Issue No. 2 January - Pembroke Pines Charter Schools > Home

Volume-7 January
Co-Editors - Sarah Jenkins & Stephanie Long
by: Alexandra Mangano
I woke up to the screeching sound of my alarm clock,
knowing in the back of my head that this wasn’t right.
Why in the world was I up at six A.M.? Suddenly, I
remembered that I was one of the two students chosen
to go to the high school. I flew out of bed remembering
that high school starts a 7:00 A.M. In the car, I felt this
amazing rush of adrenaline pumping through my body I
just couldn’t wait to start my first day of high school.
I pulled up to the high school and walked
into the front office, where Erin Favus and Principle
Bayer were eagerly waiting for me, with the two chosen
girls that Mr. Fagen the newspaper advisor had selected.
After I got there, Mr. Bayer introduced Erin and I to
Ten, and Ebony. When I first saw Ten I knew that she
was the one that I wanted to spend my first day of high
school with. We gathered our stuff, and went off. The
first bell rang, and it was like an earsplitting noise that
made me jump.
Ten and I went to first hour which was
Leadership. When we got there I was introduced to the
teacher Ms. Depas, who was sitting in her desk waiting
for us. Ten and I grabbed a desk and sat in the back of
the room, where everyone was staring at me.
During that class I sunk in my chair like I
didn’t belong, but I managed. In this particular class,
the students are supposed to brain storm, and give ideas
for school activities. They also interact with student
government, so when the time comes to make posters,
and setting up for pep rallies. That deafening bell rang
again, and then I knew that I was in for more than I
expected. It was kind of bizarre, walking around with
someone that I didn’t even know, but after a while I felt
like I knew her for all my life.
Second period started, which was AP
Language Arts. In that class I felt a little bit better
because some of the students that were in the previous
class were in the class now. Ms. Phelps, the Language
Arts teacher was really nice, and mellow. In second
period we were talking about some story that I had never
heard of. That was kind of exciting, because on my first
day of high school I was learning about someone that I
have never heard of. Then all of the sudden the loud
bell broke the silence, and we were headed for third
period.
Third period started which was newspaper,
the class that I have been waiting for all day. We entered
the room were Mr. Fagan was sitting in his desk looking
at the computer screen. Ten introduced me to Mr. Fagan,
and after that we were off to interview students. When
we were interviewing a lot of kids were staring at me
like I was a Martian from some other planet. They
probably thought that, she is so small why in the world
is she here.
It was close to 11:00, and it was time for
lunch. By that time, I was starving, and couldn’t wait to
taste the delicious food that was prepared for us to eat.
In high school there are two different lunches, there is
(A) lunch, and (B) lunch. Ten and I got (a) lunch. When
Ten and I arrived at the lunch room there was an
enormous line waiting for us.
I finally got to the inside of the lunch room,
and there were so many choices to choose from. There
were ices, chicken fingers, chips, juices, ice cream, and
a lot more. After we grabbed our food we approached
our lunch table. At the table, Ten introduced me to her
friends: Megan and Christian. We all got along very well.
I was impressed how nice they were. It was time to leave
so Ten and I headed to our next class.
Next up was math, and I was not thrilled to go
to that class. I was so frighten, to go to an even harder
math class, than I am already in. The teacher Mr.
Gonzalez was talking about these hard equations that I
couldn’t even understand. Just like any other class the
clock did not move to my satisfaction. It was 50 minutes
later, and I couldn’t believe that a teacher could talk about
math so much; I thought Mrs. Rowe won that prize.
After one long hour it was time for 5th period.
I was so pleased it was the end of the day, but I was not
happy that I was going to leave high school, I made good
friends, and I felt like I was accepted. We were walking
down the hallway to our next class, which was Physics.
Today there was a substitute that was pretty cool. I
thought that high schools substitutes would be harsher,
but this one stood out. In this class, since we had so
much free time I realized that I basically had gone through
my first day of high school, I couldn’t believe it. That
irritating bell rang, and it was time for sixth hour, I
thought in my head this wasn’t so bad. Then reality set
in, and we were almost late for class.
Sixth hour was history, and I was excited
for that class because Ten said it was pretty interesting.
Mr. Mac, the teacher, looked pretty cool, and nice. Mr.
Mac was talking about Abraham Lincoln, and giving them
notes on a test that they were going to have the upcoming
week. I couldn’t believe that in high school teachers let
you use notes on your test. I was totally relieved. It was
time to leave, and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
I was going to miss Ten and everybody that
I met, but I knew what when I arrived at high school, I
was going to have a new set a friends waiting for me. At
the end of the day, Ten and I were racing to find Ebony
and Erin for a group picture with the newspaper teacher
Mr. Fagan. We all got together, and took a picture that
was going to last a lifetime
By: Erin Favus
I woke to the all sound of the alarm
clock. On any other day I would have shut it off
and fallen back into a deep slumber, but today
when I awoke, I hopped out of bed and started
preparing for my first day of high school. Yeah
that’s right, my very first day and I’m only
thirteen. It just so happens that I got picked to
shadow a junior at PPCHS throughout the day.
You can only imagine the excitement and curiosity
racing through my veins. Another student named
Alexandra Mangano and I were going to get to
experience our first day of high school before any
of our other friends.
The morning of, I got ready just like a
routine day. When I finished, I waited outside my
house for Alex because we decided to carpool.
She arrived 20 minutes late and told me that she
couldn’t come with me because she had to get
lunch money from the teller. I couldn’t believe it
I was going to be late for my first day! So I said I
would meet her at school. I jumped into my car
and off I went to the high school.
When I got there I was greeted by Mr.
Bayer and the two students I would be shadowing
for the day, Ebony and Ten. They told me that I
would go through the same schedule as Ebony.
Alex would be shadowing Ten. Once we left the
office, it seemed Alex and I were on different
planets. The first class on my schedule was
leadership with Mrs. De-pa. In the class you learn
about student government, but when I came in,
cell phone etiquette seemed to be the lesson of
the day.
The next class was pre-calculus. Yeah
that’s right Pre-Cal. The look on my face said it
all. I’m just now learning pre algebra, so PreCal was way over my head. It was extremely hard
to keep up with Mrs. Claude, the teacher as she
went over the warm up. The third hour was
newspaper. YES!!!!! I thought to myself, finally
something I was familiar with. The class was
taught by Mr. Fagan, and to my surprise the class
was extremely quiet. Nothing like our loud and
noisy classroom back here at PPCMS. I also
found out that they could have 3 days to a week
to write their whole article.
I soon learned that it wasn’t the class
I went to that did the newspaper layout, but
fourth period. There was a whole period devoted
to laying out the paper unlike our class where
we do it all together. I didn’t get to see the other
class although I really wanted to.
I made my way to language arts class
with Ms. Sunshine Phelps. The classroom was
filled with pictures of panda bears. It turned out
that this class wasn’t just L.A. but AP English.
For those of you who don’t know what AP is, it
stands for Advance Placement.
I heard a weird noise come through
the intercom and it turned out to be the bell.
WHOA! It was the oddest thing, but once the
bell rang we packed up our stuff and headed for
lunch.
The cafeteria expanded to tables
outside as well and so did the lunch line. It
happens to be that freshman, sophomore, juniors,
and seniors don’t eat lunch separately, but there’s
an “A” lunch and a “B” Lunch. Which one you
go to depends on what fourth hour you have.
We sat down at one of the inside
tables and waited for the line to get shorter. While
we waited I spotted a slushy machine. Oh my
gosh it was amazing for me, of course I had to
go and get one even though I probably wouldn’t
be able to finish it. After I got my slushy, we
went into the lunch line. It was like I had my
own personal mini food court, four different
places I could get food from and a pretzel and
drink machine. I was in heaven so I made my
choice and headed for the cash register, paid and
went down to enjoy my delicious lunch.
Lunch ended and everyone went
outside. We had 20 minutes to pretty much hang
with friends or get some work done.
Once the bell rang again we went to
fifth period which happened to history.
Unfortunately, they were busy taking a test. The
next period was extremely hilarious as I went to
Mr. Dean’s physics class. The class seems to
always be in laughter. Mr. Dean just knows how
to crack a good joke. Then my first day at high
school came to an end, but I was still smiling. I
knew I would be back for my second day next
year.
Mr. Fagan, Ten, Alex, Erin and Ebony take a break from their busy high school schedule.
by: Alex and Erin
High school seems far away but it’s
closer than you think. We both had different
experiences on this wild journey, but together
we are going to make it one. As you walk through
the doors of high school you’re known as “fresh
meat” oops, we mean freshmen.
The first thought that comes to mind
is high school is going to be fun, until your
backpack is overflowing with homework. We
both realized that high school isn’t just fun, and
games, it’s a lot of work and responsibility.
Both Ten and Ebony showed us how
to survive our first day and prepared us for the
expected, and the unexpected. Just because
What’s coming up:
Our New President
Both Points Of View
there’s a lot of work, doesn’t mean it can’t be
fun! For instance, student government comes up
with events to make the school year a little bit
more entertaining. The Turkey Bowl is one of the
new attractions this year. The Turkey Bowl is a
thrilling dodge ball tournament that students can
participate in.
As we all know, at middle school we
have rules like PDA, or tucking in your shirt. Well
in high school those rules change. For example,
they don’t have people on your back every minute
yelling at you to tuck in your shirt put your I.D.
on. Sometimes here it gets pretty annoying but
we manage.
One of the biggest questions at the
middle school is how the lunch at high school is.
Well to tell you the truth…it was amazing. It
couldn’t have been better. We felt as though we
stepped into the food court at the mall. The slushy
machine was the biggest surprise. Now why can’t
we have one those here in middle school?
Some of the added responsibilities at
high school are keeping track of your homework
and your classes. High school teachers tend to be
very strict, and do not tolerate a lot of the things
our teachers do here. When the day got later, we
both realized that we have a lot of things to look
forward to, and things to expect. That is why we
Holiday Gifts
are sharing our experiences with you, because
we want you to be prepared.
There is always drama going on here
at our middle school. High school is different;
people don’t care about those things. It’s not even
a issue there. They just usually brush it off. That’s
what many of us here at middle school need to
learn. So please all you instigators, leave your
drama at home. No need for it in high school.
Well , we have shared all of the things
we learned, but there is more than you can
imagine. So on the first day of high school expect
the unexpected.
Popular verses Unpopular
Page 2
America’s New President!
By: Anesia Saunders
October 15, 2008, was the day of
the final debate between our presidential
candidates, Senator Obama and McCain.
There were many different opinions on this
final debate; some said McCain had a lot of
intensity which excited McCain Supporters.
Others said, Obama played it cool and took
a calm approach which relieved Obama
supporters, but was either of their attempts
enough to win over the undecided voters?
On October 20, 2008, early voting
began. On November 4, schools were closed
and around 11 o’clock p.m. our president
was announced to be Barack Obama!
Although they needed 270 electoral votes
Obama got 168 over the necessary amount.
At midnight, he gave a speech and said, “It’s
been a long time coming, but tonight,
because of what we did on this election at
this defining moment, change has come to
America.” There were 125,000 people at
Chicago’s Grant Park and were part of the
victory rally. Some voters cried tears of joy
and others left with disappointment, but our
new president was chosen. McCain gave a
speech that seemed sincere towards Obama.
His supporters were disappointed, but he
suggested we all as Americans should respect
our President-elect.
Obama has made his mark in
history. He is the very first African-American
President of the United States of America. It
was only 54 years ago when the law was
passed banning segregation. It’s amazing
how far we’ve come since segregated
schools and restaurants. He was also the first
to receive more than 50 percent of the
popular vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976.
When Obama and Biden officially take their
oaths of office on January 20, 2009,
Democrats will control both the White
house and congress for the first time since
1994.
Although students couldn’t vote,
this election will affect our futures. To see
how some students felt about Obama’s J.O.P
interviewed Erick Esquerte asking how he
felt about our new President. He responded,
“I feel very, very, very glad that we finally
have a great President that will represent us
in a really good way”. I also asked him how
he thinks our future will be like with Barack
Obama as President. “I think there will be
change that is needed even though it will
take sacrifices.” J.O.P also interviewed 8th
grader Brianna Brooks. We asked her the
same questions and she replied, “I feel the
people made the right decision. I believe our
futures will be better if he follows through
with his ideas.”
On January 20, 2009, our new
President will be inaugurated and we will
watch what Obama brings to the table.
Hopefully, our country will head in a better
direction. His promise included change
which we need. He has the most demanding
job in America; he won our votes, now
hopefully he’ll do our country justice!
Presidential Inauguration
By: Katlyn Vasallo
Vice President Of our Our Country Vice President Obama
On November 4 th , the presidential
election took place; this was also the day America
made history by electing our first AfricanAmerican president, Barrack Obama. Some of our
students here at PPCMS received the honor of
being invited to the Presidential Inauguration.
During the inauguration, the President takes an
oath, gets sworn in, and officially becomes the
President of the United States of America.
According to Online News Hour; deeply rooted
in tradition, the Presidential Inauguration marks
a new beginning for both the United States and
its brand new President. This tradition began with
General George Washington’s 1789 inauguration
in New York City.
This event is expected to have more than 1 million
people coming to Washington for the event.
Although, there are only 240,000 tickets available.
These tickets have been said to be the some of
the most sought after tickets in the world! The
Congress has declared a first-come first-serve
policy on the tickets. These tickets are so hard to
come by that even some senators, family, and
friends are experiencing difficulties getting these
tickets.
Eighth grader Julian Pino and seventh grader
Myiesha Miller received the honor of getting
invited to this historical event. J.O.P interviewed
them and they explained to me how they got
invited to the inauguration. Julian Pino said,”
When I was in fifth grade I went to a conference
that my 5th grade teacher nominated me to go to.
It was called the National Youth Leadership
Conference. It was a great experience to go they
taught us how to do public speaking and be a good
leader.” J.O.P asked Myiesha Miller and she
replied,” I was recommended in fifth grade. It was
based on your leadership and academics.”
Since there is a limited amount of
tickets and such a historical event, this is a high
honor to be invited to go. Although they were
invited they still have a fee to pay. J.O.P also
asked Julian Pino what he’d look forward to or
wished for. “I hope to meet the President. We
also go to a dance, get to tour the white house,
go to a formal dinner, and watch the President
get sworn in, and look at monuments. We are
going to stay at a cabin with the other students
that were invited.” The students that were
cordially invited had to work hard with
academics as well as leadership skills.
We congratulate all these lucky
students and wish them a good time.
Page 3
TOP 10
By: Christine Rios
As you all know, the holiday season is on its way. And right about now
everything you say you want, your parents are saying, “Put it on your gift list!” At the
moment, you think you know exactly what you are going to put on your list. But then,
when the time comes, and you have no idea on what to put on your list.
Since you have no idea what you want, your parents are probably going to
end up getting you something you don’t want. Listen to a person with experience. So,
to help you and your parents, here are the top 10 presents that teens our age might be
interested in wanting for the holidays:
TOP 10 GIFTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
#10 Comes in as IPods and MP3’s. Since most teens our age already have one, it’s
more likely they want a new better one. Say if you have an old IPod nano, wouldn’t
you want a new IPod, like an IPod chromatic or the Itouch? That’s why it comes in so
late in the countdown.
#9 Musical instruments come in as number 9 because most teens love making their
own music. Lately teens have been very interested in the music business, and are
aspiring musicians.
#8 Coming in as number 8 is gaming consoles or portable gaming consoles. Like,
PSP’s, DS’s, Xbox’s PS2’s, and PS3’s.
#7 Gift cards and shopping spree’s come in as number 7. Gift cards are a great gift
to give to people who have no idea what they want.
#6 Comes in as bedroom upgrades. I personally think bedroom upgrades are a great
Christmas gift. Most teens 11-13 are growing a lot and can barely fit into their little
twin beds.
#5 Coming in as number 5 is a new cell phone. With all the new models of phones
coming out, who wouldn’t want a new phone? And since the holidays are coming up,
there are going to be a million sales going on. What better time to buy a new phone?
#4 Taking number 4’s spot is concert tickets. All these great artists and bands that
you are dying to see, what better of a gift? How great would it be to see your favorite
band, or singer live and in person?!
#3 Number 3’s spot is taken by cameras. Cameras and digital recorders come in as
number 3 because of Myspace and YouTube. And if you don’t have a Myspace or a
YouTube account you can always use your camera to take pictures of family and friends
on trips to places.
#2 Number 2, almost number one, is coming in as a laptop. Almost every teen I
would think, would want a laptop. Just so they have their own privacy online. Also, I
think that kids just like to say that they have their own computer. And it helps them
with homework and papers that they have to do, it’s very convenient.
#1 And now coming in as number 1 is…Drum Roll please… a vacation! Such as, a
trip to the Virgin or Caribbean Islands. What would be better than a getaway during
the holidays!
Holidays
By: Bianca Viera
What holiday do you celebrate? Some people celebrate Christmas, others celebrate
Hanukkah or maybe even Kwanzaa, and the rarest is Eid.
In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication”. Another name for Hanukkah is “The
Festival of Lights”. Today, people celebrate Hanukkah to remember defeating the Syrians
and reviving the temple of Jerusalem. Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days to mark the
days that the lamp oil burned. There are nine candle spaces on the menorah. The first
candle you light is the middle candle. The middle candle is called the “Shamash”, and for
the rest of the eight days, they use the Shamash to light up the remaining candles. Each
candle is lit at dinner. J.O.P interviewed 8th graders Erin Favus and Charles Sims and they
said that, “On Hanukkah, you play dreidel, eat latkes and potato pancakes, light the menorah,
exchange gifts, and say prayers.” This year, Hanukkah lands on December 21st.
Christmas started around the year 440 A.D. celebrating the birth of Jesus. Another
name people gave Jesus was “Christ” which means Messiah. A common myth that parents
made up to cover the true story of Christmas is Santa Claus. So for all the children out
there, make sure you’re nice this year, or Santa will bring you coal for Christmas.
People celebrate Christmas in different ways, usually depending on their culture,
whether they are Hispanic or American. Some Spanish people, instead of making a turkey
on Christmas, roast a pig in a caja china or on a barbeque. A caja china is a wooden box
that you can use to roast food. Christmas is a day to be with your family. It’s almost like a
family reunion. People exchange gifts with friends and family. J.O.P interviewed 8th grader
Dylan Tadros and he said that,” On Christmas we go to the mid-night mass and then when
we get back home, all the presents are waiting under the Christmas tree”.
The African celebration, Kwanzaa is a ceremony for the fruits of the harvest.
There are four elements that make up Kwanzaa. Those four elements are unity, awareness
of ancestry, recommitment to traditional values, and a reverence for creator and creation.
Kwanzaa is celebrated for seven days. From December 26th through January 1st. Every one
of those seven days is dedicated to one of the seven principles. Those seven principles are
unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics,
purpose, creativity, and last but not least, faith.
I know you’re probably wondering what in the world is Eid? Eid is an Arabic
celebration during where the faithful fast for a month. They eat before the sun rises and
when the sun sets down. Then, after that month, they celebrate how they made it through
that month. At that celebration, they eat all types of Arabic food. J.O.P interviewed 7th
graders Dena Hassan and Eman Hessin and they said that,” on Eid they mostly celebrate
fasting the month of Ramada, and they fast because it shows them to appreciate what they
have because some people aren’t fortunate enough to have food.”
Page 4
Stand up to Bullies
Bullying is Bad
By: Zachary Schieren
Bullying is bad
It makes me mad
So so sad!
Don’t Bully!
By: Samantha Melendez
By: Omar Alattar
Bulling is a serious subject. It might start out as innocent as horse playing in the
school hallways. Over time it might get as worse as teasing or physically hurting someone
Bullying is just wrong.
Why have we put up with it for so long?
It means kids can be mean,
And knock down their dreams.
because of their religion or how they look.
Start reading and writing
Instead of fighting!
Who says being a bully is cool
Teasing, bothering, name-calling
Why do kids bully? It might be because they want to feel important, popular or
“in
I won’t allow my friends to be afraid,
We deserve to live in a safe environment.
control”. Most of the time kids bully because they want to feel better so they discourage
Keep the bullies away,
Each and every day.
Don’t let them torment
You must not relent!
others.
Go to the right
To avoid the fight!
can’t discourage you. Hanging out with good kids and not bullies can prevent you from
These bullies are just a fake
Don’t let them see you shake!
Always be a good friend,
And help a friend in need.
What can you do to avoid being bullied? You can act confident so the bullies know they
We all need to step up,
And bullies need to grow up.
being in the situation where you get in trouble along with the bullies for something you
Bullying is evil.
Bullying is cruel.
And to tell you the truth,
It isn’t really cool.
didn’t do. Overall, if you act good and feel well, bullies shouldn’t affect you.
What do you do if you are being bullied? Try to tell them you do not like it when they
bully you and for them to stop. If that does not work and they continue bulling you, tell
They’re just a bunch of punks
Who are equivalent to skunks!
If you’re being bullied,
don’t keep silent.
Call a special hotline,
before you call the sirens.
someone such as a teacher, a guidance councilor or defiantly your parents. It will just keep
getting worse if you don’t tell anyone about the bullies.
They play lots of pranks
Just because they’re cranks!
They act like fools
They need to follow the rules!
So be sure to stand up for yourself and act confident and bullies won’t stand a chance.
Remember that silence hurts and that you can tell your parents anything.
Stand up Against Bullying
They think they have the
By: Amanda Siciliano
power
They make you feel like a Bullying is evil.
falling tower!
Bullying is cruel.
You better stand tall
Or else you’ll fall!
Stand up strong
You are not wrong!
And to tell you the truth,
It isn’t really cool.
I hope you liked my poem,
because it has come to an end.
So let’s stop being enemies,
and start being friends.
Don’t let yourself be pushed around.
Don’t let yourself be teased.
Just call the Silence Hurts hotline,
And you’ll be very teased.
Take a stand against bullying,
and stop all the fights.
Listen to your conscious,
and do what is right.
I hope you liked my poem,
because it has come to an end.
So let’s stop being enemies,
and start being friends.
Take a Stand Against Bullying
Joanna Papastavros
If you’re being bullied,
don’t keep silent.
Call a special hotline,
before you call the sirens.
It happens everyday and everywhere,
many learn to look away, afraid to get involved
It happens on the bus to and from school,
or simply couldn’t care
the bully making sure that everyone thinks they’re so cool,
victims are all ages
as they shove you to the floor,
Take a stand against bullying
and rummage through your backpack, just to crumple up your
It happens in the classroom,
Take a stand against bullying
homework
Don’t’ let them sway you
They just want to toy with
you!
when the teacher isn’t looking,
an unkind word, a little shove or even a scary glare,
Don’t let yourself be pushed
around.
Be smart, make the right
Don’t let yourself be teased.
choices
Just call the Silence Hurts
Don’t listen to other voices! hotline,
And you’ll be very teased.
JUST REMEMBER THEIR
FURY
Take a stand against bullying,
DOESN’T MATTER
and stop all the fights.
Listen to your conscious,
and do what is right.
It happens through emails, instant messages, and text
knowing you wouldn’t dare
messages too,
Take a stand against bullying
Facebook and MySpace
simply spreading rumors because of lack of better things to do
It happens in the cafeteria,
Take a stand against bullying
someone cutting you in line, someone demanding your lunch
money, or else……
Take a stand against bullying
making fun of you and your friends
the bully has no self esteem and simply does not care,
but sitting with you anyway……..
but if we work together as a team, to stop it as it happens,
Take a stand against bullying
we can put a stop to bullying
don’t be a victim
Take a stand against bullying
It happens on the playground
you run to get the swing, the bully demands you move away
you run to get the ball, they trip you so you fall
they call you a name, and everyone laughs
Take a stand against bullying
Page 5
Popular
By: Rebekah Welch
Nerds, dorks, and, losers are the people who sit at the
bottom of the social food chain. These individuals are the people
that are usually quite intelligent. So, why are they the ones others
taunt? In movies and shows they’re shown to be these weirdos,
who say smart phrases we don’t understand while dressing with
high pants and wearing huge glasses. The social food chain is
filled with three spots. There are the popular people that have
the luxury of top class. They’re attractive and are friends with
basically everyone. Next, there is the more common middle class
that sit comfortably with their spot, not socially unacceptable
but, just fine. Last, there are the nerds who don’t have as many
friends as everyone else, but they are very smart.
Although, kids who are “nerds,” are smart and do excellent
in school, they’re very busy with school work and don’t get to
spend as much time with their peers. Some of them wouldn’t
mind making time but when you’re considered a “nerd,” you
don’t get accepted by others well. It is considered bullying when
students exclude others and treat them as if they are not as valuable
as everyone else.
J.O.P asked Eman Hessin if she considered herself a nerd
and, if so, was bullying ever an issue. She replied, “Yes, but, no.
It’s an issue I kind of ignore, so it’s no longer a problem since
I’ve gotten used to it.” This response surprised me since she has
had this happen to her and simply disregards it. This is an issue
that should be mentioned to someone before it escalates into
something worse.
J.O.P asked a few students, “Would you consider
yourself, popular?” Andres Muchado replied, “No”. J.O.P also
asked does it matter if you’re popular or not? He replied, “No,
because you are the way you are and it doesn’t matter if you’re
popular. If they don’t like you, it’s their loss.” I also asked Nicolas
Torres the same question his response was opposite. “Yes, because
everyone knows me”. When I asked if it’s important, he said “I
guess it’s cool when a lot of people know you, so yeah.”
“I think a nerd is someone who is smart and doesn’t have
that many friends and are not very social.” said Sasha Smith,
after we asked her what she felt would make someone a nerd.
This was a response that many others agreed with. Since we wear
uniforms, you won’t exactly see a nerd with tacky shirts and high
pants. Sasha also said “Nerds usually aren’t up to date with fashion
sense”. Luckily at our school they’ve avoided that issue.
Unfortunately, some kids feel inclined to “dumb down”
for a reputation. This issue made me curious. J.O.P interviewed
Erick Esquerte, and asked,” Do you consider yourself popular
and if so, do you feel inclined to not be smart?” He replied, “I do
think I am popular, because I have a lot of friends and a lot of
people know me, but I get straight A’s, and that doesn’t make me
a nerd.” This was a relieving response. No one should feel like
they can’t be themselves. We may go to school now, but how we
are treated by others or treat others may affect our futures.
If you waste your school years trying to avoid being a
“nerd” or trying to be “popular”, you might hurt your future. So
do you consider yourself popular or unpopular? Regardless of
your response, be sure you like who you are. Just be yourself,
and it may help to assist you in discovering a successful future.
Unpopular
By: Anesia Saunders
Popular, the side of social range most people want to be on.
They’re also the people that most others want to be. The question that
we really want to know is if being popular is even that great. Are the
popular kids really better then everybody else? Do the popular kids
actually have a wonderful life?
J.O.P interviewed some students to see what they think about
popularity. J.O.P talked to Bryan Wallace, and asked him a few
questions.
Do you think you are popular and if so, why? His response to
the question was
“Yes, I guess I’d say I’m pretty popular. I think I am popular because
of my personality and cuteness.” We also asked if he thought being
popular was important.
“No, it’s not really a big thing”, he replied.
We asked a few more kids about popularity and most of them
replied the same. They either said, they were popular or in the middle.
The kids who thought they were popular had a feeling they were
because they are practically class clowns. Apparently humor is the
number one factor of popularity.
J.O.P asked 7th grader Danielle Vargas if she thinks that you
need to be funny in order to be popular. She replied, “You should at
least have a little sense of humor. It makes you more likeable and
people just want to be around you more.”
We also asked Danielle if she believes that in order to be
popular you can’t be smart. She replied, “I think that having to be
dumb to be popular is a stereo type because I believe that popularity
is based on your personality and how people view you.” We asked
Sasha Smith the same question and she replied, “Honestly, people
who think that they need to dumb down to be popular are not popular.
If you’re popular you have a lot of friends and are socially involved.”
Nobody should be forced to change who they are or their grades just
for a reputation.
There is also another reason a lot of kids are so called “popular”
and that is because of their looks. The popular kids on T.V have brand
name clothes, huge houses, and of course rich parents. Is that what
makes you popular in real life? We interviewed Ana Dominguez, a 7th
grader here at PPCMS, and asked her if she thought being rich and
having a lot of necessities make you a popular person. She replied, “I
think that being popular just means having a lot of friends. It shouldn’t
matter how much you have or how rich you are. People are people,
and you should accept them rich or poor.”
We also asked, Brittni Garcia, another 7th grader the same
question. Her response was, “I think that being popular is being known
for who you are and not what you have.” Both responses state sort of
the same thing. Be yourself and you can be popular in your own way.
According to the dictionary, the definition of popular is “to be
widely liked or appreciated.” We would have to agree with this
definition, but to us and most other kids it’s not just about being liked
by everyone but being liked for who you are.
Page 6
Teens Making A difference
By: Christine Rios
ATTENTION!! ATTENTION!! Teens
are Reaching Out to Other People at PPCMS and
all across Broward County. The club is called
T.R.O.O.P., it’s all about helping everyone around
us and reaching out to the community. Every year
they go to Memorial Manor during Christmas
time and Valentines Day.
J.O.P. interviewed the person who
started the whole thing, Mrs. Deshong. J.O.P.
asked “What inspired you to start T.R.O.O.P.?”
“My desire to start T.R.O.O.P. came out of a news
report, showing three teenagers brutally beating
several homeless men. It made me sick to watch
the news, not only because of what those boys
did but because the media was making it seem
like all teens are bad. I knew in my heart that
there where far more kind teenagers than cruel
mean ones. Through T.R.O.O.P. we are able to
show the community that teens and kids your age
do have feelings and can actually help out.” Mrs.
Deshong answered.
J.O.P. also asked, “What mission do
you think was the most successful?” “ They were
all great, I mean sending several hundred care
packages overseas to our soldiers was just as great
as having 30 students volunteer at the special
Olympics on a Saturday morning, or even as good
as having 15 kids show up at a nursing home to
play games and share their talents with the
elderly. Each mission teaches something
different.”
Mrs. Deshong started T.R.O.O.P. in
2006. Every year there’s an assembly called the
“anti-bully” assembly. This year we had three
wonderful performances from Mrs. Altimore’s
Drama class all focusing on the idea of bullying
and how it affects people. Mrs. Pizzo had also
given us a great speech about bullying and why
it shouldn’t be done. Out of the many
performances, we also had Ms. Levine’s line
dancing class perform multiple routines in
groups, and Mr. Walker’s break dancing club also
performed at the assembly. Mrs. Deshong did a
great job of organizing the whole block out
bullying event.
By: Sarah Jenkins
One mission that T.R.O.O.P. did is the
Police Appreciation day on November 10th.
T.R.O.O.P. went to the Pembroke Pines Police
Department to show all the Police officers how
much they appreciate them for protecting the city
of Pembroke Pines. Thanks to Chartwells they
where able to treat them to a healthy breakfast.
Another mission of T.R.O.O.P. took
place on Veteran’s Day. T.R.O.O.P. visited the
Don Fletcher Veterans Memorial Park to serve
hotdogs, chips, and sodas to the veterans for
lunch. J.O.P. interviewed Dbora Lee and
Alexandra Restrepo on how it went. “Band
students from West Campus played an assortment
of songs all relating to the military services.” said
Dbora. Alexandra told J.O.P. “Troop also passed
out carnation flowers to everyone who attended
the event, in remembrance of the veterans who
risked their lives to have the freedom that we have
today.”
On November 16th, T.R.O.O.P. went
to Huizenga Plaza to celebrate Unity and
Diversity and to Kick-off the county-wide “AntiBully” policy. The name of the march was the
“Thousand Youth March for Humanity.”
Also, T.R.O.O.P. put a Christmas tree
in the office for the kids from an orphanage called
Children’s Harbor. T.R.O.O.P. put gingerbread
cookies with a child’s name, their age, and two
gifts they would like for Christmas under twentyfive dollars. So, when people came into the office
they could grab a gingerbread cookie, get the
child’s gift and bring it back to the school. Thanks
to everybody who took a gingerbread cookie, all
the cookies where gone within the first month!
Everyone should come join
T.R.O.O.P. because you don’t want everybody
who’s not a teen, to think that all the teens are
like those who beat up homeless men. And J.O.P.
thinks it’s time that we show the world that we
can make a difference and support our
community. You don’t want them to think that
we are all no good. So come out and join
T.R.O.O.P.!
Increase the Peace
By: Ana Dominguez and Brittni Garcia
Bullying can be expressed in many
ways, but what can always be expressed is peace!
J.O.P. went around asking the middle schoolers if
they thought they were bullies.
7th grader Kara Ortis said, “No I’m not
a bully.”
We also interviewed Alden Diaz on
what he thought about bullying, “Most kids get
bullied from stupid posers, and they think they’re
all that just because people think they’re popular.
They spend all they’re time picking on kids they
hardly know, and seriously, who gives them the
right?”
When J.O.P. says peace, we mean
simply stopping all this unnecessary bullying.
Stopping all the crazy rumors, stopping all the
hurtful remarks. This also includes all the nasty
sayings and the racist jokes.
People bully others with out even
knowing it. By simply talking behind another’s back
can be considered bullying; even leaving nasty
comments on MySpace to others is in the category
as well. Bullying isn’t right! Our school stands
against it and so does the law!
Peace and bullying are two completely
opposite words, but somehow, we find a way to
confuse them. You think you’re doing what you
should, doing something right, but the truth is you
aren’t really doing something right. You can think
‘oh, I’m popular and this is what we do!’ but really,
that’s not what you do! Our school represent’s a
peaceful environment.
Each time you pick on another kid or
bully someone, we’re taking steps away from
reaching a goal as a peace-making school. The
teachers encourage peace, not bullying. Especially
Mrs. Pizzo, “I think it’s unfortunate, but very
common. It’s said to be very damaging to kids and I
think over time it can really demoralize them and
change who they’re going to be as adults.” States
Mrs. Pizzo. “Bullies and victims are all in a case,
victims, of bullying. Because students that are
victimized by it on the receiving end, they’re going
to have the psychological damage as they grow up.
Those students who are actually engaging in the
Around The world in One night
bullying behavior, aren’t going to fit well in society
because usually, bullies as young people grow up to
be bullies as adults. So I do believe that we need to
stop the cycle of bullying, and make at this school a
bully free zone.”
J.O.P then asked how Mrs. Pizzo usually
sees bullying as.
“I think bullying can be anything from
name calling and teasing and on the girl side as mean
girls where you keep people out of your social group,
it can be as simple as not wanting to be in a group
in class with someone because they’re not cool. It
could be keeping them away from the cafeteria table
and not letting them sit in the group. It could also
be violent like the shoving in the hallway, and the
flipping of the book bags and making them feel
uncomfortable or pantsing to humiliate. It can be
any of the variety from psychological to physical
bullying.”
J.O.P agrees with every thing she said.
People get lost in the bullying and don’t realize what
they’re doing. PPCMS is working on being a bully
free zone, but we can’t do it on our own, so stand up
and increase the peace!
It’s dark, you feel the sweat trickle
down your face and into your mouth as you
dance. Then you see the strobe lights bouncing
off the walls to blind you seconds later. In the
background, you hear people mimicking the song
that’s playing. It’s the dance! You’re having fun
partying with your friends and stuffing your face
with chicken nuggets dunked in barbecue sauce.
On October 17, 2008, our school
held the Around the World Dance. The whole
middle school was invited to participate in the
dance. There were more sixth and seventh
graders than eighth graders. J.O.P. interviewed
6th grader D’metri Gacia and he said, “I liked the
dance because I got to hang out with my friends,
but the DJ didn’t let us request any songs.” Many
students went to the DJ with high hopes of
hearing songs they loved, but most of them got
turned away. The genres of songs played at the
dance were RMB, Hip Hop, and Rock.
One of the many rules the students
dislike is that you have to wear Broward County
Dress code approved clothes. Most of the many
of the Dress code I saw were girls with halter
tops or tank tops without over blouses. J.O.P.
interviewed 7th grader Francesca Levy on what
she thought about the dress code for the dance,
“You can’t express yourself if you have to cover
up your sleeveless shirt because it ruins the look
of your outfit.” Most girls love to wear what
they’re most comfortable in, but there are rules
to what you can wear at school.
Another issue that was brought up
at the dance was the type of shoes that were
allowed to be worn. Many girls were wearing
opened toe shoes like flip flops and sandals. J.O.P.
interviewed 7th grader Philippe Carvalho on what
he thought about the no open toed shoe rule, “You
shouldn’t wear flip flops to a dance because you
could get your feet stepped on, and they could
get badly injured by the end of the dance.”
Dancing in shoes is fine, as long as they’re not
open toed. J.O.P. interviewed our Vice Principal,
Mrs. Kimberly Pizzo, on what she had to say
about the open toed shoe rule, “It’s not that we
want to take the fashion statement from our
students, we just want to make sure they stay safe,
while having fun dancing with their friends.”
Two other issues that were brought
up at the dance was the food and the timing.
Many students were having so much fun dancing,
they forgot about eating the food. J.O.P
interviewed 6th grader Laura Makemson on what
she thought about the dance, “I loved the hip hop
music they played, I had fun dancing with my
friends, but the chicken nuggets were
unappetizing because they looked like plastic.”
The food may have been unappetizing to some
people, but the timing was more important to
others.
Many schools have dances that are
from 6:00 to 8:00 for safety reasons and because
most teachers and parents don’t like to stay late.
J.O.P. interviewed 6th grader Alyssa Scriver to see
what she thought about the timing of the dance,
“Time flew by so quickly at the dance. I think
the dance should be longer so we can have more
time to hang out with our friends.” Alyssa isn’t
the only student who feels that way, many of the
other students J.O.P. interviewed felt the same
way about the timing of the dance.
Many students think that they were
the ones that had the most fun. They should think
again. J.O.P. asked Mrs. Pizzo again, “I loved
dancing with my students, but I can’t get the
Lean-with it rock with it, thing that they do. The
kids really behaved when it came to dancing, I
loved watching the line dance class, and all the
student’s personalities really showed at the
dance.”
So it can be dancing, the food, or
just having fun with your friends, whether or not
you can enjoy the school dances
The Emotional Aftermath
By: Danielle Vargas
Most people at some point in their
life have lost someone. Do we honestly know
how to cope? Or do we know how to ignore
our emotions? Then again, maybe some
people handle it better then others do. Either
way, our emotions leak out eventually, and it
makes whatever we’re going through at the
moment seem so much worse. Handling loss
or pain of any sort, the mature way has many
definitions. In my opinion you should
confront whatever emotions you have and
solve the problems you face. Let out whatever
you feel and experience the mourning we all
require to move on.
J.O.P. interviewed 7 th grader
Mauricio Escobar, “First I’d probably ignore
it but then cry a little. Then just pretend like
nothing happened.”
Many people may grieve this way
without even noticing it. For example, I cope
by crying, A LOT. Maybe some people can’t
heal properly in that manner but, everyone has
their own unique way.
7th grader Carla Flyte also stated,
“I’d cry a lot for a long time, cry my self to
sleep, and pray. I’m a very emotional person
so that would go on for a while.”
I’ve noticed that another effective
way of dealing with someone’s passing is
talking about and sharing memories of the
person you’ve lost. It can also make you feel
very sad too but, expressing the good times you
shared with someone helps you to remember
them for the rest of you’re life.
We asked 7th grader Brittni Garcia
to describe how she felt after the loss of a loved
one in one word. “Depressed? I can’t really
describe it in one word, because it’s a bunch
of different feelings. Sadness, I felt detached;
and the simplest words would make me cry.”
After losing a loved one, it’s normal
to feel isolated and alone. The fact is that
you’re never alone because out of all the people
who either care or pretend to care, someone’s
out there thinking about you. Death can be
looked at in various ways, such as which
religion you are or how you were brought up.
“I moped around and cried for two weeks,”
commented 7th grader Nikeela Fisher. J.O.P.
asked for any words of wisdom, “Think about
the good, not the bad.”
I n
my experience, I lost my brother about a year
ago. In truth, there are things that you forget,
and things that you don’t. In my early stage of
mourning, I saw every memory as a haunting
thought, but now I remember it as the great
times I had with him.
Page 7
Creepy Theater
The Vampires Come
Out at Twilight
Vampires Through Time
Creepy Theatre
By: Chelsi Chang
By: Victoria Alvarez
By: Jordana Cutajar
You see the huge black books all over
the school and you ask people; “What books are
those?” The most likely answer you get is; “The
Twilight Saga.” It seems that almost everyone has
fallen in love with the Twilight Saga and its
captivating characters. Students can’t seem to get
enough of “Twilight”, and anxiously read through
more than five hundred pages of action, suspense,
and romance.
Twilight is about a breathtakingly
gorgeous vampire named Edward Cullen, who is
basically perfect. When an average teenage girl;
Isabella Swan, moves to the small town of Forks,
Edward realizes that he is attracted to the scent
of her blood. Bella’s life forever changes when
she and Edward fall madly in love. She risks her
life each day by spending time with the
bloodthirsty vampire and his family. At any
second he could lose control and kill her. As if
that isn’t bad enough, a coven of vampires
discover Bella and they are determined to kill
her.
Stephenie Meyer is the author of this
spectacular series. She wrote the entire Twilight
Saga and the Host. She got the idea to write
Twilight from a vivid dream that she had on June
2, 2003. She dreamt about the two main
characters of Twilight, Bella Swan, and Edward
Cullen. Her dream took place in the meadow,
which is a big scene in the first book. Then she
started writing little by little in her spare time,
resulting in Twilight. The first book was a big
hit, and lead the path of success for the other
books.
Most people think that Twilight is a
new book, but it really came out on October 5th
2005, New Moon in 2006, Eclipse in 2007, and
finally Breaking Dawn in 2008. All of a sudden,
the series blossomed in popularity. Few students
were even aware of the book’s existence when it
was first published.
All the books have interesting photos
on the front cover. The pictures appear to have
nothing to do with the books at all. On the cover
of Twilight is a picture of a hand holding a bright
red apple. Stephenie Meyer said the cover
represents the forbidden fruit from the Book of
Genesis. It relates to Bella and Edward’s
forbidden love.
J.O.P. interviewed students to get their
opinion on the book. 7th grader Sean Teng said,
“It is an awesome series. My favorite character
is Edward. The series was so addicting that I read
all the books in one week, and am really looking
forward to the next book. Out of the entire series
I liked Breaking Dawn the most.”
8 th grader J.C. said, “I am really
excited for the movie to come out, it looks so
good. I’ve finished the entire series, and love the
suspense.”
6th grader Mollie Bayer finished the
entire series and said Breaking Dawn was her
favorite book. She has already made plans with
her friends to see the movie when it comes out
on November 21st.
6th grader Kalie Vickers is only on the
first book, and already loves that the main
characters are vampires. She is anxious to read
the other books.
Most students cannot put the Twilight
Saga down; almost everyone agrees it is a
phenomenal book series. It has all the right
ingredients to be addictive and enticing to all
readers. Twilight fanatics are anxious for the
movie to come out in theaters.
Crawling throughout the night, coming out of their graves, sleeping during the
day, and biting your neck as their capes cover their faces, is what vampires use to be.
But now, they are creatures that live among us, pale skin, beautiful eyes, tame, and
isolated from the rest of our world.
Vampire legends have changed since the 17th century; from Dracula (Bram
Stroker), to the Vampire Chronicles (Anne Rice), and now to The Twilight Saga
(Stephenie Meyer). Back then, Vampires never left the grave and their skin would be
decomposed. They actually had to be dug up from their grave, before killing others.
And we all know that today, they look like the most beautiful creatures on the earth.
They go around like they are one of us, even though they aren’t. Their skin looks healthy
unlike the rotting of the putrid vampires of the past.
Vampires represent everything unknown or possibly forbidden. Fear, violence
or even death itself, vampires are able to cross lines that we ourselves are scared to do.
They cross the line of life and death, they do as they wish to, and happily unleash the
animal instinct from within them that we all fear to let out.
Vampires allow us to rebel with our minds and dreams and they even inspire
freedom. Vampires are not necessarily scary; they are only frightening to us because of
the actual fact that they don’t have any boundaries around their actions. They do whatever
they want, when they want. That’s freedom, even if it goes as far as killing others.
They use to be something that we were scared to see, but now, thanks to
Stephanie Meyer, they are something we wish to see or even have in our world. Writers
explain vampires in different ways. Usually, they describe them as killers, scary, and
only want your blood. But, other writers explain them differently. Anne Rice showed us
that Vampires are not always entirely evil. And now, Stephenie Meyer shows us that
vampires are like us, they just need blood. She shows us that even without a heart,
certain vampires have a lot of love hidden in them.
In the 1990’s, Anne Rice’s series, The Vampire Chronicles, were the books
that everyone wanted to read. And now today, The Twilight Saga is what everyone is
reading. Vampires are very interesting to all ages. After all, they do thrust our imaginations
further.
J.O.P. got a chance to interview 7th grader, Natasha Gerdes. J.O.P asked, “What
do you think about Twilight and other mystical creatures. “When I first heard about
Twilight, I didn’t think it would be something I was interested in. Most books based
around mystical creatures always seemed boring to me, but when I picked up Twilight,
I made an exception. The characters were so much more realistic then I had thought
they would be. A group of vampires normally living among humans was a new concept
that I had never considered. It made the story so much more interesting. I haven’t
completely changed my mind about mystical creatures, but it’s a possibility.”
Vampires have changed a lot through time. Each year the characters, the settings
and the perspectives get better and better. So go ahead and pick up an old book about
Vampires. You’ll be surprised at how different they are from the characters in Twilight.
Everyone knows exactly what
October brings; Halloween, trick or treating
and loads of candy! But, that’s not all, our very
own, Mrs. Altimore did a Creepy Theater that
everyone was excited about.
So what is this whole “Creepy
Theater” about? Well, J.O.P interviewed Mrs.
Altimore to find out. Turns out, Creepy Theater
started out in Michigan. Mrs. Altimore wanted
to do something to get her students excited
about writing, thus, beginning Creepy Theater.
But, it wasn’t always called Creepy Theater;
it was actually going to be called “Reader’s
Theater.”
“One of my students challenged
me, and said that if we are supposed to be
descriptive in our stories, then the named needs
to be more expressive. Then, the entire class
came up with different names and “Creepy”,
turned out to be the best one.”
If you think Creepy Theater is the
same every year, you are so wrong. After each
and every Halloween, when they are having
sales on Halloween items, Mrs. Altimore goes
crazy and buys more scary items. Once she
gets those creepy items, she has to decorate.
How long does it take? It takes her 6 hours
and thirty minutes, with the help of three high
school students and her husband! That’s a lot
of time she spends on us!
Before Creepy Theater took place,
J.O.P. interviewed 7th graders, Erick Esquerete
and Kimberly Garcia for their pre-expectations
on Creepy Theater. Their thoughts were that
they were really excited about a Creepy
Theater, and couldn’t wait to be scared with
their best friends. Then, J.O.P interviewed 8th
grader Sarah Jenkins added “I expected it to
be really creepy, and Mrs. Altimore usually
dresses up in a really cool costume.” Finally,
7th grader, Tionna Salmon said “I think it will
be scary because the day before the Creepy
Theater, she was telling us how to read and it
was really scary. I am also expecting it to be
big and scary, with loads of scary items!” As
you can see, many students had high
expectations for Creepy Theater, but did it
actually live up to expectations, or was it just
a flop?
After the Creepy Theater, J.O.P.
asked several people how it all went down. 8th
grader Abbeygale Chen-See stated her
thoughts of Creepy Theater “I thought it was
wonderful, the decorations were amazing and
Mrs. Altimore did an amazing job making it
scary.” If you are wondering how 7th grader
Tionna Salmon did in Creepy Theater, she did
fine. When J.O.P. interviewed her, she was
pretty happy with how Creepy Theater
happened. When J.O.P. asked our 7th and 8th
graders how long they think it took Mrs.
Altimore to decorate the room, most people
thought it took her 6 or 7 hours. This is right,
good job guys! Anyways, 6 th grader he
claimed, “The Creepy Theater was really scary
looking, I was really jealous and it really
looked like how my mom decorates the house
for Halloween.”
So, it turned out Creepy Theater was
a hit! Even the sixth graders were jealous. I
am pretty sure they will work extra hard to
get into Mrs. Altimore’s class next year to
experience the indescribable journey of horror,
called Creepy Theater!
Page 8
Teen Stereotypes
Troubled Hallways
By: Natasha Gerdes
The phrase “typical teen”, what exactly does it mean? A “typical teen” is a
stereotype referring to a teenager who is ignorant, obnoxious, or aggressive.
Stereotypes types have given teenagers a bad name. A stereotype is an oversimplified
image or conception of something. Today, most teens might be watched over more
than others when going places such as the movie theater or the mall without parental
supervision. Our parents might not take it that far, but the majority of adults think
we’re just out to torment other people.
It isn’t just adults either. It could be a classmate or maybe even something
a friend thought before they got to know you.
“Previous times before, I have been judged by people that don’t know me
that well and then maybe a couple of months later or even a few years later, we’ll
end up being best friends. Then they’ll tell me, ‘I thought you were completely
different’,” says 7th grader, Danielle Vargas. You can’t make people look at you a
certain way. Not everyone follows this quote, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
Walking around like an average teen doesn’t exactly make you a delinquent, but it
you won’t be considered the most trustworthy person there.
Certain movies and TV shows don’t help. The teen characters are
portrayed as either the popular, self-driven group or the quiet, unnoticed teen.
Obviously, there are many more personalities and identities and it isn’t fair when
someone groups individuals as one.
“When people judge me or don’t know me, whoever it is, it really doesn’t
matter that much. It’s just not worth my time,” says 6th grader, Sofia. Overlooking
harsh comments and remarks from others is an option, but for some, it’s a lot harder
than you’d think. We all might say, “I don’t care what anyone thinks, it doesn’t
matter to me.” Even if no one wants to admit it, teenagers desire to be unique,
standing out from the rest of the crowd. Being loud, random, and crazy are some
things most teenagers strive for. Creating a commotion in the mall, movies, ice
skating rink, or school, just to be noticed doesn’t take away the image of “typical
teen”. But we all want to have some fun, right? Acting crazy with your friends is
something you might do without even thinking about it, but the next time you catch
yourself doing these things, try and take it down a level.
For every problem, there has to be a theory or an explanation, right? Why
do teenagers act this way and is it really our fault?
“I’ve heard this excuse that we’re just troubled and misunderstood. I think
it’s more that average teenagers take advantage of that because half the time, they
know who they are and how they act. Everyone can control their emotions if they try
hard enough,” says 7th grader, Rebekah Welch. These could just be excuses but
everyone has their own personal life story.
Teenagers come in all different types and personalities and if you come
across a “typical teen”, they could just be having one of those days. Being a
teenager is one the most important times of your life. It’s the time you’re preparing
yourself to plan your life so make the best of it. When you have a day where you’re
feeling crazy, or you just don’t want to talk to anyone, try your hardest not to be a
‘“typical teen”. You never know what could happen and how it will affect your
future.
By: Grace Cheung
Who creates all the chaos in these halls? The yelling, the pushing, the clogged doors
and stairs? Are the students to blame? Or are other reasons at fault? Who or what do you blame?
Some say it’s the 8th graders, and a few say it’s the 7th. Out of those two grades, 6th graders
were mostly said to cause all the havoc. Some 6th graders were even honest enough to admit that
they’re to blame. What has even the 6th graders guiltily admitting that they’re causing problems
is when they race to 6th grade lunch. (Actually, people say that it’s the most chaotic time of day
for both the 8th and 7th graders when they go to lunch but 6th grade was said to be the worst.)
They race through the middle staircase, hoping for a good spot in line. And with all the
excitement, people tend to get hurt as the 6th graders dart pass them. They scatter everywhere and
students trying to go the other way have to stop, go, stop, and hurry in between before some
other 6th grader tries cutting through. You wouldn’t want to come between students and their
lunch time, especially those 6th graders.
Most students say that a lot of the 6th graders are rude. The 8th and 7th graders are regularly
pushed and shoved. The associates in the halls say that they’re uncontrollable and won’t listen to
the staff, and since they’re new to middle school, they’re more focused on getting to class on
time. Most people are saying that the big book bag is practically a necessity for those
newcomers. People also complain about being whacked by them, but not all the 6th graders
should be blamed. The 6th graders say that the 7th graders randomly push them a lot, but the
associates say otherwise. They say that the 7th graders seldom push back, and that they actually
do complain to the associates and teachers in the halls. A few 6th graders also said that the 8th
graders are intimidating and push them around too, menacing to them with their size, age, etc.
J.O.P. asked around to find out what students are seen typically doing in the halls. We all
know the 6th graders are the ones that are said to cause the commotion most of the time, but how
about the 7th and 8th graders? The 7th graders are in between the 8th and 6th.
They’re maturing so they’re a bit better than the 6th graders. The 6th and 8th graders say that
they’re just “there” in the halls. For the 8th graders, they’re just more concerned with talking to
their friends. Mrs. Pizzo commented on our hallways and what students are like while in them.
The 6th graders run, the 7th graders horseplay, and the 8th graders are noisy, but not often; though,
if they horseplay, it tends to be extreme. She also said that the 8th graders now have fewer
problems in the halls. The 8th graders are grown and are more sociable. Soon the 7th graders will
join them. You see 7th and 8th graders talking throughout the halls, and the 6th graders just
heading to class. The associates also say that the 8th graders mostly just think about their friends
and trying to talk as much as they can before class. The associates see them hiding in the
bathrooms, going to wrong staircases, taking the long way, not paying attention, and more
excuses just so they could socialize with friends. The 7th graders are also seen lingering in these
halls.
The 6th graders and the 8th graders are face to face as they blame each other for these troubled
hallways. They’re at each others’ necks as they shout, “They shove me into the walls!” and
“They crowd the halls and the doors!” The 6th graders don’t blame the 7th graders for much, as do
the 8th graders, but for each other, they’re more foe than friend. The 6th graders complain because
the 8th graders walk very slowly, just talk, and block the doors, stairs, etc. The 8th graders
complain because the 6th graders run over people, push, shove, and whack people into the walls.
The 7th graders are still in between with their talking in the halls, running, and fooling around
though. Half of them blame the 6th and half blame the 8th. The 8th and the 6th graders don’t mind
them as much as they mind each other. The school separates all the grades from each other, so
this rivalry has been somewhat settled.
Mrs. Pizzo, the creator of this plan, said she’s seen 8th graders trampling over 6th graders and
how far students have to walk to their next classes, and so she came up with a great answer to try
to solve this dilemma. Mrs. Pizzo separates the 8th, 7th, and 6th graders from each other. The west
side of the 2nd floor being the 7th grader area, the east side of the 2nd floor belonging to the 6th
grade, and the whole 1st floor for the 8th, though, “It can’t be perfect” was what had to be said.
Electives tend to mess up the system a bit. The problem has been somewhat solved though;
there are less cases of kids being hurt and they were able to cut down a minute from four to three
minutes on your walking to class.
With 600 students all moving at once, and carrying all their stuff in those book bags, how
can these hallways be nonviolent and at peace? Maybe the new building can help. Five 6th grade
teachers are moving there next year, two 6th grade teachers and testing during the FCAT. One
hundred and twenty-five students will be taken from this building and will be put into the new
one. And if you think these hallways are bad, their hallways are half the size of ours! Can you
imagine that? Their size has to do with the land, but since the students there are rather smaller
than us, they could have some safe and non-chaotic hallways.
Now, how can we stop these troubled hallways? Mrs. Pizzo recommends that students stop
socializing, stop running, mature a little, move, and stop huddling in the halls to talk. She
compares these hallways to a highway. If one person stops, like a car on the highway, people and
cars are going to go slower and slower until eventually, it all gets jammed up. These hallways
won’t get any better unless you obey these rules, so follow them!
Page 9
Becoming
a Teacher
By: Kira Chang
Today’s Secrets
are Tomorrows Drama
By: Eman Hessin
Written by: Sasha Smith
Our education is based entirely
upon teachers. They decide what the new
generation will learn, what they will need to
know in life and simple facts to get through
life. What kind of world would it be without
teachers? Have you ever found yourself
wondering why on earth someone would want
to teach as a career in the first place? Just
about everyone knows that teachers don’t get
paid very well, so it’s hard to make a living
with teaching as your only occupation.
Teachers have to deal with little
kids running around, screaming, shouting and
whining. Younger children always get their
way and it’s difficult to find a reason why
someone would want to deal with that amount
of stress. Other than the teachers that teach a
young grade, what about the teachers that
teach older grades with more mature kids?
Of course, teachers have more
control because the students are aware of the
consequences or can get in trouble with their
parents but sometimes, that doesn’t stop them
from acting up. Older kids either have or form
their own personalities. Somewhere along the
line, teachers will always encounter a kid that
is constantly misbehaving and just doesn’t
learn no matter how much you punish them.
Teachers can’t make you pull your color like
you did in second grade.
You also have to consider the
benefits of being a teacher. Even though it’s
hard to think of some, there is always the “It’s
rewarding because I get to mold the minds of
a new generation” line that’s declared all over
schools. Our lives and education all depend
on our teachers. We would still be living like
cavemen if we weren’t taught simple facts and
knowledge. What other reasons could there
possibly be for someone to become a teacher?
Depending on each person,
choosing a career is sometimes based on
interests. Mr. Holland said that when he was
considering what he wanted to be, he knew
that he didn’t want to work 52 weeks a year,
so he became a teacher because he likes the
time off. He also knew that he liked kids from
past experiences when he coached. Mr.
Holland said, “It’s energizing.”
When Mrs. Rowe wanted to start a
family, she thought it would be easier to
become a teacher because of the hours. After
she started teaching she fell in love with the
students.
Other teachers think it’s the only
thing to do in life. When J.O.P. asked Mr.
Masterpalo why he became a teacher he said,
“To avoid living a trite and meaningless life.”
He must not think there is any other career
worth pursuing.
Teachers aren’t the only people that
teach students. There are also the famous
substitutes. Substitutes are sometimes taken
advantage of and it’s hard to teach someone
else’s class when you don’t know what
they’ve been learning every day. Mrs. Millard
is one of many substitutes and she made it
known that she is able to become an actual
teacher but she would rather be a substitute
because of the flexible hours.
When thinking of something to do
for the rest of your life, students often don’t
even give becoming a teacher a second
thought. The fact that they don’t make much
money is a big turn off. Try to think of the
advantages of being a teacher. Time off is a
huge influence. Being a teacher is hard work
so remember to thank each teacher for
choosing to do their job.
The basic point of coming to school is
to learn and get an education yet students find time
to socialize with one another. Being social at school
can be a good thing because it leads to making
friends. That’s when we are able to become more
confident and learn to help others. Since we have
so many friends from being social, they begin to
trust us, confide in us, and expect us to be at their
side. Some people actually can be trusted, and they
know how to keep secrets. Then there are others
who love drama, and they enjoy spreading
information along. When you tell someone a secret
more than half of the time someone else is going to
find out about it. It’s like a chain reaction, and like
I said before, not everybody can keep a secret. So
let’s say the secret gets around the whole
school…this may start a problem because in the
process of creating a rumor the words usually get
mixed around.
When rumors run rampant, that’s when
drama evolves, and that’s something that you want
to avoid. The secret gets around the school and
words are jumbled. But keep in mind, it’s a whole
other story. Since the secret has gotten around, you
know someone told, and you’re mad. It turns into
gossip when all the other people are talking about
it. But you’re seeking revenge. Not many people
know how to handle drama or gossip and know its
complete chaos. Your “friend” begins to gossip
about you and then it starts drama. This is just one
of the many examples of how drama gets started.
It’s also a form of bullying. When you gossip and
spread rumors, you can get in serious trouble. Most
people don’t report it to guidance or teachers, and
they try to fix the problem themselves and this
usually causes a serious situation.
So how do students really feel when
they’ve been deceived or when rumors are being
spread? J.O.P. interviewed 8th grader Aileen Alonzo
who stated, “I’d feel betrayed if someone told my
secrets. I don’t tell other peoples secrets unless they
want me too.” Drama can be completely avoided.
People just need to mind their own business and
stop spreading rumors.”
Some people may spread rumors because
they’re envious of you, or they just want to create a
big commotion or maybe just an accident but this
really happens. J.O.P. interviewed 7th grader Anesia
Saunders who said, “I’ve been in a lot of situations
where my friends have lied to me, and rumors have
started a problem between us. Overall, through my
experiences I’ve learned that people just like to start
drama. But, I’ve come to realize that’s just middle
school.”
The Interim
School Counselor
This statement made me think,
elementary school seemed to have less
commotion and drama. There was barely any
secrets and gossip because we were still
maturing. So why is there so much gossip?
J.O.P. interviewed 7th grader, Beelooche Louis
who said, “I feel that there is drama and
commotion because we think that we are all
that. And because were so much older we think
we can say and do what we want. But then we
start stuff and it gets out of hand.” That may
be true, but J.O.P asked 7 th grader Erick
Esquerete to give another perspective on why
there is much more drama during middle school
than there was in elementary. He replied, “We
were so used to having all the same people with
us, but now were more collided so it becomes
more difficult.”
At our middle school we have
joined together East and Central campuses, as
well as new students to the charter system.
People think that the older you get the more
mature you become. So, does that mean that
there is less drama? J.O.P. interviewed
Language Arts and dance teacher, Mrs. Levine
to find out if the drama, secrets, and gossip
finally come to a halt or if it continues. J.O.P.
asked the same question, if as the years go on
and people mature, do rumors and gossip stop.
She said, “Everything stays the same. The
topics just change. It’s harder to handle the
gossip and rumors because it’s usually centered
on girls, boyfriends, and those types of things.”
Mrs. Levine also gave us some tips on how
drama and gossip can be avoided, stating,
“Don’t tell anyone anything, if you don’t want
other people to know. And if you absolutely
need to tell somebody something make sure
you tell someone you really trust. Or go talk to
a physiatrist!”
So now what does this mean? Even
though we get older, and are supposed to
mature it doesn’t necessarily mean that gossip,
rumors, and secrets are just completely going
to stop. For instance, we have magazines and
we have people that blog on profiles. These
people may be mature but yet they still gossip
and spread rumors. People should be careful
who they talk to and what they say, because it
all has to do with friends and trustworthiness.
It’s not always what you have to do, but also
who you do it with. The point is we all can talk
but does that mean we all know what to say?
Gossip, drama, and secrets all equal life, so
I know for a fact that not all of us
know the new school counselor or should
I say the interim school counselor. In case
you didn’t know, interim is not like an
interim report. It means to “fill in for
another person”. Because Mrs. Bear had
her baby, Mrs. Janet Martinez had to fill
in for her. J.O.P. interviewed Mrs.
Martinez about her background and
history.
Mrs. Martinez graduated from Florida
International University (FIU) in Miami.
At FIU, she earned her Associate,
Bachelor, and Masters Degree. She is
now working on her PHD.
Mrs. Martinez used to teach ESE,
which stands for, “Exceptional Student
Education”. She also has experience as
a teacher and a counselor to adults for
two years.
“Students were actually the ones that
inspired me to become a school
counselor,” stated Mrs. Martinez. She
thought that she could provide a big heart
and lots of patience. Her goal in life was
always to help people. If somehow Mrs.
Martinez did not get the job of being a
school counselor, she would have been a
cardiologist, which is a heart doctor. She
chose this profession because she likes
working with people and is very
dedicated. She says that the heart is a very
special part of your body and is said to
be the center of emotion, feeling, and
affection.
Some of you probably think that
interim school counselors might not have
enough experiences with students. You
are wrong. Mrs. Martinez is a mom of
three, and therefore has a family of five.
She has a daughter named Melonie, who
is sixteen years old, and two sons; Kevin,
who is fourteen, and Justin who is eleven.
She has traveled to many places such as
Europe, specifically Spain, Mexico, and
the east coast of the United States by
plane and car. She said that she would
absolutely not spend the rest of her life
anywhere out of the U.S. she likes Miami
very much. She likes to travel but she also
likes to come home.
J.O.P. interviewed a couple of
students about the pros and cons that they
saw in a school counselor. Seventh grader
Tionna Salmon replied, “What I see good
in a school counselor is a person who
helps students. If you need someone to
talk to, she can help. But the only thing
that I will ever see bad in a school
counselor is if they don’t even try to
help.” As for Anesia Saunders, she says,
“since Mrs. Martinez has a daughter, they
sometimes talk about their situations and
she compares and helps us out. Bad
school counselors do not understand us
and sometimes they try to help us out
without knowing what we need and it
might lead us in the wrong direction.”
Page 10
America’s
Hard Times
By: Tyson Hartwell
Have you noticed that you
haven’t been going to the movies that often
or you haven’t been getting as many new
things? I have talked to a lot of my friends
and most of them said they are not. If you
haven’t I’m here to tell you why. It’s the
stock market and rising prices.
The financial crisis was mainly
caused by greedy real estate agents or
mortgage lenders who lend people money.
Many people who got mortgages couldn’t
really afford the high interest rates and
they didn’t have enough money to pay for
their mortgages. The banks would then
charge higher interest rates and make more
money. If the borrowers could not pay back
the money then they would seize the house
(foreclosure) and put it back on the market.
Everything was going well until
the lenders had more foreclosures then
they could sell. Insurers such as AIG
suffered severely because they could not
provide insurance if no one is buying
houses. This caused the insurers to go
almost out of business. Another main
reason for this crisis is the fact that the
U.S. banks lent out money to people who
needed it. But many of those people could
not pay the money back therefore making
the banks go into debt. Once again AIG
suffered because it also has insurance on
banks.
Now for the part about how it
affects our lives as middle school students.
First of all it has been affecting our lives
because of the rise of gas prices, electric
prices, toys prices etc. You may have noticed
that the price of gas is starting to lower to a
mere $1.99, but it is expected to rise again
to a whopping $3.99. The reason for this
sudden increase is because the oil
manufacturers are losing money because they
are selling the oil for less than it takes to drill
for it. This will cause the gas companies to
raise their prices as well. Since your parents
are going to have to pay so much for their
gas they will have less money to spend on
stuff for us kids. Plus your parents also need
to pay the water bills, the electric bills, and
multiple other bills which take away even
more money from their pockets.
So you see, your parents clearly
are having trouble dealing with everyday
problems. So just try to give them some time
to relax, and who knows there might just
be a pair of shiny new pair of shoes or an
awesome new phone waiting for you at the
end of this economic disaster.
Cell phone Abuse
By Ana Dominguez and Brittni Garcia
Cell phones are used about any where at any time. They are
used for ‘on the go,’ but people use them in their own homes. What
most people aren’t aware of is that too much cell use can cause brain
damage.
Cell phones are one of the top killers in America. They aren’t
just bad for your brain, but you can use them to cheat during tests.
7th grader, Benjamin Miranda told J.O.P. that, “I text during
classes, but I don’t cheat during tests with my phone.”
J.O.P. also asked Rebekah Welch what she thought, “I don’t
have a phone, but I still see kids around me using them to their
advantage. I don’t think it’s fair for us to have to do all of the hard
work, but for them to be able to use it despite the rules.”
Kids around school don’t understand what risk they’re putting
themselves in. If they got caught texting answers during a test, they
would not only fail, but they may get a disciplinary consequence.
We understand having cellphones is important because they
can be can be useful during emergencies, but you have to understand
when to use them!
J.O.P. interviewed 7th grader Sasha Smith, asking if she texted
during school, “I text a lot in school, but I never get caught.” Then
we asked if she uses it to cheat on tests, “No, but I do look at other
people and ask what the answer is.”
Kids barely ever get caught cheating using their phones,
because teachers don’t usually care. So far we’ve learned that phones
can be used for cheating and soon lead to brain damage, but what
most kids don’t realize is that they’re neglecting their family by only
texting and talking to their friends. Teens could spend hours in their
room just texting!
J.O.P. asked 7th grader Danielle Vargas what she thought of
cell phones and how they affect your family life. She replied, “Well,
recently I got my cell phone taken away and I can’t talk on the house
phone and it makes me more in touch with my family. everyone is
noticing that it brings out my personality more. It turns out after school
you do need a break to get away from it all and be with yourself.”
Cell phones take away time from being with your family, and
it takes away a part of being you. Talking to your friends and constantly
texting about nonsense is not the core of life. You should use your
cell phones when you really need it, not to gossip. You don’t need to
get so attached that your unable to go anywhere without it. No one
wants to grow up with a brain tumor or drop out of high school because
you couldn’t do work without cheating with your phone.
Put down your phone for a night, go out and talk to your family,
and leave all that school drama that seems so important right now,
and just be you.
Page 11
Wicked 2
By: Jordana Cutajar and Erin Favus
The room was dim with an eerie
chill, as all the sisters of the house gathered
in the common room. Holding a pink, rose
scented candle close to her, Dara Ellemm
stepped up onto the podium to share her
words of respect for Emily Reed. Emily a
fellow sister of the sorority died today as
she was hit by a car.
Dara inhaled deeply ignoring the
muffled cries and whimpers of the sisters,
as she prepared her speech. Dara never
really had any kind words for the poor girl.
In fact just yesterday she told her to drop
dead, settling the score for one of there daily
feuds. Dara never actually meant for it to
happen. She was just mad.
For a moment, she just felt guilty
and dazed. Then a new feeling for Emily
washed over her. Was it happiness? Emily
has just been killed and suddenly she was
filled with overwhelming joy! How could
this be? She realized as she allowed herself
to drift back into reality. She won! She was
the new President of Delta Gamma. Dara
couldn’t bring herself to deliver the speech,
and stepped back into the shadows.
~*~*~*~
Dara awoke the following
morning to the sound of rain heavily beating
down on her window sill. As she sleepily
wrestled her way out from under the covers,
she saw a note on her whiteboard. It was
from her roommate Jazzy, the note read: Get
to your persuasive writing class early.
There’s a new teacher from England arriving
today. He will be the permanent teacher for
the class. Don’t make a bad first impression.
He supposedly knows extremely important
people who can get you on the right track
to having your book published. Hope you
do a good job. –Jazzy
It’s just like Jazzy to leave a note
like that for her. Jazzy has been her
roommate since freshman year. If anyone
knew Dara best, it was definitely her! Dara
took the pink sticky note off the white board
and threw it in the trash can that was
overflowed with crumpled papers.
She peered out her window before
closing it to dress herself, just like every
other morning. It was no shock for her to
see people shuffling around the campus with
their umbrellas on such a rainy day like this,
but something was different, something she
couldn’t quite put her finger on. Now she
knew what it was, every morning there were
no cars on the path next to her apartment.
Today a man in a sharp looking Mercedes
drove past her apartment. To her dismay it
appeared that the man was watching her.
Dara slammed the blinds shut on
the window and threw on her best Versace
khaki
pants that she only wore to job interviews.
She wore a white cami with a brown tie over
half jacket. She made sure the outfit looked
perfect, hoping to impress her new teacher.
She grabbed her key and slipped out the
door. She hurriedly slurped down her coffee
being careful not to spill any on her best
outfit.
She reached Ryer W. Hall where
her class was held. She put all her strength
into pushing open the big oak wood doors.
Huffing and puffing she took a seat in the
front of the auditorium-styled classroom.
The teacher wasn’t there yet so she still had
time to get her story together. Since no one
was in the classroom she didn’t have to
worry about any one trying to steal her
thunder.
As she prepared the story, the
teacher walked in. This was the man in the
car. I’m sure of it, she thought to herself.
“Good morning. I didn’t think
college kids ever arrived to class on time,
but here you are,” he greeted in an
impressed tone. That was exactly what she
needed.
“Well I’m different from most
college students,” she responded to show
that she had quick wit.
“What is your name?”
“Dara Ellemm,” she said, matterof-factly.
“So Miss Ellemm’s what makes
you so different?” he asked interested.
“I just am. What I mean is, I’m
an individual.”
“Ah, I see. Well, take your seat
and class will begin shortly.”
She nodded politely, placing
herself back in the seat and continued
preparing. Students started piling in,
throngs of them shoving themselves to the
back where they could text message and
daydream without ever getting caught.
It was odd before when he spoke
to her she didn’t notice any British accent
but when he spoke to the class it become
clearly discrete, in fact it stuck out like a
sore thumb. She thought no more of it, and
started taking very detailed long notes.
An ear deafening DING came
from the model of the big Ben clock on
the professor’s desk. It was ten and class
was over. Before anyone could get out of
their seats he announced that there was
homework.
“Write about your background.
I would like to get to know all of you.”
This is a bust! Dara never met
her parents. She had lived at the
Rockefeller Orphanage of Massachusetts
since she was three. Everything before that
was a blur. She only remembered a lady
looking quite like her, with a red streak too,
telling her to ring the doorbell. Dara
couldn’t remember anything else. She
knew her father, not very well, but she
knew he existed. He had horrible amnesia
and didn’t know who she was.
When she was younger her
mother disappeared around the same time
her father got amnesia. The search for Mrs.
Ellemn was very short. Dara had no other
family members that she knew of and the
police soon pronounced her mother dead,
without having any actual evidence of her
death.
~*~*~*~
She took the campus bus back
to her apartment later that night to find that
Jazzy’s car was gone. She found this odd
because Jazzy was never one to go out at
night alone. Maybe she was on a date, but
that would be odd too. In all the years of
knowing Jazzy she had learned that Jazzy
rarely dated. And besides herself Jazzy
didn’t have many friends on campus.
She put the key in the lock and
slowly turned it. She really didn’t know
she was moving in this cautious motion but
she was. She walked through the doorway
to find Jazzy sitting at the desk, her face
illuminated by the bright light from the lap
top.
“Why didn’t I see your car in the
overhang?” she asked, in curious tone.
“It’s in the garage. The, uhhhh
engine, yeah the engine, it needed some
work.” “But you always say how those car
garages only take your money and don’t
really fix anything in the car,” Dara replied
in a snappy tone. She turned to see on the
computer that she was video chatting with
Ray the mechanic at the garage. “Oh, now I
see why you needed your car fixed, but why
him?” Curiosity raced through Dara’s veins
as she awaited her answer.
“Because he asked me out and I
said yes!”
WHOA! She did not, not, NOT
expect that.
“WOW! That’s different, but
when did you plan on telling me this?”
“Tonight,” she admitted.
“Okay then, you know what? I
think I’ll just step out for some fresh air.”
“I’ll come with you.” Jazzy
jumped up.
“No that’s alright I’ll be back in
15.”
Dara walked out the front door
feeling shocked. She rounded the bend
starring down at the sidewalk walking
slowly. How can this be? Jazzy can’t have a
boyfriend now; everything is going to be
different. As she was going over her racing
thoughts she heard foot steps behind her.
They were getting faster and faster. She
peered over her shoulder to see a silhouette
of a man CHARGING AT HER!!!!!!!
She jumped up to speed and ran
as fast as she possibly could, but how fast
can you really run in UGG boots that
reached her knees. She forcibly turned
herself into a dark alley almost immediately
regretting it. In every horror movie the
person who ran into an alley always ended
up getting cornered, and then killed. The
night turned silent again. The mystery person
was getting closer. A pulse ran through her
and she held her breath a thunderous round
of pacing footfalls were close. She overheard
the man mutter something under his breath,
in a BRITISH ACCENT!
She thought back to this morning
when her new professor had been staring at
her through his car window, then his accent.
It was still a little murky but at the same
time clear as a crystal. Did she see something
she wasn’t supposed to? Her mind was
overwhelming with memories and
nightmares she had similar to this.
She felt a cardboard box brushing
against the palm of her hand. She kneeled
down behind it. She sneakily looked up at
the man, catching glimpse of a strange
glowing mark, a cross with a witch’s hat
hanging off the side. It was just there, on
his right forearm. She had never seen such
a tattoo before.
To Be Continued
This Pencil
Won’t Write
By: Laura Smith
Sitting here
pencil in hand,
trying to fill an empty
page.
It’s getting harder and
harder to write,
when you have to say
something
and nobody’s there to
listen.
How do I begin
when I’ve already
reached the end?
I can’t force this
pencil to write,
when it already has.
Page 12
I Love You???
By: Chelsi Chang and Victoria Alvarez
… And finally Anya and Matt’s lips
connected. The kiss was flawless: at that moment
Anya knew that he was the one. They heard the
fireworks and felt the tingling in their ears; it
seemed like nothing else in the world mattered.
After Anya and Matt had a little taste
of heaven, their lips unlocked. Matt looked at
Anya and tucked her hair behind her ear. He
cupped his hands on her face, leaned in and
kissed her again. This time it was even more
captivating. The kiss drew her closer, her heart
was beating so fast, and she could sense that his
was too. She loved how their lips fit each others,
how their faces moved together in rhythm. It was
like magic. She never thought that things like
this were ever possible in the real world, only in
fairytales.
Just at that moment Matt got up, took
Anya’s hand and helped her up.
“Please…..” Matt began.
“Please…. What?” Anya
asked with a gentle smile across her face.
“Please be my girlfriend,”
he said, looking at her eyes as if he was searching
for something… anything. Anya’s face was
stunned; she had no idea what to say. She didn’t
expect it. Everything was happening so fast; the
skating, the falling, the kiss, she wanted to say
yes but the words wouldn’t come out. She knew
how she felt about him, but just wasn’t sure. The
silence was lingering in the air like a bad smell.
She knew she had to say something.
“Well… I’m not exactly sure what to
say, um…” she said, trailing off.
“I was hoping that your answer would
be ‘yes’.”
“I know but, it all happened…. Forget
what I just said; I would love to be your girlfriend,
so yes,” she said, definitely sure of herself.
“You’re sure, right?”
“Yes, I’m completely sure,” she
said, giving him a peck on the cheek. Anya
watched as Matt’s face turned completely happy,
and then turn as pink as the sky.
“We should start heading back,”
Anya suggested.
“Yeah, good idea,” Matt agreed,
wishing that this moment could last forever.
It was Monday morning and Anya’s
alarm went off, waking her up and making her
extremely cranky. Ugh, school. I can’t wait for
mean teachers, bad food, and annoying boys,
Anya thought. As she walked down her chilly
stairs. She got ready to hear her overtly excited
mom, talk about something incredibly stupid.
“Isn’t it just a wonderful day?”
Catalina asked smiling.
“No!” Anya barked.
“Sad that summer’s over?” Catalina
asked.
“What do YOU think?”
“Listen here missy, I don’t have time
for you to act up like this, so early in the morning,
and I have to get to the hospital on time. The
nurses have to get there extra early, you know
that.”
“Uh-huh, whatever” Anya grunted. Catalina was
way too tired to fight back, so she just went into
her bedroom to change.
At school, Anya found out that Matt
was in only TWO of her classes. That certainly
wasn’t enough; she had five classes without him.
By: Cher-rie Stanley
I stared into my mother’s hollow eyes as
the life drained from her face and her expression
went cold. I held her in my arms as her body went
limp and the room grew dark. Tears ran down
my face as I sat alone in the dark room and the
beautiful boy from the day before came to me.
His usual bright green eyes turned piercing black.
“Get away, you can’t be here. You can never come
back. Leave now!”
I stumbled back, “What do you mean?
What’s wrong?” His face twisted in a distorted
position, “You should have left when you had
the chance.” He barred his teeth and lunged at
me. Right when he was about to hit me my dad
turned back to me and said, “Cassandra, are you
listening to me?” My head snapped back into
reality. “Yea, of course dad.”
“Ugh. Don’t lie to me. I was saying that
you need to get ready for school. You don’t want
to go in your pajamas, do you?”
“I didn’t lie. But yeah, I guess I should
get ready for school. I don’t want to be late.” I
rushed to my room, got dressed and rushed into
my dads Enzo Ferrari. Thankfully, I got to school
on time. As I began to park, I noticed a car that
stuck out even more than my dads car; a Lotus
Exige S. Its black paint seemed as if it would
She was about to ask for a schedule change when
she heard...
“Hey!” Deanie called from across the
café, holding a soccer ball in hand. She pushed
past some girls talking about the new lip gloss
colors, Deanie just rolled her eyes. Finally, she
approached Anya. Deanie was wearing her
Hollister shirt; thigh cut jeans, and her dirty
Converse.
“That’s MY old shirt!” Anya
screamed, almost everyone in the café turned
towards them.
“Mind your business people, GOSH!”
Deanie was totally humiliated. She turned back
to Anya and whispered,
“Listen, I couldn’t find anything else
to wear and… it looks good.”
“Just,” she sighed, “… keep it”
“Thanks,” Deanie replied in a goober
kind of way.
“Hey, come with me to the bathroom.
I’ve got to check out if my outfit still looks good.”
Anya began to pull Deanie into the bathroom.
As soon as they got into the bathroom,
Anya made sure no one was inside, and then gave
her the scoop about Matt.
“OMG! That’s why you look like
that!” Deanie said as if she had discovered a
new dinosaur. Anya stared deeply into the mirror:
just a denim mini skirt along with a pink tank
top. With that, there was her blue scarf which
matched perfectly with her ballet flats.
“I don’t look like anything,” she protested, as she
stroked her auburn hair, touching her upper back.
“You know you do, but I have to go.
Just change or something.” Deanie said, leaving
to meet the boys on the soccer field. Anya looked
doubtfully at herself again and put her hair in a
ponytail, so that it flowed down the back of her
neck. Then she stuck the blue scarf into her belt
loops, as a little belt. She walked out of the
bathroom, hoping she looked better.
Anya walked back into the crowd
looking for her friend Lindsay.
“Lindsay! Lindsay!” Anya screamed
in the crowd of bustling students. Finally, she
came upon her friend Lindsay. She was originally
blonde, but now has black hair and some blonde
streaks. She was the shorter then Deanie and
Anya, at about 4’11. As expected, Lindsay was
wearing a striped beanie, a dark purple coat, and
skinny jeans, not to mention her boot-like purple
Converse.
“I thought you… gave up the Goth
look,” Anya asked, acting as if she smelled
something disgusting.
“Well…,” suddenly she stopped and
pointed, “look at her boots. I totally want them!”
Anya turned to look.
“Lindsay, that’s not important. You
have plenty of shoes.” Anya said, looking at her,
doubtfully. There was no hope in the world for
her; she loves shoes.
Anya and Lindsay were lucky enough
to pull Deanie out of the soccer game and to
orientation. But, of course, instead of listening
they talked about Matt, the whole time.
Anya was in her first period listening
to her new teacher gab about her expectations
and things like that. At that moment, Matt walked
in, and Anya screamed on the inside, her brown
eyes sparkling. And, lucky for her, the seat next
to her was empty. He quickly saw the empty seat,
and in no time was at her side.
“Hey, sorry, I’m late”
“That’s okay, you’re here now…,”
Anya whispered, reaching for his soft, warm hand
under the table.
Matt picked Anya up at every single
one of her classes and walked her there, even
though he was always late to his. They even
planned to meet at the water fountain in the
middle of fourth period, so they could see each
other.
When the bell finally rang, Anya
walked home with Matt. They talked about how
much they liked each other, and how they almost
died in the other five of their classes. When they
finally got to Anya’s house, Matt cupped her face,
and kissed her on the forehead.
Anya ran up her porch and into her
room as quickly as possible. She jumped on her
bed, dialed her fuzzy green and pink phone and
called Deanie and Lindsay.
“Sleepover Friday night guys,” Anya
demanded.
“Whose house?” Lindsay asked.
“Hers, or else she wouldn’t be calling,
stupid.” Deanie barked.
“Well… Sorry okay I’m doing my
homework” Lindsay said, trying to fight back.
“You can’t talk and do your
homework at the same time?” Deanie asked
viciously.
“No,” Lindsay replied sheepishly.
“Whatever, stop arguing and tell your
parents, gosh. Just tell them that you’re walking
home with me on Friday to sleepover.” Anya
yelled into the phone.
When Friday came, the all walked
home happily, with Matt at their side. They were
all gabbing about how school was going, their
favorite teachers, and the worst lunch food.
“So, Matt where did you live before
you lived in AMER-I-CA?” Lindsay asked, as if
Matt couldn’t speak English well.
“Um, Lindsay, I can speak English,
you know, and I actually came from Greenfield,
California. Yeah, it’s uh, kind of a rural area.”
Matt replied coolly.
“Eww! I would never go there I would
totally HATE looking at green fields all day.
That’s totally boring. Hey! Is your house made
of green fields too?” Lindsay tried hard to make
her voice sound deeper, for her new look, but it
just came out as a squeal. Anya tried to explain
to her, that where Matt came from wasn’t totally
COVERED in green fields, but held her breath;
she knew it wouldn’t be worth it.
When they reached Anya’s house,
Matt leaned in to kiss her cheek, but Anya pulled
away.
“My mom’s home and… I’m still
trying to tell her that I’m going out with you,”
Anya squeezed out the words as if she couldn’t
breathe.
“Anya, I want her to know about us,”
Matt whispered angrily, while Deanie and
Lindsay stared at them as if they were watching
a movie.
“I’ll try to tell her tonight,” Anya
promised, sincerely. Deanie, Lindsay, and Anya
watched Matt sulk down the street, to the house
next door, wave good-bye, and slam his front
door. Quietly, they all walked into Anya’s house,
hoping to avoid Catalina. Anya led them to her
room and closed the door. As Deanie and Lindsay
expected, a tear ran down Anya’s face. They were
quickly at her side comforting her. Lindsay knew
exactly what to do, order pizza and have ice
cream.
Soon, Anya was back to her normal
self. They finished two whole boxes of
“everything on it” pizza, and three pints of Ben
and Jerry’s.
“What should we do now?” Lindsay
asked, holding her stomach.
“Let’s play a game or something,”
Deanie suggested.
“Spin the bottle?” Lindsay asked
hopefully, after all it was her favorite game.
“Hello? Anyone in there?” Deanie
asked, knocking on her head, “We obviously
don’t have any guys here, moron.”
“Sorry, it was just a suggestion.
Gosh!” Lindsay said, clearly mad.
“Stop fighting! I have an idea, let’s
play Truth or Dare” Anya was officially getting
tired of them arguing all the time. They never
agree on anything.
“Yeah! How do you play that again?”
Lindsay asked. Anya and Deanie both sighed.
They explained it to her, wishing that sometimes
she would have some common sense.
“Deanie,” Anya began, “Truth or
Dare?” Deanie sat their for a minute, debating
whether or not she should tell her friends a secret
or risk getting in trouble by Catalina.
“Dare.” She choked out.
“I dare you…” Anya said looking
around the room, “To eat marshmallow, tuna, and
mustard all mixed together in the,” she paused
“BLENDER,” Anya finished viciously, with a
terrible grin across her face.
“Eww…” Lindsay cried. Deanie just
sat there with a smile saying, “Bring it on!” After
they finished the disgusting task, at which Deanie
actually enjoyed, they continued. It was Lindsay’s
turn to ask Anya. She decided to have a little help
from Deanie.
“I dare you to sneak into Matt’s house,
find his room, wake him up and say, “Hi.” Anya’s
pale face turned pink. She wanted to say no, but
something inside her didn’t let her talk. She made
a huge gulp, she looked around at Deanie and
Lindsay, and the words still didn’t come out. She
couldn’t go into Matt’s house without permission;
it’s twelve o’ clock at night! Plus, she wasn’t even
invited. The clock was ticking and she still had
no answer. Should I? Wouldn’t be an invasion of
privacy? He’s already mad at me, what if he gets
so angry that he breaks up with me? Yet, I want
to see him so badly. Ahh! Why is this so hard?!
Deanie and Lindsay were getting impatient.
“Soo, what’s your answer, do you accept?”
Deception 2
feel like silk if I touched it. It shinned reflectively
from the sunlight, which appeared to magnify me
toward the car. When I approached the car I
immediately realized who this car belonged to
and let my books shatter to the floor. He lifted
himself from the car and approached me. “Whoa!
Are you ok?”
“Oh, uh yea, I’m fine.”
“Hey, you’re that girl I hit with my
locker.” He staggered back. The way he talked
appeared to be as if he was nervous about some
thing. So strange.
“Yeah. That really hurt.”
“I’m so sorry about that.” He began to
walk away.
“Wait!” It was too late he had disappeared
and I didn’t even know his name. A girl who had
been watching our conversation walked up to me.
She looked like one of those platinum blond
cheerleaders; all she needs is the shirt that says
‘go team’. Her strong smell of strawberries
enveloped the air around me and I couldn’t help
but cough. She walked toward me, snickered and
said, “Poor guy, you’ve got him all nervous. What
did you do to him to make him act like that?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t do anything.”
“His name is Leon. He’s very popular,
very hot and totally off the market. He doesn’t
date . . . ever.”
“Oh.”
“disappointed?”
“Not really. I don’t really date either.”
“Oh. Well, come sit with me at lunch.
We’ll talk.” She walked away and merged back
into the enormous crowd that had been staring
as we talked. I don’t think I like her. I guess I
could give her a chance though.
~*~*~
I walked into the cafeteria and shortly
after I was enveloped by an immense group of
students attempting to mingle with me. It was
the strangest thing that I had ever experienced.
Girls giggled and laughed and boys flirted but
the one boy that I wanted to talk to wasn’t there.
I eventually found the platinum blond girl in the
vast crowd and asked, “Do you know where Leon
is?”
“So anxious to see him already?”
“It’s not that I want to see him really. I
just want to know why he’s always avoiding me.”
“Are you sure you didn’t do anything to
him?”
“Yeah. I’ve barley said anything to him.”
“Well, sorry to burst your bubble but he’s
never gone to lunch. I don’t think he’s even been
in here.” At that moment Leon sauntered into the
cafeteria. The platinum blonds’ blue eyes
widened in astonishment. “He came to lunch?
You must really interest him.” I began to blush
and tried to ignore him after she said that but
couldn’t help look up at him. When I did I noticed
Page 13
Chapter 2
By: Sarah Jenkins
As Lauri Connor and Keila Larenso
jogged off into the sunset, Keila suddenly realized
something, “Lauri, where are we going to sleep
and what are we going to eat?”
“Well, I’m not a bank, but we should check our
pockets for any cash we might have.” Both girls
rifled through their pockets.
“O.M.G!” They yelled together.
“I can’t believe I actually have
money!” Lauri shrieked.
“I have my paycheck in cash.”
Both girls continued jogging until
Keila got so hot she thought she was going to
faint.
Keila slowed to a walk and whispered,
“I don’t think I am going to make it.
Lauri, it’s been two days and I’m
starving. I’m hot, I’m thirsty and I
don’t know where I am.”
“Calm down, Keila, I’m sure there is
a convenience store within a few miles. Then we
can get cleaned up in the bathroom and get
something to eat and drink.”
“I sure hope so.”
While all this was happening, back in
the girl’s hometown, everyone was going crazy.
There were signs and news reports on Keila and
Lauri’s disappearance.
Lauri’s parents were interviewed.
“We just want our Lauri back,” they
pleaded.
Keila’s parent’s refused to take part
in any interview, but hollered from the inside their
garage, “We don’t care if our child is missing.
She has her own life.”
The paramedics that had examined the
girls had gone straight to the authorities when
they found out that the girls were missing. The
government had even been informed about Keila
and Lauri’s disappearance. Lauri and Keila
walked like snails down the road until a shape of
a far off building caught Lauri’s eye.
“Oh, Keila, look.” Lauri pointed
toward the far off structure. The girls ran towards
the building. When they got close enough they
could see that it wasn’t a convenience store. It
was a house that looked very fragile and old.
“Well, let’s see if anyone lives here,”
Lauri mumbled.
Both girls walked cautiously up to the
house and knocked. After about fifteen seconds
the door slowly creaked open.
A soft voice whispered, “Is that you,
girls?” The door then opened all the way to reveal
an elderly woman who looked as, aged and fragile
as the house.
“Oh, it’s so great to see my
grandbabies all grown up,” the woman
grinned.
“What do you mean your
grandbabies?” Keila asked.
“Enough pish posh. Come in my
sweethearts.”
The girls slowly walked into the house
looking at all the antique furniture. They sat on
the withered couch in silence.
“My granddaughters look hungry. I’ll
go fetch some food out of the oven.”
The woman left the room and headed
into the kitchen.
The minute the woman was gone
Keila whispered, “I don’t care if that women
thinks we’re her grandkids. I’m not leaving until
I get something to eat.”
“Okay.”
The withered woman came back with
a freshly cooked Thanksgiving dinner.
“Enjoy.” The old woman beamed.
The girls scarfed down all the food,
laid back against the couch, and sighed.
“I’m not some crazy old woman like
you think I am,” the woman laughed.
Lauri got up, “We’re sorry we took
advantage of you and we’re going to leave now.
Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Don’t go so soon. There is something
you two need to know.”
Keila frowned, “I’m confused?”
The woman replied, “I am your
grandmother.”
The girls both screamed, “No, you’re
not!”
“That’s impossible. We’re not related
at all!” Keila blasted.
The woman who claimed to be their
grandmother sighed, “Have a seat girls.”
Lauri sat, but Keila stood in protest.
“You see, when you girls were born,
your parents died….”
“Wait, wait, WAIT!” Lauri exclaimed
cutting her off.
“Let me repeat myself. We aren’t
related,” Keila denied.
The woman sighed, “Just give me a
minute of your time to explain, and then you can
go.”
The girls nodded.
Fire and Ice
“You girls are my granddaughters.
Your parents died only a few months after you
were born. I can’t tell you any more about your
parents. If you go to this address though, you will
find more information about them.” She
instructed, handing them a piece of paper with
the address on it.
The girls replied, “Thank you,
Grandma,” struggling with the words. Their
grandmother nodded, and shooed the girls out of
the house. They walked in newfound quiet
confusion back onto the road.
Lauri broke the peace, “Well, at least
we know we’re related in some way.” Keila
laughed.
“Well, if we’re really sisters then we’re
going to the address on this paper,” Lauri said
holding it out.
“I guess your right.”
“Hey, look at this!” Keila looked over
Lauri’s shoulder at the paper.
“Hey, the address on this paper is one
digit different than our grandmother’s house.
That must mean the person who we are looking
for lives pretty close to where we are right now,”
Keila replied.
“I didn’t see any other houses around,
but I did see what looked like a cottage towards
the East of here.” Keila started running in that
direction.
Lauri screamed, “Hey, you got a head
start!” She started running to catch up with Keila.
To the girls, the cottage looked like
an ancient one story castle. There was ivy growing
wildly on the outside, but there were fresh
footsteps in the dirt, so the girls knew that
someone had recently been there.
“We don’t know who recently lives
here, Lauri. We have to respect them and their
house.” Lauri nodded. Keila knocked lightly on
the humungous door. The girls heard faint
footsteps, and the door opened. Lauri swore her
heart skipped a beat when she saw who answered
the door. A boy about the girl’s age stepped out
of the cottage. He was about an inch taller than
Lauri, with blue brown eyes and tons of freckles
all over his cheeks.
“Can I help you?” he mumbled.
“Yeah, our grandmother gave us this
address, to find out more information about our
parents, but I think we have the wrong one,” the
girls replied.
“No, you don’t,” he smiled shyly to
Lauri, making her blush.
“My name is Danny.”
“Well my name is…” Keila got cut off
by Danny, “I know you’re Keila and you must be
Lauri. It’s an honor to meet you.”
Lauri stepped forward, “So, can we
come in?”
Danny motioned with his hand inside,
“I’d like that.” Both girls walked through the
gigantic door and into Danny’s cottage. The
minute the girls entered the cottage they noticed
how big it really was inside. On the main hallway
there had to be at least a million pictures of just
one couple. The girls assumed that it was their
parents. When they finally reached the dining
room, there were pictures of another couple who
looked a lot like Danny.
Danny turned around, “We have a lot
to go over, so let’s just get started with some
dinner, and then I can show you your history and
future.”
Lauri replied, “We just ate at our
grandmother’s house. I don’t think it’s necessary
to eat again.” Danny nodded and walked out of
the dining room, and the girls followed. He took
them out the back door and into a shed. As Lauri
inhaled, she got a whiff of the musty sour
smelling shed.
Danny closed the door, “Girls, you
might want to close your eyes. It’s going to be a
storm in here”
Keila shut her eyes tight, while Lauri
watched Danny. Lauri could barely see what he
was doing, but she saw a blue flash of light,
followed by a red and orange one. Lauri finally
saw it turn pitch black.
“Danny are you okay?”
Danny whispered, “Yeah, I’m fine.
Come, girls, let’s take a history fieldtrip to my
library.” The girls followed Danny out of the shed
and into a gigantic library, filled with ancient
books. Danny picked up a book, left the room,
and came back with it soaking wet.
“Lauri, can you do something to this
book for me?” he asked.
“What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to freeze it.”
“How do I do that?”
“Watch me.” At that moment Lauri
saw Danny take his hand, put it on the book, and
saw it freeze.
“How..?”
“I was given the power of ice when I
was born. I got it genetically from my dad. There
are only two people left in the world that have
this gift. You and I are those two. I use my mind
to concentrate on what I want to freeze.”
“So I can freeze anything with my
touch, by using my mind and concentrating?”
“Yes,” Keila interrupted the mood.
“Okay, if Lauri and I are related then I have a
special power too.”
“That’s right,” Danny mumbled. He
took the book that Lauri froze. “Watch me” he
demanded. Keila watched as the ice on the book
started to melt, and when all the ice was gone
the book caught fire.
Keila asked, “So how do you know
so much about us?”
Danny replied, “Your parents were
really good friends with my father. My father died
just a few months ago and told me to make sure
you two knew that I existed, and that the powers
you have are real.”
Lauri muttered, “Well, now we know
for sure.”
Danny smiled, “If you’d like girls, you
can stay here for the time being.”
Lauri batted her eye lashes, “We’d
love to.”
He grinned, “Great, let’s go. I have lots
more to tell you.”
They all single filed out of the library
and back into the shed where Danny repeated
the whole close your eyes scene. They all walked
into the dining hall. Keila sat at the end of the
table, while Lauri sat down next Danny. Lauri
took her chair and scooted all the way over to
where he was sitting. Danny looked at her
uncomfortably and motioned to the maid with
his finger, “Excuse me, Eleanor, could you go
and clean up the guest rooms?” Lauri smiled at
Danny knowing that she could never have the
courage to boss someone around.
As they were waiting for their food
Keila asked, “Danny, where is the restroom?”
He replied, “Right down that
hallway.” Keila got up danced her way in that
direction. Lauri and Danny sat in silence.
Lauri finally broke the quiet, “When
I first saw you, I didn’t think you would be this
sweet to someone like me.”
Danny chuckled, “I’m horrible at first
impressions. But I think we have a connection.”
They both started laughing.
Lauri placed her hand on top of
Danny’s and noticed a scar running down the
length of his arm, “How did you get that scar?”
He replied, “I got into a fight with a
grizzly bear and he almost tore off my arm.”
Lauri froze, “Why were you fighting
with a grizzly bear?”
Danny looked down at the floor, “I
was trying to save my mother. She didn’t have
powers like my father or I, so my natural instinct
was to help her.” Danny had been really close to
his mother. Tears streamed from Danny’s eyes,
“I tried to hard to save her Lauri. I was only twelve
and I didn’t have the strength to tear apart the
bear like I do now.”
Lauri started to fidget with Danny’s
hand, “Wow, I didn’t know that Danny. I’m so
sorry.”
Lauri intertwined her fingers into his.
Danny looked at her with his face sopping wet,
“Lauri I really cared about my mother and I
always had this warm feeling when I was around
her. I feel that way right now.” Lauri smiled, and
wiped a tear from Danny’s face.
Keila came back into the room, “So,
did I miss anything while I was gone?” They all
laughed.
“No, I guess you didn’t,” Lauri
giggled.
“Well, since we’re all here,” I have to
tell you something,” Danny said. The girls leaned
in towards Danny. “You now know your powers
exist, then we have to start training you.”
Keila looked confused, “What do you
mean training?”
Danny responded, “You girls are
wanted throughout the country. I thought it would
be great if you knew how to control your powers
just in case someone was trying to capture you.”
Lauri looked at Danny, “I don’t
understand. Why would someone want to capture
us?”
He whispered, “I have watched the
news and you are wanted all over the U.S.,
because they know something’s different about
you two, and anybody who got their hands on
you, could become filthy rich.” Lauri and Keila
gave Danny a worried look.
“Don’t worry. I’m going to teach you
to control your powers so if something does
happen, you can defend yourselves.”
Keila replied, “Then they would know
we have these unusual powers.”
Lauri pleaded, “Yeah, she’s right
Danny.”
Danny looked at the floor, “If you
ladies ever need to defend yourself with your
powers, remember they are meant for good. If
anyone finds out about your powers, just leave it
to me.” The maid whispered something into
Danny’s ear.
“Girls, this is Eleanor, my
housekeeper. She knows all about you, and she
suggests that we all go to bed, if I am going to
begin your training in the morning.” The girls
nodded. “Eleanor will show you to you rooms.”
Lauri looked at Danny as if she was
going to be in misery if she wasn’t with him.
Danny looked at Lauri, “Eleanor,
make sure you put Lauri in the room right across
from mine.”
Eleanor smiled, “Yes, Master Daniel.”
Lauri looked relieved as she smiled a
beautiful smile at Danny. They all followed
Eleanor to their rooms. They all thanked Eleanor,
and stood in the hallway to say their goodnights.
Keila yawned, “Well, goodnight love
birds. I got to get some sleep if I’m going to be
training tomorrow.” She left Lauri and Danny
standing alone.
“I had a great day Danny, and I hope
we can get to know each other better,” Lauri
whispered. Danny nodded and Lauri turned to
open the door to her room when Danny pleaded,
“Wait, Lauri, I know we’ve only known each
other for a few hours, but I’ve felt like I’ve known
you my whole life.”
He was inches from her face. Lauri
smiled, “I feel the exact same way Danny.” Danny
cupped his hand under Lauri’s chin and kissed
her on the cheek. She turned tomato red.
As Danny kissed Lauri on the cheek,
blue, orange, and red sparks flew off her cheek.
He pulled away, “Whoa, what was that?” Maybe
we should try this again another time, your
powers and my powers will go even more out of
control than they already have.”
Danny gently brushed Lauri’s hair
back from her face. He whispered in her ear,
“Goodnight my angel.” He left the hallway
feeling warm inside.
“Well, it was probably better then it
seemed from my door. I think he’s interested in
me,” Keila assumed. Lauri laughed in her head
and headed off to bed with a sigh.
Will the girls learn to control their
powers? Will Danny and Lauri find true love with
each other? Come back to the next J.O.P. issue
to see what happens to Lauri, Keila, and Danny.
Page 14
The Secret Behind the
Keys
By: Brittni Garcia and Natasha Gerdes
They stopped in their tracks, unsure
of what was to come.
“What was that?” Chelsi questioned.
“I...I think it was my grandma.” Alexis
whispered.
A soft, faint yelp came out from behind
them. They simultaneously whipped their head
around. Alexis charged up the stairway as Chelsi
followed shortly after. Doors blurred as they
hurried down the hall.
Once again, they came to a stop. Ellen
came out of that door… the forbidden door. When
she turned around, she was taken aback by the
two teenage girls staring at her. Ellen held her
arm stiff at her side.
“Are you alright? What happened?”
Alexis asked, noticing her peculiar action.
“Oh, I…uh… I got a stomach cramp. It just
helps to hold onto it I guess. Don’t pay any
attention to me, girls. I’ll be fine.” Ellen
answered, she simply locking the door and
walking away.
Chelsi and Alexis exchanged glances. Looking
back at Ellen’s arm, they could see gashes
peeping out. As she started down the stairway,
loosening her arm’s stiff position, Chelsi and
Alexis could see the shades of blue and purple
surrounding the scratches in her arm. Alexis had
to bit her lip, to keep from screaming. The gouges
in Ellen’s arm looked serious. One thing was for
sure; whatever happened in that room had
nothing to do with a cramp.
Once they were sure Ellen was out of earshot,
Chelsi turned to Alexis.
“Well that definitely isn’t your everyday
bruise.” Chelsi laughed sarcastically.
“Chelsi, how could you say that? We have to
do something. She’s my grandmother.”
“Hey, she said it herself, she’ll be fine. Just
forget about her! I’d rather find out what’s behind
that door.”
“And your actually believed her?!” Alexis’s
level of self control was sinking lower and lower.
The anger in her voice began to show through.
“If you think for one second that I’m ignoring
this, you’re dead wrong.”
“Alexis, take it down a notch. Geez, your
grandmother is old. I just saying, she probably
doesn’t have many years left okay.”
“Who are you?! I know you’re not my best
friend because my best friend would never say
such a thing! She is my grandmother and I guess
you just can’t understand that.”
“Oh, wow. There you go again, talking like
you’re from the 1950’s. ‘Oh, how could you say
such a thing?’ “ Chelsi exaggerated, quoting
Alexis, “Do you ever like adventure? Learn to
live on the edge; it’s much more exhilarating that
way. You would know if you tried it.” Chelsi was
winning her over now. “Behind that door is a
secret. I don’t know about you, but I want to and
will find out what it is, whether you’re with me
or not.”
“She told us not to go near that door. Yes,
Chelsi, I will admit that I’m scared. But not of
adventure, or getting hurt, I’m scared of my
Grandma. I just think it would be best if we just
ignore the door for the rest of this trip.
“Oh, please Alexis. Don’t give me that
innocent girl act. All you do is follow the rules
24/7. Now look Alexis, you can believe what ever
you want, but I’m going to find out what’s in
that room one way or another.” Chelsi said
turning toward the door.
Alexis couldn’t ignore the contagious
temptation radiating from Chelsi. All traces of
fear, anguish, and uneasiness had nearly
vanished. Alexis turned to follow Chelsi
Chelsi was tearing off the tape Ellen had
covered the door in.
“As, if she thought this cheap tape was really
going to stop us.” Chelsi said.
“Alexis! Chelsi! Where are you girls? Come
on out! I was thinking for dinner we could get
Burger King. Hurry up, it’s a long drive. Alexis!
Chelsi!” Ellen was now walking up the staircase
again.
The two girls froze in place. Alexis’s
grandmother was getting closer. Chelsi was the
first to move.
“Come on, help me with this tape! If we hurry
up we can hide out in the attic.” Chelsi said,
tearing tape off as if her life was on the line.
“Well, I am kind of hungry…can’t we do this
when we get home?” Alexis asked.
A few hours later, the three of them came
home. It was as dark as twilight outside so they
couldn’t really see. The porch lights were off, and
Ellen had trouble finding the key hole. Once she
found it, the door creaked open and swung around
slamming against the wall.
“Wow, that’s one big introduction.” Chelsi
said, smirking.
“Yeah, Grandma can I go to bed now? I’m
really tired.” Alexis yawned. Chelsi thought
Alexis was faking and thought she was creating
a diversion.
“Yeah, me too. I guess we’ll just head on
upstairs.” Chelsi added.
“Okay, you two girls get settled and I’ll be up
there in a minute.” Ellen said sincerely
“Okay, thanks for dinner,” Alexis said heading
upstairs.
“Yeah, thanks,” Chelsi followed.
“I really didn’t think you had it in you!” Chelsi
said, bouncing on her bed.
“What are you talking about?” Alexis asked,
heading into the bathroom to change.
“The diversion you made back there! We can
go to the door and see what’s up there,” Alexis
came out in her pajamas and got into bed. She
gave Chelsi a puzzled look.
“What diversion?”
“Oh, well I thought we agreed on going to the
door when your grandma was asleep,” Chelsi
said.
“Right, I forgot!” Alexis said, slapping her
forehead.
“Yeah, well, I’m glad I reminded you!”
“Aren’t you going to change clothes?”
“Not if we’re going through the door I’m not.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll change later.”
Ellen walked through the door and
over to the side of Alexis’s bed.
“What are you girls talking about?” Ellen
asked.
“A scary movie we saw.” Alexis said,
with a devilish grin planted on her face.
“Well, try not to get nightmares!” Ellen
said with a hint of disapproval in her voice.
“Ok grandma we’ll try!”
“Good night girls. Sweet dreams.” When
Ellen closed the door, Alexis drifted off into a
deep slumber.
Alexis walked up the stairs hidden
behind the door. She reached the top and peered
over it. She saw dust on shelves, books, and rugs.
She saw a figure crawled up into a ball over in
the corner. She walked up to it and stroked its
back. The figure began purr and vibrate under
her touch. Alexis stopped petting the creature
and it turned around showing it’s red eyes, rib
cage, and sharp claws! Alexis shrieked but no
one could hear her. She was alone. Trapped. The
creature walked toward her and she could really
see it! It was a dead zombie cat! Alexis turned
around and started to run but tripped and fell!
The cat pranced on top of her and clawed at
her! “Alexis! Alexis! Wake up!” she could hear
Chelsi but couldn’t see her! Alexis shrieked and
cried out to Chelsi for help.
Alexis awoke with a start. She was
sweating and panting and trying to catch her
breath.
“Alexis, are you ok?” Chelsi asked,
concerned.
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me,” Alexis
reassured her.
“So...uh, you want to go?”
“What?”
“Do you want to go look behind the
door? Please.”
Alexis bolted upright when she realized
exactly what Chelsi was talking about
“Now! It’s the middle of the night. I
thought we were going to wait!”
“When did we decide on that?” Chelsi
said her voice slowly elevating.
“Would you keep it down!”
“So are we going or not?” Chelsi asked,
ignoring Alexis’s remark. Alexis was hesitant, but
came to her final decision.
“It’s now or never. I guess we go it now.”
They didn’t admit it, but adrenaline
rushed up both of their spines. Chelsi opened the
door discretely as possible and she excitedly
slinked down the hall, leaving Alexis behind.
Alexis was still in the room, changing her clothes.
When she was done, she had her hair up in a
high ponytail, leaving her bangs falling over her
eyes. She slipped on a pair of faded jeans and
pink, cashmere sweatshirt. By the time she crept
out into the hallway, Chelsi was tearing off the
last piece of tape and making her way inside.
Wow, she has some serious guts. Alexis thought.
Chelsi waved her over toward the door.
They opened the door and stared up
at the familiar stairway. Chelsi’s confidence
vanished, and Alexis took one step back. Chelsi
grabbed Alexis’s arm so she wouldn’t leave, but
mostly because fear was beginning to take over.
The first time they had actually walked up a few
steps. Why we’re they so much more petrified
the second time?
Surprisingly, Alexis took a step
forward and lightly tugged Chelsi along. Alexis
closed the door behind them. With each and every
step, darkness enveloped them. They were
walking for what felt like an hour.
“Ouch!” squeaked Alexis, breaking
the silence. Chelsi sprang back alarmed, but
Alexis caught her before she could fall.
“What was that?” Chelsi murmured.
“Calm down,” Alexis whispered,
“We’ve made to the top. I just hit the door.” Chelsi
took a deep breath and loosened her grip on
Alexis’s arm.
“How do we open this door?” Alexis’s
hands began searching the closed in darkness.
She whined when the wood splintered her
fingertips. Eventually, she found a hole in place
of a knob. She stuck three fingers through the
hole and pulled with the unnecessary force.
The door swung open and they inched
their way inside. A swinging string hit Chelsi’s
forehead. When she pulled on it, a dim light
switched on and revealed the dustiness of the half
empty room.
“Oh…wow.” Chelsi exclaimed and
started inside. The small, closed in space was
made of wood like the rest of the rooms in the
house, yet it still looked at any old attic. A scent
filled the room that reminded them of the smell
you inhale when you open an old library book.
Splinters poked out of the wood on the wall and
ceilings. A bookshelf with a white sheet of dust
sat against the wall. A small table made of metal,
resembling a desk was in the far corner. Next the
desk on the floor was a box. Alexis’s eyes
wandered over to a dusky corner where she found
luminescent, yellow eyes staring back at her.
“Ahhh!” Alexis wailed. Chelsi looked
at her alarmed and put a finger to her lips.
“Shhh, are you trying to get caught?”
Chelsi mumbled.
“No, it’s just that. Look!” Alexis
whispered and pointed at the dusky corner with
a jittery finger.
“What? I don’t see anything.”
“Nothing is there so can you just calm
down. It’s just your imagination like last time
and the time before that.”
“Okay, I got it, enough already.”
Alexis whined, hiding her face under her long
bangs.
“Okay then, just drop it.” Chelsi
walked over to the middle of the room, more of a
walk-in closet because of its compact size.
“Okay, what exactly are we looking
for?” Chelsi began.
“We were going to come because we
were bored, remember?” Alexis shrugged.
“Yeah, but your grandma came out of
this door in pain. You saw it, and I saw it. I don’t
know about you, but I want to know exactly what
went on in this room.” Chelsi paced back and
forth with her hands on her hips. Alexis blankly
stared at her. Right when she was going to tell
Chelsi what a waste of time this was, her eyes
wandered over to the box in the corner on the
floor.
“What is this?” Alexis thought aloud.
She walked over to it taking slow, cautious steps.
Chelsi carefully followed her, wondering what it
could be. Alexis picked up the box from the
ground and placed it on the desk. She blew on it
making tiny fragments of dust drift around their
faces. They began to cough and attempted to
wave away the flakes.
“Has your grandma ever heard of
spring cleaning?” Chelsi gagged.
“I don’t think she comes up here very
often. It looks like she hasn’t been up here for
years.” Alexis guessed. “Hey, Chelsi, I think it’s
a typewriter. It looks like something I’ve seen in
a movie.”
“Well do you know how it works?”
“I think so, I’ll try,” Alexis uttered.
She picked up a blank piece of paper on the desk
and the dusk sifted away as she waved it through
the air. Writing on a typewriter instead of using
the computer or a pen mesmerized her. It was
like she had discovered a brand new toy that was
completely different from all the others and she
just had to play with it. She flipped up the paper
guide, placed it behind the roller, and slowly
rolled the paper in place. Her eyes slowly traced
the dusty letters and the crisp corners of the white
paper. In the attic surrounded by all the antique
items, she was stunned by the ancient typewriter.
With its grey tone and the letters so finely crafted,
it was even more tempting to get her hands on
the keys. Her fingers stroked the keys but her
magical moment was interrupted by Chelsi, who
tugged on her sweater sleeve.
“Alexis, look at this!” She walked
over to Chelsi standing by the stack of papers
they had seen earlier. Chelsi shoved a couple of
papers in Alexis’s face.
“Alexis, do you see this!”
“Well I could if you’d stop moving
them.”
“They’re stories! Actual stories
written way back when! Can you believe this?”
“I would if you would just let me see
them,” she said, snatching the papers form
Chelsi’s frantic fingers. She skimmed the paper
and gasped. Alexis blinked several times and
shook her head. She read the title aloud.
“Polio Takes Over The Americans by
Ellen Cartwright. January 17, 1950.” She stared
blankly at Chelsi, not sure what to think.
“Whoa, your grandma was alive back
then?” Chelsi remarked. Alexis dropped on the
floor, and completely ignored Chelsi. She read
the entire story and looked up at Chelsi who was
in the corner glancing over the other stories in
the pile.
“Chelsi, come and look at this.” She
shoved the papers at Chelsi. She looked down at
the papers in her hand.
“What?”
“Look at it! Do you see the date?”
“January 17, 1950. Okay, I see it.
What about it?”
“The Polio Epidemic, Chelsi! It
happened in 1952 not 1950. I read the whole
entire thing. Everything in that story was exactly
what happened during the epidemic. How could
my grandmother write the story of an epidemic
two years before it happened? Can you explain
that?”
“How do you even know when the
epidemic happened in the first place?”
“Chelsi! First, you’re missing the
point. Second, we’re studying it in American
History right now. You would know that if you
paid attention in class.”
“This doesn’t mean anything. She
could have just typed that date. It doesn’t mean
that’s when she wrote it.”
Alexis walked back over to the stack
of papers and glanced over all of them. She
picked them up and waved them at Chelsi.
“World War II by Ellen Cartwright.
The date here is 1939. Chelsi, I don’t know if
you know this but World War II started in
1941.”Alexis pushed her bangs out of her face.
When she picked up another stack of papers, she
staggered back.
“Here, look at this one.” Chelsi took
it from her hands and read aloud,
“Twin Towers Attack by Ellen
Cartwright. September 9, 2001.” Chelsi gasped.
Now she knew something was up.
“How do you explain that?” Alexis
whispered.
“You don’t…” Chelsi muttered with
her voice trailing off. Two teenage girls standing
there lifeless, both looked at the small, grey
typewriter sitting innocently on the desk. “There’s
obviously a secret behind those keys,” Alexis
started,
“But, what is it?”
… To be continued
Page 15
Geekbumps-Movie Night
By: Beka Welch, Ana
Dominguez, Dhanie Vargas
The mysterious steps
seemed to fade until they were gone,
leaving only a room of panicking
kids. Kelly struggled to get the door
open, but it didn’t budge. She went
across the pitch black room and
beside the window.
“We have to get out of here
somehow,” she said as she leaned
towards the window. Kelly tried to
pull it open, but it wouldn’t budge.
“What’s wrong?” Alex
asked, joining Kelly by the window.
“It won’t open. Nothing
will.”
“We’re stuck.” Alex
declared. “As long as we’re here,
let’s light up this place. Where are
the flashlights Candi?”
“Bottom cabinet in the
kitchen.”
Candi led them towards the
kitchen, but on the way they heard
a thump.
“Ow!” Alex cried from the
floor. She went up on her knees and
pinched her nose. “What is that
smell?!”
“It smells like…blood?”
Kelly asked as she kneeled down
beside Alex. “Oh my God! Milko!”
She pointed to the figure Alex
tripped on.
Candi rolled her eyes.
“What are you talking about? All I
see is black.”
“Come down here!”
Candi sat beside the two
and her eyes were as wide as an
owl’s. She pointed to the dark figure
with her mouth wide open. “Mi-MiMilko!”
Everyone else seemed
oblivious to what was going on in
the center of the room. They were
all concerned on the darkness. No
one seemed to notice Milko; lying
there, eyes staring blankly at the
ceiling. His mouth was chapped;
simple cracks between his lips had
stains of blood that seemed to drip.
Candi, Alex, and Kelly didn’t notice
they were sitting beside a pool of
blood escaping from his mouth,
until a warm liquid surrounded their
palms…
“We need to get him out of
here, before people start noticing,”
Kelly declared as she wiped her
bloody hands on the carpet.
“Okay, I’ll grab the legs,
Kelly you grab the arms, and
um…Candi, you can uh…grab
his…head,” Alex ordered.
“Eww! No way am I
grabbing his bloody head!” Candi
retorted.
Kelly sighed. “Fine, then
get some garbage bags.”
Candi went to the kitchen
in the darkness, and Kelly and Alex
waited for her to return. Five
minutes later Candi came back with
a handful of bags.
“Here,” she handed the
other two some gloves also. “So we
don’t have to get our hands all
dirty.”
They threw the body in a
bag and stuffed it in the garage.
When they were back in the
room, Anesia called out, “Hey guys,
where are the flashlights? It’s too
dark in this room.”
“Kitchen cabinet.” All three
of them replied.
One minute. Two minutes.
Ten minutes later they were all still
waiting in fear for the flashlights.
“Let’s check on Nesi,
maybe she got lost in the dark?”
Kelly offered.
“Okay,” Candi agreed
They slid the kitchen door
open and entered the dark room.
“Nesi, are you there?”
They waited but got no
response.
Alex, Kelly, and Candi
roamed the small kitchen until Kelly
bumped into a chair.
“Nesi! There you are!” she
cried.
Anesia sat on one of the
kitchen chairs with her face
completely blank. In her hands held
four flashlights.
Alex shook Anesia’s
shoulder. “Nesi?”
Anesia fell with a thump, as
the four flashlights rolled out her
hand. In her back were the only five
kitchen knives.
Candi grabbed one of the
flashlights to turn it on, but nothing
happened. She went to take out the
batteries, but there were none. And
sure enough, none of the flashlights
had batteries.
“No lights coming out of
these cheap things,” Kelly laughed.
“Seriously Kelly? People
are dying in this house… one…
by… one…” Candi yelled.
“Whatever, it was just a
stupid joke,” Kelly groaned. The
three of them walked out the
kitchen, shaking the whole way.
And of course, they closed the door
behind them.
***
Benji looked around the
dark room. In the living room, his
friend Milko was no where to be
found. He squinted his eyes and
walked towards the dark hallway.
He reached in his pocket and
grabbed a lighter. He switched it on,
and was grateful the fire was able
to give him light.
Benji opened the last door
in the hallway, and called out,
“Milko! Milko! Are you in here?”
As he stepped on the slippery floor,
he waved the lighter around. He
slipped and fell to the ground,
knocking the lighter out of his hand.
The air was filled with the smell of
gasoline, and he couldn’t help but
feel hot. Turning to his left, he
gasped in shock. Where the lighter
had fallen, there was a big flame of
fire – spreading throughout the
room. Benji got up and darted
toward the door, but before he could
get there, the door shut and he heard
a switch of a lock. He was stuck,
and doomed to die.
***
Sitting on the couch, Alex,
Kelly, and Candi tapped their
fingers nervously. The room felt
like a sauna, getting hotter and
hotter each passing second. The
tension was building, and the three
of them knew that their lives were
hanging by threads, and each of
their friend’s were in danger.
“Candi, why is it so hot?” Alex
complained, fanning her self with a
magazine. “Don’t you have a fan or
something? Or air conditioning?”
“The powers out, stupid,”
Candi retorted.
“I thought you had a
generator?”
“I do! In the garage! Come with
me to get it,” Candi ordered.
The three made their way to the
garage using only their senses. It felt
as if it was getting darker inside, just
because it was darker outside.
Once they reached the last door
in the hallway, they all felt the heat
getting stronger. As Candi reached
for the doorknob, Kelly shivered at
the thought on the other side of the
door. At this point in time, no one
knew what was going to be waiting
in any room.
As Candi unlocked the door and
opened at it’s widest, the three
covered their faces at the burning
light. The room was in flames, and
all the way in the corner Alex could
have sworn she saw Benji’s face.
“Oh no!” She cried. “Benji, he’s
in there! This house really isn’t safe!
We need to warn everybody before
they die!”
“They won’t believe us,” Kelly
replied.
“Well, we have to at least try.”
They ran back screaming, in
unison, from the flames and the
death of their friend. And they did
the only thing that they never do,
they left the door open…
I Already
Miss You
By: Victoria Alvarez
Don’t leave me, you still
have time.
I can’t watch you drift
away.
I believe it’s not your
time, but the clock is
ticking,
I already miss you.
There are plenty of things
left for you to do,
Don’t leave. The world
may not notice you’re
gone, but I’ll remember
forever, the empty space
left in my heart.
I already miss you.
When you’re gone, I
don’t know what I’ll do.
You are my best friend,
my hero, my personal sun.
I know you’ll be in peace,
but please don’t leave,
I already miss you.
I watch you go, as you tell
me “everything will be
alright”
You tell me that you’re
not in pain, but I know,
you were always the
greatest liar.
Your eyes start to close
and mine start to water.
I already miss you.
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