Middle Wrinkle 2015 - Monticello Central School

Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
Middle Wrinkle
Mother’s Day Clay Wall Vase
By Valentina Rolden,
Grade 6
Literary Art Magazine
1
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
Middle Wrinkle
The Literary-Art Magazine of
Robert J. Kaiser Middle School
Volume 14 Edition 3
May 2015
Free to all students and faculty
Robert J. Kaiser Middle School
45 Breakey Avenue
Monticello, NY 12701
845-796-3058
Fax: 845-796-3099
www.monticelloschools.net
dbausenwein@k12mcsd.net (advisor)
Awards from Columbia Scholastic Press Association
One Gold Medalist
Four Medalist
Ten First Place
One Silver Medalist
Awards from the National Council of English Teachers
One rating of Excellent
Two ratings of Above Average
Awards from the American Scholastic Press Association
Eleven First Place
Three First Place with Special Merit
Most Outstanding Middle School Literary-Art Magazine 2002
Most Outstanding Intermediate School Literary-Art Magazine 2011
Most Outstanding Middle School Literary-Art Magazine 2012
Goals:
The goals of the Middle Wrinkle are to demonstrate exemplary literary and art pieces
from the students of the Robert J. Kaiser Middle School, grades 6-8. Students or
teachers may submit any piece of student writing or art work to be considered for print
in the Middle Wrinkle. Advisors select pieces based on content, originality, and quality
of work. All students are encouraged to submit material to be considered.
The students and advisors decide the format of each edition based on the material
accepted for publication. Material selected gets typed into Microsoft Word. The font
used is Tahoma size 12. Change in font is used for variation. Word Art is used for the
cover page and occasionally within the magazine for variation. Clip Art is rarely used.
Original student artwork is scanned and put into the document.
The Middle Wrinkle is fully funded by Monticello Central School District’s budget.
Publication takes place from start to finish in RJK Middle School.
2
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
Staff Page
Teachers Contributing Student Writing
Charise Barasch
Debora Bausenwein
Kelly McCabe
Tracey Orlan
Rachael Petrone
William Reed
Christine Worthington
Teachers Contributing Student Art Work
Elizabeth Bassett
Tricia Cahalan
Student Editor
Noel Varughese
Front Cover
“Mother’s Day Clay Wall Vase”
Valentina Rolden Grade 6
Art Advisor
Elizabeth Bassett
Advisor
Debora Bausenwein
Principal
Nichole Horler
3
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
Table of Contents
Continental Drift
5
Noel Varughese
I Am Dacota
6
Dacota Faison
I Am Kevin
Kevin Coviello
Just Because I’m Irish
Carson Somers
I Am Lauryn
Lauryn Grodin
The Unseen World
7
Molly Smith
A Cruel Man
8
Elizabeth Granados
The Crime Before
Robert VanHouten
Working in Plantations
Miriam Elsayed
Slavery
Greish Valentin
Words of Sadness
9
Mayra Leon
Working Slaves
Hannah O’Donohue
A Slave’s Life
Jenna Borko
Sleeping of the Slaves 10
Quentin Cruz
The Sorrows of Their Hearts
Mackenzie Straut
11
Life for Slaves Working on the
Plantation Farm
Katriona Faison
Singing for Joy
12
Jashai George
Slave’s Life
Angela McArdle
The Cruel Master
13
Carlos Carvajal
The Life of a Slave
Nathaniel Varughese
Sleeping at Night
Shelby Taggart
Songs of Emotion
Isabella Tagliamonti
The Horrors of the Field
Stanley Rivas
Anyone
Julia Simonetti
Life Like Death
Shivam Patel
The Overseer
Kolby Bailey
Maya
Maya Houri
I am Cenus
Cenus Simmons
I Am Poem
Aaliyah Alston
The Band
Marina Sandoval
Hoodied Teen
Ary Barreto Sanes
Wonderland
Kylie Quiles Velez
Draculaura
Alyssa Welsh
Panther
Wendy Marban
Burning House
James Lopez
City Block
Davon DeFreese
4
13
14
15
16
17
19
20
21
22
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
Continental Drift
By Noel Varughese,
Grade 6
Alfred Wegener was a great scientist. He
was the person who had the theory of
continental drift. But, in his time the scientific
community didn’t accept his idea of continental
drift. The main reason why people doubted him
was because he couldn’t explain how the
continents moved. Then, later in time, scientists
found out a theory that can prove Wegener’s
theory, sea-floor spreading.
The first reason why scientists didn’t
believe Wegener’s theory is because he couldn’t
prove how the continents had moved. How could
the continents move through the Earth’s solid
crust? Wegener had no idea how the continents
could move so people didn’t believe him.
One reason why scientists began to
believe Wegner’s theory was because of the
theory of sea-floor spreading. Later, in time,
after Wegener was gone, a group of scientists
developed another theory of continental drift
based on Wegener’s evidence. This theory was
known as sea-floor spreading. Those geologists
thought that a transfer of heat caused the
continents to move. The heat starts deep in the
Earth and then rises to the surface, and returns
underground in a pattern. This makes the Earth’s
crust get destroyed and created again. Since this
destruction came to be, scientists realized that
Pangaea got broken down into small pieces
because of that destruction. So, then, they
finally believed that Wegener’s theory was true.
The reason scientists had doubted Alfred
Wegener’s theory of continental drift was
because Wegener couldn’t explain how
continents can move. The reason scientists later
began to support Wegener’s theory was because
of another theory called sea-floor spreading.
5
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
I Am Dacota
By Dacota Faison,
Grade 6
I Am Kevin
By Kevin Coviello,
Grade 6
I am Dacota
Daughter of Natasha
Who needs time
Who loves her family and friends
Who sees a great future ahead of her
Who hates racism, being judged, bullying
Who fears close family members or
friends dying
Who dreams of being successful
Resident of New York
Faison
I am Kevin
Son of Chris,
Who needs sleep and exercise,
Who loves my parents,
Who sees the sunrise and sunset,
Who hates chorus and music in
other languages,
Who fears spiders and clowns,
Who dreams of being rich,
Resident of Earth, North America,
U.S., New York, Wurtsboro, Mark
Lane
Coviello
Just Because I’m Irish
By Carson Somers,
Grade 6
I Am Lauryn
By Lauryn Grodin,
Grade 6
Just because I’m Irish
Doesn’t mean I have orange hair
Doesn’t mean I wear a kilt
Doesn’t mean I play bagpipes
Just because I’m Irish
Doesn’t mean I have an accent
Doesn’t mean I live in Ireland
Doesn’t mean I don’t like partying
Just because I’m Irish
Did you ever think of this before?
Are you Irish?
Do you agree?
I am proud to be Irish!
I am Lauryn
Daughter of Todd and Kathryn
Who needs cheese
Who loves dogs
Who sees dead people
Who fears spiders
Who dreams of being married
Resident of Sarine Road Masten Lake
Grodin
6
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
The Unseen World
By Molly Smith,
Grade 8
The reflective mask
that hides a killer’s mark
and the breaths stolen
by my piecing talons
For I am the Ice
Who attacks
the unexpecting
I have read
the Grim’s prophecy
The darkest side
of what was and is
The insignificance
of every first and last breath
To those who burn
with the mark of immortality
Who I am sworn to protect
with the guidance
of my light
For I am the Moon
Who guides this hidden world
with my eyes
I am the start
of this poisonous frost
Giving notice to those
Who I deed deserving
Watching as the careless souls
fall in deep slumber
Carrying my sad and forgotten song
to those unfortunate enough to hear
Leaving them petrified
as I continue to flow
Being dragged to the ground
By the Proud’s mighty claws
For I am the Wind
Who gives
the first warning
I carry the weight of the world
on my broken arms and back
With every passing sun and moon,
friend or enemy,
I grow weak
Tainted by the lost souls
that blindly steals our last breath
Healed by the frozen tears
who connect us with that of light
Burdened with the responsibility
to protect or drain
those of new
For I am the Tree
Who is frozen
in an unraveling time
I bind the souls
with a golden string
In perfect control
of everything that was and is,
has and will be
Fear in the eyes
of those who can’t
see me for what I am
Watching carefully
and written a plan
Creating the maze
that never ends
Who moves against
everything
I may be considered beautiful
at first glance
My glistening art
devouring everything in sight
Where the smallest detail
is life or death
Always waiting patiently
Invisible to those
of the other side
Where night
is seen
in the darkest of shades
Behold how my eyes see
Winter
7
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
The Crime Before
By Robert VanHouten,
Grade 7
A Cruel Man
By Elizabeth Granados,
Grade 7
When I see you, I see evil, I feel no
hope, no joy, I just see evil where you
stand. “Cursing, raving, cutting, and
slashing among the slave” when you
come in my cabin early in the morning I
hear Boom, Boom, Boom, by the heels of
your boots ready the hurt my brothers,
my sisters, and all you give in return you
give me not much food to give to my
family “The men and women received
monthly eight pounds of pork and fish,
one bundle of corn meal in possible
greater mistake,” The crunch, crack,
crunching of the fields while you passed,
I’m hard at work, while you look down
on me, but when this is all over I’ll be at
the top and you at the bottom!
Off to the fields at the drivers horn that
Sounds like a trumpet at a concert
Woe betides them who hear not
If he catches you there will be
Blood on the ground like puddles
Of rain water
Slashing of the overseer ready to whip
As easy as whipping cream
The hooves of the overseer’s horse
Were like booms of the drums
His cruelty chills the blood of an
Ordinary man, with one look you
Fell frozen like ice.
Working in Plantations
By Miriam Elsayed,
Grade 7
Slavery
By Greish Valentin,
Grade 7
Slaves working all day
In the hot field,
Gathering cotton.
Having no clothes,
Sleeping on the cold damp floor,
Snap! Crack!
Mr. Severe was the cruel overseer,
Not knowing how to
Read or write,
The slaves were on
A bad mood
Having no or less
food
As their monthly allowance of food
Eight pounds of pork
Mr. Severe was rightly named a
Cruel man
Ready to whip
Whip a woman
To deepen my
Hatred
Of slavery
8
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
Words of Sadness
By Mayra Leon,
Grade 7
Working Slaves
By Hannah O’Donohue,
Grade 7
They told a tale of woe which was
Then beyond my feeble comprehension.
They were tones loud, long, and deep.
The hearing of those wild notes
Always depressed my spirits and
Filled me with ineffable sadness
Every tone was a testimony against
Slavery, and a prayer to God for
Deliverance from chains.
I have frequently found myself in
Tears while hearing them.
The mere recurrence to those
Songs, even now, afflicts me, and
While I am writing these lines,
An expression of feeling has
Already found its way down my cheek.
To those songs I trace my first glimmering
Conception of the dehumanizing character
Of slavery.
I can never get rid of that conception.
The want of time to sleep
Consumed in preparing the field.
One common bed, the cold, damp floor,
Hearing the squishing of the dirt.
Never being treated correctly.
Woe betides them,
Ready to whip anyone,
As he is a cruel man,
If they are not awakened.
The sound of the whip was unbearable.
As we got ready for the field.
A Slave’s Life
By Jenna Borko,
Grade 7
Almost naked
No beds given
Sleep till they are summoned to the field
Field of blood and blasphemy
Ineffable anguish
Unhappiness
Sung to drown my sorrows
Slaves singing slowly while in the fields
The whips scream at the slaves, moving them along
Scrape, Scrape, Scrape working the soil
The sun tells them the day is ending
Slaves slowly slip into sleep
9
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
Sleeping of the Slaves
By Quentin Cruz,
Grade 7
Side by side
One common blanket
The blanket was thin and small, like paper.
They dropped down on this cold, damp floor.
No bed unless one blanket is considered such.
They lie on this cold, damp floor
They sleep – on this cold, damp floor.
Old, young, male, female, single, married
All drop down on this cold, damp floor.
They cry, they lie, they sigh – on this cold, damp floor.
Finding it less difficult from wanting beds.
The wind howled like a wolf on a hill
Blankets used as beds, put on the cold, damp floor.
Each covering one another with their
Miserable blankets side by side
on this
cold, damp floor.
10
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
The Sorrows of Their Hearts
By Mackenzie Straut,
Grade 7
“He was cursing, raving, cutting
And slashing”
As mean as a bull
“Armed with a large hickory
Stick and heavy cow skin”
They were treated like
Animals at a zoo
The “field of blood and
Blasphemy”
With the crack of
The whip
The pain came over
Them like a wave
“The sorrows of his
Heart”
The cry of their pain
“Woe betides them”
Life for Slaves Working on the Plantation Farm
By Katriona Faison,
Grade 7
Monthly allowance, yearly clothing
Sleep till they are summoned
As if they were being called by their queen
Start field at the sound of a horn
Honk! Honk! Like a dog being called
By a whistle children unable to
Work in field consumed in preparing for field.
11
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
Singing For Joy
By Jashai George,
Grade 7
Frederick Douglass, I thank you
For fighting for your freedom
To witness cruelty and profanity
You are a warrior
Singing for joy,
Crying for joy,
Highest joy and deepest sadness
Slave’s Life
By Angela McArdle,
Grade 7
Experience my happiness
Slaves and their children cried
Like babies
Cruel
Blasphemy
Summoned to the field by the horn
No beds given the slaves
The whip was as loud as a motorcycle
engine
Crack!
Whipping
Blood
The flow of the slave’s blood as smooth as
a waterfall.
Whoosh!
Crying, pleading
Sorrows
The songs
Greater mistake
Mister Severe
Vicious
Cutting, slashing their heads
As horrifying as a nightmare.
Slaves shed so many tears
I trace my first glimmering
Conception
Singing for joy,
Crying for joy
12
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
The Cruel Master
By Carlos Carvajal,
Grade 7
The Life of a Slave
By Nathaniel Varughese,
Grade 7
A cruel man
Armed with a large hickory stick
Ready to whip
Snap! Crack!
Causing the blood to run half an hour
Like a broken water tank
Snap! Crack!
Take pleasure in manifesting his
Fiendish barbarity
He died as he lived
With his cruelty
received their monthly allowance
food…
clothing…
preparing for the coming day
dropping down side by side,
on one common bed – the cold…floor
till they are summoned to the field
Sleeping at Night
By Shelby Taggart,
Grade 7
Songs of Emotion
By Isabella Tagliamonti,
Grade 7
Had no beds to sleep on
A blanket if they were lucky
Only women and men had them
Children sleep on a cold, damp
floor
Waken up by the whip of cruelty
Working all day, a sleep half the
night
Blankets were not a privilege
No sleep at night
Need beds to get enough sleep
Working all day not getting sleep
Damp floor, summoned to the field.
No halting, astonished woe besides them
Slaves sing most unhappy, sorrows of his
heart
Drown my sorrow express happiness
Prompted some emotion
13
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
The Horrors at the Field
By Stanley Rivas,
Grade 7
The field
It would cause pain to many
Of the slaves
It was enough to chill an
Ordinary man
Mr. Severe
Was as cruel as a man
Who spits on kids
The field was the place to
Witness his cruelty
His presence was basically
The devil arriving
Penalty – whipping!
Anyone
By Julia Simonetti,
Grade 7
Allowance of food
Eight pounds of pork
Monthly – hungry as a homeless man
No beds given
One blanket – coarse
Coarse as cow hide
One common bed
The cold, damp floor – brr!
He was a cruel man
As cruel as abandoning a newborn baby
Ready to whip – SNAP! SNAP!
Anyone
Life Like Death
By Shivam Patel,
Grade 7
Cock-a-doo-dle-doo
Summoned to the field
Wackach
They were prisoners on the
field
The field of blood
Witness soul-killing effects
Of slavery,
Cruelty and profanity
Slaves,
Here they sleep,
On the floor like dirt
Dropdown
The cold,
Damp floor,
Summoned to the field
The Overseer
By Kolby Bailey,
Grade 7
He is armed with a huge hickory stick
Whip! Crack! Slash!
He was slashing among the slaves.
He was like a savage.
His whip became alive with energy.
And he died as he lived,
His death was regarded as the
Result of relief.
14
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
Maya
By Maya Houri,
Grade 6
Maya,
Smart, funny, cool, weird,
Sister of Tamar,
Lover of ice cream, talking about murder, and
food,
Who feels that India’s climate shouldn’t be so hot
so that ice cream won’t be melted all the time,
Who needs electronics, and ice cream,
Who gives advice on what ice cream flavor people
should get,
Who fears that ice cream will be illegal in NYS,
Who would like to see a cone of ice cream taller
than her,
Who is resident of Scarborough Circle, Rock Hill,
NY, United States, North America, Planet Earth,
Milky Way Galaxy.
Houri
15
I am Cenus
By Cenus Simmons,
Grade 6
I am Cenus
And the son of Shirley Simmons
Who needs exercise, and have fun
Who loves his mom, sister, dad, and
brother
Who sees happiness and anger
Who hates mean people, hatred
Who fears of failure and success
Who dreams of a lot of money
Who has found poems of happiness
Resident of the Swag Universe
Simmons
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
I Am Poem
By Aaliyah Alston,
Grade 6
I am smart and beautiful
I wonder what people think of me
I hear my grandparents’ voice
I see my grandparents
I am smart and beautiful
I pretend to be my own friend
I feel good spirits
I touch my grandparents
I worry what will happen to me if I die
I cry when I think about what happened to me when I was
little
I am smart and beautiful
I understand my dad loves me
I say I will go to heaven
I dream about life
I hope to live long
I am smart and beautiful
16
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
The Band
By Marina Sandoval,
Grade 6
“Michael, honey, will you come down here for a minute?” my mom said.
I threw my sheet off of me, all dramatic and I got up. I opened my door and yelled,
in my strong Australian accent, “I’m coming!”
I slid down the staircase railing and said, “Yes, moth-“ I stood midsentence and
placed it with a “Hi!”
I quickly fixed my hair. “Great to finally meet you Mr. Clifford,” some lady said.
I shook her hand and said, “Good to see you too, but… who are you?”
She laughed and said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Liz Hemmings, and this is my son Luke
Hemmings.”
I looked at Luke and examined him. He was wearing a black Nirvana t-shirt, black
skinny jeans with a hole in the left knee, black converse shoes, and his dirty blonde hair
was up in a quaff. He seemed really chill. I took his hand and pulled him to me. I patted
him on the back and said, “Sup, Luke?”
He shrugged and said, “Nothing much. What about you?”
I smiled and said, “Nothing. Want to maybe, go to my room?”
He just shrugged and looked at my mom and said, “Mrs. Clifford, may I please go
up to Michael’s room?
She looked at him, shocked for a second, then smiled and said, “Sure! Sure! Just as
long as you rub some of that kindness off on him!”
He laughed and said, “Will do!”
I walked upstairs and started humming the song, “Voodoo Doll” by 5SOS and Luke
started to sing it. I stopped and turned around. I said, “You know the song Voodoo
Doll?”
He jumped, sighed, smiled and shook his head. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him
to my room.
“Of course I know that song…I need to know it ‘cause my friend and I made that
song! And, before you ask, yes, I changed my hairstyle from straightened to a quaff.”
I looked at his hair and imagined it straight. I smiled and said, “I was, um,
wondering, can I please, please, please join the band?”
He looked at me with a scared expression and got his phone out and text someone.
He got a reply instantly. He looked at me and smirked. He said, “Hold on a second!” He
got a Facetime call and then said, “Do you have a guitar?” I nodded and grabbed my
guitar. “Play Voodoo Doll for me, please.” He smiled a crooked smile. In bit my lip and
started playing it. I started singing the lyrics, “I don’t even like you. Why you want to go
and make me feel this way? I don’t understand what happening. I keep saying things I
never said because I can feel you watching even when you’re nowhere to be seen. And,
I can feel you touching even when you’re far away from me. Tell me where you’re hiding
your voodoo doll ‘cause I can’t control myself. I don’t want to stay I want to run away
bur I’m trapped under your spell.” I kept singing until I was finally done. He turned the
17
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
phone around so I could see who we were facetiming. I nearly fell off my bed! It was
Calum Hood! Calum Hood is Luke’s mate.
“That was amazing, lad. You’re in the band!”
I threw my guitar and jumped up. I ran downstairs and out the back door.
I screamed, “I’m in the band!”
I heard a laugh and a giggle. I looked around and saw my siblings. I ran to them
and grabbed them. I spun them around. I kissed my baby brother and sister on the
cheek and went back inside.
Luke and I talked for a while, then he left. That night I didn’t sleep.
2 months later
I can’t believe I have been in the band for two months and we just found a
drummer. His name is Ashton Irwin. He is really good. He is even better than the
teacher. We all got famous because we started touring with One Direction. We gained a
bunch of followers on social media. Our fans are the best and we love them. We will
always love them.
Luke and I have our own little friendship. Ashton and Calum have theirs. But, we are
all best friends for life.
We are THE BAND!
18
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
Ary Barreto-Sanes Grade 8 “Hoodied Teen”
Kylie Quiles Velez “Wonderland”
19
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
Alyssa Welsh Grade 7 “Draculaura”
20
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
Wendy Marban “Panther”
21
Middle Wrinkle, May 2015
James Lopez Grade 8 “Burning House”
Davon DeFreese Grade 8 “City Block”
22