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<strong>Mélange</strong><br />
<strong>Mélange</strong><br />
2008<br />
2008
<strong>Mélange</strong><br />
Writing and art from<br />
<strong>Morristown</strong>-<strong>Beard</strong> Middle <strong>School</strong><br />
2007-2008<br />
“<strong>Mélange</strong> mine own, the unseen and the seen, mysterious<br />
ocean where the streams empty.”<br />
- Walt Whitman<br />
Cover Photo - Sarah Tuchman<br />
Anthony Scioscia<br />
Melange editorial staff: Austin Fernandez, Kyle Fisher, Harry Okun, Rachel Moss, Gabby Farquhar, Julia<br />
McBride, Meg Anderson, Rebecca Hodgson, Julia Sweeney, Irene Song, Dana Riback, Stephanie Sirotkin,<br />
Rex Dyer, and Tom Wolkenstein.<br />
Faculty advisor: Holly Darby<br />
Art faculty advisor: Cynthia Hamilton<br />
Special thanks to Mrs. Bonner and Mr. Teasdale for their proofreading, Mr. Finn, Mrs. Glover, and Mr. Tejeda<br />
for their technical advice, Mr. Burns for his support, and Mr. Tom Grant for his generosity in producing this<br />
magazine.<br />
1
Literature<br />
Cynthia Tremonte p. 3<br />
Olivia Sprau p. 3<br />
Nina Cammarata p. 3<br />
Katie Murray p. 4<br />
Yasmine Shafaie p. 4<br />
Jaynie Siegel p. 5<br />
Malia Reynolds p. 6<br />
Hannah Leahy p. 6<br />
Emily Aguas p. 7<br />
Julia McBride p. 8<br />
Meg Anderson p. 8<br />
Erica Atkinson p. 9<br />
Sharon Zelnick p. 9<br />
Joshua Schramm p. 9<br />
Ben Verchick p. 10<br />
Whitley Horn p. 11<br />
Erica Atkinson p. 12<br />
Jenna Siessel p. 12<br />
Alexis Givens,<br />
Jill Raia, Lizzie<br />
O’Neill, Jackson<br />
Kramer p. 12<br />
Lizzy Pellicane p. 13 & 14<br />
Julia McBride p. 15<br />
Lydia Novalis p. 15<br />
Julia McBride p. 16<br />
Irene Song p. 16<br />
Spencer Horn p. 17<br />
Brandon Szapiro p. 17<br />
Tim Leach p. 17<br />
Samuel Stone p. 17<br />
Matt Ratner p. 18<br />
Erica Atkinson p. 19<br />
Jenna Siessel p. 20<br />
TJ Cannon p. 21<br />
Lydia Novalis p. 22<br />
Jenna Siessel p. 22<br />
Rex Dyer,<br />
Drew Hagerstrom,<br />
Lizzy Pellicane,<br />
Rachel Donahue p. 22<br />
Delaney Flinn p. 23<br />
Devon Flinn p. 24<br />
Aaron Golding p.24<br />
Matthew Rosenberg p. 24<br />
Austin Fernandez p. 24<br />
Robert Orazietti p. 24<br />
Astrid Martelet p. 24<br />
Micaela Reilly p. 25<br />
Devon Flinn p. 26<br />
Chelsea Leeds p. 27<br />
Spencer Horn p. 27<br />
Morgan Osburn p. 28-30<br />
Irene Song p. 30<br />
Kyle Vanderhoof p. 31<br />
Eric Fernandez p. 31<br />
Chelsea Leeds p. 32<br />
Jordyn Block p. 32<br />
Kieran Sweeney p. 33<br />
Ashley Young p. 34<br />
Harry Okun p. 35<br />
Doran McManus p. 35<br />
Table of Contents Artwork and Photography<br />
Corrina Drost p. 35<br />
Maggie McDonagh p. 35<br />
Harry Okun p. 36<br />
Drew Hagerstrom p. 36<br />
Rex Dyer p. 36<br />
Charlie Hill p. 36<br />
Lizzie Pellicane p. 36 & 37<br />
Samuel Stone p. 37<br />
Rex Dyer p. 37<br />
John Pisano p. 38<br />
Kyle Fisher p. 38<br />
Tom O’Brien p. 38<br />
Rachel Donahue p. 38<br />
Hannah Leahy p. 38<br />
Joshua Schramm p. 38<br />
Kyle Morris, Ellie<br />
Smith, Zach Haliczer p. 38<br />
Spencer Horn p. 39 & 40<br />
Lizzie O’Neill p. 41<br />
Jackson Kramer p. 41<br />
Zach Haliczer p. 41<br />
Jake Schreer p. 41<br />
Dusty Pribor p. 41<br />
Whitley Horn p. 41<br />
Thomas DePoalo p. 42<br />
Zoe Steinberg p. 43 & 44<br />
Gabby Farquhar p. 45<br />
Emily Aguas p. 46<br />
2<br />
Sarah Tuchman cover photo<br />
Anthony Scioscia p. 1<br />
<strong>School</strong> photo of<br />
Emily Aguas p. 3<br />
Corrina Drost p. 4<br />
Yin Yin Petersen p. 4<br />
Jared Bernstein p. 5<br />
Grant Parker p. 6<br />
Kollin Handler p. 7<br />
Lucy Taggert p. 8<br />
Lamar Harmon p. 8<br />
Cristophe Strunc p. 8<br />
Brielle Corry p. 9<br />
Donnie Shauger p. 9<br />
Tom Wolkenstein p. 10<br />
Justin Mulroy p. 10<br />
Caroline Szuch p. 11<br />
Hannah Leahy p. 12<br />
Freddie Wynne p. 15<br />
Hayley Morris p. 15<br />
Jaynie Siegel p. 16<br />
Rachel Donahue p. 16<br />
Cody Shemesh p. 17<br />
Will Politan p. 17<br />
Dammy Adeoti p. 18<br />
Kyle Fisher p. 19<br />
Alex Ranger p. 19<br />
Zach Baum p. 20<br />
Eric Fernandez p. 21<br />
Malia Reynolds p. 21<br />
Ben O’Connell p. 22<br />
Cyntha Tremonte p. 23<br />
Stephanie Sirotkin p. 23<br />
Nina Cammarata p. 24<br />
Maggie McDonagh p. 25<br />
Will Johnson p. 26<br />
Gabby Farquhar p. 26<br />
Allie Aiello p. 27<br />
Lizzie O’Neill p. 27<br />
Catherine Wachtell p. 28<br />
Max Schmidt p. 28<br />
Ben O’Connell p. 29<br />
Caroline Szuch p. 30<br />
Alexis Givens p. 30<br />
Olivia Sprau p. 31<br />
Ben Leigh p. 31<br />
Jill Griffith p. 32<br />
Ashley Young p. 32<br />
Julia McBride p. 35<br />
Sean Reed p. 35<br />
Patrick Lai p. 36<br />
Beck Tabor p. 36<br />
Zach Blumenkehl p. 37<br />
Meg Anderson p. 37<br />
Julia Acierno p. 38<br />
Lee Seul (Annie) Cha p. 41<br />
Cory Betz p. 41<br />
Devon Flinn and<br />
Dana Riback p. 42<br />
Kami Movsovich p. 44<br />
Danielle Popper p. 45<br />
Natalie Wetmore p. 46
La Fleur<br />
La fleur rest morte, mais<br />
Nous allons nous rencontrer encore.<br />
Je t’aime mon amie.<br />
The flower is dead, but<br />
We will meet again.<br />
I love you, my friend.<br />
By Cynthia Tremonte<br />
A FRIEND REMEMBERED<br />
Emily Aguas<br />
January 11, 1994-December 12, 2007<br />
Emily Aguas was my friend. She had a great personality. One of the things that she never stopped doing was<br />
smile. She was always a happy girl. Two of the sports she loved to do were swimming and tennis. She was my<br />
doubles partner. I will never forget how well she played those sports. She also loved Anime and Manga. One<br />
of the series she liked was Ultra Cute. I will never forget Emily; she will always be in my heart.<br />
Emily<br />
By Olivia Sprau<br />
Emily was one of the nicest people I ever met. I loved talking to her about a new Manga one of us had<br />
just discovered, or where to find Manga online. I miss her amazingly cute Chibi Drawings. She always had a<br />
smile on her face. I’ll miss drawing in Anime Club, arguments over Strawberry or Chocolate Pocky. I wish I<br />
could have spent more time with her than I did. I’ll miss her so much.<br />
3<br />
By Nina Cammarata
Melange<br />
Emily Anne Aguas<br />
Emily was always nice to everyone.<br />
She always smiled and laughed.<br />
She loved Manga.<br />
Miss Teen Pilipino-American 2005,<br />
But she never bragged about anything.<br />
You would be happy to be her friend.<br />
She always had something nice to say<br />
And she was really very funny.<br />
I am thankful that I was her friend.<br />
Her favorite color was blue.<br />
Her birthday was in January; she was 13.<br />
She was a really great friend.<br />
By Katie Murray Corrina Drost<br />
Emily Aguas<br />
We love you and miss you, Emily.<br />
Playing tennis was so much fun,<br />
We will never forget that you were the one<br />
Who made us smile when we were blue.<br />
You came to us when we needed you.<br />
We will never forget the smile on your face<br />
That we saw every day in every place.<br />
We are now sharing our tears with you Yin Yin Petersen<br />
To help you and your family through the hard times.<br />
You have passed, but the memories will last.<br />
By Yasmine Shafaie<br />
4
Emily’s Poem<br />
By Jaynie Siegel<br />
Thick, grey smoke poured out into the early morning sky,<br />
The house was burning, and all you could hear was her cry.<br />
The Aguas family, including five, but losing four,<br />
Almost a whole family was killed, except for one more.<br />
Sad news was brought upon to every which way,<br />
Family, friends, no one knew what to say.<br />
Emily, at the age of thirteen, confident, bold, and bright,<br />
Earning A’s and swimming great; we never expected to lose her tonight.<br />
Teachers, students, family, and friends,<br />
Mourn the four loved people whose lives had to end.<br />
Going to sleep, the night of this accident.<br />
Understanding how it happened, who would predict the incident.<br />
For all eternity, Emily will be remembered by all.<br />
She was so unique; it’s heart-rending to see her future fall.<br />
Still in my heart, it’s hard to not see her here,<br />
I know, though, if she was, she would not want me to fear.<br />
I will never forget her.<br />
5<br />
Jared Bernstein
At Such Times Like These, We Stop Decorating our<br />
Christmas Trees<br />
It is time we come together as one family and share our love and bliss for this one special girl<br />
who we dearly miss. Emily is her name and together we all share the same pain, for she made the<br />
world a better place, so God took her to be an angel, and now there’s an empty space. Emily Aguas<br />
changed my life for the better, and for that I am writing this letter. She will always have a place in our<br />
hearts if even if we are apart. Even turning sideways, these feelings won’t go away; they just stay.<br />
Only time will help.<br />
L’amour<br />
Qui est amour?<br />
L’amour ne judge pas<br />
L’amour est sans mots<br />
L’amour est l’une chose<br />
Que vous avez besoin<br />
L’amour est la beaute de la vie<br />
What is love?<br />
Love is without words<br />
Love is the one thing you need<br />
Love is the beauty of life.<br />
By Hannah Leahy<br />
6<br />
By Malia Reynolds<br />
December 17, 2007<br />
Grant Parker<br />
Grant Parker
The Play<br />
Crash, smack, pop, POW<br />
I think it’s time we took our bow<br />
Heads held high, we walked on stage<br />
Surprised to see our director in a rage<br />
We look at him with questioning looks<br />
But all he can do is point to our coat hooks<br />
We take a look and we both scream<br />
There by our coat hooks was a demolished scene<br />
All the hard work put into this play;<br />
It’s hard to believe it didn’t last opening day<br />
The walls were scratched; the props on the floor<br />
We look around for the destroyer of our play<br />
Whatever it was, it was going to pay.<br />
Kollin Handler The problem was indeed the play’s cat<br />
It was under our coats and in its mouth was a rat.<br />
Attitude on Love<br />
By Emily Aguas (written as a 7 th grader)<br />
In lines 439-41 and 453-63, Puck’s attitude towards women shows that he thinks that they<br />
should be happy, respected, and loved. For example, when he says, “Cupid is a knavish lad this to<br />
make poor females mad,” (III, ii, 440-41) it tells us that he thinks Cupid is mean, because he makes<br />
girls mad. In addition, when he says, “Every man should take his own,” (III, ii, 459) it means that<br />
Puck is into love and he wants every man to find his woman. In the quote, “Man shall have his<br />
mare again, and all shall be well,” (III, ii, 463) Puck is showing the audience that he wants the boy<br />
and the girl to be happy and for the mess to be fixed. All in all, he just wants everyone to find love,<br />
be happy, and to get what he/she wants.<br />
By Emily Aguas (written as a 7th grader)<br />
7
LAMAR HARMON<br />
Lucy Taggert<br />
An Ode To My Semester Grades<br />
My French is “tres bien.”<br />
I hope to do band again.<br />
English was tough,<br />
My test grade wasn’t good enough.<br />
Art was fun,<br />
I think I should have gotten more paints done.<br />
Science was the hardest,<br />
Although I tried to be the smartest.<br />
Geography wasn’t good,<br />
The tests were hard, but I tried as hard as I could.<br />
I’ve never been good at math,<br />
But it’s hard to understand fractions and all that.<br />
I got B’s and A’s,<br />
Hopefully that’s the way it will stay.<br />
By: Julia McBride<br />
An Ode to My Grades Cristophe Strunc<br />
In English I did well;<br />
On our vocabulary test I learned how to spell<br />
In chorus I need to sing out;<br />
Sing louder and really shout.<br />
In geography I went up a little bit<br />
In health we learned how to use a first aid kit!<br />
In Spanish I stayed the same;<br />
Sometimes on Friday we played a really fun game,<br />
In science I went up a lot,<br />
I always listened to what Mr. Mead taught!<br />
By: Meg Anderson<br />
8
My Grades<br />
In geography I did very well<br />
And I like my teacher a lot<br />
Theater was very fun,<br />
It will help me speak in front of people<br />
In English I went down, so<br />
Please do not frown.<br />
In health I learned a lot.<br />
In Spanish I learned how to say “hot.”<br />
I am much better now, I can write very well.<br />
In pre-algebra I went up;<br />
I did lots of homework and went to extra help<br />
Science was very hard,<br />
So I did lots of self-paced work.<br />
My grades were good, but I can still do better.<br />
By: Erica Atkinson<br />
Brielle Corry<br />
Patient Paper; Anne Frank’s Therapy<br />
Anne summed it all up<br />
On paper, which was patient,<br />
Unlike some humans.<br />
By Sharon Zelnick<br />
Frank-In-Hide<br />
Hiding in shadows,<br />
The chosen people of God,<br />
Hiding from their death.<br />
Donnie Shauger By Joshua Schramm<br />
9
Tom Wolkenstein<br />
Justin Mulroy<br />
Killer Tomatoes<br />
“Bam, bling, bam,” went the band. Latty Lettuce, as the lead guitarist, Iceberg, cleanly finished his<br />
guitar solo for the number one hit song, “Kick Your Buns.” “Up next,” said the announcer for the Fourteenth<br />
Annual Battle of the Bands hosted in the Fridge Dome is “The Killer Tomatoes.” The Killer Tomatoes were<br />
resentfully at the bottom of the food chart and not likely to win. However, the band just came out with a new<br />
song that their mom said is supposed to make the Spice Girls go to the back of the cupboard. It’s called,“When<br />
Life Gives You Chocolate, Make Chocolate Milk.”<br />
Suddenly, the Killer Tomatoes walked out on stage. On the outside they looked like the finishing to<br />
a nice juicy Italian sub, but on the inside, they felt like tomato juice with artificial flavoring. But, they only<br />
had two minutes so they had to take the plastic Shoprite baggy off and face their fears to win the Battle of the<br />
Bands. The crowd was silent as the lead guitarist played a kettle chord to begin the starting intro.<br />
As the guitarist was playing the opening Jiff (peanut butter), the singer, hit a HI C,<br />
“Aaaaaaaahhhhh,choca, choca, aaaaahhhhhhh when life gives you chocolate, you make chocolate miiiiilk.”<br />
“Durum, durum , durum,” the guitarist strummed.<br />
Then the drummer kicked in, “Tststststsstsisits, bum, bum, bum, baaaah, tststststisit.”<br />
Then the singer joined in singing again, “No no no, not Nesquick, aaaahhhhhh, not the stupid, stupid,<br />
Nesquick, but when life gives you chocolate you make chocolate milk- aaaaaaaaahhhhhhuk, hhh!!!”<br />
“THE KILLER TOMATOES WIN IT,” screamed the announcer. The crowd went crazy! Seconds later,<br />
the world exploded (boo hoo).<br />
By Ben Verchick<br />
10
Dear Jason,<br />
I would really appreciate it if you would stop being so mean to my friends and me.<br />
Your comments can be quite hurtful. For example, just yesterday, you called Calvin a “geeky,<br />
pocket–protector-wearing nerd.” Now, I am sure you meant no harm in saying this, but after you<br />
did this, Calvin ran home sobbing and his mom said he cried himself to sleep. It has even been<br />
rumored that he burned part of his Star Trek collection!<br />
Another reason you should be nicer to others is because of the “Golden Rule.” How<br />
would you like it if someone called you a “big, fat, poopy face?” Keep that in mind the next<br />
time you are mean to someone. You should also remember that when you are cruel to people,<br />
they will be mean to you.<br />
My final reason not to be mean is that it is just plain rude. It isn’t pleasant to be made<br />
fun of, and you can’t get very far in life if you are not considerate enough to keep your mouth<br />
shut about others. For example, my brother got a detention for cheating on a test. If he had just<br />
apologized and served the detention, he would have gotten over it. But instead, he argued and<br />
complained about it, and he was suspended for ten days.<br />
So, I hope you take this letter into consideration before you go out and make fun of<br />
someone.<br />
Best wishes, By Whitley Horn<br />
Frank Tollerton<br />
11<br />
Caroline Szuch
Did You Know<br />
I love coming to school<br />
It’s so much fun<br />
English and math are my favorite parts<br />
They help me brush up on my smarts<br />
The beach is my favorite place<br />
I surf, swim, and build sandcastles<br />
I love to dance<br />
I’ve been doing it since I was three<br />
I have unending love for my family and friends<br />
I am very close to all of them<br />
My heart holds the key to happiness<br />
I hope you learned some things about me<br />
By Erica Atkinson<br />
Me... Hannah Leahy<br />
My eyes are black like the mysterious night sky<br />
My hair is dark brown but lights up in the sun<br />
My heart holds love that is incomparable<br />
My skin is smooth like a baby’s bottom<br />
I absolutely love the ocean and everything about it<br />
L.B.I and I go together like peanut butter and jelly<br />
Sports mean so much to me<br />
I love animals and I think everyone should have a pet<br />
Animals teach us more and more about ourselves<br />
My dog Willie means the world to me<br />
My family is a huge part of my life<br />
By Jenna Siessel<br />
12<br />
The Spirit in the Night<br />
A feeling of trepidation haunts me in the night.<br />
As an overbearing apparition defaces the light.<br />
My mind is teeming with fallacies of Fright,<br />
The outlandish milieu is a nauseating sight.<br />
Oh, whimsical Spirit, let me be!!<br />
My life is vital; can’t you see?<br />
Why do You choose to upbraid and vex me?<br />
You taint my soul, imparting me with tenets of<br />
deceit.<br />
My gallantry will negate You; so take a seat!<br />
For I will never be a recepient of defeat!<br />
By Alexis Givens, Jill Raia, Lizzie<br />
O’Neill, and Jackson Kramer
14<br />
14<br />
by Lizzy Pellicane<br />
*Inspired by “The Most Dangerous<br />
Game” by Richard Connell
Freddie Wynne<br />
I...<br />
My dog is not the smartest dog alive<br />
He thinks that four and four are five<br />
I have a best friend<br />
But I do not recommend<br />
That her fashion becomes a new trend<br />
It is fair to say<br />
I do like school<br />
But weekends still rule!<br />
By Lydia Novalis<br />
15<br />
My Face, My Life<br />
My eyes are brown like<br />
the fall leaves on the ground<br />
My hair is soft<br />
like silk and golden all around<br />
My smile is wide and shows my pride<br />
My heart holds kindness inside<br />
My fingers move quickly across my clarinet<br />
But when I start to draw my hand stays set<br />
And when I hold a paint brush<br />
the colors come streaming through<br />
I am an artist no matter what I do<br />
I set up to the block<br />
Then they start the clock<br />
I dive into the water as the buzzer goes off<br />
My legs grow tired from kicking my feet<br />
I am an athlete<br />
Hayley Morris<br />
By Julia McBride
My Eyes are Brown<br />
My eyes are brown like alabaster wood.<br />
My eyes seem lighter when hit by sunlight.<br />
My hair is short like string on a throw pillow.<br />
The color of my hair is brown,<br />
Bleached by chlorine.<br />
My head is big.<br />
My head is round.<br />
Some say it looks like a bowling ball.<br />
My lips on my face are small in contrast.<br />
My ears are big and like a monkey’s.<br />
They are extremely flexible.<br />
It seems like there is no cartilage in them.<br />
No pain is caused, only slight shame.<br />
My body is perfect for my life.<br />
Suits almost everything I do.<br />
Amazingly, it barely breaks.<br />
It makes me, well, me.<br />
By Julia McBride<br />
Rachel Donahue<br />
16<br />
2007<br />
Jaynie Siegel<br />
Two thousand seven.<br />
A chance to throw it away.<br />
Old pasts and old scenes.<br />
By Irene Song<br />
2008<br />
Two thousand and eight.<br />
New starts and new beginnings.<br />
Use it and create.<br />
By Irene Song
Attic<br />
Small, uncomfortable<br />
Tiptoeing, eating, writing<br />
Building, box, outpost, camp<br />
Killing, shooting, bombing<br />
Unbearable, terrible<br />
Ghetto<br />
By Brandon Szapiro<br />
Cody Shemesh<br />
Will Politan<br />
17<br />
Wednesday, July 8, 1942<br />
Anne Frank’s Diary entry<br />
De Dood van Hoop<br />
(The Death of Hope)<br />
Snakes will steal your land.<br />
Men of malice make men mice.<br />
Hope is lost in hate.<br />
Saturday, July 20, 1942<br />
Anne and her Solution<br />
Anne has no real friends,<br />
So she has a diary<br />
To enhance her mind.<br />
By Tim Leach<br />
By Spencer Horn<br />
My New Best Friend, Kitty<br />
Monday, June 15, 1942<br />
Anne Frank’s Diary<br />
Now that I have you,<br />
I can get through those long days.<br />
You have become my friend.<br />
By Samuel Stone
Matt Ratner<br />
February 27, 2008<br />
Communication Arts 7-2<br />
Topic: The No Child Left Behind Act Dammy Adeoti<br />
The United States is not even in the top ten of countries in academic achievement. The USA is one of<br />
the wealthiest nations in the world, and still we are not even close to meeting the expectations that we have<br />
been pushing to achieve. The federally-enacted No Child Left Behind Act was created to improve test scores<br />
and local standards and to close the achievement gap. The act has already improved the achievement of learning<br />
by using standardized testing in public schools. The act also requires teachers to pass a level of teaching that is<br />
most helpful toward the academic progress that the students are achieving.<br />
Standardized tests were created to evaluate teachers and students to see how much or how little progress<br />
they were making in their grades. If a school altogether scores highly on the test, then it is subject to get more<br />
money for their budget. If the students do not score highly, the teachers and the school are held responsible for<br />
the students’ results on the tests. This is the increased accountability, which means that if the students score<br />
highly on the test, then the teachers are rewarded for their determination in teaching the material. The act has<br />
definitely made a dramatic change in achievement status as a result to these standardized tests. I have found<br />
that everything relates back to the standardized testing, because if many students score high on the test, then that<br />
will partially close the achievement gap. Also, if local schools achieve highly on the test, then the government<br />
will give them the money needed for their budgets.<br />
Before the act was created, there was a wide achievement gap; this means that in a classroom the more<br />
intelligent students were given more attention and effort to their education. The achievement gap is the space<br />
between the more intelligent students and the less intelligent students and how it affects the overall results of<br />
the school. The act is closing these gaps in achievement and improving the general educational performance<br />
of the schools. The smaller, less populated schools are the ones that really need to score the highest on the<br />
standardized tests because if they do so the government will provide money for the school.<br />
The act started to really improve local standards; not just in one area schools are achieving, but also<br />
in many areas across the country. This has really lifted the bar of educational progress, and by strengthening<br />
the local schools it is helping the overall achievement in public schools. The local schools need to achieve at a<br />
very high level of education to receive money from the government to put into their budget. The No Child Left<br />
Behind Act is benefitting our country. It should be kept to consistently raise the academic progress that public<br />
schools are making, completely close the achievement gap, and improve local standard.<br />
18
It’s Me<br />
My name is Erica Marie<br />
I am the oldest of three<br />
My dad calls me a perfectionist<br />
And my mom thinks I am very messy<br />
I love being active, any sport will do<br />
I also love shopping, especially for shoes<br />
I’m a little, well very, wacky<br />
I listen to music all the time, any kind will do<br />
I love my friends<br />
They’re practically my life<br />
I am very interesting I’m sure you see<br />
I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about me A drawing by Kyle Fisher<br />
By Erica Atkinson<br />
Alex Ranger<br />
19<br />
All About Me<br />
My eyes are brown like a soft teddy bear<br />
My hair is smooth like wet sand on the beach<br />
My ears are pointy like Santa’s little elves<br />
My height is not small or very tall<br />
My friends say I’m pretty funny<br />
I laugh a lot, too<br />
I try to be sweet and kind, too<br />
I’m kind of a klutz, I trip all the time<br />
My favorite color is pink<br />
I love candy, especially chocolate<br />
I would eat ice cream everyday, if I could<br />
Hope you enjoyed learning about me<br />
By Erica Atkinson
Ice Skating<br />
I love figure skating<br />
When I get on the ice, I feel like it’s only me out there<br />
Only me, skating my heart out and doing my best<br />
Figure skating is an amazing sport<br />
I truly have a large passion for what I do out there<br />
When I start gliding I just feel like this is where I belong<br />
One of the best feelings in the world comes from ice-skating<br />
Self-confidence, beauty, and grace are just some feelings that come out of ice-skating<br />
When I’m on the ice, the only thing I hear is the sound my toe picks makes<br />
When I’m skating I do Waltz jumps, Spirals and even “Shoot the ducks”<br />
Only me, skating my heart out and doing my best<br />
By<br />
Jenna Siessel<br />
20<br />
Zach Baum
ME<br />
My eyes are blue like Blues Clues,<br />
My hair is blonde like gold,<br />
My teeth are shiny like sunshine,<br />
My heart holds reasoning that is reasonable.<br />
My likes are lacrosse and football,<br />
My dislikes are meatloaf and European futbol,<br />
My hobbies are living and sleeping,<br />
My life revolves around school.<br />
My home holds important possessions,<br />
My dog greets me with a big bark,<br />
My day ends with homework<br />
That takes a lot of work,<br />
My bed is as comfy as can be.<br />
By TJ Cannon<br />
Eric Fernandez<br />
Friend<br />
His nose is wet and cold,<br />
Malia Reynolds His paws smell like a new tennis ball,<br />
His ears are soft and floppy,<br />
His snout feels like velvet.<br />
His brown coat reminds me of a fur hat,<br />
His tail wags like a windmill,<br />
His eyes are like a shiny penny,<br />
His smell is like a new rug.<br />
He chews on everything in sight,<br />
He always uses all of his might,<br />
He loves to put up a playful fight,<br />
He always shares his love with me.<br />
Malia Reynolds By TJ Cannon<br />
21
Things I Love<br />
I love to sit in the sun<br />
I soak up the rays<br />
I could sit on the beach for days<br />
At home I roam<br />
If I cannot read or even bead<br />
I love candy in the morning<br />
I love candy at night<br />
Just to think about candy<br />
Is my joy and my delight<br />
By Lydia Novalis<br />
My FEELINGS<br />
When I make a basket on the<br />
court I feel like<br />
I am Michael Jordan but a bit<br />
too short<br />
When I get to bat and I hit the<br />
ball, I have all<br />
The power in the world<br />
When I ran my hardest race<br />
and lost, I still<br />
Felt like I was a winner because<br />
I did my best<br />
When I nail my round-off back<br />
handspring<br />
And back tuck, I feel amazing<br />
When I get on the ice and do<br />
My tricks, I<br />
Feel like Michelle Kwan<br />
When I go to Matheny, my<br />
heart feels so<br />
Good that I can't explain how<br />
I connect with all of the children<br />
there and<br />
Learn so much from them<br />
When I am with my friends I<br />
Feel like the Luckiest girl in<br />
the world<br />
By Jenna Siessel<br />
Ode to Laughter<br />
Oh, Laughter, how you appease our sadness.<br />
You bestow upon us overbearing happiness.<br />
You regale us with pert spirits, more or less -<br />
Never belated, never shiftless.<br />
Often engrossing the vitality of all,<br />
Barterers and mendicants, short and tall,<br />
Teeming with capacious fallicies, never small.<br />
The recipients of Laughter, negates all atrocities,<br />
Tractable pleasure provides an embargo on our worries.<br />
We rejoice the day You crusade against our insecurities!<br />
22<br />
By Rex Dyer, Drew Hagerstrom,<br />
Lizzy Pellicane and Rachel<br />
Donahue<br />
Ben O’Connell
The Giant Pinecone<br />
As I stroll<br />
In my yard<br />
The grass<br />
Taller than me<br />
I think something is wrong<br />
Or<br />
Is it just me?<br />
I get to a pinecone<br />
A giant pinecone---<br />
I knew<br />
I was shrinking.<br />
By Delaney Flinn<br />
The Strange Flower<br />
I ride<br />
On my horse<br />
In the magnificent valley<br />
Filled with wonderful flowers<br />
WOW!<br />
My horse stops<br />
And in the middle of the trail Cynthia Tremonte<br />
Lies a strange thing-a flower<br />
Black, peach<br />
Yellow, orange<br />
With four stems<br />
I take a picture<br />
As I ride along I, wonder,<br />
“What was that?”<br />
By Delaney Flinn<br />
23<br />
Stephanie Sirotkin
Kitty: Her Diary<br />
Nice, quiet<br />
Writing, venting, exposing<br />
Easy to “talk” to<br />
Dependable<br />
By Aaron Golding<br />
Annex<br />
Annoying, boring, tiring<br />
Trees, bushes, dogs, cats<br />
Enclosing, frightening, deceiving<br />
Green, relaxing<br />
Nature<br />
By Matthew Rosenberg<br />
Breakdown<br />
Moaning, Crying<br />
Like a ghost in a grave<br />
Annoying people who were there<br />
Again<br />
By Austin Fernandez<br />
Anne<br />
Alone, bored<br />
Waiting, hiding, writing<br />
Diaries, crumbs, sadness<br />
Cramped, confused<br />
Annexe<br />
By Robert Orazietti<br />
Anne Frank<br />
With eight people<br />
In such scary danger<br />
Hiding from Nazis to survive<br />
--- She dies.<br />
By Astrid Martelet<br />
24<br />
Nina Cammarata<br />
The Midnight Blanket<br />
Balls of fire<br />
Lie upon the midnight blanket-<br />
The dotted stars,<br />
Watching that colorful Earth<br />
Which I used to be on<br />
Purple, green, shining light<br />
Of the sun<br />
Orange, red flaming down<br />
On the people below<br />
By Devon Flinn<br />
Sky<br />
The large sky-<br />
An eruption of blue<br />
Above the Earth<br />
By Devon Flinn
Tim’s Vacation by Micaela Reilly<br />
It seemed as if Tim was the only kid in the whole entire world who was not looking forward to spring break. To him, it was just another day of sitting at<br />
home in his room alone, working on some crazy experiment. He thought that the only difference between spring break and a weekend was that one was just a little<br />
longer than the other. You see Tim is a little different than all of the other children that live on his block. He does not really have any real friends. The people he hangs<br />
out with at school are more like acquaintances. They never really have fun together and they never see each other outside of school.<br />
Tim had also never been anywhere out of the state. He was hoping that maybe that would change over spring break. He was not very confident about it, but<br />
he was still hopeful. One night over supper, his mom told him that it was possible that they might be going to Florida to visit his grandparents. Tim jumped out of his<br />
chair almost in disbelief. He started sprinting up the stairs to go pack, when he heard his mom yell, “Don’t you want to finish your dinner?” He no longer was hungry!<br />
He was so excited all kinds of crazy thoughts started rushing into his head: what do I pack and what else are we going to do in Florida. He ran to his laptop and started<br />
doing as much research as possible. He had to find out as much as he could about Florida.<br />
His family was on their way to the airport the next week. As he was boarding the plane, he had this crazy feeling that he was missing something. He<br />
couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he knew that he would regret not bringing it while he was there. He knew that the second he got off the plane he would remember<br />
what it was. So for that time he decided just to forget about it and maybe it really was not that important. He had just gotten off the plane when suddenly it hit him. He<br />
had forgotten his camera! “Oh,no” he thought in his head. It was his first vacation and he could not take pictures and show everyone what it was like there. He wanted<br />
to remember this for a long time. But the thing that bothered him the most was that he knew exactly where it was at home. It was right on the kitchen table.<br />
Tim almost screamed when they finally arrived at the hotel. It was the biggest thing he had ever seen. It was only when he got into his room when he realized<br />
how tired he was. He went right to sleep. In the morning when he woke up, it took him a second realize where he was. Over breakfast his mom told him the plan for the<br />
day: first, they were going to visit his grandparents, then they were going to go to the zoo. As excited as he was, he was still thinking about how many things he could<br />
take pictures of, if he had his camera.<br />
As he was in the car on his way to his grandparents’ house, he couldn’t remember the last time he had been there. His grandparents always came to his<br />
house; he never went there. Now, he was so excited. He was always in his room alone and nothing really exciting happened. So he had a crazy feeling about what was<br />
happening. He was so glad to see his grandparents that he pretty much ran into the house. They had a huge lunch and finally said their goodbyes. “We will come back<br />
soon,” Tim’s mother yelled. Tim could not believe it. Would they really be back soon? Tim thought about it the entire way to the zoo. As they parked the car, Tim’s dad<br />
reminded him to put on sun block. Tim was so surprised he had not put on sun block for what seemed to be ages.<br />
He slowly began to spread the greasy sun block around his face. Then they walked into the entrance of the zoo, anxiously waiting to find out what was living<br />
there. The first thing he saw was a flamingo. It was so brightly colored he knew his mom loved it because it was her favorite color. Next they saw a giraffe. It towered<br />
over all of the other animals. He thought about how great it would be to see the world from above. Around the corner was a monkey. Tim read the sign in front of the<br />
cage and saw that this monkey was an Orangutan. The monkey was a bright orange that looked shiny in the sun. Lastly, they saw an elephant. This is the thing that<br />
Tim was looking forward to the most. The elephant was bigger than he had expected. The elephant was standing behind a small rock. Then, all of a sudden, the rock<br />
started to move. Tim could not believe his eyes. He scratched his head in confusion. Then a light bulb went off in his head. The elephant was a mother, and the rock was<br />
actually her baby. Tim was amazed.<br />
This had turned out to be a fantastic spring break. Now Tim changed the way he thought about some things. Instead of staying in his room all day he decided<br />
to have some friends over and maybe even go to the park. Tim couldn’t wait for his next vacation, because he knew that he would not have to pack his camera. It had<br />
turned out that he had remembered it all in his head! THE END<br />
25<br />
Maggie McDonagh
The Snowman<br />
A snowman<br />
In the spring night-<br />
It never melts<br />
He sits there<br />
Waiting for someone<br />
To come<br />
He tries to talk<br />
Words can’t come out<br />
For his mouth is gone<br />
The Snowman<br />
In the hot sun<br />
Wishing for winter<br />
He is lonely<br />
No kids in sight Will Johnson<br />
Deserted-<br />
Birds land on his nose<br />
Eat away at his hat Gabby Farquhar<br />
His smile is gone.<br />
By Devon Flinn<br />
26
A Bird Day<br />
Allie Aiello<br />
Up in the sky<br />
I saw a bird fly<br />
A beautiful robin chirping away,<br />
A chirp like a wonderful song<br />
That I just saw in the eyes of a beautiful day<br />
That blew me away<br />
By Chelsea Leeds<br />
27<br />
A Rose<br />
Grown-ups have much greed<br />
Money seems to be their world<br />
Shylocks are swine<br />
Drinkers are like gluttons<br />
Liquor scourges our country<br />
Drinking brings ye shame<br />
Sloth will bring sorrow<br />
The lazy shant be happy<br />
Duty brings freedom<br />
Foxes and hunters<br />
Always looking for revenge<br />
Never can find love<br />
Many men be boys again<br />
But naïve and innocent<br />
Keep your sin at bay<br />
Make due with your life<br />
Envy won’t get you very far<br />
It could be much worse<br />
Roses have beauty<br />
But every rose has its thorn<br />
No one is perfect<br />
The dead are not dead<br />
The dead are but the fallen<br />
Laughter fills Heaven<br />
By Spencer Horn<br />
Lizzie O’Neill
Fall Fairies<br />
Blown off their comforting warmness of the tree branches.<br />
Whisked away by gusts of wind.<br />
Moving and falling all around me.<br />
They twirl like fairies, bringing winter to us.<br />
They make it smell sweet outside.<br />
They blow around pumpkins, corn, and apples.<br />
They change color from green to red.<br />
They are leaves.<br />
By Morgan Osburn<br />
FALL<br />
Fall is when...<br />
I see bare branches swaying in the wind,<br />
I smell rotting leaves, Catherine Wachtell<br />
I wait for Halloween to hear the cheerful “Ding-Dong.”<br />
I hear crows cawing as they soar over head,<br />
I touch apples as I pick them, ripe enough to fall off the tree,<br />
I taste treats of candied apples,<br />
I feel sad because summer is over and winter is almost here.<br />
By Morgan Osburn<br />
Max Schmidt<br />
28<br />
THANKSGIVING<br />
The perfect turkey,<br />
Have some more stuffing,<br />
All of my family close and merry,<br />
Not one person hungry,<br />
Kitchen full of tasty aromas,<br />
Satisfaction is visible on everyone’s face,<br />
Gathering time for family,<br />
Indians, Redskins were brought peace,<br />
Vegetables are loaded on my plate<br />
I feel cozy as I chatter with my cousins,<br />
Nourishing food for me,<br />
Giving food baskets to the needy.<br />
By Morgan Osburn
Hanukah Ben O’Connell<br />
Nine candles glowing bright,<br />
My family comes from near and far,<br />
Potato latkes, fresh off the griddle,<br />
Spinning that little top and shouting, “Gimmel!”<br />
Laughter fills the fun and festive nights,<br />
It comes once a year and I cannot wait for it to come next year!<br />
By Morgan Osburn<br />
Christmas<br />
I wait for the day when we can hear the joyful sleigh bells ringing,<br />
Shopping galore for my friends and family,<br />
I hear the clippity-clop of reindeer on the roof,<br />
I thump downstairs to see what Santa has brought me,<br />
I feast on homemade cookies and sweet hot chocolate,<br />
I smell the garland and tree minty-sweet,<br />
I feel joyous and merry, for today was the day that Christ was born.<br />
By Morgan Osburn<br />
29
Agreeing<br />
People shaking hands.<br />
They agree among themselves.<br />
They nod and smile.<br />
By Irene Song<br />
Winter<br />
I wait to go ice-skating,<br />
The first snowfall and snow-day,<br />
Bare branches covered in a blanket of snow, Caroline Szuch<br />
I dream of sugar plums and fairies,<br />
I throw snowballs at my friends, hoping to be on target,<br />
I sip hot chocolate, rich and creamy, as melted as dark chocolate,<br />
I hear the lonely cry of animals who don’t have a home,<br />
I feel mystified when everything turns out almost perfect.<br />
By Morgan Osburn<br />
30<br />
Alexis Givens
THE FLOOR<br />
The floor is interesting.<br />
Everyone uses it but doesn’t say a thing.<br />
It could be wood, stone, tile, or chrome.<br />
It is in everyone’s home.<br />
People use it but don’t say a thing.<br />
By Eric Fernandez<br />
New Snow<br />
Fluffy white soft snow<br />
Bright sparkling icy cold fun<br />
Deep and powdery<br />
By Kyle Vanderhoof<br />
Colorado Sky<br />
Amazing sky cool<br />
Very blue cloudless pretty<br />
Sunny perfect crisp<br />
By Kyle Vanderhoof<br />
31 Ben Leigh<br />
Olivia Sprau
A Day<br />
Some days you are mad,<br />
Some days you are sad,<br />
But when you try you might be glad,<br />
A day is a day in your life.<br />
So spend it well,<br />
You don’t have forever,<br />
Look at it now.<br />
By Chelsea Leeds<br />
Ashley Young<br />
31<br />
32<br />
Jill Griffith<br />
Sinus Infection<br />
Head heavy<br />
Ears clogged up and ringing like jingle bells<br />
Throat tingly like goose bumps rolling<br />
up my gentle skin<br />
Nose stuffed liked a turkey on Thanksgiving<br />
My head gently touches the pillow<br />
like Sleeping Beauty<br />
When I wake up all I can think about is:<br />
Head, nose, throat, ears, and medicine<br />
to make it go away<br />
Oh, sinus infection, Oh, sinus infection,<br />
Please go away, and don’t come back until<br />
I have to miss a big test on a school day.<br />
By Jordyn Block
33<br />
By Kieran Sweeney
34<br />
By Ashley young
Pressure<br />
Cooped up inside<br />
Bursting out in little spurts<br />
Like a tea kettle, steam shooting<br />
Anger<br />
By Harry Okun<br />
Him<br />
Beautiful, smart<br />
The voice of an angel<br />
Talker, listener, amusing<br />
Julia McBride With him, upstairs is<br />
Heaven.<br />
Inspired by The Diary of a Young Girl :<br />
Shhh…<br />
Hide in the day,<br />
No steps allowed,<br />
Office, Secret Annexe,<br />
Don’t move.<br />
By Corrina Drost<br />
Love<br />
Bubbly, happy<br />
Meeting, talking, thinking<br />
Hearts, Future, Attic, Hope<br />
Adoring, allowing, obsessing<br />
Gorgeous, secret<br />
Peter<br />
By Maggie McDonagh<br />
35<br />
By Doran McManus<br />
Sean Reed
Immortal<br />
Everlasting, eternal<br />
Staying, unmoving, unfaltering<br />
Boulder, mountains, wind, leaves<br />
Fleeting, changing, fading<br />
Transient, swift<br />
Mortal<br />
By Harry Okun<br />
Perfect, extraordinary<br />
Playing, joking, winning<br />
Gold, games, nothing, blackness<br />
Crying, Fighting, Failing<br />
Boring, Sad Patrick Lai<br />
Depression<br />
By Drew Hagerstrom<br />
Darkening Days<br />
Perseverence<br />
Tenacious, undefeatable<br />
Struggling, surviving, enduring<br />
Walls, clocks, loneliness, captivity<br />
Fearing, passing, aging<br />
Indefinite, Ominous<br />
Time<br />
BY REX DYER Regret<br />
To turn back clocks<br />
Wishing to go back to the things<br />
That once were<br />
But, no more<br />
Beck Tabor<br />
Privacy<br />
Special, teasing<br />
Feeling, understanding,<br />
insulting<br />
Elders, disease, problems,<br />
thoughts<br />
Parenting, sitting, becoming<br />
Important, historical<br />
Diary<br />
By Charlie Hill<br />
36<br />
By Lizzy Pellicane
Zach Blumenkehl<br />
Survival<br />
Outside,<br />
We hear the screams<br />
And sense the misery,<br />
But we must hide in order to<br />
Survive.<br />
Opinions<br />
Strong, expressed<br />
Thinking, changing, wondering<br />
Thoughts, ideas, venting, outlet<br />
Releasing, writing, recording<br />
Informative, reflective<br />
Diary<br />
By Rex Dyer Meg Anderson<br />
37<br />
By Lizzy Pellicane<br />
Annex<br />
Grimy, enclosed<br />
Creaking, moaning, rattling<br />
Underneath my shaking feet<br />
Jail<br />
By Samuel Stone<br />
Meg Anderson
Thinking<br />
Stream – Consciousness<br />
Anne, remarkable thoughts,<br />
Courage, ambition, will, future,<br />
Kind Heart<br />
God’s Test<br />
Testing<br />
Belief in God<br />
Religion is God’s test.<br />
When belief is gone, all is lost:<br />
It’s done.<br />
By Hannah Leahy<br />
By John Pisano<br />
Quiet<br />
Be calm, relax<br />
You can’t be heard, don’t<br />
move<br />
It is risky in the annex<br />
Be still<br />
By Tom O’Brien<br />
War<br />
Evil, Bloody<br />
Crying, hiding, killing<br />
Guns, corpses, kisses, hugs<br />
Amazing, playing, running<br />
Happiness, ever-lasting<br />
Peace.<br />
By Joshua Schramm<br />
Hope<br />
Faithful, necessary<br />
Waiting, hearing, hoping<br />
Wait for dreams fulfilled<br />
Happiness<br />
By Kyle Fisher<br />
Hope for Peace<br />
by Kyle Morris, Ellie Smith<br />
and Zach Haliczer<br />
38<br />
The Girl in the Annexe<br />
Anne<br />
Loud, sincere<br />
Loving, caring, screaming<br />
Talent, diary, cat, families<br />
Clinging, needing, wanting<br />
Peter<br />
By Rachel Donahue<br />
Julia Acierno<br />
No one likes to be engrossed in calamitous war!<br />
With trepidation people impart a roar.<br />
As the vitality of voracious soldiers becomes sore,<br />
They rue this pivotal day more and more.<br />
The men delve deeper into the impending night;<br />
The gallant soldiers begin to dexterously fight.<br />
And the tenet of their crusade comes to light.<br />
The recipients of the gunfire hide in capacious holes<br />
While their forts are defaced and their tractable souls<br />
Abdicate when they see American flags on poles.
Written by Spencer Horn<br />
*Inspiration for this letter from the story<br />
“The Most Dangerous Game”<br />
by Richard Connell.<br />
40
Scared<br />
I am so nervous<br />
We could have<br />
been found today<br />
What would we<br />
have done?<br />
By Lizzie O’Neill<br />
Kitty<br />
Hidden from the world<br />
Kitty was my only friend<br />
Tears come from my<br />
eyes<br />
By Zachary Haliczer<br />
Strength<br />
Hope<br />
Indescribable, great<br />
Enterprising, expiring, willing<br />
Anne Frank had this<br />
Attitude.<br />
By Jake Schreer<br />
Lee Seul Cha<br />
41<br />
Cory Betz<br />
Kitty<br />
Kitty is her name<br />
Kitty is Anne Frank’s<br />
best friend<br />
Anne tells Kitty all<br />
By Jackson Kramer<br />
Suffering of Anne Frank<br />
The Germans came in<br />
Anne Frank’s family hid<br />
well,<br />
With hopes of freedom<br />
By Dusty Pribor<br />
Hold me<br />
Tight as we kiss,<br />
And as time slips away,<br />
You, too, may try to slip<br />
away<br />
In vain.<br />
By Whitley Horn
“No Child Left Behind?”<br />
What is The No Child Left Behind Act? Some may say it helps this country; others are opposed to the act. The No Child Left Behind Act<br />
is supposed to help children meet their educational standard and not be “left behind.”<br />
The act was made into law on January 8, 2002. There are four main points to this:<br />
1. Teacher quality --For a school to get funding all the teachers must be highly qualified. To be qualified means they have to have at least<br />
a bachelor’s degree, to meet the state’s certification and licensing requirements, and to show expertise in their subject.<br />
2.<br />
3.<br />
4.<br />
Student testing -- This means students in public schools are required to take a test for reading and math once a year for grades<br />
three through eight and in science once during grades 3-5, once through grades 6-9, and once in grades 10 or 11. This is the most<br />
important one because if the students do not do well on the test the school does not get funding.<br />
Scientifically based research -- This means the teachers’ teaching methods have to be effective according to scientific research.<br />
Public school choice -- This means children are allowed to change their schools if their current school does not meet their needs.<br />
All these things sound good, but they don’t work in practice. There are many flaws. One would be the gaming of the system. This is when<br />
schools manipulate test scores to keep their money. The administration has so much pressure on them to keep their funding they are forced to cheat<br />
the system a little. They have to make a choice. Do they just cut the kids out of their system? Or do they just keep them and lose their funding?<br />
Another big flaw in the act is there is an incentive against high-performing students. Now, the point of the act is to get everyone on the<br />
same level. But, what about those who perform higher than others? The schools only get funding for basic skills like reading, writing, math, and<br />
special education. Why should the high performing students learn something they already know instead of striving for their best?<br />
The most important thing in schools is funding. They need funding to keep their schools running. It is a “Catch 22” or a lose-lose situation.<br />
If the schools do poorly, then they do not get funding and have no way of getting their scores back up. This is why the school’s administration has<br />
to make the decision to cheat the system.<br />
In 2014 the government wants all students, including disadvantaged and special education, to reach the same high standards. Now, this<br />
is an impossible goal to reach by 2014. These people are setting their goals way too high, and they think that the act is helping more than hurting.<br />
Many students will still be “left behind.”<br />
42<br />
By Thomas DePoalo
Testing Dynamite<br />
A dynamitc test was scheduled for January 16, at 1:30 p.m. Everyone was supposed to<br />
be off the slopes of Snowy Peaks, the site for a dynamic test, by 1:15, and all, except one kid,<br />
were off the slopes. That kid happened to be Robby Craig, whose parents wanted nothing to do<br />
with snowboarding and had no idea where he was.<br />
All of Craig’s family, except for Robby, thought athletics were a waste of energy. That<br />
meant his mom, dad, and two obnoxious sisters had no clue about anything that even slightly<br />
had to do with a ball, bat, or board of any kind. Pretty much, the only things Robby’s family<br />
members were interested in, or weren’t totally clueless about, were violin, homework, math,<br />
and, in the case of his two sisters, themselves. Not him!! Sports was his passion.<br />
He had snuck out of his house at seven in the morning and waited two hours until Snowy<br />
Peaks opened. His parents wouldn’t notice when he would walk through the front door at five<br />
when the resort closed. “Ah, well, at least I’ve got until five,” he thought to himself. Then<br />
something hit him; there was a dynamite test in twenty minuets, right at the top of the peak he<br />
was on the lift for! “Man, this was not good,” thought Robby. His parents may not love him<br />
or know he’s not there half the time, but he was pretty sure his being blown to pieces in an<br />
explosion and being dead might tick his mom off a bit.<br />
He hopped off the lift at 1:15 with a plan. If Robby just sped down the easiest trail as<br />
quickly as he could, he would probably be at the bottom by 1:25 with a whole five minutes to<br />
spare. Robby quickly strapped his right foot into his binding and started bolting down the peak.<br />
He had covered one third of the mountain by 1:20, and the slope kept getting easier. At 1:25,<br />
Robby got a little worried and skidded to a stop. He had only gotten halfway down. Maybe he<br />
had underestimated the trail’s length. He was just about to check his trail map, when he thought,<br />
“I’m already cutting it real close; if I go down now, I can probably make it down before an<br />
avalanche starts from the shock of the explosion.”<br />
With that, he shoved off. He was just about to get back to full speed when a deafening<br />
“Crash!” echoed throughout the mountain. Robby cursed under his breath. He started zooming<br />
back down, but it wasn’t fluid movement and Robby knew it. If he kept up like this, he would<br />
do a spectacular face-plant, which would slow him down even more. He slowed down and in<br />
doing so heard the avalanche like a wave. Just then, a plan came into his head. It could work,<br />
well maybe, if he landed it. That would be the hard part. As he neared the final stretch, the<br />
43
avalanche was ten yards behind Robby. When he saw the big, sloping rock, he knew that it<br />
could be useful. His plan was to use the rock as a jump and fly to the base of the hill. He would<br />
use the force of the avalanche to give him a speed boost. Robby got into a crouch just as he hit<br />
the rock. In the air, he realized he would never be able to land the jump. The best he could do<br />
was to tumble head over heels, miraculously not breaking anything, directly in front of a ski<br />
patrol officer.<br />
The officer jerked Robby up and yelled at him, “What do you think you’re doing kid?<br />
Don’t you know about the test today!?”<br />
Robby just smiled meekly and said, “Well, sir, I do know one thing: the dynamite<br />
works!”<br />
THE END<br />
By Zoe Steinberg<br />
44<br />
Kami Movsovich
Dear Diary,<br />
Hi! I just got back from an amazing trip to an amazing California. I knew many things<br />
about California that it was great.<br />
The first thing I did when I got there was to go to Anaheim to go to the number one<br />
tourist spot in the state, Disneyland. There I ran into my friends Mickey, Daisy, Donald, Goofy,<br />
and Pluto. We had a blast and decided to see all that California had to offer.<br />
Our first stop was Sacramento, the capital of California. It is located at 38 degrees<br />
north and 127 degrees west. We went to see the Sacramento Symphony, which had<br />
awesome music and was very enjoyable to watch. We also went to see the Sacramento<br />
Kings play against the Los Angeles Lakers. Unfortunately, Kings lost because Kobe Bryant had<br />
100 shots. Then we left Sacramento and went to the top of the state. The absolute location<br />
of the northern border is 41 degrees north and 124 degrees west. We then took a plane tour<br />
and flew down to the southern border of California. It’s absolute location is 32 degrees north<br />
and 117 degrees west.<br />
If you don’t know how to read a map you can find California to the west of Nevada<br />
and Arizona, to the south of Oregon, and to the north of Mexico. California is also located<br />
directly east of the Pacific Ocean. It’s a big state; you can’t miss it!<br />
By Gabby Farquhar<br />
45<br />
Danielle Popper
Emily’s last piece of writing-completed for English 8. Natalie Wetmore<br />
Age, Gender, and Race<br />
“Guys like us got no family. They make a little stake an’ then they blow it in, they ain’t got nobody in the worl’ that gives a hoot in hell about ‘im-”<br />
“But not us”<br />
“Because I got you an`…”<br />
“An` I got you. We got each other, that’s what, that gives a hoot in hell about us.” Lennie and George were two white, young men, who had each other<br />
through the whole journey. Lennie, who was by George’s side keeping him from getting lonely, while George was by Lennie’s side supporting him through his mental<br />
state. Lennie and George were men, unlike Curly’s wife who had Curly, she was a woman. This fact alone excluded her from being a part of the ranch. Similarly,<br />
Crooks, the stable buck, was black. Just the color of his skin, and already he was ostracized by everyone on the farm! Likewise, there was Candy, the old, crippled<br />
swamper. Even though he could talk to the others when they went out to the fields, Candy was too old and handicapped to work and was left alone on the ranch. In<br />
conclusion, gender, race, and age were the major sources of loneliness in the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.<br />
Curly’s wife is the only girl on the ranch and the wife of Curly, the farm owner’s son. Curly, who has always been overprotective of his wife, will not let her<br />
leave the house or talk to any of the workers. Farming, horses, pigs, and plows. Life from the city differed much from the life she had lived before. She complains,<br />
“Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live.” In the story she says that in her past she had met an actor who called her a “natural” in acting, and since<br />
then she’s wanted to be in shows. However, the letter she was supposed to receive from that actor was supposedly stolen from her mother. Now, the reality is this: tart,<br />
whore, and a flirt- these are the names that she is called by the men of the ranch. Unknown to the men, that she is just lonely and wants someone to talk to she moans,<br />
“Wha’s the matter with me? Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am anyways?” Being a woman worked against her, and in many ways, it isolated<br />
her from being able to make friends without other men calling her a “tart,” and kept her to the farm, instead of fulfilling her dreams of being in the shows. For this<br />
reason, Curly’s wife and her gender is the source of her loneliness.<br />
“A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make a difference who the guy is, long as he’s with you. I tell ya…I tell ya a guy gets too lonely and he gets<br />
sick.” This saying from Crooks tells us just how lonely he is. Crooks, the black stable buck, had always been ignored because of his skin color. On the ranch, Crooks<br />
had his own place, separate from the bunkhouses that Lennie and George shared with the other white men. His fellow workers knew not to come into his place, it was<br />
already understood. They just didn’t understand that he’d love to have some company over, just to talk, as shown by his saying, “George knows what he’s about. Jus’<br />
talks on, you don’t understand nothing. George can tell you screwy things, and it don’t matter. It’s just the talking. It’s just about being with another guy. That’s<br />
all.” When he said this, it shows that since he was black and nobody dared to visit him, he just wanted anyone to talk to. In Crooks’ case, race was the source of his<br />
loneliness.<br />
Candy is the oldest of the ranch; his biggest fear is getting fired because of his age. In the beginning of the story, he owned a disabled dog. Carlson, another<br />
person who worked on the farm, convince Candy to put his dog to sleep since the dog was old and of no more use, just like Candy is. He feels this connection and<br />
says, “You see what they done to my dog tonight? They said he wasn’t good to himself, nor nobody else. When they can me here, I wisht sombody’d shoot me.”<br />
Candy loved his dog very much. To him, the dog was like George’s Lennie, and with the dog gone, Candy no longer had someone there with him when all the younger<br />
guys went to the fields. It also showed that Candy wanted to be able to die before getting canned, or else he wouldn’t have anywhere to go.<br />
Curly’s wife, Crooks, and Candy all are surrounded by loneliness, by simply age, gender, and race. Even though George and Lennie aren’t affected by any<br />
of these problems, they can still be lonely. When George went into town Lennie was lonely and he went as far as to enter Crooks’ bunkhouse. So age, gender, and race<br />
are the three sources of their loneliness, just being able to have a friend like George and Lennie, can keep them from getting lonely. Their mantra is “We got each other,<br />
that‘s what, that gives a hoot ...about us.”<br />
By Emily Aguas<br />
December 11, 2007<br />
46