2016 - Marionville R

Comet “Tales”
Essays, Poetry, Stories, Artwork, and More
The Creative Arts Magazine of
Marionville Elementary and Middle
School Students
2015-16
Foreword
Welcome to the fourth publication of Comet “Tales,” the literary magazine that
celebrates the creativity of Marionville students in grades 3-8.
Thank you to all the teachers who submitted student writing and artwork.
A link to an electronic (full color) version of this publication is available on our
school website: www.marionville.us.
The Editors,
Cindy Mueller, PK-8 Librarian
Ashley Mann, Middle School Communication Arts
Jenna Unerstall, Middle School Communication Arts
Cover Illustration by Jana Fulp, 4th
A Publication of Marionville R-9 Schools
Marionville, Missouri 65705
Elementary Principal: Greg Hopkins
Middle School Principal: Shane Moseman
Superintendent: Dr. Larry Brown
Totem: Sofi Armfield, 5th
Why so Many Colonists Died in Early Jamestown
Why had so many colonists die in early Jamestown?
Jamestown was the first permanent colony in America. Jamestown
was located in Virginia and was founded around 1607. Many
colonists died for several reasons in Jamestown’s early years, early
years being around 1608 to 1612. Jamestown colonists died mainly
because of three reasons. These reasons are the Powhatan, starvation
and health/water.
The first and main reason so many colonists died was due to
health/water. Evidence shows that their main source of water, the
James River, was also used to dispose of human waste, food scraps
and even used to wash clothing. Instead of the waste being removed
naturally, like the colonist had thought, it stayed and drastically
damaged their health and food supply. The fish in the river died,
moved along or became contaminated, spreading disease to the
colonists that ate it. To make matters worse, the water had also
become brackish from tides, which led to salt poisoning. The
colonists who were gentlemen were not used to hard labor and were
prone to sickness and illness. The diseases and illnesses were most
likely not treated properly because there was only one surgeon and
no apothecaries. With bad water and weak men, most did not stand a
chance against their illnesses.
The second reason so many colonist died was because of
starvation. There are several reasons why the colonist died from
starvation including losing their main source of food in the winter
and fall due to the water. With no fish, farmers, or women colonists
had little options regarding food. Since they were up river, there was
little fish to begin with. Finally, with no choice, the colonists opted
to trade with the Powhatans for food. Realizing they did not have
enough to support the colony, but they did have enough to get back
to England, the colonist that went for the food never came back to
Jamestown. The remaining colonists were left with little to no food
to support themselves.
The third and last reason so many colonists died was due to
the Powhatans. With barely any items to trade with the Powhatans
became hostile. Also with little food, the Powhatans and colonist
fought for the remaining food which led to more conflict. When the
colonist went to trade with the Powhatans, they used force and killed
several Powhatans causing the Powhatans to become even more enraged. The Powhatans also besieged a
fort, killing several colonists in the process. Trading was an important part of the colonist relationship
with the Powhatans and when the trading was compromised, the relationship was destroyed in the
process.
Many colonists died in early Jamestown mainly because of starvation, health/water, and the
Powhatans. It is significant we know how and why they died to understand what it took to start a
successful colony. It is important that Americans know how America was started and to see how we
progressed from our first colonies to our present state. It matters that Americans know this because in
America today, we don’t usually go through the challenges and struggles Americans in the past were
faced with.
Madalyn Ernst, 8th
Totem: Rachel McCraken, 5th
Jamestown Essay
The first settlements in America had a hard time getting started and
Jamestown was no exception. The settlement of Jamestown was located on the
Chesapeake Bay up the James River. Colonists arrived in 1607, built a fort, and
then people started dying. There were about 401 deaths in early Jamestown
(1607-1612) which poses the question, “Why did so many colonists die in early
Jamestown?” Colonists died in early Jamestown because of three problems.
These problems were the water and their health, Powhatan Indians, and
starvation.
The first reason colonist died in early Jamestown was from the water and
their health. The location of Jamestown was at the salt-fresh water transition, so
the tides would bring in salt water. This led to salt water poisoning and intrusion
in the wells, then death. The colonists also introduced human waste, filth from
clothing, and food scraps into the river at this point where they stayed instead of
flushing away. In addition, the colonist didn’t bring any apothecaries, men that
prepared medicines and drugs, so there was no one to care for the sick. This
evidence helps explain why so many colonists died because about 288 colonists
from 1607 to 1610 died of sickness.
The second reason Jamestown colonists died was from the Powhatan
Indians. The Powhatan Indians and the colonists fought over food and water. The
colonist also killed some of the Powhatan leaders which led to attacks from the
Powhatan Indians. This evidence helps explain why so many colonists died
because about 141 colonists died from Powhatan attacks.
The third reason Jamestown colonists died was from starvation. In the fall and winter, the colonists
lost their food source of fish. Also, there was a drought, so the animals and plants on land deceased. The
colonists were surrounded by Indians so the food sources were divided on top of being decreased. This
evidence helps explain why so many colonists died because people need food to survive.
Many colonists died in early Jamestown because of the water and their health, Powhatan Indians,
and starvation. The water caused them to get sick and die, the Powhatans attacked and killed them, and
little food caused death from starvation. This question is significant because we need to know how the
U.S.A. was founded. It is important to know why early colonists in Jamestown died because it helps us
today. It helps us today by showing us what not to do.
Amanda Burnley, 8th
To Step on a Sea Anemone
As I walk across the beach, the warm and squishy sand
tickles my toes. The free air of the Atlantic is relaxing. My dad is
calling me to come into the water. All of a sudden, there was a CRACK- of a shell and pain like a bullet through my foot. The
agony was washing over me like a flood. The sea anemone’s stingers
are still stuck on my foot. All I can do is scream and shout.
Suddenly, I can’t feel the pain anymore. Everything in sight is ravenblack. Then I woke up in a white room. There was a pulse oximeter
in my finger and some sort of medical wrap on my foot. Out of
nowhere, everything was dark, again.
Mattie Wright, 6th
Spiral: Brenda Morales, 4th
White Squirrel: Dustin Janes, 4th
Autumn
The Sun shines happily as autumn
approaches the Earth. The leaves fade from
green to orange and crash against the ground.
The crispy apple pie fills the air with its
sweet fragrance. “It’s autumn now” a voice
whispers from the woods. The wind starts
whistling and smiles spread throughout the
house. Our family drives off to find our
favorite cold slushy apple cider, and then
return to build a mountain of crispy orange
leaves. It’s autumn now and everything’s
happy.
Charli Vodden, 6th
The Matter Units
In the city of Nuetork the city hall of matter is offering a day of a free tour of the nucleus,
they decide to let two very special units of matter in the nucleus. First a very happy boy who
always was supportive of the town hall Jack Proton who was full of joy. Next a very quiet girl
who never did a single wrong thing Rose Neutron who seemed to not have a single thought about
it but looked as if she didn’t have a choice.
Though far away on the other side of Nuetrok laid a very angry man who wanted to go in
the city hall his whole life but was banned a man called John Electron, he was so fast that some
wanted to call him flash, but yet he still enjoyed running around the hall making faces at the
mayor of Nuetrok who now seemed to not notice but just cover the window with a paper.
Although they all were so odd for as usually every Electron moved in so did a Proton as
some didn’t notice it managed to keep
the city in balance, now in Nuetork
most of the Electrons live in the outer
cities like Sparks or Speed but they
still all get along to form there big
matter.
Edwin Valente, 7th
Monster: Cooper Workman, 3rd
Monster: Zachary Easter, 3rd
The Alien
The alien that crashed to earth was truly a gruesome
sight. The creature was a blob that was six feet tall with long
flowing tentacles. Its body felt like cold dishwater that bubbled
when touched. The alien’s breath smelled like roadkill skunk
with onion perfume. The only sound the creature made was a
strange alien language. Overall, the alien was a horrendous
monster.
Kyland Lake 6th
Pickle Juice
A few months ago I drank a whole gallon of pickle juice. I did it so I could play with my
friend. The sight of raw pickle juice made my stomach rumble in fear. The smell of salt and
vinegar scorched my nose. It hissed at me as it swished in the jar. The gooey pickle juice was
running down my chin. Slimy liquid was sliding down my throat. At that moment I knew I was
going to throw up and I did. I will never eat a pickle again.
Jude Ernst 6th
Spiral: Owen Bright, 4th
What Makes me Happy
There are a lot of things that make me happy. My
best friends make me happy, sleep makes me happy, my
parents make me happy, animals make me happy, and food
makes me happy. My friends always have a way to make
me happy, especially Caitlynne, Taylor and Kyle S. All
they have to do is text or call me and I'm automatically
happy. They just know so much about me. They know the
right things to say and when to say them. They usually
know what’s wrong and know how to fix it. My parents do
know everything about me so they can always make me
happy. Sleep, well I'm pretty sure this makes everyone
happy. My animals and pets I have are always playful, and
can make me happy most of the time. All I have to do is
walk through the door and immediately I have a black lab,
Precious, and a brown Dachshund, Brownie, tackling me
to the ground playfully licking and biting me. Finally, food
makes me happy. I usually go home, escape from my dogs, and then eat. Eating is my go-to
stress reliever for some reason, STRESSED = DESSERTS These are few of the hundreds of
things that make me happy. :D
Kyilee Katz, 7th
Letters to Mrs. Claus and Elvin the Elf
Dear Mrs. Claus and Elvin the Elf,
I think Santa’s suit should be a football player’s shirt. Peyton
Manning plays for the Denver Broncos. He is the best! I think Santa
should have a Denver Broncos jersey because he can run to get hot so he
is not freezing. He has the number 18 on his jersey, so he can be like
Peyton Manning. He should not have a hat. He should have a helmet. I
think he needs a football jersey for Christmas. I hope you pick my suit
for Santa for Christmas.
Sincerely,
rd
Owen Willis, 3
I think Santa should be Chewbacca. I think Santa needs a
furry suit so he will be warm. Also, when he gets milk on his shirt, it
won’t show. It won’t be noisy to wake the kids up when he steps
on a wooden floor. It won’t make him look old. Probably some
people say Santa is old, but I want him to look 40. I want him to
look good. That is why I want Santa’s suit to be Chewbacca.
Braydon Bellah, 3rd
I think Santa’s suit should be striped with Christmas
colors, gold buttons, polka dotted pants and a snowman hat. I
think it should be striped because it is Christmas colors (red and
green). I think he should have gold buttons because he wants to
look fancy. He wants to look good when he goes on the trip. I
think he should have polka dotted pants because his other pants
were red and he likes polka dots better. I think a snowman hat
looks better than red. I think you should pick him. He will look
great.
Anna Bright, 3rd
I think Santa Claus
should look like a
superhero. Then he could
fly. He is real cool. He is
real awesome. Awesome
cool. He can give the
reindeer a break. It is cool
because Santa can fly.
Cooper Workman, 3rd
Christmas Monster: Kiah Lake, 3rd
Letter: Maggie Murphey, 3rd
Crest: Peyton Gold, 5th
My First Perfect Game
I woke up at seven A.M. I then put on my
uniform, brushed my teeth and ran out the door. I
put on my cleats, jumped in the truck and told my
dad “let's go”. We drove to Monett. We were
playing the Monett Cubs. When we arrived I
found out that I was pitching. Even more
exciting was my best friend Brady was catching,
so I knew he would catch anything I threw at
him. After a while, I started to warm up. Right
before the game it started to rain. But we went
ahead and started. We ran on the field and
zoomed to my position. The ump said, “Play
ball”.
The first inning I struck out every batter
that stepped up. Then we were up to bat. I hit a
triple. Then I stole home. At the end of the
second inning the score was seven to nothing.
We were winning. Then I was pitching again,
three up three down. For the next three innings it
was three up three down. The final score was 15
to nothing. Everyone yelled, “We Won! Perfect
game!” After the game was over my dad and I
ate at D.Q.
Jacob Davis, 6th
Early Practice
Every morning, I walked down to the park for
practice. The sun beat down on me as I began to
practice. It was very quiet. The only sounds were me
breathing, the ball dribbling, music playing, and
chains rattling. Sweat started to roll down my cheeks.
I drank water continuously. My feet started hurting as
I ran, the heat making me sweat even more. I stretched
out my sore muscles. I got another drink of water, and
wiped the sweat off my forehead. My body was tired;
yet my mind was excited. I ran back and forth, my
feet killing me. I stopped; and fell onto the ground. I
lied there, panting hard, but I smiled knowing I was
one step closer to reaching my goal.
Taylor Hardin, 6th
Circle: Garet Stanton, 4th
Circle: Lucy Newberry, 4th
What I Love About Baseball
I love baseball for a lot of different reasons. The first reason is that
it is fun in my opinion. I think it’s fun because I can play with my friends.
I also like baseball because people can make amazing plays and get really
good hits to score and win. I also think it’s fun because nobody can try to
make every play by themselves; it’s impossible. Another thing I like about
baseball is that it is a team sport. Unlike basketball, nobody can try to
make all the plays and score all the points. It also takes 9 players instead of
5. The last thing I like about baseball is that everyone can find a way to play. Most towns have a
baseball team that you can play on. All you have to do is sign up!
Duane Hammonds, 7th
A Place That Is Special To Me
One place that is special to me is Phoenix, Arizona, because I lived there for 5 to 6 years
of my life. Also, at the end of the summer my mom says we are most likely moving there. One of
the main reasons I like it is because a lot of my family is out there including my dad, his parents,
his brother Phil who I get along with, my mom's uncle Bob who I also like, my best friend Abby,
and probably many more. And, I get along with all of my dad's friends. Another reason it's
special to me is because I have so many memories there too. So overall, Phoenix, Arizona is very
special to me.
Justin Harper, 7th
Immortal Trees
I used to think trees were immortal. I always thought this as a small child because trees
are so tall. I also that this because my parents always tell me about how long the trees have been
there. One tree in my yard has been there since my great-great-great grandparents were children.
This gave me the thought of trees living for ever because the
tree has been there at least for 200 years.
How I found out my theory was incorrect, was one day
my favorite tree started losing all of its leaves in the middle of
summer. None of the other trees were doing this, so why was
this one? The night before it started looking dry and dead, there
was a lightning storm. My favorite tree was hit by lightning. I
asked my dad why people were cutting it down, and he said
because it was dead and could be dangerous.
So, now I know trees can die and some can regrow.
Trees are very helpful to our environment. They provide us with
oxygen, and homes for animals. Without trees, there would be
little wildlife in our community. Most animals rely on trees for a
home, and food. In my opinion deforestation should not occur
unless the trees are endangering someone/something. Taking
down large amounts of trees should not occur in my opinion.
Kyilee Katz, 7th
Reflection: Payden Blevins, 5th
Totem: Kenzie Liebe, 5th
Danger in the Everglades
People think that Burmese pythons are a good pet to have,
but really they are causing a problem for the Florida Everglades.
There is a growing population of Burmese pythons in the Florida
Everglades threatening the ecosystem and wildlife. This problem
came from irresponsible humans and a hurricane in 1992. How is
Florida dealing with the problem? With a contest for whoever can
catch the most.
The Burmese python was brought to the Florida
Everglades by people who imported them from Southeast Asia. Pet
store owners bring these pets to the United States and sell them to
people who believe that a Burmese python is the ideal pet to own.
The owners buy these pets as small babies, but then they grow to
be too large, and they let them out into the wild (Piven 44). Even a
natural disaster can cause a problem. In the year 1992, Hurricane
Andrew destroyed a pet store owner’s warehouse that held over
900 Burmese pythons, and all of the pythons got away and are now
in the Florida Everglades (EcoEchoes 47).
The pythons caused many problems for Florida and its
Everglades. The pythons killed many wild animals such as
opossums, raccoons, and bobcats, as well as many bird species.
The pythons also killed dogs whenever their owners would let
them outside or the animals were kept outside (EchEchoes 47).
Since the pythons have no natural predators, they eat these animals,
causing a decrease in the population (Ng 45).
The Florida residents are fixing the problem by having a
contest for registered people to hunt pythons. The contest offers a
reward for whoever can kill the most Burmese pythons. The people
in the contest will learn to hunt and kill these huge snakes. (Ng 45).
Some people believe that this will grow to be a larger problem
because people will still bring these snakes into the Everglades
(Source 4 EcoEchoes).
The presence of Burmese pythons is changing the
Everglades if they are not educated about the dangers of bringing
them here. Because of irresponsible humans and natural disaster,
the deadly snake is endangering Florida’s wildlife and the
communities of Florida. Humans are attempting to fix the problem
with a contest of hundreds of people with deadly weapons out in
the wild trying to catch these creatures for money. The population
of pythons has gone down drastically, but with irresponsible
humans bringing these reptiles in to the United States and breeding them, will this problem stay a
problem, or will it finally come to an end?
Works Cited
Piven, Matt. Burmese Python: Not the Ideal Pet. Performance Assessment ed. Orlando: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
2015. 44. Print.
EcoEchoes, . Burmese Python The Ecosystem is Changing. Performance Assessment ed. Orlando: Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt, 2015 . 47. Print.
Ng, Andrew. Florida's Python Hunt. Performance Assessment ed. Orlando: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. 45.
Python Challenge. Performance Assessment ed. Orlando: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. 46. Print.
Ema Fisher, 7th
Scaled Description
The Everglades’ Big Scaly
Problem
The Florida Everglades are
endangered and changing because of the
carnivorous Burmese python. The pythons
that have escaped and been let loose by their
owners are wiping out many animal species
and harming the ecosystem, but humans, the
main cause of the problem, are also trying to
solve the Burmese python invasion.
Many snakes were let loose by their
owners. Most snake lovers buy the large
snakes as babies while falling in love with
their beautifully colored and patterned skin,
but as the snake gets bigger, the owners see
that they have more snake than they can
handle. Then, in a most irresponsible way,
Jamison LaPlante, 6th
they take them to the Everglades and release
them in the wild, and they overpopulate
(Piven 44). Another reason the pythons are in
the Everglades is because of Hurricane Andrew. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew hit and completely destroyed
an exotic pet shop and let over 900 Burmese pythons escape (EcoEchoes 47).
Burmese pythons are also distorting the ecosystem. The pythons are wiping out many animal
species like bobcats, opossums, raccoons, and many bird species. These animals are important to the food
chain, and if one species dies out, the others overpopulate and suffer (Ng 45).
On the other hand, people are trying to fix the scaly invasion by a massive hunt. This hunt is
called “Florida's Python Hunt”. It consists of people around the country that come to hunt for pythons. So
for 30 days, hunters are walking around with any type of knife and. The hunter who bags the most
pythons gets a $1,500 prize, and the person who bags the longest python gets a $1,000 prize (Ng 45).
So in summary, the invasion of Burmese
pythons that have escaped and been let loose by
their owners has wiped out many species of animals
and is destroying the ecosystem, yet humans are
trying to fix it. Florida's big scaly problem is still
bad, but hopefully humans and nature will fix the
problem.
This reptile’s scale colors scare.
His daggers for fangs
Fills you with fright
As you flee through the night.
His heart is cold as ice
He is the opposite of nice.
He slithers through the darkened sky.
In shock he strikes with a frightening
“snop”.
You realize he is evil like a phantom.
Work Cited
EcoEchoes. Burmese Python The Ecosystem Challenge.
Performance Assessment.
Orlando: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015.
p.47. Print.
Ng, Andrew. Florida’s Python Hunt. Performance
Assessment. Orlando: Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt, 2015. p.45. Print.
Piven, Matt. Burmese Python: Not the Ideal Pet.
Performance Assessment. Orlando:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. p. 44. Print.
Erin Blevins, 7th
Monster: Brooklyn Adney, 3rd
The Job
My job stinks
We have plastic floors
We have three doors
We don’t have heating nor cooling.
There are no paintings
No walls
No halls
In fact, there is almost nothing at all
I hear the building screaming out,
I feel it having its final doubt.
It wonders if he can ever let go
But he doesn't, as he lets the little ferns
grow.
It trickles down my spine
It’s like committing crime
I don’t want to do it
It takes too much time.
My job stinks
It has no meaning
As I am leaning
I keep on dreaming
Of becoming a police officer
My job is a big peak
And if you are too weak
You will fall into an abyss
Of nothingness
Ethan Lindblom, 6th
Books
Books bring bright bundles of joy
Carrying stories from town to town.
Chapters are like sunrises
Beginning of new days all around.
Words grab you in detail by detail
Letting you know what's happening.
Book are black holes
A THUMP a FLIP the book is over.
Madison Essary, 6th
Crest: Kaleb Kirby, 5th
NIGHT
In the night
While the raven flies
Underneath the moonlight
The wolf howls
Like a screaming girl.
In the night
Underneath the moonlight
The snake slithers silently
Underneath the trees
Which dance in the
Whistling wind.
In the night
Underneath the moonlight
The crow pecks
At the leaf covered platform
While the leaves go crunch, crunch, crunch.
Silas Potter, 6th
Volleyball
Circle: Josie Bowling, 4th
Volleyball is a passion we all share.
We play with a certain flare.
We don’t play as a team, but as a family.
The ball hits the ground (BOOM) the team has
scored a point.
Serve, set, spike, the ball shakes the ground.
The ball zips through the air like a howling hound.
The ground seems to be moving like shifting sand,
This is out court, this is our land.
Taylor Hardin, 6th
Crest: Alexis Hardesty, 5th
Baseball
The bat hits the ball with a blow
To first is the throw
He is out
Without a doubt
A new batter is up
He hits the ball and the first baseman catches it as if
his glove were a cup
The inning came to a stop
After the ball hit the glove and made a small pop
Dust flew off of the sturdy white pillow as he ran
As he stole
He slides
“Safe!”
The wind told him to run
So he did it for fun
Charli Vodden, 6th
To All the Bullies Out There
There are many people in the world each with their own shape and size
But making fun of a person could ruin several lives
Everyone has been in that position where bullying occurred
The bully needs to realize it’s only themselves they hurt
Bullying affects some people so bad it makes them cry
And the bullies don't notice they might commit suicide
Have you EVER meet someone who had a tough time and struggled
It made them think no one cared and so they went and hustled
Those words you say make people want to hide behind closed doors
And you never know what their thinking anymore
The victims hoping their dad doesn't notice the 9 mm missing from his drawer
You have good days and bad days but a bully doesn't care
Their only thing is to taunt you anytime anywhere
FOR ALL YOU BULLIES OUT THERE
GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER YOU MIGHT WANT TO CARE!
Jaxi Brown, 7th
Liar
Forgive me Lord for I have sinned
I haven’t forgiven myself
I haven’t forgiven everyone else
I cannot be honest
To be true is quite difficult for me to do
To not hurt others is my goal
Hurting myself is a result of this, too
For no one will care if I do
Alone all my life I would be if I was true
Forgive me Lord for I have sinned
I’ve given up on being true to myself
And Lied to others about being myself
To lie to someone else
Is the greatest of sin to others
But to lie about being yourself
Is harder on you than anyone else
Nicholas Guldner, 7th
Totem: Olivia Hopkins, 5th
Bluebird: Kyle Smith, 3rd
I Am….
I always come out at night,
Never seen by the sun’s rays,
But by the moon’s small yet
Very bright lights,
I’m lost in the days,
But you wait for me.
You wait for the night to come
So you can see me again
I’m used to people staring at me.
They think I am beautiful,
But I stare at their pretty faces at night
Through their window.
I watch them peacefully sleep
While some look at me for comfort
Because they're afraid of the dark.
I am also an artist
People stare at my work
Until their eyes get too heavy and they
Fall deeply asleep.
Some wish dreams on my brothers that fly;
Some always come true but some
They have to do.
So what am I? You finally ask.
I am an artist,
I am a night light,
I am a place where wishes are made.
I am never seen by day,
But live in the night sky.
I am the stars,
Bright and beautiful.
We stare at each other with wonders
and wish to see each other more,
but until then
Goodnight and I’ll see you when
the sun goes down.
I will always be there
Watching over you, giving you light.
Goodnight.
Erin Blevins, 7th
Backyard
The woods, the birds, the trees
You never know what’s out there
Be careful and don’t go barefoot
And always watch behind you
Alyssa White, 7th
The Woods
The woods, a beautiful, frightening place
Gorgeous trees and deadly snakes
Fantastic birds and vicious wolves
Admire, but be cautious of what’s in the
woods
Alyssa White, 7th
Library Dewey Sign: Levi Wittenborn, 5th
Feminism: Misunderstood
Sara Thompson, 8th
All women and men have
faced discrimination in their life
because of their gender, whenever
they caught it or not. There are people
in the world, both men and women,
who think your gender should control
your life. These are the same people
who think the word “feminist” has a
negative meaning. Despite what you
may have been told (that feminists are
hairy, bra-burning, man-hating
women), feminists believe in the
equality of the sexes. The progress feminism has made and is making is well under appreciated, all
because people think “feminism” is a bad word.
Like any other word, “feminism” has a meaning. Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines it as “the
theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” But why do people still think it is a
one-sided organization? Carrie Underwood spoke in an interview and said that she doesn’t like to use the
word “feminist” because of its “negative connotation.” It must be that one person did not like the idea of
equality and change, so they made up complete fiction about feminists and spread it along. In 2014, Time
magazine included “feminist” in its fourth annual poll over what word the public would like to see banned
in the upcoming year. Around this time, there were signs posted on Tumblr from women bashing
feminism like something along the lines of “I don’t need feminism because I want to wear lipstick and be
a housewife” or “I don’t need feminism because I like men.” Obviously, there seems to be confusion
between femininity and feminism.
There is also the stereotype that feminism is about girls hating boys, thinking that women are the
superior sex. But what often goes unseen by “non-feminists” are the benefits that the organization is
making for men. Feminists have been trying to get equal consequences when a man is raped as if a
woman was to be (Avantika). In 2013, a thirteen year old boy in New Delhi, India was sexually assaulted
by three senior boys behind his school. The three seniors were later convicted of a sexual offense, but the
Delhi Victim Compensation Scheme deemed it as “child abuse” and the boy received 50000 rs ($736.54
usd). Many argue that if a young girl was in the position the boy is, the seniors would be convicted of
rape instead of child abuse. So, the boy’s family and supporters started a petition to get the boy justice.
The petition outlines their problems with such consequences by saying, “[Delhi Victim Compensation
Scheme] discriminates between male victims and female victims as females are entitled to a
compensation of three lakhs ($6000 usd) under the head of rape whereas a male victim will only be
entitled to 50000 rs ($736.54 usd) under the head of child abuse.” But sadly, this is a case similar to
thousands that the Delhi Victim Compensation Scheme and others have discriminated against male
victims of sexual assault by dismissing it as rape and calling it child abuse. Efforts are still being made
today to finally bring justice to male sexual assault victims.
Just as feminism is helping men, women are being supported too. In 1940, women only made up
27% of America’s workforce, leaving men to fill 73%. Now, 47% of the American workforce is made up
of women (Scholastic Math). Women now hold jobs that were once only held by men like lawyers,
doctors, judges, and CEOs. In Brazil, Dilma was elected their president. Even Germany has a female
leader, Chancellor Angela Merkel. But many people argue that equality already exists. Though, it is not
equal when women earn 79% of what men do, while doing the same job (Wiltz). Clearly, there is still
large steps needed to take before men and women will be whole.
Now taking into account of the effects of feminism, more supports are needed. There are still
people who do not know the definition of what it means to be feminist. As a result, men and women’s
rights are suffering. Without proper education about feminism and their goals, basic human rights and
morals will turn worse. Though hopefully, there will be more achievements for the organization in the
future.
Works Cited
Heiger, Monica. "Women In The Workplace." Scholastic
Math 34.9 (2014): 12. Middle Search Plus. Web. 16 Feb.
2016.
Mehta, Avantika. "Discrimination against male sex crime
victims?." Hindustan Times 10 April. 2015:
Newspaper Source. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
Radin, Kate. "The Problem With Feminism. (Cover
Story)." Girls' Life 21.4 (2015): 70. Middle Search Plus.
Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
Wiltz, Teresa. "States attack the pay gap between women
and men." Stateline.org (Washington, DC) 28 Sept. 2015:
Newspaper Source. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
To the Sky
Swing high to the sky
Like a firework
Come down to the ground
Faster than a plane up
High I am a bird that
Goes to the sky.
I am an astronaut
That went to the moon.
Sahara Hendricks, 6th
Monster: Abi Carlton, 3rd
Prison Guards Should Take More Precautions
with Prisoners
Colesie Inmon, 8th
The United States has the biggest prison population of any
developed country in the world, so shouldn't we have more guards
to keep an eye on them? There have been 21,936 inmates that
have died in prison from the years 2001 - 2007(Bureau of Justice
Statistics), that's a lot in six years. Prison guards should watch
prisoners more carefully because, death rates of inmates are rising,
lots of inmates suffer from a mental illness, and 14,305 out of
780,357 inmates escape each year.
Death rates of inmates are high, according to Bureau of
Justice Statistics. The death rate has risen 4% from 2012 - 2013,
most are unknown, the total amount of unknown death this year
are 520, 4 - 6 deaths are homicide. Deaths from drugs or alcohol
are 174 - 546 people in the years 2001 - 2013, inmates of the age
55 or older make up more than half the deaths in prisons, white
males make up 55% of deaths, 96% are male(Bureau of Justice
Statistics). The people that are dying could be innocent or maybe
even getting out soon. They may have families and friends, and
when the inmates are getting killed, the families are blaming it on
the guards. So, why can’t the guards just do their jobs? They are
there for a reason, to keep people safe, which includes the inmates.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, 2.3 3.9 percent of inmates in state prisons suffer from schizophrenia
or another psychotic disorder. Between 13.1 and 18.6 percent have
major depression and between 2.1 and 4.3 percent suffer from
Will You Be There?
bipolar disorder.(Health Affairs Blog) Individuals who suffer
from mental illnesses are three times more likely to be in
If my heart breaks more
prison than in a mental health facility, which is where they
Will
you be there to patch it up?
should be. They need help. 40 percent of individuals with a
mental illness will spend time in prison; because of this most
If my tears create the ocean
of our prisons in the state have inmates that have mental
illnesses. ( Health Affairs Blog) These people need to get
Will you be there to dry the
help, not be in a place full of people who can harm them, and
wetness away?
make their condition worse.
Richard Matt killed two men. Matt attacked his 72
If I fall down
year old boss and shoved the man into his trunk because Matt
Will you help me up?
thought he had hidden money. Later Matt figured out that it
was not true. He broke the elderly man's neck, dismembered
Or what if I am broken
the body and put the pieces in a field. The second murder was
Will you help me heal?
in a bar. When he went to prison he tried to escape twice, so
they moved him to the max prison in New York. David Sweat
Even if you are thousands of
is also a convicted murderer, at a young age of 22; he shot a
miles apart
sheriff's deputy, and then ran over the injured man. Matt at the
age of 48, and Sweat at the age of 35 had a conjoined cell at
Will you still be there...?
the New York max prison. The two smuggled tools from the
After all my doubts
prison tailor, Joyce Mitchell. They used these tools to cut a
D
hole in their conjoined cells and in the back wall, and every
E
night they would go exploring. One night they found a pipe to
E
climb up that lead into the
P
street, they escaped and
inside
I
hope
that it's a yes.
were gone for 22 days.
Bluebird: Triston George, 3rd
Richard Matt was killed
Hanna Nolf, 7th
by an officer, and David
Sweat was shot two times
in torso, but survived.
(Syracuse) This is just one
of few escapes. Think, this
is a maximum prison, the
“best prisons” for the worst prisoners, but hundreds of inmates escape
from them each year. Prison guards should check inside the cells
instead of just taking count, they should look for weapons and other
dangers, and the guards should do frequent questioning sessions with
their employees.
Prisons and prison guards need to take more care of their
inmates, for these things are happening in prisons because of the
guards. They need to keep the inmates safe, send inmates with severe
mental illness to mental health facilities and check for runaway
inmates. All in all, this is something the state should look into and
take action.
Works Cited
Aufderheide, Dean. "Mental Illness In America's Jails and Prisons:Toward A Public
Safety/ Public Health Model ." Health Affairs Blog. N.p., 1 Apr. 2014. Web. 21 Sept.
2015.
"Executions." Missouri Death Row. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
White Squirrel: Leanna Nolf, 4th
My Talking Dog Dave (an excerpt)
Nicholas Guldner, 7th
Ever wonder how cool it would be to have a
talking pet, well… I don’t think you do. One day, I
came home from school and my mom had rescued a
dog. I was happy because I love dogs, but did I
expect this dog to be a genetic lab test gone wrong
dog, NO!!
A week after getting the dog I was in my
room trying to complete math homework, but failing
horribly at it. When I realized what time it was I went
out to get a midnight snack, I found him. He was
chewing on the entire bag of dog food. When I
spotted him I picked up the bag and put it back on the
shelf.
“Hey punk, what’s the matter with you? It’s
late, and you should probably put that back down!” I
slowly turned around to make sure there was no one
behind me that was actually talking. “Stop turnin’
around like you don’t know, you know that I’m
talking dingus!” I looked down and see the Border
Collie staring at me. “Yeah, ya big lug, I’m right
here, now give me the bag!” I fell backwards and
yelled,
“Ahhhhhhhhh….!!!”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh…. Why are we yelling!!!”
I ran to my room and shut the door, and I didn’t open
the door until the morning.
The next day, I opened my door with a
creak, and peered down the hallway through the hole
in the door. No sign of him, I walked down the hall
checking in every room. I enter the kitchen, and
about jumped out of my socks,
“BOO!! Hey, might as well talk to you now
that you know I can talk… and thanks for the food.”
“No, you… are… not… REALLL!!!” I
threw clothes at him until my mom’s bra happened to
be on his face.
“Oh I can’t see anything, what is this
madness?” He wriggled around blindly until running
into a wall and having the t-shirt tumble to the
ground. He jumped up and turned around to face me,
and slowly crawled to my body paralyzed. “Now why
did you do that? There was no reason for you to do
an immature thing like that, and for some reason it
seemed to be scripted.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t know there was such a
thing as A FREAKING DOG TALKING!!!!! But,
excuse me for being so enthusiastic.”
“Jeesh, you didn’t have to yell at me, I
swear humans have no respect for others.”
“You’re talking, I didn’t know calling me
stupid was nice…”
“Oh where I come from it’s considered a
compliment!”
“Really?”
“No, you are really stupid aren’t you.
Gullible too!”
“Hey, for your information I’m above
average intelligence…”
“For what, being the dumbest human being
on Earth? In dog ways, the measurement of
intelligence is the amount of partners we get or how
many pointless tricks you humans make us do.”
“I never thought of that, but that’s kind of
the same thing. We are taught by a teacher the things
we will need in life and are tested over if we can
learn or not.”
“That’s harsh… As a dog I never have to
worry about being on my own, instincts and all.”
“Why am I talking about life? This a
DOG!!” Dave seemed to face-paw into his glossy fur.
“I thought we went over this! I was a dog
being tested on to be a super-crime-fighter or
something… They messed up and put me up for
adoption because it seemed to be a failure. At least,
I’m not all that much of an accident; they did want a
talking dog.” He glanced down for a moment but
immediately brought his face up with a smile. “Can
ya’ take me for a walk. I bet it would be FUN!!” I
still haven’t gotten over the fact that I’m talking to a
dog that was mutated into a talking dog…
“YEP, I’VE FINALLY GONE
CRAZY!!!!!” I run around the room like a
psychopath. “I didn’t know it would be this soon
though, I thought it would’ve been like when I was
80 or something, but I guess there isn’t any rest for
the wicked.” Dave barked at me and tackled me.
“Stop acting like you are INSANE!! You’re
FINE; you just need a little more time to accept it.
That’s why you should take me for a WALK!!” I
didn’t resist, it looked like he was about to rip my
throat out if I didn’t.
“OK… maybe I’m not crazy but how do I
know? Can you talk to other people?”
“NO!! I can only talk to adolescent boys!
OF COURSE ya’ dumb-nut! But I don’t feel like it,
unless there’s a pretty girlll... “ He raises his
eyebrows in unison towards me. “and her dog. Now
that would be a double date!” This dog can even raise
his eyebrows? As well as flirt? I’m not sure if this is
cool or not. I shouldn’t fight it anymore… I’m not
going to accept it, but I have to.
“OH SHOOT!! I FORGOT THAT TODAY
WAS SCHOOL!!!” I run out the door with a granola
bar in my mouth and pants half down… I forgot to
wear a belt. So I run back inside and grab a random
belt from my closet and run out the door… but I
forgot my homework. I run back in my room grab my
math book and run back out the door… yet I forgot to
say goodbye. Ehhh, I don’t think I have to, but the
bus is here. I run onto it and hear Dave,
“You forgot about my WALK!!!!”
“I’ll do it after school!”
“Fine, but bring back some food!” I manage
to get the bus’s attention and hop on it in time. Still
can’t believe my dog talks though.
“Why are you talking to yourself? You’re
not crazy are you?” I’m startled by his words and
jump to look behind me.
“Yeah I think so… I have a dog that talks to
me.”
“YEP!! That’s what I call crazy…” There’s
a pause while I hear a flush in the stall. “I have one
too, she tells me how to do my work and solve my
problems in life… She has a degree in Psychology.”
“Haha very funny, but I’m serious! My
Border Collie can talk, and is just as sarcastic as me.”
The boy observed me with a tilted head and one eye
open.
“I think our dogs should have a play-date.”
My eyes open wide after the seriously stupid words
that I just heard.
“Ummmm… Sure? Why not?” I start
walking and he slips me his address. “Thanks? I
guess I’ll see you after school.”
“Yep… By the way, My name’s Benny.” I
chuckle.
“Alright… Benny… See you after school.” I
exit the bathroom in bewilderment of what just
happened… again.
I arrive at the High-School and immediately get
picked on.
“Hey, little boy… Ye think yer gonna pass
me without given’ me yer lunch money?” Classic
bully, always wanting lunch money or something like
that.
“I don’t have time for this… just let me
through, please?”
“Oh fine… wait NO!! I’m not gonna be that
easy to trick! Yer’ll give me your money, or a punch
in the face would do for your taxes.” I try and barge
through but I’m immediately pushed back.
“Thanks for takin’ the hard way. I needed
some stress relief.” With one punch I’m on the
ground. He walks off brushing his shoulders.
I get back up and walk to the bathroom. As
soon as I looked in the mirror, I see the black and
blue crater around my eye. Luckily I brought some
sunglasses. Totally not original to bring sunglasses to
school and cover up a bruised eye I know, but it will
keep it covered up and brought to attention.
“Why does he beat me up? It can’t be that
fun could it? It’s kind of odd that he is the only one
who doesn’t exactly like me.” I hear a rustle in the
stalls, and out comes a chuckle.
Circle: Mathew Murray, 4th
School passes by like any other day, but this
time I couldn’t focus on the pretty girl in front of me,
which ticked me off. The blonde, blue-eyed, always
smelling like an entire bottle of perfume, voice that’s
angelic but at the same time annoying to listen to for
more than five seconds, girl. I’m sure every school
has one of those.
I start to doze off, but I hear something that
catches my interest…
“We will be having a city fair this
weekend… I would like it if you kids could come
together and discuss a theme.”
The class erupts immediately after the bell
rings and runs out of the room, dragging me with
them. There are already groups in the hallway
creating paper-mache garments for decorations. You
could tell what “class” each group was. The popular
kids were in a group, the jocks were in a group
(High-fiving each other and grunting like usual,)
there were the nerds (Typing on their calculators and
one has an abacus… What the HECK?,) there are the
cheerleaders showing off their nails on a piece of
paper reading “PLANS,” and then there’s me…
Yep you guessed it! All alone with no
friends, I know right? Classic narrator for a comedic
story right? Alright enough with breaking the fourth
wall, back to the story.
I search around for any group that doesn’t
seem large enough to be an actual group, but no luck.
I started to walk off when I heard a familiar voice.
“Hey, Dude? Was’ up? Lonely? Well, come
join us! We have room!”
These guys just looked normal, no nerds, no
jocks, no cheerleaders (I didn’t really need to clarify
that because they were all guys, but some guys do…)
Except for Benny, I didn’t really get that good of a
look of him because we were in the bathroom…
nobody looks at anybody in the bathroom. Nobody.
Time for Description… He had brown skin,
normal build for a 16-year-old boy, brown eyes, and
a small amount of hair that could grow into an afro if
he let it grow out. He reminded me of Kevin Hart, but
16. “Naw, I’ll be fine on my own. Remember that
I’m crazy? I’ll just devise my plan over in the corner
of solitude.”
“Your loss.” I don’t think it’s a loss, rather
than just a never have and never will.
date,” and thought it would be nice to get Dave a
friend so he doesn’t bother me. “I’m home Talking
Dog! Speak with those genetically modified vocal
cords of yours and say Hello.” Mom’s not home so I
kind of get to do what I want for a few hours.
“Yeah, yeah. All Right…” He walks in with
my dad’s glasses on and a tie on. “I look like a
normal business dog right?”
“So you’re a model now? Please don’t tell
me we have to add more to this story, cause it’s
taking me a while to write all this down you know?”
“Oh quit whining and monologue
somewhere else. A dog has to eat somehow, so I have
decided to have my own job. I am going into the
undercover dog business.”
“You’re kidding right?”
“Like I said you are extremely gullible. I’m
just doing this to tick you off.”
“Shut up dog. I can say ‘FOOD’ and you
come running.”
“Touché.” I grunt and turn around. “Are you
forgetting something? Like something to do with
me?”
“Oh yeah those pills that you were supposed
to take in the…”
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! I mean the
walk.”
“I didn’t forget, I just don’t care.”
“Alright sassy-pants. If you don’t take me
for a walk, I’ll just monologue as Sherlock Bones all
night.”
“Oh god No. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to take
you… Oh, by the way, I set you up a play date with a
girl dog.”
“Awesome! Let us leave the premises this
instant, so I may see my beloved blind date.”
“Let’s go lover-boy… or dog.”
To Be Continued...
I walked back home because all that
monologuing gave away about three minutes of my
time. I remembered what Benny said about the “play-
What I love about dogs
I love that they are so cheerful and happy.
When they’re puppies they are so happy to see you.
When they are a little bit older they can be trained to sit, stay, etc..
Chance Shepherd, 7th
Reflection: Kolby Ghan, 5th
Why We Should Save the
Rainforest
Saving the rainforest is important
because of all the animals and plants
living there. Brazil holds 30% of the
world’s rainforests. Fifty thousand of
those forests were cut down from 2000 to
2005. There are numerous plants that can
be cures to diseases in the rainforest. The
National Cancer Institute estimates that
70% of medicinal herbs are rainforest
plants. Many trees that offer delicious
fruits and nuts could go extinct. For
example; the Brazil nut trees are a
valuable tree since they cannot grow anywhere else due to Brazil’s warm climate and common
rains. If we destroy the rainforests we could be putting thousands of unknown species at risk of
extinction.
"Saving Rainforests." Google Docs. LLC, n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
Kyland Lake, 6th
Smoking in the Car with Children
Smoking with children in the car is dangerous. It could cause problems. Rolling down the
windows will not help your child. More than 80 percent of cigarette smoke is invisible and
opening windows does not remove its harmful effect. Also smoking in a small space like a car is
dangerous to. It can be particularly harmful for children who breathe more rapidly and have less
developed airways, lungs, and immune systems. Last toxic air is very dangerous with someone in
the car smoking. The level of toxic air in a car is up to 10 times greater than levels that are
considered hazardous. Smoking
in a car is dangerous. It could
cause many problems.
Work Cited
"One Account. All of Google."
Www.al.com. Aplace Digital, n.d.
Web. 24 Mar. 2016.
"Smoking and Tobacco Use."
Www.cdc.gov. Centers for
Disease Control Prevention, n.d.
Web. 24 Mar. 2016.
Emma Barrickman, 6th
Safari Life: Katelynn Keener, 3rd
The Sun
You are my light in day
You help me see my way
You darken me
You, the sun, are free
Alyssa White, 7
th
a burning feeling
I have experienced burning feelings
Hard lumps in my throat
Furious outbursts
Emotions wanting to break from my mouth
Into the form of screams
Those burning feelings hurt
Words stabbing me
Pins and needles being stepped on
Fire keeping me from my escape
From misery
Circle: Katelynn Keener 3rd
The burning feeling
Is like a knife
Jabbing at my heart
And splitting into
A million pieces
A million pieces, that is
Breaking me apart slowly and slowly
Causing me to suffer badly
And why do I have this burning feeling?
Elizabeth Poe, 7th
God is always with me
God is always with me
God is always near
If people don’t leave me be,
I have no fear
In life, there is never a time
When god leaves my side,
all I have to do is trust in him,
and the bad times will slide
the most precious thing god could give,
was his own son so that we could live,
he died for me
he loves me still,
he lives for me
he always will
Kylen Macarthur 7th
Life
Life… Like can leak through your fingers
Just as easy as water does
Life… Life can be precious
Life can also though be a curse
Cherish life
Cherish it like you cherish your favorite
object
Life is easy to let go of
The hard part though is choosing to keep
going or letting go
Ema Fisher, 7th
Bluebird: Jace Vickers, 3rd
Remember
I look at the sky
And remember so much.
I remember the day at the building
The one with columns for seats
And the tall podium up front.
The walls were painted white.
I remember the day that I was taken from
mom.
Me asking where she possibly could me.
I whined like a pup calling her mom.
And somehow I knew you were gone too.
I remember that morning you were nowhere
to be.
I looked under our fort.
I looked behind the TV.
I looked in the toybox.
I looked under, over, around, everywhere.
And you were nowhere to be seen.
Now I have nightmares that creep my vision
everytime I close my eyes.
I see you, I see you, I see you.
Do you not understand what you did to me?
Do you even remember me?
I look at the sky
And remember so much.
The day that I knew you were gone too.
Hanna Nolf, 7th
Would You?
Would you walk with me?
Through the valley of the shadows,
where all trees die and no flower ever
blooms?
Through life and death,
Throughout the underworld and all that it
offers,
Can you stay?
Can you stay with me?
Even when I’m lost, will you follow me?
Will you?
I question myself, I question you.
My questions, to you, have no meaning.
While I am only a slight memory to you,
To me you are a part of me and who I have
become.
Tatum Vanderpool, 7th
Circle: David Brown, 3rd
Spring
Poetry Analysis
This time of year will be nice for a
picnic in the park, this time of year brings
cool sweet winds. It brings rain. It’s time for
the bears and animals of the forest to wake;
it’s time for the beautiful flowers to wake
from a long cold and harsh winter. Soon we
will be out of school and you will see kids
playing their yards as you walk or drive by.
The birds will be coming back and be
singing a lovely song in the mornings to
wake you and others up. Soon it will be time
to throw the heavy things in our book bags
away and we will play. After spring comes
we will be lighting fireworks off and
celebrate the Fourth of July, we will being
eating cold popsicles that will drip down the
hands of people. We will be swimming and
forgetting about when school comes and we
will be forgetting about work for we will all
be on vacation soon. Until then we have a
season to come very soon it bring us flowers
to turn into apples on trees, it will bring
sweet sweet yummy berries. I cannot wait
for summer holidays and spring days.
Amber Bieberitz, 7th
The poem “Where the Sidewalk
Ends” is a child's poetry piece. It is a piece
made by Shel Silverstein. In the poem
Silverstein says that “ For the children, they
mark, and the children, they know the place
where the sidewalk ends.” It seems like her
saying this, that children lead the way more
than an adult or an elder does. It seems as if
she is saying that adults should look back
and see how a child might see the situation,
maybe even it is saying that sometimes you
just need to slow down take a walk and be
as if you are a child somewhat again. It like
this poem because it tells the truth, you
really need to sometimes just act like a child
again. Not meaning be immature and do unsmart things but more of just calm down and
remember the fun things in life and try to
have a little fun once in a while. I also like
this because it describes the sidewalk, what
you are leaving behind and what you are
going towards, I like it because it describes
well. I like it even more because it does not
exactly tell you what the meaning of the
poem is but it tells enough for you to get a
pretty good idea of the purpose.
Ema Fisher, 7th
Sweaters
Sweaters are cool,
They are made out of wool.
They are nice and cozy,
Warm and toasty.
Sweaters are puffy,
Maybe a little stuffy.
Sweaters are big,
Big for a twig.
They are made out of wool,
And that’s what makes them
cool.
Danielle Smith, 7th
Dewey Decimal Library Sign: Kenzie Liebe, 5th
I’m thankful for
Being a human
My friends
Being alive
Everything
Being healthy
For having food
Having Mrs. Etter for a teacher
For my family
I’m thankful for
I live in a free country
The food on my plate
I get to go to school
My friends
My clothes
My siblings
My mom
Roof over my head
Jasmine Griffiths, 5th
Silvia Mayorga, 5th
A Special Place for Me and My
Family
I’m thankful for
God
Food on my table
For my friends
For school
For the clothes I wear
That I have an awesome
teacher
A roof over my head
For my family
Payden Blevins, 5th
A place that is special to my parents,
my brother, my papa, and I is our new
house. It is in Aurora, but it gives me some
time to make new friends. I like this house
because my family and I have a yard that we
can all play in. Even our dogs like our new
house. Another thing I like is that I get my
own room, so it will not be trashed with my
brother’s clothes anymore. The thing that I
like about it the most is that I can do what I
want, when I want. I am free, my favorite
thing to be.
Holden Davenport, 7th
Judging a Book by Its Cover
Sometimes I believe they ask too much out of me. It's like they think that I can do anything and
everything. They believe I have no problems of my own, even though they are bigger than you may
ever realize. They believe I'm capable of doing everything on my own even though I can't. They don't
believe that I'm weak, and my insides are ripped to shreds, and my heart is shattered to glass. They don't
believe that I'm broken and cannot work properly.
They believe I'm strong. They believe my insides are strong and whole. My heart is a mountain,
strong and whole. They believe I am happy, proud, and full of energy all the time. Well, I'm not. I'm
sad, mad, and cry when I feel my heart break. I just don't let it show.
They got it all wrong, you see? That is why you should never judge a book by its cover.
Hanna Nolf, 7th
Reflection: Sofi Armfield, 5th
Python Problems
Over the years, Burmese pythons have
taken over the Florida Everglades. Pythons are
impacting the Everglades and inflicting danger
upon people and their pets. Pythons are
interesting creatures that intrigue many people.
Maybe it’s their beautifully patterned skin or
their rapid growth rate, but it doesn’t always
have a happy ending for the Pythons and their
owners; this is negatively affecting Florida’s
ecosystem.
These slithery, cold blooded, carnivores
have taken over all of Florida’s Everglades with
an immense amount of Burmese pythons. This
first started when, as Andrew Ng stated in
“Florida’s Python Hunt”, “A growing population
of Burmese pythons- many pets turned loose by
their owners when they became too big- is
threatening the ecosystem of Florida’s
Everglades” (Ng 45). Burmese pythons are
usually released into the Florida Everglades
once they get too big. Owners often don’t know
what to do once the python is oversized, and
eventually just release them into the Everglades.
This doesn’t help the ecosystem, though. This
cycle is often repeated for the Burmese pythons
and over time, there has begun to be an
overwhelming population of these pythons in
Florida’s Everglades.
Pythons are beginning to become a
threat in Florida and the animals there. The
writer of “Florida’s Python Hunt” announced in
his writing that “With no natural
predators, these eating machines
appear to be wiping out huge
numbers of opossums, raccoons,
and bobcats, as well as many bird
species” (Ng 45). This is not good
for the animals of the outdoors.
The pythons are taking over the
food chain. Tens of thousands of
Burmese pythons are estimated to
be living in the Everglades, which
is why these pythons must be
extinguished. Eventually, Burmese
pythons will have taken over the
Everglades and need somewhere
else to go. This is a threat to
humans, their homes and their pets.
In the article “Burmese Python”, the writer
argues that “Hurricane Andrew didn’t help
matters when an exotic pet dealer’s warehouse
that housed nearly 900 Burmese pythons was
destroyed, and many of its pythons escaped”
(Piven 44).
Because of these overwhelming amounts of
pythons in the Florida Everglades, there has
been a challenge to exterminate these huge
amounts of pythons. A challenge to all hunters.
The article “Florida’s Python Hunt” states that
“a grand prize of 1,500 dollars will be awarded
to the hunter who kills the most pythons, and
another 1,000 dollars to the hunter who bags the
longest one” (Ng 45). It is understandable that
people want these Burmese pythons gone, but
this can also be a threat to the hunters and
inexperienced ones, too. This challenge invites
inexperienced hunters from all around the U.S.
to come to Florida’s Everglades and hunt
pythons. Not only can these hunters get hurt by
the pythons, but they could also accidently hurt
one another. Perhaps there is a better way to
extinguish such animals.
Works Cited
EcoEchoes. Burmese Python: The Ecosystem
Challenge. Performance Assessment. Orlando:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. p. 47. Print
Ng, Andrew. Florida’s Python Hunt. Performance
Assessment. Orlando: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
2015. p. 45. Print.
Piven, Matt. Burmese Python: Not the Ideal Pet.
Performance Assessment. Orlando: Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. p. 44. Print.
Kaylin Williams, 7th
Burmese Pythons Are Changing the
Everglades
where humans will go and try to kill out
most of the pythons. Hopefully this will kill
out the pythons and make the Everglades
and restore the balance of the ecosystem.
Nevaeh Figgins, 7th
The population of the Burmese
pythons are growing in the Florida
Everglades due to the exoctic pet business. It
is also affecting the humans.
One of the reasons that it is affecting
the ecosystem is because the pythons are
How Magnets Work
killing wildlife in the Everglades. They are
killing off huge numbers of opossums,
Magnets are used to stick metal
raccoons, bobcats, and many bird species.
together. Soft magnets produce their own
They are killing these animals because they
magnetic field in the presence of another
have no natural predators in the Everglades
magnetic field. This field will stay
(Ng 45).
temporarily after exiting the field. Electrons
There are two reasons the Burmese
fill the atom’s orbitals in pairs. If one of the
pythons came to the Florida Everglades.
electrons in a pair starts to spin upward and
One reason is that pet owners thought that
the other spins downward, it will be
they would be a good pet until they started
impossible for the electrons to spin in the
growing, so they let the pythons go (Piven
same direction. The electrons will spin so
44). The other reason is that Hurricane
fast that they will make energy, thus creating
Andrew destroyed an exotic pet dealer’s
a magnetic field. These fields can attract
warehouse, and nearly 900 Burmese pythons
nickel, iron, and cobalt.
escaped (EcoEchoes 47).
Work Cited
Now that humans have found out
Wilson, Tracy V. "How Magnets Work."
that so many pythons roam the Everglades,
Google Docs. Infospace LLC, 2016. Web. 16
Mar. 2016.
they started a challenge called “Python
Kyland Lake, 6th
Challenge.” The challenge is to wipe out as
many pythons as possible in 30 days. The
human who shoots the longest python
Dewey Decimal Library Sign: Elizabeth White, 5th
gets a reward and the
human who kills the most
gets a reward (“Python
Challenge” 46).
In summary, the
growing community of
pythons is affecting the
environment in the Florida
Everglades due to
Hurricane Andrew and
humans letting their pet
pythons into the wild.
Humans are trying to
change this with a method
called “Python Challenge”
Bluebird: Hope Wittenborn, 3rd
Denver Island
Welcome, to Denver Island! It is a place where all of
these Denver Broncos fans live and animals live. It is near
Hawaii and it was created by a volcano. It is in the wilderness
and it has dogs, broncos, monkeys, elephants, and bulls. These
are some of the plants and animals that are on Denver Island:
pumas and roses. It only has summer, spring, and fall as seasons
in Denver Island. There are no fearful things in Denver Island.
The only nutrients on my island are bananas, oranges, and
watermelon. There are 1,000,000 families on my island.
Nobody has to work on my island. The money falls from the
sky. There are billion dollar houses. The word that they use for
money is Denver monkey.
Owen Willis, 3rd
Wazzub
My island’s name is Wazzub. The people that live on her island are the Wazubiess. The
Wazubies have red hair, freckles, and glasses. My island is near Hawaii, and was formed by a
volcanic eruption in 1471. They live in tribes, and there are no opposing political parties. My
island is rural, and some animals are pandas, koalas, sunshine birdie, white tiger, sunny fish,
pineapple frogs, and toads.
My Island has lots of Eucalyptus trees, and bamboo trees. The seasons on Wazzub are
Summery, Springy, and Rainzy. Summera is July to December. Springy is March to July, and
Rainsy is December to February. The fearful things on Wazzub are Hurricanes and Volcanoes.
The way they protect themselves from getting hurt during a hurricane is going down in a really
deep shelter.
The Wazubies use seashells for money. Some natural
resources on my island are corn, tomatoes, cotton, pigs, cows, and
horses. The wazubiess are really good at cooking. They even have
their own dinner. The average family's income per year is 50,000
seashells. They all get paid about 4,000 seashells per month. The
people can work as a farmer, chef, hunters, teachers, fishers,
builders, doctors, vets, and dentist.
Their houses are made out of mud and sticks, and have
bathrooms and windows. They are very smart people. My island has
a hospital, doctors, dentist, and good training from Hawaiian
people. People travel to Hawaii every 2 months by airplane.
Wazuby boys don't hurt the animals; they feed them, and only cut
down 2 trees per month. There are about 4,000 people. That is
Wazzub for you.
Elizabeth White, 5th
Safari Life: Cheyenne Sturgel, 3rd
Safari Life: Kaydence Maggard, 3rd
Shapa Island
My island’s name is Shapa. The location is right
next to Europe. An earthquake caused my island to break
apart from Europe. It used to be connected to Europe. No
one lives on my island, just animals. The population on my
island is 18,989 animals. My island is just the wilderness.
There are no cities. The most popular animals on my island
are any animal you find in the zoo. The most popular
plants on my island are the sim, cedar, levor, cactus and
other trees. The seasons on my island are spring, winter
and autumn. Winter is so warm it is like summer. Autumn
is a little colder. And spring is freezing and it gets below 0.
The island’s worst natural disasters are tornados and wind
storms. The animals do not have money. Instead of money
they have sea shells for money. My island uses the water
from leaves to use medicine. My island looks like a rock
and is mostly green. That is my island!
Quana Alaimo, 3rd
The Lord Island
Remember when your mom and dad said unicorns and centaurs and all that stuff wasn’t
real. Well now they are. There is an island called “The Lord Island.” It’s located 3,000 miles
near Hawaii, and is filled with interesting things and creatures. This island formed by a herd of
buffalos roaming Hawaii. There was a big volcano eruption and animals started going crazy, but
the buffalos were the wildest animals.
Now this might sound incredibly crazy, but little fairies and girl and boy centaurs live on
this island. They are incredibly nice and friendly. Their religion is the same as the name of their
island which is “The Lord.” None of the centaurs or fairies have any rules. They live freely. They
know not to do anything bad. They get three strikes if they do something bad.
The population is 7,394,876,929. I know that's a lot. There are so many animals. There
are 26 animals. I will name all of them for you. There are finger monkeys, zebras, giraffes,
dolphins, turtles, pandas, owls, elephants, horses, unicorns, swan, seals that live in hot weather,
kangaroo, raccoons, rabbits, otter, koala, fox, weasels, dogs, cats, sheep, squirrels, walruses,
penguins, and mice. All of the animals that live in cold weather have a little place where they
live and it's just the right temperature. The food they eat just magically appears. The plant they
have there are roses, clovers, sun flowers, palm trees, apple trees, peach trees, orange trees,
raspberry fruit trees, and rainbow flowers.
The little fairies are the doctors. They are dentists and hospital doctors. The fairies make
the medicine with magic. They don’t travel anywhere but, they do have a moon pool that they
can swim in. They just walk across a bridge to get there. A moon pool is a pool that lights up
when the moon shines on it.
Zailee Holder, 4th
Crest: Levi Wittenborn, 5th
Giggle Island
You have just arrived to Giggle Island. As you can tell,
the bad twister in 2013 made Giggle Island start to float off
into the Pacific Ocean. Have you met the Laughicans?
They get to choose their hair colors! They are very nice,
and want to meet you.
Here in Giggle Island, we have 2 church services.
Are Laughican religion is Christian. We do have a King
and a Queen. King Ryan has blue hair, and Queen
Brooklyn has purple hair. Giggle Island only has 302 as a
population.
In Giggle Island, we have lots of animals. Most of
them we cannot find because they are so sneaky. The
animals we can find are a Laughicorn, a Unicorn, a Jack
rabbit, a Platypus, a Giggle Box, a giraffe, a monkey, a cat,
a dog, and a bunny. Most of the plants we have are a giggle
plant, a money tree, a soda bush, and a medicine tree.
Lots of people have asked if Giggle Island has some
kind of way for people to get medical care, or dental visits. We actually have one doctor and one
dentist. They get their medicine and dental tools, from a tree that actually gives doctors and
dentist’s medicine and tools!
Also, people ask how Laughicans get to transport to places. Usually everyone stays at Giggle
Island, but when they want to go to the nearest land, they ride on canoes. It takes a little over a
week to get to the nearest island, because Giggle Island is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Thank you guys so much for visiting Giggle Island. I hope you come back and visit all of the
Laughicans! I had a lot of fun and I hope you guys did too. All of Giggle Island says “
Goodbye!” See you soon, and hope to see you guys again. Have a good day. Come back to
Giggle Island!
Jana Fulp, 4th
Magic Mania
You have just arrived at Magic
Mania in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Just in case you were wandering Magic
Mania formed when a bunch of bats made a
tornado and wiped out what used to be there.
Oh, and the people that live there are
merpeople. Their religion is Baptist. Their
King is God but the king over the country is
Neptune. Lots of people live in Magic
Mania and here it is exactly….. 2,496,297
people! Yep I know that’s a lot!!!!!! The
animals are the most important part of the
country and here are some of them Rainbow
fish, Purple platypus,Unicorn,Giggle box,
Scare bumper, finger
monkey,dolphins,swan,and whale. Watch
out for the plants to because some are deadly
and here are some plants….. Sketio plant,
yardigo plant, snapitup plant, and green tree.
Oh, and don’t worry if you get sick we have
some awesome doctors. We have merdocs
and merists and they have a glow bock that
heals people. Oh, and we haven’t forgot
about food because you can take a swim jet
to the nearest continent.
Hanna Phillips, 4th
Circle: Brenda Morales Gracia, 4th
BrushBot (Spinny Whinney)
My BrushBot is orange, and her name is
Spinny Whinney, she spins really fast. Her eyes are
brown and she has blue glasses. She also has a really
funny tongue. She has one orange, pink, yellow, and
green feather. I really would like to take Spinny
Whinney home; I would be heartbroken if she was
“recycled”. I promise to take really good care of her. I
will play with her every day, and make her a little
home too. I really like Spinny Whinney, she is so fun,
and I love Spinny Whinney.
I made Spinny Whinney out of a watch battery,
head of a tooth brush, a tiny motor that vibrates, hot
glue, decorative additions. The way I made Spinny
Whinney is… First, I took the head of a toothbrush and glued the vibrating motor on to it. Next, I
took the battery and glued that on the motor. Then, I attached the red wires together permanently.
(When you want it to move you twist the blue wires together, and you can untwist them when
you want it to stop) And last but not least, I decorated it.
Elizabeth White, 5th
Fluff-Bot
Fluff-bot is a BrushBot. She is small but with a
big heart. She is pink with a whole bunch of feathers,
too many colors to name (mostly pink and purple). She
is made of a tiny motor connected to a battery. The
motor vibrates the toothbrush head. She spins a whole
bunch, and when she does it she goes fast. Fluff-Bot is
very sweet. She is kind and loving. She is the queen of
love.
Olivia Hopkins, 5th
Jorge
I think my brushbot should live. His
name is Jorge. He deserves to see the world.
Jorge is blue. I made him on a Wednesday.
If you let me keep him, I will not break him
or forget about him. My brushbot is made
from the top of a toothbrush, a motor, and a
battery.
Kaleb Kirby, 5th
Warhol Inspired Art: Taylor Hardin, 7th
Safari Life: Hope Wittenborn, 3rd
Look
The cat is as fierce as a lion.
The dog was as tough as a pack of wolves.
The hamster is a small hill.
The snake is a moving river.
Jackson Smith, 6th
Animal Descriptions
Eagle's eyes are daggers cutting through its prey.
Bear's paws are catchers' mitts.
A fish's tail is like a Chinese fan.
A porcupine's back is like toothpicks.
Lake High, 6th
Listen
The monkey yelled like a dying cow,
As loud as a roaring lion and bear.
His mouth is the size of an elephant.
His owner's head is a watermelon.
Breanna Schapeler, 6th
Safari Elephant: Delaney Bettinger, 3rd
Bluebird: Angelita Rudd, 3rd
Nature Sounds
The crow sounded its siren
While the wolf howled like a whistle
in a cave.
The tree silently moving like a
dancer,
And the water rushing like plains so
swift.
Silas Potter, 6th
Safari Life: Lily Marks, 3rd
Animals
Monkeys are like stories, unpredictable.
Turkeys are like outlaws waiting to be shot.
Deer are hurdles, jumping fences.
Rabbits are scared villagers, hiding in holes.
Mattie Wright, 6th
Ants
Ants as small as a grain of sand;
Ants as red as blood;
Ants are powerful people;
Ants are the kings of the world.
Jacob Gray, 6th
Newspaper: Kanien Klineline, 4th
Perspective: Ashlin Wilken, 7th
Problem in the
Future
Jacob Bowling, 8th
It was only 9:00 pm
and I was already extremely
tired of work. I still had to
work till midnight. Me and a
crew of four other guys,
Tom, Jimmy, John, and Joe,
were working at cleaning up
the old roads that they used
so any years ago. Our job
was to make sure no
radiation from the nuclear
war would travel this close to
the city. The nuclear war
happened sixty years ago and
it has put quite the toll on the United States. The government had to evacuate and close off half of the U.S. due to
radiation. People were still getting sick from the waste. If you got sick they would have to immediately put you to
sleep. They would take the bodies away and never let us see them again. We all found it a little suspicious that they
wouldn’t give us the bodies of our now dead family members, but I’m not the one to ask questions.
It was 11:30pm and we arrived at our last road we had to clean.
“This one’s filthy.” Jimmy was complaining.
“Aren’t they all,” I answered. “Let’s just get this last one done and be gone.” We started unloading the
cleaning gear out of the back of the truck. As I was getting the shovel out, I heard a loud, deep roar coming straight
at us. I looked up and saw the hover bus flying over to the floating Skyscrapers. We made them float because the
ground was too dangerous. Taking a good look around, I noticed the unusual high number of robot parts. These
weren’t any robot parts though; these were Highly Armored Police Systems or H.A.P.S. Not every day you see an
army of them killed. I was getting very uneasy, a normal human could not even scratch an H.A.P.S. Heck, and not
even a small gun could dent one.
“Let's hurry up, I don’t like this.” I said. We started away, placing our Radiation Barriers on the road so no
radiation could get through. We got our Hasmats on and grabbed the vacuums. Our job was to suck every little piece
of dust that might have radiation, and get it out of there. Once we fill the truck up with the junk, we take it to the
Scorch Pit, a bowl full of lava that we dump this stuff off at.
“Hey, did you hear that?” John asked.
“I think I did.” Joe answered.
“Guys it was probably nothing.” Tom was trying to convince them.
“Wait, I heard it too, it was in that small group of trees over there.” Jimmy jumped in. We all walked over
to check it out. A man stood up, or a creature, something.
“Hey man, you're not allowed down here, we’ll call the cops.” I threatened. He didn’t seem to listen. It
stepped into the light. It looked as if it was a nightmare walking on Earth. Its skin was nearly falling off; his arms
were longer than his body. He had teeth the size of a grown man's hands. His eyes were gone but he still knew we
were there. He jumped at us. It grabbed Jimmy and threw him like he was nothing. He then let out a very loud
screech that almost made my ears bleed. We all ran as fast as possible back to the truck. Before we got to the truck
three more creatures jumped out, then 40, then more. Joe tripped and fell. They surrounded him biting and slashing
with their teeth until Joe was nothing but bones. Me and Tom finally got to the truck. We drove as fast as possible
down the road. If we could get to the Hovercraft then we would be fine
“What was that thing?” Tom asked me.
“Like I have a clue. All I know is we should never go back to that place. We need the military to blow it up
or something.” About a mile up the old road, a wall of H.A.P.S. blocked us in. A man in a black suit stopped us.
“What are you guys doing in there? Did you not hear that this road is closed?” The man asked.
“Do you know what those were, can you kill them?” I needed to know.
“What do you mean?”
“Those things in the forest, they killed our friends.”
“They were people infected by the Radiation. The place that the Government was keeping the bodies was
overrun and those things escaped. They are highly dangerous. If you are bit or scratched by one of those things you
will not live, trust me. The only plus side to them is that they don’t spread disease. They only infect people with
venom. Incurable venom. Hopefully these H.A.P.S. will end their day. So far we’ve killed 800,000 of the monsters.
A reported 1,500,000 of them are out there though. Maybe we can block them off from the city.” Right about that
time, we heard the terrible screeching noise only a few feet away. The H.A.P.S. engaged.
It was an all-out battle that lasted more than four hours. The H.A.P.S. came out on top but only by a little.
Two large trucks showed up and started loading the bodies.
“You guys aren’t gonna put those in another facility just so they can escape and kill people again are you?”
Tom asked.
One of the truckers replied, “Nope, we are gonna burn these guys to a crisp, I heard you had a few buddies
die up the road, hope you don’t mind, we’re gonna have to cook them too.”
“No it’s fine, whatever you must do to get rid of those things.” As we were walking away the man in the
black suit stopped us.
“Listen, I’m not allowed to let you guys go home. You have heard and seen too much. I’m either gonna
have to kill you both or you guys will have to join some line of work getting rid of these things. Luckily, two spots
just opened in one of our hunting squads. Don’t ask what happened to the other two.”
In the next few days, To and I trained and prepared to fight these monsters. On the fifteenth day of training,
we got word we were going to hunt. My new crew consists of four other guys, Chris, Bill, Carl, and Don. Our job is
to hunt down the infected and kill them. We would let the H.A.P.S. do it if they weren’t getting low in numbers.
We all loaded up the Hovercraft and got prepared to deploy into the forest. Luckily we had Plasma Rifles
that were perfect for killing the infected. The craft lifted off from the floating platform and headed toward the
‘Infected Forest,’ that's what everyone was calling it.
We finally arrived. Our hearts were racing; we already knew that one of us, if not all of us, would be killed.
We trotted through timber and thorn bushes looking for where they were hiding. We looked for hours and hours not
finding anything but dead animal carcasses. After about six hours, we started heading back to the Hovercraft.
“Hey! Look, right there, in the tree.” Called out Chris. There they were, all of them, in the trees. They
looked in our direction with their dark, black holes for eyes. We opened fire. Sparks and beams of light were being
launched everywhere. We shot, and shot, and shot. Bill went to the ground; one was on top of him biting into his
flesh. Soon, Chris dropped, then Don. Carl, Tom, and I ran as fast as we could to the Hovercraft. Carl stepped in a
constrictor trap, something that wraps itself around your leg until your leg is pretty well gone. The only thing we
could do is amputate it the rest of the way.
Carl was screaming and wouldn’t live long if we didn’t get to the hospital fast enough. We were flying the
Hovercraft as fast as possible toward the hospital. Carl passed out because of the blood loss. Tom passed out
because he can’t handle
blood well. We finally
arrived at the hospital.
They immediately took
Carl back into the
operating room. Tom was
given water and ice. After
about 30 minutes they
released Carl. He had an
odd mechanical leg. They
said for an extra charge
they could put one on the
other leg so he can run
faster, jump higher, and
kick harder. Carl wouldn’t
do it. He already missed
his old leg. Tom finally
woke up. About that time,
the man in the black suit
showed up. Then a crew of
Perspective: Danielle Smith, 7th
Lichtenstein Style Portrait: Justin Harper, 7th
H.A.P.S. He shot Tom then shot Carl. He sent the H.A.P.S.
to kill everyone in the hospital. He looked at me. I lifted my
rifle and shot, killing the man in black. I ran as fast as I could
out the door. I jumped in the Hovercraft and flew as far as I
could. I asked myself, why did he not kill me, he just stood
there, staring, almost like he wanted me to kill him?
I flew to the other side of the United States, to the
radiation zone. It was surprisingly nice there, not much of
anything bad. I ditched my family, my friends, my life. What
would I do now? I already knew I was going to get sick in
this place, but while I’m here, I’m going to enjoy it. The
Hovercraft is definitely big enough for one person.
The third night I was there, I started hearing
helicopters. Then people talking. The Government was
coming to get me. I had it in my head that I would fight for
as long as I could when they found me. Then I heard the
H.A.P.S. I don’t know if this Plasma Rifle can kill one, but
I’m definitely gonna try. They started beating on my door.
Boom!
They blew the door down. Smoke and ash flew
everywhere. Shrapnel hit me in the face and cut me. I started
shooting into the smoke. They fired back. I heard them
screaming. I must have hit one or maybe two. I see the
H.A.P.S. walk into my view. I shot him thirty, then forty
times. He finally died. I never even realized he shot me. I
was hit directly in the abdomen. I was bleeding out fast. I
slowly started losing sight. I’m done for, they got me.
Warhol Inspired Art: Jamison LaPlante, 7th
Daddy’s Job
Casey Jones, 8th
My name is Violet Smith. I have the same life as any other
person, but mine is a little more modified. I live in a world where
there isn’t much that you have to do daily. You don’t have chores
because you have a robot to the dishes and walk the dog. For Me,
the most I have to do in a day was go to school, see my friends, and
argue with my teacher about something that happened at lunch or
about my missing assignments that I do, but never turn in. When I
arrived at school today, I noticed that my teacher, Mrs. McGuire,
was gone. I asked my friends and classmates if they knew where
our teacher was, but none of them knew. As everyone settled down
into class, waiting for their teacher to come through the door with
her over- done makeup, the students began to whisper about what
they thought had happened to Mrs. McGuire. One of the boys who
sat behind me, Alfie, was one of the many kids who were
screaming their ideas about their teacher. “She was eaten by Aliens
I tell you!” Alfie yelled. I rolled my eyes and continued to wait on
my teacher.
Soon, the door to the classroom swung open and the
students went silent. I watched as someone, who was very much
not my teacher, stride into the classroom and took a seat behind
Mrs. McGuire’s desk. The kids watched the figure very closely
Perspective: Adam Phillips, 7th
while it began setting
its things on the table.
My gazed began to
break with the
unknown person and I
began to stare at my
desk, it was not soon
after that my
concentration on a
little speck of eraser
remains was broken.
My ears were filled
with a static voice that
I could barely
understand.
“My name is
Mr. Dean.” The voice
crackled. “And I am to
be your new teacher.”
I looked very closely at the ‘man’ that said he was going to be teaching me about the things I have known in life. He
looked different, almost inhuman to me. Mr. Dean asked the class if they had any questions. The first question was
about Mrs. McGuire and where she went. “She was given a new job.” Mr. Dean told the children. A few kids asked
Mr. Dean if he was married or had kids of his own, both questions were answered with ‘no’. I kept thinking about a
question I could ask him and finally I thought of one. My hand shot up in the air.
“Yes, Violet?” Mr. Dean called on me and the class stared at me, waiting for my question.
“Where are you from? You seem different from the rest of our teachers.” I spoke quietly.
“Well you see, I am not from anywhere.” Mr. Dean explained, “I am a special machine that was created to
make human’s lives, like yours, a lot more simple.” As soon as he said that, I imagined Mrs. McGuire in her house
because her job was given to a robot. Everyone in the class just sat in silence; nobody moved or messed with
something on their desk. After everyone let the new information set in, Mr. Dean began to teach. A few hours later,
the last bell rang and I pushed through the doors to walk home.
It took me about ten minutes to get home, normally it would take longer, but I sprinting so I could get home
and tell my brother, Sean, about my teacher. I slammed through the front door, feeling the breeze from the AC that
my dad never turns off. My brother was sitting on the couch scrolling through his phone and I plopped down beside
him. He glanced up, but then looked back down at his phone. I
sighed and leaned back on the cushion. I took in a deep breath and
sat up again.
“So, guess what happened at school today, Bub.” I said
nudging him. He sighed like he was irritated and looked up at me.
“Lemme guess, your teacher was gone and some random
adult came in and said that they were your new teacher.” Sean said
with a tired look in his eyes.
“Yeah, how’d you know that?”
“Because it happened to me too. Mr. Monroe wasn’t in
FACTS today.” He mumbled and looked back at his phone. “Also,
the new teachers are robots, just in case you hadn’t figured that out
yet.” He added.
“Yeah, I know. The new guy said he was one.” I said
messing with my fingers. “But maybe these new teachers are better
than the old ones; they can’t really make mistakes because they’re
computers.” I said smiling and Sean shrugged.
“They’re great until they take someone else’s job besides
the teachers.” He mumbled and I gave him weird look.
“What do you mean?” I asked. Right as the words came
out of my mouth my dad came to the front door. He had an angry
look in his eyes and I wasn’t quite sure what was wrong. When he
Lichtenstein Style Portrait: Kiylee Katz, 7th
Lichtenstein Style Portrait: Danielle Smith, 7th
noticed Sean and me, a big smile crept onto his face and he
walked over and stood before us.
“Hey, Bud!” He said kissing my head. I glanced at
the clock and realized that he was home almost two hours
early. Dad patted Sean shoulder and walked into the kitchen;
I followed close behind and sat on the counter.
“Why are you home so early, Dad?” I asked while
swinging my legs.
“Well, the company I work for got some new
employees and they didn’t need me anymore so-” He started
to say but I cut him off and finish the sentence for him.
“You got fired.” I said trying to figure out why they
would fire him. He is an honest man and a hard worker. But
then, I thought back to how good of a teacher Mrs. McGuire
is. They still fired her and replace her with a robot. “Hey
Dad?” I asked and he looked at me with the same worried
look Mrs. McGuire would give me when I would turn in my
assignments late.
“Yeah?” He answered smiling. I shifted in my spot
a little.
“Did they replace you with robots, like the android
things that you’d see in movies?” I asked and he gave me an
odd look.
“What? Why would you think that?” Dad asked
trying to hide the fact that I was right, but I could see it in his eyes.
“Because they replaced my teacher with a robot.” I said hopping down from the counter.
“Mrs. McGuire?” Dad asked and I nodded. He sighed and shook his head. “Looks like they’re pushing
everyone out of their jobs.” He said and my heart sank. What does he mean by ‘everyone’? There has to be some
jobs left. How will we survive?
My dad got a job at the grocery store a few weeks later because of a program that the government made a
program for the people who got forced out of their jobs by robots. It pays pretty well and enough to feed himself and
my brother and I because our mother dies right after I was born. Our life is a little bit harder now, even with the
robots trying to make it easier, but we get along just fine. One of these days, when I’m out of college, I will invent a
way to let humans and robots work side by side so that nobody ever loses their job like my dad and teacher did
Warhol Inspired Art: Dakota Wilson, 6th
Warhol Inspired Art: Shelby Webb, 6th
Newspaper: Bailey Hosbach, 4th
Marie Curie’s Life
Silvia Mayorga, 5
th
In 5th grade we are researching
famous scientists or inventors who affected
people's lives. I chose Marie Curie, I chose
Marie Curie because she was the one who
discovered two very important elements.
The first element was polonium, named after
the town she grew up in. The second one
was radium something that might sound
very familiar. Marie Curie was a very
special person in life she also helped so
many people. I learned about Marie’s
personal life, her discoveries, and how her
discoveries affected people.
Marie had a very interesting life.
When Marie Curie was first born her real
name was Maria Sklodowska, she was born
on November 7, 1867 and died July 4, 1934.
She was born in Warsaw, Poland. When
Marie was 11 her mother died. Before
Marie’s mother died she was a teacher same
with her dad. Even though Marie’s mother
died, Marie always worked hard. Marie had
three sisters and one brother. Marie was 15
when she graduated. After she graduated she
went to college. During college she met
Pierre Curie; they had a lot of things in
common. One year later they were married.
Marie had some tough times but she was
still very happy on what she had. Marie had
two daughters Irene and Eve. Marie wasn’t
the only one that discovered those two
elements; she and her husband discovered
them together. Marie made some very
interesting discoveries.
Marie had some very interesting
discoveries. Marie might have had other
discoveries but she and Pierre discovering
polonium and radium was big. When Marie
and Pierre discovered polonium and radium
in 1898 they were stunned. It was all over
the world. Marie and Pierre were famous.
Marie knew she would succeed, finally a
chance to show what she knew. Even though
Pierre and Marie were always busy they
always tried to find as much time to spend
time with their family. In 1903 Marie Curie
won a Nobel Prize in physics. Marie was the
first woman to win a Nobel Prize. April 9,
1906 Pierre was hit by a horse-drawn
wagon, he instantly died. Marie was
stunned she was depressed, but she still
wasn't going to let to give up. Five years
later Marie won a second Nobel Prize in
chemistry she was very proud. Marie’s
discoveries were very important in life.
Marie Curie’s discoveries of
polonium and radium do affect me and
people around the world. Marie’s
discoveries do not only affect me but people
around the
world because
radium is used
for cancer
treatment, and
in some foods.
Polonium has
alpha particles
it is known as
“The Perfect
Poison. It was
called “The
Perfect
Poison”
because if
Lichtenstein Style Portrait: Leslie Vasquez, 7th
polonium was put in your body you will die
because it damages the organs and they will
shut down and most of the time you are
certain to die. If you have too much radium
it can hurt your body, but radium is very
help full. Many foods like chocolate, brazil
nuts, lima beans, and carrots have radium.
Marie still tried to discover more even
though she had discovered two very
important elements. A couple months after
Marie discovered radium and polonium
people all over the world started using
polonium and radium for many important
things. Even though she died because of
radium she still like what she discovered.
I am glad I learned about Marie
Curie, the person who discovered polonium
and radium. I think it was very interesting
learning about a person that loved math,
science and later on in life discovered two
very important things. Marie was a very
intelligent person and a very great loving
person. What I will remember mostly about
Marie Curie is that she always worked hard.
She was very famous and rich for her
discoveries.
Sources
Meachen Rau, Dana. “Marie Curie”. Minneapolis,
Minnesota: Published Compass Point Books, 1971.
Print.
Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt. “Lives of the
Scientists “. New York: Published Harcourt
Children's Books, 2013. Print.
Posner, Tina. “ Marie Curie”. Salem Press Primary
Encyclopedia, 2015: Topic overviews K-s. Web. 24
Feb. 2016.
Lichtenstein Style Portrait: Ashlin Wilken, 7th
Newspaper: Jana Fulp, 4th
Inside
She sits
at home,
the lights turned low.
Earphones in,
She's all
alone.
Nowhere to go.
She closes her eyes
and braces herself
for the long ride
inside her mind.
Kaylin Williams, 7th
Perspective Art: Kyle Smith, 7th
Give Creative Credit
Hey everybody
Some people copy
They plagiarize
They are sloppy
I give credit
I inspire
This poem is mine
I’m a writer
Adam
Jasmine Griffiths, 5th
Amazing, awesome
Good at sports
Loves to race
Big brother to Hannah
Able to fix cars
Goes to church
Cares about others
Adventurous and Athletic
Adam
Adam Phillips, 7th
Warhol Inspired Art: Eric Gracia 7th
CONTRIBUTORS
The following students have writing or artwork displayed in this publication.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING!
Adney, Brooklyn
Alaimo, Quana
Armfield, Sofi
Barrickman, Emma
Bellah, Braydon
Bettinger Delaney
Bieberitz, Amber
Blevins, Erin
Blevins, Payden
Bowling, Jacob
Bowling, Josie
Bright, Anna
Bright, Owen
Brown, David
Brown, Jaxi
Burnley, Amanda
Carlton, Abigail
Davenport, Holden
Davis, Jacob
Easter, Zachary
Elliott, Wyatt
Ernst, Jude
Ernst, Madalyn
Essary, Madison
Figgins, Nevaeh
Fisher, Ema
Fulp, Jana
George, Triston
Ghan, Kolby
Gold, Peyton
Gracia, Eric
Gray, Jacob
Griffiths, Jasmine
Grimm, Garrett
Guldner, Nicholas
Hammonds, Duane
Hardesty, Alexis
Hardin, Taylor
Harper, Justin
Hendricks, Sahara
High, Lake
Holder, Zailee
Hopkins, Olivia
Hosbach, Bailey
Inmon, Colesie
Janes, Dustin
Jones, Casey
Katz, Kyilee
Keener, Katelynn
Kirby, Kaleb
Klineline, Kanien
Lake, Kiah
Lake, Kyland
LaPlante, Jamison
Liebe, Kenzie
Lindblom, Ethan
Macarthur, Kylen
Maggard, Kaydence
Marks, Lily
Mayorga, Silvia
McCracken, Rachel
Morales Gracia, Brenda
Murphey, Maggie
Murray, Mathew
Newberry, Lucy
Nolf, Hanna
Nolf, Leanna
Phillips, Adam
Phillips, Hannah
Poe, Elizabeth
Potter, Silas
Rudd, Angelita
Schapeler, Breanna
Shepherd, Chance
Smith, Danielle
Smith, Jacksen
Smith, Kyle
Smith, Kyle
Stanton, Garet
Sturgell, Cheyenne
Thompson, Sara
Valente, Edwin
Vanderpool, Tatum
Vasquez, Leslie
Vickers, Jace
Vodden, Charli
Webb, Shelby
White, Alyssa
White, Elizabeth
Williams, Kaylin
Willis, Owen
Wilson, Dakota
Wittenborn, Hope
Wittenborn, Levi
Wilken, Ashlin
Workman, Cooper
Wright, Mattie
If we have failed to acknowledge
the work of any student
contributing to this magazine, we
apologize for the oversight.