S&A Magazine Issue 4 – Volume 2

August 2021 Issue

Issue 4 – Volume 2

Holiday of the Month
Sketchbook Page
Quote of the Month
Craft
Drawing Prompt
Sustainable Fashion
Main Article
Recipe

Holiday of the Month

Women’s Equality Day

August 26th is Women’s Equality Day! Women’s Equality Day is an American holiday observed to remember certain milestones in history that brought women closer to equality. The holiday is celebrated annually in the United States but can be celebrated by anyone. In this article, we’ll go over the history of the holiday and how you can celebrate it this August.

History

In 1971, Representative Bella Abzug suggested that August 26th should be coined as Women’s Equality Day to honor when the 19th Amendment was ratified and women got the right to vote in 1920. By 1920, women had been fighting for the right to vote for more than 70 years. The United States Congress and President Richard Nixon approved of the idea and officially established August 26th as Women’s Equality Day in 1972. Ever since then, this holiday has been celebrated annually.

There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish
Michelle Obama

What You Can do to Celebrate

Spread Awareness

This holiday is not very popular, so spreading awareness helps more people know about the holiday and its history. You can post on social media, share this article with friends or family, or just tell someone about the holiday.

Donate to a Charity

Below we’ve provided links to charities you can donate to. A little bit of money can go a long way.

Thank the Strong Women in your Life

It’s important to acknowledge our mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, aunts, grandmothers, nieces, friends, or even yourself. Be sure to thank these people in your life and let them know you understand their struggle and that you stand with them.

Take a moment to learn about a woman in history who helped with equality

It’s always important to know the history of a holiday. While we did explain it briefly in this article, you can also choose a woman in history to learn more about. What were her accomplishments? What challenges did she face? If you could say anything to her, what would you say?

Try to make a change when you can

If you ever see someone getting sexually harassed, cat-called, or discriminated against because of their gender, make sure to speak up. It takes a lot of courage to say something at the moment, but when you actively try to address the situation and help the victim, you can make a big impact.

Conclusion

Make sure that this August 26th you take some time to acknowledge the strong women in your life and the strong women in history who helped make a more equal America.

Sketchbook Page

An Abstract Sketch On Beauty

In this sketch, I tried to create a message on beauty and how everyone has their own insecurities. For each person in the drawing, I tried to only draw things they might be insecure about on their face, symbolizing how insecurities can feel like they overshadow your appearance and are the only things people notice. I also tried to assign each person a color by the color used on their facial features. The color used on their hair shows who they wish they could look like instead. For example, the girl with pink facial features has yellow hair, so she compares herself to the person with yellow facial features. I summed up the page with the note, “We are all beautiful, but we’re supposed to believe we’re not.”

Quote of the Month

August Quote

This month’s quote is “Be the Reason Someone Smiles Today.” I chose this quote because I think that if you are kind to others, you’ll not only make them happy, but you’ll also make yourself more happy.

Craft

DIY Keychains

This craft is something that anyone can make. These keychains are completely customizable, so you can make them look however you want. They’re great to hang on backpacks for when you go back to school!

What You’ll Need

Key Ring Chain
Paperclip
Beads
Pliers

Directions

Take your paperclip and bend it out into a straight line using your pliers.
Then, make a small hoop at the end of the paperclip with an opening to put the key ring chain through it. Then, use the pliers to close the hoop.
Thread your beads through your desired order. Remember not to put your beads in upside down.
Once you’re happy with the design, cut the end of the wire off and make a small curve at the end so the beads don’t fall off. (If your pliers are not strong enough to cut through the paperclip, twist it in a tight spiral until it snaps off.)
Hang it wherever you want!

Drawing Prompt

Make a Collage

This month’s drawing prompt is to make a collage out of images. You can do this either digitally or by gluing images to a piece of paper. Choose images that inspire you, whether they are your own images or they are cut out from a magazine. You can send a picture of your finished drawing prompt to sandazine@gmail.com!

Sustainable Fashion

An Outfit Styled With Kotn

Kotn is a sustainable brand that is dedicated to make stylish clothes fairly. They source the cotton they use from local farmers in Egypt and Portugal. They make sure that the farmers have safe working conditions and are paid fairly for their work. They also raise money for the communities who provide their materials. Kotn works to helping children in these communities have access to proper schooling and education.

Ribbed Fitted Crew In Burnished Lilac – 22

Main Article

How to Start Your School Year on a Positive Note

The new school year starts very soon for many students. Most students will be going back in person so it’s important to prepare for a big change like this. In this article, we’ll be sharing a few tips to help you start your school year off strong.

Make sure you’ve got a solid sleep schedule

You’ve probably heard before that you should sleep for 8 to 10 hours a day. During busy school days, getting enough sleep can be especially hard. Preparing a sleep schedule can make sleeping a bit easier. It’s important to give yourself time to transition your sleep schedule from when you would’ve gone to bed in the summer to when you need to go to bed during the school year. Also, keep in mind that usually, it’s hard to fall asleep right away and it may take up to 21 days to have a consistent sleep schedule. (For example, if you want to wake up at 6 am, you have to be asleep by 10 pm so you should go to bed around 8:30 pm.)

Make sure you’re organized

Organization is key. When you are organized, you can keep track of your assignments, classes, and materials easily. You can organize many different aspects of your life. You can make a schedule by using an agenda or Notion. (Notion is an online tool that can be used to plan, make lists, and much more.) It’s also important to organize your supplies. Make sure you know where everything is by using pencil pouches and binders for each class. We also have written an article on different ways you can organize materials.

Give yourself time to study and do homework

Setting aside time to study and do homework is very important. You may feel stressed or overwhelmed if you rush through your homework or don’t study. An easy way to study is to take notes in class and then go over them after school. If studying ever gets boring, try using flashcards or studying with a friend. Plus, studying is likely to help improve your grades and help you do better on tests!

Make sure to stay hydrated and nourish yourself

This may seem obvious, but it’s sometimes easy to forget to drink enough water or rush out the door in the morning without eating breakfast. In order to feel energized and ready for the day, you have to make sure you’re giving your body enough nutrients. Make sure you dedicate time in the morning to eat breakfast and pack lunch if you need to. Meal prepping the night before can be a great way to have your food ready without taking time out of your morning. It’s also important to keep track of how much water you drink in a day. You can do this by knowing how much your water bottle holds and drinking enough water accordingly. Try to give yourself a goal, like drinking 2 liters of water.

Give yourself a break when necessary

While it is important to do all of the things listed above, it’s also important to take care of yourself. Your whole life shouldn’t have to revolve around school, so give yourself some time to pause and do something you enjoy. You can talk to friends, practice a hobby, or even just watch TV. Anything you need to do to help you recharge and feel happier is important to include in your schedule every day!

We hope you found these tips helpful! Whether you implement them in your daily life or not, we hope your next school year goes well!

Recipe

Simple Vanilla Cupcakes With Buttercream

This was my first time making cupcakes from scratch so I decided to make a very simple cupcake recipe. To my surprise, (and delight) the cupcakes turned out to be very good and this will definitely be my go-to cupcake recipe from now on. From the rich buttercream to the moist and fluffy cupcake, these cupcakes make for an amazing treat. You can try this recipe out and send us a picture to sandazine@gmail.com!

Time: 20 Minutes

Serves: 12

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 egg whites
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk

For the Buttercream

12 tbsps butter
1 (2lb) bag confectioners sugar
⅓ cup whole milk
2 tsps pure vanilla extract
A pinch of salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners
Mix all of the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt)
In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (Butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, and whole milk)
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and pour the batter into the cupcake liners, filling each cupcake liner about 2/3 full.
Bake the cupcakes for about 18 minutes or until golden brown.
Begin working on your buttercream. Mix all ingredients together in a stand mixer until you have a fluffy buttercream. Add whole milk as needed.
Once your cupcakes are out of the oven and fully cooled down, pipe your icing onto the cupcakes. Don’t worry about your icing looking perfect!
Serve immediately or refrigerate cupcakes and eat within a week.

Thanks for reading S&A Magazine!

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