Lit Mag

ARROW &

[RON JAYVEE DE LEON & ELI DE LOS SANTOS]

Notes Apologies &

NOTES: This gift is for you.

We’re not sure what it is. It has a lot of photography, hand-drawn art and creative writing in it, so it’s kind of a literary magazine. But it’s also a special edition of ARROW, the newspaper you read each month. Only ARROW isn’t really a newspaper. It’s a newsmagazine.

Anyway.

Enjoy the gift. We worked hard to make it for you.

APOLOGIES: I’m sorry you never got to see all the colors of the rainbow.

I’m sorry if the rain washed away your sidewalk art.

I’m sorry that gossip consumed you last night.

I’m sorry you think singing along to the radio is chessy.

I’m sorry if you never saw Disney movies when you were a kid.

NOTES: Most of the pieces here were composed by students at Renton High School, compiled and collected during first semester, 2009-2010. Some of the pieces here are included in their entirety, and some of the pieces are excerpted.

We hope you enjoy the diversity of responses.

APOLOGIES: I’m sorry that when the teacher talks, your mind walks away and your head hits the desk.

I’m sorry that books are more fancinating to me than the latest reality T.V. show.

I’m sorry that the Shamrock Shake is only at McDonald’s for a short time.

I’m sorry that Conan O’Brien no longer hosts the Tonight Show.

I’m sorry we don’t act as cheerleaders when you need us the most.

I’m sorry if the furthest you have ever been from home is the mall.

I’m sorry if after seeing all of this small print, you never bother to read it.

NOTES: This once-in-this-moment issue of Arrow is printed by Pacific Publishing Company in Seattle, Washington. Word processing, graphics and layouts are created on Microsoft Office 2007 and Adobe Creative Suite 3 programs.

ARROW has a publication of 2000 papers/copies, etc.

Over the course of 4 days, a group of five darling newbies, for whom this represents their first steps into the world of high school journalism, produced this package of papers in your hand. Before this, the only commonality between them was that they all attended Renton High School, located at 400 S. 2nd St., Renton, WA, 98057.

APOLOGIES: I’m sorry if marshmallows are not your thing.

I’m sorry your wallet contains broken promises and half spoken truths.

I’m sorry your boyfriend didn’t ever text you back, except to say oic.

I’m sorry if an external compass is stronger than your moral one.

I’m sorry we never got to layout in the sun together.

I’m sorry we never got to use that snow day.

NOTES: We love the night custodians. They’re great. Over the past couple of days we’ve produced an impressive pile of trash in the journalism room. We try to clean up after ourselves, but it’s nice that they’re around, walking the halls and smiling when it’s dark outside.

NOT AN APOLOGY. KIND OF: We loved this thought by Meykia Smith and couldn’t find just the right spot for it in the publication, so we want to share it with you here. Ready?

“You know, Mr./Mrs. Reader, you are probably asking yourself a series of questions, one being “Why is she asking me if I am asking her questions?,” two being “Why do you even care about others’ emotions?”

The We-Made-This...

ANN BUCHER....................................................................................................................FLUFFY PILLOW HOARDER ELI DE LOS SANTOS.............................................................................................FLIRTACIOUS DIMPLE OWNER RON JAYVEE DE LEON....................................................................................................................PEACE ADVOCATE

...Our Own Creative Titles SHANAY ECHOLS....................................................................................................................FRIENZIED FASHION FANATIC KAYLA GRADY...................................................................................................................................................TEASING BANTERER MR. SMITH..................................................................................................................................RETIRED MARATHON RUNNER

03 31 10 ARROW 234

KATIE REYNOLDS

WORK-DORK NATURE

A R T I S T SCIENTIFIC

V I O L I N I S T IN HER OWN WORDS: I drew this picture a while ago in 7th grade or 8th grade.

When I am bored or want to pass the time I like to draw.

The hieroglyphically, mystical, quite artistically advanced sonar between our heart beats / Beats The sleek, silver and off white hourglass design. / I’m an addict to coffee and a lover of books / But I against the rain, switching lanes, competition never read, and I never drink / Because I leave the metaphorically strange / But that’s alright because Chest bumping, heart rushing / Hitting the beat out If the Xbox 360 were a woman, it would be one to the crowd / Boom / The room got loud and in the of those captivating hotties with brains to match. book sitting there / Because the shots just wash I’ll use my brain using trains and planes as the crane [CLIFFORD ANDERSON] down the sink. [GABBY SAECHAO] glides overhead you [KRISTINE BURBANO] end / I gave an outstanding bow. [TONY LE]

Compass Points.

Theory

Everywhere I look, I find poor substitutes for my desires.

[KHEN UNTALAN]

[RAKIB MIRZA]

[BRIANNA MORI]

First, I think of fall with its naked trees and wet roads scattered with red, orange, yellow and brown leaves, and grey and white gloomy days. Then I think of winter, icy roads, icicles hanging from house gutters, hanging from the bumpers of cars, snow covering everything outside, the streets, the trees, bikes, buildings, apartments, houses, trailers, and sidewalks. Anything left out can not escape the snow. / Then I think of what would be enjoyable for those chilly, wet and cold seasons. I think of being in the house staring at a fire and making the chimney smoke like a pothead. Then having the TV on, a blanket, some Grade A milk or yellow, creamy and smooth eggnog, and to top it off, a fresh apple pie out the oven. / I remember when I was a little kid, born and raised proudly in Long Island, New York. My uncle, after his job at Mickey D’s, would always bring home 2 apple pies for me. I remember it like it was yesterday. The McDonald’s apple pie boxes were red and yellow. Everytime he brought an apple pie, it made my day.

Even if I was having a bad day, an apple pie was enough to change my sadness into feeling better and most of the forgetting why I was sad. Apple pie reminds me of my childhood, of where I came from and who I am. / To some people, apple pie is just food, but to me it’s more than just dough, filling, apples and cinnamon, it’s something that reminds me of my life in New York, of the days I used to go to Pre-K, Elementary and Middle School. [RONY CELIS] [HANNAH FRANCESCHINA]

03 31 10 ARROW 456

Three reasons why I’m suffering an identity crisis:

[KATHERINE LING]

I was pressured in the 7th grade.

My school was having a dance. I went, and I’m not sure why I did.

I got there, saw a couple of my friends grinding with all the girls and thought, “I wish I knew how to grind like that.”

So they come up to me and are like “Ay, what’s good bro ... see you made it.” I respond, “Yeah, just came to see what’s poppin’ and see if I should stay,” knowing the only reason I said “see if should stay” is because I’m secretly hoping to leave because I don’t have faith I can dance like them.”

About an hour into the dancing and I’m still sitting on the stage, bobbing my head to E40, hoping no girls come over and ask me to dance. But you know how that works.

A soft crisp voice hits my ear like a sugar burst in a kid, swiftly interrupting my daydream. “Michael, Michael.”

“What? Oh, hey.”

“You want to dance?”

“Ummmm-umm um-my-stomach-head-hurt-myarm-is-from-gym-maybe-later.”

“Well, okay,” she responds. “I will be over there.” I think to myself, “Dang, what am I doing? Did I just say that? OMG, get it together Michael.” However, deep down inside I know it’s not over yet.

The dace is about to end, and the DJ announces, “Five more songs and that’s it.”

I yell out in my mind. The hot, funky air touches my tongue and makes me almost spit on the teacher in front of me, but somehow I bite down on my tongue to stop myself.

Too $hort comes on, and it’s my song, but before I take that last step toward dancing a crowd of people form around me and begin their attack to get me to dance.

“Come on, dance with her.”

“Michael, you can dance.”

“Just fill the beat. Do it, do it, do it.”

So I say OKAY IF YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP. So I take her by the arm in the middle of the floor and begin my attack. I’m feeling the beat so much I’m grabbing everything and moving and spinning things around and coming back yelling. The crowd is going wild. I slowly start to hear GO MICHAEL! GO MICHAEL! YES! I did it!

My first dance with a girl. I think this is the best thing ever. Pressure: Sometimes it works in negative ways, and sometimes positive, but in my situation who knows.

[MICHAEL WOODS]

AJANE

BURNLEY EX-SHIA

LEBOUF FANATIC

Z E B R A TATTOOED

E D I T O R

MICHAEL WOODS DANCER P O I N T J U N K I E

STUNNER M A N

IN HIS OWN WORDS: I am trying to change the world with wisdom. Don’t set yourself up for failure. Never rest all of your hopes with other people.

IN HER OWN WORDS: I really had to say what I felt about my identity. If I was African, I would be pissed off if there were these people calling themselves African when they don’t know the culture or traditions.

1. My name isn’t appropriate for my gender.

Originally, my mother wanted to name me LaTasha.

Unfortunately, my name was “stolen” by my great aunt and now my cousin has the name, since she was born six months before me. Since the name was taken, my mom was left scrambling for something else to call me.

Then one day she thought, “Oh, it’ll be awesome to name her Ajane.” The problem is, she got that name from a boy she went to school with. I have a feeling “Ajane” means something really manly from wherever that boy comes from and I’m not living up to my manly name.

2. It will be impossible to get a decent job.

In my mom’s haste to come up with a name, she didn’t come up with a normal name. If my name was Lucy, I’d have no problem getting a job. But since my names is Ajane, my employer will see my name, think it’s strange, and throw out my application. It won’t matter if I have a four-year degree or if I meet qualifications, my employer will want to hire Lucy instead since she has a nice name, easy to pronounce.

When I did have a job - at a place I will refer to as “Pedophile Paradise” - my supervisor would mispronounce my name on purpose. Also this random black police officer told me that my last name was a Carib last name, and that they got it from the Portuguese. I said “Really?” but I didn’t care, I just wanted him to take his pizza and go away.

3. They are trying to force me to be African.

I’m from America, just like white people. I am not from a tribe and I don’t do any rain dances. So ... because I’m dark I have to be African?

For example, two years ago I was in a class where we learned about ethnicities. The teacher told us we weren’t from America and asked us to say where our ancestors really came from.

When it was my turn I asked how to say I was Black.

The teacher said I couldn’t say I was Black, so I asked her to skip me. But she was on a power trip and wanted to show her authority and wouldn’t skip me. I kept trying to tell her I was Black but she wouldn’t listen. To make a long story short, she wanted me to say I was African and I told her no.

She told me to go home and ask my parents where I came from and when I told her, “Well, my mom tells me I’m Black,” she got all upset. Meanwhile, the class was getting impatient with me like it was my fault the teacher wouldn’t skip me. The other kids told me to say I was African, but I told them no too.

And Tien called me Mufasa which I’m still upset about, since I wasn’t calling him Shing Po or anything.

And he didn’t even get in trouble. Anyway, she told me to ask Eric Wing what he was, but at this point I was mad, so I told her no again.

And then she kicked me out.

It’s scary not to know who you are, but I’m still young and trying to figure things out. I am Black, with a strange name that’s really for a man, and that may make it tough for me to get a job, so I have a lot to think about.

But this is what I do know. I know my mom loves me, despite unknowingly giving me a complex. I know that pop isn’t good for me, but if I drink one, it’s definitely going to be Dr. Pepper. I know I say and do random things, which can make me seem a bit strange.

I also know that, eventually, I’ll find myself and claw myself out of this identity crisis. [AJANE BURNLEY]

Love Love isn’t just about receiving diamonds or any other jewelry. It’s not about fancy dinners and private getaways.

[JAMIE DYTIACO]

JENNY D O VAMPIRE

B O O K

READER

I N F A N T L

O

V

E

R

IN HER OWN WORDS: I didn’t have that much time to do it because I had to turn it in the next day, so I just chose a picture and added hearts to it.

[JENNY DO]

Love isn’t forced. Love isn’t rushed. Love isn’t planned. Love is unpredictable. Love is something waiting to be discovered. If

P. J .

you love, don’t deny it. Cherish it. Love it. Feel it. Never let it go.

BENEDICTUS Love doesn’t have a price tag. Love doesn’t have an expiration

OPEN-EYED PERSON BIG

date. Love has feelings. Love is seen through the eyes of the

HEARTED

one receiving it. Can love be shown through little things? Or

IN HIS OWN WORDS:: I’ve been writing since I was young but then I traded writing for sports. I wrote this for my friend and I wrote this for her because I wanted her to know that I was there for her. It’s like a message in a way.

does love have to be shown through the big picture? The only

R U N N E R

down fall with showing love through the big picture, and not by showing it through the small details, is that it might not be the picture you wished for.

While shopping at Safeway, I had a sweet tooth for a golden sponge cake with cream filling, in a log shape, often popular in North America. The shortcake thingies with white cream inside...

So delicious, I love the sweet mouth-watering Twinkies with different flavors. The smell of a deep fried Twinkie is so good. One bite of it is worth the money. The taste of Twinkies is like the taste of 150 calories going into your body. I remember when I was little my mom always threatened, “Stop eating that fatty food or you will be a fat boy, and if that happens I’ll kick you out of the house and strip you naked.”

[SAM HYUNH]

03 31 10 ARROW 678

I want a superhero who will sweep me off my feet.

I need a hero, a very unique hero.

[JASMINE MARLEY]

[JESSICA SCHMITT]

He sits there, book in hand, head bowed, big, olive-green eyes focused. It has been three months, one week, four days and about two hours from the day since I confessed to him my need for space.

Actually, that’s an understatement because by ‘I confessed to him my need for space’ I mean to say, I threw a hard object at him and yelled ‘Stay away from me’ rather loudly. I can’t recall what kind of object it was but I do remember: I didn’t miss.

Another unforgettable thing about that was the hurt I saw in his eyes, pain not only from the object

that had hit him but from the cold, mysterious, unexplainable words that spewed from my mouth.

The most illogical thing to ask for.

After all of the persuading I had to do for him to give up on me, the truth was, I did love him. I still do. Maybe if I didn’t have these powers, it would have worked out. Time and time again I would ask him why he still stayed despite my obligation and why he puts himself at risk by being with me, and time and time again he would tell me that

he could be safer with a normal girl but not happier.

[CHRYSANTHEMUM BINAYUG]

Most of my decisions were bad because I started stealing from others in my neighborhood, fighting with others, and associating with gang affiliations. Committing these types of acts made me look as if I was raised wrong, when I wasn’t. These decisions made my parents ashamed of me because they knew what I was doing and I still didn’t stop because I thought it looked cool. All the bad things that I did caught up to me and erased all my opportunities off my card because they turned out to have my name in the books at the station. Having a record with a background of a criminal caused me to give up on my future.

[RAFAEL ISABELL]

03 31 10 ARROW 8910

[JESSICA SCHMITT]

Memory

I regret not spending enough time with my grandmother before she died.

I regret taking my parents’ love for granted.

I regret procrastinating on my homework.

I regret I didn’t go to sleep earlier when I have to wake up 3 hours later.

I regret not studying for my final exam.

[CINDY LIM]

GROWTH I ’ m non- conform is t. K ind of.

He l l o w o rl d, m y na m e i s C omplex A Bit, th e in h ibited tr uth in my wor ds. Th e c onse que nc e of sounds l ea vi ng m y l i p s . Ma k e yo u r per suasion min e. So fin d r igh t in my per ception o r ge t out of l i ne . I hate whe n a u tho ri ty de m a nds , do e s n’ t ask, disr egar din g r espect an d tr eatin g lower peop l e l i k e t rash.

I ’ m non- conform is t. K ind of.

S o ci a l i z a ti o n, g e ne ra l i z a ti on , cov alen t bon ds of people. I giv e in to laugh at hi s stat us, he r c ol or, and the i r c l a s s . To ha ra s s , j o i n the masses of ign or an ce. Epidemic: like th e Swin e Flu, t y p e Z. I roni c : I dre ad the ste re o typ i ca l l y, m o ra l l y hy pn otically, r adian ce ev er y day.

I ’ m non- conform is t. K ind of.

Ma dne s s a nd s u cce s s s e e m to come h an d in h an d. Own flawless per son as, our l ook s, what we o w n. U g h. Why i s va l u e a nd beauty ex agger ated? Nike’ s, Nor th faces an d UUG ’s, oh m y ! I stand t o fi ght a g a i ns t g re e dy p o w e rs . [ An d I don ’ t mean mon ey, but a poor empty min d.] The worst k i nd of ghe t to of al l m a nk i nd. Ye s te rda y, I s o l d my soul to For ev er 21, an d got some dope wh ite d unk s c uz I just wante d som e .

I j u s t w a nna l o o k , I s u p p o se.

I ’ m non- conform is t. K ind of.

S a s ha ye d i n to cl a s s l i k e , “ Kiss my ----,” an d th e teach er states, “Success equal s k nowl e d ge and i f I do n’t k no w the s e a ns w e rs I’ ll n ev er fin ish college.” I say, “ Wh at ar e defin itio ns whe n y ou di e i f y ou c a n de f i ne ‘yo u’? ” He re p l i ed with two blan k blin ks an d I sat down an d believe d hi m c uz t he re was n o thi ng e l s e a l l o w e d to thin k.

I ’ m non- conform is t. K ind of.

I a m no co nf o rm i s t; i t w a s in th e syllabus. Kin d of sun r ise, r ub my eyes. Jump outt a b e d on thre e hours o f s l e e p , s ti l l a l o t o f ho m ewor k an d ch apter s to be r ead. I ask my teach er, “ W hat don’t we anal y z e som e re a l - i s h, l i k e w hy co m m u nism, v iolen ce, cultur al ign or an ce, th e h omeless, sla ve ry and U S c onst i tut i onal c o ntra di cti o ns S T IL L e xi s t? An d you kn ow wh at h e said? ... You kn ow wh at h e S A I D ? ...

S ho u l dn’t yo u b e co nce rned about th e test you missed? M issed an swer, subst i tut e d b y di strac ti on?”

I ’ m p i s s e d. Why i s s o m u ch of our youth blocked by th in gs th at don ’ t matter b ut thi ngs that now do; e verything such a fallacy, an illogical truth. He asks, and with this grade, wha t c a r e e r d o y o u e x p e c t t o o b ta i n? I s a y “ To w a l k u p o n Satur n ’ s r in gs, study all walks of th in gs, an d as to why m y i nte l l e c t surp asse d t h e b o u nda ri e s o f s k y, no lie an d get my Ph D in liv in g, n ot just bein g. I gotta fe e l i ng i f I fal l t he re ’s al way s a w a y to g e t u p a nd try. Good en ough an swer ? No. Oh well, th e en d [KRISTINE BURBANO]

03 31 10 ARROW 101112

SUBURBIA! Birds fly into a pastel sky Where gods stand like uncut Lumber in eternal slumber

Dawns’ break thrusts them all awake “Jesus Christ!”

They all say Then they spied that first ray “We’re doomed!”

They all say Then came a crane with a wrecking ball Parallel to its brand name It swung and knocked the Gods off their pedestals

[V

]

NDEZ

ERNA

RF ICTO

And then the land became all the same With one name Suburbia!

COLE

JENNINGS

PENSIVE HIPP IE

RUSSIAN

REALIST

C U R R Y CONNOISSEUR

IN HIS OWN WORDS: ‘Suburbia!’ is about urban renewal which is one of the concepts I came upon in reading Edward Abbey: nature will always win. ‘My Generation’ is about society and the path that we are on.

And in this land there was Law and order and it Permeated up to their front doors And nature was sharply controlled Flowers trimmed and sod unrolled Houses sprung up in neat little rows But the fresh paint could no longer hide The broken homes Cracks formed in the pavement But no one would pay to fix it For no money was around So the weeds grew and grew And the humans fled And the sky bled The trees sprung up without dread The lake was never red And the frogs were always fed

MY GENERATION’S Computers are muters We’re entering a deaf and dumb age With our thumbs bigger than our eyes The soft rains that we don’t miss Atrophic legs and over-developed thumbs We won’t speak Won’t even squeak Just type to some kid living on the Chesapeake And ski on the virtual peaks Because the real ones have melted away Too bad we didn’t care Too busy playing video games And worrying about meaningless shame While the ultimate shame was perpetuated And perpetrated Upon us by our parents’ complacent generation Too concerned with Relaxation and High taxation What a dumb nation Destined for nature’s damnation With all the other failed Civilizations They try and we cry victory They fail and we hail apathy My generation we need to raise our own sail And begin our voyage down the river of change Age stalls us Apathy befalls us And appalls us So afraid of failure Can’t you tell you’re Playing their game The man with no name will lead us to change And if we save ourselves we’ll lead each other to fame.

RELATIONSHIPS We say we love flowers, yet we pluck them.

We say we love trees, yet we cut them down.

And people still wonder why some are afraid when told they are loved. [RAVEN WINFREY]

[ELI DE LOS SANTOS]

Sometimes it’s nice to have a friend there for the advice and for the comfort that they give. Doesn’t matter how long you’ve been friends with that person but it’s what you put into the friendship that makes it last.

Girl: Are you really okay? What happened?

Boy: I’m just hurt. It’s killing me. Like yesterday I wanted a kiss and she said no, not anymore. She said she wants me to stop. So I was like uh … okay? And then she told me last night she needed to talk to me and I was like, ‘Is it a bad thing about us?’ She said, ‘Yeah.’

Girl: Have you guys talked yet? Well, just think of it as another stepping stone to something great. It makes your path longer to happiness, but you see more things on your way. Whether it’s good or bad, don’t think of it as a negative situation or a burden, just walk away with your head held up. I know I was never there, and I never did much for you and I’m sorry I wasn’t.

So just hear me out now. Don’t be sad and mopey; be strong and bright.

Boy: Thanks. It means a lot to me that you’re listening ... I’m just stuck.

Girl: I’m not just trying to listen. I’m trying to help you. I want you to actually do something about it. How are you stuck on someone you just started talking to or getting to know? When was the last time you felt this way?

Boy: We’ve been talking for a while. I don’t know.

Girl: Don’t rush something that was never meant to happen. You’ll just get your hopes up, and end up getting hurt even more.

Boy: Okay, I guess.

Girl: Stop giving me short answers.

[KRISTEN NGUYEN]

When your heart is in ties / And your smile in disguise / When you look into each other’s eyes / All you feel are butterflies / You know what that is? / It’s called ‘young love. [CHANDLER AING]

03 31 10 ARROW 121314

The perfect man could be standing in the same room as her but she can’t realize it because of that barrier around her. That perfect man can try and pick up all the millions of pieces of her heart that her past left laying on the ground. This perfect man can try to rebuild that woman’s heart piece by piece and she can’t even see that, because there’s a barrier in the way of her seeing the man kneeling before her picking up the millions of pieces of her heart off the ground.

L I Z

DONOHUE INNOCENT

YOUTH N AT U R A L B O R N

D R AW E R IN HER OWN WORDS: I have been drawing all of my life, but these days it isn’t as much of a main hobby like it used to be. Also, tigers are my mom’s favorite animal so I ended up drawing it for her.

[P.J. BENEDICTUS]

LANGUAGE Why Jane Schaffer Sucks: “There are many ways to describe Bob. Blah blah blah blah blah……… As you can see there are many ways to describe Bob.” See? That’s a prime example of one of the reasons Jane Schaffer is not a very good writing style.

It’s too repetitive. It also limits writers to using “for example,” “as a result,” “also,” “another reason,” etc. Sometimes writers just don’t need those. I mean, you don’t see J.R.R. Tolkien writing like that, do you?

The Jane Schaffer writing style is used like training wheels. It’s good to help writers get started, but then they need to let it go. While I do admit that it helped me become a better writer, I really feel like I need to move on. It really limits the possibilities for me. I’m really tired of starting all my sentences with the same old boring transitions.

Also, Jane Schaffer can be extremely repetitive.

It might not sound like it’s repeating itself when it’s being written, but writting and reading are two different things. Now I will complete the Bob paragraph, to show what I mean: “There are many ways to describe Bob. For example, he’s very slick and aware, like when the hall monitor looked down at the detention pass he was writing Bob, Bob slipped into the bathroom unnoticed.

Also, when Joe tried to sneak up behind him, Bob knew what Joe was trying to do.

As you can see, there are many ways to describe Bob. Now look at that. When I was writing it, it didn’t seem repetitive at all because of how long it took me. But now that I read it, it smacks me right in the face. That paragraph couldn’t have repeated itself more poorly.

Practically the only thing that needs a concluding sentence in Jane Schaffer is the concluding paragraph because it takes much longer to get there from the introduction paragraph than it does from an introduction sentence to concluding sentence.

So here it is: In summary, Jane Schaffer is great to get someone started writing, but then there is a need to let it go. [JOHN MEHLHAFF, as written in 8th grade]

Stuttering.

When I was 2 years old I didn’t talk.

I attended Head Start at my church and finally started talking when I was 3.

In third grade I attended Life Management because I had a difficult time keeping up in school. I have been in Life Management for 9 years.

During kindergarten through 5th grade I was making friends. When middle school hit I began losing some of my social skills because I didn’t fit in with the normal kids. My peers teased me because they thought I was weak, ugly and retarded. I started stuttering in the 8th grade. Multiple kids called me bad names and made fun of my stuttering.

The stress of being made fun of caused my stuttering to get worse. After I graduated from Nelsen Middle School I transferred to Renton High School and my speech, writing and social skills declined.

I didn’t become friends with most of the regular and popular kids because they stopped talking to me once they heard me stutter. I met one girl who was nice to me and she was my friend. She treated me like a normal person when she was alone, but whenever she was around her other friends she was a different person.

I met another peer who I thought wanted to be my friend because she showed interest in me. But now she hardly talks to me.

I don’t talk very much in school because no one wants to communicate with me, except for one good friend.

In the classroom I feel like I am treated differently and sometimes ignored by my classmates and teachers because I struggle to communicate. I look normal on the outside, but when I speak, I stutter.

[KEVIN M. JONES]

[ELI DE LOS SANTOS]

Music speaks to my soul / It tells a story that’s untold / Frees a heart lost in a hole / Frees two hearts and makes then one soul / And makes them one whole / Music takes away my years. [VALENTINE MUNIDI]

03 31 10 ARROW

The Word I Dread.

Tonight I can write about the most painful word of all. It’s not too long but I could eventually leave you breathless, as it did my mom. It can spread so fast not even forest fire could keep up. Pick the most harmless person, who everyone needs, and

tear them down. There are some really lucky ones who have fought this word many times, but some who haven’t; they are all strong even if they lost.

I guess we just all have to accept that cancer is everywhere!.[AMBER OLIVER]

All you see is the unique golden color of this crescent-shaped cookie wrapped inside of a piece of plastic at your table. Well, you reach slowly for the crescent-shaped cookie thinking to yourself, “Hmm, I wonder what the little white piece of paper inside is going to say.” You crack open the fortune cookie and pull out the little slip of paper. While reading something on it, you think, “Is this really going to happen?” In a couple of hours something strange occurs to you and you realize that your fortune actually came true. [BRIAN VO] Though I used to live less than a hundred miles from China, I never had a fortune cookie until I moved to Virginia. [SAUGAT CHHETRI]

A Road To Hardship In 2nd grade, I moved to a different town, so I was transferred to a new school. When I first got there everyone was very nice and welcoming. But as the year went by, students started to pick on me because of the way I spoke English.

It wasn’t very nice.

Also, since I barely knew how to read and pronounce words they made fun of me. They would say, “Say this word, Ivonne. What does it say?” All I could hear was the laughter in the background.

So every Wednesday my teacher would have a story time activity, where you were supposed to read a short story to the entire class and if you wouldn’t volunteer she would call on you.

I guess everyone had to go. When she chose me, I couldn’t understand why she would do that.

Knowing that my English was beyond horrible, she still chose me.

When I got up to sit on the rocking chair, I felt my stomach fall out. It was like I was experiencing excruciating pain, but mentally instead of physically, like all the students could easily hurt me.

So as I began to read, the laughter began. I would at times pause to look up at my teacher but all she would say was, “Keep going! You’re doing great.” It seemed like she was enjoying my terrible reading as much as the rest of the class. When I was finally done, all I wanted to do was go home and cry, hide out for several years and not go to school for a while, but I had no other choice.

By the time I had reached 4th grade, my vocabulary and the way I spoke matured. All thanks to those extra ESL classes and tutoring. That helped me out a lot. [IVONNE AVALOS]

IVONNE AVALOS

DREAMER INDEPENDENT W O M A N

F U T U R E

BILLIONARE IN HER OWN WORDS: I want to do broadcasting and journalism after high school. Mr. Smith gave us an assignment, he told us we could write about anything we wanted to write about.

INFINITY

03 31 10 ARROW 141516

mankind is a joke they say many things but all they do is choke on their mistakes they try to pick themselves up again and grab one thing that’s out of their reach but can that breech another age or will god take back what’s rightfully his and create a world with no sins or will evil hack its way back on the land the garden of Eden grows and air where the white doves fly above and in the water where like is never heard on the promised lands and just repeat history again

[JAMES ENEBRAD]

[JOHN MEHLHAFF]

IN HIS OWN WORDS: I wanted to relate to the world and how I was feeling. One night, I was just in the mood to write poems. I didn’t think anyone would read it, it was a personal thing. I was talking about the three layers of earth: land, water and air.

JAMES

JOHN

WRITER

RANDOM

ENEBRAD CONSUMER

MYSTERY P

O

E

T

MEHLHAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

MORNING G L O R Y OBSERVER

IN HIS OWN WORDS: I was riding in the car and was once again taken back by the beauty of the Northwest that shows itself once in awhile, when the rain takes a break.

So I pulled out my camera phone and took this picture.