It appears that a lot of you have not noticed that when we make new posts in the webzine section of our site, they automatically show up in the boxes on our home page! If we make a new post under any category in “Life & Wellness” it will show up in that box, so keep checking each box for new posts! Our posts do not go on the home page as we’d like to keep that exclusively for the starz news, but just because we do not post any news on the starz does not mean we are not updating at all!

We will try to keep you informed on new posts we’ve made for the week and any new features we’ve added to our webzine here in this “What’s New” category so keep checking back! When we have new contests and other great things coming up they will also be posted here so be on the lookout!

THIS WEEK:

Thanks to the members who submitted things for our “Let’s Motivate”, “Creative Expressions” and “Take a Bite” sections, and also everyone who took time out to read and comment on our articles! We appreciate your contributions… hopefully more of you will get involved eventually! :)

So far this week, we have new posts under the follow categories…

• Life & Wellness > Education
• Life & Wellness > Live to Give
• Life & Wellness > Let’s Motivate!
• Leisure Activities > Creative Expressions
• Leisure Activities > Take a Bite!

More to come VERY soon!!!

Here’s a fun treat that everyone enjoys, and you don’t have to use a stove to make it. Ice Cream! Yeah, it’s Wintertime, but that don’t mean you can’t enjoy a bowl of ice cream does it? Here’s a fun and easy recipe that I found online on how to make your own ice cream in about 5 minutes or so. We made this together once in my Science class; all the students thought it would taste funny, but it was actually pretty good! How about taking a shot at making your own?

Here’s What You’ll Need

* 1 tablespoon of sugar
* 1/2 cup milk or half & half
* 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
* 6 tablespoons of rock salt
* 1 pint-size plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc)
* 1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag
* and of course… Ice cubes

What You Do

1. Fill the large bag half full with ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
2. Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the smaller bag and seal it.
3. Place the smaller bag inside the large bag and seal it again, carefully.
4. While the smaller bag is still insider the larger back, shake until the mixture is ice cream. It should take about 5 minutes.
5. Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully.
6. Enjoy your homemade ice cream!

That was easy! Let us know what you think and how yours turned out. You can always experiment with your own flavors too, but be careful and make sure you add the right amounts. You wouldn’t want your chocolate ice cream being TOO chocolaty, would you? *SMILE*

Thanks to kaboose.com

Along with Crystal’s reminder about the FAFSA, I want to encourage and urge all of you high school seniors, and even juniors, sophomores and freshmen, to begin applying for scholarships as soon as possible! Along with financial aid, scholarships will help you to pay those large school fees, like tuition, books, and your dorm room – it’s basically FREE money! Apply to as many scholarships as you can, even if it may not seem to you like you will get it. For many of them you can use similar essays and information to apply, but be sure to check the rules to make sure you include everything they ask for.

There is so much money out there going to waste, given by small and larger companies and organizations, just because people don’t apply, and many of those target minority students. So take advantage of this, and even apply to the Duct Tape Prom Dress Scholarship (yes, it really exists!).

One scholarship you should definitely apply for is the Gates Millennium Scholarship. This scholarship was created by Bill Gates (of Microsoft), and his wife, and it is what allowed me to go to school pretty much for free! The scholarship is based on merit and financial need, and can cover everything that you might need as far as school and living expenses. Though the deadline for this year is January 12, I wouldn’t let this discourage you. I remember hearing about the scholarship late and pulling my application together a few days before it was due.

If you’re a senior this year, get your teachers to do recommendations quickly, and fill out the application as well as you can, because this is an opportunity not to be missed! If you’re a junior or sophomore, I would suggest you start early, getting your essays together now, and applying to scholarships available to younger students.

Some resources I would recommend that helped me to apply for scholarships are:

- How to Go to College Almost for Free by Ben Kaplan – This book is fun to read and takes you through the whole scholarship application process. He gives you all types of tips like how to make the most of your past life experiences in your essays. Click here to visit the author Ben Kaplan’s website, he has so many tips for students on how they too can go to college for (almost) free.

- Peterson’s Scholarships, Grants & Prizes – Another big book of scholarships galore!

- Kaplan Scholarships 2008: Billions of Dollars in Free Money for College – This book lists scholarships in every area you can think of; there’s something for everybody!

- Here’s a list of 100 Scholarships for Minority Students that might help as well.

You can do it – get started on your path to success now… Happy scholarship searching – and winning!

Do you love to write or just like to speak your mind creatively? We want you to send in your poetry, short stories or other creations to be features in our Creative Expressions section! Your piece can be about any topic you like – from a fiction story, to a poem about how you felt about the election, etc. So get your creative juices flowing and start writing away! Send your pieces to contribute@youngblackstarz.org. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

(Note: Please only send original pieces that you wrote yourself!)

If you’re a college bound student, you may be right in the middle of preparing for college next year. There’s lots to take care of and lots to think about. One of those things is money. Everyone has to think about how they are going to pay for school. Because of this, I just thought that I would remind those that are preparing for college that now is the time to fill out the FAFSA form. FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Filling out this form will determine your eligibility for financial assistance in college. There are different deadlines depending on which state you live in. Don’t wait! Check out the FAFSA site HERE and don’t let money be the issue when getting ready for college!