!

CONTACT

A Waterways Publication Barbara Fisher & Richard Spiegel Co-Editas

Ruth Wangertn - Waterways Teacher ThcnnasPeny-CUNYIntem

1vfichael Fitzroy, Tanya Hamrick Renard James. Omar Muniz, HarryThylor & Rohan Williams -

City as School Interns

Nancy Mohr. Principal

Ruth Halligan. Assistant Principal

Paul Allison. Janice Carter. Marion Fuller. Michael Landsman. Linda Levy- Participating Teachers

Publication by The Waterways Project was made possible with funding support from the New York City Board of Education, New York State Council on the Arts & Can Edison

© 1990. The Waterways Project

CONTENTS

3-5 lusha Ford

6 Joann Roman

7-9 Indio Nairni

10-11 Donnell Smith

12 Steven Law

13 Paul LaIrd

14-15 Mariella Gomez 16-18 Charmaine Crawford 19-22 Angel Rios

23-25 Tanya Ayala

26-27 John 'King' Perry Correspondences

28-34 Sansl and Mark

Peaches and Steve George and Iysha

IYSHA FORD

THE DAY I LEFT FOR CAMP

The day I left for camp was fun.

Then it turned into hell.

It all started when I got into Pennsylvania. I remember like it was yesterday. I had on my baby blue mini-skirt with rainbow hearts.

The people I was staying with were

Mr. and Mrs. Merle Bauhmen. They were a pretty nice old couple and lived in sort

of an isolated area. When I first got

there I was enjoying myself because I

was staying with a girl my age. Her

name was Tanya Worth. She was a very nice girl. We had a lot in common.

We were staying in a trailer with no running water. The inside was decent, but they had a big brown bushy dog. When me and Tanya went to pick out our beds, [ thought it better for me to stay

on the bed away from the door, so that when the dog came in it would go on her bed. As it turned out, every night

guess where that dog was .... on my bed . . 1 told Merle. He said (with a country accent), "He not gain' to bother you."

In the morning I was expecting a breakfast, but guess what was waiting for me -- a long drive to a store. One thing I must do in the morning is brush my teeth. But, oh no, I couldn't. I

had to wait until we went to their

friend's house to wash up. When they gave us some old smelly rag, I knew this was going to be a long vacation.

3

Tanya and I went out to play. But not for long because we were swamped with mosquitoes. Later on that afternoon we went to meet her friend's kids. She had four sons between the ages of 16 and 10, if I remember clearly. Frank, Todd, Dave, Don. This woman's kids were truly dedicated to ruining my summer.

That same day we went to the barn to play hide and seek. Frank was It. Todd and I hid in the barn. Then, oh boy,

this guy was fast! He just had his

hands all over me so I kicked him in the chest. I told him I was going to tell

his mother so he apologized.

Next day we visited another one of their friends. This couple had a pool

and she tried to drown me. The pool was pretty deep compared to me. At first I wasn't going to go in because I was scared. Tanya already went in, so Mrs. Bauhmen (Avila) said, "Iysha, go in." I said, "Later." So she pushed me in. I couldn't swim, so I was drowning. Then she came in and said, "I was only playing."

Then I went to a cookout with them.

The food was bland. The chicken tasted raw, potato salad was white; the only thing I couldn't complain about was the fruit salad.

During my long journey I got

attacked by two black mutts. I was told that they didn't bite, so I didn't mess

with them, but I eventually was pressured into touching them and got bit. I was hurt and cried. It didn't break

the skin but, damn, it hurt.

For dinner at the Bauhmen house we had microwaved fried chicken which tasted like garbage.

4

When I wrote my mother a letter I wanted to tell her that I wanted to come home, but I couldn't because it would hurt the Bauhmens' feelings. I knew they would read the letter.

The day before I was going to leave, Avila was doing my hair. I had braids

and she had never seen them before. She was a very shallow person. She didn't take the braids out from the end but from the beginning.

When I left to get on the bus, I was

a shambles. I had two bright lemon neon ribbons in my head. I looked like

Pippy LongStocking because my hair was long.

When my mother got me, I wasn't what she expected. She was expecting a smiling, happy-faced child. Instead she got a sad and sorry child.

5

JOANN ROMAN

NOWHERE TO GO

Topic: You have a fire in your home and have nowhere to go but your grandmother's house and you find out that there is no room in her house. Question: Where are you going to go?

I cannot tell you where I am going because this never happened to me and if it did, I would have a place to live and

my grandmother would make room for me if that happened. What I can tell you is

my friend's experience.

My friend got pregnant and her mother kicked her out of the house. She didn't have a family to go to, so she really

had a problem.

Her boyfriend told her to stay in

his mother's house, where his two

sisters and three brothers lived with

their uncle and his wife. Not

forgetting her boyfriend's father, there were a total of 9 people living in the house. There was really no room for her, but she had nowhere togo, so she had no choice but to go live in her boyfriend's house.

It was really uncomfortable because she always had to make long lines for the bathroom, and no member of the family really liked her. So she had a terrible way of living.

6

l·"::'~.· -

.....

, "\'

! ~.

INDIO NAIMI

PUNISHMENT OF LOVE

There was once a man called Teico who lived in the city of Knossus. He was a soldier in the military. His life was devoted to his job since he had no one of his own. He was a very brave soldier who was given quite a few honorable names. In just a short time he became the general of King Minos' army. This made him feel unconquerable.

One day the King decided to have the biggest ball ever thrown on the island

of Crete. Everyone was looking forward to being there. The men of Crete gathered all the wine they could, while the women made beautiful dresses for their daughters and themselves. The ball was to start at sunset and end whenever the King wished. Surprisingly, the King's palace was filled' to its capacity. Everyone was having a fun time. There were people walking outside looking at the beautiful view of the Aegean Sea, while others were dead drunk.

Teico was also there but wasn't really interested in enjoying the ball, until

his eyes met the eyes of the Princess of Crete, daughter at King Minos. The Princess smiled at Telco and responsively enough received the same. Teico walked toward her with his eyes fixed to hers and bowed down and kissed her hand. The King was too drunk to realize what was going on. Teico asked the Princess for a dance and she accepted. They danced gracefully and were embracing each other as if they had known each other for a long time. The couple caught everyone's eyes, so beautiful they were tooether.

After a while, they decided to take a

walk outside. They walked holding hands along the shore. The Princess told

Teico that she wanted to be with him forever. So they decided to elope.

They headed towards Teico's grandfather's house, which had been there for years and was left under Telco's care. The same night, the two made love and gave their souls to each

other. .

After a few days, the King realized that

his daughter had left the palace for

good with his own general. The King ordered a search for the two, who were found after three days and brought back

to the King of Crete. King Minos was

very upset and decided to kill his

daughter and the general. But one of

the King's advisors had a better

punishment for the two. He advised the King to pray to the God of Gods, Zeus.

The King asked Zeus to punish the two

for what they had done. Zeus in reply

asked the King, "What punishment do you have in mind". The King said, "0 God of Gods, make her the moon and make him the sun. Since the sun and the moon never meet, that will be a very 'cruel

punishment,"

8

After a few thousand years, the Princess and Teico couldn't take their separation anymore. They prayed to all the gods, hoping one of the gods would help them. All the gods refused to help, from the fear 01 facing Zeus. Surprisingly, there was one god who agreed to help, the Goddess of Love. She herself couldn't bear the punishment of Teico and the Princess. She told the two that she couldn't end the punishment but she could let them see each other after a certain period of time. Zeus found out and punished the Goddess of Love by taking away her beauty. Then he looked at the two lovers and decided to let

them see each other after all. But he also left the condition of them seeing each other only after a certain period

of time.

This is how we now experience an eclipse, when the moon covers the sun and no light reaches the earth. We then know that there are two lovers behind

all that who are happy to see each other but also upset because they have to wait another 36 years before they meet again.

9

DONNELL SMITH

FALLING OFF

:

There once was a man by the name of Smiley. He was a neighborhood hustler who, I've got to admit, had so much

money that it seemed like he was on top

of the world. He had diamonds, cars, houses, women, everything a young little boy like me would everwant when he got older. Little did I know the way he

got all of this. It surprises me he

lived this long.

III

As I started growing up I got smarter and realized the way he made money was out of my wildest dreams. It wasn't legal, but the way things are today it's what is. In other words, all

the kids used to look up to him. At

that time that's the way I knew you could make money that fast. Drug selling, prostitution, even legally-

owned businesses -- he had it all --

until one day.

,

A hooker had gotten mad at him the night before. He had brutally beaten

her and she was upset. She told him to meet her on the roof so that she could

give him the money she owed him. Up there. he turned his back and she pushed him off the roof. He fell five stories

down and luckily he survived. But he

was paralyzed. He spent the rest of his

life in a wheelchair. The government

found out about his businesses and quickly closed them down.

10

The ones who had idolized him slowly began to look down on him, including me. He then went crazy, not knowing why this

all had happened to him. Which led him

to using drugs. Now he was a bum who begged me for a quarter. I told him, "I

been watching you all my life an' it

hurts me to see you this way."

He kept using drugs and eventually died. He had hardly anyone at his

funeral. All those who were with

him when he had money were not there. And that's what I call falling off.

THIS IS A TRUE STORY.

11

ro-.J I

STEVEN LAW

I

SAD STORY

This is a story about an average woman that is now homeless.

This lady lived in my building. She

was very nice to me and my friends. She had a son and a daughter and a husband. She led an ordinary life until her one

son died. I really don't recall how,

but that's not important right now.

When her son died her husband blamed his death on her. That was too much for her to handle and she snapped. She started going crazy. She left her husband and

her daughter and started roaming the streets.

\1

I

I really feel for that woman,

because none of that was her fault. She didn't kill her son. Her husband was

very wrong for blaming her. Now because of that she is homeless to this day. I

used to see her alot but now I never do.

I wonder if she is still alive. I hope

so. That's very sad. Isn't that a

shame?

12

PAUL LAIRD

IF MY HOUSE BURNED DOWN

My family would help us and give us anything we needed while times were hard. My brother and mother would probably have to work more and so would I. It would be hard, but we'd get

through, hopefully.

Privacy wouldn't be a problem with me, because when I come home from school, everybody's still at work. But

I don't know about my mother and my aunt.

The move would be a problem because I'd be away from all my friends. But

I'd make new friends.

13

.. ,--..,11

MARIELLA GOMEZ

A LEITER TO ALL FAT PEOPLE

When you're a baby and you're fat, everyone thinks it's cute. But when you start to grow up and start school, it's

not so cute.

There's a saying: "Children can be cruel." Well, some so-called adults can be just as cruel as 5-year-old children.

You start school and some of the kids are nice to you and mean it, but the rest are just nice when they're not with their friends, They start with vicious name-calling. You try to ignore it, but after awhile you can't. People say words don't hurt. Well, they're wrong. Words hurt alot!

You try to avoid these people but you can't. It's like everywhere you go they're there, in your classes, in the hallway at lunch, everywhere. And if the kids bothering you is not bad

enough, some adults are worse, because they're supposed to know better .

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All of this discrimination brings

you to the point where you just don't

see any point in going on anymore. You stop going to school, you don't leave

the house as much--if at all. You just want to go to sleep one day and not wake up.

That's when you realize you need help. Go to someone you can trust, a parent, a best friend, anyone. If you think that you have no one, go to someone at your school, a teacher, a counselor, your principal. Believe me, they care. They want to see you

overcome your problems and achieve your goals.

Take it from me, if someone can't accept you for what, how and who you are, they're not worth the effort. And

if you ever reach that point to where you think it's not worth it anymore-read this.

15

;1

CHARMAINE CRAWFORD

THE MYTH OF ODESSA AND THE MINOTAUR

This myth is about a beautiful girl by the name of ODESSA (symbolizing

a lovable and adorable person) who was

in love with the MINOTAUR in a pitying

way. She felt sorry for him; he was

treated as nothing but a beast, which he was: Half bull and half man.

She prayed one day he'd live a happy life and to meet him as a

handsome, kind-hearted man. She was hoping she would be able to change his

evil heart into good and pure.

As the gods saw this, Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, asked Zeus, father of all gods, to Jet Odessa's wish come true.

Aphrodite asked Zeus to change Minotaur into a mortal. Zeus didn't like that

because he didn't find any reason to

favor Odessa over another mortal. But Aphrodite still pleaded and begged until Zeus decided to come to a conclusion.

He said the only way Odessa's wish could come true was if Odessa could change the Minotaur's heart from evil to good.

Then and only then, he'd change Minotaur into a mortal. Aphrodite was very

pleased and yet she was worried,

thinking of a way to make Minotaur change. Zeus made a command; he told Aphrodite never to use her power to help the beast. That even made Aphrodite more so worried. Aphrodite still used her

powers to help BUT not to help the beast

15

but to help Odessa, by giving her a beautiful voice as a nightingale whenever she sings.

But back to mortal life, Odessa was chosen to be one of the seven girls

and seven young men to be sacrificed to

the Minotaur. Knowing the fact she was going to be sacrificed, she still loved Minotaur.

She was placed in the labyrinth where the beast lived, with

the others waiting to be sacrificed. Aphrodite, seeing this, started to cry,

yet Zeus sat and watched this ordeal (knowing what was to become). Odessa didn't know what gift she had been granted, yet it was her turn to be sacrificed. She looked into the beast's eyes, with sadness and love; the beast looked back into Odessa's eyes and was hesitant. He then reached towards her, yet she still looked at him with no

fear, because she knew that there was some kindness in him somewhere. Then, unknowingly she began to sing a song, a song of sadness and love. Singing with

all her heart, she watched him stand there, changing before her eyes, with a kinder expression. His eyes were less fierce and the more she sang the less fierce he became, and the more timid and loving. His heart was changing into good from evil. Odessa sang even more with her might and love (for the beast). Then Minotaur stood there with anger trying

to fight the noise out of his head, but

she sang the song even with more love. He then became calm and released her from the chains, just looking at her.

17

Zeus saw this and was greatly surprised and very impressed, He granted Aphrodite's wish for Odessa. And

Aphrodite was very happy and then Zeus changed Minotaur into a handsome, pure hearted mortal, and gave him a name symbolizing a plain, simple person with

a tender heart and good will towards

all, which was "BARTHOLOMEW". Before Odessa's eyes he changed and she was pleased that she had changed his heart. Right then and there he told her his

name "Bartholomew". She then sang unto the gods giving them thanks.

Zeus was so pleased, he commanded Hades, the god of the dead, to let the three judges of the dead (Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Aiacos) bring back

the lives of the 13 young men and girls.

(And give Bartholomew some SUPER breath mints -smile)

They both (Odessa and Bartholomew) left the labyrinth and the people of the city were happy,' They celebrated a marriage in the honor of the gods. People from far came to the wedding and brought gffts,

One gift that was given unto them was a beautiful palace from Zeus and the palace was named after him. Odessa and Bartholomew lived a happy life and had seven girls and seven boys. THAT'S WHAT I CALLA HAPPY ENDING.

"THE END"

18

~.

ANGEL RIOS

MYTH

On the high Mount Olympus, home to the gods, Zeus is troubled by a most

difficult dilemma. In the scriptures of

the Gods, it has been foretold that the

day will come when the Gods would be destroyed by the Titan known as Garth.

Zeus, the all knowing, does not know

when or how this Titan will come to

being, for he does not exist. Zeus has

no power over the Titans and cannot see their future. For the first time in his

life he does not know what to do. He returns to his chamber, where he will further dwell on the matter.

Meanwhile, deep in the land of Hades, the Titans have gathered for a special meeting. King Hades and the three Judges of the Dead, Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Aiacos, arranged the meeting. King Hades, dressed in black armor and wearing a crown of fire,

stood up and said, "I have devised a

plan which would relieve us of the pestering Gods of Olympus. It requires each and every single one of you to make a sacrifice. You must give up one of

your powers." The Titan known as Ocean pounded his fists against the brimstone table and shouted, "I would surely give

up one of nlY many powers in order to destroy Zeus and his merry followers,

but you must assure me that your plan will not faiL" Hades promised them

that his plan was foolproof. Each Titan will give up one of his powers and

together they will forge an invincible Titan.

Hades then gathered dead soldiers and, using bits and pieces of them, invented the body which would encompass the huge amount of power. Ocean was the first Titan to give the lying mass of

tissue life. Hyperion was second in

line and gave the new Titan the power to absorb solar energy and disperse it at his slightest whim. The rest of the

Titans then followed. Then the god Hades brought the Titan back to life. The rest

of the Titans stood in awe at the sight

of their new leader. Hades named the new Titan Garth. The Titans began to

celebrate the beginning of their rise to power.

Back on Olympus, Zeus could no longer burden himself with the dilemma.

He decided to tell the other gods. He

then called forth every god in Olympus. Everyone showed except Hades. Zeus then told them of their fate. The gods then

began to panic. If Zeus, the great one,

does not know what to do then all is

lost. The gods then tried to come up

with a way to prevent their destruction.

Meanwhile, back in Hades, the Titans began preparing their attack. Each Titan gathered his weapon and suited up in armor. Garth was to lead the attack.

Hades then parted the above world and

the Titans flew out. Hades remained.

Thus the war began. Garth led the Titans

to Olympus where they destroyed the beautiful temples and laid waste to everything in their paths. Zeus was the

20

first to encounter the invaders and he was the first to meet the awesome power of Garth. Zeus then realized that even with all of his power he was no match

for Garth. Garth blew Zeus right out of the sky and right into all of the other gods.

The gods had no choice but to flee. They swore that the Titans'

victory would be short lived. The Titans then began to plunder and celebrate. The gods retreated to the small island of

Crete. There Zeus nourished his wounds and began to plan how to destroy Garth and recover their home.

Zeus knew that Hades probably had something to do with it, so he asked

Ceres to call upon Persephone. Persephone was teleported to Crete. Athena then informed Perephone of the horrible news and asked her to find out from Hades how the Titan Garth came to be. Persephone was then teleported back to Hades. Luckily for her Hades was in

his usual boastful mood and told her how he alone planned the destruction of the gods and the creation of Garth. Hades then jumped in his chariot and flew off

to Olympus.

Persophone then returned to Crete.

She related the story of Garth back to

he gods. Once Zeus realized what the Titans had done, he was enlightened by a brainstorm. He told the rest of the

gods that if the Titans can create a

new being then so can they. Instead of using dead soldiers as the recipient of

the gods' power, Zeus decided that it

21

should be a mortal. Zeus sent his messenger Hermes off to find the perfect candidate.

Hermes was the quickest of the gods and returned in no time with a young lad

by the name of Angel. Angel was amazed for he never had ever seen one god, and now he was in the presence of all of

them. Aphrodite then informed Angel that he would be made into the greatest god

of all time and for him not to worry,

Zeus then placed Angel on an altar and each god blessed him with his power.

Once he was complete, wings sprouted from his back and lightning sprung all around him. Surely he was the most beautiful god of them all.

Angel then was aware of the task at hand and, with Zeus by his side, led

the Olymians to Olympus. The Titans sent Garth in search of the gods and he

became the first to encounter Angel.

Angel and Garth were equally matched and could fight each other for all eternity.

No one would be the victor. Zeus and the other gods combined their powers and transported both Angel and Garth to another dimension where they would do no harm to anyone.

Zeus then led the Olympians against the remaining Titans and conquered them. The Titans were then placed in a large crystal where they will remain for all eternity. The palace was rebuilt and

Hades was severely punished. Zeus then destroyed the scriptures and built a

huge statue on Mt. Olympus honoring the heroic god Angel.

22

TANYA AYALA

THE CIVILIZATION OF NEW YORK CITY IN THE 1980'S

The civilization in which we live today is rather advanced in comparison to that of any other. An important question in today's world is; Are we truly civilized?

Th'e American Heritage Dictionary defines civilization as a human society having an advanced stage of development in the arts and sciences and social, political, and cultural complexity. New York prides itself on being what it considers advanced, yet our doctors

still cannot cure the common cold. New York life is full of perplexing ideas

and complicated everyday tasks. Because New York is filled with so many

different cultures and religions. it is difficult to tell what beliefs or

traditions New Yorkers live by.

The typical New Yorker is someone who is crude, somewhat arrogant and an intellectual. A typical day for a New Yorker would start at about 5:30 a.m.

with aerobics. At about 6:00 a.rn, the

New Yorker would take a 15 min. shower and get dressed and ready for work by 7:00 a.m. (time changes may vary). His day would consist of interacting with many diHerent walks of life. Many

people in New York have attitudes of disgust because of the things they see around them.

23

For such a civilized city we seem to imitate the Spartans of ancient Greece, who were infamous for their warrior-

like lifestyle. In Sparta they trained

their youths for war. In New York one must be at least eighteen years old to

be allowed to fight and defend our country, yet our youths of about 13 to 20 yrs. old (and sometimes younger and older) have the capacity to go on

killing sprees for simple amusement. In our society people are judged by the color of their skin and ancestral

back round yet we st!ll insist that we

are civilized.

I n our day, transportation is taken for granted. There was once a time when we had no choice but to travel from

one place to another by foot or in some cases by horse or buggy. Now we have many different choices. We can go to

one place from another by transit (a .

long car-like structure that runs on electrically charged rails), bus (a long motor vehicle for transporting

passengers), or car (a smaller vehicle

for transporting people). These are methods of local transportation. When traveling long distances the methods of transportation become more expensive but still as simple. For example, when going across the country one can purchase a pass to board an airplane (a winged vehicle capable of flight) which can

take YOLi anywhere you want to go.

Communication is not very different from transportation. In both people are able to trade information and ideas.

The difference is that in travel one can

24

transport materials whereas in communication orie can only transport ideas and thoughts verbally. Our strongest tool for verbal communication is the telephone. With the use of a telephone many people can talk to each other and exchange ideas and philosophies and just everyday gossip without actually being there.

New Yorkers eat a wide variety of foods. New Yorkers eat anything and everything. Our food consists of high contents of sodium, cholesterol, fat, salt, sugar, caffeine, and everything under the sun that is bad for you.

There's a saying that after the Atom bomb hits the only two living things will be cockroaches and New Yorkers because both can eat garbage and still survive. I

personally don't think that this is a

bad thing. I think that we are lucky to

. be accustomed to eating anything because if such a thing would happen we would be the only ones fit enough to survive.

Even though New York is full of buildings hovering down over its people, it is still a great place to live in.

Crime is up, wages are down, unemployment is at a stand-still and our government officials stink. We are

still the capital of the Arts and

Theater world. With the wide variety of cultures we have access to so many different styles, foods, leisure

activities and lifestyles. What more can we ask?

25

JOHN "KING" PERRY

CULTURE FEATURES PRESENTS "DAILY LIVING IN THE 1980'S"

For me daily life was always pretty much the same. Life for me was always full of excitement and fun.

Every morning I woke up it seemed like it was the end of the world. I

would get up out of my bed and immediately start to think negatively. I would say things to myself like, "It's

going to be a terrible day," and then

after I finally got up and got started I would first find what I was going to

wear that day, and most of the time I

had to iron my clothes. By the time I finished getting my clothes together I would be half way up. Then came the part that I loved the most, that was putting

hot water onto my body. This was always the highlight of my morning. Not only

did this wake me up, it also made me smell good. After spending a good 45 minutes in the bathroom I would get dressed, get a little something to eat and then I'm out the door.

As soon as I got outside I would take a small and unsafe witt of some of that New York City air. Then I would

start to make my way to the bus stop to catch my bus. I always got to school

on time, and the only reason I was ever late was because the bus came late or I was sick. If I didn't come to school or

if I was not in school you could pretty much believe that I was dead.

26

I took great pride in coming to school, and getting there on time made it seem even better. I think that when you get to school on time it gives you a chance to meet girls and get ahead of al\ the other guys. To tell you the

truth alot of the guys in my school don't like me because I get along so well with all the girls or rather most

of the girls in my school. Sometimes t feel like not even talking to the girls

in my school because every corner I hear someone saying that I think I'm all this

or t think I'm all that, but baby it

ain't even like that because I'm the coolest brother this side of the earth. Besides being cool I also am very good for conversation and I am most of the time older than them, so therefore I

have already experienced some of their problems.

I am now nineteen years old, and my only major concerns in life right now

are finishing high school, and pursuing

my career in the world of video. I have

a job now with a company that deals in commercial production, which is a good start, and it also pays well, but I

someday hope to be able to write,

direct, and produce my own movies. When I leave high school I hope that I can

get into a college like Visual Arts or

New York University, so that I learn

some of the things that I don't know

about my field.

Well, if you didn't know me you have learned more about me by reading this paper than some people who knew me did. I hope that this has been as fun

for you as it has been for me. So long

and always remember there was a king in the 19S0's, and his name was King Perry.

17

SANSI AND MARK

DEAR PEN PAL,

HI. MY NAME IS SANSI. I GO TO BOYS HARBOR SCHOOL. IT'S REALLY COOL TEACHERS PAY ALOT OF ATTENTION TO STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOL I REALLY THINK YOU SHOULD WANT TO GO SOME DAY. IT'S NICE. THERE'S ONLY TWO CLASSES. I LOVE

THIS SCHOOL. THEY EVEN PICK YOU UP AT YOUR HOUSE. SORRY I CHANGED THE SUBJECT. THE THINGS I DO ARE WATCH MOVIES. I

HAVE ALL KINGS OF MOVIES. I HAVE \ DEAD CALM \ MACK AND ME\ THE SEVEN SIGN\ AND MORE BUT I CAN'T KEEP WRITING MOVIES,

SO, I LOVE SPORTS LIKE BASKETBALL, ROPECLIMBING, JUMPING ROPE.

I LOVE GUYS THAT ARE SMART AND CUTE.

I LIKE TALL BOYS. I DON'T LIKE TO KISS

TOO MUCH AND DON'T LIKE QUICK BOYS. I WOULD LIKE TO FINISH SCHOOL FIRST. THEN I WILL START GOING OUT WITH BOYS. THEN I'LL HAVE FUN AND PARTY AND HANG OUT WITH THE BOYS.

YOURS TRULY

SANSI, CALL ME SANDY

Dear Sandy,

By the time you receive this letter I hope you are in the best of health.

My name is Mark. I am 5'9". My skin color is brown. I am 154 pounds. Some people say I look like Bobby Brown. Maybe I'm not what you're looking for, but like I was told, this is not a

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dating service. I love to skate and I

love guns. By the way, I am 19 years of age. I am a party fan but all the

parties I go to are Jamaican. (Yes, I

am Jamaican.)

Don't worry about kissing because I already have a girlfriend.

I have to go. See you later.

Mark

DEAR MARK

I'M GLAD YOU RECEIVED MY LETIER. I'M SORRY, I DON'T LIKE GUNS BUT I'M GLAD YOU LIKE SKATING. I KNOW YOU HAVE A GIRL FRIEND BUT I'M STILL INTERESTED IN YOU AS A PEN PAL, SO PLEASE, MARK, JUST KEEP ON WRITING TO ME. I HOPE YOUR GIRL DOESN'T MIND. I MUST SAY I ENJOYED READING YOUR LETTER. I'M SPANISH. I HAVE BROWN EYES AND HAIR, 5'5".

SANDY

I MUST SAY I DON'T HAVE A BOY FRIEND. RIGHT NOW I MUST SAY GOODBYE. PLEASE WRITE ME BACK SOON.

Dear Sandy,

What's up? Maybe one day we can go skating together. You sound like a

really nice person that I would like to

get to know. I wrote you a letter last

week but I don't know if you got it or

not. Did you? So, Sandy, what's going

on? Where do you live right now, if you

don't mind me asking. Maybe we're

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neighbors and don't even know it. Anyway, I have to go now so I will write to you soon.

PLease reply.

Your friend, MARK

Dear Sansi,

I wrote to you but you weren't in school to receive it. [know Boys Harbor isn't like a regular high school but I would appreciate you coming to school more often so you can get my letters.

Dear Sandy,

First I want to say that I'd like

for you to come to school more often because I'm sure vou want to get high school over with. " te reason for me saying this is because you seem to be a very interesting person .:

Second I would like when I write you a letter you are there to read it and be

able to give me a reply, because I hate being here when everyone else is reading a letter and I'm just sitting here with nothing to do. O.K.

Well, J guess I will write to you another time.

P.S. I'll be waiting for your next reponse. Don't let me down.

Your friend,

MARK

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Dear Mark,

Sansi hasn't been in school lately so lam writing as a sub. I don't know when she is coming back. My name is Daisy, known as Unice. I hear you like guns. So do I. You say you are Jamaican. That's cool. I hangs out with a few. I also go to Jamaican parties. I would say I'm single for I haven't found someone I really want to be with. I am a reddish brown color, brown eyes, 5'6", long hair. I'm 16 as

of Sunday the 12th of Nov. And it's time for me to go. It would be nice if you write back.

Daisy

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PEACHES AND STEVE

Dear Penpal,

My name is Peaches. I would like for people to call me Champa!. I'm brown skin, and also have kind of light brown eyes. I'm 5'6". My weight is 125 Ibs. I would like to meet a guy that is nice, and have a nice personality, who

is light skin with brown eyes, whose weight is 155-200 Ibs. I would prefer

his height to be 6'7".

Now I am going to tell you a little about me. My favorite sports are running, swimming, basketball and jumping rope, and etc. The school I go to is C.E.C. Harbor. It is very nice.

They help you get your G.E.D. too. They also put you in high school, and they only take kids from 14-21 years old.

The teachers are very, very nice.

I'm going to end this for now, but I'm hoping to hear from you again.

Yours truly,

CHAMPAL:AS = PEACHES

Dear Penpal:

My name is Steve. I am 6'1", fair skin, light brown eyes, 205 Ibs. I have one dimple, one left earring. I like to

go out and party and have fun. I feel I have a really good personality and would like the same in a girl. I have to go

now. Hope to hear from you soon, Champale.

Yours truly, Steve

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DEAR STEVE

HI. This is Champal again. I am sorry that my pen pal letter did not

reach you. I enjoyed your letter. I

would like to have a picture of

yourself. That is if you write back. I

would like if you did. You sound as if

you were older than I am. I never asked you your age. Howald are you? What do you want to be in the future? I hope it

is the right choice. If you want me to send you a picture, I will be more than happy to do so. I have to go now so

until next time. SEE YOU AROUND.

P.S. WRITE BACK SOON I hope we will get to see

each other someday.

"CHAMPAL"

Dear Champale:

Helio, it's Steve again. I was disappointed when I heard that your letter was lost but I'm happy to hear from you now. I don't have any pictures on me to send at the moment but if you can wait for next week when Ruth comes back I will have one for you. But Ruth told me she will see you before me so I will expect a picture from you. As for what I want to do when I get older --

for now I want to become an R, B Singer and Producer. As for my age, "call" me and you will find out. I have to go

now. Seeya.

P .S. My number is Call me.

Steve

GEORGE AND IYSHA

Dear Penpal,

My name is Georg'e. I'm really interested in meeting you, I'm brownskinned. I don't know how tall 1 am, I

got short hair, love to wear red. I'm intelligent. I play football, play basketball, go to the movies every Saturday, go to church on Sunday, I got a job working in a restaurant. I mop

and sweep. I'd like to write to a short

girl under 16.

What's up George!

My name is Iysha and I'm 4'11" so if you're looking for someone short, here I am. Let me tell you about myself. I

like basketball and football. I'm not dedicated to athletics but I like a good workout. In your letter you mentioned that your favorite color is red. When I

was younger that was also my favorite color because it caught my eye. Now my favorite is blue. Sometimes on special occasions I go to church, I like to

dance and I'm going to make my first performance in my brother's video which will be out in late April. My birthday

is April 2.

Enough about me. Tell me some things you think we have in common. I hope I will be hearing from you,

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•

Yours truly, George