FIFTH GRADE

Hudson Steelberg Madeleine Lal Sloane Williams

Kamilah Cavner

THE FURNACE CREEK INN

Emma Harrison

Barefoot on moist stone Whistling palm trees overhead Melancholy hoots

Cloudless, clear, blue sky Sandals flop on jagged rock Close your eyes and dream

Sun behind a dune Sky painted pink and purple Sand kicks in the air

Stars and moon smile down Barren desert disappears Into a blue dream

Feel so weightless now Like I don’t need wings to fly Silence carries me MEDITATION

Kiana Sadri

staying calm isn’t so easy but not at the beach where it’s always so breezy just close your eyes and maybe you’ll find a pleasant surprise this is just simple meditation there’s no need for a vacation take a seat put your feet in the sand who cares about some silly tan

Emery Pelinka

THE LIBRARY

Sloane Williams

So many books How will I choose Let’s take a look Got nothing to lose

I go to a section Mysteries I pursue I have an affection For finding the clue

I go to a shelf The topic is romance I can’t help myself For stories in France

I feel for a thriller “Goosebumps” appear Running from the killer I shiver in fear

I love to read Books are a glory And I plead For one more story Cooper Piercey

Capri Cuneo Lila Fischbein

Hudson Stern

H - Hill Smith, D - Danny Angeloff, S - Sloane Williams M - Madeleine Lal, A - Adeleine Chen, S - Sydney Ilczyszyn, K - Kiana Sadri, S - Sophia Eckermann O - Oliver Harrison, N - Nicholas Sokolowski

MOVING TO CALIFORNIA

Chase Martin

I have never really liked change. From the school year ending to moving to a new house, I have never liked the idea of having to start fresh from scratch. But, in 2017, my life changed dramatically when my parents decided to move our family across the country to California. I would have to leave all of my friends and everything I knew. I would have to figure out a way to make all new friends and adapt to a new school all on my own! How could I think positively about this? We had only visited California once, but my parents loved it so much that they decided to rent a house for a year to see if we might like living there after all. There were only two outcomes to this: this would be the worst, most stressful time of my life, or I could capitalize on the opportunity and finally escape my fears.

I gulped. Mom and Dad had just gathered the whole family to tell us that we were all going to move across the country. As I heard those words, a million thoughts rushed through my head like a track runner sprinting past the finish line.

What neighborhood will we live in?

What school will I go to?

How will I make new friends?

These thoughts just kept coming and coming. I felt my head get dizzy as I shook my head in an effort to stop thinking. “I know it will be a big change, but I think it will be better for us,” my mom said, staring straight at me. I knew why. She knew why. My dad knew why. They all knew that I had a hard time with changes, and this would be the biggest challenge of my life.

A few weeks later, my parents were finishing packing on the night before we left for California. In bed, restless and unable to fall asleep, I worried.

What if I never make any friends?

Will there be any kids like me in California?

Will anyone like the things that I like?

Questions like these kept repeating themselves over and over as I still lay squirming, my head spinning faster than a jet plane speeding across the sky like a silver bird. A few minutes later, I heard my mom coming up the stairs.

Come on, I thought to myself. Mom talking to me, honestly, was the worst possible thing that could happen at this moment. I knew she would try to tell me it was going to be okay, but I just did not want to believe it would end up like that. I quickly squeezed my jaw tight and turned the other way, not giving any clues that I was awake. As I heard her open the door, I squeezed my jaw so tight my teeth hurt. I was already really stressed out in this moment, and I did not want her to make me feel any more nervous than I already was. I tightened my shoulders and tried to be as still as I could.

“Chase?” She whispered. “Are you awake?” She left after that. I assumed she thought I was asleep or that I did not want to talk. After a few more hours of tossing and turning, I was finally able to fall asleep.

“Chase, time to wake up,” my dad told me it was time to go to the airport.

“What time is it?” I asked, yawning.

“It’s five o’clock,” said Dad, “but it’s time to get ready or we’ll miss the flight.”

I tiredly got dressed, took a shower, and finished packing up my stuff. By that time, the driver arrived to take us to the airport. I lazily hopped in the car with my backpack before buckling in my younger brother, Luke. A few minutes later, we were off and running as I got a last, sad glimpse of my old house. As we kept driving, I stared out the window with a two-faced emotion. I was happy that I finally had a new adventure, but sad to leave all of my friends and my school. I kept trying to think about all of the new friends I would make, but I just could not get over the fact that I was leaving all of my friends and relatives. When we slowed, I could tell we were almost at the airport. A few minutes later, we came to a complete stop at the front of the airport. We got our bags out of the trunk and walked to the sliding glass doors at the front of the airport. As we quickly sped through security and figured out the boarding area, I kept feeling more and more unhappy. We traveled farther and farther away from my homeland, Connecticut.

“Attention all passengers at Gate A, we are now boarding. I repeat, passengers at Gate A are now boarding.” “So this is it,” I muttered under my breath. Honestly, I felt like I was going to cry. As all the passengers boarded the plane, I sat down in the seat number that was matched my ticket. After a few minutes of everyone hustling and bustling around, the plane finally left the ground. I played on my iPad for the six-hour flight, thoughts and emotions flying through my head like speeding bullets.

A few hours later, I felt us going downward and I looked out my window to make out palm trees, a blue sky, and beautiful beaches and houses. Wow, I thought, this is so cool! As I remembered all of the good times I had had in Connecticut, I started to feel a little glum again. The plane landed and everyone was back to hustling and bustling as they got their bags down from the overhead compartments. I quickly found my mom and dad. We exited the plane.

As soon as I took a step outside, I instantly noticed the hot weather. It was unlike Connecticut. “This feels really nice,” I said to my dad. And just as we left the airport, I also noticed again the towering palm trees that reached up to what seemed like the sky. I can’t wait to be able to wear T-shirts and shorts every day instead of winter clothes, I thought to myself.

We drove to our new house and I started to feel a little more confident and happy about the situation. I still worried about many things, such as making friends and going to a new school. When we got to the house my sister, Blake, and I ran around like maniacs exploring our new habitat. This is cool, I thought. We had a pool, a hangout room, and I saw so many kids running around outside, too! Another thing I noticed was that we had a beautiful, luscious green field right next to our house. In Connecticut, everything was covered in snow and leaves, but this was green!

“Hey, kids?” my mom asked.

“What is it?” my sister and I asked in unison.

“The school here is within walking distance, so we don’t even have to drive.”

Wow, that’s so cool! I thought to myself, and I could tell my sister was thinking the same thing.

Later that evening, after swimming in the pool (which was awesome, by the way), I decided to check out the new field. I was still nervous and thinking about how I would make new friends. I envisioned myself being super lonely for the rest of the year. Luckily, I saw a lot of new kids out there. In particular, saw a kid who looked about my age. I went up to him and introduced myself.

“Hi, I’m Chase,” I said, “do you go to the school here?”

“Hey, I’m Dylan. Yeah, almost everyone in this neighborhood does,” he replied.

“Did you just move here?”

“Yeah, I just moved into that house over there.”

After a few more sentences like that, we said goodbye to each other. I went home with a smile on my face and happy thoughts whizzing through my head. I once again thought about my old friends, but I now realized that I would make a lot of new friends. This is going great, I thought to myself, why was I even nervous at the start? I guess this might turn out to be okay after all. With a wide grin on my face, I walked back to my house with happy thoughts rushing through my head. I was able to fall asleep peacefully that night, eager for the next day and for another adventure to begin.

This experience taught me to not worry so much about the future. Instead, I should try to think that everything will turn out well. Instead of spending all of those hours worrying, I could have been doing other things. I was wasting my time; everything turned out okay in the end. This is an important mindset to be in. This mindset can help you succeed in everything you do. Confidence is one of the most important things in life, and you will go very far and achieve many things if you always remember to not be so nervous about the future. Instead, think about the good things to come.

UNDER THE OCEAN

Gabrielle Landy Under the ocean I swim so, so fast Under the ocean I can easily last As the fantastic, fearless fish swim by I feel that nobody can cry When they are in this amazing, wet world

Sealife around Fins hit the ground Pretty coral beneath my feet Sways like an underwater fleet I want to stay here forever If I go up my heart may sever So I dive down into the inky, blue well

I can not tell you How quiet and blue Is this bottomless lair I need to get air! Oh no, oh no Up I go

As I surface, I see the sun’s shiny glow Then I heave And after that, leave To go under the ocean again ON THE COURT

Taylor Peters Dribble, dribble, shoot Swooosh! I step back on defense Guard my man Pressure is on Anticipating every move Stance low Hands high Rebound! I juke Pass Swing through defenders Like a monkey Dribble Left hand Right hand Behind the back Pressure is on! I feel myself tremor like a small quake Crack I hear the ball hit the rim Pressure is on! Looking for a teammate The ball moves down Down the court The ball is the earth spinning around the court Turning to the rim Feet set Eyes up Knees bent Pressure is on! Elbow up Breathe I feel my heartbeat Breathe The beat steadies Pressure is on! Shot goes up Swoosh

Aleah Berengian

Adeleine Chen Emma Harrison

Michael West

Frankie Stiefel

TAHOE

Cooper Kelly Chirp, chirp, thwack, thwack Are the things I hear as I start to unpack I walk outside and breathe in fresh air As I realize these moments are the kind that won’t wear

When I take my dog for a walk I hear all the small forest birds chirp and squawk And when we get to the golf course there is something I see: A small, gray, and skinny coyote

I brush my teeth and I do my hair As my sister resides inside her lair My family decides to go to the lake, While we are water skiing I go outside the wake

Later, while I am sitting in the car Chewing on a chocolate Z-Bar My dad grabs the car key And I realize that Tahoe makes you feel free

Ella Nami Molly Tiwari

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

Molly Tiwari

It was Wednesday night and I was about to go to bed when I noticed my nose was a little stuffy. I assumed I was just tired and having allergies, so I drifted off to sleep.

When I awoke the next day, my nose was running. I was coughing and sneezing. When I sat down to breakfast, my mom noticed how sick I looked. My mom and I decided it was best if I stayed home from school. I could not stay home alone for seven hours, so my mom was left with no choice but to take me along to work.

My mom is a psychiatrist. She works in a homeless clinic, helping people who are mentally ill. My mom’s patients are very different from me because they are mentally ill. Because of this, they might say or think unusual things. Her patients are homeless and have a hard time keeping jobs. Many of them take drugs.

We arrived and I peered out the car window. A few people were standing around the building wearing old, dirty clothes and smoking cigarettes. I coughed at the smell of smoke. We walked by some people, and I hid behind my mom. I noticed that everyone was waving and saying, “Hi, Doctor!”

I felt myself staring, so I glanced at the ground to avoid eye contact. I could tell my mom did not understand why I was acting so unfriendly.

When we got to my mom’s office, my mom pulled up a chair and told me to sit down. She looked at me and said, “Molly, these people are mentally ill. You mustn’t make fun of them because it is not their fault. I need to see one of my patients, so you are going to have to stay in the room next to mine. There will be a few patients in there, but you will be fine.”

I nodded, but then looked away. I have to admit, I was pretty scared. My mom seemed to read my mind because she said, “They are just people, you know.”

My mom walked me to the room next door. I saw a guy sitting on a chair playing with his fingers and whispering to himself. He was acting like a baby but in an adult body. I sat in the chair next to him and took out my math book to do my homework. I had three problems left, and I was counting on my fingers for an additional problem. Suddenly he turned to me as I was sitting there counting my fingers.

“Hey!” he yelled, “Did you know that I invented that?”

I looked at him with disbelief. “You invented counting on your fingers?” I asked.

“Yes, I did. I sold the idea to the Japanese, but I didn’t ask for any money because I just wanted to help people be smart,” he responded.

“But this was back six hundred years ago. I’m a time traveler, you know. The rock in my leg helps me do it.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I just smiled at him. He was friendly and started talking about the movie that was playing on the TV, saying that he wrote it and knew the famous actors.

A few minutes later, my mom came and got me. She thanked the man for being nice to me and told him she would see him later. She brought me back to her office.

“So,” my mom asked, “did you have a nice conversation with Harold?”

I answered, “Mom, he told me he invented counting on your fingers and that he’s a time traveler. He told me other lies too.” I was confused about why an adult was lying to a kid.

My mom explained, “He believes those things are true. He’s not trying to trick you, and he doesn’t know he’s lying. For some reason, the signals in his brain get mixed up, so if he sees something in a movie or on T.V., he believes that it is real and that it happened to him. Imagine how confusing that must be for him.” My mom also explained that he hears voices that other people cannot hear, another problem that his brain has.

I felt sorry for Harold but also impressed that he was still so happy and friendly, even though he has problems. I hoped that my mom could help him find a medicine that would make his brain work better. I was glad that he was coming to the office and trying to get better.

I still get a little shy when I see mentally ill people, but I am trying to be more comfortable talking to them. My mom said that the most important part of her job is treating her patients with respect and recognizing that they have important things to say, even if some things they say are not always true. Even when I am older and I live on my own, I will always remember what my mom said to me that day, “They are just people, you know.”