Young Southern Student Writers-Winners of 2013 by Brewer Media Group

Young Southern Student Writers

Winners of 2013

A Project of the Southern Lit Alliance + The Department of English University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:

[Foreword]

This year marks the thirteenth anniversary of the Young Southern Student Writers (YSSW) contest. The contest, sponsored by the Southern Lit Alliance (formerly the Arts & Education Council) and the Department of English at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, grows each year as it continues to highlight the outstanding creativity of the region's best young writers and their teachers. Board and staff members from the Southern Lit Alliance, under the guidance of Executive Director, Susan Robinson, deserve our thanks for their generosity and for their efforts in supporting this year's contest. I am especially grateful to this year's readers/judges of the submissions. It is true that every entry is read by a faculty member of UTC's Department of English. In fact, our faculty serve in this way with great pleasure. I am grateful for their time, their enthusiasm, and the care with which they read the YSSW submissions. I would also like to thank our region's dedicated teachers, K-‐12, who encouraged their students to submit entries. More than that, I am grateful for their efforts as they teach young authors to enjoy the craft of writing. Without our elementary, middle grades, and high school teachers and parents, we would not have such fine work from these young people. Likewise, I thank Ms. Julia Sharp, a senior in UTC's undergraduate English program, and Ms. Gabriela Carvalho, a graduate student in UTC's MA program in English. They both spent countless hours managing the contest and collecting the winning entries for this online booklet. Without their dedication and tireless work, this booklet simply would not exist. Finally, I should thank Bill Ramsey and our friends at The Pulse. They, too, are great partners in this effort to showcase our finest young writers. More than 4,000 students from schools in the Chattanooga area, as well as schools from north Georgia and Alabama, submitted entries this year. This was an especially strong year of quality submissions from our young Southern writers. Keep up the good work—teachers and students alike! Now… read and enjoy! Joe Wilferth, Chair 2013 Young Southern Student Writers UC Foundation Professor and Department Head University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

[Table of Contents] Click a category to jump to the page

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Kindergarten Prose (p. 5) Kindergarten Poetry (p. 15) Grade 1 Prose (p. 16) Grade 1 Poetry (p. 21) Grade 2 Prose (p. 25) Grade 2 Poetry (p. 33) Grade 3 Prose (p. 39) Grade 3 Poetry (p. 69) Grade 4 Prose (p. 74) Grade 4 Poetry (p. 111) Middle School Poetry (p. 153) Middle School Prose (p. 178) High School Poetry (p. 236) High School Prose (p. 259)

[Kindergarten Prose] The Beach I went to the beach in Mexico and I found a jewel. The jewel was blue. I kept it and made a wish. Michael Benton Kindergarten Normal Park Museum Magnet Lower 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Locke Coco I was playing outside. I have a dog named Coco. My mom thinks she is a Yorkie. She does crazy stuff. She’s a pretty funny dog because she humps my momma’s leg. She tries to get her off her leg. Then she starts it over again. Jaxson Blevins Grade K Lookout Valley Elementary School 701 Browns Ferry Road, Chattanooga, TN 37419 Ms. Ridge and Ms. Tweed The Big Bear and My Mom First, there was a bear in my house! Then, my mom came home, and the bear ate her! Then, he ran off to find more people to eat. He ate lots of people, and he was full. Then, he stopped and went to rest. My dad had so many guns and knives. He let me have one, and I shot him. The bear was dead. I’ll find a new mom. Kyle Brown Kindergarten Red Bank Elementary School 1100 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Stanley The Haunted House I went to the haunted house. There were people in costumes that were real scary. There was a wagon. I went to get it, and a pumpkin popped out in my face. I got scared for a minute. Then, near me, there was something like white-‐clearish; I

could see through it, and it touched me. I turned around and it was in front of me. It was a ghost! We ran to the car and then went Trick-‐or-‐Treating! Trenton Burton Kindergarten Red Bank Elementary School 1100 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Stanley Sassy and Gizmo While I was outside playing one day on my swing set, my two dogs Sassy and Gizmo were out playing with me. We were playing ball and chasing each other. Sassy turned into a pirate and Gizmo was Tinker Bell and I was Peter Pan. My play set was the big ship full of pirates and cookies. We sailed the big milky sea. My sister came outside too, and she turned into Hook the mean pirate with a patch over her eye. The mean pirate wanted to eat all of my cookies and take off with my ship, but Tinker Bell turned Hook into a shark. Tinker Bell is very tiny and hyper you don’t want to make Tinker Bell mad. I took my ship to Grandma’s house and she gave me more cookies and Capri Sun drinks and a kiss on my cheek. The shark started following the ship, it could smell my cookies and was thirsty for a Capri Sun. It was a very hot day and the sun was shining on my cookies and melting the chocolate. There was a ship coming beside my ship full of mean dog pirates. They were barking loud and scaring Tinker Bell and Sassy the pirate. I think they were after my cookies like the mean shark. I had to slide down to the bottom of the ship and swing from my tire and jump over to get my play phone so I could call my pirate mom to bring me my American Girl doll named “Pat.” Pat is a nice pirate who will help me find the treasure full of candy. When pirate mom came to bring Pat, all the pirates started getting very loud and hyper. Our ship went after the treasure full of Sour Nerds, Reese Cups, M&M’s, and giant marshmallows. Our ship got stuck in the thick sand and Tinker Bell had to sprinkle magic sprinkles on the ship to help it get out of the sand. It took a lot of magic sprinkles because the ship is so big and Tinker Bell is so little. The ship started going again and then the big mean shark was back, trying to eat the ship and the tire swing. The pirate Sassy was a big pirate with long brown hair and very tall with big white teeth. Pirate Sassy scared off the sister shark and she swam away leaving us alone. It took a long time to find the candy treasure but we found it on top of a pile of rocks and dirt. I had to put on my rain boots because it was muddy and wet. It started to rain and my hair was getting wet and I had to grab the treasure and throw it on the ship before the candy got wet. All the pirates got one piece of candy and I ate the rest. The candy made me thirsty, so I had to drink more Capri Suns. We had to park the ship and go on land so I could use the potty, and all the pirates had to go too. The mom pirate told me that Sassy the pirate and Tinker Bell needed to hurry up and clean the ship and pick up the candy wrappers and get ready for dinner. Tinker Bell had to turn the shark back into the mean pirate Hook. It was time to get off the ship and go inside and wash our hands and eat dinner. After dinner, Tinker Bell Gizmo and the big pirate Sassy fell asleep on the 6

couch. Me and my sister Hook had to take a bath because we smelled like dirty pirates. When we got done with our baths we watched a movie, ate some popcorn and made up some plays and did them in front of our family. My pirate sister always makes me fly in the air like Peter Pan and she slings me around and lets me do tricks and flips. My Grandma, Grandpa, Mom and Dad just sit on the couch and watch us pretend and makeup things and laugh at us because we are funny. We believe we are pirates again and we are jumping over furniture so the mean shark will not bite our feet and catch us. The pirate Sassy and Tinker Bell help us get away from the shark. We have to tell Grandma and Grandpa not to put their feet on the floor or the shark will bite them. We throw some popcorn down at the shark, but the pirate Sassy and Tinker Bell start eating it and running wild and getting hyper again. We have to put pillows down on the floor so Grandma and Grandpa can walk across and leave without the shark getting them. It is getting late and pirate mom tells us to go get ready for bed. My pirate sister brushes her teeth and I brush mine, we give Sassy the pirate and Tinker Bell Gizmo a kiss goodnight. Pirate mom comes upstairs and tucks us in bed and we tell her our story about the pirate ship and how we found the candy treasure. We told her about how Gizmo was Tinker Bell and Sassy was a huge pirate with big white teeth and how my American Girl Doll was a good pirate named “Pat”. My sister was a mean pirate named Hook with a patch over her eye and Tinker Bell Gizmo had to turn her into a shark with magic sprinkles so she would not eat my cookies or drink any of my Capri Sun. I told her how the hot sun was melting my chocolate chips on the cookies and about us looking for the candy treasure. It was getting late and mom kissed us goodnight and went down stairs. I snuck out of bed and went into my sisters’ room we started laughing about how Grandma and Grandpa walked on top of the pillows and Grandpa almost fell into the water. Ella Canter Kindergarten Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Espy The Little Dinosaur Once upon a time, there was a dinosaur. He was a little dinosaur and he wanted to go on an adventure. But he was too little to go on an adventure. When he turned five he could go on it, but he was just three. And then his parents came to him and then they said to him, I think I heard you say that you wanted to go on an adventure. So then they decided to let him go even though he was three. He was so excited that since he was so good he got a souvenir so he used it how he should. And then ten years later there was an avalanche. Water was after the avalanche. And then there was a bank robber. And so the bank robber took the dinosaur’s souvenir away. And so he was so sad that when he went to bed his dad went out and got the souvenir while the robber was asleep. The souvenir was a Thomas toy. And since his dad got it back, he was so excited that he exploded and his parents were 7

surprised that he could explode. But thankfully his pieces came back together and he zinged because he was so happy about the toy. Gavin Cason Kindergarten Silverdale Baptist Academy Mrs. Espy The Portal A long time ago a man fell into a portal. Then he fell on a truck. Then the truck fell into a lava pit. Porter Clowers Kindergarten Normal Park Museum Magnet School 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga TN, 37405 Mrs. Wilsie Friendly Robots There was one robot. He was going to the space on the moon. His other robot friend came to play and what happened was a giant red crayon crashed into one of the robots and he flew to Earth and then a giant green crayon crashed into the sun. The other robot was real lonely and he decided to go back to his planet. The little robot with a space helmet followed the string back to his planet. The robots were friends and they never got switched again. The End. Jordan Combs Kindergarten Boyd Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, TN 37411 Mrs. Tompkins November 26th When my cousins played with me. When my mom was wearing a fancy dress. When my grandmother baked me a cake. Brianna Davis Kindergarten Normal Park Museum Magnet Lower 1009 Mississippi Ave Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Randolph 8

A Dog Park Party Me, Logan, Lilly and my daddy went to my house to eat. Then, we picked my momma up. We went to a park, and we played on the bars. We jumped off and went to the slide. We were sliding down the slide. After that, we went to the swings. We played hide-‐and-‐go-‐seek and tag. Then, we to a dog party at the park. It was my dog’s birthday. We celebrated! Ashanti Eddins Kindergarten Red Bank Elementary School 1100 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Oliver The Santa I Believe In I am sleeping. I dreamed about Christmas time. I love Santa; that’s why I believe in him. I saw the stars and the moon. I saw some little snowflakes. (I have a kitty named Snowflake. She’s not made out of snow. She’s a real cat and moves all by herself. She lives with me.) Santa brought me some presents for real. Ashlyn Fuchs Kindergarten Red Bank Elementary School 1100 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. McMahan Werewolf I can catch animals. I am a werewolf. At night I catch deer and lions. Landon Goeller Kindergarten Normal Park Museum Magnet Lower 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Locke The Pink Glove Mystery Once upon a time there was a little girl, a teacher, and a dad. They went to the lost and found to try to find a glove – two, actually. They met a boy and the boy’s father told the girl, teacher, and dad that he found a pink glove outside. But actually the glove was in the classroom. The little girl grabbed it. Then they went to the office and found the other glove. The little girl grabbed the glove. They went back to the classroom and lived happily ever after. 9

Kaylie Hampton Kindergarten Boyd Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, TN 37411 Mrs. Tompkins Cowboys Win The cowboys were sitting down and they saw the bandits. The bandits and the cowboys were going to fight. The bandits won. But, the Indians saw the cowboys and went to help. The Indians and the cowboys won… together. Eric Jurkovic Kindergarten Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive Chattanooga, TN 37421 The Newest Avenger My name is Christian Lawhorn and I am the newest Avenger. My super powers is me turning into small things, I can climb walls and turn into metal. When I was an army man, a guy threw a needle at me and it stuck me like a bee. There was something in the needle that gave me my super human powers. One day I saw a man taking a ladies purse, I pushed the lady over and I got the man down on his back. I called the police and they took the guy to jail. The super villain was trying to sneak on me, I saw him and kicked him to the side he hit a wall and the police got him too. This is what makes me the city’s newest hero. I have a side kick Ant Man he can grow as big as Mount Everest. We fight city crime and keep the city safe. The End. Christian Lawhorn Kindergarten Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Trogdon My Favorite Part My sister and me were at the park playing tag. It’s my favorite game. You run, and the other people tag you. I run fast. We like to play tag. Jada usually wins because she’s my big sister. Then, we went home and got some ice cream. That was my favorite part. Jordyn McColley Kindergarten 10

Red Bank Elementary School 1100 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Oliver The Kid Who Was A Hero Long ago in a faraway land, there was a little boy born to parents who lived in a very small town. His name was Cooper. He knew very early in life that he was different from everyone else. He began to notice more as he started school and began making friends. His friends enjoyed playing jump rope and freeze tag. As he played with his friends, he noticed that he could run faster than everyone could; he jumped higher than everyone did; he even had special powers that made him turn into ice. He started to wonder if he might have super powers. What he did not know was that he had more super powers than any other super hero that ever lived. One day, he was jumping rope with his friends on the playground. As he jumped up, he did not come back down as his friends always did. He realized that as he began to fall, he was not falling at all. He was soaring through the air. He was afraid his friends would notice something different about him; so, he decided to pretend to fall. His friends laughed at him, but he was glad because that meant they did not notice he was flying. There was another day that he was playing freeze tag while he was at recess. He was chasing one of his friends, named Connor. As he reached to tag Connor, his entire elbow turned into ice. This scared Cooper and his friends. He was upset and ran to the swings to be away from his friends, but when he touched the swings, they lit up in flames of fire. He ran to his teacher, Mrs. Moosorrow, and begged her to go home for the day because he was terrified of what his friends would think. When he got home, he went straight to his bed and began to cry. His mom and dad came to check on him. “Sweet, Cooper, what is wrong?” his mommy said. As he cried, he looked up at his mommy and said, “Why am I different than everyone else?” She sat on the bed with him and said, “Cooper, I think it is time you knew the truth.” “You are very special. No one knows why you have these powers, but you are beginning to become a super hero. You were born with amazing powers. Powers that no other super hero in the whole, wide world has ever had,” his mommy explained. Cooper began to tell his mommy and daddy about a dream he had that he thought was terrible. “There were bad guys that snuck into our house and took you away from me. One of the bad guys started to take me with him, but I covered myself to hide from him. As I did, my super, fire power shot out of my elbows like fireballs into the bad guys tummy. He ran away. As I looked around, I could not find you guys.” Cooper’s daddy looked at him and said, “That was not a dream, Son, it was real. Those were your real parents, and they were taken away from you by bad guys that night. We have taken care of you since that happened. I also know that your dream was not over that night, was it? You flew into the sky to find your parents, 11

but you were not able to find them. You did find the other bad guy. You saved the entire world from that bad guy by tying him up in ropes and leaving them for the police to find and arrest him.” When his dad finished the story that Cooper had always thought was a dream, he knew he was a real super hero. This was the beginning of the adventures of the most amazing of all superheroes – “Super Cooper.” Today, this super hero flies all around the world in his mask and cape with help from God, saving the world from bad guys. Cooper J. McLaughen Kindergarten Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Lusardo Why Sunflowers Get Wet Fire came out of the sky onto the sunflowers. Then, some water was on the ground. The sunflowers got wet and put the fire out. That was all! Payton Miller Kindergarten Red Bank Elementary School 1100 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. McMahan My First Time Riding Without Training Wheels Wee I’m glad I took my training wheels off. Wa wa wa. It’s ok. Ruth Pack Kindergarten Normal Park Museum Magnet Lower 1009 Mississippi Ave Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Randolph Rainbows I’m thankful for God because I love Him. He made us and rainbows. Rainbows look like the sky when it turns colors. It has blue in it just like water. There’s white, red, black, purple, and yellow. And there’s gray. Parker Saxon Grade K Lookout Valley Elementary School 12

701 Browns Ferry Road, Chattanooga, TN 37419 Ms. Ridge and Ms. Tweed

Spider in My House I was in my house, and then, my dad heard a noise. It was a spider because the door was open. Nobody closed it. The spider was a black widow! It had eight legs and two teeth. They can climb and drink blood of people! My dad sprayed something on the spider. It ran away and died. I put on some gloves and threw it away in the garbage. Giovanni Aleman Solorio Grade K Red Bank Elementary School 1100 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Eaton Four Wheeling We went four wheeling. We drove through quicksand. We went up and down hills. My dad leapt over the wheel! I screamed! Tyler Wiggins Kindergarten Normal Park Museum Magnet School 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga TN, 37405 Mrs. Wilsie The Magic Nutcracker Once upon a time, there was a magical land and there was once a nutcracker that lived in a house in this magical land. One time he left to visit another land. He found a best friend named Kylee. They played and had fun and had a good time together. They did lots of stuff together but he had to go home to his house. The Nutcracker missed Kylee a lot so he went back to visit his friend Kylee. They became best friends. Kylee wanted to visit the Nutcrackers magical land. So one day they went to visit where the Nutcracker lived. They played a lot. They went outside in the magical land on an adventure. They found dragonsnapper flowers that tickled. There were lots of beautiful flowers. Bugs that wont hurt you. Butterflies were made of candy. Princesses came over Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Rapunzel, Aurora, Cinderella and Aerial and they went to the Creek of Mermaids. They played with all the mermaids in the water. The water was rainbow colored and then it rained lollipops. They went back to the magic house and played hopscotch on candy. They rode candy bikes. Then Kylee had to go home and the Nutcracker was really sad. And then Kylee came back again to visit a lot because

they didn’t want to be apart. And they wanted to spend the whole week together and go on another adventure. THE END Kaeley Williams Kindergarten Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Dr. Chattanooga TN 37421 Mrs. McCrea My Cousin is a Bully When Mommy got up, she put her high heels on. She got in the car and drove all the way there. My mommy was driving to go get my cousin. I was in my bed laying down with my grandma. When my grandma woke up, she went to get something to eat. She drunk all the drinks! Mommy didn’t know that. When Mommy got back, my cousin pushed me, and I hit my head on the TV! Mommy said, “You better not do that!” My cousin did the mean stuff again. I told my mommy that my cousin was mean and a bully. Mommy said, “If you do that again, you’re going home!” Mia didn’t listen and she kicked me in the stomach, and punched me when I asked for a fruit cup. I told my mommy that she did it again, and then, Mommy said, “You’re going to have to go back home because you didn’t listen.” And Mommy took her home. Destanee Yokley Kindergarten Red Bank Elementary School 1100 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Eaton

[Kindergarten Poetry] Ice Cream Looks like a giant snowball Tastes like candy Feels like snow Smells like cotton candy Colored sprinkles Different flavors I like ice cream Philip Roberts Grade K Boyd Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail Mrs. Risley My House Three triangles A basement Four doors A garage One upstairs A family My house Henry Tuite Grade K Boyd Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail Mrs. Risley

[Grade 1 Prose]

The Lonely Plunger Once there was this plunger and his name was Bob. He was really lonely. He had no friends so he just sat in the store. One day he saw a man walk out the door with another plunger. He was really, really sad that the man didn’t pick him. The next day Bob saw a lady walk out with a different plunger and he cried, “Why won’t anybody take me!” A day or two later a little girl and her mom walked right past Bob. He yelled, “hey, come back and buy me. I work really well so buy me,” but she didn’t. Three weeks later, a worker was scanning to help a man find a plunger. He was scanning the shelf. He stood right in front of Bob and said, “I think this might be the one.” So he picked up Bob and went to check out. They walked out, got in the car and went home to play together. Aida Abello Grade 1 Thrasher Elementary 1301 James Blvd, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Kennedy Levi’s Story If I were a Martian I would be on the moon all the time. I would come to Earth sometimes. I would drive in my spaceship. Levi Adcock Grade 1 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Alley/Mrs. Lafferty

The Pool Once upon a time I was going to the pool. It got really dark so we went back home. We turned the tv on and it said that there is going to be some rain. We went back to the pool. Then, the rain came just as they said. But it got really hard. On my mom’s phone it said there was going to be a tornado storm. I got really scared. But the rain stopped. Jane Becksvoort Grade 1 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, 37405 16

Mrs. Zeigler

My Night as a Scarecrow I am a scarecrow and I like to pretend like I am scared and I like to watch in the dark and I like to hear the sounds of owls. Tyler Culver Grade 1 Lookout Valley Elementary 701 Browns Ferry Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37419 Mrs. Payne

My Grandfather My grandfather got shot. I was very sad. I cannot take it. Hunter Dixon Grade 1 Red Bank Elementary School 1100 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Kuehnel

How to Make Soup I can make soup. First, open the can. Next, put the soup in the bowl. Then, put the bowl in the microwave for two minutes. Finally, get the bowl out of the microwave, and eat it! Alayna Griffin Grade 1 Red Bank Elementary School 1100 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Sipula

My Cats I have two cats and I love them very much. One is black and one is black and white. My cats like having milk on Fridays or Tuesdays. Posha drinks most of the milk. My cat Teacup likes to play with paper balls. He goes wacko when I throw it. My cat Teacup is very special. He is like my best friend except he can not talk with me. My cat Posha is a whiney brat. She will not be quiet. Maya Halenar Grade 1 17

Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. McCoy

Footprints Once I followed some footprints. I followed and followed and followed. At the end, I saw a cheetah. The cheetah chased me for a long. But in no time at all I got home. I discovered more footprints. I followed them. I saw a chick at the end. The chick did not have a mother. So, I could keep it as a pet. Sophia Kate Jullienne Grade 1 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, 37405 Mrs. Zeigler Creatures Werewolves eat people and they can bite your head off. Vampires are afraid of the sun. The black lagoon lives in the swamp. Zombies bite people to death. They can drive. Ghosts haunt you when the moon is full. Holden Mackey Grade 1 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. McCoy Paris A special memory I have was when I went to Paris with my Mimi. We had a lot of fun. When I was looking at a picture, a painter came over and asked if he could paint a picture of me. I was wearing a pretty yellow hat and a dress. In Paris we got to eat somewhere special for breakfast. While we were eating, I pretended to see Madeline. She and her classmates were in two straight lines. At the restaurant I ordered a croissant and then I tasted it. Well, it was not very good. Mimi had pasta, so I traded my food with her. When we met Madeline, I asked her if she wanted to eat with us and she said that Mrs. Duffel said yes. Now, my Mimi is making a memory of the time when we went to Paris. Mimi wrote the words down. She is making the book right now! Kaitlyn Melda Grade 1 Normal Park Museum Magnet

1009 Mississippi Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. O’Brien The Lavawolf If I could invent any animal, it would be a Lavawolf. It spits hot lava. It eats fire. It lives in lava. It looks like a dragon and a dinosaur. It poops lava. Jonas Michalke Grade 1 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1008 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37401 Mrs. Methvin My Night as a Scarecrow I am a scarecrow. I am in a garden and I am in a field. My mom is beside me. Kaylee Scott Grade 1 Lookout Valley Elementary 701 Browns Ferry Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37419 Mrs. Payne The Best Mom I love my mom because she kisses me. She lets me pour my own milk and plays with me so much. I really like it. Violet Shaw Grade 1 Red Bank Elementary School 1100 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Sipula Angelina’s Story I love my Dad. My dad just came home yesterday. My Mom went to try and find a parking place and I said Dad and Mom said where, where? I screamed there and I got out of the car and I ran to him. He picked me up and spun me around. I asked him if he would sit with me in the backseat of the car and he said yes. I will never forget about my Dad. Angelina Short Grade 1 19

Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Alley/Mrs. Lafferty

Oops! A special and funny memory I have was the time I fell into the sting rays’ tank at the aquarium because I was too small to reach. It was really cool in the tank because there were sting rays all around me. Then, someone helped me out of the tank because I got a little nauseous. Maggie Webb Grade 1 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. O’Brien The Snowgirl This snowgirl is a farmer. She tends snow corn. Somebody built her. She has eyes, a body, charcoal eyes, mouth and nose. She has stick hands. She has a necklace. She has blue mittens. It is cold and snowy where she lives. It snows gems there. She collects the gems. She makes snowgirl angels. She has wings. She can fly like a bird. She has a pet snowbird. She has a black belt. Audrey Zmaj Grade 1 St. Nicholas School 7525 Min Tom Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Marshall

[Grade 1 Poetry] Dog Dog. Black and white greyhound. Chasing cats around my yard. Huh – huh – huh – huh. Dog. Gavin Greeson First Grade Boyd Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, TN 37411 Mrs. Cochran

School Days 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 Count down with me ‘til the day is done. 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 Counting up now, my friend A – B – C – D – E – F – G Letters are fun, don’t you see? V – W – X – Y – Z Letters we hear at a spelling bee. Red – Orange – Yellow – and Green The most magnificent colors you’ve ever seen. Blue – Indigo – and Violet too The colors of the rainbow, we show you. Georgia – California – New York – Tennessee Four big states in our country Colorado – Arizona – Washington too So many states – this is just a few. Monday – Tuesday – Wednesday The school week has just begun. Thursday – Friday Now we are done and we had fun! Lauren Hays Grade 1 Thrasher Elementary 1301 James Blvd., Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Williams 21

Christmas Christmas is exciting Christmas feels silky Christmas sounds crinkly Christmas looks sparkly Christmas tastes sweet Christmas smells gingery Selia Jablonski Grade 1 Boyd-Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail Chattanooga, TN 37411 Mrs. Butcher Fall Is Fall looks like leaves falling and pinecones. It sounds like crunching leaves. Fall feels like frosty and tastes like hot chocolate. It smells like campfires. Fall is fun! Owen Phillips Grade 1 Lookout Valley Elementary 701 Browns Ferry Road, Chattanooga, TN 37419 Mrs. Lisa Hill Fields Fields are long, grassy and green. Fields are not so many. Fields let people live in them. Fields have Bees, bugs, flowers and green Tyler Shipley Grade 1 Thrasher Elementary 1301 James Blvd, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Kennedy 22

Swimming I dash through the water and dive off the board. Oh swimming Oh swimming Good lordy! Lordy! Lord! Molly Sikes Grade 1 Battle Academy 1601 Market Street, Chattanooga, TN, 37408 Mrs. Painter Clock Clocks Tick at night and day Tell the time at night and day! Make a sound Tick, tock, Tick, tock Very quiet In the night and day Makes its sound Again And Again And Again. Mia Smith Grade 1 Thrasher Elementary School 1301 James Blvd., Signal Mtn., TN 37377 Mrs. Walter Halloween Night Halloween night is a scareful fright! With terrifying fights of 1,000 royal knights. In the darknis of the night. With vampire bites. With gools and goblins over the night. 23

Out of sight. in the night. Costumes there, costumes there. Costumes everywhere around the square! Trick or treat, that is neat to say, Trick or Treat! Halloween is over. But what is there? People with candy and Halloween cheer! BOO! The End Ben Timblin Grade 1 Thrasher Elementary 1301 James Boulevard Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Miss Gardner

[Grade 2 Prose] One Clumsy Rabbit One clumsy rabbit was hunting for his food and his name was Floppy. When he was hunting, he saw a snake. The snake was slithering so fast that the bunny did not have enough time to hop away. So when the snake got really close up to the bunny, it ate him! That was the end of the bunny. Morgan Adams Grade 2 Soddy Elementary 260 School Street, Soddy Daisy, TN 37379 Mrs. Varner The Parrot Who Had No Friends In the beautiful rainforest, mama parrot was laying her eggs. That night there was a big storm, and mama parrot was almost blown out of her nest. Suddenly one of her eggs fell out of the nest. The next day when the morning was calm, mama parrot remembered that one of her eggs had fallen out. She was incredibly heartbroken. That very, single day a tiger family found the egg. They took care of the baby that hatched and named her Perry, the parrot. Tiggy the tiger baby became friends with Perry, but when they were grown, Perry didn’t have a friend. She was lonely, very super lonely. Perry had been so lonely that Tiggy decided to help him find a friend. Even though Tiggy was orange, white, and had black stripes, and Perry had rainbow feathers, they were very close. It didn’t matter that they were different, they were still best buddies. Perry had blue eyes but Tigg had marble sized blue eyes. Tiggy told his friends that Perry needed some pals. Perry was furious, very furious. Why would I need help finding one little friend, she thought. That night Tiggy found Perry while she was out looking for a friend. “Woah!” Perry was scared, very scared. When Perry turned around to go home, Perry saw glowing eyes. “Eeek!” screamed Perry. “It’s just me,” said Tiggiey. “Co…co…Come into th…the light please,” said Perry, very frightened in fearful voice. Tiggy came into the light. Perry was so amazed. “Your eyes glow in the dark, he said. “Ha! You’re lucky, very lucky.” “How come you have glowing eyes and I don’t?” asked Perry. “I don’t know,” said Tiggy. “Well, how come you don’t know that one?” asked Perry. “That’s because I’m not in school yet, Perry!” shouted Tiggy. “Oh!” said Perry, “I forgot that.”

The next day Perry said to himself, “I can’t find a friend and I’m jealous of Tiggy.” A few minutes later Tiggy showed up. “Hi Perry. Perry?” said Tiggy. Perry had flown to a very high tree branch. She was mad, very mad. “I wish I was not even born, or I wish that I was Tiggy,” moaned Perry. “Perry!” shouted Tiggy. “I’m not coming down!” shouted Perry. “Oh! Come on,” said Tiggy. “Never!” shouted Perry. “Fine,” said Tiggy. “I’m leaving!” “Wait!” shouted Perry. “I’m not waiting,” responded Tiggy. “If you are going to act that way, then it is fair for me to act this way too,” shouted Tiggy. “Fine! Make a friend cry!” shouted Perry. “Wha wha wha!” cried Pary, and she flew away. The next day Tiggy said, “You know what? I am going to be Perry’s friend. That’s a great idea.” Later that same day, Tiggy found Perry and this is what Tiggy said, “I found you! Perry, I have found you a friend!” shouted Tiggy. “Really?” said Perry. “Yes!” shouted Tiggy with excitement. “Who is it?” asked Perry. “It is me!” said Tiggy. “Really?” said Perry very confused. “Yes,” said Tiggy, “It’s true.” “Okay, okay,” said Perry, “I get it.” “Then why didn’t you just say so in the first place?” asked Perry. “Hurrah!” shouted Perry and Tiggy together.” “Why didn’t I think that you could be my friend?” said Perry. “This is the best day of my life!” “Mine too,” said Tiggy. “Let’s celebrate!” shouted Perry and Tiggy. “Whee! Whoa!” They said as they danced with glee. Caroline Hargis Grade 2 Snow Hill Elementary 9042 Career Lane, Ooltewah, TN 37363 Mrs. Diane Hitchcock

Monster High

Once upon a time in Monster High School, the monsters were doing work in their classroom. They were bored. Frankie had a plan to get out of the classroom work. Frankie told her friends the plan to get out of the classroom. They did just what she said instead they got into trouble and to go detention. They did not like it. Then

Frankie had another plan to get out of detention, and they said I guess. They did what she said, and that time they did not get in trouble. They were glad that they did not get in trouble that time. They cheer, and Frankie was new at that school and they loved her as a friend. They are in high school. They were friends forever. Abbey Henshaw Grade 2 Lookout Valley Elementary 601 Browns Ferry Road, Chattanooga, TN 37419 Mrs. Dinger

The Perfect Cookies One day a girl name lily worked in the bakery store. Evryone loved he cookies shaped like peace signs and hearts. Because she put something in it, and it tasted like candy. But she needed some help. She couldn’t bake the cookies by herself. Just thene she spoted a man who was looking for a job. Just thene he went over there to try some of her cookies he also asked her were he could find a job and she said he could work wit her so he did he liked working with her. Soon there were more and more cookies. The end! Sabrina Hilies-Moya Grade 2 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Lauren Odum

The saber tooth There was a old castle. Big mean tigers were garding the castle. At dawn the heumans came! The sabers were not scared to fight. Even thow the heumans were armed. The gards said you may not come in. The heumans said we will fight if we haf to. Ok said the saber I’ll ask my master. Captin! Take him to the master. Yes sir said the captin. Back at the master’s room, the master said “take him to prisin”. Yes sir said captin. Captin took him to the prisin gard. At jail the relly big gard said get him in there now! Captin put him in said the gard. Captin put heuman in. Comander was in his ofice room. Seeing if any more heumans would come. The arechers sole a spick. It was the heumans…

Big castle. The arechers sole another spick it was tanks. They had reinforsments. Let out the airforce said master yes sir said the airforce drivers. The heumans came closer and closer. The huemans master said let the men out and the men did come out and were off at war. Comander said wow! That was a serise attak! I don’t know if we can hlod them said sargent. Get out the artilry said a tarified troop. Artilry started to srawnd the land. As it shot down plans. The sabers were wining the battle big time. A big bionic robot came. And got dshtroed by a big tank. On the sabers side. What now said the master we’ve got dshtroed. Big shoters were shoting at a big bionic robot. The robot was tring his best to dishtrory the shoters. The people at the big castle gard. We died said the master. The End! Jeb Martin Grade 2 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Tym

A Party for Sara Sara’s birthday was today. Sara was so eksided that she was wanderen what her friends had pland. But Leanie and Pet did not know what to do. They both were a shamed of there salffs. They though it would be good to go to the woods. But it was to scary. They also wanted to have it at her house. But how would you get the deackerrashin and to boring to. Than they thought. Leanie said “Hey how about we go to the pon. Sara goes there evry day and she are reaty goun today.” Pet said “Yes that is a great idea. You are so smart.” So they started too put up the dacerashon. Leanie and Pet tought it was fun becase they lised to music wail sating evry thing up. Now they were finished with the decourashon and the last thing to do is invit Sara and have a party. So they walked up the steap hill. Ii toke them an hour to get to her house. They finlley got there. They rang the door bell and said “Is Sara home?” they both said at the same time. Sara’s mother said “She is up in her room. I will go get her.” Tow minutes later she came back with Sara. Sara was very excitied to see Leanie and Pete. Sara asked “Were are we going?” Her friends said “Wait and see Sara!” It toke an hour again to up the hill and down. Then they were finially there. They both said excitingly “You my open your eyes now Sara.” Sara scremed and fated soon she woke up. We ate cake and played games and they all had the best day ever! The End!

Juliana Medeiros Grade 2 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Smithson

The Turkey Run If I were the biggest, juiciest, plumpest turkey on the turkey farm, I would not die. Here is my plan. I pretend that I am a chicken, but when the farmer catches me, I dress up as a sheep. Then after that if he ever spots me, I pretend to be a tomato. BUT if he ever finds me again, I will be a pig. If he STILL finds me, I will dress up as a pizza man and then he will have all the pizza to eat. That way he won’t eat me. Jacob Mills Grade 2 Soddy Elementary 260 School Street, Soddy-Daisy, TN 37379 Mrs. Mercer My Favorite Doll One afternoon I was in the garden helping my mother plant her flowers. Then my kitten cupcake came running near the garden. I tried to stop her but she was to fast. I yelled stop cupcake. She ran into the daisies. I put her inside so she would not run into any more flowers. My mom was upset so I helped her plant some more. When we were fineshed my mom told me I could get a little reward for helping her. We wemt to the store and looked around. Then I found this beautiful little doll. Can I have that doll I said. My mom said she does not have enough money for it. I was really disapoined. My mom said you could save up enough money for it. I looked at the doll for a long time. When we got home I found a way to earn money. I am going to do chores around the house. I did the laundry, made the bed, and sweeped the floors. I got twenty-‐five dollers but the doll was thirty three. So I knew I had to do tow more things to get thirty three dollers. My mom gave me six more for helping in the garden. Now I have thirty dollers. When I was fineshed puting my books on my bookshelf my mom gave me three more dollers. I finally had enough to get the doll. The next day my mom and me went to the store to get the doll. We got there the doll wasn’t there. Somebody who worked there told us a little girl took it. I asked if they had another one but they said no. So me and my mom looked for something else but there was nothing else I wanted. My mom said let’s go to the toy shop because they make toys and they might make you a new doll. In the car I

drew what the doll looked like and it looked just like the doll in real life. When we got there I gave the drawing to the girl at the counter. She owned this place. She said she will try to make one. We had to come tomorrow to see. The next day we went back to the toy shop to see if the doll is ready. When the girl came back with the doll she had blond hair and pig tails and a light green dress with purple shoes. It’s just what I wanted. She looked pretty. I loved her so I took her home with me. When I got home I took her to my bedroom and I played wit her. I showed all of my stuffed animals and my toys my doll. I named her Olivia. She was the best doll ever. Alexandra Saldana Grade 2 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Odum Zombie Park Once upon a time in Irlend a yong boy axadentaly went to a hanted park. No one new about the park and any person who was in the part wood turn into a zombie if they heard the chime strike midnight. The zombies had made a huge mistake and ruined Earth and its resources. They had lived at the part forever park. So the people bought guns and shot the zombies’ heads off. McClain Shaw Grade 2 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Smithson

The story of the haunted house On a halowen night a gost uperd with a botell of slime. He said the slim is a majic formula that can tern peopel in to gost’s and hont the honid manshan. With scellatons and gosts and goblans. Thay can desiz as peopel and go in to the mugal world and hunt mor peopel. The bad gost that can hont peopel and to destroy the haunted manchan becouse thay live in a difrint haunted manchan which is trying to conpeet with the good haunted manchan. What I am wondering if the good hanted manchan got destroyd. Sudiley a monser uperd! Part 2: the fiting monster versis gost And he was about to destoy the honted house! Thar was got to be somting to do about it. But the monster relizd that the gost was alraty ded so the gost was alretey alive wans. The monster has 8 legs. He was tarafiing. The gost was rety to figt back.

he was hoping to win but he did not win he destroyd the hontid house. But all the hontid tem fitid and bilt the haunted house back. Part 3: the trol atak When a troll came they bowth were stif, but they found out he was a nice trol. And he was sarounded by fier! All 3 of them ran to find shelter and they becam frends. The shelter was haunted and wen they found out that it was honted they rememberd that they were not at the honted manchon and that they were tousands of mials away from it the gost was stil holding the botel of slime. They pord it on all 3 of them and they were bak at the honted manchon. Part 4: destroy and fix When they got bak to the honted manchan it was on fier! But the gost put the slim on the honted manchon and it fixt it. Then they went in side to see wat was going rong. And the monster from the other honted manchon was destroying the honted manchon. Then they destoyd him and the honted manchon was bak to normal. Part 5: When avrething was bak to normal not evrething was bak to normal. Becouse the bad crechors were turnd in to good krechers. The End. Luke Tarter Grade 2 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Tym

Hiccup—A Movie Summary of How to Train Your Dragon One day I was flying really fast in the night. All of the Vikings yelled my name and took cover so they would not get blasted. Then Hiccup shot me down with that terrible catapult. He started screaming, “I did it!” and then got chased by a monsterous nightmare. He went down to the cove. He cut me loose, and I pounced on him. It was scary. I almost made him faint. The next day, he brought me fish. He started training me. He made me a fake tail that day. I started flying then, so he made me a saddle when I was eating my fish. We were flying like when he shot me down. He made the type of saddle that he could control with his foot. Astrid came and saw Toothless and shouted then ran faster and wildly. Then Toothless came in and the Vikings got on top of Toothless and put them in their ship. They went to Dragon Island. The ship went slowly across the wild ocean. When they were there, they hit the dragons. The Ultra Dragon came, and they went nuts. The boats got burned, and Toothless sank to the bottom. Hiccup tried to get Toothless out of the water, but he ran out of breath. His dad came and got Toothless.

Hiccup and I started flying and fighting the dragon, and we put fire in his mouth. He died. We fell and Hiccup’s foot was burned off. His dad found him. Gobber made him a fake foot that he could barely walk on. Then they had dragons for pets. Elijah Turner Grade 2 Soddy Elementary School 260 School Street, Soddy-Daisy, TN 37379 Mrs. Mercer

The Nutcracker’s Christmas Once upon a time there was a little nutcracker. It was in a store wanting to be bought. Every day he sat in the store. Then one day a little girl came in and said “Mommy, I want to buy this nut cracker. It’s small and cute and I want him. Please! Please! Please! He only costs $2.99.” So they bought him and said “Thank you”. They went home and started breaking nuts. Then the girl started to get older and then nut cracker started to get sad. Then when the little girl had a daughter of her own, she found him. Then she said “did you know that you had this? Yes, I just did not know where he was. It looks like you found him.” So the nutcracker was happy again. Then 10 years past and the little girl who found the nutcracker finally said “I want you to have this again before I go off to college. Then I will come back, say hi and go back off to college and come back for Christmas.” Then when she came back from college her mother gave her a nutcracker of her own. Payton Vaughn Grade 2 Thrasher Elementary 1301 James Blvd., Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Simpson

[Grade 2 Poetry]

OUTSIDE IN THE WOODS I run, I jump, I play on logs I climb on trees and I have fun I like to play outside Outside in the bright sun. I look at a tree, I look for awhile Then I climb it once more I go to a place I’ve never been Never been before. I swing on a vine, I swing back and forth I could swing all day long. I feel like a little bird Singing a quiet song. My mom calls me back inside, It feels so so wrong. Luke Alexander Grade 2 Thrasher Elementary School 1301 James Boulevard, Signal Mountain TN 37377 Mrs. Bautista

Jingle Jingle Clang On Christmas Eve you can hear: The jingle jingle clang of Santa’s reindeer Sparks from the fire crackling up the chimney, And snowy blizzards are all around Christmas carols are heard around town In a land covered in a white winter blanket There are snowmen in the front yards As children are snug in their beds with warm winter blankets Santa greets the town with a “ho, ho, ho!” With lots of colorful presents under the tree, Another wonderful Christmas will come Parker Bartlett Grade 2 Thrasher Elementary School 33

1301 James Boulevard, Signal Mountain TN 37377 Mrs. Simpson

Grandpa My Grandpa was so, so nice. He played with me so much. But one day that changed. I woke up and dad told me he was gone. It’s been hard, But I’m moving on. Even though I don’t see him he whispers “I love you Lily. I love you.” Lily Cecil Grade 2 Thrasher Elementary School 1301 James Boulevard, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Niedbala Leaves Fall Leaves Leaves in the fall They fall down from your head to your toes. Leaves leaves are falling down everywhere. All around leaves are falling from the trees to the ground. Of all the colors that leaves can be, I will name these colors. The colors are green, yellow, red and orange. And the last but not least is brown. Green is in the summer. Orange, red, yellow and brown are in the fall. Brown is when the leaves are not alive at all. Leaves leaves are fun But in the fall to have fun with leaves You need to make a big leaf pile for everyone. Leaves can be fun in any way. Right now in the fall you can get out and play And play all day you may!! Leaves leaves in the fall Emma Davis Grade 2 Family Christian Academy/ Homeschool

Mrs. Davis Zack's Haiku One plus one is two Add, Subtract, It's up to you Language of Numbers Zack Duncan Grade 2 Thrasher Elementary School 1301 James Boule. Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Niedbala

My Pesky Little Sister My pesky little sister drives me nuts When I return from school, the door she shuts. My pesky little sister can be as mean as the devil When she is around there is a rise in my temper level. My pesky little sister hits me all day Then she begs me to play. My pesky little sister is kind of cute She is as funny as a hoot. My pesky little sister is sometimes sweet When she gets hurt my heart skips a beat. My pesky little sister, I guess I love her I would trade her for no other. Carter Giles Grade 2 Thrasher Elementary School 1301 James Blvd., Signal Mtn., TN 37377 Mrs. Gooden

Horse Dream I once had a dream about a horse He jumped over a stream And he made it of course His legs were long And his coat was white He had a long mane And his eyes were so bright The next thing I knew

I was up on his back As we started to run I heard a loud flap It sounded like the wings of a bird But louder of course Like hooves of a herd Up and away We flew to the sky It was the best dream ever I got to fly. Zoe Hale Grade 2 Thrasher Elementary School 1301 James Blvd. Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Bautista The Whale Big as a street, With fins not feet. I’m full of blubber, With skin like rubber. When I breathe out, I spew a spout. I swim by the shore, And more and more I’m very, very hard to ignore. Bradley Kincaid Grade 2 Boyd Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, TN 37411 Mrs. Schonhoff Daisies Daises are yellow I wish I had two. Daisies smell sweet Like all flowers do. Jacob Lofty Grade 2 Lookout Valley Elementary 36

601 Browns Ferry Road, Chattanooga, TN 37419 Mrs. Dinger

I Am Furry White I am fury white. I live in a rain forest. I have very black eyes. Colin Rice Grade 2 Hixson Elementary School 5950 Winding Lane, Hixson, TN 37343 Mrs. Brown I Love the Fall I love the Fall With leaves so bright Colors like gold and orange and red I love the Fall With winds so soft Sounds that whisper over my head I love the Fall With frost so white Cold and gray, skies like lead I love the Fall With a warm cozy fire Snuggled up inside my bed Kyle Shoemaker Grade 2 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Galyon Being A Jedi Being a Jedi would be so much fun I’d carry a light saber instead of a gun I’d fight off Count Dooku with Anakin beside me

we win the battle and yell yippie! I’d fly my X-‐Wing all through space and challenge anyone that wants to race Being a Jedi is what I want to be but for now, I will have to settle for just being me! Gavin Walter Grade 2 Thrasher Elementary 1301 James Blvd Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Gooden

[Grade 3 Prose]

The Time I Stepped on a Stingray Splash! I jumped into the water. I took some steps into the ocean and then I saw it. It was a stingray! It scared me to death. I would not touch the ocean for a long time. I was scared. So scared that my heart was pounding. And, it wasn’t like those stingrays at the Aquarium, it had a stinger. Trust me, you would not want to be there. I went on shore so I could sit down. A couple of minutes later I went back in the ocean with caution. I looked on the ocean floor until I got to my grandfather and my mom. I couldn’t speak, the breath was choked out of me. The stingray was gray. It was about a foot long with a half a foot tail. The wingspan was about three quarters of a foot across. It looked like it had gray spots under the water. Then I said to my mom, “I’m okay.” Then we never forgot the time I stepped on a stingray. Maddie Avery Grade 3 Nolan Elementary School 4435 Shackleford Ridge Rd. Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Huseman A Day of Terror Mom had called the principal and said I was going home with Caleb, but I had no idea why. “Please come to the hallways. There is a big storm headed our way, so please come to the hallways. I repeat, please come to the hallways.” ZIZZLE! ZAP! The power was out. I was not so happy to hear this because my mom had said that the mountains kept the big storms away. We ran downstairs to the bottom floor, and every one of us got into tornado position. After a while they let us get up, but soon we were in tornado position again. Finally we sat up again. Miss Levy tried to make things fun but I think that we were too scared to appreciate it. Finally when we were dismissed, the office said I was to come home with Caleb Janda because my mom couldn’t come get me. After we got to Caleb’s, we played Monkey in the Middle with Everett. Finally my dad zoomed up to pick me up, and a few hours later my mom and sitter rode home with a police man. Soon the power came on, and everything was back to normal. Well not quite. 39

May Bankston Grade 3 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Lawson The Popular Girls “The popular girls at my school are pretty and perfect. Their names are Vanessa, Paisley, and Emma. My name is Sophia Druce and my best friend is my only friend. Her name is Jazminn Malaz. Her family is from India and China. The popular girls make fun of the two of us. I wish they would stop.” “Ring! Ring!” the sound of the bell interrupted Sophia’s thoughts. It was time for the next class. When Sophia got to her next class, math, the teacher gave back the math test the day before. Sophia saw her grade and thought, “The popular girls always get a C; I always get a B+. It’s not the best grade, but it is a good grade.” Sophia could hear the popular girls saying things about her and the test. “So maybe she got a better grade than us, but look at her hair! Is that supposed to be a french braid? It looks like a loaf of french bread!” “And what’s with her friend, Jazzmin? Who cares about an A in math, when your hair is sooo long and sooo straight! What is that style supposed to be? ” When Sophia heard what the popular girls were saying about her and her friend, she felt sad, but she knew that Vanessa, Paisley and Emma were jealous. She and Jazzmin were good students, and their hair was just how they wanted it to be. “Ring! Ring! Ring!” it was the sound of the bell again. It was time for Sophia’s favorite class, drama. Mr. Pierre was a great teacher and always made his class fun. He wrote the scripts from the books the kids were reading. Right now they were reading a book called The Popular Girls. After studying the script, Mr. Pierre yelled. “Ready? Action!” The classroom lights were dimmed and on the stage Sophia screamed, “Jazminn! Jazzmin! Where are you?” Off stage she could see Jazzmin with the popular girls. “No where,” said Vanessa. Paisley was behind her. Jazzmin was struggling to get by the girls but was being held by Emma. “Sophia! Help!” screamed Jazzmin. She was afraid and thought the girls were trying to hurt her. They were pulling her hair and making fun of her clothes. “Ring! Ring! Ring!” “Cut!” yelled the director, Mr. Pierre. “Good job,” he said. You girls really got your into your characters. Go to your next class.” It was all part of the play. Or was it? Kaylee Bautista 40

Grade 3 Silverdale Baptist Academy Mr. Parker The Bad Day A long time ago I went to sea world. I went with my great Aunt and my Uncle. My Uncle and I rode the rollercoaster. DJ yelled, “Jalen I am scared!” “I like it a lot.” Jalen said. We got to feed the dolphins. It was fun as well. We went into a room full of rope. I asked the worker, “hey can we get on those?” The worker said, “sure they are a lot of fun.” Once I reached the top, I started to climb down, but my leg got tangled into the rope. I was hanging upside down. I was screaming for help. “Help me someone, help!” Jalen yelled. The worker came over and said hang on tight, I’ll be there to get you. He came up and got me down. Jalen Carter Grade 3 Calvin Donaldson Environmental Science Academy 927 West 37th Street, Chattanooga, TN 37410 Mrs. Sahm Secret of the School Julie and Catherine huddled in the classroom closet. Mr. Ostroff, their last period teacher, was gathering his papers and things. The class had been dismissed, and the two girls had snuck into the classroom closet right after the teacher had left the classroom to dismiss the students. Two minutes later, Mr. Ostroff had left the classroom and shut the door. The two girls silently climbed out of the closet, and shut the closet door. “At least he didn’t lock the classroom door,” Julie whispered. Peering out the door, Catherine made sure nobody was coming down the hallway. “It’s clear,” Catherine whispered. They snuck down the hallways, glancing back every now and then, BANG! Something crashed, and the girls quickly hid. “What was that?” Catherine asked quietly. “I don’t know, but that could be a clue about what we are trying to find out,” Julie said. They slipped on down the hallways. Turning the last corner, the girls caught their breath. Now they knew the first part of the school’s secret. A door that said TEACHERS ONLY had a big round hole in the center. The girls slipped through the hole, and put the huge stone that had been busted out of the door into place. They walked down the aisle to another door, opened it, then quietly shut it. It was a large room. They realized that all they had to do was quietly go up the staircases. 41

The girls quietly tiptoed up the stairways. At the top was an old, wooden door. Trusting their senses, Julie and Catherine peered through the wooden door. A sharp, quiet cry was coming from a dark corner in the dark room. Then, a low, dark growl. “The secret may be an animal or creature,” Catherine breathed. “I have a small candle in my backpack,” Julie breathed back. “How would we light it?” Catherine breathed. Julie felt the floor. A stone and stick closed into her hand. “A stone and a stick,” Julie replied. Quietly getting the candle, she quickly and quietly lit the candle. They caught their breath. There was a ginormous cage with a bear-‐like creature inside. Another bear-‐like growl came from the creature. Frightened, the girls stepped back. They had never seen this part of the school, after almost their first year! Julie paused, noticing something else. There was a girl about their age huddled by the cage, crying. “That girl is from our class, and the principal took her somewhere this morning to test something,” Julie said, pointing. “That is Marissa,” Catherine whispered. “Let’s go ask her what that creature is.” Julie looked frightened, but she agreed. Marissa looked up. “You are probably here to ask about Beast, and I will tell you this: Beast is a terrible creature the school has captured, and uses Beast to bite kids very hard, but then they bandage the child and send them back to class,” Marissa said, showing a light blue bandage around her wrist. “This is such a terrible school,” they muttered to each other. They all agreed to let Marissa help them out. Deciding to get to the bottom of this, the three girls looked around for clues. They all decided there were no clues. “Why is the school so mean?” Catherine asked. “Let’s find out,” Julie said. They all thought they had to find out what was wrong. Suddenly, they heard footsteps and hid. Mr. Domes was walking around and talked to Beast. Julie suddenly remembered the candle. A box labeled newspapers sat beside her. Cleverly she opened the box quietly. Putting the newspapers on the window, she lit each one and as soon as Mr. Domes saw the smoke, he called 911. The girls rejoiced quietly. Their genius plan was working! Soon they heard sirens wailing. Police and firemen were coming, and that meant that the evil teachers could be arrested. A new school with incredible teachers. Just what all the kids wanted! Lights came on. Firemen and police burst into the room. The girls ran out. “This school has terrible teachers!” they yelled. The police looked at them. “Really?” they asked. The girls replied, “Yes, they make that terrible beast bite us if we are bad,” and pointed to Beast. “Beast?” the police asked. “It's that giant creature over there," the girls replied politely. "Get all the teachers in handcuffs," the policeman to a group of police. The chief fireman said to a group of firemen: "Take out that newspaper-‐ fire."Take Beast to the Zoo and make a sign saying: Unknown Creature." 42

"I can't believe we are doing this big thing," Marissa said, laughing. "We are getting a better school," Julie and Catherine said together. Thirty minutes later, everything was cleared up, the school was shut down, and the girls were awarded for their smartness. Everyone was so happy at the girls' houses and their parents and both their big brothers were overjoyed to see them. The families were sent special thank you letters. Lots of the other children stopped by to say thank you. The girls played in the woods for the rest of the school year. For, you see, a new school was being built, and it was to be called: Redwood Middle School. Elanor Cornett Grade 3 Thrasher Elementary School 1301 James Boulevard, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Ferguson This Is Going To Be Great “This is going to be great”! My friend whispered in my ear, interrupting my daydreams about playing the guitar on stage. “Yeah.” I whispered back, turning to face Ms. Hammett. I imagined her with her guitar, singing this favorite song everybody loved, with us as her background chorus. I heard a note from Ms. Hammett’s guitar. “This is what we’re going to be singing.” Ms. Hammett said. “Follow along after me.” She continued. High notes and low notes started coming out of her guitar. Pretty notes and beautiful ones. I closed my eyes and let the music wash over me. Then, It seemed out of nowhere, Ms. Hammett’s beautiful voice filled the room. “Cave, forest, river, wet land, Tennessee, our big back yard.” Soon, the whole class was singing. It seemed like nobody wanted to stop. We sang on round of the song, then another, and another. Ms. Hammett even added another chorus for us to sing. Music was everywhere. Ms. Hammett had changed her voice so much when she had started singing. It was like listening to a whole new person. Then her voice changed back to normal. “Final verse” she said. Everyone groaned. We sang that last verse, the last strum that guitar would play, then all was silent. Then, Ms. Hammett’s voice came out of The gloom. “That was great!” she said, “I’ll have to show the other teachers!” “Let’s video it.” Someone piped up. “Maybe.” Ms. Hammett said. Oh well, I wanted to sing it again, but then I’d get tired of it! And what fun is that ?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Frances Crowe Grade 3 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Hammett 43

The Lip Accident “Ahhhhhhhh!” That was my sister’s scream you just heard. I didn’t know what was going on down there. Then we heard a big thump. Auren had gotten seriously hurt! She had tripped over her dress, fallen off the chair she was standing on, and had cracked open her lip completely. She was screaming and crying, her lip was cracked all the way open, and it was gushing blood. When we heard screams and cries, we came rushing down the stairs to see what had happened. When we found her, we were shocked! Then we called my parents and told them what had happened to Auren. They were shocked, too. Dan and Aunt Becka came and gave her a paper towel to wipe her lip off with. Then as soon as my parents got home, my dad took her to the emergency room to get stitches for her lip. It took quite a while to give her stitches. The rest of us were still at home. She was really brave, so when she got home, I was in bed, not asleep. I heard the front door open, and I knew it was Auren and Dad. When they came to my room, I still wasn’t asleep. Then I saw her in the dark, and I was scared to touch Auren’s lip because there were stitches on her lip. I had never had to get stitches before, so I was scared. Then I was trying to hug her in the dark, and it was kind of hard to do that. I didn’t want to hurt her after she got stitches. Dad said it was OK about touching her lip because it was already fixed. Auren was all better. Mya Federico Grade 3 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Lawson The Christmas Tree Once there lived a little girl named Mia who lived with her mom. When her mom was a little girl she didn’t celebrate Christmas because they lived in a country where they didn’t have the freedom to celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus. Mia did not know that until her mom told her last year. They never talked about Christmas in their house. One cold day in December when Mia was walking home from school she saw a Christmas tree in a store window and she thought it looked so beautiful. She ran the rest of the way home and ran into the house and told her mom, “Mamma we need a Christmas tree!” Her mom said, “No we don’t need a Christmas tree!” Mia asked “Why? other families have a Christmas tree”. She ran into her room crying not knowing what to do. Her mom called Mia’s dad and told him what had happened. She said, “She’s not coming out of her room.” Her dad said, “Why don’t we buy a Christmas tree this year? It would make Mia so happy and just because you grew up without one doesn’t mean we have to. We can begin a new tradition in our home right?” Mia’s mom said “I guess you are right.” Her dad said, “I think that is a good decision.” Her mom said “Ok, we will buy one”. 44

So she went to Mia’s room to tell her that it was time for dinner. Mia came to the table and picked at her food looking a little sad, He mom said, “Mia, your dad and I have decided to make a new family tradition. We are going to have a Christmas tree!” Mia was so excited and she jumped up and down and ran all around the house! So they went to go find a Christmas tree. They found short trees, tall trees, and stubby trees but they couldn’t find the one that they wanted but after a lot of looking they finally found the perfect tree. The tree was kind of short but worked perfect so they bought it. Then they found some decorations that they really liked so they bought two bags full! When they got home they put the tree in a stand with some water and put on all of the lights and decorations. It was the most beautiful tree they had ever seen. Mia looked at her mom and said, “thank you mom for letting us have a tree this year.” And her mom said, “I think that we will have a tree every year from now on!” Mia gave her mom a big hug and she knew that this was going to be the most wonderful Christmas ever! And it was all because of one beautiful Christmas tree. Mackenzie Fields Grade 3 Silverdale Baptist Academy Mrs. Whitted The Future “Shckkk, Schkkk, Parker to the office.” I was walking down the hallway. I knew for sure I was in trouble I marched down the hallway like I was in the Calvalry. I got to the office, and my mom and dad said “Go to the limo.” “OK”, I went. The window rolled down. It was me from the future! He said, “Get in.” We went to the airport. We soared through the sky to Los Angeles. We got out of the plan. We went to see Jackie Chan. We went to see his famous movie. It was awesome! Then we went to see another movie that was awesome too. We started to play a video game, then it was time for me to go home. I said “Bye” to Jackie Chan, and I went home. Me and Jackie Chan can still e-‐mail each other on Facebook. So, when we got home, me from the future said “What do we do now?” I said, “Let’s throw the football.” He said, “OK, let’s go.” I threw it to him. He threw it to me. When he threw it I looked away. It soared through the sky and BAM! It hit me! I got knocked out. When I woke up, I almost erupted with anger! After that I went inside to get some chocolate milk. I went upstairs and watched TV, and then I finished my milk. I was going downstairs, and I noticed the door wasn’t opening. I was barricaded in! So, I used a technique ramming my head against the door. He finally opened the door. I said, “Next time it is not going to be pretty.” So, after a while, I thought maybe I should get rid of me from the future. But how could I? I found the limo and put him in it. And then I put it in reverse, and drove him back into the future! Parker Graham Grade 3 45

Lookout Valley Elementary 701 Browns Ferry Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37419 Mrs. Baggett The Boy Behind Me There’s a boy that sits behind me in class. His name is Fred. He breathes on the back of my neck and sneezes on me. He picks his nose and puts it on my homework. I don’t know how he does it. His hair spikes up like the thorns on a thorn bush. His face looks like a tree with no bark. His eyes look like black holes and his teeth are as hard as brick. His nails are like swords being fought with. His legs are as skinny as spaghetti before you cook it. He has freckles that look like darts being thrown. His hands are as big as pears! He has a dog that looks like a purple monster. His shoes are like lollypops. His mom is a smurf and his dad is a giant. I don’t know how they get along. The clothes he wears are so 10 million years ago. He always has this petrified grin on his face. It’s kind of creepy. Samantha Kate Helton Grade 3 Bright School 1950 McDade Lane, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Oakes The Stolen Stallion Once, there were two girls, Avery and Carolyn. They loved to ride horses. They rode at Bay View Farms. One day, they were going to ride. When they got there, Miss Denise told them that a one hundred dollar champion stallion they just got yesterday, had been stolen! So the girls looked around for clues. “I found tire tracks!” said Avery. Carolyn and Miss Denise ran over to see what she had found. When Carolyn saw them, she said, “They had a trailer too.” “How do you know that they were not just going to go to a horse show or something like that?” said Avery. “Because, there is not a road back here,” said Miss Denise. “Then that must be the person who took the stallion,” said Carolyn. “Let’s see where they lead,” said Miss Denise. So they all followed the trail. The trail ended in front of a big barn. So Carolyn said, “I will go in and see what it looks like. If you see my hand waving, come in, OK?” So, Carolyn went in. All she saw were horses. Then she looked ahead and saw the stallion. She waved her hand and Avery and MIss Denise came in. Then, Carolyn said, “Is that the stallion?” “Yes, but how are we going to get him?” said Miss Denise.

“One of us will come here tomorrow and ride in a lesson. Then, when you’re done, instead of putting him back in the field, you will bring him to us.” said Carolyn. So the next day, Avery rode him and instead of putting him in the field, she rode him to the barn. When she came back, Carolyn and Miss Denise ran out and started petting the horse. Then, Miss Denise said, “I am having a horse show tomorrow to show how thankful I am for you bringing back my horse. I’ll let you ride in it for free.” So the next day, after the horse show, Avery and Carolyn rode the stallion and both won first place because the horse was a one hundred dollar champion. They had a good day. The next day, they went on a trail ride. Carolyn went on a brown horse named Butter. Avery went on a horse with spots on its butt named Lucky. Miss Denise went on a horse that was black named Black Beauty, the one hundred dollar champion stallion. When they got back, Carolyn and Avery went home to tell their parents about the adventure. They told them about the one hundred dollar champion stallion. So, the next day, they went to Bay View Farms and showed their parents the one hundred dollar stallion. Then they asked Miss Denise if their mom and dad could ride the stallion. Then, Miss Denise said, “We can not have the stallion because we can not pay for him. So if it’s OK with your parents, we are giving him to you because you helped us get him back.” So Avery and Carolyn kept him at Bay View and rode him every day because they loved the horse so much. Carolyn Henley Grade 3 Silverdale Baptist Academy Mrs. Whited Football at Red Bank I threw a deep and perfect pass. It was caught with one hand. He kept on running and running. Finally he made a touchdown. When they had the ball they threw a thirteen-‐yard pass and it was tipped and caught. “Oooo, nice,” I said. They still had the ball. My defense stopped them so they had to kick a field goal. At the end of the half it was 23 to 16. They made four safeties. That put them with 15 sacks. On the seventh down they went for it but didn’t make it. We scored a lot of points in the 4th quarter. They held us at 42 and we held them at 28. At the end of recess I ran as I could. I was dripping with sweat but happy and excited. Nathan Hess Grade 3 Nolan Elementary School Ashley Thornton Our Nature around Us 47

Do you see a lot of things around you? Everyday we see new things all around us like trees, grass, roads, and dirt. It is nature. Nature has a lot of things that help us in life. Trees reproduce oxygen believe it or not, and flowers help the trees reproduce oxygen. Flowers are important things they help trees, and bees help flowers, and flowers help bees by making honey because that’s what they do in life. Then after the bees make honey people get the honey and eat it but if look all around you what do you see? There is nature in the ocean and in the sky. If you did not know it, the answer is yes. There’s stormy rain, and hurricanes. A lot of people know that. People walk and drive on nature every day some people don’t notice when they throw trash on the ground their not helping the environment their trashing the environment and that’s not right to trash the environment a lot of people live in the environment and I bet other people don’t want to live were people throw trash on the ground some of us call it littering. Why do a lot of people still litter? It’s the law and rule, but people break it and they get a ticket if they do if they don’t that means they didn’t litter there’s other laws too, but littering happens a lot. When I’m in the car I see trash all around me and I think to myself why do people trash the environment? And why do they think it’s ok to trash the environment? That’s what I ask myself because if you go to the mail office in Dayton you see trash in the flowers and I help pick the trash up the part that people don’t get. Some animals eat grass and some animals lay in grass and even some animals need grass to survive people don’t think of that when they throw trash on the ground. What I think is if people throw trash on the ground they should clean it up and also if people see them litter and they don’t pick it up and other people have to pick it up you should tell the law all you properly have to tell them. You should tell them what the tag number is, what the color of the car is, what the car is, and properly the tag number that is really hard to get unless you’re right beside them then it is easier to get it. If people just throw one piece on the ground and they think that’s not breaking the law, it is. They just don’t get it that if you even throw one little piece on the ground that is breaking the law and they just don’t get that not breaking the law is an important thing and some people do understand there are people breaking other laws. And they have consequences for breaking rules that’s sad to me, but it was their choice to be in somewhere for not doing the right thing. To me that’s a really bad place to go and a lot of people go there for breaking the rules even in the newspaper somewhere you’ll see crime on it for littering and a lot of it because of littering. Littering is like throwing trash on nature if we work together we can make a big difference. Zoie Keel Grade 3 Rhea Central Elementary School 1005 Delaware Avenue, Dayton, TN 37321 Mrs. Jenkins The Black Limousine 48

This morning when I got up I didn’t feel like going to school. I got dressed, put on my shoes, and “Oh no!” I thought to myself – it was raining! I rushed to my bus stop but I missed the bus, so I had to walk to school and I was tardy and so so wet. I got in my class and when to my teacher’s desk. I said, “Can I go to the restroom?” When I go in the restroom, I got a paper towel and wrapped it around my arms. I went back to class and as soon as I got in class Mrs. Brock came over the intercom and said, “Mrs. Baggett, can I have Hannah Landolt for dismissal?” Mrs. Baggett had a look on her face like I had done something again. It was a terrifying five minutes as I walked down the hall. I saw my parents in the office. I know I did something wrong now, I was so terrified. My parents said, “Hannah,” and I felt like I was being yelled at by my teacher, but worse, so much worse. My mom told me to go outside and I said ok. When I got out there I saw a limousine and it had dark windows. The windows rolled down and it was my dad. “O.M.” I said, then he interrupted with “Are you Hannah?” “G! Yes!” I shouted. I was very excited. We went to a concert and a carnival. We rode the bumper cars, ferris wheel, and a roller coaster. We had to go home because it started to rain, and we were so wet when we got back to the limo. He took me home and said bye. I had the best time in the whole wide word. The next day, I got called back to the office….. Hannah Landolt Grade 3 Lookout Valley Elementary 701 Browns Ferry Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37419 Mrs. Baggett A Good Christmas Hello and welcome to our program, “A Good Christmas.” Today we will talk to Santa about what he does and how he does it. We’re also going to learn the true meaning of Christmas. It’s time for Santa to come out and talk to us. Ho, ho, ho, Hi! I’m Santa and I’m going to talk to you about what I do and how I do it. The first thing I do is make toys for kids. We do it in a big warehouse down in the North Pole. Me and my elves build and hammer and paint all day. When Christmas comes I get on my sleigh and I fly away to all the children in the cities and towns. I land on their houses and I go down the chimney. They should have a Christmas tree up. I put all their toys in little sacks down under the tree. When they wake up in the morning they open all their presents and they have a great time. So that’s it. That’s what I do and how I do it. Now, back to you Levi. Well, now it’s time for us to learn the true meaning of Christmas. Let me get my Bible out. Ok, here it is, Luke 2:1-‐20. This is what it says, “Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus to register all the empire for taxes…….” Now, there were two people. Mary and Joseph were their names. Mary was having a baby. A while back an angel come to Mary and told her she would have a baby and name him Jesus. Joseph and Mary travelled to a town called Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary went to all the inns but there were no rooms for them there. But, one of the inn keepers said “I have a stable around the back of my inn. You can stay there and have your baby.” So, Mary had her baby there and named 49

him Jesus as the angel had said to do. This baby was very special because he was the son of God. So, when we celebrate Christmas we are celebrating Jesus’ birth. Well, now you know what Santa does and how he does it and most importantly, now you know the true meaning of Christmas, baby Jesus!! Well, our program is over for the day so good-‐bye and see you tomorrow. Levi Landrus 3rd Grade Silverdale Baptist Academy Mrs. Williams Swim Meet Vrroom vrroom as the car went to the swim meet. I was so excited and pumped up for it. Once we found a parking space and got out I saw so many teams. We went to find our team’s tent. We finally found it. Then I tried getting into the pool. I found one of my team mates and he led me to the pool. I went to my coach and asked what to do he said "get ready". So I got ready and I swam the fifty free style. After that I swam the medley relay. Then I swam the butterfly swim. I got to the finals for it to! We came back that night and did my finals. When I swam the butterfly I felt so good. Once came out I came out second! Next I went home and to the swim party and got my medals.

Levi Lebovitz Grade 3 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1005 Mississippi Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Hassler

Christmas Cookies One of my favorite Christmas traditions is baking cookies and making treats with my family. We always make ginger-‐spiced molasses cookies, my sister’s favorite chocolate chip cookies, and my mom’s famous Christmas bark. We usually make extra batches of the bark, hide it in the freezer (like a hamster hides food in the burrow) and eat it during the year. I also love snickerdoodle with cinnamon and hot tamale candies on top. Sometimes we make our own caramel. My sister and I wrap them in wax paper. It is messy but delicious and sweet. When we start baking, the house smells warm, cozy, and scrumptious. It makes me hungry just thinking about it! We wrap the treats in tin boxes and share them with our family, friends, teachers, and neighbors. We do that to show them love and thanks. We also leave

some on a plate for Santa. His favorite is chocolate chip with strawberry milk. One time, when we still lived in Indiana, he ate them all, without one crumb left! This year, I found a new favorite: eggnog cookies! My teacher loved it so much she asked for the recipe. This gave me an idea. I am going to write down our recipes and collect recipes from other people and publish a cookbook called “The Best Recipes in the World”. I will sell them to my family and friends and donate the money we earn to the animal shelter because I love pets and pets deserve loving families. Maybe I will even find a puppy to take home when I am there! Eliana Grace Lin Grade 3 Thrasher Elementary 1301 James Blvd., Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Ferguson Caleb’s Letter One day I saw the mailman pull up in my driveway. When he got out he was carrying a big box. He tried to fit it in the mail box , but it wouldn’t fit. Even though everyone that passed him on the sidewalk said to just go up to the door, he never did. He didn’t want to be chased by my dogs and cats. Just when he was going to give up, it finally fit in the mailbox. When it fit, my dogs and cats got out and the mailman ran away. By the time I got to the door, I couldn’t see him. I shot out the door . I thought it was my new Lego set, but instead of my new Lego set, it was a giant dusty old rug. When I unfolded it, I noticed a note in the right hand corner of the rug and it said: Dear Ben, I sent you a magic carpet from India. I hope you get as much use out of it as I did. From your best friend Caleb. After reading that, I got on the rug and flew out the door. When it got dark, I fell fast asleep. The next day, I woke up in my bed. I was thinking that the carpet put me in bed and then I saw the carpet on me. I said, “You really are magic.” That means Caleb was right. Hunter Lowrance Grade 3 Lookout Valley Elementary 701 Brownsferry Road, Chattanooga, Tn 37419 Mrs. Jenkins Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark! My grandparents were playing ball with my dog. His name is Sheldon. It was in the middle of the day in the springtime. One of my grandparents threw the ball too far. Sheldon ran out in the road to get the ball. He got distracted from my grandparents screams. He looked at my granddad and didn’t see what was 51

coming up the hill. A car roared up the hill and hit Sheldon. He went Thud! The sound of the tires sounded like 65 girls screaming in your ear. We had to bury him outside. Lochlain Martin Grade 3 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Hammett

A New Friend Once upon a time, in a minuscule house, lived a young girl named Sinta. Sinta didn’t know it but in a few years, she would go on an amazing adventure. As the years past, Elizabeth, Sinta’s mom grew very ill and weak. Finally after staying in bed for two weeks, she died. Sinta felt so heartbroken. Sinta’s dad worried about her. Sinta wouldn’t eat, talk, or sleep. Sinta only played with her best friend James. When James was around, Sinta was back to her old self again, before her mom died. James was a skillful and a crafty woodcutter. So, Sinta would help James cut down trees or would help him rake leaves in the fall in the fall. Then, one terrible day came. It was the biggest storm in Greek history. All the kids had to vacate the village. But Sinta didn’t want to leave her father. “I won’t leave you”, said Sinta in a sad voice. “You have to”, replied her father. Even though she didn’t want to, she knew it was the right thing to do because her father wanted her safe. So she and all other kids vacated the trembling village. About 15 minutes later, she looked back, at what used to be a village was a bunch of cottages piled up one on top of another. Sinta decided to lead the kids into the Athens. That was the closet city nearby. It was midnight when they reached the Athens. They found a big box in a vacant lot, just a bit of space to hold about everybody. Sinta was thinking how would they get food? Where would they live? When she fell to sleep, she had a terrifying dream. Sinta was all alone. No friends or family to help her. Then, she felt somebody pushing her lightly. It was James. “James where is everybody?” asked Sinta. “I don’t know”, answered James. They were the only people in the lot. With no sign of the other children, they went into town to find something to ease their hunger. Then Sinta noticed something, she remembered that she had some coins, plus a few bills in her pocket. Sinta and James looked for a place to eat. But, no restaurant was opened. There was no person in sight. Suddenly, Sinta and James heard a furious loud growl. There stood a dog with serpents for its tail. It held in its mouth, King Charles’s golden crown. Sinta whispered to James “Chansel”. Even though Chansel looked dangerous, Sinta could tell Chansel was indeed hurt. She went closer to Chansel to get a better look. There was an arrow stuck in Chansel’s paw. Sinta went closer but Chansel backed away. Sinta threw a rock at the arrow. The arrow came out a bit, then James threw at the arrow and it came out. Chansel came closer to both of them then bowed down to them and told why he had to get a golden crown. He said he had to have one in order

to have a home so he could survive. After that Chansel offered James and Sinta to stay in his home. “Thank you,” said Sinta and James, “My pleasure,” Chansel answered. “We have to get this back to Sparta.” Why do we have to go Sparta?” asked James. “Well, my new home is somewhere close to Sparta”, said Chansel. But why do you live so close to where people live?” questioned Sinta. “There is a magic forest there”, answered Chansel. Get on my back and I’ll run to Sparta, or at least as much as I can get today”, said Chansel. James and Sinta hopped on. Sinta took one last glare of the Athens and remembered the village that she lived in. Then Chansel took off like lightning leaving nothing in his path. It was dark when Chansel finally stopped to rest. Chansel curled up against James and Sinta like a big fluffy and soft blanket. The next morning Chansel plopped Sinta and James on his back, they were both still asleep. The sun was just about peeking when Chansel set off. About an hour later Sinta and James woke up from their slumber. Sparta was just in an eye shot. As Sparta was just a bit away, James, Sinta, and Chansel stopped for breakfast. There were apple and pear trees nearby. Chansel used his fire breathing power to roast apples and pears. It was the only meal James and Sinta had in two days. After they were done, Chansel raced all the way to Sparta without stopping. As he got to Sparta, he let James and Sinta down. ”We need to find a dogwood tree”, said Chansel. “There’s one”, replied Sinta. Sinta guided James and Chansel to the dogwood tree. There stood a goat. “Have you got the crown”, said Maze. “Yes sir Maze”, said Chansel. Then Chansel handed Maze the crown. “Good”, said Maze. “Come, I have a room for you and your friends,” replied Maze. Chansel and friends followed Maze. Then, Maze leaded them into a nice, neat, and large room. “This is where you will live”, said Maze. “Thank you”, replied Sinta, as the bunch gatherd in the large and pretty room. “Wow”, cried James.” Is this where we are going to live?” asked Sinta. She couldn’t imagine that she would live in a house again. “How long are we allowed to stay here?” asked Sinta, “As long as you like”, answered Chansel. Well, Sinta was so happy that she cooked dinner for everybody. That night Sinta had a good rest. So did James, because he was talking in his sleep and it sounded smooth. The next day, the people of the magic forest held a banquet in honor of three new arrivals. There were food and drink. Sinta was so flattered! Sinta ate and ate until she couldn’t consume any more food. “Would they hold a banquet just for new arrivals?” questioned James. “Yes, all the time”, replied Chansel. It was late afternoon. Sinta and James were playing tether ball. They made up the set from a fallen branch and some string they found. Their neighbor, Mrs. Minsle let Sinta and James borrow a ball. Chansel was inside taking a nap. When night fell, Sinta would cook as always. As everyone fell asleep, Sinta knew this was the life that she wanted to live. Have you ever read a fairy tale? If not, you should read one sometime, they are very good books. As I was saying the bunch that came a very long way, from the Athens to Sparta, and like in most fairy tales, they lived happily ever AFTER. The end…. Muntrinee May Mon Grade 3 Nolan Elementary School 53

4435 Shackleford Ridge Road, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Wilkerson

The Nature Center “WHAT!” “Oh this will be so fun”, I thought. I just heard that I get to go to the Nature Center to help feed the animals. I could not stop thinking about the furry red wolves that my sister and I would get to feed. They love to eat mice and rats. Ok, I admit. That does not sound fun, but it was not too bad. I got to make lunch for the owls, hawks, groundhogs and other amazing animals too! I had been waiting a long time for the chance to work with the animals. I talked the whole way there. Blah, blah, blah. I would ignore my Dad and sister when they said I talk too much. I was so excited when we finally got there. My sister and I were the only ones doing it so I felt so special. We all went inside to meet Mrs. Gailmard who was the lady in charge. Then it was time to go. “Bye Dad! Bye Isaac!” We first went into the clinic, where kids are usually not allowed to go. They took a little groundhog into his day time cage and we prepared his food which was broccoli, carrots, grapes, and other tasty things. Then came the wolves. This was the part Jolie and I were waiting for most. We had to get the frozen mice and rats and pour warm water in their bags. It was sad at first because the wolves did not come out. They appeared to be scared of these new girls. When I threw the first mouse over the fence it was amazing. Boy! Those wolves came running. They were so beautiful. That split second, I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. After the wolves, we fed hawks, owls, and other birds. Next, we cleaned out the animal’s cages with the workers from the center. This experience at the Nature Center was one of my most favorite adventures because I got to be close to one of my favorite things in the world – animals. I was proud of myself because I did many of the jobs there at the center myself and they trusted me. I will never forget my experience at the Nature Center. Eliza McGann Grade 3 Nolan Elementary 4435 Shackleford Ridge Rd. Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Huseman Saved by the Mist Poke and Dot were walking in the middle of a desert in Egypt. They were looking for a pyramid. They walked for many miles in the heat. Dot thought it was at least 100 degrees. Dot said, “I’m thirsty!” Poke said, “I’m hungry!” They kept walking along. Then Dot said, “Look!” Poke said, “Where?” “Right there,” Dot cried and pointed in the distance at two triangular buildings rising out of the sand. They took off running. They ran so fast it looked like their heads were falling off! When they got to the pyramid, the pyramid said, “No one enters here!” Poke and Dot were frightened. Dozens of men with weapons jumped out and surrounded 54

them. One guy who must have been the chief said, “You are going to jail for at least a year. What are your names?” Poke and Dot introduced themselves and said, “We aren’t afraid of you. We brought our own weapons!” The chief said, “You’re surrounded! Look around you! Now drop your weapons!” Poke and Dot said, “Ok, ok,” and laid down their weapons. Three men stepped forward and grabbed them by the arm. They hauled Poke and Dot off to jail. When they got to the jail the men handed them one small basket of food. Dot said, “Hey! Where’s the water?” One really strong looking man stepped up and said, “Live without water.” Poke said, “Where’s the bathroom?” The man said, “We don’t have one.” Poke said, “This is going to be a long year!” The next day Poke and Dot could see from their one tiny window that it was raining outside. One man came to their cell and gave them each a cup of water. Some women came and gave them a blanket. The chief gave them a pillow. The next day was really cold because of the rain. Poke said, “I could hardly sleep.” Dot said, “Really? I could sleep easily.” Then some more men came to their cell. They took them out and told them that they were going to have to build a pyramid if they ever wanted to go free. Poke and Dot were carving wood and stone the whole rest of the day. Dot was hungry but he didn’t mention it. They both slept like rocks that night. The next morning there was a thick cloud of mist on the ground. The mist said, “Let Poke and Dot out of jail!” The people keeping them in jail were not afraid. They said, “We’ll give them even less food now that you are going to boss us around!” The mist started swirling around and said, “They’d better be out by tomorrow or you will be really sorry.” The next day, the mist was back, just like it said it would be. The mist saw that they were still in jail, so it said, “You won’t have any water! I will suck it all up.” It sucked up all of the rainwater they had collected. Then it left. It came back the next morning to see if the people had let Poke and Dot out yet. Of course they hadn’t. It sucked up more of their rainwater. Then it settled down over the top of the pyramid and blocked out the sun so that all of the jailers were cold. Poke and Dot said they were cold and hungry and thirsty too. Poke was pretty mad at Dot for wanting to see pyramids in the first place. All of the other people started running around, screaming and bumping into each other because it was so dark. Their kids were crying and asking each other if they had seen their families. People were getting hurt all over the place. The people started begging the chief to let Poke and Dot go free. They were tired of the mist. Finally, the chief decided to make a deal. He said, “Mist, if you give us all our water back, stop blocking the sun and help us find all our children we will let them go.” The mist agreed. Everyone did what they said they would do, and then Poke and Dot got to go free on one condition. They were never to come back. Poke and Dot were happy to be free again. As they started to walk away Dot turned to Poke and said, “I know! Let’s go find some leprechauns and steal their gold!” Trevor McGhie Grade 3 Nolan Elementary School 4435 Shackleford Ridge Rd. Signal Mountain TN 37377 55

Mrs. Leary The Litter Scooper “Oh, Annabelle! Not again! Ugh!” Louise said picking up the shovel. She absently petted Annabelle as she scooped the kitty poop. Dropping it in the bag,” she, “there that’s done.” “Morrow,” purred Annabelle pawing at Louise’s pant leg. “Silly,” Louise scooped up the tiny orange kitten in her arms. Clomp, clomp, clomp! Louise raced downstairs. “Finally freedom!” Louise said. “Not just yet. It’s dinner,” Louise’s mother Olive Lakewood said. “Ugh Mom! The second I get to have free time. I can’t!” “Oh, c’mon Louise! It’s your favorite! Spaghetti and meatballs.” “Alright, alright,” Louise tucked her frizzy red hair behind her ear. She had startling green eyes and freckles. “Boys! Dinner!” said Mrs. Lakewood. “Coming Mom!” Louise’s five year-‐old twin brothers Theo and Caleb called. They were busy blowing up green aliens from Mars. “How was your day at school, Louise?” asked Mrs. Lakewood. “The usual. Ms. Linden got mad because I didn’t get square roots,” Louise was in the fifth grade and thought ten olds should get to stay home more often. “Boys!! Get off the computer now!!” Mrs. Lakewood yelled at the top of her lungs. “You don’t have to yell. We heard you the first time!” moaned Caleb. If you heard me the first time you’d be off already!” Thump, thump, thump. “Where’s our dinner?” whimpered Theo. “It’s coming! Be patient!” There had been a lot of yelling the past few months in the Lakewood house. Mrs. Lakewood brought their plates to the table, and they sat down to eat. “The cat litter was extra stinky today,” remarked Louise. Mrs. Lakewood sighed. She was a pretty woman with long red hair, dazzling green eyes and tons of freckles just like her children. Ever since Louise, Theo, and Caleb’s dad had died she had been on her own with the cooking, cleaning, and working. She was often cranky at the end of the day. “Look, honey I know you hate scooping the cat litter, but we have no one else to do it.” “The twins could do it,” pointed out Louise. Caleb and Theo had been happily beaming each other with meatballs but stopped immediately and stared at Louise with bug eyes. Dinner was over soon and Louise went up to her room. If her mom wouldn’t let her stop scooping the cat litter, then she would make a device to help her with it. Louise stayed up until midnight working on her invention. Finally it was finished. It was a simple machine, but it just might make her life better. Louise called it the Litter Scooper. It was an alarm clock, cardboard tube, box, marble, and spatula constructed together. 56

The next day she tried it out. Presto, it worked! No more cat poop to worry about for a long time! Willa Mirmelstein Grade 3 Normal Park Museum Magnet School 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Lail The Magic of Love A long, long, time ago a miner named Mr. James and his wife, Mrs. James, lived in Europe. Miner James was mining one early morning. He dug up an enormous pile of gold. Mr. James brought home the gold and showed it to Mrs. James. Mrs. James said to give it to the king and queen but he did not know which king and queen she meant. He was not sure who was his king and queen because it was always changing because the kings traded land. So he asked all the kings in the world if they wanted it and of course they did. All of them begged for the gold. This went on and on until Mr. James said if you cannot decide I will pick who gets it. You have until tomorrow to decide. All the queens said, “but what about us, the queens?” Mr. James said, “I’m going to let the kings choose this time, if I find more I’ll let you decide next time.” “Darn it!” said all the queens, “that’s not right!” Miner James said to the kings, “I will come back tomorrow and you will have to know which one of you gets it. If you do not know I will choose for all of you. So, get to work!” When he came back the next day he said, “So what did you decide?” One of the kings said, “I think we are going to have to have a war.” All the kings and queens went home to tell their soldiers. The King of Spain, whose name was King John, could not go to sleep because he was so frightened about the big fight. The next day they went out into the Big Woods. His castle was surrounded by the woods. All the other kings and queens went also, but the queens did not fight. In the middle of the battle the Queen of England, whose name was Queen Claire, ran over and said to a handsome, young king, “I need someone to marry.” “I am in the middle of a battle! Run along Miss Queen!” said King John. “That’s not my name, Handsome!” said Queen Claire. “Hey, that’s not my name, either!” said King John. “I just don’t know you or if I even like you.” After a long, long time she found him again and said, “Now, are you done with the war?” asked Queen Claire. “No! I am not!” said King John. The fight went on and on but she saw him again and said, “If we get married our armies can get together and win!” “But you are the Queen of England and I am the King of Spain.” “Oh, that doesn’t matter a bit, we can marry whomever we want!” said the Queen. The king said, “I think I like you, too. Let’s gather our armies and tell them the good news that we are joining teams and we’ll win the gold and that you and I are getting married!” 57

King John and Queen Claire told their armies and they started fighting as one big army. It didn’t take long for the war to be over. Miner James announced that they were the winners. They invited Mr. and Mrs. James to their wedding which was the very next day. They lived happily ever after. Mary Claire Nimon Grade 3 Nolan Elementary School 4435 Shackleford Ridge Road, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Wilkerson The Candy Machine Sabrina Foxwood wasn’t like any other girl. She was an inventor. When she put up her long blonde hair she used an invention called the elastic watcher. You see, when you press a button on the top you tell it who you want to spy on and bingo! Your problems are solved. When she sprinkled invisible powder on her bright, blue, eyes she had x-‐ray vision! That invention was called x-‐powder. “I’m so mad,” thought Sabrina Foxwood as she sat on her bed looking at the ceiling. Just then beep, beep, beep. Her alarm went off. Thump, went her feet as she jumped out of bed. She quickly pulled on her clothes, brushed her teeth and hair and went downstairs for breakfast. “Here’s your breakfast sweetie,” said Sabrina’s mom. “Thanks mom,” said Sabrina. “Warm oatmeal with a cherry on top. Just how you like it!” Sabrina was walking in the hallway of Blue Bay Elementary School as her best friend Rosetta Stone ran up to her. “How are you doing girl?” She asked as they walked. “I’m not doing well,” she said. “Why?” asked Rosetta. “Because my mom grounded me from candy and now I can’t go trick or treating on Halloween!” “Well then I will stay at your house on Halloween,” said Rosetta Later on Halloween night, the girls were in Sabrina’s room playing twister. “Right foot red!” shouted Rosetta to Sabrina. As Sabrina fell, Rosetta said, “Your out!” “Wow this is hard,” said Sabrina. “How about we make an invention!” “Like what?” asked Rosetta “Well we could make something to make us more candy!” “Yeah! That will be great!” said Rosetta. “Come on let’s get started!” When they finished it was purple with candy stickers. The girls loved it! Sabrina and Rosetta decided to test the machine out. So, they got a piece of Laffy Taffy out of her secret compartment under her rug and popped it in the candy 58

machine. On the screen, buttons popped up. They said 5 pieces of candy, 10 pieces of candy, 20 pieces of candy and so on. She pressed 5 pieces. Immediately, 5 pieces of Laffy Taffy popped out of the machine. “Yum!” said Sabrina as she ate a piece. Knock, knock…”Oh no mom’s home!” “Where are we going to hide the candy machine?” asked Sabrina. “Any one home?” asked Sabrina’s mom. “In the closet, quick!” Sabrina said. “Coming mom!” “I need you two girls to help me with the bags of candy,” said mom. “Okay, Mrs. Foxwood,” said Rosetta Later in Sabrina’s room… “Sabrina, I told you to clean up your room while I was gone,” said Sabrina’s mom. “Oh, sorry mom, I was a little busy. I will do it right away,” said Sabrina as her mom walked out of the room. “High five!” said Rosetta. “SLAP!” “I think we will have candy for life!” Anna Rogers Grade 3 Normal Park Museum Magnet School 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Lail The Shrink Ray Bring! My alarm clock went off. Sally yawned. Sally brushed her long, straight, blond hair. Sally got dressed and went down stairs. When Sally was making breakfast she yelled, “Mom time to get up.” Mom barged in and said, “Hey, can you give this to your teacher.” “Can you?” asked Sally. “No, you are too shy. You need to do it,” demanded her mom. “Fine,” said Sally. “Come on get in the car,” demanded her mom. “Okay,” said Sally. Sally got in the car. “We’re here,” said her mom. Sally got out of the car. Uh-‐ oh Sally saw… “Hey Sally can’t wait to see you at the science fair,” said Mark. “You will never win,” said Bobby “You don’t have a chance,” said Joe. “Oh ya, I bet you haven’t even thought of anything yet,” said Sally. Sally walked away. “Hey Zoe,” said Sally racing up to her. “Hey, what’s up?” said Zoe. Sally made a face. “Let me guess, bullies again,” said Zoe. 59

Sally made a face. “Yes,” said Sally wiping her tears. “Don’t worry. You will be great at the science fair,” said Zoe. “Maybe you’re right,” said Sally. Sally went to class. She gave the note from her mom to her teacher. I was wondering if Sally was doing well in school. She has been acting weird for the past two weeks. She’s been in her room. Is there a big test or something? Love, Amy Maggneseen. My teacher wrote back. We are having a science fair. Love, Barbra Lail. She told me to give it to my mother. Sally went to her desk and sat down. It was time for Writer’s Workshop. Her story was “Knock, Knock, Who’s There? Ding…Ding…Ding… The second bell was ringing. Sally got her backpack and ran out the door. She started walking home with Zoe. She got to her house, said bye to Zoe, and walked inside. Sally ran in her room like a race car. She kept pacing around her room. She was trying to think what to make for the science fair. It was taking awhile, but she knew she would come up with something. She started thinking about the bullies picking on her. “I hate Mark, Joe, and Bobby,” she mumbled to herself. Then it hit her. “OMG! I got it!” she said excitedly. I can make a shrink ray, and I can demonstrate it on Mark, Joe, and Bobby. She jumped up and down and had a big smile on her face. She started working on it right away. “Time for dinner,” her mom yelled. “Shoot I really want to get started.” “Okay,” Sally yelled. Sally ran downstairs. “Why are you so happy?” asked Sally’s mom. “I know what I’m going to make for the science fair. “Well, what are going to make?” asked her mom. “It’s a surprise,” laughed Sally. “Why are you laughing?” asked her mom. “No reason,” said Sally. “I’m done with my food,” said Sally. She ran upstairs. She knew she needed to make a potion to put in a bottle. She would put the potion in the Shrink Ray. It would shrink Mark, Joe, and Bobby. She knew she would win the science fair. She worked for three hours, and she was done. She tested it on a colored pencil, but it kept making the pencil bigger. She put some hot water in the potion and tested it again. It made the pencil bigger. Then she put warm water in the potion. It worked! It shank the pencil. She made another potion to make the pencil go back to normal size. Today is the science fair. Sally felt nervous. Her tummy felt like crazy leprechauns jumping in her tummy. Her head felt like a bowling ball. She felt sick. She said, “I can do this.” She set her stuff up at the table. She looked at the 1st place ribbon and the big, gold trophy. “I’m going to win!” she said. Then she saw Mark, Joe, and Bobby. “Hey guys,” said Sally. “Can I demonstrate my project on you?” 60

“Fine, you can,” said Joe. “Time for the science fair,” said Ms. Lail. Mark, Joe and Bobby were first. They had super pants that could make you fly. Then it was Sally’s turn. “Please stand here,” said Sally. She aimed at Mark, Joe and Bobby. “Ready, fire!” said Sally. She shot them and right away she won! She left with a big smile on her face leaving Mark, Joe and Bobby behind. Ellianna Sawyer Grade 3 Normal Park Museum Magnet School 1009 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Lail Dog Diary: Tails from a Pug October 19, 2012 I just heard this Halloween I’m going to be a…Minion from Despicable Me (like I know what that this). Well, at least my sister Audrey is dressing up with me. Audrey makes me think she is a dork. Here are 3 reasons… 1. Her head is too big for her body. 2. She’s so puny. 3. Her bark is too sharp and high pitched. She’s too dorky for me! Then while I was thinking, my pet, Reagan, came up and said it was time do my business. So I obeyed. I went and thought I would take a sniff around. Then one of my other pets, Maddy, shook my treats. Mmmmmmm, beef flavor! I couldn’t refuse so I started running. Since it’s Friday, I get to sleep with my pets upstairs. I went up with a yawn and got in my bed. It was warm and cozy. My pets said their prayers and went to sleep. October 20, 2012 Today is a very big day. Audrey and I are going to the vet. “What’s a vet?” Audrey asked me when we were driving. I always try to be smart and let everyone think I’m not a dork. “Well, the vet is…um.” “Well?” Audrey said to me. “I’ll tell you when we get there,” I said “Why?” she asked. “So it can be a surprise!” In about 30 minutes we’d be having something called a checkup. Then some random lady came in the room. I started barking at her, I don’t really know why I do that sometimes. She led Audrey, my pets, and I into a room. First, the lady talked to my pet, Kelly. A doctor came in and I barked at him too, oops, I did it again. He looked at Audrey. Audrey looked very excited. He picked her up and put her on the table. He looked at her teeth, eyes, and ears. After that came

the panicky part. Audrey got 3 shots! She lived through the first two but yelped on the last one. Then he looked at me. He looked at my teeth, ears, eyes, and teeth too. But then he tortured me and shot some kind of water up my nose. “HEY!” I yelled. Then I snorted the water back at him. Audrey and I were both very happy to leave. October 22, 2012 Today my pet Reagan came home with something called math homework. Hmmmm, it sounds hard. What is a number? I have to get a look. So I waited for a time when Reagan went for an extra snack. I got up on my hind legs and looked. While I was looking for my mystery to be solved, I nibbled a little on Reagan snack. Mmmmm, vanilla cookies, my favorite. Reagan came back. “Armani, down!” she said. So I got down. “Hey!” she shouted, you ate my snack. Armani, you’re so silly.” I smiled. “What’s a number?” I asked. But as usual, it came out as “Ruff!” “What wrong?” asked Reagan. I kept on barking. I knew why I was barking this time though! “Shhhh!” said Regan with her finger to her lips. But I kept on barking. I had to know what a number was! But before I could bark one more time, she carried me to the porch. Now I’m on the porch. Humph. I just wanted to see what a number was! Then the door opened and closed again. Audrey walked up to me and said, “What did you do wrong?” “I ate Reagan’s snack,” I said. “What did you do?” I asked. “I had an accident in Maddy’s room.” “Oh, I thought you’d do something worse,” I said to her. “Ruff!” Audrey was barking. “Stop!” said a boy in our yard, and then I barked too. “Be quite”, the boy snapped. We kept on barking. “Armani, Audrey!” We heard someone coming to the door. It was our master, Ian. He saw the boy and chased him out of the yard. “Good girls Audrey and Armani,” he said. He gave us a treat and led us inside. I went up to Maddy’s room. She was doing her homework. It was MATH! Yes! I hopped up on her bed and then on top of her desk. Ohhhhhh! A number is like 5, 9, 8, 0, 7 and 3. So now that my mystery is solved, I wanted some water. I ran out of Maddy’s room and down the stairs. October 24, 2012 Audrey and I went outside. “Rrrrrrrr,” I growled. “Hey that’s my friend Zach! Hi,” Audrey said. He is a toy poodle. We all played together. Then I saw something. Wait, what is that? I need Zach. I have another mystery to solve. Then I saw what it was, it was a whatthemagiger. “Look at it! It’s going to get all the dogs! Ahhhhhh!” Then it spotted me. “I’m dead,” I thought. The closer it came the more it looked like just another dog. 62

“Wait, you’re not going to eat me are you? I asked. “Eat you?” he said. “Gross! Dog fur taste like, like…grass. Nasty, nasty, gross,” it replied. “What are you anyway?” I asked. “I’m a cat,” it said. “A cat? If you’re a cat, wait, what even is a cat?” I asked. “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT A CAT IS?! This dog needs a dictionary,” the cat thing said. “I’ll be right back.” He came back a few minutes later with a dictionary. “So what page do I flip to?” I asked. “Ok, go to the C’s” Then we found the right page. It said: Cat-‐a creature that doesn’t need to be bothered. And be careful their nails are sharp. Fun Fact-‐dogs LOVE chasing them. October 25, 2012 I can’t wait to see what kind of adventure I’ll get into next… Reagan Shaw Grade 3 The Bright School 1950 McDade Lane, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Harbin The Lonely Star Have you felt lonely before? This star has and here is the story. One night I walked outside I only saw one star only one. It was sad to see a lonely star. I wanted to give her some friends. So I made some paper stars, then, I laid them down in the grass, so the star could see her new friends. The star winked at me. The next morning the stars were all over the yard. Then I asked my dad if he had some scrap metal. He did, so I asked him to make some metal stars for me. In the evening I put the metal stars in the grass so she could see them. The next morning they were still in the grass and the lonely star became unlovely, and the star winked at me. That night I dreamed of the star. The next day the star was asleep. So I went to school, but when I got home I could almost see the star. School was not good because I kept on daydreaming about the star I had to get my mind off of it. But it was hard to, I told my dad so he let me take a nap but I still was dreaming about the star, it was hard, so I watched TV, but that did not help. That night, I looked out the window I saw the star it was shining bright like it always does. I could see her new friends too. They were shining bright like she was, and the sky was glowing with bright lights. Then, my dad walked in and said, “Go to sleep.” So I did, and I thought about the star. Haylee Shoffner Grade 3 Rhea Central Elementary 1005 Delaware Avenue, Dayton, TN 37321 Mrs. Jenkins 63

Hannah Once upon a time there was a girl named Hannah. Hannah lived in New York City. At that time a lot of people were capturing kids in New York. Hannah’s brother, Jake, had already been captured and Hannah was very sad. She loved to play with Jake and missed him everyday. Her parents were very worried. They were afraid they would never see Jake again. Two years went by and one day they found Jake dead in the bushes near their house. They had a funeral for Jake. The next day Hannah went outside and went to the bushes where they found Jake and prayed; Dear my Lord God, why did you do this to me? Amen. A week went by and when Hannah got home her parents said to her that they had someone to introduce her to. They introduced Hannah’s new brother, Jack, and her new sister, Abby. Hannah’s parents said they are brother and sister and we are going to adopt them and make them apart of our family. “Oh, said Hannah. I can’t wait to show them my room.” Hannah went upstairs and showed them her room. Afterwards, she showed them their new room. Hannah then said she had to do homework in her room and told Jack and Abby to play outside. So they both go outside and ten minutes later she hears screaming. Hannah races downstairs and her parents had heard the scream too and were worried. Her dad picked up a knife and all three of them go outside. They see Abby screaming and see a man capturing Jack. Hannah’s dad runs and stabs the man in the leg. The man dropped Jack and started running. Abby was traumatized and Hannah tried to make Abby feel better. Everyone went to Jack and made sure he was safe but they saw he had a big bruise on his leg. That night when they were having dinner they realized Abby was not there and they heard a gun shot. Hannah ran up to Abby’s room and she was not there. Everyone searched everywhere but she was no where to be found. Then her mom said, “Remember the gun shot? Could someone have killed Abby?” So they all went out in search for Abby. That day Abby was wearing her favorite bracelet and while they were out looking, Hannah found Abby’s bracelet about a mile from their house. They searched about ten miles from their house but did not find her. They were on their way back when they passed the bushes where they found Jake, and Abby was dead there too!!! They had a funeral for her too. The next day Hannah’s dad hires, Ben, a new worker at his jewelry store. A week later Hannah’s dad came home saying, “I was at the store all day with Ben and today I lost ten thousand dollars worth of jewelry.” “Oh dear”, said Hannah’s mom. Hannah said, “I want to go meet Ben. I think he is hiding something.” “Oh NO! Ben is totally innocent,” said Hannah’s dad. “You need to get to bed, Hannah. It’s past your bedtime. Jack is already in bed,” said Hannah’s mom. The next day after Hannah had come back from school; she went into Jack’s room and asked how his first day of kindergarten was? “It was so good. I met a friend and his name is Ken,” said Jack. “That’s great. I know everyone likes to have friends,” said Hannah. Hannah went downstairs then and thought….I wonder if Ben has a child? She called her dad’s jewelry store and Ben answered the phone. Hannah said, “Is this Ben?” “Yes it is,” said Ben. “Can I ask you a question? Do you have a child,” asked Hannah? “Why yes I do. His name is Ken,” said Ben. Hannah then asked him if he went to Yorkie Elementary and to her surprise he did. Hannah went back upstairs to Jack’s 64

room and asked Jack to have Ken over for a play date. Ken came over the next day and Hannah tried to talk to Ken about his dad but Jack said to leave them alone. Hannah went to her room to finish up her homework and later went downstairs to help clean the breakfast plates. An hour went by and her dad said he had to take Ken back to Ben. When it was bedtime she went up to her room and there was a man and a boy! OH MY GOODNESS…..Hannah thought and ran back to the kitchen. She called her dad to come to her room and asked him to bring a knife. Her dad came in her room but no one was there. The next day Hannah had stayed home from school and she asked Jack to stay home too. They both stayed outside and made a lot of noise so if the kidnappers came by they would hear them. Hannah had two knives. One of the knives was close to her and the other one was by the house. When they went back to the house to grab a jump rope, Hannah noticed that the knife she had left was GONE!!! Hannah grabs her knife that was close to here. She ran down to where she and Jack were playing. There was no sign of anyone down there. Then she remembers Jack and runs back to the house. She sees a man and a boy running away with Jack! Hannah ran faster than she had ever run before! Finally she caught up with them. Hannah stabbed the man in the right leg. The man fell to the ground and dropped Jack. The boy yelled, “Dad! Are you ok?” The dad said, “Keep running KEN!” Hannah yelled “tackle Ken, Jack!” Jack tackled Ken with all his might. All of a sudden Hannah sees that the kidnapper is Ben. Ben sat up and yanked the knife out of his leg and started running off. “OH NO YOU DON’T,” screamed Hannah. She started chasing Ben and Ken when all of a sudden she sees a knife coming at her. Hannah catches it and keeps it with her just incase she needs it later. Hannah sees someone else. It was not Ben or Ken but it was someone familiar. Her dad had hired a manager at his store four years ago and this was the man. His name was Eddy. Quickly another knife comes at her and Hannah catches it. She started running towards Eddy and stabbed him in the leg. Ben came running up to try to help Eddy but Hannah turned around and stabbed him in his arm. Hannah called the police and they were both arrested. Ken was not arrested because he was only six years old and he was just listening to his dad. Eddy and Ben were both put in jail for kidnapping and they were the ones that stole from her dad’s jewelry store. Hannah’s dad finally believed her when he read the article in the newspaper later. That’s the story of Hannah. India Talwar Grade 3 Silverdale Baptist Academy Mrs. Williams The Dark Night It was raining hard. It was storming hard. A little house in the middle of the forest was in the middle of the storm. Mama was scared. Papa was scared. But pour little Lily was in her room all alone. Then there was a BOOM and a CRASH. Lily was so scared that she hid under her covers for a long, long, long, time. Until a CRASH of lightning struck the window, and out of nowhere a bear jumped right out 65

at her she screamed to the top of her lungs. AAAHHH! The bear slung its paw at her. The hit knocked her out of the middle of the window. Her parents came to her room too late. “She’s gone” Mama said. “My girls gone” Papa said. In the middle of the night two parents crying. Lily was running till the bear was gone. She was wet her parents are gone and she is in the middle of nowhere crying. Finally she found an old house. So she went inside. There is still a chance I can find home. The house was so still and quiet. She was afraid when a witch popped out of nowhere. “Are you a witch” She said. “Well yes I am my stranger ha ha ha.” Only Lily did not know that this witch was a girl under a spell. “You are welcome to stay the night” the witch said. I guess said the girl. “Here is your room” the witch said. Lily woke up early so she went too the kitchen. She sat down. The witch put a plate on the table. “What is that” said Lily. “Frog legs and mice tails” she said. “I’m not hungry” Lily said. After Lily left the witch had a plan. She snapped her fingers and the food was gone then she snapped her fingers again and the big book of spells popped up. Then she found the right one. “This is it, spiders frogs and more go to the room that the girl stays under” She said. Lily got on her bed, but something crawled on her she screamed then she smashed the bug, she held the book in her hand and pulled down her sheets and a sworn of bugs was there and she ran too the witch grabbed a bucket and she was so mad that she hit the witch with the bucket of water and the spell was broken and the body of the witch melted and there stood a girl. Lily walked up to her and said “My name is Lily what’s your name? My name is Jamie. Let’s get out of this castle. Jamie said. Yah lets go. So there they went. When it got dark it was scary. Jamie said “We must sleep here tonight. Ok said Lily. They took some leaves and made a bed so they could sleep. In the morning they found a big house. Lily said “Lets not forget to knock this time. Right I’ll knock. Jamie said. KNOCK, KNOCK, no one answered. Jamie said. Well a peek couldn’t hurt. The door cracked as they opened the door. CRACK. Let’s go in, said Jamie it’s getting dark. STOP! Said Lily. WITCH The witch took her wand and shoot out lasers at them. Run Lily, said Jamie. So they ran into the forest. And they spent the night in the forest for two nights and the third day they walked around and picked up food to eat and drink. Day four they looked for home and they did the same thing for five more days and the sixth day they found it and they were so rejoiced. Mama and Papa were happy to. And all was good from now on. Ansley Thedford Grade 3 Rhea Central Elementary School 1005 Delaware Avenue, Dayton, TN 37321 Mrs. Jenkins Fishing on the Kenai Salmon fishing in Alaska is very hard, well, at least for a 9 year old. The Kenai River is very swift! The fishing regulations don’t let you stand on the bank to fish, you have to stand in the water. So, I had to be very careful when I was fishing last summer. 66

When the Sockeye Salmon are “running” they swim upstream and keep their mouth open. You throw your hook up stream and let it drift down stream and hopefully, it gets into the mouth of one of the hundreds of salmon. After trying for several days, I finally, I got lucky and caught one. It was huge and so awesome! After I hooked it I struggled to reel it in! It was about 10 pounds and jumping all over the place! Finally, my Dad helped me get it in a net and I got to hold it to have my picture taken. I think fishing in Alaska is awesome and I’m ready to do it again!! Matthew Thomas Grade 3 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Mrs. George

My First Gymnastics Meet I woke up, today was Saturday, the day of my first gymnastics meet! My dad was not awake, my mom was. I put my leotard on and went to the kitchen for breakfast. My mom went and woke up my dad. I packed my bag with: my hairbrush, hair bands, hairclips, my water bottle, and two snacks. Then I brush my teeth and got in the car. Since we didn't have time to do my hair, my mom sat in the back seat to do my hair. Since I didn't go to gymnastics practice the day before, they were glad I could make it. I was riding to the gym in Hendersonville with Ryan, Lain, and Simon. We were driving there in Lain's car. Lains car had a TV in it. We watched the Muppets. Finally we got there. We got out of the car ahead of Lain's dad and sister, and went inside. It was cold inside and we didn't know where to go, so we went back outside. I took off both my pants and shoes. When Lain's dad got there, we went inside, and waited. Finally Mrs. Lean came and told us where to go. There I got my number and a pink slip so that I could get a free Score book. We went over to the counter and turned in our slips. Then I looked around at everything. The gym wasn't always a gym, everything could be moved. The floor was resting on springs. The vault runway was a strip of carpet that was taped down, with mats at the end. The Bars weren't connected and neither were the beams. Then I went to the bathroom. Next I looked at what was for sale. They had a place where you could design your own leotard! Next we waited for the announcement that it was time to warm up. After we warmed up we went back into a hallway to march in. When it was our turn to march in we walked proudly in and stood in a line on the floor. Next we sang the star spangled banner and then we sat down and the announcer told us a story about a boy who really helped his team. Finally we were dismissed to our first event. Our first event was floor. Our second event was vault. Our third event was Bars and our fourth event was beam. After that we had to get in line with everyone in our age group. I didn't get a medal but, Simon got five medals and Gabby got one medal. For all around everybody got a trophy. We all went on the stage for all around too. We also got a certificate. Finally i found my parents and we went home. 67

Emma Tuttle Grade 3 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1005 Mississippi Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Hassler The Beach One summer I went to the beach. One night we went on a crab hunt. I saw thousand of crabs. My friends and I walked along the beach. I shined my flashlight on the sand. The little crabs ran across the sand. Every time we caught a crab we put it in a bucket. After the bucket was full we went back. When we got back to the house we let the crabs go. I said to my friends, “That was so much fun!” Will White Grade 3 Nolan Elementary School Ashley Thornton

[Grade 3 Poetry]

I Am I am a waterfall falling from a cliff. I am a puma gliding through the jungle quickly. I am blue and white, strong like McCallie. I am Ohio, natural and open like acres of cornfields. I am a jet gliding in the air like a long, white pelican. I am happy, just happy. I am Hunter. Hunter Bankes Grade 3 The Bright School 1950 McDade Lane, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Howell Football Watch the game. See them play. Tackling, Throwing, Lateraling the football. People Cheering. Players running to the goal. Score! Nicholas Bowen Grade 3 Thrasher Elementary School 1301 James Boulevard, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Ferguson Christmas Christ's Birthday Happy times Refreshing smell Incredible friends So much laughter Tight hugs Minty candy canes Awesome gifts 69

Sweet love for everyone Elanor Cornett Grade 3 Thrasher Elementary School 1301 James Boulevard, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Ferguson I Am I am a day lily, as delicate and as white as paper. I am a sea lion, so entertaining and rough. I am green like flowers popping up in the spring. I am a stage, with little ballet shoes tip-‐toeing on me. I am an American Girl, with a story to go with me. I am peaceful, like quiet little snowflakes falling out of the sky. I am Mari. Mari Douglas Grade 3 The Bright School 1950 McDade Lane, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Howell Portuguese Man-Of-War Drifting, drifting Through the sea What is that blob? What could it be? It’s a man-‐of-‐war Moving around Stinging fish Without a sound Fifty meter tentacles Now that’s really wide! Some are swinging down Some are near the side A fish swims around It doesn’t know a thing BAM! The man-‐of-‐war used its STING! Owen Eastman Grade 3 Boyd Buchanan School 70

4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, TN 37411 Mrs. Holland

Clouds O how I love to look at clouds and watch the elephants run and watch the lions have fun they change a lot through time and give many surprises white and puffy, they sit in the air while I sit wondering and twirling my hair. All different shapes and sizes big, long, square, and tall noises don’t distract me. I am so enveloped in the clouds My mom is talking to me. I don’t have a clue. We are always traveling. It’s just something to do. Even though clouds are made of water, They look like clear beauty to me. I only hope that… I get to touch them some day. Ella Harrod Grade 3 Chattanooga School of the Liberal Arts 6579 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Hudson Jack---o Lanterns Jack-‐-‐-‐o lanterns glow They light up the night so bright Looking like the moon. Zac Hogan Grade 3 McConnell Elementary Mrs. Thurman Tiger Shark It lurks in the deep Waiting for food 71

It’s a big tiger shark What about you? It found a big meal, A great big fish You better run, Or you’ll be his next dish! Now…I’m not joking, It’s Right Behind You! Lucas Jessee Grade 3 Boyd Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, TN 37411 Mrs. Holland Haiku A tiny striped bee Sipping nectar from flowers Returns to the hive Malyna Kennedy Grade 3 Hixson Elementary School 5950 Winding Lane, Hixson TN 37343 Mary Brown Star Gazer I gaze at the stars as the stars shine bright. They lead me through the maze at the darkest of night. They also show symbols to people who look high, stars are constellation maps in the night sky. Kathryn Lazenby Grade 3 Chattanooga School of the Liberal Arts 6579 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Hudson 72

Snakes Snakes are great. My favorite one is green. They make a great play mate. But they can sometimes be a little mean. My snakes are fun. I have a twenty one. My snakes are all stuffed So that they don’t cause my cat to get puffed. Daniel Lewis Grade 3 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Robin Williams Life Happy Jumping Playing Fun Running Screaming Life Maria Lee Grade 3 Nolan Elementary School 4435 Shackleford Ridge Road, Signal Mountain, Tennessee 37377 Mrs. Leary Monsters Monsters Sinister, terrifying Killing, prowling, hunting Vampire, werewolf, politician, doctor Fishing, playing, running Lovable, comical People Phillip Reifinger 73

Grade 3 Nolan Elementary School 4435 Shackleford Ridge Road, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Leary

Triggerfish I love to play In the deep. I’m really aggressive With sharp, sharp teeth! I’m really colorful So don’t mess with me! I’m the most amazing fish In the sea! I’m a good pet But beware I like to stare! Colin Richardson Grade 3 Boyd Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, Tn 37411 Mrs. Matherley The Manatee Oh manatee, oh Manatee Resting, resting In the sea. Go away then Come back. With a little seaweed snack. Oh manatee, oh manatee Won’t you come And play with me! Josh Sutton Grade 3 Boyd Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, Tn 37411 Mrs. Matherley The Hawk and the Owl I’m the hawk and I rule the forest

I’m the owl I need to keep my babies safe. That looks yummy A nest full of birds Don’t’ eat my babies! I’m going to eat some anyway I am so hungry I’m going to camouflage my babies Hey! I thought I saw some birds In this nest I don’t have any birds Not in this nest Man I just know I saw some birds I guess you were dreaming Probably they flew away I’m going to find another nest full of birds Because I’m really hungry! Bye, Bye now yes! I tricked him Eat that sucker! T’Andre Tarvin Grade 3 Calvin Donaldson Environmental Science Academy 927 West 37th Street, Chattanooga, TN 37410 Mrs. Starnes Fall Wind blows in the trees. Colors flying through the air. Breeze by breeze leaves fall. Matthew Thomas Grade 3 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Mrs. George If I were in charge of the world You wouldn’t boss parents around, You wouldn’t boss teachers around, You wouldn’t act like you’re the principal.

If I were in charge of the world There’d be more workers working, Let there be more playgrounds, Let there be more field trips. If I were in charge of the world I’d keep the world safe, I’d keep dogs from getting hurt, I’d let there be more snow! If I were in charge of the world. Harley Tucker Grade 3 Red Bank Elementary School 1100 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Timmons

[Grade 4 Prose]

My World So you know how everyone has an imaginary world? Well, what if you could go into it? I walk into soft snow that tastes sweet a kind of sugar sweet. I look into distance where the mountains rest like strawberries. The crisp air smells like brownies in the oven. I run over to a house that looks like a gingerbread house. I twist the doorknob. I put the door ajar and peak in the house. I open the door even more and take a step into the room. The heat made me feel like at I was at home. A small little bed sat in the corner of the small room. A table for four was nicely placed in the middle of the room. I found a letter that sat on the table that said: Dear? My name is Lilly. I am 10 years old, and I live in this house by myself. I am glad you found my house to stay in and keep warm. I am coming back at night from getting some food for a few days. Love, Lilly I walked back outside to explore some more. I walked for a while and then came to a bridge made out of ginger. I walked into the middle of the bridge. I looked down at the Jell-‐o water with sour fish jumping out. I walked over to the forest with wind blowing slightly through my hair. Something popped out at me, and I screamed. I started to run back for the gingerbread house when I ran into something and fell over, scared. I got up to see what I ran into, but I did not see anything. I looked at the ground and then saw a girl. I held out my hand and she grabbed it. I pulled her up and stared at her. Her bright blue eyes stared at me, her cape over her eyes and a woven basket in her hand. We stared at each other for a while. ‘’ Sorry,’’ I said in a quiet voice. ‘’It’s ok; why were you running?’’ she asked. ‘’I saw something in the woods.‘’ ‘’Probably a wild cat.’’ she said. She motioned me to follow. I trailed behind her to the gingerbread house I had seen earlier in the day. ‘’My names Lilly.’’ she said. ‘’My name’s Una.’’ I said. ‘’Sit, I will make dinner.’’ She said. I sat down without a word. A few minutes later she slid a plate in front of me, and sat down across from me. ‘’So where’s your family?’’ I asked. Her face turned red and her eyes filled with sorrow. She replied softly, “I don’t know.” We were silent for a while then I started to eat. An hour latter we finished. Tired and confused, we decided to sleep. That night Lilly shared her bed with me. In the morning, I woke up and saw Lilly already awake and eating breakfast. I got up and sat at the table and started to eat. ‘’Time to go on an adventure.’’ Lilly said to me. She walked out of the door, and I fallowed right behind her. “We’ll have to run some, because it will take too long if we walk there,” she said. Lilly started to run and so did I. 77

After a couple of minutes we got there. I looked up. A big strawberry mountain was sitting right in front of me. I groaned, but gave a crooked smile to her like I was excited. We started to climb. ‘’How did you get here, Una?’’ Lilly asked. ‘’I don’t really know.’’ I answered. After a couple of hours we got to the top. ‘’Now the fun part.’’ Lilly said. She pointed at the other side. I looked and it sort of looked like a slide. Lilly held onto my hand and pulled me over to the other side. Then we both slipped down the mountain together. We laughed the whole way down and hit the ground hard. We then went over to a valley and sat on a grassy hill. The only thing we really talked about was if I would ever get home and if she would find her family. My stomach started to growl so I went over to a bush and picked off some candy raspberries for both of us. I started to grow sleepy and then closed my eyes. I woke up to a howl. I looked around; it was dark. I shook Lilly to wake her up. She opened her eyes and looked around. ‘’Oh, no!’’ Lilly said. ‘’What?’’ I asked with my voice shaking. ‘’We have to get home now, or we are going to be dinner for the wild cats.’’ My face went white with fear. Lilly took me by the hand and started to run so fast that her cape was flying behind her. We came upon a wild cat growling at us. We both screamed. Lilly pulled out a knife. I closed my eyes tight. Then poof, purple powdered dust peered in to the dark cold night. Lilly started to run again and then we got to the house. We walked inside. Everything went blurry and I fell. I woke up in the bed with Lilly in a chair right by the fire. “Are you ok?” Lilly cried. “Yes,” I said. I looked out the window. It was still dark outside. She got in bed right beside me, and we slept until the late morning. I woke up still sleepy and walked over to the table. The food was placed nicely. I sat down, ate, and waited for Lilly to wake up. She soon woke up and joined me at the table. After she finished, we both walked outside smiling at each other. We walked to the valley talking away. We sat down and I said, “I think I will stay here forever.” “I hope you do,” Lilly said smiling. We hugged. Things started to disappear. “Oh no, this means good bye.” We hugged for one last time. Then poof! Isabella Allan Grade 4 The Bright School 1950 McDade Lane, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Everett and Ms. Jones Who ate the hamburger? I was at my house getting ready for school,when my mom yelled, ’’hurry up we have to go’’! My sisters were done with everything but I wasn’t. I still had to get my trombone. But it was too big . So Chynna, my sister, helped me by getting the trombone, then we headed out the door.By the time I got to the school the bell rang “ring!’’.I thought the tone was annoying so I closed my ears and headed to my locker and put my stuff in it.Then I ran to to my home room ‘’whoosh screeeeek’’as my shoes slid across the floor. I’m here! as I said with a heavy 78

breath slowly I felt a warm figure behind me. Before I looked back I heard the figure say ‘’you're late you're late’’ then I knew the figure was belle.Of course it was her she would always say something about being late.Anyway the day took forever but finally when I thought it was over it was just lunch.when I got in the lunch line I asked the the lady up front for a hamburger she carefully handed the juicy goodness to me.When I got the hamburger I was going to ask can I have some fries with that.But it wasn’t a good time because right at that moment a boy pushed me and everything fell off like it was disconnected.Then it splattered like paint to the ground I knew it was too good to be true like the juicy goodness wouldn’t go in my mouth. Picked it up then put it back on the tray after that I quickly sat the tray down and left to get another one.when I went back in the line I asked for hamburger they said sorry we don’t have any more hamburgers ‘’what’’ I mumbled ‘’there are no more hamburgers’’!!! when I came back with the horrible news to tell my burger.I found the tray but not the burger I was shocked with disappointment.I tried to find the but it was too late I only had 5 minutes left.Then it hit me my burger had a smiley face on it ketchup with .Then I yelled across the room Mrs.Seymour did it because I can see the smiley face from here.She walks over to the teacher and gave her a smile and says ‘’that fell on the floor’’.The teacher walks me out off the lunch room. Kennedy Bass Grade 4 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1216 W. Mississippi Ave Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Seymour Monkey and Rhino Save the Jungle One day an evil lion started feeling like he deserved to be king of the whole world. He had his own laboratory underground. He started making a machine that would make every animal in the whole world bow down to him by taking over the animal's brains. Lion didn't know that Monkey and Rhino had super powers. Monkey could get very small and run super fast. Rhino had super strength and laser eyes. They heard about lion's plan and knew they had to stop him. They were now on the move. Lion had security cameras everywhere and would easily see them snooping around. Monkey and Rhino quickly noticed the cameras so they decided to dig a whole away from his laboratory to get in. Monkey shrunk down and snuck in through the hole that was dug. He saw that Lion was trying to make his very own army of programmed lions that looked just like him! Fortunately, his plan for the army wasn't working and the machine was having problems. Monkey was very happy to see this so he rushed back to let Rhino everything he had seen. Monkey and Rhino went back to the Lion's laboratory and Rhino destroyed his machine by smashing it with his super strength and then blew it all up with his laser eyes. Lion got scared, gave up and didn't get any revenge. Instead, he decided to run far, far away. Monkey and Rhino protected the whole jungle and kept the animals safe from other evil animals. 79

Avery Butterworth. Grade 4 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Glass The Trip Inside the Museum of Modern Science, inside a lab with a very sleek and curvy design, a new breakthrough of magnets is made. The person who created it is Howard B.Johnsen. a very over worked, over tempered, cheap man who is close to retiring and sits in his office counting his money while his unpaid, disgruntled and despised assistant Jimmy, who recently had an expensive surgery done needing a nickel plate over his wrist injury toils away in the lab. Jimmy and Charles, the test subject, work in the lab. "Are you sure this will work,Jimmy?" said Charles. "For the last time, yes!" yelled Jimmy. "If I didn't believe in Mr.Johnsen's work you wouldn’t be strapped to heavy boots and gauntlets!" Jimmy tapped a screen on a chrome conroll panel. Charles started to slowly float up into the air. "Ahhhhh!" yelled Charles. "It's OK! It's OK! Stay cautious! OK, OK! When you get close to the ground stamp your foot." "Ok, Charles, now!" Charles stamped his foot very hard and he went flying! "Ahhhhhhh! Help!" "It's OK, just fall!" " Why?" " JUST DO IT!" " OK." said Charles. He fell to the ground and suddenly came to a quick stop. "I lowered the magnetic field." said Jimmy. "Is that possible?" asked Charles. "Actually yes, thanks to Mr.Johnsen", replied Jimmy. "I would like to test this for awhile myself." said Jimmy. " Well... OK" said Mr.Johnsen, "only until 5:oo. I'll be in my office." "What time is it now?" Jimmy asked Charles. "4:30." Charles took the boots and gauntlets off and Jimmy put them on. "OK I want you go to the access panel and increase the magnetic field." explained jimmy. Charles went to the access panel and did as instructed. "Ok all set." said Charles. "Here we go." Charles watched Jimmy bounce around for a

while. "Ok, Charles, it's 5:oo. I'll let you use it for a while. I have to go check on Mr.Johnsen." Jimmy left in a hurry and he seemed to to put his hand on the control panel for a second. Charles wasn't sure why. He vanished into another room. Suddenly, Charles's legs couldn’t move, his hands shot to the ground. The magnets in the gauntlets and boots held him to the ground. "Jimmy! Jimmy!" Charles screamed. "Yes?" Jimmy answered. "Oh Jimmy, get me out of here!" "Oh I think not." " Huh?" questioned Charles. "When I tried it out I thought someone would buy this for a high price." " What! You betrayed Mr.Johnsen!" " That old man doesn’t pay me squat! Now if you'll excuse me I will be leaving with the blueprints." "Wahh!" shouted Jimmy. Jimmy's arm was stuck tightly to the floor. During the half hour he was testing the new devices the magnetic gauntlets had rubbed against the nickel plate in his arm making it temporarily magnetized and the plate was attracted to the same magnetic field that was trapping Charles. He wasn't going anywhere. "Urrg! you have got to be kidding me!" wailed Jimmy. "What’s going on out there!" complained mr. Johnsen. "what are you doing stuck to the floor!?" "jimmy was going to steal the blueprints, Mr. Johnson." said Charles. "I'll take that!" said Mr. Johnson, taking the blueprints from Jimmy. "Call the cops, Charles" he said. The cops came and arrested Jimmy. "Do you want a job?" said Mr. Johnsen, watching them haul Jimmy away. "How much does it pay?" asked Charles. "Nothing!" Charles Cannon Grade 4 Normal Park Museum Magnet Upper School Ms. Tipton Wonderful Wonders of Ancient Egypt The Wonders of Ancient Egypt are incredibly fascinating. The Egyptian pyramids towered over all of Egypt. These monuments were built as dusty tombs. Carefully, pharaohs, queens and nobles were buried. All pyramids were constructed diligently on the west side of the Nile’s bank in the scorching desert. The Egyptians, who were clever, used ropes and ascending ramps to move enormous bricks. Simple machines made massive monuments. Underneath the ground, the chamber might be hidden inside. The workers did immense work trying to fool robbers. 81

They used hidden doors and false chambers to distract the clever crooks. Although the graves have been robbed, we still have thirty pyramids standing in Egypt. The sphinx, which was fashioned from stone, is an imaginary creature. It had the body of a lion and a man’s head. The monuments were constructed to honor the pharaohs. Sphinxes personified power and protection. Proudly, the Great Sphinx stood 240 feet long and 60 feet high. It is wearing the kingly headdress and is thought to be King Khafare. Occasionally it has been buried to the neck in stinging sand. Beyond, the Nile River, the Great Sphinx has continued to sit close to Giza. The sphinx is one of the many imaginary creatures told throughout ancient history. In Ancient Egypt, mummies were preserved bodies that were buried in dim pyramids. Egyptians believed that the mummified bodies, which would journey casually to the afterlife, would have to recognize the body and return to it. When a king died, the Egyptians would cut open his body and take the organs out and put them in jars. The brain was extracted through the nose with a large metal rod. After they pulled the brain out, beeswax was stuffed in the nostrils to keep its shape. That is disgusting! Egyptians put charms called Amulets in the linen to scare evil spirits away. Incredibly, they fit the mummy into seven cases. Egyptians thought if a person’s heart was lighter than a feather they would progress to the afterlife. The mummy was placed in the tomb inside its coffin. Today, bodies of the mummies are still persevered. Towering pyramids, persevered mummies, and sandy sphinx are dedicated to the superior wonders of Ancient Egypt. Brennan Cherry Grade 4 Cherry Homeschool Academy Mrs. Cherry The Spirit of Bettno Once upon a time, a little girl named Kristin lived in a town called Bettno. She went over to wishing well ever since she could walk. One day she went after school and saw a small fire that led to a forest fire. But it wasn’t a forest fire. Kristin smelled something... it was gas, someone was trying to destroy the town of Bettno. Bettno is such a beautiful town, why would ANYONE try to tear it down? Kristin was determined to figure out who would try to destroy Bettno. She was right next to a wishing well. There was nothing else she could do so she pulled out a coin out of her pocket and wished a wish…….nothing happened until she heard a whisper. “Kristin Climith you will find the best thing to do, just remember a wish is a wish and it will come true.” Kristin was wondering what she could do. Then she rushed to the fire department. Soon she got there and rushed quickly to Bettno. They put out the fire, but there still was a mystery waiting to be solved. She couldn’t just watch Bettno fall to pieces. She decided to think and think until she figured who he/she was.

She definitely wanted to know what was going on. Kristin went down to Bettno’s wishing well to talk to the Whisper again. Kristin pulled a coin and wished another wish. “ Investigation is how you figure out your mystery, That’s what all people have done throughout history.” So Kristin went down the hill and found where they started the fire. Soon Kristin found herself alone, in the middle of the forest. She heard voices, someone was there, the person who was trying to destroy Bettno. She followed the voices, but they seemed to change direction frequently. She was, very confused, what was going on? All of a sudden she heard the Whisper: “You’re scared, confused, and feel like you’re lost This is hard and you will have to pay the cost.” “My town is suffering!” said Kristin. “Your town?” said the Whisper, in a deep and scary way “this has been my town for 3,000 years! Its time for it to end!” yelled the Whisper It was you!?” Asked Kristin.” I can’t just give up.” “If I give up now, my friends, my family, and even my enemies will fall. I’m not going to just let that happen.” Said Kristin. “Well that’s not my problem.” snorted the Whisper, “I will never fall, I will never give in, and most certainly will never, ever lose to you.” The Whisper disappeared before Kristin could say anything. Kristin knew he was wrong, but she was scared. She had no idea how to defeat a Whisper. One night she couldn’t fall asleep so she went out to the wishing well. She didn’t talk to the Whisper, the wishing well is where she went ever since she could walk. She feels at home there. “give up” said a voice Behind her, but it wasn’t the Whisper. It was a girl about 10 years old. The Whisper told me about you Kristin.” “I’m not afraid of him” said Kristin “who are you?” “Anna, the Whispers daughter, and why do you care?” “I care because he’s going to tear down Bettno, and I can’t stop him alone” said Kristin “why should I help you?” asked Anna. “because after he’s done with Bettno he will move on, and once he’s done with that he is going to go after you because he is greedy for power, even if he’s your dad. I need your help Anna, please,” said Kristin “He will do what I want, so I’m going to do my part, or he will kill me ”said Anna “Just keep it a secret” replied Kristin “but what if I get caught?” asked Anna “He won’t figure it out.” promised Kristin. The next day, Kristin was there, by the wishing well. Then, out of nowhere, Anna popped out, with a stack of papers in her hands. She showed Kristin a big plan. Kristin said, “It would never work, its way to complicated and impossible.” “What other choice do we have?” asked Anna. “ I guess none, wait ‘til its dark and we’ll try it out.” That night, both girls where at the wishing well. Kristin got in the well and Anna tried to talk to the Whisper, so far are plan is working, “Have you captured that girl yet, I don’t have all week,” said the Whisper “No sir,” Anna responded in a scared way. “Well-‐“ Kristin jumped up and the Whisper turned to mist. “Keep going he’s turning to real form!” yelled Anna. Finally, he turned to a thin, short form. Then we put him into the closest jail cell. “I’ve forgotten all about my deal” muttered Anna. “What deal?” I asked. “Oh yes, thanks 83

for reminding me Anna.” Shouted out the Whisper. “My deal was: if I captured you I would get what I wanted, and if I didn’t-‐“ “She would die.” interrupted the Whisper “What did you want?” “I’ve always wanted to see my mother,” said Anna. “You have never seen your mother?” asked Kristin, “No” said Anna. “But how would you see her?” asked Kristin. “Well, my dad has her soul, so he can bring her back,” said Anna. But she knew she was going to die. Then the Whisper snapped his fingers and she disappeared. Then Kristin remembered that the Whisper is a person so he would die in his cell, so she had nothing to worry about unless he broke out. But he is way to thin and could never gain that strength back. Fortunately Bettno built back to beautiful Bettno and everyone lived happily ever after (except the Whisper). Camille Conley Grade 4 Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences 865 E. 3rd Street, Chattanooga, TN 37403 Mrs. Palmer An Unexpected Hero “Order up,” yelled Ace, an eighteen year old boy. “One burger and large fries,” he said. Ace was a normal kid with big dreams. His dream was to become a general in the army. But his dad, Joe, wanted him to become the number one cook in Stringwood, Illinois. “Ya’ll hear the news?” said Bobby, his dad’s best friend. “What news?” asked Joe. “Pearl Harbor has been invaded, and General Eisenhower is recruiting new troops”. Ace stopped in his tracks. Did he just say recruiting new troops? Ace hopped over the counter and rushed out the door. He wasn’t even paying attention to all the cars rushing by him. He almost got run over a few times, but he didn’t care. “This is my chance,” he thought. As he rounded the corner, he could see it. A big red sign that said New Recruits Sign Up Here. Ace ran inside. He waited in line for about fifteen minutes and finally, he got to the front. “What’s your name son?” said the recruiter. “Ace. Ace Johnston,” answered Ace. “Move along,” said the recruiter. Suddenly Ace was grabbed and someone stuck a needle into his arm. “All good,” said the man who stuck him. “Go sit over there,” said the man. Ace walked over and sat down. “Ace?” said someone. “Ace is that really you?” Ace turned around and he saw his best friend, Josh. “Josh!” yelled Ace. Right at that moment, General Eisenhower came in. “Everyone report to the meeting room.” Ace and Josh quickly got up and walked to the meeting room. They shuffled their way into two empty seats. “As you all know,” said the General, “the enemy has invaded many places. At exactly 12:30 PM tomorrow, we will attack

Germany, so everyone needs to get a good night’s sleep.” After the General finished talking, everyone went to bed. The next day, Ace woke up and it was 11:00 AM! He somehow missed the trumpet wakeup call. His friend Josh was on guard that day at the base, so Ace was by himself. Ace rushed across the room and opened his locker. He grabbed his uniform and put it on. He ran out to the port and barely made it on the last ship out. As the ship neared the attack site, Ace could hear the explosions and bullets flying everywhere. As soon as the ship landed on the shore, Ace dashed for cover. Luckily he made it just in time because his ship blew up. The only cover Ace had was a stack of hay, so he looked for a safer cover. He looked and saw an opening in the barbed-‐ wire fence. No one was guarding it, and while he was under his cover, all the other men moved the battle down the shore. Ace had a perfect shot to get through the fence. He rushed across and made it safely. He looked and saw a road going down the path. He walked far enough and saw the Nazi base! But, right at that moment he heard something. “Halt!” said someone. Before Ace knew it, he was being dragged to the prison block and put in a cell in the Nazi base. “Help!” screamed Ace. “No use callin’ for help down here,” said a voice. “What’s your name?” asked Ace. “Tommy. Tommy Johnston,” said the man. “What?” said Ace. “My name is Ace Johnston!” he said. “You’re my nephew!” said Tommy. “Hey, Ace, I was looking around before you came in and saw a little red flag made by the prisoner that was in your cell before you. A red flag is a signal to fire a cannon to its location! Grab it and wave it!” Ace waved the flag and they both moved for cover. The cannonball hit the wall between their cells. “Let’s get outta here!” said Tommy. Tommy and Ace jumped out and ran all the way to the shore. “Look, there’s a ship leaving over there!” said Tommy. Ace and Tommy made it to the ship and got back home. After a few more battles, the war ended. Ace returned home with his uncle. Ace became a war hero, which in his mind was better than being a general. In the end, they all lived happily ever after (except for the Germans). Spencer Eaves Grade 4 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Glass The Ghost Of Greenhall The windowless math room of Greenhall middle school was filled with gasps and shrieks as Eve whirled around, looking for the problem. A blob of white was projected onto the wall. Panic was rising among Eve’s classmates. “It’s a... it’s a.... 85

ghost!!” Stammered one boy, shaking his red hair furiously. The children murmured in agreement, fleeing towards the opposite wall, away from the so-‐called ‘ghost’. Scared looks were the only emotion that occupied their faces. “I saw this in a movie once!” exclaimed a girl with a cheerleader’s ribbon in her hair. The math teacher had left only moments before, down the hallway. It was a wonder he didn’t come running because of all the high-‐pitched yelling and shrieking. The room was in complete chaos, everyone running around, panicking. Except one boy, Eve noted curiously. Joey Little, a not-‐so-‐nice troublemaker, was sitting calmly at his messy desk. Panic wasn’t his emotion, unlike the others. It was a sort of mean triumph. Eve blinked and noticed a smirk on Joey’s face. Her first suspect. The ‘ghost’ vanished and the math teacher, Mr. Mirk, returned to the room. No one spoke of what happened, not a word. Eve guessed they were embarrassed of how they acted, or were just concealing it from the teacher. While Mr. Mirk was talking about arrays, on and on, something glimmered and caught Eve’s eye. A mirror hung on the wall, in the corner near Mr. Mirk’s desk. “Aha!” Eve thought excitedly. The mirror must have projected the image of the ghost or, to put it simply, reflected light on the wall. But, Eve wondered, what was the source of light? Eve was still pondering this as she walked down the hall after class. What was the ‘ghost’? Why was it here? A ton of questions crowded her head. She cleared her head and paid closer attention to her surroundings. The chatter of the hall was interrupted by music. A haunting melody filled the air as students stopped to listen. Suddenly, Eve was alert. The song struck fear into her heart. She had a sudden urge to curl up into a ball and cower. Did this song have something to do with the ‘ghost’? A terrifying thought struck her. Maybe the ‘ghost’ was really real. She shivered. Convinced, she leaned on the wall and was very relieved when the music finally stopped. The next day, the ghost appeared again. The spooky blob swayed and the chilling music began to play once more. Eve retreated to the corner, in the reading nook. Frightened, Eve began to get goosebumps on her arms. She could barely resist the urge to flee. Screaming, and plenty of it, echoed all around creepily. The red-‐ haired boy from yesterday was having a fit of panic, his face pale and shaking. Eve heard a very unrealistic “ooo”ing sound coming from behind a curtain in the front of the room. This snapped her back to her senses. What was she thinking? The ghost wasn’t real! Eve bravely strode up to the mirror and knocked it off the wall. The ghost quickly vanished and Eve grinned broadly. She knew exactly who was responsible for this! Not Joey, he was just smirking because he knew who it was. As her classmates gaped at her, Eve walked up to the curtain and pulled it right off of the wall. Behind it, showing a toothy smile, was Mr.Mirk. Suddenly, he went into a fit of giggles. “Surprise!” He laughed even harder, his face red with amusement. The class laughed right along with him. Ava Echard Grade 4 Normal Park Museum Magnet School 86

1216 W. Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga TN Mrs. McKeehan

Thumpity-Thump-Thump One cold, windy Halloween night, a girl and her older brother were in their rooms. But they heard a sound that sounded like this: Thumpity-‐thump-‐thump. So the brother woke up his sister and said that he heard a noise. They tip-‐toed through the hallway and saw a chair-‐ a chair that was unordinary. It was bouncing up and down. So they followed it to the cellar. Once they got down there, it started to bounce over a piece of medal in the ground. So they dug up the medal, and it had “Help!” on it. They found some fresh footprints. Someone had been down there. The older brother heard a scream. Then, he called for his sister. There was no answer. Soon, he was gone, too! Grace Fryar Grade 4 Lookout Valley Elementary School 701 Browns Ferry Road, Chattanooga, TN 37419 Ms. Baker The Wonder Gun “Ugh,... where’s my hat?” Bob asked to himself in grief. He was about to walk out of the door when suddenly he heard a “gurgle” from his kitchen. He walked into his kitchen and saw a little baby alien feasting on a potato. “Aw” he said as the alien gave him a broad smile. Boom. BOOM. The noise got louder and louder. CRSHHHH. A giant hand smashed its way through Bob’s roof, and slowly pulled out. It came in again causing Bob’s roof to collapse. Bob wiped the smoke away from his face and then saw a GIANT alien looking at him. The giant alien shot him with a weird kind of gun. It felt weird for Bob. It was really hot but at the same time, he could not move at all. Then, he saw bright, colorful lights, and in a flash of a second, he fell in a dark alley. He looked cautiously around him and hid by a nearby dumpster. Bob peeked over the dumpster and saw an alien with one eye walk by. That’s all he could see due to the mist around him. The air smelt like it had been sitting in mold for days. He looked up and saw an awkward, yellow sky. UFOs were everywhere too. Bob looked beside him and saw a little alien suit. “Oh thank you Lord.” said Bob full of pleasure. Bob walked out like any other alien. He walked down the sidewalk casually. But somehow, he smelt regular, old chocolate. He tracked down the smell and saw the chocolate. He walked over and picked it up. He was about to take a bite when he heard a “gurgle” behind him. The figure tackled him into a black alley. The alien took off Bob’s mask and his own. “The aliens had a plan.” The person said. “What are you?” asked Bob. “An alien.” The person said sarcastically. Bob apparently wasn’t so bright to him. “I’m a human and my name is Billy Bob Joe. 87

Just call me Billy Bob.” Bob smirked at the sound of Billy Bob Joe’s name. “Oh shut up.” Billy Bob said disappointed. “Ok sorry, it’s a funny name. Oh and my name is Bob.” Billy Bob smirked back at Bob. “Ok I’m sorry. We both have funny names.” Bob confessed. “So we are even. Let’s get moving.” It was only when Bob and Billy Bob were running through the alleyways is when Bob actually noticed Billy Bob. He had a cowlick and he was wearing a tuxedo. He looked like James Bond to Bob. They were both running through the alleys when suddenly, Billy Bob came to a sharp stop when Bob wasn’t paying attention. Bob ran into Billy Bob and he fell out in the open. An alien noticed Billy Bob and Billy Bob scrambled back into the alley, hoping that the alien thought it was a figment of his imagination. Billy Bob had no luck. The alien peeked in the alley and saw 2 nervous faces staring at him. The alien made a weird sound that sounded like “hublurub!” One hand of the alien was pointing at them. The other was over his mouth. Other aliens swarmed around the alleys and did the same. It was a horrifying sight for the aliens. Suddenly, Billy Bob took out a weird looking gun and fired it at both sides. In a flash, all of the aliens were gone. “What is that?” Bob asked. Billy Bob responded, “heck I honestly I don’t’ know. I stole it from some house”. “How long have you been here?” Bob asked. “I don’t know, maybe a year?” “A YEAR!” Bob yelled. “Well, yeah” Billy Bob said like it had been no problem. “Let’s make this simper. I lived in South America. The aliens invaded Earth starting with South America. They flew back to their galaxy to perfect their space crafts. Then, when they perfected them, the aliens flew back down to Earth with their space crafts and invaded North America” explained Billy Bob. “What was the alien gun thing that got me here?” asked Bob. “Oh, some teleportation device” said Billy Bob. “We have to get moving and try not to run into me next time” said Billy Bob. “Sage advice”, said Bob sarcastically. “I’m pretty sure we’re close” Billy Bob said. “That’s what you’ve been saying for the last fifteen minutes we’ve been running” said Bob panting. “I mean it this time, and I was saying that to keep you quiet” said Billy Bob. “Ok, now we’re here” Billy Bob said about five minutes later. Billy Bob was not even tired at all. Bob collapsed to the ground. He was sweating like crazy. “You need to work out a little bit” said Billy Bob. “I know that, now just be quiet and spit out a genius plan” said Bob. Billy Bob noticed two trashcans beside him. “Got one” Billy Bob said. “I told you to spit it out’ Bob said starting to regain his breath. “Ok, so see those trashcans?” Billy Bob asked. “Yes” Bob replied. “So we are going”… Bob interrupted. “I think I know what you’re thinking” Bob said. “Just let me finish. We are going to roll across the street in the trashcans and roll into the museum.” “Just what I had in mind” Bob said. They got up and emptied the trashcans so they could get inside them. Billy Bob was the leader, so he went first and broke through the glass museum door. Billy Bob launched out of the top of the trashcan and shot all the aliens he saw. Billy Bob signaled for Bob to come with him. Bob rolled into the street and hit the pole of the door, completely missing the spot where Billy the Bob hit. Aliens came charging at Bob. Bob scrambled out of the trashcan, pushing on the door. Of course, the door was a pull, not a push. Bob pulled and closed the door in the alien’s face. Billy Bob threw the key to him and Bob locked the door. Success at last, Bob thought. Billy 88

Bob went through the museum running and looking for the wonder gun. “What’s the rush?” Bob asked. “Duh, the museum owner has a key and there is that hole in the glass” Billy Bob said running past a gun. Bob grabbed a gun and started shooting at the door. The door exploded along with the aliens. There was purple blood everywhere. Bob jumped the wrap-‐around counter and mounted his gun on the mahogany wood. He saw green and blue lights and saw a GIANT explosion. Just as that happened, Billy Bob came running in with a giant gun. “This is home!” Billy Bob cried. He shot the wonder gun for what it seemed to Bob in reverse mode at the door. There was a medium-‐sized black hole that sucked out most of the debris and it was gone in an instant. “Now we need to discharge it” Billy Bob said. “How?” Bob asked. “Shoot it about fifty times to where we can shoot ourselves into the correct dimension” explained Billy Bob. Billy Bob was so overwhelmed, he shot it about twenty times into the street. It cleared about one hundred of the aliens trying to run for the museum and take cover to get an inside look at a human. “Thirty more!” Billy Bob yelled. He shot another twenty and Bob heard a slight rumble. “What was that?” Bob asked Billy Bob. “What was what?” Billy Bob asked. “Oh, never mind”. “Ten more!” He shot ten times into the street. Bob heard another rumble. Suddenly, Bob was on his own. Billy Bob was probably in South America by now . Bob had to be on his own to figure out how to change it. Bob ran into where Billy Bob came running out of with the wonder gun. He saw a display where a plaque said “Wonder Gun”. To Bob’s luck, there was a display that said “Wonder Gun Charger”. He smashed the glass with the back of the wonder gun’s stock. He ripped away the charger and plugged it in to some kind of outlet. He got the gun he was shooting at the door before. He dove into the room and jumped on the counter. To Bob’s surprise, no aliens were at the door. He ran in to check on the wonder gun. He backed away ready to shoot his little sidearm he had in his pocket. He pulled out his pistol and dove to the left and shot the alien right in his forehead. The alien had blown up into pieces. Bob ran to get the wonder gun. He picked it up and he went back to put it on the charger. He walked back to the counter and saw no aliens in sight. He waited for about twenty minutes and the wonder gun was about halfway charged. This was good for Bob because he only had to shoot twenty-‐five times now. He went outside and shot in the air twenty-‐five times. He shot in front of him and walked into the black hole. He saw black for about five seconds and then he fell into his house again. He sat down at his kitchen table and thought to himself, well that was a day! Then he heard a CLACK. Bob heard footsteps coming into the kitchen. An alien his size looked at him. Bob ran to get his kitchen knives. He got one thick one for protection and three small ones for throwing. He turned around and the alien was on the other side of the kitchen counter. He threw his first knife at the alien, hit. He hit him right in the middle of the stomach. He aimed the second knife at the alien’s head. He threw it and it missed. It opened the door to the living room because of its force. He threw a third knife again at the stomach and hit the alien again. He aimed his last knife at his head and hit his mark. The alien died on Bob’s kitchen floor and thus kept the aliens from invading and taking over Earth. 89

Bryce Gratigny Grade 4 Westview Elementary School 9629 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. A. Nolen The Dragon Gem Once upon a time in the Smoky Mountains lived a group of dragons. Their leader, Flamebreath, recently died. Before his death, he turned his powers into a dragon gem. After Flamebreath’s death, the dragons couldn’t decide who should be the next leader. Little did they know, the thing closest to them was about to be stolen…the dragon gem! The next morning they woke up and discovered that the dragon gem was missing. There were no footsteps leading out of the cave, so they thought the thief must have flown away. In fact, the thief and the gem were still in the cave. The dragons voted and decided to send four young dragons to search for the gem. Their names were Little Fang, Star, Blue Flame, and Iceberg. The four dragons flew out of the cave and searched through the mountains. Suddenly, Iceberg turned around and saw something flying after them. It was Thunder, the strongest dragon from their group. The other dragons turned around and saw Thunder just as he was about to attack. With Thunder breathing fire on them, the four dragons decided to fly down to a nearby cave to get away. As the dragons entered the cave, Blue Flame noticed a piece of paper on a rock. As she came closer she read the plans left there by Thunder. She realized Thunder was the thief who stole the dragon gem. Just as she told the other dragons, Thunder flew in the cave. Thunder said, “Now that you know my plans, you have to be eliminated!” “You fools, you didn’t realize I was following you.” “Prepare to die!” The other dragons yelled, “Never!” Thunder breathed fire at the four dragons. They split up to surround Thunder, but he hit Little Fang and Star, sending them flying toward Blue Flame and Iceberg. While they were lying on the ground, Thunder prepared to make his final blow. Suddenly, Little Fang jumped up and scratched Thunder on his chest, which is the dragon’s weak spot. As Thunder hit the ground, the dragon gem flew through the air. Something magical happened…the dragon gem started shinning and sucking the life force out of Thunder. Soon Thunder was just a pile of dust. The four young dragons grabbed the dragon gem and flew back home. Iceberg explained everything that had happened to the group of other dragons. They all came to an agreement. Iceberg should be their new leader. From then on, Iceberg vowed to use the powers of the dragon gem for good only. The group of dragons lived in peace….for now. Caroline Holland Grade 4 Boyd Buchanan School 90

Mrs. Ringold The Skinny Turkey Once upon a time a turkey named Ronald lived on a farm with some chickens. The chickens were named Turner, Bobo, and Jojo. It was getting close to Thanksgiving and the chickens didn’t want Ronald to be the Thanksgiving turkey. Then Turner got an idea. Turner said, “Maybe you can use Farmer Joe’s workout system to lose weight! If you are not real fat, they won’t want to eat you. I bet Farmer Joe won’t mind you using his stuff, and besides you could use a little working out. You’re really big!” Of course, Ronald was offended by Turner’s comment. He got over it though, and they all agreed. The next day Ronald tried it out. Soon Ronald lost 10 pounds. Ronald and the chickens were so happy! When it was the night before Thanksgiving, Farmer Joe made his way to the barn. It was time for him to pick out what he and his wife Nancy would have for Thanksgiving dinner. All the animals in the barn were so nervous. Farmer Joe was looking around at the animals and heard his wife shout “I want chicken for Thanksgiving! Get me a chicken!” The chickens said “What?!” Farmer Joe told Nancy it was getting late, so he’d choose the chicken in the morning. The chickens were so relieved, but they still didn’t know what to do. Ronald told them to workout all night long so they could get skinny like him. Then maybe Nancy would not want chicken. So that is what they did. They used Farmer Joe’s workout videos all night. The next morning Nancy came with Farmer Joe into the barn to pick out the chicken. When they saw how skinny their animals were, they decided to have soup instead! Ashley Holt Grade 4 Nolan Elementary 4435 Shackleford Ridge Road, Signal Mtn, TN 37377 Mrs. Johnston Wipes “Time to wake up!” yelled Mom from the kitchen. “O.k.! I’ll be out in a minute,” Dan yelled down from his room. Dan was writing a secret love letter to Kate. Even though Mom didn’t know, he had been up since midnight, writing and rewriting love letters. Even though he wasn’t going to send it, Dan wanted his letter to be perfect. Five minutes later, Dan came down the stairs for breakfast, fully clothed and groomed. “Good bacon Mom,” said Dan as he ate quickly, “I think I’ll walk to school now, and thanks for waking me up early today. You know what they say; the early bird catches the worm.” Dan stepped out of the open back door and started to walk to school. “Hey, pickle-‐breath, why are you up so early?” asked Caleb. 91

Caleb happened to be the reason that Dan was up so early, every morning as he walked to school; Dan had to pass by Caleb’s house to get to school. Soon Caleb had Dan’s schedule memorized and came out when Dan passed by to steel his lunch money. This morning, Dan tried to beat Caleb to school. Hoping, to not lose his lunch money. But Caleb was up early too, waiting for his new D.S. to come in the mail and saw Dan on his sway to school. “Here,” said Dan sadly, knowing that trying to fight Caleb would be pointless because Caleb was much bigger and stronger, “It’s one dollar and fifty cents. I know you can’t count money, so I counted it for you.” Dan walked quickly away before Caleb could work out what he had said. When Dan got to school everyone crowded around him, trying to get him to draw something for them or trying to pay Dan for already drawing them a picture. “Guys…Ow! Stop stepping on my foot!” Dan somehow made his way through the crowd and ran to his locker. RING! The school bell rang and everyone hurried of to get to class. Dan walked to the math room and tried to enter, but a huge body was blocking his path. “ That money was fake,” yelled Caleb, spitting all over Dan. “ How did you find out?” growled Dan. “My friend told me.” “ I didn’t know you had friends,” said Dan coolly, then ducked under Caleb’s arm, and stepped easily into the math room. “Hello, class. Today we will be starting Algebra t before we start, let’s share our home-‐… Yes?” Mr. River (the math teacher) had to stop talking because a little kindergartener stepped into the classroom, “Due to the affects of a fairly big fire in room, um…three hundred, sixteen, all students and teachers are to evacuate the building before the whole thing explodes!” he yelled. “Class dismissed,” said Mr. River, “Now, when we get to where you get on your buses, get on your bus and ride home.” “ Um, Mr. River, what if we walk home?” Dan asked, “Because none of the buses stop at my stop. Will we have to walk home? I don’t think that I can walk home fast enough.” “You will walk home just like you normally do, your not that far from the school,” was Mr. River’s “brave” response. Everyone got in a strait line and headed out the door, walking silently down the hall to the sidewalk outside where they waited for the buses. When they got there, Frank (the class clown) bent down and started kissing the sidewalk saying, “I love you, school. Don’t explode!” Everyone laughed (because everyone knew that Frank hated school and would rejoice if the school exploded), and then got on their buses. Well, everyone other than Frank, Kate, Caleb, and Dan. Dan checked his watch, and then started running as fast as he could towards the secret shortcut to his house. Not because he was afraid of an exploding school, but because he had a very important meeting in the woods. And worse, he was the club captain, so they couldn’t start the meeting without him. 92

“Mom! I’m home,” yelled Dan as he walked into the living room. “Good, we’re going to Mrs. Franny’s house,” said Mom “But I’ve got an important meeting to go to!” “Aw, look at you. You’re growing up so fast that now you have important meetings too. Well, I’ll be really quick; all we’re doing is giving Sweetie to Ms. Franny and collecting the money,” said Mom. “Fine as long as we’ll be as quick as you said,” mumbled Dan. Mom went to her bedroom slowly and came back with a wiggling puppy in her arms. “Let’s get this over with,” said Mom quietly to Sweetie, our dog, as she walked out the door. Dan followed, on his way, he grabbed his backpack full of Clorox Wipes. “Hello Dan, hello Grace. I can’t seem to remember how much Amy owes you,” said Ms. Franny when Dan and Mom finally walked through the door. “We owe you twenty-‐eight dollars,” said Amy, Ms. Franny’s twenty-‐one year old daughter. “We! I believe it’s my birthday, you know,” said Ms. Franny angrily. Amy walked around Ms. Franny and gave Mom a twenty-‐dollar bill, one five-‐ dollar bill, and three one-‐dollar bills. Mom handed Amy Sweetie and Sweetie’s schedule “Well, we should go now. I have somewhere important to be, so, um…by,” said Dan as he ran out the door. He was already twenty minutes late for the most important meeting so far. Dan ran as hard as he could as he headed strait for the secret entrance to the part of the woods where the club meetings were held. “Well, look who decided to show up,” said Sallie, a club member, “we’ve been waiting for about twenty minutes. What took you so long?” “Mom made me come with her to get rid of Sweetie,” said Dan as he moved around looking for something, “Where is everybody, Sallie? Did everyone go home? Why didn’t they wait? It was only twenty minutes. I believe in a stronger club!” We’re over here, Dan, and great speech! I think we’re ready to start. Allie brought the lighters. Then we decided that we should set up. Sallie, Carter, Mia, Gabe, Abby, Frank, and Lily did that. Then we started up the fire (since Allie brought the lighters and Sallie brought the safety buckets of water). Finally, you came and we thought that you were an intruder, so we packed up our things the way we practiced and hid. Then we realized that it was you, so we unpacked, and, well… what happens next remains to be discovered”, said Jacob, a very chatty little boy. “Good where did you set up?” Dan asked, and one moment he was standing there, looking around. And the next, he was on a small stage in front of a flaming fire. A crowd of cub members stood in a circle around the fire. “Let the burning begin”, yelled Jacob. All at once, everyone in the club (which was a lot of people) started unloading huge amounts of Clorox wipes out of backpacks, purses, hoods, baskets, etc, then throwing them into the fire. This lasted for about two hours, but even if I tried, I wouldn’t be able to make those two hours interesting enough for you to like this book. So, anyway, after these two hours, it started to get dark and Dan had heard stories of people who 93

disappeared in the woods at night, so they stopped the fire and left. Shaking and muttering, Dan made his way to his house. The next day Dan woke up to Mom shaking him awake. “Mom, you scared me!” yelled Dan. “We’re going to Aunt Berry’s house,” whispered Mom. “Okay,” said Dan, getting dressed and pulling an old brush through his bush-‐ like hair as he rushed out the door. About five minutes later, Mom pulled into a rusty, old house. Mom knocked. Nobody answered. “I don’t think she’s home,” muttered Mom. “We won’t be able to help your Aunt Berry today.” So, they drove back home. The next few weeks flew by and soon it was time for Dan’s birthday. Mom was in the kitchen making Dan a strawberry birthday cake when a knock on the door startled her while she was mixing up the cake batter in a bowl. Surprised, Mom dropped the bowl. A second after that, Dan ran into the kitchen to see what happened and he slipped. Dan was caught by surprise and he grabbed his mom and the two went slipping and sliding across the floor. Mom stood up and picked up Dan and said, “Can you help me wipe this batter off myself?” “Ok”. Should I use Clorox wipes?” asked Dan. “Yes.” “Okay,” and Dan started wiping his mom down. “Thanks, suddenly I feel really tired. I’m going to take a nap,” said Mom. Later, around eight o’clock, Dan walked into the room where Mom was supposed to be sleeping. Nobody was in the room. The next day after school, Dan headed over to the art supplies store to buy new crayons. No, Dan didn’t break his crayons, he just drew so much that he wore all his crayons down. Since the art store was so close, Dan rode his bicycle through the neighborhood then turned left and found himself at the locked backdoor of the store. Dan took out his key and slid it into the lock easily (since Dan came to the store so often, he was friendly with the owners and one day they gave him a key to the back door) and walked into the store. The way that Dan took lead him to the counter. “Hey, Dan, what’s up?” said Otis, the worker who worked only on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. “Do you need new crayons?” “Yeah. Can you get me the box with 198 crayons inside? I seem to use up the ones with only 98 inside too quickly”, said Dan. Otis reached down into a plastic bag and took out a box of crayons and handed them to Dan. “You owe me $5.83.” “But normally the box that has 198 crayons is $20”, said Dan. “I know, but you get discounts for drawing pictures for our store”, Otis replied. “Thanks. Well, I’ll see you Friday with your weekly drawing,” said Dan walking out the door, locking it, then hopping on this bike and riding home.

Dan didn’t know how, but somehow he managed to get through the rest of the week. Yep, it was Saturday. Dan was finally free to go to the library. Once again, he got on his bike and rode to freedom. After Dan got to the library and went in, he ran straight to the counter to ask Annie a very weird question. “Where can I find a history book on Clorox wipes?” Right over there,” said Annie, pointing at a row of old-‐fashioned books. Dan found what he was looking for and took it off the shelf. “Library card!” yelled Annie impatiently. “Sorry.” Dan reached into this pocket and took out his library card, slid it into the machine, then walked out the door. Half –mindedly, Dan rode home. Once he was home, Dan opened his book and started to read. The book read, Throughout many centuries, many, many people have disappeared due to the Clorox wipes. Clorox wipes have been wiping people away since 1492. The only known cure is to draw back the person erased. Warning! Do not add more features than before. Also, don’t re-build the person that was erased. Well, have fun, and stay safe (don’t play with Wipes and don’t erase any more people)! The next day Dan asked Sallie, Carter, Lilly and Zeo over to talk. When they got to Dan’s house, they all got cookies out of the pantry and ate them as they talked. “My mom got erased by Clorox wipes and I need your help drawing her back. We have to get her back! Think about a world without moms!” Dan yelled. “What, How?” Sallie asked. “No time to explain. Just go to the library and see what you can find,” said Dan back. Everyone other than Dan ran toward the door, got on their bikes and rode straight to the library. Later that day, Dan got out his box of 198 crayons and carefully polished each one. Just as Dan was finished the last crayon of the box, the mail came through the mail slot. It was a letter from Aunt Berry. It read, Dear Grace and Dan, I heard you when you came to my house on Monday. I appreciate you wanting to help at my house. Therefore, I grant you my money in my Will to you and you will see that it has already been transferred to your bank account. Love, Aunt Berry Dan sighed. Nobody had ever been this generous. “Mom!” yelled Dan. “What?” yelled Mom. Dan ran to the bedroom Mom’s voice had come from. When he got there, he saw a silver see-‐through version of Mom. Dan drew and drew and drew and drew until mom was back. Dan sighed in relief. His mom was back. About two weeks later, Dan wrote an article for the newspaper about what happened and how to avoid what happened. The newspaper editors thought that 95

what Dan wrote was useful information and included it in there newspaper. Soon everyone wanted more on that subject, and soon there was a new book out with more details. The book was officially published in the summer of 1953, so most of your Grand Parents were kids when that book was starting to get sold, so ask them if they have a copy of The Twists and Turns of the History of Clorox Wipes, and I bet you that they have it… Holly Jennings Grade 4 Westview Elementary School 9629 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. A. Nolen How the moon shines at night Long, long ago every day and night the sun was out. The sun thought she was so beautiful and wanted everybody to see how beautiful she was. So every day and every night she would shine. But one day the moon was born. The moon was very pretty too but nobody appreciated her because she was not as pretty as the sun. One day the moon got really jealous so she went up to the sun and said “Can I shine next to you?” “Of course not!!!” said the sun. If you shine next to me I won’t be as pretty! So the moon walked away sadly. The next week the moon came back to the sun and said “now can I shine next to you” No! Said the sun “I need my personal space”!! “Ok” said the moon “Then can I shine way over there?” said moon. “I need a lot space!” said sun. So the moon walked away sadly. This went on for a few weeks. So moon asked Saturn (One of moons best friends) what she should do. Saturn said that moon should stand up for her self and moon believed Saturn. So moon went to sun and said “I deserve that spot next to you shine so let me shine there!” “Oh, you think I’m going to say yes again don’t you?” said sun. “You are ugly!!” “I’m not going to let you shine next to you shine there or anywhere!” So moon went back to Saturn and said that it was even worse so Saturn had a plan. Every night push the sun out of the way and then sun will probably get dirt on her that means she will have to go home and take a shower and change cloths and do all that stuff will probably take all night to do so moon can shine while she is gone ! So that’s what moon did so at night moon came up to sun and pushed her. The sun screamed and went to go take a shower and get changed and all that stuff. It worked!!! The moon got to shine!!!!!! So that’s how the moon shine’s every night. Carolina Kelley Grade 4 St. Nicholas School 7525 Min Tom Dr., Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Chitty 96

Where is the President? One day, the president Frank Donaldson said, “I know we have criminals... but we can stop them from making bad choices...we can stop them from ruining America!” That happened to be one of his speech days and everyone in America was listening. But, there was one person in America who was a criminal and thought that he was making America easier to live in, definitely not ruining the country! That man was Nelson...Nelson had robbed banks, schools, and libraries. But, nothing serious. Nelson thought for a moment and finally came up with a great plan. He was going to do something serious... Nelson was going to kidnap the President... “ Hello, I’m News Channel 9’s famous reporter Nick Scott. We have a bombshell tonight! The President (Frank Donaldson) has been kidnapped earlier today. We have hired Detective MPI for the case. Wait one sec, I’m getting a call from Mary in the back....What is that...he’s here right now! Hello Det. MPI, how are you, and may I ask.. can you give us any info on the scene?” finally finished Nick Scott. “ Yes, in fact, I do!” replied Det. MPI. “ I have been investigating more around the scene and now have 2 suspects!” “ I hate to ask you this, but can you tell us who these criminals are?” said Nick Scott. “Yes, in fact, I can, but may I remind you not to call them criminals yet! Remember that everyone is innocent until proven guilty,” said Det. MPI. “ But, yes ...hmmmm, oh! The suspects are Mark Yellowfin and Nelson Rodrigez.” Everyone in America was terrified. “Well to wrap it up...,” yelled Nick Scott to end the awkward silence. “With some final information from MPI.” “Well we are in court tomorrow so turn on Robin News and watch!” yelled MPI. And as he pointed his finger to the camera he said, “So you make sure that you watch Dora the Explorer tomorrow kids. I’m Det. MPI with Nick Scott on Robin news! See ya tomorrow!” Then with a snap and a wink he shut the cameras off! “Hey,” shouted Nick Scott over the replay of the show, “That was my part!” When Nelson heard this he bit his lip and screamed, “First, I live next to my parents, second, I robbed the Canyon School (and other places!) but now I’m about to go to jail for life!” Boom! Boom! “Order in the court! Order in the court!” yelled Judge Oopearl. “I will have no talking just silence! Now,” continued the Judge, “I am hereby told that someone has kidnapped the President Donaldson. If someone would like to plead guilty now, you have 1 minute. Starting now!” There was an awkward silence and the guards finally broke it, “OK, can we move on a bit, I want to end this.” “Alright! Alright!” said the Judge. Then the court manager handed her something...”Well we have now come to a conclusion...,” the Judge’s voice slowly trailed off “...that Mark Yellowfin has committed this crime. 97

“Wait, what!?” yelled Mark. “I didn’t do that or this. How could I, Mark Yellowfin, (PhD Student) commit this! I have an alibi. I have an al...i...b,” his voice slowly trailed off as he was being dragged away. “i!” he finished. “Wait! Wait!” yelled someone from the suspect table. Whoa! It was Nelson! “I did it! I did it!” Suddenly the guards stopped dragging Mark. “You did what?!” shouted the 1st guard! “I know that I did it!” yelled Nelson. “I did, I did!” “But it’s not possible!” yelled Judge Oopearl. “I have the security tape right here!” “I know!” replied Nelson over the hushed crowd. “ But, I made that tape of Mark! I took some footage of him moving around and downloaded it onto the security video system. So then I figured I could not be accused of kidnapping the president!!!! Look in my tru-‐”, as Judge Oopearl interrupted Nelson she was missing some important info... “ I don’t know how you got in that part of the White House...it was highly locked.” “Exactly!!!! After I kidnapped the President I put him in my trunk of the Honda. The President was in my possession. He was under my control...he gave me the keys so that I could get in there and not go to jail. Go to my Honda and you will find him there!!!,” yelled Nelson over the gasps of the crowd. “Boys! Guards! Go look!!!,” shouted Oopearl. They did and when they came back they had the President tied up in ropes in their hands. “Alright, it has now came to the conclusion that Nelson Rodrigez has pleaded guilty.” Everyone fled the courtroom as Nelson was being dragged off to jail. Sara Jane Landry Grade 4 Normal Park Museum Magnet Upper School 1219 W. Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Sue Nelson Winter Weather One Morning Papa woke me up and said, “Bailey, it’s snowing outside!” I jumped right out of bed and looked out the window. It looked like the roads were completely gone! I asked if we could go outside and play in the snow. My Papa replied, “Of course we can!” I said “What are we waiting for? Let’s go get ready to play outside!” “Okay!” Papa said. We went and got dressed to go outside. We went outside into the deep, fluffy snow. A small set of the shivers went down my spine from the cold breeze. I was cold and Papa was too. We played in the snow. The snow was all the way up to my knees. We retrieved the sled from the garage. I slid down the same hill about seven times. The list time I climbed the huge hill I fell into the snow! I was so tired of walking in the deep snow! I made a snowman and then made a snow angel too. This was the best day ever! My brother Nicholas came to play in the snow with us. We took a couple of pictures. Nicholas cried a little bit at first, but after a while he got used to the snow 98

and quit crying. Papa went sledding down a bigger hill. The big hill made my sled go even faster. I got colder and colder by the minute. Snow started to get in my boots and in my snowsuit. My boots got slushy and watery. I was miserable! I wanted to stay outside because I was having so much fun but I had to go inside! Mommy called for me to come inside. When I did, there was a nice steaming cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows in it—just the way I like it! The day of the big snow was one of the best days of my life. My family and I went sledding, made a snowman, and lots of memories! I cannot wait until it snows again. Bailey Michele Lantman Grade 4 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Holt The Science Experiment One day, I was doing experiments. One went really wrong. I made a bear! He was really nice. I named him Bruce. He was black with brown eyes. I love you. I felt like he was a brother. The next day, me and him went to the park. First, we ate cooked fish. Then, we went back home. We watched a movie. That night, I built a cage about 16 feet tall. He loved it. I said, “Home, sweet home.” After that, I got a bow for him. I put fish in there for him. He’s very cute. I said, “Would you like to go to an outside party?” He shook his head. “There’s cake!” He ate half of the cake. “Look! There’s some fish. Good fish.” Man, he ate 40 fish out of 50. He’s good. I saw him crying. He told me he misses his mom and dad. I told him I would take him to Mommy. So we went to the forest. He smelled their scent. But when we found his mom and dad, they were dead. I said, “Where are you going to stay?” He said, “With you.” I said, “Ok.” We had so much fun. We watched movies, had Mello Yello, cooked fish and went to the park. Every day, we still think about Mommy Bear and Daddy Bear. That’s one thing we shall not forget. Ever! We will never forget you, Mommy and Daddy Bear. They lived happily every after. Gabe Lofty Grade 4 Red Bank Elementary School 1100 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. McKnight Alexander’s Adventure One morning at Alexander’s house, his Mom called him downstairs for breakfast. 99

“I don’t wanna”, yelled Alexander, because he was still tired. “Go into the bathroom and brush your hair.” “NO”, said Alexander. “Please!” said Mom. “Fine”, groaned Alexander. As he was walking downstairs he saw his 5-‐year-‐old sister sitting on the couch watching Dora. “Bubby” said Anny, “Wash your hands!” “Since when were you the boss of me?” “Since yesterday” said Anny. When Alexander sat down at the table he read the front of the newspaper, it said “CRYSTAL BALL STOLEN!” in big black letters. “Hey mom you know that crystal ball?” said Alexander “Yeah,” said Mom. “It got stolen!” exclaimed Alexander. “Man, I was planning on taking you guys there,” sighed Mom. “Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!” yelled both kids. “We mean darn it.” When they got to the museum they saw tape that said “DO NOT CROSS.” Then they saw a man coming towards them. “Are you Alexander?” the man asked. “Yes, I am.” “Come here.” said the man. “Let me ask my Mom first”, answered Alexander. Just then, Anny screamed. They saw a floating cape. “Cool!” yelled Alexander. “Follow it.” said the man. Suddenly, the cape started moving. They followed it, and followed it, and followed it. The cape led them outside through trees, bushes and woods. Finally they came to a gate. There was a gatekeeper there. “Hello can you open this gate?” The gatekeeper tells them that if you can figure out how to use this key, the gate will open. The key turned out to be a giant penny with weird symbols on it. They searched for a place to put this strange key-‐looking thing. Anny pointed to a strange looking slot and said “Big gumball.” Alexander shook his head no, but then noticed it was the right size for the giant penny and put it in the slot. The gate swung open automatically. After they got through the old and rusty gate, they found a mine cart sitting on a forgotten track. “Let’s go!” They used some rope to tie the car and the cape together. “Mush” yelled Anny. They soon saw a castle up ahead. “Cool castle!” exclaimed everyone. As they got closer to the castle, they saw a lot of wires hanging out of the window and also saw lightning. They found a sword next to the castle door sticking out of a knight’s skeleton. Alexander pulled it out of the dead guy and stabbed the door. It busted into little pieces with a loud BOOM! The castle was dark with one glowing light coming from the corner of the room. It was the missing crystal ball sitting on a stand. “Cool!” whispered Alexander as he took it down, “Let’s get this back to the museum.” The cape was still hovering outside where they had left it, tied to the mine cart. The followed the path the same 100

way they had come, back to the museum. When they got there, the guy who had told them to follow the floating cape came running out to them and said, “Did you get the crystal ball back? “Yes” said Alexander proudly pulling the crystal ball out of his backpack. “How did you know the cape would lead us to it?” asked Mom. “I’m the museum owner”, said the guy “I got the crystal ball from a famous fortune teller in Colorado. The floating cape looked familiar, I thought it was worth a shot.” Parker Love Grade 4 Normal Park Museum Magnet Upper School 1219 W. Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Sue Nelson The Time I Got Braces My mom and I were going to the orthodontist so I could get braces. I was scared and nervous but my mom said to not be scared and it was going to be fine. We waited for a while. Soon a lady called my name, “Addie Miles.” I said bye to my mom and went back. Ms. Flower told me to sit in the long chair farthest away. She put the brackets on with glue. It was nasty glue. Next she put the wires on and it hurt badly. I thought in my head braces are a good thing, so my teeth would be straighter so I would not be scared. After that my mom and I watched some videos about braces. The videos were about how to take care of my braces. The good thing was I looked good in braces! After seeing the orthodontist, my mom and I went to Subway for lunch. We did a lot of fun stuff after lunch but that’s a different story. It’s ok to get braces. I learned any time that you are scared things may not turn out as they seem. That’s what happened when I got braces! Addie Miles Grade 4 Normal Park Museum Upper School 1219 W. Mississippi Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Tipton Lizards We had everything we needed, flightless fruit-‐flies from the store and my lizards. I had four new-‐born lizards, and I had to feed them flies! How gross is that? Then we fed them the flies. They started to gobble the flies like you eating a small apple in on bite! The lizards, when they were born, were about two inches, including the tail. I named them George, George one, George two, and George there. They were born sometime in July. George was born the day before George one, George two, and George three were born. So George is actually a single and George one, George two and George three are triplets. 101

The lizards look gray and sometimes turn darker. We had four lizards, but now we only have two. One died of starvation; that was George three. One died of shock, that was George two. So now we only have George and George one. Having the lizards has been a fun experience, not that they play or anything. We used to feed them flightless fruit-‐flies, but now we feed them small crickets covered in calcium powder. They used to be about two inches but now they are two and a half inches long including the tail. They have grown a lot during the four months we’ve have them. Having the lizards taught me lots of interesting things like lizard pee is white! Having them made me more responsible for taking care of things. Rachel Min Grade 4 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Mrs. George Four Fingers

‘’Aah!’’ screamed Abigal, as she ran towards her bedroom door. There was a man in a black suit chasing her. Right as she reached the doorknob she quickly opened the door and ran inside not knowing her laptop was on the ground and she tripped over it. Abigal’s head hit the corner of the side table and she fell onto her unmade bed. Using a feather filled pillow Abigal struggled to defend herself while still screaming.Outside Caroline and Jane could here Abigal screaming and Caroline got worried . She started knocking on the door expecting someone to answer. Jane heard a loud crash through the tinted glass window on Abigal’s door. ‘’Abigal’’ cried Caroline , and the screaming stopped. The next morning the F.B.I was shrouding Abigal’s apartment.Caroline slapped the alarm clock. Jane opened her curtain, saw the F.B.I. and raced to the phone. Caroline’s phone rang and she reached for it and picked it up. Caroline met Jane at the front of her house and they both rushed over to Abigal’s building. Caroline was the first to speak ‘’what is going on!’’ She yelled in a fidgety voice. Catherine turned toward Caroline and Jane. The light reflected off of her light brown hair. She had curved hips and shiny tan skin. She wore a straight face and her light blue heals brought out the color of her eyes. Jane and Caroline looked at her in surprise. She was holding a clipboard in one hand and a purple light in the other. “May I ask, who are you?”, Catherine asked. There was a pause between their conversation. Until Caroline exclaimed, “our friend lives in there!” Jane pulled Caroline back softly. Catherine asked out of curiosity, “Who is your friend?” Jane said in a soft voice, very slowly, “Abigail”. Catherine had a surprised look on her face. “What?”, Caroline shouted. “Have you not heard?”, Catherine asked. “No”, said Jane calmly. Catherine walked them inside Abigail’s apartment and into her bedroom. There lay Abigail on her bed not even moving. Without a word, Caroline was on the floor and Catherine called in two other women into the room. A red

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haired woman named Mary, walked in followed by a blonde named Kate. Kate did CPR on Caroline, but she didn’t budge. They took Caroline outside and quickly put her in the ambulance. In five seconds they were at the hospital. Worried sick, Jane slowly walked out of the ambulance. No more than one hour later, Caroline was up and ready to go back to the crime scene. Catherine, Mary, Kate, Caroline and Jane all walked back into Abigail’s apartment. The first thing Caroline saw was the washing machine wasn’t on it’s side. “Look!”, Caroline shouted. The other women all looked up and were shocked. Everyone but Catherine looked for the shoe print on the washer. Catherine searched in every room for clues. Finally she reached Abigail’s bedroom. She pulled out a tiny drawer under Abigail’s bed and opened it. “Guys, look!”, Catherine said as she handed them a glove with the ring finger cut off. “Who’s ever this is, they must have dropped it when they killed Abigail.”, Catherine thought aloud. “Wow, cool”, thought Caroline as she grabbed it out of Catherine’s hand and stuffed it into a bag. “Let’s go,” yelled Catherine. They went to Catherine’s office and investigated while Mary and Kate were talking to two men who lived right next to Abigail. The first man had blonde hare with a black tuxedo and a blue and red tie. His name was Lane. “I ain’t done noth’in!”, shouted Lane before anyone accused him of anything. “That’s a clue,” whispered Mary. Caroline could hear every syllable when she couldn’t go any longer, she slashed the door open and the room was silent. The rain streamed down the window and Caroline exclaimed, “Let’s go!” Mary and Kate didn’t know what she meant but, they left Lane in the same room with Lake, the other man. All of them went to Abigail’s apartment searching for more clues. “Nothing’s here!”, shouted Catherine in a struggling voice. They went back to the lab and got a finger print on the glove. They didn’t know who’s it was, so they got both Lane and Lake’s DNA. While it was being examined, they went back to the apartment with swabs and a blood scanner. Catherine scanned the whole apartment. She only found a little bit of blood on the side table and swabbed it. They ended up using 98 swabs and Catherine found another finger print on a pillow. They brought the pillow to the lab and all three finger prints matched Lane’s. They asked Lane to put his left hand on the table. He didn’t move. Catherine looked at him for one second and when he did, they saw he was missing his left hand ring finger. “It’s him.”, stated Catherine. They put him in jail and walked outside. The streaming rain had turned into a delicate drizzle. The drizzle of the rain danced upon Catherine’s shoulder as she spun around with her arms spread wide.

Sarah Moore Grade 4 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1216 W. Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. McKeehan

Here I Go

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I was so sad and joyful to drop from the tree. It feels like floating on the water. It will feel like a piece of paper falling from an airplane. People are watching me falling from the sky. I feel so happy to be back on the ground again. It feels good to be back on the ground again. I was feeling so happy to be with my friends that are the leaves! Jacob Pace Grade 4 Lookout Valley Elementary School 701 Browns Ferry Road, Chattanooga, TN 37419 Ms. Baker My Volleyball Surprise Have you ever had a day that you were so excited that you couldn’t go to sleep at night? I have! It was the day I found out I made 121s Choo Choo volleyball team! It was a Sunday night. I was getting home from the store when my mom said, “ I have something that will make you happy!” I ran over to her and she said, “ You made 121s!” I was so happy! I even found out my coaches name was Dan. He also coaches the CCS high school team. I also found out that AJ and Larkain would be on my team also. I was just so happy, excited, surprised, and just full of joy! It took me forever to go to sleep that night. Elaine Redman Grade 4 Nolan Elementary School 4435 Shackleford Ridge Road Mrs. Daniel Prism-Ville Once there was a small town that went by the name Prism-‐Ville. The people of Prism-‐Ville had never seen a rainbow but they wanted to. The only thing that could make the rainbow for the people was a prism. The only man that could make a prism was Glass Man, GM for short. GM lived on the very top floor of the tallest apartment building in the entire city. There was a little boy in the town named Carter who would not stop crying unless he saw a rainbow. So, his big sister, Sadie, went on an adventure to find GM. Sadie looked everywhere in Prism-‐Ville for GM, then she noticed a huge building. She asked the doorman if GM lived in this building and he said, “Yes, he lives on the top floor. It takes awhile to get there on the elevator. But, oh well, it will be o.k. It has music.” When she stepped onto the elevator, the doors closed and a dance floor appeared. The doorman said, “You have to dance to get to GM’s 104

floor.” Loud Katie Perry music began playing and Sadie danced as hard as she could. She did the running man and the jerk. That was enough to get to Glass Man’s floor. She reached the top floor and saw a beautiful pent house. After knocking on the door, Glass Man opened it and said, “What do you want?” “I want you to make a prism because the only thing that will make my brother stop crying is a rainbow,” said Sadie. “I’ll do it if you teach me that awesome running man dance,” answered GM. “O.k.,” said Sadie and she taught GM the dance. He quickly made a prism, polished it, and put it right under the sun. It was a miracle because there was a giant, brilliant double rainbow across Prism-‐Ville’s sky. Somewhere across town Carter stopped crying and the entire town rejoiced. This day was known as Rainbow Day and every Rainbow Day GM would shine his prism under the sun and a gleaming, giant double rainbow would beam across the sky. Belle Roden Grade 4 Normal Park Museum Magnet School 1216 W. Mississippi Ave. Chattanooga TN 37405 Mrs. Seymour Avari Avari is the best/evilest sister in the world. Believe me, I should know. She is an evil master mind. Every time you clean up, she messes up. She even shoots whipped cream across the room at you. Watch out for Avari Rose! On the other hand, she is a good sister. Avari is my favorite person because she is funny, playful and crazy. Avari is very funny. She has the funniest, screwed up thinking face. Also she sings mixed up worded songs. She dances to this little white bear. She dances like a bird trying to fly. She also tends to eat Mac and Cheese every meal. These are just some of the reasons Avari is funny. Avari is very playful. She always wants to play this game called “Bees”. We run from room to room. She also wants to play “a-‐eat”. This game is where we pretend to bake different pastries and treats. We eat them with glee. She insists to play sing every hour of the day. She goes into her room with me and starts singing. She sings songs like “Doh-‐Ray, Doh-‐ Ray, Moo! Moo! Moo! That is why Avari is playful. Avari is super crazy! If she gets a crumb on any part of her body she goes ballistic. She spins around and falls down. She also gets up from a nap saying, “watch ya-‐ya, watch ya-‐ya!” Which really means, “Watch Dora, watch Dora”. She absolutely loves one piece of clothing… her “abie cadies shews” which means her Abbie Cadabbie shoes. She uses a pacifier to shoot like a bullet. She also likes the idea of football practice because she thinks she can catch a football. She just puts down her arms and lets it hit her in the face. That is why my sister Avari is crazy! Avari is my favorite because she is funny, playful, and crazy! Avari is really different from any other baby sister. She doesn’t call you dada or mama. She skips 105

straight to the real way, mom and dad. She also claims everything is hers. As you’ve read in these paragraphs you’ve learned about a little girl that is funny, playful and crazy! You have read about the wonder of the world. You have read about my sister Avari. Brock Shipley Grade 4 Thrasher Elementary 1301 James Blvd. Mrs. Newton The Story of Annie and Dory “Are you ready?’’ my dad asked. “Yeah ‘’ I replied. We were on our way to get our new puppy in my mom’s golden Toyota Seqouia. Pumping with fear of the puppies not liking me, we passed cows, calves, and chicken on the drive over. Then we went through a gate and up as big hill, as big as the floor to the roof x 2 to a log cabin. Mom turned the keys to stop the car and we got out and saw the puppies’ golden retriever father. Then Ms. Jeanie walked out with the puppies. So I sat down with the puppies and they tackled me and chased me for an hour. After I played with the puppies, I asked my dad, “Which one are we getting?’’ “Both’’ my dad replied. Bursting with excitement I ran and hugged my parents and threw my puppies in the air with a smile driving all over my face and told the puppies they were mine. I didn’t stop being exited so we got the puppies and left. Then we stopped to let my Dad’s side of the family meet them. This day was better than Christmas. Nick Skonberg Grade 4 Bright School 1950 McDade Lane Mrs. Annetta Crawford Me And the Fish Have you ever caught a fish as big as you are? Well I did and here is my story. One day my brother, my dad, and I went fishing at one of our friend’s pond. We drove down the gravel road to the pond. Once we got there I put a piece of bread on my hook and threw it in the pond. Suddenly I got a bite! I reeled it in only to realize it was a small brim. I baited my hook again and threw it in. BAM! Something grabbed onto my hook and whatever it was, it almost pulled me off the dock! My rod tip was bending as if there was a whale on the end of it! I yelled for my dad, and he came rushing over to help me! 106

Dad helped me reel in the Monster. Excitement was building in me until I thought I would explode! We got it on the bank so we could really see what it looked like. It was so huge! It was about as big as my dad! We took loads of pictures of the fish. We released it, packed up, and drove home with an astonishing tale to tell. Brayden Smith Grade 4 Nolan Elementary School 4435 Shackleford Ridge Road Mrs. Poe Tooth Fairy Once upon a time, the Tooth Fairy was mad. She did not have her own holiday Like Santa Claus. She was jealous of the Easter Bunny. So she found the Easter Bunny’s hideout, captured him, and put him in a cage. She would be the Easter Fairy. She was happy, very happy, that she had her own holiday. In the next month or so, all the children didn’t get their money for their teeth. They complained to their parents. So, the parents had to do the Tooth Fairy’s job. When Christmas time came, she heard about the Grinch trying to steal Christmas. Something inside her changed, but she wasn’t exactly sure what it was. Then, Santa Claus wrote to the Tooth Fairy about how important he thought her job was. It was about to be Easter. She thought she would be more excited than she was. She began to feel guilty, so she decided to let the Easter Bunny go free. When she went to let him go, he wasn’t there. How did he escape? Where did he go? So, she called Santa for help. She needed to find the Easter Bunny so she could apologize and make things right. Santa let Tooth Fairy borrow his sleigh so she could find him quick. She took off at blazing speeds and went on the search. When she made near Jack Frost’s house, she saw the Easter Bunny hopping towards it. When the Tooth Fairy landed, the Easter Bunny hopped away. She fluttered as fast as she could, and finally she caught up with him. She wanted to explain to the Easter Bunny how sorry she was. At first, he wasn’t so sure if she was telling the truth. Finally, the Easter Bunny decided to forgive her. The Tooth Fairy learned two lessons. One, don’t be jealous of others. Two, just be yourself. Carson Templeton Grade 4 Boyd Buchanan School Mrs. Ringold The Snowball Dance Party Everyone was getting ready for the Snowball Dance Party. It was a lot for everyone to handle. The town was buzzing with excitement. Finally everyone was finished with everything, but someone was missing! It was Teacup, one of the panda family's daughters. Millions of posters were suddenly sent out. Everyone started looking instantly. They searched high and low. No one found her. 107

It was almost time for the party to start and everyone was worried about Teacup. They thought they wouldn't find her in time. There was still no sign of her. When it was time for the Snowball Dance Party, everyone was excited, but they still needed to look for Teacup. They went into the ballroom and there she was! She was all cuddled up in a blanket and had her purple toy in her paws. "There you are!" said Bamboo, Teacup's mom. "Mommy!" cried Teacup. "I was worried I would never find you!" said Bamboo. "Why are you even here?" "I thought the party was yesterday," said Teacup. "But when I came, no one was here. Then it got dark, so I stayed." "Oh, thank goodness you are all right!" said Bamboo. They started dancing to the music at the party. Everyone had fun, especially the panda family. Now they were all happy! Brooke Tin Grade 4 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Glass Living on a Power Line Hi my name is Megan. I am a shoe. I use to live in a nice, warm house with my owner. Now I live on a power line with my brother. It is really hard to get food up here. You smell good food, but you can’t have any. It is good living up here and it is bad living up here. It is good because I don’t have to walk on the cold ground, step in gum, and walk in puddles. The bad thing about living here is you can’t eat, you can’t be free, and it gets cold in the winter. The reason why I am up here is because my owner thought I was worn out and threw me up here. I meet new bird friend and I get to have conflict with my brother. That is kind of fun. I am in pain a lot because my strings are tied with my brothers. I have conflict everyday, all day, all the time. I am a bright pink shoe with dark gray. I stand out because I am so bright! People stop and stare at me. It is really cool looking at all the people staring at me. Everyday I meet birds. Also my bright pink shoestrings bring people to stop and stare. Sometimes my picture is taken. It is a good life and a bad life. I do the same things everyday. I wanted to live with my owner but no, her mom said no. My owner Makayla wanted to keep me. This is my new life and it always will be. Madison Vandergriff Grade 4 North Hamilton County Elementary School 601 Industrial Boulevard, Sale Creek, TN 37373 Mrs. Hennessey 108

Jaka and the Haunted House One spooky, spectacular, Halloween night, the stars were up and the moon was bright. I dressed up as Jaka, the male vampire of dusk (Jaka wears a maroon button down with a black suit). I met up with some friends, one of them my crush. She wore a dress. She was my girlfriend friend from dusk. We went to a haunted house. Then we all hushed. A fake ghost popped out, we gushed. Then someone came out. It was the 1990’s Frankenstein. He gave us a gumdrop. He gave us all the candy you could ever imagine. When we got home, my mom checked our candy and said we could eat it. The next day I felt sick. I went to the toilet and barfed a peach color. I went to see my friends. They also said they had thrown up. We said we’d never go to that haunted house again. Je’lyn Yates Grade 4 Calvin Donaldson Environmental Science Academy 927 West 37th Street, Chattanooga, TN 37410 Mr. Ruhling A Lesson Learned I am the size of a Jolly Rancher. I am what you call a very small person who lives in a rose. That’s why I’m called Sarah Petals. I’m not allowed to leave my rose bush because my parents say it’s too dangerous. My parents worry all the time and I wanted to go somewhere new. So last weekend, I found some carrots in a garden on a sunny morning. The carrots felt nice and warm when suddenly, I was thrown onto something hard. I landed on a zucchini and saw other vegetables around me. I felt like my stomach was doing cartwheels because soon, I was being bounced around. I screamed for help. Soon, I saw chocolate fur and huge blue eyes looking right at me. “Oh, good gracious. What are you doing in my basket?,” asked Mr. Rabbit. “Mr. Rabbit, is that you? ” I shouted. I was very surprised that he was the one who plucked me when I was resting peacefully on the carrots. “Well I need to get back to my house, Mr. Rabbit,” I said. My parents had warned me not to rest on carrots because something like this would happen. But I never believed them until now. “So if you would please hop me back to my house, I would be very grateful,” I bravely asked. But Mr. Rabbit had other plans. Mr. Rabbit said, “Oh, Sarah Petals, won’t you stay with me? I have always wanted to have a friend to talk to around the house.” I started to have a terrible feeling. I knew my parents would be worried about me and mad that I had disobeyed them. I told Mr. Rabbit how much I had to go home. Mr. Rabbit looked sad when he heard this but suddenly had a mean look in his eyes. He said, “I am sorry but you can not go Sarah.” I felt like I would be sick. “You must have dinner with me, my dear,” replied Mr. Rabbit. I thought I would faint. My head hurt with questions. “What will I eat? Wait. Is he going to eat me?

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Are my parents worried? How will I get out of here? “ My head felt like a highway with cars zooming by. I heard the sound of click and saw Mr. Rabbit lock the door to his house. “There,” replied Mr. Rabbit, “Now you can’t go anywhere.” I had to come up with a plan to escape. I looked around Mr. Rabbit’s house and saw how big it was. I also tried to see where he hid the key but saw that the keyhole was bigger than I was. I now had a plan. After a dinner of carrots and salad, I was so glad he did not eat me. I pretended I was sleeping. When Mr. Rabbit went to sleep I quietly tiptoed to the door and looked up at the keyhole. It looked like a mile away. I went to his kitchen and pushed the basket he had used to collect vegetables with. It was empty and was perfect to climb up. It almost reached the key hole, so I stood on my tippy-‐toes and jumped up to grab the key hole. I pulled myself up and couldn’t believe I made it. I was free! I quickly jumped down and hit the ground hard. “Sarah. Is that you?” I turned around and saw my father. “Papa, I’m so sorry I disobeyed you.” My father grabbed me and gave me a hug. “We don’t have time. Let’s go home before Mr. Rabbit wakes up.” We ran home and saw my mother waiting for me. She looked so worried and happy. “Mama, Papa. I’m so sorry I rested on the carrots when you told me not to. I’ll never do it again.” My parents looked more happy than mad. I had learned my lesson to always listen to my parents. Lauren Yim Grade 4 The Bright School 1950 McDade Lane, Chattanooga, TN 37404 Mrs. Kemp

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[Grade 4 Poetry] My Many-Colored Days On my blue days, I feel excited Like a shark in the ocean That just got fed. On my purple days, I feel bored Like a bear who just fell asleep In his den. On my red days, I feel loud Like a baby trying to sing To his mommy. On my green days, I feel sick Like a boy who just threw up And who needs to go home. On my black days, I feel confident Like a cat chasing a mouse In his owner’s house. James Adams Grade 4 Nolan Elementary 4425 Shackleford Ridge Road, Signal Mtn., TN 37377 Mrs. Willingham Rock Climbing The sun shines on the wall. Uneven rocks dull my grip, I start to climb again. Oh, how beautiful it is-‐-‐ Uneven rocks dull my grip. Trees grow from the wall shading me. Oh how beautiful it is! 111

My hands bleed from the rocks. Trees grow from the wall shading me. I climb high, look over the world. My hands bleed from the rocks. The forest stretches for miles. I climb high, look over the world. The sun shines on the wall. Uneven rocks dull my grip, I start to climb again. Isabella Allan Grade 4 The Bright School 1950 McDade Lane, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Everett and Ms. Jones The Man Who Cooked Curry There once was a man named Murray. Who always cooked way too much curry. His curry was divine And he was kind. So we never ate in a hurry. Alexander Bastnagel Grade 4 Hilger Higher learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Mrs. George Purple Purple is the color you think of when you feel lucky or good. Purple looks like three best friends sharing grapes while picking flowers at night with fireflies everywhere. Purple feels like a soothing massage that never stops. Purple lives wildly so it can’t be locked up. Purple dies when the sun rises and night goes down and is no more. 112

Moniest Cardell Grade 4 Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences 865 E. 3rd Street, Chattanooga, TN 37403 Ms. Palmer Samuel’s Poem When the willows sway…the comfort Of the trees make you stay. The apple Holds the sweet color of red. The wind Whistles through the forest…the rustling Leaves. When you feel the wind you know You will want to spin and you know you Are welcome in. When the leaves fall you know now it is autumn. The brown Crisp leaves crunching before your Own feet. The trees keep your Warmth in the FALL. Samuel Fehr Grade 4 Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences 865 E. 3rd Street, Chattanooga, TN 37403 Ms. Palmer I am I am a tree swaying in the wind I am a caveman looking for thoughts I am lost looking for a path I am a kid with fun in my body I am a child being watched by God I am not alone I am Kistler Kistler Hampton Grade 4 Bright School 1950 McDade Lane Mrs. Crawford

The Alley The alley is black 113

I run to find my way I remember the woman being chased In a movie I have seen. I run to find my way Horns speak to each other In the black night Strangers look out the windows. Horns speak to each other I can’t find my way Strangers look out windows Help me, please. I can’t find my way The alley is black Help me, please I remember the women being chased. Jessica Little Grade 4 The Bright School 1950 McDade Ln. Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Smith Snow Snow falling down, From the sky to the ground. The blowing of wind, Has no sound. Snow is falling down. No leaves on trees, Or anything to see. Snow is falling down. Ice all around, The sun can’t be found. The only thing to see, Is the snow falling down. Marlea Maddox Grade 4 Thrasher Elementary School 1301 James Blvd. Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Johnson The Great Flood 114

The rain is whirling and swirling. The lightning is lashing and flashing. The thunder is rumbling and vibrating the ark. The wind is howling, and it feels like it might burst through the sides. The water is crashing against the sides of our poor ark. We hear the men, women and children shrieking, yelling and pleading, But I shall not let them inside the ark. I think I am leaving part of my heart behind with the land, Even though those men and women were wicked. Inside the ark, my family and I kneel and pray. My family is trembling, but God is comforting us. As I write this, I can hear the animals croaking, squawking, and roaring. The rain slowly subsides. Now my family and I sing joyful praises to the Lord. My eyes gaze upon the land and I am speechless. My head turns to the Lord and I raise my hands toward Him. And my heart wonders at the power of the Lord. Anna Roberts Grade 4 Roberts Christian Academy Mrs. Roberts Where I’m From I am from old apartment buildings, from Fresca and Béchamel I am from the little apartment in Cairo, Egypt, with mosques and dust, hot as a stove. I am from the bumpy streets, dusty grounds and the fresh wind all of the time. I am from going to Mosque every Eid but also family fun! I am from Ahmed, Farid and Amira, watching t.v. together and hanging out, from being warned, “Don’t stand on the chair in the balcony!” I am from a family that believes in an one and only God and prays five times a day, from Cairo, Egypt all cuddled up with cats and dogs on the road, macaroni béchamel and tilapia fish. I am from a grandfather that worked very hard and made something big, a family that is loving and understanding. I am Laila Siyam. Laila Siyam Grade 4 The Bright School 1950 McDade Ln., Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Kemp 115

My Brother He could hear his heart He can go on forever He is my brother My deadly brother He can go on forever When in the pale of moonlight Yearning to live of cold It is nearly impossible When in the pale of moonlight He is frightened of the full moon Bullied so much He frightens me He is scared of the full moon He is in the forest He is a werewolf A deadly one at that Nick Skonberg Grade 4 Bright School 1950 McDade Lane Mrs. Crawford

[Grade 5 Prose]

Trevor’s Story I felt nauseous one troublesome afternoon, and the arithmetic teacher told me to sit and lie down on a soft pillow in the back of class. A while later, I woke up and saw that no one was there. That was because it was 10:00 PM at night! I tried to pry the windows open, but they wouldn’t budge. Same with every door that goes outside. I tried to call someone, but they turned off the power. I couldn’t believe how much his stomach still ached and grumbled until I came to a sudden halt. Could it be that I’d be stuck there until morning? Or am I still asleep? Maybe school hasn’t started yet? Next thing I knew, my mom announced, “You’ll be late for school!” I said to myself, “Phew, it was just a dream.” That’s what I thought happened when I got to school and was sick. Or is this a dream… Trevor Adams Grade 5 Lookout Valley Elementary School

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701 Browns Ferry Road Chattanooga, TN 37419 Ms. MacDonald

Pumpkin Vanisher Once upon a time, a girl named Lucy walked into the pumpkin patch. She walked around for hours trying to find the perfect pumpkin. She saw something in the background. Was it? It was the perfect pumpkin. She picked it up, and as soon as she did, a little girl said to her, “Thank you for finding me a pumpkin, kind lady.” Lucy seemed confused, and then, she realized she still was wearing her name tag. So she set off for the perfect pumpkin again. Then, she saw something green in the background. She picked it up. It was an unripe pumpkin. She thought and thought about if she should buy it, and she did. When she got to the cash register, the lady said, “You know, dear, you should never buy a pumpkin that is not ripe before Halloween.” But Lucy didn’t care and bought it anyways. When she got home, she started to get everything ready to make pumpkin pie. She started to reach for the knife to cut the pumpkin. When she looked at the pumpkin, it was ripe and ready. She took the knife and touched the pumpkin. It started to glow purple, and she screamed as loud as a screaming two-‐year-‐old. When she got done, she took the pumpkin back to the store, but they were gone. So she threw it away. When she got home, there it was on the kitchen table! She threw it in the yard, and there it was again. So she decided just to make the pie. When it was finished, it was perfect-‐ not any color but burnt orange. She took a bite of the pie, and nothing happened…until five minutes later as she was watching TV. She vanished and was never seen again. Kes Burnett Grade 5 Red Bank Elementary School 1100 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Russell Touchdown This is the story of Andrew Calbaugh, the world’s best football player. Andrew went to UTK college in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Vols were losing badly. They lost every game! The coach of the team asked Andrew to try out. The reason he chose Andrew is because he was eight feet tall! His muscles were bigger than a car! Andrew said yes, so they tried quarterback, but he did not like that. They tried running back, but he wasn’t good at that. Then they tried receiver and he was great at that! He never got tackled! He made the team! The Vols first game was in a week. He practiced and practiced, he went through every play. The game was in one day. “ Tonight is going to be awesome!” Andrew said excitedly the day of the game. “You’re going to do great” said the 117

quarterback Billy Bob Joe. Andrew got his uniform on and the Vols ran out on to the field. The Vols were playing NC State. NC State got to kick off. They kicked it and….Andrew catches the ball! He ran down the field, and at least five players tried to tackle him and one of them fell and said, “Holy moly quacamole!” Then..touchdown! Andrew got a touchdown! NC State had the ball ..down….set…..HUT! The player caught the ball and Andrew was close behind, but they scored a touchdown. Andrew did well for the next two quarters of the game. It’s the fourth quarter Tennessee kicks the ball and NC State catches the ball and another player tackeld him. NC State had the ball down.. Set… HUT! He passes the ball and interception! Andrew caught it ran down the field and a player from NC State was close behind, but Andrew made a touchdown. The score is 36 to 6 ant the Vols are winning. Tennessee had the ball, and it was passed to Andrew. Then he ran down the field and touchdown! The Vols win! NC State is sad. Andrew is the best football player in history, but how will the Vols do against Georgia? The Vols play Georgia in one day. Andrew is excited! He is the most popular person at UTK. It’s the day of the game and the Vols get there uniforms on and run on to the field. Georgia gets to kick off another player of the team cathes it and passes it to Andrew. He runs and, touhdown! Georgia has the ball. Andrew tries to tackle the player but he made a touchdown! The score is 6 to 6. It’s tied. The Vols play good for the first half of the game. The score is 24 to 12, Tennessee is winning. It’s the fourth quarter and Tennessee has the ball. Andrew cathes it and runs, TOUCHDOWN! Tennessee wins! Andrew is the best at football. But how will they do against Alabama? Andrew Calbaugh Grade 5 Ganns Middle Valley Elementary 1609 Thrasher Pike, Hixson, TN 37343 Mrs. Todd The Secret of a Gummy Bear ‘Just keep pushing’ I said to Andrew my best friend, we’re almost there! As we pushed a huge book shelf“. It was a dark room we could barely see anything but we did not give up. “Push harder; I see something behind the shelf”. “I see it too”, my other friend Sammy shouted in excitement. “Oh, it’s …a big one. Said Andrew “We are rich!” exclaimed Kael”. Yes!!!Got it. Let’s take it out side, I told my friends. Earlier that day, Andrew, Sammy, Kael and I were hanging out in the park as usual. It was a summer time and we were extremely bored because we had nothing to do. We wanted some excitement and adventure. As we sat there aimlessly, complaining, how bored we were. We saw a suspicious looking tall man in a long black over coat and a hat. We couldn’t see his face because his hat was covering his face. He first looked around and then hides a brown manila envelope down behind the bushes. He did not know that my friends and I were watching him. When he left. We got up and picked up that envelope and opened it. We were surprised to notice that it was a just 118

a crumbled up reciept of a neighborhood barber store. I told my friends that my dad usually gets a hair cut from that place. Then Andrew noticed that there was something drawn at the back of it. When we looked closer it was some kind of map with the very specific directions. According to the map, there was treasure hidden in the abandon mansion on Elmer Street not too far from our neighbor hood. We all got excited and headed for “the treasure hunt”. We all rode our bicycles to the mansion. At first we were all scared to enter because it was known to be haunted. Sammy was the bravest of all four of us. Sammy led the way as we entered the mansion. We look around and noticed the place all trashed and all the windows were shattered. It was dark in side so we pulled out our flashlights. We had no idea in which room treasure was hidden. So we decided to split up in two groups. Sammy and Kael went up stairs and Andrew and I decided to stay down stairs and look around for the clues. According to the map the treasure was in a small room hidden behind a bookshelf. Andrew and I were the first to find the bookshelf; I used the walkie-‐talkie that I got as a gift last Christmas to call rest of the gang. As soon as they met with us we started moving the bookshelf together. Although it was very heavy but we somehow managed to move it. We entered the small dark room behind the shelf. We saw a huge treasure chest, right there lying in the middle of the room. It was an old wooden chest with gold plating. We carefully carried it outside into the light. As we opened it up we saw a pile of gummy bears with a piece of paper saying, “It seems you have found your treasure I hope you enjoy! Dad. It did not took us long to figure out that tall man that we saw earlier at the park was my Dad. He saw us at the park on his way to the barber store and decided to pull this prank on us. Jonathan Cecil Grade 5 Silverdale Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs.Westcott Bat Boy I am the best little league baseball player ever! I am Babe Ruth Jr.. I am as good as an old ring tailed coon tricking two little hound dogs. There were 120 teams, no I’m kidding there were only 119 teams down at the World Series in Orlando, FL. There were so many colors I could faint! All the teams participating were undefeated. The teams were as good as a dog saving his owner from a mountain lion. All of a sudden, everybody lost his or her skills to play baseball, except me. I had to teach all 119 teams how to play again, or we would have to stop the tournament and start over. I was so good at teaching them their baseball skills; I was like Elmo saying his line a million times! I taught 103 teams in 19 exhausting hours and had 4 more exhausting hours to teach 16 more teams how to play again. After I finished teaching each team the best baseball skills that I knew, I had to whack them with a 119

Rawlings baseball bat to get the teams to absorb all of their skills. WHACK went the baseball bat swinging ferociously through air hitting each baseball player. We started playing baseball as fast as a Bald Eagle. Unfortunately, everyone couldn’t win, but because I’m Babe Ruth Jr., I was able to help bring home a win for my team! A celebration began at Dave and Busters and we got 10k gold rings, a watch and jackets. The best part? Signing autographs for everyone and all the girls crowding around us! We drank root beer floats until we felt like we were floating in a river of root beer and ice cream. This was the best day recorded in Little League baseball history. Dalton Chuba Grade 5 Ganns Middle Valley Elementary 1609 Thrasher Pike, Hixson, TN 37343 Mrs. Todd The Garden It was a dark, gusty night while Jimmy was in a deep sleep. He woke up to the sound of footsteps in the attic. Then, the footsteps were in his small room! He heard a little peep mutter, “Is he the one?” He jumped up and looked out the window and a small object told him to come. They got out of his house and the object took him in a deep, dark woods. He looked up at a figure that looked like a cave. He stumbled on a boulder when he looked in the cave. The figure exclaimed, “You need the diamond eye gemstone!” Just as Jimmy was about to ask a question, he tripped on a boulder and a button popped out. He pushed it and the huge boulder slowly moved out of the path. He saw the bright red stone and open doorway to a wonderful garden. His big brown eyes flashed when he saw a short gray figure ripping the garden all up. A siren went off and the object named Sarah yelled, “The city clown is here!” A bush stopped him in his tracks when thorns stuck into him. The object started to appear. It was a little girl! While she was growing, the city clown was getting smaller and smaller. She was thanking him all the way home. When they got there, his parents looked stunned. They said, “Jimmy…That is your SISTER!” Anthony D’Amico Grade 5 North Hamilton County Elementary 601 Industrial Blvd. Sale Creek, TN 37373 Mrs. Mallory What Happened to the Money “ Just keep digging,“ I said to my friend. “We’re almost there!” 120

One month earlier. We had just gotten home from visiting our wealthy grandfather at his house. The next day mom got off the phone and said, “Grandfather has been shot.” The police had not found the man who had shot him. We went to the hospital and the doctor said, “I am sorry, he did not make it.” The next day we went to the funeral. The whole day was full of sorrow. On the tombstone it read, loving father and grandfather, Eli Peyton, 1950-‐2010. The next day we went to his house and looked around. When I went downstairs in grandfather’s secret room where he had his safe, I remembered that once he had told me the combination to open it. So I opened the safe and found two briefcases, one with diamonds and the other with cash money. So I ran upstairs and showed them to my Mom and Dad. I said, “Do you know what those are?” Well yes those are your grand fathers riches he left us. I knew the combination to both the cases. I took a big breath and opened them. To my worst fear the riches were gone. I screamed, “Mom and dad the money is not here!” While they examined the cases I ran down stairs and looked at the bottom of the safe and saw another combination at the bottom of the safe. Except that the combination was in letters and you could only use four. First, I put in moms name, Emma, and that didn’t work. Then, I put in my name, Reed, and I heard a pop. I had figured out the combination! I lifted up the flap and found a note that said, Dear Reed, If you have opened the briefcases, the riches are gone. I have hidden them six feet under the ground somewhere outside the house. Since I have been shot, I will have left little drops of blood. I know you can find it. You are a smart boy. Love, Grandfather I ran the note up to mom and dad. Dad thought he probably didn’t make it out of the house to bury it. The robber probably hid it himself to hide it from the police. “There is no use of looking,” said Dad. Two days later my friend Miller came over and said, “Are you okay?” I said, “Yeah, I am okay but my parents don’t believe this note, I found that my grandfather left me.” “Here let me look at it.” Miller looked at for a little bit and said,” I believe you. I think the treasure might be out there. “ We made a plan to sneak up my grandfather’s house that was 18 blocks away on our bikes. That night, we were on our bikes; we were coming around the corner with our shovels, flashlight and my watch. When we got there we went where the safe was and turned and saw the drop of blood. We looked beyond the drop of blood and there was more. We followed the blood out the door to a pile of dirt. I said, “This is the place.” We started digging. As we were digging it started to rain. Then, it stopped. We were very tired. I looked at my watch and it was fifty minutes till sunrise. “ Just keep digging. We’re almost there.” After two more scoops we found the sack of money. As we were going home the sun came up. We walked in the door and there stood mom and dad. They asked, “ Where have you been? We have been looking for you and what is that sack in your hand?” We explained what we had done and we forgave them for not believing the note. Reed Eslinger Grade 5 Silverdale Baptist Academy 121

7236 Bonny Oaks Dr., Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Westcott

Are These Paws?

I woke up, stretched, jumped off my comfortable bed and landed lightly on my paws, wait…paws?! Okay, I’m just imagining things. I close my eyes and open them again and the paws are still there! So quickly I jump back on my bed and look into the mirror. I was a pretty cat. My coat gleamed in the sunlight and looked silky and smooth. I was white with a bushy tail. I wasn’t going to get distracted too easily. I had to get to the garage fast. I wanted to follow Sam to wherever he runs off to when we leave for school. I got to the garage just in the nick of time. Sam was turning around the corner where he always goes to wait. After the van left, Sam went into the woods at the edge of our backyard. I started following from a distance. Sam jumped over a streambed and landed successfully on the other side. I wasn’t so lucky. I landed right in the water and heard a voice. My Mother was telling me something and kept repeating it louder and louder until I woke up. Yes, it had only been a dream. Quickly I looked at my hands…I was still a human. Riley L. Evans Grade 5 Silverdale Baptist Academy Mrs. Alosi The Mighty Titans It is football season in Tennessee. The name of our team is the Tennessee Titians. We are the toughest, roughest, meanest boys around. We are ready to get down and dirty playing some football and winning some games. My name is Bob. My position is quarterback. We had been training and working hard for our first game that we played last Saturday. We beat the Green Bay Packers 24-‐21. It was an awesome day in Tennessee for the Titians! In the first quarter I threw the ball to Larry. He went running through the middle of the opposing team knocking over people like a tornado coming through. It was so awesome he just kept running until he scored the first touchdown. The crowd went crazy! The second quarter I handed the ball off to Billy Bob. He ran down the field and got tackled at the 20 yard line. We got back in position, when I threw the ball to Brandon the other team intercepted it and ran it back for a touchdown. The beginning of the third quarter it started to rain. The field was like a slick sheet of ice. People were slipping and sliding everywhere. I handed the ball off to Sam and he was running so fast that he fell and slide on his belly like a penguin. He got up and ran it in for another touchdown. We were all amazed it was like a circus act on the field.

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At the end of the fourth quarter the game was tied. It was up to the kicker to pull us through. He kicked the ball so high in the air that it took everyone’s breath away. It was miraculous. The kicker did it. The kick was good. The crowd went crazy, it was like a heard of buffalo stampeding through the stadium. After the game we all went out for pizza to celebrate our victory. We had too much pizza and ice cream. We all had a stomach ache for the rest of the night. It was an awesome day! We can’t wait to do it again next week. Ethan Hyde Grade 5 Ganns Middle Valley Elementary School 1609 Thrasher Pike Hixson, TN 37343 Mrs. Todd The Missing Key Once upon a time there was a girl named Mavis. Mavis was creative , and sometimes curios, but she was also very smart. well one day she was on her way to school with her brother Dannie ,and all of the sudden, her friend Niki jumped up from behind her and screamed in her ear, and she jumped with excitement. OH! What was that for? She said. Hey what are you doing after school? I thought we could play at my house. Sorry ! I have to go to my grandma’s house. She’s sick ,and I have to take care of her. Ok that’s fine .they sat down when they got to school. It seemed like forever before they went to lunch. For lunch Dannie and Mavis had chicken strips , and niki had a corndog. After lunch they went to 4th period and almost everyone was ready to go home. School was almost over though. After school mavis walked to her grandma’s house. Mavis steped in remembering her last step outside. She saw her grandma lying down on the couch. She went to the couch and said” could I get you anything? No I’m fine. she said weekly. When Dannie and I were walking to school niki scared the living day lights out of me. she said. Scared the living day lights out of me what am I thinking that sounds like something an old person would say. she thought to herself. Oh really. her grandma said as she started to raise up. Mavis I have something for you up in the bedroom. let me go and get it. Her grandma said quietly. She brought it back to mavis it was a small glass box with a dark blue glass stripe around it. it ‘s so pretty she said with a smile. She picked it up very carefully as if it were the prettiest thing she had ever seen. Thank you she said. your welcome. Mavis was heeded home. when she got home she ran as fast as she could without breaking the box in to her mother heather’s room. Hey mom, grandma gave me a box. She handed her the box. It’s very pretty she said. Why don’t you go do your home work? Ok. after homework It was 6:03 pm. so she asked her mom if she could go show Niki who just lives across the street the box. She said “that would be fine. So she went to her house and showed her the box ,and she loved it. The next morning she woke up and the box was glowing and the bedroom lights dimed as she focused on the bright purple light. she wasn’t sure at first if she heard a whisper or not but then she knew she heard something. The box! She carefully and slowly opened the box she saw three little things that moved. THEY WERE GHOSTS! 123

The ghosts spoke in weak voices and said “you can’t leave yet so listen carefully.” You have to find the key to this box. Now you have to remember this box is more than 400 years old so it will be hard. If you do not find this key within 2 days we will take your parents and trap them forever. once you find the key give it to us and we will give you something in return. You will never be able to lock the box, but it will stay unlocked. Ok. She got up and tried to open the door but it was locked from the outside. Oh I forgot to unlock the door. Mavis couldn’t tell anyone so she skiped school so she would have more time to look for the key. she went to her grandma’s house and asked her If knew were the key was. I know where the key is, but I can’t tell you. You ran in to the three ghosts and they will take your parents if I tell you. How did you know about the three ghosts? I knew way before you did. I can give you a clue. Listen very carefully. Close inside but don’t look to close. she said. she went down to her favorite waterfall over at the creek to think about it. She went to her special spot that she had had since she was 4years old . The waterfall had a spot where you can go behind it. The next day was her last dayto look for the box and she was ready to find it. She skiped school again. She went behind the waterfall. that was it! she had an Idea. She thought she knew were the key was. she ran to it.the key was small and it had a pretty wavey edge. She had had her father carve a drawer in rock and she looked. The key was in there, and she ran as fast as she could and got home. She ran inside and opened the box and the ghosts took the key and gave her a golden chain with a glass painting inside. Thank you. We will leave now if you need us just say so and we will appear in the box. Ok. she said. In return of the box she gave the necklace to her grandmother and she loved it. Thank you very much. Raven Jackson Grade 5 Ganns Middle Valley Elementary School 1609 Thrasher Pike, Hixson, TN 37343 Mrs. Todd Constitution The Constitution is an amazing document. You know it works well because after 225 years it still helps us run our government. The Constitution says that there are 3 branches of government: Executive, which runs the nation, and consists of the president and his cabinet; Legislative, which consists of Congress and makes the laws, and Judicial, which consists of the Supreme Court, and enforces the laws. Each branch has some power, but cannot make full use of it unless the other branches agree. Also, each branch can check, or halt, the power of the other branches. This system is called checks and balances. The federal and state governments have their own powers, but also have shared powers. Some examples of shared powers are the power to impose taxes, establish courts, and regulate banks. The Constitution is also able to change. Our founding fathers designed it that way because as times changed, the Constitution would have to do the same thing. Changing the Constitution is called amending. The attempted change, or amendment, has to be ratified, or 124

approved by Congress. There are 27 amendments so far, but over 200,000 have been attempted. The first ten amendments are called the 'Bill of Rights'. It lists our basic rights. At the Constitutional Convention, one group of people, the Federalists, had to agree to add a Bill of Rights to the Constitution to get another group of people, the Anti-‐Federalists, to sign it. Another reason the constitution is a amazing document is that is it stored in the archives. The archives are fireproof, floodproof, bombproof, and foolproof. Only a really important document would need that much protection. Flash photography is not allowed in the Archives-‐-‐someone might take a picture of one of the documents and copy it. The Archives are in Washington D.C. And that is why the Constitution is an amazing document. Thomas Kiser Grade 5 St. Nicholas School 7525 Min Tom Dr., Chattanooga, TN 37421 Orphan Girls It all started with Ashley walking along the shore. There was no food that night. “I’ll try a little longer,” she whispered to herself. As she was walking along the shore, she saw a fish washed up on the lonely beach shore. It will have to do. She picked up the fish and carried it to her shelter under the bridge. She got two rocks and scraped them together to start a fire. She laid the fish over the fire to let it cook. A few minutes later the fish was cooked and she ate the fire-‐cooked fish. Ashley sat on the calm shore and watched the sunset while listening to the sound of the ocean. When the sunset, she laid on her sleeping bag and fell sound asleep. An hour later she heard something in the night and sat straight up in alert. She looked around and saw it was just a raccoon going through the bushes. She decided she was going to go for a walk along the shore. After walking for a while, Ashley came upon a green bottle that had washed up on the soft shoreline. She picked it up and ran back to her spot under the bridge. When she got there she opened the bottle hurriedly. The note said, “Hi, my name is Amanda. I’m homeless too and live about a mile away from you. I’ve been watching you for about three months now. Write an answer if you want to hang out and put it at the big rock, From Amanda.” Ashley immediately wrote down “yes” and ran as fast as she could and put the bottle down at the big rock. She looked up and Amanda was walking her way. Ashley greeted her and they talked for a while. They decided to live together under the bridge. Since they needed some money, they decided to look for jobs the next morning. They went to the grocery store. The manager had high aspirations and would only hire people who needed money. The pay was outstanding. The two girls got high paying jobs. A few years went by and the two girls were working in the shop when a six-‐year-‐old homeless girl walked in the door. She had no money and was starving. Ashely and Amanda decided to buy the homeless girl some food. The homeless girl smiled and 125

said “thank you.” The two girls nodded and felt good about what they had done. A few years passed and Ashley and Amanda had been able to live in a condo paid for by their manager. The pair had a lot of money but the manager was very considerate and paid the rent for them anyway. The girls were sitting in the condo one day, and thinking back to when they were homeless. A random thought popped into Amanda’s mind...”they could make a homeless kid orphanage.” They found a building and bought it. The girls bought and moved in everything needed for classrooms and bedrooms. They would find homeless kids and take them in and care for them. When they got to ten kids, they started hiring many people to care for the orphaned children. Twenty years later the orphanage was famous. Lots of people were donating money and many children were getting an education thanks to the efforts of Ashley and Amanda. McKenzie Manning Grade 5 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Marcus Annie B’s Diary April 21 1987 Dear diary, My new teacher at school is extraordinarily strict. I wish I had Mr. Lincoln as my teacher instead of Mrs. Jill. When I came home from school all I could think about is that my birthday is on April 25 at least that kept my mind off of school. April 22 1987 Dear diary, Today at school was worse than yesterday. I ended up in detention for forgetting my homework at home; really I didn’t do it any of it. So I got a zero on every homework assignment. My mom saw that when I went home, so I got in trouble at home too. My mom made me sit in front of her and do every bit of my homework. She would not let me do anything until it was done. April 25 1987 Dear diary, Today is my birthday. I had the same old day at school today; nothing was different just because it was my birthday. I am now the oldest one in Mrs. Jill’s fifth grade class. I am now a wonderful 11 years old. I came home and my mom had a pile of presents waiting for me in the living room. Then I headed up stairs and I saw one little box on my bed. I opened the box up it was a locket, I opened up the locket part. My best friend had died last year on my birthday of cancer. The locket was of her and me… ***

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I ripped that page out of the diary that I had found in my mother’s memory box in the attic. She had died a year ago on May 23. My mother’s name is Annie B. Jefferson. My mom had the same last name as me. I hate thinking about it. I sat on my bed trying to read more of the diary. I put the page I had ripped out into my diary. My name is Jenna Ann Jefferson. “Jenna,” my father called, “What are you doing?” I replied, “Nothing, just being as bored as a key hanging from a door nob that never gets used.” I had flipped to the next page, there was a key taped to the page. It said something. I picked it up and read it; it said the secret would unlock your love. I thought all day trying to figure out w hat it meant. Then I realized that my love was my mom. My eyes got teary. So what was the key for? I thought and thought through the night and all day long. I wondered, did dad know about this? The next day I felt like a bee in a bee hive with homework and much more things to do. The next day I found a hidden door behind a box in the attic trying to find some paint brushes. I remembered the key then I ran and got it. I stuck the key in the whole, it was a perfect fit. I crawled in the tiny hidden door. It was a room filled with pictures of many different people. Then I found a note on the floor; it said the ones you love are with you right now. I thought about what that meant. Then I realized these where all my family that has passed away. I ran to my dad and asked him if he knew about Annie B’s or mom’s diary and the hidden room. He said maybe. I asked him why he did not tell me. He said mom told him he wanted you to have the mystery. We both ate dinner and went to bed. I still and always will read Dear Diary… Aubry Matthews Grade 5 Snow Hill Elementary 9042 Career Lane; Ooltewah, TN 37363 Mrs. Burdette The PB & P My cousin Millie has the strangest taste ever. She actually likes the combination of peanut butter and pickles. I know this because we went on a vacation to their house. It was during their school time, so I learned that she takes it to school. She eats the PB & P like most people would eat peanut butter and jelly, but I even think that the good ole’ PB & J is disgusting! Part of the reason I don’t like PB & P is just the plain peanut butter. I think it is disgusting because I’m allergic to it. No, I don’t break out in hives, and no, my throat does not swell up. All I do is puke. For example, when I was 3 I had a PB & J for a snack. When we went on a car trip, I barfed on the back seat. Since then, we found soy nut butter to be my favorite substitute for peanut butter. But still, the vinegary snap of the pickles and the sweet and savoryness of the soy nut butter does not mix with my taste. After learning about my cousin’s strange tastes, I found an article about this strange sandwich mixture by Dwight Garner of the New York Times. After I read the article, I asked myself, “What will this taste like with soy nut butter?” So I took some 127

cornichons (core-‐Knee-‐shons), which are small pickles, and sliced them up. Then I spread soy nut butter on a bun and added the pickles. I took a bite. “Well, that was a waste of time!” I thought. It was disgusting! According to Dwight Garner, those strange sandwiches appeared on the counter menus during the Great Depression. They appeared here because people had little money, so they had to find what was left in the pantry! Those two items were Number 1: peanut butter and Number 2: pickles. How they decided to mix those, the world will never know, but people like my cousin are still eating and selling them today. For example, at the New York Peanut Butter and Co. they call the PB & P the “Pregnant Lady”! I was doing some thinking, and I thought, “What if my cousin and Dwight Garner met?” Maybe it would be like he put it: they would be “the last two survivors of a Zombie apocalypse.” I’ve made MY choice. I’m NOT going to live through that apocalypse! Max Montague Grade 5 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1219 West Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Blake The Life of My Shoe I saw it coming and I yelled, “HELP” and my owner saw me being chewed by his dog. I then heard a smack then, “bad dog these are brand new shoes!” He took me to the couch and said, “alright I have to put you on my foot then tie your arms up so you can’t fly off or get attacked by a dog again.” He started walking on the carpet but it smelled really bad from the house and …you know. The hard wood hurt, but it smelled better than the carpet. He rushed out of the house, he ran through gravel and on asphalt and jumped in the car, but he put me in gum that was on the floor. When we got out we were at school and he scraped me on the asphalt, then we walked into school and we were in before-‐care, were I got stepped on a lot and then later after a lot of boring stuff in math class, we were in P.E. It hurt a lot and I never want to go to P.E. AGAIN! But he loves it. After that we were in the cafeteria and he steps in tons of gross stuff then he goes and cleans the cafeteria and I have to step in more gross stuff again! Next he is in reading and social studies and then the day is ending and he goes to after-‐care and helps a really nice teacher around her classroom. Finally he’s back home and he throws me in some random place. The dog chews on me while I’m screaming for help, but he ignores me and goes to sleep. The cycle continues the next day, except on weekends. On Saturday I usually just relax like he does. On Sunday he gets out his “way fancier than me” shoes and goes to church. I’m usually a pretty active shoe, if you were thinking I was lazy. Devin Patton Grade 5 128

North Hamilton County Elementary School 601 Industrial Blvd. Sale Creek, TN 37373 Mrs. Hennessey Thanksgiving I dabbed at the corners of my mouth as I rubbed my bulging stomach, licking the savory aftertaste of the juicy ham from my teeth while anticipating the sweet, smooth taste of the pumpkin pie, garnished with strong spices and washed down with a chilly glass of milk. Thanksgiving dinners were always quite delicious in my household, everything was always covered with herbs or spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Every Thanksgiving it’s just me, my Mom, my Dad, and my little sister, all in peace, just eating. Every Thanksgiving. Just us. Guaranteed. But then again, every guarantee has its exceptions, like this particular evening. Just as my Mother had laid out the pumpkin pie, there came a brisk knock upon the door. My Mother frowned, and without a word, walked over to the door. She opened the door to find a strange man in the doorway. He was about five foot four, and had wavy black hair that was combed neatly over his forehead. He had a sharp moustache and a slender build, and that combined with two sparkling green eyes and a sincere smile added up to a very odd character. His eyes twinkled with glee and the moonlight made a bright spot upon his pitch-‐black suit and hat as he said in a jolly voice, "Good evening." He casually strolled inside and hung his hat and coat upon the coat hook. My mother stood for a second, emotions bubbling up in her like she was a cauldron, all of the emotions mixing. Finally anger took over. "You leave this house, stranger!" she spat. "You terrible, rude old beggar! Scram!" He looked at her in mock sadness as he said "Why, you wouldn't refuse a guest on Thanksgiving, would you?" He reached for the pumpkin pie. "Get out of my house before I call the police! Scum!" The twinkle in his eye fizzled and went out, and he hung his head. "Well, I suppose that it is only fair that I leave. Goodbye." He slipped something into his shirt, took his coat from the coat hook, and with a tip of his hat, he was gone. When my mother had finally gathered herself, she sat down for some pie, only to find that there was a piece missing. In its place there was a crisp, new ten dollar bill and a few crumbs. While my mother stormed around the room, I just sat-‐stared-‐and smiled. Franklin Pezzuti- Dyer Grade 5 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1219 W. Mississippi Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Lammert Spelling Bee “Mom, I’m very nervous about the spelling bee today,” I said, as I was shaking. “What if I embarrass myself in front of all these people?”

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“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” she said like nothing was happening. “Come on, get in the car, it’s time for school.” I got all my school things and my spelling sheet so I could practice. I walked like a sloth to the car with a nervous, frightened, and horrified face. My mom patted me on my back and kissed me on my forehead. I’m sure she could feel the moist sweat that gathered on my face. I will be fine, I thought, completely lying to myself. I shut the heavy car door and soon enough we were off to school. I could see all the people sitting in metal chairs staring at the nervous spelling bee participants as I walked in. I walked to the stage and grabbed my spelling number. Number five, I thought, hope it’s lucky. I went to my chair and sat down. I thought about words, letters, and how to spell things. Then my mind went blank on that stuff. My entire mind welled up with questions about what was going to happen today. Am I going to get last? Am I going to get first? Or was I going to embarrass myself in front of all these fourth graders? I truly do hope not! Finally, the principal started her speech, “Wow, I’m so proud of all these fourth graders…” How do you spell consonant, I thought, c-‐o-‐n-‐s-‐o-‐n-‐a-‐n-‐t. Okay, how do you spell envoy? E-‐n-‐v-‐o-‐y. Well, at least I remember some things, I thought. As the principal finished her speech, all the spellers got ready to go. Sweat trickled down my face, and my face looked like I was about to sing in front of the whole world. The judges told us the rules and that we were going to have a practice round first. They told us that we were going to spell our name. The first spellers spelled their name and did fine, and then it was my turn. I walked to the loud microphone like a turtle. I said, “Meg, M-‐e-‐g, Meg.” I walked back to my chair and sat down. The other contestants spelled their names, and then came the real round. The first, second, third, and fourth participants spelled. Okay, now it’s my turn for the real round. I can’t get one wrong, or I’ll get out, I thought. I walked to the microphone slower than the time before. I took a deep breath, and then the announcer said, “Please spell destination.” I fidgeted around thinking about the word “destination.” I put the word into syllables and spelled it five times in my head. I finally said, “Destination, d-‐e-‐s-‐t-‐i-‐n-‐a-‐t-‐i-‐o-‐n, destination.” I waited anxiously and impatiently to see if I got the word correct. Finally, the judges said, “Correct.” Meg Priest Grade 5 Thrasher Elementary 1301 James Boulevard Mrs. Garvich The Super Reader IN THE BUSY AND ADVENTURE-‐FILLED CITY OF CHATTANOOGA THERE WAS A GIRL NAMED MARY BETH, IN OTHER WORDS, ME. I AM ONLY TEN YEARS OLD, AND I LIVE WITH MY FAMILY IN A SMALL, QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD. THIS IS THE PERFECT SETTING FOR ME BECAUSE I LOVE BOOKS! A FAVORITE PASS TIME FOR ME IS READING. TO MY FAMILY AND CLOSEST FRIENDS I AM KNOWN AS THE USANE BOLT OF READERS OR MORE COMMONLY STATED, SUPER READER. 130

One morning while I was reading my usual skyscraper stack of books, the head librarian of the Chattanooga Public Libraries called me in extreme distress. She said, “I need your help please! Wait you are Mary Beth, The Super Reader, right?” “Yes I am. What do you need?” I asked. She cried in her most desperate librarian hush, “Mayor Ron Littlefield is going to close all the libraries in Chattanooga!” I said “O.K. I have a guaranteed, fool-‐proof, outstanding plan to save Chattanooga's libraries! I will challenge the mayor to a read off.” I jumped out of my beanbag as quick as a wink so I could call the mayor. When I called no one answered so I left a message. This is what it said. Mr. Mayor this is Mary Beth Propes, Super Reader, and I challenge you to a read off. If I win all libraries will stay open. If you win you can continue with the plan that will doom and devastate all the readers in Chattanooga. Meet me at the downtown library at three o'clock tomorrow. The book I had in mind for us to read was as thick as a tree trunk! The next day I got to the library at two thirty, and was pacing like a caged animal. The mayor got there at exactly three o'clock. I wasn't nervous at all, O.K., maybe a little. The librarian got out her stop watch, ”On your mark, get set, read!” she yelled. “Shhhhh!” said everybody else. We were off! I was reading so fast that steam billowed out of my book. I had been going for two whole hours! “Done!” I said. I finished all twelve chapters before the mayor had read half the book. “Well looks like you're the real deal kid,” said the mayor. All the librarians cheered until the building shook like an earthquake. After the read off we had a huge celebration! At the celebration we had cake that looked like an open book, it said congratulations Mary Beth. Even the mayor came to encourage me! We were as loud as a siren and as busy as bees, but it was really fun. Also the librarians named the new library after me, it's called the Mary Beth Propes Library of Chattanooga. The next day I received a call from the President of the United States! He wanted me to come to Washington, D.C. I was so excited I almost exploded like a firecracker. We packed our suitcases and were on our way. It seemed we got there as fast as a bullet train. We were ushered into a gleaming white limo and taken to the best hotel in Washington. An hour later we were invited to the White House where I received a dazzling award. It was called The Best Reader In The World Award. As I held the award in my hands I beamed as big as Jupiter. That is the story of how I saved all the libraries in Chattanooga. Mary Beth Propes Grade 5 Ganns Middle Valley Elementary School 1609 Thrasher Pike, Hixson, TN 37343 Mrs. Todd The Blue Kid One rainy day, in the great country of Jerusalem, Chet Bradford, Slick Libone, and Bobby Thursday were hiding. The year was 1895 during Germany’s reign, ruled

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by Adolf Hitler, the tyrant. We all know that Hitler loved power, but what about his other interests….like the Atlantis? That rainy, gloomy day was like no other, for on that day, the three children unlocked the key that Adolf had been looking for his entire life…the key to the Atlantis. Chet, Slick, and Bobby were hiding from two German soldiers and five tanks that were led by soldiers. There was one more person hiding with the three kids. I forgot to tell you about that. But before I tell you that story, let me tell you this one. Chet, Bobby, and Slick were taking a swim in the year of 1891, before Adolf. Slick recognized something that looked like a blue log, but as it came closer, it appeared to be a blue kid about their age! His name was Kai. Kai said in a tired, but alarmed voice, “WHO ARE YOU?!! What do you want with my people?” “We don’t want to hurt you!” Bobby exclaimed. Kai started to calm down, but still shocked, he said, “Where am I?” Slick assumed this was a prank set up by his friends. Slick said, “It looks like you’re from the Atlantis!” Kai said, not knowing it was a joke, “How did you know?” Chet, Bobby, and Slick shuddered at this sentence. That one sentence changed their very lives. Now back to Chet, Bobby, and Slick hiding. While the soldiers patrolled the streets, they caught a glance at the four kids running to the clock shop where Corrie Ten Boom lived. Maybe this very strange, blue kid was from the underwater world of the Atlantis! Grant Rice Grade 5 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Alosi The Hill “Are we there yet?” I asked. “Almost,” Micah said, exhausted. We had been walking our bikes up the biggest hill we could find. “Okay, we’re here,” Micah celebrated. “Who’s going first?” I asked. “I’m not!” “Well, I’m not either!” “Here, I know what to do.” “What?” “Rock, paper, scissors.” “Okay, that’s fair.” I won, so he had to go first. “Ha! You have to go first!” “Alright, alright, I’ll go,” he said. “Well, what are you waiting for? Go!” “1, 2, 3!” we said together. ZOOOOOM! He went flying down the tyrant hill.

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“Alright, Nolan, your turn!” he yelled from the bottom of the hill. There had been an intersection a the bottom of the hill, so he would watch out for cars. “Here I go,” I whispered to my scared self. I put pressure on the pedal ever so lightly. “Oh, this isn’t so baaaAAAAD!!!” I felt like I was going at light speed. Then, the scariest words I ever heard: “STOP NOLAN, CAR!” Micah was going nuts. I was too, but in my head. All I could think to do was pedal faster, you know, to try to beat the car. When I finally made it to the intersection the car was two feet away from me… Nolan Rodriguez Grade 5 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1219 West Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Blake Toro's Wish There once was a cat named Toro Inoue. Toro was a very strange cat. He walked like a human, he acted like a human, and he played with a humans toys. This all happened because he had a very special wish. Toro had a dream that one day he will become a human. One day he was searching for old stuff in his room. He sneezed as the dust bunnies flouted around the room. He peeked in the shelf that the dust had came from. His eyes grew wide as his body shook with excitement. He found a notebook, but not just any old notebook. The notebook had said something about humans. That made him excited. His furry fingers flipped through the old wrinkly pages and his eyes wandered through the text. The book stated that one of your biggest wishes may come true if you fill out the entire notebook with new things you learn that relate to your wish. Toro, now feeling courageous, grabbed his friend Kuro and ran to the outside world to find out everything he could about humans. "Toro, you don't have any human friends. What is there to find out about humans if you don't know any?" Kuro questioned. "I know, let's ask Pierre! He's been around lots of humans. His owner is a punk!" Toro answered. Pierre is one of Toro's greatest friends, even though he is a dog and Toro is a cat. Toro and Kuro scampered to Pierre's dog house. Toro waited for Pierre. Pierre looked at Toro. "What's up, Toro?" Pierre barked. Toro showed him the notebook. "I want to learn about humans, so we thought you might tell us a little bit about your owner." Toro told him. Pierre sat there for a while. Kuro started to get a little impatient. Pierre finally looked up and smiled. "I think I know the place for you!" Pierre barked. Pierre lead Toro and Kuro to a park. Humans were everywhere! They were spray painting walls, trees, and benches! They were listening to heavy metal music that made Kuro feel like he was deaf. "What kind of park is this? The music is terrible!" Kuro groaned. 133

"Don't worry, it'll be over before you know it," Toro cheered. The group ambled around the park and asked many questions to all the punks there. A few minutes later, Toro finally found the last person in the park and questioned him. "What do you like to do when you're bored?" Toro asked. "I like to smash all of the valuable things in my house when my parents aren't home! Rock on!" He shouted. "What is your favorite childhood memory?" Toro continued. "Definitely smashing things and blaming it on my little brother," the Punk howled. This dialogue continued, and it eventually got to the point where the Punk was bored and left the park. "What do we do now? The notebook is almost full! What should we put for the last line?" Toro asked. The group contemplated. "I got it!" Kuro cheered. "Humans can make wishes just like cats do!" "That's a crazy idea, but it just might work," Toro declared. Toro gripped his pencil and filled out the last line in the book. As he wrote the period to the sentence, the book started to glow a bright orange. Toro and Kuro both flinched in amazement. "Make you wish," a deep voice commanded. Toro closed his eyes and whispered, "I wish to become a human." Suddenly, the environment around him started to glow, but Toro still kept his eyes closed. After about a minute, Toro cautiously opened his eyes. To his amazement, he was back in his house. Toro looked at himself, but noticed something was wrong. "Hey!" Kuro whined. "You're not a human!" "What a rip-‐off!" Toro cried. He turned around and noticed the notebook on his desk. He picked it up and the notebook began to speak. "It does not matter whether you are a cat or a human," the book bellowed. "It matters what you are inside. On the inside, you're a human. However, on the outside, you will forever remain a cat, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that." A smile began to sprout across Toro's face. "Right," Toro nodded. "Maybe being a cat isn't so bad." Kailey Rowin Grade 5 Thrasher Elementary School 1301 James Boulevard Mrs. Crosby Broken Bam! All I saw was mulch for a second as a surge of pain ran up my arm. I had just fallen at a park in Colorado that my cousin had shown me. My mom hadn’t seen me fall because she was helping my sister on the monkey bars. I looked at my arms to see if there were any scrapes, but what I saw was way worse than a scrape. It looked like someone had taken my arm and bent it like a bendy straw. I walked over to my mom to tell her I broke my arm. The next thing I knew I was in the car going to pick up my dad. “Which hospital are you going to?” he asked as soon as he got in the car. 134

“I don’t know,” my mom replied. “How about calling Uncle Brad? I added, “He’s a doctor.” “I called him,” my dad replied. “He said to go to Poudre Valley Hospital.” My dad typed it into the GPS and in a couple of minutes I standing at the front desk of the Poudre Valley Hospital. They put me in a wheelchair, placed a bracelet on my wrist with my name on it and pointed me to a “non-‐sick” area. A few minutes later I heard my name called. I was rolled back to an all white room and helped into a bed in the middle of the room. “Do you want me to try and take your shirt off or cut your shirt off?” the nurse asked me. I told her to cut it off because I was in enough pain already. After that she hooked me up to a bunch of wires and took my blood pressure. A doctor cam in and asked me what happened. I told him how I’d fallen off a piece of playground equipment. A little later another doctor came in and asked me what happened. I told him the same story. Then a nurse came in and asked me what happened. I told her the story. Then another doctor came in and said, “What happened?” Tired of relaying the same story over and over, I replied, “I broke my arm.” “I can see that, but how did it happen?” he asked. “I fell,” I said. My arm was killing me and I had already answered that question several times. After he left my dad explained that they were making sure the story was true and than I hadn’t been hit by my parents or in some sort of other accident. After that doctor left, a nurse came in and said she was going to give me some medicine that would put me to sleep. I woke up to my own cries. “Ow! Stop! Please stop!” I opened my eyes and saw 4 doctors and 1 nurse. They were holding me down and squeezing my broken arm which was in a temporary cast. It hurt so bad. My mom came in while my dad went to buy me a shirt to wear out of the hospital. He came back holding a white and green fabric. He held the cloth out to me and I noticed it was a shirt. He held it up and I saw that it said, “Colorado State” across the front. “Thanks,” I replied as a doctor walked in. He handed the X-‐rays to my dad and told me I could go. My mom helped me slip into the shirt. With a broken arm, it was difficult. I slid out of the white bed and into a wheelchair. A nurse rolled me out of the hospital. My dad ran to get the car and we rode away. That is how I broke my arm. Henry Sisson Grade 5 Thrasher Elementary 1301 James Boulevard, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Garvich The Third World Harp

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Peter is just a normal boy in a boring place like always. He was never really happy; he was mostly a negative child. All he really wanted was a guitar with a silver base, flames on the side, and a golden handle. He was only fourteen years old, but he acted like the devil’s son. One foggy, yucky morning, Peter opened his light baby blue eyes, sat up, and huffed like a bull. He wouldn’t usually talk much. He would just give you a snarling look on his face. He slowly got out of bed, when he heard his parents call him to the dinner table. Once he arrived at the table, his parents said they had some news for him. His mom exclaimed, “We bought you…” Peter became excited. “A harp!” Peter was now a bit upset, because he didn’t get the guitar he wanted. He had clearly told his parents that he wanted a guitar and not a stupid harp. He yanked the harp out of their hands and took it upstairs to his room. Peter sat down on his bed and played a soft tune like a cool breeze in the summer to calm him. He closed his eyes for at least a minute and then opened them. He now realized that he was in the jungle! Peter was a bit nervous to be out alone. He didn’t know what to do. Peter realized that he didn’t pack any food, because he wasn’t expecting to be there. Peter went searching in the jungle for food. He slowly turned around and their dangling from a tree was a banana. Peter snatched the banana off the tree and ate it. After that, he headed back for the harp. He had to cut through bushes and swing on vines. Then, he finally made it to the harp. He tried playing a perfect tune, but couldn’t get it right. He thought hard and remembered the tune he played to calm him. Peter played the tune and closed his wet, blue eyes. Once he opened them, he was in his room at home. He opened his door and ran downstairs. His mom asked where he went all that time. Peter answere, “IT is a long story.” Devin Smith Grade 5 North Hamilton County Elementary 601 Industrial Blvd. Sale Creek, TN 37373 Mrs. Mallory What Did Rod Find? Beep! Beep! Beep! I smashed down as hard as I could on my dreadful alarm clock. I walked down our cold hard wooden stairs to the kitchen. I saw something delicious sitting on the counter. I walked over to see pancakes with butter drizzled in syrup. I was about to eat my delicious breakfast when Quack! Quack! Quack! I picked up our duck phone that my mom found at a garage sale. At first I couldn’t understand what the person was saying he was talking so fast. I realized it was Rod telling me I needed to come quick and see what he had found. Without asking my mom I took off running as fast as I could. While I was sprinting I thought to myself. What if he didn’t find anything and he was playing a trick on me, or he found something amazing like an alien or something? Well I will just have to find out when I get there. 136

When I got to Rod’s house I couldn’t find him. I was looking around when I found Rod starring at something that looked like a nest. I walked over to see some type of eggs. Rod and I didn’t know what kind they were. We put on gloves and brought the eggs inside. We went to the computer and started looking up pictures of eggs. It took us an hour and we still couldn’t find a picture that looked the same. We decided to take a break. After about 3 hours we went back to our search. I was looking at this one egg and it looked exactly like the one we have. The information told me that it was a multi – colored parrot. Its population was about 250. I told Rod how we should keep the eggs and raise multi – colored parrots. Rod wasn’t on board with the plan. I told him how we would get popular, how it would be cool, and how it would help us with our parenting and babysitting skills. The multi – colored parrot would help us get popular at school. No one in the world of children would have one except us. They would want to know what it was like having a multi – colored parrot and if it’s a good pet. Everybody would want to know and we would have so much attention. With that attention we would become popular. The multi – colored parrot would be cool to have. Just think you get a colorful parrot that can speak to you and looks awesome. It is endangered so I would kind of be scared because if it died everybody would hate us. There are some negatives from having this colorful parrot. It would still be cool to have and fun to play with. The colorful parrot would help us at parenting and babysitting skills. We would have to provide it with what it needs, food, water, and shelter. We would also have to clean up messes and make sure everything is in good shape for them. There are negatives to this one to. If you have a cat or dog they might try to kill the colorful parrot and make it even more endangered. We started taking care of them. At first it wasn’t so bad, but it got worse and worse every day. We looked online for more information and it told us they act very strange when they can’t be free. Rod and I had a long talk about whether we should keep the parrots or not. After 1 hour we decided to let them go. Rod and I didn’t want to let them go, but we had to so we took them outside. We both told our parrots to be free. We let them go and started waving good-‐bye. We went back inside. I told Rod I had to go home and my mom is probably worried sick. Boy, did I have an unpleasant surprise when I got home. She asked me where have you been and I told her that I was at Rod’s. She told me never to do that again. I got 5 spankings. Baamm! 1 spanking, Baamm! 2 spankings, Baamm! 3 spankings, Baamm! 4 spankings, Baamm! 5 spankings, and on that fifth spanking I woke up. Oh gosh my bottom hurts. I looked up to see my mom and she had the eyes of the devil Aidan Sowell Thrasher Elementary 1311 James Blvd. Signal Mtn., TN 37377 Mr. Wood Talent Show When I found out my school, Hilger, was having a talent show, I pushed the 137

idea aside completely and ignored it. Even though my last name is Tallent, it doesn’t mean I have any, I remember thinking. Athough, when my mom said, “Sydnee, don’t forget you could play the piano,” I reconsidered. That night, I decided I would be in the talent show. On the night of the talent show, I walked into Hilger and smiled when I saw my name written on a gold star. Besides being excited, I was also nervous. “Next is Sydnee Tallent!” the announcer’s voice boomed. My whole body was shaking as I sat down to play the piano. All eyes were on me. As I started to play the “Chattanooga Choo Choo”, I got lost in the music. My nervousness went away and I started smiling. When I was done people clapped and whistled. To my surprise, I actually got a trophy. Today, it sits on my piano so I can look at it whenever I play. Even if I didn’t get a trophy, I would’ve still been happy. It was one of the best experiences ever. I have done other talent shows, but this one felt more special than the rest. Later on in my life, I’m going to become a musician and learn to play many other instruments, specifically the drums. Sydnee Tallent Grade 5 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Mrs. George My Dad’s Visit My dad came to visit me for Halloween. He dressed up as a clown and we went Trick-‐or-‐Treating together. He looked scary in the clown mask. My dad’s mask was itchy to his face and it was too big. I was dressed as a demon of war. It had glowing eyes, horns, a robe, and a face cover. Afterwards, we went to eat and then I went to sleep. The next day I played with my friends, worked out and put together a lego set. While I was with my dad, I was sick for a while but later we got an air swimmer and blew it up. I love my dad and his visits. Damon Tinker Grade 5 Scenic Land School 1200 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Higley Corps of Discovery Given the opportunity, I would have gone on the Corps of Discovery. One of the reasons I would have gone is they discovered new things. They discovered new flora and fauna. Flora and fauna is plants and animals. They found such plants and animals like the Gray Rabbitbush and the prairie dog, of barking squirrel as some people call it. They discovered new waterways to the Pacific Ocean, like the 138

Northwest Passage. Also, they found new land such as the Oregon Country, which the United States of America claimed later. They learned about new people, like the Native Americans. Some examples of Native Americans are the Shoshone, Sioux, Mandan, Clatsop, and many more. Another reason is one of the many people on the trip was a woman named Sacagawea. Lewis and Clark found Sacagawea, and her tribe the Shoshone, on the Corps of Discovery. They found her husband, Charbonneau, and wanted to use him as an interpreter for the Native Americans, and had to bring Sacagawea along with them. Later Sacagawea gave birth to a baby boy named Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. Sacagawea was the only woman on the expedition to travel the 8,000-‐mile trek. She helped Lewis and Clark discover flora and fauna. She was a sign of peace to the Indian tribes. Sacagawea also convinced the Shoshone, her own tribe, to let the Corps of Discovery borrow their horses. I think going on the Corps of Discovery would be a very good learning experience. They learned a lot about the Native Americans. Some of what they learned about the Native Americans is their language and their skin color, which they tried to rub off because they thought their skin color was fake. They also learned about different plants, animals, people, waterways, land, and a lot more. They learned about what they do and where they are. Lewis and Clark spent time mapping out the land. They learned a lot by mapping out the land and discovering where things in the land where. The last reason is the Corps of Discovery was a great adventure. They went to the Great Falls, saw the beauty, and have the adventure of traveling and being there. They had plenty of narrow escapes from grizzly bears. Grizzly bears are very dangerous animals, but Lewis and Clark were not afraid of them, because they had rifles by their side. The Corps of Discovery did not know what was out there. They might have thought that everything was sunshine and rainbows, but a grizzly bear could be sitting right beside them. They could have thought that something wild and ferocious was going to jump out from behind the bushes and attack them, but really, they were about to find a new species of animal that was very friendly. These are some reasons why given the opportunity, I would have gone on the Corps of Discovery. Isabelle Torrence Grade 5 St. Nicholas School 7525 Min Tom Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mr. Webb Pharaoh Let me tell you a story about a young Egyptian boy who turned into a hero by crossing the desert in a chariot eating only grasshoppers and insects that flew into his mouth. But that is not really true. He was young but he did not have a chariot. He only had the clothes on his back and one little piece of honeycomb for food. He did not eat grasshoppers or insects because that was not how he was taught. Of course, 139

he would have eaten them if the Roman Empire had not taken him away from the small Egyptian civilization where he was born. It all starts when the boy, Kai, leaves the small Roman town in which he grew up. He finds the small Egyptian town where he was born but it is now a giant city full of stone columns with dancing and laughing people around every corner. He searches around the town asking people if they’ve seen his family. A young woman tells him to check the fishing market and gives him a gold piece. At the fishing market, he discovers an old man with one eye missing. The man stares at him with his one eye while Kai asks him if he has seen his family. The man says he knew Kai’s family very well and that they have been taken to the palace to work because they could not pay their taxes. Kai goes to the palace right away to try and find them. He does get to see the Pharaoh, but he gets angry and throws Kai into a pit full of scorpions in the desert. Kai can’t believe it but the scorpions don’t sting him. Instead, they point out a path for him to travel and lead him into a long corridor. He notices the floor becomes stone tile and not sand. He lights a torch and continues on until he can just make out hieroglyphics in the torch light on the wall. Kai notices the hieroglyphics that show Cleopatra being taken away by the Roman Empire. Cleopatra is holding a tiny baby. Then he sees a village which he recognizes as his own from a faint memory. He wonders what it all means. Kai ends up finding a way back up to the palace where he finds the Pharaoh on the roof. He asks him about the meaning of the hieroglyphics and where his family is, but the Pharaoh grabs him and tries to push him off the palace roof. Kai might have gone over but a scorpion stings Pharaoh on the foot. Pharaoh gets a blank expression and then falls off the roof and dies. Kai finds his family and releases them from enslavement. He asks his family about the meaning of the hieroglyphics. They tell him that Cleopatra came to them and asked them to take good care of him because she couldn’t anymore. She gave you to us and asked us to take care of you his family said. Kai became the next Pharaoh. Seth Whitaker Grade 5 Thrasher Elementary School 1301 James Boulevard, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Crosby The Drummer Boy That Went Behind Enemy Lines POW! BANG! WHIZZ! Was all I heard as I took shelter in a ditch. I was supposed to be out in battle supporting the soldiers. I was only a drummer boy what was I supposed to do? I saw a man next to me except he was dead. I wanted to cry but I didn’t have time. I quickly grabbed his musket and ran back towards the camp. As I slowly crept into the camp I saw some people dressed in gray. My heart stopped for a moment. I wasn’t in our camp I was in the enemy’s camp! 140

I slowly backed out of the camp praying they wouldn’t see me. As I was walking out I thought: A drummer boy behind enemy lines? The general would be proud of that. I hid behind a tree and didn’t look back for what seemed like an hour. Finally I decided to go back into camp. As I went in I noticed that the gray coated soldiers were gone. My heart stopped… what if they were sneaking up on me?!? I dove into the leaves to hide. A little bit later I came out and I didn’t see anyone so I pressed on. But to myself I thought: I’m finally behind enemy lines. The sound of gunfire faded away as I went deeper and deeper into the camp. Maybe there was some crucial intel to their strategies in the battle. At first I didn’t know where to look but I saw someone come out of a big tent carrying a form of some sort. I automatically knew that’s where all of the papers were. As stealthy as I could I slipped into the tent. I would need a disguise to just walk off with the papers. I found some gray coats on the wall and felt ashamed when I put one on. After I put on the horrid coat I found some papers down by a desk. I looked through them and found some plans for: attack, strategies, and retreat. I heard some people coming so I quickly acted as is I was guarding the entrance. I couldn’t believe my eyes! It was General Robert E. Lee!!! If he noticed that the papers where gone I would be dead in seconds! Luckily a colonel instructed me to go guard the prisoners. With a sigh of relief I went to the jail cells. Maybe I could free some soldiers while I was there! This was a great plan. I walked up to the bars of the cell and whispered “Pppssstt… Hey I’m a union soldier, I’m gonna set you guys free!” With shocked looks, the soldiers replied “Really!?!” “Yeah, I got the key right here.” With a quick turn the door flew open. “Ok let’s go, this way c’mon” I said. A guard shouted, “HEY PRISONER ESCAPE!!!” Oh no… I looked back and saw about 15-‐20 people running after us. I thought in my mind “we’re done for” as I saw a big stack of gunpowder barrels. I thought of my musket and immediately shot at the powder. With a big explosion all of the men chasing us fell to the ground. I told the prisoners to find some guns. They found some rifles in the armory. We were about to have a big showdown… POW POW POW went the rifles. I decided we were outnumbered by a lot so I called for retreat into a little tunnel running through the hillside. I was lucky to find a cannon in the entrance to the tunnel and I fired it at one of the entrance walls. It closed off the entrance and we ran through the tunnel to the other side of the hill. Pant, pant, pant. “I think we lost them. Ok let’s get back to camp guys…” I said. A rebel scout saw us and shouted, “They’re going to the union camp!!!!” “RUN GUYS, RUN!” I screamed as we sprinted down the hill. I saw at least 2 or 3 soldiers fall and thought they had been shot, but when I looked back at them I saw they had just fallen. Thank gosh they weren’t shot. We finally lost the rebels in a thick forest near camp. We were about to enter the camp but luckily I noticed my gray coat. I took it off to put on my blue coat. When we finally walked into our camp, a guard shouted, “Hey where have you guys been?” I told him my story and word quickly got back to the General and he called me to his tent. “So you’re that drummer boy that went behind enemy lines?” “Yes sir, I am, and here is some intel I found in General Lee’s tent.” “I hear you also rescued some prisoners” he said. 141

“Yes sir, and they are fit for battle.” Then he gave me a medal and said “Wicks S. Woodard, I award you this for your bravery and courage while gathering intel and rescuing imprisoned soldiers.” From then on, I was known as the “Drummer Boy who wbent Behind Enemy Lines.” Wicks Woodard Grade 5 Thrasher Elementary 1301 James Blvd, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mr. Wood Hostile Takedown “What did you say?” Ryan tried to yell over the crowd. “I didn’t say anything,” I replied. “It was probably someone else! They’re too loud!” “Next class, aboard!” the conductor yelled in a deep voice. Then the class in front of us started onto the trolley. The trolley started up the mountain. SNAP! We heard as we started tumbling down the hill! “The cable snapped!” someone yelled at almost the same time the trolley took off the roof of the gift shop. Then, then other one crashed into the boarding part…where we were at…then everything went blank. “Logan! Logan! Get up! The trolley is going to explode!” Ryan yells as I awake. Then suddenly, he grabs my arm and hoists me up. “Come on! Ru…” he almost finishes as the trolley explodes sending us both flying. Me, into a pole, and him, into the bushes. “Owww…” I try to muffle through the pole. “Uhhh, Logan?” Ryan yelled from the bushes. “I found a really long and big pipe,” he says as I shuffle to him. When I get there, I was kinda disappointed in what he found. A sewage pipe. Which leads all the way to the top of the mountain. “Wh..,” I start, but I’m interrupted by a shrill, chilling scream from the mountain. “We have to get up there! There are survivors!” I say shoving myself into the pipe. “Whatever you say,” he replies sarcastically, following my through the pipe. We spent about five minutes until we reached the top…then, we stopped in our tracks… “Go get the explosives! We are taking over this place!” Someone ordered. “Yes sir!” five others replied, heading toward a shack. “1,2,3…we run, OK?” I informed. “Ok,” he replies.

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“1…2…3!” I quietly order as we speed behind the guard into a small building. As soon as we get into the building, I spot a tranquilizer gun with a box of ammo next to it. “Nice,” Ryan whispers to himself. “This will come in handy,” I reply. Quietly, I grab the gun and an ammo belt than, I search for an exit. I spot a fire escape door with a fire alarm next to it. I pull the alarm and dash out the door with Ryan following. I duck behind some ammo crates and hide. Soon crowds of soldiers start flooding into the small building. “Head toward that house,” I whisper, pointing to an old looking house. “Ok,” Ryan replies, heading toward the house going around to the back. When we got there, Ryan creeps the back door open . We see a guard. The guard was tying up more survivors. I creeped the door far enough so that I had a good shot with my gun. “PPhht” is all I heard as the dart landed in the center of his back. “Let’s help the survivors!” Ryan yells trying to untie them. Before he could, all the doors opened with white light emanating from them. Men in white, radiation suits barged in… …to be continued Logan Younce Grade 5 Red Bank Elementary School 1100 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Worley Why Not Let Kids Be Green? Downtown Chattanooga has started a bike program called Bike Chattanooga. I enjoy being outside, and I think Bike Chattanooga should be available to kids ten and up as long as you are with a parent. Some of the positives of the Bike Chattanooga are it saves gas, it is quicker than walking, is good exercise, is eco friendly and available twenty four/seven. Why are these available for only adults eighteen and over? Kids should be a part of this program if supervised by parents, because we should share in saving gas, exercising, and helping to save the environment. I had a friend from North Carolina visit recently, and we went downtown to eat at Blue Grass Grill with my parents and thought a bike ride around Chattanooga would be fun and a good way to show him around. We could not ride because of the no kid rule. There are so many kid activities and places to explore downtown; such as Coolidge, Lookouts, Discovery Museum, and many others and bikes would be an easy way to get there. I am really not sure why kids cannot use the bikes except for the risk of injury for kids. If kids are with parents it makes no sense not to let them participate. You have to pay with a credit card and since kids do not have credit cards, kids cannot ride. There is a one thousand dollar fine if you break, misplace, or lose the 143

bike, and they have your credit card number. You will be charged if any of these things happen, so they are protected from losing their property. If they can trust eighteen year olds without adults, I think they can trust kids ten to fourteen years old since they cannot drive, and they will be with their parents. Biking downtown is a fun way to enjoy and explore all the kid and family activities offered in downtown Chattanooga. Kids my age should be able to enjoy the bikes as well, not just adults! We can also help save gas and the environment, put more money in the Bike Chattanooga business by paying to participate, and we need exercise just as much as anyone else. That is why I am asking “Why Not Let Kids Be Green?” Jack Young Grade: 5 7525 Min Tom Dr., Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mr. Webb

[Grade 5 Poetry] The Tall Man

He was in the war Where he heard the booms He jumped up and saw two tanks Get back they’re about to shoot The tall man stood still He protected the small men behind him He was very brave And we thanked him Ashton Aguilar Grade 5 Ganns Middle Valley 1609 Thrasher Pike, Hixson, TN 37343 Mrs. Todd Day at the Beach A beautiful sight to see, Beach balls being tossed thru the air, 144

Conch shells washing up onto shore, Dunes of white sand piled high, Everyone is happy and smiling, Flying seagulls hovering over the water, Gathering sea shells from the sand, Hot, smoldering temperatures, Ice in everyone’s coolers, Jelly fish swarming in the sea, Kids playing in the waves, Light houses along the shore line, Minnows swimming in schools, No sharks spotted in the water, Off the pier people are fishing, Parasailers over the clear water, Quickly moving crabs with red claws, Red sun burns on people’s faces, Sea turtles laying their eggs, Toys for playing and digging in the soft sand, Ultimate Frisbee being played on the beach, Vicious moving currents, Wakeboarding all day long, X-‐tra large towels for laying on the beach, Yellow polka dotted bikinis, Zesty soda pop drinks. Kaden Branum Grade 5 Ganns Middle Valley Elementary 1609 Thrasher Pike, Hixson, TN 37343 Mrs. Todd Water Falling to the ground Relentless, rushing through the sky Coming down calmly Justin Cox Grade 5 Normal Park Museum Magnet School 1219 W. Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Huffstutler The Classroom is as Loud as the Freeway The classroom is as loud as the freeway 145

To stay forever is a nightmare My words sometimes confuse people I, of course, hear people talking To stay forever is a nightmare Why won't the bell ring? I, of course, hear people talking What to write? Why won't the bell ring? I don't even know where my own cat sleeps What to write? A story or a poem? I don't even know where my own cat sleeps My words sometimes confuse people A story or a poem? The classroom is as loud as the freeway. Kaitlyn Cunningham Grade 5 The Bright School 1950 McDade Lane, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Everett and Ms. Jones Fireworks Fireworks crackling in the sky Fireworks make the ooo’s and aaa’s come from mouths in the audience Fireworks are the exploding stars closest to Earth Fireworks zig zag across the sky 146

Alex Dwyer Grade 5 Normal Park Museum Magnet Upper School 1219 West Mississippi Ave., Chattanooga, TN, 37405. Mrs. Agee By: Lauren Hoffman Cold nights turn to day. Dusk to dawn. On this hill, Bethlehem’s stars are like diamonds in the sky. A brush of air blows to a cold shiver down my back, And through my hair. As my eyes gaze throughout the night, I find myself in the north stars’ presence. I lay down, Focused on its beauty, I tire of gazing, And white flakes of icy snow on my Sleeping cheek fall. When I awaken, Bethlehem’s stars are already burnt out, My joy for the great Bethlehem’s stars has also Burnt out. As I feel a light happiness inside of me And I let out a short, happy laugh and a little smile. Lauren Olivia Hoffman Grade 5 St. Nicholas School 7525 Min Tom Dr., Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mr. Webb The Life of a Gymnast Glittery leotards, Wrist guards, Train hard, Uneven bars, Sticky chalk, Bar grips, Middle splits, Floor music, Fierce competition, Difficult decisions, Lots of deductions, Strict coaches, Pointed toes, 147

Painful stretching, Back handsprings, Sticking the landing, Gold medals, Tight ponytails, Vault table, Giving it all you got, Lots of pressure, Back walkovers, Rips the size of quarters, Handstands, Tumble track, Don’t ever look back, Heart beating a mile a minute, Front tucks, Back twists, Breath-‐taking layouts, Balance beams, Floor exercise, Staying tight, Scary looking judges, Perfect ten routines, There is no stopping us now, Be brave, Be strong, That’s the life of a gymnast Grace Hogue Grade 5 Nolan Elementary School 4435 Shackleford Ridge Road, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Wood Blue Blue is the sky As blue as the ocean waves Crashing on the shore A thrashing bird stuck in a net By the crashing shore line Under the big blue sky A blue towel under the bird A bird stuck in a net By the crashing shore that lay under the big blue sky. Keeling Kennedy 148

Grade 5 Thrasher Elementary 1301 James Boulevard, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Garvich

Fall Fall is as chilly as playing in a refrigerator Fall is like as colorful as a rainbow In Fall, you can hear crickets alerting you that summer is ending In Fall, you can see a catalog of plants and animals. Fall is as beautiful as the starry night You feel sadness, deep in your heart Summer is ending But there are more beautiful memories ahead Fall is the beginning of a beautiful, white wonderland You excuse to throw a snowball You can play without getting stung You can taste the Thanksgiving feast in your mouth Halie Lindeman Grade 5 Red Bank Elementary School 1100 Mountain Creek Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Russell A Box of Chocolates A box of chocolates that has never been opened is a world of opportunities waiting to be found Take one out close your eyes open wide and take a bite it might not be your favorite but it’s the path you chose Don’t give up keep on trying because life is a mystery and so is a box of chocolates 149

Maya Johnson McCauley Grade 5 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1219 West Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Blake Noah’s Poem I know you know I love you so So please don't tell anyone you know I feel like my head is spinning But please don't tell me that I am trembling I know you know I love you so But please don't tell me that you know Noah Martin Grade 5 Ganns Middle Valley Elementary 1609 Thrasher Pike, Hixson, TN 37343 Mrs. Todd Rivers I Have Known The Nile so hot, so brown from the mud, of the deep, deep ground floating through the villages. Shaman walk around, hippos roar, all drink your wet potion. When you are not careful enough, a crocodile snaps its teeth. Amazon, your creatures float under boats, creatures whose shadows, whose names are unknown for you. There a kingdom of such beauty, it takes the breath. Oh, Mississippi even wider than the Tennessee, you both float through factories. Their waste kills your fish; bridges of smoke rise everywhere. Only I can see into the depths of such grey water. Gesa Nestler Grade 5 The Bright School 1950 McDade Lane, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Everett and Ms. Jones Creek 150

Cold rushing water falling into a pool, swimming and swimming until it gets cool. Making sure no snakes are in sight, hoping and hoping we can swim all night. Laughing and playing as the moon shines bright, not thinking about the morning light. I love this creek more than I can think, I might as well come back every week. Meg Priest Grade 5 Thrasher Elementary 1301 James Boulevard Mrs. Garvich A Bird's Flight Birds fly through the sky with speed and grace, Tracing their course brings a smile to my face. Their colors are like a rainbow, And their pretty feathers flow. I watch them fly to and fro. It always seems like they are in a race. Mary Beth Propes Grade 5 Ganns Middle Valley Elementary School 1609 Thrasher Pike, Hixson, TN 37343 Mrs. Todd The Molecular World of Atoms I look at something. Nothing is the same. I see a giant E = mc2 flying toward me. Uh oh! An atom is splitting. Nothing is the same. The blast destroys. Uh oh! An atom is splitting. Now a black hole is starting. The blast destroys. Falling, spinning toward the black hole. Boom! Nothing is the same. Mark Wilson Grade 5 151

The Bright School 1950 McDade Lane, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Everett and Ms. Jones

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[Middle School Poetry] The Real World The life of a girl is supposed to be easy. Pop stars, boys, and everything sleazy. But I am alive, and I am a girl, And my life lies inside the real world. Where children die, some at their own hand, And not everyone lives in the Promised Land. So hike up your skirt and take a long look At the world where most happiness stays in the books. Jaden Akins Grade 7 Ringgold Middle School 217 Tiger Trail, Ringgold, GA 30736 Mrs. Shirley McDonald

Heartbroken The horses’ manes glisten as they gallop along the gentle slope. Their eyes overflow with the shimmer of everlasting hope. They could go on and on forever, or so it may seem, As their rugged muscles stretch and flex confidently as they lope. They move swiftly as a pair, working perfect as a team. The water flows placidly by with a perfect gleam. The trees succumb to the breeze and pleasantly sway, While the sun shines down beam by beam. The duo enjoy this Unblemished and flawless day, Making an exquisite and elegant display. It is a natural beauty that can’t be broken, Yet in the future the grandeur will decay. There is no interpretation for this moment that can be spoken. From this view exhilarating feelings are awoken. ‘Tis a magnificent portrayal of heaven, yet it is only a foretoken. Departing from this duet of placid tranquility, to go on with life, will leave you… Heartbroken. Allison Anders Grade 8 Grade Hilger Higher Learning 153

1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Shelley George

Four Seasons at the Creek In the season of many colors, I kick the rotting leaves off the running water to see the rain water flow in to the trees where it disappears to nothing. The water rushes over many rocks, as mud splashes on the dying grass. The smell of rotting leaves gives me the sensation that fall is finally here. I listen to the sound of rustling leaves, as animals run through the piles of colorful leaflets getting ready for winter. In the season of frost and icicles, I slide down the hill to the creek, and stop right before my snow boots touch the frigid water. A blast of piercing cold air numbs my skin, as my nose begins to change from white to red. All I can hear is snow crunching under my feet, and sticks snapping with every move. Bursts of chills go through my body when pinch of snow slips in to my boot, to make me wish spring would come quicker. In the season of blooms, I walk along the creek hoping to find the end knowing I never will. As I walk through the creek barefoot the mud at the bottom oozes between my toes. The smell of blooming flowers and freshly cut grass fills my nose letting me relax for just a moment. The feel of the prickly grass is almost like a cure to all the problems in my head. I dream of the days of summer when I can attain to the creek and let my thought out every day. In the season of sunshine, I sit in a cool puddle below a showering waterfall hoping it will hide me from the piercing hot sun, yet, I already feel the ball of fire’s light beams hitting my face. I can almost smell the water, 154

of leaves and pine. I hear the birds calling to each other, as I fall back into the water, and a wet blanket covers my ears, while the whole world becomes silent. In all four seasons, the creek brings me back to the days of my childhood, that little strip of water brings me back to the days of no worries, it brings me back to the days that were full of play. It takes me back to yesterday. Olivia Bettis Sixth Grade Baylor School 171 Baylor School Road Chattanooga, TN 37405 Amy Cohen Art Painting is like dancing in a sea of wild daisies. It expresses who you are and where you come from. It is like a dream; a dream that reaches beyond anything else in the world. It is where people find happiness, sorrow, and madness. This is Art. Dawson Brown-Ezell Grade 7 CSLA 6579 East Brainerd Road Chattanooga,TN 37421 Mrs. Blentlinger Truth I’m weak in this moment Festered by the wound in my mind Believing all who speak Whose words my flesh always finds My friends are beautiful Aching with flawless physiques Contorted by marvelous passions While I lie, craving the truth in being unique Their accomplishments glow with zeal. I fade in the back, cowardly. I hide the way I feel. 155

They compliment each other With all their thoughts alike. I reminisce in my faults They laugh rejoicingly out of spite I am not jealous Of the lives they presume to live I am disgusted by their oblivion To the hell most of us live in. We each have a darkness That consumes our thoughts. It takes control of our emotions And if allowed, molds us with every shot. Deliberately we push it Aside to grow and grow How long will we let it sit there None of us know Our depressions, anorexics, cutters, A more Try to shadow their feelings Why aren’t we face first on the floor? Help them! Help them! Carry their burdens home. Take the pride off your chest None of us should feel alone. Caleb Burger Grade 8 Heritage Middle School 19 West Sims Dr., Ringgold, Ga, 30736 Mrs. Parham Verbalicious Verbs are amazing! Verbs are the hustle for the goal, the screaming for your team. Without verbs, we couldn't write. Let's be honest, verbs are the base of the world. Without verbs like scream or yell or shriek, We'd be limited to mere whispers when we wrote. Books wouldn't be interesting, Journalists couldn't journal. Verbs like run and jog and bolt show that we run. What if we didn't run? Books would be slow and no one would read. A reporter couldn't report what had happened. 156

Words such as sit and lay show that you're on the floor. And what would happen if those words weren't here? We'd have to say stuff like, "I sight you on the floor!" See is a verb, too. Slap, punch, and hit are violent verbs. They express violence and without them, there'd be no action! In books, at least. And what would we say out loud? Verbs are verbalicious! They're less confusing than adverbs, Because adverbs have tons of different forms And verbs are just actions. But verbs are more complicated than pronouns, A thing many people don't understand themselves. But verbs are on the same level as Adjectives. And I like adjectives. Stretch, smell, act, bounce. They're all verbs. A world without verbs would be a pointless world! So that's why I say this world is a Verbalicious world. Allison Cook Grade 7 Baylor School 171 Baylor School Road Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Collins Weeping Willow Draping Willow Tree A veil of hidden secrets Shields what hides beneath Kaylee Cook Grade 7 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Shelley George What is a poem? A poem is not forced upon. A poem is a free writing. A poem is not what someone wants you to write. 157

It’s what YOUR heart desires. A poem should not be graded. A poem isn’t a test. Poems are emotions on paper, and should be nothing less. So is this a poem? Jack Cutt Grade 7 Ringgold Middle School 217 Tiger Trail, Ringgold, GA 30736 Ms. Brenda Love Candle Dancing She dances in glory. The luminous tendrils of warmth extend off of her body, and she stands out from the conformist night. Her flickering presence frightens me. Her fascinating swaying with the wind comforts me. She reaches her arms out and dances. Her twirls enrapture the modern world, creating beauty and peace, but destroying it all with just a little touch. Who could have known such delicate beauty could be so very dangerous? Who's sunny arms and laughing manner could destroy us all? She is a cold-‐blooded murderer and a gracious savior. She is death itself, and she is life. Her burning tongues lick the sweet night, and she keeps the world safe. She destroys our homes and our families, and she helps the world die. She is Prometheus's burden, and Humanity's treasure. A metaphor for love; so beautiful but so dangerous. Why so violent? Why so bright? Your beauty never fades in the darkest night. 158

To me, to you, everlasting light. Rose Dallimore Grade 7 Baylor School 171 Baylor School Rd Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Collins Love Conquers All Her golden hair flutters through the wind, Glittering in the moonlight. Her lips like the pedals of the reddest rose, Sink into a sad frown. His eyes like chocolate with a caramel center, Shift to his brown skin. For whom could a girl like her ever be able to love him, A slave, bound to chains, by her white father. Her porcelain skin with her sky blue eyes, Could never love a slave. But oh, she did, but dare not tell, Her father would kill him in an instant. Forbidden and torn, Lost without love, He sank to his knees, In the soft yellow hay. She was conflicted, What could she do? She couldn’t turn back her heart, But then, she knew, there was something she could do. She raced to the barn, He sat up in alarm, She unlocked his chains, But it was all in vain. “What are you doing, Miss?” He said with surprise, “Helping you,” Was her only reply. 159

His chains fell with a “clack!” He stood tall, on his feet, He said, “Don’t do that.” “Forever a slave I am to be,” “I cannot be free.” She started to cry, As tears filled her eyes, He gave her a quick kiss. She whispered, “Please don’t do this.” But you can’t cheat death, And you can’t cheat fate. What is can’t be changed, And what’s done cannot be taken back. The girl’s father was there, Standing at the barn door. Anger traced his face, And she sank to the floor. The day the boy was killed, Was a day filled with despair, A day filled with regret, And a day filled with guilt. The girl, drenched in sorrow, The white girl who loved a slave, Cried throughout that day, But she knew he was in a better place. For you can’t cheat death, And you can’t cheat fate. What is can’t be changed, Unless you hope, hope and pray. Her golden hair flutters through the wind, Glittering in the moonlight. Her lips like pedals of the reddest rose, Curl into a crooked smile. His eyes, chocolate with a caramel center, Shift to meet her blue ones. Love, at last, is found again. For love conquers all. 160

Grace Driskell Grade 8 Heritage Middle School 4005 Poplar Springs Rd. Ringgold, GA 30736 Mrs. Carlock

Sun and the Wind Oh how the sun shines bright in the wind. Oh how the sun makes the grass as green as could be. The wind slithers in the edges of the grass, Like the suns rays wiggle in the sky. The wind blows across my face like a blanket of water. Oh how the sun is a soothing site in the morning. How the wind feels through my hair, And the sun on my cheeks. I collapse as the happiness courses through me. I lay in the grass and the winds comfort me, And the sun warms my whole body. And as I lay thinking to myself, Why How I must be… Blessed! Noah Fernandez Grade 6 Silverdale Baptist Academy Dina Couch Silent Knocking Someone came knocking At my wee, small door; Someone came knocking, I’m sure-‐sure-‐sure; I listened, I opened, I looked left and right, But yet to be stirring In the still dark night; Only the busy beetle Tap-‐tap-‐tapping on the wall, 161

Only from the forest The screech of the owl’s call Only the crickets talking While the dewdrops fall, So I know not who came knocking At all, at all, at all. Max Gray Grade 7 Signal Mountain Middle High School 2650 Sam Powell Trail Chattanooga, TN 37377 Ms. Jennifer McGann Sorry I didn’t know I thought she was just mean That she all of a sudden Just hated me I was too young To know what happened Why she stopped Hanging out with me Or talking to me Or started being mean I didn’t know Her father committed suicide I thought I was just Not cool enough for her I didn’t know Why her brothers Had so many problems I thought they were just brutal I didn’t know They were all there When he did it I didn’t know Why she started shunning me Or making fun of me I didn’t know They had to break in the bathroom And find him dead But now I know When I’m 400 miles away With no way of contacting her 162

And telling her I’m sorry. Katharine Gruber Grade 8 Signal Mountain Middle School 2950 Sam Powell Trail, Signal Mountain TN 37377 Mrs. Harwood Not There I watch as he flutters his eyes Dimmer, Dimmer he seems I watched him pick up the phone Clammy hands shaking He isn’t doing well I thought Why bother with his welfare If he was not there Without thinking a tear rolls down my cheek I quickly wipe it off No reason to feel sorry After all, He was never there On the floor he lays And he goes limp Why bother though He was never there anyway Not there, Not there Savannah Jackson Heritage Middle School 4005 Poplar Springs Rd. Ringgold, GA 30736 Mrs. Kim Reeves Dance Ballet Express your words Move your steps Feel the music Be yourself Dance Jazz 163

Speak a different language Through movement Dance Pointe Feel strong Straight lines Extension of movement Dance Dance Erin Knocke Grade 6 Silverdale Baptist Academy Dina Couch Cat Kisses Sandpaper silk striking your cheek Leaving wet, loving, goo oozing down to your chin. A rumbling machine with the sticky, ruff tongue Purrs against your arm A trail of fur and a sneaky, whipping tail, Sharp, young whiskers jabbing your neck A wet pink nose, The kind grandmas want to pinch. Out of the blue comes the sweetest kind of sound One that no sane human can resist A quick peep, twirled with a confident roar Trailing leather paws Strutting in a circular path. The syrup like tongue returns, Spit dampening your hair, Its rough terrain tugging your scalp With a nip on your chin, The predator waddles the other direction. Virginia McEvoy Grade 7 Baylor School 171 Baylor School Drive 164

Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Conway The Water under the Bridge Flowers bloom, water freezes Birds sing, deer run Trees die, birds fly In spring the flowers bloom on the bank and pebbles slide down it I walk down with a book and a notebook Trying to read, but I am distracted by its beauty I lie by it wondering what other places I will have like this I hear the birds sing In summer the water is still freezing and the sea breeze is rubbing against my cheek I dive into the frigid water Pretending I am a mermaid and then a scuba diver I play with the fishes and crabs The only thing I hear under water is the water rushing against the rocks In fall leaves flow down it and there are no fish in it Trotting down slipping on every leaf that is on the ground I see how far I can go in without water getting into my rain boots I hear the wind whistle and the tree branches hitting each other his is the last time I say goodbye to all the birds, the bridge, And most of all the stream that will keep my memories like the boulders in it. This place you hear about is a home to me, Near the woods, far from cities on the ocean, with the water cold, this is the paradise which I call 'the water under the bridge. Colette McMahon Grade 6 Baylor School 171 Baylor School Road, Chattanooga TN 37405 Mr.Stover My feet sink into the sand As the water Runs across my feet. I hear the waves Crashing on the shore 165

And feel peaceful. I see a bright pink sun As it sets and feel as I once did when I was a youngster.

Madalyn Mills Grade 6 Hunter Middle School 6810 Teal Lane Ms. Standridge It’s Not the End of the World My mood was grumpy, When I got out of bed, Today was the big day, I realized with dread. Nothing could make me feel better, Or calm me down, That’s what I told my mom, As we drove across town. Sitting in the waiting room, My heart began to pound, And when I thought of all the scary possibilities, The world spun around. Suddenly I realized, It wouldn’t be so bad, There was no reason to be worried, No reason to be sad. When my name was called, I saw all the smiling faces, It wouldn’t be a big disaster, I was just getting my braces. Arianna O’Guinn Grade 6 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Shelley George The Feeling of Winter The feeling of putting on your fleece clothes, The feeling of stepping outside into the freezing snow, 166

The feeling of snow softly melting on your tongue, The feeling of putting on the carrot nose of your family’s snowman, The feeling of the wind whipping your hair as you ride the sled, The feeling of the freezing snowball attacking your face, The feeling of snuggling with family under big blankets, The feeling of the hot chocolate hitting your taste buds, The feeling of that warm fireplace warming up your numb toes, The feeling of Winter. Genna Parker Grade 8 Heritage Middle School 4005 Poplar Springs Rd., Ringgold, GA 30736 Mrs. Parham Dreams Can Change I thought I knew Where the softer bird flew, But deep inside I knew how I was I wanted to change my dream But first my dream changed me I first learned how When my dream changed me I couldn’t change it When I wanted to Because I knew Where my bird flew My bird flew without any companions My bird flew in the fiery deaths and gorges of the Sun Of our Earth they could reach me, But alone in the Sun I was crippled by the heat, And could not reach to others below. I believed what I was told I was mislead by Earth What I felt on my skin was chill Earth is the Beast But I stayed because it was guarded and free from harm Unlike the Beast we call home. How could I change my dream? There were so many trying to be my dream, Or hand it to my wing. But my real dream you ask? To sing with great altitude, To fly with great range, To give back what was not taken, And to survive by those who can’t dream themselves. Meg Parry Grade 8 Signal Mountain Middle School

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2650 Sam Powell Trail, Signal Mountain TN 37377 Mrs. Harwood If I Were a Cloud If I were a cloud I would be grey and fluffy, I would be full of water and a lit bit lumpy. If I were a cloud…a peaceful little cloud… Would I be…GRUMPY? Would I be grumpy, would I be lumpy? Would I have a slump of grey humpy bumpeys? All these strange questions, all the complaints I think my cloud should just walk the cloud plank. My mind is so blank, would my cloud smell rank? Could I have made a mistake? Mistakes, mistakes, little mistakes everyone makes So is that why everything is up in the sky? Yes, that is the answer a big, big relief. No need to worry, no need to blink. Blink, wait, no don’t blink! Don’t blink your little eyes across the big sky! Just be you, an innocent cloud, no lying around… If I were a cloud. Veronica Parton Grade 6 Hixson Middle 5681 Old Hixson Pike Hixson, TN 37343 Mrs. Jessica Holloway Swimming with the Dolphins I see him swim in the saltwater sea; I’m looking at him as he’s looking at me. He glides through the water with his baby soft skin; He kisses my cheek, and he waves with his fin. He jets through the water like a high-‐speed missile; Then he flips in the air at the whine of a whistle. He returns to my side and gives me a stare, As if he has several secrets to share. Then he circles my body and tickles my toes; And he somehow ends up with my feet on his nose. With a lightning quick flip of his tail, we are flying; He shoots me out of the water without even trying. He lowers me gently then gives me a tug; He lowers me gently, so I give him a hug. When his tricks are all finished, and his job is complete, He returns to his trainer for a yummy fish treat. What a wonderful creature, so gentle but strong; When he speaks, it sounds like he is laughing a song. In a watery make believe world, I’d pretend, That I, too, am a dolphin, and he is my friend.

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Bay Patten Grade 8 Signal Mountain Middle High School 2650 Sam Powell Trail Ms. Harwood

Adrift In a shell of thick green glass From crest to crest a message did pass Written by one in desperate need A purpose to find someone to heed A plea for help A call for aid Another helpless soul to save Then came along a vicious storm It smashed into the rocks and the bottle was torn Leaving the sender to an undesired fate So when the remains were found, it was far too late Tatiana Poggi Grade: 7 School: Girls Preparatory School School address: 205 Island Avenue, Chattanooga TN 37405 Teacher: Ms. Bullard

Ode to Snow I dash to peel the curtain open I gaze out the window watching it fall As soon as the snow piles up high enough, I run to it I jump in it, then reform it to show I care It's winter's favorite daughter Structure of the snowman Shovelers worst enemy Tender and white A fluffy sensation that makes children happy Brings smiles to little faces A cold, wet precipitation that creates joy Keeps family together during holidays Shows family times expands the heart Worst of blizzards are nail biters Dainty snow is best Stretching your tongue out to capture the frosty,moist snowflakes Every single one has its own unique design Splashing down on a pile of other snowflakes Children mold them to make snowballs

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Catapulting it around, busting it apart Too fragile to be thrown around Too meaningful, too valuable Children still break its beautiful formation when they sled They swing their arms and legs around Creating the most beautiful snow angel The delicate snow used in so many ways For me it's knitted my family together Displayed to me that family is most important Snow has brought my family closer by trapping us Bailey Priddy Grade 6 Baylor School 171 Baylor School Road,Chattanooga,TN, 37405 Mr. Fleissner Imagination It swirls around the sky Like sparkles on a drawing. It fills your heart with joy and happiness. The thinking pops here and there. The wonder of fantasy of a child Fills the world with joy. Just think of all the amazing things Beyond or around you That is one thing you’ll have to find out. By taking a step forward into the excitement. Keny Rafael-Velasquez Grade 6 The Chattanooga Girl’s Leadership Academy 1802 Bailey Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37402 Ms. Clear Ode to Jacqueline Oh technology lets me communicate with my best friend Our friendship like the center of the Earth 170

it's strong and forever lasting you cannot see it you can feel it Our sisterly love for each other like the rotation of the sun and moon it will never stop Our feelings like the waves on the beach they're good they're bad we can always share feelings we know the other will always help Our passions like the various types of pasta different, but some way the same Our reactions like the opposite of a disguise we always know what the other's feeling especially when were talking to each other Our fights like a little storm, with a rainbow at he end we fight like sisters we act like sisters I love her more than a sister Our sports like the way an art teacher loves art sports are our biggest passions one may be better than the other we don't care She is.... the peanut to my butter the water to my melon the words to my page the page to my book the sweet to my tea Mostly.... Jacqueline is The Best 171

to my Friend The person I am today is half because of her Love you Jacqueline Maddie Reap Grade 6 Baylor School 171 Baylor School Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mr. Fleissner El Invierno/The Winter El invierno esta aqui y yo estay muy feliz El invierno esta aqui lleno de felizidad El invierno esta aqui sonriendo para to y para mi El invierno esta aqui porque quiere concer al mundo El invierno esta aqui y tralle la nieve con el El invierno esta aqui The winter is here And I am so happy The winter is here Filled with happiness The winter is here Smiling for you and for me The winter is here Because it wants to meet the world The winter is here And he brings the snow with him The winter is here. Wendy Reynoso Grade 7 The Chattanooga Girl’s Leadership Academy 1802 Bailey Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37402 Mrs. Reed

Ode to the color yellow Oh, bright color glistering yellow, You bring me joy and laughter 172

I see you you when I rise and when I lay for a good nights sleep. How would I cope without your beautiful light No other color could suffice In many different shades you shine But to me no shade rises above the rest they are all yellow And thats what matters to me If you were parted from the world. There would be no color to separate the gloomy day from the joyful ones There would be no color in my lemonade Oh how tragic that would be! Lemons wouldn't be lemony anymore just plan bitter they would be Stay here don't leave the lemons tasting bitter Or the sky without a sun This shows that you truly are the best color shinning high in the sky Overpowering all colors doodling by! Tess Rolleston Grade 6 Baylor School 171 Baylor School, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mr. Fleissner Fast Food Drive-Thru Your stomach grumbling like a roll of thunder, Your mouth watering like a newly sprung leak, Your body trembling in anticipation, Your eyes searching for a drive-‐thru, You cannot wait to get the hamburger you so desperately want! The Hunger clouding your mind, You pull into the drive-‐thru lane, Doing your best to be patient. It is a struggle to keep yourself still, To keep yourself from yelling, “Hurry up!” to the driver in front of you. Finally you pull up to the window, Collecting the money you need to pay. When the window is opened you push the money towards the cashier, 173

In a desperate attempt to speed the process. After you collect your change, you slide forward, Salivating at the thought of fresh lettuce and tomatoes. You can see the bag with your food in it. It’s almost too much to resist; waiting that close to your goal. Then they hand you’re your bag and drink. Not having the will power to wait any longer, you pull over. It matters not that the space is merely a parking spot, Only that you have your precious food. Unwrapping the hamburger, the smell makes your stomach grumble. As you take your first bite, the Hunger is barely abated, Growing smaller with each bite, the Hunger is finally defeated. When your hamburger is gone, you take a long drink, The cold liquid just watering the flowers over the grave of Hunger. Not much is left as evidence the hamburger existed at all, Just a wrapper, the smell in your car, and the grease on your face. You know this victory will be short lived, That you will come back to fight this battle again, To wait in the fast food drive-‐thru lane. Georgia Kate Sammons Grade 8 Heritage Middle School 4005 Poplar Springs Road, Ringgold, GA 30736 Mrs.Carlock Disturbances They say it’s not normal to be disturbed That it’s unhealthy to be different Being insane or dysfunctional is frowned upon But with the world as twisted as it is, how can we not help this? How can we save ourselves from the insanity? Yes they have therapy, and doctors, and medication But all it does is cover it up It’s all still there, somewhere And you can’t get rid of it It’s not wrong in my eyes to be different Then why are we living at all? The ones that are insane are the ones that truly understand They know what it’s like to deal with anything They can actually handle it well They’re not stupid like everyone thinks they are But we lock them up and throw away the key Why do we do that? 174

There are so many people in this world that treat others like they don’t matter And we wonder why so many just give up The world is a lot worse now than it used to be And it scares me that it might get worse than this I have hope for the future That someday, someone will change something And suddenly it will get better We can fix the world one step at a time But we need to fix ourselves first We need to realize that no one is perfect And mistakes will be made And I believe it will help us to live In a better world than there is today Danielle Shropshire Grade 6 The Chattanooga Girl’s Leadership Academy 1802 Bailey Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37402 Ms. Clear Tableland When the Canadian geese flew south I hid in the oak leaves that gathered in my yard. Especially, in the deep impression that had a flat, rocky bottom, halfway covered in grass and moss. I called it Tableland. I looked down into the vast ravine That I pretended was there But really was not The yellow oak leaves made me itch and scratch From the pollen on their golden foliage But I did not care I wished I could stay in Tableland forever. When the maple trees were barren and the world was frozen I jumped into the fresh snow that collected in Tableland. The delicious smell of sugar cookies wafted from the other side of the house I stayed in the snow. The artic wind felt glacial. But I did not care I wished I could stay in Tableland forever. 175

When the world was bright and the sun shined once more I picked wildflowers, like clover That I would make into a daisy chain and wear the flowers like a crown as I sat on the soft baby grass pretending to be a princess. My mom called me inside but I did not care I wished I could stay in Tableland forever. When the hot weather arrived and the air was thick I would read my favorite books that had been read many times before in the shade of the oak trees. It was cooler there Than it was in the sun But not by much I would sit and read my books With a glass of lemonade The blazing sun felt scorching. But I did not care I did not feel like leaving Now, When the chestnut leaves change their color I am sitting inside doing homework When heavy snow falls It is not considered cool to jump into snow piles So I try not to be seen When the clover blooms I pick flowers in the garden Even though I like the wildflowers better Everyone at school likes tulips When it becomes hot again I still sit in the shade reading my books Wondering what the people at school would think About the childish habits I have kept Instead of growing up Then I remember, That, no matter how many years have passed Since I was eight I am almost twelve now I still do not care I do not want to leave The carefree world of my childhood. 176

Sydney Anne Sutherland Grade 6 Baylor School 171 Baylor School Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Amy Cohen Beautiful Setting Sun You want to catch a glimpse of it before bed Stare up, you will see The red, yellowish glow It’s beautiful, your eyes stare in wonder It’s almost over Watch it set behind mountains Just like that it’s gone Now it’s dark Time to lie down Relax, remember what you just saw You saw, a beautiful setting sun Kellel Ware Grade 6 The Chattanooga Girl’s Leadership Academy 1802 Bailey Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37402 Ms. Clear

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[Middle School Prose] Paradise “Hurry up!” yelled Michael, encouraging me to follow him. “Where are we going?” I screeched in reply, wishing he would tell me where we were going. My name is Jack, I’m not the most popular person, in fact, Michael is my is my only true friend, but I guess it’s alright, I never was much of a social guy anyway. “You’ll see! Just keep up!” He shouted back. The anxiety of wanting to know what was waiting for me ahead was all too strong. Right when I was about to stop and force Michael to tell me where he was taking me, we broke into a large opening with a small house in the center of it. “Where—“ “I found it when I was hiking.” He cut me off with the answer. This was one of the most astonishing things I had ever seen. It was like a small paradise, in a world of its own. “Isn’t it wonderful? It’s the perfect place to come when you need to get away from—“, He paused on the last word, something he has never done before. “—from life, you know what I mean?” “Yeah—“ I lied, ”—I do.” Michael began showing me around some more when we came to a small sitting area on the porch of the house. “So, what should we do with this place?” I questioned, already with many ambitions in my head of what I wanted to do. “I think we should leave it alone, let’s just use it as a getaway, for special occasions only.” He stated. This was not like Michael; he always was one to change things. “Like what?” I wondered what he had in mind that would require him not to change anything. “I’m not sure; I guess we will know when the time comes.” He mumbled. The way he has been acting made me worry about what could possibly go wrong next. “Jack.” He quietly murmured, with a worried tone in his voice. “Yes?” I replied. I’m not sure, but most likely, I also had a worrying tone to my words. “This is where I’m going to do it.” He stated, with close to no emotion at all to his voice. “Do what?” I wanted to know. “You will see eventually.” He answered as he stood up and walked back into the woods. The next morning when I woke up, Michael was standing in my doorway, which surprised me, knowing that he always slept until at least eleven. “What are you doing up so early, sunshine?” I asked, hoping he would also take it as a joke. Surprisingly, he didn’t. “And what is that supposed to mean?” he shouted in response, with and aggravated tone to his voice. 178

“Calm down dude, it’s just a joke.” I whispered, hoping he wouldn’t shout again. “All I meant by that was the fact that you’re up so early. “Well you didn’t say that.” He mumbled, still a bit aggravated. “I thought it was implied with the world ‘sunshine’” I responded, also a bit annoyed. “Why are you up this early anyway?” I asked, going back to the original topic. “Well, you know what they say: ‘live everyday like it’s your last!’” he sung, with a smile on his face “Yeah, but you still have like, seventy years, why start now?” I joked, but clearly Michael is not in a joking mood today. “I just wanted to say hello, that’s all.” He mumbled, still aggravated. “Well, hello, now get out so I can sleep!” This finally got a laugh out of him as he walked out the door to my room. I took that as a “He’s alright”, rolled over, and tried to fall asleep again. Before I went into a deep sleep, my mom shook me awake shouting something that I couldn’t quite understand at first. “Jack, answer me now. Jack!” she repeated that phrase multiple times before I was awake enough to respond. “What? What’s the question?” I also repeated that phrase, hoping my mom would come to her senses enough to answer me. “Where is Michael?” she shouted, clearly upset and scared at the same time. I hopped up and started getting dressed as she continued her rant. “He left a note in his room, a goodbye note.” She stopped talking. “A goodbye note, why would he write that? I wondered. He had been acting very strange, and this is just straight up wacky. “Jack…they think he is going to kill himself.” She whispered, her voice trailing off at the end. “They have no idea where he—“ “Paradise.” I shouted out. “Paradise? What’s—“ before she could finish I bolted out the door and ran into the woods. I tripped several times and even broke a toe, but nothing stopped me from running to that place we called paradise. As soon as I broke into the clearing I knew it was too late. I ran through the already open door of the house, I had to close my eyes to keep me from losing my head. I ran outside of the house just in time to see mine, and Michaels parents break into the clearing. They looked at me and I sluggishly shook my head. It hurt me to watch their faces fall, and their tears drop to the ground. The next few weeks were tough for me. I hated myself for not seeing this coming. All the signs he gave me. I have been alone since that day, but I have learned one thing; Paradise isn’t all it’s cut out to be Brant Ackerson Grade 8 Signal Mountain Middle High School 2650 Sam Powell Drive, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Heather Harwood 179

Time to Take Action In 2009, nearly 37,000 people in the U.S. committed suicide. Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S. in that year. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among those 15-‐24 years old. Suicide is clearly a real and serious issue. It is tragic when someone feels so bad about herself that she decides to end her life. Suicide can be caused by severe depression or sometimes bullying. Potential suicide victims feel cut off, alone, helpless. What would happen if one person finally noticed something was wrong? How many lives would be saved if people could recognize the signs of suicide and help? I believe every high school in the U.S. should offer an instructive workshop in suicide prevention. First of all, high school students can be taught to recognize the signs of a potential suicide victim. If they noticed someone at school behaving strangely, they could take immediate action. For example, if a girl begins to talk constantly about death or loses interest in things that she used to love, an observant peer would be able to recognize these potential suicide signs. The peer could talk to the troubled person and meanwhile notify a trusted teacher or counselor. An advantage of students recognizing suicide signs is that they could head them off early, and that could prevent the person from killing himself. Since some suicide cases begin with bullying, observant students can also stop that early on. If high schoolers knew the suicide signs and took action, they could lower the suicide death count significantly. Secondly, students can be taught how respond in a situation where someone states through social media that she is going to kill herself. For example, if a teenager posts on Facebook that she intends to kill herself, a knowledgable online reader can respond quickly. Instead of panicking, the responder can call the emergency 911 number and notify professionals of the person's intentions. Trained adults know how to respond in these types of situations, but young people tend to listen more carefully to a peer than to their parents. However, if a high school student attempts to respond to suicide threat and doesn't know how to do it in a safe manner, the situation can be made worse instead of better. High schoolers have a better chance of preventing a peer's suicide than many adults. Finally, it is also possible if a potential victim takes the suicide prevention course, she might understand that killing herself is the worst action she can take. She would learn that instead of committing suicide, she should confront her problems and get help to do so. One method of suicide is swallowing an entire bottle of pills. Teenagers think that overdosing is a painless way to die, but what they don't know is that in the time it takes for the pills to kill them, they will suffer pain. It is possible that the fear of pain will scare potential suicides and keep them from taking the final step. There are also cases like that of Amanda Todd, a teenager who committed suicide, where suicide methods don't always work. Amanda tried to kill herself by drinking bleach, but it didn't have the desired effect. She tried numerous other 180

methods, which all failed. Finally, Amanda succeeded by hanging herself. People might have to take their lives repeatedly, and that could cause a considerable amount of pain and serious health issues until they finally succeed. Now is the time to offer a suicide prevention class in all U.S. high schools. I used to think that suicide occurred only in rare cases, but now I realize it happens every day, and it could happen to the person sitting next to me in class. Now that I know it is possible to respond effectively, I could save a life. Some people say that when suicide happens to someone else it isn't their problem, but I strongly disagree. One suicide can affect hundreds of people. Suicide happens all around us, and it is our responsibility to help the vulnerable as much as we can. Rileigh H. Arrington Grade 8 Baylor School 171 Baylor School Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mr. Loftin

Mapping the Landscape of Plot: Ender’s Game by Scott Orson Card In his exposition, Orson Scott Card introduces the character Ender Wiggin, the protagonist of the science-‐fiction book, Ender’s Game. The story of this book is presented in third-‐person omniscient point of view, only occasionally presenting any other characters’ thoughts and feelings. Ender can be very perceptive of others’ feelings, so it makes sense for Ender’s Game to be told in that particular point of view. While the exposition occurs mostly on Earth, the main setting of the book is the Battle School, a space station that orbits Earth sometime in the future. Having to leave Earth for a new place contributes to the fact that ender feels isolated and lonely, much like Rob’s predicament in The Tiger rising by Kate Dicamillo. Card often emphasizes that Ender is an outcast. For example, when Card writes, “…even though his secret enemies called him names, the method of delivery praised him” (5). Or when Card writes, “We’re people, not Thirds, turd face” (7). In the story, the main conflict is between Ender and the hostile extraterrestrial beings called buggers. Yet, while this conflict is occurring, another one is also being fought. Ender is constantly trying to fit in and be accepted. Even though Ender is very independent, he still wants to have support. In the exposition of Orson Scott Card’s novel, Ender’s Game, Card creates a conflict for the protagonist, Ender. Through much of the story Ender is very isolated and lonely, longing to be accepted, rather like Rob in The Tiger Rising. While this is not the main or single-‐most important conflict in the book, it does temporarily keep Ender from progressing through the story. Near the end of Card’s exposition, a very important step towards the resolution of said conflict, the inciting incident, occurs. Ender is confronted by a 181

man named Graff. Graff tells Ender that he has been chosen for a special honor: Ender is going to be admitted to the Battle School, a government institution that trains children into military geniuses. At the Battle School, Ender feels that the fits in more than he did on Earth (the Battle School is a space station). Card is able to convey this through the way Ender thinks and says things; “‘I can handle this,’ thought Ender” (45). In the inciting incident of Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, the protagonist, Ender, is taken away to the Battle School. This school is a space station where children are trained to become military geniuses. Ender is chosen to eventually become a commander in the ongoing war against the alien buggers. Throughout the rising action, all Ender wants is to return home to his sister, Valentine, but the bugger threat keeps him from his goal. The first event that complicates the rising action occurs shortly after the inciting incident. When Ender arrives at the Battle School, he is isolated and often bullied; yet, he soon overcomes this challenge. Card writes, “Ender’s isolation was over,” and “‘I can handle this,’ he thought” (53, 83). The second complicating even occurs well into the rising action. After weeks of training under a commander, he becomes a commander himself with his own army. While this can be viewed a s an event that helps Ender progress, it also begins to isolate him again; “Alai is a stranger now” (171). Finally, nearing the climax, Ender is taken away from the Battle School and is transferred to command School and is on his own now, no friends. Climax In the climax of Ender’s Game, Ender’s conflict of him versus the buggers reaches the most suspenseful moment. In Ender’s final training simulation at the Command School, the protagonist is pitted against the enemy in an unwinnable battle: “Eighty fighters, against at least five thousand, perhaps ten thousand enemy ships” (292). Yet, against all odds, Ender succeeds at the cost of all his starships. He is then told he had been commanding a real fleet in the final battle of the Bugger Invasion. Distraught at having killed every last bugger, woman and child, in cold blood, he leaves the school and Earth behind. When he leaves with Valentine, his sister, to colonize on the bugger worlds he finally achieves his goal of becoming reunited with her. In the falling action of Ender’s Game, all of Ender’s conflicts are mostly resolved; but, he endures some hardship after the climax before that resolution fully occurs. After solving his conflict with the buggers by defeating them in an outer-‐ space battle, he feels resentful at having killed so many beings: “’I didn’t want to kill them all!’ he shouted” (297). So when he is reunited with his sister, Valentine, they leave Earth behind to colonize on the dead buggers’ worlds. While there, he discovers a single surviving bugger egg. Ender realizes that the buggers forgave him: “We could live with you in peace” (302). This is the denouement, when Ender is finally at peace. In the sci-‐fi novel Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, the protagonist, Ender, is being trained to become a military genius to fight the alien threat of the “buggers”. In the climax of this main conflict, Ender is running his final training simulation, a 182

one hundred to one battle, yet he wins, at the cost of every life in the battle. Afterwards, Ender is told that the entire time, he had been fighting the buggers, not simulations. He becomes resentful at having killed so many people -‐ even the buggers – and leaves Earth behind to colonize on the dead buggers’ world with his sister. On the bugger world, Ender discovers a single surviving egg, and he learns that the buggers forgave him for his actions. I think the life lesson that Ender learned is that sometimes you must sacrifice yourself for others. Having stood in Ender’s shoes, I learned the same life lesson and am able to apply this lesson to my own life by participating in volunteer work at my church. Although I do not have to fight off an alien threat, I do understand the importance of giving one’s time and energy for others. Jonah Bird Grade 7 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1219 West Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Picone New Vision I was watching my favorite TV show one day, when I noticed all the characters were blurry. I could hardly see them anymore. A few days later, my mom called the eye doctor at Pearl Vision. She said, “My son is squinting a lot. Can I make an appointment?” I heard a long pause, and then my mom said, “Great!” A couple of days later, we drove there. We walked in, and I was amazed by how many different pairs of glasses there were. The look on my face was, wow! I spent a few minutes looking around, but I couldn’t find any I liked. Then I walked over to this certain spot, and I saw the most sparkling azure blue and murky green pair. I put them on and looked in the mirror. The glasses brought out my eyes in a perfect way. After a quick eye exam, I had to take the glasses off so they could put my prescription lenses in. Later, I got them back and put them on again. Everything was crystal clear! I couldn’t believe my eyes! After my mom paid, we left the store. I will never forget that moment when I was walking back to the car and seeing the buildings, signs, and people’s faces clearly again. Briley Bledsoe Grade 6 Normal Park Museum Magnet Upper School 1219 W. Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Brown 183

Raise the Diving Age More than 3,000 teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 die every year as a result of driving under the influence, and over 5,870 teens die each year from distracted driving. Clearly, car accidents are the most common death among teenagers today, and this problem can be solved if the age at which teens are allowed to drive is raised. I believe that the driving age should be increased to eighteen. First of all, scientists say that the human brain isn't fully developed until age 26. However, society accepts that eighteen is the beginning of adulthood, with some exceptions. In a study aimed at identifying how and when a person's brain reaches full maturity, scientists have learned significant changes in brain structure continue after age sixteen, which means that the brain still isn't fully matured ten years after teens are allowed to drive. Secondly, teens are also more likely to text and drive than adults are. No wonder the main cause of death for teens is driving accidents. Teenagers don't have enough self control to avoid looking at their cellphones when they beep. Most adults, on the other hand, do. Being more likely to text and drive obviously means more accidents. Teens think that they can multitask when mentally they can't. Therefore, teens cannot text and drive safely. Their brains need to be focused on the road. If teens are just a little bit off focus, then crashes are much more likely. On Dec. 29, 2005, four teenage boys from Chicago went out for a late-‐night drive and had a terrible accident. Their car spun out of control and struck several objects, including a giant light pole. This boy had been texting. Two of the boys, a 16-‐year-‐old and a 17-‐year-‐ old, were killed. The driver of the car was just 16. I used to think that 16 was the perfect age to start driving but now I realize that highway deaths could be prevented if children are more mature when they get behind the wheel. Lastly, the current driving age is five years younger than the legal drinking age. Teens can do more damage behind the wheel under the influence than they can drinking without being behind the wheel. Teenage drunk driving can be prevented if teen's brains are more developed when teens get behind the wheel. Changing the legal driving age to 18 would create a smaller window for teens to make poor decisions while behind the wheel. My 22 year old cousin has gotten into several car crashes since she got her license. From the beginning it was obvious that she wasn't ready to drive. She still has a bunch of maturing to do. Even to this day she gets into crashes due to distracted driving because she is not mature enough to resist checking her phone. In conclusion, the best way to reduce road deaths is to change the driving age to 18. Roadway deaths increase every year, and roads need to be safer. Therefore it would be in everybody's best interest if teens were older before they get behind the wheel. 184

Elliott Brakebill Grade 8 Baylor School 171 Baylor School Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mr. Loftin Adventures With Baxter “I’m sorry sir, but we ask that you never set foot in this store, again with that dog!” Those were the words spoken to my Dad by a Pet Smart employee. Baxter, our golden retriever had been kicked out of obedience school! We should have known the training would be a disaster. From day one Baxter brought trouble. We had purchased him in Alabama when he was only twelve weeks old. He looked so sweet and adorable, but he was a handful! On our way down the mountain things went a little downhill. Baxter became sick in our brand new car. Thankfully, we had a towel! This was just the first of many bad experiences surrounding our pet. As Baxter grew, he ate the siding off our house, destroyed countless outside toys, and even ate my swing set. Once we were on vacation, and my aunt was supposed to feed him and give him water every day. This did not go very well. Baxter attacked her. She took her shoe off to whip him but he ran off with her flip-‐flop. My cousin had to retrieve it. My aunt refused to feed him again so my cousin took over. Thank goodness he likes dogs! Obedience school sounded like the perfect solution. Baxter needed training, and a whole lot of it. It was a chore just getting Baxter in the car. The first session we ended up leaving early because Baxter caused so many problems! He continually barked, distracted other puppies, and tried to jump on the Pet Smart trainer. A week later we thought he might be up for another lesson, but it was an even bigger nightmare. Baxter broke loose and was running through the store. He refused to sit, stay or shake. Finally, we were told that Baxter needed a personal trainer. He did not work well with others, and Pet Smart could not meet his needs. Shortly after Baxter was expelled from Obedience school, he escaped from our back yard. He had never been out by himself so he wondered off and was missing for almost two weeks. Even though Baxter caused so much trouble we missed him. We made posters, called local radio stations, and searched the neighborhood. We finally got a call from a sweet lady that had found him. The kind lady had purchased a dog house for him, kept him in her basement and even said she was sad to see him go. She even refused the reward money. We knew it was our Baxter when we drove up and he practically attacked us. We were happy to have him back. Through the years he has settled down and has become a great pet regardless of how our relationship began. He can ride in the car; he doesn’t steal people’s shoes, or go ballistic in Pet Smart. He has even learned a few tricks from his

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personal trainer. Though he has lead us on many adventures, I’m glad we choose Baxter as our pet. Brandon Bryant Grade 6 Heritage Middle School 4005 Popular Springs Road Mrs. Reeves Lemonade with Suzy On an especially warm Monday in the year 2006, I got the excitement of going to spend the day with my grandma, Suzy as we have always called her. I had a feeling I knew what we were going to do. We had a special secret that only we knew, what we always did when I went to spend the day with Suzy. Suzy lived in Hixson, Tennessee in a small, one story house with a screened back porch and a huge backyard that seemed to be miles long. She lived up on a hill that made it seem like the world revolved only around that little cream house with the bushes around it. In my mind, it was the house of Suzy, with comfy couches, bouncy beds, deep bathtubs, and sour lemonade. One summer, Suzy had bought single serving lemonade packets from Minute Maid. When I was five, I had the attention span of a fly, so I got bored easily. That summer day, I had become bored. We decided to make some lemonade. We picked up the pitchers from the cabinet, the lemonade packets, and the measuring cups and arranged them out on the kitchen counter. Suzy began to read out the directions while trying to see through her thick glasses. She asked me to pick up the cup and bring it to her. I obeyed. She held my hands in hers and put water in the pitcher until it reached the desired amount. She told me to pour the water into the pitcher. She opened the lemonade packets and poured the contents into the pitcher. She let me smell the inside of the pitcher after she had poured it in. The lemonade powder smelled sour. I was not too fond of the smell, but Suzy loved it. She got out one of her big wooden spoons and handed it to me. She told me to stir. I stirred for what seemed like hours, but it was actually only thirty seconds. Suzy told me I could rest for a second, and I was grateful. She tasted the lemonade. She smiled big and told me that my stirring had gotten it just right. She picked up the pitcher and poured two cups full of lemonade. She handed one to me and we sat out on her porch for hours, sipping lemonade and talking about my projects in art, how I can spell almost all of the farm animals, and how it was especially warm outside that day. Every time it was warm enough, we would always sit on her back porch and drink lemonade until our mouths were raw. At the time, I never imagined it to be anything special. In 2008, I realized how special it really was when Suzy became sick. She would not eat anything and laid on the couch for hours, reading the paper, doing the Sunday paper crossword puzzle, and drinking my aunt’s special banana smoothies. She stayed in my aunt’s house for months, just laying on the couch while my aunt desperately tried to coax her into eating some food. I watched helplessly

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from the other side of the room, not exactly knowing what was happening, but I knew it was not going good and that made me miserable. In September, Suzy passed away, peacefully, surrounded by her loving family and friends. Today, I cannot drink lemonade without thinking about that do-‐ nothing days in those blazing summers, and how special those days really were. Taegan Bunch Grade 6 Baylor School 171 Baylor Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Amy Cohen Rescuing Jews in Poland during the Holocaust During the Holocaust, over six-‐million innocent men, women, and children were murdered. The Holocaust was the systematic attempt by Nazi Germany to rid Europe of the Jewish race. Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany, considered the Jews to be racially inferior and a threat to the racial purity of Nazi Germany. The Holocaust happened throughout Europe, but most of the Jews were murdered in Poland. Only a small minority of Christian Poles risked their lives to save Polish Jews while the vast majority of Polish Christians stood by and did nothing. Because of the lack of Jewish assimilation and the amount of anti-‐Semitism, Poland was the most difficult country in which to rescue Jews. Because of the lack of Jewish assimilation in Poland it made rescuing Jews during the Holocaust very difficult. Most Polish Jews didn't blend into the Polish Christian society. They didn't blend in because the Jews and Polish Christians had been segregated for centuries. It was particularly difficult to hide Jews because the didn't look, act, or speak like Christians. The easiest way for a Jew to hide was to pretend to be a Christian. This was often hard because of the physical differences between the Jews and Polish Christians. Most Polish Jews didn't look like Polish Christians. Nechama Tec, the author of "Altruism and the Holocaust," writes, "...The easier it was for Jews to physically blend in with the rest of the population, the less dangerous it was to shield them" (Tec 348). The cultural differences between the two cultures also made it very difficult to blend in with the population. Most Polish Jews didn't know how to act like Christians. Tec states, "...[F]or centuries Poles and Jews had lived apart in two distinct cultural worlds. Each felt like a stranger in the world of the other, and distinctions between them permeated all aspects of life" (Tec 350). Language differences also made hiding Jews very difficult. Most Polish Jews didn't speak fluent Polish. Tec says, "In the last pre-‐war census of 1931, only 12 percent of the Jewish population identified Polish as their native tongue; the other 79 percent chose Yiddish, and the rest Hebrew. Most Jews could be identified by their faulty speech" (Tec 350). 187

Anti-‐Semitism was the second obstacle that made rescuing Jews in Poland more difficult. Anti-‐Semitism is commonly defined as the hatred of Jews. This hatred was particularly strong, wide spread, and long standing in Poland. High levels of anti-‐Semitism led to these three obstacles, the anti-‐Semitism of the rescuers, the possibility of becoming social outcasts, or being denounced. Hitler used the anti-‐Semitism to his advantage throughout the Holocaust. Frequently, rescuers became social outcasts because they were helping Jews. Tec states, "...Christian rescuers were likely to experience disapproval, if not outright censure from local countrymen" (Tec 350). Helping Jews meant that the rescuer had to overcome not only their own diffuse cultural anti-‐Semitism but also the diffuse cultural anti-‐Semitism of those in Poland. Diffuse cultural anti-‐Semitism is the sub conscious anti-‐Semitism by the Poles. Tec writes, "People tended to accept this form of anti-‐Semitism without much thought or awareness, and it was expressed in such widely used utterances as 'Be a good boy or the Jew will get you!' 'You are dirty like a Jew,' 'Don't be a calculating Jew!' and many, many others" (Tec 350). Tec explains, "...The explicit anti-‐Jewish ideologies and pervasive anti-‐Semitism that made helping Jews both a highly dangerous and disapproved activity[discouraged the rescuers]..." (Tec 350). Often Jewish rescuers would be turned in by a fellow Pole. Tec states, "In an environment with a strong anti-‐Semitic tradition, denunciations of Jews and their Christian protectors were more common..." (Tec 350). In areas of Poland with anti-‐ Semitism, even some of the Christian rescuers found themselves influenced by long-‐ taught anti-‐Jewish thoughts and believes. For all of these reasons the Poles were reluctant to save the Jews. Poland was the most difficult country in which to rescue Jews during the Holocaust. Because of the two main obstacles discussed above Poland proved to be the most difficult country in Europe in which to rescue Jews. The first was the lack of Jewish assimilation. Most Jews in Poland had a hard time pretending to be Christians because they didn't look, act, or speak like Polish Christians. Because of the anti-‐Semitic culture which existed in Poland, Polish rescuers are often overlooked in discussions about the Holocaust. Most people think only of the six million Jews that were murdered, or Hitler and Nazi Germany. The rescuers played an important role in the Holocaust, but for their efforts, countless additional Jews would've been murdered. Polish rescuers had to be brave, courageous, and willing to risk everything to save people that their culture taught them not to like. Polish rescuers had to find a way to hide the Jews, and keep this from the Germans for as long as needed. Polish rescuers need some credit, what they did was remarkable, they saved or attempted to save Jews in the most difficult country in Europe to save Jews. WORK CITED Tec, Nechama. "Altruism and the Holocaust." Social Education October 1995: 348-‐ 353. Hails Burnette 188

Grade 8 Baylor School 171 Baylor School Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mr. Loftin

Caught in the Middle

“Give it back,” I shouted at my older sister. My name is Kelly Noel and Heather, my older sister, had my homework dangling from her finger and Lily, my younger sister, just happen to wander into our room with our dog, Snowball. “Lily,” Heather started, “Would you like to color Kelly’s homework?” Lily snatched the homework from Heather’s hand and began to color on it. Wonderful, maybe my math teacher will understand what happened, not really. During math class, my math teacher called me to his desk and asked, “Do you understand that this is math class correct?” “Yes sir,” I replied, “See, my sister Lily grabbed it and began to color on it.” As our conversation went on, I received two demerits. Demerits are like tickets you are given, except there’s a limit to how many you get and so far, I have four. They were gifts given to me by my sisters. If I ever get ten, I must go to Saturday School which is detention. That’s not the worst part though. Heather made my day worse because she forgot to drive me home, and I knew she meant to do that because we are educated at the same school. My mom finally drove me home at five. Honestly, I try to isolate myself from my sisters at once after school. Luckily, my sisters didn’t even attempt to draw on my homework. Dinner time is the worst time to be with siblings in my opinion. One Friday afternoon, mom made us hot chicken noodle soup. I have nothing against my mom’s cooking, just my siblings. Lily didn’t like the soup because it was too hot. After a while, our parents went for a walk because Lily was taking too long to eat. Afterwards, she tried her soup, but it was too cold for her to eat. I needed a refill of water so when I came back, my soup and Lily’s soup was gone. Suddenly, out of nowhere, my sisters tossed Lily’s bowl at me, so I grabbed two forks and threw it at them. “Ah!” Lily shouted. Luckily, the fork missed both of them. However, the soup and bowl didn’t miss me. When mom and dad came home they noticed the mess. We were grounded. By “we” I mean Heather and I. Mom protected her and said, “She’s only four.” Soon the holidays arrived. Our family drove out to the nearest tree venders and bought a Christmas tree. My obstinate little sister always gets to put the first ornament on the tree. I wish I could do that. Heather doesn’t even care about Christmas. Every year, she goes to the Ninety-‐Nine Cent Store to buy Lilly and I gifts. Last year, she bought Lily a coloring book and me a pencil with a snowman eraser. Whenever she goes to get presents for mom and dad, she goes to the mall downtown. Last year, she bought mom a jewelry set and dad a gift card of fifty dollars to his favorite suite store. Every Christmas, Lily draws everyone a Christmas tree with ornaments. However, the presents from mom and dad are a lot better! I usually just buy something from the school bookstore with my allowance.

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On the last day of school, my sister was in a jubilant mood. She constantly kept telling Lily and me about how she’s going to spend her winter break driving to the mall to shop for shoes with her friends. Lily is just going to play with mom and annoy Heather and me. As for me, I have no major plans at all. All of my friends are traveling somewhere. However, I’m just going to sit back and relax this break, even if my sisters annoy me. At dinner time (the worst time of the day), mom made us lasagna before she and dad left for Candlelight. After dinner, I walked into my room (that I share with Heather) and just fell on the bed. “Hey,” Heather said, “Do you have any plans tonight?” “No. We’re still grounded because of Lily,” I replied. Heather began to walk towards me and announced, “Kelly, mom and dad had to go to a Candlelight remember?” “Of course. Why?” I asked. She made sure no one was watching and replied, “We’re going to get back at Lily.” Finally! Time for revenge, yet it would be risky. “What if we got caught again?” I shouted at her. Heather replied, “We aren’t.” How could be not get caught? Lily’s very sneaky and smart for her age. “What’s the plan?” I asked. Heather laid out a huge piece of paper and replied, “We are going to pamper Lily. However, it’s going to make her sick of herself. She can’t get us into trouble because we’re doing things she likes us or herself to do.” That plan is fool proof! “Heather… let’s do this!” I replied. We did everything Lily liked like Heather’s plan said to do. Soon, Lily became sick of the things that she liked to do. When mom and dad arrived back home, Lily explained all of the things that we did. Mom kept saying, “But you like to watch Dora the Explorer,” or, “But you like to eat ice cream.” Soon, Lily couldn’t say anything. We put her to bed and she said, “By the way, I know what you wanted me to do. I can take a hint! You both could have just told me anyway.” Wow. After a few days, Lily grew tired of annoying us. She grew up. Well, every now and then, she’ll give us a nasty little prank, but other than that, she and Heather have all became great sisters. This year, Christmas was fun. We all learned things that we didn’t know about each other. In conclusion, now my sisters and I are all friends. Julia Butler Grade 6 Girls’ Preparatory School (GPS). 205 Island Avenue Chattanooga TN, 37405 P.O. Box 4736 Mrs. McKenna Aliens: They aren't that scary I had just woken up, and I was still lying in my bed. I hadn’t opened my eyes yet, because I was too lazy to actually get up and walk around. It was the day after I had seen the space ship and I felt no different. It might’ve been a daydream, or, I might be going crazy. I still think that it was weird how the aliens let out that pulsing light. Hopping it was just a hallucination, I put my foot over the edge of my bed, but my foot somehow couldn't reach the floor. I opened my green eyes, and saw that my nose was right next to the ceiling. I was so surprised, that I fell onto the floor with a 190

thump, my red hair flowing behind me. I was in a daze, since most people don't wake up floating in the air! I was wondering what would have done this to me, and then it hit me -‐ it must have been radiation that the aliens put out! Haha, see, hit me? Get it? The radiation! It hit me! Hahaha… that was supposed to be funny… Anyways, I finally came out of my shocked state when my mom said, "Kimmie, time to go to school!" I looked over at the clock and it said, 7:45. I had to be at school by 8:01! Oh man! I thought. I'm not even dressed! "Ummm, Ok! I'll be down in a sec!!!!" I hurriedly put my school clothes on, and rushed downstairs. I rushed into the living room, grabbed my iPack, (a fancy backpack that looked like a disc and whenever you wanted something you just spoke it and it would just appear in front of you) and said a hurriedly said a goodbye to my mother. I ran outside and jumped on my hover board. I went full blast all the way to school, and I got in my seat a second before the bell rang. As we got to our seats the teacher started to talk about levitation. We all groaned because we had heard the topic a million billion times. I started to wonder off in to lala land to think about what had happened that morning. I came back down to earth when the teacher said, "Kimmie, what is then secret to levitation?" "Well, flying duh!" I responded. The class giggled as the teacher reddened in the face. "No, uhh, I-‐I mean, how do you actually levitate?” He stuttered, embarrassed. "Oh, well, you need to have a open mind and a loving heart." I said, happy with my response. "Very good! I didn't know that you were paying attention!" He says, and I smile proudly, showing off my pride. The teacher then says, "Now, everyone, try it!" Wait what? Seriously? I think to myself, He expects us to do this! Well I don't want to be considered a freak, so I'll wait till someone else does it. If somebody else does. A raven haired girl suddenly rises above the room, and so do I. The teacher looked astonished. "In all my years I never-‐" He is interrupted by a loud bell. It was the sound of a siren. All of the kids in my class exchanged worried glances, and all at once we ran for the door. We saw a ton of space ships in the sky, and once everyone was out, a voice emanating from the space ships said, "No formal customs are necessary, but I do need two of your humans in this pathetic city of yours. We need the one from the city Shamina, and the one from the city Zotiqua. I gasped wondering how they knew I was from Zotiqua. I nervously stepped forward, and saw the other raven haired girl step forward too. She must be from Shamina, "Wow." She said softly. "I haven’t seen a Zotiqian in years." "Umm, thanks." I said. "I'm Kimmie." "Nice to meet you, I'm Rachel." She replied. We both turned our attention back to the aliens as they said, "Good! Give yourselves up to us, and no one will get hurt. Fight back, and there will be dire consequences."

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They put down some weird lights that are about to immerse Rachel and I. We get caught in the weird light, and we both maneuver through the lights, bending the air at our will. I look down to see the people looking up at us astonished. The booming voice of the alien is heard again as it says, "You foolish mortals! You have endangered your tire race! Now I will destroy this planet!" As Rachel and I heard it, we locked eyes. We had only just met, but the two of us knew this was a burden we had to share together. As the aliens suddenly stopped putting out the energy, the space ships were perfectly still. Controlling the air, I flew over to Rachel. "A trap?" I asked. "Probably," she answered. "What do you think we should do?" I inquired. "The most unlikely thing to do, spring it." she said. Rachel and I flew toward it cautiously, and all of a sudden, the space ships did the most unlikely thing, they just disappeared! I was broken out of my mystified trance when I heard cheering! I turned around and saw the crowd cheering wildly for us. I was so amazed, I almost fell out of the air. I thought that the government would take us away to experiment on us! I thought people would think we were freaks! I landed on the ground and Rachel followed me. We were instantly hoisted onto people’s shoulders. We paraded around town and everyone was having a great time. The general came up to us and thanked us. He said, "Thank you, girls! They had entered our galaxy a while ago, and we thought we would just see if they were peaceful, but now you girls got rid of them, we’re going on a vacation to Hawaii! WOOHOO!” “Okay…that was very awkward.” I said. After that, everyone had a big party, and there was lots of cake. I was so happy about everything, so I leaned over and hugged Rachel. "Quit hugging me!" She said pushing me away. I smiled embarrassed. "Oops. Sorry. I'm just so happy people aren't mad at us!!!" I replied as I smiled and laughed. This, was going to be a great day. I just hope my mom isn't watching the news... Sydney Cansler Grade 6 Baylor School 171 Baylor School Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mr. Fleissner The Musical Box One cool and crisp October morning, I woke up to a strange dream...or so I thought. You see I was the new girl in a small town and didn't have many friends yet. 192

My family had just moved into the beautiful, small town of Hickory Creek. At school I was considered the “new girl” until one day I helped solve an ongoing murder investigation. My dream begins with me going on a walk one damp, foggy evening. I wanted to get out and discover my new neighborhood. I came upon a lonely old farm house on top of the hill just down from my house. I walked up the hill and onto the rickety front porch. I looked in the windows and it didn’t look like there was anyone that lived there. I opened the squeaky screen door and knocked on the door. When I did, the door opened. Me, being my curious self, I went in. The house appeared to be abandoned. It seemed like no one had lived in it for several years. The furniture was covered with old sheets and there were cobwebs everywhere. There was very little light coming in from the full moon that was out that night because the windows were so dirty and the drapes were so heavy. The staircase in the house looked a little dangerous, but I was drawn to the upstairs. So, I carefully made my way up the stairs. I checked out several of the bedrooms and in the last one that I went into, I found a beautiful jewelry box. I opened it and realized that it was a music box as well. Suddenly I heard a noise downstairs. I got very nervous because time had gotten away from me and it was getting dark very quickly. I picked up the jewelry box and headed down the stairs. I saw a shadow cross the in front of a side window on the porch. Hoping it was a cat or a tree in the wind, I ran out of the house, down the hill and straight to my house. As soon as I got home, I went straight to my room. I opened the jewelry box and began to look at the costume jewelry that was inside. There were a couple of small drawers on the jewelry box and the second one I opened had a note in it. I was hoping for a romantic note from a special love but what I found was a murder confession. Then I woke up. I was freaked out by my dream. It had seemed so real. I got up and started making my bed before I went downstairs for breakfast. Something on my dresser caught my eye. It was the musical jewelry box from my dream! I walked over to my dresser and slowly opened the drawer where I had found the note in my dream. The note was there! Had I actually found a real murder confession? I went downstairs to the kitchen where my mother was cooking breakfast and told her about my dream, the note and the box that was actually on my dresser. She said that we should call the police so they could take a look at it and see what they thought. A detective came to our house looked at the note and said he thought it was real! Three years before we moved to Hickory Creek, a man in our town named Thomas Whitfield had been murdered. The note I found had been written by his wife Mandy. The detective told us that his wife had disappeared without a trace shortly after Thomas' murder! Maggie Card Grade 7 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Woodson 193

They Want My Gold! Until she got sucked out of her backyard by what looked like a swirly hole in the wall, Maya thought her day couldn't get any worse. As you could guess, it started out horrible. Her brother had cut up her big history project due on Monday. Her sister had poured all the cereal out of the box and was walking around the house with a pot on her head banging on her plastic drum screaming “wake up!" Unlike most kids she loathed the weekends, because she had to be around the most annoying creatures on the planet for a whole 48 hours! So she went outside to her back yard to kick a soccer ball and blow off some steam. She was punting and heading the ball against the wall of her shed and all of a sudden a great big green and black swirly hole appeared in the wall and she was sucked into it. The next thing she knew she was standing in the middle of an old mining town. She stood up, dusted herself off, and started to explore the tiny town. She was admiring a gorgeous black stallion by the name of king thunder when a very tall guy walked up to her and with a very country accent said his name was Dusty. Maya thought that was a very appropriate name because every time he took a step a tornado of dust appeared at his feet. He asked her if she had heard about “them aliens on the wall of the town hall who wanted his gold”. She said no and asked to see the town hall, because the “aliens” might actually be what she had decided was the time warp that brought her there. Dusty showed her the the very crowded building and within seconds the hole appeared, ladies screamed and fled and in the middle of the chaos she was sucked in and was back at her house. She went inside wrestled a pencil from her brothers fingers and rewrote her history paper on an ancient mining town. Zoe Chamberlain Grade 6 Baylor School 171 Baylor School Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mr. Fleissner The Gladiator Jonathan squinted as the large iron doors opened. He grasped his sword tightly and felt a bead of sweat trickle down his brow. This was going to be his first time fighting in the arena. After six months of training he was told by Caleb, his trainer, that he was ready. Jonathan didn’t feel ready, he was sure he was going to die. He wanted to run away and hide. He was not a warrior, he was a farmer. He missed his home in Ephesus. Once he got his thoughts back in order and on the fight, a large club came towards his head. Jonathan ducked and dodged the blow just in time. He heard the blood thirsty crowd scream while he pierced the man’s heart. He hated the noise and the blood. He kept fighting and killing. He was going to earn his freedom. He had to. Jonathan wanted to see his loving mother and beautiful sister 194

again. He suddenly heard the crowd scream his name. Jonathan looked around him and only saw one man standing. He had heard about him. He was the best gladiator in all of Rome. Maybe he wasn’t going to earn his freedom after all. The man slowly walked toward him as if stalking his prey. Jonathan lunged at him and tried jabbing him in the leg. The man jumped and dodged the sword, going around Jonathan and behind him. He felt a sting in his left leg. It was the most painful feeling he had ever experienced. He fell on one knee and when the man stood up, Jonathan saw his opportunity. He stabbed the man’s thigh, and while he fell, Jonathan ran his sword right through the large man’s neck. Jonathan felt faint from the blood loss and started to sway. Two soldiers came up behind and carried him off the blood-‐stained sand. Before he lost total consciousness he heard the crowd scream his name. When Jonathan woke up, he was very confused. He thought he was at home, but then felt the cold stone against his cheek and was sure he was not at home. He opened his eyes and tried to get out of bed, but felt an awful pain in his leg. He fell back in the bed and heard the door open. A tall guard came in and brought him to Caleb. When Caleb gave him slap of pride on the back, he nearly fell over, but the guard held him up. “I am proud of you, slave.” Caleb said. “In one game you killed the best fighter in Rome and you will fight again next week.” Jonathan was confused. He was wounded, and he has killed so many men. How could anyone like him? Jonathan said, “Are you serious? In one week? I cannot fight that soon with an injured leg!” “You will.” Caleb said, again in authority. “I will teach you how to ignore your pain and give you special medicine to heal quickly.” So this was it, this was Jonathan’s life. Two years later Jonathan was becoming the most famous man in all of Italy. People from all around the world were coming to watch him compete in the games. Caleb was sitting in his office when a guard came in the door. “What is it?” Caleb said. “There is a woman waiting outside and she wants to talk with you, sir.” The guard told him. “Tell her to come in.” Five minutes later a woman entered the door. She had long wavy black hair and reminded Caleb of someone. He could not figure it out. “My name is Leah, and I have come to request a visit with one of your gladiators.” The woman said. Caleb said, “I will have to know who you need to speak with, if you don’t mind.” “The man’s named Jonathan, and I really need to speak with him.” She said. “Guard!” He yelled. “I need you to get Jonathan out of his cell and for you to bring him here at once.” When the door opened and Jonathan walked into the room a flash of recognition crossed his face. He smiled radiantly and ran to the women and picked her up in a large hug. She joyfully laughed and said “Oh Jonathan! We have missed you so much! Mother and I have thought you died in the attack.” “No, my sister. But I have become the best fighter in Rome.” He said with a smile. “Why are you here?” “I came here to watch you compete in the games. From what I hear this is your last game until you can earn your freedom. I have come to take you home.” She said happily. Caleb then realized that it was Jonathan that she reminded him of. They had the same nose and the same color of eyes. Then he said “Now that you guys have had your little reunion, maybe Jonathan can start practicing for his big game tomorrow.” Leah nodded, and after another brief hug, left the room. Jonathan had a hard time sleeping that night, he was so anxious to win the game and go home. He woke up in a daze and slowly got his armor on. The iron doors opened, and even though this happened every week, he felt nervous. He was almost never 195

nervous for a little game in the arena. He fought his hardest and for a split second looked at where his sister sat. She had a nervous look herself. That split second was the mistake of his life. For the man he was fighting wacked him in the face with the back of his hand. It was such a shock that he fell onto the ground. The man that threw him down took his sword and pierced Jonathan’s heart. Just before he took his last breath he looked in his sister’s direction. She was in tears screaming. He would not be a free man, but die a slave. Kayla Chupp Grade 8 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Woodson The Butterfly that Landed in My Waffles As I rubbed my eyes after I awoke form my deep slumber, I took in a huge breath of air. At first I was confused about what the air smelled like, then I realized it smelled like my mother had cooked me some waffles. I could smell all the syrup, the light fluffy waffles, and even the butter sitting on top of the waffles melting. I couldn’t wait to run into the kitchen and stab my fork into the stack of deliciousness. The smile on my face as I ran into the kitchen was the size of Texas. My smile grew bigger as soon as my eyes landed on the stack of waffles. They were golden brown, just the way I like them. The little scoop of butter on top had been smothered with the heavy drizzle of syrup over and over again to make a pool of perfection. Every single hole on my waffle had been filled with the sweet and delicious Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup. I couldn’t find my fork soon enough. I scrambled around the kitchen to find a fork and when I had finally found one, I sat in my chair and added a tad more syrup. I stuck my fork into the waffles and gave a little tug and a skinny string of syrup trailed close behind. I shoved the corner of my waffle into my mouth and it took me on a fieldtrip to heaven. A light tingling sensation ran throughout my body. I closed my eyes for a second to just enjoy the yummy, sugary waffles. Then I swallowed and my life went back to normal. I opened my eyes to find that a butterfly had flown in the window, which my mom had left open to let in the fresh summer air. The butterfly made its way to my waffles and landed in the pool of syrup. The butterfly squirmed and flipped and flopped and had gotten tangled in the swamp-‐like syrup. There was no way the butterfly would be able to get out all by herself. I had to do something, but what could I do to help the butterfly and not be hurting it at the same time? I stood up to pace back and forth. Maybe I could think of something to do that would help save the poor, trapped creature. Finally, I came up with the idea to find a fly swatter and scoop up the butterfly. I then decided to go a scavenger hunt to find a fly swatter. After looking through seven drawers and four cabinets, I found the bright pink fly swatter with the slightly bent handle. I slid the swatter underneath the butterfly and

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lifted up. The syrup, slowly but surely, dripped off the butterfly and landed in the sink. After about ten minutes of watching syrup drip from the butterfly, I turned the water on to a light trickle. I placed her directly under the water and held her there until all the leftover syrup that didn’t drip off, rinsed off. I turned the water off and sat the wet butterfly on the paper towel. As she flapped around you could see the paper towel soaking up the water that continued to fall off the butterfly. When the butterfly had finished prancing around the paper towel, she began to flap her wings. Her wings would open wide to show the beautiful design on the back, then they would close tightly back together. She repeated this pattern at a faster speed with each flap until she had reached the window sill. When her little, black feet reached the cold, white window sill she quit flapping her wings. She stared out the window then turned back and to look at me. The butterfly gave me a smile. It was the smallest smile I’ve ever seen, but probably the largest smile she’d ever given. She turned around and fluttered out the window. From what I could tell, she never once looked back. I stood looking out the window until she had flown out of site. I shut the window so I wouldn’t get anymore unexpected visitors then I headed back to my seat where my waffles had been waiting for me. I wanted to dig into my waffles but before I could, I had to add another scoop of butter, one more waffle, and a few more drizzles of syrup. Now my waffles were once again perfect. Joy Clark Grade 8 Heritage Middle School 4005 Poplar Springs Road, Ringgold, GA 30736 Mrs. Carlock The Illness It was quick, strong, and compact. It traveled in a group; its companions were those in the air. They twirled and danced, laughing manically at our fear. We had to escape the illness. I walked briskly, carelessly letting my silky dress flood the ground, magically lifting away, then flooding again. I held on tight to my half-‐sister’s hand-‐ my father’s child. Her light brown curls bouncing with each step. A half skip-‐half run to match my hasty gait with her stubby legs. “Come Isabeal,” I mouthed to her. My family followed-‐ one sister, twin brothers, step-‐mother, father. I turned back-‐ my house. It was a steel red, equivalent to stale blood. It was my home. It was a sanctuary. The stone walls dripped with sadness and longing. The illness demolished everything. Not only you; your feelings, your mind, your love. It also infects abiotic themes. The house I lived in for all 17 years of my life suddenly crumbled. Everything gave way. I watched my father’s face. He had built the house. Every stone was placed by him. We had to keep on. Like a soldier’s march, I will not gaze at the past, but be set on the future. My family and I will go to Promised.

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Refugees were already there. I picked up Isabeal, easing her of stress. She wrapped her strong arms around me. Even if she was seven-‐ she was light. If I slowed down even for a second again, I would forget Isabelal’s tight hold. Or my brothers’ strong companionship. Eliza and her red hair, all would be forgotten. Like the house, I would crumble; to never recall why I ever wanted to walk, run, or even breath. So many have been taken already. My real mother was kind and generous. She was shown love by everyone, and she showed love to everyone. It wasn’t an opinion, but fact. She was one of the first to know what the illness felt like. How it spread through your body, slowly; ever so slowly. But to those around you it was minutes, no-‐ seconds. I saw the tragedy. Her dark brown hair suddenly turning a white-‐gray from the roots. Her hazel eyes echoed fear. I was reading a book to her. It was her favorite: If Oly. It was about a boy, brave as anyone, who traveled the world with only a compass. Is it true? She believes so. “Crimson! It’s spreading faster!” I didn’t want to smile, but I did. Of course it was. Of course it wasn’t going to just give up on us. It would want to catch us, but first only play with my family. “Sister!” I turned around, seeing Eliza fall behind. My father grabbed her waist, pulling her with us. She threw him off hastily. She screamed at us. Only gibberish was flooding out of her mouth. Our neighbors thought she is strange, her red hair contrasting against the strong background of dark brown curls. But how is she strange? Her fear is just like mine, and my father’s. It spreads throughout the fingertips, down to the last nerves. Fear makes us survive. Not always in the way we expect. Survive is a word of strong independence, yet you can share it with others. Eliza’s eyes are like Mothers’. Even though she is fifteen, gray is sprouting in her hair. I feel myself overcomed with a sick sort of sorrow. It’s a complicated sorrow. Eliza suddenly throws herself to the ground. By now, all of my family has stopped to watch my beautiful and young sister stare up at us with terrifying eyes. She has no pupil. She stares at us. I feel like she has grabbed our thoughts, then claimed them as her own. “We must...” Step-‐Mother whispers. For once, I agree with her. We must go. We need to get away from this terrible scene. Eliza’s fate is concealing us in a tiny bubble. We all have seen the destruction, but maybe she is different. We all are hoping. “Run! Run, Crimson!” Someone is tugging my arm. I can’t run, though. My legs don’t seem to work. All my energy is spent. I open my eyes to see the darkness. I welcome it. I can’t stand it. I don’t want to fight anymore. I feel arms picking me up. They carry me away. I find myself awake. In an area of supreme comfort. There’s a window, giving light to the room. There’s a mystical trance to the area. I’m in a bed of soft cushions. Embroidered quilts cover me. I fold them over, and stand up. My dress is replaced with an orange skirt, with a white shirt. I walk over to the only door in the room. I walk out, and realize I’m in Promised. I see my family. They run to me, enveloping and embracing me tightly. I realize there is one soul missing. “Where is Eliza?” I ask, confused. My father takes me hand, then explains. First simply, but I don’t understand. I can’t bring back anything. Only names. And little details. A house. My dress. The land Promised. 198

I lock myself in my room, struggling to figure out what happened based on my father’s story. As I go on with life, as in sleeping, eating and drinking, and showers, I realize I’m starting to forget even more memories. I forget who died that die. My real mother is now just a dream. I’m thinking of life. Is the illness alive? “Hello?” There’s a knock on the door. Haggard, I walk to the door and it slowly opens. A little girl comes into my room. “What’s wrong, Crimson?” Crimson. It sounds so familiar to me. Then I realize. I’m Crimson. I gaze at the... the... I don’t know how old she is. I think she’s my... sister? No-‐ half-‐sister. Didn’t I have another sister? I felt my conscious slipping. I felt loose and inanimate. I let go of the strings of my puppet-‐body. Cyan Cox Grade 7 CSLA 6579 East Brainerd Rd. Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Blentlinger Put it Together How to create a good volleyball play Every coach wants to see a good play on the volleyball court. But how do you accomplish that goal? First of all, you need to know the basics; how to bump pass, how to set, and how to spike. Then, once you’ve got all those moves down, you can put them together to make a play. The first move you need to know is how to bump pass. Good form is important for getting the ball up and high for the setter to set. A strong platform is key. To create one, make one hand into a fist and cover it with the other. KEEP YOUR THUMBS DOWN!!! If you catch a ball on your thumbs while they are up, you can easily hyperextend or jam one of your thumbs. Do not bend your elbows when passing, this is the main part of a strong platform. To add power and height to your pass, use your legs, your arms should make little movement. To direct your pass, point your platform in the direction you want it to go, which is usually towards the setter. If you are facing sideways to your target, drop the shoulder closest to it to angle your pass. If the ball that is coming to you is at shoulder level or above, set the ball, do not bump pass it. Let’s move onto setting. Setting is important because it gets the ball up for the hitters to spike. Strong hands are a key to a good set. First, shape your hands so that they will curve around the ball. Make sure your fingers are spread apart and that your thumbs are back, or you could hurt them the same as you could in passing. Raise your hands right above your forehead, that’s where you should receive the ball when setting. Your arms should only be extended after you set the ball, not before. Use your legs to help gain power and height for your set, just like in passing. Now, for spiking. Spiking can get points for your team. 199

Samantha Dove Grade 8 Hixson Middle School 5681 Old Hixson Pike, Hixson, TN 37343 Mrs. Carrie Bishop Emma Takes a Stand Long Ago in the faraway kingdom of Astro-‐plain lived a beautiful princess named Emma. Her kingdom had golden brick roads, crystal towers, and clear blue skies all year long as the people rejoiced. The kingdom was ruled by Prince Rick and Princess Emma. They both rule their kingdom with loving hearts and Astro-‐plain lived in peace for many years until one dark and stormy day an evil wizard named Icey cast a curse on the land. Trees became ill and as the sky filled with darkness,the people’s rejoicingstopped. The only sign of hope left is the old maple tree on the hill. That very day war was declared on Icey, and it has been that way for many years until now. It is the princess’ 21th birthday and she has been distant from her kingdom ever since the war was started. She stays under the maple hoping that the war will end soon in the favor of the kingdom. “Princess Emma, your ball is starting in one hour.” cried maid Daisy as she ran towards the tree. “Where have you been, everyone is looking for you!” “How can I celebrate this occasion when my people are suffering?” asked Emma. “I truly wish to help my people, but how can I when I don’t know how?” Boom! Crash! Pow! As fast as lightning Emma ran towards the large, grey cloud in front of her castle with tears streaking down her cheeks. “No!” she cried at the sight of ten of her servants dead, crushedby sheet rock. “Icey will pay!” screamed Emma. Suddenly a low whimper came through the sheet rock. Swiftly she began to dig through the rubble. At last she found a small wolf pup with a silver grey coat and ocean blue eyes. It whimpered in pain. “It’s alright now, your safe with me.” Emma whispered to the pup. “I’ll call you Rocky.” As Emma slowly took Rocky to her room she began to think. “Icey must pay for the loss of my people.” She finally reached her room and laid Rocky on her golden tapestry bed to rest. Slowly she walked to her white vanity dresser and set her hair into a ponytail. Next she walked to her closet and put on a suit of bronze armor and grabbed her lucky, silver bracelets. “If my army can’t end the war, I will!” shouted Emma. At exactly midnight she woke Rocky and ran into the stables to unlock Thunder, the black stallion. With Thunder, they charged to the maple tree. Emma set a small note on the highest branch she could reach that stated: Dear Daisy, I have left to end the war; don’t look for me I’ll be alright. 200

Sincerely, Emma Swiftly Thunder galloped over the cinder block wall and into the army’s camp. By then it was sunrise and the soldiers were up storming Icey’s castle at the front gate. As stealthy as a mouse, they creped through the camp until they reached a thin rope bridge on the side of the castle. The rope bridgecrossed a river of molten lava that suddenly ended in the distance. Roar! Roar! Boom! Out of nowhere popped a ferocious dragon.It had forest green scales, glowing red eyes, and a firey dragon breath. Roar! Suddenly it shot out a breath of fire at the wooden bridge in front of Emma. Clang! It hit a striking, silver sword. Quickly Emma grabbed the sword and charged at the dragon. Thud! The ferocious dragon let out a painful sigh as it fell down and disappeared into a yellow mist. Carefully Emma and Rocky walked over the bridge and through the silver plated gate, into Icey’s castle. The castle had mossy dragon statues at the corners of the walls that were so life like that it felt like they would have come alive any second and attack. Suddenly a thick grey mist rolled into the castle covering everything in sight. “I’ve been expecting you for day’s now,Emma.” bellowed Icey out of the center of the mist. “Your reign of terror is over Icey.” Shouted Emma as she ran towards Icey with her silver sword. Clang! Emma missed and her sword was now stuck in the dreary walls of the castle. Swiftly Icey ran out of the room to try to make her escape saying “This isn’t the last of me, I’ll be back!” Without missing a beat Emma chanted “U Rama king tum,” a spell she learned in her studies. Icey was frozen and the castle began to crumble beneath their feet. As they swiftly ran out they noticed that the castle was falling into the freezing cold lake water, and that Icey was going to fall in too. With her kind heart shinning through Emma grabbed Icey’s hand and pulled her onto safer ground as the rest of the castle plummeted into the lake. Icey began to shimmer and float in the air. Boom! A rainbow mist showered Icey and suddenly Emma saw who she really was. “Thank you for saving me, I was trapped by an evil witch’s spell and now it is broken for only someone with a true hero’s heart could save me.” Icey was actually the long lost princess of Astro-‐plain, Emma’s twin sister Wendy. Suddenly a large rainbow swept over the land breaking the curse. The people began to rejoice as the trees sparkled with life and the sky filled with sunshine. Emma, Wendy and Rocky hopped onto Thunder as they dashed back through the camp and over the wall to celebrate the return of the long lost princess and the hero who saved her. Samantha Eddy Grade 6 Hixson Middle 201

5681 Old Hixson Pike Hixson, TN 37343 Mrs. Holloway 5/10/1802 Dear Mia, Though I would have given anything to at least say the words “good-‐bye” to you, but I was never able to. In fact, I was kidnapped, with lots of other children, men, and women. Everyone is stacked on top of one another, locked up. Luckily for me, I am on top. I’m on top of a pile with other teenage girls, just like me. My chains are defective, so with struggle, I can slip in and out of my chains. I do this quite frequently, because our guard is never present. When he is there though, no one is happy. Even though I have no clue why, it seems like he hates us. All of us. I don’t even know what I’ve done. Lately I’ve been trying figure out some of the kidnappers background… judging by their skin and accents, they are probably Americans. They treat us worse than my family treats mice that get into our food. They give the whole me about two bites of bread a week, and salt water that is probably from the ocean every three days. I have gotten noticeably skinnier since I was kidnapped. My guess is, when we get to America (or wherever else they could be taking us) we won’t be treated any better. Our guards keep calling us things like “slaves,” and saying that is all we are. He also told me that after my auction, this boat will seem like a place where we want to be. I highly doubt that will ever be true. But, you never know what to expect-‐ especially when you don’t know what any of these words mean. This letter will probably never reach you, but it was nice getting all my feelings and thoughts out for once rather than keeping them all locked up inside day and night. May Jesus bless you. Sincerely, Zhenia As she finished jotting down her name, she relaxed her neck from the uncomfortable position she had been craning her neck in to write the letter. She let the cloth that she had torn from her dress to write the letter on to the floor as she squeezed her hand to get it through the chains. When she was done, she checked once more to see that there were no peers that would whip her for escaping, cut off her food supply, and make sure that she was on the bottom of the pile of helpless humans. There was no one. She slipped the cloth in through the hole that she had seen just minutes before. It was high enough and small enough that it wouldn’t allow the ship to flood, but just big enough that she could slip her message through it. Boiling up inside of her was the feeling of doubt that Mia would ever receive it, but she felt good, writing an entire letter, and slipping it through a hole with no one seeing it. She had proved to her self one thing: she wasn’t anything that the captors told her she was. Who’s stupid now? She thought. 202

Gussie Gaston Grade 7 CSLA 6579 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Blentlinger Pretty Pretty. It’s actually kind of a funny word. When you think about it, the word pretty isn’t really a pretty word at all. It’s just two consonants jammed together and sounds as awkward as a bull in a china shop. Pretty. It even looks awkward on paper. But we humans are brainwashed. Every time we see or hear the word pretty, we think of something positive; some beautiful, cute, perfect female that most females strive to be, when in reality, the sound of the word pretty isn’t even pretty. So why does this inelegant, almost ugly sounding word bring such beautiful thoughts into our heads? The word pretty can also be pronounced differently. In a deep southern drawl, pretty becomes pree-a-dee. In Britain, they would pronounce pretty as pri-tee. In most of America, though, pretty is pronounced pri-dee. It’s likewise with people; a tall brunette girl can be pretty while a short blonde is simultaneously just as pretty. There are obviously all different kinds of pretty. So why can one girl be prettier than the next? In olden times, pretty was usually someone pale. Once, pretty was even perceived as someone heavy. Now, pretty is usually exactly the opposite; someone tan and thin. The image of pretty we have changes over time. Why? Because of society. Society has pushed an idea of pretty into our minds for thousands of years, changing and twisting the definition of it over long periods of time like a bone morphing into a fossil. Presently, society tells us that pretty is someone tall, skinny, and tan, with perfect facial features. But imagine, without society constantly telling us what’s pretty, what really is pretty? This is where the old saying comes in, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” And this saying is, in fact, true. Without society stuffing these ideas down our throats, pretty is what you decide. Even with society and their notions, individuals can determine what they find pretty. So all anyone has to do is establish for themselves that they are that abstract thing; that they are pretty, and they will be. Katharine Gruber Grade 8 Signal Mountain Middle School 2950 Sam Powell Trail, Signal Mountain TN 37377 Mrs. Harwood

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The End I watched as the house across the street burned, the flames slowly licking up and down. I liked watching them. They enticed me. The blazing embers grew and morphed, changing colors as they danced. I wished I could be fire. Always moving, never the same shape or form. I’d overlooked the fires at first. They were nothing. The fires were simply another part of my poor, pathetic life. Until the nuclear plant exploded. The blaze was beautiful and complex. The warmth prickled my skin. I had never felt such a desire to feel pain. The feel of cinders and ashes hitting my skin awakened me. It was an addiction, an inescapable addiction in my new world. I stared. I moved from the window. The flames were diminishing and I had more important things to do. My addiction would not take away my life. I ran upstairs to take a shower. The clock read six twenty nine. I waited for a minute, then turned the nozzle for hot water. Quickly, I stepped in. The water would only run for less than thirty seconds due to the water rationing. Cold water splashed my face. From the minute I had turned the nozzle I’d know cold water was going to come out. It was always the fact of trying, of hope. The hope that maybe the hot water would pour out and onto my face, my hands, my body. The hope that life would become normal again. I knew that none of that would ever happen, not even the slightest bit. The water stopped flowing and I grabbed my towel off the rack. I dressed in my tattered jeans and faded graphic t-‐shirt as well as my old running shoes. I grabbed my hoodie as I headed out the door. The stale air of Arizona hit me instantly. It seemed like the heat intensified as I made my way to my car. I unlocked the doors and slid into the front seat. The rumbling of the engine started when I placed my key in the ignition. I backed out of the driveway and drove towards Downtown. I was greeted by the whirring and clicking machines. They had a steady rhythm. Click-whirr-click- click-whirr-whirr. I headed to the back of the building and sat in my designated spot: number 2351. I began my tedious work with statistics. How much food does the United Regions have until the people cannot be feed? the screen read. I stifled a scream. I did not want to know how much longer I had to live, especially not from the United Regions. I hesitated for a moment, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. I slowly, slowly, slowly typed in my identification. I hit the enter button. I began my work. Several hours later, something was wrong. It hung over me like an oncoming summer storm. I still hadn’t answered the question, but I had to know why something felt wrong. I entered my identification code, requesting an early break. Released early, I slunk past the other workers. As I made my way to the other side, it got more humid. The A/C must be broken. Everything in this building’s broken. I took off my hoodie and tied it around my waist. I kept moving until I reached the dividing door, separating the statistics from the factory. I laid my hand on the door and twisted the knob. A blast of smoke-‐smelling air hit me in the face as I opened the door. Orange flames erupted around me. I instantly shut the door. Fire. Fire. There was a fire in

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the factory. I resisted the urge to yell to everyone. It would cause more panic than necessary. The door to the factory was fire proof, right? I returned to my work area. Minutes passed and the fire still hadn’t burst through the door. I continued with the question I had too long neglected. A loud noise interrupted my work. I knew that sound. It was a sound all too familiar. A sound ingrained in my head, forever in my memory. FIRE, FIRE, FIRE. FIRE! Chaos erupted around me. People were scrambling for the exits. All the doors were locked. I stayed where I was, waiting for the end. We had been warned that if a fire ever occurred the doors would be sealed to prevent the fire from spreading. They were new precautionary measurements since the Drought. I crouched on the floor to avoid the smoke. I couldn’t escape the smoke. I knew that. But just like the shower, it was the possibility that something different might happen, that the smoke may suddenly disappear. Could that be possible? I wondered. I thought about my life, my fifteen years of life. Wasted. I had done nothing of value. I had suffered and battled through everything the Drought and the United Regions had thrown at me, which didn’t amount to anything. What have I done? I thought. Will it affect where I go? The last question I’d asked caught me off guard. My father had never been religious. Neither had my brother. I don’t think it’s that we didn’t believe in an afterlife or a god, just we didn’t know which god and afterlife we believed in. I wanted to believe in something. Anything at the moment. I wanted to secure my place in the afterlife. I didn’t want to be stuck. I heard the fire get closer. My skin felt like pins and needles. I longed for the fire. I found myself involuntarily moving nearer to the blazing monstrosity. I kept moving towards it. Stop, I told myself. My body froze. I laid down and closed my eyes. I’m waiting for my brother to come home, I thought. I’m sleeping so when he wakes me up I’ll be ready to go see Daddy. I waited for the fire to consume me. My last thought was, I never finished my work. Makayla Harmon Grade 7 CSLA 6579 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Blentlinger Mapping the Landscape of Plot In his exposition, Jules Verne introduces a handsome yet charming man named Phileas Fogg, the protagonist in Around the World in Eighty Days. This book is written from third-‐person omniscient because you know what Phileas Fogg’s thoughts are, as well as other characters like Passepartout, Mr. Fix, Aouda, and a few other minor characters. There is a reason, I think, that it is written in third person omniscient, and the reason is that you need to understand why Mr. Fix is following Fogg around the 205

world. If you did not know this then a lot of the story would be pointless in this historical-‐fiction book. This book is set in the late 1800s in England, India, China, and a lot of other places. I immediately know what Phileas Fogg looks like in just one sentence. When Verne writes, “[h]e appeared to be a man about forty years of age, with fine, handsome features, and a tall well shaped figure, his hair and whiskers were light, his forehead compact and unwrinkled, his face rather pale, his teeth magnificent” (5). Finally, I think (about the exposition) that the mood of the story quickly comes up. I feel kind of calm in the beginning; but, like a snap of a finger, I soon feel impatient when Mr. Fix tries to delay Fogg’s ways of transportation. I found myself cheering for Phileas Fogg to “get on that train” or other things like that. In the exposition of Around the World in Eighty Days, the narrator reveals Phileas Fogg’s main conflict is character versus life. Fogg is constantly battling the environment and mostly time because he has to make trains and steamers in time to go across the world in time to win the wager he made with his friends at the club. The wager was that he could make it around the world in eighty days, and if not, he owed his friends 20,000 pounds. Of course, if he won, he gets that money. Therefore, the inciting incident occurs when Phileas Fogg agrees to the wager. He says, “I will bet twenty thousand pounds against anyone who wishes, that I will make the tour of the world in eighty days or less” (12). I think that Fogg, at that point, was very confident that he could do it even though different conflicts may apply like time or environment. If Fogg had never bet his friends then the story would have never occurred. The inciting incident in Around the World in Eighty Days occurs when Phileas Fogg agrees to the wager for 20,000 pounds, that he can travel the world in eighty days. Fogg’s goal is to go around the world but some conflicts come on the way too. These conflicts are mostly part of the rising action including saving a woman, named Aouda, and switching from train to train or to a steamer. When Fogg begins his journey, he is soon followed by a police detective named Mr. Fix. Fix says more than once, “I’ve got my man” because he wants to capture Fogg by delaying him so he can get a warrant for Fogg’s arrest (35). That is the first major event in the rising action. The second major event in the rising action is when Fogg and Passepartout, Fogg’s butler, try to save a beautiful woman named Aouda from death row. “Sometimes, when I have the time” is what Phileas Fogg says before they attempt to save Aouda (40). He says this in response to the men with him who are trying to help. The third major event in the rising action is when Fogg, Aouda, and Passepartout miss the “Yokohama” steamer by a day. The problems snowball from there because the next steamer is not due until the next morning. Passepartout gets in trouble again, too. These events lead the reader to the climax because he is still battling time there. In the climax of Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne, Phileas Fogg reaches London, but not on time. Fogg’s mood all of the sudden changes to a depressed mood and actions. Aouda and Passepartout both think that it is their 206

fault that Phileas could not make it back to London on time. Aouda says to Fogg, “will you have me for your wife?” which is a definite turning point for the book (157). Fogg agrees and sends Passepartout to tell the judge about the wedding. As Passepartout is trying to set up the wedding, he discovers that they actually made it on time. Passepartout tells Fogg the news, and then Fogg goes to the saloon to find his friends there waiting for him as if he were on time. The Climax is close to the end of the book and once it hit this point Phileas Fogg was never the same again. I felt that Phileas Fogg seemed changed because he realized different things are more important than leading the same life every day. In the falling action of Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne, Phileas Fogg’s conflicts are reversed and resolved. In the beginning of the book, Phileas Fogg is desperate to win the wager he agreed upon and he lives and does the same thing every day. He changes from that to, surprisingly, someone that does not care about the wager because he “lost” it. The events that take place during the falling action are that Mr. Fogg and Aouda decide to get married and Fogg wins the bet. If I chose a symbol to represent Phileas Fogg it would be an English bank note because throughout the story he buys himself and Passepartout out of a lot of trouble. I would choose another symbol for Fogg at the end of the book too. A clock could represent Fogg at the end of the book because that is what he has been battling all the way through the book “[f]or to-‐morrow, Monday” (157). First, he was desperate to win the bet but at the end he wanted to marry Aouda. Therefore, the denouement showed how Fogg changed from the beginning to the end. The book Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne, is a must read book. Justin Hensley Grade 7 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1219 West Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Picone Who Picked Who? I stepped into the music room and noticed the four shiny instruments laying flat on the grey carpeted floor. There in the middle of the classroom, Mrs. Leopold was awaiting our arrival. “Just come and sit down,” she said. Something in her tone told me that she was just as excited as I was. After the whole class filed in and got settled, she happily walked over to the glistening instruments. “Ok, I will start from the left and work my way right,” she said. I was in the middle of the first row. When she finally got to me, I felt a mixture of emotions. My throat tightened, and my stomach did flips. As she held each of the instruments up to my mouth, I slowly leaned in to play them. First the trumpet, then the other ones. Each time, an impish, squeaky noise came out. She finally held up the last one, the clarinet. “Ok,” she said patiently, “give it a try.” As I blew on the wooden mouthpiece, I noticed that something just felt…right.

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A sound like a music note came out of the clarinet, and I smiled with satisfaction as Mrs. Leopold made her way through the rest of the students. I listened to the squeaks and whistles of the other students picking their instruments. I knew that I had just found a new friend in this clarinet…or had it found me? We would be spending a lot of time together in the next few years. Mitchell Hibbs Grade 6 Normal Park Museum Magnet Upper School 1219 W. Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Brown My Piece of Bark I sprinted through the forest, rustling the undergrowth and sprang as high as I could over a mossy log. I stopped running and jumping noticing an odd piece of bark piece on a foot of a tree with its gnarled roots. At that time I saw it, I snatched it, grasping it in my hand, not even thinking of letting it go. The bark, folded and brown, lay on the palm of my hand curled up. It gave me a confused expression, as though this piece of bark was… different as though it gave a feeling to everyone who picked it up. The sunlight filtered through the trees, giving way to a sandy path. Taking that path, I noticed the glazed scarlet red, blazing orange, and bright yellow maples. I looked at the bark of the trees more closely. They had a pattern of two swirls and one brown dot. I snatched it up. These wrinkles reminded me of my grandfather. The crispy part of it reminded me of the chips I ate on the fourth of July. The brown coloring of it reminded me of my hair. The smell of the wax reminds me of the crayons I used on my first day of school in kindergarden. All these things made my life. The piece of bark is the part of bark that I live and breath on a tree. I am the piece of bark. Audrey Hill Grade 6 Baylor School 171 Baylor School Road, Chattanooga TN 37405 Amy Cohen Undiscovered Woods During the long, hot summer my friends and I went hiking through what we called heaven. Each step we took we had seen nothing we'd seen before. Although getting their took five of the most respected minutes of walking through never ending woods, but the walk payed off. It all started one day when my friends and I were playing on a four wheeler trail near our houses. In peticular, my friend Trent and I crawled under a rusty barbwire fence that had a sign on it that said, '' NO TRESPASSING ''. That sort of thing scared us and put daring images in our heads. After we crawled through 208

the barbwire fence, Trent and I heard a low waterfall type of noise ahead. We walked over to it and seen a small, windy stream that seemed to never end. Since Trent was a big outdoor and hunter type of kid, so he had an idea of following it and seeing where it ended. As we followed the stream the ditches got narrower and deeper. All of a sudden the stream ran out , and Trent and i found ourselves gazing at a wide open field with flowers and tall grass blowing with the wind. We had nothing else to say, but to picture mental images of what we thought heaven looked like. When we walked a little further, Trent knowing the stream had to end up somewhere, we heard a strange noise. It was the sound as if a large waterfall approached. Trent walked a few steps and there he seen an unimaginable creek with twists and ripping currents. It was about four to five feet deep and, when I bent my weak legs over I touched the water and it felt like their were freezing waves going through my blood and veins. When we turned around our friends Dylan and Tyson were staring in amaze at what they had seen. My friend Tyson was a daredevil, so we told him to climb over the creek where a tree had just fallen over. As we walked over to it we seen the clearest blue water we had ever seen. Each step we took it was the smell of freshwater coming to our noses. When Tyson got on the tree Trent pushed him off. With everyone laughing, Tyson was flipping and flopping to get out of the frostbite water. Tyson was soaked and all of us was astonished to the sound of an old man screaming, ‘what are you doing on my property. ‘Following our instincts we all ran trying to lose the old man’s dogs on our trail. When we got back to the trail we all fell down with our hearts beating abnormal. The treasures in the undiscovered woods kept us going back and taking more friends. With each time, it never failed we all run out sprinting. Looking back on the trips what kept us going back was the thrill of getting chased and the creek. Each time we went back to the creek we would pick up huge rocks with three or four crawdads underneath them. Next summer me and my friends are planned to go to a giant sinkhole, found by one of our friends on the other side of the creek. Daniel Wayne Jernagin Grade 8 Heritage Middle School 4005 Popular Springs Road, GA 30736 Mrs. Parham Meatball Sub It was a Tuesday. I was hungry. I went to the refrigerator. Looking in, I found cheese and meatballs. I had some bread handy, so I made a meatball sub. I put it in the oven. The Monterey Jack cheese began to melt. The meatballs started to sizzle. The bread began to toast. Finally, it turned into a meatball sub. I put so many meatballs on it, the meatballs reached ten feet high! When I took my first bite, the meatballs fell off my sandwich and rolled away! The problem was, those were our last meatballs. Meatballs are very valuable in our house, because I have three brothers. I decided to run after them. They rolled down the hall, out the door, and on to the ground! They rolled out in the road and started to pick up speed, until they heard the sound of police sirens. The meatballs were going as fast as they could, but the police started 209

to gain on them. Risking it all, the meatballs decided to run a red light. When they rolled into the oncoming traffic, a car plowed right into them. I was going to eat them, but my mom said I wasn’t allowed to eat road-‐kill. I was so tired that night, I went to bed at 7 o’clock. The moral to this story is, keep the front door shut when you make a meatball sub. Elliot Long Grade 6 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Mrs. George Scissors or Knives Many girls and boys don't like school. Some don't like it because of the work or the tests. But Kim did not like it because of the librarian. She thought the librarian, Miss. Brock, was evil. Every week Miss. Brock would fill with rage and eat a book! The only thing was no one knew if this was truly true or not. No one knows why she did but they all thought this because every week there would be one less book in the library. Kim and her friends called it a "rage spasm". One day while Kim was in the city walking down her favorite street, Sesame Street, she spotted Miss. Brock walking into a knife and scissors store. “What is she doing in there?” Kim asked herself. She walked past the small shop and peaked in. She did not see Miss. Brock anywhere. Kim went inside but still did not see her. Kim overheard the storekeeper talking to someone and snuck over to where he was standing. She heard him say to Miss. Brock, “Why would you need another one when you bought two last week?” “They aren't sharp anymore and I can't cut the kids out that way!!!” Miss. Brock replied. Kim was terrified. Was she buying scissors or knives? Why did she want to cut the kids? Right then Miss, Brock and the storekeeper started to walk over to where Kim was hiding behind a box. Right then she realized the box said NEW KNIVES! What was she to do?! Kim was so terrified she did not see the box also said AND SCISSORS. As they got closer, Kim started to panic even more! When they got so close that Kim almost whimpered, she hoped up and ran to the door. The little bell jingled wildly as she flung the door open. She ran till she got to the corner. She did not want to be caught by the librarian. When Kim got home, she was shaken. She could not focus on her homework so she decided to read one of her favorite book series, Nancy Drew. Kim flopped down on her bed, which made a creaking sound when she bounced up. Kim loved how Nancy Drew would always solve the stories. These books were always Kim’s favorite. The next day at school, Kim tried to avoid the library. She did very well at doing so because she did not have to go to the library all day. But then she had to go to the library (of course) and pick a rainforest animal and research it. This meant a whole class in the library! “That's just great!” She said to her best friend Alex. “How am I supposed to avoid the library if I have to go to the library to do library related stuff?! In the library!” Kim was so upset and was talking fast with nonsense words that Alex 210

just replied with “What?" And "I don’t know what you just said but just avoid Miss. Brock.” Alex did not know the whole story but had a point. Then Kim went to the library. Kim slipped into class and the teacher did not even notice. Kim couldn't work on the project because she was too busy thinking about Miss. Brock. Then she heard the storekeeper! He had the knives in the box he was carrying! Actually, Kim did not know what he had. The box was very colorful for a box of knives. The box was too far away for her to read so she went across the library to follow him into Miss. Brock's office. Kim stopped and picked up a book on the kinkajou and pretended to read it. (If you can't tell she is trying to eaves drop on Miss. Brock) After a while, Kim got a little bored because they were only talking about what they were doing this summer and other lame stuff like that. She decided to actually read the book on kinkajous because she thought they looked cute. After a while she had gotten so into the book she forgot to listen to what the storekeeper was saying to Miss. Brock! On the bright side, she now new that the kinkajou lives in Central and South America. Now she knew what her rain forest animal would be. Miss. Brock and the man had left the office so Kim decided to sneak in and look for anything written down about the knives. The first place she looked was on the top of the desk. There, she found a recite for scissors, shampoo, and chips. No knives. Kim looked over behind the bookshelf and saw something purple sticking out. She began to pull it out. "What are you doing?" Someone yelled behind her. Of course it just HAD to be Miss. Brock. "Ummmmmmmm…" She said, spinning around as fast as she could. As soon as Kim did, the paper she was pulling fell out from behind the bookshelf. It had a picture of every student in the middle school on it. What was this? "We'll I guess I will tell you now that you have seen it." Miss. Brock said as she picked up the poster. "You see" she began, "I am retiring this year and have had a great time teaching here. I was going to hang the poster outside when I left!" Kim was so surprised and happy! Miss. Brock had been getting scissors the whole time! That explains the recite in her office, one letters on the box, and cutting out the kids pictures! They talked some more and decided to plan a party at the end of the year for the students. A FEW WEEKS LATER Then end of the year party with Miss. Brock was yesterday and everyone had so much fun! They said good-‐bye to Miss. Brock and friends. Summer is here. Kim has gone home and has solved her first "mystery"! Amanda Michaud Grade 7 Girls Preparatory School (GPS) 205 Island Ave, Chattanooga TN 37405 Mrs. Bullard World War II

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World War II was a horrific event in history. Adolf Hitler, who was a veteran from World War I, started World War II. Hitler wasn’t always in control of Germany. He had tried to go against the German government, which didn’t work, so he had to go to jail. While he was in jail, he wrote his book, “Mein Kampf”, which means My Struggle. In 1925, Hitler was released from jail and started passing out his book. He would later become a dictator. The Germans believed that Hitler could get them out of their bad economy. His motto was “Today Germany, tomorrow the world.” Hitler hated the Jewish people. He believed that the Germans were the noblest race and that the Jewish people were the lowest race. He thought the Jewish people were despicable. He accused them of being selfish pacifists, who were not loyal and even said they controlled the economy of the Germans. By 1933, German Jews were being horribly mistreated and persecuted. Jewish shops were taken over, and they were removed from their positions of leadership. They were not allowed to emigrate from Germany. Hitler also hated Christianity. He said that people couldn’t be both German and a Christian at the same time; you had to choose one or the other. In March 1939, Hitler conquered Czechoslovakia. He planned to conquer Poland, but he was afraid of Joseph Stalin, the dictator of Russia. So in August 1939, he signed a treaty with Stalin. This treaty was called the Nazi-‐Soviet Pact. This agreement said that they would each help each other conquer Eastern Europe and share the land. On September 1, 1939, Germany attacked Poland. World War II, which lasted from 1939 until 1945, had begun very quickly. Germany would defeat Poland, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, and France. Once France was under his control, he went on to attack Britain. Hitler bombed England in 1941. This battle was called the London Blitz. For three long months, Hitler attacked the city of London with bombs without mercy. A total of 10,000 bombs landed on the city just in the month of September alone. The Royal Air Force of Britain was able to destroy a lot of German planes, so Hitler gave up his plan to conquer England. Hitler would go on to later capture Yugoslavia, Greece, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria. Hitler invaded Russia despite his treaty with Joseph Stalin. On June 22, 1941, Hitler attacked Russia. The United States sent weapons to Russia to drive out the Germans. By 1941, the Nazis had gone as far as the city of Leningrad. He had also won the Baltic States and the Ukraine. Hitler planned to attack Moscow during the cold winter months. The winters were too cold for the Germans, so Stalin’s army used the cold as an advantage and came above Germany. Hitler was forced to leave his attack on Moscow behind. As the war went on, the United States started getting involved and sent weapons to England. When Germany heard this, they couldn’t believe the United States would do this, and they got very angry. In 1941, German ships started firing on American ships. American ships fired back. Germany brought America into the war. As the war went on, Britain and America would eventually corner the Germans from the West and Russia from the East. From December 1944 to January 1945, Germany had their last offense

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in the West. This fight was called the “Battle of the Bulge”. After tough fighting, Germany failed and the Allies hurried to Berlin. Bombs destroyed German supply depots. On July 20, 1944, a bomb was dropped in Hitler’s house, but did not kill him. He was not healthy at this time and was empty. On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler killed himself. After his death, on May 27, 1945, Germany surrendered to the world. After the war was over, people saw how horrible Hitler and the Germans had been. Hitler had camps built to kill the Jewish people, some with chambers of poisonous gas. He also had ovens that they used to get rid of peoples bodies. He used some of the people in medical tests, which resulted in long torturous deaths. More than 6 million Jewish people were killed by the Germans. This was known as the Holocaust. World War II was a horrible event. The Nazis ruined themselves and the world at that time. We can all look back at that time and learn a lot of lessons, but also remember that they were lost people who needed God. It is a very sad time in history. Emily Miller Grade 8 Grade Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Shelley George Time is Impossible Time is an impossible thing, everything about it seems impossible. The ability to go back and change something in time or to stop it is impossible. The only thing possible about time is to be able to know what time it is. That is useless information when all you want in life is to do the impossible. I know I want to; I would trade everything I have to go back to December 13. The first thing I would trade is my driver’s license because that’s got me into the mess of impossibility in the first place. When Arianna got her license, I went with her. She had her picture taken and then the lady at the counter asked if she wanted to be an organ donor. “Uh, I’m not sure. Sarah, should I?” I looked at the lady who was wearing a fake face of patience. “Why don’t you take this booklet home and talk it over with your mom and dad,” she said. Arianna glanced over at me with panic. I sent her a look that said, “The lady doesn’t have to know about your mom.” She relaxed, took the booklet and nodded at me. Since we live very close to the place we just walked home to our adjacent condos. “I decided I do want to be an organ donor,” she said as she unlocked her door. “Yeah, that’s what I decided too,” I replied. When Arianna went into her condo I entered mine and thought over what happened to Arianna’s mom for the millionth time. She was killed in a car wreck and now all that’s left of Arianna’s family is her father, brother, and herself. It seems like car accident tragedies seem to run in the family. Just months after her mom’s death, Arianna’s aunt was killed in a car accident also. I didn’t think that three weeks later, one more name would be added to the list. When we got to 213

school the next day, Arianna had a plan. “I’m going to the Licensing Center this afternoon and I’m going to tell the lady there that I want to be an organ donor.” After school I drove her to the Center and she went in and checked the box. On the way home we were deciding who would drive to the swim meet on Saturday. “Why don’t you drive because I just now got my license,” Arianna suggested. I said ok and it was decided. A few days later we were on our way to Atlanta for our first meet of the season. “Do you know when we are going to get home tonight?” Arianna asked me. “I honestly don’t know,” I replied, keeping my eyes on the road. Well we found out that we wouldn’t leave until seven o’clock. Since it was winter and the days were getting shorter, it was dark by the time we were halfway home. Suddenly rain started pouring down. “Are you kidding me?” Arianna yelled. “Be quiet! I can’t concentrate with you yelling like that!” I yelled back. Arianna turned so she was looking out the window. The road was steadily getting slicker. As we were making a sharp turn a deer jumped out in the road. I tried to swerve and avoid it, but the road was too slick. We slid off the road and into a ditch. The car fell on the passenger side and for a split second I was filled with thankfulness, then I remembered Arianna. I turned to her and I had no idea what to do. She was bleeding nonstop and she could hardly breathe. I suddenly remembered to call 911. By the time the ambulance got to us and by the time Arianna was taken to the hospital, it was too late. She was dying and there was nothing the doctors could do for her. That is the pure reason why I have never stepped behind the wheel since then. I would find out later who the lucky person who got Arianna’s heart would be. But for right now, all I could think about was that this was my fault. The suffering that would always be with Arianna’s brother and father would haunt me forever; no matter how hard I tried to forgive myself. That very night, I dreamed that I kept going when I saw the deer. The deer was killed and my bumper was badly damaged, but Arianna was still alive. That was my best dream and worst nightmare all rolled up into one. When I woke up the next morning my mother came into my room. “We found out who received Arianna’s heart,” she said. We went to go visit them and it turned out to be my cousin, who lived in Florida and came up here for the transplant. “I always knew that she had a weak heart but I was never told that she needed a heart transplant,” I said as we were driving home. “We haven’t visited since several years ago so I’m sure that Claire was already weak and her parents didn’t want to say until it got serious.” I rolled my eyes and looked out the window. My mom always had to think through things too much. “Besides, no matter who got Arianna’s heart, they would never be a replacement for her.” I said after a moment’s silence. “I know what you are going through right now is tough. We have to also have faith that this new heart will work out for Claire,” she said, “I never said that anyone could replace Arianna anyway.” So now you know my reasons why I have been grappling with time and its impossibilities. No one ever did replace Arianna, not even Claire who did turn out to be a good friend of mine. She did have some of Arianna’s traits, like her craving for watermelon gum. I know that I will never forget Arianna and that fateful night with the deer. 214

Saulye Nichols Grade 6 Heritage Middle School 4005 Polar Springs Road Ringgold, GA 30736 Mrs. Reeves Sleep Tight, Fuji The air conditioning filled doorway instantly cools me off in the humid month of April. Tears are streaming down our faces as we enter the animal hospital. I realize this will be the last few minutes I ever spend with my dog, Fuji, who is more a brother to me than anything else. Leaving school seems like such a blurry, undetailed dream. My mom had burst through the door of my fourth grade math class, her eyes big like a lost puppy. She asked to speak with me in the hallway. Already, I knew something bad was going on. “We have to take Fuji,” she said, “to the animal hospital.” My heart sank. Tears lined the edges of my eyes as I tried to hold everything in. I briskly walked back into the classroom and gathered my things. “My, um, my…dog is sick. He’s bleeding,” I stuttered to Mrs. Kaminski. “We have to take him to the hospital.” I choked on the last few words. I couldn’t believe it. Saying the words made me realize it was actually happening. I started choking on nothing and gasping for air. You know that thing you do when you are trying to stop crying? Well, that’s the thing I did, except for I hadn’t even started crying yet. Then, suddenly, I exploded. My classmates were worried because they had never seen me cry before. I don’t like crying; it’s embarrassing, but at that moment, I didn’t care what I looked like. Now, we are being led to a room just off the lobby of the animal hospital. We sit down and Grandmother has Fuji encased in her arms, my mom right beside her. Grandmother is trying to be brave; I can tell. On the other hand, my mom is a wreck. We try to say happy things and comfort each other. The vet’s assistant enters the room, and we tell her that Fuji needs to be put to sleep because he is bleeding every time he goes to the bathroom. “Which one of you is going to stay with him while I give him the shot?” she asks. Grandmother volunteers because my mom and I just can’t. We sit in the car waiting for the text that means Fuji is gone. My mom and I decide to call my Aunt Donna and my cousin, Peyton, to tell them the horrible news. Just as she hangs up the phone, it beeps, and I know what that text says. Donna has to come dig Fuji a little grave because my mom, Grandmother, and I aren’t up to it. Peyton and Granny, my great-‐grandmother, come with her. Fuji’s lifeless body is being cradled in Granny’s arms. I want to see him one last time before his small body is placed in the grave, which we’ve filled with his special things. I move the little pink blanket that has his body in it. Big mistake. His lifeless, blind eyes are still half open. I slowly slink back to my room, and all I can think about is how Fuji pierced my lip one time when I was three. My mom always thought it was because I was hissing in 215

his face, but really I was trying to give him a spit Mohawk, which he didn’t appreciate. I look into my mirror and touch the small scar just above my lip. I know that no matter what, Fuji will always be with me. Elizabeth Nikhomvan Grade 6 Normal Park Museum Magnet Upper School 1219 W. Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Brown No Homework Early in the 20th century, California lawmakers abolished homework for all students. Also, in the 1920s and 1930s there was a very large anti-‐homework push led by parents of students. They realized how homework harmed kids' health and kept them from pursuing personal interests and family time. As you see, eliminating homework is not a ridiculous and radical idea. Because of the precedent, homework requirements should be dropped across America. Firstly, homework, especially a large amount, is not good for teenagers' health. Most students at my school arrive home between 6:00 and 7:00 in the evening, and then they still have to shower, eat dinner, and do their homework. For most students, all of this takes three and a half to four hours. After a long, nine hour school day, that includes required after school activities, teenagers are tired. To add another three hours of schoolwork puts too much stress on students in one day. Sometimes my classmates do not finish their homework before midnight because of a sports event. They get to bed late and have to wake up at 6:00 or earlier the next morning. Teens do not get enough sleep, which is not healthy for their bodies and brains. When I have a late night of homework, I do not get enough sleep, and the next day I can't to concentrate and do worse on assignments. Students live this routine for five days, but even during the weekend students still have homework that can take four to five hours. Homework is not healthy for a young person mentally or physically. Secondly, homework limits students' lives out of school. Many students have personal interests, such as hobbies and sports, but they can't enjoy them except on weekends. It is important for teenagers to have a wide variety of experiences, but they don't have time. Students also like to spend time with friends and do activities like riding bikes, skateboarding, or just hanging out at an ice cream parlor. Not being able to have fun and be outside with friends and having to stay cooped up inside feverishly working on homework is not good for anyone. Teenagers need to be able to go outside and have fun. It is better for their health and they can have a wider variety of experiences. On the weekend, Sunday is homework day (and church for some), so students basically get one out of seven days to have fun. 216

Most importantly, teenagers do not have enough family time. The evening is the perfect time for family members to enjoy each other, but homework limits these opportunities. According to studies, the a child spends an average of only five minutes with his father every day. It is important for a child to be with his family and invest in relationships that will last a lifetime. The more time students spend with their parents, the more opportunities the parents have to teach their children life lessons. But with homework, kids' time is filled and little time exists to share life with parents and siblings. Also, without a strong family network, kids can become involved in bad crowds and drugs because they have not been taught and do not have support from their families. Teenagers can also develop emotional problems because of the lack of family and belonging. Family is essential to a rich and meaningful life, and without homework, teenagers can experience family time a large amount more than they do now. Some people say that homework is good for academic practice and for making sure students know the academic material. I say the school day provides more than enough time and should not be extended into time at home. I wish teachers and parents would see the harm of homework and make a change. Once the homework requirements are dropped across America, students will experience a less stressful and more enjoyable school career. Work Cited: "Update: Homework." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 2 Nov. 2007. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. <http://www.2facts.com/article/i1200590>. Sims Pettway Grade 8 Baylor School 171 Baylor School Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mr. Loftin Standing Up for Drew Drew pushed her hair back into her cap. She hadn’t had the courage to chop it off. They were going to be her undoing, though. Someone was going to see them and realize she wasn’t a boy. She stared up at the powerful whaling ship before her. Taking a deep breath, she merged into the crowd. Drew tried to look as if she had all the reasons in the world to be there instead of being a runaway and a girl trying to sneak onto a ship. The guard was young, and he looked bored. He barely paid anyone a glance as everyone else held out identification and passes. Drew sighed when she finally stepped on deck. She had to be careful now. If they found out she was a girl, they might abandon her at the nearest port. Someone jostled her. She turned to see a boy her age run into the crowd, snickering. 217

“Hey!” she yelled. “ Get over here, lad!” someone yelled at her. Drew jogged over. “All right ye worthless scum,” the man said. “I’m Gustav. Yer ship hands; you lot’ll do whatever the crew tells you to. And ye better be treatin’ each other righ’. I’m in charge y’all and I don’t wanna hear no complainin’.” With that, the sailor left. “Apparently the sailor life is tough,” a boy next to her said. “But at least they got food.” Drew nodded. She followed him into their cabin. There were fifteen hammocks, as well as a rather cramped necessity through a door in the corner. She sighed with relief. At least she would have enough privacy. She followed the boy to a couple of hammocks in the corner. She chose the upper one and nimbly climbed in. She tied her sack into a beam above. The lower one was still high; the boy had trouble getting in. “What’s your name? I’m Aaron,” the boy asked her. “Drew. Why are you here?” “I had nowhere to be. My parents are dead. You?” “The same. I stole money to get here from the country. Thankfully, they still had room for me.” Drew nodded. That was the typical story. She felt kind of bad for the kid she had knocked out in order to take his place. After all, he was probably in the same situation she was or worse. But the past was the past, and she’d needed a life. The two of them kept talking until lights-‐out. Morning came quickly for the novice ship hands. To make things interesting for their first day (and yet productive), Gustav had them take a series of challenges to see what they were best at. Aaron was very strong and good for helping the men lug cargo around and raising sails. Drew was very nimble, good with her hands, had keen eyesight, and therefor very good for the crow’s nest and scrambling up and down the ropes, repairing torn sails, and other things. The bully, whose name was Mitch, was deemed good at mopping the deck, something everyone found this immensely amusing. The meals were sufficient, but Drew found herself longing for her mother’s delicious cooking. Oh well. It was better than food Drew had had to force down in the streets. The next morning, Drew was in the necessity stuffing her hair into her cap. She’d forgotten to lock the door, so she put her hat down and took a step over to lock it. Before she reached the handle, Aaron rushed in. His eyes went wide with surprise. “Hey! You’re—“ but Drew didn’t let him finish. She pulled him in and locked the door. “Aaron, you can’t tell anyone! They’d throw me out if they knew! This is the only chance I have!” Drew whispered franticly. “Alright, but if anyone finds out, you’re on your own,” Aaron said finally. “I know, and I don’t expect you to back me up. Just keep quiet about it,” Drew pleaded. “Fine.” Mitch was ever the bully, but normally he didn’t bother Drew. But one day he decided to extend his realm of terror. On their sixteenth day, Mitch cornered Drew.

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“So, shorty, what’s for dinner?” without giving her time to answer, he went on. “ You know, they really don’t give us very much to eat. How ‘bout you help me out and give me a bit of your food since I’m bigger and need more than you.” It was more of a threatening statement than an offer. For days after, Drew suffered from hunger. Whenever Aaron would ask why she was giving Mitch her food, she would just shake her head. Finally, Aaron said: “You can’t go on like this. I’m going to go talk to him.” Aaron heeded none of Drew’s protests. “Mitch, I hear you’ve been bothering Drew,” Aaron said. “I’ll stop once he has the guts to stand up to me himself.” Aaron walked away. This was going to be harder than he thought. “You’ve got to stand up to him. You’ll starve if not,” Aaron argued. “Why are you afraid?” “He’ll me and my hat might come off!” Drew protested. “If you don’t confront Mitch today, I’ll go straight to Gustav and tell him,” Aaron threatened. “I’ll not see my friend suffer.” Drew had no choice; she had to try. “Shorty! Decided you’re hungry?” Mitch called. “ Yeah, so leave me alone,” Drew said. “You’re gonna hafta make me.” Mitch wouldn’t give in easily. But she already had a plan. “You’re weak,” Drew taunted him. “You could get beat by a girl!” Mitch moved forward to hit her, but Drew kicked Mitch with all her might. Mitch yelled. “You kicked me!” he gasped, clutching his shin. “ Leave me alone.” Mitch punched at her, but she dodged it. She kicked him again, harder. “Just let me be,” she said. Drew strutted away. Pieces of hair escaped her cap, but she didn’t care. She’d worry about that later, but right now nothing was going to ruin her day. Tatiana Poggi Grade 7 Girls Preparatory School 205 Island Avenue, Chattanooga TN 37415 Mrs. Bullard Sadie One day after gymnastics practice, Taylor came home like normal, and was getting ready to walk in her when her mom told her not to go in yet, that she had a surprise for her. Taylor had no idea what the surprise was. As she watched her mom walk back to the car Taylor stood there waiting patiently to see her surprise. When her mom came walking back towards her Taylors eyes got huge and she had a big smile on her face. She couldn’t believe what was in her mom’s arms! It was a puppy. Taylor had been waiting for a puppy for so long. She would always put a puppy for the gift she wanted the most on her Christmas list. She was so excited that she had finally gotten what she had been wanting forever. 219

Taylor and her mom walked in the house and Taylor was just jumping around with excitement. Taylor couldn’t wait to hold her new puppy in her lap. Taylor finally sat down on the couch waiting on her dad and brother to come down to the living room. When Taylor’s dad and brother got down stairs her brother’s eyes just got as big as Taylor’s did. He too couldn’t believe that they got a puppy. Later that night, Taylor and her family sat in the living room thinking of a name for their new puppy. The puppy was a girl so they had to pick a girl name. we looked at a list of girl names on a website. Taylor’s brother wanted to name her Lexie. Taylor’s mom wanted to name her Maddie. Taylor liked the name Sadie. Later, they all agreed that Sadie was the name of their new puppy. The whole family agrees that Sadie was a good name and it suited her well. A few minutes later Taylor had to get ready for bed. Taylor didn’t want to go to bed. Taylor wanted to stay up with Sadie and play with her. Taylor asked where Sadie was going to sleep because they had no bed or anything for her to sleep on. Taylor’s mom went and got one of her favorite quilts and folded it up, then stuck it under the end table. After that Taylor was forced to go to bed. The next morning, Taylor woke up and ran down stairs as fast as her little legs could go. Sadie was still asleep under the end table. Taylor didn’t want to wake Sadie up so she went and got ready for school. After she got ready for school, she went to check on Sadie and she was awake. Taylor picked Sadie up and held her tight. She already loved Sadie so much. Taylor felt Sadie shaking. She thought that Sadie was cold so Taylor went and wrapped her up in the blanket she slept on. After that she still wouldn’t quit shaking. Taylor went and asked her dad what was wrong with her. He said that she was just nervous and scared. She wasn’t used to us yet. Taylor felt bad for Sadie. She didn’t want Sadie to be scared of her. Later that day, Taylor came home and ran to Sadie and picked her up and started petting her and playing with her. Taylor was absolutely in love with Sadie. She played with her all the time. Sadie lived with Taylor and her family for around four or five years, then one day she ran off down the street. Taylor thought that she would come back. A few days later and Sadie was still gone. Taylor couldn’t ever get over the fact that her dog was gone. She cried for days and days. Jadyn Raschke Grade 8 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga Mrs. Blake Mapping the Landscape of Plot In the inciting incident of The Extras by Scott Westerfield, Aya sees the sly girls and decides to track them down and expose them, in hope to become famous. As a result of her actions, Aya sneaks into a party that she is not allowed to be at, and follows a sly girl to their hiding place. Unfortunately, they are expecting her to be there and capture her video camera, Moggle, and knock her off her hover board 220

and into the freezing water. The sly girls give her a choice, “you can either take your camera and go away. Or I drop it right now and you can come surfing with us” (28). This forces Aya to make a big decision, and begins the rising action. At the party Aya meets Frizz Mizuno, a boy who can only tell the truth, and falls in love with her. The first thing he says to Aya is “interesting surge” (15). In this statement Frizz is referring to Aya’s large nose, which is not a surge. Frizz complicates Aya’s conflict when they get kidnapped and he cannot keep the desperate secret of Tally Youngblood, the main character of the previous three books. In the climax of The Extras, Aya finds out that the freaks, who call themselves the extras are not city killers, but are going into outer space to cut down the population. Suddenly, Tally begins to blow up their ships, which look like missiles. She starts a fire and Aya must zoom through it. Luckily, Aya stops Tally in time and Frizz and Moggle get some good shots. Aya said to David, “Tell Tally it wasn’t her fault, we thought the same thing.” In the falling action of The Extras, by Scott Westerfeld, Aya convinces Tally Youngblood to come to a party and promote the extras, since she owes them a lot of ships and Aya achieves her goal to become famous. Aya is now the third most famous person in the city. “Remind me again why I’m doing this,” Tally said. The denouement of the book reveals Aya’s change. In the beginning, Aya is not content and always logs for something. I would choose a hand for a symbol of representation. In the falling action I would choose a star connected to rope to represent Aya. At the end of the book, Aya has “unified her knots.” She has achieved her goal to become famous and is happy with herself. She is now a loose rope with stars on it. When I first met Aya she had a dream to be famous. She wanted to become more than an extra, someone who isn’t really noticed. During the climax, so much pressure is put on her that she does not care anymore. I can prove this by looking at the direct quote: “Aya shook her head, for once not caring if any of this was recorded.” Aya learned a valuable life lesson: Fame is not everything, no matter how many people think it is. When I stand in Aya’s shoes I can empathize with her great longing. In a society like hers, I would long for fame too. However, like Aya I learned that fame is not everything. Lilith Reyes Grade 7 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1219 West Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Picone

Transition Growing up in the same bedroom throughout my childhood has been special to me. There have been many changes through the years. 221

In my early years as a baby, it was pink and white striped wallpaper on the back wall. The rest of the walls were white, and they had an ABC border. When I started school, the walls were painted purple with the same wallpaper on the back wall. The border was changed, which consisted of purple and light pink flowers. There were butterflies too! For my twelfth birthday, my grandmother gave me a grand surprise. I had gone to visit my mom in Arkansas. When I arrived back in Chattanooga, my room had been completely redone. I walked into a room with beautiful hot pink and lime green walls. The border had been redone with pink, purple, and green flowers with butterflies. I had new white furniture and new shelving for storage space. The storage shelves were the new modern cubicle furniture. The cubicles were filled with the pink, lime green, turquoise, and purple storage containers. It was awesome! In conclusion, growing up in the same bedroom for twelve years has transformed many times. My room has gone from being a toddler’s bedroom to being a middle school age appropriate room. I love my new room and feel quite fortunate to have these nice things provided for me. Katelyn Rose Grade 6 Hunter Middle School 6810 Teal Lane, Ooltewah, TN 37363 Mrs. Holmes My Life as an Escape Artist "Wheeeeee!" I said as I went down the slide in the Chick-‐fil-‐a playground. "Carmen!" My mom said, coming in to the playground. "It's time to go!" "No! I don't want to go!" I screamed while I stomped my feet and pouted. She pulled me out of the playground and in to the parking lot as I screamed and cried. While she buckled up my car seat I kicked the key out of her hand without her knowing. My mom slammed the door to find out that the key was on the floor. So there I was. A two year old trapped in a locked car with no way to get out, crying because I was alone. Or maybe I was crying because my mom made me leave the playground. I don't know. I was just two. My mom wanted my dad to break the window of the car to get me out, but my dad had an easier way to get me out. When something goes wrong my parents take turns freaking out so I guess today was my mom’s turn. I think my dad stayed calm because he knew I was smart enough to follow instructions. I'm not saying my mom didn't see my genius then, I'm just saying she was so panicked that she didn't remember how smart I was. As my dad tried to make my mother relax he told me how to get out of my car seat. First my dad calmed me down then he said, "I'm gonna tell you how to get out of that car seat. Push down the chest strap to your lap." 222

He mimicked how I should do it. He probably looked pretty silly. I pushed the strap down slowly. "Slide your arms out of those straps." He looked like he was about to do the YMCA dance. I squashed one hand through, and then the other. "Can you stand up?" I nodded as I stood up with a big grin on my face. "I'm free!" I thought. "Now climb up to the seat where mommy sits. There is a button with a lock on it. I want you to push that button." I heard a click then the sound of a door opening and felt the embrace of loving arms. "Oh, Carmen, I love you, but don't you ever do that again," my mother said. Hopefully this was the beginning (and end) of my life as an escape artist, and thankfully the last time my parents would lock me in the car. Carmen Ross Grade 7 Baylor School 171 Baylor School Road Chattanooga, TN 37405 Ms. Conway Latina Est Optima Many people don't understand the importance of studying Latin in college preparatory schools. There is a common misconception that Latin is a dead language and this seems to deter scholars from the glorious tongue. However, is it truly a dead language when many phrases we Americans know are in Latin? For example, E Pluribus Unum (the motto of the United States) means out of many one, Caveat emptor which means buyer beware, and Quid pro quo which means You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours are all well known Latin phrases. Instead of pretending to understand these phrases, wouldn't you much rather actually understand them? Latin should be a required course in college prep schools. First of all, Latin helps improve a student's English. Approximately sixty percent of English words and ninety percent of English words over two syllables are derived from Latin. Because I study Latin I am able to recognize the roots, and if I don't know the word, to make an educated guess. Latin also improves English skills because the English grammar rules are derived from those of Latin. I now understand the difference between an adverb and an adjective and the difference between subject and direct object because I take Latin. Secondly, taking Latin challenges your brain which will help you on all areas of school. The Latin grammar rules are complicated, and when translating a person has to be extremely careful because translating Latin is similar to solving an Algebra problem since misreading a case or the tense of a verb causes the sentence as a whole not to make sense. This helps students in math because Latin requires some 223

of the same skills necessary to succeed in math such as fitting pieces of a puzzle together. Latin sentences are like puzzles because the order in which verbs appear in a sentence is very different from English. Allowing your brain to think in different ways is crucial in math. Most importantly, I hope to be a doctor or a lawyer so Latin would be an excellent tool for me to use. Almost all of the medical and law terms are stated or derived from Latin. Laywers are familiar with the term Habeus corpus, which means you have the body, and doctors know almost all of the bone names are in Latin such as parietal bone which comes from paries which means wall. Doctors who studied Latin will most likely never confuse parietal bone with another because they will be able to apply the meaning of paries to the use of the bone. Now is the time for scholars to remember the importance of Latin. Latin is the base of all Romance languages, which means somebody thought Latin deserved to live on (even though it might not be spoken). The people who scored sixty-‐eight percent higher on their SAT's, the people who understand the grammar rules of English, and the doctors and lawyers who are the best in their fields all understand the importance of this ancient tongue. It is time for college prep schools to acknowledge the importance of Latin as well and make Latin a required course. Isabelle Rowan Grade 8 Baylor School 171 Baylor School Road, Chattanooga Tennessee 37405 Mr. Loftin Mapping the Landscape of Plot: Howliday Inn by James Howe In his exposition, James Howe introduces readers to Harold Monroe, the protagonist of the fantasy book Howliday Inn. Howliday Inn is written from a first person point of view and only offers the reader Harold’s thoughts and feelings. It makes sense that the book is not written from a third person limited or third person omniscient point of view because Harold shares his feelings openly with readers and enjoys doing so to tell his story. In the exposition, Howe also introduces readers to the setting of Howliday Inn. Harold’s family goes on vacation and leaves him and his friend Chester at a dog hotel. The hotel has a kidnapper in it, but no one knows who it is. The setting is important to Harold’s conflicts because being in a new place without Chester is hard for him. He must also discover who kidnapped his friend. Howe uses the spooky setting to increase Harold’s scared and lonely thoughts. He describes the scene when Harold discovers Chester missing as “shadowy and empty” (114). Finally, Howe uses the spooky setting to make the sudden disappearances of residents surprising and devastating when they happen. 224

Howe exposes Harold’s external traits mostly through Harold’s thoughts and actions. Harold worships food, is unintelligent, and hates waking up. His best friend is a cat named Chester who often “lets his imagination run wild” (40). The mood of this book is made spooky by what the setting does to magnify Chester’s horrifying predictions. In the exposition of Howliday Inn, James Howe reveals that Harold’s main conflict is character vs. character. Harold has told all of his thoughts to the reader and has also described his actions in great detail. Harold’s external conflict is evident when he and his friend, Chester, notice odd goings on at the place where they are being boarded. Harold is blocked by his external conflict until he figures out what all is going on. Therefore, the inciting incident occurs when pets start going missing from the dog hotel. Harold and Chester investigate, but the victims seem to have disappeared. Then, Chester goes missing and Harold, an almost brainless “jumbled up” (87) dog must discover what happened to his friend during the rising action. During the inciting incident of Howliday Inn, Harold investigates with Chester the mystery of Chateau Bow-‐Wow. As a result, the other residents get suspicious and leave the two alone, further complicating Harold and Chester’s desire to investigate the other residents without much full. Chester’s presence in Rob’s life forces him to confront his external conflict in the rising action. When the other residents start acting strange, Chester says, “Do not sleep. If you do, you may never wake again” (112). But Harold, being the sleep-‐loving type, falls asleep anyway. When he wakes up, Chester is gone. Therefore, the first major event in the rising action is when Chester disappeared. The second major event in the rising action occurs when Harold investigated by himself. He so desperately wishes to free Chester that he investigates every other resident thinking they are kidnappers. When questioning a resident, he snaps at them and says, “a likely story” (135) to every reply. The last major event in the rising action occurs when Chester returns. Chester wakes up Harold up in the middle of the night and hurries him out of his cage. Chester then calls every resident out of their cages. In the climax of Howliday Inn, Harold’s external conflict reaches its most suspenseful moment. When Chester returns and rallies up every resident remaining, Harold realizes that residents are missing. Chester does not care and leads them to Harrison. All the animals watch in horror as Harrison advances on the two residents that Harold could not find. He smiles wickedly and as he picks them up he says, “Sorry old boys, you’re coming with me” (154). After that, Chester orders his mob to attack Harrison. Therefore, the climax of Howliday Inn has a positive effect on Harold’s external conflict because he figures out who did all the kidnapping, Harrison, and Chester returns to Harold while he is sleeping, scaring him badly. Harold has reached a turning point in the story. He finds out that life would be nothing without those slightly annoying people like Chester. Harold appreciates Chester more and loves him to the fullest. The denouement of Howliday Inn reveals how Harold has changed. In the beginning of the book, Harold did not take Chester’s horrifying predictions seriously 225

and he cares only about himself. At the end of the book Harold has “untied his knots.” He thinks about the meaning of love and loyalty and resolves his conflict with Harrison represented by the quote, “It was quite an adventure but when all is said and done, there’s no place like home” (195). Harold, like the house, is ready to be warm and cozy for all who have entered his heart. Harold has definitely changed. Bebo Saucier Grade 7 Normal Park Museum Magnet 1219 West Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Mrs. Picone A Christmas Disaster Michelle was almost done putting up the Christmas decorations. The tree was sprinkled from head to toe with the most delicate ornaments, the gingerbread house was iced to perfection and spotted with gumdrops and other candies, and the warm house was filled with the smell of cinnamon and anticipation from the children upstairs. The three of them were so anxious for their father to get home from work so they could begin Christmas dinner. Overall, the festive house looked amazing! Best one in the neighborhood, even! That was exactly what Michelle was aiming for. The prissy mother always made a big whoop about buying expensive tablecloths, ornaments, tinsel, lights, silverware, centerpieces, and Christmas sweaters for the kids. Michelle had been in the kitchen all day stirring, mashing, spreading, baking, boiling, marinating, and frosting for Christmas dinner. She was exhausted. But finally she was done and all she had left to do was rest until her husband returned home. Unfortunately, on her way to the couch… SLAM! The tinsel strung around the rim of the fireplace came crashing down taking two red candles, and all five stocking hangers with it. “Christmas will be the death of me…” she mumbled to herself as she retreated back to the kitchen to grab a broom to sweep up the green tinsel specks that now covered the floor. Soon the front door opened letting in a cold gust of air. “Daaaaa-‐dyyyy!” the three children cheered in unison, tripping and tumbling down the stairs trying to be the first to hug their red-‐nosed father. Jonathan had been on a long business trip and was finally home to take off his snow-‐caked boots and wash up for dinner. Michelle was relieved when she finally sat down with her family. As they ate, they talked about school, the business trip, and the awful display of tacky Santa garden gnomes that spread across their neighbor, Mrs. Greene’s, lawn. Michelle hated those gnomes so much; she put a reef in the window that overlooked the lawn. She didn’t understand how anyone could possibly love those things as much as Mrs. Greene did. As they continued with their card games and stories, they had no idea their lives were about to be turned upside-‐down very soon. After the dirty dishes were put away, the leftover food was seran-‐wrapped and in the fridge, and the table was clean, Michelle and her family went to bed. They were so 226

tired and stuffed, none of them thought about blowing out the candles before they ‘hit the hay’. A few hours later, Michelle awoke to the smell of stuffy smoke. “John!” she screamed shaking him, “Get up! Something’s burning!” john woke up instantly as the fire alarms started screeching. ERRRRNT! ERRRRNT! Michelle raced to her kids’ rooms pulling them down the stairs with Jonathan close behind. When the startled family reached the door, john pushed through and finally they were out. Michelle stood in shock, watching her flaming house crumble to ashes before her eyes. The three children started crying as the fire trucks, ambulances and police cars arrived (thanks to Mrs. Greene). Michelle stood in shock watching the house full of memories burn to the ground despite the freezing water blasting out of four different hoses. By the time the fire was out, all the neighbors were outside and the family hadn’t said a word. No, they didn’t need to. Everything they could say was obvious. Instead, they stood on the street in front of the black, crumbled rubble watching this horrifying Christmas disaster with cold feet and numb minds. Michelle, however, knew she had to get her shivering children out of the cold. She bent down beside them realizing they’d be crying. “Now listen.” She said in the most comforting voice she could manage, “we are going to get through this. It may seem terrible now, but as long as we have each other it’s going to be okay.” The fire fighters were asking the family questions and sooner or later the neighbors cleared out as well as the fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances. The family went to Michelle’s mother’s house for the time being. Michelle just couldn’t shake the fact that everything was gone; Pictures, toys, clothes, books, and even the Christmas tree. Gone. But she also knew she couldn’t sit and feel sorry for herself. Then she realized she had a family and a husband. And then… her days of loathing ended. Maybe all of this happened for a reason! Maybe this was God’s way of saying, “quit buying name brand forks and help out the community a little!” Michelle sprang out of her loathing chair and put some fresh clothes on. A half hour later she was standing behind the counter with a ladle in her hand and a hairnet over her hair. She volunteered at the soup kitchen. And she went there every day, as well as animal shelters, nursing homes, and picking up garbage on the side of the road. She hardly even thought about her terrible life changing event. One specific day though, she went by the place where her house once stood. The only thing left was the poor mailbox that stood alone on an empty lot. Michelle got out of her car and went to the mailbox. She decided it was time to take out all the bills and magazines. To her surprise, letters! Tons of them fell out onto the snowy sidewalk. She picked them up and opened a few. A check! All of them were checks! People all around the community saw Michelle turn her misfortune into something beautiful. “We can build our house back!” she thought to herself. Then she noticed a small package in the back of the mailbox. The note on the front said, “I’m sorry for your loss, and I thought you could use a donation. From: Mrs. Greene” She pulled away the bubble wrap, and guess what she found? A tacky Santa garden gnome. Allie Sterl Grade 8 227

Heritage Middle School 4005 Poplar Springs Rd. Ringgold GA 30736 Mrs. Carlock

The Stripeless Tiger “Hey Mr.Gow a-‐are y-‐you there?” stuttered the stripeless tiger cub. ”what is so important that you come to me in my hour of rest J.R!?” answered the most annoyed owl perched up on his railings. “Well umm sir, as you know I am most unfortunate to have been born without stripes and I was wondering….” “Oh, stop your babbling boy! I have no more “ideas” for your little life crisis! Now be gone!” The small mangy tiger hung his head low and crept his way through the black berry bushes to push forward to his cave that was dug deep into the side of the Indian mountains. Getting pestered along the way by passing animals he dropped to the ground and sobbed quietly, for all hope was gone. The next day J.R returned to school under the old droopy trees that swayed softly in the humid breeze. The other cubs having beautiful stripes laughed and snickered at the unusual creature. He was lonely and clueless on what to do. Later that same afternoon, he went to the pack leader Mufasa and requested some time to talk. He was nervous at first but got the will power to tell Mufasa about the cubs that have been giving him trouble. “Well this predicament you are in son is understandable. I shall see to it those boys are talked to.” Proclaimed Mufasa in a proud voice. “Don’t worry about a thing J.R.” J.R felt proud and sure that everything was okay so he went on his way occasionally smiling out of confidence that he had done well. Returning home, he walked into his cave with some kind of jump in his step. He then curled up next to his mother, Silias and slept softly under the Indian sky. Little did he know what was going on in the starry sky that night. Something magical was sent from his father in heaven and it was a sign that he was proud. His son had finally stood up for himself and it was about time he got his reward. The next morning something wasn’t right in the hot humid air. He felt a disturbance that he couldn’t quite describe. He had a stripe on his back. “ Oh my goodness!” J.R yelped. “ I’ve got a stripe on MY back!” He rushed out the cave and stumbled down the hill top that led to the valley in which his school sat and jumped up and down with joy as the other students awed at his newly earned stripe. No longer would he have to face society with a bag over his head for he, J.R the no longer stripeless tiger, had earned his stripes. Mariah Suter Grade 8 grade Heritage Middle School Mrs.Parhams 228

The Haunting of Highway 41 Have you had the feeling you were being watched when you were you were all alone? Well, I had that exact feeling about a year ago. I was driving my truck down Highway 41, a deserted road with no houses. All of a sudden, I saw bright lights at the top of the hill. I thought I was back in the city, but when I got to the top of the hill, to my amazement there weren’t any houses. Maybe it was another car I thought to myself. As I continued to drive down the highway, I noticed it couldn’t be another car because there weren’t any driveways or side roads. I started to get creeped out. As I continued driving, I tried to convince myself that maybe it was only a hunter, but I didn’t see any people, dogs or trucks parked on the side of the road. Finally, I stopped in the middle of the road and got out. All of a sudden I saw a mysterious shape next to a tree by the edge of the road. Then it disappeared and reappeared in front of me. I screamed and began to run. I dove back into the truck, sat up and slammed the door to the truck. I turned around and looked back. It was coming closer and closer until it was touching the truck. An arm came through the door; I screamed at the top of my lungs, put the truck into drive and floored it. As I drove away, I heard it say, “you can run but you can’t hide-‐ha ha ha.” All of a sudden I saw big eyes on my windshield. I screamed and turned the wheel hard. The truck bounced off of the road, hit a tree and rolled into a ravine. I was okay except for my leg. I jumped out of the truck and limped towards a clearing. At the end of the clearing was an old house. I opened the door and went inside, pulled out my cell phone and tried to call 911, but no one answered. Now I was really scared. I laid on the floor, feeling depressed until I heard something. It sounded like water. I looked out the window and saw a river by the edge of the house. It filled me with hope, that maybe this was just a bad dream. I ran outside and started following the river downstream to find help. I followed the river until I reached a waterfall. I walked up to the edge of the falls, stopping at the top. Then, I thought I saw the strange lights again. I ran into a cave under the falls and stayed there until I thought I heard the sound of a helicopter. It was a helicopter. I ran out of the cave, waved my arms, and jumped up and down. They spotted me with their spotlight and landed. The crew got out of the helicopter and helped me get in. We took off and flew to the hospital. While in the hospital, Police Chief Wesley Wilson came by to interview me about my truck accident. I went through the whole story with the chief and didn’t leave out any details. “So that’s what happened,” I said. “Are you sure all this really happened?” said the police chief. “Yes, I am 100 percent sure,” I said. “Ok, if you say so,” said Chief Wilson. “If you don’t believe me, why don’t you go in the woods at night off Highway 41 yourself?” I said. I believe you,” said Chief Wilson. “You think I’m lying,” I remarked. “Fine, I don’t believe you,” said the police chief. “We’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. “See you tomorrow,” I replied. I left the hospital the next morning and I couldn’t bring myself to drive down Highway 41 after that. Although the chief never believed me, some people say if you drive down Highway 41 at night, you can see the strange lights in the distance. 229

Mills Taylor Signal Mountain Middle/High School Grade 6

A Day In the Life of a Dream

Words blur around me as I sit on my kitchen stool blankly staring at the wall ahead. I was trying my best to tune out my brother droning on and on about some A.P. project he was working on; something I’d learned to do well after the move. The only place I found refuge from this bore of a life was my head. Lately, I’d been spending a lot of time alone just thinking. Which was what I was doing right now. Before I know it, I was swept away off the kitchen stool. Disoriented a bit, I stood still and looked around. I recognized the place immediately because I’d seen the pictures millions of times before, hoping that one day, I could be in one. Despite being overly excited, I noticed something wasn’t the same. I was a much older, taller version of myself. Although my head was way past confused, my feet seemed to know where to go, so I just went with it. I’d never been to New York before, and didn’t know what I was doing, but it didn’t even matter. I was having the best time admiring the “Big Apple.” It felt good to be here, like I could finally be myself. I was free to do whatever I wanted. Walking down the sidewalk, trying to escape the chilliness of the air, I slid my hands in my pockets. Something brushed against my fingers, and I pulled it out. It was my student ID. “Sera Thomas. April 11, 1999. Age 21.” Wait… 21 years old and a student at NYU? How could this day get any better? But, I had spoken too soon. When I looked up, I was standing at the school entrance. I quickly ambled up the foreign stairwell. I knew exactly where to go, almost as if I had been doing this for the past three years. Which apparently, I had. When I entered the classroom, a group of people greeted me loudly and beckoned for me to come join them. I happily obliged, relieved that someone knew who I was. This time, my mouth rather than my feet took control. I seem to know exactly who these people are and their life stories, because I’ve been friends with them for my entire college experience; the one that I have no recollection of. My classes zoom by. I discover that I’m studying to be an author. It makes sense though, considering all I did in my middle school years was write. School ends, and my feet guide me to an apartment that I’m assuming is my own. I’m glad to find that “older me” has decorated the place with photos from the lost three years. I’m nothing like I thought I would be. I always classified myself as a band geek who tried to blend in. My mind still thinks that now because being in college still hasn’t sunken in. I continue to view the pictures that have bloomed on the walls. Though I understand my past now, I get frustrated that I can’t recall doing any of it. I leave, afraid that looking further will upset me more. When I exit the building, it’s gotten darker. What time is it? I look down at my watch and see that it’s almost seven thirty. I continue to tread down the walkway keeping my head hung trying to with hold the tears that threaten to spill over. This was too much to take in. 230

Mentally, I was still thirteen. I was still in middle school. I needed an explanation for why this was happening. No normal person just skips eight years of their life. So why had I? Was this even real? I’m strolling along when something catches my eye. I looked over to my right and see the one thing that I need. In big, bold letters, the sign read, “Wicked: The Musical.” A jolt of electricity runs through me. I’ve seen this show before in Atlanta. I was seven years old. Unconsciously, I find myself standing in front of the ticket booth. “How many tickets?” The voice bounces me back into reality. “One, please.” I reply. I get my ticket and find my seat. The show is amazing, just as I remember it from so many years ago. As the actors bow, I’m silently pleading that it won’t end. I feel like getting up and yelling, “Encore!” like I remember doing at the rock and roll concerts my dad used to take me to. But, I know that it’s not well received in the theater. So, I refrain. I feel refreshed after leaving. It’s always been one of my biggest dreams to see a Broadway show. The adrenaline is pumping through me. New York is completely chaotic. It truly is the city that never sleeps. The lights around me make up for the absent sun. Taxis fly by. I’m amazed at how skilled the drivers are. But the think that shocks me more is how easily I can flag one down. I slide into the back seat and recognize the driver. It’s my friend, Mark, from school. “Hey, Sera! You going home?” he asks in his unmistakably northern accent. “Yeah, thanks.” I smile back at him in the rear view mirror. I look out of the windows as the streetlights zip by. The silence hangs in the air. My eyes start to blur and everything fades. My heart is beating fast and I can hear my breath catch in my throat. My head is spinning and a bizarre feeling engulfs me. I inhale sharply, and sit up. I’m back in my deserted kitchen. I turn around making sure that everything is normal. It was all just a dream. I’d fallen asleep. I stand up and grab my back-‐pack. More confidently than ever, I head up the stairs promising myself that I’ll do anything and everything to make that dream become a reality. Sera Thomas Grade 8 Signal Mountain Middle/High School 2650 Sam Powell Trail, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Harwood The Perfect Eyewitness Many historical things happened in Birmingham, Alabama, and I needed an eyewitness to talk to in order to write this paper. The perfect eyewitness was my uncle, Houston Brown. He was born December 1, 1942 in Birmingham, Alabama.

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This was a difficult time for black people in America. He happily shared a part of history he experienced growing up during this time. Uncle Houston and other black children were not permitted to attend school with white children. Blacks had to drink from the “colored only” water fountains, had to sit in the “colored only” section of the bus, and could not vote. Blacks could not be on the same floor with white patients in the hospital. He remembered being 9 years old, after having his tonsils removed, being left in the hallway of the hospital basement with brooms, mops and buckets to recover. My uncle said it was very hurtful being treated this way. The largest peaceful demonstration for human rights in United States history took place on August 28, 1963, in Washington, DC called the March on Washington. People of different races came together and my Uncle Houston was there. Opera singer, Marion Anderson led the program by singing the National Anthem. There were many speakers and a list of demands were made and announced to everyone. Many organizations were present and signed the list to show support. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the last speaker of the day. Uncle Houston said, “There was an unbelievable quiet over the crowd. People were crying; it was a very emotional time. About 250,000 people came together to demonstrate in support of legislature and laws that would effectively change the course of America. It was a very moving experience.” Uncle Houston returned home to attend school at Talladega in Talladega, Alabama. Sunday morning, September 15, 1963, four girls were killed from a bomb planted at the 16th Street Church in Birmingham. Three of the four girls killed were very close family friends to my uncle. This terrible act made international news. People were outraged all over the world. This attack, the March on Washington and other things that occurred in a short period of time helped move Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965. These Acts, for the very first time, established equal rights for African Americans under the law. Uncle Houston saw the beginning of change in America for people of color. He wanted to be a part of the change. After graduating from college, he attended law school and is currently Circuit Judge Sitting in the Circuit Court for the Grade 10 Judicial Court of Alabama. My Uncle Houston told me, “We still have a long way to go; it’s going to be tough but we are up to the task. I believe we can do anything we set our minds to. Study hard and work hard. That should be everybody’s goal to make a better America.” Stephen Turman Grade 7 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Mrs. George

What Could Cause So Much Hurt

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My first clue that something was wrong was when my dad came home early on that cold January evening. He looked tired and eyes were a little red, but I didn’t take much note of that. Instead I crept off to my room, wondering why my dad was at home with us, instead of at the hospital in Knoxville with my mom. My brother didn’t notice anything strange either. He just kept playing his DS in his dark room. My second clue was that my dad didn’t bother to yell “I’m home!” or bellow “I’m back!” When I didn’t hear wither of these remarks I poked my head out of my door and peered down the hall. I watched my dad curiously. He just kept to himself. He silently set his black brief case down and kicked off his shoes. He ran a hand through his dark brown hair before he took a seat on the bench we have by our door. He didn’t stay seated long, but to him it must have felt like an eternity. My third and most obvious clue was what my dad did next. He walked into the kitchen and hugged my grandmother. My grandmother, from my mom’s side of the family, had been cooking dinner when my dad walked in. When my dad hugged her, he also whispered something in her ear. I saw her face freeze. She almost dropped the spoon she was clutching, but managed to keep a firm grip on it. I watched as her face turned as white as the fiat 500 my dad had rented for his trip to Knoxville. Tears started to tumble and roll down both of the adults’ faces while my grandmother sobbed the word “no” again and again. My brother had ventured out of his room to stand beside me. His blood shot eyes took in the scene that was unfolding before us. We looked from the horrific sight of our family members crying, to each other. We wondered what could cause so much hurt. It took us less than a second to comprehend what had happened. It took less than a second for my brother to break down in tears. It took less than a second for my world to turn inside out. It took less than a second to realize that my mother was dead. Now, about five months later, I was frozen with the same dread that filled me the past January. Even though it was a warm Miami day, I was cold inside. I held my small phone in my hand and reread the text that my friend, Elizabeth, had sent me. It consisted of two words, because two words were all it took. He’s gone. I knew that my friend’s dad had been fighting a rare form of cancer. I knew that he wasn’t doing well. But I didn’t suspect this to happen so suddenly. Elizabeth’s father was dead and I was on vacation in Miami with my grandparents. I was more than a thousand miles away from her in her time of need. I couldn’t be there for her, even though she was always there for me. I read through the short text again. He’s gone. I felt just as bad as I did the night of my mother’s death. I had no idea what the protocol for this situation was. Should I text Elizabeth? What if she’s expecting a call from me? What would I tell her? Was she ready to talk to me? I couldn’t decide. I just sat starring at the screen of my phone wordlessly. I was so shocked I almost didn’t notice that the phone was vibrating in my hand. My dad was calling me. “Hello?” I said hoarsely. My dad had only called to check in with me and my brother. He asked how we were and if the weather was nice. I gave him short simple

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answers, and hoped that my voice didn’t give anything away. But my dad finally asked “So how’s Elizabeth’s dad?” I blinked away a few tears before I answered with two simple words. “He’s gone.” I waited for my dad to say something. He tried to, but only chocked on his words each time. I could hear him shuddering through muffled tears. “Oh.” He said simply. We left it at that. I didn’t say anything else and neither did he. Eventually we both hung up. It was a few hours until I could finally register the rest of the world properly again. I did call my friend within the next day or two. We didn’t say much, but I told her to call if she wanted to talk. I wouldn’t be back home for another month, and I felt helpless being so far away. School started in August and that’s when we saw each other for the first time since school ended in May. We acted normal around every one, and Elizabeth would have seemed normal to a stranger. But I could hear her strained laughter when she tried to hide it. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was like that after my mother died. Elizabeth and I went to counseling once together, and that helped a little… but not much. As far as I could tell we’re both as back to normal as we’re going to get. And that’s ok, but every now and then you can tell if she or I are thinking about our lost loved ones. Like on mother’s or father’s day. But I hope that’s just a part of grieving, that maybe our laugh won’t be so strained one day. I really do hope so. Matheson Wynnemer Grade 8 Signal Mountain Middle/High School 2650 Sam Powell Trail Signal Mountain, TN 37377 Mrs. Harwood

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[High School Poetry] The Day it Rained That’s when the rain came down, and we run through the field, singing the song about rain. We climb trees and let them sway. We made up a dance, and put on a show. We screamed at the top of our lungs. We climbed to the roof, and watched the stars until we fell asleep. That night we dreamed Of doing it all again. Sarah Baker Grade 11 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Shelley George A Day on the Slopes The mountain wakes up to welcome you with open arms, Fresh snow is falling like leaves of autumn. The tracks of a hare’s long night, Will soon be covered by drifts of snow. Birds chirping and the grinding of the gears of lifts, These sounds say it’s time to start another day. The distant boom of avalanche control Sends fleeting fear though anxious skiers. Brisk cold greats you as you step out of your warm and toasty lodge. On the lift your trail mix tastes like a four-‐course meal. As the day goes on, fatigue tells you, “It’s time to go home.” When you ease into a hot tub after a long day of skiing, You feel instant relief to all your aching muscles. The distant smell of fires burning reminds You of a warm greeting from a friend John Beasley Grade 9 Boyd-Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, TN 37411 236

Mrs. Christine Jones My Least Favorite Things Feet on cold tile And burning hot weather, Way to much schoolwork, And bad Christmas sweaters. The doctor’s office And movies that sing: These are some of my Least favorite things. Slow hallway walkers, Slow internet servers, Getting writer’s block, And hearing dumb rumors. Scratched up DVDs And tangled up string: These are some of my Least favorite things. When I’m in traffic, When a dish breaks, When I’m feeling sad, I think less of my Least favorite things, And then I don’t feel So bad. Harper Beeland Grade 9 Center for Creative Arts 1301 Dallas Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 Meri Sowders Wondrous Truth Falling away down the tumbling spire, Of nature and wind and the rain, but no fire, I soared like a bird, And caught drafts like an eagle, Then I thought too hard about what I was doing, And dropped like a rock without yearning, For a hope I might stop before aground I was running, 237

Then a willow, soft and sweet, saw my peril, And made a feat, she caught me in her kind embrace, And laid me softly in the meadow, Down on heather soft as feather, She kept me there through sheer amazement, At the sight of the stars that above us shone, Bright in the night where this hath begun, I watched those stars twinkle and dance, Around hazy forms and shining liquids, Spilt on the sky by Orion himself, These bright wondrous things, To sleep hath brought me, I'll awake in the morrow, And remember fondly the dreams I doth have etched in my brain, And for reasons unknown I feel they were true, Though such glorious things must be surely of my thoughts, and no more, But I'll always wonder what if indeed they were true, And if so, when we'll visit again. Zachary Brown Grade 9 Boyd-Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, TN 37411 Mrs. Christine Jones The mind is incredible Turning cranking out ideas Like a factory, never ending. We plan plot and scheme New ways to change The always changing world. We build, create, spin, Weld, hammer, sew So many new designs So many new ideas To improve this one Terrestrial rock Orbiting a giant burning ball of gas. All these planes, cars computers Tools, rockets phones All our explorations In space In the jungles In the oceans

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In the snow In every nook, cranny, corner, Cave, forest lake Everywhere on this planet. All our work, explorations, ideas Our medicines, foods, tools They all started in one place The mind is incredible. Alexander Butcher Grade 10 grade Boyd- Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga TN 37411 Coach Rose Lost Poem I am a poet. My poems are my life. So when I lose one of my poems, I also lose part of my life. I am not whole anymore. I am a puzzle. My poems are my puzzle pieces. So when I lose one of my pieces, I also lose part of my puzzle. I am not whole anymore. I am a rainbow. My poems are my colors. So when I lose one of my colors, I also lose part of my rainbow. I am not whole anymore. I am a flower. My poems are my petals. So when I lose one of my petals, I also lose part of my flower. I am not whole anymore. I am a piano. My poems are my keys.

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So when I lose one of my keys, I also lose part of my piano. I am not whole anymore. I am a book. My poems are my chapters. So when I lose one of my chapters, I also lose part of my book. I am not whole anymore. Missing poem. Reward: $5.00 Eliza del Carmen Grade 10 Notre Dame High School 2701 Vermont Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37404 Ms. Wheeler Bright Shine like the sun does Bright and brilliantly endless Among all the stars Ashlee Chambers Grade 10 Grade Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive Happiness Along the silent dock I stand lifeless as a sleeping child Calm as a docile old man and I think to myself loneliness Oh how I wish things would change everything so complicated So wrapped up in the worthlessness that is life why I am here What is my purpose Suddenly the caring dark haired woman races into my mind The concerned sad look in her eyes all the sorrow with the Thought of her washes away like the water crashing against The dock

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I suddenly realize how incredibly worthless meaningless or not Important my life has been its hard to look myself in the mirror With the way I feel I stand alone at the edge of the quiet lifeless dock feeling an uncontrollable feeling of pain grief insignificance my life spiraling out of control I yearn for an answer I walk quietly back to my house thinking constantly about how I don’t seem to matter how no one cares while clouds of darkness engulf me in a veil of despair and depression there Is no more hope for me Darkness surrounding me I raise the cold blunt object to my fogged up head and proceed to pull the cold metal trigger But wait suddenly I see a bright blinding light at the end of a tunnel it hurts to look but I can’t turn away for some reason my whole body freezes I can’t move I’m frozen like a block of ice I see images of the dark haired woman at the end of the tunnel how she was always there no matter how troubled or sad I was she would never give up on me so I knew then I couldn’t give up on myself no matter how meaningless I felt I slowly started to lower the object shaking uncontrollably I felt sick weak I vomited and passed out on the cold floor of my room When I awoke a bright light perhaps the brightest light I’ve ever seen I claw out of bed barely able to walk I notice the weapon on the counter my mother immediately turn to me and scurries to wrap me up in the largest hug ever conceived we both preceded to cry and for the first time in a long while I felt happy Ben Cook Grade 9 Grace Baptist Academy 7815 Shallowford Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mr. Reese The Senses Of Winter I see the bare branches of the trees I see the snow floating to the ground I see my breath when it hits the cold air I see winter I hear the sound of my family laughing I hear the crunch of dead grass beneath my feet I hear the sound of Christmas carols I hear winter I feel the chill bumps on my arms I feel the warm hot chocolate I feel the bristle of pine needles

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I feel winter I taste the small cool snowflakes I taste the bittersweet peppermint I taste my grandmother’s cooking I taste winter I smell wood fires burning I smell freshly mad gingerbread houses I smell the cold clean air I smell winter Katelyn Couch Grade 12 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive Chattanooga, TN 37421 Taryn Humphries To Helen Helen, thy beauty is to me Like a basket of rotten fruits That gently, o’er a putrid sea The weary, way-‐worn wanderer escapes Flees to his foes native shore On desperate seas will want to roam Thy kudzu hair, thy unpleasant face, Thy Naiad airs have warned me of coming home To the glory that was Greece And the grandeur that was Rome Lo! In yon brilliant window-‐niche How appalling I see thee stand The agate lamp within thy blemished hand! Ah, Horror, from the regions which Thou hast arisen Brandon Cross Grade 10 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mtn., GA 30750 Shelly George 242

Pride Before the Fall Sashaying back and forth across polished mahogany floor, Loving the beauty of the stillness and the grace the room affords, Yet when I stumble and taste the dirt, the silence is no more. Erica Cyrul Grade 11 grade Notre Dame High School 2701 Vermont Ave. Chattanooga, TN 37404 Mr. Newell All We Are Saying (John Lennon) Do you remember when you were young When you were just a lad in Liverpool And you met some other guys Who were just the same as you Do you remember when you went on your own And you told the world All you wanted was some peace And you laid in bed for a while Don't you remember when you left You left, but you're never gone All those who look up to you ask Are you looking down on us as well? Rebekah Davis 11 grade Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Shelly George The flight of the Butterfly The Butterfly Takes its flight, Out of a safe cocoon, Into a dangerous life. 243

Out flies the Butterfly. Is it free? Or confined Into such a hazardous life? Will it wander with freedom? Is it free? Is it scared? To spread its new wings, To adventure more, To be on its own, Is it scared? Is it Lonely? Flying alone From flower to flower, It eats Solemnly. With much beauty, It flows in the wind, Not worrying, It just takes flight, With what looks like clarity. So curious is the butterfly, That flies so secretly, So mystic, So freely flying, Off goes the butterfly. Katie Lenora Ford Grade 11 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive Chattanooga, TN 37421 Taryn Humphries

Take my Life, Oh, My Love Take my life, my love, and let it be; All for thee and no time for me. 244

Take my moments and my time; Your chores will put me far behind. Take my hands, and let them work, My reward is you being a jerk. Take my feet, and let them follow, I am so tired of hearing you hollow. Take my voice, and let me sing, Because all I hear is you being mean. Take my lips, my kisses so sweet, Unfaithful to me, my fist you will meet. Take my silver and my gold, I'm the only one you better hold. Take my intellect and use, Mistreat me and you will loose. Take my will, and make it thine, Always just sitting on your behind. Take my heart, it is thine own, For I have it out on a loan. Take my love, and treat it right, If not, we will be in a fight. Take myself, and I will be, The best person you will see. Tabitha Frady Grade 12 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace Lookout Mountain. GA 30750 Mrs. George Germany 1941 Crashing noises from outside the door, Wishing there would be no more. 245

Hiding with my hands over my eyes, Wondering who lives or who dies. Men and women covered in stripes, Children smell of the smoke of pipe. Beaten then cleaned to be locked in a room, As close as twins in a mothers womb. Together until their dying breath, Scent of harmful fumes and rotting flesh. Crashing noises from outside the door, Wishing this Hitler would be no more. Madeline Kay Free Grade 10 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Shelley George

Darkness It pierces your heart In the still of the night You can try to scream But it isn't worth the fight Everyone is a little bit frightened But as daylight approaches Your soul will be enlightened There is nothing to captivate a human being As much as the stillness of a willow tree breathing So as you go out Be aware and prepared Because we all know Everyone is scared Alexa Hickman Grade 11 Boyd-Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, TN 37411 Mrs. Rolanad Fall As all the leaves fall they form a cloud before they 246

create a carpet. Beth Huston Grade 10 grade Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Shelley George Time Out for Love Children. That’s all they were, really— Budding—into—adults. These children, you see, Deciding the game Before their final night’s show. We see them now, In the stories of men, Through a window quite drastically muddied. And we watch As they run and they laugh and they fall, Yes… we all quite assuredly study. Out of breath, they discuss— The choice to be made, The course their evening will follow. Crying out, one suggests, “Let us climb to the moon! Let us hang from its shining white tail.” All in concurrence, They fashion tall ladders, Ascend to a crescent quite pale. One after another— Their pitters and patters Are heard By dear Luna above. Loading on To the sturdy night-‐beacon, They hear whispers of mys’try and love. Swirling around them, A celestial starstorm. They fall in awe Of her wisdom, her trust. Hanging from heartstrings Above and down low, Tears fall from their faces 247

To the planet below. Forgetting their worries, Their hardships, Their strife, They are pleased with the game They have chosen Tonight. Franny Jackson Grade 10 Notre Dame High School 2701 Vermont Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37404 Ms. Wheeler Unrequited What is love Unfulfilled Do We find it Raging at the bars Screams to the cosmos Seethes and pulses Rising and falling Brave relentless. Or so much less, it Aches Desperation Sobs Refuted Stunted Turns in dejection And is reborn Smiling cynicism, Wearing the ring. "This too shall pass." Kale Langley Grade 10 Boyd-Buchanan School 4650 buccaneer trail, Chattanooga, TN 37411 Mr. Rose 248

Light and Heat You can hide from the Dark Cold World, If you fancy. But there is no darkness, Only lack of Light; There is no cold, Only lack of Heat. So bring the Light And the Heat Into the world And the darkness And the cold Will take care of themselves.

Kelli Marcum Grade 10 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Shelley George

The Effect of Gravity Upon a Fish It must be a rather dull life, being a fish. You glub glub around a rectangle One you've seen a thousand times. No wonder Egg just sits in the corner. I suppose the reflection of the light changes Over the shiny uniform marbles As the sun makes its uniform journey Every day, never breaking pattern. But at the same time, I don't think Bland Has ever had to feel the weight of the world As it sags. No, Confidence Man just stares wide eyed The bubbles rising to the top of the tank, Because the density of air is less than the density of water, And watches. Because in two minutes it is dinner time. Allie McCoskey Grade 12 Boyd-Buchanan School

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4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, TN 37411 Mr. Bischell

Ashes of Germany Oh pure Aryan fate, what have I done today? Inform me of my fallacies, and then drag my away Indent on all of my luggage your yellow starry stamp Then ship me off to my vacation in your concentration camp We'll pray to our god to save us all, and shelter us from the pain Yet instead of eternal paradise, we only receive acid rain No matter how much we beg of you, and our Messiah on His cross It seems that we'll all perish in this never-‐ending Holocaust What are we Jews but lowly dogs, exiled from the NSDAP? We're the piece, the defective piece, that just doesn't quite fit here in Nazi Germany At least that's what every true German citizen is taught With every copy of Mein Kampf, composed of doctrinal truth, that's bought So come all ye curious to Auschwitz, when the fires begin to burn bright Come to witness the fall of the ashes of Germany, throughout this blackened night We're left with nothing but hollow Stars of David, burned out of their light Hamp Patty Grade 11 Boyd-Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, TN 37411 Mrs. Roland Fog and Rain In a fog, Can't see back, Can't see front, Can't see 'round. In a fog, What to do, Push on through Or turn around? Go back to life The way it was then, Or just keep going Until the end. Go back into hiding, Can't keep confining, The pain, the hurt, and suffering, 250

Heart and mind are toughening. The temptation to quit Is far too strong, Can't keep running The road is too long. What to do? The question hurts: Stop right now And with death flirt? In a fog, Needing escape From this road Of pain and heartbreak. The pain is like rain Beating on the windowpane, All coming up from the sea Like a dreadful curse of misery. It's like a never ending hell, When it will cease No one can tell. Freezing cold and waterlogged, Soaking from rain And blinded by fog. Depression is so overpowering That giving up looks promising. To no longer feel the suffering, The rest of my life to be slumbering. Life is so unbearable, Cannot stand much more. Mind is growing weary And heart growing sore. Waking and sleeping, All is pain. Will someone save me From fog and from rain? Mason Rudolph Grade 9 Boyd-Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, TN 37411 Mrs. Christine Jones

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Love Is Love is... What makes weak men brave, And brave men cower down in fear. Love is... What makes princes throw down their swords, And kings step from their thrones. Love is... Beyond words, And remains perpetually in your heart. Love is... The good times and bad times, And easy times and hard times. Love is... A feeling that comes in an instant, And lasts a century after forever. Love is... A promise of eternity, And as clear as Heaven’s sky. Love is... What people live for, And what people die for. Love is... Without hesitation, And as warm as the shining sun. Love is... What the soul yearns for, And will spend a lifetime seeking. Love is... Everything. 252

Ruth Schuiling Grade 12 Silverdale Baptist Academy 72363 Bonny Oaks Drive Chattanooga, TN 37421 Taryn Humphries

I Don’t Do Costumes Anxious to go Trick-‐or-‐Treating, a forced smile is fixed on my fourth-‐grade face as I painfully endure my mother’s traditional photoshoot with my disappointed best friend while the sun sets on a cool Halloween evening. Being way too cool for costumes, I wear an oversized orange t-‐shirt that has four words on it: I Don’t Do Costumes while my friend wears my undersized red t-‐shirt that has two words on it: Card Shark. As we impatiently sit on a broken bench in my front yard, my mother enthusiastically gives us the generic command “Say cheese!” I mutter “Cheese..” behind my clenched teeth as my mom presses a button on her camera. Kent Scruggs Grade 11 Grace Baptist Academy 1578 Shallowford Road, Chattanooga Sherry Poff Winter Serenity The sweet smoke of coffee roaming around the room The blazing fire makes a crackle and a boom The couples in their cozy sweaters cuddle with love The lights on the tree are lit up above My pale face is embraced with snowflakes I love the color and the shape the ice makes They kiss my rosy cheeks and melt into my skin I’ve missed their presence, where have they been? The candles burning and smell of cinnamon 253

Those are the signs that winter is beginning again. Lauren Sexton Grade 10 Grade Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive Sarah Johnson O San Francisco the City By the Bay O San Francisco, The City By the Bay, Your marvelous wonders, full of beauty and grace. So magical, majestic and great, In the midst of all the fog there lies the Golden Gate. Under the moon-‐lit stars, travel near or far What better way? Hop on a cable car. Try Ghiradelli for a tasty treat, Take a walk with the hippies down Haight and Ashbury Street. Go and get some fine valley wine, Or walk down to Pier 39. Spend a day at Fisherman’s Wharf an amazing sight to see, You will get scared by the man that jumps from behind a tree. You will be entertained all day, Go to AT&T Park to watch the Giants play. This is my home away from home, hopefully one day to stay, O San Francisco, The City By the Bay. Joshua John Slocum Grade 11 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive Chattanooga, TN 37421 Taryn Humphries I have thought about a lot of things — I have thought about a lot of things — Is life like a flower that is soon trampled? Only — to be erased — our ends and our beginnings? If it is not erased — then what? If not a life beyond our earthly life — then what is there? 254

Only darkness and… tranquility? Chaos? Where should the boundaries for our questions be? So many questions have come to mind. Are the preachers right? Is the world wrong? Within my soul — and within the Word the right answer I have searched to find. Within the Word I have found something as “dormant” as absolute truth. The Scriptures scream it — yet no one listens. It could paint itself rainbow on a completely blank earth, but the world would always need more proof. Ben Strawn Grade 12 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive Chattanooga, TN 37421 Taryn Humphries Howl Why does the wolf howl? They say that it is only simple communication. I, however, like to think that it means something more. Perhaps he is lonely in the endless forest or the vast land of ice. Maybe he is mourning something that he has lost and is beginning to forget. Possibly he speaks because he feels that only the moon will listen. Cooper Sylar Grade 9 grade Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421 Ms. Blake Princess When you are young, They say you're a pretty princess. 255

You do believe You're safe in a pillow fortress. Then as you age, You are threaded with aching fear. It seizes you In every cruel, hard, shaky year. You go to school Where your world is filled with secrets. Your biggest strength Becomes your prominent weakness. You watch people. They go through torture, so much pain. You watch as tears Turn to anger, to hateful blame. Soon freedoms come. You go more, you see more, you twirl. Friends rule your life In your little side of the world. Right when it's good, Everything comes crashing down. Broken-‐hearted, You're no princess in your silk gown. No one cares. Where is the closeness of your friends? They are now gone Because everything good comes to end. You trudge on through. You fight, you push, you aren't idle. But it all falls, Falls back to the vicious cycle. Abby Underwood Grade 10 grade Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Dr., Chattanooga, TN, 37421 Sarah Johnson

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Peace’s Result The cleverness of the mind, Thinks through its sorrow days, It’s thinking is unbalanced, With its undeceiving ways, It results to violence, As easily as the sun sets, While the aftermath is dealt, With won and lost bets, Blood sprayed with silver, While the mind is lost, And only the wise recognize, As all feel the cost, War, the inevitable, Nobody knows the end, It puts all decent thoughts aside, Who to trust? As a friend? The mind is like kin, It is always close with you, But when it’s needed most, It miscarries, and that’s true, So just as you think, What you’ve never thought before, The thought is forgotten, As unnoticed as children’s folklore, So peace is an option, But all good comes with bad, And you never even knew, That you lost what you had, So as the moon crosses, The sky sets to night, You realize your loss, With the truth shining bright, The tears come to fall, But may be a little late, As the precious love is lost, What’s left? Provoked hate. Charles T. Vanzant Grade 9 East Hamilton Middle High School 2015 Ooltewah-Ringgold Road, Ooltewah TN, 37363 Mrs. Coe

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The Bombs of Life A Parody of Psalms of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Mournful numbers, empty dreams, Death in slumber, so it seems. Life is hard! Life is hopeless! To the grave we go, Dust we are, to dust returneth, Let’s do our best to make it slow, No enjoyment and much sorrow, Is our destined end or way, Let’s hope that tomorrow Isn’t worse than today. Days are long, and Time is fleeting, And our hearts, though weak and grave, Still, like thumping drums, are beating Funeral marches to the grave. All the world is like a battle, In a bivouac of life, We are like cattle, not heroes in strife. Lives of great men all remind us, We will never be like them, Mediocre, Ordinary, as we are With footprints washed away by the sands of time. Footprints that perhaps another, Will probably never see, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Will pass by and never see. Let us then, be never doing, Anything that might seem great, Not achieving, not pursuing, Never laboring through the date. Ashton Wattenbarger Grade 10 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Shelley George

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[High School Prose] Home at Last Ralph could not stop crying. This was his first funeral, and it was for two loyal companions-‐ Piggy and Simon. Jack was also at the funeral, his face expressionless and tear stained as he stared in the direction of the ground. Piggy’s aunt and Simon’s parents were also attending the funeral, all crying and sniffling. Ralph turned to gaze unhappily at the two tombstones sitting amidst the small crowd of people under the cloudy gray sky. Piggy’s rectangular tombstone was decorated with the painful picture of the conch shell. The years that represented the length of Piggy’s life looked almost similar to each other, his life was so short. Piggy’s real name, Oscar J. Caldwel III, was written in bold, neat print across the marble rock. Ralph went to stand next to Piggy’s aunt who was whispering to herself, “My Oscar, my poor, poor Oscar is dead,” causing Ralph to feel even worse than before. He let her hug him until she was satisfied, then turned to stare once again on the painful scene of the two, sad looking graves. Simon’s tombstone had a sort of diamond shape to it. The picture of an island had been carved perfectly onto the smooth, granite stone. With trees lining the beach and a smoking mountain rising out of its center, it resembled the island from which they had just escaped. Simon’s full name, Simon F. Jameston, had been printed in perfect cursive with a flourish. Like Piggy’s tombstone, the dates of Simon’s birth and death almost looked liked the exact same year repeating itself over again. Simon’s parents were hugging each other trying to comfort themselves at their only son’s death. Simon’s mother was clutching her womb where the hope of another son grew. As Ralph turned away from the graves, he thought back to how the officer had questioned him, Jack, and the other older boys about the two deaths of Simon and Piggy. At first they all had been silent, but then Jack had spoken up telling the officer of the stories behind the two deaths. As Ralph laid flowers before each of the graves he remembered how he had backed up Jack, talking about how both of the deaths had just been accidents, and the boys had just been scared and afraid and trying to survive. As Ralph was walking away from the funeral he thought again of the mountain carved on Simon’s tombstone and wondered what had become of the beast. He remembered how he and the other boys told the officer about the beast, and how the officer reported the news of the creature to his sergeant. The soldier platoon decided to launch an expedition to look for the beast on the island. When they couldn’t find anything, they asked the boys where they had seen it. The boys explained how they saw it on the mountain and how the beast had looked up at them, and then put its head back between its legs. Simon had known what the beast really was and had died trying to tell the other boys. When Ralph had returned home, he thought that his awful ordeal was done, and he could just relax and be with the people he loved. Then came the funeral, and 259

his skies had turned gray again. As Ralph and his parents drove slowly away from the funeral, Ralph’s dad asked him whether there was anything he could do to cheer Ralph up, and Ralph said, “no, dad.” Nothing could cheer him up now. Jack tried his best to dry up his tears with the back of his hand in the car but ended up crying again. He knew Simon and Piggy’s deaths were his fault, and he wished that he had been killed instead. He wondered why Ralph had protected him and told the officer that what had happened was an accident. He wished he could go back in time and right all of the wrongs. He had thrown his knife into the ocean on the boat ride home and hoped he would never see it or another knife like it ever again. Jack had decided to start choir again hoping he had not lost his beloved ear for song. His parents had been happy that he had not lost his desire to sing. When he had gotten back, his parents had been a mass of tears and sappy words, but Jack hadn’t minded. Jack was just glad to be home at last. He was not glad, however, of the nightmares. Every night since Jack had gotten back, he had nightmares about being hunted by a giant pig with a spear that was saying, “I want meat” over and over again, and when he had turned to look at it, he had seen smoke coming out of it’s ears and a spear in its hoofed feet. When it cornered him and was about to run him through, Jack awoke in a cold sweat in his bed back in his house on 259 Tea Lane. And he would realize he was far, far away from the dreaded island of which he hoped to never see ever again. When he had returned home he had eaten a humungous dinner refusing any pork like ham, bacon, sausage, or other meat products. He said he never wanted to travel by plane ever again no matter what the situation. Newspaper reporters had constantly been at the front door wanting information about “The Story of the Shipwrecked Boys” as they called it, gathering up every last scrap of information they could get and trying to best each other in writing the most descriptive version of the story causing Jack to stay away from newspaper venders and newsstands. Jack just wished he could forget the island and act as if nothing had ever happened. Graham Anderson Grade 10 Notre Dame High School 2701 Vermont Ave. Chattanooga, TN 37404 Ms. Wheeler The setting takes place at an outdoor café in Renaissance Canterbury, England. Henry the 8th (1491-1547) and Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) have agreed to meet at this café for discussion. Leonardo daVinci (1452-1519) suffering chronic procrastination, wanders into the café and, curious, joins the discussion. I, Vivian Anderson, enticed by the prospect of worldview analysis and free coffee, also join the discussion after an invitation from Sir Thomas More. 260

The scene opens on Sir Thomas and Henry engaged in small talk. I enter. Henry: “That’s the point! If we were able to create some sort of effective plug, wine could be stored in individual bottles. Plus the drink would never spoil. Having those huge barrels are so aggravating!” Thomas:” But Your Grace-‐“ Henry: “ I’m telling you, Thomas, I am on to something here!” Thomas: “ But Your Grace, there is someone here whom I wish for you to meet.” Vivian: “Oh-‐ hi! I just came to join the conversation.” Henry:”So, Vivian, where is it that you hail from.” Vivian: “21st century. I guess you could call me a post-‐modernism gal.” Thomas: “Yes, Henry and I were just discussing history when his Grace was suddenly struck with an…innovative idea.” Henry: “I believe that I live in the era of man’s highest artistic acheivments.” Vivian: “I mean, everyone, even your Grace, would agree that the renaissance generated some of the richest and beautiful art ever created by man …” Henry:” Everyone, huh? In your opinion, that is. It really depends on what your values are, what your definition of ‘good’ is. Don’t get me wrong-‐ I indeed agree the Renaissance are is near divine. After all, they don’t call me the renaissance king for nothing!” Thomas: “And what, Your Grace, do you define as a ‘good’ thing?” Henry: “Well-‐shucks-‐ it really depends…” Thomas: “…Which is exactly my answer. The value and meaning behind ‘good’ really shifts in different times social, and cultural settings. Take the very subject of renaissance art for instance: would we hold it in such high regard if medieval art had been of such excellence? Would be hold it in higher regard if medieval art consisted of cave paintings?” Henry: “Good point, Thomas, but I have more to add. Whether you disagree or simply did not include this point, I believe that ‘good’ does not shift entirely. Though it may generally be wittled by the winds of time, the definition of ‘good’ is like truth-‐ man, no matter how derived, has an instinctual, hard-‐wired understanding of it.” Vivian:” Well, now you’ve got me curious, and this is a question I’ve wanted to ask both of you-‐ But wait a second…isn’t that Leonardo daVinci? Indeed, Leonardo daVinci has wandered into the café. I beckon him over to our table, and, as he seems interested, I explain that we are simply having a discussion about current events, values, worldview, etc. Leonardo:”Sir Thomas More? Your Grace, King Henry? It seems I have found myself in some interesting company. But don’t let me interrupt the flow of the discussion-‐ just go ahead and pick up where you left off…I’m sure I’ll be able to catch on somewhere…” Vivian:” Well, you have actually come at the right time. I was just about to introduce a new question on the subject of values. As I said before, this is a question I would like to extend to everyone: what is the good life?” Leonardo:”I think that the good life is impossible or nearly unachievable, to say the least. It really depends on what you define the ‘good life’ to be, though.” 261

Henry:”That’s pretty simple. The good life is a fulfilled life; a life that, through some accomplishment, presents one with good friends, good faith, good art, and good drink. Henry:” I hold the same belief as Thomas-‐ though the American outgrowth of my church does not accept the doctrine of purgatory. I, too, believe that purgatory is essential to our acceptance into heaven. ” Vivian:”I also hold the same belief as Sir Thomas, too. Also, though I do not buy it entirely, I know that Marxists believed that man has been estranged from the good life because he is evicted of property and forced to dwell on sub-‐optimal material.” Leonardo:”I’m not actually sure what I can think about the afterlife…it is quite difficult for me to fathom, as I adopt a very emperical approach to almost every facet of my life. In almost every situation, I must verify to believe. To make a concrete statement about my belief in the afterlife at this very moment would be foolish, as this is a subject that will require hours of meditation.” Thomas:”You have intriguing views, Leonardo. Simply fascinating…Unfortunately, I’m going to have to leave in a little bit. I have a doctor’s appointment. But before I leave, I have one more question in regard to current events.” Henry:” Yes?” Thomas:” What is your opinion on marriage?” Silence. Vivian:”Gosh. You picked a pretty intense subject, Sir Thomas.” Thomas:” As was my point. I think most of you can assume what my position is. I believe that marriage is between one man, and one woman, until death do they part. I ask this only because marriage has become the topic of major controversy right now, and, as I know many of our view differ, I am simply curious about the reasoning behind any variant model.” Henry:” Well, well. Still upset about my getting a divorce? I am telling you, Thomas, it was the lesser of two evils!” Thomas:” How? If I recall correcting, God calls us to do the right thing no matter what! One divorce led to adulterous relationships with six women.” Henry:” I must have an heir! I was trapped between two choices: divorcing one barren women, or instituting dynastic war! Which do you believe is the lesser of the two, Thomas? Divorcing, not killing, ONE WOMAN, or putting hundreds of innocent people to death! Do you not see my reasoning?” Leonardo:” Your Grace. Thomas. There is no need to get so heated! Besides, I don’t even really believe ‘marriage’ has to be between a man and a woman. “ King Henry’s mouth is moving, but no words are coming out. Thomas: “Leonardo, homosexuality is evil.” Leonardo: “Psh. Why?” Thomas: “Unfortunately this discussion with have to wait for another time. It looks like the time has come for me to go. We can meet tomorrow for breakfast, as long as you remember to show up on time. Leonardo: “Sure, sure.” Thomas: “See you guys later!” Sir Thomas More stands up and walks out of the café. Just as he does, the table starts to shake, and Desiderius Erasmus emerges from underneath it. 262

Erasmus:” Gosh. I thought he’d never leave!” Henry:” Excuse me?” Erasmus:” Thomas More. I thought he’d never leave!” Henry:” No. I mean, what are you doing here? Have you been under the table this whole time?” Erasmus: “Yup.” Henry:”Oookay. Couldn’t you have just joined the discussion in the first place?” Erasmus: “Nah, I was busy getting some new ideas for a new satire of mine. The material is rich to say the least.” Henry: “Touche’.” Vivian: “Well, being under the table and all, I assume you’re pretty caught up on all the action?” Erasmus: “For the most part. I do have one question, though. At the beginning of your conversation, there was all this talk of good, good, good. What about evil? The depravity of man was touched down on at one point, but not enough for my liking. So, in ‘ya’lls’ opinion, what is evil?” Vivian: “OOooh. Tough one to start out with, Mr. Erasmus. Evil is hard to describe, if you ask me. “ Henry:” I would consider evil to be anything meant for the destruction of the good. Perhaps, in a more theological sense, I would define evil to be anything not of GOD.” Leonardo:” Quite simply, I would probably consider evil to be the inverse of good. Whatever is not of the light must be that of the darkness. I’ve observed that, although one may not believe in God, they believe in the devil. Or some form of him. Why is that, I wonder?” Erasmus:” Because Evil is always a possibility and good is eternally difficult. We live in a fundamentally fallen world.” Henry:” Erasmus has a point. We are a fallen creation, and even though we do come close to a ‘good society’, we can never have a ‘perfect society’. The perfect society will come at the time of a new heaven and a new earth.” Vivian:” Yes, the second coming.” Erasmus:” Well, speaking of second comings, it looks like our time is up! Shall we meet again?” Henry:” Fat chance!” Vivian:” Who knows? If it be GOD’s will, we’ll certainly see each other soon!” THE END. Vivian Anderson Grade 11 Notre Dame High School Ms. Wheeler Circuit Breaker “They really don’t pay me enough for this,” Rian thought again as he and the crate beneath his feet were lowered to the deck of the oil rig. Moments later a 263

worker came to take the crate away. Barely acknowledging each other, the two men made their way to the innermost room of the rig. Rian bolted the door behind them, took the small ID card from his pocket, and flashed it toward the camera in the corner of the room. The room gave that all too familiar lurch, the one that still made Rian’s stomach churn after all this time, as it started to descend. When finally the room stopped moving, the men exited and went through a long succession of halls. Coming to a door, they each turned a key in one of the two locks on either side of the door's frame. The room they walked into was filled with men, most of them clad in bulky armor and carrying even bulkier guns. Then a man in a white lab coat came forward and addressed Rian. “Dr. Fairfax, I trust your mission went well?” “As well as could be expected, given the circumstances.” The circumstances being that genetic stacking had gotten to the point where scientists had started cloning humans, genetically altering them, and using them as weapons of war. However, as the brain was still beyond man’s understanding, they were given computer chips meant to function as the brain. The computers were better for controlling the creatures anyway. Better, that is, until a mad genius decided to give them artificial intelligence, at which point they broke free and started wreaking havoc on the world. So here he was, Dr. Rian Fairfax, rounding up the mess of men who had dabbled beyond their ken. Rian checked with the worker who had been wheeling the crate and then nodded towards the man in the white coat. At white coat’s signal, all the armored men trained their weapons towards the middle of the room. There sat, stood, or just generally existed thirteen of the aforementioned creatures, not all together beast-‐ like, but neither did they look very human. One, however, stood out from the rest, for he was in fact very human like in every feature except for the eyes. Those were like a cat’s, cool and calculating until they fell upon Rian. That was when something like rage sprang up into them for naught but a second and then returned to a forced calm. He had been Rian’s Grade 12 catch and the trickiest one yet, completely opposite from the 14th who was about to be put with the rest behind the barrier. The barrier was nothing but one thick wire pumped full of an electrical current hanging above another, forming a sort of dome shape. However, as the creatures had unnatural strength, it was also one of the most effective ways found to hold them. By simply touching one of the circuits, the chip in the head of the offending creature would short out and render him unconscious for quite some time if not actually killing him. So, with a couple dozen guns aimed at the creatures and any possible threat, white coat disengaged the barrier. The rungs of wire automatically unplugged from the “load” at which point chaos inevitably ensued as it always did at such times. The creatures that had been there the longest stayed towards the back but the newer ones, namely catches eight through thirteen, rushed towards the front. Of course the guns stunned them before they could actually make it out of the barrier, and catch fourteen was successfully deposited. This kind of scene always made Rian uncomfortable. There were many more efficient and humane ways to go about this, but they were more expensive, and Rian had little say in such matters.

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With his 14th mission completed, Rian would spend the night in the dormitory and head out again in the morning. This plan was abruptly changed, however, when Rian woke to a siren blaring all around him. He rushed to the door just as it was opened by a young Private. “You’re wanted in the control room, Sir.” “Tell them I’ll be right there.” The Private nodded and disappeared back behind the door. Rian peered at the footage of the chaos earlier that day. He watched as the cat eyed Grade 12 catch took advantage of the distraction provided by the others and slipped a large piece of cloth into the hole where the “return” connected to the “load.” Then the footage skipped to a mere fifteen minutes before the siren had sounded. Cat Eyes took the edges of the cloth in his hands and heaved, effectively breaking the circuit of the lowest rung. He snaked his way under and was followed by some six others before the clumsy catch fourteen bumped into live rungs. Guards were immediately on the scene, but they could only manage to keep the remaining seven secured. The video was then shut off and white coat turned to Rian saying almost sheepishly, “You see our dilemma, Dr. Fairfax.” Rian glared at him but replied with, “I’ve caught them once; I can do it again.” Then he exited the room to prepare for battle. Catch them he did, for one day later saw all creatures but one back behind the barrier and less damage to the facility than might be expected. Rian was rather surprised at how smoothly things had gone up to that point. So, it wasn’t much of a shock when not only the main, but also the reserve power was shut off. It took a full hour to get it switched back on. Every creature had a tracker installed as an extra precaution on entering the facility. This was how Rian had found all the others so easily, and this was how he now found Cat Eyes. A room made of reinforced glass used for observing life on the sea floor was the location of Cat Eyes now. At the far end with a shield and a gun, he faced Rian. Rian knew that if he simply made a shot at the creature, the shield could deflect the blow and a shot could be fired from his enemy’s gun. Rian wasn’t scared of death, but he knew better than to senselessly waste his life like that. Besides, there was a better solution. Almost imperceptibly, he slipped something out of his pocket and dropped it to the ground. He exited the room again and a boom rocked behind him as the explosive shattered the glass and sealed Cat Eyes’ fate. Rose Brown Grade 11 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Shelley George English Myth: The Tale of Alleigha and the Fireflies 265

Once, there was a forest nymph by the name of Alleigha. She was the most beautiful nymph there ever was. And one day whilst reared readying for the day by a babbling brook in a lush clearing, filled with anemone flowers. Apollo, on his daily commute across the sky, looked down and saw a woman more beautiful than any he had ever before seen. That night he decided he must find out who she was, in order to seek her affection. He wandered to Athens to ask the ruler if he knew tell of the maiden. Before he left there he asked great philosophers if they knew, and many other people he encountered along the way, but none knew of this beautiful woman he was searching for. Finally he gave up searching on earth and decided to return home to Mount Olympus. When he arrived, he related his tale of woe to some of his fellow Olympians. After hearing his tale of the beautiful maiden, Artemis, Demeter, and Poseidon decided to ask Aphrodite about a woman of such beauty. Aphrodite said," It could only be a nymph, and from where you saw her I may know which one she is, she is a forest nymph by the name of Alleigha." Aphrodite volunteered to show him where she lived, and off they went. Zeus had overheard their conversation and liked the sound of this maiden, and decided to follow them. Soon they arrived and found Alleigha asleep; they spoke softly in her ear until she woke. When she awakened she was startled to find Aphrodite and Apollo standing by her side in the dead of night. When she rose to her feet, she questioned them as to what they were doing there. Apollo spike up and said," I have seen your beauty this morning while driving my chariot across the sky and wish to be your suitor." Alleigha was stunned, she did not know how to respond, and so simply put, she said sure. Apollo was overjoyed and promised to visit her the next night for at the moment he had to drive his chariot across the sky once more. When Apollo had left, Zeus appeared, and blinded by her beauty, tried to entice her to come with him and forget Apollo. Alleigha was furious with Zeus and told him that she would never do that, and that she was Apollo's and she would not go out behind Apollo's back. This made Zeus very angry and he vowed to return and claim her for his own. When Apollo returned that night, Alleigha recounted the events of the day and how Zeus had tried to take her for his own. Apollo was very angry, and when he went to Mount Olympus that night he confronted Zeus and told him to keep his hands off of Alleigha. Zeus was dumbfounded that Apollo would be talking like this to him, but agreed anyway. The next day when Apollo was driving his chariot, Zeus came once more and attempted to persuade her to leave Apollo and go with him. Alleigha still said no and Zeus stayed until nightfall trying to convince her in any way possible. Zeus had become so obsessed with persuading Alleigha, that he had not realized how late it had gotten, until Apollo returned and yelled, “You agreed to leave her alone, she does not want to go with you, she wishes to stay here, with me." At that, Zeus and Apollo broke out into a fight and everything around them was still, the whole forest was watching the epic fight between two gods taking place in the forest here on earth. There was a particular group of flies hanging 266

around Alleigha, trying to comfort her, for she was in great distress at the thought of Zeus injuring Apollo. Once the fight had gone on for hours, Zeus realized he was not going to beat him, he said, "If I cannot have her, neither can you." and with that, he threw a lightning bolt at Alleigha and she was reduced to a pile of smoldering ashes. Some of the ashes that were still alight flew up, and feeling so bad for her, the flies grabbed them and when they did, they started glowing, so at night when Apollo is not driving his shining chariot through the sky, there will always be a part of her there in the fireflies to help Apollo get along without her. And it is also a sign to others, never get mixed up in a relationship with a god or goddess. Zachary Brown Grade 9 Boyd-Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, TN 37411 Mrs. Christine Jones

A Step Through Fate Have you ever wondered what the difference is between fate and destiny? Well you should ask the author Wes Moore who wrote The Other Wes Moore, for you may find a chilling answer. The purpose of this book is to warn and to remind the reader that being in any criminal activity could ruin or end your life. It also teaches that it is never too late to change and that anybody’s sad tale could have been yours. Within the true story of The Other Wes Moore the author and the less fortunate Wes were living in the slums and openly involved in crime. This book is recommended to any young adult but especially those going through hard times through the “hoods” or any other lower, class area. This book is a great read as an inspiration for some and a cautionary tale for others. Neither of the Moores had a father influence or figure in their lives and searched for that sense of family in the crime and drug trade. For the Wes that did not end up in jail, his father died right in front of him: “His body was sprawled and writhing at the foot of the stairs. Hardly any sounds came from his mouth” (Moore 22). Though very traumatic for a poor boy his age to see, he at least had a father and a family that cared as well which is what kept him on the mostly good path he is on now. Before Wes was set on his path, he hung out with Nikki and his friends, skipping school, and basic rebelliousness. This is completely understandable and would be something anyone would do, to cry out against fate and have something to control but the wrong decisions can hurt you deeply. In contrast the Wes that went to jail had a father, but he would have nothing to do with Wes. That Wes's father never came by to visit or took any notice. As the Wes that was convicted recalls, "Sometimes he'd ask Woody to hang out, and Woody would reply, 'can't, I'm with pops today,’ and Wes would feel a sure of conflicting feelings. He was genuinely happy for Woody, but he was also deeply envious" (Moore 38). All his life he searched for a father figure and found it in the wrong places, which most people can

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connect to and understand. Both of these situations are hard to turn around or even to deal with, but anyone can choose the honest path once they know of it. Education is a turning point for many young lives, but especially to the Moores. If they had a bad school or bad grades in school and didn't care, it could lead them down a dauntingly disturbing path. This path is one however that many are very familiar with. The author Wes Moore went to a military school, which was hard not only on him but his family: "The problem was that military school was not free. It's not even cheap. The price tag for Valley Forge was even steeper than that for Riverdale" (Moore 97). His family’s love for him turned him around while in military school, and he became a much better person. On the opposite side of things, the other Wes's family all lived elsewhere except his mother and she could barely afford to feed him let alone keep him in school, and so he gets curious and eventually into the drug trade. Tony Wes's older brother was always trying to keep him out of trouble and the drug trade even though he was being a hypocrite. He even cared about Wes going to school: "The conversation between brothers quickly turned to school. Tony knew Wes had finished elementary school and asked him what he was doing to get ready for the start of middle school" (Moore 34). Tony tried to act as Wes’s role model, however his hypocrisy drove Wes to follow him like any younger sibling would. Through this book one can see the psychology and reasons behind these actions and that though people have different morals, when struggling to survive one will try anything that works. When education is a missing factor that is exactly what happens. A reason that Wes could have created this book like previously stated is to caution others. Though caution and warning is good, there is something that was probably never intended, the psychology. The psychology of each side is well expressed, and this could help figure out who might turn to criminal activities and how one might get help them bypass those. Wes accomplished two comparison life stories that are very intriguing to read, though it is sometimes difficult to tell which story he is talking about at times. Wes has accomplished his purpose of recording two tales that could have easily switched places. Anyone’s tale can be changed for better or worse for something simple as forgetting a belt. This story is recommended to anyone who has lost hope in their future and believes that a criminal trade is the only way to make it out. Ashton DeBaillon Grade 11 Notre Dame High School 2701 Vermont Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37404 Ms. Wheeler The Life of William Ramsay (1852-1916) William Ramsay was born in Glasgow on October 2, 1852. He was the nephew of the famous geologist, Sir Andrew Ramsay. He studied in Glasgow until 268

1870 when he went to Fittig’s laboratory for two years. While he was there, he received his degree of doctor of philosophy. Ramsay returned to Scotland in 1872 and became an assistant in chemistry at the Anderson College in Glasgow; he became Principal and Professor of Chemistry at University College, Bristol, and moved on in 1887 to the Chair of Inorganic Chemistry at University College, London, a post which he held until his retirement in 1913. Ramsay started his scientific career in organic chemistry where he published work on picoline and on the decomposition products of the quinine alkaloids. In the eighteen eighties, he moved to physical chemistry where he contributed mostly on stoichiometry and thermodynamics. He worked with Sidney Young on evaporation and dissociation along with solutions of metals. These were however overshadowed by his work in inorganic chemistry. Ramsay’s most celebrated discoveries were made in the field of inorganic chemistry. He published multiple notable papers on the oxides of nitrogen and followed those up with the discovery of argon, helium, neon, krypton, and xenon. He made these discoveries along the side of Lord Rayleigh. While they didn’t work in the same laboratory, they communicated the results of their labors almost daily. In August of 1894, they announced their discovery of Argon. Later, in 1900, he discovered radon alongside chemist Robert Whytlaw-‐ Gray. Sir William Ramsay was highly decorated with scientific awards including the Nobel Prize in 1904. Sir William Ramsay died on July 23, 1916 at the age of sixty-‐ five. He was one of the most important chemists of the late 1Grade 9 and early 20th centuries. Stephen Fast 10 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Shelley George

Sky diving There was a race all over the world to be the first man to invent a safe parachute. This was a very risky business in which many died. The first man to sky dive was a French inventor who jumped from a hot air balloon over Paris. However, his parachute was not safe. So the race was still on. Robert Cocking decided to try to make his parachute like an upside down umbrella. This ended tragically when he decided to try it himself. He jumped; the parachute did not work, and he fell to his death. Others did not jump themselves but made something else take the fall. For example, Pierre Blanchard tied his dog to his parachute and dropped him. It worked, but it scared the dog so much he ran off with the parachute and was never seen again. Pierre Blanchard failed to write down the plans, so he could not remake the successful parachute. Finally, the Baldwin brothers created a parachute they 269

thought would work. They took the parachute up in a balloon, tied sand bags to it, and threw it out at three thousand feet. It worked, and they recovered the parachute. The Baldwin brothers had won the race. They then sold tickets to see the first safe, successful parachute drop with a human aboard. The place was sold out. Thomas Baldwin was selected to jump, so he climbed into the balloon with the parachute and waited for the balloon to reach five thousand feet; then he jumped. The parachute carried him safely to the ground. When Thomas landed, there was a big up roar, for he had been the first to make and jump with a successful parachute. Parachutes have improved over time and are even used by the military. In World War I spies would ride up in hot air balloons. If they were shot at, they would jump out and pull their parachutes and parachute to safety. Now the military uses parachutes to air drop troops, supplies, and sometimes tanks and other vehicles. When dropping vehicles the parachutes can be between three hundred fifty feet to five hundred feet across. Most of the time in the military, they jump from one thousand feet or less, so they have less time to get shot. In the military, you either jump HALO or HAHO. HAHO stands for High Altitude High Opening, and HALO stands for High Altitude Low Opening. On occasion they will jump from as high as 25,000 feet. Some men have to jump with more than one hundred fifty pounds of gear. This makes it significantly harder to jump, because you fall faster so it is harder to tell when to pull your parachute. This is when a device called ADD comes in handy. ADD tells how far up you are, how fast you are falling, and automatically releases your parachute. ADD stands for Automatic Deployment Device. Parachuting has come a very long way from the first jump and is used daily to keep our country safe. Chris Finley Grade 10 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrance, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Shelley George

Seasons: A Story of Jane the Doe ~Spring~ It was a cool, crisp morning in early April, and a light mist was rising over the wet leaves that covered the ground and the scraggly brush that surrounded. The pale gray skies spat upon the forest, as an act of bitter-‐sweet kindness it seemed. As if the skies could see the empty branches, freckled with budding leaves. A single drop dove from the billowing clouds and splattered onto my nose. Dazed, I flicked open my eyes, slowly lifting my head to find the source of the frigid kiss of water on my nose.. Realizing that it was only the skies way of saying that morning had come, I began to rouse. Hearing a twig snap at my heels, my ear twitches. I turn around and am pleased to see that my sister is ahead of herself and has gotten us breakfast 270

before we are all even awake. I take the branch sprig of raspberries from her snout and place it among the acorns and apples on the other side of the laurel. Soon the others begin to arise and together we eat. ~Summer~ The heat of noon is blistering this year. But the we are blanketed by the shade of the oak and fruit trees in the grove. Sometimes the rain doesn't want to come visit us and the leaves take on a melancholy shade of yellow. But at least there are plenty of fruit trees nearby to cool us. I am especially grateful for the gushing spring at the bottom of the peach trees, where moss covers the rocks and the scent of the peaches wafts through the air alongside the dandelion seeds. The grass there is green, and the trees there a plentiful. Sometimes when we're resting among the pansies, a ladybug or two will land on our ears. I think they're just trying to get a closer look at my sister's fawns. They're terribly afraid of insects. I think our herd might stay here all season, if the weather stays fair. ~Autumn~ We have moved back to our favorite forest for the new season. In this forest the birch trees are rather lofty and are skirted by maples. The bright shade of apricot and saffron flit about the forest and fill it with the scent of posies and hazelnuts. Small sunflowers are a wonderful snack for those cool, breezy afternoons when the leaves float by and none of us feel like frolicking among them but rather we just watch them dash about the wind currents like pixies. Sometimes we lay there all day long, even to the point where the leaves cover our backs. It's a marvelous time when we find a field with green tea leaves spurting about its exterior. One fall we even met another herd in the same field with us. Imagine their surprise when they discovered that we had eaten all the tea leaves. Luckily there more in our group and they left without scruple. It's a beautiful place to harbor, but at first glimpse of the geese piloting south, we must be off. ~Winter~ The smell of pine, and holly berries, of mistletoe and frost, bounds throughout this winter wonderland. Everything is enveloped with crystal white snow. The trees are sleeping through yet another winter and are kind enough to share their bark with us. The cranberries are frozen into the swamp but it's reasonably entertaining to dislodge them from the ice that now coats the ponds, and streams. We sleep through a lot of the winter but only when it's snowing. The herd of moose that pass us by, about mid-‐season every year don't seem to mind it all that much. I don't either, but the fawns do. They aren't as small as they were, but mostly because they've grown in their winter coat now. I love to wander into the village and see the ever greens dressed beautifully in robes of silver, red, and gold, drenched in lights, and dusted with just the perfect amount of pure, white snow that accents the lights entrancingly. I like to watch each snowflake fall from under my fir tree hideaway, because I've 271

heard rumors that each one is just a little different from the last. I don't believe it but I like try to prove myself wrong if it's possible. Maybe next spring I won't be awakened by the melting snowflakes that I know are trying to show me they're words. Not literal words, but their ornate makings, and their self-‐discovered meaning of life. Many other things in nature try to tell me their story, and I really do try to listen, but am constantly distracted. Whether it be by the sound of the red robin in the blossom tree, or a falling apple hitting by backside, or even a frigid kiss of water upon my nose. But I've found that distractions are just their way of speaking. They've figured that out. But I'm still learning how to listen. -‐Jane Doe Emmy Floied Grade 10 Boyd Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail Coach Rose The Brother I Never Knew The day was going great, it was warm, birds were chirping, kids were playing outside and I was a happy girl living with two wonderful parents and a little sister. It was that afternoon when I knew my life was going to be a little different from now on. My parents had called a family meeting in the living room, so I was just wondering to myself what could they be telling me and my sister. So we all sat down, parents smiling, my sister and I with a confused look on our face, and wondering what this family meeting was all about. My parents took a deep breath and said “you and your sister have a brother.” At that point I was so happy because I figured that I was going to be getting a little brother, so I paused for a second just waiting to hear what else they had to say. They said, well you actually have an older brother who is sixteen. At that point I was so confused; I had a lot of questions and confusion in my head. After a couple of minutes they explained a little more about the situation. It took me awhile to soak it all in that I have an older brother. I asked my parents what his name was and they said, Scotty, he lives in a small town in Missouri, he is a junior in high school, plays basketball and he is tall. So the first question my sister and I were wondering was when we were going to get to meet him. My parents said this coming Labor Day. It was now Labor Day weekend and we were going to go meet him. I was really excited but also really nervous. I kept on thinking to myself, what if he does not like me, what if he wants nothing to do with my family, but as soon as we met him I felt like I had known him all my life. So two years passed and Scotty decided to come live with us for about three or four months. I was so excited that he would be living with 272

us. After a couple of weeks with him living with us I began to dislike it more and more. I thought it was going to be fun with him living with us, but it was not at first. I began to get jealous of him because he started spending more time with my dad then I did. I felt like it was all about Scotty and no one else. It was hard living with him, the lifestyle that he came from was completely different from mine and it took awhile to get used to some stuff he would say. I was used to always going to church, which we still did with him living with us, I was used to all of my family members wanting to go to church and being on fire for the Lord. Well Scotty was not at the time. He never really wanted to go to church, he never seemed to care to learn about the Lord, and I told him that that was going to have to change because it hurt my heart because it seemed like he did not care about living for the Lord and helping others. But I had to learn that that was how he was, so I prayed for him every night, and it seemed to help. To me I feel like he has gotten a lot better and he has been going to church now in Missouri. Those three or four months of my life were probably the hardest, but they were also the best. Scotty and I have our ups and downs, we disagree with almost everything, we fight, but that’s how brothers and sisters are. No matter how bad we might hurt each other, we will always love each other. I am so glad that I am a part of my brother’s life because without him I don’t know what I would do. He is the most amazing brother I could ever ask for and I am so glad that I get to go around telling people this story and being thankful that I have an older brother that cares about me and that will do anything for me. Josie Fulgham Grade 9 grade Grace Baptist Academy 7815 Shallowford Road Mr. Reese The Life of Dolly the One Dollar Bill My name is Dolly. I’ve lived a life of many journeys and exciting stories. There have been times when I’ve felt important and valued however there have been times when I’ve felt small and insignificant. I have been around the whole world. I have soared through the air and fallen in the dirt. I have made people smile. I am a one dollar bill! It all started in Atlanta, Georgia. I was printed there along with many other bills. I was perfectly crisp. I looked the best I had ever been in my whole life! If I may, I would like to tell you about some of my adventures. After I was printed I was shipped off to a huge bank with tons of other bills. I wasn’t there very long, because that same day that bank was robbed. I was stolen on the very first day I was at the bank. The bank robber got out of the country as fast as he could. First, he took all of us on a big plane. The air was warm and the skies were blue. The robber went out

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onto the beach with me and some other money. Without realizing, the robber dropped me out of his pocket while he was walking. He didn’t even notice I was missing since he had so much money from the robbery. As I laid there on the ground feeling very lonely, a huge tropical storm came. I was blowing through the wind all night, tossing and turning through the warm air. Finally, when the storm stopped I landed on a park bench and a man walked up to me. As soon as he saw me his eyes lit up with joy! He looked as if he hadn’t eaten in three weeks. As soon as he found me he went straight to a nearby vending machine. He got water and savored every drop. A little time later a worker came to get the money out of the machine. He slipped me into his pocket while looking around making sure no one was watching him. After finishing his job, he brought me to his home. He had a wife and a little girl with one front tooth missing. She was grinning from ear to ear, so happy to see her dad home! “Daddy! Daddy! Look I lost a tooth”, said the little girl. “Oh I see! Guess who will be visiting you tonight”, said the dad. “The tooth fairy”, said the little girl. “That’s right”, said the dad. “Yippee”, screamed the girl. “Go to sleep and when you wake up, I bet there will be a surprise from the tooth fairy for you”, said the father. “Okay, love you daddy”, said the little girl. “Love you too”, said her father. She hurried to her bed and went fast asleep. Her father snuck into the room. Then slowly pulled up the pillow picked up the tooth and tucked me under the pillow. The anticipation was killing me! I was so excited to see how happy she would be to see me lying there. She woke up and screamed for joy because the tooth fairy actually came! This was her first lost tooth, so it was extra special. Her mother had gotten her a piggy bank as a present to keep me in. The little girl slid me into the slot on the pig. I thought maybe I had found home, maybe this was the place I would live the rest of my life! When the little girl had turned eighteen she put me and all the other bills, she had saved up, into a change machine. She had so much money from all the years that she could pay for college. The change machine was emptied and I was put into a bank once again. A couple days later a man came to the bank to pick up a bunch of money including me. He brought all this money to the president of the United States! We stayed in the White House for a long while. Then, the president gave us to some orphans that were getting too old to stay in the orphanage, so they would have some money to start their life on their own. I was given to a young man named Buddy. He had been an orphan practically his whole life. He was very thankful for me and the other money that had been given to him. He kept me for almost a whole year just in case anything bad happened. He was about nineteen now and he was living on the streets with barely enough food and water to keep him alive.

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One day a lady came to talk to him and gave him a Bible. He read it every day. He prayed to God, asked for forgiveness and was saved. He prayed all the time to God, asking Him to help him get off the streets. He had an idea! He was going to start a restaurant. It took him a long time to get everything built and to get all the money for the expenses of the restaurant. He said he got all the money from God, because it was a miracle. Finally when the restaurant was open he put me up on the wall in a frame, because I was the first dollar that stayed with him through the whole thing. I was with him in the orphanage, when he was on the streets, when the lady gave him a Bible, when he was building the restaurant and now I’ll be there forever on the wall for everyone to see. Those were just some of my adventures, and probably my favorite ones. I hope you liked them and next time you think a dollar bill is not important and can’t change someone’s life then think again. Thank you for letting me tell you about my journeys. Madi Hancock Grade 9 Grade Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Dr. Chattanooga, TN 37421 Kyndall Blake Most Sacrilegious Murder Hath Broke Ope / The Lord’s Anointed Temple, and Stole Thence/ The Life O’ the Building: Death in Macbeth It has been said that nothing good can come from something intrinsically evil; however, certain circumstances and motivations behind an act can warrant it necessary for the common good. In Macbeth by Shakespeare, death functions as an intrinsic evil that both corrupts an ideal government and restores the balance of power in that very same government. The transformation of the role of death can be traced by the deaths of three characters within the play. Initially, Duncan reins Scotland using his authoritative and progressive nature for prosperity; however, order and justice are likewise killed with his assassination. Following Duncan’s death, Lady Macbeth fosters the greed and tyranny through which Macbeth governs until she collapses, no longer able to live with herself. Although Lady Macbeth instigated many of Macbeth’s violent conspiracies, he maintained in his position as king until Macduff kills Macbeth for the good of Scotland and Malcolm rightfully assumes the thrown. By using murder as the means by which order and justice are destroyed and created, Shakespeare reveals that something intrinsically evil to one is occasionally necessary for the common good. King Duncan, whose major flaw is being too willing to place trust in others, initially presides over the kingdom of Scotland. After three mysterious women tell Macbeth that he will one day rule Scotland, Macbeth begins to imagine his life as king; however, Macbeth is keenly aware that Duncan poses an obstacle preventing 275

the fulfillment of the three women’s predictions. When Macbeth informs Lady Macbeth of the witches’ prophesy, she begins to devise a plan during which Duncan dies and Macbeth becomes king: “ ‘He that’s coming / Must be provided for; and you shall put / This night’s business into my great dispatch’ ” (Shakespeare I. V. 13). Lady Macbeth makes plans to take advantage of the opportunity of having the king in the privacy of her own home. She manages to convince Macbeth to commit treason, to break the valuable trust that had existed between them as king and thane, and to allow the stain of murder to threaten his otherwise ideal reputation. Although Macbeth willingly kills Duncan, he cannot deny the fact that, upon Duncan’s death, Scotland lost a great man with honorable characteristics: “ ‘The spring, the head, the fountain of your blood / Is stopp’d; the very source of it is stopp’d’ “ (Shakespeare III. III. 27). In this passage, Macbeth relays the message of Duncan’s death to Malcolm, Duncan’s oldest son. Due to Duncan’s acquired reputation of being a most beloved leader, Macbeth says that his death will be similar to Scotland as a spring running dry, no longer able to offer nourishment to others. With further manipulation of the government, the crown passes to Macbeth rather than Malcolm and Macbeth finds himself at a position of elevated power and responsibilities, only one of which he concerns himself with. Although Lady Macbeth’s original assassination plan only included Macbeth killing Duncan, the suspicion and paranoia of other’s revealing his true nature and thereby threatening his crown engulf Macbeth and leads him to kill Banquo, Fleance, and Macduff’s wife and children. As a constant supporter of Macbeth’s attempts to satisfy his unquenchable quest for power, Lady Macbeth indirectly causes much of the corruption and injustices that plague Scotland during her husband’s rule. Eventually, guilt overcomes Lady Macbeth and she can no longer escape her reality, even during the protection of sleep: “ ‘What, will / These hands ne’er be clean? No more o’ that, my lord, no / More o’ that: you mar al with this starting’ ” (Shakespeare V. I. 70). While a doctor and lady in waiting observe her sleep walking, Lady Macbeth repeatedly washes her hands, trying to prevent Duncan’s blood from staining her hands. The amount of emotional torture she endured quickly elevated and eventually results in her killing herself. One might assume that the shock, sadness, and stress resulting upon hearing news of his wife’s unexpected tragic death would render Macbeth emotionally compromised; however, Macbeth does not appear to be emotionally united with reality anymore: “ ‘She should have died hereafter; / There would have been time for such a word/ . . . Life is but a walking shadow’ ” (Shakespeare V. V. 77). Although her death marks the beginning of his fall from tyrannical rule, it does not inspire an emotional reaction from Macbeth. Without the presence of his wife to stimulate his desire for power, he no longer makes assassination plots, tries to preserve the integrity of his name, or tries to protect himself from the wrath of those he betrayed. Upon observing the tyrannical manner with which Macbeth rules, Malcolm, Duncan’s son and rightful heir to the throne, takes it upon himself to restore order and justice within Scotland. In order to accomplish this daunting task, Malcolm secures the loyalty of Macduff to Scotland. Prior to entering the battlefield with his men, Malcolm states the reason for which they have to fight in order to bring about justice: “ ‘Macbeth / Is ripe for the shaking’ ” (Shakespeare IV. III. 67). Although 276

both Malcolm and Macduff have personal grievances against Macbeth, Malcolm wants to clarify that any deaths resulting from the fighting are for the good of Scotland, not for an individual’s personal desire for revenge. Even though the murder of Macbeth can be justified, Macduff does not want the blood of Macbeth’s death to stain Malcolm’s reputation; therefore, he ensures that Scotland will have a king pure of evil by killing Macbeth himself. Once he accomplishes this task, he informs Malcolm of the good news and for the first time speaks in an optimistic fashion: “ ‘ Hail, king! For so thou art: behold, where stands / The usurper’s cursed head: the time is free’ ” (Shakespeare V. VIII. 82). Macduff liberates Scotland from the sins of its past tyrannical ruler. Macbeth’s murder restores order and justice within the kingdom by allowing the rightful heir to assume the throne, providing the kingdom with a ruler that will place the concerns of the nation above his own, and by fulfilling the last of the witches prophesies. Throughout the play the role of death in determining Scotland’s fate constantly changes. The intrinsic evil of death, in the form of murder and suicide, rarely presents itself to be a harmonizing act; however, when for the good of many at the cost of one, may be beneficial. With Duncan’s murder, Macbeth compromises the livelihood and security of Scotland for his own selfish desires. When Lady Macbeth commits suicide, Macbeth’s unquenchable thirst for power and death begins to fade. This allows Malcolm and Macduff to seize the opportunity and kill Macbeth, restoring the order within Scotland. Even though taking the life of another or of oneself is always an intrinsic evil, the resulting environment might be more harmonious or favorable to the common good. By changing the roles death plays within Macbeth, Shakespeare informs us of the ability of death to be both intrinsically good and intrinsically evil due to the consequences that arise from it. Ashley Hand Grade 12 Notre Dame High School 2701 Vermont Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37404 Ms. Wheeler Saved Southern If my Mama taught me anything, it would be that a Southern lady is the best kind of lady. She also taught me that having an air of style is always the best way to catch an eye, in the good way. Being a girl in Jackson Mississippi means two things. First, it means that one is to be a lady at all times. Second, the reason one is to be a lady is so that that she may obtain the attention of a male, and marry him. It sounds harsh and cruel, because it is. The reason we are supposed to marry so soon is to insure that our mothers will be able to orchestrate the biggest event in each daughter’s life, the wedding. My mother has the ability to create an event that could take the breath away from even Marilla Green, the town society columnist, also known as the Devil of Jackson. My grandfather, Donald Berry is the pastor at Southern Hills Baptist Church. 277

Therefore, the pressure for the females in our bloodline is doubled. Everyone knows since we are seen as a more “holy” group of people, being family with the pastor and all, we must invite everyone in the church, requiring my sweet mother to put together a wedding for not only my family, which includes at least ninety-‐five people (depending on if Maryanna has twins) but the entire congregation. In all that, it’s hard to remember one of the most important details, the groom. Finding the person one’s soul cannot possibly live without seems like a simple task, but it certainly is not. I have yet to find my beau. There are options of course, but I believe that if my mother is spending all this time creating an event so grand, it might as well be to someone I can stand. I am only twenty-‐one, but to my mother and aunts, I’m already an old maid. I’ve tried to explain that not everyone gets married the week after their high school graduation, but they simply dismiss me. I’m not the oldest unmarried lady in my family. Poor Abileen has been denounced as a spinster at the ripe old age of twenty-‐ five. Once girls have been married off, their next mission in life is to have a daughter or daughters to raise and plan a wedding for. The system repeats for generations and really never stops. I’m not at that stage in life yet, so back to weddings. I forgot to mention that in the hunt for a husband it is imperative that you do not pick a man from the North. It’s not that Southerners don’t like Northerners; it’s that their accents make our skin crawl. They speak in a hurry like they’re missin’ out on something. In addition, they simply do not have the manners that are instilled by Southern mothers. At least that’s what my mother told me. To even start the process of picking a husband, there are a few things to know about getting the boy’s attention. By no means do I suggest wearing something that Miss Marietta Rose would think is stylish. How a lady dresses determines what kind of man she attracts. However, one should not dress solely for her beau but for his mother as well. Persuading a man to pop the question is much easier when one has his mother on her side. “Charlotte, dear,” “Yes Mama.” “You can never go wrong with solid colors.” My mother instilled this piece of knowledge to me at age six and it stands tried and true. Marietta Rose obviously did not apply this rule to her life. Otherwise, she would be just as pleasant as Dolly Montgomery, one of the sweetest ladies in Jackson. My mother says some people just don’t know. All Southern girls take their turn at filling the bridesmaid’s role. As they stand up for the bride, which is often times a cousin or a sorority sister, sweet ideas dance through their minds of their own arrival at the altar. As the maids gleeful chorus of “He picked her! He picked her!” resonates happily in the dressing room, the subsequent thought of “When am I going to get picked?” dumps on them like a bucket of cold water. If the bridesmaids do not yet have a man, a wedding isn’t a bad place to be presented. Though the bride may pick a color as putrid as mauve for the girls’ dresses, they are never ill-‐fitted. A Mississippi girl may not know what a good color 278

is but they know how to pull off even the worst bridesmaids’ dress well. I won’t even start on hair. I have stood at the altar of Southern Hills Baptist Church enough times to know the do’s and dont’s of wedding planning. If the groom is heat sensitive, causing him to be weak in the knees, scheduling the big event in July would not be the best idea. Also, giving the bride strawberries as a snack before the wedding could cause her to walk down the aisle with a conspicuous wet spot on her dress smelling of bleach. As I mentioned earlier, I am still on the hunt for a suitable husband. My mother has spurred that pursuit fervently since my sixteenth birthday. Yet I’ve never really courted anyone seriously enough to consider them a prospect for marriage. While my matrimonial time clock is running out, I’ve reacquainted myself with a young man from my high school years at Southern Hills Baptist Church annual dinner on the ground. There Harrison and I stood face to face over the potato salad rekindling our short lived romance from the junior senior prom. I managed to line up a date with him and although I’m apprehensive, my mother is more excited than a child at Christmas time. She wants me to just go ahead and invite him over for dinner at the house so that she can meet her future son-‐in-‐law. Sydney Heath Grade 9 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive Chattanooga, TN 37421 Miss Blake My Alphabetic Summer My summer was sweet and shot through with sunshine. The days were drifting and dreamy, and I danced in their drowning divinity. Nights spent knowing nothing about neatness and all about nonsense, how I wished it wouldn’t wind down, wondered what the world would be like without it—the summer. Lasting days of luscious laughter—longing for love, for this loveliness never to lack its luster. Finding freedom, falling into feverish fantasies of fables unfulfilled. Golden glowing gifts of glimmering dust, gently guided to girls and boys basking in the bright beauty of new birth. How I love the curtain closing on school-‐year classes, the chaotic closeness of Heaven; creating captivating memories of magic moments, moving to music with the mindless monsters we become under moonlight. How I do love these little things, tiny trinkets of truth and twinkling tokens of teenage thunder, taking time to talk forever. We volunteered vacant time to be filled with ultraviolet vigor and vivacious smiles of victory. Our academics absent and our essence aching to be alive, we awoke to new adventures — absorbed in them until amber evening. Harbored heartbreak healed by hopeful hours of hushed harmony and hazy happiness, we reveled in rebellion, running on the raw resonance of rhythmic recklessness that was our escape.

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We pledged to be imperfect yet were pleased by our perfectly precise profiles painted black against the pinkish night sky. I imagined intertwining images which still implode inside my mind, illustrating iridescent impossibilities from idyllic instances in time. With a jubilant jar full of jewel-‐like glimpses from juvenile journeys, we keep the keys to this fleeting kingdom before we must kiss it goodnight. The summer electrocuted us, enveloped us, educated, elated, eased and escorted us into an enchanting eternity of endless ecstasy. Our heart rates were quickened, our queens put in queues, veins full of quicksilver—this was our utopia. Unbound, unchained, our ultimate dreams uncoiled—our days of utmost ugliness made magnificent. Out on our own, oblivious to occasional oppression, otherworldly optimism overcame our outlook. Yes, we are young; we yell as youths do, while we yawn at your yesteryears. In a zealous zone far from reality, we’ve zero time to waste in this xerothermic summer. Franny Jackson Grade 10 Notre Dame High School 2701 Vermont Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37404 Ms. Wheeler Revenge of an Unconquered Man As the blade of the Spartan warrior pierced the lung of the Persian, he felt his death come upon him. The shadows of the earth crept ever closer to him as his knees folded and he fell to the ground. The Persian felt his soul slowly being taken from his body by a mysterious figure in shoes that bore wings. As he shed his human vessel he finally felt at peace with the world. He had had a good life in Persia, but now he was prepared for the afterlife. He looked upon the messenger of the gods, Hermes, in awe as they took flight through the clouds. The Persian looked down to see the world he had once called home disappear into the night. As the two beings flew through the night, The Persian felt no wind touch his face, and no moisture from the clouds grip his skin. He began to panic. What if he was punished by Hades for the life he had lived? As the Persian contemplated his life, Hermes slowly slipped into the entrance of the Underworld where the ferryman of the dead, Kharon, was waiting for him. “Do you have the payment?” whispered the ferryman in the voice of a creature that was not quite man, yet not quite monster. “I believe he does.” Stated Hermes as he gave the ferryman the payment and ushered the Persian man onward to the boat. Mardonius (as the Persian man was called) had never been afraid before, but death was a land unconquered. As Mardonius sat waiting for his trial, he began to think about his life. He had been a top notch military commander in the war, and the Gods honored those who fought valiantly in battle. While debating his fate in his mind, Mardonius was called in to the council room where he would be judged for his actions in life. He stepped in and saw the vacant faces of those around him. Only those who sat in seats of power 280

on the council had any mass to them. The rest, like him, were transparent and could feel nothing. “You are Mardonius of Persia, no?” said the first councilman. “Yes.” answered Mardonius. As he spoke to the councilman he surveyed his surroundings. There was no sun in the underworld so there was a constant gloom. The room Mardonius was in was made completely of bones. Some were the remnants of humans, and some of creatures from the darkest edges of the myths. He swallowed sharply as he saw new bones being added to the wall. The council men whispered to each other and shot Mardonius the occasional glance. Once the council reached a verdict they turned back to face the once great Persian warrior. “As decreed by the god Athena, all those who were involved in the attack on Athens are to be sent to the valley of the dead where they will partake in an eternal slumber.” As Mardonius heard this decree he fell to his knees knowing that the gods had abandoned him. Two Cyclops from the land of Poseidon took the warrior by his arms and led him away from the court like room. Mardonius’ vision began to fade in and out of focus as he neared the valley. He could feel his arms grow heavier and heavier with the passing minutes. As he was tossed to the ground, Mardonius began to forget his life. He forgot his family first, their faces becoming clouded in his mind. Next was his long life in the military, and even his own name. The nameless man thought to himself as he drifted from consciousness, this is truly a fate worse than death. He looked into the distance one more time, and he saw more of his soldiers coming to the valley to slowly be put into an endless hibernation. Then it was over, life no longer had meaning for the man. He was stuck in between a dream, and the restless sleep of a man who had lost everything. But this man was not one so easily conquered. A man who had been fatally wounded lay on his death bed back in the world of the living. He felt his death approach faster and faster. As he took his last glance at the world, he felt a surge in his chest. It was the worst pain he had ever felt in his life. As he opened his eyes to see what was causing the pain, he saw a priest slowly sinking a glowing blade deeper and deeper in his chest. He felt his soul being ripped from his body. He knew that he would never see the afterlife. But for what reason was this happening? What had he done to deserve this torment? As he took his final breath he said a silent prayer to his wife who had been slaughtered by the man he had slain, the man known as Mardonius. He looked upon the world one last time before the fabric of his soul was torn from his body, and was destroyed. As the priest opened the human vessel, he knew he had just seconds before Hermes was notified of the death. He put a stone no bigger than his pinky into the heart of the vessel. He then recited the words of the dead God, the very God who had been slain for raising an army of undead against the Gods. As the stone started to glow all the wounds on the body began to fade and color returned to the lifeless body. Then as if death had never claimed the body, it rose. It sat up so suddenly that the priest jumped back in fear of what he had brought back. But the plan had not failed, he had brought back Mardonius. As Mardonius glanced at the priest he smirked. He knew his revenge was near. Athena would die by his hand soon, very, very soon. 281

Christopher Jenkins Grade 10 Notre Dame High School 2701 Vermont Ave. Chattanooga, TN 37404. Ms. Wheeler The Folly of Expectations My joints creak like centuries old wooden floorboards as I stand. I am twenty-‐three but some days I feel a thousand years old. The imaginary people inside the television incessantly laugh as I stare at the wall. I don't look in the mirror but I know what I look like: my eyes are hollows that occupy dark craters in my head. I am a sheet of frozen water, ready to shatter into a million flecks of snow. Careful not to break, I shuffle to the kitchen where I eat even though my stomach has no need for fuel. I chase the various colorful vitamins with a swig of gasoline-‐like coffee and return to my sorry excuse for an office. Thin, tenuous strings of morning light spill through the dark curtains. My desk lamp flickers on and off, teasing me with its bright light, until with a brilliant flash, it burns out like a star. Just like the last 233 days, the void white space of the word document bores shamelessly into my skull. My mind is a peculiar mixture of chaotic scattered thoughts and nothing. I attempt a couple sentences which I quickly erase in frustration and embarrassment. I should be cranking out headline-‐worthy articles for the paper, but the pressure is too great. About the second week of February, I was hit with a wave of crushing confusion and I've been here ever since. Each day is a crumpled sheet of notebook paper tossed carelessly into the bin. I am alive and sheltered due to the money of my parents whom I haven't spoken to in a year. My vocal chords are coated in rust due to lack of use; I only seldom converse with myself. I confine myself to this dimly-‐lit apartment and only leave when supplies run dangerously low. In January, I wrote an award winning article exposing how technology isolates us from the tangible world around us. The irony of this hits me like a slap in the face each morning. The pressure to live up to the expectations I have ignorantly bestowed upon myself makes my heart threaten to explode like a smashed bottle of wine. My thoughts stream like a river after a flood. Soft notes of subdued music continuously flow through the speakers. A tired song, a wasted day. The now golden light tells me that it’s afternoon, but I look at the uncaring clock anyway which states that it’s 5:42. This apartment is breathing. Its heartbeat is getting louder, matching my own. I carefully open the windows, afraid of what they might let in. All that floats in is a stream of perfectly cool air; somewhere in the distance there is the gentle sound of soft laughter. I decide to venture to the store where I catch an elderly woman staring at me with kind, sympathetic eyes. I try to imagine what she sees: an unkempt and odd young adult in faded jeans and an oversized sweater with eyes that convey both exhaustion and restlessness. I am supposed to portray the hope of our country; I 282

hope she does not feel as though I am wasting my youth. I smile like a child toward the woman which seems to lessen her concern as she weakly grins back. I walk back to my apartment feeling oddly nostalgic due to the woman and the cold weather. My ailing lighting and dark paneled walls are such a contrast from the foreign world I just came in from. I flop onto the couch, stare vacantly at the images on the television, and nervously tap my feet. I feel as though I am forgetting something and it doesn’t occur to me until I see a particular picture glide onto the screen. I nearly jump off of the couch to reach for the dusty phone on the wall. My fingers slide over the familiar numbers then I hold the phone up with trembling hands. She answers on the third ring. “Hey, Mom. It’s Layne.” Caitlin Kelley Grade 10 grade Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive Chattanooga, TN 37421 Sarah Johnson As if I Had a Clutch on a Magnum All this hard work, the sacrifices given to achieve greatness. Punishment to the mind and body, only for one reason. Determination, the desire to be the best. A bloody and beaten rose, with thorns, sharper than knife. Built to be its’ wonderful self, but grown harsh needles. Why? Because it must defend itself, it has learned, It cannot leave its beautiful self vulnerable, for it would lose. But it must be careful, for power can destroy it. Failure can demolish hope, it springs out depression. Such as, failure with too much power can kill a man. The powerful can lose it all at once, as if he had a clutch on a magnum. The time put into building this place, a city of great importance, built on pride and wealth. Although seems to be, but an empty shelf. Why? Because it wasn’t stocked correctly with attributes, like love and faith, this can be a disaster. So, you have heard me say, too much power can lead you astray. You must first learn to loose, to not give up on hope, to stock yourself with faith and perseverance. If you do these things, the outcome will be grand. If you go straight to grinding, your heart will never soar over the beautiful land, but be trapped in a city, ever winding, and from there a man never returns, beaten and brusied, bashed and burned, ready to burst, as if he had a clutch on a magnum. A man so worn from strife, not yet prepared himself for the battles he must face, surrenders his life to whatever circumstances he will trace. He no longer controls his future, for he has 283

gone too far, too powerful to contain, and left to live in his pride, that can longer be tamed. Why? He didn’t prepare himself for the challenges ahead, he thought he had already won, but had mercy gone ahead. So take heed of this my dear friends, and learn from my mistakes, we all fall short, no matter what is at stake, but the beauty is to try on ever more, stocked with faith and hope, unable to be destroyed. Don’t do what I did, govern yourself completely, listen to others, and understand that life isn’t easy, don’t destroy your accomplishments that you worked so hard for like me. I abandoned my true self, as If I had a clutch on a magnum. Brandon Land Grade 11 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive Taryn Humphries The Secret She stood outside the brightly lit gazebo. She looked around and saw no one. She took the two steps up into the gazebo and sat down on the bench. Her long, green dress fluttered around her. She smoothed her skirt and checked her phone, it was 10:15.Hadn’t he told her to meet him at 10:00? She was starting to question this whole secret admirer business. Maybe she had been right at the beginning, it was a cruel joke that someone was playing on her. That’s what it had to be after all. She had known all along and she should have listened to her head, not her heart. She stood up; about to head back in to the dance for whatever remained of it. The dance had been a disappointment. She walked down the steps and almost collided someone else. It was her best friend, Dylan. “What are you doing?” he asked. He was wearing a striped tie, navy pants, and a white button down. “I was just about to go back into the dance; he ended up not showing up like I thought he would.” “Well to tell you the truth, I came out here to tell you something, I knew you’d be out here.” “What is it? And how did you know?” She asked tentatively. “For these past few months you’ve been getting letters from someone and each time you’ve gotten one you’ve been happy and excited. I could see it in your face. I think that it is only fair to tell you that it was me.” “But why would you do that? Why didn’t you just tell me?” She asked, very confused. “I was scared to tell you because I didn’t know if you’d feel the same way.” She thought about that for a moment and she could see why he hadn’t just 284

come out and told her, they’d been friends for too long. However, she had had a crush on him for as long as she could remember and hadn’t acted on it because she didn’t think that he’d liked her that way. “What are you thinking?” He asked stepping closer. She remained silent but he continued. I have known that I loved you since we became friends back in Kindergarten. I remember that first day, you walked in with your hair in ringlets, Shirley Temple style, and your greens eyes shone with excitement. I also remember your nose was sprinkled with freckles. I knew immediately that we’d be friends, best friends. She looked up at him and he looked at her. She hugged him and he wrapped his protective arms around her. She stood up on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear. She said, “I have felt the same way since the day I saw you.” He looked down at her inquisitively, “Really?” “Yes, really.” She smiled up at him. He bent down and kissed her softly. She kissed him back and couldn’t help but smile, it felt right. He pulled away and looked down at her. With no words, he took her hand and led her down the steps of the gazebo and back into the dance. Cora LeSar Grade 10 Notre Dame High School 2701 Vermont Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37404 Ms. Wheeler Soft White Walls The moments pass peacefully on the day of the cataclysm. A quiet house sat nestled amongst its neighbors, a strong oak in the front yard. Ivan Thomas was a single, suburban father with a bright future ahead of him. A great office job, a daughter who made top marks and constantly sat above her classmates; he had it all. Everything except a wife, but that did not disturb him to any extent. A bright, beautiful day dawned once again as the school bus arrived, Ivan’s vigilant eye following Ellie’s progress as she strode confidently towards the bus. He waved in vain, fully aware she would not look his way, too distracted by friends she had not seen in hours. A loud cough erupted nearby, a rather large fellow sitting some ten feet from Ivan. The fellow must have inhaled too much of the dust that now resided outside these walls of bleak gray. The cough was enough to rouse Ivan from his dreams, his memories: all that remained of the old world. A year had passed since that fateful day, a year filled with torment, agony. A year in which every moment felt as if some force was pulling him deeper into the devastation of Cataclysm. Ivan grimaced as he formed the name on his tongue. Who had invented such an awful word and applied it to this horrid event? Ivan took in his surroundings slowly once again, a young couple in the corner, whispering quietly words of calming reassurance, the large 285

man with the cough, a family of three huddled next to the busted air conditioner. His backpack sat near his legs, containing his emergency rations, an old newspaper for emergency uses, a flashlight with extra batteries, a gun. Ivan found himself laughing at the thought of using the gun; he had never even held one until everything went south. He could see shadows moving through the dust. Ghosts, as they were now called, were mostly harmless; similar to zombies without the appetite for raw flesh, though an attack on one would bring an attack from all. No one was certain what had caused the dust cloud to linger over the city, nor was anyone sure if it would go away. There had been times when helicopters could be heard flying over the city, so it had not been a worldwide occurrence, yet no one in the outside world seemed willing to send aid. Another shadow, seemingly moving with a purpose, made its way to the door of the shelter, entering the pass code for the lock mechanism. The people inside scrambled to cover their faces with sleeves for fear of the dust entering the room as the man Ivan had come to know as both friend and guide entered the room. He gave everyone a curt nod and dropped grocery bags filled with scavenged edibles in front of them. Ivan moved quickly towards the easy meal, yet hesitated when he noticed no one else had so much as flinched when the food was presented. He was too hungry to care though, not being able to effectively leave a bunker for hours on end could leave one ravenous. Weeks passed without any change in the small windows, through which ghosts could almost be discerned amongst the floating dust. It was on one such day that the guide returned, bearing a truly glorious commodity: Gas masks! Finally they could gather more than a single person’s handful of supplies. Ivan volunteered happily, planning to return home and gather quite a treasure trove from his stash of pickled vegetables. The trip only took a few hours, only the guide had not led him to his home in the outskirts. He was standing in the bent and broken shell of a yellow bus, red splattered haphazardly among the interior. Ivan’s vision blurred, his mind raced. Why had the guide brought him here? What supplies could they gather? A red sports car sat destroyed outside the bend in the bus. He choked, tears falling from his eyes. He heard screaming, a catastrophic crash as the dust descended. The world turned black, and when Ivan finally came to, he could see the soft white walls. Christopher Miller Grade 12 Boyd-Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, TN 37411 Mr. Bischell Midnight The nightmare came at midnight.

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I woke up with a scream and sat up in my bed, frantically looking around. It felt like she was in my room, calling me, begging for me to come save her, but I was alone. Rubbing my fists into my eyes, I got off my bed with a groan and cracked my back. Every night, ever since that night, the nightmare came to take over my imagination at its most vulnerable time. But I couldn’t tell anybody that. Who would understand? As my eyes got use to the darkness of my room, I realized that outside it was storming. Just like the day she went missing. I shook the thought from my head and cracked my door open to see if I had woken anyone up. The house was dead silent, like it always seems nowadays. Sighing, I left my room and tiptoed downstairs to the living room and caught sight of the grand piano sitting in the corner of the room, waiting for its master to come touch its keys once more. It’s been three years. Back when Dad still lived with us and none of us were broken, the house was never quiet. A melody would always come from the piano whenever Dad decided to take a break from reality. Dad was the kind of person that was memorable. He had the laugh that left people craving to hear him laugh more. Once she was gone, though, Dad left us. Not only did he leave his family, but he left himself too. I guess that’s when everyone realized that our family wasn’t really a family and more. Now, the house was silent. It wasn’t the kind of comfortable silence that you could slip into; this silence was like death. The silence seemed to blame me for silence. For why Dad left. For why she was gone. For everything. She died because of me. Her name was Amy Kathryn Mortin. She wanted to grow up and embrace the world. Amy had the kind of smile that would light up the whole room, and it was contagious. Together, we would tease our little brother, Justin, endlessly by chasing him around with our “cooties,” just to hear him squeal. If anyone wanted to see perfection, all they had to do was look at Amy and see how funny, kind, smart, and beautiful she was. Amy was my sister. My twin sister. And because of me, she never got the chance to grow up and become everything she wanted to be. We were at the mall on the twenty-‐first of December, and people were buzzing in and out of the mall like a hive of angry bees. Back then, we were just fifteen, and Mom finally let us go to the mall alone as long as we stayed together. Why hadn’t I listened to Mom then? It’s too late. Amy and I had gotten into a fight over something so insignificant, so small, and I let her storm off into the mob of people without so much of a glance in her direction. After about ten minutes, I began to worry. Mom had said to stay together, but what could happen? About ten minutes later, I looked at my phone to realize that Amy had called me –even left me messages. “Deidre… please come get me. I’m sorry, okay? I was wrong. But please Dre, please come get me. I’m lost and I’m scared. People keep bumping around me and I swear to God, Dre, that someone is following me. You might think I’m being stupid but please come get me!”

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How long ago had she sent that message? Scared, I had sprinted all over the mall, asking hundreds of people if they had seen my sister. No one saw her. Three days later, they found her –throat slit, body violated, thrown carelessly into the woods for the police to find. My sister was violated and killed. Because of me. What if I had answered her calls? All of a sudden, I was back in my living room, and I had goosebumps all over my skin, and tears were streaming down my face. Accusing words pounded around in my head. My fault. All my fault. Infuriated, I got up, ready to pounce on any innocent creature to be caught in my madden haze. Outside, the rain had turned to snow and covered the blackened, burned land with an unblemished sheet of white. Amy loved the snow. Possessed, I ran outside and fell into the snow letting the cold seep into my body to freeze all my raw emotions until spring. Three long years. Nothing was the same after she died. Mom, Dad, Justin, and I drifted apart so quickly. It was almost like Amy was the glue to our family, and we didn’t even know it. Even though no one said it out loud, everyone blamed me for Amy’s death. Maybe they wanted me to replace her as much as I wanted to. Why couldn’t anyone punish me for killing my sister? “Ahem,” a man’s voice came from in front me. A man at my house at midnight? I looked up bewildered and saw a man with the coldest eyes. “Who are you?” I whispered. He stared at me with his cold eyes, and right then, I knew. I knew he was the last person to see Amy. He was the man I had assisted. “I-‐ I wanted to say I’m sorry. You live here, right?” he took a step closer and I scrambled away from him. “Who ARE you?” my voice wavered. “Douglas,” was his reply, his own voice getting caught in his chest, “Douglas Dexter. And I’m sorry.” Here I was. I had the name to my sister’s killer and all I had to do was call the police. I could make up for my sin, but then a thought occurred to me. Douglas Dexter knows where I live. How did he find me? Melissa Kay Nguyen Grade 10 Notre Dame High School 2701 Vermont Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37404 Ms. Wheeler

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HITMAN As I listened to the Doctor’s prognosis, I felt as though I was in a tunnel. I can hear my own breath echoing in my head. At most three months, that is all I have. “You will experience a lot of pain, but we can make you as comfortable as possible” the doctor says. Pain, comfort; these words echo in my head driving home. Life around me has come to a crawl. There is nothing that can be done. As I open my newspaper the headline reads, “Man killed by hit man”. That’s it!! My mind races. I do not want to live these last few months in writhing pain. I am too cowardly to kill myself! I will hire a hit man! As I drive thru town, I see a light in a small building flashing “open”. It is a bar that I have driven by hundreds of times. I go to the bar and decide to order a stiff drink. By the looks of this crowd, it will help me fit in. There is a guy in the back of the bar watching me. It wasn't long before he was beside me ordering a drink. "I haven't seen you here before", the man says lighting a cigarette. "I need a change of scenery" I respond. “Hi, my name is Eric.” He reaches his hand out to shake mine. “What kind of work do you do?” I ask. “I am, well, was a security officer” he says. After a few drinks, I hand him my business card and tell him to give me a call. “I will check with my office and see if there is anything we have that you can do.” He is very grateful and we say goodbye. Just as I was gathering my briefcase to leave for the day, my phone rings. “Steve, this is Eric, we spoke yesterday” he says. I immediately interrupt him. “Hi Eric, I am glad you called. I have found out that we do have an opening, come in the morning and you can start.” I said. I hear the excitement in his voice. “I will be there first thing!” Now comes the real work, how do I ask someone to kill me? I laugh to myself. As the days go by, Eric and I get to know one another. He has told me all about his wife and his two children. They just moved here from Ohio two months ago. So he doesn’t know that many people. Eric has agreed to come over tonight for a drink. We hang out for a while and I have finally build up enough courage to talk to him. “Eric, I know I have only

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known you for a short time, but there something you should know; something I need from you” I say seriously. I start from the beginning and tell him all there is to know. I explain what the doctor has told me and the next three months are going to be unbearable. “I have a proposition for you.” I begin to tell him. By the look on his face, I think I should call 911. He takes another drink and lights a cigarette. “I don’t want to know when you are going to do it, but it must be done within three months” my voice is desperate. I am trying to read his expression, but it is blank. I continue, “I am willing to give you everything I have. There is only one condition; if I beg you not to do it, if I tell you I have changed my mind, you must finish the job.” Eric seems taken back by my request. He tries to talk me out of it many times to no avail. “Steve, this is a lot to take in and I cannot make a decision like this without serious thought. I will need time” he says gathering his keys. Eric hasn’t talk to me in over a week. I catch him on the way out of the building going home for the evening. “Eric!” I catch his attention. “Hi Steve, I have been meaning to call you. I have thought long and hard of your request. It has not been an easy decision, but I will accept your proposal.” he says very calm. His demeanor was different, impersonal. It has been three weeks since we agreed on our arrangement and I have begun everyday like it is my last. When I see him at work, he gives me a courtesy nod, but that is it. No more lunches or after work drinks. I guess that is for the best. I arrive to my doctor’s office for an unscheduled visit. “Mr. Jones, thank you for coming in. I have some great news!” His voice is shaky. “Your chart was mixed up with another patient, you are not dying.” I wake up and the doctor and nurse are calling out my name. I have the same feeling I had when I was told I had three months to live. I should be hugging the doctor’s neck and thanking him, but all I can think of is calling Eric. I MUST stop the hit!!!!! On my way to my car, I am looking in every direction. I am terrified that he has picked this minute to kill me. I reach for my cell phone and dial his number. “Eric, it’s Steve. Listen, my doctor mixed up my medical records. I am not dying! ” I am winded. He responds coldly, “Steve, you told me you might feel this way. I will be keeping my end of the bargain as we agreed.” Oh no! Not what I expected. What will I do? I don’t want to die! I will have to protect myself! It is kill, or be killed! As I start my car, it makes an unfamiliar sound. I look in my rearview mirror and I see Eric and that is the last face I saw. Taylor Norton Grade 9 Grade Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive Chattanooga, TN 37421-1099 Mrs. Blake How to Save a Life 290

Did you know that some of the greatest superheroes in the world don’t have super powers or even a cape? Yes, it’s true, although rare, there are super heroes. This world needs more heroes. It can be a challenge but anyone can be a superhero, anyone can save a life, but you may ask…”How?” In one school year, 7,066,000 teens reported to have been bullied. 25% of teens that have been bullied say that they have considered suicide. 41% of middle school students that have been bullied committed self harm. In 2004, 4,000 suicides were committed. These statistics are sad and all too real. Though heartbreaking, there is something you can do about it. You can save someone from suicide, by simply being a friend. God wants you to be a friend to those that have none because he loves them just as much as the “popular” people. Be searching for that one person that is different from everyone else and that doesn’t quite fit in. Give up a few days of sitting with your friends at lunch and sit by that one that always sits alone. Those people that sit alone are just like you and me, they want to be wanted. So make them feel wanted. If you witness someone being bullied, you need to tell a higher authority. Although scary, you might also need to confront the bully, but in a safe place. (In a crowded hallway or by teachers or adults) Approach the bully in a calm, polite way. Tell him/her that you saw them treating someone badly and that you thought that it was wrong for them to treat him/her that way. Tell the bully that the person that they bullied has feelings too and that when they do that to someone it hurts deeply. End the conversation by asking them if there’s anything you can pray for them about because they might be a bully from a hurt heart or problems at home. It can be a challenge to save a life but when the time comes I hope you fly to their rescue. Now that you know how to be a superhero, do you accept the challenge? Or will you blend in with the rest of the world with the light fading from their eyes, not caring about anyone but themselves. I hope you accept this challenge. The world is waiting. Rachael Rogers Grade: Grade 9 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Shelley George A Distant Love He hated school. He always had a book with him and played no sports. The jocks and cheerleaders teased him incessantly so he ate lunch alone-‐ in the janitor's closet, novel in lap. The one thing that got him through the day was knowing he'd be able to go to his favorite homework spot after school. "The Wall of Sorrow," as he called it. It was a white painted brick wall (graffiti clad, of course), with a ledge on either side, overlooking the cityscape. He had never seen the right side, as it was too far for him, too risky. It was about twelve feet on the side his legs dangled off, and only three feet on the other. 291

She had a similar background. She was a poor, high school drop-‐out, living in a small one bedroom apartment on the bad side of town. She was constantly working at the local run-‐down diner to support her mother, who was battling addiction. She went to the right side of the wall (she referred to it as "The Wall of Hope") every day for her lunch break, which consisted of a blueberry muffin, coffee, and a few cigarettes. She never had much interest for the left side, therefore never venturing over. That was where they met. He sat looking forlornly at the tantalizing skyscrapers, wondering what it would be like to be that tall and powerful, standing over everyone who once ridiculed him. She sat on the other side, gazing at the muggy scenery. She just wanted to run away from all of her problems, get out of that God-‐forsaken city. There was a hole in the wall that neither of them had noticed. She slipped a note through on an old 7-‐11 receipt. Not long after, he returned her friendliness with a message on a fresh piece of blue lined paper. They exchanged thoughts for a while, until she had to get back to work. He sat there a few minutes longer, pondering this mysterious girl. These random meetings went on for a few months, both of them opening up to each other, in ways they never had before. They told each other secrets, telling the other about their personal lives, explaining their life stories. One day, on his way to the wall to talk with the girl, he was stopped by high pitched screams and shrill cries. In his curiosity, he rushed to see what was going on in the middle of the busy intersection. There was a girl sprawled across the warm pavement, blood pooling around her face and stomach. He suddenly stopped breathing for a moment. Then he let out a silent cry. It was her; it was the girl from the wall. The one he'd had such a connection with, the one who understood and listened, his only friend. He now put a face to the beautiful personality he'd come to love in the past few months. Devastation and grief overcame him, as he fell to the side of the limp, dead body of the girl, sobbing heavily. Soon the girl's corpse was wished onto an ambulance. They tried reviving her with no success. He made his way back to the wall, alone and somber, thinking of what he'd do without his one true confidant. As he neared the wall, he had made a decision. He climbed, standing dangerously close to the edge. This was his fate. This was going to be the end of his story. He was so close, he could feel it. A light breeze brought a small paper to his attention. He sat down, still close to the edge, and read the note. It was from the girl. He began weeping, holding the paper close to his heart. He sat stoically for what seemed like an eternity, finally rising from his seat, turning back toward his home, and walking away. As soon as the boy returned home, he went straight to his room, still gripping the note to his chest. He quietly placed it in the drawer of his bedside table. Once in a while, he would pull it out, and re-‐read the simple words that kept him alive. Those words had saved him from himself and had given him hope. The wall would continue to be a frequent stop for him, only now he sat on the right side and reminisced about the girl. Sitting there in the girl's spot made him feel closer to her than ever before. It gave him new hope and the daily strength he needed to carry on. "You are not alone." 292

Mason Rudolph Grade 9 Boyd-Buchanan School 4650 Buccaneer Trail, Chattanooga, TN 37411 Mrs. Christine Jones Jump He saw everything. From the oceans cliff to the great mountains on the west side of the island. He saw the whole city and each building in it, but they couldn't see him. Despite bring on top of the tallest building in Penoe city, he felt completely relaxed and at ease. The air was icy, and tasted fresh on his tongue. Every time a gust blew through, it chilled him to the bone as if winter itself was breathing on him. All he heard was the whistle of the wind, through trees, around buildings and through his own ears. It whispered to him not to be afraid. He would be alright. He smelled the smoke from the power plant. It was terrible, like burning gasoline and made him want to gag. But the breeze blew it away every so often, and made him recognize the sweet smells of the Starbucks muffins and coffee, that the bakers had worked so hard to make. He wanted some, and contemplated going down to pay for his last cappuccino or rich black coffee. It's taste was in his mouth, the perfect combination of the natural strong taste mixed with his favorite French vanilla creamer creating the unequaled, mouth-‐watering taste, but he decided not to. He had to stay focused. Looking down, he saw ants, slowly inching their way along the street, in reality, cars speeding to their destination as if nothing else in the world mattered. He couldn't make out the people, but he knew they were there. Just like he knew the sputtering of cars and many different voices of the people were there, too, and if he listened as hard as he could, he could hear a very muted hum of the life going on under him on the street. The sun was just beginning to rise behind him, and he liked the hint of warmth on his back. Not only did it warm his outsides, but it warmed his thoughts and heart, which were both racing out of control. He gripped the thick satellite pole on the edge of the building for safety. It was sturdy and immobile, perfect to comfort him, but did little to help. His mind was a roller coaster of sorrow and pain, with that one terrible memory of the officer who delivered the worst news of his life. He started to remember the memory. The morning was misty and wet when he had heard the knock on the door. Running as fast as he could to the front door, he hoped it would be his dad back from the war. Instead, when he turned the knob and pushed it open, he saw a man in a military uniform. The man had asked if his mother was home right as she appeared at the doorstep. He then went on to give them his condolences on their lost father. And told them he had died in a plane crash due to a strong enemy firing that damaged the fuel tanks. The plane had gone down into the ocean and his dad had been killed in the crash. The man went on to say that he had

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earned a Medal of Honor and would have a place in the national cemetery for his bravery and self sacrifice for his country. Shock was the first thing he felt, and didn’t feel anything else for a long time. He remembered how his mom had fallen on the floor and sobbed for an hour after the officer left. While he tried to comfort his mother, he thought about what his life would be like if there was no war. His dad would be home, his mom would be happy, and he'd probably have a little brother or sister, but all of that was ruined. Now he would never see his father again and he'd never be truly happy. Ever since that day, his mom had completely let herself go. She had neglected her son and turned to alcohol to solve her problems. She turned abusive, and caused her son to stay at friends houses the majority of the time in order to stay away from her. His memory stopped and he was back on the ledge. The sun was coming up now, and he was almost out of time. He tried to be strong, but couldn't. Warm tears ran down his cheeks with the words of his classmates playing through his mind. "You're going to grow up and be an alcoholic," whenever he would say something wrong. "Why hasn't anyone ever seen your dad?" When the kids talked about their fathers. "I hate my parents, I wish they would just leave me alone" when all he wanted was to see his dad again, or to see his mom normal... He looked down to the street, where he could barely distinguish the cars below from the ants on the cement he stood on. This was it. He took one deep breath in, closed his eyes, and jumped. Why can't there just be peace? Alyssa Strickler Grade 9 East Hamilton High 2015 Ooltewah-Ringgold Road Mrs.Coe Thanksgiving at the Cousins’ Every year at Thanksgiving, my family loads up the minivan and takes off for dinner at the cousins’ house. We assign who’s bringing what. Uncle Michael cooks the turkey, Mom burns the rolls, Dad makes the coleslaw, and Grandma makes the perfect sweet potato pie. My Aunt Debbie is… eccentric. She brings out the fine china, and has the perfect place settings. She loves to take pictures; she takes more pictures than you could imagine. We always line up for the family picture which must be taken from every angle twice just in case it didn’t save. I’m sure she has tons of pictures of us eating too. This year, Aunt Debbie even color coordinated the sodas. Red Fanta, anyone? There’s always a new adventure at the kids’ table. One year, we found toothpicks. Somehow we got the great idea to have a mini campfire over the candles. My brother roasted some carrots, marshmallows and toothpicks. We probably made a mess. Let’s just say Aunt Debbie never provided toothpicks at the kids’ table since.

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After we have had our fill of turkey, the adults begin to snooze off on the sofa. Meanwhile, the kids head to the basement to play some ping pong. Well, we try to play ping pong. My cousin Amy and Andrew always get too competitive for my less than amateur pong playing skills. After Amy and Andrew take over the ping pong table, my sister and I play lazy Wii bowling. For my family, it takes forever to say goodbye. The family motto is “bye-‐bu-‐ love-‐ya”, we say it to each family member at least twice and pair it with a hug. We load up the leftovers and pull out of the driveway. Even though my family is weird, we always enjoy having thanksgiving at the cousins’ house. Anna Thomas Grade 12 Hilger Higher Learning 1121 Mountain Terrace, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 Shelley George “I Am in Blood Stepp’d in So Far”: The Forces Behind Macbeth’s Moral Demise Shakespeare’s Macbeth chronicles the demise of Macbeth, a thane and eventual king of Scotland, and his moral character during his struggle to power. Although initially perceived as too nice by his wife, he quickly dehumanizes himself through his murderous behavior and his indifference to his wife’s suicide. The reader sees Macbeth transform from someone too kind for his wife to even consider a man to a monster disguised as a king, but Macbeth’s regression from his humanity comes heavily from sources outside of himself. Macbeth first sees the witches, who, by presenting their prophecy, plant an idea in his mind. Upon hearing this news, Lady Macbeth practically forces him to resort to murder as a shortcut to the throne. By the end of the play, Macbeth’s darkening past desensitizes him to the point where he has little issue killing more people and continuing this now heartless ambition. With the ideas of the witches, the force of Lady Macbeth, and the presence of previous evils, Macbeth gives way to all of the pressures around him and loses himself in the process, a transformation that never would have occurred on his own. The witches introduce Macbeth to the possibility of his kingship, which initiates his strong interest in power and begins his moral transformation. When Macbeth encounters the witches, they hail him and prophesy that he will be king (I.iii), thus planting the seed. Macbeth presently remarks that he thinks his ears deceive him but later finds becoming a king an appealing prospect. He rationally states, “Come what come may, / Time and the hour runs through the roughest day” (Shakespeare I.iii). Life will continue regardless of what happens, and Macbeth accepts his undetermined future. Nevertheless, thoughts of murder make evident that the witches’ prophecy had seriously influenced Macbeth (I.iii). Macbeth still seems far from a treacherous murderer at this point, but the fact that he considers murdering those in his way to the throne is significant. His thoughts suggest that his moral compass is going askew and that he seriously desires to be king. Macbeth admits that these thoughts are uncharacteristic of and distressing to him. Even 295

though he harms no one here, these slight changes in his perspective serve as the important connections between the innocent Macbeth and the merciless and power-‐ hungry Macbeth. Macbeth’s moral decline reaches a new level when the pushy and manipulative Lady Macbeth becomes involved. She initially cannot believe her husband would be capable of the meanness required to succeed in the possible leadership roles (I.v), but little time elapses before she becomes attached to the idea of her husband as king. Murdering Duncan is step one in reaching this goal, and Duncan’s visit provides the perfect time for Macbeth to kill him. Macbeth, still composed of some moral fiber, immediately rejects Lady Macbeth’s proposal at first. He recognizes that Duncan deserves his humble service – not his dagger -‐ and tries to convince his wife that he is still a man even when avoiding violence (I.vii). Upset that Macbeth will not do all that she hopes, Lady Macbeth resorts to her favorite manipulative tactic and questions Macbeth’s manhood (I.vii). Though her comment may hardly make some people think twice, the ever-‐impressionable Macbeth completely changes his mind: “I am settled, and bend up / Each corporal agent to this terrible feat” (I.vii). In this single conversation, Macbeth shifts from being firmly opposed to causing harm to firmly settled on committing a murder. Lady Macbeth’s actions serve as the force that pushes Macbeth to transform his evil thoughts into evil actions in pursuit of the kingship. Macbeth continues to murder those in his way of being king because his darkening past silences his guilt while his ambition grows stronger with a decreasing concern for others. By committing the awful deeds, he desensitizes himself and becomes more driven by his selfish goals, thereby trapping himself in evil. After multiple murders and during contemplation of future ones, Macbeth reflects upon the options. He has become so involved with these bloody affairs that going back to his old, kind ways would be just as challenging as continuing on the murderous path (III.iv). With the already evident dehumanization and powerful goal of kingship, Macbeth unsurprisingly sinks deeper into this evil. He finally reaches the point where, when he hears that Macduff has fled to England, he chooses to forget about thinking before acting and to find a way to attack Macduff’s family. Macbeth says, “From this moment / The very firstlings of my heart shall be / The firstlings of my hand” (IV.i) and decides to be guided primarily by his reflexes and his passions, entirely ignoring rationality. Macbeth’s newly-‐developed cruel nature makes this already dangerous choice even more threatening because little stops him after getting the inclination to kill someone. His dismal past makes him comfortable with evil acts, allowing him to continue on that vindictive path without deliberation. Macbeth’s impressionability allows the forces of the witches, Lady Macbeth, and his own darkening past to lead him into a life of evil acts and selfish ambition while losing his originally respectable identity in the process. The witches plant the idea in his head, and Lady Macbeth manipulates him into his first murder. Lady Macbeth and the witches provide a strong enough push to establish a dark past for Macbeth that makes accepting the fact of the murders much easier for him. These pressures lead Macbeth to an emotional death that eventually leads to his physical death. The tragedy of Macbeth lies not only in Macbeth’s capacity for evil but also in his weakness that allows the pressure and ideas that others give him to be so 296

influential. The drastic change from the man too nice to be king to an unfeeling, cruel ruler illustrates the influence that surroundings have on one’s character. Shakespeare shows in Macbeth that people must be careful in choosing who has significant roles in their lives because these others may bring wonderful good or terrible evil. Work Cited Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. New York: Dover Publications, 1993. Print. Kate Westman Grade 12 Notre Dame High School 2701 Vermont Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37404 Ms. Wheeler The Mind of the Writer Every day I shuffle into the living room after a long, stressful day of school and tests, letting my backpack slide off my shoulders and onto the floor. Some days I hold my breath and hope the hard wood floors can handle the weight of all my text books. Exhausted, I sink into my favorite spot on the sofa and pull my computer over to my lap… That’s when it happens. When I open the word document that contains my book and listen to the obscure music played by bands few have heard of, that’s when I lose myself. Suddenly, I am no longer looking through my own weary eyes, instead I see through the eyes of my protagonist. His joy becomes my joy, his anger becomes my anger, his sorrow becomes my sorrow – for the amount of time I spend engrossed in my writing, he and I share everything. As he barely avoids an oncoming sword, I can feel my own heart begin to race. When he tragically loses a close friend and is consumed with sadness, I find myself grieving with him. Contrary to what most people believe, as the writer I have little to no actual influence over the story itself. When I find the faces of my characters they mold the adventures for me, committing acts of heroism or at times even horror I would have never thought possible. I do not come up with their deeds on my own, nor could I if I wanted to; I simply observe and put them in writing. I find inspiration for them everywhere, in places most people wouldn’t think to look. If I go to the store and I wonder down one of the crowded isles and catch a glimpse of a young girl stumbling to the ground, then is quickly helped up by a gentle stranger. At that moment the kind stranger could have a place in my novel as a character with pure traits and a big heart. Inspiration comes in similar ways for my antagonists. There are some cases when all inspiration requires is a single face, and by looking at that face I can see a personality underneath worthy of note.

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Some people may find my methods complicated and even a bit strange, but they are effective nonetheless. What allows me to write the stories of each individual character correctly may be rather odd to some people, but I believe the writing process is different for everyone. As long as I can get lost in my character’s stories, does it really matter what others think? Kayla Woodby Grade 10 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7236 Bonny Oaks Drive Chattanooga, TN 37421 Mrs. Johnson

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