2016-2017 Admirals' Pen

The Admirals’ Pen, ~ 1 ~

A literary and arts magazine, Severn Middle School, 2017

Greetings!

Welcome to the 6th annual literary and arts magazine, The Admirals’ Pen. On these remarkable pages, you will view a plethora of writing and art pieces from Severn’s middle school students. From editing to cupcakes to coffee houses, we really enjoyed being a part of the literary magazine this year. Kami Garcia, a local author of the bestselling book Beautiful Creatures, even lent us a visit to help with our editing process. Collaborating on this publication helped us learn to take on responsibilities and work together as a team. From all of us here on the staff, thank you! We appreciate your submissions. Enjoy reading The Admirals’ Pen!

Sincerely, The Admirals’ Pen Editors

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Table of Contents Leaves of Different Colors, Madison Wright The Secret Spot, Morgan Dettor Distracted Driving–It Can Wait, Emma Campbell Spring Sailing Sunset, Elizabeth Baker Under the Sea, Sarah Gershman La Primer Dia de Mi Cautividad, Emma Campbell Butterfly in the Sun, Erin Murphy Freedom Tower NYC, Hannah Hartley Blue Heron at Sunset, Anna Erskine Hawaii on the Mind, Luke Marbury The Growth of Widge’s Language, Garrett Jay Dog Sledding Alaska, Hannah Hartley Huckleberry Finn Scene Rewrite, Erin Murphy Little River, Sarah Jay Peace, Margaret Cravens Afghanistan Cuisine, Cole Fairweather Huckleberry Finn Scene Rewrite, Emma Campbell King of the Jungle, Luke Marbury Trash or Not Trash, Julia Youseff Breadwinner Narrative, Cole Fairweather Not a Mirror Image, Annika Jensen A WWI Trench Letter, Chris Sixbey French Essay, Luke Marbury

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5 7 8 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 21 22 29 30 31 35 41 42 46 48 52 58

WWI Trench Letter, Reese Jackson Math Journal Entry Prompt Responses, Algebra 1 Students Wishing for Summer, Emily Giorgio Knowledge is Power, Will Oliver Donald Trump Persuasive Essay, Alex Brenia Swim for Life, Sarah Gershman Trash or Not Trash, Michael Hesford Leaf in Lion King, 8th Grade Performing Arts Life’s Like a Dream, Short and Eventful, Daniel Berlin Shakespeare Stealer Essay, Davis Cawfield A Day That Will Live on in History, Chris Sixbey Rose, Isabella Fermo My Favorite Travels, Emma Hlousek Fall Colors, Isabella, Sage, and Nia (’23) Abandoned, Jack Keith The Closet, Fiona Griesser Democratic Wolf, Robert White Dodgeball Madness, Madeline Clarke Hitting the Crossbar, Baxter Wright Underwater Pig, Morgan Moradian Tidal Wave, Tommy Castleberry Transformation of Language, Konner Smith When We Were Young, Rachel Weinberg Jeopardy Contestant, Gabriella Novella Jeopardy Contestant Part Two, Grace Derderian Hillary Clinton Persuasive Essay, Campbell Grimes Pencil Pelican, Julia Youseff

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61 65

72 73 76

80 81 83 84 91 93 99 100 103 104 110 119 120 122 128 129 134 136 142 146 149 154

Leaves of Different Colors

by Madison Wright ‘23 Leaves of different colors Travel in the wind.

I ask; where are you going?

They say; what's the point in knowing?

Leaves of different colors Travel in the wind.

Leaves of different colors Travel in the wind.

I ask; can I follow you?

They say; Must you ask me that question, too?

Leaves of different colors Travel in the wind.

Leaves of different colors Travel in the wind.

I ask; why do you travel?

They say; must my secrets be unraveled?

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Leaves of different colors Travel in the wind.

Dear leaves of different colors Who travel in the wind, I say; answers I really need!

Tell me something so I may proceed!

Because I am wondering about you leaves Every single day I lead.

Those leaves of different colors Who travel in the wind.

Day and night They are in flight Those leaves of different colors Who travel in the wind.

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The Secret Spot

by Morgan Dettor, ‘23

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Distracted Driving – It Can Wait A speech by Emma Campbell ‘21 Hello, I am Emma Campbell, and I am going to paint a picture for you. Let me begin with the scenery: July 2015, a lovely Monday in the heat of the summer. It was around 8:30 a.m., and my mother was in her car, stopped at a red light. There was a slight breeze in the air, and the trees glowed with vibrant, green leaves. She was on her way to yoga, one of her favorite forms of exercise, when she glanced at the oncoming car in her rear view mirror. The car did not stop.

This is a picture from the scene of the accident. Some of you may even recognize the road. My mom, and her Lexus, were hit by this car that was going around 50 miles per hour, causing my mother to crash into the two vehicles in front of her. Since she was the first to be hit, she got the brunt of the force. The impact knocked her head back, then forward, which gave her a terrible concussion. This soon grew into a TBI, a traumatic brain injury, that still affects her to this day.

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Maybe, if the woman who hit my mom hadn't been looking at her phone, I would not be giving this speech for you. I could say that the countless nights I spent worrying about my mother's condition didn't exist, and I could be talking about global warming, or the effect of social media, or something that doesn't resonate with me as much as this does. Sadly, the reality is that my mother was hit by a distracted driver, which I deemed a very good reason to inform you of its dangers.

First of all, you should not disregard this simply because you can't drive yet. If someone in your family gets into an accident, it affects you just as much as them; take it from someone who has lived through it. How many of you have siblings who can drive? Did you know that the most common victims are people in the 16 to 20 year old range? Take some time to think about that the next time you hear your sister or brother's phone go off while you're in the car. Not to mention the 11 teenagers who die every day from texting and driving incidents. Eleven. Eleven people, some of whom may not have even caused the accident, but were victims to the ignorance of someone who

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thought they could stop in time. Even if one of those eleven did cause the accident, their life was still lost because of a cellphone. This is what I'm trying to prevent; this is what the world is trying to prevent.

Ignorance, that causes lives to be lost.

Texting and driving takes a driver's eyes off of the road for a minimum of five seconds. If they're traveling at 55 miles per hour, that's about the length of a football field. That is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 seconds, for your parents to swerve into oncoming traffic. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 seconds, for your sibling to hit a tree. However, it only takes one second, one, small second, for you to realize that your life is worth so much more than your phone. I am ridiculously lucky, I was not in that car. In fact, the morning of the accident, my mom offered to take me to yoga with her, but I slept in, instead. I was this close to becoming a victim. Every time you're on the road, someone's life is at risk. While you may not be behind the wheel, try to remind whoever is to focus on the task at hand. You could even suggest to text for them, or tell them that this is not the example they should be setting. Just that extra step is enough to ensure not only your safety, but also the safety of your loved ones.

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Spring Sailing Sunset

by Elizabeth Baker, ‘23

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Under the Sea

by Sarah Gershman, ‘22

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La Primer Dia de Mi Cautividad

by Emma Campbell, ‘21 Soy Ripper. Soy una tortuga, y estoy atrapada. Mi casa es muy grande y de cristal, pero no me gusta nada. Nado y juego en este tanque, porque no puedo ir a cualquier parte. No puedo ir al centro comercial, o al parque. Este sitio es una prisión. Nunca voy a escapar.

Quiero jugar con mis amigos en mi casa real, no aquí. Mi solo comodidad es mi roca favorita. Se llama Bernard. Él nunca habla, y es mi mejor amigo. Cada día, muero un poco en dentro.

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Butterfly in the Sun

by Erin Murphy, ‘21

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Freedom Tower – New York City

by Hannah Hartley, ‘21

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Blue Heron at Sunset

by Anna Erskine, ‘23

Hawaii on the Mind

by Luke Marbury, ‘21

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Shakespeare Stealer: The Growth of Widge’s Language ~ 17 ~

by Garret Jay, ‘23 In the beginning of the novel Shakespeare Stealer, a boy named Widge shows a lack of vocabulary and mispronounces words.

Widge's language has changed from growing up on the countryside in an orphanage. Widge wasn't educated about traveling to London, becoming a player at the theater, or becoming more intellectual.

Throughout the book, the reader can progressively see Widge's change in his vocabulary, actions, and pronunciation. Through the book, we see Widge speaking but after each mispronounced word, he goes back and corrects himself. "'I will,' I promised. Yes, I told myself as I led the horses into the courtyard. Not aye, yes. Yes, yes, yes. Anything that would make me appear more like a Londoner and less like a green country woodcock." (Blackwood 66) This quote shows that even towards the beginning of the book, Widge still tries to fit in with his language so he can appear to be more of a Londoner. Later in Shakespeare Stealer, Sander tells Widge a very important statement, “Do you think they will? Not do you wis, but do you think.' He slapped

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me on the back, and for a change, I did not flinch. 'My boy, I believe you’re turning into a Londoner.” In this quote, the reader sees that not only does Widge see his change in his own vocabulary but his friends like Sander see Widge's determination to change his vocabulary. At the end of Shakespeare Stealer, Widge tells the reader how his vocabulary has changed. "For every ken and wis and aye I had dropped from my vocabulary, I had picked up a dozen new and useful terms.

Some were fencing terms, some were peculiar to London, some were the jargon of the players’ trade" (Blackwood 312). This quote has shown that even when Widge was assigned to steal the play himself, he always had the choice but instead he became a player (actor).

When Widge was an actor, he not only learned his roles, but by him learning his roles, he learned different vocabulary words from his lines and was able to speak more fluently like a Londoner. As the book progressed, you see how Widge wasn't concerned with his language changing until Widge decided he wanted to be part of the company

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and become more fluent with speaking. Shakespeare Stealer has many great lessons and opportunities but overall, this book has shown how a boy named Widge strives to become not only an actor but a pure Londoner himself.

Alaskan Dogsledding

by Hannah Hartley, ‘21

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Huckleberry Finn Scene Rewrite

by Erin Murphy, ‘21 Act 2

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Scene 1 This scene takes place right before Huckleberry and Jim meet Louis and Bridgewater in Act 2, Scene 1. Huck has faked his own death and now his town is having a funeral for him.

LIGHTS UP in a funeral parlor on closed CASKET UP CENTER containing some of Huck's possessions (his pipe, his straw hat, and a few of the coins that he found with Tom Sawyer). The room is dimly lit but it is beautiful. There are silver figures standing up on top of the casket. MISS WATSON and WIDOW DOUGLAS enter from STAGE RIGHT. As the crowd gathers, PAP FINN sneaks past SHERIFF and takes a seat at the back of the room. LOUIS and BRIDGEWATER are also there, dressed in fine clothes. They also take a seat in the back.

People chatter but settle down as REVEREND CARLSON raises his hand.

WIDOW DOUGLAS: I can't believe we lost the life of this wonderful boy, Huckleberry Finn.

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MISS WATSON: Even though he kept refusing to pray and stop smoking, he kept me young.

WIDOW DOUGLAS: (starting to cry) He made our lives so interesting.

REVEREND CARLSON: (hands her a handkerchief) As we begin the service...

PAP FINN: (emerges from the back of the room) Now wait just a minute!

WIDOW DOUGLAS: (face goes from red to ghostly pale) Sheriff...

SHERIFF: (Grabs for Pap but misses) Come here you!

PAP FINN: (runs up to casket) If Huckleberry is dead, then all this stuff is mine. (starts to open casket, sending half of the silver to the floor with an earsplitting noise. Miss Watson and Widow Douglas start picking it up.)

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SHERIFF: (grabs him by the collar and pulls him back) These things don't belong to you.

PAP FINN: Well sure they do. (Smirks and exhales a huge breath into Sheriff's face. Sheriff winces because it smells so strongly of whiskey.)

If I'm Huck's last livin' relative then all that cash comes right to me.

WIDOW DOUGLAS: Huckleberry earned that money. You just can't take it. (Chatter continues between Sheriff, Pap Finn, and Widow Douglas. Spotlight on Louis and Bridgewater) LOUIS: This is our chance. Just look at all that silver and all that money in the casket. And the silver is sparklin’ like it’s just waiting to be taken.

BRIDGEWATER: But Louis, the Sheriff is here. He’s already in the middle of arresting that crazy drunkard. What makes you think that he won’t arrest two robbers? We should wait for him to leave.

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LOUIS: No way. Everyone is watching them and once we leave the distraction will be gone. I have an idea. (Whispers something to Bridgewater. Bridgewater smirks and nods his head, approving of the idea.)

MISS WATSON: Please gentlemen. We must get on with the service.

PAP FINN: Your right. We should pay respects. I’ll just be on my way.

(He reaches onto the casket and grabs a silver figure.) Thanks a million.

SHERIFF: (Grabs him again) Not so fast. Once again, this doesn’t belong to you.

PAP FINN: Why, of course!

LOUIS: (cuts off Pap) Excuse me gentlemen. I think I can help. (He walks up to Pap and Sheriff. He leans his elbow on the casket,

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avoiding the silver.) Looks like there is an argument here. I have a solution. How ‘bout he gets the money in the casket, which is only about a fourth of this boy’s money, and he gets no more? (In one swift motion he slides one silver figure off of the casket with his elbow, and it almost hits the floor, but Bridgewater catches it and slides it into the pocket of his coat. No one notices.)

SHERIFF: That is not the law, though. The law states that all of Huckleberry’s money is given to whoever has taken care of him for most of his life. (Gestures to Miss Watson and Widow Douglas.)

Currently that is these two women, but we are not talking money right now. We will cross that bridge when we come to it.

PAP FINN: (Eyes turn the size of his head) Your sayin’ that these two ladies have been takin’ care of him? All they did was to teach him how to pray! Who do you think taught him how to survive?

SHERIFF: (Under his breath) Fat load of good that did.

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(Since no one is paying attention to Louis, he takes the opportunity to knock four more pieces of silver off of the casket and into Bridgewater’s hands.)

WIDOW DOUGLAS: (starts sobbing again) We are at... at his funeral.

(Blows her nose into the Reverend’s handkerchief) Can we mourn his loss with out anymore disruptions?

SHERIFF: Yes, you’re right, Widow Douglas. We should sit down.

(Sheriff, still holding Pap by the collar starts walking to the back of the parlor.)

(Louis, thinking he would have more time, panics and starts knocking silver off of the casket too fast for Bridgewater to handle. One falls on the floor and all eyes turn to them.)

BRIDGEWATER: Uh oh......

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(Sheriff drops Pap and runs up to casket while Louis and Bridgewater run behind the casket to where Miss Watson and Widow Douglas stand. Widow Douglas tries to grab some silver from Bridgewater, but Louis pushes her and Miss Watson to the other side of the casket. As more of the crowd tries to trap them, Louis pushes the casket off of its pedestal and onto the advancing people. Louis and Bridgewater run off BACK STAGE RIGHT.) SHERIFF: Come back here! (Follow them out BACK STAGE RIGHT. Angry crowd follows.)

(Fade to black)

Little River Sarah Jay, ‘22

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Peace Margaret Cravens, ‘23

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There is a jewel, though not well known, better than rubies and better than crowns Children, I am talking about peace.

I am talking and singing and praying and hoping for peace.

Sapphires and emeralds are pretty, sure, but peace is more pretty than all.

Children I am talking about peace.

I am talking and singing and praying and hoping for peace.

So take this lesson, children, from all around the globe.

Take this lesson, children.

Share round a stove Children, I am talking about peace.

I am talking and singing and praying and hoping for peace.

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Listen to me and heed, little ones, peace is above all, so listen to me and heed.

Children I am talking about peace.

I am talking and singing and praying, and hoping for peace.

Afghanistan Cuisine Cole Fairweather, ‘23

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Afghanistan is a country in the Middle East that takes pride in its traditional cooking. Afghanistan has gone through many wars with a variety of different invaders. As those countries invaded, Afghans grew accustomed to the foods they ate and learned to cook them. But Afghans put their own personal twist on those foods. Most of Afghanistan’s food originated in different places such as Central and South Asia, China, and Iran. Sometimes ingredients were scarce, not allowed, or just not good for Afghans, so most of those dishes were different from the original dish. Nearly all of Afghanistan’s foods are influenced by different countries but have become traditional and customary to Afghans. There are so many flavors from different countries in Afghanistan’s meals, so they are far from bland. Food in Afghanistan is well seasoned with a variety of spices, unless it was made to be bland. Some popular spices are cumin, cloves, turmeric, and cinnamon. Although there are lots of spices, food is not usually spicy. If it is spicy, then it is served with a side of yogurt or mast. Some spices are scarce and valuable to Afghans, and traditional foods are served well seasoned. Almost all of

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Afghanistan’s traditional foods are served with lots of spices. Although Afghanistan’s dishes are full with varieties of spices, vegetables, fruit, and meat, Muslims are not allowed to eat some items. Islam is Afghanistan’s main religion, and people who follow Islam can’t eat haram, which is a forbidden food or drink to Muslims. Muslims consider pig, alcohol, and animals that eat other animals haram. So certain foods can’t be sold, made, or eaten in Afghanistan. Instead of drinking or eating haram, Afghans substitute some foods or drinks for different items, like tea instead of alcohol.

Most Afghans do not own ovens, refrigerators, or other appliances that we use. So instead they use tandoors (clay ovens), fire pits, and charcoal grills. This causes Afghans to have to modify dishes to make them not spoil but still taste good. Although they don’t have some of the appliances we have, they still make delicious food, especially for guests. Honoring guests is very important to Afghanistan’s culture. A great way to to honor a guest is to pile amazing food on the table like dumplings, Palau (rice mixed with meat and vegetables), korma (a chicken stew), tea, naan bread, and olive oil which is scarce and

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valuable in Afghanistan. Whenever you have an important guest over your house in Afghanistan, you honor them by preparing lots of good food. Afghans pay a lot of attention to their food to make sure it is well seasoned and delicious. Food plays a large role in Afghanistan’s culture, and no war can prevent that.

Huckleberry Finn Scene Rewrite Emma Campbell, ‘21

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ACT ONE Scene One (and a Half) Inside HUCK and PAP FINN’S log cabin. There are three cargo boxes used to make one bed STAGE RIGHT, and three cargo boxes to make another bed STAGE LEFT. A table is set up in front of the bed DOWNSTAGE LEFT. Old, unwashed sheets are on the beds, with an uncomfortable looking pillow. A flickering candle sits on the table, along with a bottle. A matted rug is in the middle of the two beds.

HUCK is sitting on the bed to the RIGHT, jiggling his leg and biting his nails. He’s wearing overalls, with a dirty, white shirt underneath, and no shoes. He also has a straw hat on. SPOTLIGHT UP on HUCK. HUCK: (Rubbing his palms on his legs) I gots to escape, somehow. I can’t be livin’ like I do. Pap comes home drunk off his rocker evr’y night, and beats on me for nothin’. I’d rather die than stay here....

(Gets an idea) That’s it! I’ll die! (Stands up and starts pacing.) I could make it like some burglars did it, and I tried to fend ‘em off, but they murdered me. Hmmm...There’re hogs in the stable ‘round back, I bets

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I could kill one and make it look like me. I could...sneak away!

(Talking faster) At night, after he’s passed out from all the drinkin’. I can’t be seen on the island. I got to leave, I reckon I could make a raft or somethin’ down river, the tide is high and I could get me some logs andPAP FINN: (Stumbles through the door STAGE RIGHT, HUCK stops talking, startled, and sits down on RIGHT bed. PAP FINN staggers across stage to other bed. He is wearing a dirty shirt, and workers uniform around his waist, with an alcohol bottle in one hand.

Venomous.) What’re you muttering about? (Sits down on bed, takes a sip.)

HUCK: (Nervous) Oh, nothin’ you got to fret about Pap, just talkin’ to myself. (Plays with the blanket on his bed.)

PAP FINN: (Suspicious, stands up.) And what’s that supposed to mean?! (HUCK cowers.) You think just ‘cuz you got yourself a fancy education while your old pap went off working means you can keep a secret?!

HUCK: N-No sir, didn’t mean nothin’ by it, I-

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PAP FINN: (Threatening.) Don’t you lie to me, boy. Ever since yer mother died I have heard nothin’ but lip from you. Might’ve been better if you had gone, too, then I wouldn’t be havin’ these troubles.

HUCK: (Angry, and standing.) IT WARN’T MY FAULT MA DIED. PAP FINN: (Slaps HUCK.) That’s the LAST STRAW. (Jabs finger into HUCK’S chest.) YER THE VERY REASON SHE PASSED. IF YOU WAS NEVER BORN SHE’D BE ALIVE AND WELL AND WITH ME. EV’RY TIME I LOOK AT YA I THINKA HER. (Silence as they glare at each other.)

HUCK: (Rubs his stinging cheek, and sits down.) Pap, since you hate me so much, why do ya keep me around?

PAP FINN: (Lays down on the bed, closes eyes, and drops bottle after taking a sip.) I need help in my elder years, we old folks can’t be liftin’ and plowin’ and workin’ all the damn time. I need a strong son to do it all, keep the crops a growin’ and them animals fed.

HUCK: (lays down on his bed, too. Mutters) Good thing I’ll be gone soon.

PAP FINN: (One eye opens, peers at HUCK. Hands resting on

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stomach.) What was that?

HUCK: (Shrugs) Nothin’.

PAP FINN: (Closes eyes again.) That’s what I thought.

HUCK: (Chuckles, sarcastic.) You? Thoughts? My, I never heard of such a thing.

PAP FINN: (Snores.) (LIGHTS DIM. SPOTLIGHT UP on HUCK.) HUCK: (Waits about 7 seconds. Slowly sits upright, looking over at PAP FINN. Swings legs over bed, and gets up carefully. Tiptoes towards STAGE RIGHT, and bumps into bed loudly. Winces, looks back at PAP FINN, then continues towards exit.)

PAP FINN: (eyes still closed, SPOTLIGHT UP on him, too.) And just where do you think you’re headin’ off to?

HUCK: (Pauses) I was just...goin’ for a midnight walk is all. (Starts briskly walking away.)

PAP FINN: It ain’t really a bad thing, you know.

HUCK: (Confused, stops walking and turns head around.) What ain’t a bad thing?

PAP FINN: Bein’ like yer Ma. You both got that sharp tongue, and

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mind like a sponge, absorbin’ everything around ya. And ya got smile the same, too, like a bright, summers day.

HUCK: (Turns around to sit on the bed again.) Pap? Tell me more about Ma. What was she like?

PAP FINN: Well, when we was tryin’ to pick a name for ya, yer ma and I picked a fight over ev’ry one. We was havin’ a picnic, when she came up to me with these strange lookin’ berries and told me to try one. The first one I ate was sweet, and tasted like fresh sugar cane.

But the second one was so tart it made my lips pucker. She said they was called Huckleberries, and I liked the sound of it. She said she wanted her darlin’ child to be sweet and tart, just like ‘em.

HUCK: (Sniffling a little) I wish I got to meet her.

PAP FINN: (Yawning) So do I. She could tell me how to deal with such a unruly child. Beatin’ ya seems to be the only way that works.

HUCK: I won’t be so bad if you’d just stop with all the drinkin’ and listen once in a while. And beatin’ ain’t gonna solve anything, if you would justPAP FINN: (snores loudly.)

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HUCK: (sighs, stands up and turns to audience.) Why do I even try?

Ev’ry time I think we’re I’ somewhere he doesn’t listen. That’s why I gots to get outta here, I got to make my own, on my own. Ain’t nobody gonna boss me around no more. I can be free as a bird without bein’ tied down to anythin’. Not a moment to waste Huckleberry Finn, I got a raft to build, a hog to slaughter, and a master plan to make true.

(Looks back at PAP FINN.) I’m sorry, old man, I’m not your charge to fret about no more. (EXITS STAGE RIGHT... BLACKOUT)

King of the Jungle Luke Marbury, ‘21

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Trash or Not Trash Julia Youseff, ‘21

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The story in question, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a book written in the mid 19th century by the author Mark Twain, who also wrote the famous Adventures of Tom Sawyer. At its release, the book was considered trash and immoral, a negative influence on the “pure-minded lads and lassies”. However, this is a misinterpretation of the story, which will be shown as not “trash”. Its morals aren’t the obvious of running from society and wanting to be uneducated, like the main character Huck wants to be, but more about friendship, combatting social norms, and the possible dishonest adults.

Friendship is a clear and prevalent topic throughout the story. The friendship might vary in equality, with each character, Jim and Huck, being selfish at points in the story, but they each remain loyal to their goals and their desire to help one another. Huck ran away from his home because of his father, while Jim ran a way in fear of being sold away from his family. The two meet along their travels, and Huck decided to help Jim go north to eventually buy his family to freedom, instead of turning him in. Huck, at different points throughout the story, hides Jim to protect his friend, such as when he and Jim’s raft is

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approached by suspicious men. “John: “Is there a man on that raft with you, boy?” Huck: “Only one, sir” Parker: “There’s been five slaves run of last night” Huck: “Sorry to hear that, sir”. In this quote, Huck and Jim are approached by two men looking for slaves. In the rest of the scene, John and Parker discuss the rewards, and ask if Jim was free or enlaved. Huck lies, even when angry at Jim, claiming he’s got smallpox and is his free father. It turns the men away. This demonstrates their friendship.

Another instance is shown when Jim is captured, and Huck goes to his captors, Sally and Silas, to try to help him escape, pretending to be Tom Sawyer and even enlisting Tom Sawyer’s help to free him, which eventually is done. Tom Sawyer, his other friend, was also hesitant. Their society claimed that slaves were property, not people, and helping them escape was a theft. Tom Sawyer’s friendship with Huck, however, led him to help his two friends. The United States in the 1800’s, in the South, was a region that depended on slaves. The people of the time were content with slavery, to a point,

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and many respected owners with slaves, acknowledging that slaves were their property. They were raised in a place were it was almost normal. This includes Huck and Tom. Until they had to deal with a friend possibly being sold away or captured, they didn’t really see a problem with slavery. Even in the story, they question their situation only, when freeing Jim from Sally and Sila’s shed. This shows how the ideals of society might not always be right, and how they don’t hold up to scrutiny and morals. Along these same lines is the dishonesty of adults. The books shows two characters, Bridgewater and Louis, who tried to lie their way into a family’s inheritance with the help of Huck, as shown here. “Louis: Pardon me, but is this the home of Mr. Peter Wilks? My brother and I were just trying to find our brothers home. Is this where he lives?”. In the quote, we can see Louis impersonating a man’s brother, who had died and left his money to his English siblings. This tackles the idea of society and adults always being right, which this story proves again and again is not true, and that each group’s ideals do not need to be taken to heart without thought.

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This story tackles issues of the time, directing thought towards society, friendship, and the reliability of adults from a child’s perspective. Twain writes a story that inspires the reader to question what they thought they knew while holding to their own morals about things such as friendship, no matter with who. Huck, Jim, and Tom Sawyer’s friendship and journey throughout the story demonstrates these topics and other issues for the time. The reason this book was considered “trash” was because it combatted some ideas of the age, traditionally accepted thoughts on slavery and respect. Upon deeper analysis, we can see that this book is not, in fact, trash.

Breadwinner Narrative Cole Fairweather, ‘23

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(pg.61-63) I was thinking about him the moment I gave the clothes to Parvana. If only Hossain wasn’t lost to the land mines that crowded Afghanistan. I couldn’t stop reasoning about what happened to Hossain and how something like that might happen again to Parvana.

How important is this to my family if there is a chance that my daughter may lose her life? My family needs this, but how will Parvana, my daughter, become the breadwinner of this family and support us? Mrs. Weera, our friend and neighbor, and I came up with a plan to have her cross dress even though the Taliban, a religious group who took over Afghanistan, said this was illegal. Every time I thought about it, I remembered all of the unfortunate things that have happened to this family and how many challenges I have had to overcome. We were in desperate need of our basic necessities like food and water. Now that my husband was arrested we must be able to provide for everyone including Mrs. Weera and her grandchild in a time where women can’t even go outside. I was starting to become used to the awful smells of unwashed clothes from the lack of water and I felt lightheaded from extreme hunger. My stomach was twisted

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in a knot. Then I realized that I needed to get over the fear of Parvana sharing the same fate as Hossain. I was tired of my daughters Parvana and Nooria constantly arguing. If only we could have left Afghanistan when the Taliban just started invading. My husband always said that if everyone fled, then there would be nobody left to help rebuild the city when they are kicked out of Kabul. I then laid down on a toshak and worried once more about Parvana and how this situation will end up. What would happen to Parvana? I suppose I would always worry, but yet I knew I was making the right choice.

Not a Mirror Image Speech by Annika Jensen, ‘21

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Imagine if we focused on the things we love about ourselves, how would the world be different? 58% of 13 year old girls are unhappy with their bodies and by age 17, 78% of girls dislike their bodies (Gallivan 4). I always felt like my body was disgusting to look at, but it didn’t really bother me until 6th grade. Maybe it was because I was introduced to social media or because I was surrounded by more people who seemed to care about how they looked. I saw that I didn’t fit the “pretty mold,” thigh gaps, no muscle, and skinny with an hourglass figure. It made me think that my body was socially unacceptable. I would stand in the mirror and critique every little thing I thought was wrong with my body or my face before I would go to school. Maybe I had a pimple that day or I thought my stomach was too big. It started to give me anxiety thinking about how I looked. In 7th grade, I had enough. I ate less and exercised more hoping that one day in my eyes my body would be perfect. My body drastically changed, but it wasn’t enough for me. It took me a long time to realize that nobody’s body is perfect and everybody has at least one insecurity or flaw. Even today I still struggle with accepting how I look. Almost

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every time I saw what an ideal body looked like, I felt like mine wasn’t right. My self esteem would plummet and I would call myself a fat, ugly, stupid, and disgusting pig. I never saw my problem as a problem, because of this I didn’t tell anyone until it was too late. This is the worst decision I have ever made. To me it seemed selfless, I was improving myself for the better. Once I was skinny, people would like me even more, right? Thoughts like this would blind me from the truth. By hurting myself I was hurting the people around me, the people who cared about me. I will never be able to forgive myself for this, but I am improving how I take care of my body everyday.

I am not the only one who goes through this though. 70% of women at a normal weight want to be thinner and 34% of men dislike their body (Gallivan 3). Feeling negatively toward your body can have horrible outcomes including depression, anxiety, and eating disorders (depts.washington.edu). Before elementary school, children love their bodies, but by the age of six, culture starts to influence insecurities about their body (Gallivan 8). By the end of elementary school 50% of girls have insecurities about their body. This is not okay (Gallivan 9).

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“Elementary school is where body esteem for boys and girls starts to diverge and remains differ throughout the lifespan” (Gallivan 9). If this continues, a vicious cycle that so many people go through will never cease. Only 4% of woman in the U.S would consider themselves beautiful (dove.com). That’s only 50 people in the entire middle school.

It’s not only the U.S. where this is happening. Only 11% of girls in the whole entire world would consider themselves beautiful (dove.com).

What is making us feel so insecure about our bodies that most of us wouldn’t call ourselves attractive? Peers and family have been proven to cause low self-esteem (kids health.org). When a peer or parent is too focused on looking a certain way or weighing a certain amount it affects how the child views their body (kidshealth.org). In media, the ideal body is often photoshopped. Children and teens are looking up to bodies that are impossible to achieve without a computer. Does anyone else see a problem with this? Everyone is born differently for a reason.

The world would be so boring if we all had the same body, the same face, and the same style. We should be embracing how we look and not downgrading people because they aren’t as thin as society thinks

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someone should be. Instead of promoting being unhealthily skinny, the media should promote being healthy and exercising. We should be focusing on what we love about ourselves not what we dislike. Your body will never define who you are.

A WWI Trench Letter

by Chris Sixbey, ‘22

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October 21,1916 Dearest Tamara, Before I describe the horrors of the war to you, I wanted to know how the farm is doing. Are the crops plentiful? I know that when I left, they weren’t growing properly and we weren’t making much money off of them. How is Father with his illness? I know that his illness was taking a turn for the worst when I left, but I have hopes that he may be better some day. I hope that you and my two brothers are doing alright. I know that the neighbors had the illness, and I hope that you won’t be next. I miss you and the farm so much, I don’t know if I’ll ever return to see you again. I know that you didn’t want me to join the army, but I didn’t have a choice, they called me to enlist, and if I refused, they would have thrown me in jail. “You will be fighting for the glorious German Empire,” they would say, but I wanted nothing to do with the German Empire or any of the Central Powers. I wish I was back home with you, taking care of father and the farm, and having fun with our brothers.

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I am writing this letter to you in one of our trenches, under the sounds of constant gunfire, crying men and horses, and the explosions of our German field guns. We must dig our trenches under enemy fire, most of us don’t make it far enough to even get their entrenchment tools out. We then plant our tools down in the dirt and start to dig under the gunfire and explosions. If we lose our tools, we must use our buckets, and if we lose our buckets, we must use our helmets. After hours of this digging, we get into our crude, newly dug trenches with our supplies and go on with our lives in the trenches as if nothing had happened. Every morning the commander of our regiment inspects our uniforms and equipment, and makes sure that everything is spotless, which is hard to accomplish in these filthy trenches. We must eat, sleep, and even relieve ourselves in this one trench. We often play cards or write letters to our loved ones between attacks, like I am right now. This is all we can do to pass the time other than trying to be remotely clean in these conditions. This trench has now become our lives, our home, our only safe haven.

The conditions in these trenches are horrible, awful, the worst

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conditions you could ever imagine. We are constantly wet, cold, and filthy. There are always animals of many shapes and sizes in our trenches. Lice are always feeding off of our hair and skin, and rats are everywhere, stealing our food and passing disease between the men in the trenches. But the rats carrying disease are hardly a concern, as we are so cramped and close together that we don’t need rats to spread disease. Speaking of disease, doctors have identified a new disease named trench foot. It is caused by the foot being constantly cold and wet. It swells to almost 3 times its normal size, you could shoot yourself in the foot in barely feel a thing. On top of these horrible conditions, we must also deal with the enemy. One of the worst things a man can do in the trenches is stick his head above the surface for too long, as enemy snipers will not hesitate to put a bullet through the head of anything that sticks their head above the surface. We are constantly battered by enemy artillery fire, whether it is explosions or gas. If it is in the case of gas, you must strap on your gas mask before suffocating to death in your own fluids.

We use quite the variety of weapons to fend off the enemy and

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for attacks. Every man is issued a standard bolt-action rifle to fire at the enemy with. These rifles are not effective at long range like snipers are, so during attacks, we have to be very close to the enemy to even fire off a shot or two, which can be impossible at times with those dreaded machine guns. Machine guns are scattered everywhere in the trenches, they are usually used for ripping through attacks. I’ve seen hundreds of men mowed down in under a minute by just one or two of the blasted machines. In order to weaken the enemy and their weapons, we use huge artillery pieces that are commonly referred to as field guns among the men. They are used for firing shells that either contains explosives or poison gas. We hear our field guns fire 24/7, and then the enemy guns return fire at us with either gas or explosives. Many men have gone deaf from all of the noise. During an attack the enemy will occasionally use a huge, terrifying, armored vehicle called a tank. Tanks are designed to plow through our barbed wire and clear a path for enemy troops. Only after thousands of rounds of bullets, or a few artillery shots, will a tank be put out of action.

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If we somehow manage to survive an attack, preparations will soon be made for our attack. We have an equipment check to make sure that everything is in working order, and then we will be given a plan of where to strike and what objectives to destroy. Then comes that awful time of suspense where we just sit and wait, wait to run into our imminent deaths. After hours of waiting, our commander calls for us get out of our trench and run across no man’s land and into the enemy. Many of us are mowed down by gas, bullets, or trapped in barbed wire, but those of us who do make it to the enemy trench must fight the hundreds of enemies that are waiting for us. If we take the trench by killing all of the enemies or by making them surrender, that trench becomes our new home, if we take too many casualties, we retreat back to our old trench and regroup to attack another day, either way, we lose hundreds, if not thousands of men in each attack.

If we keep going on like this, Germany’s entire army will be dead.

There can be only two outcomes for me in this war, I will either perish or I will survive the war and come home, I cannot imagine any other possible outcome for myself, or any other man in this trench. I

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wish that the war would end soon, but the other men say that it will probably last a few more years. At this point, I don’t care which alliance wins the war, I just want the war to be over. But even if the war ends soon, I fear that the probable outcome for me may be death, as I am right near the border of France, in Ypres, the enemy has ought to put all they’ve got into defending their country. But sometimes I hope for the best, hope that someday out of all of this mess, I may come home and be with you, be with my family and forget the horror of the trenches, the screams of pain, the explosions, the gas, the war.

Please write me as soon as you get this, I really want to hear from you and know that my sister is well.

With love, Paul Brandt

French Essay

by Luke Marbury, ‘21

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The War of the Buttons is a very descriptive movie. It has many connections between characters and it also has many enjoyable scenes and symbolism. In the movie, the buttons are a main aspect. I believe that the buttons are symbolic elements. The teachers in the movie also have strong connections to the children. The teacher is like a role model to show the children the proper behavior. While the buttons may appear to be just buttons, they have importance and symbolism. The buttons are important to the children because they do not have many possessions and they cannot afford to purchase them again. Taking the buttons from the children who lost is to the boys, like receiving the spoils of war from the surrendered opposition. The buttons also symbolize the child’s dignity. When children take away other children’s buttons, their pants begin to fall down and their chests are bare. By having their buttons removed, the children lose their dignity because they have to walk around holding up their pants.

Additionally, the buttons represent the children’s honor. When a child removes another child’s button, they are taking away the child’s honor and dignity. In the movie, The War of the Buttons, the

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buttons play an important role, symbolizing the child’s dignity and honor. In the movie, the teachers and their students have very deep connections. The teachers act like role models to the kids, and teach them right from wrong. The teacher from the movie, Paul, acted like a father to his students. He told them to stop being mean to each other and to be nice. If he saw the children doing something bad, he would stop them. He also cared about the children’s freedom. I believe that is why he was in the resistance. He was fighting for the freedom of the children. He cared about the children immensely. That is why he risked his life lying to the Nazis. He lied to the Nazis to prevent them from harming a child just because she was Jewish. The teacher acts like a father figure because some of the children’s fathers are away at war and the kids need positive male role models to help them learn right from wrong. In my life, teachers fills this role for me. I look up to my teachers to learn how to do things correctly and how to act respectfully. My favorite scene was the final battle against the other town. I enjoyed the tactics that I saw. I really liked when the protagonist and his friends attacked the other town. I liked how it was

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an ambush.

Lebracand and the rest of Longeverne lured the other team in by using two people as bait. Then, when the Velrans came to attack, reinforcements arrived. The other town tried to turn and run, but Lebracand and his posse intercepted their retreat. It felt satisfying, as the Velranshad tricked the protagonist many times, and the protagonist finally was getting his revenge. I was satisfied with the ending because Longeverne had finally won. In summation, the buttons symbolize the children’s honor and dignity, the teachers act like father figures and role models to the children, and my favorite scene was when Longeverne won the final battle against Velran.

Overall, I think this was an excellent movie filled with symbolism and action.

WWI Trench Letter

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by Reese Jackson ‘22

March 21, 1916 Dear Chloe, I miss you so much! How is life back on the farm going? How is your job being a chef at the local restaurant? How is Paris, France? I am currently on the Western Front in Verdun, France. Fighting for France on the Allied Powers as a colonel is just a little more difficult than expected. I miss working on the family farm and being with all the animals; being a soldier is much different than being a farmer. I wish I could come back home to you and the family, but you know this was my father’s dream for me after he retired from the war, and I will not disappoint him. I miss the safety and the comfort that I had back at home because we rarely experience those two things during the war. We have been in the trenches at the battleground of Verdun for one month.

Our trench is of a relatively good depth, at 9 feet deep. We had to dig the trench ourselves. It smelled disgusting! We keep restocking the sandbags on the top of the trench to give us an extra layer of protection from bullets. We always have to stay ducked down, and we can only look over the sandbags for one second, because there is a

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constant threat of snipers. We get wet, muddy, and cold a lot because we are always exposed to the outside. Every once in a while, animals join us in the trenches, like rats. Sometimes our whole trench gets lice, because when one person gets lice, it spreads throughout the entire trench.

When we are not fighting, there is still always one person on guard.

They peer over the edge of the trench every once in a while. We try to get all the sleep and food possible. We keep rotating positions to sleep or eat. We sleep wherever we find space in the trench with the one blanket that we are given. The one person on guard is usually me; it has begun to be my task. The food that we eat is scarce. We carry 4 days worth of food with us at all times. We have meat once a week if we are lucky. All of us are told to regularly change our socks so we don’t get trench foot because no one wants that. Trench foot causes your feet to swell two or three times their normal size, and afterwards go completely dead. Many people end up losing their feet. We have to keep reapplying whale oil onto our feet to protect them from trench foot. I follow that recommendation, because by the end of the war I still want to have my feet with me. Some of the other soldiers in the trench don’t feel that it is their greatest priority. The equipment that we have is carried in haversacks. We carry about 60-75 pounds of gear at all times.

Some of the clothing we carry are 3 pairs of socks, one extra pair of boots, 2 coats (one light, one heavy), and one helmet. We also have a lot of gear to help us get through the enemy’s protection, like wire

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cutters to get through barbed wire. In our trenches we have a lot of weapons. The weapons consist of 6 hand grenades, 200 bullets, 1 boltaction rifle, and a bayonet. We are also using tanks; this is our first time using them, as they were just first used last year by the British.

The Germans are using chlorine gas on us. It is nasty and deadly stuff. At least we have our gas masks to protect us. They are also using tanks and machine guns. The machine guns are heavy, so they only do good when we are stationary.

When we attack, we first wait in the trench until our commander tells us it’s time. Then, we leave our trench, run across No Man’s Land trying not to get hit by bullets, poison gas, barbed wire, and many other things. After we run across No Man’s Land, we jump into the enemy’s trench, and kill all of the enemies or force all of the enemies in the trench to retreat. Once we complete that, we take over that trench; the trench becomes ours. During these times, we lose a lot of men without going a far distance. We keep repeating those steps until one side gives up or loses. To win the war we have to keep invading the enemy’s trenches until we have invaded and taken control of all of them.

I had expected for the war to be like this, but you don’t know how happy I will be when it ends. I will be overjoyed when I can come back home to Paris, France and see you and the family. Luckily, I don’t expect the war to last that much longer, maybe by the end of this year, if not sooner. I don’t want to assume anything yet but, I feel that we will win this war. We have traveled pretty far and still have most of

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our men with us. I miss you so much! I can’t wait to see you! Say hello to the kids, the dogs, and the rest of the animals for me. Write back to me as soon as possible. I almost forgot, the soldiers have come up with a new nickname for me, Leo. I like it. Maybe it could be my nickname back at home too, I don’t know we’ll see. Thanks! Miss you all so much!

With Love,

Leonardo (Leo) Hugo

Math Journal Entry Prompt For this journal entry, find a picture that represents math in some way to you (either take one or find one online) and import it into a notability document. Write a detailed paragraph as to why you

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chose it and how it represents math. If you find a picture online please include the URL. *Note: the following three pieces are in response to the prompt.

Math Journal Entry 1

by Annabella Mackenzie ‘21

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I remember watching a movie last year in math where they talked about things like the golden ratio and ancient math. I remember it showed these ancient Egyptian math symbols that they used for their early number system. This really stuck with me because of the way the first 9 numbers were drawn/symbolized. They were simple, they showed only the amount they represented, it wasn’t just a symbol that I was told had a value of x. Instead, it was completely straight forward and just illustrated the value. For the number 1, there was 1 line. For the number 2, there were 2 lines, and this continued up to the number 9. Math is illustrating amounts and values. Amount of bricks, amounts of people, amounts of anything. So we have these amounts, and our goal in math is to be like the first 9 symbols of the ancient

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Egyptian number system, and make them simple. In Math, we want our “amounts” to be simplified so that their value can be accurately represented or illustrated. Our goal is to make the amounts and values simple and straightforward, just like the early Egyptian number system.

Math Journal Entry 2

by JP Meyer ‘22

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http://io9.gizmodo.com/5985588/15-uncanny-examples-of-the-golden-ratio-innature A simple snail shell is something that you can find outside in nature but actually has a lot of math associated with it. In the top section of the picture you can see a drawing of the Fibonacci sequence. The Fibonacci sequence is a sequence of numbers where you start with one

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and you continually add the number that showed up before the current number in the sequence. For example you start with 1 and add 0, equaling 1 again. Then you add 1 to 1 and get 2. Then 2 and 1 gets you 3 and so on. They draw it so that each section represents the numbers. I chose this picture because the Fibonacci sequence has always amazed me because it is present in simple things like flowers and shells.

Math Journal Entry 3

by Ella Iams ‘22

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http://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/worldsgreatest-roller-coasters-quiz.html Objects in the world around us represent math, even if we aren’t aware of it. A roller coaster is a high-speed ride in which you may be upside-down or twisted in the air. We don’t think while we’re on it how it could be related to math. One example is in the process of designing the ride. You must take into consideration and calculate how long it will be, how fast, and the height limit of the ride. You should also be aware of the potential and kinetic energy in the ride.

The force exerted onto the train of cars must be controlled and tested.

The angles and measurements must be perfect, which is why engineers use models and test cars. You can find the highest and

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lowest points of the ride, as well as its top speed. A roller coaster depends on specific directions and heights to ensure to doesn’t come off the track. As you can see, physics and geometry play a big role in how a roller coaster works, and how to give you the best experience.

Wishing for Summer

by Emily Giorgio ‘22

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I sit here In the cold winter weather.

Bundled up in tons of clothes.

Remembering the warm, beautiful days.

Oh how I wish it were May.

Knowledge is Power Speech by Will Oliver ‘22

~ 72 ~

Knowledge. Knowledge is power. In the end, that’s what schools should teach. Knowledge. We go to school, and we study, and we learn, and we work hard, all to gain the knowledge we need in order to be successful in life. Knowledge is the most important part of life. No matter where you come from or who you are, knowledge can break the bonds that society places on you, and can free you from the depths of ignorance and prejudice. You know what can’t do that?

Character. Do you think the slave owners of the 1800’s cared whether or not the slaves they abused daily were good people? No. That wouldn’t have changed anything. You now what did change things?

Knowledge. Look at Fredrick Douglas as an example. He was a man who managed to escape the horrors of slavery. How did he do it, you ask? Well it certainly wasn’t his charming character. He taught himself to read, and do many other things. He used this knowledge as leverage. He managed to escape with careful planning and strategies.

Imagine if the rest of the slaves had been taught those skills.

Imagine how many people could have been freed. Now, it’s very true that people do get through life using their character, and it definitely

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helps them. But do you think that they would have gotten anywhere without knowledge? Nobody is saying that schools shouldn’t try to develop character at all, but it definitely shouldn’t take priority over a students education. You can be happy and optimistic and say that the nice guy always wins. But that’s not always true. In fact, it’s almost never true. Who do you think a job interviewer would decide to hire, the happy faced teenager who didn’t get a good education? Or the man who, while he comes into the interview frowning and isn’t very happy, went to a great colleges, and has 5 years of experience. Many of you may be thinking, smiley one! But come on, really. You really think that they are going to pass up on an incredibly smart guy because he wasn’t very nice. Frankly, it’s immature. And I think that schools should prepare students for the real world. Not one where a smile is worth more than an education. School needs to be about knowledge, because in the end, no matter how nice you are, you aren’t going to get anywhere without knowledge. In a perfect world ,schools should develop both knowledge and character. But knowledge is without a doubt, the most important of the two. And that’s why schools should

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teach it over character. I will leave you with the first and most important point I made. Knowledge... Knowledge is power.

Donald Trump Persuasive Essay

by Alex Brenia ‘22

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Could you vote for a candidate that intentionally deleted 33,000 emails from a government email server? So far in this election, the campaign has progressed fairly poorly for both candidates. Neither one is viewed positively by voters. Numerous “scandals” have caused public support to shift between candidates. In addition, both Clinton and Trump have led some of the most negative campaigns ever, taking every opportunity to attack the other. Many voters are viewing this as a “lesser-of-two-evils” election, with the “lesser” of the two changing depending on the person and present campaign situation. Clinton currently has a small lead in most polls. Candidate Trump should be the next President of the United States based on his views on immigration, national defense, and the economy.

Candidate Trump has superior views regarding national defense. Hillary Clinton plans to take every measure to cut budget corners whenever possible and attempt to balance military spending with civil spending in areas like health care and infrastructure (“Military and Defense”). She will also attempt to use diplomacy rather than military action whenever possible (“Hillary Clinton on National Security”). Donald Trump will build more ships and aircraft,

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as well as increase the size of the Marine Corps to 36 battalions and increase the size of the Army to 540,000 active duty soldiers, the amount recommended by the Army Chief of Staff. This will increase our foreign military presence, as well as cause other countries to think twice before threatening our national security. He will pay for this by eliminating unneeded government programs, checking military financial accounts, and collecting unpaid taxes. This will support growth while leaving taxpayer money to areas like infrastructure and health care (“National Defense”). Increasing our defense capabilities without sacrificing civil growth is an excellent idea that will ensure that America remains at the top of global conflicts, without being forced to resort to diplomacy.

Donald Trump has far better economic policies than candidate Clinton. She will attempt to decrease student debt and make college more affordable. She also plans to raise the minimum wage and make alternative energy one of America’s main economic activities (“Hillary Clinton on Building an Economy That Works for Everyone”).

Candidate Trump will increase economic growth by reforming policies and creating new jobs. This will boost the economy without causing a

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raise in the minimum wage or a reduction in student debt (“Economy”). He plans to renegotiate NAFTA, pull out of the TransPacific Partnership, and remedy trade disputes with China (“Trade”).

These economic adjustments will ensure that we do not enter any unfair or harmful trade deals. Donald Trump’s economic views will create jobs while keeping the U. S. out of risky economic partnerships.

Finally, Candidate Trump has superior policies in terms of immigration. Hillary Clinton will demilitarize international borders and decrease deportation. She plans to provide all immigrants, illegal or not, with a path to U. S. citizenship, and she believes that we should treat immigrants with respect (“Hillary Clinton on Immigration Reform”). Donald Trump will increase deportations and strengthen immigrant vetting, ensuring that all immigrants will benefit the United States and work their fair share. This will make sure that immigrants will not use the U. S. as a “lifeboat” to avoid poverty, ensuring that everyone will work to benefit the United States. Candidate Trump plans to build a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico, a precaution that Mexico will pay for.

This will prevent illegal immigrants from sneaking across the border,

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which floods the U. S. with people and hurts our economy (“Immigration”). We need to be decisive with immigration by not letting everyone into our country.

Candidate Donald Trump is the presidential candidate best suited to lead our country. Trump supports affirmative action to slow illegal immigration. He will increase the size of our military and be smart about which conflicts to enter. He will create more jobs and make college easier to attend. Undecided voters, Trump is definitely the “lesser of two evils,” if not the better candidate. I implore you to take into consideration his vastly superior policies on election day.

America with Hillary Clinton as its president would be extremely frightening. For the sake of our future as a nation, choose Donald Trump for president.

Swim for Life

by Sarah Gershman ‘22

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Is It Trash or Not?

By Michael Hesford ‘21

~ 80 ~

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is the story of Huck, a wild boy who just wants to be free, and Jim, a runaway slave, finding themselves on their journey down the Mississippi. The novel takes place during the 1860’s along the Mississippi River. The book is often seen as controversial because of it’s dicy moral ideas. However, beneath the surface, the novel presents so many essential life lessons that may not bee seen by the naked eye.

While Huck Finn’s High Tailin’ Adventures hits the nail on more than a few, several themes stand out. Huck Finn’s High Tailin’ Adventures is a worthwhile read for everyone because of its lessons on staying true to yourself and friendship.

One of the ideas that makes Twain’s story such a classic is it’s strong underlying theme of making your own decisions and not being persuaded by other people. An example of this happens during Huck and Jim’s endeavors with the con artists. “Adolphus! How’d I get myself into this mess? I don’t know for sure, but it seems to me these fellas may be up to no good.” Huck says this after meeting Bridgewater and Louis. The two persuade Huck and Jim to help them and lead the friends on a useless trip that gets them into trouble.

Huck realizes that he and Jim made a mistake and that they would be better off on their own. This goes to show how you need to make your own decisions to get places in life. Another key theme from Huck Finn’s High Tailin’ Adventures is the strength of friendship. After Huck learns that Jim is trying to run away, he offers to help. Jim tries

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to prevent this and warns Huck of the legal dangers in the operation.

Despite this, Huck insists that he helps his friend escape no matter what the consequences are. This instance shows the unbreakable bond of friendship. It teaches readers how going out of your way to help someone is a worthwhile experience.

On the surface, Mark Twain’s story about an uncivilized boy and a runaway slave may seem to be a boring and deliberately offensive interpretation of history. However, this is part of the reason why the story is so compelling. By being exposed to something readers are uncomfortable with, they get to see common things from a different point of view. Below the tip of the iceberg, an unconventional plot reveals all the life lessons a traditional book would in an arguably stronger way. The moral of the story is, step outside of your comfort zone and see things in a different light in order to understand their deeper meaning. For Huck and Jim, their journey along the Mississippi certainly turned out to more than they could have imagined.

Leaf in Lion King

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by 8th Grade Performing Arts

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Life’s Like a Dream, Short and Eventful

by Daniel Berlin ‘22 “Today I can report to the United States of America that I have decided to declare Martial Law on the United States, effective immediately.”

“What has America turned into?” Mrs. Henry uttered to herself as we all blankly gazed at the TV. “Mrs. Henry?... Mrs. Henry? What does this mean for us?” I yelled sharply.

“Oh, you’ll find out soon Norman. Cherish what you have at the moment and don’t ever think it’ll stay forever.”

Mrs. Henry began teaching again but the bell rang not long after. We were dismissed.

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When I arrived home, my parents’ heads hung low. I knew it wasn’t the right time to ask so I walked up to my room. Staring into my bedroom, I noticed a small flyer on my bed. “9pm curfew imposed by the Military. Any citizens who choose to not follow will be subject to immediate imprisonment.”

I ran downstairs. “Mom! Mom! Mom!” “What Norman?” she sighed.

“What is this flyer? What did that president guy mean? He’s the president?... I thought he was the vice president. What is martial law?” I anxiously asked my mom.

“Well, Norman”... she thought for a second trying to think of what she should tell me, “President Adams was killed yesterday by Isis, they’re a terrorist group... I was in shock, everyone else was in shock. People didn’t know what was going on, so they left their houses, rioted, and our country changed in a matter of hours.”

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A tear dripped down my face. “But Mom, what is Martial Law and why was the Vice President speaking?”

“Well dear, the Vice President was speaking because he’s our president now... We needed someone to control our country. He decided America wasn’t calm-enough yet, so he sent the military in, to keep everyone in-order while we overcome this obstacle. Our lives will change, sort of. But not forever, trust me, everything will be ok.”

I walked back up to my room. Mrs. Henry was right. America really had gone out of control. Our president is gone. We’re divided.

Friends vs. Friends. Co-workers vs. Co-workers. Americans vs.

Americans. Unity isn’t any longer, outrage is the new normal and change has come.

My mom soon called me down for dinner. We were all quiet...

No one said a word, not even my dad, usually the most talkative person in any room.

~ 86 ~

After dinner, I went to my room. I sat listening to music, trying to focus on everything that is happy in my life. All of a sudden I heard banging and clattering coming from outside. I checked my clock...

9:01pm. Peering out the window, I saw what my mom meant. The Military marching in formation down the street. This must be Martial Law. I peered down at one of the soldiers... He smiled at me, but abruptly went back to marching. I wonder what he was thinking. I quickly went back to my music, but could no longer focus on the beautiful melodies coming from the player. All I could think of was the sight of change... At least it’ll be normal soon.

I lied down in my bed and sighed. Drifting into my dream, everything was quiet and still.

“Crack! Bang! Crink!” The screeching sounds awoke me. I quickly ran to my living room to see what was happening. 3 men, all covered in black clothes, vandalizing the place I’ve known my whole life. I started running to my parents room, but peered around to see someone else barging in the door. Assuming we were being attacked, I

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thought it must be another vandal. Soon I realized this was not the case however. It was a soldier. From there, everything happened in an instant.

“Down! Move! Get on the floor!” Ordered the soldier. Before anything else could happen, my mom and dad came rushing into the kitchen.

“Help!” my mom screamed.

“Mercy!” said my dad “Wait...” Mom spoke contently.

“What?” my dad questioned.

They both paused for a moment before speaking again. “Hmm...

That’s a soldier and those are thieves.”

“Uh-huh... Yes. Thanks for stating the facts, Margret.”

~ 88 ~

My mom came to a conclusion, “A soldier... saving us from vandals. That’s martial law! We needed help and they helped.”

Everyone in the room looked at each other. Me, my mom, my dad, the soldier, and even the crooks!

I peered at the soldier and quickly realized I recognized him...

“It was the soldier I saw last night, Mom and Dad!” The solider and I both looked at each other. Then as quickly as it started, it all came to an end.

The solider marched out the door with the 3 men in cuffs. “Well Norman, maybe it won’t be so bad after all,” my mom said.

The thought that my mom felt happy again left a smile on my face. “Yes, Mom. Maybe it won’t be.”

I walked back to my room. Staring out the window... I looked into the moon, then the stars. All I saw was hope, happiness, and joy.

~ 89 ~

“Something changed today,” I said, “And I think I like it.” With that thought, I tucked myself back into bed and drifted right back to where I left off, my dreams.

That was a great dream. He quickly ran downstairs and exclaimed to his mom, “I had an amazing dream last night, Mom. But um... what’s for breakfast?”

Norman quickly packed his book bag and headed off to school.

With that, the memory of his dream went out of his head and was never told again.

~ 90 ~

Shakespeare Stealer Essay

by Davis Cawfield ‘23 Widge’s perspectives and values change throughout the novel.

At the beginning of Shakespeare Stealer, Widge is an orphan and knows nothing other than work. Widge does not know what family is and is treated poorly. Widge has no meaning of right or wrong. “It did not prick my conscience to know that I had been doing something wrong. We were not given much instruction in right or wrong at the orphanage. As nearly as I could tell, right was what benefited you, and anything that did you harm is wrong” (Blackwood 6). Widge is very I with no self-confidence at the start of the book. When Widge met Falconer he had a little bit more of a perspective of life but still had no clue what family was. Widge was treated like property to Dr. Bright and was abused and forced to steal. Family finally came when he met Mr. Armin and Sander. Widge starts acting for a company and is taken care of by Mr. Pope, a kind man who houses orphans. Widge became friends with Sander and learned a lot about friendship and

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trust. Widge now values his friendship and acting. Widge’s perspective changes a bit and he begins to look at his life differently. He stops worrying about Falconer finding him and continues on with his acting.

Widge helps Nick when he is hurt even though he does not like Nick.

“The theatre is a sort of family and, like him or no, Nick is a part of it” (Blackwood 139-140). Widge finally gets it at the end of the book. He understands loyalty, friendship, trust, honesty, family and home.

These are the most important words to Widge because these words explain everything he has experienced throughout his journey in this book. Overall, Widge learns the true meaning of family and friendship through many adventures and obstacles throughout the novel.

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A Day That Will Live in History

by Chris Sixbey ‘22 He snapped awake. Tom sat up for a moment and looked around. Everything seemed normal, except some men shouting outside of his barracks. At first, he thought that it must’ve been a fight over some worthless matter, but suddenly, the ground all around the man seemed to shake as if it were alive and angry, and an alarm began to wail. Tom ran outside and could now hear what the men were saying; “The Japs are coming, take cover, take cover! Get to your battle stations!” He knew exactly where to go. He had been given instructions when he was stationed in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, he was taught by his commanding officer to operate an Anti-Aircraft gun should an attack ever come to the ships that were stationed in the harbor. Tom’s battle station was about half a mile away, and if an attack was coming, he needed to get there, and fast. He nearly fell over himself trying to get dressed, and then tore across the yard with his handgun. When he finally got a better look of the rest of the

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Harbor, he saw what shook the ground. There were huge plumes of smoke rising up and into the sky about a mile away. Presumably a bomb had hit the ground somewhere and exploded, but there was no sign of a plane, it had probably already passed. Tom looked everywhere for a vehicle, but there were none, the man cursed, why are there never any vehicles nearby? He saw other men of his unit sprinting towards their station, and couldn’t think of anything else to do. The man started to run toward his battle station, towards the giant, black smoke cloud.

The Harbor was beautiful today, the sun gleamed off the water and the trees gently swayed in the wind with their luscious, green leaves. Tom was nearly put into a daze while running to his battle station. All he could think of right now was his family back home.

They would be sitting outside, having a picnic, with the children playing their games that would go on for hours, usually a game of tag or hide and seek. He would be sitting with his wife, and they would sometimes talk with each other as long as the children played their

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games. Some days, Tom would pull out his grill and cook an assortment of foods for the family, and sometimes the friends that the family invited over. Ah, those were the good days, the best days, and he would dream about those days every night, and sometimes in the day. He sometimes wondered how his family was coping without him, and what they had done in the year without him. Suddenly, his day dream was shattered by the sounds of bullets whizzing by. Without thinking, Tom threw himself to the ground as everything around himself seemed to shatter and break. Tom waited until he heard the sound of plane’s engine fading away. He rose from his cover, and then saw it, an entire formation made of dozens of planes, all with red zeros painted on the bottom of their wings; fighters of the rising sun.

After repeating the process of throwing himself to the ground to cover from the bullets of the Japanese planes, Tom finally reached the anti-aircraft gun that was his battle station. The gun was in a relatively odd position compared to the other guns, as it was perched on top of a roof of one of the buildings and separate form all of the

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other guns. There were a couple of sandbags stacked up on top of each other in front of the gun, which would be useless in a real life battle, as a plane wouldn’t fire bullets at the gun, it would bomb it. Never the less, Tom climbed up the ladder of the building and stepped onto the rooftop. There were several dead bodies scattered on the roof, with several more bodies piled on the ground below the man. There were now dozens of clouds of black smoke clouds rising from the harbor just from the man’s perspective, and he could see other men from his unit desperately firing guns from their stations while being shot at; it didn’t seem like the Japanese were being held back too well. He tried to forget all of the destruction and manned the anti-aircraft gun. He got his bearings of what was in the sky, took aim at the enormous formation of Japanese planes, and fired. The noise of the gun blared in the man’s ears, and the kick of the gun firing felt awkward in the man’s shoulder. All around the man was a chaos of explosions, screams, and fire. It seemed apparent that anti-aircraft guns were ripping apart their formation, so the Japs started to target the antiaircraft guns. A plane came and strafed the ground around the gun

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that Tom was stationed on, and so did two other planes, he narrowly avoided being shot each time. A fourth plane approached the gun, but the man was ready this time. He positioned the gun towards the fighter, waited for the plane to come in range, and just before the plane could shoot at him, he opened fire. The plane’s engine erupted into flames, and crashed at the foot of the building. The man let out a cheer of victory and felt as if he was invincible, when a hand from behind grabbed his shoulder.

Tom nearly jumped off of the building, and turned around to see another man behind him. “I’m Jack,” the other man said, “Nice kill.” Jack looked to be in his early 30s, and had rugged blonde hair that looked like it hadn’t been washed for a couple of days. The two men didn’t really have much time to greet each other, as they had an entire attack to fend off. They took turns loading and firing the gun for what seemed like hours, when a huge explosion came from the left of the two men. “ Oh no, the Arizona!” Jack screamed when he saw the ship that had been blown apart in near the dock next to them. “Poor

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boys, we have to do somethi-“, Jack stopped. Tom looked behind himself and saw Jack laying on the ground with a bullet hole in his head, blood was oozing out of the wound and collecting into a puddle on the ground. Tom turned and put his hands on Jack’s wound to try and cover it, when a sharp pain surged through the his body. He fell to the ground next to Jack and saw blood gushing out of his chest, “Damn it!” Tom gasped. He laid there, looking up at the blue sky, the same thing that he would do back at home on a sunny day with his wife and kids. Tears filled his eyes, as he will never experience that feeling again, he would never be with his wife and kids, he would never go home. He took one last look at the sky with the planes, both Japanese and American, flying by; no matter the nationality of the planes, they looked like angels to him, angels that would sweep him up and take him to heaven. The man couldn’t wait to look down at his family from there. He blacked out.

~ 98 ~

Rose

by Isabella Fermo ‘23

~ 99 ~

My Favorite Travels

by Emma Hlousek ‘22 Every year, my family and I take at least four trips, each completely different than the other. Traveling makes me anxious because after spending so much time in the same routine and in the same place, I like having a change. I love the feeling of anticipation after I hear about our next trip, and planning what to take with me.

One of my favorite travel experiences was after my family spent some time in London and Rome. We were going to rent a villa in Naples for the five of us and our nine other family members joining us. They had a connection flight in Rome to fly to Naples. Our family who was joining us thought that we had flown from Rome to Naples and were waiting at the airport, but we surprised them in the airport in Rome and we were flying to Naples with them. Once at our rental house, we swam in the pool and ate our dinner in the garden filled with lemon trees. Our dessert that night included fresh lemons dipped in sugar.

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Usually after arriving to our hotel after our long flight, we get ready to go out and explore the area were in. One time, however, we got to our hotel and sat down in the “living room” while we had some tea and my sisters fell asleep. I appreciated having that relaxed feeling you experience when you’ve reached your destination and it put my whole family in a good mood, especially because of the time difference.

On that same trip, we traveled to a different part of Switzerland where our hotel had built in bunk beds. In the lobby, they had a mini fridge and popcorn machine where you could take whatever you wanted. While we explored Italy and Switzerland, each hotel was in a little town in between the mountains, and you could only get around by walking and each street had a different restaurant. My favorite was either the fondue or the cafes with homemade original Italian dishes. Every time I think of that trip, I long to be back walking down the magical streets with live music on every corner. I can hear the guitar playing and the chatter of the people sitting outside on the

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streets enjoying their meal. Between the mountains, there were a lot of chances to go up the cable car to the top of the mountains. These rides usually took about an hour.

Every summer, my family and I find a new destination and then finish in Hungary, like last summer when we went to Portugal for five days, and my uncle, aunt, cousin, and grandma joined us. We all went back to Hungary together and spent two weeks with my cousins and other extended family. This is the trip I’m always looking forward to the most.

I feel so lucky and grateful for all these trips, and I’m looking forward to having more adventures on our 2017 spring break trip in California and Peru and our 2017 summer trip in Ireland, Scotland, England, and our home in Hungary!

~ 102 ~

Fall Colors

by Isabella Fermo, Sage Christensen, and Nia Savanna ‘23

Abandoned

by Jack Keith ‘22

~ 103 ~

“Wake up! Wake up! It’s time to go!” my dad said. It was 5 A.M. and I was half asleep. Today was the day our family was going on a cruise. I had never gone on one before, so I was very excited. My mom and my brother Tyler were still sleeping, so we threatened to pour ice cold water on them if they didn’t get up.

Our cruise takes off just 15 minutes from where we live so we don’t have to go in a plane. We arrived in Miami and boarded the massive SS Fantasy. Before we could explore, we had to go through security. We walked out of the room, and right when I looked up at the ship I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was water slides, pools, hot tubs, diving boards, zip lines, rock walls, and so much more. The weather was perfect. It was warm and breezy. We had to go to our room first, but there was so much to do after.

My mom and dad let Tyler and I wonder off while they just laid down on pool chairs and fell asleep. Captain Smith, the captain of our

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ship, had warned us that there was a hurricane warning. This was 2 days after we would arrive in Nassau, so no one really worried about it. “Come on Andrew, we have to go on the giant water slides first!”

Tyler shouted. But I wanted to go in the hot tub and relax right now.

So we split up.

I was eating ice cream in the hot tub. I decided to stop being a lazy pig and to go over with my brother on the waterslides to join in on the fun. As I climbed the water slide I looked down and everyone looked like ants. I went down and looped around a million times.

When I got out, I burst into laughter. Tyler and I went in all the pools, on all the water slides, and all the diving boards.

It was 8:00 PM and time had flown by. We decided to go back to our room and meet up with our parents. They were asleep again in their bed. Tyler woke them up. “Can you come with us to the zip line?” Tyler said. “Of course,” said my mom. My dad rolled his eyes at my mom as he wanted to sleep even longer. We walked down to the

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zip line. You had to climb a 50 foot tall ladder than get on a small plank, then ride 200 feet across a giant pool. We had safety equipment so we couldn’t fall, but it was still frightening. Tyler went first. He climbed the ladder like it was nothing. He looked down, then zoomed across. I could tell he wanted to fall into the pool, but he couldn’t. He finished at the other side, and he wanted to go again after he finished. The safety guy said I could climb up, so I did very slowly. I was close to the top, and I zoomed off. The experience was so amazing.

I woke up at 7:30, and I felt a little creak below me. A siren started going off, while Captain Smith announced that the ship has lost full power and he couldn’t call a rescue team. I had never been more scared in my life. The past three days had been just as hectic as the day the ship lost power. I was trying to enjoy myself, but Tyler looked up the sky and screamed. I looked up too, and all I saw was darkness in the distance. I had forgotten about the hurricane

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warning. The gray clouds were coming towards our ship minute by the minute.

Before I knew it, winds were picking up at an alarming speed, and I could feel massive waves crashing against the ship. The wind felt like it was going to blow everyone off the ship, so me and my family sprinted for our room. I could feel the ship rocking. Now I felt like the ship was really rocking, I looked out the window, and our ship was sinking! We saw a couple of innocent people being swept off the ship by the wind. The captain told everyone to run down to the lower layer of the ship to get in life boats. Many other families along with ours got in life boats and floated away.

We saw many people stuck on the ship with nothing to do. We floated away for a few miles until the ship wasn’t in sight anymore.

We had no food, and we had no idea where we were. My whole family fell right to sleep, uneasily.

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Surprisingly, we slept through the whole day because when my dad checked his watch, it was 7 A.M. and the shipwreck was 9 A.M. yesterday. “I am so hungry!” Tyler said. “We have nothing to eat or do!” There was nothing in sight. We had no hope.

Another day went by. Still no hope. I barely even had the energy to dip my head in the water to get a drink. I hadn’t noticed before, but everyone in my family had gotten very thin. I collapsed on the ground. “I...think...I might be...dead.” My brother said. He barely even had the energy to talk. Everyone fell asleep again. This might be the sleep that kills us.

To my surprise, I woke up the next morning along with my family. I heard something. I looked around and I saw a small fishing boat! “Over here!” My whole family screamed. The fisherman picked us up, and told us that we were on an island in The Bahamas. We decided not to spend any time on the island and to just go home.

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We rode the boat to the shore and got a ride on the airplane.

Once again, we went to sleep for the plane ride. When we got home, we were so relieved. We went outside and went for a long, long walk, far away from water.

The Closet

by Fiona Griesser ‘22

~ 109 ~

Have you ever had a day when you’re so bored that you will do anything, even housework to distract yourself? My feet were eagerly pulling me to different places in our small house. My hands were searching for something to do. The next thing I knew I was climbing the stairs to the attic, a place I rarely go.

Once inside, all I could see were cobwebs and dust covered boxes stacked high to the ceiling. I assumed that the boxes were filled with old clothes and photos albums. As I made my way through the clutter, the floor creaked giving me a fright. I peered out the mucky, circular window splattered in raindrops. No going outside today, I thought to myself. I turned around and stared in confusion at the cardboard boxes. Why were there boxes stacked frightfully high when there was a perfectly good empty closet in the back of the attic? Why not make good use of my free time and organize the attic. I put the boxes filled with picture albums in the closet and shut the door. Even better, the embarrassing old photos of me are hidden in the closet! My victorious smirk was wiped off my face as soon as I left the attic and

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heard the ear-popping screams of my little sister. Four months and I already have had enough of her! Maybe I better take refuge in the attic again....

The next morning I woke to the “click clack” of high heels making their way around the house. Bessie, I thought and grimaced.

The familiar sound was replaced by my mother’s kind, but firm voice.

“Timothy!”

“Yes Mother?”

“Could you please come down, I must ask you for a favor,” she replied.

I reluctantly pulled myself away from my book and made my way downstairs to the bright parlor. My mother was chatting with Bessie and rocking my sister in her cradle.

“Ah Timmy...I was just telling Bessie how cute you were when you were an infant. Now look at you, a mature twelve year old boy.

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Oh...how fast the years go by,” she murmured dabbing her eyes with a lacy handkerchief.

“As I was saying, I’d love to show Bessie how adorable you were. Could you fetch the albums from the attic, I’m a little tied up,” my mother said gesturing towards my sleeping sister.

“Of course, Mother. I will be with them in a minute,” I said politely. Why the baby photos, why not ones from her wedding!

As I entered the attic I headed towards the closet. I jerked open the door and instantly was dumbfounded. Hadn’t I just put them here yesterday. Dropping to my knees, I picked up strips of cardboard.

Confused, I traveled back downstairs to see my mother.

“Did you happen to move the albums, Mom,” I questioned.

“Of course not. Why?”

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“I couldn’t find them in the attic, sorry,” I apologized genuinely glancing down at my feet.

“Don’t fuss about it my boy. I’ll show them to Bessie another day,” mother said sweetly.

Quickly, I left the parlor and before long, the sound of my mother and her friend talking stopped as the front door opened then closed.

“Timothy, please come down here this minute,” my mother spoke sternly.

“Yes, Mother,” I answered obediently.

“Timothy Jones, do you think you’re funny?”

“Sorry? I don’t know what you mean,” I truthfully answered.

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“Oh...but I think you do,” she said with anger in her voice. “I don’t like the fact that you’re playing a joke on me. Now where are the albums?”

“I don’t know. I put them in the closet in the attic and then they disappeared,” I explained politely.

My mother didn’t answer. Instead, she yanked me by the ear to my room.

“You’re not allowed to go to the attic until you bring me the albums, understand? Think about what you did,” my mother said strictly.

“Yes, Mom,” I replied coldly as she left my room closing the door behind her.

What now? I need to find a way to sneak back to the attic. How did the boxes of albums disappear? One afternoon, my mother went out to our mailbox. Quickly, I took my chances racing to the attic,

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grabbing an apple on the way. I placed the bright, red apple in the closet and shut the door. Next, I twisted the door knob and immediately I felt my mouth gape open. What in the world...how? My fingers held up scraps of the apple’s peel. What happened to the rest of it? Where did it go, how.....why...?! What kind of evil magic possesses this closet?! Suddenly, I heard my mother walking up the stairs calling my name.

I couldn’t move, I was paralyzed in my spot. I could hear myself hyperventilating and I felt as if I was just watching over myself. I had no control.

“Timothy Henry Jones you better not be in the attic,” she said threateningly as she moved up the attic stairs.

I felt my mother gently shake me back to reality. I knew I had disobeyed her, but I really didn’t have a choice.

“What do you have to say young man!”

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“I thought I knew where I left the albums. Sorry, I won’t come here again without your permission,” I apologized.

“Yes, you most certainly won’t. Now if you do, you won’t be allowed to see any of your school friends, am I clear?”

“Yes, Mother. Sorry,” I apologized again.

Phew...that was a close one For weeks, I didn’t dare go to the attic. I didn’t want to face my mother’s wrath, but more importantly, I was dead scared of that closet. Thoughts of it made me shiver with fear. I didn’t know what caused the things to disappear. Was there something in the closet or did the closet have an evil spirit? Even worse, was the rest of our house haunted!?! I tried my best to distract myself from these frightening worries.

Two weeks later, I opened our front door for my two friends, James and Michael. We decided to play hide and seek. Worried, I told

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them that our basement, bathrooms, and attic were off-limits. I didn’t want to bring any unnecessary attention to the attic. After a couple rounds, James was annoyed that I kept winning.

“Timmy, it isn’t fair. You know your house much better than we do,” James complained.

“Fine James. I will be seeker.”

“Ten.......twenty......THIRTY,” I bellowed after closing my eyes.

I walked around the parlor and easily found Michael behind the curtains. We both went searching for James. I looked in my bedroom, the kitchen, and Michael looked again in the parlor. That’s when I started to worry.

“Where could he be?” Michael asked with frustration.

It clicked. I knew where James was. I couldn’t respond. Instead I sprinted up the stairs to the attic. I ignored Michael's confused

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outbursts. Running to the closet, I turned the doorknob. Devastation replaced all hope as I swung open the door and a mortified gasp escaped my mouth. My knees buckled beneath me as I gathered scraps of my friend's clothes in my shaking hands.

~ 118 ~

Democratic Wolf

By Robert White ‘22 The reason I chose the wolf to symbolize the Democratic Party is because liberals believe that everyone should be helped and rewarded, while republicans believe that individuals should be rewarded. This ties in with my wolf because wolves are creatures that live in packs, and help each other to survive. The colors I chose for my symbol were: green (the grass), grey (the wolf and the rocks), orange (the sky), and gold (the sun). Each color has a meaning associated with it: green means money and growth, which I have faith that the democratic candidates can bring to us. Orange means courage, confidence, and success. I believe that the Democratic Party has been successful, seeing as it's been around for a while. Every part of my new symbol has a meaning; this goes from object to color. The two colors I haven't described are gold and grey. Grey means security and reliability, which democrats will fight for to help our country. Finally, gold means wealth and prosperity, which will be terms used to

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describe our country if a democrat is elected. In conclusion, all of the colors and the symbol come together to make a representation of the Democratic Party.

~ 120 ~

Dodgeball Madness

By Madeline Clarke ‘22

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Hitting the Crossbar

By Baxter Wright ‘22 Hi, my name is Dawson Bennett and I am going to tell you a little story. I was at a training camp in Odessa, Texas for the biggest chance of my life. If the coaches liked my playing style, my life could turn right around. I could go to the World Cup in Brazil with Team USA if I performed my best. There were about 60 people at the camp; 10 of which already had a spot on the team. 50 people were trying out for 13 roster spots. The sun was blistering hot and bright; sweat filled my face. There was a slight breeze that was pushing my auburn hair to the side. The artificial turf was heating up and I could feel my socks also getting hotter on that May day. I was having a great week of tryouts and it was the last day to prove all that I got. Normally I could breath perfectly fine but for the past two weeks breathing has became harder more and more every day. This day it was worse than ever. I

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was sucking in wind constantly on the pitch. During our one hour lunch break I decided to finally go to talk to the trainers. "Mr. George, my breathing has not been normal over this last week of training, what do you think is the problem?" I asked.

"Dawson, I believe that nothing is wrong with your breathing and it might just be a result of the hot weather," Mr. George said.

"Mr. George pardon me but I really do not believe that my breathing problem is just a result of the weather. I've played in extreme weather for 16 years of the 20 years of my life and never been this out of breath," Dawson said.

"Well I suggest that if you make this team to get in more shape and control your breathing," he said.

I proceeded on with the second half of the day. I was upset with my conversation with Mr. George and I think my play showed that. I

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was turning over the ball carelessly and not performing well in the afternoon. My touch on the neon pink, yellow, and purple ball was not crisp like it usually was. My passes were sloppy. My defending was lazy. My shots were way off target. Whenever I would try to make moves the ball would always get stolen. Could this afternoon be the difference of making the team or not? Or because of my success in the most of the week change my life for the better? I was befuddled, my thoughts all over the place, my jaw dropped; not literally. One last 11 v 11 scrimmage to prove all of my potential to the coaches. The scrimmage could not have gone better, even with my breathing and the weather conditions I performed really great with 2 goals and an assist.

"Men, I would like to congratulate and thank every single one of you for coming out and giving your best this week. You guys gave me very hard decisions because of your hard work and skills, but I believe I have picked the best 23 man roster to represent our great

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country. For those who don't get selected, don't give up hope. So what, it's just a bump in the road in your career. Keep trying and working hard and you'll get there." Jürgen Klinsmann said. "Now here for the roster. Thank you all again. Clint Dempsey, Brad Guzan, Michael Bradley, Christian Pulisic, Jermaine Jones, Dawson Bennett, .......................”

I couldn't even think to process the other 17 names being called I was so excited. I was in awe. My jaw dropped literally this time. I would have never believed that if someone told me when I was 4 that I would make the US National Team 16 years later.

Oh my gosh, I can't believe Jürgen Klinsmann knows my name!

This was the greatest day of my life. I was on top of the world... When I was on top of the world; that's when I realized something was wrong.

While celebrating with teammates I coughed and saw blood. My excitement quickly changed to panic. Right after that, I had to to call my parents to let them know the great news and the terrible news. I

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was very anxious to get home to Salt Lake City tonight and go to my doctor as soon as I could.

When I landed down in the Salt Lake City my parents planned a doctors appointment for the next day. I went to the doctors the next day and went through some preliminary tests. My doctor told me to come back for the results the next day. I will never forget those three words he told my parents and I on the next day. "You have lymphoma," he said.

Believe it or not I knew that something was wrong when my breathing significantly changed. It was still very hard to digest the sad news. I couldn't believe that within 48 hours I could go from the top of the world to feeling like I was at the bottom of the world.

Over the next 6 months I received intensive treatment to cure my cancer. All members of my treatment team were incredibly kind and helped me to get through this difficult time. Dr. Smith was so

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good at what he did; he was better at doctoring than even Messi was at soccer. I can not even imagine how many lives he has single handedly changed by helping people when they are feeling down.

Seeing how he helps people on a daily basis truly inspired me. That's why I made a tough decision, to give up devoting my life to soccer and instead decide to pursue a career in the medical profession. This whole process was like hitting the crossbar in soccer. You think you score big, but in actuality you need to keep on fighting and working hard.

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Underwater Pig

By Morgan Mooradian ‘21

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Tidal Wave

By Tommy Castleberry ‘22 “Don't go out too far!” screamed Don's mother in a panicky tone, who was concerned her son would be swept into the cold sea by a rip current. "I'm barely in!" Don screamed back. Shouting and running with excitement into the shore break was the littlest son P.J. Their father John was soaking up some sun rays in the clear blue sky. He had his earbuds in listening to his music. His relaxation was interrupted by the water from a crashed wave. She turned on the local music station on their radio. "Hello folks out there, you're listening to 88.7, Today's Top Hits! Today at number one we have-“ He was suddenly interrupted by a rumbling sensation in the building.

"Attention folks, we are experiencing an earthquake! Get someplace safe quickly! Get out of your bui-“ He was abruptly stopped and the station turned to loud static. The family felt the earthquake and got in the water for safety, but even in the water they felt the effects of the earthquake. They looked at the the city skyline and saw multiple

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buildings sway. Then all of a sudden, one building tilted too far to the left and collapsed with a humongous crash. "Kabooom!"

It wasn't much longer until another building fell, then another one, then another one. The earthquake didn't seem to stop any time soon. Screams were in the air and more people were sprinting into the water. The people on the boardwalk suddenly stopped walking and looked at the boardwalk beneath them. It started to shake and as people tried to get off, the pillars snapped and the entire boardwalk fell, continuing for what looked like miles. In all the confusion and fear, the earthquake slowly came to a stop. The beach-goers came out of the water, relieved, and tried to turn on their radios. Nothing worked.

Suddenly their beach vacation had turned into a disaster.

Eventually, one radio started to get a faint signal, which drew everyone to it. "For anyone who has this signal, this is 88.7. We have reports of a 10.3 earthquake stretching from San Francisco to Morro

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Bay. And we-, what was that? We have just received a tsunami warning. All coastal cities need to evacuate immediately.� As if the earthquake wasn't enough, a tsunami brought a wave of fear over the small group. They looked out to the sea but saw nothing. They still picked up their stuff and got as far away from the beach as they could.

"It'll never reach," said John proudly as if he knew what he was talking about. "Are you sure?" Said the rest of the family. "Yes, when's the last time California had a tsunami?" Let's just enjoy this beach."

By now the entire family was in the ocean rolling over the waves. Which seemed to be bigger, but didn't concern the family. Then all of a sudden, Don looked out at the horizon and saw white where water met the sky. "Hey dad, look out there." He said mildly concerned. John looked out and saw the white as well. "Hmm, probably just a swell. It'll shrink in time." But it didn't get smaller, it grew to the point where John realized an actual tsunami was coming and he had to get his family off the beach. He gathered them together and ran out of the water. By now the tsunami had started to crest. As

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it was about to hit, silence fell over the beach, like a deep breath before it hit. The wave hit with an impact so hard it knocked all the family members out...

Don woke up, still dazed next to a tree with the sound of rushing water going back to the ocean. He got up but had a painful sensation in his right arm. He assumed it was broken. He looked around for other members of his family but found no one. Not even strangers. He heard the sound of his brother P.J in the distance, calling for help. He listened to the sounds of his cries and ran toward him, cradling his arm. His brother’s shouts seemed to be moving. He eventually came to a clearing and a river was in front of it. He looked around and saw his brother clinging to a piece of metal that looked like part of a house. "P.J!" He didn't respond because the current made too loud of a sound for him to hear. Don looked to where the current was leading and it was to the ocean. That was when he realized; The water was retreating. If he didn't get PJ to safety he could be pulled

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out to sea. He found a vine on a tree next to him, pulled it off, and cast it out to PJ. He grabbed it and was pulled in.

As the two brothers walked to find their parents, or help, they noticed that it started to rain. They walked into a cluster of trees and looked for something to use as a makeshift roof. They found a big piece of metal that was just big enough for the both of them. As their nerves finally settled. They had noticed that they haven't seen their parents yet. They looked around more but could only see destruction from the wave. They had decided not to lose hope since both their parents are bigger and stronger then them. It took a while, but they eventually fell into a much needed deep sleep.

"Don?" "PJ?" PJ woke up alarmed and excited. "Mom?" He said.

He found his mom walk around the clearing of the trees. "Mom! I'm over here!" He said back. Eileen saw him and started running toward him. They both ran to wake up Don, still with a crippled arm. "Mom! You're alive!" He exclaimed. "Where's Dad?"

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Transformation of Language

By Konner Smith ‘23 Throughout Shakespeare Stealer Widge's language changes and grows as he does. For example, in the beginning of the book Simon tells him he will go to London and Widge thinks he willgo alone. He learns that Falconer will go with him because he can't speak the language. Widge says, “I did not ken a would go with me" (Blackwood 33). Widge's language is the result of the uncivilized environment he was surrounded by growing up and how he was taught to speak no other way. At first, Widge wasn't passionate about anything but when he was part of the company that changed. Later in the novel, after he spends time with Sander and the company, Widge's language becomes more sophisticated. Sander notes, “You said do you think they will?

Not do you wis but do you think" (Blackwood 121). Surrounded by friends and living in a more intellectual environment, Widge's language changes and he sounds more like a Londoner. Finally, by he end of the book Widge says, "for every ken and wis and aye I had

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dropped from my vocabulary, I had picked up a dozen new and useful terms� (Blackwood 215). Dropping those words and adding new ones has shown how much Widge has changed and grown. In conclusion, as Widge's language changes so does his understanding of trust, family, and love.

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When We Were Young

By Rachel Weinberg ‘22 It was a dark, stormy night. The waves crashed against the rocky shoreline as the wind whistled, blowing through a gloomy deserted town in Louisiana. Old newspapers headlined "Actress Josephine Leroy Vanishes from the Public Eye" plastered against the curb of an old, cracked street.

Josephine looked longingly out of the windows that lined the walls, watching lightning flash across the sky. She quietly sipped her tea, and rocked back and forth in her chair steadily. Servants and cooks walked quickly through the halls, carrying trays of fruits and pastries into the kitchen. Nervously, they all addressed Josephine with a "Hello Mss." or a "Good night Mss." Each time she would silently glance in their direction, but would slowly turn her head back to the glowing fire in front of her.

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Outside, as the wind roared, the elderly man known as Michael Boarder trekked through the grass with a toolbox in his hand. At every window he would stop, and turn his head to look into the house.

The old man appeared at the property one day, and hadn't left.

Josephine could never seem to escape from his sight. He wiped away the raindrops on the glass of a window, and with his face pressed against it, he angrily watched Thomas help Josephine up from her chair. As he took her upstairs, Michael grunted, and stomped back to his mud-covered tool kit.

That night, the storm grew louder and the rain continued to pour down. The waves appeared closer and closer, and the ground grew damper and damper. The clouds appeared angry, as they roared with a life-like personality. The lighting cut the sky in half with every flash. Josephine tossed and turned in bed, and got up to get a drink of water. She shivered as she pushed the covers off of her, and tip-toed over to her nightstand. Grabbing a glass of water, she noticed a figure outside. Attempting to see through the raindrop covered window, she

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watched it bend down and fidget with the storm door. Finally making out the person, she stared in dismay and confusion, and hurried back to bed. Why was he letting so much rain go into the basement? The whole house could be filled with water by morning. Josephine tried to convince herself that this was all a bad dream. All she wanted was for him to leave her alone, and to go away.

As the rain continued to pour down in the morning, the servants and cooks all talked about Michael.

"Why is he even here?" the head chef said.

"I don't think it's good for Josephine." another waitress replied.

"I'm not sure we can trust him." stated the head chef.

"He seems suspicious."

"He hasn't done anything to us, he's only been helpful. I like the guy." said Thomas defensively. The workers shrugged and went back to preparing breakfast.

"Thomas!" yelled Michael as he cracked open a nearby window.

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Thomas put down the tray of croissants he was holding, and bracing himself for the weather, he peeked out from behind the front door.

"Come!" screeched Michael.

Barely making out the gardener's voice, Thomas ran out into the rain and through the flooded grass. He approached Micheal with a confused look on his face, and immediately asked what was wrong."The storm door, it's broken. The water is already pouring through to the basement. Go downstairs to see what is damaged.

Bring anything important upstairs, the rest you can go back for."

Thomas ran to the front door, splashing through puddles on his way. When he got inside, he went over to the small table by the basement door. Inside the first drawer was a key. Thomas grabbed it eagerly and unlocked the door. Throwing the key aside he raced down the stairs. The water was up to his knees, and he used all of his might to quickly wade through the pool of water. The middle-aged man was amazed by the collection of items downstairs. There were old record

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albums to collections of jewelry sprawled about the room. Making his way over to a brass chest, Thomas passed an array of newspaper articles. He look glumly at the titles; they were all about the end of Josephine's career. He had known her since they were young children, and seeing her dream suddenly fade away brought tears to his eyes.

Quickly wiping them away, he forced himself to put the articles down.

He knew that it wouldn't do Josephine any good to see them.

As he continued to wade through the water, Thomas recalled some of their fondest memories: laying in the soft grass on a sunny day, running across the sandy beaches of California, and baking chocolate chip cookies. Unaware of the water rising rapidly, he made his way over to a small, leather box resting on a shelf. Inside were dozens of old photographs, each one featuring the same man. "Who was he?" Thomas muttered "and why haven't I heard of him?" The figure's face was blurry in each photo, as if whoever had taken the pictures didn't want the man to be identifiable. Within the busyness of each photo, Thomas noticed how happy Josephine was with the man.

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She seemed to be smiling and laughing in each picture, something he hadn't seen since before she moved away to New York. He wished to see her this way again, and vowed to do whatever it took to get back to the way they used to be. Maybe she wanted another man in her life.

Maybe Josephine just needed someone to talk to. The endless possibilities raced through Thomas' mind. Clutching the photographs, he struggled to get to the stairs, as the water was up to his waist now.

When he reached them, he climbed up them excitedly, and went to open the door. But the doorknob wouldn't budge. It was locked.

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Jeopardy Contestant

By Gabriella Novella ‘21

This is what I live for. The roar of the crowd from the stands all yelling different answers. This was it, the last question on Jeopardy. If I answer this correctly I will win 10,000 dollars! The game show host, Wendy, asks my question. The crowd is silent, the bright lights are shining down on me and I can barely breathe. Then she asks me, "In the state of Maryland, you are at a traffic light when it turns red, what do you do?" I really had to think about this one, then the answer came to me. The money was inches away. So naturally I said," When at a traffic light in the state of Maryland you ......" All of a sudden a swarm of FBI agents swarmed around me, at first I was like "Ohh someone's in trouble." Then they told me to get on the ground. Of course, I listened. I mean hello they could kill me. Unfortunately I had to get on the dirty ground and was handcuffed. At this point I didn't even care about being arrested so I yelled, " You stop on red." Even

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though the answer was right I never got the $10,000, but I’ll tell you about that later.

Anyway, on the ride to the prison the FBI agents wouldn't talk to me. I had no clue what I did wrong. I'm just a local blogger in the state of California. After being in a jail cell with these two girls who I can't even begin to talk about, I am already going to have to get therapy. Anyway about three weeks after being in jail, (their system is so slow here.) I had my trial, all I'm going to say is I still don’t know why I am in jail.

When I arrived in court I calmly asked, "Your honor why I am I in court?” She responded, "Are you serious, anybody who hasn't seen Stars Wars should be in jail for life." This is when I broke down laughing. I couldn't help it I mean can you blame me? That's when she sentenced me back to my cell for two more weeks before coming back to court. So as you can imagine I am now back in my cell, with a bunch of people I don't know and have nothing in common with. The

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two weeks go by so slowly. It felt like most nights when we all keep watching Netflix episodes before doing homework.

Finally, the moment came and I got a lawyer, from the state.

Then I entered the room. As soon as I walked in, in true fashion I slipped and fell on a banana that was just laying there. Once I recovered, I went to my assigned seat and calmly sat down. I sort of spaced out during my trial, I mean these things are boring. At last, I was called to the stand and was asked to give my side of the story.

After talking about never seeing an episode of Stars Wars, the judge ruled three months in jail. All of a sudden, a bunch of reporters came flooding in and being me I immediately fell over the stand. I quickly got up and was asked a bunch of questions as to why I had never seen an episode. One of the questions I will never forget, the reporter played an episode on their phone and then paused it. I was wondering why they would do this because everyone seemed to be laughing. They then asked me what came next. So I responded have you been listening to what I have been accused for I have never seen an episode.

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Anyway, it's time for me to go sit in a hideous orange jumpsuit and think about how I will die alone. Also, in case you’re wondering my lawyer is terrible and I would suggest never having him represent you.

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Jeopardy Contestant: Part Two

By Grace Derderian ‘21 It was a typical Wednesday afternoon. I was sitting at my desk, eating an Italian sub with romaine lettuce, when I got a life changing call from the state. The Star Wars main theme song rang through my office as I answered the phone. I had to represent my first client ever.

Apparently she had been accused for not watching Star Wars. I mean really who doesn't watch Star Wars. Star Wars was my childhood, and still was a very important part of my life if you can't tell already. I took the case right away, although I wasn't sure what I was doing.

Being a lawyer was always my last resort as a job and I don't even know how I left college with a degree in my hand. When the big day came just two days later, I hadn't prepared anything that was good material for representing my client. As soon as we walked into the room in immense fashion, she fell onto the floor, over a banana peel. I mean honestly, a banana peel?! It ruined my epic entrance. I left my client on the floor to sort herself out and tried to resume my entrance,

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walking fast with my rather large jacket blowing behind me from my speed. I stopped in front of the other attorney. She was rather good looking, and I raised my eyebrows at her, but was interrupted by my client, again.

When I looked over I realized my client had fallen asleep. I made no effort to wake her up. I mean why would I?! She had ruined both of my entrances. When it was my turn to question my client, she was awoken by the judge banging his mallet. I helped her case immensely.

Well actually... I don't remember what I did, so I asked the judge to send me the final verdict of the case. I was informed that she is in jail at the moment. I guess I didn't help her case at all, considering I was told that my points were the reason that she was thrown back in. Now I know that ranting about why my client should have watched Star Wars was not a good idea.

It has been exactly two months from that court case and I am soon to be defending a man who supposedly murdered his wife. I honestly do not know what has gotten into people these days. First, there's a woman who has not watched Star Wars and now there is a

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man who murdered his own wife! I mean he must have married her for some reason, and it was not just to be able to kill her. I am again, sitting at my desk and studying my new case. This time I'll be sure to get it right (or not).

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Hillary Clinton Persuasive Essay

By Campbell Grimes, ‘20 Can you imagine what America would look like if Donald Trump was our President? The presidential election is a disaster right now and there are so many scandals going around that most Americans don't really like any of the candidates. The campaign had been going fine for a while, but then another email scandal happened with Hillary Clinton. There have been three debates so far and Hillary Clinton won all three. She won the first by a lot, the second by less, and the third by about the same as the second. Mike Pence won the vice presidential debate, but overall Hillary Clinton seems to be in the lead. Hillary Clinton should be the next president of the United States of America because she has shown good understanding and ideas about education, immigration, and the environment.

The issue of immigration is very important to our country because we need to change some things to ensure that our country is a

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safe, yet welcoming place. Donald Trump believes that we should build a wall along the Mexican border, and force Mexico to pay for it.

Until they do, he will increase fees on all temporary visas given to Mexican CEOs and diplomats. He is willing to launch large -scale deportation raids to get immigrants out of our country. Also, he would like to take away all federal funding for sanctuary cities (Donald Trump (R)). Hillary Clinton will do everything she can to protect families and enforce immigration laws humanely. She will protect families who have had labor violations, but will deport individuals who are a threat to our countries safety. In addition, she will give all families access to affordable health care and promote naturalization.

An important part of her plan is to make sure that all families, whether they are immigrants or not, should be able to obtain health care. To help naturalization, she will increase access to English language programs to encourage English proficiency "(Hillary Clinton on Immigration Reform)". She will improve immigrants’ conditions, help naturalization, but still deport immigrants who pose a threat to our country. Hillary Clinton wants to take steps forward rather than building a wall and taking steps backward.

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The environment is an important issue to the American people because the environment is a precious thing, and we need to find a way to save it. Donald Trump wants to save the coal industry and get rid of policies that don't allow new drilling technologies. Another goal of his is to become and stay totally independent with no need for import energy. ("AN AMERICA FIRST ENERGY PLAN.") He wants to promote fracking technology and make new drilling technologies legal.

Hillary Clinton wants to ensure safe and responsible energy production by ensuring that the fossil fuel production that does take place is safe and responsible. Furthermore, she plans to generate enough renewable energy to power every home in America. She wants to install half a billion solar panels by the end of her first term, which will improve clean energy production and help save the environment (Hillary on Climate Change). Clinton will make America a cleaner more beautiful place, and help save the environment with new clean energy production. This will make America a better, cleaner place, rather than using up all the Earth's resources to avoid new clean power.

Education is an important issue for America because education

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is our future. America rests in good hands if our children get a good education so that they can do well in the future. Donald Trump wants to prioritize charter schools and get rid of common core. He also wants to avoid any free public colleges or universities (Donald Trump (R)).

This means that he will promote charter schools, but not free colleges.

Hillary Clinton wants to get rid of the school to prison pipeline by making schools safe places for students to learn and grow (Hillary Clinton on K-12 Education). She wants to make student punishment less harsh and provide schools with $2 billion dollars in support to reform disciplinary policies and will work to modernize American classrooms. Additionally, she will build on the very successful Build American Bonds program to provide cities and towns the money needed to rebuild schools (Hillary Clinton on K-12 Education). She will make schools safer, more modern, and cleaner places for American children. By making schools better places Hillary Clinton will help to protect America's future.

Undecided Americans should take the issues of immigration, education, and environment into consideration, and they should decide that voting for Hillary Clinton is their best option. Hillary Clinton

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wants to try to keep families together when dealing with immigration, but Trump wants to build a wall and separate families from each other. Hillary Clinton wants to ensure that all children can get a high quality education, while Trump wants to keep charter schools, which have hurt the economy in the past. Hillary Clinton wants to invest in clean power and transportation, but Trump wants to save the coal industry and hurt the environment. All undecided Americans should keep these things in mind when voting. Think about the future of our country; think about immigration, education, and the environment. If Donald Trump becomes our president, there will not be a clean environment for future generations to enjoy. There also will not be good educations or immigration policies that are both safe and welcoming.

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Pencil Pelican

By Julia Youseff, ‘21

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Special Thanks to: -

Daniel Berlin ’22, Magazine Layout Director Cammy Jacobsen ’22, Student Editor Reese Jackson ’22, Student Editor Emma Hlousek ’22, Student Editor Chris Sixbey ’22, Student Editor Alexandra Konkel ’22, Student Editor Sarah Gershman ’22, Student Editor Gavin Wicker ’22, Student Editor Emma Campbell ’21, Student Editor Gabriella Novello ’21, Student Editor Grace Derderian ’21, Student Editor Michael Hesford ’21, Student Editor Peter Rozner ’21, Student Editor Ms. Laura Drossner, Admiral’s Pen Faculty Advisor

Front Cover Art: Emma Campbell ‘21 Back Cover Art: Grace Knipe ‘23

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