Lifestyle

GARDEN PLAIN – Garden Plain Elementary students recently wrapped up this year's Kids Heart Challenge. “Garden Plain students are truly 'Heart Heroes,'” said teacher Anne Weber.

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CONWAY SPRINGS – The April artists of the month at Conway Springs High School have been named. Junior ceramics student Kelly Stuhlsatz was selected for her ceramic piece, “Gilded Silence.” It is on display at Vintage Bank.

Argonia Saturday Argonia High School prom. Cheney Thursday Cheney Senior Center: Cards and games, 1 p.m.

Earth Day is now a global event, but its origins are somewhat humble. Prior to the 1960s, awareness of the link between public health and pollution was minimal. However, according to EarthDay. org, the 1962 publication of Silent Spring by American marine biologist, writer and conservationist Rachel Carson was a watershed moment for the environmental movement. The book did much to raise awareness of the effects of pollution on public health. Indeed, the publication of Carson's book proved a pivotal step toward the eventual establishment of Earth Day in 1970, which EarthDay.org characterizes as the dawn of the modern environmental movement.

Protecting the planet is a year-round responsibility, and that obligation is emphasized each April 22 when the world celebrates Earth Day. In 1969, an oil spill in California killed thousands of sea animals and contributed to significant ocean pollution. This environmental disaster inspired Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes to establish Earth Day in 1970 as a global event to raise awareness about environmental issues.

Spice Up Your Life When I look at my bookshelf of cookbooks, I often think of a lady I never got the opportunity to meet in person but whom I feel connected to through a very sweet gift: Merna Snay. Merna, a former resident of the Mount Hope and Haven area, was a prolific cook—and by all reports, a really good one.

Ingredients Filling Ingredients 3 1/2 cups fresh plums, pitted and chopped 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon butter, melted 1 tablespoon flour Crunch Ingredients 1 1/4 cups quick or rolled oats 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup butter.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease an eight-by-eight-inch baking dish with butter, and set it aside. Add the plums sugar, cinnamon, butter and flour in a bowl and stir to combine well. In another bowl, add the quick oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon, and mix to combine. Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry cutter until it is mixed throughout the crunch mixture. Press half the crunch mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan, and then spread the filling mixture over top. Sprinkle the rest of the crunch mixture evenly over the top.