Perkiomen School's 2019 Palantir

T he Palantir L iterary Arts Magazine

staff

T he Palantir has been a part of the Perkiomen community for decades. Originally named after the magical artifact in the fictional series by J.R.R. Tolkien, L ord of T he Rings, it has been a valued publication highlighting the artistic work accomplished

by Perkiomen students and faculty. I n the past, sections such as drawings, paintings, poetry, and nonfiction, have showcased a wide range of talents on our campus. As a senior, I look back on the past four editions of the magazine and consider this one of the best.

T he work featured in this edition complimented our theme for this year, "A Moment in T ime". Each submission encompasses a single moment in time; whether an object in a photograph, a person in a painting, or a poem about their feelings - shows what was happening at that moment in time. Years from now, we can look back at this edition and remember these moments, just like how a palantir in T he L ord of the Rings is used to see in the future, or in this case, the past. I couldn?t be happier with how this edition turned out and I hope you will love it as much as T he Palantir staff does. ~ Ava Beale - Editor

Cover design by Maddie Robinson

Painting by Spark Zhang

table of contents poetry...........page 3 photography...........page 7 nonfiction..........page 11 artwork...........page 23 fiction........page 31

poetry W hen individuals are in difficult times or feeling anxious, words have the ability to provide comfort, meaning and hope. I n the past year, the resurgence of poetry and inspiring quotes have been posted on social media. I t has appeared on bestseller lists and been shared among friends. All poetry provides wisdom that lets us be in the moments that surround us and our world.

Poetry is what we say: this is our own. Poetry is the soul. Poetry is ancient; poetry is the way people spread their words across cultures and across time, saying that this is who we are, and that is where we come from.

T his willingness to capture what it means to be alive is itself cross- cultural and trans- aged. T here is a melody to poetry that gives it the quality of a song. T his is the way in which poetry sings, that is, the singing of people who do poetry, even if there is no clear "we" in poetry, even if it claims to be not grand, even if the language is abstract. Poetry is where sound can be combined and sung in a more powerful voice. Poetry reflects the essence of identity just as the notes to a song mirror its tune.

T he poetry shared in this edition spans different grades and different students. I t is their reflection on life. Yet, each poem in being shared becomes part of our collective experience. I t is our moment in time.

"I Want to Be a Sailor" I want to be a sailor

I want to be a sailor

Alone on the sea

W here no else is at

I want to be a sailor

I want to be a sailor

With no one but me

With blue jacket and hat

I want to be a sailor

I want to be sailor

Feel the wind in my hair

With treasures to find

I want to be sailor

I want to be a sailor

I don't want to care

Don't want to be blind

I want to be a sailor

I want to be a sailor

Every once in a while

I want to be free

I want to be sailor

I want to be a sailor

Have a reason to smile

Please let me be

~ By Madita Schrott

artwork by Spark Zhang

"Disorder"

" L ife I s Endless"

L ife is endless,

T he word disorder is foreign to some,

But not to the point of fun anymore,

But to others it?s their life

Maybe it will be a mess,

From experience we try to hide it,

But trust me it will not bore,

And we know it?s still there,

L ife is like a roller coaster,

Even if other?s don?t,

L ife has up and downs,

Freak, Weird, Dumb, and L iar,

L ife is as cold as snow or as hot as a toaster,

I s what some get called,

L ife is large or like a small town,

But until you truly experience it,

L ive to the fullest,

You will never know what we go through.

L ive life the best you can,

Pain, suffering, and heartache,

L ive as if it were a test,

Are some things we go through daily.

L ive life as a free man

Just to put on a persona to feel normal,

L ife has a lot of tenderness,

But what would people see,

But life is endless.

I f I was just able to be me.

~ Anonymous

~ By Sophia T aylor 4

"Brown Diamonds" You never could have known they existed But one day you were laughing turned your head and saw them Pulled right from the soil I n the deepest trenches on Earth L ove was the only emotion burning through every nerve in your body Almost as intense as the striking mahogany orbs T hey enchant and break hearts T he pair stole yours And you couldn?t care less ~ By I vie Ojior "My Monsters" T he voices in my head, T hey?re pounding around inside, T here are monsters that want me dead, And I just want to die.

Artwork by Jax Zhou

Hide away, So they?ll never see,

?Being Touched?

Hide away,

You are the one I trusted T he one I was so close And once you got to touch me You are the one who?s lost

So you can?t find me.

No point in asking, I f I ?ll be okay,

I wish I ?d say I miss you Because you are my soul T he one who I was loving But now we don?t talk no more

No point in asking, I f I ?ll live to see another day.

I know it was a moment Of closeness, heat and ?trust?

But when I said ?please stop it?

U ignored me, and I just hushed And now am feeling empty All feeling of mine are gone You did not say, you are sorry You made your choice to run

T hey are coming, T hey are almost here, T hey are coming, I can see them in the mirror.

I n the mirror, I can see,

By running fast or slow You will not escape the truth T hat you the one who touched me And left those scars on yours...

All the monsters, Hiding inside me.

Behind my eyes,

And my heart!

My heart is broken T hese pieces you can not glue And your the one who touched me Please, come and accept the truth

T hose grey blue orbs, Hide the monsters, Waiting inside. ~ Anonymous

~ By Polly Tolmachenko 5

"L ittle Girl's Piano Book" L ittle girl never said the truth T hrough the sound of pianos I n the patterning of her fingers Rolling around the way that she wants Barbie doll and red ribbon Red as jam and blood stain Stayed in her soaked piano book T he red pen marks of articulation.

W hat about?

L ittle girl never sees the truth I nside the piano pieces So she thinks chromatic scales I s the most chaotic As the nightmare of his ocean eyes

"L aughter"

"T ime to Dream"

A time where you feel like you're floating on a cloud

A ball and a dream,

Nothing eats at you

Coming up in the concrete,

A few seconds of pure happiness

I always play don?t ever fake it,

A sunbeam of the soul

Everyday playing on the black street,

T he best feeling

Some days I come late,

L aughter:

Next year I will repeat,

I t is the best medicine

T he win streak,

~ By Alyssa I acobacci

Since I had a bad dream-

T hey said I couldn?t make it,

Soon I will make them believe. ~ By Brandon L egris

L ittle girl's piano book was soaked in the rain Ripped into pieces Marked with red marks L eft in the rain. ~ Anonymous

"Her Proud Progression" I can?t sleep.

I ?m up thinking of you.

I ?m waiting for the phone to beep.

I know that action, you?ll never do.

I slowly realize the part of me you really were.

I ?m struggling with how to be myself without you by my side.

I ?m now only focusing on how to recur.

I can?t remember the last time you made me want to hide.

You still live your normal life, riding in your Jeep.

You?re passing the time by hanging with your crew.

You?re focusing on the school work and job heap.

You believe you thought things completely through.

You move on to the ones you thought you preferred.

You?re realizing you have outwardly lied.

You?re wishing the breakup and rebounds never occurred.

You start to break on the inside and outside.

I have taken my own grand leap.

I ?m now living by my confident self- view.

I ?m not the girl that comes cheap.

I have moved on and broken through, do you think you ever will too? ~ By Ava Beale

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photo by Caleb Moyer

photography ?A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.? ? Annie L eibovitz

I n this time of everything being photographed, students always have photos to share. Yet, this section seeks to show that there is a difference between taking a picture of your best friend posed outside of Robbies, or an amazing meal you had during your travels - and an artistic photo. T his section is devoted to those students who have that eye for lines and perspective, students who in the moment can snap up that image that captures our imagination. Some of the photos included show skill in the arrangement of the photo. Others reflect a skill in recognizing the art that is all around us. We had so many well- crafted photos to choose from, but we tried to select the ones that really spoke to us. We hope that you enjoy the talents on display in this section.

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Patrick Henry

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Caleb Moyer

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Sun Zhenye

Adeline Rong

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nonfiction T he genre of nonfiction has absolutely exploded in recent years.

I t seems that readers and writers both see the value in writing about one's own experiences. T he writer Joan Didion famously remarked, "I write to know what I think." T hus, the memoir is one nonfiction text type that has become wildly popular. T his is one reason we have weaved it into the senior English curriculum.

Using the methods of editor and writer Phillip L opate and memoirist Mary K arr, students learned how to look at their lives as a writer would and make themselves a character. T hey practiced dialogue and character development in the process.

T he writing oftentimes dovetailed with events expressed in their college application essays.

So their task was to uncover a pivotal time in their life in which they matured or gained perspective about themselves. T his year I was so moved by how seriously they took this assignment.

Students wanted to dive deep and really share some challenging times in their lives and show how it changed them. T he following section is just a handful of these powerful stories. I hope you find them as inspiring as I did. ~ Maggie Henderson, English Chair

Smallest to T allest - A Memoir

By Frances Del Toro October 24, 2018, at 4:30 Academy of the New Church was going to play against Perkiomen School, for the T CI SL Championship at Collegium Charter School. T he game went to three sets, and Perkiomen School won. For the first time in its history, Perkiomen School won a volleyball championship, and I was part of that team. I was part of a defining moment in the history of Perk athletics, and let me tell you as a team captain - it felt amazing. Every single tear that ran down my cheek was full of all the challenges that I had to go through mixed with the joy I was now feeling. T here were times where I said to myself, ?W hy did I leave my home, for this? W hat am I doing here?? I had to face many challenges that make me who I am today.

T here are a number of people who helped me get to this point in my life, that helped me scratch out another goal on my now worn list ? the one I keep in the drawer of my nightstand.

I am Frances Celine Del Toro Pacheco ? a somewhat tall girl with brown hair that came from a small town of the northeast side of an island that is 100 x 35 miles. I was born and raised in T rujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. I grew up with two older brothers - Johnathan, the oldest, and Christian, the youngest. T hey both loved the game of baseball, but not as much as my dad, Gilberto. My dad is a tall, blonde, Cuban guy whom not only loved the game of baseball, but he also loved his family of five. He also grew up playing baseball and then quit because he wanted to take care of us. Every single weekend the Del Toro family was spent on a baseball field. I believe that my love for sports came from my brothers and father. I fell in love with the adrenaline that it gave me. On every home game, my mother used to help out with selling water, Gatorade and food on the park. I would always be the one in charge of getting the water out of the huge fridge. I remember sitting on top of the fridge watching my brothers play and saying to myself, ?Wow, I want to be like them one day?. As a kid, I always admired them. Christian and Johnathan were both role models for me as a little girl.

Fast forward to 2013 when my brothers used to have practice every T uesday and T hursday. W hen it was around 7 o?clock we would all get changed and go to baseball practice. W hen the clock hit 8 p.m. my dad had to leave for work. My father worked at the airport as an aviation mechanic for American Airlines and he worked overnight from 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. At 8 p.m. my mom would come to practice and stay with me in the bleachers doing my homework while my brothers would practice. Next to the baseball field, there were some courts, and every day I saw girls around my age playing some type of sport, I had no idea what it was. One day, I decided to ask my mom what sport that was, and she told me that it was called volleyball. From that day on, instead of watching my brother?s practice, I would turn around and sit on a concrete bench that was close to the court and watch the volleyball practice. I was at a point where I got tired of watching the same thing almost every day. Next thing I did was ask my parents if I could join a volleyball team. T hey both were fine with it and were happy for me. From that day forward, I literally made a decision that changed my life completely.

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W hen I started playing volleyball, I was 12 years old. W here I come from, being 5?7??and 12 years old was pretty rare, so as soon as the coach saw me he got excited. My coach was named Jose Plaza, and just imagine a 24 year old guy, fairly short, with really curly dirty- blond hair and very hyperactive. T he first time I saw him I got really scared. I was a shy girl who was only comfortable and outgoing with her own family or friends from school. Being in a new place with all new faces was really a challenge. I was the tallest person on that court, but I felt like the smallest one there. As soon as my first practice ended, after feeling all those nerves, I was thrilled about this new journey that I was starting in my life. Volleyball was my type of playground. Even if the workouts and drills were hard, I got attached to the sport. Every year the competition got harder and harder. W hen tryouts came I would feel myself revert to that nervous girl who came the first day of practice, but the difference now was that I knew what I was capable of. I knew that I wanted to continue playing volleyball for the rest of my life and challenge myself even more every year.

During the summer of 2016, I was in Disney World with a couple of my closest friends, and I received a phone call while I was waiting in the lobby and it was my mom. ?Frances, you got accepted? ?Accepted where?? ?To Perkiomen School, where Christian was. Do you still want to go?? ?Yes, but I don?t know mom. I t?s going to be hard, just say no. I don?t want to go,? I responded. ?Frances are you sure it?s a big opportunity. I do respect whatever decision that you make, but think about it and when you come home we?ll talk about it?

W hen I got the news in Disney World my immediate respond was ?No, I don?t want to go.? I didn?t want to leave my high school or my home. All of my friends were there and I truly loved them. T here was no reason to leave. I had known them ever since I was in kindergarten. T he only thing I could think about on the plane was about the pros and cons about this decision. One of the pros was that I was going to accomplish something that had been a dream for me and that dream was attending school in the United States. As soon as I got home, I got the chance to talk to my parents about it. At the end, I told them that I wanted to attend Perkiomen School even though I knew it was going to be a hard transition for me. Being 1,706 miles away from home, away from my parents, away from my closest friends and away from the beach, I was aware that this was going to be a challenge.

At the end of August 2016, it was time for me to start this new life. I had already visited the school because my brother, Christian, had graduated from Perkiomen School. I remember on his graduation day I fell in love with the people and the campus. W hen my mom, my dad and I got there on August I fell in love with it again. Another thing that I noticed as soon as we got there was the community. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. W hen I saw how everyone was, I was no longer scared on this new voyage. Now I was excited about starting school and meeting the volleyball team. I could not wait longer.

After arriving it didn't take long for reality of what I had done to hit me. I got scared, I was lonely and started questioning my decision of attending a boarding school in a completely different country. T here were two other L atinos at Perk, I but was the only girl. I didn?t really click with them, for some reason and we didn?t get close at all. I was too shy to even talk on the classroom. I t felt like I was this completely different person. I remember one day I was in my math class we were doing some problems that were fairly easy on the board and the teacher, Mr. Chase, had picked me to answer one simple question that I knew the answer to.

I was sitting in my desk looking at the board saying the answer in my head, but I couldn?t say it out loud. I literally couldn?t. I would say that only 30 seconds pass by until I could say something, but for me it felt like 10 minutes. As soon as I opened my mouth my response was, ?I don?t know.? I felt so bad and embarrassed, it was like my fear took control over me. From that day on going into math class was definitely a challenge for me.

Volleyball was my therapy, whenever I would get on the court everything that was on my mind would go. Yet is was not without its obstacles. To begin with I was the only player on the team who had actually played serious volleyball. Most players were playing the game for their very first time. T his is when I started questioning my decision of attending this boarding school. I nstead of been therapy, now it was ?Oh my god, why did I come here if can?t even pursue my dream of playing good, competitive volleyball?? I felt horrible and stressed out, but every day I would say to myself, ?Just let it be,? because I knew that everything happened for a reason, and that everything comes at the right time.

A couple of days in, my coach, Ms. Martin, talked to me about how I was. Ms. Martin was around the age of 25, had blonde hair, glasses that would always fall off and she was a little short. Ms. Martin understood my position and she knew how I felt about the situation. Coach was the first person that I felt comfortable talking to, she was funny and just made me laugh each time. She listened to me every day and gave me advice. She knew when I was having a bad day, by just looking at me. She knew that I wanted to play volleyball at a more competitive league, she found this league that was pretty close by and asked me if I wanted to join one of their teams and of course I said yes. .

Still my old fears kept creeping back in. I would call my parents so many times and tell them it was a mistake, that this was not working out and that it was just too hard.I literally wanted to pack everything and go back home, it was too much for me to handle. Slowly I did make the adjustment. My dorm mate really helped me to begin to open up to the girls on my floor. I found a group of people I enjoyed eating with in the dining hall. And in class I began to have more confidence. I f it were not for a small group of people who slowly but surely helped me come out of my shell, I know that I would not have lasted the first year.

Now, I am a senior at Perkiomen School, it?s my third year here and I am the captain of the volleyball team. I have more than enough people who I can rely on and who I call my friends. We are 7 L atinos at Perkiomen School now and I would say that they are like family to me. W henever I am around them it feels like I ?m home. Other than them, I have the whole volleyball team who is also a family. I am a completely different Frances now. Every start of the year I do get homesick but instead of crying and just been in my room, like I did the first year, I would go out and be with my friends or go and put up the nets and play for a little. Volleyball still is my therapy and no longer view it as an obstacle at Perkiomen School. From that experience I learned that not everything is what you expected it to be and you just need to push through it.

I nstead of criticizing how other girls played, I started teaching them some basic things. I did this because I saw how frustrated some of them would get and I knew exactly how that felt and I didn?t want none of them to keep doubting whether they should play volleyball or another sport. I t?s been three years and on October 24, 2018 we had won the T CI SL championship for the first time. L ooking back I am no longer the same girl, now I am strong and can call myself an independent woman. T here are still bad days, but I know that I can get through them by just telling myself, ?Just let it be, it?ll come at the right time.?

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Voice

By Maeve Gleeson

On a hot afternoon in August, I was busy helping my young campers find their towels and put on their shoes before lining up to cross the bridge back to the main part of camp. T he waterfront was noisy and the air smelled like sunscreen. Everyone needed to be counted so that we would be ready to leave together. I had two little sandy hands on each side of me as we prepared to walk back to the cabin. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Anna turn and start running the wrong way, ?Anna, please come back?. At that moment it finally clicked. I t came out with clear authority; Anna heard it and I felt it. I had found my ?counselor voice?.

I had been trying to get my ?counselor voice? for two weeks as a counselor- in- training, but it stayed just out of reach. I t's not an angry or upset voice - just a clear tone that gets kid's attention. Another counselor told me it's like riding a bike, it takes practice, but once you have it - you keep it forever. I realized my campers listened because I had spoken with a trusted authority. Anna responded because she believed I cared.

L ike Anna I was eight my first summer at camp, that summer my counselors turned my cabin into a family of mermaids! ?L ook the lake!? My family points out as we drive down the dirt road. I can just see it if I sit up straight in my chair and squint my eyes. I t has been an hour drive and a mixture of excitement and nerves filled the air. We drive over a hill and are now driving right next to the lake. ?We're getting close!? My parents say excitedly and reassuringly. ?O yeah!!? My 5- year- old brother Cooper says in his young scratchy voice. ?L ook the Bridge!? We drive under the wooden bridge that connects the top of Camp Stella Maris to the waterfront. We take a turn and drive up a hill, ?L ook Maeve the Camp Stella Maris sign, We're here!?.

We roll down our windows and I hear L OUD cheering. I see a group of people wearing matching t- shirts that say L I T waving and yelling ?Welcome to Camp!? My parents role down their windows and my mom cheers back ?T hank you!!!?

I n the same excited way. I look out my window and wave back. T heir cheering reminds me of our trip to Disney World. We follow the line of cars and a counselor approaches our car window. ?Hello! Welcome to Camp!? they say in the same Disney World way. ?Hello!? My parents say.

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?Ok Maevey, let's go find your cabin.? I carry my pillow while my dad carries my suitcase, and my mom carries my sleeping bag. Cooper is excitedly running around us with his mop of bleach blonde hair. We walk down a paved path to find the cabins. We walk into the cabin and I look around for bunk number 2. I see it, a top bunk! I show my parents proudly. ?Wow, a top bunk!? Cooper says climbing up the ladder to look in. ?Aren't you a lucky girl.? my mom says smiling at me. My parents help me set up my bunk. We put on the sheet, sleeping bag, and my pillow. My dad sets up my fan and shows me where my extra batteries are. I put my flashlight next to my pillow. I see lots of other girls my age walk in and set up their stuff. T he girl in the top bunk next to mine hangs up a giant palm tree poster the size of the wall between our stuff. I t is now time for my parents to leave and they hug and kiss me goodbye.

Soon after the parents had left the counselors gathered us all together. ?Okay girls, now it's time for our swim test! Everyone put on your bathing suit, water shoes, and get your towels. W hen you are ready to meet us out on the porch.?

I dig through my suitcase and find my prized yellow and sky blue striped swimming suit and pink water shoes. I put them on, grab my towel, and go outside to meet my counselors. We are all ready and walk down to the lake. I walk across the cool wooden bridge excitedly. We get to the crowded lake and I line up with my cabin mates. We are called in groups to get in the lake. I t's funny even the lifeguards are smiling and dancing as they walk us down onto the docks, how is everyone so happy here? I t's finally the time I get to jump into the lake!! I jump in and the water, it is chilly, but feels good. T he lifeguard asks us to swim to the other side of the dock with our best doggy paddle and tells us not to worry we can all touch the bottom the whole way. I start swimming, my water shoes get heavy, but I can still swim the whole way. ?Great job girls!? She hands us little- colored circles she calls buddy tags and walks us to a picnic table where another counselor writes my name and cabin on my buddy tag. Once we all finish our swim test we walk back across the bridge together with our counselors. L ater that night our counselors gather us together to tell us a secret. ?Girls we have a really big secret for all of you, we are not really just counselors, we are mermaids!?

One counselor says, the other chimes in. ?Don't worry we are friendly mermaids, and you are all our mermaid family okay, we saw your swimming today and you are all definitely mermaids!?

Wow, my counselors are mermaids, it explains why they are always so happy. We all excitedly cheer, we are a family of mermaids. ?Tomorrow we are going to make you official mermaids but for right now we are going to have some 16

flashlight time and then make sure you all get your rest so you are ready to be a mermaid family tomorrow!?

All night I was so excited to become a mermaid, I didn't have time to get homesick!

I t is the next afternoon. We have our bathing suits on and are ready for the open waterfront, but first, we have something called cabin time. ?Okay girls are you ready to become mermaids!? ?Yes!!!!? we cheer. We didn't know that now was the time we had been waiting for! ?T here is something we didn't tell you, we are a little bit of a different kind of mermaid, we are messy mermaids, so we do things a little differently.?

I look around at my mermaid family, we are excitedly laughing and asking our messy mermaid counselors what that means. ?T he first step to becoming a messy mermaid is we have to dust you all with magic.? T he pull out a tube of silver glitter and start sprinkling us all with the magic. We run around in the magic shining in the afternoon sun. ?Now the next step, is we all need to become one with the ocean!?, they take out what looks like cups of blue paint and start spreading the paint on their own arms and then letting us paint our arms and legs!!! I can't believe this, we are really becoming mermaids! I had never done anything this crazy before. I am smiling and watching my counselors in amazement. ?WOW ! girls, you look like real messy mermaids!!! Would you like to go swimming now?!?

We cheer and jump around excitedly as we walk down to the waterfront before the rest of the cabins. As we walk we chant ?Messy Mermaids!!! Messy Mermaids!!!?. We all swim together as a family of mermaids in the lake and I could not have been happier.

I knew then that camp was a special, even magical place, that I would return to every summer. And so I did return as a camper each summer to rekindle the magic of imagination and community. Until now as I return as a counselor - ready to share this special place with the campers who have been placed in my care. I join the new counselors and listened to the camp director present a slideshow titled, ?Making the Magic?, I smiled remembering my summer as a mermaid. I couldn?t wait for the chance to be one of the magic makers I had idolized. I helped turn summer into winter with a camp- wide shaving cream war that put ?snow? on the ground.

I sang ?Somewhere Over T he Rainbow? to my 11- year- olds and magically they all fell asleep. I teleported them to Paris, France where they climbed the Eiffel Tower together, tried fancy French perfume and were rewarded with baguettes. I became a fairy, a monster from Monsters I nc., a pirate, and Anna from Frozen for my campers.

For the rest of the week every time we passed the climbing wall they yelled in unison, ?T he Eiffel Tower! Oui Oui Oui!!? My voice was the bridge to their imagination, their trust, and taking care of them.

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T he first summer as a counselor would continue to be a discovery of my own strength as the person my campers looked up to. My biggest test came later in the season. I t was a cool morning at the lake, and I was assigned to lifeguard one of the camper?s favorite inflatables, the Jungle Joe. I knew this was one of the most popular activities, but also one that required a constant eye. T he campers excitedly walked onto the dock. I collected their buddy tags, put on their swim bracelets and watched them jump into the chilly lake before the sun was even shining. Suddenly I heard a cry of pain and quickly I scanned the lake for its source. I saw a young camper named Jenna crying and writhing in pain. I took a deep breathe and calmly ran to the end of the dock, jumped in, and swam to her. She was sobbing. ?Jenna, I need you to grab onto this red tube,? I said in my instinctive clear and calm counselor voice. ?You?re okay? I continually reassured her. She was crying less when I reached her, but her leg was clearly hurt. So I swam for both of us, I knew I needed to keep her calm, so I talked to her about breakfast all the way to the dock where the other lifeguards pulled her to safety.

I learned an effective ?counselor voice? meant caring and having an emotional connection tied to the words. T his was what kept Anna with me, lulled my campers to sleep, transported my cabin to France, and brought Jenna to safety. Reflecting on the summer I was a calm, compassionate and caring role model for my campers - a few even idolized me! T his experience sparked a sincere interest to study and pursue a career in education. For me, camp has been a place where ?And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true?.

Every day at camp I felt like I did something that truly mattered, and I realized my dream is to make a difference for kids all year round.

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L egacy

By Carlos Torres

I t was 2007, I was a young boy living in the south part of Puerto Rico in a town called Coamo. I was 6 years old and living with a full and happy family. I would get up to go to school in the morning being all tired from playing outside the past day. School was something that I didn?t hate but I didn?t love it. Most young boys would say the same thing about school. I still feel that way about school today, but I have better understanding that it is something we need in life. Every day after school I would just throw my book bag in a corner and go outside to play with my friends. We would do different things to keep having fun every day. Since I lived around a rural area, we had little creeks and hills around us. We did everything a six year old boy could think of to have fun.

Since I always had all this energy in me, my parents wanted to find a way for me to let it all out. T hey were thinking and thinking and finally found the way in sports. One of my dad?s friends told him that he was making a baseball team for 6- year olds. My dad knew I had never played sports, but he still took me to the first practice. During the first practice I remember I was not really into it since most of the guys in the team knew how to play a little bit and I did not. I went to the practices, but I did not really pay attention or care about the sport. I remember I used to just sit in right field and just play with dirt the whole time. And usually in this age group, they put the worst player out in right field. Even though I didn?t pay a lot of attention, I kept going to the practices and games with hope of getting better. I started practicing with my dad when I moved to another team when I turned 7. My Dad and I both decided that we we?re going to work 19

together, and he was going to help me become a better baseball player.

T hrough my father's attention in helping me at 7 years old and I started getting better.

He?s my number one fan since he?s in every game he can. He motivates me every day to train harder and to not slack off. I could not have reached the point I am right now without his help. I think about how I played when I started and how I ?ve grown so much throughout all these years.

T hanks to all of this, a year ago I had the opportunity to come to Perkiomen School in Pennsylvania. I was really excited to come to a school in the United States and have that new experience. I was going to play baseball with new people and get to know how different the baseball culture was far away from home.

I remember when I realized that I could actually go on to the next level as a baseball player. One turning point in my mindset as a baseball player was this summer when I was in New York for a showcase. I pitched for two innings giving it all I had. After the game my dad went up to me and said to me ?You threw 91 mph?.

I was amazed and then I realized ?I can actually go to the next level with baseball?.

After that showcase, the organizer of the showcase went up to my dad and me and said, ?Your life is about to change?. As soon as he said that I got chills and just wanted to keep on playing and get better and better. After the showcase in New York, my summer plans changed completely. I was invited to different showcases and tournaments where I would play with the top prospects in the nation. But just like with everything, there are nerves at every tournament when I have to go up on that mound and think that my future pretty much depends on how I do.

Especially in those tournaments where there are many scouts in the stands looking at you.

Since I decided to come to Perkiomen School, another person who has always been there for me has been Coach Baker. He has helped me in pretty much anything I have needed throughout the time I have been here. Four days a week we have workouts at 6 am and every morning he walks in and checks which players are in there. He always pushes me to do my best both in the classroom and baseball. Many morning when I wake up for workouts my mind tries to tell me ?Don?t go, stay in bed, missing one won?t affect you?. T hat is when I think about the 20

commitment I have with my teammates and the program. Coach Baker has helped me build this commitment by always pushing me to become my best. He has not only been my coach, but my advisor as well. I f I have a something happening in school or a hard decision, I try to always hear his point of view of the situation.

During this time, I did not have a commitment for college either. T hat was my main focus when I went to these tournaments. Many college coaches approached me after these tournaments. I visited all of these universities during the summer with my dad. We visited different types of schools, some were rural, and some were in the city. T he process of choosing the right school for me was fun but at the same time it was long and a little stressful. All of this happened in only a couple of months of my life. After we finished going to tournaments for the summer, it was time to sit down with my dad and make the decision of which university I was going to go after I graduated from Perkiomen School. After we talked and evaluated everything, I decided to choose L ehigh University. I think it is the perfect choice for me for various reasons. As soon as I looked at their campus, I liked it and felt like it was a place where I could be comfortable. I met the players from my same recruiting class and found out that they looked like the kind of guys that I would enjoy playing with.

One situation where Coach Baker helped me in a big way was my decision on where to go for college. I knew he was the right person to go talk to about this. I went to his office after all the college visits to talk with him. He told me ?W hat is on your mind? W hat are you going to do regarding college??

I said ?I have different offers from different schools, but I don?t know if I should commit just yet?

Coach Baker said something that stuck with me: ?Carlos, you have to think about this decision a lot but have in mind that you do not want to lose something you already have to just wait?

I responded: ?L ehigh is my top choice right now?.

With a smile in his face he said: ?T he coach is really interested and has contacted me recently?

T his conversation had a lot of effect in my decision and made me think more about how L ehigh was the right choice. Coach Baker was happy with my decision since he knew I did the right thing. T his made me feel relieved as well since I am done with all the college process and I know I am going to be happy at L ehigh. My family supported my decision in every way. My dad feels very proud of me and cannot wait to 21

see me in that Mountain Hawk uniform.

Baseball has taught me lots of different values and has shaped me to become a better man. I have learned how to bond with my teammates and make friends that can last a lifetime. T here are also people that do not want to see you succeed as a person or a baseball player. I try to ignore them and just focus on my goals and aspirations. T here are also all the good times I have spent with my teammates on the beach or just the ballpark. T hose are some memories that I will never forget. I have become stronger mentally because of baseball as well. All the failure I have gone through in baseball has shaped me to help me deal with problems in my life. I know I am still young but throughout those years in the baseball field I have learned a lot and I am still looking forward to learning more.

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artwork I personally believe that art is to process the beauty of life.

I t has a spiritual quality. T he object that is depicted in the artistic expression can be any thing in life - a single plant, a tree, the sky. I t can be framed in its entirety, or it can be a partial representation. T herefore, when creating a piece of art, the artist will choose what to convey and what parts to focus on in the piece. T he object can be someone the artist knows well, or someone the artist sees on the street. T hat is the organic quality of art. T he reflection can be realistic, or more muted or impressionistic. T hese are all choices the artist makes. T he interesting thing about art is that it is present in all cultures. I t is true that each culture has its dominant art forms, but I can enjoy art from the United States just as much as my homeland in China. I t can be a way to bring people together to learn something about the human experience.

~ Sharon L u, senior

Senior Frank T ian

"Fish" watercolor on paper

"For Art Only" mixed media

"Priceless" mixed media

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Senior K evin Zhou black ink on paper

Pastel on black paper

"Water Dream" watercolor 25

Senior Selena L ei

"Subtle Beauty" Chinese ink on paper

Selena Choi Mixed media

Selena Choi Colored Fruit watercolor 26

"T he Hidden Portrait"

"Enlightenment"

"Portrait One"

colored pencils on paper

pencils on paper

watercolor on paper

Spark Zhang

Coco Fu

L ois Yun

"Shadows" "Winter Story"

acrylic on canvas

acrylic on canvas

Spark Zhang

Jenny Zeng 27

"Geisha Dreaming"

"Beastly Beauty"

acrylic

watercolor on paper

Jenny Zeng

Porter Henderson

"Waterfall"

"Colored Fruit"

acrylic on canvas

digital art Mark Deratzou

Scarlett Fu 28

Jenny Zeng Senior

Jax Zhou Senior

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L ois Yun Grade 10

Frank T ian Senior

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fiction "One writes out of one thing only - one's own experience. Everything depends on how relentlessly one forces from this experience the last drop, sweet or bitter, it can possibly give. T his is the only real concern of the artist, to recreate out of the disorder of life that order which is art. ~ James Baldwin

Midnight L ove

By Rachel Marks L ooking back now I can see that love is boundless. I never believed that I would be able to fall in love. As far as I was aware I would be told who to marry and that was that. I had rules, expectations and traditions to uphold, and I knew my parents wouldn?t let me break any of those just to marry somebody that I loved.

I t all started on December 31st ?it? being the strange, scary time in which my whole world fell apart and then pulled itself back together. T hat night my parents, the K ing and Queen of Miyoni, threw their annual New Year?s Eve party; a party that included every person in the royal court. I was dressed in a long ball gown that had varying shades of blue with the layers going off to one side, leaving a strip of white under all the shades of blue. I t was one of my favorite dresses, and, because I was Princess L ily, the blues and white matched the colors that corresponded with my kingdom. Moving on from my fabulous attire, I want to tell you about the moment that my life changed, even though I didn?t know it at the time.

As I said, it all started on December 31st and it changed my life. I had been dancing with my father; a tradition that had started by the time I was three and one that had lasted for 16 years up to that point, when the music stopped and the musicians began an upbeat song that had the younger kids going crazy and the old folk hurrying off the dance floor. I curtsied as my father bowed and then we both headed off to find new dance partners. T aking a detour I found myself stopping at the table for desserts, just for a moment, but by the time I left I had a plate full of cakes and cookies. I have always loved the holiday desserts, and that night was no different from any other. So, with my plate full of pastries I decided to take a break and find myself a table that had a group that I believed to be of enjoyable company.

I found such a table near the entrance, one that had the Duke and Duchess, along with the Earl and Countess and their daughter, Elane. I had always found their presence rather calming, I suspect that was mostly due to the fact that Duchess Melissa was the kindest woman I had ever met, and that Elane was one year my junior but still looked like she enjoyed these parties. Elane had also always been able to make people laugh, even with the quietest whisper of a comment. Unfortunately my position as queen in training did not allow me to have much time to form a social life, and therefore I did not have many friends, not to mention any time to make friends.

Despite the political purpose of the party my table and I managed to have an interesting conversation about the different techniques we all used for penmanship. Duke Jonathon simply preferred to write hastily and then have a servant copy it down neatly and leave it for him to 32

sign, Duchess Melissa said that she had spent far too much time as a child learning penmanship and that her writing was much neater than any of the servants, the Earl and Countess both had the same idea as the Duchess, and then Elane revealed that she spent her study time trying out different fonts of writing. She showed us her writing skills on a spare piece of paper and all of us were quite shocked at her abilities, even her parents were unaware she had the skill.

T hrough the rest of the night the adults dispersed to mingle with other people, but Elane and I remained where we were. Although we had barely spoken a word to each other during the other gatherings of the court, we hit it off and never stopped talking. We both had each other laughing, and we kept ourselves entertained as we bounced ideas and opinions off of one another.

By the end of the night we had resolved to continue talking, even with our busy schedules.

T he night ended and we said our goodbyes, both looking forward to talking again soon. I said goodnight to my parents and then I went to my room to get ready for bed. I took a bath and then dressed in my nightgown and quickly fell asleep once I laid down. T he next morning I woke up already thinking of last night, and rather quickly I remembered my new friendship with Elane, and not just that but the fact that we had planned to meet today.

Remembering that I hurriedly dressed and rushed to grab breakfast, shouting a hello to my mother as I grabbed myself a plate of breakfast. T hen, running back to my room, I gathered my paints and took off again to set it all up on the balcony. Finishing my breakfast I put the plate to the side and pulled out my paintbrush. At the time I had had a tradition of painting something every morning. Although sometimes tedious, I mostly found it relaxing, and today I poured my nervous energy into it. I had decided to paint the bit of garden visible to me, and once I finished my first bush I heard a voice behind me. ?Hi, your mother? sorry, the Queen said that I would find you here.?

I turned to find Elane standing shyly behind me, holding what looked like a bundle of books. Putting my paintbrush down I remember standing up to say hello, and knocking my paints over, spilling them on my skirt and my spare canvases. Blushing at my clumsiness I said hi back and then bent down to clean up my mess, still kicking myself for making such an error.

Elane quickly came to my help, standing the paints upright, and saving the few canvases that had been spared. T hen, when she saw my look of disappointment at my ruined canvases, she took the paintbrush that had also fallen and spread out the paint. By the time she was done there was a beautiful array of colors spread evenly across, creating a painting that had every color that I owned, along with shades of ones that I didn?t.

I think that was the time that I decided that Elane was absolutely amazing. Even if it wasn?t, I know that we spent many months together, almost every other day, just talking or working side by side. Over time we grew closer until we felt as if we knew all there was to know about each other. And then, one night, she asked me what I was thinking. I told her exactly what 33

I was thinking. I was wondering if I would be forced to marry someone I had never met, or if I would just be given a list of people that my parents approved of and told to choose. She quickly jumped in and asked me another question. ?I f you could choose anyone, what would you look for in a husband??

T he question took me off guard, it having been something I had never thought of before that. I took my time answering, but finally responded with, ?I guess I would want someone that I thought was interesting. I ?d want to be able to tell them anything about me and not be scared, and I want to smile just because they are. Maybe they would like the same things I did, or maybe they would like different things, things that I had never thought of before. I think that I would want someone that really knew me, and didn?t just decide that I was the best move to make to go up the ladder. I want someone to dance at a ball with, and someone that will also dance with me when I ?m feeling happy or sad, or just because we want to.?

W hen I had finished, Elane was looking right at me and then she smiled, ?You know, I think that if I got married I would want that too.?

I laughed and said, ?W hat do you mean? Aren?t your parents going to find you someone?

I highly doubt you are going to spend the rest of your life alone!?

She looked down and mumbled something. T hen she looked up with a smile, saying, ?I want you to know that you mean a lot to me. Okay? So that?s why I ?m telling you this, I just don?t want you to think I ?ve been lying to you or something.? ?Okaaaaaayyyyyy? . W hat is it? You know I won?t think anything bad of you!? ???????????????.

Well, let me tell you that it did change how I thought of Elane, but it most certainly did not lead to a fracture in our relationship. I mean, it really just led me to knowing that I didn?t want to marry just anyone my parents picked, it led me to wanting to marry someone I truly loved, and, it just so happened, that it turned out that I was kind of not into guys. Well, I was really not into guys, I was instead like really into girls, more specifically Elane. T hat night we realized that we loved each other, and that we weren?t just best friends. T hat night we also realized that our future just got a lot more complicated when it came to our parents.

I n the following months, we slowly hinted to our parents that we had something to tell them. We also hinted that we weren?t willing to marry anyone. I f our parents suggested someone we would list everything we didn?t like about them, although some of them were incredibly nice people. Our parents gradually got more frustrated and more concerned with us, and then we broke the news.

T he conversation was an interesting one, going along the lines of ?Mom, Dad, I love Elane,? and escalating to ?No, you don?t understand. I will give up the throne for this!?

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Over time, our relationship with our parents deteriorated and eventually neither of us were talking to either of our parents. T hen my mother handed me an olive branch, one that allowed me to talk to her and my father, explaining the whole story of how it happened. T hen they told me that they were disappointed that I wouldn?t be able to have a K ing rule with me, but that they wanted me to be happy and that they wanted a queen that knew what she was doing.

T hey allowed me to be queen and marry Elane, and they even allowed Elane to be crowned queen as well. Eventually Elane?s parents got over themselves and accepted her back into the family, although they seemed more willing after she was named queen.

And, as the stories go, we all lived happily ever after.

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?Distance?

By Ava Beale She felt the warm breeze of the summer ocean caress her face. Her tan toes wiggled in the grains of sand. T he light from the afternoon sun hit the top of her already light colored hair. T he sound of the waves crashing soothed her completely. Her eyes were shut to be fully immersed in the moment. T he girl felt someone besides her, but did not want to leave her bubble of bliss. T he bubble popped as he stated that she couldn?t hide from the problem forever.

He noticed she didn?t flinch. He noticed she didn?t even open her eyes. Since she wouldn?t acknowledge the boy she had come to know this summer, he took in the view of the quaint beach. T he water was not the clearest, yet it was always pleasing to watch it rise and fall. T he attenuated bank of sand stretched from the crab shack down to the local pool. He crouched to grab a handful of sand, to feel the roughness against his palm. W hen he stood up straight, he realized she was finally focusing on him.

She found it ironic that he was leaving. She was the new girl that just moved to the small beach town that summer. She had lived seven different places in the last five years, she should be the one relocating and starting over yet again. T hat?s what she was good at. T hat was her thing. Ever since her mom passed away, that was the only constant thing she could expect. T o keep moving.

He couldn?t believe she wasn?t leaving, but he was. He had lived in the same town, same house with the same ugly wallpaper for the last 19 years. He had never been anywhere else. But now, his parents wanted to move away to a place closer to his older sibling. He didn?t know what the world contained since the farthest away from home he had been was a measly 100 miles.

She pushed his chest and knocked him out of his thoughts. She pushed again, this time harder, urging him to go away. W hat was the point of continuing what they had if he was leaving? She didn?t want to see him, hear him, think of him. She wanted him gone. She wanted to start the healing process now, so she could get over it faster.

He backed up from the force of her pushes. He didn?t want to go, but he would do what would make her happy. He turned his back on her and walked up the beach towards his home. He tried to speak with her. He tried to figure something out. He tried. Not hard enough.

A year later, she was in her cozy bedroom in the quaint beach town. I t was unbelievable her family had not moved yet again. Maybe they finally found their forever home, a place to settle 36

themselves. T he family had stayed so long, she knew of all the secret places in town that only the locals knew and everyone knew her by name. She felt at home. Just one piece was missing.

A year later, he finally had all of his posters hung up and his clothes away in his room. He originally kept them packed in an act of defiance, but it didn?t work. He was starting to be embraced by the locals, yet he still had much work to do. He was happy with how things were going. Just one thing was missing.

Sometimes at night, she would feel a dull ache in her chest. W hen she felt this, she would pull out her cell phone and go through the photo album dedicated to that one summer with him. She would laugh and cry at the silly videos together, the happy smiles captured on their faces in pictures. She still wore the silver starfish necklace he gave her. She wondered where it went wrong.

He would look out his bedroom window when the sky was dark and the stars were bright, wondering if she was seeing the same view. He would look down at the inside of his wrist where a black starfish tattoo was present and reminisce. He would hold the black and white photo booth pictures they took together in his hand. He wondered why they lost contact.

Did it end because they gave up?

I s it because they were too young?

Summer romances, including theirs, aren?t made to last forever?

T hey were moving too fast, too soon?

Anyone could see they weren?t right for the other?

Never really had feelings for each other?

Changes were happening, so they should change too?

Every time they were together, they fought?

W hy?

Distance.

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Photo by Adeline Rong

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Alma Mater

W hen the shades of night are falling, O?er the campus green; W hen the evening bells are pealing Daylight?s fun?ral paean; On the campus sward we gather, Sing the song of old; And we watch the sunset blending ?Purple and the Gold?.

L et your mem?ries linger longer Alma Mater dear; Ev?ry day we?re growing fonder, Be we far or near, W hen we wander, wander, wander Far away from you, Perkiomen, we are loyal ?

L oyal, tried, and true.

Comrades, friends, and family ever, Each to each we?ll be; T here are bonds which naught can sever T hrough eternity ?

Bonds of union, bonds of friendship Bonds of endless love, T hat are bred by Alma Mater, And by God above.

Al Dubin ?11

Perkiomen School

200 Seminary Street

Pennsburg, Pennsylvania 18073