THE CIRCLE GAZETTE Volume 4, Issue 4
THE FULL EDITION
April/May 2013
A Newspaper by Children, of all Ages, from all Over the World
A Latvian’s Delight by Ismail Ercan, Age 16 Coral Springs, FL
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, and as I walked into the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships (ITC) media room, I was warmly greeted by Ms. Lisa Franson, the media director of the tournament. This was my third year reporting at the ITC for The Circle Gazette, and I was excited as ever. The Delray Beach ITC is a week-long ATP professional men’s tennis tournament and is the only tennis tournament in the United States that also hosts an ATP Champions Tour tournament (where former champions compete) in the same week and venue. It is hosted annually at the Delray Beach Tennis Center in late February through early March. This year I would be covering more than 4 days of tournament action as well as additional assignments to help write for the tournament website, yellowtennisball.com. I would work alongside other newspaper reporters who worked for the Palm Beach Post, Sun Sentinel, Miami Herald, and ATPworldtour.com to name a few. Tournament Day 2 Saturday: The Saturday session, day two of the tournament, was very busy. Media people, volunteers, ball-boys, and professional players were scrambling around the tennis center like it was their last day on Earth. As the tournament progressed, the level of franticness would settle down because there were fewer matches and players to worry about, but in the meantime it was hectic. That day’s schedule consisted of the first round of the ATP World Tour qualifying matches and the second day of round robin for the Champions Tour. While qualifying matches at most other tournaments are scarcely regarded, the media people at Delray always look out for a potential dark horse player who could make a Cinderella-type run in the main draw. In the tournament’s history, many qualifiers have made deep runs and even won the title such as current top 30 players
SUMMER STORIES DEADLINE TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY IS JULY 31, 2013
Summer Adventures!
Share your Stories Do you...
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Qualifier Ernests Gulbis beat Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-6 (3), 6-3 on Sunday for his second title at the Delray Beach International Championships. Photo Credit: Stephen Dunn Kei Nishikori and Aussie Marinko Matosevic. This year, one player in particular stood out from the rest of the qualifiers, Ernest Gulbis. The streaky Latvian player had previously won the title in Delray only two years ago but due to a poor 2012 season, his world ranking had slipped and he now was forced to qualify into the main draw. He has previously beaten legend Roger Federer and is always a threat to deal with (keep a look out for him, he might pop out later in this article). However, my day started rather slowly. This year’s ITC drew its best group of players ever in the tournaments’ history. Over half the draw was comprised of current and former top 50 ranked players! Yet, just then, we received news that the Bryan Brothers, the number one American doubles team in the world (and Olympic gold medalists) had just announced via Twitter that they were pulling out of the ITC due to injury. This was a major blow to the me-
dia’s coverage of doubles because, as the biggest name in the doubles draw, most of the stories would have been circulating around them. Ms. Franson let me know that my assignment for that day was transcribing the post-match interviews of the Champion Tour’s players who were playing, including Mats Wilander, John McEnroe, and local Aaron Krickstein. The result of the first match was Krickstein winning to be placed in the 3rd/4th place match the next day. However the second match, between Wilander and McEnroe, was delayed by a sudden rain shower that lasted only 20 minutes. The heavy downpour forced the match (which was originally scheduled for 8:30) to be played at 10:30! A good amount of the crowd waited out the delay, while ball-boys and volunteers dried the court. Both men thanked the people who stayed
join organized camps? travel with your family? where? go camping? go to the beach often? do the same thing every year? wish you’d do something else? feel bored most of the time? join an international exchange program? stay home and do different things every week? stay home and chill indoors? read a lot? go to water parks? visit amusement and theme parks? relocate to another town/city?
Whatever you do, wherever you go, we want to know about it. Would you review your current camp program? How about a recommendation? Did it meet your expectations? At The Circle Gazette, we crave creative journalism! Be a reporter and tell us what you see, what you know, what you have experienced. Email us at info@circlegazette.org or submit online at www.circlegazette.org to participate in Summer Adventures… Of course you can also send your favorite summer art! As a non-profit organization we rely on your support and generosity to make our programs possible. Donate online at www. circlegazette.org and there are many ways in which you can help us make the Circle Gazette sustainable. Contact us at info@ circlegazette.org. Happy Summer!
“Fishing is Fun” by Andy Hernández.
Please turn to page 8
DELHI SAFARI: DVD Launch on April 16 Movie Review by Yasmin Daiha, Age 14 Reporter for the Circle Gazette Miramar, FL WARNING: Spoilers ahead! The Indian animated film Delhi Safari is about animals that go on an adventure to save their forest. When a leopard cub’s dad is killed by construction workers, the forest is not the same anymore. All the animals had to leave, although none wanted to. Their home was now endangered. Soon the animals realized there was a parrot that could help. A leopard cub and his mother, a bear, a monkey, and the parrot decide to set out to Delhi and ask Parliament to change the law and tell the construction workers to stop tearing down the forest. Their adventure proved to be more difficult than they thought it would be. The group of animal friends ran into trouble at every turn. They were chased by bees and almost killed by hyenas. They didn’t give up though; they had the help of their parrot friend to take them to Delhi. They needed to convince the humans to stop deforestation. When they finally arrived in Delhi, the animals were
also targeted by the humans. It wasn’t easy for the humans to decide to hear the group of friends out. However, when Parliament heard their argument, they passed a law to stop construction in the forest. The animals then went back to their forest, satisfied that their home would not be taken away from them.
For the English version of the film, stars Jane Lynch (Glee), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Vanessa Williams (TV’s Desperate Housewives), Cary Elwes (No Strings Attached), Brad Garrett (Tangled) and the very funny Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) join voices in this enchanting environmental tale. Though this movie was not ultimately nominated for the 2013 Academy Awards as Best Animated Feature Film, Delhi Safari received recognition by being short-listed for consideration for the honor. This is a great family and kid-friendly film to watch. When you want to sit back, have a laugh, and enjoy your time with your family, Delhi Safari is a great pick. Throughout the whole movie you are going to have the questions in your mind: Are they going to make it? Would they get what they need? With songs that kids will enjoy, Delhi Safari, a 3D film by the hand of director Nikhil Advani, is a stupendous movie for families to discuss right and wrong environmental choices and to encourage young minds to think of the concept of co-existence. Delhi Safari is now available in DVD at all main outlets.
Soft Pastels on paper.
PAGE
THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
2
THE CIRCLE GAZETTE A Newspaper by Children for Children Independent print and online publication available to children of all ages. This publication is an initiative of THE ENRICHMENT CIRCLE, INC. A Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization for the Advancement of Education 7551 Normande Ct. Margate FL 33063 Phone: 954-918-2541 circlegazette@enrichmentcircle.com info@circlegazette.org
Editor in Chief Patty Gómez
Serena Serrano
Patty Gómez
Editorial Team
Sandra Wolkov Christie Voss
Sandra Wolkov
Pedro Gómez Lee Bruno
Production Lee Bruno
Robyn Rader
Serena Bruno
Christie Voss
Graphic Designers & Pre-press Dora Font
Christie Voss
Cartoonists and Illustrators
Arion Rashad Kate Maier Sofia Serrano Daniela Gómez
Regular Columnists
Sarah Thompson Aaron J. Cross
Daniela Gómez Lydia Szakacs
Emma Gómez
Sara I. Cross
Emma Gómez
Regular Contributors
Ismail Ercan, Aaron J. & Sara I. Cross, Sarah Thompson, Sofia Serrano, Kate Maier, Alizddair Ray, Aaron Organ, Nathalie Thelemaque, Reagan Olenick, Danny & Andy Hernandez, Elizabeth Abrams, Emily Greenfield, Daniela, Emma & Ellie Gómez
Proof Readers
Sandra Wolkov
Serena Bruno
Christie Voss
Robyn Rader
Web Page Master Victoria Martinez
Subscriptions available
1 year subscription: $40/year/12 issues 6 months subscription: $24/year/6 issues Individual copies: $4/each With the purchase of each copy you are supporting the printing of future issues and the creative work of young writers and artists.
APR/MAY 2013
A
Word From The Editor
Why would you want to be a writer? Because... Behind Everything Good there Are Always Good Writers At the Circle Gazette we believe That writers are the producers of everything. Behind politicians and their speeches There are good writers. Behind serious legislators and fair rules There are good writers. Behind justice and superior judgment There are good writers. Behind famous movies, plays and good acting There are good writers. Behind lovely music, there are meaningful lyrics, Behind meaningful lyrics, There are good writers. Behind comedians and funny jokes, Behind witty remarks and clever plots, Behind stories, entertainment, TV programs and advertisement, There are good writers. Behind cutting-edge research papers and instruction manuals, Behind well-covered news and engaging radio programs There are good writers. Good writers hide and are in charge of shaping quality blogs and websites. Delivering messages accurately and responsibly everywhere: Only good writers. Good ideas emerge and, thanks to good writers, They live, they thrive. Behind everything good there are always good writers.
Circulation
The Circle Gazette is available online and is distributed in paper via individual, classroom and library subscriptions. The Circle Gazette is distributed in more than 30 cities in South Florida and has subscribers and contributors from Ohio, Tennessee, New Mexico, Texas, New York, Virginia, California, Kentucky, Rivas-Nicaragua, San Jose-Costa Rica and Caracas-Venezuela
Free Copies Available at Community Partner Institutions
The Coral Springs Museum of Art - The Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theatre - The Northwest Broward County Library - The British School Caracas - Bricks For Kids, Coral Springs - Arts Alive, Coral Springs - Daggerwing Nature Center, Boca Raton - ArtWorks! New Bedford, MA
Sponsorships, Sales & Advertising Mindy Joseph Jodi Jaffe 954-684-9096 954-253-6584
TO SUBMIT WORK
The Circle Gazette is a publication available to public school, private school and homeschool students. Email a copy of your work, as a Word or text file, attach images as JPEG files, to submissions@circlegazette.org or submit your work online at www.circlegazette.org. All entries should be accompanied by the parent/guardian consent to print form found online.
Information to contributors
The Circle Gazette reserves the right to edit, accept and refuse articles in the interest of brevity, clarity and the appropriateness of subject matter.
About
The Circle Gazette is packed from cover to cover with the latest stories and creations of children as of all ages; about local affairs, the environment, art, sports, entertainment, stories, poems and puzzles that engage and inspire young minds!
YOUNG CHILDREN CAN PROVIDE A WEALTH OF WISDOM, FRESHNESS AND NEW PERSPECTIVES! The Circle Gazette is a one-of-a-kind publication because: • It transcends one school/homeschool community. It goes beyond a state or a country. It’s about widening writer’s and reader’s horizons! • It is addressed to children and the content is created by children • It involves a multiage/multilevel group of contributors • The editorial team keeps a holistic and nourishing quality on the selection of content and design • It’s a high quality mix of a variety of styles and topics • It offers valuable feedback to authors
The World We Live In by Sara I. Cross Boca Raton, FL
Mammals, reptiles, crustaceans too birds, amphibians, and also you! We are all animals, we don’t look alike, and sometimes we all even fight. Mammals have nipples to feed the young, and lick them clean with a little pink tongue. Reptiles are all covered in scales, and will always be noticed by their long or little tails. Crustaceans are cute, little and small, and the babies you can barely see at all. Birds are covered in feathers and fur, and some fly so fast they are just a blur. “Amphibian” means land and water, and they hatch from eggs without a mother. We’re all in the kingdom Animalia, well, right now that’s all I’m gonna tell ya! Trees, bushes, vines too, all sitting there with something to do.
Your Work can be Published too! “How To Submit”
The Enrichment Circle 501(c)(3)
A Non-Profit Organization for the Advancement of Education
Patty Gómez Editor-in-Chief
They’re all plants, some look alike, and unlike us they never fight. Trees are so nice, they give squirrels a home, and also gives raccoons a place to roam.
Did You Know... … that Sara I. Cross has been a writer for the Circle Gazette since its first issue came out in October 2009. Her debut as published poet was with this witty and playful poem about our world. Every year, the Circle Gazette finds a reason to reprint ‘The World We Live In.” This year it prints to honor Earth Day and celebrate the coming of the warm months. Sara is also the author of LIVING HEALTHY - a regular column, Page 4. Sara won the first prize for the Poetry 2011 Creative Communications Summer Poetry Contest with this amazing poem.
Bushes provide shelter for cats and rabbits, and some eat the leaves out of habit Vines are nice, all thin and long, and sometimes they grow where they don’t belong. They’re all in the kingdom Plantae and right now that’s all I’m gonna say.
THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
APR/MAY 2013
ECO
FEATURE
Lights-Out
Green Tip 2.
by A. J. Cross, Age 16 Boca Raton, FL
In my last column I talked about the environmental issues involving different kinds of light bulbs, and gave some insight into the incandescent bulb Phase Out being initiated by the government. But the type of bulb you use is only half the issue. The way you display the bulb, specifically in outdoor environments, can also affect the planet in various ways. Bad outdoor lighting is a growing issue that most people overlook. However, bright light during the nighttime hours can disturb nighttime animals’ safety and natural behavior. Many lights together create skyglow, which brightens up the night sky and destroys the ability to see any but the brightest stars. This further disrupts natural animal behavior because many creatures need the stars in order to orient themselves to the world.
Photo credit: darkskiesawarenss.org. Let’s look deeper into the effects of skyglow and other light pollution on the nocturnal animal population. Many animals rely on the dark to hide from other animals, and lack of darkness can result in a food chain imbalance. If prey animals cannot hide then they will become easier targets for their predators, and the population of that species will decrease rapidly in that area. If predator ani-
Mexico City at night.
mals from a different area cannot find darkness to hide in, their prey will notice them and be able to get away. I’m sure the prey animals would be happy about this, but predator-prey relationships are a part of nature and disturbing the balance between them will lead to disaster. Skyglow also affects animals’ migrations and navigation. Many species of birds and insects travel great distances both night and day, and travel along the same route every year. The reason they can continue during the night is because of starlight. They use the stars to orient themselves in the right direction, but when the stars are invisible they become confused and are thrown off course. This obviously disrupts natural migration paths and is another reason why light pollution needs to disappear. Artificial light during the night can also disturb many animals’ breeding behaviors. Most animals will sense what time of year it is by how long the days last, because in summer the days are longer. Animals know that when the days are longer the winter freeze is past and they all have their babies then. But when the days are long all year round, the animals cannot tell what time of year it is, and many babies get hit by the winter freezes and die. Species that have several litters a year
will not be as affected by one litter getting killed off, but those species that only have one or two litters a year will be hurt badly. Many of these species could become endangered because of unnecessary light. Animals are not the only ones being hurt by light pollution. Plants also tell the time of year by the length of the days, and when plants get constant daytime due to an unwisely placed streetlight they constantly act like it is summertime. They never drop their leaves or make seeds. Another issue is that all this excess light that is causing so many problems for the ecosystem is using vast amounts of electricity to operate. Wasted electricity is obviously not good for the environment, especially when it is only being used to cause more problems. For all these reasons, light pollution is a problem and it is important that we fix it. At this point you might be wondering “What can I possibly do to help?” You can help by changing as many lights around your home as possible into better fixtures. Installing shades on your lights can reduce the amount of light escaping into the sky as well as reduce the amount of light you need. By keeping lights dimmer, you use less electricity, which is better for the environment and better for your wallet. Turning off your lights earlier will also reduce the amount of wasted electricity and allow the creatures of the night to do their thing. Every small change helps, and it is your job to do your part towards increased environmental security. For more information about light pollution go to “www.idapalmbeach.org”. If you have any comments or questions regarding this article or have suggestions for future articles, drop me an e-mail at “heroicaajc@gmail. com”. Hope I hear from you!
Calgary at night from a distance.
TOP GREEN TIPS SAY NO TO BLEACH Environmentally speaking, bleach is considered toxic waste. It reacts with organic matter to create carcinogenic organochlorines. Both humans and animals are affected by this substance. Thankfully, bleach does not react with water. It just will kill anything in it that is alive. Just two drops of bleach will kill all microorganisms and plant life in a liter of contaminated water, and make it okay to drink. If fact, any more will make the water toxic. Think about it, if just two drops can purify that much water no matter how contaminated it is, should you really be pouring this stuff into your laundry machine? Or
how about dumping it on the sidewalk and driveway? The bleach you pour will get washed into the waterways. When it does, it will kill all the plants and zooplankton that the water touches, which is an awful lot. These plankton are
the foundation for the food web. Fish will try to swim away from the contaminating source. Animals that depend on the river for their water supply will not want to drink from it and can sometimes get ill from either dehydration or drinking the poisoned water because they do not have a choice.
SAVE ON GAS… There are many things to do with your car to make it more fuel efficient. Modify your car and your driving habits and you could save gasoline and some money too. Below are some things you can do to give your car better gas mileage... Keep your car tires properly inflated and the engine tuned up on a regular basis. Even if your tires are just a little deflated it will cause a lot of friction and make the car harder to move. This can give you up to 10% better gas mileage. Take everything you do not need on a daily basis out of your trunk. Extra weight makes the car harder to move, thus requiring more gas to do so. Speeding up and slowing down the car uses a lot of gas. Staying at a constant speed, especially when on the highway, can preserve the gas in your tank. Staying in one lane instead of weaving in between other cars can also
save gasoline. If you are making an errand out of town you should make all your other out of town errands while you are at it. Doing all your errands at once saves you an extra trip out, thus saving time as well. Reducing the amount of gasoline we use will, obviously, make what we have last longer, and cut the amount of toxins and dangerous fumes released into the atmosphere. Our atmosphere is a closed-in structure, so there is no way for those gases to escape. So be clean, go green: Be head of the class, save on gas! BEING GREEN IS GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND FOR YOU TOO… Being green is not only good for the environment. Here are some ways to help the Earth that benefit you as well.
Walk, bike, or skate to places near where you live. Not only does this benefit the Earth and environment by reducing pollution, but the exercise and fresh air are good for you, too. Instead of buying snacks on the go that have packaging that is bad for the environment, pack natural foods like fruit and vegetables that come with their own natural packaging. Nature’s food is much healthier for you than most on-the-go snacks, and even when you put the wrappers into trash bins they still end up in the environment at the landfill. Plant a butterfly garden by your house. Bees probably like butterfly gardens just as much as but-
terflies do, and having a neatly arranged garden increases property value by a lot. If you have a birdfeeder or want to get one (you should get one anyway whether you want to or not), place it somewhere so that all of the seeds that the birds drop from the feeder can sprout and grow into a small garden. Then as
PAGE
3
Did You Know... ...April 22 is Earth Day! Over one billion people in 192 countries are participating in this celebration this year! From London to Sao Paolo, Seoul to Babylon City, New Delhi to New York, Rome to Cairo; people everywhere are taking action in their communities and helping depict “The Face of Climate Change,” a project by the EarthDayNetwork. How can you get involved? Attend an Earth Day event in your community, start doing something to lower your carbon footprint, and take a photo of yourself being part of the solution and upload it to “The Face of Climate Change Wall’” at www.earthday.org.
Did You Know... … that Aaron Cross (now age 15) was the first columnist of the Circle Gazette? Inaugurating his column “Green Tip of the Month” on December 2009, Aaron, who goes by the penname A. J. Cross, has written 38 articles with helpful and up to date environmental tips and discussions. Aaron is passionate about making the world a healthier one for all and, besides adopting a green personal lifestyle; he takes a step forward through his column, helping his readers make easy green choices. Early in 2012, Aaron launched a new stage for his column re-naming it “Green Tip 2.0.” You can contact Aaron Cross at heroicaajc@gmail.com.
the plants die the birds can eat the seeds or the seeds will grow into a new plant. The plants for most of the bird’s seeds look nice, too. This ‘bird garden’ is also selffertilizing, because what do birds do while and after they eat? They excrete feces and urine that fertilizes the plants. Plus, what could be more relaxing and cheerful than opening the door and hearing birds chirping their tunes? Don’t fool others, and let them know how to be green, too. Don’t let yourself be a fool, being green is really cool!
PAGE
THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
4
Living Healthy
Did You Know... ...That pesticides cause a major problem to your body? According to the National Institute of Environmental Sciences, the problems include an increase in headaches, fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, hand tremors, and other neurological symptoms.
Sow the Seed to Good Health! by Sara Cross, Age 12 Boca Raton, FL Hi kids! Welcome to Living Healthy, a column that discusses how to keep your body healthy and energized. This is the April/ May paper, and marks the beginning of spring. You all know the saying, “April showers bring May flowers.” In this column I will talk to you about the health of home growing!
Eating from a garden is great, because the food is so fresh, and tastes so good. But growing at home is good for your health, too! Here are some of the many reasons to garden. The first advantage to home growing you will notice is how much better it tastes. The main reason why it tastes fresher is because it is. When fruits and vegetables are picked commercially they are slightly under-ripe. This is because they continue to ripen as they ship, so by the time they get to the store, they will be fully ripe and ready for sale. When you home grow, the produce goes right from the garden to your table, and it has been allowed to ripen naturally. When the vegetables taste better, you
might be more likely to eat them, and eat more than usual. This gives you increased health and increased levels of the healthy vitamins and minerals from veggies. Another reason that home grown is better is that you know what is in the ground. When you buy from the supermarket you do not always know what pesticides the farm uses. I would recommend that if you want to spray
pesticides in your home garden, you should make sure that they are all natural. Buying organic is expensive, and you cannot always find everything. Growing organic is just as easy as not, and the same price. Chemical pesticides are bad for you, and have been shown to cause all sorts of health problems. Check the Did You Know? box below to see what problems can be caused. There are some varieties of produce that might not look as good on the store shelf, so they are not even grown commercially. Yet those varieties might provide different health advantages. You can grow these at home and get all the nutrients you need. These other varieties often taste better, and you might find that
you like something that you never did before. An example is purple carrots. Purple carrots are extremely hard to find, and lots of people have never even heard of them. They have anthocyanin, a chemical that is being tested in
amounts, purple potatoes. In my opinion the purple carrots, cauliflower and potatoes taste better than regular ones too. There are also lots of edible flowers, and due to its short shelf life, the only way to get them is to grow
labs for its extreme antioxidant properties. Anthocyanin is what gives the purplish color to purple carrots, blueberries, grapes, and lots of fruits and vegetables that are not available in most food stores. Red sweet corn is also included in that list, along with purple cauliflower and, in small
them at home. To find out about the health benefits of other “unusual” veggies, visit www.specialtyproduce.com. Home growing is also good for your wallet because seeds are much cheaper than veggies. During the last growing season my family garden produced about
YOU WILL NEED: 1 ½ cups of strawberry yogurt ½ cup of pineapples 1 ¾ cups almond or coconut milk About 2 handfuls of spinach A medium-sized carrot, sliced 1 banana 1 apple, sliced. HOW TO MAKE IT: Pour the yogurt into a blender. The fruit can be frozen. Make sure that you have
$8.00 worth of heirloom tomatoes for about $3.40. The final benefit of home growing is the physical aspect. Gardening gets you outside and active. Fresh air is good for you, and you will appreciate the exercise. There is no reason not to help in the garden, except for laziness, and that is not a good enough reason. If you garden you will be outside in the sun a lot. The body uses the sun to make vitamin D, a vitamin that most people are deficient in. Your body can only use a limited amount of sun, so you should not be out there for more than a half hour to an hour at a time. The sun is going to dry you out, so it is important to stay hydrated. May is the end of the second year of Living Healthy! Thanks to everyone who reads the column and follows my tips. Contact me at vannillakitty@comcast.net, and tell me how my tips have made your life healthier. I would love to hear your feedback. Celebrate the start of the third year of Living Healthy by tuning in next issue for a special column! See you in June!
Did You Know...
… that with its mild winters, the Sunshine State offers gardeners the opportunity to grow their favorite foods most months of the year and some more exotic varieties even through the hot summer. Florida typically has 3 growing seasons. Warm season crops are planted in February or March after the last frost in Central and North Florida and as early as December or January for some crops in South Florida. A second warm season crop may be planted in August/September. Cool season crops are generally planted in July/August for North Florida, August for Central Florida, and August through October for South Florida, after the oppressive heat of the summer has passed. Find a great guide to select vegetables and useful tips at www.floridagardener.com.
TOP “LIVING HEALTHY” TIPS Keeping Cool Recipe for Pineapple Banana Smoothie with apple and strawberry yogurt:
APR/MAY 2013
something that is not frozen. Put the frozen fruit on top of the fruit and vegetables that are not frozen. Depending on what is frozen and what is not, put the ingredients in the blender. Pour the almond or coconut milk and the vegetables in last. Blend until the carrot, spinach and apple are barely visible. Now you have a delicious smoothie without added sugar—that tastes sweet! Don’t worry about the carrot and spinach, they won’t add any unwanted flavor to your smoothie and it’s very nutritious! Don’t expect your smoothie to have the exact coloring of Jamba Juice. Also if you use the frozen fruit, it is a refreshing and yummy drink on a hot day. Watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, and blueberries are a great addition to your smoothies. Add a different variety of fruits and veggies to make it your own unique drink Taking care of your eyes Even if you get plenty of exercise through organized sports or by taking gym class in school, you still should not be spending all your spare time in front of the TV or computer screen. Any electric entertainment system that includes a screen can be damaging to the eyes if overused. Sara talked to optometrist Josie Starr who works at Pearle Vision (www.pearlevision.com) in Sanford, Florida, about why you should
not watch TV in a dark room. Dr. Starr says: “I always recommend to my patients to not watch TV in the dark. As far as it being damaging to the eyes, I don’t believe there are any scientific studies that support this. However the pupil is influenced by the surrounding light and for some people this type of environment may produce some eye strain.” Asthenopia, or eye strain is an ophthalmological condition. Symptoms of Asthenopia include: Fatigue, pain in or around the eyes and headache. Alternatives Drinks If you are looking for an alternative diet or sugar free soda, consider Zevia brand. They use erythritol and stevia as a sweetener, and use no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. They might be a bit more expensive, at five to six dollars for a pack of six twelve ounce cans; however, they are only more expensive because the ste-
via and erythritol cost more than the white sugar and corn syrup that conventional sodas use. Because they do not use these ingredients, they are healthier. Izze is another sparkling choice. There are four choices of different kinds of equally cooling Izze drinks: Izze Sparkling Juice, Izze Esque, Izze Fortified, and Izze Natural Sparkling Juice. Steaz is the next suggested “soda substitute.” They have a variety of drinks --energy drinks, sparkling green teas, and iced teas, with or without calories. Zico is not exactly a soda-like drink but the nutrition facts, along with its tasty coconut water and sweet flavor choices makes it a perfect Gatorade alternative.
After all, these “sports drinks” aren’t completely off-the-hook. PowerAde has high-fructose corn syrup and Gatorade has no fruit juice, yet Zico has more potassium than a whole banana and contains five healthy electrolytes.
APR/MAY 2013
THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
Mothers: They do so much for us Mother’s Day is May 12 by Alizdair Sebastien Ray, Age 9 Hope Mills, NC Mother’s Day is special because it’s a holiday for all Mothers. They do so much for their family and friends. For example, my Mother gets up and makes breakfast even if it is cereal day. She does the dishes, cleans the house and bathrooms, and runs errands all the time. My Mother makes sure that I’m on time for all my events, co-op classes and sports activities. My Mother keeps a planner that has the family appointments and all the events going on in the community. I have done so much because of my Mother. She is motivated to make sure that I have every opportunity to try new things. Also, she makes sure that Daddy doesn’t miss any of his important appointments or events. The best thing is that my Mother makes sure our family spends time together. For
The Sharp Opinion of… by Sarah Thompson, Age 14 Boynton Beach, FL
“Alizdair Ray and his mom, Renee Ray” example, we went to a local hockey game in February. It was fun to cheer together at the game. We don’t have to go out even taking a walk in our neighborhood is family time. As a kid, you don’t see all that your Mother does for the family. I might not show it all the time, but I do listen and appreciate her a lot. I want to wish my Mother and all your Mothers a happy day on May 12.
! n m u l o C New FASHION GREETINGS
FASHION GREETINGS
by Jackie Kahn, Age 15 Boca Raton, FL
With the Spring Season underway, there are many new fashionable styles arousing interest. To start off, many printed pieces are in style. Whether it is blouses, jeans, or leggings, these pieces are very chic. A printed style is best paired with a solid color to keep it balanced. Some solid colors that are in for spring are the classic pastel colors. Lavender, mint, or baby pink are just some examples. Another trendy piece is the use of hats. They can either be made out of straw or canvas, but this style can be continued throughout summer. Some jewelry pieces that are in this spring are big, chunky necklaces. Beaded, stoned, or even chained, all of these styles make a bold statement with a bold outfit. Collared shirts give off a classy look. There are many different kinds, although the “peter pan” look is on the top of the list. Graphic tees that have an image or pattern can be matched with any kind of high-waisted shorts to achieve a relaxed look. Another kind of blouse that is popular is the peplum-styled shirt. With the slight flare towards the bottom of every peplum top, it hides the waist section when properly used with jeans or leggings. To create a fun look, circle, bubble, or printed skirts are the way to go. They create a figure for anybody and are very flowy. Denim shorts that are printed or colorful can be paired with either a graphic tee or a delightful blouse. For purses, a bold cross-body bag gives the “spring” look to an outfit. With the crossbody strap, they are comfortably made yet can hold all of the essential items. To complete any look, oxford style shoes give the “flashback” look. They are very comfortable and can be very inexpensive.
Forever 21 Total: $70.80
RESTAURANT REVIEW
One evening recently, my dad and I enjoyed a delicious meal at Slainte Irish Pub, located in Boynton Beach, Florida. The restaurant offers a menu consisting of mostly traditional Irish cuisine, as well as more commonly found foods such as cheeseburgers. The atmosphere is wonderful: it is cozy and relaxing. There is a bar area and regular seating, a fireplace, and nice Celtic decorations on the walls and ceilings. Shortly after our drinks came, we were brought scones and butter. That may seem bland, but anyone who has had Irish butter knows it can add a wonderful flavor to just about any bread! The scone was also quite good; it was flavorful and moist, which came as a pleasant surprise (scones are usually too dry for my tastes). For my main course I had the Shepherd’s Pie - an Irish classic consisting of beef, lamb, bacon, potato, and vegetables. It was hearty, filling and a great meal for a cold night. There was a thick layer of mashed potatoes, topped with bits of bacon and sprinkled with cheese, which was warm and delicious and complemented the mix of meats and vegetables underneath. As my dad pointed out, a mistake sometimes made with Shepherd’s Pie is a lack of meat. That was not a problem here! I loved it. My meal was served with two thin slices of Brown Bread (another Irish staple) and another dab of Irish butter. The Brown Bread
PAGE
5
was warm, grainy, and wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Slainte. I was impressed with how authentic the food was. Any restaurant can call itself an “Irish pub,” just as any place that serves pizza can claim it is “Italian.” Therefore finding Irish cuisine that is genuine, hearty, and really Irish, was great. I hope to return to Slainte very soon. Everything from the atmosphere to the friendly service to the excellent food makes it an ideal evening spot to sit and talk and enjoy oneself. NOTE: Slainte is an Irish pub. When going to an Irish pub you expect to find a bar and adult music. This is probably not a place you would want to take young children. People need to be aware that the type of experience you’ll have, i.e, the kind of people that will be there and what the overall vibe will be, depends on the hour you come. As a rule of thumb, pubs are the most family-friendly in the earlier dinner hours (probably from 5 to 7).
According to TripAdvisor, an online tourist ranking service, Slainte Irish Pub is rated 4 out 5 (5 being the highest possible) and it is ranked 25 out of 141 restaurants in Boynton Beach. If you’d like to go, Slainte is located at 1500 Gateway Blvd #150, Boynton Beach, FL.
If you can dream it, you CAN achieve it! by Bianca Davis, Age 13 Miramar, FL
Forever 21 Total: $68.00
Forever 21 Total: $99.40
When paired with a nice sundress, also in style, oxfords give off a very chic but cute look. Last but not least, sunglasses are a favorite in spring styles. It seems that the popular style for sunglasses are big, bold, cute shades. They look good with multiple outfits while protecting your eyes at the same time. All of these looks are very achievable yet inexpensive to create an entire outfit.
Forever 21 Total: $76.80
“Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration,” an anonymous person once said. This quote definitely applied to Thomas Alva Edison. He had many great ideas but he had to work very hard to achieve them. He basically had to invent the impossible. Back in his day electricity, or even a light bulb, was unheard of! But Thomas Edison made the light bulb plus over 1,000 other things possible. Doesn’t the light bulb look like a simple invention? It’s not. Thomas Edison had to try 2,000 times and tested more than 1,600 materials to create a light bulb that glowed for more than 13 hours! 13 hours is about half a day so it didn’t glow for long. You can also achieve the impossible! Maybe you’ll be the first person to invent the famous time machine that everyone dreams of using to change their past or see their future. You could tackle any other crazy idea that seems impossible today. It won’t be crazy once you invent it. But wait! Inventing isn’t the only goal that you can achieve! You can set simple goals like getting straight A’s on your report card or publishing a book that you wrote. If you put your mind to it you can accomplish anything. Here are some tips for achieving any goal: Set your goal! Make your goal exciting and realistic yet challenging. Bright minds need a challenge. (ConsiderThomas Edison: all of his brilliant inventions were challenging for him.) If it is not a challenge, the plan will bet boring and you might forget about your goal. Set your objective in writing.
Make an action plan. Now you’ve got a goal but how are you going to achieve it? Decide how you will go about accomplishing it and describe it in detail. If your goal is to get good grades, then are you going to do work for extra credit? Will you get a tutor? You decide. Make a list of positive things that will happen if you reach your goal. Get a sheet of paper and make a list of anything positive that will result from achieving your goal. Think of things that will excite you. The end result must be something that you look forward to with a lot of hope and enthusiasm. Create a visual representation. Grab a magazine and cut out pictures that represent the outcome of your goal. For example, if your big goal is to get straight A’s so you can attend the end of the year field trip to Disney with your school, then cut out images of Disney characters or anything that represents Disney theme parks. Then glue your images on a piece of paper or a piece of cardboard. Place this board on your bedroom wall or someplace you go often. Congrats! You have created your first Goal board. Share. Tell others about your goal. They might be able to help you accomplish it. If you tell your sister that you want to get good grades this semester, then maybe she can help tutor you. Also, tell other people about the goal board so that they can also reach their dreams. Hit the home run! Now is the time for you to go out and achieve your goal! Remember: Anything is possible. Contemplate your goal board and imagine how you will feel once you achieve your goal. Never give up on your goal and celebrate once it is accomplished. Good luck!
PAGE
6
THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
APR/MAY 2013
A Monthly Movie Review by Sarah Thompson, Age 14 Boynton Beach, FL
The Croods
Lydia’s Book Corner
Rated: PG
The plot: A caveman family known as the Croods have been living in the safety of their cave, unaware of just how rapidly the world is changing outside their cave walls. Eep is the only family member with a curiosity for the outside world, and one night she decides to sneak out of the cave and explore. When she does, she ends up meeting a strange boy named Guy, whose creativity and inventive ideas fascinate her. Guy warns the Croods that the world is ending, and together, they embark on a dangerous adventure for survival and discovery. The verdict: The movie was, in most ways, very original. It’s no small feat that the filmmakers were able to create a movie based in a primitive time in history when survival was everything, and still manage to make it remotely re-
by Lydia Szakacs, Age 10 Coral Springs, FL
latable and appealing to kids. However, it wasn’t completely original. All throughout the film, I noticed things that made my mind flash back to other movies I have seen recently. It was very similar to the Ice Age movies in its overall plot. The main character Eep, although an entirely different character and personality, reminded me a bit of Merida from last year’s Brave due to her head of wild, fiery red hair. There were other aspects as well, that seemed unoriginal, but that’s just me being picky. For what it was, The Croods was surprisingly heartfelt and touching. Eep and Guy are both likeable characters. I felt the rest of
Eep’s family needed to be toned down a bit - the idea of how their family dynamic and ideas are so different from Eep’s could have been easily portrayed to the audience without so much craziness. And yes, I do realize this movie is probably aimed more for kids, so I’ll stop my nitpicking and just say this: The Croods is a cute movie and surprised me with the amount of heart and creativity it packed in. Also, I’d like to point out that if this movie and last year’s Rise of the Guardians are any indication, it looks like Dreamworks could be on a good roll here! Here’s to hoping they continue dishing out beautiful movies like this one!
The Ghost of Graylock by Dan Poblocki This is a very intriguing book and makes you turn the pages. Some parts of this book are very scary and mysterious, but that is what makes the book so good. It starts out just as interesting as it ends. There are many surprise mysteries in the book, which are carried out throughout the story. I would rate this book a ten out of ten stars and would recommend it to anyone who likes scary mysterious stories.
36.84 Seconds of my Life by Daniela Gómez, Age 13 Margate, FL
I stood behind the blocks, slapping myself and jumping; this was it. My tall form dominated my own area, my mind was completely cleared, and I was ready for this race in every way. I had become an expert at stepping up to the blocks and clearing thoughts from my mind entirely. This time was no exception, as the only thing I was thinking of was winning. I was, and still am, a crazy-dedicated swimmer, tall and tanned, and I had the privilege to have Matt Jordan as my crazy, yet amazing coach. At that moment, I was at the Area 2 Developmental Championships, a huge championship meet at Nova Southeastern University. It was late in the warm afternoon, a perfect time for finals. I was not one bit nervous for this, the most important race I would swim this meet: the short, yet grueling, 50 Meter Butterfly. This race, a onelap, aggressive all-out sprint, was the single race I had grappled with all summer long. This race was the one that had given me the most grief, the best experience, and the greatest motivation. This was the one I had to win. I wholeheartedly trusted my coach, since he had brought me so far. In the morning preliminaries I had achieved a better time than I had
Photo Credit: Dave Brewington, Aboobarley Photography. all season, but it was 0.03 seconds from the Junior Olympic (JO) cut I was trying to achieve. Disappointing as that was, Matt pointed out “You placed fifth. You know what that means: finals.” “I have another chance,” I nodded and agreed. Matt played with his scarred finger and looked at me, his voice commanding me to focus. “Take a nap when you go home. That way you’ll be rested for tonight.” “Smart idea. Okay.” I shrugged, muscled shoulders moving slightly. I pushed on my yellow-green, slightly stretched summer camp cap so it hugged my head, and stood up, walking toward the coaches’ table. When I arrived, I greeted my coach and simply stated, “50 fly.” He turned around and faced me, telling me to smoke the competition, to get my JO cut. “Try something,” he told me thoughtfully. He stood up, barely
taller than me, and told me, in full pep-talk mode, “Pretend to be cocky. Tell yourself that you are going to win and beat everyone else. Don’t say anything to anyone else about it,” his voice rose with caution. Sportsmanship first, win or lose. “Okay, sure. You think it’ll help my mental zone?” I asked. Matt cocked his head and rolled his eyes answering ironically, “Course I don’t. You know more than I do.” I could not help but smile. “Okay Matt, okay. I never said I wouldn’t.” I smiled at his joke. I really was going to try, because I would be so upset if the cut slipped through my fingers yet again. I stood behind the blocks, with my blue-and-red Fastskin FSII Recordbreaker swimsuit, stretched and tight to reduce drag. I took in deep breaths and calmed myself. Giving myself a mental
The Tale of Strawberry Snow by P.L. Caudle Illustrated by Frank H. Simmonds, IV This animal fiction book is a sweet story about a horse meeting a new friend. The friendship of the characters brings you happiness. The book has good illustrations and a very simple story. There is a warm and sweet feel to the characters and it makes the cold winter feel warm and happy. pep talk, I whispered “You can do this. You’re gonna win this thing. You can beat them all! Believe it butterflyer!” My mind pumped me for the race. They called our heat up with the customary five short whistles and one long whistle and we, the finalists, stepped onto the blocks. “Take your mark,” the official called out. I lowered into my stance and tightened every muscle. The buzzer went, exclaiming to the world as I raced through my pike dive into the frigid and adventure-inducing world of water. I hit the water with a bang and shot through it, kicking my legs like the world would end.
I would rate this book a seven out of ten stars. It’s a fun book for anyone who has an interest in animals. Camp ABC A Place for Outdoor Fun by Zora and David Aiken Illustrated by David Aiken This book is very entertaining. It is about all the different things one can do at camp featuring the letters of the alphabet. This is a good book for children to learn the letters of the alphabet while learning about all the different outdoor activities of camp. Each alphabet letter has a poem about a camp activity, along with a colorful illustration, however I’m not a big fan of the poem style. I would rate this book an eight out of ten stars. I think it would be appropriate for Preschool age to kindergarten children.
I stroked, breathed, and put my head down and raced to the finish, slamming my hands simultaneously into the wall. As soon as it could, my head shot up, trying to locate the scoreboard. I found my lane number and looked to the side, nervous yet excited. My time: 36.84. It was way faster than the JO cut required. Letting out a huge and exhausted breath, I told myself I had done it. I had finished what I had started when summer began. I knew then that I was faster than I had ever imagined, that I was a true butterflyer, and most importantly, I learned that I did the best when I truly believed in myself.
THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
APR/MAY 2013
SUMMER VACATION by Samile Daiha, Age 12 Miramar, FL Summer is almost here! And many people will either travel or go to the beach, of course. I will be doing both. My summer will be exciting,
Samile Daiha is very excited to attend the upcoming 2013 Synchrozied Sweimming National Champs!
fun, and full of laughter. I will be in synchronized swimming national practice and I am going to California for the 2013 eSynchro Age Group National Championships in Riverside. I am excited to travel to California because after the national championship we will stay there for about 5 more days. We will be visiting Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Santa Monica and other interesting places. The tourist spots we will try to see in San Francisco are the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Fisherman’s Wharf. In Los Angeles we will be going downtown and to the Hollywood sign. I will enjoy the break from school and a change from home. The 2013 Synchronized Swimming Age Group National Champs will be a very challeng-
Seattle, WA
Did You Know... … that the Coral Springs Aquacades Synchronized Swimming Team is a well-known Nationally Ranked club. The Aquacades are 3-time South Zone Champions, 7-time Gold Coast High Point Team. This team has qualified for the Age Group National Championships for several years posting results within the top 8 places at this competition. Aquacades produces exceptional athletes year after year who continue on to up universities with NCAA Synchronized Swimming programs. Under the direction of Head Coach Ashley Johnson, the club continues to grow in strength and numbers. Children ages 6 and up with strong swimming skills are welcomed to join. For more information call 954-345-2121.
My Seven Weeks of Tennis Lessons
by Alizdair Sebastien Ray, Age 9 Hope Mills, NC
I recently took tennis lessons at Methodist University. My first teacher was Mr. Taylor. We learned about the forehand and the backhand and played games like jail and skittles. To play jail, a person throws a ball to you and you try to hit it with the racket. If you miss, you try to catch the ball from the other person. If you catch it, you’re in. To play skittles, you throw balls at people’s feet; if you get hit, you can help the other person get someone else. My favorite of the two games was jail. What I love about sports is that you make friends and it keeps you busy. I had practice twice a week and
Tennis lessons at Methodist University.
Summer in Seattle by Tyler Kummerfeldt, Age 9
ing competition, where we’ll be face to face with the top swimmers of the country. My team and I will be working very hard and our goal is to place within the top 8. Placing in the top 8 would mean a lot to us and our coaches. That’s why we will be training and practicing our routines 6 days a week for 6 hours, until we depart for the June 21-29 meet. Also, on June 1 it will be my birthday and I am looking forward to having fun celebrating with all my friends and family.
“Tennis is a fun sport that keeps you active.” playing tennis was unbelievably fun. Taking tennis lessons also made me remember the Sony Ericsson Tennis Open in Key Biscayne, Florida. My family and I went there a few years ago when we lived in Florida. Seeing live tennis is very different from watching it on television. I also wanted to learn about where tennis started. I learned that during the reign of Henry VIII in England, the net, ball and racquet was introduced at the Hampton Court. That court is still used today. I want to add that tennis is a fun sport that keeps you active. This summer would be a good time to pick up a racquet and try tennis.
PAGE
As the seasons change, the children seem happier when summer comes. Here in Seattle, in summer it’s 80 degrees or higher. It is almost summer in Seattle. It’s time to take off your warm shoes and put on your sandals. Some things I suggest for you to do while in Seattle is camp and enjoy nature, or view the beautiful mountains, and enjoy the breathtaking sunrises. This summer
I want to go hiking, rock climbing, swimming and many other things. When school is finally at an end, you can enjoy barbecuing and sitting by the fire. When summer blossoms, children shout every day and have fun. Children like to hear the buzzing bumblebees and ride their bikes down a huge hillside. In Seattle, we also love to watch shooting stars. They are prevalent in the NW during summer. Maybe you think autumn, spring, or winter is awesome, however summer is awesome in Seattle to me!
Did You Know... … that Seattle is a major coastal seaport and the seat of King County, in the U.S. state of Washington. With an estimated 620,778 residents as of 2011, Seattle is the largest city on the West Coast north of San Francisco. Seattle’s climate is usually described as “oceanic or temperate marine, with mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers.” Seattle is known for its overcast and rainy weather and this stems from the frequency of precipitation in the fall, winter, and spring. In an average year, at least 0.01 inches (0.25 mm) of precipitation falls on 152 days. It is cloudy 201 days out of the year and partly cloudy 93 days. In contrast, summer days are known to be very sunny and dry from late June to late September. This time of the year is treasured by Seattle’s year-round inhabitants. There is a bit of rain that falls in July and August but summer thunderstorms are rare.
7
PAGE
THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
8
A Latvian’s Delight Continued from page 1 by Ismail Ercan, Age 16
the extra two hours on court before their match. They played a shortened 8-game pro-set format and McEnroe’s excellent serving and volleying propelled him to an 8-5 victory to advance to the championship, while Wilander would play Krickstein in the 3rd/4th place match. Meanwhile in the media room, the sudden downpour knocked the power out and groans of despair from everyone erupted. People on the computers who had not saved their work lost all of what they were working on, while the two hour rain delay meant that articles due that night for the tournament website would be delayed as well. Updating the website, which is the most time consuming, would be delayed as well. That night, most of the media people didn’t leave until 2 AM. Tournament Day 3 Sunday: Sunday was by far the most exciting day for me. Almost all of the main draw players had arrived a day early to start practicing for their matches the next day, while qualifying matches progressed on the outer courts. Some of the players included former number 2 in the world (and past champ) Tommy Haas, Kevin Anderson (defending champ), Sam Querrey, John Isner (American number one), and James Blake (former number four). It was really great to see all these amazing players just relaxing in the players’ lounge; they were all extremely friendly and very approachable.
oration rings to highlight their tennis achievements. Wilander, often noted for being one of the classiest tennis players, made a very humble, gracious speech thanking everyone for their support and expressing his love of tennis. “You know, you start off playing for fun, the last thing on your mind is getting inducted into the Hall of Fame,” Wilander said during his speech. “Then, later on you realize that you’re pretty good, winning a couple of tournaments here and there, then you start thinking ‘Hey! Maybe I can do this for a living!’, and then you take off on tour. I’m extremely grateful and blessed for what this sport has provided me with, it has and always will be a great part of my life.” Wilander would go on to lose to Krickstein, the hometown boy, in a two hour thriller with Krickstein prevailing 4-6, 7-5, 10-5. Krickstein is also a former top player and is currently head pro at St. Andrew’s Country Club in Boca Raton. He commented on Wilander’s career after the match. “Well Mats was and still is a heck of a tennis player. He’s a great ambassador of the sport on and off the court.” In the championship match, Carlos Moya of Spain defeated John McEnroe in two sets 6-4, 6-2. While John put up a great fight, the Delray heat simply wore him down as Moya looked fresh and in control throughout. The 18 year age difference between the two men may have played a part in the outcome, but John refused to make excuses after the match, praising Moya for the
Mats Wilander proudly showing off his ring. my reporting for The Circle Gazette. This would be the day of the tournament with two highly entertaining singles matches between number one seed John Isner and dark horse player Edouard RogerVasselin, and number two seed Tommy Haas vs. Ernests Gulbis. The latter was the first match on Center Court. Both Haas and Gulbis had struggled earlier in the tournament, nearly losing in the opening few rounds. Haas was fortunate in the first round in that when he was about to lose the match, his opponent rolled his ankle and could not maintain his high level of play, giving Tommy a chance in the match again. Gulbis, meanwhile, in the quarterfinals came back from 4-0 in the third set to win the match in a tiebreaker 7-4. In today’s match, both men looked eager to seize the opportunity to earn a place in the finals. Haas had a great deal of support in Delray and the crowd tried to encourage him to come back after Gulbis took the first set 6-4 with his great shot-making. Haas returned to form in the second match, which he won 6-4. In the deciding third set, both men stumbled several times, breaking each other’s serves. It seemed like Haas could seize the match when he had break points at 4-4 to serve for the match. But the tentative Haas didn’t put any pressure at all on Gulbis who fired two big serves and backed it up with a forehand and a volley winner.
From there on Haas looked shaky, double faulting several times, and it looked like Gulbis got under his skin in the match tiebreaker when Haas couldn’t finish at the net. Gulbis won the match 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (2) to continue his upset winning streak. In the night session, John Isner was looking to improve from last year’s disappointing semifinal loss to eventual champion Kevin Anderson. His opponent was Edouard Roger Vasselin, a Frenchman ranked outside the top 100. Vasselin was in his first ever ATP World Tour semifinal, but was in superb form throughout the week. Despite the pressure from playing Isner, ranked within the top 20 and in front of a home crowd, Vasselin came out firing, breaking Isner’s big serve in the first game! There was almost no looking back for him. He won the set to the astonishment of the crowd 6-4 and was up 4-2 in the second set when he double faulted on his own serve to let Isner back into the match. Isner leveled the match at a set a-piece but couldn’t find any rhythm at all on his serve, which was great news for Vasselin. Vasselin was attacking Isner’s second serve and was coming in to net, finishing the point with his superb volleying skills. He pulled off the upset of the tournament winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. So the finals had been set between two players outside of the top 100 in the world! This would
APR/MAY 2013 truly be an entertaining final! Tournament Day 10 Sunday: Both Vasselin and Gulbis had a wonderful opportunity here, a chance to return into the top 100 in the world and win either their first (or third) ATP World Tour singles title. Vasselin started the match off strongly, breaking Gulbis early in the match and had a set point on the Gulbis serve at 5-4, but Ernest fended it off with a brilliant backhand down the line. It was shots like these that decided the extremely close match. Soon the first set headed to a tiebreaker and Gulbis’ bolder, more aggressive game-style paid off as he hit winners off of Vasselin’s short groundstrokes. The Latvian took the tiebreaker and the set 7-6 (7-3). The tide had changed completely after Gulbis won the first set and he seized control of the match with an early break of Vasselin’s serve in the second. It was asking too much of Vasselin to break back because Gulbis was on fire. Winners were being struck from his racket every point; he was unstoppable. After a little over an hour and a half Gulbis won the Delray Beach ITC 7-6 (3), 6-3! After the match, Gulbis credited his success to his hard work and the extended off-season he took at the beginning of this year when he skipped the first grand slam of the year, the Australian Open. “It was a tough decision of course,” said Gulbis. “No pro ever wants to skip a grand slam but for me, I had to. I had not been playing well lately; I would have to qualify in Melbourne, and if I lost, not only did I just waste a week of preparing, but also lost a lot of money making the trip all the way to Australia just to not play. When you are not having good results in tournaments, it’s hard to find the money to travel all around the world…it’s quite expensive. I needed to work on my game and clearly all the work done in practice is showing off now.” When told that he would break into the top 70, Gulbis broke out with a sheepish grin on his face. “Well I hate to tell you guys, I should have been back in the top 100 for a while now. There’re some people in the top 100 who really don’t deserve to be there and I believe I should take their place.” Well, that ended my Delray Beach tournament for this year. After thanking Ms. Franson again and Mr. Dorsey, a freelance journalist who I worked alongside all week, I headed out. What a great experience!
New Deadlines for the full edition (bi-monthly)
“Carlos Moya of Spain defeated John McEnroe in two sets 6-4, 6-2.” Photo Credit: Alese & Morton Pechter In the Champions Tour, Mats Wilander (8 time Grand Slam Champ) was being presented his International Tennis Hall of Fame ring on Center Court, before his 3rd/4th place match against Aaron Krickstein. The ring ceremony is part of a four-year span where the Tennis Hall of Fame will be presenting current Hall of Fame players with custom-made commem-
result. “Yeah, he just kicked my butt,” John chuckled. “Too good today.” I wrote an article summarizing the day’s qualifying results for Ms. Franson and she edited it and posted it online. Tournament Day 9 Saturday: On the second Saturday, I came to watch the semi-finals of the ITC, and to, of course, continue
To have your work Submit considered for the your work by
Did You Know... … that The Delray Beach International Tennis Championship turned 21 this year? This professional tennis tournament, which is part of the 2013 ATP World Tour, was played on hard courts between 22 February and 3 March 2013. Delray Beach hosts the world’s only combined ATP World Tour/ATP Champions Tour event. Delray Beach welcomed back top-ranked American John Isner, previous ITC Champions the Bryan Brothers, Tommy Haas, Xavier Malisse, Kevin Anderson and Kei Nishikori in 2013 and first-time “Beachers” Alexandr Dolgopolov and Feliciano Lopez. Ismail Ercan, a reporter for the Circle Gazette was credentialed as part of the press for the third year in a row.
Newspaper available by
September 2012 Aug. 15 Sep. 1-5 Oct-Nov issue Oct. 1 Oct. 15 Dec-Jan issue Dec. 1 Dec. 15 Deadlines Feb-Mar issue for the Feb. 1Circle Gazette Feb. 15 Apr-May issue Apr. 1 Apr. 15 June-July May 15 June 1 Aug.-Sept. July 15 Aug. 1 Issue
Submit Your Work By
Newspaper Available By
THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
APR/MAY 2013
PAGE
9
Sprites of Lake Lachesis by Sara I. Cross, Age 12 Boca Raton, FL This is the story of a lake, the lake of the sprites. These are the sprites of Lake Lachesis from The Archives of the Spritologists of Iceland. On one side of the lake there is a waterfall. Behind it the sprites built a machine they call The Geyser consisting of a button on top of a spring. They built The Geyser to satisfy their obsession for jumping off things and making huge, loud, and very, very, complex splashes. They confess that the main reason for this is that they can’t actually fly. The Geyser operates like this: a sprite
stands on the button, compressing the spring; the spring then flexes, sending the sprite flying through the waterfall. This allows the swimmers to do double backward somersaults into the water while whistling The Star Spangled Sky. Through a tremendous amount of research, it has been discovered that to go the farthest across the lake, lean as far back as you can, and don’t blame anyone when you shoot onto the other side. To go the shortest amount of distance, lean the farthest forward you can, and don’t blame anyone if you tumble off The Geyser and forget to take a deep breath. On the other side of Lake Lachesis, there is a steep wall, but slanted slightly. The reason is this: the sprites push off the top and are immediately surprised by how fast they are moving. They proceed to forget about hitting the water, therefore they don’t. There is a trolley system to take you from side to side. Each car is a rather small cabin. The cabins have towels, so you can dry off before you get wet again. They are supplied with newspapers, magazines, water bottles, and seaweed sandwiches. Also included is a bed, in case you feel like passing out from exhaustion. Many sprites have done so after long hours of Geyser diving, water sliding, or just mucking about in the water having a good time. Often the giants of the land shower in the waterfall, washing
bits of their sweet smelling soap off of their fairy-sized behinds, and into the lake. The sprites have decided that the reason the giant soap smells so incredibly good, is because the giants smell so incredibly bad. Any life form would know this if they ever got within a mile of one. It is a little-known fact that the sprites love giant soaps, and also love the challenge of breaking into giant houses to get such soaps; not stopping to think of how they will carry the ten ton bar. This happens all the time, so the giants have come to expect it. They now have put a little doorway in the bottom of all their doors and a rack of soap right next to it. Such convenience makes it easier for the sprites to get in and get their soap without breaking so much. Now the sprites leave them alone because
The Story of Bridget
by Sylvia Hartman, Age 9 Boca Raton, FL
Book cover © from “Jump Ropes, Jacks and Endless Chores; Children’s Lives in the 1800s by Matthew Strange.
December 5, 1800 Dear Diary, Hello my name is Bridget Cromwell, and I am ten years old. I have two sisters; their names are Anna and Maria. Maria is only a baby and Anna is eleven. I also have two brothers whose names are Jonny and Luke. Jonny is seven and a real rascal! Luke is twelve. Papa came from Greece and Mama came from New York City. Everyone we meet says I look like Papa. I have blue eyes and black hair. Papa is teaching me Greek and now I know all about Greek gods like Zeus, the god of the sky. Today was my birthday. I received this diary from Papa, and a butterscotch candy from Mama! Papa says butterscotch are valuable! Anna gave me a quill and a pot of ink. Luke gave me a pelt and Jonny gave me fur skin boots. Then Papa surprised me with a kitten he bought from his friend Peter. I named my kitten Pastel; she is so small! I have to go because we are going to have Sugar Cake! December 6, 1800 Dear Diary, I have 3 dogs named Lulu, Berry and Lorie. Lorie is one of Berry and Lulu’s puppies. We sold all the puppies except Lorie. We now have four cats Hugo, Carmela, Pepper and Pastel. Pepper and Carmela had Hugo. Hugo and Pastel are both 6 weeks old. Papa is calling us into the dining room. December 8, 1800 Dear Diary, You are not going to believe this but Papa is making us move to the Prairie because people are taking our land. Papa says we will build a house near our Greek cousins. We will travel in our two old wagons. Yiayia and Ttattous are coming too. Yiayia is what I call my grandma and Ttattous is what I call my grandfather. So that means 9 people are going. Mother said I could not bring any of the cats, but
it’s no longer fun. Here are three little-known facts about the sprites. The sprites don’t need Oxygen. They breathe Nitrogen, a gas that makes up 78.09% of the composition of air. Even though they don’t breathe it, Oxygen is popular among the sprites in many other ways. Po-Pi-Oillae is an Oxidized Alcohol drink, which the effects are like feeling your head explode; then the contents of the drink rush out your nose. The sprites have learned to mine the Oxygen from water, using the remaining Hydrogen to fuel their trolley system. The sprites’ bodies are very buoyant. According to the Spritologists’ research, the sprites are so buoyant they must carry weights in order to sink. In fact, they have tied strings of seaweed around rocks so that it forms a sort of backpack. If a sprite puts it on, they sink like a stone. Since there is no way to get the rocks back to the surface, the sprites have the giants scoop them up from the lake floor. In return for the giants’ generosity, the
sprites refrain from making fun of their miniature glutei. The sprites don’t swim. This confuses most people because sprites live in a lake after all. To be precise, sprites live at the bottom of Lake Lachesis in air bubbles wedged into the floor. This confuses Spritologists even more because sprites would have to swim to get to their home bubble. It has been found that because there is so much Nitrogen in the air, the sprites can hold their breath for three and a half times longer than most species. So if they take a deep breath, it can last enough time for them to sink, then walk along the lake floor until they find their destination. This is all you need to know about the sprites. In fact, if you knew any more, the sprites would sue you for invasion of privacy. The sprites are a secretive species and have very strict privacy laws. Since there is no more I can tell you, I shall be on my way.
Annie's Organic Buying Club making organics affordable for everyone!
Coordinators serving your area now! Coral Springs,Coconut Creek, Parkland & through out Florida! go to: www.AnniesBuyingClub.com
a grassroots effort for the freshest affordable organics Annie’s Buying Club 800-517-5121 862 S Tamiami Trail, Osprey, FL 34229
and Pastel. I could bring Hugo e kittens. id sa e sh y cr to d when I starte e dogs and th now bringing all th w I am in my bedThat means we are no e morning. Right We will leave in th she keeps telling me to put the book d w. room with Anna an because we have a long day tomorro ep sle to down and go December 9, 1800 my bag to Dear Diary, s looking through that my wa I ! ke Lu d an y I hate Jonn en I realized t forget anything wh re make sure I did no dress was missing. I looked everywhe k y sil m ue ng bl seei favorite baby almost asleep and g in be d re to be up em I walked right and then rem ing in my trunk! So is my blue dress?!” two brothers look re t d demanded, “Whe those two boys an dress if give us two of your peppermin h ur O yo y. ve “You can ha e boys the cand ered. So I gave th candies,” they answ ng… ugo, Ttattous they are so annoyi th Anna, Pastel, H nning bewi n go wa a on Now I am rie are ru driving. Lulu and Lo ep. I am very tired le and me. Ttattous is as Hugo are in my lap hind us. Pastel and op writing. st myself, so I have to December 10, 1800 Dear Diary, morrow. ite so I shall write to I am too sad to wr December 11, 1800 died on Dear Diary, pet, has died. He st fir d an g do st de always love Berry, my ol 14 years old. I will s wa e H . 00 18 , would not December 10 in the morning he writing. d an ep le as s wa e poor Berry. H d I must stop aking me too sad an wake up. This is m row. I shall write tomor December 12, 1800 Dear Diary, wn soon. ing to hit a small to have stopped the Papa says we are go we n about 4:00 and It is in the afternoo by the fire having dinner. We have ting wagons and are sit
PAGE
10
THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
stopped in a very beautiful place. The trees all have a blanket of sno w on them and it is so quiet and bea utiful. I really love it here. Hugo is sitting on my lap and Pastel is cur led up on my neck like a scarf. It is very cold and I think they are trying to keep warm, so I covered Pastel with my hair. Anna is sitting on the log next to me. Maria and Mother are inside the other wagon. Soon we will and my kittens will curl up in my arm go inside our wagons to sleep s. December 13, 1800 Dear Diary, It is almost Christmas and I am so excited. I wonder what Christmas will be like in a wagon? I wonder if St. Nick will be able to find us since we are not at home. I have made presents for everybody. I plan to give Anna a new dress I knitted for her. It is pink with white flowers on it. I am giving Luke an eagle feat her I found. I will give Jonny my old Greek warrior toy and Maria a bottle! Mama will receive a blanket I knitted for her and Papa will get the Greek alphabet on a blanket I knitted for him! I will present Yiay ia and Ttattous with two very warm scarves with their favorite Greek god s on it. Yiayia’s favorite is Hera and Ttattous’ favorite is Zeus, which is perfect because that goddess and god are married to each other! Have to go for lunch. December 14, 1800 Dear Diary, We have made a stop in the town I was telling you about. It is one street long and has shops on both sides. There are also many homes. Anna’s favorite shop is Featherwic k’s Dry Goods store. My favorite is the inn. I met this delightful girl nam ed Georgia Brunswick and a fun boy named Pete Brunswick. They say that they are moving to the Prairie because it is too dry in the tow n. So I will not have to say goodby e to Pete and Georgia! Oh, I almost forg ot to tell you their ages. Georgia is 11 and Pete is 11 too, because the y are twins. They have one other sister who is 17 and working to bec ome a teacher in the Prairie. That is another reason they chose to mo ve to the Prairie. I met them at the inn today because I dropped my qui ll under their table. Papa has asked the Brunswicks to come with us and they said yes! We are going to be a wagon train! We are staying the night at the inn and will set off in the morning.
December 24, 1800 Dear Diary, It is Christmas Eve and I am hoping to receive a doll. I never had a doll, but Anna used to have one and it looked so sweet. I hope she has a baby blue dress, gray button eyes and black hair like mine. I know it is a lot to ask for, but it would be the best present ever. Not counting Pascal. Now I am even more excited and I do not think I will be able to sleep. But I have to because Papa said St. Nick will not come if I am awake. December 25, 1800 Dear Diary, I got the doll! I got the doll! I think St. Nick was reading in my diary and gave me the most beautiful doll in the world. She is exactly as I described. She even has the baby blue silk dress like mine. I am going to make her an orange dress with roses on it when I am done with my chores. I think I am going to name her Suzette! I am so happy today but I am shocked that Johnny and Luke did not get me a present. So I decided not to give them the presen ts I had for them. Papa and Mama gave me peppermint candy. I bet they know what Luke and Johnny did. Anna gave me a little scarf for my doll. I love it! Yiayia and Ttattous gave me a piece of fabric to cover you, my diary. I got all the presents I wanted. I am a lucky girl; that is what Mama says. We are cooking a goose for Christmas dinner tonight. Papa and Mr. Brunswick were hiding it because they bought it in town and did not tell us. Mama and Mrs. Brunswick had potatoes and onions stored and the children (us) have the responsibility of makin g dessert. We are making maple syrup candy in pots of snow. This is going to be a wonderful night. Maria is very fussy these days so Mama has hardly any time. She could hardly make the dinner. Anna is trying to help, but she has work to do. She must mend the clothes and sew new ones. She is sewing a jumper for Jonny to play in for the summer. Luke is hiding out every day so he does not have to do work. He is the oldest and he should be helping Papa. Jonny is trying to steal the maple candy, but Georgia and Peter are taking good care of it. They
APR/MAY 2013
, Mama, Maria on my bed with Anna y bed time. g tin sit am I w no t Righ st m ep because it is way pa and me. I must go to sle about their pets. ning I will write in the mor December 16, 1800 Dear Diary, 15, 1800 was a is just that December it y, da a ed iss m I rry So d I do not want y bad luck number an m is 15 e Se y. da ck lu bad the Brunswicks about those pets that So . ok bo is th rse cu to the dog. Strawrry the cat and Buddy be aw Str ve ha ey Th n. tell. Today I ow I love cats as you can ts. ca y m es lik lly rea a drawing of berry d Camela because I saw s only five. an er pp Pe ed iss m lly rea e wa at Anna drew when sh Pepper and Camela th is making me practice Greek. After pa I really must go for Pa e I always make I am dreading becaus ich wh it kn t us m I that ly. my fingers bleed terrib December 17,1800 Dear Diary, too sore from because my hands are tle lit a ite wr ly on n ca I it again! But I I am never going to kn that since I at th ed rn lea I g. in itt kn says making me now. She must because Mama is teaching Georis e Sh it. kn ld be able to ou sh I d ol ars ye 10 am much! y hands are hurting so m go t us m I o. to , gia December 18, 1800 Dear Diary, ch our destinabe 2 days until we rea Papa says it will only t very sick. e care of Luke. He go tak lp he to ve ha I n. tio December 21, 1800 Dear Diary, ry lucky and he ing a home. Luke is ve We have started build do that I me so many chores to en giv s ha a am M r! tte Eve. I am is all be ll write on Christmas wi I . ite wr to e tim have little so excited!
much, while I get because they love it so day. Right now y da ery ev e or m e ak m one I want to be a teacher an education because No I sure do not! h. uc m ry ve not like it do I . ath m g in rn lea I am for a feast! Dinner is ready! Time
December 26, 1800 Dear Diary, , I am so shaky ly hold this pen to write ll going on. rd ha n ca I n! ze fro I am is sti d a snow storm and it from the cold. We ha ing the house just in time. However, ild ing in. The Luckily, we finished bu e holes so snow is seep finished th all g sin clo ish fin t we did no ve not yet with us because they ha Brunswicks must stay t it should building their house. sky is dark as night bu e th d an g in wl ho is because The wind for the storm to stop snow it wa ot nn ca I . de be day outsi wait to do much snow! I cannot zed that everythen there will be so ali re men. Have you ever angels and make snow en it is snowing starts with the word wh taste. thing you do outside s it is too cold for her say e Sh . ow sn s te ha ld, is “snow”? Anna , other than being co g rm sto is th t ou ab The only problem red of the howlin g because she is so sca her quiet. I can in ch ee scr is a ari M at th e all night trying to mak says. I wanted wind. Mama stayed up pa Pa at wh is at , at least th sleep through anything d I could not. He said I would get sai pa Pa to fall asleep, but nt to get frostbite. wa t ing he is bored, frostbite, and I do no ne. That is his way of say this is the first yo er ev ng asi te is ke Lu use am kind of happy beca in front of me. cold, and tired. And I ns io ot em e three os th all en be s ha ke time Lu much, I have to stop. Now I am trembling so December 31, 1800 us sight Dear Diary, ul snow, it was a marvelo ghts tif au be e th see to ke When I wo had other thou e clothes, but Mother e that is to see. I threw on som dr a summer ess becaus with ng ari we s wa I g. in th about my clo a winter dress She made me change to waiting for me. I all I saw in my drawer. le lings sitting at the tab a coat. Then I saw my sib claimed, “Let’s go outside!” d ex ran to find my doll an
TO BE CONTINUED…
APR/MAY 2013
THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
Butterfly by Emma Gómez, Age 9 Margate, FL
Beating her wings gently, Utterly amazing! Too good to be true, Taking in the wind. Everybody staring. Revolving like a door, Fully grown up. Lovely patterns on her dress.
Summer by Olukemi O’niyi, Aged 13 Coral Springs, FL
Swimming in the wild ocean Underneath the boiling sun Mid-day with no shade to hide under Maybe I will just leave early Everything just seemed so perfect Right now I can’t wait to come back.
PAGE
11
Habitat an acrostic poem
by Sofia Serrano, Age 7 Frankfurt, Germany
Humans and Animals, Babies and all, live In habitats That are Around The world.
Moving-Day Written on October 10 of 1937 by Robert F. Thom, Aged 8 years 1959 East 38th Street, Brooklyn, N.Y.
I have no fun on a rainy day, Because all my toys are packed away. Pretty soon it will be moving day, And I will be going on my way. My soldiers are laid away with care, And my guns and fort with them must share A place in a box with my teddy-bear, Until the moving man takes them there. To a new house we are going soon, We hope to get there by Saturday noon, Then I will unpack my big balloon, After mother has swept and dusted the room. We have a playroom for our toys, My sister and I are filled with joy, She has her dolls, all girls, no boys, All dressed in clean white corduroys. But now it’s raining as hard as can be, And there isn’t any one quite as sad as me, What has a fellow got to do; I have no idea; ---Have you? For Saturday noon, I sit and wait, and wait; Will it come soon, or will it be late. Supposing it doesn’t come at all; What will become of me and my ball? There; there is a nice big house, Ever so big, without even a mouse, Waiting for us to move right in, I wonder why this rain had to begin. It has made my life to-day so dull There’s nothing to do now the box is full, I believe I will take a nap very soon, And perhaps when I wake it will be Saturday noon.
Elijah Zamarron, Age 7. Tamarac, FL “Frog” watercolor on paper. Created at IMACS’s Fine Art by Monkey See Monkey Do.
Hangin’ with Friends by Daniela Gómez, Age 13 Margate, FL
I’m sitting and hangin’ with friends, We’re chatting, and it never ends. Before we get serious We’ll just be hilarious And laugh about all our new trends. Together, we’re just a great group Of people we keep in the loop. Pool parties, sleepovers, We’re lucky as clovers, Just hangin’ with friends, what a troupe! I’m hangin’ with friends that I’ve known Since we were all young, and we’ve grown In all shapes and sizes And all our surprises We don’t leave each other alone. Did You Know... … that Robert Thom was a writer who grew up in Brooklyn, New York. After attending Yale University, he became an author, writing Broadway plays, novels, poetry, and movies. His movie, “Wild in the Streets,” was the highest grossing film of 1969. His granddaughter Sylvia Hartman debuts this month as a writer for the Circle Gazette with her piece “The Story of Bridget,” Pages 9 & 10.
Emily Greenfield, age 7. Sunrise, FL “Welcome Home Heart” acrylic paint on construction paper.
The Thom Family has granted the Circle Gazette permission to be the first to publish
“Moving-Day”
Written on October 10 of 1937 by Robert F. Thom.
PAGE
THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
12
Raining by Kate Maier, Aged 8 Sunrise, FL
JUNE 2012
Metamorphosis by Daniela Gomez, Age 13 Margate, FL
Listen! Do you hear … The drip-drop, drip-drop A caterpillar, hanging on a branch, Of the water falling from the sky? The splish-splosh, splish-splosh Wrapped up in its safe, small place. Of the boy’s sneakers walking his dog? The shhhhh, shhhhh Outside, Of the water rushing down the street gutter? It hangs on The woooosshhhh, woooosshhhh Of the car’s tires gliding down the street? Being firm, The wooooop, wooooop Of the blaring alarm to warn us of the lightning strike? Strong. It’s raining outside.
Summer
The Journey of a Leaf by Sara I. Cross Boca Raton, FL Leaves unhook themselves from trees, Start their journey to the ground, At last the ground is beneath, Their companions can be found. And they dance along the ground, Rustling dirt as they spin, To the floor they are not bound, And they’re gone with the wind.
Inside, It changes, Changes and battles, by Sara Itka Cross Boca Raton, FL Day by day, night by night. I live in south Florida, so it is always hot here, And to be clear, it makes mistakes, especially in the summer, when the air isn’t clear. But some people like to sit on a bench in the sun, It must learn to take all experiences others like me stay inside, we don’t think sunburn is fun. Under its belt and to learn from them. Kitties love to run around the yard and play, While wrapped up in that little bed, it tries, they like to do that, eat, and sleep all day. Now they would rather stay inside and asleep, And fails once or twice, and tries again. all curled in a ball without making a peep. So finally, when the time does come The plants all wilt when the rain doesn’t flow, because the sun is so hot the plants can’t grow. To emerge, move on for good You have to water the plants or they will die, The Earth, but outside the sun is so very very hot, oh my! It is prepared and ready, And Everything On It In every way possible, Summer feels like six months, but it’s really only three, and if the planet didn’t tilt, then all year summer it would be. To take up the job When it’s summer in the north, it’s winter in the south, by Sara Itka Cross the seasons all keep changing, that’s what they’re all about. Boca Raton, FL Of its species Summer brings all the really really long days of the year, Self-dependent A coral reef is never at rest, that gives more time for kids to bring happiness and cheer. Fish constantly move to and fro, Summer gives us way more sunlight than any other season, And forever because the earth is closer to the sun, and that is the reason. Mounds of coral like Mount Everest, Free. Living in peace is all they know.
“When I Go Outside” by Olivia Reposa, Aged 9 Parkland, FL
I feel the sun on my back. I see the trees that make the breeze. Everything is perfect, But suddenly, everything stops. The trees stop making the breeze, The sun hides behind a cloud. I smell something funny, I hear a scratching noise. I see a fox coming towards me, But it suddenly disappears, Just as suddenly as it came. A thousand things swirl in my mind. I wondered if I really saw the fox, But I am sure I did. I sit thinking about what I saw. Finally I decide what I saw was real. Well, I said, everything will be fine. The birds are twittering again The sun is shining on my back again, The trees are making breeze again, But best of all everything is perfect again.
TREES by Sara Itka Cross Boca Raton, FL
Swaying in the wind Trees are green with a brown bark They keep our earth green Green leaves on brown bark Swaying like a feather in wind Sucks waste from our air Trees have green leaves and a brown bark. They look very spooky in the dark. They don’t look too mean. But they keep air clean. While we’re playing in the park. Trees grow as long as they live, and as long as they live, they always give. Wood, food, and latex for man, trees help as much as they can. The xylem is a one way street up, it takes water from the roots to the top. The phloem is a one way street down it takes nutrient from the leaves and brings it towards the ground. The roots, trunk, branches, and canopy, all make up, the parts of a tree. Trees use photosynthesis, to help them grow really big, and to give us food, like oranges, grapes, and figs. The xylem and phloem are in the bark of the tree, to transport food that unlike ours is free.
A rainforest doesn’t ever sleep, Tree to tree goes the chimpanzee, And the birds all tweet, caw, and peep, Wind rustling through trees so gently. A swamp is always very alive, The waters are hopping with frogs, All working together to survive, In the watery, foggy, bog. A river always does flow the same, From the current leap the salmon, Going through life as if it’s a game, Not caring at all how it’s done. A tundra’s always the place to be, For the wolves, elk, and caribou, The polar bear hunt seal from the sea, Exactly what they’re made to do. An ocean comes and goes with the tide, The rolling waves and sandy coast, In anemones the clown fish hide, The angelfish’s colors boast. The underground is crowded with bugs, Millipedes, centipedes, worms too, The moles, the gophers, the prairie dogs, Lots make up the underground crew. The deep’s full of creatures of all kinds, Like Anglerfish, who fish with light, Divers are always making weird finds, But it’s pitch black– darker than night. The Earth is an amazing planet, With all its habitats and such, Has lots of parts, like pomegranate, We must take care, show your green touch!