-Breana Nieves Vergara

Ch
Farewe apter 8:
ll 8th G
rade
Time
Clocks
hands w
ind

Life of Lies

Thinking about my time next year will be fun,

Now I m just going to play basketball in the sun.
Im going to do good so my future is bright,
One day youll see Jordan Garys name lit up in bright lights
Next year when I wake up and Im feeling great,
Ill look at my calendar and say Only 1,479 days until I
graduate.
-Jordan Gary

I watch
as my li
whizze fe
sb
in a blu y
r
The me
mories
joyful
tim
laughin es
g, lovin
g
Where
did the
time go
?
-Allie B
arrett

16

Anika Trinkaus

-Bela Harris

Edward Smith School

May/June 2012

cc

ep

tan
ce

Possibilities

e
Pressur

F
u
t
u
r
e

passage
Excitement!

Attain

His life does not exist

Someone else everyday
He has no name
Drifting in the shadows
He is an expatriate to society
One day a doctor
The next day a drug king
Smoke curls from his mouth
Streaming away to never be seen again
Just like the memories he can no longer claim
He douses his cigarette on the palm of his hand
Leaving a black hole
Like the one that sucked away his life
He is a nothing, a no one
He is a secret
An agent
A spy

As I look at the time fly by,

Soon Ill be at Nottingham, and I will be the new guy.

Chapte
High S r 9:
chool
A

it flies

-Francesca Giardine

I woke up, and I was feeling great,

Only 27 more days until I graduate.

Carlos E
chenique

Writing a New Chapter:

The Story Continues

Su
cce

ss

plish

I remember the first day,

That I saw the mural
On the cafeteria wall.
I was told not to touch,
And I didnt.
I really wanted to touch it,
And see if the textures differentiated
Between each painted image.
Every time I see that wall,
I see something new,
Something hidden.
I can see the personality
Of a whole school,
Captured in paint.

Free
Sometimes
I just wanna go
Far, far away,
And never come back.
I want to be like
Dandelion seeds in the wind,
Like butterflies in the sky.
I want to just run
And keep running
Until I reach a
Waterfall,
And
Just listen
To its soothing call
And look
At its beautiful waves
And basically
Just go.

acco
m

Mural, Mural on the Wall

Prospect
destination

Goals

process

Sport

liz
rea

This Issues Features:

Micro-Fiction and
6-12 Word Stories

Tangerine
By Edward Bloor

Editors: Allie Barrett, Sydney CardarelliClark, Francesca Giardine, Sophie Nash,

MeiLin Luzadis, and Lucy Purnine
Contributing Writers: Rana Ahmed Saleh, Kiarah Bailey, Allie Barrett, Denelle Brown,
Cadee Christian, Enfinity Clark, Hanif Clark, Kinsey Davis-Corr, Juliette Doughty-Wilder,
Elizabeth Ellison, Bela Harris, Trevor Hines, Eric Houck, Jordan Gary, Francesca Giardine,
Orisha Goddard, Kaylee Fierke, MeiLin Luzadis, Anthony McFarlane, Aydan MurphyStanley, Sophie Nash, Breana Nieves Vergara, Orson OBrien, Elisabeth Osei-Kwame, Lucy
Purnine, JaNae Roberts, KeAra Rowser, and Leo Veliz.
Contributing Artists: Corstale Breland, Carlos Echenique, Trevor Hines, and Anika Trinkus.
Contributing Photographers: Kinsey Davis-Corr, Kamyia Joe, and Sophie Nash.
Advisor: Mrs. Gendron

This is an amazing
book to read. It is a
great story about a
Paul Fisher is a boy who moves to a
boy adapting to his
town called Tangerine. He tries to adapt to new home. The
the town, but it isnt easy. He feels neevents that happen
glected by his father, who admires his
are unexpected and
football-star older brother. And he thinks unique. The author
that no one can see through his thick
really captures the
glasses. But when he joins his school soc- readers attention and holds it until the
cer team, he gains courage to face these
end. Try Tangerine. I dont think Ill ever
problems. Also, with the help of his team- find a book like it again.
mates, Paul gains the strength to face
-Kiarah Bailey
some secrets that were kept from him.
I Will Plant You a Lilac Tree
By Laura Hillman

camp. Not soon

fight to survive the horrors of
after, however,
her life in the camps.
they are sepaThe main characters
Hannelore Wolffs story begins
rated. They face
age and point of view made the
with her fathers death by Nazis
isolation, torbook easy to follow. Also, I was
while she is away at boarding
ture, and even
drawn to the style of the writing.
school in Berlin. Soon after, her
death. But
I really learned a lot about the
mother and two brothers are noti- amidst the horHolocaust from reading this
fied that they are going to be sent ror, Hannelore
book, and I would also recomto a concentration camp. Hearing meets a man
mend this book to anyone who
this, Hannelore asks the Gestapo named Dick,
likes love stories. I am glad I
to let her join her family so they
and they fall in love. Sadly, they read this book.
can be together. The Gestapo
too are separated. The story is
agree and Hannelore and her fam- about how her love and hope to
-Kinsey Davis-Corr
ily are sent to a concentration
be reunited with this man help her

Nevermore, Kelly Creagh

Amityville Horror, Jay Anson
The Davinci Code, Dan Brown
Are you looking for something enjoyable Welcome to America, Comics
to read over the summer? Your classmates
A Corner of the Universe, Rebbie Macintyre
have some suggestions. And if these books
The Disenchantments, Nina Lacour
dont capture your interest, check out
Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher
www.ala.org and sign in as a nonmember.
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
You will see many lists of great books there. Clockwork Prince, Cassandra Clare
So read a good book and have a great sum- Angel, Cassandra Clare
mer!
Beastly, Alex Fink

Corstale
B

reland

Summer Peer
Recommended Reading

The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

15

6-12 Word Stories

14

So many colors etched in his brain, but only gray came out.
-Bela Harris
They give you a hug with a knife in their hand.
-Hanif Clark
She wants to go but cant seem to find the door
-Kinsey Davis-Corr
The geese stay together; I wish I were a goose.
-Denelle Brown
The ring box sat untouched, collecting dust, for months.
-Breana Nieves-Vergara
A hole, let us go in.
-Leo Veliz
You try to explain, but honestly, I dont really care.
-Enfinity Clark
Our hands are so close, but I cant let them touch.
-Sophie Nash
I read the story in your eyes; I dont get
it.
-Francesca Giardine
Out of all people, whyd it have to be me?
-Anthony McFarlane
You live, you laugh, you love. And in the end, you die.
-JaNae Roberts
My zit, not yours. Dont pop.
-Eric Houck
As I crossed the stage, my family cheered; Im high school
bound.
-Elisabeth Osei-Kwame
Today should be remembered for tomorrow.
-Trevor Hines

The Coyotes Pen

Contents

May/June 2012 Vol. 5

Departments:
Events:
Pages 4-5
Cover Features:
The Story Continues:
Pages 6-7
Micro-Fiction:
Pages 8-11
Fiction:
Pages 12-13
6-12 Word Stories:
Page 14
Book Reviews:
Page 15
Poetry:
Page 16

Cover Features:
The Story Continues:
Students Reminisce
Micro-Fiction

6-12 Word Stories

Trevor Hines

Seneca Lake Field Trip

By Allie Barrett
On May 3, 2012, a select
group of eighth graders went
on a field trip to Hobart and
William Smith College for a
scientific boat
trip on Seneca
Lake! Originally, the college was two,
gender separated colleges.
Then in the
late 1900s,
they were combined into one,
though, both of the names
were kept.
Seneca Lake is one of the
largest Finger Lakes. It has
been overrun with an invasive
species called Zebra Mussels.
This type of filter-feeder
nearly drained the lake of its
micro-organisms and plants.
Since then, a new type of
mussel called Quagga Mussels
have taken over. Though,
they, unlike the Zebra mussels, have not drained the lake
of its resources. In fact, the
amount of plants and small
organisms has increased.
Though scientists have not pin
-pointed why this happened,
they have some theories. One
is that the increasing number

of wineries around the lake

has given off run-off water
full of the fertilizer used on
the grapes.
Almost immediately after
we arrived at school, we took
off on a bus for
an hour trip to
our destination.
The chaperones
were Ms. Kwiek,
Ms. Clonan and
Ms. Kraemer. We
walked to the
Geoscience
Building and were greeted by
their guide. Our guide gave us
a quick tour of the building
and talked about the kinds of
things we would be looking
for.
We were then ushered to
the SAGA building where we
were treated to a
college, dining
hall style lunch.
Some of the
foods included
pizza, sandwiches, French fries and salads. Amongst the favorites
was the serve-your-own soft
serve ice cream machine.
A short drive to the dock
across the campus got us to

the main part of the trip, the

boat!
Our destined vessel was a
US government registered
boat called the William Scandling. The captain drove the
boat to a quiet location about
2 miles from the dock. After
being split into four smaller
groups, each went off to do a
different experiment. These
included measuring the physical parameters of the surrounding area, measuring the
cloudiness of the water with a
Secchi disk, collecting plankton, sediment dredge analysis
and testing the water for Chloride and Dissolved Oxygen.
Every so often, our groups
would switch and go to another experiment station.
Three fun, learning
filled hours later,
our tired group
went back to the
harbor and boarded
on the bus. Once
we got back to the
school, around 5:00
pm, we waited to be picked up
by our parents and to tell the
funny moments and interesting findings of our trip!

m.
to hi iardine
it.
t
i
e
G
iv
d for aleh
a
G
e
c
i
.
s
d
d
e
e
e
c
ed S
irdfe
m; h
-Fran
the b
eedo ana Ahm
r
s
f
i
s
s
i
-R
ed h
want
e lik
irrel
H
u

q
s
the
All

Mary-Go-Round Again
By Sophie Nash

and on and on. And her hair tastes bad.

Alan and Rob come then. Rob lectures
Alan: ...and remember to ease up on the
The hot sun beats down on their
home stretch. He can handle the rest
sweaty bodies. Today is the day.
Alan gives me a sugar cube when no one
We can all feel the tension in the air. else is looking. I like Alan.
My farms stable is buzzing like a hive
The mount-up signal comes. I am #3
of bees. No one is paying attention to
in this race, so we dont have to wait.
me. I let out a snort to remind them all
Alan kisses my nose (for luck), then Rob
that Im still here.
helps him hop into the saddle. We
Finally, the stable hands get me out
prance outside.
of my stall. Youre gonna do good toI like this part of the raceparading
day, one assures me. Youre gonna
through the people to get to the track.
beatem all. I whicker in approval.
I arch my neck elegantly, lift my hooves
When Im saddled up, Sir arrives:
high, play to the crowd.
Hows it going? He gives me a hard pat.
Seeing all the ladies hats, I rememHes just about ready, Sir, the
ber one of my first races. I noticed all
reply comes. Sir has another name, too, the hats. One of them in particular
but only Mrs. Sir calls him that.
caught my eye. It had grass and carrots.
Sir is a portly man. He doesnt know
I sidled up to her and snatched it off
how to pet a horse. Mrs. Sir I dont
her head. She screamed and made angry
much like, either. The one time she came gestures at me. I didnt win that day.
to the stables, she stared shrieking on
We meet up with a rider and pony.

A Watery Grave
By Francesca Giardine
Outside there is a deer. A soft,
brown eyed creature with a perky tail.
Ive often wished I was a deer because then I wouldnt be human.
Humans are clumsy creatures, with
large feet. They make too much noise.
Im an exception. I make little noise
and am not clumsy. I am like a ghost,
except alive. Many people do not even
see me because I blend in. My father
pays little attention to me, which is fine
with me. He passes me sometimes in
the corridor, and he is never smiling.
He frowns and mutters angry words
under his voice. I wouldnt like conversing with a man like him. Father is
the opposite of me: he is a large lumbering man who is always in a hurry.
He never notices the small details, like
me.
Annie...time for your lesson, calls
my sharp-eyed, hooked-nosed governess. I scurry to my small study
where Miss. Henworth waits. She
teaches me what I need to know, such
as arithmetic, Latin and other things of
the like. She wont teach me science,
because she believes it contradicts
the Bible. She is very religious, and

sometimes I am forced to attend

church with her. Time for arithmetic,
she says in her obnoxious voice. Ugh.
I hate arithmetic. Those numbers just
seem to swim around, getting bigger
and bigger, feeding off of my hatred
for them. Miss. Henworth assigns me
several problems, all of them long and
complicated. I have no intention of
doing them. Whats the point? Its not
like I am going to ever get to use the
skills I acquire. I have never been
permitted to go alone passed the gate
that borders our property. The only
time Ive been into town was to go to
church with Miss. Henworth. I look out
the window. There is a gardener pulling weeds.not very exciting. Still, Id
rather help him than stay where I am. I
peek at Miss. Henworth. She has her
long nose buried deep in a book. I
might as well just leave...which is
exactly what I do.
I run silently along the paths
through the gardens. None of the
gardeners even glance my way. I pass
the gardener I saw through the window. Now that I am free, why would I
help him? I continue my sprint until I
reach the gate. Its not locked. Thats
strange. I push it open and continue
running. I must get far away before I

They bring us onto the track this way

so we can make new friends. I like this
one, a calm, bay gelding.
And her comes number 3; Mary-GoRound Again, an unseen voice blares.
Alan taps me with his heels, and we trot
down the track to the starting gate. I
give a last whinny to my new friend,
then walk calmly to my spot. Some
horses fight the handlers here, but I
know its a waste of energy. I run better if Im calm.
By the time the last stallion has
been loaded into the gate, Im stamping
around impatiently.
Whoa, girl, Alan whispers in my
ear, We got this.
The starting bell gongs. I take off.
Time seems to slow. I push through the
mass of bodies. Finally, there is only
one left to pass. Alan urges me on and I
go faster, faster, faster. I am flying.
And then everything went black.

can walk. Thankfully, nobody will

notice my absence.
The road is twisty and as I slow
down, I realize that I am not wearing
appropriate walking shoes. I am wearing a pair of indoor shoes that will
probably be destroyed the moment
they come in contact with water. As I
walk, I see farms with poor children
running around chasing chickens.
They are all barefoot and have dirt on
them. Yuck. They should take a bath,
or at least stand in the rain with a bar
of soap. I have never been allowed to
get messy, so their filth is a complete
mystery to me. I feel filthy myself. I am
perspiring and it is very warm out. I
wish I had some cold water. If I pass a
pond
The road ends abruptly. I should
have taken a turn at the last fork. Ah,
well. My sense of direction has never
been noteworthy. I veer left, into the
forest. It is slightly cooler and shady, a
relief after the intense sun. My pace
has slowed and I am in no hurry to get
anywhere. If only I had some water
Am I hallucinating? No, that water
is real. What I see before me is a
spring. It is clear and I can see rocks
at the bottom and a faint bubbling
from where the water is coming up. I

lower my thirsty body down and use

my cupped hands to scoop water to
my mouth. The water is sweet. I could
survive my whole life with just this
water. I want to submerge my whole
self in this water. I peek around and
shed my dress quickly, so I stand only
in a petticoat. Then, I take the plunge.
The water is cold on my sensitive
skin and I quickly get goose bumps.
Panic arises when I realize that I cant
swim. Stupid! Why didnt I think of
that? I frantically kick my legs in attempt to propel myself to the surface.
This fails.
I am drowning, dying, as each
second is passing, Im drawing closer
to my watery grave. I wonder if theyll
miss me at home. I try to struggle
towards the surface with my arms. I
look down, watching as the bottom
gets closer and closer. My lungs
panic, trying to preserve the air left. I
relax; I want to die in peace. Tired of
fighting, I open my mouth and let my
last breath be stolen by the bubbling
water around me.

13

12

The Mystery at Penrose Hall

By Cadee Christian
...Continued from last issue
The next morning I awoke. It was raining and hard
drops were hitting the windows.
I immediately remembered what had happened not
more than a few hours ago. Is it possible that it was
some fantastic dream? No it couldn't have had a dream!
It was too real to be a dream.
Suddenly, Edmund walked through the door with a
look of distress on his face.
Edmund, where were you?
Out.
What do you mean out?
Outside. I was with Laroche and father.
What were you doing out there?
My father had some business to attend to.
What?
Its personal. Financial business, really.
I see Edmund, listen to me, I said, was there
anyone who broke into the house last night?
What do you mean?
There was a man here; no, not a man, a boy. I think
he must have been dumb or mental or something.
What are you talking about?
This...person. I don't know how I could really describe him. He was almost unreal.
Where was he?
In the hall...Edmund, he was
He was what?
He was not English, or even Caucasian for that matter.
What was he? An African?
No, an Indian. Im sure of it.
A look of terror appeared on Edmunds usually calm
face. I dont understand, he said, You must have
dreamt it.
No, I couldnt have. It was real. I felt his hand.
You touched him?
Yes, I held his hand for a moment. He seemed hysterical.
Why would there be an Indian in our house?
I dont know...well I have an idea.
What?
Edmund, I overheard two maids saying there was a
rumor that you mother, Lady Penrose, is an Indian.
Thats impossible. Theyre clueless, ignorant girls.
And that was that.
* * * * *
Later, I stood on a chair in the study of Penrose
house. The sun was setting, and I could see the willow
trees outside, blowing about in the wind.
As I stood, I browsed the many books the Penrose family had collected over the years in their

massive study. One by one, I gazed at their titles, until I

found a book with no title. Curiously, I pulled it off the
shelf.
I jumped off the chair and opened the book. It was
not printed, but handwritten in poor English. Still curious, I started from the first page and read.
I feel like Ive made an awful mistake marrying Victor. What was I thinking when I accepted his proposal?
How did I come under the delusion that I could become
part of this society? Rajan is right; I dont belong here.
They all treat me like I am a savage. No matter how I
try to look like them by using powder, how well I speak
and write English, how Ive learned to dance and play
the piano or how I dress, I will always fall victim to
snobbery and gossip. With the exception of being a
fascination only to those who subscribe to orientalism in
British society, I am despised by all, and always shall
be.
That is what I had made out of the scratched, spiderlike handwriting. Fascinated, I began quickly and read
through the book, uninterrupted.
* * * * *
At the end of the week, when we were approaching
Saturday, I had finished reading the diary.
The book was a diary written by Lady Penrose. It
was an account of her life. I was previously quite confused as the first quarter of the book had been written by
a woman named Anindita Yanamandra, but when the
later pages stated they were written by Anastasia Penrose, I knew exactly who had written this. Apparently,
as Emily Oliver stated, she was shunned by British society, who thought of her as a savage.
I also found out that not only had Edmund blatanly
lied to me, he also never told me any of the truth of
what had been going on in the house.
A proper woman like myself would not discuss certain things written in that diary. Needless to say, not
only was Edmunds mother an Indian, the boy in the
cellar was apparently her illegitimate child she had after
Edmund was born, by a man named Rajan whos
relation to her I would not speak of. Apparently, Victor
Penrose was so disgusted by the event, he had the boy
locked in the cellar, and had Henri Laroche look after
him.
Apparently the boy, who was beaten regularly, was
never taught to speak any type of language, was given
little to wear, was sometimes starved for days and was
not given any type of access to a doctor when he was
sick. The wounds created by the regular beatings, combined with the filth in the basement, eventually led to
his undoing, for most shocking of all is the fact that the
diary stated: this boy had died of gangrene a year before
I had come to Penrose Hall. The body was never even
buried, and continues to rot away in the basement.

Albany Trip
By Eric Houck and Orson OBrien
On May 31st the Student Council and invited friends
all packed themselves up in one coach bus for the 3hour-ride to Albany. When we got there we went to the
New York State Museum. In there we saw many exhibits on various things including the 9/11 attacks of
terrorism exhibit, exhibits on historical NYS life of
Native Americans, an exhibit on the Harlem Renaissance, a geological exhibit, a Holocaust exhibit and
many other interesting ones.
After touring the museum for an hour or so we ventured into an underground complex of tunnels and ate
lunch at a food court down there. This underground
complex of tunnels connected four identical skyscrapers and one similar looking, larger building. We went
up in the larger building which was about 400 ft tall.
We took a high speed elevator to the observation deck
which was a few floors below the very top. The observation deck had windows on all sides so you could see
Dissection in Ms.Kwieks class
By Allie Barrett
Ms. Kwieks 8th grade Biology class
has been doing a unit on dissection of
frogs and a pig. The dissections are advanced and are on
a college level. Since students were able to clean up
the room and the tools properly after dissecting the frogs,
they were able to dissect the
fetal pig.
The students were in groups of four
or five and each group got a frog. Their
tools included scissors, tweezers and a
probe. The students cut through the under-side of the frog and examined the
intestines. Some of these organs were:
the stomach, the small intestine, the
heart and lungs. Because of a time limit,
only a few groups were able to examine
the reproductive system and the brain.

all of Albany and into other states including Connecticut and Massachusetts.
We walked into the capitol building. But before that
we had to go through airport-like security so that they
knew we did not have anything bad to bring into the
capitol building. They made us take out all cell phones,
iPods, belts, and other objects with metal on them.
Our tour-guide brought us to the Senate room which
was a large room with gold plated walls and red, polished, granite pillars. Every single chair in the senate
room was covered with red, Spanish leather. Then we
went to the Million Dollar Staircase.
The Million Dollar Staircase was carved by 600
Italians. Its carved of sandstone. There are 77 famous
faces on it, along with many not famous ones. Then we
took some pictures with Senator Roberts (JaNaes
dad) on the staircase.
The trip was very fun. We learned a lot about the
government. We also learned about the history of New
York State.

Next, the class dissected the fetal pig.

There was one pig, so the class worked
together to dissect it. This time, they
used a scalpel and scissors to cut through the
pig. This was because
the skin was much
thicker and harder to get
through. They started on
the jaw, opening it and
examining the tongue
and other parts. Also a piece of the
cheek was removed to be able to see the
glands and lymph nodes in the face.
Then one person used a scalpel and
opened the underside of the fetal pig.
The students then had to clean up and
wait until the next day to continue the
dissection.

The next day, students

proceeded to locate the liver,
the stomach, the small intestine and large intestine. Two
students then worked together
to cut open the stomach and
unwind the small intestine.
Once out of the body, the
small intestine stretched out to
242 centimeters. The large intestine was taken out in the same fashion
and measured 46 centimeters. Someone
then used a scalpel to cut out the heart,
taking care not to cut off the aorta and
vena cava. This blood- pumping muscle
was cut open and the four chambers
could be seen. The next day, the class
was able to look at the reproductive organs and the kidneys of the pig.

NYSSMA
By Sophie Nash and Eric Houck
On Wednesday, May 17th, the Concert Band went to NYSSMA in Owego. The band is made up of
th
5 , 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, and is directed by Mrs. Stuetzle.
The band got to Owego on two buses the brass/percussion bus, and the everyone else bus.
The band played Silver Scepter, Legend, and Armed Forces March. They received a Silver Medal.
That is an improvement from last time, when they only got a Bronze. Congratulations!

Good-Bye

By Sophie Nash, Allie Barrett, MeiLin Luzadis and Lucy Purnine

(each different font is a different person)
I remember Kindergarten. Not the first day exactly, but bits and pieces. I remember meeting all of
the new people: establishing new friends and alliances. It makes me sad to look around and realize
that most of those friends wont be graduating with me. Either through moving away, or failing a
grade, theyre gone.
When I first came here in 2nd grade, I was really shy. I didnt know anyone. But then you met us.
Soon we all hung out together. I remember when I came here, most of the kids were really nice. It
wasnt too hard to make friends since I already knew some people.
I remember , on the first day of school in third grade, my teacher came out and greeted us all. In
my third grade class there was a girl who cried every day. Same time, same place. We came to expect
it, I guess.
In Fourth grade we all took a trip to Fort Stanwicks and learned how to load a cannon. All I remember is that
I had to play the person in charge and yell commands at everybody! Ha ha, that didnt work so well,
huh?
Playing on the playground was the best part of the day. I used to look forward to it all day. Though,
now we are not allowed to go outside anymore as we are mature childrens.
Fifth grade was the first year we started switching classes. It was only for Math. It was fun to
switch classes and get a different teacher for a while. The teachers all had different teaching
styles, so it was a cool experience.
Then came sixth grade. It was the first year I had guys for teachersMr. Dow, Mr. Rogers, Mr.
Hamernick, and Mr. Dinkin. He used to play the piano for us sometimes, and we would analyze
lyrics in class. For lunch we had to sit in the tiny orange chairs, even though we were older than
the other grade in the cafeteria.
But middle school was the biggest change of all. On the second day of seventh grade, I accidently
went to science (even though I didnt get mixed up the first day.) Mrs. Clonan was halfway through
attendance before I remembered that I was supposed to be in Spanish! During newspaper Mrs. Gendron would give us caramels of all different kinds. Ill miss everyone here.
Now its time to say good-bye. All those memories, to store away and then move on. Im excited to
get out of here and find out my future. Although Itll be a nostalgic day, I cant wait to walk across
that stage and get my diploma.

losed it.
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I dont like dirt, just soil.
-Francesca Giardine
6

Gray Butterflies
-Anonymous

A Lowly Fan
By Allie Barrett

The swift sound of feet hitting the

earth, bare feet on bare earth, echoed in
his head. Bare earth was as far as the eye
could see. Gray butterflies fluttered under
the gray sky. A man walked, seeing nothing,
feeling nothing, just walked across the flat
ground. Alone. No life. No trees. No animals.
All gray. Just days earlier, one man, one
very important man, dared to utter a few
words. Just a few. But those few words angered a whole nation. Words are powerful.
They can bring love, hate, and despair.
Words can bring the gray butterflies and
gray sky. And with the butterflies came the
bare feet, walking, walking, walking.

It was he who stole my heart. The heart he

never gave back. I was only 15.
We were young lovers, reallyonly in 10th
grade. He first asked me out in 9th grade. I said,
Sorry, but no. I was only a Freshman and still
adjusting to high school. Beside, he was on the
football team. I was a lowly fan.
Then in 10th grade, I became a cheerleader.
Suddenly, I was the girl to date. He asked me out
again, and I said sure. Our first date was just a
movie. By the second date, we were famous.
We were together until senior year. The night
before prom, he texted me. It was 9:31 pm on a
Thursday night. The text read, Im sorry. I was
crushed. We never spoke again.
Now Im married with two kids. From time to
time, I think about that text. I always say to myself, We were young and carefree. But I was just
a lowly fan.

Step-Mother
By Elizabeth Ellison

Two weeks later: What happened to her eye

and her arm? He asked.
She fell off her bike.
She was so nice to that little girl. She bought
Her little brown eyes so wide and full of
that little girl candy, an outfit, and a book.
sorrow; a single tear fell down her cheek. She
Then they tied the knot, Regina and Dad.
couldnt take it anymore.
Thats when it went wrong. In front of him,
Dad, said the little girl, Regina hurts me.
Regina was nice. As soon as he left, that little
He stood there in the middle of the hospital
girl ran for cover. Come back here! Regina
room almost frozen in time. He finally sat in a
would holler.
chair, tears forming, and he buried his face in
What happened to her leg? He would ask. his hands and cried until his eyes were bloodShe fell, was the reply.
shot red.
Nobody Knows my Secret
By MeiLin Luzadis
I remember running with the necklace, looking at the sparkling ruby. Feeling its weight. Nobody knew
about my secret. Being a girl who stole precious history from a popular girls mansion. Knowing that the
girl could have been even richer. Watching the trouble Id get into play right out in front of me. Feeling
the pain and disappointment. Knowing my life would never be the same.
If I wear it out, everyone will know. Capturing the light, blinding eyes. I cant wait for the day when
Im not holding this guilt. Having all I need and being anonymous. Pretending Im someone Im not.
Showing my strength and reliability. Feeling guilty for what was done, but not being able to repeat it.
Maybe I should just turn myself in.

11

A Healthy Promise
By Juliette Doughty-Wilder

him fall back.

Very good, Jules, you are becoming skilled. He
smiled sitting up and forcing himself back into the
Red hair waved wildly as her sword cut and sliced standing position. I think you will do well in the
through the thick air. Her older brother, Alistarian,
tournament, if you stay like this. He lunged at her
watched, amused as he backed up, not letting a single with his dagger, and she moved right, escaping his
swing hit his vest. She huffed, annoyed.
jab. Very well, always stay aware of your surroundStop moving! she yelled out of breath.
ings.
Well, do you expect your target to not move at
Juliette smiled; she felt great. The tournament
all, young sister? he laughed. He was so arrogant
between Shiyah and her was three days away, and her
sometimes.
brother would watch her victory. Her brother had alHer enchanted sword mocked her. He is right,
ways been greatat learning, at being at living! She
you know. You are not trying, darling. Simply throw- wanted to outdo him for once. He had failed at his
ing me at him wont work. Concentrate and learn his tournament due to lack of sleep. She would not make
moves. Find ways to confuse him. Trick him, she
that same mistake. She would practice like him, but
spoke wisely. Juliette sighed, wiping the sweat from
make sure she was well-rested. She would drink lots
her brow. She concentrated as Alistarian stood paof water and keep healthy. Speaking of which, she
tiently. She lunged forward, focused on the middle of walked to her apple sitting on a large rock, and she
his dark vest. She saw his left foot move right, show- took a huge bite out of it. She moaned as the juice
ing he was trying to trick her. She moved left with
filled her mouth. It felt nice; her mouth was dry. She
him, jabbing him right in the center. The force made
would win...She promised herself.
Pink Converse
By Kaylee Fierke

vulgar words but just

rolled her eyes in reply,
Not much.
Wearing pink Converse
Vanessa laughed,
with carnival insides that Come on! Spill. She
rose to mid-shin made her insisted, putting a hand on
unbelievably happy. She her shoulder.
skipped to school and
Well, my dad wants a
around the gym and
divorce from my icethrough the halls. Her
queen of a mother. My
friends were jealous, as
boyfriend dumped me,
were her enemies. But I
and my bike got stolen.
digress, it didnt matter
Theres also that math
because she was in a bad teacher who
mood.
I watched as the girl in
Instead of skipping,
the pink Converse stalked
she stomped, and instead away, friend in tow, still
of smiling she scowled.
complaining.
Whoa! Whats got
Wow, my life seemed
your panties in a twist?
better now, knowing that
her friend Vanessa called that was how her life was
out from the other end of lived. Maybe that was
the hall, running to catch mean, but that was how I
up with her.
felt.
The girl winced at the

10

Oh Daddy Boy
By Francesca Giardine
The bathroom has always been the best place to
hide, from sisters, dogs and reality. Theres a reason people sing in the shower, because when
youre in the bathroom, you arent in reality.
Thats why Im here now. All I have to do is look
in the mirror and sing songs, because thats how I
escape reality. Oh Danny boythe pipes, the
pipes...are calling If I was in reality, Dad
would sing the harmony and Mom would listen
intently.
The only harmony to this rendition is the
mournful screams from my mother and sisters:
FROM GLEN to GLEN
Now Im trying to drown out reality. The bathrooms aura doesnt seem to be working, though.
In reality, the hospital just called my mom and
told her my dad was dead. As long as I stay in the
bathroom, Daddy is still alive.

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The

Years Gone By
Kindergarten seems,
Like a lost luxury.
It was a time,
Where the only thing
That mattered,
Was who was the line leader.
I was always
Scared of being the caboose.
I didnt want to be left behind.
In first grade,
Some leprechauns,
Left green milkshakes
And gold glitter
In our classroom.
The glitter was vacuumed up,
And my life continued.
Second grade was a blur,
My teacher was good
At reading stories.
She did all of the voices.
I loved third grade.
I spent a chunk of the year,
Writing poems
And stories,
That I have kept
As a reminder of childhood creativity.
Fourth grade;
That year always makes me laugh.
I learned lots of science
And math.
I thought I was special,
When I was picked
To clean the poop
Out of the snake tank.
I loved that snake.
Fifth grade is a nice memory

I learned to love frogs

For the values they taught.
I learned how to be organized
And how to manage time.
My teacher used to read books aloud.
I loved to sit on the rug,
And just listen.
In sixth grade,
My English teacher had,
A piano in his classroom.
I always wanted to sit,
And play the piano.
I never did.
Seventh grade was
One of my favorites.
The teachers all
Appreciated
The unique creativity
Of our grade.
Almost any paper turned in,
Had a picture
Scratched out on it.
Eighth grade
Has gone so fast.
Every day gone by,
Has been a day well spent.
I have no idea,
How I will ever say goodbye
To the place
That has been
My second home,
For nine, short years.
-Francesca Giardine

d: live it.
rr
-Kinsey Davis-Co

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There

The girl sat

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Life is

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-Kaylee s
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-Orisha Godd
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I stop. She still doesnt speak. The hazy summer

night settles around us. A dog barks in the distance. I
long for a cyclone of wind to blow through, hitting
I remember watching you, I tell her. Of all the
our park bench and carrying me off.
people in the room, my eyes were drawn to you. You
Im sorry, I try to take back what Ive just said. I
just had some magnetic quality about you. She is
stand to leave. I mean, I shouldnt have
silent.
Brian, she interrupts, putting a finger to my lips.
Hesitantly, I continue, But still it took time. I
The breeze I was hoping for finally comes. It brings
knew I loved you the day of the Global Studies final. I the sweet smell of flowers. Her smell.
looked up on a tough question, and there you were.
Brian, she says again. Then she rises up on her
You didnt notice me, of course. No, you were busy
tiptoes. He green eyes peer into mine for a moment,
writing. Every once in a while, youd look off into
before she leans in. The dogwood tree rustles above
spacethinking about your answer. I was entranced. I us. And thenshe kisses me.
barely finished my exam that day.
Summer Under the Dogwood Tree
By Sophie Nash

A Second Chance
By Lucy Purnine

for a second, breathing hard.

Looking up, she caught sight of
the kayak tied to the dock. How
The girl ran from the house,
she wished she could paddle away
tears of anger streaming down her in it, leaving her parents and all
face. How could they be so insen- their high expectations behind.
sitive? She spent so much time
She reached out and ran a hand
trying to live up to their expecta- across the boats smooth surface.
tions that she had practically no
Well, why not? Why couldnt she
time for
leave? Maybe not forever,
herself, and She was sure shed
but she could run away,
then they
going into hiding for long
get in trouble, but it
asked more
enough to give them a
of her? She would show them that scare. Sure shed get in
stumbled
trouble, but it would show
she had power, too.
down the
them that she had power,
stairs to the boathouse, arms
too. That she was her own person,
wrapped around herself to keep
who could make her own deciwarm. It was dark, and the temsions, however stupid they might
perature was dropping, making
be. Sara clenched her fists and
her shiver in her tank top and
pulled herself to her feet. Stormshorts. But the cold was kept
ing over to the boathouse, she
mostly at bay by the white-hot
flung open the doors and retrieved
anger coursing through her veins. her paddle.
She kicked the boathouse door,
About to slip into the boat, she
then threw herself down on the
paused to savor the moment. She
dock, trailing her fingers in the
loved this kayak. She could rewater. The cool rippling lake bemember Christmas morning, two
gan to calm her, to turn her mind years ago, when she had come
to other things. Things like swim- downstairs to see this waiting for
ming, the night sky, and how
her. She also remembered her first
beautiful this place was. Sara!
lessons with Dad, learning to padSara, come in here right now!
dle and how to get out if the boat
The yell came from the house, and capsized, Mom waiting on dry
a wave of anger hit Sara, causing land for her to return. She sighed
her to throw one arm over her
and turned to look back at the
head and slam the other palm
house. Maybe shed give them a
down onto the dock. She lay there second chance.

Monsters in My Head
By Breana Nieves Vergara
The sunlight creeps through
my window, and my eyes slowly
open. The bright pink walls in
front of me speed the process. Its
the start of a new day, but they
always feel the same. I wake up,
my pillow damp with tears, and
do the same mediocre routine. I
pick out an outfit revolved around
my scars. I have two choices,
either a long-sleeve shirt, or the
move obvious choice, which is
about a bajillion bracelets.
After, I drag myself to school
and force a smile. Carly comes up
to me and talks about our weekend plans, and I pretend to care.
The entire day, I serve as an actress for the sake of the people
around me. I feel like Pluto, drifting in space, but still alone and
denied by the world. It may
sound silly and full of self-pity,
but Im not writing this for sympathy, Im writing it so people
have a sense of what a normal
day in the life of me is like. I
know there are people out there
that have a life way worse than
mine, but that doesnt stop the
monsters in my head.

Fly Me to the Moon

By Cadee Christian
It had been three months since Elsie flew out in space to explore the galaxy. Although she enjoyed seeing
the splashes of color, she was very lonely. She missed her family very, very much. This opportunity was so
great, she took it without a second thought, but now she had regrets. Elsie was sitting in her ship
when...BOOM! Her ship crashed on a large, rocky planet. She crawled out of her ship to examine where she
was. Suddenly, a little star came out and stared at her.
Hello, said Elise, charmed by the little star.
Hello, my name is Luna, said the star. I live here.
By yourself?
Luna just stared for a moment, a look of sadness in her eyes.
Yes she finally replied.
Ill stay here with you, Elsie promised.
One day Luna came up to Elsie with a look of determination in her eyes. I have to tell you something,
she began. Elsie looked at Luna with concern. You have been dead since your ship crashed, but its okay, I
am here to keep you company
Freak
By Aydan Murphy-Stanley
As she walks down the hall, she sees them the
popular girls with the best clothes and the best
makeup. She tries to quickly walk away, but she
cant. The insults start; she knows that fighting back
will only make it worse. Why are they so mean to
her? She is the quiet artist type with few who under-

stand her. If only they knew. About how she felt

abandoned by her parents and neglected by her
friends. She tried to lie about who she was. By wearing expensive clothes and fancy make-up, she made a
name for herself. When she showed her true colors,
everyone left. Now she walks alone and keeps to herself. She doesnt let people in because when she does,
she only gets hurt. She is the one the call freak.

A Change in Direction
By KeAra Rowser
I never thought the sound of this alarm clock would wake me up, but now I have to get used to it. I
remember waking up to the smell of sweet syrup and buttered waffles, but now I just smell my stinky gym
socks that lie in front of the fan. I know I need to get up and start breakfast. I remember my dad telling me
to put butter in the pan before putting in the pancake batter. The sweet smell of cinnamon that used to be
his secret ingredient fill my memory. I try to make the same smell as I mix the concoction, but it doesnt come out that way. The waffles are burned to a crisp!
Now that breakfast is done, it is time to wake up my little sister, Mia. I remember my dad saying,
Marcus, when you are waking up a child, its best to be quiet and gentle with them, not loud and rough.
I try to tip-toe my way into her room, but I trip on a toy she left lying around, and my sister wakes
abruptly. I calm her, then tell her to get ready like my dad would have. She reminds me that I am not her
father, so she doesnt have to listen to me. It isnt until about 8:30 that I can convince her to get dressed
and ready for school. I make her a plate of the burnt breakfast, and I tell her, When youre done, Mia,
make sure you brush your teeth. This time, she does it without a fuss. It is now 8:55 and we have everything we need for school.
I remember my dad saying, Its better to be early than to be late, so we go out to the bus five minutes
early. I make sure the door is locked and the trash goes out like my father once showed me. Before mom
left for work last night, she told me its now my responsibility to do some of the things dad once did before he passed. I start to think of all the ways life will be different, but the images fade away with the
sound of the bus as it turns the corner.