What Makes Us
Human?
Musings Staff: Stefanie Flores Gabby Guercio Diana Maimonis Vincent Polanco
Moderator: Mrs. Valley
Musings 2018-2019 Theme Statement: As humans, we have many different traits and personalities. Through these pages, we hope to embody the universal idea that we are all different and have different ideas/beliefs. We aspire to include every person regardless of gender, religious belief, sexual orientation, status, race, because in the end we are all human. ~Musings Staff
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DIVERSITY
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“Untitled”
We are human because we have a body and soul. We communicate by using different languages. Some humans are different because they can make different choices. We distinguish our personalities by the clothes we wear, the music we like, and the languages we speak. Humans are able to express love and affection to one another. Some humans, when they are angry, are not able to control their emotions. They might take their anger out on other people by killing them. Various humans have talents. They may be good athletes. They may have athletic talents. Some are very intelligent so they might be scientists, doctors, etc... All humans have feelings like sadness, joy, fear, disgust, and anger. Overall these are some of the most important things that I think make us human. -
Meghan Bauhs
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“I Have a Dream” My dream for the future is to make it a little brighter. I try to add colors in any way I know how from my clothes to my makeup. There is a lot going on right now with people fighting and not getting along. I hate seeing this hate and discrimination that keeps getting worse. I hate seeing people get judged for being unique. I hate seeing people getting arrested and mistreated for the color of their skin. I try my best to be my own person and not be so black and white. The world can be very scary and intimidating
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if you allow it to be, but if you refuse to be like everyone else and you chose to be colorful and joyful then it will make the world look beautiful. I hope that I can help inspire other people to bring some color into their lives. I aspire to be the person in people's lives that is bright and happy. High school alone can bring you down a lot and for me it did. I was lost and felt so alone but I didn't let it stop my dream. Instead I help people try and see the color that has been taken over by the darkness. It is hard to do this alone and that is coming from personal experience. To go through this world in the dark alone is not a way to live at all. You should always reach out to those around you no matter who they are or what they look like because when we do this we are working together to color this dark world. Whether it’s wearing something that brightens the day or adding some glitter to your makeup you are adding some color to the world. The brighter the colors the brighter the future.
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Kiana Calkins
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“A Found Poem” From “The Things They Carried” by: Tim O’Brien Created by: Ms. Medina’s Sophomore English Class
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Photograph: Vincent Polanco
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“I Have a Dream” I chose equality as my dream. In this image you see two different races of people holding hands: showing unity. While there
has been
much
progress
made in
this area
in our
society
there
is so much improvement
still
left to be
made.
People
still
don’t see
each
other as
equal
in our
world and I don’t know what it’s going to take to help them see that but I wanna be apart of making that change. Everyone deserves to be accepted as they are and not be judged based on their appearance. It breaks my heart that people judge so easily based off the appearance of people when on the inside everyone has a story to tell and no one should have to prove that they deserve to be accepted by others. If we don’t see people as they are whether they are black, white, tan, purple, or blue then we don’t see them at all. We must learn to treat all people the same and not treat others differently just because they don’t look like us. This epidemic controlling our society has bothered
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me for so long and I’ve always wanted to do something about it, but never felt like I could make a significant difference in our society on my own. I think it’s important to recognize that even on my own; my effort towards this problem present in our society may seem insignificant, but really does make a difference in the long run. So my dream is that people are not judged based on their color, gender, weight, intelligence, background, financial status, but based on their character, morals, and beliefs. Those things are what makes people up as a person. Because when it comes to judging or looking closer at a person those are the things that matter the most. Essay & Photograph: Jayla Bentley
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LOVE
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“Untitled”
So many things make us human. Most of all is love. Everyone knows how to love. We fight, we argue, but we love in the end. There are millions of people in the world struggling to keep their family. They are struggling to eat. We care for each other. There are people out there who want to help everyone like myself. You don't always have to do something extravagant, every little thing helps. It’s the little things in the world that can make someone’s day. Mistakes. Every single person makes mistakes, that’s what makes us humans. Sometimes they are bad mistakes and other times they teach us stuff. You learn more from your mistakes. Nobody is perfect. You may think that but everyone makes mistakes. Just because we have different social classes doesn’t mean we aren’t humans. Sometimes people in higher social classes don’t care about anybody than themselves and that’s the real world. They don’t treat others like humans. No matter what social class you’re in you should still love and care for one another. They could be a stranger and you can just be kind to them. If they’re poor you can help them out. If you see something bad happening on the street help. We are humans and that’s what we do.
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Mia Taylor
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Artwork: Stephanie Beatriz
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“I Have a Dream” I believe that in order to create a better future you need to create a good present. In other words, the power of creating a valuable future is contained in the present moment. This played a role in the reason why I shot a picture of my three younger brothers, Santino, Luca, and Antonio, laughing and enjoying each other’s company in the moment. This was not the intentional picture I planned to take for this project, but I thought it held the truth about what I dreamed of as I approach the future. I intentionally planned to take a picture of my brothers stacked on top of each other, and I was going to say that my dream was to conquer whatever field that I end up in. As I was taking the photos, my brothers collapsed on top of each other and I ended up getting this shot, which I found so much more appreciation in. I hope that as I get older that I do not lose sense of the things that make me happy. I dream that I do not lose my innocence to the world, and the sight of the things that truly matter. I never want to take the world too seriously. Of course, I want to be successful, earn money, and
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work hard but at the end of the day all those things will be meaningless without happiness. I dream that the world will always give me people of good company. I hope that I am surrounded with people who uplift me and calls forth the best in me. Taking this photo of brothers made me realize the fun little moments that are hidden behind everyday, and how happiness is found in the simplest places.
I dream that I will always
surround myself with people who reflect who I want to be and how I want to feel because energies are contagious .
Essay & Photograph: Bella Floria
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“Longing for Love” Don’t get too comfortable Am I the only one who sees The only one who feels. Surrounded by anxiousness, loneliness and pain, oh and don’t forget that test on Tuesday, for that alone demands stress. You are worth a lot Don’t be so self centered. Oh and don’t forget you have to act perfection around that group of people you call friends Can’t even sleep can’t even dream...what is there to fantasize? Done with all of this… Lost in the billion or however many there are in the world Here I stand and here I stay, or do I, I am stuck in this matrix like world. Fake people fake places, nothing’s real am I real? Am I the only one who thinks like this? Lost in the mix, stand out, really? People come, feeling stays, growing like a weed, useless and unnecessary. Still miss you <3… it’s been a year now… Crazy…Right? Closure…. Poem:Stefanie Flores Artwork:Gabby Guercio
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STRUGGLE
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“Untitled” What makes us human is that we all make mistakes. We’re not perfect and to me that’s why we are human. No matter what, we always keep going even though we make mistakes. We are strong minded and dedicated too, whatever we put our mind to. No matter what happens we are going to get back up and keep thriving. -
Kimeion Spence
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Poetry & Artwork: Erica Holloway
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“Permanent” My past is my secret I don’t speak about it Not to family or friends For it makes me squirm when I remember I tried to push it away I tried to forget But that’s not possible War does things to a man War is permanent “A Found Poem” From: The Things they Carried by Tim O’Brien Created by: Ms. Medina’s sophomore English class
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Artwork: Gabby Guercio
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“A Found Poem” From: The Things they Carried by:Tim O’Brien Created by: Ms. Medina’s sophomore English class
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Poetry: Lauren Bartosz, Elizabeth Lipinski, Ryan Trost & Akash Srinivasulu
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“Untitled” My neighbor Johnny went to my house and told me that his wife died. Everytime I see him he's always amiable, but this time he wasn't. I've known Johnny for the longest time. We’re great friends, so of course I said he could crash with me for the night. I later regretted that decision. He came around 2:00 pm. I was concerned about why he came so early, but I didn't say anything because I'm letting him stay with me and didn't want to be rude. I told him to make himself at home, which he did. He went straight downstairs to the TV. It was weird. Shockingly he's never been inside my house all the many years we've known each other. Anyway, it was like he's been in my house before. It didn't bother me that much then, but in the meantime I went to my room and started watching some Parks and Rec. I was oblivious to the fact that he was looking at me through the crack of the door. I can't believe I didn't hear or see him. When I finished making dinner, I went to go get him, but when I walked down the stairs I didn't see him. The TV was on this show about dresses and how exquisite they were. It was weird. So for half an hour I was looking for him. I live in a fairly big house, so I knew I was going to be searching for a while. I was starting to get frustrated. For some odd reason I hadn’t looked in my bedroom, and there he was! Just standing in the corner. He didn't say anything. He just stood there giving me a sad look with a smile. I thought to myself why is he doing this?! After a few seconds of staring at this creep he said “I'm sorry, this is how I cope” and walked past me down the stairs. I was this close to kicking him out, but then I realized that his wife died, and remembered why he's here. I didn't want be be rude, so I let him stay but I made sure he didn't leave my sight. It was now around 7:30 when we had dinner. We didn't talk or anything, so it was a super awkward dinner. He finished dinner before me and then he went back down stairs. There was only one way in and out of the basement and that was through the basement door. The sink is right across from the basement door, so I could hear and see him if he came out, while I did the dishes. When I finished the dishes, I went downstairs to see if he was still there but when I walked down stairs I didn't see him! I was confused and scared. So I started to look around. I went back
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upstairs to my room and when I looked through my window I saw him next door in his house! It was 10:00pm and I had had enough. So I called it a night and went to bed but before I could get in the power goes out. I had to go downstairs and check the fuse box. When I was walking down the stairs, I heard a scream next to me. I quickly turned to where I think I heard the scream. Then I heard it again, and again and again. What I kept hearing was truly horrific. I started to get dizzy. I slipped and fell down the stairs landing on my head. I woke up to a faint laugh. It was creepy. I looked at the time. It was 3:00am, the Devil’s hour. The lights were still out, so I couldn't see. When I got up I saw something in front of the window. It was like a humanoid figure but then it vanished. I started to hear reptilian growls and started to panic and that's when I realized I should get out of the house. I wasn't going to be like the morons in horror movies who know that there's something in the house and decide to be gallant and stay in the haunted house for the rest of the night. Nope! I darted down the hall, but halfway before I got to the door I got stabbed. I was stabbed in the leg. I was dragging myself towards the door, but I felt like I was being held back. I looked behind me and saw a man! He was old, with gray skin, and he looked just like Johnny! But he had holes in his body! Holes so deep you can see right through him. I suddenly was able to loosen his grip and get out. I fell right on the stoop of my house, but when I looked back he was gone. I ran to my neighbor who was surprisingly still up, and I asked if I can use her phone to call the police. The police came at around 4:00am and when they did I told them everything. I told them about how notorious Johnny is and how he tried to hurt me! They didn't find any evidence of a Johnny fellow, or an old man. They didn't find any evidence of something that could stab me. I said that he is my neighbor. They looked at me weird and looked behind me. I was confused and looked behind me as well. There was no house next door. I told the police to check the cameras. My house has cameras in every room for safety reasons. That’s a story for another day. Anyway, they checked and they didn't see any fingerprints.
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I saw him looking through my door! I shouted at them. I showed them the clip but they didn't see anybody. All they saw was me on the floor, screaming, and looking back. They thought I was crazy… and then after that, they sent me here, to this insane asylum. Do you believe me doc? "Yes I do believe you." Thank you for believing me. I never had someone to talk about it till now. "What happened to you was truly a hapless experience." Yes, what I don't get is, why me? Why did he chose to attack me, am unlucky?! Out of all the people in the world why me?! "And you said this Jonny fellow appears in your dreams? Am I correct?" Yes, all the time! Do you believe me! Hey, answer me! Do you believe me! Answer me! “Stop struggling!” “Security!” “Do you have to fight everyday?” “See you tomorrow..." -
Vincent Polanco
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Poetry: Gianni Alfano
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FAITH
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“I Have a Dream” My dream is to one day affect the people and kids of the world through Christ. This picture is from a “discovery” retreat, that I lead last weekend. This picture is from when the kids on the retreat wrote down their biggest fears in their faith or there biggest doubts of God on a little piece of paper, and then they would nail them to the cross. My big dream in life is to lead people back to God in anyway I can, I love leading people back to Christ through my actions and how I talk. I love it when I can show someone the way towards Christ or help someone find Christ in their life. On this retreat it is for eighth graders to find their way in towards God before their confirmation this October. It’s an overnight retreat that starts at 8 in the morning Saturday and ends at 6 Sunday night. The eighth graders are forced to break down their walls right in the beginning of the retreat. Throughout the retreat there are things called witness talks, it is basically a talk about
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someone’s life but it relates back to a curtain topic. Now I had gone on this retreat my eighth grade retreat and I could say personally it has changed my life forever. I think this is why this picture as much as it symbolizes Jesus on the cross and has a lot of meaning for the eighth graders it means a lot more to me because now I am the one leading the retreat. I think it shows how I’ve grown in the light of God and how I will continue to grow in my faith. I think another thing that I think is cool in this photo is the dark to light ratio, I very much see the dark in the photo to represent the temptations and evil in the world, and the light shines right on the cross, it shows us that the light is in god and we should follow the light. - Zachary Gill
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Photograph: Sabrina Piekarski
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Battlegrounds You never realized, but you and I are a lot alike I may not know you but let me talk for a minute while I got this mike Your inner self is full of peace At least that’s what society thinks Nobody knows the inner demons or scars you face The challenges and heartbreaks you take And life isn’t easy that’s what everyone says Yours is different because that’s what God says God gives you challenges to embrace and you may not like them but He certainly does And many a times you may feel lost, but believe me God is giving you a way out Your life is a battleground and you have no army on your side and your fighting the demons you have inside, but God is your ultimate savior He will battle the others and be your protector. God gave you hard times to help you rise to new light, God gave you a voice, so you can use it as His choice. God never gave you weapons, but He gave you love, use that wisely and your battles will end. God is what makes us human, if you believe or not, I don’t know, but He still watches out for you, even in the bitter times in which you have lost all hope. He still will save you, and protect you.
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Varshika Karthi
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Poetry: Katherine Isoda
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PERSONALITY
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“Untitled” Personality and the way someone acts is how you truly see them. The way they act in front of people, the way they put themselves out there, the way they show who they truly are. Some people are closed off and hold into themselves how they feel. Some people can express every emotion and be completely ok with it. Certain people are fake and put up a front to those they don’t like. There are people who only want to make others happy and have a good time. While being in high school, you can truly see those type of people and by now we’ve learned how certain people are. Groups can leave people behind for the guy they like or the way they act. But once they’re pushed out of the group they don’t know what to do with themselves. They can feel regret for the mistake they made or sad because they feel there’s no one left. Everyone’s different in there own way and express how they are in a new type of way. It’s what makes us who we are, but some people can’t except it. They don’t allow us to be who we want to be, they can act the way they do to fit in with others. - Brayden Duff Artwork: Gabby Guercio
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“A Found Poem” From: The Things they Carried by Tim O’Brien Created by: Ms. Medina’s sophomore English class
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I Have a Dream
From the photo, the dream I have might not be directly anticipated. My dream is simply to live in Austin, Texas. Since I was about 12 years old, it has always been my dream to attend University of Texas in Austin. One of the main reasons for wanting to live in Austin is the music. The music in Austin is incredible and I can’t come up with a city that has better music. The influence of music on myself started with my father. If you don’t know who the man is in the photo, it is my father William Herbert Weisshaar. From the start of his life, he has always been in love with music. For him it’s not a hobby. It’s a passion. I remember from a young age that I
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would go to all of his gigs on the weekends. The atmosphere that he and his band members created was incredible, and it still is to this day. My dream in Austin isn’t to play music, but listen to everything the great town has to offer. My sister currently attends the University of Austin. I went to visit her a couple months ago in the fall and the university was incredible. I hope to get into the school and pursue a career in business as well as provide support for all of the incredible bands. When I was in Austin I saw one of the bands jam out to a Stevie Wonder song. Stevie Wonder is no doubt one of my top 5 favorite artists, and he always will be. The way that band played that song was incredible, and that wasn’t even the beginning of my dream. I hope to get into University of Texas, so I can be closer to my sister. And I would be absolutely blessed if my dad came down and saw a band with me. That would be the most remarkable moment of my life, and nothing would make me any happier. - Jacob Weisshaar
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Poetry & Artwork: Swarnika Sampat
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PASSION
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Power is what makes us human. The stronger or weaker you are, the more you feel the difference in life of how you’re treated no matter what you do. -
Randy Smith
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Photograph: Vincent Polanco
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“I Have A Dream Essay” My dream is to be an astronomer and explore the galaxy (but from the safety of Earth). I’ve always been into space and wondered else what was out there. I always used to ask my dad complex questions that he didn’t really know the answers to, such as “how big is the universe?” When I would go up to my lake house in Wisconsin, I would always love to go outside on the pier and look at the stars up in the sky. There’s no light pollution because we live on the outskirts of a small town, so you can see thousands of tiny twinkling stars dotting the black sky. I was always interested in full moons and shooting stars. In fact, my lake house is where I saw my first shooting star.
I
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don’t want to be an astronomer for the reasons we’re interested in space today. I’m not going to be invested in proving/finding that life exists elsewhere in the universe besides Earth (though I guess it would be nice to be one of the first to know when we do find it, because it’s inevitable) or colonizing Mars. I want to be an astronomer because I want to discover and be able to truly understand all the mysteries of how our universe works, or at least be of aid to those who will solve them one day. My photo is what I do sometimes late at night: I sit outside, sometimes with a pair of binoculars and a star map on my phone. The binoculars are somewhat helpful but I prefer to not use them and have a wider field of vision. Sometimes it’s helpful to pull up a star map website on my phone so I can find the different constellations. This map uses the location of your phone to pinpoint which stars you’re able to see, so it’s quite helpful. I could stay out there for hours, just watching the stars twinkle. I’m amazed every time I see them. The night sky will never cease to take my breath away in its beauty. I want to spend the rest of my life dreaming and researching the universe, in all its infinite glory. Essay & Photograph: Shea Slaten
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A Star Filled Night
Artwork: Gabby Guercio
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“A Found Poem” From: The Things they Carried by Tim O’Brien Created by: Ms. Medina’s sophomore English class
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Photograph: Vincent Polanco
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“I
Have a Dream”
This photograph represents my past, my present and my future. Making music is beautiful to me. It’s soothing, calming and inspirational for the most part. I feel like when people listen to music it controls their state of mind. When I get older I want my music to have that effect on people. I want them to feel happy, energetic and willing to do more. I want people to chase their dreams even if they don’t feel like it. Music can bring such joy to a person. With my music, I want to be able to reach out to people and give them a sort of comfort. I want to bring everybody together even though we will forever be separated. In the 16 years of my life, I’ve always had a love for music. I know that may sound normal because most people love music but my love for music is different from everybody else’s. I work and I listen to music every single day to perfect my craft. I love to produce and I like to make songs on my downtime. Most people say they want to be a rapper or something of that nature, but they only want to do it for the money and the fame. That’s not genuine and that’s not why I want to be a producer. I want to reach out to people and give them a feeling of comfort and security. The money and fame is just the upside to it. It’s not my goal. I feel like if I get the right exposure to the right people I can be something big and make sure everybody can follow their dreams. Most kids nowadays just want to fit in and not follow their own dreams but I want to change that. My messages to younger kids and teens my age is It’s OK to be weird and it’s OK not to fit in, follow your dreams and everything will be just fine. Essay & Photograph: Amerah Giles
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Artwork: Gabby Guercio
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Photograph: Vincent Polanco
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Photograph: Vincent Polanco
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Photograph: Vincent Polanco
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Artwork: Stefanie Flores
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