Haiku By Sarah Roberts

A river flows by
Through the timeless wilderness
With nowhere to rest

Flaws By Alexandra Heller

He said he wouldn't neglect me
He said he wouldn't stress me
But the fact of the matter is
It's too late to upset me
I'm past all the anger
I'm past all the pain
Unfortunately my feelings towards him
Are the same
Through these years
I've held in only my tears
I get swept away
By what's no longer here
I just couldn't be at your side
Living a lie from time to time
I needed to let my feelings out
So I could figure out what you were all about
Our love for each other was unique in everyway
Our relationship had many up's and downs
The things we said were hurtful
And the way we ended it was tough
You & I had something very special
You & I had something true
But unfortunately were still young
And that plays a big part too
Someone asked me if I regret meeting you
And with a timid voice i say no
The fact that it happened
Showed me my flaws
I'm not the prettiest woman
I'm not the smartest at all
I have many things wrong with me
Don't get me wrong
But although all these things are true
I deserve respect just like any other girl
I deserve to be loved in a special way
And instead of smiling, Crying was how i spent my days
Nobody can ever replace the memories we shared
And no one will ever take all the arguments like I did
But It's hard to express this because no one compares to you
But the next girl who you fall in love with will never love you like I do

Washington Cover Story (a.k.a.-White House Fall) By Keana Harper

Back in November of 2003, when I was twelve years old, I went to Washington D.C. so I could attend this conference called JrNYLC (Junior National Young Leaders Conference.) It was a leadership conference that I was nominated to go to by my sixth grade English teacher. Basically, it was that I would go away for six days to Washington D.C., learn about how to be a good leader, learn about certain parts of history, and visit some cool sites. I stayed in a hotel in Bethesda, Maryland, and also heard a few keynote speakers talk. I also met a bunch of kids my age, and had to put together a play within my own group.

I reached D.C. about five o’clock in the afternoon and I was excited! I got to the hotel and I met with my faculty advisor, Valerie. She was really cool. I also met with the people in my group. We were all in a group by last name. Then I went to my room and met my roommates, Alexa and Rosemarie, who were also in my group. I don’t remember everything I did that day, but it’s not really important to my story, anyway.

The next morning I remember having a leadership focus meeting and then going on our bus so we could go visit some sites. First, we went to the Smithsonian Museum of American History, which was really fun. We saw a lot of facts and artifacts from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries that were really interesting. We had lunch there, and then went off to see the White House.

We got off the bus, and we were walking down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the White House. It was somewhat hard to get there, since there was construction being done on the street and sidewalk. We did not get to take a tour of the place, but we got to take lots of pictures, which was really entertaining. I took out my camera and was snapping many pictures; I think I actually got a few really good ones that did not have my finger in front of the lens. I also was taking pictures of the police officers that were standing guard nearby. They didn’t look happy.

Finally after about fifteen minutes of taking pictures, we had to leave. I was talking to Rosemarie about something that I can’t remember. I was not paying attention to where I was walking, since there were a lot of people in front of us, so I was just following their voices. Anyway, there was a bump in the sidewalk that I did not notice, and so I didn’t step correctly, and lost my balance, then fell. Oh, but that’s not even the worst part. A car stopped in the middle of the road, and President George W. Bush, opened the door and stepped out. And then guess what he did? HE LAUGHED. He straight up laughed at me. Then a bunch of people started taking pictures, and someone said “That will be on the cover of the Washington Post tomorrow morning.” Okay, I’m just playing around. The President never came and no one took pictures. But the people around me did try and help me up. Some laughed. It was so embarrassing. And I got a scar on my knee that is still there today.

Anyway, I got up as fast as I could, and got back on the bus. Rosie and I started joking around about how I was going to be on the cover of the Washington Post the next day. I laughed, and said “No Way.” But the funny thing is that I still checked the paper the next morning.

Book Review
By Audrey Abeyta

If you enjoyed Dead Poets’ Society and School Ties, then you’ll devour Old School, written by Tobias Wolff. Attending a boarding school on the Eastern Seaboard, the narrator details his triumphs and tribulations as he competes with his fellow classmates for the praise of visiting writers. So great is the institution’s literary reputation that renowned authors such as Robert Frost and Ayn Rand often grace the school. The competition among the boys for the attention of the writers often grows intense, and one is left to discover how far the narrator will go to win a conference with his idol, Ernest Hemingway.

Granted, the camaraderie among the students, the stark New England setting, and the desire to find one’s place in a school laced with aristocracy is quite familiar. However, Wolff has such an elegant style of writing that one hardly minds. Littered with countless references from literature, it is clear that the author finds as much pleasure in books as his characters do. Though I found the end unsatisfying, the lyrical quality of Old School made for a pleasing read from beginning to end.