving your feelings

and how strong they are and the

other person’s feelings and how

strong they are. Nothing’s black or

white.

Me: I think I have a relation-

ship with the internet.

Friend #3: That’s not really

what I meant.

Me: You don’t understand

the passion of my love.

So bottom line is, you can

be single, taken, or neither. I never

knew there was a third option.

11 December 2013 Perspectives

Holiday Brownie Recipe by NANCY HUANG

My annoying little brother

Kevin is obsessed with baking. To

date, he has forced me to help with

pies, cakes, muffins, lasagna—and

that’s just the baking stuff.

This month is brownies.

He’s already insisted that our Her-

shey cocoa powder is not “quality”,

that vanilla and chocolate are from

two completely different palates

and are not compatible with each

other, and that mint extract is the

new best thing ever, even better

than vanilla extract. I wasn’t even

aware that mint extract existed until

today.

My brother is also the rea-

son our family is now invested in

buying good bakeware. We have

flat rubber spatulas, three different

types of whisks, cake icers, and

weird implements that are for cor-

ing apples for his pies. As you can

see, when my brother bakes, he

gets down to business.

My current tactic is to stay

locked in my room and to turn my

music up louder every time he asks

me to help. Cooking’s not my thing,

and neither is mixing, cake-icing, or

apple-coring. Kevin is making

brownies for a bake sale at school,

and that means that they must be

perfect. Brownies, I know from ex-

perience, are just another delicious

disaster waiting to happen.

I’ve decided to share his

recipe with you all, in case you

want more after Green Group’s

Christmas-Themed December

Bake Sale. Apparently they are

“mint-flavored brownies”. So that’s

what the mint extract is for. They

sound delicious—my favorite ice

cream flavor is mint chocolate chip.

Note: recipe taken from

spoonful.com.

Ingredients:

BROWNIES

1/2 cup butter

4 ounces unsweetened choco-

late

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

MINT FROSTING

1/4 cup softened butter

2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 to 3 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon peppermint ex-

tract

1/2 cup butter

Green food coloring

CHOCOLATE TOPPING

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate

chips

PROCEDURE

Heat the oven to 350º and grease a

9-inch square baking pan. For the

brownies, place the butter and

chocolate in a microwave-safe

bowl. Microwave on high for 1 min-

ute, stir, and microwave for 1 min-

ute more. Stir until smooth. In a

separate bowl, whisk together the

sugar and eggs. Stir in the choco-

late and the vanilla extract. Finally,

stir in the flour and salt until thor-

oughly combined. Pour into the

prepared pan, then bake for 25

minutes or until a knife inserted in

the middle comes out clean. Cool

for at least 1 hour.

To make the mint frosting, cream

the butter and confectioners' sugar.

Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a

time, beating until it is smooth and

spreadable. Beat in the peppermint

extract and tint to the desired

shade with green food coloring.

Frost the cooled brownies, cover,

and chill for 1 hour.

To make the chocolate topping,

pour the chips into a microwave-

safe bowl, add the butter, and mi-

crowave on high for 1 1/2 minutes

or until the chocolate melts. Stir

until smooth. Pour the chocolate

over the brownies and smooth it

with a knife. Refrigerate for 45 min-

utes or until the coating hardens.

Bring the brownies to room tem-

perature, then cut into 16 to 32

pieces. Enjoy!

They turned out beautiful!

The Back Page Everything else you could want in the news.

Puzzle of the Month

Midterms. Snow. Deadlines. Tests. Cookies. Holidays. These words are what describe De-

cember at IA. This year, there was a less of a gap between Thanksgiving and Midterms,

causing a panic for both teachers and students. The halls have been filled with conversa-

tions about what will be on the midterms, plans for study groups, and trying to find time to

relax. On top of all that, seniors are starting to hear back from their Early Decision and

Early Action Colleges.

For me personally, it is terrifying wondering if I will be accepted, deferred, or denied. I

think the most troubling thing is that we know we go to one of the best high schools, so why

wouldn't the best colleges want us? Let’s just say that everyone in school is counting down

the days to break and secretly hoping for a whole week of snow days during midterms.

All in all, enjoy these two weeks of break. The New Year is approaching and it is time to

make new resolutions and look forward to what is to come.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

By Emily Moll

Solution