Rebekah Mikaelson

(I am writing from the point of view of a character from The Originals(on The CW/Netflix))

I had a happy life once

Born 1000 years ago

Until everything changed.

I once had six siblings

Two of which died

Freya first, before I was born

Lost to the plague

Our father was torn.

But when Henrik left,

Killed by the wolves

Our mother turned the rest of us

Into the most powerful creatures of all

Monsters, beasts

Vampires.

We became The Originals

Finn, and Kol

Elijah and Niklaus

And of course. Me

I don’t want this life

It’s not like I had a say in the matter.

When our father had found out

What we had become.

He hunted us all

We were always on the run.

All we knew

Was the fear of being hunted

Running as a family

Not knowing what we truly wanted.

We never meant to cause harm

But it became out nature.

Feeding on the blood of others.

The awful hunger.

The bloodlust,

And the anger.

Worst of all,

It never goes away.

I’ll never forgive my mother

For what she did,

On that dreadful day.

My brother Nik,

Says I love too easy

And maybe that’s true

But I am always happy

Then it always ends badly

For the one who I love

He never ends up seeing

The next light of day

My brother is cruel

Is what you’d say.

You see,

Nik is protective.

He never sees past what he is,

A Hybrid

A wolf and vampire mix.

Dangerous

But always has room in his heart

For his family.

So we moved to Mystic Falls,

Not too long ago.

To find something. Anything.

We did not know.

Immortality was never in our grasp.

Until we found it,

At long last.

The cure for immortality

Which I truly wanted

But knew,

I could never have.

I knew that I would never be a mortal again.

But, I wanted that cure.

To live a normal life.

To have a family of my own.

To die when the time is right.

There was only one dose,

And it took out a villain.

So I’m stuck in this life

My head is always spinning.

My brothers

Kol and Finn.

Died in the process

They fought for the cure

They were always smitten.

Jeremy Gilbert will never be forgiven.

So soon after that,

We moved to New Orleans.

To try and gain back

What was rightfully ours

What we had built so long ago

This was only to protect,

What was coming down the road.

I became an aunt

Not possible for us three.

Except for Niklaus

He’s part wolf you see

So now there’s a baby

To keep safe

Away from harm

From the enemies,

We have made

And tried to keep in our past

We all know

That will not last

Now have a family,

To keep together too.

That’s easy to do

When you can live forever

That is the pact that

Elijah, Nik, and I made

We’ll stick together,

Always and forever.

The most important rule,

That we all have.

Never leave alive

Someone who has seen what we are.

This is for our own protection

From our father.

To even the score.

Our lives are a roller coaster.

Moving up and down

In this family

No one wears the crown.

We are all there for each other

No matter how bad things get.

I’m glad that I’m a Mikaelson

And that,

Is that.

by Meleah F.

A lot of people stop when things get too hard for them and that is not a good policy to live on in life especially when you are really enjoying it. For example I am in dance and if I quit dance I would never know how good I am now. That means that when something you love to do is fun, don't stop because it is hard for you because in life many things are going to be hard but you can't quit them. Besides everything is possible even the impossible because you can always dream about the impossible to make nothing impossible. So what this quote is really saying is never give up even when things get hard.

by Siena S.

Alphabet Story:

Alex lives in a town called Berryville, as big as Washington IA. Berryville is known for their berries. Cauliflower, tomatoes, and other vegetables and fruit were very tasty and good. Dom (Brother of Alex) liked to play with Alex in the mud and also liked to bother their cows, pigs, horses, and chickens. Every time both of them had to go pick up berries to sell, they ate a lot of them. Further on they kept growing and so they started a business of berries people came from everywhere. Growing up they like farming and later they thought of announcing their berries to more people and a lot of people came from parts of the world. Hawaii, the US, Brasil, China, soon became rich, however, they didn’t change their clothing, cars nor their behavior. “I think we should invest our money on more land to sell more berries,” said Dom. “Jackpot,” said Alex, so they bought more land and more equipment for planting. Kids, grown-ups came to eat with them all the time, Dom and Alex sometimes gave away berries to kids. Later on, from a lot of suffering and work, they were billionaires, they often traveled around the world with their parents. Missouri was one of the places they like because there they saw a really big arch, they also saw a baseball game of Cubs Vs. Cardinals. Now Dom and Alex had each a family, Dom had 2 boys and 1 girl and Alex had 3 girls and 2 boys. On and on they kept growing, both brothers lived in Berryville with there families. People thought about how two poor brothers people became billionaires. Questioning Alex and Dom gave these people the answer, “We didn’t finish school, we’d prefer help our parent’s plant berries and thanks to our parents and the berries we are here” said Alex. Receiving money for berries was good, but they were starting to get old and they wouldn’t be able to go plant or pick up berries alone. So their sons and daughters help them, and later on, they had their grandchildren helping them with berries. They sure did have a big and long adventure throughout there lives. Upon the time they told stories to their grandchildren how they were as kids. Visiting places was still something they did but not a lot, when they would go to Walmart they would see their berries with the sicker with there names on it. Waking up every morning was the start of a new adventure, soon, the whole family of Alex and Dom were rich. X6 BMW was the only car each brother had to travel, they never bought Lambos, Ferrari, GTRs. Yaks were Alex’s favorite animal when they when to China and Dom’s favorite animal was dolphins, also the pink dolphins. Zippy fast was their adventure with the berries.

Leaves start to grow in the spring

They blossom from a big brown tree

They start little

And just gets bigger

Some of the leaves live with others

Those can be flowers that are beautiful

Leaves come in many colors

But they mostly are green in the spring

This is the transitioning of a

Leaf in the spring.

Leaves go from spring to summer

Summer gets hotter

And had more humid weather

Then the leaves are still growing

And transitioning into bigger leaves

Leaves are changing size in the summer

Some of the leaves have already fallen off

But most are still on the tree

Leaves are pretty in the summer.

Leaves are traveling in the fall

They fall and fall

In the fall

They start at the tree

And when they are ready

They leave the tree

And travel to the ground

That is filled with dirt

And grass

Then the tree turns bare

That is the end of the leaf cycle

In the fall.

Winter is a chill season

Because it is cold outside

The leaves have already fallen

On the ground

But something else is falling too

That thing is fluffy

White

Cold

That thing is snow

In the winter the snow

Falls down and the leaves stay under it

Until the snow goes away

And then more leaves grow on the trees

That is what happens in the winter

With leaves.

by Siena S.

“ Always clean the house and every trash you see pick it up to keep the house neat and cool. ““

“ Always be nice to people wherever you go, if you do they will respect you. ”

“ Always help people that need help, you will feel a wind of calm. ( that’s what I feel when I help someone needed ) “

“ Always have your head up even though you are scared. ”

“ Always ask questions when you are confused. ”

“ Always explore something new, during the exploration you could learn new amazing things.”

“ Always see what people do because some of them only want you to listen to them, not to talk.”

“ Always believe in yourself, you will succeed.”

“ Always keep your self up because jealous people will want you to go down.”

“ Always help people because they could be your only door to your success.”

by Elvin H.

The Door

I've been around for a long time

Accompanied by many people

14 years ago

A family moved in

With a little baby girl

2 years later came another one

And here I am, still.

I watched them grow older

Have many visitors

And have invited many in.

But what will I do when they all leave?

And someone else moves in?

I know that won't be for a while

They're still in school you see.

But now they're both

Tall enough

To pull me open and see.

What's beyond my glass pane

They explore the world

While I am stuck right here

I don't mind it at all

I get to here the bird call

And the bugs buzz right by.

They hit me a lot

With their bags

Or their limbs

But I forgive them soon after.

I guess that's all part

Of being a door

And only seeing so far.

Is that the family that locks me up tight

At night

Is safe from any harm

I enjoy my job

Sliding left to right

And feeling a scratch

When my key unlocks

I get quite the workout

Moving back and forth

But that is my job

Of course!

by Meleah F.

#2: What does it mean to live a good life? Describe.

When people say that that person lived a good life or live a good life that has a lot of explaining to do. It means in life you need to work hard while loving and handling your time with your friends and family. Another way to live a good life is to do what makes you unique and happy because if you are doing something that you don't think fits you then you should stop doing that and do what makes you happy. That thing could be your job or something else. Like when you are doing a craft and you don't think that that one is what you want to do then you could explore a different hobby or do a different craft. The main key to life is do what makes you happy and never let go of family.

by Siena S.

Writing Prompt: Write a paragraph using the following words (this can be a poem also): cantaloupe, watermelon, monkeys, dishwasher, spatula, picnic table.

When you ask a monkey to do the dishes

It doesn't turn out well

He ends up breaking the dishwasher

Then when he tries to fix with a spatula

That doesn't work

So then he decides to eat

When he sits down at the picnic table

And pulls out his big picnic bag

All that comes out is watermelon and cantaloupe

He eats and eats and eats

The monkey decides that the day is over

And never does the dishes

by Siena S.

#2: Unbeknownst to most people, the chicken had A LOT of reasons for crossing the road. What were at least five of them?

1. The most obvious one is “to get to the other side”

2. There’s one reason that I heard recently on The Kelly Clarkson Show, that was told by a 7 or 8-year-old and I thought that it was really cute. They said, “to get six feet away from another chicken.”

3. To get back to the nest

4. Because he saw some “chicks”

5. He saw vegans on the other side so he wouldn’t get eaten.

by Meleah F.

"When You Feel Like Stopping, Think about Why You Started." This quote I have never heard of before and it is very powerful because many people like to quit things because it gets too hard for them like sports, friends, activities, groups, camps, learning and sometimes life. But if you quit any or all of these things because it got too hard for you then you won't have many things hard in your life. Or even when someone tries to cmmit suicide they are doing that usually because life isn't good for them like they dont have many friends, they got frustrated and many more reasons. But in life you can't quit everything because if you quit so many things you won't have anything fun to do. Like when you quit a sport you don't get to enjoy that excitement of the sport. Or like in school when something gets hard for you you can't just quit because then you can't become what you want to be when you grow up. So that saying is powerful because many people quit things that later are a regret. People have to remember to think of that saying when they are about to stop.

by Siena S.

How to be more self-confident:

1. Face any little fear you might have.

2. Start believing in you in little things also.

3. While doing this go from little to big.

4. Don’t start big!

5. Don’t go too fast either.

by Elvin H.

Privilege

I know I have it.

When I see the news.

I know.

Some people

don’t realize.

I realized that much

when I opened

Social Media this morning.

“Black Lives Matter”

people chant

in memory

of all the lives

we’ve lost.

George Floyd,

Breonna Taylor,

Ahmaud Aubrey.

And that’s

just the start.

Tamir Rice

Trayvon Martin

Oscar Grant

Eric Garner

Philando Castile

Samuel Dubose

Sandra Bland

Walter Scott

Terrence Crutcher

I’m reading off of a list now.

Alton Sterling

Kimani Gray

Alayna Stanley-Jones

Kenneth Chamberlain

Eric Harris

Tony Robinson

Sean Bell

Lawrence McCoy

And more.

So many lives

were lost

because all the police saw

was color.

And still people shout

“All Lives Matter”

They shout it

as if they don’t realize

that it won’t be true

until black lives

matter too.

The protests turn to riots

and suddenly

people are quick to jump to

“Well they can’t riot

and expect people not to view

them as animals”.

We all know

who the “them” is.

I don’t have to tell you.

People reply back:

“The cops started the fires!”

“The people began to loot!

They couldn’t get the water they needed

to stop the burning

from the tear gas

which police used.”

It’s no use because people

are still calling

“White Lives Matter too!”

Well, maybe they just can’t handle

that this isn’t about them.

Maybe they don’t realize

all the privileges they have.

They aren’t suffocated in the street.

For a check

they never forged.

They aren’t begging for their life

while they’re pressed

on the hot cement

below them.

Is that too brutal for you?

Is that too harsh?

Well I won’t apologize

for a truth

some refuse to see.

No one hears them.

No one learns their stories.

It’s hard for me to accept that

I’m just now opening my eyes

to the full reality.

But I sound stupid,

making this about me.

Let’s get back on subject

now then,

shall we?

Some will say

“This is about politics.”

But what’s political

about the death

of unarmed black people

by the hands

of those meant to protect?

Or is it political

because our president

can’t handle the truth?

He’s had privilege

all his life

so maybe that’s the reason

he’s ignoring the problem,

ignoring the truth.

The protests in the street

were almost completely peaceful

before the rubber bullets,

smoke bombs,

and tear gas began.

And why?

Why are the police

only using these tactics

on those protesting peacefully?

Why not the gangs instead?

The ones rioting,

simply because they can?

I don’t understand.

Trump sent our own

National Guard

to shoot.

When will this end?

And why is he pitting

the military

against those who ask

for peace?

Did anybody ever think of that?

Many will get wounded

or lose their lives tonight

because they asked

for a change.

Many could die.

Isn’t that insane?

They’re standing up

for the voiceless,

the ones who were not heard.

The ones who died

at the hands of the police

and yet,

now they’re getting shot at

by our own military for it?

I’m young.

I feel weak.

I want to help but

all I’ve done is

sign petitions this week.

I’m not strong enough

to stop this problem.

At least not alone.

I’ll yell ACAB because I refuse

to stand for a system

that won’t stand for others.

I refuse to trust police

until I know I can

. I refuse to let them be

the bigger man.

There’s good ones

I know.

But I don’t want to believe

they’re all good

because evidence

has now shown,

that isn’t the case.

I have privilege

I know.

But it’s time I use it

to show.

The ones who we lost

shouldn’t have had

to suffer alone.

I can’t do much but

I won’t let people

stand alone.

If you refuse

to acknowledge the problem,

it’s because you have

the privilege

not to have to.

I don’t have to fight,

but I am going to stand

for what I believe.

Black Lives Matter.

by Taylor F.

#2: Write a story about a toddler who causes a disturbance.

A long time ago in a land not too far away there was a toddler named John. John wasn't an ordinary toddler. When he was born a magical fairy cast a spell on him the spell was to be the strongest person ever created. Then an evil fairy came by disguised as a good fairy and made his powers too strong to where everywhere he went he made a disaster.

So one day the mother of the child was shopping with his mother. That was when John saw a ride he wanted to ride on. He tried to tell his mother.

“Wha wha wha naw naw,” the baby said loudly.

But his dear mother could not understand him. So John got really mad. So mad that he decided if he didn’t get to ride the ride then nobody else would. Next John picked up the ride and threw it across the mall. Luckily nobody got hurt. But one bad thing did happen John and his mommy got kicked out of the mall forever.

John’s mother had no choice but to punish him. John’s punishment was that he couldn’t watch tv for three weeks. John wasn’t satisfied with that but he decided that he didn’t need to do anything about it because nothing could fix it. Then another time John was trying to open the door and was getting mad at it. His parents were trying to teach John how to open doors so then they wouldn’t have to open doors for him. Then John got extremely frustrated John pulled out the door.

The fairy started to notice all of John’s bad behaviors and then the fairy decided to pay a visit to John’s house to get this under control. The fairy found John in his cradle sleeping fast asleep. The fairy hovered over the cradle and waved her magic wand.

“Baby baby strong lesser. Release the tense and use it for good.”

Then John turned golden and then back to his normal skin color. Then everything was better. John only used his strength for good and not for when he got mad.

The End

by Siena S.

These are the best drinks in the world, I couldn’t imagine a world without these drinks.

by Elvin H.

Salad

Salad has many parts to it

Every salad is different

Some can be more healthy

And some can not

A salad can have dressing

It can also have many fruits and vegetables

But some salad can just have lettuce

But one thing that make all salads alike is

They work together to make a great salad.

by Siena S.

It is important to remember veterans on Memorial Day because they are the men and women who fought for our freedoms in the wars and battles that came before us. My great-grandpa Dan was in the Army in WWII so I know that it is important to honor the people who served. He received a Purple Heart. I don’t exactly know what injury occurred for him to get a Purple Heart but I know that he got one. After the war, he lived another good 40 years. I never got to meet my great-grandpa, but I enjoy learning about my family history and what happened in their lives. It is important to remember and honor our veterans on Memorial Day because they risked their lives for us and all of America. They are all heroes and deserve to be recognized every day. Veterans have their own days to be honored but they deserve it every single day out of the year.

by Meleah F.

I think the rain is something that brings life to all the things in the world. That is why I enjoy the rain.

by Kealy R.

Rain

Rain is a good thing

But too much is bad

Rain brings flowers

And rain can be sad

With rain comes thunder

And when thunder comes,

The ground rumbles

Then out comes a sprout

And out of the sprout

Comes a stem

Then next, comes a bud

A few petals follow soon after

Then the blooming begins

Bringing out a beautiful flower

Rain brings life to things

It provides to animals

And humans too

Rain creates a cycle

And when the cycle happens

It brings new life to the world

by Meleah F.

YES! Books are WAAYYY better than their movies or even TV shows. Some movies and shows may be incredibly accurate to their predeceasing books but there are some that have huge plot holes. Some things that happen in the books, never even happen in the movies/TV shows, and it drives me crazy! Books allow your imagination to run free and you can see the characters and the situation through your own eyes. When you watch a movie first, the producers, directors and the casting teams, cast actors and actresses to play the parts of these book characters. The sets of the movie or show also make your eyes see what the setting of the moment in the storyline is. You can’t imagine those things anymore if you see the directors’ version. I’ll admit, there are movies or shows that I’ll watch and in the beginning credits it will say, “Based upon the books(or book) by…” and then I look up the book. I’ll finish the movie or show but then I read the book or book series. There are a lot of shows that are based on the book series’ that I had no idea were. If I enjoy the show or movies, then yes. I’ll go find the book and read it but if I don’t enjoy it, then it’s not worth my time.

by Meleah F.

My all-time favorite childhood book is “Strega Nona” by Tomie DePaola. It’s about this little old lady that lives in a house by herself and she can solve all of your problems. She decides that one day, she needs help running the household so she hires Big Anthony to help out. One night, Big Anthony sees Strega Nona’s magic pasta pot and he hears her do a chant to make a bunch of pasta. He doesn’t see how she make the pot stop boiling though, and that causes some trouble later on. When Strega Nona goes to visit a friend, he invites the whole town to have some magic pasta, but everyone thinks he’s crazy until he proves it to them. Not knowing how to stop the pot from boiling, the pasta takes over the whole town and when Strega Nona gets back, she stops the pot and makes Big Anthony eat every last noodle of the pasta and the very last page shows Strega Nona sleeping in bed, and Big Anthony laying outside with one noodle left on his fork.

The thing that I would change about the book is making Big Anthony eat all the pasta. Yes, it was his fault for the noodle disaster, but that’s a lot to eat for one person. If the town eventually believed that the pot was magic, why can’t they help him eat it? If they made Big Anthony prove that he wasn’t crazy, you’d think that they’d help him out a little bit because the pasta covered literally the WHOLE town!

by Meleah F.

Sometimes I feel fortunate to be an Iowan because we have great weather that doesn’t hurt us like the weather in Florida and we have a great way to produce corn and our state is known for it. But the only thing that I don’t like about Iowa is that sometimes the weather gets too cold like that polar vortex we had last year. But Iowa is a very pretty state that has lots of great things like buildings, landmarks, people and many more things. And acres of corn and grass. Iowa is a very beautiful state that can make people's dreams come true without them leaving their hometown or home state. Those are some reasons why I am fortunate.

by Siena S.

Music

Music is happy

And music is sad

There are songs

Upon songs

For every occasion

Whether that occasion

Be good or bad

Music can soothe someone

When they are down

And you can listen to a song

While walking in town.

When you listen to the lyrics

You know what the words mean

It applies to people’s lives

And it makes you want to sing

It’s amazing how a simple song

Or just a single word

Can make someone feel

Many songs allow people

To heal

Music is the cure to anything really

In times like these,

There are many songs,

Like Lean On Me,

Love, and Stand By Me

There are many more

These are just a few

We hear these songs so often now

They help,

When we’re feeling blue

So let’s stick together

And play a tune

We’ll see brighter days

And hopefully soon.

by Meleah F.

My favorite place is the softball fields.

I love to feel the sunshine on my bat as I

hit the ball. The bright yellow as I pitch the

Ball. And as I release it out of my hand.

By Adisyn P.

The Mystery Man

By Meleah F.

I'm running. I don't know where I am, or where I'm going. I just know that I'm running from something. Someone. The forest around me is quiet and dark. The only light that I have is the brightness of the full moon and the stars hanging over my head.

My feet thump harder on the forest floor and I can hear my heart pounding in my chest. I hear a shout come from behind me.

"Melanie! Come back!"

I've been trying to get away from this man all day but he just won't leave me alone. Earlier this evening I was eating a late lunch at my favorite diner in town when I realized that there was a guy sitting in a corner booth staring at me. I watch quite a bit of crime shows, so I pretended not to notice that he was there. I finished my meal, paid, and left as casually as possible. I didn't look behind me. I was too afraid that he was following close behind and I didn't want him to notice that I knew he was there. That's when I started running. Of course, I took a few breaks here and there to catch my breath. I just had to find a good hiding spot. I've been running from him all evening and now it's dark. I don't even know who he is! How does he even know my name? I sure didn't tell him!

I'm still running. I can hear him getting closer. I've been on the run for a long time and I don't know how much more of this I can take. I try to be brave for my family. I'm the oldest of four siblings. I have a twin brother Alex, one younger brother; my stepbrother Cole, and a younger step-sister, Amelia. Cole and Amelia are both in high school, Amelia just two years behind Cole who's a senior. They both look up to me and Alex. I have to prove to them that I'm worth looking up to. I don't know what I'd do without them. Alex and my mom left after she had us and my dad remarried. I like my step-mom. She's pretty nice but my dad and step-mom are going through a rough patch right now. I really hope that they work things out because I'm supposed to be getting married soon and I'd really like it if they could get along for just a day. Remembering this makes the engagement ring on my finger feel heavy. Michael is the sweetest man in the world and he proposed to me on a sandy white beach in Florida during the sunset. It was beautiful and I couldn't remember a happier moment in my life. Alex is happy for me and so are Cole and Amelia. I can't wait for them to be part of the wedding. Of course, all of my siblings have to give the guy I'm with, what they call, "approval" before anything, and they all really like Michael. They did their approving routine really quickly.

I trip over a rock, falling hard onto the ground. "Dang it!" I thought to myself. "I guess that's what happens when I get distracted!" I look down at my hands and see that they're bleeding. I wrap them up in the light jacket that I'm wearing around my waist only to feel a hand on my shoulder. I freeze. I slowly turn around and stand. The man standing in front of me looks kind of familiar now that I'm not running from him. I wouldn't say that I'm a paranoid person but there are some certain situations that watching all of those crime shows before bed, doesn't seem like such a good idea.

"Who are you?!, I demand. "Why are you following me?! An- and. How the heck do you know my name?!"

"Why do you keep running from me, Melanie?" the man says, still not answering my questions.

"Who are you?!" I demand yet again.

"I'm Michael's older brother, Jared. Why were you running from me all night? I just wanted to talk to the woman that my brother is marrying! I know your name because Michael told me," Jared explained.

"Oh. My. God," I say, staggering and falling to my knees. Jared quickly follows asking if I'm okay. I just start laughing hysterically. I can't stop laughing and Jared awkwardly starts to laugh with me. My laughing turns into crying and eventually, I'm leaning across Jared's lap with tears spilling down my face and his hand stroking my hair.

"I'm sorry," I cried. "I'm so stressed out by all of the wedding stuff that I completely forgot that Michael had a brother. I'm not usually this paranoid but I guess that today is one of those days."

"It's alright," Jared said soothingly. "Michael proposed pretty quickly and you never got the chance to meet me. I've been away for a while on a business trip. It's okay though. I've heard a lot about you."

"And I've heard almost nothing about you," I say. "I'm sorry. You should probably take me home now."

"Okay," he says. And we walk out of the forest together to see that Michael is standing right on the edge."

"Melanie! I was so worried! When Jared called and told me that you were running from him I realized that I never told you he was coming into town!"

"It's okay Michael. I'm okay. Your brother just seemed like a creeper from my point of view." I look directly at Jared. "No offence."

"None taken," he smiles and says, "You know Michael? Aside from Melanie being paranoid. I think you've got a pretty great girl."

"Thanks man. That means a lot," he says. "And Melanie. I am so, so, so sorry that I forgot to tell you about my brother coming into town."

"You'll just have to remember for next time," I said with a slight smile and planted a light kiss on his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," he replied.

The Perfect Day

A day that I would describe as a perfect day is a day that I could be with my friends and family for the whole day. We would eat ice cream, go to a water park and then spend the night in a hotel and get donuts in the morning. That would be my perfect day. Another perfect day that would be a good one was if I could read for half of the day then go outside and play with my family and have a great time together. On that day everyone would get along and have the best time they could. On that day the world would stay peaceful and happy and the weather would be nice and hot but not too hot that we can’t enjoy the day. That would be my perfect day.

by Siena S.

GRAVY

We got a pig

Her name is Gravy

She's reddish-brown

And kinda crazy

My dad doesn’t like to lie

So we named our pig Gravy

“I don’t want to give her false information”, he says

But then, she doesn’t know

What’s lying ahead

She has three "brothers"

The only girl

But sometimes I think

That she is part squirrel

There’s Sammy, Sprinkles

And Notorious P.I.G.

Of course, we love Gravy

But we still love the other three

They’re friendly pigs

And they like to bite your feet

It’s just too bad,

That they’ll be made into meat

Gravy likes to eat

Sometimes she won’t stop

She’ll eat anything at all

And she even will play

With a basketball

We are not raising her

Friends of ours are

But we still like to visit

Driving in our car

Four pigs for four families

That’s how it’ll go

Pork and sausage

Bacon galore

We’ll just have to see

What the pigs have in store.

by Meleah F.

One movie that I think everyone should see, is Dumplin’. I picked this movie because it is very heartfelt and has an overall good message to it. Dumplin’ is a Netflix Original movie and can be found under the family movies section. It’s a movie about a teenaged girl named Willowdean “Dumplin’” Dixon who doesn’t fit in. Her mom is a past beauty pageant winner in a small town in Texas and she expects Dumplin’ to do the same. Dumplin’ doesn’t want to do any of that because she thinks that she’s too fat and not beautiful enough to win anything. Her friends convince her to try out for the pageant so that they can prove everyone wrong. She works at a diner and LOVES Dolly Parton. Throughout the movie, she gets help from her friends and some Drag Queens who are also Dolly Parton impersonators. They help her through some rough patches and she ends up not winning, but one of her friends, Millie Michalchuk wins second place. Millie is also a bigger girl and is determined to fit in. She then realizes that it’s okay to be different and that you don’t have to fit in. In the end, Dumplin’s mom realizes that she was wrong to want so much from Willowdean and she was sorry for the years that she missed out on during Dumplin’s life because she was too focused on being the best. I think everyone should see it. It’s an inspiration to me and can be to so many other people in the world.

by Meleah F.

Bright lights

shine onto a football field.

Keeping it lit

on an otherwise

pitch black night.

In the stands

you can hear tons

of people

cheering on the home team.

But that wasn’t

why everyone came

to the game.

Lots came

for another reason.

We had the freedom

to go and do

Whatever.

It was like

another world.

My friends and I

would go into

the darker areas,

not as lit

as the field

or concession stand.

One of these areas,

the baseball fields stands,

bases,

and dugouts

were where we mostly

lurked.

We’d talk and

chase and

mess with each other

as long as we could.

And everything

just felt right

in the world.

Then,

we’d say our goodbyes

and go home,

so tired

we’d fall fast asleep

in our beds

right when we got home,

tired

from a night of fun.

by Taylor F.

I would get rid of so many things but it’s just not possible. The ONE thing that I think is most important is hunger. I would get rid of hunger. Not only in children but in all people. No one deserves to go hungry. Some parents skip a meal just so that their children can be well nourished. Everyone deserves to have a good meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. People should not have to worry about putting food on the table for their family every night and wonder if they’ll be able to do the same thing tomorrow. Hunger isn’t just an issue that can be fixed right away. It will take time. But if everyone gives a little to the food banks for people who can’t afford to have the right nutrients, we can slowly decrease the rate of hunger around the world. There are lots of great organizations to help the hungry, for example, Feeding America, No Kid Hungry, or even just the school donations. Every item of food makes a difference in people’s lives who need it most. When you donate a canned item, you might not think too much about it. You had a whole pantry full or something right? Well, even though you may have way too much, someone else who needs it, is thankful to whoever gave it to them. They don’t know who each person is that’s giving donations, but they’re just glad that they can put a decent meal on the table for the whole family and that going without dinner, or breakfast won’t be a problem with the help of donations and helpful people and organizations. There are a lot more issues in this world that we should get rid of, but there are lots of people who go hungry in our world. For example, in Africa. People are malnourished over there every day and end up dying because of the harsh living conditions along with not getting the food that they need to survive. By donating just a few cans of food, you can save lives.

by Meleah F.

I would really like to go to all seven continents, minus Antarctica. I’m already two-thirds of the way there. I just need Asia, Australia, South America, and Africa. I want to go there so I can say I did. I want to see the Great Wall of China, the Sydney Opera House, Machu Picchu, the Great Pyramids. I want to see where the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was, the Halicarnassus, the ruins of the Colossus of Rhodes. I want to see the Colosseum and the Pantheon in Rome, and the Lighthouse and Library of Alexandria in Egypt. I want to go to Washington D.C. and see the museum where Night at the Museum took place. I want to go to NYC and LA.

I want to see Mount Fuji and walk the streets of Tokyo. I want to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef and see kangaroos. I want to see pandas and the Forbidden City and the Terracotta Army. Emperor Qinshihuang’s Tomb, that’s what it’s called. I want to see the Golden Gate Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge. I want to go to Pyongyang, even though it’s in North Korea. I want to see Seoul and Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing. I want to swim with dolphins off the Gulf of Mexico, hike around the Grand Canyon, and see Old Faithful. I want to get sunburned in Oahu, and traipse around rainy London. I want to go to Oktoberfest in Germany, and see the Alps in Austria. I want to roam the cobblestone streets of Portugal and Spain, take a gondola down the canal in Venice.

I want to see the Parthenon in Greece, the Salt Cliffs of Dover guarding the English Channel. I want to go to the Strait of Gibraltar, hunt for leprechauns on the Emerald Isle, and Loch Ness and Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. I want to see the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa in Dubai. I want to dip a hand in the Dead Sea and see what happens. I want to go to the Temple of Karnak we learned about in sixth grade social studies. I want to see the Land of Fire and Ice and watch football (the European kind) in Amsterdam.

I want to go to Russia’s Red Square and go boating on the Great Lakes. I want to sail the seven seas and see shipwrecks in submarines. I want to see tiger sharks and lionfish and eels. I want to explore the Amazon Rainforest and the Congo. I want to see gorillas and spider monkeys and jaguars and piranhas. I want to see lemurs in Madagascar and penguins in Chile. I want to go to the Galapagos Islands and the Persian Gulf. I want to find pearls in oysters in Hawai’i and stroll the streets of Paris. I want to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe. I would even go to Antarctica, if I had the chance.

I want to go everywhere.

by Helen O.

I am from Riverside Iowa

A loving home, family

And loyal friends

I’m from camping

And fun times

Card games and puzzles

Sketching and paint

Even the writing on this page

I’m from reading books

On a breezy day

From hearing laughter

On a trip far away

I am from a lot of places

These are just a few

I can’t list them all right now

But soon.

I hope soon.

by Meleah F.

Florida beaches

Open once again

Packed full of people

Filled to the brim

Not a good idea

In times like these

We have to stay safe

From this disease

So no,

I don’t think they should be

Opened again

Not until it’s over

Until we’re all safe once again

When that will be,

None of us know

Let’s hope we’ll be safe

Before the next snow

by Meleah F.

Adisyn P. gives her take on what spring means to her: "To me what spring means is the time to get outside and have fun and play with your friends. You could play in the sprinkler or play outback or catch with the ball. You can have campfires in your backyard is your family members. You can have parties with your neighbor friends. And last you can have fun by dancing with your family."

I hope everyone remembers to celebrate spring!

When a shoe falls out of the sky, it must have fallen because, well, I don’t know how it would have fallen. Let’s ask the businessman. Businessman, why would a shoe fall out of the sky? Well, someone obviously threw the shoe out of their private jet because the shoe did not have a match. Oh, I didn’t know that.

Let’s go ask Gypsie Chrissy. Gypsie Chrissy, why would a shoe fall out of the sky? Well, an eagle thought the shoe was a rodent, so the eagle picked up the shoe and was sorely disappointed when it realized the shoe was a shoe. Really! That’s interesting. Or, a tornado picked the shoe up and then the shoe got stuck in a cloud, then eventually the shoe fell out on the ground. Interesting.

I think I am going to ask Jeweler Isla. Jeweler Isla, why would a shoe fall out of the sky? The shoe would have fallen because someone asked God for a shoe, so He gave them a shoe. Ok then.

Maybe Barista Jacqui would know. Barista Jackie, why would a shoe fall out of the sky? I’m a little busy for your silly questions right now. Oh, ok, bye.

I’m going to ask one more person, Mr. Roberts. Mr. Roberts, why would a shoe fall out of the sky? A shoe would fall from the sky because a skydiver lost his shoe. I guess that makes sense. Of course, it does, I’m always right. Right.

I guess that someone threw a shoe out of a jet, an eagle thought it found a tasty treat but was wrong, a tornado stuck the shoe in the cloud and the shoe eventually fell, someone prayed to get a shoe, and a skydiver lost their shoe. Or, maybe, a skydiver threw their shoe at an eagle and, then the eagle dropped the shoe in a tornado and the tornado flew the shoe so high up the angels caught the shoe and threw the shoe back down to Earth, and here the shoe is now.

by Kealy R.

Special Agent Gibbs from NCIS

A poem, written by Meleah F.

NCIS special agent

The greatest interrogator

To ever be found

And plenty of head slaps

To go around

A former marine

Married four times

Lost his first love

Has icy blue eyes

Makes his own rules

And guides his team with pride

Cracks cases

Open wide

He’s got a great team

DiNozzo and McGee

Palmer and Ducky

The best M.E.’s

And of course Abby

And Ziva David

A trait is a distinguishing quality or characteristic. While some traits are bad, some can set a person up for success. I believe that the three traits of success are persistence, devotion, and optimism.

No successful person in the world got anywhere by giving up on the first try. You think people like Hunter Woodhall, a person who was born with a severe defect in both his legs, gave up when the doctors told him he wouldn't walk? He got to performing in college level track because he was persistent. As Hunter once said “The doctors told me I would never walk, so I learned to run.” He didn't listen to the naysayers, and in doing so Hunter has surpassed all expectations. He is the first double amputee to run college track. Hunter’s story doesn't stop there, he dreams of getting a gold medal in the Olympic games.

There will never be a successful person that is not devoted to becoming better. Do you think Steve Jobs created Apple overnight? You think Bill Gates got to where he is by dabbling in business? These are two people that were incredibly devoted to growing their business. And it paid handsomely for them and others in the end.

Lastly, optimism. It's hard to make any big choice without having faith behind it. Big companies didn't get anywhere from playing it safe. Let's take Tilman Fertitta. Tilman Fertitta is a billionaire that expanded from being a restranture to owning countless casinos, hosting a tv show, and even owning the Houston Rockets. As he said in his book about business advice “You keep going until they lock your door… I see too many people give up on their business too early, just because of a small loss.”

In conclusion, everyone's ideas of success is different. But if you want to be financially successful, these three traits will carry you the extra mile.

by Nicolas O.

Sometimes, some people, focus on the leaves and the mud in the woods, but other times, some people focus on the water trickling down the smooth granite and the trees full of beautiful green leaves. Imagine that the leaves and the mud on the ground are all the bad things in life and the trees and water trickling down the granite are all the good things in life. Do you focus on the mud and dead leaves, or do you focus on the water and trees?

text and photo by Kealy R.

I really like the night sky (it’s not night right now, but I’m going to write about night anyway). There’s a lot of trees around where my house is, but you can still see the bright pale moon and the twinkling stars through the spiky branches. Even though the celestial bodies are just barely visible through a cage of spindly wooden hands, I very much enjoy looking up at the stars outside my bedroom window. The night sky makes me feel very small. The night sky shows you who’s boss, it proves to you that there are many many things in the universe, and that you are virtually nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Although the night sky can be cruel and belittling, it really shows you that you should value your life while you have it, because although the stars are going to be visible for many more centuries, you are only going to be able to see them for however long Death decides you can stay on Earth. Reminds you that in order to be something in your lifetime, you must rely on making a difference in other people’s lives and making a good name for yourself on Earth, because striving to mean something in the grand scheme of things is an impossible goal. Another lesson I’ve interpreted from the night sky is that any bad moods you experience currently are merely a blink in time, and that you should persevere through them so you can make the most out of your already short life. These may be totally weird lessons to gather from just a dark sky, and some people may feel I spend too much time analyzing things, but I’m pretty satisfied with these philosophies.

The night sky is beautiful too. I love the way the stars swirl about, and line up in the formation of a constellation. Watching the moon wax and wane is satisfying too. If it were up to me I would stay up all night every night just watching the night deepen, and eventually fade to morning, but alas, the human brain is a wimp that requires “sleep.”

by Rayne F.

There is something out there for everyone. That something for me has light brown eyes, pink tongue, and white, sharp teeth. It has the fluffiest black and white hair than any other thing in the world. No one can tell you what that thing has to be, you get to decide.

by Kealy R.

From a cat's perspective (Experimental Fiction Piece)

If I could be any animal in the world I would be a cat. I would be a cat because if I were a cat I could run around the house all day and play with all my toys and the humans toys I wouldn’t have to do the chore clean the litter box and I could sleep whenever and wherever I want in the house. I would be able to get free food and I would have time when the people that live in my house leave I could do what ever I want. Also when I get tired I can snuggle up to a human and sleep with a person and there would be many people I could snuggle with. The reason why I would be a cat is because I can play and sleep and not have to do any of the work.

by Siena S.

No one knows when Earth will be fixed. No one knows if we'll ever be able to go back. Everyone keeps on telling me to not give up hope. “You daughter of the King of the world will get back to your throne in no time at all.” I know they’re trying to make me feel better but I know I probably won’t be going back. I’m going to be Elena, daughter of the king of outer space. I mean I already am. The council decided that my dad would be king of outer space. They say I should be happy. I get to live on the moon. Hooray. If you can’t tell that was sarcastic. I don’t want to sound ungrateful. For many lives were lost and many are still on earth. Coming on up still. But I don’t want to live here. I want earth back. I want to be able to run through real grass. I want to breathe purified air. I want to see the friends of mine that are still on their way here. Earth is in chaos. The moon has gotten farther away from earth, so volcanoes have started erupting everywhere.

by Gwen P.

Life is hard, and thats the way it always will be. Using these traits that I have chosen you will be able to make the difficulty of life just a bit more bearable for you and for others. Integrity, self-control, patience, determination, and persistence are the traits I have chosen.

Integrity is one of the most important traits to have ever. It means that your morals are strong and that you won’t lie to others. An example of this was when George Washington did not lie about cutting down a cherry tree.

Self-control may be the most important trait a person can have. The ability to withold emotions and thoughts for times when they aren’t needed to be spoken. For example you are at a funeral and another mourner is doing something that may be funny to you but no one else. The ability to keep a straight face in the presence of laughter and death.

Patience may be the second most valuable trait you could have. Time is basically the most priceless thing in the world and to have patience is to spend that on something you want. Time for experience, its a basic exchange. For example, say that you’re a writer and you have just released a new book and are waiting for feedback. You must wait to get an idea for improvement. Another exchange, time for improvements.

Determination is a contender for second but I place it at third. Determination can only get you so far but its one of the most valuable traits to have. This trait is basically the base or backbone of all of your traits that you may have. If you don’t have something to put determination towards then you really can’t use your other traits well. For example you have something you want to do in life but you don’t have the determination to do it, you think to yourself “Why do I want it anyway?” This is why you need determination, because if you don’t you’ll most likely give up on your hopes.

Persistence goes hand in hand with determination. Without persistence you’ll never recover from your falls. With both determination and persistence you’ll basically be able to overcome any fall or obstacle you may encounter. This example leads back to the determination example. If you had had persistence in that situation you may have kept going and not have given up.

The basis of this was to explain how certain traits are useful and are needed for a successful life. In short, it’s like this: Integrity is needed to keep you from doing immoral things. Self-control is needed to keep your thoughts in your head until the right time. Patience is used to spend the most universal currency, time. Determination is needed as a backbone for all of your other traits. Persistence is used to create the power couple with determination. An unbeatable combination.

Today is day 6 (not counting weekends) of the statewide quarantine for schools. I am bored out of my mind. I’ve been doing assignments and online PE, but I’m still bored. I’ve been watching Roswell New Mexico and The Vampire Diaries on Netflix and that’s helping my boredom. I’m going outside as much as possible but today and the last few days were hard because it was snowing and now today, it’s all melting and my yard is incredibly muddy. I don’t exactly know what I want to write about and it’s definitely not this stupid virus but this is my first writing on this Google Classroom so I thought, “Why not?”

I’ve been doing a lot more art (Drawing, painting, and sketching) then I have for a while. I honestly like online classes better than being in school for seven hours out of the day. All I have to do is get instructions from my teachers and go do the online assignment. It goes a lot faster than at school and I don’t get as tired or bored. The only part that sucks about not being at school is that I don’t get to see my friends. I can still text them and stuff but that’s not as fun as physically talking to them. The other part that sucks is that if I need help, I can’t physically ask my teachers. I know that I can email them but its a lot easier if I have someone physically explain something to me. I’ve only had a couple of questions for my teachers and they were answered pretty quickly. I like having a scheduled time (9-11 am) to email my teachers with questions and I know that they’ll be available.

by Meleah F.

Just Friends With The King

An ongoing short story....

Sarah

“Will you come to my coronation as my plus one?” Alex asked me with a small smile.

He has rartley smiled since his mother and father were killed.

“Of course I’ll go with you. I wouldn’t settle for anything else,” I gently shove Alex trying to get a full smile out of him. Instead I get another small smile and a shove back.

“Awesome. Now how do you feel about some ice cream? I know it’s your favorite.”

“Only if you’re paying. My money has been all put into my apartment. And besides you’re the one with all the moolah.”

“Fine. But I get to pick the place.”

That is a little bit of a downer but I guess I’ll be getting ice cream. “Fine, jump into the car, your highness.” I bow as I open up the passenger door for Alex.

“How many times have I told you not to call me highness, majesty, and especially your princeness.”

“Not enough? I know you like it. You know for a fact that I don’t like it. If anyone from the news heard it I wouldn’t hear the end of itendo fit.”

“Then good thing I’, not the news and no one else is around…”

“Shut up, Sarah, and get in the car before my stomach eats itself.”

I jump into the car and Alex puts the address into the GPS.

When we finally get to the destination,I look around and it is of course of all places Dairy Mart. And of course there are a lot of people here.

“Don’t get out yet,” I warn Alex and go to the trunk. I pull out of there a smallcase and go back to my seat.

“Here. Put them on quick.” I hand Alex the case and wait. He pulls on his heat, sweatshirt, and different shoes.

It’s become a habit, now that Alex has grown older and better looking, for me to always have a spare outfit for him to change into in my car.

Anywhere we go he gets mobbed by people. There is usually less of a chance of it happening if he wears a different outfit and hides most of his face.

Once Alex is done putting his shoes on we step out of the car. I check for my knife and my reinforced titanium plaque.

Ever since Alex’s parents were killed, I’ve started carrying around my weapons again. When I was eleven and Alex and I had been friends for a long time, and his guard came up to me and asked if I would learn self defense with them. It would be better and safer for Alex that way.

Now we can go out without guards. Alex doesn’t know about it though. We also thought it was best that he didn’t know that his best friend was trained in protecting him.

I lock the car behind me and walk up to Alex’s side.

“Ready for my order?” I ask with a sly smile.

“Knowing you, I’m going to regret saying I’ll pay. Go ahead tell me what your stomach desires.”

I take a deep breath. “I want double chocolate peanut butter ice cream on a waffle cone, two scoops, topped off with sprinkles.”

“Wow do you ever run out of space in that cave of a stomach of yours?”

“What? I haven’t eaten yet today.”

“Well then I guess my wallet and I should go nurse that hunger of yours.”

Alex

How does one human eat so much?

I walk up to the register and get what Sarah ordered. I just get myself an Orange Julius. Someone’s got to balance us out.

I’m really glad that Sarah agreed to be my plus one at my coronation. I never thought that I would be becoming king so soon. I’m only nine-teen.

Maybe she’ll make the coronation more fun. Especially the ball. I smile just imagining her dressed up all fancy and doing the chicken dance.

“What are you smiling about?” Sarah looks at me quizzically.

“Nothing,” I say as I hand her her monstrosity of ice cream. “I’m just imagining you doing the chicken dance at the ball.”

Sarah gets a really big smile on her face. “I’ll do it every day if you smiled like that everyday.”

“Thanks. You’re the best.” I pull Sarah into a side hug. Because my other hand is full of deliciousness.

“I know.” Sometimes Sarah knows too much that she’s amazing. It goes to her head.

“Come on let’s grab a table before there are none left.”

We walk over to a booth and start eating our cold delights.

“How is your icy monstrosity?” I ask Sarah. I really want to know. All that sugar has to get to her stomach sometime.

“For you to know it is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten. You’re doing your stomach a crime by not eating this.”

“Then I think I’ll save my stomach,” I lean forward and eat a spoonful of her ice cream. She swats my hand away and it hurts.

“Ow. What was that for?” I ask while nursing my hand.

“You will be hurting a lot more if you dare touch my food again!”

“Hey! I paid for it.”

“Yes, but you gave it to me and I’m a hoarder so it’s mine now.”

“Fine. But just so you know there is way too much sugar in that.”

Hmph. She bends back over her ice cream and starts shoveling it in quicker than I’ve ever seen someone do before.

Sarah

How dare he insult my ice cream!! I’m not going to talk to him for a while. Just so he can feel my wrath.

“Hello.” I look up and a girl is standing beside us.

Alex sat up too quickly and his hood fell off his head.

“Prince Alex! I didn’t know it was you. Can I have a picture with you?”

“Sure but keep your voice down.”

Alex stood up and took a picture with her. But by the time he sat back down to eat his disgrace the damage had already been done. Everyone turned their head towards us.

“PRINCE ALEX!!!!” They pulled out their phones while huddling around us.

“We are having a serious talk when we get home,” I tell Alex.

“I honestly don’t care right now. I just hope we get out of here.”

“Follow me.” I grab his hand and shove people out of the way trying to get to the door. I keep my other hand right where my knife is. Ready to pull it out if I need to.

We get to the car and I unlock it.

“Get in the car,” I shove Alex into his seat then sprint to my side.

I turn the keys and press on the gas. I drive for ten minutes and no one speaks. Eventually I pull us over on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.

by Gwen P.

I actually miss going to school and miss seeing my friends. Also, I miss going to track everyday after school. I miss these things because I have fun doing all of these things and when I haven’t been able to do them, it hurts my sociable side of my personality. When I haven’t been able to hang out with my friends, I don’t know how they are doing so it sometimes makes me worry for their safety since we have a pandemic going on right now. This has affected me mainly in the social aspect of my life because I haven’t been able to see or talk with my friends at all during this time of difficult isolation.

by Brendan S.

I’m thankful for my family. My family makes me laugh, smile, and happy. Like when I was frustrated about the amount of school work I had to do my mom told me to take a break and then after I felt less stressed. Then we went on a walk and all my frustration went away. I wasn’t even thinking about the school work. That is how I’m thankful for my family.

by Adyson G.

I know that most people would say that they wouldn’t be able to live without their phone but I wouldn’t be able to live without a notebook and pen. I lived without a phone until I was 11 and all of my friends were on their phones Snapchatting people hours on end.

Anyway, I wouldn’t be able to live without a notebook and pen because I can write everything down. All of my thoughts would be on paper where they’d be private forever until the day I died. Phones can get hacked and all of your private information isn’t so private anymore. I would want to express my creativity through writing. Not to mention, I’d also be able to draw and sketch out whatever I want to. I would still be able to communicate with people because I could write them letters. I’d also write down their addresses somewhere so that I wouldn’t forget. I’d be able to write random thoughts and anything that I want. I’d be able to do all of my schoolwork still. It’d just take a lot longer because I wouldn’t be typing. That’s really all I have to say I guess.

by Meleah F.

“THE TOILET PAPER IS GONE!” Bailei said screaming at the top of her lungs.

“WHAT NOOOOOO! THIS CAN”T BE HAPPENING! MY WORST NIGHTMARE IS COMING TRUE!” Ady said as she started to cry in a whimpering voice.

“All the stores are closed and even if they were open the shelves would be empty, WHAT DO WE DO?!?” Bailei said while stuck on the toilet.

“Just stay on the toilet for a little longer I will bring you tissues!” Ady said panicked because we can’t use these forever, we will soon run out.

by Ady G.

If I had to change something I would change bigotry. We’re constantly judging people before we know their situations simply because they’re different from us and that’s not okay. People shouldn’t have to feel uncomfortable just because they’re different then someone else. Hell, people shouldn’t get beaten, bruised, rejected out of groups, have job opportunities taken, or be killed for being different. But, that happens a lot today.

It won’t just solve discrimination, let me explain a little more what it would mean for our statistics as well. If we took away bigotry it’s hard to argue against the fact that people would be more willing to help those below them. This would mean our approximately 38.1 million people in the US below the poverty line would drop significantly. More people would be hired regardless of appearance and other biases, making it easy for everyone to get a job. And then, no more complaining about the people on the street being lazy and not able to work, because you’d see the dramatic difference in how many people actually want work and can’t get it vs. how many people would rather beg on the streets than work.

That’s not the only thing that would change. Violent acts against people based on bias would totally disappear. Which would be absolutely amazing right about now! Sure the amount of actual hate crimes had a decrease in 2018 but violence only went up! This is an actual issue! Aggravated assault went up 4%. That may not seem like a big deal to most people but in that same year there were 4,571 reported hate crimes! That’s a lot, and on top of that, that same year simple assaults went up 15%. That’s a lot! If we got rid of bigotry we wouldn’t have any of this! People would live in peace without going outside and having to wonder, “Should I have brought something to defend myself?” or “Maybe I shouldn’t have dressed in this?”. It’s ridiculous people have to be scared to even step out of their house!

In the end, I think if we dropped stereotypes and our bigotted views on people, our country as well as the world would be a much better place. We would be able to get along with people a lot easier, get jobs easier, and not have to worry about what others might do to people for simply being themselves. I hope people will someday realize that their preconceived notions on people unlike themselves are harmful and doing nothing but dragging society as well as the economy they seem to care so much about, down.

by Taylor F.

If I could change anything in the world today it would be all the sickness going around and all the people that died from it. I would change this because I think that there should be less people in the world that should die from the corona virus or the flu and because of this lots of schools are having to shut down and if you don’t have internet or a computer to work on your stuff you will have to make up lots of that work. So the reason why I want all the sickness to go away is because then there will be more people and more schools will be open.

by Siena S.

Social interaction. I am still working as a cashier at a grocery store, a little blip on the radar, but it's really quite interesting to see how people are reacting to this mess. I avoid the virus subject completely; I know people are on edge as it is (it’s like a big Who Dunnit dinner mystery, except more than one person could be the ‘murderer’) so I focus on things like: the weather, or spring, or silly little trivial things that people tend to ignore. At home, the main topic is this COVID thing, so finally getting to talk to people about something else is a huge break. I’ve forgotten what its like not to complain about this mess.

People seem to appreciate it too. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has heard nonstop “Corona virus” this and “Corona Virus” that. It’s everywhere. On TV, on any meme you read, it’s all they talk about on the radio, and it’s become a general ice breaker. Frankly, I’m bored of talking about it, not to mentioned a little bit stressed because here’s the truth:

This is my last year of being a kid. In every movie, every TV show, they depict a person’s senior year as the best year of any person’s life. I’m losing my 18th birthday (it’s in a couple weeks), I’m probably not going to have a prom, I’ve lost my spring play, and graduation is definitely on the ropes, which means I’m also most likely not going to have a graduation party. These are things put in place to make getting through the icky classes worth it. There’s no big hurrah with my life long friends, maybe I’ll facetime them when I get into college.

The more I hear about this Corona mess, the more real it is that I’m not getting anything that I have looked forward to since my early years of Elementary school. Over and over, those things run through my mind every time I hear that silly McDonald’s commercial. The worst part is, is that I’m not the only one missing out on these things! I’m not the only senior with a relatively iffy high school experience (who made the silly assumption that senior year was going to be ‘it’). I put all the chips on 2020, and lost all of my savings. So have thousands of others! Adults are losing incomes and loved ones left and right, college graduates aren’t going to have a graduation most likely, and they have to face the economy after this.

So we talk about the weather, and hey: everyone seems to be surprised when I mention it's finally spring (remember how terrible the winter was last year?) We keep talking and droning about this COVID mess, that we don’t seem to notice that the grass is turning green, or that the frogs have returned. We just focus on this mess. A friendly smile with a quick reminder of the present-- what’s really important in the grand scheme of things-- seems to boost people’s moods. It certainly boosts mine. I don’t usually end my interactions with, “Stay safe,” (although I wish people the best) but instead, “Have a wonderful day! Enjoy the sunshine out there!”

by Makala C.

Being cooped up in my house with little to do, I think it’s safe to say, cabin fever has hit harder than a freight train. Actually, it’s probably safe to say it’s done the same for nearly all my friends and classmates as well. So, being stuck with nothing to do but text my friends until my fingers are numb, talk endlessly on the phone, play video games until my eyes give out on me, write, or indulge in old and new hobbies of mine, I’ve been pretty bored. Being bored, brought on a lot of thoughts to the point that I can now just sit at my computer or on my phone thinking until I lose track of everything I thought and have to figure out where I got to the thought I was on. It also has allowed me to dive head first back into my paracosm which is only getting more boring by the day because absolutely nothing is happening at this point.

But overall, the cabin fever and borderline insanity I feel as if I’m experiencing at this point, has taught me a thing or two. You see, as extraverted as I typically seem at school, the second I get home it’s almost as if I go into hibernation, I lots of nights, don’t want to talk to anyone. I always thought it was all me being a lowkey introvert but now, after being stuck inside for what feels like years, I would die to talk to someone face to face, besides my family. See my family, while cool, aren’t my first choice to interact with. My brother, being forever annoying has got me literally screaming at this point. That’s sadly not a joke. He wouldn’t shut up no matter how much I ignored him or asked him to leave, and then he started throwing stuff at me so I screamed to make him go away. You may be thinking I sound crazy but, as I said I am in fact, going insane.

Another thing I’ve learned about myself would be, I basically have everything block. What I mean is, I have writer’s block, art block, and everything else. I’ve become I think, the most indecisive person on this Earth, next to Donald Trump (I may be going insane but I still refuse to stop insulting him because holy crap does he not know what he’s doing right now). I think it’s beginning to become an issue how awfully indecisive I am. Just last night, I went on Netflix and was scrolling to find a movie to watch and was ready to screech when I couldn’t pick. It was almost like my mind was just going, “Seriously, this one? Doesn’t anything else look good to you?” In the end, I watched The Little Prince, I got half way through it last night and it's so good. It has two different art and animation styles, both of which are so adorable and aesthetically pleasing. Besides that, the story itself (yes I know it’s a book my online friend told me yesterday,) is so happy and sad and cute all at once. So I guess last night, my indecisiveness was good but it's getting worse. Almost like I’m losing motivation halfway into everything.

Basically in short, quarantine and social distancing taught me that, despite thinking I was so introverted and lazy that I could easily stay inside for four weeks, I’m really not. I’m dying to get out of this house and see my friends and actually go places again. I think IF we return to school this year, I’m going to walk in like someone who just found water in a desert. See ya soon! Maybe.

by Taylor F.

I have taken more time in the mornings to decide what I want to wear, what to eat for breakfast, and what I look like. I haven’t been able to take this sort of pride in myself because I didn’t want to be late for school and always rushed to get ready in the morning. Now that I have the time, it makes me feel prouder of myself because I know that I am dedicating more time to look the best that I can possibly be.

by Brendan S.

Well, this one is easy. Something that I’ve done in the past two weeks that normally I wouldn’t have time to do. Finish a whole season of a show in a matter of 4-5 days. I’ve been watching The Vampire Diaries quite a bit. It is also a book series that I read earlier this school year. The show is eight seasons long! Before all of this Corona crap hit, I was in the middle of season six. It took forever just to get to that point! Now, I’m almost done with season seven with only one more to go! I finish all of my schoolwork in a matter of 2-3 hours in the morning, I make lunch for my sister and me, while we’re eating I turn on Netflix and watch my show. Then I watch a couple more episodes throughout the rest of the afternoon still making time to go outside and get fresh air. By the time next week ends, I’ll probably be halfway through season eight and then when we go back to school I’ll be in the middle of the spinoff series The Originals! Which is all about the very first vampires and their lives. Then that show has yet another spinoff series called Legacies that’s all about the children of some of these characters!

These days of quarantine just drag by. I don’t know what I’d do without Netflix and my favorite actors. My TV doesn’t even have the recording feature so it’s not like I have a bunch of shows recorded that I could watch. Don’t get me wrong, I love going outside and all, but I’m not allowed to go into the front yard until my parents get home. Seeing our backyard over and over again gets boring after a while. It’s the same view each time and I don’t know what to do with myself except walk around. I know that walking is good exercise, but when you’re walking the same exact acre each day, the sight gets kind of boring. We don’t live in town, but we have neighbors. It’s just a small group of ten maybe twelve houses sitting in one group and then surrounded by cornfields. We don’t live in a development either. Just a small neighborhood and my parents don’t want the people driving by to see us in the front yard and then think that they can just drive in our driveway.

by Meleah F.

" YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD TO SET ANOTHER GOAL OR DREAM A NEW DREAM." -- C.S. LEWIS

My dream would to be a great barrel racer and race at rodeos. My goal is to start lessons with someone who is very experienced with barrel racing. Then after a while of lessons get a barrel horse. And still do lessons with the trainer but with my horse and then start barrel racing at shows like the Washington county fair and Brighton shows.

by Ady G.

"ACT AS IF WHAT YOU DO MAKES A DIFFERENCE. IT DOES." -- WILLIAM JAMES

I think something I can make a difference to is how healthy I am and people are. A lot of people are dying and getting the coronavirus because they’re not healthy and I think people can change that. I think what we can do to change that is to drink more water and work out. Maybe sometime while I’m home because I have so much more free time. I can make a work out and post it to a Google classroom it might help a little bit.

by Adisyn P.

I have a mystery food this food is a food I can not tell you. This food is a fruit. This food is big. This food grows in open woodland, meadows, sand dunes, and beaches. This food is found in the northern hemisphere. This mystery food has lots of juice in the inside. On the outside of this fruit it has lots of seeds. This food is red and has leaves on it. One cup of this fruit is has fifty five calories in it. Eight of this food will give you one hundred forty percent of the recommend daily intake of vitamin C for kids. This food is a member of the rose family. California produces one billion of this fruit each year. I have a cartoon character that lots of people know. Guess what food I am.

by Siena S.