Broken Pencils

 SHORT STORY -  The Killer Babysitter By: Payton The bell rang to dismiss the last class of the day. My friends Dean and Gege asked me if I could hangout with them, but I had to babysit two kids. I arrived at the house and the parents told me to help myself to the fridge and if anything were to happen to call and let them know. You and the girls are playing games and doing hair until a spooky storm starts. I told the girls that it’s ok and to not pay attention to it. It was still storming outside after I did their hair and put them to bed because it was a school night. So I decided to go to the fridge and make something to eat after I ate something. I had some homework to finish and I also wanted to get ahead on some of the assignments. I had just finished homework and the assignments that were assigned for tomorrow morning. I was about to go to bed until I heard a crash from one of the rooms so I grabbed a weapon that was next to me and went to go look at what happened. I mad...

SHORT STORY -  T he Stars Ahead  By: Jenna Have you ever heard of FireStars?   They fight against Hima the queen of cats then help her get magic to see kittens.  And leave the world forever but not that easy you see he hates everybody so she wants everyone to feel the pain that she feels.  But what if there is a way that they can give her the power that she needs to see the kitten again without harming anyone but that doesn’t happen and Asia is under attack by her and her army? But once again they find a way like there is a way and save the day. and because of that, there rank top 1 on the music ranking for K-pop  because of how strong someone can be when they put their mind to it and their body    Kim Beom the leader of the group also the main vocalist    Power all of them       age 20             Heabeom  the lead dancer   Power water   age 1...

THIS I BELIEVE By: Ralynn I believe that love is one of the most powerful and transformative forces in the world. Love has the ability to heal wounds, bridge divides, and bring people together in ways that nothing else can. Whether it’s the love between friends, family members, or romantic partners, it has the power to make us feel seen, heard, and understood. Love can inspire us to be our best selves, to take risks, and pursue our dreams. At the same time, it can also be challenging and messy, requiring us to be vulnerable, patient, and forgiving. But even in the face of heartbreak or disappointment, I believe that love is always worth it. Because in the end, it’s what connects us to one another and to the world around us.

  GRADUATION SPEECH By: Olivia It's really easy to say that you love school, but it's hard to say goodbye. You know what I won't miss is the assignments and the bullying. If you were standing in my own shoes right now you would understand how many people I see get bullied a day and hurt.  See, what I would miss the most is all the memories I had, but the one thing I would love to remember is everyone joining a circle and talking about are problems one by one we shared a lot of emotion. I don't love crying and all of that, I feel like they cry because they are truly hurting and they are trying to let people understand their pain, but some people don't really understand what they are going through. At the same time there are people that are going through the same thing. I want to thank everyone for helping me do things I would have never imagined doing in my whole entire life. I would just like to thank every individual out there that helped me go through hard things ...

GRADUATION SPEECH By: Ralynn First of all congratulations to all my fellow graduates, and I promise to keep this speech as short and sweet as I can. I want to start off by saying thank you to all my teachers for everything they have taught me through the years. Also props to my them for putting up with me instead of giving up cause the lord knows it was hard. I believe in God, I don't know if you do, and I'm not telling you that you should or trying to push you towards that, but God has helped me through my toughest times throughout high school and my life for that matter. I have faith that he will guide me through even more hardships, as he will to you. God has a plan for you and you may not have gotten that acceptance letter that you wanted, but that's part of his plan for you. The things you plan may not go through. But that’s when we are left with a choice. Most of us when we face a choice we choose the easy path. Why cheat yourself from choosing the easy path? Don’t be...

GRADUATION SPEECH By: Riley I look out among your smiling, hope filled faces. Many of you will have great lives living your dreams, and the rest will be trying to reach your dreams. Your mistakes will lead you to a better accomplishments. I believe in all of you and your dreams. I believe that you will accomplish those dreams. I believe that we will all be better people than what we were. 

FOUND POETRY By: Riley  

IF MY CITY WERE A PERSON - JOURNAL By: Sierra Olney is not a pleasant person. Some would describe them as homely and lovely. However, some people would disagree calling it trashy and ugly. But everyone agrees it's old and rustic. But if you are not from southern IL coming here is a trip. People from out of town call it old and small as well as “not the best."

HAIKU By: Oliver Whispering forest, Leaves dance on the gentle breeze  Earth’s tranquil embrace

COMMAND Z - JOURNAL By: Jazz I would not do it. I have decided that I really like where I am now and all my choices have helped me get where I am today and I would like to move forward instead of backtracking. But if I had to I would go to yesterday and wake up an hour earlier to get more done.

SENSORY POEM - STIR FRY By: Johnnie The grainy feeling of the rice when I wash it. The water hitting my skin. As I turn on the stove, I can smell the gasoline, and it makes my nose tingle. I chop up the bright red peppers and the eye watering onions, and add them to the skillet. I pour in the rest of the ingredients, watching them dance around in the oil. I step away from the stove to grab some seasonings  and I hear the skillet hiss at me because the heat was too high. I was so starving, I felt like I hadn't eaten in years. After I turned the heat down and finished cooking, I felt like I was going to die of starvation.  I couldn't wait to eat any longer. Even though the food was hot, I immediately shoved a spoonful into my mouth, Tasting the savory flavor of the vegetables and seasonings, and I felt like I was in heaven.

FREE VERSE POETRY  A Writer’s Pencil By: Makenzi An average pencil is used to write, scribble, and scrawl for when speech does not say enough. Graphite against paper, Leaving a story to be read. Fairy tales of adoration, Fables of devotion, And poems of passion All written to hide a writer’s sorrow. Life is forgotten as words pour onto the page, But eventually there are no more words to write. Life is remembered with all its despair, And the story seemingly repeats itself. An author’s heartache is not hidden for long; Even a thousand words cannot hide the pain of life. A hurricane of depression floods the mind Until it is bound to flow out like a river. There are no longer stories of love and warmth, But rather a single letter of cold heartbreak Simply saying, “Goodbye.” The pencil is no longer used to write, scribble, and scrawl. It sits alone in a pool of a writer’s tears, Leaving a story to be read.

LETTER TO MYSELF By: Dean  Dear Younger Self,  I know times are tough right now, people are mean to you and you feel like giving up; so do I right now. I know you feel invisible and alone and that the whole world is against you. Some things you need to realize are that things aren’t gonna get better. You need to tough it out and try your best to get it done yourself. You are strong, even though I know you don’t think so. You have made it to where I am now. You're still depressed and unhappy with your life, but you have done it so far. I know you don’t know what to do, but here’s some advice for you. Don’t let mom drag you down; she doesn't understand that you need space and that you're not very happy. Don’t let kids get to you or anyone for that matter. I still do, but you need to stop for us so we can heal or what they say will stick to us forever. You deserve to be happy. Even though times are tough, we have to be tougher.  I know you’re also having family pro...

BALLAD By: Delaney Based on Something in the Orange - Zach Bryan When I look up in the evening I see the orange sky, Oh how it reminds me of my darling. To me she’s all I am, To her I'm just another fling. There I go poisoning myself again, So lost and confused, I want to die. I love her more than words can describe, Maybe one day she’ll understand why.