THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
“How To Submit” See Ad Page 2
Volume 3, Issue 7
APRIL 2012
A Newspaper by Children, of all Ages, from all Over the World Your Work can be Published too!
SARAH’S CINEMA A Monthly Movie Review
by Sarah Thompson, Age 13 Boynton Beach, FL Movie: The Hunger Games Rated: PG-13 The plot Every year, in the nation of Panem, each of the twelve districts must send two citizens between the ages of 12 and 18 (one boy, and one girl) to compete in the annual Hunger Games competition - a televised battle-to-the-death meant to keep the people of Panem in line. Every eligible citizen has their name written on a paper. The two “Tributes” are chosen by chance; whichever name is pulled from the bowl. When twelve-yearold Prim Everdeen (Willow Shields) is chosen, her older sister, sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to go in her place. Now Katniss must survive training, the arena, and possibly killing someone she’s known See The Hunger Games; Book Review by Aaron Organ on page 4.
since childhood (Josh Hutcherson as Peeta). And the cameras will always be watching. The verdict I attended my first midnight movie premiere when I went to see this, and the whole experience was very exciting. The theatre was packed with fans wearing T-shirts and other merchandise, and lines began forming almost two hours ahead of time! The later the hour you go to see a movie, the more likely there will be a louder, rowdier crowd (who might yell at the screen or talk during the movie), which is a downside. But all in all, I really enjoyed the experience, as I am a huge fan of the Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins, and couldn’t wait to see how the first book adapted to the screen. Just like the books, the film begins with a bang and has you hooked after the first scene. The sets and wardrobe are very well done; one look at the homes or the Great Depression-style clothing of the citizens of District Twelve, and we know their circumstances. The scenes in the arena are extremely true to the books and
by Sara Cross, Age 11 Boca Raton, FL On March 2nd, pre-kindergarten kids got together to celebrate the 108th birthday of Dr. Seuss and Read Across America Day. The event started at 9:00 that morning with a green eggs and ham breakfast, followed by a Dr. Seuss birthday cake cutting. The event took place at Sierra Norwood Calvary Child Development Center in Miami Gardens, Florida. Dr. Seuss was an author of many children’s books, and starting at 9:45 am, three of them were read to the kids. Green Eggs
really bring to life the horrifying elements Collins writes about. The Capitol’s bloodthirsty love for the Games, the eagerness the Career Tributes have to kill another human being, the fear and guardedness Katniss has because she doesn’t want to love someone only to have to kill them later on. All these elements work together to create a film as jarring, gripping, haunting, and disturbingly addictive as the book it was based on. Now there were some things that were quite different from the book and some things that were left out entirely. But the things changed or overlooked are only minor details, and do not take anything away from the plot at all. When books are made into movies, there is a big risk. They’re either going to be hugely popular (Harry Potter, Twilight) or they’re going to be flops. Some of my favorite books were made into films (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, A Series of Unfortunate Events), and disappointed me greatly because of the warped plot and how condensed they were. So looking at the few changes in the Hunger Games, they really
and Ham was read by Jen Herrera, Channel 10 TV News Reporter, The Cat in the Hat was read by David Williams, the City Councilman of Miami Gardens, and Hop on Pop was read by none other than me, Sara Cross, Staff Writer and Reporter for the Circle Gazette. It was so exciting because by doing this, I could celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday, and Read Across America Day! The kids were laughing and playing around for the whole event, and just generally having a good time. The host of this event was the Early Learning Coalition of Miami Dade and Monroe counties (ELCMDM). Their
L-R: Circle Gazette reporter Sara Cross, WPLG-TV Anchor Jen Herrara, Circle Gazette photographer Emily Greenfield.
Green Tip 2.0 Page 3 by Aaron Cross
A True Life Story
Page 2
by Jadzia Escoto
amount to nothing, considering what an outstanding job the filmmakers did bringing this fantastic series to life. I think what makes the Hunger Games so frightening, is the fact that it really doesn’t take much imagination. In a world where reality TV shows are abuzz, why aren’t we appalled at the idea of turning on the television and watching shows in which people fight, kiss, party, and basically display every moment of their private lives to the whole world? If we are willing to sit down and watch these reality shows on television today, and consider it “entertainment”, are our beliefs really that far from the Capitol’s?
mission is to prepare young children for school, making sure they know how to behave in a classroom, and how to listen and learn; thus trying to increase the chance of the children achieving future educational success. I think it is a great program with a great mission, and I think it has great potential. In honor of these two occasions, some of Dr. Seuss’ books were donated by the Early Learning Coalition to the preschool. Learn more about the Early Learning Coalition at www.elcmdm.com. I think that you should take every opportunity you can get to teach kids to read, and Read Across America Day is great for that.
Sara Cross reading "Hop on Pop" to third graders at Sierra Norwood Calvary Child Development Center.
Page 3 by Emma Gómez
Collage Art inspired on Megan Coyle’s art by the British School Caracas Students.
Pages 8 & 9
s p o rts Pages 6 & 7
Reading is something that I feel everyone should have access to, for it is like a gate to endless possibilities. To me, reading is a guide to life; it makes it easier to learn and easier to expand horizons. The best part of being able to read is the stuff you can read, like the Circle Gazette! Read Across America Day is really something to celebrate in every home. I am honored to have been chosen to represent the Circle Gazette at this event. I think it was a great thing to do to celebrate Read Across America Day, and the birthday of best-selling author, Dr. Seuss. I had so much fun, and I think the other kids did too.
Sara Cross interviewing Blythe Keeler Robinson, Senior Director of Programs at the Early Learning Coalition.
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THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
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THE CIRCLE GAZETTE A Newspaper by Children for Children Monthly Independent Publication available to children of all ages. This publication is an initiative of THE ENRICHMENT CIRCLE, INC. A Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization for the Advancement of Education 7551 Normande Ct. Margate FL 33063 Phone: 954-918-2541 info@enrichmentcircle.com
Editor in Chief Patty Gómez
Serena Serrano
Patty Gómez
Editorial Board
Sandra Wolkov
Pedro Gómez Lee Bruno
Robyn Rader
Production
Sandra Wolkov
Serena Bruno
Christie Voss
Christie Voss
Graphic Designers & Prepress Dora Font
Christie Voss
Cartoonists and Illustrators Kate Maier
Sofia Serrano
Daniela Gómez
Emma Gómez
Arion Rashad
Regular Columnists Aaron J. Cross
Daniela Gómez
Bilal Amodu
Sara I. Cross
Sarah Thompson
Regular Contributors
Maria & Natalie Schlecht, Elizabeth Abrams, Daniela & Emma Gómez, Aaron J. & Sara I. Cross, Sofia Serrano, Danny & Andy Hernández, Alizdair Ray, Ismail Ercan, Shadya & Bilal Amodu, Nathalie Thelemaque, Kate Maier, Reagan Olenick, Sarah Thompson
Patty Gómez
Proof Readers
Sandra Wolkov
Serena Bruno
Christie Voss
Web Page Master Victoria Martinez
With the purchase of each copy you are supporting the printing of future issues and through that, the creative work of young writers and artists!
Circulation
The Circle Gazette is available online and is distributed in paper via individual, classroom and library subscriptions. The Circle Gazette is distributed all over South Florida and has subscribers and contributors from Ohio, Tennessee, New Mexico, Texas, New York, Virginia, California, Kentucky, San Jose-Costa Rica and Caracas-Venezuela)
Free Copies Available at Community Partner Institutions
The Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theatre The British School Caracas Arts Alive, Coral Springs
Sponsorships, Sales & Advertising Mindy Joseph 954-684-9096
Jodi Jaffe 954-253-6584
TO SUBMIT WORK
The Circle Gazette is a publication available to public school, private school and homeschool students. Email a copy of your work, as a Word or text file, attach images as JPEG files, to info@enrichmentcircle.com or submit your work online at www.enrichmentcircle.com. All entries should be accompanied by the parent/guardian consent to print form found online.
Information to contributors
The Circle Gazette reserves the right to edit, accept and refuse articles in the interest of brevity, clarity and the appropriateness of subject matter. The Circle Gazette is packed from cover to cover with the latest stories and creations of children as of all ages; about local affairs, the environment, art, sports, entertainment, stories, poems and puzzles that engage and inspire young minds! YOUNG CHILDREN CAN PROVIDE A WEALTH OF WISDOM, FRESHNESS AND NEW PERSPECTIVES! The Circle Gazette is a one-of-a-kind publication because: It transcends one school/homeschool community. It goes beyond a state or a country. It’s about widening writer’s and reader’s horizons! It is addressed to children and the content is created by children It involves a multiage/multilevel group of contributors The editorial team keeps a holistic and nourishing quality on the selection of content and design It’s a high quality mix of a variety of styles and topics It offers valuable feedback to authors
“How To Submit”
The Enrichment Circle 501(c)(3)
from the editor:
Alittle public relations can go a long way!
Hello writers! Public relations is quite simply “how you relate to the public.” Ideally you will work on making that relationship mutually beneficial. We appreciate the time you take to prepare for interviews and the research required to complete an article. Start with the people you know, whom you already have a rapport with. They will more than likely really enjoy the interaction and will be forgiving for any nervousness and mistakes. A great way to master skills for the interactions you will have as an adult. Volunteers have been very busy, not just putting the paper together, but advocating it within our community. We are pleased to have been invited by Early Learning Coalition to be part of the Read Across America Day in March. Sara Cross, Emily Greenfield and I attended this event. Sara read Hop on Pop to a group of young children. I have to say, the children were very impressed to have another child read to them! They were talking and fidgety during the first two readers, but when Sara got up there, the class went completely silent! I think they were totally caught off guard! I hope that we got them thinking “outside of the box” a little. Later that month, the Circle Gazette hosted a booth at the Butterfly Festival, a yearly event held by the city of Coconut Creek. Another great opportunity to reach out to our community and gain exposure. There are many free things that we can do to share
L-R: Circle Gazette writer Emily Greenfield, graphic designer Christie Voss and writer Sarah Damas at the Butterfly Festival, Coconut Creek. the Circle Gazette with others. We are always looking for volunteers to keep an eye out, be proactive and organize them. Thinking ahead, in August we will be participating at the National Night Out Against Crime campaign again. We will need volunteers for the Margate and Deerfield Beach locations. And as September rolls in, it will be coming up to Circle Gazette’s birthday again! Happy and Healthy Holidays! Christie Voss, Guest Editor
Did You Know...
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Aword
APRIL 2012
A Non-Profit Organization for the Advancement of Education
… that Earth Day is April 22? In the year 1990 it became a holiday in hundreds of nations across the globe. It is a time to ensure that we are doing everything that we can on a daily basis to keep our planet healthy. Are we recycling? Are we reducing energy consumption and using clean energy? On this day, special attention and awareness is drawn to these and other issues to ensure long term, life sustainability on Earth.
A True Life Story of What A Girl Had To Go Through by Jadzia Escoto, Age 11 Coral Springs, FL In the year 2012, during the month of January, someone’s life changed. A girl who once lived a normal life: regular friends, regular teachers, and regular parents. But, her whole life changed with one event, that will remain rooted in her mind for the rest of her life. The girl slipped on her shoes and jumped in the car with her best friend. They were going to an event at school, where they had a presentation about middle school for the fifth graders. There were presentations also for the going-to-be kindergarteners. It was a night where everyone got together and the parents talked with the teachers. But, no one realized what was happening behind a few project boards. The girl walked around with her best friend, talking and laughing with friends. Suddenly, a kid came up to her. They were face-to-face. She was cornered, feeling hopeless. Her best friend was nowhere in sight. She was alone with the bully and his
group. One of her good friends stood there shocked and not moving. The bully came closer. Next thing the girl knew she had bruises up and down her arms, doubling over in pain. The bully looked at her one last time and walked off, not giving a second thought to what he just did. The girl’s eyes glistened wet, on the verge of tears. But she never said anything. She was afraid that she was alone. She was scared that if she told anyone the incident would grow, getting worse. Anger bubbled within her; she couldn’t believe that her so called friend did nothing to help her. She felt betrayed and ditched. The next day, walking with a friend to class, exhausted from doing morning announcements, she stood still in fright. The bully walked in the hallway. The hallway was deserted; no one was around except the three of them. The bully walked to the girl, but the girl’s friend knew what was happening. Before she could do anything, the kid slammed his fist into the girl’s arm, turned around and walked to class. She winced in pain but continued walking to class as if
nothing happened. Her friend went hysterical. But the girl never let her talk. Class passed in a daze. The teacher kept calling on her to pay attention. But she couldn’t help it. Too much was happening -- this, then her parents fighting, and her brother being rebellious. Just then the bell rang. She got up and made her way to the door. The teacher called her over. They talked about what had happened. Who told the teacher?! The girl thought. The teacher touched her arm. They made an agreement. The teacher was going to talk to the bully. “If he bugs you ever again tell me straight away.” The teacher said, making sure she was understood. Well, that’s over. About a month later: The girl walked in the hallway with her friend, pushing the computer cart back to the laptop room. The bully looked around. He spotted her, laughing and talking with that other guy. She turned around and spotted him. They shared a look and she walked off, leaving him with the rest of the students in the hallway. His eyes followed her.
THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
APRIL 2012
Green Tip of the Month is now 2. by A.J. Cross, Age 14 Boca Raton, FL
April 22 is a special day. It was first made into a special day in 1969 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Conference of San Francisco. Over the years it has spread out of its home state and is celebrated by over 175 countries worldwide. The day is called Earth Day, which I am sure most of you have heard of, and it is a day for acknowledging the environment and making changes in your behavior for the benefit of the whole world. The whole world? What could you possibly do that would affect the entire world? You, yourself are not really going to make a difference, and, even if you could, you probably will not be alive to see any big changes. So why should you even care? Well, as the first edition of Green Tip 2.0, I am going to answer that question. Maybe one person recycling a few plastic bottles will not make much of a difference, but if everyone recycles a few bottles each, then that is a lot less garbage going into a landfill or on the streets. That is the point: We can only help the environment together as a whole. For example, I recycle, say, three bottles a day. With my column, I am teaching another, say, hundred people who recycle three bottles a day each. Now we have 101 people recycling three bottles a day each, leaving 303 bottles per day that are avoiding landfills. Also teaching other people how to be green the way I am teaching you adds more people into the equation. If each of those hundred people who I taught how to be green (one of them is you) now teaches two people each how to be green, then we now have another 200 people that care about the environment
and recycle three bottles a day each. Added to our original 101 people we have 301 people recycling 903 bottles every day! Imagine how many people we would have if each of those new people each taught another two. Of course, these are just easy numbers. People who care about the Earth do more than recycle three bottles a day, and will probably teach more than two people in their lifetime; but this shows how one person and one small change can make a big difference. The reason you should care about helping the Earth is because you can make a difference. If people limit their usage of chemical cleaners, pesticides, and fertilizers then there is a lot less of that nasty garbage going into the waterways. Less water pollution could potentially save a species of fish that would otherwise have gone extinct. Animals going extinct messes up the whole food web and causes other species to overpopulate or die off depending on whether they were on the predator or prey side of the species that went extinct. Animals dying off leaves the ecosystem barren and boring. You may not live to see the consequences of pollution, but your children and grandchildren may get to live in a healthier world thanks to the work you have done now. The work we have done now. The examples I mentioned in this article are very simple, slightly exaggerated, and merely guesses of what consequences can occur. Bad things can happen if people do not care about the environment, and you have the power to stop those bad things. Throughout the next 12 months I will give you tips on how to make a difference. So make it a habit to be green and read my column every month.
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My Experiences with Wildlife
Wood Storks by the Highway by Emma Gómez, Age 8 Margate, FL On our way to my sister’s school every morning, we pass by a lake right at the intersection of the Turnpike and Sample Road. This lake is occupied by different species of birds: Wood Storks, Anhingas, White Glossy Ibises, Great White Egrets, and occasionally Little White Egrets. The first one to see is the male anhinga, stretching his wings to dry. He is standing on a stick, a foot and a half or so above the water. Next, there would be at least four Wood Storks wading in the shallow waters, looking for something to eat. It seems as if they like to have breakfast at 7:20 a.m. If she is there at all, then we’ll see the lone Little White Egret, exploring the shore for food. She might also be standing still, staring straight. Ibises populate the next area of the round border of the lake. They are in groups, digging for grubs with the curved bill under the grass. In a few seconds, we’ll be upon the big winged Great White Egret, trying to decide if she is a Flamingo or if she should enjoy a tasty snack like everyone else. I usually see two of them. Even though you can see all the birds at one glance from the very beginning of the lake, which only takes 10 to 15 seconds to drive by, I really enjoy watching them individually while they wander through grass and water. The highlight of this year has been the Wood Storks. This has been an endangered species since 1984. The fact that I don’t have to travel far from home to be able to spot a Wood Stork is a good sign. In other places, such as Downtown Miami and Downtown Fort Lauderdale, it might not be as easy. People would have to go on a tour through some parts of the Everglades to have a glance at one of these birds.
“Wood Stork” Soft pastels and charcoal by Emma Gómez, Age 8, Margate, FL This year, I have also seen Wood Storks in the nearby park, on many other lakes seen from the highway and on road trips. Four years ago I had to take a tour through the Everglades and had to look very deep to see one. We only saw one Wood Stork. It was sad to think that there were so few of this kind of birds left in Florida. The Wood Stork is an endangered species because when people started building houses in South Florida, they detoured a lot of water and that affected the little fish that lived in the water. This also affected the animals that ate all of those tiny fish, including Wood Storks. Once their food supply lessened, the birds with the unique featherless necks stopped coming to breed to the area. The increase in the number of Wood Storks in a lot of places, even near my house, means that the environment that they need is beginning to come back. Nesting happens usually in the Everglades because it is most protected and
they can survive easier. I have seen this dark headed bird on a lot of lakes. Seeing the Wood Storks makes me happy because it means that the environment is getting better for the birds and all the wildlife that lives outside of the Everglades too. If you think back on what people did a long time ago and see what that ended in, it is easier to understand why we now want the Everglades to be protected. They were trying to make a better land by building thousands of houses and roads. This pushed a lot of animals to extinction. In fact many species of birds went extinct when the water was displaced from the lands and driven into canals and man-made lakes. It destroyed the homelands of many species. Now we are trying to fix this mistake. If you see any Wood Storks make sure to remember how important that is for the environment. Hope all my readers will be around for the next issue of My Experiences with Wildlife.
My 1 year as a 4-H Junior Master Gardener st
by Alizdair Sebastien Ray, Age 8 Davie, FL I was excited about starting Junior Master Gardening (JMG) in the Fall of 2011. We met twice a month for 3 hours in the morning at the Old Davie School to learn about gardening. Our first day, we planted a garden and we had to bring gloves, shovels, a hat, and sunscreen. My mother made sure
she brought me water because I knew I would get thirsty. The area is big and it gets lots of sunlight. We had to prepare our garden for planting all our vegetables. There can’t be any grass or weeds in the soil because it will not let the vegetables grow. I was shocked that we had to use manure to mix with the soil. We were told that it would add vitamins and nutrients to the garden. Next, we planted the seeds in rows so that
“I was excited about starting Junior Master Gardening.”
water can flow into all the areas of the garden. These are some of the vegetables that we planted: corn, tomatoes, eggplant, collard greens, celery, broccoli, radish, green beans, and carrots. I felt great about doing the garden with Mrs. Bonny, Mrs. Cindi, Mrs. Vicki, and all the kids. I am glad we can be in a class to learn more about plants. Mrs. Bonny gives papers to the parents about group activities and activities that we do
at home by ourselves. All the activities I do will go into making my project book. Also, we have monthly maintenance to make sure the garden is getting taken care of by all the families. It is February 22, 2012, and we have been getting vegetables to take home ever since December. The food tastes better than what you would buy at a grocery store. The food is healthy for you because you grow it and you know what is in it.
Gardening at the Old Davie School.
You should join JMG because it teaches you how to do gardening the right way. You also get the experience of learning about plants and vegetables. You can have fun competing in competitions and making friends. So hopefully, you’ll do it! Here is the contact information: Broward County 4-H Extension office, 3245 College Avenue Davie, Florida 33314-7719
“Mrs. Bonny gives out papers about group activities.”
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THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
ART WORLD Interview with Janine LaManna
APRIL 2012
The Hunger Games Book Review
by Aaron Organ, Age 13 Coral Springs, FL
Singer, dancer, actress, mother, wife (and she has Broadway credits!) by Alyssa Fantel, Age 15 Coral Springs, FL
Janine LaManna, star of The Drowsy Chaperone; Sweet Charity; The Look of Love; Seussical; Swing!; Kiss Me, Kate; and Ragtime on Broadway. I was privileged to have the opportunity to interview professional musical theatre performer Janine LaManna recently. Here’s what she had to share about training for and being a professional actress: Was there any one person or event that inspired you to become a performer? If so, who was that person or what was that event? I can’t think of one thing. It was more of the desire to perform and entertain people that helped me to realize that I wanted to do it professionally. What and where was your first performance? Your first show? I was in “The Wizard of Oz” in third grade, as a Munchkin. Where did you learn how to perform? My first classes were at a performing arts summer camp in 6th grade. And I was active in school plays. Did you go to college for performing? If so, where? I graduated from Wagner College, on Staten Island, with a degree in Speech and Theatre. What is a day like in the life of a performer? It all depends on whether you are working in a show or not. If you are, resting is a priority to reserve your energy for the evening. And there are certain responsibilities of being one of the performers that may include promoting the show. But, if you are not working, you are seeking work. That means, preparing for auditions and continuing to study. Can someone make a full-time living as a performer, or do you
Janine LaManna have to have a back-up job? You can make a living as a performer if your work is consistent, but there may be times where you have to pay your bills and need extra money. I know a lot of performers that have some other means of employment. How does it make you feel to perform? It’s always a good feeling to make someone laugh, or to have someone tell you that you moved them to tears. I feel like I’m helping them to experience an
emotion that they weren’t prepared to feel. How does one go about becoming a professional performer? I always encourage young actors to get a college degree with a major in theatre, first. It is sooo beneficial to the longevity of your career. And then you have the training to maintain a life as a performer wherever you live. Eventually, you will learn how to connect with casting directors and agents, who are all responsible for helping you work. Have you ever performed in anything other than stage shows (movies, concerts, TV shows, etc.)? I did a children’s television series called “Where in time is Carmen San Diego” for PBS. And yes, I have done many concerts and a movie. What do you do when an audience isn’t receptive? The actor’s instinct is to work harder, but there is not much you can do to control the audience’s response to the show. So, just do your best and have a good time anyway! There is al-
“Learn about the craft before you make a commitment to it. It is not a career for the faint of heart.”
My Trip to Florida Legoland by Lucas Puls, Age 6 Hollywood, FL
On the last Friday of February, my Dad, Mom and my dog Izzi went to Legoland along with a lot of other homeschool families. We drove up the night before and stayed in a hotel. I went swimming and then we went out for dinner. I had mashed potatoes and gravy and an ice cream sundae with a cherry and two Reese’s peanut butter cups on top. In the morning we drove over to Legoland and waited for a long time, then went in. The first ride I went on was the Coastersaurus which was wooden and made clackity sounds. The second thing I did was Driving School. I learned the driving signs and got a drivers license and then got to drive a real car. Then I went to Flying School.
I rode in the front seat with no one beside me. It felt like I was flying fast with nothing holding me up. I wanted to kick off my shoes because there was no floor and my legs just jiggled around. Next, we went to Boating School. It was a long wait before we got in a boat. I drove it. Mom and I were bumping people in other boats. We went under a fountain and got splashed! Mom was like, “No, don’t go under that!” Then we went around the corner and there were some water spraying mice. I was trying to get them to spray us. Mom got mad and took over the wheel herself. Then we went on a roller coaster where you ride in a Lego car. At the top is a huge zigzag where you get all dizzy and then zoom down. My favorite place in the middle of the park was the Pharaoh’s Revenge where you got to shoot balls. Every once in a while
you push a button and all the balls explode up. Then you collect the balls and load them into the shooting machine and fire at people. One of my favorite places in Lego land happens to be called Miniland. Miniland is an interesting place where they have skyscrapers and towns and cars and stores all made of Legos. They have New York, a pirate scene, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Las Vegas, and many others. I can’t name them all. In some scenes you can push a button to make things move or make sounds or make the lights go on in a bathroom. I wasn’t ready to leave at closing time because there was still a lot more to do, but I was happy that I got to stop at the Lego shop and buy a Lego C3PO pen. I am grateful that I got to go to Legoland and I am thankful for my Mom and Dad who took me.
“It’s always a good feeling to make someone laugh." ways another audience! How else can you use your skills when you can’t get a performing job for a while? You can volunteer to perform for many organizations that bring performers to hospitals and nursing homes. But practicing at home is always a good thing to do. If you hadn’t become a performer, what would you have done with your life? I was interested in working with Autistic children as a teenager. I may have gone into that field. Is it hard to balance a family and a performing career? Sometimes, but it is usually good for children to see their parents working on something they truly believe in. What is the best advice you would give to a kid/teen thinking about pursuing a career in musical theatre or other types of performing? Study, study, study! Learn about the craft before you make a commitment to it. It is not a career for the faint of heart. There can be many disappointing experiences, so make sure you are truly committed to performing. Then your ambition will carry you through the rough spots, until you reach your goals. And set goals along the way. As you accomplish each one, feel proud and continue on to the next achievement!
The Hunger Games is the first book in a trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl, volunteers to take her sister’s place in the treacherous Hunger Games, the ultimate reality survival show where one girl and one boy from all twelve districts go into an arena to fight to the death. These games are a source of entertainment for Panem, the old North America, ruled by the capital under the evil grip of President Snow. Katniss is put in the arena with the game-makers wanting her dead. Interestingly, Peeta Mellark, a person to whom she owes a great deal, is going into the games with her. Katniss’s only way to get back to her family is to hide and hope someone kills Peeta because she knows she can’t do it herself. This book is a great story of action, love, and best of all, suspense that will keep you up all night. This book seems best suited for kids ten and up, due to the violence in it. But it is ultimately up to the parents. My favorite elements of the book are the suspense and the action. This is one of the books that got me into reading. To continue the adventure, read the other two books: Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Over all, I give the book five out of five mockingjays.
Legoland, FL, hosts seven of the most visually exciting LEGO models in the world, including a replica of Albert Einstein’s head.
APRIL 2012
THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
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Finding Peace through Mandalas by Kate Maier, Age 8 Sunrise, FL The Mandala has a long history. Many people from many cultures have found meaning in its beauty. Mandalas can be found all around us. In the flowers and cobwebs in nature. In the planets that orbit in the sun. In the rose window found in the Notre Dame Cathedral. From Buddhist stupas to Muslim mosques, the idea of a structure built around a center is also a common theme in architecture. In Sanskrit, the oldest known language in the world, Mandala means circle. Mandalas are an important part of the Buddhist culture. Sand mandalas were introduced by Buddha himself. According to Buddhist texts, sand mandalas transmit positive energies to the environment and the people who view them. They are believed to offer healing. Today, Buddhist initiates are led by a teacher called a guru. Much like our teachers encourage us to learn our multiplication facts, the guru has the monks-
in-training memorize all aspects of the mandala. The guru also teaches them mantras, the sacred repeated prayers used to activate the mandala. Young monks start with simple patterns and spend lots of time practicing the sacred designs. It takes steady hands and good eyesight. Monks learn to mentally construct the image of the mandala presented in ancient texts. From memory, they carefully draw lines and paint the mandalas precisely as they are taught in these ancient texts. A mandala is an important Buddhist symbol that shows beauty in a world of constant change and decay. It is a picture map that shows the way to Enlightenment. Tibetan monks use it to focus their minds on meditation. As a person meditates on the mandala, his or her mind moves through the different parts of the picture to reach the center. The center symbolizes enlightenment or freedom from suffering. Recently, I had the exciting op-
Young reporter Kate Maier and Drepung Loseling monks of the Mystical Arts of Tibet Tour at Florida Atlantic University during Expression of Peace Week.
portunity to watch the Drepung Loseling monks of the Mystical Arts of Tibet Tour create a sand mandala at Florida Atlantic University during its Expression of Peace Week. This particular mandala featured a lotus flower in the center to represent Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of Compassion. It was a map that showed how to bring peace and harmony to our world by practicing great compassion. The creation of a sand mandala by Tibetan monks is a rare privilege to watch. There are very important steps in the Construction of the Mandala: 1. The Opening Ceremony. During the Opening Ceremony the monks bless the site of the mandala with chants, music and mantras. 2. Drawing the Lines. Over a period of many hours the monks draw chalk lines for the five feet square mandala. This is very precise work based on sacred geometry as presented in the ancient texts. 3. The Mandala Construction. Starting in the middle and working outward, the monks pour millions of grains of sand, one color at a time, from metal funnels called chak-purs. They run a metal rod on the chak-pur’s grated surface to create vibrations that cause the sands to flow like liquid from the tool. The construction takes about 5 days. 4. The Mandala Completion. The monks complete the mandala with a ceremony that calls on the gods and goddess represented in the mandala for blessings. 5. Dismantling the Mandala. During the closing ceremony at F.A.U., the monks dismantled the mandala. To symbolize
Pouring grains of sand, one color at a time, from chak-purs. the impermanence of life and all that exists, they systematically swept up the colored sands. Half of the sand was distributed to the audience as a blessing for good health and healing. We were permitted to keep the sand or give it away to someone who could benefit from the blessing. Of all the steps in the construction of the mandala this may be the most shocking for observers. During his “What is a Mandala?” lecture at F.A.U., Nathan Katz, professor of Religious Studies, told how one board member for the Tampa Museum of Art offered up to $100,000 to preserve a Tibetan sand mandala under construction in his museum. Upset that something so beautiful and so carefully created would be destroyed, he asked to make it a permanent fixture. Of course the offer was never accepted. 6. Dispersal of Sand. The
remaining sand was carried by procession to a flowing body of water. The monks ceremoniously dispersed the sand from the F.A.U. mandala into the intracoastal at Red Reef Park in Boca Raton. There, they released the healing energies of the mandala throughout the world. A mandala can be understood in many ways. Every person can create his or her own meaning from it. It can represent the world in its perfect form. It can represent a map by which a human mind is transformed into an enlightened mind. It can depict the perfect balance between the body and the mind. You can use mandalas in your everyday life to help you focus and clear your mind of stress and worries. While you draw, paint or color, concentrate on the mandala’s beauty and meaning, such as compassion or wisdom. Your experience will be different each time. In most cases, however, you will walk away feeling relaxed and peaceful.
the 75 Orange Blossom Festival, Parade and Rodeo th
by Alizdair Sebastien Ray, Age 8 Davie, FL On February 25, 2012, my day started early because I was going to be in the 75th Annual Orange Blossom parade at 10 a.m. I was multi-tasking the morning of the parade. I had agreed to help Mayor Judy Paul and the Broward 4-H. I was wondering how I was going to be able to do both. Thank goodness that Mayor Judy Paul was #13 and the Broward 4-H was #28 in the lineup. I was personally asked by the Mayor to ride with her. What an honor! It was fun to wave to the crowd. I even heard someone yell, “Vote for Alizdair.” I couldn’t stop
laughing. I have a long time before I can enter politics but it was great practice. I was happy that I didn’t have to let anyone down today. My dad, Henry, carried the sign to re-elect the Mayor. He was in front of the Mayor’s classic convertible. When Mayor Judy Paul’s car finished in the parade, my Mother helped me change fast into my cowboy hat and green 4-H bandanna around my neck. I was able to walk right in and finish with my 4-H group. Wow! 75 years is a long time; it started back in 1937. The Orange Blossom Festival, Parade and Rodeo is held every year in the town of Davie, just a few miles west of Fort Lauderdale. The festival is held by the town hall with
roads blocked off so that people can walk and not worry about car traffic. I love looking at all the exhibits. I had my photo taken with dress up cowboys last year. They have a great petting zoo with animals. I love talking to the Native American representatives and standing up in a real tepee. My dad is tall and he had trouble getting inside the tepee but he made it. My favorite thing to do every year is play in the bounce houses and ride a pony. Also, the food is awesome. There is a rodeo on Saturday and Sunday at the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds. You have to go and check it out yourself. It is fun to see how long the cowboys & cowgirls can stay on a bull. Personally, I would be
scared that I would fall and get hurt. They have to practice for years to be that good on a bull. I have to tell myself that we are not in Texas but Florida. I recommend this event to all
families and you should check it out next year. It is always the last weekend in February. I promise that you will have lots of fun but make sure you drink lots of water. It is always hot on those two days.
“I heard someone yell, “Vote for Alizdair.” I couldn’t stop laughing.”
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Tennis News and Views
Delray Beach Tennis Tournament Part I by Ismail Ercan, Age 14 Coral Springs, FL Saturday, February 25th, 2012 This year I had the honor of being re-invited to report for the Circle Gazette at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships (ITC) held in Delray Beach, Florida from February 24th through March 4th. The event, which is in its twentieth year, is part of the 62 ATP World Tour Tennis Tournaments held throughout the world. Although it is one of the smaller tournaments on tour, it still attracts many top players, including former Grand Slam champions, due to its great atmosphere and weather conditions. It is the only tournament of its size during the season that is sponsored by a luxury vehicle company. Porsche, the official ITC sports car, has allowed players to be driven in a Porsche to and from the tournament! The ITC is also the only tournament in the whole world that has an ATP Champions Tour Event held in the same week as an ATP World Tour Event at the same site. A local tennis fan can watch his/her favorite current professional tennis player as well as see former tennis greats and hall of famers such as Ivan Lendl, Michael Chang, and Pat Cash take the court on the same day. This year, in addition to reporting for the Circle Gazette, I would also be reporting and making videos for yellowtennisball. com, the official tournament website! This was going to be another great year. This year, because I did not want to miss school, I would be reporting on Saturday 25th (during the first round of qualifying and the first round of the ATP Champion’s Tour round robin) and on Saturday, March 3rd (during the semifinal) What many people do not know about professional tennis tournaments is that often the qualifying rounds are more hectic than the main draw’s final rounds, which are televised. Be-
Cash receives a ball from a ballkid
cause there are so many tennis players in the qualifying rounds, and there are only so many tennis courts, matches start early in the morning. Also players that are in the main draw want to practice so they can stay on top of their game, so there is a great demand for courts. Luckily there was not a cloud in the sky, and the matches made good progress. Meanwhile, I was given my first assignment of the day. I was to work with Ms. Kimberly Axtell, another media person, and make a video highlighting the 70 ball-kids of the ITC. Ball-kids are the children and teens that you see scurrying across the court to pick up the tennis balls whenever a professional misses a shot or serve into the net. Ball-kids also cool down the players during the changeovers by holding umbrellas over the player’s heads and hold their towels in between points. This would be my first time conducting an interview on camera, and because I was so used to interviewing off-camera for the Circle Gazette, I was a little nervous. But Ms. Axtell comforted me and assured me that we could have several takes if I messed up during the interview. So we headed over, along with the intern film crew from Lynn University to the ball kids’ tent on the south side of the tournament site. There were already five ball kids waiting for us, ready to be interviewed. The on-camera interview went smoothly and I only needed one take. I interviewed five ball-kids, two of them “ball-boying” for the first time at the ITC, and everyone expressed their love for the job. “I’m looking forward to meeting the pros, obviously like any tennis fan,” said Nicholas Casanova, a fifteen year old ball-boying for his first time. “Also, helping the community is very important to me as well. I love tennis and if this is a way I can help the community, so be it.” “I have done this before,” said Chelsea Braswell a four year veteran, “but every year is just as exciting as the rest…it is not every day that you can be next to tennis pros.” After thanking the ball-kids for their time, I reported back to Ms. Lisa Franson, the ITC’s media director who had graciously allowed me to report for the past two years in Delray. She told me that my assignment for the website was mostly done for the day, so I should go enjoy the multitude of qualifying matches going on in the outer courts and the two
Carlos Moya (Green) shakes Michael Chang’s hand after defeating him in straight sets. ATP Champion’s matches on center court. She would need me to help film a small story the Lynn University students were putting together on the tall pros playing in the tournament. After a quick lunch at the tournament’s food stands, I headed over to center court where former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash was playing against former world number six, Aaron Krickstein. The two men have had successful tennis careers, raking in a combined 5.6 million dollars and sixteen titles! The match was very entertaining for the crowd who was in attendance. Both Cash and Krickstein, in their mid-forties, still moved around the court like they were in their twenties! The fastest serve of the match, a 125 mph ace by Cash, is the equivalent of a big serve with professional players today. The match itself was highly competitive. Krickstein played a solid first set which he took 6-2, while Cash was plagued with unforced errors and was struggling to keep the ball in the court. But Cash quickly recovered and with his oldschool serve and volley style took the second set 6-3. Cash, who was usually serious and reserved during his early tennis career, brought out his funny side during the match too. Right before starting the 10 point tiebreaker that would decide the match, he put his hands over his head in disbelief as a huge gust of wind blew into his face. “Aaron,” he sighed, “I want to wait until this wind dies down before I serve again…that might take a while.” Aaron and the audience chuckled as Pat struck a teenage girl pose with his hands
on his hips. It seems as though that joke gave Cash the inspiration he needed to win the match. He would break Krickstein’s serve in the final points of the match to win the tiebreaker 10-8. In the second ATP Champions Tour Match, former French Open champions Michael Chang and Carlos Moya had a short match on center court. Moya, a 35 year old Spaniard who only retired last year, still seemed as if he could be playing in the ATP World Tour tournament. His hard, deep shots didn’t let the speedy Chang get into the match despite a surge late in the match by Chang. Moya came out with the win 6-1, 6-4. Afterward in the interview session, Moya was asked why he retired from the ATP World Tour but still played on the Champions Tour. Moya replied, “The World Tour schedule is extremely busy, and I find myself only at home in Spain for a few weeks of the year. Most of the time I do not see my wife or family because I am playing tournaments around the world…however I still have that competitive feeling inside of me, where I still love to play tennis. That is why I am still playing on the Champions Tour, which is much less demanding than the World Tour’s schedule.” I decided to stop in on a few of the qualifying matches after hearing Moya’s interview to wrap up day one of my reporting. One of the matches that I saw was Denis Zivkovic against Marinko Matosevic on Court 3. I had never heard of either player before, for they were both ranked well outside the top 100 players in the world, but I was happy I stayed to watch the
An ITC SMASH! Part II by Ismail Ercan, Age 14 Coral Springs, FL Saturday March 3, 2012 I continued my annual reporting of the Delray Beach ITC the next Saturday, March 3, reporting on Semifinal Saturday and Kidz Day. I arrived at the Delray Beach Tennis Center bright and early at 9:15 to find the media room empty and desolate. The lights were even off! I had expected this though. The previous night, the number seven seed Kevin Anderson of South Africa had upset the number four seed and home-
town favorite Andy Roddick in 2 hours and 33 minutes! The match, which did not end until 12:30 AM was the match of the tournament so far with Anderson prevailing in three sets 2-6, 7-6 (9), 6-4. Anderson had even saved match points in the second set tiebreaker on Roddick’s serve! I knew that the media people had been up late (or early in the morning, rather) typing articles and updating yellowtennisball.com, the ITC website. They would not be here for another hour or two since the first scheduled match was the doubles semifinals at one o’ clock. A quick note to put out there: Most media
people do not sleep that much the week of a tennis tournament. Meanwhile, I took my newly found “free time” to stroll around the tournament site to observe the Kidz Day preparations. The bounce house was being blown up and tables were being set in the grass where the arts and crafts area would be. Volunteers, who are the main force behind making the ITC happen every year, were scurrying about the tournament grounds as well, helping out wherever needed. It sure was a hot day. The sun was already high up in the sky, and I could feel myself starting to sweat. So I walked
Karlovic serves to Sa in the first doubles semifinal match back into the media room to cool down and was greeted by Alese Petcher, a photographer who had arrived recently. She confirmed my reasoning as to why there was nobody in the media room and she recommended that I use my time wisely; I had a busy day ahead of me. Fortunately I had
majority of the match. Matosevic, who easily won, would later not only qualify for the ITC’s main draw, but he would also make his way all the way to the finals! Another match I saw was Matt Bocko of the US, play against Jean-Rean Lisnard of Monaco on court one. Bocko was a local tennis coach from Sunrise who had won a challenger tournament to earn a wild-card into the qualifying rounds. A few of his players from his academy were rooting him on. “It’s really cool to have my coach playing in this tournament,” said Austin Debruyne a junior tennis player. “I hope he wins!” Unfortunately Bocko would lose in three tight sets, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. After this match I reported back to Ms. Franson again to help out with the tall pros video. This time I would be helping the Lynn interns carry their cameras and get some footage of the tall pros at the event….and boy they were TALL. We filmed Ivo Karlovic and Marin Cilic practicing. Karlovic is 6 foot 10 inches, while Cilic is 6’6.” When asked how many times they get mistaken for basketball players, Karlovic responded, “too many times.” We also filmed Karlovic playing some basketball, and what do you know, he was great! He shot a few threes from beyond the arc and dunked a few times as well. Karlovic also commented on air travel. “It is not easy to fly at all… most people take it for granted but when you are tall, it is very difficult to travel in small spaces.” Cilic took a positive perspective on his height. “When you are looking for someone in a crowd, you can usually find them because you are taller than everyone else,” he said. After the filming of the tall players’ video, I retrieved my bags from the media room, thanked Ms. Franson and headed out to the parking lot where my dad was waiting for me. I was exhausted, but I was already looking forward to the next Saturday when I would be reporting again!
Aaron Krickstein serves. brought my laptop, so I got to work typing my article from the week before. Before I knew it, it was eleven o’clock and Ms. Franson and most of the media people had arrived. They each got about 4 hours of sleep the night before and were running on coffee. My assignment for the day was to report on all the matches for the Circle Gazette and to help out Mr. Steve Dorsey. He was the freelance writer who I worked with at last year’s event. After this, I checked in on Kidz Day, an event held annually on Semifinal Saturday. I arrived in the middle of the busiest part of the event. The bounce house was stuffed with happy children
ITC continued on next page
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Batter Up! by Robby Griswold, Age 13 and Patrick Griswold, Age 11 Paoli, PA
The boys of summer are beginning their journey to the top! All in all, there are 30 Major League Baseball teams, and two of them really stand out. First, in the corner to your right, the defending winner of the National League East division and winner of 102 games, the Philadelphia Phillies. Next, in the corner to your left, the new and improved Miami Marlins. These two teams should be fighting for the National League championship. The Phillies, in the last five years, have been to the playoffs every year and have won the World Series in one of those years. Last year, the Phillies ended the season with a disappointment. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual champions, the St. Louis Cardinals. To sum up the disappointment, their star power-hitting first baseman Ryan Howard tore his ACL during the last game of the year. The Phillies have a lot to prove this year without Ryan Howard. He is still out recovering and the team is aging. The Phillies are out for redemption this year. Possessing a pitching rotation with the likes of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels, and a pretty powerful lineup, the Phillies have the stuff to get that redemption. They do have the best 1-23 punch of starting pitchers in the MLB. First, the 2010 National League CY Young
award winning starting pitcher, Roy Halladay, who last year had 19 wins and 6 losses, a 2.35 Earned Run Average, 220 strikeouts, and a 1.04 WHIP(Walks, Hit, Innings Pitched Ratio). Second, starting pitcher Cliff Lee, who last year was signed as a free agent and had 17 wins and 8 losses, an ERA ( Earned Run Average) of 2.40, 238 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.03. Last, but not least, starting pitcher Cole Hamels, who last year had 14 wins and 9 losses, a 2.79 ERA, 194 strikeouts, and a 0.99 WHIP. With this depth, the Phillies will own the best pitching line-up in the MLB. The Phillies also have one of the better offenses in the league. Although their offense has declined in run production in the last two years, the Phillies are relying on some young players and chiseled veterans to help with that run production. One of those young players is Hunter Pence who the Phillies picked up in a mid-season trade last year. Hunter Pence had a .314 Batting Average, 22 Home Runs, 97 RBI’S (Runs Batted In), and a .370 OBP (On Base Percentage). His Batting Average led the team. We believe that the Phillies will win the NL East Division; however, with the new playoff format and the extra wild card, we think the Marlins can compete with anyone. First, the rotation: the Marlins might not have the rotation to match up with the Phillies, but with star starting pitcher Josh Johnson they will be competitive. Johnson had an injury shortened season, but still managed 11 wins and 6 losses, a 2.30 ERA,
186 strikeouts, and a 1.11 WHIP. The Marlins also had a big free agent pick up, work horse starting pitcher Mark Buehrle. Last season, while playing with the White Sox, Buehrle had 13 wins and 9 losses, a 3.59 ERA, 109 strikeouts, and a 1.30 WHIP. These two pitchers will anchor the Marlins rotation. Along with the starters, the Marlins will have one of the best closers in the league. That closer is big free agent pick up, Heath Bell. Last year, as a San Diego Padre, Bell had a 2.44 ERA, 51 strikeouts, 43 saves, and a 1.15 WHIP. This guy is the real deal. Thanks to these pitchers, the Marlins have a good chance to get that wildcard spot. Unlike the Phillies, the Marlins have a young offense with shortstop Jose Reyes, third baseman Hanley Ramirez and right fielder Giancarlo Stanton. These players will be asked to carry the load for the Marlins offense. First, star shortstop and big free agent pick up, Jose Reyes, who last year while playing for the New York Mets had a .337 Batting Average, 7 Home Runs, 44 RBI’S, and a .384 OBP. Reyes will definitely be a spark plug and a key
ITC continued from previous page jumping with delight while the arts and crafts tables were also packed. A clown near me was surrounded by children waiting to have an animal balloon made for them. Court 1 nearby was also filled with volunteers and children playing on four mini-courts that divided the court. This year’s Kidz Day was another huge success for the ITC. Soon, the first match of the day was approaching and I made my way to center court to watch. Big serving Ivo Karlovic (the “tall pro” from the video I helped film the week before) and his partner Frank Moser of Germany were playing against Michal Mertinak of Slovakia and Brazilian Andre Sa. Karlovic and Moser had upset the number one seeds and favorites Bob and Mike Bryan of the US the day before. After an exchange of breaks of serves in the opening few games, Sa and Mertinak struck first by breaking Karlovic’s serve at 4-4 to take the lead. They would coolly serve out the set 6-4. The same event occurred in the second set with Sa and Mertinak breaking late to win the match 6-4, 6-4. They would go on to lose in the finals to British pair Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchings. Shortly after, the first singles semifinals took center court. Aussie qualifier, Marinko Matosevic, who I saw play earlier in the week was looking to keep his Cinderella run alive against experienced Israeli veteran Dudi Sela. Both men had never won an ATP World Tour Title before and were looking to get one step closer to accomplishing this goal. The two men actually met in the first round of the ITC last year, with Sela winning in three sets. This match that I was about to see would soon become the match of the tournament. The breezy South Florida weather continued and both players adjusted equally to the playing conditions. Wind affects tennis as much as it affects golf; since a ten-
Kid playing tennis during Kidz day. nis ball is very light, the wind can push it from a few feet to a few yards, depending on how strong the wind is. Matosevic was the aggressor in the opening set and took an early 4-1 lead. But after a few unforced errors and a lapse in concentration for a few minutes, Sela fought his way back into the set with his signature one-handed backhand. He broke Matosevic at 5-5 and held his own serve to take the first set 7-5. Matosevic now calmed down and played a strategic game, waiting for Sela to hit a short ball to him and he would quickly end the point with a winner. He jumped again to a 4-1 lead but Sela would claw his way back into the set yet again! This time, however Matosevic came prepared. At 5-4, with Sela’s serving to stay in the set, Matosevic found himself with two set points. He waved his arms in the air, trying to get the crowd into the match. His plan worked and he converted his second break point opportunity and yelled “Come on!” across the net to Sela who was angrily hitting his racquet. As the third set commenced, the audience could tell things were heating up. Both players grunted louder after each shot they hit, and the rallies were lon-
ger than they had been earlier in the match. Despite having major issues with his serve, Matosevic took a three game lead at 4-1. (Sounds familiar?) However this time, Matosevic would keep his cool and held his serve until 5-3. At 5-3, Matosevic had two match points but lost them both; the crowd sensed that the tide was turning. Sela was making yet another late surge in the set! He went on to break Matosevic, who by this time was gifting Sela points with countless double faults, and tied the match at 5-5. Finally Matosevic regained composure and the two men held their serve to take the match to a deciding tiebreaker. In a tiebreaker, the player wins by making it first to seven points, but must win by two points. If the score is 6-6 in the tiebreak, for example, the winner must win 8-6, and so on. Sela fell behind in the tiebreaker yet again and Matosevic had his chance to win the match another two times at 6-5 and 7-6, in which he committed his twelfth double fault and another error into the net. The anxious crowd moaned as Matosevic angrily hit his racquet. Would this match ever end? Finally Sela netted his favorite shot, his one-handed backhand down the line passing shot to give
player on the Marlins. Along with Reyes, the Marlins will have star third baseman, Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez has played his whole career with the Marlins. Last year, his worst year, he had a .243 Batting Average, 10 Home Runs, 45 RBI’S, and a .333 OBP. He is looking to come back this year. There is also second year power hitter, Giancarlo Stanton. In his rookie year last year, he had a .262 Batting Average, 34 Home Runs, 87 RBI’S, and a .356 OBP. With all these young stars, the Marlins will have plenty of energy to challenge the Phillies. But do they have the stars to go up against the Phillies? We will soon find out. Both of these teams have great chances to win not only the NL East Division, but also the World Series. We think there will be some great games between these two teams this year. Our prediction is that the Phillies will win the NL East because of their pitching. It’s our prediction that the Marlins are not in the position to win the NL East because they haven’t proven that all the new players can play together. Until the Marlins can prove that, the edge goes to the Phillies in the NL East. Play ball!
Matosevic the match in nearly 3 hours! Matosevic collapsed on the ground with happiness and relief; he was going to his first ATP World Tour final! Meanwhile, Sela furiously slammed his racquet on the court, cracking the racquet head in two! He marched off the court without even shaking Matosevic’s hand in acknowledgment of his defeat! When the announcer declared Matosevic the winner, the crowd erupted with cheers and applause; the Cinderella story continued! In the interview session after the match, Marinko commentated on his crazy matches against Sela. “A lot of weird stuff always happens when we play…all three times I’ve played him, some weird stuff has happened.” I managed to sneak in a question about how he felt going into the decisive tiebreaker about his serve. “My serving could not get any worse,” he responded. “The only way was up. It’s such a roller-coaster out there. It was just up and down.” By this stage in the tournament, Matosevic had played seven matches, three in qualifying and four in the main draw. He admitted fatigue. ““I’m very happy, but I’m also very tired. I was just fighting off [hamstring] cramps. I cramped on Wednesday, too. Hopefully I can get some rest for tomorrow’s finals.” The rest of the afternoon went by fairly quickly and soon the night session had arrived. In the media room, the Tennis Channel commentators had arrived and I was sitting right next to them. It’s funny how I went from listening to their commentating on TV the other day, to hearing their voices in person. After the second doubles semifinals ended, the main night match between world number eleven and number one seed John Isner and number seven Kevin Anderson of South Africa commenced. My dad would be joining me in the stadium to enjoy this match with me. Isner has been in great form lately and had reached a career-high number 11 in the world
and was looking to break into the top 10. Anderson meanwhile, has had a relatively slow start to the season but had brought out his “A” game at this year’s ITC so far, knocking out number four seed Andy Roddick in 2 ½ hours. Tonight was no exception to his great playing. In the first set, Anderson set the tone with his great serving and contested many of Isner’s service games. Kevin made his move at 5-5 and broke Isner’s serve. He would hit two aces in the next game to take the opening set 7-5. The mostly pro-Isner crowd recognized Isner’s fatigue at the beginning of the second set. They cheered him on encouragingly and the second set was more competitive than the first. This time, the second set was to be decided by a tiebreaker since there was no break of serves in the set. However, once again Anderson picked up his level of play in the right moment of the tiebreaker and served an ace to win the match. The American crowd applauded Anderson’s great win, but still felt sad for Isner, the hometown favorite. Later in the press conference, Anderson talked about his great performance. “Today I thought I served incredibly, better than my other matches. I knew I had to, especially against a player like John. In the tiebreaker, I really picked it up quite a bit. . . . I’m really, really pleased, happy to get through to the finals.” Anderson would go on to defeat Matosevic 6-4, 7-6(2) to become the first South African to win at Delray Beach in the ITC’s 20 year history. Afterwards, I went back to the media room to thank Ms. Franson and all the media people for their support for the two days that I spent reporting at Delray Beach. They all seemed happy with my job and Ms. Franson said she would be more than glad to invite me next year to report again for the Circle Gazette! These two days have been a wonderful experience for me and I know I will never forget them!
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British School Caracas, Venezuela: 6th Grade (Year 7) Students studied the work of artist Megan Coyle
, Caracas iego Sarkisian, Age 12 D by ge lla Co nai nt Mou Venezuela
Inspired by Megan Coyle’s GUITAR-Collage by Danny Hernandez, Caracas, Venezuela
Clown Fish- Collage by Andy Hernandez, Caracas, Venezuela
Did You Know... … that Megan Coyle is a contemporary collage artist and illustrator who resides in the Washington, D.C. area? She takes common, everyday magazines and turns them into works of art. She creates portrait, animal, landscape, and still life collages. To know more about her work visit www.mcoyle.com.
Happy
ny Hernandez, Dog -Collage by Dan
Shoe- Collage by Maria Paula Matheus,
Caracas Venezuela
Inspired by Megan Coyle’s Washington Monument -Collage by Maria Paula Matheus, Caracas Venezuela
Collage by Claudia Sacks,
Age 12 Caracas Venezuela
Caracas, Venezuela
12 Claudia Sacks, Age Rainbow- Collage bys Venezuela Caraca
APRIL 2012
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British School Caracas, Venezuela: 6th Grade (Year 7) Students studied the work of artist Megan Coyle
Girl - Collage by by Claudia Sacks, Age 12 Caracas Venezuela
Inspired by Megan Coyle’s Panda - Collage by Andy HeLounging rnandez, Caracas, Venezuela
Wine and BreadCollage by Diego Sarkisian, Age 12, Caracas Venezuela Inspired by Megan Coyle’s Red Cup of Coffee- Collage by Maria Paula Matheus, Caracas Venezuela
Peguins -Collage by Andy Hernandez, Caracas, Venezuela
Did You Know... … that a collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole? A collage may sometimes include newspaper clippings, ribbons, bits of colored or hand-made papers, portions of other artwork or texts, photographs, and other found objects, glued to a piece of paper or canvas. The term collage derives from the French “coller” meaning “glue.” Collages can be traced back hundreds of years, but this technique made a dramatic reappearance in the early 20th century as novelty art form.
Maria Paula Mat Close up- Collage by
heus, Caracas Venez
Fine Dining for Pandas -Collage by Megan Coyle
uela
Brown Bear Inspired by Megan Coyle’s Brown Bear -Collage by Danny Hernan
dez, Caracas, Venezuela
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APRIL 2012
Interview with Katie Edwards State Representative by Alizdair Sebastien Ray, Age 8 Davie, FL I interviewed Ms. Katie Edwards at Cowboys in Davie, Florida on February 13, 2012. This was my second time meeting her because I met her on January 15, 2012 at the Dr. King Jr., event at Potter’s Park. I won 1st place for my essay and she congratulated me and she talked to me and my family. I interviewed Ms. Edwards at a meeting for the Florida Young Democrats (FYD). I had never heard of it until that day. The Florida Young Democrats is a political group with only two membership requirements. You must be under 40 years old and declare yourself to be a Democrat. They focus on campaign work, community and public service, and encouraging youth involvement at all levels of the Democratic Party. Ms. Edwards introduced me to everybody at the FYD meeting. It was nice of her to do that. She talked about her goals for her campaign. There were a lot of people running for different offices and they all made a speech to everybody there. Afterwards, I sat down and asked Ms. Edwards a few questions. Why do you want to be a State Representative? For the people to live a better life and raise a family. If you become a State Representative would you change some laws? Yes! Who are you running against? She doesn’t know. Where were you born? Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Is there an age requirement to be a State Representative? 24 years old Why should people vote for you? I have the best interest of the people Are there other things you want to be? A Lawyer What would you do for kids as a
Ms. Edwards congratulated me after winning first place for my essay. Representative? Help make sure they are safe in their neighborhood and that they can be whatever they want to be in life. I really enjoyed talking to Ms. Edwards about her views and what she wants to fight for in the election. She had a lot of things that she wants to work on and they were all good. Ms. Katie Edwards’ campaign is driven by the needs of District 97’s residents. These are some of the things that she wants to do: Create businesses that will grow jobs; keep local control of our schools with parents and teachers and fight cuts to education; protect access to quality, affordable health care for Floridians; protect working families from unfair taxes and insurance rate hikes. I’m only 8 years old but I realize the importance of all the things that she wants to do. I like her topic on fighting cuts in the schools. It is sad that so many great programs are no longer in the school system, such as the Arts and debate clubs. A lot of cuts are being made in the schools and the kids are paying for it. Please keep looking on the campaign trail for Katie Edwards, until the election on November 6, 2012.
• Birthday Parties • After-School Programs • Kidz Night Out • School Field Trips • Summer Camps • Mommy & Me Classes
6280 W. Sample Rd, Ste. 202, Coral Springs (just a few stores down from Publix)
• 954-255-5233 • www.bricks4kidz.com •
APRIL 2012
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Living Healthy Zevia Don’t let disorders mess up the time you have to relax and recuperate by Sara Cross and Daniela Gómez, Ages 11 and 12 South Florida Hi and welcome to Living Healthy, a column that talks about how to keep your body healthy and energized. Last month we talked about sleep; why you need it, how to get more of it, and what happens if you do not get enough. This month, we are continuing on that topic. The first thing that we are going to talk about is how to get sleep. Melatonin is important for that. Melatonin is a sleep-inducing hormone that is excreted from the pineal gland in the brain. It is normally excreted at night, when the body needs to sleep. Darkness, calmness, and quietness are all stimulators for your pineal gland to release Melatonin. If your body is not relaxed, or there is too much light, your pineal gland might not release as much Melatonin as it should. A way to induce relaxation is music. Gentle music helps to calm your brain, and make it easier to sleep. Different tunes work for different people, but our suggestion would be the sounds of nature. Check out whale calls, rainforest sounds, and waterfalls. Anything that relaxes you is a perfect environment for sleeping. Music can help a lot.
Your whole body depends on getting sleep. When you sleep, it give your body a rest, letting your heartbeat drop; letting your brain focus on other things besides what you are doing during the day, and what you have to do; and letting your immune system work on fighting off viruses and bacteria. Without that sleep, your body could start to weaken. If you don’t get enough sleep, you can have headaches and be unable to function. We recommend turning off all lights. Insomnia feeds on light, and even after you fall asleep, you do not sleep as deeply with light as you do when it is dark. If you want a light, we recommend little one bulb nightlights, ones that have a cover that filters out a lot of it. It’s also important to stop looking into the screen of an electronic device at least an hour before bedtime. The lights in the screens stimulate your eyes and brain, and interfere with your sleep. It’s a good idea to get into bed at least a half an hour to an hour before it is time to sleep. This gives you time to read or do something that suggests sleep and relax you. We will see you in May!
by Aaron Cross, Age 14 Boca Raton, FL
Zevia is a ompany that makes all-natural, organic, stevia-sweetened, diet sodas. This past month, they hosted a contest for a love letter or poem to your favorite Zevia soda flavor in honor of Valentine’s Day. There were 12 winners picked (one for each flavor) and all were awarded a three-month supply of the flavor they entered for. In addition there were also two grand prize winners that received a bigger prize. My little sister Sara entered the contest with a love poem to the Dr. Zevia flavor the day before Valentine’s Day – in other words, the last day possible. We were waiting for the results of the contest to be published on the internet the next day. We were all hoping she won. My mom was checking the Zevia website and found the long sought after contest results. She read through the winning entries and was disappointed when she saw the Dr. Zevia winner was not Sara. But her mood was brightened when she saw that her daughter had won: Grand Prize! She very calmly called Sara out of the shower to bring her this exciting news. My sister responded very simply “Cool!” after hearing she won. Then I had to spend three weeks listening to Sara ask, “What am I getting?” “Have they said what it is?” “When is it coming?” and my mom replying, “I don’t know,” “No,” and “I don’t know.” The prize finally came. I was home alone when it arrived because my mom was out taking Sara to dance class and my father was at work. When I first saw the UPS guy haul three big boxes to our door I was wondering what we had got in the mail. It did not occur to me that it could be her prize. I found out what it was when my father came home from work and I helped him bring the heavy boxes inside. I was very excited when my father pointed out to me that the boxes had the Zevia logo on them. We moved the boxes off to the side and waited for Sara to get home. When she did get home my father calmly
told her the news. Their conversation went something like this... “Hey Sara, your prize came in.” “Really! Where is it?” “It’s right there by the snake.” (Yes, I do have a pet snake) “I don’t see it.” “It’s those three boxes right there, you can’t miss them.” “(Gasps) All that!” We brought the boxes to the middle of the room for opening. “What’s in them?” “I don’t know, I didn’t open them.” I joined in the conversation. “Well, I can see that.” We opened the three boxes and found four six packs of Dr. Zevia in each box. In the final one we opened, Sara also got a nice surprise of a Zevia T-shirt, cooler bag lunch box, and stickers, along with a coupon for a free six-pack of soda. I am very proud of my sister for winning the contest. I think she is loving, caring, and very cute. If you want to enter a contest for anything, not necessarily poetry, you must remember that you might not win. But if you try hard then who knows? You might get rewarded like Sara did. To see my sister’s winning poem, visit the Poetry Corner on page 12. To see all winners visit this link: http://blog.zevia.com/2012/02/ love-letters-to-zevia-contest-and-the-winners-are/.
Without enough sleep, you may be unable to function.
Did You Know... … that Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a type of sleep disorder? It happens when you stop breathing for little bits of time when you are sleeping. The odd thing is, people don’t realize that they are pausing in breathing while they are asleep. The pauses are called apneas and they mean “without breath.” Each apnea can last 20 to 40 seconds.
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Articles, stories, poems, art and much more… From and for children of all ages and from everywhere
To submit your work, email us at info@enrichmentcircle.com or call 954-9182541
Did You Know... … that insomnia is a sleep disorder? When people suffer from insomnia, they are not able to fall, or stay asleep. To treat the disorder, it is important, before any medicines come into play, to pay good attention to sleep hygiene, stimulus control, behavioral patterns and sleep-restrictions. According to Better-Sleep-BetterLife.com, more than 30% of the population suffers from insomnia.
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Did You Know... … that the air inside your home is probably more polluted than the air outside? The average home contains 62 toxic chemicals that settle on carpets, pillows, and toothbrushes. Here are a few tips to make your SPRING CLEANING effective and safe: HOME • Make your own cleaning products using white vinegar, salt, oil and water. • Eliminate dryer sheets. They are made of toxic synthetic chemicals that are not safe to use on clothing. • Clean clothes without harsh chemicals. Natural alternatives can be made with vinegar. Try natural clothing detergents. • Skip Antibacterial Soap. Use natural soap or make your own all natural essential oil antibacterial mixtures to fight off bacteria. BODY • Whiten your teeth naturally by mixing one ripe strawberry with one tsp baking soda. Spread pinkish paste on teeth and leave for five minutes. • Choose beauty products made with organic ingredients and save money by slathering your skin with homemade skin care and age erasers: olive oil or coconut oil. Both are amazing moisturizers that do wonders for your skin if applied just before bed time.
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THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
APRIL 2012
Auto-Biography Poem by Knatasha Beck, Age 7 Deland, FL
I am Emma by Emma Gómez, Age 8 Margate, FL
Knatasha is funny, pretty, smart, and nice. She is the daughter of Sue and Kurt, and the sister of Kurt Jr. She is a lover of TV, macaroni, Nintendo DSi, the beach, and Coral Springs. Knatasha feels happy when she gets a gift, excited when she goes bowling, and scared when she’s alone. She’s been to Disneyland, the zoo, and water parks. She needs water, food, family, and God. Knatasha fears darkness, being alone, and sharks. She would someday like to be a teacher, and Is a resident of Florida. Her last name is Beck.
Emma Friendly, happy, helpful, industrious Daughter of Patty and Pedro, Sister of Daniela and Ellie. Lover of fractions and multiplication, poems and stories, watercolors and soft pastels, Lover of synchronized swimming, Lover of swimming, Lover of softball. Who feels silly every single minute of the day, Curious to learn about ancient people, and, At the moment, hungry. Who has been to Caracas, to New York and to Washington D.C. Who needs to improve her attitude when she finds something difficult, Who needs more time to sleep. Who can’t think of anything to be afraid of. Who wants a laptop. Who would someday like to be an archaeologist. Resident of Earth. Gómez.
Who is Teresa?
I am Adelina by Adelina González , Age 9 Coral Springs, FL
Adelina She has brown hair and brown eyes. She likes to swim, she likes to sing. Daughter of Mom and Dad, sister of Teresa, Ricky, and Miguelito. Idolizes Selena Gómez. Lover of writing, building legos, Sea World, and killer whales. She feels happy when something is funny. She feels mad when she doesn’t get her way. She feels sad when someone yells at her. Who has been to Sea World, up in a Helicopter and to Southern California. She needs to fold clothes, take out the trash, clean her room. She needs food, water, and shelter. She fears snakes, earthquakes, and tornadoes. Who someday would like to be a Marine Biologist. Resident of Cancun, Q. Roo, Mexico. González
by Teresa González, Age 7 Coral Springs, FL
Teresa is soft and can talk and can walk and jump. She has parents that live in Florida. She has one sister and two brothers. Teresa loves to go to Sea World and loves to go to the library to check out books. She loves to go to Las Vegas and to California. Teresa feels happy when her friends are happy and sad when her friends are sad. She is proud when she is helpful. Teresa has been to the fair, Mexico, and San Diego. Teresa needs a new pair of shoes. She needs to help take the garbage out and stop fighting. Teresa is scared of sharks, lizards, and snakes. Teresa wants to be a singer. Teresa González lives in Florida.
Horses by Annaleisa Matzirakis, Age 7 Davie, FL
Inspired by my trip to the Fort Lauderdale Police Horse Stables
Happy horses Obey their owners Ride Soft fur Eager
A Checkup with Dr. Zevia by Sara Cross, Age 11 Boca Raton, FL
Dear Dr. Zevia, I might have the flu, My symptoms are that I’m thinking about you, The virus is love, makes my heart turn to goo, Oh, dear Dr. Zevia, what shall I do? Who in my life makes all my wishes come true? It turns out that the answer is you, that’s who! You’re carbonated on Bubble Avenue, Where lives Root Beer, Cola, and Ginger Ale too! You’re the one for me, I don’t know how I knew, And from a can I pour out my heart to you, When I drink you, you make all my dreams come true, You are the single best drink since World War II!
“Horse” Pencil on paper by Chiara Leopardi, Age 9 Caracas, Venezuela
APRIL 2012
THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
The Earth, And Everything On It
by Maxwell Dixon, Age 7 Cooper City, FL
A coral reef is never at rest, Fish constantly move to and fro, Mounds of coral like Mount Everest, Living in peace is all they know. A rainforest doesn’t ever sleep, Tree to tree goes the chimpanzee, And the birds all tweet, caw, and peep, Wind rustling through trees so gently.
The butterflies flutter, The leaves are blowing, A fresh smell fills the air. Flowers are blooming, The bees are buzzing,
A swamp is always very alive, The waters are hopping with frogs, All working together to survive, In the watery, foggy, bog.
The birds are soaring. Cats are stalking, Field mice are running,
A river always does flow the same, From the current leap the salmon, Going through life as if it’s a game, Not caring at all how it’s done.
The stream is thawing, This is why I love SPRING!
A tundra’s always the place to be, For the wolves, elk, and caribou, The polar bear hunt seal from the sea, Exactly what they’re made to do.
The underground is crowded with bugs, Millipedes, centipedes, worms too, The moles, the gophers, the prairie dogs, Lots make up the underground crew. The deep’s full of creatures of all kinds, Like Anglerfish, who fish with light, Divers are always making weird finds, But it’s pitch black– darker than night. The Earth is an amazing planet, With all its habitats and such, Has lots of parts, like pomegranate, We must take care, show your green touch!
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Springtime
by Sara Itka Cross, Age 11 Boca Raton, FL
An ocean comes and goes with the tide, The rolling waves and sandy coast, In anemones the clown fish hide, The angelfish’s colors boast.
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“Springtime” Watercolors on paper Illustrated exclusively by Kate Maier, Age 8 Sunrise, FL
Poetry Central by Nathalie Thelemaque, Age 13 Coral Springs, FL
Fireflies
Haiku
by Elizabeth Abrams, Age 7 Fort Lauderdale, FL
The bright setting sun Saying its final goodbye Welcoming the night
Flickery, flickery shines the firefly, Lighting up the midnight sky . . . When the moonbeams dazzle, The fireflies illuminate while they travel . . . Lighting up the dark gray night.
HORSES
The little girl sleeps Mind filled with joy and laughter Shielded from sadness The bird sings its song The prettiest melody Soothing me to sleep
by Nicolas Matzirakis, Age 9 Davie, FL
Inspired by my trip to the Fort Lauderdale Police Stables
Healthy horses Over the hill they run Rambunctious Strong Eager animals
“Eating Horse” Pencil on paper by Chiara Leopardi, Age 9 Caracas, Venezuela
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Cat’s Sleepover by Leilani Kenny, Age 8 Coconut Creek, FL Cat’s Mom said she was going to have a sleepover. She was excited! A sleepover would be fun! When she got there, she jumped for joy. Her Mom said that Dog, Rat, and Monkey were coming. Cat was happy. They would bake cookies and watch movies, and they would stay up until midnight. Cat was always going to remember this. It was the best ever!
JADA
by Adelina María González, Age 9 Coral Springs, FL
Illustrated by author. Pencil on paper. “Cat’s Sleepover”
Once there was a killer whale named Jada. She was black and white and made squeaking sounds to find her pod. Jada smelled like the ocean and was very smooth and soft. She was helpful, kind, and shy. One day she would be overcoming her shyness. She helped a lot around the pod. Jada had a friend that was a
Running Deer by Elizabeth Abrams, Age 7 Fort Lauderdale, FL A long time ago there was a majestic forest near the ocean. The sun always shone on the forest’s trees and the forest’s leaves didn’t shrivel up even in winter. In that forest there lived a tribe and in that tribe there lived a young girl. The girl was kind, smart, and empathetic. One spring morning, when the girl and her tribe were having a celebration for the spirits, she ran in a running race. She raced like a deer and won the race. After that the people in her tribe gave her the name Running Deer. When the celebration was finished and the people were getting in their teepees, Running Deer noticed that three of the leaves on the massive oak tree near her teepee were curled up. She looked at the river and saw that it was
bare with no water or fish. The sky was a mixture of dark gray and light black. The wind was howling like the sound of a wolf getting terribly hurt. The waterfall only had a few drops of water that were drizzling from it. “What has happened?” Running Deer thought. “Are the spirits angry? Did the spirits not like our celebration?” She got into her teepee and cuddled close to her bear skin. The next morning, Running Deer woke up and, frightened, got dressed in her skins and moccasins . . . and went outside. “W-ww-hat should I do?” she sputtered out. “This has never happened to this forest. Without water there will be no salmon or berries!” She got a bit of water that she had been saving and poured it on a leaf. The leaf straightened up a tiny stitch. “Huh,” she sighed. She started to walk through her village. The trees looked as
if they were dying and the flower petals were drooping. Running Deer started to run. She ran out of her village and through the forest. She ran until she reached sprouting fields and rivers that looked like silver. Suddenly Running Deer saw a little speck that caught her eye. “I wonder what it is?” thought Running Deer. “I am going to go to it. Maybe it’s water or a salmon river or a water spirit!” Running Deer started running the fastest she had ever run. When she at last had gotten to the tiny speck she saw that it was a silvery river. When Running Deer got closer, she saw the river was actually a slippery, watery, silvery, enchanting water spirit, not a river. Running Deer was frightened but she knew she had to save her village from the strange drought. Running Deer walked up to the water spirit and started speaking to it in sign language. “Would
APRIL 2012 dolphin. Her name was Selena. They were really good friends. They did not want their parents to know because killer whales eat dolphins. So they had to be careful. But one day they were about to meet each other when out of nowhere a shark came in sight. The pod began making sounds and scared the shark away. When they got home their parents were very mad at them. The dolphin’s family said to Selena, “that is a killer whale; it’s going to eat you! Are you nuts?” Selena was crying. Jada’s family said, “You are supposed to eat her!” Then Jada began to cry. They both begged their families to be friends. Surprisingly, they said, “YES!” And they were best friends forever!
you come back with me to my village and help me make things better?” she signed. The water spirit signed back: “Yes, if you can promise me something.” “Well, it matters what it is,” said Running Deer. The water spirit told her: “The people have not been taking care of the water lately and I took it away from them to show them that they have to be more careful with it. So you have to promise that you will tell your tribe that each person has to respect the water and use it well.” “Yes, I will tell them,” promised Running Deer. The water spirit followed her home, traveling in the rivers, and when they got to certain parts that had no rivers, Running Deer’s running quickly helped the water spirit reach another river, stream, or lake. When they finally reached the majestic forest, the water spirit started pumping out water, bringing it to the trees and soil. The forest began to bloom again. After that, the water spirit said to Running Deer: “Now I will leave. You promise you will tell your people what I said?” “Yes,” answered Running Deer. Af-
ter the water spirit left, Running Deer went to gather all her people to tell them the news. When they all were sitting, Running Deer announced: “The water spirit has told me that we have not been taking care of the water lately and the water spirit took it away from us to show us we need to be more careful with it. I promised to tell you that each person has to respect the water and use it well, and therefore the water spirit stopped the drought.” “Thank you!” the chief announced, “we will have a celebration for the water spirit and Running Deer because the forest is saved!” That night, at the celebration, after feasting on berries, lamb, salmon, wheat, chicken, garlic, and peppers, the Chief spoke to the people: “As you know, Running Deer has made the forest come back and the drought is gone. We thank Running Deer from our hearts. We will have a new holiday for the water spirit and Running Deer!” Running Deer felt proud. And the forest glistened.
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Detective Stories
Subway Criminal by Diego Sarkisian, Age 12 Caracas, Venezuela The dark was absolute. Nothing could be heard. The only thing I could listen to were my own miserable thoughts. The sharp metallic taste of blood invaded my mouth. I spat in disgust. A dim light bulb flickered to life above me; the abandoned alley was loitered with trash, which reeked of pee. My eyes adjusted to the light, and I realized this was the only place I could call home. I began to think about the long and arduous day at work, and how the bank was surpassing many problems. When all of a sudden, my phone started to vibrate inside of my pocket. “Hello?” I exclaimed in a low and harsh voice. A dead silence was heard on the other side of the call. “It’s the CSI, Mr. Dawson,” slowly said a voice at the other end of the line. I knew exactly what was coming next, more work. “We’ve got bad news for you,” whispered the man. All this was unexpected, what on earth could it be, I wondered. “Jacob, your brother… was assassinated half an hour ago,” he finally spat out. The moment just froze in time; my mind went blank in a matter of seconds. My last living family member had just been killed; an enormous frustration began to control me. “Who did it?!” I screamed back at him. “We haven’t got the details,” said the man. “I need to know!” I shouted. The man seemed to freeze, but at the end exclaimed. “We just need you to come over here, is that OK?” I felt the need to uncover the criminal. I didn’t think twice before I said, “I’ll be right there.” I hastily hung up my phone, stood up from the bench like a bolt and took off to the police department, as fast as my legs could carry me. It was only four blocks away from where I was standing, so I decided to take the risk. My footsteps increased in speed by the second, whilst the icy rain pierced my suit and froze my back. The anger inside me was growing. And that’s when it all happened… All the moments I had spent with Jacob were re-assembled in front of me in a matter of seconds. I felt an empty space inside of me. But suddenly, a voice as harsh as a grating wheel interrupted my thoughts. “Thank God you came Jack, this crime has got us perplexed,” exclaimed a stocky man. I glanced at him strikingly and was then politely invited inside the large building. The warmth of the place I’d known for years unquestionably made me feel better. It was 5 a.m. so I decided to stay there. I accessed a modern and spacious room that looked like the ones in movies, cluttered with fancy high-tech gadgets and appliances. A chubby old man was installed on a suave black armchair, surveying the footage of the crestfallen kidnapping, with extreme detail. He briskly turned around and his eyes opened wide with joy. “What a pleasure to meet you Mr. Dawson,” said the man, with a voice that could be mistaken with a mouse’s one, extending his hand out to me. I gazed at it for a few seconds, but didn’t hesitate in responding to the kind gesture. His cold and firm hand clutched mine for a brief moment, he then exclaimed, “Only 28 years old and you’re already one of the best detectives in North America”. I couldn’t help feeling content for the cordial remark. “Well, let’s get to business,” declared the old man. I lounged on
a matching black armchair, and inspected the limited pieces of evidence. We glanced at the short footage of the actual kidnapping, and realized the fashionable dark Ford, had a visible licence plate. It was PL-409; we instantly typed it into the criminal registry. We all anticipated silently for a match to come up, and not before long, a man appeared on the bright screen. A man in his mid-thirties with bleached skin, unkempt black hair, long extremities and an “I just took twenty shots” type of face. Instantaneously I knew who it was, the face was just so familiar. “His name is Alex Cross. He was my best friend twenty years ago, until one day he stopped talking to me. After that day, both of our families have had many difficulties,” I affirmed, as the abhorrent memory took over my mind. “I encountered him in county prison three months ago, he told me his sentence was over… last week!” I declared. They both examined me with vacant minds. “Get in the car, now!” I yelled, and all three of us darted towards the shiny police car. As soon as we barged into the car, we loaded our guns and hoped for the best. The stocky man had decided to drive, and without delay asked me where to go. “Wait…” I responded, giving my foggy mind time to remember, “I believe… it was North Michigan Avenue, downtown Illinois.” I felt pretty eminent with myself for revoking that. “You think,” mentioned the old man. “Just go!” I squawked. The stocky man went full throttle, and in a matter of seconds we were on the ominous highway. A terrible thought took over my indecisive mind, how would life be without any family members? Jacob really left an empty space behind. My eyes began to water, but at once I toughened up and prevented the dejected tears. An abrupt brake of the car disturbed my thoughts. “Is this it?” asked the man who was driving, as he gazed at the house that was as dark as a cellar. “I think so,” I replied, whilst we approached the house and inspected the outside. The burning armor punched our lungs; we hurriedly got in the house that was as old as a caveman. The place was a dumpster and occasionally a begrimed rat scampered across the floor. We tentatively registered the entire residence. Just when we were about to abnegate the search, we heard a large gun being loaded. We turned around really fast, and saw Alex Cross pointing a gun at us. “Jack Dawson, what a surprise to see you here” he exclaimed with a chuckle. Instinctively, I shot straight at his upper thigh; all of a sudden a puddle of blood flooded the marble floor as he fell back and hit his head. I grasped his wrists, cuffed them, and threw him to the back seat of the car. We all returned to the police department to question him thoroughly. We arrived at around 6 a.m. The sun stunned me, it burned like a match. We barged through the front door, and headed to the interrogation room, which was square-shaped and made of cold metal. The two other men left, but I stayed, determined to obtain some information. I sat down on the steel chair next to Alex, and smelled festering flesh. I looked at him seriously and asked with a mean tone, “What have you done? Why on earth did you do it? I saw your face, I know you kidnapped Jacob!” he then laughed viciously. “Shut up!” I yelled, as I kicked him
off the chair and punched his face, and left it a bit disfigured. Blood spattered from his small mouth and a tooth fell to the floor. “Why did you do it?!” I screamed at his face, he looked a bit scared, and finally spat out what I needed to know. “Mathew Jones” he whispered “and… Jane Tennison.” He spat out a puddle of dark blood. “Who are they?” I demanded, literally screaming my lungs out. “He… he… he paid me to do it, the car is his. I know that Jane gives him injectable drugs,” he cried. Well that all made sense, Mathew Jones was the vice-president of Jacob’s company, and he fired him for being lazy. Jane Tennison I had no idea, but Jacob’s body had an injection mark on his thigh, maybe it was a kind of drug. I tried to absorb all the new information and decided I had to go to the crime scene. “Where are they?” I asked him slowly. “They are downtown, that’s all I know,” he replied. Suddenly a cop came in to the room, “Is this a suspect, Mr. Dawson?” he asked politely. “Yes, take him,” I replied hastily. The man took Alex into the car and left as fast as a dart. I realized I had to find Mathew and Jane, but before that I had to check the crime scene. I got in my car, and drove for about five minutes, until I reached the old subway. As I went down the narrow stairs, I smelled trash and rotten food; each time I go there I am horrified. The yellow tape covered all the entries. I walked past one and suddenly remembered that a girl called Jane Tennison was Jacob’s ex-girlfriend. I knew she sounded familiar. After Jacob dumped her, she was really peeved. “Mr. Dawson, we found new evidence, come and see,” exclaimed a tiny man. He said they had found hair traces on the body and fingerprints on a metal pole, and that the match was unrecognizable. I went directly to the computer and couldn’t believe my eyes, the man I had hated for many years, the man that killed all my family. “I know him! He is Jason Chantz, he killed my parents!” I exclaimed angrily. I knew that face better than my own. The horrible memory came back, when I was six, my parents took Jacob and me to a restaurant one night. When we finished it was late, and right outside our house they were killed, but the man left Jacob and me alone. “I found something” shouted one of the detectives, “It is a syringe!” We immediately checked for fingerprints, but there were two different ones. One was from Jason and the other one from Jane. So they all worked together to kill Jacob, I thought. I also remembered seeing another person inside the car, in the footage; probably it was the Devil, otherwise known as, Jason Chantz. The puzzle was assembled now and the criminal was known. My phone began to ring, I picked up and it was a cop, “Jack, we’ve found and interrogated both Mathew Jones and Jane Tennison,” he said proudly. “What did they say?” I demanded harshly. “They both mentioned a supposed, Jason Chantz,” he replied unsure of himself. “Of course,” I said quietly. I hung up the phone and came to the thought that the only one left to find was Chantz. “But where could he be?” I asked myself. I looked at the time, and it was already 9 p.m., so I decided to go home. When I arrived to
Five Minutes to Twelve by Andy Hernández, Age 12 Caracas, Venezuela It was exactly 11:55 p.m. The sniper rifle weight balanced on his shoulder. He was confident. Ready. The scope crosshair remained on the bathroom window. He waited. “I’ll be right back. I have to go to the bathroom,” Joshua said, the music boomed in his ears. The brandy glass held firmly in his left hand. He opened the bathroom door. Nobody heard it. Not even a shout. He lay still on the ground, a puddle of blood round his head. MI6 HEADQUARTERS, ENGLAND Secretary Jane gently opened the door. “Mr. Smithers?” Smithers turned his head slightly, showing an empty eye socket. Jane gasped just as Smithers turned back his head and put on his dark glasses. She didn’t dare to ask him where he had lost his eye. “A teenager, Joshua Mane, was found dead at a party. A bathroom,” she announced. “Any evidence?” “The killer is a professional; we have to analyze the bullet to track the weapon’s origin.” “Any suspects?” Smithers spoke, his expression blank. “We have three. All of them have a reason to have killed the boy. We have Casey Miles, current history teacher. I personally read his file. Joshua Mane, our victim, is said to have blackmailed him; he saw him consuming drugs inside the school,” Jane announced expertly. “That is a good motive. What about the other two?” he responded. “Alex Guevara and Timothy Mathers.” Secretary Jane added. “Mathers...” Smithers looked carefully at the briefing, “He wasn’t in the party,” he stated. “Does the name ring a bell?” she asked. “Aha! Mathers & Co. Weaponry. His dad is the founder,” Smithers explained while rubbing his beard. “What about his motive?” “Joshua took his girlfriend two months ago.” “And Guevara?” “Typical school boy, being bullied by Joshua at University,” Jane explained. There was a long pause. “Take me to the scene,” Smithers requested. 3351 GREEN PIKE DRIVE The black Mercedes arrived at the crime scene at 14:00 hours. Ian Smithers stepped out of the car, his polished black shoes glimmering against the asphalt. His glasses as dark as the night. There was a forensic scientist beside the corpse. “Let me see.” Smithers made his my small apartment in downtown, I just dropped the suitcase, and fell asleep. I moved around in the bed, and realized I couldn’t sleep. All the stress was as heavy as a dumb bell. So, I put my shoes on and headed for the subway. I went down the dirty and slippery stairs and into the dim and small subterranean. The rain outside was hammering down on the streets, making the city look uninhabited. I stood up next to the rails and really promised to work hard in finding Jason Chantz. For my family. But why did it happen to me. The smell of trash seized my throat, so
way to the body. Smither’s blank expression gave nothing away. Slowly, he turned the body’s arm. He knew there was something wrong. There it was. Three injections on both of his arms. Drugs. Just that gave the history teacher away. But he needed more. These injections were recent. “Could this be some sort of revenge?” Jane asked from beside him, “An overdose of his own drugs and then shooting him?” “I want a full analysis of the body for tomorrow.” MI6 FORENSICS DIVISON DEPARTMENT “The bullet comes from a sniper rifle,” the scientist explained. “I think we have our prime suspect,” Jane said expertly, “the history teacher, Casey Miles.” “No,” Smithers glanced firmly at Jane, “there is a problem.” “What problem?” “The bullet wound showed it was fired from a long range. It is a sniper rifle, so our suspect could not have carried it in his hand and shot him from as close as you think he did. The sniper is registered to Mathers & Co Weaponry. The only one that has a gun license is Timothy Mathers. As far as I know, neither Alex nor Miles owned a weapon.” Smithers spoke and neither the scientist nor the secretary responded. “I want to interrogate him.” “Get your hands off me!” Timothy tried to wriggle free as the two guards threw him inside the dingy office. A blank face looked at him from the other side of the table. “Please take a seat,” Smithers said. “Listen you, I am not guilty, and this is insane!” His voice echoed in the closed room. “May I advise you everything you say is being recorded. Don’t try anything stupid,” Smithers said calmly. “Were you at the party? Do you know what happened?” Smithers continued. “I already told you I wasn’t there, I have no idea: I have nothing to do with this, with him being shot while he was in the bathroom, I swear I do- “Wait.” There was a pause, “You just gave yourself away.” It was 11:55 a.m. The sniper rifle weight balanced on his shoulder. He was confident. Ready. The scope crosshair remained on the Mercedes’ window. Nobody heard it. Not even a shout. The glass shattered. The driver crashed. Timothy James Mathers lay still in the back seat, a puddle of blood round his head. “He who does not prevent a crime, encourages it.” Seneca I thought I should leave, but when I turned around, a silver revolver was pointing directly at my head. The person looked blurry, but I knew who it was. “It has been a long time since we last met,” said a rough voice. “People say good things about you, about being a good banker and detective.” He exclaimed. “I also heard you’re the last one, there’s none left,” he whispered meanly. I knew he was talking about my family, and how I was the last one, but I didn’t finish thinking, when he said, “But that is soon going to change,” as he loaded the gun.
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THE CIRCLE GAZETTE
APRIL 2012
“Cat and Mouse” Markers on paper by Abigail Griswold, Age 8 Paoli, PA
“Great Blue Heron” Soft pastels on paper by Katherine Minielly, Age 8 Parkland, FL
“French Dancers” Color pencils on paper by Kaiyah Kenny, Age 10 Coconut Creek, FL
Did You Know... … that the Lorax was requested to be scratched out of the mandatory school reading list in some areas that had timberrich industries? In 1989, the Laytonville, CA Unified School District received a request by some residents to downgrade the book, from mandatory to optional on the second grade reading list, under the argument that the story criminalizes the foresting industry.
Did You Know... … that the Lorax was written in 1971 (41 years ago)? N o t a b l y, at that time, trees in the Pacific Northwest were being cut down at an alarming rate by logging companies. Imagine how unhappy these companies were to hear that Dr. Seuss had written a story about deforestation.
“Art Explosion” Crayon wax on canvas by Rachel Rader, Age 12 Hollywood, FL
“Penguin” Pencil on paper by Christina González, Age 9 Caracas, Venezuela “Angry Bird Game” Crayon and pencil on paper. by Michaelanthony Greenfield, Age 9 West Hollywood, CA