Harbor Lights 2016-17

HARBOR LIGHTS A CELEBRATION OF THE LITERARY & VISUAL ARTS of HARBOR DAY SCHOOL

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2016 - 2017

OUR MISSION Harbor Day School provides an academically challenging, well-balanced education in a nurturing, family-centered environment. Our traditional, yet innovative, curriculum develops eager, confident learners who think creatively and work collaboratively. Developing self-reliance, building strong moral character, and encouraging social responsibility are hallmarks of a Harbor Day education.

Head of School Angi Evans (‘75) Director of Communications Noelle Becker Editor Melissa Mullane Associate Editors Chatom Arkin Noelle Becker Marilou McCarty Amy Meyer Ethnea Porter Erin Stephens Art Directors Stacey Hammond Leslie Yagar Photography Kate Houlihan Photography Design and Printing Smile Design, Inc.

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On the cover Ella Olsen | 1st grade

Ms. Hogan’s

KINDERGARTEN

Thomas Mauser | Kindergarten

Lollipop

Blakely Gregory Swirl Yum, yum, yum Sweet orange.

Lick it first.

Tongue goes down then up.

Slurp You are pink and orange and yellow and green and blue and purple.

A yummy rainbow.

Fun, Fun

Brian Francois Minecraft on the iPad. Big happy eyes.

Coloring things.

I giggle.

Teachers at school.

Writing words into poems.

Playing with Paw Patrol.

Watching Disney TV. Eating meatballs and pasta.

Yummy in my tummy.

Fun.

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Penelope Ayora | Kindergarten

LIKE DRAGON SCALES. AND I JUMP OUT OF THE OCEAN. Birthdays

Seal

Bird

Birthday, birthday, Blow the candles.

Swoosh!

Eat the chocolate cake.

Yum! A party in my tummy.

Lick my lips.

Play, play, play.

Run, run.

Pony rides, Birthday, birthday.

Flip, flop As shiny as can be.

Like dragon scales.

And I jump out of the ocean.

Flip, flop I have fins and flippers.

Twist, twist Like a dragon flying in the sky.

Flap, flap.

Graceful like a snowflake.

Going really, really fast.

I fly down on the ground.

Flap my wings.

I eat a seed. and go up like a bubble floating in the sky.

Chloe Neal

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Coco Alagband

Kendall Gray

Snowflake

Friend

Spies

Dylan Young

Hudson Butcher

Hunter Montijo

A snowflake as cold as a popsicle.

Falls down.

Catch it in my tongue.

Snow.

Yum. Like a grape popsicle that I hold by the stick.

Lick it.

I want more.

Hey Preston!

Do you want some of my ice cream?

Drip, drip chocolate.

I am happy.

I tell you a joke.

Knock, knock.

Who’s there?

Banana.

Banana who?

Orange you glad I didn’t say banana.

We laugh.

Spies tiptoe down the town like a ninja.

Creak, creak.

You’re so sneaky.

You have weapons.

You sneak all around the world.

Spies tiptoe.

Whisper to your friends plans to stop the bad guys.

Snowflake

Collins Nelligan

I am a snowflake.

I am a pointy crystal.

I fly down from the sky.

I am cold like ice cream.

Put on a jacket and a snow hat.

Come outside and play with me.

Make me into a snowman.

Put in a carrot.

Make a face.

I love you snowman.

Knox Yoon | Kindergarten

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Turner Claassen | Kindergarten

Sun and Moon Leela Tripathi

The sun is like the moon.

They both light up the day and the night.

They look like shining balls in the sky.

Oh! At least they keep out the scary things.

I don’t need a night light because I already have the moon.

Mad

Sophie Mir

Diamonds

Penelope Ayora A diamond as pink as can be.

Shining sparkles floating in the air with a beautiful touch.

A shimmering waterfall falling down to the ocean with a wide touch of the pink.

Touch of every time it touches your heart.

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I turn red.

A volcano erupting inside of me.

I stomp my feet.

Stomp, Stomp, Stomp.

I scream loudly.

I feel like I am a boiling pot.

My face starts to wrinkle.

I yell.

I am mad.

Haunted House Knox Yoon

Tiptoe.

Sh, sh, sh.

Someone is watching me.

Is it a ... creature?

Whooo!

Is ... that ... a ghost?

Run! To the bush.

I think I lost him.

Again, Again.

Eraser

Lilianna Senizergues Eraser, eraser.

Get me in your hand.

Rub me against the mistakes I take away your problems.

Then pick up your pencil.

Time for me to rest.

Eraser, eraser.

Trash Can

Luca Zahoul Sans I am smelly.

I hold socks.

I hold bottles and rotten eggs.

Okay, That’s it!

I am going to Africa.

I am tired of holding your stuff.

Goodbye!

MAIL ME AWAY. STICK ME IN THE MAILBOX. Silly Tickling Funny words.

Stick out my tongue.

Jumping on the bed with my brother.

Landing backwards.

Laughing.

Feels funny.

Tickling Snuggling like bunnies.

Mail Away

Spaghetti

I am an envelope.

Write a letter.

Put it inside me.

Lick me and close me.

Stamp me.

Send me to your family.

Mail me away.

Stick me in the mail box.

Wait for me to come.

Spaghetti So good.

Stringy like hair.

Red sauce with meatballs.

Spaghetti, Oh, spaghetti.

You are so long.

The taste will blow your mind.

Spaghetti, Oh, spaghetti.

Macie Lewis

Nicholas Ronaghi

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Spy

Goldfish

Preston Decker

Thomas Mauser

Goldfish, goldfish swim really fast.

Jump really high.

Snail, snail Go really slow.

You can’t catch me.

Slow, slow, slow.

Spy secret spy.

An agent Black red suit.

Gadgets.

Swing the rope.

Steal the jewel.

Tiptoe.

Sneak out.

Go to a hideout.

Spy secret spy.

MY DAD GOES ON HIS SKATEBOARD. FAST LIKE A CHEETAH. Luna

Dad

Luna My puppy Bark, bark, bark.

Stop biting me.

Black fur.

Running around.

Bark, bark, bark.

Brown eyes.

Chews her favorite toy.

Tries to escape from the bath.

Snuggly.

Run, run, run.

My dad goes on his skateboard.

Fast like a cheetah.

A tickler Big eyes.

He smiles.

Roll, roll, rocket On his skateboard.

Dad.

Turner Claassen

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Callie Arkin-Horowitz

Ms. Lange’s

The Cough

KINDERGARTEN

Keagan Peters Cough, cough!

Stay in bed Cough, cough!

Take some sour medicine Yuck!

Cough, cough!

Take more medicine Cough, cough!

Sliding down my throat Like a snail Yuck!

Too sour!

Angry

Vivaan Bansal Grrrrrr!

My sister hits me Ouch!

Grrrrrr!

My sister kicks me Ouch!

Grrrrrr!

My sister pushes me Ouch!

Stop it, you’re mean!

My Family Chloe Dufty

Woof woof My dog went outside Out of the door Oh no!

My mom is busy With work Type type Oh no!

My dad is busy With a call Ring ring Oh, well!

My dog is not busy!

Woof woof We go play tennis

Chloe Dufty | Kindergarten

At The Pond Lily Browne

Splish splash!

Fish are eating Frogs are croaking There are flies in the air Buzzzzzz!

A kid is fishing A kid is swimming In the water All the kids are playing Splish splash!

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Soccer Ball

Turner Singletary

Video Games

Good morning!

Put me on Can you see better now?

Let’s go downstairs For breakfast Keep me on Don’t get food on me!

Yuck!

Clean me please Let’s go to school now I want to help you learn Walk into the classroom Good morning!

Plug in Turn me on Yellow lights flash Leap to the left Beep, beep Leap to the right Beep, beep Let’s go forward Now go backward Let’s play!

You won Game over

Ivy Owens

Get a ball Get a friend Bring your uniform Number 4 On your jersey Go on the big green soccer field Kick kick Pass pass GOAL! You are happy So happy

Sarah Rosing | Kindergarten

Mirror Mirror Sofia Sadri

You can see yourself Curly brown hair Beautiful brown eyes Big smile You look so pretty Mirror Mirror On the wall Who’s the prettiest Of them all?

You are!

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My Glasses

Josie Geiler Allen

Noah Pierce | Kindergarten

The Football

Noah Pierce

The shape A long brown taco The laces Long, white, and straight The uniform Red and blue Run down the grassy field Pass to my partner A rainbow thrown into the sky Boom!

Touchdown!

Happy

Ali Yasin Big presents Full of fun toys Big ice cream cone Yummy with sugar Big soccer game Make a goal Big video games Playing with my brother Big dad Giving me lots of hugs Big everything!

I am happy

BIG DAD GIVING ME LOTS OF HUGS BIG EVERYTHING! I AM HAPPY

Emily Niccol | Kindergarten

Sky

Lila Peykoff Rain is like A giant’s feet Stomping Crash!

Boom!

It is raining When the giant is crying Crash!

Boom!

When the rain is over The giant is better Yay! The rain stopped

Scissors

The Tooth

Sarah Rosing

Hillary Wilks

Scissors are like Two little fingers At the top It is like Dark alligators Chomping with sharp fangs In a green swamp Chomp chomp!

Through the paper

Wiggle wiggle Pull me out I’m so loose!

Wiggle wiggle Don’t eat that apple!

Chomp chomp I came out!

Put me under the pillow I want to meet the tooth fairy!

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Confused

Jacques Bergougnan Strange sounds How did the towers fall?

I didn’t bump into them…

How did my book rip?

I didn’t rip it…

How did the trash can spill?

I didn’t do anything…

How did I mess up my homework?

I didn’t do anything!

How did my candles disappear?

I didn’t blow them out…

How is my chair flying?

I don’t have magic…

How did my pictures fall?

I didn’t cut the ropes…

How did all of this happen?

I’m confused.

Connor Feltham | Kindergarten

The Jellyfish

The Trip

Wobble like jello Wobble like slime Wiggle wiggle And wobble Like a loose tooth A pink and blue balloon In the ocean Filled with water Shiny Dancing Tentacles

No, no!

Please stay I would if I could But I can’t No, no!

I’m exploding with sadness Tears are falling down my face Like sap rolling down a tree Please stay I would if I could I am out of time I will Facetime you I will miss you Very much No, no!

Please stay I would if I could

Jonathan Ha

Stella Vanderhook

Jonathan Ha | Kindergarten 12

Hunter Montijo | Kindergarten

The Animals

The Dog

The Ocean

Neigh! Goes the white horse Rawr! Says the striped tiger Scratch! Goes the grey mouse Purr! Goes the spotted cat Ruff! Says the fluffy dog Boing! Goes the black bunny Whoosh! Goes the pink unicorn Sssss! Goes the slimy snake Ahhh!

There is a snake!

There is a snake in the house!

Woof woof A big, brown dog Go catch the ball A red, round ball Go, Go! Woof woof The ball goes over the fence Bad dog Woof woof He naps in bed Snoring through the day Zzzzzz!

Woof woof Time to play Let’s go!

It’s fun time!

The big blue waves Crash!

Boom! Boom!

A big water monster Splash! Splash!

Blue turns to white Crashing on the sand Crabs run away To the huge rocks Crash!

Boom! Boom!

The waves splash in the air Whoosh!

Sarah Magallanes

Lunch

Townsend Butcher

Makenzie Lewis

Aidan Paolone

Hillary Wilks | Kindergarten

Pick me first!

I am healthier Don’t eat your cookies first Those are bad for you Eat your sandwich Munch, Munch Eat your apples Crunch, Crunch Now, eat your chocolate chip cookies Yum Buuurrrp!

Excuse me!

Swing

Emily Niccol Swing swing swing Please come swing I won’t let you fall Pump your legs Higher and higher You will feel Like you’re a plane Swing swing swing Like a spaceship Pump your legs Higher and higher So high You are in space Swing swing swing

Bedtime

Connor Feltham Stay in bed It is 8 o’clock at night Frogs croak outside Stay in bed It is 9 o’clock at night Crickets chirp outside Go back to sleep Don’t wake up again It’s not morning 10 hours later Time to wake up!

It’s morning!

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Mrs. Vieira’s

1st GRADE

Gabrielle Landy & Hudson Stern | 1st Grade

Ocean

Aleah Berengian High tide Drifting along the sand Seaweed Floating on top Waves crashing Against the rocks People jumping and diving Pelicans gliding through the sky Children building sand castles And me sitting on my towel Just watching It all!

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Steve vs. the Ocean Creatures Cooper Kelly

Steve was a young man who liked to surf.

One day he went in the water and before he knew it he was…in the middle of the ocean!!! Next his board got away from him and he thought, “How could things get any worse?” But then…a SHARK! He tried to swim away but the shark was too fast, so he did something gross. He stuck his finger up the shark’s nose! He finally found his board and went surfing once again and he was safe. As for the shark…he was still swimming.

Dixie

Danny Angeloff Lazy dog Nice dog Awesome dog Fluffy Fast dog Happy dog Still a puppy Likes the water She fetches She jumps and runs She sleeps at my feet Comforting me in the night

My Heart

Lyla Fischbein My heart is happy My heart is sad Sometimes broken But that’s not bad My heart does sing My heart is a queen My heart is fast My heart is slow It beats like thunder Now here we go!

FILLS ME WITH JOY FUN AND LAUGHTER , TOO! The Outside

Emma Harrison

Fills me with joy Fun and laughter, too!

As the sun shines brightly For me and you Daisies Poppies Flowers, too In the outside There’s so much to do

Koalas

Parker Stern Koalas Have fur Sometimes gray Sometimes brown Have rough pads On their feet Have a pouch For their babies Have thumbs So they can climb Live in Australia Especially likes to eat eucalyptus leaves

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Ella Nami | 1st Grade

Sea

Maggie Kirkowski

Me

Hudson Steelberg Has brown hair Likes riding a motorcycle Sleeps a lot Plays a lot Likes going on the Trampoline Likes school Likes homework Likes my friends Likes my brother And sister Likes books Likes my mom and dad, too!

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Waves crashing on the sand Swirling gently Tossing my bucket into the waves!!

Swim Swim Swim The waves push me back!!

My bucket lands Deep into the sea Where the sharks swim Never Ever To be seen Again!

Feelings

Michael West There’s sad There’s mad There’s happy Scared and Disgusted There’s shy There’s tired There’s furious There’s annoyed There’s doomed There’s mean There’s embarrassed There’s worried There’s always a word For every emotion!

THE WAVES PUSH ME BACK!!

MY BUCKET LANDS DEEP INTO THE SEA

Weather

Presley James Storms with rain and thunder Cloudy overcast days Sunny fun days Days with pretty flowers Days with green grass After a rain Sunny Cloudy No matter what weather it is I always have fun!

Molly Tiwari | 1st Grade

Candy

Kalani Hogsett Candy is sweet and spicy It comes in all colors Sometimes blue Sometimes purple Sometimes white or green Lollipops Mints Gummy bears too Yummy Yummy Yummy in my tummy Sweet and Spicy Candy

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Love

Sloane Williams Love is what is inside you It cannot be seen It is invisible Do not sob and do not cry Because love travels It travels from one to another It finds someone to love It finds its pair That is what love is All about

Emma Harrison | 1st Grade Dear Mom,

Can I please have two dogs? My dad had a dog, and I want to remember him by getting two Husky puppies. I would name one of the Wrigley Red because my dad loved Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs. The other one will be named Sunset Shimmer because he loved the sunset.

Love you, Sydney Ilczyszyn

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Alex Miller | 1st Grade

Mrs. Zwerling’s

1st Grade Stars

Cooper Piercey Bright in the night See me? You can’t miss me I shine through your curtains I am high in the sky I see your house I see every house I see the world I am bright in the night I am a star!

Emery Pelinka | 1st Grade

I SEE THE WORLD I AM BRIGHT IN THE NIGHT Rain Drops

Sharks

Splish splash, splish splash Like a shower Drip drop Little by little Coming down the roof Dropping softly and slowly Some small some big Some hanging some dropping Watching it coming down Sliding down the roof

Sharp teeth Ahhhhhh!

Hungry all the time Ahhhhhh!

Love meat Ahhhhhh!

Angry Ahhhhhh!

Mouth watering for food Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Coming for me Ouch.

Addy Chen

Milan Rofougaran

Kamilah Cavner| 1st Grade 19

Grandma Tanya

Siena is a Dolphin

You are as sweet as honey Gives very special hugs So sweet Sweet like flowers Her hair is as red as a rose Sweet like sugar Cooking in the kitchen Baking the best, most delicious cookies Sweet like Grandma Tanya

Siena is a dolphin She is a swimmer Siena is a dolphin She is a fast swimmer Siena is a dolphin She wins every swim meet Siena is a dolphin She is my big sister dolphin

Makenna Eckenweiler

Ella Olsen

Stella Miller | 1st Grade

Kamilah Cavner | 1st Grade Dear Mom, Dear Dad, Can you please take me to the Orange County Mining Company? I think I should go because I will give you a five minute foot massage. Also, I will eat all of my food. I will vacuum the house and take care of the dog.

I won’t eat all of the dessert.

Sincerely, Frankie Stiefel

20

I would love to go to San Diego with you.

You are so fun. I’ve figured out what we could do together. I have great ideas! We could stay at the Del Coronado and go to the pool together. I want to go with you to the San Diego Zoo, Sea World and Legoland.

Some reasons I deserve a trip to San Diego are that I make my bed, and sometimes I wash the dishes. Also, I could watch my brother while you’re in the shower. I cannot wait to go!

Love, Finn Hoover

Make the World a Better Place Jake Sokolowski

Stop terrorists Stop littering Stop and take care of animals Stop bullies Stop and make shelter for homeless people Stop And make the world a better place What can you do?

Cooper Piercey | 1st Grade

Mom

Capri Cuneo

Adeleine Chen | 1st Grade

My mom is a blanket She is so cuddly And soft Keeps me warm She covers me when I sleep with her She is a rainbow blanket Beautiful and nice Makes me feel happy and surprised The best blanket ever I love my blanket!

Hairstyles

Kamilah Cavner Sassy Pigtails Sporty Ponytail A dancer’s bun Sewn Braids Cute fishtail braids Fancy French braids Curly hair Straight hair But the one I love is MY HAIR!

Kiana Sadri | 1st Grade

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2nd GRADE Dear Dr. Suess, I admire you for writing about happiness for kids from around the world. I also like how you made people laugh with the stories you wrote. One of my favorite books when I was little was Cat in the Hat. How did it feel to make cartoons for servicemen in the army who were sick and hurt? What was it like to write and illustrate so many books? I liked your quote, “Don’t give up. I believe in you all. A person is a person no matter how small.”

From, Luke Cudzil

Adam Pirnazar | 2nd Grade

Dear Frida Kahlo, I am sorry you got into a bus accident when you were a teenager. I admire you for continuing to paint even though you broke so many of the bones in your body. I want to be an artist when I grow up, and you inspired me to do what I want to even if it sounds impossible. I also love that you kept your unibrow. Usually, when women have a unibrow they pluck it but you said, “No, this is who I am, so I’m keeping it!” You didn’t care about what people thought. I admire you for being who you wanted to be no matter what.

Sincerely, Sheridan Hofer

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Jackson Casey | 2nd Grade

Dear Misty Copeland, I want to be just like you when I grow up because you inspire me to do more than what I think I can do. You overcame your struggles to become the first African American prima ballerina in the American Ballet Theater. I think you are amazing, and I hope to see you dance some day.

From, Logan Steelberg

Andrew Walbridge | 2nd Grade

Dear Rachel Carson, I admire how you wrote Silent Spring and proved that DDT was toxic. I thought you were brave and strong. I have one question.

How did you find out that DDT was harmful?

I also like that you always stood up for the earth. I have a connection to you because I love animals and nature too. You grew up on a farm, and I like going to visit the tidepools with my friends. I think that protecting nature is something people need to start doing more especially since we have so many new factories that are polluting.

Love, Morgan Dollander

Dear Mo Willems, Thank you for all of the books you wrote. They’re all great! I made a biography about you at school and, I think you are an amazing author and a creative man. I like to to create comics at my house, but I don’t want to share it with the world, so I think you’re brave! What is your favorite book you wrote, and where did you get your ideas? What kind of books do you read? I also think it is cool that you won six Emmy Awards. Your books make me happy when I am upset.

Your fan, Reed McCardle

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Dear Amelia Earhart, You really impressed me as the first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean alone! You are brave because you tried to fly across the equator, and you are still famous today because you tried to fly across the world! You are amazing because when you were a kid you wanted to be a pilot, and when you grew up you did it! Thank you.

Sincerely, Elliott Singletary

Kaitlyn Dostert | 2nd Grade

Ophelia Owens | 2nd Grade

THANK YOU FOR SHOWING ME THAT WHEN YOU DON’T ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL THE FIRST TIME YOU TRY AGAIN. Dear Louis Braille, Thank you for making braille. You are caring because you made a way for blind people to read. You are brave because even though you faced many hardships, including blindness, you kept going. You are humble because when you earned an award, you just went on with your life and kept helping people.

Louis Braille, you showed people that when something looks too hard, they should never give up. You were a man of great courage.

Sincerely, Andrew Walbridge

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Dear Martin Luther King, Jr., Thank you for doing great things where people needed to be treated equally. You did a lot to help the people that were not being treated fairly in all the places you visited.

It really inspires me that you did all those marches for peace, equal rights, and civil rights. Whenever you got made or you got arrested, you would always fight with your words instead of using violence.

Your fan, Dylan Paolone

Samantha Powell | 2nd Grade

Dear Thomas Jefferson, Thank you for showing me that when you don’t achieve your goal the first time you try again. You are determined because you ran to be the second president, you lost, but you ran to be the third and you got it! You are a true leader because you helped make our country by writing The Declaration of Independence.

Thomas Jefferson, you showed me how important it is to keep trying.

Sincerely, Tyler Stern

Dear Thomas Edison, Thank you for showing me that nothing is impossible, and if you want to do something all you have to do is not give up! You are optimistic. When something went wrong, you said, “I have not failed, I have just found a way for something not to work!” You are a leader because you always worked hard.

Thomas Edison, you are amazing!

Sarah Thorpe, Reed McCardle, Kyle Stern, Mateo Senizergues, Kaitlyn Dostert, & Saachi Heer | 2nd Grade

Sincerely, Saachi Heer

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3rd GRADE Miss Sparks’s Caramel

Chloe Wainwright

“Bump, bump, bump” went my bike as we went down the brick path. “Crinkle” went my basket as my bunny Caramel, put his front paws up on the top. All of a sudden Carmel jumped out of my basket!

“Oh no!” I said. I tried to grab him before he went into the bushes. I put my bike down and got on my belly to look for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. I told my mom and my brother that I could not see him, but then I heard rustling in the bushes. I got back down to look, and I saw a leaf moving around in the bushes. I reached for the leaf. It was just a leaf that was stuck on Caramel with a spider web. I grabbed Carmel and took him out of the bushes so I could take him home and give him a bath.

Makenzie Vovan | 3rd Grade

I WAS EXPLODING WITH EXCITEMENT, DESPERATION, AND CONFIDENCE. I SAT DOWN IN MY SEAT, AND THEN 3,2,1 GO! 26

Hannah Miller | 3rd Grade

Big Thunder Mountain Mary Kate Angeloff

I could hear my heart pounding. I was getting on Big Thunder Mountain, a roller coaster at Disneyland. I was exploding with excitement, desperation, and confidence. I sat down in my seat, and then 3,2,1 GO! Up and down and all around! It was fantastic! We saw some billy goats chewing TNT, snakes, and a turtle! (It was all fake, do not worry!)

“This is awesome!” I yelled.

As quickly as it started, it ended.

“That was worth the wait,” my mom said.

“Yes! That was!”

Julia Getter & Michael Doyle | 3rd Grade

Durham Pelinka | 3rd Grade

Microwave Disaster Michael Doyle

Early Saturday morning my grandma and I made breakfast.

“Don’t put tin foil over the bacon,” I shouted, and yet she did it anyway. Sure enough after fifteen seconds, the bacon caught on fire! I heard a crackle, and I saw a yellow flame through the glass pane of the microwave. I called my grandma to come over to where I was. I thought, Someone might get hurt! Luckily no one did get hurt, but the entire house did smell like bacon.

Shortly after that, my mom came to pick me up. She asked, “Why does the house smell like bacon?” So we told the story of what happened with the microwave.

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Miss Sparks’s

Berlin Hill & Chandon Heer | 3rd Grade

Reese Katkin | 3rd Grade

Mr. Panuco Luke Mirhashemi Everyday Everybody Should Be Respectful and Nice to Mr. Panuco!

If Harbor Day did not have Mr. Panuco this school would be a mess! He cleans and fixes everything. You might not think he does a lot, but he does.

If anything is broken or dirty he fixes it. For example, I saw a broken water fountain, and Mr. Panuco was the one to fix it.

Everyday Mr. Panuco comes to the lunch tables when lunch is over and cleans the tables. For example, one time I was walking down to recess and saw that Mr. Panuco was cleaning the tables, and we went back, and we all picked up trash because we see him after lunch everyday cleaning the tables himself, so we helped him.

Mr. Panuco also gives rides to people. He takes you around the school, and sometimes to ice cream, and it is super fun. Sometimes he picks you up on his cart and takes you to recess. It is great because you get to be with your friends, and you do not always get to go on a cart like that.

When I did a survey, I asked ten people if we should be nice and respectful to Mr. Panuco. All ten said, “Yes!” As you can see, Mr. Panuco does a lot. He gives rides, cleans, and fixes everything. That is why we need to be nice and respectful to Mr. Panuco.

28

The Best Tree Fort Berlin Hill

“I bet I can make the best tree fort,” my cousin shouted over our excited voices. It was a sunny day in Michigan at my cousin’s house in the woods. My toes tingled. What if I get lost?

Those woods are huge, I thought. My cousin and I started towards the middle of the woods.

Truman, my older cousin, found a good place to build a tree fort. We started to build. First, we found two branches overlapping, so we put bark and leaves over the top.

“I think this is the best tree fort ever!” I said with joy in my voice. My cousin silently agreed.

“What if it blows away?” he murmured half to himself. By then I realized it was starting to get windy. I could feel the wind whistling around us. The leaves were blowing.

We went to get Law and Lair. We found them in the sand dunes right by the woods. Their fort kept blowing away. “Hi guys,” we shouted over the loud whistling wind. “Come see our fort.”

“Okay!” they hollered back. By the time we all got back to the woods the wind was blowing hard.

“Okay, here it is,” Truman said.

“Huh? We don’t see a fort just a pile of sticks.”

Uggghh that’s because…I knew what he was going to say, but I didn’t want to hear it.

Time froze. I was sad and angry at the same time. I looked around hoping to see my tree fort.

“It blew away,” my cousin resumed, then he groaned. Law and Lair giggled. And then…we all burst out laughing. Our tree fort wasn’t there, but at least I was with my cousins.

Ry O Hill | 3rd Grade

Benjamin Harrison | 3rd Grade 29

The Weirdest Day of My Life Parker Johnson

“Come on!” my dad shouts. “This way!” I tend to make stupid decisions sometimes… This slope was so steep I could not see the bottom! My feet were glued to the skis, and I was going so fast my face felt like it was peeling off. I was not moving and was seeing white.

A face plant, really! After this happened twenty times I decided that I really hated this run.

I was so mad the snow was melting off my face. I was so cold every cell in my body screamed. I couldn’t move my arms. Everyone was whizzing by me. I could not stand this. I felt like I was going to die here.

Good thing I did not die. Some people snickered at me, I snapped. That was all I could stand.

This mountain is torturing me! I yelled inside my head. My cells were on fire now. I shot down the mountain. I didn’t care if I face planted. I finally reached the bottom. Face plant. I did not care. I was smiling!

“Honey, you just went down a black diamond!” said my mom.

“What??!! Thanks for telling me now!” But all I wanted was some hot, hot chocolate. Really.

Taylor Francois | 3rd Grade

Tess Prichard & Parker Johnson | 3rd Grade

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Violet Yoshida & JJ Barton | 3rd Grade

Siena Olsen | 3rd Grade

Rollercoaster Sonali Tripathi

“I can hardly wait to get on!” I shouted. The roller coaster roared by. Hmmm, I thought, but I didn’t have time to think. It was our turn!

I hopped in my seat waiting to go. It felt like forever. I looked all around me. I could feel a burst of excitement growing inside of me.

Then I felt a tug at my seatbelt. I needed no reminders. We were off! When we were going up, I felt like a turtle on a train engine that was about to run out of gas. When we got to the top, we paused. I felt myself lunge forward. I knew we were about to start.

“Wee!” I cried as I scanned the ground below me. I could see all the people. They looked like tiny ants, from my view. Then I looked around me again. I could feel the air whiz past my hair it was like a giant fan.

“I can see everything from up here!” I shouted. I felt like a bird soaring the air. I was thinking, What if I fall off? The ride kept twisting and turning. My seatbelt felt loose. But I knew I wouldn’t fall off anyway. Then the ride slowly came to an end.

We went back into the cave where we got on. Then we got off. We were headed downstairs. It was the best rollercoaster ever!

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4th GRADE Miss Sparks’s The One and Only Bradley Andrew Niccol

You know the saying, “Man’s Best Friend?” Well, that is the perfect description of my dog, Bradley. His fur is a beautiful, silky caramel color. His eyes are cheerful and ocean blue. He is almost two years old and definitely learning new things every day. One time he stuck his nose in a beehive and learned his lesson the hard way. He avoids bees now.

Bradley is a “Cavapoo” which is a Cavalier King Charles and a poodle mix. He weighs about twenty pounds.

There are always different stories about how people get pets, though Bradley’s is pretty simple. After begging for months, my parents finally said yes. Right when we entered the pet store, I was immediately drawn to Bradley. We all agreed he was the one. When we got home, everybody had different ideas for names, but after lots of arguing, we decided to let the puppy choose. So we put the names we wanted on pieces of paper. Then, we set them on the ground next to each other and placed dog food on top. Whichever he ran over to eat first would become his name. He chose the name I had wanted, Bradley. The name has stuck ever since.

Bradley has quite the perfect personality. Although he’s usually friendly, playful, and hyper, he is not always nice to strangers. He is the family bodyguard, or so he thinks. I’ve taught him one trick, drooling, but it seems he’s always known how to do that. His favorite thing to play with is a squeezy toy in the shape of a basketball. Bradley and I love to play fetch together and run around in a nearby meadow. I read aloud to him when I’m bored, and his facial expressions make him look like he understands word for word. When he’s alone, he will usually sleep on the couch, run around chasing butterflies, or bark at the birds.

Owning a pet as great as Bradley comes with big responsibilities. My jobs are feeding and walking him. Yet, sometimes, he is just too fast for me. If a squirrel catches his eye, he is after it like a car speeding down the freeway. I think he is almost as fast as a cheetah. My mom or dad take him to the vet if needed. My sisters are the lucky ones who clean up his business.

Bradley brings so much joy to my life. Every person in the world would want a pet as great as Bradley. He is truly “Man’s Best Friend.” I love him to the moon and back. My life wouldn’t be the same without the one and only Bradley!

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Cameron Massoudi, Maya Fischbein, Tyler Godfrey, & Fiona Rowe| 4th Grade

Yasmin Cavner, Logan Fenner, & Sienna Mahdi | 4th Grade

Snowflakes Danika Look

Graceful, icy, soft Wafting downward, drifting away Slowly gliding through the air Winter’s beauty

Conrad Cook | 4th Grade

The Final Hit

Cameron Massoudi

It was a scorching hot day. It was the Giants vs. Red Sox.The Giants were at home. It was the bottom of the ninth inning, Giants down 10-11. There were two Giants players on base. Two outs. The Giants’ coach paced back and forth. All the players stood. I held my breath. The crowd went silent. The final batter was up. He very sluggishly walked up to the plate. “What would happen if the Giants lose?” I wondered.

The final batter stood at home plate. He rearranged the dirt. He looked like he was contemplating what he should do. Finally, after what felt like 30 years, the batter tapped the base, put the bat into position, and scowled at the pitcher. I almost couldn’t focus because so many thoughts were running through my head, What was the batter thinking? What was his plan? Would the Giants get a hit? The pitcher leaned forward and turned the ball in his mitt. Drops of sweat trickled down the pitcher’s neck as he released the ball to the batter. The batter stood there like a rock, dazed. The ball drifted into range. The swing. Whack! I slowly watched the ball freely soar in the air as instantly the crowd went wild. HE HIT IT OUT OF THE PARK! All the runners ran home. All the Giants players and coaches ran on the field. I smiled and said, “This is the best day ever!” After the game was over, I thought to myself, I will always look back at this game as a lesson, not as just any old game. The lesson is to never give up, even when you are down by seven points in a baseball game, keep on trying!

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The Last Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownie Claire Casey

There I was, face-to-face with Elizabeth. She was older, stronger, and faster.

I knew it wasn’t a fair game. Her eyes were bullets, piercing through my body. In between us was a small table. On that small table was the last chocolate chip Oreo brownie! There it was, singing to me like an angel. Suddenly, Samantha said, “GO!” For a second my legs wouldn’t budge. My hands were as cold as ice. But then all of a sudden, in my hand I was holding the last and best chocolate chip Oreo brownie! I didn’t mean to, I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but the words just slipped right out of my mouth. I said, “You can have it.”

Caden Isola | 4th Grade

Keaton Kessler | 4th Grade

Terror Tunnel Jack Cudzil

The man held the door open, his name tag glistening in the spotlight. I could see what lay beyond that door, blood and scary music. Terrifying. This was the Walking Dead at Universal Studios Hollywood. Although, I wish it wasn’t. I was hesitant at first. Then he nudged me in. The scene looked like something out of a horror movie.

Squeezing Grandpa’s hand tighter and tighter, like a snake squeezing its prey, I tried to back out. The sweat finally got to me. I couldn’t see myself, but I guessed I looked as red as a hot tamale. The sweat drizzled down my face like butter on pancakes. Then…

I was face to face with a zombie. It was the worst looking one on the ride. It had a knife in its head and a hole in his stomach. He made me sick, sick as a dog. Then the unspeakable happened. He GRABBED ME! And everything went black.

34

The Pier Jump Tommy Hofer

My brain was telling me to go back as I walked onto the pier. Butterflies flew around in my stomach as I looked down. It was like a bottomless pit. I watched the first person step off the pier. She had so much hang time. It was like Ryan’s whirlygig. Soon it was my turn. All the butterflies in my stomach had babies. Then the lifeguard tapped my shoulder. I felt like there was an invisible wall that would not let me step off the pier.

“Oh, wait, no,” said the lifeguard. Then I broke the invisible wall and stepped off the pier, and the butterflies in my stomach flew away.

Danika Look | 4th Grade

Super Bowl Megan Bartz

Nervous, excited Sprinting, tackling, diving The wide receiver catches a pass Winter’s biggest game

Skiing

Kylie Lykos Exhilarating, amazing Racing down the icy slope Wind rushing across your face Winter’s winning sport

Addison Riddlesperger | 4th Grade

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5th GRADE Miss Sparks’s

Arman Rofougaran | 5th Grade

Kristy Riddle | 5th Grade

Chandler Green | 5th Grade

Swimming

Alex Boserup “I think everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their life.”

August Pullman from the book Wonder.

“Take your marks!” the announcer shouted. That was the moment I will never forget. I was swimming a tiring fifty-free. I had been practicing every day for about three years. I was in third grade, and all I could think about was, Am I going to beat Dotty Lester? She was the number one swimmer in our age group on my swim team, and nobody could beat her. All of my swim meets took place at our neighborhood pool. There, at that same pool, I was challenged to beat her.

Coach Jessie and Coach Michelle had been coaching both of us for as long as I could remember. I could tell they were anxious to see who would win the race. My dad, mom, and my brother were all watching along with others. I was happy they had come to support me.

“Beep!” went the timer. I jumped off. My toes pushed off the block as I made a splash as tall as a seven foot wall. I looked to my right and realized Dotty was beating me by an inch, at least. I had to give an extra kick. I took one breath at a time, breathing to my right, as my heart pumped as hard as a stampede of buffalo.

I finally got to the wall. My head popped up, and I was trying to catch my breath. I looked at my timer, which had stopped before Dotty’s had! I realized how many people were clapping for me. I was overwhelmed that I had won the race! People stood up and cheered. I was now the number one swimmer and on the leaderboard. Dotty and I shook hands and congratulated each other.

Although I am not August Pullman, I know how he felt about his standing ovation. The ovation I was given made me realize that I had done the best I could do. I had accomplished something amazing, by swimming against my greatest competitor.

36

Going Deep

Chandler Green

As the tip of my toe touched the cool ocean I thought to myself, Am I really doing this?

Am I scared or excited?

I was in Maui, Hawaii. It was about the middle of February over Ski Week. My dad and I woke groggily as the sun rose. We got dressed and walked down to the elevator. After about thirty seconds of standing half asleep in the elevator, we stepped out and slowly walked into the hotel lobby ready for breakfast. After breakfast, it was time.

Soon we were outside at the ocean equipment stand waiting. In no time, our instructor came out and said, “Hi! I’m Blaze.” My dad and I introduced ourselves to Blaze. We got our wetsuits and tanks on, then we headed to the pool for the pool course of the lesson. I couldn’t believe it. We were going scuba diving. We swam some laps around the pool breathing underwater. I have to admit, it was very cool.

Once Blaze said we knew how to do it well enough, we struggled to get out of the pool with our tanks and headed down to the ocean. Of course, my mom and sister came to take pictures of us. Soon we were in the ocean swimming above the water farther and farther away from shore. I am deathly afraid of the waves in the ocean, so this was a big deal for me.

Eventually, we were out far enough to go under the water. Blaze helped me get my flippers and mask on, and he gave us the cue to go under. We put our mouth pieces in our mouths and made our way under. As I swam deeper and deeper into the blue sea, I could feel the water rising above me and the surface disappearing above my head.

Even though I was quite nervous, to this day, I’m so glad that I went under that water! It allowed me to see the marine world up close. I saw sea urchins. I got only a few inches away from a sea turtle, and I even held an octopus that Blaze caught hiding under a rock. I felt exhilarated! I looked around and realized how amazing this world really is, how beautiful it is. I had really surprised myself. I am sure I surprised a lot of other people.

The only time I was confused was when I realized my dad was up in the surface, but I later found out that his ears were just hurting. Once we swam back to the shore, I gave my mom and sister a big hug. I had so much fun that, in no time, I ended up going again. I learned to not let my fears get the best of me. That is something that is very hard to overcome. I also learned that there is a whole other world down in the miraculous waters of this planet.

Alex Gomez | 5th Grade

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Miss Sparks’s

Time In Between Grant Franey

Imagine you are a student at Harbor Day School, and you really need to go to the bathroom during class. But you don’t want to miss out on the teacher’s review for the history test. Here is the solution: passing periods between classes. Harbor Day School should have passing periods between classes because students would learn better, because students will be prepared for class, and because teachers’ classes won’t get interrupted.

The first reason why Harbor Day School should have passing periods between classes is because students would learn better. This would happen because students wouldn’t have to go to the bathroom or get a drink in the middle of class if they went during the passing period.

Teachers may say that passing periods do take away time from actual class time, yet students would not need to leave class to use the restroom. Another way students will learn better is because they will have time to talk to their friends during the passing period, so they will not need to talk to their friends during class. This helps students to pay attention in class. But if there was a test in class and the students knew the answers to the test, the kids might tell their friends during the passing period. I think passing periods would enhance students’ learning.

The next reason why Harbor Day School should have passing is because students will have time to prepare for their next class. Passing periods will help students prepare for their next class allowing students time to gather the things they need. Students will also have time to check and see if they have completed their homework one last time. Passing periods allow students time to get to their actual class. Time to prepare for each class during a passing period is very important to students.

The final reason why Harbor Day School should have passing periods is because students will not disrupt the learning environment because they need to leave the room. Kids won’t need to go to the bathroom or get a drink. That not only helps students, but it also benefits teachers because they will not be interrupted by students leaving in the middle of their class. The first reason also mentioned that kids will talk less during class. This also helps teachers because students will pay attention, and teachers will feel they are doing a good job helping kids learn.

Teachers will also get less upset at kids talking because the students talked during the passing period. These reasons for why teachers will get less upset all have another side. This is because if students do need to go to the bathroom, get a drink, or talk during class teachers might get more upset than before. This was the final reason why Harbor Day School should have passing periods between classes.

In closing, Harbor Day School should have passing periods between classes because students will learn better, because students will be prepared for classes, and because teachers’ classes won’t be interrupted by students. As you can see passing periods will benefit students and teachers in a very big way.

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Aidan Powell | 5th Grade

John Elliott | 5th Grade The Step

Reed Wainwright

“Whoa!” I said when I saw the thermometer. The temperature was all the way up to 108 degrees. So I asked my grandpa if we could go canoeing. But now, as I think back on it, I wish I hadn’t.

That afternoon, my brother, my grandpa, and I were plunging through shin deep marshy water in remote Long Island, New York, toward the canoe that looked about 100 years old. When we flipped over the old canoe, two racoons bolted past our feet, about a million mosquitos darted at our faces and necks, and ten spiders skittered into the corners of the canoe.

“I don’t know about this,” my brother said.

“Neither do I,” I said in a quivering voice.

Before long we were stroking gracefully through wet reeds and marshy water making good progress.

“Are there any alligators out here?” my brother asked warily.

“No, it’s the sharks you have to worry about,” joked my grandpa. We were now past the reeds and moving swiftly through the open swamp water.

“Whoa, look at that island,” I said. “Can we go on it?”

“Sure,” said my grandpa.

We docked on the island. There was a tree in the middle of the island that was surrounded by bushes with red berries and a thin strip of sand surrounding the bushes.

“Look at all the birds,” my grandpa said.

“Oh yeah! Whoa! Look at that one!” I said. One of the birds had just fallen from the sky onto the beach. I started to run over to the bird, but I never made it.

It happened so quickly. I felt a searing pain of hot needles go through the bottom of my foot. I looked at the sand where I had stepped and there, sticking out of the sand, was a four inch rusty nail, as sharp as a razor and covered with blood, my blood. I looked at my foot and screamed. I was looking at the top of my foot; there was a bloody hole. I looked at the bottom of my foot, and there was a bloody hole. The nail went through my foot! I screamed and screamed and screamed because it hurt so much. My grandpa rushed over to me, picked me up with surprising strength for someone his age, ran me over to the canoe, and plopped me inside.

He was yelling at my brother to get in the canoe. He wrapped my foot in a washcloth. Quickly, the two of them started paddling as hard as they could toward the house.

The canoe was full of red water by the time we docked. When we rushed into the house, everyone asked us what happened. My grandpa rushed me to my mom. She is a doctor. She stopped the bleeding and put some medicine on my foot.

I couldn’t walk for an entire week after that. I was so jealous of my brother, my sister, and my cousins when they were playing outside. I will always remember that trip to New York, when I was eight years old, and how I asked my grandpa if we could go canoeing.

39

Miss Sparks’s

Maggie!

Sarah A. Sonenshine

I felt like I had been in the car for a million hours. “Are we there yet?” I said for the fiftieth time. I sat back in my seat, knowing we were nowhere close. The drive was taking forever.

“Half an hour,” my mom said to me. I looked out my window and saw hundreds of mountains. If I wasn’t so anxious to see my sister, I might actually enjoy this view. We pulled onto an old dirt road and passed a sign that said Thacher, my sister’s boarding school. My mom and I drove a little farther, and there, standing next to a car, was my sister Maggie.

I stepped out of the car and was engulfed by her hugs. We walked around the campus and met Maggie’s friends. Then, we drove to town to get dinner that included delicious pizza and fro-yo. Before I knew it, my mom left and went to her hotel. Maggie and I were about to have the best sleepover ever!

Maggie and I walked around the campus, and I met the Headmaster, Mr. Mulligan, who was the Assistant Headmaster when my dad was a student at Thatcher. Next, Maggie and I headed to her dorm and got ready for bed. The two of us walked to the girls common room and saw some more of Maggie’s friends. We were having such a great time I did not want the weekend to end. We played Wii, ate brownies, and just had fun together! But pretty soon, Maggie and I headed to bed, and we were out.

I woke up and helped muck (scoop poop) her horse. We went back to her dorm and my mom was there. We ate an amazing breakfast of waffles. After that, my mom told me, “It’s time to go.” We gave our goodbye hugs to Maggie and got in the car.

I will never forget that weekend. Special moments with my siblings are the ones that outrank any other moment in my life.

Reed Wainwright | 5th Grade

Rio Haupt | 5th Grade

40

Walker Vaicek, Petra Gapp, & Michael Lynch | 5th Grade

Grant Franey | 5th Grade Jack Yoshida | 5th Grade 41

6th GRADE Miss Sparks’s The Drop Blake Stern

We all thank my mom as we anxiously jump out of the car. We grab our helmets and skateboards out of the back of the car and race across the busy parking lot. Loose gravel shuffles under my feet. Once we reach the sidewalk we throw our boards onto the ground and cruise into the park. I ride past the big sign that says, VOLCOM SKATEPARK. A chill goes down my spine, but I also feel excited.

The first thing that I do is look over towards the big bowl. I see about ten to fifteen men waiting patiently for their turn. They seem as if they know their turn will come. They talk and laugh as they watch the man that is skating grind around the rail of the bowl. None of them wear helmets or pads as they seem confident that they will not fall. I then look to my right to see that my friends are already taking turns on the launch ramp, along with about five other people. I calmly ride over towards them.

I want to ride over towards the bowl and try it, but I know there are too many people, and I wouldn’t get a turn. When the launch ramp is clear, I take off like an airplane. I pick up speed and fly through the first drop. Then I go up, and then down again. I try to concentrate on the last jump. However, I cannot stop thinking about the bowl. When I get to the end of the launch ramp, I hardly get any air and barely land it. I am frustrated with myself. I look up at the bowl, and now there are only a few people waiting their turn. I quickly ride over to the far end of the park. Once I get there, I spend about ten minutes watching the two men skate and try to convince myself to drop in.

Then, both guys finish, sit down, and drink some water. I see a few teenagers skating over towards the bowl. I realize that it is now or never, and that if I wait too long, my chance will pass. I nervously walk up and set my board on the rail. Next, I carefully put my back foot on my board, then my front foot. Suddenly I freeze. I hang with all four of my wheels over the edge. I feel like I am hanging from the top of a building, and for that moment, it is just the bowl and me. I know that nobody else is watching.

Then I go. With all my weight and momentum, I stomp down on the front of my board.

“Whoosh!” I zoom down the steep, smooth edge. My board is about to fly out from under my feet when the drop flattens out. I courageously jump off my board and pump my fist. I feel like I can do anything! I accomplished my goal, and I am extremely proud of myself. Finally, I run out of the bowl, set my board on the rail, and do it again.

A CIRCLE DOESN’T EVER LOOK COMPLETE IF IT’S DRAWN IN EIGHTHS, QUARTERS, OR HALVES. IT’S ONLY COMPLETE WHEN WE WE ARE ALL TOGETHER AS ONE, A WHOLE, WHO STICKS TOGETHER. 42

Ella Anvaripour | 6th Grade

Arya Emadi | 6th Grade Music Brooke Johnson

My family is like music There are chords And notes There are some high notes Some low notes Keys, and strings But we all work together to create a Beautiful song

Circle Kendall D’Ambrosia My family is just like a circle, because a circle has no end.

Just like our love, our laughter, our willingness to forgive, and our friendship.

A circle doesn’t ever look complete if it’s drawn in eighths, quarters, or halves.

It’s only complete when we we are all together as one, a whole, who sticks together.

Although, most of the time it’s not drawn perfectly, just like we aren’t always perfect, but in the end our friendship always draws us back towards each other.

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The Sea Alex Wu My family is the sea It is full of mysteries Yet to be solved It is big and vast And has many waves Sometimes it is calm Sometimes it is stormy Yet the storm never lasts forever We never stop moving And we always move forward

Elliott Connolly | 6th Grade

Lily Britt, Elisha Choi, & Ryan Katkin | 6th Grade 44

White Water Rafting Elle O Hill

“Get Down!” our guide yells. My body smashes into the space that is left in the small, inflatable boat. I grab my sister Shea’s shirt and squeeze my eyes shut. I don’t like knowing that the rapids are much more powerful than me. Don’t fall out, don’t fall out, I think. I brace myself for the impact. The boat slams against the rocks with a hollow sound. I feel the vibrations in my very bones.

When I feel the water start to calm down, I sneak a peek at the rapids we left behind.

The white water swirls violently, rushing over rocks. I shiver and hug my arms around myself.

“What level was that?” I hear my brother’s voice ask behind me. He is sitting in the middle and doesn’t even have to paddle.

“That,” says the guide turning to face us, “was a two.” A two! The highest level on this white water rafting tour is a four. I adjust my grip on the paddle nervously.

“Don’t worry, I know we can do it!” says my sister Tate, encouragingly. I try to smile at her, but it comes out more like a grimace. I look around at Bren.

“That was a crazy one, huh?” she says. I nod and face the front again. How could they be so nonchalant about this? I think, bewildered. I get the chills just thinking about what might happen if I slip out of the boat.

“The next set of rapids we are approaching are fours,” the guide says, pointing to the swirling water ahead of us. “We will have to go in between those two rocks,” he says in a loud commanding voice. He paddles over to the river bank to go over basic safety instructions. As he reviews the basic commands, I let my mind wander. I think about what it might be like to fall out of the boat, all of the sudden encased in the roaring white water, sinking down, down - my thoughts are interrupted by a soft touch on my knee.

“Elle,” says Shea, “are you ready?”

I shake my head, clearing it of thoughts, like a horse ridding itself of flies.

“Yes,” I reply, surprised to hear that my voice is steady and even, “Let’s do it.” I hold my paddle tightly, as we enter the rapids.

“Right, right!” the guide yells fighting to be heard over the roaring water. I slam my paddle into the water, taking two long strokes. No lily dipping I think as I struggle to paddle against the raging water. We surge between the two rocks, narrowly missing them. I keep my guard up the whole time, but I never fall out.

That day, I came to appreciate how powerful the rapids were. When we finally made it to the end of our tour, I was drenched in water and sweat, and chilled to the bone, but I grinned anyway. As much as I was looking forward to taking a nice warm bath, I had made it, and now I wasn’t even afraid.

SOMETIMES IT IS CALM SOMETIMES IT IS STORMY YET THE STORM NEVER LASTS FOREVER 45

Lucy Tipton | 6th Grade

Reade Decker | 6th Grade

The Zipline

Elliott Connolly

The bridge of thick ropes sways gently below my feet. All of a sudden, it jerks sharply to the left. Everybody screams. I look up at the little wooden tower. It creaks as one of my classmates jumps off the edge. He soars through the air like a bird. The rope bridge shakes as another classmate steps onto the tower. The rest of us excitedly watch him fly to the clouds.

Most my friends are excited to zipline, but some people, including me, are shaking with fear. It’s very easy for me to tell that I am not alone in being scared.

Finally, it’s my turn. I step cautiously off of the rope bridge. The tower creaks as I walk to the edge, step, by step, by step. Two of the camp counselors harness me up. I am sweating.

“It’s easier if you sit on the edge,” one of the counselors says.

“Yeah,” says the other one, “You can just scoot off the edge of the tower.”

Instead, I walk back a few steps, run as hard as I can, and jump right off the tower. I expect to fall, but I don’t.

I am flying through the air! SCHREEEEEECH! The zipline makes a terrible noise as I move forward towards the second tower. I look down. The tall grass in the field below me is swaying in the wind. Brown leaves float down from a tree a few feet away. My classmates are still standing on the rope bridge. They look like tiny colored dots.

Suddenly, the line stops. I am sent flying up into the sky, and then backwards. As soon as I stop swinging back and forth, a third counselor throws me a purple ball. I catch it. I look closely and see that it is the end of a yellow string. I am quickly pulled by the string to the second tower. I unclip my harness from the line and take it off. I run right down the stairs.

Today, I learned that ziplines are not as scary as they seem.

46

Ayla

Tara Mohtashami

It had always been just the four of us until…..I looked up to see the big balloon I was holding. It was light pink with white polka dots and said, “IT’S A GIRL” in big capital letters. I sat quietly and patiently in a small room with several brown chairs and a couches, still wearing my uniform from a long day at school. My stomach was full of nothing but butterflies, my eyes stung from the beam of the lights, and my head was spinning with thoughts. What if she doesn’t like me? What if I have to hold her? What if…..

I looked over at my sister, Lily, and my grandmother. They were both whispering to each other with big grins on their faces. I wondered how they could be so happy when I was so afraid. I studied Lily as she sat on the couch across from me. I watched every small detail because soon enough I was going to be a big sister just like her.

I heard the door swing open with a loud screech. A tall man with curly black hair walked toward us. I knew right then exactly what he was about to say, and I realized that my whole life was about to change. My heart sank as he said, “You can come in now,” in a deep voice. My sister and my grandmother stood up to go follow the man, but I couldn’t move. I didn’t know what to do or what to say when I first saw Ayla, but I finally managed to push myself up with my arms. My heart was racing, and I could barely breath! My legs felt numb as I wobbled over to where the tall man was standing. I could still hear the sound of my heart pushing against my chest. The tall man opened the door for all of us. Tha-nk you, I tried to say, but I couldn’t get the words to come out.

Still holding the balloon, I turned my head toward the open door and froze. It felt like I was lifted off the ground. I could no longer hear the sound of my heart beating. Everyone grew silent except for the sound of a crying baby. I smiled to see Ayla’s bright eyes looking right at me. It felt as if the whole world had stopped for just a moment. Then my new little sister, Ayla, stopped crying and everyone rushed over to where my mom was holding the baby. My dad stood right beside her.

After that day, everything was different. Sometimes they were better, sometimes worse. But as the days passed, I learned more and more about being a better sister, and as the years continue, I learn more and more about being a better person.

Tara Mohtashami, Hutton Ledger, & Elliott Connolly | 6th Grade 47

7th GRADE Miss Sparks’s

Kelton Gregor | 7th Grade

Max Lane | 7th Grade The Problems of Being a Poppy Ava Elliott

BOOM! The footsteps of a young, savage, girl makes my world shake, literally. The giant human approaching me seems larger every time her muscles move. I recognize the face of the monstrous six year old girl. As soon as she came into my view, I wanted to yell and scream at her, because of the terror she has caused us poppies. I feel a strong urge to hurt her some way as return for her cruelty. You know, a taste of her own medicine. She has hand-plucked and (I assume) gruesomely killed several of my loving friends and dear family members in this very dirt! The dark rich soil has been my home ever since my early sprouthood. The place provides a nice home to not just me, but our tribe of poppies and several pesky earthworms. Her feet come closer, and the quakes gain power. She wears her thick “torture gloves,” beaming. Her teeth give away a most evil grin. Her hands reveal one of her many brightly colored murder weapons: “safety” scissors. Let me let you in on a little secret fact humans do not really realize: safety scissors are not all that safe. At least not safe for us poppy population.

Suddenly, it feels a little more shadowy. The cause of the mysterious shadows may come from a cloud, or a sudden storm blowing in, I hope. I hope that her foot will not trample me. I think I would rather lose my roots than get trampled. As soon as I think that, her foot stops a sprout length away. A tingling sensation of fear cooks up in my roots far under the surface of dirt and finds the short path out my beautiful purple petals.

Her warm, gooey fingers grasp and tighten around my stem. I let out a huge sigh.

I do not want my life to end right now. My life has been great so far! I have an awesome

48

family, loving friends, and a fresh supply of water every Thursday and Saturday! My body fills up with intense fear. I might as well have lost my life already! SNAP! My body and roots become unattached. Thoughts shoot through my brain. The agonizing pain, makes me think: What did we poppies, ever do to her?

The breeze brushes through my petals as I get pulled towards the white house in which she lives. Next thing I know, I am slapped onto a cold, white counter. Talk about change of temperature from her warm, gooey, hands! I struggle, trying to fight back aggressively. My bud weighs me down. Always standing in the dirt, I never had to use my core. Some smelly liquid drips down from my petal to stem. I need to fight back, for my family, friends, for heck, why not, FLOWER POWER! This new determination sparks a flame from within. In my old self, I would have screamed hysterically, “NO NO NO! Don’t pick us flowers! Go to the other bed on the other side of the great green hedge!” But now, I realize, I do not want anyone else to go through this. I am the only option.

My friends will not go through this.

The young, malicious, human leaves behind a door and rattles around a glassy, white, room.

I shudder. When she reappears, she holds a small transparent, glass cylinder. She flips a metal knob and water slowly drips out. I feel her fingers grasp my stem, yet again. I confess: For the better, my expectations are wrong. The calmness here almost frightens me. I try to find the sound of dogs barking, chirping birds, or buzzing bees, but my results please me when I cannot. Woah! I like this place very much.

And, I come to conclusion about my new, abrupt move: This is my life now. Well, until another flower gets picked.

Kylee Wang | 7th Grade

Tess Emmel | 7th Grade 49

The Life of a Louse J.P. Ueberroth

I have an awkwardness about me. My six legs folded up against my body, and I will soon test them for the first time. My two black eyes are of no use at the moment because I cannot see. I keep wondering what lies on the outside of my encasing. Darkness surrounds me because this weird shell has me stuck inside it, cramped up, and unable to move freely.

There is barely enough room to wiggle. Enough of this, I think. I start kicking at the weak walls. Crack! A jolt of excitement runs through me. Maybe I will get out of here after all. I keep on kicking and start to hear more cracks. Finally, my legs break through the shell, and I pull my body out. I notice some sort of slimy goo covers me from head to toe. I quickly shake it off, and my eyes adjust to the surroundings.

The dense forest of trees surrounds me in all directions. These trees shift and sway in strange angles. And, I am not alone. All around me, my brothers and sisters climb the trees quickly, or run away out of sight in a rush. It takes a second, but I figure out why they are leaving so fast. Other siblings of mine are lying limply on the ground. They are dead. I stand there horrified and realize I could have ended up just like them. Relief rushes over me when I see my mother. I am thrilled she still lives, but that relief quickly vanishes when I realize what she is doing.

My mother is eating my dead family members whole. My body freezes in place with my eyes locked on my mother. Soon, my mother has eaten all of her dead children so she turns to me, the only one dumb enough to stay. I try to move, but I cannot budge. All of my legs are locked in place. I have this weird feeling, like a box has trapped me inside itself. I start to notice my mother’s eyes. Her stare looks like she has the ability to look right through me. I think back to when I was inside my little egg and wonder why I did not just stay there in my safe, peaceful little shell. I guess curiosity got the best of me in the end.

My mother makes the first move. She takes a lunge towards me. Finally, my joints loosen, and my legs start to move. Automatically, I start charging full speed into the jungle of trees. Like a train, nothing will get in the way of my escape. I lunge left, ducking below a tree, and then I jump up and over the next one. My agility outscores my mom’s, so, to survive, I must utilize my quick turns, fast ducks, and many jumps. I keep running and jumping, but my mom’s speed can beat me any day. Where are my siblings?

As I run, I notice the trees are much taller now and stick up much higher. I keep running, but the ground between my mom and me keeps getting smaller. My only chance for survival is up. I make my move. I jump as high as I can and grab the closest tree. I start climbing, my mom inches behind me. I reach the top of the tree. I see my brothers and sisters. They were up here the whole time! My excitement quickly vanishes because climbing the tree has only made things worse. Now it is just a straight run across the flat tops of the trees. My fate has just been determined. The short life of lice.

50

Camille Deckey | 7th Grade

The Trial Lexie Howell

My shoes squeak as I walk through the big open doors of the Meadow Courthouse. I pull on the nicest jacket I could find and tuck in my white-collared shirt, ripped at the sleeves. I walk over to an empty seat and sit down. Blank faces stare at me, but I can see past the blank and into their minds. I have a power, a power that can help or hurt someone. My capability allows me to secretly read minds.

The thoughts of the crowd overwhelm me. A majority of them unimportant though: Did I feed the dog? Who will watch my kids this weekend? Did I close the window? These thoughts are interrupted when the accused murderer saunters through the big courtroom doors. Everyone snaps out of their emotionless state and stares at him.

“Order, order!” the judge yells as she whacks her gavel on the big oak desk.

This is going to be a very interesting case, I think. A few moments later the accused murderer, Frank Bart, takes his seat next to his lawyer. I always thought of Frank as a nice man. He would play baseball at Pacific Park with me when I was a little boy. I look into his kind eyes and through his mind.

He is innocent; I can see it. Now, who really did it?

I scan the room looking for anyone who may stand out as a danger. One man is sitting in the corner. He is all alone and seems really focused, a little too focused. I look through his large brown eyes and into his mind.

Yes, they are falling for it, the suspicious mind thinks. They suspect Frank! I can get away with murder after all.

I quickly snap out of his vicious thoughts. So he is the real murderer, but how am I supposed to prove this? Would it mean giving up my big secret? It seems like hours upon hours go by as I wait for the trial to end, but I am not paying attention. How can I? All I can think about is how I would prove to the judge that Frank is truly not guilty; he was framed. Will they ever believe me? I snap out of my own thoughts after a whack of the gavel.

“Order,” the judge commands, “I hereby sentence Frank D. Bart to a life sentence in federal prison. If anybody has anything to say, please speak now.”

Thoughts rush through my head like a storm, Why so soon? Shouldn’t there be more questioning? If I don’t say anything now, he will be sent to jail. What proof do I have? Nobody will believe I can read minds! The words slip out of my mouth like an unstoppable waterfall. “I object,” I shout loudly. “He’s innocent! It was that man!” I point at the man sitting in the back of the courtroom.

“It was him! Frank was framed.” The room went as quiet as a graveyard. Suddenly, a voice broke through the silence. It was the man’s voice.

“Oh yeah, prove it.”

“Settle down!” the judge yells, “Of course he will have to prove it. Young man come up here.”

I slowly walk up the aisle nervously. Everyone is looking at me. I think about walking out, but when I look at Frank, his hopeful eyes, I know I can’t.

“So sir,” the judge questions, “What is your proof?”

“I have a gift.” I point to a lady in the front row, “You, you’re worried about your child, sick at home with the measles.” I point to an older man sitting in the second row, “You feel guilty about taking $5 from your wife’s wallet this morning.” I point at a man in the last row, “You told your boss you were sick just to be here today.” I turn and face the judge, “Lastly, you feel guilty about stealing a Snickers bar from your eight year old’s backpack.” Everyone is shocked. I can see it on their faces. They cannot believe what they were hearing. This is because I have revealed my secret. Now, everyone realizes Frank is not guilty. Everyone in the room has the same question in their minds, Who really did it?

Crash! We all turn to the back of the courtroom from where the noise had come. We all look at the real murderer attempting to hop out the courtroom window. Glass shards surrounded his seat, but before he can escape, a few people in the back grasp onto his feet.

“Jim Gates, is sentenced to a lifetime in federal prison for murder,” the judge calls out. The guards remove the handcuffs from Frank and put them on Jim, who is being held down. It may have cost giving up my secret, but sometimes making your own sacrifices to help others makes the world a better place.

51

Aha Moment

Liam Razmjoo

All those other forks! Ouch, I can barely breath. I am done with this. Spoons, here I come.

Hop! Hop!

“Hey, Stab!” a spoon says from the corner.

“Hi, Slurp, how…”

“Oh no, there is a customer coming our way!” whispered Slurp anxiously.

“Ahhh,” I sighed in relief. ”He is gone.”

I live in a restaurant where very well-dressed people come and eat. My house is in the “Big Apple.” Personally, when I look out the window, I don’t see any apples. I just see large and very tall buildings scraping the sky. Some of these building are very close to each other. They are attached at the bottom, and they have gaps between them at the top. From where I sit, they look like three prongs sticking out, poking the clear blue sky.

In fact, I see a resemblance. It reminds me of when I stab the food on the plate. I particularly feel bad for baked potatoes when I penetrate past their skin, deep into their guts.

This remote scene through the window reminds me of me and who I am. When I point this out to other forks, they think I am too selfish that I see these buildings like forks on the horizon. They think I like myself too much. Whereas in reality, this cannot be farther from the truth! You should know that I hate my life, and who I am. I am a weapon; I am a murderer.

All foods on the plate despise me. They know I attack with my three sharp prongs. I buddy up with Cut (aka Knife) and tear them into shreds.

What I am most disgusted about is when some of these well-dressed people stick me into their mouths. It is moist in there and can get dark. I hate the different odors. I have never found one I liked. More importantly, I despise the fact that I have a near death experience when they sometimes close their mouths completely while I am in there. I see the end. I have learned to hold my breath when that happens, as I have learned that it is only momentary. Then the cycle repeats itself, and for a stretch of half hour, I have to deal with this torture. I hate it when they lick me. It makes me cringe and gives me the chills. This is just partly the reason why I hate who I am.

I am also very lonely. You see, I sit on the left side of the plate all by myself, whereas Cut and Slurp cozy up on the “right” side of the plate. Additionally, their presence is significantly less required. The demand on them is generally much less. Slurp gets only involved when there is soup on the table. In fact, soups all adore Slurp because, after all, she cradles the soup and gives them a lift.

Cut also has a very limited role in all of this. When he cuts, his action is brief and precise.

He mostly pushes food onto me. He never has to work as hard.

Thus, I give this special look to Cut and Slurp. Cut asks, “Why do you look depressed?”

“I am not happy with my life,” I respond. They both look surprised and puzzled.

“Are you kidding me?” Slurp says in an alarming voice, “I wish I could be as popular and useful as you.”

Cut jumps in, “I have always envied you. They always hold you in their soft hands and caress your neck,” he continued. “They put you on their lips.”

“You see, there is always a flip side to every situation. You might think the grass is greener on the other side. You have to cherish what you have and embrace who you are,” he reassures me.

I find his words very meaningful. It gives me a fresh new perspective on life. I thank him as my face shines brightly.

52

The Illuminator Samantha Casey

The cold night air slips across my skin as the once gentle breeze gets stronger, wavering the liquid light beneath my feet. I’m making my weekly rounds through the city, looking for broken lights that I can repair. Then the wind picks up even more, tossing my blonde curls about my face. I brush my hair aside and continue flying through the city, now a bit more cautiously. A huge gust of wind hits my side and knocks me off course, and now I know that only one person can control the wind like this.

“Windsheer,” I mutter under my breath. My wind-controlling former best friend and current arch nemesis, Sarah, who has always been jealous of my powers, has “finally” come back to town. I hurry home, now jogging instead of flying, (I would rather get there by foot than be blown into the side of a building) to tell Anne (my little sister, and the only person who knows about my powers) that Sarah’s back.

I burst into her room, mouth open and ready to start lamenting, when I take my first good look around the room. Suddenly, I realize Anne isn’t here! I run around our house looking in every room, searching for those blue eyes and sandy blonde hair I know so well, but I simply can’t find her. I fly out of the house, my mind racing. I have a hunch that a certain someone might have taken her for ransom, but I hope I’m wrong.

I know exactly where to go: our old meeting place back in the park from when we hung out as friends. We used to play games and tell secrets there. Now? Now we would fight for Anne.

I whip around corners, going as fast as I can. I see Windsheer underneath the tree we had dubbed “The Fairy Tree” because it was so high we thought it could touch Fairyland. However, now I could see Anne, tied to a thin, wobbly branch at the very top. When I first catch a glimpse of her, my breath catches in my throat. She’s so high up. If that branch breaks, and she falls…No, I can’t think about that.

I land in front of Windsheer, whose eyes have a cold, merciless edge in them, compared to the eyes filled with light and laughter I remember from what seems like a lifetime ago. My eyes fill with tears, and I wonder how my best friend became the villain standing before me.

“Windsheer, what do you want?” I say, my voice a little shakier than I’d like it to be.

“Your powers,” she bluntly says. “If I could control wind and light, I could conquer the world or at least a country or two. Give me your powers, and I’ll let Anne go. If not…”

She blew a gust of wind at that scraggly branch, and I heard a crack followed by a strangled scream from above. Having seen Windsheer’s powers before, I knew that under no circumstances could I electrocute her unconscious long enough to get Anne down before she woke up. I had to decide. Of course, the answer was obvious: Anne. It would be difficult to give up my powers. I sadly suck all of the light energy out of me and set it in one large, luminous, glowing orb of light, floating in the middle of us.

“Now,” I choke out…. barely audible, “my sister.”

Windsheer gently breaks off the branch with a well-aimed gust of wind, and it weightlessly floats down. She picks up the orb, and my powers instantly dissolve into her.

“I am sorry it had to come to this,” her eyes taking on a softer edge, “but it must be done.”

Without another word, she flies off. I quickly untie Anne and hug her so tightly that it hurts. We both burst into tears with relief that it is over.

“Thank you, Ally,” she says, using my real name, instead of The Illuminator.

I think back to when I first got my powers, when I was struck by lightning, and Anne, Windsheer, and I came up with my superhero name. I remember everything I’ve done with them, and my powers, since then. I know it will be hard to get used to being normal, and not having my powers, but family is so much more important than any tangible thing I could ever possess.

53

8th GRADE Heroes and Villains Hazel Koh

Ashton furiously wiped away the rain that mixed with his tears as it beat down on his face. He urged himself to focus on the dark, wooden casket at the center of a crowd of people wearing black clothes and holding black umbrellas under the misty eyed sky. He shut his eyes, desperately trying to blink away his last memory of his mother, a pale-faced, frail figure in the casket, oblivious to the painful situation her death has put Ashton in. He had never expected anything like this to happen in the world of perfect order he lived in. However, he grew up watching his mother, an aberration, choke in the restraints of their confining society and could see why she wanted to, and chose to escape.

He felt a light brush on his arm and looked down to see his little sister, so innocent and submissive with years of life ahead of her. Years he is now responsible for, responsible for ensuring that she will live her life to her full potential, even without a mother.

“What is your dream, Quinn?” Ashton softly asked his little sister.

“I-I wanna be Supergirl,” Quinn mumbled. Her eyes darted to the ground.

“You can be your own person, why Supergirl?” Ashton questioned.

“Well, Supergirl doesn’t let anything bad happen to anyone. If I was Supergirl, I could have saved Momma. I wanna be a hero, a hero who makes everyone feel safe. A hero everyone looks up to in times of trouble,” she says, her voice barely a whisper. Ashton sighed. In his perfect society, there were no need for heroes, for there were no villains.

The government kept everyone in order with an immeasurable amount of rules. Everyone’s only possible predator was themselves; no one could have saved Momma, it was her own decision to die. However, he caught the glint of hope shining in Quinn’s doe eyes and knew he had to think of a prudent solution to this conundrum and do everything he could to make sure she would achieve her dream.

“If you really want to be a hero, I will gladly be the villain. I would do anything for you.” Ashton told his little sister gently, leaning down to meet her eye level. “Would you like that?” Quinn eagerly bobbed her head up and down.

Eight years later, Quinn rolled her eyes as she looked at the stack of newspapers on her desk. The front page story on the top paper read “Quinn Lize-The Intrepid Queen of All Heros.” Below it was a picture of herself smiling a little too broadly in all her “heroic glory.” Suddenly, her phone lit up as a, “Breaking News-Attack of Vulcan” alert glowed on the screen. Below it Ashton had texted her, “Gas station on Black Street,” three seconds ago. She plastered the most heroine-like face she could muster and headed outside.

The second she stepped into the gas station and locked eyes with Ashton, he ran off, past the sirens, and into the horizon. He never hurt civilians. He only made an inconsequential scene, disturbing enough for Quinn to have a need to come to the rescue. In the distance, a news anchor announced, “Well, the Queen has done it again! She has saved us from the wrath of Vulcan.” A mic shot in front of her face and she stared at the cheerful anchor smiling through her bright pink lipstick.

“So, Miss Queen, how do you do it? How do you so effortlessly save us every time from the terrible Vulcan?” The reporter asked the dreaded, hackneyed question.

“Oh! Well… my presence alone is threatening to Vulcan, I guess.” Quinn tried to match the enervating cheeriness of the anchor in her voice, while inside she abstained from screaming. This was not what she meant when she said she wanted to be a hero. She was not a real hero, but only the shell of one.

Her back pocket buzzed and she whipped her phone out to see an urgent message from the government. It read: Queen, save our town once and for all. You must kill that Vulcan boy, so he will no longer disturb the order of our perfect society. He is an enemy, a criminal, a danger to all. Don’t try to force him to capitulate. Please just get the job done quickly and efficiently. She slid her phone back into her pocket and slowly grinned. This was it. It was her chance to prove herself a real hero by her own merit, with her own fortitude. Entranced by her heroic fantasy, Quinn repeated to herself, “Ashton must be killed. He is an enemy, a criminal, a danger to all. Ashton must be killed. He is an enemy, a criminal, a danger to all. Ashton must be killed…”

“Where are you?” Quinn brusquely texted Ashton. The gray dots popped up immediately and took what seemed like an eternity before he texted back, “Are you ok? Is there anything wrong? Do you need help? If you need me, I’m at the corner of the alley.” Quinn quickly grabbed her dagger from the drawer, as her mind played out various scenarios of glory in her head.

She found Ashton huddled next to what appeared to be a tent constructed out of garbage bags. He was smearing a reddish substance on his arms and face. He is preparing to attack my people again! Quinn felt anger sizzle through her veins and bubble up. I will save my people. I will be their hero. Ashton glanced up at Quinn and beamed a warm smile, and for some reason, her disdain for her brother increased.

In a sudden wave of rancorous emotion and anger, Quinn impetuously hurled the knife at Ashton; it lodged straight into his heart. Ashton’s face contorted with pain and blood leaked out from his chest, but he did not look surprised. Realizing with horror what she had done, she rushed to Ashton’s side.

Ashton croaked, “It’s ok. You can take my life, it was always yours anyway. All I need to know to be satisfied with my life is that other people love my sister as much as I do, and that they believe in you as much as I do.” He weakly smiled at her. Quinn felt her hope in the world evaporate. Ashton was the only person in her life who truly cared about her, and she was all he had. Yet she killed him, blinded by her own selfish pursuits.

“There are no heroes without villains,” Ashton closed his eyes and whispered softly to himself, “And there are both in each of us.”

Quinn knew. Inside her heroic shell, she had been the villain all along.

54

Hazel Koh | 8th Grade

Henry Ruck | 8th Grade

Not Ready to Fly Ashley Gehl

A family of beautiful birds spent their time dreaming of the day they would learn to fly.

A small nest, a small flock, Never imagined they would have to say goodbye.

And once it was time for them to spread their wings, They began to enjoy the little things.

Breaks and change can be exciting and new, But to never return seems beyond impossible to do.

When they realized a goodbye no longer meant just until tomorrow, Their happiness and fun soon turned to sorrow.

A place where family and friends emerge to one.

A place where the best is seen throughout everyone.

The thought of flying solo into the big, endless sky Made them no longer want to leave Or ever learn to fly.

However, their opinions did not matter; And the grown wings must begin to patter and patter.

For maybe it is time for the to take flight.

The time is here.

The time is right.

55

Miss Sparks’s

I Will Endure Kaylana Lee

Sweat drips down my face and I feel, more than hear, the reverberations of my friends pounding their fists against the mats. They cheer me on, but I still feel the prick of tears behind my eyes. I take a deep breath, silently reciting my life motto over and over to myself. I will endure. I will endure. I take another breath, then stare down the boards that I have to break. Just break these boards, and I’ll continue on to get my black belt, I think again. Attempting the round house kick tornado kick spin hook kick for what felt like the millionth time, I could feel the blood pounding in my head. Crack!

Crack! Crack! The boards broke in succession, tiny wood splinters exploding through the air. I sigh in relief and felt a smile creeping onto my face.

This key moment from my past was over three years ago, and I still remember. I remember how I struggled and how, just by continuing to try, I succeeded. From this moment and many many more, I have learned one of my most important personal philosophies: I will endure.

Everyone faces hardships in life. I used to struggle, and I still do, with self-consciousness. I worry about how others view me. I know that at school, I come off as kind of a nerd.

I’m good at school and a good student, and I am quiet.

However, I know the people that I really care about know me for the geek that I truly am. I love Star Wars, the X-Men (movies, tv shows, and comics), anime, and the Justice League. Admitting this would be social suicide, but I find that I don’t care anymore. One day, out of the blue, I realized the power that others hold over me is only gained when I start to care what they think. Once I stopped caring, their power dissipated, and I lead a much happier life now. After learning to accept myself, I am more confident and find that I have more love to give as well. There are people that will judge me, but if they do, they aren’t good people, so their opinions really don’t matter.

I know there are people who will giggle and sneer, but those people will never laugh until they cry at Ranma and Ryoga. They will never buy a bunch of Star Wars merchandise. I’m a nerd, and I’m proud of it. I no longer care who knows it. I will endure. I know that, no matter what people think and say about me now, it won’t really affect me in the long run. My friends, the people that are particularly nice to me, I will remember. Hopefully, we will stay in touch.

However, the bullies, the mean whispers, they don’t really hold any power over me now, and they definitely won’t later in life. I will endure.

I know that the exchanged looks between teammates when I miss the ball, the winces when I’m assigned to their team, aren’t meant badly. Maybe I’m not very good at volleyball or basketball. This is because I don’t have any experience with these things, and by my teammates continually not passing to me, this will never change.

However, I don’t hold it against them. I know that they are just competitive and want to win; but I also know that if they were to compete in one of my Tae Kwon Do tournaments, they wouldn’t fare so well either. If Tae Kwon Do was one of the sports featured in PE, then I would excel. And my classmates would be viewed as unathletic, just because they haven’t had the time and experience with the sport. What they don’t realize is that it is just the same with me. However, I know one thing. I will endure.

Another one of the philosophies that I base my life off of is forgiveness. So, I will forgive my classmates, because I know that they don’t mean any harm. I know that by forgiving I will lead a longer, happier life. Without forgiveness, I would always be resentful and hold grudges. I know that, by forgiving those who have wronged me and those close to me, I am strengthening myself and my character, as well as hopefully salvaging a relationship that could last well into my adult life. So, I believe that I will endure. I believe that forgiveness is the key to a life lived happily. I believe that the good will prosper and the bad will redeem themselves.

Even as challenges continue to present themselves, I now face them with renewed energy and vigor. I believe that challenges are just chances to better ourselves. I believe that by forgiving, I will lead a much happier life. I believe that, whatever life has to throw at me, I will get through it. I will endure.

Izzy Morin & Darah Emadi | 8th Grade 56

Lily Warmington | 8th Grade

Untitled

Ruby Hammond

Journey to Today Lauren Kensel

Hopscotch, sandbox, life’s a breeze, Fairies, glitter, all at ease.

Cursive, kitties, princess tales, Giggles, simplicity, wind-filled sails.

Hawaii, playground, life is sweet, Candies, library, teachers to greet.

Many hours of hard work spent thinking beyond what we know.

Day after day, we work tirelessly for an answer.

Who do I want to be?

We think past what we see at first and search for the real meaning.

However, we are not alone.

Together, we seek to learn.

We strive to improve.

Together, we are a family just beginning to discover ourselves.

We have a bond that cannot easily be broken.

Together, we have seen each other’s successes and downfalls, and we are always ready to catch who has fallen.

And because we are still finding ourselves, we make mistakes along the way.

But this is all just a test, preparing us for the unfamiliar world that lies ahead.

Museums, gold rush, hot lunch food, Best friends, silliness, careless mood.

Reading, art, Mississippi dew, Dodgers, portraits, upper school soon.

Long division, glasses, Colonial Day, Essays, singing, a little less play.

Cubbies, big room, Medieval Faire, Projects, French class, free time rare.

Geography, acting, Finals’ stress, People say our legacy’s a mess.

Hard work, Holocaust, going down, Christmas, auditions, turned back around.

Close to high school, a matter of weeks, Sadness sets in, comfort we seek.

Fulfillment of our Harbor Day career, As our new future creeps very near.

Shala Lin | 8th Grade

I sigh with happiness and a little sorrow, And wait to see what’ll be made of tomorrow.

I SIGH WITH HAPPINESS AND A LITTLE SORROW, AND WAIT TO SEE WHAT’LL BE MADE OF TOMORROW. 57

Index Grade

Last Name

First Name

Page/s

Grade

Last Name

First Name

Page/s

Grade

Last Name

First Name

Page/s

K Alagband Coco 4

6 Decker

Reade 46

3

Harrison

Benjamin

29

1 Angeloff

Danny 15

7

Deckey

Camille 50

1

Harrison

Emma

15, 18

3

Mary Kate

2

Dollander

Morgan 23

5 Haupt

Rio 40

6 Anvaripour Ella 43

2

Dostert

Kaitlyn

3

Chandon

K

Arkin-Horowitz Callie

8

3

Doyle

Michael 27

2 Heer

Saachi 25

K

Ayora

4, 6

K Dufty

Chloe 9

3

Hill

Berlin

28, 29

Makenna

2

Hofer

Sheridan

22

Angeloff

Penelope

27

28

1

3 Barton

JJ 31

7 Elliott

Ava 48

4

Hofer

Tommy 35

4 Bartz

Megan 35

5 Elliott

John 39

1

Hogsett

Kalani

1

Berengian

Aleah

6 Emadi

Arya 43

1 Hoover

Finn 20

K

Bergougnan Jacques 12

8 Emadi

Darah 56

7

Howell

Lexie

7

Emmel

Tess

49

1

Ilczyszyn

Sydney 18

K

Feltham

Connor

12, 13

4 Isola

Caden 34

Logan 33

1

James

Presley 17

1 Fischbein Lyla 15

6

Johnson

Brooke 43

4 Fischbein Maya 32

3 Johnson

Parker 30

6

Britt

Lily

44

K Browne

Lily 9

K

Butcher

Hudson 5

K

Butcher

Townsend

13

grade 1

Vivaan 9

5 Boserup Alex 36

4 Fenner

20

Heer

K Bansal

14

Eckenweiler

24, 25

17

51

4 Casey

Claire 34

K Francois

Brian 3

3 Katkin

Reese 28

2

Jackson 22

3 Francois

Taylor 30

6 Katkin

Ryan 44

7 Casey

Samantha 53

5

Grant

1

Cooper 14

1

Cavner

Kamilah

5 Gapp

Petra 41

8 Kensel

Lauren 57

4

Cavner

Yasmin 33

8 Gehl

Ashley 55

4

Kessler

Keaton 34

1

Chen

Adeleine

K

Josephine

1

Kirkowski

Maggie 16

Casey

19, 20, 21

19, 21

Franey

Geiler Allen

38, 41

10

Kelly

6 Choi

Elisha 44

3 Getter

Julia 27

8

Koh

Hazel

54, 55

K

Claassen

Turner

4 Godfrey

Tyler 32

1

Landy

Gabrielle

14

6

Connolly

Elliott

5 Gomez

Alex 37

7 Lane

Max 48

4

Cook

Conrad 33

K

Gray

Kendall 4

6 Ledger

Hutton 47

4 Cudzil

Jack 34

5

Green

Chandler

8

Kaylana 56

2 Cudzil

Luke 22

7 Gregor

Kelton 48

K Lewis

Macie 7

1 Cuneo

Capri 21

K

Gregory

Blakely 3

K

Lewis

Makenzie

13

D’Ambrosia Kendall 43

K

Ha

Jonathan

12

8

Lin

Shala

57

Decker

8 Hammond Ruby 57

4

Look

Danika

33, 35

6 K 58

6, 8 44, 46, 47

Preston 8

36, 37

Lee

Grade

Last Name

First Name

Page/s

Grade

Last Name

First Name

Page/s

Grade

Last Name

First Name

Page/s

4 Lykos

Kylie 35

K Peykoff

Lila 11

1

Stiefel

Frankie 20

5

Michael 41

K Pierce

Noah 10

2

Thorpe

Sarah

K Magallanes Sarah 13

1

Cooper

6 Tipton

Lucy 46

4 Mahdi

Siena 33

2 Pirnazar

Adam 22

1

Molly

4

Massoudi

Cameron

32, 33

5 Powell

Aidan 38

K Tripathi

Leela 6

K

Mauser

Thomas

3, 8

2 Powell

Samantha 25

3 Tripathi

Sonali 31

2

McCardle

Reed

23, 25

3 Prichard Tess 30

7

Ueberroth

J.P.

Vaicek

Walker 41

Lynch

Piercey

19, 21

Tiwari

25

17

50

1 Miller

Alex 18

7 Razmjoo Liam 52

5

3

Hannah 26

5 Riddle

K Vanderhook Stella 12

1 Miller

Stella 20

4

K Mir

Sophie 6

5 Rofougaran Arman 36

3 Wainwright Chloe 26

3 Mirhashemi Luke 28

1 Rofougaran Milan 19

5

Wainwright

Reed

39, 40

6 Mohtashami Tara 47

K

Ronaghi

Nicholas

7

2

Walbridge

Andrew

23, 24

K

K

Rosing

Sarah

10, 11

7

Wang

Kylee

49 56

Miller

Montijo

Hunter

5, 12

Kristy 36

Riddlesperger Addison

35

3 Vovan

Mackenzie 26

8 Morin

Izzy 56

4 Rowe

Fiona 32

8

Warmington Lily

1 Nami

Ella 16

8 Ruck

Henry 55

1

West

Michael 16

K Neal

Chloe 4

1 Sadri

Kiana 21

K

Wilks

Hillary

K Nelligan

Collins 5

K Sadri

Sofia 10

1

Williams

Sloane 18

4

Niccol

Andrew 32

K

K

Niccol

Emily

11, 13

6

O Hill

Elle

3

O Hill

Ry

1

Olsen

Ella

6 Wu

Alex 44

2 Senizergues Mateo 25

K Yasin

Ali 11

45

2 Singletary Elliott 24

K

Knox

29

K Singletary Turner 10

5 Yoshida

Jack 41

1 Sokolowski Jake 21

3 Yoshida

Violet 31

cover, 20

Senizergues Lilianna 7

11, 13

Yoon

5, 7

3 Olsen

Siena 31

5 Sonenshine Sarah 40

K Young

Dylan 5

2

Ophelia 24

1

K

Luca

K Owens

Ivy 10

2 Steelberg Logan 23

K Paolone

Aidan 13

6 Stern

Blake 42

2 Paolone

Dylan 25

1

Stern

Hudson 14

3

Durham 27

2

Stern

Kyle

25

1 Pelinka

Emery 19

1

Stern

Parker

15

K

Keagan 9

2 Stern

Owens

Pelinka

Peters

Steelberg

Hudson 16

Zahoul Sans

7

Tyler 25 59

3443 Pacific View Drive | Corona del Mar, CA 92625 | 949.640.1410