Life

Lessons A collection of essays,

Ted Talks, and Stories

written by students

in Ms. Feigenson’s

Am and PM Classes

Table of Contents

Essays

Gregor the Overlander Essay—Addie Bassin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life—Emmanuella Nitkin . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Hero’s Journey’s Effect on Jennifer Strange—Shoshana Braier . . . . . . . . . 4

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and The Breadwinner—Charli Galkin . . . . 6

Ted Talks

Finding Life on Other Planets and in Other Galaxies—Nate Miller . . . . . . 8

Falcons—Asaf Carmeli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Music and Emotions—Jacob Svoysky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Identity—Vivi Arking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Concussions—Sara Pollard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Drug Addiction—Robby Lefkowitz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Sport Role Models—Daniel Cohen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Puppy Mills—Shelby Shlactus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Environmentally Friendly Aircraft—Alex Landy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Cruise Ship Pollution—Jack Weitzner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Disease in Carp—Tom Rosenberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Bacterial Meningitis—Gavin Rakitt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

The Influence of Gymnastics—Lila Berger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Dangers of Steroids—Nate Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Sports Injuries—Rodney Starr-Kramer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Table of Contents

College Athletes Should Get Paid—Jonah Sunshine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Racism in Sports—Yarden Irlander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Desegregation in Baseball—Ryan Penn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Short Stories

The Weirdest Day of My Life—Annabelle Enig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

My Freaky Friday—Tali Kuperberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

A Normal Day At CESJDS—Sarah Friedlander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Bigfoot—Sophia Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

You Only Live Once—Sophie Krantz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Strike One—Benny Rushfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Win or Lose—Oren Minsk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

After Forever—Mira Mitre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

The Wag of a Tail—Charlotte Wenk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Gregor The Overlander Essay By: Addie Bassin

Imagine being sucked into a different world and then becoming the hero. In the book

Gregor the Overlander, by: Suzanne Collins, the main character Gregor jumps after his sister, Boots, into the air duct which sucks him into the underland. The underland is full of underlanders who look very different from Gregor and even talk different. Gregor is scared and just wants to get home. Gregor’s dad has been missing for two years and Gregor has a feeling that his father might have fallen down the air duct just like He did. Gregor has his doubts about his father being down in the underland but when Vikus, an underlander, shows Gregor his dad’s key chain that Gregor made for him, Gregor knows he is down there. But is he alive after being held captive of the rats for two years? When Gregor finds out about a prophocy it is up to him to save the underland and himself. Although, Gregor doesn't believe in himself. Over the course of the journey Gregor finds himself being the hero by facing tests/allies/enemies, experiencing the ordeal, and going through the resurrection.

One important stage in the book that turns Gregor into a hero was facing tests/allies/enemies. In this part of the book Gregor is gathering his allies for the battle; right now he is gathering the bats. Vikus and his wife Solovet are talking to the bats. “Vikus and Solovet arranged to have some sort of private war meeting with bats.” (Page 139). The author included this part of the book because if Gregor didn’t have allies then he would not fulfill the Prophecy of Grey because he wouldn’t have enough people or animals to fight for him like it says he should in the prophecy. Therefor, it was very important that Gregor collected his allies. Also, Gregor faced tests such as, trusting one of the rats. Gregor also met enemies. Gregor met the rats. These huge, gross, dirty creatures were what Gregor needed to defeat. These parts of the book made Gregor a hero when he was smart to gather his allies first, and also when he was facing his enemies, the rats.

Another important stage in the book was the ordeal. Towards the end of the book Gregor is in the rats’ cave and has just been caught by their king, King Gorger.“He judged the height, ran seven steps, and hurdled over the silver back of King Gorger.” (Page 265). Gregor just hurdled over the king rat, and killed him. The author included this part because if Gregor or someone didn’t try to rebel against the king then their would be no point of the book because they would all die immediately.This part of the book made Gregor a hero because he sacrificed himself so that his friends could make it out alive.

A final important stage in the book was the resurrection. In this part of the book Gregor has just made it back from the battle and a bat who was bonded to someone else but saved Gregor instead and the court of the underland wants to banish that bat because he broke his bond. Gregor would be dead without that bat breaking his bond.“‘ It’s Ares! They Mean to ban him!”’ ( Page 289). The author included this part because Gregor is being courageous by standing up for the bat that saved his life. Gregor stood up for this bat by bonding to him when the bat was about to be banished. It was a big deal to get banished because getting banished is getting banned from the city and if they banned you and sent you out then the rats will kill you.This part of the book made Gregor a hero because he was showing bravery and courage by saving the bat.

In conclusion Gregor finds himself being the hero by facing/tests/allies/enemies, experiencing the ordeal, and going through the resurrection. Gregor changed a lot because at the beginning he was scared and nervous but at the end he was brave and courageous. The authors message to the reader was that bad things will happen but they might get better. This is the message because the bad thing was that his dad was missing but the good thing was that Gregor found him. A hero is no greater than an ordinary person. Anyone can become a hero. Just like Gregor.

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Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life Emmanuella Nitkin

Can you imagine not having a father? In the book Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, by Wendy Mass, Jeremy and Lizzy who live in New York, receive a box that is labeled to Jeremy’s mom. When they open the box there is another box inside of it. It says: THE MEANING OF LIFE: FOR JEREMY FINK TO OPEN ON HIS 13TH BIRTHDAY. The box is sent for Jeremy from before his father’s death. Jeremy only has a month to find the keys for the box before his birthday. By the end of the novel, Jeremy has overcome his fear by taking risks, believing in himself, and learning about his father and the meaning of life.

One way Jeremy has overcome his fear is by taking risks. In the beginning of the book, Jeremy and Lizzy have just received a box referred to Jeremy's mom but with Lizzy’s curious mind, they happen to open it. “‘We will wait till my mom gets home,” I say firmly. I expect her to continue the argument, but instead she just stands by the box, looking a bit innocent. Gravely, I ask, “Lizzy, did you do something? “In a rush she blurts, “It’s not my fault! The end of the tape just lifted right up!”...“Okay,” I say quickly. “Let’s do it before I change my mind.” (pg. 9) The author wants to show that Jeremy has a lot of fear, and he only gets pulled into things because of Lizzy and her curious mind. At the end of the book, Jeremy and Lizzy enter a Talent Show but Lizzy doesn't feel well so Jeremy had to do all of Lizzy’s tricks on stage, unlike they practiced. “I’m pretending I’m alone in the living room at the inn rather than doing the hula in a grass skirt in front of a hundred strangers. Otherwise I know I’ll freeze up.” (pg. 256) The author includes this part because it shows how Jeremy has overcome his fear by thinking of times that he was happy in the past.

Another way Jeremy has overcome his fear is by believing in himself. In the middle of the book, Jeremy and Lizzy are on a train and Jeremy is scared so Lizzy helps him, by giving him candy. “Lizzy digs into her pocket. “ Here, “she says, thrusting a Milk Dud into my palm. “ This should make you feel better.’” (pg. 43) The author includes this part because it shows how Jeremy did not believe in himself at the beginning of the book. At the end of the book, Jeremy decides to take the Metro by himself; he does this because he had gained self-esteem. “When they’re gone, I take a deep breath and walk to the corner. The bus that I need should take me within two blocks. I jingle the quarters in my pocket while I wait. This time when the bus pulls up, I know exactly what to do............ There is only one person who knew what cards Lizzy needed. (pg. 280) The author includes this part in the book, because it shows how Jeremy has overcome his fear and does things he does not normally do. A final way Jeremy has overcome his fear is by learning about his father and the meaning of life. At the very, very beginning of the book Jeremy explains things about his father. “My dad didn’t die when he was forty. He was only thirty-nine. I had just turned eight.” (Preface) The author includes this to show how Jeremy has a lot of fear because his father died at a very young age and maybe even to show how Jeremy is scared of his future, by thinking that he is also going to die young. At the end of the novel Jeremy expresses his feelings about the letter his father wrote for him that was in the box: THE MEANING OF LIFE: FOR JEREMY FINK TO OPEN ON HIS 13TH BIRTHDAY. “When I finish reading, I don't lift my eyes off the page. I run my finger over the ink like I used to do with the writing on the outside of the box. Strange how these squiggles and dots turn into letters and words that can change your life.” (pg. 273) The author includes this to show how Jeremy has grown up and is ready for life and whatever is in front of him.

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By the end of the novel, Jeremy has overcome his fear. Jeremy has done things he has never done before with the help of his friend and her curious mind. Jeremy has also gained self-esteem because he had introduced to his father (by paper) and knows a lot more about his father. In the end Jeremy has grown up and became a man because of his experience.

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Hero’s Journey’s Effect on Jennifer Strange Shoshana Braier

Do we change the world? Does the world change us? Jennifer Strange, from the book The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde, would be able to tell you. The world changed her into a hero. She is chosen to slay the last dragon by the Mighty Shandar himself, a great honor. However, she feels unfit for the job. And she is correct. But as she takes on the task, from then on the events turn her into a hero. Although in the beginning of the book Jennifer would not in her wildest dreams perform the task, she is tricked into doing it. Jennifer starts out as just a regular girl, important only to those at Kazam, the business that employs wizards. The events turn her into a hero, one of the most important people in the “Ununited Kingdoms”. Jennifer becomes a hero by crossing the threshold to a new life, going through tests, allies, and enemies, and facing the ordeal.

The first way Jennifer becomes a hero is by crossing the threshold to her new life as a dragonslayer. In the beginning of the book, many wizards get a vision of the last dragon, Maltcassion, being slain soon. Jennifer finds out the week before the dragondeath that she is the dragonslayer. She has to learn how to be a dragonslayer very quickly. Responding to Jennifer’s question of how to become the dragonslayer’s apprentice, because at the time Jennifer does not know that she is the dragonslayer, Brian Spalding, the mentor, explains,“it usually takes about ten years of study, commitment, and deep learning, and the attainment of spiritual oneness, but since we are in a bit of a hurry, I can give you the accelerated course.”(pg. 129) This helps Jennifer become more knowledgeable because it teaches her all the information she needs to know to slay the dragon. This starts Jennifer’s transformation into a hero. You cannot go up against the enemy if you don’t know what you are going up against.

Another way that Jennifer transforms into a hero is by going through tests, allies, and enemies. After her accelerated course on dragonslaying, Jennifer thinks she understands the enemy. Jennifer believes that she knows how to defeat him. But in truth, Jennifer doesn’t realize at the time what she is doing. She does not understand until it comes time for her to enter the dragonlands the first time. Leaving, Jennifer thinks about the dragon and the fact that he is not the threat that most people think he is. “Maltcassion grunted out a short burst of fire that I took to be a laugh, then muttered something about chameleons telling jokes in colors before he settled down, shut his eyes, and started to snore. Since he didn’t actually say I shouldn’t return, I supposed he wouldn’t mind if I came back.”(pg. 150) This is important because it shows who the true Maltcassion is. The dragon she knows is friendly, enough so that she would like to come back, whereas everybody else in the Ununited Kingdoms believes he poses as a threat to their way of life.

Another way Jennifer becomes a hero is by facing the ordeal. Just before, Jennifer is told by the Mighty Shandar not to kill Maltcassion. This confuses Jennifer, seeing as the whole reason she was to kill Maltcassion is on the Mighty Shandar’s orders, because of the pact that the Mighty Shandar made 400 years earlier. However, in the ordeal Jennifer kills the dragon. Through the visits she has made with the friendly creature, Jennifer has grown to like the dragon. It hurts her to kill Maltcassion. But Maltcassion convinces her to do it, so she does it even though it is going against all that she and Shandar wanted. She makes the decision independently. The dragon that she now knows is innocent, dead, gone from the face of the earth. “I closed my eyes and thrust the sword upward as hard as I could. The effect was immediate and dramatic. Maltcassion shuddered and slumped to the ground with a mighty crash. A large cloud of dust was thrown up by his falling bulk, and I was knocked backward into the dirt… The jewel in his forehead stopped glowing, and an unnerving silence invaded the

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forest.”(pg. 271) This is important because it made Jennifer gain an important quality in a hero- sacrifice.

The world changed Jennifer- into the kind of person that can change the world, that is. For example, the world gave her trust, and trust is what led Jennifer to believe that things would all work out. Trust led her to face the ordeal. Trust led her to make the right choices. The author is trying to say that we have to do what’s best. What we do can affect the people around us. We need to always be careful in our decisions. Even the simplest decisions, like who to sit with at lunch, can mean more than you mean it to. So does the world change us or do we change the world? You decide.

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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and The Breadwinner Charli Galkin

Have you ever had to work hard to provide for your family disguised as the opposite gender? In the book The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis, the main character Parvana lives in war-torn Afghanistan where women/girls are forbidden to go outside their homes. Shortly after the novel begins, Parvana’s father gets arrested and Parvana’s family runs out of food. One day, Parvana runs into her neighbor, Mrs. Weera and Mrs. Weera helps Parvana’s family by giving them a life-changing idea involving Parvana. Mrs. Weera suggests turning Parvana into a boy. In the beginning of the novel, Parvana does have most of her physiological needs met, however she only has only a bit of her love needs met. By the end of the novel, Parvana gains her physiological, safety, and love needs.

By the end of the novel, Parvana gains her physiological needs by trying new things and having self-confidence. At first her family has no food, “On the fourth day, the food ran out. ‘We’re out of food,’ Nooria told Parvana.” The author, Deborah Ellis included this quote to show that Parvana’s family had no food left. She works many different jobs, for example: selling gum and cigarettes off a tray, digging bones, and reading letters. At first, Parvana was very anxious and disgusted by the idea of digging bones, however, she trying it and thought that it wasn’t so bad. She also mends an old friend with Shauzia, a girl from her old school. Parvana and Shauzia join forces to earn money. Parvana and Shauzia sadly have to leave to go to separate countries,”Parvana hugged her friend one last time, then climbed into the truck. They waved to each other as the truck rolled away” -PG 165. Deborah Ellis included this quote to show Parvana’s relationship with Shauzia.

Parvana gains her safety needs by trusting herself. Throughout this journey, she has thought: will I go to a safer place? At first, when her father got arrested, Parvana did fall down by losing her father, but, she got right back up. She followed her instincts for whole journey. In the end, Parvana gains her father back and feels as if she has all of her safety needs, ”One thing in her life had been repaired. Her father was home now.” -PG 157. Deborah Ellis included this quote to show Parvana’s emotions towards her father’s return.

Parvana gains her love needs by connecting with her family, mainly her sister, Nooria. In the beginning, Parvana feels as if her mother and sister hate her “Parvana fumed. Mother always took Nooria’s side. Parvana hated Nooria and she’d hate her mother too, if she wasn’t her mother” PGs 24 and 25. The author wanted to show that she feels rejected by her mother and her sister, she doesn’t have her love needs met. Throughout the book, Parvana and Nooria develop a very sisterly relationship. Parvana gets very emotional about Nooria leaving to get married. “‘I don’t know when we’ll see each other again’ Nooria said just before she climbed into the truck. She had Parvana’s gift clutched in her hand. ‘It won’t be long’ Parvana said, grinning even though tears fell from her eyes. ‘As soon as your new husband realizes how bossy you are, he’ll send you back to Kabul as fast as he can’” PGs 140 and 141. The author included this to show that her relationship with her sister has grown on her, her love needs have been met.

By earning these needs, Parvana becomes more confident, braver, and more independent. The author teaches great lessons, like to try things that are out of your comfort zone, to never

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lose hope, and to work hard no matter what. By learning the lessons that the author taught, Parvana has changed and become a mature, independent girl. By the end of the novel, Parvana gains her missing needs: love, safety, and physiological. Parvana might have lost her father, but, he was there waiting to see her successes.

 

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FINDING LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS AND IN OTHER GALAXIES Nate Miller

The universe is a giant place. Scientists think that there are billions of galaxies, or

possibly an infinite amount. The Milky Way, the galaxy we live in, contains over one million planets. One of Earth’s greatest questions, since the dawn of time, has been: “Are we alone?” “Is there life past our tiny speck of blue and green?” People all around the world have wondered about this. For example, in 1450, the Egyptians claimed to have seen “circles in the sky” resembling a flying saucer. Because of that, many UFOlogists believe that aliens visited ancient Egypt. This shows that for thousands of years this topic has aroused curiosity.

Hi, I am Nate Miller. I decided to learn about this topic, and become an expert, because ever since I was little, I have wondered if there is life on other planets. It is so creepy to think that our planet is just a little speck of dust in the universe. For the last month I have been studying this thoroughly, and I would like to inform you a little about this topic.

Have you seen the movie Men in Black? Let’s see a show of hands. Men In Black was a 1997 movie about an organization that protects the Earth from aliens. It follows two agents in their quests to protect Earth from invaders. Other movies like this have been E.T, War of Worlds, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Independence Day, and many others. People have been so interested in this subject that millions of dollars have been made in the alien franchise.

Man’s interest in outer space is not a new phenomenon. Millions of UFOs have been “spotted” throughout history and all around the world. A UFO is an unidentified flying object. However, we still have not found any evidence of space life. NASA’s spaceships have been scanning outer space for any signs of life for many years. Even today, we have not found any. But, as our technology advances, we get closer and closer to finding life elsewhere. Scientists say that luck is a factor while scanning space for life. There are billions of planets out there, and it is really hard for me to think that there isn’t life anywhere else. That seems like a huge waste of space. Just think, each person on our planet could have a few thousand of their own planets.

In the 1950s and 60s it was a global trend to spot UFOs. UFO sightings multiplied. Almost every sighting was a proven hoax, but there are still some people today who believe them.

In April, 1897, a farmer named Alexander Hamilton claimed to have seen an overhead UFO. He said it was cigar-shaped and had abducted Alexander’s youngest cow. He says the spacecraft was carrying six of the strangest looking creatures he had ever seen. The next morning, he found the cow’s butchered remains in his pasture. This, just like many others, was proven a hoax. However, sightings like these still happen today, and many people still believe them.

One popular hoax was called crop circles. In fields of crops huge circles started to pop up at night. People believed they were made by visiting aliens in flying disks called “flying saucers”. The most famous ones showed up in August 1980 in Britain. A tourist saw them and reported them. They were printed in the newspaper, and suddenly the “UFO crop circles” became famous. Scientists ran tests and experiments to try to prove them fakes. However, the circles baffled the scientists and they could not figure out what had caused them. Later, men named Dave Chorley and Doug Bower, admitted that it was all a hoax. They had used metal bars, ropes, and wooden planks to imprint the circles into the fields. Even today crop circles continue to appear every now and then.

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Over the years, there have been many persuasive hoaxers. One of them was a man named Billy Meier. He was born in Switzerland in 1937. Today he is 78 years old, and still claims to be in contact with Nordic aliens. Billy says the aliens are called Plaiderans. His first extraterrestrial sighting happened when he was five years old. He has reported many videos of his UFO sightings. Scientists have proved these were faked, and his ex-wife says the same, but many people believe him anyway. One of his most famous videos was a “UFO” zooming around a tree. When zooming in on the video, you can tell that the “UFO” is a wedding cake on a garbage can lid. Although many skeptics have “debunked” him, Billy has correctly predicted many things, such as the Iraq war. Billy literally considers himself a prophet.

So, putting aside the hoaxes, how do we determine whether extraterrestrial life exists?

Before we find life, we must find the key ingredients to life. These are what planets need to support life. Scientists have conducted many studies, and have found that liquid water is one of the key ingredients for nurturing life on a planet. This is true because any living bodies that are made up of molecules require a liquid solvent. Another potential sign of life is methane gas. This is so because it can support small microscopic bacteria, called microbials, underground.

One project that NASA has conducted to find life in the universe was the SETI project. This project was an experiment trying to sense intelligent life through radio waves. NASA workers would search for radio waves from other planets. Unfortunately, this project had to be shut down due to lack of funds before any life was detected.

Another project, the X-hab project, sponsored by NASA, seeks to develop all the technologies needed for further space exploration by harnessing the skills and technological expertise of college students from major universities. NASA has asked these students to solve numerous problems that inhibit our search for life on other planets and in other solar systems, including how to accomplish each of the steps needed for exploratory missions. Some of these problems include how to make food in outer space and how to ensure that air is recycled in a manner that enables astronauts to breathe.

NASA scientists believe that one of our best chances of finding life somewhere else in space is a planet or an exoplanet in the “habitable zone” of a star. An exoplanet is a planet that orbits a star or a sun. The planet or exoplanet must be the right distance from the star. Not too close or too far. If the planet is about the same size as Earth, it has a better chance of sustaining life.

What are some of the planets that may sustain life? We have found numerous exoplanets and moons that may be able to support life. For example, Jupiter’s moon, Europa has all the right ingredients to support life. Europa was discovered in 1610 by Galileo. Europa’s surface is covered completely in water and fifteen-foot deep ice. It is in the habitable zone, and is yet to be explored. However, NASA has not announced any plans to explore this moon.

NASA scientists also believe that there are life forms on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. It is the only moon in the solar system with clouds and a planet-like atmosphere. Titan does not sound very hospitable, however. A person who visited Titan would need a pressurized space suit, a breathing mask and protection from the cold because the atmosphere is so dense.

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Another possible life source is Mars. Many people are doubtful of this because Mars is so cold and doesn’t have water, but the Mars rover found methane gas on the surface of the planet, meaning possible underground life on the red planet. Scientists also discovered that about four billion years ago, the surface of Mars was covered in water. Over time, however, it all froze and evaporated.

Although more research needs to be done, other features of other planets and moons could support different types of life. For example, the moon’s deep hydrocarbon lakes could contain life of some sort. What are the next steps that we must take to continue to look for life? In the future, we must advance our technology and undertake more projects.

One such advancement is the James Webb telescope, which is expected to launch in 2018. This telescope will have the longest range and the most sensitivity of any telescope system NASA has ever used. The Webb telescope will be able to study other planets and solar systems, taking us closer in our quest to find other life. It will be able to measure gases and determine whether planets have liquid water on their surfaces.

Another project that scientists hope to conduct in the future is the Mars One project. This is a private project supported by donors who want to further explore the universe. In 2030 they hope to send ordinary people on a one-way trip to Mars to try to colonize the red planet. Even though the volunteers will most likely die, 100 people signed up for this dangerous mission. But the search for life cannot end with our solar system. The universe is constantly expanding and contains more than 100 billion galaxies. The Hubble Space Telescope observed a tiny patch of sky for more than 11 days and found approximately 10,000 galaxies of all sizes, shapes and colors. It could take millions of years to develop the technology that would allow us to explore galaxies outside our solar system and determine where there might be life. Until then, we are stuck with movies, myths and our own imagination in our quest to learn more about extraterrestrial life. It is really hard for me to imagine that there are billions and billions of planets out there and that we are the only living ones. That is why I agree with scientists and researchers that there is life on other planets. I’m going to end this talk by asking you: with an infinite amount of planets out there, doesn’t there have to also be an infinite amount of life?

Thank you for listening to my talk and have a good day.

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Falcons Asaf Carmeli

Hello my name is Asaf Carmeli. I love animals and my favorite animal is a falcon. One day last year, my dad and I were in the back yard. I saw a falcon diving to catch another bird. It was amazing so I’m going to tell you about falcons.

Do you know what falcons are? Falcons are among the world's most common birds of prey and live on all continents except Antarctica. Peregrine falcons live in almost all places in the world.. They have even learned how to live in big cities. Peregrine falcons are really fast and when they dive, they can reach 200 miles per hour. They are good predators. Peregrine falcons travel from place to place which is called migrating. That's why they got the name peregrine that means wanderer in Latin. Some of them fly up to 15,000 miles a year.

45 years ago, falcons in the U.S. began to disappear. In the 1960's there were no peregrine falcons left in the eastern United States. Before 1940, there were 7750 peregrines living in North America, but by 1975, there were only about 650. So what that means is almost 90% of the peregrines in North America were gone.

Scientists figured out that the chemical pesticide DDT hurt falcons. Since falcons are predators, they eat birds that had DDT in them, and they got more of the poison(DDT) in them. DDT did not kill falcons -- it made their egg shells weak, so the babies died instead of growing. After DDT was banned, the number of falcons increased.

The Peregrine Falcon was removed from the Endangered Species list when there were more of them being born and living to adulthood than were dying. This happened because of many organizations. What did the groups do? The Peregrine Fund began to rebuild the population. So what that means is the group used peregrines donated by falconers to begin a breeding program, and more baby falcons were born, so the total number of falcons increased. In 1974, 24 falcons raised in captivity were released. They finished releasing birds from the breeding program in 1997. About 4,000 falcons were released after 23 years.

Now you may be asking what is falconry? Falconers are people who catch a bird of prey and train them to catch a prey for them. 4015 years ago, falconry started in ancient China. Falcons were given as royal gifts, and falconry was popular among royalty and upper class rich people. During the 1800's after the French and American Revolutions, there was less royalty and falconry became less common.

Today falconry birds and are flown by their trainers at airports to scare off ducks and other birds that could collide with a plane and cause accidents. These falcons are helping to keep our skies safe!

I think that Peregrine Falcons are amazing animals and we are lucky to have them in our world. We should not do mistakes like using chemicals like DDT that can hurt them.

 

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Music and Emotions Jacob Svoysky

You probably have listened to music sometime today, and even if you didn’t, I’ll show

you some now. Did you know that the music affected your mind and possibly body. My name is Jacob Svoysky, I have been playing musical instruments for nearly seven years. Two instruments, actually. I have been playing piano a lot longer than I’ve played guitar- but still- I’ve had plenty of experience with music. And you know what I have found to be the most stressful? The performances. I don’t think I should be as nervous as I am. But there is one thing that has helped- listening to others perform. And I wonder to myself- why I am calmed down by people playing music? So I decided to delve a little deeper into music and emotions. And that is what I’m here to tell you about today- how music affects people’s emotions.

First I want to discuss exactly how music can affect the body and brain. Lets just get one thing out of the way first- your ears might work better than your eyes. You may be skeptical about this, but think about it- you can’t really shut your ears like you would your eyes, letting your ears hear and recognize things faster than your eyes - making a split-second difference. In other words, hearing can work better than sight. This leads to music affecting people’s emotions so fast and easily.

There are multiple factors in what parts of music affect people. The structure (or set up, you could say) of a song can change how people’s emotions are affected. Additionally, the dynamics (you might say it is the arrangement of a song’s volume) has a factor in how music affects people.

The body can react to music in an interesting way. People react with their emotions to music in a similar way to how people react to a voice, but not necessarily a human voice, or at least one you may understand, like in an oprah, maybe. I took a survey on how people are affected by music, and I was surprised to find out that many people didn’t even know that music had any benefits on the body.

Even babies that weren’t born yet can be affected by music! They can be affected by the way the mother feels about the music. For example, if the mother is listening to music that she thinks is calming, then the baby’s heart rate will slow down.

Music can trigger different feelings in the brain. Now lets discuss if music can help with anxiety and depression. It is actually possible that listening to music before a performance can lower your anxiety. If you listen to certain kinds of music, it can help you with depression. Music may also be able to help people with PTSD and dementia. In a survey I took, I found out that 4 out of 6 people said they thought music could help with depression.

Listening to and talking about music, or music therapy can be used to raise people’s physical and emotional happiness. Music therapy can be used to re motivate people and get them to be more physically active.This is most likely the reason hospitals came to hire musicians to come play for the patients. Music therapy may also be used to trigger speech in people who can’t or no longer talk. Along with emotions, music can affect the body, too. Music may change people’s heart rate and blood pressure. Additionally, music can help calm many people down. Music therapy can also be used to help ease muscle tension, too . Music therapy can even be used to help deal with chronic pain.

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Lets talk about how music can make people happy. When people become happy by listening to music, their bodies are releasing a hormone called dopamine, which is the same hormone that is released whenever you would do or eat something else that could make your body happy such as chocolate, soda, or drugs. When you listen to a song you like, for the same amount of time each day, the less you like it because, less and less dopamine will be released in your body, so you’ll be less happy, unless you listen to it more and more each day.

There are many different cases where people said that music made them happy. During the Holocaust, when people sang songs to themselves, they actually felt better, and weren’t as sad. When I took the the survey, 3 out of 6 people said that music could make them feel happy, while only 1 out of 6 disagreed. Only 1 out 6 people said that music could improve their mood all the time. There are several parts of music that make us happy. Music can feel rewarding to the body. Live music can make people the happiest. This could be because live music is usually fast and happy, which makes people breathe faster and feel better.

Something else that may come up in a conversation about music is the myth that listening to or playing heavy metal music can make you violent, which has something to do with your emotions, as well as actions. There are a few cases where this may have happened. In 1991, during a music festival, people were out of control, causing havoc and violence by turning over trash cans to use as drums, and even lighting small fires! Another example is that a boy killed his mother at 4 a.m. one day when she told him to stop listening to heavy metal music in 1987. Also, a heavy metal band member was convicted to be an accomplice to a murder in 1998.

Many people think that heavy metal musicians are devil-worshippers, but evidently, this is not true. In the end, heavy metal music making you violent is just a myth, and it might not even have had to do with any of the cases.

You now might be wondering if playing music can affect people in any way in any way. Well, lets talk about that. Playing music can even have a biological effect on people. Over the course of 2 years, people who played music could comprehend speech better and had higher reading scores than people that didn’t. The sad part about this is that only 1 out of 6 people who took the survey even played a musical instrument, so not many people are not benefitted from music as much as they could be.

Listening to and playing music can also benefit people’s work and study. People who are active in music usually have high attendance rates and pay close attention in class. People who have reading disabilities, such as dyslexia that play music can read better than those who don’t. Even younger children can be benefited intellectually by music. Preschoolers who studied music had better reasoning skills than preschoolers who had studied for the same time on the computer. Children who took music lessons were also better at puzzles than those who didn’t.

When people start playing music, they start hearing sounds they wouldn’t normally hear over time. You can’t get much out of just sitting there and listening to music- you have to be active. But you can’t benefit from simply listening to music in the same way watching sports can’t make you fitter. Music is something people all over the world love to listen to and share, almost like its own language, and I have appreciated how music has benefited me, and made it easier for me to live

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and learn. We live in a complicated and loud world where some people listen to music all the time, and some don’t, but it is important to know that whoever you are, you can always be affected by music. Overall, music has taken a huge effect on all of our emotions, even if you don’t know. And that is music to my ears! Thank you!

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Identity Vivi arking

Hi, my name is Vivi and I LOVE sushi. Sushi is one of Japan’s most famous foods, but I first tried sushi in an airport, going to either Florida or Israel. My dad had gotten a tuna roll. I asked “Can I try?” and he gave me a piece. I immediately spit it out. A year or two later, at the same airport, my dad got sushi. I asked “Can I try?” He said “Last time you did not like it.” I said “That was probably Zack” so he gave me a piece. I tried it and asked for more. Then, I started to wonder what America’s, Israel’s, and Japan’s famous foods are and why they eat different foods, which is healthier, and what their famous foods cost. I strongly believe that food is not JUST food , it is your identity. Food defines you. Many people just think oh, i’ll eat that because it tastes good or Fine, i’ll eat because my mom tells me I have to eat something if I want dessert.

So, what are America’s famous foods? Some of America's famous foods are mac ‘n

cheese, potato chips, Buffalo wings, key lime pie, twinkies, beef jerky, and hamburgers. My favorite from this list is key lime pie, which is delicious pie, but it is not as good as sushi. The most famous from the list is hamburger. The inspiration to make a hamburger sandwich came from Hamburg, Germany. Just the burger part of the hamburger sandwich came in the 19th century.

Last year, I went on a vacation to Israel with my parents, siblings, grandparents, and cousins. We were in the airplane and I was so excited to go to Ben Yehuda street to get shawarma from my favorite shawarma and falafel place in Israel. Next to me my sister was complaining “ Do we have to eat shawarma and falafel I don’t like it?” I said “Shawarma is basically shredded lamb in pita with toppings and sauce, and falafel is the same just with chick pea balls instead of shawarma” “I still don’t like it” she said. My mom said “Well, I don’t know what you're going to eat then because that is all that's there.” “no,” I said, “ there are kababs, lamb, rugelach, and pita and hummus too. (hand out pieces of rugelach)

If you travel to Japan you would have tempura, edamame beans, seaweed salad, soba, ramen noodles, miso soup, sushi, yakitori, takoyaki, and rice for your lunch and dinner, unless you're me. If you were then you would have sushi for lunch and dinner every single day of the trip because sushi is the best food in the world. There are two types of sushi Maki and Nigiri. Maki is seaweed, rice, raw fish, and vegetables rolled up. Nigiri is rice with raw fish on top. They are both delicious. If I were to have a side dish I would definitely choose edamame beans, Which are soybeans with salt.

Food helps define your religion because certain religions restrict certain food. What are the different religions in different countries? America is 45.7% Protestant, 21.3% Catholic, and 33% other. Israel is 75.1%Jewish, 17.4% muslim, and 7.5 % other. \So, most restaurants in Israel are probably kosher because most of the people in Israel are Jewish, and jewish people eat kosher. Japan is 89.5% Buddhist, 2.1% Christian, and 8.4% other. Buddhism is very important because if there was no Buddhism meat would not have been banded, and Sushi would have not been invented.

Plants and animals are important to what we eat because different plants and animals

live and grow in certain places which means that if chicken does not live in Israel, Israel would have to get it’s chicken shipped from maybe America. See what I mean? So, the plants in America include tons of trees and flowers, and the animals include robin, geese, turtles, snakes,

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deer, rabbits, tuna, and salmon. In Israel there are not many trees because of a fire and that is why a lot of people donate trees to Israel. In Israel, there is over 100 reptiles and 500 birds. The land not destroyed by humans, in Japan, is mainly forests. Japans animals include bear, deer, whale,dolphin, hawk, dove, turtles, and lizards.

Food defines our geography, climate, religion, and sometimes age. It defines our geography and climate because different places eat different foods and the different foods can only grow in certain climates. Food defines our religion because different religions have different food restrictions. Lastly, food sometimes defines our age because younger kids usually don’t like the same things as adults.

So, you know what you can eat, but you do not know if it is affordable. If you want to buy a hamburger in America, it would cost from $0.68 to $2.90, unlike it used to be, hamburgers is one of the cheaper things of the menu. If you want to buy Shawarma in Israel, it would cost from $2.59 to $3.88. If you want to buy Sushi in Japan, it would cost from $6.60 to $11.65. If you pay too much money on food you might not be able to buy other things, so food definitely defines you wealth.

Let’s play a game. If you were to take a guess which, country do you think would be the healthiest? Americans eat the most calories per person per day at 3,546, and Japanese eat the least calories per person per day at 2,620. 1 point Japan Americans eat the most pounds of sugar per person per year at 155, and Japanese eat the least pounds of sugar per person per year at 47. Another point Japan. Israelis eat the most pounds of vegetables per person per year at 435.6, a little more than double the pounds of vegetables Americans eat per person per year at 217. 1 point Israel. Americans eat the most pounds of red meat per person per year at 275, Japanese eat the least pounds of red meat per person per year at 96. Another point Japan. So, in the end, Japan is healthiest country followed by Israel, and believe it or not, America is the most unhealthy country.( I want to do a little game like “least amount of calories…. 1 point Japan”) If you do not watch what you eat you will become fat, so food definitely defines how you look.

Many people think food is just food and that we only eat it because we will die without it.

They think food is meaningless, but if you don't eat healthy foods, you will look different than people who do eat healthy. If you eat shawarma, falafel, and hummus, it shows that you're Jewish or Israeli, and If you spend too much money for food you will be less wealthy. Food defines you and helps you meet knew people. Remembering food you had when you were little can remind you of the past. “Food, in the end, in our own tradition, is something holy. It's not about nutrients and calories. It's about sharing. It's about honesty. It's about identity.” - Louise Fresco Thank you.

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Concussions Sara Pollard

*Push the toy over. “What just happened?” *Point to someone. “You pushed the brain over.” I just demonstrated what happens to your brain when you get a concussion. My name is

Sara Pollard and five months ago my 50 pound dog jumped on my head three times while I was sleeping. I got a concussion. I went to the Malcolm and Sandra A. Berman Brain and Spine Institute at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. I saw Dr.Kevin Crutchfield, a leading researcher and neurologist specializing in concussions. He saw that whenever he pushed pressure points on my head, my cheeks got really red and my head started to hurt. That told him that a nerve was inflamed in the back of my head and neck. So, he asked me to get X-rays taken of my spine. On my X-ray it had shown that the ligaments between my vertebrae, C1, C2, and possibly my C3 were stretched. The C spine stretch was a result of the injury, and I was also diagnosed with a concussion.

So what exactly is a concussion? It’s a brain injury, and it’s also known as a traumatic brain injury or TBI. The brain is soft, and when you hit your head, your brain also hits against your skull causing your head to hurt. If you hit your head hard enough, you get a concussion. Most people think that you have to black-out or crack your head open to get a concussion. That’s not true. You can get a concussion from the littlest things. For example, you could get one from being elbowed in the head, by a sudden jolt of your head and neck, or by simply falling. You can even get a concussion when you wear a helmet!

Some people don’t think concussions are very serious, but since your brain controls everything in Your body, it is a serious injury. Concussions can even be deadly. No matter what though, concussions need special treatment. The treatment depends on how bad the injury is.

When you have a concussion, stay home for a couple of days to get your rest and follow your doctor’s orders. When I had a concussion, I got tired really easily, so I did not go to school for a week just so I could get some rest. When my doctor said I could return to school, I went. Since I knew my teachers were going to need me to catch up on work, my mom e-mailed them about the concussion and how I needed to take work completion slowly. It took me a while to get caught up, but I did eventually. When you return to school, do one thing at a time to avoid tiring. Also when you return to school, gradually re-enter. You can go for one hour one day, then the next day two hours, and so forth.

Recovery also means no late nights; so, no sleepovers, parties, or late movies. Concussions do need lots of rest to recover: physical rest and cognitive rest by taking brain breaks. Also, there is no playing on the playground or doing anything that would put you at risk for bumping or jolting your head, which could cause another injury. While I had the concussion, it was the most boring time EVER! I could not do anything with my friends, could not watch TV, or even read!

Here’s a tip: Avoid amusement parks. I went to Disney World while still recovering. I wanted to go on all the big rollercoasters, but I couldn't. So I went on a ride that I thought did not have a drop, but it did. This ride made my recovery longer.

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A concussion can last as little as a couple of weeks if you treat it correctly. However to get

back to playing sports and normal daily activity, it usually takes six months of recovery, therapy, and medications. When I had a concussion it took me more than a month to get back to a normal schedule, but it’s going to take me even longer to get back into sports like gymnastics and volleyball.

How quickly you recover depends on when you start your treatment. It also depends on how bad your concussion is, how old you are, and how well you treat it. Most concussion recoveries are fast since most people are diagnosed within a day or two of their injury. Sometimes the symptoms last long after the brain is healed. My concussion recovery was short, but the symptoms remain.

Symptoms usually fall into one of these four categories: Thinking/remembering, physical, emotional/mood, and sleep. Some thinking and remembering symptoms are having a hard time thinking clearly, hard time concentrating, and a hard time remembering new information. Some physical symptoms are nausea, dizziness, sensitivity to noise, balance issues, feeling tired or no energy, feeling slowed down, and having headaches. Some emotional symptoms are getting annoyed easily, sadness, and nervousness. A sleep symptom is that your sleeping patterns are disturbed. When I woke up from when Pedro jumping on my head, I felt dizzy, nauseous, and my head hurt.

If you think you have a concussion then, you should see a doctor. They can prescribe medicine that can make the symptoms lessen or completely go away. For example, I had to take anti-inflammatory to help my headaches.

After you’ve had a concussion there can be long term effects, such as headaches and loss of balance. Cognitive fatigue is also something that often occurs. After you’ve had a concussion you are then prone to new concussions because it is like breaking your bone; the bone reattaches itself to the bone but the injury is still there. The brain is similar.

My doctor told me I have post concussive syndrome. Post concussive syndrome occurs when you have had a concussion and you still have many of the symptoms. For example, wrote the next couple of sentence while I was really tired and experiencing cognitive fatigue. -”Also don't do or get your basic needs. Another thing that could make you recovery easier is to not look at a screen for a long time.”*I knew what I wanted to say, but my ideas got mixed up.

When I first woke up from Pedro jumping on my head my parents did not think I had a concussion, but I did. That just made me miserable because if they had known I could have gotten to feel better in probably less than two months. Now I am in physical therapy and still recovering after five months. So what I want to leave you with is this- never ignore your head. Thank You

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Drug Addiction So, what were you like at 10 years old? I assume you were a normal 10 year old who

loved to play outside, or play video games. Well, if you were in this young 10 year old girl named Savannah's shoes, your life would be entirely different, and your life would be terrible. Both of her parents were drug addicts, and Savannah was abused by both of them. Savannah’s mom acted like a teenager, not a mom.

Then one day, something horrible happened to Savannah. Savannah’s mom gave her illegal drugs to take. She eventually started taking many drugs on her own and drank a lot of alcohol.. Savannah began sneaking out at night and being put in scary situations. She faced many problems at her age that were hard for her to get through. She fortunately went through treatment and she is fine and living a great life.

Did you know that there are 12 year olds who are taking illegal drugs right now?Imagine if you were not in school and were doing drugs and becoming very, very sick. Imagine if even I were not giving this talk and I was with you taking drugs. My name is Robby Lefkowitz and I am 12 years old. I have been studying about drug addiction for about two full months, and I am now familiar with the topic.

First off, what is addiction? There are many news articles and things on the news that tell us about cases of Drug Addiction. But what if I were to tell you what actually happens when you take a drug and what goes on inside of you and outside of you? Well, what happens is that when you take drugs, and your body gets used to them, your body starts to adapt to the drug and when you stop taking them, your body acts in funny ways.

You must remember though that addiction is not always the person's fault. Addiction can happen when you try to get high just to have fun. It can sometimes happen after one time trying it because your body starts to think that you will now be taking it.

Well, there are many ways you can get addicted to drugs and not all of them are because of you and your choices. It can be because of other family members that have a history of addiction. Your parents can be one of the reasons you have addiction because they were addicted and their genes have carried over into you. You can also get addicted by trying a drug a few times, and your body for some reason becomes addicted to it.

Having addiction makes you experience things that affect you in negative physical and emotional ways. You can experience very severe mood swings that affect the way you act. So, if you adults take drugs, you might act in a way that seems dangerous and then you may get your kids taken away. Your normal life can turn into a nightmare. At night, you might actually experience some very frightening nightmares. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want frightening nightmares. Another thing you can experience is severe weight loss. This is not because you are trying to lose weight but it is simply because you have the disease of addiction. Sudden weight loss is not healthy for you and can lead to other serious problems in your life. Now, you can also experience bad depression. You feel awful all day long and feel down on yourself. A final thing that happens is that you do not have control of

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how your body feels without the drug. If your body is feeling terrible, then there is no way that you can stop it from feeling that way and medication will do nothing. This is what addiction is and it is deadly.

When you have an emotional addiction to drugs, you feel as if you have to take the drug and that you can’t miss out on it. It is almost like your favorite show is on, at let’s say 4, and you can’t miss it and you make sure you see it. Well, for people with drug addiction it is similar because they feel as if they can’t miss out on it. Another big problem people have is that they steal and lie in order to get the drug.

In physical addiction, your body actually needs the drug in order for you to live. If you for some reason skip a day of drugs, your body will become sick due to the fact that your body is used to having the drug every day. It also takes over the way you live your life. Addiction is deadly because it it makes your mind and body do things you normally would not do.

Now, let me tell you about this deadly drug called cocaine. Cocaine makes some people feel great but in the long run it makes you feel awful. It can give you energy, make you talk a lot, and make you feel happy temporarily, but is it really worth it? Nothing could be worse than having a very high heart rate and blood pressure. All those things are deadly, is it worth the try?

There is this other awful drug that is called Heroin which is awful . It can be injected, smoked, snorted, or sniffed. Heroin can make you have a hard time breathing. You also will have serious risks of high blood pressure which is not worth it to me. It also affects your brain in many ways. This is not a joke folks so I hope you guys never will use this drug.

People with serious drug addiction have trouble with society and family. If you are on drugs, you may miss out on your education. You could have a hard time getting up for school or you may really not care about education. But, education is very important and you need to have it. When you are on drugs, you're not going to get a job due to the fact that you are an addict. Nobody wants somebody working for them who is a drug addict. There is also going to be no way that you can pay for the things you things you need in life. You may need to live on the streets or in a shelter. These are huge challenges people face.

People who struggle with addiction have trouble bonding and being close with their families. Addicts lie, cheat and steal from their family members to get drugs and be able to use drugs. If you are married, there is a very big chance that your partner is not going to stay with you. They won’t be able to handle the fact that their partner is a drug addict.

Now we are going to start to talk about solutions for drug addiction. Remember, people make mistakes in life so if you make this mistake, there are ways to get better. Addicts who are trying to recover need ways to avoid temptations. They need to make sure that all of their friends are sober so they don’t try to give them drugs again. Because they could become addicted again. They should avoid clubs or places where they may have gotten drugs. They MUST be careful with medications they take for other reasons because they are also sometimes addictive and they could have an overdose. If addicts can do all of these things, they will be so much closer to being clean for their life.

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Addicts need to have support from their family so they can help them. They should let them know that they want to get treated so if the families kicked them out, they can kick them right back in. Addicts also should make sure they have friends who they can lean on when they are down so the friends can pick them back up.

There are ways that addicts can get treated and become clean. If they work hard, they will be clean after treatment. Addicts should not try to treat themselves. They can run into big problems and there is a greater chance of them failing than succeeding in the process of getting clean. One of the great ways to make sure an addict stays clean is to move into a group home specialized for drug addiction recovery to avoid being in contact with drugs or people who use them. Also, treatment groups and drug therapists can help addicts with their problems. Exercise can be helpful also.

There are two things I want to leave you with today. The first thing I want to leave you with is this: addiction is deadly. It can ruin your health, education and family relationships. With treatment and support, addicts can recover and have their lives back. The second thing is that people make mistakes in life. Yes, these people had the choice to take drugs but they did not purposely get addicted. These are still good people who have time in their lives and they can’t let this one thing ruin their lives. Thank you all. (Applause)

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Sport Role Models Daniel Cohen

Some Athletes care about working hard, some athletes care about providing for their

family, and some athletes care about doing work for their community and charity, but should we really treat them as role models? Hello, my name is Daniel and today I am going to be talking to you about sport role models because one, I love sports and two, I have sport role models of my own. I’ve been doing a lot of research on this topic and have a lot to say. Some athletes just care about being known. They want to be on commercials, make deals with different companies, and make money.

One way that professional athletes can be poor role models is by taking steroids to become stronger so they can defeat their opponents. A survey was taken with 8th through 12th grade kids who have taken steroids. Out of those people 57 percent of them said that pro athletes influenced their decision to take these drugs and 63 percent said that pro athletes influenced their friends’ decisions to take drugs. They thought that steroids could help them achieve their athletic dreams, but that wasn’t the case for a 17 year old boy named Taylor. Only six weeks after taking steroids he died. Why would anybody want to take drugs knowing that they are at risk of dying?

Another problem with using pro athletes as role models is that some of them have very

poor sportsmanship. A survey was taken that shows 74 percent of kids said it was common to see a referee get yelled at by a pro athlete. 62 percent of the people surveyed said that it is normal to see pro athletes trash talking their opponents and 46 percent said that it isn’t uncommon to see pro athletes take cheap shots at their opponents. Those same people said that it was common to see those same actions while playing sports with their peers. These athletes are teaching children that it is OK to yell and fight to get what you want. Another survey was taken that shows 91 percent of people see trash talking or bad sportsmanship on a regular basis. Out of those people 27 percent said they see that behavior all the time. Only 58% of people say that they have sports role models and 42% say that they don’t. WOW!

Johnny Manziel, the quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, is a great example of a

terrible role model. He was caught drinking a lot during the NFL season. There was a picture taken of him in a bathroom bar rolling up a $20 bill which indicates he was doing drugs. That is not a good sign if you are trying to convince people that you don’t take drugs. The worst part was that he was caught spraying champagne on many different bars. What was he thinking?

Another bad role model is Michael Vick who is the quarterback for the New York Jets

and the former quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. He was suspended for two years from the NFL for forcing dogs to fight and went to jail for 19 months. He was also caught with Marijuana in his truck. And to top it off, he flipped off his own fans after losing a game. His own fans!

Another terrible role model is Tyrann Mathieu who is a former LSU football player. He

was arrested for drug abuse and then apologized for it, but even after he apologized he was arrested again for having possession of drugs.

Pete Rose was a great player for the Philadelphia Phillies and a great coach for the

Cincinnati Reds, but that doesn’t mean he was a good role model. He was caught betting on baseball while he was coaching the Reds. He wasn’t just caught betting on any team, he was

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betting on his own team. He was banned from the MLB in 1989. This is teaching kids that it is okay to gamble on sports because a famous person is doing it. He is teaching kids the wrong thing to do.

Floyd Mayweather is a professional boxer who has never lost a match. He might be a

great boxer but not a great person. During a press conference he told a reporter that cage fighting and MMA fighting are for “beer drinkers” while boxing is for “everybody.” He was saying that the sport he played was the only good sport and that other sports weren’t. Just because you do one thing doesn’t make everything other people do bad.

Although there are a lot of poor role models, there can also be good sport role

models. First we are going to talk about the qualities of a good sport role model. A survey was taken on around 3,500 teenagers and adults about sport role models. Three fourths of those people said that pro athletes teach children that being a team player, a good sport, and playing fairly is just, or even more, important than winning. 93 percent said that pro athletes are very motivational and teach kids about hard work and dedication so they can be the best at a sport.

Many kids today are not very active that theCenters of Disease Control and Prevention

said that around 20 percent of kids between the ages of 6 to 11 are considered obese because of pure laziness. Technology these days is taking over our lifestyles, but when kids look up to their favorite athletes they might get motivated to get up, go outside, and be active. This will make a tremendous impact on childrens work ethics and get them fit on and off the field.

Here are some ways for sport role models to show positive behavior. The first way is that

they will show how much they enjoy being a role model. An example of that is that an athlete might sign autographs to anybody who wants one. Another way is that they put others before themselves and do community work. They might help out at a homeless shelter, donate some things or money, or visit patients in hospitals. The final example is that they don’t cheat and play fairly and they enjoy what they do. Now that is what a true role model does.

An example of a good role model is Craig Biggio, a former Houston Astros player. In

2004 he won the Hutch award which is given to a player that shows great competitiveness and does community work, and in 2007 he also won the Roberto Clemente award which is given to a player who works hard on and off the field. This year he was inducted into the MLB hall of fame and got his number retired by the Houston Astros. He is the spokesperson for the Sunshine Kids Foundation which raises money for kids with cancer. Today, he is the coach for a high school baseball team in Texas.

Another good sport role model is Dave Dravecky. He used to be a left hand pitcher for

the San Francisco Giants until he got cancer and he had to get his left arm amputated. In 1989 he also won the Hutch award. He was always a good sport and had a fighting spirit.

Next on the list is Pau Gasol. Pau Gasol plays for the Chicago Bulls and won two NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. Before his basketball career took off he attended medical school in Spain. He fluently speaks many different languages and is one of the smartest, most intelligent players in all of the NBA.

Roger Federer is one of the best, if not the best, tennis player of all time. He’s also a

Goodwill Ambassador and is involved in lots of charities. After hurricane Katrina happened he helped the victims of the hurricane get back to health. Even though he did all of this he still had time to win 16 grand slam titles.

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So yes, there are many good sport role models that kids today should be looking up to because they are motivational, but there are also a handful of bad ones that kids shouldn’t be idolizing because of drugs and bad sportsmanship. So tell me, do YOU think that we should be idolizing professional athletes the way we do today? So now I’m going to leave you with a famous quote by Elvis, who may not have been the best role model himself, (Pause) “Thank you, thank you very much.”

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Puppy Mills Shelby Schlactus

Puppy mills. Raise your hand if you know what they are. Puppy mills are horrible and we need to get rid of them. People are abusing puppies in a way that can’t even be explained because they are too disturbing. The worst part is that these people don’t even care that they are hurting these puppies in a remarkable way. They show no caring for these innocent dogs and puppies and we need to stop it! We need to show these puppies that there is at least someone out in the world who cares for them. And who will give them the their time and support to save them. We need to show them that there is more to life than living in a wired cage getting treated as if they meant nothing. Hi, My name is Shelby and I have always loved and cared for dogs. Today it’s time I show you how horribly treated these dogs and puppies are getting and why we need to help them, by ending puppy mills for good . Just in case you didn’t know what puppy mills are, this is the truth. Puppy mills are breeding operations where people use dogs for making puppies for them to sell. These people are turning dogs into money makers. They are not even treating them as a living beings. The owners even decide on whether the puppies should be chosen to make puppies or be sold depending on how they look and act. They take absolutely no care of these dogs and puppies and because all they care about is money; they buy these cheap wired cages. It may help with the mess, but it causes many problems for the dogs. When it comes to selling these dogs to pet stores and people online they give false information to buyers just so they will buy the puppies. When the owners finally do, these buyers have no idea that these dogs are going to show up with many problems.

There are 10,000 puppy mills in the United States. How many puppies and dogs do you think are in the puppy mills? More than 2 million puppies and dogs are in puppy mills. That is two million dogs getting abused and mistreated every day. Because the puppy mill owners are all selling these dogs to pet stores, it is a fact that 99% of dogs and puppies from pet stores come from puppy mills.

The puppy mill owners don’t treat the puppies with care at all. The puppies and dogs get put in these wired cages that give them horrible diseases. Although, the owners never get any of the problems fixed liked the diseases or if one of the dogs broke a paw because it is too much money. Some puppies and dogs throughout their whole lives never live to see sunlight. These dogs never even experience fun in puppy mills. They can’t have treats, toys, or exercise which is horrible for them. The worst thing of all is some never live to experience caring for or love.

Someone may ask, why do people make puppy mills? And the only answer I can give you is that they only do it to make money. That is their one and only goal. I even once watched a video of a man who shared his experience at a puppy mill and why he left. He said that when he worked there the people at the puppy mills taught him that the only way to work there is to not care about what you do and what happens to the puppies. And he is right because if you did care everything they did to those puppies,you would be screaming at them for doing it. The owners do the worst possible things to these dogs. It’s like when the dog or puppy is no longer useful they either put it up to be sold or just kill it. I read that A farmer in Pennsylvania shot 80 of his dogs because they were no longer useful from all of the diseases they had and he didn’t want to spend the money to help them. One of the worst things I learned was when a dog or puppies paw gets stuck on the wired cage instead of cutting the wire the owners cut the paw off. People are

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hurting dogs in many different ways all over the world and for me I just don’t get why someone could be so cruel to and innocent puppy who just wants someone to care.

I once had a dog named Maggie. I was probably the happiest nine year old ever when my mom surprised my family with her, but I can still remember how frightened her face was when we all walked in the door excited that we had a dog. As time went on,she got more comfortable with us and we did a training session with her every weekend on how to sit and we will give her a treat. She was about four years old and she didn’t know what a treat was. I never really thought about that until now. She had been doing really well and one day during my brothers birthday party I went inside the house to ask my mom a question and I saw that my dad had just got back from the store with the cake and hugged my mom. At that moment Maggie ran up to my dad and bit him. We were so shocked because she had never done anything like that before, that we took her to the doctor the next day to see if everything was okay. We had learned that Maggie came from a puppy mill that was run by men only. They had hurt her so much that when Maggie saw my dad hugging my mom she thought he was hurting her so she ran and bit him hoping he would stop. We knew this would be a problem considering everyday when my dad got home from work me and my brothers would run up to him and give him a big hug. We decided we would find a very good trainer to help Maggie. We worked for months just helping her, but the fact was they had damaged her so much in the puppy mill we were not able to get rid of the horrible memories she had. After a while,we realized we had been spending too much money on something by then we knew was useless. Sadly we all knew that we had to give her away. We found an amazing new home for her that we trusted would take care of her and she would be in a place without men. I loved Maggie and I always will. Even though I know she is in a better place I sometimes still wish to myself that she would have never been in a puppy mill, so that I would still have a sweet loving dog like her to love everyday of my life.

In my story I told you how my dog Maggie had a problem coming from a puppy mill. Thankfully though, in my story my dog,Maggie, didn’t have it as rough. Some of the problems a dog can get from puppy mills are, epilepsy, which can cause seizures in the brain, heart disease, kidney disease,musculoskeletal disorders, blood disorders, deafness, eye problems, and respiratory disorders. Even dogs that have been in puppy mills for a short time still have many problems. Some problems become so big they have to get surgery. By ending puppy mills we can prevent puppies and dogs from getting so many problems and make their lives happier and easier.

From my story the main message was that puppy mills affect the behavior of a dog either forever or for a long period of time. For any dog going to a new home is scary, but for a puppy mill dog it is five times worse. And for almost every single puppy mill dog or puppy when they first arrive, they won’t be able to look the new owner in the eye for about a week and they will try to shut them out. Because puppy mills don’t treat the dogs normally when they arrive, everything from learning how to eat and walk on a leash outside to being cared for is new to them. Some dogs are also kept inside the puppy mills and never see sunlight which damages their eyes, so for some dogs just being outside is new to them. Also, at puppy mills the dogs and puppies are taken away from their mothers at 6 weeks old which is a total loss for them because a dog learns very important and basic skills in the first few weeks they were born from their mothers. Another way a puppy mill affects the dog is like in my story most puppies come from a puppy mill only run by men, so they become very frightened by their new owners if they are men. When we happen to adopt these puppies or dogs we need to create a relationship with them so we can gain their trust and give them our love. Although, sadly some puppies and dogs never live to experience love. We need to end puppy mills because the fact is no matter how

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much love we give the puppies and dogs when we adopt them they will always remember the horrible memories they had at puppy mills.

Even though we can’t erase the memories the dogs have we have to try our best to help them become better and move on. One thing that really helps the dog or puppy when you’re trying to tell them something is say it in a calming tone. And obviously when you first adopt them, take them to the doctor to find out if they have any problems and get them fixed. To help train them find a helpful trainer who knows what they are doing. You have to be very committed and patient because helping a puppy mill dog requires a lot of work. One way to help the dog with behavior I learned from a story is that getting another dog that isn’t from a puppy mill can help the puppy mill dog learn from watching how the dog not from a puppy mill does everything. The last thing to help a puppy mill dog or puppy is to give them your love because some of them have never experienced it before.

From everything I’ve said,hopefully I have made it clear that we need to end puppy mills. We can’t sit around and let this happen. We need to get active and end them for good. There are many ways you can do that like speaking to your community of ways we can stop them and make it happen. One,don’t buy a puppy from online. Two if you know anyone who didn’t have a positive experience with a dog from a pet store and they find out it was a puppy mill dog report the pet store. Many people are getting active and rescuing puppies from puppy mills. There have also been many companies working to stop them and you should too! Three, spread awareness to others and explain the horrible things happening to these dogs and puppies. It is also one of the easiest ways. One way I spread awareness was I made a survey for 48 kids seeing if they knew what puppy mills were. Out of the 48 kids thankfully 28 of them knew what a puppy mill was, but that still left 20 kids who didn’t know. I also put a video on it for them to watch explaining what a puppy mill was and only five kids didn’t agree that it made them stronger against puppy mills when they knew what it was. The more people know the better. Last but not least, Four, sign laws against puppy mills. In 2008, in Pennsylvania the government made a law for better circumstances in puppy mills. It does help but we need to do more than just fix what they are doing inside the puppy mills we need to end them. Although, it did help because when some puppy mills where not able to follow those laws they had to close and many puppies were taken into a better homes. When we finally save the puppies, we need to help them with all the problems as soon as possible to make them healthy loving puppies like they should have been from the start.

If there's one thing I want to leave you with today it is that we need to stop puppy mills

for good. Puppy mills and the people running them are abusing these puppies and dogs and we

need to stop it. I mean everyone always says that a dog is a person’s best friend, but is this really

how you would treat your best friend? For me, if my best friend was being abused and hurt I

promise you I would never just let it happen. We need to fight for these dogs and show them

that we are their friends and they need to know that they can have hope. Hope that the world

isn’t just a cruel place hurting them then using them for money. Hope that one day they will find

a family who really cares and will have patience with them. Hope that one day someone will love

them the same way I loved Maggie. Thank you!

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Environmentally Friendly Aircraft Alex Landy

I want all of you to look at this image on the screen and try to understand the concept of

it. This image right here represents a large problem for our planet. This image is proof that air travel is jeopardizing our future. Hi, My name is Alex Landy and I love airplanes and the concept of flying, so today, I’m going to talk to you about airplanes and how they affect our world. So, how many of you know what about airplanes is putting our planet in jeopardy? (Call on someone or answer myself) The main problem when it comes to planes is that they consume and burn too much fuel. On a common flight, an astonishing amount of thousands of gallons of fuel is burned to transport passengers to their destinations.

Other than individual aircraft fuel use, the overall percentage of fuel used by civil aircraft is about four percent. This number has doubled since the early aircraft years because of new on-board systems, cockpit controls and more powerful engines that go at higher speeds and use far more fuel than before. Then leads us to the fact that still many older aircraft that consume far more fuel than necessary are in business with most airlines that are trying to save money by not purchasing new planes that come at higher prices and are more fuel efficient. Another way that airlines try to save money is by filling up the tanks a touch more to be safe in case of an emergency when fuel prices drop, although when prices increase they will lower the levels filled in the tanks. And at the end of the flight, dump the rest of the fuel.

Another problem is that Bigger planes carrying more fuel and passengers are used for

shorter routes that are not in-need of a bigger plane and that burn too much fuel. So, now we find the airlines trying to make even more money instead of just saving by adding more seats to planes and using bigger planes for shorter routes. In all of this, how are the airlines helping our environment? Or maybe the better question is how could or should they help? If you have ever heard of Bio-Fuel than you might have a good idea about how some airlines who contribute to keeping our environment clean.

Bio-Fuel is a somewhat new energy source to power certain things such as cars, busses

and trains and sometimes aircraft and new rockets being produced. The mixture contains some human waste as well as animals and plants that are then converted into energy through long processes. So, this new fuel is an opportunity for airlines to help our environment by powering most of their fleet with bio-fuel to cut down the amount of fossil fuel used by aircraft and to make our environment cleaner. The contributing airlines include Air Canada, United, Qatar and Al Nippon Airways, who have been using bio-fuel for the past few years for some of their flights to experiment with it and to see how it works for most flights.

When it comes to helping the environment, fuel is not the only problem. You know all of those cups, wrappers, cans and newspapers that are given out on most flights? Well, there you have the other problem. So, to solve that problem airlines like Virgin Atlantic and American recycle all on-board materials at the end of each flight. The same process performed by airlines when dumping fuel is the same with throwing away torn or ripped magazines and safety cards. Although, even though recycling is something that airlines need to improve on, the most important way of helping our environment is by eliminating fuel use.

So that then leads us to “What is an efficient plane?” and what are the key components of a that make them good for our environment? The average fuel efficient or aerodynamic efficient plane includes a raked and swept wing which means that it is at a very high angle and very far

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back for stable airflow over the wing surfaces. On the wing, heavier parts are eliminated and replaced with a lighter version of that part to ensure a light wing that is able to glide through air with no obstructions. Even though most airlines prefer larger planes today, fuel-efficient planes are often small-medium sized because passenger capacity needs to be limited to make sure that not too much weight is added to the plane.

The most popular component that pretty much every efficient plane contains is a winglet. If you have ever see that large piece of aluminum sticking up at the end of the wing, that’s what I’m referring to. A winglet smooth’s the air that travels over and under the wing. Also, a key component of a plane is its nose. To smooth the air going against the plane, the nose is curved down to create a nice airflow to not create drag which will slow the plane, such as with the wings. Winglets come in different sizes and are made of different materials. They should be strong but light and not have a lot of screws or metals sticking out to cause drag and slow the plane.

The last and most important part of an efficient plane is its size and weight. Efficient planes are commonly small-to medium-sized and use lightweight materials such as carbon and aluminum. And of course on an efficient plane, the engines do not require a lot of fuel for long flights and limit the amount of fuel that is let out of the exhaust pipe during the flight. Also, cockpit systems and electrical systems are powered by batteries instead of a conventional plane that uses fuel to power those parts. To make a plane not too heavy in some parts, efficient planes can sometimes hold fuel in different areas of the plane rather than just the wings and the main tank on the bottom of the plane’s body such as the tailfin, the horizontal stabilizers in the rear of the plane and in the wings.

There are many aircraft manufacturers today who have and are producing fuel-efficient planes that include the features I mentioned before. Just one of those manufacturers is the largest aircraft producer in the world: The Boeing Company. Boeing has contributed a lot to help our environment by making many different planes. Those planes include: The all-new 787-10, the soon to be released 777X, the 747-8 and many more. Others made by Boeing include a small unmanned aircraft called named the Phantom-Eye. This drone can reach altitudes of 65,000 feet at a top speed of almost 300 miles per hour. The drone takes off from a remote-controlled cart and then the engines of the drone start and it takes off to save fuel during takeoff. It also uses propeller engines which consume less fuel than turbofan engines, the traditional commercial type engine. Back to the 787, a very important feature of this aircraft is that the main body of the plane is connected with very few latches and joint pieces compared to most airliners that use many parts to join the parts. The body of the plane is made up of very few barrels subtracting a lot of weight apposed to most planes that have lots of barrels that add more weight. Boeing plans on selling thousands of their new 787 which has already begun especially this year to improve airlines’ fleet so the amount of fuel used is less per-airplane.

Another manufacturer based in Europe, named The Airbus Group has created different and efficient planes to this day and they plan on making a large and super-efficient plane in later years such as 2050 known as the Concept-Plane. Airbus has been in the aircraft manufacturing business for over forty-five years and continues to make efficient planes such as A350XWB models, the A320 and the A330. Most airlines today include at least one of these planes because of their wide-bodied fuselages and reputations for being efficient.

The last manufacturer based in Brazil, Embraer has made just two small and efficient planes that have a very large impact on our environment because many airlines include tons of

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them in their fleet for small to medium range flights. The ERJ-170 and ERJ-190 have been purchased by many airlines today because they are not costly.They carry small amounts of passengers and are perfect for national flights that are short and speedy.

Those manufacturers have very large impacts on our planet because of the efficient planes that they have made and the features that are included in each of those planes to improve aerodynamic efficiency. Each plane made is a huge contribution to our environment because many airlines purchase the planes due to the popularity of these manufacturers. In further years these and hopefully others will produce more efficient planes to eliminate fossil fuels used by aircraft.

By speaking to you about the importance of eliminating fuel in aircraft I leave you with one message today: To speak with your wallet which basically means to please do your best to fly on airlines that were listed today and that contribute to saving our environment. Think about our future and what we want our lives to be like in further years. So, to create that future we will all need to make smarter choices and do what is right for our world. And by making those smarter choices you will be helping our world and environment for the better. We can fix our world! Thank you.

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Okay, everyone. Do you know what this is? I’m a cruise ship enthusiast who has been on seven cruises in my lifetime, but I wondered what happened to all the trash. You can see the crates of watermelons being loaded on, but not the sewage being loaded off right? (Cruise ship) Well this ship looks like a perfect vacation right. But just watch as this ship dumps all its garbage into the ocean. (Carnival dumping pic) When people go to the bathroom the waste has to go somewhere, and unfortunately that somewhere is usually the ocean. So let’s say everyone is done with dinner, the oil from the fryer has to go somewhere, Watch as the ship lets the oil out into the ocean. They say you gain a pound a day while sailing but that's not nearly as much as you leave in the ocean. So, a couple ships won't really make a difference right? Wrong! around the world there are hundreds of ships operating worldwide, each one employing many people overall the industry employs more than 330,000 people and profit adds about $32 million each year, that number is growing. Last year, in 2014 eight new state of the art ships were launched each one bigger than ever. These new eight ships were a 4.1 billion dollar investment in the future of the company and the ships. Unfortunately we don't see that future for the oceans they go through since these will put even more trash into them. What kinds of polluted materials go into the ocean? Well there are five different kinds of wastewater the first being water not consumed, called grey water which accounts for about 91% of all wastewater. The second kind is bilge water, which seeps into the ship’s hull; it accounts about 5% of all wastewater. Sewage, in the shipping business called black water is about 2% and hazardous waste which is less than 1%. How do the ships produce the hazardous waste? Well they can produce it with any of these ways, by processing photos, cleaning machines, and dry cleaning. Smaller generators of hazardous waste on a ship are heavy metals, certain paint waste, solvents, fluorescent and mercury light bulbs, and various types of batteries. What is ballast water? Ballast water is the water a ship takes on to help the trim or way it sits in the water. If you’ve ever seen a fishing boat the hose spraying water is the ballast water from the bottom and side tanks on the ship. Big ships also use ballast water to help trim, but these monsters collect hundreds of gallons of it from big side hatches. These unlike the fishermen suck up all nearby water, unfortunately that also means they suck up everything in the water. When animals get stuck in the ballast tanks it can cause big problems they can get discharged out of the tanks and ruin the natural ecosystem. Ever heard of rats getting transported with diseases to other countries? Well now it’s the fish getting transported to other countries waters. This is one of the ways invasive animals can get around. Grey water is any water produced by a sink, washer, deck cleaning runoff, bathtub, and rainfall. Unfortunately grey water isn't usually considered to be a pollutant. Since it isn't considered to be a pollutant it can legally be freely dumped into the ocean at will. In the great lakes near of Michigan it is illegal to dump any water or waste of any kind. In fact this is one of the major ideas we can institute for the open ocean. This means that the Great Lakes unlike the world’s oceans will be blue for many more years to come. Where does the sewage go? We see the watermelons go on but not the sewage going off. Well the answer is you're right we don't see it come off because it goes out the hatch under the ship into the water. This water also has to go through the cleaner that's usually more than 40 years old (new/old ship) they do nothing at all to the water before it's dumped as supposedly cleaned sewage. In fact it seems

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that some ships only have machines to try to clean the sewage is because they have to not because they want to. They may put 15,000-30,000 gallons of water per day into them. All that human waste is a lot for the ocean to take when it's just flushed down without thought. How does bilge water get into the ship? The water slowly seeps into the ship's hull and settles there it may pick up all kinds of pollutants, it can pick up oil, or metal. Bilge water not to be confused with ballast water, while it does help the trim of the ship it is not taken on voluntarily it seeps into the ship slowly then it needs to be pumped out once in a while. When pumped out the metals and oil are also pumped out into the sea. What this is basically a big version of your morning coffee (frappe). This is another way we can help reduce pollution at least a bit because the oil goes to the top and the metals go to the bottom we could just take them right off.

How much solid waste is made on a ship? Well some examples of the solid waste are last night’s bent silverware or an extra piece of carpet. Thankfully it’s internationally illegal to dump solid waste into the ocean unless in an emergency, but there has been 87 violations in the recent years. This small number of 87 only counts for about 4% of the total. The total estimated illegal dumplings that happened during that period were 2175 dumplings. How do the ships treat the water they make if at all? Well now, 40% of ships are still using water treatment machines that are more than 40 years old, that's not a lot of progress when the internet is only 25 years old. Like most of the mid 70’s machines, these machines aren't made for constant work and being overloaded with polluted water. The old equipment has little or no cleaning effect on the water that's poured into them 21,000 gallons a day, all of it raw sewage. But is the black smog produced just as harmful?

Yes, But what pollutants are in that famous black smog the ships produce? (Black smog ship) Well there are multiple different kinds of pollutants in that smog. Mostly they produce sulfur dioxide but along with any other engines they produce many other kinds of pollution in small amounts. The sulfur dioxide is coming out in such large quantities is because the ships use sulfur rich fuel because it’s cheaper, it’s the same reason ethanol, a corn fuel is added to make it cheaper. Cheaper fuel translates to more profits. A single ship will use 13,000,000 gallons of fuel each year. For Example the vessel Queen Elizabeth the Second will use and average of 433 tons of fuel each day.

Another way ships can produce smog also by incinerating materials but in this case the emissions are toxic emissions. They are produced by incineration of plastics and metal. The toxic emissions are heavier than the regular sulfur dioxide smog because it is heavier so it settles and may harm some passengers. So, do you want to be harmed?

Is there a way to know which cruise ships and companies are better for the environment? Yes, we can look at the grading chart for ships. (Cruise report card) The cruise ship grades are given by the Friends of the Earth, it’s useful to have a simple chart because let's say you would love to go on a cruise (I love cruises) but you also don't want to pollute the environment, (pollution add do not enter symbol) well you can simply go to the chart and see what cruise line is the smartest choice. In the table you will see that the cruise lines are graded on Sewage and water treatment, air quality, and transparency, which means how willing they were to share information with surveyors. What lines are the best and why? The best lines are Norwegian Cruise Line, (NCL LOGO) Disney cruise line, (DCL LOGO) Princess Cruises, (princess-Logo) and

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Holland America (Holland America logo) I personally have been on Norwegian once, and Disney three times both lines I thought were a wonderful experience All of these lines score a C in the chart except for the highest scoring and greenest line, Disney which has a score of C+. Disney scores a B+ in all areas except transparency which like all other lines it gets an F. Each line got an F in transparency because they didn’t invite inspectors to come regularly.

So now you know which lines are the best, which lines should be avoided? The worst four lines all coming in at an F are Costa, (costa Logo) Crystal, (crystal logo) MSC, (MSC logo) and P&O cruises (P&O logo) all these have a grade of F in all categories. The line P&O has the worst state of pollution of all the lines surveyed. These pollution monsters sail all around the world each and every day.

So, In the amazing words of an amazing sea researcher and filmmaker who revolutionized the SCUBA, Jacques Cousteau, “Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans.” and If there's a takeaway from my talk I would say cruises are amazing but devastating for our environment, but when we can take only the cleanest lines the world's oceans will be almost 71% cleaner, Thank You.

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Disease In Carp Tom Rosenberg

Do you know what a Koi is?

My name is Tom and I discovered what a koi is when I was eight years old. I went to visit my Uncle Arnon at his home in Mod'in, Israel. Outside of his house he had a big pond and it was full of big, brightly colored fish. They were all different colors, orange, black, white,yellow and some had many of these colors mixed together. I asked him what they were called and he said, these are special fish and they are called “koi”. But these beautiful fish are in a horrible danger because there is a virus that spread and infecting them all over the world!

But first let me tell you what a koi. Koi are very popular pets around the world, especially in Asia. You might have seen koi in big fish tanks or indoor ponds in Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and other Asian restaurants in America. They look like giant goldfish and in Asia are symbols of good luck and success. In fact, some koi can cost tens of thousands of dollars. One even sold for $1,000,000. Unlike tropical fish, koi can live in cold and warm water. They are a peaceful species who over time learn to recognize their owner.

Koi are in the carp family of fish. Carp are a freshwater fish that lives in the wild, in ponds and rivers. There are many kinds of carp, such as koi, fathead minnows, and Zebra danios. The grass carp, silver carp and the common carp are kinds of carp that people eat.

Carp is the most popular fish species that is raised in aquaculture in Europe and Asia. Koi are also raised this way. If you ever ate a salmon probably this salmon was raised in aquaculture. What is aquaculture? Aquaculture is the breeding, raising and harvesting of plants and animals in water environments that include man-made tanks, lakes, rivers, and oceans. Half of the seafood eaten all over the world, including in the U.S. comes from aquaculture. In salt water they raise animals like oysters, clams, and shrimp. In freshwater, they raise trout , catfish, tilapia, bass and carp.

Carp have a lot of qualities that make them good for aquaculture. They are easy to handle and you can raise a lot in a small area. Carp are an important source of protein in the diet of many Asian and European people. People eat carp in America, but they don't eat it as much as in Asia because there are a lot of small bones. Americans like fish without a lot of bones, but people in Asia and Europe love carp and don't mind the bones. The state of Illinois is one of the US leaders in producing carp. In 2010, Governor Quinn of Illinois signed an agreement with Asia to send them 30 million pounds of carp every year.

But there is a problem! A lot of the koi and carp raised in aquaculture are getting sick and dying. They are dying from a disease called koi herpes virus.

First, lets go over what a virus is. A virus is a microscopic organism that is made of DNA and RNA. Viruses can infect plants, animals and humans. In order to spread, viruses need to attach to the cells in other living organisms. Viruses are considered parasites and can only reproduce inside the cells of other living things. When they do this, they make the living things sick. There are millions of known viruses. The human body has some defenses against viruses. If you ever got the flu, you probably had a virus. Other viruses cause HIV, Polio and Hepatitis in people and some even cause cancers.

The koi herpes virus kills a lot of koi and carp. The disease was discovered in Israel in 1998. Then following this discovery in Israel, Japanese scientists were able to detect the virus in

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samples they had from back in 1996. The disease causes skin sores on the outside of the bodies of the fish, causes excess mucus production and also damages the gills. Koi herpes virus spreads to all of the cells of the fish within one week and causes disease. The disease kills between 90 - 100% of all the fish that get sick within 6 - 22 days after they first become infected. Koi herpesvirus usually strikes the fish in the fall season when the water they live in is between 64 - 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Why is it important if koi and carp die?

The fact that so many koi and carp are dying is important for two reasons First, because they are popular pets, koi make a lot of people happy and the hobby creates a lot of jobs for people who raise koi and sell koi hobby supplies. Secondly, carp are a very important and popular food source in many parts of the world and if the carp die these people lose their food. Both koi and carp are very important in aquaculture and if these fish die, then the aquaculture industry loses a lot of money.

What is being done to solve this difficult problem? The way to fight a virus that causes disease is with a vaccine. A vaccine is developed and given to living things to prevent the virus from spreading in living organisms.

Scientists in America and Israel worked on a way to help the sick fish. In Israel, a company called KoVax developed a vaccine that works especially to prevent the koi herpes virus from infecting koi and carp raised in aquaculture. The vaccine is put in the water of healthy fish in aquaculture tanks and this makes the fish resistant to catching the disease for more than one year. This vaccine is now used in carp farms in Israel to stop the fish from dying and to prevent the companies from losing so much money.

How do I know about this great vaccine? Well, my uncle Arnon works at Kovax, aquaculture company in Israel, and he is the head of the division that the works and produces the vaccine to prevent koi herpes virus. Now they are trying and learning how to to develop more vaccines to prevent other diseases from infecting koi and carp. These new vaccines will help them in the future to end the koi herpes virus and many more carp viruses . They are just beginning to give the vaccine to different aquaculture farms all around the world and get as many carp vaccinated as they can. There still not working 100% but it’s the first level to stop the virus.

So in the future, if you go to a Chinese Restaurant and you see an aquarium filled with beautiful koi or when you eat gefilte fish made from carp on Pesach you have to remember that the fish that you are enjoying were probably vaccinated against koi herpes virus. Thank You

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Bacterial Meningitis Gavin Rakitt

My name is Gavin Rakitt and I’m a survivor of bacterial meningitis. Bacterial Meningitis is an infection that can lead to death very quickly if not treated. I got bacterial meningitis in 2004, I was only two years old and had just realized the value of life, and how much I wanted it. I had seen so little of the world. I think that’s what drove me through the horrible path of bacterial meningitis, the thought of living, the need for friends and family, and to actually see the world.

What is bacterial meningitis? Bacterial meningitis is a deadly infection that affects the brain, brain tissue and spinal cord. Bacterial meningitis needs immediate attention. On some conditions, If not treated in a matter of hours, may lead to death. In fact, twenty thousand to 200k people a year get bacterial meningitis in the US alone. People with the best chance of getting bacterial meningitis are kids under five years old, young adults 16-25, and adults over 50.Most people who get bacterial meningitis will most likely get acute bacterial meningitis, which is when the tissue around the brain gets inflamed. this may lead to severe headache and pains.

Bacterial meningitis can be caused when bacteria gets into the bloodstream of your ears or sinuses. Once it gets into the bloodstream, it goes through the blood cycle to the brain. And that's where it does its damage, and puts people into the hospital. Bacterial meningitis is spreadable just like the common cold or the flu, by sneezing, or coughing or even kissing. Did you know that students in dorm rooms are at a higher risk of getting bacterial meningitis? Same for army student who are training to go to the army. They too are at a high risk for bacterial meningitis. For example, Ashley Lee, a young college student thought it was just a common cold or flu. But then she started throwing up every thirty minutes. She figured she needed a good night’s sleep. But the next morning she collapsed on the floor and her dad carried her to the car and headed straight to the hospital. People that are traveling to Africa might also have a chance of getting bacterial meningitis due to the excessive amount of bacteria that can get into your bloodstream.

What are some of the symptoms? Bacterial meningitis has a lot of symptoms. A few of the minor symptoms are nasal infections and ear infections. Bacterial meningitis can be frustrating with less severe symptoms too, like headache, throwing up or nausea, sensitivity to light, tiredness, and a stiff neck. I don’t remember the exact specific symptoms but I remember the minor ones like a headache and throwing up.

There are also major Symptoms for bacterial meningitis. A few of them are skin rash, full

body weakness, unconsciousness, memory loss, seizure, and stroke. People with bacterial meningitis might forget major details like how to walk or to forget understand what like a cup is or marker.

Babies can also get bacterial meningitis. When I researched bacterial meningitis, I found Ryan. He was a 6-month old baby who looked tired and went to the doctor’s office. At the office, the doctor did a spinal tap to see if it was bacterial meningitis. About a week later, Ryan’s mom, Courtney, got a phone call and was told that Ryan had to go to the hospital. Later that day, sadly, Ryan died. Babies who get bacterial meningitis also have special symptoms like a swelling head,

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trouble breathing, and it will look like the flu. There were 500 deaths a year in babies who got bacterial Meningitis from 2003 to 2007.

Bacterial meningitis can be diagnosed In a few ways. One of which is a spinal tap, a spinal tap is a lumbar puncture that takes the cerebrospinal fluid. which is the blood surrounds the brain and spinal cord. I don’t really remember my spinal tap but I know it doesn’t hurt On some rare cases, bacterial meningitis can be very hard to diagnose because It is similar to viral Meningitis. They have some of the same symptoms like muscle aches, headaches, and fevers. Unlike bacterial meningitis, people who get viral meningitis usually get better on their own, meaning, Viral meningitis is less severe than viral meningitis.

There are also many medicines that have been developed to try and contain bacterial meningitis. They have used Vancomycin, Ceftazidime, Meropenem, Ceftriaxone, Ampicillin, and corticosteroid. These medicines chip in to the headaches; some of the major symptoms like helping you have more energy and keep the inflammation down on the brain these are all medicines that have been made in the attempt to contain this horrible infection

I go to that year of ‘04 and after studying this horrible infection and I keep thinking,

“how did i survive this?” and then I keep reminding myself, “it’s over, you survived.” But i’m not doing this project because of me, or of what happened to me. I’m doing it because of the people who weren't so lucky, the people who died the same way Ryan did. Luckily, the numbers in the U.S continue to drop because people are coming to their senses and washing their hand and trying to defend this horrible infection because they realize that they are able to get bacterial meningitis. . We want to keep researchers going to protect and cure the people who have died and will die in the past, present, and the future. Thank you

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The Influence of Gymnastics Lila Berger

I’m going to tell you a story where the underdog becomes the hero. Kerri Strug was the youngest girl from the usa competing in gymnastics at the 1996 Olympic games. Her teammate, Dominique, had fallen twice on vault. But Kerri knew that if her team were to win gold, she had to give it her all; she did just that. On Kerri’s first vault she had twisted her ankle, but she put the pain aside and limped all the way to the end of vaulting floor. She looked over at her coach, he gave her the classic, “you can do to it” signal. She thought to herself “I have an obligation to my team, my coach, and my country.”

Kerri took a deep breath, placed her injured ankle on the ground, and ran, she completed her second vault before she could even think about rotating and staying tight. The second she landed, she saluted the judges, picked up her leg, then fell to the ground in agony.“She’s hurt! Kerri Strug is hurt!” cried the announcer. Even though she was in pain she was proud of herself, he had won first place, and she deserved it; she had won first place with a broken ankle, AT THE OLYMPICS! . She knew she had an obligation to her team so she did what she had to and put her problems aside. Kerri Strug is a huge inspiration, not only to athletes who wish to be in the olympics, but those who wish to do the right thing and be a team player.

Hi, I’m Lila berger and I am a level 8 acrobatic gymnast. I have been doing acrobatic gymnastics for 3 years, and artistic gymnastics for 7 years.

There are many different types of gymnastics, but I am only going to tell you about three of them. First, acrobatic gymnastics, also known as acro, is a bracket of competitive gymnastics where a partnership of gymnasts perform 1-3 routines depending on your level; the routines consist of dynamic and balance skills, also dance and tumbling. Next is rhythmic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics is a bracket of competitive gymnastics, where a female dances with clubs, rope, hoop, ball, and ribbon. With these objects the gymnast performs a series of turns and complex dance moves.

Lastly, we have artistic gymnastics, the most popular form of gymnastics, which is generally called normal gymnastics, is a bracket of competitive gymnastics,where gymnasts perform tricks on balance beams, vault, bars, and floor.

Gymnastics has an amazing influence on the way a gymnast thinks, and acts. Gymnastics teaches a gymnast many important values, such as, sportsmanship and integrity, responsibility and discipline, and the difference between success and winning.

One of the things a gymnast learns is sportsmanship and integrity. Sportsmanship is being kind to your competitor, this is important because if you are rude to someone because they got a lower or higher score than you, you can scar them, and make them think that they aren’t good enough. It is also important because it’s important to have in life so more people can be friends with you because they know that you’re not going to hurt their feelings. Integrity is important because, if you cheat then win, you may be excited at first, but then you might feel bad because you know you didn't deserve to win. This is an infographic showing an example of cheating.

Another thing a gymnast learns is discipline and responsibility. Responsibility is to have control over your actions. You can hurt yourself very badly if you don't take control of the angle and way you do a skill. Gymnastics coaches teach gymnasts this by telling them what to do and

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why to do it. Earlier this year I was messing around and doing skills I hadn’t been taught; I was being very irresponsible, because of that I wound up breaking my thumb. My coaches gave me a lecture on how I have to be responsible so I don't get hurt. At first I thought it was a punishment, but then I realized that they were only trying to prevent me from getting hurt again.

Discipline is a skill, and it will improve overtime, but only in an environment where it is being taught, much like gymnastics classes. On most gymnastics teams, if you are late you would generally have to climb to rope, or do extra conditioning, this is so the gymnast will learn that there are consequences for being late, not only in gymnastics.

The last thing a gymnast learn, is the difference between winning and success. Success is reaching your personal goals and feeling good about the way you performed. Success is also doing your best and never doubting yourself. For example, at states this year I got seventh place, I was really disappointed with my score, but then I realized that I had gotten 4 points higher than I had gotten at the previous competition, I was proud that I had Improved in just in week; I wasn’t upset that I didn’t win because i had succeeded by improving my score.

Winning is beating other people, no matter how exceptional or unexceptional you do. Just because you win, it doesn’t mean you gave it your all, and you may not feel as good about winning as you would if you did a good job and won. Here is another example from states this year; a girl on my team got second place, but she wasn’t very proud of her score. She was so upset, I came up to her and said “Avery you got second place. That’s amazing!” But then, I realized the she wasn’t upset because of her score, it was because she knew she could have done better and she knew that she could have tried harder.

There are so many people in this world who only care about winning, all they try to do is win. win, win. But what they should be doing is trying to get a higher score than they got the last time, not a higher score than their competitors.

Each of the influences I’ve talked about have an enormous impact on a gymnast's way of thinking. Research shows that the discipline gymnast’s gain will help them be committed to school work and any other type of work, most gymnasts enter the honor role after having been doing gymnastics for at least twelve hours a week for three to four years.

Acrobatic Gymnastics is more than a passion to me, it’s my life; but there are always times when I want to just walk out of the gym and never look back. But I know that even if I make an error a numerous amount of times, I will learn from my mistakes and be the best athlete I can be. Also, whenever I don’t win a competition, I look at my score and if it’s higher than my previous score, I feel proud and I know the I did win.

In order to be successful, not only as a gymnast, but as a person, you have to set your

own goals and not by comparing yourselves to others, but by comparing yourselves to your actions. One of the most important things you can learn in life is the difference between winning and success. The world is a competitive place and you have to be strong. Don’t be upset if you’re not perfect, nobody is. Knowing that you are successful is a hard thing to do, especially when you aren’t winning, no matter what you’re doing. Always remember opportunities don't just happen, you have to create them. Thank you

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Dangers of Steroids Nate Heller

Hi, I’m Nate Heller and I’m a baseball fan, and sports addict. I pay more attention to

sports then I do to anything else. I watch sports all the time, and there are amazing players who play the game the right way like the former Yankee, Derek Jeter, or the basketball phenom Stephen Curry. These players play the game properly, they honor the game, and use only pure talent and hard work, unlike others who use steroids. Steroids are an issue in sports and in life. Steroids are harmful, dangerous, and risky. That is why they are banned in professional sports. Steroids have been around for a long time, but the issue of steroids in sports has been around since the 1930’s, but the issue really became a problem starting in the 1990’s with the home run slugger Barry Bonds, and the pitcher Roger Clemens. Bonds and Clemens were the best players of their time and set all these records, stealing them from people who actually earned them. That is the problem with steroids: it’s cheating. Twenty years later the main steroid taker was Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees. These batters who took steroids could hit 70 home runs in a year. A pitcher on steroids could throw one hundred plus miles per hour. A normal batter could maybe hit 20 or 30 home runs, and the best pitchers can pitch 95-98 miles per hour. Steroids give an unfair advantage to the game. So really, what are steroids? The best way to describe steroids are performance enhancing drugs, or PEDs. What steroids are is fake testosterone, which builds body mass. What do steroids do to muscle? Steroids make muscles bigger by artificial growth hormones. These growth hormones are injected into the upper arm in shot form. The hormones go to the muscle making it bigger. In fact, in the span of a few months a steroid taker can gain ten to fifty pounds of muscle.

So how do steroids harm you? Steroids have physical side effects and health side effects, the health effects are cancer, heart attacks, and even death. The physical effect is acne, kind of like a teenager but not just on the face, all over, back, legs, arms, and everywhere else. Those are just side effects for everyone, but men and women have different side effects.

Medically, men and women usually go through different things. With steroids that is the

same. Mens side effects from steroids are female features, like a woman’s chest. A man’s below the belt area gets smaller. This is because men get female hormones which lead to female features. Women differ in steroid side effects, they get more masculine. Like a man, their voice deepens. Their upper body area shrinks too.

Despite knowing the risks, who would take steroids in professional sports? Well, the

most commonly said names in baseball are: A-Rod, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, and Manny Ramirez. Barry Bonds holds two main records, single season home runs with 73, and all time home run leader with 762. In fact, A-Rod just passed Willie Mays for home runs, hitting his 661st, passing Mays by one. Roger Clemens, a pitcher, won the Cy Young award seven times, and AL MVP once. Do these records count? Would players who took steroids have been this good if they hadn’t taken steroids? Maybe, you never know. Do these players disgrace the league? Yes. Players like Hank Aaron lost their records to steroid takers, it’s not fair. Hank played the game the right way. If Barry Bonds didn’t take steroid he might still have hit 762 home runs, but the proper way. These records shouldn’t count. They shouldn’t be there in the record books.

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Yes, although baseball is the most talked sport where players take steroids, there are other sports that have steroid-takers. The NFL’s very own Josh Gordon, wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns. In fact, this is Josh Gordon’s second time for breaking the NFL’s drug policy. Marion Jones, an Olympic runner took drugs and won the gold medal. Then Marion proceeded to lie about taking steroids and got sent to jail for six months. Ben Johnson, another Olympic runner, also took steroids. His gold medal was taken away. If steroids are banned, how do they get steroids.

Have you ever seen The Simpsons? Do you know Dr. Nick? Alex Rodriguez had a doctor like him, a fake doctor who didn’t know what he was doing. The story started like this: Alex wanted to lose five to ten pounds. Alex’s cousin, Sucart had a doctor who he knew. Sucart did not name him, but he called him a guru and a smart guy. Alex ended up to be in Tampa at the same time the “doctor” was. Sucart insisted a meeting with the “doctor”, Alex went to the meeting, the doctor’s name: Tony Bosch. Tony claimed he has helped hundreds of baseball players. Alex liked the sound of this; he agreed to pay the doctor $900,000. Bosch also claimed he would help muscle recovery, eyesight, and hair growth. Eventually Alex got caught. Sucart was no longer allowed to interact with MLB players, and Bosch was allowed to keep the money, his home, and his car, all given to him by Alex. But when does this start? Steroid taking can even have started earlier, like in high school or college. Do high school sports players take steroids? Well, yes they do. In fact, some 8th graders take steroids, and the school grades of steroid users are mostly in 8th-12th grade. Some don’t even use steroids for sports, they just want bigger muscles. For example, high schools in New Jersey tested 495 students for steroids, only three tested positive. That sounds low, but still, zero out of 495 should test positive. So, lets put a number of steroid usage in high school, so about 5-12% male high school students use them, and about 1% of female students take or have tried steroids. But why would they want these. Is there a reason for steroid taking?

Do sports role models have anything to do with this? Probably. So how much do people love their role models? Well, I can use myself here. My role model is Clayton Kershaw of the LA Dodgers. He has three Cy Youngs and one NL MVP. He does not use steroids. I get the haircut he has and pitch in baseball. The point is that people follow what their idols do. If someone likes A-Rod they could be influenced to take steroids. Sports role models definitely have an influence on people. So how do we stop this?

There are ways we can stop steroid abuse. More tests to find steroids always help, but

that’s not enough. Coaches have to teach their players about steroids, not just the negative effects, but how your personality will change, and how people will think of you. Parents have to enforce this too.

What can you do? Starting a campaign is a start, you can have your school put up signs,

and you can find people who take steroids and help them stop. That may help kids stop drug abuse, but there is still the problem of steroid abuse in pro sports.

How do we lower the steroid issue in pro sports? More tests is always a first, and do

blood tests, not urine tests because they don’t always work and there are ways to fake pass it. Blood tests are the best way, because they have the best rate for catching the drug. Because there is no faking it, the player will be caught.

These punishments are too short! They need to be longer! Punishments for using

steroids should be suspended for life. Not just a season for NFL or 60-200 games for the MLB,

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but the player should no longer be allowed to play in the league. That would hopefully end steroid abuse in pro sports because the player’s goal is to be the best, right? So if they get kicked out they won’t make it to the hall of fame, end of story. So players will know if I get caught that’s it, I’m done. So that will get players to think twice, and stop the steroid abuse. Mark McGwire said: “Performance-enhancing drugs are an illusion. I wish I had never gotten involved with steroids. It was wrong. It was stupid.”

I want the game played the right way, earn your records the right way, and make the hall

of fame the right way. So if a player takes steroids it gives an unfair advantage to one side, and the game is not fun to watch. Play the game the right way, don’t take steroids to do everything, your play should be only your ability.

There are better ways to become better than steroids. You could do extra practice, work

out, or train as hard as you can until you pass out! If steroids are offered, don’t do it the easy way, if you work for something and then earn it, it is much better than having something or someone do it for you. In the words of Mark McGwire: “My message is that steroids is bad. Don't do them. It's a bad message.”

Thank you.

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Sports Injuries Rodney Starr-Kramer

Did you know that out of the 30 million kids who participate in sports, 3.5 million of

them get injured? Kids who are playing sports are getting hurt everyday from things like pulled muscles to concussions. Imagine that you're getting injured from playing the sports you like. Watching your favorite players sitting out due to injuries is disappointing . I am Rodney Starr-Kramer and I choose this topic because it’s disappointing to see player's injured in any sport.

How do you get injured in sports? You get injuries in sports by not having enough

protection or awareness. The one time I got an injury was when I was playing basketball and I got a jammed finger . That's when I realized that injuries can happen to anyone at any time while they are playing a sport and that's why we need to be more aware of sports injuries and protection. If the professional sports leagues like the National Football League (NFL) and the Major League Baseball (MLB) were more cautious about players safety, then injuries could be prevented. Although it will cost a lot of money and time, it needs to happen. That's why I want to help sports to be safer.

There are many dangers in playing sports(visual), and basketball is one of the most dangerous ones. More than 570,000 basketball injuries were treated in emergency rooms in 2012(visual). In basketball, the most common injuries are sprained ankles, sprained wrists, and dislocated shoulders. Ankle injuries make up 23% of injuries in basketball. Another dangerous sport is football. In football, hundreds of injuries occur each year, such as neck, brain, chest, and rib injuries.

Winter sports can also cause injuries. Snowmobiling cause over 200 deaths per year. Snowmobiling is injurious because there is minimal protection. Extreme sports like skateboarding have elbow and knee injuries. From 2000-2011 there have been 4 million extreme sports injuries.

The most common types of injuries are overworked muscles. Most times, pulled muscles are ignored which can lead to bigger injuries later on in life. For example, in baseball, youth pitchers suffer from pulled muscles in their arms . Pitching with pain in baseball is a sign of an injury like pulling muscles . If they ignore these injuries, they might get extreme pain later in life. A way to prevent this from happening is to take breaks from playing once in a while.

With all the injuries that there are, a concussion is one of the most dangerous. A

concussion in sports happens when players take big hits to the head or when players use their helmets or heads as a weapon to hit someone. An estimated 1.6-3.6 million sports related concussions happen each year in the United States. In 2005 youth and children injuries accounted for 2.4 million sports injuries and 135,000 of them were concussions. In high school concussions are caused by running in to other players. For high school boys concussions occur in football, for girls concussions occur in soccer. In all sports if doctors think a player might have a concussion they take them out for a concussion evaluation. Concussions happen in contact sports such as boxing and football. It’s not just these sports that cause concussions,in all sports you have a risk of getting an injury.

There are many long term effects of injuries that happen, such as Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is a disease that causes you to lose memory and mood swings. Although this usually happens naturally, it can also happen from taking too many hits to the head from biking,football, and hockey. One of the big problems about football is that they are at the biggest risk of getting Alzheimer's and dementia. Researchers also found that sports players

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are at risk of having Parkinson's disease. Out of the 334 football players who died, seven of them had ALS, another disease, and seven had Alzheimer's. The first lady of hockey died in 2009 with dementia. Scotiabank has created a hockey game to raise money that goes to foundations that helps stops Alzheimer's .

In the past, the NFL has not been so supportive of brain problems in football. However, they recently signed a one billion dollar contract . This contract will support the players over the next ten years to help them with brain injuries. The contract only will help players who get hurt from football. People have wanted this because the NFL has been hiding the evidence that players are suffering from brain injuries. There have been over 5,000 lawsuits from former NFL players saying they did not get the correct help that they should have gotten. The NFL claimed that they had no idea that players were hurting their bodies from playing the sport. In the past, the NFL’s commissioner, Roger Goodell, has said that the NFL cannot pay to have more safety in football. However, the policy has changed and now the payment for each of the players is $170,000 to go to concussion problems. The cost for players from 2006-2014 diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) could have ended up costing the NFL 4 million dollars.

With all these injuries you need to pay thousands of dollars to get them treated. It’s

not just in pro sports that you need to pay lots of money for injuries. For youth kids, a major injury can cost from $2,000-$3,000 which is a lot. A major injury is considered a broken leg, brain problems, and even rib and chest injuries. For small injuries like sprained ankles and wrists can cost from $500-$600 which can add up if kids get multiple injuries throughout their lifetime. Pro sports injuries can cost close to double the prices of the youth injuries and pro players need to go through more processes than younger athletes.

Injuries are not predictable so you need to be aware at any time while playing a sport.There are many ways to stop injuries before they happen. Some ways to do this are to make new rules and change the gear. One of the ways the NFL is trying to make football safer is to start using Riddell's new helmet the speed flex.(visual) This new helmet is designed to flex around the player's head when the player takes a hit to the head. When the player's head hits the ground it sends an alert to the doctor if they might have a concussion. The helmet is able to do this with a monitor fitted into the helmet. With the design of the helmet there is less of a chance of a player getting hurt. Some of the colleges in the U.S. have started to use this helmet and have said that it works well for them . If some of the colleges have started to use them than the NFL will probably start using them too.

The next part that will help sports to be safer is that all players in football and in hockey should be required to use mouthguards.One of the best mouthgaurds that I1biometricts has been creating is the Vector mouthgaurd. This has technology that can send alerts when the player get hit in the jaw or anywhere around the mouth. This is supposed to be one of the best mouthguards that players can use.

Eight months after his death a scientist looked at the brain of former NFL player Junior Seau. They found out that he had CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) a brain disease that caused his suicide. He started to gamble away his money and made poor life choices and soon he committed suicide on May 2,2002. The disease gave him mood swings and depression that changed his life. All of the damage from the concussions caused him to get this disease and die at an early age. “If people join together and fight to make sports safer and better this is why I want you to know that if you try the things you want can become real,”stated by a football player.

I believe that sports safety needs continue.

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Title: College athletes should get paid Jonah Sunshine

Hi. I’m Jonah. I’m a big sports fan and have been researching a topic that I am very passionate about and want to share with you. This very important matter could make thousands of college athletes so much happier. Do any of you know how much college athletes get paid? (Visual) Yes, that’s right. They don’t get a single penny of the thousands, even millions of dollars that they make for the universities. Their scholarships don’t pay for all their needs and definitely not their wants. It’s not fair in any way.

Ed O’Bannon, a former college basketball star, got upset that he and other players weren’t getting paid. The NCAA has seventeen official corporate sponsors and each has paid from $10 million to $35 million. he thinks, why the heck can’t we get paid, the NCAA tells us that they don’t have the money. They get at least $170 million from all of the sponsors, probably even more, and this isn’t even including the merchandise that every single university sells. Also, just so you know, he wasn’t doing for the money but to right a wrong. O’Bannon sued the NCAA and won the case. The court ordered the NCAA to pay college athletes, but even with this the NCAA has not started this practice.

Nearly every type of possible company makes money off of the NCAA. If the NCAA doesn’t start paying the athletes, all of their companies will stop helping them as one of them already has. One of the most important companies that worked with the NCAA, Electronic Arts Sports, decided that they wouldn’t work with the NCAA anymore because of all the arguments. All different kinds of companies are playing off of college athletes’ success even as we speak. Corporations rake in millions of merchandise made more popular by unpaid players. In 2011, Nike took in $4.6 billion in retail sales from collegiate-licensed merchandise alone. Video game makers also profit off college athletes. Nike is still with the NCAA, although it is losing interest in working with the NCAA fast. If we’re going to save the NCAA from being demolished by having no more sponsors, we need to pay college athletes. To better understand the arguments of this debate, it’s important for me to tell you what life is like for college athletes at school.

For the most part, life is challenging as a college athlete at school, and on the road. A student athlete has to be enrolled in at least 12 semester credit hours in one semester. During playing season a student athlete has to participate in four hours a day and twenty hours a week worth of training. Student athletes are required to participate in weight training or conditioning. All student athletes are expected to acknowledge that earning an undergraduate degree is the primary goal of becoming a collegiate student athlete. All student athletes are expected to attend all classes except when traveling to represent the University. All student athletes are expected to attend all classes except when traveling to represent the University. In intercollegiate competition all student athletes are expected to complete all academic assignments on time and take all course examinations.

What is the difference between division one and two athlete lifestyles? To get a degree, Division I student-athletes need to have finished two fifths of their course by the second year, three fifths by the third, and four fifths by their fourth to get a degree. Division I student-athletes are allowed an extra year to graduate and they get extra money for sports related items.

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Division I student-athletes are required to meet the GPA or they get suspended or even dropped from the team. Division II student-athletes need to do a day’s worth of degree credit each school year to remain on the team.

How do the athletes afford to live? A student athlete may not have a part-time job that earns over 2,000 dollars per year. Student athletes are not allowed to accept any prizes from independent competitions in a similar sport. Only two percent of high school athletes get athletic scholarships. “A Full-cost tuition” scholarship only includes tuition, room and board, and required books. Student athletes are prohibited from working while their sports are in season.

Now, why should college athletes make money? While athletes make millions for their team with his merchandise and skill, they still don’t get any money. While you could argue that not every sports team makes money, you could also split up the money between each of the teams evenly and each player will probably still be satisfied. Also, if you say that only a few players can actually live up to their potential, and that they don’t even deserve it, than all the more reason to give them the money. They might go broke if they don’t get the money that they need from college. Many former college football players say that if they had been paid than they would have gambled less, and they think the same for younger players. College players would also not have to get a part-time job if they get paid. Jadeveon Clowney, the first overall NFL draft pick last year, says how it would have helped him so much to support his family if he had been paid. Clowney said that if he had gotten paid than he might have stayed in college for another year.

The NCAA might say that college athletes shouldn't get paid because most athletes don't deserve compensation and the college athletes who deserve the money get plenty after college anyway. You might still think that college athletes shouldn’t get paid, but let me present you with another reason why college athletes should get paid and maybe convince you otherwise. The thing is, college athletes play for THE TEAM, and they make good money for their school. The athletes just need the money since they can’t have a good part-time job while in college.

The NCAA might also argue that playing for them provides full scholarships and important connections, but does this actually make up for the fact that you could injure yourself and never play again. Many kids get full scholarships, which are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, although it mostly just pays for the tuitions and other requirements. Also, there are many important connections that college players get from playing for multiple years. -ex: Johnny Manziel met George H.W. Bush. Instead of paying athlete, Jeffri Cadiha said that colleges should just set up funds that the college athletes could get when they finish college for health issues and graduate studies.

In the past couple of years, we really have made important progress in terms of paying college athletes. 65 teams have been granted permission to pay their players from $2,000-$5,000. Players have been allowed to meet with agents more often. Players have been allowed to meet with agents more often. Also, student-athletes will get paid for to have trips to go see their family in the off-season.

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While that’s happened, a main reason that no more than $5,000 has gone to a particular student is because of corporations. All different kinds of companies are playing off of college athletes’ success even as I speak. Corporations rake in millions of merchandise made more popular by unpaid players. In 2011, Nike took in $4.6 billion in retail sales from collegiate-licensed merchandise alone. Video game makers also profit off college athletes.

However, some colleges are still wanting to not pay athletes even with the billions they make. The NCAA makes $6,000,000,000 annually. Mark Emmert, the current president of NCAA, thinks that instead of bringing college away from academics even further, they should just not pay them. My opinion is, “How can a "free education" compensate them for debilitating injuries caused during their time on campus? And how can we as fans truly enjoy a football game knowing that one player's career-ending injury will leave him saddled with nothing more than a lifetime of pain and doctor's bills.”-Brian Frederick. Student athletes risk their bodies but get no guaranteed insurance compensation. Some injuries student athletes face can be career ending. Universities take advantage of some athletes by not financially rewarding their efforts.

Why aren’t we doing anything about this? Unlike unpaid interns, athletes are punished for making money even when they are “Off work”. Coaches make millions directly off of the players success. According to NCAA rules, a student athlete “may not benefit from the use of his or her name, likeness, or image used to promote or endorse a commercial product or entity.” Coaches make money off the athletes memorabilia As many as 42 college football coaches earned at least $2 million in 2012.The University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari makes more than $5 million.

There is a lot of disagreement about whether we should pay college athletes or not, so everybody is giving their opinion. “Eliminate restrictions on student-athletes' abilities to seek commercial opportunities by permitting endorsement deals or being compensated when entities use their rights of publicity. The money could be held in the "Trust Fund" until graduation, and provide a legal right to any future earnings from profits a school receives from using their image.” -Warren Zola. Shawne Alston, a former college football running back, who had a similar case to Ed O’Bannon, also won the case. Jeffrey Kessler weighs in on his opinion and says that “The main objective is to strike down permanently the restrictions that prevent athletes in Division I basketball and the top tier of college football from being fairly compensated for the billions of dollars in revenues that they help generate. In no other business - and college sports is big business - would it ever be suggested that the people who are providing the essential services work for free. Only in big-time college sports is that line drawn."

Presidents of universities and economists are giving their opinion too. Ken Starr, the president of Baylor, says that the student-athletes welfare is important to him. Andy Schwarz, an economist, says that it will totally ruin the NCAA if college athletes get paid. 99 out of 100 players rated in the top 100 high school football prospects lists went to a big-name college. Student-athletes can have their “full” scholarships come up thousands of dollars short, and the athletes often have to pay just to finish. Scholarships can be taken away quickly. There is no such thing as a 40-hour work week in college sports. Players are often not protected from emotional abuse by their coach.

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Now, I will finish off with a story. Johnny Manziel liked to play football and baseball, although mostly football in high school. When his high school years were over, he went to Texas A&M because they had a very good football program. He won the starting quarterback job as a freshman. If anybody starts on a sports team as a freshman, they clearly have talent, definitely enough to be a main part of the lineup. Although his football life was good, he wasn’t being paid, so sometimes he went to bed hungry along with his teammates. Manziel was making the Aggies so much money: drumroll please, he made $740 million for his team. It was absurd he and his teammates weren’t getting paid. Manziel scoffed at the idea of going for another year and entered the NFL draft. But isn’t the goal to KEEP players in college for all four years? That is why we should pay college athletes. In all honesty, there is no angle that you could take on this argument that would make it fair that the college athletes aren’t getting paid. Thank you.

 

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Racism in Sports Yarden Irlander

I’m Yarden Irlander; I love to watch sports; I love watching football. My favorite football team is the New-Orleans Saints. I am not here to talk about my favorite sport team. Well it's related to one of my favorite sport. In football there are team names. A lot of sports have team names. Teams also have mascots, teams also would have a logo. Unfortunately there are some team names, mascots, and logos which are offensive. I’m here to talk about racism in sports. Now tell me, which is your favorite sport team. (everybody tells me their favorite sport team). You probably don’t think this is important, but this is really important. Native Americans, we learn about them in school, Native Americans are offended; they are offended for a reason, which is sports. Well, sport teams are being racist to them, by their mascots, team names, and reference. (Shows logo of Washington Redskins football team). This is a Native American. You are probably wondering, why are you showing us a picture of a Native American. This is not just a picture. This is the logo of the Washington Redskins football team. I will be talking more about the Redskins later.

There are many racist team names such as, the Cleveland Indians; they have a racist name, they also have a mascot named “Chief Wahoo” which is a racist mascot; basically they are criticizing Native Americans. A second team that is racist is the Atlanta Braves, they are found racist because of their old logo which was “screaming Indian,” the team is actually thinking of bringing back the logo. Unfortunately there used to be more than 3,000 teams with racist Native American names, and mascots.

As you can see, there are many teams with racist names, and racist mascots. It is really offensive. There are also teams related to Native American tribes. It's a surprise of how many team names and mascots are named after Native American tribes, and other tribes. University of Utah Utes is named after a Native American tribe. Another example of a team that is relating to a tribe is San Diego state. University Aztecs has an arrowhead as its logo, and their right song is referring to Mexican Tribes. Florida State Seminoles is named after a Native American Tribe.

As you can see this is really racist. Native Americans are offended of this. It gets worse, teams are also referring to Native American culture. Its already offensive to make racist name, but it’s really offensive if a name is related to it’s culture. One team that is relating to Native American culture is the Washington Redskins football team. Washington D.C offensive name and/or logo obtained from Native American culture. In some instances (like Washington), the name is accompanied by an equally offensive logo.

There are many racist mascots out in the world, for this school, there school is a man, but not just any man. Coachella Valley teams mascot is an Arab man. Most people would say, why is this racist. It’s not right because teams are being racist. Also people say the mascot is racist because they think that the school is trying to refer its mascot to 9/11. Other people are wondering, why would a school have a Arab mascot if they know that people will have problems with that.

There is another school which is also similar like this Coachella Valley, but it’s related to Native Americans. A California school is referring themselves to apache. Apache is a group of Native Americans back in time. This school is being racist by referring themselves to apache. Native Americans feel offended by this school. They are basically making fun of apache. It’s not right, and we should do something about that.

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We are going to move on to a different subject which is, what racist mascots are there?

`Cleveland Indians has an extremely racist mascot which is Chief Wahoo, is criticized for being racist to the Native Americans. Stanford use to have a racist mascot--Indian. There used to be more than 9,000 racist mascots. There are many more schools with racist mascots. I will tell you more.

The first school is St.John University, in 1928 they had a racist mascot named “Chief Blackjack.” Another school with a racist mascot is Syracuse University. Syracuse University has a racist mascot which is “Big Chief.” I feel bad for Native Americans because they have to deal with all these teams criticizing them. The last one is not a school. They are a company. I’m about to tell you is not being racist to the Native Americans, but they are being racist to Mexicans. Fritos Bandito have a logo which is offensive. The reason why it’s offensive is because there logo is criticizing Mexicans. Mexicans are offended from this, and they should be.

University of Illinois is just one of many teams with racist sport team mascot. This school is offending many people. Mollala Indians is a school, also has a sport team, with a racist mascot, the mascot is an Indian Natick, Massachusetts, high school, mascot is “Red Men,” which is racist to Native Americans. You must be thinking, why is Red Men a racist mascot. Well Red Men is Native Americans, it is used in an insulting way.

I am going to talk about, how do people feel about team names and mascots?

A women by the name of Suzan Shown Harjo is a Native American. When she was a kid, she was with her grandpa on a hot summer day. They decided to go to a store, and buy a drink. When she entered the store, there was a man. The man realized that Suzan was Native American because the way she looked. The man said to Suzan that Native Americans are not allowed. She is now an adult, and has been trying to change racism in sports. Suzan Shown Harjo has been trying to get Native American mascots to changed to a different mascot because it is racist. Suzan feels that the most offensive team name is Washington Redskins because it is really offensive to her, and Native Americans. Suzan did a petition on changing the Redskins name.

Native Americans feel that this is disrespectful, and hurtful. Other people just don’t understand that it is racist to Native Americans. With all this racist team names, it makes the Native American children embarrassed. The reason why they feel embarrassed is because they feel that people are making fun of their people, and them. Native Americans feel insulted if a mascot is relating to their culture. Native Americans just don’t feel right about that, and they deserve respect.

A professional sport’s team said, “We are honoring Native Americans. Many people said that they are honoring Native Americans, but now it's hard to believe. Native American youth have a high rate of suicide. There are theories that this is partially because Native American youth feel that they are lower than other people and that they don’t belong because of their race. Racist team names and mascots could be a part of why they feel that way because there are so many teams with racist names and mascots. Over 50 years people, people are trying to bring an end to the Native Americans racist names, and mascots.

Now I’m going to talk about what teams have changed team names or mascots. In 1970 Stanford University had an Indian as a mascot. They were the first school to change their mascot. An Ivy school league had a Indian mascot, so they changed the mascot. University of Evansville mascot was “the pioneer.” Carthage college was known for “the Redman. Miami University was known as “the Redskins.” Then was switched to the Redhawks. University of Hawaii was known as the “Rainbow Warriors.” The director discriminated the gays in the school, due to that issue, the

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team changed the name to “Warriors.” Eastern Washington University mascot was the Savages, they decided to change it, now they are known as the Eagles.

It is really bad that there are even more school racist team names, and mascots.

St Bonaventure University is known as the “Brown Indians.” Elon University nickname is “the Fighting Christians.” The College of William and Mary team name was the Indians, then they changed the name to tribe, but the team was dropped out of the NCAA. The Redman mascot is Chief Blackjack. They changed their name to The Red storm, and also changed their mascot.

Now I’m going to talk about the Redskins Controversy.

The name “Redskins” refers to bloody scalps of kids. The word “Redskins” is offensive by its very nature. Indians were hunted like animals, they would be killed, they would be sold, and it's reminding them.

There is a debate whether the Redskins honor the Native Americans. A group of people insist that the Washington Redskins are racist. The Redskins are thinking of changing their name.

There was a fight song created and in the song it said, "Scalp 'em, swamp 'em — we will take 'em big score / Read 'em, weep 'em, touchdown! — we want heap more!" This is really racist, and this really must change. Dan Snyder told USA Today in May, “We’ll never change the name.” The Redskins will not be changing their name anytime soon. A Native American activist Suzan Shown Harjo has been trying to change the Washington Redskins name for more than 20 years. Redskins is a major problem, they need to change their name.

The Washington post poll revealed that 8/10 of people want to keep the Redskins name. The Washington post also said that half of the people said that the word “Redskin” is an inappropriate term to describe the Native Americans. The Oneida campaign was protesting against the Washington Redskins name.

Our president Barack Obama was kind of involved with the Redskins controversy. President Barack Obama said that if he was in charge of the Redskins, he would think about changing the name.

I did a survey in my school on whether should the Washington Redskins change their name, or they shouldn’t change their name. Here are my results:

19 people said that the Redskins, should change their name. 11 people said that the Redskins, shouldn’t change their name. Overall, more people said that the Redskins should change their name.

Now I want to leave you with three thoughts. One, do not disrespect Native Americans with racist names, they are just like us. Two, we need to change racist team names, mascots, and it will all start with you. Three, racism is horrible, it can lead to horrible things, there is a way to stop it, with your voice. Thank you.

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Desegregation in baseball Ryan Penn

I want to take you on a trip. A trip back in time to a baseball game where the teams were

only full of white players. Hi, I am Ryan Penn and I have been obsessed with baseball since as long as I can remember. I am here to talk about the real story of how baseball became integrated and about the person who did it: Jackie Robinson. How many of you have heard about Jackie Robinson? Most of you? Good. So as you know, Jackie Robinson helped desegregate the game of baseball. But how did he do it?

What happened at the beginning of baseball? Well, it all started with Abner Doubleday when he invented baseball in 1839. That means that baseball has only been around for 176 years. But, Abner was not the one to make the rules because Joe Cartwright was credited with inventing the rules of baseball in 1845. Without the rules being made the game of baseball would be really boring and disorganized. Then in 1846 the first game was played between some cricket players and the Knickerbockers which was a baseball team. In the 1900s the American League was created. Now since the American League was created teams can now be in 2 different leagues both in the Major League. When were African-American allowed and not allowed to play in the MLB? In the 1800’s black players were allowed to play in the MLB. This is an important piece of information to know because we might assume that African-Americans were never allowed to play, but they were allowed to play. But, why were African-American players not allowed to play in the early 1900s? In 1910, with the help of Jim crow laws, which were laws that were made against African Americans that established segregation, Conner Lands, a baseball coach at the time, outlawed black players from playing in the MLB because he feared embarrassment. The Negro League. We will talk just about a little bit of this topic. First, when and why did it start? It started in the 1920’s because it was ten years after black players were not allowed to play baseball anymore and Andrew Foster, the creator of the Negro Leagues felt like they needed a league for themselves. This is important because with this information we can tell when, why, and who made this league for African-Americans. How many leagues were there inside the Negro Leagues? How long did they last? Well, there were a total of eight leagues. The Southern League lasted one year in total. This is important because this shows that there were teams in neighborhoods playing for a season or two only. The Negro League itself lasted forty years which means that for those forty years African-Americans could not play baseball in the pros. However, the Negro League died because by 1960, baseball had become a desegregated sport, so African Americans didn’t need to play in the Negro Leagues anymore because Jackie Robinson had already broke the MLB color barrier.

When was Jackie Robinson born? Where was he born? What was it like being an African-American at that time? So Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo Georgia. He was the youngest of five children. So what? Well he had a single mom who did not make enough money to get them food all the time so it was hard for him as the youngest to live a good life. Baseball was Jackie Robinson's least favorite sport when he was in high school. Jackie robinson played four sports: football, track, basketball, and baseball. This is important to know because even though he might not have liked baseball the best, he is still famous for it.

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Let us just start off with some of Jackie Robinson's baseball career. Branch Rickey the owner of the Dodgers baseball team at the time was the first person to succeed to bring a black player in to the major leagues. This is important because this means that other people tried to desegregate baseball before him. On April 15 1947 was Jackie Robinson’s first game and that is why on that day every year every body in the league wears the number 42 on their jersey instead of their normal number. This is important because we still remember what Jackie Robinson did for us every year on the diamond.

A lot of people fought for Robinson’s right to play, including Pee Wee Reese who did

something that most people remember today which was one time while the fans were yelling at Robinson, Reese walked over to first base and put his arm around Jackie. Did you know that while most people did not like Jackie Robinson playing in the MLB, he still got awards? In 1947 he won rookie of the year and in 1949 he won the MVP award. This is important because it shows that people are starting to welcome Robinson into the league. In 1955 he won the world series with his team. He was the first African-American player to be elected into the hall of fame in 1962. This shows that the world was changing with baseball into an integrated place.

Jackie Robinson grew up to be a father during his baseball career and after. He married Rachel Isum in 1946, a year before he played his first Major League Baseball game. He had three children. Sadly, Jackie Robinson died at the age of 53 from a heart attack. This is important to know because this shows that not all heroes live a nice long life. If he was alive today he would be around 96 years old because he died about 43 years ago in 1972 .

Other African-Americans also came in a little after Robinson went to the MLB. Hank Aaron for example. He only played three months in the Negro League before being signed with the Boston Braves. He hit 755 Home Runs over the course of his career and at the time was crowned the king of home runs which put him later in the hall of fame. Aaron helped make sure no more African-Americans had to go through what he did after his career by working with the league to make sure everything was running smoothly. Would you like to hear about more African-American that went in after Jackie? Well, there was Monte Irvin who was known for his hitting and helping his team win games. See the cool thing about him is that he played in three leagues. Can you guess them? No? Ok. Well he played in the Negro, Minor, and the Major leagues. He was good at all the positions but people thought he was best out in center field. He was somewhat similar to Robinson in a way because he played the same four sports as Jackie and people thought he would be the one to break the MLB color barrier but he was fighting in war when Robinson was drafted into the MLB. The last African-American I am going to talk about today besides Jackie Robinson is Satchel Paige. He got his nickname satchel because when he was young he worked at a train station carrying bags for change and he tried to take someone's satchel but got caught and his friend saw him and so that is what his friend called him from then on out. He was such a good and fast and accurate pitcher that people said they could not always see the ball all the way through home plate and that if you switched home plate with a wrapper of some sort he could still throw strikes.

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“A life,” Robinson said once, “is not important except on the impact it has on other people's lives”. Did Jackie Robinson help with the civil rights movement off the field too? The answer is yes. He joined the NAACP foundation. The National association for the advancement of colored people fund. The first year he was with the NAACP he raised over $1 million. He helped open the first black bank also. Jackie Robinson gave a lot of speeches in the civil rights battle that inspired a lot of African-Americans. He lead marches and speeches in the civil rights movement. He was given a medal for all the things he did in the civil rights movement. I asked my classmates what they thought on Jackie Robinson and here is what they answered. 32 out of 36 people thought that Jackie Robinson's appearance was beneficial overall. 29 out of 36 people thought that baseball would be better integrated. 31 out of 36 people thought that bringing Jackie Robinson into the MLB at that time was a good idea even though it could have been dangerous. This is important because it shows that people believe now that the world is better integrated.

“I am not concerned with you liking or disliking me,” Robinson himself also said, “all that I ask is that you respect me like a human being.” So remember when calling balls and strikes you should always remember that it is not the outside or anything that tells you what to call it is the pitch and heart that tells you what to call. So in other words it does not matter if the person up to bat is green or purple or red just remember it does not matter because they still are the same kind of human as you are. Thank you. Have a good summer everyone.

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The Weirdest Day of My Life Annabelle Enig

This morning I woke up and looked in the mirror. I saw my sister Emma’s face staring at me. I started screaming but then I finally started to calm down. Then I started thinking. If I am now a 16 year old, I’m going to do stuff that a teenager would do. I ran out of my room and started dancing while listening to the Breakfast Club soundtrack. I was running back and forth through the hallways and going crazy. I was singing very loud and dancing until my feet started hurting.

I ran back into my room and started to get some clothes on. But first, I needed to do my

makeup. I was searching through all of my sister’s lipsticks, eye shadows, blushes, eyeliners, etc... Then I found the brightest red lipstick that I had ever seen. I was never allowed to wear makeup as a little kid, so I thought that today was my only chance to wear a lot of makeup. I started rubbing the red lipstick back and forth along my lips.

Then I had to go find the hippest clothes that my sister owned. I found the cutest crop

top that I had ever seen. My mother always said that I could only wear those types of clothes when I was my sister’s age. Well, now I was my sister’s age! So I wore a crop top, skinny jeans, and wedges. I looked so cute in them.

I went down stairs and started staring at something. It was my sister’s car keys. I

grabbed the keys and ran out to the car. I hopped into the car and turned the engine on. I didn’t know how to drive but I didn’t care. I started to drive to the mall. The ride there was a little bumpy. Let’s just say that I shouldn’t have gone on the highway. I really didn’t know how to drive, so I pulled over on the shoulder of the highway. Then I started walking on the side of the road. I looked back and saw a car speeding right towards my sister’s car. “Boom!” I heard behind me. “OMG!”, I yelled. I almost got hit by twenty cars while staring at the car crash. “Hey buddy! You just crashed into my sis- I mean my car!,” I yelled at the guy. “What do you think you're doing, parking your car on a highway?, said the guy. His name was David. I had my car towed and something called “insurance” whatever that means will pay for the damages. I had the tow truck guy drive me home.

When I got home, I decided that today wasn’t going to be as fun as I imagined it to be. I

was bored and didn’t want to do any of my sister’s homework, so I had one of her friends drive me to the mall. She actually thought that I was my sister! When I got the mall, I realized one major thing. I didn’t have any money with me. Then, at that moment, I remembered that my sister had a credit card. So I went to every shop, trying to find the most expensive things that I could. I didn't have any guilt about buying all that stuff. My sister was the one who was going to get in trouble with our parents. I bought four Kate Spade iPhone cases, two Louis Vuitton purses, and a bunch of bright red lipsticks. Of course, this was all for me to keep. There was no way I was giving away my new bright red lipsticks. I had become really addicted to that stuff.

That night when I went to bed, I thought about my day living like my 16 year-old

sister. While some of it was fun, some of it really wasn’t. When I closed my eyes to fall asleep, I wished that I would be back to being myself when I woke up.

 

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My Freaky Friday Tali Kuperberg

I wake up; I’m not in my room; I look around; I see Samson curled up next to me. I must have slept over at Jane and Sasha’s. I turn on my side and see that Sasha’s not there. She must be in the bathroom. So I wait, and wait some more, and wait some more. She’s taking an awfully long time in the bathroom. So I go check on her. I get out of the covers, and this awakens Samson, so he follows me into the bathroom. The light was on the door was open, but Sasha wasn’t in there. I look in the mirror and try not to scream. There was Sasha; I was looking at her. Ok do not freak out I’m probably just dreaming. So I pinch myself. Ouch definitely not a dream. So I go back in to, apparently, my room and look at “my phone” and see that it is 6:40 am the time, if I was in my normal body, would wake up. Then Jane wakes up. “Hi Sasha why are you up earlier than the alarm I thought you liked to sleep in.”

“Ok Jane this might sound crazy, but somehow Tali and I switched places and I’m really Tali.” I said quickly.

“I think you need something to eat.” “No Jane I’m serious,” but I follow her down stairs and she heads into the pantry and

asks, “What do you want?” “Chocolate milk and a strawberry or apple bar please.” She stops cold in her tracks. “Sasha I thought you were going to say water and bacon.” “I told you; I’m not Sasha. Well I’m in her body, but I’m Tali’s brain.” By the look of her

face, she gets it. Then Misha comes in. “Hey Jane can I have milk and a bagel.” Jane smacks her head. “Did you switch bodies too?”

“No just that Julia eat that for breakfast and so I want to try it.” Then she looks at me with a look that says “what switching bodies thing?” Before I could tell her something, Lily comes running up the stairs. “Girls I slept through my alarm! We have to go now!” I remember what it was like to have an aupair. I smile.

“But I’m not even dressed yet!” Jane and Misha flip out at the same time and run up stairs. I take this cue and run after them.

“What should I wear?!” Jane runs around frantically. “I think you should wear the cream top with those jeans, oh wait it’s Friday right? Then wear those blue jeans. Oh by the way what letter day is it?”

“It’s a B day.” “Oh right now Sasha would be so happy that we have P.E.” Jane gives me a weird look,

then a “oh right you’re actually Tali” look. “So what are you going to wear Tali?” “Well having access to your closet for a day, I know exactly what I’m going to wear.” When we get in the car, I take the back and Micha and Lily give me a puzzled look. Then

I remember that Sasha get a little car sick and switch to the front. Lily drives in silence to Elena's house and Jane goes and gets her. She and Jane climb back in the car and we drive to school. in the car, I pull out Sasha’s schedule and go over it. Ok, since it’s a B day I will have tefillah, than advisory, than english. My eye’s pop out. I have no idea what Mr.Obrien does or teaches or anything. Oh, how will I survive the day?

When get to school, it’s hard not to tell Lily we were supposed to turn into the B’nai line , before realizing again I am Sasha and that I take Carpool lane. We get out of the car and walk inside. I let Jane go in front so I can take her lend and she walks in the gym. Of course Daphne, Sally, Sophie, Annabelle and Talia are there. They always come early. I don’t see me/Sasha. Must be running late, typical. I all of a sudden realize that I haven’t thought about what Sasha’s thinking. She doesn’t have a Jane like figure to help her. What does my dad think about what if

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she didn’t want the chocolate milk and array of bar waiting for her? What does she think about our annual listening to Can’t Beat Kelly or the voice radio or Freddy and Larry’s highfives yelling “It’s Freddy Friday!” What did she chose to wear? Hopefully something that looks go on me/her.

Then Ms.J says “have a nice day 6th grade,” and everyone gets up. We all head down stairs and Jane mumbles to me, “remember to open Sasha’s locker.” Thank you Jane I would not have thought about that. As we passed my locker I look at it. I won’t be able to see all my magnets today. As we approach Sasha’s locker, Jane heads for hers and I see that on my locker was a magnet. It was the puma power magnet. I almost crack up.I remember that yesterday, when I was in my body, I had put the magnet on Sasha’s locker because i knew she would get it. I hide the magnet in the locker then unpack my stuff. I then walk up to Elena, who is at her locker writing on her whiteboard that it is a b day and she has this and that today, and stand next to her. “Sasha why are you standing next to me? You walk with Daph to tefillah.” “Oh right well bye.” As I enter the Bet Midrash, I go and sit down next to Elena, something I do everyday. “Why are you sitting next to me? Tali sits there.” Elena says kindly. “Oh sorry I’ll move.” “Sasha you don’t seem to be you is something wrong?” “No I’m good, just the cold getting to me.” When I moved to sit next to Daphne, which I/Sasha do everyday, Sasha/me walks in. I look at my/her outfit. I went shopping on Tuesday and so she is wearing the cute grey and blue baseball tee with my light blue leggings and my bearpaws. I rush up to her and say, “sit next to Elena.” Her eyes were full of fear. I noticed that she didn’t put on my eos or baby lips. Ugh. She slides in my/her seat. “Ok, what did you do this morning?” I said. “Well I woke up to your dad telling me to wake up and turning on my light. That’s how you wake up in the morning? Then I did my morning routine aspect for I heard once that you get changed before you eat breakfast or something so that’s what I did. Then I ate the strawberry bar, the same one you ate yesterday, and drank some of the chocolate milk, but it was so rich so I didn’t finish it. The bar was good though. Also I stayed quiet during the ride. And then I got here. What did you do?” “I did what Jane told me to do for the most part.” “You told her?” “Yeah but she was cool. Oh by the way did you flip at all?” “A lot. But all in my head.”

Just then Gverat Darmon told everyone to go to their seats and I took my book and walked to the front of the room. Ok, don’t do the third blessing of the smah thing. That’s what Tali does. The second the loudspeaker went pppppppphhhhhhhhhhppppphhhhhh we all stood up. It was a 5th grade advisory doing it and they said “Good Morning JDS היום יום שישי today November 7th is a B day the time at the office is 8:15 please rise for Hatikvah,” and we did the rest. Then Mr.Yaris came in and started Modeh Ani. When it was the second paragraph in the samah I turned and saw Mr.Yaris getting ready for the third blessing and kids starting to look at Sasha/Tali. Oh no. She looked at me and mouthed copy Mr.Yaris and did the motion that I alway do. She seemed to get it and when Mr.Yaris did it she did it.

After tefillah, Mr.Last’s advisory got dismissed first, oh why today when I’m not in Mr.Last’s advisory, Sasha/me seemed to forget for a minute, but when Sally got up she got up to. Hopefully she won’t mess things up. I think we were going to do food diary stuff, so she sould be good. Then Mr.Yaris called Mr.Dudash and I got up. We walked down to Gverat Noked’s room and I was happy cause Mr.Dudash said we were going to play in the gym whatever we wanted. So we head to the gym and i grabbed a basketball and started dribbling. Mr.D said that it was time to go I put the ball away and headed to probably the hardest part of the day: english. I had no idea what we will do and how Mr.O'brien teaches, so I was basically winging it.

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Then I had an idea. I grabbed a piece of paper out of my/Sasha’s binder. I scribbled down a note and walked into Mr.O'brien's room. I handed him the paper and he read aloud “dear Mr.O’brien. my throat hurts a lot today, so it hurts to speak just to tell you in advance. Sincerely, Sasha.” He looked up. “Okay Sasha, but today we are doing the book reports on Ender’s Game. I could put you last on the presenting list.” I nodded my head and sat down at the seat that had the name tag Sasha on it. Thank God for Mr.O’brien and these name tags. Sasha will have no way of knowing where to sit. After a long 45 minutes, it was PE with Sasha/me.

During PE we caught up on what to do during the next section of english. And to top PE with a cherry my/Sasha’s team won in football playoffs. Josh kept throwing me the ball, but thankfully with being in Sasha’s body I got Sasha’s sporty skill and was able to catch them.

At science there was a sub who didn’t know what they were doing so we got to talk like we normally would do. Then in recess, we both played kickball and was on the same team. Let me tell you it felt sooooo good to be able to kick and catch the ball for a change. I felt bad for Sasha/me for get my poor skills, but I kept yelling: “Come on Tali you got this give them that good solid kick!”

In lunch we traded lunches because while she wanted the ritz and pirate booty, I wanted the instant mac and apple bar. And a convo started with me, Sasha/me, and Jane. “So when do you think the whole Sasha-Tali switch will end?” Jane asked. “I don’t know but I hope soon because I can’t have a bad throat forever.” I said “Oh Tali, your outfit that you’re wearing is adorable,” Sasha/me grins. “Well your outfit is divine darling I love the choice of color of top,” I shot back and Jane fell off the bench laughing in the end.

After that we helped each other out in hebrew and decided that we would switch spots for patrolling. “I’m going to mine which is technically your house after school.” Sasha said. “The Trainers are coming for dinner and we are sleeping over.” At 3:45 we had a pilled into my/Sasha’s mom’s car and was driving to my/Sasha’s house. When we got there I threw my/Sasha’s bag in my room and walked to Penny’s cage and let her out. Penny was so confused and I felt bad for her.

Finally, at 11:35 pm we were lying in the bed downstairs and talking about how odd, confusing, and fun the day was. Jane was really tried and said “guys, let’s go to bed.” When I woke up I saw the same basement ceiling and was happy. I turned and saw Jane sleeping. Then I turned and saw Sasha sleeping. I spurge out of bed, waking both of them, and yelling: “Halleluyah! It’s Saturday!”

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A NORMAL DAY AT CESJDS Sarah Friedlander

As Talia and I walked into the gym of our school our hearts pounded. For the first time ever people were taking a rocket ship to outer space in search of life. The government was

making our school donate-- or force two children to go with some government people to outer space. At first I thought that this was yet another thing to make us- the kids learn respect or something, but then all of these people with dark sunglasses and suits on came into the gym.

Talia and I sat near the back, as far away as possible from those government people as we could get.

“Boker tov, everybody!” The principal yelled, “We have quite the exciting day planned for all of you.” I wasn’t sure if he was joking, but he didn’t get the reaction he was looking for.

“So I guess we’ll get right to it then,” he said, looking out at all of our scared faces.

Some second grade teachers had to pull the kids back who were trying to run away. I couldn’t blame them, I would run away to if the sixth graders hadn’t, “Signed a contract not to talk or run away from the picking process.” I could feel Talia’s hand shaking in mine. The principal stared at the crowd, especially at us. It was like when you're watching American Idol and the host always takes forever to announce the winner. This was like that, except for winners who turn to millionaires with platinum albums, we get two dead people with sunglasses and suits. Oh and did I mention, our school is making us dress like these government losers to. we have to wear black suits or skirts which were appercientally space proof, but I HIGHLY doubt that.

“And I know you will make our school proud: Sarah Friedlander, Talia Lloyd.”

The room turned to us. Coincidence that we were sitting next to each other when the principal decided to look our way? I think not.

Three huge guys with the signature outfit. They came towards us, splitting the crowd in half. Some teachers gasped as they grabbed our arms and dragged us to the hallway, like they were just now realizing that this was horrible.

Outside, there were two huge, and when I say huge I mean massive spaceships. There were just two sixty foot white monuments on the lawn of JDS. The sight would have been kind of funny if I weren’t in a life and death situation.

The inside was just as huge as the outside. There were three levels, all beautifully painted with bedrooms, a huge kitchen, and a swimming pool. It was made from only the best scientists from NASA, made to get us around our location in one hour. Talia were asked to go to our rooms before dinner. This would have been a nice little experience if I wasn’t hurtling towards the unknown at a trillion miles per hour.

Oh, and you might be wondering, why do they need kids? Well, scientists had just discovered that kids were immune to bad gasses/poisoned air. They would send Talia and me onto the planet before them so that they could see if was safe before they got off the luxury ship.

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After dinner, a loud voice over an intercom informed us that we had come across an unknown by maps plant and we would be landing shortly. When they said shortly, they really meant shortly. A few minutes later there were some jumps and then the ship stopped. The same two guards who escorted us out of the upper gym came completely out of nowhere and grabbed our arms. Talia screamed and kicked as they pulled us away. We got dressed up in black (Surprise surprise) spacesuits with the head part cut off. We waited in a dark gray room until the doors opened.

“This place is amazing,” Talia said.

“Yea,” I said “Look at those palm trees and the beach and the white sand! This place is amazing.”

“I guess so. Let’s go explore.”

We walked out behind the sand dune that we were standing next to and almost fall over. This place looks exactly like Earth. There were hotels, restaurant, and even a few people sitting on the beach.

“Ok, this is really weird!” Talia screeched.

“No kidding. Lets get back to the ship,” I said hurriedly.

We turned around to see that the ships were gone. We were left alone on this clone version of Earth to die.

“Talia, did I ever tell you that you were my best friend ever? Because I love you!!”

That’s when we heard the loud intercom coming from up the beach. the principal and our whole school were standing there, clumped together as the principal began to talk.

“Ok, not to worry. That was only a lesson to teach our school about respect and communication. We also took footage from your little fake adventure and sent it off to an action movie company. If everyone would just go back to the buses quietly- and remember, how you walk on the beach reflects on our school. Thank you.”

I couldn’t believe my ears.

“We were tricked,” I said, “how did that happen?”

“I don't know, Sarah. I just don’t know.”

Oh, and if you're wondering about how our school got the money for the huge rocket ships, well where did you think that the 24,000 we were paying a year was going??

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62

Bigfoot Sophia Miller

“P-please g-go away,” I managed to mumble from my position against the locker. My

bully’s hands were stiff on my neck, and I felt like passing out. My bully’s name is Big Foot. The lock on the locker was rubbing against my back ,and I could feel Big Foot reaching into my pocket and taking out my wallet.

“I am done with you for now,” boomed my Big Foot let go of me and sauntered away. When I fell to the floor I was panting for air.

Bigfoot is the tallest boy in the school. He is six foot two, and he always wears a red ripped shirts and bulky jeans. He always wears metal chains connected to his pants, and a metal necklace with spikes. The first time he bullied me he used the spikes. I used to be popular until Bigfoot found me. I sat at the lunch table with the football team, but now I am a nobody. All of my old friends don’t even know who I am anymore.

Now my only friend is Maya who stayed true to me . “Was Bigfoot bullying you again,” asked Maya putting her hand on my shoulder.

“ Yes,” I said looking down at the ground,” what should I do?” “ You should stand up to him, and show him that you won’t let him throw you around

anymore,” answered Maya puffing out her chest. Maya is an extremely nice girl. She is the only one of my old friends who has continued

to be friends with me even though I am a bully victim. She has brown hair, blue eyes, freckles, and is very pretty. She is five foot five which is extremely tall for a sixth grader. Maya is very strong and self confident unlike me. I am much less confident and am only four foot nine. I have dirty blonde hair and no freckles.

We are both sixth graders at Jefferson Public, a public school in Detroit. The hallways all smell as bad as a fish store except for the hallway with all of the popular kids lockers where my locker used to be. They always spray air freshener and perfume in the hallway. All of our hallways are painted blue but all of the paint is chipping. Under all of the paint there is a puke green color which is very unpleasant to see. The hallways are flowing with all kinds of kids. My school is very diverse. There are lockers all over the walls. Most lockers have designs on them from their owner.

There is a hierarchy of students. In a couple of days I plummeted from the top to the bottom. Now no one knows who I am.

“ I am sure I can teach you how to stand up to your bully,” Maya said sympathetically. “Thanks but I am not sure if I want to stand up to him. It would only make him more

mad,” I replied nervously. “Come on Liv, please I am your best friend, and I know what is right for you,” said Maya,

really trying to persuade me. “I need an assurance that you will always be there for me,” I replied wondering what she

would say next. “I will think about it tonight. I have to go and do my homework. See you tomorrow. I

have a big decision to make,” I said as I walked off to my house. When I got home, only my brother was home. When I stepped into my house I slammed

the door. My house has three stories and four bedrooms. I live with my mom, dad, and older brother. My mother loves paint and colors. We have many multicolored carpets, walls, chairs, tables, floors, and drawers. My house smells like mint. Everyone in my house loves the flavor of mint.

I think my brother heard me slam the door because my brother noticed something was wrong. My brother said out of his door, “Sis what is wrong? Do you want to talk?”

“ Sure. I am coming,” I replied sprinting up the stairs ,with a smile on my face. I love my brother. He is so nice. We both are always there for eachother.

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When I walked into my brother’s, Max’s, room I could smell his cologne captivating the room. I could hear the radio playing quietly in the background. I could feel the smooth paint on the walls and the fresh air coming from the open window. I could see sports trophies lining the wall. There were a lot of books on the bookshelf wanting to be read. There were four window on the wall. He had sports equipment all over his room. I have never appreciated how much Max loves sports. I still haven’t told my brother about how I am getting bullied. My brother was wearing a baggy grey sweatshirt that said “ Jefferson Ice Hockey Champions.” He was wearing Adidas black sweatpants with three white stripes on the sides. He was also wearing blue and red basketball socks. Max was sitting on his bed with a worried look on his face.

“ What happened at school today?” asked Max looking straight into my eyes. “ Nothing,” I said looking at the floor because I couldn't bare my brother staring at me. “ Liv I know this is hard to talk about but what is happening,” said max sincerely. He had

a look on his face that showed he was about to cry. “ It’s Bigfoot,” I replied with a quiver in my voice. “ Sis you have to tell me what he did. We will stop it,” Max kindly said waiting for my

reply. There was silence in the room for thirty seconds. I wasn’t sure what to say. I started feeling water drip down my face.

“ He is my new bully,” I managed to mumble through all of my tears. “ What?!” my brother screamed almost shattering all of his trophies that began to

wobble. I was so embarrassed. I didn’t want my brother to think of me as a scared girl. “ I can help you stand up to him,” Said my brother getting pumped, “I could teach you how to stand up to BigFoot.”

“ I need to think about it,” I replied deep in thought. “ Liv this is your chance to stop being bullied,” my brother said begging me to do it. ” Ok,” I said walking out the door,”thanks.” After dinner I walked up to my room stumbling on the steps because all I could think

about was what my brother and Maya had said. When I walked up to my room and got into my bed I could not sleep.My walls, carpet,

bed, and blankets were all blue. I looked around my room. There was a lot of blue. All I could think about was what Maya and my brother had said. Should I stand up to my bully? Thoughts ran through my brain. What would happen? Would Bigfoot ever stop bullying me? If I was going to do anything I would need some sleep. I need to be strong like Maya if I ever want to stop being bullied. I know that eve if I try to stand up to Bigfoot he will intimidate me. I would just stutter and he would laugh at me. Everyone would laugh at me and I would never live it down. I would never be able to become popular again. I would have to be able to stand up to Bigfoot. I am not Maya I am not very confident I can’t just all of a sudden be confident. Could I? I thought about it. I decided that I could. I was going to stand up to Bigfoot with confidence. There is no way that I will mess up. I Olivia Hersworth is going to stand up to Bigfoot. Then I fell asleep.

The next day I walked to school with my brother. I told him about how I decided to stand up to BigFoot. He was happy to hear my choice. He started telling me about how to stand up to BigFoot. He said to pretend you were someone who had a lot of confidence.

When we got to school I spotted BigFoot and his posse on the field. I felt goosebumps formed on my spine my whole body froze , and I could not speak. I tried to say something but nothing came out. I stayed frozen until my brother tapped me on the shoulder. When the first bell rang I ran to my class. Right before lunch Bigfoot decided to strike. As he started walking towards me I felt a tingle run up my spine I wasn’t sure what to do. I did not know what would come out of my mouth. Would I freeze up? Would I be able to speak? This is the big moment. “I heard you were planning on standing up to me. Is it true? It will never happen and you know it,” Bigfoot said laughing as he sauntered up to me.

“ It will happen,” I said not really knowing where that came from. When BigFoot tried to push me up against the lockers I would not let him. He caught me. I he pushed me up against

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the locker but I knew that I couldn’t give up. He slammed me against the locker even harder than usual. My whole body hurt. I felt like I could not move. All of a sudden I felt like I had strength. He was about to steal my money when I managed to escape his tight grip. His head hit against the lockers. My confidence had come out. He had an astonished look on his face that said how did she do that. I had managed to escape.

“ Stop bullying people. Why do you do it? All it is is being mean. Is it because you think no one will accept you. No one wants to be bullied. Bullies are just people who are scared,” I said in a loud and powerful voice. As I stopped speaking BigFoot walked away. I had done it. I stood up to my bully. I felt a deluge of happiness rush through my body. This was amazing I managed to gain confidence. I felt like I could do anything I set my mind to. A whole crowd had gathered and were happy.

“Great job! You did it! You were awesome,” exclaimed Maya and Max as they put their arms around my shoulders.

“Thanks,” I replied as the bell rang signaling lunch. I walked off to lunch with my brother and Maya laughing.

I still remember that day as the day that I stood up to Bigfoot. The day I learned everyone has confidence somewhere in them and it just needs to be brought out. That was the day I started looking at myself differently. I would never forget that.

Epilogue After I stood up to BigFoot all of a sudden everything went back to normal. The whole

school remembered me. I wasn’t a nobody. All of my old friends wanted to be my friend again. I was a little mad at them because they didn’t stick with me while I was being bullied. Best of all my locker was changed. I had gained my life back.

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Name: Sophie Krantz You Only Live Once

“Do you want me to go first?” my best friend, Melanie, asked me. I looked down at the 20

foot jump I was about to take from the giant lake toy. I shook my head slowly and reluctantly. My feet shuffled as I stared down at the bright blue lake. What if the water’s shallow? Maybe it will hurt when I hit the water.

I heard kids in the background talking and laughing below me, as if they were mocking me for not jumping. I wanted my feet to just take off, and that I wouldn’t be nervous doing it. But for some reason, my feet felt as if they were glued to the lake toy.

“I guess I’ll just go and get it over with.” I said, worried that I made the wrong decision. I looked over the edge again to find the blue waves waiting for me to jump in them.

“The water isn’t cold, although I’m pretty sure that’s not what you’re nervous about,” Melanie told me staring off at the pink-streaked sky. “You don’t have to jump if you don’t want to.” Melanie continued, trying to comfort me, although I knew she wanted and knew I could jump.

To be honest, I’m not quite sure what I was nervous about. It might be the cold water, or whatever’s in the water. But before I could figure out why, Melanie called out to me, “I’ll show you it’s not scary,” and then, splash. The water splashed me in the face as she cannonballed into the lake. I knew she was trying to make me jump, but it felt as if she was mocking me. “I can do this, I can do this.” I thought to myself, as Melanie continued to urge me to jump from the water below. “Just jump!” I screamed in my head as all my anger and nervousness combined.

I jumped once in the air to try to prepare. But, when I tried to jump the second time for real in to the lake, I slipped and fell right on my back.

“Are you going to jump, or can I go in front of you?” asked a little girl from behind me. All the frustration bubbled up inside of me like a pot of boiling water, and I turned around and walked back down the lake toy, not even answering the girl. I felt my face getting red and hot with embarrassment, even though I chose to not jump.

Melanie met me at the bottom of the lake toy, looking very disappointed in me and I knew I let her down.

“Sophie, don’t be afraid to jump because you THINK something bad will happen. Just do it. I know you and trust me when I say that you will have fun. Let me help you.” She said as she reached for my arm. “Come on!” She told me as she steered me to the left of the cliff lake toy. There in front of me was a mini cliff, about a quarter of the size of the big one.

“Melanie, you know that I can jump off this one. I’m not nervous to jump off a five foot jump. How would this even-,” I said, frustrated, but then Melanie cut me off.

“If you’re not afraid to jump off this one, then jump. I never said that you couldn’t jump off this one. Sophie, I didn’t just get up on that 20 foot cliff and jump off. First, I jumped off this one, then the next one, then the next one. But, once you jump off that cliff, or even this one, you’ll feel so proud of yourself. Just jump!” She said encouragingly.

I confidently walked to the end of the tiny cliff and jumped off. If I wasn’t scared of this one, why was I scared of the other cliff? The water was so refreshing after the hot, sunny day outside. The waves felt relieving as if I had actually jumped off the 20 foot cliff, even though I knew I hadn’t. “You did it!” Melanie called after me as she looked over the cliff. She sounded excited even though she just wanted me to jump off the big cliff. “Now come to the next cliff!” She commanded me as she ran to the right.

I climbed up the 10 foot cliff and quickly jumped to get it over with. I felt myself relaxing as I hit the water, as if it were rushing through my veins. “That was awesome, Sophie! You’re almost to the top! If you can do that, than you can do this!” She yelled from the top of the cliff, where she had stood each time I was about to jump.

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I stared up at the 15 foot cliff as if it were a giant about to stomp on me in the water. I kept remembering Melanie’s words: “don’t be afraid to jump because you THINK something bad will happen. Just do it.” Just do it, just do it.

I swam quickly and eagerly to the cliff platform and I pushed myself up on it. I grabbed the first handle, then the second, and I kept on climbing until I reached the top of the lake toy. I looked down on the lake and the kids playing in the lake as if I was the king. The cliff wasn’t as tall as the 20 foot cliff, but that’s what it felt like.

Melanie came from behind me and put her hand on my arm, “Did you have fun on the last one?” She asked as if she wasn’t watching me the whole time. I stared at her and said under my breath,

“Sure.” I knew I shouldn’t be angry at her, but I was angry with myself. “If you had fun the last time, why not do it again?” She said as she grinned, and lightly

pushed me off the cliff. Most people would’ve been mad at their best friend for forcing them to do something they were nervous about, but I was relieved when Melanie pushed me. A little push was all I needed to go do something bigger and not be afraid. “You’re welcome!” She called out, laughing so hard I was surprised she was breathing.

“Are you ready?” She screamed and laughed at the same time, as she pointed to the largest cliff. Some kids behind her started looking at her like she was crazy, but I just laughed.

I swam as fast as I could to the lake toy, surprisingly excited for the jump. For the fourth time, I pushed myself up on the platform. But as soon as my feet touched the platform, the nervousness came through me. Once again, I remembered Melanies words: “Don’t be afraid to jump because you THINK something bad will happen. Just do it. I know you and trust me when I say that you will have fun.”

As I reached for the first handle, some of the frustration left my body. With each step I took, more frustration and nervousness left me. Right then, I felt as if I could do anything, let alone jump off a lake toy. I raced up the lake toy, preparing to jump off as Melanie followed behind me.

She smiled at me as I positioned myself to jump. Instead of the water looking horrifying, it looked welcoming. My feet slowly lifted off of the lake toy as if I was flying. I felt like everyone around me was watching me and cheering as if time stopped while I was in the air. Thoughts raced through my mind, “Did I make the wrong choice? It’s too late now!” But it didn’t matter then, because my feet reached the lake, then my knees, then my shoulders, then my head. The water felt as if it was washing away all the fear I had before, not just about jumping off the lake toy, but all the fear and bad thoughts about anything.

As my head came above the water, I wiped all the water out of my eyes and smiled up at the pink sky illuminated by the sun. I noticed Melanie beaming at me and clapping as I called to her in the lake, “Race you to the top.”

From that moment I learned that you shouldn’t be afraid to do something you’ll enjoy because you don’t know what the outcome will be. Have an open mind about the things you are doing or will do because you only live once.

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Strike One Benny Rushfield

My mind was racing as I prepared for my first pitch. I tried to cover my shaking face with my glove, hoping that the smell of baseball would calm me down as it usually does. How did I get here so fast when the first time I tried pitching was just three days ago? I began thinking back to that warm October afternoon when Coach Ben asked me to try out pitching. We were warming up and Coach Ben had asked me to try to pitch because we needed another pitcher for our game. I was one of the first kids at practice that day, and we had batting and fielding practice with just me, two other kids, and one of our other coaches with Coach Ben pitching until other kids got there.

When most of our team had arrived, it was my time to try pitching. I was throwing the ball right on the corners of the plate and the pitches had enough speed, but after a few batters Coach Ben let some of our other pitchers pitch.

“ Nice pitching today, Benny. I think that I will have you pitch in the game on Sunday, so you should probably practice pitching for about 20-30 pitches before the game,” Coach Ben said to me at the end of practice.

“Sounds good, I’ll see you on Sunday!” I said before going into my mom’s car and driving home.

It was a fine day for a baseball game, with green grass, the sun in the sky, and many different colored leaves falling from the trees. The game started out well for my team. I wasn’t the starting pitcher, but before the game Coach Ben had me and the starting pitcher pitch to each other. In the top of the first inning, I helped out our starting pitcher when I drove in our first run. Things were going well until the bottom of the third. We brought in a new pitcher, but he couldn’t throw a strike even if his life depended on it. I was playing at third base and I watched as his pitches flew left and right. Somehow we managed to get out of the inning with only giving up one run, but it was a whole new game now that the score was tied at one and I wanted to get my team the lead again. In the top of the fourth I didn’t bat, but my team was hitting the ball hard and hitting it often. The ball was being hit seemingly everywhere that it could and the other team could not get an out until they struck a batter out after two runs had already scored. The next batter lined the ball to right field, just over the glove of the leaping second baseman, and a run scored. I was on deck now and the hitter in front of me hit the ball hard again, but it was on the ground right at the shortstop who flipped the ball to the second for the first out and the second baseman threw to first and got the double play.

My team goes onto the field for the bottom of the fourth and I was going to play shortstop that inning, at least that’s what I thought. We had the same pitcher in and he was still wild. He walked the first two batters before getting the third batter to pop out for the first out. The next batter got hit by a pitch and they had the bases loaded with only one out. At this point, all I wanted was for the pitcher to get the next batter to hit a groundball to me so we could get a double play and get out of the inning. The batter had a one ball, two strike count and it looked like we were about to get the second out. The batter fouled off a lot of pitches and didn’t swing at pitches that were far off the plate, and he ended up drawing a walk to score a run. Then Coach Ben came to the mound and started talking with the pitcher, and what happened next surprised me a lot more than I thought it would.

“Benny, come here!” Coach Ben said as he motioned for me to come. I did what I was told and trotted to the mound. “I know you might be nervous, but we just need you to relax and throw strikes,” he said as he handed me the ball.

“That sounds simple enough,” I said as my hands started shaking with fear.

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“You have up to eight pitches to warm up,” said the umpire. I nodded to the umpire as I took a few deep breaths. I threw my first warmup pitch and it was about a foot to the left of the plate. One down, seven to go. My next three pitches were all either in the dirt or way up high. Finally, on my fifth warmup pitch, I threw a strike. My next two pitches were about ten inches to the right of the plate. On my last warmup pitch, I threw a strike which helped me relax a little bit more. As the hitter stepped up to the plate I took another deep breath to try and get ready for my first pitch. As I stepped into my windup, I was hoping that this pitch would be within six inches of the plate, unlike most of my warm up pitches. I lifted my leg and was thinking that the ball could go wherever it wants because I had no expectations for my pitching. When I took the ball out of my glove, I suddenly felt a wave of sickness go through my body. I closed my eyes as I threw the pitch. There was no sound of the ball hitting the bat, but there was the sound of the umpire calling strike one. As soon as I heard the umpire, my eyes shot open and were as big as plates. I could not believe that I had actually thrown the ball over the plate. As soon as I got the ball back from my catcher, the sick feeling went away and I had newfound confidence in my pitching. I felt like I could throw the ball exactly where I wanted and there was nothing that the hitter could do to hit the ball.

I might have gotten a little too confident at that moment because I thought that I could throw the next pitch as fast as an Aroldis Chapman fastball. The ball was too high and it was an even count at one ball, one strike. After that pitch I learned to not try and throw the ball as hard as I could, but to throw the ball and try and get it over the plate. As I wound up for my next pitch, my goal was to just get the ball over the plate. I got the ball over the plate and the hitter hit it foul for strike two.

The pitch wasn’t very hard, and at that point I began to figure out how to throw the ball with more velocity and throw a strike. I went into my windup, now knowing exactly what to do, and threw the ball over the plate and fast. The hitter swung, and the only sound coming from the bat was air. I tried to keep a straight face, but I could not stop from smiling a little bit. After all, I had just come in to pitch for the first time with the bases loaded and struck the first hitter out.

When the next hitter came up I tried to repeat what I had done to get the strikeout, but the pitch was a little inside. I did not throw the next pitch very well, it was slow, high in the strike zone, and right over the middle of the plate. I saw the hitter’s eyes widen as he thought that he could hit a grand slam on the pitch, and he swung and hit the ball far down the leftfield line. However, the hitter was over anxious and the ball landed foul. I took a deep breath after that, as I knew that that last pitch would have been long gone if the hitter had just waited a little bit. The next pitch was very good, with a solid speed and down and away on the corner. The hitter swung and hit the ball towards the second baseman, for what I thought would be the third out. Unfortunately, the ball went through our second baseman’s legs and two runs scored to tie the game.

I was able to jam the next hitter inside on the first pitch, and he hit a weak ground ball to our first baseman who fielded the ball cleanly before he jogged over to first base and tagged the base for out number three.

“ Nice job pitching, Benny,” Coach Ben said as he gave me a pat on the back. “ I was just trying to get the ball over the plate,” I replied as a grabbed my bat and helmet

to prepare to hit. I was set to lead off the top of the fifth and I was determined to do something to help get my team the win and get myself a win as a pitcher. The first pitch I saw was a good pitch to hit, so I swung at it and hit the ball into the right-centerfield gap. As I got near first base I noticed that the right fielder hadn’t fielded the ball yet, so I rounded first base and sprinted towards second before I slid in to the base right as the right fielder threw the ball to the infield.

The hitter behind me walked, and we had a good chance to take the lead. The nickname that our team had for the current batter was ‘RBIsaac’ because he drove in a lot of runs in clutch situations and his name was Isaac. He was about average sized, but he could really hit. He

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slammed line drive down the left field line, and the ball landed fair and was rolling past the left fielder. As I started dashing towards third, I already knew in my mind that I was going to score a run and give my team the lead. I turned to my left after I touched third and I jogged towards home plate and I scored. I turned around to watch the rest of the play and saw that the left fielder was still chasing the ball and Isaac was already past second base and the runner who was on first base was about to score as well. By the time the left fielder picked up the ball, we had already scored the second run and Isaac was halfway down the third base line. The left fielder desperately tried to throw the ball to home plate, but the ball got to the plate well after Isaac had already scored. Everyone on my team was patting Isaac on the helmet to say congratulations. The next three batters struck out and our half of the inning ended, but I was going to pitch in the bottom half. I started the first batter in the bottom half of the fifth inning by throwing a strike on the outside corner to get ahead in the count. My next pitch was low and the count was even. I was determined to throw a strike on my next pitch, but the ball slipped as I threw the pitch and it bounced before it got to the plate. I took a deep breath and relaxed myself. The next pitch was in near the batters hand but he swung anyway, and he hit the ball towards the shortstop. The shortstop fielded the ball cleanly and threw to first for out number one. One down, two to go. The first two pitches to the next batter slipped from my hand and were in the dirt and wild high. My next pitch was a good pitch near the outside corner, but the umpire called it a ball. I got very angry and I had to stop myself from arguing, which was very hard. I threw the next pitch and it was called a ball because it was too low. I was getting very worked up at that point, so I took a deep breath to relax. The deep breath must have worked because the next batter struck out swinging on three pitches. Two down, one to go. I threw the next pitch to the next batter and the ball was hit to me, and I fielded the ball and threw it to first for the third out. The first three batters from my team in the top of the sixth all got out, so it was time for the bottom of the sixth, the final chance to hit for the other team.

Our closer, Addison came in to pitch to try and save the game. My team was winning seven to four, but the other team had their three best hitters up. I was playing third base and wanted to get a ground ball straight to me. The first batter that he faced was obviously trying to hit a home run because he swung so hard on the first pitch and there was a big uppercut in his swing, but all he did was pop it up to first base where it was caught for the first out. The next batter was more selective at the plate before he eventually walked. The next batter hit a ground ball to the first baseman and we could have had a game-ending double play, but the runner from first had been trying to steal so we only got the runner on first. We were one out away from winning the game. The next pitch was strike one, before Addison threw two pitches that were outside. The batter fouled the next pitch off before he took to more pitches that were low. Now they had the tying run at bat. My heart was racing, and I knew in my head that we still had a three run lead but I was worried that the game would be tied like the shoelaces on my cleats. The next batter tried to be a hero, and he hit the ball very, very far but very, very, foul. He didn’t try to be a hero on the next pitch, but he still hit the ball.

The ball was popped up towards third base, right towards me, and as I settled under it and squeezed the ball in my glove, what I had done in the game really started to hit me. I understood that I had really helped the team win today, and when I came to the first practice this year that was all I wanted to do. When I started my warmup pitches, I was scared and had to close my eyes after my first in-game pitch. Although I had taken risks before in baseball, none were as risky as the one I took today when I pitched. The first strike I threw was more than just strike one, it was step one to me getting confidence on the mound and helping my team get the win.

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Win or Lose Oren Minsk

I knew it couldn’t happen. We just couldn’t win. We were down by two goals and there

were only three and a half minutes remaining. The chances of us coming up on top kept decreasing, and we were losing hope.

It was warm and humid inside the indoor soccer arena. The unappealing smell of sweat filled the air along with the tension between to two teams. In the moment, when the game was ticking is final minutes of the clock, the field was loud, smelly, and felt as nerve racking as a battle field; if you made one mistake, you were dead. The field was turf and was in a room that was long with curved edges. The goals were built into the wall. Spectators were on their feet, not wanting to miss a minute of the game. To my left, I could see my teammates and coaches on our bench, taking deep breaths and biting their fingers.

I was biting my gloves as I saw the team’s strikers approaching my goal; knowing that if they score here, the game was practically over. There were crisp passes, crossing the field as they continued their attack. One man broke free. He got the ball. I was sweating rapidly as I saw that the other team was nearing my goal. There was high tension in the air. If they scored here, they won the game. As a goalkeeper, it was my responsibility to make sure the ball doesn’t get into the net.

The dribbler speeded past our hopeless defense and as he drew near. The rubber squares in the turf got all over my socks as I slid in front of him. His foot cranked back and then released. The ball flew up into my hands. ‘Fewf,’ I thought.

“C’mon!” Aiden complained with red cheeks as I missed the easy save. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, looking down at the ground. “Now we’re definitely gonna lose.” he retorted, making me full of regret and sorrow. I

walked into the goal and got the ball. I chucked it to midfield. I had no idea what to do. We weren’t going to win. Our players weren't even running. We just couldn’t.

I heard the ref blow his whistle, signaling that we could start to play. Our players made weak passes up the field and off the wall, almost walking. Our striker got the ball near their goalie. He dribbled up to him and poked it, carelessly, right around him. The crowd cheered, not knowing what we were feeling. We didn’t even celebrate after we scored that goal, for we were discouraged.

“Guys hurry up!” I yelled as sweat dripped down from my hair. I knew we didn’t have much time and we needed to hurry up.

“We are still in this!” yelled Aiden, one of our defenders, to the rest of the team; finally gaining hope.

The other team passed the ball around, keeping possession and stalling time. When were pressured them, they made a move and passed the ball, not giving up possession. Honestly, as much as I wanted to win, with our opponents playing this well, it doesn’t seem like we’re going to. We truly were hopeless.

“Yes,” I whispered to myself, closing my eyes like it was a fantasy. We got the ball back. The goalie was of balance, but I had no idea why. Luckily, Elliott recognized this and quickly called a teammate.

“Center, center!” he yelled to Bonsu, setting up a play. Bonsu dashed to the center of the 8-yard box, calling back to Elliott. Elliott passed the ball backwards of the wall right to Bonsu. You could see the glaring sweat on Bonsu’s head, for he was nervous.

There is one problem. There was someone in front of Bonsu. Unfortunately, the player was on the other team. Now, Bonsu had real pressure. Bonsu got the ball and applied an amazing touch; curling the ball around the defender and running around the other side. He

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struck the ball rigorously right past the goalie. The score is now 3-2. We have 59 seconds to go. As last time, we rushed the ball to midfield, not wasting a minute.

The ball was in play. We all played our hearts out, really trying hard. Opposing players were passing around us on our side of the field. I didn’t know what to do.We need an offensive attack in order to have a chance at the win. “Steal the ball or make them make a mistake!” I yelled to my teammates while shaking.

I jumped up and down. There were 31 seconds left. We got the ball and were passing up the field confidently. “Cross it. Get a goal!” I demanded, screaming urgently. We need a goal. Even though I’m a goalie, I ran up to midfield, so if the ball gets out of our possession, I can send it back to the goal.

It was so critical that we win, so we make the playoffs. As I predicted, the ball came back to around midfield. I dashed to it, not letting anyone else get it. I booted the ball to the goal, it hit the post.

-------------------------------------------------- Ian jumped up and kicked the ball. “Ugh,” all of us sighed, knowing it wasn’t going to go

in. It was wide right. I was watching all the players, so I know where the ball might go next. One player was running upfield. Out of nowhere, another player came zooming across the goal, probably going back to his respected position. What were the odds; the ball dropped right onto the back of the boys foot while he was running and speeded right passed the unaware goalie. “It’s a miracle! It’s a miracle at the Rockville Sportsplex!” the announcer said over the speaker. Well there wasn’t actually an announcer, but that’s what it sounded like in my head. The sound of the roaring crowd overflowed my ears. Even the fan turned on. Finally, I wasn’t boiling. It felt like I was sinking into the turf like it was a dream.

I knew the game wasn’t over yet. There were still 15 seconds left on the clock which was more than enough time to get open and score. I directed my team to only have one attacker and everyone else playing defense; just to be sure that they don’t score. We weren’t going for the win now, we just were trying to send the game to penalty kicks. The ref blew his whistle and the their player shot almost immediately. Fortunately, it wasn’t a great shot; it bounced right to me. Now that there were 11 seconds on the clock, I was deciding what to do. I waited for six seconds then punted the ball far to tick of the final seconds of regulation.

-------------------------------------------------- The ref explained to each team and coach that each team gets five shots, whoever scores

more wins. If it is tied after the kicks, it goes to sudden death. The game was on the line. My feet were on the goal line and I was shaking. The shooter

approached the ball and I got on my toes, ready to dive anywhere necessary. It was nerve racking, like my nerves were literally racking. The ball moved and I moved towards it. Well, I thought I did. I dove the wrong way which actually is normal for a goalie while stopping a penalty kick, for you almost guess what way they’re going to kick it. After a few kicks, the score was 3-3 and if I missed this we lost. Tention was really high in the air now; you could hear it, smell it, feel it, see it, and even taste it. It all came down to this. If I save it, it will be legendary. A team coming back by three with three minutes to go and winning in penalty kicks. If we lost, I’d be so upset. “Keeper, are you ready?” in a voice that sounded like a robot to me. I was thinking no, but I responded yes with a thumbs up. I was so nervous. The ref could see the nervous feeling spilling out from every part of my body. The shooter approached the ball.

-------------------------------------------------- I jump up onto my toes. I dove to my right. But it was too late. I jumped early and the

shooter sensed which way I was going. He shot the other way and the ball ended up in the net. That was it. We lost. I was so upset. I could feel the tears rushing down my face like a waterfall. I walked over slowly to my bench, knowing it was my fault for the loss. I was angrier than

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angrier, upsetter than upset. As our coach was talking about the game with us, I was just listening with my head down in my arm. It was a longer talk than normal. I finally got up and walked out to my car.

I got in. I slammed the door. “I’m proud of you,” my dad said as I dazed off to sleep. “Why?” I asked, “I missed the save which made us lose.” I was thinking about why my dad was proud of me. I really didn’t know. We lost and I missed the save which made us lose. I started to think about why he was proud. I guess the real reason was that I actually did try my best and changed and thought we could win. Maybe that’s what's important. I tried my best. I thought about it the rest of the way home. Yes, that’s why he is proud because I tried my best. You saw that even though we lost, we came close because we tried our hardest. That’s what’s important. Try your best and nobody will be upset. Next time you're playing a game, or taking a test, or anything, try your best because you never know what will happen. You can’t do better and there is no reason for anyone to get mad at you for doing your best. And you actually will be proud of yourself. And that’s what I thought about the rest of the way home as we drove into the sunset at the end of the day.

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After Forever Mira Mitre

People say that everything happens for a reason. I say things happen because that’s life. Marley and I have been best friends for over eight years now. Well, we were best friends for eight years. It’s funny how we barely talk to each other anymore. In the narrow basement halls at school we might wave, but even that is a special occasion. It’s sad to think how best friends forever isn’t a reality, but it is more sad to think how we got there, after forever.

*** The bell rings. My new sneakers squeak on the blue tile. I can finally see Marley after my

endless camp-full summer. I had my new coral knit sweater, my dark blue jeans, and a necklace on. Marley and I always twin on the first day of school and since it is now middle school we wanted to take fashion to a higher level. We have our outfits picked out for the next twelve years, even though we will be in college at that point. I have always loved the first day of school, mainly because there is no homework, but also because you can finally see your friends you haven’t seen all summer and catch up on each other’s lives.

I see Marley in the hall. Yes! I run over just to see that she isn’t wearing a sweater and jeans at all. Instead, she is wearing black leggings which are too tight for even her and a graphic tee with the Empire State building on it. She must have forgotten.

“Hey girl, I haven’t seen you all summer. Did you forget?” I say as if I am a game show host as I gesture toward my outfit, and then lean in for a hug.

“I didn’t forget!” Marley said in an I’m-too-cool-for-you voice, “I am just twining with Natalie today.” I look over at Natalie. I thought Marley hated her. I guess summers can change you. “Sorry Camille, maybe another time.” “Oh, that’s ok,” I lie. It isn’t ok to rip off a friend on their eight year first-day-twin-day streck. We were going to win the world record. Or, at least that’s what I thought. It’s just then when I realize Marley had curled her hair. She never curls her hair. Something had changed about Marley. Not that she is turning into that bratty popular girl in every teen movie--which she is, but it’s the fact that she doesn’t even acknowledge that her eight year best friend which she hasn't seen her all summer, is standing right in front of her. That’s what bugs me. I can tell this year is going to be different.

“Well, what classes do you have?” I lean over Marley to see her schedule. We have zero classes together. “Oh.” I say softly, but Marley had already left. I am standing alone in the basement of Westwood Middle with the most sickening feeling in my stomach. And I am late for class.

*** I take it back, I hate the first day of school. Today, I ate lunch by myself, went to the

nurses office twice because of my stomach, and we did have homework. I scream as I run up the newly reconstructed stairs to my bedroom and I ignore my mom’s “How was your first day sweetie?” Horrible! I think to myself. I slam my door shut. I see my twin bed in the middle of the room, and pictures of camp all over my dresser. Why can’t it be summer again? I reach for my white not-up-to-date smartphone on my dresser. I am mad at the world, and I am mad at Marley. I don’t know why, but I decide to call her. She doesn’t answer. I call again. Nothing. So, I text her. My fingers keep twitching as if they are scared to type, and I

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don’t know what happened, but my mind and figures started going crazy, and finally they made out the words: “Are. We. Friends?” Although I wish they never did.

My hand shakes as I wait for a response. My old cracked phone buzzes every few seconds as if it is waiting too. It is if my phone and my hand are now doing a duet, “Shake, shake. Buzz. Shake, shake. Buzz” I sit on the edge of flower printed bed waiting. Waiting to see if my eight year friendship is over. Waiting to know how Marley really feels even though I already know the answer. I sit, waiting. The seconds that go by feel more like years that I have wasted sitting on the edge of my bed for a response to just three little words: Are. We. Friends? After typing a sentence and deleting the sentence, and typing a sentence and deleting the sentence, all my figures could make out to type was “Are we friends?” I regret that now. Mainly because I don’t want to know her answer, but now that its out there, I must know her answer. I need to know her answer. So I still sit here waiting.

Finally, the tiny blue text box pops up on my duct tape covered smartphone. It is nearly midnight, and I now sit at the edge of my bed not waiting, but staring. It isn’t even three little words that I am staring at, but it is three little letters instead: I. D. K. I was staring at the three little letters that Marley had written from a block down the road. “Idk,” she wrote which in this century stands for “I. Don’t. Know.” but that is just a nicer way of saying “I. Don’t. Care.” I knew she would write something like this, I mean I barely got a ‘hello’ in the hallway today, but for some reason I am really surprised. I guess deep down, I hope she didn’t completely throw away are friendship.

Marley didn’t just write three little letters, but “Idk,” she wrote with a small picture of an overly bright yellow face with two blank eyes, and nothing more. As if it makes everything better, just by having a bright yellow face with no expression, but it doesn’t. Saying I don’t care about the past eight years of my life isn’t fixed by having a stupid “I’m sorry” picture next to it. I don’t think it can be fixed.

I am staring back at a tiny two-eyed face with nothing else, but somehow, it was staring right back at me with its hollow eyes. Like it is trying to tell me something, but it can’t since it doesn’t have a mouth. It is afraid to speak. I wonder if Marley’s afraid? I am.

I keep replaying the words in my head. “Are we friends?” “Idk.” “Are we friends?” “I don’t know.” “Are we friends?” “I don’t care.” I can’t stop thinking about what Marley said. It’s after midnight, and there’s school tomorrow. I’m not looking forward to the rest middle school.

I hop into bed, but I can’t sleep. I stare at the blank black ceiling and do nothing. My mind keeps showing me all of the times me and Marley had together. As if it was a planned montage of the past eight years of my life with music and everything. But I keep forcing those memories down because the more I think of our friendship, the more it reminds me that our friendship is over. After what seems like hours, I finally fall asleep, but I know sadly in a few more hours I need to wake up again.

*** “Camille!” My mom yells from downstairs. “I’m up. I’m up.” I mumble as I pull my sheets up higher. My alarm probably went off

thirteen times until I finally have the strength to roll out of bed. Although even that is an understatement. Today pull on my old navy leggings, and a graphic-tee, thinking about Marley’s outfit. Although the shirt didn’t fit right and the pants were uncomfortable, so I rip them off and put on some jeans and a sweatshirt on instead. I am not Marley, I am me.

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I have no time to do my hair this morning after being up till one, so I pat my hair down with some water, and hope I don’t completely look like a troll. Then I scramble to grab a protein bar even though they’re never that good, and a nearly expired juice box as I race to catch the bus. Just in time.

I hear a bunch of kids are screaming at me since I’m making them late. “I-I’m sorry,” I say in a quiet voice. I find an empty seat next to this nerdy nose-picker in the back. I sit down and stare out the back window.

When I get to school, even though I have eaten almost nothing, that big sick feeling in my stomach came back. Although this time much worse. Today feels weird. Different. I can’t take this feeling any longer, so I start to cry. I cry so hard until it can’t cry any more. In front of everyone. I feel like a big baby but I can’t help it.

As I walk up the overly steep school stairs to the basement where the six grade lives, I force myself to suck it up, and stop crying. I walk slowing to homeroom, and pray that today is at least an inch better than yesterday, but I decide to keep my expectations very low for today, encountering every some-what bad scenario.

***

When homeroom is over, I walk out of the room, and see Marley walking the other direction. We wave once more, and then I turn as I head up for math. I don’t know if Marley and I will continue to be friends. But, I don’t think I care. I’m not a baby, but I’m not a grandparent either. I’m just a girl figuring things out. And I’m ok with that. Kalyn and Lily were standing at the bottom of the staircase. Kalyn has bright blue sneakers, and her hair in a braid. Lily is wearing a floral top, and her red hair is down, resting on her shoulders. I never understood why no one liked them. Yes, they don’t talk too much, but they are very sweet from what I can tell. “I love your hair,” Lily says looking at my frizzy hair ball on the top of my head. “You're kidding,” I say with a smile on my face, which hasn’t been there for a while, “I literally just woke up.” “You’re so lucky.” Kalyn says in a quiet voice. She too was looking at my hair. It felt weird, I’ve never had so much attention before. “I will try for hours and still my hair will never look that good.” We all laugh. “No. You’re so pretty,” I say, staring at her braid again. I wasn’t lying. She was pretty. It just occurred to me now, but both of them are in my math class. I looked at my watch. Math had started. “Um, guys,” I say in a half nervous voice, and half about to burst out laughing, “it’s 11:07!” “Mrs. Wain is going to kill us!” Lily says with her eyes opening wide. “I know. It’s like she makes excuse to yell at us, even if we are two minutes late. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if she pulled of her wrinkly mask, and it’s a witch under there.” We all laugh as we race up the stairs. I don’t know if the three of us will become best friends forever, but I’m ok with that too. Because I don’t know if I will ever have a chance to become their friend ever again. I think about yesterday, and then about today. Today wasn’t just inch better, but it was a mile.

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The Wag of a Tail Charlotte Wenk

“Is he going to be okay?” I asked as my heart jumped out of my chest and a river flowed from my eyes.

“I don’t know sweetie,” my mom said, trying to hide her fear, though it showed through like a glass window. I knew something was wrong; I just didn’t want to believe it.

The doctor came in, and usually my dog would be standing on the platform, tail between his legs, but not this time. This time he just sat there, without a care in the world, but clearly something was wrong; anyone could sense the awkward tension in the vet’s office. The smell of cleaning products filled the room, as the janitor walked by. My whole family was very distraught, and no one could bear to look at our old, frail dog for we knew what was coming. Death would take Gatsby, my best friend, a family member, our dog for himself.

The doctors ran tests overnight, and it turned out my dog had water around his heart. I could sense the seriousness even though I didn’t get the details of the situation.

“They can try to take the water out, but if it comes right back it won’t be much use”, my dad said, explaining the situation to me. “The water will come back. It’s just a matter of how long,” my dad said, tearing up. I had never seen my dad cry nor did I want to, but everyone wanted to cry, and we tried to keep it together because we all had work and school in the morning. The doctors kept Gatsby at the hospital to see if the water came back as all of us braced ourselves for the journey ahead.

My mom let us all sleep in to 7:30 that day, even though that’s when we usually left because we all needed some grieving time to just process what was happening. No one spoke a word in the car until halfway through the drive, but we were all thinking the same thing.

“All this time we were talking about getting a new dog,” I said sniffling, wiping my eyes. “Well, this teaches us to appreciate what we have, and not focus on what we want,” my

mother said seriously. I wondered how she kept such a straight face when she was in tears merely a couple hours before. The worst part of it at the time was the remorse I felt for wanting a puppy and not caring about my dog that was still here.

I didn’t want to go to school for many reasons, but I knew I had to. My eyes were red from the tears, plus I looked like a train wreck. My beautiful brown hair looked like a rats nest. My normal clothes were replaced that day with a sweatshirt and sweatpants. It looked like I had gotten ready in 2 minutes, and I didn’t want to explain to anyone what happened for I knew the moment I did my tears would start and not stop.

At school, when my teachers talked to me, it was like they were talking to a brick wall. I was so focused on trying to bring hope for myself; I was completely oblivious to the rest of the world. At lunch I told my friends what happened only because they were wondering why I wasn’t talking, and why I looked like the biggest mess on the planet. My first words all day were the ones explaining what had happened to my dog.

“Where were you this morning?”, Marin asked. She’s my best friend, so I had to tell her the truth.

“My dog got sick all of the sudden,” I said, looking down at the table. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Marin said, in a tone that sounded like she was sorry she asked.

“Is he going to be okay?” asked my friend Zoe. “I don’t know I said tearing up. One of my friends, Ainsley really had given a better effort than the rest to cheer me up because she had gone through the same bump in the road that I was going though, so naturally she was empathetic unlike the others because they hadn’t experienced this before. I appreciated her advice even though I didn’t show it. I went into my turtle shell again after lunch time.

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I had tried to block my tears the whole day, and it was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but after school time seemed to move so slowly, so slow every minute felt like ten, and every time I looked at the clock it was only 30 seconds after the last time I had checked the time.

As I finally left school, I walked as slow as I could to the JCC. For I knew when I got there I would figure out what happened, and though the anticipation killed me, I didn’t want to face the truth. As I walked in the JCC, a breeze of heat hit me. I walked down the white tile floor, only focusing on my breathing, I turned to my mothers work area down the cold hallway, and past the front desk, as the smell of tears and despair filled the air, and my vision blurred from the tears. I heard the sounds of the people in the lobby talking just like any normal day, but this wasn’t a normal day or at least not to me.

I knew my mother’s face would say it all. I felt like running in the other direction, but my legs felt like they were being controlled to keep walking on the ugly brownish-black carpet. My mind kept saying it was over ,and everyone says I’m too quick to jump to conclusions, but this was the conclusion, the only conclusion I thought was plausible in my negative, pessimistic mind. Every bit of hope was drained from me, like draining water from a bathtub until all that was left was a deep dark pit filled with negativity. I walked so slowly to her desk that it felt like I was in a traffic jam, only going 0.00001 mile per hour. “It’s over, it’s over, it’s over,” I kept thinking to myself, looking at the ground. Then, I finally got the courage to look up at my mother’s face. A mistake I would only so only regret.

“Hello sweetie,” my mother said, blowing her nose in tissue. I tried to say something. I tried to make words come out, but I couldn’t. I just ran into her office, and started bawling uncontrollably.

“Mommy, why did he have to die?” I said. “He was healthy five minutes before he fell over.” I said barely getting the words out.

“Well, if it makes you feel better, daddy and I said our goodbye, and that everyone loved him.” She replied.

“No, mom it actually makes me feel worse because I never got to say goodbye, and you didn’t even call the school or come get me!” I said, with my mouth trembling, and my head down. I was furious with my mom, and I’d had enough drama for one day. I dashed up the ugly black stairs to the teen center of the JCC, and still bawling and still furious when I found Ainsley.

“Ainsley, he’s gone,” I said, but I really had to dig deep to get the words out. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I know exactly what to do,” she replied with a smile. We sat on the carpet for hours talking about my favorite moments with him, and though many tears were shed, it helped me. Ainsley was a fantastic listener. I can’t even imagine being that patient with me without just getting up and leaving. “The worst part was it caught me by surprise. One minute he was fine, and the next he tipped over trying to walk, and we actually brought him salmon, and he still wouldn’t eat it,” I said with a smile just barely stretching on my face. “You’re not crying anymore,” Ainsley said, smiling. “I think it’s because I’m out of tears,” I said looking at the ground smiling, and for the first time that day. I actually felt better. “Look I know you and your mom are super stubborn, but you have to forgive her,” Ainsley said. “I know I have to forgive her eventually, but I don’t think I can do it right now. Sheknew I cared about him and he was my first and best friend, but she still didn’t even call.” I said seriously. “Well, the argument not going to resolve itself.” Ainsley said. I replied with a sigh, but faced the problem head on and forgavemy mom, which was almost as hard as letting go of my dog.

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When I went home everyday for the next week I could still hear his barking, and feel his little 15 pound self-jumping on us, with a grin that said: “You didn’t leave me! You didn’t leave me!” and I still felt his little body curled up in a ball on my right hip, his favorite place in the world.

I knew the second I walked out of the JCC that my life would never be the same, but maybe this change wasn’t all bad after all. Life is full of surprises. Some good, some bad, and you have to take them both whether you want to or not. I still cry when I think back on the moment, but my friends and family made it so much easier to go through. You never really know how much you love something until it goes away because: “LOVE is when your puppy licks your face even when you left him alone all day.”

In memory of Gatsby my best friend: FRIENDS

“For the wag of a tail, and a bark of hello, to no other friend I would ever go--

To whisper my fears and lick my tears away.

To run and to jump, and to twirl all around, there’s no better

friend that I’ve ever found.”

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