By: Letizia Perrino

The tennis season has come to an end, and the team has achieved great results during the last month. 

On March 2nd Pleasanton high school hosted their second home tournament and various members of the team had great results, placing in every category. Mixed doubles team, boys doubles team and Boys singles got first place, Girls singles got second place and Girls doubles team got third place.

On March the 9th the team played the Madison tournament, and had great results, the girls doubles team got first place in the B draw, the boys doubles team got second place in the B draw and the mixed doubles team got third place in the main draw.

On March 24th and 25th the team played the Pre-District tournament in Uvalde and the results were great, the team placed third overall thanks to the athletes’ great results. 

On March 29th and 30th the varsity team played the District tournament and the number 1 boys doubles placed second and qualified for the regional tournament.  The boys played the tournament on April 11th and 12th in San Antonio, and lost to LaVernia 6-0 6-1 

After speaking with the head coach Everett he said that he is really happy with the results that the team achieved this year and he was really proud of the athletes that qualified for regionals. The team will keep practicing even if the season is over because he is looking forward to great seasons next year.  

After speaking with one of the players, Farah Standley she said that she is happy about the results she made during this season and she loved playing with the team, she is going to miss all the seniors. Farah is a sophomore and she has been on the varsity team since her freshman year and she can’t wait for next season to start. She hopes to improve her results and play even better than this year. 

National Cancer Prevention Month 

By: Letizia Perrino

National cancer prevention month was established in 1938 by president FDR. He proclaimed April as National Cancer Control Month. 

Now February is the month dedicated to the raising of awareness for cancer prevention and treatment throughout the United States.

This month is an opportunity to spread the word and take action in order to live better, healthier, and happier lives.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, causing millions of deaths every year. 

Thanks to this month people had learn ways to prevent cancer like:

• Reduce or eliminate the use of tobacco, smoking is one of the main causes of mouth,lung, throat, pancreas, voice box and bladder cancer.  
• Eat healthy, it’s recommended to eat fruit and vegetables, limit the use of processed meat and alcohol. 
• Do physical activities and maintain a healthy weight.
• Protecting the skin from the sun, using suncream, staying in the shade or covering your skin will prevent skin cancer. 
• Get regular medical care, this could help cure a possible cancer as soon as possible.  

 

Be aware of these tips that will prevent cancer, will reduce both the incidence of cancer and the mortality.

Researchers have in fact showed that at least 40% of all cancer diagnosed can be attributed to preventable causes, like smoking, excess body weight, physical inactivity, and excessive exposure to the sun.  

Therefore National Cancer Prevention Month is important because it teaches people simple ways that will keep them away from cancer and it also highlights the fact that cancer is one of the main causes of death nowadays.

By: Letizia Perrino

 

Christmas break is near and if you’re afraid of getting bored, here’s an easy sweet treat that will amaze your parents and is the perfect solution for you!

 

These are the ingredients you will need:

For the brownies:

• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup butter
• 8 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 Eggland’s Best eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour

 

For the decorations:

• 16 small candy canes
• 16 gold star sprinkles or candies
• 1/3 cup rainbow sprinkles
• 2 cups green frosting 

 

Here are the steps for creating the perfect sweet treat:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with foil and coat it with cooking spray.
2. Place the butter and chocolate chips into a large bowl. Melt in the microwave – heat for 30 second intervals and stir between each interval until butter and chocolate are melted and thoroughly combined.
3. Stir in the sugar, then stir in the eggs, one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. 
4. Stir in the vanilla extract. Gently fold in the salt and flour.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out clean.
6. Cool the brownies to room temperature, then chill for at least 30 minutes.
7. Using the edges of the foil, remove the slab of brownie from the pan. Using a sharp knife, cut the brownies into 16 triangles.
8. Snap the curved parts off the candy canes and insert the straight parts of the candy canes into the bottom of the brownies.
9. Place the frosting in a piping bag fitted with a plain or star tip, or a resealable plastic bag with the tip snipped off. Pipe approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of frosting onto each brownie.
10. Place a star sprinkle at the top of each brownie, then add rainbow sprinkles all over each brownie.
11. Serve, or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one day

 

Here’s a little advice for the frosting: 

You can of course buy it or you can make an amazing homemade one!

 

Here are the steps for a delicious homemade frosting:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
•  2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-3 tablespoons milk or cream
• green food coloring gel.

 

1. Beat butter with a mixer until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. 
2. Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add powdered sugar.
3.  Add vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of milk or cream, beat until smooth and creamy. You can add more powdered sugar if you desire a thicker consistency, or add more milk for a thinner consistency. 
4. Add green food coloring until desired shade is reached.

 

This is the recipe for your amazing Christmas sweet treat, we hope you will like it. 

Merry Christmas, enjoy!

By: Letizia Perrino

ARIES:  October is the month of your self-care and rest. Think about yourself and about how you can be a better person, have fun and don’t be sad, everything will be for the best.

TAURUS: October is a transformative month for your love life, Taurus. When strict Saturn ends its retrograde.  Life is good, you may feel a little stressed out, so think about your self-care, and remember that happiness is often a decision and not something anyone else can do for you. 

GEMINI: Your style will be iconic this month, and you can’t turn down a great party, so go big this Halloween and have a lot of fun by dancing, and showing off your costume. 

CANCER: this month your love life advances for the best. Remember that life is good and live it in the best way you can.

LEO: This month will be full of good energy. My advice for you is to have fun and spend an amazing Halloween with your friends but don’t overdo it. 

VIRGO: You are ready to take the word Virgo. Enjoy this month and be ready to receive a lot of compliments. Try to rest and take care of yourself.

LIBRA: Don’t be afraid of nothing Libra, this month will be great for you, honor your needs and use your energy on yourself.

SCORPIO: It’s your season, Scorpio, it’s time to celebrate, let Halloween bring joy in your life. You will find a good balance this month and that will help you rest and be ready for the next month. 

SAGITTARIUS: This month will be full of friends for you Sagittarius, spend time with them and enjoy their company, this will make you feel better.

CAPRICORN: You will have to work a lot to achieve your goal this month, Capricorn, but it will be worth it. 

AQUARIUS: This month will be important to you because you will show the world what you’re able to do. Halloween will be fantastic so enjoy it, have fun and don’t forget your beautiful costumes. 

PISCES: This could seem like a difficult month for you, but don’t give up, try to fix everything that may seem wrong. Maybe an Halloween party will help and bring some joy.