MIDDLE SCHOOL presents
DIVERSIONS 2014-2015
Dear Reader, It is with great pride that I present the literary and artistic work of our talented Middle School students here at Norfolk Collegiate. Since its beginning in 2005, Diversions continues to showcase our young artists and writers, offering a place to present their work beyond the classroom walls. This collection is but a small glimpse into the efforts of our students, who have worked all year long to cultivate perceptions of their world. To capture these ideas in words and images is no small feat. I applaude each and every student for their dedication and thoughtfulness, as well as for taking the risk of sharing their creativity with us. I would also like to extend special thanks to our English teachers, Mrs. Hastings and Ms. Belle, and art teachers, Mrs. Schero and Mrs. Wright, for coaching our students to these creations. Gratitude, too, to Mrs. Schero for compiling this issue. Enjoy! Dr. Chuck McCormick Head of the Middle and Upper Schools Norfolk Collegiate
© 2015 Norfolk Collegiate Middle School All rights reserved. All contents used by permission. STAFF English Department: Lindsey Belle and Julieanne Hastings Art Department: Cathy Wright and Jennifer Schero Graphic Design: Jennifer Schero COVER: Oil pastel and paint, Matthew Wright, Grade 8 The name Diversions was selected in 2004-2005 by students in former teacher David Smith’s Choice Time activity bell. These students were the first to produce the literary art magazine.
Watercolor Painting, Sydney Music, Grade 8
A dictionary definition of the word diversion is, “something that distracts the mind and relaxes, or entertains,” which we hope to do with our literary and visual works of art! 2
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Literary Works
Don’t be a Coward By Victoria Jones
SIXTH GRADE Six Word Memoirs
It’s not right 8
Book Review: The Giver by Lois Lowery 12 By Abby McMonagle
Book Review: Watch the Sky by Kirsten Hubbard 13 By Bronte Unrein
27
By Chapman Holt
Everyone Should be Equal
28
By Isaiah Boyd
Drifting Away
28
Tyler Hamlin
Real Courage
29
By Andrew Hair
The Death March
SEVENTH GRADE The Sin
20 20 21 21 22 22
By Coral Bowman
4
33
Black and White
34
No! No! No!
34
The Story Of Anne Frank
35
By Shavonna Waldo
23
By Bren Coakley
We Hurt ‘Em Anyways
Looking out the Window
By Alex Thibodeau
By Abe Musselmani
The Legend of Reparation
33
By Marlin Adams
By Antonio Gao
Hatred
A New Day
By Archana Menawat
By Chas LeHew
Black or White Truth
32
By Emily Scott
By Jonathan Peck
Courage
Holocaust Poem By John Livingood
By Alexis Blackwell
Locked Away
31
By Jaden Bullock
By Ashley Stack
The Good or the Evil
37
Majority Rule
35
By Peter Francis
27
The Legend of Nuó Tiānwāng By Elliot Baccanari
36
The Accuser
37 38 39 39 40 41 41 43 43 44 44
Blurred Lines
51
Loneliness
52
Reflect
52
Look Around
53
Why
53
It’s About A Mockingbird
54
By Elizabeth Hughes
45
By Jon Krueger
A Mockingbird to Remember Difference
51
By Annabeth Cary
By Perry McKay
Justice is Blind
When I Was Innocent
By Nolwen Andre
By Emily Hastings
Courage
50
By Jordan Familant
By Kaitlin W. Paasch
Used to Be
Prejudice
By Grayson Blake
By Jesse Mirman
Circumstances
49
By Skylar Tessler
By Tyler Huckaby
Understanding is a Two-Way Street
Forget
By Logan White
By Austin Doyle
Let Justice Be Done
49
By Kendall Harper
By Rachel Cooke
Thoughts
Arthur or Boo
By Binal Patel
By Will Frankenberry
Broken Glass
48
By Brandon Pettrey
By Evelyn Gardner
Equality
Lies By River Smith
By Ella Bashara
Education
48
By Brooke Rogers
By Juliet Lancey
Courage
Growing Up
All Lies
55
By Anna Flynn
47 47
Flowers and Rocks
55
By Sam Janovetz
By Raymond Tahhan 5
The Real World
56
By Hailey Hux
Book Review: Silence by Natasha Preston
Fighting On 65
76
By Ray Domena
Holocaust Poem
86
By Selim Benis
By Nolwen Andre
Think
56
Remember
By Olivia Petty
I Can’t See
By Jordan Laster
57
By Hannah Hindmarsh
The Struggle of Being Poor
58
By Emmett Jefferson
Mr. Arthur Radley
58
By Dylan McCavitt
Loss of Innocence
59
By Mary Pembroke Kahler
It’s a Sin
59
By Dylan Pausch
The Sins There Are
60
By Zack Stack
Them
60
By Joshua Reed
Poor and Innocent Boo Radley
61
By Jake Reaghard
What is Bravery?
61
By Tabitha Thornton
Do your Duty
62
By Spencer King
Book Review: In The End by Demitria Lunetta
63
Genocide
68
Racism- Spoken Word Poem
68 69 70 71 71 72 73
Stand Up Cancer Alone Silence
74
Back in Time
80
By Thomas Chatman
The Dear and the Hunter
80
WHY ME By Parker Purrington
One Word
89
A Storm without End
90
Terrorism
90
Spoken Word Poem
91
By Lexi Hirschfeld
81
What if we were all the same?
92
By Maxwell Voos
81
Fight for What’s Right
92
By Gabrielle Toomy
84
Secrets within a Rose
93
By Sydney Music
84
A Responsible Citizen
96
By Ravi Palat
85
By Trip Walden
75
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By Matthew Yoeun
By Parsa Sirjani
74
Rolling Stone
By Stella Escano
By Kelsey Soskin
By Max Golovsky
By Rachel Sutelan
79
By Alex Potter
By Catherine Perrine
Global Warming
The Man and the Soldier
88
By Halimat Kadri
By Anna Winn
By Jenna Lancey
Pebbles and Waves
79
By Rae Tancredi
By Chris Bunch
Indigo
Silence...
The Lie that Blinds
By Calie Quinn
By Allison Casper
By Kahli Rahn
World Hunger
78
By Miller Solomon
By Lila Spurgeon
Spoken Word
The Weapons Of Liberty
86
By Gabby Allen
By Jake Georges
By Meg Lockhart
I’m a Girl
78
By Ally Symmes
By Megan Silverman
Making a Move
Global Warming and Overpopulation
The Eyes of the Brave By Reagan Alsop
By Sarah Kirven
By Matthew Wright
Gender Identity 64
Year Round Schooling
EIGHTH GRADE
A Responsible Citizen
Zack Stack
Book Review: Life As We Knew It
77
Speechless
97
By David Britt
85
Fight for What’s Right
98
By Gabrielle Toomy
By Andrew Hair
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Let It Out
98
By Austin Fattizzi
The Beginning of the End
99
By Chris Robertson
Hope
99
By Bryce Whitlock
Untitled
100
By Chase Wallace
The Thing to Do
102
By Alex Pitts
Please Wake Up
103
By Caylee Hirschfeld
Open Your Eyes
104
By Christopher Sarris
The Light of the Future
104
By Jacob Roth
Childhood Cancer
105
By Whitley Monroe
Living In The Darkness
106
By Mitchell Maguire
Rise Up and Save Us
107
By Justin Silverman
Book Review: I am The Messenger
108
By Emma Wentworth
Book Review: I Hunt Killers By Logan Michelon
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Works of Art Watercolor Painting, Sydney Music, Grade 8
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Amate Inspired Painting by Kaylee Bejarano, Grade 6
14
Mandala Watercolor, Annie Livingood, Grade 6
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Amate Inspired Painting by Max Edwards, Grade 6
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Mandala Watercolor, Bronte Unrein, Grade 6
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Amate Inspired Painting by Ander Crenshaw, Grade 6
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Mandala Watercolor, Josh Stubbs-Yates, Grade 6
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Henna Hand, CJ Lockard, Grade 6
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Amate Inspired Painting by Ava Link, Grade 6
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Amate Inspired Painting by Sebastian Portillo, Grade 6
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Mandala Watercolor, Abby McMonagle Grade 6
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Amate Inspired Painting by Ryan Williams,Grade 6
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Mandala Watercolor, Jessica Magee, Grade 6
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Amate Inspired Painting by Sidney Jordan, Grade 6
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Amate Inspired Painting by Gabe Foleck, Grade 6
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Amate Inspired Painting by Taylor O’Neal, Grade 6,
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Amate Inspired Painting by Gina Leanzo Grade 6
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Aboriginal Bark Painting by Isabella DuprĂŠ, Grade 6
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Aboriginal Bark Painting by Ava Georgo, Grade 6
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Aboriginal Bark Painting by Emily Skroch, Grade 6
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Aboriginal Bark Painting by Harry Ramsey, Grade 6
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Wire Sculpture, Tabitha Thornton, Grade 7
41
Aboriginal Bark Painting by Emma Kalingking, Grade 6
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Paper Relief, Archana Menawat Grade 7
46
Aboriginal Bark Painting by Justin Millington, Grade 6
24
Wire Sculpture, Ella Bashara, Grade 7
49
Aboriginal Bark Painting by AJ Galiotos, Grade 6
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Wire Sculpture, Anna Flynn, Grade 7
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Aboriginal Bark Painting by Skylar Anne Foster, Grade 6
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Charcoal Still Life, Susan Rae Tancredi, Grade 7
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Aboriginal Bark Painting by Bronte Unrein, Grade 6
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Colored Pencil and Marker, Rachel Perdue Sutelan, Grade 7
53
Aboriginal Bark Painting by Dylan Rowell, Grade 6
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Charcoal Still Life, River Smith, Grade 7
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Aboriginal Bark Painting by Caroline James, Grade 6
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Modular Unit Sculpture, Sammi Janovetz, Grade 7
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Torn Magazine Collage, Perry McKay, Grade 7
26
Modular Unit Sculpture, Hailey Hux, Grade 7
56
Wire Sculpture, Raymond Tahhan, Grade 7
32
Charcoal Still Life, Kaitlin Paasch, Grade 7
58
Color Pencil and Marker Quilt, Brooke Rogers, Grade 7
32
Foam Sculpture, Mary Pembroke Kahler, Grade 7
61
Wire Sculpture, Skylar Tesslar, Grade 7
32
Zentangle Collage, Anna Flynn, Grade 7
63
Wire Sculpture, Coral Bowman, Grade 7
33
Still Life Collage, Nolwen Andre, Grade 7
65
Wire Sculpture, Hannah Hindmarsh, Grade 7
33
Watercolor, Kendall Harper, Grade 7
70
Wire Sculpture, Evelyn Gardner, Grade 7
33
Watercolor Painting, Gabrielle Toomy, Grade 8
74
Torn Magazine Collage, Jaden Bullock Grade 7
33
Wire Sculpture, Jake Georges, Grade 8
77
Color Pencil and Marker Quilt, Annabeth Cary, Grade 7
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Magazine Collage, Christopher Sarris, Grade 8
80
Oil Pastel and Paint, Tyler Huckaby, Grade 7
37
Wire Sculpture, Miller Solomon, Grade 8
81
Glazed Ceramic Heads, Middle School Three-Dimensional Art
38
Colored Pencil and Marker Quilt, Justin Silverman, Grade 8
83
Modular Unit Sculpture, Caylee Hirschfeld, Grade 7
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Charcoal Still Life, Jenna Lancey, Grade 8
84
Wire Sculpture, Juliet Lancey, Grade 7
40
Modular Sculpture, Whitley Monroe, Grade 8
85
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Zentangle Collage, Allison Casper, Grade 8
91
Oil Pastel and Paint, Maxwell Vooss, Grade 8
95
Zentangle Collage, Logan Michelon, Grade 8
103
Paper Relief, Kahli Rahn, Grade 8
105
Charcoal Still Life, Gabrielle Allen, Grade 8
110
Still Life Collage by Austin Fattazzi, Grade 8
111
Watercolor and Ink, Selim Benis, Grade 8
114
Oil Pastels and Paint, Ally Symmes, Grade 8
115
Oil Pastel and Paint, Emma Wentworth, Grade 8
116
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Mandala Watercolor, Annie Livingood, Grade 6
Mandala Watercolor, Bronte Unrein, Grade 6
Grade 6 Amate Inspired Painting by Kaylee Bejarano, Grade 6
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Amate Inspired Painting by Max Edwards, Grade 6
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Six Word Memoirs Keep trying and never give up. Kaylee Bejarano
Procrastination: The bane of your existence. Amelia Berz
Athlete and student equal great oak. Jimmy Bugg
Every problem has a beautiful solution Nash Claywell
Look to the heavens, your destination. Dana Connor
Good friends, good laughs, good times. Finley Conners
Always remember: don’t hurry, don’t worry. Ander Crenshaw
Honestly, drama doesn’t make sense anymore! Annie Livingood
The procrastination monster will haunt you! Ellie Smith
If you work hard, results arrive. CJ Lockard
Harder work, closer friends, competitive sports. Russell Solomon
Change is scary; different is good. Jessica Magee
Play sports, they are really fun. Max Swartz
Was scared, was fine, now happy! Abby McMonagle
Dang it, I cracked my ipad. Thomas Walden
Homework will haunt you until done. Justin Millington
Work hard or you have regrets. Harrison Williams
I forgot money for the donuts. Caden Obermeyer
Use your imagination when making projects Ryan Williams
Down the rabbit hole, yet again! Skylar Anne Foster
Always gunning to get the A. A.J. Galiotos
Really?! Is it 7th grade already? Logan Gaskin
Don’t ever forget your locker code. Ava Georgo
Procrastination. Time Stealer. Don’t Wait. Go! Veronica Gross
It’s not all bad, just most. Sidney Jordan
Sixth grade is a new world. Taylor O’Neal
Organization is key in sixth grade Sebastian Portillo
Some things are tough, others easy. Caroline James
Always forgive, give help, help others. Gabe Rahn
Morning classes, lunch, afternoon classes, done. Emma Kalingking
Do homework, get through, hard work. Harry Ramsey
Good grades are key to success. Ava Knox
Always keep your glass half full. Ellie Robertson
True friends will send you assignments. Gina Leanzo
Go to every single class prepared. Dylan Rowell
Procrastination will never get you anywhere. Ava Link
Pens, pencils, and papers... all gone! Emily Skroch
Try hard to succeed in school. Josh Yates
New experiences, new challenges, new you. Bronte Unrein
Good times, Good friends: Sixth grade. Riley Cunningham
If I Can, You Can Too! Isabella Dupré
Procrastination is another word for failure. Max Edwards
I try hard to do well. Gabe Foleck
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Amate Inspired Painting by Ander Crenshaw, Grade 6
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Amate Inspired Painting by Sidney Jordan, Grade 6
Mandala Watercolor, Josh Stubbs-Yates, Grade 6
Mandala Watercolor, Abby McMonagle Grade 6
Amate Inspired Painting by Ryan Williams,Grade 6
Amate Inspired Painting by Taylor O’Neal, Grade 6, Henna Hand, CJ Lockard, Grade 6
Amate Inspired Painting by Sebastian Portillo, Grade 6
Mandala Watercolor, Jessica Magee, Grade 6 Amate Inspired Painting by Gabe Foleck, Grade 6
Amate Inspired Painting by Ava Link, Grade 6
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Book Review: The Giver by Lois Lowery
Book Review: Watch the Sky by Kirsten Hubbard
By Abby McMonagle
By Bronte Unrein
Second Place 2015 Friends of Norfolk Public Library Book Review Competition
Have you ever wanted to change the world? Lois Lowery’s dystopian novel, filled with rich symbolism, questions society and how it uses history and individual’s memory to function. The protagonist, Jonas, fears the day when he will be assigned his lifelong career. This assignment will permanently change him. How do they decide what he should do? What if they’re wrong or he doesn’t like his assignment? The theme and setting in Lois Lowerys’ The Giver, challenges perspectives on society and individuality.
What would it be like if you never knew when your birthday was, and you had share with every other person your age? Well, in this book this is what goes on because there is no individuality. The celebration of twelve celebrates individuality for the first time. Everyone in Jonas’s town ignores unusual eyes and strange abilities. But these abilities bring up positive, lasting changes to the community. The importance of memory is the most important theme in this book. Jonas learns that there is no pain without memory, and that true happiness can’t be found without memory. Jonas’ town is a perfect world to all of the townsmen, but is it really that perfect? It may seem perfect with no pain, hunger, fear and conflict. But in order to keep a society like that you have to issue strict rules. Rules as strict as what adjectives you’re allowed to use. This “perfect” utopian world suddenly turns into a nightmare for Jonas. The Giver will challenge perspectives on society and individuality using fantastic detail to keep you on the edge of your seat. Jonas shows how to stand up for what you believe is right. The Giver is a book where after you finish reading it you want to pick it right back up and read it again. The long lasting friendship between the Giver and Jonas is one you will never forget. “For the first time, he heard something that he knew to be music. He heard people singing. Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps, it was only an echo” (p. 225).
“Jory knew his family was different from other families... No, Jorys family was a different kind of different.” Most Third Place families don’t watch for signs, hide their daughters, or distrust 2015 Friends of Norfolk everyone. The realistic fiction novel, Watch the Sky by Kirsten Hubbard is a captivating story of how a boy changes and Public Library Book Review Competition grows through a heartfelt conflict while incorporating a memorable message. Live in the present, not the future. When Jory explains to Alice that his family is preparing for a “danger” in the future she tells him, “When you spend so much of your life worried about the future... you forget to live” (pg. 121). This novel explains that you can’t worry too much about the future because you will forget about the present. Caleb, Jory’s stepfather, believes so strongly in the mysterious thing he thinks will happen, that Jory and his family spent almost every second of their lives preparing by digging a shelter, not trusting anyone, and keeping Kit (Jory’s sister) a secret. Jory never gets to be part of a normal family, to be a kid, and have fun. Many people might have this problem and might not even realize it. Some people might worry about college, careers, marriage, retirement, and many other things so much that they don’t get to experience the present. It’s always great to be prepared, but you can’t always worry about one thing. You have to take life one step at a time. Jory faces an inner conflict in this story about whether or not he is doing the right thing trusting in what Caleb says. In the beginning, Jory trusts everything Caleb tells him without question, but he begins to uncover secrets kept from him. “Sometimes Jory felt like he lived in a maze, with walls blocking off the best directions.” Jory tells himself that not trusting Caleb is betrayal to his family and he doesn’t know what to do, but some things change his perspective. For example when Jory stays for dinner at Alice’s house he sees how her family acts with each other and notices their fun, carefree dinner conversation. He compares that to how his family interacts with each other and sees the tension in his family. When he uncovers the secret in the barn he starts to wonder what else Caleb has hidden from him about his future. When Jory finally puts together the pieces he realizes what he must do to resolve his conflict and protect his true family. This novel wonderfully illustrates an ongoing battle faced by the main character and shows how he grows from facing his conflict. The motivating and inspiring message of this story is that you can’t focus on the future or you will miss the present. You can’t control everything. Sometimes you have to let life work itself out. Watch the Sky by Kirsten Hubbard is a mysterious tale, sure to please readers of all ages. Its relatable characters and unique situations guarantee that you won’t be able to put this book down.
Amate Inspired Painting by Gina Leanzo Grade 6
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Aboriginal Bark Painting by Isabella DuprĂŠ, Grade 6
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Aboriginal Bark Painting by Ava Georgo, Grade 6
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Emily Skroch, Grade 6 Emma Kalingking, Grade 6
AJ Galiotos, Grade 6
Dylan Rowell, Grade 6
Justin Millington, Grade 6 Skylar Anne Foster, Grade 6
Harry Ramsey, Grade 6
Aboriginal Bark Paintings Sixth Grade Art
Caroline James, Grade 6
Ellie Smith, Grade 6
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Bronte Unrein, Grade 6
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Grade 7 Torn Magazine Collage, Perry McKay, Grade 7
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The Sin
The Good or the Evil
Locked Away
Courage
By Ashley Stack
By Alexis Blackwell
By Jonathan Peck
By Chas LeHew
A drinking streak, A mean streak, A gambling streak, A funny streak. What was one Negro? A sin. More or less, two hundred of ‘em? Sins. Racism had been here for a while: But for a while could mean three days, Or thirty years. In the court room we hear: That man over there raped me! But what the children hear: Hypocrite! Hypocrite! Children aren’t the ones that are corrupt... It’s us! I know why he stays inside… It’s because he wants to. I think that there are only one kind of folks; Folks. You don’t really know someone until you climb in their skin, Walk in their shoes. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.
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The good, Young eyes, Holding on tight to that teddy bear, Like it’s their only piece of compassion, They see the bigger picture, We’re all the same, Equal, Beautiful, And unique, The evil, Old eyes, Finally dropped the bear they’ve held on to forever, Just to fit in, No peace of mind, They see the smaller picture, We are different, Color, Hair, Ethnicity, All the differences stand out, now which one are you going to be, The young eyes or the old, The good or the evil. (This poem’s theme was good or evil and how younger eyes see the good in other people but the older eyes see the evil things they think about other people. This poem also has to do with To Kill a Mockingbird for example Scout only saw the good in other people and saw how everyone was equals, where Ms. Caroline saw the evil in other people and was only interested in things from her point of view.)
I stay in my house all day. People wonder why I’m locked away. Every day I hear the children play. The kids are so innocent and happy. They aren’t the reason I stay locked away. Every day I hear the adults saying racial slurs. I don’t want to hear the hatred. Why can’t they stop, why must they hate, why not get along? I want to help but I’m afraid. I don’t want them to do the same to me. I believe that our differences make us who we are. Like Martin Luther King Jr. Once said. “I have a dream where people live in a nation where they’re not judged by the color of their skin”. We don’t need to judge a book by its cover. I want to make that legacy live on. America is the land of opportunity. America is not the land of oppression. America is where freedom rings. Race, religion, and gender are just words. These words would mean nothing if we could all get along. If we could all get along I wouldn’t be locked away.
I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand when you were licked a hundred years before is no reason not to try to win. You begin anyway, you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. You just hold your head high keep those fists down. this is a truth that applies to the human race to no particular race of men No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change you’re children and you can understand it. It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, He was the bravest person I ever knew. He was real nice Most people are. With him, life was routine without him, life was unbearable.
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Black or White Truth
Hatred
By Antonio Gao
By Abe Musselmani
Black or white truth Truth is this Some lie Some are immoral Some are not to be trusted around women Black or white Truth applies to human race To no particular race of men Not a person who hasn’t lied Done an immoral thing Looked upon a woman with desire One kind of folks One kind of people Still equals Thomas Jefferson, all men created equal We know all men are not created equal Equal rights for all Special privileges for none Maddening superiority unbearable and unfair advantages over most things All alike, why go out of their way to despise each other Black or white truth
I was sitting on the ground Listening to the crackling fire Watching society go down Hypocrisy is taking a big role in society People judging their own kind Just because they don’t look like you Just because you think that they don’t fit in So much racism that it could fill up the universe Blacks being mistreated Like aliens from another universe I see no problem I guess people believe what they hear But it’s not right I don’t know why they go to different schools Different water fountains Different restrooms Why is this It scares me to live in a world like this A world of hatred It scares me to grow up Scared to see the future My dad tells me not to hate them for they Are the same I want to make a couple of black friends But I’d get teased for it People call me A negro lover Do not hate them for they are The same
The Legend of Reparation By Bren Coakley
“Daddy, she’s dead.” “Who? How?” “It’s mommy. She’s on the floor and isn’t breathing.” This is the story of Reparation, an average girl until her mother, the Goddess of Art, died lying right in front of her. Reparation was twelve years old when this astonishing incident happened. It was May 3rd when her mother passed, four days before her birthday. When her mother died, her dad, the God of Fire, asked her what she wanted for her birthday.
Reparation replied with “For mommy to come back to life.” When Reparation’s father heard what she said, her dad was so sad but knew he had to be brave for her daughter.
Three days passed and it was almost Reparation’s birthday. For her birthday her dad held a ceremony for her mother’s passing. That day was when Reparation finally realized that she had to do something about this and make sure that no one else would ever suffer in pain like she and her father did. After the ceremony, Reparation told her dad what her plan was. Her father didn’t react like she thought he would. Instead he was all for it and told Reparation that he would love to help her if she would let him. From that day forward Reparation’s life changed and so did her fathers.
All Reparation needed to do was two things. Find someone who would help her turn into a Goddess and find someone sick to cure. That’s when she first met Angel, the Goddess of power, at church. Angel had many powers and the one that Reparation needed most was help to turn herself into a Goddess so that she could cure the sick. Angel made sure that Reparation knew that this might not work, but Reparation told her that she knew what she was getting herself into.
Reparation knew she had to find someone that was sick and in need of help. Reparation started looking at local hospitals and asked around if she could help anyone. Finally she found someone named Charlene. Reparation had no clue who this lady was but when she found her, she quickly raced to the church to find Angel. When Reparation and Charlene got to the church, it crossed Reparation’s mind that maybe she should find out who this lady was. A couple minutes later Reparation found out that Charlene had been battling stage four breast cancer just like her mom and was getting sicker by the minute. Reparation knew she had to find Angel to tell her that she needed the power to help cure 30
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Color Pencil and Marker Quilt, Brooke Rogers, Grade 7
Wire Sculpture, Hannah Hindmarsh, Grade 7 Wire Sculpture, Evelyn Gardner, Grade 7
Wire Sculpture, Raymond Tahhan, Grade 7
Torn Magazine Collage, Jaden Bullock Grade 7
Wire Sculpture, Skylar Tesslar, Grade 7 Wire Sculpture, Coral Bowman, Grade 7
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Color Pencil and Marker Quilt, Annabeth Cary, Grade 7
people like Charlene. When she finally found Angel, Reparation told her and Angel felt so bad. Angel finally told Reparation that there’s not just one step. Reparation was shocked and mad because she couldn’t help Charlene, but if in the next 24 hours she completes the last two steps, she might be able to save Charlene’s life.
It was time to test Reparation’s skills on Charlene. Angel asked Reparation if she knew the words to call on the lord so she could cure the spell, but Reparation had no clue what to say. They had very little time left. Charlene was going to die soon if Reparation hadn’t done anything quickly so she opened her mouth and spit out the words “Lord god almighty this woman needs your help. I am calling on you to make her stronger and braver. Lord god.”
“It worked, it worked she’s cured Reparation!” said Angel.
We Hurt ‘Em Anyways
It’s not right
By Coral Bowman
By Chapman Holt
Enough years had gone by, To enable us to look back. I said the Ewells started it all, Jem said it began long before that, It began the summer Dill came to us. When Dill gave us the idea, Of making Boo Radley come out. Now I understand why, Boo Radley’s stayed inside the house..... Because he wants to stay inside. Then came, The night of November 21, She was mighty banged up, Asked who hurt her, Said it was Tom Robinson. This is an assumption, An evil assumption, That all Negroes lie, That all Negroes are immoral beings, That all Negroes are no to be trusted. Why? After all, Thomas Jefferson once said, That all men are created equal. It’s a sin, To kill a mockingbird. To kill a mockingbird, Is a sin. No matter how you say it, It means the same thing. Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music, Don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out. But it ain’t right..... Yet, we hurt ‘em anyways.
“It’s not right” Yells a young boy Whose skin is black as night Is forced to live in a cruel society. “It’s not right!” He yells again. Leaving his church And running to the white church In an effort to stop the cruelty. “It’s not right!” He yells again Bursting through the door Yelling “End the racism!” “End the segregation!” He is being attacked By people that hate him Because he is black He is taken outside And beaten senselessly. “It’s not right!” Are his final words. It’s not right How a boy as young as freshly fallen snow Is killed just because he wanted things to be right.
Everyone was in shock and didn’t ever think that what Reparation did would work. Reparation could now go on with her life knowing that she cured a sick and weary old woman battling stage four breast cancer. From this day forward Reparation was known as a savior and a healer. 34
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Everyone Should be Equal By Isaiah Boyd
I wanted you to see what real courage is With him, life was routine; without him, life was unbearable You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view until you climb into his skin and walk around in it As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life you just hold your head high and keep those fists down They told me to delete the adjectives and I’d have the facts. I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks
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Drifting Away
Real Courage
Tyler Hamlin
By Andrew Hair
I used to be cool, But that was before the accident. I never saw the light of day again, And the last time I saw another human was at least a century ago. All I remember was a black convertible speeding passed me, With its radio cranked to full blast slamming into a tanker truck, And the explosion. The crash of the car, The boom of the gas tank, The crunch of every bone in my body. What will my friends think of me? Will I be known as that dumb popular kid that dropped out? Or will I be known as that dumb kid that gets in car accidents? It’s not my fault, I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I hope my best friends understand, But then there are at least twenty others that won’t. I will forever be known as that kid. That kid that won’t be able to do anything with his life because of his own actions. But they weren’t my actions. If I could I would go to the driver of the black convertible and punch him and kick him, But I can’t because he ruined his life, And mine. If I had one wish it would be that my friends would finally understand, Understand that it wasn’t me who threw my life away.
Oil Pastel and Paint, Tyler Huckaby, Grade 7
I wanted you to see something about her... She was the bravest person I ever knew I wanted you to see what real courage is... She died beholden to nothing and nobody She won, all 98 pounds of her Courage isn’t just a man with a gun in his hand... He was the deadest shot in all of Maycomb county “Dead Shot”, he echoed It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin... If you shouldn’t be defendin’ him, then why are you doin’ it? But you begin anyway... Atticus, are we going to win it?, No honey. And you see through it no matter what... No reason for us not to try to win You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Thus began our longest journey together
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The Death March By Jaden Bullock
There was no train We have to walk Only with half a loaf of bread It was going to be the worst march ever We all knew we were marching to our death With that it was cold It was snowing Some of us didn’t have shoes Luckily some people did I was one of them People died from the cold People died from starvation After they die some people took their food The Nazis also shot some Lagging behind We all knew The war was here But how long is it going to last? Planes flew by And bombs exploded near So near everyone could hear The loud sound going “boom, boom”
Even though it was illegal, The guards didn’t care though They usually got some too I thank those people Some of us would have died And no one was ready to go weeks without food But with them we went only three days at max But some towns didn’t give us food So we just marched A few weeks went by The march was over A couple more weeks went by The war was over No more really hard work No more camps It was over
Exhausted from walking But we got to sleep Not that well on the cold ice sleet Some would wake up the next day And began walking again While walking I realized People are still nice Like the town that was giving us bread
Modular Unit Sculpture, Caylee Hirschfeld, Grade 7
Glazed Ceramic Heads Middle School Three-Dimensional Art
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Holocaust Poem
A New Day
By John Livingood
By Emily Scott
I looked up one day, to see a cold moist rain I look to my torah to see if my god could take away the pain I hear shots far away, and cries of dismay, then stop because they have been relieved The radio blares on, saying the allies are here!!! But too late for us in the ghetto I fear, the city is filled with blood, with tears. Then I feel a tear run down my face, I wanted the Nazis to die! I want them to feel what I feel, hatred, disgrace! Then I rush down the stairs to the back door, look at me a madman, looking to kill a Nazi, one or two at least. Then I rush into an alleyway too dark too see, then I feel a hand on my soldier, that came from a man who then said: “follow me” Then I am lead to a house, dark in the windows and quiet as a mouse. He turns the knob slowly and I follow him in, he feels around at the hard wooden floor, he feels around for a second, then aha! He opened a trapdoor! Then I climb down the stairs, and see men dressed in black, men dressed in grey, all colors that seem to fly by these days. Then in the center of the room, there is a box, a crate almost. One if the men speaks out, his face white and pale, almost like a ghost. He then says: “it’s time to take back our rights from them, we will get revenge for our families, our friends! That night we all leave quietly, but in the morning we meet again. For we will avenge our family and friends. We meet in the square with Germans telling us 40
to move out, then one man pulls out his gun and shoots a soldier dead. Then an officer reaches for his gun but gunned down, a bullet straight through his head. Then we all rush forward, shooting and letting out what we feel, actually fighting for something that’s real. Then I feel a sharp pain in my back, then I feel no more. My eyes shut down, and my spirit leaves this earthy ground. And I am finally at peace because I have been set free.
Sunrise Innocent, new Like a beautiful light chased all the darkness away Everything is calm Everything is beautiful The sun is high in the sky Learning constantly People, love, life Becoming curious about what’s to come next What’s in store What’s in the box Dawn is coming soon The darkness begins to come back Racism, cruelty, hypocrisy It all floods in at once Someone opened the box The darkness comes faster Lying, ignorance, hatred Until the light is almost gone Darkness consumes the world But life goes on No one even remembers the light Things just become darker and darker All there is left is hope Like little lights in the sky Sunset
Looking out the Window By Archana Menawat
Wire Sculpture, Juliet Lancey, Grade 7
Looking out the window, I see everything there is in the town. The people walking down the streets, Their minds are the same.
Wire Sculpture, Tabitha Thornton, Grade 7
Everyone has the same thought. You’re wrong, I’m right. Looking out the window, I see their faces as blank as a sheet of paper. Nothing is different. Even though they know it’s wrong, They still do it. Everyone goes left, Instead of right. Except that one person who resists, But has no impact. Looking out the window, There is nothing interesting. If I find something different, Like children having fun, I still stay sitting, Looking out the window. 41
Black and White
No! No! No!
By Marlin Adams
By Alex Thibodeau
I love the older movies It was a time where acting was a true beauty In black and white There were no big fights or huge frights People didn’t care if you were a different race As long as your acting captivates In a just world we would be like movies As long as a person was good at heart You didn’t care about how they looked If you, we can look past the color of a person’s skin As a world we can begin Begin to understand ones problems And see a person of a different race A person with just a different face We are all unique We have similar interests And interests are different But we put aside our differences Because a world of hate Is a world that hasn’t solved all of its problems I love older movies Because in black and white Is s a world we can finally live in peace
A leader for Germany, Hitler you say? He is our savior, Hooray, hooray, hooray! Swastikas on armbands, Once a sign of peace, Turned into hatred, When will it cease? They started with cheers, “Heil Hitler!” they said, Then screaming and crying, So many are dead! Why did they choose him? How could they fall? When did he become evil? It makes no sense at all! If they had it to do over, How would it go? Instead they should yell, “No! No! No!”
The Story Of Anne Frank By Shavonna Waldo
Dear diary, I can’t explain how the last few days have been My family, others and I have been cooped up in this attic for many days. In the day, we have to remain super quiet or else we’ll get caught. But at night, when everyone is at home We’re allowed to roam around and Use the bathroom and stuff like that Every day I ask myself what we Ever did to be treated this way We can’t help what we believe in Some people believe in nothing, Should they punished? No, they shouldn’t. But just because you don’t agree or believe In something another does doesn’t give You the right to take their privileges away I can’t remember the last time I have smiled. Or when was the last time I laughed Each day, I feel a part of me die I have nightmares about the Nazis Finding and killing every single one of us
Majority Rule By Peter Francis
The world is changing. New trends keep popping up. The media influences many. They want to say no instead they say yes. Many people doing things because of others, Even when they’re not okay with it. What they want seems so far. But they know they’re not okay with it. Some say yes even when their conscience says no. I’m different than others. Not going with the flow. I think before I act. I live without guilt. The majority says one thing. And I say another. The only one who understands. The only one who listens. The only one who doesn’t abide By majority rule. You shouldn’t do something because you’re told. You do things because it’s what you believe is right. Your conscience is what should never Abide by majority rule.
I guess that now, I have to face that one day, My nightmare will eventually come true…
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The Legend of Nuó Tiānwāng
Don’t be a Coward
The Accuser
By Elliot Baccanari
By Victoria Jones
By Juliet Lancey
It was another icy day in China, Qiáng a young boy who loved the snow was upset again because it was icy. Qiáng would always play in the snow and nothing would stop him. Then as Qiáng got to school, he heard the tales of the Ice King who hated snow and would ravage ice on Qiáng’s village, making the ground cold and completely covered in ice. Qiáng would always slip and fall but he was not the only one that got hurt from falling. Many people in the town had sore jaws, hips, and bones from all their falls. One day his family was out of food so Qiáng’s father walked to the market, they waited three days and finally someone knocked on the door. He carried Qiáng’s dead father covered in ice. They were told he broke his back and neck from slipping on ice and died soon after. Qiáng would remember this and would swear to get his revenge. Years later he forgot many things, but the one think he couldn’t forget was the memory of seeing his dead father. He still had a strong hatred for the Ice King and he would get his revenge. He would honor his father. He joined his village’s militias and trained for many years, Qiáng kept training for the fight. He became the top fighter in the village. And although he didn’t like his teacher’s doctrine, he obeyed him, for the most part. He trained for many years and he realized he was ready. The next morning he climbed the mountain. As he got further and further up the mountain, he saw more and more statues. As he neared the acme of the mountain he saw that the top of the mountain was ice. He climbed the mountain, and saw the ice king, he stared at the Ice King’s cold eyes he already thought he was going to join the collection. He got his stance and fought him and when he attempted to shoot ice at him he deflected it with his sword and hit the Ice King with his own shot. He stabbed the Ice King and he knew that Ice King was dying. All the sudden he felt a huge burst of strength within him. His sword became a shining blue, his peasant robes had changed into an emperors robes with the same shining blue color. He soon heard the Ice King ready to stab him again he realized he was speaking to him, he told him he was no longer the Ice King and Qiáng would take his place but not as Ice King, he was the Snow King. That is how menial Qiáng became the great Ice King. But the story is not over yet. The Snow King would help fight for China, now an immortal god, including the boxer rebellion. Years later the gods had a party and they had the finest cook in the lands, the World Cook. He served many fancy Chinese foods. He also saw some gods there, most he knew some he didn’t but no one knew him, they would say hey who are you and he would reply the Snow God. Not many heard of him, but for those who did they knew he was notorious for fighting incredibly with his blue sword. But the Snow God never hurt a Chinese, for he was a protector of China.
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You could say that bravery is about not being scared of anything But after this year I have realized “Bravery is more than a man with a gun in his hand.” But after this year I have realized that Bravery Is not just physical courage But moral courage But after this year I have realized What it takes to be a brave man I wonder how I could be brave And have the courage To do what is right Even when everybody Says it’s wrong Because after this year I know what the real world is like Because my childhood protective bubble is popped It was like a cover had been over my eyes And that cover is now removed
Citation: Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1982. Print.
There are some times in life, times nobody will understand, when justice fails to prevail, or take the upper hand. When these times come, do we break the law? Or let it be? I will tell you right this minute, It’s not the same to me. When bad deeds go unpunished, and good deeds go unseen, you must sit back and ask, is vengeance really mean? Those who deserve it best, will suffer at the hand of death. What goes around comes around, the dead will bury the dead, and those who go unpunished, will get what we have said, when it comes down to fight or flight, choose to wait in doubt, because those who have it coming, Will their fire be doused out? So if they have it coming, if they deserve it bad, off the mockingbird the words will bounce, and impale him in the heart.
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After I came home from school I went to her house that last night And realized she was not there I went home to my dad What he said was not fair The old lady had passed away And I remember to this day The courage that it took her And the courage I displayed. Courage was her fighting for her life And me facing my fears To this day my story still brings tears.
Equality By Will Frankenberry
Paper Relief, Archana Menawat Grade 7
Courage By Ella Bashara
As I walked home from school On that cold fall night I hid my sister behind me The old house always gave me a fright The walls looked made of stone And to open the door it took might Little did I know That courage would soon take flight. My father explained to me at home one night The act of never giving up And always putting up a fight He called it courage He told me 46
There are two types of courage One is moral, the other physical I went back to the old house I walked inside Heard a scurry And realized it was just a mouse I walked over to the old lady Sitting in her chair And I realized this was just an old house Not an evil lair And knew I was just a fool So I read her stories each night
Equality, Treat all people With the same respect Even if you don’t know them Do your best to respect Everybody No matter what Race Color Or Gender They are all People They are all Equal They are all Human And they All deserve the Same respect Equality
Education By Evelyn Gardner
Either way Read at home Or go to school every day She walks And brings her books Always watching the clocks She gets an A She shows her father And can now play He works in the fields And wants to learn For this he yields He has only a single book But it’s enough To write a hook But there is one more And she watches the kids come out of school While she washes the windows that is her chore She does this everyday She will never can learn Has to earn her pay Anyone And Everyone Should get an education Somehow Or Someway
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Broken Glass By Rachel Cooke
I had a heart made of glass, It shimmered and sparkled in the light. It was as whole as my smile, As real as my innocence, As strong as my everlasting courage. As I grew older, My heart grew darker. It no longer glowed It no longer shined It no longer gleamed. My smile grew smaller My innocence faltered My courage weakened. This man My daddy called Society Slowly began to Smash. Violate. Fracture. Bust. Crack. Obliterate. Break. My glass heart. There was still A flicker of childish hope Inside me. I used the minute amount of courage Left in my soul And tried to take My heart back Before he broke it. The man was too strong. Too convincing. 48
Too evil. He stole my glass heart, It shattered to pieces. I don’t remember it very well, All I remember Was seeing the glass Come raining down Before my eyes In a cloud of reflective glory And crash limply Into a pile Of what my daddy called Childhood innocence. And then All I saw Was black Evil And cruelty. For the longest time My glass heart Lay in a heap Of disappointment Believed stereotypes Rumors And discrimination. One day A man my daddy called Mr. Friendship Equality Glued all My broken pieces Together. I was no longer innocent But instead I was experienced. I had won the battle Against evil. I did not make evil good, But instead I was touched by evil And I remained good.
Let Justice Be Done By Tyler Huckaby
Wire Sculpture, Ella Bashara, Grade 7
Thoughts By Austin Doyle
Let justice be done. Let no lie be thought the truth. Let justice be done Whether black or white. Let justice not be determined, By the color of your skin. Let the truth be told, In a fair and equal trial. Let justice be done. And let it be final. Let the court room Be the stop of racism Let justice not be determined By the opinions, but by the facts. Let justice be given To protect the innocent.
Do they go to school? Do they want to learn? Do they have a notebook? Can I teach them? Can I give them a ride? Can I give them a notebook? I wouldn’t know if they would accept. Would they want to learn? Would they leave everything? Would they eat my food? I would not know, But I would have to try. In the end, I know it can work, It takes baby steps, But it will work, Long hours of stress, I know it will work, This not a goal, It is a mission.
Wire Sculpture, Anna Flynn, Grade 7
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Understanding is a Two-Way Street By Jesse Mirman
Before I can live with Other folks I’ve got to live With myself The one thing That doesn’t abide By majority rule Is a person’s conscience Hold your head high And keep those fists Down Atticus told me to Delete the adjectives And I’d have the facts I think there’s Just one type of folks Folks And if there’s just one kind of folks Why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why Do they go out of their way To despite each other? I think I’m beginning To understand something I’m beginning to understand Why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up In the house all this time It’s because he WANTS to stay inside.
Circumstances By Kaitlin W. Paasch
Do you know their circumstance? If you do, are they really who you think they are? Was it from a rumor, that spread like wild-fire? Like a brief description of a book, does it tell the whole story? You have to tune in, before becoming a judge. Get to know them, now, before you become a part of the jury. Gather the facts, not the rumors. Collect the details, take a chance, talk to the person, and take a glance, Are they who the gossips said they were? If they aren’t what the rumors said, take a chance, and save the day.
Citation: Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1982. Print.
Charcoal Still Life, Susan Rae Tancredi, Grade 8
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Used to Be By Emily Hastings
I used to be good I used to be When I was little My heart was as big As my body But as I started To grow, My heart started to shrink. I always think of how much I’ve changed since then A year can change you a lot Just think of how much change Ten years would make. Sometimes I hate how much I’ve changed Wishing I was as nice, as kind, As considerate, as happy As I used to be But I’m not No one is anymore. The real monsters are human No doubt about it it’s easier to stay quiet So no one will look So no one will stare So no one will judge But society has a way Of always finding something wrong With someone Or something Society has a way Of making you want to
Disappear Because you think You’re not Enough Society has a way Of always corrupting The good in life And in yourself
And told him he’d get him if it took the rest of his life Don’t touch him, I kicked him swiftly. Barefooted I was surprised to see him fall back in real pain Move over Scout I don’t want my boy starting out with something like this over his head
Sometimes I think I can just stare down At my feet And become invisible To the rest of the world But, there is no hiding From reality.
Mr. Finch, Mr. Tate said stolidly. Bob Ewell fell on his knife. He killed himself Scout, Mr. Ewell fell on his knife. Can you possibly understand? Well, it would sort of be like shootin’ a mockingbird He smiled and said I wanted you to see what real courage is Thank you for my children Arthur.
Courage By Perry McKay
I wanted you to see what real courage is, Instead of a man with a gun in his hand The rifle cracked. Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over and crumpled on the sidewalk I did it for a number of reasons. The main one is if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town Scout I’m tellin’ you for the last time, shut your trap or go home The tire bumped the gravel, skeetered across the road It crashed into a barrier and popped me out like a cork onto the pavement Scout get away from there, come on! Mr. Bob Ewell stopped Atticus on the post office corner, spat in his face
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Colored Pencil and Marker Rachel Perdue Sutelan, Grade 8
Justice is Blind By Jon Krueger
Justice is blind, whether black or white.
Justice was looking great, until Tom made a mistake.
Justice is wise, but caused Tom's untimely demise.
Justice had it all wrong, because one day he walked on a white man's lawn.
Justice is knowing and Tom’s case was growing Justice is getting old, it's clear that Bob's heart is cold. Justice is ever confusing, while whites find this to be amusing.
Justice was against Tom, and the whole town was wrong. And I am the one to take a stand, and give Tom a helping hand.
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A Mockingbird to Remember By Madalina Silliano
Cheating a colored man, Is ten times worse than cheating a white man. To kill a mocking bird, is a sin. He was shot twenty-seven times, no actual evidence convicting him. To kill a mockingbird. is a sin. Guilty...Guilty...Guilty, Telling the truth’s not cynical? He knew he was a dead man, as soon as Mayella screamed. To kill a mockingbird, is a sin. Don’t fool yourselvesone of these days we will pay the price, hope it isn’t in your children’s time. A senseless killing, poor he.. To kill a mockingbird, is a sin. Mayella Violet Ewell! Do you swear on the bible, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? I do. Remember, To kill a mockingbird, is a sin.
Charcoal Still Life, River Smith, Grade 7
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Why did this case go to court? There is n o
actual evidence of this crime. Guilty...Guilty...Guilty, I ran from Miss Mayella’s advances, I tried, I tried. I didn’t want to push her, but I did. Mayella’s face twisted with agony and rage, As she made the decision to convict, And kill, A Mockingbird. Citation: Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1982. Print.
Difference By Raymond Tahhan
Hatred Racism Despair Alone Different Tom was black Mayella was white She won because of her skin and nothing else Tom was black and innocent No matter what he did he would lose Because of corruption Was it fair? No But he still lost everything Even his life This is what racism did to us And still does to us. 55
Growing Up
Lies
Arthur or Boo
Forget
By Brooke Rogers
By River Smith
By Brandon Pettrey
By Binal Patel
Everyone has to grow up. Everyone has to let go. Everyone has to learn. I had decided to put down my toys, For I was no longer just a little boy. It was time to stop the game, For my immature ways Had been tamed. Everyone has to grow up. Everyone has to let go. Everyone has to learn. I had begun to ditch Scout for Dill, But at the Radley place we all got a thrill. The class orders, Clear is what they became Like a transparent window pane. Scout was about to make a mistake, The bug’s life I would not let her take. Then all the men of the jury had spoken, And my tears showed my adult ways had been broken. Everyone has to grow up. Everyone has to let go. Everyone has to learn. But things took an unexpected turn. The crushing, crunching, crumpling of my arm, I realized there had been much harm. Mr. Ewell was the man, With whom all the evil began.
LEFT: Modular Unit Sculpture, Sammi Janovetz, Grade 7 RIGHT: Modular Unit Sculpture, Hailey Hux, Grade 7
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I lied It was a little white lie But it kills It kills the innocent It kills the woman It kills the men It kills the children A knife works its way through a heart An innocent heart A heart that never killed What was the knife made of ? Aluminum? Silver? Gold? No. None of these materials Only thoughts Thoughts of racism? Thoughts of hatred? No, thoughts of fear. What causes fear? Fear of being the loner? Fear of difference in society? No, fear of being the outcast.
Arthur or Boo. We’ll never know who. Is he a bad person? That is what they say. I don’t believe that. No way. Boo is really lonely, It makes me sad. His hands are white as a ghost. They have seen the sun once at most. Did Boo leave the gifts in the tree? I don’t know, Maybe. I think he was the man who put the blanket on you. The one watching us two all these years. Who was that? I think, I think it could have been Boo. Citation: Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1982. Print.
People all around us Full of hatred Against blacks No one can do anything But watch They were treated as if they were immoral Strays Mutts All sorts of things And if you were defending em’ You were called a nigger-lover Ignorance.... Racism.... Prejudice.... These are the things that society needs to forget Without these We can be united For instance Piano tiles are both black and white But together they make a terrific sound No matter what color they are They need each other to make that beautiful sound Our society Being blinded by racial stereotypes Sets the stage for prejudice If we could ignore the false rumors We could finally put a stop to all this hate Remember We are equal.... We are together.... We are one.... 57
When I Was Innocent
Blurred Lines
By Logan White
By Skylar Tessler
Because there is no justice Because there is no hope for change Because we can’t make someone change If they don’t want to I can’t sit and wait for change to happen In baby steps I was at the age of becoming a young man My bubble burst by the reality People I knew as close family and friends, Prejudice A fire building up inside me Hot lava tears running from my eyes I didn’t understand what was happening in my town I knew it as a place of happiness and innocence But it turned into a mean and hateful place
Charcoal Still Life, Kaitlin Paasch, Grade 7
Prejudice By Kendall Harper
Peace and equality is the way No one is born to hate still they do Sitting by the peaceful bay wondering why is it this way To be or not to be that is the question To be prejudice or not to be prejudice There will always be something wrong with this world But the question remains
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How will you fix the wrong and make it right Martin Luther King once said darkness cannot drive out darkness Only light can do that Just like hate cannot drive out hate Only love can do that Peace and equality that is the way
I was struck with amazement Blown away To hurt someone so innocent I think I am beginning to understand this world Am I ready to be a part of it? I can only imagine what goes through peoples’ minds
Some say the world, Is black and white, Perfectly split in two. They can’t see the gray between, But that is me and you. Words flung through the air, Good, Hero, Arthur, Bad, Evil, Boo, But those are too one-sided, To describe me and you. What if we don’t want to be, All good, Or All bad, Or All Arthur, Or All Boo. Can’t we just be me and you? A little bit of Arthur, A little bit of Boo.
I am hoping one day I can express myself I feel like I must roar as loud as a lion But until I do I will stay as quiet as a mouse.
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Loneliness
Reflect
Look Around
Why
By Grayson Blake
By Jordan Familant
By Nolwen Andre
By Annabeth Cary
I am Boo Radley. I am a real person, Not a ghost. Many people are afraid of me, But they have only heard false rumors. The thing is, They won’t accept the fact that I am real, I am not a ghost. I am Boo Radley. People need something to fear, And they choose me. But really, I am just lonely. Like many other people What separates me from the others? False rumors. So I sit here, In a quiet little house, Watching people walk by. I am lonely, But is it wrong? I am Boo Radley. The lonely man who everyone fears.
I know what I have to do. I can’t do it. If I tell the truth my dad will attack me. If I lie I will be putting an innocent man in jail. It feels like the pressure of the world is on me. People are making fun of me, They don’t know me. I might look weak. But after all, real strength is not a man with a gun in his hand. It is what’s on the inside that counts. People don’t think about that. You can’t underestimate people from their physical appearance. Same to be said that you can’t over estimate people from their physical appearance. Everyone is a hypocrite in one way or another. Reflect on yourself. Are you who you want to be? Do others know who you really are? You never know So don’t assume. Citation: Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1982. Print.
Look at us. Look at the world. Look at what we become as soon as we are born. We start out innocent, and live our lives progressively seeing things. Seeing The dark side of society. There’s just one kind of folks. Folks. But some choose take action ruining people’s innocence. Look at society. Look at what is being said about those who are different. Look at the hypocrisy. The racism. The lies. All the children wondering if the word they live in is good or bad.
I didn’t understand, I didn’t know why they were doing this, Or why it was wrong. Treating people like they Didn’t matter. I was so innocent, naive, And didn’t know why, Why they were hurting, Discriminating against the innocent. Then, I grew up, I knew why, They were discriminating and killing, Just because they were different. Now that I am older, And understand more, I know what is happening, But I don’t think it is right. No one deserves this, And just because everyone thinks it’s ok, Doesn’t mean I will follow.
Look at how people lose trust in their friends. Their families. Their worlds. Look at the loss.
Foam Sculpture, Mary Pembroke Kahler, Grade 7
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It’s About A Mockingbird
All Lies
By Elizabeth Hughes
By Anna Flynn
It’s about a ship an’ Three-Fingered Fred ’n’ Stoner’s Boy. . . . an’ a Negro being accused of raping a white woman—his name was Tom Robinson an’ about a man named Boo Radley. Yeah, an’ they all thought it was Stoner’s Boy messin’ up their clubhouse an’ throwin’ ink all over an’ they said the Negro raped a white woman an ’fore she knew it he was on her. Just run up behind her. He got round the neck, cussin’ her an’ sayin’ dirt—she fought’n’hollered, but he had her round the neck. He hit her agin an’ agin..... an’ they chased him ’n’ never could catch him ’cause they didn’t know what he looked like, They thought Boo looked like about six-and-a-half feet tall, he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time, an’ Atticus, when they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things . . . Atticus, he was real nice. . . Cause He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our l i v e s Everyone’s nice once you get to know them. Citation: And that’s why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1982. Print.
“The things that happen to people you never really know, what happens in a house behind closed doors...” When locked inside You may never know What people think about you You will never know The judgment passed your way The evil lies told about you The hurtful and untrue things The false beliefs Simply imagined about you Even if it is all lies They will believe All the untruths You need to walk a fine line Of how smart to talk, You never want to act above others You never want to sound rude Because good people don’t take pride In their talents You should always try To be the same person No matter who you are around. You never want to be fake Because it is all lies And every time you tell a lie It brings another person closer to Goodbye
Zentangle Collage, Anna Flynn, Grade 7
Flowers and Rocks By Sam Janovetz
I am flower He is a rock I am a twig He is a branch Why can’t I wear overalls, Auntie? Because it’s not lady like. I am a pretty little daisy He is a dirty little thorn I am a dress He is an overall Can I play outside? No, you will get your dress all dirty. I can be a rock I can be a branch I can be a dirty little thorn I can wear overalls Girls can do anything that a boy can do. Boys can do anything that a girl can do.
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The Real World By Hailey Hux
We never know how life will play out. We change every day. Every hour, Every minute, Every second. Time can only tell. “The future is set in stone” people may say. But that isn’t true. You can pick and choose the “perfect life” But it is Never Going to happen. A perfect life Is life itself. A journey. A roller coaster. Up And Down. Around And Around. Life is the definition of unexpected. But time will change you. For better or worse, We don’t know. Only time can tell As we grow. We lose our innocence It’s not bad that this happens. It is good.
I Can’t See It’s good because you finally see the real world. Honestly, it is not pretty. But life goes on and we learn to love The world we live in. Live life to the fullest, Because There is only One chance at life And One you.
Think By Olivia Petty
You have no idea What goes on in my life So before you judge me Before you look down on me Think About what you say Because words hurt More than You will ever know I don’t understand The satisfaction of destroying Another human You don’t have to Physically use a knife To kill someone Because words cut deeper Than any knife ever could So before you judge me Realize what you are doing And what it will do to me Think
By Hannah Hindmarsh
I Can’t See It is very hard For me It’s definitely not Easy I can’t see What’s wrong with him? What’s wrong with her? Is there something wrong with me? Am I different? What is normal? I can’t see.
I don’t think they’re Bad, But society says so, And we are society. He did it, She did it, They committed the crime They never intended to commit. They were born black. I don’t know why that’s Bad, I have no other Choice but to see, So I guess I I can see now.
Who is the bad guy here? Is it him? Is it her? Is it me? Are we in a War of silence? I can’t see. I can’t see The good. I don’t see The good. But I don’t know What bad is either. Is black bad? That’s what They Tell me. Still Life Collage, Nolwen Andre, Grade 7
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The Struggle of Being Poor By Emmett Jefferson
It’s the struggle of being poor I’m so bankrupt but I still want more I can’t borrow money to even go to the store But it’s ok because it’s the struggle of being poor The rich think they’re better because they have money to spend They think they’re better because they also win But it’s the struggle of being poor I always look like dirt... And that’s the usual look after a hard day of work But it’s the struggle of being poor I can barely pay my bills While the rich plan on getting more mills But it’s the struggle of being poor The sad part is I have to hunt out of season So I can put food on the table, and the rich think that’s a horrible reason But it’s the struggle of being poor The rich will judge your lifestyle, and some won’t understand When you’re at the bottom like us, you learn how to be a real man And that’s the good of being poor... But it’s still a struggle being poor
Mr. Arthur Radley
Loss of Innocence
It’s a Sin
By Dylan McCavitt
By Mary Pembroke Kahler
By Dylan Pausch
He could never wash the blood off, When he struck a match under me, he realized He could never wash the blood off. I have felt his tyrannical presence for as long as I could remember. You are fortunate you live in a Christian home with Christian folks, With everything required to sustain life, What he didn’t realize was there were other ways of making people into ghosts. He made a day that was twenty-four hours long seem longer. One does not love breathing, but I do If I didn’t shut up he’d pull every hair out of my head. I didn’t shut up and he kicked me, I did not understand how he could sit there in cold blood and read a newspaper when his only son stood an excellent chance of being murdered, Slowly, painfully, I felt it, The Truth, I am not from run-of-the-mill people, I don’t have to mind him now, But I can’t run three hundred miles off I’m trapped Because there are just one type of folks, folks. Except for me, I am, Boo Radley
We are so small Tiny A galaxy full of possibilities Escape from this town I’m barley holding on Dream of bigger things I want to be known I want to live But I’m caught between hope and nope I want to stay But It’s calling me Because I’m done With everything And everyone It takes a certain person To really understand me Let me be happy Don’t bring me down Because soon We’ll all be gone And None of this Will matter So be with the people you love The people that care Who will always be there
It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird Mockingbirds don’t do one thing But make music to enjoy That’s why it’s a sin To kill a mockingbird Just like It’s a sin To kill cripples To kill humble, Quiet people Who, Don’t do one thing But do the best they can With what they are given But, There are some people Who are not humble Or respectable But People Are still people And Black or White It’s a sin To kill a man
Citation for both poems above: Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1982. Print.
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The Sins There Are
Them
By Zack Stack
By Joshua Reed
It’s a sin to kill those escaping It’s a sin to kill cripples Be they standing or sitting Most importantly It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird They are nice They sing And they are innocent Same as helpless kids They are the mockingbirds They are innocent Until life takes their innocence away Kids remember more than you think The slightest things Things that adults Don’t even remember Even the family next door They are innocent too You never know what happens To any family Even in their own home Because you never know what happens Behind closed doors.
Citation: Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1982. Print.
Everyone should be equal This is a simple fact of life Everyone is a human being So they should be treated fair No one is better than another because of gender, sexuality or race Because when it comes down to it, We are all humans And if we don’t stand together to stop discrimination Who will? No one So when we see discrimination and inequality It’s our job as human beings to stop it Because equality shouldn’t be conditional And neither should the worlds’ love be So never put people down because of who they are Judge by character-- not gender, sexuality, or race Because if you hate someone for those reasons You’re the evil one Not them You would be the person ruining the world Not them You’d deserve to be hated Not them So help the world For them
Poor and Innocent Boo Radley By Jake Reaghard
I’m a lonely man. Nobody around to care about me, I haven’t seen the light in so long, I haven’t had the wind hit my face in a thousand years, I’m scared to go outside, Outside is a world of nightmares, They all think I’m crazy. There are stories about me, None of them are true, I’m a nice man, Not a crazy man, They think I’m crazy, They think I’m no good. They will soon see me, And I will be looked upon as a normal human being, Not as an animal. They won’t fear me, They will love me, I’m not crazy, They just think I am. Kids are scared to go by my house, They run past it every day, I hear their heavy footfall, And their gasping breathes. They’re all scared of me, But I’m actually scared of them, I’m not a crazy man, Just an innocent one. They all have false beliefs, They all have false images,
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Their parents don’t want them to get hurt, But I’m not that type of man, I’m as loyal as a dog to his owner. They don’t know what actually happens Behind closed doors, They think I would kill, But in reality, I’m just poor and innocent, Boo Radley.
What is Bravery? By Tabitha Thornton
Bravery, Is standing up For the mockingbirds, And the ones who Need Help. The ones who Can’t save themselves. Bravery, Is standing up For the mockingbirds Even When it’s Hard. Bravery, Is both Mental and physical. Bravery, Is standing up For the mockingbirds, Even if it could Ruin Your Reputation. 69
Do your Duty
Book Review: In The End by Demitria Lunetta
By Spencer King
Zack Stack
Do your Duty No matter what the stake Be it if you rake leaves Or Bake Cakes
First Place 2015 Friends of Norfolk Public Library Book Review Competition
Do your Duty From dusk to dawn From winter to summer Even all night long
This novel also takes place in the distant future. The setting picks up after the first novel, In the After, in the future of New Hope. Fort Black and New Hope are where survivors, who haven’t been infected by the Floraes, live. New Hope has a lot of guards who watch New Hope and the scientists that search for a cure against the Floraes. Fort Black has mostly guards and kids fighting for their lives. In this uncertain future the characters must be fierce and tough in order to survive.
Do your Duty Put your effort at its most ‘Cause if you don’t Your reputation will be toast Do your duty Even if it’s The grunt job The dull job Or very lame Because when it’s done They’ll know who to blame Or who to credit for the wonderful job Make your name gain fame for you Do your duty and do it well.
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Imagine being moved from your most well known place and having to fight for your life. In the End by Demitria Lunetta is a dystopian novel and is the second book in this series. It is about Amy, who is separated from her sister and trying to save her. The three elements of this novel that stand out in a unique way include setting, characters, and conflict.
Watercolor, Kendall Harper, Grade 7
The characters in this novel are very important because they keep the story briskly moving. Some characters include Amy, Baby, and Dr. Renoylds. Amy and Baby are sisters, but Dr. Renoylds takes baby and experiments on her. Amy is the person to have if there were a zombie apocalypse because she’s determined to stop at nothing to get the job done. Then there is Kay, she helps Amy get Baby back. The characters go through continuous conflict in this book. The conflict begins when Dr. Renoylds moves Amy to Fort Black so he can experiment on Baby. Amy once again finds herself trying to save Baby. Amy is determined to get her back and but Dr. Reynolds will stop at nothing to keep Baby, so he brainwashes Baby. Then, he lets out Floraes to kill Amy, Kay, and Rice. In the End by Demitria Lunetta is a very well written dystopian novel filled with constant conflicts, characters with determination, unending action, and futuristic setting. I recommend this novel to all middle schoolers. I thought the theme of this novel is never give up because Amy would stop at nothing to save her sister. Fighting for your life is harder than you think.
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Book Review: Life As We Knew It
Book Review: Silence by Natasha Preston
By Andrew Hair
Nolwen Andre
“It was smack in the middle of the sky, way too big, way too visibly.” This is Miranda’s reaction when an asteroid shifts the moon close to the earth in the book, Life as We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Life as We Knew It is about Miranda’s experience when an asteroid shifts the moon closer to earth. Since the moon is closer, it starts instigating all kinds of natural disasters. The change in the moon’s gravitational pull causes flooding, volcanic activity, earthquakes and other life threatening disasters. Though almost all aspects of this novel are excellent, I think the setting, characters and writing style stand out the most.
Second Place Norfolk Public Library Book Review Contest
The setting provides the conflict in Life as We Knew It. Within the first couple of weeks of the moon shift, the coasts start flooding. Volcanic eruptions quickly follow the flooding, blocking out the sky and the sun. As winter comes, heavy snow and blizzards arrive burying buildings and trapping people in their houses. In addition to the disasters, the shelves go empty and all of the stores close a couple weeks after the moon shift. Miranda and her family have a limited supply of food and soon they have to restrict themselves to one frugal meal a day. The setting is very dangerous and sets the conflict in Life As We Knew It. Since the conditions are extremely harsh, Miranda and her family are going to have to learn to survive. The characters are another important aspect of Life as We Knew It. Each member of Miranda’s family contributes to their survival and the reader can relate to Miranda’s family. Miranda’s two brothers chop wood constantly to help heat their home in preparation for the upcoming winter. Her mom cooks for them and maintains a positive attitude. Miranda helps by washing dishes and clothes, collecting kindling and going to town to get news. It’s interesting how a modern 21st century family is forced to revert back to old fashioned ways of living. Although the characters are challenged in many ways, the writing style put the story into a better perspective. The entire story is told through Miranda’s diaries, with dated entries so you don’t lose track of time. The diaries make the story more realistic because there isn’t a narrator and you feel like you’re reading directly from an apocalypse survivor. The diary entries keep the plot moving and make the book hard to put down. The realistic and fast-paced writing style of Life as We Knew It is different and unique from other apocalypse novels that I’ve read. With the diary entries, the perfect setting, and the relatable characters, Life as We Knew It is a must read novel. Susan Beth Pfeffer has made an outstanding survival story. The theme of Life as We Knew It is never give up because Miranda is forced to go through many tough times but she never gives up. So stock up on food, start gathering wood and get ready for the apocalypse! 72
Imagine not being able to talk for eleven years because of one dirty secret. Silence by Natasha Preston shows us the life of Oakley Farrell and her struggle to keep her mouth shut almost her entire life. With everyone trying to figure out what’s wrong with Oakley, and pushing her to get professional help, there is a huge amount of pressure on her. The only one who can relieve that pressure from her is her best friend, Cole. Silence by Natasha Preston, shows us how hard one event can impact your whole life. Two elements that contribute to making the book so interesting are the points of view and the characters
Third Place 2015 Friends of Norfolk Public Library Book Review Competition
The story is seen through the eyes of Oakley and Cole. They have been best friends since birth, and their relationship grows stronger and stronger every day. Cole is the only person Oakley trusts with her life, and he knows Oakley the best. As they begin to start developing stronger feelings for each other, the reader starts to see Cole’s side of the story. Cole remembers Oakley as the perfect sweet little girl she was when she was five, while Oakley sees herself as broken and not good enough. They always know whenever the other is lying or faking a smile. The different points of view make you understand the story more and give you a perspective of both sides of the story. Oakley is a strong girl, but at the same time, fragile like a butterfly. Blond hair, blue eyes, your typical dream girl. She used to be a bright, energetic girl always laughing and talking nonstop. Suddenly something happens and her whole life turns around. She stops talking, fakes a laugh or a timid smile once in a while, but nothing more. Crying becomes a daily routine with all the teasing and pressure she gets at school. Cole, on the other hand, couldn’t be better. He’s two years older that Oakley, but to them, age is just a number. Cole has always wanted to be more than best friends with Oakley, but he wanted to help her first. She’s never really wanted help, but Cole doesn’t know what to do. Now add one crazy protective older brother to the mix, and you’ve got yourself a big fat mess. Jasper, or Oakley’s older brother, is a very lazy college guy. They only things he cares about is sleeping, eating, girls, and his sister’s happiness. Jasper can be the stupidest person on the planet, yet be the smartest at the same time. He adds that little touch of fun that brings happiness into the story. The characters are all different, but they some how connect halfway and all love each other. In conclusion, this book talks about a very touchy subject in an amazing way. It shows you the power someone can have in you and the pressure of society. I think this book was wonderful, and very realistic. I would recommend it to girls in seventh grade and up, just because of some of the things that happen in the book. Silence by Natasha Preston makes you think more about others than yourself for a change. 73
Grade 8 Watercolor Painting, Gabrielle Toomy, Grade 8
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Genocide
Or blog Against genocide
By Matthew Wright
When there is a war overseas And the terror threat is high No thought is given To the world’s greatest threat Genocide It can be prevented The technology is here At everyone’s fingertips So use it Eliminate the need To think people are different We were all born on this earth It is our home When the problem arises Be the first to act Do what is right Don’t let the world ignore Change is something That most people resist It makes things different Then we have to obey Don’t let genocide The thing that isn’t real Change you And everyone around Resist Create an ad Get it published Spread the word Don’t be mainstream Create a Twitter 76
Always remember Genocide hurts everyone In the whole world Directly or indirectly Stop it Before it happens
Racism- Spoken Word Poem By Megan Silverman
R-A-C-I-S-M R-real people A-all living in the same place C-come together I-in perfect harmony S-someday will M-make a change
the color of their skin If the color of their skin changes your opinion on them It shouldn’t It is the color of THEIR skin Skin they were born with History has put stereotypes in our mind History has taught us about slavery History has called African Americans 3/5ths of a person But that was history and this is now So the next time you want judge someone THINK Am I judging them because of the color of their skin? Or am I just not giving someone different from myself A chance?
By Meg Lockhart
The old man who worked at the grocery store, Stopped talking to me. He said I wasn’t like him and I never would be. The lady who shopped at my dad’s store, stopped coming. She said she was afraid of Who she was becoming. Dad and I agreed, Blind obedience was to be. People doing as they’re told. Afraid to act brazen and bold. Speaking up or acting out, was something people didn’t do, simply a sense of doubt. But at what point do we stop following, lead our own? To do what’s right, Even if it means to Stand alone.
We say black and white But what does that mean?
Father said the war would soon end, But days went by, and it would only extend.
Barrack Obama is black Michael Jordan is black Martin Luther King is black But that didn’t stop them from achieving any of their goals Our President Role Models and our friends They are black That doesn’t change our minds They will always be important to us no matter
Making a Move
All of the farmers, grocers, and school teachers, Continued on their day, Ignoring the torture, put on display.
Wire Sculpture, Jake Georges, Grade 8
Father went to the right and I went to the left. Tears fell, But he wished me the best. 77
I’m a Girl
Spoken Word
World Hunger
By Lila Spurgeon
By Kahli Rahn
By Chris Bunch
I’m a girl And I wouldn’t have it any other way Even though girls face discrimination, abuse, double standards, sexism, and unequal pay. I am still proud to be a girl. The world is constantly putting up hurdles for women to jump over But they make it so easy for men to run right around them. Why do women have to be held to a different standard than men? Can’t we all be treated the same? The slut shaming needs to stop. Guys are allowed to play around. Flirt with lots of girls. Hook up with different girls. And girls are quickly judged when they do that Female circumcision. Who made that decision? it isn’t fair to have these rights taken away. Girls shouldn’t be mutilated. Especially in such a cruel and painful way. Just because men are afraid of female sexuality. A women can’t walk down the streets in a short skirt. in fear that she may get raped? then if she does it becomes her fault because she “asked for it” That’s rape culture. Women getting the blame When really all they did was walk down the street. If women are working just as hard or harder than men shouldn’t they be paid the same? 78
They still have families to support bills to pay kids to feed. What makes them any less deserving? Women’s bodies are so “tempting” And women are looked so negatively on that in some countries women have to practically erase themselves with burkas. It’s like in schools. Poeple have to wear uniforms because some bodies are too “tempting” or “distracting” how about instead of that you teach boys not to be distracted because someone has “nice thighs” But they’re taking it out in us. Making US pay the price. Men are seen as the boss women are seen as bossy. A women who is assertive is sometimes seen as a different b-word And men are just seen as strong willed or decisive Labels hold girls back everyday I love being a girl I’m proud to be a girl Despite all of the obstacles Women are smart, nurturing, successful, beautiful and confident. And deserving of so much more than what the world allows them to be.
Why do we judge? Why do we compare? Why do we like to ignore life’s problems? Why do we like to put others down to make ourselves feel better? Why do we like to act like we are different than any other human? That just because we act and look different- that we are? That we’re all just players and life is a game? That’s not how God made us. We’re all just alike. We all have feelings and we can all be felt. Bullying people is a huge issue and no one deserves to be treated different than any other no matter what. Every hour of everyday people are judged, bullied. With always at least one bystander who wishes that they could stand up, make a difference. But they can’t. They’re trapped in their own shadows, scared to let out a peep. Scared of getting bullied themselves. Scared of what’s going to happen next. So they keep quiet. Acting casual, like everything’s fine. But in reality, nothing is fine. In fact, the whole world is messed up. 50% of us are bystanders. Of everything. Everyone wants to make a difference. But if making a difference means standing up, Nothing will ever change. So stand up. Stand up and be the one who DOES make that change. The one who isn’t scared. The one who makes a difference.
People dying everyday From the smallest need From the easiest need Happening everyday Worse than disease Hunger will dominate them It’s like a bomb ready to drop Annihilating most of the population Nearly making the race extinct Their stomach growls Growls for a better life With better people To help their outbreak They ask for so much But get so little Kids are undernourished Moms and Dads dying Nations are ignoring them Eating their lives away Ignoring that they are people Only little care Knowing they have hope Knowing that they can live Knowing that everyone cares These people are saviors
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Indigo By Jenna Lancey
Once colors were a rainbow They all lived in peace Yellow, blue, orange... All were happy Once black came It seized the colors Punished them Spoke against them And the colors listened Then indigo was an enemy She was too different She was to be removed from the rainbow Black ordered And the colors obeyed Once indigo was terrorized Helpless as a chick Indigo was to be removed from the rainbow And the colors did nothing
Or anyone else So he did And the colors heard Once black heard He ordered orange to be killed So he was And the colors were appalled Once blue helped He hid indigo too Once red helped She got them food The colors saw And all the colors helped Once all the colors were one Once indigo was bad Once black took over Once he was overthrown Once indigo lived Because of the colors
Pebbles and Waves By Catherine Perrine
Taken and ripped, From all they owned Never receiving more than a crumb Screaming and crying, Because of the pain But no one stopped There was nothing they’d gain
Taking risks Taking chances, Changing minds And making statements A pebble with courage, One who’s not afraid Because without one, No more could be made
They were scared to stand out “Be quiet, ignore them.” Was all they were told, But what if the screams Became too much? If one mind stood up proud Maybe others would join They wouldn’t be alone They could be powerful and loud One pebble dropped in the ocean Making a chain reaction, Of ripples and waves Only getting bigger But what caused this wave of civil disobedience?
Once white came She smuggled indigo She hid her and gave her safety But the colors were listening It’s wrong, black had said Indigo is too different of a color to be in our rainbow So the colors remained silent
A pebble, a rock Just one word spoken To say what they feel and get more minds open
Once orange heard He wanted to help Indigo never did anything to him Magazine Collage, Christopher Sarris, Grade 8
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Wire Sculpture, Miller Solomon, Grade 8
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Global Warming
A Responsible Citizen
Gender Identity
By Max Golovsky
By Thomas Chatman
By Rachel Sutelan
The seas will are rising, angrily attacking the shore . Ruthlessly and repeatedly rising, every day just a little bit more. There is no more time for procrastination, no debates or deliberation. The climate is changing, and something must be done. We mustn’t let our greed consume us, there are other ways to get what we want. Other fuels, cleaner cars, you just have to put in the effort. It may be easier to continue on the same way, but we need to start thinking ahead. Because when push comes to shove, energy won’t be the only thing that we’re running out of. It’s not just humans, who are in danger. We have meddled with the earth and now all other animals will suffer with us. We should take care and remember, everything is connected. We must never forget the fragility of this planet. If we don’t act soon the consequences could be dire, even now the circumstances are less than desired Countries are losing farmland, cities are being flooded. All of these things are happening around the globe, and yet some people still have the gall to deny it. If nothing is done soon, we won’t have the luxury to deny the change.
What is a responsible citizen? It’s easier said than done You say you would help, but when? Do what’s right, don’t just shun There will always be rules, But they might not be right So you must make a change, By putting up a fight There was once a white flower That stood out in a field of daisies They didn’t let anyone impose They are known as the White Rose
All it took Was that little flower To change history And gain so much power That little flower Started a chain reaction It made more people aware Of what was actually happening out there If it wasn’t for a responsible citizen Some people wouldn’t be alive Even if it was only one person saved One is always more than none
Male or Female What are you? What makes you a male or a female? Is it what’s on your birth certificate? Or is it what’s on your mind? Between your ears? Or in your pants? Who are you? Who decides who you are? Is it your mom, dad, or doctor? Or it is you? Were you born with all the right parts? Or was there a mix up? It can happen to many You’re not wrong for being you No person, no book, no rule, no one Can tell you who you are except you Maybe you’re a man maybe you’re a women Maybe a mix of the two You are not always going to be What you were assigned to be Find out who you are And don’t be afraid of it You’re not a wrong answer You’re not a mistake You are beautiful You are here for a reason You are important So wear what you want Love yourself Be who you are on the inside
Colored Pencil and Marker Quilt, Justin Silverman, Grade 8
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Fighting On By Ray Domena
The world was bright, They walked in the sun, Living on, living on. A darkness came, Enveloping far and wide, They wandered in the dark, Trudging on, trudging on. The dark fire lit, They followed, Not thinking, Not daring to look out of their tunnel, Trudging on, trudging on.
A day came, The fire was smothered, They looked and realized they were walking with their eyes closed, Running back, running back. The road was littered with bones, The streams ran red, Their eyes were open now, Running back, running back. Where the darkness stood, They moved in on it, Overpowering it, Fighting on, fighting on. Finally the darkness vanquished, They returned home, Never forgetting, Remembering on, Remembering on.
Few dared to step out, And they saw, Death, Destruction, They got back in line, Trudging on, trudging on.
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For who am I to point fingers, when I would’ve done the same?
By Jordan Laster
I do not blame you. Throw me into the fire, like lumber for your hearth, the fuel for your hate. Watch as I disappear into flames, watch as I become one with the wind, watch as everything I’ve become, and everything I ever will, vanishes into thin air, succumbed to the sporadic orange dancers, the bright orange dancers we call fire. But I do not blame you. I simply cannot. How could I? When if the tables were turned, and the tides reversed, I would have done the same?
But as you watch, watch as I become engulfed in the fire’s dance, my only wish is for you to remember, remember who I was. For I have not died, but been grounded into the soil. For I have not died, but been blown away by the wind. For I have not died, but been washed away by the tide. I shall never die, but be remembered. Remembered as the one, the one who wouldn’t blame you.
You claimed to be a responsible citizen. A being of fairness and equality, a human being that does what is right, even when he is told it is wrong.
The fire beguiled them, They followed, Hoping, Ignoring all else, Trudging on, trudging on. They continued, Deeper and deeper into the void, Not realizing, Not knowing, Trudging on, trudging on. As they followed, The fire grew, Smothering the last of their world, But still continuing, They trudged on, trudged on.
Remember
But like a coward, you squirm and scurry yourself to safety. You save your own tail. But who am I to blame you? For I would do the same. Your cowardice and silence, shall surely be remembered. Generation and generations from now, your children will remember, your selfish deeds. But I do not blame you.
Modular Sculpture, Whitley Monroe, Grade 8
Charcoal Still Life, Jenna Lancey, Grade 8
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Year Round Schooling By Sarah Kirven
School is out It’s out For 2.6 months 2.6 months I forget I lose Knowledge I once learned Math Oh gosh It’s as if a vacuum sucked all the information Out of my brain My brain What’s the square root of 15? Science Oh no What are the laws of Motion? A Tutor for the summer Is what I need But year- round school Has two Or three weeks Of breaks Every month I look forward For short breaks Which make life less stressful So I can retain And gain All the knowledge I once learned To succeed In this world 86
Global Warming and Overpopulation
The Weapons Of Liberty
By Ally Symmes
By Jake Georges
“Make a change before you destroy everything” Every day you go out Go to school Go out to eat You may not realize the world around you That you are slowly destroying Glaciers shrinking to the size of a golf ball Deadly storms forming Numerous wildfires More and more droughts just begging for water Sea levels rising like an overflowing sink Industrial activities that we depend on Factories and car exhaust We are causing this to occur Yet we aren’t doing anything to change it We need to make a change Population is growing Resources are decreasing Forests are shrinking Air is polluted Water is polluted We are helping destroy our planet Cities emitting dangerous gases Factories with tons of pollution Killing trees, when they are the ones keeping us alive But we don’t even care
When desperate times call for desperate measures. We use weapons. When people have had enough. They use weapons. When oppression is all you see and feel. They used weapons. Some Jammed, others thrived. Many dropped their weapon and ran, deserting the platoon of retaliation. The guns of retaliation will always stay in the barracks of unity. When you do what you think is right You are using weapons. It may not seem like it. It may not feel like it. But you are in the army of retaliation. Their guns fired at the juggernaut of oppression. The armor of the juggernaut took many bullets. One penetrated its armor. That gives the army hope, and excitement. The more you fight back, the more people see what is wrong. They grab weapons. People don’t know the impact. Many do. The soldiers hand weapons to others Hoping that their voice won’t go unheard. Be one of them. Grab a weapon.
Silence... By Miller Solomon
They’re watching, but say nothing Silent, but never stop seeing Seeing the truth While their neighbors are Torn from their homes Silence Speaking isn’t an option Not till all is said and done Then they will wish That they did something They sit Quiet After they Regret Could have Should have Would have But not now Only after Then regret What could we have done? No one stands up Silence Till someone Shows the killers What they’ve done And they learn
One day it will all be gone It will be all our fault You will regret not trying to help But it will be too late Do something to change that while you can. 87
The Man and the Soldier By Allison Casper
Did you know what you were doing at Auschwitz? Yet, you still did it? How could you? Why would you? Who made you feel this way? When will you stop this terrifying act? How did you think you weren’t going to get caught? What was going through your mind? Does this terrible act make you feel good? Don’t you have guilt? How do you think their families feel? They have families too! What if you were in their shoes? People killing people. Yes, I knew what I was doing at Auschwitz. I had no choice but to. I didn’t want to. No one I was told. When the day comes that I’m told not to anymore. If I didn’t put you through this torturous act, I would get tortured. Poor, poor people. It gives me a terrible feeling inside. Yes, I have a lot of guilt. Their families cry and cry. But it’s not me, it’s you. No one stood up. No one was brave enough.
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Stand Up
Cancer
Alone
By Rae Tancredi
By Anna Winn
By Alex Potter
The Holocaust, Genocide, Slavery All hurt those who witnessed and were a part of it The White Rose, Rosa Parks, Ferguson All stood up for what they believed was right Fighting, Protesting, Cries of children All were heard during those times The Holocaust killed the innocent Genocide killed the innocent Slavery worked the innocent They all treated the innocent with disrespect The White Rose fought against Adolf Hitler Rose Parks fought against segregation The people of Ferguson fought against racism They all expressed what they felt Fighting for their rights Protesting together for what they believe Cries of children from the violence All filled the ears of bystanders Most of these harmful events went against ethnicity Some even gained publicity Most protests had good representation Some are a great motivation Most of these occurrences were caused by their own beliefs Some had exceptional Chiefs Try preventing these from reoccurring By simply transferring These simple words to the ones you know They may even stand out so go It will only take a few seconds to say Stand up for what you believe in, and the best may come your way
More than 100 types Some starting with c Others ending with r Like cancer Cancer takes the lives of too many Surviving... Isn’t the word you want to use You’re not surviving You’re holding on Till it gets better or for some till it gets worse Many people struggle with cancer And it could be the person next to you Because 1 in 4 people have the risk of getting cancer And none of those people deserve it Putting an ugly disease into a beautiful person A person that deserves a lifetime but is faced with reality But it’s cancer that’s the coward Leaving cuts scars bruises not showing its real identity Hiding behind this person Taking the young and the old Cancer Nobody likes to hear your name People only hope to heal with time But is time really all they have? They have hope They have us
I’m alone I’m freezing cold I’m in a cage outside I’m chained up so I can’t run away I’m sick I’m starving and have no food I can’t ask for help I was forced to have puppies when I was a puppy I’m alone It’s starting to snow I have no blankets or cover from the snow I get beaten for no reason I wish I was free I wish someone loved me I wish I had someone to love I want to be taken care of I want to play with someone I want someone to play with me I want to be warm I want to be healthy I don’t want to have puppies anymore I’m alone I never have anyone to feed me I never have anyone to play with me I’m always alone I have matted fur I have flees I’m very sick I have no one to give me medicine I’m alone 89
Zentangle Collage, Allison Casper, Grade 8
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91
Silence
Back in Time
By Kelsey Soskin
By Parsa Sirjani
He yells He hits the boy It’s not fair Should I say something? No, it wouldn’t help. I’ll just look away Someone else will stop him. I stay quiet. They’re back, he hits the boy across his face He leaves a huge red mark on the left side of the boys face, then walks away. What do I do? I stay quiet. The boy looks at me, I see the fear in his eyes He is just a boy He doesn’t deserve this I know what is happening is wrong, I stay quiet. It happens again I say I will do something this time I go to speak up, I get scared What if I make it worse? I’ll say something next time. They’re back; the man has a gun this time I go to speak up It’s too late. The boy is gone, I stayed quiet.
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Back in Time, I see not only but one thing Ignorance and Neutrality all in one This is why the Nazis had won The intimidating troopers hadn’t completely won But if the people of Germany stood up, the Jews and the people could all be one Back in Time, I see the heroes who had helped make a difference But if there were more, couldn’t there have been a chance? Without the small amount of heroes they had, There could have been a much bigger difference But if there were more people, Hitler’s reign could have concluded The White Rose and Schindler were humans just like us If we were put in the shoes of the Jews, what would you have done? Our heroes today all have the same qualities Heroic, Brave, Courageous, all in one character If people would’ve stood up back then The difference in casualties could’ve been much bigger If people really fought for what they believed in History could’ve changed forever The people were silenced by the cruel rulers The voice of the Jews was not heard Humanity had changed forever But if there were just more outside voices History could’ve changed forever In the case of those events The skies were gray for everyone Hope was completely lost for some But if there were more people who spoke up History could’ve changed forever In the events of the Holocaust Humanity and the world had turned upside down.
The Dear and the Hunter By Trip Walden
The forest was peaceful until they came They came in big green waves, like the ocean Shooting us down like wild animals As we were torn from our roots we cried for help But no one came We were the deer and they were the hunters It was hunting season for them, and it lasted six years There were few of us who stood up, But most of us were too afraid We were kept in horrific cages Only until they thought it was time to watch us die We all hungered but no food ever came We were the deer and they were the hunters, This was the Holocaust, always remember.
WHY ME By Parker Purrington
Hello? It’s so dark is anyone there? where am I? it’s so cold why am I here? why me why god why would you choose me what did I do to deserve this Why am I breathing so hard who’s calling my name why should I care I have a terrible life no one love me I’m all alone I’m all alone no one loves me I have a terrible life why should I care anymore who’s calling my name why am I breathing so hard what did I do to deserve this why would you choose me why god why me why am i here? it’s so cold where am I? is anyone there? It’s so dark Hello?
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Holocaust Poem By Selim Benis
A sleek, stray feline as quick as a shadow as resilient as a shield and as mistreated as a boot. No matter how stealthy, the cat would be beaten by all but one of the people in its path. Flinch at the kick of the passing stranger, but through the mist a star shone. Crack! Crash! Crunch! boots flung left and right as the feline pitter pattered its way to the light. Through the mist it went, through the storm of pain, through the hunger for freedom from the boots that oppressed the poor feline. However as the light grew ever larger and brighter the mistreated cat felt defeated as its paws felt heavy and tired. The light grew distant and dull as the feline’s view was encompassed by the boots whizzing by its head. Wallowing in pity as the boots hit the cat’s almost lifeless body, but suddenly, the light washed away the drab gray boots. 94
Not knowing what laid ahead, the cat strode into the light, swallowed by relief without the presence of the boots.
The Eyes of the Brave By Reagan Alsop
Look in their eyes Look into a Nazi’s eye, a Jew’s eye, a bystander’s eye What do you see? I see hatred, sadness, and guilt Hatred because they’re racist towards a group of people Sadness because they’re different from them Guilt because they’re human and they stood by, doing nothing
The eyes of the Jew’s, are mixed with hatred and hurt Some were probably confused Confused, because they’re wondering what they did wrong Hatred, because of the racism that fills the air Hurt, because for some reason they’re different Take a deep look into the bystander’s eyes Guilt, disappointment Bystanders sit there listening to lies They know aren’t true but believe anyway They believe them because they’re gullible They fake a smile because they’re afraid of
standing out But they won’t do anything to help out the silent It’s phenomenal how you can look Look into someone’s eye and see who they are Are they a Nazi, a Bystander, the Brave, or the Target? Hopefully you see the eyes of the Brave The Brave is the person that people want to be The person we should look up to Now it’s your turn Look into the mirror Which eyes you do you see staring back?
But also look into the eyes of people that stood up, the brave Terrified? Brave? Angry? They might be terrified because they’re human, and don’t want to be caught Brave because they’re actually fighting back Angry because people are murdered for believing in a different God The eyes of the Nazis are the worst They’re filled with hatred and only hatred For 7 years the gathered people up like they were cattle Branded them like they were property Why though? Why would someone that was once full of joy Be so cruel and kill so many innocents? Are they afraid of being an outcast? Or afraid because they’re human? Or maybe they’re afraid because if you don’t join in on the racism They’ll come after you too
Oil Pastel and Paint, Maxwell Vooss, Grade 8
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The Lie that Blinds By Gabby Allen
People walking in a straight line. Just ignoring the awful crime. Yes it dances and swirls around. But the truth is never found. People riding on an old train. Never able to forget their pain. The pain will continue, there is no doubt. It doesn’t matter if you protest or shout. The people won’t listen. They will just look in disgust. But you try anyway, you know you must. The truth that you know has cost you your life. It digs into you like the blade of a knife. A knife that doesn’t stop digging until you are dead. The pain, however, distracts you from dread.
They are whipped, shaved, gassed, or starved. They have numbers, tattooed, that might as well be carved. The wounds can be healed by a kind heart or two. But the memories sting like salt in your wounds. The others chose to live with the lie. They thought it was a shield They would never die. But they never lived. They just survived. But there were the few precious few. They weren’t fooled for a second. They were guarded by a real shield and are now always protected.
Rolling Stone By Calie Quinn
The dread, of course, is your new best friend. He is always with you, up until the end. He never stops or pauses for you. No. This dread has cut you all the way through. Blinded by their own minds. The hope is gone, they’re out of time. They like the lie. It keeps them tame. But some people, don’t want to play this game. They want to live, not survive. They want the truth, not the lie. They want justice, and not power. They want to be safe, and not cower. So people take risks and step out of line. And these people help others who aren’t treated so fine. 96
The pebble started small It didn’t seem bad at all It started as a microscopic grain of sand But as it started to roll, The more colossal it became You see, the stone didn’t just damage small things No, the stone destroyed different and unique things The stone destroyed things that weren’t fitting to it The stone wasn’t going to slow down It didn’t show signs of sluggishness In fact, the more that stone rolled The more things it smashed, destroyed, demolished
The more colossal that stone became The things that the stone rolled over, Made it grow and gave it more momentum The pebble, once so small, Once so microscopic Was now a vast stone, That no one could seem to stop As the stone demolished those beautiful things Cries of anguish, misery, distress, torture Grew louder as the stone revolved As that stone grew The stone started to slow down And the stone finally stopped The stone was too powerful Too colossal Too destructive That even the stone destroyed its own self Once the stone stopped, The sun shined The cries of misery, anguish, terror Got replaced with cries of joy The stone stopped rolling It all stopped The once vast rolling stone Couldn’t even handle itself on its own
One Word By Halimat Kadri
They don’t even care to think that it’s part of her religion, who she is And she can’t change that They make fun of an exchange student Because they think he’s Chinese He’s Korean But they never thought to ask They think he can’t see or understand them Even though he does both clearly He’s scared to talk Because of his accent Thinking you’ll make fun of it He tries to cover it up Only to make a fool of himself She hides her clothes from her mother Wearing what you suggested Only to be humiliated Because she looks dumb They all call for help But no one answers They feel you watching But you are silent They think they’re all alone You could change all that With just one word You could end the unfairness With just one word You could stop the madness With just one word You could change someone’s future It’s your choice
She walks into the school wearing long sleeves and long pants Even though it’s in the middle of the summer They laugh and point because they think she’s stupid 97
A Storm without End
For the atrocity of the killing of Roma, Gay, Jew
By Stella Escano
We did not help, We did not have anything to say, Not a single thing for the Roma, Jew, Gay.
“Wir nicht,” we’d say, To this oncoming storm of gray, This killing of Jew, Roma, Gay. In light of old, It shone so dark This gray storm, filling our heart. Then the rose would bloom, From these chilled rains so cold. Helping what was left stay. Oh so silent I’d stay Writing so I could let free, the withered words of glee. Soon, I knew, I would be found, And bound to chain. When the storm would end, No one knew. Could we end this killing of Roma, Gay, Jew? When did I help? In the beginning, middle, or end? Or maybe never, like many of my friends. And so it continues The storm of gray, Killing all we knew who were Jew, Roma, Gay But a halo shone through, Lighting our ever gray world. Giving the hope of returning our world to joy. And soon we knew, We were to blame 98
But then there was one, Who said people were worthy, The Jew, Roma, Gay He couldn’t help, But for so long because These killers of the Roma, Jew, Gay
“Someone” woke up in the morning and said to themselves I’m going to kill some innocent people just because... One of the reasons why terrorists do what they do is because of their religion or beliefs or.. Probably during their childhood no one told them what the right thing to do was.. Another reason why Terrorists do what they do is because... They have mental problems...
He fell so soon This hero so grand Being buried six feet under victimized hands.
Terrorism , briefly is a planned out strategy/plan attack...
Killing...
Terrorism By Matthew Yoeun
Terrorism is very common throughout the world There is no reason to do this stupid, uncalled act During the Boston Bombing.... being able to run through the finish line... And saying “I did it. I’m proud of myself ”... Was something people in the marathon wanted to be able to say.. BUT NO.. EVERYTHING WAS RUINED...
Innocent... People... Is... WRONG... These people should deserve to live a good long life... They never harmed you in any Why could you do something to them?
Spoken Word Poem By Lexi Hirschfeld
People are dying Children, teens, and adults Girls and boys, Men and women. Our society is broken We let these problems happen We don’t help as much as we could We leave others to suffer. When they reply “I’m fine” They’re not fine. They are in a sad state of mind. We can’t see their problems, it’s like we’re blind. A smile isn’t always real Sometimes smiles are just holding back tears. Their pain, we could never feel. The smile is a mask that needs to be peeled. These people go though pain constantly. Hearts shattered like glass. Happiness popped like balloons. How do you think they feel? Does it make you happy, All these people suffering? I know it kills me to think about it. I hate knowing there is so much depression. To all you feeling like you’re not worth it, YOU ARE! You are loved and need to know it. Don’t let others define your happiness. Remember if it’s a few bad few days, Hey! It will go away There are better days. Just move the umbrella and get out of the shade. 99
What if we were all the same? By Maxwell Vooss
It seems like it never stopped people, Jews, Blacks, and Muslims still are dying for what they believe Hitler is one man but has created more
Take the road less traveled Don’t be the one who just fits in Be the one who is different Be the one who is remembered for good Not for evil
Fight for What’s Right By Gabrielle Toomy
Oppression and injustice happens every day Hatred is still alive today Staten Island, Jerusalem, and Baghdad people have not changed Death is still here. following the ones who wish it gone. Hitler didn’t want those who were different. Jews weren’t considered people killing was just a thing to play around with. one after another Jews were killed, No punishment No death just fun. Creating more from his acts of cruelty. White men can choke out a black but black can’t touch a white. People are made equal But it’s the people around who cause problems. Men and women can kill for what they want Knocking on the door and one says no Boom, there goes another one one after another still getting killed It will NEVER change. From The Holocaust to Isis people still do what they believe It’s not always right So stand up and stop watching 100
Do you flinch when you hear a loud smack to the skin? Do you weep when you hear of other’s sorrows? Do you fight for what’s right? There are people in this world who feed off other’s pain. There are people in this world who transfer that pain into paradise. If only it was that easy to pick one or the other. The beings that listen and don’t speak are the scariest of beings; That make me weep. Think. Think about the people who go through such pain Their hearts turning cold, scared, and alone from being on their own, They want to be who they are but are hidden behind the star. A Pol, a Gypsy, or a Jew no matter what you are, They’d rather see right through you. Turn around and face the light, And do what you know is right.
Protect those who only have dingy clothes to call their own. A cruel word spoken is like a knife cut into your skins Others can hurt you mentally and physically. Have a reaction to the action. Weeping when you hear of other’s sorrows doesn’t solve their pain. Those people who cry are curtains that shelter other’s pain and create their own. Don’t mix other’s sadness with your own, Be the support they need. Fight for what’s right.
Secrets within a Rose By Sydney Music
Growing steadily growing like a child becoming larger, slowly but steadily like a flower blossoming Growing steadily A large white rose its protective thorns steadily blossoming in time the many large, white petals, falling silently A large white rose, hiding many secrets within A garden made of hundreds of white roses steadily expanding, but also being cut once cut, their thorns are taken they begin to wilt as they are cut A garden made of hundreds of roses They are saviors The white roses protect the flowers the flowers, hidden in the garden the flowers, unseen by the world The white roses are saviors
White White is all I see all I hear all of my senses are colored White
A crimson rose the color giving a warning to not be touched or cut from their places a warning to not be out numbered A bloodied rose
The thorns of protests of those who were right who saw the wrong in others’ actions Those that tried to rectify those wrongs The thorns of protest
The surrounding flowers they wither and shrink away leaving remaining flowers alone with the intimidating crimson Erased with the crimson expansion
Petals of a flower they fall secretly throughout the garden most were swept away the petals fell, still silently throughout the garden The petals of a flower
white roses continue to grow not withering or shrinking away the wall of white roses expand protecting the flowers that suffer white roses that will always remain 101
Zentangle Collage, Logan Michelon, Grade 8
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103
A Responsible Citizen
Speechless
By Ravi Palat
By David Britt
Who is a responsible citizen? Someone who blindly follows? Someone who looks out for others? Someone who stands up when the laws are wrong? To be a responsible citizen is to know what’s right and wrong. Looking out for, and helping the oppressed, To stand when everyone else is looking away, To speak when everyone else is silent Because silence is a killer. During a time when the Jewish were oppressed, Many were silent. Many people allowed their fellow citizens to be taken away They allowed their government to kill their fellow citizens, They allowed atrocities to take place in the backyard without saying a word, All of this happened because they were silent. To be a responsible citizen is not to blindly follow, It is not to take violent means against the unjust law, It is to help our fellow citizens, when no one else will, To speak out, and not be silent. The silence of a country lead to the death of so many, The help of the few who spoke saved so few, How many lives could have been saved, if only they had spoken? Silence is a killer. 104
Not just any silence, the silence of people. In Germany, the silence of people sent six million to their death. In the Soviet union, the silence sent 11 million to their death. How do we stop this brutal murderer? We speak. We break the silence when others will not. We stand when our people stand. We take the place of the fallen. We continue to fight for our people, even when the odds are stacked against us. If you don’t believe this, open your eyes. Look to India, they stood up to injustice, they are free now. Open your eyes and see that silence can be stopped. Be a responsible citizen when the time comes. When the force of silence threatens to take your brothers and sisters, be the person to break that. Injustice happens all the time, we need responsible citizens to stop it. A responsible citizen will disregard borders, a responsible citizen will fight for things that don’t affect them, a responsible citizen will stand, regardless of race or nationality. A responsible citizen will speak.
It’s like the moment you think it’s over, it’s your turn to fight the battle. Stealing the life that you deserve to have, Reeling in all that you ever had. And you feel like someone is turning their back, But you’re not sure who, and not sure why you. Living life, unsure if it will be you next, Or your brother, or your sister. And you can’t change it, it’s in your DNA. Waking up, every day, not sure how long you can stay, How can anyone ever understand, when you feel like you’re the only one? Wading day after day through different clinics, Hearing about a new program every week, Not sure what exactly it is you seek. Is it that you’re dying to live, Or are you are living to pass the time? You’re never really coming out of the storm, when it’s in your blood; Really more like just passing from cloud to cloud. Carrying on gets harder when you can’t carry yourself; When your mind or muscles deteriorate, And telling everyone that it’ll be alright is hard when you can’t talk, And you start to wonder how you ever thought that it couldn’t be you, That those things only happened to others, But everyone is “other” to someone. It’s weird, you’re scared to death but you can’t run,
Paper Relief, Kahli Rahn, Grade 8
It’s gotten so dark, even in summer, you can’t see the sun. Words that must be said, but your tongue is made of lead, All that’s left are empty hopes in your stead. You get enough time, but you have no idea what to say, Because you’re not sure if they’re still there, Your aunt or grandfather, Find it hard to believe that they’re the same person, Smiling in the pictures, who gave gifts on Christmas, Who you passed every day but never stopped to appreciate, Never having any idea what would be their fate. So much time, nothing left to say; Speechless, then, speechless until today. 105
Fight for What’s Right By Gabrielle Toomy
Do you flinch when you hear a loud smack to the skin? Do you weep when you hear of other’s sorrows? Do you fight for what’s right? There are people in this world who feed off other’s pain. There are people in this world who transfer that pain into paradise. If only it was that easy to pick one or the other. The beings that listen and don’t speak are the scariest of beings; That make me weep. Think. Think about the people who go through such pain Their hearts turning cold, scared, and alone from being on their own, They want to be who they are but are hidden behind the star. A Pol, a Gypsy, or a Jew no matter what you are, They’d rather see right through you. Turn around and face the light, And do what you know is right. Protect those who only have dingy clothes to call their own. A cruel word spoken is like a knife cut into your skins Others can hurt you mentally and physically. Have a reaction to the action. 106
Weeping when you hear of other’s sorrows doesn’t solve their pain. Those people who cry are curtains that shelter other’s pain and create their own.
The Beginning of the End By Chris Robertson
Don’t mix other’s sadness with your own, Be the support they need. Fight for what’s right.
Let It Out By Austin Fattizzi
I scream and I yelp But no one seems to come and help I wonder if they want me to feel this pain But that gives them no personal gain I look to the left and the right But there is no one there except the colds winters night I might as well be dead But then I hear something said Then I spot a great deal of light But there seems to be nothing in sight I look to the left and right But there still seems to be no light I know this is strange But I am not sure that they made a change I think my time has come But maybe not because it sounds like a friendly hum I turn and look and I see his face But this is not one I will need to brace I can tell he wants to help Someone finally answered my yelp
I sit there thinking Thinking about how everyone goes along with it We act like nothing is happening But deep down inside we all know it’s wrong The Nazis made the laws We had a choice Obey them or be sent into a life of torture Forced to work in the nasty disease filled work camps Or worse sent to the burning flames of the incinerators Some of us have said enough is enough I am one of those people now I help hide Jewish people I hide them for a few days at a time Is disobeying the law wrong if all the laws are wrong in the first place? I help Jewish people, I feel it is my duty. My duty to be a responsible citizen Some may ask what is a responsible citizen? You don’t have to be special You just have to do what you believe in My duty to help put an end to Hitler’s regime I am compelled to do this like two magnets I don’t do it to get attention I do it because I want to make a difference I do it because I want to end the war It only takes one person One person to start it all One person to start the beginning of the end.
Hope By Bryce Whitlock
As the war wages on Everyone’s hope was gone They wouldn’t stop Then one day, The bud was beginning to bloom A bud of hope The White Rose grew from the bud They began restoring hope They were the light in the darkness There were pamphlets made With information from stations that were forbade People didn’t believe There were secret meetings One night the janitor saw this The white rose is no more They began storming the ghettos We began hiding Anywhere out of sight If you were found you died If you weren’t found you died No matter what you died There was no escape But the one thing we have Is hope.
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Untitled By Chase Wallace
Rapping, fingers tapping on the keys. Building my walls, the ones to protect me. Sounds of today, tomorrow and yesterday. I need to put out the fire that burnt me, and save the others from a worse fate from me. Wasn’t a simple game of hide and seek. They see everything, nothing, inside and outside of me. They see the world how it is, They see how it should not be. As I utter my words, and gather water, I need to put out the fire that burns me, and save the others from a worse fate from me. A white rose burning, flames licking the petals. Printed fliers crumbling to ash. If they had technology of me, where would they truly be? I need to put out the fire that burns them, and save the others from a worse fate from me. He sat upon his chair, building his walls. He did a few things that made him like me. He put up his walls, the ones to protect him. He wrote of the truth, the past and the future. He needs to put out the fire that burns him, and save the others from a worse fate than me.
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We wait, patiently, the shadows closed upon, the meeting inevitable in this game of hide and seek. The twisted dark faces of evil, hoping to see them suffer. They’re crazy, evil, dark and demonic, they want, the worst for them. I cannot say that I understand what they see, I can never truly feel as me. But you are you, and I am me. I need to save you from the fire, And keep you with me. They can smash through any surface, strong as it is. Power has turned them corrupt. Ruling with fear and sorrow, it is impossible to escape. Deep, lurking shadows I cannot see. Their shadows are not here, there are none in the dark. I never believed you were different from me. People have different ideas, thoughts and beliefs. The mind is made that way, to help us think. They don’t understand you. They want to kill, they want to tear from the book of life, they want to tear your decedents from the history books. I need to save you from the fire that burns me, and put out the fire before it changes them.
Look into the future, as if it were now. If history had changed, if time was warped. If things were changed, so different and confused. If now had a different meaning, if it was not overused If then was now and now was then, would the world be different, or would the fliers be written with ink and pen? I cannot say I can put out the fire, the one that burns deep, into the depths of the ground. If they could hack in, if they could break out, if they could let the whole world know, if they could let it all go, if they could have what we have, and we would have what they did, how would it be different, if they could live again. The scars cut deep, the wounds that weep, the world in crisis, a war of us, we stood strong, but so did they, I can never be there, I’ll never see the day. We should have stood together, the world that should be ours, we all live in it together, so why must there be wars? I do truly need to put out the fire, the fire that caused many to fight. So now I sit here pondering what it would be. Who would have done what, and what could have changed.
Who would be victorious, who would be evil. Who would truly rule the world. If this were to happen today, how would we go about putting out the fire and save us from this worse fate? I understand you’re different. You believe in something new. But really does that make a difference, when you are just a person? You didn’t have a choice, and now your people must pay, but truly is this it, trapped in a fit, of death, of pain, of sorrow? You have power. I have power. They have power. We have put out the fire. The fire that burnt you. We saved them. We must learn from the fire. We must study the ashes that shaped the past. We must use this as a way to stay All I can truly say is the fire is out What do you see? Save them. You can’t It’s me, the one who couldn’t, set you free. I wasn’t there, You were there. 109
Please Wake Up
The world has changed, I could show you.
By Caylee Hirschfeld
We can be free. So imagine this: You come home, sneak upstairs You don’t care anymore, you’ve given up You grab those pills that you’ve been hiding or You tie the noose around your neck So it’s over, I get it
We must work together, We must put out the fire, the evil fire, that burns them. Save them. A worse fate. I can tell you one thing, The future is free.
Charcoal Still Life, Gabrielle Allen, Grade 8
The Thing to Do By Alex Pitts
A normal boy, eating dinner, Another normal family, eating dinner too The other family hears you must tell the Nazis of Jews, To this first boy it’s nothing new
of them, But their question was answered, As a boy from the second family ran towards them
This first boy has heard that his religion is evil, The second family has been told this too The second family denounced the first boy because of this, They said it was just the thing to do
The boy from the second family said that his family was a disgrace, To denounce their neighbors, He said that the Nazis were a disgrace, To commit murder in cold blood He said that Germany was a disgrace, To stand by and let it happen
The SS officer came, telling the first boy he had to leave, His family and he both sent to the streets, A second family, huddled farther down the street, Watched as the first family was pushed into the afternoon heat The first family pleaded, Pleaded to know who it was that told the Nazis 110
The officer said that he respected the boy for stating his mind, But that did not seem the case as the boy lay, unconscious on the street, The officer said for the second family to join the first, The mother pleaded “Why, why!?”, The SS officer simply said, “It’s the thing to do.”
You take the pills, lump in your throat So many pills, what were you thinking? The rope is like a snake Constricting, getting tighter by each second Soon you can’t breathe You stop kicking, your pain is over Please wake up
So think hard about what you’re going to do Dead or Alive? Please wake up That small second between living and dead You will realize that for all the reasons that you killed yourself, They could’ve all been fixed And if this isn’t reason enough not to kill yourself, Let me tell you one thing: I Love You. Now please wake up.
But think about your parents Think about your brothers and sisters Who will blame themselves Never forgiving themselves for something, Something that they couldn’t control Please wake up Think about your younger sibling coming into your room Their sparkling, young eyes Trying to figure out why you won’t wake up “It’s time for dinner, wake up Why were you drawing on your arms with red? Please wake up” Take a step back and evaluate everything Before you pull the trigger, before you tie the noose Before you even start your day; think about the good things Because after you kick the chair, there’s no going back No matter how much that you regret it
Still Life Collage by Austin Fattazzi, Grade 8
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Open Your Eyes By Christopher Sarris
The Jewish were living side by side, With the Germans they had known for years, But Hitler thought Jews were below them, And convinced everyone else of the same, Now they’re seen differently. Uncared for, unknown, and feared, Sent to live in the dirtiest of places, Barely fed, sick and sent away, But even still, Some saw the beauty in them. Forced into hiding, Into the dark, Huddling together, Listening to friends being killed, Or separated from families, Never able to do anything but hide and fear. Lied to by Hitler and his fellow Nazis, The Germans knew not of what happened, Left in the dark As their fellow citizens were beaten and oppressed, But some saw through the lies, These people tried to help.
Some hid them, And cared for them, And helped them survive, Knowing that they were risking their lives, But even still, They knew it was right. George Ferdinand Duckwitz was one, Sent to Denmark by Nazis He heard they were to be sent away, 112
So to Sweden for the place they stayed, He saved six thousand this man alone, And was never caught by the Nazis. Despite the Nazi oppression, The Jews still survived, Thanks to ordinary people, Who opened their eyes.
Black permeated the room, The light getting dimmer. I close my eyes, Coordinating my thoughts. Unconsciously, I sprinted to the light, Wind penetrating my hair. I ponder the size of the light.
The Light of the Future By Jacob Roth
I grovel in the corner, Alone in the darkness, Frightened to leave the wall. How frigid the wall feels, It lurks up my back, Like a poison gradually killing me. A sliver of light enters the room, Blinding my eyes. Though it was minuscule, It was the brightest. A hand emerges from the light, With a couple of words, “Follow the light.” The voice echoed, Chills circulating though my veins, As I ditch the wall. I gently take my first step, Anxious to take the next. The hand beckons to me saying, “Don’t be afraid, just follow the light.”
It flourishes, Displaying a figure. That figure was me, Oh how exceptional it was, Seeing what was in store for me. It all happened in a glimpse, Fast enough for me to see, That this was my fortune. I shuffled to the light, Then jogged, Then sprinted. The light was right in front of me. As I closed my eyes, I dashed into the light.
Childhood Cancer By Whitley Monroe
Children. There are children in hospital beds. They’re living in hospital beds. They’re sick. They have wires and tubes coming out of them, Doctors incessantly coming out of their rooms.
This is the time when they’re supposed to be living, But how can they possibly be living when they’re in a hospital bed? And there are needles. Nobody’s supposed to like needles, right? Wrong, because when you’re sick, you don’t have a choice. Because when needles are your life support, you tend not to mind. There are treatments to get rid of this sickness, But those treatments bring along their own sicknesses. It seems as if the side effects are worse than the Cancer itself. Cancer, it’s a forbidden word. But, what’s there to hide? The truth? They’ve learned to live with the truth because there’s no way to mask it. There’s no way to mask the amount of hair that falls out when they brush it. There’s no way to mask the nights spent throwing up. And there’s no way to mask the pain. And they’re required to fight. It’s not an option. They have friends and they have families and their whole lives are ahead of them. But there comes a point where enough is enough. They’ve been fighting for a while and nothing is changing. They’re just getting worse. And then they realize, their whole lives aren’t ahead of them. It’s right then. Because time has flown. And they’re not just sick anymore, they’re dying. And they’re done fighting. They’re tired and they just want to go home. Home where they can spend the rest of their lives. 113
Living In The Darkness
Rise Up and Save Us
By Mitchell Maguire
By Justin Silverman
It used to be bright and full of life Children laughing and playing But the darkness came and took over It destroyed everything in its path No one was safe even the darkness’s followers felt its wrath
instead of fighting back I had to stand up in order to avenge my family If I didn’t act I would live a life full of guilt and sorrow If did stand up and the darkness took me at least I would die guilt free
I hear shooting in the distance Are they coming to save me? Are they going to deliver me from my misery?
For years I lived in the darkness in fear Every day was torture, I would see others killed but I was spared I wanted to run and hide Every corner I turn I see the face of ghosts that I could have saved I wanted to help but the darkness would come for me if I did
I did everything in my power to stand up to the darkness I hid people away from the darkness to save them from becoming those ghosts I saw One day the darkness came for me but I couldn’t go down without a fight I was as fierce as a lion and fought for my family, I fought for those ghosts The darkness eventually took me but in my last moments I finally felt guilt free.
I have been forced to work, to suffer Behind this fence, Without food or water The one that I have come to hate, The one that holds my fate.
No one was safe My brother was one of the strong ones, he stood up to the darkness I ran and hid when the darkness came The darkness took my brother and my entire family! I was too scared for my life and couldn’t do anything I wanted to let the darkness take me, I had no one to live for Every day I saw more and more people taken I was too scared to act and remained silent. Was I the monster and not the darkness for not doing anything? Every day I looked more like a monster, I started to grow fangs and a tail
I soon became angry at myself for not standing up I was just as bad as the darkness for hiding 114
My hands, legs, and body covered with blood From the slapping and the beating From all these months of suffering Torturous days and nights No one has come to find me. They treat us like this everyday Because of my religion Because I was born this way As a Jew. They don’t care About anyone but themselves They don’t play fair, They don’t play nice. They do this to me, To people like you Because we’re different
Oil Pastels and Paint, Alley Symmes, Grade 8
We don’t hold anger For the people who don’t see The same things you and I do. We don’t judge We don’t hate, We simply believe in a thing called fate. Will you do something? Will I do something? We must ALL do something! To make a difference We have to take action.
Watercolor and Ink, Selim Benis, Grade 8
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Book Review: I am The Messenger
Book Review: I Hunt Killers
By Emma Wentworth
by Logan Michelon
45 Edgar Street, Midnight. 13 Harrison Avenue, 6pm. 6 Macedoni Street, 5:30 am. Ed Kennedy was just another under aged cab driver, until he accidentally stopped a bank robbery. For a few days he was titled a hero, but soon all the notoriety died down. The first card came in the mail with three addresses. Ed had to investigate why he was getting these cards and find out who was sending them. Little did he know that these notes would change his life forever. I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak is a novel that is quirky, funny, and mysterious. When every chapter has an engrossing end it makes for a quick and thrilling read. The setting is held in a quiet and sad small town outside of Sydney, Australia. The setting is very important because, Ed uses the cards to deliver joy and happiness to the people of the town and makes them grateful for the lives they have. Throughout the book Ed goes through a huge character arc. He transforms from a self involved poker player with a beer belly, to a man who is caring and selfless. By the end of the story Ed finds himself, he discovers not only who he is, but who he wants to become. The realization that friends and family mean more to him than anything else, surprises him. Markus Zusak compels you to take this journey of self discovery. Like Ed, sometimes you might encounter a stalemate in life. But, by pushing through, you can evolve into a better human being. I enjoyed this book because the idea was creative. The main character was clueless about what was occurring and this was unique. I would recommend I Am The Messenger to others who enjoy mysteries that are also humorous. Who would have thought that in poker you are not only betting chips, but you are also betting your life...
Second Place Norfolk Public Library Book Review Contest
What if you were going against your father who is an infamous serial killer? What if every citizen in your town wants you dead? I wouldn’t blame them, considering their beloved ones were the victims of your father’s brutal crimes. Now that a new serial killer is on the loose, mimicking your father’s murders, word for word, action for action, it is your job to stop them with the help of the police. I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga puts you in tough situations, teaching you to face your fears and choose your own path. They say you can’t spell slaughter without laughter, or funeral without fun. Billy Dent murdered people for the sake of amusement. He didn’t have anyone to get back at, or someone who had killed one of his own. Now his son Jasper Dent, a small town boy with a disturbing past, tries to live a normal life. The cruel memories prevent him from doing so. The pain and suffering Billy caused leaves Jasper unsure if his father was really ever truly caring. Jasper’s whole childhood was spent learning how to kill. His father forced the information down his throat. Billy was Jasper’s own “how to be a serial killer for dummies” book. Jasper wasn’t going to kill, he refuses to be like his father. If he has the mind of a killer, doesn’t that mean he can think like one? After all, to hunt a killer, you must think like a killer. What if the only way to satisfy your father’s hunger for bloodlust is to become a killer yourself ? You must break free and choose your own path. Jasper is torn between reality and a dream. He wants everything to be fixed, wishing his father wasn’t so twisted. Jasper is constantly reminded with revolting flashbacks of lessons of how to skin your dog, how to get away with raping a girl and leaving her pinned to the ceiling of a church. But how can you move forward if you’re stuck in the past? As the story progresses Jasper begins to use his mind of a killer to help the police solve this terrifying case. This book can be explained in two words. Totally wicked! I Hunt Killers is an action packed book with bloody scenes embedded within. The crimes preformed by Billy are graphically explained with lots of mature content. Age or grade does not matter, but you must be mature enough to read this book. I’m sure that you’re thinking to read this book you must be truly insane, but as Billy did say, “I’m a complicated man with complicated taste buds.”
Third Place Norfolk Public Library Book Review Contest
Oil Pastel and Paint, Emma Wentworth, Grade 8
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Thank you!