Pegasus Tech High School

2011 Literary & Visual Arts Magazine

excerpt from Piano Collage Miracle Thomas, 10th Grade

Pegasus, Tech High School’s

literary and visual arts magazine, is in its charter year. Our goal is to cultivate the talents of our high school students and provide them with a forum to share their work with their fellow classmates and their community. We thank all the students who submitted work for consideration and ask you to help us celebrate the creative efforts of the students whose work was selected for publication.

FACULTY Sponsors Shanna Miles, Literature

Maureen Reuter, Art

Hallway Kesalyn Benton, 11th Grade

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TECH HIGH SCHOOL

1043 Memorial Drive SE

Atlanta, Georgia 30316

www.techhighschool.org

Pegasus

2011, Vol. 1

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Students in the Stairwell Shanteal Weldon, 11th Grade

Literature

Fiction “Poetic Power” Jessica Hood 4

“Making a Choice” Chris Cannon 13

“A New Life” Medford Daniels, Jr. 18

Non Fiction “The Old and Wise” Suliman Abdus-Salam 7

“I‟m in the Army Now” Rashawn Smith 16

“How to Ride a Bike” Enrique King 16

Poetry “Hate Takes a lot of Love” Danisha Almond 5

“Tomorrow” Miracle Thomas 6

“Mirror, Mirror” Shanae Bethea 8

Drama Brash and Beauty Gabrielle Hunt 9

Art

Photography “Hallway” Kesalyn Benton 1

“Stairwell” Shanteal Weldon 2

“San Fran” Taylor Scott 12

Graphic Design “Piano Collage” Miracle Thomas Cover, 3

“Roses Collage” Miracle Thomas 6

“Azaleas” Imon Freeman 17

Drawing/Mixed Media “Love” Danisha Almond 5

“Grimjow Fanart” Josef Thompson 8

“Regret” Audia Anderson 15

Table of Contents

Piano Collage Miracle Thomas, 10th Grade

3

Poetic Power

Jessica Hood, 12th grade

During the day, I mask my true persona. I change for the people who challenge my identity. Transformed into something other than me, I have become just another phony. Happy in my perfect

realm of writing, I am yanked out with the alarming sound of my mother’s voice. “Jamie, wake up.

You’re late for school.” I roll my eyes to her

unnecessary loudness, turn my boom box up to the

highest volume, and force myself out of bed.

Repeating my daily affirmation, “You are strong.

You are beautiful, and your path is your own.” I accidentally blanked out the rest of the morning.

It’s not until Christie Carmichael, my enemy since

second grade and the most popular girl in school,

threw her empty water bottle at the back of my

head. “Big James, can you pass me my bottle? I tried to throw it in the trash can, but you’re just so

big that you’re blocking the entire front of the

classroom.”

“Christie,” I screamed.

“Yes…Big James. Is there a problem?” she

stated so nicely. “Of course there is. The problem is you. You

are the most disrespectful, careless, and unlikeable

person at this school. The only reason you were

voted Miss Twelfth Grade is because you’ve slept

with half the senior class,” is what I told her; or at

least what I imagined myself telling her. What really happened was that I told her, “As a strong woman,

I dismiss the negativity that is seeping from the

pores of the devil.”

In response, she told me, “As a beautiful

and physically fit woman, I dismiss the hippie powers that come from a fat feminist.”

With her comment, I put my head down and

convinced myself that by ignoring her statement I

have become the bigger person, knowing that if she

had heard me she would have said,” You are

obviously the bigger person, Big James.” So I finished my day with the exterior confidence of

someone who has won the Carmichael battle, but

internally knowing that I have lost in the overall

war with self-esteem and self-worth.

It wasn’t until 3:30 that afternoon that I gained some form of respect and power. The

second annual Youth Poetry Slam competition was

finally here and I was first to perform. With my first

line, I killed the audience, “Twenty years from now

my words will stick to the soles of our youth.” With

great precision and consistent energy, I finished my poem and was embraced with applause and

acceptance. I knew in this moment that I did

something right and was loved by everyone in the

room.

The next day at school, I was still feeling the high that I gained from the Poetry Slam. As the

winner, no one had to tell me that I wasn’t all that, until the blackness of Christie Carmichael hit me.

She screamed down the hall way,” Ladies and

Gentlemen, It has come to my attention that Big

Baby James is not a loser after all. She won first

place in the Cat in the Hat composition last night.

Congratulations Jamie, I am so proud of you…I lied!!” Following her snide comment, her flunkies

laughed hysterically. But surprisingly, a small but

enormously loud girl named Lauren stepped up to

defend me.

“Christie, now I know you’re not hating on Jamie because she’s known for something other

than being the dumbest girl in school.”

“Hi, Lauren. I didn’t know you were here

today”, said Christie.

“I’m not surprised”, said Lauren. “Why don’t

you go pretend to read a book and get off Jamie for doing something good.” With Lauren’s suggestion,

Christie and her crew unexpectedly left without

saying a word. Blown away, I immediately thanked

her for standing up for me, but what she replied

was startling. “Don’t thank me for something you were very well capable of doing yourself. I was there

last night and heard the confidence you had in the

way you performed. If you are that strong in front

of people you don’t know, then it shouldn’t be hard

for you to be strong in front of someone you’ve

known for years. Don’t let her disrespect and belittle you. I don’t care if she is my sister.”

“You are a Carmichael?” I screamed.

“Yes, born and raised in the same house as

my monster of a sister, but you’ve lost the point.

You are stronger than your enemies and can overcome anything you put your mind to,” she said.

I told her, “I know that now. I’m going to be

the person that I was last night and prove to

everyone that I’m somebody worthy of respect and

will not lie down and take their crap.”

After the conversation that I had with Lauren “Carmichael,” my whole image of myself

changed. I didn’t need to repeat corny affirmations

every morning because when I woke up from then

on, I already carried a certain strength within me.

All I had to do was write, and use my poems and spoken word to express how I felt every day. My

confidence and self-respect would defeat everything

else. I am my own enemy. Trapped in a nightmare created by me, I have altered my original destiny and changed my path. It is me and only me that has to come to terms with that. It is me that can change

it back.”

4

Hate Takes a lot of Love

Danisha Almond, 11th Grade

I kneel on the floor,

Tears falling from my eyes.

I have learnt to hate you,

Along with all your lies.

Then why do I still love you?

Why am I still here?

When you have broken me,

and still not shed a tear.

People say its plain to see,

People say its clear.

That is I just run away,

You would just disappear.

But nothing was ever simple,

There‟s nothing clear to see.

I could never run away,

From what was once so dear to me.

I love you but I hate you,

Without you I‟d be dead.

But you‟ll be the death of me,

With all the things you‟ve said.

I know this won‟t make any sense,

You might misunderstand.

Please just never leave me,

I hope you‟ll understand.

5

Tomorrow is a Day

Miracle Thomas, 10th Grade

Tomorrow is a day that glistens brighter and higher than the noonday sun

Hoping that you still have breath

And your eyelids open ever so slightly

While your head presses against your soft pillow

And laying under your covers so warm

Your arms extend in the air and a yarn trails behind

Your brain speaks „staying in bed is perfectly fine‟

But soon your legs are dangling off the bed

Dreading the morning because more sleep is all you need

But to some, this is just a dream

Because the morning is such a beautiful sight

Rose Collage Miracle Thomas, 10th Grade

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7

The Old and Wise

Sulaiman Abdus-Salam, 12th Grade

Every child has heard their parent tell them always to listen to their

elders. Most children will ignore this advice, not realizing that it could be

very enlightening in their future. I, unfortunately, am one of those children

that ignored his parent’s advice and had to learn the hard way.

I remember at age 11, my father’s friend, Amir, invited my brother

and me to his shooting range in Alabama. At first, I thought my dad would decline the invitation because of safety reasons, but apparently learning

how to shoot a gun is a good thing to learn at a young age. The very next

day, we set off to Alabama. It was so early, we had to use the headlights on

the freeway. It’s surprising how fast time goes by when you are listening to

an old man ramble on about the art of haunting, politics, his past, and forest survival. It felt like it took 30 minutes to arrive in Alabama, but really

it takes several more.

As we unloaded the car, my brother and I couldn’t help but stare at

Amir as he loaded three 20mm carbines, which are really large rifles that at

the time were almost as tall as me. In order to enter the main part of the

shooting range, we had to take a short hike through a grassy plain. He told us to tuck our pants into our boots so that nothing harmful could crawl

into them. What he told us was good advice, because minutes into the hike,

all of a sudden he paused and told us to stop. He pointed to the ground and

told us to look carefully at the ground. As my brother and I searched the

ground, I spotted an odd slick figure that had a black and brown pattern all over its body. It turned out that it was a rattle snake. Amir told my brother

and me that if we missed that snake, one of us could have gotten bit.

Instead of simply stepping over the snake, Amir pulled out a Glock

19 and emptied a shell in the snake’s body. The sound of the fire arm made

my ears ring. I couldn’t hear a thing for a couple of seconds. I then asked

myself, if that small pistol made a noise that loud, I wonder how loud the rifles will be. It was time to find out. We finally got to the tower and before

we climbed up, Amir handed me the pistol he had recently shot, and asked

to slowly climb up to check if there was anything up there already that

could harm us. He basically used me as a pawn. Thankfully, it was clear.

My brother was first up to fire one of the rifles. Amir passed us a set of earplugs so that we wouldn’t be deaf when we got older. When my

brother pulled the trigger, I couldn’t stop laughing because his body was

shaking like he was having a seizure. I shot next and the same thing

happened to me. After that, he passed me the Glock again to shoot. I was a

little more excited about shooting this gun because it was more my size.

Amir saw the look in my eye and immediately told me to take it easy because the size of the gun didn’t matter. I of course ignored his advice and

held the gun the way I wanted, stood the way I wanted, and fired when I

wanted.

The first shot I took was the last. When I pulled the trigger, the gun

flew out of my hand because I was holding it with one hand instead of both hands. The gun flew up and behind me. It happened so fast that my

brother didn’t realize that the gun was flying towards him. The gun hit

against his head, firing off another shot. All three of us froze in a frightened

stance. Amir didn’t ever say anything, didn’t even scold me. All he did was

grab all the equipment and told us to follow him back to the truck.

The ride back was long and soundless.

Mirror, Mirror

Shanae Bethea, 12th Grade

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Who‟s the fairest of them all?

I don‟t see me in your reflection,

I see someone beautiful, without imperfection.

I see a girl. She‟s dainty and thin,

Her dark hair brushes against her soft skin,

With dark eyes that reflect the moonlight,

Such delicate features, they sink into the night.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Why am I not there at all?

I see beauty in front of me,

I‟m sure that‟s not what you see.

You see a no one. A nobody,

A thin girl in a fat body,

I want to become the real me,

Work long and hard just so you‟ll see.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Am I the fairest of them all?

No, not yet, but I aim to be,

When I become it, then you‟ll see.

8

Grimjow Fanart Josef Thompson, 12th Grade

Brash and Beauty

Gabrielle Hunt, 12th grade

Characters:

LYNN, the owner of Brash & Beauty salon

ERICA, Lynn‟s employee and friend

MIA, salon employee

MIKE, salon employee

MOESHA, salon employee

FRED, Lynn‟s fiancé

MRS. BLOOM, a customer in the beauty salon

SCENE I

[LYNN opens the salon, turns on the light with a switch at the door, and enters with a huge smile on her face. ERICA then enters

the salon behind her and starts to engage in a conversation with Lynn as they set up their stations for the day.]

ERICA: Hey, Honey.

LYNN: Hi, Erica. Isn‟t today a wonderful day just to be? [Lynn starts to smile and twirl around the salon.]

ERICA: Oh, I see someone had a good weekend with their soon-to-be husband.

LYNN: Erica, Girl, it was beyond good. It was like heaven. He treats me like a queen. I just imagine how he will treat me

when we get married.

ERICA: I‟m so happy for you. Glad you found a good man because, Girl, I can‟t seem to find a good man these days.

[As LYNN and ERICA are talking, MIA, MOESHA, and MIKE enter the salon.]

MIKE: Hey, y‟all. The finest has arrived! [He struts like a model down an imaginary runway to his station.]

LYNN [laughingly]: You a hot mess, I tell you.

MIA: Girl, you know how he is. [She starts to laugh.]

ERICA: Mike looks fabulous today. Work it, Brother, work it! [She snaps her fingers.]

MIKE: Ladies, I had a beautiful weekend. My gal and I went out for a candlelit dinner for two.

LYNN: That‟s romantic, Mike.

[MOESHA enters sheepishly and rushes to her station.]

MOESHA: Hey, everybody. I‟m sorry I‟m late. I went clubbing last night and had a couple of drinks. Girl, I went home

with a fine brother.

LYNN: Girl, you know you young. You stay out every night, no worries. I remember those days! [She sighs.]

MIKE: Moesha, you need to start bringing your butt to work on time because your clients are waiting on you!

MOESHA: I know, right, but I just can‟t get up on time. I totally need an assistant [looking at LYNN]

LYNN: Don‟t look at me like that! Sure, I‟ll get you an assistant! [Said sarcastically.]

ERICA: We totally need one around here. Things would go a lot faster if we had an assistant.

MOESHA: Not to bust your bubble, but I‟m not deaf and clearly Lynn said she would get me an assistant, not the whole

salon!

[She rolls her eyes at Erica. The others look at her and shake their heads.]

MIKE [loudly]: Girl, why you busting bubbles? Just to inform you, Sweetheart, I don‟t need an assistant. I do a marvelous job

all by myself!

ERICA: Moesha, I don‟t know exactly who you think you‟re talking to because I‟m 32 years old, a grown woman, and you

are 21years old, talking to me like you have really gone crazy. Just because you are at the legal age to drink doesn‟t mean

you have to drink the whole bottle! You got to be drunk to be talking to people as if you run this salon! As I recall, you

are not Lynn and you don‟t pay for nothing around here. So, remember, Sweetie, pick your fights wisely.

LYNN: Hold on. You all need to calm down. Our first client will be here any second. [She speaks with quiet authority.]

ERICA: I truly apologize, Lynn, for arguing over petty things! [She looks pointedly at Moesha.]

MIKE: I‟m just tired of the selfish people that surround me each and every day! [He looks pointedly at Moesha, as well.]

[The argument ends as Moesha storms out of the salon. Lights fade.]

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SCENE II

[The next day in the Brash & Beauty salon, MIKE, ERICA, and MIA are doing the normal routine things they would do at their

stations. MIKE and ERICA are at adjacent stations.]. MRS. BLOOM, a customer, sits in a chair at Erica’s station.]

ERICA [addressing her client]: Mrs. Bloom, how would you like your hair today?

MRS. BLOOM [looks up at Erica]: Girl, just make me flawless!

ERICA [laughing]: OK, I can definitely do that!

MIKE: Erica, I wonder where Lynn and Moesha could be at this time of the day.

ERICA: Well, Lynn said she had to meet Fred.

MIKE: OK, and what about Moesha?

ERICA: I don‟t know where that child is. She is always late. That‟s nothing new [she shakes her head and purses her lips.]

MIKE: But she has never been this late.

[LYNN interrupts Erica and Mike’s conversation by entering the shop. She slams the door and storms to the back of the salon with

anger in her eyes. ERICA and MIKE are startled and look at each other wondering what could be the problem and why Lynn is so

angry.

MIKE [quietly]: I wonder what‟s wrong with her.

ERICA [worriedly, just above a whisper]: I‟ve never seen her this angry before.

MIKE: Somebody really had to piss her off!

LYNN [re-entering the room]: Yes I‟m pissed, and do you want to know why??

ERICA: Tell us what‟s wrong, Honey.

MIKE: Yeah, because we hate to see you like this.

[Mike turns his chair expectantly. Lynn sits as the other three gather around. She looks at Mike, Mia, and Erica in the mirror. She is

holding back tears.]

LYNN: Well, you see, today I was supposed to meet Fred to pick out the wedding decorations with our wedding plan-

ner.

MIKE: OK, so what happened?

LYNN: I‟ll tell you what didn‟t happen - he never showed up!

MIKE: He probably has a good explanation for not being there. [He rubs Lynn’s back to comfort her.]

MIA: Oh, no, he knew this meant the world to her. [She shakes her head.]

ERICA: Did you call him?

LYNN: Of course I did, but he didn‟t pick up.

[As they are talking to Lynn about Fred, MOESHA walks in the door with a huge smile on her face.]

MOESHA [walks toward her station dreamily]: Hello, everyone! I‟m sorry I‟m so late.

MIKE: Why you so happy?

MOESHA: Because I just had lunch at Dolce with my new man - he‟s a lawyer!

MIKE: Wow, Dolce, he must really like you!

ERICA: What did you do for a lawyer to take you to the most expensive restaurant in town?

MOESHA: Dang, I didn‟t do anything! We are in love, and he just likes to treat me well [she smiles dreamily]

[Lynn’s phone starts to ring. She answers and it is FRED. She puts the phone on speaker. Everyone becomes silent so they can hear

his excuse on why he wasn’t able to meet Lynn.]

LYNN [angrily]: Hello.

FRED: Hi, my beautiful queen!

LYNN: Anyways, explain to me why you were not able to meet me today?

FRED: I‟m sorry, Honey, I had to go to a very important meeting with some important people at Dolce today.

LYNN: OK, so why you didn‟t call me and tell me what was going on?

FRED: I‟m sorry, Honey. I promise I‟ll make it up to you tonight.

LYNN: You better.

FRED: Don‟t be mad, Sweetheart. I love you. I‟ll see you tonight!

LYNN: I love you, too.

FRED: Bye, Sweetheart.

LYNN: Bye.

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[LYNN and FRED’s conversation ends. Erica, Mia, and Mike are curious about what Fred had said on the phone. Moesha steps

back, with her hand over her heart and with a strange, shocked look on her face.]

ERICA: Lynn, didn‟t he say he was at Dolce?

LYNN: Yes, he was there in an important meeting. Did you see him there, Moesha?

MOESHA: I don‟t know. I‟ve never met Fred.

MIKE: Wow, Fred and Moesha were each at Dolce. So, you‟ve never seen Fred, have you Moesha? Not even once, huh.

Too bad. Then we‟d know if he‟s telling the truth about that meeting.

LYNN: Leave her alone! If she doesn‟t know him, then oh well. I know she would have told me if she had seen him. Then

I would know if he was actually in a meeting or if he‟s lying and was with another woman.

ERICA: I guess.

MIKE: Yeah, I guess you are right, Lynn. Moesha, what is wrong with you? You look like you just saw a ghost!

MOESHA: Oh, no! I can‟t hold this in!

MIKE: Hold what in?

MOESHA: That the lawyer I have been sleeping around with is Fred! I didn‟t know until just now when I heard his voice.

It‟s been going on during their whole relationship!

[Lynn turns around with tears in her eyes. She doesn’t open her month when Mike and Erica start to go off on Moesha.]

ERICA: You dirty son of [she catches her self]

MIKE: If I were a full woman, I would kick your butt.

ERICA [addressing Lynn]: Girl, do you want to black her eyes, or can I do it?

[Lynn sits down with tear-reddened eyes but says nothing. Lynn just sits and stares as if her heart has fallen out of her chest.]

MOESHA: As I thought, Lynn isn‟t gonna say nothing to me. I‟m sorry and all, but Fred and I are in love!

ERICA: See, women like you make women like me go to jail!

MIKE: Lynn! Lynn! LYNN!

[Lynn gets up and paces, obviously lost in thought.

LYNN: What should I do? Do I want her friendship or do I want my man? You know what? I don‟t want either one!

[Lynn then goes on a rampage, throwing beauty products from the counter across the room and at Moesha. She is cursing under her

breath as she does this.]

LYNN [addressing Moesha]: You are so evil! I hate you! Get your stuff and get out of my salon! I don‟t need you in my life!

You are so money hungry! You know what? I had your back when nobody else did. You came and stayed with me when

your mother kicked you out. You little home-wrecking child! I gave you this job when you had no experience. I taught you

all you know. But you can kick rocks with open toed sandals!

MOESHA: Why are you so mad? I said I was sorry! [She begins to cry]

[LYNN then walks up to MOESHA and punches her in the face. LYNN loses control and she keeps punching her.]

ERICA: Stop! Lynn, stop before you go to jail. She‟s not worth it!

MIKE: Oh, my god, she is going to break her face!

[ERICA and MIKE finally get LYNN off of MOESHA.]

MOESHA: You tried to kill me! [She is crying while looking at Lynn]

LYNN: I would have killed your trifling butt if they didn‟t get me off of you!

MOESHA: I‟m sorry, I‟m so sorry! [She cries and she pleads.]

LYNN: Why are you still here? Leave! Get you and your purse and step because that‟s all you own in this salon. And

make sure you tell your lover boy that his stuff will be outside, so he should come get it before the trash man does. [She

laughs while tears rush down her face]

[Moesha leaves the salon with just her handbag, her head bowed down, while Lynn sits and breaks down. She cries for several sec-

onds, but then she begins to smile, then laugh.]

LYNN: Thank you guys for showing me what‟s really important. I have my salon and I know who my real friends are.

ERICA: No problem, girl! I love you, but that‟s not why I did it. I just didn‟t want to have to bail you out of jail!

MIKE: I know that‟s right!

LYNN: I love you guys. And I‟m too cute for jail!

11

12

San Fran Taylor Scott, 12th Grade

.Making a Choice

Chris Cannon, 9th Grade

“Down. Set. OK, I can do this. Just one score away from winning. Set. Hut, hut hike. Almost there 3-2-1 lunge like a lemur. Yes, I did it! And the winner of the game is East Jacksonville High, 28 and West Miami High, 26. Good game, Josh. Thanks, same to you to, D. Riiiiiing!

Thanks for that, you stupid alarm clock. “Josh, time to wake up. You know you have to be at school at eight. You can’t be late again if you

want to stay on the team.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah, “I know, Mom. What’s for breakfast?”

“Now you know I don’t cook in the morning.” Well, thanks for that. “Time to get ready.” Music. Clothes and time to get dressed. Can’t you see that I’m the one who understands you?

“Son, what’s going on in there?

“Uh … nothin’, just getting dressed.”

“Well, stop all that singing!”

Hey, I don’t talk about you while you’re in the shower. Now listen, you leave me out of this. “Yeah, yeah.” Uh, nope that shirt doesn’t match with these pants. Try again. Ah, that’s better. “Josh, you need to hurry up if you want a ride to school.”

“Alright, Mom.” Teeth, hair, breath, hah hah good. “JOSHUA LEROY MACAVELLE.”

“I’m coming, Ma.” Gosh! “Where’s your sister?

“I don’t know where she is.” “Well, can you go get her and tell her to come on?”

“I always do, don’t I?” Don’t get slapped.

BANG! Darn steps! I always fall up them every time.

“Come on! Ma said its time to go.”

“Haven’t you heard of knocking?” “Nope, I’m a cave man.”

Downstairs. No falling this time. Where’d she go? “Where’s Mom, Dad?”

“Oh, she just left. Said you guys were taking too long.”

“Dad, can I get the keys to the car?”

“Sure, just don’t get a ticket like you did last time.”

“Thanks, Dad. You’re the best!” “You better hurry up. You gotta drop your sister off, too. And when you get home, we need to

have a talk about your grades. I don’t want you kicked off the team.”

Yeah, me neither. Chirp. Chirp. Boom. Vroom. Vroom. Vroom. Vroom. Now, what is that girl doing! Take off in T-minus 5…4...3...2…

“You almost got left. But you didn’t ’cause ... I don’t know. You just almost got left!” Music. Shades. “Count it down for me, Sis.”

“Red … Red … Yellow … Green! I don’t see why we’re always getting left.”

“Neither do I.”

“It’s not like we take forever to get dressed.”

“Speak for yourself on that one. Is your school to the left or the right?”

“The right, Dummy.” “OK, you startin’ to get too grown for yourself, Missy. I’m here, now get out. Bye. Have a nice day.”

“Don’t you get mushy with me, L’il Boy. Bye.”

Now let’s see, what time it is? Oh, my gosh, it’s 7:50 and I’m not even halfway there and these red lights aren’t helping. Three minutes left and a quarter mile to go. Time to open this baby up. OK, one minute left and I gotta go to my locker and get to top class. Riiing!

Dang it! 13

14

“Sir, you’re late to class.”

“Yeah, I know I am. Uh, sorry.”

“Why are you late?” “I had to drop my sister off at school.”

“Well, go to the office and tell them your story there.”

“Yes, sir.” Here we go again with the falling up the steps. Gosh. “OK, Josh, why are you here in the office already?”

“And why were you late?”

“I had to drop off my sister.” “Oh. OK, but next time that happens come tell me first. And by the way, you need to get those two

failing grades up if you expect to play on the football team.”

“Yes, sir.” Do you think I don’t know that! “Now you go ahead and go to class. I’ll call him and tell him it’s alright this time.”

Forget homeroom. I’m gonna ask my teachers for some work to do. Man, I gotta bring up my grade. Knock Knock. “Yes, come in.” “Uh … OK, can I have some work so I can bring up my grade in your class?”

“Sure all you need to do is a page for every missing assignment, and I’ll change all your 0’s to B’s.” Ha! Now to the evil witch of the West Wing. Knock Knock.

“Come in.” “ “Uh, hi. I was wondering … can I please make up some of my work for your class?”

“Yes, sure. Just do all the work you didn’t do and I’ll give you partial credit. But you’ve got to get

each one signed by your parents and tell them why.”

Great. “OK. Thanks.”

“Both parents, Josh.”

“OK, no problem.” Two more classes then I can go home and do this work. Second period here I come. The most fun class I take. Vehicle engineering. “OK, so Josh, which ride out here is yours.”

“Uh, you want me to go get it?”

“Yes, sir. I would like to compare student cars for the class.” “OK. I’ll be right back.” Forgot to turn the music down. OK, that’s better. “Here she is, K.”

“Oh, this is your car.”

“Yes, yes it is.”

“Well, that’s all we have time for today, class. So, Josh, you show me what you know about this

car after school, and that’ll put your grade in my class up to an A. So, what’s a good day for you, Josh?”

Oh, no! If I miss football practice, Coach is gonna nail me but if I don’t get my grades up it’s not gonna mat-ter.

“Today after school will be fine.”

“OK, I’ll be in the teachers’ parking lot. See you then.”

Third period class. I hate P.E. “You’re here on time and dressed out. What’s going on? That’s not like you, Josh.”

“I know it’s not. I’m making a change for the better.” And I have a challenge for you, Coach.” “Yeah, what’s that?”

“If I beat you in a game of 21 and a 400-yard dash and do 100 push-ups, you give me an A in

your class.

“What happens of I win?”

“Uh, I have to do our first deal.”

“Deal. Let’s go then, Josh.” OK, let’s tally it up. Game of 21 goes to Coach, 400-yard dash goes to Josh, and so does the 100 pushups. Josh wins. Now let’s see that grade change to an A. Nice doing business with you, Coach. Is he going to show up for practice, D.? No he’s doing something more important for a change, K. Yes, here he is.

“Here’s my car. How long do you think this is it going to take?” “Josh you already passed the test.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I wanted to see if you actually would skip football practice to come do what’s right.” Here's your

grade, and now I can officially say you’ve changed for the better.”

15

Regret Audia Anderson, 9th Grade

16

How to Ride a Bike

Enrique King, 12th Grade

When I first learned how to ride a bike, I

was ecstatic. The learning process wasn’t easy

but I stuck to it. The funny thing is, I did it

alone when I first started. But once I fell the

first few times, my grandma gave me a few

pointers and the rest is history. Looking in from

the outside, an ordinary person would say it’s

easy. If they knew what I do their minds would

change rapidly.

I was about eight years old and I got my

third bike, my first without training wheels. I

was intimidated by it because it was taller than

me. I thought that if I walked it up the hill, it

would be an easy ride down. I began to walk the

bike up my street. Once I reached the top of the

hill, I climbed onto the seat and proceeded to

ride down the hill. I fell due to an acorn in the

middle of the street. My knees were bruised

and scraped up. I got up and tried again.

So, I went up the hill again, and rode

down but this time when I fell it was in front of

my house. My grandma saw me fall, and she

showed me to try to balance myself by holding

the bar with a firm grip. I went back up the hill

for my seventh or eighth time. This time when I

rode down, I took my grandmother’s advice and

rode down sturdily. Ever since that day, I still

ride bikes the same way.

I’m in the Army Now

Rashawn Smith, 12th Grade

On Thursday, July 15, 2010, I became a

member of the United States Army. It all

happened at Fort Gillem U.S. Army Base. The

atmosphere was very fierce and tense. It began

the day before at the recruiting office with my

recruiters while they were finishing up my

paperwork so they could drop me off at the

Double Tree Hotel.

Once they dropped me off at the Double

Tree by Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, I

wandered into the hotel lobby to be shown to my

room. We had a briefing at 8:30 pm, where they

told us about our 11:00 pm curfew. As the hours

slowly passed, I didn’t sleep until it was three

hours before it was time for me to get up at 4:oo

in the morning.

Once I got up, I got ready to leave. The rest

of the recruits and I lined up in two parallel lines

to walk to the two charter buses that they

provided for our transportation. Once we got on

the buses, they pulled off and we were on our way

to Fort Gillem.

As we entered the base, everybody had to

show an I.D. to the guards at the front gate. Once

on base, we made our way to M.E.P.S., which

stands for Military Entrance Processing Station.

At the entrance to M.E.P.S., we grabbed our bags

and walked into the building. We placed our bags

into a closet and went to the waiting room.

I waited for about six hours along with

other Army recruits to be sworn in to the United

States Army. As we were being sworn in, I had

lots of butterflies in my stomach. However, I

worked through the butterflies and became an

official member of the United States Army.

This is one of the greatest achievements in

my life so far.

17

Azaleas Imon Freeman, 11th Grade

18

A New Life

Medford Daniels, Jr. 9th Grade

Peter was a young sixteen-year-old boy living with his mother. His father had died

when he was three. His mother gave him his father‟s pocket watch that reminds him to do the

right thing. They had moved from New York City to Atlanta, Georgia. Peter was an only child.

Although he and his mother were very poor, one thing that he did have was a cell phone.

“Hey, Chris. What‟s up?” Peter‟s mom often let him talk to his old friend, Chris, each

night. “Yeah, we‟re still here. Man, these apartments are B-A-D! Not like our old one in the

City. Carver Homes. They make it sound like a mansion, but it‟s just a hole in the wall even

the rats won‟t live in. And I‟m so tired of the gangs.” They wanted Peter to be in their gang,

but he did not want to be in any gang.

Every night, Peter would tell Chris how they kept asking him to be in their gang, but he

kept saying no. “Man, let me tell what they did today.” They bullied him every time they saw

him, and he didn‟t want to speak out and tell anyone. The neighborhood boys told him if he

told anyone, they would beat him up. So every night, as he talked on the phone with Chris, he

cried and wished he had some friends here he could count on and hoped that everything

would be OK. Chris would always tell him to tell his mother, but he was afraid that the boys

would beat him up even worse than they did each day.

So, one day as he was playing outside with his basketball, the same group of boys came

up to him. They said that they were not asking him to be in the gang anymore. They were

telling him. He told them no repeatedly, but they told him that he had no choice. He ran into

the house and did not come back outside for the reminder of the day.

The next day as he was walking to school, that same gang of boys came up to him and

told him that they were not playing anymore. He started to run, but they were faster than he

was since he had his book bag and it had multiple books in it, so it slowed him down.

They caught up with him and a boy named CJ came out of nowhere with a devastating

punch. CJ with knocked him off my feet and onto his back. The rest of the boys laughed. At

that moment, he knew that he was in danger, He balled up on the ground like a beach ball as

they stomped him and kicked him until someone pulled up and they ran.

When he got home, his mom asked him what happened. He told her that he had

gotten jumped. As she went to wipe the blood from his eyes and his lips, she noticed that he

had a gash on the side of his face. Next thing he knew, they were on their way to the hospital.

He told the doctor that his side was hurting. After some x-rays, he found out that he had

three broken ribs. While they were giving him pain medicine and stitches for all the gashes

and cuts, they begin questioning him about what had happened, but he was full of fear and he

would not speak. He went home a few hours later, and his mom asked him again what

happened, but he would not speak.

Finally, a week after the incident, he told my mother everything. The police found the

group of boys, and they were immediately arrested. The next day, when he went to school,

everyone was proud of him for standing up to that gang. From that point on, he made lots of

new friends

TECH HIGH SCHOOL

1043 Memorial Drive SE

Atlanta, Georgia 30316

www.techhighschool.org

Pegasus

2011, Vol. 1