KIPP NYC: Legend Volume IV - A Literary Magazine (Spring 2022)

EDITOR'S

JamesBaldwin,NotesofaNativeSon(1955)

RealisticFiction

Working hard for something you want, standing up to bullies, making new friends, exploring personal passions, becoming more confident in who you are... The stories in this section capture the emotions, issues, and realities that define the human experience. They depict human experiences that feel familiar to us, even if they're very different from our own. That is the power of realistic fiction.

by

Mallory’sPromise Mallory’sPromise

AbigailDone

I was upstairs in my room watching my favorite movie I love the actors so much, they inspire me to be one myself But I’ll never be as good as they are A few minutes later, I heard my dad call my name “MALLORY JONES, COME DOWN HERE NOW,” he shouted

I suspected he was mad at me But he probably only yelled so I would hear him He’s usually really chill and hardly ever yells Besides, everyone thinks I’m deaf or something since I can’t hear anyone call my name from the living room I went downstairs and saw my little brother on the couch with tears streaming down his face and my dad well, let’s just say he wasn’t as happy and chill as usual

“What’s wrong?” I asked him I was really nervous about what he was going to say I had never seen both of them like that before My brother, Alex, is always upstairs in his room playing video games It seems like he has no time to go outside and breathe in some fresh air And my dad is usually watching TV while eating chips and salsa He only works Monday through Thursday Before my dad could say anything, I saw the clock and realized it said 5:43 PM My mom is usually here around 5:30 PM

I looked at my dad “Where’s Mom?” I asked I was so confused why Dad and Alex were crying and why Mom wasn’t home at the time she’s supposed to be home from work “Mallory ” my dad said softly “Your mom was in a car accident,” he continued, trying to keep his tears at bay “What no, no, that’s not true,” I said I was so frightened Was my mom really gone?

"I'm sorry she’s gone, mi amor,” my dad said He couldn’t keep the tears in anymore

No, I said to myself My mom is not gone She’s alive I don’t know, maybe she's running late My dad gave me a big hug I cried out a whole ocean full of tears My brother joined in the hug We were all so devastated My beautiful mother wasn’t coming home tonight

Hours later, I took a nice hot shower and got into some comfy pajamas I didn’t even want to finish watching the movie I decided it was best to go to sleep and deal with all the grief tomorrow

I couldn’t believe it, my mom was gone She still had a life to live To see me graduate and be at my wedding and so much more I started crying again But I had to accept it I had to accept that My mother Was Gone

A week later, I was sitting on my bed, crying into my pillow This is something I did every day I had to go to the mall to find a black dress For my mother’s funeral I never thought this day would come until I was an adult But I guess it was really happening

I wiped my tears and headed downstairs I smelled something delicious It was arroz con pollo My mother’s favorite food Mine as well Lately, my dad hadn’t gone to work I could understand him I hadn’t gone to school I was way too scared to even step out of the front door to get the mail

I had to go to school the next week The principal let me stay because I was grieving I looked at my dad He looked at me He knew that I was crying He could tell by the look on my face

“Where’s Alex?” I asked him

“He went to his friend's house He needed a break or something, I don’t know,”

”

“Oh, okay ” I was shocked that my brother just wanted to leave after something horrible like this happened

“When is he coming back? We need to look for an outfit to wear to the funeral ” “The funeral isn’t until Saturday Today is Tuesday He’ll be back by tomorrow or Thursday ”

“Okay I’ll be back I’m gonna go upstairs real quick and I’ll come down for dinner,” I said “Okay, mija,” my dad said with a little smile I went upstairs into my bedroom But then I thought of something I went into my parents' bedroom I hadn’t been there since my mother passed away I looked into her closet She had the best style

I noticed a little box on the floor It was decorated, and it looked familiar I opened it and looked inside It was notes and letters I realized that they were from me I opened a few They were funny jokes that I wrote to my mother when I was nine Mother’s Day cards And birthday cards I chuckled I opened one more It was different from all the other ones

"Hi Mom I have something to tell you I have always wanted to be an actress And you told me you wanted to be one So I’m gonna make a promise to you To become a famous actress Anyways love You mom BYE! Love, Mallory (Your beautiful Daughter) <3"

Oh my gosh I must have been a really dumb nine year-old Why did I think I could be an actress? But wait I made a promise to my mom I remembered I even made her breakfast so she could have faith in me Which now seems really stupid

My mom might be gone But my love for her and my promise isn’t So, yeah I will become an actress Starting, like, right now Wait, what? What am I thinking right now? I literally have no motivation to do that But maybe I should Okay, okay, the decision is final I will never break my promise to my mother I will become an actress I will make her proud Well, I’ll definitely try I guess When I went back to school, everyone was staring at me They were all whispering “That’s the girl who lost her mother in a car

accident

“Oh wow, I hope she’s okay, that's so sad I can’t imagine what it must feel like to lose my mother ”

And then more and more whispering Why are they even trying to compare themselves to me? Well, they must not know how to whisper I can hear them, obviously

I was walking to my locker when I saw a very interesting paper on the bulletin board Did it just say play? A PLAY? OH MY GOSH! THIS IS GREAT! This is how I can become an actress Wait, wait, wait, hold on Am I sure this is something I should do? I’ve never even been in a play before And I’m gonna have to perform in front of a lot of people Can I really do this? Maybe I can

I made a promise to myself and my mother This would really help me be a successful actress in the future Wow, I sound like a nine year-old Ok, I’ll do it But I definitely have to talk to my dad about this I don’t even think he could ever see me in a play I’m way too shy and I used to think plays were stupid Until today I can do it Yeah, I’ll just talk to my dad after school

I was on my way to my first class when I saw the worst person in the universe Jenny Thompson

We’ve hated each other since first grade All because I accidentally took her doll because I thought it was mine We had the same one Sadly “Mallory Jones Well, I guess you're back ”

“Yes, I am back, Jenny Is that a problem?” I said “No, no I just thought you were grieving from your mother I’m so sorry about what happened to her May she rest in peace ”

What in the world was going on? Was Jenny Thompson being nice to me right now? No, that is unbelievable But maybe she’s not that cruel Especially when it comes to death

“Oh, uh, thanks, Jenny,” I said, with a warm smile “So, did you know that there’s going to be a play?” she asked me

“Oh, yeah, I did know I just saw the paper on the bulletin board I think I’m going to audition Maybe

for the lead role,“ I said, wondering why she was still talking to me

“What?! Yeah, uh, no I’m going to get the lead role,” she said, with an angry, shocked face

“Don’t you mean audition for the lead role?” I asked

“NO It doesn’t matter I’m going to get the lead role anyway I’m such a good actor ”

“You know, you're very selfish Just because your dad is the mayor, doesn’t mean you can just get the lead role of a school play Other people might want to audition See, this is exactly why we’re enemies,” I said, with an annoyed face

“Um absolutely not I will get the lead role You won’t You will never be a good actor Why are you being so rude to me? You shouldn’t be acting like this Is this because your mom died?” she said, probably proud of herself for talking to me like that “Are you kidding me? You have the audacity to bring up my mother She passed away You are so disrespectful and immature I’m going to get the lead role I will be an actress in the future And you, Miss Jenny Thompson, will never succeed in life Whatever, goodbye,” I said

I was so mad at her How could she be so rude to me? I did nothing to her I was only telling the truth And she had no right to say anything about my mom UHHHHH! Sometimes I just wanna strangle her It’s always the stupid, bratty, snobby, rich girls

Always thinking that they're better than everyone else Well, that’s it I’m telling my dad about the play and I will be in it I will keep my promise And I will never break it

When I got back home, I saw my dad watching a baseball game sitting on the couch, eating chips and salsa Like I said, the usual “Hey, Dad,” I said, kinda nervous about telling him I wanted to audition for the play “Hi, mija How was school?” he said, with a little grin

“It was good, I guess I ran into Jenny Thompson

and we had an argument ”

“Oh, sorry about that I always hated that little witch She is so disrespectful "

“Yeah, she is So, um, I have a question for you It’s really important and I really hope you support me for it ”

“Okay, I’m kinda worried now But, of course I would support you no matter what ” "Okay, thanks, Dad So when I was walking in the hallway, I saw a paper about a play on the bulletin board And I wanna audition for the lead role,” I said, with a scared face

“Oh, uh, really? Since when are you so interested in plays? I thought you said they were boring ”

“Yeah, I know But, um, a couple days ago, I was looking in Mom’s closet and I saw an old letter that I wrote for her when I was nine It was saying how I made a promise about being an actress Now Mom is gone And I really don’t want to break that promise ”

“Oh, wow I didn’t know Well, you do whatever you want to do I think you would be a wonderful actress ”

“Thank you so much, Dad This means a lot to me So, um, I can’t believe I'm gonna have to perform in front of I-don’t-even-know-how-many people,” I said, with a little chuckle

“Oh, don’t worry You got this You remind me so much of your mother,” he said with a smile

I smiled back at him Well, that’s it I’m going to audition for my first play I can’t wait This will help my dream come true

The next day, I went to school to see the drama teacher I talked to her about wanting the audition for the play Thankfully, she gave me the script so I could practice my lines The play was about Romeo and Juliet The best love story in the entire universe I always thought it was lame Until then I was so excited My dad and Alex were helping me practice my lines Most of the time we were laughing because they thought it was corny and cheesy But they were telling me how good I am at acting Which

was my goal I was glad to have a family that supports me I’m gonna kill this audition

....

A couple days later, it was time for the audition I was nervous but excited at the same time I was the last person to go up on the stage And I did it I auditioned I acted out most of Juliet’s lines and I was confident Now all I had to do was wait I was in the hallway talking with a new friend I made Her name is Kaylie She really understands me and knows how much I want to be in this play I saw the drama teacher walking with a piece of paper in her hand This is it This is when I find out if I get the lead role Everyone who auditioned was walking towards Ms Nickson People who auditioned for whatever part they wanted to have were all excited Some who didn’t get a part were sad and devastated Seeing them like that made me so nervous I saw Jenny looking at the paper I was already sweating I stood still It was like I saw a tiger eat one of my friends Or they jumped off of a cliff Jenny turned around with a smile on her face Then the smile slowly went away

“UHH SERIOUSLY? I DESERVE THAT PART!” she said She looked like she wanted to kill someone “Hey, uh, Jenny, who got the leading role?” I said, scared about what she was going to say “You got it, idiot I don’t understand why You’re probably not even that good at acting,” she said, upset and annoyed “Wait, what? I got the role Oh my gosh I GOT THE ROLE! EEEEEEEK,” I said, jumping up and down I was so excited People were looking at me jealous, but since I got the role and my dream was going to come true, I didn’t pay any mind to them Kaylie ran to me giving a big hug She was so happy for me, and I was so happy for myself

After the play, everyone was congratulating me They all complimented me on my great acting, which I was grateful for, but also surprised Then I saw my dad and Alex

“Wow, sis, you did such a great job I expected you to humiliate yourself up there on the stage,” my brother said with a nasty smile

I rolled my eyes annoyed, but still glad that he was proud of me

“Yeah, you did such a great job You’re such an amazing actress I really do hope you become successful in the future,” my dad said, giving me a big hug And my brother joined in

I just knew that my mother was watching me from heaven crying, happy for me, and knowing I made sure to keep my promise

A couple months later, I became really popular in school Even Jenny became my friend Which I never thought would happen But I’m grateful that people actually liked me and didn’t just pretend to like me because my mother died People can be so fake sometimes It’s annoying

I needed to think of a college to go to It was almost the end of the year and I hadn’t applied for anything, except for two colleges I wanted to go to a cool acting school Obviously I went home and my dad and brother welcomed me with a huge smile I was confused about why they both seemed really excited

“We have a fun surprise for you!” my brother said, He looked so excited Like the time he got his first phone

“Well, what is it? It better be good And please hurry up I have to go apply for some more colleges I ain’t got all day,” I said, excited but annoyed

“Here, look at this It came in the mail For you,” my dad said, looking very proud of me for some reason

I took the envelope, and I opened it It was from JULLIARD ACTING SCHOOL OH MY GOSH Wait, wait, hold on I don’t even know if I got accepted or not

“Okay, okay here we go,” I said with a smile but a worried face

I started reading the letter

I wasn’t paying attention to the rest of the letter

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I GOT ACCEPTED!” I said, screaming from the top of my lungs

“YAYYY! I’m so proud of you, sis,” Alex said, jumping into my arms

“Good job mija, I’m so happy for you So is your mother,” my dad said, with a warm smile and hugging me so tight Well, I did it I’m finally going to be an actress I actually did it I kept my promise I know my mother is so proud of me And I know that she’s watching me with lots and lots of love in her heart I can’t wait to be successful in the future I will be the greatest actress the world has ever seen And I don’t care about who judges me I know that I’m special And I have my family and friends to thank for helping me be successful Well, that’s it My Journey starts now

The hardest thing about developing the story was trying to find out the reason why Mallory decided to keep the promise that she gave her mother. I tried hard to find the perfect way to explain why she wanted to keep the promiseher motivation. I wanted to find a way for her to be happy about her career. It was hard for me to choose, because I don’t have that experience of choosing a college, a career, so I didn’t really know. AbigailDone

KIPPFreedomMiddleSchool

SabrinaMurray

ArtContest ArtContest

by

JavayaRouhlac

I sigh A great big one too It's good to be home because it’s been a pretty long day “Andrea? Is that you?”

My mom sounds really tired I turn to the kitchen and there she is, cooking up wonders I take in a deep breath and inhale the meats and sauces and spices

“Yeah, Mom, it's me What are you making?”

I glance into the pot “Gumbo and rice ”

Yes! My mom's gumbo is amazing She learned from her mom and said one day she would teach me too

My mom has brown curly hair and a soft smile She often has bags under her eyes due to lack of sleep I try to make sure that she gets as much as possible, but she insists on making everything into a huge project for herself She says she’d rather do it the long way, and correctly, than to do it as fast as possible and make mistakes I run to the back of the small apartment and plop myself onto my desk chair I mean, that's what I call it It's really just an old office chair my mom found outside My “desk” is just a fold-up desk, like the ones people use at cookouts or barbecues, painted baby blue by my dad Out of all the colors in the universe, It's my favorite

I open up my sketchbook (my boring composition notebook, made awesome by me), and start drawing the big boiling pot of heaven I try to add as much detail as I can, too One day, I'm gonna be the greatest artist alive I can feel it I just need to focus now I pull out my homework and start writing Algebra is so boring So I instead decide to call my friend Kim Kimberly and I have been friends since she stood up for me and when the class bully, Jess,

stole my favorite drawing In kindergarten I remember Kim’s exact words “How dare you twake Andie’s gweat flowah?” She had speaking problems when we were little

She was the only one who even knew it was a flower Everyone else had different ideas on what it was She’s the only one who’s not in my family who believes in me and understands me, sometimes even more than my parents I walk back to the kitchen Mom is right there, mixing and adding more spices

“Mom, can I borrow your phone? I wanna call Kim and see if she can help me with my math work ”

She takes her time, wiping her hand on her shirt and then turning off the stove She turns to me and says,

“OK, here, but make sure her mom is ok with it ” I fist-bump the air and do a little happy dance I take the phone and go into the living room for a bit and call my best, and only friend ....

“And then you just multiply across! See, you got it ” I hugged her “Thanks Kim, I get it now ”

Between the two of us, I’ve always been the dumb one, and I hate it But to even it out, I'm creative and love to draw Kim and I both love to swim in the community pool, but she actually wants to make it a career I always tell her, “Kim, no, You need to be like a doctor or lawyer or someone important ”

But there is no swaying Kimberly Johnson She doesn’t think she’s smart enough for that But she is, and everyone but her knows it And I mean everyone Everyone knows Kimberly, or Kim J , as her popular friends call her No one ever notices

me That’s because of the difference between me and her I'm not exactly the popular type in anybody's mind Kim likes to cook, swim, do hair My idea of a perfect afternoon is watching reruns of Can You Drew it? My favorite show, and the best art show of all time Kim is overall talented, and I'm just not

Kim has light skin, loves anything purple and is a cheerleader She has dirty blonde hair and is your average popular girl, besides being mean Me, on the other hand, I'm kind of nerdy and look just like my mom Curly, dark hair I usually put into a puff on top of my head I have dark skin, and the thought of me tumbling across the room and being tossed into the air is just a no-go for me

“Andie? Hello?” I snap back to reality

“Um, oh yeah?” She gestures to my bed

“Let’s watch Can You Drew it?!”

I turn on the TV and there are a few commercials Then the famous Drew introduces the contestants My eyes are glued to the screen After about 20 minutes and a couple of ads, Drew turns to the audience

“Do you want to show off your special art talent on this very stage? Are you around the age of 10 or 13? Then try out your artistic hand at 801-259-ART That's 801-” Kim turns and mutes the TV

“You should totally do it!” I start to rub my index finger and thumb together, like I do whenever I'm nervous I think about it for a minute, then I say, “OK fineee, but you need to help me ” Kim claps her hands and says, “Deal, but don't forget you need your mom's permission ” I give her a look She eyes me “Don't tell me you-” I hop up and cut her off using my finger

“Shhhhh, just please let me use your phone '' She sighs “Please, just for a minute!” She puts her index finger and thumb on her chin and furrows her perfect brows

“Alright ” She hands me the shiny phone and changes seating positions “I hope this is worth it, Andie ” ....

“Wake up, jerk ” I open one eye and Alliah, my sister, is in my doorway

“I am up, jerk ” I sit up and rub the sleep out of my eyes She closes the door and I stretch I crawl out of bed and head to the bathroom, down the hall As I wash my face I rethink the conversation that guy Steve and I had

“Hello, is this Drew?”

“No this is Steve, I work here at the ‘Can You Drew it?’ headquarters ”

“Oh, ok, well, I wanted to be on the show ” “Ok, state your name and age, please ”

Blah, blah, blah “Ok, 11 11, Parent's name and email address, please ”

“Name: Kilo Bluntem Email: andiebee@gmail com ” “Uhh, are you sure?” “ Yes”

“Ok your parent will receive an email as soon as possible, goodbye ” He hangs up

Kim takes her phone back and says, “You gave them your mom’s name, but your email Okay, rebel!” I shift standing positions, putting my weight on my right foot “Um, I guess I'll have to wait ” She left a bit after

I rinse my face and check the time 7:13 I go back to my room and look around I dig in my drawer, my closet, and even under my bed I’m not really feeling my clothes right now

So I head to Alliah’s room

She isn’t here because she always heads out with her friends around 7:00 I dig around in her closet, but everything looks way too big This year has to be different - I don't want to look like a nerd I look around and see a little box in the corner I quickly open it and look around I pull out a sweater with blue and white stripes It looks about my size I then find a black midi skirt and put it on with the sweater It looks great! There are some black studded boots that go perfectly I decide to do something different with my hair today Instead of my usual puff, I go with a low, slicked back bun It was hard to do at first, but It

didn’t look half bad I grabbed my bag, kissed my mom, and ran out the door to the bus stop

....

As I head to my locker with Kim, heads turn our way and I hear my name Neither of these is unusual because I’m weird and everyone is always staring at Kim and I (for different reasons) But then a girl comes to me and says, “I like your boots ” I just sit there with my mouth wide open and try not to faint Did that girl just compliment me? The whole day goes the same way Me getting compliments about my hair and outfit and trying not to pass out onto the floor I'm in high spirits and, of course, Jess has to mess it up

“Hey loser, do you think that a new haircut and some dusty sweater will make you cool? HA, think again!”

I move to her but Kim pulls me back “Ignore her, Andie You always look great ” I grumble

“Yeah whatever, Kim ” When I get to the stoop in front of my building, Kim passes me her phone and shows me an email: "Congratulations, you are entered to win the art contest Due to the large number of entries, we can only allow pictures to be sent via phone/email Sorry for the inconvenience Winner will receive $200,000 Thank you " I almost faint for the 200th time today

“Thanks Kim!” I say and run into the apartment $200,000! That will save us I speed past my mom in the kitchen and take off my jacket I sit at my desk and don't even pull out my homework Instead, I decide to start drawing right then and there I take out my pencil and as soon as it hits the paper, I know exactly what to draw ....

“ANDIEEE!!!” My sister stomps into my room

“Where the heck are my clothes?” I put my drawing into my backpack and shrug “I don’t know what you're talking about ” She

comes closer

“Those were from Aunt Lauren!” My shoulders and arms go limp

“Oh ” Aunt Lauren passed away 3 years ago She was part of what kept us afloat But now both my parents work 2 jobs to make sure we have enough money and food to survive

“I didn’t know, Ally ” Her face softens

“You called me Ally?” I didn’t even realize I used to call her that when I was younger, when we had a bigger apartment

“I guess I did ” She sits on my bed “Never mind You can keep them, they're too small for me anyway ” I beam at her and she says, “Hey, What were you putting away when I walked in?” I hesitate and then show her my drawing of Drew She looks at it for what seems like hours, and then says, “That's not half bad Wow ” Did I really just impress Alliah? Dang, my luck just keeps getting better and better ....

Taking the box of things into my room, I think about the $200,000 I don’t even know if I'm going to win The email said so Due to the large number of entries

There are going be too many people competing with me, half of them older than me! I sit the box in the corner of my room and then run to the bus stop Today, I'm sporting a tank top with high-waisted jeans and canvas shoes that were in the box Ally let me borrow some of her lip gloss and mascara too, because I told her I needed extra confidence today She thought that I was talking about a boy, but I didn’t tell her the truth I didn’t want her to tell Mom or Dad

“Andie! Hey ” Kim waves to me from the bus that I didn’t even realize had pulled up “I saved you a seat!”

I climb into the bus and some people glance up at me and point As I walk to the back with Kim, I hear a few, “Woah, her shoes ” And, “I would kill for that top ” Kim pats the seat next to hers and says, “Ms Popular, you got an email ” She shows me her

phone and it only says: Show premieres Saturday at 10:30 pm

I'm so excited I almost hop out of my seat In class, everyone practically pushes each other to sit near me and Kim I met a lot of new people, even the football captain, Jake On Saturday, I'm practically bursting ....

Everyone gathers into the living room in order to understand what’s going on “Ok, Mom, Dad, Ally, I have something to tell you guys ” Dad raises his eyebrows and Mom is surprised that I called my sister ‘Ally,’ but she doesn’t show it I take a deep breath and say, “Ok, so, I may or may not have gone behind your back but it's okay because we’ll be able to live in a house and ” “Andie! Slow down!” Mom says “What happened? Slower this time ”

I feel a tear stinging up my eyes and I fill up with guilt

“Can I show you instead?” I ask “Sure, Andie ” Dad says Mom and Ally look hesitant, but then cave I turn on the TV and after a few commercials and confused glances my way, I see Drew’s welcoming face

“Welcome back to Can You Drew it? I'm your host Drew!” If my family wasn’t confused before, then they definitely are now

A collage of pictures show on the screen, each with the names of the people that drew them My parents were shocked Alliah looked mad Before anyone can say anything I blurt out, “I'm so, so, sorry! I really didn’t wanna go behind your back but-” Then we all stop, because we hear my name announced as the winner

“The $200,000 goes to the family of Andrea Bluntem!”

We all hop up and dance all around Tears of joy fall to the floor, along with all my worries I then hug my whole family I did it! We won’t ever not have money again I can practically smell all the new pencils and markers and feel them through my fingertips

Dad says, “I'm so proud of you! But I have something to tell everyone, too ” My blood runs cold No, please don’t tell me he wants a divorce I know they haven't been getting along lately, but this could still work

“I got a raise at my job! We're saved! We don’t need the prize money, although it would be nice You can have it Andie, you’ve earned it ” Pride swells through me and then Ally stomps away I turn to them

“Actually, we can split the money That way, we can all get ourselves something nice! $200,000 is way too much for me alone anyway ”

“It's settled, then!” Mom says

5 MONTHS LATER

It's the first day back from winter break and today Kim, Ally, Jake, and I are matching We all have on blue t-shirts with black jeans - those are the school colors We all are here to support Jake and his football team

“Hey Andie, you look good in blue ” I blush; I know he doesn’t really like the color

“Thanks Jake, you guys look good in blue too ”

JavayaRouhlac

KIPPALLMiddleSchool

"WhenIwritestories,Ilikeimagining mycharactersThefactthaticould drawwhatmycharacterlookslikeis reallycool!"

by

Reputation Reputation

MeganPimentel

Tap, tap

“Ms Gomez, are you still with us?” Mr Seyas says

I nod my head while everyone stares at me I don’t like being the center of attention Says the girl who always cares about what others think

“Alright, all I ask is a 3-page essay about anything I’ll see you all on Monday ”

Finally, the last class of the day and I’m so ready to leave

As I leave the class, Jenna approaches me

“Hey I saw your video on Instagram last night You got some sick vocals ” I smile at her, which is rare She's usually the one making me mad

“Thanks,” I say in a low voice “Wanna go to Wave Cafe? I can give you a ride ” “Thanks, but you know how my mom gets when I’m not home right away I’ll text you later ”

She waves off and I walk the other way Jenna and I met not too long ago We were both taking pottery classes, and we just became friends

When I got home, my dog Charlie was waiting for me I let him lick my face as I say hi to Aunt Maria “Sión tia ”

“Hola, como fue la escuela, mi hermosa?” my aunt asks I told her all about pottery class and how I made a mug She really understands me She tells me my mom is at a doctor's appointment, but I see she left dinner cooked Every Friday, we have white rice, beans, and chicken It’s always a treat to come home to mami’s good food

I go to my room, shower, and start my homework “The 3-page essay is a Saturday problem,” I say I take a nap while listening to Phoebe Bridgers

Once I wake up, mami is back from her appointment

“Hola mami, cómo estuvo tu cita con el doctor ” She hugs me and gives me three kisses

“Bien, mi amor Dijo el médico, mientras siga tomando las pastillas, estoy bien ”

We eat some food and we all sit on the couch That’s when I hear the door open It's my sister She goes out with her friends a lot so we don’t talk much, but when we do, it feels like she really cares about what I have to say I go upstairs on my phone That’s when I saw Jenna tagged me in a post on social media It was from an anonymous person

The post in bright, bright red letters said: Word gets out quick in this school. If you’re not on Snapchat, you are really late to the party. I heard from a little birdie that Olivia Gomez is gay I mean, we all knew it, we just never really said anything

I feel my head stop

I stop thinking

I feel like I want to vomit and rip my eyes out

I’m freaking out I don't know what to do I know I should go tell someone, but all I do is put my phone down and cry into my pillow Later on, my sister comes in We share our room, so it’s kind of hard to get privacy My sister tells me I look like a ghost just passed through me It feels like it did

When I wake up, I'm glad it's Saturday I just can’t get the post out of my head, no matter how hard I try to As my mom prepares my coffee, I shower to clear my head My sister goes to Six Flags with her friends as normal I drink my coffee and sit at my desk

sister and I are two different people Her hair is light brown, with highlights and green tips She usually wears my mom's clothes Her hair sparkles and shines in the sun Her eyes shine and shimmer, and she has a nice freckled face She has this beauty that I guess skipped me My parents named her Elena, after one of my dad's sisters

I am clearing up my desk while Charlie sits on my bed with a chew toy when I hear my mom calling me

“Oye, qué es esto? Lo acabo de recibir en el buzón ” I opened up the envelope in her hand It was a flyer saying I had been chosen to sing in the Wave Cafes open mic I had auditioned to sing in their Open Mic I never thought I would be chosen, but it was something to look forward to

“Oh, es nada ” I quickly grab the envelope and take a picture and send it to Jenna

“Hey girl,” Jenna says “It’s so good that you signed up for the open mic, when is it?”

“It’s tomorrow at 7:30 ”

“Does your mom know?” Jenna asks in a low voice Here’s the thing: my mom has this dream that my sister and I are going to be successful My sister got the memo, but not me I want to sing in front of thousands of people, and my mom just wants me to be rich I tell Jenna I’ll find a way to tell her and I hang up Later, my mom calls me for dinner

“Listen, what was in the envelope? I know very well that it's something important ” I hesitate to tell her, but I just spit it out

“It’s for an open mic It’s not just a hobby It’s something I’m really interested in and want to pursue ” My words slide out all mushed I can see my mom's smile fade I feel as if I disappointed her All I want to do is make her proud

“Oh ”

“The open mic is tomorrow Can I go?” It comes out more like I'm telling her rather than asking her

“Absolutamente no, sabes que cantar no te llevará a ningún lado en la vida ”

There isn’t any point arguing with mami You’ll never win We finish dinner in silence and I get

ready for tomorrow

My Sunday is pretty boring, except for when I decide to sneak out Mami acted like the open mic thing never happened, and I told her I wasn’t going I sneak out later that night I go to the cafe and meet up with Jenna Once I enter, I realize almost everyone from our school is there, including everyone who saw that Instagram post I freak out I can't go on stage and perform in front of everyone who knew who I was I didn’t even know who I was I tell Jenna I can't do it, and for the first time, she doesn't argue with me

“Hey, I get it, it's stressful, and you don’t have to sing ” I feel relieved until she says, “You know, you should turn this into an online war I mean, come on, everyone knows that this is how most teenage movies start ” A part of me wants to tell her she's wrong, but it was the only thing that felt right I start working on my essay that night I stopped to think about what Jenna said I grab my phone and I open Instagram I respond to the post in bold, red letters “Wow, I knew this school was obsessed with me, but not this much ” I put my phone down, embarrassed that this is what I was doing It started out well, not so harmless, but now I'm scared of what is going to happen next

It’s Monday and I walk to school in my bright orange sweater and my stylish black sunflower pants So much for blending in

EVERYBODY is staring, and when I say EVERYBODY, I mean EVERYBODY On Mondays and Fridays, my dad picks me up My parents aren’t together, so that’s a whole situation I was so happy for later, I would go home and no one well, almost no one, would be staring at me

I passed my sister in the hall One thing she let me know when I was going to be a freshman is to never talk to her at school I knew she was embarrassed of me She couldn’t help it, she was popular and didn't want her friends to find out she has a freshman who wants to be a musician as her sister But this time, she was breaking her own rule

Elena pulls me into the janitor's closet and locks the door behind her

She looks at me with an angry face as she says, “ARE YOU CRAZY?” I didn't know what she meant “No,” I said shyly "YOUR NEWS IS ALL OVER THE SCHOOL

BECAUSE YOU COULDN’T KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! So, of course, you had to blab about this to your friends, and now everyone thinks I’m weird ”

“Sorry,” I say calmly I look up to my sister as she looks me in the eyes I can see her pain Her fury I leave the janitor's closet feeling more ashamed than ever

I continue my classes as normal, but instead of going straight home, I stop at the Cafe I talk to the owners and they say they’re having another open mic, and I could sing there if I wanted to This was my chance I sit down and start my homework and tell my mom I won’t be home “Excuse me, is this seat taken?” says a girl with nice brown hair and a welcoming smile She must have noticed me staring for way too long “If it is, I can find another chair ”

“Oh, no, sorry It isn’t taken; you can sit ” “I’m Tate, by the way,” she says “Cool, my name's Olivia ” “By any chance, do you go to South High school? I feel like I’ve seen you in the halls ”

“Yeah ” I say, trying to keep my cool We talk for a while and get to know each other I manage to get her number

“Hey, your music is dope If you ever need someone to help you, you can always call me ” Tate is super cool I talk to her on the way home She's a really nice girl

I head home, and this time I'm going to prepare to sing at the open mic When I get home, my mom has a look of fury and worry in her eyes

“¿Dónde estabas?”

“I was at the cafe I texted you ” “Look, I appreciate you having dreams, and I will always be there to support you but this, this is getting out of hand You go to that open mic tomorrow, and I promise you will regret it Go to your room ” My mom gives me a stern look so I go to my

room I start my homework and decide to go on Instagram As I'm scrolling through my text messages, I find another tagged post “Ms So-Called-Talent is going to be performing at an open mic in Wave Cafe Let's see how she handles it when all of us are there ” Welp, there goes my sophomore year

I call Tate to tell her the news “Hey, it’s okay Don’t pay any mind to that stupid site They’re jealous of you for being successful ”

“I appreciate you trying to lift me up, but it’s not happening,” I say in a promising voice “Whatever you say ”

We talk for a little while until she has to start her laundry

I go downstairs to eat dinner My hands are in my pockets of shame as I see my sister giving me the side eye and my mom gesturing to me to eat “Mami, I know you want me to be a doctor and pursue this rich life like Elena, but I’m not her I want to live in a small apartment, go to music school, and sing for the rest of my life This is something I want to do” I speak with pride, but deep inside I'm scared of what Mami is going to say next But what she says is completely unexpected “How about this - I come see you sing and then I will decide if you can sing ” After hearing that, I was filled with joy When it's time for the open mic, I can’t wait for my mom to hear me sing

I meet up with Tate after a while “Hey, you’re going to do amazing I wouldn't stress You always try, that’s what I like about you," she says with a small smile at the end

I give her a big hug and a thanks As I head up the stage, I feel my blood rushing and I feel as if everyone is staring at me But then I start singing The words fly out of my mouth A birdie singing a beautiful angelic song

I walk up to Tate and she smiles and says, “You always surprise me ” I give her a big smile and walk up to my mom I look at her and she says with a big smile,

“Well done!”

TheArtContest TheArtContest

by

ValeriaCordero

It was a rainy day in California at Olive’s home, and she was in her room on her computer, smiling

“I can’t wait for the contest!” she said, signing up for an art contest online Olive, 13, has blonde hair with blueish-green eyes and light skin, just like her mother “I’m gonna do so well!” She clicked off the page

“Olive, dinner’s ready,” Blake said “Okay, be right there!” Blake, Olive's brother, is 15 and has smooth, curly, black hair and green eyes, like his father, and light skin, like the rest of his family

Olive went downstairs to the dinner table, setting it up and helping out with the plates

“Hey, sweetie Looks like you had a good time in your room,” Olive’s father said, laughing

“Yeah! I signed up for an art contest that the school is having I’m so excited! It’s in 2 days ” Her mother smiled

“Good to know, honey Well, you can start making your beautiful art after dinner ”

After she finished eating, she started working on her art She sketched out a woman in a yellow dress with an umbrella in the rain, a beautiful park behind her and people walking in the background But she had something else in mind - Molly She knew that Molly would be evil enough to try and sabotage her work, so she made another piece She created a landscape with mountains in the background and the sun on the horizon, creating a mirrored version of the mountains and the light of the sun on the lake

The next day, she spotted Molly with a bunch of other popular kids around “Oh, look It’s the loser Why did you come to school? You are gonna lose the competition,

anyways ” Molly had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes; she was the “popular” one in school She used to be friends with Olive, until she got her fame and left her Olive gasped in disbelief How did she know?

“Well, guess what I know for a fact that you aren’t the best artist; you won’t have a chance against me Plus, I already made it I’m prepared ”

Luckily, Olive knew she was going to mess up her work

“We’ll see about that, garbage can,” she said, smiling evil-like Olive knew she was up to something

The following day, Olive started getting ready for the contest She put on a white shirt with jean overalls, blobs of paint on it She put her soft, brown hair in two buns with braids in front She knew she was prepared

“Oh my gosh, I can’t wait for the contest!” she said, jumping up and down “Sweetie, it’s time to go Hurry!” Her mom shouted, from downstairs

“Okay, coming!”

Olive grabs her backpack, staring at it with joy “I can do this ”

Her mom drops her off at school, waving and wishing her good luck “Thanks, Mom!” Olive said “Love you ”

sets one of her art pieces onto it, using a stand to help place the art She also adds a small camera behind the art to catch Molly sabotaging her work She makes sure that the angle is good enough for artists to enjoy her artwork One of them goes up to her table

“Salutations, young artist My name is Luke andoh my! What wonderful art you have! I love the vibrant colors you used, and it looks so natural Beautiful work!” the artist says, filled with amazement “How were you able to make such wonderful art like this?” Olive thought for a moment

"Oh, I just got the thought from my head I added more and more details as I went,” Olive said, nervous, but calm “Nothing much, really Just gotta let yourself go and-”

That’s when the speakers started announcing, “Attention young artists! It is now Snack time! Head outside to your right to find a table with chips, juice, cookies, and more!” The artist smiled

“Wonderful time seeing you, Olive ” He waved Olive waved back to Luke, smiling with excitement

Once she was done with her snacks, she went back to her table and saw that her artwork was messed up, filled with water She pretended to be upset, and started fake-crying and screaming

“Oh, no! My art! Who could’ve done this?” She said, fake-sobbing “I’m so upset ” Luke, confused, walked towards her “Oh, dear Why would anyone do such a thing like this? How immature of them ” Olive smiled internally

“Good thing I added a camera and made another piece of art,” she said, stopping her acting She opened her backpack, grabbing her second piece of art

“Wow This other piece of art is a lot better! This definitely deserves an award,” Luke said Olive smiled Her hopes were high in winning the contest

“Thanks ”

She walked over to the side of the table and grabbed the camera, stopping the recording She

clicks the video button, showing the first part of the recording to the artist He was shocked

"Oh my Lord How could she? She was so sweet while talking to me and the other artists, but why would she do such a cruel thing like this?” Olive glared at Luke

“Oh, no You do not know what kind of person she is She calls me ‘trash’ and a ‘garbage can ’ She’s super evil ” Molly came over to my table and pretended to be surprised

“Oh, my! Who could’ve done such an immature thing like this?” Molly blinked to make us think she was innocent Me and Luke glare at Molly with angry eyes “What? Did I do something wrong?” Molly said, in her nice voice “We know what you did,” Luke said angrily “You are disqualified for ruining someone else's art ”

Molly started to cry

“This is all your fault, Olive! If you hadn’t come to the contest, I would’ve won!”

“Actually,” says Luke, sighing, “You had the worst art of all Your drawing looks like a 5 year old’s drawing compared to all the other young artists ” Molly stomped on the ground “Ugh! I’m out of here See you, losers ” She stomped out of the gym It was silent The speakers went back on

“Hello, folks You can go back to what you were doing ” Everyone continued presenting, and then it was time to go on stage There were about 20-25 representatives, so it took a bit Olive was last All the adult artists checked out each representative’s art, writing down notes and checking things off When Luke came to Olive, he winked and she felt a sense of joy, hope, and relief Once they were done seeing everyone’s art, they all had a discussion

“In third place ” The speaker said “Miles!”

Everyone started clapping and shouting Olive also clapped; she looked around, smiling, and saw her parents and Blake at the back They gave her a thumbs up

“Second place Lila!” Olive cheered for Lila They

didn’t talk much, but they had a pretty good friendship Olive gave her a thumbs up

“First Place Olive!” She gasped in surprise She started to jump up and down excitedly, everyone cheering for her Even Molly came back a couple minutes later, and saw that Olive got first place Molly smiled at Olive, but not with her mean, cruel smile It was a calm, nice smile Olive smiled back After the contest, there was a party in the recess area, filled with tables of snacks and drinks for everyone Molly walked up to Olive

“Hey, uh Congrats,” Molly said, calmly “Oh, Thanks ”

Olive was a bit nervous to talk to Molly, even after what Molly had done “So, uh I’m really sorry for how I’ve treated you,” Molly said, disappointed in herself “I really shouldn’t have done that to you I don’t know what I was thinking I was just a big ol’ brat to you I’m sorry ”

“Hey,” Olive said, slowly forming a smile “It’s alright I knew there was some point inside of you that said ‘I shouldn’t be doing this ’ I understand how you feel I used to be mean, too ” “Really?” Molly said, surprised “Yeah I used to be a big brat in kindergarten saying that my dad was the principal of the school, or that my mom was a lawyer and could kick you out of the school,” Olive said, chuckling She remembered those times when she would always boss other kids around She felt embarrassed “Didn’t think you’d be like me,” Molly said “It’s alright Hey, do you mind if, uh we could be friends?” Olive said, with a hopeful smile

Molly looked at Olive with pride “Of course! I’d love to!” Molly and Olive gave each other hugs "I’m glad we’re friends again, Molly,” Olive said, happily “Honey, it’s time to go home ” Olive’s mom said “Alright! Bye, Molly!” Olive said “Bye Olive!”

Once they got home, Olive was thinking about her messed-up friendship with Molly But she was glad to have her friend back She had gotten her phone number and decided to call her “Hey,

Molly! How’s it going?” Olive said “Nothing much Just finishing up some school work ”

“Oh, okay Well, I had a really great time with you! Even if it was pretty chaotic Heh ” Olive laughed She was happy that she had a friend

“Yeah I’m glad too Well, I’ll see you tomorrow Bye ” Molly ended the call Olive was a bit confused, but she knew Molly was busy, so she didn’t mind “Ugh I shouldn’t have decided to be friends with that loser What am I gonna do now?” Molly said, frustrated

“I don’t know, girl Guess you’re gonna have to deal with her for a couple of months Plus, you could make her feel sad after you two become “best friends” like before Come on, you’re popular now You don’t need a trashy nerd like her You have us," one of her friends said Molly thought about what her friend said Molly refused

“You know what? I’m done Popularity can’t beat Friendship Friendship is more powerful And if you don’t like me, then so be it I won’t be your friend anymore If that means no more popularity, then no more popularity ” Molly thought about it She wouldn’t make a mistake like she did before

“Ugh Then you’re not a part of the popular group anymore ” The girls left her house Molly smiled She was glad to have her friend back She would never make a mistake like that again

"I connected the story to my personal life I am an artist myself I usually do it on my free time This is the painting my character might have made "

AUTHORS

How did you come up with the idea for the story?

I felt motivated to write something special, something really great for other people to read, so that other people can relate to the story I wrote. The way the character kept her promise makes me happy that she would do that for her mother. I have a very close relationship with my own mother, of course. I couldn’t imagine losing her.

What are you proudest of?

I’m proud that it has a lot of details and I took the time to include the details. Some people finished way before me, but I wanted it to be very detailed and didn’t want to leave anything out.

Are there any authors who’ve inspired you as a writer?

The Harry Potter author, J. K. Rowling, has inspired me. She included a lot of interesting things in her books, including a lot of drama that made me want to write drama into my piece.

Do you like writing?

Honestly, no I am not a big fan of writing I wanted to get a good grade because my parents always tell me to try my best That motivated me to do my best to write this story.

How did you come up with the idea for the story? The character is kind of based off of me. I wouldn't call myself an artist, but I do like to draw and sketch a lot. I based the character’s best friend off of my best friend, and the mom off of my stepmom. The storyline never actually happened to me, and I don't have an older sister (I’m actually the oldest), but I did base her attitude off of my little sister. My idea for the contest came from how every time I see an ad, I feel like I should do it, but I never do… there are a lot of things that can go wrong! But I decided to have my character actually win something.

What did you find hardest about developing the story?

The fact that I don’t know how contests work made it hard! I didn't know the details, so I just made a random dude email her. It was pretty out there and not based off of actual facts that I knew.

Are there any authors who’ve inspired you as a writer?

I wouldn’t say anyone specific I read a lot of books I pay attention to some authors, but I’m not really inspired by them I’m more inspired by the books themselves I just finished reading On the Come Up I also really like the Harry Potter books - I’m in the middle of the 7th book right now. My parents always say my mom used to read everything - I feel like I got that from her. I can see a random piece of paper and be like, "What’s that?!" I’m interested in reading everything!

AUTHORS AUTHORS

How did you come up with the idea for the story?

I thought of things that were connected to my personal life. I wanted it to be a kid’s story that people could enjoy, and then add emotions so people could understand what was going on. I was thinking of a contest - I wanted to relate that to my story to build something up.

What are you proudest of?

I'm proudest of how I made my characters. It was kind of funny. One of the characters in the story kind of had an attitude, and I liked that Luke was a funny

character too

What did you find hardest about developing the story?

Trying to figure out the characters' names and making their personalities was the hardest. I needed to use dialogue to make their personalities, make readers understand how the characters are. I searched the names on Google; I didn’t know what I would find. I was thinking Olive at first, and then I needed to find names that matched their personalities. Olive would be someone who is kind and relaxed. It sounds like a creative name, someone who does things that lights up their creativity a little more and expands it.

Are there any authors who’ve inspired you as a writer?

A book called This Book is Not Good For You. It's a really good book. I love the fantasy stuff, like Secret Society. That was really interesting because it had magic and stories from the past, all connected to the main character.

How did you come up with the idea for the story?

ValeriaCordero

"The Art Contest"

MeganPimentel

"Reputation"

KIPP STAR Middle School

KIPP

WHMS Middle School

My story focuses a lot on reputation - how the main character deals with things on and offline. I wanted it to relate to the world of social media and to have a connection with my private life. Social media is definitely a place where there’s bad and there’s good - I wanted to include that. My passions are music, family, Spanish - so that all got in there too.

What are you proudest of?

I am proudest of putting in representation. When I read books, there’s not as much different language, or being ok with your sexual orientation. In this little story, I really tried to include that and those problems.

What did you find hardest about developing the story?

The hardest part was being able to form the story together. There are multiple pieces and multiple problems that I have to sort of put together, and there’s not a specific problem or solution - it was all over the place!

Are there any authors who’ve inspired you as a writer?

I like romance and mystery books I like Karen McManus, who wrote One of Us Is Next and One of Us Is Lying One of the characters in the first book really inspired some of my story It's about a secret online page that exposes people’s secrets I wanted to do that with a twist - not exposing everyone’s secrets, but still having impact on my main character

HistoricalFiction

Historical fiction writers are charged with crafting stories that depict a rich and accurate historical setting and creating characters whose feelings and experiences resonate across the ages. The stories in this section highlight the unique conflicts experienced during the specific time periods in history as well as the universal truths about family, friendship, and human nature that transcend time.

RubyBridges

AGirlWhoCanMakeAChange AGirlWhoCanMakeAChange

by

AbiygayilAgyenim-Boateng

It was a day like any other, Noelle and I sitting on the front porch, sipping our iced tea like we could do it all day We sat and sat till it was time for supper, and then Momma called us in We went into the living room and put on the news We stopped for a minute and checked if Poppa was home No sign of his Ford anywhere I guess he’s working a longer shift, I thought to myself Momma doesn’t work so she can take care of me and Noelle We always tell her we can handle ourselves but she insists on staying with us We live in a 2-bedroom house in a mostly Black neighborhood Poppa wants us to leave New Orleans He says it’s not safe for us, and Momma gets scared when Poppa leaves the house because she's afraid he won't come back

We sat back down to watch the news Of course, another Black man has been arrested, but this time, it was worse

He argued with the police and things got out of hand He was shot in front of his family

My eyes filled with tears as I thought of how the poor children felt Overwhelmed with emotions, I shouted,

“I hate this world!” I stormed out of the room, Momma running after me I sat down on the stairs and Momma joined She said, “Aaliyah, life will not always be fair, and people may underestimate you because of your race But I know you are capable of amazing things, and I trust that you can show them just how great you are Yes, this world is full of hate, but a girl like you can help change it ”

I smiled and took a seat at the dinner table After dinner, I headed back to my bedroom and sat on my

bed I kept on thinking, “ but a girl like you can help change it ” Can I really help change how the world sees black people? I knew that would be on my mind for days

Monday I woke up, brushed my teeth, dressed up, got some oatmeal, and headed to school with Noelle On the way, we saw some of those rich white children heading to private school

“I wonder what it’s like'' Noelle said “Me too Imagine what we could do there,” I said As we entered the school, Noelle and I headed straight to our class I walked in and said, “Good morning, Ms Harris ” “Good morning, Aaliyah!” she said

As class started, two middle-aged adults enteredone male and one female Ms Harris said, “Ok class, these two adults here are in charge of the Integration Academics Test ”

I didn’t know anything about a test, especially one involving integration Would we be changing schools if we passed?

As we began the test, the woman came over to me, gave me a look, and walked away After thirty minutes, I turned in my packet I thought to myself, I was sure those two adults didn’t want to integrate No wonder this test was so hard Ms Harris announced,

“The top ten students will have letters sent to parents offering a spot at Caldwell Academy, an allwhite school here in New Orleans ”

The woman joined in saying, “This will be the school's first integration ”

thought about it When we got home, we noticed that Poppa’s Ford was parked in the driveway We entered the kitchen and washed our hands I took a seat on the couch and took out my book Although I wasn’t paying attention to what was showing on tv, it sounded quite interesting The next day, everything was the same as always When we got home, Mom and Dad were sitting at the table with an envelope They called me over and sent Noelle to the room

"We want to talk to you about the integration academics test," Poppa says

"You passed, 100 out of 100,” Momma said I wasn’t sure what to feel or what to say

“You have the opportunity to go to Caldwell Academy, an all-white school," Poppa continued “Will I be the only Black student?”

“No, but maybe the smartest,” Momma said “If you join, you can participate in the Caldwell Academy Academics Achievement Test For a cash prize,” Poppa adds “Will you guys enroll me in the school?” I ask

"We want you to succeed and gain more knowledge, and this school is the best and only option” Momma says

“So you will be attending Caldwell Academy, starting next week,” Poppa says

“Ok,” I said as I walked to the room Noelle was sound asleep I thought about how she would feel without me

Saturday morning, Momma made bacon, eggs, and grits Poppa sipped coffee on the porch, and Noelle watched television I hugged Momma and grabbed some breakfast After breakfast, we heard a knock on the door I opened the door, and my jaw dropped It was the lady from the day of the Integration Academic Test My parents greeted her and she said,

“I have come to drop off Aaliyah’s welcome gift bag We look forward to seeing her next week ” She handed me the bag and left I sat on the couch and opened my bag I took out the brochure and on the cover is a sign about the academic achievement test In the bag was a uniform slip, a water bottle,

and a notebook It’s Monday

On my first day at Caldwell Academy, Momma, Poppa, Noelle, and I were in the car on the way to my new school When we arrived in front of the school, I saw tons of white families and parents holding signs talking about segregation and "we don’t want to integrate " As we all entered the building, I heard tons of people shouting in anger We entered the building The lady from the test brought us to a small room and said, “Those people aren’t quitting any time soon So we need to do something for your safety ” I said bye to Momma, Poppa, and Noelle The lady took me upstairs to the classroom with a light yellow color She whispered to the teacher and told me to take a seat I looked at the teacher and she smiled A few minutes later a few white kids came in and then more They all took a seat far away from me I’m the only Black child, I thought to myself

“Ok, as most of you know, we have the Academics Achievement later on today, so those participating, get ready ” She added, “And Aaliyah, you don’t have to participate ”

A few hours later, it’s lunch time in the classroom The boys were reading comics and playing with toys The girls were gossiping and drawing, and I was watching them I was sure everyone was talking about me, but no one bothered to ask me to join them Momma and Poppa picked me up early to avoid violent protesters When we got home, I ran to my bed and slept Tuesday I went straight to the classroom, and waved at the teacher

A few hours had passed and it was time for the test The teacher took the participants to an auditoriumlike room There was a medium crowd of parents and Momma, Poppa, and Noelle were there On the stage, 20 desks were spread apart The principal entered and went to the front and said, “Attention everyone, today is the day of The Caldwell Academy Academics Achievement Test, and for the first time we have two Black students

participating

The teacher instructed students to take a seat She told me to sit in the front

“Parents and families, please remain silent Students, you may begin,” the principal said The clock started and we began

After 2 hours, we had all finished We lined up and turned in our papers I thought to myself, this was the hardest test I have ever taken - but no one expected me to pass and win But if I do, everyone will see that I am more than just some middle-class Black girl, I'm one who can change the world One whose knowledge will take her places

After 30 minutes, the principal stepped to the front and said, “It is time to announce the winner In first place and winner of the 10,000 dollar cash prize is Aaliyah Washington!”

I looked up and saw that almost half of my neighbors were there, cheering for me The principal shook my hand, along with other staff members

He handed me the mic and I said, "About a week ago, I thought I would never do anything great in life because of how they see me, but I’ve learned that I'm too smart to let it get to me Yes, we may all look different, but we all have strengths and weaknesses Most importantly I learned that my race should not hold me back, because I am capable of doing anything, just like passing this test And I promise that I will continue using this power to make this world a better place There were cheers, applause and a standing ovation Momma came and gave me a big hug and said, “I knew you could do it, and I know you always will ”

5 Months Later

I have been in Caldwell Academy for a while now, and here’s what’s changed: We have received a few more Black students, and I have even started a group to discuss how they feel about the integration I have become friends with some of white girls in my class The kids are getting used to having me around, and so are the teachers I’m getting the best grades in all my classes I am determined to have the best year at Caldwell, no matter what people have to say about me being here Caldwell Academy, prepare yourselves, Aaliyah Washington is taking over!

KassidiCharles

by

TheMovement TheMovement

SkylaTinsley

Rrringgg! It is 1980 in New York City “There goes my alarm clock,” I say with a grunt I wake up and get dressed I am known as the plain type For example, I could wear a white tee with a jean jacket, ripped light blue jeans, and my white dress shoes Yeah, that type of plain I hurry and grab a juice box and a sandwich from the kitchen counter I rush out the door and hear my mom say, “Sayora, you're early No need to rush,” with a smile on her face

“I'm meeting Alex and Benny half way," I say That's what we do every morning They are my best friends and we do everything together We even have a study group at my house with only us

After 10 minutes of jogging, we meet up “Hey guys, did you hear about Alice Walker coming to New York?” I ask with excitement “Yea, this could finally be our time to show how much we support her womanist movements and how much we want to be a part of them," Alex says “I agree,” says Benny

“We could finally show people how much black women’s lives are important too, and what we’ve been through during these years,” I say Alex is a woman herself, but she sometimes gets bullied at school for having a darker skin tone, and for being in foster care due to her abuse She considers these movements very important, like they are a part of her

When we get to school, we walk our separate ways I go to my first period class, social studies I take out my story about Alice Walker to show Mrs Johnson But before I can say anything, I gasp “Hello class, I have some exciting news today We

are going to be learning about Alice Walker and her history of achievements," Mrs Johnson says “I have some information about her! I even have a story I wrote about her!” I scream out My teacher looks up and says, “Wow, I would like to read this ” I give her my paper

At lunch, I tell them my friends what happened “In history, we are learning about Alice Walker " “That’s a coincidence,” Benny says “Did you guys ask your parents about the protest?” Alex asks

“No, but most likely my mom would say yes," I say “Me too,” say Benny and Alex Benny is a chill type of person Even though he’s a black male, he understands what women go through That's why he’s a part of our group study and why we are best friends

We all walk home together till we have to go our separate ways When I make it home, I go to find my mom

“Mom I have important news!" “I'm upstairs ” Mom says I run up the stairs so fast, I stumble on a step “Mom, did you know that Alice Walker is going to be in downtown Manhattan? I really want to go to one of her book readings and her protest Can I please go?” I ask with a puppy dog face She says no “You said a protest? That is dangerous! I know she’s your role model and inspiration, but a lot of people would be down there and a lot of stuff could happen ” “But Mom ” “But nothing, Sayora It's completely dangerous ” I storm out of her room and go to mine I slam the door The next day, I walk with my friends to school “Hey Sayora, are you ok?” Alex asks

“No! My mom said I can’t go because there’s going to be a lot of people there ”

“Well, our parents said yes, but if you want, we won’t go ”

“You guys could go I need to know what happens over there ”

When we get to school, I go to my first period class to get my story back from Mrs Johnson I walk in the class and she says,

“Hey Sayora, I really enjoyed reading your work, and I was wondering if you were going to the protest this Thursday? I would take you but I need permission ” I get a light bulb over my head and think

“Yeah, I was going to go with my friends, but if they can come, that would be fine ”

“Oh wow, I don't mind I’m so happy to see you participating in this kind of stuff ” I smile, then put my story in my book bag

“See you tomorrow, Mrs Johnson ” Alex, Benny, and I meet in the hallways “Guess what?”

“What?”

“I’m going to the protest ” “Your mom changed her mind?” Benny asks I shake my head and say,

“Well, sort of, but you’ll see ” After school, I run home without my friends I open the door and run up to my room Mom knocks on my door and says, “Hey Say, I was wondering if you were ok after what happened yesterday ”

“Yeah, I’m good,” I say quickly while trying to finish writing my story

“Oh, ok, just making sure ” She walks out the room and closes the door

The next day, school went by quickly Alex, Benny, and I wait in front of the school for Mrs Johnson

Ding, ding The sound of her car keys

“Ok, let's go,” she says with a big smile on her face When she started the car, we drove off to

downtown Manhattan It’s past 2:05, which is the time I get out of school

Mom comes home from work to not see me anywhere She looks up the stairs She finally walks into my room to see my story of Alice Walker She sits on my bed and starts reading Alice Walker was the first Black woman who created the womanist movement She also wrote the novel "The Color Purple " Alice Walker wrote novels, poems, and short stories for us black women As a young black woman myself, she has inspired me to want to become part of her movement She made this movement to inform us black women, that even though we have gone through violence, sexism, racism, lower pay, and more, we are still women

Mom starts to cry and understands why this was so important to me She rushes to get her car keys and go down to Manhattan While I’m in the car with Mrs Johnson, I start to look for my story in my bag I continued looking but realized that I forgot it on my bed I start to cry until Alex asks what’s wrong

“I forgot my story ”

“It’s not about what you wrote on paper, it’s about it coming from the heart You wrote it so you should remember it ” Mrs Johnson butts in I start thinking and quickly remember what I wrote We get out of the car and proceed to walk into the library

The meeting starts, and we see Alice Walker

“Good afternoon, my fellow ladies and gentlemen ” “Good afternoon,” we all reply

Alice starts talking about her famous book, The Color Purple, which I read She talks about the beginning of her movement and how it's going now She starts walking around the room and sees me I wave and she looks and smiles

“Oh, my God! Hi, my name is Sayora and I’m a huge fan of you and your movement ”

She grabs an extra seat and sits next to me

“Well, hi, Sayora ”

“I even wrote a story for you, but I wasn’t finished with it ”

“Well, read it to me Actually, read it to everyone In order to pursue your dreams, you can’t always be nervous,” she says with a nice smile on her face I walk to the front of the stage “Hi everybody, my name is Sayora and I am a huge fan of Alice Walker's I wrote a short story for her and I want to be a part of her movement " Mom makes it to the library She sees me reciting my speech through the glass “Alice fought for us and our rights Instead of us being in the feminist movement, we are a part of the womanist movement, which is twice as good Even though now women have the power to vote, it wasn't directly for Black women We gained our rights with the womanist movement because we are changing society and how people look at us ”

Everyone claps Alice walks up on the stage and gives me a big hug I tear up and ball my hand into a fist and raise it up My mom walks in the library to sees me happily accomplishing my dream “Wait I have something to say," Mom says as she walks up onto the stage next to me “I am the mother of this wonderful child Without her, I wouldn’t understand why this is so important to her She made me realize how much being a Black woman is different We went through racism, sexism, violence, and being treated differently, but that can all change Let’s work to make this movement bigger than what it is now ” Tears start rolling down both our faces

Everyone claps louder than before Mrs Johnson and my friends all scream and cheer Mom and I on Alice says, “Wow, those were very inspirational speeches Let’s continue by protesting in the streets to make a change People start taking out their posters Some say "No Justice, No Peace," "Black Women Matter," and many more We all walk outside holding hands and carrying our signs to hold on to the legacy

An Except from The Oprah Winfrey Biography

by Skyla Tinsley

From a young age, Oprah was physically and sexually assaulted. She publicly announced this to show young Black girls that they can always achieve their goals, even with trauma. Oprah made it possible for many young girls to become successful and grow from their mistakes.

She also helped young women who have been through trauma. She even funds toward battered womens' shelters and campaigns to find child abusers.

Oprah provided assistance to many schools and even started her own. The Oprah Winfrey Academy For Girls is located in South Africa. The school is for girls in grades 8 - 12. Oprah made this school to help young women become successful and grow up economically. A famous quote from Oprah is “Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom.”

TheFight TheFight

by

My eyes slowly open as I adjust to the sunlight coming out of one of the rips in my shanty A large gust of crisp fall wind comes through another tear and instantly wakes me up I roll over and nestle into one of the tattered blankets making up my bed My eyes close again and before I know it, I'm asleep Another gust of wind comes blowing my worn-out blanket off of me I jolt up and shiver My stomach is growling like crazy, making me whimper I just wish this was over I want to have money again I want to be able to wake up and take a shower, or get something to eat without having to walk a mile or two I rub my eyes with my ashy hands and slowly get off of the icy ground, imagining imagine what will be served at Krauzers When I step outside, I see everyone already hard at work to provide for their families On one side I see the can collector, Dorothy, with two other people forming an assembly line Grab, peel, wash, grab, peel, wash I could watch them work all day On my other side, I see my friend John with his mom Tasha, collecting tomatoes, cilantro, and one other purple leafy vegetable I wave at him He yells back at me, “Hey, Jackson! Come here!”

I walk there, excited for whatever news he's about to tell me When I arrive in front of their shanty, he says,

“You know Krauzers has an all-you-can-eat buffet now, right?”

“Of course not,” I say and laugh “But, I would love to go eat! You coming?" I ask him

“Yup, just gimme a sec " He replies as he wipes his dirt-covered hands on his shabby apron He heads inside and comes back out without his apron on and asks,

“You ready?" "You betcha!"

As we are walking he stops and says, “Krauzers has a new manager now, or so I hear, so don't go getting into that purple thing you were collecting earlier " "Cabbage, fool," he says He gives me a playful punch on the shoulder

We laugh and make jokes the rest of the way there ....

Once we arrive, I see two other people I know sitting at one of the booths sharing a spaghetti dishDeshawn and his girlfriend Laura We go over to them and do our new handshake Deshawn was like an uncle to both John and I He owns one of the coolest bands in all of Hooverville

“Well, hello there,” John says to Laura Laura bats her long, spidery eyelashes Deshawn looks over at him and gives him a side eye John just smirks stupidly

“What y'all youngins doin' here at this time of day?” “Nothin' much, just came for the food,” John replies “Hey, I'm going up to grab something The line is getting longer by the minute ”

I walk up and put our orders in when the person behind the counter looks at me and quickly looks away Then, he shoots up and points to me and mumbles words I can't understand

“You're the- wait- I-,” he says “Excuse me sir, I don't understand what you're saying," I say, trying not to sound aggressive

He says, “YOU'RE THE ONE WHO STOLE ALMOST 2 DOLLARS FROM ME ”

I look at him in disbelief while he calls the police and explains that I'm a thief and that I stole money

from him At this point, the whole store is staring at us Shortly after he calls the police, I see the red lights flashing outside of the door The man has shoved everyone out of the store, including Deshawn, Laura, and John He opens the doors so fast it makes my head spin

He runs toward me and with every step he says “he's over here, he's over here” until he reaches me

One of the police officers looks at me with the same nasty look the store owner gave me

The other officer is putting the cold handcuffs on me and says, “I hate these n*****s "

I blacked out and before I knew it, both the store owner and the police officer who called me the Nword were laid out on the floor with streaks of blood coming down their noses and mouths The other one, Officer Midy, locked the handcuffs, walked me outside, and threw me into the car I looked out of the window The sun was setting It was as if someone had taken a brush with pink paint and made it a streak across the sky, which was pale blue and getting darker by the minute Soon, I wouldn't see anything but bars I wouldn't see the cars flying by and almost hitting each other I wouldn't see traffic anymore I wouldn't see Deshawn, Laura, and John Oh, how I would miss them Lord, what have I done?

For my story, I had just a little ounce of confidence. From my teachers, Mr. Perry and Ms. Gaynor, I learned that writing is not about the material you’re learning, but the confidence your teacher has in you and can transfer to you. That’s what helped me push through writing this story. Multiple times, I was going to change my prompt, but my teacher told me to stick with it and that it was really good. So, that’s what helped me get here. LoganLewis

EdwardDickson

JuanRodriguez’sJourney JuanRodriguez’sJourney

by

JustinRodriguez

I’m Juan Rodriguez I'm 14 years old and living with my family during The Great Depression My family and I live in the Bronx Today was a bad day for everyone Millions of people lost money and were in debt because of the stock market crash My family were some of the people who lost money and jobs too Companies didn’t make money, and people weren’t benefitting from that Millions of people were scared My family and I didn't know what to do We didn’t know what was going to happen to us I wasn’t feeling happy We were going to be homeless We had to work for any job we could find

“Mom, Dad,” I said

“What are we going to do now since you guys lost your jobs?”

“We don’t know," they both told me I had this bad feeling about what was going to happen to us

“Juan, you can’t go to school anymore because we are going to need all the help we can get " I was mad, because now I can’t do the things that I used to I think that this change is going to be tough for my family and I

In school, I was able to learn new things everyday and talk to my friends, but now I can’t do that I’m mad now because of this big change I have to help my parents find ways to get money

“Mom and Dad,” I said angrily “I don’t want to leave school "

“We didn’t want this to happen, but we have no other choice," my parents told me I thought in my head, what it’s going to be like now that I can't go to school?

“Mom and Dad,” I say “What’s happening that we need to have this big change?"

“The stock market crashed and companies aren’t making money ”

“We are homeless now,” they told me

My dad put his hand on my shoulder and told me, “We’re going to get through this ”

I felt like I was hearing chaos in the streets It was dirty outside I was sad I had to find a way to make money to help my family so things go back to being normal I thought about getting a job to help my family I didn’t know what job to get, but I had to try

I started by cleaning houses Everyday on my way to work, I would see homeless people They slept on the floor and had ragged clothes

I was applying for any job until I got one This was going to be tough People were losing their jobs, which made me nervous I kept trying to get a job I didn’t get any jobs yet, so I started losing hope I had this good feeling that I shouldn’t give up yet I ended up continuing to look and finally got a job! That made me feel happy and confident

I started cleaning houses, but I was getting treated badly, so I decided to stop

“Why am I being treated badly if I'm just like them?” I asked my parents

“You're being treated badly because of your skin color ”

I decided to work mowing lawns for people with money I started working and I was getting paid lots of money I wasn’t getting treated badly now

After mowing lawns, I got more money Everyday, the grass would smell good when I was done mowing the lawns The grass would look cleaner than ever “Mom, Dad, I got more money now!” I told them excitedly

“That’s great

I kept getting more money everyday I was starting to get more confident I was trying so hard and wasn’t giving up I kept going even when it was tough I was able to get enough money to help my parents Everyday, I gave money to my parents My parents were saving money to buy a house

After a few months of mowing lawns, my Mom and Dad told me, “We can buy a house now ” I was so excited I told my parents, “Am I going to be able to go back to school?”

“Yes!” They told me

I was so excited I was able to go back to school Never give up

The hardest part about developing the story was the storyline itself - having to think of multiple ideas of what to write. When I really started to write, I had nothing on my mind. Then, a few minutes later, my teacher helped me. I had more, and I got it done.

JustinRodriguez

OneWinterBeforeSpring OneWinterBeforeSpring

by

LeilaGonzalez

gone

Neya never understood how the market crashed She didn’t want to know why She didn’t want to get angry with her father for selling stock markets ”Neya!” Autumn tried to catch her breath after chasing Neya

The silence grew louder ghost-like nights filled with sad, weak, desperate groans, through the blue fog of the tears shed by the people, children, begging for money and bread Neya felt pity Pity she couldn't give them bread, could not give them anything, not even a coin to spare Finding change was harder than trying to befriend an old stray cat It hurt, watching the pale, sick children eat anything they could Rats, birds, expired cans of food

The Depression was a gateway open to hell No one had coins, and no one had food You could see how desperate the people of New York were The air filled with cold snow and every time you breathed in, the icy cold wind blew against your hair and hurt your lungs

All the rich white people, all the fancy cars, all the women who wore long, fluffy boas, silky handwoven dresses, the most beautiful scarlet shoes were gone All the horse rides and parades, filled with happiness, popcorn, caramel that stuck to your teeth, enough cotton candy to kill a child were

”Jeez, Miller, why didn’t you wait for me? It’s not like the line is gonna disappear!” Neya frowned ”Well, it’s not my fault you’re such a slowpoke, silly Besides, it's almost 12! They might close in 30 minutes So we can’t feed the kittens today, Minnie ” Autumn groaned The line grew shorter in 5 minutes They each got a glob of chili, rich with spices, and a bowl of rice The chili smelled great, with an aroma of so-called “heaven ” Neya smiled and dipped a finger into the chili, tasting it and said, ”Mmm Minnie, you gotta try this!”

They sat down and prayed before eating They were lucky enough to get in line They were too late last time and starved all day It grew darker and colder Neya said bye to Autumn, whom she loved to call Minnie She reminded her of Minnie Mouse, with a cute chubby face and a high-pitched voice Neya struggled through the dirty old junkyard and kicked a few pieces of trash She walked for a few minutes and saw her dad comforting her mother “Mary, my love '' Her father took Mary in his arms and sobbed while holding her pale hand ”Hang on there, it’ll be alright I promise we’ll go to Doctor Henry He’ll fix you, he will, my dear Just stay there a little longer And we could give Neya the life she always wanted ”

Neya felt her stomach tightening The thought of her father in pain, trying to keep her mother alive, gave her nightmares She ran to her father and cried

“Father!” Neya saw her mother pale as white

”What happened to Mother? Is she going into shock again?” He sighed

”Yes, dear Your mother, unfortunately, might not be able to live to next year I can’t bear to see her like this She hasn’t been able to walk ever since the last seizure We don’t have the money to save her Get some change for us to buy medicine, all right? Try to buy whatever you can Get something ”

Her mother coughed blood and was shaking Neya teared up She walked away, seeing that image again and again She wished the stupid depression was over Then she would finally be able to enjoy life, without having to buy her mom medicine all the time

She sighed and picked up small pieces of change Pennies, dimes, nickels, quarters, whatever she could find She managed to buy a small bottle of medicine for $1 The cashier had a smug face on and was smoking a cigarette Constables were busy breaking down Hoovertowns and criminals were trying to escape everywhere He looked at Neya like a pervert Neya narrowed her eyes at him and angrily said,

”What are you looking at? Let me get my medicine and move on, pervert ” She covered herself even more with her old jacket She bought the medicine and swore to herself that she would never shop there again

She rummaged through mechanical parts and found nuts and bolts ”Jackpot!”

She found a cute little pink bag with flowers on it and decided she would take it She put the nuts and bolts in the bag She saw that it grew dark, and hurried to find her father She might’ve been too late She ran faster and faster until she found her father, taking care of her mother She was doing well “Father,” Neya paused ”I- I have the medicine And I was able to find some mechanical parts for you as well You think you could make Mother a bed?” Neya’s father sighed

”Sure, sweetie Thank you This could help Now where is the medicine I told you to buy?”

Neya looked in her pink bag and took out the small bottle of pinkish medicine She handed it to her father, who gave Mary a spoonful of medicine He put her to sleep in the little hut near the campfire

Neya broke the silence ”Father?” Neya’s father looked up ”Yes, Neya?” Neya gulped ”How’s the money coming in?” Neya’s father stayed silent for a little bit "Not so great, honey why do you ask?” Neya started to sweat ”W-well Because when I was getting the medicine, the cashier looked at me funny ” Neya’s father stopped ”How so?”

“L-like he was I don’t know He was kinda looking at my chest ”

Her fathers' eyes widened ”What? Why was he looking at you like that? You should’ve called me ” Neya knew he was trying to be calm, and she decided to go to sleep “Goodnight, Dad ”

DECEMBER 20, THE NEXT NIGHT

Neya woke up, and to her surprise, there stood Minnie ”Minnie?” Neya rubbed her eyes ”What are you doing here ?” Neya stretched and got up ”Minnie?-” Minnie smiled and said, ”HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I know that you love presents-” Neya frowned ”Minnie-”

Minnie moved on ”AND I know that you love puppies-” Neya sighed "Minnie-”

”SO I GOT YOU A PUPPY!” she beamed ”MINNIE!-” Neya shouted Minnie stopped, holding the puppy Neya sighed

”Thank you, Minnie, but how am I gonna take care of this cutie? You know dogs can’t always eat bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwiches ”

Minnie shrugged

”I don’t know But I do know that we can take care of this little puppy together! Let's name him Bruno!”

Neya smiled and turned around for a moment The feeling of happiness quickly turned into the feeling of agony and pain She fell into a deep state of pain She tried to stop the thing that was attacking her, but she failed

Neya was struck in the back of her head by a spiked bat She gripped onto the bat, and it stabbed her hands, leaving her screaming and breathing in that icy cold air, making it even harder to fight back She turned around to see who hit her, and she couldn’t believe her eyes It was Autumn

Neya tried to stop Autumn, but the pain didn’t stop She eventually passed out from her deep wounds Time passed The winds grew stronger The fog became thicker

Neya woke up, her head pounding She noticed there was more blood than before She got up to her feet, remembering Autumn, her best friend that backstabbed her Agh My head she thought She limped to the hut, and was met with horror Her father and mother were on the floor, covered with blood, shaking, in a much worse condition

Neya teared up, but didn’t cry She used bandages and medicine to help her parents

They woke up to her making the last bit of food for them She was chewing on a stale piece of bread "Neya?” Her father picked up Mary, and put her to bed ”What happened ?”

He noticed her head and her body They were covered with bruises and scars ”Dear, what in the world happened? You aren’t doing this to yourself, are you?”

Neya sighed and tears came from her cheeks

”I’m sorry ” Her father hugged her and rubbed her cheek

”For what, dear? There’s nothing you need to apologize for ” Neya looked into his eyes

”I’m sorry for Autumn She did this To you And it was my fault You’re like this because of me Before I could think, she hit me and hurt you guys ”

Her father’s eyes widened ”MARY?” He rushed to Neya’s mother and saw that she was bleeding again

Her mother opened her eyes and looked at Neya She slowly opened her mouth, and after not talking in months, she said, ”N-Neya ?” Neya hugged her mom ”Mother ” She smiled And continued, ”Oh My dear, it has been so long since I’ve seen your lovable face ” Neya smiled ”Well, we might be able to treat you Just one problem ” She stopped ”What?-What happened?” Neya held her mother's hand and sighed

”Well, the cost for treatment and surgery is way too expensive We can’t afford it Autumn took it I’m sorry, Mother ”

“ Well, Neya,” Her father smiled ”There’s something we have to tell you ”

Please let it be something good, Neya thought "We’ve hidden our money from you and everyone else to save enough to pay for the treatment and surgery for tuberculosis, and if you sell all the mechanical parts I've made, it might be possible ” ”REALLY?” Neya beamed

After that, she sold more mechanical parts She made more money, increasing the chance that her mother would be saved She even met new friends Julia, Grace, and Tim

Neya got to help her sick mother in the end, and they successfully bought not a big home, but a nice one A home with a beautiful bathroom, 2 bedrooms, and a living room Neya finally was able to live a normal life For a while, at least She finally was herself and was where she needed to be The flowers bloomed, the birds sang, and instead of a winter wonderland, it became a blossoming spring

How did you come up with the idea for the story?

I’ve always been interested in stories about what it means to be Black in America, certain things they’ve faced over the years. Ruby Bridges is someone I’ve learned about for a long time. I feel like I know her story well, and those are the things I like to write about.

What did you think about writing in the genre of historical fiction?

It was easy to write in historical fiction I enjoyed researching even more stuff and seeing what else I can learn about it It' different from most things we write I prefer writing about a certain topic like this, than having a topic just given to me

What did you find hardest about developing the story?

At first, I was confused about how to set it the order of the story. I wanted to take certain important moments that led to her going into the school inside the story, and I had to figure out how to write it without making it the exact same thing as what really happened I read Ruby Bridges' story again, I watched a movie about her, and then I tried to figure out what to do.

Are there any authors who’ve inspired you as a writer?

There are so many! Angie Thomas, Jason Reynolds, Walter Dean Myers - especially Jason Reynolds - have all inspired me T hey all cover certain topics and things that we see in the real world today

How did you come up with the idea for the story?

"A Girl Who Can Make a Change"

KIPP

Academy Middle School

SkylaTinsley

"The Movement"

KIPP ALL Middle School

First, I was going to write about the Civil Rights Movement, but I wanted to do something that felt more like me. I thought about the women’s rights movement, but there were two options: feminist or womanist. I wanted to support my culture, so I did the womanist movement. I looked up information about Alice Walker. I learned about her in fifth grade.

Have you ever been to a protest?

No, but my mom and my friend’s mom did went to multiple protests for George Floyd

What are you proudest of?

I was proud to see I could write a story that felt like me. When I found out I was selected to be published, it was… wow!

Are there any authors who’ve inspired you as a writer?

I like Oprah Winfrey! The things she does for the Black community and for women are really good. She’s my role model. I just finished writing a biography about her.

How did you come up with the idea for the story?

We were doing a lesson on the Great Depression and how it affected mainly Black people White people lived in higher classes while Black people lived in poverty I wanted to write a story about a day in the life of a Black person during the Great Depression

What are you proudest of?

I’m proud of how it ties together a few things I’m very interested in such as Black Lives, their struggle, and how we got to where we are today. It is still a work in progress, but I thought it would be fun to write about it, and so I did!

What did you find hardest about developing the story?

I don’t know if anything was hard! I enjoy creative writing. It's fun for me! It came very easily. But if I had to pick, I would say the ending was the hardest part. I wasn't sure what to do with it, but I kind of liked just leaving it like that, like a cliffhanger. For a reader, it can end however your mind takes you.

AUTHORS AUTHORS

How did you come up with the idea for the story?

I used my dad’s name for the character because he’s one of the first people who popped into my mind. He’s my hero. Then, it was basically just writing about all these problems that people had during the Great Depression - it was scary, hard to survive, people lost jobs, they became homeless, etc

What are you proudest of?

I am proud that I was able to get through it. When I was giving up, my teacher pushed me through finishing the story. Without my teachers, I wouldn’t be here! I kept asking them to come help me, and they would tell me to add more things to my story, to check my spelling, to check my work over and over

Are there any authors who’ve inspired you as a writer?

Christopher Paul Curtis, the author of Bud Not Buddy. One of the sad parts of the story was that he didn’t really have a family. He had no one to take care of him, and he was afraid of a lot of things. He couldn’t trust anybody. I put some of that into my story.

Do you like writing?

"Juan Rodriguezs Journey"

KIPP WMHS Middle School

I like writing sometimes When I have to write something, I will, but sometimes my hand starts hurting! Sometimes I think that something isn’t enough, so I’ll keep writing. Then I’ll forget about the whole point - what was the reason to write in the first place?

How did you come up with the idea for the story?

We had to write a story based on real events. I chose the Great Depression, because I had just read about it. The story is about how the main character has to survive, and it's hard. It was winter, it was cold, and her mom got sick. She had to save money and help her father get mechanical parts - her dad likes to build stuff. I was inspired by movies - in some movies, the mom is sick and the dad and daughter have to work My teacher, Ms Charles, also inspired me She made her own story, and we got to read it I wanted to include things like she did, so my story wouldn’t be boring!

You use lots of descriptive language - where did that come from? Are there any authors that inspired you? It just came from my creativity! All my friends are creative too, and they like to write stories. We gave each other feedback, and I took that feedback and incorporated it into my story I wanted to make it descriptive so people could really create images in their minds

What did you find hardest about developing the story? The hardest parts were trying to figure out the end, and building the characters. I drew parts of the story to help me. It was hard to figure out what disease Neya's mom hadeither pneumonia or something else It was hard because I had to research the time period I was going to do something related to Minnie Mouse, but I didn’t know if they even had Minnie back then!

Are there any authors who’ve inspired you as a writer?

I would consider Ms. Charles an author! She writes a lot of cool stuff. She knows how to describe things. In the Baldwin lessons, she made a good story. That inspired me.

JustinRodriguez

PersonalNarrative

We all have moments that stand out. We all can look back upon a few crucial moments that shaped us in some way. Perhaps these moments are small and, at first glance, innocuous - like taking a test. The following story is written from real-life events that had an outsized impact on our author.

IInstantGratification nstantGratification

by

KendrickBruce

Insanely anxious, I look at Ms Alston, one of the ELA teachers, passing out papers for the first ELA test October 29th, Day Two It is a normal and beautiful day outside, but inside this room, it feels like a jail bound to be full of failure, but all that failure would be caused by me

The clock is ticking, my pencil rolling, tears dripping from my face like a rainy day I know I’m going to fail the test and disappoint my parents Ms Stern, another ELA teacher, notices I'm crying and takes me outside the classroom

She shows me my excellence in school I look at the floor and not at her, thoughts of failure running through my mind

“You’re super smart, Kendrick, and I think you’re going to pass this test," she says But that doesn't increase my confidence at all I don't care if I'm smart, I care about making my parents proud

As we walk back to the classroom, I notice Mr Glover, my advisory teacher, is walking back to his office He sees me crying, Ms Stern tells him about my test, and he says, “Kendrick, believe in yourself I’m going to get you a donut in advisory as an early celebration that you’re going to pass ”

Tilting my head, I think, what does he mean by an early celebration? I think he is just being generous I walk back to the classroom, wipe my tears, and gain my confidence back

Twenty, thirty minutes in? I don’t look at the time and instead concentrate on my test Okay, last question I look through the window escaping reality I can’t keep daydreaming like this! I regain my focus and frown faster than I can blink as I read

the devastating question

“How does the author communicate?"

What does that even mean?!

I put my head down and let the water flow from my swimming pool of tears

My classmate, Caliyah, says to me, “Are you alright?”

“No, I’m not Can’t you see?”

I don’t say that I just don’t answer I don’t want to be rude Caliyah is a kind friend and I won’t say such rude things to my friends

I lift my head, show Caliyah the question, and she helps me

“Thank you,” I say, stuttering I still don't understand something about the question, though Luckily, Ms Stern is near me so I ask her for a bit of help

“Oh, I get it now, thank you ” I quickly write down my answer as I look at the remaining time I have 1 minute left? I hurry as I finish my last sentences Barely making the time limit, I turn in my test Phew, I sigh in relief At advisory, I notice the donut that Mr Glover promised me he would get I stare at the board reading “5th Grade Monthly Awards ” What’s that? I sit down, raising my eyebrow

“Okay, listen, everybody We have a thing called 5th Grade Monthly Awards and it consists of two winners for each class,” Mr Glover states in a loud, clear voice “We do have a winner here in our advisory, so let’s get started!”

I shake my head in disbelief, thinking I am the winner in my advisory Each class has a “Most Improved” and an “All Star ” Mr Glover showed the 501 winners and the 502 winners, and nobody from my advisory was there

503's "Most Improved" is “Armani Martinez ” I congratulate my friend, even though he isn’t in this advisory My eyes lit up and my heart is racing I want to jump up and down till I can't anymore as it shows my name, “Kendrick Bruce” as 503's All Star for October

It all adds up now! The “early celebration ” The donuts! Everything makes sense now I shriek quietly and smile widely under my mask as my advisory classmates congratulate me, and Mr Glover gives me my donut “Congratulations!”

That’s when I realize, maybe, just maybe, I could have actually passed my test All I had to do was to believe in myself Whenever I think I can’t do something, I remind myself that I’m an All Star

AUTHOR AUTHOR

KendrickBruce

"Instant Gratification" KIPP ALL Middle School

How did you come up with the idea for the story? I wanted to do something like the time I almost drowned, but then I wasn’t sure about that I remembered the test I took a few weeks ago, and how I got the All Star award, and so I decided to write about that instead

What are you proudest of?

I’m proudest that it is going to get published. I liked writing about being nervous for my story. I got all my ideas on paper. It was a major event for me in the school.

What did you find hardest about developing the story? It wasn’t really hard, but if I had to choose, it would be transitioning to different parts of the story.

Do you like writing? Not really. It's not really my thing. I like to play video games, like Roblox or Fortnite.

NoahBa

KIPPFreedomMiddleSchool

What inspired you to write this story?

What inspired me to write the story was Ms Stern Every time I get upset or frustrated, she always calms me down and she helps me with my work

Memoir

The memoir on these pages explores themes of self-esteem, confidence, family, and taking leaps. The young writer has closely examined her life, exploring the highs and lows, the triumphs and disappointments. In doing so, she has been able to surface the enduring beliefs, values, and questions that continue to shape her life.

Friends Friends

by AlexandraMaldonado

Another day, so bored at school I wanted to talk to my friends, but we were stuck learning a new lesson and waiting for the class to end, which felt like a year Finally, class was over The others and I left the classroom, and I ran up to my best friend, Mariana She said she wanted to tell me something Of course, I didn’t know anything about her leaving the school and moving to Pennsylvania

At that moment, I was getting a bit worried since she was silent for a few seconds, so I asked, “What’s wrong?”

She gave me a sad look “I’m moving to Pennsylvania, which means I’m no longer going to be here ”

I was upset, she was my best friend “Why? Are you not happy here?”

She responded with a surprised, worried tone “No, no! It’s just because my mom decided to move there ”

I never thought there was a day where a friend that I trusted more than anyone would leave me Especially in the middle of the school year, which meant I would be lonely for the rest of the year

A few weeks later, it was the day where she’d leave forever Our last day at school together We spent the day mostly together, doing things that I might never do again

At the end of the day, she gave me a hug, saying, “You’ll be just fine! Maybe in the future, we’ll see each other again!”

I didn’t believe or think that we would see or contact each other again She left with her mom I was crying silently, and my mother watched as I cried My mother gave me a hug, saying that

everything will be okay, and that I’m a strong person All I could think about was Why did she have to leave? Why me?

Ever since then, we weren't able to contact each other again She wasn’t the only friend I had, though There was a girl, who had been in my class since 1st grade - we’re now in 5th grade Her name was Ariana Since Mariana left, I was mostly spending time with Ariana Well, until she met this girl Ever since then, Ariana has been hanging out with her more than she did with me At first, I didn’t mind Then I found out that they had ignored me and didn't include me in their activities

One day, I finally had the urge to tell her how I felt about the situation, so I went up to her and said, “Why are you hanging out with her more than me? I thought I was your best friend,” I said in a sad tone “I just thought about it and decided to move on and have a new friend,” she replied in a serious, annoyed tone I was confused and surprised by what she said “What?! You’re just going to leave me in the dust just like that?” I could tell that she was annoyed as she left

After arriving home, my uncle could tell that I was upset over something “Something happen at school?” he asked I didn’t want to answer him I realized, if I told him, I would be upset over a dumb thing

“It’s nothing much, just had a small fight with a friend of mine ” He told me that one day, I’ll find a friend that will always be there when I need them

He was right Now, I’m here with friends that support me and are always by my side

After two years of having difficulties with friends, I’m

now in 6th grade, still having trouble with making friends, because I am more shy After a few weeks of being at a new school, I was finally able to make a new friend We still are at this very good point

Months later, it was a Tuesday, and the teacher announced that we would have a math competition based on what we learned so far I couldn’t go to school the next day because I was sick It was around 4:20 P M when I got a text It was my best friend asking, "Why didn't you go to school today? We had a math competition!”

I felt bad, of course But I couldn’t control my sickness and just instantly get better

“I was sick I’m sorry I couldn’t go to school today ” I could tell she instantly got mad

The next day, the teacher came up to me at lunch, asking me if I wanted to do the competition, since we had time

“I wanna quit, if that’s possible?” I told her She had a confused expression “Why? We can talk about it ” Before I told her, I thought about whether it would make the situation better or worse, but I decided to tell her

After hearing what I said, she responded with, “We’ll talk about it later ”

I was in science class when the teacher asked if she could grab me and my ‘best friend’ for a bit I was nervous Why did she want to talk to the both of us? I knew I shouldn’t have told her We walked to the empty ELA classroom and sat down I didn’t dare look at my best friend The teacher asked questions We both answered them

“I didn’t scream at her, I only reminded her that we had the math competition,” she said She was lying Lying to a teacher! I couldn’t believe her

“I was sick, that’s why I couldn’t come I told her about that,” I said We were running out of time “We’ll continue this tomorrow,” the teacher announced

It’s now Friday, a new day to be anxious about a dumb argument We were in the ELA classroom

again This time, a friend who was in our group for the math competition, was there to explain what was happening He was on my side

“She was yelling at Alex for not coming to school on Tuesday, and I’m sure we know the reason for that,” he said I was relieved that someone would finally back me up and understand the situation

My ‘best friend’ on the other hand was glaring at the both of us, almost a death glare I was upset that this would ruin our friendship, and have to end it

I’m now leaving the school, and I get a text from ‘my best friend’ saying, “Alexandra, we need to talk ” Oh no not the full name “What?” I responded

“We can’t be friends anymore,” she said And then she blocked me It didn’t really have an effect on me, of course I have dealt with it ever since fourth grade I arrived home, went to my bed, thinking negative things, like Is it my fault? Why? Why did this happen to me? My mom’s boyfriend came up to me to tell me that dinner was ready I never knew him much back then, but after all this time, he was always there for me Of course, he couldn’t replace my dad, but I always see him as a father figure

“I’m not hungry,” I said I’m sure he knew that I had something on my mind I told him about what happened earlier

“Just because your friend left you, that doesn’t mean you should stop doing whatever because of that It may hurt, but I’ll always be here for you ”

Those sweet words really touched my heart I was crying - not because of my friends leaving me, but because my family was there for me

After so much experience with dealing with my friends leaving me, I finally realized that these things happen for a reason I’m sure the friends I have now will leave because of high school Maybe some of them will stay with me Whether they stay or not, family will always be the friends that will always be there to care and listen to you, no matter the situation

What made you want to write about this for your memoir?

Our teacher said to choose something that affected you a lot I see other people doing other topics - their family, etc I decided to write about friends, because not everyone talks about it

What are you proudest of?

I am proud that I was able to write down what I felt during those moments and express how I felt.

What did you find hardest about developing your memoir?

I found it hard to remember those moments and the exact words those friends of mine told me.

I also found it hard to remember things like dates.

Are there any authors who’ve inspired you as a writer?

No But I like to read - I like historical books!

"Friends"

KIPP ALL Middle School

AlexandraMaldonado

MackenziePedro KIPPFreedomMiddleSchool