Sammy Sunrays and Her Adventures To Save Gastoniumville

By Anna Guarino Magno

Local News: Gastoniumville is using too much natural gas! The citizens leave the lights on when they are asleep, they leave the car running and they leave the fridge door open!! They rely too much on natural gas without thinking of the consequences. (Natural gas is a nonrenewable resource, which means that if you use natural gas up you can’t reuse it. Natural gas is a product of decomposed organic matter. Typically from ancient marine microorganisms, deposited over the past 550 million years ago!) This can be dangerous. Most citizens don’t notice but when you leave your car running , all of the natural gasses go into the air and create nitrogen oxide which pollutes the environment! This forms a fog which can be very harmful.

“This is bad,” said Sammy Sunrays to herself,”I must do something! Good thing I happen to live near Gastoniumville!” Sammy ran to her room to grab her book on Solar energy. “I think I will teach them a little bit about solar energy! Hmmm, maybe I should tell them about solar thermal energy and how we use it to heat our homes. Or maybe I should teach them about how Photovoltaic cells can change sunlight directly into energy!” Sammy grabbed another book out of her bookshelf.It was titled, “ Energy facts 101.” “Hmmm, 3 fossil fuels: coal, oil, gas. I think they already use enough gas. One more book and I will be ready to go. Hmmm ahh! This is the one: pros and cons about solar energy!” She flipped through the book to find all the pros about energy. “Solar energy does not pollute or create Carbon monoxide. That’s it!!” Sammy packed her bag and left.

When she arrived at Gastoniumville she was disappointed: cars were running, the windows were rolled down and the A.C. was on full blast. “This is awful! How can I help them? Well I suppose the first thing I should do is: alert the mayor.” Sammy walked all the way to town hall. “How can I help you?” said a tall man as she opened the mayor's door. He was wearing a green suit with a red bow tie, brown shoes and yellow socks. His hair was snow white. He had chocolate-brown eyes, and his teeth were pearl white. “I’m looking for the mayor” “I am the mayor!” The mayor was very cheerful and happy, and he seemed clueless about what was going on outside. “ Oh! How do you do? Uhh Mr. Mayor. I would like to talk to you about…” “The name’s Mayor Gasstowah!” said the mayor happily. ”Ahh yes Mr. Gasstowah, I would like to tell you about your city's gas problem.” Sammy told the mayor all about the dangers of natural gases,”natural gas is very flammable and can cause more damage should there be an accident. Also natural gas leaks can cause fires and explosions .” “Oh dear! What will we do?” “I have a plan, follow me!” Sammy and the Mayor left the Mayor’s office and walked into the street. On Elm St. they found a woman and her son sitting on their front lawn and drinking pink lemonade. Sammy went up to them. The son was complaining about the smog, “What is this stuff?” He asked while waving his hand in the air. ''Oh I don’t know Billy, maybe she knows,” said the mom while pointing at Sammy.” “Well in fact I do!” Sammy walked over, “This is what happens when you use too many natural gases! Did you know that the gas itself is extremely toxic when inhaled?” The lady and her son looked frightened; “What will we do?” asked the child. “How about trying solar energy?” “ What is solar energy ?” asked Billy, very confused. “Solar energy comes from the sun. Some houses use solar panels which have photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight directly into energy. The panels sit on your roof. Also, have you ever heard of a solar powered balloon? Inside there is a buoyancy that blows up when heated with solar radiation, with the help of a black or dark balloon material!” “WOW that is cool! I think we will convert to solar energy!” said the woman while looking up something on her phone . “Solar Sister’s Solar Panel Property. It says they’ll be able to put solar panels on our roof in 3 to 4 business days.” Sammy gave the mayor a high five; “ Looks like our work here is done! Now can we go get ice cream!” “Ok fine.” Hours later Sammy was looking at Instagram; “Wow, everyone is switching to solar energy - check it out!” Sammy showed Gasstowah her phone; everyone had posted a picture of their new solar panels on their roofs. Some citizens even made a solar meter! So far the town has 90% solar power! “Hmmm,it looks like only one person is sticking to natural gas; his name is Dr. Gassleakington. Maybe we could go ……” “HEY he is my secretary! I know where he lives!” said the mayor rudely interrupting Sammy while she was in the middle of a sentence, (he had a habit of doing this). “ Ok, then let’s go. Maybe he’ll change his ….” Just then the mayor interrupted again, “By the way he can be a little grumpy sometimes!” Sammy grabbed her phone and dragged the mayor out of the ice cream shop. When they arrived Gasstowah was unhappy; he didn’t have the chance to finish his ice cream, “ I want more chocolate ice cream!” Sammy knocked on the door …. “ What do you want!” said Dr. Gassleakington very rudely, Sammy ignored it and started talking about solar energy . “ Hi. I came here to talk to you about solar energy. Did you know that you can never ever consume solar energy? And that solar energy is renewable unlike natural gas. That means that you can reuse it, but natural gas, once you use it, is gone and you can’t reuse it.” Dr. Gassleakington’s face didn’t seem like he cared. “So? I personally like natural gas. It can’t hurt me.” “ Oh yes but it can! Natural gas pollutes the air. This is why there is this icky smog all around! And the combustion of natural gas releases sulfur and other dust particles into the air which to me sounds disgusting!” “Oh dear, what will we do!'' said Dr.Gassleakington sarcastically. “ Well, goodbye!” He slammed the door and Sammy stomped off with the Mayor.

There's got to be something we can do to change his mind!” “ I have an idea !” said the mayor , “We will put on a science fair to show him all the cool things about solar energy!” “That might work! Come on, let's get to work!” The rest of the day Sammy told all of the kids about the science fair, and that they had to make a solar themed project! Everyone was busy that night; parents were helping their kids, the mayor was setting up the outdoor stage - he set it up right in front of Dr.Gassleakington’s house- and Sammy was writing a speech to announce the winner. “Done! This is gonna be the best speech ever! This will for sure change Dr.Gassleakington’s mind! Sammy slept well that night. She dreamt about the science fair and how soon this town will be bright and sunny and smog free! *BEEP BEEP* “ There goes my alarm ! Time to get ready!” Sammy got dressed and went to the fair. Kids were lined up and ready to exhibit their inventions. She even saw Dr. Gassleakington! “ First up is Billy Roberts” Billy went up. “ I am going to show you my solar balloon project! My friend Sammy told me about it! Billy set up his black balloon. In seconds the balloon was all blown up! “My friend taught me that inside the balloon there is a buoyancy that blows up when heated with solar radiation!” “Woooow!!” said the crowd (including Dr. Gassleakington!) “Thank-you Billy! Ok, next up is Goerge Bixon!” Sammy smiled at the mayor; his idea was working!!!” “ I will be showing you all my solar backpack. My aunts, aka the Solar Sisters, helped me with it. The solar backpack is a backpack equipped with thin film solar cells and batteries. The solar panels convert sunlight into electricity, which is stored in the batteries and can be used to power portable electric devices, like phones, or mp3 players! Watch!” George took out his phone and plugged it in; it was charging! The audience was amazed, even Dr. Gassleakington!! “ AWESOME! Next up is John Murphy.” “I am going to show you my solar powered cell phone charger! Solar chargers can charge lead acid, or Nicd Battery banks up to 48V and hundreds of ampere hours ( up to 4000 Ah) capacity!” Next up is Patrick Brown.” “I made a solar cooker! It is really cool. You can make a hot dog!” He put a hot dog in the box. A couple of minutes later it was done, and it smelled delicious! “This is how you make it. You need a box, tin foil, aluminum foil, and a black piece of paper. This is how it works; the shiny foil you’ll use in your oven will reflect the sun's light and heat the inside of your oven.” Sammy climbed the stage and started her speech: “Hello my name is Sammy Sunrays! I would like to tell you the dangers of natural gas and why you should switch to solar which most of you have. Natural gas is very toxic and is very flammable, which is why I need you to switch to solar energy! Solar energy does not pollute and is reusable! Solar energy can never be used up. Some ways you can use solar energy are to 1. Dry your clothes by using a clothes line 2. Instead of turning lights on, open your curtains to let sunlight in 3. To power your homes - that’s why you have solar panels on your roofs ! I hope you will all switch to solar energy!” “I will!” said Dr.Gassleakington, “ You have proven to me that solar energy is good for the environment and natural gas is not!!” “Yes! Oh and the winner is Patrick Brown and his amazing stove!”

Sammy left Gasstoniumville and went back home to Sunnyvalley. She visited a week late... only Gasstoniumville was now…Sunrays Oppolis. Dr. Gassleakington’s new nickname was Simon Sunshine, and Mayor Gasstowah was now Mayor Sunbeam. The town was saved all because of Sammy Sunrays!

THE END!

FOSSIL FUEL FEUD By: Siena Ciulla Grade 5

Baltimore, Maryland uses fossil fuels and the air reeks. Villain/mayor named Dr. Bonnes steals fossils from a museum owned by an unlikely character. The people in Baltimore are always weary and achy because they are forced to work and labor extra long hours with low wages by finding fossils at the fossil site. Dr. Bonnes then takes the fossils to his energy factory and burns them supplying the energy for the whole town. Fossil fuels are formed deep beneath the earth's surface when the remains of ancient plants and animals are crushed down by heat forming into a fuel. Dr. Bonnes only uses fossil fuels because he doesn't have to pay a fortune. These fossil fuels pollute the air because when Dr. Bonnes burns the fossils, sulfur dioxide is released into the air making it hard for plants, animals, and humans to breathe.

Ezekiel and Bella met at the coffee shop down the street from the museum. Bella Biodiesel has a muscular shape, dark blue eyes, blonde hair, a short stubby nose, small lips and a huge smile. In order to do good, her super suit has the super power of convincing people to protect the environment and conserve energy! She wears a sapphire blue and grey superhero jumpsuit with a sparkly B in the middle. Her sapphire blue cape just stops at her knees while her tall grey boots just begin here. She owns the museum Dr. Bonnes robs. Energy Ezekiel is a tall skinny man with a brown stubble and a buzz cut. He is dressed in a red and grey superhero jumpsuit with a shiny E in the middle. Just like Bella Biodiesel In his suit he has the power to convince people. He has no cape but tall black boots. He has light blue eyes, thin eyebrows, and a huge grin. His small nose has a bit of a point to it.

“We have to do something about this crisis Ezekiel!” said Bella. “I have a plan!” exclaimed Energy Ezekiel. “We can encourage Dr. Bonnes and the people to conserve energy by taking shorter showers, turning off the lights when you are not in the room and turning off the faucet when you are done using it! We can also persuade that scoundrel Dr. Bonnes to switch this town over to biodiesel, a renewable energy source made from vegetable oils. In order to persuade him we will have to catch him in the act of stealing fossils and put an end to his looting.” The superheroes suspected Dr. Bonnes was responsible for stealing the fossils. “We will have to hide out late at night at the museum to catch him. Does this sound like a plan?” “Yes let's do this Ezekiel!” replied the excited Bella. BACK AT THE FOSSIL SITE…“WORK! FIND EVERY LAST FOSSIL!” shouted the angry Dr. Bonnes. Dr. Bonnes is a short and stout man with an intimidating potbelly. His hair is jet black and his nose is very pointy. His bloodshot eyes glare at you disapprovingly when you work as hard as you can. His big lips remind you of a flamingo when you spot them! He sports a checkered vest with a bright red shirt underneath. He wears navy blue jeans and Gucci sneakers. His gold necklace has the words “fossil fuels for life” engraved on it. Even though this thief had tons and tons of fossils and fossil fuels he still wanted more to sell for extra bucks. “No one will ever stop me!” cackled the evil mayor. The people’s hands were aching from shoveling for so long. Their shift ended at 7pm. and started at 7a.m. This horrible routine was ongoing.

It was a normal day at the museum, Bella was closing up for the night and locking all the doors. She made her way home and headed straight to bed. Dr. Bonnes was always active at night stealing fossils from the museum. It was around 1:30 a.m. when Bella’s phone alarm went off to signal someone had gotten past the security system. Bella threw on her superhero suit and Energy Ezekiel met her outside of her house. They then hurried to the museum. Ezekiel and Bella suspected Dr. Bonnes was the reason for the disappearance of fossils and they were going to try to catch him in the act. When they arrived they were too late. They had lost him again! They have been trying to catch him for weeks! This was getting very old and they were going to do something about it. Dr. Bonnes was becoming a very successful villain in Baltimore. “HAHAHAHAHA!” the evil man cackled as he hauled away his stash of fossils, “That fool Bella Biodiesel and that sidekick of hers Energy Ezekiel will never catch me! This town will always use fossil fuels!”

Bella and Ezekiel put on their superhero suits and brought a rope to catch Dr. Bonnes. Since it was late at night they snuck around without being seen. They went in the back entrance of the museum and hid in the janitor’s closet. “Dr. Bonnes will be arriving shortly since it is 1:00 a.m. and he usually comes around this time.” whispered Ezekiel to Bella. “You are right Ezekiel, I hope this plan works so we can convert Baltimore to biodiesel to have nice clean air and a healthier environment overall!” said Bella. “Yes we can encourage the people to grow vegetables to produce biodiesel and Dr. Bonnes will not work them so hard.” Just as Bella said this they heard a jiggling of a doorknob, Dr. Bonnes was coming in! Dr. Bonnes hurried over to the T-rex fossil statue and started carefully taking the fossils out of place. Bella Biodiesel and Energy Ezekiel then popped out of the closet. “Stop right there you thief!” shouted Bella. “Never! I am getting all of these wonderful fossils! exclaimed Dr. Bonnes.

With that word Bella threw the rope and it landed around the mayor's waist. Together Ezekiel and Bella pulled him in to them. “LET ME GO THIS INSTANT YOU BUFFOONS!” said Dr. Bonnes as he squirmed around angrily. “Not until you convert Baltimore to biodiesel” said Bella.

“And why would I do that?!” shouted Dr. Bonnes. “Biodiesel is cleaner and better for the environment. You can even power vehicles with it. You can produce it yourself if the people agree to grow vegetables to go into the biodiesel, and you can use leftover grease from cooking!” Said Ezekiel. “Oh that does actually sound quite nice. The air won't be polluted and gross and people won’t have breathing problems and get sick. I think I’ll make the switch! Thanks for introducing Biodiesel to me!” said the mayor. “No problem!” exclaimed Ezekiel. Bella whispered to Ezekiel, “Our convincing powers really come in handy!” Ezekiel smiled at that. THE NEXT DAY…. The town was cheering on this special day; Baltimore was officially switching to biodiesel! The town cheered as the mayor, Bella Biodiesel, and Energy Ezekiel walked out to greet them. Dr. Bonnes even gave a speech about conserving energy. Here is a bit from his speech, “I think ways Baltimore can conserve energy is by setting our thermostats on timers so when we are not in the house it shuts off. Also, we can time our hot water on showers and faucets so we do not take too long and we don’t waste energy!” Baltimore from then on was a happy clean town and even had buses and cars powered from this wonderful renewable resource, biodiesel. THE END.