etc...2025
Etc. Magazine Publication Team
Marissa Bercy
Etc. Staff
Adrianna Caliendo Carter Hillsdon Brielle Jimenez
Madison Payne Tony Rivera Ava Stazzone
Moderator
Cindy Bannon
Cover Art:
Colored Pencil Drawing
Juliana
Peregrin
Back Cover Art: Watercolor Painting
Abigail
Larkin
Etc. is Notre Dame High School’s annual art and literary magazine. The publication is a showcase for the creative talents of Notre Dame students and includes poetry, prose, artwork, and photography.
The staff of Etc. would like to thank the students who submitted their art and literary works. We extend special thanks to Mr. Ken Jennings and Ms. Michele Martinez for their support of the Arts at Notre Dame as well as Mrs. MacIsaac and Mrs. Duff for their keen eyes in helping us edit.
Etc. wishes the Class of 2025 all the best in their future endeavors.
Etc. Magazine was awarded the National Council of Teachers of English REALM First Class Award in 2024. The REALM Program recognizes excellence in art and literary magazines for high school and college publications nationwide.
Meadow of Loss Marissa Bercy 4
One Common Cause Lincoln Mottershead 5
A Full or Empty Glass Mary Kerwick 6
Borders Ash Bien 6
Let The World Feast Lincoln Mottershead 7
Haiku Poem Luca Daley 7
An Italian Diamante Poem Rose Camacho 7
An Italian Diamante Poem
(English Translation) Rose Camacho 7
Us, the Flowers Lincoln Mottershead 8
An Italian Diamante Poem Luca Daley 8
An Italian Diamante Poem
(English Translation) Luca Daley 8
The One Mary Kerwick 9
Venezia (an Italian Poem) Thomas Bello 9
Venice (English Translation) Thomas Bello 9
True Treasure Mary Kerwick 10
An Italian Diamante Poem Michael Hope 10
An Italian Diamante Poem
(English Translation) Michael Hope 10
Art Contents
Colored Pencil Drawing Juliana Peregrin FC
Lilyana Vargas-Shanks 4
Elizabeth Halloran 4
Sophia Monato 4
Skylar Hewitt 4
Painting Logan Phillips 4 The Tangled Flower Edyta Gray 4
Watercolor Painting Abby Lobis 5
Watercolor Pencil and Pen Santiago Gomez Rendon 5
Pen and Ink Drawing Logan Phillips 5
Pencil Drawing Lou-Victoria Martens 5
Acrylic Painting Lou-Victoria Martens 6
Acrylic Painting Lou-Victoria Martens 6
Stippling Drawing Marissa Bercy 6 Bunny in the Grass Lillianna Nguyen 6 Batik Rose Jackson 6
Pastel Drawing Viviana Di Candia 7
Painting Abigail Larkin 7
Media Sarah Colon 7 Watercolor Painting Madison Fajardo 7 Natural Beauty Juliana Peregrin 8 Oil Pastel Drawing Sarah Colon 8 Summer Days Juliana Peregrin 8 Wildflower Lindsey Brzezinski 8 Pen Drawing Sarah Colon 8
Watercolor Painting Lou-Victoria Martens 9 Oil Pastel Drawing Karly Falkenstein 9
Watercolor Painting Madison Fajardo 9
Pastel Chalk Pencil Drawing Abigail Larkin 9
Pencil Drawing Sarah Colon 10
Pencil Drawing Sarah Colon 10
Pencil Drawing Mia DiBari 10
Watercolor Painting Meghan Connolly 10
Mixed Media Lou-Victoria Martens 11
Mixed Media Madison Fajardo 11
Mixed Media Lou-Victoria Martens 11
Calling of the Mountains Juliana Peregrin 11
Butterflies of Baguio Isabella Odina 11
Colored Pencil Drawing Caitlin Sheedy 12
Conte and Charcoal Drawing Madison Fajardo 12
Escaping Reality Juliana Peregrin 13
Evening Sun Juliana Peregrin 13
Daydreams Juliana Peregrin 13
La Primavera (an Italian Poem)
La Primavera (English Translation)
Interlinked
A Million Light-Years Away
Giorno e Notte (an Italian Poem)
Day and Night (English Translation)
Sotto il Cielo (an Italian Poem)
Sotto il Cielo (English Translation)
Musica (an Italian Poem)
Musica (English Translation)
Cani e Gatti (an Italian Poem)
Cani e Gatti (English Translation)
Charles Hughes 11
Charles Hughes 11
Brielle Jimenez 12
Rebecca Method 13
Brett Bock 14
Brett Bock 14
Adriana Burzachiello 14
Adriana Burzachiello 14
Nyrah Jacobs-McNeil 15
Nyrah Jacobs-McNeil 15
Anna Dever 15
Anna Dever 15
This Story is Over Isabella Odina 16
I Don’t Seem To Mind
Raggi del Sole (an Italian Poem)
Raggi del Sole (English Translation)
Haunting the Narrative
An Italian Poem
Brielle Jimenez 16
Natalee Chianese 17
Natalee Chianese 17
Isabella Odina 18
Eva Drennan 19
An Italian Poem (English Translation) Eva Drennan 19
An Ode to Super Seniors
Isabella Odina and AP Literature Seniors 19
The Way of My Mind Brielle Jimenez 20
You Are My Poetry Tony Rivera 21
Luci Scintillanti (an Italian Poem) Ella Stefanisko 22
Luci Scintillanti (English Translation) Ella Stefanisko 22
A Latin Diamante Poem Kara Pelikan 23
A Latin Diamante Poem (English Translation) Kara Pelikan 23
Laeta (a Latin Poem) Sofia Kydonieus 25
Laeta (English Translation) Sofia Kydonieus 25
Something New Brielle Jimenez 25
What Was and What Is Ash Bien 27
An Italian Diamante Poem Max Achtau 28
An Italian Diamante Poem (English Translation) Max Achtau 28
An Italian Poem Gianna DeSantis 29
An Italian Poem (English Translation) Gianna DeSantis 29
This Story is Over Isabella Odina 30
The End of the Tunnel Isabella Odina 31
Talia (an Italian Poem) Talia Kniffin 33
Talia (English Translation) Talia Kniffin 33
Rose Colored Glasses Brielle Jimenez 33
Acrylic Painting Abigail Larkin 14 Called to Nature Juliana Peregrin 14
Mixed Media Katherine Hering 15
Pen Drawing Abigail Larkin 15
Pen and Colored Pencil Drawing Abigail Larkin 15
Pen Drawing Stella McKeon 15
Pen Drawing Lillianna Nguyen 15
Colored Pencil Drawing Anna Gray 16
Colored Pencil Drawing Dorine Florestal 16
Colored Pencil Drawing Grace Marrone 16
Charcoal Drawing Abigail Larkin 17
Oil Painting Lou-Victoria Martens 17
Mixed Media Santiago Gomez Rendon 17
Mixed Media Caitlin Sheedy 17
Graphite Pencil Drawing Juliana Peregrin 18
Escape Juliana Peregrin 18
Colored Pencil Drawing Kelsey Wood 18
Gouache Painting Abigail Larkin 18
Mixed Media Sarah Colon 19
Mixed Media Meghan Connolly 19
Walking Down Memory Lane Juliana Peregrin 19
Mixed Media Madison Fajardo 19
Colored Pencil Drawing Sarah Colon 20
Digital Collage Tyler Javick 20
Gouache Painting Madison Fajardo 20
Acrylic Painting Abby Lobis 21
Acrylic Painting Madison Fajardo 21
Acrylic Painting Jamie Werdall 21
Acrylic Painting Isabella Carrero 21
Pen and Ink Drawing Chris Mazzucco 22
Pastel Chalk Pencil Drawing Abby Lobis 22
Pastel Chalk Pencil Drawing Madison Fajardo 22
Pen and Ink Drawing Madison Fajardo 22
Mixed Media Lou-Victoria Martens 23
Meadow of Loss
Marissa Bercy
The golden haze of sun rays gently lay on a soft bed of wildflowers, stretching over the rolling hills of the land. The sun softly kissed the horizon, painting the sky in hues of pink and orange, as birds sang their sweet melodies, connecting us with the earth. We ventured out to the dirt road before sunset, picking the vibrant, colorful flowers that dotted the landscape. We sat and talked, and the sense of peace calmed our nerves, like a gentle breeze on a warm summer day. The feeling of this place was like no other, completely unparalleled.
There are not enough words to describe the breathtaking view that blessed our eyes or the purity we felt as the sun sank lower, casting long shadows over the meadow. This spot, nestled in the quiet mountains of Galeton, Pennsylvania, where we spent our summer, is now gone.
The memory of the beautiful meadow died with her. I lost my sense of true peace. I lost half my heart, and when she died, a piece of me went along. The once beautiful meadow, where the sun warmed our skin and the silence paused our thoughts, is now just a place of loss and loneliness. No one disturbs the land, and instead of joy, it now brings a cool unsettling feeling. My best friend, my protector, my Aunt Weez, transformed the meadow into a place of beauty and filled my heart with peace.
Batik
Sophia Monato
Batik
Lilyana Vargas-Shanks
Batik Skylar Hewitt
Watercolor Painting Logan Phillips
The Tangled Flower Edyta Gray
Batik
Elisabeth Halloran
One Common Cause
Lincoln Mottershead
To reach the end of the finite hall And step through that last, unknowable door Wrapped in arms, gentle and familiar;
To run recklessly towards love’s limit, Knowing well, you might spill over its edge; To learn that hatred is only a sign Telling you to reach deeper into love’s well, And dredge up all that you can spare;
To know, intimately, pain and sorrow And of them, not to hold fear, but instead admiration And even, if necessary, an invitation
To learn not to rise above tragedy, But rather to persist through it, Until you might look back on despair in spiteful triumph But remember, still, that by its hands you were taught strength;
To measure life in breaths, not years; To measure trees in beauty, not height, And wealth in righteousness, not possession;
To be the first to forgive another, But not look quietly at injustice; To be the first to admit fault, And know that admitting earns weight only alongside action;
To carry life with tenderness Akin to that with which you would carry a child— Perhaps kicking and sobbing now, Though still with the purity of heart That only one so new to the world can know;
To know yourself for what it is when influenced by none, And to revel strictly in truths, no matter the cost:
This—This is the common cause of humanity, And we must learn it well—All of us— For there is no other like it.
And, naturally, sometimes—perhaps often, We will lose footing and forget our cause; We will hurt, both others and ourselves, We will hate when we have not the strength to love, We will reprimand when we have not the strength to forgive, And we will cry out, “Ignorance!” when we have not the strength to teach;
And this, I suppose, is—conflictingly—the common fault of humanity, The one that, as the common cause, each one of us possesses, The one that fights against our cause until that very last unknowable door has opened;
And I suppose, also, that we can never know at one time which is winning So I ask of you now: Do not say, even to yourself, that there is evil inside of you, And, certainly, do not say it of anyone else; I ask only that you fight— Vehemently—
And with only the best of intentions For our one common cause. 5
Pen and Ink Drawing
Logan Phillips
Watercolor Pencil and Pen Santiago Gomez Rendon
Watercolor Painting
Abigail Larkin
Pencil Drawing Lou-Victoria Martens
A Full or Empty Glass
Mary Kerwick
Can’t the glass be half full and empty?
Can’t I be happy and sad?
Why do you care when I cry, and cringe when I laugh?
Can’t it be good to be bad?
Can’t I have dreams, even if they won’t come true? Why do we judge ourselves more than others do?
Can’t I just take one second to be still?
Can’t I want peace, with a little drama too?
Why do I always think less with my head, and more with my heart?
Can’t I be silly and smart?
Can’t I be loud and quiet?
Can’t I be shy and brave?
Can’t all my thoughts just stop?
Is the glass half full or empty?
All these questions, yet only one answer.
Only you decide what you say.
Borders
Ash Bien
Long lines and little dashes, A jagged rectangle and a misunderstood square Tears flow through a girl’s eyelashes, All alone and nothing to wear
Lines that stretch but never meet, A river claimed by foes’ deception A father kneels off splintered feet, His house now dust, he has no protection
Imaginary lands are carved from hands of power, Borders traced with no concession Nations rise and empires tower, Built upon a cold oppression
Mountains stand in whispered sorrow, Lines are drawn without a thought Peace is lost with each tomorrow, War bares nothing and takes what is lost
Oceans crash on shores divided, Maps declare a future stolen Lands once free are now decided, Bound by laws that leave them broken
Forests tall and rivers winding, Cut in two by rulers’ visions Families lost and left in hiding, Torn apart by one decision
Cities fall in the fire’s reflection, Boundaries made with no compassion Flags are raised with false protection, Leaving only grief to ration
Blindly dividing into chaos, Arbitrary claims on maps always turn to war Immense pain it imposes Without care, and what for?
Acrylic Painting
Lou-Victoria Martens
Stippling Drawing
Marissa Bercy
Bunny in the Grass Lillianna Nguyen
Acrylic Painting
Lou-Victoria Martens
Batik
Rose Jackson
Let The World Feast
Lincoln Mottershead
Heed not the sign which seeks to stub out your soul.
Run feverishly onward, bearing your open arms, within which sits you, And let the world feast.
Let the world’s teeth sink deep into the body’s bones, and spit them out, repulsed, Let the world choke if its jaw cannot fit around opposition.
And let it be so, then, that you—having been chewed up and spit out— become the world, and that bodies dance jubilantly along your surface, And that feet march ceaselessly into the night, and that the dead rise, and cast their shadows on the living.
Let them—the quiet ones—roar like animals, And them—the weak ones—fight like gods, And let all of them—the fallen ones—stand once again;
And let it be that all who be themselves be you, the world, and that you may dance along their surface too, For as much as you are the world, so too are you the bodies dancing, and the feet marching, and the dead rising.
An Italian Diamante Poem
Rose Camacho
Alba Dorata, radiosa Incandescente, riscaldante, risvegliante Orizzonte, cielo, stelle, luna Brillante, riflettente, sfumata Argentea, tranquilla Notte
An Italian Diamante Poem
(English translation)
Rose Camacho
Sunrise Golden, Radiant Glowing, Warming, Awakening Horizon, Sky, Stars, Moon Shining, Reflecting, Fading Silvery, Quiet Night
Snowflakes drift so light
Softly covering the ground
Silent winter’s day
Watercolor Painting
Madison Fajardo
Mixed Media
Sarah Colon
Oil Pastel Drawing
Viviana Di Candia
Watercolor Painting
Abby Lobis
Haiku Poem
Luca Daley
Us, the Flowers
Lincoln Mottershead
Us, the flowers, Them, the world, folding, looking inward toward itself, Them, the grass, the trees, the topsoil lifting, the leaves kicking, the fires stoked and burning, the animals hunting and hunted, Them, the singing jays, the soaring hawks, the omen crows, Them, the gnawing sun, the empty space, the collapsing stars, Them, the words, the breaths, the bodies, turned and turning, stepping over—stepping on, And Us, the flowers, perched within it all, outside it all. Us, the flowers, by Them, let alone, Weathered, wilting, dying! but dying together, And dying as one.
An Italian Diamante Poem
Luca Daley
La tempesta scura, potente piove, rimbomba, lampeggia nuvole, lampi, sole, calore splendente, fiorito, incandescente luminoso, gentile Calma
An Italian Diamante Poem
(English translation)
Luca Daley
Storm
dark, powerful raining, rumbling, flashing clouds, lightning, sunshine, warmth shining, blooming, glowing bright, gentle Calm
Wildflower Lindsey Brzezinski
Pen Drawing
Sarah Colon
Natural Beauty
Juliana Peregrin
Oil Pastel Drawing
Sarah Colon
Summer Days
Juliana Peregrin
The One
Mary Kerwick
I’ve spent so much of my life hearing about “the one”
Yet, I only get hurt by those holding the gun
If I read what I’ve gone through in the pages of a book
I’d put it down and never give it another look
I’m always fighting myself in my head
One second I love you, the next I want you dead
It’s so hard to care for someone
when deep down you know they think you’re no one I put so much value on this thing we have
I don’t care if it goes nowhere, but I still want you bad
All the little memories, they’re on constant repeat
Sometimes I just want to hit control-alt-delete
But at the same time, I think it would be better if I could just forget
Forgot all the things you said instead of the ones I did, and regret
I know this will most likely end up bad
But for you, I think I’d still do it all again
Because no matter what, I pick you out of everyone
And my silly mind thinks that, someday you could be the one
Venezia (an Italian poem)
Thomas Bello
Bellissimi canali
Origine antica
Cibo saporito
Venice (English translation)
Thomas Bello
Venice
Beautiful canals
Old origin
Savory food
Oil Pastel Drawing Karly Falkenstein
Watercolor Painting
Lou-Victoria Martens
Pastel Chalk Pencil Drawing Abigail Larkin
Watercolor Painting
Madison Fajardo
True Treasure
Mary Kerwick
Treasure your time.
Treasure it because today will turn into tomorrow
And tomorrow will turn into a week.
The weeks will turn into months
And the months will turn into years.
The sun will still rise and fall
The leaves will still turn orange and green
The tides will flow like waterfalls
And the seasons will go by unseen
But what will you do with that time?
Don’t waste it on “what ifs” and “could haves”
Treasure it, because those years, you can’t get back
So treasure your time; Please.
An Italian Diamante Poem
Michael Hope Leone Leader Alfa
Aggressivo Coraggioso Potente
Grande mammifero piccolo insetto Dolce pace colorata
Scivolamento silenzioso Farfalla
Italian Diamante Poem
(English translation)
Michael Hope Lion
Alpha Leader
Aggressive Brave Powerful
Large Mammal Small Insect
Gentle colorful Peace
Quiet gliding Butterfly
Pencil Drawing Mia DiBari
Pencil Drawing
Sarah Colon
Pencil Drawing
Sarah Colon
Watercolor Painting
Meghan Connolly
La Primavera
(an Italian poem)
Charles Hughes
Nell’abbraccio della primavera, il mondo si rinnova, con fiori luminosi e cieli azzurri.
La dolce brezza, un canto sussurrato, risveglia la vita, dove i sogni appartengono.
I prati verdi, con i fiori sparsi, E uccelli che cantano una melodia gioiosa.
La danza di una stagione, così piena di grazia, Nella calda luce della primavera, troviamo il nostro posto
La Primavera
(English translation)
Charles Hughes
In spring’s embrace, the world renews, With blossoms bright and skies of blues. The gentle breeze, a whispered song, Awakens life, where dreams belong.
The meadow’s green, with flowers strewn, And birds that sing a joyful tune. A season’s dance, so full of grace, In spring’s warm light, we find our place
Mixed Media
Madison Fajardo
Mixed Media
Lou-Victoria Martens
Calling of The Mountains
Juliana Peregrin
Butterflies of Baguio Isabella Odina
Mixed Media
Lou-Victoria Martens
Interlinked
Brielle Jimenez
I finally realized why the moon chases the earth
Staying at a distance but never daring to move closer
It follows and follows with no end
Never moving on and never breaking cycle
They both spin with such passion like marbles held in a small lacy bag
As their worlds collide
Twist and turn into one
The stars watch in awe
Watching true connection and love in front of their very beings
So I guess that I am the moon and you are my earth
We are just mere rocks drifting out in this galaxy
Destined to meet and intertwine
Eternally
Colored Pencil Drawing Caitlin Sheedy
Conte and Charcoal Drawing Madison Fajardo
A Million Light-Years Away
Rebecca Method
Another summer’s almost gone
And I can’t help but think that it was just June, just May, just September I was just starting kindergarten and kindergarten is a million lightyears away
Another summer I’m still young
And all the things I was supposed to do I can’t remember
I’m not ready for college and I can’t wait to leave home and home is the only place I want to stay
I wish I were ready I wish I had time
I wish I loved myself when I’m not good I wish I let go of my problems when others misunderstood I wish this poem rhymed right and my mother could hold me every night and I wish I could let go and I wish letting go didn’t feel like giving up and I wish that talking to God was easy and gambling fun and the summer sun bloomed all year and I wish and I wish and I wish
But I only write when I’m emotional And I’m only brave in the shower I only sing when I’m unapproachable
and I wish that every passing hour didn’t feel like the toll of a bell tower and I wish that I could enjoy each moment and I wish and I wish and I wish
And I only save princesses when no one’s watching the tower I’m only smart when I’m talking to people I want to impress And I’m only funny when someone gets my humor I only work as hard as I don’t confess And I only like gossip when I’m not part of the rumor
But I wish that seventeen didn’t feel like thirteen And I wish that senior year didn’t loom like marriage I wish that I liked my mother’s lima beans I wish that math didn’t make me so disparaged I wish that this poem sounded right and I looked pretty in the spotlight and I wish I had more time and I wish that time didn’t have to be managed
But I only love myself when I succeed And I only succeed when I’m not trying to I only cried out my college essay because I wanted my life to have a creed I only did my summer work because my parents told me I had to
I’m only excited for college because I’m desperate for change I’m only saying I’m desperate for change because the opposite is true I only worry about my best friend when her home life is being rearranged I only care for my lover because he’s never said “I love you”
I know I want to be great, but I wish I knew how to get there
I know I’m supposed to be good, but I wish I believed that longer I know those I love, but I wish I knew how to love them fair I know who I want to be, but I wish I knew how to become her
Now another summer’s gone
And I can’t help but think it was just June, just May, just September I was just starting kindergarten, and wasn’t life good back then, why is kindergarten a million light-years away
How many summers will I still be young?
The person I want to become I can’t remember
I’m not ready to grow and I miss the person I was before I did and I’m worried I have nothing left to say
Escaping Reality
Juliana Peregrin
Giorno E Notte (an Italian poem)
Brett Bock
Giorno
Caldo, Luminoso
Giocando, Risvegliando, Ridendo Sole, Cielo, Luna, Stelle Riposando, Dormendo, Sognando Scuro, Silenzioso
Notte
Day and Night
(English translation)
Brett Bock Day
Warm, Bright
Playing, Awakening, Laughing Sun, Sky, Moon, Stars
Resting, Sleeping, Dreaming Dark, Quiet Night
Sotto il Cielo (an Italian poem)
Adriana Burzachiello
Sotto il cielo, così ampio e azzurro, Il mondo gira, vecchio e nuovo. Un respiro, un passo, un sospiro sussurrato— Inseguiamo le stelle, impariamo a volare.
Sotto il Cielo (English translation)
Adriana Burzachiello
Beneath the sky, so wide and blue, The world spins on, both old and new. A breath, a step, a whispered sigh— We chase the stars, we learn to fly.
The Sublime Juliana Peregrin
Pen and Marker Drawing
Sarah Colon
Acrylic Painting
Abigail Larkin
Called to Nature
Juliana Peregrin
Musica (an Italian poem)
Nyrah Jacobs-McNeil
M - Musica e’ il migliore modo di esprimere le tue emozioni
U - Usare Tuo Cuore di SWV e’ una trascendente canzone.
S - Sza e’ uno dei miei cantanti preferiti preferito cantanti
I - Io amo ascoltare la musica
C - Chromakopia e’ una album Io ascolto senza perdere
una canzone
A - Andare a scuola mentre ascolto la musica mi aiuta a finire la giornata
Musica (English translation)
Nyrah Jacobs-McNeil
M - Music is a great way to express your emotions
U - Use Your Heart by SWV is a transcendent song that makes me smile
S - Sza is one of my favorite singers
I - I love listening to music
C - Chromakopia is an album I listen to without skips
A - Going to school while listening to music motivates me to get through the day
Mixed Media
Hering
Cani e Gatti (an Italian Poem)
Anna Dever
Cani
Amichevole Felice
Giocare Correre Leccare
Estroverso Parcheggi Letti Introverso
Nascondersi Coccole Saltare
Calmo Timido
Gatti
Cani e Gatti
(English translation)
Anna Dever
Dogs
Friendly Happy
Playing
Running Licking
Extrovert Parks Beds Introvert
Hiding Cuddling Jumping
Calm Shy
Cats
Katherine
Pen Drawing
Abigail Larkin
Pen Drawing Stella McKeon
Pen Drawing Lillianna Nguyen
Pen and Colored Pencil Drawing
Abigail Larkin
This Story is Over
Isabella Odina
In times of strife and scorn
Rage and cruelty
I saw you in all your splendor
In one act of this tragic tale
Oh, never have I felt at ease!
The sight of you has ruined me
Yet the Fates had other plans
As I kissed the memory of you goodbye
You could say we were destined to meet
Just not in this universe
As Mother Earth has not shown us grace
And ripped out the ending of our story
I Don’t Seem To Mind
Brielle Jimenez
I’ve always been more a fool than a girl
Or maybe that’s just the way I perceive myself
Anyway, I became a fool for poetry long before you
Before you were a twinkle in my eyes
Every notebook I owned was filled with poems beyond poems
Yet I never really considered myself a poet
I didn’t really have many friends then
But I never really seemed to mind
Poetry was my friend
The world was my muse and every memory was a story to tell
There were so many ideas floating around in the abyss of my mind
Music, colors, the weather, the way the wind blew
Yet for the past year and a half
All of my poems have been about you
All the ideas that used to flow through my mind about life
Have been consumed by the thought of you
Now my notebooks and papers around me are full of all of the things that remind me of you
From head to toe
beginning to end
I always wondered if I could love something more than I loved poetry
Yet somehow that thought has become my reality
Colored Pencil Drawing
Anna Gray
Colored Pencil Drawing Grace Marrone
Colored Pencil Drawing
Dorine Florestal
Charcoal Drawing
Raggi del Sole (an Italian poem)
Natalee Chianese
I raggi del sole riscaldano la brezza, Le foglie verdi ondeggiano al vento gentile, Le giornate estive si dispiegano.
Raggi del Sole (English translation)
Natalee Chianese
The sun’s rays warm the breeze, Green leaves sway in the gentle wind, Summer days unfold.
Abigail Larkin
Oil Painting
Lou-Victoria Martens
Mixed Media
Caitlin Sheedy
Mixed Media
Santiago Gomez Rendon
Haunting the Narrative
Isabella Odina
That day, you got up that pedestal
And listened, spoke, argued
That day, of all days,
You allowed yourself vulnerability
And in return
Our world burst into flames
I remember your piercing gaze
That judged, winced, frowned
Because I wasn’t perfect for you
You wanted elegance
And in return
You got raw passion and curiosity
Even so, I now find myself
Staring, reminiscing, lamenting
As your face is shielded from my blank gaze
I wasn’t there for you
And in return
I became a bird trapped in a rage
Graphite Pencil Drawing
Juliana Peregrin
Escape
Juliana Peregrin
Gouache Painting
Abigail Larkin
Colored Pencil Drawing Kelsey Wood
An Italian Poem
Eva Drennan
Il giorno della laurea si avvicina. Che giornata da festeggiare!
An Italian Poem (English translation)
Eva Drennan
Graduation is on its way. What a day to celebrate!
An Ode to Super Seniors
Isabella Odina and AP Literature Seniors
As years go by and senioritis sets in Students such as Rose begin to move on While others tightly grip to their inner senior within And their chance to move on is long forgone
O, dear universities, hear our plea! Drag thee to thy college community!
Our freshmen will finally be free O my soul, there will be unity!
Most will go on to find their inner light Surrounded by the noisy hustle and bustle of a moving crowd
But like a sacred shining star lighting up the night, Super seniors stand out, all mighty and proud
O, dear universities, hear our plea! Drag thee to thy college community!
Their wise, constant boasts would pair well with a degree
Allow them to see this great opportunity!
Their time in high school has come to an end
Let not their will be allowed to bend!
Walking Down Memory Lane
Juliana Peregrin
Mixed Media
Meghan Connolly
Mixed Media
Sarah Colon
Mixed Media
Madison Fajardo
Colored Pencil Drawing
The Way of My Mind
Brielle Jimenez
The thought of the world is too much for me
Slowly, the graceful words slip from my mind and fade into the unknown
The words I wanted but never got to say
My mind like the shore when the UV is 10
Like a football stadium on Super Bowl Sunday
So loud and chaotic
Unpredictable and fast-paced
Sometimes I wish my mind was normal
Normal like a mind peaceful and opaque
Quite and calm
like an underground Jazz bar
With thoughts so clear like waters of the Florida Keys
But Maybe the loud and the chaotic is fitting
Maybe it’s just me
Sarah Colon
Digital Collage
Tyler Javick
Gouache Painting
Madison Fajardo
You Are My Poetry
Tony Rivera
In whispered words, we paint the night, A quiet world, just you and I. Where time slows down and stars take flight, In your gaze, I find the sky.
Each breath you take, a melody, A song that only I can hear. Your heartbeat’s rhythm, wild and free, It echoes softly, pulling near.
Like hidden verses in a stream, We flow through moments, side by side. You are the meaning of my dream, The secret that I cannot hide.
So here, in every silent glance, We write a love no one can see. Our souls are forever locked in a dance You are my world, my poetry.
Acrylic Painting
Abby Lobis
Acrylic Painting Madison Fajardo
Acrylic Painting
Jamie Werdal
Acrylic Painting Isabella Carrero
Luci Scintillanti
(an Italian poem)
Ella Stefanisko
Ho ballato
nelle luci scintillanti
durante la fredda notte invernale bella e rosa
capelli indietro e lisci
tornato a casa
riposo stasera addormentarsi senza luce
Luci Scintillanti
(English translation)
Ella Stefanisko I danced in the twinkling lights during the cold winter night beautiful and pink hair back and straight back home rest tonight sleeping without light
Pastel Chalk Pencil Drawing
Madison Fajardo
Pen and Ink Drawing Madison Fajardo
Pen and Ink Drawing
Chris Mazzucco
Pastel Chalk Pencil Drawing
Abby Lobis
A Latin Diamante Poem
Kara Pelikan retiarii callidi, expediti, decipiunt, evitant, vulnerant, victores, Nucerini, gladii, Pompeiiani, provocat, clamat, pugnat, fortis, maximus, murmillo
A Latin Diamante Poem
(English translation)
Kara Pelikan netfighters clever, light footed, deceiving, avoiding, injuring, victorious, Nucerians, swords, Pompeians, provokes, shouts, fights, brave, biggest, heavily-armed fighter.
Mixed Media
Dorine Florestal
Mixed Media
Lou-Victoria Martens
Pastel Chalk Pencil Drawing Logan Phillips
Oil Painting
Abigail Larkin
Oil Pastel Drawing
Sarah Colon
Oil Pastel Drawing
Lillianna Nguyen
Oil Painting
Lou-Victoria Martens
Oil Painting
Abigail Larkin
Laeta
(a Latin poem)
Sofia Kydonieus
L - litteris Latinis studēre
A - amicas convenire
E - epistulam scribere
T - tenēre felem
A - attendere scholam
Laeta
(English translation)
Sofia Kydonieus
H - to study the Latin language
A - to meet friends
P - to write letters
P - to hold a cat
Y - to attend school
Something New
Brielle Jimenez
I want to feel something new
I want to climb to the highest mountain
And slide my way down
I want to zip line over the open ocean
And fall where no land is near
I want to walk aimlessly in a jungle
That has no escape
I want to wander through a dark maze
With to end
I want to lay in a bed of flowers
And feel the fear of never waking I want to feel something
Something new
Pen and Ink Drawing
Abby Lobis
Oil Pastel Drawing Samantha D’Angelo
Pen and Ink Drawing
Meghan Connolly
Pen and Ink Drawing
Abigail Larkin
Pen Drawing
Viviana Di Candia
Pen
Drawing Abigail Wargo
Pen Drawing Karly Falkenstein
Pen
Drawing Rocco Valentino
Pen
Edyta Gray
Pen Drawing Erin
Ahearn
What Was and What Is
Ash Bien
The carpet was once a light fluffy beige, Now it lies there, a matted, colorful mess. The poster was once bright on display, Now it’s wrinkled, frayed in distress.
Little Kitty, once frisky and fun, Now sleeps eternally, lying at rest. Board games once played and die once spun, Now those games and fun have been outgrown.
Textbooks and folders now sit on my dresser, Where dollies and stuffies once slept all alone. Resting and napping now fill my leisure, When just the thought used to make me groan.
Large garbage bags are stuffed with old dreams, But when broken, they used to be sewn. Dust collects on old photos and books, Yet in those moments, they were once my own.
Letting things go and leaving behind, Like growing and changing, may feel alone. But shedding old skin and going in blind, Might just leave you mature and defined.
Growing pains and changes may all be new, But what’s new will soon become old. And both are still part of you, A story of life, not yet done being told.
Pastel Chalk Pencil Drawing Lou-Victoria Martens
Mixed Media Madison Fajardo
Pastel Chalk Pencil Drawing Meghan Connolly
An Italian Diamante Poem
Max Achtau
Sciare
Gelido, ghiacciato, gelido, agghiacciante
Skilift, rifugio, barca, ancora
Navigare, attraccare, armare
Vento avventuroso, Vela
An Italian Diamante Poem
(English translation)
Max Achtau
Skiing
Frosty, Snowy
Icing, Freezing, Chilling Lift, Lodge, Boat, Anchor Navigating, Docking, Rigging
Windy, Adventurous Sailing
Marker Drawing
Isabella Carrero
Marker Drawing
Jamie Werdal
Mountain Peaks
Juliana Peregrin
Mixed Media Connor Shute
An Italian Poem
Gianna DeSantis
Il colore dell’oceano
Prima che sorga la sfera di luce
Il cielo non è ancora dorato
Ma blu come il mio cuore
Un bel blu
An Italian Poem
(English translation)
Gianna DeSantis
The color of the ocean
Before the orb of light rises
The sky not golden yet
But blue as mine heart
Beautiful blue
Overlook
Juliana Peregrin
Endless Gardin
Juliana Peregrin
Painted Sky
Juliana Peregrin
This Story is Over
Isabella Odina
In times of strife and scorn
Rage and cruelty
I saw you in all your splendor In one act of this tragic tale
Oh, never have I felt at ease! The sight of you has ruined me Yet the Fates had other plans As I kissed the memory of you goodbye
You could say we were destined to meet Just not in this universe
As Mother Earth has not shown us grace And ripped out the ending of our story
Colored Pencil Drawing Lucas O’Connor
Hibiscus Mia DiBari
Collage Sarah Colon Frog Valerie Cordero-Beckert
Graphite Drawing
Lou-Victoria Martens
3-D Sculpture Emily Carpenter
The End of the Tunnel
Isabella Odina
Years come and go
And the end of the tunnel is soon to approach
But as I reflect
Words and thoughts buried deep come rushing back
I can’t change the past
Can’t overturn my faults
Can’t regain missed opportunities
But I move on
With my eyes set on the light at the end of the tunnel
I can learn from the past
Brainstorm ways to right my wrongs
Display my potential for all to see
Because my heart is set on the future
As I fight my way to the end of the tunnel
Graphite and Colored Pencil Drawing
Lou-Victoria Martens
Graphite and Colored Pencil Drawing
Lou-Victoria Martens
Charcoal Drawing Abigail Larkin
Collage
Lillianna Nguyen
Collage
Jamie Werdal
Collage
Isabella Carrero
Collage
Jack Wright
Bubbles
Sarah Colon
Marker Drawing
Marker Drawing
Acrylic Painting
Meghan Connolly
Talia
(an Italian poem)
Talia Kniffin
T radizionale
A tletica
L a affezione
I ncredibile
A dattabile
Talia (English translation)
Talia Kniffin
Traditional
Athletic
The affection Incredible
Adaptable
Rose Colored Glasses
Brielle Jimenez
I feel her
The moon,
I feel her eyes follow me like a storm as I wander through the dark world with my rose colored glasses covering my innocent eyes
The glasses that allow me to gaze at every sight as if it were the first wildflower of spring
Something so familiar yet so beautifully unseen
Connor Shute
Lucas O’Connor
Pencil Drawing Meghan Connolly
Pencil Drawing Abigail Larkin
Pencil Drawing Madison Fajardo
Pencil Drawing Lou-Victoria Martens
Pencil Drawing Abby Lobis
Acrylic Painting Meghan Connolly
Watercolor, Pencil and Pen Drawing
Connor Shute
Watercolor, Pencil and Pen Drawing
Anna Gray
Collage
Isabella Carrero
Watercolor, Pencil and Pen Drawing
Dorine Florestal
