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Breast Cancer Awareness Month By: Dina Goritsan
In 1985, October officially became known as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Since then, communities all around the country have dedicated the month of October to those who have bravely battled the disease. Breast Cancer is the second most common form of cancer for women in the United States. On average, there is a 1 in 8 percent chance a woman will receive breast cancer in the U.S., so it’s very important that precautionary measures are taken, such as getting ultrasounds when reaching a certain age, as well as getting a mammogram scan.
What is Breast Cancer?
The American Cancer society defines cancer as, “When cells are abnormal or get old, they usually die. Cancer starts when something goes wrong in this process and your cells keep making new cells and the old or abnormal ones don't die when they should. As the cancer cells grow out of control, they can crowd out normal cells.” Breast cancer would begin with cells specifically in the breast(s). These cancerous cells could be genetic, caused by environmental factors, or can occasionally have no obvious cause. The cancer itself could begin in different parts of the breast as well. Breast cancer, along with many other types of cancers, can easily spread to other parts of the body when the cancerous cells get into the bloodstream of the lymph system.
Awareness Around Von Steuben
Every Wednesday in October, students, staff, and members of the Von community are encouraged to wear pink to bring awareness to the disease. Many members of the football team also wore pink under their jerseys to bring awareness during games, as well as the student section of the last game having a pink theme!
Breast Cancer awareness should be celebrated all year long, as well as in October!!
Spanish Heritage Month Performance By: Nadia Quintana
From September 15th to October 15th, Spanish Heritage Month is celebrated all throughout the world. The month was created to celebrate and recognize the achievements and contributions of the Latin American people; the rich culture, amazing food, traditions, and history make Spanish Heritage Month so special. Yet, the celebration didn’t always look like it does today.
In 1968, Hispanic Heritage Week was in celebration, this was under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Then in 1988, President Ronald Reagan expanded the celebration to a full month. This was put into law on August 18, 1988. Thus Spanish Heritage Month was created.
This month is very important to the world and to the Von Steuben community. The celebration allows the Von community to show the talent of the students and show support to the many Latinos in the school. Von Steuben’s Spanish Heritage Month Assembly was on October 11, 2022. The assembly consisted of many dance performances from the Latino club, Von Steuben’s very own Cynthia and Nina blessed the audience with their voices, the personal story of Miguel Aldan and his journey from Mexico to America, and Alec [Last Name] presented a small series of clips regarding Women Empowerment, Indigenous People, and what it is like being in the lgbtq+ community in the Latino community.
Overall the assembly was very entertaining and informative. It brings bright smiles, laughter, and a feeling of togetherness. Thank you to all that performed, and the teachers who made it possible. (I think I need a better ending than this)
Ukraine
Background
​​Recently, Ukraine has been one of the big topics in conversations. We know Russia invaded Ukraine and started a war. However, not many people know why Russia invaded Ukraine. To begin with, Ukraine is a country in eastern Europe, the capital is Kyiv, and its president is Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It borders Russia, Belarus, Poland, Romania, and Moldova. Russia's capital is Moscow, and its president is Vladimir Putin.
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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an alliance of 30 countries. It was formed in 1949, and its purpose is to protect the people and the territory of its members. This treaty states that an attack on one means an attack on all.
Ukraine and Russia
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine.
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Ever since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, NATO has expanded and has taken most of the European nations.
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Putin sees Ukraine joining NATO as a threat. Additionally, he thinks Ukraine is part of Russia culturally and historically. Because of this, Putin wants Ukraine back within Russia.
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There have been multiple diplomatic conversations between Russia and Ukraine, but none have resolved war.
Effects
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More than 3 million people have fled Ukraine
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A Russian strike on March 16 destroyed a theater where people were sheltering
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People have no water or electricity
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People started digging trenches for the mounting number of bodies
Nandini Patel & Ivette Montalvo
Ways to help
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Voices of Children is an organization that raises money for children that have been affected by the war. They provide psychological and psychosocial support. So far, about 238 children have died, 433 injured, and 2 million went abroad with their parents.
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Médecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders works with volunteers, organizations, healthcare professionals, and authorities to help people travel to health care facilities.
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International Committee of the Red Cross is an organization that was made in 1863 that helps people affected by conflict and armed violence and promotes the laws that protect victims of war.
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Save the Children is an organization that helps children's needs and secures their rights. You can donate money or donate a toy to a kid.
CovId # and covid tests
Since 2/18/2022, there were 3,013,709 cases of Covid in Illinois. The current daily average for Chicago is 283 positive cases. In times like these, we want to take protective measures to protect ourselves and our loved ones from getting sick.
Covid-19 vaccines are most effective in lowering the risk of you getting covid and they help our bodies develop immunity against the virus. Most of the people who test positive for the illness are unvaccinated. The vaccine has gone under rigorous testing and recently was approved for everyone ages 5 and older by the FDA. You are highly encouraged to do the right thing and help us stop the spread of covid. If you are interested in getting vaccinated and want to schedule an appointment, text your zip code to “438829” to find locations where you can get vaccinated near you.
If you are already vaccinated and have the booster, we highly encourage that you get tested regularly. Von Steuben offers testing on Thursdays and you can sign up at https://home.color.com/covid/sign-up/start?partner=tf-von-609737-students
The two most popular tests are the rapid test and the PCR. When you take the rapid test, you can usually receive the results on the same day. You take the rapid test when you are fully vaccinated and boosted, but have been exposed to covid and want to make sure you don’t have it. The PCR test, on the other hand, is way more accurate and takes 2 days to a week to receive the results.You take the PCR test when you are unvaccinated and are experiencing symptoms.
Gas Prices Increace
In the last few months people have been complaining about the gas price “inflation” and this has caused quite a lot of problems, more hours of work, having to use gasoline wisely, it’s an endless nightmare of stress and worrying for adults who don’t get paid as much. So far the government hasn’t done anything to fix or make the problem worst, but at least some car companies are creating an all electric car of their own, so that way you don’t have to pay for the gasoline. - Brian