8 - Isabella Villa: Say Red

Perspective, A thought in your mind that pops up every time you see and hear something. Take orange for example. When I think of oranges I think of fruit. On a summer day after you have finished the last bite and your hands are stained with orange juice. Others might have thought of the color. Your perspective is based on what experience you had with that particular thing. Many people despise presenting in front of others and this is mostly because of an experience they had personally.

Your perspective can also be influenced by others. We all are guilty of listening to what others say about their experience instead of trying it out for ourselves. Look at your perspective, look through your eyes and you will see that you look at the world completely differently than others. It is crazy how many perspectives there are out there in the world and not one is exactly alike

I love the quote above from Matilda the musical and it’s what made me want to write about this topic, because you will never know, “If red means the same thing in your head as red means in My head.”  This quote makes me think about how would anyone know if everyones red meant the same thing.Its crazy how the brain works and how everyone's brain is the same structure but has completely different perspectives and personalities. Everyone has a different perspective about everything and I think it is amazing what you can learn from others perspectives and what others can learn from you. Even when you think you don’t have a good perspective. 

Word Count:271

8 - Richard Hsia: Polar Opposites

 

    Physical traits are always inherited by children from their parents. And their parents' parents, and their parents' parents' parents, and so on. However, personality traits aren't as simple - sometimes, people are nothing like their parents in terms of personality, and sometimes they're almost exactly the same. 

    In my case, I'm neither more like my mom nor my dad - I'm a mix between the two, but I'm not really 'like' one or the other. My mom is very unorganized, usually late to things, and so on, but my dad on the other hand is never late to anything and has an incredible work ethic. Everything is always done on time and is always neat. I wish I could be like my dad when it comes to this, but unfortunately I'm always a little late and don't have the best organization skills. 

    My mom is very social and talkative, while my dad keeps to himself and his close friends most of the time. He rarely asks for help and is very independent, but my mom is the type of person to call me all the way downstairs to pass her the remote 5 feet away. I'm a mix of both when it comes to these traits, which is something I'm okay with because I think it's good to have a balance of independency and dependency. 

    Many of my other personality traits aren't really like my mom or my dad. I feel as if I get more of my personality from friends I hang around often - when you spend a lot of time with people, you slowly start to become more like them in certain ways. Over my life, I've had many friends in many different places across the state, and I absorb traits from them and it slowly becomes part of my tendencies and eventually my personality. 

  Although I'm not really more like my mom or my dad, I sort of serve as a combination of the two, which makes sense since they're both my parents. I see them as complete opposites, and I'm the little space in the Venn Diagram where the two circles overlap. Although I wish I could pick and choose personality traits from the two, nobody's perfect - I still love my parents and I'm glad I'm similar to both of them, even if it's just a little. 

389 words

8 - Alexis A: Putting Things in Perspective

Life is about perspective. There is always an easy way to go about everything that we encounter. One way can seem to move us forward instantly. But, sometimes it's not the most practical way. Perspective pushes us in the right direction.

Perspective challenges our focus more than anything else. There’s never one way to accomplish something. Yet, we are so focused on getting what we want or something is done that our attention is driven by this point of view. Perspective is more impactful than that. Despite being something we see, it reflects what we are truly looking for. A change in perspective changes our experience. It allows us to see more about things for what they are than what we want to see.

A small change in perspective goes a long way in life. As simple as taking the advice of another person. Someone telling you the harsh truth rather than sugar-coating it. Walking into the shoes of a misunderstood, fictional character. Whether good or bad, these are simply different perspectives. Being close-minded takes away from our ways of living. Our paths are created by always keeping things in perspective. They come and go, but that's all it takes to see something in a new light. We reap the benefits by wanting to create change with just tiny adjustments. Our focus in life should be a matter of perspective.

Perspective captures how we see the world. It is what we choose to focus on that acts as a lens. Perspective is not about seeing something one way or another but how we let it guide us through life.

Word Count: 269

8 - Cassandra Salvador: I Guess I'm A Visual Person

 

I am the person that sees the world in a different shade. I have the eyes of a violinist, composer, singer, and a painter; the eyes of an artist. 

Where you may see dark blueish purple, I see perfectly placed indigo. Where you may see a scramble or jumble of trash or random things, I see art and a pattern.

I’ve always had a knack for making these pleasing to the eyes. It’s always been therapeutic in an odd way where I could get lost in decorating a water bottle with stickers or a slideshow with random virtual ones. It was very very enjoyable for me to find that organization within the chaos that my eyes saw.

It seems like such a stupid thing to think, but I believe I experience the world through my eyes. When writing books, I write through mostly visuals along with the different senses as a secondary thing from touch, taste, etc. I also am very quiet, observing the places and people around me through my sense of sight. 

I never really think about sound in the moment. When I need to remember something quickly, I rely on my sense of sight to send a “photo” to the front of my brain so I can read it off the “page.”

Also, when I process, to make sure I stay focused on the words being said to me, I translate what is being said to “text” within my brain as if I’m writing a transcript live in my head that I can go back to later in my head when I’m trying to remember everything. I do forget most of it after a bit, but it still helps me focus during the time so I process the majority of what’s being said.

I didn’t even realize that I’m a very visual person until I wrote this. The more you know!

Word Count: 314

8 - Annabelle N: Toxic Perfectionism/Generational Trauma in Encanto (Media Analysis)

The message—or messages—of Encanto can be interpreted in hundreds of different ways, from the meaning of family roles, mental illness/disability, perfectionism, or even trauma. I believe that Encanto involves all of these themes at once, all tied together with the closest character that applies as the “villain” of the movie: Abuela.

Throughout the movie, Abuela picks on Mirabel, the one Madrigal kid without a gift. In the flashback of Mirabel’s gifting ceremony the two seem close, but it appears that once Mirabel wasn’t gifted then Abuela started distancing herself from her. Mirabel’s lack of a gift could symbolize either a disability or just being a middle child; not young enough to be doted upon but not achieving like your siblings. It could also represent a child comparing themself to their “gifted” siblings. Abuela, subconsciously or not, sees Mirabel as a flaw in their family.

This could be the reason why Isabella, the golden child striving for perfection, also picks on Mirabel, perhaps subconsciously noticing Abuela’s treatment of Mirabel and not wanting the same thing to happen to her. Isabella hides her true feelings for Abuela’s approval. When she’s so uncomfortable at the idea of Mariano wanting to have many children with her, flowers sprout on her head, the way her gift shows her discomfort. But Abuela ignores this clear sign and picks the one white flower out of the other purple flowers off her head; she wants Isabella to be perfect, and she doesn’t really care about her feelings.

This is similar to Luisa (though she doesn’t pick on Mirabel like Isabella), who takes on more than she can carry to please Abuela, making her a good representation of the over-achieving older sibling in family dynamics. This movie doesn’t just label the ostracized child as the victim; it shows how dealing with the expectations of a “gifted” kid can be just as difficult.

More family roles include the outcast, Bruno, and Pepa, whose gift is reminiscent of an anxiety disorder. Abuela frequently tells her to “Calm down, Pepa,” but as someone with anxiety can tell you, someone telling me to calm down only makes it worse.

The most important metaphor in Encanto is the Casita Madrigal, the Madrigal family’s house and miracle. This is the most overt metaphor; it represents their family, and as tensions rise in the family (mostly due to Abuela) the house literally cracks. Their "broken home" is literally broken, not a subtle but well-done metaphor. In Mirabel’s big fight with Abuela where she declares that Abuela is the reason that the family is falling apart, the floor cracks between Mirabel and Abuela, showing the literal and figurative rift between them.

But why is Abuela the way she is? Without making her the victim and justifying her actions, depth is added to her character towards the end of the movie. She was a refugee who had to watch her husband die, leaving her alone with her miracle and triplets. In juxtaposition with the beginning of the movie, this flashback doesn’t portray the miracle as an amazing, magical thing, but rather a shelter to hide away from a traumatic memory. The miracle literally creates mountains to separate Casita from the river where her husband tragically died.

She was given a miracle, but she never felt deserving of it. She had to force her family to be perfect and earn the gifts they were given. But Mirabel helps her realize (as it’s sung in “All of You”) that “the miracle is not some magic that you got, the miracle is you.” Abuela realizes that the miracle isn’t something to be earned, but something to care for and nurture, and she must connect the family back together with Mirabel to get the magic back and fix Casita (their family). In fact, Mirabel’s name is very similar to the word “miracle.”

Then what is Mirabel’s “gift”? While I’m glad they didn’t explicitly state that she had a gift all along (it would have undermined the metaphor for disability or feeling ungifted), Casita’s doorknob becomes hers, representing how she was a part of the magic in reconnecting her family. But also to be noted is the butterfly symbolism throughout the movie: Dos Oruguitas (which talks about two caterpillars turning into butterflies, representing Abuela and her husband), the yellow butterfly that appears throughout the movie whenever Abuela’s husband is mentioned (representing his spirit), and the butterflies that appear on Mirabel’s dress. Mirabel is a symbol of hope and cycle-breaking from generational trauma.

While I don’t come from an immigrant family myself, I’ve heard people who have talk about how they feel like they have to fulfill this expectation to the adult figures in their family who saved them, like they have to be perfect because they were given a whole new life, or a “miracle.” But you don’t have to earn that miracle by being “perfect”; the miracle is you, and you deserve to be happy, no matter what gift you have been given.

Word Count: 820

8 - Kennedy H: The Best Gift I’ve Been given, My first Iphone

Apple products consume the modern world, especially among teenagers. We Facetime each our friends and family, use a universal charger, connect our other apple devices like apple watches and airpods to our phone, and play imessage games. Without an Iphone these things aren’t possible unless on another brand. But when all the kids around you have an Iphone, you long for one too. 

I got my first phone in 5th grade but I only ever had Samsung phones. And throughout middle school and the early years of being a teenager, I felt indirectly left out for having a different kind of phone then the majority of the teenager population. I couldn’t be apart of many groupchats or accidenally messed them up with a Samsung. My dad would always tell me Samsungs are the better phone but I didn’t care and liked the simplicity of the Iphone,  

But for Christmas in December 2019 halfway through my freshman year I received the best gift ever, an Iphone X or just my first Iphone. I was beyond overjoyed and it felt almost life changing. My friends freaked out when my messages turned from green to blue and they knew. I had an Ipad before so I was able to Facetime, but it's inconvenient to constantly use just for yourself but with my own Iphone I could now have a smaller screen to hold. I could now Airdrop whenever I needed to instead of texting many pictures and waiting awhile. It shifted my life more then you could imagine from just a change in device brands. 

Word Count: 262

8 - Kristina G: By Merely Hoping, Nothing Will Be Achieved

We can manifest, we can yearn, we can desire, and we can hope, but that will only do so much. Nothing will be achieved by mere hope. 

Hoping to win your sports game, hoping to pass your math test, and hoping that you won’t mess up during your concert does not guarantee the desired outcome. By hoping, these goals will never be reached. Simply put, “Hope is not a strategy”. 

It’s important to preface that hope is not a bad thing. Being optimistic and hopeful is a great thing. Hope should be used as a catalyst for your actions. It may inspire and spark creativity. The combination of optimism and personal goals can be used to drive motivation. Hope is not a strategy but it is critical in overcoming obstacles, and eventually achieving what was desired. 

Hope is more of a mindset, but essentially this hope should lead to actions instead. You can only attain what you desire by putting in work and effort. Not everything in life comes easy. To be better at something, you must practice consistently. To be a better athlete, you must practice everyday and effectively complete drills. To be a better student, you must pay attention in class and even study for tests. To be a better musician, you must practice your instrument and play songs over and over. These are only a few examples, but it is applied to everything in life. Solely relying on the idea of hope will achieve nothing. Your actions are what drive your success. 

Word Count: 255

7- Madison A: Connections Aren't Always Relative

My parents have been divorced for as long as I can remember. In that sense, they’ve been separated in my mind as well. Different houses meant that I now had two of everything- including my relationship with my parents, which was a package deal until they’d split. 

I find my mom to be the so-called ‘leader’ of our family, as well as the most empathetic and thoughtful person to my sister and I’s well-being. Considering the fact that I’ve spent most of my time around her, much of my mom’s habits and beliefs were adopted by me as a child. Even today, our relationship is largely reliant on the ways in which we are similar. She showed me the lone selfies she used to take while hiking- now we hike together. She recommended trash TV shows- every Sunday is now dedicated to Survivor. Much later on, she gave me advice on how I should go about adulthood- I got a job and began working. 

In that sense, we seem to be the same person in different fonts. In other ways, I can’t imagine ever agreeing with her. She’s overly optimistic, in a way that’s borderline toxic, but something that has gotten her to where she is now. Positivity has always seemed to do more damage in my life. The optimism that drives her has only ever suffocated me, and is something I’ll never truly feel comfortable with. Pessimism is realism in my experience, and I feel comforted knowing the worst possible outcome of a situation. This mindset would’ve never worked for her.

 I rarely feel connected to my dad in any sense. I understand that this is a common experience for daughters, and even more so for children of divorced parents. Sometimes, when a person has caused a great deal of pain it seems almost impossible to find similarities in them. I believe that it is fully ok to not connect with your parents, or even enjoy their company. It’s a natural part of life to completely oppose your parents personality, beliefs, or habits, and shouldn’t be something that is mandatory to have a relationship with them. While these differences may build a connection in the future, it is not always guaranteed to blossom in due time. 

Appreciating any admirable quality, no matter how small, has helped me when I’ve felt disassociated with my dad. Beyond the differences, arguments, or even immense pain caused by your parents, it is important to consider what type of person YOU would like to be. What you would change about your parents, avoid in your own life. What you wish you could see from them, do for yourself. Connections aren’t relative to your relationships with them. Although you may always search for more from your parents, they might never meet the standard you set for them. Instead, meet your own standard. Most importantly, give your parents empathy and understanding in their differences. We are all human. With humanity comes the ability to change. Both in yourself and your parents, trust the process and believe in the change.

Word count: 513

7 - Annabelle Nash: Peter Pan, A Story Lost in Translation (Literary/Media Analysis)

I read Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie once when I was about nine years old, and I grew up on the Disney movie and a few other adaptations. Only recently have I reread the original novel, and I realized just how much the story was lost in translation from the author’s original vision.

There are many examples of scenes from books being lost in translation when it reaches a screen, such as the Broadway adaptation of Les Misérables when Eponine sings about “A Little Fall of Rain,” when in the book it wasn’t actually raining, but it was instead implied that she was so soaked in her own blood she thought it was raining.

But almost the entire underlying darkness of Peter Pan is lost in screen adaptations. Yes, the Disney adaptation was mostly accurate in plot points and characters, but the rather sinister theming was lost.

In the novel, Neverland doesn’t have a magic that makes children never grow up; that only applies to Peter because he’s a magical being. Actually, there’s a line in the book that explains how Peter kills the Lost Boys, either to “thin the herd” or because they are growing up, because growing up is against Peter’s rules. The only adults who are seen are the pirates.

Actually, this makes Captain Hook seen as more morally grey than evil, as the “hero” of the story does as many evil deeds as he does, like killing and kidnapping children. The novel offers insight into Hook’s childhood that makes him quite sympathetic, and you almost root for him to kill the menace Peter Pan.

So the original novel is much more overt and dark like a fairytale in its theme of the importance of growing up. Most Peter Pan movies sugarcoat this theme, so it’s rather surprising how sinister the book can be.

Word Count: 310

The Similarities and Differences between Me and My Parents

           My mom and dad brought me into the world almost 17 years ago and since then have been caring for me ever since. Due to these long years I was bound to have picked up a trait or two from them. Whether looks and physical features or personality traits my parents and I are both similar and different.

          My father and I share many traits both physical and mental. To get it out of the way my dad and I look extremely similar. I originally took his blonde hair but it has now taken a light shade of brown. We both have very white skin. Both of us are considered to be tall as I am 6’1 and he is 6’6. However our similarities are not only physical. Both of us are quite hot-headed. Our interests of Star Wars and TV shows like Band of Brothers or The Pacific are the same. My mom sometimes says that I am my father’s son and looking at our similarities I can’t say that I disagree.

          My mom and I are also very similar. Our similarities mostly come out in the form of personality as we do not look that much similar. Her dark brown hair and tan skin do not match my light blonde and white. That being said we are both very sensitive even if I try to hide it. We both love soccer. 

          My differences with my parents are mostly physical with my mom and mental with my dad. With my mom I look very little like her. I am 6’1 to her 5’2 (she will try to tell you she is 5’3). I have the white skin and light brown hair. With my dad the differences are shown more in our personalities. I am a very big introvert while he has to be an extrovert for a living. He and I are passionate about different things. My parents and I share many differences and similarities but through them we have been able to strengthen our bond.

          Word Count: 337

7- Megan U: actions have consequences

 241

That flower thats slowly withering and turning black? That happened for a reason. The game that you won? Also happened for a reason. People find it difficult to understand that everything has a purpose, whether negative or positive. Actions have consequences and consequences are the driving foce behind everything that happens. Thing’s just dont happen for no reason because if they did, they wouldn’t have happened. 

“Its just happened for no reason” is an overused excuse that isn’t plausible at all. Who are you to tell me that something happened for no reason? Its a pathetic excuse people use to disguise the lie they’re trying so hard to conceal.It’s not just a bad excuse but its just overall confusing. Everything happens for a reason; there is no way that something just happened because it just happened. The test you aced? It didn’t happen for no reason. You studied and worked hard for the grade which is the reason behind why you aced that test. The game you lost? Also didnt happen for no reason, you lacked the amount of practice put in and lost (sorry for being bitter but you get what im saying) 

There shouldnt even be a counterargment to this because it crystal clear obvious that everything DOES happen for a reason. But if someone does end up coming with a counterargument on if everything does happen for a reason, i’d want to try to see from their perspective

7-Isabella V: My Little Turtle

 

I have a little turtle (well he’s not really little any more) his name is Turdie (nope not Tiny Tim) I put him in the fish tank to see if he could swim! 

The story of my turtle goes back a few years to when I was in the 4th grade at Callison Elementary. One day after my class was coming in from recess I noticed a pretty cool rock on the ramp of the classroom.(as you can see where this was going this was no rock.) My teacher had seen my classmates and I surrounding the cool, now moving little rock and snached it up before any of us had even realized it was a baby turtle. Now 4th grade me was now coming up with all the excuses to why my teacher should let me keep the turtle. That also meant the rest of my class was also fighting about who gets to keep the turtle. Long story short my teacher allows me to take the turtle home.

 Proud little me was feeling like I was on the top of the world, as I walked out to the parking lot two hands clasped to each side of the tupperware. My mom had no choice but to say, “Yes you can keep him” as I jumped into the car and buckled up as if the decision was already made before I had even shown my mom.

When I got home that day I had nowhere else to put him but the fish tank and he was small enough that he would fit with the rest of my fish. He was the size of a dollar coin when I brought him home and once I plopped him in the fish tank his personality came out quick. You imagine a turtle slow and boring but my turtle did flips of his dock, chased around the fish and then hid when they chased him. 

I had a hard time naming him and don’t even remember how he got the name Turdie but someone once said it and it stuck. Today Turdie lives in a huge tank with many different rocks from family vacations and he loves them. When my mom cleans his tank and moves all his plants and rocks around he throws a temper tantrum. (Who ever knew that turtles could throw tantrums like little toddlers) He tears all his plants off the glass and digs all his rocks around and puts them exactly where he wants them. Turdie also has a girlfriend, but it's a rock so don’t get too excited. This one particular rock he will separate from the rest and do what we call, “his rituals” where he fans the rock with his front flippers.( I don’t know why he does this to this particular rock but he’s been doing it ever scene he was a baby)

Turdie loves eating strawberries during summer, dancing when you come over to see him and chasing our cats when we let him run around. Some people may say having a turtle for a pet is boring but I love my crazy little turtle, Turdie.  

Word Count:524

7 - Alexis A: The Powerful Feeling of Gratitude

I’ve always had the mentality that it is better to give than to receive. Christmas is a familiar time that accompanies gift-giving and receiving. My mom would tell me to be present in the spirit of Christmas, rather than the presents themselves. As I got older, familiar times like this gave me a deeper understanding of gratitude in everything. It's true that “there are two kinds of gratitude: the sudden kind we feel for what we take, the larger kind we feel for what we give.”

    There is something so special about choosing or taking time on a gift or thoughtful idea for friends or family. It's even better when you see the joy that you expected from them. Their reaction makes you feel complete, knowing that you have given them something that makes them happy and appreciated. Being on the other side represents the instantaneous gratitude from what we receive. As you are surprised and thankful, you take in the thought of what you’ve been given at that moment. The two kinds of gratitude make up its deeper meaning, therefore, establishing it as a powerful feeling.

    For instance, in December 2020, my friends and I planned a surprise for one of our friends. Arguably, the best gift-giver in our friend group, we showed gratitude to our friend, Jenna. We did an Advent Calendar Scavenger Hunt, which sounds like a lot. But since her birthday is in December, we gave her a gift every day, hidden all around her house. This was our way of thanking her for the times we’ve felt happy in sudden moments with a large surprise that let her experience them herself. 

The powerful feeling of gratitude takes the form of a gift or something thoughtful. But when deeply recognizing the two kinds, there is more to each one that makes the feeling whole.

Word Count: 308

7 - Morgan W: Everything Does Happen For a Reason

 

 

Everything happens for a reason. Today in AP Lang, Ms. Ruiz was describing how she had a student who thoroughly disagreed with this statement very passionately. Well I am a student who very passionately believes this. Throughout the course of my life, I’ve been through a lot. I’ve met a lot of people and I’ve lost a lot of people. I thoroughly believe that all of this happens for a reason. I cannot say I believe that your life's fate is planned out, I cannot say I believe in God’s plan. But your experiences are something that you always need to take with you. Everything is a lesson. When you’re born you are by definition innocent. And with innocence comes ignorance, and with ignorance comes the opportunity to learn. Every action you take in your life has a consequence and generally you learn from these consequences for better or worse. These experiences make up who you are. Everyone has to learn simple things like the fact that lying and stealing are wrong but you also have to learn what's right as well as what you enjoy. The actions you take have the biggest impact on who you become even if you think something is insignificant, every choice you’ve made has led to you reading this blog right now. Every step you take in life is creating the person you are working towards becoming, even if you're not quite sure what that is yet. Your steps lead you closer to your passion, your lessons, your consequences. You’re becoming who you are and in order to do so everything MUST happen for you to become this version of yourself. So yes, everything does happen for a reason. Maybe not according to a laid out plan. But everything that happens makes up everything we are, everything we see, everything we experience. And there's always a reason for the things around us that happen, even if they teach us different lessons than what we were expecting.

Word count: 337

6 - Morgan W: The Simplicity of a Waterbottle

 

Right before the pandemic hit, hydroflasks, painted, stickered and plain were a rising trend. As many began acquiring these bottles, they obviously started drinking more water. I was a part of this trend. Maybe not the whole vsco trend, but I definitely started collecting bottles. I’ve always been one to drink nothing but water, “if you're thirsty you're already dehydrated” or at least that's what my grandma always said. But I found myself drinking even more water, with this source always available, it makes water more convenient to access and when it's empty you have to fill it since there's no point in carrying an empty bottle. I think this was the case for many, not just myself. Having easier access to something generally means you're more likely to do it, showing a lot about our society and how we function. Hydration is a basic need and standard for every person but when a can of soda is an easier grab than filling up a glass of water that fact can be forgotten about and pushed aside out of laziness and ease. Although filling up a water bottle is time consuming, it's also time consuming to drive to the store and buy more of these easily accessible beverages. Even though it's just a water bottle, it’s important to consider how simple things like this in our life are bigger factors into our well being and health. Hydroflasks are also a very useful thing to carry not just for convenient hydration, if you're traveling they are great for soup or hot chocolate if you need something warm and easy.  Although hydroflasks are a bit pricey, there are always alternative brands that can match your ideal price and provide you with the same amount of productivity and efficiency and hydration. 

Word count : 298

5 - Morgan W: The Meaning of Music

 

To love music can mean many different things to many different people. Some may find it as a useful escape and some may find it as a form of expression, a form of creativity and art. To make music means so much to certain people and to appreciate music brings an overwhelming state of emotions, all are good. Music to many people is very symbolic, messages, stories, and even history are told through the power of music and that is why it means so much to so many people. Ever since I could talk I remember trying to sing along with every song on the radio, even if it was inappropriate, I didn’t know the difference. As my love for music evolved, I realized that there had to be people who ACTUALLY made it, it wasn’t just something that appeared. I was at a summer camp one summer day in Berkeley, I saw this man with an accordion present to us about what he did. How he made a living off of this instrument that looked like a piano mixed with a vacuum cleaner and was automatically interested. I got in my mom's car that day and immediately told her about this man and this instrument. For years after this moment I was so invested in music and how it worked, having no idea that it was a lot more than just do, re, mi. To many, music is what they hear through their headphones, they might not understand what a time or key signature is, but they understand the emotions music can make one feel. They understand the lyrics, which generally means that that musician has succeeded with their work. Music surely has affected every single person on the face of the earth whether it was just to help understand how they feel or the most important role of a party that turned out to be the best night of someone's life. Music is the underlying glue in many different people's lives, shaping how everyone lives.

Word count 337

7 - Cassandra S: My Crazy Cat

I do not understand her. She is crazy, bipolar almost. Moodswings is her middle name for she is lovely and playful one moment and ready to attack you for stepping in the same room as her the next. 

Cloudy, green, and yellow, her eyes tell a mysterious story. Her cheeks puff out as her temper flairs and rises, revealing her messy tan mustache. I feel her tail twitch in front of my face like she's trying to push me away. I best flee before her claws bare themselves.

She always runs with her legs flailing beneath her through our house. She’s a Nascar driver on our hardwood floor, even drifting, and a couple of times crashing and burning into a chair. It’s funny. We laugh and she darts away.

Jinx does not like to be laughed at. In fact, she is probably more self-conscious than I am. She doubts herself. She can jump so far, but a lot of the time she gets in her head about her being able to make it. The instant before she leaps, you can see the doubt on her face as her form flails out of control and she belly flops to the ground. We try not to laugh, but it's funny that she’s such a headcase.

Often, I wonder if she would have preferred being a turtle rather than a cat.

Word Count: 228

7 - Kristina G: Valentine’s Day Was Better In Elementary School

A few days before you had to create a mailbox where you could store all your Valentine’s day treats and gifts. All you need is a shoebox, Elmer’s glue, tape, glitter, and construction paper to assemble your very own, one of a kind Valentine’s day mailbox. By the end of Valentine’s day in elementary school, every sugar hungry child was drowned in candy. Whether it was conversation hearts to the addictive fun dip, parents knew their children weren’t going to sleep that night. 

Honestly, Valentine’s Day back in elementary school was worth cherishing. There was a designated time where students had to pass out store-bought treats, sodas, candy, fake tattoos and those valentine’s day stickers from the dollar tree no one really wanted. Most schools require every student to pass something out. Everyone was guaranteed a pile of gifts and what could be any better than that? 

I have a vivid memory from the 2nd grade of making all of my classmates a handwritten card. It was on the average 8.5x11 white printer paper and of course it was folded in half, hamburger style. I drew myself and the other person on the front and it said “To: (person’s name), From: Kristina” as I tried to use my very best handwriting. When you opened it, a paragraph was written. In this short paragraph, I wrote about my favorite aspects of each person. Whether we were close friends or only acquaintances, it didn’t matter because I always found something positive to say. It ranged from “I really like your hair” to “You are really good at the monkey bars”. Then, I would draw my favorite memory I had with the person. It always depicted me and the other person playing on the playground or in the grass. The amount of effort this took was astonishing. I remember being up the night before trying to complete the very last ones, skimming through the alphabetical class list making sure I didn’t forget anyone. I knew this wasn’t candy or something you can play with after school, but it came from the heart. To this day, I wonder if anyone kept theirs and even still have it today. 

My love for Valentine’s day is rooted in the joys of elementary school. Valentine’s Day in elementary school just meant treats, movies, and arts and crafts. No worries, just pure wholesomeness. It was always fun spending time with your classmates and showing each other what you guys got. Whatever you had planned this year, it’s always fun to reminisce about the simpler times where a box of conversation hearts and a Hershey’s kiss was enough to make you feel loved on Valentine’s Day. 

Word Count: 448

7- Kennedy H: The similarities and differences between me and my parents

 

When you think how much your alike your parents often the phrase nature versus nurture comes up. We may genetically be like our family but we could also be influenced by others around us. I think I look like my mom based on what others tell me but I display more positive traits from my dad but am unique too and pretty much the opposite  from my mom personality wise. 

My dad and I are more alike than my mom and me. My mom and dad can both contain a hint of stubbornness to them. I can be the same way and when something isn’t progressing how I desire it to, I'll get all quiet but all persistent. My dad and I also both get annoyed at people that are being irrational or dumb. We’ll often share stories about it with each other, but we don’t go off on the people or be explicitly rude. This enters in many forms like watching bad drivers, disruptive students, teammates, and slow hallway walkers. It’s not a personality trait but multiple of my mom’s friends and our family find that I look a lot like her, I don’t observe it but just in a general way. 

But there are many differences between my parents and me. My mom is an extremely social, extroverted person. She hates being cooped up at home and alone time isn’t much of a necessity for her. I however do love being with my close friends and interacting but I need my own time alone unless it’s with my dog. I enjoy a relaxing and productive day at home. I don’t need to constantly go out and be in the company of others. My dad is more about reality than dreams and very realistic and goal-focused. He graduated early from high school, went to a community college, and mainly worked in high school then almost joined the air force for good education benefits. I’m also realistic but could compromise a bit for my dreams like paying a little bit more to go to a good college right out of high school instead of saving money and transferring. But that’s only if I have good options to go too.

My mom was never really set on a particular ambition, and kind of just went with the flow of life and where it took her. She gave birth to kids young and accepted jobs when they were convenient and took a while for her education. In high school, she was mainly social and never really tried to figure out what she may want to perform in the future. But I have wanted to be a Physician's Assistant since about eighth grade and go to a college in California towards the coast or in southern california. Knowing the job requirements I’ve been wanting to pursue schools with amazing Biology programs and take classes in high school to prepare me. My parents both raised me at different times with their own styles and even my step parents may have an influence on what makes up who I am. 

Word Count: 515