First day back from spring break

by Monkeygirl

Ok this is how this goes. Have you ever been played? Well I have. Lol just playing, but on Monday, our first day back from spring break, I wanted to fight three people.

One person I wanted to fight was because I told that dirty girl not to touch my face and she tried to smash on me talking bout she gone punch me in my face and all that b.s. Well instead of me walking away like I usually do I smashed back and told her straight up “you need not to touch my face before I take off on you, u are too dirty to touch me.” Then she gone say im going to slap you, and I told her I was waiting for her to do it but she was being scary. So after that I was talking to my best friend and telling her that I don’t care I will fight her and her cousin.

So then after school I guess she told her cousin. So her cousin comes up and slaps me in my face. So now im mad and ready to take off my backpack and stuff, and the girl cousin and me are arguing. Then our assistant principle gone try to pull me aside, but I kept walking. She said if I don’t come here she is going to suspend me for five days. She was telling me that I was wrong for taking the bait and snapping at her and that I did the right thing by not fighting her.

At lunch before all of that happened this girl gone DEMAND me to move from her table because she didn’t like me. I didn’t move I finished my conversation. Then I remembered that I was supposed to meet someone at the library so I told my best friend lets go, and I walked away and I had said, “I don’t like these dirty females at this school.” So then she come up behind me and asked if I called her dirty? And my best friend said no I didn’t. I start yelling at my best friend because she always trying to protect me every time and I wanted to fight her so dang bad she was doing way to much after that I was still mad.

Party

by Llover

Theres this really awesome party that I want to go to on Saturday night. E and a few other people from my school are going. Its a birthday party for this girl named S. Shes a 7th grader at Redwood Day. Its a themed birthday party. The theme is a wedding her and her ex boyfriend. Ok well they broke up on Wednesday but they decided to still go with the plan. So theres this whole wedding set up and its like a wedding between to gangs. And the people invited have to ply a certain key role in the wedding. Like Im supposed to play A’s (S's ex) mom....and E's A’s sister. There will be a photographer and stuff like that. Then a person get murdered. But no one knows till the end of the party. Throughout the party the guests are supposed to try and find out who gets murdered and who is the murder and why they murdered that person. It sounds pretty fun plus your supposed to dress the part.Yea and E and I are going to have a sleepover
cause its like one of those parties that last until like 4 in the morning. I already got these really cute shoes and a dress to match! Lol. S’s really nice I hope she goes to Tech that would be really fun. Since there will already be alot of people I’ve known for along time going to Tech and together we will ROCK THE HOUSE! lol Ok bye!

Basketball Game

by Too+Fresh=Fresher

Tomorrow I’m going to play super hard because this is my last game and I want to win. I’m going mostly take it the basket when I get the ball I’m not going to be scared. I’m going to get a least 3 rebounds. I’m going to get a least 3 steals. I’m going to try to make 6 points will I’m going I going get 3 rebounds this am my goal. For my basketball game s**t I want everyone playing playing a*s hard as I’m going to do. We going to play hard we going to win this game. Will that a least im going to try but yeah idk if im going to play basketball in high school. I think I could make the basketball team in high school. I will never know until I get in high school. Im going to keep playing basket ball in the summer so I could make it because I really want to make it so yeah I guess maybe I can make will I really want to play volley ball also so I would never know to high school come its really not that long for high school come since the test are on there way so want have to wait that long but im going to practice in high school though.

Ms. Thaler

Sometimes Ms. Thaler can be very nice and sometimes she can be mean. Like today when we were doing our Do Now she was all calm and quiet and the next minute she was yelling at everyone. Sometimes I think she is crazy, but then again that’s just my opinion. She’s a very nice teacher but she yells a little bit to much. Sometimes it doesn’t be necessary.
When she’s being nice and not yelling we have fun. We are doing our work and everything. I wish she was like this all the time but who could blame her. I think she could be nice but it wouldn’t seem right if she was happy all the time.
When she yells I don’t know if she knows this but it only makes things worst. She makes people laugh and yell and they’re just getting louder the more she yells.
When she’s mad she can stay mad all day. But then again she’ll be mad then go back to being happy again. That seems a little strange to me. That’s why sometimes I think she’s crazy. But then again she could act like this all the time. I don’t want to put any one down or make them feel bad. Sometimes I know why she’s yelling and if I was her I would be yelling to. Then other times I don’t think its that big of a deal

Marijuana

by Roger Sims

We,the people should legalize marijuana. it would help the economy and is already the most grown crop of California. Marijuana is the least obnoxious and violent drug .If they could put an “ok” age limit on alcohol and cigarettes then they should definitely be able to put an age limit on good old grass .EVERYONE likes smoking pot excluding the people that only dislike the drug for making them nervous or paranoid. pot makes food taste better,music sound better,and bad days feel better,it could even be called a all natural anti depressant. its seriously the bees knees. everyone would be so much happier with this. it could even make California have a way higher tourist attraction. imagine being able to plan a trip and telling your friends tour going to a place that has legalized marijuana. There is really no downside on legalizing this wonderful plant. If you didn't like smoking pot,then don't do it? What kind of jerks don't want California to be a happier and peaceful place. marijuana simply enhances your imagination...

Prologue Part 2

By Shadow

“Liam?” The shy, scared voice of a young child spoke.

She was alone with a handful of beautiful flowers from the edge of the forest. All colors of the rainbow were in the grasp of her tiny hands, every single color. They were bright and fresh, the opposite of the feeling the little girl had. Her face showed weakness and fear. Her cheeks weren’t a calm pink, but a flushed red. Everything about her expression showed she was in danger.

The only thing that weren’t shaken were her sparkling blue eyes. It made her look cute and innocent, tempting to anyone. Her eyes showed a small hint of fright, but mainly curiosity as they stared straight into the mysterious forest. She wondered why her brother had told her not to go into the forest. What was in there that was so bad? It didn’t look bad.

Before the girl could wonder much longer about the whereabouts of the forest, she spotted an old man hiding among the near border trees. She was curious, but the girl was smart not to walk towards the stranger. She knew he may mean danger. Her brother had said unknown things were dangerous, like their father. The girl started to turn, heading back towards the road.

That was when he saw her as well, but he didn’t move from his place in the trees. Still, he whispered to her. “Hey, little girl.” He could barely be heard, but the girl paused and turned around, bring the flowers she held to her chest. The old man continued. “Don’t be scared, I’m no threat.”

The girl didn’t smile nor frown, but her voice was as sweet as the flowers she held. ”Are you sure?” She saw the old man smile.

“Yes, I’m sure.” He answered.

The girl sighed as she put one of the flowers in her hair. She looked up to the man. “I’m lost.” She saw the man smile a little, his wrinkles fully showing.

“I guessed that.” He stepped forwards and out of the trees. His hand went out to the girl as he started the way towards the streets. “I’ll take care of you.”

“Okay.” The little girl answered bravely as she took the old man’s hand in her while holding the bunch of flowers in her other hand. She totally forgot about her brother as the warmth of another hand hit hers. She felt safe.

The man started towards a house on the edge of the others. It had no close neighbors, yet the bright yellow and blue coloring made it look inviting. He took out a key and let go of the girl’s hand as he did so. The door opened to the touch of the key’s turn. The girl’s eyes started to widen at the sight of the house. It was small from the outside, but the inside seemed large.

The whole place was mainly a living room with a couch and a mini television. Everything else was wilderness related. There were a few animal heads on the walls and a huge bear skin on the floor. Some swords and bows were hung up as well, but she could tell they were more than just decorations. No dust lay on them, none at all.

“Do you like it?” The old man asked the girl while taking off his light jacket and setting it on a rack. The girl just nodded and took her jacket off as well, mimicking the old man. “You’ll be sleeping here,” The man started to talk about rules and where to find things, but the girl was already absorbed in the weapons held on the walls, specifically looking at the bow and arrows.

She reached out to touch the arrow’s point. “I wouldn’t play with that.” She paused, then kept her hands to herself.

The girl looked at the man as she walked to the small table and set her flowers down, then walked back to the same wall. Her eyes shone in wanting. “Can I learn to use it?” She asked.

The old man came over to the girl and reached over her to grab the bow and arrows off the wall. He got on his knees slowly to let her see well. “You want to learn how to use these?” the young girl set her hair behind her ears, then nodded. “Very well then.” The girl’s face lit up. The old man just smiled back.

Prologue

by Shadow

No. She can’t just have disappeared!

My eyes scanned the area, but only trees came into view. I could hear my own heart starting to race faster and faster as each second went by.

I closed my eyes. Maybe this was a dream. It was a nice idea. There was only one problem, it wasn’t. My vision didn’t change to warm, bright sunlight that shined through the blinds like a usual morning. Instead, it stayed the same dark forest as I opened my eyes. Damn.

I started to run. No, sprint. I sprinted forwards, but paused. The forest around me spun and I could barely see where the trees lightened to meet the town streets. I didn’t want to get lost myself. Right now I was just on the border of the forest, but that could change easily to becoming the deep core of the engulfing tree. I had no plan in loosing myself along with my sister.

“Paige!” I hollered desperately. Please be an answer. No answer. “Paige, where are you?!” I was frantic. She was only three years younger than me, how could she get lost?

I brought me hands to the rim of my mouth, trying to echo my voice as I yelled. ”Pa-aige!” Her name was barely a word through my screaming lungs. That was how hard I had yelled, how hard I wanted to find my sister. All I could think about was how much Father would ate me for loosing my six year old sister.

Why today? Why not any other day? Because it was fate, that’s why. I don’t believe in anything at all, but fate. It was fate that I had lost my little sister on Mother’s departure. It had to be. Nothing else could give me a reason for loosing her on such a drastic day. Just two years ago, our mother had passed away. Exactly two years ago. See what I mean? It was fate.

I turned around, feeling helpless and defenseless to what would happen to the little brunette now. My feet trudged, not wanting to face my father at all. I cracked my knuckles, feeling stupid and wanting to kill myself now. She was right next to me! Then boom, gone.

My eyes quickly adjusted to the sun as I stepped out of the forest. It seemed so happy and welcoming, oblivious to what had just happened in the dark forest. I sat down at the roots of a tree, rethinking whether I should spill to Father. I started to think.

No, I won’t tell him. Instead I’d search the whole town and if I don’t find her…no, I will find her. I’ll hide in the city, though. She wouldn’t be stupid to wander too far into the forest, I know it.

There, I decided what to do. I didn’t want to go back to Father for afraid of what my punishment would be forest such a drastic thing. Instead, I’d run away. I’d run away from home, all because of my little sister. I stood and started to run again. My breath started to race again.

First, I’d have to find somewhere to live. Then, I would search.

I knew right then and there, I have a hell of a journey in front of me. My whole life just turned a huge leaf. No, bigger than huge. Gigantic.

Reflection on Maus

by Blargon

In the story Maus, I can relate to Artie not really understanding where his dad's coming from because as in my case, like Artie and Vladek, my dad and I come from two different worlds.

My father and Vladek come from worlds where they were not accepted for who they were/are. They were treated like less of a person by racist whites who believed that they were superior to them.

My dad, for example, grew up in all-white Castro Valley, an area where he was constantly stopped by the police. They thought he'd come in from Oakland and that he couldn't possibly live there.

My father was the only African American student at his high school and was constantly picked on. At school dances, he had no one to dance with because he basically wasn't allowed to dance with the white girls.

My father's counselor once told him that he shouldn't bother with college because he wasn't college material, but my father went on to get his master's degree.

This, fortunately, isn't the life I know. I believe I have the same opportunities in life as anyone. Sure, there are still racist people in the world, but we have come a very long way from what Vladek and my father had to endure. During my life, I have and will be given many opportunties my father never had. I intend to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way. LG (life is good).

Reflection on The Freedom Writers Diary

by Asia-Amani101

My reflection on The Freedom Writers Diary is that it is a wonderful book for teenagers to read because most people can relate to the characters in the book and also the movie. I think that The Freedom Writers Diary explains a lot that goes on in the human life and what most teens go through during high school and also their at home life. I think that all teens should read this book so that they can read about what other kids their age have been through, such as getting jumped, spit on, called names, etc. To me, The Freedom Writers Diary makes you open your eyes and see the real world and what people have to go through in order to get respect.

Freedom Writers is a lot like the movie- it explains the same things that go on in the movie. I'm happy I picked this book because it's very interesting and easy to relate to. My group has read up to pg. 40 or higher. I think everyone in the group enjoys reading this book and feels the same about the book as I do. I enjoy working with my the people in my group because we are all girls and we are all friends. I wouldn't change my book for another because I like Freedom Writers and I like reading about what people have been through in life.

Courage

What is true courage? This question was asked by my
English teacher one day for a journal prompt. I'll tell you
what true courage is. Few people know what the actual
meaning of courage is, and even fewer people posses actual
courage. The meaning of the word "courage" has been
forgotten over time. Let's remind ourselves, shall we?

When I think of courage, I think of Barack Obama. True
courage lies with him. He knows that being the first
African American president, the probability of an
assignation attempt is very high. He has a wife and kids
(two little girls) who would be heartbroken if he was
killed, but he ran for the highest office anyway.

Obama also has to keep in mind all the pressures that
are on him while he's in the White House. The American
citizens are expecting him to end the financial, water and
energy crises. They are expecting him to repair the
healthcare, social and homeland security systems. If Obama
doesn't fix our economy within the next four years, many
believe he will only serve one term in office. The U.S. is
in bad shape right now and 5 million people across the
country are all counting on him to fix it. The fact that he
is still willing to try, he's willing to give it his all and
with the added pressure of possibly being shot truly speaks
to his character and really demonstrates true courage on his
part, in my opinion.

Other people who have true courage in my opinion are
the brave soldiers fighting against enemy forces in Iraq and
Afghanistan. They have, without hesitation continued to
defend our country for eight years in Afghanistan and six
long years in Iraq. They don't know when they're coming
home, but still they continue to fight and defend the United
States -- our country -- their country and all its citizens.

True courage is truly hard to come by these days. The
meaning has been lost, but fortunately for us, there are a
few people out there who, whether they know it or not, are
truly courageous and we thank them for it.

A One and Only Perfect Life: A Journal Entry

by NeverFlyte

…As the sun set in the sky, she knew that nothing would be the same. Yet nothing would keep tomorrow from coming, so she would have to learn to let go. For herself, and her people.

The iReader clicked off, informing me that the book was over. I glared at the blank screen, infuriated with the dull ending.

Ma, left for the library, be back shortly. Send.

I thought-texted to my mother, who was on a walk in the park. Black text automatically appeared onto the screen of my cell phone. It was a top-notch phone, with thought-texting included. No more having to press buttons. Think it, and it's done. I didn't understand exactly how it worked, but that didn't matter so much. I would leave that for the smart people to understand. Even though they probably had enough technology to have an online library, where you could download books instantly, they decided not to so that there would still be a sense of community. It was the only place left in the whole city where so many people would get together in such a little space. The only other place where anyone went besides thier houses was the park, but that was too big to form anything close to a sense of community.

As soon as I stepped out the door of my house, there were two moving sidewalks side by side, one going left and one right. The left took you to the library; the right to the park. It wasn't very complicated.

In seconds, the library slid into view. The walls were a flawless white, with a clear foundation. Can you believe that years ago the foundations were solid? They would crack like a fragile eggshell as soon as the first earthquake came along. It was sad, really. Earthquakes are no longer a problem, thanks to Sanuel Leaf, who invented the most primary form of the thick, gooey material in 2094. It absorbs the movement and slows it down, keeping the people inside safe. I'd just learned about it on the History course of my iTeacher, so it was more interesting now than it normally was.

As I entered the library, the kindly old librarian looked up to nod a hello at me before going back to reading her iReader. The library was filled with many, many people, most of them sitting at tables, reading. A small percent were by the shelves looking at book descriptions, which the government had also kept, to keep the former idea of a library alive.

There weren't any books any more. They had left along with the days of Global Destruction, way back before 2050. Trees and any sort of shrubbery were protected by GlobalPlan#4, which was in place to keep the Global Destruction from happening again. You would be sent to prison if caught selling or using anything from trees. This was rare though, because there were so many better things to replace it.

After downloading several interesting titles, I headed home. For the rest of the day, I would talk to my iFriend, take a mandatory school course on my iTeacher, and take a walk in the park so that my exercise numbers would go up.

The next day would be the same.

And the next.

And the next.

Every single day of my life would, in fact, be identical. With the exception of the iWork I would get for my twenty-first birthday, same as every other citizen of the world. It would customize me with a job that would take up time, and would, at first, be challenging.

After years, though, it would be boring. And everything would be exactly the same.

Ah, yes, a life of luxury, indeed.

It’s All About ME!: A Journal Entry

by Shadow

If I could rule the world for a month, I would first make sure I was well fed. Yes, I am a big glutton for that part but how can a society live with a hungry leader? Good question to ask yourself next time you call a leader greedy. Second, I wouldn’t make schools cost anything and I would get rid of textbooks all together. I hate textbooks, and that way teachers would teach whatever they knew all year long and school wouldn’t be required at all. You could arrive at school and leave school whenever you wanted, so kids would actually want to learn after a while. Also, there’d be no such thing as detention for skipping classes. In fact, there would be no detention at all; the students who misbehaved would just be sent home early. My laws would be simple: do what is right. If someone were to complain about some people or someone in particular, I’d banish the offending parties to Mars, but first I’d make Mars like another Earth, only for outcasts. They would have the raw basics for living, like food and shelter, and once they had shown they learned their lesson, only then would they come back to earth to live with the rest of the human race. On Mars, people could do whatever they wanted since I wouldn’t rule that planet, but I’d have most of the population on my side so they couldn’t fight very strongly.

I would make a rule that parents could only see their kids on the kids’ schedules. So parents only would be nosy when it was needed, a real guardian and not a over-reacting parent. Parents are just too nosy which diminishes the bond between them and the children. As a child, I know firsthand about these types of things as well, so I see it from the student’s perspective.

I would also get rid of cars and motorcycles that pollute the earth. Walking would become more common and our species would become less obese. Also, people would have to live closer together since there would be no way to get anywhere too fast (unless you had an extremely good athlete in your family). As a computer addict, I wouldn’t get rid of electricity, but I would get rid of any buildings over five stories tall. There would be no such thing as guns, but sarcasm and joking was always okay. You can’t really make racism against the law since most of us do it without thinking. If ut were outlawed, everybody would be sent to Mars, including me, by the end of the week. However, if someone were to get hurt or injured by either words or physically, I’d have a plan for that. Each person would have their own domesticated animal that they could always have as a loyal friend. The animal could summon help if needed for their “master” or just keep them company. If the owner were to become allergic or passed on, the animal would be set free into the wild and be quickly found by a new owner. The reason they would stay domesticated rather than becoming wild creatures is because of the world becoming fully natural. Then, even the smallest animal could survive without any kind of training. I might even think of crossbreeding some species so that we could invent a new species that would help us even more then the ones today.

More things I would do if I were in charge would be to get rid of paper, that green trade stuff known as money. Money is taking hold of our lives these days and life needs to be more suspenseful and unpredictable, not just about finding something and buying it for the price someone states. People should be able to bargain like the old ways of the Native Americans, and make deals at their own costs, not what someone tells them to pay. One thing that would be required though was to teach our younger generations how to either hunt or grow crops plus learn to make a shelter so even at a young age, they could learn how to live on their own if anything were to happen.

The last thing I would do would be to try and bring the population of humans down a bit and let things happen naturally. If an ice age wanted to hit, so be it, and same with earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, anything really. By taking tall buildings away like I said before though, less people would get hurt and then there would be less to fear of everything. My way, there’d be no fear of natural disasters anymore, just people calmly awaiting them in blissful thoughts. In my world, humans as a species wouldn’t endanger themselves with all the high-tech stuff they invent these days. They would know and think better.

All together, in one month I could and would make the world much different as the ruler of the world. Earth would be safer in environments, natural disasters, medical problems, and much more. I would make the world a better place to live…or so I hope.

Journal Entry

by Arracutie

There was once a young girl named Hannah. Her father and mother had been separated for as long as she could remember. But this day, her fifth birthday, she had something to celebrate. Her father Tom had met woman, a woman named Ana.

Ana was a sweet lady. Each day she would come home with a new book for Hannah, brownies, or flowers. She would wash Hannah with the rose lavender bubble bath she said would make Hannah’s skin shine, and hugged her as often as she smiled.

Finally, Hannah’s wish would come true. Her father had asked Ana to marry him, and they would now be that perfect family she had always envied. She had cavorted around the room when she had heard the news, and dreamed sweet dreams every night, waiting for the special day.

They found a beautiful country house where they would hold a small marriage ceremony with only close friends and family. When the day came, they drove the long seven-hour trip to their new country home. Although Hannah got bored easily, she distracted herself by imagining the wedding.

Ana would approach Tom in her white dress, and he would smile tenderly. The priest would then recite his long, melodic lines until the end drew near. Everyone would hold their breath, as to not interrupt the meaningful words. “Till death do you part,” the priest would finish. “I do,” my father would breathe. “I…I do,” my lovely new stepmother would answer. And then they would kiss.

Hannah stared happily from the back seat, watching her parents talk. She couldn’t imagine anything better than her blissful happiness.

Bowwow's Lucky Keychain: A Journal Entry

by Asia-Amani101

My name is Detective Amani, I am trying to find out who stole Bowwow's lucky keychain.

It all started when he was in the dressing room getting ready to sing "Let Me Hold You". He walked outside to see his girlfriend Ciara. When he walked back in the room and to his dresser it wasn't there.

"Oh my god, where is my chain?"

After that I got a phone call on my cell, it was Bowwow and Ciara. They told me that they needed me to find the lucky keychain.

"I am on my way." I said as I got in my car.

When I got there I asked everyone in the lobby if they had seen the keychain, but no one had seen it. I went back to the room to see if I could find it.

"Crack,crack,crack".

I stepped on something, and guess what it was, Bowwow's lucky keychain.

One sunny Sunday I got another phone call from Ciara.

"Hey Amani, I need your help I don't know where Bowwow is"!

"What? Where do you think he is"?

"I don't know just find my boo".

"Your boo? Girl don't make me slap you through this phone"!

Click, I hung up on her, then I called Bowwow.

"Boy where are you"?

"I am in Michigan". He said it like everything was fine.

"What are you doing in Michigan"?

"Trying to get away from Ciara".

"Why you tryna' get away from her"?

"I don't want to be her boo no more".

"Why not"?

"Cause' she ugly and she can't sing".

"Well I'll meet you in Michigan at 228 Redwood st., by NeNe house. I'll bring Ciara to so that you can pick if you want to be with her or not".

"Okay see you when you get here".

Then I got another phone call from Ciara.

"Amani, I am for real I really need your help. Sorry, sorry,sorry"!

"Okay let's take a trip a to Michigan to get this off your mind".

"What about...............".

"Okay just meet me at my house at 1:15, bye".

That same day Ciara came to my house she was crying.

"Why are you crying Ce Ce"?

"I was just thinking that maybe Bowwow was mad and left because of me".

"And if he did that's no need to cry, you just won't be his girlfriend just a friend".

"But we have been friends for so long it can't end like this".

"Well sometimes things end when you don't want to, nothing but a number line goes on forever, and at some point that has to end".

"Well unless it's a great relationship right"?

"Well I don't know just keep what I said in your head".

"Amani, you're the best! Let's go".

To be continued...

Why?

WHY?

a poem by BrownBomber#4

Some of the Problems and Consequences of Being a Teenager

Why join a gang?

To get respect?

You’re not going to find it.

You’ll end up dead or doing time.

So Why?

Why do drugs?

To be cool?

You’re not going to be.

You’ll just end up dead, addicted, out of school, or living on the street.

So Why?

Why get pregnant?

That’s up to you.

What are you going to do after that?

You’ll probably have to drop out of school, get a job, or two to pay for the things you’ll need.

So Why?

Why drink beer or alcohol?

To be cool?

That’s still not going to happen.

You’ll find yourself an alcoholic, out of school, mental problems, or physical pain.

So Why?

Why fight?

To get back at someone?

You’ll get that but at what price?

Being kicked out of school, jail, physical pain, or mental pain?

So Why?

Why waste your time doing these things that would cause harm to you or others? Instead of doing these things you could be getting all the things that are helpful to you for your future.

So before you do these things, think about the consequences and ask yourself:

WHY?

Colorado

by NeverFlyte

OK, so Colorado may not be as cold or as impressive as Gary Paulsen’s Minnesota. To me, though, it means holidays, feasts, free time and family.
My aunt and uncle own a bed & breakfast and a restaurant called “The Silver Nugget”. For the past three years, we’ve been going there for a week over Christmas break. We stay in their bed & breakfast and often, except for when there are too many people, we eat at the restaurant. It’s fun having whatever you want and sodas with every meal.
Over the days that we’re there, we do numerous activities. Some days we go sledding, some days we go to the hot springs. Everything is very close and easy to get to. The most memorable thing we did last year was hike on a trail along a river that was in a canyon (can’t remember what it was called). The trail started out as any normal trail, but by the middle, we were walking on a ramp-like thing that hung right over the river. There was a railing and even a cover on top to keep snow off, but the floor part was like a grid, with square empty spaces.
The water was around 20 feet below us, roaring loud enough that we had to talk by yelling in order to be heard. On either side of the fast-moving river was ice, from random chunks to icicles tinted a shade of light blue.
At the end of the trail (ramp?) it winded down in a series of staircases until you were standing beside the river in a little cavern with icicles big and small. It seemed slightly dangerous to be there where there were large spaces where the only thing was ice on the ground and nothing to hold on to. I walked cautiously across it anyway to get to the largest icicle, one that went straight from the ceiling to the floor, where it occasionally dripped.
There wasn’t any real smell, unless you count the wet dog smell that was in the Jeep we took to get to the river.

My Grandma's House

My favorite place to be when I am not at school is my grandma’s house. I know my grandma’s house like the back of my hand. It is so fun to be there because I get to hang out with my triplet aunties. I love to leave and walk around the neighborhood with my family. It is so much fun when we get to have parties there. I really love that house. My grandma has two bedrooms in her house. She also has two bathrooms. The back yard is so big with two dogs back there. The front yard has plants and flowers. The kitchen is medium and it’s where we are going to have our Thanksgiving dinner.
My favorite part of the house is the living room. My grandma has 2 big screen TV’s in there. I love when we stay up all night watching scary movies. It is even scarier because we have surround sound so it is so loud. I can’t wait until Thanksgiving break, because that’s where I’m going.

My Neighborhood

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I live in West O****. I feel like that is the heart of O. I live across the street from C****Village on 10th and W*****. When I’m at home, I worry about people. I worry about people like my brothers. I hear gunshots that lead to people's bodies dropping whether they are dead or not.
I feel like I know this place very well. I know the stop signs like the back of my hand. I feel that if I didn’t live in West O*****, I might as well be dead. I live in a duplex at the bottom in a 5 bedroom house. All the people that live in the place I call home are my mom, my 2 sisters, my nephew, my dog and of course, me. If I had a choice of a rich family in a rich neighborhood, I most definitely would choose West O***** and my people.
I really love West O**** because I have family everywhere I turn. I know that if I was anywhere else, anything could happen to me. But living in West O*****, it feels good to know you have people who will kill for you. Having family on every corner does have its consequences. It means you can’t be caught slipping, doing anything bad, because best believe your mother would know. But I wouldn’t change it for the world because I love West O*****.

My room

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One place that I know well is my room. I have one closet, two dressers, and two beds. In the left corner is my TV and on the side is my computer. In the right corner is a lamp. It is long and black and shines really bright.
My walls are painted periwinkle purple and my doors and closets are white. I have a dell computer that I don’t use very often. On my computer table is my cell phone. It’s a metro. I use it a lot especially when I text my friends. On one side of the beds, I have posters of people. On my beds, I have a lot of stuffed animals. I have snakes, turtles, teddy bears, and a plush pillow.
My room is very unique to me. It is kind of like my personality which is very good. My room is very special to me and I would never change it. I think my room is a part of me.

My room

by llover

A place I know really well is my room. I see my 2 book shelves, a desk, dresser, nightstand, bed, built-in closet and a lot of my personal stuff. The walls are painted blue and my dresser, desk, night stand, and built-in closet are painted white. My 2 book shelves and my bed are painted a healthy light brown with a finishing glossy touch. On my desk, I have a red lamp, a corkboard filled with old notes, pictures, key chains and pins, a phone holder, a picture of me when I was around 8 holding my pet hamster, 2 pictures of my parents and a lot of old letters, notes and pictures.

I have a tall book shelf and a short one. The tall one has 6 shelves. On the top shelf, I keep some of my “creations” from art class. On my 2nd shelf (going down) I have a picture of my family when we were in Hawaii and a lot of mementos from my other travel experiences. The third shelf holds all my series. For example, Twilight series, oops I meant it holds all my picture albums. The fourth shelf holds all my series books. My fifth shelf holds all my comic books. And finally my 6th shelf holds all my documentary war novels. On my other bookshelf, (the short one), I have 3 shelves. On the top shelf, I have all my electronics, iPod camera and iDog phone all charging. On the 2nd shelf (going down) I have all my Manga series. It literally takes up the whole shelf (I might need another one). The 3rd shelf are all my guilty pleasures, my Gossip girl series and the Clique novels.

As for my nightstand, I have a lamp full of shells and a clock. In the one drawer, I have a bunch of old journals me and my friends wrote in. On my dresser, I have a big mirror. To the left is an umbrella shaped metal (red) stand that holds all my earrings. In the center is a wooden boat shaped bowl holding all my make up (lip gloss, blush, mascara, etc.). To the right is a black plastic “hand shaped” figure holding all my rings. Plus a jewelry box (2) one holding my necklaces, another holding my bracelets. On the floor next to my tall bookcase are magazine holders filled with People and Us. Next to that, behind the door is a huge box (plastic, blue) filled with my stuffed animals. My room is a special place to me and I hoped I shared that with you.

My house

by nascar11

I know my house very well. I know all the hiding places, secret cabinets and stuff. When you’re in my house you see a lot of black furniture. Two couches, a chair, table, a desk and more, all black. You see a lot of clothes, scarves, and electronics also.
In my house, most likely you’re going to hear my radio (some type of music) or the TV. When the TV’s on and I’m watching it, you’ll hear channels 42, 44, 53, 54, 55 or 70 depending on the day and time. After school and on weekends, you could hear the computer and whatever sounds it’s making.
On week days, my house smells like Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Chewy Cookies mostly. On the weekends, it smells like Clorox and cleaning soaps and stuff. I normally can taste whatever I smell.
I love my house. It’s so cozy and it has so much flava flava flava. Man, lol. That’s off Flavor Flav's Dr. Pepper commercial. My house is really special to me.

My house

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My house, if we gave you directions to get there, we’d tell you to stop in front of the house with the yellow walls and green garage doors. There are three windows that have a small balcony in front of the largest one. Ivy, or my mom would call it bougainvillea, grows up the balcony and around the three windows. To the left of the garage doors and balcony, there are steps that lead to a porch, which leads to a front door. MY front door. The steps are wide and brick until they transform into narrow wood ones. The wood, once glossy, now is worn down and scratched up. The front door is made of the same wood as the steps, only still glossy and pretty. Not weathered like the steps because of the porch's roof above it.
Then if you close your eyes, here’s what you’d smell. It would smell crisp near the steps, but near the garage, the ivy would clog your nose with its pleasant scent. The air, it wouldn’t be cold or hot, but the sun would warm your skin altogether being my favorite weather in the world. You would hear the gentle breeze and then the loud thudding rap music from the apartment building two houses down.
Then if you were me, you would march up the brick steps and then the wood ones right up to the glossy front door where you would take out your keys. Your keys, two on a key chain that is a pink pointe shoe. You would take out the one with the deep ridges in it like little mountains. You would put it in the lock and open the door. You would slam it shut (otherwise it doesn’t close) and yell “I’m home”. If you were me, that is.

Eritrea

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The most beautiful, fresh, and favorite place that I have lived is Eritrea in East Africa. That place is like the smell of a hot baked fresh bread. It has peaceful sounds of birds singing and the trees glow with the sound of leaves moving. Eritrea is the only place that doesn’t have any weather damages that have been done to the country nor any drought that killed people's thirst. I like Eritrea because of the peace that has been restored and the fun that all children and adults share. I hope that I could go back to that place. No wonder I miss the place. Maybe one day I will go back and feel the love for my country.
I always told myself that Eritrea wasn’t just a normal country when compared to the other countries in Africa. There is something special about the country that always inspired me to think that it has natural gifts from God, which mostly comes from the people’s beliefs and how much they really believe in God. Living there is an unforgettable event in my life and I will remember it always.
As I have seen before, there aren’t that much of any tourists that visited the country but if you really see the news there isn’t anything wrong you can find about the country. The thing that interests me about it is that when you look at the whole country’s improvement it is really incredible. You see a lot of people working all over the country. That really makes you think they are really hard workers.

My Grandmother's House

by Emberlyn Azure

Until my Grandma moved to California, we would visit her in Massachusetts every summer. She lived on a hill in a log cabin with no close neighbors. When you drove up the road, there were giant green trees, soft moss and colorful flowers as far as the eye could see. On the steps and inside was a cozy abode of quilts and knickknacks (or as my Grandma calls them – Chachkahs).
My Grandma’s house always had a tasty smell of the food cooking in the oven. As you walked upstairs, you would start to smell the strong smell of moth balls and fresh blankets. My Grandma’s house was elderly and unique.
Grandma’s house was peaceful. I would sit on the squishy couch, a couch like a feather on a cloud. I would sit there in the morning watching TV and waiting for breakfast. After breakfast, we would plan a day full of friends and the town’s carnival.
To understand sitting in Grandma’s living room, close your eyes and picture a medium sized room with dark wood walls. Now instead of imagining sitting on a normal chair, picture yourself on the softest couch ever, with a not so attractive green carpet. You lean over to the side table with a ceramic lamp on it and grab the remote. You lean back and turn on the television. Soon after your Grandma comes in with some of your favorite cereal. AAHH! This is the life. Then everyone comes in and you plan the day.
Most importantly, Grandma’s house was a way to be calm and visit family. After the long day, we would come back to the living room and sit on the couch. We were coral silently resting in our home, the sea.
Every day we were there we would have the same routine with Grandma cooking, me on the couch, and my mom on the phone. At the end of our visit, we would drive to the airport and say goodbye.
When we got home, we would be happy to be back in California but sad because it would be another year till we go back to Grandma’s log house on the hill in Massachusetts.

My Home

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My home is in East O*****. When you walk inside my house, its heaven. You can hear my bad brothers running around. You hear my grandmother in her bedroom watching TV. Her favorite channel. Her favorite TV show. When you walk around the table, through the kitchen, either in my mom’s room, the bathroom, or outside, you can hear my mom talking hecka loud to her cousin, etc. At night, since my aunty lives in the back, my aunty does something with her boyfriend like partying, watching movies, etc.
When you’re in my house, you can smell one of the best things. Man! Like when you're in the living room you can smell the breeze in the whole room. Probably my mom's hair because she had been in the shower using that shampoo and conditioner. My grandmother and my mom in the kitchen, WOW! Let me tell you. Looks good; tastes good and smells hecka good.
Now from talking about smell and hearing things in my house, I’m gonna tell you about taste. Well, this subject is only in the kitchen. My mom’s chicken legs are off the hook crazy good. It tastes like it's your birthday. My aunt’s rice krispie treats are better than the company’s ones. Man is that so good. To me you know what’s really good? I’ll tell you. My dad’s steak. WOO! That’s all. Thanks.

Descriptive Essays

We wrote short descriptive essays describing locations we know well. You might recognize some of these places from the I Am From poems we wrote at the beginning of the year. We hope our details help you visualize the settings we're describing. Enjoy!

Untitled

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[If Obama were here] I would say, you did a good job, and I hope you are a good president. I hope you can stop the war and help the economy. There is a lot of work to do and hopefully you can do it all. You have amazed blacks and whites everywhere so do good.

Untitled

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Judging by what he says about affordable health care, new schools, recruiting new teachers and giving tax cuts for the middle class, I'm happy. We are in for finally long-lasting change.

Barack Obama

by NeverFlyte

Barack Obama was elected 44th preident of the United States last night. I was happy. Proud that the person that my family supported did win. What does this mean, though? I can remember to to two elections before this one, both times with Bush winning. Being a Democrat, it was easy to criticize his every action and frown upon his words.
What will Barack do? Will he have the opposite effect on us that Bush did? Will he also make mistakes, as Bush did? Will he really make a difference? Can he really make a difference?
All I can do is sit down for the wild ride that is set before us, and hope for the best.

Letter About Obama

by Ary

I am so amped that Barack Obama was elected the 44th president last night. It means that I can finally trust a president. He will help everyone get a house and lower taxes and help everyone get healthcare. If he were here I'll tell him that I'm glad that he is president and to lower gas prices, because every time me and my mom go shopping I can't get anything because she says gas prices are too high.