The OMS Chronicle Spring 2023

THE OMS CHRONICLE

MEMBER: NATIONAL SCHOLASTIC PRESS ASSOCIATION

Photo by Amari Swader and Caitlyn Harper

EDITORIAL BOARD

Trinity Beverley, 7th Gr. *

Angeli Burns, 6th Gr. *

Ernesto Cabral, 6th Gr. *

Jessica Clark, 6th Gr. *

Caitlyn Harper, 8th Gr. *

Victor Jimenez, 6th Gr.

Isabella Marin, 6th Gr. *

Savannah Marshall, 6th Gr. *

Mary Nims, 6th Gr. *

Myrah Ricketts, 7th Gr. *

Rogina Shaker, 7th Gr.

Essence Smith, 7th Gr. *

Amari Swader, 7th Gr. *

Isabella Switzer, 7th Gr. *

* Inducted Member of NSPA

EDITORIAL

Due to the pressure of increased accountability in K-12, the performing arts have suffered dwindling funding through the years. Many school districts decided to forego their arts programming because it is not a testable content area unlike English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. With increased accountability, school districts must be able to provide data on student achievement. Should the performing arts such as drama, music, and dance be given more funding?

As of June 2022, over 81% of schools in the US have reported a decline in the arts budget. To verify this data, I interviewed one of our band directors, Mr. Kinney. Mr. Kinney stated that on average, the band gets funded $3,000 a year, much less than what is needed to comfortably run a band. Those $3,000 dollars are allocated for sheet music, new instruments, repair of older ones, and more. One of the cheapest band instruments, the flute, can cost somewhere between $80-$100 dollars second hand and $120-$150 brand new. Now imagine that with pricier instruments. Overall, in our school alone, our band receives very little funding.

Over the last few decades, the amount of education in the arts that children received has dropped drastically. For example, in Oklahoma school districts alone, over 1000 performing art programs were cut and ended in the years 20142018. This left art history online the only choice for students and most chose to take different classes. Now up to 30 percent of children are going to schools with no access to the performing arts.

Despite very little research on the effects of the performing arts on people, the existing research looks promising. According to some research, arts engagement has reduced the risk of mental illness in teenagers. Performing in activities helps build self-esteem, self-acceptance, confidence, and self-worth which all help prevent mental illness. Performing arts also help develop perseverance skills, creative problem solving, and the ability to focus on the task at hand. These are all great skills to have in the classroom and for future reference.

The performing arts are a major part of school curriculum, and to cut funds on it would take away huge part of the school experience for many people. It’s important we treat everyone’s interest with importance just like we would treat someone on a sport team.

By Isabella Switzer

Image by cjsmaier from Pixabay

SOCIAL ISSUE REPORTING

POVERTY AND MENTAL HEALTH

Did you know that poverty has adverse impact on children? Several research studies indicate that poverty not only affects us physiologically but mentally as well The United States Census Bureau (2022) reports that the national child poverty rate is at 16 9% States with the highest child poverty rates include Mississippi with 27 7%, Louisiana with 26 9%, and District of Columbia with 23 9% Here in Tennessee, the child poverty rate is estimated to be between 18-21 9% With these figures, you can just imagine how many children are impacted by poverty

Lee and Zhang (2021) stated that the “the United States has the third highest rate of relative poverty (17.8%) and the highest relative poverty rate for children 0–17 years old (21.2) among the 37 OECD countries” (p. 931). Relative poverty is one of the measures of poverty that means one lives on an income that is less than 60% of the average wage (Boyce, 2022, relative poverty definition). OECD is the acronym for Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Many studies (Evans & English, 2002; Evans et al , 2001, 2005; Marcal, 2017) revealed that the stressors brought about by poverty such as chaotic living conditions pose social-emotional problems For example, living in poverty has consequences on cognition, emotion, and self-regulation as presented in a study by Lipina and Colombo (2009) Discussing this further in their study, Evans and Kim (2013) stated that children exposed to poverty experience physical stressors and psychosocial stressors that alter their genes and their physiological response systems A research conducted by McLoyd (1990) found that children in their early and middle childhood exhibit lower adaptive functioning, diminished selfconfidence and self-esteem, strained peer relations, and an increased presence of severe temper tantrums

Living in poverty for an extended period of time makes the situation even worse A child who experiences persistent poverty will have developmental deficits. Further, a child manifests the effects of persistent poverty through poor social skills, behavior problems, lower self-esteem, depression, and loneliness (Goosby, 2007). Jensen et al. (2017) brought to light how living in poverty for a long time can change the neural pathways in our brain. Ramanathan et al. (2017) supported this finding when they found in their study that children who live in persistent poverty have higher rates of mental health problems.

Based on several studies, we now know that poverty does not only affect the physical health of children but also their mental health and socialemotional well-being These effects stack up on one another and continue to affect them their whole life

References:

Boyce, P. (2022, May 28). Relative Poverty Definition. BoyceWire. https://boycewire.com/relative-poverty-definition/

Evans, G W , & English, K (2002) The environment of poverty: Mul-tiple stressor exposure, psychophysiological stress, and socioemotional adjustment Child Development, 73(4), 1238–1248

Evans, G W , Gonnella, C , Marcynyszyn, L A , Gentile, L , & Salpekar, N (2005) The role of chaos in poverty and children’s socioemotional adjustment Psychological Science, 16(7), 560–565

Evans, G. W., & Kim, P. (2013). Childhood poverty, chronic stress, self-regulation, and coping. Child Development Perspectives, 7(1), 43–48.

Evans, G W , Saltzman, H , & Cooperman, J L (2001) Housing quality and children’s socioemotional health Environment and Behavior, 33(3), 389–399

Jensen, S K , Berens, A E , & Nelson, C A , 3rd (2017) Effects of poverty on interacting biological systems underlying child development The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 1, 225–239

Lee, K., & Zhang, L. (2021). Cumulative effects of poverty on children’s social-emotional development: Absolute poverty and relative poverty. Community Mental Health Journal, 58(5), 930–943. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-021-00901-x

Goosby, B J (2007) Poverty duration, maternal psychological resources, and adolescent socioemotional outcomes Journal of Family Issues, 28(8), 1113–1134 https:// doi org/ 10 1177/ 0192513X07 300712

Lipina, S J , & Colombo, J A (2009) Human brain development series Poverty and brain development during childhood: An approach from cognitive psychology and neuroscience Washington: American Psychological Association

Marcal, K. E. (2017). A theory of mental health and optimal service delivery for homeless children. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 34, 349–359.

McLoyd, V (1990) The impact of economic hardship on black families and children: psychological distress, parenting, and socioemotional development Child Development, 61(2), 311–346 https://doi org/ 10 2307/ 11310 96

Ramanathan, S , Balasubramanian, N , & Faraone, S V (2017) Familial transient financial difficulties during infancy and long-term developmental concerns Psychological Medicine, 47(12), 2197–2204 https:// doi org/ 10 1017/ S0033 29171 70006 66

US Census Bureau. (2022, October 4). Poverty Rate of Children Higher Than National Rate, Lower for Older Populations. Census.gov. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/10/poverty-rate-varies-by-age-groups.html

By Myrah Ricketts and Mrs. Evelyn Egan

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

REVIEW

The Ghost of Midnight Lake is a historical fiction ghost story that takes place in 1899, where we follow along with the main character, Agatha after she has been kicked out of her childhood home, Gosswater Hall. With the Earl dead, this leaves the estate in the hands of her older cousin Clarence. Agatha struggles to adjust to her new small cottage and a strange man who claims to be her real father that she now lives with Once learning the shores of Gosswater Hall are known to be haunted, she comes to meet another young, restless spirit, and one who hopefully holds the key to Agatha’s identity.

I first read this book in February of this year (2022), and it immediately caught my attention There is never a dull moment in this book that does not convey the plot somehow I would recommend this book to those who enjoy deep plotted stories and found family. The Ghost of Midnight Lake is a great in-between of fast paced storytelling and slow, small emotional moments that slowly build characters and plot up over time

The Ghost of Midnight Lake was originally published September 21st, 2021, by Lucy Strange who has also written other books such as Our Castle by the Sea, The Secrets of Nightingale Wood, Sisters of the Lost Marsh, and more Her books can be found in Barnes & Nobles, Books-a-Million, as well as local libraries.

By Isabella Switzer

Image by Evgeni Tcherkasski from Pixabay

LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT: CHRIS CHAMBERS

Photo by Amari Swader and Caitlyn Harper

Mr Chris Chambers, our 7th grade vice principal is originally from Hopkinsville, Kentucky He attended Christian County High School When he was in middle school, he already had this vision of being part of education someday Mr Chambers was passionate about physical education and becoming a basketball coach. Thus, on a basketball scholarship, he first attended Southeast Missouri State and eventually finished college at Cumberland University in Lebanon, TN While in college, Mr Chambers went to different places, and one of these memorable places was Turkey He was able to visit 17 cities!

Mr Chambers earned his master’s degree from Lipscomb University After college, he obtained a position at LaVergne Middle School as a PE teacher and head coach of the boys’ basketball team which was his actual vision of himself when he was still young We are very blessed to have him here at Oakland Middle School as one of our leaders

When asked about his leadership style, Mr Chambers described it as being relational He shared with us, “I learned in college the importance of building those relationships with my professors The relationships I was able to build with my professors molded me into what I wanted to be which I was able to do once I got into public education. And I continue to do that with our students, with teachers, and with the community so it was just about building relationships ”

His athletic career in college definitely plays a significant role in his leadership style Mr Chambers discussed how being a good team member and working together can lead to success He divulged, “In order for you to be a successful team, you must work together It started when I played Junior Pro, which was literally basketball starting at the age of five So, for me, it was just always being part of a team and knowing how important it was to be a part of a team and knowing that everybody played a part I don't look at myself as just the leader or one of the leaders of the school, but I look at myself as a teammate. And that's the way I will always view leadership, just being a part of a team.”

Aside from his athletic career in college, his former professor in college named Paul Pick provides inspiration as to the kind of leader he has become Mr Chambers’ former professor always emphasized the value of building relationships Of course, Mr Chambers’ dad is also one of his leadership mentors “My dad of course was one who didn't play any sports thing or didn't go off to college or anything to play any sports, but he was just the way he led our family,” Mr Chambers related

Being a relationship builder is not only one of Mr Chambers’ outstanding characteristics as a school leader He is also an authentic leader He walks the talk and tries his best to be a good role model to both teachers and students “I try to make sure that I am the same way every day Just being consistent,” Mr Chambers revealed

Interview by Amari Swader

Image by tookapic from Pixabay

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: JENNIFER ALLEN, RN

Photo by Evelyn Egan

What do Michigan and Tennessee share in common? Yes, you’ve guessed it right. It’s Mrs. Jennifer Allen, our energetic and compassionate school nurse. Mrs. Allen was born in Michigan and have lived in Texas and Tennessee. She has been married for 17 years to her husband Josh. She has two children, Harrison who’s 15 and Maliyah who’s 12. Their family loves animals. They have two dogs, a chocolate lab named Koko and a puggle named Ginger. The Allens also have a cat named Spider and a guinea pig named Apollo.

If Mrs. Allen is not busy attending to our health needs, she can be found reading, spending time with her family, hanging out in their barn where her daughter rides horses, and cheering for her favorite sports teams namely the Titans, Predators, and Auburn. Together with her son, Mrs. Allen volunteers for Second Harvest Foodbank and A Soldier’s Child Speaking about cheering for her favorite sports teams, did you know Mrs Allen was a cheerleader for five years in school, played clarinet for seven and a half years and was in marching band for four and a half years?

Before becoming a nurse, Mrs. Allen originally wanted to become a pediatrician. One day, a friend of hers was in a hospital. She witnessed the roles of doctors and nurses and told herself that she wanted to be more hands-on and involved in the care of patients. Having a eureka moment, Mrs. Allen shifted to nursing.

Mrs Allen is passionate about many causes but foremost is education about child safety, that is, wearing your seatbelts ALL the time, proper car seats/booster seats for younger children, wearing helmets while riding bikes/driving or riding on ATVs/4 wheelers, etc.

The professional accomplishment she is most proud of is not in receiving accolades or trophies but being an advocate for kids and their families in the medical setting.

When asked about the most valuable lesson she learned from her education, this is what she had to say, “Hard work pays off Develop good study habits early on in your education because you will need them later Make sure you allow yourself a little grace and fun, have a good balance between your education and social life ”

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: ROLAND BUTLER, 7TH GRADE MATH

Interview by Myrah Ricketts

Photo by Amari Swader and Caitlyn Harper

Our faculty in spotlight for this issue is none other else than Mr. Roland Butler, one of our 7th grade Math teachers. Mr. Butler is a Hopkinsville, Kentucky native. A true-blue Kentuckian, he attended Hopkinsville Community College and earned his Associate in Science Degree. He later transferred to Western Kentucky University and earned his Bachelor of Science in Education. Then he attended Murray State University where he earned his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Human Leadership. Mr. Butler has been teaching since 1999.

His 5th and 8th grade Math teachers played a pivotal role in his success as an educator. Having come a long way since 1999, Mr. Butler strongly believes that everyone can learn. “My mission is to teach and grow the education level of any student I teach,” he articulated. Mr. Butler is also an ardent believer in nurturing relationships with his students. When asked how this looks like in his classroom, Mr. Butler remarked, “One of my main goals is to try to connect with every student on a level that’s unique to their personal lives. For example, students who play a sport or involved in an extracurricular activity, I try to make it to at least one of their events.”

Mr. Butler is not only invested in his students’ academic life. Having a deep concern for his students’ growth as human beings, he tries his best to share with them about life lessons. He revealed, “Not only do I attempt to teach students the math they are required to learn, but daily I attempt to teach a life lesson to all my students. I set standards of expectations and I push students to achieve those expectations on a daily basis.”

Having touched the lives of hundreds of students for 24 years, Mr. Butler confided that his greatest success was when he attended the Community College Graduation of the first class of students he taught. Being true to his mission and educational philosophy, Mr. Butler would like to leave a legacy in which he wants to be always remembered for his passion, care, and concern for his students’ educational achievements and how much he believed in their ability to learn and execute what they learned.

Image by Elchinator from Pixabay

SCHOLAR SPOTLIGHT: ARIANA WILLIAMS

Interview by Trinity Beverley

Our scholar spotlight for this issue is Ariana Williams or Ari for short She is a 7th grader Her favorite subject is History because “it’s really cool to see everything that happened that led up to the events now.” Having spent two years here at Oakland Middle School, Ari’s favorite OMS Tradition is Spirit Week because “you get to see everyone show their school spirit, and we all look cool.” Additionally, Ari shares with us that being an OMS student has taught her a lot of things especially on friendship and teamwork which Ari believes “can get you to places in school and out.” According to Ari, OMS is special because of its sports and the many options it has for students.

Being involved in extracurricular activities such as the Swim Team, Theater, and Beta Club has made Ari a well-rounded person and evolve into a student leader As a student leader, Ari helps her peers achieve their goals In fact, if she were an animal, Ari would like to be a wolf who would do anything for her “pack. ” If she’s given the opportunity to be Principal for a day at OMS, one policy that she would like to implement is for content areas to have more team projects because these projects build up teamwork skills.

Her mantra in life is “Try your best and don’t give up.” She endured being bullied for six long years, and instead of lashing out to the bully, Ari took the high road and told her teacher instead She didn’t give up and addressed it properly by reporting it to an adult

Image by Christos Giakkas from Pixabay

Image Courtesy of Beta Club

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Photo by Trinity Beverley

COACH SPOTLIGHT: CINDY MOFFETT

Interview by Mrs. Evelyn Egan

Photo by Evelyn Egan

Coach Cindy Moffett is the Head Coach for Cross-Country Team. Her back story as a coach is interesting since she did not really intend to become a coach for a sports team in school In 2010, when Oakland Middle School just opened, then Principal Eaton asked Coach Moffett to be the coach for Cross-Country and have her try it for a year. The rest as they say is history.

At the beginning of Cross-Country season, Coach Moffett guides her runners by letting them learn how their bodies react to pacing, long distance running, sprints at the end of a race, and dieting She also has techniques that she shares with her struggling runners Some of these techniques include new runners being partnered with veteran runners and setting goal times for runners during each meet. Coach Moffett says, “Cross-Country is an individual sport as well as a team sport. As goals are met, the team advances. Usually, team members will encourage struggling runners and pace beside them at practices offering encouragement. It does make Coach Sinor and me very proud to be a part of this team ”

A typical Cross-Country practice begins with a warm-up. Coach Moffett elaborates, “Runners warm up with team captains before running a 2+ mile run. After the run, we usually will work on maneuvers, relays, or play a game like tag. The practice session ends with a cool down and stretch with team captains.” Coach Moffett says that she does not have a problem with discipline “I seldom bench runners If runners are being disruptive during practice, a good long set of push-ups, extra laps, and/or wall sits often takes care of the problems Anything beyond that requires a conference among coaches, runners, and parents.”

Coach Moffett values positive attitude, respect, and cooperation. For example, she believes that academics and being an athlete here at OMS go hand in hand She states, “Being a Cross-Country runner requires discipline and dedication I am a teacher first and then a coach If a student is not completing assignments or failing tests, then that student is placed benched until they have accomplished the expectations of that teacher” She also encourages parents to participate by walking, jogging, or running the course with their runners. This keeps runners safe and build a community of support that is not often seen in other sports.

Coach Moffett’s mentor was Coach Stephen Williams He coached Cross-Country at Central Middle School and then moved to be the Coach at Riverdale. “He taught me everything I know about coaching Cross-Country. He recently passed away and I will sorely miss him,” Coach Moffett remarks as she fondly remembers her mentor. When asked how her team would describe her, this was her reply, “Probably mean and evil. Seriously, you probably need to ask my runners this question.”

Image by alex4663 from Pixabay

STUDENT ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT: XAVIER BURNS

Photo by Amari Swader and Caitlyn Harper

Xavier Burns, this issue’s student athlete in spotlight, is in 7th Grade. He is an athlete for the Cross-Country Team. His older brother influenced Xavier in joining the team because he also played Cross-Country. In fact, his brother is a huge inspiration. Xavier elaborated, “My big brother previously ran for OMS and now is running Cross-Country in high school, trains 5 to 10 miles every day, and is on high school varsity and overcame injuries instead of quitting.”

To be the best in his sport, Xavier approaches his training and diet with discipline. He starts training in the summer and during school days, Xavier practices after school. When there are races, he gets up early and eats a healthy breakfast that will fuel him up. During Cross-Country season, Xavier avoids soda and drinks lots of water. He also eats pasta before a race. Because his friends are also his teammates, Xavier does not really miss a lot of activities with his friends despite his busy athletic schedule. They have pasta parties, host races and work together, and go on trips together. Who says work and fun don’t mix?

Xavier encourages younger or new athletes to work past the limits and try your best and challenge yourself. As a testament to Xavier’s words of encouragement, he was able to achieve his fastest 2 mile run in 12:53 trying to break his own record. Xavier believes in constantly challenging oneself and keep moving forward despite the odds.

Interview by Staff

Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay

CULTURE SECTION

By Victor Jimenez

Adapting to the U.S.A

Hello again. My name is Victor Jimenez, and I’m a student in Oakland Middle School in Tennessee. All my life I have been moving to different places around the United States. Before I moved to Tennessee, I lived for seven years in Florida. In this issue of the Chronicle, I want to talk about how a Spanish kid managed to adapt to a place where I couldn’t communicate. I’m also going to talk about how Florida looks like and its important places.

Humble Beginnings

First of all, when I first got to Florida, I had no idea how to talk in English and no idea what people were saying when I walked by This was one of the first problems I had to overcome as a new student in Florida Many students there also talked Spanish and other languages as well The kids there were very diverse My teachers helped me learn English with the help of the other people that spoke Spanish in the class. This was very important to me as this was the first impression I had with Florida, and there had to be only good from then on.

Weather in the Sunshine State

Whenever anyone visits Florida most probably the first thing they might think is, “This place is hot!” which is very true about Florida’s temperature This hot temperature is because Florida is the closest state in the U S A to the equator, which makes it one of the best places to chill out in a hot day One downside about Florida’s hot temperature is that it doesn’t snow Even on semicold days, not a single drop of snow will fall from the sky Florida is also very prone to get a lot of rainfall This makes Florida full of humidity in the air Contributing to the fact that Florida is very humid is that Florida is a peninsula This means that it’s a stretch of land surrounded by three sides of water, so more water equals more humidity

Landmarks and places to visit

Everyone wants to see their favorite cartoon characters come to life Well, if you come to Florida, you’re in luck! Disney is one of the places you can visit on a trip to Florida My house was a fifteen-minute drive to Disney which meant that if we wanted to go there, we went there the next day and that led to many memories on the rides Also, one thing that I absolutely love about Florida is its beaches If you remember my last article, you know that I love everything that has to do with water and going to the beach is a prime example of what I love about Florida

Florida is a wonderful place that has beautiful places and even better memories to be made. Florida can be great for a vacation or a nice place to live in and is the place I spent most of my life in. I hope one day you will be able to visit this astonishing place.

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

Fell into darkness...... it seemed endless.

What if I never stopped falling?

What if I died here? No one would find me.

What would F2 think?

They wouldn’t know I escaped so they would probably chalk it up to me never escaping at all; they would think I was still in the facility. F2 would probably move on, forget about me, live a normal life like we had always dreamed of. No, I thought. I’ll get out of this.

I continued to fall into the silent void. Then I heard something. Water! If I heard water that must mean the fall would end soon. I mean I might break my neck, because of the altitude of the fall and impact, but the fall would be over!

The fall continued for I don’t know how long. Then I crashed, I hadn’t realized how close I had been to the end of the fall so I hadn’t braced myself. My back stung, then the blinding pain turn cold. I felt damp. I had hit the water. I started sinking, I didn’t fight it. I felt like I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. The water filled my lungs.

I almost felt like laughing to be honest. The great G5 dies because they stepped on a stick. My eyes started to close. I accept my fate. The world faded to darkness. TO BE CONTINUED…….

By Trinity Beverley

Art by Trinity Beverley

ORIGINAL STORY: SEASONS GONE WRONG PART I

By Angeli Burns

Ayla was getting dressed She put on her favorite t-shirt and skipped out the door, ready to enjoy a beautiful summer day As she stepped outside, she suddenly felt her feet sink into something soft and powdery and she felt a cool breeze I- is it snowing?! Ayla immediately looked up Sure enough, her whole yard was covered in thick, white snow and ice It was unbearably cold Soon, a couple of her neighbors had come outside and were just as dumbfounded as she was Tuesday, July 14th and it was snowing

It wasn’t just this area People all over the world were experiencing this problem On every existing news channel, reporters were discussing this weather Scientists were confused; it was completely out of the ordinary The world had never experienced anything like this

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND. YOU CAN NOT CHANGE YOUR MIND,” Persephone screeched at her mother, her voice echoing through the skies of Mount Olympus. A stern look found its way onto Demeter’s face. “I most certainly can,” she said while looking her daughter straight in the eye.

For thousands of years now, everything had been in order. Persephone would go to the underworld with her husband Hades, and during that time there would be fall and winter. After that time had passed, she would return to her mother, and during that time it would be spring and summer. Then the cycle would repeat. That was the compromise Hades, Demeter, and Persephone had come up with, and it had worked perfectly.

Recently though, Demeter had gotten upset. She didn’t think she should have to make a compromise to keep her own child! She was Persephone's mother and Hades was the only god not even allowed in Olympus. She would not share her daughter with him. “You will stay with me from now on,” she said firmly. “I hate you!” Persephone screamed, and she ran away, toward the direction to the entrance of the Underworld. She ignored her mother's shouts as her long dress dragged the ground.

Persephone ran all night, and by morning she had reached the Underworld. Persephone had left Olympus so early. The beautiful and sunny summer turned into a freezing cold winter. To the humans though, it was still summer... with snow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ayla was a fifteen-year-old girl. Her father was a waiter at a crazy popular café downtown. Her mother was an English professor at a magnet high school, but not the school Ayla went to because her grades weren’t high enough. That didn’t mean she wasn’t smart enough though because in the school she was enrolled in she was in all the honor classes. She often got compliments on how pretty she was as well.

She had long light brown hair and beautiful amber eyes that looked like the sunset. She was fond of wearing light purple or pink t-shirts and tying her favorite white jacket around her waist.

School was cancelled for the obvious reasons. So now Ayla was on her sofa with a blanket wrapped around her, a cup of hot cocoa in her hands and the cat in her lap. The fireplace was on, and she couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the rising little speckles of the fire which were just sparks. Her ears had grown attached to the crackling sound well that was until her older sister Marie spoke to her.

“Strange, isn’t it? This seems as something out of this world. It shouldn’t be possible for it to be a completely normal summer and we just wake up one morning and it is snowing,” she softly said but Ayla wasn’t really listening. She just nodded. She stared out the window and surprising everyone even more, hail began to fall.

ORIGINAL STORY: AVALON PART II

By Essence Smith

Kaliope was at her first day of the academy, sitting alone, in a corner, all by herself. It is not that she was not liked by people, but that she did not know people. That is, until she was greeted by a particular blond-haired person. Missing tooth, sandy blond hair, a bit over average height, and eyes that shined like emeralds, as Kaliope would describe them. She looked kind, and she was.

"Hello! I’m Carmen, how about you?" she questioned She had wondered why Kaliope was sitting alone in a corner The arena was quite large compared to them at the time, so she was not surprised that no one had noticed the girl until now

"I'm Kaliope" she spoke, her tone was soft, in a shy type of matter She was scared Was she scared of people? It was an inquiry that would be questioned later

Carmen went quiet. Kaliope was unlike anyone she had seen before. She wondered what she was missing, something was wrong, but she could not tell what. It was her eyes. Her eyes were an ocean blue and a dark hazel. With a tint of gold. She had deep brown hair, A dark chocolate-y color. She had never met such a girl in her life. Was she in love or something? Could not be.

"That's a pretty name " She slapped her hand over her mouth, that was NOT meant to be said aloud She hoped that the strange girl was not concerned or frightened by her comments She was always seen as indecisive or immature to her peers She had hoped she had not made a bad first impression Like she could make a good one anyway

"Well thank you, I like yours too." She mumbled, but just loud enough for Carmen to comprehend.

And that was the very beginning of their friendship, little did they know that it would soon end

Kaliope and Carmen had been best friends for years They were inseparable, well, they used to be It was a normal day in Genesis Middle, kids were playing outside, enjoying their last few days before summer started Carmen and Kaliope were at the very edge of the sidewalk, having a conversation about normal things like movies, social media, books, things like that Until a specific phone call was made It was from Carmen’s father

"Hold on, I need to take this, see you in a bit Kali."

"Alright," she mumbled. Kaliope knew there was something wrong... "See ‘ya, Carmen."

Fifteen minutes later, Carmen walked back to the edge of the sidewalk. Silent. She quickly walked over and shoved as many of her things in her bag as she could. She seemed mad. Really mad.

"Carmen? What is it?" She got no response...

"Carmen?" Still, nothing was heard.

"CARMEN!" she screamed, hoping that her tone would snap her friend back into reality. It did, but not the way she expected it to...

"WHAT DO YOU WANT? SERIOUSLY, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" You could tell she was infuriated, but you could tell that she was hurt. You could hear it in her voice, you could see it in her eyes She was hurt But she zipped up her bags and ran off to a white car pulling up near the sidewalk And they never saw each other again Until the Creation of Avalon

Image by Luisella Planeta Leoni LOVE PEACE ���� from Pixabay

Kaliope was standing in the center of the quiet, empty arena. She did not know why Carmen would never talk to her. She never did. Her not talking was what damaged their friendship. “What did I do wrong?” she thought to herself. She wanted to scream, cry, anything that would ease her mind. And so, she grabbed her sword and walked herself home, lost in her own mind.

Kaliope finally made it back home, slightly struggling to fit the keys in the lock. Her hands were wounded from training. She opened the door to her home. It was an average place, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and an attic. She hung her bag on a handle poorly nailed to the wall. Credit to her brother. And made her way to her room. She hung her sword on the wall, tired, exhausted she might say. She kicked her shoes into her closet and threw herself on her bed. She sat there for a while, not bothering to change her clothes. She tried to sleep, but she soon realized that that was not a possibility. The only thing that was on her mind was Carmen. She could not think of anything else, ANYONE else. All she wanted to know was why Carmen left her. And why she refused to talk. So, it was decided, tomorrow morning. Kaliope would make her way to talk to her. To confront 'The' Carmen Sanchez.

*The next day*

It was 1:26 in the afternoon. Carmen had slept in, exhausted from all the pressure yesterday. She was sleeping peacefully. 'WAS'. She was awakened by a loud banging on her front door.

"SANCHEZ. I WANNA TALK TO YOU. WAKE UP!"

Carmen was startled by the yelling. But they at once named the voice, so, she threw on some clothes and walked to her front door.

"What do you want Angelo..." That was the first time Carmen’s EVER used Kaliope's last name. It gave her chills, a frigid wind gliding down her back.

“I need to talk to you...” She took a deep breath, waiting for a response, hoping she would not be denied.

“Well, come on in,” she solemnly replied, and so, as Kaliope slowly walked into the room, and as the door shut, you could feel the freezing wind from the slight slam of the door.

PHOTO SPOTLIGHT: SPRING

PHOTO BY: EVELYN EGAN

The OMS Chronicle invites you to submit original photography that symbolizes summer. Email photo as attachment to egane@rcschools.net. Selected photo will be featured on a one-page spotlight in our summer issue (May 2023).

We are also inviting guest writers, fiction and informational.

If you are an artist and you would like your artwork to be featured in our succeeding issues, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Email: egane@rcschools.net