Olivia Wallen, 10, had success at the Douglas County Fair with her ribbon-winning cupcakes.

Ashlyn Norwood

Editor’s note: In this new monthly feature, Lawrence writer Adrienne Paranjothi will profile different Lawrence schoolchildren. Send suggestions with contact information to go@ljworld.com.

Ashlyn Norwood, 9, a fourth-grader at Deerfield School, braved her first sleepaway camp this summer. Ashlyn, the daughter of Mike and Cheryl Webb and the late Seth Norwood, traveled on a bus to Warsaw, Mo., to attend Camp Oakledge Girl Scout camp on the Lake of the Ozarks.

Adrienne Paranjothi: “What interested you in attending Girl Scout camp away from Lawrence?”

Ashlyn Norwood: “Wanted to get away from my sister!”

AP: “Did any of your Girl Scout troop friends attend with you?”

AN: “My friend Ella. Ella was in the same cabin.”

AP: “What were a few of your favorite activities and adventures at camp?”

AN: “Canoeing, going to the lookout point to look out over the water and see the boats, singing songs, making taco salad over a campfire, collecting flowers and pine cones to decorate the dinner table, and making crafts on Echo Rock.”

AP: “What was one of your most difficult moments being away at a camp?”

AN: “Killing spiders in our cabin!”

AP: “How did the camp counselors or your cabin mates help you if you experienced sadness being away from home?”

AN: “We would say in the cabin ‘We will be home sooner than we think.’ “

AP: “What was your proudest moment while you were at Camp Oakledge?”

AN: “Making my first lanyard friendship bracelet.” (See instructions at the end of this story)

AP: “Do you have advice for other kids who might be interested in going away to their first camp next summer?”

AN: “Practice going to sleepovers and killing bugs!”

AP: “Will you go to Camp Oakledge next year?”

AN: “Oh yes!”

Olivia Wallen, a 10-year-old fifth-grader at St. John’s Catholic School, entered cupcakes for the first time at the Douglas County Fair. Olivia received a second place red ribbon for her Teddy Bear Cupcakes. Olivia is the daughter of Lawrence residents Paul and Jana Wallen.

Adrienne Paranjothi: “Olivia, do you remember the first food item you made on your own?”

OW: “Cheese pizza! The crust was bought. I put the toppings on and baked myself.”

AP: “Which do you prefer, cooking or baking?”

OW: “Hmmm that’s hard. I like cooking because you know it’s going to be good but with baking you know it’s going to be really sweet and never sour.”

AP: “What made you decide to enter cupcakes into the Douglas County Fair?”

OW: “I went to the Vineland Fair the year before, saw cakes and thought it might be fun to try out.”

AP:: “How did you decide what to enter?”

OW: “Looked through some cookbooks and liked the picture of Teddy Bear’s Picnic Cupcakes.”

AP: “How many ‘practice’ cupcakes did you make before choosing the final product to enter and when did know which cupcakes would be the best for you to show the judges?”

OW: “I practiced the “Bears” a few times. My mom gave me her opinion as well. I turned in the cupcakes that I really liked for the final product.”

AP: “Explain the process and outcome of having your first food entry judged.”

OW: “The rule for the fair is everything must be done on your own. I turned in three cupcakes. The judge eats one and the other two are sold at the fair bake sale. I like decorating with fondant icing but it would have been hard to roll without my mom’s help and it doesn’t taste very good. The judges said they liked the theme of the cupcakes but the frosting was a little overpowering. There was probably too much vanilla.” (See the recipe at the end of this story)

AP: “What tips would you give other kids interested in entering projects at the Douglas County Fair, for the first time?”

OW: “Before you start always look through all the possibilities and practice beforehand several times. When things don’t turn out right remember there is always another time to try.”

AP: “Will you be entering again next summer?”

OW: “Yes, and the next time I might try the ladybugs.”

Matt Leibold, a 16 year Free State High student dove into his first summer job as a lifeguard at a community pool in Lake Viking, Mo. is the son of Lawrence residents Terry and Mandy Leibold.

Matt Leibold, a 16-year-old Free State High student who dove into his first summer job as a lifeguard at a community pool in Lake Viking, Mo. is the son of Lawrence residents Terry and Mandy Leibold.

Adrienne Paranjothi: “Matt, what interested you applying for a lifeguard job for the summer?”

Matt Leibold: “I had the job even before having the lifeguard training and CPR class finished. Friends of the family run the pool so getting the job was pretty easy. I still had to fill out an application and tax forms. My parents helped me with getting a copy of my birth certificate.”

AP: “Describe your first day on the job.”

ML: “Started on a Saturday about 1PM. Went through the whole process of cleaning pool, filling up child area and checking people in and from then on it was a long and cold day. It (my first day) was sometime in mid-May with the temperature between 60 and 70 degrees. We still had to open for the 4 to 5 people who wanted to swim.”

AP: “Did you ever need to put your lifeguard training or CPR skills to use?”

ML: “Yes, I did use my first aid skills. A gentlemen working outside the pool cut his hand so I cleaned and bandaged him then LITERALLY five minutes later I cut my toe on a plastic lawn chair. A band-aid did well for me.”

AP: “Describe one of your favorite work experiences from this summer?”

ML: “Interesting you should ask…in July I started cleaning the pool early. Went to take trash out to the cans and thought it was odd the lid was off. Went ahead and looked in the can and two huge eyes of a baby raccoon were starring back at me. It was adorable! Calmly walked back to my supervisor and said “Excuse me but I don’t know the proper protocol for finding a raccoon in the trash can.”

AP: “What advice would you give to other teens seeking a job?”

ML: “Be happy with your job or find one. Be a positive person. Spend some of your money on your friends. Money is constantly circulating and friends are only around for so long.”

Ashlyn Norwood’s lanyard friendship bracelet directions:

1.Pick two colors of lanyard

2.Cut them to arm’s length

3.Fold the strings in half and make an “x” in the middle

4.Hold the strings at the “x” then take the bottom string and fold it over the “x” to the opposite side. Repeat with the other bottom string. This step will make two loops.

5.Take the other loose string end and go over the first loop and under the second.

6.Pull each of the four strings tight and a checkerboard pattern will appear.

7.Repeat steps 4-6

8.When the lanyard is approximately an inch longer than your wrist tie one end of the bracelet into the other end and use superglue to hold. Leave lanyard loose to create a keychain or bookmark.

Olivia Wallen’s Teddy Bear Cupcakes recipe:

Buttercream Frosting:

Janette Callahan (Olivia’s grandmother)

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup Crisco

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Food coloring (optional)

In a small mixer bowl at low speed, beat powdered sugar, butter, crisco, milk, and vanilla until blended. At medium-high speed, beat until light and fluffy. If desired, beat in food color, a drop at a time. Leftover frosting can be kept covered in the refrigerator for several weeks. Makes about 2 3/4 cups.

Teddy Bears’ Picnic Cupcakes:

White buttercream frosting

Green Food Coloring

Cupcakes baked in cupcake liners

Green colored sugar

Teddy bear- shaped graham crackers

Decorating sprinkles

Small paper umbrellas

Tint frosting with food color to make light green. Frost cupcake, piling the frosting on high to form a rounded top. Sprinkle with colored sugar to coat frosting. Add bear crackers. Decorate with sprinkles for flowers. Add umbrella. Refrigerate to set frosting.

— From “Hello Cupcake! Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make,” Karen Tack and Allen Richardson