About Eureka! The Country School has had a periodic literary magazine since the school was founded in 1955. Originally called The Owl, the magazine’s name was changed to Eureka! in keeping with our school mascot, an owl named Archimedes. Archimedes was the Greek mathematician, inventor, and astronomer credited with exclaiming “Eureka! Eureka!” – meaning “I’ve found it! I’ve found it!” after discovering the water displacement theory while attempting to determine the purity of the gold in the king’s crown.
Letter from the Student Advisor and Editor of Eureka! 2014
Nina Hastings ’14 I am thrilled to introduce to the TCS community the 2014 edition of Eureka! After the literary magazine’s return two years ago following a brief hiatus, it is back in business and filled with brilliant submissions from across the grades. Eureka! is a wonderful way for students to share a piece of their passion with the school and see it published. The magazine features the work of PreSchoolers through 8th Graders, including writers, artists, photographers, and poets. As the 2014 editor of Eureka!, I loved seeing such a variety of talent over a wide range of ages, and I hope you as the reader enjoy it too! It was my pleasure and privilege to take on Eureka! and continue this longstanding tradition at TCS. Many thanks to Mrs. Sullivan and Ms. Ridinger for their support and guidance as faculty advisors; Mrs. Lightfoot for her help with publicity and collecting submissions; and of course, all the fantastic students who sent their work to be shared in the magazine. Please enjoy the 2014 edition of Eureka!
Poetry Class of 2024
If I were a T-Rex I would eat meat and show my sharp claws. If I were a T-Rex. by Sam Sharon
If I were a Swordfish I would swim the ocean and eat lots of fish. If I were a Swordfish. by Connor Duffy
If I were a Giraffe I would eat grass and eat the leaves of trees. If I were a Giraffe. by Wesley Butler
If I were a Beaver I would swim in the stream and eat sticks. If I were a Beaver. by Charlie Ogeneski
If I were a Dog I would snuggle around and walk on my four paws. If I were a Dog. by Jamie Kennedy
If I were a Gorilla I would climb trees and eat bananas. If I were a Gorilla. by Mattea Parnoff
If I were a Cat I would drink lots of milk and take long naps. If I were a Cat. by Alex Duques
If I were a Lion I would roar and eat lots of food. If I were a Lion. by Keve Frusztajer
Class of 2022
Class of 2021 Joey is my nickname. Often nice. Eats meat. Young boy. by Joey Salafia Nice. Awesome artist. Does art. I like ice cream. Art is fun. by Nadia Goodman Outstanding football player. When my house caught fire I was sad. Exciting. Nice. by Owen Jones Funny. Likes to play. Exciting. Thinks of cool stuff. Cool at Tae Kwon Do. Hustles a lot. Extremely good student. Reader. by Fletcher Sharon Do baseball. Athletic. Very nice. I like art. Do soccer. by David Connolly Brave. Ran cross country. Year six of my life. Strong and smart. Outstanding mathematician. Nice. by Bryson Taylor
My favorite food is cherries. I love “Frozen” the movie. Caring. Happy. Always friendly. Each five days I go to school. Loves art. A gymnast. by Michaela Troy Kind. Awesome artist. Terrific at dancing. Excellent. Loving. I stay inside in Winter. Nice. by Katelin Hornyak I am nice. Sometimes sad. Always active. Big girl. Excited for David’s party. Likes painting. Loves my family. Eats spinach and cheese. by Isabelle Smethurst Very good at gym. Excellent dancer. Really good reader. Outstanding at art. Now a 1st Grader. I like ice cream. Kind. A good sister. by Veronika Altamarino
Class of 2020 My Dog Skis and Snowboards by Dilan Nichols My dog skis and snowboards. He does not miss one jump. And when he goes into the air He lands with quite a thump. He is big and white and his name is Mr. Peabody. And when he goes the half-pipe, he goes 20 feet in the air. My dog skis and snowboards and when the day is done, he snowboards to his bed and then falls into his bed and then it looks like he is dead. Snow Day: A Haiku by Giovanna Parnoff Bright, white clouds of snow Trees beautifully covered Animals hiding
Class of 2019 Poem by Jackson Chontos The tall flowers. The swift trees. The prancing cows. Happiness towers. Lush grass sways. The hills are bumpy. The roads are scraping. The dirt is kicking. The silver gate shining. Weeds are tossing. Blue skies gleaming. Cows are jumping. Clacking hooves. Happy mooing. Bright cows.
Poem by Liliana Boone In the beginning they’re Bountiful Loving Caring Playful And beautiful. In the end they’re Sad Scared Lonely. They all come together as cows.
Class of 2018 Mirror of Computers by John Arrandale After you’re done you realize you made the world a whole lot easier You think which code to type such as java script, C++, alis, ruby and python A code you’ll type A code you think A code! You think and think, then You get bored and bored some more Click, click so more going online shopping for computer parts such as a mother board and a HDMI wires Downloading, working, eating up ram You look at the screen with 220 pixels per inch so you think You look at the screen with 220 pixels per inch so you think Downloading, working, eating up ram Click, click so more going online shopping for computer parts such as a mother board and a HDMI wires You get bored and bored some more A code! You think and think, then A code you think
A code you’ll type You think which code to type such as java script, C++, alis, ruby and python After you’re done you realize you made the world a whole lot easier Fish by Catherine Arrandale Deep down in the blue ocean there is a whisper of a wave different species of fish flutter around in search of food schools of fish cuddle together like a cub to its Mom Deep down in the blue ocean there is a whisper of a wave sea plants the color of the rainbow swish around like a basketball swishing through a hoop Deep down in the blue ocean there is a whisper of a wave
Class of 2014 The Single Noted Solo by Marja van Mierlo No one notices me except the musician, with my tail, and my solid oval on one of five lines. The treble clef laughs at me in the distance. I am one of many that appear irrelevant, but if you skip me it all comes falling down, the beat goes off, the different instruments clash, and the music stops. I am important, like the rest on the page. Even though I blend in, I still stand out!
A Winter Matinee by Sophie Panagrossi The browns, yellows, and blues all disappear going away for the winter. As the snow tumbles down like delicate ballerinas Dancing across the open sky and onto the tall pinetrees The crackling sound of ice plays as the rhythm for the dancers The ballerinas bounce blissfully through the wild blue yonder Some Saute while others Faille All the moves coming together to make one beautiful performance Finally, the dancers Grand Jete to the ground And as fast as they came down they had vanished The matinee is over Rain Boots by Owen Wheeler I love to walk in the rain The storms I’ve been in are insane Trudging through the mud And running Thud! Thud! Thud! My master rarely wears me But it fills me with joy to see The rain falling all around Oh! What a beautiful sound We run we splash we play All is well and gay Until he puts me back on the rack Man! I can’t wait to go back
Today is the Day by Anna Catlett As she pulled me out of the box a wave of excitement overtook me, I had always wanted to be tried on. Her feet were hot and sweaty from the summer afternoon sun, As she tied my laces I knew it was perfect, Today is the day I will be bought, As we walked down the street I felt like all eyes were on me, Suddenly the texture of the ground changed, It was soft and she could manipulate it with her feet, As she untied my laces and slipped her feet out of me she left and didn’t come back for hours, When she finally came back her feet were grainy and wet, But I didn’t care. The Shoe by Allie Mascia With every task set upon my sole The rubber in me grips on Every day I bench press a weight of 100 pounds I enjoy walking on the warm ground But taking a swim is just as fun Floating to the water never going under is my favorite part I never take a shower yet never smell bad The spots on me allow for me to air out When I’m left behind I’m never lonely Because don’t forget I do have an identical twin
Stories Class of 2023 by Gabby Rothberg “Once upon a time there was a whole family of penguins and one of them got lost. She was named Julia. There was also a mommy and a daddy and they found her. They all lived happily ever after but then another penguin kid got lost but they found her too, and her name was Jill. Then the mommy got lost and nobody could find her but she wasn’t lost – she was in the pile of penguins. Then all the penguins went somewhere and some of the penguins got away and some of the penguins were stolen by the other ones and then they found the baby and they gave the penguin away and they all lived happily ever after. The End.” by Sammy Greer “Once upon a time there was a bird. The bird went in the pond and a crocodile came to try and catch it. The bird ran out of the water as fast as it could but the crocodile followed it and the crocodile caught it and there were more birds and the birds started to peck on the crocodile and the crocodile was still trying to catch them but they didn’t get caught. Then the birds got lunch from people and then they went home. The End.” by Imogen Smethurst “Once upon a time there were five flamingos and they liked to splash around and enjoy the cool water. Most of all they liked looking at the waves floating by them. Then a bird came along and scooped one of the flamingos up and the others were looking all over for her – all over the ocean – and they were thinking she drowned because they didn’t see the bird swoop by and scoop her up. One day they found her up in the sky in the bird’s mouth bringing her west. They thought they could fly but they couldn’t because they broke their wings. They had really tall legs so they could reach the sky and then they grabbed their sister and they brought her back home to the ocean where she belonged. The sky was all blue where the clouds we refloating on their heads and they looked at something even higher and it was outer space. The End.” by Rosie Lee “Once upon a time there was a pretty bird that was sitting in a tree and he was looking around and he saw an owl that was very far away. Then the bird flew to somewhere and was looking for food and found some worms and ate them. The End.” by Elena Leykekhman “Once upon a time there was a big long day and both cardinals were so hungry they found berries in the berry tree. Now they tasted them and they ate them all up. Now the girl cardinal was starving. Once she ate too many berries it started to snow and then it started to rain and then it started to storm and then it started to get sunny again and then they met a penguin. The penguin said, ‘Hi’ and he was too little and so he started to look for his mom and dad and then he met a toucan and the cardinals said, ‘What about us?’ Then he met a bad owl and the cardinals said, ‘Do you want to come live with us?’ The owl said, ‘Yes.’ Then they met a flamingo and then they met a peacock. Once the penguin was still hungry they met his mom and dad. Then they all went home and the cardinals said, ‘Come back here. You have work to do.’ Once they flew back to the birdhouse and they went inside and went to sleep and then they heard a stomp sound and they looked and it
was a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Then they found a plane and a helicopter and then they found a Brachiosaurus and they went home to eat. The End.” by Catie Schneider “Once upon a time there was a little peacock and she was very sad because she couldn’t find her family. It got darker and darker and she was scared and she wanted her family. She wanted to go back home because she was scared of the dark. She felt really sad because she missed her mom and her dad. Her mom missed her and her dad missed her. She found her family in the meadow and they were safe and sound together and they loved each other. The End.” by Henry Ogeneski “Once upon a time there were two little parrots that loved to get food together so they decided to pick out one of their homes to live in together and they would be best friends forever. The End.” by Elles Zwikker “Once upon a time there were baby birds and a mommy bird. The mommy bird was feeding the baby birds because all the babies were hungry. They were in the tree and the mommy had a bug to feed them. The babies had some white feathers and some black feathers and some gray feathers. The mommy had sharp claws that helped her stand up on the tree. The End.” by Oli Scott “Once upon a time a parrot went under water. Then it found something. It found a baby squid. Then it said to itself, ‘Should I eat this or should I let the baby squid float to the mom’s den?’ The parrot flew from the water into a tree and thought to itself, ‘I need to dive under the ground to find a little plant instead.’ The End.” by Austin Holway “Once upon a time there was a puffin that was walking in the grass. There were flowers in the grass and the puffin was looking for food. He found some food and they were plants. He ate them and then he was tired so he went back to his home and went to bed. The End.” by Alexander Schultz “Once upon a time there were two penguins in the grass and they found fish to eat. They wen tot the sea and they found fish on the ground and they ate them and they gobbled them all up and then they ate more fish. Then they took a dive for a penguin swim and they made a penguin sound like a squawk. The End.” by Nita Schierwater “Once upon a time there was a hummingbird and she was looking for some flowers to such some honey for the bees and she found some. The bees said, ‘Than you.’ The End.” by Jayden Gwyn-Williams “Once upon a time there was an eagle that was flying and there was a snake and he swooped to pick up the snake to eat it for dinner. There was a mouse on the ground and the snake was slithering to get the mouse. The eagle caught the snake trying to get the mouse and the eagle got the snake in his eye and mouse because he saw the mouse was going to get eaten and then he swooped down. The End.” by Phoebe Brennan “Once upon a time the flamingos always every day played with each other. When they were finished playing
with each other they came back to their house and they ate supper. They ate fish. When they played with each other the next day they realized that when they were standing up next to each other they made a heart with their necks. Then they played Tag – You’re It and Hide and Seek, and they loved to eat fish. For snacks they only ate fish. Then when they were finished with their snacks they played a little more and then went home to eat supper. The next day they were at the same school and they had fun. The End.” by Samantha Mizhen “Once upon a time the owl flew into a tree and he thought it was a comfy place to sleep for the winter. He flew to the next tree and got some big food. He got some leaves for his blanket. He got one more leaf for his pillow. He went to go look for some other birds and he saw a woodpecker and the woodpecker said ‘Hi’ and then the woodpecker said, ‘I am going to be right next to your tree gathering my own house.’ The End.”
Class of 2020
Class of 2019 Lying on the Field by Abby Jones A car rushed by. The spring wind brushed at my face and blew my loose hair around in whirlwinds above my head. An airplane flew overhead. The field shone with light from the fools’ gold sun. Blotches of painted dirt splotched the field. The rough grass poked out of the ground in emerald spikes that shone. Clusters of clover came in clumps wherever the grass didn’t grow. The beautiful ball in the fresh morning backed my eyes. The world smelled of dry dirt. Lying on the Field by Millan Minto The grass was tickling in between my fingers. The breeze kept pushing my papers to the next page. I fely the sun burning on my arms. As I was writing, I looked up in the sky and saw an airplane passing by. I also saw birds flying. Lying on the Field by Elke Zigmont Lying down and focusing on the bitter and sweet scent of the grass, the distant whirr of engines, the ringing bells which were faint and now the least startling and the annoying weight of a jacket. It felt odd to be touching actual earth again feeling a calm breeze on your back and feeling a warm sun. The grass sparked in the sun like a jewel, a rare beautiful jewel. Suddenly the distant voices quiet. Everything quiets. The trees stop swaying like waiting for an answer, then murmur in the wind again like when the answer is passed through. The Field by Colin Higginson Today was a pure buttery sun with no clouds and a just-right breeze. When he lay down, the boy felt the sun beating on his back like a drum and the breeze soothing his back. He felt the grass growing on him like vines. He heard the others playing at recess like birds. He was pretty cold so he put his jacket on. Lying on the Field by Erik Howey The cold breeze blew through me. The spikes of grass on the ground touched me. The smell of green grass attracted my nose. The ants explored the grass and put itches on me. The sound of cars and planes grabbed my attention. The noise of people playing made me see things in the outer spaces of my mind. The sky looked like the ocean. The fresh smell of spring was all I could think about after the rage of winter that wouldn’t leave. A wind blew in my hand like a tornado. Noises of birds sounded like a song that said spring has arrived. The Soccer Game by Jensen Taylor One day I had a soccer game. I was captain. As captain you get to pick a side of the field. You get to shake hands with the opponent’s captain. First period: I am center forward. I pass the ball to Mason. He passed it up to Elliott. He passed it to me and I scored. The game ended four-zip. We had won!
Snow Day by Maddie Ott The snow was crisp and clear as I stepped outside in my snow clothes. My feet were so cold they were colder than an ice cube. Then I tried to make a snowman but it didn’t work. I was so mad I crushed the ball I already made. I crusted it till it was powdery as salt. As my mom was shoveling the driveway with Daddy’s shovel, she came to ice and broke the shovel. I thought that Daddy would be mad when he came home and that Mommy would get in trouble. Zombies by Andrew Walter-Zona I was watching the news and there was a zombie apocalypse! I called my friends and told them to meet me at the candy shop. The next morning we met together at the candy shop. “So why are we down here?” said Jackson. “There is a zombie apocalypse,” I said. “Really?” asked Erik. “Really,” I said. “How are we going to stop zombies?” asked Abby. “I have zombie lasers in my closet,” I said. “OK, let’s chip chopee this lemonade stand,” said Jackson. I grabbed my zombie lasers and we set out. We patrolled the streets. Then we heard screaming from the alley. “Zombie hunters to the alley,” I said. We saw a girl trapped in a dead end by a zombie. We zapped the zombie with our zombie laser. The zombie got sucked into our zombie lasers. That night I watched the news and guess what? I saw us in the alley saving that girl! After that we were so big, we got so many jobs. We were tired and we almost fell asleep during our jobs. Who would think 11 kids could make 900,000,000 dollars a week. Now we’re in Time magazine, the newspaper, on National Geographic, and in books. Now we’re getting invited to dinner parties and game shows. Can you believe it? Just one little save could get us famous.
Photography Class of 2024 Jamie Kennedy
Class of 2014
341 Opening Hill Road Madison, Connecticut 06443 www.thecountryschool.org