Chrestomathy, Winter 2019

CHRESTOMATHY Chrestomathy (from the Greek words krestos, useful, and mathein, to know) is a collection of choice literary passages. In the study of literature, it is a type of reader or anthology that presents a sequence of example texts, selected to demonstrate the development of language or literary style

WINTER, 2019 Writing and Art from the Seventh Grade, 2018-19

CHRESTOMATHY WINTER, 2019 ISSUE

The theme of seventh grade English is the power of words. The rising writers of this year’s group offer their thoughts, insights, perspectives, wisdom, and truths for you to consider.

You might not want to read it all at once, though. As Ella Dorhout said some time ago about philosophical questions, “This is exploding my head!” There is that challenge because these individuals dig deeply and extend themselves to write their hearts and minds on the blank page.

SECTIONS  The Power of Words  Somewhere in America  Friendships & Relationships

(If You Knew Me You Would Know, What I Want My Words to Do to You)  Philosophies

With their words, there is also art by some of the seventh graders. Original works that appear in this issue are created by Noelle BIehle, Baelee Glasgow, Bianca Luz, and Savilla Sword.

The power of the visual images stands with the power of words as they communicate what matters to them most.

Each time their writing or art arrives in front of me, I never fail to be amazed by their talent and their ability to say the things we, especially the adults who are supposed to know better, need to hear.

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The Power of Words

With worry With nothing The hollowness The emptiness Yet there is still something there A crack Is what we used to be Her hands were cold Her face was dead Her eyes were hollow Her emotions were gone Her body felt like stone Her smile faded Her hand reached to my chest Took my heart And ripped it into shreds

Arabella Vaccaro We are the two wings of a fallen bird We are the rays of sun that never reach the ground We are the teardrops that never made it to someone else's shoulder We are the stars that have never been wished on We are the light in the attic that never gets turned on We are the voices that got lost in the midst of a fight We are the dreams that never get remembered We are broken courage We are shattered innocence We are the forgotten stories We fought our way through hell And now we are fighting our way back up to heaven

My mind was gone My thoughts were blurred My eyes gone weak My voice gone quiet My body gone numb My hands left with no movement My breathing was trapped My soul left my body Those little girls that went in that night Didn’t make it out In time

Broken glass A shattered mirror The reflection of those little girls that we were Are gone Stolen and stripped of their existence And replaced With nothing but fear

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Ripping people’s dreams apart People started to stand, a silent protest Specific day at a certain time Count every minute for the people who died Silence, but our thoughts fill the sky Show the peace of words Like Malala, Gandhi, Nelson Mandala and many more proud people Raise your pens, raise your voice WE CAN DO THE SAME

Jade Kleinberg Art by Noelle Biehle

Amanda Nam Raise your pens, raise your voice Fight with the power of words Violence and hate is already enough for this century Politics, environment, there are so many problems in the world We can do much more, if we’re together If you want change, go fight for it One person with the courage to lead One voice that sees the light of change Scared, nervous or shy Be passionate and those feelings will go away You make the world where you want to live in Be inspired by others who believe in you Use the power of words to make people change their minds Protest, petition, speeches and writing Show evidence how the world is failing Express your thoughts and feelings The world doesn’t change on its own When somebody blocks our way, say, “We have our rights and nobody can stop us.”

The environment is getting worse and our world is getting hotter Maybe in the future, we’ll never see nature Military guns killing innocent people

The power of words is a beautiful thing.

It makes the things that you’re saying have a delightful ring.

You feel moved by things other people say and those words are with you for the rest of the day.

In stories when people write powerful words it feels like your mind has grown and grown.

Some people don’t think that words affect them but they really do once you have met them.

When saying words that you don’t think might matter, think about them before you chatter.

Peace is something that words create so take pleasant words with you every day.

From now on when you hear, read, or say powerful words make sure you keep what you learned.

Anika Shah Reading this quote by Malala Yousafzai, “I tell my story not because it is unique, but because it is not. It is the story of many girls. I am Malala, but I am Kainat, I am Kainat Sonro, I am Mozoun, I am Amina, I am those sixty-six million girls who are deprived of education. I am not a lone voice, I am many. And our voices have grown 4

louder and louder,” made me realize that girls around the world are still being deprived of an education. This is what we here in America take for granted. It really made me think about how we are very lucky as boys and girls to be able to go to school without having to fight for it. I really love how Malala stands up for her cause without any violence and is calm and uses her words. Malala is not afraid to use words.

She uses her words to help girls get an education.

look up to her because she is an inspiration.

To this day, she is still fighting back with words. This quote really tells us that she is doing this for every girl out there, not just for herself. I really agree with her and support her!

The deprivation of education to girls in the third world countries is changing, because girls’ voices are being heard more and more, but there are stills some places where girls don’t have an education.

I can really relate to Malala’s cause because I agree with what she is doing. What Malala is doing is great by supporting girls’ education. Every boy and girl should be able to go to school. Education is a very important part of life, because without it you cannot do much. Also, I really like that she is doing this because she isn’t the only one out there who was shot or threatened about going to school. Being a girl myself, I can relate to Malala and I totally support her and her cause as she is standing up for girls’ rights to education and equality in this world.

I really love what Malala is doing because when I am older I would like to be a feminist who fights for girls’ and women’s equality and rights. I am really learning from what she does; she is an inspiration to many people. I really like how she does not use violence; instead she uses words which are the most powerful weapon out there.

Her story is really crazy - how she was shot and still was not afraid to stand up for what she believed. She didn’t let anything or anyone stand in her way. She fought back for what she knew was right and I really

Anika Shah Words can be grey like a stormy day.

Words can be as bright like the sunlight.

Words can make you dance like a butterfly.

Words can make you fly high in the sky.

Words can drown you in your sorrows.

Words can bring you joy like a box of chocolate or sushi.

Words can be sharp like a knife.

Words can be as tough as a mountain.

Words can fire like a gun.

Words can blow you away like the wind.

Words can flow like the river.

Words can be choppy like the waves in the ocean.

Words can be as heavy as a lead brick.

Words can be as light as feather.

Words can be like an elephant in a room.

Words can be as sweet as sugar.

Words can be as sour as a bag of lemons.

Words can shatter like a glass window.

Words can paint dreams.

Words can be a breath of fresh air.

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“Tuesday, December 14” Zena Almeida-Warwin My pen bled across the paper as my thoughts spiraled unconsciously. What a stupid question. “Should men and women have equal pay?” I wondered who had said no, who was that child in their right mind that believed that a gender should cause a difference in someone's earnings. Josh. Josh would, like he told me in the fourth grade, say, “People are overreacting, girls should just stay in their lane instead of tricking us all in what they want to be seen as.” It didn’t affect me at first, other than the usual argument and cruelty that preceded. But sometimes things just hit, just sting you in the most barbaric ways. People think and think and think, but sometimes things take a while to arrive. My mind seemed to be caught in the how, the who, the when, but never the why. Tuesday, December 14, the why came. Why. Why did it become this way? Why did the first ancient people decide that women shouldn’t be equivalent to men? Why do people still think and act as though laboring mothers aren’t worth the work of a man? A man. A male. A body part, the difference of who lives, who dies.

Who learns.

“Maila, class ended five minutes ago, Maila!”

“Sorry, Mister Sansmith” I exit quietly, my mind in a haze and every student I look at seems to be in a parallel world. Laughter.

Smiling.

Shoe untied. Missing book. Mom’s away.

Eighty-four on my math test. Sleepover at my place. Ask her out. Give that back.

What’s our next class? I forgot my homework. Is she new? Can’t wait for our assembly tomorrow. Miss Beverly is an idiot. Science lab is due tomorrow.

Christine slapped Maya. Laughter. Shoe.

Homework. Test. Due. Idiot. Assembly.

Slapped. Sleepover. Missing. Away. Next.

Science. New. Ask. Smiling. STOP. Bombs.

Guns. Violence. Killing. Rape. Drugs.

Pollution. Guns. War. Abuse. Screams.

Fear.

That night I think about the world, The Bombs. The Guns. The Violence. The Killing. The Rape. The Drugs. The Pollution. The Guns. The Wars. The Abuse. The Screams. The Fear. I think about the difference that One. Young. Girl.

Could make to one huge world of blind silhouettes.

Henry Dorr Words are quite powerful There is no denying it They can make you laugh Cry, or even get excited You must be careful Because if used wrong Words can make someone's day Go oh so wrong We have all used words before But not all of us Understand what power we wield With the move of our lips We can change the world With more than just

Fists So, don’t enlist in violence To make your cause heard Because all you might need is just a few

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Words

You don’t need to go around blowing stuff up To make your cause heard All you might need to do is just Speak

Up! Words Can Logan Whitney-Morrison Words can hurt Words can divide Words can affect Words can empower Words show your strength and intelligence Words can change how you see the world By saying one word your mood or someone else’s can be changed You should be careful on how you use words Words are very powerful

Owen Llodra Part 1 I have found a lot of inspiration through playing tackle football. I started playing football not even understanding the rigors of the sport, mentally and physically. It was the hardest for me at the football sleepaway camp. This is because that was when I really got to know the coaches. We basically had no breaks at all during the day except for meals. We were yelled at and spoken to in ways I have never been spoken to before.

The whole team had to pay when one person did something wrong. Sometimes we were all just about sleeping when someone did something bad (throwing baby powder at everyone) and then we all have to

run back onto the field and do another hour of punishment exercises. I didn’t have that many people to talk to either because I didn’t fit in that well. I was scared and I just wanted to get the heck out of there.

Somehow this turned into something good at the end.

After the camp, we just had practice 3 times a week and games on Saturdays.

Somewhere in between that all, I decided I wanted a to quit and I told my mom to email the coach. During that school day, I totally regretted that decision and came home fortunate to realize that my mom pretended to send the email, but didn’t really because I might have just made a quick and rushed decision. That’s where everything started to go well. I played in my first game which I was so nervous about and made a really good play. I got better and better throughout the season. At the end of the season when the coaches were giving out the awards, I got the Defensive Player of The Year Award. That’s when I realized how amazing this whole experience was- a journey where I started off as a totally different person than I was at the end. I was so happy that I didn’t quit, that I stuck through it, that I committed to this team.

Through this it’s also apparent to me that inspiring change often requires some kind of discomfort. You have to do things that are scary, that don’t feel comfortable, that require sticking with something, but when you do those things, change happens.

Part 2 I am a 12-year-old boy I want a good education I want to learn I’m just like you I am a hopeful soul I want to be happy

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I want to laugh I’m just like you I am a free kid I want to feel like an equal I want to be able to speak and express myself.

I’m just like you I am a 12-year-old boy I want feel proud I want to be satisfied I’m just like you

Sydney Phanord Malala’s speech to the UN General Assembly in 2016 and her Nobel lecture both describe her desire for change in the world. Her dream is for every child to someday be able to go to school in a world where there is peace. At fifteen, she was shot on the left side of her face for having built up the courage to advocate for what she felt was right, specifically, for wanting to go to school. In her speech to the UN General Assembly, she said, “They thought the bullets would silence us but they failed.”

What the Taliban who shot her failed to realize is that being targeted in such a way would only make Malala come back even stronger. Having faced the worst, there was nothing else for her to fear. She learned that the power of her words was stronger than any action done out of fear, that no one should feel the need to repress their feelings despite the consequences. She learned that pens and words are our most powerful weapons against violence and hate.

Malala saw a problem with the world which inspired her to dedicate her life to fixing it.

A problem I see in today’s society is the increasing number of people without homes and without food. I can only imagine what it is like to wake up every morning not knowing where your next meal will come

from, or if will come at all. Or, knowing there is no place to call your own, no reliable bed to sleep on, no bathroom to use, no sink to wash your face, and no toothpaste or toothbrush to clean your teeth. There is no kitchen and no “hmmm, what should I eat for breakfast today?”.

There’s just a void in your stomach, never truly filled, gnawing at your insides, a pain you’ve gotten used to because it is so constant. I can only imagine what it must feel like to be dependent on strangers for assistance and support, strangers who may be more likely to laugh at you, mock you, or ignore you than they are to provide the help you desperately need. Strangers that give you pitying looks that make you want to shout, “It’s okay. I’m human too!” I can only imagine how frustrating it must feel to know that even the ones who acknowledge you, show their sympathy by putting a dollar in your cup, never truly see you, and they will certainly never know what it’s like to have nothing, to want everything.

I remember once when I was in the thirdgrade walking home from school with my mom. We were about to enter the subway station when a homeless person caught my eye. He held up a piece of cardboard that read: “Today’s my birthday. I had to put my child up for adoption and I haven't seen her since she was three. If you could find it in your heart to help out I would really appreciate it.” He held out a small plastic cup that held three pennies inside of it and I saw a tear roll down his cheek as he watched the crowd of people walk up and down the steps, paying him absolutely no mind at all. The sight of it all broke my heart, knowing there wasn’t anything I could do was even worse.

It isn’t enough to just know something’s wrong. One has to know how to advocate to make it right. Though I couldn’t do anything that day I know I can still make a difference in the world by trying my best to

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make that change happen. By putting a dollar in that cup with a warming smile that says, “It’s okay. Your voice is mine and maybe one day our voices will be stronger.”

Maia Hoffman Figuring out what to say first Because texting can really be the worst What you say will change everything So, you will definitely want to rethink Hey or hi is the usual standard If you want to seem boring of course And adding letters might seem like the right answer But I assure you, that is the wrong manner Too many y’s adding on to hey You'll sound creepy and be told to go away Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Say that and they'll slap you to the Milky Way Too many i’s adding to hi You sound like a child, the response will be bye. hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

What are you fiiiiiiiiiive?

Then there's, “What’s up?”

A pretty good text to start with But your reply will always be nothing.

Then that is end of discussion The dreaded aye that teens say a lot It makes me cringe just at the thought Then someone will reply, “Yo,” Then at this point, your done for.

Wassup Oh god no If you say this then walk out the door Because that is very uncalled for But on a serious note it does matter what you say

Not just in a friendly, greeting way In the way that many don't expect In the way that actually effects.

It happens in person but online too Because people think that bullying is cool But really, it's super uncool to do And it's something that you can't undo It leaves a permanent message in people's mind That they're not good enough That they have to be better And for them, it's always cold weather Their self-esteem smashed down so low It can only be raised with a rope So words can really hurt too And what's left is sad residue Words are dangerous You have to use them responsibly Not everything can be fixed with an apology.

Words completely change someone's story So think about that before you say sorry.

Matthew Donziger “If I keep silent, I think, then you lose the right to exist, the right to live. If my rights are violated and I keep silent, I should better die than to live.”

The power of words whether you write or speak is your most powerful weapon.

An example are the students from Parkland High School in Florida.

A massive shooting, 17 students dead and still no change in the gun control laws.

It was the students of Parkland who refused to stay quiet. Most of these students can’t vote, don’t have their license, or jobs, but they started a revolution.

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The students used the power of social media to organize marches, protests, and walkouts. They chose not to keep silent and people throughout the country followed them. These students didn’t stop they went after Trump, companies, and people that supported guns.

Similar to Malala, the students used the power of words to help bring awareness and solve gun control, they made a lot of progress but still have a long battle ahead of them.

Dashiell Pitts Books and Pens Sometimes, our most powerful weapons are not guns or swords Instead our voices can change the world; something we can afford books, pens and teachers can change generations of ideas in the world you might think you can silence people with violence and hate but people will educate instead of retaliate all children deserve equality not brutality Malala has taught us all the importance of education and has given hope to girls and boys in countries that are war ridden and full of terrorism Educate don't hate

Every day there are so many choices and hardships, but why aren’t they all explored.

Why is it obvious to some that if you get a D- you’re not smart? Why is it easy to help some over others? Why can a human be valued more than another? Every voice has a sound, a meaning, an intention, but so many aren’t heard, or perceived.

Sometimes I wonder what it would feel like to share a life with someone else, to share all of their experiences and ideas. If everyone shared a life maybe they would understand each other more. Maybe they would acknowledge each other, not comparing looks or struggles, but understanding. I wonder how it would feel to completely know what someone else’s world is like.

Kyle Millington (For Lauren Hill)

Zena Almeida

It’s sad,

Every human, every child, has their own perspective of the world. Their own mind, their own language, their own appearance, their own life. But why is the world so stuck with their own perspective? If everyone has their struggles then why are only certain looked upon? Every thought has a meaning, every word has a sound.

Every song has a melody, every shoe a design, but certain are picked over the other. Every teacher a lesson, clock a time.

she got this illness Such a great and young person lost her life that a person with great ambitions couldn’t fulfill her full potential that she said if someone had to get this disease she would want to be the person that did

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It’s good, that she helped many lives with her story It’s cool, she never stopped playing basketball even when she was sick, and couldn’t even dribble that she scored the first basket of the game

Sarah Harmon Malala: “We realize the importance of light when we see darkness. We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced. We believe in the power and the strength of our words. Today is the day of every woman, every boy, and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights.”

Malala I think about this as my own What is lost but made to be found.

When we think of what we don't have we seem to want it more.

Malala makes me think about my rights As a citizen. As a person. As a woman.

We all feel the need for something to be fair or equal even if we do not know it.

The things we Say, feel, and do will change our lives forever.

In my life, I will have to fight for the thing I need and want.

As a citizen. As a person. As a woman.

Myself Arabella Vaccaro, Sydney Singleton, Andrea Heredia People are always telling me not to change

What if they are lying?

There are so many other body’s that I would make an exchange just to end the crying Looking in the mirror can be so painful Even though I have to live with it People say just to live on and stop being so hurtful Even though I would rather just quit I see others showing off All proud and smiley And I’m over here feeling like a rip off Standing in the corner shyly Others are packaged with great care Tied up in a ribbon But I am the gift whose owner doesn’t want to share What they have been given Anywhere from taking pictures To posting it online Feels like mixtures Of shame and just wasting time People say to be who I am Without hiding behind the mask But what they would see is such a scam That doing it is such a task But over time I learn that to love others You need to love yourself So, in that case I’m going to open my shutters And be who I am And that is myself

Samantha Ball When somebody tells you that you can’t do something it doesn’t mean that will stop you. You should never let anything stop you from your true potential. If you are a girl being told that you can’t learn to write or read don't let it stop you, and let it inspire you to be the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner ever. Malala was told that she couldn’t go to school but did it stop her?

No. She went on to raise over $10 million for the cause. I think Malala is an inspiration to everybody in the world. She 11

certainly inspired me. She is determined and fearless and my personal hero.

Alice Denny Books and Pens (a poem based on Malala’s quote: “Let us pick up our books and our pens; they are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.”)

Books and Pens are all we need To change the way that people see Violence will end in disaster But education is the answer books hold knowledge yet to be learned A story told throughout the words Information to take in Just open it up to begin A pen you can use to write everything down To remember the things that you’ve learned about The magic of writing comes from your own hand You can even write a story and create your own land Books and Pens are all we need To change the way that people see Violence will end in disaster But education is the answer A child is our next generation Who should be able to get an education The future of learning rests in their hands So they need to be taught, let’s help make a stand.

A teacher is needed to truly grasp Science, History, English and Math They can also teach to behave well And we will do our best to excel

Books and Pens are all we need To change the way that people see Violence will end in disaster But education is the answer

Strong Bonds Molly Fox Strong bonds Come from the hart It is quite hard to tear them apart It makes your eyes water When an animal Who has lived so long without you Runs to you And steals your heart.

And you remember the time It was small and weak To grow up and be big and strong.

John Freitag Chapter 1: The Judge One day, I found myself at baseball practice, with the Yankees at 5:00 am. I was so tired.

But, the second that I saw a 6’7,” 282pounder walk out onto the field, that was no longer so. It was Aaron Judge! He was heading my way! This was an unbelievable feeling. I felt like a Tiger catching its prey.

As he was getting closer, and closer, to my direction, I didn’t know what to say. I had to say something. I couldn’t just let the opportunity to talk to Aaron Judge go by. I didn’t need to make that decision because he came up to me and said, “What’s up little fella?”

“Nothing much, big fella.” He laughed.

“You’re funny. Are you, Conor Hughes?

The baseball great I heard about?”

“I sure am, Conor Hughes. But, I’m not a baseball great. For a matter of fact, I haven’t played in a year!”

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“That means nothing, especially with what you’re dealing with.”

He was right. It meant nothing with what I was dealing with. I was diagnosed with lung cancer, about a year ago. It was such a let-down to me, and my family. My whole baseball career was over, and now, everything else was over for me in a couple of weeks, at the age of twelve. The doctors said that I only had a couple of weeks left to live. For that reason, they let me get out of the hospital, so I could spend quality time with my family, and friends, who I missed so much.

Once I got home for the first time in a year, my Mom said there was a special voicemail left for me. I listened to it, and started crying tears of joy. It was Aaron Judge! He said, that he wanted to meet me at Yankee Stadium, hang out with all the guys, and get an at bat, against the Baltimore Orioles!

He wanted me to share with the team how resilient I am, and how I always lead by example. He also wanted me to get the opportunity where I can shine under the bright lights of Yankee Stadium. Those words meant so much to me. Especially coming out of the Judge’s mouth.

Chapter 2: Batting Practice WHOOF! Missed again. My swing needs a lot of work. Danilo Valiente, the Yankees BP pitcher was doing a great job throwing me meatballs. But, for some reason, I just couldn’t convert. I was getting so frustrated. I just told Danillo to end my round, so I could get my head straight for the game. He said, ok.

As I opened the door to his office, Boone said, “We’re planning to give you an at bat, in the 8th inning. No matter what the circumstance may be. But, I’m not going to put you out onto the field because I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Yes, coach. I’m so excited to go out there and play!”

“That’s the spirit! Go have a great game!”

“Thanks so much, Coach.”

Chapter 4: Game Time As I was walking up the tunnel, to go out onto the field, I saw a sign hanging from the ceiling that said, “I want to thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee.” -Joe DiMaggio. I just remembered. Every Yankee who comes through that tunnel has to touch that sign, before they go out onto the field. Once I put my hand against the sign, I felt a current rushing through my body. It was a really good feeling. Both of my hands were hanging on the sign for like five minutes at this point, until one of the Stadium janitors said, “Buddy, that’s weird.”

That remark sure made me get off of it.

Once I caught the first pitch thrown by David Wells, an old Yankee great. It was game time. Masahiro Tanaka was on the mound, and threw a quick one, two, three innings, to send the Yankees up to bat.

Brett Gardner was leading off. He worked a quick four pitch walk, to send the Yankees Aaron Judge to the plate. As Aaron Judge stepped into the batter’s box, he did a little bat twirl that pointed right at me. I did a thumbs up.

He smiled.

Chapter 3: Game Plans As I was heading to the locker room, to get my game jersey on, Aaron Boone, the Yankees Manager, spotted me and said, “Hey Conor, can you stop by my office?”

I said, “Ok.”

Judge let the first two pitches go by which were balls. He was in a good hitters count, to drive one. I saw that determined look in his eye, to really do something special here.

He did just that, by smacking a deep homerun, way over the centerfield fence. He

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hit it so far that it hit the glass of the restaurant, which is really far away. His homerun, put the Yankees up 2-0, until the top of the 8th, when Adam Jones of the Orioles, hit a clean two run single, right back up the middle. After Jones’s hit, Aaron Boone pointed at the bullpen, signaling that he wanted Zach Britton to come in to shut down all of the ruckus. Britton did so by striking out three in a row, to send the Yankees up to bat.

Aaron Boone came my way, and said, “Are you ready for your shot?”

“Yes coach.”

“I’m thinking of putting you in for Didi Gregorius. You’re going to be batting third, this inning. You will be facing Mychal Givens. He has really good stuff. He throws in the upper 90s, at average. He hits an occasional 100. He’s not only a flame thrower, he also has a wipe out curveball.

But, don’t worry. He’s not going to be throwing, his A stuff at you.”

“Thank God.” He laughed.

“He’s going to be throwing just like Danilo did in BP. Capiche?”

“Capiche.”

Giancarlo Stanton, hit a double to lead off the inning, which put Miguel Andujar up to bat. Miguel Andujar, then struck out on three pitches.

Now, it was my opportunity to shine. It was so cool walking up to the plate hearing Paul Olden, the Yankees Public Address Announcer say, “Batting the Designated Hitter, number 12, Conor Hughes, number 12.”

After he announced my name, I heard all the fans lauding me. They were lauding me so loudly that I couldn’t even hear my walk-up song, “Lose Yourself.”-Eminem,” playing in the background. But now, I couldn’t be focusing on those little cute

parts of the game. I had to focus on getting Stanton in from second base.

As I stepped into the batter’s box, I did a little bat twirl, pointing right at Aaron Judge. I was mimicking what he did to me in the first inning. He laughed.

The Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph said, “Good luck.”

“Thank you, I said back.”

The Ump yelled, “Play ball.”

Once, Mychal Givens stepped onto the rubber, it was game time. Givens lobbed a meatball right down the middle, and I whiffed on it. That swing was embarrassing. He lobbed another pitch a bit high, but a pitch to hammer, and I swung and missed, again! I couldn’t let this happen again. I was down in the count 0-2. If I took a strike, or swung and missed again, I was out. I couldn’t just let the opportunity go to waste. Givens was constantly giving me a pitch to hammer. But, I’ve never seemed to convert until I drove a line drive to right field, that scored Stanton. The whole stadium started to roar. The Yanks are now up, 3-2! If we hold the lead, I’m the hero, that won the Yankees the game. As I was when Aroldis Chapman closed it out. As John Sterling, the Yankees radio announcer always says, “The Yankees win! The Yankees win! Theeeeeeeee Yankees win!”

Andrea Heredia My strength can be as bold as a tiger But on the inside as weak as an infant My heart can be full of hope But my mind full of fear I can push through But even if I do I will always have a what if?

Besides all the what-if’s, there are always those few single words, or maybe one that either you tell yourself or are told Those words are all you need to hear and it can make your heart open 14

You only have one life one chance And you can take it and make an explosion You can be strong You can be weak You can keep your power turned on Or turn it off and live in the dark Or live a life of a fight song Not an argument or physical fight But a strong voice and brave character fight Bold but not arrogant Knows their worth more than what money can buy Demanded to have equal respect type of fight Not caring if nobody else believes ‘Cuz all you need to know is you have and should always have, a lot of fight left in you

Andrea Heredia Gun Violence Once you pull the trigger you can’t take back the bullet coming out Once that bullet hits somebody you can’t bring them back And seeing that will break you, so bad that if the bullet didn’t kill you, the anxiety and trauma will But the gun violence is so bad in some places that these things are normal but still something not easy overcoming Situations like this boil up a feeling inside

Where when you have lost so many loved one you just can’t keep quiet anymore, like Edna Chavez Edna learned to duck bullets before she learned how to read And she had to say something because the people in charge weren’t fixing nothing Being treated like criminals at school instead of feeling empowered And everyone's wondering to how many kids need to die before this situation is acknowledged.

The Best Part of Me Andrea Heredia The Bronx a place people assume is a dangerous place Where yes bad things happen but bad things happen everywhere But some people tend to think it’s just the Bronx And because of that I used to feel ashamed Ashamed that people will look at me differently Think things about me just because of where I came from People have thought I was broke just because of where I came from, and they’re wrong The Bronx is my home, where I was raised for as long as I can remember I love where I come from, there people here that look like me And I feel comfortable here and am happy to be a member of the Bronx I love the not too fancy and expensive malls here, the Deli’s around almost every block People playing music loudly out of their cars or on a speaker The graffiti on the walls of buildings or billboards How on every 4th of July, Crotona Park is packed with people setting fireworks all night and it’s hard to fall asleep because the

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fireworks sound like gunshots and the screams and runs from the cops I love the quiet parts of the Bronx and the loud parts I love the playgrounds around my house that I used to go to or still do sometimes and think of all the memories I have there As a kid, I did almost my first everything in the Bronx I learned how to ride roller skates, ride a bike without training wheels, learned how to read and more But what I learned most while being here in the Bronx is to be grateful for everything I have, seeing the homeless people on trains and seeing young girls near my age pregnant Seeing the things on the news that go on in my neighborhood Make me think that could be me but I was lucky enough not to land in that situation Most of all I’ve learned here to have tough skin and keep my head held high because it’s a tough world out here and it’s going to be hard to get through it if someone says something or does something mean to you and you break down easily Other people will either use your vulnerability against you or just not care And the scariest thing to me is to not be successful or to end up in a bad situation like the ones I see on the news From seeing what I’ve seen on the news to has also taught be to be aware I am glad I was raised here in the Bronx because if I wasn’t I probably wouldn’t know all I know now And I think where I come from is one of the best parts of me And when I do leave the Bronx at some point for college or anything I will always come back because those are my roots and I am proud of where I come from, The Bronx.

Maia Hoffman Shade of Blue I want to be colors plastered on the sky Hues of red, orange, and yellow a speck of pink here and there.

I wish I could be your sunset But instead she's there She's the color of your world And I'm just here In black and white I want to be the yellow On the sunflowers That we used to pick That made you giggle Like a sweet magic trick But instead she's there She's the color of your world And I'm just here In black and white I wish I was the red On the dress she wore that day That made you notice her That made you go her way That made you divert your attention from me And I got lost in my tears A horrible salty sea I know I can't be your red And I can't be your green But she doesn't have to be the only colors you see Because I'm here too I wish I was enough for you She's scarlet She's lilac Everything I'm not But I can cry And cry I'll make a beautiful shade of blue

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Liam Hitzig-Santamaria Home A home doesn't need to be a building It doesn't need to be a house As long as you feel safe It can be a home It doesn't need decor It doesn't even need a floor And home is where you go to rest And hopefully it makes you feel blessed Dance Dancing for the world to see Legs and arms are moving free The music pulsing to your movements After training with improvements after improvements The spinning and jumping And the beat going thumping Dancing for the world Leaders The world would not be the same If there were no one to name When talking about leaders A good leader will show the group the way For success throughout their day A good leader is fearless and brave And a good leader’s words will resonate even past the grave A good leader will never give up for their cause And will do anything to fix the worlds flaws Fear No one should have to live with fear Many people deal with it year after year Children should not fear going places And fear all of the faces Of people they have never met Fear is an instinct that we use everyday But some use fear in a much worse way That no one should have to live with Freedom Working your entire life

To get something that creates strife Freedom Freedom isn't only doing what you want It isn't for you to taunt that you have it It is something you need to earn You cannot leave a situation immediately and forget about it And quit Freedom is power to change And freedom isn't something you can interchange

Liam Hitzig-Santamaria Family Crazy, Annoying and Loud But you should always be proud They will always be there for you Even when you are blue Family is something you can count on Even when your hope is gone Dreams Dreams are never too crazy to achieve A dream is a reality if you can believe Don't underestimate the power of a thought Dreaming is not something you can be taught Instead it's something you must deeply want Speech Walking up on to the stage To talk to the world about change The cheering of the followers The yells of the haters But the most powerful words Are the ones that affect the legislators Kindness Small, kind acts Make the world go ‘round Kindness could make a sound or be an action And it's sad to think that only a fraction Are kind and expect no pay Kindness can go a long way 17

To be kind, all you have to do is say WORDS A word is just a bundle of letters And it can still change a life A word has the power to make the world different Courage, Beauty and Loyal Hate, Destruction and Lies All words that can change lives Some help people thrive While others make it hard to survive

Liam Hitzig-Santamaria Voices A voice can be an instrument A voice could be insolent A voice can be communication A voice can be heard throughout generations One voice can affect billions Tens of voices can affect Trillions Change Marching through the streets The protest never sleeps Always fighting to make change The words have infinite range There will always be a person Who will lead to keep it so the world won't worsen And will lead a protest for change Nervous Walking up on stage Is just like flipping a page To the next stage of your life You could get a papercut but you could also find a whole new story Your life could end in rejection or it could end in glory Being nervous shouldn't stop you For there isn't anything to lose

Bright The color of a perfect sky Happy The color that is anything but dry Smooth The color of a flower Sweet The color that can give you power Twins Twins Twins can be twins even if they don't have the same skins Twins are merely a pair or duo And you cannot call one pseudo Twins don't need to match although they are similar And to call one fake would be nothing but sinister

Ella Law Once there was a girl named Susan. She wanted to eliminate animal cruelty more than anything. She kept petitioning for her cause, she sent 600 signatures to the president but he said no because there had to be at least 1,800 signatures, so she kept on petitioning but she could only get to 1,000 signatures. She asked her mom if she could fly to California from New York. The main reason that she wanted to go to California instead of going to a place that was closer was because of all the wildlife reserves there where in California. Her mom said no because she thought that it was not a worthy cause. so Susan started holding speeches and while she was holding the speeches she left the paper with the signatures on it out so that people could sign it. Her speeches were so motivating that she got 3o,000 signatures Susan was so happy because she knew that with 30,000 or more signatures her petition could not go ignored.

Pink 18

Susan soon found out that people were traveling from across the world just to hear her speak. She put out a donation box and with all the donations that she got she was able to buy a house and rescue animals from shelters with pets that were severely injured. She held open houses for the animals, so they could get a nice home she even interviewed the people that wanted to adopt the animals to make sure that they had a nice and safe home that met all of the animals’ needs. She became so famous that people were traveling from across the world just to adopt one of her animals. When she finally handed in her petition she had over 50,000 signatures so the law got passed immediately.

Dashiell Pitts

TomĂĄs Michelangeli

Tommy Denaro Friendship

The Love of a Home The city welcomes me with friendly people and a worm community. I love its amazing architecture and its diverse cultures. It loves me with friends and family.

The North Woods welcome me with the smell of morning dew, pine, and the sight of twisting river lines. In the woods, I can love its creatures and plants, and I feel loved by the energy of the forest itself. The woods love me with it lakes and streams. The woods love me like family The sea welcomes me with the sight of endless possibilities and the feel of sand against my feet, the feel of the wind and the water. I love its beauty and call, I love its fish and its gulls. It loves me with its waves and its spirit, it loves me with its roar and its shore.

My Homes Love Me All and All

Rising up from weakness and depression.

Fear everywhere.

Singing, letting the fear and weakness out and away.

One thing can change everything.

One interest.

One hope.

One chance.

Love and family.

The power of a kind and good friend.

Running away.

The seasons of your life.

The times when you are sad or happy.

Hallelujah.

If you say hello to someone who is having a bad day, it can make them feel happier because it makes them feel seen. I must be hard not to be seen because you are lonely.

When you put out happy energy, you will often receive happy energy back. When someone is happy because of something you did, there is a possibility that they will become friends with you.

A friend is someone that has some similarities and some differences than you.

When you spend a lot of time with someone there is a likely chance you will become friends with them. A friendship takes effort because you must listen to each other and support your friend.

Tommy Denaro People go through tough times, you can choose to let those tough times define you or you can power through those hard times and help others going through the same thing. When you are kind to someone they 19

will be thankful and help you, or be kind to you if you are ever feeling down or need help with something. My dad is kind to his colleagues, something came up at work and he needed help with it, everyone who he emailed helped him. They could have just pretended not to see the email because it was late at night. A lot of people complain about how there is not enough change in the world, but most of those people are not willing to work for change; be the change you want to see.

upright wooden blocks with small spinny blocks under them, at the top of the blocks was a rope holding up the wood. When I went on the first block I realized that it was way harder to get across than I thought. I stopped right in the middle of the obstacle and suddenly I just didn’t want to go any further so stopped and I waited there. At that moment, I felt like I couldn’t go any further. I was trying to get myself to move but I wouldn’t, I couldn’t. Ever since then I’ve found myself doing brave things with or without my friends and I’ve never wanted to back down on something.

Ella Dorhout Words can hurt Words can kill Words can work Words can break Words can make Words will never be fake Words can fight Words can win Words can lose Words can run Words can cry Words will never be fake Words will hurt Words will win Words will lose Words will break Words will make Words will never be fake

Rocco Fonseca There was a time when I felt like I just couldn’t do something. For one of Tommy’s birthday parties we went to an outdoor zip line place with little obstacles between platformed trees, consider the trees a checkpoint. Only some obstacles were zip lines, most were other creative things. On one of the non-zip line obstacles was several

Zena Almeida Silence, no sound to hear. I wonder what the world would be like with everyone death, every sound a mourning, hollowed bowl with no volume. I wonder if I could live without music, the fuel to the worlds engine. How could I wake up every morning without the beep of the car or the crunch of the wind?

How could I continue on without the comfort of my mother’s voice and the knowledge from my fathers?

Silence. The need to see to understand.

How could I handle myself knowing that someone is trying to speak to me but I can’t listen? How could I learn?

I’m sorry to those who are missing that element. That ingredient that nobody seems to appreciate. Sense.

How could I feel safe with the mystery of someone’s footsteps following me? Step, step, step.

S t e p.

Who could I trust? Who could I trust to carry my power to listen, to communicate?

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What is complete silence like? More silent than the “screeching in your ear” kind of silence. More silent then the “oxygen against your skin” type of silence?

Do you feel like a drawing?

One dimensional Living in a wall?

Or a pool? surrounded by people Not understanding their voices Only knowing only their touch and their visual representation.

Or maybe a casket? away from everyone.

But everyone’s near. And sometimes they stop by to grief you.

Or maybe it can be a joy? A wonder?

A basket Woven and made.

Briefly joyed to retrieve silence.

Or maybe it’s more complex than anyone could imagine. Can someone tell me? Let me know what this is like? Issue after issue.

Next, next, next.

N e x t. What about issues that have stayed for generations? Let me know. Let me know. I’m waiting.

I’m listening.

Zena Almeida Every human, every child, has their own perspective of the world. Their own mind, their own language, their own appearance, their own life. But why is the world so stuck with their own perspective? If everyone has their struggles then why are only certain looked upon? Every thought has a meaning, every word has a sound.

Every song has a melody, every shoe a design, but certain are picked over the other. Every teacher a lesson, clock a time.

Every day there are so many choices and hardships, but why aren’t they all explored.

Why is it obvious to some that if you get a D- you’re not smart? Why is it easy to help some over others? Why can a human be valued more than another? Every voice has a sound, a meaning, an intention, but so many aren’t heard, or perceived.

Sometimes I wonder what it would feel like to share a life with someone else, to share all of their experiences and ideas. If everyone shared a life maybe they would understand each other more. Maybe they would acknowledge each other, not comparing looks or struggles, but understanding. I wonder how it would feel to completely know what someone else’s world is like.

Zena Almeida Home to me is a place to be. A place to stop to think. Home is somewhere you feel safe, somewhere the world seems to be far away and there is only home. Home is somewhere your feelings feel free to evaporate. Home is somewhere with a roof covering all of your insecurities. Home is somewhere you can go at any time. Home is somewhere your struggles try to disappear, try to run away.

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Sarah Harmon

How? Learn the facts.

Teach my friends and all of their friends.

Print fliers.

Hold meetings.

Talk about vaping.

Hey! That’s a plan!

This could help me stop.

Stop others.

Stop vaping.

Part 1 Vaping

Jade Kleinberg

How do we stop?

Is there a way?

In the Florida School Shooting my sister’s X- Boyfriend Scott Beigel was killed. This makes me feel angry and sad that my sister knew someone that died in something so horrible at such a young age from doing nothing. It makes me feel angry and sad that ANYONE could die in such a way. It makes me feel scared that something like that could happen to anyone at any school.

It’s unfair and things like this should never happen. I want to do anything I can to stop anything like this from ever happening again. I am so happy that so many kids stand up for Gun Control. I want to be one of them.

I need To stop this horrible game.

I want to help my friends who can’t resist.

We are One Amanda Nam

The only thing I don't know about it is how to stop.

Vaping.

Great flavors, fruity and sweet. vaping is a horrible treat 2 million school kids vape every day!

I was told vaping was not an addiction.

Is that true?

Are there chemicals in vape that can hurt me?

As bad as cigarettes?

That bad stuff…nicotine?

No one told me that.

Is it cool?

Is it fun?

That’s what my friend told me.

I wonder… if I could stop, could I help a friend stop too?

I want a world Where nobody categorizes people by their features Where people can live free of worrying about their appearances Inner beauty shows your unique charm Who cares how you look like?

We are all beautiful Society made us different Made us see the difference Negatively Race, sex and LGBTQ We want equality 22

We want dynamic ranges of people We don’t need to feel isolated Small acts, small help Makes people feel joy Don’t hesitate to give peace and kindness A bond never lets go Nothing can separate anything “We share the same soul” When We are one Beneath the sun Following the light, to the world beyond Walking side to side People will see that We are one Someday

Quin Stiller Max sits down at a lunch table Two kids sit next to him One kid starts calling him names The other laughs in his face Max is dumbfounded And feels alone It happens again the next day And the next Until Max decides to stand up He speaks in front of the whole school about being bullied And how hurtful and wrong it is.

The bullies leave him alone And now Max is not afraid to use His Voice

Anika Shah Be confident Don’t be afraid to shine.

Don’t be afraid to be different.

Shine bright even when you don’t think you can.

Be yourself because that is what will make you smile and there will be a good outcome.

Be you, there is no one like you.

Be proud of who you are Don’t let anyone tell you who to be.

Xuenyang Sheng When I was in third grade, no one knew me - so no one sat with me. I mean, if I moved next to them, they wouldn’t leave, but I rarely do that. Then, Owen came to my life.

One time, I was still sitting alone, when all of a sudden, he just came to me, and sat down. Everyone moved with him. I was grateful. No one was bullying me, but it’s just like someone put an end to it.

I Promise Myself That Quin Stiller A man sits on a park bench Without food or a place to call home I see him there And I feel sad for him Because I have a roof to live under and he has none Because I have food to eat and he has none Because I have a bed and he has none Because I have a lot of extra clothes and he has none I want to help him get all those things But I may be too young to make it happen Because I don’t have enough resources to make it happen So I just end up walking away But when I get older I will help the homeless I promise myself that

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Bianca Luz Part 1 The Power of Words They can hurt you Thrill you Depress you Brighten you Scare you Worry you Justify you And defy Shake you Motivate you Strengthen you And show you who your real friends are Change you Upset you Teach you But only you choose who you are

Part 2 Malala: “We realize the importance of light when we see darkness. We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced. We believe in the power and the strength of our words. Today is the day of every woman, every boy, and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights.”

We are told to be quiet To be invisible To have no opinion It is then we know we need to speak We are told to not look To not be But when can we do that When they are the ones Who cannot see

We are all the same in ways Just some of us are blind If you are Then you must learn to see We are all the same in ways But we all must learn To be

Andrew Vidrevich Happiness is what makes the world smile We can bring happiness to everyone’s lives We can take happiness from people’s lives We treasure our happy times And we learn from sad times Sometimes we try to forget the sadness But the sadness will make you treasure your happy times Happiness can be spread Imagine a world where everyone is happy That world does not exist So, treasure all of your happy moments The happiest people aren't the people with the best memories They are the people that always treasure and remember and thankful For all of their happy times They can find happiness in most things Happiness is very IMPORTANT.

Andrew Vidrevich The world won’t change unless we do We can bring help to change the world But no one will do it for use Everyone can help in their own way Some can recycle more Some can donate their time to good causes Some can research how to fix climate change Some can take the research and fix climate change We all have a part in fixing this world The question is will we World needs change Or will be dead by 2500 for sure 24

Because we did not keep our environment healthy But we can start Make the world a cleaner safer and better place Not the opposite MAKE CHANGE!!!!!

Logan Whitney-Morrison Sometimes I take time to think about doing something nice for someone that I appreciate. In 5th grade at the end of the year I learned a lot from Meg, the science teacher, so I decided to give her something to show her that I appreciate all of what she taught me and for being really kind to me. I gave her a glass lizard! She liked it very much and it made me feel great because I just did something really nice to make someone else happy.

When someone surprises me or just gives me a complement it shows me that they appreciate me and think that I am a nice person. One time when I was waiting to get picked up after school with Andrea and Olivia, Andrea said that I was unique because I was watching something on Disney Channel that no one else would watch because it is a “kids show” and that compliment made me feel good. I agree with her that I am unique because I still watch and do a lot of things that younger kids would usually do and I like them! I do not care what others think! Some kids laugh and some kids do not. The kids who do not are the kids who say like that is cool that you still like that stuff.

Home Home is a comfortable place for you Home is where things that are very important to you stay Home is where family lives Home is where you feel safe

Joye Wingard A Pet Having a pet, you always have a special bond No matter if it’s a dog or a snail.

Humans don’t deserve them Pets are a big part in people’s lives No matter if it’s big or small It can be a rabbit An elephant An eagle A dog A frog A giraffe Or even a little spider

Anika Shah Be a star in a clear sky.

Be a mermaid in an ocean full of fish.

Be black in a crowd of white.

Be a girl in a crowd of boys.

Be bouncy in a crowd of stillness.

Be an athlete in a crowd of princess Be different.

Rory Ganz Logan Whitney-Morrison Happiness Ours Magic Enjoyed

My thought on how words can be very powerful: We use words every day. We use them to describe people, write books, tell stories, and speak. Words hurt more than a punch because they will always come back

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at you. If you offend someone, they will remember that for the rest of their life, and there is nothing you can do to fix it.

Punches hurt for 20 seconds. Using words to hurt someone causes mental pain. Using your body to hurt someone causes physical pain. Words can convince, and inspire.

Words can do so many things! Words have been used for a very long time, and so we know how to use them very well. Think before you speak, because bad words are like a punch in the stomach. Malala does a great job with words because she knows how to use them very well. Malala has a big vocabulary, and knows the perfect way to put words into a sentence to convince people. I like using words in my daily life to make people happy.

Gifts Benjamin M. Karpatkin

Home Benjamin M. Karpatkin Home for some may mean a roof over your head For others home may be a comfortable bed But for me, home is a whole other story Home is a family’s territory Home for me is a good place for the family to sit To share about the day, congregate and snuggle a bit A place for us to rejuvenate our strength To read, have fun to any length Home is where our families are Maybe tell some stories that are quite bizarre Maybe family is just people who love you Love is the thing that makes a family true

There are many ways to give gifts to the good Not everyone does, but everyone should Some people don’t because they don’t care And some people don’t because they’re not aware Protecting the weak is a gift we should give Allowing all people to freely live If they can’t stand up for themselves and are bullied Then in their future their reputation may be sullied Protecting the weak is a gift to the world Prevention is required from slurs being hurled We need to reform the world to be kind Because if we’re not kind, we’ll need a reminder

“Faggot” Benjamin M. Karpatkin At first faggot meant a bundle of sticks which to burn

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Now that is replaced with kindling that’s usually off a fern People nowadays think faggot is simply derogatory Those who are ignorant don’t even know half the story Why are people called faggots in the first place?

Whoever uses that word spitefully is a disgrace Do they even know how faggot originated or what it means?

Gays were sentenced to death by burning by kings and queens I thought that we as a race would have learned That people who differ are not to be burned That is why faggot should be put back into its original form So people can use it as it was intended, for fires to be warm

David Kelly Home is a place where you are comfortable to move around and do whatever you want to do without being looked at or judged.

Home is anywhere to me. Home is with family.

It’s Empowering Kyle Millington It’s empowering, How much strength she has to stand up to gun policies It’s inspiring, How much tenacity she has in trying to find change How many people support her Her background on this topic

It’s sad That people have gotten used to this topic The government hasn’t done much in change

Kyle Millington It’s Inspiring It’s inspiring, How good they are at singing The message their sharing with people that they’re not afraid to opening up to the world their challenges It’s cool, The way they sing The way they show their differences on the board How unique each of them are

Sydney Phanord Regret: I stole the cookies from the cookie jar. I’d known there’d be consequences but I couldn’t help myself. Homemade and freshly baked, you could smell their aroma from miles away. They smelled rich and buttery like all of Ma’s pastries do. I could almost taste the chocolate chips. She always pours a little extra, just the way I like it. At first I really tried to control myself, to focus on something else but it didn’t work. It never does. Before I knew it I was in the kitchen on my tiptoes trying to reach the jar. Two seconds later I was untwisting the lid. No sooner had I gotten the cap off, was I biting into the first cookie… the second…

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the thir— “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!!”

Uh Oh. Maybe I shouldn’t have secretly stolen Ma’s cookies. Whoops.

Fear: Another morning meant another trip to school. A trip to school meant walking past Mrs. Betty’s house. Walking past Buck.

Mrs. Betty was a really nice neighbor but her paranoia makes it hard to talk to her.

It’s also why she got Buck. She thinks he’ll protect her if anything bad happens. I think he’ll do a lot more than that. Buck is the meanest dog in the neighborhood. He lives three blocks away. I’m walking down the first block imagining his eyes. I hate those big red eyes. I walk the second block and in my mind I see his teeth sharp and threatening. I’m walking the third block and by now I’m sweating. I see him a couple feet away looking bigger than ever. Even the silver chain tied around his neck to keep him to the fence make him seem intimidating. He snarls at me and I lose it. I turn around running and don’t look back.

Hate: I hate my parents. I hate them because they don’t know how to love me. I can’t love them if they can’t love me. If they don’t even try. When you love someone, you go out of your way to do anything for them because you want to. Because you care. My parents don’t care. Everything they do for me is their obligation as guardians but it doesn’t show their love as parents.

Sometimes I get to peek into the lives of others and this fire burns inside of me.

Seeing their ability to be loved and comparing it to mine angers me. The only way to extinguish the flames is with love of which I have none.

Sydney Phanord 1849 “I have been thinking a lot of my escape. I am worried that somewhere along the way, I will be caught, and sent back to my Master. I do not want this.”

— Anita Ross (13-year-old slave) 1855 “A keen observer might have detected in our repeated singing of 'O Canaan, sweet Canaan, I am bound for the land of Canaan,' something more than a hope of reaching heaven. We meant to reach the North, and the North was our Canaan.”

— Frederick Douglass in his book: My Bondage, My Freedom 1859 “God’s time is always near. He set the North Star in the heavens; He gave me the strength in my limbs; He meant I should be free.”

— Harriet Tubman 1963 “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 1964 “You get freedom by letting your enemy know that you'll do anything to get your freedom; then you'll get it. It's the only way you'll get it.”

— Malcolm X 1998 “Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome.”

— Rosa Parks

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2013 “Race doesn’t really exist for you because it has never been a barrier. Black folks don’t have that choice.”

— Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah 2014 “I can’t breathe.”

— Eric Garner 2016

A world where nothing about our differences matter, only one’s personality. A world where I can always be the Real me. And at the End of the day nothing can divide us for we are all A unity. We are all the human race. I dreamed a dream and then I woke up only to face reality.

Harrison Zabar

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”

— Colin Kaepernick 2018 “More than 200 years spent in search of glory and freedom, yet it remains elusive.

One day, when the war is won, when the glory finally comes, when it truly is ours, we will breathe the breaths denied so many of our predecessors.”

— Sydney Phanord

Sydney Phanord I dreamed a dream. A dream though it was, it felt so real yet it is not reality.

Don’t think it ever will be. The world isn’t Ready for change Even though you’d think it would be this late in the game. My dream is a future of change.

A dream that is always so close but never within reach. Now zoom into My dream and you’ll see a world of peace. A world where everyone thrives Economically and you can be who you want to be and love who you want to love without Discernment from society.

Missing Links When a loved one has passed you feel a feeling that’s indescribable.

You lose something so important to you.

It makes you have a vision of the world one you didn’t know was there.

Love is always there even when you don’t feel like it’s there.

The feeling makes you think that there’s a missing link.

Missing Links There is never a missing link you just feel like it.

The feeling can change the way you see things.

You can change the way you see it and feel it.

You can’t see or touch that feeling but you can feel it.

There was never a missing link but you can help others.

Missing Links

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Harrison Zabar True Magic There is no such thing as magic because there is always use of sleight of hand in there.

But the true magic is in your heart and it’s what gives you emotion.

You can’t hold or see it but you can control it.

True magic is on the inside and everyone has it.

True Magic True magic is not visible but not invisible.

You never know when true magic is happening but you will feel it.

You can choose when to use it but only when it counts.

You use it when you don’t think about using it.

The only true magic in this world is love.

True Magic

SOMEWHERE IN AMERICA Sydney Phanord A baby is born Somewhere in America Skin pale and wrinkled And her eyes squeezed shut She cries, Mama holds her close Now Mama cries too Cries for her baby For future lying ahead Wishing for the best To Mama she will always be baby but on The registration Form she neatly writes Destiny Osiria She is Destiny …

It’s been thirteen years Somewhere in America It is her birthday 30

Her skin is dark brown Now like the soil that helps Plants bloom beauteous Or the chocolate That Mama gets her sometimes With the bitter taste This year is special Because she’s a teenager And so Mama will Take her to the brand New clothes store three blocks away Then buy a cupcake For them to share on A bench in the park as the Sun sets, sky darkens Mama is outside A smile spreads across her Face as she lays her Eyes on her baby Her big beautiful baby She is tired from A long day of work But she finds pride in seeing Her baby leave school …

A girl is crying Somewhere in America Her brand-new pants are Forever ruined The pants Ma just bought for her Were her birthday gift High waist denim jeans From the store three blocks away Black bows down the sides And cuffs at the ends Now dirty and torn, bows loose Destiny's still crying

It was the big kids Who’d pushed her into the mud Said, “Stop acting white” Mimicked her with her Head held high and her prideful Stride along the grass Glancing down at her pants Every once and awhile Proud to be thirteen Now Ma had told her It would be hard to fit in She was different Now she understood It was something she could not Ignore, forever She turned back towards home With her ruined denim jeans Now pitch black from mud …

Destiny knew Ma Ma was strong, brave, and fearless Took no nonsense from, From anybody So she was surprised when she Told Ma what happened And instead of the Anger she had expected to see Her Ma gave her tears This was not her Ma Ma was strong, fearless This was a stranger Through her tears Mama Says, “Well maybe one day there will be a place for Everybody Somewhere in America To live together Happily, but for

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now all we can do is hope For that time and place

Even one person can make a difference, be that one person.

Sydney Singleton Somewhere in America kids are having to fight for their lives Having to raise their siblings because their parents are drug addicts and can’t provide for them They have to do what they can to support their family And they have to support themselves

Owen Llodra Somewhere in America there are two friends, one black, one white, but only one gets all their rights. Only one gets to go into a shop without being looked at suspiciously. Only one gets to feel safe around police.

Somewhere in America there is someone who is gay and someone who is straight, but only one gets to feel comfortable showing that publicly. Only one gets to feel welcome and accepted.

Somewhere in America there is a husband and a wife, both have a job, but only one gets paid so much less. Only one gets assumptions that they are weak.

Somewhere in America there are two girls, both go to the same school, one is slim and the other one is a little heavier, but only one gets disgusted looks. Only one feels accepted.

People can live so close to each other, in the same school, right across the street, but still have a totally different life.

Discrimination is a thing, sexism is a thing, mean stereotypes are a thing.

Somewhere in America young children of color are brutally hurt because of their skin color.

They wish for equality, they wish that someday this world will be a world where everyone is equal, no matter of their skin color.

They wish for a world where everyone has a voice.

Somewhere in America young girls are being raped by their older family members.

Taken, held captive for their body No one is there to help them be free They have to live with this for the rest of their lives.

They struggle with trust issues because of this One day things will change where woman and young woman feel safe and don’t feel like they have to always be on guard, just so they don’t get rapped.

No one should live a life where they have to worry all the time.

Somewhere in America immigrant families are being separated from their children They just want a better life for their children Now their children have to suffer without their parents 32

They live in chains, they can’t breathe, their all alone Someday immigrants will be able to have a better life and won’t be separated from their children.

Somewhere in America people's hearts are getting broken by their spouses.

Men aren’t happy in their relationships They look for someone else to satisfy them In the end, they wind up hurting their own children By separating the family And by not communicating to their wife Now their children have to grow up in two different homes Feeling empty They miss when they had both of their parents in the house with them They miss Christmas and Thanksgiving all as a family.

Somewhere in America ...

Too young for love.

Too naive.

Too stupid.

Too young to be afraid of bullets flying through my school, ending the lives of my friends, who were once told as well, they were too young.

Too afraid to see what’s outside of my own digital world because I was born with information at my fingertips.

Too young.

I am too young.

Somewhere in America a girl finds her friend on the floor of the school bathroom lying in a pool of her own blood because someone got an easy gun. So yes, this generation is too young.

But not too young to make a change.

Would you tell a rose bud it’s too young to bloom? Would you tell a tree its too young to grow? Would you tell a child their too young?

Too young to be a feminist.

Too young to be depressed.

Too young to protest.

Too young to be an activist.

Too young to know their own sexuality.

Too young for love.

Too young for what?

Samantha Ball Somewhere in America children are being told they're too young,

Racism Homophobia Sexism Police brutality And school shootings.

Aren’t we all.

Too young to be feminists.

Too young to be depressed.

Too young to protest.

Too young to be activists.

Too young to know their own sexuality.

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Dashiell Pitts & Matthew Donziger Somewhere in America, a kid is in detention for moving at their desk Somewhere in America, someone is in line for the soup kitchen

One Day in America I hope there will not be another person subjugated to these terrible things.

More young people need to start protesting and fighting against these things.

Somewhere in America, someone is being arrested for little possession of marijuana

Molly Fox

Somewhere in America, a girl is being raped and killed

Somewhere in American a girl or a boy is posting a picture they are going to regret when they are applying for college.

Somewhere in America, a person of color is fearing for their life when they hear sirens Somewhere in America, people are blaming women for being raped because of their clothes Somewhere in America, people are stealing land from Natives for oil and land Somewhere in America, factories are letting fossil fuels into the air.

Somewhere in America, a kid is getting bullied for not having the latest style.

Somewhere in America, a kid has to work late shifts for his family Somewhere in America, a kid is getting bullied for being fat Somewhere in America, kids are finding guns and shooting their friends because they think it is a toy Somewhere in America, kids are killing themselves because they have been neglected by everyone.

Somewhere in America, kids are bragging about their money.

Somewhere in America a person of color is discriminated against Or a gun is pointed at their head and their blamed.

Somewhere in America kids are starving and haven’t eaten in days.

Somewhere in America a girl is bullied for her weight and Is not seeing her value anymore.

Somewhere in America kids are blamed for low test scores But they don't know what algebra is, they never learned it.

Somewhere in America the quiet kid is plotting something that Will ruin his life and others will lose theirs.

Somewhere in America kids the age less than five being ripped away from Their mothers. Crying just because they want a better tomorrow and future.

THEY NEED HELP OUR WORLD NEEDS HELP.

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without getting bullied because of her weight.

Somewhere in School John Freitag Somewhere in school, there’s going to be bullies.

Somewhere in school, there’s going to be the cool kids.

Somewhere in school, there’s going to be kids who see things from the outside.

Somewhere in school, there’s going to be people of different races.

Somewhere in school, there’s going to be people of different gender.

Somewhere in school, there’s going to be people who identify as gay, and straight.

Somewhere in school, there’s going to be people of different athletic ability.

Somewhere in school, there’s going to be people of different intellectual ability.

Somewhere in school, there’s going to be people of different artistic ability.

Somewhere in school, there’s going to be people who view everyone just as a human being.

Somewhere in the World Eleanor Law Somewhere in the world there is a white kid beating up a black kid but the black kid won’t fight back because he is to scared for his life.

Somewhere in the world there is somebody trying to lose 50 pounds to fit in with the “popular kids”.

Somewhere in the world there is a child getting abused by his parents.

Somewhere in the world there is a person putting on so much makeup that her on parents don’t even recognize her just so that she can fit in with the “beauty standards”.

Somewhere in the world there is a person getting beat up and bullied just because what he is doing is too “girly”.

Somewhere in the world there is somebody getting called names because she is wearing clothes from goodwill.

Somewhere in the world somebody is bragging about all their money.

Cameron Brightfield Somewhere on the Baseball Field Somewhere on the baseball field… people are swinging bats.

Somewhere on the baseball field… people are throwing baseballs.

Somewhere on the baseball field… it doesn’t matter what your race is.

Somewhere in the world there is a child fighting for her life.

Somewhere on the baseball field… people are catching baseballs.

Somewhere in the world people are banning books instead of banning guns.

Somewhere on the baseball field… people are united over the game, it doesn't matter who you are.

Somewhere in the world somebody is struggling to make it through high school 35

Somewhere on the baseball field... people are yelling and screaming for their team.

Somewhere on the baseball field… there is a bunch of joy, people united, everyone cheering for one thing.

Somewhere on the baseball field… people don't care who you are, they only care which team you're rooting for, and if you’re rooting for their team, they´ll cheer with you.

Somewhere on the baseball field… everyone's together, no one thinks differently of each other. Unless you´re cheering for the opposing team.

Amanda Nam Somewhere in America Gun are legalized Gun shots are fired into citizen’s hearts Bullets ripping through bloody flesh A thump on the pavement One’s heartbeat stops Another life is gone Families are sobbing for their lost ones Media beams out about these situations, but nothing changes in our society Another life is forgotten Is this a form of protection for people?

We have our rights Speak for justice Speak with pride We are humans Somewhere in America Our government is filled with white men In 2018, finally a lot of women of color entered the congress Naming “Firsts” in the congress Now is 2018 The congress was made in 1789 Why did it take so long for women of color to rise?

Why is this a surprise for many people?

Somewhere in America Different stories are told Different perspectives of different races and gender We hope for our stories are told around the world To hear our suffers and pain To see our identity One day Now

Somewhere in America When we are walking around the street People are looking at us Like we are an odd one out of this society Is it because of our skin?

People slowly walking away from me Sometimes curses flies to my ears Why do we need to be treated “differently?”

We learned from our society to be silent We learned to stay in our shadows We learned to listen, but our lives didn’t get better We can’t wait any longer

Art by Noelle Biehle

Arabella Vaccaro Word Violence

Hands pressed to the ground

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Faces against the cold pavement Gun fires Shots Screaming to the beat of the punches Some taken and stolen of their pride Some taken and stripped of their health Their lives War cries The scent of death and fear People not being able to say goodbye to their loved ones Not being able to close their peace The battlefield Not a battle place But a place where people are taken Their souls Gone Do their souls live on?

Do people hear their internal screams Their internal cries Murder But not taken to court Because the case was already closed from the start Guilty But “not” guilty Murder But “self-defense” War Commands Case Is Closed

Freddie Gray Sandra Bland Terence Crutcher Walter L. Scott And most of the time, police officers don’t get punished We need to stand up against this problem Because if we don’t the list will just get longer and longer.

Everyday black people are scared just to walk down a street Just to drive a car on the highway Just to go back home from work at night Imagine what it must feel like to never feel safe anywhere And to fear the people who are supposed to protect you Somewhere in America a black woman has just lost her husband Because he went out for a walk And a daughter has lost her father And a son has lost his father All because the police aren’t stopping to think And because they assume that every black person is a danger to society We need to add our voices to the call against this brutality We need to say: THIS HAS TO STOP

Quin Stiller A kid on the floor with broken bones just because he was living his life.

His jeans were a little low and his hood was up A police officer stopped and got out of his car because he thought the kid was a threat Based on his skin color Police Brutality beats. Police brutality kills.

A lot of black people Trayvon Martin

Anika Shah Somewhere in America there is a girl being judged by her looks. Does she have long hair does she have short hair? Is she tall or short? Is she thin or fat? Girls are body shamed at every turn they make. They are constantly being judged by what they wear how they walk and how they look. This has to change!!

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Somewhere in America a girl is being labeled “dumb”. Girls are expected to be incompetent and are thought of as people that can’t handle the same tasks as boys can!! Girls are treated unequally in every aspect of their lives at school at and at work. This has to change!!

Somewhere in America there is a girl that is being told she can’t play sports. Why does the world stereotype girls and boys when it comes to playing a sport? Why is a girl’s strength underestimated in sports? There isn’t a competitive women’s football team, being that football is America’s most popular sport. This has to change!

Somewhere in America there is a girl told that she isn’t good enough. Girls are frequently told “you can’t do this, or you can’t do that”. Often girls are not given the chance to prove themselves and show the world that girls/women can actually do anything a boy/man can. This has to change!

Somewhere in America a girl is told she can’t dream big or achieve her dreams, because eventually all she is going to do is get married and look after her home and family. Girls should not be forced into staying at home. This is not fair. Why aren’t boys/men told the same thing? If girls are treated fairly, they can prove to the world what a positive difference they can make. This has to change.

Somewhere in America women don’t get paid as much as men. Women in the workforce do the same amount of work men do and sometimes even more. Then why is it that even today men get paid more than women? What makes women so different to men in the workplace? They both put in equal hours and do the same amount of work. In some cases, there are single mothers trying to make ends meet, yet they don’t get paid as much as their male

colleagues do, then why is there a discrepancy? This has to change.

Somewhere in America there is a girl being raped. This happens because some boys and men don’t have the same respect for women as they do for men. Women say stop but men don’t want to they go against what that women or girl said. Women are mistreated hit punched just so a man can sleep with them. This is why there are so many teenage mothers and so many single mothers.

THIS HAS TO CHANGE!!!!!!!!

SPEAK UP All genders should be treated the same; no matter what, we are all humans!!!

Sydney Phanord I AM When I step foot outside every day I am what people see when they look at me.

They see “black”, “girl”, “kid”, they see “scared”, “thug”, “ghetto”, they see “minority”, “suspect”, “oppressed”.

Get to know me and you’ll see “culture”, “freedom”, “strength”, you’ll see “creativity”, “beauty”, “power”, you’ll see “compassion”, “resilience”, “integrity” You’ll see that you are wrong and that I am so much more.

DREAMS When I grow up I want to be an author AND a veterinarian An author AND a veterinarian I told my teacher and she said “Ha! Good luck with that!

I wanted to be a veterinarian, a singer, a dancer and an actor and look where that got me.”

Good luck with that!

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I don’t need luck.

MY STORY I didn’t always attend a private school.

I transferred from a public school to a charter school and then back to a public school.

To get into a private school my parents put me through this program that would give them financial aid and prepare me academically in ways that my public school couldn’t.

I remember one of the assignments we had was to write an autobiography about ourselves that they would send to the schools we’d applied to so they could get a sense of who we were as young individuals.

My autobiography was about my life at my public school and how often I was bullied.

I was very descriptive about the verbal and physical insults used against me.

Once I turned my assignment in I was later called out by the director of the program who told she had not send my assignment to any of the schools.

“Your story is too sad,” she’d said.

“Your story is too sad.”

Joye Wingard In a little town, Green Street, USA A young boy A young Black boy A little older than 14 years old Is getting beaten up Not by his friend Not by a bully But by a cop Not just any cop A White cop This is not fair This is not right This is cruel This is inequitable But it is reality

Why is this happening I sure don’t know People need to sit in history class And learn the past And grasp the present And see what is happening in our world They need to open their eyes a little wider.

Zena Almeida Somewhere in America… a child sleeps on the streets wondering where her parents are while another cries due to their loss of cell phone service. A child is controlled with fear as he receives a conversation about police brutality from their parents. A woman gets cat-called as she walks down the street, safety and acceptance denied from her presence. A child gets shouted at by their parents for getting a “C”. A letter calculating the knowledge, the intelligence of a child.

Somewhere in America… an adopted teenager reconsiders his value due to his loss of family. A child with cancer fights pain while another child complains about a broken headband. A child walks for miles in the hope for acknowledgement, for the hope of someday being heard and understood. Someone with depression sits alone, their emotions being used as jokes and “moods” on social media.

A hungry child hopes for food while rich kids throw away their lunch due to the use of “too many carbs.”

Somewhere in America… A Mexican girl stares a fence, dividing her fate from safety. A gay boy is knocked out for being, himself. A homeless man holds an empty cup watching children with their 800$ cellphones skipping along the streets.

A young girl wishes she could choose her own path rather than be the cook that all of her kinship has confided in. A family worries about their child’s safety, not a 39

moment of relaxation, waiting, hoping, for assurance.

Somewhere in the world… Baby seals are tortured for pointless reasons. You see their soft skin soaking with blood along the ice. Pierced with bats. Hit. Hit. Hit. Each sound becoming silent. You see their empty eyes. They will never see their family’s again, their friends. No. They’re just a seal. A disease spreading, their lives don’t have any value. Their lives don’t matter.

Somewhere in the world… Plastic is dumped at sea, small fish choke innocently, large ones get stuck along the plastic.

Desperately waiting and hoping for air.

Then a child laughs at a funny text message. Somewhere else. A young girl stands at her mother's grave, she stares at the slab of stone representing her mother's life, her mother's existence. A young child doesn’t know what bathroom to enter, they feel isolated, confused. Misunderstood.

Somewhere in the world… A young girl writes in her small laptop.

Disappointed. Confused. Embarrassed. As she types, tears start to bounce from her eyes like springs from a Broken toy. She shakes her head. Hoping. Wishing. It would stop. That the ignorance would stop. That her ignorance would stop as well as others.

I. wish. too.

Bianca Luz Somewhere in America there is a boy getting beaten by his schoolmates for being gay. He tries to tell the teachers but god forbid the football stars of the school get in trouble.

Somewhere in America there is a girl being forced into gay conversion therapy where they “try to get the demon out of her.” She screams knowing inside that no one is coming for her.

Somewhere in America there is a boy worrying his dad will find out he’s gay, but when he sees his dad’s face when he comes out of his room searching for something unknown, he knows he already has.

Somewhere in America there is a girl confused when her mom takes her to church and she hears the priest say “All gays are sinners.” Wondering what gay means she asks her mother who says “When a girl likes a girl or a boy likes a boy.” The girl thinks of her crush, worried of what will come next.

Somewhere in America there is a boy who was kicked out of his home for being gay.

He has no one to go, and nowhere to run.

Somewhere in America there is a girl who just found a whole bunch of flyers for gay conversion boarding schools on her parents bedside table. She goes to her room and starts packing, knowing what will happen if she stays.

Somewhere in America there is a boy on a date with his boyfriend at their favorite gay bar. He has no idea that there is a homophobic shooter about to strike.

Somewhere in America there is a girl having her first kiss with a girl but she

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doesn’t know that the girl thinks it's all a joke.

Somewhere in America there is a lesbian couple being separated by their parents.

Their phones and anything they can use to contact each other are taken away as they lay on their beds crying.

Somewhere in America there is a gay couple planning their escape from what they used to call home, ready to run and keep running until they find a place they are actually accepted.

Somewhere in America the first gay governor was just elected. Not only that but somewhere in America 153 LGBTQ candidates just won elections.

Somewhere in America and all around the world there are millions of people fighting for our rights. To love and marry who we want and to be ourselves without having to hide.

One day in America we will be accepted and loved.

Rocco Fonseca Somewhere in America there are things being done And something’s not being done People choose to do things Somewhere in America People can’t afford things Somewhere in America others spending money on things they don’t need People choose to do things Somewhere in America somebody doesn’t know what to do with their life And others don’t have enough time to do all the things they want to People choose to do things

Somewhere in America people are suffering due to the choices they make And others are suffering due to the choices others make People choose to do things Somewhere in America people know what they’re doing is bad but they continue because of ‘the way things are’ And others know what they’re doing is wrong but they continue because they want it People choose to do things Somewhere in America People are enjoying life but what they have is not enough for them And others are struggling to provide enough for each other but they are happy with what they have People choose to do things Somewhere in America there are people doing things they don’t want to And others have the privilege or right to do whatever they want People choose to do things Somewhere in America people don’t want to do things that others would like to do but can’t Others cherish what they have and ask nothing more People choose to do things Somewhere in America there are people at work so others don’t have to And others aren’t at work because they don’t want to People choose to do things Somewhere in America someone gets bullied because he is a good person And others are bullying because that’s what makes them happy whether who the bully is a person or not

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People choose to do things in America and whether you agree or disagree with what they choose you make your decisions on your own

There are girls who can be themselves There are girls who are strong and beautiful no matter how they look

Kyle Millington Ella Dorhout Somewhere in America...

There is a little girl getting bullied for the way she looks There is a teenage girl being told to eat more because she is too thin There is a young girl learning she can't play sports because of her gender There is a girl who is declined from the cheerleading squad because of her looks Somewhere in America...

There is a transgender girl who is kicked out of the girls’ bathroom There is a woman who got fired from her job because she got sick There is a little girl being bullied for not liking the color pink and not wearing dresses and skirts There is a girl who wants to like girls but is afraid she will get kicked out

It’s sad that most of the topics they touched on haven’t been abolished or changed.

I like how inspirational this poem and video probably is to most people I don’t understand why things like the KKK websites are still legally allowed on the web or any other hate sites I don’t understand how lying and hiding the truth from kids is going to do any help I really like and dislike how much this poem really brings out the truth, and that this is really how damaged this country is

Somewhere in America...

Boys have girls lining up to be their girlfriends There is a boy being told to lose weight There are boys being encouraged to play sports People beg boys to join the football team because they are strong enough

I like how in most ways this is very relatable towards most people

Somewhere in America...

There are boys that like boys There are girls that like girls There are boys that like girls There are girls that like boys

I think somewhere in America is actually turning into all of America’s mistakes and flaws

I believe that this is not as much a scream for help but a realization that the world needs to change

Somewhere in America...

There are girls that play any spot they want

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Henry Dorr Somewhere in America a child is told they are stupid They are pushed and shoved because of their differences They might have special needs or they might look funny They are told they are weak by the weaker ones They do not know who is stronger Somewhere in America a child of color gets beat up by a cop or tripping into someone While this cop pummels this kid a white kid steals a purse from a lady who is watching No one noticed Somewhere in America children get killed in school The more shots taken the more politicians are making A game of money where lives are not put into consideration It is always what benefits them not what benefits us MONEY This is what rules this land Enough in the right persons hand and you can control Laws Life Death Disease Poverty Countries Just a green piece of cotton with a face on it

Somewhere in America Fellow humans with different color skin are abused because of how they dress How they look how they act and how they speak If you are different, you will be treated differently

You might be abused, ignored or denied attention Somewhere in America our factories are pumping smoke The factories make money but hurt our world We drive cars that, with each trip pump out C2O There are forests that have been eliminated for money Animals have gone extinct for money Care for people and future generations have disappeared for money All of this destruction just so we can have something we won’t care about in a few years

Ben Karpatkin

Somewhere in America, something’s not right A child is shooting a gun Somewhere in America, something is wrong The right things aren’t usually done Somewhere in America, something’s not right People are too full of hate Somewhere in America, something is wrong Change may come too late Somewhere in America, something’s not right World destruction is coming Somewhere in America, something is wrong All the violence is numbing Somewhere in America, something’s not right People are sad and dismayed Somewhere in America, something is wrong And I am very afraid 43

Sarah Harmon Somewhere in America there is a child who has gay parents.

Finding acceptance and love in the world.

Light when others see darkness.

Peace when others feel hate.

Somewhere in America there is a girl who loves her parents for who they are.

She hopes for others to open their hearts to new ideas.

She feels happiness when others feel anger.

When others complain about the small stuff in life.

Somewhere in America there are people who go hungry.

Trying to get food when others don’t help them.

Making the best of what they have.

Hoping for a better tomorrow.

Somewhere in America there is someone with no coat, Using what they can find to keep warm.

Hoping it is not cold the next day.

Thinking about those who have lots of coats but only use one.

Somewhere in America there is someone who has less than you.

Think about how you can help or make a difference.

Giving them food and water.

Giving them hope for a better day.

Brendan Kiely & Jason Reynolds, authors of All American Boys

Baelee Glasgow Somewhere in America the Freedom Riders rode by bus to the segregated South to protest Characters like Rashad and Quinn are written about in books to teach us how racism still lives if we do nothing Somewhere in America a teacher chooses to share these books with students to teach them to care Somewhere in America voices sing for the old people Kids speaking up like March for Our Lives Somewhere in America private school kids collect food and clothes for the local shelter Some kids will listen to different types of music and talk to others and appreciate them for what and who they are Somewhere in America there are schools that teach and promote self-confidence as if it were as important as math or science Somewhere in America there is peace in the streets There is love in a broken heart There are people who care There are communities that support those in need Somewhere in America there is hope

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Tommy Denaro

He wakes up early He wakes up early to help his father

Somewhere in America, no somewhere in the world, there are kids working underage without getting paid.

They work to help their families.

These kids work in factories These kids work on farms These kids do jobs no one wants to do These kids do not complain These kids will to do whatever it takes to help their families.

They don’t complain because this is the life they know They don’t know anything better These kids are incredibly hard working but have no opportunities.

They get scolded when working because they are not doing enough Some of these kids are incredibly bright but will never have a chance to show it They want opportunities, no they need opportunities.

Without opportunities, how can any of us make the world a better place

He wakes up early to help his father in a shoe factory.

He must support his family of five, a father, a mother, a brother, a sister He does not go to school because he needs money.

His hands hurt His hands hurt because of how much he works.

He almost went back to school, Then his dad got ill And he had to work even longer.

He dreams of playing cricket on a professional level.

Less than half of India’s children go to school India accounts for 20 percent of child labor India needs to make this stop ⅓ of India's children do not enter eighth grade Enforcing laws for underage workers Scanning companies to make sure there are no underage workers Doing what's right Can STOP child labor.

We are incredibly fortunate and we should give opportunities.

Countries with a lot of conflict usually have a lot of child labor.

Developing countries need to protect their kids, all countries need to protect their kids.

His family has no money

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Ines Cortina There are a lot of problems in this world and with some of them people haven’t done anything to change them, so I am going to show you some of them.

Somewhere in the world there are people that are starving, without food and struggling to survive. Somewhere in the world there are people separated from their families and don’t know what to do.

Somewhere in the world there are people who don’t have a place to live and that try to survive in the freezing cold winter days.

Somewhere in the world there are kids getting shot and killed and that still hasn’t changed. Somewhere in the world there are people not getting the right education or not getting any at all.

Somewhere in the world there are places at war, people getting killed, with their homes destroyed and nowhere to live.

Somewhere in the world a lot of women are mistreated and not given education.

Somewhere in the world the government allows guns but not books. Somewhere in the world there are kids getting hit and abused by their families.

Somewhere in the World Federica Cortina Somewhere in the world there is people struggling in horrible conditions and families that are separated and never see each other.

Somewhere in the world there is a kid getting bullied and feeling bad about themselves when they did not do anything wrong.

Somewhere in the world there is someone freezing in the cold because they don't have a home or someone is starving without any food to eat.

Somewhere in the world there is someone without money to buy clothes, so they are cold but they don't have anything to eat.

Somewhere in the world there is some natural disaster happening and they are having a rough and bad time.

Somewhere in the world there is someone without any money to go to school so they can't learn anything or have someone to hang out with after school.

Somewhere in the world is a kid that doesn't have parents so they have to take care of himself but doesn't have anything to buy clothes or food with so he is suffering.

Somewhere in the world there are a lot of people getting discriminated. Somewhere in the world there are people with a lot of clothes and money, but in another part, there are people who can’t afford a lot of clothes so they are freezing in the cold.

Somewhere in the world there is someone how is suffering in pain but doesn’t have the money to go to the doctor, so he is having a very bad time.

We should start thinking about all these problems and start acting, let’s hope that in the future at least some of them are better.

Somewhere in a Classroom Alice Denny Somewhere in a classroom A young boy is called on To give the answer to a question An answer that he does not know 46

With a trembling voice He guesses The teacher furrows her brow and tilts her head She looks at him and says “No.” The boy’s cheeks turn pink He hears muffled giggles Which his classmates are not doing a good job of hiding He wishes he could disappear Somewhere in a classroom A teenage girl waits impatiently For the bell to ring The moment when she will be free Her friend across the room Is eying the clock on the wall Both girls dreaming of the plans they have Once the long hand moves and they can leave Neither one listening Just wishing the time would pass faster so school could be over And neither one hears When the teacher assigns an essay due the next day

Somewhere in a classroom A child is learning a lot The child is taking in information The child is working hard He is not afraid to ask for help when it is needed She is always listening and paying attention to the teacher He is not letting other people bring him down Somewhere in a classroom

Olivia Yau There are people who know how to read.

There are people who don’t know how to read.

There are lives ending.

There are lives beginning.

There are people who live in colossal houses.

There are people who don’t have a home at all.

Somewhere in a classroom A boy is getting a test handed back It has a big 100 on the front page A number he has gotten many times before

My mother always taught me to be good to people.

The kid sitting next to the boy Smirks and whispers something It is not “Great job!” or “Nice work!”

The boy just looks down

There are children who go to school.

The teacher smiles at the boy as he leaves the classroom He forces a smile back But once outside the classroom The boy crumples up the test and throws it in the trashcan

They haven’t always returned the favor.

There are children who work instead.

Somewhere in America someone is gaining.

Somewhere in America someone is losing.

Somewhere in America people are gaining hope for a better future.

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Somewhere in America they have lost their hope.

When you think you fail someone else, you fail no one but yourself.

We have been taught to fight for a better future, but we have been fighting for greed.

We have been taught to fight for what is right, but we fight for what we think will benefit us.

We have dwelled on the past, but we should be dwelling on a better future.

Home is not always having a roof over your head, and somewhere to sleep, home is where you feel safe.

Somewhere in America, something’s not right People are too full of hate Somewhere in America, something is wrong Change may come too late Somewhere in America, something’s not right World destruction is coming Somewhere in America, something is wrong All the violence is numbing Somewhere in America, something’s not right People are sad and dismayed Somewhere in America, something is wrong And I am very afraid

When you say you care, Mean it.

We drive cars that, with each trip pump out C2O There are forests that have been eliminated for money Animals have gone extinct for money Care for people and future generations have disappeared for money All of this destruction just so we can have something we won’t care about in a few years

Benjamin M. Karpatkin Somewhere in America, something’s not right A child is shooting a gun Somewhere in America, something is wrong The right things aren’t usually done

Christobelle Rudes Somewhere in America, children are sitting in school A place where they are supposed to feel safe And a former student is holding a gun to their heads Somewhere in America, athletes like Colin Kaepernick stand up for their rights And what they get in return is not even close enough to what they did Athletes like Serena Williams get hate for being their gender But when a man does something, people say, “Oh, he’s just a …”

Somewhere in America, we teach young girls how to act proper But we teach men to be strong We don’t correct men when they make mistakes But for women, oh for women, we want them to be princesses We expect them to do everything right

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We spend time teaching women to worry what boys will think of them We push girls to become married at a young age If a woman isn’t married, people think that she is depressed and ugly But if a man isn’t married, they think he hasn’t come around to make his right pick We use the word respect for something a woman shows a man But often not for something a man shows a woman Somewhere in America, a child takes the subway home Mother asks, “What did you learn in school today?”

Teachers never make mistakes, only we do Here in America, some schools don’t learn much But somehow, they get double the amount of homework They spend all day trying to do the best job they can I thought that your home was a place to be with your family

Somewhere in America, there are children getting bullied for their looks by other kids that think they’re so cool. Then, those children are too scared to tell someone and let it go. Then the next day it’ll happen again.

Somewhere in America, there are innocent people dying from school shootings where there is someone messed up enough to kill people for no reason. Somewhere in Florida there was a school shooting where my sister’s ex- boyfriend who I could have known was killed for nothing. Somewhere in America there are families whose family is lost from them and those families have to go through all of that pain.

Somewhere in Manhattan there is a girl named Jade who can’t believe the reality she is living in where such horrible things can happen. Somewhere in Manhattan that girl Jade feels so lucky to have such a good life where the things she in talking about in her homework hasn’t happened to her in real life. Jade hopes that she can change reality and make the world a safer place.

Here in America, in every single state, we learn what society tells us to.

Jade Kleinberg Somewhere in America, there are hungry and cold families trying to stay alive.

Children who deserve a warm home and food. Somewhere in America, these homeless families work hard to get the best lives for their children who need a home.

Somewhere in America there are people who take advantage of what they have in life and never think about others but themselves. Somewhere in America homeless children can’t get an education and if they eventually get one, they get bullied for being homeless.

Noelle Biehle Somewhere in America and the World …

There is a girl being bullied because she has Downs Syndrome There is an owner putting his dog on the

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street and saying bye There is a boy being beaten up by bullies There is a five-year-old being shot in a drive by There is a baby who is unwanted by his parents There is a woman who got pushed on the subway tracks There is a girl being followed by someone she doesn’t know There is a school where the most important lessons are not taught There is a woman who gets paid less than the man next to her with the same job There is a place where people are dying because of no fresh water There is a boy who is getting cyber bullied for being transgender There is a girl who gets picked on in class for having a lisp There is a boy with an abusive father There is a child in Africa dying from a disease that a vaccine could have prevented There is a daughter who lost both of her parents to AIDS There is an actress who didn’t get a part in a movie because she wouldn’t go on a date with the director There is a school where your skin tone is not allowed One day we will be taught the most Important lessons in the world We will educate ourselves about the truth of our world And change it for the better With everyone’s voices.

Friendships and Relationships (If You Knew Me You Would Know, What I Want My Words to Do to You) Sarah Harmon Friendships and other relationships shape you into who you are and how you act in different times of your life.

Each moment with your loved ones will make you feel better and will keep you happy and motivated to do your best.

If you do your best and know that you did you will feel more satisfied with you and your life.

Each time that you spend being happy will reflect in your life and relationships. If you have a very strong relationship No matter a short time or a long time you will find purity and kindness within yourself and others that you love and care for.

Live, love, make friends and be happy.

Love, your friend, Sarah

Sydney Phanord I was born a preemie. I was supposed to be born late December to early January but I showed my face to the world for the first time on December 1, 2006. I weighed 4 pounds and 8 ounces. Please don’t bully me.

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My first word was “dada” but I call my dad Papa.

Please don’t bully me.

As a kid, my favorite color was pink but I always said it was red because my mom hates pink.

I still like pink.

Please don’t bully me.

In kindergarten, the 5th graders told us stories about this witch that lived in the playground and ate kids.

My friends and I told each other we didn’t believe it but it gave me nightmares until third grade.

Please don’t bully me.

I had a dream that I was floating in mid-air.

I still believe it’s real.

Please don’t bully me.

I like to read books that explain the struggles of people like me.

Please don’t bully me.

I didn’t stop watching “My Little Pony until I was seven.

Please don’t bully me.

I still can’t sleep without my stuffed animals.

Please don’t bully me.

I cry very easily.

Please don’t bully me.

Emmett Miller The New Found Light When the sun would rise And the deer are galloping through the light breeze With the birds chirping to nature’s beat With bears resting in there cave so nice And my dog napping in the newfound light.

We wake up with the smell of sunlight With our newfound energy We rush down the stairs To search for breakfast

Cooking in pairs.

We go outside To soak up the sun Playing spike ball just because it’s fun.

With the new found light about to end we go inside to go and rest.

The light is gone and the disco party has just begun.

With the lights flashing everywhere and music fist bumping the air All the animals run to hear the beast that we fear With the party quickly shutting down and doors being locked We wait for the newfound light And sleep for the rest of the night.

Arabella Vaccaro If You Really Knew Me You Would Know…

If you really knew me you would know You would know that I’m filled with emotions Emotions that many people haven’t felt Emotions that are locked doors only I have the key too Emotions that will make you cry But make me laugh Because they aren’t the worst I’ve had If you really knew me you would know You would know that my laugh is unforgettable My laugh changes from day to day My laugh depends on my mood My laugh changes its own tones and notes But my laugh is sometimes silent Because it has a mind of its own If you really knew me you would know You would know that I’m never the same person I was the day before My personality changes through the minutes of the day

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My personality goes through different stages My personality matures in a blink of an eye But the eye is tearing Because my personality finally came out to play with you If you really know me you would know You would know that I live in my mind But you'll never understand that Because only I can see the world And that I’ve created That I will live in That I will die in

Maia Hoffman If You Really Knew Me You Would Know

If you really knew me you would know When I say I’m fine, I’m not; “I’m okay” means nothing If you really knew me you would know I was the happiest kid you could think of I really don't know what happened If you really knew me you would know It's hard to get up everyday My limbs feel like copper I can't move My head is spinning My mind won't listen Get up Get up If you really knew me you would know I don’t stay up all night to look ‘cool’ I can't sleep Too much is happening It overwhelms me The time goes too fast Too fast If you really knew me you would know “I’m just tired” That’s a lie I’m unhappy

But you wouldn’t understand You never do If you really knew me you would know I don't know who I am I look in the mirror I don't know who I see I don't really know myself either

Samantha Ball Activism I am trapped in these walls.

What I am searching for will set me free, From these walls.

The darkness closes in.

I hear a sound, Coming from below, This sound I cannot reach, This sound I am looking for.

What am I looking for?

This sound, Some call it my voice.

I am restless searching for it, But have nothing without it.

I am trapped within these walls.

But now I have something, My voice.

Social Justice Fairness, Justice, Diversity, Right to housing, Dignity, Universal Healthcare, Racial equality, Income equality, 52

Women’s rights, Black rights, Gay rights, Human rights.

Justice.

My name is Philando Castile. I was killed by a police officer for having a broken taillight.

But I am also 12-year-old Tamir Rice.

The Bystander

I am also Alton Sterling.

White Privilege is all around.

Just look.

I am also Walter Scott.

Eric Harris,

You see that boy?

Watch him.

Rumain Brisbon.

What color is his skin?

Where does he live?

I am everyone who has been abused by your badge.

Now you see that other boy?

Watch.

Your authority.

They are both standing outside the same deli.

One walks out on the ground, Slammed.

See the boy slamming him?

He is white.

See the boy on the ground?

He is not.

See the boy watching them?

A bystander.

Your badge is not a license to murder Your badge is silver.

Your badge is gold.

Your badge stands for everyone who where's your uniform.

Everyone who says “I feared for my life” One mistake.

Your uniform.

My life.

Baelee Glasgow What I Want My Words to Do to You I want to change how we see each other.

Why do we see each other as different?

When we see someone that doesn't look like us we assume they are bad because we don’t know any better. Why do we assume? Who taught us to do that? What would happen if we just took a little bit of time to get to know people?

If we had equality we would see people being themselves. It’s probably not hard to believe especially now that people are not happy for who and what they are. People wouldn’t have to be ashamed. Than everyone could be themselves and can contribute to our society. This would make people happy. A lot of people also feel like they’re not safe.

One death.

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People just need to remember we are all human

What I Want My Words to Do to You Ben Silvan If I had a choice I would like my words run through your whole body and process through your mind. I want them to be heard and considered. I would not want them all to be approved and agreed on.

Being an adolescent I don't know everything and I will never know everything but I would like my words to have constructive criticism and ran back through my body. If I want my words heard I first must hear others words. I hope my words can be heard around the world and be truly processed.

If You Really Knew Me You Would Know Owen Llodra If you really knew me you would know that I am scared to talk in front of a crowd If you really knew me you would know that I can’t kill bugs or plants or anything that is living or I will feel guilty for a while.

If you really knew me you would know that I’m afraid of going really far out into any ocean, especially ones with big waves.

If you really knew me you would know that I am very competitive when it comes to football If you knew me you would know that my brother and I get in huge debates all the time.

If you knew me you would know that I don’t feel accomplished without an A+

If you knew me you would know that

If You Knew Me You Would Know John Freitag If you knew me, you would know that I’m a musician. If people payed attention to me meticulously, they could see that I’m bopping my head to a song that I’m imagining in my head. If people saw me at home, they’d see me picking through the strings of a guitar.

If people saw my overall self, they could see the musician in me.

Noelle Biehle HUMAN I am African American I am Native American I am Korean I am Chinese I am Japanese I am White I am Indian I am British I am French I am Muslim I am Christian I am Jewish I am Taoist I am Atheist I am LGBTQ I have a Learning Disability I am Disabled I am Deaf I am Blind...

I Am Human Societal Justice Yet to Come Societal Peace In the Future The Youth Revolution Sometime Even Tomorrow 54

We Will Not Fill Out Boxes We Will Fill Out One Box: Human All Equal All Human

What I Want My Words to Do to You Anika Shah I want my words to show we are all equal.

I want my words to show people that we are able to do the same things – men or women, white or African American.

I want my words to show we can!

I want my words to show that people are how they are, without the stereotypes.

I want my words to show you who I am.

I want my words to show everyone that I can do the same things as a white man.

I want people to hear my words to know they can do whatever they want.

If you really knew me, you would know I don’t live in a world that treats everyone with respect.

What I Want My Words to Do to You Zena Almeida-Warwin I want my words to perplex your entire image of the world.

I want my words to cause confusion. Think of equity. Think of every life as equal.

I want my words to feel like scissors, cutting each ideology that decreases someone’s value.

I want my words to imagine a world of peace, a place where nothing changes everything and everything changes nothing.

I want my words to bounce in your mind, wondering when they will stop.

I want my words to be hard, to be difficult to find anything to complain about.

If You Really Knew Me Joye Wingard

I want my words to feel stressful, to cause anger and irritation.

If you really knew me you would know I was born in California I have a good family We can afford things We aren’t poor We eat food We go to school My parents have jobs My dad has never gone to jail My mom wasn’t a single teen mother I don’t need food stamps I go on vacation My parents both went to college I live in a nice house I have clean water

I want my words to evolve into change.

I want my words to guide us to a better place.

Savilla Sword I want my words to make you and me feel safe again … no matter what he’s doing.

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If You Really Knew Me You Would Know Amanda (Yun Seo) Nam Asian Female That’s my social appearance If you really knew me you would know I have an identity Americans are familiar with black injustice Have you ever thought about stereotyping Asians?

We are in the middle No worse or better We never get the attention we deserve Because we are in the middle People shout at my family To see our terrified faces Wanting us to turn around and run away Run away from American society They don’t want us here But I am here, for opportunity and despair Stereotypes Rip through flesh Giving pain inside More suffering to hide our expressions Close the gates in my heart Avoiding people so as not to receive more pain I’ve already had enough of Being invisible to pass reasons “We are we different?”

Hear my words Hear my change Just listen Without negative comments Join me one day My hope for a difference Understand my experiences Connect with me You and I If you really knew me you would know

If You Really Knew Me You Would Know Anonymous If you really knew me you would know I am not myself when they are not with me Who? Those who support me Those who don’t judge me Those who let me do what I want without Judgment, Guilt.

The quiet giggles followed by, “I’m sorry.”

But “I’m sorry” doesn’t mean much Because it happens Again.

Again.

Again.

Why must I drag myself along this path?

I’m gaining nothing and neither are they.

If you really knew me you would know, I won’t change myself for you.

You don’t have to change yourself for me.

But don’t expect me to come running back.

Again.

Again.

Again.

What I Want My Words to Do to You Andrea Heredia I want my words to sink in deep As deep as my feelings I want them to process through your head and repeat I want you to understand what I’m going through Think about what it’s like to be in my shoes My life My thoughts What I want my words to do to you 56

I want you to feel my pain Of heartbreak Not feeling your love I want you to realize how much your words break me It may not be obvious on the outside But on the inside, I shatter into a million pieces Because I feel like my life here could be a mistake You don’t really how not normal you make me feel Like I’m just a burden on your life, my family’s life

Think about many things Realize many things But I first want you to make the effort to even listen to me and how I feel

What I want my words to do to you I want you to make me feel like I’m a blessing in your life Not your worst creation Let me know I could end this But I’m afraid to let go But this makes me want to What I want my words to do to you I want them to make you listen to me Make you rethink every negative thing you say about me to others or to my face Make it obvious I’m really trying to make you proud I want my words to make your eyes glisten with tears I want your negative thoughts about me to change into positive ones Make you gain hope instead of losing it all, because if you do lose all hope I’ll just let go and take the burden I have on you guys away What I want my words to do to you Make your love grow strong for me Be proud of me Try to grow trust with me Actually be able to talk to me and not just say I can come to you about anything I want my words to make you feel many things

PHILOSOPHIES Amanda (Yunseo) Nam Sunset A sunset is like a contest The sun and moon are pushing each other to win their style of day The sun wants a sunny and brighter day The moon wants a mysterious and darker day The contest creates a beautiful sky Shades of blue, purple and black coming from the night smear into the shades of red, orange and yellow of the dawning day A perfect blend of colors Eventually, the sun gets tired and leaves The sun already used its energy to bright up the day The sun goes to sleep under the sky

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The moon slowly sucks all the light that the sun has spread, leaving darkness above our heads The moon sprinkles stars into the sky, to celebrate its victory for the day The next day, the contest begins again

New and Old New is more fearful than the old New hypnotizes people with its advanced features Old doesn’t catch people’s eyes anymore Old is forgotten

A Year Cycle You have waited long enough A year 8760 hours, 365 days, 52 weeks and 12 months Bravery drove you through all this way There were moments of joy, misery and irate You have faced it all Treasure all the moments in the past After, leave them in the past Start a new day of the rising future

An Exit An exit has more pride than an entrance It’s easy to enter a path, but it’s hard to exit a path Bravery won’t get you through your path Passion will Go ahead and take that step Rough and rocky roads infront of you Falling towards ground, Rising up to the sky “The road never rises up on you” Everybody feels pain The one who doesn’t suffer from the pain will succeed End of the path The success that you’ll achieve Give attention to the pride Be confident about your journey

You made it yourself I Lived

Beating Heart Heart needs to be handled gingerly So soft and fragile Easily gets hurt anytime Heart opens with trust, honesty and kindness One who’s sincere could open a heart One’s act of kindness In the darkness Warms the heart with happiness Fully brightens the heart One moment of consolation Can make a person smile for the day

Seek To seek An attempt to find something Peeking through the window Hoping somebody to look at me Trying to find something in common, but people keep walking away Difference I don’t belong here The wall between us

Suspenseful Rain Rain is suspenseful Crying clouds covers the sky Spreading a layer of greyish clouds Making the day more sorrowful Fog like ashes Unknown tension surrounds you Drip, Drip, Drip The droplets start to fall The storm starts to build Soon, thousands of freezing arrows strike your body A gush of wind locks you into a corner Pushes you side to side Swirls you around Leaving only your body on the ground Slowly you freeze to death

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Shivering and shaking Puffs like icicles breathes out of your mouth Your senses disappear Wet hair desperately lies besides you Eyes are trying to sleep Fingers touch the cold-hearted pavement The rain stops We evaporate with the rain

Home Home is more valuable Can’t be changed with any kind of currency Feel the scents of safety, love and family The symphony of laughter The coziness and warmth around the room Home can be anywhere As long as you are comfortable

Hammer vs. Nail A hammer is stronger than the nail A hammer strikes the tip of the nail Sound of clear metal vibrates in the air The hammer decides where the nail should go Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang Making the nail shorter and shorter The nail goes deeper and deeper into the scalp Stabilizing the nail

Imagination Imagination is an escape from reality Let my worries go away for a second Imagination creates people’s desires and dreams to life Anything can happen No rules In the world of fantasy Comforting people with illusions of happiness and hope Covering the truth of reality Cruel, harsh and miserable

Ignorance Ignorance is most dangerous People leave you Making people invisible Erasing somebody’s identity Alone in grief Nobody to lean on Ejected from the world Isolated Feeling smaller and smaller until you are hopeless How much you scream for help, only your voice echoes back to you Dreadfulness soaks my body Rumble your feet, pound your fist in hate, but nothing’s gonna change Sorrow and suffer repeat everyday The fear and depression build up, and swallow you Tightens up, not allowing a single breath Death climbs up behind your back Gone Forever

My Philosophy: The Meaning of Life for Me Our lives are unknown Thousands of doors ready to be opened Pinches of memory light up the dark Variety of ranges Only small hints about the path beyond Don’t get tricked into the elaborate background Walk the path where you are satisfied Future A blank piece of paper ready to be colored Add droplets of faith, courage and growth Spatter the color of life Mistakes are made Regrets are made We can’t control the past We can’t undo ourselves Grow and learn from the past Admit your mistakes The piece is unpredictable until it’s finished Keep putting your best effort

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Remember if we fail, we still have a future in front of us Challenges puzzle our minds We are not perfect We are different This is our characteristics Yourself is the greatest gift of all

I wake up to a dark blue sky that slowly becomes daylight. Every day comes goes like clockwork. My day starts at 5 o'clock; I get ready for school and leave the house by 6 thirty. My mom does not have the time to drop me off downtown so I must take the bus from 125 Street to 81st Street.

I am a Black American boy.

People deceive you to fall onto the wrong path They say your powerless, fearful and You say your powerful, fearless Nobody controls you Trust and believe in yourself You have to be trustworthy to yourself in order to earn trust from others Decision are made on your own You can live in dreams, but you have to fall back to reality Take the pain, but don’t suffer When everybody chooses to stay, you take a leap When fear rises, let it fall When people reject, you listen View the world widely Develop your uniqueness Live in your philosophy

David Kelly

I have become immune to the goosebumps I get from being one of a few black men at Calhoun. I go to each class and sit down listening to the teacher while I doodle in my notebook. By the time I know it, the day is over. I call my mom and she tells me to put away my phone and keep my head up while I walk to the bus. As I walk to the bus my friends go to Starbucks. Even though I’m craving a caramel latte, I know that I have a long bus ride back to Harlem.

I am a Black American boy.

I take the bus to my mom's job uptown. On the bus, I know that past 110 street is when things become unsafe. When I get off at 135th street I have to walk to my mother's job on 137th street. I ring the front door and say hello to everyone in the admissions office. Then I walk downstairs to see my mother getting her purse and other things ready. I give her a kiss and we leave to get in the car. When we get in the car and drive to my sister's school on 125th street, eastside. My mom picks her up and we drive home.

I am a Black American boy.

I am a Black American boy.

When we get out of the car it's around 6:00 o’clock. By this time, it’s dark. My mom opens the door and we climb 3 long flights of stairs until we reach our apartment. I put my stuff away and take a bath. My father comes home and we eat dinner.

I am a Black American boy.

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Now that you've listened to my daily routine, 5 times a week. I ask, would you be able to survive life as a young black man like me? Actually, would you want to be a young black man like me? Where I live.

What I see. What I feel is my identity. I am David Mario Kelly. I live in a quiet three family house in the Bronx. I see my family, who loves me. I feel blessed for being who I am. Every day I see my peers with Jordans and Guccis. But what I have learned to do is not be ashamed of how much money I have or what people think of me, but what I value. I should not be vulnerable, but stand up and have pride for who I am. I value my family, education, honesty, friendship, determination, justice, hard work, art, and most of all, love. Love for all people not for just the people you know, but people you don’t. We are all born with kind, clean, moral souls that we should all love. I see my family every day and all I show them is love. It is not in spite of the obstacles that have been set before me as a black American boy, that I do and continue to live my best life, but is the reason why I live my best life.

no such thing as one specific “complete life.”

You live your life as you want to live it.

You might not make good choices, but for that you will be punished and for your good choices you will be rewarded. Not only might other beings reward you, but you will reward you. You might pick up someone's wallet they dropped and feel rewarded, or carry someone's bags. For every action, you make there is a reaction to your action. If you make good choices then you will get good reactions and if you make bad choices you will get bad reactions.

Life to me means the three C’s: choice, chance, and change. If there was no change in life, it would not be life. It would be fake, not real because change is how life is made.

When the big bang happened, it caused change and it was change. We are all here because of change and change is always happening. Not one moment in the history of the universe has one moment been the same as a moment that came before. Change is why everything happens because for something to happen, something must change. If you are about to take a step forward them you must change the position of your leg.

I AM DAVID MARIO KELLY.

Henry Dorr My Philosophy: The Meaning of Life for Me. Life is so big, and yet all about small moments. There are happy moments in life and sad moments in life. Life might last long, just a little bit or barely last at all.

Life is fickle and does not do what you want, it twists and turns and goes all over the place. Your life can go to extraordinary places but you don’t choose where. Life also goes terrible places and you don’t get to choose. You cannot choose some aspects of your life, but you can choose some. There is

Changes can be really big and extremely small. If the universe blows up, that is a big change, when particles move around those are little changes. Most changes we do not pay attention to, or we cannot see them.

When we eat food, we do not think about all the changes our body is going through in that moment. In that moment, you are chewing and the food that you just swallowed is going down your esophagus.

Change affects all of our lives whether we like it or not. Sometimes things happen that are random and sometimes we are lucky, sometimes we are not.

Chance is always there with everything we do. We when we are walking down the street, there is a chance we will step in dog

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poop and there is a chance we will bump into someone. Chance is risky because you do not know what could happen. That is why it is a big part of life. Life is risky because there are many things that could happen and without chance life would not be as fun. Chance is such an important part of life because it adds risk and it adds hope.

In some situations, you might be upset or angry, but you might have some hope. Hope will always be there to balance out risk. If we had to much of one or the other then there would not be a balance. If life never had any risk in it and a ton of hope life would get boring, but if life had tons of risk and no hope life would be depressing.

Chance is the careful balance holder of both risk and hope.

Choice is something that all creatures have.

Choice is part of a creatures free will and lets beings do what they want. There are so many choices that you will make in your life. Some might be bad and some might be good. Each choice you make, no matter how small will affect your future. Choice is affects your change and chance because choice has the power to help steer your chance and change in a certain direction.

When you make a choice, it will steer your change and chance in good or bad direction.

If you make good choices then your chance and change will be steered in a good direction. If you make poor decisions then your change and chance will be steered in a bad direction. Choice is your steering wheel of life because of the mount of things you can do with your choice.

Zena Almeida-Warwin You know the world has become a better place when a larger amount of the world is happy. When less brutality and unfair laws are welcomed. If fewer groups of people are being dehumanized and abused. When animals aren’t pointlessly being killed.

When we value each other. When we value nature. When each human thinks beyond herself without having to be reminded by a holiday or death. The world has become a better place when fear is distant and unnecessary. When war isn’t needed for compromise. When it isn’t this easy for a young girl to think of its problems.

For me, the central part of my life is being aware. As I have grown as a daughter, a student, a Brazilian, an American, I have noticed that my mind tends to freak out easily and often forget about the world around me. The piece of my life that holds me together is to be aware of how lucky I am, to be aware that I am different, to be aware that I am capable of more than I think. With being aware comes gratitude and success. It allows me to have better priorities and ways to accomplish them successfully. It gives me confidence and insecurities. But it gives me today and tomorrow, it gives the ability to move forward. It gives the center of my life.

The meaning of life to me is a mixture of many ideas. It evolves acknowledging yourself and those around you. The following ideas I believe best describe my interpretation of the meaning of life: Enjoy yourself and help others enjoy themselves as well. If us as humans don’t all have a unison meaning if being here, why not just enjoy ourselves? As humans, we are tempted to solve problems but also create them. Excuses can always be made as to which why you shouldn’t enjoy yourself or you don’t have time, but honestly, if you’re not happy, what does life lead to? What does the built bridge have on the other side? The truth is nobody knows, but you should cross it anyway and enjoy doing it, If you don’t like the predicted outcome then create a new bridge in a new direction.

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Take risks. Life without risks is like a book with no words, there is nothing to experience. When you don’t try something you’re not getting a result, you’re not learning about the world around you as well as yourself. One needs to take risks so that they can interpret what happened. Do you like the outcome? What would you do better? Every question is a risk, every step in a specific direction, but that’s not what I mean. Do something big, make a change, a big one, something that will affect you for weeks in advance. You have everything to lose, but isn’t that what life is all about. If anyone can die at any point why not try a change when you can? Why not take a risk?

Value everything. Value is one of the most important thing someone can do. Not only does it make you a better person to those around you, but it allows for a deeper understanding of yourself. When someone finds things they value, they usually feel more grateful. More willing to try and infer in every other part of life. Values help people look at the world in a new lens, peering out at the stars each one shining in its own way. Without values, the world would be empty, if you don’t value your eyes you wouldn’t be able to see. Value doesn’t have to be verbally or obvious, but it has to be present. It has to be alive.

Question the world’s limits. Don’t let boundaries limit yourself. Ask yourself why? Walk outside the brick road, explore.

With limiting comes lost opportunities, opportunities to learn something new, to think something new. Take a vague question and interpret, make it yours. Don’t accept excellence, thrive for perfection.

Learn to improve on the best and rebel on the worst. Never get too comfortable with average, find ways to represent yourself in the craziest of ways. Wonder how your life experience would differ while being a Ladybug or Peach Tree. Never “know” the answer.

And finally, be yourself. With each individual around you, the world thrives for diversity. Be different and similar in ways that others wouldn’t understand. Know that your differences are the best gift for those around you and even if they’re negatively affected by you, that allows them to have a perspective, to have a difference. As unoriginal as it sounds, somewhere in the universe, yourself is needed, your star is needed, and, with each change that you make to be like someone else, that star becomes dimmer and dimmer.

Lyla Changar My Philosophy: The Meaning of Life for Me The meaning of life has never been clear.

We keep on asking this question over and over again. We can never perfectly know as everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

However, for me, the meaning of life is love.

For me, love surrounds my life.

The central part of my life is my love for my family and my friends. These are the people who are going to help you when you need it. There are always going to be people who need you as well. Therefore, we help others when they need it as well.

There is good and bad in this world. We know the difference by just looking. When we see something bad, our first reaction is to stay away. When we see good, it is the opposite.

We have views of certain people, making them seem bad. They are not bad though.

Generally, this view comes from a reaction to fear. We get scared when we see someone who is not like ourselves. Then we single them out and make them feel 63

ashamed of who they are. Viewing people this way is bad, rather than the people.

No one really knows why we are here. We are here because we are here. There is no definitive answer to why we are here.

Everyone has their own reason. My reason is that sometimes we are here for a reason but sometimes we are not. It changes as your perspective of life changes. Why someone thinks we are here changes because we are not always going to be the same people. Our personalities change as we get older and so does our perspective of the world.

I have gay parents that make my life better even if they don’t know that I love them for it.

I am “Half Adopted.”

That is not the scientific term but due to research it is technically true.

I as an egg was donated to my parents and my birth mother.

I have no idea who the donor was but my mission is to find her and see who and where I am from.

Tomas Fabian Michelangeli Sarah Harmon Philosophy: The Meaning of Life to Me I am the “Nice girl”.

I am always the “Nice girl”.

I am never thought of as me.

That is my title.

I am apparently so nice that whenever someone curses they cover their mouths and say “sorry I cursed in front of you.”

My life is not always like that.

I want an endless amount of possibilities in my life.

I want to go to college, be normal, and make everyone happy.

I value life and peace, but also business and power, and how the quality and equality of others’ lives are.

I don’t just want to be the nice girl I want to be the smart girl or the confident girl.

I don't like when I make mistakes but I have to live with them because no one is perfect and the more mistakes you make the more you learn.

I don’t have a “normal” family.

My Philosophy: The Meaning of Life and Existence to Me Life is the awareness of one's being.

Everything has a life force but that doesn't make it alive. Life force is the potential for something to be alive or to host life.

Animals are the living beings that walk and use the planet. Plants are the living beings that regulate the planet. All life helps and endangers other life. All living being must consume others living beings to stay alive.

However, killing one animal might save another one. If I kill a cow to eat than the cow won't be there to eat the grass. I’m killing the cow and saving hundreds of thousands of blades of grass.

In the end, all life is controlled by spirit.

Spirit is the thing that turns life force in to life. Without spirit, you cannot do. Spirit ignites the life force and turns it into a conscious being. Everything living has a spirit.

In life, our goal is to create better conditions of living for those who come after. Everything has their purpose in life and that is what gives them life force. Some examples of life force are - The rock can house salamanders. The dirt provides 64

nutrients for the trees. The mountain creates a home for things like goats, vultures, and people. Humans however, tend to modify things in ways that are only useful to us and not the other animals. The way the object is used could harm others or help them. A pen could be used to sign a paper that would create a wildlife reserve in the Indian Ocean saving the lives of thousands of fish and other marine life.

That same pen could be used to sign a document that permits the dumping of trash in the Indian Ocean killing thousands of fish and other marine life. This means that it is our choices and the decisions we make that shape our life and the life of others.

Since every life affects others we should want to improve our lives to improve the lives others. That is our purpose on this planet, that is all life's purpose. By creating the success of others, you set yourself up for success. A tree filters the carbon dioxide we breathe out into oxygen and we breathe that in and turns it into carbon dioxide for the trees to breathe in again. If we are like the tree and help others, someone will see that and want to help you.

In life, we flow with the wind for we have no choice. If we wanted to we would stray from it and be left in one spot even if we progress. We think we control life but we don’t. We control our positions in it. The universe controls life. If asteroids did not collide in the right spot at the right time to create this planet you and I and every one would not be alive. We can control where we go with our life we just can’t control where it might take you.

Poems by Tomás Michelangeli Human I, you, us, we, together, separate, one, son, daughter, mother, father, close, far, the same, different, independent, dependent, old, young, changing, growing, staying, going, community, home, house, love, HUMAN The Way of the Phoenix Life, death, new life, another death, this is the way of things, life creates death and death nourishes new life. This is the way of the Phoenix. A never-ending loop. One relies on the other. No life = no death. No death = no life. Yin and yang. Push and pull. Life and Death, this is the way of the Phoenix, the way of things.

Dashiell Pitts My wisdom is like a rusty freight train Sometimes it moves steady and easy Other times it is stuck to find a way forward How do I fill my mind with wisdom?

My focus is like a buzzing bee Going one way and another My interest is like a hungry lion Focused on its prey My passion is like a fire Sometimes full of flames and other times like embers My grandmother like a flower with no water exploring the grape mazes in Italy My curiosity is like a roaming fish in the deep dark sea What can I do to help?

Am I supposed to remember all?

The privilege of education and going to Calhoun What am I doing in this world Am I supposed to wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, then go to sleep

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I like to pretend that I am all alone in the woods providing for myself Being alone never having to deal with anybody Being with nature Becoming one with myself The hardest thing for me would be losing connection with my family When I was in Montana camping in the woods and being in nature I felt all these things I like to picture myself in other people on the streets, in school, and in other places I wonder what things they face in their lives So much history of people dying what was their life like They had families too Being with my family can cure almost anything Sadness, depression, sickness, and anger Is this like a big game of hide and seek?

Are we looking for something hidden about life?

Earth is so tiny compared to the whole universe I want to be the person to find out I want to meet new cultures and people I want more people to join me in this quest

Quin Stiller My Philosophy: The Meaning of Life for Me Life is learning To tie your shoes So they’re not in a big knot Like life can be Life is caring About others Like your family and your friends Even when they are down Life is respecting Teachers, coaches, parents Society And the people around you Life is loving Each other More than you love Yourself Life is appreciating The space around us And realizing how lucky we are To live under a roof Life is understanding That we will always make mistakes And that it’s ok to do

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And that you will try again Life is standing Up for what you believe in Even when you feel down On yourself

because they only have a few words, but those words stand out more and you can remember them. Since my philosophy is that emotions are the most important things in life, I wanted to create something that can cause emotions in other people.

Life is daring To take chances Like joining a basketball team For the first time Life is trying Your best no matter what Life is failing But putting in effort To Try again Life is succeeding But not worrying Too much About the outcome This reflects my philosophy of life because I believe life is many different things, not just one. I also chose to base my poem around emotions because I feel they are a big part of my philosophy. In my mind, emotions are more important than physical things like money, cars, clothes, food, or how much stuff you have. One of the most important emotions to me is standing up for what you believe in because it can make a difference in the world. Another important one is trying because you are putting an effort into something hard. A lot of things in life are hard, but as long as you try, that is all that matters.

I chose to write my philosophy in the form of a poem because poems have an emotional effect on people. Some of the poems we have looked at in class have made me see life in a much different way. Poems are powerful

Molly Fox I’ve always have fantasies of stars. They have always been a wonder to me; they would make me wonder where they come from and how were they made. So many stories and myths created just looking at the stars. We can learn so much from just staring at them. Scientist can find out so many things from them like what season it is. They are so magical and I love, at my country house, looking at them in the night with my family. Seeing different stars and pointing at them, and talking about them.

Stars make me think how our imaginations are one of the most powerful things ever! I am so thankful for my imagination. Being in car rides as a little kid I would always make up stories about the world and fake worlds like Harry Potter and Hogwarts. I love making stories and writing it feels so natural. When I feel anxiety or somethings on my mind I write. It relieves my stress and I wouldn’t be able to write without my imagination.

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Sydney Phanord In a culture where we are bombarded with images of what we should do and who we can be one can only form an identity that remains true and authentic for themselves by ignoring these images and acting by what they feel is right for them. This is very challenging because these images are everywhere in our society but one can’t fear to be looked down upon because of who they are. Having confidence in one’s self is the key to building a true identity.

My Philosophy: Good vs. Evil One might say you need to know one to know the other One who knows evil must know good One who knows good must know evil But imagine a baby, born a blank slate With no knowledge of right from wrong As we age we are taught how to recognize the two by those around us But does either have a true definition A robber might view thievery as a good thing because it allows them to take from those who don't truly need and steal from those who do, an act of generosity Someone else, however, may view this as selfish and inconsiderate to whoever was robbed One act can be viewed as both good and evil So, there must be no true definition It must all be based on opinion Then why are definitions constantly being drilled into our heads What if we're doing it all wrong?

One action does not define who you are.

A bunch of actions do.

Don’t worry what other people think of you.

Worry about what you think of yourself.

Don’t dwell on the little things.

Instead move on and do big things.

It’s ok to cry.

It’s part of being human.

Don’t try to be something you’re not.

Don’t try to impress anyone.

If they truly love you.

They’ll love you the way you are.

If you’re not athletic.

If you’re not that wise.

Or not that big.

If they really do love you they won’t care.

Life can be stressful.

It really can.

But don’t let stress ruin it.

Instead walk with it.

Hand and hand.

Winter Henderson The Meaning of Life for Me I am a 12-year-old girl who doesn't know The reason I'm on this earth I don’t know why I’m here and if I am Supposed to be doing something I am that girl who thinks that things We get taught in school are unnecessary I don’t know why we get told what to do.

Why can’t we do what we want to do

Cameron Brightfield Heartbreak is tough, it happens a lot.

You get through it though.

It could happen a little or it could happen a lot.

Experiences lead to wisdom.

You could have a little or a lot.

I am the girl who you think isn't smart enough To get into a good collage I don’t know why we are separated by gender On sports teams 68

I am that girl who thinks that i have To get a good job and start my own family I am that girl That girl who wonders everyday if i have a purpose in life Why am I here?

Joye Wingard There are many things in my life that I love. That are meaningful to me: my mom, my dad my siblings, my friends, my family, and my cat. Being loved is a very important thing to have in your life to keep you alive. You can show love in many different ways. Another important factor is family. Your family will always be there for you, the thought the good and the bad times. Which brings me into my last topic, friendship. Your friends love and support you just like family. They are your second family.

The most important thing in life is to be loved and supported. Love is a big factor in many people's lives. If You don't leave love in your life then you can't survive. Love is like water, if you don't have it you will shrink up and die. Love is all around. You are even showing love when you walk around and just give a slight smile to someone. You are showing love to someone when you hold the door, say bless you after you sneeze. Showing love doesn't have to be romantically, it can just be smiling at someone. If you smile at someone, it doesn't mean you like them, it just means your acknowledging them and showing love.

Many people get depressed or lonely because they have nobody to love or someone to love them, so they may turn to drugs, alcohol, suicide, hurting others etc.

Love is import so all those things don't

happen. If everyone loves each other, those things will never be a problem Another main thing in my life is family.

Family also relates with love. I know my family helps with a lot of my problems and they cheer me up. I am close with my family, although many families aren't close.

Even if you’re not close, they still love you and will be there for you even when you think they aren't. If your family isn't alive or near you know they will always love you.

You also have another family though, and that brings me into my next most important thing in my life, Friendship.

Friendship, is like another family. Your friends are your family. Your brothers and sisters. They will always be there for you.

At least mine will. My Friends are amazing.

I know even if we become distant and not as close anymore they will still be there for me. They help you with hard times. They impact your life, If you have a family problem, you can go to your friends for help.

I value many things in my life. Family, friends, and love. They will always support you through the thick and thin. Through good times and bad times. I have an awesome family and friends that support me every day. I am so grateful to have such good people in my life.

Andrea Heredia Euphemism A cover up To hide the negative meaning of a word To make someone feel better Because the truth is to hard Embarrassing Maybe leave you in despair

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the mom says it’s wrong because she’ll make a mess and ruin everything. The daughter thinks it’s right though because it’s practice for her future are masterpieces that she’ll be famous for one day. They each think differently in this situation but in their own logical way.

Andrea Heredia My Logic vs. The World’s Logic Ever since I was little right or wrong was collided with a structure of rules that I of course had to abide by. Obviously, as the mischievous kid I was I didn’t always do that. Every time I broke a rule, I would be given a lecture and at some point, I would be told, “Andrea you know what’s right and wrong.” I did know what’s right and what’s wrong to, but I didn’t always understand why what I did was wrong until later.

As I think about it more right and wrong is a feeling. Without even knowing for sure and why something is wrong (or right) you can tell by a feeling. Like let’s say you take something away from your little sibling, then later you feel bad about it, you’ll realize maybe you were wrong to do that.

Or you’re doing a tricky math problem and instead of guessing you use what you know and put effort into trying to solve it. Even if you don’t know if you got it right or wrong you’ll get a feeling when you look over it.

Or just looking at the answer you can tell.

Right and wrong though can be different for others though. Based how a person lives their life in this world verses another person they can each think different things on what is right or wrong. For example, a mom and her daughter. The daughter wants to do art experiments on her bed, but

As I grow, as we all grow, we’ll learn our right can be some else's wrong or vice versa. We’ll continue to learn things that we don’t know for sure but we’ll use our logic to get the feeling if it’s right or wrong. We’ll always probably think we’re right in one situation but the other person will think we’re wrong and their right.

Which leads to the violence that people think is right and others wrong. Maybe one day we’ll both learn each other’s rights and wrongs. When that day does come, maybe we’ll be able to end the wrong things in our world.

Christobelle Rudes My Philosophy: The Meaning of Life for Me My values are the meaning of my life. They guide me throughout this world, and they help me be in the position I am today. My life wouldn’t be the same without them. They are important to me and they say who I am as a person. They represent me in a very well way. People think of me as a role model because of the ideas I choose to value. I know people who think that your values don’t matter because no one cares about that. I have proven otherwise.

The first life value for me is being a good citizen. I care so much about the whole “making the Earth a better place” by cleaning it. I don’t litter and I always recycle. I try the best I can to make the Earth happy. Earth is the planet I live on and I don’t think it is okay to treat it badly.

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It deserves the best, but what we are doing right now to it is absolutely disgraceful, and that’s why I’m doing what I can to make it feel good.

My second life value is being honest.

Telling the truth is such a big idea for me. I love it when people tell the truth, and I feel better telling the truth rather than telling a lie. It makes a big difference in any relationship you have with others. Telling a lie can ruin that relationship, whereas telling a truth has a chance of saving it.

The third life value for me is productiveness. I am a very hardworking and diligent student who puts a lot of care, time, and effort into her work. The reason for that is my productiveness. Without that skill I have achieved, I wouldn’t be that type of person. Because of this value, I can get good grades and be a great student.

My fourth life value is organization. I am very organized and I take that very seriously. I love to make everything in a nice placement where I can see it and be pleased. Without this value, I wouldn’t be able to find items and nothing would look good. The thought of that makes me feel weird. I’m so used to having everything look neat, and I love that I have this quality.

The fifth life value for me is leadership.

I know that I don’t talk a lot and that I am quiet, but leadership isn’t just about that.

Leadership is also about taking the blame for your actions, which is also being honest.

Being a good leader means inspiring others, and that’s something I do. I am an affiliative type of leader. I work well in motivating people when they are having a hard time.

Values are very important, and I believe that my values are good. They help me through everything. They make me the person I am today, and that is something

truly amazing. They represent me in the way I want to be represented.

Alice Denny The meaning of life for me is love. It is something that makes me feel better when I am sad and it lifts me. Love is all around me and it brings me joy and comfort. I feel that love empowers me to go on.

Whenever I feel down, I just think about all of the love in my life.

Sometimes I think about all of the people I love and all of the people who love me.

This includes my family and my close friends. I will do almost anything for these people. The give me reasons to keep trying when I feel like giving up. They will go out of their way to make me happy, so I would do the same for them.

Love is getting harder and harder to find in our modern world. There is too much hate.

We have gotten so used to it that all of the hate almost seems normal. Hate is not what our world needs. More than anything, the world needs love, and the more love there is, the happier everyone will be. We need to spread love, and anyone can do that by just showing a little bit of kindness every day. However, even with all of the hate, there will always be love somewhere, especially if you keep it close in your own heart.

When I am having a bad day and I feel that there is no love around me, I just think about all of my experiences with love. I remember the time when my cat came home for the first time. The whole room was filled with love. My family loved him instantly and will forever. I remember the time when I was in a fight with one of my best friends. I came home from school and told my mom everything. She comforted me with her love and made me feel so much better.

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In good and bad times, love is there. All of the love in my life is the reason I’m where I am today. I don’t know where I would be without love. Love can overpower any feeling I have. These are all the reasons why love is the meaning of life for me. I am immensely grateful for all of the love in my life, and I believe that everybody deserves to be loved.

Art by Noelle Biehle

Noelle Biehle The meaning of life is … us. We are here because we are meant to be here. Every life is made to live. Every living soul is supposed to be here because everyone has their own reason. Everyone has their own eyes, allowing them to see the world in a different way from others. How you see the world contributes to everything. You view the world in your own way and with that you can stand up and make a difference.

Everyone makes a contribution to the world in their own way. I wanted to express this in my art.

I believe eyes show life and meaning in them and I wanted to represent that in my art. I drew two big eyes seeing the world below them. I drew nature, including mountains, trees, water, and shrubs to represent the world. I wanted to represent

more life in my art, so I added a sunset and birds flying in the background. This art represents that everyone views the world in their own way and makes a contribution with their voice. Everyone is here for a reason.

Baelee Glasgow I try to live my life by dreaming farther than I can see. This is my philosophy because if you never dream of things beyond your current reality, you can’t find the hope that motivates you to reach for fantastic things. Even if your dreams don’t come true, you will still have the satisfaction and pride of working hard to get as close to that dream as possible.

Along the way you learn about yourself and rely on others to get you closer to your dreams. These relationships and learning experiences help create you. As you move toward these dreams, you have to continue to look beyond them. Without wild dreams, you will go through life with no desire.

I chose this photo because the sun that is far away from the blades of grass growing near the shot represents my philosophy well. I took this photo in Riverside Park,

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just down the hill from my home. My brothers were playing soccer and football with their friends and I had some quiet time to myself. I was near home, but I was looking far into the distance for something interesting to see. I saw the sun for a split second and wanted to stare straight through it, but it burned my eyes. I took a photo of it so I could stare at the sun. It made me realize that sometimes you have to look far away at things you might not be able to see in order to find something exciting!

Tommy Denaro To me, philosophy means “the study of life as we know it.� My philosophy in life is, if you are a good person, you will have good, kind things happen to you. An excellent example of this is friends. When you are kind to friends, they will be kind to you. If I help someone out, they will be likely to help me out if I ever need it. It is like karma.

Philosophy is a tough topic. Most people have a philosophy of life, but it’s not fully fleshed out. When I say that, I mean most people have a view of how they should live, but they do not always think about life in the way philosophers do. It takes a lot of work. I enjoy thinking about philosophy because it helps me understand myself and life better.

My philosophy has a lot to do with the right, the wrong, and what you should do and what you should not do. It is usually challenging to do the right thing, but if you decide to do so, you will feel good about yourself afterward. Doing the right thing usually takes more effort and bravery than doing the wrong thing. If someone were getting bullied, it would be very easy for me to sit around acting like nothing was happening, but I should tell a teacher or a parent so that it will stop.

Something is right if it benefits you and others, without hurting anyone else.

Something is also right if it is in line with your moral values, which come from your life experiences. Significant parts of my experiences in my life include my friends, my family, my school, and world events.

Moral values do not come from how smart you are; they come from how experienced and knowledgeable you are, and from human nature. If something gets hurt, it hurts others too because people have sympathy or empathy for it. How you think of people is a big part of morality. Do you assume the worst in people? Do you give people the benefit of the doubt or do you appreciate people for who they are?

Humans are naturally social animals and most humans share some similar experiences, and that is why some things are considered right and some are considered wrong. If everything were only based on personal experiences, there would be no absolute right or wrong because everyone would have their own.

What is right can also come from what is important to you. For me, it is important to make people happy. I try to do that by making jokes, sharing similar experiences connecting with others, making them laugh, giving them attention or just talking with them.

A big part of philosophy to me is also the effort you put into something. The more effort you put out, the more you will get out of it. This goes for everything in life. The more effort you put into something, the more you will learn or improve.

Overall, my philosophy has a lot to do with karma, what is right and wrong, and how much effort I put into things. I believe in all these values because they are really important. Karma is important because it

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can push you to be a good person.

Knowing what is right and wrong is good because it can help you make better decisions. How much effort you put into things matters because it is related to how good a person you are. When I apply all these values together, life is good!

Barney Smith People say that life is short, so remember every day But what if it didn’t have to always be that way As a world, we should stop fighting and and make peace, no wars We could all do things like camping together and eating smores.

A nice world would be one with no guns, evil people and war We could all go through life never having to see all the gore.

If there were no kidnappers to steal or hurt kids and no crazy people to scare them too Kids could go out and play until it was dinner time and they were due People would be so much happier, it would be great And if that could happen, we would all appreciate We could all laugh when someone said a funny pun And isn’t the true meaning of life, to just have fun?

Anika Shah The meaning of life for me is having everyone treated as an equal. Life should be

fair for everyone, no matter what your color, religion, or belief is.

People all over the world, especially in America, are misjudged and stereotyped, particularly people of color, for their appearance and are being killed for no reason. This is not okay. Why are they killed or beaten up? If they didn’t do anything, why are they shot or mistreated?

It seems police, in particular, place their judgment on whether or not a person looks suspicious in their appearance and then stereotyping them.

That is not a good enough reason for police to kill unarmed people of color. Just because of someone’s skin color, it does not give the police the right to assume they are in the wrong. All over the world, people of color don’t get the same respect as white people. We should all be treated the same, no matter what our race or background is.

We all deserve to be treated with respect.

Kids all over the world are bullied because they are different. Some kids are bullied because they have disabilities; some are bullied because they are not straight or are part of the LGBTQ community, or even because they are heavier. This is not okay.

Just because someone doesn’t look like you or act like you doesn’t give you the right to bully that person. At the end of the day, we are all humans, no matter what and some are different – but who cares? We are all people!

Women and girls all over the world are treated unequally! Why are they treated differently? They are people too. Women and girls in some places don’t get the same pay as men. Girls are constantly told they are not good enough in their studies or in sports. There are not enough sports that have girls/women teams either.

Disabled, LGBTQ, thin or not, whatever religion, people should all be treated fairly

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and not be bullied or hurt. Girls and women should be treated the same as boys and men. People of color should be treated the same as white people. We are all humans, no matter how we look. We all just have to stop stereotyping people. Life is all about possibilities and everybody should be given the same opportunities!

No matter, what has been said the people who matter most to me, are my meaning of life.

Bianca Luz

Olivia Yau ✩The Meaning of life for Me✩ Life has many questions.

Questions that haven’t been answered.

Many people say that life doesn’t have a reason.

That is a lie.

Life can be full of bustling people. It depends on who you surround yourself with.

If you surround yourself with the wrong people, your way of being get changed.

No one is born evil.

No one is born good.

But there are certain people who can change you.

Life to me is very special.

This piece of art reflects my philosophy because the meaning of life for me is to love.

Love is a big part of my life and is very important for anyone’s life. I put a space scene behind the heart because that is where we are in the universe; that is where we all came from in the big picture. Where we came from is a big part of the meaning of our lives because without space we wouldn’t exist.

Love is important because when you love someone, so much, they can become the thing matters most in life. This can mean that you love this person so much that you feel like you live for them. Love is also important because it’s is so powerful that it can make you feel every single emotion, all for different reasons that have to do with love.

I have people who love me, and I love them back.

Life to me is amazing.

There are twists and turns that I might face, but someone has always been there to face it with me.

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Savilla Sword

(Note: The above is a self-portrait of Savilla, with words explaining the meaning of life for her. What she wrote is printed below.)

To me, I think we live our lives for fulfillment of ourselves. That’s how I think of it. Although I don’t think we have a purpose, we give ourselves a purpose.

Altogether, I think that people, of course, want to have a “good life.” A good life is different for everyone, just based on what they want and if they’re easily satisfied based on their wants.

To me, a good life is a happy one, like being completely happy with what you have and your surroundings.

(The art in the background is referencing places I’ve lived or associate myself with.)

Daniel Seferi The meaning of life for me is that you should be free to live your life however you want. To elaborate on that, you should be able to pursue any career and do whatever you want in your life without worrying about what anyone else says about it.

I also think, for the most part, life is a lottery because some people win it and other people are stuck in war and disease infested areas with no clean water and no good food. On the contrary, you can live in Manhattan, go to a great school, and do whatever you want, not worrying about dying, and not bat an eye at what's happening in other places around the world.

That's why I think when saying you should be free to do whatever you want in your life, the most important thing the lucky people can do is help the unfortunate people and make sure they are free to pursue whatever they want. Someone who is struggling with misfortune would say they just want to be safe.

Another part of my philosophy is that other people matter. Everybody is important. By being with other lives, you can improve their life experience or ruin it, and it’s up to you to decide to ruin it or not. This is why some people are better to hang out with and are considered better people. That's because they help people around them more than “worse people.” That, in my opinion, is one of the most important parts of life.

Federica Cortina Moving from Mexico to New York changed part of me and who I am today. It made an impact on my life.

I believe that at this age, I am more aware of what is happening around me and how important it is. It was not easy, but I knew deep inside that this change was going to be good. Even if I had to leave part of my life behind to start a new one, I knew it was only going to make me stronger and wiser.

It was a challenge, for sure. I had a lot of questions, some with answers and some with no answers at all. I just had to trust and listen to myself.

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Walking through life without being afraid lets us find the answers we are looking for.

We just have to let go and start living. And let the world guide us.

Maia Hoffman There’s a reason Socrates is known as the father of philosophy. He would always ask “why” about everything. And by everything, I mean everything. By doing this, Socrates would catch people off guard.

Imagine if every response to anything you said was met with the word, “why?” You might think you have the answers, but at some point you are forced to respond, “I don’t know.”

Socrates basically strips off layers of your knowledge. You can’t possibly have all the answers, and that’s what he wants you to see. He wants you to realize that we don't know much about this world, this universe.

In my drawing, there is a porcelain mask.

Beautiful, kind, confident, seemingly perfect. But the mask is cracking, and underneath, it’s not perfect. It’s human, cracked, imperfect, and broken. I think that what's under the mask, what's under all the knowledge is the reality is that we don’t know a lot of things, and that’s scary. As a society, we think we know a lot, but in reality, there’s so much more knowledge to be uncovered. Identity often determines how you live. But identity is also who you are, and reveals your philosophy of life.

There are clearly different parts of my identity. The Brazilian flag would be one, another part is being a child. One is being female. There are so many more parts that make me, me, but these are ones of my choosing. There are many things that add to my identity, and it’s hard to list them all out of uncertainty. Am I funny? Am I a kind

person? The truth is, I don’t really know my identity. I often put on a mask, to try to appeal others. It really changes with each person. This makes me feel two faced, but I can't help it. I guess I try to spend most of my time making other people happy, instead of taking care of myself. This is why the girl in the picture is crying under all the perfection. I don't want to believe, that the person I truly am is who I am when I'm alone. I don't like that person.

The porcelain mask on the girl is supposed to show everything good about her. And everything she is proud of. What the girl wants to show off. But she’s also human, three dimensional, and complicated. There’s more to her than her mask. What’s beneath the mask is all of her.

The good and the bad. And she’s ashamed of much of what she sees beneath the mask.

She wants to hide the bad parts. But, when you hide things for too long, your mask starts to crack. That’s what is happening in the picture. She's revealing the part of her that she doesn't want other people to see, but, this is truly her. That’s why there are other masks in the picture. Oh this one is broken? Let’s try a new one. I'm getting tired of smiling all the time, let’s try another mask. The masks on the sides are blank because she paints them herself. She paints them for other people I feel like there's always this pressure on people to be perfect. If this was from other people, there would be other people in the drawing. However, I left empty space because sometimes, you're the one putting the pressure on yourself. You set these unnecessary unrealistic expectations for yourself. And I think people are being influenced to do so through social media.

The popular ‘trends’ that kids and adults see every day. To be ‘cool’ you need to look and act a certain way these days. It can be really damaging. It really gets to you too.

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That’s another reason why the girl is crying.

I have concluded that part of one’s philosophy is also self-reflection. And I see a lot of myself in this drawing. I made the eyes look right back at me. Like a mirror.

Whenever I look at my drawing, the only thing I focus on is the eye within the crack.

It’s like it’s calling out for help. Personally, I do not like how I drew the eyes. I didn’t have enough time to redo them either. I’m not sure why this one eye stands out to me so much. It is definitely not one of the best I’ve drawn. But really, I don't know what my philosophy is. If I do have one, its a bad one. I drew the girl with the mask because that’s how I’ve been living my life for quite some time. I don’t know what’s under the mask either. Since philosophy is a way of life I attempted to draw mine.

Ines Cortina I know how lucky I am because I have the opportunity to enjoy a good education, travel, have enough food and water, and learn about other cultures and traditions.

All of that has made me think about where I come from, how it has helped me define who I am and my place in this world. But through that path I also questioned a lot of things.

I’ve thought about how other people live away from all the development and technology that I am used to having. They

learn to adapt with what they have and without living and learning in a modern civilization.

Logan Whitney-Morrison To me, life is about new experiences.

Trying new things and getting better by making mistakes. You do not have to skydive to live your life to the fullest. To live your life to the fullest you need to accomplish things, make mistakes, be yourself, grow, experience new things and have people to talk to.

Many of the things I learned at school I use in life such as reading, vocabulary and math. I use reading everywhere like reading signs, books and writing. Math I use when I am out at stores or counting how many shoes I have. I also learned a lot of things out of school such as making mistakes, then learning how to accept them, do not always hang back unless you will miss out on things, do not be embarrassed, do not worry and never give up. My mommy actually does not allow me to say, “I give up” because she always believes in me.

I believe everyone should go to school and finish college because I love school! I went to school one day and came home telling my family all of this history that they did not even know. How cool is that! I really appreciate education because I can use what I have learned in everyday life and it makes me feel smart.

New experiences are what make you grow.

I do not really enjoy trying new things, but in the end I realize that it was not so bad and now I know that I either liked it or I did not. I learned most of my life lessons from my mommy. I appreciate her very much for teaching me all that she knows, so now I know. The most important thing I learned from her was never to give up!

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When I do not give up I accomplish things I never thought I could do. I thank her for everything I know! I believe we should live life to the fullest!

Harrison Zabar The meaning of life for me Is not all about the money or the fame but about the loved and close people in life.

Helping the needed when you have the chance.

Helping in the best ways I can possibly do.

I try to help and not harm people how are there for me.

Staying close to loved ones who help me through the tough times.

But don’t take what you have for granted because one day you are in fame the other you are left in the dust.

The meaning of life for me Standing up for what is right like others did to get freedom or rights.

There is never a moment where you can do nothing.

But get up and take a walk and pick up trash by the streets when you pass it.

You don’t need to do half of anything in this poem but know that you can help change the world.

To try to be one with nature and the World To want To try To give To love Sometimes the answer Is simpler than the question We want More than we give Sometimes we focus too much on the Future Then we think about the present Sometimes we should JUST LET OURSELVES BE HUMAN

Christian Sword Perspective To have a perspective on something is to have a point of view on a topic. It’s when you have a certain attitude towards something. I focus on perspective most when I am at school. When I am at school I try to look at different assignments with different perspectives. To try and find the fun in the project. To see all of the information that I can get from an assignment.

Respect

Andrew Vidrevich We are here To love and be loved To be happy To make others happy To do what we love To help others do what they love To stand up for what we believe is right Make change To do these things, we need to try To be there for other people

Respect is to deeply admire someone or something. I use respect in my life when I am at school. I try my best to be as respectful as I can to the teachers and my fellow students. I also use respect when I am outside of school. I try to be as respectful as I can to all the people in my life. Some people say that respect has to be earned, but I disagree with that. Every should feel respected. People could use respect to show appreciation towards someone. Respect can be used to make someone feel good.

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Trust To have a firm belief in the reliability of someone or something. In life I use trust to communicate on a special basis with the people I trust. I don’t actually fully trust that many people. Trust cannot be rewarded or given. Trust must be earned just like respect. People can use trust in their life so that they always have someone to talk to.

explore and eventually the whole world will wonder, but not enough want to do this work now. This is why the people who do work for the things they want to do are happier people.

Rocco Fonseca My job as a philosopher is to wonder about all the things, ever. I could, in several languages, be wondering about many different things at once. That being said, I believe all the people in the world are thinking about things, and they all share one thing in common: wonder. I sometimes wonder about what other people are wondering about and think, “Someone somewhere is also wondering about what other people are wondering.”

Right now, there is one person standing up for wondering, one person taking in all the questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how.

We don’t always see what happens above and around us; nor do we always want to know. People want to go to space and explore everything around us, but there aren’t enough of these people. It’s not just about being the first on the moon or the first on Mars. It’s about wanting to know about all the things that we don’t see.

The one person standing up for wondering wants answers, so to find them, others have to find themselves. Going out and exploring what has never been explored will give you the answers. Then the one person can tell everybody about his/her wonders. Then those people will want to

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