Acknowledgements
Thank you to the literary magazine crew:
Patrick Beale-DelVecchio
Charlotte Braman
Olivia Coletta
Molly Crotteau
Tivas Gupta
Alexandra Hunt
Maddie Kyhl
Kenny Larson
Grace Phillip
Olivia Rodriguez
Aisling Sullivan
Mackenzie Weatherly
Noelle Wojciechowski
Hats for Naomi by Bella Kiely
I think back to the time when I was in second grade. The time when the whole second grade held a party for my best friend, Naomi. Not the happy birthday kind of party, but a special kind of party just for her. At my school Franklin Fine Arts my friends: Naomi, Madison, Molly, Sarah and I did daily practice together during recess. We all dreamed of becoming rock stars when we grew up, so to become one we all had to practice daily. Our wish was to actually meet Hannah Montana. It never occurred to us that by the time we were out of college the famous superstar Hannah Montana would not be the only one who was really famous. Out of all of us, Naomi was the one who took being a singer most seriously. She was also the president of our club, so naturally she had to be able to help us if we were confused. In the middle of a monday at school, Naomi’s mom came to take her home. For the rest of the week, Naomi was absent. Our singer club fell apart, and we didn’t practice during recess. It just wasn’t the same without Naomi. But, after some time I started to get curious. Some days Naomi came to school, but other days she didn’t. Could she possibly be not going to school because she didn’t want to? No, she wasn’t that kind of person. Maybe she was skipping school, because she was needed somewhere else. I imagined Naomi wearing a black spy suit, and dark shades. She would be shaking hands with an important spy,
possibly someone hired by the president. The important spy would be saying: “We need you to do this for us, please Agent Naomi.” I imagined Naomi saying: “I accept this mission”. And then flying off in her own private plane. Then, one day Naomi came to school wearing a pink and gold glitter hat over her hair. Her hair looked kind of different. It looked too long and it was curly. At recess, I didn’t see her. But, I didn’t bother looking for her either. I was too busy thinking about her hair. When we were in lining up to go inside after recess, Naomi whispered to me: “It’s not really my hair, it’s only a wig and Wisdom pulled it off.” I didn’t know what she meant by a wig. But, I did know who Wisdom was. She was a girl in our class who had a problem with her knees, and because of that people bullied her. They teased her about how she couldn’t run well, and I had always felt bad for her. Naomi looked pretty upset though. When we got into our classroom, our teacher told us to sit on the rug. Again, I didn’t see Naomi. Our teacher, Ms. Buress explained to us that Naomi had a sickness called cancer. That was why she missed most school days. She was so sick she had to go to the hospital. She was under chemotherapy treatments that made her hair fall out. That was why her hair was so long and curly, it was a wig. I was shocked. Medicine so strong that your hair actually fell off your head. I felt so sorry for Naomi, and so angry at Wisdom. How could Wisdom do that? There could have been people around watching. The next week, I brought a notice home from school telling the whole second grade to wear a hat to school the next day. The second grade
was going to celebrate Naomi with a party. The teachers arranged this party because they wanted to show Naomi how proud they were that she had been brave enough to go through all of the surgery and treatments. The party was held in the peace garden which was built right outside the school. Many parents came to help set up the party. At the party there were cupcakes and chips. All of the boys ran around on the wood patio at the back of the garden playing tag. The girls walked quietly along in pairs eating cupcakes and chips. It turned out to be a wonderful day after all. At the time, I didn’t understand the sickness my friend had but all I cared about was having her as a friend. My friend Naomi sadly died of cancer at the age of nine. Even though she is gone, I still keep the memory of that day when we held a party just for her. I will forever hold the memory of Naomi and I walking together, laughing, and eating cupcakes.
13 Words
By, Tryn Starshak
Word number one: Hedgehog
A hedgehog named Vi Pine sat in a pile of leaves, waiting for her sister Ella.
Word number two: Star
She saw a shooting star that looked purple from where she was sitting.
Word number three: Ineffable
Ineffable, ineffable, ineffable, Vi was saying her favorite word over and over again.
Word number four: Writing
“Ella, Ella! Come out and play with me!” Vi yelled, but Ella was inside their expensive mansion writing a
story.
Word number five: Polka-dots
All of a sudden, she saw a giant that had polka-dots on it. “AAAHHH!!” She screamed, when she turned
on her flashlight but it was only Liam the jock laughing about how loud Vi yelped.
Word number six: Crème Brule
Vi was pooped so she went inside her cozy hedgehog home to have some crème brulee. She got so
tired that she didn’t even finish it.
Word number seven: Blue
She went into her blue room and fell asleep like a flash of lightning.
Word number eight: Bubble Gum
She thought she heard the sound of someone chewing bubble gum in
her dream.
Word number nine: Awake
She found herself awake at 1:14 AM and heard something stomping closer and closer………..
Word number ten: Danger
Vi knew her town was in danger. She said, “I’d better grab my marshmallow slingshot.”
Word number eleven: Groundhog
She peeked out of her window. “AAAAHHHH!” Vi said.
There was a ginormous groundhog outside of her window. She bolted
downstairs and out the door, marshmallow slingshot at hand.
Word number twelve: Killed
The groundhog was right in front of her door. Vi yelled, “Back off! I’m not
afraid of you! Her mom taught her how to kill a groundhog when she was
very young. She slingshot a marshmallow in-between the groundhog’s eyes.
The next second the groundhog was killed.
Word number thirteen: Trophy
“Vi, I am so proud of you!” Ella exclaimed because of her bravery. Later, at the Town Hall, Mayor
Prickles awarded Vi a trophy for her heroism.
13 Words
By: Lydia Constantine
Word number one: Hedgehog
A Hedgehog was walking casually down the paved, wet
street.
Word number two: Cat
The Hedgehog saw a glance of a small cat on the sidewalk.
Word number three: Dog
The cat then tripped over the surprised jet black dog.
Word number four: Sushi
The dog was eating a piece of California roll sushi at that
moment.
Word number five: Tennis
After that moment in time they all went to an exciting tennis
match.
Word number six: Taco
During the halftime of the tennis match they all saw a break
dancing taco!
Word number seven: Mustache
After the weird arrival they surprisingly got picked up by a
flying black mustache!
Word number eight: Turquoise
They looked over the tall buildings and then mysteriously
dropped at high speed into a turquoise limousine.
Word number nine: Neon Yellow
The pretty turquoise limousine had neon yellow sparkles all
over it, plus they were beautiful!
Word number ten: Cross Country
The limousine magically drove them to a cross country meet
and a blood red carpet rolled out when they all got there.
Word number eleven: Basketballs
The first thing they saw was a bunch of basketballs hopping
to the finish line of the cross country meet.
Word number twelve: Rose
The basketballs all then offered the shocked and surprised cat
a beautiful light red rose.
Word number thirteen: Lebron James
Then Lebron James appeared and shot the basketballs one by
one into a lava pit and the Hedgehog was screaming in a
circle hoping not to be mistaken as a basketball and the rest
of the animals like the cat and the dog just sat there and just
stared at the screaming hedgehog in the moment of so called
chaos for the poor little hedgehog.
Acceptance by Noelle Wojciechowski A8b Acceptance is a very complicated word. You are always told to be accepting, but what does
it mean? To me, it means that you do not notice the differences in others, but embrace the
similarities. Acceptance is a very powerful word because it brings out everyone’s true
identity, it also means accepting that sometimes, people are not capable of going outside
their comfort zones to accept you, and if you accept yourself for who you are, you will find
strength in yourself.
Acceptance allows people to be themselves regardless of their differences. Peer or
community acceptance allows you to flourish and focus on what you can do rather than
what you can’t do. A current social issue that relates to acceptance is discriminating against
people with disabilities. When people are blessed with a healthy body and mind, it is easy to
overlook the fact that not everyone has it so easy. In society, when a person with disabilities
enters the room, they are immediately singled out. People think that persons with
disabilities are not smart, or not aware of what goes on around them. If everyone could just
be accepting, then they would become friends with the disabled, and everyone could get
along better.
This relates to Goal 4, Sacred Heart community commits themselves to the building of
community as a Christian value, because building a community requires acceptance. One
must appreciate the differences between their peers, not run away from them. Differences
and acceptance of differences builds a strong community.
Acceptance means accepting that some people will not accept you for who you are. It is a
truth in our society that some people cannot embrace the differences in others. People with
disabilities are forced to accept that people sometimes will not understand their challenges.
If they see that people are laughing at them, they tell themselves that the person does not
have an open mind, and will never be able to understand what they are going through. This
way of thinking makes it easier for the persons with disabilities cope with teasing and
bullying. This relates to Goal 4 because when you are building a community, you have to
face the hardships such as teasing, and realize that not everyone is kind enough to be
accepting. This situation or experience can make you stronger. Goal 4 means that it is
everyone’s responsibility to promote acceptance.
Acceptance means accepting yourself. Persons with disabilities learn to accept themselves
by seeing what they are able to do and gaining confidence. They know that they cannot
change their situation, but they can change their attitude towards it. They use their
experiences to educate others, and they share with each other how they change their own
attitudes and the attitudes of others. An example of accepting yourself that relates to Goal 4
is that when you want to be a leader in the community, you need confidence. If you are
confident in yourself, others will follow you. Confidence makes you stand out regardless of a
disability.
People with disabilities are faced with these challenges every day, but when the accept
themselves, accept the fact that some people do not understand, and when they are
accepted, they bring out their true personalities. Community and self-‐acceptance is
important everywhere, not just at school.
Art
By Hannah
Art is an awesome subject. I have an amazing time there.
In art we do projects or paintings. One of the projects was
cubism. Cubism is distorted artwork the picture makes no
sense. My favorite project is zentangle. Zentangle is where you
doodle patterns. Then you can color them. My other favorite is
free drawing. I love to free draw because you draw whatever
you want. Drawing whatever you want us cool because
sometime you don’t want to do a project so free drawing is fun.
Art is a super subject in my opinion nothing can top this one.
Bud Not Buddy By: Harper Massengill Something that always makes me feel stronger is
when I think about my cousin John because he
always made me feel better when I was upset.
Sometimes when I think about my cat Beezus who
died I start to feel horrible and then I think about
how much John made me laugh and how silly he got
when he lost hangman to me.
Another example is when I need encouragement
in a basketball game I think about John talking to
me and giving me amazing advice that always
makes me feel stronger. That is who I always think
about when I need help.
Dream Variations
By: Eleanor Massengill
To feel the rain on my skin
As I twist and twirl in a blanket of stars
To feel the sun’s glow on my cheeks as I lay on the field, staring at the clouds
Till I die, I want to live in this peace
That is my dream
To let the night drench me in darkness
Let it wrap me up in its arms and keep me safe
To let the lost souls of those before us join hands with those who will come soon
Till I die, I want to live in this peace
That is my dream
To grasp my dreams and set them free into reality
To let my nightmares pass into the depths of my mind where they won’t discourage me
Till I die, I want to live in this peace
That is my dream
Dreams Variations
To be with my grandpa once death is done
To make memories and be happy
Till the angels are gone
Then we’ll be together once again
That is my dream
To be with my grandpa once death is done
To forget about life and forget about worries
Till the angels are gone
Then we’ll be together once again
That is my dream
-‐ Charlotte Ryan
We reached the last step after about 12 flights of stairs. My legs were screaming withpain. It quickly faded to the depths of my mind when I saw what Kyle brought me up for. I walkedin awe towards the giant window. It had a view of a mountain that was crawling with nature. Ithad trees so tall it looked like they reached the heavens. The sun was setting so I could seefireflies dancing in the trees and the sun’s fading glow shone on the waterfall that was crashinginto an unknown place.
“It’s phenomenal” I said to Kyle.He turned to face me and he said “I know.”We stood there, staring at each other. I turned away quickly. His eyes flickered to my
arm. He took a step forward and he grabbed it.“What are you doing?” I asked suspiciously.“Your arm, it has The Mark on it” he murmured.“What’s The Mark?” I asked. He didn’t answer. He yanked me by the wrist. A door that I
didn’t notice before opened when Kyle muttered a few words. “Where are we going?” Idemanded.
“You’ll know once we get there” Kyle answered.He walked through the door. It lead down a dark hallway with layers of dust and cobwebs.
We were in there for a while, walking in silence. My wrist hurt from his hands yanking it so hard.Suddenly, we turned a corner and there was a large opening where the fading sunlight flooded in.The opening lead to a path that weaved around the mountain. We trudged up the mountain forabout five minutes until Kyle lead me off the path to a rock. He sat down and I followed. Hegrabbed my arm and held it in his lap. He brushed his finger on the bottom side of my arm until itlanded right where the elbow and forearm connect. He gestured to my birthmark shaped like aflame.
“This is The Mark. Only people who were born with special yet dangerous powers have it.They are called Mistakes.” Kyle explained.
“This is just a birthmark” I protested.“No, it is not. Do you ever recall something that you can’t explain?” he asked.“I remember when I was six, I wanted to make my brussel sprouts disappear so I ran my
hand just above them and they just disappeared,” I laughed “but that was ten years ago, so I maybe remembering it wrong.”
“Another quality Mistakes have is that they never forget anything. I remember I had a oldersister named Sallie. She was a Mistake too. She came to Silverstudd when she was sixteen.During the training, the head of Silverstudd, which happened to be Michael’s father, found outSallie was a Mistake and that night she disappeared. I have never heard from her again” Kevinsaid, looking out into space. I swear I saw tears prickling into his eyes. Kyle turned back to meand took a deep breath “the point is, don’t tell anyone not even Evelynne and especially notMichael. He is dangerous, very dangerous.” With that, he got up and walked down the path toSilverstudd HQ. Then, three figures popped out of the foliage. They walked towards me, eachwearing a wicked grin. I recognize one of the boys from Prince School who asked Michael if wewould ever get to see our parents again. He had blonde hair with brown eyes that were the colorof root beer. The other two I did not recognize. One was a girl that was quite ugly. She had shortbrown hair that went up to her jaw. I think I saw traces of grime and dirt on her face and in her
hair. The other boy walked up to me and grabbed me by the collar.“Are you a Mistake?” he said in my face. I felt his revolting breath against my cheek.“No” I lied.“Let me see your arm” the girl sneered. I was ready to punch her. Adrenaline surging
through my body. The girl grabbed my arm and started to pull my sleeve up. I pulled back my fistand slammed it into her jaw. She groaned and let go of my sleeve. Then the boy came up to meand jammed his fist into my nose. I moaned as the blood trickled down my face and onto mysleeve. I turned around quickly and dashed towards Silverstudd HQ, not even paying attention tothe pain that buzzed through my brain.
This is an excerpt from Eleanor’s Fairytale.
Fall By: Gellila Asmamaw
The sun had set and the sky was dark,
my little dog Oscar had let out a bark.
The trees had shriveled and the leaves were brown,
For if you looked closely, you could see
they were down.
Surely I had known, that the winter
season was near,
I had seen a subtle rabbit hopping in fear.
Snowflakes had fallen, and the stars lit the sky,
And as the moon shone bright, I let out a sigh.
the radiant sun began to rise,
A beautiful sight befell my eyes.
The glowing mocking jays let out their call,
For now the trees stood proud and tall.
For just a moment, the Earth was calm,
And as the snowflakes stopped, one fell in my palm
My heart rejoiced for a new season was here,
And slowly, as my mind relaxed, I began to shed tears.
By Gellila
One Halloween night
When little children are full of fright
Haunted houses with flying witches
To scary zombies with ugly stitches
Mummies coming from the ground,
Spiders making eerie sounds
Trick-or-treating isn’t safe
Because there are monsters who like to
shave!!
I used to be with God in the sky,
but now I am with my parents on the ground.
I used to be a baby,
but now I am a young lady.
I used to be a chatterbox,
but now I am a singer.
I used to be an ocean,
but now I am a tsunami.
I used to be a drop of paint,
but now I am a painted wall.
I used to be a puzzle piece,
but now I am a complete puzzle.
I used to be earbuds,
but now I am a pair of headphones.
I used to be a letter,
but now I am a word.
I used to be at home,
but now I am at school.
I Used To Be….
By: Scarlet Zell
I used to be the moon
But now I am the sun
I used to be a twinkle
But now I am a star
I used to be the universe
But now I am a galaxy
I used to be a planet
But now I am a wisp of gas
i used to be...
I used to be a leaf.But now I am a tree.
I used to be a piece of grass.But now I am a meadow.
I used to be a puddle.But now I am the sea.
I used to be a flower.But now I am a garden.
I used to be the wind.But now I am a tornado.
I used to be a work in progress.But now I am complete.
I used to be a thought.But now I am reality.
I used to be Mars.But now I am the Solar System.
I used to be the stars.But now I am the Universe.
Genevieve Hesse
She’s different, but she’s the same.
She’s different because she learns differently.
She’s different because she talks differently.
She’s different because she gets made fun of.
She’s different because she doesn’t care.
She’s different, but she’s the same.
-Eleanor Buchanan A7
The Young Athlete
The young athlete is a younger sister.
The young athlete believes sports are the greatest thing in life.
Bump, set spike; pass, dribble score; flip, turn, fall.
Every sport is different.
The young athlete is stressed.
She has high expectations.
Her grades are very important.
Sometimes she just needs to relax and go outside.
The wind blows through her blondish-brown hair.
Her blue eyes sparkle in the sun.
The young athlete doesn’t always do what’s right, she makes mistakes.
Sometimes, the young athlete forgets that family is more important than sports.
The athlete’s friends get mad at her for doing so many sports.
The young athlete does not have much free time.
The young athlete reaches out to anyone she can.
The young athlete can make friends easily.
It is one of her many strengths.
The young athlete has many dreams.
Most seem impossible to others, but to her, they are attainable.
Nothing is impossible for her.
The young athlete is determined to be the best that she can possibly be.
-Ashley Brady A7
Fall
By: Kenny Larson (6th Grade)
As I walk along an old nature path,
I use an old branch as a staff.
I look around and see many trees.
I can tell Fall is coming, judging by their leaves.
They are a crisp orange, with a dash of yellow.
Everything is calm, everything is mellow.
The birds are singing a lovely song.
It feels like nothing here could ever go wrong.
But I must come back to my home town.
Where nature is hidden, and the leaves are brown.
But something there is special too.
Just look for it, me and you.
MarniCaroline Creamer
I get to the parkThere are my friends, I let out a barkI leap over to themThey run, I chaseTrying to catch up, I raceFor they are much bigger dogs then ISo close to the groundI feel the new grass touch my faceFlowers, just starting to sproutI realize two of my masters are goneDid they get on the bus without saying goodbye again?I pout, I want to shout, I want to let my anger out, But I don’tI am a dog, and I know itI am a dog and my mind only focuses on one thingIt is very important, very specialIt is called LOVE
By: Lily W. Good
It was November 5th and it was a horrible day! Here’s the story of why…
I came into the classroom and gasped. Ms.
Reinhardt was missing!!! I asked Mrs. Carlucci if she
knew where Ms. Reinhardt was. Sadly, she didn’t. I
told myself I could find her. I could solve the great
MISSING REINHARDT MYSTERY!
I decided that she was in Florida for her
birthday. I knew I needed proof. So I gathered my
friends and told them about her being in Florida for
her birthday. They all agreed that it was very
possible and they agreed we needed proof. It was
for sure. The mystery would be solved.
We decided to split up and look for any sort of
clues in the classroom or something Ms. Reinhardt
had said. The groups were: Lily and Lulu, Franny and
Pamela, and Sara and Harper. Sara remembered
Ms. Reinhardt talking about hanging out in the sun
all day. Lulu remembered she had sunscreen poking
out of her bag. I remembered seeing the sunglasses
in her bag.
We left school and the next day Ms. Reinhardt
was back! We told her about our suspicions and she
laughed and told us how she had been in Hawaii for
her birthday. We all smiled and thought, "Well, we
were close.” And then the rest of the day was as
normal as could be.
Mistake By: Sara
I went to my house to play with my hair,
I made a mistake and played with a bear.
The bear was big, brown and mean,
It was the biggest thing I’ve ever seen.
My Color Poem
Turquoise is the color
of a bright,
shimmering fish in the
ocean.
Blue is the color of the ocean with the shining sun on its face.
Yellow is the color of the honey comb in a beehive.
Orange is the color of the bright sunrise on the beach.
-By Annika Swanson
My Trip to Paris
By: Pamela Cameron
I went to France, and out of all the places, Paris was
my favorite. I went to all of the most famous places in
Paris. One of the famous places that I went to was when I
saw the Mona Lisa and people were crowding all around
her and they were taking pictures. While that was
happening, I almost lost my mom! After I saw that, I
wanted to see the Eifel Tower, and when I got to the very
top, Paris seemed like a doll house! At night, my Dad saw
a crepe cart and he asked me if I wanted a crepe and I
said “sure” and my first nutella crepe was delicious! I
hope to go back to Paris because I had a great a great
experience!
Night By: Bridget Wyman
Night
Dark, Eluding
Terrifying, Darkening, Spreading
With night come shadows
Gloom
Peregrine Falcon
I soar in the sky,
Roaming in the peace.
The sunset behind me,
I’m on my way.
But when I come down,
Like a hornet stinging one.
I am struck with
Those humanly rays.
A shocking current,
Runs through my body like a race.
As I fall, as I fall.
Though I try to get up,
And fly to my home far away.
I now found that
This was my last day.
I close my eyes,
To take a rest.
Though I do not know
It’s Death behind that mask.
As I go up high,
I look down at thee,
“Thank you all, for now I am free.” - Annika Swanson
Biking For Life by Katie Iannelli I was eight years old. Eager Yearning. I was ready. This is the story of how I learned how to ride a bike. I always wanted to know how to ride a bicycle. It was the summer before third grade and I didn’t know how to ride a bike. At the same time,I was scared to death. When I rode with training wheels at four and five, my dad would always get my neck stuck in the helmet and I would cry my head off. Now I was scared I would do it again so I refused to wear a helmet when I rode. My mom said I couldn’t ride until I used a helmet so I just didn’t ride. That was until I was invited to a biking party. I was shocked. In fact, I had mixed emotions for a full day. I knew I was going to have to turn down this one. It seemed that one party motivated me enough to say, “Dad, will you teach me how to ride a bike?” My dad eagerly agreed and took me to get a bigger bike. I chose a really cool white and pink one with an awesome helmet just my size. I was psyched. My dad drove me over to Jahn, the public school around the corner from my house. They have a huge black top where I could bike all I wanted. My dad ran across the street and bought some Gatorade. I snapped my helmet on with ease and threw my leg over one side of the bike.I started wobbling and fell over. WITH the bike on top of me. I was already frustrated. I gave my dad a glare as he helped me to my feet. He told me some of the most inspiring things while I was trying. He told me, “Sometimes things are hard in life, but you have to remember not to give up. You can do it little Kit-‐Kat”. I thought he was right. I put a band-‐aid across the scrape. I stood up and tried again. This time I stayed on. I took a deep breath and asked my dad if he could help me get going. So he pushed me from the back and ran along right behind me while I turned the pedals. I thought he was holding on to the bike but really I was going by myself. I needed to make a turn so my dad helped me glide around the basketball hoop. Sadly, he let me go too early and I crashed into the metal trash can. Earlier I would have burst into tears , but now I knew I could do it. This time I got up and started myself. Soon enough I was doing figure eights. When we felt our mission was accomplished we walked home. When I walked into the house, my mom heard how great I did and she let me have an extra dessert. That was a great day! What I learned that day was yes, how to ride a bike but also to keep trying. Now year, every other Saturday in the summer my sister, my brother and I all go around and bike. My dad helps my siblings learn and I fly around. This year my dad and I are going to get a new and better bike. Now I love to bike. In fact, now I bike for life!
Jack Matters
The Catholic boy, Jack lives in a decent neighborhoodJack lives near an ice cream shopJack lives in a big orange houseJack has 2 sistersJack wants Bridget to be respectfulJack wants Katie to stop bugging himJack’s parents are lawyersJack’s parents won’t let him go to law schoolJack is uncomfortable with talking in publicJack would like to give kids authorityJack doesn’t like to feel powerlessJack wants to make a differenceJack is tired of being pressuredJack wants people to understand his interestsJack can’t stand what doesn’t make senseJack’s side hurts when he exercises a lotJack can’t figure out how to snap
Jack W., H7
School & Summer
6 months of school
and
6 months of summer
that sounds super cool,
what could be funner?
Go to school in September, October, November
Stay at school all through the month of December.
January, February, still learning your math.
March, April, May, summer’s now on your path.
June, July, and August, what could be more fun
than enjoying the beach and being out in the sun?
Now don’t you agree that it is quite a bummer
That we don’t have both 6 months of school and of summer?
Zoe T., A6
Everybody is different
but one thing is the same
all of us can like the same game
Our gender is no object in what we like to do
you can play volleyball, even if you are a dude
Girls are good at what they do
And boys are too
Some boys just glance
but just give the girls a chance
We are all equal
Ellie W. and Virgina H, A6
That short, athletic, Jewish girl
The short, athletic, Jewish girl wants people to stand up for injustice in the world.
She wants people to stand up for what they believe is right.
That short, athletic, Jewish girl wants people to do what is right even though it may cause friendships
to be broken.
That short, athletic, Jewish girl wants everyone to remember everyone, no matter how tall, short, how
big or small and what ethnicity, is created equal.
That short, athletic, Jewish girl wants to be accepted.
She wants everyone to be accepted.
That short, athletic, Jewish girl doesn’t want people to be discriminated because of their religion.
She wants and believes everyone is equal.
The End.
Liza K., A7
Apple Seed
Apple seed, apple seed
way down in the West
I always get D’s on my test.
I’m not rich like a treasure chest.
I do not have a friend, not even a best.
I’m just an apple seed
way down in the West.
Allison Keeler
It’s Raining By: Lulu Muscarello
It’s raining
It’s pouring
My umbrella is getting soaked
It’s raining outside
And there is nothing to do
It’s raining
It’s pouring
Dolphin
By: Charlotte Ryan
As I splash through the water
I see fish fly by me and boat motors skipping by too
I come above the water to feel the sun against my slippery skin
But as fast as a mouse I am back under once again
Monkey
By: Charlotte Ryan
As I grab a new vine each time
I close my eyes and feel the breeze through my fur
But soon I feel danger in the air and grab the next tree
As I glance down at the jungle floor I see jaguar not too far
Tiger
By: Charlotte Ryan
As I thrust though the branches of new trees
I hear an elk, not too far in front of me
I hear the elk stop I know this is time to strike
I get down and prance out of hiding
It is a struggle but I will win the battle
The 13 Words
By: Elena Nevins
Word Number One: animals
There once was a kingdom of animals.
Word Number Two: plants
Surrounding and keeping the kingdom safe is a dome of plants.
Word Number Three: cat
The queen of this magic kingdom is a lanky gray cat. That cat queen
wore beautiful crown that is set with shimmering gems.
Word Number Four: throne
She has a gold throne with a velvet seat and back.
Word Number Five: binder
Right next to her throne she keeps a large dark maroonish-brown
binder. In the binder she keeps all the names of her subjects living in
her kingdom.
Word Number Six: monkey
Her pet monkey squeaks and squawks as he changes the names in the
maroonish-brown binder as needed.
Word Number Seven: sweater
The monkey always wore a warm, lime green, cashmere sweater.
Word Number Eight: water bottle
The monkey also loves drinking grape juice from a water bottle.
Word Number Nine: parakeet
The monkey had a parakeet named Peep.
Word Number Ten: red squirrel
nnnjkjjseThe parakeet lives on a tree that has a lot of red squirrels living
on it too.
Word Number Eleven: kiwis
In the tree next to the parakeet’s tree was filled with singing kiwis who
liked kiwi.
Word Number Twelve: great dane
The massive Great Dane protects Peeps red squirrel filled tree.
Word Number 13: gray hound
The Great Danes best friend a grey hound guarded the kiwi tree.
The City Boy
The city boy dreams to be cool. He dreams to be fresh. He wants to be a hipster. He dresses like the
rappers. He wastes his money on clothes. He does not think twice. He imitates those who he thinks is
cool. He will risk things to be cool. He will act and dresses like a gangster. He yells the names of nice
department brands like Gucci or Polo. He yells things rappers have said to be cool. He poses by graffiti
and takes pictures. He blasts music and chooses to get a bad 90’s car to be cool. And all he wants to be is
cool.
The Day I Got a Dog By: Lily Fencl My siblings and I were playing outside, when Chris got a text that said “Come inside
right away!” I think the text was from my mother. We dashed in side. My parents
were in piano room. I asked my dad “Whose dog are you babysitting? My dad said, “I
am not babysitting a dog, the dog is ours.” I screamed really loud!
I asked “Did you name him yet?” My dad said, “Yes, I named him Goose.” It is a
combination of his parents’ names, Gunta and Doose. I think that his parents’ names
are funny because there is a TV show called Shake It Up that has characters named
that. A lot of my friends came over to see my family’s new dog. Goose was scared at
first. Goose looked around the house. He is very playful and jumpy and loves to play
catch, I could hold then but not now because he is too big. He was very small then,
he is a big dog now. Goose is very sweet and I love him.
Tivas Gupta H6b The Gates of Thebes
It was hot outside the shaded city of Thebes. That was the first thing
Adrian noticed as he lay on a finely carved wooden raft under the bright Greek
sun. He lazily floated down the river leading away from the city. Adrian’s dark
hair was in a braid that fell over his shoulder. His tunic, laced with gold thread,
slipped over his the big frame of his body and into the dirty water, soiling it.
Adrian was a chubby boy with dark hair that covered his green eyes. He stared
into the vivid blue sky, gladly not thinking about the raiders from distant countries
who invaded Thebes every week, taking what they pleased. He turned his mind
away from thoughts about the city’s riches which had dwindled away until they
became next to nothing. He forgot about his father, Acaeus, struggling in his old
age. He didn’t really care about his father’s business anyway.
Adrian rolled his head to one side and looked towards Thebes in the
distance. Squinting, he saw a man approaching and immediately recognized the
thin shape his father. Adrian looked back at the sky, not caring what the King had
to say. He just wanted to be left alone.
Acaeus was dressed more modestly then Adrian. His long white hair went
down to the waist of his lean body. When he was younger he was considered the
best king Thebes has ever had. Now he was rarely taken seriously in the city.
“Son! The city council is holding a meeting,” Acaeus called out. “You know
the council members won’t listen to me alone about the wall. If you were there,
they might pay more attention.”
Adrian’s father had been talking for years about the wall. He believed that
if the city built a wall, Thebes would be much easier to defend against the
raiders. Thebes could then prosper in peace and all would be well. This was the
one thing Acaeus wanted to accomplish before he died; but the some members
of the council had fought against the King, arguing that the city was too poor to
waste time and materials on a wall. The council was currently deadlocked.
Acaeus could force the construction of the wall with support of one council
member because the council vote was tied. He had always wanted Adrian to be
that vote. Adrian thought that the idea of a wall was no more than a fairy tale.
Adrian looked up. “Sorry father. My lack of faith that a wall will protect
Thebes will prevent me from attending the council meeting on your side. Besides,
I am busy.”
Acaeus roared, “You waste your days floating on this river. You gamble
away what little money the city has. Thebes is wasting away because of you!”
Adrian looked at the King with surprise. His father never spoke that
strongly. Adrian put his feet on the bank of the shore and pushed off into deeper
waters. Acaeus continued, “I will die soon. The city will become a barren
wasteland because you do not know how to perform your duties as king. The city
will burn because of you!”
Acaeus sighed. He loved his son and had expected so much of him, but
seemed to be having these conversations with Adrian more and more often.
Dejected, he returned to the city with his slaves trailing. The king had a council to
attend.
An hour later, Acaeus walked back down the marble steps of the main
house in the center of Thebes. The council had once again remained tied in the
vote. Those who had opposed the King’s idea agreed that a wall would work, but
they argued that the city did not have the time or materials to build a wall. Their
newest plan insisted that the city use its resources to focus on fighting the
raiders. Acaeus refused to risk the civilians’ lives with warfare against the far
more powerful raiders. If the council did not make a decision in thirty days the
Thebes constitution stated that the both proposals would have to be dropped and
nothing could happen for a year. This deadline was ten days away. The king
needed his son’s support, but even though Adrian was a member of the council,
he never had attended a meeting. The king needed to somehow change his
son’s mind or the city was doomed. He could only do that if the gods were on his
side.
The King realized that his only hope was in the gods. He traveled to the
center of Thebes to pray at the temple of Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom.
Walking through the grand stone entrance, he made his way to the center of the
temple.
Sitting down on a small wooden stool he looked toward the heavens and
prayed to Athena, “O Goddess of Wisdom,” he cried. “Please help my son Adrian
see past his foolish ways so that he may protect one of your patron cities,
Thebes”. A tear rolled down Acaeus wrinkled cheek. “May you send him a vision
so he can abandon his childish behavior and grow to be the greatest king Thebes
has ever seen, and so that his name will be sung in generations to come.” With a
deep sigh the King rose to his feet and walked slowly back to the palace.
Athena listened to the king’s prayer with interest. Indeed, Thebes was one
of her favorite cities. Because the king was a just and noble man she decided to
help Acaeus. Adrian needed a vision, that was for certain. But how would she
present it to him? She couldn’t affect the mortal too much as Zeus, the highest of
the gods, might punish her. Then an idea came to her.
The Goddess flew up to the sky with her pure white robes fluttering behind
her. Her piercing gray eyes looked for the gleaming house of Morpheus located
in the clouds near Mount Olympus, the home of the major gods. Morpheus was
the god of dreams. Morpheus answered. He was a minor god though a powerful
one. She remembered his golden blond curls that sat on top of his head and his
bright round face. She needed him to create an elaborate dream for her plan to
work. She flew to the door and knocked. Morpheus answered. His face lit up in
surprise for a few moments before bowing and ushering her inside. He pulled up
a chair and a basin for her to wash her hands before putting ambrosia and
nectar, the food of the gods, on a golden platter in front of the goddess.
“Lord Athena,” Morpheus said while sitting down. “I am honored by your
presence, but why do you come?”
Athena responded, “Morpheus, do you know the city of Thebes?”
Morpheus replied, “Well of course! But what does that have to do with
your visit here?”
Athena answered, “I come here to ask you to put a prince of Thebes,
Adrian, in a deep and powerful sleep. In a dream, I would like you to have him
experience the troubles of the city from a citizen’s point of view and then show
him the solution to the problems of Thebes. In this case I think it is a wall.”
Morpheus looked a little fearful as he replied, “I can do what you ask
Athena. But will the god Zeus permit it? He becomes angry when an immortal
interferes with the lives of mortals too much.”
Athena was already walking to the door. She said over her shoulder, “ I
doubt the Lord Zeus will care. Besides, I can reason with him if he does. I am his
daughter after all!” The Goddess of Wisdom left the house and flew back down to
Mount Olympus.
Adrian meanwhile was walking through the center of the city with his
slaves. A couple citizens whispered behind him. Many gave him dirty looks.
Civilians rather hated Adrian because he never helped the city with its troubles,
even though he was a prince. He didn’t care about what the people of Thebes
thought of him. A family was crying beside a half-burnt home, most likely
destroyed by the raiders. Adrian just kept walking. He was too busy to worry
about ordinary civilians problems.
Suddenly something hit the back of his head hard. He turned to see what
the source was but his head spun and his vision turned fuzzy and he could see
nothing. Darkness shrouded his eyes before he collapsed.
Adrian slowly woke up. He was still dizzy but he could now see clearly. He
was in the same place where he had fallen. He quickly stood and looked behind
him to see if his attacker was still there, but all he could see was the empty
street. He called for his slaves, but they were gone.
“How could they leave me here in the street!” roared Adrian. “They shall
be punished tenfold for their incompetence when I return to the palace.”
He began to walk in the direction of his home. Then he noticed how funny
he felt. And cold. He noticed how the wind hit his body with intensity. He looked
down and gasped. He was in rags, beggar’s clothes! His attackers had most
likely switched his elaborate, embroidered clothes with these rags for a cruel
joke. They probably planned to sell the clothes for a fair sum of money.
Turning a corner he walked into a bustling market. “Surely someone will
recognize me here,” Adrian thought. He approached a small stand selling
assorted cuts of meat.
“Can you help me?” asked Adrian in his kindest voice. “I need some
clothes and food.”
The man behind the counter of the meat market looked over Adrian and
scowled. “Why young man!” he said. “Your clothes are perfectly fine! And why
should I feed scum like you anyway? You’re nobody!”
Adrian reeled back in shock. “Me, nobody? I am the Prince of Thebes!
You shall pay for your ignorance with your life!”
The man behind the counter laughed. “Get you and your little fantasies out
of here before I call a policeman.”
An officer saw the commotion and walked over to the meat market. He
looked at Adrian and asked the butcher “Is there a problem here?”
Adrian cried, “Officer! You must recognize me! I am the prince of Thebes.
Can you take me back to the palace?”
The officer looked at Adrian and then at the storekeeper. He started
laughing and said to the butcher, “Don’t worry. I will take care of the little brat. To
think he would be Prince of Thebes. Ha!” The officer turned toward Adrian and
said scornfully, “King Acaeus has never had a son. Now you need to be taught a
lesson for lying.”
The officer brought back his hand to hit Adrian across the face. Adrian
flinched. He had never been hit or touched, really. His father never hit him and no
one in Thebes dared to lay a hand on him.
The officer swung his arm and gave Adrian a strong slap across the face.
Adrian cried out in pain. The officer’s nails had cut through Adrian’s skin and
blood gushed down his cheek. Adrian started crying. The constant stinging and
burning of his cheek seared into Adrian’s mind. He would never forget this
feeling. He had seen the raiders beat the civilians of Thebes before but he had
never felt any sympathy for the citizens. Now he would do anything to make this
pain stop.
The officer smiled at him. “You think that hurt? That is only the beginning.
You need to learn not to lie.” He swung his arm back again but stopped cold. The
officer slowly let go of Adrian’s collar. Adrian looked at the officer’s face. It was
frozen in complete, utter horror. It stayed that way for a second before he cried,
“Raiders!”
The officer kicked Adrian against a wall. Adrian felt something snap inside
of him and he groaned. The officer began to run but a man dressed in exotic
clothes and holding a torch pushed the officer to the ground. The officer fell on
the cold stone hard. When he looked up, Adrian saw that the officer’s nose was
covered in blood.
Adrian had never really seen a raider before up close. Their skin was tan
like Adrian’s but it was stretched tightly over their faces. Long dark hair fell in a
braid down their backs, jewels and gold lacing the hair in a pattern. They wore
strange colorful clothes that were tied into intricate knots. Their eyes were dark
and menacing. The raider spoke to the officer in a foreign accent, in a language
Adrian had never heard before. After kicking the officer and stripping him of his
purse and valuables, the raider picked up his torch and looked at the houses and
buildings around him. He saw a wood structure and smiled. He set his torch to
the straw roof and within minutes a raging fire engulfed the entire house. Adrian
was shaking and cold fear filled his body. The raider slowly turned around. His
evil dark eyes bore into the prince. Adrian let out a scream and his vision turned
black.
Suddenly the room was filled with a bright sunshine. He slowly lifted up his
head. To his surprise, no bones hurt and his skin was unscathed.
“This is impossible!” he murmured. Bones could never heal that quickly,
and a gash like that would surely leave scars on his face.
Suddenly, to his left a sweet soft voice called, “Adrian?” He turned to the
voice, but nobody was there. Instead of seeing a wall or door Adrian eyes fell on
the most beautiful scene he had ever come across.
Thebes was spread out in front of him. He took it in as though he was a
bird flying through the vast blue sky. The streets were bustling with civilians.
Markets were scattered around streets full of citizens and visitors from other
countries. There was not a burnt house in sight. No raiders were in the city.
Adrian wondered how Thebes could prosper like this. Then he slowly looked to
the outer edge of Thebes.
There was a wall.
Limestone bricks glistened in the sun as if they were made of gold. Strong
and compact, the wall rose thirty feet high towards the heavens. Warriors
guarded seven gates with nobles and beggars alike rushing in and out.
“This is how Thebes should be.” Adrian said aloud. He slowly realized he
was in a dream, gifted by the gods, to show him how Thebes could be. Slowly his
vision faded with his heart full of joy.
The Prince woke up in his own bed. He saw his father’s face looking down
at him, surrounded by slaves. When the King saw the prince was awake,
Acaeus’ face lit up. “Adrian, my son, is awake and well!” He hugged Adrian tightly
and Adrian didn’t fight back. A slave who was escorting the prince when he
collapsed ran to him and cried , “Oh my lord! You were walking fine but then you
just collapsed! You were asleep for hours. Please forgive me.”
Adrian laughed. “It is alright. I was asleep for hours? What a dream I had!”
Adrian recalled his pain as a civilian and the beauty he had encountered when he
saw a prospering Thebes.
Adrian’s father said softly, “Rest here Adrian. I have to work to do.
Recover and then I will come back to see you.”
Adrian stood up slowly and said, “No father. I have a council to attend.” He
looked at Acaeus and then proudly said, “With you.”
Adrian walked slowly to the window overlooking Thebes. He saw the
potential beauty Thebes had when it was safe, and how to give peace to Thebes.
He turned to his father to speak.
“Thebes needs to build a wall.”
Ten years later the walls of Thebes stood strong and the city turned back
the raiders who returned to their countries. Peace returned to the city. The wall
had seven gates, just as Adrian had seen in his dream. The city became famous
and to this day Thebes is known as Seven Gated Thebes.
Nick Earley H8a
The Red Planet
“We choose to go to the Moon! We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and
do the other things, not because they are easy but because they are hard…”
President John F. Kennedy ignited the space age in the United States during the
‘60s with this renowned speech at Rice University in 1962. And in that decade the
country was united with a single cause: beat the Soviets to the Moon. It was the endeavor
of hundreds of scientists and engineers, Germans and Americans, which led to one of the
most triumphant moments in U.S. history.
“Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”
And an introverted boy from Wapakoneta, Ohio, driven by a dream to venture
space, would accomplish Kennedy’s goal, delivering the message back to Earth with an
awe-inspiring quote:
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
In that moment there were no budgetary concerns due to the Apollo program, no
division in American society, but unity in the most unknown frontier man has ever
explored, space.
Over 30 years have passed since the last man walked on the face of the Moon and
NASA has done little to reignite the interest in the cosmos since the Mercury, Gemini,
and Apollo programs. In order to inspire the generations to come, a mission is desperately
needed to inspire society that man’s presence in the universe is key to our understanding
of how life originated and to answer possibly the most intriguing question of all: are we
alone? Do other intelligent life forms exist in our galaxy?
For hundreds of years, mankind has looked to the heavens to ponder this question.
And in those skies they have observed our closest neighbor in the solar system, a
planetary body that has been dubbed the “Red Planet” due to the noticeable appearance of
its atmosphere, reflecting a reddish tint back to our observing eyes, resembling the color
of blood. Because of this apparent hue of the planet, astronomers have called this Mars,
the Roman god of war. The world was astonished by such an intriguing place and began
to question the little information that was known. Could this planet harbor life, as we
know it? Science-fiction writers loved the possibility, and Mars became a pop-culture hit.
The War of The Worlds written by H.G. Wells, a famed novel, played on the fictional
idea of extra-terrestrial beings from Mars invading Earth and destroying humanity. Even
Ray Bradbury, the cultural challenger at the time, decided to incorporate cultural issues
into a Mars-like setting that contained real life “Martians” in order to deliver a message
to society in The Martian Chronicles. The Red Planet terrified and captivated the young
and old, inspiring those generations to explore it further to quench their curiosity.
Mariner 4, the first Mars mission, was launched in 1965 to capture images of the
Mars landscape as it flew over its atmosphere. To the dismay of public it was revealed
that no complex cities such as the ones on Earth were present and that great lakes of
water seemed to not exist.
Viking 1 and 2 followed the Mariner mission and were sent directly to the
Martian landscape. The rovers’ missions were to search for organic compounds and
discover if microorganisms were indeed present on the planet. Although becoming the
first manmade vehicles to land on another planet besides our own, the two rovers failed to
find any evidence supporting extra-terrestrial life, stunning the world. Society became
disinterested in the Red Planet and in space altogether, and the curiosity that fueled the
scientific endeavors disappeared almost entirely from the Mars program.
Yet in 1984 the Mars craze would once again be kindled not by an inspiring
Kennedy-esque speech, but by a meteorite projected from the planet. ALH84001,
discovered by geologists in Antarctica, revealed fascinating structures when placed under
an electron microscope. It almost appeared as if a microbial fossil was present in the
micrograph.
Micrograph of ALH84001
And instantly the hunger for scientific knowledge in the universe was refueled.
Mars was not lost to society.
Missions to the planet were restarted and humanity was interested once again in
Mars. NASA began to coin the term “follow the water,” a brief slogan for the underlying
goal for the Mars program, decide whether conditions on Mars are or ever was habitable.
The Spirit and Opportunity rovers were sent to the planet to search for evidence of life as
well as the rover Phoenix. The rovers all pointed to evidence that water was once present
on the planet and that life could have existed on Mars in the distant past. Scientists have
ended up declaring that the Martian atmosphere is too thin for intelligent life forms to
exist on the surface, for if liquid water was to be exposed to the surface, it would freeze
immediately. Dangerous amounts of solar radiation are also capable of piercing the
atmosphere almost entirely, proving to be costly for any cellular structures on the planet.
Despite the risks of sending mankind to the planet, scientists continue to enrich
their curiosity by exploring the possibilities and consequences of a manned mission to the
planet. The newest rover on Mars currently, Curiosity, happens to be the pinnacle of any
engineering feat that has been sent to another planet. The rover, fittingly named after the
characteristic that proves to be the backbone of science, has multiple complex
instruments crammed into the largest man-made vehicle placed on another planet,
approximately the size of a Mini-Cooper. Curiosity, which was sent to Gale Crater in
August of 2012, was placed on the planet to further our knowledge on the question on
whether Mars was a habitable place. The mission, sent to a specific point in the crater
which was dubbed Bradbury Landing in respect of the late writer, is to gather more
information in order to feed the same curiosity that powers the scientific inquiry, and to
explore options on whether a manned mission is possible in the near future.
While working on the Apollo program, Wernher von Braun, the most renowned
rocket scientist in the history of space exploration, explained in a short and concise
statement, “It [the rocket] will free man from his remaining chains, the chains of gravity
which still tie him to this planet. It will open him to the gates of heaven.”
Von Braun’s statement completely embodies the goal of space exploration around
the world today, from the European Space Agency (ESA) to the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA). Man is imprisoned to the Earth, where gravity is the
shackle that holds his arms down. Yet when strength, power, and vision are all combined
into one goal, these shackles of gravity begin to break when we travel at approximately
11 km/s, the escape velocity of Earth. Man had that goal in 1969 when the crew of
Apollo 11 became the first men in history to reach the surface of the Moon. However, the
vision that proves to be the most fundamental element of the key to unlock the chains of
gravity seems to be lost in contemporary circumstances. Since Eugene Cernan of Apollo
17 last left the surface of the Moon, mankind has ceased to deliver the vision needed in
order to allow flesh and bone to reach beyond the landmarks already been put into place
by those before us. We have failed to leap over the hurdle that divides what has been
done versus what hasn’t been done before.
Perhaps a Kennedy is needed to inspire the generations to come that Mars must be
explored by man in order to break free of the chains of gravity on Earth to discover the
lighter shackles on the Red Planet. Because space is the closest place mankind can reach
without entering the “gates of heaven.”
Through Mars, the drive to human self-fulfillment will inspire not only the space-
driven geeks at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory commanding such a manned mission, but
the millions around the globe thirsty for the inspiration needed to lift them to a level they
have never experienced before. A mission would drive the multitude of citizens around
the world to believe that nothing is impossible when one begins to dream. That with one
dream, other dreams will follow, and that these will be the ones that will go on to
improve society, lower unemployment rates in our country and others around the world,
defend basic human rights being threatened in modern circumstances, and drive countries
towards world peace. One mission can inspire millions to create another mission, and
with that mission, space-driven or not, it can improve lives stricken down in
communities, marginalized in society today.
It is those chains that must be broken, and can only be broken through a dream
that one must develop. The dream is possible, for the mathematical equations that can
drive such a mission are real; Von Braun himself delved into such equations in a fictional
story he wrote called Project Mars: A Technical Tale. Robert Zubrin, an engineer for
NASA in the past, elaborated in his book The Case for Mars on the realism and effects if
one could reach the planet and possibly build a community on the Red Planet. And even
the ESA is simulating the effects on the psychological impediments on man during such a
mission that can take up to 6 months, called the Mars500 simulation. Such a simulation
places a few willing volunteers into a module for approximately the duration of a real
mission to the planet, and scientists then can measure the tolls it can take on a human’s
mind to travel to Mars.
The strength and power required to reach past the known to the unknown are
possible. What is needed is a vision, a vision that can combine such complex physical
equations developed by the geniuses of MIT and Caltech with the simple aspiration that
can be dreamed of by a five-year-old child.
On the eve of the Mariner 4 flyby of the planet Mars, Ray Bradbury decided to
once again deliver a message to society through a poem he had written.
“If Only We had Taller Been”
Ray Bradbury
The fence we walked between the years
Did balance us serene;
It was a place half in the sky where
In the green of leaf and promising of peach
We’d reach our hand to touch and almost touch
that lie,
That blue that was not really blue.
If we could reach and touch, we said,
‘Twould teach us, somehow, never to be dead.
We ached, we almost touched that stuff;
Our reach was never quite enough.
So, Thomas, we are doomed to die.
O, Tom, as I have often said,
How sad we’re both so short in bed.
If only we had taller been,
And touched God’s cuff, His hem,
We would not have to sleep away and go with them
Who’ve gone before,
A billion give or take a million boys or more
Who, short as we, stood tall as they could stand
And hoped by stretching thus to keep their land,
Their home, their hearth, their flesh and soul.
But they, like us, were standing in a hole.
O, Thomas, will a Race one day stand really tall
Across the Void, across the Universe and all?
And, measure out with rocket fire,
At last put Adam’s finger forth
As on the Sistine Ceiling,
And God’s great hand come down the other way
To measure Man and find him Good,
And Gift him with Forever’s Day?
I work for that.
Short man. Large dream. I send my rockets forth
between my ears,
Hoping an inch of Will is worth a pound of years.
Aching to hear a voice cry back along the universal Mall:
We’ve reached Alpha Centauri!
We’re tall, O God, we’re tall!
It was Bradbury’s genius to explore the issues of society and to portray them to
the world. He had done it in Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, and in that
moment through a poem that touched the lives of many everywhere. Man was the tallest
in 1969 that it had ever been in history. They had looked to the sky and seen a lunar
surface rise from the clouds to gleam in the dark night, and they had declared it was
possible to leave our planet and land on that celestial object unbeknownst to human
beings. Man had reached his arms into the sky and declared that nothing can impede such
a vision, thus led to von Braun and his “Operation Paperclip” German gang that led the
drive to the Moon in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. That was in 1969.
Today it is 2012, and man has done little to reach their arms into the sky and dream.
Instead he frets about the budgetary concerns and whether it is within financial reason to
plan a mission to Mars and travel beyond what is known to a new height that only God,
Himself, has explored before. The universe remains to and must be investigated by man.
The questions of the cosmos that continue to exist cannot be answered by themselves, but
instead by a man, a man with a dream that can one day proclaim to the heavens while on
the surface of Mars, “We’re tall, O God, we’re tall!”
Works Cited
1. "ESA - Mars500." ESA - Mars500. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. <http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars500/index.html>. 2. "Mars Exploration Program: Missions." Mars Exploration Program: Missions. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. <http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/programmissions/missions/>. 3. "Mars, Facts and Information about the Planet Mars." Space.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. <http://www.space.com/47-mars-the-red-planet-fourth-planet-from-the-sun.html>. 4. Shirber, Michael. "The Continuing Controversy of the Mars Meteorite." The Continuing Controversy of the Mars Meteorite. N.p., 21 Oct. 2010. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://www.astrobio.net/exclusive/3653/the-continuing-controversy-of-the-mars-meteorite->. 5. Von, Braun Wernher, and Henry J. White. Project Mars: A Technical Tale. Burlington, Ont.: Apogee Science Fiction, 2006. Print. 6. Zubrin, Robert, and Richard Wagner. The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must. New York: Free, 1996. Print.
The White Boy
The white boy-
Not born in the cold, hard grip,
Of the cement city streets,
Born in the city- but not the true city,
Where white people think they are dope,
He was born were the people don’t appreciate a brother in need,
A brother living on the streets,
They instead pass a brother with pockets full of green,
Their heads hung low and their lips closed,
They are not willing to help ,
To help a brother put food on the table.
The Rhythm of Drums It was a very hot August day when I woke up. I
gazed out the window watching the sun dance on the leaves. I sniffed the air. The smell of pancakes and butter filled the air. I put on my slippers and walked into the kitchen at my grandma’s house.
“There is my little eight - year - old .”My grandma said turning her head my way. “Morning Grandma.” I replied.
I turned my head to the small table with a platter of pancakes. I sat down on the cushioned chair.
Then I put five pancakes on my plate and poured on some syrup.
After I finished I went to go put on my dress. The dress was a dark turquoise. There was beads
everywhere on the dress. After I slipped it on we went out to the car.
The road was very dusty as our car drove down the long and winding road. I was looking out the
side window when the car came to a stop. My stomach grumbled. The lock on the door clicked open. I slowly opened the car door and got out. Once we walked into the circle of benches and
bleachers I was sick to my stomach. My Grandma told me that there would be an opening dance and then a men’s dance. Next up would be the ladies.
From there it was free style. I waited for the powwow to begin. Finally it began. I walked slowly around the circle with a jump in my step. Then the drums picked up the beat. My heart raced like the drums. I slowly but surely started to
do a small ritual dance that I learned. I moved from side to side. Then I twirled. After a while I
began to enjoy doing the dance. By then the drums pounded the last beat. While the men danced I noticed a pattern. All of the men stomped their
feet at the exact same time. When the time came for the ladies to dance I was very hot. That did not
stop me from performing. I felt so excited when the drums started pounding
away.. I slowly moved from side to side then a twirl. Then I started doing The Butterfly Dance.
Where your feet barely touched the ground when you twirled. I stomped my feet in time to the
drums. I jumped up and down. Twirled in the air. I just danced and danced to the rhythm of the
drums. Since then I have performed many times. I have gotten on youtube and in the newspaper. I even
danced at my Grandma’s wedding. Ever since then I have loved being in the spotlight.
I want to dedicate this to my grandma Carol. She has helped me so much in life.
Your beloved Granddaughter,
Addyson
Volleyball
By: Eva Moravec
There are so many reasons why I love volleyball. First of all, I
love to play because I love hitting volleyballs. Another reason I
like volleyball is that the games feel long when I’m to play
because I feel so excited and happy when I’m on the court. A
third reason I enjoy playing volleyball because I have so much
fun seeing my teammates and I grow better and grow as a
teammate with my friends. Finally, I love playing volleyball
because I love to be around my friends and I have so much fun
learning how to play and playing. These are just a few reasons
why I have fun playing volleyball.
By: Cameron Shutt
Why Does Snow Fall A Folktale By: Eleanor Massengill
My name is Frosty. I am a snow fairy. In three days I will turn sixteen, and I will be able to
take my snowflake and fall down onto Earth. It all started when... “Frosty, darling, wake up. It is time to train for Winter” my mother said. I groggily got up and stumbled to my closet. I picked out a white skirt and a pale blue shirt for training. “We are going to borrow your older brother’s snowflake for practice” my mother explained.
“Ok” I replied, not really caring. I followed my mother down to the breakfast table. “Hello honey” my father said. “Hi. What’s for breakfast?” I asked. “Bacon and eggs” he replied. My mother burns everything she cooks, so Dad is the chef
of the house. I swallowed my breakfast in practically one bite and ran out the door with my mom.
With my snowflake in hand, I took a deep breath, and jumped on my snowflake. I whizzed up into the air. I heard my mother shouting:
“Put your weight to the left to turn!” I leaned to the left and I turned. I smiled so big as if I had won the Snow Queen Pageant.
I leaned to the right and I turned. “Tilt the snowflake towards the ground” Mother shouted. I tilted it and I went flying down. “Well done. Two more days of practice and you will be ready” she said. I smiled and ran
back to the house. “Happy Birthday Frosty!” my family said in unison. I was so sore from three days of
training, but I managed a smile. “We have to leave to get your very own snowflake” Father said. “Ugh” I whined, but I got up anyway. “Wow, I don’t know which one to get. The snowflakes are so beautiful” I said when we
got DSW Snowflakes. It stands for Designer Snowflake Warehouse. “Just pick one Frosty. We don’t have all day” my older brother, Jack, complained. “That one” I said, pointing at a snowflake with hearts. It sparkled like a diamond tiara. “Alright. It is a little expensive, but it is your birthday” Dad said. “Thank you Dad” I replied as I hugged him. He smiled, grabbed the snowflake, and
walked over to the cashier. He came back soon after with the snowflake in hand. “C’mon,” Mother said “ we don’t want to be late for The Fall.” The Fall is when we fall to the ground of the Earth on our snowflakes. We ran to the car
and drove to the Ice Palace. “Nervous?” Dad asked. “A little” I lied. I was freaking out. Dad chuckled in reply. By the time we reached the Ice Palace it felt like a stampede of buffalo was running
through my stomach, instead of the usual butterflies. I looked around and I saw friends from my school. I also saw little kids waving goodbye
to their parents before they went to a center where they would wait for their parents return from The Fall.
Luckily, everyone in my family was over the age of sixteen so I wouldn’t miss them. I remember waiting all of December for my parents return. The next cloud over Falls in January, and the other Falls in February. It is best to Fall in December because you don’t have to drench yourself in rain to make slush like the January and February Fallers. I walked over to The Edge
where in five minutes I would have to jump over into the endless sky. I peered over it and saw small clouds that weren’t inhabited by other Snow Fairies.
“Frosty, follow us. We have to stay close if we want to find each other at the bottom” Mother said.
She didn’t have to tell me twice. I followed them to a space at The Edge. Suddenly, a loud voice came out of the speakers surrounding The Edge. “Fallers, this is your King Frostini. Get to your places because when I say ‘go’ you will
jump of The Edge and Fall. On your mark. Get set. Go!” Everyone around me jumped. I didn’t have time to think. I just jumped on my snowflake
and Fell. It felt like I was a baby bird who just took it’s first flight. It felt amazing. In no time at all we landed on the hard ground. I just Fell and I couldn’t wait until next year to do it again.
That is why snow falls.
Why Do Bats Hide In The Day
Long before any human roamed the earth, there were hundreds ofbeasts and birds flying, running, and jumping in forest and bays.There was peace in the world. All was well... until the birds and thebeasts broke out into war. The birds threw sticks that were inflames. The beasts sent the cats to destroy the bird’s trees. Soon thebeasts and the birds lost many of their warriors they cried for thebats support in the war. The bats elders talked things over anddecided ,for two very good reasons, not to help the birds nor thebeasts. The first reason was that it would be unfair to help one sidebecause the other side would die out. Plus the bats weren’t beast norbird. They were both. When the beasts and the birds heard the batsreply they were outraged but still they fought on. Finally when thewar stopped there was no winner and no loser. The birds and thebeasts decided to just divide the land. However, the birds and thebeasts wanted to punish the bats for not helping with the war.When the birds and the beasts had a meeting they decided to banishthe bats to the darkness so they would never see them again. That is why the bats only come out at night. They are scared to facethe birds and the beasts.
-Addyson Taylor
Snow, snow, come again
When will I see you, when?
The snow finally came
I was so happy my smile was as big the hall of fame
I threw a snowball at a fast pace
Oops! It hit my brother’s face
By: Sara Snowballs passing through the air
Cold wind is blowing around my hair.
The wind was blowing around in a hurry
All I could see was big white flurries.
Frosty the snowman we all sang
Then we heard a big loud bang.
Is it the abominable snowman I said?
If it is he might stomp on my head!
Writing
By: Gellila Asmamaw
Writing is how I can express myself anywhere, anytime whether it’s
through poetry, enhancing stories with descriptive details, or even
brainstorming. Descriptive details help me put what I have in my
imagination to the paper in front of me. Poetry is a way for me to show
my emotions. If I was feeling desolate, then I would write about
something desolate. If I heard something melodious, then I would probably
write about church bells or a mocking jay’s call. Brainstorming for me is an
exciting and fun way to be creative, unique, and different. It’s such an
amazing experience being a writer. I love poetry, descriptive details, and
brainstorming because it shows who I am, the kind of girl who loves to
write.