The Field of Honor Flag Displayby Sarah Thompson, Age 12 Boynton Beach, FL

It was an oven-hot day in Mar-gate, Florida on September 11, 2011, but the heat and humidity didn’t stop a crowd of Margate residents from gathering at the Field of Honor Flag Display. The event began at 8:30 A.M., with a patriotic ceremony honoring the men and women who died in the September 11, 2001 tragedy. After Police Chief Jerry Blough shared some words, a performance of a Patriotic Medley performed by the Dixieland Stompers got the crowd clapping along. Other per-formances included the National Anthem performed by Vanessa Simpson, “Amazing Grace” per-formed by Sheri Brown, and a piece of music on bagpipe and drum by Betty and Steve Rogers of the St. Andrews Society Pipe Band. There was also a perfor-mance of the song “Proud to be an American,” by Pat Uber, dur-ing which the whole crowd stood up and sang along. Other parts of the ceremony included a Rifle Sa-lute by the Margate Police Honor Guard and a performance of the Taps by Joseph McCullough and Arthur Lillienstein. After the Concluding Announcements, people gathered by the Field of Honor and admired all the flags,

donated by residents in honor of loved ones and those who lost their lives on 9/11.

While this day may be one of sorrowful remembrance, it is also one of American pride and new hope. The United States lost many people on that day ten years ago, but everyone also learned much. Despite the losses suf-fered, people came together as a nation, striving for a better future. A safer future.

As I drove away from the event with my parents, we reflected on Chief

Blough’s words, regard-ing the devastation of 9/11: “Some chose to

wreak havoc and destruc-tion, but for others, it was

their finest hour.”

~ Sarah Thompson

THE CIRCLE GAZETTE Volume 3, Issue 1 OCTOBER 2011

A Newspaper by Children for Children

Green Tip of the MonthBe Head of

the Class:Save on Gas

by Aaron Cross, Age 14Boca Raton, FL

Gasoline is probably one of the most used resources around. Cars, airplanes, boats, and al-most all other forms of trans-portation run on gasoline or a related form of fuel; power plants use it to produce elec-tricity; and this fossil fuel has

many other common uses. Un-fortunately, burning gasoline releases toxic fumes into the atmosphere that are bad for the health of you and all other living things, and increases the effects of global warming. Acid rain can also occur when the fumes mix with water in the atmosphere and form clouds. Mining this cyanogenic fossil fuel is a whole different issue. When the oil pipes leak (which they can do) all that oil gets into the ocean or the ground if the oil is being mined on land, and alters the living conditions of the environ-ment. Being a carcinogen, the oil

9/11 Memoriesby Ismail Ercan, Age 14Coral Springs, FL

“I recall getting to work that morning and everything was rou-tine, when all of a sudden, the TV monitors all popped up with news of the attacks. We tried to call the New York offices, but there was no telephone service; they were cut off.”

Sandra McCormick may not have been inside the Twin Tow-ers on the infamous day of Sep-tember 11th, 10 years ago, but she felt it personally nearly 1,500 miles away at her office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. McCormick worked and still is a Senior Para-legal/Compliance Analyst for Franklin Templeton Investments, which has an office in Fort Lau-derdale; she has worked for the company for over fifteen years. Fiduciary Trust, a subsidiary of Franklin Templeton, contained offices scattered between the 90th and 100th floors of the South Tower, where the second airplane plummeted into the 78th floor.

A DAY WE WILL NEVER FORGETOne Man’s Story

by Katelin Scolaro, Age 14Coconut Creek, FL

It was a crystal clear morning on September 11, 2001, when Leo Marchese went outside to smoke a cigarette. He was an employee of AON Insurance and worked on the 103rd floor of the South tower. He was taking a routine break outside when he heard the first plane crash into the tower. Debris was falling on top of him. The plane’s landing gear fell from the sky right next to him, as he ducked under the tower to avoid the falling haz-ards. Confusion lingered in the air as people asked themselves, “Was this an accident?”

Covered in dust, it was almost impossible to get out of the city. A state of shock and distress took over.

“It took me a day and a half to get home while nursing an injured leg,” recalled Mar-

chese. “To get out of the city, I had to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. A woman I had never met picked up three or four of us. I ended up staying with a friend in Staten Island. The next day I went home to Sayreville, New Jersey.”

AON Insurance set up a tem-porary office in midtown New York, but some employees never went back. 176 people from AON died in the collapse of the twin towers. Quite a few of them were close friends of Mr. Marchese. Luckily, some of the employees were able to evacuate after they saw the North tower get hit. If not for that evacua-tion, a vast majority of AON’s employees would not be alive today. The insurance company was located only 12 stories above the impact site.

After leaving New Jersey to move to Florida in 2006,

Please turn to page 9 Please turn to page 9

Please turn to page 4

“There is no simple answer to the gas problem, but a com-bination of many different things can help to substan-

tially reduce gas usage.”

“As President Franklin Roosevelt once said: ‘This great nation will endure.’ And endure it shall.” ~ I. Ercan.

Lunch with an Olympian

by Lydia Szakacs

Page 4

Bricks 4 Kidzby Aaron and Sara CrossPage 5

FisherFishby Gian Luca SavinoPage 15

To Those Who Died 10 Years

Agoby Daniela Gómez

Page 10

Happy Birthday!

PAGE 2 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE OCTOBER 2011

This month the Circle Gazette celebrates its two-year anniversa-ry! We have had 25 uninterrupted issues of original stories, infor-mative articles, riveting poems, and captivating art. Congratula-tions to all our writers and artists for your very own newspaper!

The Circle Gazette is a monthly publication that, unlike any other written by children, is not limited to one community of writers or to one age group. Kids of all ages and from everywhere have par-ticipated to make a new issue of creative work every month.

For our editorial team, each is-sue is a surprise. Though we have staff writers and reporters such as Aaron and Sara Cross, Shadya and Bilal Amodu, Ismail Ercan, Daniela and Emma Gómez, Kate-lin Scolaro, and Sarah Thompson, who accept assignments to cover events in the community, most of the time we don’t know what each writer will be contributing. This makes the editorial process an exciting experience.

For two years we have received many comments from children, parents, educators, and business people about what the Circle Ga-zette means to them. Here are some of the things they are saying:

“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for children to express themselves.” ~ Parent“What a great way to make writing meaningful to young kids!” ~ El-ementary school teacher“An amazing newspaper!” ~ Private school teacher“I’m a reporter!” ~ 12 year-old boy“Thanks for this enriching opportu-nity for the kids.” ~ Parent“I love to write! I love the Circle Ga-zette.” ~ 7 year old contributor“The news experience is priceless.” ~ Young reporter“I’m very impressed… Great edition, quality writing – and topics” ~ Mitch Pellecchia at MargateNews.net“I didn’t think writing was for me,

and yet I wrote an editorial and got published! ...Guess I can write, then.” ~ 13 year old girl“I can write whatever I want!”~ Young contributor“In the Circle Gazette, topics im-portant to children are front and center… young contributors have found their voice, a place to be cre-ative and informative.” ~ K. Krueger, Channel 10 News“I love the Green Tip of the Month.” ~ Adult reader“I love the Detective Decimo story. It made me laugh so much!” ~ Young reader“I feel the adult world is paying at-tention to us.” ~ Teen writer “Love this kid driven paper!” ~ UCLA Family Commons“When submitting work to other publications, kids feel it all falls into a large void. Nobody ever gets back to them. No feedback. From the Circle Gazette we got a phone call and acknowledgement. My son is published and he is very excited.” ~ Parent“Great program… love what you are doing.” ~ A is for Apple, Inc.“Cool work…”~ KidSpirit Online“A unique opportunity for kids to be published.”~ Jessica Riley at Kiba Kiba Books: A Children’s Media Com-pany, NY“I bet the newspaper is great fun for the kids who participate!” ~ Jean Van’t Hul at ArtfulParent“TOP CHOICE.” ~FloridaBuzz “Check out www.enrichmentcircle.com for a quality newspaper (and more) for kids by kids.” ~ LaToniya A. Jones, Metro Detroit“Very cool!” David Tauchen, Denver, CO“Mom, you are not closing the pa-per, are you?” ~ my daughters

Running the paper is a great responsibility and a difficult pro-cess due to limited resources of time and money. Though we keep stubbornly moving slowly but steadily forward, every month the question pops in my office of whether or not we have arrived at

the end of the road. Every month, reliably, you all provide the an-swer to that question! WE KEEP GOING.

I wrote similar words to two of our regular contributors a few months back to thank them for their donation. They sold some items and toys they didn’t need anymore and mailed us their winnings, their own savings to help with the printing costs. That month, they provided the inspira-tion to continue.

We have grown from 8 pages (16 authors) to 16 pages (200+ authors). We have grown and will continue to grow with increased financial support from our ever growing network of families, in-stitutions and businesses. Every-one can make a difference.

Subscribe to the Circle Gazette, support our project and donate. The Circle Gazette is an initia-tive of the Enrichment Circle, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for the advancement of education.

I want to thank our community of parents, editors and graphic designers. I want to thank the Enrichment Circle team and our Board of Directors for their sup-port. I want to thank the Youth Department at the Northwest Re-gional Library in Coral Springs for allowing us to offer whole-some creative writing opportu-nities to their visitors. I want to thank Lisa Franson at Sports Me-dia Services and the publishers of MargateNews.net for offering internship positions to our writ-ers. Last, but no least, I want to thank the team of lifelong jour-nalists from the Forum Publish-ing Group for seeing the value our newspaper brings to the jour-nalists of tomorrow and joining us in celebrating our two year an-niversary.

Happy Second Birthday Circle Gazette!

We keep on dreaming...

Editor in Chief PATTY GOMEZ

Editorial Board

Production

Prepress Technician

Christie Voss

Graphic Designers Dora Font Christie Voss

Cartoonists and Illustrators

Matias Sosa Wheelock Daniela Gómez Emma Gómez Sofia Serrano

Regular Columnists Daniela Gómez Aaron Cross Bilal Amodu Sara Cross Sarah Thompson

Regular Contributors

Maria & Natalie Schlecht, Daniela & Emma Gómez, Aaron & Sara Cross, Liora Elkoby, Sofia Serrano, Danny & Andy Hernández, Shadya and Bilal Amodu, Ismail Ercan , Matias Sosa Wheelock

Proof Readers

Serena Serrano Sandra Damas

Website Master Victoria Martinez

Circulation

The Circle Gazette is available online and it’s distributed in paper via individual, classroom and library subscriptions. Free copies are available at community partner institutions (libraries, museums and educational

organizations). This publication is currently distributed in more than twenty cities in South Florida and has subscribers and contributors from California, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, New Mexico, Virginia,

Caracas-Venezuela, Rivas-Nicaragua and San Jose-Costa Rica.

Free Copies Available at The Coral Springs Museum of Art The Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theater

The Northwest Regional Broward County Library The British School Caracas

Sales, Advertising and Sponsorship Mindy Joseph Jodi Jaffe 954-684-9096 954-253-6584

TO SUBMIT WORKThe Circle Gazette is a publication available to public school, private school and homeschool students. Email a copy of your work, as a major word processor file or as a jpeg file, at info@enrichmentcircle.com. All entries should be accompanied by the parent/guardian consent to print. Submission Form to be found online at www.enrichmentcircle.com.

Information to contributorsThe Circle Gazette reserves the right to edit, accept and refuse articles in the interest of brevity, clarity and appropriateness of subject matter.

YOUNG CHILDREN PROVIDE A WEALTH OF WISDOM, FRESHNESSAND NEW PERSPECTIVES

The Circle Gazette is packed from cover to cover with the latest stories and creations of children of all ages; about local affairs, the environment, art, sports, entertainment and puzzles that engage and inspire young minds!

The Circle Gazette is a one-of-a-kind publication because:

• It transcends one school/homeschool community. It goes beyond a state or a country. It’s about widening writer’s and reader’s horizons!• It is addressed to children and the content is created by children• It involves a multi-age/multi-level group of contributors• The editorial team keeps a holistic and nourishing quality in the selection of content and design• It’s a high quality mix of a variety of styles and topics• It offers valuable feedback to authors

TO SUBMIT WORK The Circle Gazette is a publication available to public school, private school and homeschool students. Email a copy of your work, as a major word processor file or as a jpeg file, at info@enrichmentcircle.com. All entries should be

accompanied by the parent/guardian consent to print. Submission Form to be found online at www.enrichmentcircle.com.

Information to contributors

The Circle Gazette reserves the right to edit, accept and refuse articles in the interest of brevity, clarity and appropriateness of subject matter.

YOUNG CHILDREN PROVIDE A WEALTH OF WISDOM, FRESHNESS

AND NEW PERSPECTIVES

The Circle Gazette is packed from cover to cover with the latest stories and creations of children of all ages; about local affairs, the environment, art, sports, entertainment and puzzles that engage and inspire young minds!

The Circle Gazette is a one-of-a-kind publication because:

• It transcends one school/homeschool community. It goes beyond a state or a country. It’s about widening

writer’s and reader’s horizons! • It is addressed to children and the content is created by children • It involves a multi-age/multi-level group of contributors • The editorial team keeps a holistic and nourishing quality in the selection of content and design • It’s a high quality mix of a variety of styles and topics • It offers valuable feedback to authors

THE CIRCLE GAZETTEA Newspaper by Children for Children

Monthly Independent Publication available to children of all ages.

This publication is an initiative of THE ENRICHMENT CIRCLE, INC.

A Non-Profit Organization for the Advancement of Education

7551 Normande Ct. Margate FL 33063

Phone:954-9182541

info@enrichmentcircle.com

Serena Serrano Sandra Wolkov Pedro Gómez Eden Skopp Christie Voss Sandra Damas

Patty Gómez Sandra Wolkov Christie Voss Sandra Damas Serena Serrano

and Alizdair Ray

A word from the editor: Happy Anniversary!

The Enrichment CircleA Non-Profit Organization for the Advancement of Education

Patty GómezEditor-in-Chief

To Celebrate the

of the

The Enrichment Circle and the Forum Publishing Group

are proud to invite

to a

Tour of the Editorial Offices

The Forum Publishing Group

Tour of the Editorial Officesof the

Publishers of the Sun Sentinel and more than two dozen community newspapers in South Florida

Date: October 27, 2011Time: 2:00 pm

Address: 1701B Green Road, Deerfield Beach, FL 33064Please RSVP to : info@enrichmentcircle.com

OCTOBER 2011 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE PAGE 3

FLORIDA’S SINGING

SONS BOYCHOIR

AUDITIONS FOR NEW

MEMBERS Annual auditions for new

Training Choir members will be held on Saturday, September 10, Saturday, September 24, and Saturday, October 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Boychoir head-quarters located at 1229 N.E. 37 Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33334. Additional times are available upon request. To be eligible, boys must be at least 8 years old or in the 3rd grade, but need not have any prior musical experience.

The Florida’s Singing Sons Boychoir was founded in 1975. It currently has over 200 mem-bers (ages 8-18). Boys begin in the Training Choir and progress through a multi-level program of music education and training, attending weekly classes and per-forming in a variety of public set-tings throughout the school year. When a boy reaches the third level of the program he becomes a member of the prestigious Con-cert Choir and has the opportu-

nity to participate in a summer concert tour. This year the boys participated in the Crescent City Choir Festival in New Orleans and performed in the famous St. Louis Cathedral.

Florida’s Singing Sons Boy-choir offers an extraordinary opportunity for boys with an in-terest in singing to be part of an outstanding musical organization. To schedule an appointment for an audition or for more informa-tion call (954) 563-2697 or email info@singingsons.org or visit www.singingsons.org.

• Birthday Parties• After-School Programs• Kidz Night Out• School Field Trips• Summer Camps• Mommy & Me Classes

6280 W. Sample Rd, Ste. 202, Coral Springs(just a few stores down from Publix)

• 954-255-5233 • www.bricks4kidz.com •

Adventures of a Police ExplorerCoconut Creek Police Explorers Venture into the County Competitionby Ryan Smith, Age 14Coconut Creek, FL

In the last couple of months “Ad-ventures of a Police Explorer” re-lated how seven carefully chosen police explorers from Coconut Creek headed towards Orlando, Florida to participate in the 2011 Florida Association of Police Ex-plorers State Competition from June 19-25, 2011. It was there that explorers would be put to the ultimate test of using their skills in police work. In the August and September issues of the Circle Ga-zette (can be found online at www.enrichmentcircle.com), young re-porter Ryan Smith shared their adventures; their ups and downs. Smith is a monthly columnist for the Circle Gazette. Read on for the story of the Police Explorers’ most recent challenge.

The conclusion of the state competition we attended last June wasn’t what we had hoped for, but how would we do in the county competition? We would find that out on August 11. It was early morning when the eight teams from across Broward County arrived to the school where the competition was scheduled to take place. All teams were instructed to prepare for the first scenario of the day.

When we arrived at the loca-tion of the first scenario, a judge briefed us before forming up into the team. The four headed into a

library simulated into a class-room. The librarian had called us out in reference to a man taking pictures of small children in the library. We took control of the scene and questioned the man, as well as any witnesses who may have seen him. Everyone con-curred he was taking the photos. We handled the man as we were supposed to. However, after the scenario was over we were made aware of the fact that we missed that he was on probation. If we had noticed this we would have been able to immediately take him into custody.

The next scenario was a teen-ager robbing a gas station. He had escaped before we arrived but after a short interview of the clerk, we apprehended him in the parking lot next door. Once we captured him, we searched him for any weapons or handcuff keys and took him to the jail. Shortly after, we began a reen-actment of a hostage negotiation over the telephone. Our nego-tiator discussed with the subject the consequences of his actions. Eventually we got him to release his two hostages, but never got him to come out himself.

After, we went to a Baker Act scenario. A woman had called us to report that her best friend was acting strangely lately. As we en-tered the room we saw her friend crying on a desk. She had a fake gun in her hand so we put the desk

on its side for cover. After a short time, one of the officers managed to get her to surrender and we took her into custody for delivery to the nearest receiving facility.

The last scenario of the day was a traffic stop. It simply consisted of writing a parking citation for a parking violation. We passed it with flying colors. We then returned to the main room to wait for awards to be-gin. After an hour or so passed, the ceremony finally began. We brought home first place for cri-sis intervention, third place for traffic stop, and third place for in progress. Overall, we placed second out of the eight teams, a huge improvement over state competition.

If you have an interest in po-lice work or would like to par-ticipate in an event like this, you can e-mail Officer Zombek at MZombek@coconutcreek.net or call Officer DelVecchio at 954-973-6700 (Ext. 1455) to get more details and sign up to become a police explorer.

Coconut Creek Police Explorers

PAGE 4 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE OCTOBER 2011

Adventures of a Young Police Ex-plorerby Ryan Smith, Age 14Coconut Creek, FL

Did You Know...… that Alaska is the largest state in America, but yet has the smallest population at only 710,231 residents? That’s probably because most of the state, excluding the southeastern more densely populated region, has daytime high temperatures that do not reach above freezing during the winter months.

Did You Know...… that China is the world’s most populous country having over 1.3 billion citizens? Contrary to popular belief, it is not illegal for the majority of Chinese citizens to have more than one child. In fact, because of exemptions for rural families and exemptions based on ethnicity, only 35.9% of citizens are subject to the one child policy in China.

Lunch with an Olympianby Lydia Szakacs, Age 9Coral Springs, FL

Dara Torres, the Olympic Swimmer, and I had lunch to-gether. This Olympic swimmer won a total of nine medals, four of them gold. I didn’t really know what to expect when I met her. She looked like a normal person walking into the restaurant. I re-ally liked talking with her when she sat down with me.

Dara Torres grew up in Los Angeles, California. She had four older brothers. They all swam and she wanted to swim too. She swam to keep up with her broth-ers. When Dara was seven or eight years old she was on a swim team.

Can you believe that Dara still gets nervous before she swims in a swim meet? I asked Dara if she liked the swimsuits she wore in the last Olympics. She said it took

her ten minutes to get her swim suit on. She has a lucky swimsuit she wears when she swims 50 Freestyle.

We were discussing the strokes and her favorite stroke to swim in practice is back stroke. She likes to swim butterfly in the swim meets but her fastest stroke is freestyle. Her least favorite stroke is breast stroke.

Did you know Dara keeps her medals in a safe? She used to keep them under her bed until her Mom said she should keep them in a safer place so she moved them to a safe.

Her favorite part of her swim-ming experience is that she learned to work hard, never give up, to sacrifice, and to be dedicat-ed. She also likes all the friends she made. Dara says always have fun swimming. She also says that it’s good to take a break if you get tired of it. She tried volley-ball and basketball while taking a

break from swimming. Isn’t it cool that swimmers can

be Moms too? Dara has a little girl and I wonder if she will be an Olympic Swimmer like her Mom.

Traveling Abroadby Carolyn Kean, Age 9Sunrise, FL

I interviewed two ladies, both named Sarah. How will you know which one I am talking about? Well, both went on a trip. But one went to China and the other one went to Alaska. Below are the answers to the questions asked at the interview.

CHINASarah says that her trip was

amazing and very educational. She learned about the Chinese culture and the history of human-kind. She was uncomfortable be-ing in a communist country. For example, she wasn’t allowed to go on Facebook while she was there, but she was allowed to call and text people outside of the country and paid a lot of money to be able to do that.

ALASKA The other Sarah’s trip was

amazing too. But her trip wasn’t all in one city. She spent two days in Vancouver then took a boat to four other different cities: Ketchikan, Hoonah, Juneau, and Skagway.

CHINAThe weather on Sarah’s trip

was extremely hot. The tem-perature was up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. She could not drink the water there and neither could the Chinese people. All the water consumed by people is bottled. Her wardrobe for the trip was a tank top or short-sleeved shirt,

shorts, sneakers, sunglasses, and a hat. In her pictures, she is usual-ly seen wearing a backpack with a snack and an umbrella to protect her skin from the hot sun.

ALASKA Sarah’s trip was the complete

opposite of China. The hottest it was, was 60 degrees Fahrenheit. And the coldest was 40 degrees Fahrenheit!

Sarah’s Wardrobe on this trip consisted of a shirt, sweater, jack-et, sweatshirt, sweat pants, socks, and sneakers. It must have felt like a long trip!

CHINAThe things that were most kid-

friendly in China were the acro-bat show and the Great Wall of China. (The Great Wall is for kids ages 12 and up). Sarah did not think that the country itself was very kid-friendly at all.

ALASKAThe kid-friendly things on

this Sarah’s trip were the activi-ties her kids joined at Kids Care on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship and the trolley ride in Ket-chikan. Lots of other parts of her trip were kid-friendly except for the tour in Skagway. Sarah’s two children, David who is five and Hannah who is two, didn’t like it very much.

CHINASarah says she did not see a

whole lot of wild life in China; except birds. She knows there is a famous zoo in Beijing but the tour group she was with did not go there.

ALASKASarah saw a bunch of animals

such as whales, bald eagles, and otters in their natural habitat act-ing the way that they should and not doing tricks and perform-ing like other animals that are kept in amusement parks. She said she loved Alaska’s natural beauty.

CHINAWhen asked about her favor-

ite part of the trip, Sarah said that it was a tie between the Ter-racotta Warriors and the Great Wall of China. I have seen the Great Wall on TV many times, but I had never heard of the Ter-racotta Warriors. If I went to see them, I would poke one in the eye.

ALASKAThis Sarah’s favorite part of the

trip was spending time with her family. She took the trip with her mom, dad, brother, son, daughter, and husband. They were celebrat-ing her dad’s big birthday and she says she had the time of her life.

All in all, the trips of Sarah and Sarah were complete successes, and I would say they were “all that jazz.” They enjoyed their summer trips to a foreign country.

Sarah and Sarah are my mom’s closest friends and I got to inter-view them at my house over a de-licious Middle Eastern vegetarian dinner. I enjoyed the couscous, salad with feta cheese, raspberry vinaigrette, and pita with hum-mus; but I enjoyed talking with the two Sarahs the most.

continued from page 1by Aaron Cross, Age 14

Green Tip of the Month

causes animals to get sick and potentially die. Plants are also affected in various ways by this substance. Algae cannot grow if the water supply is contami-nated, and the organisms that depend on the algae for food can potentially die of starvation. On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and re-leased tons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Over the course of six months, 205 million gallons of toxic fuel poured into the water, making it the worst oil spill in American history.

Greenhouse gases along with other hazardous gases are emit-ted at all steps of oil produc-tion, including mining, treating, and using. A seemingly obv i -

ous answer to the gas problem is nuclear energy. This type of fuel is created from highly en-ergized radioactive particles. This energy uses absolutely no natural resources, and has little impact on the environment while being produced. So what is the problem? Why don’t we all switch to nuclear energy? The reason is that if something goes wrong with energy produc-tion, and the radioactivity leaks out, it can turn the land, ocean, and everything else radioactive. All plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms will die out for hundreds of miles around. Even if some living things continue to live they will remain radioactive for decades through many gen-erations; and the area itself can remain radioactive for centu-ries. The chances of something happening are substantially less than anything going wrong min-ing oil, but the damage done is much greater than anything oil can offer. The tsunami in Japan this past March caused nuclear power plants to catch fire and leak out radioactivity into the land and ocean. The Japanese government has allowed people back into their homes, but the people are still noticing amounts of radioactivity that are greater than what the government says is safe. Things are barely any better now than they were then.

There is no simple answer to the gas problem, but a combina-tion of many different things can help to substantially reduce gas

usage. Solar and wind energy are okay, but they are both ex-pensive to set up and you need a lot to produce enough power. Dams can be built to produce electricity, but that interferes with the natural flowing of the river. And then there is you. You have the ability to significantly reduce your own gas usage. The main gasoline consumer in your home is probably your car. For-tunately, there are many things to do with your car to make it more fuel efficient. Modify your car and your driving hab-its and you could save gasoline

and some money too. Below

are some

things you can do to give your car better gas mileage...

Keep your car tires properly inflated and the engine tuned up on a regular basis. Even if your tires are just a little deflated it will cause a lot of friction and make the car harder to move. This can give you up to 10% better gas mileage.

Take everything you do not need on a daily basis out of your trunk. Extra weight makes the car harder to move, thus requir-ing more gas to do so.

Speeding up and slowing down the car uses a lot of gas. Staying at a constant speed, es-pecially when on the highway, can preserve the gas in your tank. Staying in one lane instead of weaving in between other cars can also save gasoline.

If you are making an errand out of town you should make all your other out of town errands while you are at it. Doing all your errands at once saves you an extra trip out, thus saving time as well.

Reducing the amount of gas-oline we use will, obviously, make what we have last longer, and cut the amount of toxins and dangerous fumes released into the atmosphere. Our atmosphere is a closed-in structure, so there is no way for those gases to es-cape. So be clean, go green: Be head of the class, save on gas!

“Be head of the class, save on gas!”

Dara Torres and Lydia Szakacs met for lunch.

OCTOBER 2011 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE PAGE 5

Exercise Your Hands and Mind by Sara and Aaron Cross, Ages 11 and 14Boca Raton, FL

In 2008, Michelle Cote started two summer camps in St. Augus-tine, Florida. One was in Spanish, and the other was in LEGOs. The LEGO camp was such a great suc-cess, that she went on to found the Bricks4Kidz franchise. He-lene Foster, manager of the Coral Springs, Florida Creativity Center, says there are currently 81 franchi-sees worldwide.

We were amazed when we first walked into the Sample Road Bricks 4 Kidz. Right at the door on the right was a parent sitting area that had a large, red, table with a LEGO head decoration. On the left was a small store where you can buy LEGOs and LEGO prod-ucts. “We try to have a variety of LEGO sets so there will be some-thing for everyone, and we also have some products that are not available in stores,” Mrs. Foster said. Past the store and sitting area were many building tables and bins with a huge variety of pieces.

Lining one wall were PC comput-ers that were used for LEGO stop-motion films. Lining the opposite wall were video game systems for playing LEGO video games. Also there was a small LEGO Duplo building area for the younger chil-dren to grow their imaginations.

The class going on at the time of the interview was the class on stop-motion animation. This is an old style of making movies that requires moving an object a little at a time and taking a picture each time. When you play the pictures one after another very fast, then the inanimate object appears to move. The kids start out by mak-ing a story plot. Then they use various LEGO pieces to build a set, and draw a backdrop. They then start filming their movie with a regular still shot camera and use the stop-motion software called ‘Frames’ to animate their LEGO creations.

Six year old Aidan Ciacciarelli is in the Bricks4Kidz stop-motion

animation class. He said that his fa-vorite part of the class is taking the pictures and putting them together to make the movies. He also told us that he enjoyed it so much that he goes home and makes movies of his own LEGOs too! He said that his favorite things to film are pirate stories. The movie he was working on during the class was about pirates getting zapped to the future.

Mrs. Foster’s son, Evan, was also there. He was not part of the class, but he does spend a lot of time at Bricks4Kidz. “I don’t re-ally know what to say,” he said. “I just want to tell you how cool this place is.” Being the manager’s kid, he is there almost every day, yet he never gets tired of playing LEGOs. “It’s impossible, dude.”

On the fifth and sixth of No-vember, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Bricks4Kids on Sample Road is celebrating its first anniversary. We hope to see you there. Visit Bricks4Kids at 6280 W. Sample Road, Suite 202, Coral Springs, Florida. If you live outside of South Florida, go to www.brick-s4kidz.com to find a franchisee near you and to get information about their various classes.

We think Brick4Kidz is a great company, and are amazed by how fast Helene Foster has grown the business. There were so many pieces there that it was hard to know where to start building. So remember, Bricks4Kidz is not just about getting out of the house for an hour, but it is about building skills, building friendships, and building LEGO. Play Well!

Making New Friends at Memorial Manor by Alizdair Sebastien Ray, Age 8Davie, Florida

My parents and I arrived early for our volunteer shift at Memo-rial Manor. We are going to be doing the Bingo night every month until the end of the year. We were here last Christmas with our homeschool group and had a great time with the residents. I am glad that we volunteer at the nursing home because they are glad when someone visits them. I was able to interview one of the residents, Mrs. Mary Ann, before Bingo Night. Here are the ques-tions and answers:

Alizdair: How long you been here at Memorial Manor?

Mrs. Mary Ann: I have been here 18 years.

I thought I was hearing 8 years and I asked her again. She con-firmed that it was 18 years. I was very surprised that she been here for that long.

Alizdair: Do you like it here?Mrs. Mary Ann: Oh! Yes! I

like it here very much.Alizdair: Do you like playing

Bingo?Mrs. Mary Ann: Oh! Yes!

Mrs. Mary Ann told me that she has three kids and that they visit her often.

Memorial Manor is a won-derful place and it’s located in Pembroke Pines. It made me feel good to see the fun the residents were having. I loved calling out the numbers and seeing how they were waiting to call Bingo. Vol-unteering has taught me that help-ing others is a good thing to do.

HOME DEPOT offersWorkshops of Wondersby Reagan Olenick, Age 10Weston, FL

Twenty buckets set up as stools; tables lined with screw-drivers and hammers; wood, nailed together in multiple forms. Where might you find this? The Home Depot! That’s right, The Home Depot. Usually you’re used to seeing big, burly men that look like Paul Bun-yan’s buddies hanging around and gathering wood. That’s the inside, but this fun takes place outside.

Every first Saturday of the month, The Home Depot has a free kids’ workshop. This month’s project was a dry erase board that you can hang up and little toolboxes. (I’m going to

use mine for pens). The fun takes place between 9 a.m. and noon. They provide Home De-pot aprons, or you can bring your own from previous endeavors. Every time you participate you get a pin, which goes on your apron. So far I’ve made a tool-box, the dry erase board, and I helped my brother Ryan make a fireboat.

When you go in, a Home De-pot employee greets you. They give you everything you need in a preassembled package. Glue, screwdrivers, and hammers lit-ter the tables. You’ll need these tools to complete your project. At these tables you can sit on a turned over orange Home Depot bucket while you construct your masterpiece. This is very simple because all of the nail-and-screw

holes are already there. You can paint most projects when you’re done, so that’s why they have two tables set up strictly for painting. On these, paints of ev-ery color are splattered all over.

These free Home Depot kids’ workshops started in 1997. Since then, 17.5 million proj-ects have been made by kids just like you! The Home Depot holds the kids’ workshops because it makes kids feel proud of their work and establishes an impor-tant parent-child bond. In fact, many kids made their first tool-box at one of these workshops. So check out your local Home Depot to see if it is a participat-ing location. Oh, and rumor has it that next month’s project is a helicopter. I can’t wait, can you?

“I loved calling out the num-bers and seeing how they were

waiting to call Bingo.”

Mrs. Mary Ann, a resident at Memorial Manor Nursing Home, and Alizdair Ray.

From left to right: Sara Cross, Helene Foster and Aaron Cross.

LEGO decoration at the parent sitting area

PAGE 6 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE OCTOBER 2011

Hi kids, and welcome to Living Healthy, a column that talks about how to keep your body healthy and energized. This month, we talk about the importance of standing straight. The skeletal system (or skeleton) is the frame-work of the body, not just a dif-ference between us and jellyfish. True, it’s what allows us to walk, run, sit, stand, or any other activ-ity; but it is also where some vital life processes take place. In the inner core of larger bones, such as the femur (upper leg) and hu-merus (upper arm), is the mar-row, a jelly-like substance where blood is made. The bones also provide protection for the inner organs. The ribcage protects the lungs, heart, and esophagus; and while the brain is protected by the skull, the spinal cord and nerves are more vulnerable, even though they are covered by 24 vertebrae. When these bones lose their nor-mal motion or position, they can irritate the nerves. This disrupts the function of the tissues or or-gans that they control, causing pain or worse problems.

Dr. Laura Moreno (Houston, TX) shared her opinion about the importance of having a good posture. Dr. Moreno says that standing straight is all about put-ting your shoulders back. If your shoulders drop forward, then your whole posture is at an odd angle. It is important to stand properly or else your vertebral column will deform. It is harder to breathe when you stand incorrectly and it can cause pain. Dr. Moreno says that to sleep half of the night on one side and the rest on the op-posite side, helps relieve the pres-sure on your back from improper standing and sitting positions.

Standing and sitting straight is very important for keeping your body strong. “Standing straight allows your body to not hunch over through the years and also keeps your back muscles strong,” says Dr. Moreno. According to Wikipedia, there are different kinds of poor posture. One is to have rounded and elevated shoul-ders and a pushed-forward head position. This position places stress on the spine between the top of the neck and skull and the base of the neck and upper shoulders. Another common poor posture is a forward tilting of the hips, an increase in the curve of the lumbar spine, and a protrud-ing stomach. This position places stress over both the hip joints and lower back. All you have to do to stand straight is push your shoul-

ders back. It’s that easy. A good deal of evidence in-

dicates that the Ancient Greeks used ergonomic principles in the design of their tools and work-places. What is ergonomics? It is a science dedicated to under-standing the relationship between the human body and the environ-ment and the tools the body uses to perform an activity. An exam-ple of an ergonomic workspace is a clearly lit room meant for read-ing and writing. It would not be an ergonomic room for reading and writing if it were dark. Eyes would not perform their work without suffering stress. Similar principles are applied to chairs, workstations, shoes and hand tools. They need to be designed so the body can use them without getting hurt. According to experts, the best way to reduce pressure in the back is to be in a standing po-sition. When sitting, the main part of the body weight is transferred to the seat. Some weight is also absorbed into the footrest (floor/stool), back rest, and armrests of a chair. For a chair to be properly designed, it should offer proper areas of support. Sitting in a seat all day can put unwanted pressure on the back, therefore causing pain.

There are many avenues to ad-dress and solve posture problems. One is chiropractic care.

Chiropractor Roy Goodman of the Florida Spine and Wellness Group says that the main benefit of chiropractics versus other med-icine is that “there are no side-ef-fects from drugs.” “It’s a natural form of heath care. People can’t get addicted to it like they do to drugs, and still get great results.” He also explains that chiropractic care is not meant to fix problems. It is meant to take the pressure off the nerves so that the body can heal itself. Dr. Goodman special-izes in the Thompson-Drop Tech-

nique, a style of chiropractics that is almost pain-free and highly effective. Sometimes in face-up adjustments, the patient can tense up, and can be hurt, just because they cannot relax. In the Thomp-son-Drop Technique, the patients are face-down the whole time.

Dr. Goodman also says it is very important for children to get chiropractic care as soon as pos-sible. Dr. Goodman said that the first trauma a child experiences may occur during the birthing process. He said: “at birth, doc-tors normally grab the head to help the baby out.” Dr. Goodman believes that this causes a lot of problems with the upper cervical area. Apparently, this has “been linked to a lot of hyperactivity problems, and a lot of food al-lergies.” To find out more about Dr. Goodman and the Thomson-Drop Technique, go to www.flori-daspineandwellness.com.

Alexander Technique exer-cises, named after Shakespearean actor Frederick Matthias Alex-ander, are another solution. One Alexander Technique exercise that helps relieve back pain is to lie on your back with a book for a pillow and your knees bent to allow both your feet to be flat-ly planted on the ground. Your legs should be bent at a 90˚an-gle. Staying in this position for about 20 minutes will help re-lease tension from your spine and reduce/eliminate pain. The Alexander Technique is about recognizing and overcoming reactive, habitual limitations in movement and thinking. It helps break bad postural habits and establish new healthy ones. To learn more about the Alexan-der’s Technique visit www.al-exandertechnique.com/teacher/northamerica/ or check out the

book Body Learning: An Intro-duction to the Alexander Tech-nique by Michael J. Gelb.

Keeping your body fit by en-gaging on a variety of physical activities is a simple and natural way to balance your body, keep your bones strong, and your muscles toned. Join organized sports; go out on nature walks and trail hikes; get your bike out. The stronger your muscles, the more support your skeletal system will receive.

Be aware… think of your pos-ture when sitting, standing and lifting weights. If you feel you

are slouching: straighten up! Watch yourself in a mirror and notice the difference between bad and good postures. Notice how more confident, friendly and at-tentive you look if you are stand-ing straight.

Remember: It is easier to pre-vent the problem than to get rid of it once you’ve got it. So whether through regular visits to the chi-ropractor, learning more about Alexander’s Technique, exercis-ing, self-correcting your stand, or combining all these factors, keep your spine in line, and we will see you in November!

Living HealthyKeep Your Spine in Shapeby Sara Cross and Daniela Gómez, Ages 10 and 11South Florida

SARAH’S

CINEMAA Monthly Movie Review

by Sarah Thompson, Age 12Boynton Beach, FL

Halloween Happiness

For the October edition of Sarah’s Cinema, I’m going to share some of my favorite Hal-loween movies. I enjoy watch-ing these movies with my family each Fall - whether it be while hanging Halloween decorations, baking yummy fall treats, or just lounging around enjoying the cooler weather…these movies always make me happy!

It’s the Great Pumpkin Char-lie Brown (1966) - This movie is considered a Halloween classic, and for good reason too. It may not be outrageously funny, thrill-ing, or gripping, but it’s hard not to smile while you watch it. This sweet movie proves that just because a movie takes place around Halloween, doesn’t mean it has to be a horror film. I love the simple, old-fashioned vibe of this film and the fact that no matter how many years pass, it’s still a favorite for people ev-erywhere.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) - This movie tells the story of two clas-sic books - The Wind in the Wil-

lows by Kenneth Grahame, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. The latter, of course, is the unforgettable tale of the Headless Horseman and Ichabod Crane’s thrilling Hal-loween night with him! I love the charming animation, music, and story-telling of both these books and would highly recom-mend watching the movie.

Scooby Doo Meets the Boo Brothers (1987) - I have always been a fan of the old Scooby Doo cartoons, and this movie is definitely one of my all-time favorites. It’s funny, original and all about everyone’s favor-ite crime-solving dog. No matter how many Halloweens pass, this one never gets old for me!

“Staying in this position for about 20 minutes will help release tension from your spine…” The Alexander

Technique helps break bad postural habits and establish

new healthy ones.

“Chiropractics is meant to take the pressure off the

nerves so that the body can heal itself.” Image courtesy

of State College of Chiropractors.

“If you feel you are slouching: straighten up!”

If your shoulders drop forward, then your whole posture is at an odd angle.” Image courtesy of corefitnessstrength.com.

Notice how less confident, friendly and attentive you

look if you are not standing straight.

OCTOBER 2011 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE PAGE 7

Did You Know...

… that the logo for popular American television broadcast channel NBC is actually a peacock? The emblem was first designed in 1956, in response to the rise in color television programming, and included the tail AND body of the bird. The current logo preserved the tail, but only includes a silhouette of the body.

Did You Know...

… that the French language, one of the Romance languages (meaning it descends from ancient Rome, not that it is romantic) is the second most studied foreign language in the world, after English? It is estimated that 190 million people throughout the world, including many Europeans and Africans, speak French as their second language.

French Classes for

International Students in Montreal

by Emma Gómez, Age 8Margate, FL

My aunt Elyse lives in Mon-treal. She was born there and speaks French, English, Span-ish, and Portuguese. She volun-teers for a program that teaches French to international students. Teaching these students French helps them be able to com-municate with other people in Montreal. If they couldn’t speak French they would not be able to order food in a restaurant, find jobs, get instructions from people, speak on the phone, find their way around town, or go buy groceries.

It is very important for my aunt to teach this class. It helps people educate themselves in Montreal.

Just Plane Fun!by Ryan Olenick, Age 7Weston, FL

Did you know that there is an airport at Markham Park? There is a big runway at the airfield where planes take off and land throughout the day. I have taken off and landed there many times. I have crashed three times; but I’m OK.

My name is Ryan, I am seven years old and I am a pilot. I even have a license to fly. My license comes from the A.M.A. The A.M.A. stands for the Academy of Model Aeronautics and the airplane I fly is a remote control, battery operated airplane called The Super Cub LP. The runway that I was talking about is for re-mote control airplanes only. You will not see a big airplane like Jet-Blue land there.

When I get there, there are guys getting their planes ready

for flight and there are guys fix-ing their planes that have crashed. There are special tables reserved

for the pilots for just this purpose. Every pilot is his own mechanic and flight crew. Pilots come in all

ages. I am one of the youngest who fly there and there are pilots older than my grandfather.

When I first got my airplane for my birthday, my Dad and I tried to fly it ourselves. It crashed three times. Some of the other pilots at the airfield suggested we get an instructor to give me flying lessons. My instructor’s name is David Storer. He’s been flying re-mote control planes for over thir-ty years. He learned from his dad who flew remote control planes too. David is an expert at flying. He has a lot of knowledge and he is attempting to teach me more and more skills. I’m especially proud that I’ve learned to land the plane on the runway.

To practice when I am not at the airfield, I have a program for my computer called Real Flight. It is a flight simulator and it re-ally helps me to learn to fly bet-ter. One day, I hope to be flying

the big planes. Maybe I’ll fly you somewhere someday!

If you are interested in remote control planes and taking lessons, too, contact David Storer at:David Storer, President/ Flight InstructorFly Right, Inc.(954) 816-4410By appointment onlywww.RCInstructor.com

SO RANDOM @ Disney ChannelA Reviewby Shadya Amodu, Age 11Deerfield Beach, FL

On June 5th, 2011, Disney intro-duced a full fledge sketch comedy show called, “So Random!” The show originally was a “show within a show,” that other show being “Sonny With A Chance” which ran for 2 seasons. The producers decided to make a new

show out of “So Random!” since Demi Lovato (Sonny Monroe, the main character of “Sonny With A Chance”) decided not to return to the show for its 3rd season,.

I personally am in love with “So Random!,” and if I had to pick a favorite sketch I would pick Sally Jenson Kid Lawyer. In Sally Jenson Kid Lawyer, a young lawyer advertises to bring

justice to yearbook signing (she calls each person who writes false inscriptions a “Yearbook Liar!”) and to bad gifts (one of the people she arrested was Santa Claus for not giving a little girl a gift on Groundhog Day).

So far, the show has aired 12 episodes and is going well. I can’t wait to see the show con-tinue and prosper.

“My aunt Elyse.”

Creative journalism at its best Articles, stories, poems, art and much more…

From and for children of all ages and from everywhere

To submit your work, email us at info@enrichmentcircle.com or call 954-9182541

To subscribe and to know more about the Circle Gazette visit us at www.enrichmentcircle.com The Circle Gazette is an international publication

The Enrichment Circle is a Non-Profit Organization for the Advancement of Education

PAGE 8 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE OCTOBER 2011

A Big Success:Margate’s Field of HonorOpening Ceremonyby Ismail Ercan, Age 14Coral Springs, FL

The September 11 attacks in 2001 were the largest loss of American life due to domestic terrorism. Over 3,000 people died in a few hours, and our great nation was shell shocked; the result was a massive war on terrorism which recently “end-ed.” Sunday was the tenth an-niversary of the event and there were memorials nationwide commemorating the loss of life on that day.

For this year’s September 11 remembrance event, Margate City Assistant Manager, Yolan-da Rodriguez didn’t just want another service held at Firefight-er’s Park like in years past, she wanted the tenth anniversary of the tragedy to really mean some-thing. That’s why this year’s event was changed into a “Field of Honor” dedication week where 1,000 3’ x 5’ American flags will waive proudly for six days to honor everyone who was affected by the September 11 at-

tacks ten years ago. “We wanted to do something

more than just our usual service at Firefighter’s Park because it was the tenth anniversary of 9/11. We (the city) own seven-teen acres of land in the heart of the city so we thought ‘Let’s bring everyone to a larger ven-ue.’ And that is what we did,” said Rodriguez.

Yolanda Rodriguez also helped bring together over 200 volunteers, who assembled and put up the 1,000 American flags, which are weather proof, in case mother nature has a bad day. “We started talking about the field early and we called people who had volunteered before for us that we knew in the commu-nity. And the word just started to spread. The closer we got to September, more and more peo-ple got excited, and we got a lot of volunteers from organizations like the Kiwanis, Boy Scouts, the Focal Point Senior Center, and Chamber of Commerce. The flags came unassembled, how-ever, so we had to assemble them and then place them in the field. We could never have done it without our volunteers.”

Margate is the only city in Florida that is doing a Field of Honor event this year. The Field of Honor is a part of the Heal-ing Field Foundation, “a non-profit public charity established to assist other charities, causes and communities in making their messages and needs known through patriotic displays of flags and memorials.” It started out as a way to commemorate the lives lost on September 11

and honor past and present vet-erans, but now it is also used for raising awareness for cancer and heart disease.

On Sunday from 8:30 to 10:30 in the morning, about 1,000 peo-ple showed up for the opening event, including many govern-ment officials. Margate Mayor, Pam Donovan, Vice Mayor, Da-vid McLean, all three Margate Commissioners, Margate Police Chief Jerry Blough, U.S. Repre-sentative Ted Deutch, and Flori-da Representative Jim Waldman all attended.

The event commenced with the presentation of colors by the Margate Police Guard (on the makeshift Margate stage posi-

tioned on the side of the field), followed by welcoming remarks by the master of ceremonies, Jerry Blough. After, there was the pledge of allegiance, the na-tional anthem by Vanessa Simp-son, and an invocation by Pastor Cheryl Walter. Soon, there was a moment of silence and then U.S. Representative Ted Deutch took the stage and talked about 9/11. “We’ve come together today to mark a very solemn anniversary. September 11th, 2001 was a day that left no American unshaken and no community untouched by its tragedies.”

Nearby, Patricia Thomas, a Florida resident stood gazing at a flag lined with victim’s names with tears in her eyes, looking for her friend’s name, Patricia McKinley, who died in the Pen-tagon attack. “This is my first service that I have ever attended for 9/11,” she said. “I love this Field of Honor display and I think this event is great.”

The Boy (836) and Girl Scouts of America were present

throughout the event and helped keep everyone cool from the hot, humid weather by handing out cold water.

There were also several mu-sic performances throughout the morning by the Dixieland Stompers (who played Patriotic Tunes like “Stars and Stripes Forever”), the St. Andrews Pipe Band, singers Pat Uber and Van-essa Simpson, and the Stoneman Douglas Choir.

Margate Police Chief Blough described the event as a “great opportunity to memorialize and honor people who died protect-ing others.”

To conclude the program be-fore the opening of the Field of Honor, there was a third and final moment of silence and a 4-man rifle salute by the Margate Police Honor Guard.

Margate City Commissioner Joe Varsallone, a Korean War Veteran, described the field as people filed in as “beautiful but sad, as it allows us to remember the fallen and not to forget.”

One thousand 3’ x 5’ American flags waiving proudly for six days to honor everyone who was affected by the September

11 attacks ten years ago.

“A Florida resident stood gazing at a flag lined with victim’s names with tears in her eyes, looking for her

friend’s name.”

“Margate is the only city in Florida that is doing a Field of Honor event this year.”

Margate City Commissioner Joe Varsallone and Ismail Ercan for the Circle Gazette.

OCTOBER 2011 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE PAGE 9

Volunteering atMargate’s Field of Honorby Alizdair Ray, Age 8Davie, FL

On September 11, 2011, my family and I headed to vol-unteer at the Margate Field of Honor. It’s important to re-member all the people who died on 9/11. There were hun-dreds of tall flags on the field and it was awesome to see. There were two flags of Honor. We helped out at the booths all day. We made sure that the people’s flags were there and that they were able to buy a flag too. Some of the people were buying flags for themselves and for their loved ones. The Boy Scouts were there to help people find their flags. I helped them too. We met a couple and they told us that their son was in the World Trade Center. He was on the ninth floor and made it out alive. My family and I were glad that it was good news for their son.

We were back at the field of honor on September 17, 2011. It started off raining when we made it to Margate. It was a busy day because the people brought their receipts to pick

up their flags. It was easy with some, but hard to find others. I still enjoyed every minute be-cause it was nice to see their faces when they saw their flags. The Boys Scouts were there again and they were a big help. My family and I would check them off on the book and the Boys Scout would help them find their flags. Sometimes, they were all busy and we had to help the ones that couldn’t find their flags. There was a couple dressed in confederate costumes and I had my picture taken with them. I was excited to get interviewed by two of the older kids from the Circle Gazette. I told them that I had family in the military and I like volunteering at events. It was nice to help everyone find their flags and hear their story about why they bought the flags.

Finally, I’m glad that my family taught me that volun-teering is a good thing to do. I feel like everyone should come to an event like this ev-ery year. I want to thank Mrs. Yolanda, Coordinator for the Field of Honor, for letting us come and help out and be a part of this event.

“We made sure that the people’s flags were there and that they were able to buy a flag too.”

“Volunteering is a good thing to do.”

Mr. Marchese has only gone back to Ground Zero once.

“I didn’t want to go back,” he said.Now a resident of Delray Beach, Marchese

came to the Field of Honor event in Margate be-cause a fellow employee from AON was helping

the city with the flags and he wanted to donate his own flag to remember what happened.

When asked about the ceremony Marchese said: “It is very important that we never forget all of

the people, not only the firefighters and police-men, but also the innocent men and women.” This is clearly stated in the shirt he wore that read, “Gone But Not forgotten 9/11/01” with an em-blem of the twin towers between the FDNY and NYPD badges.

This Field of Honor ceremony brought together people from all walks of life to remember the day that changed everyone. Whether it was the veteran serving in the war when terrorism struck, or the new recruit that joined because of the events on 9/11. Whether it was the child who barely remem-bers the attack, or the mother who lost her child in one of the towers. Whether it was the teenager who has only seen video and heard what hap-pened, or the men and women who were at ground zero. All of them were here in Margate to honor the thousands that died. I spoke with many people at the ceremony and everyone said in one way or an-other that they were proud of their country and the city for doing something so righteous. Irving Berlin in 1918 said it best with a song: God Bless America.

97 of the company’s employees perished in the terrorist attacks.

__________

Sandy and her husband, Bob, were present for the opening and closing ceremonies of the recent Margate Field of Honor held from September 11-17th. She greatly appreciates the effort put into the event and hopes they continue it in the future.

“I think this Field of Honor is a great tribute to the military, the police, fire department, our vol-unteers, and of course those who lost their lives on 9/11. It’s abso-lutely beautiful and I hope they can do this in the future.”

McCormick, an eleven year Margate resident still has trouble recounting the events. “We pur-chased a flag here, it is part of the Field of Honor, and it dedicated to… Oh this is hard,” she paused to hold back tears, “to the 97 Fiduciary Trust employees who lost their lives that day.”

September 11th, 2001, was one of the most infamous days in American history. Nearly 3,000 people perished in just a few hours, ranging from ordinary citizens at work, to rescuers and firemen aiding the needy.

“They worked in the South Tower. We (meaning Fiduciary Trust) had floors roughly from

the 90th to the 100th floor. The plane hit around the 78th floor, so they were mostly trapped on top, although quite a few escaped. One of our employees, his name was Edgar Emery Jr., helped 5 women escape from the building shortly before it collapsed. He went back up to rescue more of his colleagues. He talked to wife shortly before perishing, and managed to say one last good-bye. He was one of the many he-roes that day.”

The headquarters of Fidu-ciary Trust is still in New York, and inside there is a four story painting called “Looking South” which depicts the view from the South tower looking out into the city. The company also placed an ad in the New York Times commemorating their lost em-ployees. It read: “Ten years later, we continue to be inspired and strengthened by the memory of our colleagues, mentors and friends.”

Mr. and Mrs. McCormick plan on visiting New York City next year when the September 11th Museum is scheduled to open. Sandy continues to have a posi-tive outlook of life despite the attacks. “I believe we are a safer country now. Life is short and I have maintained the philosophy of living life to the fullest.”

__________

As a young resident of South Florida, I have never had close contact to anyone related to the September 11 attacks. Of course, I have seen plenty of documenta-ries and videos, read newspapers and books, but none of that com-pared to actually meeting people who have experienced it. I would like to thank Mrs. McCormick for her time on September 17th and the pain she experienced re-counting it all. Also, thanks to the city of Margate for hosting this wonderful event. As Presi-dent Franklin Roosevelt once said: “This great nation will en-dure.” And endure it shall.

A DAY WE WILL NEVER FORGETcontinued from page 1by Katelin Scolaro, Age 14

Field of Flags in Margate, Florida. Photo Credit: Scolaro.

Pictured left: Leo Marchese. Photo Credit: Scolaro.

9/11 Memoriescontinued from page 1by Ismail Ercan, Age 14

Sandra and Bob McCormick with Ismail Ercan at the Closing Ceremony of the Margate’s Field of Honor.

PAGE 10 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE OCTOBER 2011

To Those Who Died Ten Years Ago

by Daniela Gómez, Age 11Margate, FL

To those who died ten years ago…

It was early September 11And everyone was going to work when…Crash! The twin towers fell.Crash! Thus, the twin towers fell.

Ten years later, everywhere,We gather around the colors red, white, blue.And are sad for all those livesThat ended on that day

Each flag in this field stands for someoneClose to another’s heart.Each flag and each person remembersWhat happened on that fateful day.

Men and women in those towers died for:Freedom, happiness and justice,Peace, democracy, diversity …And life

We remember and honorThose who gave their lives,In the Field of Honor,For the flag that we hold high!

…To those who died ten years ago

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Each package includes teacher’s guide, activity pages, student assignments, and much more.

www.educationunlimited.webs.com954-757-5186

OCTOBER 2011 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE PAGE 11

Did You Know...

… that natron is a naturally occurring mixture of:sodium carbonate decahydrate (Na2CO3·10H2O) - a kind of soda ash, about 17% sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) - also called baking soda, small quantities of household salt (NaCl) and sodium sulfate (Na2SO4).Natron is white to colorless when pure, varying to gray or yellow with impurities. Natron deposits are sometimes found in saline lake beds. Throughout history natron has had many practical applications which continue in the wide range of modern uses of its constituent mineral components. The word natron comes from the Ancient Egyptian word netjeri.

by Jesse Dieterle, Age 11Boca Raton, FL

Let’s start wrapping- not the music but the mummy! A Pharaoh’s mummy took 30 days to wrap which was a long and ardu-ous process. The Pharaoh was laid out on a board for 16 days covered with a substance of salt and baking soda called natron. The body was then positioned in the sun for 40 days. The process of mummification took a total of 70 days.

An embalmer begins the next stage of the process. He cuts the body with a solid sharp flint knife. He slides his hand into the slit and extracts the bloody lungs, liver, stomach, and intestines. However, the em-balmer doesn’t take the heart out. Ancient Egyptians thought the heart was the soul of the body and that it did all the think-ing. A hard irregular shaped amulet called the Eye of Horus was put over the tiny slit. An amulet is a small charm that had a spell written on it to keep the Pharaoh safe in the afterlife. Some amulets were shaped as a hand and others were Scarab Beatles.

The organs were individually placed

into stone canopic jars. Each of the four lids was either shaped like a pharaoh, or had a human, baboon, jackal, or falcon on the top. A long iron hook was plunked up the nose to carefully take the mummy’s brain out so they would not fracture the skull. After that, the nose was sealed with a penetrating, pungent wax.

They rubbed the body with oil, wax and spices which made it look and smell alive. It seemed like the Pharaoh wanted to sit on his throne once again! The embalmers covered the body with 20 layers of cloth. The task was tedious and sometimes arms, legs and head would fall off.

Finally, Pharaoh was cautiously put into the moonless, golden coffin which would be his tomb. An elaborate burial ceremo-ny was held for the mourners. The priests would recite some of the 200 spells from the Book of the Dead. Then a priest would perform a ceremony called the ‘opening of the mouth’ which was to let the mummy speak in the next world. They didn’t actu-ally open the mouth. It was a ritual where the priest would put a stick into the mum-my’s mouth.

And that’s a wrap!

Pharaoh’s Deathby Emma Dieterle, Age 8Boca Raton, FL

A mummy coffin is as detailed as a ze-bra pattern. Egyptian workers put their dead Pharaoh in an exquisite coffin. At this point, the mummy was put into a sar-cophagus, a tomb, which was then put into a pyramid. The pyramid is humon-gous. It is Pharaoh’s resting place. The Egyptians believed in many gods. They thought there was an afterlife and that they traveled to another world. The Pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings.

An Egyptian tomb is as pretty as a golden city. When they placed Pharaoh in his tomb they put a decorative mask on him and set beautiful ivory, shiny ele-phant tusks, soft animal skins, and mouth watering spices in the tomb. Good luck charms, called amulets, were put into the tomb to keep Pharaoh from getting hurt. These are some of the good luck charms: Eye of Horus, Head Rest, and Hand. The Pharaohs possessed jewelry glittering with gold. Supposedly, statues in the tombs kept the Pharaoh safe.

Collectively, the workers made the mummy. The workers took the intestines, liver, lungs, and stomach out of the hu-man body. The heart was left inside the body. A utensil was used to pull out the brain. The workers used natron, which is like salt, to dry out the body. A decora-tive amulet and precious stones were put into the belly. Cloth was stuffed inside the body. The Egyptians rubbed sweet

smelling oils onto the body and the mum-my was wrapped in long linen strips. The decorated mask was the last thing they put on the mummy. This process took 70 days.

I know that this is real but it is crazy!

Eye of Horus

“Egyptian workers put their dead Pharaoh in an exquisite coffin.”

“With Pharaoh in his tomb they put a decorative mask on him.” Burial

Golden Mask of Tutankhamun who was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty (ruled c.1333 BC – 1323 BC

in the conventional chronology).

Supporting Creativity and Literacy Programsfor Children

PROUD SPONSOR OFPROUD SPONSOR OF

www.monterowolkov.com

PAGE 12 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE OCTOBER 2011

Fall and Winterby Olukemi O’niyi, Age 13

Coral Springs, FL

F orever we waitA ll in a bunchL ooking for the change in colorsL ooking for the perfect moment to see the beauty in nature

A nd when we see it, we smileN ow we can relaxD ream about days that passed and days to come

W e get ready for the winterI ce skating on ice,N ice hot chocolate warming while the kids are waitingT ill it’s time to bring out the presentsE veryone of every age is joyfulR ight in our hearts we feel the warmth of winter spread through us.

I L o v e B e n j iby Zurie Lewis, Age 10Plantation, FL

I l o v e m y d o g B e n j i .H e i s w h i t e a n d s p o t t y .H i s h a i r i s v e r y s m o o t h .b u t s o m e t i m e s i t g e t s k n o t t y . I p u t h i m i n t h e s i n ka n d b a t h e h i m - i t › s s o f u na n d t h e n I s o a p h i m u pt h e n r i n s e h i m - - t h e n I › m d o n e . M o s t o f h i s f a c e i s w h i t e ;t h e r e › s a b l a c k s p o t o n h i s e y e . H e i s v e r y c u t e ,i t w o u l d h u r t t o s a y g o o d b y e . H e › s a v e r y s m a l l d o ga n d s o m e t i m e s h e b i t e s .H e › s a l w a y s u n d e r m y m o m › s b e d ,i t › s w h e r e h e s p e n d s t h e n i g h t . B e n j i › s   a v e r y g r e a t d o g ,h e › s t h e b e s t o n e i n t h e w o r l d .H i s t a i l i s b l a c k a n d w h i t e , a n d i t i s a l s o c u r l e d .

Moonby Joshua Thompson, Age 13

Parkland, FL

MoonI gaze in wonder,

At a bright light in the sky.Slowly descending with the dawn,

It hides in fear as the sun comes up.Light comes into my eye

A fiery ball rising,Glowing.

Red Toucansby Sofia Serrano, Age 5

Frankfurt, Germany

I wish I were red, Only if I could.But if I’m a ToucanI probably would.

Summerby Olukemi O’niyi, Age 13

Coral Springs, FL

Swimming in the wild oceanUnderneath the boiling sunMid-day with no shade to hide underMaybe I will just leave earlyEverything just seemed so perfectRight now I can’t wait to come back.

Symphonic Stormby Sara I. Cross, Age 11Boca Raton, FL

Mother Lightning her flute she does play,Father Thunder plays his drum.Brother Rain on his guitar he stays,Sister Breeze, her harp she strums.

They play a song and make the trees sway,The sun rays stop in flight. Clouds gather round to witness todayThe orchestra of life.

“Tucans”Illustration by author.

Markers on paper.

OCTOBER 2011 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE PAGE 13

HappyBirthdayby Olukemi O’niyi, Age 13Coral Springs, FL

Hail the princess of the dayAs she steps out of her carPrincess R is ready to have fun dancing and eating with friends and familyPlay the music and let the world know it’s her birthday and it’s time to partyYelling out loud we scream Happy Birthday!

Blast the musicI’m coming throughRight to left I danceThrough the partying crowd I goHail the birthday girlDancing in the middleAnd the crowd goes wildYelling out loud we scream Happy Birthday!

*This poem is a gift to my friend for her 13th birthday.

Life Doesn’t Frighten Me At Allby Elizabeth D’Meza, Age 11Sunrise, FL

Noises down the hall,Cracks in the wall,Life doesn’t frighten me at all.

Vampires with fangs,Very tough gangs,Life doesn’t frighten me at all.

Rats with red eyes,Crows flying in the sky,Life doesn’t frighten me at all.

My Tree of Prosperityby Bilal Amodu, Age 14

Deerfield Beach, FL

The life of a successful person is represented as a tree

It can flourish and thrive if it is nourished properly

If it is neglected it will be desolate and bare

The decision is up to one whether or not to care.

 

The fruits that it puts forth,  

invisible, though enlightening

Are the blossoms of hard labor

That proves to be sweet and delighting

 

Such fruits are known as joy, contentment, relaxation and other’s trust

Such fruits are quite invaluable

Thus seeking them should be a must

Though the only way to possess these fruits is maintaining a healthy tree

 

Next let us analyze the bearer of such basic joy

The branches of the tree from which one should not eschew

Rather than treat the branch as a mere toy

Open the mind to absorb every single virtue

 

To bear the fruit I should always keep promises and be honest

 Accosting situations with the effort that my own best

Kindness, self renewal willpower as well as optimism

Will prohibit me from enduring an internal schism

 

Branches are unsustainable without proper support

A base, a trunk will not permit them to contort

Support is at home at school with a friend perhaps

Since without support the tree will face an inevitable collapse

 

  

Support is from my school with every renowned instructor

Though I am also supported with Literature

Fortunately I possess a family that is highly supportive

While my faith is also supporting the lifestyle I live

 

The tree cannot be present without the vital roots

Nothing would survive, not even the fruits

 For other roots of my tree must be exceptionally strong

Otherwise my entire lifestyle would be utterly wrong

 

As a person I depend on compassion, hard work and authenticity

To provide a definition of my life to me

Family, authenticity as well as individuality

If fall these roots, then fall me

 

That was a basic view of my tree of prosperity

 This is able to define my own life for me

I will nourish this tree, nurture it then view it grow

Where this tree will take me I am yet to know

Sensing Peace by Shadya Amodu, Age 11

Deerfield Beach, FL

When, I see the beautiful sunrise, I smell the salt of the sea, I hear the soft rustle of leaves, I taste ice cold lemonade, I touch a plushy stuffed bear, I feel peace; I am peaceful. I WISH PEACE TO ALL

The Choiceby Brandon Dasent, Age 11

Lauderhill, FL

There I was in awe, staring into two paths,Wondering, which one to take.

One path was filled with sunshine, and children were playing and laughing.I had never seen more happy and joyful people in my entire life.

On the other side it was dark, stormy, foggy,And some might say terrifying or scary.

A place where rain weeps tears of sorrow,And where the thunder both roars and sings an angry hungry song.

The song says “where are my waffles?” You could also hear the wind crying in distress.

The ground was damp. Bats flew over the burned trees.

Spiders crawled on the damp ground.

The two paths that were in front of me were hard to choose from.The well-lit side looked nice and relaxing,

But the other side was filled with knowledgeBecause there was so much I could learn in that challenging environment.

In the end, however, I decided to take the bright easy side.But that was a mistake that I will never make again.

This was the day I learned to never judge a book by its coverAnd that the easiest path is not always the best one.

PAGE 14 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE JULY 2011

Helen and the Invasion of the Machine World by Mohaly Edouard, Age 9Coral Springs, FL

One day, a bird named Helen explored the story book world. She found it strange, but interesting. She saw a giant sky scraper and saw a man from the door waving hello and fireworks coming out of his fingers. She also saw Queen Anastasia’s castle a few blocks away, and a servant throwing a bouquet of rare flowers to all the people passing by. Helen heard a voice at Harold’s grocery store. This was the owner talking like a song of souvenirs. A tour guide asked her if she wanted a tour around the place. Helen nodded yes and started discovering the beautiful smile of the sea brushing on the yellow sand. During the tour they saw a garden full of daisies, birds opening rain-bow wings, a glistening forest that shone like a sky at midnight in Christmas, a flow-ing river, and damp grass that shone every time the sun came out. After the tour, she asked the tour guide if she could stay at her house. “Yes,” said the girl, “you can stay for the night.” Helen spent all night writing about the wonderful world she had admired to share with her friends back on earth.

Meanwhile, the king of the machine world hated how the story world was get-ting better as he saw it in his crystal ball. So he thought of an evil plan. “I’ve got it! I’ll take over the story world and destroy it. Then I’ll put the queen in the dungeon and make her people my slaves!” He gave an evil laugh.

A message came in a bottle to Queen Anastasia. She read it and cried. The tour guide came to Queen Anastasia and asked her why she was crying. She told her that

the king of the machine world wanted to take over and destroy this beautiful place. The tour guide told her friend Helen the news and the tour guide asked the Queen how to help save the story world. “Find the Fog Story Island Black Hole flower and go back and convince the king to smell it. When he smells it, he will go into the black hole and back where he came from,” said the queen. So Helen and the tour guide went on an adventure to find the flower.

In the afternoon, as they got on the boat, the queen gave them special water for the Black Hole flower. They sailed a long way to the island. Suddenly a storm blew in and they closed the windows as fast as they could. They went into the cabin and stayed there, but the waves were too rough --they broke the windows and washed Helen and the tour guide out of the cabin. Before they could reach the sails, the water splashed and they fell off the boat and a shark ap-proached, licking its lips. They were about to be the shark’s lunch when a bolt of light-ning struck the shark and it slowly sank into the ocean. They swam away as fast as they could. Finally, they reached the raft and lay down to rest and catch their breath. A few minutes later, they fell fast asleep in the cold breeze and suddenly felt warm. When they woke up they saw they were on a boat. A little girl came into the cabin and asked them what happened. The little girl told them her name was Melanie and asked them their name. Helen told Melanie her name and the tour guide told her that she didn’t have a name yet because ever since she was a baby her mother couldn’t name her because all the wonderful names were taken. They were relieved that they were saved and went back to sleep. When it was morning they ate breakfast and told Mela-

nie about the news the Queen of the story book world told them. She frowned and they finished their breakfast. When they stopped at a very strange place Melanie smiled. She told them that this was Fog Story Island and that’s where she used to live. They told her that they needed the Black Hole flower to save the story world. She told them the flower could be found in the Dancing Woods. On their way, they found a strange city and stayed there.

The next day, the tour guide, Helen and Melanie went to look for the Dancing Woods but Melanie could not remember where it was. Then a creepy guy appeared and they asked him where the Dancing Woods were located. He told them to fol-low the river. They followed the river and found the Dancing Woods, and the flower they were looking for.

Meanwhile, a war was starting between the story world and the machine world. The queen was worried that they would not make it. “Attack!” shouted the queen.

Back in Dancing Woods, the trees blocked the way back and Melanie told them to dance to get through. “We can dance the tree dance and that’s the dancing trees’ favorite dance,” said the tour guide. “We’ll have to give it a try,” Helen said. So they did the tree dance and they crossed the path. Then they picked the flower and placed it in a pot that Melanie had taken with her earlier and watered it with the spe-cial water that the Queen had given to Hel-en. They told Melanie they had to go back to the palace of the story world. She didn’t want to leave her family and friends be-cause, if she did, she would miss them and they would miss her too, so she took them with her. And then she introduced them to her family and friends. “This is my aunt

Margaret, my uncle Joe, my dad David, my mom Charlie, my older sister Franny, my friends Harry, Kim, Jonny, Tessa, William, and Jake.” And they went sailing back to the palace. The king of the machine world had completed his plan, but then the tour guide and Helen came back with all of their friends. They went inside the palace and the Queen wasn’t in the throne room, only the king of the machine world was there along with his servants. “You ruined this beautiful place and you should be sorry!” Melanie cried. “Ha!” “You fool!” Now my plan is complete, you can’t do anything about it, and the queen is in the dungeon!” They went to the dungeon and saw some guards next to it. Helen threw rocks at the guards and they got knocked out. They set the queen free from the dungeon and went back to the throne room. “Hey king how about smelling a flower huh?!” and Helen threw the flower at the king and he ate it. The king went into the black hole back to where he came from. Helen planned to put the earth and story world together so they wouldn’t miss her when she left. And the Queen thanked Helen and the tour guide. “I’ll name you Alice which means cour-age because you never get scared even though you do not like to do things that look scary.” “Helen you have the power of determination because you never give up. And Melanie you have the power of caring because you saved them when they were on the raft sleeping in the cold air and gave them warmth and a place to rest,” said the queen. They rebuilt the story world back to the way it was, and the queen put planet earth and story world together, and they lived happily ever after.

The Fisherman Who Caught a Fisher Fish

by Gian Luca Savino, Age 10Parkland, FL

One day a fisherman was fishing in a large, shal-low lake when he caught a…

… fish that could talk! The fisherman was shocked.The fish said to him: “Do you know what kind of a fish I am?” And then the fish said - “I am a Fisher Fish.I’ll help anyone with fishing. Even you!”

So hearing that comment, the fisherman took the Fisher Fish to fish with him. The Fisher Fish was a great partner. He caught bunches of fish and helped the fish-erman to cook the fish to eat.

The next day, the fish-erman decided to go on a boat and fish in the ocean with the Fisher Fish.

The trip was very exciting. They had fished all sorts of fish in the ocean. They also saw a few sharks swimming by with huge teeth. And they saw lots of reefs.

Well, after that trip, they realized that a lot of days had passed and that the fish should go home. So, early the next day they went back to the lake. They said good-bye to each other as the fisherman threw the fish in.

“Hee! Hee!”

Last Name First Name Sport Shirt Color Food Bird Bob Hockey Red Carrot Barn Larry Soccer Blue Cheese Dare Don Baseball Black Apple Crin Bert Football White Bread

CLUES

1- Bob did not have a last name of Dare or Crin. 2- Larry's last name was Barn. 3- The four people where Bob, the person who played baseball, the person who liked

cheese and Bert. 4- Bert did not have a black shirt. 5- The person who played football had a white shirt but did not eat carrots. 6- Don Dare had a black shirt. 7- Of Crin and Dare, one was Bert and the other ate apples 8- Of cheese and bread, one was eaten by Larry and the other by the baseball player. 9- Crin did not eat a carrot. 10- The football player did not eat the cheese. 11-Bird did not wear the blue shirt or play soccer.

JULY 2011 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE PAGE 15

Did You Know...

… that coquís actually get their name from the loud, high-pitched sound that the males of two coqui species make at night? That means that they are o n o m a t o p o e i c a l l y named! There are several different species of coquí, and all of them are endemic to the island of Puerto Rico.

A Coquí’s Adventure

by Sofia Serrano, Age 5Frankfurt, Germany

There once was a coquí named Heart. She lived in Puerto Rico in a wet, green rainforest. Her home had palm trees, bright and colorful flamboyan trees, and beautiful flowers. Heart lived in a lit-tle leaf nest made of green ferns and in the middle were red flamboyan flowers. When she was in her nest she blended in because she was so green and her friends couldn’t find her. But when she came hopping out, her friends could see her and they would always play hide and seek. It was a tricky game because all the animals in the rainforest can blend in very well and never be found.

One day, Heart decided to move to Ger-many because she wanted to see a new country. She packed a leaf luggage with all her things inside and took a plane to Frankfurt. Heart saw lots of things that were very different from Puerto Rico. There were ruins that looked like a pile of stones, but then she found out it was a very old castle that had fallen down. She saw something that made a loud “ding-dong, ding-dong,” and she thought it was just a noisy clock, but then she found out it was an old church with rusty bells on the top. Heart saw very mysterious plants called stinging nettle. She wasn’t

sure if it was okay to touch, so she tried and it stung a lot. She never touched that plant again.

Heart thought Germany was lovely and she made her nest in a maple tree in the middle of the Black Forest.

How Pandas Became Black and Whiteby Shadya Amodu, Age 11Deerfield Beach, FL

Once upon a time, Panda was the most colorful animal in the bamboo forest. He was as colorful as he was proud. All the other animals were jealous and asked the King to change Panda’s colors, but he never agreed to it because he had no rea-son to do so. Peacock was the most jealous animal because she was herself black. One day, Panda was taking a walk through the forest, when two meerkats scurried past. Panda raged because they did not stop to recognize his beauty. “Where are you hid-eous meerkats in so much of a hurry to get to?” Panda demanded. “We are off to prepare a feast for the marvel-ous King!” they ex-claimed. “What King? For I am greater and even more beautiful!” The meerkats gasped, and the King, who was heading to his feast, scowled. “How dare you Panda! I am go-ing to do what I should have done before!”

Just at that moment Peacock came to see what was going on. The King threw all of Panda’s colors on Peacock and splashed Panda with Peacock’s dark color. Panda quickly ran to the river to wash off the black before it settled, but only a little of Panda’s body became clean white. So that is how the Panda became black and white, and also how Peacock became colorful!

The Elf and the Darkby Emma Gómez, Age 8Margate, FL

Once upon a time there lived an elf that was short, tan-skinned and kind. He wore a long red cap, long green shoes, baggy blue pants and a big green shirt. He lived in a dark cave and he was afraid of it.

He lived in a cave because it was a tra-dition in this land that elves had to live in caves. This elf was not afraid of the cave; he was afraid of how dark it always was, in the day and night. He always got fright-

ened when he went in.One day, he went outside and saw a few

candles. He lit them and picked them up. He went into his house and decided to align them in the wall and put an end to his problem.

When the place was lit, he looked at his home and saw that there was nothing to be afraid of. That night when the wind came in and blew the candles out, the elf was not afraid anymore.

“Heart packed a leaf luggage with all her things inside and took a plane to Frankfurt”

Logic Puzzle by Ari Swift, Age 14

Boca raton, FL

“Panda Bear” Soft pastel on paper by Emma Gómez, Age 8,

Margate, FL

PAGE 16 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE OCTOBER 2011

“Gogeta”

Pencil and

color pencils on

paper.

by Ryan Font,

Age 10

Sunrise, FL

“The First Strawberries”

Soft pastel pencils on paper

by Emma Gómez, Age 8

Margate, FL

“Rainbow Crow”

Acrylics on canvas paper

by Emma Gómez, Age 8

Margate, FL

“Super Saiyan Four

Gogeta”Pencil and

color pencils on paper.by Genaro

Grandez, Age 12

Sunrise, FL

“Broly”Pencil and color pencils

on paper.by Ryan Font, Age 10

Sunrise, FL

“The Wedding”Crayons on paper

by Elizabeth Abrams, Age 7Fort Lauderdale, FL

*This drawing was done when author was 6

“Toucan” Watercolor pencils on paper by Dan-

iela Gómez, Age 11Margate, FL