The Oakrunner

TheOakrunner

Designed by students for students

SettingGoals

byKylieFlowers

Setting goals isn't just for athletes and successful business people, students can set goals too. When you make goals, it fuels your ambition.Although reaching those goals might push your limits, once you achieve them, you will have a new-found confidence.

When we had our first track meet, I had zero expectations.As the season progressed, I started setting goals for myself. It started with deciding what I would like my ideal time to be.Then, the speed that I want to start the race in. When I felt like my legs couldn't endure any more, my mind carried me through the halfway point.As I ran, the clumping spikes and heavy breaths filled the air.After multiple times of trial and error, I found the most successful way to run it, but it didn't come easy.

As the weeks progressed, I slowly lost more trust in my ability. Even though at the time I didn't realize it, I made some mistakes. Instead of running it the way I knew how, I thought that running the way that she did would help me achieve my goal.The girl, leading and sweating finished first. I doubted my own potential, which effected my overall performance.

Many months of training for this one moment to shine. Sweating, pushing, hurting, my feet would pound out a grueling pace day… after day. Running has become apart of my everyday routine. Get up eat, run,.. repeat. When I met these goals, it was as though all my sweat and tears were worth something.Agoal is never impossible with an open-mind set and practice.

While setting goals is very beneficial, never compare your goals to others.This can be very damaging to your confidence. If you compare yourself to others, you lose what you originally wanted. Throughout the season there was only one girl to beat, and beating her wouldn't be easy. We had two different ways to conquer the race, neither one better than the other.

The one thing that I learned from this experience is to have trust in your goals, and don't compare yourself to others. With every stride there is a realization, I’m capable of anything I put my mind to.The only thing that matters is being proud, first or last, you did it. The adrenaline kicks in and until that last lap, you are flying, nothing can stop you but your own mind. Leave your worries behind you, and simply do or do not, there is no try.

MyHappyPlace byHunter

Haines

Do you have a happy place? Everyone should have a happy place. Most people don't know they have one, until they feel that exciting feeling run through their thoughts.Ahappy place should be somewhere that makes you feel safe, relaxed, calm, and happy. Being outdoors promotes happiness and well-being. Nature in general makes a lot of people happy.That is why my happy place is the rain garden here at Oakrun Middle School.

Painted stones lay throughout the garden. Each one whisper the name of a lost loved one.

As you enter the garden from Mrs. Willis’art room, you will immediately see the vibrant bluebonnets and greenery of the cacti and trees. Every color you can think of can be seen in the garden; reds, yellows, greens, and blues. The plant life isn’t the only life in the garden. Butterflies flutter from flower to flower, bugs crawl from leaf to leaf, and the evidence of birds and deer can be seen if you look hard enough.The calm peaceful feeling that surrounds me in this place, reminds me of just how special the garden is.

The whispers aren't meant to be sad they are to remind us how the ones we lost will never really be gone.Anyone is aloud to come and sit here on the benches to come enjoy the shade and remember the people who are special to us.

The rain garden brings happy thoughts through my head and exciting chills through my veins. My anger flows away, and my body is relaxed and ready to start off again.The garden not only brings life to all the plants and animals who live there, it also brings life to me.

My Happy Place

My body, limp and relaxed, rested on the bed while my brain wandered off into space. I stare blankly at the plastic star covered wall looking back at me. My eyes focus on one pink colored star that seemingly catched my attention.Asigh escapes my lips as I think about a conversation in math class I ‘accidentally’ overheard.I hear a group of girls gossip a bit too loud about gushy romance stuff. About how ‘Brandon has the cutest chocolate chip eyes!’, and that ‘Jacob is such a stud!~’, oh and I can’t forget the last one on how ‘Michael’s butt is soooo hot!’ The gossipy girls, lovestruck and noisy, squeal in high pitched chipmunk voices. Ew! How can someone say something like that without severely dying of embarrassment? I swear some people have no decency! Brandon, Jacob, and Michael maybe good looking, but they're also idiotic jerks! Not to mention we're only in 6th grade!

PersistThroughItAll

Sometimes it seems like I’m the only person in this school who hasn't been struck by Cupid’s arrow. Even my friends talk about crushes and couples. Face scrunching up, I recall when I told my friends that I never had a crush before.The sight of their eyes bulging out of their face sent me in a fit of giggles.After about what seems like an eternity I calm down from my giggle fit. I know that I can't avoid love forever and that someday someone will catch my eye, but until then I'll focus on my dreams and making them come true. I close my eyes in satisfaction of my plans in the future. While everyone is crushing, I'll be here enjoying the single life.

“I have not failed, I have just found ten thousand ways that will not work -Thomas Edison. No matter what happens, it's important to not give up, because even your greatest challenges can be faced.

In the movie, October Sky, Homer did not give up trying to build his rockets.After witnessing the Russian space satellite, Sputnik, fly over his hometown, Homer Hickam wanted to learn more about rocketry. He began by building a small rocket, who’s test flight destroyed his fence. He was determined to try again with a second rocket, built with different fuels, but it didn't function. Homer made rocket after rocket until he finally discovered the correct way to construct them. Homer didn't quit and eventually was offered many scholarships for his rockets.

In the book, A Night Divided, Gerta Lowe did not cease trying to escape to West Berlin. One day, Gerta noticed her father, whom she was separated, on the West side on the Berlin Wall. He motioned something, that Gerta believed to be digging. She assumed he had buried treasure and wanted her to find it. Later, she received a drawing of an aged building. She found the building, but no treasure. She gave up, but when she decided to come back, she discovered that her father wanted her to tunnel to the West.Although she and her brother were fatigued and famished, they continued digging. In the beginning, Gerta wanted to abandon the plan, but told herself to carry on. In time, her family made it to freedom. Your greatest challenges are faced when you remain strong and faithful. Giving up is simple, persisting is difficult. Conquering your fear is challenging, lingering in anxiety is effortless. No matter where life takes you, remember to keep your head up, and know that everything has a possibility.

Bluebonnets

byZoeVillanueva

“I have not failed, I have just found ten thousand ways that will not work -Thomas Edison. No matter what happens, it's important to not give up, because even your greatest challenges can be faced.

In the movie, October Sky, Homer did not give up trying to build his rockets.After witnessing the Russian space satellite, Sputnik, fly over his hometown, Homer Hickam wanted to learn more about rocketry. He began by building a small rocket, who’s test flight destroyed his fence. He was determined to try again with a second rocket, built with different fuels, but it didn't function. Homer made rocket after rocket until he finally discovered the correct way to construct them. Homer didn't quit and eventually was offered many scholarships for his rockets.

In the book, A Night Divided, Gerta Lowe did not cease trying to escape to West Berlin. One day, Gerta noticed her father, whom she was separated, on the West side on the Berlin Wall. He motioned something, that Gerta believed to be digging. She assumed he had buried treasure and wanted her to find it. Later, she received a drawing of an aged building. She found the building, but no treasure. She gave up, but when she decided to come back, she discovered that her father wanted her to tunnel to the West.Although she and her brother were fatigued and famished, they continued digging. In the beginning, Gerta wanted to abandon the plan, but told herself to carry on. In time, her family made it to freedom. Your greatest challenges are faced when you remain strong and faithful. Giving up is simple, persisting is difficult. Conquering your fear is challenging, lingering in anxiety is effortless. No matter where life takes you, remember to keep your head up, and know that everything has a possibility.

Mrs. Owens’ puppy, Tucker

In Memory of Me

by Amaya Madsen

All must fade away Someday

The birds, the beasts, the trees

And so I have chosen To live a life of plenty

I was born to leave A mark on the world Not to lie around Til’ the eve of my passing

So here I leave my mark Ere the sun goes dark And the doves cease in song Here I leave my mark

So when the leaves embark On their journey to the ground

All will know ‘tis not the end

A new dawn will rise

And no longer will the lies And deceit of evil be Ruler over sea

I hope that once I pass The world will at last Sing hymns of praise

For the evergreen tree

That it's leaves may raise Once again

For eternity

I hope that once I pass The world will at last Be green and hope Will reign once more

I hope that once I pass The world will at last Sing it's hymns of praise And everlasting days And the fire within them be In memory of me

His lungs breathing the smoke

Smoke from the burning home

Fire extinguisher almost empty The firefighter ran Through the flame

Licked by the burn To the rooms

Team not far behind To save them all From this disaster

A Walk Around the Neighborhood

by Aaron Davis

There was a boy whom walked down a street

Everyday, at the same time

Then he walked into a shrine

Down to the bare penny

He was frightened as it moved

Slowly but steady it had a nice shrove

Heart racing

Nerves racking

Surrounded by normal people

In a room filled with lost memories

Dark EmptyAnd slowly healing

As she walks around her hospital room

She can do this With her golden heart she shall heal slowly

Forever gold and forever bold

Shivering and shoving t everything out of its way

It would soon come back to get its forté

On the walk back home

The boy told his father the story

The father, not easy in the head

Punished the boy for his foolish mind

The boy has gone mad, madder than ever Went to the same street he found the shrine

To only find That same penny inside.

Shrove-Amixture of sneaky and grove.

Forté-Afamous type of yogurt found only in Western Europe.

ART & Performance

SomeDrawing

Eyes

byKJAhlman

TeylaMeents

TeylaMeents

byHazelLacy

Brown

TJBearce ALookIntoWonderland

KayleyCannon

TJBearce

LilleanneLeahart

EmmaPerez

Basic LibertyAntee

PaigeFoster

LineofShine

KylieFlowers

AlexiaTorres

StormyWaters

KathrynAhlman

What’sThat?

AislinnCostello

SummerinGreece

PaigeFoster

TheWeirdoIMade FriendsWith LeynaHinnen

Walker PaigeFoster

AliyahMonroe

ScorpionGalaxy

ParisSheppard

TrevorDietart

Performance Pieces

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