Signals by Ellie Shields

My pet peeve is when people switch lanes or cut you off without using their turning signals when driving their cars. Cars have been around since before I was born and I still can’t manage to imagine why people can’t seem to use their turning signals. This happens all over the world every single day. It happens in America and Australia and anywhere else on the earth that has cars. This pet peeve is the reason why I have bad road rage sometimes, and I don’t even drive yet. Slow driving adds to this, but when people refuse to use their turning signal I could in that moment go completely crazy. This isn’t my pet peeve only because it bugs the heck out of me, but also because it’s a serious way to endanger someone’s life. A typical example of this could be when you’re driving on the highway and the person in the other lane drives right in front of you without using their turning signal and cuts you off. This not only makes people furious, but it can lead to serious car crashes as well.  I don’t think this problem came from anyone specific, but from people in general. People everywhere are lazy or forgetful and sometimes just plain rude. One way that the general public can fix this problem is by simply paying attention when driving their cars. They can also look to see when they’re turning so they can properly use their turning signals. 

California by Madison Kyle

When my family and I arrived in the San Diego airport, the first thing we did was rent a car pick up my aunt from the airport, then we went to the hotel we were staying at, we stayed there for two days. The third day we packed up our stuff and drove 2 hours to a campsite for my cousin Michaels wedding that was the next day. Since we ended up driving for a while I noticed it looked really hazy and kind of gross, then I realized it was smog, they had a lot of smog in California.  When we got there I saw everyone who was there busy at work setting up for the wedding, since the guests get cabins we put our stuff there and left it to go help.  After we helped we had to go to the wedding rehearsal. We weren’t part of the wedding party but since it was outside my sister and I ended up being assigned the job of holding her dress as she walked to the aisle.  The next day was the wedding we went down to the place where it was, and my cousin told me he forgot the songs so I had to run back up the 5-10 minute walk and be back within a two minutes, and since it was really high up on a mountain the air was already thin so running was almost impossible and I was in wedges so even worse.  I made it back with the music in time just as it was about to start, everything went well and it was a fun party.  The day after next we left for the sequoia national forest after I dropped a bunch of very unsubtle hints, and if you don’t know what a sequoia is then you’re missing out.  The sequoias are these really amazing trees that only grow in that one part of California, nowhere else.  They grow to be several hundred feet tall, and very wide.  They even have some trees made so you can drive through them.  When we got there we went on a trail through the forest, and we came across a couple from the Netherlands who were taking pictures of a rattle snake on a log, they also got pictures of a mountain lion or cougar, after we finished talking to them, we saw a pretty view and when we went to look, a couple told us that an even more amazing view was up on a mountain, since my mom is afraid of heights she didn’t go, but the rest of us did, and as the mountain is really high up, then I got to a flat rock with a wall sort of thing on it, I started to walk across and it was worse than being on gravel with no protection from falling, and so I ran across it, then I got up to the top and by that time we were about to take a picture and we had to stand near the edge of a complete drop-off.  And as soon as we took the picture I was running back down the mountain so I wouldn’t stop and not be able to get back down.  After that we finished the trail and drove down to San Francisco, and this was probably the most interesting part of the trip, and since the couple that got married were there we met up with them our second day after we visited china town and the other tourist places.  When we met up with them we went to a small restaurant, emphasis on small you were not allowed inside the restaurant unless you had a table and there were possibly ten tables in  the whole thing, so we stood outside and waited there for a good hour and a half, but while we waited outside, we were visited by some INTERESTING strangers, like a woman whom we had never met before who came up to us and started talking to us, at first it was a normal conversation then she got weird and started talking about some weird things and stood there with us for a while.  And then my cousin pointed out a guy who had been staring at me for a while, and I was sent to stand somewhere the guy couldn’t see me, so then after a while he went inside, he then reappeared on his balcony staring down at us again, and then someone got in a crash at the intersection across the street, that’s when someone told us we could stand inside the area beside the restaurant until we ate, so we did.  While we were waiting the police showed up after thirty minutes, that’s when we were taken to our table to eat.  About fifteen minutes in there was a really strong smell outside that’s was sweet and bitter and it smelled really strong, it wasn’t a good smell.  Then I looked outside because they keep the doors open to the outside, and I thought I saw the woman, but I wasn’t sure so I didn’t say anything, but then I looked away for second and the smell got stronger so I look back and she was right there, and she started talking about weird things again, and after a few minutes a waitress came up and asked her if she knew us and she said that she did, but the waitress knew she was lying, because the smell was a very obvious illegal thing.  So she was asked to leave and the waitress apologized and said they had never seen the woman before, and we just laughed it off, and my cousin told us that sort of thing is not too uncommon there.  So the next day we went to L.A. which wasn’t all it was made up to be, but it was still fun. Then we went to back to San Diego, and stayed there, and met up with my grandparents for dinner where they told us their crazy stories, one of which a boy had went to a pool and started smashing the chairs and tables, which scared all of the family’s away from the pool.  After dinner we went back to our hotel and went swimming, the next day we packed up our things and flew back to Virginia, it was sad to leave but I was home sick and glad to be back home.

Standing Up by Hannah Marshall

When I was younger it was always a dream of mine to be a famous singer. I always loved singing, but it was hard for me to sing in front of people. Stage fright was my worst enemy. I felt if people heard me sing, millions of different sounds of small laughter would start, and then would turn into a gigantic tidal wave of hideous laughter. To make it sound worse, I couldn’t even sing in front of my own mother. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. How can you not sing in front of your own mother? It’s not that I didn’t want to, I was just scared of humiliation. However, something in the future would change my perspective.

From kindergarten through sixth grade I went to a prim, highly educated, private school, where the student had to wear uniforms and read four books every year for summer reading. My parents weren’t rich like most of the students’ parents were, but they wanted me to have the best education. I made so many nice friends and nice memories. Then one day I got the most heart-breaking news. My parents told me that they didn’t have enough money for me to go that private school for one more year. They said I had to go to a public school. I was so emotional I started to scream and cry like a whiney four-year-old. I was so upset because leaving that school meant leaving all of my friends, my favorite teachers, and memories behind to never return ever again. I felt as if everything was going downhill and the sad part was there was nothing I could do about it.

Weeks passed and when the school year was almost over I had to tell my best friends that I was leaving. I saw the sadness on their faces. I told them, “We should just have fun with the time that we have together before I leave,” and so we did. On the third to last day of school I found out that there was going to be a middle school talent show. I was secretly excited because I wanted to showcase my talent, plus if I’m going to be leaving soon I might as well leave with a bang, so I signed up right away. My friends were excited for me since they have heard me sing before, but I still was as nervous a dog getting ready to go to the vet. They told us to meet in a room where we had to showcase are talent before the actual talent show. I walked in to the room and saw that my old French teacher was the judge for this practice. Again, I was very nervous because I was too scared to even sing in front of one person. I sang my song, “Jar of Hearts” by Christina Perri.

“Well done, Hannah.” She said with a smile, “I am anxious to see you perform that song tomorrow.” I nodded to show that I was thankful and walked out of the room.

The time had come. The talent show was today and my heart was beating as fast as a runner on steroids. I could even hear it say “don’t screw this up, don’t screw this up, don’t screw this up.” There were other acts before me of course. The first act was an eighth grader. She had brown wavy hair and she wore a cowboy hat and cowboy boots. Since she had a microphone in her hand I assumed she was singing a country song. But unfortunately, she couldn’t be serious enough to even sing the song, even just singing the first lyric she would crack up because she probably thought what she was doing was embarrassing.

“I’m sorry guys,” she said with a chuckle, “I can’t do this.” Then she gave the microphone to the announcer and walked off stage. The room went quiet and you could actually touch the stuffy awkwardness in the air. More acts came on. But for some reason another singer couldn’t sing her song. I don’t remember well but one scenario that have happened was that she either forgot her lines and gave up or she messed up and started to cry so she couldn’t finish showing her talent. Either way, she left the stage without ending her act. The only  act that surprised me was this boy who was going to play the piano. I was so surprised because this was a boy who was very shy and never talked to anyone, and when he played the piano it was breathtaking. The more surprising part was that musical melody was written by him! I knew he was going to do amazing things when he was older.

Then suddenly everything stopped. You know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when someone calls your name aloud unexpectedly? I had that feeling except it was a million times worse. My heart was beating so fast it seemed like it wanted to break out of my chest and run away. I was walking up the stairs to the auditorium stage while each creak of each step I took made me more and more nervous. I walked to the center of the stage.

“Sorry if I mess up of or anything,” I said because that was my biggest fear; to completely mess this up.

“You’ll do fine,” the announcer said as the audience gave me an applause. I was so nervous. The whole middle school was here in this room, including the staff, teachers, and not to mention my crush, Matt. Everything has led up to the point. I was just waiting for something to come out of my mouth. I sang the song and I put my heart and soul into it. I was shaking the whole time but there was this sort of comfort when I was singing. I felt so free and powerful. My voice did crack around the end, which I was afraid of, but all of a sudden right when I ended, one person stood up and started clapping, then another person, and another. In ten seconds everyone stood up and was clapping and screaming for me. This was my first standing ovation. I was so overwhelmed because I never had this much attention before. I cried so hard. I cried out of pure joy because I was doing something that I loved and I was sharing it. I remember that as the happiest moment in my life because I was filled with so much joy. It was the best day of my life and honestly I don’t think anything can really top that moment. In conclusion my stage fright almost went away. I still get nervous before every performance, but when I do perform I know it’s something that I truly love to do.

Myrtle Beach by Derek Bowles

Two years ago my family and I went on vacation to Myrtle Beach during the summer and we had a lot of fun. When we first got there the first thing I did was sleep for a few hours and when I woke up I went to the beach while my parents were at the store getting food. We were there for at least three to four weeks it was a lot of fun. The next day we went to the pool for at least three hours and then we went out to eat. When we got back we went to the beach and relaxed. It was such a nice day the sun was shining bright in the sky and the sand was nice and warm the water felt nice and the sky was clear with no clouds. The funny thing is when my parents told me to take my little sister to the water so she can play in the water so i did and when I did she was standing in the water and all of a sudden a jellyfish was floating to the shore and my little sister was standing next to it and when I saw it I yelled her name and she turned around and she saw the jellyfish and ran up to me and then she ran up to my parents whining because I was laughing and that she was standing next to a jellyfish.

So I got a bucket and picked up the jellyfish and I went to the pier and through the jellyfish off the pier into the ocean and when I did a shark jumped out of the ocean and ate the jellyfish. I was surprised nothing happen to the jellyfish. So when I got back from the pier my parents were waiting on me because I was in trouble. I asked them why I was and they told me why and it was a stupid reason. So it was my parents anniversary and they told me I had to watch my sister until they get back from dinner so I said ok I will and when they left I left my sister in her room while she was sleeping I left and went to the beach and then I went to the store to get a whole bunch of candy and drinks so I could stay up and when I got back my sister was on the couch watching TV and she said if you don’t share all that then I will tell mom and dad that you left so I said ok fine which ones do you want and she said all the sugary ones and I told her no because it was too much sugar for her and she said I’ll tell mom and dad if you don’t then I said ok fine but in only giving you half then we stayed up half the night waiting for our parents to get home so we could spend time with them. So they came back and we spent time with them we went to the beach and then to the pool and then we went back to the house and played a whole bunch of games. It was a fun night.    

So this trip to Myrtle Beach was fun. I got to spend time with my sister and my parents I made new friends there and had a whole lot of fun going to the water slides at the pool and going to the beach. It was the best trip ever. But the best part was is that I got to spend the whole trip with my family.       

The First Day of Football Practice by William Tyler

         The first day was fun we did a lot of new things I never did before because it was my first year of football in my whole life.

 The first day we had to wear a shirt and shorts because all we did was ran and like lift for the whole day. It was hot like the sun was right on you it smelled like fresh cut grass and sweat because everyone was running a lot and the grass was muddy because it was early in the morning and the grass was wet.

Then we went into helmet only so we did a little hitting and we can get used to it. The helmet felt like your head into a close door because the helmet was so tight and there are different sizes I have a medium because my head is not that big and I have the smallest head for the linemen. We had to a thing called the country fair and there was all kinds of things like the roller coaster and that was fun then there was the animal ride and that was the best because you go around and act like a farm animal.  

When I Found My True Family by Amanda Worrell

One of my favorite things that happened to me as a kid was going to a seven day overnight Harry Potter camp. When I was around eight years old I was in love with Harry Potter I had read all the books, seen all the movies that had come out already, and was so excited for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince to come out. When I first saw my mom on her computer she looked at me and asked me “Amanda would you like to go to a Harry Potter camp in July?” At this time it was January twenty third and the camp was the week of July nineteenth. I screamed yes but she gave me this look that looked worried. I asked her what was wrong and she told me the camp was a whole week and overnight. At first I was nervous about overnight but I thought to myself all camps are going to start being overnight. I looked at my mom and said “Mom I’ll try it out.”

My told me okay and signed me up right away. Camp was coming close and I was freaking out because I wasn’t sure if I would get home sick or if I would have fun. I went to my mom and said “Mom can you see if Victoria can go with me?” My sister also loved Harry Potter at the time and still does to this day. My mom went and asked my sister if she wanted to go and said yes after that my mom immediately signed my sister up but made sure we were in different houses.                   

                  Camp was finally here and it was time for me to pack. I was so confused with what to pack I had to have mom pack for me. Once we finished packing up we loaded the car up with all of our bags and got in the car. The drive to camp is about fifteen to twenty minutes so it wasn’t too long of a drive. As soon as we got there I wanted to back out and not go but since we had already paid for the camp I had to go. I walked up to the check-in desk and met the director of the camp who was called “Ash”. All the counselor have to go by a fake name so the campers can’t find out their personal information.

After we checked in my mom and dad had to leave because parents aren’t allowed in Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley is out on a field at the camp ground where they set up a bunch of tables and tents and at each table is a craft or a game you get to do involving “magical” things that are related to Harry Potter. Everybody at the camp each got a wand that was based off of the year group and house they were in.

After everybody got there wands all the kids who had been placed in a house the previous years went to the great hall to get ready for lunch and for the new campers to be sorted. As each new camper came up to be sorted they were placed in a series of house called Waverider, Phoenixtor, Dragonor, and Wolfin. As my name was called to be sorted I walked up to the front of the Great Hall and sat on a stool. The lady that help with the sorting was called Rhine, she placed the sorting hat on my head and they played a recording that talked about something cool I had done in the past and my favorite thing to do. As I sat on the stool waited the recording finally said what house I was in, they had put me in Waverider. Everybody was clapping as I walked and sat down with my house.

As the week went on everybody had different classes to go too, such as Defense Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical creature, Spell Casting, Potions, quidditch and quadpot, and etc. My favorite classes at Trefoil Academy was Defense Against the Dark Arts, we learned self-defense moves such as karate and also fencing moves and quidditch. After classes we would usually have a break time between classes that was used for interrogation. All the campers would have a chance to ask the staff member’s questions about the mystery that was going on around the camp. All through the week such as in class at breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just in your house, every camper has a chance to earn house points and turn them in during meals. By the end of the week the house with the most points wins the house cup for the year until the next camp.

In the middle of the week we would do one fun activity that involved the mystery going on, my very first at camp the activity was a massive water balloon fight between the counselors and the campers. Usually the activities would take most of the day so wouldn’t do our classes for that day.

At the end of the week on the last full day of camp we would us most of the day taking down all the house walls and everything that was inside them while also cleaning up around the camp site. After everybody cleans up its time for the quadpot and quidditch tournaments. For all five years I’ve gone to Trefoil Academy I have always played for my house on the quadpot and quidditch teams. Two houses play at a time, for both quadpot and qudditch, first it was Waverider and Phoenixtor then Dragonor and Wolfin. For quidditch my position was a chaser and in quadpot I was on the offensive side. As the first game went on between my house Waverider and Phoenixter most games could take up to ten to fifteen minutes, depending on if the seeker can catch and fins the snitch. For the first game Waverider won and for the second game Wolfin won. Both teams went against each other for the quidditch cup. Wolfin ended up winning while Waverider came in second.

Next was the quadpot games, first was Phoenixtor and Wolfin then Waverider and Dragonor. As I waited for the first game to be over I sat with my team and decided who would play offense and who would play defense. Once the first game was over it was time for my team and Dragonor to play. The game lasted about 10 minutes and both teams ended up tying so we had to do a tie breaker. In a tie breaker both teams have to stand a specific distance away from the goal and try to make it in without the ball bouncing out of the goal, the team with the most made in wins. The finally game was against Phoenixter and Waverider, by the end of the game my team had win the quadpot cup. At the last dinner of the week was the award ceremony, the championship match for Defense Against the Dark Arts fencing class, and for the class like chorus, band, and belly dancing to perform. After dinner we did an all night movie marathon of all the Harry Potter movies that had come out including Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

The next day was the day everybody went home. To me it was the worst part of the week, after spending a whole week with everybody there I felt like that was my second home and my second family. When everybody woke up we cleaned up all the mattresses and moved all of our luggage into the year groups that were spread out. After that we all ate breakfast and took a survey on what we like at the camp. Once we finished it was time for parents to arrive and pick up everybody, I had so much fun at camp I cried when it was over. Ever since I made the decision to go to Trefoil Academy in 2009 it has been the best thing in my life I’ve gone for 5 years now and it truly is my second home and family. Every friend that I had made still come back every year just like me. Going to camp is like a little reunion because all of my friends from camp are from all over the USA, I have friends from Montana, Ohio, Washington D.C., Minnesota, and even California. Trefoil Academy is defiantly my home and my true family.  

Target by Michael Carico

            Once upon a time in a Target far down the highway, there was a young boy by the name of Michael.

 One day he and his mother were shopping, she told him she was going to go to the clothing section and that he could go to the toys area and pick something out, so he did. Michael found the most amazing toy gun he had ever seen, it had three barrels for darts to come  out of, it was battery power, which Michael had never seen before, and had its very own shoulders strap, Michael really liked that.

    So, Michael made his way to go show his mother, upon arrival, he is so amazed with the gun he doesn’t even look up before he starts yelling “Mom! Mom! Look at this!” and begins explaining to her what it is, “It’s got three barrels, comes with extra darts, and has a strap!” However, what Michael didn’t realize is that wasn’t his mom, when he looked up he was shocked. It wasn’t even close to his mom, what he saw before him was a twenty something year old black women, on the phone about to drop on the floor laughing. He was so embarrassed all he was able to mutter was “My bad, sorry” and walked away. As the women continues laughing he feels more and more embarrassed and no longer wishes to have his awesome toy gun, so he put it back and walks to his mom in the cloth department which smelt like old people, and went home.