Teenage Perspectives Yr 8 Cottesloe School

PERSPECTIVES

TEENAGE

Lyrics, rants, raps, essays, diaries, fiction, non-fiction great art and much, much more.

A delightful array of youthful creativity from Year 8. .

Edited and published by Future Pillars Zambia for Cottesloe School All proceeds to the Family Futures School in Kabwe, Zambia

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Acknowledgements and thanks Simon Wilson

Cottesloe School

It has been hugely rewarding for The Cottesloe School to work with Future Pillars Zambia.The opportunity for our students to make a difference to an international charity and see the tangible difference that their work will make is very beneficial. The project has been a huge success with students being able to write for a purpose and also experience a written process that includes being creative, editing and redrafting.The students have shown dedication and perseverance, which are all admirable qualities.

Finally, we are indebted to the team of teachers, editors and Nick who have so carefully worked with the students so that they can actually realise their potential and become published writers!

Our hope is that through education we change life chances and this project has achieved so many benefits for all involved, both in the UK and Zambia.

Nick Andrews

Future Pillars Zambia

I want to pay tribute to the teachers of Year 8 at Cottesloe School who have been an inspiration throughout the process. The school clearly cares about the wider needs of their children and wants them to understand the complexities and challenges of education in Zambia. It has been a huge privilege to receive the contributions of the children and to produce this collection of their writing for your interest and enjoyment. I want to thank the children for sending in their contributions so willingly. Thank you for purchasing the book all proceeds (without deductions for costs) will go towards maintaining the Family Futures School in Kabwe as shown below.

Further details can always be found on www.http://futurepillarszambia.org.uk/

Dedication This book is dedicated to Mr. Simon Wilson - Assistant Headteacher, without whom it would not have been possible. He is an educator of real vision.

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Chapters 1) Reflections

2) Football

3) My Favourite Place

4) A Day in the Life…

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5) Stories and Poems

6) Art

7) Parents,Teachers, Pets, Nature

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The contributors Page No.

ITEM

Name

9

A hitchhiker's guide to surviving life

Daisy Sales

9

The privilege of school

Summer Moon

10

My team - more than numbers

Aimee

11

Action for Youth

Imogen Price

12

Letter to self

Sparsha Pankanti

12

To my 8 year old self ...

Lucy Celine

13

Homophobia

Caitlin Potter

13

A letter to my younger self

Max Lacey

14

Petty Irritations

Bhev Patel

14

The most annoying thing...

Anon

15

Don't lock yourself away

Evie Irving

16

HS2

Rowan Wright

17

Zambia

Theo Tripos

17

What I care about …

Ella T

18

Basketball

Finn Cluett

18

Yabba's Heartbreak

Lexi

19

When I'm older

Millie Parker

19

Personal opinions

Hayley Hikwa

21

MK Dons

Cooper Rettey

22

Patson Daka

Joshua Sapwell

23

I play for Stoke Hammond

Charlie Head

24

Football Horror

Alexander Waters

25

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Will Ireson

26

Real Madrid

Daniel Cohen

27

Football

Matthew Cristofoli

29

New York

Taylor Clarke

30

My favourite place

Apple Williams

31

My favourite place - Aldeburgh

Kaitlyn Bowie

31

My favourite places

Mason Taylor

32

Pretty Rooms

Sorrel Gerrard Wright

32

IOW concrete prose.

Gracie Aris

34

A morning in the life of me

Maggie Foley

35

One of us is Neymar

Kinsey G and Finlay Young

32

Netball

Justin Keildson

36

It's all about me!

Sammy Benson

5

The contributors 36

Starts with toast

Izabella Tanswell and Freya Lewis

37

An average morning

Isabella Collingridge

38

A day in the life ...

Josh Kingsmill

38

A day in the life

Danny McKerrell

39

A day in the life of …

Mawgan Russell

39

Day in the life

Daniel Parrot

39

A Jack Tovey day

Jack Tovey

40

A week in the life

Johnny Kyriacou

40

A day in the life

George Flack

40

A day in the life

Luke Hardie

41

A day in my life

Kiera Van Danzig

41

My life day

Nicholas Lutonsky

42

My day - my way

Mia Moore

43

Day in the life of me

Daria Stefanescu

43

A 13 year old in England

Luca Stronach

44

Oh no! Geography

Madi Chapell

45

An acrostic day

Honey Wilmott

45

A day in my life

Evie Parrot

46

Another acrostic day

Bella Youngs

47

Making the most of the day

Sienna Bounds

48

A day in my life

Madison Mendola - Owen

49

Just keep trying

Anon

49

Mondays

James Gasson

51

A May Day

Charlotte Handsley

52

Badminton Battle

Alix Roddis

53

The Animal Kingdom

Eliot Stirk

54

How the Great Fire really started !

Anon

55

Where the sea and the sky meet

Dominic Curtis

56

Earth is dying

Sophie Dunn

57

Sarah

Linda ( Dulcie) Jones

57

The moment

Sadie White

58

A war has begun

Jack Able

59

The Sea

Grace Rutherford

60

A Magical Dragon

Sefton Nelson

61

The Battle of Fortis

Joe Mallick

62

Wizards fighting cows

Isaac Couper

6

The contributors 62

The simile dog

Megan Dowling

63

Sunsets

Baylie Olney

64

Seth - An Egyptian God and Pyramid

Aiden White

65

Verba

Daisy Walls

66

Haikus

Matthew Edmondson

66

Haikus

Max Clarke

67

The adventures of a magic knight

Campbell Churchward

68

Back-up came … but it was too late

Anon

69

The Beach

Megan Fenn

69

The Beach

Issie Massey

70

A three way conversation

Sophie Lovelock

72

Feeling the colour

Freya Dannan

73

Zambian Baby Hippo

Ella Gill Moore

74

Girl - thinking

Lucy Donachie

75

Pangolin

Freya D

76

An upside down world

Oliver Canaguacan

77

Pop Art

Violet Fraser

78

Pixcel Pic

Ben Campbell

78

Two sided

Justin Keildson

79

Anxiety Overload

Jasmin Denman

80

Positivity

Amelie Clark

81

Believe and you will achieve

Erin McGuire

83

Good to be bold

Savannah Powell

84

Shoebill

Ruby Rogers

85

Zambian mole rat

Taylor Keane

86

It's a frog's life

Faye Bleasdale

87

Seagulls

Bella Di Martino

88

My friendly dog

Will Farmer

89

Off to the Zoo

Ollie Longman Blayney

90

My parents don't understand me!

Anon

90

Is the door ajar?

Sidney

91

The Gorrillas - We are the savage ones

Evie Allen

92

Nature

Nathan Riley

92

Dogs

Charlotte Shuff

93

My dogs

Amelie Murphy

94

I want it to end!

Charlotte Audoire

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Reflections "Looking back, so the view looking forward is clearer."

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A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Surviving Life Daisy Sales I think that it is important to express your feelings and not bottle them up. No one should judge you for how you feel or who you are. No one can feel how you feel.

Sometimes you will be sad, and that's okay, you are allowed to feel sad or angry.

Sometimes you might feel happy or excited, and that's okay too. You can feel whatever you feel and no one should judge you for that. So don’t listen to the people who judge you or say things behind your back. Just. Do. You. I am 12 and my education is done, For others secondary life has just begun.

I find my life here to be unfair When they are privileged and don't care.

I am done and the pressure is on, When other schools are running on.

Priv ileg Sum emer Moo n

We have simple planks of wood, And they have bricks and teachers who could.

We have few classes of 50-60, When they can have lots of them.

We can only learn so much, While their education can go on, as such.

We have to go and live through hell, When they call it that, but it's not real.

Because we have no desks and chairs, When they have them and more, IT'S UNFAIR. I wrote this because of the whole Zambia project.

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My team - more than numbers Aimee We used to be three, Always had each others back, never left their side, Grew up together, Always played with each other, Didn't want to leave, Gone to secondary, Number 1 was left behind, But we still see her, Then became a six, But don't forget number One, We are a seven, We still are a three, We still talk to each other, And never forget, That in primary school, We never left each other, The three that we are, We can’t be apart, We always had each other, We’re friends forever, We never left the three, We will always have each other, The three that we are.

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Action for Youth Imogene Price What is action 4 Youth ? Action 4 Youth is an ambitious charity focused on trying to make us a better person and make us have more skills for later life and to help us succeed. I believe it is impactful and they secure the best outcome for young people like me.

Action 4 Youth quote - ‘Everything we do engages the rising generation for our community to work together in helping not only yourself but each other.’

What do we do in action for 4 Youths ? We do lots of experiences like learn about mental health, how to put a bandage on and go on visits to different places like a calming garden and help them make a path so different people with pushchairs,wheelchairs can do more things outdoors.

Tracy Palmer is our leader - the leader of ‘Tracy’s Tribe’ - “Trace is a wonderful woman”. She is a part of Action 4 Youth and she plans all our experiences and our trips for us and is always there on a Monday when we need to talk to her or ask her for something you need. She is a helpful person and I am thankful she is trying to make us better.

What you could do if you want to help Action 4 Youth …You can donate money to help them improve their lives by creating opportunities for young people to discover their own strength and potential.

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Letter to My Younger Self Sparsha Pankanti, Lucy Celine, Max Lacey Dear 8year old me, These are the things that I would like you to know This is your last year in your house. We moved to Aylesbury in 2018 where I made lots of new friends and I went to a school called Wingrave.Wingrave was where I made a lot of friends. also when Covid-19 started.After my younger years with all the memories of Wingrave I went to a secondary school called Cottesloe that I enjoy very much; learning at the school with nice teachers and lovely people.I made lots of friends that are very kind and help me when i need it. Aswell, I am still in touch with all of my friends from primary school that I grew up with when I was in year 5 and year 6.

I hope year 3 is treating you well and you’re not finding all the work too hard. I want to let you know that life will have its ups and downs, however you are so unbelievably strong and you will get over some tricky obstacles in life but I can assure you that you will be okay and the good news is that your eczema is finally clearing up after 13 years! Also don’t rush things with people or force friendships, I can assure you that you will get closer to people in the upcoming years. A little insight into your first year of secondary school; it will be incredibly tough and you will have random flare-ups at school, but there are people who you can trust and will help you. So far year 8 has been a bit of a roller coaster at times but I have met my best friends who I will hopefully stay with for the rest of my life. They are funny, caring, they understand you and they’ll stick up for you whenever. And after many many years, you get some newer and kinder neighbours! However I do have some things to warn you about; in a few years you will lose Bailey, but he left in a peaceful way so please take as much photos with him as you can. You don’t realise how much you miss someone until you know you’ll never be able to see them again; and I’m very sorry to tell you this but you will also lose Uncle Michael and also Grandad Frank so again please try to talk to your family as much as possible and make as many memories with them as you can. Something major I will tell you about is that midway through year 6, a world wide virus will enter the UK called Coronavirus (Covid-19) and everyone will enter a lockdown on the 23rd of March 2020 and they say it will only be for two weeks but it will last until August and you will contract Covid-19 on 13/14 of December 2020 and so will Emily; luckily you will be out in time for Christmas Eve which is lucky.

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Continued …

Dear Max, to my younger self I am warning you of what’s to come and what you should do to improve on …

Covid This is a virus that took 2 years of my life it was so awful that I had to step most of my school year in side everyone was getting it was awful. anyway when we were in lockdown the best thing I would do was go and walk in the fields with my day in the summer we would take are dog down and I would lose where is was in the nature nothing else mattered to me so what i am saying is to you is done;t stay inside explore into the wilderness and that’s the same as school step into the deep end and put your hand up do things you haven’t done before.

What you need to improve on is to try harder at school and do your homework before you go on your playstation because your mother gets very angry so what you need to do is get good grades and a good job so then you can spend as much time as you want on anything you want.

Homophobia Caitlin Potter The world is a homophobic place and we need to fix it It doesn’t matter what people look at, it doesn’t matter what people like. I am from the lgbtq community and yeah I have a girlfriend but still if you want to say something mean,rude,insulting and offensive don’t say that at all because you might not realise you are hurting someone.

Please be yourself; no one can change who you are.

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Petty Irritations - Bhav Patel One of my biggest irritations is the fact that all my friends support Spurs and it really bugs me because they say Man U. are rubbish; but Spurs have been a really rubbish club since 2017! Another thing about being friends with Spurs fans is when they beat City they think they have won the League when they’re still 12th. So, at the end of the day, I will always remember that Spurs lost to Manchester United!

The Most Annoying Thing About Parents !

(This is all a joke. I love my parents very much!)

Ok so, I’m an average thirteen year old right. And you know, my life is pretty great and all. I’m happy, I have friends, but there’s always this one bother… PARENTS! I mean don’t take this the wrong way, they’re excellent. They feed you, they clean for you and when you were little had to change your….. well yeah you know. But…. and this is a big BUT they do these things that are just… eh.

Like when they shout up the stairs and say, “USELESS CHILD OF MINE!” (well they don’t say that but it’s a pretty accurate reserve for my name) and you reply with, “YES!” or, “WHAT!”.....

And you wait for a response… You wait…

So you shout again, “MUM (or dad) WHAT DO YOU WANT!” Still silence… and then you hear, “Oh, it’s nothing, don’t worry.”

What! I mean why bother shouting up the stairs if it was NOTHING!!!

OH! But there’s another thing. SO I love comfortable clothing, I mean who doesn’t, you can just sit down and not worry about “tucking your shirt in” or creasing your best shirt. I think I would probably die without my comfy clothing. But anyway, back to the point… My family and I go on dog walks together at the weekend and I’m wearing my biggest and most comfortable hoodies. THEN… Out of nowhere my dad yanks my hood down and says, “It’s sunny out why are you wearing a hood?”.

Why am I wearing a hood… WHY AM I WEARING A HOOD???

Ok so my old man just asked me why I’m wearing a hood…

So… 1. There is a slight chill in the wind and whenever the sun goes behind the clouds it’s Cold.

2. I’m a vampire (according to my parents) 3. I’m hiding my WEEKEND BED HAIR! In the morning (weekends only) I can’t be bothered to brush my hair and I don’t want THE WHOLE VILLAGE to know my hair is a mess, But then my dad has the nerve to say, “Your hair is beautiful”...........

WHAT….. Seriously, parents are annoying.

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Don’t lock yourself away!

Evie Irving Don’t Lock Yourself Away Wishing and willing I could go back, To a time and place where I don’t lack, Knowing and experiencing the life of freedom, Where no one judges you or creates a problem.

But it’s hard sometimes knowing what is wrong and right, Because sometimes inside it makes you fight.

Locking yourself away from everyone you know, You were such a different person so long ago.

And how can you keep on trying to be tough, When everything that you are going through is so rough.

And people don’t know it but they are putting you down, Lower and lower, squashing you to the ground.

So you try to reach up, pushing past all of the clouds, Have the sun streaming down bringing in the liberty it allows.

Running through the fields with the grass way up high, Not any more do you have a silent cry.

In my head I am screaming through all of the confusion, Thinking that all of this is just an illusion.

I feel like no one wants to understand me, Just, I wonder, how cruel can people be?

But don’t lock yourself away for so long, I know that it takes a while to be strong.

Yet know that there is always someone who understands you, Someone that is always there but you never even knew…

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HS2 Rowan Wright Everyone knows where I go Sometimes flying through the snow.

My wheels are made to hit the track The sound of my wheels turning back.

I know what I have done And that I have not won I understand what I did And that cannot be hidden.

Everyone knows where I will make my way Maybe even every day The mess I have made And that my boss must be obeyed

I know the damage that I cause I do not deserve a large applause They protest against me all the time But I still reach the end of the line

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Zambian Classroom Theo Tripos Zambia is in east Africa And Patson Daka has raised £3.38 million for schools Mountains are rare in Zambia Big schools will be built Including a good education And they will provide free food People will not starve at this school now Reading is important Overjoyed in the the classroom Joined in learning Education is key Classroom expectations Teachers helping

The Things I Care About Ella T I care about…

My family My friends My cats My prize possessions I don’t care about…

My garden How people see me How I act in front of people My emotions Because I'm always smiling on the inside 17

Basketball - my passion Finn Cluett

My Favourite Song Is:

Yebba’s Heartbreak

Lexi

How much better can I show my love for you Than say "I do, I do, I do"?

I do, I do, I do I do, I do, I do

You may not know right where you're going, but And all the times you wasn't chosen, well, I'll make it up to you

All of the feelings you're not showing It's the truth, swear to you And all that you are, I do

When your river's overflowing, mmm

I do, I do, I do, I do, I do My single line of stars in noon

Reflection of the very moon, I do Can I show my love for you?

I do, I do, I do

Show my love for you

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When I’m Older Millie Parker When I'm older, I could be an estate agent because I'll get lots of money and it's a good job to help people find a house they like. I think if I do well in school I can do this job because I will be very good and I can make people very happy. This will also get me good money because I may need it for my future etc.

You don't really need any qualifications to become one, but it's a good job and doesn't mean you sit behind a desk all day. You go out and meet people who want to buy new houses and you tour them around and it does require some meetings It would be enjoyable for me but also a good thing I can do to get money, keep my family going and do something I'm happy with and I'm passionate about. I could also help people by selling them good homes that they could live in and enjoy with their family.

I like looking at houses and I find it enjoyable to tour people around them and show them things. I enjoy this because I like to see how people make their houses unique from others, the style their house is in and how they did it.

My Personal Opinion Hayley Hikwa Today I witnessed a life changing moment, I was in class and I was thinking about life. Life is a one in a million opportunity. You only get to live once. You may have a life you love or even a life you hate.I guess you just ‘yolo’ it and I think that what happens is that I think money is a big part, as if you have money then you have a house, a nice life. That's my opinion. I am happy to have money in my life, I think that it's such a good opportunity.

But as many people do not have as much money as I do, at the end of the day everyone is the same no matter what you are and how rich you are.

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Football “Life is like a game of soccer. You need goals. If there are no goals in your life then you can't win”.

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Football inspiration Cooper Rettey

Jammie Cumming has inspired me to become a goalkeeper and to go harder into football and to try harder and to push myself to be better. He plays for the team I support. He inspires me to push myself to play for MK Dons.

At the moment I play for Mursley Utd at right back and I'm the back-up goalkeeper for the team.

Mursley Utd: Mursley Utd trains once a week on a Monday 06:30-07:30. Also we play our football matches on a Saturday. Mursley Utd are in Division 4, in 4th place in the table.

MK Dons Mk Dons are a team that play in the EFL: League 1. MKdons are currently in 3rd place with one win away from being second in the table. Their last game is tomorrow at 12:30am against Plymouth. And MKdons’s last game against Plymouth was a 1-1 draw.

Some of the best goalkeepers One of the best goalkeepers that probably is the best I know is probably Lev Yashin. He was born on the 22nd October 1929 and he also died on the 20th March 1990. Also, another is Kasper Schmeichel. He is a Danish professional footballer.

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Patson Daka Joshua Sapwell Patson Daka plays for Leicester City. Daka earns £65,000 a week and earns £3.38 million pounds over the year from just wages, and that's not even from bonuses!

He cost around £22 million pounds and he has joined Leicester City. His price since 2018 has increased by £21.5 million pounds. He is also ranked the number 1 Zambian footballer, and the 10th best Leicester player and also is 124th best player in the Premier League. He plays centre forward .

So far this season, in the Premier League, he has played 16 games and has scored 4 goals. Also Leicester have been doing well in the Conference League Cup, and are looking to beat a team called PSV in the quarter finals.

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I play for Stoke Hammond football team Charlie Head The

things I enjoy are my football team. I play for Stoke Hammond. We are having a successful season and are eager to achieve more.

My favourite place to go is the Silverstone circuit.I love to go there and just watch cars go around, it gets my adrenaline rushing and I dream of the opportunity to do this myself one day.

It's also a good thing for me to do with my family because my whole family enjoys motorsport.

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Football Horror Alexander Waters I went to a football match, for the under 13’s Stewkley team. The atmosphere in the crowd was great. I was nervous and the team was ready. The match starts… the tension was building and I WAS READY. I received the ball in the middle of the field and looked for a pass.

Someone came in and slid into my leg and I fell to the floor in pain.

I can hear sirens from the ambulance that is approaching the pitch, it must be a serious injury.

I passed out from the pain.

When I woke up in the hospital I saw doctors wearing blue scrubs.

They were X raying my leg - it turned out to be broken.

They put a cast on it and … or should it have been but …

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic Will Ireson Zlatan had a very difficult childhood. His parents divorced when he was 2 years old.

He lived in very poor conditions and lacked basic necessities.

But even though he had to endure all this he still managed to become a very successful football player and has scored over 570 career goals and still more to come.

He never gave up on his dream.

Zlatan started playing football when he was 6 years old when he was given a pair of football boots. He always had the dream of playing for his country. Despite being 40 years old he still plays football for Italian club AC Milan.

He has won 31 trophies in this life which shows that even if you don't have lots of money you can still do well in life and you should never give up on your hopes… whatever happens in your life.

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Real Madrid Daniel Cohen They may even be the greatest club ever, from legends like Raul, Di Stefano, Zinedine Zidane, Sergio Ramos, Roberto Carlos, Iker Casillas to Cristiano Ronaldo.

They are the club with the most Champions Leagues with a whopping 13 trophies.

They have also won 34 La Liga titles (Spanish League), 7 fifa club world cups, 4 European super cups, 19 Spanish Cups, 12 Spanish Super Cups, 18 regional championships and lots more.

My favourite player is Karim Benzema. He is the most dynamic player in the world right now and can do it all!

However, my favourite player of all time is Cristiano Ronaldo. He has scored 807 goals in his career and he has scored 400 goals in the space of just over 4 years.

Ronaldo is the all time top scoring player of football. He is 4th in all-time assists but only 5 behind Luis Suarez and 11 behind Thomas Muller. Messi is first with 363 assists.

Ronaldo is ‘Mr Champions League’ with 140 goals; more than anyone else.

Ronaldo has won 5 Ballon D'ors, which is the award for the best player in a year.

Real Madrid are in the quarter finals of the Champions league against Chelsea. I think they will win and go all the way to win the Champions League final for the 14th time.

They have a strong squad with Benzema, Vinicius, Toni Kroos and Ballon D'or winner Luka Modric and a very strong defence which will take them all the way.

Vamos Madrid!

26

Football Matthew Cristofoli

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My Favourite Place “Find your happy place and go there often.”

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My Favourite Place New York New York Taylor Clarke My favourite place is New York. I went there not long ago and it is the best place I have ever been. 8 Million people live there and it is known for its skyscrapers.

It is so different to the UK - there is traffic everywhere and loads of police plus lots of shops where you can buy shoes and clothes. The worst part about it was, when I went, it was snowing everywhere - but I’m going to go back soon and it should be hot!

They have different cars and taxis than the UK I normally go to New York, but I couldn't go this year because of Covid. I've got a lot of mates in New York that I’ve known for a long time as I've been there over 10 times.

They also have a lot of pools that you can swim in. They have a lot of tall buildings probably some of the biggest in the world! You can go on loads of boat rides that are cool.

You get to see all the dolphins and I’ve heard that there’s loads of sharks there.

If I had the chance I would probably live in New York because my favourite sport is Basketball ;they also eat a lot of cheesecake!

I like New York because it’s a fun city there’s a lot to do there - it’s mostly sunny unlike England but even when it’s snowing there’s still people having fun!

I hope I can go again soon……

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My Favourite Place Florida Apple Williams Florida is my favourite place to go as there is Disney and Hollywood Studios. In disney I love the food and the rides and in Hollywood Studios there is an amazing, beautiful hotel (the food was also good there as well!). I would recommend going to visit both places - the area is so pretty and the weather is amazing but can also be a problem as it can rain and make a storm!

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My Favourite Place Kaitlin Bowie

Aldeburgh is my world’s favourite place.

There’s a lovely rocky beach which you can see from the window. The sea is warm, depending on the time that we go. We decorate and sell rocks for the RNLI. We wake up early and head straight to the beach. We fly kites, we play games like rounders and cricket. Aldeburgh has some of the most amazing fish and chips and ice cream places ever. They sell ice cream with sweets and other cold and delicious treats, and there’s also milkshake places, clothes stores, gift shops and other incredible places. All by the sea.

There are many other places we go like the boating lake at Thorpeness and crabbing. It’s fun going to Thorpeness; there are rowing boats and the house in the clouds, which used to be an old a water tower made in 1923 that stored 50,000 gallons of water. Now it is five bedroom family house!

My Favourite Places and Precious Things Mason Taylor My favourite place, close by, is probably my house. I have made so many memories in that house/garden and I don’t want to ever forget them.

My favourite place, far away, is probably when i went to Spain. I stayed in a very nice place and I enjoyed the holiday so much.

My most precious thing: My most precious thing is probably my phone, and I know of people probably say this but I have a reason. I have lots of my memories on it and I can keep in contact with people I don’t normally see. I find it really important to keep in contact with my friends and my phone really helps with that.

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My Favourite Place - The Isle of Wight

Gracie Aris

Nice rooms Sorrel Gerrard Wright Room with a View My favourite thing is pretty rooms because I love the way they look and their simplicity.

I especially love ones with lots of plants and bright colours. The rooms have to have lots of candles so that they also smell nice. I like when I have just cleaned my room and I can finally see my floor. “It’s a wardrobe - not a floordrobe!”

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A Day in the Life of …

“It follows the classic pattern of plot development…but isn’t always quite so dramatic”

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A Morning In The Life Of Me Maggie Foley

I wake up. I didn’t get to sleep last night until 1:00am.

I’m tired.

I hate not being able to fall asleep easily.

I get up out of bed and open my blinds. My eyes are still adjusting to the light, as I walk to the bathroom and wash my face and dry it on a towel.

When I go back to my room, I check the time: 07:10am.

I brush my hair a couple of times, and look outside. The sky is bright with sunlight, with the birds chirping happily, giving me a warm fuzzy feeling inside; it’s a motivation for the day.

After getting changed into my uniform and clipping my tie on my collar, I go into the kitchen and get some butter on toast. I go back upstairs and brush my teeth. My lips are dry so I put some lip balm on. I also curl my eyelashes and run some mascara through them and clean up the mistakes around my eyes.

I check my timetable and see which books I need to get out for the school day.

I say goodbye to my dad and leave just on time at 07:45 am to catch my school bus. I’m waiting for a couple of minutes, so I put my airpods in and turn on my playlist.

When I get to school, I wait for Isabella’s bus to get here.

When it finally does, she waves at me so I walk over to her and …

34

“One of us is Neymar” Kinsey Guainiere & Finlay Young Finlay and Kinsey both play football for the same team in Division 1.

We have to wake up at 7 to get ready to get there at 7:30 and try to win.

At 12:00 we have lunch they provide us at the game Then at 1:30 we go home and play fifa and pack - “ NEYMAR!!!!!!!!” (only for 30 mins?!).

Then we go out for dinner with our mothers and get home and have a sleepover.

A netball day in the life of …

Olivia Humphreys It’s a normal Thursday, my alarm is set for 6:32am. As soon as I jump out of bed I head to my bathroom for a shower so I can wash my hair and face. By then it's about 7am and I get dressed which takes 15 minutes. Next I will dry my hair and either straighten it or curl it. Then I finish getting ready, have my breakfast and brush my teeth. I leave the house at about 7:58 am and get on the bus at about 8:03am. I then arrive at school.

When school is over it’s time for netball training at school. I play centre on the A team. When training is over I go home with Baylie or she comes home with me so we can get ready for the league netball match. I play centre for that team as well.

We always lose but on some rare occasions, we actually win!

Then I drive home, have a shower and go to sleep.

35

It Starts With Toast Izabella Tanswell and Freya Lewis It's a normal Friday, I wake up at 6am as usual. I head downstairs and make toast for my breakfast. After I eat I go back upstairs to get dressed, do my hair and makeup. When I'm ready I make my bed then go and brush my teeth. After brushing my teeth I go and make my lunch ready for school. I pack my bag, put on my shoes and coat then go to my friend’s so we can walk to the bus stop.

Once I arrive at school I have a form period first and then for the first period I have maths.

After maths is Food tech. Then it's finally break time. The 3rd period is English and the 4th is ethics. Then it's lunch; then to end the school day I have science.

I get the bus home.

When I get home I make coffee and get a snack. While eating and drinking I do my homework. For dinner I made yaki soba for me and my brother. I always have a shower before bed!

A Short Story About Me Sammy Benson I played a game of football we won and I scored. We played really well until their team started putting in really bad fouls and they were at the top of our league.

We scored a lucky goal towards the end of the game making it 3-2 to us and we won out of luck and a bit of skill.

36

An Average Morning Isabella Collingridge My alarm wakes me up from my heavy sleep.

The weekend has passed so quickly, I can’t believe it’s already Monday.

I get up from bed and open the blinds, my eyes squint as they adjust to the bright light.

I walk downstairs and make my breakfast. I suddenly realise how hungry I am as I pour my cereal. I sit down and eat, whilst I scroll through social media on my phone.

I go back into my room and start getting changed. I finish off by putting on my tie ad head to the bathroom. I wash my face and then moisturise, this always makes me feel so refreshed in the morning. I then go back to my room to put on a small amount of makeup for the day.

Finally, I have a small amount of time to relax before I have to pack my bag. I normally either watch TV or fo on my phone. After around 10 minutes, I get up to go and pack my bag. I take my timetable out of my pocket and look at what lessons I have today. I get those particular books and put them in my bag along with everything else.

It’s finally time to leave for school. I always really enjoy my walk to the bus stop in the morning, it makes me feel refreshed for the school day. I normally get to the bus stop early so I have to wait a little bit before the bus actually comes.

When it arrives I sit down and then get my earphones out to listen to music. I really enjoy listening to music, it’s really relaxing, especially first thing in the morning.

After around 20 minutes on the bus, I finally arrive at school. When I arrive, my friend, Aggie, is normally waiting for me since her bus arrives before mine does. I say hello and then we talk for a while before some more of my friends get off their bus. Around 30 minutes later, the bell goes off for school. We head into the building where our form room is and then the school day begins …

37

This Is A Day In The Life Of Me Josh Kingsmill

My alarm goes off.

I wake up, run downstairs to get some cereal then head back up to my room. I’m on my phone for a while, then get dressed. I finish getting ready, then leave the house to catch the bus. I usually get there as the bus is coming, but I make it! We spend around 20 minutes driving to school, we get off and I meet my friends. I then wait until the school doors open, then I walk in. Our form is upstairs so I go to the classroom, and we usually have an activity to do.

When our first lesson starts, I am usually tired. I get through the hour and go on into the second hour of lessons. When the second subject ends I feel very hungry.

Most days I have a snack then go on to my third and fourth lessons of the day.

Once over, lunch comes around. It is 40 minutes long. The last hour sometimes goes quite quickly. Then I get the bus home again. For the rest of the day I’ll either do my homework, go to see my friends at the park or I’ll just relax.

A Day In The Life Of …

Denny McKerrell I get up in the morning and I get dressed. I brush my teeth and have a coffee or a tea, the I leave the house to meet up with friends. We all go to the shop to get some snacks for school, then we get on the bus and go to school.

38

Day In The Life Daniel Parrot I wake up at 6:50am in the morning and get ready for school and have my breakfast. At 7:40 I leave for school and walk 2 minutes to the bus stop. Then I wait 5 minutes for the bs. Then the bus journey is 20 minutes.

When I arrive at school I wait 30 minutes with my friends ‘till school starts. Once school starts I have 5 lessons which are each 1 hour long and then an hour lunch break.

Then I go home and play PS5 and relax. Then I wait ‘til dinner. Once I have finished dinner I watch my iPad for a bit and then I go to bed.

A Day I The Life Of Mawgan Mawgan Russell First I wake up, then I get dressed. I have breakfast, then I go to school. I do all my work, then I go home and do my homework. I play games and then watch TV for an hour, then I go to bed … done!

My Day Jack Tovey I wake up and then I sit on my phone. Then I get up and I get dressed. I brush my teeth and then I eat.

I go to get the bus and then I go to school. I study lessons one to five and then …

I go home and do my “horsey” and then I eat. I go to bed, in my room, to play games and then I go to sleep.

39

Day In The Life George Flack First I wake up and have a shower. Then I will have breakfast. The it is off to school. I will go out for a bit and play rugby wit my mates. Then we will go to the shop. After that I’m pretty tired so I’ll just relax and play PS4. then I will go downstairs and watch television.

A Short Story About Me Johnny Kyriacou When I was very young I moved to Canada for four and a half years. I then moved back and went to my first primary school. It was called Saint Maries. I was there for two years and then moved schools again. This school was called Bierton. I was there for the rest of my primary.

Then I went to secondary school. This is called Cottesloe - that’s where I am now. I am in year 8, going in to year 9 very soon. I am very happy here and I am looking forward to what the future has to come with my family, friends and me.

Day In The Life Luke Hardie In the morning I get up and have some breakfast, normally some cereal (cornflakes) and then I get ready for school. Then I go on my Xbox for a bit and then I get in the car and come to school and I get some good education and I make some friends and I get food, hang out with my friends and then go back to lessons and go home. Then I get into the shower and then I go onto my Xbox.

40

A Day In My Life Kiera Van Danzig A day in my life is kind of chaotic. It is somewhat of a wild case that is unsolvable. It starts with the norm of waking up and opening my eyes, which we all know how that goes (not accordingly), other than I get up to the sound of all 3 of my brothers stomping around with no care in the world, Urg!!!! - the nerve of it !

I slowly, but surely, trudged my way into school, to see my best friend who brightens up my morning with our hand shake; it is our sort of thing, you know.

Day In Life Of Me Nicholas Lutonsky In the morning I wake up and eat something for breakfast. Then I get ready for school. I do school. Then I went home. I play games on my Xbox and stuff. I eat something.

Then I go to sleep.

41

My Day Mia Moore Early morning Every school morning, I wake up at 06:00. I always regret the time that I was sent to bed the night before. I slowly go downstairs because my brain isn’t functioning; sometimes I nearly fall down. I check on both my dogs: Holly and Molly. I let both of them outside so they can go to the toilet. I start making my breakfast and let them back in. Whilst I wait for my cereal to heat up in the microwave, I play with Molly since she is only a puppy.

When I have eaten my cereal, I go upstairs and wait about a decade for my sister to come out of the shower. I get in the shower then I get dressed. At 07:30 I get ready to leave and I Ieave at 07:40. The bus comes and then we travel to school; I occasionally listen to music, At school I have five lessons in a school day,. My first lesson starts at 09:00 and the day ends at 15:00. When I go home, it takes about 30 minutes.

At home I play with Molly, my puppy and my friends after school.

42

A Day In The Life Of Me Daria Stefanescu I wake up to the sound of my alarm clock and quickly stop it as it’s loudness still rings through my ears. I lazily get up and go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, have a shower and brush my hair. I then get ready for school and apply my makeup to my simple face.

I then catch the bus just as it’s leaving and hurriedly get on as it speedily drives away. I get to school just in time as the breeze of the cold air comforts me and prepares me for the day. After my first two lessons I have my scrumpdillicious snack at break and carry on with my school day.

I get home and usually have ice skating after so I get dressed and head to the ice skating rink.

A 13 Year Old Here In England - looking back to the ‘before times’.

Luca Stronach Corona Virus has mostly taken over our lives.

So here’s how my typical weekday goes.

Waking up at 07:30. Online class at 09:00, break at 11:10 for 20 minutes, so a meal with my best friend.

Class over at 12:50, studying ‘til 13:30, then lunch ‘til 14;00/14:15, then tennis class from 14:45 to 15;15, studies from 16:30 to 18:30, then recording and editing a YT video, then tea with parents. Then study with father from 19:00 to 21:00, then dinner, and sleep at 22:45.

To my younger self just try to live; live and don't die.

43

Oh no! Geography Madi Chapell I wake up, get up This is when it all starts Get changed, do my teeth I learnt from my mum Walk my dog, make pancakes Give him his breakfast Walk to school with friends I wait at the gate for Jess She takes forever We go to form I start my first lesson So far all is good My next lesson Not as exciting as first I’m starting to bore Next is break Can’t wait for it to start Next is a lesson I can’t wait…

Oh no!

It’s geography The worst one.

Why geography? … I know where I am

44

An Acrostic Day in my Life Honey Wilmott

A day in my life Depends on my mood Attitude Yes I am small I go to school Now I talk to people My friends make me laugh “You are mad!”

Like all who care about school I eat food Freya is cool Everything is awesome

Illustration by Harrison Edwards and Zander Collins

A Day in my Life Evie Parrot

This morning we woke up and we got out of bed after hours of ignoring our alarm.Then we got dressed and did our make up. We went to school on the bus and listened to music. After a long day of lessons we came back home on the bus, went on our phones for like 3 - 4 hours then had dinner and went to sleep.

45

An acrostic day Bella Youngs Driving by bus to get to school on time All my friends greet me after a long ride You would be happy too I head to first period Never Ending happiness spreading through the class The feeling of success drowns my mind, Hearts are dedicated, Everyone is focused.

Lunch refills my energy like a charger I eat my hot pasta with my friends Finally the stress has gone,as the bell rings Everyone racing to the best seat on their bus Oh, how happy I feel Friends laughing fills my ears Blasting through my headphones Every child's joy Laughter Laziness after a long day All to happen again tomorrow.

46

Making the most of every day Sienna Bounds Making the most of everyday Youth is in the heart of our school Delightful lessons Appreciation to all the teachers Yes to all the positiveness Adventurous school trips Secure and safe Admirable role models Care-free in school Opportunities The six Cs The healthy relationships Eager to learn Succeeding and achieving Library lessons Optimistic of our futures Everyday waking up to new starts Talent in our skills Understanding how our knowledge can be used Devoted to our work Everyday New weeks This is us

47

Life in a day Madison Mendola-Owen

48

Mondays James Gasson Mondays. No one in the world will ever like Mondays. It’s the day after the weekend and we have school and we just can’t be bothered. I wake up at the usual 7am on the dot, shower, have my breakfast, which is usually cereal, and then I leave for school. School isn’t that bad, but it isn’t what I want to be doing at 8:40 on a Monday morning. I usually meet up with my friends before going into my classroom, for form time. I don’t really do much in form time, we all don’t, because we are all tired, it’s a Monday Morning. Next, we go to our first lesson, Maths. I’m good at maths, but not on a Monday morning. My brain decides to wander off into another world where it’s not a Monday morning.

Before I know it, maths is over and now it’s time for lesson 2, science. Science is one of my bad subjects, but just like maths, I’m half asleep, because no one in the world likes Mondays, and they tend to fall asleep too. We have a 20 minute break in which me and my mates like to just hang around in the canteen and just talk about how tired we all are. Next is English and then German, they both fly by very fast. But although it's now time for lunch, it still feels like I’ve just woken up. I have a sandwich and crisps, and share the rest with the others. Mondays make me feel so tired that I don’t have an appetite. Last lesson of the day, it’s games, so it’s pretty fun. We played badminton and obviously I destroyed everyone else, now I seem to be less tired, but that doesn’t change my Monday opinion.

As soon as school is done, I run home so I can watch some TV with a Fanta by my side, and then eventually, I fall asleep, and then it becomes Tuesday, a day that will always be better than Monday.

Just keep trying

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Stories and Poems “Poetry is the one place where people can speak their mind. It is the outlet for people to say in public what is usually only known in private.”

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A May Day Charlotte Handsley I woke up on the burning concrete, I could feel the heat surrounding me. I didn’t have much time, and I had to use it wisely.

The concrete went on for miles, and the skin on my feet was burning. I had no shoes, no water, no guidance, just the sun and me. It seemed that there was no night on this planet.

I took my scarf off and ripped it in half, I then tied the pieces around the bottom of my feet.

Ok, you’re probably wondering how I got in the middle of a concrete desert by myself, so I’ll start from the beginning. Aka, my house on earth.

It all started on a normal morning in York, the birds were chirping, the sky was blue and there was no cloud in sight. I woke up with a stretch and a yawn and made myself some breakfast. I don’t really like mornings because I find it difficult to wake up, but that day was different, I had a job interview and I was ready. The job looked fun and the pay was alright so I signed up. Being a florist didn’t seem like a bad idea, I was wrong.

I decided to walk to the shop because I had spare time and it was a lovely morning. I went on a walk through the park as a shortcut, but that was the biggest mistake I could have ever made.

Someone grabbed me on the arm and dragged me down, I couldn’t move, my arms went stiff and then everything went black…

51

Badminton battle Alix Roddis I went to the badminton match, and I saw the opponents. They were huge. I was very worried that I was going to lose. I realised that I wasn’t ready for this.

First I play singles against one of their biggest players. 10 minutes later… the score is 19-0 to them. But suddenly I start to gain points until the score is 20-20, its match point. But by using my amazing skills I manage to get the dub. I can smell the sweat on my skin, and the warmth of the hall.

Now it’s time for doubles, I’m with my friend Garry, and we’re up against two ‘sweats’. They have got badminton rackets that cost over 50p. I am serving first, My racket tightly gripped in one hand. The opponent instantly smashes the shot back and we lose the point. They continue to gain points, and I and Garry am getting angry. But we started gaining points until the score is 20-20, unfortunately, they get the point and we lose the game.

The opponents say that we’re ‘dog water.’ It's goinging downhill from here, game after game we lose. In one game we even lose 21 - 0. This is tragic, the opponents start to taunt us.

This is the last game, I gain a bunch of points at the start, and I’m 15 points up. It’s now match point, the score is 20 - 0.

I win the game! It’s time to leave, I am happy with all the games I won but I am exhausted from playing badminton for 6 hours straight.

52

The Animal Kingdom Elliot Stirk One stormy night, Wesley Micenzy and his family were walking back from the shops and they heard gunshots from the direction they were walking so they decided to walk into the forbidden forest.

Now the thing about the forbidden forest was that if you went in there was a small chance you would not come out again. But they still went in and only one came out and that was Wesley. He was bitten by a radioactive wolf and became Fang and he swore to protect his city (Livetopia) from crime. It was hard to control his ‘wolfness’ but after a while he learned to control it and he found out that there were other people like him who been bitten by a radioactive animal : Owl(her name was the Hooter), Cat(her name was Furball) and finally a Wasp(his name was Wasp-Guy). Together they made the Animal Kingdom.

Their HQ was in Wesley’s basement but the base was in a top secret room with a passcode and the passcode was their birth year (they were all born in the same year.)

Wesley went to a school called Topia High where he didn’t have a lot of friends but he had a best friend called Peter Andrews (who was Wasp Guy). They watched out for each other.

The Animal Kingdoms’ greatest enemy was the Cackler. He tried to suck their powers from them again and again but one day one little change made the Cackler forget everything he ever knew…

53

How The Great Fire Of London Really Started!

Jack happens to be the best robber in town but also the clumsiest. He has the best robbery plans that he carefully, precisely, plans out. He sits in his office and plans his next robbery.

His next robbery plan is to steal the fresh bread from the sweet baker of Baker Street and he is going to d it tonight!

Jack puts on his stripy uniform and cheekily grins, carefully brushes back his sleek hair, and then gets in his van and drives off. He arrives at Baker Street and he slowly climbs out of his van. He gathers his kit and puts it in his backpack. He cuts out a circle in the glass door and pulls it out nd enters the bakery. He spots the bread with his small beady eyes. But he suddenly realises the bread is in a cage. A gigantic metal cage!

He places his foot on a chair nearby and pulls himself up to the shelf an grabs the cage.

Suddenly he feels air rushing past him and realises he is falling; falling fast. He felt himself falling millions of miles down, but it stops and he lands on the floor with a thump. Then he runs and trips up with the bread, and it rushes in the air and stop because it hits something.

Jack realises it’s in the fire, so he rushes out of the bakery, the flames leaping up at his ankles.

Trying to find the air that he needed. He stopped ad looked around and saw the people fleeing their homes. This i the only time in his life that he had regretted a robbery.

After all the fire and stuff and all the house ere rebuilt he turned himself into the police and was in prison for the rest of his life, he thought this was awful. But he also felt bd for all the people he killed nd all the home he destroyed.

This story is the real story of how the fire of London started.

54

Where the sea and the sky meet Dom Curtis Where the sea and the sky meet I always liked the sea, the sky and our house A place where we could experience joy, happiness and completeness.

I liked it ever so much, It always added that small touch of perfection, To a life that had too much imperfection, And I always liked the sea, the sky and our house, Because it always made my life complete.

55

Our Earth is dying Sophie Dunn We’re destroying the earth, And ‘that's well fun’ And no one will believe us As we are young

The trees wail, As they creak to the ground, We look for the forests, But none can be found,

The earth suffocates, At the blanket of pollution, The hands of humans, Reaching through their evolution,

The trees, they are falling, But with no one to hear, Can we be certain, That they are not now here

The Earth is flaming Just ask Australia, California Their houses in rubble We say ‘We’ll just ignore ya’

We’re killing the earth, And it's all our fault We are the only ones to blame We want only the sugar, never the salt

We’re killing the Earth, But at our own loss, All production continues, But at what cost?

56

The Moment Sadie White Each moment brings sweetness We live them and breath them And the most precious We wish to remember forever My wild epiphanies My secret recollection Of times I felt something More divine than the heavens The moment is different for some A different time, different place Sometimes memories are stronger Some slowly evanesce forever Bur through it all Through the wars in our minds We find time for tranquillity We find time to reminisce in … The moment

Sarah Linda Jones Sarah, Sarah the sun still glows Down on your leaves that will never grow Your life as short as you once were We tried to water you but we didn’t succeed In keeping you growing, to be tall and fair You dried up into the darkness and fell apart Oh my dwarf sunflower, how sad that we part The vibrant yellow that projects you Is the representation of the summer’s day you longed for 57

A war has begun Jack Able A war has begun. The soldiers marched down to their place and started getting prepared.

The weapons got sent over by the leaders, ready to fight.

They had to get mentally prepared then got into position. They all faced each other from the other side of the battlefield. Eye to eye all in full concentration. Weapons in hand, all blending into the surrounding.

The first shot goes off.

They missed.

More shots fired over and over again. It was louder than a rocket, more scary than your mum when she’s angry at you, and even more dangerous than skydiving without parachute! People injured who have to keep on going and fighting for their team. So many people were out until there were just two of them left; one on each side.

It went silent.

They both aimed their guns.

PEW! And there was just one left.

Little Timmy, “Yay, we win!”.

The Nerf gun war was over.

58

The Sea Grace Rutherford The sun rises I’m alive gain The gentle breeze slowly passes on the sand I feel free My clear waters Glimmer as the sun comes up The colourful fish swim around Taking in the time alone Then the crowd gathers …

The sun is getting hotter More people appear Jumping and splashing in my waters I try to keep my anger locked away When will I be free?

Rubbish is left That I cannot control Plastic bottles cluttered My sea life in danger When will this nightmare end?

Then the evening approaches I can breath once again I’m free from the cycle And the pain I suffer I try to forget This is my life, everyday The sunset is beautiful It’s my favourite time of the day The sea life scutters away I’m calm once again I gently float alone on the sand The silence is mesmerising Now I have to repeat

59

The Story About A Magical Dragon Sefton Nelson There was a boy named James Lacomus and he wanted to go on an adventure to somewhere magical. So he went to this wizard who gave him a very magical wand and when he says ‘Hocus pocus’ he turns invisible which will really help when coming up against magical beasts.

On his way to the mythical Draco, who was in the city of Eborcum Novum, he came across as village that was under attack by an ogre that was 9.5ft tall. The ogre was called Orcus, he held a mace; everyone was running for their lives except James Locums who used his magic wand. He said “Hocus Pocus” and turned invisible but that was the only spell he had learnt. He started to panic. He thought this was the end for him. So he kept saying some random things and trying to get something to appear to help take him down. He said “Abracadabra”; nothing. He tried “Mumbo jumbo” and the monster instantly fell down.

The village was saved! But he fought so much he was too tired to fight again against what was most likely to be a monster harder to fight, so he had the day off to rest.

But the next day he kept travelling to get to Eboracum Novum. He comes across another wizard who taught him the spell ‘Abracadabra’ where it made a sword appear from nowhere. He was so excited to learn more spells from other wizards that he ran to another place but this time there was a monster but not just any monster, it was Draco.

He was breathing fire out of his nostrils. James tried using ‘Hocus pocus’ to get the dragon to fall down just like before but it wasn’t working, it was just as if the dragon had some kind of an ability like a magic shield that spells don't work on him. He tried using ‘Abracadabra’ to get his sword. He threw it at the dragon and it did nothing. He wasn't sure what to do and he was panicking, so he started to run. He made it out alive and he lived happily ever after.

60

The Battle of Fortis Joe Mallick Tom picked up the letter again, confused. Who had put it there? What did it mean? He had found it in his school locker this morning. It contained lines of jumbled letters and symbols. When the bell finally rang signalling th end of the day, Tom got on his bike and cycled home. He didn’t notice the man standing behind him. The man was around 6ft tall wearing a suit and tie, smiling; he disappeared into the shadows.

Later that evening, Tom thought he heard a sound at his window. As he crept up to the widow he felt a shiver down his spine. There was someone standing there. Staring at him. Tom opened the window and saw another envelope. After looking around he picked it up and went back inside. The figure he had seen moments before had vanished.

Similar to the other letter, this one had mysterious symbols but in the middle of the page was a note.

“Hello Tom, we have been watching you for a long time and have been monitoring your every move.

As soon as we saw you we knew you were the one.

I think it would be best if you come with us.

Meet ast the car park outside your school tomorrow”.

The next day Tom knew what he had to do but was still unsure. Was this a good idea?

Who even are these people? He checked his watch. It was time. ”Tom”. He felt someone touch his shoulder. “Follow me”. The man towered over Tom. He must have been at least 6 ft tall and was wearing a suite and tie.

“Uh - uh hello?”, Tom stuttered. He wasn't sure what to say.

“You have been chosen to battle Fortis”. The man got straight to the point.

Tom said quietly, “I’m sorry, who?”. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't even know who Fortis was.

“Fortis is a magical beast”, the man explained.

“But magic isn't real, is it? That’s what I’ve always been told”.

“Of course it’s real, Tom”. The man shouted. “Nothing is impossible. Now just hold my arm”. One minute they were both standing in the school cr park, the next they were in a cave. The man whispered, “This is the cave where Fortis …”

“Hang on a minute. You can’t just take me here! How did you do that?” Tom exclaimed as the man disappeared into the darkness of the cave. A deafening roar penetrated the silence.

He had no choice.

61

Wizards And Cows Isaac Couper Today I went to England and I saw wizards who were fighting cows. Then the cows turned into 8 ft tall robots, who had machine guns, and were fighting back. The wizards turned into dragons and killed the robo cows.

The wizard gang went back to camp and cooked up some food. They went to the dungeon of sheep and were on a mission to take down the Sheep Lord because he held the most powerful wand known to man. They struck the sheep Lord with a lightning bolt but the missed and then the sheep Lord zapped the wizards, wiping them from existence.

There was a ceremony where they all were granted golden medals for their work.

“I smell sheep and cows and I hear wizard cries.”

The Simile Dog Megan Dowling I am as miniscule as an ant and immense as an elephant I can run as fast a cheetah and as slow as a sloth I am as excited as a monkey and as tired as a koala I eat your shoes and tear up your sofa Everyone of us is so unique and different I am a dog

62

Sunsets Baylie Olney As the sun goes to sleep The sea sparkles in the light The world goes quiet, not a peep Here comes the most beautiful sight A blood like red A tan like orange A butter like yellow A cotton like pink

I wish I could freeze the picture As the sky becomes a gorgeous painting The mix of dozens of colours Making the horizon a paint pallet 63

Seth - The God of mischief Aidan White Seth, the Egyptian god of mischief, who was only 13, was banished from the deserts and sent away to the one prison that could hold a god, the ‘underworld’. Seth’s father’s friend, Osiris, kept him in the underworld however he still let him have his fun by letting him prank people in the underworld. One day, Seth took it a bit too far, he pranked Osiris himself. He got away with it but Seth had too much fun with it and pranked Osiris everyday and Osiris got sick of it so he sent Seth back to the ‘over world’.

Everyone was sick of Seth in the under and over world so he went away and travelle far into the desert known as the ‘no man’s land’. On his travels he met a strange man called Thereptree and the wise man asked Seth, “What is a god like you doing out here”.

Seth replied, “Well, everyone hates me because I keep on annoying people”. Therptree asked why Seth would prank people and Seth claimed that no one would listen to him but he wanted attention and he realised that the only way he could get that was by annoying and pranking people. But now it had backfired and he was getting too much attention, but not the good type of attention! A few hours later, after the conversation, Seth reflected that he didn't always need to be the centre of attention and Seth felt like a pyramid of bricks had been lifted off his chest. ************************************************* This is how it feels to be a teenager. There are 5 layers of pyramid for a teenger: The top of a pyramid is you.

The second layer of a pyramid is school and home; It’s the two places you spend the most time at. Then the third is family, friends and teachers. The fourth is where it gets to the point where no one sees this and it’s depression, anxiety, bullying, loneliness. Finally the fifth is the things that have to support all of this but what shorts it is - you to you.

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Verba: My Story Without Words Daisy Walls Words. Hey were something I took for granted before the Word Counters came along.

I remember the days, back months go, when I would say “Hello” to everyone I came across but now a smile is all I can muster some days.

Another year of torment passed I called “Goodbye” to my friends leaving the classroom after the bell hindered my thoughts. A light gleamed in my perineal vision, Seven Words Left, shone explicitly. I vowed I would never find out what happened after they apprehended you … what if it can’t be helped?

My teacher surpassed the limit and that’s when they came. They apprehended her, they laughed while she struggled and no one showed anguish.

I began the trek home still pondering. What exactly happens? Who are they?

Unaware of the three inconspicuous silhouettes behind me, I felt a rough hand seize my arm. I flinch away, the skin where the Word Counter had been inserted, just weeks prior, still tender to touch. They pulled me to the ground, I looked up at the hooded figures before me.

“Give us everything!”, a deep voice spoke from the shortest member standing on the right.

Sixty-Five Words Left showcased across his wrist.

“No”. The grip on my arm grew stronger. I spotted the irrefutable Six Words Left.

“Excuse me? What did you just say?” The woman poised on the left asked, her wrist I could not see.

“I said no”, ‘WARNING: Three Words Left’ “What are young….”

And just like that, they appeared out of nowhere.

Unlike my teacher, I didn't return. No one dared search.

Schoolgirl, thirteen declared missing, read the newspapers

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Haikus Matthew Edmonson Russia advances Ukraine going to fight war Ukraine Fights Russia

Inequality Global rights differences For beliefs skin tone

Max Clarke Haiku 1 Donate donate People would like education Donate donate

Learning skills for life School knowledge will pass the test Friend and foes mde there

Chemistry changes Biology creates life Physics creates worlds

Haiku 2 Education please People would like education So donate donate Haiku 3 Education now Zambia education Donate for more people

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The Adventure of the Magic Knight

Campbell Churchward On a cold and rainy night in the city of Seren a young and noble warrior was born, his mother was proud but his father was out at war against the wizards after many years of constant battle. The king comes back from war with little to no warriors that he left with, the king came to the families cottage in the forest outside of the main city they heard the bad news that his father has passed, this was hard for Leo and his mother Amare.Thirteen years go past and Leo has started his warrior training following in his fat hers footsteps, he doesn't want to let the family name down since they have been by the king's side for generations. After a long day of work at training it was clear that Leo worked the hardest and was destined to be a hero, he worked so hard for many years and the king asked him to meet at his castle instead of going to his next lesson. He walked to the castle with his mother, they got to the gates and was greeted by King Domanari who was excited to see them and get started with some real training.

“Leo, what is your last name?” King Domanari asked. “Ecclesia, king.” Leo answered very nervously. “I thought so.” The king exclaimed. “What do you mean, ‘I Thought so? “Well child you are one of the best warriors that I have seen, just like your father.” The king answered.” never got to meet him, he was never there for me, all I had was my mother, all I have is my mother! I have always wanted to be like him, my mother is the best. She puts in double the effort to make up for being a single mother and she wants the best for me.” Leo said with passion. “Well child I am sorry to hear but should we get started with this training.” The king said not caring about what Leo said. “Yes, my king” Leo spends years of his life doing the same thing over and over :Wake up and get changed; Go to the castle; Train with the king until very late; come home and go to bed repeatedly. Amare becomes worried for Leo and feels like she has failed as a mother seeing as she only gets to spend a couple of hours with him but she remembers the deal that she made with him when he was born. “ I will let you do anything to follow your dreams and I will never get in the way of you and your dreams.”

Leo gets home from training on his 18th birthday and goes to bed but he hears his mother crying in her room, he wonders why and then goes over to her and comforts her after remembering that is is the day that he was born and his father passed, he spends the rest of the night helping her with everything: Cleaning the house; Her medication and helping her get in bed.

When they both go to bed Leo wonders whether he is doing the right thing being a warrior and if the king is using him to end all of the wizards. Leo woke up the next day early and looks through his mothers draws for her medication but instead finds his dad's diary he reads through it and finds a notice for him and starts reading, “ Hey son, you are probably reading this and hate me for not being there for your life but you don’t understand the king is not who you think he is, he is power corrupt, he wants to kill all of the wizards and they aren’t at war like he says they are, the wizards are peaceful you must make a balance in this you are “The Chosen One” you don’t realise but you can master all of the elements of the magic and the king warrior. Please son do what is right, for Seren, your mother and I and the Universe.”

Leo has decided to leave the king’s side and after King Dominari hears this news he exiles Leo and his mother and they are in danger, they have nowhere to go and no food. After they realise the situation they are in they go searching for a home when a group of people take them in, they call themselves the 67 balance. These people were told the same thing as Leo and got exiled but were too scared. Leo told them that they are doing this thing tomorrow.

Backup Came …But It Was Too Late!

One night in London, an ordinary police officer, with black hair and dressed to inch perfection, was on patrol at 10pm outside the local bank. He didn’t realise that this was his last night of being live.

A local gang, formed by people in the local area of the West End, was looking to rob a bank. They had been planning this heist for about 250 days. They were so invested in the project that they took jobs at the bank. This group consisted of three people, all men. One of these man was called Luis Miller. He was 5ft 11” and he had a small scar down his left cheek, where he had been cut by a knife when he got in a fight when he was 21. Another of these men was Timothy Bank, he hd red, fiery hair and was 6th 2”, he had green eyes and he rode a motorcycle. The last man of the gang was called Ruben tigres. He came to London, from Portugal, when he was was five years old, when his dad got job in London.

All three had one thing in common and that was they were criminals. They met each other at the age of 19 and they had been robbing banks ever since. They had been very lucky since they hadn't ever been caught, until now.

The police officer saw these men acting suspiciously and he called for backup as he couldn't get all of them in one go. The backup came after five minutes but by then it was too late; they found the police officer in a pool of blood. He had been silently killed by Luis Miller.

The hunt was now on for whoever had committed this awful, devastating crime.

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The Beaches Megan and Issie Massie Sand covers the beach Waves crash al aroud my feet The sun on my face The beach is amazing The hot sand between your toes Salty water in my mouth Picnic on the sand Splashing in the water for hours Then you get ice-cream The beach is the place to be!

I walked along the beach The sand oft as clouds beneath my feet The beautiful sun shining down The water glistening and ripples in the wind As I walk across the edge of the water As it splashes against my legs It’s a feeling I wish I could have forever The feeling of comfort and love Being able to relax and be free from the world The stress of the world falls away As the breeze blows through my hair And the smell of the sea water is almost refreshing I lay in the sand.

The sun begins to set.

The sky is so beautiful, it’s like a painting.

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A three way conversation Sophie Lovelock Carmen I’ve only been back at school for 4 days and more gossip is going round ‘I can’t believe he cheated’.‘I heard their breaking up’ It’s like the scandals get bigger everyday.

‘Hey whatcha doing?’

I look up from my flashing phone screen and meet Louis’ eyes .So do you wanna hang out after school today or what .’

I watch as he stuffs his face with another chocolate sprinkled donut. ‘ I’m busy.’ I reply On an average day I wouldn’t be so blunt but I am actually busy today and if he asks I’m not going to tell him why . Louis shrugs and brushes the doughnut crumbs from around his mouth . ‘ Okay but don’t tell me I didn’t ask.’ when he turns away I roll my eyes. Why does he have to be like that?

‘What’s up with you anyway?’

Uh, I was hoping to avoid this.

Was it Mr Cohen’s test ? Because I heard that was pretty hard, was it? …’

I try to avoid his questioning gaze and start walking away, but his questions keep coming and each time I reply with a blank ‘no’ They don’t stop until we get to the canteen. We both go silent.

Matt For the first time in Greenville history everyone was silent . I mean, don’t get me wrong, silence is nice, but this was weird - silence. I glanced over at Abby , this is the first time I’d seen her since summer .

‘Matt’ and just like that I was snapped back into reality .

I looked over ‘What luca?’ ‘ How do you think he’s gonna react to this? Did you tell anyone ?’

‘No, of course not.’

At least I think I didn’t.

Canteen tv : “A local girl has died aged 14 , Kristen Hudson was reported missing on Sunday.

Her body has been found in a local quarry by Paul Hastings, her father . Our thoughts go out to her parents and relatives. Our newest suspect is Isla Hastings, one of her close friends . If you know anything please contact the police”.

Abby Wow, I mean I knew Kristin, she was my neighbour for a couple of years . There is something suspicious about this, Isla couldn’t have done it. She is one of the nicest people I know . lt doesn’t make sense. I was deep in thought when I heard something from behind .

‘How do you think he’s gonna react to this..? Did yo-’ Well I know what I need to find out now. Why is Luca talking to Max ? Who is he and is the supposed accident actually

murder ?

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Art “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

Pablo Picasso

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Feeling the colour Freya Dannan

The artwork really brings out my feelings and I enjoy the colours; they bring peace when I'm stressed. Art makes me feel something when I'm sad. The purple and blue remind me of the summer. The pink,blue,green and orange makes me feel happy. I like the way the art glows… .

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A Zambian Baby Hippo Ella Gill-Moore

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Girl on a log … thinking?

Livy Donachie

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Pangolin Freya D.

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An upside down world Oliver Canagucan

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Pop art - is this me?

Violet Fraser

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Pixel Pics Ben Campbell

Two sided Justin Keildson

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Anxiety overload, just one tear.

Jasmin Denman

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Positivity Amelie Clark

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Mountains Erin McGuire

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Pets,Parents, Teachers,Nature “We never know the love of a parent until we become parents ourselves; teachers? Well, that’s not quite the same thing …”

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It’s good to be bold Savannah Powell A mammoth of beauty, a mammoth of spots, Not one the same, unique as a plot, A tongue that’s dark as charcoal black, Who runs so free and won’t spot in their track.

As tall as a ladder that stands out from the crowd, Not a care for what people think all day in a cloud, Fur that’s as fine as a handful of threads, And when the moon starts to loom it silently treads.

They live a life of standing their own, Standing up tall to show how much they’ve grown, They love who they are and every different feature, And the uniqueness they show, they really are the bold creature!

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Shoebill Ruby Rogers

This is a very inspiring and remarkable animal that I instantly loved when I was learning about Zambia.

This bird inherits its name from its enormous shoe-shaped bill.They evolved from dinosaurs hundreds of millions of years ago.As many birds evolved and adapted,so did their teeth tipped snouts which turned into beaks.

Sadly the population of these animals is decreasing.‘The International Union for the Conservation of Nature’ estimates that there are only between 3,300 and 5,300 adult shoebills left.They are sustained on a healthy diet of small and aquatic prey such as lungfish,bichirs,tilapia and water snakes.

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Zambian Mole Rat Taylor Keane Lifespan: on average 14 years Size: 9-12 cm Diet: they write lots of underground plants like Weight: 77-93g Speed: 3mph Fun facts: Zambian mole-rats dig out highly branched, horizontal burrow systems that can be up to 3 km long.

Are they dangerous?

Like any mammal, moles have the potential to bite; but they rarely, if ever, bite people. They seldom come up to the surface of the ground and therefore rarely come into contact with people; moles are not considered to be a physical threat to humans.

Diseases: Moles are known carriers of rabies, which is typically transmitted to humans through the saliva of infected animals. While moles tend to be shy, they will bite if they feel confused, threatened, or when they're handled. However, people are more likely to contract a mole disease from the pests that live in their fur.

Could they help humans? They could be carrying the cure to cancer?

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It’s a frog’s life Faye Bleasdale Original to come

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Seagulls Bella Di Martino

Seagulls.

Whenever you go out and about they are always lurking; watching you from above.

Waiting to snatch your sandwiches and food out of your hands! You have to be very careful when you go to the beach because you never know if one is just going to swoop past and steal your meal!

These creatures don’t just appear at beaches, they also appear at schools. When you are peacefully eating on a bench or by a tree and you drop some food, out of nowhere you see a seagull materialise! One by one they all crowd around the bits of food and compete to see who gets a bit.

Things get really competitive when there is less food to be stolen. The sly snatchers become aggressive, loud, greedy and invasive. These seagulls are 100% bolshy and sassy. We see these birds everyday. There are so many trying to steal our food! If you ever find yourself eating next to a seagull… RUN!

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My friendly dog Will Farmer Hi, I have a dog and she is the most friendly dog in the world and she gives the best cuddles in the world!

She loves swimming in the sea with me and when she jumps in she has all fours but when she loses her tennis ball she gets sad and whimpers in sadness.

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The Zoo trip Ollie Longman-Blayney Dear Diary, Today the animals at the farm were barking at the start of sunrise, the cow was woofing, the pig was meowing and the farmer was Big Byron.

He was very big and tall. He picked the pig up with his foot. Then the mole man who lives underground offered us a bacon sandwich with hp brown sauce, it was delicious.

We went to the zoo to give away the fish to the polar bears, they were polite and said, “Thank you for the fishes”.

Now, I'm sad the fish are gone, I miss Boris the carp, he was a lad!.

At the zoo a fight broke out between the rival penguin gangs, the Dreadlord Divers and the Fish Fingers fighters. They had fishes for weapons and it was a very violent scene. The leader of Dreadlord Divers was in critical condition after being jumped when walking through the streets of ice.

Consequently, the leader's cousin, Slippers by name, was infuriated by these actions so he blew the home of Kwaskity up so the Dreadlord Divers won the war.

So from now on, peace will remain within the zoo.

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My parents just don’t understand me y u o b ay t sk ey s r a u th eve o y nd y n n a he ing the er. .3 W eth but nsw m e” n a o s l se a ou y i“ ’l you all 0 e c ey er 1 giv h t n 's

1.

Wh e xb n yo o u tel x/pla ’re o l y n yo you d stati you u t in on r o P ne an AU r’s d y SE rea ou AN dy r pa ON and ren LIN the ts Some things parents EG yt AM ell don’t understand by Anon E!

n n it he r di ore st to W o f 2. n f be y ju w s d e do ute rea t th n y e mi uall u s t o ac ke y ma le!! tab

I barely walk through the door and my parents straight away ask me if I have any homework.

My parents ask me to do a chore and, as I walk out of my room, they call at me to HURRY UP. I’Il say that I was just about to do it, then they say “Yeah you are always JUST ABOUT TO.” My friend asks me if I can come out and I say, “Yeah.”

Then they message you later saying that they can't come out, even though they were the ones that asked you.

When my parents come through a closed door to say good night and then they walk out, leaving the door open again?!

Sidney

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The Gorillas - We are the savage ones Evie Allen We kill them we hunt them; we truly are the savage beasts 98% of our DNA in them, the Silverback Gorilla, glorious and proud Ruined for trophies, meat and limbs, We are cannibals eating our own

Soon we’ll be alone because of our petty needs Deforestation, uncontrolled hunting We’re the real monsters, hiding behind our cloaks of cloth Hiding in our buildings that were once trees

They can't be themselves but they can truly be free If we take a chance and let them be Deforestation is happening, there is no escape Out in the open they are exposed

We can save the world we have to There is no planet B

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Nature Nathan Riley Nature is great.

Nature is very alive.

Nature is lovely.

Nature is very, Wonderful in every way And gives smiles too.

Dogs Charlotte Shuff They all start off as a little pup Rolling over for a belly rub, You can teach them tricks And they’ll give you licks Their tails wagging, making a breeze A sign to show they’re really pleased, They’ll roll in the puddles left by the rain But try to wash them and they’ll go insane!

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My dogs Amelie Murphy I have two dogs Kobe and Willow.

Kobe is a Red Fox Labrador and he is three in May and Willow is a Red Cockapoo and she is two in May. Kobe was my family’s first dog and we got him just before Covid happened. For a long time we wanted a dog but I never thought we would actually get one.

Last year in May Kobe was the father to two litters of puppies. They were so cute; my favourite puppy was Hunter because he looked the most like Kobe. Kobe’s puppies are now nearly one and they are so cute. Willow was our second dog and she is very different to Kobe. First she is a lot smaller and they have very different personalities. She is very loving and affectionate and also very protective of her family; especially my mum.

Both our dogs have brought so much happiness to our lives and I can’t imagine not having them.

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I want it to end!

They say we are valuable Our skin, meat and fur, They just keep taking, When will they stop?

53,000 of us, gone.

What did we do to deserve this?

Our population lowers, When will it stop?

Our habitat taken By an invisible prey.

We flee confused.

When will it end?

Our food disappeared Our habitat taken Our lives stolen I want it to end

Charlotte Audoire 94

The Cottesloe school - promoting education in the UK and Zambia.

Published by Future Pillars Zambia (FPZ) in July 2022 in collaboration with Cottesloe School, Wing, Hertfordshire, England. The views and ideas expressed are the contributor’s own and FPZ does not accept any responsibility for the content of the articles. Errors and omissions are purely accidental, and the editors apologise in advance.

Please enjoy the book in either ebook or hardback form and we ask that if you are in receipt of an ebook link or the hardcopy you have contributed to FPZ through either the school or FPZ directly on www.http://futurepillarszambia.org.uk/ ebook £5 / hardcopy £10 The school needs funding from FPZ in the UK to continue.

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