Talk of the Trail
January/February 2016
Meet FTA Student Emily Hovan!
Emily Hovan is a 9th grade student at Forest Trail Academy with a very unique career – she
performs aerial acts for circus performances including Circus Juventas’ summer shows. Emily first started performing in the circus when she was eight years old. Before this, she was active in dance and gymnastics as well as diving. “I knew almost right away that this is what I was meant to do. This year will mark my 4th year performing in Circus Juventas’ summer show production but my 8th performing in general. I have also done various other events for them. It always makes me feel so proud when I get asked to do shows like that.”
Emily’s goal is to get accepted into a national circus school in Canada which she will be
auditioning for this month. After this, her ultimate goal is to get accepted to perform with Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. And she is well on her way! Emily trains in a wide variety of events from acrobatics, wall tramp, Russian Swing, and she also performs aerial acts such as rope, silks, static trapeze, and more. “My favorite ones are Russian swing, wall trampoline, rope and straps. Between my classes and privates, I train over 30 hours a week. I put my best effort into every second of my training!”
We are all very proud of you Emily!
Meet FTA Student Rylan Yates
Rylan Yates is 12 years old and attends grade six at FTA. Rylan also plays hockey and is a Forward with the 12u AAA San Jose Jr Sharks of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League. The Tier 1 Elite Hockey League is the USA’s premier amateur hockey league featuring 20 organizations stretching from coast to coast. With significant visibility, top level talent, and elite coaching often coming from the upper levels of professional hockey, the Tier 1 Elite League boasts the ability to move young, talented players to organizations such as Major Junior, Tier I Jr Hockey, NCAA Hockey, NHL, and other professional leagues.
Rylan has been playing hockey since he was 7 years old. His goal is to gain a scholarship and attend the University of North Dakota and play Division 1 NCAA Hockey. His favorite hockey player is Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Black Hawks.
So far this season, Rylan’s Jr Sharks team has travelled to tournaments in Colorado, Detroit, St. Louis and Anaheim. They have also been invited to play in the most prestigious Peewee tournament in the world. The 57th annual Quebec Peewee Tournament. The tournament, referred to as the “Peewee World Championships” is annually attended by more than 2,250 of the best 12 year old hockey players from over 15 countries and is the oldest and most prestigious youth hockey tournament in the world. The Quebec Peewee International Hockey Tournament is the centerpiece of the third largest outdoor festival in the world; the annual Quebec City “Winter Carnival.” The Winter Carnival draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to this winter wonderland and the hockey tournament alone has drawn over 5,000,000 spectators in its’ 56 year history. This year the tournament runs from Feb 10 – 21 in Quebec City, Canada. Rylan and the Jr. Sharks open the tournament against the LSA Selects from Switzerland.
Thanks to Forest Trail Academy’s virtual school, Rylan is able to maintain his studies along with his extremely active hockey training schedule.
Song Anthem
Submitted by Briana Dincher
Some people are born to teach and empower others
Some to write stories and poetry and beautiful memories
Some to travel the high seas and explore the world
Some are musicians
Some are artists
Some are believers
Yet all are dreamers.
She waited for an opportunity to come knocking on her door,
Little did she know that choice was only up to her.
At first, they told her she was young and should wait a few years,
She sat patiently and lived through her golden tears.
When she was of age and determined - they told her “no”
That word stung her yet she continued to wait some more
She continued to live out all those years until one day,
Gathering up enough courage, she made towards their way
She waited for an opportunity to come knocking on her door,
While it remained all this time with her and the choice was only up to her.
Yet it was too late and alas, she had missed her chance,
While she watched outside the door, they were on their final dance.
No-Bake Strawberry & Chocolate Valentine's Day Tart
Makes 10-12 servings
Ingredients
Crust
32 Oreo cookies
1/2 cup melted butter
Chocolate Filling
7 oz milk chocolate
3.5 oz bittersweet chocolate
7 oz heavy cream
Topping
10 oz fresh whole strawberries
Chopped nuts such as almonds, walnuts or pistachios
Directions
1. Place Oreo cookies into a food processor and blend until crumbs form. Pour melted butter over the crushed cookies. Process until evenly moistened. Press cookie mixture with the back of a spoon and your fingers where necessary, into the bottom and edges of a rectangular 5 x 14 inch tart pan. Freeze until you prepare the filling, just for a few minutes.
2. In a small saucepan, heat until hot, the cream over medium-low heat. No boiling or simmering needed. Remove from heat, pour over chopped chocolate and let rest for 1-2 minutes. Stir until chocolate is dissolved.
3. Pour chocolate filling over Oreo cookie crust, and top with large whole fresh strawberries.
4. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.
Works Cited
“No-Bake Strawberry Chocolate Tart” www.homecookingadventure.com N.p. posted April 16, 2015
~ NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY NEWS ~
If you didn’t know, January is National Blood Donor Month. National Honors Society decided to bring awareness on this and we wanted to encourage others to donate. We each researched on donating blood, and some of us even went to donate our blood, as well as some shared stories of donating blood. In the research we found out that the blood you donate could be given to someone in need in less than 24 hours! You don’t just have to donate in January you can donate anytime you want. Just give a call to 1-800-RED-CROSS.
Below are some of the projects from the research.