Blue Ribbon Press

The NEHS Duffle Bag ProgramBy: Maria D.

The Macomb Duffle Bag Program teamed up with our school’s National Elementary Honor Society (NEHS) to raise money for our local Child Protective Services (CPS), through a school dance. After paying off the DJ and expenses for pizza, (water was provided for free), we presented a check for $791.00 to the CPS coordinator. We also collected many personal items, books and other donations to give to kids entering the program. I am proud to say that because of our school we got to help kids our age that are forced into these circumstances.

Super FoodsBy: Albina J.

There are a lot of foods in the world sour, sweet, bitter and super. Super foods are amazing and although they can’t save the world they can save you from evil fats. I’m here to tell you about the best foods to do the job.

First, Quinoa. (Keen-wah) These teeny-tiny, grain-like seeds pack a serious nutritional shock. With a mild, nutty flavor and a texture similar to rice or couscous, quinoa is one of the only grains or seeds that provides all nine essential amino acids our bodies can't produce themselves. And it's filled with protein yum.

Second is Cauliflower. While all the vitamins and minerals are a great bonus, the real star here is cauliflower's cancer-fighting compound, glycosylates. These phytochemicals are responsible for cauliflower's sometimes-bitter flavor, but they have also been shown to prevent damage to the lugs and stomach by carcinogens, potentially protecting against those cancers. And thanks to interactions with estrogen, cauliflower may also help prevent hormone-driven cancers like breast, uterine, and cervical.

Third Leeks. You can thank many of their anti-cancer superpowers to their organ Sulphur compounds. These nutrients have been credited with everything from fighting cancer to boosting your immune system. Studies also suggest leeks could help protect the digestive system from stomach and gastric cancers.

Last is Garlic. Yes, it might leave breath less-than-desirable, but these cloves can do more than flavor— they've been used for centuries as food and medicine. These days, Garlic is used to treat anything from high blood pressure and heart disease to certain types of cancer. Plus, studies suggest garlic extract can be used to treat infections in women and prostate issues in men.

So, as you can see super foods may not save the world but they still have powers.

For more information on super foods visit: https://greatist.com/health/25-greatist-superfoods-and-why-theyre-super.

A Bit Too DifferentBy: Alivia G.

One of the many amazing things about the world is that there are so many small things that surround us, that we don’t appreciate until they’re gone.

My name is Ruth Bithany. I’m in grade 7 and attend Whimsy Middle School. I’m possibly the one you could consider the outcast. I have just one friend,and I don’t really even like her that much. But, friends are not truly necessary, only if you need a favor and you need someone to trust you. Still, I don’t want to have to acknowledge that I speak to my art sometimes. A lot of times…

Again, it’s an upside in one way-I don’t have people trying to interfere with my time at the canvas. And in one other way. I, uh, can sorta do whatever my mind wants to. Not, like, take over the world, and I can’t do everything! But… how do I explain this?

My mother worked at car manufacturing company, where machines were constantly working and emitting exhaust. When the gynecologist did the ultrasound, it showed that my mother was going to have a miscarriage-imminently.

When my mom explained what she was exposed to, the gynecologist knew. She assumed I would be born basically brain-dead, but there was a slim chance I could survive, if my mom took certain medication. My mother and father attempted everything, and they sobbed and sobbed… and then I came out as a breathing baby. Not a necessarily healthy one, but hey, I had a pulse, and that’s all that mattered to them.

All the doctors were confused and concerned, so I was immediately transported to the N.I.C.U., no hesitation. Once I had a stable enough immune system to be released, they did a brain scan-and, as it turned out, my brain had some major injuries. They stated they could do nothing at the time, until I showed side effects. And I never did-until, that is, third grade.

My friends had jokingly dared me to throw something at the teacher, which then I grabbed an eraser and pretended to toss it… and then when I set it down on the desk, it flew right out of my palm and hit her. My ‘friends’ tattled, and the teacher lectured me. To add on to the already annoying day, I responded back completely normally, and then she accused me of sassing her and called my mom. She had me immediately come home, and they explained to me what had happened, but that this was not the expected side effect. That I was meant to have hallucinations… but not for it to truly happen in the universe.

I had to keep it from everybody. That I could rip holes in the universe and create the images that I envision in my head, because my brain could connect with the atoms in the air. That’s what my parents have theorized, anyways. And now, after living with this for four and a half years, I’ve grown accustomed to it. Except, now, someone caught me. On my way home from school, two very peculiar things happened. One, this girl named Cleo Priot came up to me and began to question me about where I was heading. I simply said “Home,” and walked away, rather suspicious. Secondly, she came running up behind me, grabbed my shoulder, twisted me around and spat in my face, “I need your help.”

My palms had begun to sweat, but before I could object, she continued to ramble. “I’ve always thought you were weird, yeah? Like, mega weird. So, I was watching you draw, cause, y’know, I was bored. Then, I saw you do something. You looked up at Denny while he was mocking Monika, smirked, and then suddenly he was screaming, ‘I got a nose bleed! Gah!’ and I was all like, ‘Woah, what the heck?” So, I continued to kinda observe you, I promise it’s not as weird as it sounds, and you did it again! The teacher was lecturing Kat ‘cause her shorts were too short, and you looked at Mrs. Gillette, squinted, and she tripped on a pencil and hurt her back. Now, I could be crazy or something, but I think you can do some really cool stuff, and if you can, I want your help with someone.”I put up a finger, trying to think of some excuse to defend myself, but I figured it was much too late for any of that. So, instead of saying anything at all, I dashed home with all the power I had in my puny legs.

Right when I slammed the door behind me, I slid down onto the floor, put my head in my hands and whispered to myself, Tomorrow’s going to be an interesting day.

I didn’t say anything to my parents, even though they could tell something was up. I almost asked to stay home tomorrow because I wasn’t feeling well, but I knew I’d need to confront Cleo sometime. Especially now that it’s obvious that I avoided responding to her. So, when I went in to school the next day, I could barely focus on my first two class hours. So, immediately when I saw Cleo enter the classroom, my heart skipped a beat.

She gave me a look out of the corner of her eye.Confession time.Once she had set her supplies down, we both shared a nod of confirmation, and both of us tried

too hard to seem casual as we exited the classroom and headed down to the bathroom.“So, you can do something weird!” she shouted as soon as the bathroom door shut behind us. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, be quiet!” I hissed through clenched teeth. I peered around the corner

and exhaled a breath of relief when all the stalls were open. Cleo stepped in front of me, with her hands on her hips and raised eyebrows, and I couldn’t help but spill out my guts. “Yeah, so, I kinda can do some weirdo things with my head, fine. But I swear to God, if you tell a soul, I’ll… I’ll… just please! And before you start interrogating me, I don’t know how I get them, and I can’t give them to you!” One of them is a lie, but I don’t feel like explaining it.

A satisfied grin fell over Cleo’s face. “I knew it, hehe! Great! Now I need your help. And if you don’t do it, then I’ll tell the whole school about your little secret,” she said in a rather condescending tone. “Now, before anything, show me what you can do! Uh, move that… hand sanitizer. Now.”

I knew I was trapped in a sticky situation, but I couldn’t help but answer cynically, “Fine, but don’t get used to me being your little pawn.” I bent my knees to get on the same level with the hand sanitizer and focused all my brain power on the object. The cap began to twist, and twist, and it popped right off and rolled into the sink.

“Wowie, that’s so cool!” she exclaimed. “Now, finally, the favor. So, I know this is going to sound weird coming from me and all, but I think something evil’s living in my house. I keep on hearing these creaks and stuff, and once my mom called me from upstairs, and when I tried to go upstairs, my mom came running up to me and said, ‘I heard that too.’ Then when we made my older sis check it out, and she found nothing. It’s freaking my mom and sis out. I need your magical powers and stuff to make it go away.”Speechless, I just silently screwed the cap of the hand sanitizer back on until I could find the words. “Well, I have one question. Why aren’t you all… freaked out? Like how every other human being would be?”

Cleo brandished a bright smile. “My mom is kinda cuckoo, and she really likes magic. She’s a huge believer in it and she goes on and on about how she has proof that mermaids exist. Kinda has forced me into believing it’s true too. But I mean, I totally believe in magic too! Besides, I already got used to it cause, y’know, crazy mom. I mean, she’s kinda the vice-president of The Flat Earth Society, but I don’t believe in that, I swear!”

“So, what do you want me to do with the evil spirits? Rid your house of them?” I questioned.She shrugged. “Sure, whatever your magic can do, y’know?”“Welp, sure, I guess, if you’re blackmailing me.” The bathroom door swung open, and I ran into

the stall, locking it right behind me, but unfortunately Cleo wasn’t as quick. Under the open slab of the stall, I saw two infamous black high heels. Mrs. Gillette! Oh shoot,

Cleo better come up with a pretty good excuse…Then there was her posh British accent, snapping at Cleo. “Excuse me, Ms. Priot, what have you

and,” she pointed her finger under the stall at my sneakers. “Ms. Bithany doing in this bathroom?”“I am so, so, so, SO sorry Mrs. Gillette! Ruthie had a horrible nosebleed, and we just ran in here

trying to get it cleaned up before class started, but, clearly, we have lost track of time. After we finally managed to clean it off the counters and floor, she had to go to the bathroom, and I’m just waiting and making sure her nose doesn’t suddenly go off again.” She chuckled in a good-mannered way. She certainly is good with words, which could potentially help me one day. Perhaps she could be a useful

To play to her excuse, I flushed the toilet, made some squeaks as if I were moving around, and exited the stall, rubbing my nose with my sleeve. “I’m so sorry, I promise I’ll tell you if I have another nosebleed, so I can go to the nurse.”

Mrs. Gillette tilted her head at me-I’m not typically seen with Cleo’s kind, so for her to call me ‘Ruthie’ and help me out must seem a bit odd. But the teacher brushes it off and says, in that much-too familiar tone of ‘You are foolish little children and I am much better than all of you,’ “Fine. But do tell me the next time, so you don’t hold up the lesson and bleed all over the tile. Did it get on the carpet?” I shook my head quickly. “Now go back to class, I’ll be with you in a moment.”

Hurriedly we rushed to class, and I slid into my seat in the back of the classroom, and Cleo sat with her besties in the front. But as we got out our assignments, she turned to wink at me. I winked right back with a smile.

After a few days, I finally convinced my mom I finally had a real friend and that I wanted to have a sleepover at her house. She and my dad were reluctant, but I persuaded her, swearing I wouldn’t do anything ‘odd.’ Which wasn’t true in the slightest, as possibly I would be performing some sort of demon-ridding activity, but how else would I get away with it? So, Cleo’s mom drove both me and Cleo home, and apparently Mrs. Priot knew all about what was going to be occurring in her attic.

“So, girlies!” she yelped in a rather shrill voice. “We’re gonna be doing something extra crazy tonight, right?”

I gave Cleo a frightened glance, but she reassured me with a little pat on the knee. “Yeah, we’ll get rid of that creepy thing that keeps on haunting us. Ruthie is one of those really cool people you catch videos of on YouTube, except she can actually move things! But her mom doesn’t know that we know that, right Mom?”Mrs. Priot shrugged. “Yeah, but once Ruby-” “Ruthie,” Cleo jutted in. “-gets rid of that demon thing, she’ll be on the news! She can be a girl Ghostbuster!”

“They already have those, Mom.”“Wow, society has come so far,” Mrs. Priot remarked excitedly. “Maybe there will be female

astronauts one day!”“There’s already some of those too, Mom.”“Oh. Well, that’s just wonderful now, now isn’t it!” I giggled softly. Cleo rolled her eyes and murmured to me, “See what I said about her being a little

cuckoo?” After a few more minutes of confusing conversation, we pulled into Cleo’s driveway and we got

settled into her attic. It was a bit cramped, but she said we were gonna pull an all-nighter in the living room anyway. Besides, our disruption up there might trigger the ghost, or at least that’s what Cleo believes.

From 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. we mostly watched television, snacked, and Cleo caught me up on all the recent drama that’s been happening, since I mostly tune it all out. A lot of boy drama, but what else can you expect in middle school?

But when the clock stroke 11 p.m., both me, Cleo, her older sister (whose name is Cosmo) and her mom all heard the disturbing scream of a seemingly young child. Turns out, they were all used to hearing that every night, but it certainly freaked me out. And I have some weird magical abilities-things don’t scare me that frequently.

“Should we check that out?” I questioned, goosebumps climbing up my skin. “That’s the first thing that happens every night, unless the little ghosties decide to knock down all

my expensive vases!” Mrs. Priot said in a rather disgusted voice. “So yes, I believe you should see if anything-or anyone-is up there!”

“I’ll come with,” Cosmo volunteered. “Me too!” Cleo added.

“I shouldn’t, my sore back might break if I try to climb up that attic’s stupid stairs.” She shuffled over to the couch and plumped down. “If you all start dying or see something funky, just yell ‘VEGETABLE LASAGNA!’ down the stairs. Every human on Earth should hate that disgusting meal, so why would

anyone scream it if they all despised it?” Her argument was a bit opinionated, but I managed to laugh along with Cosmo and Cleo as we headed for the attic’s opening in their mom’s bedroom.

I wouldn’t admit it to Cleo or anyone, but I felt a bit cross about all of this now. What was I possibly getting myself into? Anxiety clouded my thoughts, and I began to imagine all the horrible outcomes that could come of this. Death? Hurting myself? Or maybe even Cleo? I tugged on a clump of my hair, trying to get out of the whirlwind my mind was about to fall into, as it normally does.

As I tried to clear my thoughts, a question came up in my head. As Cosmo was getting the stepstool to open the trapdoor to the ladder, I casually asked, “Where’s your guys’ dad?”

Cleo’s breath suddenly halted, and I realized my error immediately. I was about to apologize, before she quietly said, “I’d rather not talk about that.”

“I’m really sorry if I crossed th-” “No, it’s fine, I just don’t really like talking about that to other people. It’s not you, just…” she trailed

off, fidgeting with a piece of cotton that was dangling off of the mattress. Thankfully, the intimate moment was over as soon as it started, because Cosmo arrived with the stepstool in hand, and managed to pull down the ladder. I offered to head up first, as I was the one who could apparently rid of demons, and there followed the other two.

I crawled to the wall of the tight space, not wanting any horrifying monster to get me from behind. I felt claustrophobic up here, and rather afraid. But after this day, at least I could have the threat of Cleo off my shoulder.

Cosmo and Cleo followed, and had me sandwiched between them-not like I minded, it was freezing in the attic. We merely waited for a few minutes, before Cosmo asked, “Well, we brought ya here for a reason, can you do anything?” I pulled my sleeping bag up closer to me and placed it on my lap. “I mean, I can’t really do anything about it until something appears. Plus, I-” An ear-piercing wail sounded that came in all directions. My bones rattled inside me as I collapsed over and brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my ears. Cosmo and Cleo flinched slightly and covered their ears, but I knew that they were accustomed to hearing horrendous things such as this. It made me feel like I was trapped in this tiny, clammy room, and once the shrieking fell into a sob, I instantly felt nauseous.

“I, um, I don’t really…” But once I laggardly got onto my knees, I saw some sort of transparent object coming to life in front of me. Either Cleo or Cosmo let out a subtle squeak of surprise. While I was beginning to register what was in front of me, Cleo murmured softly, “Quinn? Is that you?”TO BE CONTINUEDIn March’s BRP Edition

“Meooooowwwww!!!” Merry the cat started to yowl as Harry the cat ran by. Harry did not look the slightest bit phased as Merry hisses in his face.“Hey!! That was a direct attack!” Merry screams. Harry looks at Merry and glares.“Just give it up, your silly cat!!” Harry walks off, with Merry following him. She was obviously not giving up!!!Two days earlier…“Hiya, friend!” Merry smiles in Harry’s direction. Harry sighs and walks off. He is tired of Merry stalking. He just wanted to go one day without seeing Merry follow him around the forest. It was so annoying!“Um… hello??” Merry mewed impatiently. “I’m waiting!”“You know what, Merry?” Harry had finally gotten the nerve to confront her. “I’m tired of you following me around like an entourage follows a celebrity. I have no plans on being your friend now, or ever.”Merry looked hurt. “O-O-Okay. I get it. You don’t want to be anywhere near me. It’s okay.” She ran off, wiping her tears from her ginger fur as she left.Harry was shocked! He felt awful about hurting Merry, but at least she wouldn’t follow him anymore.The next day, Harry wasn’t feeling so bad anymore. Merry was gone! No more stalking! No more chatter about being best friends! No more comments about ‘I’m always watching…’ and then slinking away! He was free… or so he thought.Just moments after Harry awoke, Merry saw her chance. She hissed at Harry, and scratched his face.“Oww!! Merry, what’s gotten into you? I thought you wanted to friends!” Harry was surprised. He didn’t think that Merry would act like this, even after his speech yesterday.“What’s gotten into me? You! I won’t put up with you anymore!”“Now you know how I used to feel. But I guess that I still have to feel that way.” “I don’t care! I just wanted to be friends, but you just kept turning away. Now, I’m mad. You are the one that did this to me! You deserve this!” Merry angrily screamed at Harry. Harry shrank back,

The Valentine Cat

By: Jean D.

This story starts with me, a man living above a popular sushi restaurant in Tokyo, Japan. My life sucks. I make minimum wage by wiping off tables of an American restaurant called “Burger King”. I’ve never heard of it. Also, I’m living by myself in the middle of a huge city. As I said just a second ago, my life sucks.Almost all of my family live in a beautiful place called California. It’s in the United States, and I’ve only been there once. I also have a big brother named Hiro who lives in Belgium. I got into a big fight with him when I was young and he moved away. He’s 10 years older than me, and I was 7 when that happened...Anyways... sometimes we send letters to each other and I always end up saying something stupid, and he doesn’t respond. I always wonder if he’s REALLY doing ok in Belgium. I really would like to patch things up with him, but I can’t scrounge up enough money to get there. My best idea was to drive from Japan to Europe. Even then, how would I get enough money for gas?? STUPID ECONOMY!!!! I’ll just think about it while mindlessly wiping tables at Burger King.[]()::**::()[]I need to get money, and fast. I decided at about 2:30 A.M that I was going into the city to look for a place to work (and no, not another Burger King). I found 3 jobs, but they all sound very un-fun, except for one. The one that doesn’t sound super-overly-mega boring is being a person who has to travel the world for work. It pays really well, and the boss said that I would have to go to mostly European like BELGUIM. I applied for the job and I find out in a couple of days if I got the job or not. I really need this job in order to get to Hiro. I wish that I could just skip ahead to the future where I may or may not have the job.[]()::**::()[]

It turns out that I got the job, and my first country just so happens to be the Belgium. I have to stay on track while I’m in Europe, or else I might get fired. That would suck. I need to get to him, either now or never. I will hopefully find his house and be able to see him. I wonder if I would surprise him, or if I would scare him, and I don’t really don’t want to do either of these two options. I’m just gonna wait in front of his apartment.

My Name is AkioBy: Luke White

My Name is Akio (continued)

It’s cool here in Belgium, but I’m really nervous about meeting Hiro for the first time in years. I hope he doesn’t freak out. He should be here soon…“Kon’nichiwa, Hiro. I haven’t seen you in years. Do you even remember my name?”“Akio!!!! Oh my gosh... I’ve missed you so much!!!! How is Tokyo?”“Wait... so you’re not mad at me?” I responded.“No! Why would I be mad at you? I just thought that you were mad at me!!! How did you even get here?!?!?!” he questioned.“I took a plane,” I said. “I could barely afford it. I used up all of my money to get to you, to patch things up, to keep our friendship. I did all of this… for you, Hiro. You and only you.”After I said that, he completely understood what I was going through. I told him everything. The Burger King, the free sushi, and even the new job that I got. And then, I offered him to come back to Japan with me, after my business trip, of course.

Author and Illustrator team: Karen and Darrin Brege will be coming to Graebner March 28 for a school assembly.https://www.monstermyths.com.

Social Studies Olympiad

By: Ella H. & Katherine D.Do you love social studies? Well, if you do, then Social Studies Olympiad is perfect for you! The coach for Social Studies Olympiad is Ms. Noechel. All participants must be in 4th grade – 6th grade. If you get 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place you get a metal, a stuffed bear, and get to be on Sterling Heights cable T.V! This year’s event takes place at the Clarkston High School in Centerline, MI. on May 19, and the theme for this year is The Earth, Our Home.There are on-site events and off-site events. On-site means that the participant must go to the Olympiad in person in May at Clarkston High School. These are some of the awesome On-site events: hand puppets, Drama, song, monologue, Mapping Michigan’s Past, etc. If you participate in an on-site event you are judged on your performance and receive your medal/ribbon right at that moment.Like we said, there are on-site events and off-site events. Although you don’t have to attend to participate in the off-site events, you can still win. For the off-site events, you can email your project, you can mail it, or you can use a flash drive and bring it to Mrs. Noechel. Some off-site events include PowerPoints, historical TV newscast, posters, essays, poems, or you can make a 12x12” quilt square. That was all about the awesome Social Studies Olympiad!If you are interested in joining Social Studies Olympiad next year, contact Ms. Noechel in the Graebner Media Center. For more information, https://www.mcssmi.org/olympiad18.

A Trip to ChinaBy: Erica. T

It is almost Chinese New Year and my friend Emily has invited me to china with her mom, dad and her sister. So that we could celebrate together. We’re going to have a bunch of fun together. I have to get on a plane at 5:00 IN THE MORNING!! I hope I am going to like it there.It’s 4:00 and we need to go get Emily’s family. We are planning to get to the airport by 4:40. I have never been on a plane but Emily’s family has. My mom and Emily’s family have not met yet, but I hope they get along! We get to the airport and Emily and my family have never met.We get on the plane and I sit by my family and Emily and her family sit by each other. We start to explore the airplane and we found an upstairs!!!! I was wondering why the plane was so tall but now we have to search the downstairs to see if there are anything more.OMG I found an indoor water park/ trampoline place this looks sooooo cool!!!! “Emily, you have to come and see this,” I said.“Ok just wait!!!!,” said Emily.So, I looked out of the plane window and I heard the pilot come on the intercom and said “We will be landing in 10 minutes.” I screamed so loud everyone could hear me “I am so excited to go to CHINA!!”

Chinese New Year!By: Emily K.

“IT’S FINALY HERE!” I yelled.“CHINESE YEAR IS REALLY HERE!” Madeline yelled.

My family and I are very excited, because its Chinese New Year! We always go to someone’s house to greet them or we get invited to a party a Chinese New Year party.

We have fun and the party or someone’s house. Americans and Chinese people come together, to have fun, sometimes there are weddings on Chinese New Year and it’s very sad for my mom cause, usually it’s the person my mom knows and it’s sad for her.

After we have fun, we give each other money. Chinese New Year is kind of like Christmas, you get with family and friends, but unlike Christmas it’s red and old, NOT red and green, you also have to wear something red, gold or Chinese related.

After we leave the party, we go home, then we pray to the people that were here before us (our ancestors). My mom sets up this table, then a small metal pool. We set it up outside at night, or in the morning if we have time. Then my mom brings fake money and papers, but my mom never told me why we do that. We put the fake money and colored papers in the metal pool, then we light up candles by the pictures of my dad’s mom. Next, we burn the papers and fake money. Last year, I had the honor of burning it. We use a metal stick to make sure that all the stuff burns. Then, we pray to god and the people that came before us in our family.

The sun goes down and the moon comes up, the stars appear shining, it’s time to put away the red bags with money and time to go to sleep.

Valentines CraftsBy: Maggie G. & Izzy I.

Do you want fun crafts to do on Valentine’s Day? Well we

got you covered with three crafts.

Valentines SlimeMaterials:

-Glue -Baking Soda

-Eye Contact Lens Solution -Glitter (optional)

-Food Coloring (optional)-Table Scatter Hearts (optional)

-Bowl-Mixing Tool

InstructionsStep 1: Pour glue in the bowl

Step 2: Put in food coloring (optional)Step 3: Add glitter (optional)

Step 4: Add table scatter (optional)Step 5: Mix

Step 6: Add a pinch of baking sodaStep 7: Add eye contact lens solution until you have the

consistency you wantStep 8: Knead

WreathMaterials:

-Colored Paper-Stapler-Tape

Valentines Crafts (continued)

Love in My EyesBy: Abriella G., Rainna I.

“Let me text my friends and see if they want to go to the park and study,” thought Bailey.“Mom I am going to the park! I’ll be back soon!”yelled Bailey to her mom.Bailey had no idea that studying in the park would turn out to be the most important day of her life!

As soon as Bailey and her friends got to the park they started to study. Then when this group of boys walked by something weird happened, they felt a kind of spark - of love!

Eight Years Later….Bailey, now 26 years old, went to the exact same spot, saw the same boy she saw many years ago when she went to study at the park. He said, “Hi what is your name?” Bailey was scared, but said, “My name is Bailey.” The boy said, “My name is Andrew.” Andrew shyly asked, “do you want to go out sometime?” Bailey excitedly said, “Yes! How about Friday?” Andrew said, “Sounds good to me! - how about 6:00, here at the park?” Later that Week….They met each other at the park and Andrew and Bailey went to a restaurant called “Mr. Meats Come and Eat.” They had a nice dinner, talked a lot, got to know each other and found out that they had a lot in common! Later that night, they figured out that they were the kids that met at the park when they were younger! After that, they felt they were destined to be together and started going out with each other a lot more!Two Years Later….They got married and had twins. And Lived Happily Ever After. THE END

Kindergarten Projects:

Detention, or Destiny:The Story of My Secret Admirer

By: Elmarisa“OH, MY GOSH WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!”

Hi, I’m Alice. I just moved to Greensburg 2 years ago and something weird happened last year.

This is me, a BIG dork. 😁I was walking in the hallway when my locker was OPEN!O.M.G.! Someone touched my locker. Luckily nothing was stolen, but something was there. A picture on a gum wrapper, it was a picture of a heart with a note attached. It said,

“Dear Alice,I hope that we can hang out some time!From, Your Secret AdmirerP.S. I’m in your science class”

That weirded me out, A LOT. Well then, I thought maybe I can narrow this guy down. So, an hour later In Science class I secretly wrote down their names Jackson, Freddie, Matthew my thoughts were interrupted by….“Alice are you writing down the periodic table or your love life?” asked Mr. Nader.” Mr. Nader, I can explain”“Sorry, detention after class!” was his response.An hour later, after I served a detention, I tried to figure out who it might be. Just when I had narrowed it down, Jackson bumped into me and said, “Did you get my note?” I was like O.M.G. JACKSON LIKES ME?!?!?!?!?!?! That was just the beginning of our destiny.

February’s Piston’s

Assembly

Middle School Madness!By: Adeline and Evy

PrologueOnce upon a time there was a girl named Evaline. She is an average girl with

dark brown hair and beautiful bronze eyes. She is possibly the prettiest girl in the whole school, but no one told her that. She didn’t have too many friends, only a small group. She was shy around most people, but when she’s alone with her friends she reveals her wild side. Her friends are Amber, Vanessa, Isabella, and Andrew. Amber is the louder one, but also is one of the nicest. Vanessa is a mix of kind, slightly wild, and energetic. Andrew is a nice and crazy person. Finally, there’s Isabella: A cool and fun/jumpy person everyone loves. Life is always normal for Evaline. She always wishes there was more in the world than what appears.

Looking out in the world, Evaline has an incredibly huge imagination and always gets compliments from teachers for thinking outside the box. She is very creative, loves writing stories with her friends, and hopes to one day become a writer, movie director, or even a singer. She and her friends think that middle school will be the best. They always talk about how middle school will be amazing. Yet, they still are just in fifth! Or are they….

In her perspectiveToday is the first day of school. I wake up late and eat a quick breakfast. I rush

to school expecting to see Amber, Vanessa, Isabella, and Andrew. When I got to school I noticed that Amber and Vanessa were sitting together at a table right next to the table where Isabella and Andrew were sitting. I looked for my table at the front of the room by them, but I couldn’t find my seat. It turns out I’m sitting on the other side of the classroom in the back of the room all by myself. It’s fine, maybe I’ll sit by them in my other classes. Mrs. Anderson is my math teacher, and she is amazing! She is very kind and I think I’ll love math with Mrs. Anderson as my teacher.

Math is almost over, five more minutes. My next class is science. As the bell rings, I rush down the hall with excitement. I love science so I’m pretty sure I’ll have a good time, and hey, I might have better luck this time in seating.

As I make a final left and run down the hall, I walk into science class and I looked for my seat which was, thankfully in the middle of the room. I rested my backpack on the floor. I look around for any of my best friends and none of them are even in my class! Jimmy walks into my class, I hate him. He thinks he’s so much better than everyone else. He’s also he tallest kid in the world. I saw him start to relax at the back of the room, and I was relieved. Then he started to walk to the front of the room near me. Turns out, he sits right in front of me! Great! Now I will NEVER be able to see the board! Hopefully, this teacher will allow us to switch seats occasionally. I realized middle school is WAY harder than elementary school! I did expect it to be hard, but I didn’t expect it to be this hard! Third hour: History! Things were pretty much just the same!

My lunch is thankfully a real lunch! So, we can take our time eating and socializing and lunch isn’t very rushed, like in elementary school. Unfortunately, I see Molly. She’s an annoying, and noisy person. Also, she’s kind of sensitive, so I kind of just pretend to be her friend.

Middle School Madness (cont’d)This day has been nothing, but trouble. I think that I need to expect less of middle school. I just hope that everything turns around by tomorrow. Soon my phone starts beeping rapidly. What the…?

“Wake up sleepy head!!!” yelled a familiar voice. Now that I think about it, it was more like more voices combined. As I raise my head from a gray seat. I burst out with joy! It was my gang: Isabella, Andrew, Amber, Vanessa! “Finally, you woke up!” said Isabella. I jump up from the bus seat and say “It’s you!!! Thank goodness! Oh, do I have any late assignments? I hate middle school. Oh, are we all still friends because for a second I thought that we all separated or something ….”

“What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind? We’re in fifth grade! We all are friends.” Amber blurted out before I kept on ranting about middle school. “Sorry, I guess that’s was just a dream! HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN SLEEPING!!!” I said in a worried voice. “Oh, just for a minute or two,” Andrew said glancing at his watch. “Um, where did that beeping sound come from?” I asked. “From this timer shoved in my backpack.” Vanessa replied. Vanessa always has handy things with her even at the strangest times. “I suppose we could wait just a little longer before middle school. Besides let’s just enjoy elementary while we still can.” I say relieved, because I really do enjoy elementary school!

Meteor ShowerBy: Ryan S.

According to www.google.com, the next meteor shower in the Northern Hemisphere is expected to happen on the night of April 22nd 2018! Below are the times from April 22nd

to April 23rd that the meteor shower will be visible!As you can see, this meteor shower is supposed to be visible for about 9 hours! The best time to experience a meteor shower is at night, so I hope I remember to watch it!!! It’s able to be seen in the