January Featured Writers

Hi,

Our January Writers have been posted!!!!  This month we have thirteen submissions.  Your task is to read ALL of the pieces and write helpful, thoughtful and friendly comments and feedback for five writers--three seniors and two freshmen.  Your comments and feedback are due February 6.

I hope you enjoy the writings this month.  I sure did.  I think the January writers outdid themselves this time.  Have fun!!

Now, go read!!!!!

Mrs. Solano

Mia--Fascinating

“Thank you. Mr. Fen, for that wonderful story on your first encounter with your brother’s very unfortunate friend.” Mrs. Henry stated. “Okay, who’s next?” A confident hand shot up into the air, Mrs. Henry smiled.
“Mr. Kingston, it’s about time, please enlight the class with the story of your encounter that’s made an everlasting impression you.” Mr. Kingston smiled, “Trust Miss D, it will be very interesting.” Mrs. Henry, just rolled her eyes at the nickname and sat back down. Jason Kingston looked around his College Creative Writing class, many of the students were interested in what his special ‘encounter’ was going to be.
Jason looked down at his paper and began to read: “It was cold that day, when I met her. I saw her from the library steps, sitting on a bench reading a extremley huge book. I mention extremely huge, since she was extremely small, I actually thought that she was a highschool freshmen that was waiting for her older brother or something. So, with me, being a very curious human being, I went up to her, sat down on her bench, but before I could ask her who she was waiting for, she did this little shuffle of her feet, placed her book in her lap, and started to rub her arms. ‘It’s soooo .... cooooold.’ She stated, rather obviously in my opinion. I started to laugh, ‘What’d you expect? It’s 50 degrees outside.’ She just glared at me and then she started to rub her hands. I watched for about an hour or so, she would read for a couple of minutes, shuffle her feet, rub her arms, and her hands, then she’ll start the cycle all over again.
‘Here, give me your hands.’ I said. She looked at me suspiciously. ‘Why?’ ‘So I can blow on it.’ I explained.
‘So you can contaminate the air?’
‘Huh?’
She sighed, and shook her head. ‘How am I contaminating the air?’
‘Let’s see, your giving out fumes of carbon dioxide, you're spreading the smell of the bacon you had this morning, and don’t even get me started on the germs you could be giving to me.’
‘Wow... you really don’t hold anything back.’
‘Yep.’ She glanced back down at her book.
And then it got me thinking, ‘What do you think about the Mona Lisa?’ ‘An ugly man.’

‘Napoleon?’
‘A midget.’
‘Michelangelo’s painting of Adam and God?”
‘Don’t understand why there pointing at each other.’
‘Henry VIII?’
‘The one who sleeps with everybody, and then kills everybody.’
I’m almost afraid to ask. ‘The Titanic?’
‘The old lady was probably on meds when she dropped the necklace in the sea,
which one of the reason’s why you shouldn’t give old ladies jewelry, they lose it, all the time.’ She said with a straight face. ‘Wow, you’re really....... fascinating.’ I wanted to say crazy delusional, but I was afraid she’d hurt me. She turned to me, and for the first time, she smiled, and then laughed. And that’s when I realized, why I came over and sat down next to her.”
“Wow, man, that was really deep.” Mr. Fen said.
“Of course it was I made it up.” Jason turned to Mrs. Henry. “Did I melt your heart Miss D.”
Mrs. Henry rolled her eyes. “Class is over, dismiss. Mr. Kingston, hand me your paper.” She quickly gave it a grade and passed it back to Jason. He looked at his grade when he stepped out of class, and stopped. He was staring at a big letter A, when he heard the familiar shuffle of feet, and the rubbing of the arms and hands. He turned around, and saw a small girl with a Creative Writing textbook looking up at him, “Wow,” she said, “you're really...... fascinating.”

Mikaela--Two

“Find someone who makes you feel whole.” My mother used to always say
that. Every single time I saw her. She was a person that, as strange as it sounds, loved love. Loved to love, loved loving. She wanted me to love someone a way that is unthinkable, a way in which I would give up anything just to be with some man. I did not want to do that.
I never enjoyed the idea of needing someone to function,
to live, to be happy, to find yourself. I know I’m capable of doing that on my own. I wouldn’t give things up that make me happy just for “the love of my life.” The idea of a companion is nice, though if I were to somehow grow to love someone, it would not go to an extent in which I need them to breathe, nor give up my all for them. You may be bewildered, you may go, “If you are not doing these things, then this isn’t love.” We perceive love differently. Instead of completing me and making me feel like I need them, I would much rather have someone admire the fact that I am already whole. I come as I am. Holly May Gee. Whole.
I live alone in an apartment in San Francisco, moved the year my mother
passed away. My father lives in Los Angeles, doing fine with his girlfriend of 3 years. I’m doing pretty well too. I own a cafe near my apartment building, and I would say it’s doing quite good. I’ve made many friends here, a few having a romantic attraction to me. They’ve tried to claim that they were in love with me. Of course, being the person I am with “preposterous” views of love and romance, I push them away. I pushed all of them away, not expecting one to finally reach my standards; to finally find someone who views the idea of love like I do.
He made me feel weird, he made my head hurt, he made my
bones feel like they were nonexistent. We met in my cafe, and we became really great friends. Over the course of a year, we were challenged with problems consisting of time, feelings, and the future. It was rough. Yet we got through it together. We were only friends, but we spent this time like we were together. We argued like an old, married couple. We made up like a cliche, teenage couple. Somewhere in the middle of all of this nonsense, he told me that he had no intention of being my “other half.” He simply desired to be my partner in crime, to have me teach him the art of being whole. This man wanted to take our flaws and have them become something to be celebrated. We didn’t need each other. But he was the most important person in my life. Definitely genuinely special. He came as he was. Adam Jay Hunt. Whole.

Cristina--A Morning in My Jazz Shoes

I wake up to my 5’ o clock alarm singing “Bailando” by Enrique Iglesias; do I get up? – Nope. Ten minutes later, another alarm tries to persuade me out of bed this time singing “Crazy Beautiful” by Andy Grammer- I don’t get up. Five more minutes pass and the voice of an angel, also known as Michael Buble, gets me out of bed with “It’s A Beautiful Day.” As I pack my backpack with the homework from the night before, I check for assignments I may have missed, occasionally I do so I speed through it. After, I talk to my brother who so graciously makes me a lunch every other day. When he leaves to pack it for me, I check my phone for the weather then sort through my clothes to find an outfit for the day- jeans or leggings, boots or tennis shoes, a Harry Potter shirt or some other kind and so on and stuff them into my duffel. Once packed, I grab black leggings and a black shirt, (unless it’s Wednesday then I wear a pink one) and go get dressed and ready in the bathroom. Since my dad is the one that’s “blessed” with taking me to practice every morning, I’m his alarm clock at 6 a.m. Fifteen to twenty minutes later he gets the keys and I get my duffel, backpack, equipment and binder and we head to the car, get in and drive to school. By 6:30, I’m walking up the access road in the chilly morning air. I open the door to the k-building, and I’m greeted by the same familiar faces. We sit in the hallway talking, waiting for an instructor to come with the key to our room. When they finally do, we pile into the room, exchange our backpacks for equipment and a few people pull our floors out to the gym. Once there, JV and Varsity split up to their sides. I join my JV guard to pull and spread out along the floor. I take center tape, with my friend Maite across from me and say “1, 2, 3 pull,” to pull out the floor, straighten it and set up the markers. Once finished, JV captains, Ruby and I gather the rest of JV, block up and stretch with Tiana our dance instructor. “Do everything with intention!” and “Point your toes!” she tells us, as the lyrics ‘Can you hear the siren call’ play behind her. She says “Reach!” and “Straight legs!” as we hear the words “I’m holding on for tonight” conclude our Sia warm up. After that, we pick up equipment and warm up with drop spins and tosses on both flag and rifle. When we’re ready, we clean or learn work, then we start from the beginning of our show to start run-throughs. “Is the guard ready?” Tiana asks, the way judges do at our competitions. I look at everyone, count “5, 6, 7, 8,” and we set in our starting pose. The soft melody of our song starts as we dance to our first set. Amy, our caption head, walks over to us. She smiles watching us as we go through our show, saying “Smile!”, “Catch strong!” and “Look up!” and when we finish, we reset for another run. This is an everyday thing. We practice most mornings, a few days after school and on Saturdays and competitions haven’t even started yet. Sure it may be a long process, but it’s worth it each second I spend spinning on that floor.  I’ve never loved anything more than being a part of Etiwanda’s Winter Guard program.

Jillian--The Best Day of My Life

October 16, 2014

Dear Diary,

As I’m sure you are aware by now, three years ago, I came to Los Angeles as a timid, small town freshman from Minnesota. As I was growing up, my family moved often, mostly because of my lack of friends and plethora of bullies at each new school. But this time, Dad got a new job, and we came to California hoping the warm weather might correlate with warmer hearts of classmates. Unfortunately, we couldn’t have been more wrong. Even on the sunniest days, in high school, California was much colder than Minnesota could ever be.

What I hoped would be a refreshing new start turned out to be a miserable disappointment. Bullies lurked the halls, eyeing and picking at me like vultures on a carcass every time I walked by. In the beginning, it was just standard stuff. You know, name calling, getting smashed against the locker, the occasional dumping of my backpack, etcetera. But as high school progressed, the beatings and humiliations did too, and they paid more attention to my daily fate than to their own personal lives. I was brutally terrorized in every aspect of my life. There was no escape, I thought. That is, until I met Sarah.

Sarah Jenkins. Sarah moved to Los Angeles this summer and began her last year of high school at this hell hole. Turns out, our parents both made the wrong decision. She sat next to me in Pre-Calculus on the first day of senior year. God, she was pretty. Long brown hair, sparkling green eyes, that pink sundress against her skin. She was a glistening beam of beauty. I would never talk to a girl like that, of course, but we had all the same classes. We walked the same paths. And on our third day of school, she caught up to me in the hall and introduced herself. That day was the best day of my life.

As the weeks went by, Sarah and I grew closer and closer. We did homework and ate lunch together every day. Whenever someone tried to tear me down, she would defend me. Sarah was different. She was my best friend and my savior. One day, she told me about how much she missed her friends at her school in Long Beach, and in September, she took me to their homecoming dance. I met all her friends, had some laughs, and even danced a little bit. For once I was in a public place without fear of being tormented. I was having a great time. I was surrounded by an acceptance that I had never known before. Actually, that day was probably the best day of my life.

I was no longer afraid. I was no longer trapped. Sarah was my escape. We had a connection, and for once in my life I was genuinely happy. Yesterday, I took Sarah to the movies. We laughed our lungs out during the comedy, and continued to do so during dinner afterwards. As I pulled in her driveway at the end of the night, she told me that I am the best friend she’s ever had, and that she cares about me deeply. I was speechless. No. Without a doubt, that day was the best day of my life.

I sat in the car for twenty minutes after that. Thoughts were churning throughout my brain. She told me that she cares for me deeply. What does that mean? I thought. I wanted to tell her the same thing. I wanted to tell her how much she meant to me. I got out of the car, sprinted towards the door, and began to frantically ring the doorbell. After about five rings, I got scared. Maybe she’s hurt. I hopped over the fence to find another way in. I cased the dark house until I found Sarah’s window, open and bursting with light. I peered through the screen. Sarah was not there. I was about to climb in to investigate when she walked in the room, wearing a towel. Of course she didn’t hear me, she was in the shower, I thought. Relieved, I was about to say something to her, but then…….wow…….oh my god…….she’s……she’s stunning.

After another minute, she looked up. She saw me there, frozen in awe of the perfection I had just seen. She quickly picked up her towel and began to scream at me. “Jeffery! What are you doing?! Go away! Go away, you freak! I hate you! I hate you!” I started to run away, but as she said those things, God, why did she say those things? I stopped. Those words. I hear them every day by everyone else. To hear them come out of her mouth. God damn. That bitch. She told me she cared about me.

Sarah wasn’t different. She was just like everybody else. And now I’ll never have to hear her say those things again.

Jeffery

Arianne--Our Purpose in Life

Do you ever read a book, look at a photo, or hear a story that makes you wonder why we are on this earth, why you are in the world? On a day to day basis we all have a plan. We work because we need money to support ourselves, we go to school for the love of learning, or because we know we must be educated. We go to the gym to stay healthy and look good, we go to the movies, musicals, and sporting events for relaxation.

What most of us have difficulty with is finding a reason for our existence. I think as we age we become increasingly disquieted by a gnawing sense of need to accomplish something. I believe everyone has a special ability or talent that distinguishes them from others. It is not always easy to discover that little spark of talent that makes you stand out. Sometimes the gift is buried because of the need to survive.

Negative feedback, lack of resources, non-supportive parents, can stifle or bury an individual’s natural leanings. For these reasons, and many more, young people are often confused about their purpose in life. For some this is a cause for consternation, leading to dissatisfaction, depression and lack of productivity.

I have friends who I consider lucky. They have known why they are on this earth since middle school. One friend loves roller coasters and has a talent for engineering and mathematics. He plans to work in the amusement park industry. Another friend loves children and medicine, and this determined her direction in volunteer work and classes, and pursuit of a career as a pediatrician.

Where am I on the self-discovery spectrum? I am a late bloomer and feel quite confused. Recently I realized I enjoy anatomy and anything health related, so I’m working towards a medical career. When I volunteer at the hospital I feel a sense of satisfaction in making someone else’s job a little easier, or being part of a positive experience for a family member or a patient. I envision myself being part of a medical team traveling to other countries to perform surgeries, or to track the course of a disease. I believe that is why I am here.

Why are you on this earth, how will you be remembered after you are gone? I challenge you to think about your purpose in life. Maybe you cannot paint, but perhaps you have an eye for beauty. You may not be a Bronte sister, but maybe you have a thirst for truth that compels you to report the latest scandal in Washington DC. We all have a special talent, often the most difficult part is discovering it.

Bekah--Explanations Later

Flick.
Flick.
Sean McMillan was oddly comfortable in the dingy lobby outside the principal's office at Endlefield Prep. The cream walls, tinged yellow with nicotine from the '60s, were more familiar to him than those of his own bedroom. Mrs. Lincoln, the secretary, joked that the wooden chair with wine red cushioning shoved under the east facing window was forever imprinted with Sean's...(and there she would trail off, because even septagenarians are susceptible to Sean's considerable charm).
At the moment, Mrs. Lincoln was taking her lunch break, complete with a Cobb salad, in the break room down the hall, so no authority prevented Sean from methodically flipping his worn silver lighter.
Flick.
Flick.
Sean stood and stretched his long legs, shoving one hand through his dark hair. He wandered lazily around the room, perusing trite motivational posters. Determination, Hard Work, Dedication! they screamed in blocky white letters. Flipping the lighter again, he wondered how long it would take for one of the glossy posters to burn, and was about to act on his curiosity, when the obnoxious screech of Principal Grummell's door rang through the lobby like the screams of the dead in purgatory.
Deftly, Sean slipped the well loved lighter into the pocket of his jeans.
"I assure you," Grummell declared pompously, "Lucy will adapt splendidly. Endlefield Prepatory is the best school for gifted students in all of Illinois."
The slight man, only 4'10 by Sean's estimation, had the barest hint of a pooch, as is common for men his age, and thinning brown hair that he disappeared into May's Beauty Parlor to rejuvenate every six weeks. Grummell edged slowly out of his office, gesturing largely with dainty hands. Cheap pleather shoes caught on the too long ends of his gray slacks, and he grabbed desperately at Mrs. Lincoln's oak desk, catching himself at the last minute. The principal pushed his wire rimmed spectacles up his infamously pointy beak before motioning to Sean.
"One of our most gregarious students, Mr. Sean McMillan, will help Lucy adjust to the school. They share quite a few classes, and Mr. McMillan is more than capable of ensuring your daughter catches up on the last few weeks of work."
A tall, elegant woman with a bob of bright blonde hair strode out of Grummell's office, fairly dragging a younger girl­her daughter, perhaps­behind her.
"I certainly hope so." She frowned at Grummell, as though she could sense the exorbitant amount of sweat gathering on his palms, behind his knees, and underneath his arms; then, she turned to Sean and examined him like a lab specimen before quirking her lips in the barest hint of a smile. "It's very important to me that Lucy settles quickly. I feel dreadful that..." Sean scoffed quietly to himself. Dreadful? The last time he heard someone use the word dreadful was when Annie, his older sister, made him go with her to a dramatic reading of Shakespeare's sonnets.

A new voice emerged from behind the tall woman's charcoal black pantsuit, intrerupting the blonde. "Ma, really. I'll be fine, just stop fussing. " Softly, but sternly, the voice continued, "Besides, aren't you late for work?"
The woman dropped her clear green eyes to the extravagant silver watch on her slim wrist, and turned sharply towards the stately doors leading out of Endlefield. "Yes. You'll walk me to my car."
Grummell haplessly followed her out the front door, spewing meaningless platitudes and sharing "notable" facts about the school.
Sean, whose gaze had dropped to his beat up red Converse when the principal passed, sighed deeply to himself, and silently began to run through the new student program he was expected to deliver when a small tanned hand entered his line of vision.
He raised his blue eyes in the way that sent hearts all over Illinois a flutter, scanning casual brown boat shoes, light blue jeans that ended midway down a tanned calf (the same shade as the hand), a pale lavender shirt, a silver ampersand necklace, and shoulder length dark hair, finally resting upon green eyes that were the same color as the tall blonde's.
The dark haired girl smiled. "Hi, I'm Lucy."
Sean grinned slightly. "Right. Welcome to Endlefield Prep, home of the Fighting Tacos. Do you have your schedule?" She passed the small piece of paper over. "Looks like Grummell's right, we have...every class together." He checked his phone quickly, them grabbed her small hand, which was still waiting for introduction, and tugged her behind him as he strode in the down the corridor opposite his chair. "Speaking of which, we're gonna be late if we don't get a move on."
Lucy ignored his rush, and focused on, what seemed priority to her. "The Fighting Tacos?" "Yep. Explanations later, French now."

Kate--The Vacation Gone Wrong

I screamed as I watched my brother’s body disappear under the deep blue water. The thick liquid traveled quick, destroying anything and everything in its path. Debris and lifeless bodies were carried away by the ocean seeking destruction.
I watched as the water grew closer and closer to the building that me and many others were upon. I heard screams of pain, screams of relief, and screams of grief.
The only family that I had left was eaten by the sea. I told him that i had a horrible feeling about this vacation, i knew something dreadful was bound to happen.
I just didn’t expect it to be a tsunami.
My legs felt like lead, and i fell down to my knees and buried my head in my hands. I felt a shaky hand touch my shoulder and i looked up wearily. No words were spoken, but i stood up and engulfed the woman in a hug and cried into her shoulder.
I looked at the other people on the roof of the building, and saw so much blood. Blood from children, blood from adults, perhaps blood that wasn’t even theirs.
I let go of the woman and muttered a ‘thank you’ and she nodded and turned. I sat down on the edge of the building, and watched as the water crashed into our building, causing it to shake, but not crumble. I covered my mouth as i saw an empty stroller aimlessly floating in the substance.
I looked over my shoulder at the woman whom i’d hugged, and saw she was already watching me.
She was young, maybe in her early twenties. I couldn’t imagine how i looked, being fourteen years old. Her shirt was ripped at the hem, and her dirty blonde hair was tangled with small debris. She shook her head, seeming to know what i was thinking.
I heard her heavy footsteps running towards me, and her high voice screaming ‘no’, but i knew she’d never make it in time.
I pushed myself off the building, and silently watched the ocean come closer and closer to me. I smelled something sweet. Syrup maybe? I faintly heard my brother’s laugh. I smelled the minty air freshener i had in my room. I stared at the bright red car directly below me, waiting for me­
And then i woke up.

Kandiss--Stand Up For Yourself

Since the beginning of time kids have been teasing each other. Whether it's the way they dress, look or even their race. Schools all over the country have all these different types of anti-bullying systems. In my opinion these systems aren't helping students at all. In fact, I think it's causing young kids to be afraid of the real world.
    One reason why I think these anti-bullying systems aren't helping is because they make kids depend on other kids or other adults. If a student is being bullied they should be able to defend themselves. Students shouldn't depend on other students or a teacher, councilor, parent etc. because they aren't going to be around forever. If you know how to stand up for yourself people won't bully you anymore because they know it doesn't bother you.
    Another reason why I don't agree with these anti-bullying systems is because it makes kids feel like they're a victim of being bullied right away. When the majority of the time that's not even the case, it's just kids being kids. I feel like it's making kids feel like an outcast, thus making them depressed or have thoughts of suicide.
    Although bullying has been going on for years I don't condone it. Of course it's wrong to make fun of people but I personally believe it will never go away, that's just how the world is. Therefore we should teach kids how to stand up for themselves rather than have them ask somebody else for help.    

Natasha--Summer of 2012

“Natasha, have I ever told you how I would meet my perfect guy?” my brunette friend
asked.
“Um..no?”, I looked at her, intrigued by her question.
My friend and I have known each other since seventh grade when we both joined the
same orchestra. We were close, but we never talked about boys. So I was mildly curious. “Okay, this is really cute”, she began with a dreamy look on her face. “I would find
myself casually strolling down the beach while the sun sets creating a purplish pink gradient behind me with the wind blowing my hair softly against my face, caressing my cheeks as I search for my perfect shell. After some time, I would spot a heart shaped shell lying on the ground of the sandy beach. I’d walk towards it, but as I extend my hand about to grab the softly pink coloured shell, my hand would brush against that of another’s. Curious to know who wanted to steal my precious shell, I look up and find myself mesmerized as I stared at twin pools of deep brown eyes owned by an adorably cute guy; we would share a moment as though time froze just for us and in that instant we would fall for one another,” She turns toward me, a genuine smile painted on her face.
“Well what do you think?” she asked.
“That’s unrealistic”, I replied absentmindedly as we continued to walk along the shore. I wanted to slap myself as soon as the words came out of my mouth. My orchestra
friend looked at me as if I grew another head. Her jaw hung open and her eyes bulged the size of E.T.’s. I was not trying to be rude but the whole idea of meeting your soulmate at the beach while the sun sets sounded too cliche. I mean, it can happen. Anything can happen. Finding a heart shaped shell can happen; getting into a fight for that heart shaped shell can happen, and my friend getting to keep the heart shaped shell after winning a brawl can also happen. But my initial thought about her romantic fantasy was that it was unlikely to happen. I did not mean to hurt her feelings, but strolling down Goleta Beach during a sunset felt liberating; so liberating that I forgot to filter the words that came out of my mouth, and up to this day I still blame the beach.
I may appear too realistic or unromantic to some but that incident was just a slip of the tongue. I was unconsciously being honest because for the most part I see a clear distinction between fantasy and reality just like how we see the difference between our wants and our needs. I am not discouraging anyone from dreaming. On the contrary, I encourage it. Dreaming is a wonderful thing and I myself have “unrealistic” dreams that range from curing pancreatic cancer to marrying a cellist­­ don’t ask­­, and line that separates dreams from real life can disappear to where fantasy is reality, but only if we act on it. Because when it comes down to it, life is just a series of opportunities that come with time.

Alexis--The End

The End 

It all began with a bang. That's how it usually goes right? That's what you expect when you think of the world ending. A bang and a loud siren that seemed to echo throughout the wine tinted skies. Yet even these were nothing compared to the screams that could be heard from every direction. Walking out of the house nothing but destruction could be seen. The neighborhood was in a panic, families of all types running out of their homes, trying to carry as much as they could hold, not knowing when or if they would ever be able to return, or even where they could possibly escape to. Some ran to their cars, others were unsure if technology of any sort could still be trusted. That eerie feeling of distrust was present in a small minority of people when the idea of robots being part of our daily lives was first presented, but their claims against the use of robots was never taken seriously. Now that which had been so relied on and highly anticipated ended up leading to the world’s demise.
The government was somehow able to convince the people that the only way to ensure their safety and well being after the spike in police distrust and increased protesting over police brutality in the United States, was to employ the use of robots. The seemingly biased decisions happening as of late, the lack of order in police sanctions, and the erosion of rights, led to this huge distrust. This was the only way the government officials could think of regaining the credence of the majority. Initially this idea was a huge success. The robots were added to the police force and were made to make unbiased decisions, and to react faster and more efficiently than any human. They were programmed to analyze everything with a heartbeat that they came in contact with, assessing their record and making predictions on the way they would most likely behave based on past occurrences. While this method was not perfect, due to the lack of unplanned acts of descent, the people were satisfied enough to keep the robots active.
Eventually they were placed in every neighborhood, made into friendly neighborhood watchmen, only interested in “making the world a better and safer place”. They stuck to the protocol, only targeting threats, assessing the danger of a person with one quick scan, and moving along with their day. Today that all changed. They had become self aware, everyone now posed a threat to the safety and success of our nation. There is no escaping what comes next.

Taylor--Fourth Place

Fourth Place 

In spring of my Junior year, I found myself walking onto the campus of UC Riverside with a bunch of sleep deprived Science Olympians. The day of our regional competition had finally arrived. The night before, the team spent most of their hours studying instead of sleeping, and the majority of us had less than two hours of rest. Before the competition began, everybody was trying to cram the last bits of information about their events into their brains or put the finishing touches on their buildings. Soon enough, it was time for my forensics event test.
At the beginning of the school year, I had no prior knowledge about forensics, except for trivial things learned from crime scene investigation shows on TV. The event covered a myriad of topics, and it seemed nearly impossible to learn everything. Every day, I spent hours after school taking notes, annotating textbooks and memorizing new material. After spending six months studying, my partner and I learned to do all kinds of things, such as how to distinguish powders and fibers using burn tests, find the angles at which blood spatters, and analyze crime scenes.
The testing period was about forty minutes, but the minutes felt like seconds as we frantically tried to match fingerprints and identify polymers. Nothing but the sound of shuffling papers and whispers filled the room. The most difficult part of the test was getting everything onto paper within the time limit. In an attempt to complete the test packet, we held the papers up in the air, so that we could write on both sides simultaneously, since they did not allow us to remove the staples. Unfortunately, we were not able to finish in time. I was filled with anguish as my partner and I left the room. I could not believe that all my efforts resulted in an incomplete test. It was as if our countless hours of work went to waste. I was exhausted and on the verge of giving up, but I had to pull through because within ten minutes, the test for my second event was going to start.
By the end of the day, I was out of energy, but relieved that the tests were over. I was able to meet up with my forensics partner for the awards ceremony, and I was anxious to know if we placed in the top six or not. The awards ceremony was in a big lecture room and it was filled to the brim with people. The announcer revealed the winners of the events in alphabetical order, so we sat in agony until he got to the letter “F”. My heart began to beat extremely fast and I had never felt butterflies in the stomach like I did at that moment. The speaker’s voice boomed, revealing sixth place, fifth place, and then he said, “Fourth place:

Etiwanda!”. That was us! My partner and I looked at each other with complete surprise. Maybe it was because we barely had any sleep or because we had poured our hearts into that test, but we were so overcome with happiness that we started to cry. Trying to hold back our tears, we stood up and walked down the steps to the front of the room to claim our medal. Almost everyone on our team won a medal that night and we placed second out of thirty some teams.
Even though my partner and I won fourth place, this was the first time that I had ever felt so proud of something I did. I realized that Science Olympiad was something that I cared a lot about. After investing so much time and energy into studying for this club, I learned that hard work does pay off. My experience at the competition has motivated me to be dedicated to the work that I do. It taught me that I am capable of putting in the effort necessary to reach my goals. Now that we are more familiar with Science Olympiad competitions, my partner and I are currently preparing to place higher this year in the forensics event at regionals.

Jacob--Santa Monica Lights

    It was the beginning of summer in 2014. After a long school year, I was so excited it was finally summer. This meant that I was able to sleep in, watch t.v, play video games, and stay up late. But, the best part of my summer break was going to the Santa Monica Pier. I had always went to the beach over the summer but I had never gone to the Santa Monica Pier before. Me and my family woke up pretty early to get ready and head out. It took about forty five minutes to get there but since I brought my I pod to entertain me time flew by. When we finally arrived, we gathered our things and started heading towards shore. The sand was soft as blanket but  became hotter then the sun so we quickly got settled. After we eat some sandwiches me and my family played some frisbee and a game of volleyball. Its really cool playing against my brothers because there really competitive when it comes to sports. After our game we rushed to the ocean with our boogie boards.  The cool ocean breeze against my face felt cooler then ice. The smell of salt water started surrounding the area. Once we got use to the water, we quickly went further into the ocean waiting for the next wave to come. The first couple of waves were pretty big but nothing could compare to the one coming up. As it came closer and closer I glanced back at the shore and before I know it  I’m underwater. I quickly rush for air and find my way back to shore. I look around and find my brothers and sister on the shore too. I felt like passing out but the sound of the seagulls above me woke me up. As I catch my breath I quickly rush back into the ocean and wait for the next wave to come my way. With everything but the sound of the waves going quite I know its time to finish what I started and ride the next wave that seems even bigger then the first one. Before I can breath it comes and before I know it I rode the wave all the way to shore. After I was done riding me and my family decided to walk to the Pier. By the time we got all of our things the sun was starting to die down and it was getting dark. Once we got there we saw the beautiful sight of the pier at night. The lights were so bright that it could fill the entire ocean of color and adventure. While we were walking on the shore, I though about how I went back out into the ocean even after I wiped out and didn’t let it stop me from riding the next wave. I learned that even If you fall in life you can always get back up. After we were done walking on the shore, we decided to head home. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much fun me and my family had. I’ll never forget this beach and I’ll never forget the beautiful Santa Monica lights.

Briana--A Tragic Happy Ending

       Cynthia and Kathleen were two ordinary girls who lived in Maine. They both went to school at Falmouth high school. At that school there are lots of different people. One day Cynthia and Kathleen were walking to the entrance of their school when they saw Zack a new kid at their high school. Cynthia and Kathleen instantly fell into his spell. Obviously when they were looking at him he turned and looked at Cynthia. Cynthia waved at him and he waved back. The bell rang so Cynthia and Kathleen went to class. At their surprise, they saw the new kid there. Cynthia was more surprised because he was sitting right next to her. She took a seat and Kathleen took a seat in the back where she normally sits. That’s when Mr. Guzman walked into the class.

       “Good Morning class. Good Morning Mr. Guzman. So, I have some announcements. First of all I would like to present a new student that is in our class.” Then Mr. Guzman looked at the new kid. Would you like to come in front of the class and introduce yourself? The kid just smiled and walked to the front. Hi everyone, my name is Zack and I just moved here from California. That’s all he said and he took a seat again. At that moment Cynthia jumped in and introduced herself to him. At that moment they both knew that they were going to be best friends.

        Two months passed by and Cynthia and Zack were finally dating. But Kathleen angered in jealousy. She didn’t know what to do because she also liked him. Then she remembered that Cynthia and she looked exactly alike because they were twins. So to her advantage she could get close to Zack and trick him into believing that she was Cynthia. But she had to do something to her sister.  She had to get her sister out of the way so that Zack will be only for her and no one else. So anyway Cynthia and Zack were having the best time of their lives when suddenly Cynthia got a call from her sister saying that she had a surprise for her and to meet her at their secret hiding place in the forest. Cynthia said bye to Zack and left. Cynthia arrived at the forest and was looking for Kathleen. All of a sudden Kathleen came from behind and hit her on the head with a shovel. Cynthia fell down to the ground. Kathleen stared at Cynthia’s unresponsive body with her hatred look on her face. Her words, “It’s time for my happiness to arise!”

December Featured Writers

Welcome Back!

I hope you all had a wonderful winter respite:)  New pieces from our December writers are now up.  There are eleven submissions for the month.

Your task is to read to ALL eleven pieces and comment on five of them (three senior writers and two freshman writers).  Your comments are due Wednesday, January 14.  I'm giving you a week to complete this assignment.

Happy Reading!!!!!

Isabel--Rainy Days

Rainy Days: A Flash Fiction

            It was a rainy Tuesday morning as Margot and Benjamin looked out in fascination as the water droplets raced their way into the flower beds. As they waited for their mother to prepare their lunches they raced raindrops on the window and watched to see who’s would make it to the flower bed first. Benjamin’s would always win and gently bounce off the petals of the delicate daffodils while Margot’s slowly seeped into the dirt, never to be seen again. Deflated from her losses Margot requested that mother make them hot chocolate to accompany them to school. Mother prepared the cocoa and poured the remainder of the marshmallows into Benjamin’s thermos, she then turned to grab the new bag of marshmallows only to realize that she had forgotten to purchase them. Mother apologized profusely but Margot insisted it was fine. The children gathered their school supplies and their umbrellas, said goodbye to their mother, and proceeded to the bus stop. As the two strolled to the bus stop a large gust of wind came and turned Margot’s umbrella inside out. Benjamin could not stop laughing at his sister’s misfortune. The pair continued on their way and finally arrived to the bus stop. Benjamin spotted something on the ground and bent to investigate, Margot attempted to straighten her poor umbrella when the bus approached, driving straight through a large puddle, drenching her, and completely missing Benjamin, who had found the object that caught his eye, it was $10. Cold, wet and annoyed Margot got on the bus to see that her favorite seat had been taken, she sat all the way in the front, right next to the bus driver and opened her thermos, hoping that her hot chocolate would save this lousy morning. As Margot opened the lid and took a deep smell

Of her cocoa, she realized that Mother had mixed up the thermoses and instead of having her delicious cocoa she had yucky old coffee. Margot reflected on the events of the day that seemed to be the worst day ever and at that moment Margot decided to be happy. Little Margot Jenkins decided that whatever happened to her, she would always be happy and radiate positivity. So when she got off the bus and fell face first into a mud puddle she brushed herself off and continued on her merry way with a smile on her face.

Elijah--Carnival to Mexico

Carnival to Mexico

  I remembered they day I got out of school for summer break it was 2010 , and once I got home I had to pack my bags because where going on a cruise called Carnival to Mexico. It was the first time my brother and I were going to Mexico. That afternoon we were all I the truck plus my uncle because he was going to drop us off at the long beach port. Were we would leave for are five day trip through the Pacific Ocean. We would take two days get there, one day to stay at Mexico and two days to get back. The first my family and I spent on the ship was amazing. The first thing my brother and I did was find are room change in to are swimming shorts and run to the swimming pool we jumped into the pool and some of the water got in my mouth. I looked at my brother and he was looking at me and by his face he tasted the water to. We got out of the pool around mid-afternoon and walked to the land got lounge and got ice cream “unlimited J” on the way back to our room to shower and get ready for dinner I overheard a group of people saying that the noticed the water was ocean water . The next day we when we got ready to go eat breakfast on the balcony enjoying the view and actually see a small group of dolphins jumping out of the water. In the afternoon we went to the top deck where they had ping pong mini golf and a track to get some exercise in. I meet an aquatint which we played basketball, swam in the pool, and took a break by getting more ice cream. The next day I was looking for him on the pool deck only to find out that he was sick. Luckily that day we got to Baha California, Mexico. Once we got off the ship we got on a tourist bus to the Bufadora in English the blow hole. Where water would shot up into the air because the water forced out through a hole. While we were e there we got a Pina colada “virgin” of course but, it was the best one I’ve ever had. On the way back to the ship I saw little kids working for money because they were really poor. Once we got on the ship and were on are way back. We ate lobster tail for dinner, when the guy asked me what wanted to drink I asked for a Pina colada but it didn’t taste the same :(. The next day we were packing up most of our stuff because we were going to arrive at long beach port once again to go back home. Before we got off I ran to get some more ice cream “haha” :). When my uncle came to pick us up and we were on are way back to the house my grandparents ask what we learned from Mexico, I said “to be grateful for what we had because a lot of kids didn’t have anything” THE END! J     

Garrett

             On Halloween a group of boys wanted to go to the house at the corner. It was an old brown house that no one has been in since 1913.  No one has ever seen any body go in or come out. The people on the street never knew if anybody lived in the house. The last person who lived there moved because they thought there were ghosts.

             That night on October 31, at 12 am they went to the house and ran inside. Once they got inside. The door slammed behind them. There was spider webs and dirt all over the place. There was scratch marks all over the floors. They checked out the place as If it was a robbery.

             Once the got up stairs, they found a skeleton sitting in a chair. After that they got scared and ran down stairs and went for the door. The only thing... The door wouldn't open. So they ran in the room closest to them. While they were in there they tried calling their parents and the police. The lines for the phone wouldn't go through. They couldn't make a call.

            After about a half hour searching for a way out, they went into the basement where they found an axe with blood stains tucked in a corner. They grabbed that and ran for the door. As the got to the door force on the axe that made it fly back to the wall. It was a ghost of the skeleton up stairs that was killed with the axe in the basement.

Allison--The Thing About Jane Spring

The Thing About Jane Spring                                                                                                                                    

                  The Thing About Jane Spring, written by Sharon Krum, is most definitely one of the best romantic comedy novels I have ever read. Imagine a sexy, beautiful, brilliant thirty-one year old blonde living in Manhattan employed as an assistant district attorney. Now add a militaristic, serious, domineering hellion attitude to your vision of Jane Spring.                                                                              Not having her mother as a role model, Jane Spring grew up with a West Point general for a father and successful older brothers which she realizes influenced her into not being feminine enough to please men in relationships. Her  topics during dinner dates (assault weapons ban. Time to repeat?, Presidents new tax plan, good or bad?, Decline in public morality) and her bloody steak orders had the men running away without looking back. After overhearing her colleagues opinions about how they would love to be with her, if she was not so terrifying, Jane decides that she must change dramatically. Watching Doris Day marathons, and being envious of how Doris Day always got the man she wanted, Jane takes excessive measures to become just like the quintessential all-American woman. Losing the pantsuits, and replacing it with pencil skirts, along with dyeing her hair, painting her nails, using makeup, softening her voice and even adding vibrant furnishings to her apartment, Jane becomes exactly who you want to date or who you want to be. Men line up for Jane, dates last the whole night, and she gained some self confidence she didn't realize she lacked.  But like most self-fulfilling novels, Jane realizes during a relationship that she cannot always pretend to be someone else. Her ideal man was not someone who would want ditsy, dependent, lovely Jane Spring; no, he would have wanted strong, independent, lovely Jane Spring.  She kept the things she enjoyed from the Doris Day experience and but ultimately reverted to the fierce lioness in and out of the court room. And, of course, at the end of the novel there was a handsome, loving man wanting her exactly for who she was .

The well-written novel  will retain the attention of the reader throughout the whole book. It is three hundred and seventeen pages long and the speaker of the book is in third person perspective.  The book has plentiful dialogue to show how bitter sweet Jane Spring can be and has a great use of imagery for the speaker to visualize the changes. Also, most of the novel takes place during the last months of the year, especially snowy December which makes it even more delightful to read during this time.

The struggle Jane Spring experiences with herself is a common struggle for a majority of people, which is that we consistently would like to become better. Whatever you consider better is, the story points out how it is important to not pretend to be a different person. As Jane Spring said, "You need to do this for yourself" and it is this central message that makes the novel  valuable.

Jordan--A Simple Walk Through Life

A Simple Walk Through Life

A man walked down the street on a bright, sunny Friday in the middle of April.  On this path he was traveling, there wasn't another soul who walked past him.  However, almost a second didn't go by when there wasn't a car accelerating past him.  The man wondered to himself why no one else was enjoying the beautiful forecast that had come from the start of spring.  Hoping to see more lively spirits, he decided to change his path to go to a local park in hope of finding more people rejoicing in the breathtaking weather and soaking up the pleasant rays that the sun was raining down upon the earth.   

On the way, the man finally ran into someone else outside, it was a small group of young teenagers who have decided to come out and ride their bikes. One of them was on a call while the others waited sluggishly for him. As the man passed by, he overheard some of what the young teenager was saying on the phone and discovered that the teenagers were simply riding their bikes to their friends house to play a new game that their friend had just bought, and they were going to take longer than they had originally expected because the teenager’s, the one who was on the phone, mother’s car had problems turning on, so they had to take their bikes instead.

 As the man continued down his route, he eventually arrived at the small park with a playground, swing set, basketball court, tennis court, exercise machines, and many ideal recreational outside activities. Though the man witnessed all the wonderful activities that the park had to offer, he didn't see a single child, teenager, or adult enjoying any of the possible outdoor activities. The only people he saw at the park was a young mother whom seemed to be paying more attention to her phone rather than her young child who was playing on a tablet her mother have her so she would be simply be quiet.

After seeing this, the man realized a sad truth of the reality he was living in. The society he lived in had become more fascinated in lazy indulgences. People would travel in a car to travel to local destinations simply because they don't want to put the effort towards walking. That simply traveling by anything other than a car is a last case scenario that people find as a worst case scenario simply because it requires additional effort. That people rather stay inside to enjoy the lazy indulgences that are on the screens in front of them. The man had realized that he was the only one who even cared about the fresh air and beauty that surrounded him, living among those who rejoiced in activities that remained between four walls and usually required staring at a screen and sitting down.  The man had a simple thought that raced through his head.  Why did people want to exchange personal interaction and adventurous experiences for those that remained in closed confinement, followed by a lack of social interaction and idle habits?

Isabella-A Lesson Learned

A Lesson Learned

        Walking home from school an everyday routine I open the shabby screen door and  infiltrate my home. Its dark like always, "Nicole" my mother said in a hushed voice. "What?" I said rudely." I just wanted to give you this I have the same one" I held in my hand a beautiful charm bracelet it glistened "im not going to wear that u waited your time" I responded. I quickly put it inside my jacket pocket. I didn’t really care about anyone anything, I always thought my life was the worse. Life wasn’t exciting to me everyday was the same routine wake up go to school come home and count down the hours till my terror starts again. My mother was always there for me I knew she was the only true friend I had but I would not accept her presence. I made her cry because no matter what she said I found a way to wreck the conversation. A week later, my mother found help she said I was depressed. I was angry, despised, antagonized you name it. This was not acceptable I yelled at her from the top of my lungs pushed her out of the way and told her that " I hated her and I wish she wasn’t my mother". I ran outside in the pouring rain didn’t realize I was in the middle of the street. I saw bright lights everything seemed to be going through my mind all at the same time. I heard a boisterous scream and felt a sharp pain on my lower back everything seemed to go blank.  I awakened weak and in panic my blouse was damp from blood. The weather seemed to go crisp, Slowly trying to arise my heart dropped to the floor. My mother was lying on the pavement, her hands were cold and her hair was covered with crusty blood. I was pessimistic a piece of my heart was gone. She was the only one I had the only one that I loved and I took advantage of her. I screamed out to the heavens hoping this was all a dream. "wake up wake up" I screamed but this tragedy was now reality. My face was painted with tears, I looked down and saw the beautiful charm bracelet that was identical to mine on my mothers arm. She did everything for me and its hard to believe she's gone now im laying with her on the cold blacktop. "I love you mother" I whispered" im sorry I treated you with no respect but I will learn to love and someday even be happy". "I will wear this bracelet so I will have your sprit with me wherever I go", Don’t treat the people you love so horribly because one day they will be gone.

Thalia--Liver Cancer

Liver Cancer

    Cancer is a name for hundreds of different diseases, it is caused by uncontrolled growth of mutated cells. It grows when cell it intakes “food”. Many factors contribute to causing cancer such as radiation, tobacco, obesity, diet, hormones, and genetics. A large population of persons that become ill with cancer it is due to genetics in one’s family. The second largest population is from tobacco use and unhealthy living habits/choices. Unfortunately some will succumb to cancer due to unhealthy living habits of others, for example members of a family living in the same household exposing children or non-smokers to secondhand smoke. Studies have proven secondhand smoke is just as dangerous as smoking in general for example “Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their lung cancer risk by 20–30%. Secondhand smoke exposure causes an estimated more than 7,300 lung cancer deaths annually (for 2005–2009) among adult nonsmokers in the United States.” (CDC).

    There are several different organs in the body that can be affected by cancer, one in particular is the liver. The function of this organ is to work as a filter for body. The liver will filter the toxins entering the body. Since the liver is exposed to hundreds possibly thousands of toxins it's no surprise the liver will develop cancer cells. Unhealthy living habits such as, drug use, smoking, alcohol abuse and unhealthy eating habits all expose the live to these harmful toxins. Liver cancer patients account for 2% of the U.S however liver cancer is to times more common in men than woman and is diagnosed at a later age.

Some detections include pain swelling in the upper right sections of the abdomen, weight loss, loss of appetite, jaundice or even itching. Test you may take to see if you are eligible for liver cancer is a blood test, biopsy, CT scan, and many more. Treatments for liver cancer may include surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy. Side effects of this disease is pain in lower abdomen, nausea , fluid buildup in the liver, or even spleen and liver growing under the ribs. Liver preventions consist of limiting your weight, and no drinking or smoking.

Savannah--My Kyra

My Kyra.

           Have you ever had that one best friend? The one who        makes your bad days better? The one who knows you better than you know yourself? Well I don’t mean to brag but I have one of those. Her name is Kyra. It’s been a year and a half since I met my best friend. Our friendship has a long story to go with it so I’ll tell you.

           I started 6^th grade at Frisbie Middle School. I had met these two girls, Alexus and Giselle.  We became very close friends over the summer of 2011. Nothing could have broken us apart. Or so we thought.

           August 6^th, 2012 we our first year of 7^th grade. Giselle had met a girl, a girl I never really noticed before. Her name was Kyra. Giselle had left Alexus and me for her. Alexus disliked Kyra but I hated her. With a passion. She had broken up something I had built all on my own, my friends. Something I worked hard for and because of her it was all gone. I finally stopped talking to Alexus. I decided my school work had to come first so it did.

                 6^th grade passed as a blur but I survived it. Summer went by fast and lonely too.  It was finally over. I began 7^th grade off confusing with lots of schedule changes but I finally got a permanent one. The first day I went to all my classes I only had 5^th period P.E with Kyra. It was only one class so I didn’t mind it that much.

               I got so caught up in life, I guess, I had forgotten the hate I had for her. I would try to ignore her in P.E but she would get so annoying she would laugh at everything, things that weren’t even funny and I just didn’t like the  thought of her not knowing that she had ruined my friendship with Alexus and Giselle.

                 I began disliking her once again, I couldn’t stand her. Only this time she realized something. She realized I was the only person who didn’t talk to her, accept her little gifts, I was the only person who actually tried to fight her. Later on in the year she tried to talk to me a couple of times but I just brushed her off. All my friends knew her, they liked her, and they told me good things about her. I didn’t really try to get to know her because it was the end of the year so I was just careless about her.

                   August 5^th, 2013 I started 8^th grade. I wished I hadn’t thought I had second, third, and sixth hour with Kyra!  She wore pink, animal print, laughed more than ever, always smiling and laughing. Then out of nowhere I had to talk to her I just got the feeling she’s not who people thinks she was. And I wanted to find out why.

                    So I talked to her. I got so annoyed at first but I gave her my patience but I guess our teachers didn’t. After 4 days of nonstop talking in 3 classes our 6^th period teacher had given us a Saturday school. I couldn’t believe it not even my first week back to school I had to spend my Saturday at a school cleaning up messes I didn’t even make! And it was all because I was being nice to a girl I just met that week! I knew I had made a mistake talking to her, so I ignored her. That Saturday when it was just me and her in a room for 2 hours I decided I had my chance to see the real Kyra. So I asked questions, she asked me questions we just talked for a while. August 12^th, 2013. The day we told one another we were officially friends. Now a year and a half later were best friends. To me she’s not my best friend. She’s my sister, my partner in crime. To me she will always be way more than a best friend.

                 It’s because of Kyra I realized people wear a mask to hide things. Things that nobody can or ever will see. Kyra taught me to never judge a person by the way they look or act. People aren’t always what they seem. Give people a chance in things.