Best Writers 2012

A Collection of EssaysA Collection of Essays

ByBy

Franklin County Franklin County

Schools’Schools’

Best WritersBest Writers

20122012

Foreword

Franklin County Schools wishes to honor its outstanding writers from grades

three through twelve. This book contains submissions from various students in our

schools based on a writing prompt assigned to their grade level. Student essays

were read and chosen for publishing based on criteria such as sentence structure,

appropriate vocabulary, creativity, and more.

A special thank you to parents, teachers, and administrators for their encour-

agement and support for all of our young writers.

Table of Contents

Elementary School Level (Grades 3-5): A Special Day

My Special Event by Sierra Shuey ..................................................................................................... 7

My Special Day by JoeAnna Choplin ................................................................................................ 7

My Special Event by Jenna Hill ......................................................................................................... 8

Cameron’s Birth by Alexandra Edwards ............................................................................................ 8

My Trip to Discovery Cove by Emma Hester .................................................................................... 9

Maid of the Mist by Olivia Wilson................................................................................................... 10

The Time I Went to Turkey by Hayla Ahmaditorshizi ..................................................................... 10

The Day I Learned to Ride My Bike ................................................................................................ 11

First Dance Recital by Jeanna Vorndran .......................................................................................... 11

My Special Day by Katelynn Roark ................................................................................................. 12

A Day in New York by Ryan Wood ................................................................................................ 12

My Special Hurricanes Day by Declan Gleason ............................................................................... 13

The First Game by Bethany Lee ...................................................................................................... 14

My Special Day by Ashlynn Basnight ............................................................................................. 15

My Day at the Beach by Odalys Andrade-Villa ............................................................................... 16

A Special Day at Adventure Landing by Trent Simmons ................................................................. 17

My Special Hit by Cody Collier ....................................................................................................... 17

Wild Fun by Hannah Martin ............................................................................................................ 18

The Amazing Change by Dalton Collins .......................................................................................... 18

The Benefits of Staying Away from Drugs by Rachel Halterman ..................................................... 19

A Special Day with a Special Friend by KwanYin Ewart ................................................................. 19

A Special Memory by Marley Kelley............................................................................................... 20

My Special Day by Cari Jones ......................................................................................................... 20

National Champions: A Special Day by Brooke Rice ...................................................................... 21

Middle School Level (Grades 6-8): Descriptive Essay

Place of Serenity by Nikki Vernelson .............................................................................................. 25

The Beach by Alex Young ............................................................................................................... 26

High School Level (Grades 9-12): Effects of Technology on Life

The Effects of Technology by Andrew Mackey ............................................................................... 29

The Effects of Technology by Amanda Strickland ........................................................................... 30

The Effects of Technology by Ana Castillo Avila ............................................................................ 31

The Effects of Technology by Cole Gupton ..................................................................................... 32

Technology Benefits at FHS by Brooke Davis ................................................................................. 33

The Effects of Technology by Jessica Beyer .................................................................................... 34

Influenced by Electronics by Cassidy Limer .................................................................................... 35

How Technology Affects Everyday Life by Christian Helsel ........................................................... 36

Effects of Technology on Daily Life by Alexandra Jackson ............................................................. 37

Technology Effects by David Hughes .............................................................................................. 38

Technological Advancements in Today’s World by Haley Waller-Pleasant ..................................... 39

Technology in the World by Luis Guillen ........................................................................................ 40

Technology by Sydney Osborne ...................................................................................................... 41

Elementary School Level

(Grades 3-5)

A Special Day

My Special Event

By Sierra Shuey

Grade 3, Royal Elementary School

My name is Sierra and my special event was my trip to Water Country U.S.A with my best friend, Re-

becca. It was the best time of my life. We went on all kinds of rides. I brought along my brothers and family,

and Rebecca brought along her little sister and family. The names of the rides we rode on were very weird and

funny. My favorite was the Aquazoid. There were two very, very scary rides named “ Vanishing Point” and

“The Straw”. Rebecca and I and our families were all too scared to go on them. At the end of the vacation, my

brother, Kolt, got a souvenir penny, I got a genuine shark tooth, my brother Kaede got a toy, Rebecca got a key

chain, and Rebecca’s little sister, Rachel, got a toy too. My favorite part that made it so special was hanging

out with my best friend and that is what matters most.

My Special Day

By JoeAnna Choplin

Grade 4, Youngsville Elementary School

A special day to me was when I met my Uncle Mike and Aunt Kathy. My Mom, Dad, my sisters and I

went to West Virginia in the wintertime to meet them. It took eight days to get there. When we arrived there

was snow everywhere. We also met my cousin Rusty, cousin Skylar, my Aunt Rachel and my Aunt Nikki.

Rusty showed us how to make snow ice-cream, Nikki and Rachel showed us how to make a snowman and

Skylar played with my sister and I. My Uncle Mike showed me their dogs and they were wild. When I was

nine years old I used my iPod to face time my Aunt and Uncle and my mom. My sisters, my dad, and I met

another family member- my Uncle David. He is going to meet us in 6 weeks or this weekend. And if he comes

this weekend he is going to me and my sister’s softball lessons. And if he comes in 6 weeks my Uncle Mike is

going to bring him from Hickory to Youngsville.

7

My Special Event

By Jenna Hill


This is the time I had a sleep over with my best friend in the world. When we got out of school my

friend’s mom came to pick us up. When we got to her house I put my stuff in her room. Rianna, my best

friend, said we should go outside. Her dad has a barn and we played his golf cart and pretended to go to the

jungle. We pretended we saw monkeys, lions, and tigers. After we played that game, we played with her two

dogs Sam and Cole and Cole jumped on us and started to lick us. It was really funny. After we played outside

we had to go inside and play in her room. When we were in her room with her Barbies. After we played ate at

Taco Bell after we ate we went to go get a movie at the red box. We stayed up a long time it was about 1:30

when we went to sleep. In the morning we woke up it was 9:00. After we woke up we ate pancakes with syrup.

After we ate we played outside for about 2 hours and then I had to go home but we spent the next Saturday to-

gether.

Cameron’s Birth

By Alexandra Edwards

Grade 3, Edward Best Elementary School

A special day I have had was when my little brother Cameron was born. Mommy and Daddy woke me

up early in the morning. They made me get ready, eat breakfast. Then we were heading towards the doctors

office. Aunt Martha and I were sitting in the waiting room. While Mommy and Daddy were heading to the

doctors room, Mommy’s water broke. Daddy called us and said to walk to the hospital. They took Mommy

upstairs. I waited in the waiting room with Mana, Papa, Grammy, and Aunt Martha. Daddy came downstairs to

tell me I could see Mommy before she went into surgery. I had to wait a long time. Daddy came downstairs

and told me it was a boy. He’s name was Cameron. I went upstairs to see him. He was so little. Daddy said I

could hold him. He was still asleep. They put up pillows so I could hold him. I felt astonished and happy. I

stayed at Aunt Heather’s house. Her house is close to the hospital. That’s a special day I had.

8

My Trip to Discovery Cove

By Emma Hester


On January 22, 2010 my family and I went on a trip to remember. We went to Discovery Cove in Or-

lando, Florida.

As I walked in Discovery Cove I felt like I was in a tropical paradise! There were crystal clear waters,

lush bushes, birds singing, and bottle-nosed dolphins splashing gracefully in the water.

After a quick lunch, we grabbed our bags with snorkeling gear and a life jacket and went to the grand

reef. I put on my mask and snorkel and stuck my head under the surface of the cool, clear water. It was like an

underwater paradise! There were vibrantly colored fish with all the colors of the rainbow swimming all around

me! I saw a huge black and white spotted sting ray swimming right below me and I even saw a blue and yel-

low fish that looked like Dory from the movie Finding Nemo!

After we finished snorkeling it was finally time for our dolphin experience. I was so excited. This was

the moment I had been waiting for all week. I got to meet a cute grey and white dolphin named Dexter. I

rubbed Dexter’s skin which was both slippery and squeaky and I even gave him a kiss on his nose. Dexter did

awesome tricks and flips and after each one I gave him a yummy fish for a treat! The part I enjoyed most was

when I got to ride Dexter. I swam out into the deep water and then I grabbed his dorsal fin and he pulled me

back to shore. Riding Dexter was so much fun!

After our dolphin experience, my family and I decided to head over to the lazy river. Once we got in

our inner tubes the swift current swept us down the lazy river! We didn’t even have to paddle! Along the way,

we decided to stop and visit the aviary. I felt like I was in a jungle. I wondered why the outdoor room had net-

ting at the top. Suddenly, I heard the flapping of a pair of wings and a loud SQAWK! It was a beautiful red and

yellow bird! I got a cup of bird food and the friendly birds flew over and landed on my arms while I fed them!

There was a shy, tiny yellow bird in one of the trees. I reached over and the bird perched its little feet on my

finger!

After we left the aviary, we got back in our tubes and floated to the end of the lazy river. We came out

into the heated pool. It felt so warm that I wanted to stay in there forever. Before I knew it, it was time to

leave.

I will always remember the magical day I had at Discovery Cove.

9

Maid of the Mist

By Olivia Wilson


My mom, my sister Claire, my Aunt Lynne, and I started walking up the gray concrete pathway. I was

so excited, there wasn’t a long line at all! There was a big sign that read: Maid of the Mist, with a picture of a

boat and a whole bunch of mist rising in the cloudy, blue sky. We finally came to the dock where all the boats

were that took you in the very center of the Falls. I saw a lot of dirty foam in the green-blue water. Everyone

that was going to ride on the boat had to wear neon blue rain covers that helps you not get wet from the mist of

the Falls. We finally stepped foot on the big boat. The boat was white with a blue stripe in the middle. My

Aunt Lynne told us to follow her up the stairway because, she knew where the perfect spot was. We followed

her onto the second level. During the whole ride we had to stand and hold onto the railing. The wind was

blowing threw my light brown hair, I loved the smell of the river. Once everyone got where they wanted to be,

the boat engine started and we moved across the river. I looked to the left of me and we were almost to the

American Falls when suddenly icy cold water sprayed us in the face. It felt good, because I was hot and tired

for walking almost 3 miles in the blazing sun. I could smell and feel the cold, wet mist. “Olivia, we are getting

really close now!”, shouted my mom over the howling wind. I could hear the rush of water smashing down on

the hard rocks below the water. I finally looked up and saw the enormous waterfall right in front of me for the

first time ever! I have always heard and seen pictures of this amazing wonder but, I never imagined it to be this

great in person! This is an experience that I will never forget! I am so thankful that my Aunt was able to bring

us on this amazing vacation to Canada! So remember, if you ever go to Niagara Falls make you don’t forget to

go on Maid of the Mist!

The Time I Went to Turkey

By Hayla Ahmaditorshizi


When I first arrived in Turkey I didn’t know what to expect. We went on a tour in Istanbul and we saw

many historical things. I also felt really bad for the kids with no money that were selling things to people to

help raise money for their family’s me and my grandma gave them some money. We saw a mosque were Mus-

lim people pray to their gods. As we were walking we always took tons of pictures. We even got to try some

Turkish food. Here, people usually use a lot of salt but there was hardly any salt on the food at all. Finally af-

ter the tour we got to go see my family for the first time ever! I got to see my dad’s side of the family! They

were all very nice and welcoming. There they give desserts as a present they were all very tasty! We had so

many desserts I could hardly eat for the next two weeks we were there. We got to go to two different cities

there they were very cool. I loved all the historical events and great food & desserts. Hopefully I can go there

next year!

10

The Day I Learned to Ride My Bike

By Trinity Wilder


In 2007, we stayed at Banjo Creek Campsite in Asheboro, North Carolina. It had rained for two days

straight and my family had been cooped up in our small camper the whole time.

It had finally stopped raining and the friend I had brought camping with wanted to go ride her bike

down by the creek and asked if I wanted to go I wanted to but every time I rode a bike on the uneven path of

the campsite my training wheels got stuck in the mud which was in every pot hole for as far as the eye can see.

So I decided to take my training wheels off. It was painfully disastrous.

First, the campsite was on a enormous hill. To add on to that it was not even my bike. It was my little

brother’s bike so it was to small. (Since we were moving we only had room for 1 bike.) my mom had once told

me when she was little she had learned on a hill and reassured me it was not easy was but easier then on flat

ground.

So, I got on the bike with a nervous glance down the hill (and the creek right below it) and pushed off

with my feet. It was amazing! I felt like I was flying with the wind blowing in my hair until I lost my balance

and fell in the mud puddle I was trying to avoid. The first couple times it was like this. I would just start to en-

joy it when I landed face first in the mud. The kid I was camping with even tried to help me but it was no use. I

spent most the afternoon outside. Right before every body when in to eat I tried to do it one last time. I did it!

Now I could ride around the creek with my friend without training wheels. Just then, it started to pour down

with rain. Ah well, there is always tomorrow I thought as I walked inside.

The next day it was still raining and since it was our last day at camp I wasn’t going to be able to go

down by the creek this time. But there is always another day to fell the spray of the creeks water on my face as

I fly by.

First Dance Recital

By Jeanna Vorndran


As I walk through the huge high school doors to where the recital was being held, my heart was already

pounding with excitement and butterflies. My class was the first called to stage. The closer I got to the stage

the more nervous I was getting. Watching the far more experienced dancers go I started to think if I was going

to do good at all!

Stepping on the the huge clear stage made me remember what my friends said, “just have fun!” There

still telling me as I walk to where I was supposed to stand. When all of a sudden the song starts to play catch-

ing me off guard! I snap out of day dreaming and start dancing, trying to remember every step, turn, and

kick. It was probably one of the funnest things I've done in a long time but still very difficult.

Everybody in the crowd seemed to have liked it too! Everybody clapping to the beat and calling our

names, I felt on top of the world. That was one of my most special days, that I will never forget.

11

My Special Day

By Katelynn Roark


Last year around this time, my teacher, Mrs. Nelms, announced that we could participate in the school

spelling bee. I was excited because my sister, Jackie, won every spelling bee she participated in, and I was

hoping I could do as good as she did.

Then my teacher gave us the sheets and said we had two weeks to study the words for the 4th grade

spelling bee. When two weeks came around I was prepared to win! Mrs. Nelms called out 20 words, and on

the first try I got a 100%. She narrowed it down to only ten people. I was in the top ten! The next day she

gave us a big book of the county spelling bee words. There were probably over 100 words! I felt a little nerv-

ous. It was going to be hard to study all of these words, but we had a month to study them. When I got home,

I showed the book to my mom. We skimmed through it and some of the words I didn’t even know how to pro-

nounce. I started thinking I was never going to be able to do this, but every night I studied a couple of hours.

It was finally the big day! Now I was really nervous. I got through the first round, then the second. I

couldn’t believe it when I made it through the third round! My next word was coming up. Would I know it?

The caller said, “Katelynn, your word is caribou.” I asked her to use it in a sentence. Then I started spelling.

“Caribou, C-A-R-A-B-A- Caribou.” I knew right away I had spelled it wrong.

Even though I got out, I still had a lot of fun. This year I’ll try again and I hope I’ll make it further.

Wouldn’t it be great if they asked me how to spell caribou? That is one word I will never forget how to spell.

A Day in New York

By Ryan Wood


A special day that I had is when I visited New York City. There were people from many different plac-

es. The many sights are still fresh in mind. It was an amazing day.

The people in New York are very friendly, well, the ones I could actually understand! The funny thing

about New York is that many of the world’s languages are spoken in one place! There was even one man who

walked up to us and started talking to us in a different language, he sounded so funny to me since I live where

basically everyone speaks English.

There were great shopping places in New York like Toys-R-Us and The Nintendo Shop. The Toys-R-

Us is so humongous it has a gigantic Ferris wheel inside.

There are many awesome sights in New York. One of them is the view from the top of the Empire

State Building. Looking down from the top, you see lots of NYC taxi cabs and they look so small from so

high! My favorite place was the Statue of Liberty

My most special day is when I went to New York City. I hope I can go to New York again. If you ever

get the chance, you should visit there.

12

My Special Hurricanes Day

By Declan Gleason

Grade 3, Long Mill Elementary School

I have had a lot of special days in my life, but I am choosing the day I went to the Carolina Hurricanes

game. When I found out I was going to the Hurricanes game I felt like a mom having a baby……

EXCITED!!!!! I went to hug my lovely mom in excitement after she told us, but my sister Camryn beat me to

it. To make this awesome, terrific day even better, my mom bought Hurricanes jerseys for us!

We had awesome seats for the game. We could see the entire ice rink. The game was very nerve rack-

ing because the Hurricanes are bad this season and they were playing the Islanders which is a horrible team

too. There was some non-pleasant, loud music at the game too. The music was coming from the huge boom

box speakers at the top of the arena. They played the music so the players could get warmed up and get so

much energy. When the Islanders scored, some people booed and some cheered. But when the Hurricanes

scored, the crowd almost blew the roof off with their cheering.

There were a lot of unique things at the game too. For one, Scottie McCreery from American Idol was

there. They showed him on the Jumbo-tron cheering for the ‘Canes. Another awesome thing about the team is

there is a player on the Hurricanes that has the same last name as me….Gleason! I saved the best thing about

the game for last. I was on the Jumbo-tron too! During the game me and my sister tried to get on it by waving

our hands, jumping up and down and dancing like animals but had no luck. That is until the very end of the

game. Me and my sister got on it! I did a Cam Newton dance that he does when he makes a touchdown and

everyone there got to see it.

Even though the ‘Canes lost in a shoo-out I still had a lot of fun at the game and I want to come again

sometime. Maybe I will get on the Jumbo-Tron, maybe I won’t, but like I said I will still have fun!

13

The First Game

By Bethany Lee

Grade 4, Bunn Elementary School

It was 10:00 Saturday morning when I got up out of bed and went to the family room. At 1:00 we were going to

a basketball game. We were going there because I am an Upward cheerleader. I went back to my room to get my Game-

Boy Advance and my Sims2 game.

By the time I got back out to the family room, daddy had come out of his shower. “Hi daddy,” I said. “Should I

go ahead and get into my uniform?” “Um, no I think your fine. We’re having lunch anyway, and you don’t to spill on

your uniform,” daddy said. “Okay, but when do we leave? I want to know when to get ready,” I replied. “We’ll leave at

approximately 12:00,” daddy said. “O.K.,” I replied. Daddy set to work on grilling hot dogs and I got ketchup, mustard,

and chopped up some onions for the hot dogs. Daddy also made some chili. I carried the condiments over to the table

and set out napkins. Then I woke up mommy, Brandon, and Blake. Afterwards we ate lunch. We finished at about 11:00.

We all got ready to go. I put on my white turtleneck, orange tank top with blue lettering that says ‘Upward’, and my

orange skirt with white fringe.

I went into the kitchen. “Will you help me with my hair, mommy?” I asked. “Sure. Just come into the bathroom

and bring your hair bows and hairbrush,” mommy said. I went and got my things and went to the bathroom. Mommy put

my hair into a high ponytail. After that mommy put some lipstick on me. “Enough to add color, but not too much. Make

sure you bring your lip gloss,” mommy said afterwards. I gathered my megaphone, pom-poms, ad got my MP3. By the

time everyone got ready it was time to go. When we got to the gym, I was so nervous. “Are your hands shaking?” Blake

asked. “No. My legs feel like jell-o though.” I replied. Before we went into the ‘backstage’ area, I used the bathroom.

We went ‘backstage’. Mommy, daddy, Blake, and Brandon went into the gym while I stayed with the other cheerlead-

ers. Right then Coach Kelly and Coach Cassidy walked in.

“Are you guys ready to warm up?” Coach Cassidy asked. “Yes!” all the cheerleaders yelled. Coach Cassidy

helped us. After we finished warming-up we came out running and waving our pom-poms into the gym. When we fin-

ished running we went onto the stage and the basketball players came out. One of the basketball players was Sam

Briones, a boy from my old school. “Dynamite, ready?” shouted Danielle, who was the cheer captain. Okay!” we

all yelled. “Our team is BOOM dynamite. Our team is BOOM dynamite. Our team is hold on, wait a minute, BOOM

dynamite.” We shouted that three times. Then we cheer-sat and said a prayer. “S-C-O-R-E, ready?” Danielle asked.

“Okay! S-C-O-R-E! Score Upward, score!” We recited that four times. The basketball teams played for eighteen

minutes. We went down the stage when they finished. It was time for the half-time show. My heart was pounding as fast

as fast as a drum.

“Don’t worry,” I said to myself. “You’ll do fine.” We got to our spots in the middle of the gym. “Dribble Down,

ready?” Danielle asked. “Okay! Dribble down the side line, shoot it from the floor. Take it to the basket, that’s the way

to score. Dribble down the side line, shoot it from the floor. Take it to the basket, that’s the way to score,” we yelled in

our cheer voice. “Dribble, it, Pass it, ready?” asked the cheer captain. “Okay! Dribble it. Pass it. Dribble it, pass it, we

want a basket. Dribble it. Pass it. Dribble it, pass it, we want a basket. Dribble it. Pass it. Dribble it, pass it, we want a

basket,” we finally finished the cheer. I was so proud. We went back up to the stage. “You all were great!” Coach Kelly

said. “Yes, you were,” chimed in Coach Cassidy. “I’ll bet you will do even better next week, now tat you have experi-

enced one game. Now let’s do Way to Go Upward.” “Way to Go Upward, ready?” Danielle shouted. “Okay! Way to go

Upward, way to go! Way to go Upward, way to go! Way to go Upward, way to go!” we all shouted. Soon the next eight-

een minutes were finished and the game had ended. We went ‘backstage’ again. Coach Kelly and Coach Cassidy put star

stickers on our megaphones and handed them out. I got a Spirit sticker. For snack we had popcorn and juice pouches.

After we ate snack we went to eat at McDonalds. Then we went home. Later we feasted on chips, pretzel rods, and

crackers. Afterwards we all went to bed. It had been an awesome day.

14

My Special Day

By Ashlynn Basnight

Grade 4, Louisburg Elementary School

Last summer, before I started fourth grade, my cousins came and visited us. They lived all the way in

the mountains. I hadn’t seen them since the time my family and I took a vacation to the mountains. One of the

last days they were here we decided to go have some fun at Adventure Landing in Raleigh.

It was a long car ride. Not longer than if I were going to the mountains or the beach though. When we

got there everyone was very excited that we were finally there. When we walked in my dad bought us lots of

tokens. One game, Deal or No Deal, was the one I was very good at. I played the version were you can get

more tickets. I won 400 tickets! I couldn’t believe it! I knew that I would get a lot of tickets, but not that

many!

While I was getting all those tickets, someone was getting more. My brother and his friend were get-

ting tons! They were very good at the basketball game. Everyone was trying to help them but we just got in

the way. Anyways, even without all of our help they got the most tickets.

After we played in the arcade and traded in our tickets for prizes, I begged my mom and dad to let us

go play laser tag. But it was no use, they said it wasn’t fair to my little brother who wasn’t quite old enough to

play. I got very upset.

I wasn’t very upset for long though. Next, we went to go ride in the go-carts. I had never been tall

enough to drive my own. But, that day I walked up to see if I was tall enough. You couldn’t see the top line

when I stood up to the board. I was tall enough! After all of the long years of waiting to drive my own go-

cart, it was finally here. It was my time to ride and there was no longer any waiting!

I got on the go-cart. I was ready! But I had got on the wrong cart so I moved over to another go-cart.

I could smell the sweet scent of gasoline. A deep voiced man announced the rules. While he did that an em-

ployee put a cushion behind my back to scoot me up to the pedals. Then he buckled me in.

I slammed my foot on the gas as he said go. I had the fastest go-cart. I was going unbelievably fast!

My hair was blowing in my eyes and it was hard to see, but it felt so good. There was this one turn that I kept

on running in to. Everyone else racing me in their go-carts had got stuck and had to have help at least once in

the race, but I didn’t.

Finally, the race ended and we parked our go-carts. When I went back to see my parents they seemed

so happy for me, I didn’t know why. I asked them why they were so happy for me and they told me that I had

won the race. I couldn’t believe it! On my first race, I won! Because of that they gave me an extra ticket to

ride with my brother’s friend. All I could think about during the ride was that I won the race. That moment

was very special to me.

15

My Day at the Beach

By Odalys Andrade-Villa


One hot summer I was going to the beach it was the most exciting day of my life because I was going

to go with my friends and my mom to the beach. So, we started packing our stuff my four friends and I put our

stuff in the van and headed to the beach. My friends and I were talking about what we were going to do while

we were at the beach. We said, ‘’we are going to swim in the pool and go to some sea shell stores and walk

near the ocean.’’ Then we stopped talking and fell asleep. It took hours to get to the beach.

Finally, we were at the beach. It was dark when we got there, but I didn’t care because I just wanted to

get to the beach. Then we rented an apartment. We got the big room in the apartment it was so pretty inside

the room that we got .It only had three rooms so somebody had to sleep with a partner. The next day we woke

up early to walk near the ocean and go to some stores. So we went to the ocean and the waves were so strong

that they made me fall. My friends were laughing at me and said, ‘’that was so funny’’ I said,’’ It was funny’’.

So after that we went to our apartment and got in the pool and we were diving in the water it was so fun spend-

ing the time with my friends at the beach. We got out of the pool and went to change in our apartment and put

on our pajamas and went to sleep.

The next day we went to this shell store. It had so many beautiful sea shells but I only wanted to buy

four of them. But, I didn’t, I just bought one of them. My other friends bought two shells and I just bought one

because I didn’t have enough money. Then we went to this restaurant, it was McDonalds, I got some ice

cream, but my friends didn’t because they got some food. I didn’t get any food because I didn’t want any food.

So, then we went swimming .My friend and I stared pushing each other in the water, it was so fun but today

was the last day at the beach. I asked my friends if they wanted to come next year and they said,’’ YES ‘’. It

was the best day of my life.

16

A Special Day at Adventure Landing

By Trent Simmons


I am so excited I am going to Adventure Landing with my friend! My mom said,’’ Hurry up or going to

be late getting to your friend’s house.’’ So, I got ready. My mom said,’’ Let’s get in the car.’’ So, I got in the

car but it took awhile before we drove off but, finally we drove off. We had to go to my friend’s house because

that’s who I was going to ride with.

We finally got to my friend’s house. When we got there, they were ready. So I got out of my car and

went to their car and when I got in there car, we drove off. It took about 30 minutes to get there. When we got

inside of Adventure Landing they gave us wrist bands to put on our wrist. After they put the stuff on our wrist

we went to play some of their games. Well, we got bored of playing some of their games so I asked my friend,

‘Do you want to go play miniature golf?’’ And he said,’ Yes so we went and got our golf ball and club. There

were only twelve holes .I started first and hit it and missed by a mile, then my friend hit it and he missed it by a

mile.

It was the last hole and it was 6 to 5 and I was in the lead. I was about to hit the last one, but then my

friend’s mom told us we had to go. Well, then we gave our golf balls and golf club’s back to the man at the

counter. As we were about to leave me and my friend smelt pizza. So I asked my friend, Do ‘’you want to ask

your mom if we can take some pizza home? My friend and I asked if we can take some pizza home. And she

said,’ Yes.’’ So, I said this was the best day ever.

My Special Hit

By Cody Collier


One day I woke up and I was nervous because we had a baseball game. We were playing the Nationals.

And I was worried because whoever wins this game gets to play the Braves in the championship and I really

want to play in the championship. It got closer and closer till game time. Then we arrived at the baseball field.

When we got there we went on the field to warm up some. Then we got in the huddle and took our

spots on the field. They scored three and we scored zero, in the first inning. In the second, we both scored zero.

In the third inning I hit a homerun and knocked in a run and the score was two to three. Then somebody else

hit a homerun and the score was three to three. In the fourth inning we both scored zero and in the fifth inning

we both scored zero. In the sixth inning we held them for zero runs. Then one of our best hitters was up and he

hit it and got out. Then I was up and on the first pitch I hit it hard to shortstop and it went so hard that that the

shortstop could not get it and I got on base. When the first ball was pitched I stole first - then second - then

third. My coach said that he was going to have the batter fake bunt and the pitcher threw it outside and the

catcher missed it so the pitcher ran to home plate and I slid and I was safe at home. WE WON!

After the game my coach talked to us. He told us that they left the game ball on the field, but he gave it

to the guy that did the fake bunt. Then we walked out talking to everybody. We got in the car and went home.

17

Wild Fun

By Hannah Martin


One morning I woke up. I was very excited. We were going to Wet N’ Wild Water Park. We went

down stairs to the lobby were they were serving breakfast. We stayed in a hotel the night before because we

live so far away we stayed at a hotel close by the park. For breakfast I had eggs, toast, sausage, and orange

juice. After we ate we put on our bathing suits, checked out and left. When we were driving, we went past a

water slide that was really big. I asked my dad what it was and he said that is a Wet N’ Wild Water Park slide!

Right at that moment we pulled into the parking lot and Maggie and I start to scream! When we get out my

mom went crazy over get sunscreen on every body.

When we got into the park we see this pool that goes in a circle. It was called the Cyclone Zone. It’s

water that pulls you in a circle. You don’t even have to move it will pull you in a circle. Next, we rode this yel-

low water slide that was one hundred feet into the air. When you first go down it goes really fast. Then you

drop into the air, it’s like you are flying it’s so scary.

The Amazing Change

By Dalton Collins

Grade 4, Franklinton Elementary School

This is a story about how I helped my mom with a problem. She smoked a lot. When she smoked she

had no time for me. Whenever I tried to have time with her, she got mad. That’s when I knew I needed to help.

I told her to stop at first, but that night I saw her smoking. It was a habit of hers and I knew it would be

a hard time. It took a long time to figure out what to do. Then I got a rubber band and said “wear this and

whenever you feel like smoking, give it a snap.” After that, I never saw her smoke again.

If I didn’t help her, it could be cancerous. She could have gotten cancer. Her lungs could have gotten

black. My mom is so happy. I think I just saved a life.

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The Benefits of Staying Away from Drugs

By Rachel Halterman

Grade 5, Franklinton Elementary School

Doing drugs is wrong. One benefit of staying away from drugs is your lungs and heart will be healthier.

There are many illnesses you can get when you do drugs. For example, let’s say you smoke cigarettes. Your

breathe in oxygen and it goes into your lungs. Well, it’s the same way when you smoke. When you breathe in

cigarette smoke, it goes into your lungs and it can make you get sick, even give you cancer. Even if you aren’t

the one smoking bet you breathe in the cigarette smoke from someone else, it can still make you sick.

Another benefit is your can keep yourself from becoming addicted. When you take bad drugs they can

make you feel dependent on them. Even if you take medicine, such as a pain reliever, and you take it way too

often, it can make you feel like you have to take it everyday and you can’t live without it. That is kind of like

taking drugs.

The third benefit of staying away from drugs is you can be worry-free. You don’t have to worry about

certain diseases, getting in trouble with the law, or hurting yourself. Your friends and family will be safer

when you don’t do drugs. Everybody is too cool to be doing drugs. Stay drug free!

A Special Day with a Special Friend

By KwanYin Ewart


Have you ever had an exquisite day such as I have? It all started when I was getting dressed to go to

Target. The way that we go, there was also a path to a house that sold animals. That day their sign said “Free

Kittens.” My mom turned there. My eyes almost fell out of my head I was so excited! We got out of the car,

came up to the door and knocked. We knocked again, and again. No one was there. I slowly walked back to

the car in sorrow. “We can come back again after were done shopping,” mom said.

We got to Target and did a lot of shopping. Once we left, the receipt said there was almost $100 worth of

shopping done. It was about 4:30 when we left. I quickly got into the car. My mom turned into the driveway.

I was worried about getting the cat.

I stepped into the doorway and knocked, and knocked again. Someone opened the door. My mom asked, “Do

you still have kittens?” The guy said yes! I jumped with joy! A lady walked us to the place where they were.

She opened the storage house. There were three grey kittens and one white, brown, and black kitten. A grey

kitten came crawling out of the cage first. We decided that the one that stepped out was the one. I picked it up

and it crawled up my shoulder and got on top of my head. He had sharp claws. We got in the car and said,

“Thank you.” We drove away and once we got home, I knew I would play with him all day long. He liked to

romp around the house so we got the name, “Dasher.”

Dasher would be mine forever. I just love that cat! I want him to stay forever. I wish you could have a

very special day like I did.

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A Special Memory

By Marley Kelley


I won’t start this cheesy. Saying that is how I’m starting my story. Okay, special days. Not many of

those. Wait, I got one!

My sister, Madison, and I were sitting on the couch watching “That 70’s Show.” My mom came out of

her room, into the living room, paused to watch a scene of the show, and this is where the story starts. She

grinned at us, and sat in the chair. My dad sprinted out of the room and sat in the other chair next to my mom.

“I have to see their faces before they scream”, he was still catching his breath. Madison and I gave

each other big eyes.

“You’ll be gone for three weeks next month,” my mom said. “We’re staying at the beach for three

weeks?” I blurted out. “Won’t Anna and Libby be with us?”

“Yes they will, but you’re going with them home. Their grandma’s taking you. She’ll be driving you

all the way to Massachusetts! You’ll stay with Emily and Dana for a week. That’s not all though.” The

words came out like diamonds. “We called Craig and Vicky and they have a summer camp in Vermont!

Dana’s driving you guys up there, and you’re flying home!”

We screamed almost as loud as we did when we got an Xbox! I called it a day and went to my bed.

“My very first plane ride—two of them!” I thought. There were no direct flights so we had a layover in De-

troit.

I was thinking about how exciting it would be when my sister rushed in. We grinned at each other and

I jumped out of bed. We screamed! If only every day was like that!

My Special Day

By Cari Jones


Have you ever had a very special day? I know I have. It was the first day I went to a dance convention.

People called it “Tremaine”, but I usually don’t call it that because others have no idea what I’m talking about.

My dance studio stayed there for the day and we had a fantastic time. I shared a room with my best friend. We

had a great time.

The best and painful part was when we were dancing. My studio got to dance with famous dancers! The

part that hurt was when we had to stretch with them because they were so good at it! That is when my friend

and I decided to go jump in the pool and relax. It felt so amazing. I had to go to dance early, but it was still

awesome.

I think it would be so great if I could go again. So, I asked my dance teacher and she said maybe! If I go

again I will try to pay more attention to dancing...hopefully. Being with professional dancers made my special

day one I will never forget.

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National Champions: A Special Day

By Brooke Rice


Has anything special ever happened to you? Well I don’t know, but something special happened to me!

You know what? I’m going to tell you about it. It starts out with my cheerleading squad winning Regionals.

That wasn’t so big- at least not as big as this…..

….Yep that’s right we made it to Nationals, Honey, and nothing’s going to stop us from getting that

big fat golden trophy! And let me tell you that Nationals is the big one! That’s right- all fifty states in the U.S.

are to compete and it was not going to be easy. So let me tell you about my team’s journey.

It all started with, “Brooke! Are you coming? We’re going to be late and we have a lot of driving until

we get to Florida,” my mom said. So my mom and I left. That was a long drive!

“Mom,” I said. “We only have three days and I’m nervous. Be honest, should I be?” “You will be fi-

ne,” mom said. “I think you’re going to get that enormous gold trophy!”

Well, our team did absolutely amazing! Most of all, we tried our best. We could not wait until awards,

so we watched the other teams perform to pass the time. We started to grow nervous of how great the other

teams were doing and thought we had no chances of winning.

All the teams sat down on the floor as the judges started placing the teams. Once they called third

place, we knew we hadn’t done it. Then they called second place and nope, it wasn’t our team either. Finally,

they announced first place…The Wake Forest Titans! That was us!

We were all so excited. Afterwards, there was a bunch of celebrations. Everyone congratulated us,

even on the streets! People wanted pictures because we were practically famous! And for everyone, the joy

still continues!

Today, everyone is enjoying the attention that comes. We’re already practicing for next season be-

cause we are going to do intermediate. That means we’ll do back handsprings, tucks, and stuff that novice lev-

el cheerleaders can’t do. We’re going back next year and hoping to win again! That’s the story of my team’s

journey to the Nationals and my special day.

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Middle School Level

(Grades 6-8)

Descriptive Essay

Place of Serenity

By Nikki Vernelson

Grade 6, Cedar Creek Middle School

Can you imagine? A place like this, a very special place it is. Just imagine a place of golden, soft, pre-

cious sandy ground. Children beg their parents to take them there, eagerly and anxiously. And when they ar-

rive, it’s like they just tore the wrapping paper from the box containing their favorite toy under the tree. Some-

times it’s hard to walk because the ground is hot, and so you tip-toe across. The water is sparkly and filled

with the sun’s warmth, everyone from everywhere can relax, play, ride humongous waves, or even just

watch. As you look for the perfect place to set down your things, you see the white, hungry, and anxious

birds soaring above you.

There are boats in the water, big and small. Then someone yells out, “shark!” but it is only a log. You

wade into the water, and decide to pull out the so called shark, and find it covered in green, slimy seaweed.

There are children all around splashing and spraying the salty water. They’re filled with joy, laughter and

cheer. Being there reminds us of the holiday season with all the happy children.

Children around you build sand castles with red flags, blue flags, and seashells claiming their kingdom

and its people as they battle other castles. They pretend that their moat will stop their kingdom from being de-

stroyed by the crab army sent from its opponent.

When you are in your chair on the golden ground, munching away on a delicious, delightful, frozen

cherry treat and some refreshing fruit juice, you notice someone staring right at you from the condos right be-

hind. You decide to ignore, but as they near, they are coming with a net and some kind of ball.

They approach closer, and closer, until a little boy is calling out to you, “Let’s play!” And as he sets up

the net, you go forward, forward, forward. Slowly nearing you, he tosses the ball. All of a sudden a man calls

out, “BUMP, SET, SPIKE!” The little boy yells at you to come be on his team just as he begins to serve the

ball.

You play, and play, but the hours disappear minute after minute. And as your day comes to a close, the

sun sets, slowly fading. You gather your things and turn around, to get one last look. “I hope to come back

soon. I love the beach.”

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The Beach

By Alex Young

Grade 8, Terrell Lane Middle School

Your favorite place to be is the beach. Early this fall you decide to take a trip. As you are walking to-

ward the beach you can see all the magnificent things that are waiting for you.

There is a slight breeze that lightly lifts your hair of your head. The breeze kicks sand into your face,

but it doesn’t hurt; it just feels as if baby hands were trying to play with your face. You’re standing there look-

ing into the sun’s glare, feeling the warm sand between your toes; it’s just like walking on heaven. You walk

forward; the chilly water hitting your toes takes your breath away. You can feel your feet sink into the soft

sand the water has swallowed. While you put your hands in the water you feel little seashells hitting your fin-

gers and toes.

You stand closing your eyes, hearing the music the waves are playing. Behind you, you hear the sand

being wisped around by the wind. Above you, you hear a bird, a seagull perhaps, squawking. To your right

you can barely hear the voices of young people yelling and laughing at the dock, but the wind picks up and the

flapping of a flag grabs your attention.

You’re walking along this beach; your eyes pull your attention to the sky, so you stop. The sun is bare-

ly peaking over the horizon, orange, red, pink and purple. The light is hitting the clouds where they look like

rolling black mountains in the sky. You can see the rolling black mountains slightly shifting to the east. The

beams of the sun are putting a golden colored topping on the waves making them glisten. You see crabs skit-

tering across the sand getting knocked over by a wave. Each minute you spend gazing at this beautiful picture,

it gets quieter, it gets darker. You can see the moon peeking behind the clouds as the sun says its final good-

byes.

There are now no more black rolling mountains, no more golden waves, the beautiful picture is now

gone and you turn around, saying your last goodbyes.

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High School Level

(Grades 9-12)

Effects of Technology

on Life

The Effects of Technology

By Andrew Mackey

Grade 11, Franklinton High School

The admiration of individuals, such as Steve Jobs, place emphasis on the demand for technology. Tech-

nology is defined by the means in which we develop new advancements that contribute to our very survival. Its

operation extends from times marked by primitive societies to present times. It has proven to be beneficial in

many cases throughout our history. Despite these benefits, technology has spawned many concerns amongst

our species. The minds that have contributed to technology have proven to be innovative and remarkable with-

out a doubt. Technology, however, holds a downside deriving from incongruous usage. This downside is asso-

ciated with the abandonment of conservative trends, resulting in the excessive use of technology usually on a

destructive level.

As mankind progresses and establishes new methods for conducting certain routines, we completely

abandon conservative trends without any regard for their efficiency. The eagerness and endorsement of pro-

gression reflects the inability of our societies to regress when desperate measures become necessary. Even if

the population is capable of reversing technologies effects, a majority of people wouldn’t be willing to make

dire changes. The expansion of businesses and industry has led to global pollution and a possible climate

change taking effect across the globe. As expansionism continues to take effect, most of those contributing to

the spread of this vitiation are unaware of the harm they are committing.

As generations are deployed into a world governed by reformists, we know of nothing more than the

operation of the technology provided for individuals. Humanity has become comfortable with replacing their

natural intuition with inventions that operate on our behalf. If someone were to awake to a world with sub-

standard technology, would they still be capable of survival? In most cases, one would fail at this task, indicat-

ing that technology is paradoxical. It is meant to better the lives of people, but it actually takes away from peo-

ple simultaneously.

The more dependent our race becomes on technology, the more of a hindrance it becomes. The push

for innovation is rather harmful in some cases as what is given is taken for granted. Two-hundred years ago,

warfare wasn’t as elaborate as it is in modern times. Our nation used to be self-sufficient in obtaining resources

and selling products. Nowadays, our nation has increased defense spending in order to compete with other

world powers. Nuclear weaponry has been researched and developed, making it an essential investment. Yet,

most societies do not partake in efforts to establish peace or take preventive measures against the use of such

destructive arms. Today, several nations have obtained nuclear arms ready to be put to use. One can only won-

der how effective such advancements will be when it eradicates the entire human species.

Technology has proven itself to be damaging as well as a reliable asset. It has lead us to forget what has

worked in maintaining our species thus far. In which case, our lives become based solely on technological ad-

vancements. As a result, technology becomes more harmful rather than advantageous. Technology has defined

time throughout the paths of history. It may continue to push beyond the boundaries of what’s been achieved

or it will ultimately lead to our demise.

29


By Amanda Strickland


Today seems to have a growing effect on people and their lives. Everywhere you look people are tap-

ping on their iPhones, talki8ng on virtually invisible headsets, or ogling over the new moving billboards or

ads. While this is nice and fine, what about other technology that no one seems to care about? What about its

effect on the personal, educational, and business part the lives of people around the world? Since the growth of

the technology we possess today has, somehow, made life easier to live.

On busses, plains, and on the streets you see phones and music players attached to the ears of people of

all ages. You see moving billboards, crazy interactive ads, and touchscreen everything. All these devices seem

to make escaping harsh reality so much easier. When that device is in their hands, all the troubles and trial of

that day or week seem to fade away. This allows people to relax before the long day awaiting them. However,

though technology can be used to give our brains a break, it cvan be used to make them stronger.

If you’ve been watching television, you’ve seem the commercials for online high schools and colleges.

This may seem silly and ineffective to parents and potential students of that school. Think about it before you

shoot it down, it can be quite beneficial to the education of students. It’s been said that students who attend

online schools are more likely to get a degree or a diploma and go on to lead a successful life. If you lead a

busy life and can’t follow a tight schedule or go to a separate location for an education, you can stay at home

and fit your education around a schedule that is good for you to follow.

People in the business world seem to rely on technology to get their name or product out into the

world. The moving billboards, headsets, phones, and video conferences are all part of the world so that we get

the best for us. Technology in the business world can benefit the business men and women by allowing them

to one thing while doing another. If a person is running errands, they can still keep in touch with the office.

They can still have a face to face confrontation with people on opposite sides of the world.

Though most technology that we have seem to be poison the minds of teenagers of our generations.

Who knows, the minds of today may come up with products that we don’t know that we need just yet. Not all

technology is useless; something like music or games may in fact bring something amazing to the world later.

30


By Ana Castillo Avila


Having a better and easier life is what everyone wants. Over the years this has been possible thanks to

the technology we have. Even though many people do not realize it, technology has a huge effect on our every-

day life. Technology makes our life easier, and with all the advancement we are able to do things our ances-

tors couldn’t. Going to one place to another faster, communicating with a person far waya in a more efficient

manner, and also education systems are affect by technology every day.

In the old days people went from one place to another using horses and carts and sometimes it took a

long time so they could reach their destination. Now a person goes from one place to another using cars,

planes, and trains, much faster and easier. We can also go to farther locations, for example from NC

to Virginia by just using a car. A person uses cars or other transportation methods every day to get to their lo-

cations easier. For instance, a business man that has a meeting in china can take a plane in the morning, go to

the meeting and travel back to the United States in the same day.

Another way technology affects our life is by the use of things, such as phones or computers, to com-

municate with another person. In businesses, if there is a company in other country making treaties with an

American company, it is not necessary for any of them to go to that specific place to sign or have a conference.

Video calling is used in business to have a conference with a person in another country or city without the

need of that person being physically there. Also if one for your family members moved to another city far

from you, or even if you need something from your best friend, it is easier to call them than send them a letter

that may take days or weeks to get there. It is much easier to have communication with people you know, or

even order a pizza online.

Education is helped a lot by technology a student makes their homework using the internet. Computers

are used by students and teacher every day to do research or show new activities to help the learning. For ex-

ample, in the new Franklinton high school there is a smart board on every classroom which is used by teachers

to have a more interactive way of teaching the lessons to their students. Another thing is that if a college stu-

dent does not find a book they need to do their projects at the store or library, they could order it online and get

it faster. By doing this they can finish their projects in a faster way and don’t have to worry on going to store

to store to find the book.

Technology can make many aspects of our life easier. Transportation, communication, and education,

are areas where we use technology the mos. It helps to make this part so much easier and in some ways faster.

Every person has used technology and is affected by it even if they don’t realize it. Technology is a great tool

for us but we just have to remember to use it appropriately and not abuse from it.

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By Cole Gupton


There are many effects on everyday life due to technology. Some of the effects are positive, although

in many cases lives can be negatively impacted by technology. Other than the convenience and quickness

technology has to offer, it also promotes laziness. Another issue created by technology is the temptation to be

dishonest and create false identities. Overall, technology does more harm than good and it is not worth the re-

sult in the end.

Being dishonest and fake is a negative trait that is made easier because of technology. It is easy for

people to make themselves appear smarter, more attractive and more appealing online. For example, if a guy

is attracted to a girl on Facebook, he may send her pictures of an extremely attractive guy pretending that they

are pictures of him. This could lead to him lying about many other aspects of his life and creating a “fake” re-

lationship. Being dishonest is bad, but laziness is another potential negative result of technology.

A little bit of technology in life is fine, as long as it does not become consuming. Sadly, many people

in society are consumed with technology and spend hours a day sitting down with a computer, phone or televi-

sion. This inactivity contributes to obesity which is a major concern in our country. Years ago if someone

wanted their neighbor to know something they would walk or run to their house to tell them. Now all they

have to do is whip out their cell phone and exercise their fingers for a couple of seconds to text the information

to their neighbor. Despite all the negative results of technology, the convenience that technology offers is a

positive.

Technology certainly provides a convenience for people in society today. It is helpful for communi-

cating information quickly and easily. This is important to adults who are involved in business or family activ-

ities. They are able to get more done in a less time by clearly communicating with family members or clients.

The ease in communication can also lead to abuse, especially for children. For example, teenagers are getting

into trouble because of what they are texting to the opposite gender. Before the texting technology, teenagers

typically did not have the “guts” to actually say what they now feel comfortable texting. Poor decisions about

what is texted can lead to some serious consequences.

In the end, it all ties together. Technology is a great convenience, but it creates more problems than it

does good. It has contributed to our society not getting enough exercise and becoming lazier overall, which

can lead to obesity. Technology can also tempt people to be dishonest and portray themselves as someone

they are not. It must be used cautiously and in moderation or it has the potential to ruin lives.

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Technology Benefits at FHS

By Brooke Davis


In this generation, the majority of people’s lives are surrounded by modern day technology. There is

not a day that goes by that someone has not used a phone, computer, or Smart board here at Franklinton High

School. Lucky for students, teachers use technology to simplify things and use it to the student’s advantage.

Technology can be used for easy access of research/knowledge, online schooling opportunities, and communi-

cation.

Franklinton is not the only high school that has to write research papers. Research papers are a great

tool used in high school and college. Imagine what research papers would be like if computers were not a ben-

efit? Quick and easy sources or word processors would not be available. How many times have students been

curious to know something and searched it quickly with no difficulty? People also have television so they can

watch the news and be aware of what is going on in the world. This benefits everyone so our country does not

have oblivious citizens. They need to know government decisions and how it will affect their life. Online

schooling opportunities are also a great advantage technology gives students.

Online schooling is a great invention. This fits people’s lives better so they can go out and get their per-

sonal itinerary done. From personal experience, I can say that online classes help a lot. Last year, I took Span-

ish online. I was able to email my teacher at any hour and ask questions when I needed to. I could see my

grades and see where I needed to improve. It fit my personal life style better because I got one-on-one time

with my teacher and worked individually in a more convenient environment. I not only got credit for another

class, but I received an “A”. We use technology everyday for communication.

Technological communication is very popular, especially with the youngest generation. Phone calls,

texting, emailing, and social networking all fall under this category. These are used to keep in touch with

friends and make new ones. It is impossible to see every one at one time. A lot of people have relatives that

live on the other side of the country or world. Especially, during the current economy, it is not easy to fly

across the country or world. People need to be able to let loved ones know how they are doing. Individuals al-

so need technology in case of an emergency. There are plenty of cases where an ambulance is need immediate-

ly. Someone usually calls 911 and an ambulance shows up just in time. This is all necessary to survive in to-

day’s world.

Technology affects every part of today’s society. Students use it for research and knowledge, online

schooling, and communication. It is a big part of our lives as students, and as teenagers. Technology has a

huge impact on people and needs to be used for these purposes. We are lucky to have such an advantage at our

school and in our homes.

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By Jessica Beyer


Technology plays a major role in today’s society. The use of technology can be seen almost every-

where. Students, teachers, and businesses enjoy the conveniences of smart boards, computers, laptops, school

phones and more. Without this technology it would be hard on the people who rely on it every day. There are

ups and downs in having technology. Although technology is helpful, not all of it actually works 24/7, and if it

does work then it could have minor complications throughout the day. But technology is important.

Because technology exists, it is used and appreciated. Computers are used to help teachers and busi-

nesses stay more organized. They are used on a daily basis. Students can use computers to take benchmarks or

to do essays. Laptops and smart boards help teachers teach more effectively. There are ups and downs to hav-

ing these computers, sometimes they crash, and other times the internet does not work, and as for the people

who rely on them, they are “out of luck.”

Sometimes technology fails, and when it does many people are at a loss, but technology affects schools

more than most people think. It is used almost every day, and for good reasons. Some technology includes the

basic things we see or hear every day. If students were to have a fire drill, that is a type of technology that

helps save lives. Another type of technology is the simple ability to have morning announcements on the inter-

com. Often we become so absorbed in technology that we take it for granted, but some people are unable to

purchase or use technology at all.

A large percentage of people are unable to purchase or even use any type of technology. This is one of

down sides to technology. Not everyone can have it or can afford it. Although students are at a definite disad-

vantage, many adults live perfectly fine lives without all these modern gadgets. The people who cannot afford

technology learn how to live without it and do not rely on it. That is something that would be very hard on

people who rely on it to succeed in everyday life.

Technology, at the best of times is important. People use it every day. Without modern technology, life

would be more complicated for those who rely on it daily. Technology is one of the most important things in

our society today, as it educates and informs, joining the world together as one.

34

Influenced by Electronics

By Cassidy Limer


In today’s technology-obsessed world, not being “tech-savvy” is simply not an option! Technology is

any advancement made; however, it more commonly refers to anything involving computers, cell phones, the

internet, or just electronics in general. Teenagers especially believe they are well aware of technology in its

many forms, without realizing how blessed everyone is. Everyone is blessed with the countless advancements

that make life much easier and more enjoyable! These advancements are found in education, the workplace,

and throughout the modern world.

Education is extremely advanced and continues to grow in importance everyday; without education,

nobody would know what to do or how to do it. Much of our education comes from many years in school.

The demands of school are unlimited, and it is beginning to show through new generations. Technology is im-

portant to education because it aids students and teachers in becoming more resourceful as they learn. In

school, students use computers, calculators, cameras, Smart Boards, and more, to help them complete assign-

ments, excel in the learning process, and discover new ideas. For example, difficult math problems cannot al-

ways be written out on paper but are accurately solved in seconds with a calculator. Smart Boards are one of

the more recent advances; every classroom in Franklinton High School has one. With a Smart Board, lessons

are simpler and less stressful. Notes are easier with Smart Boards because, even if they are written during

class, they can be saved and reviewed at any time. Teachers’ jobs are also influenced and aided by technolo-

gy.

After leaving school, it is typical to get a job, or at least try. Technology is vital to this process. To

begin, computers are commonly used to search for jobs, create résumés, and apply for jobs. Many workplaces

use technology to eliminate hassle, unnecessary work, miscommunications, errors, and many other problems

which may hinder progress. Some technology is slightly job-specific such as Smart Boards for teachers or bar-

code scanners for the postal service and cashiers. Less job-specific uses include computers and cell phones.

These are becoming increasingly popular when work is involved. Much of technology used in the workplace

is also used in everyday activities.

Aside from school and work, technology is around every corner in today’s world! It has become nor-

mal for children and adults to have their own phones and computers, or some form of them. Other technologi-

cal advances can be found in cars with GPS and music players, kitchens with icemakers that have radios, bath-

rooms with toilets that play a person a song and heat up when being used, and anywhere else. These advances

influence our lives, usually for the better. Other times they just help life to be more fun. Phones are 3G and

4G; everything has a touch screen; computers can be pocket-sized; and music can be played from cardboard

boxes and hoodies. These are only a few advances that make every day life fun.

Overall, the world has had many advances that have influenced us mostly for the better. These advanc-

es come in many forms and are important in education, work, and basically everywhere else in today’s society.

35

How Technology Affects Everyday Life

By Christian Helsel


Everyone has seen a young person listening to his or her Ipod or sitting in a room texting non-stop.

Technology affects society on all levels. No one can think of anything we do in today's world that does not

involve technology. It may be computers, cell phones, television, electricity, internet, etc. Every aspect of

people’s lives is related to technology. There are negative and positive effects related to these everyday tech-

nology.

The negative effects of today’s technology have to do with various things, including social problems or

being on a video game without finishing homework first. It is almost impossible to state negative effects of

technology in the world as the list is endless. As people rely more on technology, some basic skills are being

diminished. We expect everything to be done right away, and we do not need to remember anything since eve-

rything is saved on some database. Because we can do most things online, such as banking, airline ticket

booking, even self-checkouts at the grocery store, we have less and less face to face social interaction with

people. Even with these negative effects, technology is not all bad.

There are many positive effects. Technology creates an easier way to access information and can

quickly help people stay in touch from far distances. Technology helps improve the quality of life by doing

many of our everyday tasks so that we can spend more time on things that matter to us. Home appliances take

care of some of the daily chores, such as washing dishes, doing laundry, and having a microwave to heat up

food in minutes. Refrigerators keep food fresh longer; therefore, it minimizes the number of trips to the store.

Microwaves enable food to be warmed up in just a matter of minutes.

The positive effects can be sometimes become negative also. All of those electronics that people think

are helping them, really end up hurting them. The latest technology can hurt people by not letting them get

proper exercise, making them lazy, and supplying an easy way out of schoolwork without really learning. Cer-

tain people think some technology causes illnesses such as cancer, though this has not been proven.

The improvement of technology benefits modern life in so many ways. At work, technology enables

manufacturing to produce more in less time using less manpower. At home, technology helps doing some of

daily chores so that time can be spent on more important things. In school, technology is used as a tool to im-

prove student learning ability. As we move into the world of the future, mankind must remember that we con-

trol the technology and we should never allow the technology to control us.

36

Effects of Technology on Daily Life

By Alexandra Jackson


Technology affects everyone’s life somehow. Whether a person is watching television, on a phone, or

on a computer, modern knowledge changes each individual’s experience. Technology has come a long way in

the last one hundred years and continues to improve every day. Televisions did not use to have color fifty

years ago, but now there are 3D televisions. There are necessary uses and unnecessary uses of technology, but

there are methods to reduce the harmful uses and effects.

Technology is helpful for many things and has advance to allow the convenient life of today. Without

technology, there would be no microwaves or convection stoves. There would be no way to cook meats quick-

ly, without having to kindle a fire. Phones are also helpful. Instead of writing a letter or going to a person for

an emergency, the only thing necessary is picking up a phone and calling them. Technology may have required

uses, but it has alternative uses, too.

Technology is a privilege, and some people overuse it. There are inappropriate ways that technology

can be used. For example, people use computers to play games all day and to text and call their friends. They

lose touch with face to face communication and often fail to complete tasks that are necessary. A person could

watch television all day without going outside to get fresh air. It is always a burden when there is a high elec-

tricity bill. There are ways a person can prevent this.

Limiting time is one way to stop people from overusing technology. Instead of using the computer and

watching TV all day, a person could take a jog around the park. Individuals should reduce the use of technolo-

gy for long periods of time and replace this activity with healthy activities like swimming and hiking. Before a

person texts friends, they could think of the fun they could have if they actually visited each other. All these

suggestions will prevent technology from taking over a person’s life.

Technology can be both useful and harmful at times. A person has to keep track and manage how long

and when he or she uses technology. Technology is not only important, but necessary for some people to con-

tinue with their daily activities. Advances in today’s technology continue to challenge our way of doing

things, changing our world hopefully for the better.

37

Technology Effects

By David Hughes


Technology is around us all of the time. Today’s world has become very dependent on all the modern

toys that surround us. The technology we use today benefits us in many ways, although, it can also cause

harm. It has its downsides just like almost everything else. Technology assists teachers when in the classroom,

saves people’s lives, and helps us to communicate.

Teachers use technology for almost everything now that we are twelve years into the twenty-first cen-

tury. They no longer use chalk boards, and barely use white boards. Teachers now use “smart boards” for

teaching and showing movies. They no longer have to write grades down in a book, but only type it in a com-

puter, which averages the grades for them. Also, teachers have extremely expensive equipment in their class-

rooms, such as band saws and welders in the agricultural mechanics shop, or a complete commercial style

kitchen in culinary arts. Technology does not just stay trapped inside these classrooms though.

Technology can also save people’s lives. We use high-tech machines in almost every room at the local

hospital. My grandma is having surgery right now because she has diverticuloses and if it was not for all the

new technology they have, she would be dead. Also, there are thousands of rooms in hospitals, and on the

computer, they keep up with who stays in each room. They also keep up with their problems and who takes

care of them. If it was not for having computers, this would all have to be done by hand.

One of the most common uses of technology today is communication. Almost 95% of teenagers have

cellular devices. We use these to send pictures, videos, texts, and much more instead of talking to people face-

to-face a lot of times. This is great for long distance friendships, but many times it is used just to escape from

awkward conversations in person. A lot of people say things through texts that they would never say in per-

son. Also, we use things such as Facetime, Skype, or ooVoo. These are all video chat networks where a per-

son can see and talk to anyone they would like to while seeing their face on the computer screen.

Technology takes up much of our lives today, and lots of times takes away from having fun and hang-

ing out with our friends or family. Fifty years ago, after school, children enjoyed life outdoors, not simply sit-

ting in front of a screen all day. So is it truly better to have, or to not have technology?

38

Technological Advancements in Today’s World

By Haley Waller-Pleasant


How often do people use technology these days? It has become a huge part of modern life. People have

become so dependent on their technology that they probably could not live without it. We are taught at such a

young age how to use technology, and it is good for some things, but society is becoming too dependent on it.

At the very young age of six, the school systems introduce technology to students. They teach the stu-

dents how to navigate a basic home computer and show them how they can start doing homework online. That

is a big mistake because the Internet can cause lots of problems. It introduces children to new things. Now a

day the average age of boys that watch pornography is eight years old. That is really sad and it is all because

they were taught to go to a search engine like Google or Bing. Especially when not supervised, these young

children can type in anything and inappropriate pictures can come up. Not only can technology be bad for chil-

dren, but it is also bad for adults.

Many adults have picked up on technology too and have become very dependent. They have cell

phones, GPSs, I Pads, computers, televisions, and much more. It seems as though they are not content with

what they have and are always looking at the next toy that is coming out. Humans have to have the newest

things and that is not always good. Although technology can be very bad, it also has its up sides.

Technology in high schools and colleges can be good. Computers and SmartBoards give teachers and

students more resources and allow lessons to be presented in unique and creative ways. This has helped peo-

ple with different learning styles become successful. With the internet all the world is easily accessed and that

is a very helpful resource for teachers and students alike.

Technology is good for some things, but society is becoming too dependent on it. If we did not have

technology I don’t know where we would be. I don’t now if we may be better off or if this world may be

worse. We will never know.

39

Technology in the World

By Luis Guillen


Technology has become a huge part of everyday life. Without these advancements some people would

not know what to do with themselves. People use technology for work, entertainment, and communication.

America has many jobs; probably every job requires technology of some kind. In stores they need

computers to calculate the total of people’s purchases. House designers use computers to get a visual of how a

house will look before building it. At my dad’s job they have mini computers in their vans; with these the boss

at the office can check where each crew is to make sure they are not goofing off on the job. Aside from work,

people also like to use technology for entertainment.

Televisions are one of the things that almost every household has these days. People do not have to

drive to the movies anymore; things like Netflix let people watch movies on their TV’s. Sports in this country

are a big deal, but some people do not have the time to go to the actual game or the tickets are too expensive.

Fortunately, most games are broadcasted live on TV. Watching the broadcasted games is a good way to get

the family together. People also use technology for one of the most important things in our society, social

communication.

Communication, it is what keeps people in contact from day to day. Anyone can call anybody in the

world for just a few dollars. Websites such as Facebook keep people in touch by chat, video, and messaging,

and the best thing is it is free. Dating sites are becoming more popular every day; people can simply make an

account and instantly start searching for their soul mate.

So whether its work, entertainment, or communication, technology can help people get the job com-

pleted. Without cell phones many people cannot work, people cannot enjoy football games without televi-

sions, and many people cannot keep in touch without social networking. If technology was to just disappear,

the world might just fall apart.

40

Technology

By Sydney Osborne


Today technology is very much needed and appreciated. Some people think it is not useful for us to

have better technology. However, it is very necessary and needed. Almost everyone in the world uses some

form of technology everyday. It is a big, important part of modern life. Technology is useful because it is easy

to use, effective in communication, and very informative.

Technology such as cell phones and computers are very easy to use. Computers can control what is

seen and heard by the owner. Information can also be customized and saved for the specific user’s needs.

Computers can be used to look up facts, type papers or just to play games. If we did not have technology, it

would be harder to find information and keep everyone up-to-date. Technology is also important when getting

in touch with someone.

Not being able to talk to someone is very hard. That is why cell phones were created to keep in touch

with people that are not around everyday. It helps us call our parents, friends, and people we have not seen in a

while. It also helps if wanting to email someone or send someone a quick text. When someone is at home and

something bad happens, they would not want to run to the police station. It would be easier just to call down

there. If there was no phone technology, we would have to go to the police station. Technology helps us com-

municate and definitely keeps us informed.

The news is very helpful, but sometimes we just want to know one specific thing. In today’s modern

world we have technology, so we can quickly look up something on our computers or cell phones. It informs

us about specific things that we want to know. Technology can also help with home schooling; students can go

online and learn things on their computer. This is very helpful, and the person does not have to keep all their

papers. Technology has given today’s students an edge that no generation before has had.

Technology is useful because it is easy to use, allows effective communication and can be very in-

formative. If we did not have technology, the world would be very slow and much more difficult to live in.

Technology is very important and we should appreciate it at all times.

41

A Publication of the Public Information Office Joe Baisley, Public Information Officer/Special Projects Coordinator

53 West River Road Louisburg, NC 27549 Phone: (919) 496-2600

Website: http://www.fcschools.net

http://www.fcschools.net

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