THE 9TH GRADERS by Gavin, Cary, Xavier, Thomas

Photo by Eugenia Porechenskaya

The 9th Graders

Photo by Marianna Lupina

Table of Contents Untitled-Cary..........................## 1 Untitled 2-Cary ..........................## 2-3 Author’s Note -Cary..........................## 4 Artwork by Xavier..........................## 5 Vignette #4-Gavin..........................## 6 Vignette #2-Gavin.........................## 7-8 Authors Notes-Gavin........................## 9 Artwork by Cary..........................## 10 Untitled #3-Thomas..........................## 11 Untitled #4-Thomas..........................## 12 Author’s Note-Thomas........................## 13 Artwork by Gavin..........................## 14 Untitled #5-Xavier..........................## 15 Untitled #6-Xavier..........................## 16 Author’s notes-Xavier…………….##17 Artwork by Thomas..........................## 18

Images: Gavin and GraduationCary..........................##10 Shower SceneThomas.........................## 18

Photo by Eugenia Porechenskaya

Untitled-Cary It was Monday morning. Usually, I get up early to lift with my friend at 6:30 am. Yesterday I was sick. I had congestion and I did not feel well at all. Today conveniently my alarm didn't go off. I was supposed to be at school by 6:45 am. I woke up at 6:30 am. This gave me fifteen minutes to get dressed, pack up my school bag and basketball bag, brush my teeth grab a small breakfast, and drive five minutes to school to be there on time. In my head, all I heard was "Hurry up Cary!" "You're going to be late Cary!!". The voice of my mom was ringing in my head. I was not feeling good at all.

I finally got all of my stuff ready by 6:42 am. I started to believe that I would actually get to school on time. I was prepared to hop into the car when I noticed I had forgotten something. I had left behind my mom. I hustled back into the house and threw open the door. I frantically looked around and didn't see her. Where was she? I ran upstairs and peeked into the bedroom. That's when I saw her.

Laying on the bed. Not even a stir. It seemed like she was barely breathing.

Usually, I would debate waking her up or not for a few minutes, but today was different. I shook her awake. She was groggy but there was no time. It was already 6:50. Time seemed to have disappeared. I could have sworn it was 6:40 a minute ago.

I looked back at my mom, surprisingly she was sitting up. "Mom," I said in the calmest voice possible not wanting to upset her, "we are already 5 minutes late". My mom hates being late, if there is an event that is five minutes away, we have to leave at least 30 minutes before to make sure we can "get parking" and "beat traffic." It's a good thing that she just woke up and didn't really understand what I was saying otherwise she would have been pretty upset. I told her "We need to get in the car, we are late." Right when I said those words, She seemed to snap awake. All she said was "ok". When we got in the car, I checked my phone. All I saw was a text. When I opened it, it said, "Where are you".

Not only was I late, but my friend who never comes early was early. At this point, I didn't even respond. I was too afraid that if I did, and I told him where I was, he would be upset. I finally got to the Bus stop (where I get dropped off in the morning) and checked the clock in the car. It read 7:00 am. Only fifteen minutes late. I walked through the gates and was headed to the weight room, however, something felt off. I looked down and realized, I had forgotten my shoes.

At this point, I was debating stealing someone's shoes. But something inside me told me to just call my mom. But something else in my mind told me not to test her patients. In the end, though, I ended up calling her. Luckily, she was just coming around the corner and so I ran back, grabbed my shoes, and finally, it was over. T-H-E most stressful morning of my life.

Untitled #2-Cary

From the time I was born to when I was in 3rd grade. Before we moved into our current Manoa home, we had lived in Hawaii Kai on Wainiha Street. There were many things that I loved about the house. One of them was a nut tree. I am still determining what kind but it was one of my favorite things about that place.

That was where I first learned how to climb. I would spend hours climbing in that tree and get pretty good at it. There were many falls, but they only made me better. The house was nothing too big. It was on the older side but still in pretty good shape. We had to do a little bit of maintenance on the house like repainting it and cleaning some of the dust and dirt in the closets. There was also a wooden fence that my dad and I had "assisted" him in making it. This fence was all wood and created a perfect home for these giant black bumblebees. I did not like these bees. They would chase you around and it always seemed as if they were angry at you. They made giant holes in the wood and my dad would always have me go out with him to repair them. This task never was fun, however, it taught me persistence and gave me a preview of what it takes to maintain a house, the amount of time, and some of the things we take for granted require. Another thing that I loved about that house was the friendships that our family had gained there. I had grown up with our neighbors from that street. One of our neighbors across the street would host a lawn party every Friday in their huge front yard. It was like a mini block party.

Even at night, the lawn looked as if the sun had chosen to light up that one spot and skip everything else. All our neighbors and even some people from down the street would come to eat drink and converse. I would play with the other kids from the neighborhood and with my sister.

Even though it was night, the street was always full of light, warmth, and laughter. After About 6 years there we decided to move.

This made me feel sad since I had a connection to that place. As anyone would, right? My grandparents offered me some property where we could build a house. My parents decided it would be best to move from Hawaii kai to Manoa where we were closer to town and right next door to my grandparents. Although we have left that home, my family and I have gained so much from that street. I learned what it takes to maintain a house, and even how to climb a tree. But the most important thing that my family and I have gained is the relationships with so many incredible and loving people.

Nut

Out of time

Artwork by: Xavier

Vignette #4-Gavin Jon was a straight-A student. He never submits assignments late and he never comes to class late. He is always the first one in and the last one out of the classroom. While in class he is very polite, like a teacher's pet. The rest of the class is always annoyed by him. He raises his hand to answer every question, to the point where no one in the class participates. In Jon's mind, he is the perfect student. Then there is Bo, Bo is an average student. Getting B's and C's. He is lazy, just like any high school kid. Bo's problem in school is that he procrastinates on everything. He turns everything in late. To him, deadlines are just a suggestion. Bo is like a sloth baking in the sun. People might say he is almost the polar opposite of Jon. These two are opposites, they have whole different perspectives on school. Jon is there to get smarter and impress his parents and teachers. But Bo is there because he has to be there. Bo isn’t going to try any harder than he needs to, he just needs to pass the class and is happy. In the last month of school in English class there is a final project. It is a group project and the groups have 2 people in them. The teacher, Mr. William, draws names from a hat to decide on the groups. By chance, Jon and Bo are paired together. The two students have extremely opposite reactions when they find this news. Bo is ecstatic, he knows Jon is going to do most of the work and submit it on time. Jon, on the other hand, is not happy. He knows Bo is going to do nothing besides slow him down. Then Mr. William makes another announcement about the assignment. All work has to be split equally, so one person can’t do all the work. Now both students are unhappy. Bo knows he has to work now. Jon knows that Bo has to work now. The due date is in one week. Jon plans when he works methodically. He finishes all his work in the 3rd day, all he has to do now is wait for Bo to do his part. There is one problem though. It is the last month of school, Bo is passing the class, and he is checked out.

He wants no part in doing this assignment. By the time the 5th day rolls around Jon decides to check up on Bo, he is stressed out, so he offers Bo help. But another thing about Bo is that he is stubborn. Bo hasn't started yet. On the 6th day, they have 7 hours until they need to submit the assignment Bo decides to start. But Bo gets overwhelmed by all the work. So he calls Jon over to help.

Jon rushes over, he works super hard, but he isn’t allowed to do it on his own so he has to teach Bo about different literary devices and about what a motif is. The assignment is kicking their butt. Finally with 45 seconds left Bo finishes. Bo submits his half of the assignment. Both of them are proud of their work. And Bo feels accomplished, a feeling he hasn’t felt from school. From that point on Bo was just as good of a student as Jon.

Vignette #2-Gavin My middle name is Richard. It is an extremely funny middle name because another name for Richard is dick. Also, I am immature so just hearing the word dick is funny to me. But another reason why I like my middle name is that it has meaning. My dad's middle name is Richard, my grandpa's first name is Richard, and I'm sure many more people trace back a long time ago in my family with the middle or first name Richard.

The reason why I love being named after my dad is that my dad is a great guy. He is very important to a lot of people, and I look up to him.

Gavin

Artwork by: Cary

Graduation Scene

Untitled #2-Thomas

My name is Thomas, which means Twin in Hebrew and Greek. This makes sense because I have an identical twin brother. I named after my greatgrandfather on my mother's side, as well as the apostle Thomas from the Bible. I don't remember my great-grandpa at all, but I very much wish that I could have. My mom always tells me that he was very kind and fun to be around. Something funny about me and my name was when I was really young, I was always confused because I thought that my name was supposed to be said with an emphasis on the 'th', which no one ever said that way.

Untitled #4-Thomas Scared, excited, nervous, thrilled. All of these are feelings that were running through Bob’s head while he was running through the maze. He and his friends had found an abandoned maze just shortly before, and they thought it to be a fun idea to play tag in it. Bob thought that this place was a zoo of dangerous hazards and possibly wildlife, but not wanting to be the odd-man out, he said he agreed with them. They had all voted out for Jerry to be it, and he happily accepted the role. Bob and the rest of friends lined up at the start of the maze, and when he said go, darted in. Jerry was supposed to give them a thirty second head start, but he doubted Jerry could wait that long. Bob and his friends split up at the first fork in the path, half going right and the other half going left. They kept splitting up at every intersection, until Bob was all by himself. After running and taking random turns for another minute or so, he stopped to take a break. The sun was on its way down, so there was enough light to see the hedges clearly, but it was still gloomy and dark in the maze. He could hear some delightful and energetic screams and yelling coming from far to his right. Maybe Jerry had got someone. He didn’t really know. The thought of just staying in this spot crept into his mind, but the clear thumping of feet running on the dirt path to his left made him jump. Jerry came jogging around the corner, panting and looking around. But when his eyes fell on Bob, his face shifted into a chaotic grin. He said “I’m gonna get you” in a kind of sing-song voice, and started sprinting toward Bob. As soon as Jerry had taken his first step, Bob was already running in the opposite direction. He didn’t dare to turn back, because it might make him slower, but he could hear Jerry’s footsteps behind him. The maze kept only having one way to turn, and to Bob,

this was both good and bad. It would be good because Bob wouldn’t have to make a decision on which way to go. It was bad because now Jerry would be able to follow him better because he would know for sure which way he went. Bob kept running as fast as he could, with Jerry right on his feet behind him, each of them taking the same and only turn. But as Bob rounded a corner, there was a bit of a straightaway, and at the end of it was a turn to the left and the right. He chanced a look back at Jerry, and was scared to see he was much closer than he thought. If Bob was to avoid getting tagged, then he wouldn’t be able to stop at the fork, look down both paths, and decide which one to go down. He would have to pick one and go down it without looking. One phrase kept echoing around his head. Left or right. Left or right. Left or right. When the turn came a split-second later, he turned right. The sight in front of him was terrifying. A dead end. He had gone in a dead end. Just then Jerry rounded the corner and saw Bob at the dead end and smiled. He had trapped his prey just like the predators of the animal world. Bob knew it was hopeless to try to escape so he just sat down, leaned against the hedge, looked up at Jerry, and said, “You got me”.

The maze

Twins Artwork by: Gavin

Untitled #5Xavier So, my football team won their first and only football game of the season. It was really cool to see all of the boys look happy for once and not look like a dried out brown colored banana or in other words miserable. Everyone had a smile on their face and the amount of delusion that ensued after the game was just astronomical. The bus ride was just insane too as we were just blasting music and having fun for once. We were also playing games such as “ish” and “Rock Paper Scissors” . We all said we were the best team to ever exist. The problem is that we were the worst team in the state with a 1-7 record. Then, we got to the locker room and oh lord was that a sight to see. First, we had some kids sliding in the showers all covered in soap and then some people were just blasting music you know normal kid stuff. Our coach even joined in on the fun as he was so pumped up. We hopped on top of lockers to dance and the guys in the cage were having a little bit of fun too. As a team captain it was such a surreal experience like yes I finally got to experience winning again after being the most miserable team to ever exist on the face of the planet. Honestly, I didn’t have any worry throughout the whole entire event. Everything just disappeared from my head. Dopamine was just rushing through my head and all I could see in the locker room was the bright smiles that accrued from their mouths. I thoroughly enjoyed

Untitled #6Xavier My middle name is Fransico Tugade Lafaele. Yes it is an extremely long middle name but it is a long name that contains a story longer than itself. I mean it would make sense because I am the only boy in my family. Gives me a little bit more value than anyone else. It is really funny though when people hear about my whole name for the first time.

When you look at their face it's like looking at Van Gogh's famous "Screaming Man" painting. Open mouth and all that.

Yes, I know my middle name is extraordinary and unforsaken but I'm like "Damn." Then I get teased for being barely able to pronounce my middle name myself but then I always say "You can even utter the first syllable." At this point when people try to talk to me about it I just try my best to keep a straight face in order to further expedite my apathetic exterior. The meaning of my middle name is something that most people may not be able to understand. I was the start of the third generation of my family and it brings me a huge burden that I have to be able to fulfill. I carry the name of three out of the four grandparents I had.

Shower Scene

Beautiful X Artwork by: Thomas

Author’s Notes: Hi, my name is Cary Ching and I am in ninth grade. One authorial strategy that I used was imagery as shown in this text: “Even at night, the lawn looked as if the sun had chosen to light up that one spot and skip everything else.”([Ching] [Untitled]). Another authorial strategy that I used was connecting to the reader. I did this by asking a question to make them feel engaged and part of the story. “This made me feel sad since I had a connection to that place. As anyone would right?” ([Ching] [Untitled]) One image that I drew was of two people graduating with their arms around each other. I chose to draw this because Gavin’s vignette #1 was about two students who had different work ethics, and how they both helped each other find success and learn important life lessons such as being patient with people while still pushing them to their best. I then chose to take a profile picture of Gavin,(the author), for his second vignette because this vignette is about his name, and I feel it is important to know what the author looks like and give a visual of the person who is telling the story.

Author’s Notes: My name is Gavin Buelow, The first authorial strategy I used was a simile, the quote is “Bo is like a sloth baking in the sun, he works on his time and just wants to relax.” (Buelow, Vignette 4). This shows that Bo is lazy. Another authorial strategy that I used is a metaphor, the quote is “This assignment is kicking their butt” (Buelow, Vignette 4). It is a metaphor because assignments can’t actually kick someone. I just said that to show how difficult it was for them to do it.

For my art I drew art for Thomas. For the first piece, I drew 2 twins. I did this because in his vignette about his name he mentions that his name means twin in Hebrew. Also he has a twin. So I decided that drawing twins would be a great way to show this vignette. For the second vignette he wrote about a guy that was running through a maze. So to show this I drew a guy making his way through the maze.

Author’s Notes I am Thomas Cody, a 9th grader at Punahou.

One authorial strategy that I used in one of my vignettes is imagery, as written in the text: “But when his eyes fell on Bob, his face shifted into a chaotic grin.”(Cody, Vignette 4). Another authorial strategy used in one of my vignettes was a simile, used here: “My mom always tells me that he was very kind, fun, and energetic, like a little kid on Christmas morning, and always had a good attitude.”(Cody, Vignette 2).

One of the images I chose to make was Xavier and the football team celebrating a win in the locker room showers, because that is the main event in his 2nd vignette. Although because I’m not allowed to actually take a picture in the place, I used photoshop to create an image of them in the Punahou locker room showers. The other piece of art I made was a photo of Xavier, because his 4th vignette is all about his middle names, and I felt it was important to see who has those names to get a clearer picture of the vignette.

Author’s Notes Hello my name is Xavier Sua. I have written these vignettes not only because it was a graded assignment but also because it was a way to express a piece of my life that not many people know about. Yea I find joy in seeing the others around me happy. Many people believe that I am a person of no empathy as people think that I express a massive amount of apathy. Although, that was the last time I ever experienced joy during the football season.

I wrote this second vignette because not many people know that I have this long of a middle name. It was really amusing to read over this story in my head and the fact that I was able to express this story to others was really funny to me. I found joy in being able to laugh at myself and when I could make other people laugh telling them about the story it made me feel really great.