VAVA Beehive 2021-2022

The Beehive

Letter from the Beehive Staff

Dear VAVA students, families, and staff, Welcome to the inaugural edition of VAVA Middle School’s literary magazine, The Beehive! We want to thank the students who submitted their original work, we are thrilled to offer students a place where they can express themselves creatively. This is our first year in production and it’s been a delightful learning process for everyone involved; with staff and students working together to make something our school can be proud of.

We hope you enjoy this magazine as much as we did making it, and that you’ll join us for future editions!

The Beehive Staff, Abigail Bouse, Sophie Brander, Christian Castro, Dominic Max Foronda, Rida Hashmi, Savanna Legrand, Taryll Lungai, Makayla Mozingo, Werdah Virk, Mrs. Anna Blake, Ms. Christina Ferber, Mrs. Colleen Post, and Mrs. Shannon Robertson

2021-2022

The Beehive

CONTENTS

Bee Poem by Lexice Estep ……………………………....……..

Sunflower Bee by Abigail Bouse………………………..………

My Hero by Hope Skillings……………………………….………..

Untitled Illustration by Elisabeth Gibson………..………..…

My First Deer Hunt by Aydan Perrigan……..…...……………

Comic Strip by Evan Heden………………………..…………….

Fat Cat by Aydan Perrigan………………………..………….…..

Do You by Mary Curnutt……………………………..…….………

The Place of Wonders by Ahmed Baathallah..………..……

Godzilla by Ryan Yuvanavattana………………..…………..….

Columon by Tahlia Pigatt………………………..…………….….

Creation of the Moon by Kiana Porter……..………………….

Soki by Sofia Samaniego……………………..……………….….

Spring Offering by Dominic Max Foronda………..……….…

Untitled Illustration by Emilee Luchini…………..…………..

The World Prepares by Hope Skillings…………………..……

Floral Shop by Josselyn Angeles………………….………......

The Daffodil by Lily Ebrahimi……………………...……..…....

Human Nature by Muram Elnour…………………………...….

Untitled Illustration by Emilee Luchini………….……...……

I Thought It Was a Cat by Olivia Joyner…………..……...….

Dragonfly by Violet Skillings……………………………..…...…

Comic Strip by Evan Heden…………………………………...…

Untitled Painting by Terrance Huff Jr……………………..…

One Sided Love by Muram Elnour………………………..….…

Playground Spiral by Abigail Bouse…………………………...

Advancements in Technology by Angelina Garcia…….….

Breathless by Nayfe Youngblood…………………………..…..

Modern Drape Dress by Michaela Moye………………….……

Battle of the Mind by Daniel Gibson…………………….….….

Untitled Photo Tahlia Pigatt………………………………….….

Diversity by Terra Mosely…………………………………….…...

Untitled Photo by Laiba Adeel………………………………..…

Bee Poem

by Lexice Estep

They say I can't do it that I'll never reach the sky

They say my wings are too small, my body too paunch

They say I'm not fit to ever flutter and fly.

I see the birds

their wings, the figure of flight.

I see butterflies as well their bodies, light as a bird's feather, what a sight!

I know I am small

They think I can not achieve this feat but despite what they say and despite what I see my body will sail

because I am a bee.

Sunflower Bee by Abigail Bouse

My Hero

by Hope Skillings

My Hero always knows what to say when I am down. My Hero always knows how to make me smile.

My Hero always knows how to make me laugh.

My Hero protects me from the shadows. My Hero holds me in my own cold.

My Hero is always there for me. My Hero never leaves me.

My Hero knows me more than anyone else. My hero loves all of me, even the weird and quirky side.

That is what I call a hero. Now I must search for my hero.

Untitled by Elisabeth Gibson

My First Deer Hunt

by Aydan Perrigan

I will always vividly remember the day of my first deer hunt, and the adrenaline rush I had! It was the first day of deer season back in 2017. I woke up at the devilish hour of 5:30 a.m. It was one of those brisk autumn mornings with a chill that could penetrate your skin. I quickly grabbed and threw on my camouflaged clothing and boots.

After getting prepared for the day, I was growing very impatient waiting on my Great-Uncle Den to get out of bed.

“Oh he’s 71, so I’ll give the old fella some time,” I told myself. Then, I came up with a brilliant plan; I knew he couldn’t resist the strong aroma of freshly brewing coffee, eggs, and succulent bacon. So, what did I do – I went to work cooking!

Hallelujah! My uncle sleepily arose, ate breakfast, and got ready to go hunting. He went into the gun safe and surprised me by getting out one of my favorite rifles – his matte black .243 rifle.

“Wow, thanks Uncle!” I screeched. My uncle’s reply was simple -- just a smile. I couldn’t help but feel proud and honored to be handed his prize rifle for my first hunting trip. Uncle’s deep voice brought me back from my thoughts to reality.

“Hey bud, don’t you think we ought to scoot along? There will be plenty of time for daydreaming after the hunt!” he exclaimed.

“Oh yeah, let’s roll!” I said.

Once inside our favorite old Toyota Tacoma truck, my uncle fired it up. “Err, err, err,” it coughed. Then “barroom, baribbity, baribbity” followed, and off we went. After a short while, which felt like forever, we arrived at our favorite spot in the woods. We unloaded our gear and started hiking. There was a sweet aroma in the air and the ground was full of crispy leaves. You could feel excitement in the air.

“Hey Uncle, how long until ….” I said.

“Shhhhhh! You’ll spook the deer,” he quietly scorned.

I hung my head, rolled my eyes, and whispered, “Okay.”

After getting settled, I soon realized hunting took a lot of patience and endurance. You sit and wait without moving, eating, drinking or talking. Luckily, we were both pretty good at reading lips. Eventually, I heard some rustling in the bush, branches snapping, and dead leaves crackling on the ground, and knew it was a deer. The thought of it made my heart beat so hard and loud, that I thought it would scare the deer away!

Next, my uncle slowly handed me the rifle without a spoken word. He just gave me a nod that probably said here you go.

I was so nervous as I slowly and quietly raised the rifle, trying not to tremble. I aimed the rifle and BOOM! Oh my, the adrenaline rush that I felt! Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, but I was shaking and breathing hard like I had never experienced before. My heart was going thump, thump, thump.

I think I remember hearing the crashing noise of the deer hitting the ground, but in all the commotion, I was not sure.

My uncle yelled, “Great job, bud!”

Then time sped up to real time. I immediately jumped up into the air and yelled, “Yes! It was a great shot!” I was grinning from ear to ear, and so proud.

“Let’s go check it out,” said Uncle.

“Yes, let’s go!” I shouted.

We went galloping like horses through the woods until we finally arrived at my trophy deer. It was a huge doe. The most beautiful creature that I have ever seen. It was so heavy that it took both my uncle and I to vigorously drag it up the steep hill and load it into the back of the truck.

I was so excited about my first successful deer hunt that I couldn’t wait to get back home with it to show my family. I had to share the whole experience with them, and not leave out any details, this hunt was one of my proudest moments of my youth.

Comic Strip by Evan Heden

Illustration by Aydan Perrigan

Do You

by Mary Curnutt

Do you remember when you got me? I do.

Do you remember what you named me? I do.

Do you remember how I slept in your hair, snoring in your ear every night? I do.

Do you remember how I learned to go up boxes, made like steps, to get in your bed? I do.

Do you remember how each new puppy or kitten took you further away from me? I do.

Do you remember when I died, and you cried? I do.

Do you remember how you helped bury me, and put flowers on my grave? I do.

Do you ever think about me, and remember your first love? I do.

Even though I am gone, do not forget me. I have not forgotten you.

Remember

The Place of Wonders

by Ahmed Baathallah

School is a pool of knowledge and games push you to the incomprehensible edge Whoever takes knowledge takes life

And whoever takes games takes cyberspace Knowledge is the real-life race

But virtually we’re not face-to-face

Whoever goes to work takes his suitcase And whoever is gaming takes nothingness where nothing could be placed

Legacy of knowledge leaves a good impression behind But gaming is fiction that is dreamed of in the mind

Why don’t you run in the real life meadows

Instead of the fortnite misty meadows

Absorb the refreshing zephyr here

And experience a digital chaos there

Take care of knowledge it’ll praise you

Take care of virtuality it’ll erase you

Electronics are the real cells

But knowledge makes you learn about cells and their organelles

Your life should not be wasted

On playing and playing and playing, knowledge will erase this

Knowledge is the king of masses

Only one can go through it’s cases

Gaming is a straight line

And it doesn’t make you create powerful rhymes like mine

And they say learning is not a destination, it’s a journey

And I say games are not a journey, they’re a destination

Gaming leads to the betrayal of fate

While learning is the guidance to recreate

People say school is a tool of torture

While I say school is not a tool

School is the storage of the learning adventure

School can be the tool of mending

When it comes to the knowledge staircase ascending Other than that there’s no tool

That has or holds the name of school

It is not too late nor early

To make the right decision and your mind with knowledge, shall be sturdy.

by Ryan Yuvanavattana

Calumon by Tahlia Pigatt

Creation of the Moon

by Kiana Porter

About 4.6 billion years ago when the earth was big, still magma, and was starting to form crust and there was no moon. There was a life form on it which were “Lava Rock people” that had lived on the earth. The earth for the Lava Rock people is like the earth we have today but without any human-made stuff like a stove or a cardboard box. The time is 5 years before Theia hit the earth.

Hello, my name is Anaki, and I lived in Virginia America, well that’s what humans call the rocky hot ground which had lava underneath it. I once had a happy life when I was on Earth. I can't remember most memories before I was ten or even after I was ten, but I'll try to.

So just like everyone that turned ten, I had to get a job to help Earth, and I got assigned a job to build doors for houses.

“Today’s going to be a boring day,” I said glumly to myself.

I go to the boss’s office and he says, “Welcome to your first job Anaki. Our guide Kate will show you around the place and tell you how to make a door.”

Someone walks in and says, “Hello, I’m your guide, Kate; I'll show you around and tell you how to make a door, and if you have any questions you can ask me after the tour.”

During the tour with Kate I saw how to carefully pour the lava into the molds and how they make designs on the doors. I was so amazed at everything that I wasn’t paying attention to a big tank of lava that was in front of me.

“Look out!” Kate screamed. I stopped right before my head was about to hit the tank. “Ahh! That was close! You need to be careful around here,” Kate reminded me.

5 years passed; Kate and I became good friends, and I had a new job to make houses. After working on a house for the day I go to the new boss to tell her I'm done working for the day and when I got closer to the entrance to the office I could hear my name and laughs. I curiously went closer to the door, and I could hear someone say, “Aniki is too quick to trust people.”

I could recognize the voice; it was Kate! I opened the door, stood in the entrance and exclaimed, “How could you do this to me? I thought we were friends!” All of a sudden, I heard lots of frightened screams outside like people were panicking. I forgot about Kate, and we all rushed to the door. Outside people were running and crying in fear as if something horrible was about to happen. I turned my head to the left and saw it! A huge planet was heading toward us. It seemed to move slowly, yet it happened so fast!

SMASH! I felt a strange feeling in my body that I had never experienced, like I was floating. In fact, I WAS floating, in outer space. A couple of seconds went by and then I couldn’t breathe. Then I had another new feeling, a change in temperature. It was getting very cold. I shivered with my eyes shut tight. When they opened, I saw a great bright light. When my eyes adjusted, I experienced colors I’d never seen before. There were so many people, and there among them was Kate.

With tears in her eyes, Kate spoke to me. “I’m so sorry for how I treated you. The boss had convinced me that you were a bad person.”

“I forgive you. It was not your fault,” I replied. We hugged for a long time.

“Aniki, come here. I have something incredible to show you!” Kate said.

“Sure,” I said, as I wondered what it might be. Kate led me to this beautiful, colorful door. I recognized it at once, it was the first door I had ever made on the job when I was ten years old.

Now in the present time, in the year 2018 the world has evolved. And the pieces that had broken off Earth when Theia hit it long ago have formed into a new earth, and humans call it the moon.

Soki by Sofia Samaniego

Spring Offering

by Dominic Max Foronda

I offer this red apple pie, to the grand ol' man that lives in the sky, who saves us from the burning cold. Illuminate! with your rainin' gold…

The crunch of leaves, the birds sing as the light surrounds meembraces me! Holds me in its arms! A warm kind of feeling that comes from the sun after a long, lethargic, hard working winter… the petrichor wafts through the bright window as the smell of baked applesilluminated by the rays of godly hands…

I drive to the town, unbothered by snow, celestial rays have forced it to go. Children play in the streets as the clop-clop of my horse, the neighs of its jubilant personality tell us all that the cold is gone… "Come out, all ye folks!

For winter has perished, and the light has come back, if for only a day," the horse seems to say.

Look up at the sky, and bathe in the blue! And sing in the sun! And wish you were newCome down to the earth!! You got stuff to do!!

Bring pie to the kids, (and give them hugs too.)

And I think, this is all I want in my life…

I could not wish for any more than what I have and what I knowand all I know!

The trees, they smile, the birds, they sing! They sing a worn tune of forever spring. The leaves, they grow and say hello! But even they know that someday they’ll go.

I wish that spring could last forever, I wish that there was no more cold. But then again, it’s just the weather And it’ll go on ‘til I’ve turned to mold…

Is the Hard-Working All Powerful… peasant!

With the world on their shoulders!

Illuminated by the rays of gold, while the passive manis illuminated by naught. The sun, it comforts my calloused hands.

and yet, your time is not upYET! Everyone’s a poet but they don’t show it. They just never wanna blow it. They just wait and wait and wait until the cold winterswoops them up like a leafon a sad, windy day.

Illustration by Emilee Luchini

The World Prepares

by Hope Skillings

No! Happiness does not last forever. It never does. The winter will come again.

The world must prepare for it once again. Half the animals go to sleep as winter takes While the other half prepare themselves for the next long cold months. This preparing is also known as Fall.

Fall Cool, Calm Sleeping, Harvesting, Changing Falling, Leaves, Closeness, Scavenging Resting, Searching, Losing Doze, Eat Prepare

Floral Shop

By Josselyn Angeles

Dazzling and fun, Shadowed and shifty Decisions, decisions.

Red haired stands behind, Flowers brighten as she passes There’s so many different kinds.

Back to the counter

Red waves wash over, Faces and flowers, A rose.

The Daffodil by Lily Ebrahimi

Human Nature

by Muram Elnour

It's human nature to be selfish for example, climate change and wars, both big events that are caused by nothing but the selfishness of people, driven by greed.

So, you shouldn't feel bad

Untitled by Emilee Luchini

by Olivia Joyner

Dragonfly

by Violet Skillings

Dragonfly, oh dragonfly!

Wings of shimmering rainbows, Silhouettes of gold and silver, Shining in the evening sun, Dragonfly, oh dragonfly!

You hum to the cricket’s songs, You dance to the waves of the wind, You glide above the small streams with your magnificent wings! Dragonfly, oh dragonfly!

Night has come upon you, No longer can you see the evening sun, Say goodnight my dear dragonflies.

by Evan Heden

Painting by Terrance Huff Jr.

One Sided Love

by Muram Elnour

I finally realized Why the moon Still chases the Earth. It stays at a distance, Never daring to move closer But never quite moving on.

I suppose that you are the Earth And I am the moon But if you are this planet, Drifting out in space Then you look at her Like she is the sun.

Playground Spiral by

Abigail Bouse

Advancements in Technology

by Angelina Garcia

Have you ever realized that our generation's definition of "relaxing" means staring at a screen, numbing our brain with nonsense, and distracting ourselves from day-to-day life?

StudyFinds.org states, "researchers have calculated that people spend six hours and forty-three minutes per day, staring at a screen. Over a lifespan, that is 7,956 days." What about before technology? What was their definition of relaxing? I can guarantee it has nothing to do with staring at a blue screen.

In the 1800s, a typical day included work, school, and games. When children came home from school, they most likely enjoyed a game of chess or marbles. These games were not just for fun, but they served educational purposes too. Chess helped kids gain a strategic mind and taught them to think before doing. In the 1800s, there was no such thing as computer technology; as a matter of fact, light bulbs were just starting to become famous. In these times, the definition of relaxing was done by reading a book, taking a nap, having a conversation, or playing games. There were no phones back then, so the way of communication was either through letters or telegrams. Letters took about seven days and 16 hours minimum to arrive at their destination and sometimes longer depending on if the stagecoach could make it through the weather.

Now we are working our way up to the 1900s. The 1900s was the time of The Industrial Revolution, so all the people with money traveled by train and boat. Like in the 1800s, children played board games and entertained themselves with dolls and hide n' seek. The most common board games they played were chess and Monopoly. People still wrote letters and telegrams to each other, but they used typewriters and pens.

Even though the typewriter was invented in 1878, the typewriter business became very popular in the 1900s. The telephone was also designed in the 1900s by Alexander Graham Bell. Instead of today's mobile phones, Bell created a stationary phone that was functional through a turning dial. Even after its publication, only 1% of each household owned one. In 1950, the Digital Revolution began. Many people owned televisions, mobile and home phones, computers, and music players. In 1950 the term “relaxing” included drive-through movie theaters, listening to the radio, spending time with friends, and playing card games.

In present-day America, electronic devices have expanded a thousand times more than in 1950. Pewresearch.com says in 2011 about 35% of Americans had phones. Today in 2021, 97% of Americans own a smart, cell, or home phone. Technology has given us the ability to call and facetime the people we love from across the world. Yes, people still write letters to each other; it is just not that common anymore.

Not only have games changed, but the people have changed too. Instead of spending quality time as a family, many people prefer eating alone while watching TV or playing video games. Video games have affected many children in America. Sachscenter.com says that video games have increased heart rate, blood pressure, and obesity in children. Not only does gaming technology affect your health, but it is also known to negatively impact your grades in school. In 2021, the definition of relaxing is usually followed by using digital games, TV, iPads, kindles, reading, and sleeping.

The term relaxing has changed throughout the generations. Technology has expanded our knowledge about the world and has helped us see that anything is possible. Technology has also negatively affected us. Children and adults are too busy looking at their phones to realize what is going on in the world. Kids are getting distracted from school, and adults obsessively check their emails, not paying attention to their kids doing poorly in class. As you can see, it leads to a repetitive cycle.

Now ask yourself, has technology helped us for the better or for the worse?

Modern Drape Dress

by Michaela Moye

I love sewing clothes for dolls, especially for my friends. I like sewing as a side hobby. I really like creating my own patterns and sewing by hand. When I sewed this dress with a modern drape sleeve it was a little hard to create the drape sleeve because it had to stay even. The fabric I used was a floral cotton lycra from Joann’s.

I am so proud of myself for creating this beautiful drape dress.

Battle of the Mind

by Daniel Gibson

Channel Master was running, from what, he did not know. All he wanted was to be able to have one adventure where something wasn't trying to kill him. So far he hadn't gotten his wish. He kept up his fast pace for two miles, as far as he could tell.

"Why didn't I bring my gladiators here of all the god forbidden places." he thought aloud. He took them to the tavern, he took them to his father's estate, he even took them to his own home. “But now when I knew there would be some life-threatening da.” Until then he had to get provisions to last the next 12 hours judging by where the sun was in the sky. "Where's a good stream when you need one?" he wondered.

Slowly but surely he calmed his breathing and listened for the soft ripple of a water source. 1 hour gone, nothing. 2 hours the same. Finally, 3 hours later he heard a soft flow of a tiny brook, barely audible. He ran in that direction fueled by a thirst. When he reached the brook, about half a mile away, he drank until he couldn't drink anymore. Then he heard the monstrous roar that about made him spit up all the water he just drank, but instead of running this time he stood his ground. "I got it!", he said aloud seconds later wishing he hadn't. The monster ran straight at the young manager its face filled with rage. At the last possible second, he summoned a longsword and a small shield which the monster turned to splinters. "Now I…

Channel Master woke with a start. "It was all a dream," he said. "That was a dream to remember maybe I should write it down. Also, I should probably ask dad if that magic is possible, if it is, sign me up for that lesson!"

Just then his sister, Queen entered. He immediately stopped writing. "Why didn't you wake me up! I have to be at the arena in 30 minutes and it takes 40 to get there! Also, why are you still here? You should be there too!”

"Fine, you were right, he fell for it," she sighed sadly. As if on cue his and his sister's gladiators filed into the room, they were all saying something along the lines of, "Hahaha he did, he fell for it!"

Channel Master felt like a complete fool, he was so wrapped up in his awesome adventure dream he forgot that arena day was yesterday, and he had nothing to worry about.

"Well, you got me, good joke guys! Now if you don't mind I have a story to write so go on out!”

Diversity

by Terra Mosley

In the world today, it seems like no one respects others for who they are. When you go to school, you see kids picking on other kids. Possibly for what they look like, their beliefs, physical disabilities, their height, whether too short or too tall or perhaps even for their gender. When we’re walking down the street or go to a store, we may see the same thing happening now. Possibly, the same thing may be happening to you.

Do you ever visualize what would it be like to live in a world full of peace? Well, if you do, you're certainly not alone. If you would, close your eyes for a minute and imagine that very question. The world would be a better place, I think. I suppose you would think that too. Everyone would get along with one another. There would be no wars and no saying hateful words to each other that would bring us down. Nobody would be making fun of each other about anything. Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing to see? Yes, it would. But, wouldn't it be better if we could actually live in a world like that and not just imagine it?

Even though we don't see that kind of peace in the world today, we can still do our share in understanding diversity. If you don't know how to do your part, it's not hard. If you see someone who gets bullied about their looks or where they come from or something else why not give them a friendly smile or a wave hello every once in a while. You could talk to them regularly just so they feel welcome by someone. You may even find you have lots in common with that person. So next time before being a bully, think about understanding diversity. It doesn't matter where we come from or how we may look. We are all very different people with something that makes us all very alike. Therefore, we should respect people for who they really are.

Untitled by Laiba Adeel