After 7 months, 3 weeks, and 1 Day, we are proud to present this year’s Agathon. With 50 student contributiors, 5 Staff Members, Mr. Holmes, our friend Ralph Myers at MPress, and faculty support from barstow, our hardwork has led to the production of this book. We also could not have produced this magazine without the help of our Graphic design Class. The class alone created 42% of this publication!
We have had the utmost pleasure and privilege of seeing our team’s vision created within the pages of this magazine, reflecting The Barstow School’s talented creative minds, but most of all we have been honored in getting to know our community and the diversity it houses. This book could not have been possible without one crucial element: The people of Barstow, The Students.
Our student contributors have offered us their artistic voices with intention, passion and trust. Whether in prose or paint, voice is power—power with which all change is possible. We hope by sharing these voices, you use their art to inspire you to make change in your community and effect change in the world.
From the staff who compiled, designed, and edited this magazine, a sincere thank you to our readers, contributors, and publishers for supporting the creation of the 59th edition of Barstow’s Literary and Arts Magazine:
Enjoy!
-Agathon Editors & Staff
agathon
/AG-UH-THON/ NOUN
1. In Ancient greek philosophy, the concept of “the good,” representing the highest from of goodness or moral excellence, often associated with virtue and the ultimate aim of life.
First published in 1966, Agathon is The Barstow School’s literary and arts magazine. The magazine comprises a yearend review of student work in short form writing (short stories and poems) and visual art (sculpture, pottery, drawing, painting, and photography.) Compiled from the 2024-2025 academic year, the 59th edition of The Agathon showcases the works of 50 students from Kindergarten to 12th grade. This printed edition could not have been possible without the support of Ralph Myers at Mpress. Thank you for giving us this opportunity!
Table of Contents
Front Cover by Emily Smith (‘27)...........................................1
Intro to Agathon by Emily Smith (‘27)..................................2
Reader Dedication by Emily Smith (‘27) ................................3
Table of Contents...............................................................4
My Outstanding Bass Guitar by Edwin Buckner (‘31)
Art by AJ Buckner (‘29) and Landon Crosby (‘28)...5
The Art of College Basketball by Jasper Zeldin (‘31)
Art by Leo McMonigle (‘38)..........................6
Art by Gavin Vissers (‘25)...............................................7
Poem by Anonymous
Art by Madeline Choi (‘38)............................8
My Most Prized Possession by Andres Molina (‘31)
Art by Lochlan Cetinguc (‘32).......................9
To a Mirror of Stars by Will Roberts (‘28)......................10
Art by Betsi Waldeck (‘25)...............................................11
The Way Life Goes by Miya Parker (‘29)
Art by Vivian Petersohn (‘37).........................................12
Art by Athena Platt (‘25)................................................13
Autumn Realizings by Anonymous
Art by Sutton Bartimus (‘37)........................14
The Most Handsome Little Boy by Sloane Helm (‘31)
Art by Emily Smith (‘27)................................15
Blooming Hope by Amy Jiao (‘26).....................................16
Ceramics by Mira Gupta (‘27) and Leili Deshmukh (‘25)......17
Free Write by Lilia Brower (‘32)
Art by Chloe Smith (‘28)...............................18
Forest by Calvin He (‘32)
Art by Ava Salazar (‘36)...............................19
I Have a Dream by Noah Dutton (‘29)
Art by Athena Platt (‘25)..............................20
Lower school Printmaking 2……………………...………………….21
Beautiful Place by Ava Hejazi (‘29)
Art by Margo Gonzales (‘25)..........................22
Superiority Complex by Rachel Jacobs (‘26)
Art by Rowan Platt (‘27)................................23
Art by Grace Akin (‘33)......................................................24
My Breeze of Life by Lavya Vasireddi (‘31)
Art by Cameron Potter (‘34)............................25
Photos by Max Benega (‘28)................................................26
The Old Man by Patch Fox (‘32)
Art by Gavin Vissers (‘25)......................................................27
My Wonderful Dog by Alex Northrip (‘31)
Ceramic by Fin Geraghty ‘28……….................…………….............28
The Cat of the Night by DD Morris (‘31)
Art by Romina Taghizadeh (‘26) and Ivaan Pampalli (‘31)........29
Huge Poem by Liza Mieser (‘32).
Photo by Landon Crosby ‘28..................................................30
We Are All Human by Adam Luetje(‘29)
Art by Class of 2036………………………………………………………........31
Bad Dog by Palmer Lamb (‘31) and The Dog by Harrison Fink (‘30)..............32
French Fries by Cervente Sudduth II (‘31)
Art by Remy Lubbers (‘38) and Nelima Nasima (‘29)..................33
Reflection by Max Earl (‘32)
Art by Betsi Waldeck (‘25)........................................................................34
Art by Alec Seidel (‘27)..............................................................................35
Short Story by Clara George (‘29)
Photo by Sydney Westphal (‘27)..............................................36
The Important Thing by Ella Patel (‘32)
Art by Betsi Waldeck (‘25)........................................................................37
Graphic Design Class by Syd Westphal (‘27)..............................................38
Agathon Members by Emily Smith (‘27).......................................................39
Back Cover by Emily Smith (‘27)..................................................................40
Self Portrait by AJ Buckner
My Outstanding Bass Guitar
by Edwin Buckner ‘31
Oh beautiful bass, your strings are silver and gold
Holding down the beat, shining bright and bold
Your sound is very clear
When I play shows, everybody stands up to cheer
The best brand is Fender and their products are great
It is authentic, the best brand in the states
The neck of my bass is made out of maple which makes it smooth
It is very good to groove
Oh, bass, pickguard is bright as the sky
It is almost as you’re too majestic for my two eyes
Your tuners on your neck are so helpful, so bright
Always filled with light
You’re so meaningful bright beautiful blue and white
It always catches a sight
Oh, bass, your knobs are so round and plump
Making loud sound thumps
The way you tune is so magical up and down,
Without a frown
Oh, bass, your sound is true, how your strings pop with ease
Cool as a breeze.
The Art College Basketball
by Jasper Zeldin ‘31
College hoops makes me happy, so I scream. The way the ball feels is extravagant. All the super players are very lean. When I watch college hoops, it’s excellent.
March Madness is hard and challenging. I am joyful when my team wins. Unlike college football, there’s no tackling. If my team loses, I am still loyal.
Even though it is fun, you can get techs. When you get two techs, you are ejected. If people get handsy, it is a wreck. Sometimes for first team, you’re not selected.
Then my amazing team wins March Madness. But when they get blown out, it’s all blackness.
by Gavin Vissers ‘25
Art
Leaves fall from the trees, I shake at the knees. Its Winter again and theres a chill in the breeze. Winter break is approaching and I am hoping for rest and relaxation. -Anonymous
To A Mirror Of Stars
By Will Roberts
Don’t feel lonely,
When you look into my eyes
Don’t feel the piercing cold
Mirror beyond any embrace,
Holding your one against the world
Don’t find the darkness in my eyes, guided by the night sky, glistening stars one by one, You find yourself staring off, Into the mirror of stars.
Don’t be afraid
You will find the night sky as two
The last word
When your eyes are closed, you look deep inside
Ill pull you back
You don’t have to hold your own
Let me, I will
Followed by the silence of whispering stars
Take you in my arms, far away
From any existence
To my home
To tears streaming down your face.
To hug that keeps us together.
To a love, a distance in the future.
Mountains - Betsi Waldeck ‘25
The Way Life Goes
By Miya Parker
Inspired by Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Bennet, Jean Toomer, and Claude
McKay.
I’ve seen beautiful things, and pain of men and women.
I’ve seen golden sands, but also dreadful fighting. I’ve seen how love is priceless in these times. Our world is never how it seemed at the start, It is Ancient, but also new. It brings us awful, yet beautiful suprises every day.
Dreams dance before my eyes, swaying to the soft music of glee. Moon and stars in the sky, Whisper me a song, As I wait for a precious tommorrow.
As I run through fields of lavender. Green grass brushes against my feet, gaze at the sun, It is gleaming above me. Life never seemed so sweet.
And that I rather liked the present, AndIcouldseeitthereinmy eyes too,
What a gift to realize right there and then! For there is light in all of us,
The best part comes when you can finally see it,
Except when it should share it,
And then it is worth every storm in the world.
Blooming Hope (Villanelle Poem)
by Amy Jiao ‘26
In the world of grief, a flower stands Tall with beauty shining through the night, A blooming hope in the barren lands.
From the darkness, a warm light expands, I reached my hand toward the shining light; In the world of grief, a flower stands.
Through darkness, a warm light bright like sands, A hand from the light, I grabbed it tight, A blooming hope in the barren lands.
The pain that no one understands, The sorrow and tears that ignite, In the world of grief, a flower stands.
The warm hand, like flowers in wonderlands, Brought me out of the darkness towards the bright, A blooming hope in the barren lands.
Like the cheerful music played by bands, A blooming hope shining in sight. In the world of grief, a flower stands, A blooming hope in the barren lands.
By Leili Deshmukh ‘25
By Ali Luetje ‘27
by Noah Dutton ‘29
Lower School Print Making
Ava Hejazi ‘29
Margo Gonzales ‘25
Superiority Complex
By: Rachel Jacobs ‘26
The sky tightens. My eyes bulge. My innards and outards Coalesce into one Great swirling heap Of disarray.
Niceties pelted at cauliflower flaps, Hurled and mashed in with vigor And what they call Not kindness But ersatz brick.
They say to live Brilliantly; Is it brilliant to stare blankly At a wall?
They say to spew out the glass Of the metaverse and Spoon-feed ourselves Plastic bags.
I say, Better be a wall And speak to yourself Than forfeit That last bit of Truth.
Rowan Platt ‘27
The Dog
By:
Harrison Fink ‘30 so much depends upon the wet black dog covered with murky water clinging to life itself.
My Breeze of Life
By: Lavya Vasireddi ‘31
Oh fall how I love fall
Your breeze is as cool as beachy air
How lovely it feels in my wet hair
But as warm as it is, you make me bring out a shawl
Your aroma of pumpkin spice
For the scent is nice
You remind me of an apple scented candle
It is still the season to wear sandal
How lovely it is to get out of hot, heavy, harsh weather
It is time to wear my pumkin sweater
Your soft touch of leaves make my sweater feel moist
I realize your presence and feel rejoiced
I walk outside and all I hear is a SPLASH
You ruin my sweater in a flash
Oh fall
I think, you dont feel too tall
You are a pallet of colour
When I come inside, I ruin the floor
Remind me to wear boots next time
Now wearing boots inside is a crime.
Art by Cameron Potter ‘34
Photos by Max Benega ‘28
The Old Man
by Patch Fox ‘32
One day I was throwing the football outside with my dad. I can’t remember exactly, but I think that it was the first day of this year’s first football game. It was going well until we heard a siren. We knew that it was close.
So loud, so violent, so alarming.
But that is the point, I guess. Then it pulled on to my street. I couldn’t see if it was the police. so I thought there was a break-in or a fire, so I got scared.
So loud, so violent, so alarming.
But that is the point, I guess. Our neighbor had fallen out of bed. Our neighbor is very old. His wife had called the ambulance. Luckily he is not dead. But it does happen every so often, not always with the ambulance. but sometimes.
Art by Gavin Vissers ‘25
Poem by Liza Mieser ‘32
Photo by Landon Crosby ‘28
By: Adam Luetje ‘29
1st Grade Watercolor
By: Palmer Lamb ‘31
Your soft fur
The way you walk
Your soft purr
The talk that you talk
Oh Charikei your fur as soft as a cloud
Your playful grin
The way you walk with your head held high
Makes you win Your child like fight
The way you rise
To go claim your prize
Your breath is stinky like fish
Your BARK I can hear it from outside it is so loud
Sometimes I think you wish
You wish you could talk
Oh charikei you attitude is fun
You steal your sisters ball and walk
You love to run
Oh Charikei you’re a bad dog
You are a proud prancing pup
You can carry around big logs
You lick our cups
Oh Charikei if you weren’t in my life it would be dull
French Fries
By: Cervente Sudduth II ‘31
The flimsy fries are salty. hot, and tall (c)
An ideal side to chew on while I wait (d)
The burgers with the cheese are best of all (c)
Each bite so good it fills me up so great (d)
But oh McDonalds thou dost make me plump (e)
Your charm do mask what lies beneath thy reign (f)
When I think about it, I start to jump (e)
And all my feasts do bring me naught but pain (f)
When I think regarding thy negatives (g)
I choose to go still and stay tentative (g)
Art by Betsi Waldeck ‘25
I’m staring at my refection too long. Next thing I know I’m singing a song. - Max Earl ‘32
Alec Sidel ‘27
“Okay,” I reply, “Bethy! Mom! You’re being requested by Mr. Ryan!” I call out into the house. I then sit down and look at my sister, slightly scared. She looks terrified. I look at Mr. Ryan, who has a slight smile on his face, but I’m unable to tell if it’s going to form into a grin or grimace. The sliding door opens to greetings from my aunt and mother. “Sit down girls,” commands Mr. Ryan, “It has come to my attention that there is pink Barbie sparkle being abandoned in the community bathroom.” “Okay,” I reply, “Bethy! Mom! You’re being requested by Mr. Ryan!” I call out into the house. I then sit down and look at my sister, slightly scared. She looks terrified.
“A Tryptic Memoir: Mr. Ryan Delong” Excerpt by Clara George ‘29
Photo by Syd Westphal ‘27
The Important Thing
by Ella Patel ‘‘32
The important thing about me is I love to tell stories.
There are other important things like how I love to watch movies with my family,
How I love to spend time with my pets and play with them,
The way my friends support me and help me, And the joy of people laughing and smiling. But the important thing about me is I love to yell stories because it makes my family laugh and I like to see them smile.
Tapir by Betsi Waldeck ‘25
Eli Zeldin ‘25, Cale Williams ‘25, Gavin Vissers ‘25, Shya Zeldin ‘27, Ivan Caballero Vieyra ‘27, Will Carter ‘25, Chase Johnson ‘28
