Ex Animo - Rahway Public Schools

L i t e r a r Y M a g a z i n e

2014

Ex Animo

Rahway School District

2

Dedication

As the editor of the Rahway District literary maga-

zine for more than seven years, I have been privileged

to read and revel in some of our best student writing.

This edition’s selections are equally excellent, but as a

volume portrays a poignant snapshot of the daily victo-

ries and sometimes difficult conflicts that our children ex-

perience every day. As teachers and administrators, we

are accustomed to “carrying on” in our classrooms, de-

spite the events of the world around us, protected in our

belief that the distractions and disappointments of life

outside of school can be kept at bay during the hours

that students are in our charge. What you’ll read in these

pages are not only a buoyant collection of springtime

poems, well-crafted non-fiction essays and Halloween

tales, but lessons in the expressive stories of our chil-

dren’s real life struggles. What is noteworthy is the perse-

verance and optimism with which all children arrive to

school each morning, secured with the hope of a new

day, and with the promise of a welcoming world await-

ing them. We have dedicated Ex Animo 2014, from our

hearts, to the children of the Rahway School District: the

children, in these pages and in our community, who we

are grateful to teach, and who are, every day, our great-

est teachers.

Kim Kiefer

Spring 2014

199

Rahway High School

Sandra Stankiewicz, Mrs. Campanelli

198

Rahway High School

Sestina I'm the only one who sees the rueful in her eyes

Maybe the public is frenzied by her wonderful energy

Always surrounded by darkness but she brings me light

She carries peace

I could take her out of what she is in and show her the stars in space

We correlate with each other, we share the same empathy

The quotum of lucidity we split is erratic empathy

When I'm with her the deplore is gone in her eyes

She sees our future in ever-lasting space

This persona non grata allows me to have congenial energy

When we're together they don't allow us peace

Why cant we glaze our light?

But we shine our light

Without any empathy

We part our peace

Both love in our eyes

Outsiders mad at our positive energy

While our heads are focused, theirs is in space

Goals bigger than Jupiter, that is in space

Her smile, shines more than the sun‘s light

The good vibes bring divine energy.

I spotted her clear and we rooted together in natural empathy

Not like most girls, she has vision, she has a third eye

And that right there gives me peace

And we wonder together will the world ever see peace

Or will their heads always stick in space?

Will they ever open up their third eye?

Will they ever see the openings of light?

Do they even share the empathy?

The answer is no. There is not enough positive energy

Never will there be enough positive energy

Never enough peace

Never will there be enough love or empathy

Maybe if I really had a true love ,I would show her the space

Show her the true light

And give her a better world with new eyes.

I'll give her all the energy, the entire space

Promise her peace, Shine her the light

Share with her empathy, and never shut my eyes.

Alan Towler, Jr.

3

Ex Animo

________________

The literary magazine of the

Rahway School District

April 2014

Volume VII. Number 1

4

Editor — Kimberley Kiefer

Administrative Editors— Tiffany Lynch

Chey Rivera

Cover Art —Shemeeka Tennant

Cover Design—Lucy Kiefer Hurley

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the following people for their help and sup-port in creating this seventh edition:

Edward Yergalonis—Superintendent, Rahway Public Schools

Christine Salcito—Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & In-

struction, Rahway Public Schools

Tiffany Lynch—Program Supervisor of Literacy, Rahway Public

Schools

John Farinella—Principal, Rahway High School

Chey Rivera—Vice Principal, Rahway High School

Rocco Collucci—Principal, Roosevelt School

Fran Gavin—Principal, Franklin School

Al Giambrone—Principal, Grover Cleveland School

Alan Johnson—Principal, Rahway 7th & 8th Grade Academy

Arina Robinson—Principal, Madison School

JoAnne Campanelli—Art Teacher, Rahway High School

Maryjane Finne—Technology Facilitator, Rahway High School

197

Rahway High School

Grandpa

Grandpa, an amazing and lovely man,

is always there like a magnificent hand.

Now his hair is full of gray,

he looks great as always every day.

He has always a smile on his face,

and is always praying for me to be safe.

Together we have cried an ocean of tears,

but he always helps me to face my fears.

No matter how far we are,

he is always in my heart.

I want him to watch me grow,

and tell me stories that only grandpas know.

Oh wonderful Grandpa, I just wish to say,

whenever I see you, you make my day.

There is still too much that we have to share,

forever your granddaughter, I‘ll always be there.

Alejandra Loaiza

Autumn,

with soft locks of

red and brown.

Grateful,

for the crisp clean air

filling her lungs.

Beautiful,

is her gentle sway

in the breeze.

Embracing the cold.

Sheyla Kordelski

196

Rahway High School

Spring

Spring, the best season in the world,

When you can play, jump, and run.

It does not make us feel old,

It makes us have so much fun!

Spring the color that brightens,

morning, noon, and at night.

When there‘s a new day that shines,

People can see a nice sight.

Spring is the fresh air,

March is when it all starts.

Flowers, grass, and trees,

it illuminates our hearts.

Spring is the beauty of God,

It‘s a bird flying the skies,

Where nature is everywhere,

And every day is a surprise.

Peber De Jesus

MY LOVE

You are my only happiness,

I fell into complete madness.

You bring a smile to my face,

every time I witness your grace.

No one can compare to you…love,

you fit me as well as a glove.

You are more than perfect to me,

I just only wish you could see…

That everything I say I feel.

So how about we make a deal?

Promise to never walk away,

and I will always make your day.

Javier Aguilar

5

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 4

Contributors 6

Cleveland School 9

Franklin School 47

Madison School 74

Roosevelt School 99

Rahway 7th & 8th Grade Academy 143

Rahway High School 177

6

Contributors, in or-

der of appearance:

Cleveland School

Alissa Galvez

Ada Nunez

Alon Heckstall

Natasia Walker

Ciara Roberts

Robert Stevens

Asa Neal

Alani Gordon

Bianca Ward

Jarid Vertil

Daniel Rodriguez

Dashawn Blakely

Destiny Johnson

Donye Jones

Heisy Benitez

Giselle Melgar

Andrew Santacruz

Ja‘Von Harris

Jayden Alzate

Jeramiah

Brunscianelli

Jules Crockett

Kenya Ramirez

Lesley Campos

Matthew Rodriguez

Aamani Anderson

Paris Sojka

Tamia Watkins

Vincent Goodman

Nelson Rodriguez

Nevaeh Caldwell

Jazmin Blakley

Sannah Davis

Jackie Candelaria

NyJae Shipley

Danny Vinajero

Jose Ramos

Heaven Maxwell

Diego Altamirano

Joshua Rodriguez

Devin Williams

Nay-Shawn Kim-

brough

Marwan Niyzai

Milanie Romero

Mohammed Al

Qahtani

Asia Taylor

Luis Bazan

Shanyce Green

Tahdir Carson

Joseph Pierre

Maria Villafane

Aaron Bradshaw

Stanley Acheam-

pong

Robert Roberts

Alexus Smith

Franklin School

Nirvaan Misir

Jenna Birney

Chloe Callender

Jayden Faulcom

Christian Hernandez

Melissa T. Winey

Aksel Marmol

Alejandro Vargas

Aniya Butler

Mrs. Gallo‘s Pre-K

Arya Abdallahi

Ashley Mendez

Bianca Sanchez

Chaela Stradford

Brianna Martinez

Feliz Algarin

Caleb Santos

Gabriela Mendoza

Gina Gargon

Kaitlyn Blair

James Kinahan

Keenan Pollick

Lia Klimansky

Luis Perez

Donovan Nazaire

Christian Davis

Elizabeth Sanchez

Angel Hernandez

Francisco Gonzalez

Jaila Smith-Simons

Sebastian Concha

Mykaila Scott

Matthew O‘Halloran

Nhi Nguyen

Pauline Tardiff

Timothy Garcia

Barbara Pierre

Saud Shah

Widnie Pierre-Louis

195

Rahway High School

The Act

Since you‘ve been gone I‘ve had to act

Act like I‘m over it

Act like I‘ve come to terms with it

Act like nothing phases me

But I‘m not over it

I haven‘t come to terms with it

And everything phases me

On the inside I‘m dead.

In my head I‘ve gone crazy

Then I immerse myself in an alternate world

Suddenly I‘m happy and I‘m over it

Suddenly I‘m sane and alive

If only I could always be here .

Jon Rosky

Haiti

Haiti‘s like a dying rat,

my country it‘s so smelly.

We have no shame for ourselves,

most places are so nasty.

Disgusting and ugly,

abandoned and alone.

Garbage piles like mountains,

is all Haiti has known.

No tourists come around,

it‘s an embarrassment.

Flies are everywhere you go,

what‘s happened to our government?

All we need is garbage cans,

so disease won‘t spread.

If we don‘t work together,

our children will soon be dead.

Keslande Joseph

194

Rahway High School

Safe No More

Colombia is a beautiful place,

but it‘s sad to see that it‘s not safe.

Dangerous streets we have to face,

drugs and deaths make a criminal‘s case.

Playgrounds are where children play,

but there‘s danger to have fun there these days.

Children at home they most stay,

so they won‘t get in a gun‘s way.

Gangs need to stop,

but we need more cops!

Colombians can‘t have fun,

because of these guns.

Valeria Usma

THANKS MOM AND DAD

Life is a butterfly,

with its graceful wings.

We grow and develop.

from the love our parents bring.

We thank them for the times,

when they encouraged us to try.

Thanks for all they gave us,

and taught us how to fly.

They taught us morals and values,

they helped us reach our goals.

All the things we learned from them,

will stay till we‘re old.

Martine Augustin

7

Madison School

Chanel Rivera

Kayla Perez

Jackie Timmes

Jamie Henrriquez-

Chavez

Justin Felipe-Sahoye

Samantha Sola

Jaylene Morales

Ryan Solenski

Aaron Perez

Steven Ribas De Sou-

za

Justice Lopez

Ryan Beenders

Ryan Budhram

Taylor Antczak

Erika Alfaro

Ryan Flynn

Victoria Tonstad

Jade Schmitt

Jayson Gonzalez

Juliet Flores

Justine Ortiz Gonza-

lez

Rachel Ortiz

Sofia Aguirre

Roosevelt School

Amber Maher

Ariana Gaub

Andrew Orozco

Jerrell Diaz

Connor Carreiro

Kayla Bunsee

Madeline Ava Chris-

topher

Mya Vega

R.J. Kluse

Damian Jacobo

Sarah Singh

Ajanae Thompson

Alexander Paz

Andrea Torres

Benee‘ Arrington

Brian Alicea

Cassandra Landaverde

Christian Scaff

Clive Campbell

Diya Patel

Domonic Innovent

Deziree Rankins

Elizabeth Barthelus

Eoghan O‘Hara

Geirge McComas

Jalen Hines

Jakiir Waites

Imayla Russell

Angela Peters

Harrington Timmons

Jayden Gonzalez

Jeremiah Charles

Jonathan Velsor

Judy Nguyen

Katherine Garcia

Katelyn Walsh

Kayla Lebers

Kevin Quain

Kristy Fleurmont

Krystie Anne Barwick

Roger Amador

Nikki Sae-Heng

Daisy Garcia

Marlyn Mejia

Kristy Lopez-Zacatula

Juline Maignan

Lynn Vo

Suchy Li

Lizbeth Salas

Juan Figueroa

Nicholas Celba

Jugraj Nagra

Genessis Salazar

Paloma Aquino

Huy Lam

Anisha Subramanie

Mariel Woodson

Gina Mooney

Madison Preseley

Veena Noruthun

Madalone Caputo

Jewell Hicks

Ronald Jones

Makenzie Zweidinger

Jenna Noel Maher

Sierra Colvin

Jonathan Ferreira

Meridith Andrews

Lourdes Torres

Marc Osias

Miles De Jesus

Marveins Louissaint

Nahuel Castro

Nicole Moncado

Quamir Hollenback

Robert Tyler

Vanbuskirk

Sa-Maya Knordle

Saoirse O‘Hara

Thomas Parkin

Tamesh Subramanie

Damani Brown

Thomas Paul Jedic

Evalyse Carter

Jillian Smith

Trinity Santiago

Jacob Lagun

Kailey Beckford

Jocelyn Woo

Gisell Rodriguez

Yahir Coyotl

Julie Schoeder

8

Rahway 7th & 8th

Grade Academy

Nuria Hernandez

Amir Lembrick

Antoinette Bryant

Brielle Colclough

Chelsea Garcia

Chelsea Lambkin

Denzel Cooper

Dorcella Stelus

Giovanni Ballardo

Jada Maryjane Spinks

Alexis Carter

Jose Aguilar

Joshua Bonitto

Justin Disney

Zachary Shelmet

Kareem Taylor

Kevin Baker

Kyara Knordle

Mariah Edwards

Nicholas Varona

Princeton Nwosu

Raul Torres

Rolvens Destine

Sabian Marrero

Sarai Santos

Stephanie Shefton

Tre‘ S. Smith

Tymek Jones

Vernoica Cepeda

Wil‘lisha Jackson

Anasia Summersett

Andre Neal

Caroline Trevino

Chris Sanders

Colleen Clarke

Chris Dias

Magdalene Sadlon

Johnny Munoz

Faith Garcia

Kayla Condron

Summer Thompson

Imani Griffin

Karen Charleston

Keren Lebron

Kyanna Nusom

Justin Patino

Nicole Guardado

Ahmed Elsisi

Cristian Huertas

Jazon Andes

Lynn Wang

Karen Charleston

Meghan Flynn

Adam Greebel

Aaliyah Budhram

Justin Minter

Roman Alexander

Simmons

Amanda Soto

Karly Fleishman

Savannah Jones

Lucas Jacomes

Stacey Saint Paul

Bryanna Fleishman

Lee‘Shae Lawson

Olivia Pielach

Lundia Josue

Marcel Leach

Ti‘Anna Lee

Victor Laurie

Tiyah Hinton

Zachary Pielach

Ashley Celis

Khayree Jannah

Siouxanne Pielach

Rahway High School

Sandra Stankiewicz

Ajete Zenelaj

Ali Korleh

Daniella Richardson

Mason Torres

Joe Antenucci

Josh Wicks

Valerie Usma

Osaze Morris

Maya James

Jaysen Peoples

Michelle Wang

Vashae Stevens

Patricia Jones

Rose Northcott

Victoria Vega

Jon Rosky

Keslande Joseph

Peber De Jesus

Javier Aguilar

Alejandra Loaiza

Sheyla Kordelski

Alan Towler, Jr.

193

Rahway High School

Be Careful What You Wish For: Wishing For Older Age May

Leave You Dying

(cont.)

He wasn‘t old enough for working papers, so he wished it was four

years later.

Then at seventeen he wished for a nice car, because his legs wouldn‘t

get him as far.

Then at twenty-five he wished for retirement; his steady career was

getting very tiring.

So he wished to be fifty-five, so he could laze around and do what he

liked.

Then at fifty-five he had a cold, and all of a sudden, he realized, he was

getting old.

He missed out on his childhood and years of his prime,

And now he‘s sick and slowly dying.

The cold turned to pneumonia, and bronchitis took over,

So he wished that his sickness was over.

But he had lived a fast life, and now it was time to slow.

The pleasures of growing older and wiser he‘d never know.

His last few weeks on Earth were full of regret, and he spent them

sulking in his death bed.

He wished he could have all the time back, but while he gave it up he

never looked back.

This story goes to show you should exercise patience.

And always take the time to give present maintenance.

Don‘t wish for tomorrow while you‘re living today;

Take time to smell the flowers and feel the sun‘s rays.

Take time to feel all the pleasures, pains, and sorrows,

Because even though we have today, we aren‘t promised tomorrow.

Joshua Wicks

192

Rahway High School

Burning Beneath a beautiful smile hides a girl filled with pain.

Underneath her skin is a soul filled with hate.

Running deep in her blood is excitement and pleasure pushing to her

fate.

No turning back; the flames run hot against her skin, the smoke rises.

It burns. Her flesh melts before her eyes, a beautiful life wasted.

Nothing has felt this way before, she cries as it becomes harder to

breathe.

Go – do not live life in fear; do not take life for granted.

Victoria Vega

Be Careful What You Wish For: Wishing For Older Age May

Leave You Dying

I was a small guy,

Who wished for time to pass me by.

I wished to be older;

I wanted responsibilities on my shoulders.

I wanted to be in control,

And to not do what I was told.

I wanted independence,

So I could act without requesting.

Now time passed me by,

Too quickly, and I‘m about to die.

I didn‘t enjoy my life I confess,

And now I‘m left full of regret.

I was the boy who wanted to live fast,

Now I‘m sitting here, waiting for my soul to pass.

As he sat at eight years old, he hated doing what he was told.

So he wished on a four leaf clover that he was just two years older.

Then at ten years old it was the same, and for everything wrong he

was to blame.

Then at thirteen he wanted money, because he wanted nice things that

weren‘t free.

(cont.)

9

Cleveland School

The Day I Fractured my Thumb

One nice sunny day my friend Sayvion invited me over to

play football. At first we were playing by ourselves but that‘s when

two older kids wanted to play. I said I didn‘t want to play because I

didn‘t want to get hurt. Later on I got bored so I decided to play. I was

playing for about 10 minutes when Sayvion threw a fast spiral, and

the other boys charged at me like a bull and tackled me. But I noticed

my thumb started to hurt. I sat down and I was thinking like a doctor

to see what could have happened and was panicking at the same time.

I called my mom and she rushed there in less than 30 seconds. My

mom decided to take me to the hospital. The doctor said I had frac-

tured my thumb. I was actually biting my nails.

The doctor put a cast on my hand and said, ―Next time don‘t

play football with kids that are older than you.‖ I went home to rest,

but I was in so much pain that I had to stay home from school for a

couple of days. I learned never to play football with grown kids again.

Alissa Galvez

Ms. Antczak

All About Cats

Some cats can be sick.

Some cats can see better than us.

Some cats can be black and white.

Some cats can be brown and white.

Some could bite off your finger so be careful.

Some cats can be crazy.

Some can be nice and some can be dangerous.

Some can have 12 teeth and some can have 13.

So again, they are dangerous.

Twenty of them were actually born before us.

Some meow 20 times a day.

Thank God you heard this story because now you are smarter

than me.

Ada Nunez

Ms. Scott

10

Cleveland School

The Dance

―What am I going to do? I am so scared to perform the dance

in my front of family and friends.‖ I thought to myself. I was asked

to do a special dance for my grandmother‘s birthday celebration. I had

to talk to someone about this because it was making me so anxious I

couldn‘t focus on my schoolwork or anything else. Telling my mom

might make me feel better so when I got the nerve, I zoomed down

the stairs to talk to her. I knew if I didn‘t do it at that moment, I

would never be brave enough to express my feelings to her. Running

down the stairs I could feel my hands trembling.

―Mom, I am so scared to dance in front of the family. What if

I mess up?‖ I asked.

―When you are cheering in front of a crowd, do you ever feel

nervous?‖ she replied.

―Well, no.‖ I answered confused.

―It‘s almost the same thing. Have confidence in yourself and

you will be amazing!‖ My mom responded.

The day of the dance had arrived and there I was standing in a

foyer waiting for the DJ to announce me for my grand entrance. I was

sweating. My face was as red as a beet, and my hands were cold and

clammy.

―A special surprise for you, Grandma from your granddaugh-

ter, Alon.‖ the DJ announced.

―This is it.‖ I thought. ―Here I go! I‘m on.‖

My feet felt frozen in their place. I lifted one and then anoth-

er. I walked through the double doors and caught my grandmother‘s

eyes. The smile on her face encouraged me to glide across the dance

floor. I danced like I never danced before. When I finished, everyone

stood and clapped, but there was only one smiling face I remembered.

That was my Grandmas!

Alon Heckstall

Mrs. Zatorski

191

Rahway High School

Daniella Richardson, Mrs. Campanelli

190

Rahway High School

This I Believe As a child, I understood winning and losing; at least I thought I did. What I

did not understand was that winning, in many cases, takes time and isn't

achieved in the first attempt. That lack of understanding carried out into my

later childhood, and it fueled a fear I had: the fear of trying new things. I

loved to win, so I would only do things that I was good at, and that I knew I

would be good at. Trying more difficult and complex tasks just didn't appeal

to me in the least. But I wanted to learn how to do a flip and other difficult

stunts that would gain me positive attention, and to participate in sports that

weren't necessarily easy. One observation changed my outlook.

As I watched my cousin do many different flips as we hung out at a park

one day, I asked him

"David, how'd you learn all of these flips? Are you out of your mind"?

He replied, "I don't know I just tried it them".

"You were just born with the ability to flip?!" I asked in astonishment.

"No Einstein. I fell on my face the first few times. But I got back up and

tried it again and again until I got it; that's how I've learned everything I

know" He replied.

I thought about it.

"Didn't you feel like a loser falling on your face a million times? And

weren't you scared?" I asked him.

He looked at me blankly.

"The only losers are the ones who don't fall on their faces; they're boring

and they're not doing anything worthwhile. They're not taking big enough

risks" he said.

His words stuck with me. Since then, I haven't been afraid. I've attempted

everything I thought I wouldn't. Being afraid of failure hasn't stopped me from

learning to do flips, playing drums, running cross country, and trying many

new activities over the years.

What David said is the truth: If you don't fall on your face you're not taking

big enough risks and you‘re just being boring and average. The average per-

son will do everything in their power to keep themselves from failing, but if

you find easy success with everything you do, what are you really doing?

Don't be afraid to fall on your face. Don't be afraid to fail, because you're not

losing. The only way you can truly lose, or truly fail, is by giving up, or to

simply never try at all.

Josh Wicks

11

Cleveland School

As I Walked into the Church

As I walked into the church, I wondered why everyone was wear-

ing black. I looked up and there it was, a coffin, with a women in it. As I

walked forward, she looked more and more familiar. People were sobbing

everywhere. When I got to the front, there she was, the lady of my church,

cold, breathless, dead. She was as cold as ice. When I touched her hand, I

could feel a tear roll down my cheek. I wanted her to wake up and give a

hug but I knew she wouldn‘t.

When we finally sat down, I saw a lady who also looked familiar

run up to the altar and cried, ―Wake up Mama! Wake up!‖ She tried to pull

her out of the coffin, but it was no use. The ushers took her away like a pris-

oner.

More tears! When I did tear I remembered her giving me candy and

the wettest kisses that no one would ask for, but it meant a lot.

After that thought went away, a little girl that I noticed said to the

women in the coffin, ―Grandma, let‘s go play dolls.‖ The girl looked con-

fused. She was waiting for an answer.

As the service went on, I realized that our older people are leaving

the face of the earth, and we need to respect and honor them now before it‘s

too late. Natasia Walker

Mrs. Feliciano

Winter

Sun melts snow

North wind brings snow

Oh my Gosh!

Weather is cold.

Ciara Roberts

Mrs. Carpenter

How to Make a Card

First, fold a sheet of paper.

Next, write a title.

Then, make letters and picture.

Finally, color it and give it to your

teacher!

Ciara Roberts

Mrs. Carpenter

How to Make a Pancake

First, get the pancake mix and turn on the oven.

Next, pour the pancake mix on the oven for one minute.

Then, wait for 5 minutes.

And when the 5 minutes are up, finally, flip the pancake 3

times and take it out and eat it.

Robert Stevens

Mrs. Carpenter

12

Cleveland School

Pop!

―Pop!‖ My eyes opened wide! I sprang out of bed. I was so excited I

was going to Keansburg. I have been waiting for this trip all summer long. I

LOOOOOVVVVEEEE water parks on hot days like this!

When we arrived at DASH the bus was waiting for us.

―It‘s freezing in here,‖ I yelled. ―It‘s cold like Antarctica!‖ I could-

n‘t wait to get off.

When we arrived at the water park, I took out my towel and

wrapped myself like a burrito. As we walked inside, I spotted the tallest wa-

ter slide ever! It looked as tall as the Empire State Building. When I say it

was amazing, I mean it was amazing! I bolted to the steps of the waterslide. I

climbed the steps up to the platform. It seemed as if it took me twenty

minutes to reach the top.

―The slide is closed!‖ the man firmly said. ―The pump needs to fil-

ter out the water.‖

―What the heck?‖ ,I asked confused. ―Do you mean I climbed all

the way up here for nothing?‖ I had to walk all the way down again. My feet

were so sore, and I was disappointed and furious.

Even though I couldn‘t go on my favorite slide, it still was a great

day. I hope next time I go it will be open or they will put out a sign saying

―CLOSED‖ so I don‘t have to climb so many steps again.

Asa Neal

Mrs. Zatorski

How to Straighten My Hair

First, wash it with shampoo and conditioner.

Next, it is blow dried out to dry.

Then, it‘s flat ironed with a heated flat curler.

Finally, it‘s styled in curls or in a ponytail with a headband.

Alani Gordon

Mrs. Carpenter

How to Cook a Pig

First, you put the pig in the bowl.

Next, you take it out of the bowl and put it in the pot.

Last, let it cook like 208 minutes. Then you eat it.

Bianca Ward

Mrs. Carpenter

189

Rahway High School

From Punches to Paintings

Loving you was like nursing a toothache; exhausting and painful

but the victim is still hopeful that it could all go away. Loving you

was a nightmare I couldn‘t awake from without a sweaty forehead

and a dry throat after crying. Loving you was frightening but you had

your good days.

Your good days were all the times we went out for dinner and

made dessert at home, our favorites only, which were cherry pies and

brownies. Your good days were all the times you could look me in

the eyes with admiration, not disgust. Your good days were all the

times I could sigh with relief, because your iron knuckles wouldn‘t

puncture my nose, causing maroon blood to gush out.

Sometimes though, your good days turned into bad nights.

Nights where I wished I could of stayed silent and not have an-

gered you by telling you about the neighbor from B9 who helped me

open the door when I was grocery shopping, who likes the Beatles as

much as I do, and how I was so happy I made a friend here in a place

that seemed intimidating, nights where I wished I could have been

exactly what you had wanted, skinny like Marilyn, with hair like Ma-

donna, and a thigh gap too.

I wanted to be your dream girl so I could feel loved and not angry

at myself for never being what you so fervently desired.

One night though, something changed. I was better, by then I

knew all the tricks, cover bruises with makeup, lie, lie, lie, and brag.

Brag to others about how wonderful we were together, and how

much we loved each other. It was SO easy.

One night though, your eyes were dull and far off, I noticed it, but

I was too afraid to ask about it so the sounds of a running faucet, the

pop of a bottle of dish detergent squeezing, the swish of the sponge

upon a pan, and the hiss of a Bunsen burner was the only music we

listened to.

After the songs ended, you embraced me and exclaimed your

apologies over and over again as though you were a broken record. It

took me a while to forgive you, but eventually, I did.

Loving you was like nursing a toothache, for sure, but now, loving

you is like feeling drowsy after a long day at work; serene and com-

forting.

Ajete Zenelaj

188

Rahway High School

This I Believe Speech

This I believe is an ever-changing world. Everyone and every-

thing changes like the seasons, ever so quick. We laugh, we hate. We

still learn to love even through all the hate. A young girl can be kissed

one day and taken for granted the next. Worlds get spun and shaken

ever so quickly with a simple text or tragic death. The grey skies of

December only prepare for the bright bursts of summer days. Some-

thing so simple like breaking-in the freshly bought Bubble Gum lip-

stick could be life-changing. How can we learn to love with all this

regret and hate? Just look at all our memories...is anything right? We

have to push through regardless of these days because there's always a

rainbow after the storm. Who cares about what anyone thinks? Let's go

crazy and take a vacation. But December keeps coming back so we

decide to stay hidden an lock ourselves in our room. Go get your nails

done a Shimmering Peach and everything will turn into gold, I prom-

ise. Put a fresh daisy in your hair because when others see it, you will

be the reason why they smile. We have to stick together...so don't cry

about it. We all are our own worst enemies. Tigers feasting in the wild

jungles of Africa, it's a cruel girl world. We support each other, then

feast on each other the next day. No guilt or shame as long as you keep

your head held high. Those strong blue eyes, the oceans, just let me

swim. I'm surfing in your eyes in the middle of Hawaii with the sun

beaming on me, making my skin golden. I'm brand new, the waves

washing it all away. I told you it wasn't a big deal, and all the tigers

weren't much of a bother. Here's the rainbow we all awaited. Let's go

off and find that pot of gold together. I have fallen so hard, but I'm

back up again with a helping hand. Those types of storms only come

around once in a while--such a relief, like smoke flowing through

branches of a tree. It's peaceful up here in this tall tree. Soon enough it

will be time to ride the Hawaiian waves again soon. This I believe is a

world made up of so many different people who are so much alike.

Why can't we just all come together and share everything with each

other? Stay true to yourself, if you‘re not happy, do something to make

you smile, good days last longer than bad ones.

Maya James

13

Cleveland School

Christmas

December 24, 2012, ―I can‘t believe it.‖ I screamed. I was too

excited. My mom, dad, brother, and I were inside with a huge, thick,

comfortable cover on. The heat was blazing all over the house. It felt

so good. It was better the playing in the snow freezing up like an ice

cube. My mom made a very sweet hot chocolate with cinnamon and

marshmallows. It was so delicious! That drink was the best thing to

drink. I wished I could drink it everyday.

I was so excited about Christmas. I couldn‘t wait for tomor-

row. I couldn‘t stop thinking or talking about Christmas.

―Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring!‖ The phone rang. My dad

picked up the phone. ―Hello!‖ dad said.

―Oh, hi, I‘m Jarid‘s teacher and he hasn‘t been behaving very well in

class. He talks too much in class and laughs a lot. Can you please talk

to him?‖

―Ok, I will.‖ My dad said.

―Thank you very much.‖ my teacher replied. I was very nerv-

ous because I overheard what the conversation was about.

―Jarid, come here now!‖ my dad yelled angrily. I walked to

him very sheepishly. My dad was as angry as a hungry lion.

―Why are you misbehaving in school?‖ my dad asked. I was

silent. I did not say one word.

―Why are you?‖ he asked again. I was still quiet.

My dad yelled, ―Your Christmas list is garbage now. I will

pick your Christmas present. Maybe you will learn your lesson.‖

I walked away angry. I thought this Christmas would be the

best one I ever had. It turned out to be the worse Christmas ever. All I

got for Christmas was a remote control airplane and clothes. I wished I

got more. Next time I know not to get in trouble when Christmas is

around the corner.

Jarid Vertil

Mrs. Feliciano

14

Cleveland School

The Best Christmas Ever!

―YAHOOOOOO,‖ I screamed on a Christmas

morning springing out of bed. I was so eager to open

my presents because I was waiting for a special one.

It was a Kindle Fire. Then, I woke up my mom and

my sister by jumping on their beds.

My sister woke up from a deep sleep and shout-

ed ―IT‘S CHRISTMAS!‖

Then my mom woke up and with a scratchy

voice she mumbled, ―Wait five minutes .‖ My sister

and I were running all over the apartment like mon-

keys swinging from tree to tree.

Then, my mom came out into the living room

and we both yelled , ―Can we open our presents? ―

My mom replied, ―Yes!‖ so we dug our nails

into the wrapping paper like a couple of dogs digging

in the dirt. As I opened the wrapping paper, I saw the

words kindle and fire. My mouth dropped open and

there it was a Kindle Fire. I was thrilled. It was so

amazing. I will never forget that day ever. My Kindle

Fire is cool because I can download games, go on the

internet, and play music. I had a great day playing on

my Kindle Fire. It was the best Christmas ever.

Daniel Rodriguez

Mrs. Zatorski

187

Rahway High School

Patricia Jones, Mrs. Campanelli

The Man He terrifies me. Telling me I must. Telling me NO! If I tell, I will die. If I

don‘t I will keep loving life in hell. I see him, but he is dark. He is covered by

something as if he has a bright white light behind him. I feel small when I'm

with him. I‘m so small that I don't even cover the nail on his pinky. He used

to be my friend. He saved me from the collapsing house. Now he wants me

back in the house but a different one that is dark like him. Shades of gray and

black. It scares me. I don‘t want to go in. I do as he says so that I don‘t have

to go in, even if it means hurting myself. I want to go home. I want to forget

him, but I can‘t because he knows my every move. He is with me even when

I am awake. I can feel him inside of me, controlling my body. When he is not

with me he sends people to watch me. The watchers are always together.

Hundreds of them. One after another after another. I drive in the car and see

them: dark, human figures. They are there, but vanish. The next one will al-

ways be there waiting for me when the one before vanishes. I have felt like I

have been dead for the past two weeks. Even when I am with the man I love.

I feel alone. Completely alone. I want to tell my parents but I can't. He won't

let me. I am scared. I feel like everything is becoming still inside of me, as if I

am dying. As if my mind and soul are disappearing. As if I am melting away

and I can't say or do anything to make it better.

Rose Northcott

186

Rahway High School

The House on Cherry Hill

Our family members are all

going away

The house stays still

There is nothing more to say

Through broken walls it is gray

The wind blows chills

We are all going away

There is not one day

We will speak to the ill


Why is it that we stay?

Around this sunken hill


And our poor fancy play

For them is wasted skill


There is ruin and decay

The house is on Cherry Hill



Jayson Peoples

Waiting for You

10 years I waited

10 more I would.

Not a day wasted

Without thinking about you.

A new memory each day

I smile as I think of you.

365, 364, 363…

13 more days to go

Until I see you.

I waited for this day,

That smile from your lips,

It fills up your face

Like it fills my heart.

Each pump gives me energy

To hold on to you.

I don't want to wait anymore.

Michelle Wang

Haiku

My twisted soul burns

The blinding sun hurts me so,

Dark shadows lurking.

Chills run through my spine

The tingle in my veins burn,

The thought makes me cringe

Music is in me

My life is in photographs

This is who I am.

Vashae Stvens

15

Cleveland School

Playground Playoffs

Whoosh! Whoosh! The sound of the wind when my

friends and I scampered to the back of the schoolyard. It was

the day of the Playground Playoffs. Jubril, Malachi, Jayden and

I were the team to beat.

―Hut one, Hut two, Ready, Set, Go!‖ I snatched the ball

and dashed to the touchdown.

―Yes!‖ I yelled excitedly. It was kick-off time. ―Hut

one!‖ I shouted. I took my foot and kicked the ball as if it were a

balloon. It floated high across the field.

―Mario caught it! I couldn‘t believe it!‖ I exclaimed. Mario, a

member of the other team, scurried to the touchdown. My friend

was blocking me but I still was able to tackle Mario. As I

reached for him, he tripped and fell and hurt his foot on a pointy

piece of wood. I picked him up and he sat out for awhile. In the

meantime, my team made another touchdown. The score was

now 16 to 15.

―Ready, Set, Go!‖, Mario screamed. Mario got confused

and passed the ball to Malachi, who is my teammate. Malachi

caught an interception and he sprinted to a touchdown. Mario

grabbed the ball back and kicked it. It was a substantial kick: I

mean I was impressed with his kick. Jubril caught the ball, and I

blocked everyone who tried to get into his way.

―Tweet,‖ went Mrs. Z‘s whistle.

We did it! We made the touchdown! We won the

playoffs! We were victorious!

Dashawn Blakely

Mrs.Zatorski

16

Cleveland School

Happy Birthday

―WAKE UP!‖ I shouted in my mom‘s ear. ―Guess what

day it is!‖ I said eagerly. ―It‘s my seventh birthday!‖

―Happy Birthday!‖ my sister exclaimed.

―Thanks.‖ I answered her. ―Now go get dressed, my

friends will be here in an hour.‖ I zoomed into my room. I put on

a pretty pink skirt with a black and white striped shirt and pink

flat shoes.

―You‘re pretty.‖ my sister stated as her eyes glanced me

over. I was frantically running around the house trying to prepare

for the party. I set up a buffet on my kitchen table. ―Dinggggg,

Dongggggg!‖ echoed the doorbell. In walked my friends Alisha

and Elizabeth carrying a weird shaped box. Not long after they

arrived, my doorbell rang again, ―Dinggggg, Dongggggg!‖ It

was the twins, Amanee and Aliyah. Soon most of the guests ar-

rived, and I decided to get the party started with a fun game of

Pin The Bow on Hello Kitty. While we were playing, there was a

knock on the door.

―Come on in, Shirley, you‘re right on time!‖ We played a

few more games that I planned and everyone was smiling and

enjoying themselves. It was time for the ―Happy Birthday‖ song.

I love it when my friends sing to me. I do get a little embar-

rassed, though.

―Time for cake!‖ my mom shouted. We all ran to the ta-

ble and my guests sang their hearts out! MMMMM! The cake

was super delicious.

―Present time!‖ I screeched excitedly. The first present I

opened was the weird looking one shaped like a leg. It was a leg

shaped piggy bank from Alisha. Jeremiah bought me a book and

Elizabeth gave me a giftcard to Build-A-Bear. As day turned to

night, people started to leave.

―Bye, thank you.‖ I said. ―Night, Mom and thank you.‖ I

was so tired that I dozed off and dreamed of candy.

Destiny Johnson

Mrs. Zatorski

185

Rahway High School

Our Daily Wars I was told to never ever love a soldier. For even if he donned red, white,

and blue in his benevolent heart to them he would always be an enemy.

They don‘t see how much he‘s done, not just for America, but for me. He

saved me from the self inflicted grenades I made out of self loathing and pity.

I poured them into my chest and set them for ten seconds.

He saw me there, a human time bomb, and detonated me.

"You are not a mess," He whispered into my ear.

The words console me for a while until he leaves.

My solider goes off to fight a war I know will see a ceasefire, but when he

returns, victory radiating from his eyes, I‘ll have to confess one thing.

Another war.

Except now, instead of tanks and missiles, camouflage and rifles, he must

fight the tweed wearing couple and their irksome mannerisms.

I cannot accompany him this time since only one soldier was called to the

front line. So he braces himself, exhales, hums a cadence and ties his boots.

This war may not see a ceasefire, but at least he and I can proudly say,

"We survived."

Ajete Zenelaj

This I Believe Have you ever watched one of those lion specials on the Discovery Chan-

nel? If you haven‘t, boy, are you missing out. It‘s especially good when the

lion is chasing its prey, the lion‘s teeth ravenous with a watering cold saliva

dripping from its jaw, as it pounces on the defenseless body of a poor fawn. I

imagine the thoughts running through its brain. He is truly a beast, a monster,

a behemoth. I think of him as simply a savage, not some savage animal that

kills anything that breathes, a savage who strives for something that he feels

is his.

That savage is your inner being. It makes you keep pushing, even when

you may want to quit. It‘s your drive, your passion, and it‘s not something

you magically decide one day to have—you‘re born with it. I believe every-

body has a savage within. Whether it‘s trying to hunt for that new raise or

getting straight A‘s, the savage allows you to push out other‘s advances to

achieve what you think is yours. As a young child I was raised mostly by my

nana who embedded in me that my dreams and goals are the most important

thing in life, that any barrier in my way should be seen as an obstacle to push

aside. At first, I didn‘t understand what she meant and then ,as I grew older, I

realized it by looking at those closest to me. My true friends are recognizable

by their help in succeeding with my goals.

Osaze Morris

184

Rahway High School

Villanelle

As I ran the five kilometer race,

I made sure I started out fast;

it helps me average out to a faster pace.

If you were there I hope you saw my face,

because it looked funny as the pain hit me in a blast;

I was tearing up as if I was hit with mace.

I see one of my competitors running in a brace,

and it showed me the dedication he has;

it's sad that he wasn't even in last place.

All of my thoughts during the second mile have been erased,

but I wonder what I thought as the time passed;

the pain seemed to have stayed for days.

As I hit the last mile I see my untied lace,

and I'd tie it but I don't want to end up being last;

I do my best to maintain my pace.

As I approach the last few hundred yards I sprint with all I have en-

cased,

and my pain face is masked;

I gave all I have even though I'll be sore for days,

because if I didn't I would've regretted it in many ways.

Josh Wicks

17

Cleveland School

A Story about My Life

My mom told me this special story. When I was born I

was really light-skinned. My mom didn‘t really like it. She thought I

was Spanish. When my brother saw me he thought I wasn‘t related

to him. He visited me a lot. After a few days I got home. Everyone

smothered me in my face. I didn‘t know what was going on. My

brother held me a whole lot of times. I was getting passed around a

lot. As a baby, I didn‘t know what was going on. I know a lot of

people were talking to me .When it was September 1, I was a month

old. I had gotten bigger than when I first came out. I was able to eat

baby cereal. My mom smiled was from ear to ear. When my mother

wasn‘t able to feed me, my brother fed me. Sometimes when we ate

dinner I would just stare at everybody. Everyone‘s nicknames for me

were Missy, Missy Poo, Yellow Girl, and Noisy Girl. I was so noisy,

I was looking everywhere. When I cried my mother sad it was an-

noying. Nobody liked it when I cried. They also said I was getting

big. As I was getting older my mom got pregnant again. I was so

excited. I was always jumping around. The nine months were going

by. I was always talking to him. My mom wasn‘t really moving well

one night, so I woke up my brother who was eight years old. I told

him to call our grandmother. A few minutes passed and my grand-

mother arrived at my house. She went upstairs to get my mom. She

said that she was going to get my aunt to stay with my mother at the

hospital. I was jumping around and forgot that others were asleep. A

few minutes after my grandmother came back to my house. She told

us that our mom was about to have the baby. All of a sudden my

grandmother‘s phone started to ring. My aunt was screaming saying

that my mom had the baby. My aunt told us to come by and my

grandmother told me to go wake up my aunt, so we could go to the

hospital. It took us 10 minutes to get there. While we were driving I

noticed that I was now the middle child. That‘s when I told my

grandmother and I was so surprised. I was the only girl too. I felt so

special but mad at the same time. When I saw my baby brother I was

so happy. I held him for the first time. That was the best story my

mother ever told me.

Donye Jones

Ms. Antczak

18

Cleveland School

My Trampoline!

It was my 10th birthday and I was excited. Later on when I saw my

mom, she yelled, ―Happy Birthday‖ and then she said ―go outside.‖ As I

walked outside I saw something huge, felt something huge, and then saw it, a

trampoline!

As I stood looking at it, I already imagined myself on it. At first when I

got on, my legs felt wobbly, and it was difficult to balance myself. My broth-

er was new to this as well, but he got the hang of it quicker than me. Later

on, after some practice, I started to jump, then flip, and do some harder tricks.

I felt excited to be on this for the first time.

Two months later as the winter months approached, it was time to take

the trampoline down. My dad, brother and I took the whole thing apart. As

we were working together, I thought of all those days of jumping and having

such a great time! I was sad to pack it away and not be able to use it until the

spring. As the weeks passed, I realized why I feel sad, but it will back before

we know it. The warm weather was here and that meant time to assemble the

trampoline. My cousins and I, along with my little brother, were excited to

get on the trampoline again. I knew that we had to put it back faster than what

we thought, but I still had fun with it those short days with my very first tram-

poline. Heisy Benitez

Mrs. Garretson

Miss Burke Goes Berserk

When I was walking to my classroom, I heard someone scream

from my classroom. When I stepped into my classroom, I saw the Yankees

team and I also saw Miss Burke going berserk. Miss Burke was running

around the room with her hair all crazy and with paper asking the Yankees

for their autograph. Miss Burke was so happy that she gave all the Yankee

players hugs. When Miss Burke was done giving the Yankee players hugs,

the Yankees said they had to go play a baseball game. Miss Burke begged

them to stay buy the Yankees said no. Miss Burke grabbed on of the Yan-

kee players leg. My classmates and I had to pull Miss Burke away from the

Yankee players leg but she wouldn‘t let go. One of my classmates called the

doctor so he could give Miss Burke a sleeping medicine. When the doctor

came we asked him to give our teacher a sleeping pill and he said okay.

Miss Burke fell asleep and finally the Yankees got to the baseball game after

all.

Giselle Melgar

Ms. Burke

183

Rahway High School

Darkness Falls

Darkness falls, the day is done

The black sky begins to grow

The long night has just begun

A child lies in bed and waits for the sun

When will it come, he'll never know


Wondering if he's the only one,

listening to the wind blow


While it's dark there is no fun,

Only fears that haunt him so

Darkness falls the day is done

It's early yet the voices run

There no one there, he hears then though


A child hears the voices he's trying to shun

Lying awake hoping they'll go



Joe Antenucci

Urban Haiku

Cold winds rushing by

Frost covers the clear window

Snow coats the city

Everything is white

very difficult to see

Snow is everywhere

Walking down the street

The ground is very icy

Slipping and Falling

Roads covered in ice

Extremely difficult to drive

Don't take the chances

There's nothing to do

Looking out of the window

A wonderful sight.

Joe Antenucci

182

Rahway High School

Imagery Poem

All that was visible through the glass window,

was a brand new cherry red car.

This car was a four door,

and had rims that were as shiny and clear like a mirror.

The windows were all tinted,

and looked black as night.

The interior of the car,

was the best part.

It was covered in brown leather,

and was as smooth as silk.

The inside smelled like fresh clothes,

that have just come out of the laundry.

When the car was turned on,

the roar echoed throughout the entire building.

Although the store had closed and the lights had turned off,

the glow of the car still appeared to be vibrant.

Mason Torres

Toward the Light

Through a dark tunnel

There's a speck of light.

So faintly lit

It looks like a star.

But the only difference is that you can't reach the star

No matter how much or how long you try.

But a light

That's different.

With every step you take

Your one step closer.

Take my hand,

Together we'll cover more distance

Through this dark tunnel

Toward the light.

Michelle Wang

19

Cleveland School

The Amusement Park

I walked into the amusement park and heard many people

screaming. I took a huge gulp and walked in. At that moment, I

knew that we were going on the first roller coaster ride and I

stopped. I freaked and went bouncing like a pinball because we

were going on our first ride. I had great fear of roller coasters.

―Let‘s go on Fire Defeat.‖ Brandon said. I took a deep

breath and kept going. I got on the ride and started thinking,

―What should I do?‖

I decided to get on the ride. All I heard was, ―5,4,3,2,1,

GO!‖ I started to feel nauseous on the ride and then it finally

stopped. I felt like it was the shortest ride ever. Nothing exciting!

We got off the ride, and I didn‘t realize my knees were

like jelly. I fell down. It was the worst day of my life. I finally

went on a roller coaster, it was short, and I fell down. I got my-

self up and headed towards Kingda Ka.

―Uh, Oh‖, I said out loud. That roller coaster seemed like

it touched the clouds. It was the highest roller coaster I had ever

seen! I watched it go. WHOOSH!

―Let‘s go on this one,‖ Brandon said. I began to worry

now that this one is different from the others. As I climbed one

step at a time, my heartbeat became more rapid. We walked onto

the coaster, and it started.

We went up slowly. I thought, ―This isn‘t so bad.‖ We

got to the top and it stopped. Then it moved really fast as it

zipped down.

―AHH, AHH, AHH!‖, I yelled. I hit my head on the bar

and it went completely black. I had no memory of what hap-

pened.

I opened my eyes, and I saw we were going down slowly.

I had conquered my fear. From that day on, I kept riding

roller coasters like no tomorrow.

Andrew Santacruz

Mrs. Feliciano

20

Cleveland School

The Real Meaning of Christmas

If you could celebrate only one holiday for the rest of

your life, what would it be? If I could celebrate only one holi-

day, it would be Christmas! I love it when it‘s that time of year.

Christmas is the best holiday because you get to bake

fresh home-made goodies!! I adore baking cookies and brown-

ies! When I bake, it reminds me how special spending time with

my family is and how God cared for people.

Christmas is the season to be jolly! This holiday is so

much fun because you get to sing Christmas carols. My favorite

carols are ―Jingle Bells”, “This Christmas”, “Frosty the Snow-

man” and “You‟re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.”

I love that Christmas is a time for caring and giving. If

you celebrate Christmas at church, you might have the oppor-

tunity to be in the Christmas play. Being in a play is fun be-

cause you get to sing and might be able to act out different

scenes from the script.

Christmas is the best holiday because I get to put up

lights around my house. It‘s amazing to see my house lit up

with tons of twinkling lights. The lights on the house remind

me of the star the three wise men followed to find baby Jesus in

the manger.

Finally, the best part of Christmas is receiving presents

and celebrating the birth of Christ the Savior! It is so fun to

open presents. This past Christmas, I got a tablet for schoolwork

and fun games! As you can see, I truly believe Christmas is the

best holiday!!!

Ja‘Von Harris

Mr. D‘Amico

181

Rahway High School

Daniella Richardson, Mrs. Campanelli

180

Rahway High School

Good Riddance

When he makes no effort to pronounce your name,

to let the syllables

slip off his tongue and into the air

to land upon your cheek,

show him the door.

Do not let him taunt you

with his smirks at the way

you fumble with words, stutter at each

―H-h-hello,‖ or at the way

you smile at him, so brightly,

As if he is the epitome of Manhattan‘s city lights

aglow to all and home to very few, when he is

but a mere flicker of a lamp in

a village you have no recollection of except

for the piercing cries of your mother.

He is not him, you know this now, but

hope visits your heart every so often

wishing, tinkering, and screaming

for you to give him another chance because

you are a force to be reckoned with

but only by a man

who enjoys to have the syllables

of your name upon his tongue

and not written off in a book titled

―Ugly Girls.‖

Ajete Zenelaj

21

Cleveland School

Spike

Bark! Bark! Bark! I heard my dog bark. As I took each

step up the stairs, he licked and pushed me to the floor. I

screamed, ―Stop it Spike‖, as he continued to lick me while

wagging his tail. I pushed him off me and quickly ran to my

room and slammed the door.

Squeak, squeak, came the sound from my door. I

jumped on my bed and searched for the remote control for my

Xbox. As I started playing my game, I could hear SCRATCH,

SCRATCH coming from outside my door. I continued playing

my game while my dog continued to whine outside of my door.

I glanced to the left and noticed his toy was there. I quickly

opened my room door and zoomed down the stairs as Spike

followed me. I opened the back door to the yard and out he ran.

As I followed him out of the door, we played fighting and ran

back and forth through the yard. Something flipped like a

switch and Spike began to attack me. He went too far and start-

ed acting like a beast.

BARK, BARK, BARK! He jumped on me. I ran out

from under him and sped up to my room.

SLAMMMM! I slammed my door as fast as I could. I

began to get thirsty and was getting bored in my room but I

wasn‘t sure where Spike was lurking. I slowly opened the door

to my room and there he was again! He jumped on me again.

―Will you please give me a break?‖ I shouted angrily. I

opened the door all the way, and he walked in and began to

bark loudly.

―Please be quiet!‖ I spotted the toys on the floor and

decided to throw them all down the stairs. He chased after them

like a horse chasing a carrot. When he got to the bottom of the

stairs he looked at all of his toys and took turns playing with

each one. He finally left me alone for the rest of the day. What

about tomorrow?

Jayden Alzate

Mrs. Zatorski

22

Cleveland School

The Day I Jumped From the High Dive

―Grandma, are we going to the Rahway pool because it‘s 11:30. It

opens at 11:00?‖ I asked. It was a hot, steamy day so I figured we would go.

My grandma replied, ―Yes we are going to the Rahway pool. When

we arrived there, I spotted a diving pool with a board attached. I went sprint-

ing towards the deep diving pool.

I thought, ―Oh boy that is 13 feet of water! I‘ll try the tiny diving

board first.‖

Then my friend yelled, ―Jeramiah, try the high diving board one

time and you will like it.‖

I replied nervously, ―All right all right, I will‖. I felt butterflies in

my stomach and my mouth was dry. I held my legs like a big cannon ball

and jumped into the water. My arms hit the water like a rock and boy did

that hurt! I decided to take a break for a little. Then before we left, I did one

last dive. It was another cannon ball. Then when I jumped, I yelled,

―Yahoo!‖

―I had a blast swimming,‖ I said excitedly to my grandmother. Now

every time we go to the Rahway pool, I go on the big diving board and per-

form cool dives. Even though I hurt my arms, it is worth it. When we got

home, I told everyone that I learned to try new things before you judge it.

Last, I told myself that it was the best pool day ever.

Jeramiah Bruscianelli

Mrs. Zatorski

Grandma’s House

Whenever I go to my grandma‘s house, it‘s the most wonder-

ful experience. When a stranger looks at her, they automatically as-

sume she‘s a mean person, but she is cool. She has two dogs. One is a

teacup poodle named Jazzy. I forgot the name of the other one, but he

is also a type of poodle.

My grandma lives in Newark near a church. She also smokes

but not in the same room as me so I can‘t smell the fumes. My grand-

mother has a Wii, and she has many games, such as Just Dance 3, a

boxing game, and Golf. They‘re all so much fun. Sometimes we go to

the store or get our nails done. She will let me get anything I want.

Some people think their grandma‘s are lame but my grandmother is the

best in the entire Milky Way Galaxy!! Yeah she‘s that awesome!

Jules Crockett

Mrs. Garretson

179

Rahway High School

Mother Nature Can Leave One in Suspense

Mother Nature is quite intense

From the light of day, to the darkness of night

Her beauty is lovely and immense.

From the thick air that is condensed

To the glow of the flowers that shine bright

Mother Nature is quite intense.

From its blazing heat that makes you intense

To the cold air that holds us tight


From mid spring's lovely offense

To winter's wonder land sight

Mother Nature is quite intense.

From its natural look that makes no sense

To its scary look that puts one in fright


From its weather that puts one in suspense

To its view that looks just right

Mother Nature is quite intense


Ali Korleh

Urban Haiku

No snow and hot air

The inside air is humid

My urban haiku

Birds flying southward

The mosquitoes disappear

Winter has arrived

Ali Korleh

178

Rahway High School

My Sister Names Her Exes after Cities

My sister names her exes after cities

and San Diego, she complained,

was too bubbly and too tall.

Seattle wore purple bow ties and a beard

that fell to his knees while

Tallahassee threw deviled eggs

at schoolchildren and swore like a truck driver.

I liked Austin the best though,

because he brought gifts home even

if they did break up six months later.

Albany played guitar and even though she promised me

she‘d never date a musician,

she claimed his eyes were what seduced her the most

and Vienna had a

harsh whip for a tongue to ―keep her in check,‖

so she fled to Moscow

'cause his was smothered in

honey and cherry marmalade.

Istanbul warmed her heart with

hot tea and gave her a home when our excuse

for one was falling apart,

but he did too one day.

Boston wasn‘t subtle and often called her

by the names of other women,

swore he wasn‘t cheating on her even though

she had caught him red handed.

Red handed with their ―scarlet hues‖ and

"crimson catastrophes."

My sister names her exes after cities

and I hope to God that you don‘t become one of them.

Ajete Zenelaj

23

Cleveland School

First Time at a Stadium Game

―Let‘s go‖ my Dad yelled at the top of his lungs.

―I‘m almost ready, just give me three to five minutes,‖ I replied.

―Come on Tatiana hurry up, we‘re going to be late‖ I told my sister. ―Ok, I‘m going to hurry up,‖ Tatiana replied.

―Steven and Mario are you guys ready?‖ I asked, as my sister and I

stopped by their room.

―Yeah, we almost ready,‖ My brother answered

―Mom are you ready?‖ I asked her as I was walking towards her room.

―Yes, I been ready,‖ My mom responded

After that all of us headed towards the car. A few hours later we

had arrived where we had to be. Where my family and I was at it was

our first time to a stadium soccer game. We had come here to see our

team ―El Salvador‖ play. As soon as we got out of the car we saw peo-

ple that had on ‗‘El Salvador‘‘ shirts. Next we headed to the entrance,

but there was a huge line. The line was so big that it was from the en-

trance from all the way to the parking lot. Then, about in one hour we

arrived to our seats.

The game finally started. ―El Salvador vs. another team‖, I had

forgotten the team name. Soon the soccer players began to play. My

team had made the first goal, everyone started to scream and yell on

top of their lounges .My mom and I where those people who stated to

yell and scream. After that the other team made a goal, everyone who

was Salvadorian began to boo at the other team. Then another goal was

made and my team was losing. After that a Salvadorian was so mad

that he went inside the field and started to play for the Salvadorians so

they can make another goal. The bad thing was that three security of-

ficers had to take him out of the game. It was funny because the man

was shirtless and fat with lots of black hair and he arrived like that to

play for the Salvadorians.

Half- time of the game was over and the people and the players

had a 15 minute break. Fifteen minutes later, the game started and the

goals were two to one. There were 30 minutes left, but not a single

goal. After 25 minutes later still no goal, but there was five minutes

left. Those minutes were over and the other team won and my team

lost. Even though my team lost I went home so happy because I had

gone to my very first stadium game.

Kenya Ramirez

Mrs. Garretson

24

Cleveland School

My Turn As Goalie!

―Noo! Noo! Noo!‖ It was my turn to be the goalie. I took

my place in front of the goal. The other team really needed to score

another point. I told myself there was no way they would score if I

stop the ball. Number 16 sent the ball up the field, it was almost

here. I was so nervous that I started to shake. I remembered what my

coach had told me, ―believe in yourself and you will be successful.‖

My legs were shaking more each time as the ball got closer. Number

16 made a long kick in the air and number 14 from his team hit it

with his head. The ball was coming towards me. When it was close to

me I jumped and I caught the ball!! They didn‘t make the goal. When

I jumped up, I felt like a fish jumping out of the water and then back

in. After that, it was the end of the game.

The announcer exclaimed, ―The winner of the championship

game of boys vs. girls is… the girl‘s team!!!!!!‖ We were the Rah-

way Girls Team. Our parents got together and planned a party for us.

They told us that even if we lost we are still winners. All the parents

invited all of our friends from school. We all had an awesome time

together. I felt like a professional soccer player that day. But unfortu-

nately the day had to end and we were all disappointed that our fun

day came to an end. At the party we were playing soccer board

games. The soccer players from the other team came and they told us

congratulations. The girls and I thought that, that was weird because

no one from the other teams that we went against ever came and told

us congratulations. They told us that it was serious not a joke that

they would usually do when they would get mad.

Our parents told them to stay for the party and they said that

they would stay for a little while. One boy came to each girl and they

all spent the whole day together.

―We have to go now. Thank you for letting us stay,‖ one of

the boys exclaimed.

―Thank you,‖ the rest of the boys said.

―Well this party is over plus it‘s Sunday; there is school to-

morrow and you guys have to go to sleep early so the party‘s over,‖

Maria‘s mom told everybody.

―Bye,‖ everyone told each other when they started to leave.

Lesley Campos

Mrs. Garretson

177

Rahway High School

Sandra Stankiewicz, Mrs. Campanelli

176

Rahway 7th & 8th Grade Academy

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves 2014

―BREAKING NEWS! We have just received reports that an

Apple Store in Pasadena, California has exploded. Authorities do not

know the cause of this accident. Stay tuned for more information.‖

2 hours earlier…

The seven dwarves were exhausted. They spent the whole day

designing a costume for Snow White. She was waiting outside and

was getting impatient. ―Next,‖ says Tinki Winki to Dingus. Dingus

had been sleeping and had no idea what was going. He jumped up and

took the phone from Tinki Winki‘s hand. He fumbled around grabbing

parts and he felt himself falling back asleep.

All of a sudden, his head snapped up and he saw what he had

done. ―Oh shoot!‖ Dingus exclaimed to himself. ―I put in the wrong

voice box!‖ This voice box had malfunctioned and been returned to

the store. His flabby fingers struggled to pull the box out, but it

wouldn‘t budge! Dingus quickly looked around to see if anyone was

watching him. ―Good,‖ he said out loud.

Dingus put the cover on the phone and put it back in the box.

Dingalinga, Floozy, Dingus, Tinki Winki, Dipsy, Kupa and Qwery

brought the box to Snow White. She tore open the box and examined

the phone. ―Why is it on Siri?‖ Snow White asked.

―Hello!‖ said Siri in a very mature voice.

―What‘s wrong with it?‖ Show White asked alarmed.

―Nothing is wrong,‖ Dingus chimed in quickly.

Siri said,‖ You all have one minute before the bomb goes off.

This phone and the whole store will destruct.‖ The bars slid down

over all of the Apple stores windows and doors.

―We have to escape!‖ Qwerty squealed with tears streaming

down his face.

Siri began to countdown the remaining seconds, ―10…9…8…

7…6…5…4…3…2…‖

―I am sorry,‖ Dingus whispered.

―BOOM!‖

Olivia and Siouxanne Pielach

Mrs. Vogel

25

Cleveland School

Musical Expression

What do you believe is a way to express yourself? I believe that

playing music is an amazing way to express myself. It lets me get out the

feelings I have that are sometimes stuck inside.

Music is my favorite way to express myself because it calms me

down when I am mad. Once I was mad because my brother didn‘t let me

play with him, so I went into my room and started to play a song on the pi-

ano. Suddenly, I felt very calm and relaxed!

Music is like a box of chocolate because it can make you extremely

happy when you play it. Playing songs on my piano keeps me from being

bored. Expressing my feelings through music made me feel happy inside!

If I had to choose one skill to have, it would be playing music be-

cause it‘s my favorite thing to do! I can remember being so excited on my

dad‘s birthday because I had something special planned. To make his birth-

day special, I played a song that he liked on my saxophone. It was fun and

made my dad smile. As you can see, I can confidently say that expressing

my feelings and emotions through music my favorite thing!

Matthew Rodriguez

Mr. D‘Amico

Mrs. Burisch Acts Foolishly

―Why is Mrs. Burisch acting ridiculously weird,‖ I asked Gabriela but she

didn‘t answer. Mrs. Burisch had a booby trap set up for herself. She had a

whoopee cushion on a chair, a bucket of water hagning from the ceiling,

fire ants on the edge of the desk and four cups of hot coffee lined up in the

middle of her desk. When it was finally all set up, we just sat there and

watched Mrs. Burisch use the booby trap on herself. It was so silly!

―EEK,‖ Mrs. Burisch screamed as she sat on the whoopee cushion.

Then all of a sudden the bucket of water splashed on her head and she

bumped into the edge of the desk and was covered with fire ants. Everyone

just sat there looking confused. Then the class burst out laughing! Mrs.

Burisch drank the four cups of coffee and started bouncing off the walls,

literally!

At the end of the day the room was a disaster. I asked Mrs. Burisch,

―What was all that silliness for?‖ She said, ―I did that because I am a dumb

silly teacher who doesn‘t care if she loses her job. No go, shoo.‖

Amani Anderson

Mrs. Burisch

26

Meeting Lady

―BOOM‖, my door slammed open.

―Time to get up,‖ my mom said.

―But mommy,‖ I said in my scratchy morning voice.

―No buts!‖ she said.

―Oh man!‖ I screamed. When I looked at the clock I

saw it was 12:00 A.M.! I was 4 hours late for my friend Adria-

na‘s house. She just got a new dog and she really wanted me to

see her. I knew she would be disappointed if I didn‘t come. I

sprung out of bed as quick as I could. I nearly tripped over my

own two feet!

―Calm down!‖ my mom said.

―I can‘t!‖ I said. My mom and I got right into the car.

ZOOOOMMMMM! Before I knew it I was at Adria-

na‘s house. I knocked on the door so hard it hurt my knuckles.

The door opened. I saw Adriana and we both hugged. Then I

saw her dog. It ran up to me and bit me in the ankle.

―OWWWW!!!!!‖ I screamed so loud you could hear me

in Texas.

―Sorry,‖ Adriana said.

―Lady does that to people she doesn‘t know.‖

―That‘s ok,‖ I replied. I asked Adriana if Lady could do

any tricks and she said, ―Yes.‖

Adriana held out her hand and Lady shook it.

―Wow,‖ I said in amazement. We tried to teach Lady

tricks the rest of the time but she just stood there like a lazy

blob. ―Beep! Beep!‖ went the horn of my mom‘s car.

―Well, I guess I have to go,‖ I said. We both hugged and I

said goodbye and I left

―How was Adriana‘s house?‖ my mom asked.

―It was great!‖ I exclaimed. Then we went home. I can‘t

wait to see Lady again.

Paris Sojka

Mrs. Zatorski

Cleveland School

175


Personal Narrative (cont.)

―Well now it‘s yours. Plus, I don‘t wanna get beat up some

more.‖ Christopher cried cowardly.

With the both of us, we can take down this gorilla?‖ I ex-

claimed.

―I‘M RIGHT HERE, I CAN HEAR YOU TWO?‖ Fleece

mentioned as he tried to get out of the headlock he was trapped in.

One moment later, Christopher walked over to the table,

grabbed a knife, came back to Fleece, and stabbed him in the neck!

―That was a little dramatic kid. We‘re not trying to kill the

guy. Look, now you‘ve hurt him. He looks bent out of shape. Poor

plastic knife. I can clearly see this is your first fight, so I‘ll finish

him off.‖

As I take Fleece out of the headlock, I bring my knee

towards his face as fast as I could and strike him hard! His nose was

bleeding as he lay on the floor crying.

―Wow! Thanks for saving me back there!‖ said Christo-

pher as he joyfully thanked me.

―No problem. What‘s your name kid?‖ I asked.

―Harry P---Oh I mean Christopher. Christopher Ortiz,

mentioned Christopher.

―You know you wanted to say Harry Potter. You look

like him and you know it‘s true.‖ I announced.

―Unfortunately, I do.‖ Chris said.

―Hahahaha, come on kid. Let‘s go ask your parents if

you can join martial arts or boxing because that scent back there was

horrible.‖ I told him.

Khayree Jannah

Mrs. Vogel

174


It’s Okay Not To Be Okay (cont.)

I have learned to ignore her now and I have noticed that she

knows that too. To this day, I am still insecure and yeah, sometimes

her words get to me. But, I can‘t do anything about it. Sure, once we

were best friends but that changed when she decided to turn tables

against me. Time passed and I guess she learned from her mistakes.

She can apologize a million times and mean it but that doesn‘t mean

that everything will be alright and that we will be best friends again.

She scarred me. She made me who I am today. Which, in a way I am

thankful because without that pain that she inflicted before, I would‟ve

been weak when my life went downhill. Sure, my best friend betrayed

me, I have issues that need solving, I have been through tough stuff,

and I am very insecure of everything I am inside and out. But, I some-

how managed to get through those rough times and keep moving for-

ward with my life. No matter how many times I just wanted to give up.

I felt as if the whole world was screaming at me to „give up‟, but some-

thing small inside me said „no, not yet.‟ I fell down seven times and

got back up eight. I have had to go through a lot of stuff and I

changed, maybe for the better. Now, I can say, I am strong and no-

body or nothing will be able to break me ever again.

Ashley Celis

Ms. Cawley

Personal Narrative

Bop! ―Gimme your lunch money you Harry Potter wanna

be!‖ yelled Fleece Johnson as he punched Christopher Ortiz in the

face.

―You broke my glasses! Why would you break my glass-

es!?‖ cried Christopher.

A few minutes later, I walk in and notice Christopher getting

pounded. I see blood dripping out of his nose from getting punched

so many times. I drop my things and help him. I silently snuck my

way towards Fleece and attacked him. We were spinning around and

fighting like they do in cartoons. Then I notice Christopher fixing

himself and preparing to leave the cafeteria.

―What‘chu doing?‖ Come help me! This was your problem

first!‖ I shouted!

27

Cleveland School

The hot Virginia sun beamed down on my forehead. Rain seasons

finished but the tall stalks of grass still had drops of water on it that made it

look like it was crying. Across from us was a cat that held her kitten in her

mouth. Everything was perfect until –

―Paka when are going to get a pet?‖ my sister Nikkei asked curious-

ly. She obviously saw the cat too. I sighed. One, I hate it when she calls me

Paka. Two, she asks me about a pet every day and it gets annoying.

―You know Mama ain‘t never going to let us get a pet!‖ I replied

almost shouting, ―She even hates Snowball!‖

―No she doesn‘t!‖ Nikkei snapped backed. I felt the anger boiling

inside of me. We still had half of a mile to get to the market. Nikkei‘s bab-

bling made the trip unbearable. We had to get a loaf of bread and some milk

and get home before church (which was like in an hour). There was at least

five minutes of silence until my best friend Harmony ran up to me.

―Kyra I have exciting news!‖ she said through pants. She sounded

like a dog on a hot summer day. ―Snowball just had babies!‖ she shrieked.

―And you get to have one!‖ she added screaming. (Snowball is Har-

mony‘s Persian cat).

This was unbelievable! I always wanted a cat (especially one like

Snowball). And now I get to have her kitten. I jumped for joy like a kanga-

roo. Nikkei‘s unpleasant voice spoiled my special moment.

―We‘re getting a kitten in your face Paka!‖ Nikkei said as she

twirled and fell down.

―Shut up!‖ I shouted making a fist, ―Mama doesn‘t know we are

getting a kitten and she is going to be mad if we bring home a cat without

telling her.‖

Nikkei stuck her tongue out at me and ran to a figure in the distance,

Cassie, Harmony‘s sister. Nikkei and Cassie are both six, best friends, and

troublemakers. Harmony told me Mama wanted all four of us at the house

quick and to forget the bread and milk. Harmony and I ran with Nikkei and

Cassie on our backs. Once we got to Blake St. we walked to a beige house on

the right. When we opened the wooden door it went CCRREEAAKK. We

went into the living room were our parents were waiting.

―We have exciting news,‖ my mom Candace started.

―We are going, I mean moving to New York where Daniel and An-

drew are living!‖ my dad Jeramiah finished (Daniel and Andrew are my

brothers).

―Also we are going to be staying with you for the next three days;

we are also going to move with you!‖ Harmony‘s mom and dad said together.

We were discussing the move when I felt something on my leg, something

softer than a cloud. I looked down and spotted Snowball. She hypnotized

with her icy blue eyes. I rudely stepped out the conversation and followed

Snowball to my room. (cont.)

28

Cleveland School

As pesky little sisters Nikkei and Cassie followed me up the stairs.

In my room were the six most adorable kittens. There were three chocolate

colored ones and three lilac colored ones. I named the brown ones Memphis,

Arlo, and Willie. The purple ones were named Tinker, Bella, and Rainbow.

Nikkei and Cassie laughed at their names but fell when they went down the

stairs. Finally I had my laugh.

The next day the house was filled with boxes labeled Kittens &

Things and Nikkei‘s collectables.

―Were here!‖ shouted a familiar young voice. I ran down the creak-

ing stairs to see my handsome younger brother Andrew.

―Andrew I missed you so much!‖ shouted Nikkei. I didn‘t mention

Andrew and Nikkei are twins. The next thing I knew a tall muscular man

hugged me.

―Daniel you came all the way from all the way from New York!‖ I

yelled as I gasped.

―We came to help you guys get ready to go, I will also lead you

through Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey so we can get to New York,‖

Daniel said while staking boxes. Then Mama and Daddy came running and

hugging my brothers and praising God that that they came safely and that the

family was reunited. When all the commotion was done I led Danny and An-

drew up to my room to see Snowball and Memphis, Arlo, Willie, Tinker, Bel-

la, and Rainbow. After they admired our assortments of cats I asked why they

moved.

―Kyra I didn‘t plan on telling you this but we didn‘t move I ran away

with Andrew and Nikkei but Nikkei came back,‖ Daniel said while sighing.

―I left because everyone was giving Nikkei and Andrew their atten-

tion and I grew with envy so I ran away with their precious pearls I thought if

I did they will think more of me.‖

I was shocked my brother ran away and my parents didn‘t bother to

tell me. I ran to Harmony‘s room and started sobbing. Harmony woke up with

a jump and saw me crying. She brought my parents upstairs and I told them

why I was tearing. They went into my room found Daniel and scolded at him

about when he promised not to tell me until I was fifteen. I felt terrible that

my older brother was getting yelled at because of me. I bolted down the stairs

out the door and across the street to the park and sat on the swings and cried

again until breakfast. The rest of the day I didn‘t want to be seen so I hid in

my dull bedroom thinking if Daniel will ever take to me again.

Tuesday I woke up with a start. I washed my face in the bowl on my

dresser. I walked gracefully to the kitchen to see a humongous plate of ham,

egg, cheese, and biscuits at my seat at the table (that‘s my favorite breakfast).

I suddenly remembered it was July 16th my birthday. (cont.)

173

It’s Okay Not To Be Okay (cont.) But, I will never ever forget what she did to me. She didn‘t think

about what would happen to me later on, once she had finished her con-

stant insults. She didn‟t know the damage and pain I had to pay because

of her.

I thought that maybe since I have been getting better, I was fi-

nally going to be at peace and stress free. Well, I thought wrong. Two of

the most important people in my life passed away. One by one, they left

me… alone and broken, worst of all. They were the only people I could

trust with anything and everything. Gone. Before I had time to even real-

ize that they were no longer with me… Sure, I had my friends but I

couldn‘t always tell them everything. Now, I felt as if I had no one to talk

to or anyone to give me wise advice when I needed it the most. The ironic

thing was, this had to happen when I actually thought things were going

to get better.

After almost two weeks of not going to school, I finally decided

that not going to school would be even worse. That cold Monday morn-

ing; I wake up to the freezing December air.

Great. I thought grumpily as I got out of my bed and trudged to take a

shower.

Hoping that that shower would calm me down somehow. But

apparently nothing could quite work. I can‘t seem to find a state of

peace, with all these thoughts rushing through my mind. I looked to my

left to see that the time was 7:38 AM. I rushed to get my things. After

saying good bye to my parents, I make my way to my school.

I never knew what her next move would be. Basically, I was

hoping for the best but expecting the worst. Will she drop the bomb on

me?

I walk into the school trying to go unnoticed by anyone. As I

had realized earlier, today was just not my day. Me, being my clumsy self

-had to bump into her.

“Look whose back? If it isn‟t the attention seeking loser?” She

said with venom laced in her every word.

―Yeah. I am back. For good now. I don‘t think I‘ll be missing

school anytime soon. Thanks for your concern.‖ I said confidently and

sarcastically, as I slipped away from her hateful glare.


172


It’s Okay Not To Be Okay (cont.) Music is my escape from this horrible reality we live in. It silences my wor-

ries and bothers. But, I can‘t even though I wish to do just that. I finally

make it home and drop my things next to the large mirror behind the door. I

look around my warm and cozy house and see that nobody is home. Quickly I

walk into my room, closing the door and shutting everything and everyone

out.

“Ugly, worthless, pathetic.” All of these words and more race

through my mind. “Am I really all of this?” I whispered as the tears begin to

stream down my face. I‟m tired. So very tired of waking up every morning

fearing of what she may say next. To everyone else, she is this perfect angel

that everyone loves and adores. But, to me she is the reason I cry myself to

sleep at nights. She‘s the pretty one, that girl that every boy likes. She is flaw-

less and perfect in every aspect. I hate it. I hate the way she makes me feel so

worthless and ugly and pathetic. Well… It wasn‘t just her who made me feel

like this. But, maybe just maybe, she wasn‘t the only one who hurt me. May-

be, I was so used to her insults that I slowly started to believe them myself…

Possibly, this was a war I had to battle between myself and her and well… me.

The next morning, I wake up more tired than I was yesterday. Which

I thought was impossible. I look into the mirror, feeling more self-conscious

than ever. One by one, I pick out every flaw. I don‘t want to feel this pain

every morning, every night, every single day. It was her fault I was like this. If

she would‘ve never made me feel so unwanted and useless maybe I wouldn‘t

be the way I am today. Why? We were fine. We were the closest friends. We

barely fought and if we did, over stupid, silly things. How in the world did we

end up like this?

Days, weeks, months, and two years passed in the blink of an eye.

We still weren‘t talking. Barely could look each other in the eye. As more

time passes, I became stronger, I guess you could say. I built these walls

around my heart, making sure no one could get through them. Even though I

still felt insecure and all those horrible things she had said to me, I made sure

that nothing would affect me. After such a long time of moping and wondering

what I had done to her, I finally decided that I was done moping and wonder-

ing. Slowly, I got back up to my feet after being pushed down so many times. I

picked up all the pieces she decided to shatter and step on. By myself, I be-

came stronger and these walls were raised higher. It was because of her I did-

n‘t let anyone become close to me. I have trust issues because of her. While I

was trying my best to stay strong and keep these walls up, she was laughing,

having the time of her life with her friends. Even though, she had made three

years of my life a living hell, I‘ll forgive her.

29

Cleveland School

―Happy Birthday K-K!‖ Daniel said while handing me a small box.

Inside was a charm bracelet with five gold charms: a cat, dog, heart, star,

and a microphone. There was also a sliver necklace with a microphone

charm on it. Around it were the words: LET YOUR LIFE FLOW WITH

THE MELODY.

―I love it!‖ I whispered into Daniel‘s ear.

―I knew you would,‖ he replied. After I placed on the jewelry I

jumped out of my chair not knowing why. I suddenly saw Harmony, Nikkei,

Cassie, and Andrew circling me with boxes. Nikkei‘s gift was Raggedy Ann

doll. Harmony‘s was a diamond studded ring. Cassie got me a tiara and An-

drew gave me a stuffed cat that looked just like Snowball. I thanked every-

one for their gifts and offered them some of my food with some food left

over. I woke up to bright candle lights on that spectacular night. My mom

pushed toward me my own birthday cake. She told me a special girl needs a

special cake. It was red velvet. Then she handed me a box with breathing

holes. Right away I knew it was an animal because whenever animals are in

a box they need breathing holes. When I opened the glittery box two kittens

pounced on me. I opened my eyes wider to see Memphis and Tinker. I

smiled a smile as big as the galaxy.

―I am speechless!‖ I stuttered. Everyone smiled, they knew how I

felt.

―Ten at last!‖ I exclaimed. I burst out of bed like it was on fire. I

ran down the stairs acting like there was a SUPERSTAR down there. Then I

suddenly stopped to see a beautiful girl. She smiled at me with her glisten-

ing teeth. I ran to Daniel who was in the kitchen making my second favorite

breakfast (an omelet with pepper, sausage and extra cheese).

―Who is that girl in the hallway?‖ I asked puzzled.

―Oh her? That‘s my girlfriend Denise.‖ ―Girlfriend?‖ You‘re not

supposed to be dating until you are eighteen I thought to myself so no one

heard me. I tried so hard to hold in my anger. I really did.

Then I blurted out – ―You said you tell me everything but I guess

things changed around here because nobody listens to me!‖

I couldn‘t help but cry. I stomped away glared at Denise and gave

her a nasty look. Luckily she didn‘t see.

―Kyra start getting packed the truck is coming tomorrow.‖

―Tomorrow?!‖

I opened my pink and black zebra printed suitcase. I tossed all the

clothes from my top draw not bothering to fold it. As I went down the stairs

I thought about NY. I went to the corner where there were empty brown

boxes. I took one of the larger ones and ran up the stairs happily. I filled the

box with my nick-knacks, stuffed toys, regular toys, and electronics. When I

finished I stood eyeing the white room. I still had two drawers and a closet

full of clothes.

30

Cleveland School

Then I sped down the never ending hallway.

―Mommy I need four more suitcases!‖ I screeched.

―For what,‖ she questioned, impatiently.

―The rest of my clothes!‖ I said like it was the most obvious thing. I

thought was about to say don‘t get smart with me young lady, but instead

she handed me four leopard printed suitcases and went on about her busi-

ness. On the way back to what‘s not going to be my room tomorrow I saw

Andrew, Nikkei, and Cassie watching Sesame Street and Harmony eating a

bag of Lays potatoes‘ chips and reading a book. In the room right across

from what‘s not going to be my room tomorrow Daniel was on the computer

typing and Denise was on the phone. I didn‘t want to ease drop but I went

ahead and did it. The conversation went like this: Mother you told me to go

so I went. I meet a really nice guy and his little brother (I think Daniel

smiled). She paused for a minute. I‘m in Virginia. She paused again. I‘m

with two nice families. I didn‘t care to hear the rest I had to pack and quick.

―Kyra get down here your mac & cheese is getting cold!‖ Mama

said in if you don‘t do what I tell this instant you‘re going to regret it tone. I

rushed down the stairs because if I didn‘t she would have brought the party

to me. In the town I live (Stanardsville) we have a beautiful sunset. I sat at

the table and daydreamed about the sunset in NY. I thought about a blue-

pink sky with a yellow-orange sun. I was too into my world of suns that I

didn‘t notice Andrew take my chicken and mac & cheese and leave me with

to corns on the cobs. I wanted to strangle him I really did but I knew deep

down in my big heart it was the wrong thing. I delivered the corn on the cob

back to him. When Mama saw him with the corn she tapped on the head. He

cried with pain but I knew it didn‘t hurt he just wanted people to feel sorry

for him. That nigh I just couldn‘t sleep with the thought of leaving tomor-

row.

―Mommy Mama!‖ I shouted like the world was about to end, ‗‘I‘m

not leaving tomorrow.‘‘ She came and stared at me like I was a lunatic.

―Now honey this is a way to start fresh.‖

‗‘I don‘t want to start fresh, the people here are so nice, I have more

friends than I can count, and Mrs. Baliane is so nice(she is my teacher) can‘t

you see why I don‘t want to go.‖ I replied almost crying ‗‘I don‘t even want

to start fifth grade there!‖ I huffed and looked at the crescent moon staring at

me.

―You‘re going to love school,‖ she sounded desperate.

Not unless Kayla, Sonya, Kim, Diane, Tasha, and Sarah are there I

thought to myself (they are my closest friends). She smiled and started sing-

ing my favorite lullaby ―Once Upon A Time.‖ I fell asleep in a wink.

Beep! Beep! Beep! (cont.)

171


It’s Okay Not To Be Okay One thing I never understood was: Why? Why do some things hap-

pen? Why does such a thing as pain exist? Why do bad things have to hap-

pen? I have always asked myself these questions but could never seem to find

the answers. Thoughts of her started to cloud my mind. Her brown eyes that

could fool anyone who let her. Light, brown frizzy hair. She was a social but-

terfly that everyone loved. She didn‘t understand how they went from best

friends, almost sisters, to being my worst nightmare. Then, I start to think

back to the times when we would tell each other absolutely everything. Those

times when we would go over each other‘s house almost every day. Those

times when we were close. When we were sisters… What happened? Most

importantly: Why?

―Have a good day at school sweet heart!‖ my dad says enthusiasti-

cally.

―I will, thanks.‖ I respond back.

I get out of the warm car and start to walk to the place I most dread. Every

step I take, the more I get closer to the school and the heaviness in my chest

only gets heavier. Much to my disappointment, I make it inside the school,

trying to ignore the cold hearted glares from her and her friends. If looks

could kill, I‘d be dead by now. I then start to hear their low hushed whispers

as I take a seat in the auditorium. After a while of hearing their numerous

insults and rumors directed towards me, I feel a presence next to me. I turn to

face my best friend taking a seat next to me.

―You okay?‖ she asks looking at me worriedly.

―Yeah! Why wouldn‘t I be?‖ I say to her as I plaster a fake smile on

my face.

I had become very good at hiding what I truly feel and making sure every-

body thought I was fine that slowly I started to believe it myself.

―Okay, so you‘ll never guess what got leaked last night…‖ My

friend then begins to ramble about how her favorite artist‘s new album got

released accidently. After a while of hearing her fangirl, I tune her voice out

and get lost in my never ending thoughts. Will it ever end? This pain that

seemed oh so everlasting…

School finally ends and I say good bye to my friend and start walk-

ing home. I take my phone and plug my earphones in and start to listen to

music.

“I stare at my reflection in the mirror. Why am I doing this to my-

self? Losing my mind on a tiny error. I nearly left the real me on the shelf.”

Ed Sheeran‘s beautiful voice blasts through my earphones, relaxing me al-

most instantly.

Nothing can calm me down more than music. If I could listen to

music all day, I would. (cont.)

170


Lombard

Sly, Intelligent

Easygoing, Exciting, Accepting

Courageous, Eager, Scared, in

denial

Cooperating, Engaging, Caring

Nervous, Anxious

Claythorne

Ti‘Anna Lee

Mrs. Vogel

Jonas Manly, tough and strong

Brother of Lily and Gabe

Who secretly loves his sister, Gabe and Fiona

Who is feeling awesome, proud and heroic

Who needs help, to save his family

Who fears losing his family and friends

Who helps old people who can‘t cope

Who shadows his feelings with his family

Resident of Utopia

And

The world beyond

Tiyah Hinton

Mr. Sanford

Wargrave

Quiet, leader

Controlling, judging, worrying

Everyone equal, everyone dif-

ferent

Drinking, non-caring, fighting

Drinker, speeder

Marston

Victor Laurie

Mrs. Vogel

Lily Small, little sister of Jonas

She acts like an adult

Lily wants a bicycle

One time Jonas told Lily elephants were real

The community gives Lily

Food, shelter, clothes, tunics, a job and everything else she needs

Resident of Utopia

Zachary Pielach

Mr. Sanford

31

Cleveland School

―Five more minutes!‖ I shouted. And then it hit me my alarm clock

was packed away so than meant it was the unwanted (by me) truck.

―C‘mon Nikkei I have to use the bathroom!‖

―I‘m still checking to see if the Easter Bunny came!‖ she replied.

―It‘s the middle of July.‖

―Oh?‖ She rushed out of the bathroom ran down the hall. As I strut-

ted into the bathroom Harmony pranced by, I pulled her in.

―You don‘t want move right?!‖ I exclaimed in a serious tone. She

started but I stopped her before she could say well I think. I told her about a

wonderful but nasty mean scheme. We are going to die the driver of the Haul

truck‘s hair pink and glue his hands to the seat with glue that sticks for about

thirty minutes. But first we will put him to sleep by playing a cd called

―Snozzy Time Blues‖. He will be in a rage that when he wakes up he will

storm away from the Andrews/Jacksons humble dorm and never return. She

didn‘t like the idea at first but I really convinced here by telling here about

staying with Mrs. Baliane, Kayla, Sonya, Kim, Diane, Sarah, and this really

cute guy she likes, Jason Niles. When she heard about Jason she started to cry.

―When I told him we were moving he said there will be no chances

of being together!‖ she said through tears. Then she said something that really

caught me.

―He said his dad might be working for the NYPD (New York City

Police Department) and he might move to Manhattan.‖ It was right then and

there I remembered that my dad was going to work for the NYPD and so is

Harmony‘s dad and we might be moving to Manhattan. When I told Harmony

about the fantastic connection her eyes popped out of her head, but forget

about that back to the scheme.

When the U-Haul truck driver went to the bathroom we replaced his

cd with ―Snoozy Time Blues‖. We watched from afar as he played the disc.

He mumbled a few bad words but did not go to sleep. Time for Plan B. Now

we got Nikkei and Cassie to ask him annoying questions from ―The Big Book

of Annoying Questions‖. He got so aggravated that he told our sisters to stand

in fount of the truck and he honked the horn in their ears. Time for Plan C.

Plan C is to go along with the idea of moving.

―Mommy, are we going to live in a small house?‖ Nikkei asked

Mommy after her ears stopped ringing. She just simply said you‘ll find out.

Finally Harmony, Nikkei, Cassie, Andrew, Daniel, Denise and I packed our-

selves into Daniel‘s Subaru. To make a long six hour trip seem shorter I will

tell you what mainly happened: Nikkei was singing the ―The Wheels on the

Bus‖ and other nursery rhymes and when I would yell at her she would sing

―Paka yelling here and there Paka yelling here and there all through the town.

(cont.)

32

Cleveland School

Denise was on the phone with her mom. Harmony was playing Sims

3 on her 3DS, Andrew was on his Game Boy, Cassie was asleep, and I was

overly aggravated.

Once we got to the Big Apple we went sightseeing because Mama

said once we got to New York we would spend five hours doing stuff before

we get home. We saw Lady Liberty and went to Central Park and saw the

Belvedere Castle, Turtle Pond, and the Central Park Zoo. We also went to

Time Square and other places. After eleven long hours in a car we pulled up

into our driveway. Daniel told me we are living in New York state not city.

But who care if it‘s the city or the state our house was huge. And do you

know why Mama wanted us out the house for five hours….so she could put

in the furniture. My room was painted blue and purple with all of my furni-

ture and new pieces. I also had a poster of the Brooklyn Bridge and of sing-

ers who grew up in New York; Harmony‘s room was all most the same. And

guess who came to visit Jason Niles. A few minutes later a black sedan

pulled up in our driveway.

―Jeremiah, is that your mom again?‖ my mom asked my dad.

―My mom does drive a black Sedan, but not one with New York on

the license plate,‖ my dad replied. Denise came out of the house. A lady

came out of the car and took Denise by the hand and put her in the car. Dan-

iel took Harmony and me by the hand and flung us into his car.

―An adventure, I like this a lot‖ I thought as we went I pursuit of the

black Sedan. Tamia Watkins

Mrs. Zatorski

Mrs. Burisch Acts Foolishly

I walked into the classroom and I saw that it was a mess. I asked Mrs.

Burisch, ―Why is the room a disaster?‖ but she didn‘t reply. As I sat at my

desk, I notices Mrs. Burisch had pencils I her hair.

As she was going to sit, she sat on a whoopee cushion. The sound star-

tled Mrs. Burisch, causing her to crash on an ant farm. The ants escaped and

crawled into her clothes. She moved frantically around the room trying to

get the ants out of her pants. I asked Amani, ―Why is Mrs. Burisch acting

crazy,‖ but she had no answer.

Before the end of the school day, Mrs. Burisch allowed us to sit on our

desks as she read us a book by Dr. Seuss. When the bell rang, I asked Mrs.

Burisch why she was acting so silly. She replied with a smile on her face, ―I

just wanted you guys to laugh.‖ Ever since that day I still wonder about silly

Mrs. Burisch.

Vincent Goodman

Mrs. Burisch

169


THINK BEFORE YOU DO: BULLY EDITION

Bullying. B-U-L-L-Y-I-N-G. This type of people are liars

and just want to have attention to themselves. Hence the name bul-

LIES. They always make false statements to one person just to over-

power one. For some unknown reason, kids today are cutting and/or

doing suicide because of this. Who started this? What kind of crea-

ture would do this? How is a razor or even jumping the answer?

Imagine, if you just kill yourself, your parents will grieve

about you and your family members also. Remember about your

friends, they will do the same exact thing what you did. KILLING

THEMSELVES. You don‘t want that on your conscience do you

now?

The bully will think, ―Why did I ever say that to (your name

here)!‖ That will always be on their conscious for life. Complaining

to themselves about how you died and getting picked because of that.

Then bully will change into a nice person trying to gain everyone‘s

trust back but fails.

Everyone will miss you but in order to prevent all of this type

of scenarios listen to these tips in order to have no bullies in your life.

1. Speak up!

If you talk to someone about your problem, it will be taken

care of and you can live happily about your life.

2. Learn about Psychology.

Talking to one is not normal but they will teach you about the

mind and manipulation, so if the bully comes to you use what you

know. If failed, revert back to Tip #1.

3. YOU WILL NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN AFTER HIGH

SCHOOL!!!!

When life gets hard, you're gonna grow up to have a strong

personality and won't be broken down easily. If you feel left alone in

school then join a club that you like so you can find friends that like

you for who you are, not who you are not. You don‘t have to care

about many people...you just need one true friend that will never

leave your side!

Never think that people do not love you as Christina Aguilera said:

―I am beautiful in every single way. Words can‘t bring me down.

So don‘t you bring me down today.‖

Marcel Leach

Mrs. Vogel

168


The Wedding Day Blues (cont.)

―I don‘t care about your personal life. No one wants to know

about your life. My awesome life is more interesting than yours.

You know what, you‘re fired! I don‘t have time for this. The

door is right there, you can‘t miss it. Give me my dress! I have a

wedding to attend---------and don‘t expect a paycheck-----------or

a tip.‖ Dominique shouted.

After getting dressed, Dominique stormed out of the

building.

―Where is my gold, million dollar limo?‖

―Beep, Beep!‖ The limo was here.

―Where have you been?‖ the diva scolded the driver.

She made a big commotion and everyone turned to take a

glance.

―Get your greasy eyeballs off of me‖ Dominique cried.

She hopped into the vehicle and they went off like the

wind to the church, where the ceremony was held. It was time.

The wedding planner opened the door and led Dominique to the

alter. The bride noticed something odd. The groom was M.I.A.

The relatives gasped. Tiffany, the wedding planner went into

Phillip‘s dressing room and found a neat, pink note that was writ-

ten in cursive.

―You look like you saw a ghost.‖ stated the wife-to-be.

Tiffany gave her a nervous glimpse and handed her the

note that was written in cursive.

―To Dominique, I can‘t get married today. I‘m not in

love with you. You‘re too demanding, a gold digger, and clingy.

You never said that you love me. I‘m so sorry.‖

Dominique cried, then took off her shoes and threw them.

She ran out before chaos arose. People felt bad for her, but then

remembered her personality and how she treated them.

―Remember, you should always treat people the way you

want to be treated or your dreams will never come true.‖

Lundia Josue

Ms. Cawley

33

Cleveland School

My Bad Day

―Oh no!‖ I said to myself scared and shivering. I was 6 years old, in

first grade and I was outside in the playground when suddenly I needed to go

to the bathroom. I asked the teacher if I could go to the restroom but she

wouldn`t let me because there was somebody already there. The thing that

makes me go ballistic is that only one kid can go to the bathroom at one time,

I waited for two minutes but it felt like a life time. I stood there but he never

came back after I waited and waited I thought to myself , ―what in the world

could he be doing that is taking so long!?‖ He finally came back but it was

too late. I couldn`t hold it anymore so I went on my jeans, I ran into the bath-

room as fast as I could and grabbed paper towels and soap, I tried to get the

smell off so I began cleaning my jeans. I was so nervous because I

thought……. ―What if someone sees me? And what if they make fun of me?‖

Every time I asked these questions I got even more nervous. Fortunately it

was almost time to go home, and I was so relieved that just in a few minutes

I would get home where no one would see me change my jeans and make fun

of me or also hurt my feelings.

Nelson Rodriguez

Mrs. Garretson

My First Round-Off

Ring…. Ring…….Ring…….Ring….. ―Time for recess!‖ There

was a flood of kids running out of the lunchroom door. It was recess and my

friends, Sannah, Adonaisha, Qua‘yae, Alon, and Imami scurried over to the

grassy area to execute our gymnastics skills for our playground competition. It

was a bit nerve wracking because our competitors were practicing right next

to us. They were dancing. When it was my turn to do a round off I was so

apprehensive and I could feel my body sweating everywhere. I stepped back a

few feet, inhaled deeply, feeling the butterflies dance around in my stomach. I

felt my feet start to shuffle until my legs were building up steam like a train

riding along the rails. Faster and faster I ran until my hands touched the

ground and my feet flew in the air. Up went my legs and they connected to-

gether as if there were a magnet between them.

―Yes! I did it! I did my first round-off!‖ I screamed excitedly. I was

proud of myself and my team was too. Now I can be included in the competi-

tion. I was so elated. I practiced and practiced until recess was over. Every-

day our team continued to practice and we are getting better each and every-

day. There is still time before the competition to perfect our skills. Who will

be the winner? One never knows. I hope it‘s us.

Nevaeh Caldwell

Mrs. Zatorski

34

Cleveland School

Frogs

A frog has a red, round, tongue in his mouth and the red

round, tongue helps the frog catch flies, so they get healthy and

so the frog will not starve. So they can relax and chill, frogs can

be many colors: yellow, green, and they can have red eyes.

Frogs eat bugs with their skinny, red, round, tongue, al-

most like tape and glue. They can sit on a lily pad so they can

catch a fly.

Frogs can live in many different places like: dirt, water,

swamps, grass, lakes, and ponds. They can live anywhere, even

Africa.

The most dangerous frog in New Jersey is the smallest

yellow frog and it can kill over 120 mice in one day.

Robert Stevens

Mrs. Carpenter

Frogs

Frogs have long tails like fish. The frogs can be different

colors like: green, red, yellow and black, or frogs can be differ-

ent colors.

Frogs eat many different flies.

Frogs live in the grass or sand.

Frogs sleep in a log and some frogs sleep in leaves.

Jazmin Blakley

Mrs. Carpenter

Frogs

Frogs are green, red, yellow and brown. They have a

long slimy tongue, and they have beady eyes. A frog has a slimy

body.

Frogs eat flies and many bugs. They have a sticky

tongue. Frogs live in the grass. And frogs live in the water.

Frogs come from small black eggs. And the tadpole has

a long tail.

Alani Gordon

Mrs. Carpenter

167


The Wedding Day Blues

It was an exciting and nerve-racking day. It was the day

that the drama queen/princess/diva Dominique has been wait-

ing for all her life. It was her wedding day. Dominique Adams

was going to marry the man of her dreams, Phillip Lucas, the

twenty year-old, rich lawyer that has his own law firm.

What made the day more beautiful was that the sun was

glistening, the sky was crystal blue, and a cloud was shaped

like Cupid (a.k.a. the love doctor). It was ironic because the

wedding day was on Valentine‘s Day.

The bride loved bling, jewels, diamonds, and sparkles.

If you think that is a lot, you should see her wedding dress. It

was a long white mermaid dress with sparkling clear jewels

and diamonds around it. It cost the groom $20,000. Her design-

er six inch heel pumps cost $1,850. She wanted everything and

all things her way. That drove Phillip crazy.

Finally all the clothes were bought and it was time to

get married.

―Where‘s my stylist? Why is she late? Where is my as-

sistant? Where is my expensive dress?!!! Ooo, They‘re gonna

get it.‖

―I‘m here.‖, the stylist Natalie said as she walked

through the door.

―Where have you been?‖ Dominique probed.

―I was in traffic.‖ Natalie whispered.

―I don‘t care! Get to work!‖ Dominique shouted with

all her strength.

Ten minutes after the stylist was done, Ashley, the as-

sistant came in with the dress.

―And where have you been, Missy?‖ Dominique

bawled.

―I was out with friends.‖ Ashley answered. (cont.)

166


The Love That Was Torn (cont.)

―Its ok honey, I can sew him back together before bed. My

mother said in her calm loving voice that just made you feel that no

matter what, with her, you would be ok. She pressed my head against

her chest while I let my anger and frustration out.

―You ripped him and he will never be the same!‖ I said

―Your mom said she could fix him,‖ she said with a smirk.‖

Calm down.‖

But I guess everything ended ok. By the end of the night,

Michaela, Angle Bear, and I were sitting on the couch eating popcorn

and watching old time Disney movies. She apologized sooner or later.

―I‘m sorry about ripping him but I guess I took it a little over

board because it was just milk.‖

―Thanks.‖

You could tell that she really meant it. Even though Michaela

and I will always be five years apart, we will always be close. I guess

it just goes to show that accidents are supposed to happen. It‘s what

you do to fix them that counts.

Bryanna M. Fleischman

Ms. Cawley

Wargrave

Intelligent, slow

Analyzing, reasoning, gov-

erning

In charge, not in power

Talking, teaming (up), work-

ing

Youthful, quick

Lombard

Lee'Shae Lawson

Mrs. Vogel

Wargrave

Honorable, distinguished

Judging, deciding, enterprising

Resourceful in law, cruel in judge-

ment

Drinking, searching, thinking

Well known, undignified

Armstrong

Olivia Pielach

Mrs. Vogel

35

Cleveland School

The Hurricane

―WHOOSH!‖ The sound of the window blowing past my house at

night. I was sitting in my living room watching TV and I became so

anxious because I knew that was sound of the hurricane coming to our

town.

―CRASH!‖ The deafening sound of thunder and lightening

followed.

―BOOM!‖ Out went the power. Good thing I had my flash-

light in my hand just waiting for the house to go black. I turned it on.

My mom, dad, and sister got their flashlights and quickly turned them

on too. All I can see was big circles of light reflecting from the walls.

As I was sitting in the living room, the wind was blowing so

fierce that the glass balcony door looked like it was about to fly into

the house. I was terrified!

Sannah Davis

Mrs. Zatorski

The Broken Doll

―Yay! Yay! Yay! I am going to Kids Village,‖ I said as I went into

the hair salon to do the dolls hair. Kids Village is a place that you play with

toys and do your dolls hair. I was doing my dolls hair when my sister came

in and said, ―Can I play with that doll?‖ She took the doll away from me.

―Hey give me that!‖ I said back to her.

―No you give me the doll,‖ my sister said while making a mean face

at me.

―Grrr! Grrr! Grrr! Uh oh! I am going to tell Mom on you,‖ my sister

said. ―Oh no you are not,‖ I said while running after my sister.

―Mom, Jackie broke the dolls head and she is trying to blame me,‖

my sister said.

―No she broke the dolls head and put the head and body in my hands

so it would look like I did it!‖ I shouted.

―You broke the dolls head!‖ Mom said with an angry voice. ―You

are going to fix that doll. You know what, never mind will fix the doll my-

self,‖ Mom said angry at us. ―You should be ashamed of yourself.‖ Mom

went into the hair salon part of Kids Village to fix the doll. She put the head

on and fixed the doll. We were so happy; we talked it out and learned our

lesson. Always share!

Jackie Candelaria

Mrs. DeSantis

36

Cleveland School

Snow Day

Zoom! Moriah and I were sledding outside in December on a

snowy day at my house. We were sharing sleds so we could go down

the driveway. ―How about we spin in circles!‖ yelled Moriah. We

were having fun, but we got bored and took a break inside.

We both drank hot cocoa. It was delicious. We put marshmal-

lows in it. Pop! The buzzer went off the cookies were done that my

mom made for us. We ate some and went back outside.

When we got outside, we made a snowman, it was big. We

put a scarf, a carrot for the nose, and blueberries for the eyes. We

went to sled again. Pow! Moriah was hurt while she was sledding.

―Are you okay?‖ I asked. ―No!‖ she yelled. I went inside and got my

mom. ―Relax on the couch,‖ Mom told her. She felt better after rest-

ing. Moriah learned not to do something you shouldn‘t be doing.

NyJae Shipley

Mrs. DeSantis

The Haunted House

―Yay! Let‘s go!‖ I exclaimed while looking out of the car

window for the scary house. ―Mom I see it go over there,‖ I said

while pointing my finger. My mom parked the car in the parking lot.

We got out and were walking to the house.

―Don‘t cry please!‖ I shouted to my brother.

My brother agreed, ―I will try not to.‖

I went to the door. ―Wow,‖ I yodeled. Something picked me

up, and then I felt some else coming towards me. It was a person.

The person let me inside of the house. They put me in a chair. I

jumped up and ran to the door. All of a sudden I saw a scary guy pick

up my brother. My brother was crying. I shouted, ―Let him go. He

does not like scary stuff!‖

The guy mumbled to himself, ―Oh okay.‖ My brother cried

and wanted to leave.

My mom told us, ―We have got to go.‖ I replied ―Fine, ok.‖

I learned to never bring my little brother to a scary house!

Danny Vinajero

Mrs. DeSantis

165


The Love That Was Torn

She was thirteen and I was eight. Michaela and I are sisters

from another Mrs. He‘s a Sellaro and me, I‘m a Fleischman. I don‘t

know how it happened, but I guess I had spilled her milk, the last of

the milk as a matter of fact ,until our dad went to the store. She was

really mad because now she had nothing to dunk her Oreos in. As her

face turned red, my feet gave me the hint to get out of our kitchen as

soon as possible.

―You‘re going to pay!‖ She yelled as we ran through our

warm/ cozy home.

―You have to catch me first!‖ I shouted back.

Of course, she was right behind me. Since her legs were long-

er and faster, I knew I wouldn‘t have the lead for long. So I made a

quick decision to dash into the closest room which happened to be my

parents. The bed was tall and took up almost the whole room. I had to

climb over it to attempt to lose her. The space between Michaela and I

grew shorter and smaller and the fact that I had a struggle getting onto

the bed didn‘t help. My parents were outside doing yard work in the

garden. So I guess I wouldn‘t get help from them.

At first all I thought was that she wanted to hit me or push me

down or something. But then I saw her devilish hands reaching for my

beloved Angle Bear. I‘ve had him since I was born and was and still is

very special to me. The terror in my eyes widened because revenge on

me was expected but on him, unimaginable.

―Stop Michaela your problem is with me not him!‖ I screeched.

She grabbed his raggedy wings but I still had the rest of him

body. She pulled hard and I instantly herd ―RRRIIIPPP!‖ I got scared

and went to plan B. Scream.

―AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!‖ I screamed louder and

louder each time I heard a rip coming from Angel Bear.

―STOP MICHAELA YOUR GONNA RIP HIM!‖

And then my world stopped. The screams became breathless

cries. Michaela‘s face was white and emotionless. My lovable Angel

Bear was now in two. The wing had ripped right off. My mom came

running up the stairs.

164


Bullying

Why do people do this? Why? Don‘t they have anything better

to do?

Suicide

When you kill yourself you die forever. Yeah, maybe your

bully will go to jail for a couple of months, but who says when they

come out they won't do the same thing again to someone you love,

your family member or anyone? Even though you can't find someone

to help you, killing yourself doesn't solve the problem.

Cuts

When you cut yourself it doesn't make the bully stop it gives

the bully more to say. You will go to a hospital while your bully is out

there having fun or bullying someone else. There are other ways of you

not being the victim. It's not fair for you to experience this at a young

age.

Bullies

To all the bullies, is it fair to them? Is it fair to their families?

It is hard to be bullied and it gets emotional sometimes. But it's better

to fight it, then to cut yourself or jump off a bridge. Have you ever

thought that people who bully have nothing better to do than to bring

people down in life?

Stop the Bullying!

Stacey Saint Paul

Mrs. Vogel

Tears

One by one they drop. Why, why, why. Why did this happen

to me? I can‘t take it no more. You say you‘re only joking but it still

hurts. I say I‘m fine but I really just want to run and let the water fall

from my face. One by one they drop. Why, why, why. I trusted you

why would you betray me. What did I do to deserve this pain. I don‘t

want to feel this pain no more. I keep a smile on my face to keep eve-

ryone happy, but in the shadows the water is falling where no one can

see. This mask on my face won‘t hold forever. Please let the pain go

away.

Amanda Soto

Mrs. Vogel

37

Cleveland School

Fighting with AJ

―You‘re never going to get me!‖ yelled AJ while we were

playing tag. I was running behind him on the playground at recess

time. I pushed him by accident.

―I‘m sorry,‖ I sadly said as I was getting down onto the

ground next to him.

We both got off the ground and AJ began to fight me. I had

to fight him back. AJ fell on the ground and got back up again. He

kicked me and I kicked him so hard in return. AJ ran away from me

and I ran to the teacher. ―AJ is fighting with me,‖ I told the teacher in

a scared voice. My heart was hurting from beating so quickly. When

I was done telling the teacher what happened AJ ran and told the

teacher I was fighting with him. AJ was suspended for five days. I

was excited because he got punished, but he was really upset.

I ran back to play. I told my friends AJ is out of school for

five days. My friends were mad that he was suspended. ―You‘re

gonna pay for this,‖ one of my friend‘s told me annoyed. My friends

ran to line up and I ran to get on line too. My friends did not talk to

me for the rest of the day. I learned to never fight with other people!

Jose Ramos

Mrs. DeSantis

The Halloween Party

On Halloween I went to a Halloween party with my mom

and sister. It was at my church. When we got there I had a princess

costume on it was pink and blue. First we put up Halloween decora-

tions and then people came. Then we played games, danced, and

ate. Then it was time for the costume contest. We got in line, every-

one‘s costumes were cool. But only one person could win and it was

me. We sat down and waited until I came out with the cake so I can

pass it out. The cake was pink and blue. Everybody else got erasers

for prizes. I felt like I was happy.

Heaven Maxwell

Mrs. DeSantis

38

Cleveland School

Teasing My Sister

Mom and Dad were watching the news. ―The news is bor-

ing,‖ I thought to myself. I went to my room to play with my toys. I

was pretending that my transformer toys were fighting.

―Can I play with you?‖ my sister Eva asked when she walked

into my room.

―No you cannot play with me,‖ I replied. I turned my back to

her and continued to play. ―Can I play? Can I play? Can I play?‖ Eva

kept asking. I turned around and yelled, ―Stop begging!‖ Next Eva

ran out of the room to the living room.

―Come to the living room Jr... You‘re grounded!‖ Mom

yelled in a mean voice.

I went back to my room to play with my toys. ―Give me the

toys,‖ Mom yelled in a mean voice.

―No! No!‖ I yelled to my mom. She took my toys away from

me. I learned to never tease my sister again!

Diego Altamirano

Mrs. DeSantis

Lost in Disney Land

―Aaaa! Aaaa! Aaaaaa!‖ I was screaming. ―I am lost! I am

lost!‖ my cousin Jason left me when I was distracted by a big poster of

Disney Land. ―Where are you Jason?‖ I was screaming. I was looking

at all of the doors of the spooky train, but I still couldn‘t find him. I

knew I was lost. I was scared. ―Where are you Joshua?‖ my mom

yelled. I yelled back, ―I am here Mom!‖ I was on the Spooky Train.

The Spooky Train is a roller coaster with bridges, it is very dark.

―Cindy go upstairs and get Joshua,‖ my mom told her. ―Yes, but I am

too big to go on the roller coaster,‖ my cousin replied back to my

mom. ―That‘s your little cousin,‖ my mom told Cindy. ―Okay I am

going,‖ Cindy said. When Cindy got up into the Spooky Train, she

saw I was sad and scared. When we got back down I was so happy.

We all hugged each other.

Joshua Rodriguez

Mrs. DeSantis

163


NO MORE PAIN,

I feel this coming off of people. Why do I feel so lonely? I have no

one to talk to. Why won‘t anybody help me? I‘m screaming for help but no

one hears me. Help me, Help me! I can‘t take it no more.

Was this why I was created, to be stepped on and not do anything

about it? STOP! I will not do this anymore. I am better than this. I will not be

stepped on anymore.

For people who feel like this say ―Stop.‖ You were not meant to be

stepped on. You were meant to stand tall and stand up for others. So no more,

we are strong and we will not be stepped on anymore. We are here to be lead-

ers, not to be followers. So finally I scream and someone hears me. I found

my footing. Amanda Soto

Mrs. Vogel

My Stick One day in Spring

I played a trick

I went in the yard

And planted a stick

Everyday I watered it well

And watched it carefully

And I hoped one day

My stick would grow

Into a beautiful tree

Karly Fleischman

Ms. Maslowski

Mr. Rogers Kind, speedy

Moving, welcoming, observing

Always nice, hiding secrets

Intimidating, uncaring, covertly

Mysterious, deadly

Lombard

Lucas Jacomes

Mrs. Vogel

Wargrave Wise, Creepy

Judging, Hustling, Rambling

Treats everyone the same, Treats

everyone differently

Caring, Bustling, Confusing

Keen, Kind

Armstrong

Roman Simmons

Mrs. Vogel

Justice Elderly, Forceful

Controlling, Smoking, Thinking

Very Controlling, Very Obedient

Obeying, Worrying, Creeping

Secretive, Suspect

Mr.Rogers

Savanah Jones

Mrs. Vogel

162


My Story of Experiencing Bullying

I was gullible, yeah, I stumbled upon a few words

But that doesn‘t mean that I smell like a turd

How absurd that was to throw my hat on top of a roof

Or was it funny to stuff my papers in the toilet—didn‘t you know it

was poop?

I had high confidence, so I wasn‘t gonna let your words bring me

down

But smashing my face to the ground wasn‘t something to play

around with

The gossip, lies, tears in my eyes –you called me gay and threatened

to boot me to Santa Fe

Your head was hung high, while mine was hung low

But I continued to fight because I wasn‘t gonna let you throw my

soul, my heart and my food into a river and just watch it float

Well, I guess it‘s over now – you ran my body into the ground

But I wasn‘t gonna let you bury me – just not now!!

My face and my body is not a punching bag

You know they have gyms for that

The right of Halloween dressing up as Grim

To come scare me as I was going trick & treating

I took the beating, my eyes were leaking

I was weak compared to you because my soul was stolen

But the days continued rolling and so did my head, down the hall-

way like a bowling

ball hitting pins. Funny, not really, choking me on the sidewalk un-

til I squealed like a duck

Or swinging your fists at me like my head was a hockey puck

Well now you‘re looking trying to find your next victim

But this time I‘ll be the one moving forward and not tripping—

backwards.

DEDICATED TO ALL THE VICTIMS OF BULLY-

ING!!! DON‘T GIVE UP!!!

Roman Alexander Simmons

Mrs. Vogel

39

Cleveland School

My Skating Birthday Party

Crash! Bshh! I fell down on the ground when I was skating. I fell

on my back. I was having a birthday party with my family at the skating

center. Everybody was there, my family and my friends.

―Ooooh! That has to hurt,‖ my mom shouted while she was on the

bench. Then I got up and started to skate again. This time I had it a little bit

right. Then we had pizza, it was very good. It was delicious. Next my dad

gave me this thing that you use to keep you from falling. I got it and went

back into the skating rink. I did not fall because I was on it. My friend had

one too and he chased me. I did not fall anymore.

Devin Williams

Mrs. DeSantis

The Day I Lost My Phone

Walk! Walk! Walk! I was walking to the ark with my mom. I ran

onto the field to play with my football. I was tackling myself. I threw myself

on the grass. I would laugh and get back up. My mom yelled while sitting on

the bench, ―Stop playing so rough!‖

One hour later I took a break. I lay in the grass and drank Gatorade.

―Oh I have my phone. I want to play on it,‖ I thought to myself. I reached in

my pocket, but could not find my phone. So I told my mom to call it. I

checked all of my pockets and my mom‘s bag. I still could not find it. I

looked on the field. My mom said ―Just wait I will find it.‖ So she called it

again and this time I heard it and found it in the field. I was happy that I

found my phone.

Nay-Shawn Kimbrough

Mrs. DeSantis

The First Day of Kindergarten

Ring! Ring! Ring! I t was the first day of kindergarten and I was shy.

I thought that the kids would be mean to me. I was also scared about the

teacher. I thought that the teacher was going to scream at me.

When I met the teacher she was nice to me. In the morning we were

working on math. I was working on it by myself. It seemed that it was easy.

Ring! Ring! The lunch bell rang. It was time for lunch. I ate lunch, a deli-

cious sandwich. When we were done eating lunch we went onto the play-

ground for recess. I said to myself, ―I have to ask Erik to be my friend.‖

When Erik came on the playground he asked me, ―Do you want to play with

me?‖ Erik seemed like he was friendly. I replied, ―Yes,‖ out loud while smil-

ing at Erik. I learned never be shy to make new friends.

Marwan Niyazi

Mrs. DeSantis

40

Cleveland School

Fighting with AJ

―You‘re never going to get me!‖ yelled AJ while we were playing

tag. I was running behind him on the playground at recess time. I pushed

him by accident. ―I‘m sorry,‖ I sadly said as I was getting down onto the

ground next to him.

We both got off the ground and AJ began to fight me. I had to fight

him back. AJ fell on the ground and got back up again. He kicked me and I

kicked him so hard in return. AJ ran away from me and I ran to the teacher.

―AJ is fighting with me,‖ I told the teacher in a scared voice. My heart was

hurting from beating so quickly. When I was done telling the teacher what

happened AJ ran and told the teacher I was fighting with him. AJ was sus-

pended for five days. I was excited because he got punished, but he was real-

ly upset.

I ran back to play. I told my friends AJ is out of school for five days.

My friends were mad that he was suspended. ―You‘re gonna pay for this,‖

one of my friend‘s told me annoyed. My friends ran to line up and I ran to get

on line too. My friends did not talk to me for the rest of the day. I learned to

never fight with other people!

Jose Ramos

Mrs. DeSantis

The Day My Big Brother Tricked Me

―Be good to your little sisters,‖ Mom said to Alex while walking

out of the front door. My parents went to a restaurant and put my big broth-

er in charge. ―Do you girls want to go watch a movie?‖ asked my big broth-

er Alex. ―Yes we do!‖ exclaimed my little sister Bella. ―Okee Dokee,‖

Alex mysteriously replied. Alex drove us to the movie theater. We bought

popcorn and went in to the movie. ―Aaaaaahhhh!‖ Bella screamed. There

was a scary guy in the movie. The guy has a hockey mask and a chainsaw.

His clothes were very dirty. The movie was about a guy who hurts dead

people in a dead school. Everything in the movie starts with dead. I just

wanted to stop the movie and break the screen. My brother already knew

what I was thinking. ―Don‘t even think about,‖ Alex said to me. The movie

was finally finished. It said ―The End‖ written in blood. We were so re-

lieved the movie was over.

My brother drove us back home. ―Where were you?‖ asked Mom.

I told her ―Alex tricked us into a scary movie.‖ ―You are punished for a

week!‖ Mom screamed to Alex. I was thankful Alex got into trouble for

bringing us to that scary movie!

Milanie Romero

Mrs. DeSantis

161


What Unity Means to Me

Unity means to me that I am one with my family. We

help each other by looking out for each other‘s interests. We all

love one another. If I need help with homework my father al-

ways steps up to help either my brother or I. Family reunions

show unity because I get to see all of my relatives- aunts, cous-

ins and even grandma. At these reunions we talk, laugh, hang

out and have a great time.

That is what unity means to me.

Justin Minter

Mr. Sanford

My Dark Twisted World

The knife plunges in my heart and remains lodged for eternity it

seems

The word that keeps repeating and twisting the knife a little each

time it's said.

It seems to define me every day

While a compliment for some

The word I dread to hear each day

The scorn of my classmates as it's said by another

Even the implication drives the knife even further into my heart

I know I'm far from it

There being much more of the word in other people than me

But it seems to always come with me.

A dark shadow cast over my head

You may think I am shy

But truly I am trying to hide in my fantasy land

To escape my dark and twisted world

Meghan Flynn

Mrs. Vogel

160


Claythorne Young guilty

Laughing, worrying, jittering Easliy Frightened, never brave Unloving, uncaring, unfeeling

Creepy, heartless Emily

Lynn Wang Mrs. Vogel

Marston

Wealthy, arrogant

Flirting, disturbing, perishing

Above all, equal respect

Kind, composed

Rogers

Karen Charleston

Mrs. Vogel

Mr. Rodgers

Stealthy, Mysterious

Sneaking, Silencing, Coping

Voice unapparent, Highly

opinionated

Forcing, Prying, Deceiving

Outspoken, Untrustworthy

Judge Wargrave

Meghan Flynn

Mrs. Vogel

Wargrave

Old, rich

Sentencing, deciding, adjudi-

cating

Takes leadership, doesn't sit

around

Caring, bumbling, wondering

Skillful, lucky

Armstrong

Adam Greebel

Mrs. Vogel

Lily

Girly, friendly, loving and innocent

Ribbons in her hair

Sister of Jonas and Gabriel

Daughter of the parents

Who fears family, loving my friends and being released

Who shares certain feelings with the family at dinner

The community provides me with food, shelter and my tunic

My bicycle gives me freedom to travel

Resident of

Utopia

Aaliyah Budhram

Mr. Sanford

41

Cleveland School

The Fish

Splash! Splash! Me and my friend Saed were at the beach.

We saw a gray fish jumping in the water.

―Let‘s catch it for lunch,‖ I said to Saed. ―Let‘s go get it.‖

We take our clothing off and went in the water. ―Aww,

aww,‖ I screamed.

―What happened?‖ Saed asked. ―I stepped on a spiky thing,‖

I said. ―Well watch out.‖ We kept jumping to get the fish.

The fish kept getting away. Then we separated and made a triangle

around the fish. Finally we got it.

―I can‘t wait to cook it,‖ I told Saed. We went through the

street before the cars came. We snuck in the house. We went into the

kitchen and cooked it. Me and my friend thought it tastes so good.

Mohammed AlQahtani

Mrs. DeSantis

The Time I Went to Auntie’s House

―Have a good night,‖ Dad said as he drove away. Isis, Zau-

ria, Jasmine, and I knocked on Auntie‘s door. Auntie opened the

door, ―Hi girls. Come in. Nice to see you,‖ as she let us in.

We went right into the girl‘s room. The girl‘s room is

owned by Sahni and Morgan. This is the bedroom that they play,

sleep, and have fun in. Jasmine said, ―Let‘s turn on the TV and

dance to 1D.‖ I turned on the TV and we began dancing with the

hair brushes. When the song was over we stopped dancing.

―Let‘s watch Liv and Maddie,‖ I said. They all agreed so

we watched it. When it was over I played video games. I played

N+ with Sahni. She kept dying and I kept laughing.

Uncle told us that the hot dogs for us were done. We ate the

hot dogs, and then we went back on N+. When the game was fin-

ished I gave her a high five.

―Time to get ready for bed girls,‖ Auntie said. So we

watched TV, got into our sleepies, and fell asleep. It was the best

day ever!

Asia Taylor

Mrs. DeSantis

42

Cleveland School

Me and My Dad

Pop! Pop! My dad and I were making popcorn. When we went to the

living room with the popcorn I was thinking about my dad going to work.

When my dad put a movie on I asked him what the name of the movie was.

He said, ―The name of the movie is ‗The Croods‘,‖ and he pressed

play. When I went to the kitchen laughing I checked the time to see if it was

time for my dad to go to leave. He had one more hour left. I went back to

watch the movie in the living room. When I saw this part that was so funny

and crazy I was laughing so hard with my dad that I needed to use the bath-

room.

When the movie was finished my dad said, ―I have to go to work.‖ I

tried to make him stay by asking him some questions about his work. But it

did not work so I felt sad. He tried to make me laugh, but it did not work.

When he left I felt even sadder and I went to sleep.

Luis Bazan

Mrs. DeSantis

The Day I Ate Too Much Candy

―Yes I got the candy I am going to eat all of it!‖ it was next to my

bed. The candy bag was as big as my 5 year old sister. My room was dark

when I tip toed over to my big candy bag. Suddenly I heard a slam from the

bathroom. I knew I was in trouble. I tried to hide but my mom opened the

door and caught me. Then my mom took my candy bag and put it back on the

shelf. My mom went back into her bedroom to go back to sleep. ―Shantelle!‖

I yelled because I heard my sister wake up. Then she came running over.

―We can eat a little more candy,‖ Shantelle said. She stood on a chair and got

my candy bag. ―Shantelle give me my candy bag and let me eat some more.‖

When we were done eating candy, my dad came out of his bedroom

because he wanted to play outside. ―Do you want to come outside and play

tag with me?‖ dad asked us. ―Yes we do, let‘s get dressed first,‖ we replied.

We took a shower one by one and put on our clothes. We went outside in the

sun. we played tag. When we got tired, we went in the house to get some

water and cool off.

Then my mom called us, ―Are you ready?‖ she asked as walking

down the steps. My mom drove us to the ice cream store. I got my favorite

ice cream with a cherry on top. We sat in front of Carvel. My sister had her

favorite ice cream, chocolate. When we all were done, we were cold, so my

mom drove us back to the house. We all sat on the porch and we watched the

sun set. I was thankful that my mom took us out and we played tag even

though I ate too much candy!

Shanyce Green

Mrs. DeSantis

159


Mrs. Larche – 8th Grade Honors Language Arts

Student blog about leadership in Lord of the Flies (cont.)

Be the chief but never the lord."-Lao Tzu. This quote refers to the

difference between Jack and Ralph who both desire to be chief. Jack craves

power and would stop at nothing to gain it. Instead of trying to lead the

group, he would attempt to control them. Jack aspires to become chief, how-

ever, he wishes to do so with an iron fist. Jack would want everything to be

his way. Jack even said so in the novel that he loves rules. Instead, Ralph

listens for the group‘s input before he makes a final analysis. According to

the quote, Ralph is clearly the "chief" and Jack is ultimately the "lord."

Cristian Huertas

Ms. Larche

"Leadership is about doing what you know to be right - even when a growing din of voices is trying to convince you to accept what you know to be wrong." ~ Robert L. Ehrlich. This quote relates to the conflict between

Ralph and Jack in Lord of the Flies and their conflicting ideas for the better-

ment of the group. With his control as chief, Ralph wants order among the

group, using the conch to keep the interruption of the conversation to a mini-

mum during the meetings. He also prioritizes getting off the island by using

the fire's smoke as a signal, hoping someone out there will notice it. Ralph

also makes it "illegal" to create an open fire on the island, removing the burn-

ing of the forest as a factor for decisions, which will also help keep order on

the island. On the other hand, Jack doesn't care for the conch, saying that it's

stupid and unnecessary, as he is unable to speak his opinion without first be-

ing handed the conch. Jack also believes the hunting of pigs to be the priority

of the group, which, though the hunting may get them food, won't get them

off the island. Though Jack's conflicting ideas for the group, and his attempts

to convince Ralph that his decisions as chief aren't the correct ones, Ralph

continues to do what he knows is right and utilizes his power as chief to do so

as well.

Jazon Andes

Ms. Larche

158


Mrs. Larche – 8th Grade Honors Language Arts

Student blog about leadership in Lord of the Flies

" Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you; be care-

ful the friends you choose for you will become like them."- W. Clement Stone

This quote relates to Ralph when he injured the pig. He started to say "I hit

him all right. The spear stuck in. I wounded him!" which is similar to what the

hunters said when they killed a pig. From hanging around Jack and the hunters

for that period of time his way of thinking changed just a little. The environ-

ment and the hunters may affect Ralph more if he keeps this up.

Justin Patino

Ms. Larche

"A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason

and the real reason," by J.P. Morgan. I believe the quote, relates to Jack as a

leader in Lord of the Flies. Jack believes that obtaining meat is most important

on the island. Slaughtering the pig was his greatest accomplishment. Jack

claims that his reason for prioritizing this rather than keeping the fire going

was just the fact that meat was needed. However, I believe that the real reason

Jack killed the pig was to prove his dominance, to show he had the strength to

do this. Besides, Jack is already adapting more savagely than the others. Alt-

hough his ―good‖ reason was the demand of food, the actual reason may be

just Jack feeling the necessity to be accepted and be above the others.

Nicole Guardado

Ms. Larche

" “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the

way." - John C. Maxwel This quote relates directly to Ralph. Ralph was an-

nounced the leader after he was voted by the group. Ever since that time,

Ralph has been setting one main goal for the group which is to keep the fire

going. Ralph knows that if the fire is kept going by the group, that is definitely

the biggest chance of getting rescued. As said in the quote, "A leader is one

who knows the way" ,Ralph knows that the fire is their main priority, while

most of the others, including Jack, mostly care about having fun on the island.

Jack basically, just wants to hunt. Although that will benefit them in keeping

them alive, Ralph's idea of keeping the fire going is the one thing that will get

them rescued. Ralph knows the way, which is keeping the fire going to give a

signal to get them rescued and leads the way by keeping the group on the right

path.

Ahmed Elsisi

Ms. Larche

43

Cleveland School

The Day I Went to Chuck E. Cheese

―I‘ll beat you there,‖ I said while I was racing with my dad to

the ticket blaster at Chuck E. Cheese. It was very loud and crowded. I

saw kids running, screaming, playing video games, eating pizza, and

getting prizes. Chucky was dancing and singing.

Next, the lady announced, ―It‘s time for the ticket blaster.‖ I

paid to get in the ticket blaster. I got in the ticket blaster, I was first.

The lady opened the door, it was big and there were a lot of tickets on

the floor. Then she closed the door and turned it on. It was windy, I

could hardly see. The tickets went flying. I got 75 tickets; I put them

in the machine so I can get a prize. I got three twizzlers and vampire

teeth.

Tahdir Carson

Mrs. DeSantis

My Dog Died

Screech! Kapow! A car knocked down my dog. Everyone,

my dad, mom, brothers, aunt, and me went outside and saw my doggy

on the street laying flat. We saw him dead on the floor, I started to

cry.

―How are we going to pick him up?‖ my dad asked all of us.

―Let‘s pick up his arms and legs and carry him down the hill,‖ replied

my neighbor. We took him down a little hill that I used to ride my

bike on. ―Here‘s a good place to put him in,‖ my dad said while

walking towards the spot. Then we started digging a hole to put him

in. Ching! Ching! The shovel clanked on the dirt. We put him in the

hole and covered it.

We started to go up the hill, again with tears. I went inside to

go get my bike and began riding it slowly down the hill. I was near

the river when I turned back home. I went on the short little hill.

When I reached the top I went inside miserable. I got off my bike

and went inside the house. That night it was hard for me to sleep. I

tried everything to fall asleep. Finally I was so sleepy that I just fell

asleep.

Joseph Pierre

Mrs. DeSantis

44

Cleveland School

My Ride

―Can we please get some food? I am starving,‖ I said in a complain-

ing voice. ―No, you are not going to bring that junk in my car,‖ my dad

yelled. My dad‘s name is Daniel; he loves his car and never lets us eat in

there. ―Come on Daddy, can we just eat in McDonalds?‖ I asked. We are on

our way to Hershey Park and are very hungry; Hershey Park is so far away.

―Fine, but we are not going to eat anything in here,‖ my dad told all of us,

even Mommy. My mom‘s name is Victoria, but they call her Vicky for

short. ―What do you want Cerelia?‖ Mom asked my sister. My sister is 10

years old, her name is Cerelia, but I call her Laya for short. ―I‘ll have a

cheese burger,‖ Laya told Mommy. ―I‘ll have chili with fries and a salad,‖ I

told Mommy. My mom told the lady our order. The lady repeated what my

mom said to the people in the back. It took five minutes to get the food, but

it was so good.

When we were done eating we went back into the car. We went

straight to sleep. We were asleep for about an hour, so when we woke up we

were almost there. ―Are we there yet?‖ I asked. ―No we‘re only 7 miles

away,‖ my dad said. We went back to sleep for 10 more minutes. When we

were at Hershey Park we had to find somewhere to park. Then we went on

this long train, it brings us from the parking lot to the park. We were finally

there. I was so excited to be there, I screamed!

Maria Villafane

Mrs. De Santis

Carnival

When I went to Dorney Park I went on a ride called ―The

Twister.‖ I wanted to go. I was going up and down on the ride. My

brother and sister came with me. They are both older than me. I am

10, my sister is 15, and my brother is 20 years old. My brother and I

were sitting together and my sister was sitting next to a man. My

brother was screaming like a baby, I was too. My sister said to calm

down. When the ride stopped I got nauseous and threw up. My

brother was right next to me, he was disgusted. My brother was

throwing up with me. My brother and I were done throwing up. I

was hurting and my mom was running towards me. I was getting

scared because I thought my stomach was about to blow. My dad

was scared too, so we got into his car and he drove us to the hospital.

They gave us medicine.

Aaron Bradshaw

Mrs. De Santis

157


Dear Bully

Dear Bully,

Although the last time I saw you was in 4th grade, I still feel the need

to write this. I remember walking in my first grade class hoping that you were-

n‘t in it. Oddly enough, you were sitting right next to me. You had a Mohawk

haircut. You were wearing a red, blue, and white plaid shirt.

As I sat down, you quit doodling on your ripped piece of loose-leaf

paper, turned around to your fun sized friend and said, ―Ugh, I have to sit next

to this one!‖ I acted like I didn‘t even hear you.

Though, you confused me. You were only really mean to me when

your closest friends were around. Yet, they were pretty nice to me.

Fast forward to fourth grade. I found out that you and your family were mov-

ing out of town. Even though you had barely bullied me in 4th grade, I knew

you began to start bullying someone else. However, I feel that your other vic-

tim and I could both say that we felt very lucky.

Oddly, towards the end of a school day, a week before you moved,

you came up to me and apologized.

―Apology accepted,‖ I replied with a puzzled look on my face.

Why had you waited so long just to say sorry for what happened in

1st grade? As I stood there, I noticed the school counselor standing behind

you, smiling. Her flowing, blonde hair hung over her shoulders. She must‘ve

been only a few inches taller than you. You could easily see her ocean blue

eyes right through her glasses. You weren‘t that tall either. I just assumed that

she was making you apologize to anyone you had ever bullied. But the follow-

ing Monday, you weren‘t at school. You moved. I wasn‘t sure where to. No

one else knew, either. I was too happy to care.

Finally, my school days became a little happier. I could go to recess

without having to worry that you would come around the corner.

I just wanted you to know that even though that your words hurt me

then, you made me a stronger person today. THANK YOU.

From your former victim,

Kyanna Nusom

Ms. Cawley

156


From Fear to Tears

We walked together, we laughed together, and we cried togeth-

er, I just wanted to know where that relationship went. It was the start

of fifth grade and it was all normal. That is until I strolled into that

classroom and felt the tension in the room. All of you were sitting in

the back corner of the room like we use to do years before. None of

you dared to over at me. It felt like if you did glance over, you would

get in big trouble. I knew you guys for so long that I knew something

was up and it was serious. I sat at a table in the front of the room with a

group of girls that I did not even know. I sat down and introduced my-

self and then kept on minding my own business. I was reading a tire-

some novel that I had no interest in. I wanted to pretend like I was do-

ing something so I could figure everything out. Everyone saw me read-

ing. But in my head, so many things were going on. It was like a Cate-

gory Four Storm.

―What had gone wrong? What did I do for this to happen?‖

It all jumbled up in my head. That day felt so long. Days,

weeks, months passed and we still did not talk. Every day I went home

crying with painful tears running down my cheeks worrying and trying

to figure it all out. It felt like I was trying to put piece jigsaw puzzles

together.

Fast Forward! It was a sunny morning and I needed to go back

to school (which I dreaded with all my heart). I had to make a final

decision. I knew I needed to talk to the ―Alfa‖ of the pack, the girl that

took charge most of the time.

―I need to talk to you, please meet me in room 103 at 1 o‘clock

after lunch.‖ I told her.

In my mind, I was hoping she would come but I was doubtful

as one o‘clock grew closer. Amazingly enough, she walked in through

the doorway and anxiety started to fill the air. The tension in the room

and in our conversation dispersed, and all the confusion was cleared. It

started with a ―hey‖ and ended with tears running down our cheeks.

Keren Lebron

Ms. Cawley

45

Cleveland School

The Accident

Ouch I scraped my knee. There is blood in the water. Every-

one ran out. It will be good in six minutes. No. No. We can‘t wait

that long. You have to or you can go far. I will go so we called the

nurse. He got a Band-Aid and found a park.

Stanley Acheampong

Mrs. De Santis

Dorney Park

―Wee!‖ we exclaimed when we went up and down on the roller

coaster last summer at Dorney Park. Nay-Shawn, his mother, my

mother, and I all went to Dorney Park. Nay-Shawn is my cousin.

―Let‘s go on lots of rides,‖ I said when I got off the roller coaster. ―Ok

we could,‖ Nay-Shawn hollered to me. We were walking around to see

if we were going on roller coasters. We kept on walking until we got

to Snoopy World. I saw a ride I wanted to go on. ―Can we go on that

ride?‖ I asked my mother. ―Ok,‖ she hollered. We went on the ride

and saw them take a picture of us. The turns were so fast; it was faster

than you will ever believe. It turned 1 o‘clock and we went to the wa-

ter park. Nay-Shawn and I did not have to wear a life jacket. We went

in the four and a half foot wave pool. The buzzer went on. Then we

went out. We went to the car and it started to rain. It stopped raining

when we got home. We felt glad that we got home.

Robert Roberts

Mrs. De Santis

My Brother

Well it turns out that my brother….Wait! Let‘s go back to where it all start-

ed. It all happened when my mom had dropped me off at pre-school. We had

done the same old, same old everyday. A wet, slobbery, kiss with a red lip-

stick mark on my forehead and a big hug squeezing me good-bye. Then I say

hello to all my friends, learn some new things, and eat lunch. After that, my

favorite part of the day comes.

―It‘s nap time!‖ yelled my teacher Mrs. Dell. My friends and I rushed to

the beds as if I had adrenaline rushing through our bodies. Little did I know I

was only going to have a few minutes of sleep.

Suddenly, I heard……

―Alexus, wake up!‖ Wake up! You mom is here to pick you up!‖ I thought

that it was a dream because everyone knows not to wake me up during my

sleep. Eventually, I woke up. (cont.)

46

Cleveland School

My Brother (cont.)

―Yes….Ouch!‖ My mother grabbed me. Her nails sinking into my skin.

I was in deep pain. Then I started falling asleep, barely seeing anything

but pure blackness.

All of a sudden, I heard loud noises in my ear. I woke up in the

back of an ambulance. BEE! DO! BEE! DO! What was happening?

―AJ, what happened to him?‖ I constantly asked my mom with

anticipation trying to figure things out.

―Don‘t tell me …he died?‖ I asked trying to calm down. My

mom and I were terrified to death. I started to think, did he fall asleep?

I mean, I was only three years old and had no idea what was happening.

Why was I sitting in the back of an ambulance.

We had finally reached the hospital. These guys in white

rushed my big brother, AJ, into room 108 as fast as cheetahs. To figure

out what was happening, I thought of this brilliant plan, well… not so

brilliant, more simple but I figured why not ask ―why?‖.

―Mommy, what‘s going on here?‖ , I asked as I walked along-

side my mother waiting for the answer.

―Honey, well…..‖ My mom tried to say as she pretended like

she didn‘t know. As my mom and I walked down the hall….wait- let

me explain this to you so you can get a better understanding. Do you

know when someone has an emergency and you would try to get in the

room, but the doctors just won‘t let you. Well, that‘s what‘s happening

with my mom. I know I am only three, but I watch that stuff. I‘ve seen

it on TV a bunch of times.

Five minutes later, we settled down in the waiting room. That‘s

when my mom had finally told me what was happening.

―Well, it turns out that AJ fainted at school. Lord knows how!

That‘s why I picked you up from school. Now do you understand?‖, my

mother explained.

The doctors finally let us come in the room. I looked at my

brother and thought about what he went through. I walked into the

room, and there was a doctor as tall as a giant towering over me. The

doctor told my mom that my brother had something called asthma,

which I had no clue what it was. I wondered what tragedy would hap-

pen next.

Alexus Smith

Mrs. Feliciano

155


S

There was a girl. Her name was S. She was twelve years old .S

seemed happy. S seemed cool. But, you can tell S was unhappy. She

cried and cried and cried and cried. She cut and cut and cut and cut.

Her arms were filled with scars. She seemed like the perfect girl. Boy-

friend. Skinny. Pretty. Funny. Friendly. But, she would hide every-

thing inside. At twelve, she had a boyfriend. She cried over him too.

She should be really crying over One Direction. She was so insecure.

She cried and cried and cried and cried, until one day, we learned she

died. I believe she wanted attention. No one knows. Before she died,

she was crying in her room. She got a text saying ―I hate you. Go kill

yourself. Nobody will know. No one cares. Go.‖ The truth was that

everyone cared: her mom, her dad, her brothers and sisters, grandmas

and grandpas. So many people missed her. They visited her grave.

What lay engraved read S.C 2000-2013. Her family cried and cried and

cried and cried. They grieved and grieved and grieved and grieved. No

one should have to go to their child‘s funeral. If S never died, so many

things would have lain ahead. So S, yes she went down the wrong

road. Society pushed her down the hole. Down, down, down she fell.

Even though she was only twelve.

Imani Griffin

Mrs. Vogel

How I Feel About Bullying

Why do you do it? Tell me why? Is it the way your victim

cries when you tell them lies? ‗Cause that‘s what they are, most defi-

nitely not true like get out of my face, who the heck are you? Trying to

make kids feel bad and want to die, just so you can have a laugh and

pass by like what you did was a joke and they, "didn‘t take it serious-

ly", like, c‘mon! What would you do, shed pity, for those who get bul-

lied? No don‘t do that because then you‘ll make them feel like worth-

less little craps. Just stop what you‘re doing and they‘ll be fine. No

more bruises no more cutting only a smile on their faces when you

pass by. Karen Charleston

Mrs. Vogel

154


Justice Wargrave

Calm, persistent

Calming, relaxing, judging

Gets to the point, hesitant with

speaking

Shaking, nerve wracking, wor-

rying

Pretty, nice

Vera Claythorne

Summer Thompson

Mrs. Vogel

Mr. Justice Wargrave

Strict, Intelligent

Judging, Commanding, Ruling

In the Court House, Out in the War

Shooting, Bombing, Killing

Active, Crazy

General MacArthur

Magdalene Sadlon

Mrs. Vogel

General

Dead, Regretting

Leading, Controlling, Remem-

bering

Regrets everything, Regrets

nothing

Following, Tagging (along),

Living

Alive, Nervous

Vera

Johnny Munoz

Mrs. Vogel

Vera Racist, Alive

Floating, Caring, Kililng Nice to everyone, Respectful to

people Sleeping, Overdosing, Cleaning

Weird, Dead Mrs. Rodgers

Faith Garcia Mrs. Vogel

Rogers

Quiet, Kind

Serving, Cooking, Fainting

Pale and Respectable, Religious and

mean

Judging, Pushing, Preaching

Proper, Old

Brent

Kayla Condron

Mrs. Vogel

Vera

Kind, Scared

Caring, Crying, Hoping

To Leave Now, Wants To Find

Out

Leaving, Thinking, Accusing

Suspicious, Cat-Like

Lombard

Anonymous

Mrs. Vogel

47

Franklin School

Mrs. Andrews First Grade

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin invented a ladder chair. You use a ladder

chair to stand on to help get things that are high. Benjamin

Franklin discovered lightning is electricity, too.

Nirvaan Misir

I Love Ice Cream

I was playing toss the ball with my mom and Jake. I caught

the ball so many times. Then I saw an ice cream truck. When I

saw the ice cream truck, I asked my mom if I could have some.

My mom said yes and I had chocolate ice cream. It tasted so

good. I said ―Thank you mom.‖ Finally, we went home. I had

so much fun. I had the most fun of all.

Jenna Birney

I Love Ice Cream

One time I went to the ice cream truck with my dad and Ky-

lie my sister. It was fun. I went back home and opened the

door. I got a vanilla swirl. It was good. I was happy. I wanted

to brush my teeth. So I went upstairs.

Chloe Callender

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King had one sister and one brother. They

liked to play pranks. Martin Luther King‘s nickname was M.L.

and his brother‘s initials were A.D. He told children to stop

fighting so children of all races could go to school together. He

visited sick people in the hospital. One day he gave a speech.

Everyone listened. He died and everyone followed the cart with

his body.

Jayden Faulcom

48

Franklin School

Act of Kindness

―Yeah!‖ I said when I saw the park. My sister, mom, and I

went to the park after we were finished at the grocery store. My sister

and I were throwing rocks into the river. I slipped and almost fell in the

river, but my sister and held my hand. I think my sister saved my life

because she cares about me! It made me feel happy because she is usu-

ally mean to me! One day, I want to save somebody from being hurt.

Christian Hernandez

Ms. Fielder

Bullied

I'm sorry.

For not being good enough for you.

For not being perfect.

Well newsflash, no one‘s perfect.

You are not perfect.

You try to be, with your fancy nails and makeup.

With your designer clothes.

You try to be perfect; I don't.

I don't try to be perfect,

To fit into that cookie cutter form you created.

You cram yourself into it; I walk around it.

I don't try; you do.

You force others into it, too.

I don't hate you for it, I pity you for it.

You're afraid of me, you feel threatened.

You're afraid I'll show people

It‘s okay to be different

To break free from the form you created.

You need to drag people down

To make you feel better about yourself.

You can‘t drag me down.

I WON'T GO DOWN.

I will not stoop to your level.

You can‘t win. I won‘t let you win

You will never win.

Melissa T. Winey

No longer a victim

Ms. Litterer

153


Mrs. Rogers

Quiet, Nice

Dramatic, Weird, Fraught

Wife, Distressed,Shy

Leader, Intelligent, Attentive

Aware, Retired Judge

Wargrave

Anasia Summersett

Ms. Vogel

Anthony

Flashy, Rich

Flashing, Charming, Stunning

Loves to speed, Enjoys to smoke

Judging, Tempting, Aging

Impatient, Lawful

Wargrave

Andre Neal

Mrs. Vogel

Lombard

Suspicious, Sneaky

Abandoning, Action Taking,

Searching

Keeps Things to Himself,

Scared To Live

Longing, Dying, Lying

Respectable, Scared

Mrs. Rodgers

Caroline Trevino

Mrs. Vogel

Justice Wargrave

Sharp, Old school

Lying, Conceiving, Old

Bold Judgy Short Minded

Longing, loving, caring

Short, Fast

Anthony Marston

Chris Dias

Mrs. Vogel

Emily Brent

Sneaky, worshipper

Preaching, murdering, walking

Seems depressed, always daring

Drinking, driving, speeding

Happy, careless

Anthony

Chris Sanders

Mr. Kuenze

Blore

Fake, boy

Judging, acting, lying

Undercover spy, keeps to her-

self

Swimming, loving, caring

Racist, nervous

Vera

Colleen Clarke

Ms. Perrone

152


Cheers to Harriet Tubman

Freedom, freedom is all we seek

Born in the midst of slavery


An active bee soaring through the fields


A wolf, roaring through the wilderness leading her pack to freedom


The shining light of her time brightening the way for her people, people,

people

Tymek Jones

Mrs. Garay

I am Veronica Cepeda

The one and only

A majestic princess born in a kingdom; daughter of a king and queen, sweet

sister to two Barbie dolls and a prince

The one and only

A love dove, independent, timid, but bringing peace

The one and only

A rainbow, so rare, but turning frowns upside down

The one and only

I am thoughtful, ready to break out of my shadow before the sun sets before

my eyes, eyes, eyes

The one and only

Veronica Cepeda

Mrs. Garay

Here’s to Quadrique Pretlow

Long live King Qua

He left paw prints in the sand of everyone‘s hearts

Long live King Qua

The sun, shining brighter than the sun

Long live King Qua

An eagle, soaring through the sky seeking freedom, courage, and strength

Long live King Qua

His spirit will never be forgotten forgotten, forgotten.

Long live King Qua

Wil‘lisha Jackson

Mrs. Garay

49

Franklin School

The Last Time

Ever have those times when you see someone who you

thought would never cry, and they cry in front of you? Only a few

things make this happen, the loss of a family member is one of them.

It was a very slow day during the summer weeks before school started.

My dad didn‘t even get to the hospital; he was lying on a hos-

pital bed in the living room. Almost everyone I knew was here and

watching. Making no sounds, we stared at my dad. We stared as if

we were astronauts in outer space watching the Earth explode. We

stared as if the most important man on Earth was dying. Well, that‘s

exactly what was happening to me. Praying for dad, we all sobbed

trying to speak to him, but crying takes away the ability to do so. Dad

was panting and panting trying to catch his breath. He struggled to

say his last words but nothing came out. With tears rushing down my

face, I felt impelled to punch someone for this, but it was nobody‘s

fault.

―How could this happen?‖I questioned myself. We called 911

two hours ago but they never came until now. Only one doctor came

into the house. ―Finally! Please do something!‖ I whispered under

my breath. All the doctor did was touch my dad‘s wrist then neck.

―I‘m sorry but…‖ the doctor hesitated to speak, ―…he‘s not

breathing.‖ My heart sank as those words came out. My heart

stopped and I froze up. My mouth opened wide as if I was at the den-

tist and bulged my eyes. I got dizzier looking at my dad, then, I

closed my eyes slowly. But waking up, I got pulled into a room. My

arm was tugged as if I was going to get beat up.

―Stay in here,‖ my biggest brother demanded.

―Why can‘t I see what‘s going to happen?‖ I thought quizzi-

cally to myself. ―Why can‘t I see my dad for the last time?‖ We just

stayed in that room for an hour. Mom came into the house and

sobbed. She said to go to sleep and don‘t worry about anything. I

walked to my room and noticed the body on the hospital bed was

gone. This was the last time I saw my dad.

Aksel Marmol

Mrs. Lopez

50

Franklin School

Clown Fright Night

Rushing to my parents, from what was probably the best roller

coaster of the night, was my sister, her friend, my cousin, and I. While

walking, enjoying my new blown out roller coaster hair do, our little

group hurried to Green Lantern roller coaster then froze in paralysis.

We didn‘t even have to read the sign to see what part of Six Flags

Fright Fest we were in.

―Uh oh,‖ I said to myself, my hands and feet trembling with fear.

What would normally be the Six Flags boardwalk and arcade was

now transformed into a crazy circus clown hangout.

―Don‘t you dare get near me, don‘t you dare get near me, don‘t you

dare get near me!‖ I thought to myself the millisecond I stepped foot in

the devious area.

I walked under the lit up arc with bright lights heel toe, heel toe,

heel toe very hesitantly running away from any bloody, scary, red-

nosed maniac I caught with eyes with. As I walked, then sped, and

then walked again, all of a sudden out of the blue, a female clown just

popped right in front of me catching me off guard, causing me to al-

most fall on my butt! But when I caught balance, the creepo just

―Honked, honked, honked,‖ with her stupid little red horn you see in

cartoons. Man, did I just want to punch her in her face!! I started

marching away but I was so close to bumping into another clown. I

then remembered I had to be very cautious.

Now, we were about half way through the boardwalk but that didn‘t

mean my sister, cousin, her friend, and I could stop dodging the nui-

sances. I didn‘t know if it was we looked already scared, or because

they just found us as an easy target, but all of the clowns made me feel

like a mouse and a cat, a cat and a dog, and a seal and a shark. But out

of all the clowns, one really made me feel like a two year old. The

most awful of them all….

My mind was too concentrated on getting away from all the other

clowns that I didn‘t even notice this horrible one. I walked in the edge

of my feet, my eyes slim, focused in my zone and then, and

then…..BAM! That alien-like monster jumped right in front of me

with a chainsaw going VROOOM!! I froze, it was blurry, but the next

thing I knew I was running at the speed of light, screaming like a poor

little girl. I escaped, but now I am scarred for life by clowns.

Alejandro Vargas

Mrs. Piedra

151


Here’s to Bernice King

Princess to a King

Her father died trying to free us from segregation and succeeded

Princess to a King

A cub following in her Papa bear‘s footsteps

Princess to a King

A rainbow after the storm, bursting through the clouds, making the world

bright

Princess to a King

Here‘s to Bernice King, a woman of power preaching God‘s name, name,

name

Sarai Santos

Mrs. Garay

I am Stephanie Shefton

(She‘s so curious)

Offspring of a mad scientist and nurse, a guppy swimming with five sibling

sharks


The leaves in the fall, crisp and cool, creative and colorful


A monkey, clumsy and inexperienced, finding its way through the jungle of

life


I am wondrous, warm and worthy, worthy, worthy


Stephanie Shefton

Mrs. Garay

I am Tre’ S. Smith

Silent but speaks a thousand words

Son of a fearless security officer and an amazing jewel of a mom, youngest of

five children.


The moon shining a ray of hope for the future.


A bird soaring free through the sky not afraid to look down.


I am Tre‘ S. Smith and I am a Special kind of unique, unique, unique.


Tre‘ S. Smith

Mrs. Garay

150


I am Raul Torres

He goes all the way

A single son to a hard worker and a coach

He goes all the way

A cheetah fast and strong flying down the field

He goes all the way

A bear catching all the fish (and ―footballs‖) that come his way

He goes all the way

I am funny, furious, and fast, fast, fast

He goes all the way

Raul Torres

Mrs. Garay

Here’s to LeBron James!

Ball is life

Whose father gave up hope from the beginning and whose mother has wept a

long time.

Ball is life

Wild panther with padded feet and black back!

Ball is life

A comet striking hard toward the basket.

Ball is life

the Quickest guy in the league leading the Miami Heat To their fourth Cham-

pionship.

Rolvens Destine

Mrs. Garay

I am Sabian Marrero

Technology flows through him.

Crazy son to a grease monkey and diner queen,

caring brother to a gremlin.


A snowflake, so different but connected to the others.


An alpha wolf leading his pack,

hunting to survive.


I am technology always changing and advancing to the future.


Sabian Marrero

Mrs. Garay

51

Franklin School

Over-Thinking the Obvious

―WHY! I DON‘T WANT TO! I WON‘T!‖ I screamed like when I

was three. Tomorrow my mom is taking me to the doctor to get my

shots for school. I absolutely HATE shots! For one, they hurt for days

and two, they are disgusting to look at!

―Niya, you have to go or else you can‘t go back to school. You

know your education is important,‖ My mom said comforting me. I

sighed and went to my room and cried.

While crying, my mind started to race. I tried to remember the last

time I visited the doctor and got shots. September of 2007. I was ball-

ing my eyes out. I was kicking, screaming, and throwing a tantrum.

That made sense because I was five. My parents dragged me into the

examination room. ―Relax this won‘t really hur-.‖ I was snapped out

of my thoughts because I fell of my bed. I got back in bed. My eyes

felt heavy. I drifted off to sleep, dreaming about what was going to

happen tomorrow.

I woke up with a huge grin on my face, until I remembered what

was happening today. My smile turned into an instant frown. I pulled

myself out of bed and got ready for school. I wore all black. I didn‘t

scare what I looked like because I was sad and depressed. I ate a small

breakfast and was off to school.

The day went by extremely slow, which I didn‘t mind because the

later I went to the doctor, the better. Soon 1:30 came and my mom was

supposed to pick me up in 30 minutes for my appointment.

―Mrs. Piedra?‖ Mrs. Savard said in her English accent.

―Yes?‖ Mrs. Piedra shouted back.

―Can we have Aniya Butler for dismissal?‖ My heart sank as those

words came out of the intercom. I guess it was time. I packed up my

things and sadly walked to my locked. After I was packed up, I went

down to the office.

My mom was waiting for me at the front door. ―You‘re early.‖ I

said sighing. ―I know, the sooner we go, the sooner we could leave,‖

she said in a happy tone. I sighed. How could she be so happy when I

feel like balling my eyes out? We walked to the car in silence. She

bought me some Burger King. I ate while she drove. After about 45

minutes, we arrived at the most horrible place a kid could dream of.

―We‘re here!‖ my mom sang. ―Ugh!‖ I thought to myself. I was

annoyed with her happiness. We walked into the doctor‘s office.

(cont.)

52

Franklin School

Over-Thinking the Obvious (cont.)

To my surprise, there were two other boys in 6th grade who were go-

ing to get the same shots as me. They looked upbeat and happy. I

plastered a fake smile on to my face even though on the inside, I felt

empty. I started tapping my feet and wiggling my knees because I

was afraid. ―Stop,‖ my mom said sternly. I didn‘t know she saw me.

―A-ni-a Butler?‖ the nurse asked. I could barely understand her

because she was Swedish. I felt like there were a thousand butterflies,

buzzing in my stomach. My legs felt numb even though I knew they

weren‘t. The next thing I knew, I was in the examination room.

―You don‘t look very happy.‖ The nurse said comforting me. At

this point, I was tearing up, about to burst in to 1 million tears. ―Don‘t

cry sweetie. It will be over in 30 second.‖ ―O-O-Ok-O-O,‖ I tried to

say okay but I was crying too hard. After the nurse talked to me, she

left to go get the shots. She was back in the matter of 2 minutes. ―It

will be only quick pinch.‖ I closed my eyes and squeezed my mom‘s

hand hard. I waited and felt a small pinch.

―That‘s it?‖ I asked. ―Yup! See, you were over-thinking this

when you already knew what was going to happen,‖ my mom said

gloating. She was right. Next time, I know to listen to my mom.

Aniya Butler

Mrs. Lopez

Winter in Rahway 2014

Many snowflakes were falling down,

Fun for building snowmen and sledding around!

Wearing our coats , boots, scarves and hats,

Kept us warm like kitty cats.

The pond was frozen in the park,

The ice was slippery in the dark.

We learned about polar bears, penguins, and more

Those animals are happy in the cold for sure!

We are waiting for spring when it will be warm,

And we will wave goodbye to the winter storm!

Mrs. Gallo‘s Pre-kindergarten

149


I am Mariah Edwards (Fly Mariah Fly)

An intelligent daughter of two loving parents, a young sister of a growing

teen and a special someone above

(Fly Mariah Fly)

A striking rose growing so delicate and strong

(Fly Mariah Fly)

A beautiful butterfly gazing into the sun spreading my wings

(Fly Mariah Fly)

I am majestic and so loving, loving, loving

(Fly Mariah Fly)

Mariah Edwards Mrs. Garay

Here’s to Martin Luther King, Jr. Brave Heart

Leading people through the pain of prejudice

Brave Heart

A courageous lion roaring for civil rights

Brave Heart

A Shooting star lighting up the dark night

Brave Heart

Here‘s to Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of the people; he never gave up, up,

up.

Brave Heart

Nicholas Varona Mrs. Garay

Here’s to Scott Nwosu, Ye‘hah Partner!

The son of Mr. Protective and Mrs. Caretaker, the brother to construction man

and Princess of Music,

Ye‘hah Partner!

A wild tiger with strength fueled by anger,

Ye‘hah Partner!

A crazy monkey who likes to hang and clown around just for fun,

Ye‘hah Partner!

Here‘s to Scott Nwosu, so very caring, but also wacky, wacky, wacky.

Ye‘hah Partner!

Princeton Nwosu Mrs. Garay

148


I am Kareem Taylor

(Going to succeed)

Son to the strongest, sibling to the finest

(Going to succeed)

A snake so swift ready to strike

(Going to succeed)

A tornado so strong when I go through the fields

(Going to succeed)

Too strong to beat, the wrong one to meet…

Almighty, almighty, almighty.

(Going to succeed)

Kareem Taylor Mrs. Garay

Praise be to Nuria Hernandez

The elements of music are with her

Intelligent, yet feminine and fun daughter to stern but lovable parents


A rushing rapid river, only calming down when necessary


A beautiful mocking jay, soaring high above the clouds


Praise be to her, as she is a musician in the making, making, making


Kevin Baker Mrs. Garay

Here’s To Nicole Greene You can soar

A precious diamond to your blue sapphire and two pink pearls, hooked to

your jet gemstone on the road

You can soar

A sweet swan gliding in the breeze, flying high and free

You can soar

A river flowing with love and truth

You can soar

So here‘s to Nicole Greene, beautiful beautiful, beautiful

You can soar

Kyara Knordle Mrs. Garay

53

Franklin School

I Blew It

Kindness ripples. When you do something nice for someone,

they feel happy. When you don‘t, they feel sadness. One cold, rainy

Friday evening, my cousin was over my house. We got into a huge

argument, as we usually do, and my mom separated us so we would-

n‘t fight. I stayed in my room and Arian was doing his homework in

the kitchen. His homework was difficult for him, but I didn‘t help

him because he really hurt my feelings during our argument. I peeked

my head out of my room to see what was going on.

―Hmmmm,‖ my cousin whispered to himself. ―Nine times

five, uhhh, forty-six?‖

My cousin is in the second grade and has trouble with math.

I couldn‘t bear to see my cousin struggle with his schoolwork, so I tip

-toed back into my bedroom and read a book. A half hour later, Arian

walked into my room looking exhausted from all his homework. He

was absent for a week because he was sick. He had a lot to catch up

on. Arian just flopped on my bed like a tired marathon runner. I felt

really sad that my cousin was tired because with my help, he would

have been done in ten minutes.

―I‘m such a jerk,‖ I thought to myself. My cousin was some-

times mean and so was I. I felt sad like someone had ripped my heart

out. Arian had a busy month with the flu, helping his mom, and now

a week‘s worth of homework. Then I had an idea in my head. I invit-

ed my cousin to a friendly game of Sonic Generations Racing. When

I saw the big smile on Arian‘s face, I knew I had done something kind

for him. I still wanted to do a good deed for him. The following day,

I invited him over. We managed to hang out without fighting.

The next time I saw him, he was holding a present. I asked

him what it was for. ―It‘s for being the best cousin ever!‖ Arian re-

plied. The whole time I was thinking to myself that this is the way

things should be. Cousins shouldn‘t fight because we are family.

Hopefully, the kindness will continue to ripple.

Arya Abdollahi

Ms. Cardet/ Ms. Jordan

54

Franklin School

The Concussion

During Christmas vacation, my family and I had a lot of fun. But

there was one thing that wasn‘t much fun…..

My mother‘s friend, Mrs. Becky, invited my family to go snow-

boarding with hers. She picked us up from my house and gave us

snowboards. As we came to a stop, I looked out the window. We

were at a huge park with tons of hills to sled down. I got out of the

car and then I recognized the fourth car in front of us. The car door

opened up and my best friend Ashley Bausch came out. She ran over

to me and slipped. But, I broke her fall. We started laughing and we

couldn‘t stop.

As I was still laughing I said, ―Hey, what‘s up?‖

―Not me!‖ she replied.

―That‘s was corny. Really corny!‖ I said back to her.

Then we got back up and walked into the park. Ashley Bausch

and I sled down the small hills first. When she got bored she started

walking to the steepest hill. She motioned me to come and walk with

her.

I said, ―You must be crazy.‖

Ashley gave me a look that meant I had to go with her. I slowly

followed her because I knew I wouldn‘t hear the end of it. As I

walked to the top of the hill I noticed there was a fence at the bottom

of the hill.

―Maybe this is a bad idea, ‖ I said to her

―Quit being a baby!‖ she yelled. ―You can‘t quit now! You al-

ready said okay.‖

―Fine,‖ I said with a hesitation. I walked slowly to the top of the

hill sinking into the cold I said with a hesitation. I walked slowly to

the top of the hill sinking into the cold white snow. My feet sunk

deeper every step I took. It almost felt like I was in quick sand.

When we got to the top of the hill, my friend and I sled down to-

gether. At the bottom, we kicked the fence so we didn‘t crash. After

a while, Ashley Bausch sled down the steep hill head first. She

stopped before she go down head first.

―No way. You got to be out of your mind,‖ I said. ―I am going

down normally.

I laid down on my snowboard and asked Ashley to push me. She

did what I requested, but not completely. Ashley turned me around

ant than pushed me!! (cont.)

147


Here’s to Satchel Paige

―1, 2, 3, you‘re out!‖

An amazing, talented African American all-star baseball player

―1, 2, 3, you‘re out!‖

A hardheaded, lightning-fast tornado ripping through the leagues

―1, 2, 3, you‘re out!‖

A powerful thunderbolt striking down his opponents

―1, 2, 3, you‘re out!‖

Courageous on and off the field and very talented, talented, talented…

Joshua Bonitto

Mrs. Garay

Here’s to Kevin Durant

Born to be a player!

Basketball star of the Oklahoma Thunder

Born to be player!

A kangaroo on the court, slamming dunks, scoring points


A thunderstorm making noise, bringing the crowd to its feet


Watch 35 when he slams and dunks to win, win, win


Justin Disney Mrs. Garay

Say Hello to the One and Only Jackie Robinson

Baseball is in his blood

The youngest of five children


A cheetah running for home plate


A calm breeze flowing through the air always keeping his cool


He broke barriers and people loved him for being risky, risky, risky


Zachary Shelmet Mrs. Garay

146


Here’s to MaryJane,

M-A-R-Y-J-A-N-E

A Puerto-Rican princess with a tiara bigger than her dress

M-A-R-Y-J-A-N-E

A fox sprung out of the forest with wildfire

M-A-R-Y-J-A-N-E

A hurricane, explosive, so intriguing, a force to be reckoned with

M-A-R-Y-J-A-N-E

She is Extraordinary

Jada Maryjane Spinks

Mrs. Garay

Michael Jackson

Roll out the red carpet for the one and only Michael Jackson

All hail the King of Pop

Son of performing father and loving mother


A hummingbird, singing to all his friends and family


A flamingo, unique and distinctive from the others


Michael Jackson inspires us to keep going, going, going! All hail the King of Pop

Jose Aguilar

Mrs. Garay

Mr. Justice Wargrave

Authoritative, Intelligent

Commanding, Adjudicating, Speculating

In Control of the Situation, Not in Control of People

Daring, Cunning, Perverting

Confident, Resourceful

Philip Lombard

Alexis Carter

Mrs. Vogel

55

Franklin School

The Concussion (cont.)

My sled didn‘t stop! I was speeding down the stop hill. Ashley

screamed, ―watch out!‖ I put my hands out in front of me hop-

ing for them to catch me before I crash. But then, all of a sud-

den I crashed. I didn‘t know what had happened, I just knew it

hurt. I just lay on the cold snow than my brother Ryan came

over…

―Is she dead?‖ he said, ―or is she hurt..or is she okay…or

should I call mom?‖ He ran over to my mom to tell her and then

they came rushing over to me. My mom lifted me up so I could

stand.

―I`m dizzy,‖ I said.

―I know, but it will be okay,‖ my mom replied. ―Did you cry

when you crashed?‖ she asked. Ashley said no for me. My

mom brought me to her car and told me that my eye was swell-

ing shut. She put a snowball on my eye so it would stop the

swelling.

My mom called my dad and told him to come to the park to

help. When my dad came my parents told me I had to go to the

hospital.

―Can you take Amanda, Matthew, and Ryan to your house

and watch them?‖ my mom asked. ―I have to bring her to the

hospital.l‖

―Sure,‖ replied Mrs.Becky.

My father told me to get in the back of the car. My mother

climbed in the back of the car with me. We drove to the hospital.

When we went through the front doors my father told me it will

be okay because he seen that I was in tears.

There weren‘t many people in the waiting room, so we went

right to the room where the doctor would see me. The doctor

said I had a mild concussion and that I had to rest. But my dad

took off of work to stay with me, So I wasn‘t completely bored!!

Ashley Mendez

Mrs. Litterer

56

Franklin School

Our First Sleepover

The day was finally here! We had been planning for so long.

Now, we were finally ready.

―No, Dad. No! Doritos, not Cheetos,‖ I said so annoyed.

―I will be there in 10 minutes,‖ he replied.

―Ok. Bye.‖

―Love you!‖

The phone beeped. I had my pajamas, toys, and a brand new

board game. I was ready! Xhunaxhy, Crystal, Ana-Marie, and An-

drea were having a sleepover. Crystal and I were the hosts. It was

going to be held at Crystal‘s house. I was in charge of snacks. She

was in charge of decorations and games. My eyes closed shut and I

remembered about 2 days ago when Angel yelled at me that I was

stupid, and nobody would show up because they don‘t like me, and I

started to cry. A loud horn honked, the flashback disappeared.

After my dad and I got the snacks, we headed to Crystal‘s

house. After I settled down in her room, I gave my dad a kiss and

said goodbye. We went outside and jumped on the trampoline. When

out of the blue, we got a call. ―Hello?‖ we both said at once.

―Hi guys its Andrea. I need to tell you something,‖ she said.

She caught my interest and I moved closer to the phone.

―Ok? What is it?‖ I asked in complete interest.

―I can‘t make it. My mom said no. I am so sorry guys! Got

to go, bye,‖ she said with a sorrowful tone in her voice. The phone

beeped. We had both stopped jumping.

―Cross her name of the list,‖ I told Crystal. We were really

waiting for Xhunaxhy.

As we gathered our stuff, the bell rang. We both looked at

each other. I could tell by the look on her face that we were thinking

the same thing. We were thinking Xhunaxhy! We dropped the stuff

and ran to the door.

―Hi Xhun- Oh! Hi Ana-Marie,‖ Crystal said.

―Hey guys,‖ she said as she closed the door behind her. We

all went to the kitchen and popped open a bag of BBQ Lays chips and

waited for Xhunaxhy. Hours had passed. We played games, did puz-

zles, and ate pizza. Xhunaxhy never showed up.

It has been 3 years since then. We have hosted more sleepo-

vers, but she never shows up!

Bianca Sanchez

Mrs. Lopez

145


Praise to Derrick Rose

He shoots, he scores

Born on the mean streets of Chicago, growing up with his basketball bros

while Mom worked on wheels


A bull, charging into defenders that get in his way


The wind with a crossover, so soft and fast you don‘t see it coming


He is speed, so fast, fast, fast


Denzel Cooper

Mrs. Garay

They Beat the Street

Congratulations to George, Ramek, and Sampson

They beat the street

Two were sons to single mothers one a son to an addict


They were birds stuck in the nest of Newark


They were mud being stepped on, forgotten about. But grabbed themselves a

chance, grew a seed and turned into flowers of success


They were strong willing and hardworking working working


Dorcella Stelus

Mrs. Garay

I am Giovanni Ballardo,

Kindness kindles in his heart

Quiet son of a hard-working pair and brother to my future self,


I am the gentle falling snow,


An owl, always alert and nocturnal,


I will always have goodwill, goodwill, goodwill.


Giovanni Ballardo

Mrs. Garay

144


Praise to My Beautiful Mother

Love is in her heart

Taking care of an intelligent young girl and a future sports player


A dragonfly that flutters freely, but get in her way and watch out for her

stinger.


The beautiful sun brightening everybody‘s day.


She is caring, loving, and free


Brielle Colclough

Mrs. Garay

I am Chelsea Garcia

Passionate about drawing

Daughter to a drawing master and Nature queen


A talented tiger trying to capture the beauty in what I draw


A Peacock spreading its feathers, showing off its beautiful colors in art


I am an artist with talent, talent, talent


Chelsea Garcia

Mrs. Garay

James Brown

Give it up for Mr. Dynamite

Soul Power

Born in a shack to very young parents

Soul Power

A thunderstorm whose voice demands everyone‘s attention

Soul Power

His feet are wiggling snakes-watch his smooth moves as he grooves

Soul Power

Give it up for the Godfather of Soul - may he live

on, on, on

Soul Power

Chelsea Lambkin

Mrs. Garay

57

Franklin School

The Water Day!

―Super,‖ my sister and I yelled with excitement! We are going to a

balloon festival! It was very hot and sunny outside. The festival was taking

place on the grounds of an airport. It was beautiful!

―This is the best day ever,‖ I thought to myself. There were tents,

food stands, and even rides! We saw the balloons lined up everywhere! They

were selling these shiny crystal-like rocks under the tents.

―Look at all the awesome rides,‖ my sister and I squealed! We were

so excited to go on them!

My dad said, ―We will wait until after we get dessert before we go

on any rides.‖ After we finished up our awesome desserts, the thunder and the

rain started to come! Everyone at the festival was dashing toward the biggest

tent! My dad told us to run under the tent. Everyone made it to the tent to stay

dry. I thought to myself,

―This is the end of the world!‖ We left the tent because the tent was

about to collapse from all of the people pushing around under it. ―Run! Run!

Run,‖ my brother shouted! My whole family ran to another tent. We made it

to a small white tent that seemed to be empty. One side of the tent was falling

down because water was pouring down on top of it! I was scared! After a mi-

nute, we all started to make our way to our car. When the truck was in sight,

my sister, my brother, and I stopped running.

―We made it,‖ my sister moaned. We looked back and we saw mom

and dad behind us, moving as slow as turtles. We all made it to the truck, but

each of us were soaking wet! We drove home safely.

―I‘m glad the whole family made it,‖ I said with a relieved sigh.

Even with all of the rain and not being able to go on the rides, it was still a fun

day at the balloon festival! It felt like we were on one big water ride!

Chaela Stradford

Mrs. Gaglio

Kindness

A time when someone did something kind for me was at Shop Rite

when a teenager helped me and my mom put the groceries in the bag. I think

he helped us because he cares about people. We gave him a dollar for help-

ing us bag our groceries. I felt happy the whole day. I was smiling all day

long. It changed my day and made it much better. It also encouraged me to

do something kind for someone else. I held the door open for someone at

ShopRite, and I gave the boy one dollar. This is the time someone did some-

thing kind for me. Brianna Martinez

Ms. Wronski

58

Franklin School

The Tornado

―I‘m so excited,‖ I squealed as we went to the carnival! I was

going with my cousins, my aunt, my uncle, and my sister. First, we ate

cotton candy and went on the Ferris wheel. My cousins, my sister and I

were on cart 9 and my aunt and uncle were on cart 8. I think I saw

them kiss!

―Ewww,‖ I moaned as we were getting off the ride! After the

Ferris wheel, I went on the Tornado. It‘s a ride that spins around and

around really fast. As I was waiting to get on the ride, I felt excited and

scared at the same time! I could feel my heart beating as fast as a

drum! Finally, it was our turn to get on the ride. My sister, my cousins

and I all piled into our cart.

I thought to myself, ―I hope I don‘t die!‖ Then the ride started

spinning really fast. I screamed, ―Get me off this thing!‖ A few

minutes later, the ride stopped. I felt relieved, but then it started spin-

ning the other way! I started screaming again!

When the ride was over I thought to myself, ―I‘m glad I didn‘t

die on that thing!‖ The ride was actually really fun! I ran off the ride

and asked, ―Can I go again? Please?‖

Felix Algarin

Mrs. Gaglio

Kindness

A time when someone did something kind for me was

when I was in church practicing for the talent show. I needed to

do a cartwheel, but I didn‘t know how. My friend, Vida, saw me

sitting there and helped me do a cartwheel. After that, I cart-

wheeled for lots of talent shows in my church. I think she

helped me because I was called names because I couldn‘t do a

cartwheel and she felt bad for me. It made me feel really good

when she helped me. It changed my day because no one called

me names again. It also encouraged me to teach my cousin,

Nayeli, how to cartwheel. She learned really quickly. This is the

time someone did something kind for me.

Caleb Santos

Ms. Wronski

143


Praise to Mitchell Adam Lucker

Stomping Over the Land

Singer born and raised in Riverside, California


An earthquake on stage with his stomp and head bang


Thunder of metal arose with each scream!


Praise to Mitchell Adam Lucker, Died too soon.

R.I.P Mitchell Adam Lucker

Oct. 20, 1984-nov. 1, 2012

Nuria Hernandez

Mrs. Garay

African Praise Poems

Here is to Aretha

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

A loving, caring, marvelously talented woman

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

A luxurious leopard that has found her ―spot‖

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

A magnificent wind gliding in and out of people‘s ears

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

She is the Queen of Soul and is brilliant, brilliant

Amir Lembrick

Mrs. Garay

I am Antionette Bryant

Her music inspires

A beautiful butterfly born in a place where they like to crush your wings

Her music inspires

A cheetah fierce, fabulous, not afraid to fight for what it wants

Her music inspires

The calm before the storm, soothing but ready to bring action

Her music inspires

I am new growth in our generation, watch me blossom, blossom, blossom

Her music inspires

Antoinette Bryant

Mrs. Garay

142

The Boring Football Game

I was with my mom wondering where we were going when sud-

denly her red mini van came to a stop and, with a shriek from the

brakes, she parked in front of the Rahway Football Stadium.

―We have to watch a football game?‖ I asked her.

―Yes‖ my mom replied. I groaned and said that I hated football,

but I went through the gates and sat in the bleachers with my mom. A

few seconds later she got up and said that she needed to help set up

tables. I sat and waited for what seemed like hours (but were only

seconds), while my mom finished helping set up tables.

Then suddenly I heard a sound, a sound of whistles, jingles,

bangs, and rumbles came out of nowhere, the marching band was

marching down the street from the Rahway High School followed by

the Rahway High School cheerleaders. By the time the marching

band filled a spot on the bleachers that was marked off with tape, the

cheerleaders were out on the field holding a big Banner with a letter R

on it.

Then the Rahway Football Team came running out and broke the

banner by running through it. They ran to the 50 yard line and the

other team did the same, but on the other side of the line. A few se-

conds passed and a man in a referees outfit blew a whistle and the

game began. The marching band played a really cool pep song that

was supposed to get the football players excited and it looked like it

did. Then a Rahway player kicked the ball, but the other team caught

it and made a touchdown. Then a Rahway player ran with the ball

and got tackled.

It went on like this forever, then finally a Rahway player kicked

the ball so high and far I thought it was impossible for somebody to

catch it, but a Rahway player did and he ran and made a touchdown.

Everybody was screaming and cheering so loudly that my ears started

to hurt.

Then I kind of smiled and thought to myself, It wasn‟t as bad as I

thought.

―You know‖ I said to my mom as we were walking to her car at

the end of the game, ―Today wasn‘t as bad as I thought.‖

―Well that‘s good‖ she said and we were silent the rest of the walk

to the car. Julie Schroeder

Mrs. Polanin

Roosevelt School

59

Franklin School

Underwater Shriek

―Okay, Okay…‖ I said to my brother.

―Yes! Hey guys Gabriela‘s telling a story!‖ he yelled.

As all my cousins crowded around me, I rolled my eyes around the

stinky crowd of 5, 6, and 7 year olds.

―It all began on a hot December day, it was 102 degrees Fahrenheit.‖

I sat in a car for 2 hours straight to get to a pool and then I arrived at

Herrera…

―Ggiggle, giggle…‖

―STOP LAUGHING!‖ I scolded

―I didn‘t say diarrhea, I said Herrera!‖ I yelped.

―As I was saying ...‖

When I arrived, I saw a pool 1,000 times bigger than me! I slapped

on my bathing suit and slow but surely. I kept getting deeper and deeper until

the water reached knee‘s length.

―Hi mommy, look at me in the water look at me swim!‖ I said as I

walked while moving my arms.

―Mama how about I take you to the deep side?‖ said mom.

―Okay, but don‘t dwoop me!‖ I agreed, as I grabbed her hand and got

dragged around. Suddenly, my mom spotted Emilia, my aunt, and started

blabbing off.

As I said ―Mommy, Mommy, Mommy…‖

My feet couldn‘t touch the ground and I furiously paddled to stay

afloat. My mom took a quick glance at me and SLIP! Mom… blup, blup,

blup… I, a 4 year old underwater, no floaters, out of breath and terrified, start-

ed to sob, then weep. And eventually cry underwater. As my cries of cry-

babieness filled the water, I remembered seeing air bubbles escaping my

grasp. –

―WAAAAAAHHHHHH !!!‖ I heard.

Someone with a hairy hand grabbed me by the leg and put me on

their bag. As I began to pass out I felt a tremendous force on my chest.

BLAAAHH… Water pouring out of my mouth… 2 hours later I started scold-

ing my mom.

―I don‘t trust you! Why did you do this to me?!‖

I ran to my mom and hugged her. The day after, we were still in Her-

rera as I saw a two year old apparently my brother. A 2 YEAR OLD SWIM-

MIMG FROM 1 FOOT TO 6 FEET DEEP WITHOUT HELP! I then decided

I would learn to swim and one day save someone else. Then 8 years later I

still don‘t know how to swim! ―The End… ― I said to my cousins.

Gabriela Mendoza

Mrs. Brighouse

60

Franklin School

Don’t Cry Over Washed Pants My mom said it. My friends said it, but I didn‘t care. Even my

dogs chewed them. With such hate, yet happiness in their eyes, I could tell

they hated them, wanted them gone and were happy they were leaving. I

didn‘t care what they looked like, but everyone else did. Maybe they were

jealous, I mean they were my pants my beautiful pants why, not? Or maybe

they were right, they had to go.

As I got home from practice, I ran upstairs as I always do, and

hopped on my bed to look for those comforting pants. I searched for what

seemed for forever, but by the logic of my phone it was only five minutes.

My baggy ripped bleached tie dyed pants had to be there! If they weren‘t my

mom knew what would happen and that it wouldn‘t be very pretty. As a gen-

tle confused whisper turned into a ragging scream, so did my attitude. I

stomped my way downstairs and looked everywhere I could!

Under the lamp, behind the TV, in the refrigerator, but I couldn‘t

find them! Then, like a light bulb flickered on in my brain, I went to the

basement and went to the dryer to find them there. There were my

pants….on the tippy- top of the pile of shirts, skirts, pants, shorts, socks, pa-

jamas, and whatever else. I saw the pink, blue, orange, green, yellow, and red

pants just hanging there. I yanked them out and slid them on. The warm

glow from the dryer was so soothing, and then I remembered that my mom

was bound to come home any minute!

I ran my heart out to the steps where I hit something … someone. It

was my mom, or as I like to call her the ―pants-destroying-maniac!‖ As our

eyes slowly met, I heard the faint sound of the words ―How? How? How?

How did you find, find them?‖

As soon as she could finish that sentence, I was out of there. I ran

so fast I reminded myself of the roadrunner from Looney Tunes. As I was so

close I was so far because I fell. Fell down those steps, like ping pong ball.

Ten minutes later, guess where I was? Did you guess? Well you didn‘t

have to; I was at the hospital with a broken leg and a sprained wrist. Yeah, I

know all of this seems a little crazy but I mean they‘re my favorite pants.

After that, my mom gave up because she saw how much I love them.

Hey, guess what … I‘m wearing those pants to sleep tonight! I

would‘ve said I won but she‘s the mom and I‘m the daughter which means

she always wins so. My mom won. In her mind.

Gina Gargon Mrs. Brighouse

141

Roosevelt School

My First Day with My Nephew Dylan

My cousin Raquel was pregnant. The family was happy. Then

after nine months Dylan was born on June 11th, at 8:00 p.m. I was in

the hospital with my family. He was really cute. He looks like his

Dad. My cousin Erick was happy that day. Dylan is really cute be-

cause he was laughing with all the people. He was laughing with me.

He is funny like his dad. My other cousins were saying that they are

uncles. Then I was laughing with my cousin. Many people who saw

Dylan say that he looks like his dad. He is cute because he has brown

eyes, and now he is four months old and he is always laughing with

everyone. Now he is big, all the family loves him, he is sweet, funny

and cute. He sleeps a lot. All the family is very happy we have a

new member and the family is growing up.

Gisell Rodriquez

Mrs. Kurdyla

Day at the Park

―Mom, can we go to the park?‖ I asked. She said ―yes‖. I was so

happy because I was not expecting her to say yes. My brother and I

loaded into my mom‘s car and we drove off. As we were driving we

stopped at a red light and my mom asked, ―Do you want to go to

Dunkin Donuts?‖ we shouted, ―yes!‖ We got to Dunkin Donuts and

I ordered a raspberry lime Coolata. The lady handed me my drink

and I stuck a big straw in it. I took a sip and all of sudden I grabbed

my head and said ―Ouch! I have a brain freeze!‖ We left and headed

to the park. We got to the park and my brother and I ran over to the

swings set. I hopped on the swings and my brother pushed me. I

was going so high I felt like I was as tall as a building! We soon got

bored of the swings and went to play tag. It was getting dark and I

couldn‘t see him. I was scared! I ran as fast as a dog hoping my

brother would not catch me. ―Oh no!‖ I shouted. He caught me! We

got in the car to go home. On the way home I said, ―Thanks mom, I

had a fun time!‖

Yahir Coyotl

Mrs. Kurdyla

140

Roosevelt School

Poor Jojo

How tragic, I was sitting with my sister while she lay her foot on a

pillow at my cousins‘ house in Pennsylvania. She had twisted her

ankle that day back at our house. Her name is really Jolene, but we

call her Jojo for short.

It happened that morning when my cousins were leaving from

staying at our house for a few weeks. Then, we were going to stay at

our house for a few weeks. Then, we were going to stay at their house

for a few weeks so that we could see their brother and sister. Any-

way, when my aunt came, I ran to her like there was no tomorrow.

After hugging and saying hi, my cousins and I decided to play tag.

Before we played we had to see who was going to be it first. ―Bubble

gum, bubble gum in a dish, how many pieces do you wish‖, I sang.

By the end Jojo was it. She was chasing after my cousin Joel (older

than his brother Matthew, my other cousin). Then, it happened right

on the spot.

―WAAAHH‖ she cried.

―JOJO, I yelled, then I ran as fast as a cheetah to her. My heart

was bearing fast and I was shocked. What was going to happen? My

dad came running out of the backyard, and my mom out of the house.

Jojo was bursting with tears and couldn‘t stop crying. We were all

really worried. After what happened my mom and dad told her to sit

in the car.

Then we all went out to eat, but when we were going into the res-

taurant my mom stopped and asked Jojo,

―Is your foot feeling better?‖

―No, it really hurts‖, she mumbled.

―Let me see it‖, and when she looked at her foot she looked up on

her ankle and saw a big bump. Later, we came out of the restaurant,

got into the car and buckled our seat belts. We were driving to Penn-

sylvania. During the ride watched a moved called, ―Monsters Inc.‖.

When we finally made it to my aunt and cousin‘s house, my dad

picked up my sister and carried her into the house. We went in and

laid her on the big green sofa. I went to the kitchen to get an ice pack

then put it on her foot. I hoped she got better soon. Poor Jojo.

Jocelyn Woo

Mrs. Polanin

61

Franklin School

Chased By Terrible Ghouls Another awesome year if Fright Fest for you? Well not for me! This

has been the most horrible year yet. Do you think the ghouls are nice?

Well you are sadly making a mistake! This has been terrible, horrible, and

annoying! This is my version of what I think of the ghouls at Fright Fest.

―No mom I am not going in the haunted manor!‖ I say with fear.

―Oh yes you are, Kaitlyn Elizabeth Blair!‖ my mother says back as

she drags me in.

I stand up against a wall and fear goes through my body as if it

was draining me of my confidence. As I stand against the wall I hear a

BANG! Then this crazy girl pops out. She walks towards me and she

stands right in my face.

I shriek, ―Mummy!‖The girl mimics me. After she says that, she dis-

appears. My mom guided me to the next room. I close my eyes, but open

them to see what is going on. I see I am in a kitchen and there is a young

man with a girl holding a knife to his throat. I scream and try to run back-

wards out of the manor but the ghouls are following me. I grab the man in

front of me and scream. He turns around and looks at my mom.

He says, ―You should let her do the screaming for the horror movies.‖

We enter the next room. I close my eyes tight this time. I see nothing. I

hear nothing.

I open my eyes. I look around. I try not to fall over anything.

I say, ―Mom are we out yet?‖ She looks at me. I stare at her with fear.

―No we aren‘t yet one last room!‖

―No! We can‘t go on! They will follow me!‖

She laughs and holds my hand. We enter and I see the exit sign. I

take off trying to get out. A big giant ghoul blocks the door. My mom

looks at me. I feel sick to my stomach. My body freezes like I was a popsi-

cle in the freezer or a cold fish. My breath hitches and I go full speed. The

man moves out of my way. Next thing I know I am outside. I was so hap-

py.

―Thank god I am free!‖ I scream.

My mother comes out the door. She walks over to me.

―Chicken!‖ she says. I laugh at her and happily walk away. My

mom follows laughing at me though.

From that day on I still dislike haunted houses. I still have to say, it

was the worst year of Fright Fest ever! I will still continue to come, though.

Kaitlyn Blair Mrs. Brighouse

62

Franklin School

Kindness

I am kind because I shared my basketball with my mom, and she

scored. James Kinahan

Mrs. Kropoth

Kindness

I am kind because I changed my seat so Glory could sit next to

Gianna. Keenan Pollick

Mrs. Kropoth

Kindness

I helped my great grandma by putting thread in the needle hole

for my grandma. I did that because my grandma is old and her

eyes are not that good. It made me feel proud that I got to help

her. It also made me feel very good. It made my grandma feel

very happy too.

Lia Klimansky

Mrs. Fagan

Act of Kindness

I am kind to my big brothers. One time my brother dropped

something and I picked it up.

Luis Perez

Mrs. Cesare

Act of Kindness

One day I went to Target to get back to school stuff. The old

lady dropped her glasses and I gave them to her.

Donovan Nazaire

Mrs. Fagan

139

Roosevelt School

The Writing

Here I am. In my room. Crying. With a writing journal in my

lap. You know what it‘s open to: ―Writing Ideas‖. Why am I crying?

How did it happen? Do you want to know? Let‘s see.

*Four Hours Earlier*

―Okay class,‖ said Mrs. Polanin. ―Remember when I told you to

blurt your stories out?‖ We all nodded. ―Well, the author of this writ-

ing guide says that when you check, the way to do it is to look at your

story and find the true meaning of it, like in Goosebumps‖ - the sam-

ple story she handed out. ―In this story the meaning is why do people

act this way? Always wanting to be right?‖ asked Mrs. Polanin.

I looked at everyone at my table. Apparently we all had the same

face. This was the first she let us write about anything we‘d like, like

trips to amusement parts - not knowing it had to be sincere and have a

moral!

Why did this have to be so tricky! If we were able to write how

we wanted to, this wouldn‘t be so frustrating! And they wonder why

so many kids have anger and frustration problems! I wrote down an

idea. Then I scratched it out. This wouldn‘t be as tricky if SOME

people didn‘t make it so hard to concentrate. I heard Simone mum-

bling about her birthday. Across the room Julie was whispering to

Gianna about Percy Jackson. I whispered to Samantha, who was sit-

ting across from me, ―Stuck, Huh?‖ Samantha gave me the ―NO

DUH?‖ face. That answers my questions. Erick, who was sitting next

to me, saw Samantha‘s reaction. ―Ooh, she‘s being sarcastic!‖ I gave

him the look and he got quiet. This is going to be the most stressful

assignment I ever had.

An hour later, only three people had the meanings for their story.

―Well,‖ said Mrs. Polanin,‖ Tonight‘s homework is to think of new

ideas to make a new story we can do this assignment on.‖ This brings

me to why I‘m crying - in frustration. Then I thought about what Mrs.

Polanin had told me in the past. ―Your best writing can come from

when you‘re sad.‖

That‘s it! I‘ll write about now! I can‘t believe it! I got an idea!

Now you just read what I turned that idea into. You know what the

moral is? Wait! I learned a good author lets the readers find the mor-

al. Good Luck!

Kailey Beckford

Mrs. Meriton

138

Roosevelt School

Pink

Pink is sticky cotton candy

Pretty party dresses

And raspberry lipstick

It‘s like a beautiful rose

The color of fashion dresses

And my shirt with the bunny on it

Pink is for Valentine‘s Day

It tastes like bubble gum

Sweet juicy watermelons

And strawberry taffy

Pink feels like a soft pink bunny

And a magical unicorn

It smells like pink frosting

Pink sounds like Katy Perry.

Pink can sweeten your life!

Trinity Santiago

Mrs. Prakapas

When I First Started Reading

In kindergarten I sat at the green table and started reading a

book, then all of a sudden I read cat, hat, hop, and can. That

made it easier for me to read. Now I read all different and very

big words. I have gotten better at reading now that I am in third

grade. I read chapter books, and sometimes adult books like

Harry Potter and very long newspapers. I read at any grade level

like, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade reading levels. Now I‘m a better

reader!

Jacob Lagun Mrs. Meriton

63

Franklin School

Act of Kindness

I remember a time when I did something kind for Elijah.

I gave him my old clothes, and Elijah was so happy. He was

running out of money! His mom had to take care of her babies.

I did it because it was right and he is my friend. It made me feel

great. Now, Elijah‘s mom can take care of her other babies and

Elijah can get dressed on his own.

Christian Davis Mrs. Reeseg

Act of Kindness

Yesterday, my mom and I went to Deals. We bought

everything we needed. We bought eggs, bread, wipes, sham-

poo, ice cream, chocolate, and juice. Then the old man left his

wallet on the table. I took the wallet and I gave it to the old

man. He said ―Thank you.‖ I said, ― You‘re welcome.‖ He

drove me and my mom to our house.

Elizabeth Sanchez Mrs. Fagan

Act of Kindness

Yo le dije a Anderson que sus zapatos son bonitos.

I told Anderson that his shoes were pretty.

Angel Hernandez

Miss Lerner‘s Kindergarten bilingual

Act of Kindness

Yo estaba ensenando a mi hermano Kevin a usar la tabla de pat-

inar.

I was teaching my brother Kevin how to use the skateboard.

Francisco Gonzalez

Miss Lerner‘s Kindergarten bilingual

64

Franklin School

A Kind Act

I help my parents with my little brother to go to sleep at home.

It made my parents feel happy and it made me feel happy too.

Jaila Smith-Simons

Mrs. Rose

A Kind Act

I went to the park and somebody was hurt. Then I picked him

up. Then we just played and he felt better.

Sebastian Concha

Mrs. Rose

Beach Fun

―Hot… hot …hot,‖ my baby brother said as he put his

hands on the boiling hot sand.

―Come on Jojo,‖ I said as I picked him up to take him to

the water.

I walked down the sand hill to the water and sat him

down criss- cross apple sauce in the much cooler sand.

Whoosh-whoosh! The water sounded like as it hit his toes over

and over again. With every splash he giggled.

Suddenly, a huge wave came. In that one moment be-

fore it hit, my mind drifted off to see me and Jojo living on a

tiny deserted island with just one little coconut tree. I could see

us becoming like cave men. I wouldn‘t let that happen….

Then the wave actually hit and my mouth and nose

filled with water.

I knew I couldn‘t let the same happen to Jojo. So, I

raised him high like that monkey does to the lion on lion king

hoping the water hadn‘t reached his nose.

Finally, the wave went back down. I was completely

out of breath but I looked up at Jojo. His face was giggling his

feet were kicking. He was as happy as he could be.

I let out a sigh and thought to myself you have no idea.

Mykaila Scott Mrs. Brighouse

137

Roosevelt School

The Elephant Ride

My small moment starts at the Meadowland‘s State Fair

where my mom, dad, sister and I came along. When I was at the

fair, I saw a sign that said, ―Elephant Riding‖. Immediately I knew I

wanted to go elephant riding. I asked my mom if I could and she

said, ―Yes‖. Since it was only $5 per person my mom said my sister

Alexis could come with me. The line was short so it took about five

minutes to ride the elephant. It stunk so bad that I had to cover my

nose! I looked at the elephant and I said, ―Aww, the baby elephant is

so cute.‖ At last it was our turn. I was a little scared to go on the ele-

phant, but I finally got on the elephant. It walked side to side to side.

It walked so slowly that it almost took five minutes to walk in a cir-

cle. It was our turn to get off the elephant. I was sad because we had

to get off the elephant. That was the best day of my life!

Evalyse Carter

Mrs. Meriton

The Time I Tried

One day I had to do four essays. At first I got upset because it

was a lot and I didn‘t do it well, but then I thought this is only the

fifth time we have done this and you need to do things eight times to

know them, so I calmed down. Then I did my best that I could do in

my time. I felt a little under pressure because I tried to something

amazing in only three days. I did! I wrote two page long essays and

did well on them! My dad said ―See what you can do when you try.‖

and that inspired me to do great things and not get caught up in what

others say.

When I came to school the next day, I could tell my teacher,

Mrs. Meriton was proud. I was also proud that I did good work. I had

to try super hard to do my work well and it took a while, but it all

paid off at the end. After I got upset, I wrote what I needed and more.

Someday I would like to write a book on how to face the problem I

had. At the end of everything, I felt delighted that I did great work,

but guilty that I carried on about doing my work.

Jillian Smith

Mrs. Meriton

136

Roosevelt School

My Birthday One day I went to this store called GameStop and it was so cool! It

had video games, pc games, remote controls, and more games that you could

imagine. My mom said that I could get a game system since I did not have one.

It was a PlayStation 2. It was so incredible! Later on April 26, 2013, it was my

birthday. My dad left me home because he was going to get me a present. I did

not know what it was, but it was going to be exciting. Dad was going to get me

a Wii U. It was a new game system that came out .When he got home he

wrapped a box with race car wrapping paper. When my family came I had so

many presents. When it was time to cut the cake, I saw that my mom bought

my favorite cake— cheese cake! After the cake, it was time to open the pre-

sents. When I opened the present, it had a remote control car, a Wii remote,

and the best of all a Wii U .I also got a game called Nintendo Land. I was so

thankful. Tamesh Subramanie

Mrs. Meriton

The Day of the Lock Down Drill I felt so scared as we walked to the carpet for a lock down drill . As

I heard all the other doors being jingled, I could tell ours was next.

―RUMBLE, BANG!‖ I heard the door being jingled. Then it stopped. I

closed my eyes to meditate .I was as quiet as a mouse. After a while I

opened my eyes and observed the room. I saw people folding their hands

like Madison, Evalyse, and Tommy. I also saw people talking, playing, and

not listening to the teacher. I closed my eyes for just a little while. Finally it

was over. I walked back over to my seat, grabbed a pencil and wrote this

very story you‘re reading, at this very moment.

Damani Brown

Mrs. Meriton

The Time I Lost My Elephant This is a small moment in my life that‘s personal. When I was just

two years old I cried a lot so my dad bought me a stuffed elephant. It was teal,

small, and had black pebble eyes. Every night I stopped crying. It helped me

feel more comfortable. One day I woke up and I was disappointed. The ele-

phant wasn‘t there. I cried so much my mom wiped my tears away. A week

later, my dad looked under my bed and there it was, my elephant! From then

on I never cried again. That‘s my small moment.

Thomas Paul Jedic

Mrs. Meriton

65

Franklin School

Till It’s Gone I shivered. I was standing in the knee high snow in four inch heels and a

mid-thigh black dress but, I could not force myself to go inside. Not in

there. Not where Nanny was.

My knees were shaking like leaves as I tried unsuccessfully to move my

legs.

I-I can‟t do it I thought.

“Do it!” my logical thoughts urged me.

“No! ― My emotional thoughts yelled immediately. “Do you really want

to see her like that?”

“It‟s polite to say good-bye” my logical thoughts reasoned.

“No. Don‟t look at her.” My emotions were pressing at the back of my

eyes and it was hard to combat the urge to sob like I was three.

“Yes”

“No”

“Yes”

“No”

“Yes”

―No‖

―Yes‖

―No!‖ I shouted aloud.

“Yes”

“Ahhhgggggg” I yelled in exasperation. It was silent. ―Okay‖ I mut-

tered as I walked in.

Into the funeral home.

There my grandmother lied, cold, stiff, and unsmiling.

Dressed in a horrific mint green sweetheart-neckline dress with a lime

green ribbon across the chest emphasizing how thin she was, brittle, frail.

As I stared at her I was suddenly transported to 2093 at my funeral. It was

as if I was a spirit, watching myself but disconnected from it somehow. As

the congregation sobbed I wondered ―Why do people have to die? Why can‟t

they stay alive for the people they leave behind?

I was shocked into reality when mom squeezed my hand. I remember

wishing she was never in a coma, never sick, but most of all I wished she

was never dead. And it was then I realized it. The old saying was true.

“You never know what you have till it‟s gone.”

Melissa Winey

Mrs. Litterer

66

Franklin School

The Day I Got Run Over

It was a hot, summer day and I was playing around outside by my

house with my brother, James and my friends Zachary, Trevor and

Jason.

James was on his bike and I was on my scooter. Trevor had his

own bike and Jason borrowed my dad‘s bike. Zachary didn‘t have a

bike because it had been stolen, so he was feeling sad. He asked me,

―Can I please borrow your bike?‖ I thought about it and said ―Yes,

you can use my bike.‖ Then Zachary said, ―Let‘s have a race!‖ I

said ―You guys ride on bikes and I‘ll go by foot.‖

Zachary called a meeting and everyone agreed that I would go by

foot and James, Zachary, Trevor and Jason would ride their bikes.

As I was walking to the starting line, my brother was behind me.

He looked to see what was behind him and he started going faster.

Then he ran me over!

The bike and James fell on top of me. I got back up and said,

―James, you have to watch where you are going.‖ James said that he

was sorry. I walked to the starting line.

We lined up next to one another. I was in the middle, Zachary was

on my left, with Jason next to him. Trevor was on my right and James

was next to him. Mom said, ―On your mark, get set, go!‖

I was in the lead, running very fast. Trevor was catching up to me

on his bike. James, Zachary and Jason were far behind. My mom was

about 20 feet away and she was the finish line. I was almost there

with Trevor on the side of me. I did one big jump and I won! I said to

the other guys, ―Better luck next time!‖ Zachary said, ―I want a re-

match!‖

Mom wanted us to go inside to eat dinner, so we didn‘t get to race

again. We all ate spaghetti and talked about the race over dinner.

Later, Jason went home. Then Trevor and Zachary left around

10:00 p.m. After they left, I thought about the day.

I was tired, but I felt really good about myself because I had won

the race. It was a very fun day!

Matthew O‘Halloran

Mrs. Gaglio

135

Roosevelt School

Purple

The evening sky

Fat, round grapes

A mug from Wal-Mart

Fireworks on the 4th of July

Party favors at a birthday party

Balloons popping

Delicious red velvet cheesecake

Pink lemonade

Fur boots

A soft rug

A fluffy pillow

Purple can give you super powers.

Sa-Maya Knordle Mrs. Prakapas

A Person I Adore

The person I adore in my family is my mom. I adore her be-

cause she buys me things. That is why I adore her. Another rea-

son is because she takes me places. My mom is the one I adore.

More reasons I adore her is because she cooks for me and

because she helps me with my homework when I need help. I

also adore her because she picks me up from school every day.

That is why I adore my mother.

Saoirse O‘Hara Mrs. Prakapas

Poem

S-Sheeps shake, shed, shiver

F-Flies fly, flutter fast

T-Tarantulas tickle, tiptoe

Thomas Parkin

Mrs. Curcio

134

Roosevelt School

The Science Center Before I woke up I heard my cousin yelling my name. My aunt,

uncle, and cousin woke me up during a good night sleep. I woke up at

6:00 a.m., and we all got dress and ate breakfast. My aunt told us all

to get in the car. ―Where are we going?, ― I thought to myself as I got

in the car.

My cousin looked at the Science Center and shouted, ―That‘s

bigger than a giant dinosaur!‖ I was so happy to see, that we were at

The Science Center! We went inside and we all saw a box called the

Cave Touch. My cousin and I went in. It was very dark inside the only

thing that we saw were red dots. I was terrified! Boom! Bang! I was

running into the walls. Finally, we were coming toward the exit and

we zoomed out and felt so excited to be out of that cave.

Before leaving the Science Center, we went to the gift shop. I

got a ―Diary of a Wimpy Kid,‖ book that you have to make yourself. I

also got a magnet and a cool rock that glows in the dark. After we left

The Liberty Science Center we went a few places: First, was Wal-Mart

then Dunkin Donuts, and we bought Taco Bell for dinner, which made

me happy because it‘s one of my favorite places to eat. This day start-

ed strangely, and got a little scary in the middle, but it ended up being

a great day!

Quamir Hollenback

Mrs. Kurdyla

Belt Test

The first time I did karate was very hard. I hurt my wrist. It

had a giant cut. My friend Nahuel was doing really awesome. My two

senseis broke boards. It was so cool!!!!!!!! Angel did a bow cada. BBT

was up. I am in it. BBT stands for black belt training. We did cadas,

weapons, and other cool things. Shihan trained us. He is hardcore. Af-

ter was the ceremony. I got my blue belt. My friend got his purple belt.

We hugged each other. That day was fun for me and my friend.

Robert Tyler Vanbuskirk

Mrs. Meriton

67

Franklin School

The Party

―Yay,‖ Bella‘s best friend, Kelly squealed! ―What hap-

pened?‖ Bella asked. ―I‘ve been invited to Chris‘s bike race par-

ty!‖ Kelly said. ―Oh I got invited, too,‖ Bella said as she sighed.

―Why did you sigh?‖ Kelly asked. Bella did not want to tell her

that she did not know how to ride a bike, and if she can‘t ride

then she can‘t race at the party. So she said, ―Oh it‘s nothing.

I‘m just a little tired!‖ Kelly nodded. ―Do you know where the

party is going to be?‖ Bella asked. Kelly responded, ―I sure do!

It‘s at 414 St. Georges Ave.‖ ―Alright then, let‘s get going,‖

Bella said excitedly!

A little over twenty minutes later, Kelly and Bella ar-

rived at the party. Bella was wearing a blue and white ruffled

tank top, jean shorts, and white tennis shoes with a pink bike

helmet for racing. Kelly was wearing the same helmet, but she

was wearing a pink and white ruffled tank top. Bella‘s mom

unloaded the bikes from the trunk. They had to hurry because

the race was in just a few minutes. Bella pretended that her bike

tire was flat and told Kelly she could not enter the race. Kelly

said, ―Your tire is fine. What‘s really bothering you?‖

Bella told her that she couldn‘t ride a bike. Kelly said,

―It‘s okay. I can teach you.‖ So Bella sat on a bench when Kelly

was in a race and after the race was finished Bella told Kelly

that she was thankful to have a friend who would teach her how

to ride a bike. Bella was never afraid to tell her amazing friend

Kelly anything ever again!

Nhi Nguyen

Mr. D‘Amico

68

Franklin School

Good Dog

Sometimes you are inspired by someone brave, someone

you wouldn`t expect: the weak instead of the strong, the small

instead of the large, the shy instead of the outspoken. That some-

one could be a person… but they also could be a puggat (a pug-

rat terrier mixed breed of dog).

It was a dark night in Eagle Lake, Maine. Bright stars

scattered over the skies like sprinkles on a cupcake. The silver

half-moon shone bright, reflecting a sparkling image on the lake

below. Except for the moon and stars, the only light that night

was from the comfy, warm fire me, my parents, the camp owner,

Leslie, and three other campers sat around.

Leslie`s dogs sat close to her, while my dog paddled

around in the glimmering lake for a night swim. We sat around

the campfire, toasting marshmallows and listening to country mu-

sic on a small radio when, a growl came from behind the cabins.

―What was that?‖ One camper exclaimed with fear.

―A wolf most likely,‖ Leslie grinned, ―the fire should

keep it back.‖

The growl sounded again, this time more ferocious.

This time, Hunny swam onto the rocky shore of the lake

and shook off with an angry growl in response.

A large shadow crept from behind the cabins, staring at us

with glowing yellow eyes. It slowly stepped toward us and the

fire. Once it was close enough to the light of the flames, all of us

were able to identify it as a large timber wolf. The wolf growled

and circled us like a vulture. One of Leslie`s dogs hid behind her.

The other ran toward her house on the hill. Hunny stood tall with

hatred and warning. The wolf let out a growl. Hunny bared her

sharp, white teeth viciously.

The wolf growled loudly and charged at Hunny. Hunny`s

brown eyes bulged wide as she jumped out of the way, avoiding

the attack. (cont.)

133

Roosevelt School

The Winter Olympics

Boom! Bash! BAM!

Hockey sticks ram!

Slip! Slide! SWISH!

Skiing swift like a fish!

Scrape! Scrape! JUMP!

Figure skating is fun!

The bright stage lights flickering on

People screaming come on, come on!

All of the countries going for gold

The lucky winners will soon unfold!

Do your best and don‘t give up

Don‘t worry if you fall on your rump!

Maybe no gold, nor silver, nor bronze

Maybe no winning at all!

At least you did your best,

To try and take the test,

To prove your country‘s great,

To try and test your fate.

Winter Olympics! Here we go, here we go!

Now it‘s time to start the show!

Nicole Moncado

Mrs. Prakapas

The Awesome Drawing

Last week I was at recess playing with my friends Tommy and

Robert. I was sitting on the bench drawing a picture of a dragon vs. a

dinosaur. Then Tommy and Robert walked over and said ―What are

you drawing Nahuel?‖ I said I‘m drawing a dinosaur vs. a dragon.

―Cool!‖ said Robert. After that, Robert and Tommy said, ―Can we

help?‖ I said, ―Sure‖, so we drew and we drew until the very end. I

told Robert and Tommy I would see them tomorrow.

Nahuel Castro

Mrs. Meriton

132

Roosevelt School

When I Went to B.J.’s Wow! Yesterday I went to BJs and I got some food for my house.

When I was there, I asked my mom, ―Can you please buy this drum set for

me?‖ She said yes. We went home with the drum. My mom told me I

had to wait for my sister‘s friend to help me to put my drum set together.

Then my sister‘s friend came. There were so many pieces in the box. After

that, he put the drums together and I started playing with it and had so

much fun. I felt really good playing with those drums!

Marc Osias

Mrs. Meriton

Blue

Is the sky on a nice day

Violets that are in my yard

And bright new shoes

I hear someone blue

And the big wave that hits the ocean

Or a screeching blue chair

It‘s the taste of blueberries

And the sticky cotton candy

With a great sweet taste of a lollipop

The feeling when my father yells at me

Being blue feels like being blown away

Blue feels like a winter day

This color helps you get past the day.

Miles DeJesus

Mrs. Prakapas

My Lucky Sunday On a Sunday morning, I was sleeping soundly, but then I heard a bang. I

woke up immediately. I went downstairs to check it out. It was my mother.

She accidently broke my brother‘s superman suit. I had been wanting to

break it for years because it is annoying that he wears it all the time. My

brother was sad, but I was happy. I went to watch TV , CW For Kids Vortex.

Vortex was on, but it only comes on Saturday morning. I went to bed for two

hours. I went to check on my big brother but, he wasn‘t here! He left his

IPad. I was feeling so lucky that he even disabled his code. I played with it

for an hour, but my big brother came home. Then I didn‘t feel so lucky.

Marveins Louissaint

Mrs. Meriton

69

Franklin School

Good Dog, (cont.) ―Hunny, No!‖ I screamed.

The wolf and Hunny battled. Hunny bit the wolf`s leg. It

cried, jumped behind Hunny and bit a small gash in her side,

causing her to bleed.

I had enough. I grabbed a large branch which was sitting

nearby, and stood up and stepped towards the brawl, but my

mom pulled me back, sat me down and shook her head sadly.

Leslie growled of rage and stood.

―Imma go get me rifle!‖ she said, running up the hill to

her cabin, leaving us to watch the fight helplessly.

The brawl was a tangle of growls, woofs, and whines

until Hunny… was pinned to the ground.

Hunny let out a cry. The wolf went in to bite her stomach

when Hunny kicked the wolf in the face with her back leg. The

wolf lightly growled and backed away. Hunny flipped onto her

feet and with a running start, jumped onto the wolf`s back and

started ripping fur off its neck.

The wolf whimpered, swung Hunny off, and ran for the

woods. The wolf would‘ve gotten away if Leslie was a slower

woman but, there was a loud ―BANG!‖ as the wolf… fell to the

ground.

―Woo! Wolf for dinner tonight!‖ Leslie grinned. Her grin

faded as she looked at Hunny.

―Poor thing!‖ she exclaimed. She picked Hunny up and

with a light smile, said ―I`ll fix her up. She`ll be good by

mornin‘!‖ Then she headed up the hill, Hunny in her arms and a

dog on each side.

Afterwards, of course, Hunny lived and was fine. She

healed quickly using her ―Hunnypot strength.‖ I will never for-

get how brave that little dog was, fighting a savage beast like

that (which was de-lish by the way) and I will always be in-

spired by the pure courageousness of the puggat, named Hunny.

Pauline Tardiff

Mrs. Piedra

70

Franklin School

Raking Leaves

It was Sunday night and my mom asked me if I wanted to

rake some of the colorful, crunchy, fallen leaves. There seemed

to be thousands of them on the grass.

I said, ―No!‖ Instead I went to ride my bike with James be-

cause he was with his family riding bikes. I thought to myself,

―I can do it later!‖

Besides, James and his family wouldn‘t stay in the parking

lot all night. But, we did! Then I came home and saw my mom

all finished raking the leaves and as sweaty as a person carrying

a 500 pound bag. I felt sorry for myself.

I should have helped her in the first place. I should have

helped her rather than ride my bikes with James and his family.

So I rode my bike over to her with a sigh. I told her I was sorry

with a glum look plastered on my face.

―I should have helped you mom,‖ I said with a guilty tone.

Mom replied, ‗‘No, no you have to be a kid. Go over there

with your friends and have some fun.‖

―No,‖ I said, ―I‘m going to help you Mom!‖

So I went inside and we got right to work. We did all of the

things that needed to be finished. It felt like one hundred

chores. We were both so tired afterwards. We went straight to

our beds.

―Goodnight Tim,‖ Mom said from her bedroom. I returned

the goodnight and before we knew it we were both sleeping

snuggly in our beds in deep sleep. I have to say that was the

best sleep ever.

This experience has taught me the importance of showing

kindness to others whenever I can. I don‘t want to miss the

chance to be kind to my Mom ever again.

Timothy Garcia

Mrs. Jordan

131

Roosevelt School

My Sister Andrea My life is amazing with my sister, Andrea. She will always cheer

me up and make me laugh. Every time I‘m scared, I can count on Andrea to

help me get through it. Even though she‘s younger than me, she will some-

times help me with homework. Andrea always looks after me and makes

sure I‘m okay. I couldn‘t ask for a better or more magnificent sister even

though we have a couple of differences.

Andrea and I are from the same family and same parents, but we

are very different. For example, I‘m a blond and she‘s a brunette. Andrea

likes to play soccer with lots of people while I prefer doing arts and crafts

with a couple of people. See, I‘m a little shy, but Andrea likes to be around a

lot of people. Sometimes I like to read a book by myself, when Andrea

would want friends to come over and play x-box with her. She and I proba-

bly get along better because we don‘t have to fight about the same thing.

Even though she and I have a lot of differences, we still have a lot

of similarities. One thing is how we love our family very much. We both

love and look out for each other. She and I are musical, too. Sometimes we

switch places because I want to play soccer, and Andrea wants to do arts and

crafts. Still, I think we have the perfect combination so we can do stuff to-

gether and separately.

Lourdes Torres

Mrs. Prakapas

A Bee! ―Wow! That‘s a very big purple and pink caterpillar!‖ I said. ―That‘s a

big bee!‖ said my brother Brandon. My mom told him it was just a caterpil-

lar. ―Can we go to the park?‖ I asked my mom. She said ―Sure!‖

When we got in the car there was a big black spider on the window! ―A

spider!‖ I said in fear. ―A bee!‖ said Brandon.‖ Why does he keep calling a

bug a bee?‖ I asked myself.

When we got to the park there was a butterfly with the prettiest shades

of blue on its wings. My brother said ―A Bee!‖ We played tag for a while

until it was time to go.

When we got home there was a bee as fuzzy as a puppy on a flower in

my yard! My brother said ―A bee!‖ and started petting it! I screamed ―No

Brandon!‖ He stopped petting it and ran inside and I told him never call a

bug a bee unless it was a real bee and he didn‘t.

Madeline Ava Christopher

Mrs. Kurdyla

130

Roosevelt School

All About Ms. Camelo

Table of Contents

Family pg. 1

Early Life pg. 2

Favorites pg. 3

Job pg. 4

Family

Ms. Camelo lives with her dad and her sister. She has a dog. Her

family is from Portugal. She has lots of cousins in France and Portu-

gal.

Early Life

When she was younger, she used to play soccer and did ballet. She

used to go to Portugal every summer.

Favorites

Captain America is her favorite Superhero. She likes pizza. She also

likes tacos.

Job

She goes to school to teach students. Ms. Camelo attends Kean Uni-

versity.

Jonathan Ferreira

Mrs. Binko

My Christmas Disney Vacation

At Christmas time, I went on vacation to Orlando, Florida. Mommy, Dad-

dy, and I went on a plane. It was fun, but my ears got clogged. I had to hold

my nose and blow out to unclog them! We landed in Florida and it was

warm.

We went to our very own hotel. It was the Bonnet Creek Hotel. We had a

TV and a bedroom. We met our other family there. I was happy.

We went to Disney World. We saw lots of things. I saw a castle in the

Magic Kingdom. We saw the Morning Parade. But my favorite part was

seeing Donald Duck!

Disney‘s Hollywood Studios was full of Hollywood glamour. I got to see

Disney Junior Live on stage. It was awesome! We went to the Toy Story

Midway Mania. We saw the Rock n‘ Roller coaster ride starring Aero Smith.

My favorite part was dancing with Lilo and Stitch, and Donald and Daisy.

I was happy when it was time to go home because Rahway is my home.

Meridith Andrews

Mrs. Bargiel

71

Franklin School

The Sadness of my Mom and Me

― love you mommy,‖ I said as I was going on the air-

plane. My dad was pulling our suitcases.

―Hurry up,‖ he said as if the airplane door was about to

close. As I followed him in the airplane, my mom started to cry.

Her face was red and the tears were falling down her cheeks.

Then I started crying and wondered how she was going to be

without me.

As the airplane started moving, my heart started beating

faster and faster. When I saw the clouds, I looked at them in

amazement. I saw that the city was so little and the colors were

everywhere. When I was finished looking at the city and the

clouds, I fell asleep and noticed that my mom was in my dream.

Daddy woke me up when it was time to go. He got our

suitcases and we went through security. We waited outside until

my uncle and my cousin came. I was so happy to see them after

all those years. I was going to miss my mom‘s bright face and

the funny jokes she used to tell me, but I knew we would meet

again.

Barbara Pierre

Mrs. Asokan

72

Franklin School

Midnight Pool Party, Not

If you want to go camping on a roof, make sure your un-

cle doesn‘t hunt at midnight. Trust me, I speak by experience.

After my cousins and I had convinced our moms to let us camp

on the roof, we all slept under the stars, but when I awoke at

midnight. Everything got crazy.

Strange voices entered my head. I rubbed my eyes and

sat up. I fumbled around for my iPod. The bright screen dis-

played 12:01 AM. Then, I looked around but saw no one. I

looked around but saw no one.

―Probably just a dream,‖ I murmured to myself putting

the IPod in my pocket.

I heard it again. Voices. Now I was worried.

Were there intruders in the house?

Were we being robbed?

Was everyone fine?

A million thoughts rushed through my head. Then an ear

rattling BANG! Gunfire… Franticly, I glanced around trying

to locate the source of the shot until a figure caught my eye. Ri-

fle in his hand, a tall muscular man approached me. At that mo-

ment, my stomach did hindered cartwheels and blew up.

Too scared to think I ran in the other direction. I bolted

over obstacles. By the time I reached the end of our roof, I had

scalped my leg and cut my arm. The man was almost right be-

hind me. Out of options, I did what I could. Jump.

Now, I‘m not stupid. There was a pool underneath me.

Too late, I realized that it was my uncle behind me (I tackled him

later). I hit the pool with a big SPLASH. I was fine.

I realized that my uncle was hunting at night and the

voices were just my cousins and my mom playing in the back-

yard at night.

What a night.

Saud Shah

Teacher?

129

Roosevelt School

Nicki Minaj Rocks

Table of Contents

Famous Life pg. 1

What She Looks Like? Pg. 2

What She Likes to Eat Pg. 3

Fun Facts pg. 4

All About the Author pg. 5

Famous Life

Nicki Minaj‘s real name is Onika Tanya Minaj. She is a fa-

mous American Rapper, Singer, Songwriter, and television per-

sonality. Nicki is signed to Young Money Entertainment. Some

of her popular songs are Super Bass, High School, Star Ships,

Roman‘s Revenge, and Monster. They play her songs on the ra-

dio. She makes a lot of money and has a big house. Nicki Minaj

is 31. She was an American Idol judge.

What She Looks Like

Nicki has fake hair. She is a little bit tall. She is a stylish per-

son. Her favorite thing to do is sing. Her skin is beautiful. She

has fake eyelashes. She has different color hair.

What She Eats

Nicki Minaj eats chicken, cranberries, and almonds. Her fa-

vorite candy bars are Kit Kats and Twix. Her favorite fast food is

Popeye‘s.

Fun Facts

She worked at Red Lobster. Her favorite place to shop is cos-

tume stores. She sang at Yankee stadium.

All About the Author

My name is Sierra Colvin. I am 7 years old. I have great

teachers and nice parents. My teacher‘s names are Mrs. Binko,

Mrs. Pappalardo, and Ms. Kaminiski. I have a great school.

Sierra Colvin Mrs. Binko

128

Roosevelt School

All About Basketball

Table of Contents

Dress pg. 1

Colors pg. 2

Passing pg. 3

Dribbling pg. 4

Shooting pg. 5

How to Dress for Basketball

You have to wear a tank top, shorts, and sneakers too. You

cannot wear hats at all. Sometimes you wear pants when you go

in but you have to take them off when you get inside. Some-

times people go in tank tops and short sleeves also.

How Colors are on Basketballs

The colors on the basketballs are orange, black, and some-

times brown and black. Some people have team names. They

have different color shirts and shorts too.

How to Pass

A trespass is a really fast pass to the stomach. There is a pass

where you can try to pass the ball between your legs. Sometimes

people do that.

How to Dribble

You have to bounce the ball on the floor and bounce it back

to you. You can dribble a different way to by putting the ball

behind you.

How to Shoot

You can shoot two different ways. You can bend your arms

and shoot the ball in the hoop. You can shoot from both sides.

You can shoot in the middle to get a three pointer.


My name is Jenna Maher. I‘m a second grade student at Roose-

velt School. I wrote this book because I like basketball.

Jenna Noel Maher Mrs. Binko

73

Franklin School

The Memory

Sixth grade is cut throat. If you talk to the wrong people it

can bring you down and you have to know almost immediately

where you fit in. I played it safe over the past few years and now

picking on me is a thought, but never an action. Not even two

weeks ago, I saw all my effort to not be scared, vulnerable, and

weak flash before my eyes.

See, let me explain. Let‘s say this girl‘s name in Nichol

(because I‘m not using names) is ―plus-sized?‖ Not that there is

anything wrong with plus-sized. I even consider myself that, but

this is more than a few pounds. I was done with my first class with

Mrs. Lopez and everyone was switching classes.

―Hey you dropped your pencil box on the floor,‖ said a

voice. I casually turned around and saw it was…..HER! I felt in

that moment the entire glare of the sixth grade on my back. Instead

of picking it up and saying thank you, I stood frozen biting my bot-

tom lip. My eyebrows came together making small wrinkles on my

forehead. It could have been a few seconds, but it felt like an eter-

nity. I said a silent prayer and it was answered. A classmate picked

it up and returned it and I mumbled, ―Thank you,‖ even though I

knew he didn‘t hear.

―Hey, what‘s wrong?‖ said my friend Destiny. Then I no-

ticed I was making a sour face.

―Nothing,‖ I replied, but she knew me all too well.

―You‘re such a bad liar you know that? Come on, Mrs.

Litterer is waiting.‖ I never thought I‘d say this, but I was happy to

be in this class.

As usual, I day dreamed as I looked out the window. Were

Nichol‘s feelings hurt? If I just would have picked just picked up

the pencil, would the circumstances have been different? Was that

a sign for me to change my attitude toward others? ―Ding-Ding‖

the sound of the bell snapped me back into reality. Time for re-

cess…

The entire class gathered with their friends in line. That

memory of being rude instead of being modest and not picking up

the pencil box sits in the back of my mind warning me when I‘m

about to make the same mistake. That is a memory of a lifetime.

Widnie Pierre-Louis

Ms. Lopez

74

Madison School

Dolphins

Dolphins are funny.

Cute, smooth, playful, fast and smart.

They can make splashes.

Chanel Rivera

Mrs. Klein

Halloween Night

It was a dark and scary night. The trees were falling the wind

was blowing. After a long while it stopped. Then in about five

minutes my sister and I got ready, put on our costumes and got our

trick-or-treating baskets. They were pink and had a pumpkin face.

Also, they were shaped like a pumpkin too. My costume was a spider

countess and my sister‘s was a vampire. She had the teeth and the

makeup to go perfectly with it too.

Next, we went outside and wait! I almost forgot my friends

Arianna and Tati were there too. One was dressed up as a witch and

the other as a candy corn witch. Now back to the story when we

were outside. We were walking down the block. Tati and I knocked

on the door of a very odd looking house. But no one answered.

Afterwards, I looked at the sign. It read ‗Haunted House.

Come in, if you dare!‘ Together Tati and I asked Arianna and Ciara

if they wanted to come. They shrieked, ―Are you crazy?!‘‘

Meanwhile, Tati and I whispered to each other. We compro-

mised and finally announced that we were going to check it out. So

we went in with our bags full of candy. They were as heavy as a wa-

termelon. The house was horrendous and full of spiders. We heard

lots of spooky sounds. In conclusion, all of it was creeping us out

and we knew we had to leave.

Then, we decided as a group to go out and start trick-or-

treating again. Tati and I walked around and around and around.

Trick-or-treating was hard work. I will never forget the time I went

trick-or-treating with my friends.

Kayla Perez

Miss Taliaferro

127

Roosevelt School

All About Justin Bieber

Table of Contents

Family pg. 1

Clothes pg. 2

Friends pg. 3

Career pg. 4

Family

In Justin Bieber‘s family, there is his mom, dad, sister, broth-

er, and Justin. Justin Bieber‘s family is from Canada. His family

is German and Irish.

Clothes

Justin Bieber likes to wear high top sneakers. He also likes to

wear his hats backwards because some people think that‘s lucky.

Justin Bieber‘s favorite colors are purple and black.

Friends

Miley Cyrus is his friend. He is also friends with Usher. They

are both entertainers like Justin.

Career

His career started in 2008. He was discovered by Usher. His

first hit song was ―One Time.‖ He sang for President Obama. He

has a published book. There is also a movie about his life. I‘ve

seen the movie and I loved it. Justin Bieber has gotten into trou-

ble lately. If he learns to make better choices he will have a great

career.


My name is Makenize Zweidinger. I am 8 years old. I‘m a se-

cond grade student. I wrote this book because I like Justin

Bieber.

Makenzie Zweidinger Mrs. Binko

126

Roosevelt School

How to Care for a Dog There are many rules to having a dog. The first rule is, when you first get

a dog, give it lots of attention. The second rule is, never treat your dog bad-

ly. I don‘t want to waste your time so let‘s start.

Sometimes dogs have babies. If you don‘t want them to have babies you

have to neuter them. If they have babies on their own, you can sell them to a

family member. Taking care of puppies is a big responsibility.

If the puppy is dirty or wet, put paper towels or bath towels on the floor.

Also, make sure you comb your puppy‘s hair and blow dry it. Don‘t give it

too many baths but make sure it‘s clean. Remember they need lots of air.

Play with them as much as you possibly can. This is just some information

about dogs. If you want to learn more about dogs go to your public library

or research it online.


Hi, I‘m Jewel Hicks. I am a student at Roosevelt Elementary School. I‘m

7 years old. I love puppies and dogs. I have one, her name is Sparkles. I

wrote this book because I love my dog so much. I wanted to share the spe-

cial feeling of having a dog.

Jewel Hicks

Mrs. Binko

All About Giraffes Page 1

Do you know what the tallest animal is? I will tell you. It is a giraffe. Their

legs alone are 6 feet tall. They range in size from 14 to 19 feet tall. They can

run as fast as 35 miles per hour.

Page 2

Giraffes eat leaves and buds from trees. A giraffe eats hundreds of pounds of

leaves each week. A giraffe‘s tongue is very long too.

Page 3

Giraffe‘s only need to drink once every several days. They get most of their

water from the plants they eat.

Page 4

Giraffe‘s have pretty spots on them. They live in Africa. Giraffe‘s are great!

Ronald Jones

Mrs. Binko

75

Madison School

Halloween

Clink, clank, clatter. ―Yes, I have finished my Midnight

Monster Magic that will turn all the humans on Lakewood Drive

into monsters, and I will rule the world!‖ Meow, meow. ―Oh be qui-

et.‖ ―Bats don‘t ruin my triumph!‖ Wait a minute. Why is it bub-

bling?! Bats! Why did you light the wood on fire? Now I have to

start all over! Or do I? ―Hi Bob, can you fix my Midnight Monster

Magic?‘‘

―What color is it?‖

―Well, it is green and bubbly, and has monster magic in it.‖

―I can work with that. Perfect. I will bring it right over.

Okay bye‘‘.

You‘re lucky Bob can fix it, but next time you are in the

spell pot understand?‖ Meow! Now, let‘s get the broom stick and

spell pot. ―Bob, how are you? Let‘s see this Monster Magic, shall

we? Of course, that‘s what we came here for didn‘t we? I will have

the spell pot back by Halloween! That‘s perfect but I need it before

midnight because I have to fly up on my black , crooked broom

stick. All the houses need a dusting from the magic pot so everyone

will be monsters by dawn. Bye Bob.‖

Trick or treat! Ah, our first monsters. Bats, where are those

Fire Candy Bars? Meow, meow. Here you go, thank you .Oh Bats,

it‘s almost time let‘s go to Bob‘s lab to pick up the monster magic.

Let‘s go! Just leave the Fire Candy Bars on the porch . Bob we‘re

here. Hold on one second. Here you go Wonda. Thank you Bob!

Now, Bats check the home monitor and see if there are any fire bars

left. Oh good, there are a lot left. That means that not many chil-

dren came to our house. Let‘s go. Bats get the fire candy bars and

throw them out. Then we‘ll put the Monster Magic Bars on the

porch and put the left overs in the freezer.

Bats, it is midnight, let‘s go! Okay, Bats let‘s review the

plan. You throw monster magic on the roof tops and you are done

with that house. Okay, Bats two houses to go. Come on Bats! Fin-

ished! Meow. Now, we wait to morning so everybody will be mon-

sters and I will control them!

THE END

Or is it??!!

Jackie Timmes

Mrs. Klein

76

Madison School

The Different Seasons

Winter is coming.

In summer flowers bloom

fast.

Fall leaves are pretty.

Jamie Henrriquez-Chavez

Mrs. Klein

Fall

Fall is on the way.

Fall flowers are great to

play.

Fall will come again.

Jaylene Morales

Mrs. Klein

School

Here kids jump and play

Our school is perfect I

know.

This school is so great.

Justin Felipe-Sahoye

Mrs. Klein

Back to School

Back to school fun.

Our teachers are nice and

fun.

Our school is great fun.

Ryan Solenski

Mrs. Klein

Summer Flowers Grow

You could go into the

pool.

Summer is the best.

Samantha Sola

Mrs. Klein

Summer is Over

Summer is over.

It‘s snowing winter is

here.

The sun didn‘t shine.

Aaron Perez

Mrs. Klein

125

Roosevelt School

How to Take Care of a Penguin

Chapter 1: Eating, Keeping Safe, and Penguin Survival

Hi, I‘m Maddy Caputo and I‘m going to teach you how to

take care of a penguin. When you want your penguin to sit, take

a fish, hold it out, and then he or she will sit. Then if they do,

give them the fish. Your house should be very cold. Here are

some rules:

1. Fill your tub with ice and cold water.

2. Give your penguin extra love.

3. Feed your penguin fish and for drinks give them fish juice.

Just squeeze the fish into a cup.

Make sure you don‘t let a polar bear, shark, or seal near your

penguin. Those animals are a penguin‘s predators.

Chapter 2: Cleaning It

When a penguin needs a bath, fill the tub with ice cold water.

Get towels, a wash cloth, shampoo, and soap. First, scrub the

shampoo all over the penguin. Then, put soap on the washcloth.

Next, spray water to get it off. Put one towel on the ground, pick

the penguin up, and put it in the towel. Last, take the other towel

and dry your penguin off.

Chapter 3: Life Cycles and Diagrams

Diagrams have details. Life cycles tell you how they start and

how they end.

Your penguin will love you if you follow these rules. That is

how you take care of a penguin.


Hello, I‘m Maddy Caputo and I wrote this book because I love

penguins. If I had a penguin, this is how I would take care of it.

Madalone Caputo Mrs. Binko

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Roosevelt School

How to Wear a Sari

Table of Contents

What is a Sari? Pg. 1

Things You Will Need Pg. 2

What We Need to Identify in a Sari Pg. 3

How to Wear a Sari Pg. 4

Page 1

What is a Sari?

Sari means a strip of cloth. Indian ladies wear Saris. A Sari is

around 9 yards. Ladies wrap the Sari around their waist. On the top,

the women wear a blouse. A Sari is associated with grace. It is a sym-

bol of Indian culture.

Page 2

Things You Will Need

Safety pins

Blouse, looks like a t-shirt

Petty coat, looks like a long skirt.

Shoes to get the proper length.

Page 3

What We Need to Identify in a Sari?

The most decorative part is called a pallu. It goes over the shoul-

der.

Identify the border. It goes at the bottom.

Page 4

How to Wear a Sari

Wear the blouse, petty coat, and your shoes. Take the top edge and

tuck it from your right hip. Go all the way around. Then bring the rest

of the Sari to the front. Bring the decorative part on your shoulder.

Make pleats with the middle part of the Sari. Tuck the pleats in the

petty coats.

Veena Noruthun Mrs. Binko

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Madison School

Steven and Dad In the Pool

One summer day when it was hot my dad and I went inside

the pool. When we got in the pool we started to swim. We

swam for a few minutes. Then my dad got out of the pool. He

walked to the back of the yard. First he climbed on the old gray

car. Second he jumped on top of the roof of the garage. Then

he stood up and then SPLASH!!! Water splashed everywhere!

When my dad came up from under the water my dad smiled. It

made me smile. Then we swam. I swam underwater. My dad

and I had a great time.

Steven Ribas De Souza

Mrs. Urbano

The Night I Saw the Jersey Devil

On Halloween night my friends and I were trick-or treat-

ing when suddenly we thought we heard branches and twigs

crackling beneath our footsteps. But the sounds were coming

from the woods. The noise kept getting louder and louder. So

my friends and I decided to just run as fast as we can home.

The noise followed us home. When we reached my house we

saw it was a little bird. Then the noise started again. Could it

be another bird? No, I was wrong. It was the Jersey Devil! My

friends and I screamed and ran as fast as we could. Wow! He

followed us to my house. We ran up to the second floor and ran

to my room so we could hide under the bed. My friends hid in

the closet and I under my bed. We heard his footsteps enter my

room. We were so scared. I thought I was going to die.

He entered the bedroom with a loud thump! I could see

his scaly feet from under my bed. It was a horrible sight. He

started to move towards the closet that one of my friends were

hiding in. I was so afraid he was going to see her and hurt her.

But when the Jersey Devil looked in the closet he did not see

her because she somehow was able to hide under the (cont.)

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Madison School

The Night I Saw the Jersey Devil (cont.)

bed. It seemed liked the Jersey Devil really wanted to find us

because he looked everywhere, tearing the room apart. When

he left the bedroom I tried calling 911 but my cell phone was

downstairs. I came out from under the bed and told my friends

to come with me. We were so frightened. So we went down-

stairs as quietly as we could. I found my phone and we ran

back up the stairs to the hiding space under the bed. The call

would not go through because the Jersey devil knocked down

our satellite dish, so there was not a signal.

Oh my! What will we do now? One of my friends sug-

gested going to her house. We did, hid under the bed and fell

asleep. When we woke up it was the next day and we won-

dered if our experience last night was real or not!

Jamie Henrriquez-Chavez

Mrs. Klein

Black History Month: A Rap About Muhammad Ali

Yo, yo, Muhammad Ali, I was born in Louisville, Kentucky.

When I was 12 I went to a show with my friend, and after the show,

just when it was end.

I went to check on my bike. It was stolen, something I don‘t like.

I went to report it to a chief, and told him I wanna beat up the thief.

Then he started training me, to be the best, that I could be.

I learned how to box and it was a dream, I got a spot on the Olympic

boxing team.

Soon I won, Olympic gold, and yet I still, wasn‘t that old.

I was the best heavyweight in the world, and now my life, just un-

furled.

I took a break from boxing, yessuree and I didn‘t return, until 1970.

I‘m retired now and I‘m 72, when I look a boxing, I have Déjà vu.

Yo, yo, I‘m Muhammad Ali, float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

Justice Lopez

Ms. Farrell

123

Roosevelt School

How to Make Tacos This is my recipe for a basic taco. First, take out a taco shell and fill it

with meat and lettuce. Then, put salsa, cheese and white sauce all over the

top of the other ingredients.

Another recipe is an avocado taco. You need three avocados peeled, pit-

ted, and mashed. Listed are the ingredients needed:

quarter cup of diced onions

quarter tea poon of garlic salt

12 corn tortillas

one bunch of finely chopped cilantro leaves

jalapeno pepper sauce

I hope you enjoy my taco recipes.

Mariel Woodson

Mrs. Binko

All About My New Puppy Bosco Puppies are cute. I got a new puppy the day before Thanksgiving. We got

him from Shake-a-Paw. His name is Bosco. He is 5 months old. Bosco is a

German Sheppard. His colors are brown and black. He is small but will get

bigger. His birthday is September 29th, 2013. Bosco has his bed in a crate

that we keep in the living room. He takes short naps. He loves to play out-

side in the snow. He also puts his face in the snow. Bosco eats dry and

canned food. He likes to drink water. I give Bosco treats when he does

tricks. Bosco is silly and funny. It is fun to have Bosco as a pet.

Gina Mooney Mrs. Binko

My Dog Named Maggie Hello , my name is Madison Presley and I will tell you about my dog. She

is so sweet and she woke me up by licking my soft face. I said, ― I love you

Maggie, but stop licking me. Now my face is wet.‖ I rubbed her pink belly.

We went down the stairs that creaked like crazy and we ate some eggs and

toast. I had a good taste in my mouth after eating breakfast and I wasn‘t sure

if Maggie‘s food was yummy, but I knew my food was good . After that, we

went upstairs again. I got changed into my perfect pink dress while I put my

socks on. She got on my bed . I realized she chewed a hole in my bed. I told

her,‖ You can be a pain in the neck dog , but I love you any way.‖ You can‘t

break a bond between a girl and a dog.

Madison Presley

Mrs. Meriton

122

Roosevelt School

Limerick

There once was a weird girl from Mars.

All the while she hoped to see stars.

So she went to space,

And ate some paste.

The very silly girl from Mars.

Genessis Salazar

Mrs. Moran

Limerick

There once was a star from Qatar.

Who ate too many chocolate bars.

She got really fat,

And sat on her hat.

That now chubby star from Qatar.

Paloma Aquino

Mrs. Moran

Limerick

I once met a friend from Florida

Who wanted to fly to Canada.

With no place to stay,

He slept on some hay.

That strange, grey goose from Florida.

Huy Lam

Mrs. Moran

How to Make an Ice-cream Sundae

This is how you make an ice-cream sundae. The first thing you do is get

a cup or a bowl. Then, you put three scoops of ice-cream. I like chocolate

the most. Next, you get a spoon and scoop sprinkles on the top of the ice-

cream. I like the rainbow colors for sprinkles. Then, you can add hot fudge

or other toppings. Now, it‘s the best part because your ice-cream sundae is

finished. Enjoy! Also get a cherry!

All About the Author I am seven years old. I wrote this story because I

want to teach someone how to make an ice-cream Sundae.

Anisha Subramanie

Mrs. Binko

79

Madison School

Ancient Egypt Informational Book

Introduction

Egypt, the vast lands, the pyramids, the pharaohs, and don‘t forget the

people. In this informational book you will read about Geography, Beliefs,

Pharaohs, Kingdoms, and Jobs/Trading. So get ready to embark on this

Egyptian journey.

Ch.1: Geography

North

Have you ever looked into Egypt‘s geography? Well if not you are about

to now. Egypt is located in north, east Arica. Located north of Egypt is the

Mediterranean Sea. Up north Egypt traded with Cyprus, Hiatus, Crete, and

Mycenae.

South

South of Egypt they traded with Kush, Nubian, and Punt. Today south of

Egypt is Sudan.

East

If you look to the east you will see they traded with Jerusalem, Media,

and India. The countries near it today that are to the east are Israel, Jordan,

and Saudis Arabia.

West

To the west is well, just the western desert and today know as Libya.

Ch.2: Beliefs

Afterlife

Egyptians believed in the Afterlife. They thought when you wrapped

someone in linen after they were dead they would go to the Afterlife. Next

they put honey on them and put figures under the linen. That is called mum-

mification.

Pyramids

Pyramids are where they put the mummies and stored their belongings.

They painted the book of dead on the walls. Those are tombs. They used

about 20-25 thousand people to make pyramids. A pyramid is 3-D shape of

a triangle.

Gods

Egyptians believed many gods. That is polytheism. One of the most im-

portant god is the sun god Re. Sometimes Pharaohs were considered gods.

Pharaohs were close to the god Horus.

Ch.3: Pharaohs

Hatshepsut

Egypt had many Pharaohs, but four stand out. Hatshepsut, Ramses II,

Akhenaton, and King Tut. Hatshepsut was the first women pharaoh and she

expanded the kingdom by trade. (cont.)

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Madison School

Ancient Egypt Informational Book (cont.)

Ramses II

Ramses II built the hall of Ramses and expanded the kingdom by war.

Akhenaton

Akhenaton made everyone believe in one god. Then moved the capital to Amana.

King Tut

King Tut‘s father was Akhenaten. King Tut changed the one god religion back to

many gods.

Ch. 4:Kingdoms

Old Kingdom

In the Old kingdom the sun god Re was put on top of all other gods. Through the

7th and 8thdynasties their government collapsed. Also, they started making pyramids.

Middle Kingdom

During the middle kingdom he Pharaoh Mentuhotep II reunited Egypt and the Hyk-

sos became their Emmys. They stated to move towards the capital of Egypt, Memphis.

Also, they started to use irrigation at his time.

New Kingdom

In 1506 B.C. Tuthmosis was the first Pharaoh buried in the Valley of Kings. Then

in 1479 B.C. Hatshepsut became the first women Pharaoh. Next in 1386 B.C. Amen-

hotep III made the temple of Lexar. Then in 1352 B.C. Akhenaten changed everyone‘s

religion to believing in only one god. Lastly in 1279 B.C. Ramses II built the hall of

Ramses.

Ch.5: Jobs/Trading

Farmer

Egypt had many farmers. That‘s why they always had a surplus of vegetables and

fruit. To am hey used irrigation to run water to the plants and a hoe to plant the plants

and they used a shaduf to get water from the Nile. That‘s why they were able to trade

so easily.

Nile

Egypt had the Nile and the Nile delta for water sources. They used a shaduf to get

the water from the two Niles. Also they used the water for the plants by irrigation.

Mining

Because Egypt had so many people there were extra people to do other jobs. So,

some people mined. They mined for lapis lazuli, silver, and gold.

Papyrus/ Linen

Egyptians wore linen because it kept them cool and it is hot in Egypt. Papyrus is a

type of weed Egyptians used to make paper. They compressed it together to turn it into

paper.

Conclusion

Now imagine living in Egypt back then. What would you have done with all your

resources? Today we talked about Geography, Beliefs, Pharaohs, Kingdoms, and Jobs/

Trading. I wonder if there still are some Egyptian secrets today. I bet there is

Ryan Beenders

Ms. Farrell

121

Roosevelt School

Limerick

There once was a boy named Chad.

Who always wanted to be a Brad.

So he put on a mask,

And made it his task,

That everyone know him as Brad.

Lizbeth Salas

Mrs. Moran

Limerick

There once was a teacher from Spain.

Who spent most of her life in pain.

She acted with fear

Then she disappeared,

That painful, scared teacher from Spain.

Juan Figueroa

Mrs. Moran

Limerick

There once a boy from Poland.

Who was scared he‘d be stolen.

So he went in a cave,

And became so brave.

That now he is King of Poland.

Nicholas Celba

Mrs. Moran

Limerick

There once was an ant from France.

Who always wished she could tap dance.

So she took a class,

And tap danced with flash.

That small, silly ant from France

Jugraj Nagra

Mrs. Moran

120

Roosevelt School

Limerick

There once was a girl named summer.

Her friends said she was a bummer.

They thought she was sad,

But she was really mad.

Because her brother said she was dummer.

Kristy Lopez-Zacatula

Mrs. Moran

Limerick

There once was a girl named Juju.

Who took a ride on a choo-choo.

She ended on Broadway

And learned to do a plie.

Now she wears a fancy pink tutu.

Juline Maignan

Mrs. Moran

Limerick

There once was a man from London.

He was locked up in a dungeon.

So he took a break,

And he ate a snake.

That disgusting man from London.

Lynn Vo

Mrs. Moran

Limerick

There once was a dog from New York.

Who dreamed of buying a blue stork.

So it went to the zoo,

But came home with new shoes.

That silly, old dog from New York.

Suchy Li

Mrs. Moran

81

Madison School

Ancient Egyptian Informational Report

Introduction

The Word Egypt, when you hear this word you think of pyramids, the mighty Nile

River, and maybe even desserts but… Egypt is more than that. In Egypt there re-

mains historical building and artifacts that still fascinate scientists today. The time

when these giant pieces of history were made was about 3000 years ago and back

then was so old to us now, we call it Ancient Egypt. In Ancient Egypt there were

Pharaohs, gods, priests, weapons, houses, and even gems or ores. Next you will learn

about a little of each.

Geography

To give you a better idea on where Egypt is in the world it is northeast of Asia.

Egypt is also near the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Egypt is in a desert biome,

dry right. But remember the longest river in the world runs through Egypt, not so dry

now is it. The Nile River made it possible to grow plants to eat and where there are

farmers there is trading. Ancient Egyptians traded mostly north to east of their coun-

try. If you are still confused where Egypt is, take a look at the map below.

Rulers and Higher Authority

Pharaohs are kings or queens of Egypt. In other words, they call the shots. When

they die someone else in the family gets a shot at being pharaoh. In Egypt only one

man or woman can rule at one time. Another high authority person is a priest. An-

cient Egyptian priests are just like present day priests. They both pray, send offer-

ings, and sing songs. Ancient Egyptian priests ―talk to gods‖ and they also sent Pease

offerings from fellow villagers. In my opinion, the most disliked god was Aton. Aton

was created by Akhenaton. The reason Aton was hated is because Akhenaton made

people stop praying to all the other gods by closing their temples. When this hap-

pened, people moved far away. The happened because people thought the other old

gods before Aton would get mad and bring storms and bad luck.

The Afterlife

Most people might know what are in pyramids but for those who do not know,

there are tombs in a pyramid. Tombs hold mummies, and not the kind of mummies

that you would usually see in a movie that goes around scaring people, they are

nonliving humans! Mummies are made when someone dies. The Egyptians first re-

moved the organs of the body. Then, they weighed the heart and if it was lighter than

a feather you would be able to become a mummy and if your heart was heavier…

your soul was left to wander the Earth. If your heart was lighter than a feather, your

body was wrapped in linen cloth and your body was left to dry. After about 80 days,

your body was put into a tomb with many jewels, food, toys, and maybe even furni-

ture. When a popular person or a close family member passes on, a scribe might

write something nice about that person. (cont.)

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Ancient Egyptian Informational Report (cont.)

Fact

Ancient Egyptians thought if you painted a picture of the person being mummi-

fied, they would come to life in the afterlife.

Farming

On a farm there are hard things to do but in this chapter you will learn how Egyp-

tians farmed in the past. The main ingredient for farming is water. But water from

where, Egypt is a desert. The longest river runs through Egypt and it is called the

Nile River. The Nile is an amazing 4,160 miles long. Can you imagine how much

water there is in there? All I can tell you about that is… farmers did not waste any

water. Farmers used the water by making canals in the ground called a Irrigation

System. The canals led to farmers crops. They artificially watered their plants. What

did Egyptians grow you might ask, Egyptians grew asparagus, cucumbers, dates,

figs, grapes, and even watermelon. Also, according to the book ―Atlas of Ancient

Egypt‖ Egyptians drank Beer and Whine.

Weapons

In my opinion, two of the coolest weapons that Ancient Egyptians had were the

boomerang (used to take down birds) or a wooden hammer(saw in a tomb painting.)

Egyptians even had bows with stone tipped arrows and nets to catch fish. By about

4000 B.C. Egyptians started to import obsidian for their weapons. Also, chariots

were introduced to the Egyptians by the Hyksos. I think they took the idea for the

chariot because maybe, they were affective. Out of all the weapons the most valua-

ble weapon ever is the Knife found on king Tut‘s chest.

Houses and Furniture

Egyptians had good houses and furniture too. They had wooden chairs, tables,

beds, and even living rooms and kitchens! The houses were white and made out of

mud bricks, they also had windows. Egyptians slept on mats with linen covers. And

if I had a choice between now and then, I would probably pick then.

Conclusion

Today is a beautiful country that has the longest river still running through it.

There are scientists still searching the great pyramids. In my opinion, I think Egypt

should never be forgotten in the history books.

Ryan Budhram

Ms. Farrell

119

Roosevelt School

Limerick

There once was a green man from Prague.

Who always wished to be a frog.

So he flew first class,

To a field of grass.

That sad, green, warty man from Prague.

Roger Amador

Mrs. Moran

Limerick

There once was a girl named Nikki.

She spilled syrup and got sticky.

Her dad called her messy,

She‘s now not dressy.

So she gets to wear pants…that‘s tricky!

Nikki Sae-Heng

Mrs. Moran

Limerick

There once was a girl named Daisy.

Everyone said she was crazy.

At gym she did flips,

And landed in splits.

But at home mom called her lazy.

Daisy Garcia

Mrs. Moran

Limerick

There once was a girl named Lizzy.

Her friends said that she was dizzy.

She twirled until she fell,

Right into the well,

So now her hair is all Frizzy.

Marlyn Mejia

Mrs. Moran

118

Roosevelt School

Yellow

Yellow is the sun

That I look at most of the time

An apple that I eat

And the bright color of a sunflower

Yellow is the sound of lemonade

When I slurp it up a straw

The gentle sound of a breeze on my cheek

And a wakeup call

Yellow tastes like delicious lemon cake

Rich, rich cheesecake

And cream cheese that just expired

Yellow feels like butter going through my hand

Soft like a yellow table cloth,

And warm like a jacket to me

Yellow can take you far from the world.

Kristy Fleurmont Mrs. Prakapas

How My Best Friend is Like Me

My best friend is like me! Every day I go on Poptropica. I log

into my account and I go to the one that is called Early Poptropi-

ca ! My best friend in the world is Gabriela. One day I saw her

on Poptropica . Her name was Tilly Biker on the game. We are

like twins because we do the same thing! We have the same out-

fits , but the color and the shape are different!!!

One day at my house, I logged out of Poptropica. I went to

my best friends’s house! So, I played with my Lego Friends

and she has Lego Friends too. On Wednesdays, Gabby and I do

running stuff. One day my best friend went to her dad‘s house. I

was sad but, it was okay with me. This is what my best friend

means to me.

Krystie Anne Barwick

Mrs. Meriton

83

Madison School

Ancient Egypt Egypt

You may have heard of Egypt, but do you know the secrets behind it? In this selec-

tion you will learn about important people, jobs, religion, the division of Egypt, and

everyday lives.

Chapter 1: Geography

Egypt is located I the North-East section of Africa. The life of the country was and

still is The Nile River. The Nile provides everything the Egyptians need to survive.

One of the most important things that the Nile gives is fertile soil. The Eastern and

Western Desert border that special soil.

In Egypt it‘s really hot; this reminds me of the Bahamas. In the Bahamas its Super hot

and dry. Another similarity is the people have to live in light colored houses to keep

cool.

Chapter 2: Divided Egypt

―Divinity was a big party of the Egyptians understanding of the world‖ (Mastron

42). Egypt was divided in two sections Upper and Lower Egypt. The Nile River starts

in Lower Egypt and runs through the rest of Egypt. Where the Nile starts is called a

Delta. Egypt was also divided by time.

The Old Kingdom started in about 2686 B.C. and ended in what people believe was

2160 B.C. The Middle Kingdom started around 2030 B.C. and ended in 1640 B.C. The

New Kingdom started in about 1550 B.C. and ended in about 169 B.C. From 2686

B.C. to 1069 was known as Ancient Egypt.

Chapter 3: Placed People

Everyone had a job, but some jobs were more important than others. The Pharaohs

had the most important job in the country. They took care of the Egyptians. Next came

the Priests. The Priests had connections to the gods. After Priests came Scribes and

Merchants. The scribe‘s job was to draw hieroglyphs. Merchants sell things they made

or traded for. Then comes farmers. Farmers grow crops and raise animals for food.

Lastly are the poor slaves. The slaves have to work for the rich, hoping to get money.

Chapter 4: Everyday Lives

The Egyptians live in mud houses. The insides are usually a light color, to keep

cool when its ―burning‖ outside. They wear clothes made out of linen. Rich people

like to show off the wealth by wearing expensive jewels. The Pharaohs sometimes

wear Headdresses. Some rich people also wore head dresses and the best linen. If you

were a pharaoh, you had to wear a fake beard. Men liked being topless. They just wore

long or short skirts. For children five years or younger, they wore no clothes! You

might think ―gross‖ but that‘s how they lived back then. Everyone wore eyeliner, san-

dals, and eye shadow. Women liked wearing long dresses and wigs.

Chapter 5: The People Believe

Everyone in Ancient Egypt had a God or Goddess they believed in. Priests had the

connections to the Gods. For example, if you were feeling nervous, unconfident, or

even in need of help, the priests would talk to your God for you. When you pray, you

pray in a temple. (cont.)

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Madison School

Ancient Egypt (cont.)

Chapter 5: The People Believe

When you die all of your organs are removed except your heart. The God-

dess Osiris weighs your heart. If it‘s lighter than a feather then you are allowed in the

afterlife on the other hand, if it‘s heavier than your soul must wonder Earth forever.

Your body gets mummified after you die. Mummifying is wrapping a deceased body

in linen and then putting it in a tomb.

Chapter 6: Important People of Egypt

There were a lot of important people of Egypt but these were the ones that

would stand out in history…

Khufu ruled in about 2589 B.C. to 25566 B.C. He made the Great Pyramid of Gi-

za.Ramses iii ruled from about 1279 B.C. to about 1213B.C. He made the House of

Ramses.Akhenaton ruled from 1353 B.C. to around 1335 B.C. He wanted everyone to

believe in the Sun God Aton. Also he is King Tut‘s dad. Nefertiti is Akhenaton‘s wife.

She ruled alongside him. Even after he died people say she ruled for him. King Tut

ruled from 1333 B.C. to 1323 B.C. He is Nefertiti and Akhenaton‘s son. Hatshepsut

ruled from 1508 B.C. to 1528 B.C. She was the first woman ruler. In memory of her

reign she made an obelisk. Thutmose iii is Hatshepsut‘s step son. People believe he

killed his step mom. Cleopatra is King Alexander‘s wife. She killed herself do to

Rome conquering Egypt.

Chapter 7: Gift of the Nile

The Nile is the heart and soul of Egypt! Without this amazing river Egypt

would just be a huge desert. The Nile is located in Lower Egypt and runs through

Egypt. Something‘s the Nile provides is…

Food

Water

Feeds crops

Washes clothes

Washes people

Irrigation

Crops

Jobs

In this selection you learned about important people, geography, division of

Egypt, jobs and social classes, everyday lives, beliefs, and the Nile River. Maybe one

day you will go to Egypt and see the pyramids.

Taylor Antczak

Ms. Farrell

117

Roosevelt School

The Lock Down Drill Yesterday we had a lockdown drill. Mrs. Rusak was on the loud-

speaker and said that we were in a code red. Everyone stopped what they were

doing and walked to the back of the room and sat quietly on the floor. Then

Jacob turned off the lights. It was very dark. I heard a train whistle. I also

heard someone start shaking the doors and then it got louder and louder. Then

I knew they were shaking our door. Everyone got scared and jumped. I was

squished when I was sitting next to Madison and Katelyn. It was painful be-

cause I was leaning against the gray shelf. I couldn‘t wait until the fire drill

was over. I heard people talking. Mrs. Meriton looked annoyed. The reason

why I didn‘t want anyone talking was because I didn‘t want Mrs. Meriton to

waste minutes of learning time just to deal with it. Then I heard Mrs. Rusak go

on the loudspeaker and say that we were not in a code red anymore. I felt ex-

cited that the lockdown drill was over!

Kayla Lebers

Mrs. Meriton

Blue

Blue is plump and juicy berries Bluebirds flapping their wings

And crayons that write so well

It sounds scratchy like writing

Crunchy like eating

and jazz music sounds blue Grapes and berries taste blue

As does pie

And mints taste like a burst of blue

Blue feels like candy Sliding down my throat

And like sand paper

When I sit on my blue chair

Blue makes a cool crayon color.

Kevin Quain

Mrs. Prakapas

116

Roosevelt School

My Wildwood Vacation

My family went to Wildwood on vacation. We drove

down in a car. It was a long ride.

We stayed at the Wildwood Hotel. We slept in our new

beds. Our room was big and the hotel had a pool. On the

boardwalk, I played games. I threw the coconut at the hoop

and won a prize. I went on rides. My favorite ride was the

roller coaster. It was fun and I was not scared. I also played in

the arcade on the boardwalk. I liked eating the French fries,

chicken nuggets, and pizza from the boardwalk.

We went on the beach. I went in the ocean. The water

had a lot of waves and it was beautiful. I swam with my Mom,

Dad, Ataly, and Norma. I also build an enormous sandcastle.

My family and I stayed in Wildwood for a week. Every

day was sunny. I had a lot of fun. I hope we can visit Wild-

wood again.

Katherine Garcia

Mrs. Bargiel

The Awesome Lockdown Drill

A long time ago I had a lock down drill. Mrs.Ruzak an-

nounced it on the loud speaker. Mrs. Meriton closed the door

and it immediately locked .We all walked calmly while Jake

shut the lights off. I sat by Kayla and Jake. I felt squished. Kayla

looked a little scared. I heard a weird sound it was like,

zzzzzzzzzzzzz. It sounded like a bee. Then I heard a banging

sound and I was a little scared. First, it was quiet but then it got

louder, louder, louder, and even louder. I heard some kids talk-

ing. Mrs. Meriton was sitting on the table .Mrs. D was sitting on

the carpet and so was Mrs. Frishmen. Soon the lock down drill

was over. So Mrs. Ruzak announced the lock down drill is over.

I was so happy because I was scared. When she announced it,

we all walked back to our desk and we went back to write our

stories. Katelyn Walsh

Mrs. Meriton

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Madison School

The Revolutionary War The War Starts

―No taxation without representation! We are not going to pay extra money

for tea, sugar, or paper!‖ yelled a man from the crowd.

―Oh look! The British are coming. Everyone go for them!‖ yelled the man who sells

the paper.

―Stop! We are here to stop this madness!‖ said the British.―I am not going pay more! I

have children and I have to pay for their food!‖ yelled everyone.

―Be quite!‖

―No I‘m not going to stop‖ until….BOOM!

This scene shows the colonists yelling at the British on the streets before the Revolu-

tionary War. Today we are going to be talking about the Boston massacre, the battle

of Trenton, the Battle Saratoga, and the Battle Yorktown.

Boston Massacre

In 1773 the British said that the colonists had to pay more for paper, sugar,

and tea. However, the colonists were angry because they didn‘t want to pay more for

the things they mostly needed. Some colonists snuck on a boat that had thousands of

pounds of tea! Except the colonists weren‘t there for fun, they were there to dump the

tea. They were there dressed as Indians to dump the tea! They dumped thousands of

pounds of tea while singing ―Rally Mohawks bring out your axes and tell King George

we‘ll pay no taxes!‖

The Battle of Trenton

The people chose George Washington to lead the Continental Army to war

with the British at Trenton because it was the biggest battle yet. So George led them

across the Delaware River in the cold almost 20 miles! Then the Continental Army

arrived at their spot. They started shooting to get the British army up but the British

army wasn‘t there. Instead there were Hessians, who were allies of the British! The

Hessians came out and also started shooting at the Continentals. The Hessians noticed

that their captain wasn‘t out. A Hessian went inside to tell him the horrible news. He

got dressed and most of his Hessian soldiers were dead when he got out on his horse.

The rest of the Hessians continued to shoot at the Continentals while they shot the

Hessians captain. Finally the Continentals shot the captain, and the Hessians surren-

dered. As the Hessians left, the Continental army celebrated their win.

The Battle of Saratoga

As the battle approached, the Continentals got ready for the fight. They got

there early and they were planning to hide from the British and only shoot the most

important people in their group. The Continentals hid behind the bushes so the British

wouldn‘t find them. ―The British are coming!‖ yelled a soldier. The soldiers got ready

to shoot and aim. ―Everyone be very quiet, on 3 we shoot,‖ whispered Benedict Ar-

nold. The British arrived but they were concerned why the Continentals weren‘t here.

―1...2...3!!! SHOOT!‖ he yelled. The Continentals started shooting the captains and

the servants. However, the British couldn‘t see from where the shootings were coming

from. The British at that moment surrendered. As the British left, the Continentals

again celebrated their win. (cont.)

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Madison School

The Revolutionary War The Battle of Yorktown

In October 19, 1781, the battle of Yorktown happened. The British were

surrounded by the Continental Army and the French Army who had joined them be-

cause of their good accomplishments in the war. The British had nowhere to go! The

French boats where in the northeastern from the British. The Continentals surrounded

them and came closer and closer. The battle had begun with shootings and many

deaths. As they got up, the British soldiers finally surrendered. The drum beats start-

ed playing, the British people surrendered, and the colonists got what they wanted,

freedom.

Conclusion

Now that you have read this paper you will be an expert with the Boston

Massacre, the Battle of Trenton, the Battle of Saratoga, and the Battle of Yorktown.

This topic is really important because if one day you have to take a test for the Revo-

lutionary War you can go back, read this paper, and study off it. You‘ll surely get an

A+!

Erika Alfaro

Ms. Farrell

The Summer Fair Every summer, there is a fair. A fair including rides, games, and my person-

al favorite, the hot dog eating contest! Each year, people gather from all around the

globe to participate in this glorious event. Even if you don‘t enjoy a good hot dog, (I

don‘t know why you wouldn‘t) there is a hamburger contest too.

Last year, I was so close to winning, but…well…let‘s just say it was not

pretty. But this year is different. My best friend John has come along for the ride. As

mom pulls into the fair ground parking lot, I literally jump out the window and face-

plant into the rubble parking lot.

I brush off my pants to make sure I don‘t have any dirt stains. After all, I

want to look my best for my completion. I sprint up the administration. They give me

my number, 42. ―Not bad,‖ I think to myself. 42 is my lucky number.

As I walk up onto the stage, from the gathering crowd John, my best friend,

calls to me.

―Hey Ryan!‖ he shouted. ―I‘m going to get some lemonade!‖

―Alright!‖ I should back, nervous if he was going to be back in time for the

contest.

What seems like many minutes go by. The man calls me up to the stage, still

thinking what in the world is taking him so long. But, there‘s no time for that now.

The man counts down from 3 and at 1 he fires a blank. Before I knew it, I was at 60

hot dogs. Then 70, 80, 90, and I feel horrible.

From the crowd, suddenly I could hear ―Ryan! You can do this!‖ And I did.

I won the contest.

So, every night, I look upon my shelf to see the trophy I won that day. And I

think of my best friend John.

Ryan Flynn

Ms. Farrell

115

Roosevelt School

Hurricane Sandy Crash! Boom! The trees fell like comets falling from the sky. I was startled

by the ghostly sound of the wind. I was sitting in the dark but warm side of the

basement. We were running out of oak wood for the warm fireplace. My mom

whispered to me, ―Everything will be okay.‖

In my head I said to myself, ―I doubt it.‖ I didn‘t think it would be okay

because trees fell, houses were destroyed, and people were dying.

That was one of the worst days of my life. When the storm cleared up, my

mom went to ShopRite, but while she was shopping, the storm got even

worse! She was stuck there for 3 hours with nothing to do until she came

home. Mom‘s car was dented, scratched, and destroyed. I had no school for 2

weeks, so I played single player Minecraft and tried to enjoy my time in dur-

ing Hurricane Sandy.

My father was a big help in Hurricane Sandy. He gathered up all the sup-

plies we needed. My mom cooked tuna fish with onions. I just worried. 5 days

later, Super Storm Sandy ended. Everything was destroyed, like houses, trees,

buildings, and states.

Now, October 17, 2013, we start to rebuild this mess!

Jonathan Velsor

Mrs. Prakapas

Pink

Pink is a flower you can smell

A bracelet you can wear

And a dress that goes with purple

It‘s the sound of a flamingo

The flap of a butterfly‘s wing

And the shimmer of pink glitter

Pink tastes yummy like strawberries

Refreshing cough drops

And sweet cotton candy

It feels like delicate flowers

Sweet cherries

And the tip of a pink marker

Pink can give you candy

and smiles.

Judy Nguyen Mrs. Prakapas

114

Roosevelt School

The Lego End of the World Connor and I felt so board so I asked Connor do‖ you want to play with

Legos‖?

He said‖ sure but what are we going to build with Legos‖

―I don‘t know what to build‖ Connor sang "done done done done and

continued to say let‘s ask my parents." I replied,―sure.‖

We asked Connors mom and she said ―how about a space station?‖ we

said that‘s too hard.‖

Then we asked Connors dad and he said ―like this little plane and he

showed us on his computer. We said, "that‘s too small.‖

Connor's dad mumbled to himself "oh man I thought it would be hard for

them.‖ We said ―what?‖ and he said, "nothing.‖

Then we asked my mom on the phone and she said ―how about a car?‖

we said we didn‘t have any round pieces.

Finally we asked my dad on the phone and he said ―how about a Lego

war.‖ We said‖ hmmm that‘s not a bad idea but we wanted to put all those

things into one.‖ Finally we decided we would build the Lego end of the

world and we build it.

Jayden Gonzalez

Mrs. Kurdyla

The Scary Storm ―Ahhhhhh!‖

―What happened, Jeremiah?‖ my mom asked.

I replied, ―The tree fell on the rooftop.‖

―I need help!!!!‖ Grandma called, ―The tree fell in my bedroom!‖

I ran upstairs to check. When I saw where the tree was, I walked carefully

around it on the floor. I didn‘t see Grandma until …………………….

…………………… I heard her calling ―Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!‖

The gigantic branch was on her, so I tried to push it off. I yelled, ―Come to

the attic, mom, dad, and Noadia. Help me!‖ It was as scary as if I was dying.

While everyone pushed the tree, I told mom and dad to go get the chainsaw

and the knife. When they came upstairs I told dad to cut the beginning of the

tree. Then I told mom to cut the twigs off the branch. When the huge branch

was finally off of grandma, she thanked me, mom, dad, and Noadia.

She said ―Thank you so much. If it wasn‘t for you, I wouldn‘t be here.‖

I am so thankful that we were able to save grandma because I love her so

much.

Jeremiah Charles

Mrs. Prakapas

87

Madison School

Harriet Tubman

I went to my cabin one warm summer‘s night.

I knew in my heart that the time was right.

Soon I met a woman, 'bout the same age as me.

Though she had a rifle, she wouldn't harm a bee.

She said ―My name is Harriet Tubman. Now come with me son,

freedom is just 'round the bend.‖

I asked ―Where are we going, so far from Alabama?‖

She said ―We are headed straight to Canada!‖

We talked all the way, about our lives and more.

This included our fears, mine was being hit by a boar.

She said she was born in 1820.

I said ―I was born way before you, honey‖.

―My sisters were sold a long time ago.

But we made the best of it though.

I remember being whipped 5 times one day.

In fact, I still have the scars today.

I've also been hit by a 2 lbs weight!‖.

Soon we had to stop, so I drew on my slate.

She told me ―There used to be hardship, but look here. We're 10

miles now!‖

She was interrupted by a sleeping night owl.

She said she was married to John Tubman.

She said ―Now son, there is more than one bend‖.

Soon we made it to Philadelphia, and met a girl named Chelsea Kel-

la.

Soon she joined us to go to Pennsylvania.

Soon word got out about the Slave Law.

Hearing all about it made me almost bawl.

Then we made it to beautiful Pennsylvania.

So I wanted to shout ―Hallelujah!‖.

If it weren't for her, most of us would still be slaves.

I am really sad that she isn't here today.

She died in 1931.

But by that time, she was done.

Victoria M. Tonstad

Ms. Farrell

88

Madison School

The Revolutionary War The Revolutionary War pretty much made what the world is today. The

Americans vs. the British is one fierce battle, that makes you want to grab some pop-

corn and find a comfy seat. In this text you will be learning about Army‘s that helped

Continentals & British Solders, their battle styles, funny and formal uniforms, and the

one and only Captain Margret Cochran.

The Help --Chapter One

French fought on-side the Colonist during the Revolutionary War. They also

fought against the British in the French and Indian War, but lost. They were very well

trained and had the World‘s largest finest Navy. This War, to the French, wasn‘t going

to take long.

Hessian‘s fought on the British side. Hessian‘s came from Germany as mer-

cenaries. By Mercenaries, I mean, they came for money, not out of loyalty and patriot-

ism. They were also forced into the military with very limited experience, and most of

them were old criminal. These guys just wanted to go home.

Continental Advantages--Chapter Two

The British marched together in a single-file line, playing instruments and

marching as if they were leading royalty to battle. Continentals fought in a different

style. They hide in trees and large bushes, quietly waiting for the enemies. But, I bet

you‘ve never thought of how some

British soldiers might have felt in war. Did they like war? Did they want to

be there? Did they choose to be there? Even though they lost, were some happy for us?

Maybe some even switched sides secretly behind British backs. But if some did, why

would they have done it? Where some British and Continentals family were some

friends? Were some jealous of certain things or advantages the others had? Well, if I

was in the British military at this time, I would want to switch over because the Conti-

nentals had been doing such things, they were amazing in war! With little practice and

advice from professional soldiers, they won! The battle of Saratoga was the finest fight

they had, in my perspective. The way the used there environment (forest like, with lots

of tall trees and bushes) as a weapon against the British was amazing!

British\Continental Uniforms--Chapter Three

As you can see, these are two very different outfits: different styles, differ-

ent textures, different size, different in almost every single way. But the real question

is, which is more useful? Well, British and Hessian uniforms were formal and looked

cozy, were hot and damp. Plus, they had to each (give or take a few) had to carry

around 250 lbs. (pound) packs, holding foods, bullets, rags, etc. Yet, Continentals wore

their every-day clothing, which didn‘t include as much bullet proof protection as the

British. So, what do you think, which one is better?

Brave Captain Molly--Chapter Four

Women at the time of the Revolutionary War didn‘t have equal freedom as

men. They could not vote, or speak their opinion. To men, girls were basically there

just to look pretty. But that didn‘t matter to Margret Cochran. Nothing like that mat-

tered to her. Cochran was the first girl to be in the Revolutionary War. She would walk

from a nearby water source to battle grounds, delivering water, in a pitcher, to the

thirsty soldiers. That‘s how she earned the nickname Molly Pitcher.

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Roosevelt School

Hatchet Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is a great nail-biting novel for anyone to

read. Gary Paulsen writes about the tragedy of a young teenage boy (Brian

Robeson) who suffers through his parents‘ divorce, but the hard part is trying

to keep ―the secret‖ between himself and his mother. Gary Paulsen then de-

scribes every detail of this young boy‘s fight to survive in the Canadian

woods. Brian Robeson flies to Canada to see his dad, when it turns out that

there was a little change in the plans. Brian gets stranded in the Canadian

woods but can survive with the help from his hatchet. This fascinating ad-

venture that Gary Paulsen walks us through is quite out of the ordinary, that

you‘ll just have to read the book to find out more. But wait, don‘t stop after

the book, you can also watch the movie ―A Cry in the Wild.‖ ―A Cry in the

Wild‖ is a movie that is similar to the book Hatchet but with little twists here

and there. Enjoy.

Angela Peters

Mrs. Cirillo

A Great Moment A great moment in my life was when I got a Wii U and a Surface. It

was 7am I woke up and went into my mom‘s room, ―Kickn‘it‖ was on. I

heard footsteps coming up the stairs. It was my mom, she said ―Your father

has a present for you, but first tell him good morning.‖ Harrison and I went

downstairs. It was a little hard because there was a double step. When we

went into the family room, we gave him a hug good morning he said ―You

two were good at Danny‘s house yesterday so I got you two presents.‖ My

mom tiptoed over and told us which bag was which. My bag was the big

bag. The outside was turquoise and the inside was brown. My brother‘s bag

was light blue and it had glitter on it. I opened my bag I pulled out my Wii U

I had to use two hands because it was heavy, trust me. When I opened my

surface, there was something very disappointing there was no keyboard. I

kept my disappointment inside, but it burst out. So I said, ―There is no key-

board.‖ Then we found it! When I set up my surface there was a stand in the

back. I had to put it on the charger to turn it on. It said ―SURFACE‖ in bold

letters. First I had to put in my Microsoft account next my name and color

for my homepage it said ―you can change your settings later‖. That was the

best family day of my life!

Harrington Wheeler-Timmons

Mrs. Meriton

112

Roosevelt School

The Visit to Pop Pop’s House

Jordan and I went to our Pop Pop‘s house. I played just dance

2014 and hip hop. I was starting to get tired and bored so I got off the

game and began to ‗‘play wrestle‘‘ with Pop Pop and Jordan. When we

were done wrestling I went back to my Wii and played for a while and

I kept winning ‗‘yes yes yes!‖ I yelled I was so excited.

All of this playing made me hungry. ‗‘Can we order Domi-

noes?‘‘ I asked my Pop Pop. ‗‘Nah I‘m going to make you mac n

cheese, ‘‘ said Pop Pop. I wasn‘t happy but I was too hungry to com-

plain. The mac n cheese was pretty good. Now it was late and I was

watching television.

My mom finally got there, and my mom said,‘‘ Let‘s go home,

and go to sleep.‖ I was sad and didn‘t want to leave because I was

having fun.

‗‘Can we sleep over?‖ I asked. ―NO, there is school tomor-

row,‖ mom replied. So, we went home, but I can‘t wait until my next

visit to my Pop Pop‘s house.

Jakiir Waites

Mrs. Kurdyla

Green

Green is the color of grass

My favorite sweater

And a pair of pants

It‘s the crunchy sound

Of granny eating an apple

Under a tree

Green tastes nutritious like a salad

A crisp apple

Or some salty pistachios

It feels soft

Like a delicate caterpillar

And stretchy

Like rubber bands that are green

Green makes the world grow!

Imayla Russell

Mrs. Prakapas

89

Madison School

The Revolutionary War (cont.) But when Cochran truly showed her bravery was when her husband was shot

while one of the cannons. She dropped the pitcher and glasses, ran to the cannon, and

filled in his position. But, did you think yet if she even wanted to be there? After all,

she enlisted only because her husband did. Molly Cochran died at the age of 49.

Conclusion

With the help of the all-mighty French Army/Navy, America won and the

Treaty of Paris was signed. But what if Brittan didn‘t give up and kept fighting until

we surrendered? Would life ever be the same?

Jade Schmitt

Ms. Farrell

Ancient Egypt Introduction

Ancient Egypt was a miraculous place for its wonderful sights and culture. Farmers

produced a large food supply to eat, so you wouldn‘t have to worry about that. Also,

Egypt had many beautiful sights such as pyramids and statues. In this article, you will

gain information about Egyptian geography, pyramids, pharaohs, jobs, and Agriculture.


Where was Egypt? Egypt is located in Africa. It looks like it is located in Asia, but it‘s

not. Down in Egypt, it is really hot by the desert. Egypt‘s climate is over 100 degrees!

That is crazy! If you ever visit Egypt, I suggest you bring an umbrella, sunglasses, and

sunscreen. The Land is very fertile which is good for growing crops. Some crops Egyp-

tians grew are papyrus, cucumbers, and wheat. You will learn what Egyptians do with

these crops in the Agriculture section.

Chapter 2: Pyramids

Up from the shimmering heat of the desert sands they soar, their majestic peaks pointed

toward the heavens. In Ancient Egypt, there were many wonderful pyramids. Some of

those pyramids were the great pyramid of Giza, Khiaffre, and the greatest of all, the

great pyramid of Khufu. That pyramid was named after the ruler Khufu. He was one

child who followed his father‘s example. He wanted a monument that represents how

great he was. The great pyramid of Khufu is the largest pyramid of all time and still

stands today.

Chapter 3: Pharaohs

There had to be people to rule and watch over Egypt. These people are called Pharaohs.

Pharaohs are like kings. They have the same job and achievements as them. The Egyp-

tians spoke to their pharaohs as if they he was a god. Without them, Egypt would be

really weak. One Pharaoh was Hatshepsut. She was the first female pharaoh. She dis-

guised herself as a man. She was able to expand Egypt by trading, but disappeared 15

years later. Next, was Thutmose III. He was Hatshepsut‘s stepson. He may have killed

Hatshepsut just to become pharaoh. Then, was Akhenaton. Instead of believing in

many gods, Akhenaton closed the temples to all of the gods and left only one open.

That god was ―Aton‖ the sun god. Followed by Akhenaton was Tutankhamen (King

Tut). Akhenaton‘s sister gave birth to him. King Tut became pharaohs when he was

only eight years old! Also, he died at 18 years old! Last but not least, was Ramses II.

He was the best. He ruled for 66 years! Ramses II expanded Egypt through war. With-

out these amazing pharaohs, we wouldn‘t know where Egypt would be. (cont.)

90

Madison School

Ancient Egypt (cont.) Chapter 4: Jobs

Egypt had certain jobs to keep Egyptians working. Some of the jobs were being a

Priest, Miner, Farmer, or a Hunter. A priest is like a pharaoh/king. It was one of the

highest jobs in Ancient Egypt. It was a very important job. Being a Miner is a very

difficult job. It can cause you to be sick and maybe even die. But a Miner can bring

home the good stuff such as gold, silver, iron, and copper. This job is easier than be-

ing a Miner. It is a Farmer. They have to feed animals and take good care of them.

They would have to milk the cows. Also, Farmers have to take good care of crops. It

is not that easy. Last but not least, a Hunter. Hunters have to go out and hunt animals

for food. It is the only way to get food for now and then. All of these jobs are im-

portant to the Ancient Egyptians.

Chapter 5: Agriculture

Egyptians grew crops to make food and materials. They had to use water (Irrigation)

to grow these wonderful crops. Egyptians grew Papyrus, Wheat, Fruits, and vegeta-

bles. They used papyrus to make paper. If they want, Egyptians use the paper to make

scrolls. Egyptians used wheat to make flour. Then, they mix flour with water to create

dough. Last, they use the dough to create bread. Egyptians had a large food supply.

Conclusion

Ancient Egypt still has Pyramids and other sculptures. People discover and study

them. Today, Egypt has buildings, easier ways to make food, and awesome deserts. I

suggest you get on a plane and visit Egypt!

Jayson Gonzalez

Ms. Farrell

The Revolutionary War Do you like taxes or do you know what taxes are? Well I know that the colonists

didn‘t like the taxes. The colonists were people back in the 1700s and they had their

own society in North America. There were also the British. The British ruled the land

so they were in power. The British taxed the colonist in all different kinds of ways,

such as tea, food, and wood. In this selection you are going to learn about taxes, the

colonists and the loyalists, and ―no taxation without representation.‖

It is Just the Beginning

In the 1700s the British had their own country. They wanted to get more money

because they had to make up the money for what had happened in the French and

Indian War. So instead of working for the money, like maybe working on a farm or

working at a shop, the British decided to raise the taxes for the colonists. Also, after

that the colonists got really upset and refused to pay the taxes they needed to pay for.

That then upset King George the III and some of the British people.

First there were the loyalists. The loyalists were people that didn‘t care about the

taxes. They just paid for the taxes no matter what. The reason why they didn‘t care

was because they thought they were keeping them safe. They were also known as the

Tories. They were on the king‘s side and they were not going along with the colo-

nists‘ plan that they had. So the loyalists had no care for the fact that the colonists

were against what the king said. (cont.)

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Roosevelt School

My Summary

First, mom said Ellen could go fishing, but she needed to

wear her yellow skirt. Next, Mom rows the boat and Ellen caught a

fish. Last, Ellen throws the fish back into the water.

Eoghan O‘Hara

Mrs. Curcio

Blue

Blue is bluebirds chip, chip, chipping

The blue shimmering water

And pretty blue flowers

Blueberries taste sweet

Like soft blue cotton candy

And juicy eggplant

Blue jays sparkle with fun

Blue diamonds shimmer so brightly

And blue shirts are soft

Blue feels hard and big like my jeans

It feels smooth like a car

Driving down the highway

Blue brings happiness.

George McComas

Mrs. Prakapas

Georgia

One day, I am going to stay with my cousins and going to

Georgia. My cousins are happy because I am moving and I am

happy because I am going to have a new house. I am sad that I

will never see my friends anymore, but my new house and

room will be full of toys and once I move to Georgia I will play

with my brothers and play games and superheroes with my

brothers.

Jalen Hines

Mrs. Meriton

110

Roosevelt School

The Day My Hamster Died! One night my hamster was out of her cage so I was looking for her

around the house. I had seen something in the closet and it was my hamster!

I called my dad to get her so she can go back in her cage. I woke up to feed

my hamster and she wasn‘t moving and I filled her water bottle and she still

wasn‘t moving!

I called my dad and told him ―my hamster is dead!‘‘ I was upset

that I cried because my hamster is dead. We put her in a box so we could

bury her in my grandpa‘s backyard. When we called my mom, my dad told

my mom, ‗‘Deziree‘s hamster is dead!‘‘ I thought to myself ―I think I know

why my hamster is dead.‖ I think she ate something in the closet, but what

did she eat? Maybe she ate pieces of the rug or some dust?

The next day I went to the pet store to get a new hamster. Instead of

a hamster we got gerbils. They were cute as a mouse and a squirrel. When

we got the gerbils, we got a new cage for them and my dad put the cage to-

gether.

Every single day the gerbils make a mess out of the cage. After see-

ing how messy the gerbils are, we decided to bring them back to the pet store

and get hamster. We got two hamsters a boy and a girl. The girl hamster‘s

name is Charlie and the boy hamster‘s name is Luigi. My brother and I really

love our new hamsters.

Deziree Rankins

Mrs. Kurdyla

Blue

Blue is the early morning sky

The rushing ocean

And bubbles gently floating in the air

Blue is quiet like a library

Where I like to read a book

Or in a movie theater

Before the start of the show

Blue tastes like yummy apple pie

Delicious red velvet cheesecake

And steaming hot chocolate

Blue feels soft like my hair

Fluffy like my pillow

And comfy like my clothes

Blue can really sing!

Elizabeth Barthelus

Mrs. Prakapas

91

Madison School

The Revolutionary War (cont.) On the other hand there were the colonists. The colonists hated the idea of taxes

and didn‘t want them. After a while the colonist got tired of taxes and didn‘t want to

pay them anymore, so they rebelled and refused to pay for the taxes. For example,

they were given taxes and had no intensions of paying for them. So since they re-

fused to pay for taxes, the British hunted the colonist down so they would pay for the

taxes. I think that the British soldiers that went and tried to get the colonists to pay

for the taxes felt bad. I don‘t think they really meant to go to the colonists and force

them to pay for the taxes. Also I don‘t think that the British soldiers wanted to do

anything with the colonist/or hurt them in any way, shape, or form.

When the colonists were fighting so they wouldn‘t have to pay for the taxes, and

so they didn‘t have to pay so much money, the colonist would say ―no taxation with-

out representation‖. This meant they are not going to pay for taxes unless they get a

say in the law/rules. For example, there was something called the Stamp Act. This

was about how every paper item that they had, they had to pay for a tax for. There-

fore they decided not to pay for those items and not to pay for the taxes because that‘s

really unfair that they did not get a say. So they stopped and said I am not going to

take this anymore. Then would just walk away like nothing ever happened right then

and there.

The Signings

It took Thomas Jefferson 17 days and nights of revising and editing to write the

Declaration of Independence. Then he revised and edited again and again until the

Declaration of Independence was perfect. After the Declaration of Independence was

written, the paper was sent to the British. The paper was saying that they didn‘t want

to be with the British, and how they wanted to be independent and have their own

rules and/or laws. This means the British got frustrated because the colonists were

saying that they wanted to be by themselves and not with the British anymore. The

Declaration of Independence was written in June 1776.

On December 17, 1773 the Boston Tea Party was very important because it was

one of the main events leading up to the American Revolution. First as the days went

by the colonists had bought tea from Boston like they usually did. But then the colo-

nial tea started to get more expensive. As a result the colonists switched over to the

British tea. The British tea was less money and really good. So as the days and

months went by the British started to raise the price for tea. That again made the colo-

nists mad because they couldn‘t buy the tea anymore since they didn‘t have enough

money for it. Then the colonists went to three different ships that were docked in the

harbor. The colonists got all of the tea that now today is worth $1,000,000 and

dumped all of the tea in the harbor. Therefore the colonists were basically saying that

they couldn‘t tell them what to do and how they want to pay these things. Paul Re-

vere was also in the Boston Tea Party. He played a big role in leading the Boston Tea

Party. As the colonists dumped all of the tea in the harbor the British were watching

them, and later on the British got really mad for what they had done. Because of this,

as the days went on the British had started to fight with them because they didn‘t like

what the colonists had done. For one of the colonist consequences was that they had

to pay for all the tea that they had dumped in the harbor. (cont.)

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Madison School

The Revolutionary War (cont.) Attack, Attack!

The Hessians worked for the British. The Hessians were from a part of

Germany. The Hessians were from a part of Germany because back then

Germany was spilt up into different groups. About 40 groups called Hessi-

ans went with the British and fought in wars/battles with them. Also the

Hessians wore weird hats. For example, some of the Hessians hats looked

like a cone. Another fact about the Hessians is that there were more than

300 groups of the Hessians. The Hessians basically supplied the British

with the tools that they needed and the weapons they needed for the war.

The battle of Trenton was a cold Christmas night in 1776 when the

Americans (or Patriots) were crossing the Delaware River to go to Trenton,

New Jersey. After hours and hours of being on the sea and having to stay

out on that cold night they got to New Jersey. Then they walked about 20

miles before they reached Trenton, where the Hessians were having a party

because it was Christmas. As the Hessians were having a party, the Ameri-

cans snuck up and took out their muskets. Then they started to pick up their

guns and shoot at the Hessians. Also, the Hessians couldn‘t fight back be-

cause that was a surprise attack when the Americans had came and they did-

n‘t have time to fight back. The Patriots took about 900 captive and put

them in jail. Then they killed about 20 of the Hessians. So the British had

less soldiers and people to help them/supply the British.

Everything Comes to an End

York town was a good place where the British were until the Americans

(or patriots) had a plan. Their plan was to surround Yorktown and not let

the British get out of Yorktown, nor gets any materials from other places.

For example they needed to get food from another place. The British would

just have to look around and get food by themselves. Then after a while the

Patriots shot their cannons and their muskets and such. The British couldn‘t

make it any longer. Then two British soldiers went up to the American sol-

diers (or troops) and held a white flag. Also one was on the drums playing a

song called "The World Turned Upside Down."

Conclusion

In this article you learned about the battles, taxes, and the most important

groups of people. Now just image you‘re on a battlefield and you are on the

Americans or British side. Then the first shot goes off. What else do you

see? Maybe, some people are around you, or do you have a musket in your

hand?

Juliet Flores

Ms. Farrell

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Roosevelt School

Home Alone I woke up, jumped out of bed and everyone was still sleeping I said to

myself ―woo hoo, yea I‘m alone!‖ I thought, ―What should I do today?‖

First, I played with my Legos and I made an army house with an army

truck. I soon got bored of my Legos and decided to watch a movie. I popped

the DVD ―Home Alone‖ in to the player and I kicked my feet up watched the

movie. It was so funny I laughed so hard I fell off the couch, ―ouch‖ I shout-

ed. I began to think to myself, ―I feel like Kevin because I feel home

alone!‖ When the movie finished I decided to go jump in my comfy bed! It

was as soft and fluffy as a cloud. I put on my television and my favorite

show, Dragon Ball Z, was on. In my head I was thinking, ―I hope my parents

don‘t wake up yet!‖

Once the snow ended I heard a ―Grrr! Grrr!‖ It was my tummy growling

because I was hungry. I went to the kitchen and I got a yogurt. Then I real-

ized that my dogs were hungry too so I fed them some kibble. After breakfast

I headed outside and played with my football. I was beginning to feel like I

was a grownup and I had my own house!

I went inside and took a nap because I had a long, fun day by myself.

Suddenly, I felt my dad poking me. I woke up and realized my fun day being

alone was over!

Connor Carreiro

Mrs. Kurdyla

Oh No! Crash! Hurricane Sandy arrived. My cool brother and I were play-

ing Madden 13. Out of nowhere, the power went out. Quickly, I called my

mom. She said, ―I know the power went out.‖ I ran as quick as a flash and

got an orange hoody to put on. I felt scared.

Later that spooky night, we played board games. My mom told me

to go into the attic, and get Monopoly and Candy Land. I was so scared that

I asked to take my brother with me. He took the Monopoly, and I took the

Candy Land. I won in Candy Land. Monopoly took long, but we finished.

My brother ran out of money, and so did my mom. My dad and I were left

playing. I ran out of money because I bought an expensive spot on the board.

So now you know how hard Hurricane Sandy was for me. That

night I was scared to go to bed. My parents, my brother, and I went to my

grandma‘s house to sleep because she had power. I am so glad that I had

power during the storm. I will never forget horrible Hurricane Sandy.

Domonic Innocent

Mrs. Prakapas

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Roosevelt School

Red

Red is the color of Santa‘s suit

A lacy Valentine heart

And a tasty strawberry pie

Red sounds like a loud gun shot

That makes everyone run

At the Jamaican Parade

It tastes saucy

Like a juicy meatball

And refreshing like fruit punch

On a hot day

Red feels warm

Like a crackling fire

Taking away the chill

Red can light up your world!

Clive Campbell

Mrs. Prakapas

Pink

Pink is

A loving pink heart,

A shy blush on my face,

Beautiful pink and red strawberries,

It sounds like soft gentle cherry powder,

Like a piglet oinking,

And even sounds like a flamingo calling me,

Pink tastes like soft cotton candy,

Like sweet juicy raspberries,

And cold, delicious strawberry ice-cream,

It feels like a cute teddy bear,

An adorable pink star,

And like my pink heart,

The bright pink color

Gives me special and sweet delight!

Diya Patel

Mrs. Prakapas

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Madison School

Battle for Freedom The Revolutionary War was one of the greatest battles for our freedom. But what

may have caused it? Here you shall learn about the causes and effects, the armies, and

the battles. Now let‘s travel back in time and begin our adventure.

The Causes and Effects

The French and Indian war started in 1753. The British were in this war as well.

Britain sent out their soldiers to fight with the Indians. Britain had lost a lot of their

money for this war. Finally, in 1763 the war had ended. Because of this, Britain

passed a new law that would make the colonists furious.

In 1765 Britain passed the law. They did not let the colonists join in making this

new law. This new law stated that taxes will go on tea and other food products. Brit-

ain had also passed another law that stated every paper must have a stamp to declare

taxes on the paper. Of course, the colonists were furious about this new law. Especial-

ly since they did not have vote in creating this law. The colonists had decided to pro-

test in this new law. The colonists boycotted, made speeches, wrote letters, and did

violent acts.

In between 1765 and 1770 the British soldiers were in the colonies. The British

made sure the colonists were buying their products. The colonists were forced to buy

the British products and pay the taxes.

A Small Payback

On December 16, the men from the colonies were planning something. They had

big barrels filled with tea. That night the men dressed as natives and traveled to Bos-

ton Harbor. They dumped the dumped the tea on the harbor. ―Rally Mohawks bring

out your axes and tell King George we‘ll pay no taxes!‖ they chanted. This big action

was called the Boston Tea Party.

When King George III found out about this, he immediately took action. The colo-

nists had to pay every penny for the tea. He declared that the colonists had to quarter,

or comfort and give shelter, his soldiers. The colonists had to do what the British sol-

diers told them or the colonists would have to pay with their lives.

Years had passed and the colonists sent a treaty to King George III. They sent an olive

branch petition. For safety, the colonists had an army set up if King George III denied

their request. Because of this, there would be a big war upon them.

Meet the Armies

The Continental Army had almost 10,000 soldiers in their group. This army in-

cluded women as nurses and some even fought in this tremendous war. Of course, this

army had no army experience but did have some training. Their general was George

Washington, the best leader they had.

The British army had about 50,000 soldiers in their group. This army was very

prepared since they had amazing training and army experience. This army also includ-

ed Natives, African Americans, and soon Hessians, or German soldiers. Their gener-

als were highly intelligent.

The Greatest Battles

The Battle of Trenton was one of the major battles. The British Army had Hessi-

ans, or German soldiers, on their side. General Washington had a great plan to win

this battle. It was a cold Christmas night so that meant the Hessians would be asleep.

General Washington snuck up on the Hessians when they were asleep or not looking.

Once the Hessians found out that the Americans were near they lined up. (cont.)

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Madison School

Battle for Freedom (cont.)

They fired their muskets but the American side won. The Americans captured 500 and

most of the rest had died.

Saratoga was northeast of Albany and about 50 miles away. The British were led

by Burgoyne and headed south. The Americans were led by Gates and traveled north.

The two armies stopped in the center and began. The Americans had sharpshooters

who shot the leaders and Natives Americans. The British side‘s people were lost by

then. After this battle, the French joined the American side in the Revolutionary war.

―The American sharpshooters had a song that mocked the British attitude‖ (Grand 23).

The Battle of Yorktown was our final and greatest battle. The Americans and

French were planning on surrounding the British. They finally attempted their plan on

surrounding the British. The French surrounded the British by water and land. As for

the Americans, they surrounded the British by land. Finally, on October 17, 1781, the

British army ran out of food and water. Britain surrendered and our freedom was won.

Lastly, the Americans had to sign the Treaty of Paris.

In this book you learned about causes and effects, a small payback, the armies, and

the greatest battles. This was one of the greatest battles for our freedom in my opinion.

Now you know how the revolutionary war started and ended.

Justine Ortiz Gonzalez

Ms. Farrell

Egypt: The Land of Beauty Introduction

Far beyond the harsh deserts and sandstorms lies a land of precious metals

and jewels, a place of worship and wonder: Egypt!

I think Egypt is a wonderful place and I want to share that with you. I will teach you

about the geography of Egypt, the rulers of the land, Egyptian jobs, and Egyptian

religion.


The Geography of Egypt played an important role in where Egyptian cities

were placed and Egypt‘s evolution. Egypt is backwards, as you can see from this map

The Nile, Egypt‘s main water source, empties out into the Mediterranean Sea and runs

through the middle of Egypt. Additionally, the land around the Nile was fertile and

that is where Egyptian cities were placed. On the banks of the Nile were flax plants

that were used to make linen and papyrus which was made into paper.

Chapter 2: Pharaohs

Egypt had many important pharaohs that are still remembered today for

their royal acts. Pharaoh is an Egyptian word that means ―big house‖, but Egyptians

started calling their rulers this because they were the most powerful. ―The king was

attended by scribes, courtiers, his family, priests, and sometimes the governors of the

provinces‖ (The Egyptians 17). Although being a pharaoh was a dream job for some

Egyptians, maybe not all pharaohs wanted to become this. (cont.)

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Hurricane Sandy

―Oh! Mom! What are we going to do? A hurricane is going to hit

our house, what should we do?‖ I called. All of a sudden, the power

went out. We could not even see a thing! Then I bumped into the wall

and hurt my nose. It was only like 7:00 p.m., but I was so scared be-

cause there was a big, green tree right in front of my house. I was

scared that it was going to fall right on top of my house.

My sister was sitting at the kitchen table doing something. Then,

we looked out of the window. We were all scared because the big tree

was moving. I was terrified.

My mom and dad were watching TV, and all of a sudden, every-

thing just turned off. I was in my room and had candles to help me

see in the dark. My two big cousins were over, and I ran across to the

living room. I dropped the candle on the floor. Then I ran to the living

room and said to my mother, ―What has happened?‖

My dad answered. He said, ―That was Hurricane Sandy.‖

I asked my mother what that was, and she said, ―Something that

includes water and wind and they blow together to make it really

strong.‖ Then some people‘s houses were already down or broken

and some of them had trees on top of them. I felt really bad for the

ones who got their houses blown down or broken down or had a big

tree stuck in their houses. We were also without power for a few

weeks, days, or months. I will never forget Hurricane Sandy.

Cassandra Landaverde

Mrs. Prakapas

When My Dad Took Me to Watch Football

I like football and my favorite team is Broncos. I love football be-

cause there are tough players so that‘s how I became tough. At

halftime, I had a drink called Shirley Temple. It looked like a cherry

soda with a cherry. It tasted delicious. Now I love my dad even more

because he took me to see a football game. I was delighted because I

had a nice day.

Christian Scaff

Mrs. Meriton

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Roosevelt School

Yellow

The hot sun is yellow

So is a smooth banana

And a sour lemon is yellow, too

Yellow is quiet

Like a good book

Or a tiny mouse

Yellow tastes sweet

Like delicious Sunny-D

And sweet like chewy Laffy Taffy

Yellow feels hot like an iron

Or the sun beating down on me

It feels smooth like a napkin in my hand

Yellow can brighten your day!

Benee‘ Arrington

Mrs. Prakapas

I Hate Storms It was October 27, 2012, when scary Hurricane Sandy struck. As soon as

the power went out, I was scared to death. My family all went to the living

room. As I kept looking at the huge tree in my large backyard, I got more and

more worried that the tree would fall. ―I‘m scared,‖ I yelled as I was shivering

like glaciers.

We went to bed, and the next morning we were still terribly scared. I

couldn‘t look outside because it was too frightening. I was very bored during

Sandy because we didn‘t have school. Two more days passed and it was my

birthday, Oct. 30. I‘m usually excited for my birthday, but I was sad and dis-

appointed because the storm ruined my special day.

Sandy was going away, so I got very excited. Two more days passed, and

Sandy was officially over. My family was no longer scared. I am very happy

that nothing bad happened to my family. A lot of other people lost their

homes and possessions.

Hurricane Sandy crazily destroyed many places. The Jersey Shore was one

of those places…DESTROYED. The board walk was practically demolished.

I was just happy that the tragic hurricane was over, my family was safe, and

we did not have any major damage.

Brian Alicea

Mrs. Prakapas

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Madison School

Egypt: The Land of Beauty (cont.)

Hatshepsut

Many Pharaohs were men, but few like Cleopatra and Hatshepsut were women.

Queen Hatshepsut was the first female pharaoh and se ruled for 15 years. In those 15

years she accomplished a lot. She expanded Egypt by trade and created a new building

called an Obelisk. Furthermore, Queen Hatshepsut was said to have dies peacefully but

some believe that she was murdered by her step-son! Either way, when Hatshepsut dies

her step-son Thutmose III destroyed everything of her existence as queen.

Akhenaton

Akhenaton was the only pharaoh to change his and his citizen‘s religion from poly-

theism to monotheism. Akhenaton closed all the temples of the gods except for the sun

god, Aton. The priests of the other gods were angered by this and they forced Akhena-

ton to move to a new city which he named Akhenaton.

Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms

The Old Kingdom was the first Kingdom and was the strongest and most thriving of

the three. By the times of the Middle Kingdom the economy was falling. Egypt was

open to attacks and invasions. A nomad clan, called the Hyksos, took Egypt over for

100 years. Then came the final kingdom, the New Kingdom. After the Hyksos disap-

peared from Egypt, the economy was built back up and expanded. Egypt was made

brand new again.

Chapter 3: Jobs

Egyptians played many roles. They could be many things but I think that farmers

and miners were the best. Egyptian farmers used tools called shadufs which were used

to spread around water and irrigation canals. Miners were relied on by artisans because

of the precious jewels and metals that they mined. Miners would mine iron, gold, tur-

quoise, lapis lazuli, and bronze.

Chapter 4: Before the Afterlife

When someone died they were placed in a mummification process. There 2 ways to

mummify a body, a natural mummification which left the body just skeleton and a good

mummification which was demonstrated by high priests. When the high priests did

mummification the cleared out the body of all organs except the heart and embalmed

the body with oils. Next they wrapped the body in linen and stuck amulets into the linen

wrapping.

Religious Beliefs

Furthermore, Egyptians believed that there was a life after death, the afterlife. When

people were mummified all organs were removed and put into jars. The only organ that

was left in the body was the heart. It was believed that in the afterlife a god named

Anubis weighed the hearts of those who entered and depending on how much their

hearts weighed determined the fate of their afterlife. It was said that if a person‘s heart

weigh lighter than a feather that this person did not carry any guilt and was going to

have a nice afterlife. But if someone‘s heart weighed more than a feather that person

would have a bad afterlife. ―A temple was the palace or home of a certain god. Beyond

the large hall was the sanctuary, containing the shrine of the god‖ (The Egyptians 21).

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Madison School

Egypt: The Land of Beauty (cont.) Conclusion

Lastly, Egypt has many landmarks, pharaohs, jobs, and religious beliefs. All of which,

in my opinion, are awesome! Just imagine yourself as pharaoh looking down on your

loving followers and watching your monuments being built, it would be incredible! If

you would like to learn more about Egypt please check out your local library or surf

the web.

Rachel Ortiz

Ms. Farrell

The Revolution During the many years surrounding the American Revolution, a bunch of interest-

ing things happened, for example, the stamp act, and the sugar act. However, you‘ll

have to read on and see for yourself!

Taxes Keep Rising --Chapter One

It was spring time in the country of England, and although the weather was nice,

all the citizens who lived there were gloomy and sad, but who could blame them! The

king, (King George III) was raising the taxes so much! He made a new tax that we

today call the stamp act. The Stamp Act was when you had to buy or somehow obtain

stamps to put on all of your paper goods! Many said, ―No taxation without representa-

tion! But it didn‘t matter, the king made yet another tax, but this one was the sugar

act. This act made you pay extra for products that came from across the sea on boats

like sugar.

Afterwards, there was one last act that is not well known, the tea act. The tea act

happened when the East Indian Company sold tea for such an unbelievably low price

compared to the other tea merchants, that they were not allowed to sell their tea any-

more. So ships filled with tea just sat there in the harbor. Now, if you ask me, angry

colonists and ships filled with tea that were completely unguarded -that was a recipe

for disaster.

―Tea Time‖--Chapter Two

It was a cold night in Boston the date: December 16, 1773 and a horrible situation

was underway. A group of people called the Sons of Liberty dressed up as Mohawk

Indians and boarded one of the unguarded ships, and dumped more than one thousand

pounds, (British Currency) worth of tea into the Boston harbor. This was known as the

Boston Tea Party. But no sooner did they commit this crime, the king found out. The

king could not stand the fact that all that tea was just wasted. At that point the King

went ballistic, (Angry beyond belief). He made everyone in the town of Boston take

care of a soldier. Wash their clothes feed them, etcetera.

Sometime later in 1777 the battle of Saratoga will soon commence. The British

army was led by John Burgoyne, and the Americans were led by Horatio Gates. The

Americans had very accurate soldiers who were well trained with guns: These were

called sharpshooters. A sharpshooter took a shot at John Burgoyne, (Now keep in

mind that the Americans had no idea that they were there) and he missed. He took

another shot; it just barely skimmed the horse. And the final shot hit Burgoyne right

int he chest. (cont.)

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Roosevelt School

About Soccer

Soccer is a good sport because you can make goals, you

can steal balls, and other players help you feel better when you

fall down. One time I made 18 goals and my team was so ex-

cited! It was overtime so my team picked me to make a goal,

so I did it and I made the goal and we all got medals!

Alexander Paz Mrs. Meriton

The Best Night Ever

On New Years I had a big party at my house. I counted 25

kids and adults in total. Everybody had to be at my house at

8:00 pm. On Monday before the party, we went to Party City at

9:00 am. At Party City we got a garbage can, white and turquoise

hair spray, and blue white green and yellow string spray, plates

that were turquoise and white necklaces .

We raced back to our house and made what felt like 1,000

cookies! My mom was stressing out. We decorated the living

and dining room. Robert and his family came first. Robert said

he wanted to play a game on the computer so I put him on my

parent‘s computer.

Then everyone started to come. Nahuel came bursting out of

my front door. Nahuel gave me a hug and screamed ‗‘HAPPY

NEW YEAR!‘‘ Everybody brought food. First, some people

wanted to use the hair spray so we did. Then we played hide and

seek and tag. We sang popular songs from 2013, like, ―What Did

The Fox Say‖, ―Roar‖, ―Counting Stars‖, ―Demons‖ and

―Timber‖. I was so tired that I was the first one to go to sleep. It

was the best night in the whole world!

Andrea Torres Mrs. Meriton

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Roosevelt School

Rain to my Spirits As I stood near my window seeing a harsh rain pour,

I couldn't stand to leave for school anymore,

The teachers were mean, rude, and sore

And not to mention my reading skills were poor,

An entire group of pupils sat impatiently on the bus,

The guys just sighed while the girls gave a fuss,

It was only the first month and this wasn't how I planned,

And even the members of book club decided I was banned!

Wait to hear how this sad tale will end,

The rain had stopped and I found my new friend,

And with the hand he had generously lend,

I'm a glad to say I want to attend.

Sarah Singh

Mr. Ericksen

It Happened On the Track

My moment happened on the track. In track it is so hard to do

an 800m and a 400m race. It was my only

chance to do an 800m race . Then my next event was the 400m

and I won 2nd place! My mom was so happy, so she and I went

to get something to eat and we had so much fun .When that won-

derful day was over, we came home and my family watched a

TV show. I felt wonderful.

Ajanae Thompson Mrs. Meriton

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Madison School

The Revolution (cont.) The continentals won. After three years of taxes and skirmishes and battles, a man

named George Washington starts to lead the American army as general. Now George

W. has been general for a while now and he is now leading his troops to Trenton along

with General Greene and General Mercer. The generals were now roughly three miles

away from Trenton. The three of them came in to Trenton from the north, the north-

east and the northwest while the British came in from the south on the other side of

Trenton by the Assunpink river and the Delaware river close by to them too, Making it

harder to retreat.

In the year of1781 in Yorktown, General G and his army were digging trenches in

the ground for an unknown reason but, later to be found out. Soon enough, the Ameri-

can army and the British army were fighting at full throttle. The Continentals dug

trenches in the ground to take the British soldiers by surprise. When The Americans

killed a lot of the British soldiers and they could not take any more, the white flag

came up. (THE BRITISH SURENDERED!) The Americans took down the mighty

British. The treaty of Paris was held to sign the declaration of independence was creat-

ed and signed so there would not be any more wars battles or taxes. The War was

over.

Conclusion

Well as promised, you found out what happened at the battle of Trenton, the battle

of Saratoga plus more! If you want to find out more, you can visit a local library, or

read more about it on the internet.

Ryan Flynn

Ms. Farrell

What About Egypt? Introduction

Have you ever heard of Egypt? I‘m sure you have, but do you know all of the

nitty-gritty facts? In myopinion, Egypt is very interesting and factual. In this infor-

mational book, you will learn about Egypt‘s Geography, Pharaohs, Beliefs, Jobs,

and some Fun Facts.

Chapter 1: Where‘s Egypt?

Ancient Egypt was a wonderful and famous Civilization. Egypt is part of the

African Continent. It is located West from the Red Sea, and is South of Europe.

Egypt traded with Jerusalem, Cyprus, Mycene, Punt, and India. They traded things

such as copper, grain, gold, minerals, silver, spices, and timber. Egypt is also locat-

ed 800 miles apart from Babylonia. Babylonia is also a very famous Civilization.

Chapter 2: Important People

There were very important people in Egypt who had to control everything. Those

people were called Pharaohs. A Pharaoh is someone who controls the land. For

example, how the President rules/controls the United States of America. The first

female Pharaoh was Hatshepsut. She expanded Egypt by trade. Another Pharaoh,

[that‘s a male] name Ramses II also expanded Egypt. He expanded Egypt by war.

Last, but not least, we have Pharaoh Akhenaton. He changed the law to only believ-

ing in one God. The Sun God, Aton. Priests and many people were upset and furi-

ous. Since Akhenaton didn‘t want to deal with the priests and people he decided to

move to a new Capital City call Akhetaton. (cont.)

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Madison School

What About Egypt? (cont.) Chapter 3: Beliefs

During Ancient Civilizations, there were many beliefs. People believed in Gods

and Afterlife. Not everyone believed in the same God, but when Akhenaton became

Pharaoh, that all changed. He made all of his people believe in the Sun God, Aton.

The priests believed that they could communicate with the Gods. They communicated

with the Gods when they needed something from them. When somebody died they

were mummified. After they were mummified they were hidden in a pyramid. The

preserved bodies were hidden instead of not being hidden because people broke into

the tombs to steal all of the expensive things left for the mummy. These people are

called Grave Robbers. In the pyramids, they had things such as jewelry, couches,

food, and many other things that were used daily, because Egyptians believed in af-

terlife. Afterlife is when a person or animal is reborn.

Chapter 4: Jobs

There are many important things in Egypt, and the work they did, was just one of

them. Grave Robbers, Miners, Farmers, Scribes, Artisans, and Pharaohs all take part

in the Egyptian Community. These are important jobs. You might be thinking, why a

grave robber is on a job list. Well technically these are people who break into pyra-

mids and find the tombs of pharaohs to steal. A scribe is someone who wrote for oth-

ers [not everybody knew how to write]. Pharaohs are people that are very important,

that control everything. An artisan is a person who creates things by hand. Farmers

grew crops, and made papyrus. Papyrus was one of the first pieces of paper made.

They also used a shudof. A shudof is a tool that was used to bring water from one

place to another for irrigation.

Chapter 5: Fun Facts

Here are some of my favorite Top Ten Facts that will make you stand back in

shock:

Both men and women wore makeup.

The Egyptian Alphabet contained 700 hieroglyphs.

130 Pyramids have been discovered in Egypt.

Egyptians worshiped over 2000 Gods.

The Nile Flooded at the same time every year, which helped the farmers out a ton.

Ancient Egyptians loved board games.

Egyptian women had a wide range of rights.

Egyptian workers were known to organize Labor Strikes.

Pharaohs were often over weight.

Egyptian Pyramids were NOT built by slaves.

Conclusion

In this informational book, you have now learned about Egypt‘s Geography, Phar-

aohs, Beliefs, Jobs, and some Fun Facts. Now that you have learned about Egypt,

when you are studying it in class, you will be ahead, and you‘re teacher will be im-

pressed. To find out where I got all of this wonderful information, go check out my

bibliography.

Sofia Aguirre

Ms. Farrell

103

Roosevelt School

The Time I got Stung by Three Bees

―Hey guys, do you want to make a fort‖ I said to my cousins. We

ripped of a branch and put it by my cousin third tree house. When we

did that, Patrick yelled, ―I got stung by a bee!‖ He started to run to the

house and I started to run too. Chris started to run behind me. When I

looked at my ankle I saw a bee on it and I felt it sting me. I started to

run faster.

When I got into the house I screamed ―I got stung by a bee!‖ My

aunt told me to go into the bathroom and get undressed and take a

shower to wash of the bees. When I got into the shower it felt like they

were still on me. But when I started to feel relaxed I saw a bee in the

bathroom.

I yelled, ―Aunt Ge Ge, there is a bee in the bathroom.‖ She came

flying in. She grabbed one of my shoes grabbed one of my shoes and

tried to get it. She did not. She called in my Uncle Chris. He squished

it with my shoe and after that I felt relaxed.

In all of that Patrick and I got stung but Chris was not. We never

found a hive and don‘t know where the bees came from. Next time we

have to be more careful.

RJ Kluse Mrs. Kurdyla

The Pain

Tears running down my cheeks, my mind is blank from hearing the

news. My grandmother died. My head tilted downward looking at the

ground trying to get my thoughts straight. My first reaction was to get

up and hug my father. Hugging him tighter and tighter I say, ―Please

tell me you‘re lying‖ but he wasn‘t. Seeing me cry, my father started

feeling my pain and says ―its Ok stop crying‖. That did nothing. My

head raced with thoughts of my grandmother. Thoughts and pictures

of her taking care of me and sleeping with me at her house because I

was scared.

Damian Jacobo

Mr. Harms

102

Roosevelt School

A Bee! ―Wow! That‘s a very big purple and pink caterpillar!‖ I said.

―That‘s a big bee!‖ said my brother Brandon. My mom told him it

was just a caterpillar. ―Can we go to the park?‖ I asked my mom.

She said ―Sure!‖

When we got in the car there was a big black spider on the win-

dow! ―A spider!‖ I said in fear. ―A bee!‖ said Brandon.‖ Why does

he keep calling a bug a bee?‖ I asked myself.

When we got to the park there was a butterfly with the prettiest

shades of blue on its wings. My brother said ―A Bee!‖ We played

tag for a while until it was time to go.

When we got home there was a bee as fuzzy as a puppy on a

flower in my yard! My brother said ―A bee!‖ and started petting it! I

screamed ―No Brandon!‖ He stopped petting it and ran inside and I

told him never call a bug a bee unless it was a real bee and he didn‘t.

Madeline Ava Christopher Mrs. Kurdyla

The Time I Got My Fish ―Mya do you want to get a fish today?‖ my grandma asked me. OK,

I would love a pet fish. I felt so happy that I was going to have my

own pet fish.

While we were in the fish store, there were a lot of fish in tanks, I

looked at a fish and said, this is the one I want. He was red and blue

and had flowy fins that looked like seaweed. Grandma warned me that

he couldn‘t be out in a bowl with other fish because he would try to

kill them. It‘s called a beta fish. My grandma bought it for me and they

put him in a plastic him a big fish tank and some rocks and plants so

he can feel like he is in the ocean. There a little log he sleeps in and

swims in and out of it.

We brought him home and I said, ―Lets name him Barack after the

president of the united states.‘‘ And grandma said ―ok!‖ I really like

my new fish Barack.

Mya Vega Mrs. Kurdyla

99

Roosevelt School

The Time I Went to the Justin Bieber Concert. My mom said, ‗‘Are you excited for the Justin Bieber concert?‘‘ I said,

―yes I am.‘‘ My sisters and I loaded into my mom‘s car and my mom drove

us to the concert. My sisters and I were sitting in the back of the car and we

were really anxious to get to the show.

Then, we finally got there. We found our seats. We were twelve rows away

from the stage. I screamed and I couldn‘t believe my eyes. I was seating at

my seat and he started singing One Less Lonely Girl. I really loved that song

because he played the piano.

I was really hungry that my stomach was making noises. After he sang

One Less Lonely Girl, we got dinner. I got chicken fingers with french

fries. My two sisters got chicken fingers also. Mom got two little cheese

burgers. To drink I got a Pepsi. My two sisters got a Pepsi also. So did my

mom.

Then, we went back to our seats to watch the show. When the concert was

over, we went to go look at shirts. There was a crowd to get shirts. We had to

wiggle our way to the front. I looked at the shirt and I asked my mom if we

can get it. I begged my mom for it. She said, ‗‘yes you may get it Amber.‘‘

The shirt had a picture with him on the front and on the back it was a list

where he went on his tour. After that we went home.

Amber Maher

Mrs. Kurdyla

Disney World Oh my goodness! My feet were tired and we were at the safari line, but

it was an hour long wait. Finally it was our turn, and we got on the ride. It

took off and I wondered what I was going to see.

Our guide said, ―Here are some elephants and ostriches‖. They looked as

big, as an apartment building. She stopped so we could look at the alligator

pond. One alligator opened its jaws so wide it could eat a person. Then I

heard a CRASH, the alligator snapped its jaws closed. I felt scared. We

passed some cute brown and black bears playing with each other. It was

funny. Our guide said, ―Here are the yaks, the most furious animals we

have‖. The yaks looked all brown and spiky as a porcupine. ―They sure did

look furious‖. My mom said, ―Don‘t worry, they won‘t hurt you, they are in

a big fence that they can‘t break‖ .I felt really, really terrified. I was taking

lots of pictures with my phone, but suddenly realized that my phone was out

of battery. That was disappointing to me.

We reached the end of the ride where we had to get off at the loading station. I

got so sad because we had to get off. I asked my mom if we could go on again. She

said, ―Maybe tomorrow‖. Ariana Gaub

Mrs. Kurdyla

100

Roosevelt School

Fire Alarm I was sitting in class enjoying my day when all of a sudden the loud

speaker startled me.

A voice came over it and said ―Miss O‘Hara‖, and Miss O‘Hara said

―Yes?‖

The person said, ―There is going to be a fire drill in a few minutes.‖

―OK.‖ said Miss O‘Hara. I thought to myself this is not OK! I was freak-

ing out! I soon demanded ―Let‘s go! Lets go!‖ Miss Wallack said, ―Don‘t

worry we are going outside before they pull the fire alarm.‖

Miss Wallack and I walked straight to the office. I walked with my ears

covered, pulling her down the hallway. We finally got outside and sat on the

stairs in front of the school. While we were waiting outside we talked a little

bit. I was still feeling a little nervous though. We were waiting and waiting

for so long my fingers felt like ice pops! I thought to myself ―Boy I wish I

had my sweater.‖ All of a sudden we were interrupted by a loud,

Beep! Beep! Beep! I jumped up and said ―It‘s the fire alarm! It‗s the fire

alarm!" We watched as everyone evacuated the building.

Finally, the fire alarm stopped beeping. Everyone was able to reenter the

building. I knew I was safe. I started to think to myself maybe I overreacted

a little bit. Andrew Orozco Mrs. Kurdyla

My Day as a Chair ―Mom come here fast, I am turning into something!‖ I yelled to my

mom.

―What is it?‖ she asked me. ―It‘s chair! We have to do something!‖

A few minutes later I was fully changed. That was not good.

―How can this happen‖, I asked myself. Maybe there is a scientific

explanation. My mom took me to a scientist and he told her that it would only

last a day.

During my day as a chair everyone wanted to sit on me. My brother

even spilled juice on me and I was soaked! My mom put a sign on me and it

said, ―Don‘t Sit here!‖

Two hours later my head was back. Three hour later I was halfway

back. Finally, about 5 hours later I was myself again. I‘m glad to be back!

Jerrell Diaz

Mrs. Kurdyla

101

Roosevelt School

Home Alone I woke up, jumped out of bed and everyone was still sleeping I said

to myself ―woohoo, yea I‘m alone!‖ I thought, ―What should I do today?‖

First, I played with my Legos and I made an army house with an army

truck. I soon got bored of my Legos and decided to watch a movie. I

popped the DVD ―Home Alone‖ in to the player and I kicked my feet up

watched the movie. It was so funny I laughed so hard I fell off the couch,

―ouch‖ I shouted. I began to think to myself, ―I feel like Kevin because I

feel home alone!‖ When the movie finished I decided to go jump in my

comfy bed! It was as soft and fluffy as a cloud. I put on my television and

my favorite show, Dragon Ball Z, was on. In my head I was thinking, ―I

hope my parents don‘t wake up yet!‖

Once the snow ended I heard a ―Grrr! Grrr!‖ It was my tummy growling

because I was hungry. I went to the kitchen and I got a yogurt. Then I real-

ized that my dogs were hungry too so I fed them some kibble. After break-

fast I headed outside and played with my football. I was beginning to feel

like I was a grownup and I had my own house!

I went inside and took a nap because I had a long, fun day by myself.

Suddenly, I felt my dad poking me. I woke up and realized my fun day be-

ing alone was over! Connor Carreiro Mrs. Kurdyla

Atlantic City ―Get set we are going to Atlantic City‖! My dad yelled from the

kitchen .Yes we are finally going there.

When we got there I said, "lets go and see the water show. The

lights and the water going up and down makes it look cool .

After we saw the water show we went to the candy store. My mom

said, ―ok pick any candy $10.00 or less.‖ My sister and I ran to the candy shelf

that had the candy we wanted and paid for our candy.

We walked through some stores we saw that were also in Rahway.

We went in a store called the Brooks store. It had this new type of clay called

sand. You can mold it and it doesn‘t make a mess! Wow! I thought

After we picked up our dad we all got in the car and drove all the way

home. I was a little sad from all the fun I had but I couldn‘t wait to eat my

candy!

Kayla Bunsee Mrs. Kurdyla

Ex Animo - Rahway Public Schools

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