SIXTH GRADE

56 6 RUNNING IN THE RAIN Ana Cormac

“Boom!” The car door shuts as the smell of wet pavement surrounds me. We are in the middle of a drought, but the clouds are bawling. I take one step inside of my house and shiver. Immediately, I sprint as fast as Usain Bolt to the kitchen, open the cupboard next to the pantry, and stand on my highest tip-toes. Still, my fingers hit nothing but air. Suddenly, I feel as if I am lifted up to the clouds and into the rain. I shoot my head back and see my mom’s face smiling as I wiggle my toes. I quickly pick out my mug, then leap out of my mother’s arms. “Mix it up in the pot. What ya’ got? Hot choc-o-late!” I sing as I dance around the kitchen. “I just love rainy days!” I exclaim.

I pour the hot chocolate mix into my cup, but it flies all over my uniform. “Oh my goodness!” Mom says, staring at me as I fill up my cup with hot water and begin to stir. “Why don’t you go get your brother, I’ll grab Pickles, and we can take a walk in the rain?” She walks away, laughing at my hot chocolate covered uniform.

I skip to my room to change my uniform, then run to tell my brother what’s happening, and finally go back to the kitchen. I pick up my hot chocolate. I stir it one more time for good measure. I scoop the spoon into my mug and lift it to my mouth. “Oww!” I screech, my tongue dipped in chocolate lava. I put down the drink and sprint to my parents’ room. “C’mon Mom, let’s go!” I tell my mom impatiently. She grabs Pickles, our dog. “C’mon Dylan!” My mom screams at my brother through the hallway, but I am already at the front door waiting for my family.

“Okay, okay, I’m here.” my brother says as he makes his way to the front door. The look on his face tells me that he is annoyed.

Click. My mom puts my dog’s leash on. Ding. I press the button to open the gate.

Swoosh. My brother pulls the gate open, and I’m off! Leaping, jumping, running. I’m a bolt of energy storming through the clouds. As I dance through the rain, I can hear the barks of my dog and the voice of my brother, “Ana, wait up!”

I keep twirling. I’m just enjoying my time in the rain because we have so little of it here. I pause, look back, and smile.

Emery Kanda-Gleeson

Lexie Karnick

Sunny Brown

Taylor Danz

HAWAII CLIFF JUMPING Makenzie Vovan

My heart drops. I look down, only to snap my head up again. The water is far, far below my feet. I cannot believe I volunteered to jump off the rock first! I need to show my cousins that it is safe and not as bad as they think it is. I had not realized that it is way higher than it looks. Crystal clear ocean sparkles beneath the rocks. Other tourists stand on the edge of the cliff, ready to jump off. They are quivering just as much as I am. Tears well in my eyes. My chest beats as loud as a drum. My legs are like Jell-O. The rocky cliff is sharp, stinging my feet as I tremble.

“You can do it, Kenzie!” my brother shouts from the water. Suddenly, my heart beats as loud as ever. I give a meager thumbs-up to him as I peer into the horizon, the bright sun gleaming into my eyes. My cousins stare at me eagerly, waiting for the moment I step off the rock.

It’s not as bad as it looks, I try to tell myself. I try to encourage them, but all that comes out is a whimper. The Hawaiian beach swirls around me, making me feel even sicker than I did before.

“I’ll give you a countdown!” my brother yells. Don’t look down now, I tell myself.

“Ready when you are!” I say, stretching a smile on my face. I take a deep breath. The sun beats down on me, taunting me to hop into the cool ocean.

There’s only way down, I think. I sigh. “One!” he hollers. I can do this, I tell myself. “Two!” No turning back. “Three!” My feet push off the rock and…

My arms flail in the air. I feel like an eagle, soaring so high I can touch the clouds. My hair whips around my head.

“Woohoo!!” I shriek. Thrill shivers up my spine. I plummet to the bottom, hitting the salty ocean. Underwater, my smile is so large it challenges the size of the Eiffel Tower. The briny water stings my eyes, but it feels like my reward for stepping off that rock.

When I pop back up, I see my brother’s face smiling. “Good job!” he exclaims. “You jumped so high!”

A smile escapes my lips. “Thanks,” I say, beaming. “The shuddering fear was worth the jump.”

Violet Yoshida

Mary Kate Angeloff

Matteo Hernandez

Summer Kost Jake Meer Reese Katkin

TRIP TO ROME Landon Feltham

I am on a European trip with my family. We are in a fancy hotel in Rome, but all I want to do is chill by the large pool and read Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters, a book about a boy who has fun, scary adventures. However, my parents insist that we go to the Colosseum. I groan and reluctantly agree, even though I would prefer to follow Percy’s adventures in my mind.

We get out of the taxi and my jaw drops. I see the Colosseum. My family and I walk in and meet our tour guide. She walks us through the first and second floors, telling us all about the history behind this amazing structure. She then takes us to a level that only certain tour groups can access. It is the ground level, the level where the gladiators fought. It was amazing.

As I stare at the broken walls, I imagine myself as a gladiator ready for battle. I have no armor; I only have a sword and a shield. My opponent, who has full armor and a sword, charges at me. At first, I dodge his blow, but then I am taken out by a heavy hit to the chest. Defeated, I leave the floor, only to come back two years later to fight again. Suddenly, my thoughts are interrupted by my parents saying we need to go.

We go back to our hotel and relax by the pool for the rest of the day. Instead of reading about Percy Jackson’s adventures, I think about myself as a gladiator. I have learned that I should try something before I make an assumption about it. Through my experience, I realize that my mind can imagine stories as good as even the best book.

STARS Violet Yoshida

Some years it rains But this year it has poured There have been many pains Throughout this storm But we all stay together To look the storm in the eye United and together We will come out on the other side We will always remember The stars that will forever shine They will be in our hearts Through the end of time When we look at the stars We become bright Because the stars shine down on us To give us some of their light