Pawprints

Clairbourn’s Literary Magazine

Spring 2013

8400 Huntington Drive, San Gabriel CA 91775

www.clairbourn.org

Pawprints 49

Ashley Vu, 7A, colored pencil

Pawprints 48

Explore

In my fantasy world A place where dreams come true

Where angels fly above us And say hello to you

You can soar above the world And sail across the sea

Dance among the stars And maybe climb a tree

But for a while I’ll stay here And perhaps someday I’ll be

Able to change the world Could be soon, just wait and see

~Kristin Haegelin, 4B

After 100 days of school, I have learned about

mammals, fish, and amphibians. We learned how to read and

to write well, and also about math. The homework is kind of

easy, but sometimes I get confused. We learned about periods,

question marks, and commas. I learned a lot of things during

these 100 days of school. I love to learn, and I hope you do, too.

~Daniel Zhao, 1B

Pawprints

Clairbourn’s Literary Magazine Spring 2013

Pawprints 2013 is the second edition of Clairbourn’s literary magazine, which was revived last year after having been dormant since the 1930s. Pawprints 2012 was honored with an Award of Excellence from the National Council of Teachers of English, one of only seven magazines from 141 schools in the United States and Canada to receive this distinction. The award recognizes achievement in design, layout, editing, and quality of writing. Thus, the National Council has judged that our students’ writing is among the best in North America, a fact of which we are extremely proud.

Pawprints’ mission is to showcase the best writing and artwork of Clairbourn students. Last year we had 220 submissions from a student body of 370; this year, the number more than doubled to 605. In addition, one of our contributors, a third grader, has recently published her first book, and three others are in the process of writing books. The Pawprints staff is gratified to have been part of this flourishing of creative writing at Clairbourn.

In Pawprints 2013, we present student work in French, Mandarin, Spanish, and Latin, as well as original writing and art by students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. In addition to everyone who contrib-uted, we wish to thank Dr. Nafie, Mrs. Stahmer, Mr. Bonaparte, Mr. Barker, and Mr. Rivele, for their guidance and support, and Mr. Jay Rostamian of Print-X-press for his professional expertise.

~Pawprints 2013 staff: Jacob Dietle 8B, Alex Grace 8A, Linus Jen 8A,

Ashley Vu 7A, Gabby Ellis 6A, Nicholas Rivelle 5B, editors; Fiona Ng 8A, art director; Chloe Kessel 6B, Delila Brown 6B, and Zen Rounds 6B, interns.

Front cover, Fiona Ng, 8A; back cover, Dylan Wu, Kindergarten B.

Pawprints 1

The day is free

The birds are free

The clouds are free

The grass is free

The sun is free

The rain is free

The moon is free

The Sky is free

And I am free

~Dylan Wu, Kindergarten B

Pawprints 2

CRUMMY CORRUPT

(sneering) Yeah, right!

(Boom! Mr. Genius poses a complicated math problem and shoots it towards Crummy Corrupt.)

MR. GENIUS (defiantly)

What is the area of a regular hexagon with sides one inch long?

CRUMMY CORRUPT (gasping)

What???? (Crummy Corrupt seems stunned, but Mr. Genius is relentless.)

MR. GENIUS What is the next number in the sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, ...?

(Mr. Genius hurls the Fibonacci sequence at him and it turns into a black hole. Crummy Corrupt is paralyzed.)

MR. GENIUS (triumphant)

Be gone! (The black hole sucks up Crummy Corrupt.)

CRUMMY CORRUPT NOOOOO! I’ll get you yet, Mr. Genius! I’ll come back! I will! You just wait!

(The black hole explodes, and Crummy Corrupt is gone. The people in the water climb back onto the disabled ship. Mr. Genius addresses them.)

MR. GENIUS (earnestly)

We have learned an important lesson today, my friends. The lesson is that you should always know your math facts, because you never know when you might need them.

(After repairing the Pacific, the people wave goodbye to Mr. Genius. Captain Johnson steers the ship, being careful not to run into any more icebergs.)

(CURTAIN)

~Leila Wu, 3A

Pawprints 47

Pacific a play in one act

(Scene: In the time of the Titanic; on the ocean liner, Pacific. The Pacific has just crashed into an iceberg. CAPTAIN JOHNSON is on the bridge with First Mate TOMMY and a mustached Lieutenant. The captain yells through a megaphone at the iceberg.)

CAPTAIN JOHNSON

You come back here, you little monster! (Tommy is tearing around the bridge hysterically.)

TOMMY

Abandon ship and swim for your lives! We’re going to sink!

(ALICE, a sweet little girl passenger, comes onto the bridge.)

ALICE What’s going on? How did we start sinking?

TOMMY

(shrieking) We can’t tell you that!

LIEUTENANT MUSTACHE

(smugly) That’s right, miss. We are very professional.

(People are now screaming and rushing up to the main deck.)

TOMMY

Get into the lifeboats!!!! All of you!

(The lifeboats are lowered and people begin clambering in. Captain Johnson is peering through his binoculars. He lets out a shout.)

CAPTAIN JOHNSON Watch out for that wave!

(It’s too late; the wave has knocked over the lifeboats. Suddenly, the superhero, MR. GENIUS, and his arch enemy, CRUMMY CORRUPT, appear overhead, fighting in the sky. {Mr. Genius defeats villains by outsmarting them.})

CRUMMY CORRUPT

You’re all doomed! Dooooomed!!

MR. GENIUS Don’t worry citizens. I will protect you!

Pawprints 46

The Dragon’s Death

Once there was a poor boy who didn’t have any family or money. He couldn’t get a job, he was so poor. Then his life changed. He was taking a walk when some people in armor came by, and they said they were the king’s knights, and that he had to come with them. He thought he was going to jail, and he wondered why. The knights took the boy to the king who told the boy he wanted him to kill a dragon. Since the boy didn’t know what a drag-on was, he said yes. The boy went to the cave of the dragon and started to climb up its leg. He was making his way to its chest because the dragon’s weakness was there. He stabbed the dragon in the heart, and it died. The boy returned to the king, and he became the hero of the whole kingdom. From poverty to celebrity with one random act of violence.

~Henry Barker, 3B (Illustration by Zarah Ho and Alison

Wong, 4A)

It was the middle of spring

The animals were waking up

From hibernating. It was cool

And the air was soft. It felt

As if time had stopped.

The moon shone on the

Silky dark blue water. It was

A beautiful sight to see.

~Teddy Barker, 5B

Pawprints 3

Learning to Draw

In art class I learned that there are two important things you

should know. The first is tone. Tone is lights and darks. If you don’t

have a light enough color, you can use white. A dark tone is shadow.

By using tone, you ensure that your picture won’t be flat.

The second thing you should know is texture. Texture makes

things look more life-like. To create texture, you use different shades

of color.

Doing these two things will make your picture look more real.

~Samantha Frick, 2B

Pawprints 4

My Puppy

Cuddly and cute, loyal and fair

I love the way you bite my hair

Wet nose and sloppy kiss

You are the one I always miss

Fuzzy and furry and always in a hurry

You stick with me to the end

That’s why you’re my best friend

~Danielle Heltsley, 5A

The Squirrel and Her Tail

Once there was a squirrel named Serena. She loved her tail.

She wouldn’t let anybody touch her tail. She would not even play

games. She didn’t want to get her tail

dirty.

Then the squirrels planned a party

in the Great Owl’s tree with Owl. The day

of the party came. They invited everybody

but Serena.

When the party was over, Serena

had a talk with Owl. “Hey, why didn’t you

invite me?” she asked.

“We didn’t want to spill any soup on your tail,” Owl replied.

Then he flew away.

Mother Is pretty Loving and caring

Lets me eat candy Love never ends for me

~Allison Chang, 4B

Snow Splashing up

Half pipe ahead Double black diamond run

Soaring in the windy air

~Justin Walker, 4B

Mom Is pretty

Texts too much Makes delicious

Vietnamese food

Very strict about my grades

~Nicholas Polen, 4B

Mom Is beautiful Travels with me

One of a kind Will love me for eternity

~Elaine Hong, 4B

Cinquains

Pawprints 45

Rise of the Pumpkins

Julia the cat lady was working in the kitchen, standing over a

home-grown pumpkin, preparing to cut it up to make pumpkin pie for

the twenty-seven cats she absolutely adored. As she lowered the knife,

the pumpkin started glowing!

The cats, having seen the glow, entered the kitchen. What they

found was a scared old lady staring at a pumpkin glowing like a colored

swimming pool light. Being cats, they thought this was normal, because

cats assume that humans are crazy.

At that moment, the pumpkin started talking. It said in an

echoing voice: “You humans have slaughtered my kind for decades. But

Henry the dog man (who has thirty-five dogs he absolutely adores)

poured toxic waste on your garden and brought me to life! I will now

take revenge on your species!”

The pumpkin then leapt up and began attacking Julia!

The cats, sensing danger, jumped onto the counter and

knocked the pumpkin to the kitchen floor. It was a free-for-all; cats

versus the killer pumpkin. Fur and seeds flew in every direction, as claws

tore at orange pulp and the gristly green stump battered back.

It was an epic battle in which Julia suffered some bad bruises.

But in the end the cats won, and the pumpkin ended up in the dump-

ster. The cats suffered many catsualties, but no deaths. They never ate

pumpkin pie again.

~Nicholas Rivelle, 5B

If I could be any animal, I would be a kitten. My name would be Cinnamon Buns. I would be white and

orange; orange on the top and white on the bottom. I would be very playful and very cute.

~Matthew Reiling, 1B

Pawprints 44

Winter Night

Peaceful starry night in winter

Snow sprinkles lightly on the magical tree Full moon casts a soft light over the land

Far below, a frozen river flows beneath the ice An owl hoots in the distance

It looks like the sky is lit by hundreds of candles The landscape is silent

Everything is peaceful and quiet

I close my eyes and dream of beautiful things

~The children of 2B

(Illustration by Emily Wen, 2B)

Pawprints 5

The Peppermint Invasion

Archie Smith, boy wonder – is he the one? He is sleeping

in his bed on a gloomy night while his dad is up late working, and

his mom is sound asleep. A glowing orb appears out of nowhere,

drifting slowly in the air, recklessly bumping into things. All at once

it careens into him, and he is transported to Penguin World – a

world inhabited by giant penguins with zebra-striped sideburns.

Their leader, a kangaroo–dragon wearing Mercury–dime

chainmail, appears. “I am recruiting you to be a general of my

army,” he says in a low voice.

“Okay,” says Archie.

“Now I will give you a giant cat to ride into battle.”

“When’s the war?”

“Invasion, actually.”

“Of what?”

“We are invading the Spicy Peppermint Castle,” the kanga-

roo–dragon replies.

“Okay!” Archie is juiced.

“It will start in one day.”

“Count me in!” Archie says. Then he hesitates. “Wait…

don’t I have to train?”

“Oh, I suppose you do,” the kangaroo–dragon answers. “I

should have sent the orb sooner.”

“So when do I start my training?” asks Archie.

“Hmmm… I don’t know,” replies the kangaroo–dragon.

He looks at Archie uncertainly a moment, and then he says, “You

know what… you should be fine.”

The next day, Archie emerges from the Penguin Castle

wearing armor made of marshmallows, and carrying a sword made

of peanut brittle. He leads the penguin army to a hill overlooking

the gates of the Spicy Peppermint Castle.

“Whadaya know,” says Archie, “the place is made out of

candy!”

He turns to his troops. “Here is the plan: We will charge

down the hill, destroy the first couple rows of peppermint guards,

then we will invade the castle. We will capture the king and turn

the castle into the New Penguin Castle.”

Pawprints 6

seen throughout the city. Built between 2001 and 2007 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nouvel’s Guthrie Theater (see illustration) mimics the urban life around it. The theater’s industrial style pays homage to the city’s industrial heritage; its cylindrical shape symbolizes a factory chimney, and the building overlooks the Mississippi River. Another performance space, the Koncerthust, located in Copenhagen, was built between 2002 and 2009. An acoustically wonderful concert hall, it consists of many rippling layers of wood. The entire structure is enclosed in a blue box, which has the ability to project designs on its faces. Nouvel’s Office Tower in Dhoa, Qatar (2002-2010), won the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s Best Tall Building Worldwide award for its blending of cultural tradition and technology. Standing 781 feet tall, the skyscraper is similar in design to the Torre Agbar, as it is covered in a smooth, shiny mesh of glass and metal polygons, and it is lighted from within at night. The most recent of Nouvel’s buildings is La Philharmonie in Paris, which is six years into its construction. It is to be an open space made from what looks like billowing sheets of wood. The performance area itself is large and spa-cious, seating patrons on long, curving, almost floating balconies. Now two years late in opening, it has become the world’s most expensive classical music venue. Jean Nouvel is an innovative mastermind of building design. He has been acknowledged worldwide for his ingenuity, and has won countless awards. His most prestigious prize yet may be the Pritzker Architecture Prize, awarded him in 2008 for his distinctive contribution to the world of architecture, and his fearless attitude in attempting new concepts and designs. This ability to try unconventional ideas that work, and work well, is what is most impressive about the oeuvre of Jean Nouvel. ~Marisa Dragos, 8B

Pawprints 43

Jean Nouvel

World renowned architect, Jean Nouvel, was born August 12, 1945 in Fumel, Lot-et-Garonne, France. His parents were high-school teachers in a small town in the south of France. They wanted Jean to enter a “sensible” field such as education, math or language, but Jean had other ideas. He was captivated by drawing and fine arts, and so he and his parents compromised on architecture as a way for Jean to use his creative skills in a practical way. Jean Nouvel attended l‘Ecole de Beaux Arts in Paris from 1964 to 1966, and then went on to l’Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts in Paris from 1966 to 1972, graduating with a degree in architecture. He apprenticed himself to several established French architects, and in 1976, he co-founded the Mars movement, aimed at encouraging clients to be part of the design process. In 1984, he started his own firm, Jean Nouvel et Associés which, five years later, became Ateliers Jean Nouvel, his current company. Nouvel’s works look very contemporary, and they are all experi-mental. One of the most common shapes in his designs is the square, which provides an angular, modern look. Another theme in his work is the difference between interior and exterior style and structure. His favorite materials are those that seem almost to disappear. By stressing just a few key elements, his structures seem to come alive. Every one of Nouvel’s buildings is given a personality of its own, with the goal of evoking a feeling in its visitors. Though there are many common elements in his designs, Nouvel does not have a “signature style,” which al-lows him to create a varied portfolio. Bill Lacy, author of One Hundred Contemporary Architects, deems that Nouvel has “broken the aesthetic of modernism and post-modernism to create a stylistic language of his own.” Nouvel has changed the way people think about architecture. His method of designing is unique and informal, often taking place over food and wine. Instead of sketching ideas out, like most architects, he prefers to ex-press them in words. Because he studied fine arts before architecture, Nouvel pictures his designs in two dimensions rather than three. His plans are sometimes outrageous, as he loves to break prevalent architectural rules. Nouvel compares the job of an architect to that of a film director; he feels that he must erect a structure that not only will serve a purpose, but also will convey a message, and leave an impact on its viewers. Nouvel’s first major success was the Institut du Monde Arabe, in Par-is. It is a cultural center intended to draw in large numbers of diverse people. Begun in 1981 and completed in 1987, the project features the use of glass, squares, and water in its museum, library, exhibit spaces, auditorium and rooftop restaurants. His Torre Agbar, constructed between 2000 and 2005 in Barcelona, Spain, also features squares and glass, and conveys the effect of flowing water due to its transparent outer shell. During the day the skyscraper is flooded with sunlight, and at night it glows with reds and blues that can be

Pawprints 42

“Right on!” bellow the troops.

Archie closes his marshmallow visor, raises his peanut

brittle sword and yells,” One, two, three… charge!”

The penguins charge down the hill; they look like a swarm

of angry black-and-white nuns. About halfway down, the penguin

in the front trips on a rock and causes the whole wave of penguins

to fall, and roll sideways down the hill. They roll over the pepper-

mint knights and burst into the castle, which explodes and shoots

peppermint juice all over the penguins. They immediately start

licking it up, which throws the invasion into chaos. Eventually,

things get so silly that the whole universe implodes.

~Nicholas Rivelle, 5B

Three-eyed Jellyfish

My theory is that planet

Gliese 581c’s surface is

water frozen to minus

1000 degrees Fahren-

heit. In that case, it

would have an ocean

under the ice. It would

probably be like

Jupiter’s moon, Europa. I

think the life on Gliese

581c would look like

three-eyed jellyfish.

~Nicholas Smith, 2A

Pawprints 7

Pawprints 8

The Uninvited Guests

When Kyle was a lad, his father told him a bedtime story that his

father had told him when he was little. It was a story that taught Kyle a lesson.

Every night his dad told him the same story, about how, if you misbehave,

your doorknob would turn, and an invisible person would come into your

room. You could not see him, but you could feel his presence. So when Kyle

was a little boy, he never misbehaved.

When he was older, in his twenties, he lived in a little cottage with a

very secure front door. Kyle knew that he was a good boy, and so he never

had to worry about uninvited guests.

One afternoon, he went to the market to buy fruit, and he saw a sign

on a post that said there was to be an eating contest, and the prize was 1000

dollars. He was so excited that he ripped the sign off the post, but then he

remembered the story, and he taped it back on.

For the next few days, Kyle ate more than the day before, and soon

he was stuffed up. On the day of the contest, he was ready. But he ate a huge

breakfast, so that he was full. When the contest started he was very excited.

The starter said Go! But Kyle was so full from breakfast that he could not eat

anything. He was wearing an enormous jacket, and so he stuffed all the food

inside the jacket. He felt very guilty, but he said that he was done. The judges

announced that he had won. He was so guilty, but still happy. But he was

more happy than guilty, so he accepted the prize money and went home.

That afternoon, all of Kyle’s friends went to his house and cheered

for him and asked him a lot of questions. After the celebration, Kyle was

about to go to bed when he remembered that he had forgotten to lock the

front door. So he got his jacket and he started to walk to the door.

Just as he reached the door, he saw the doorknob move. He told

himself that it was just his imagination, but, after a few seconds, he was sure

that the doorknob moved again! But that was impossible, because everyone

in the neighborhood was already asleep. That was when he remembered his

father’s story, that the ghost would haunt him if he misbehaved.

Kyle was so scared that he ran up to his room and hid under his bed.

He heard a knock on his bedroom door, and he ran into the bathroom. Then

he heard a knock on the bathroom door. He became so frightened that he

actually fainted.

Puella sedet in equō. Equus est quoque rapi-dus! Puella salit de equō prope remontam villam et non ambulat. Exclamat, “Auxilium!” Currit monstrum ad puellam. Magistra sedet in equō et ambulat ad puellam. Exportat puellam in equō et currunt a monstro. Pater clamat, “Gratias!” Magistra est fe-lix. ~Mary Zhang, 6B

(Translation from the Latin)

The girl sits on a horse. The horse is too fast! The girl falls down from the

horse near a remote village, and can’t walk. She shouts, “Help!” A monster

runs toward her. The teacher sits on a horse and rides to the girl. She carries

the girl on the horse, and they run away from the monster. Dad shouts, “Thank

you!” The teacher is happy.

Tiberius est Agricola. Is ambulat ad asinum et porcum a casa. Asinus videt Tiberium. Asinus mordet Tiberium. Tiberius exclamat et

jacet. Pinguis porcus non videt Tiberium et sedet in Tiberio. Tiberius exclamat et movet a porco. Is currit ab absino et porcō in casam.

~Tristan Huo, 6B

(Translation from the Latin)

Tiberius is a farmer. He walks to the donkey and pig from his house. The

donkey sees Tiberius. The donkey bites him. Tiberius cries out and lies down.

The fat pig doesn’t see Tiberius and sits on him. Tiberius cries out and moves

away from the pig. He runs from the donkey and pig into his house.

Pawprints 41

The Dead Man’s Curse

One dark, spooky night, a boy named Danny was walking

on the curb to his friend’s house. He began to hear strange, ghostly

laughter. He started to speed up, then suddenly something reached out of the darkness and grabbed him! He tried to fight

back, but another thing grabbed him. It was his friend, Joe. Joe

pulled him out of the way, and they both ran to his house and

went upstairs to Joe’s room. “That was close!” said Joe.

“What happened?” asked Danny.

“Look at your hair.”

Danny looked in the mirror, and to his surprise, he had a white streak from his forehead to his neck.

“What does this mean?” he asked his friend.

“You don’t know what that was?” Joe replied. “There is an

old legend about it.” The two friends settled down as Joe went on.

“It all started a long time ago. A young man went walking

down this very street, and somebody tripped him. The person who tripped him ran away. The victim became angry and ran after him.

He caught up to the man, but… he was no longer a person! He had

green skin on his face, he was horribly thin, and he was wearing a

bloody, tattered shirt. This creature grabbed the man by the collar, and the man started to grow long white hair, and his skin became

suddenly very wrinkled.”

“What happened then?” Danny asked, breathless.

“All I can say is that you were very lucky you got only a little white hair, or you would have been a goner!” said Joe.

The two boys decided to get revenge. They got shields and

swords and they went out again to find the creature. They were

trembling all over. As they made their way along the curb, some-thing jumped out of the darkness. They turned around in time to

see the thing that had grabbed Danny. It was huge and shapeless

and glared at them with fiery eyes.

Danny and Joe hit it with all their might, but the thing was too strong, and it struck at them so powerfully that they were

thrown back against a brick wall in an alley. They were cornered,

and they had nowhere to run.

The thing came at them, growling and menacing. It picked them up, and at its touch, their skin wrinkled, and they grew

suddenly old. And they were never heard from again.

~Kashmir Mohandie, 4B

Pawprints 40

Pawprints 9

The next morning, Kyle woke up in his front yard. He was staring at

an old man with a long gray beard. He asked the old man, “Are you the

person who was haunting my house last night?”

The man said, “Yes.”

Kyle then asked the man if he was a ghost, but in the next moment,

the old man was gone. Kyle was alone in his front yard with nothing but the

sound of the wind blowing.

He went back in the house, but no sooner was inside than he heard

the sound of glass shattering in the kitchen. He ran into the kitchen and saw

nothing but a broken jug. Then he heard the doorbell ring. He went to open it,

and when he did, the old man was standing there, scowling at him. Kyle’s

heart jumped.

The old man said, “Where were you?”

Kyle ran back into the kitchen, and he saw that the broken jug was

gone. He thought that was very strange. He went back to the front door, but

the old man, too, was gone. Suddenly he felt a cold breeze on the back of his

neck. He turned around, but he kept turning and turning and turning. He shut

his eyes so as not to become dizzy, but when he opened them again, he was

no longer in his house…

He was on Mars!

Kyle was nearly hysterical with fear. He heard some music, and when

he turned around, there were people dancing and playing and singing. He

went over to them and asked one of the men why he was on Mars. The man

just looked at him and started screaming, “It’s an uninvited guest!” Everyone

ran away from him, leaving him alone on the dance floor. The music was still

playing, and so Kyle started to dance. After a few hours, he again felt a cold

breeze on the back of his neck, and he hoped he was going home. He closed

his eyes in excitement, but when he opened them again…

He was on Venus!

Kyle could not understand what was happening to him. He began to

grow frantic. For a third time he closed his eyes, but before he could open

them again he was crying like a baby.

His dad came into his room, and he told his child that he had been

sleeping, and that everything was all right now. Then Kyle told his dad the

whole terrible dream.

~Alison Wong, 4A

Loveable Me

Loveable, huggable, troublesome me

Why is it always loveable me?

Why can’t it ever be loveable he?

Loveable, huggable, troublesome me

Loveable, huggable, troublesome me

It would be better if loveable we

Or loveable them or loveable she

Loveable, huggable, troublesome me

Loveable, huggable, troublesome me

Really, really, oh please, oh please

Step in my shoes and you will see!

Loveable, huggable, troublesome me

Loveable, huggable, troublesome me

What? No! Never? Oh, how mean!

You say that I am doomed to be

Loveable, huggable, troublesome me?

My grandmother is always nice to me. She takes me out to play and ride a bike. I sit on the back and hold on to her. My room at grandma’s house has bunk beds. There is a metal ladder so you can get up and down. Grandmother has dots on her face. Her eyes are black. She cooks rice and tomato, and says funny stuff to me. I love my grand-mother. ~Kevin Huang, 1B

Pawprints 10

My goal in polo is to have a team, and play in the 40-goal, which is the highest game in polo. That means I will have to become a 10 goal player. I will have to continue practicing and keep on track. I love polo.

~Bayne Bossom, 5A (Illustration by Piers Bossom, 1A)

Pawprints 39

L’éclair tombe!

Les arbres le détestent .

Le zed féroce est suivi

Par un bruit—

O, non!

Attention, l’arbre!

~Charles Bai, 7A

(Translation from the French)

The lightning falls!

The trees hate it.

The ZZZ is fierce

And followed by a noise—

Oh, no!

Watch out, tree!

Mots, seulement

Pour les gens,

Les familles, les amis,

Les gens qui sont aimés.

Mots sont la trésor

De l’humanité, mais

Changent rapidement

Devant nos yeux.

Ils nous inspirent

A écrire, à lire,

A rêver.

Sans eux, nos vies

Sont vides.

Ils sont comme

La maison

Des langues.

~Owen Timoner, 7A

(Translation from the French)

Words, only

For people,

Family, friends.

People who are loved.

Words are the treasure

Of humanity, but

They change quickly

Before our eyes.

They inspire us

To write, to read,

To dream.

Without them, our lives

Are empty.

They are like

The house

Of language.

Just Polo, No Water

My name is Bayne. I am 11 years old, and I play polo. It’s not water polo, it’s polo on horses; it’s played not in water, but on a grass field. The size of the field is nine acres, or seven and half football fields. There are four people on each team. The game is divided up into chukkers; each chukker is 7 minutes and 30 seconds long. It actually takes ten to fifteen minutes to play a chuk-ker, because the umpires stop the clock a lot for fouls. There are usually four to six chukkers per game. Each player may need one or two horses per chukker. We use a solid, heavy plastic ball; the size is between a baseball and a softball. We hit the ball with a mallet. Mallets are measured in inches, and they range from 46 to 54. The mallets are made out of bamboo cane for the shaft, and hardwood for the head. Polo is such a thrill, but it took me a while to become what is called a minus-one (-1) player. (Players are rated on their ability from -2 to 10. If you are a -2, you can’t play in tournaments). First, I learned how to ride at around four years old; next, I learned how to jump my horse, and it was fun. Then I started to stick-and-ball, which is kind of like practicing polo, with my dad. One day I asked my dad if I could play in a game, and he let me; he gave me one of his chukkers. Then I started coming to a lot of games. I played in my first United States Polo Association tournament this year, and my team won! I play on the same team as my dad. I played in my second kids’ tournament last weekend, and I got MVP. My brother Piers started to play polo this year; he is 7. He borrowed my pony, Macho Man. I named him Macho Man because he has a handlebar moustache. He is one of my favorite ponies because he is really agile. Polo ponies have to know how the game is played; a good polo pony will follow the ball. They have to be able to turn fast, run fast and stop fast, and they can’t be afraid of the ball.

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The Silly Moose There was a silly, silly moose that lived on a silly, silly farm. He loved to eat, eat and eat all day. He got so fat that he couldn’t even talk! So, he sat, sat and sat till the farmer came and said, “You have to stop eating, you silly, silly moose!” So the silly, silly moose stopped eating and became A sad, sad moose.

~Alicia Wong, 2B

Oreo Pops

Oreo pops are very yummy. They are composed of little

mini-Oreos dipped in melted chocolate, and topped with whipped

cream and sprinkles. In order to make them, you will need a

packet of mini-Oreos, some chocolate, whipped cream, sprinkles,

toothpicks, milk, and a pot.

First, you stick toothpicks into the cream of the Oreos. Next,

you put some chocolate and milk into a pot over low heat, and stir

until it becomes thick, like chocolate syrup. Then you spoon the

chocolate into a bowl. Next, take one of the Oreos that you

previously poked a toothpick in, and dip it in the melted

chocolate. Then stick the toothpicks of the Oreo pops into a block

of Styrofoam, and put it in the freezer.

After an hour or so, take it out, and the chocolate should be

dry. Now you can start decorating. Take each Oreo pop and dip it

in the whipped cream. Finally, dip your Oreo pop into the

sprinkles. You can also use candy balls. Now you have finished

Oreo pops.

Bon appétit!

~Vicky Manwani, 4B

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A Day in the Life of an Elf

Hi! I’m an elf, and my name is Holly Jolly. That’s because I’m the jolliest and holliest during the holidays. My best friend is Mr. Christmas because he taught me everything about being an elf when I was little. Every year, we elves get the honor of hosting the Santa meeting, which is when Santas from all over the world come to our workshop. Each year, Santa Claus takes out a shabby, broken-down and dirty hat, and we all write our names on clean white slips of paper and put them into the hat. Santa sticks his hand in and grabs a slip of paper with a name on it. This year, I get to make the Christmas cookies that the Santas are going to eat. I’m so excited! First I wake up in the morning and race to the kitchen in my pajamas. I stuff down two mugs of hot cocoa, and Mrs. Claus’s special chocolate banana bread. I race back to my room to get dressed, and it’s a nightmare. First, I have to pull on several flannel sweatshirts. Then I have to put on nine red stockings. Next, I creep down the creaky old stairs to Santa’s room to wake him up, because he stays up late, and in the mornings he sleeps in. I help Mrs. Claus make breakfast for Santa. When breakfast is over, I ask for permission to start baking my Christmas cookies. Here’s my recipe: First you mix water and flower and whisper some magic words. Then you sprinkle some sugar and spread some caramel on the dough, and take out the cookie cutters. I cut the cookies and put them in the oven and bake them for five minutes. Finally, I put them on the table to cool. Next I go into the sewing and weaving room so that I can make coats and boots for Santa Claus, and pajamas and sweaters for the elves. I pick red and green and white cloth because it’s Christmas, and then I start. After I’m done making clothes for everyone, I wrap them in wrapping paper and put them under the bed where the elves are sure to find them, because they always look for their shoes under their beds. Then I go down to the kitchen to have a hot chocolate break, and make s’mores. I go back to the sewing room and start knitting scarves for the reindeer, so they won’t get cold while they’re flying around on Christmas Eve. While I wait for Santa to write letters to the other Santas, I sit down on an old, faded couch and turn on my hat, because on the tip of my hat there is a magical candle, and it’s like a lamp. Then I pull out my book and read it. It’s called An Elf’s Guide to Stealing Toys, because I like to play tricks on Santa, but he never gets mad at me. I go outside to get the mail for Santa, and go to Santa’s workshop and start stuffing the dolls with cotton, and carving the nutcrackers out of wood that smells like peppermint and candy canes. Then Santa comes in and says that I “did a good job,” and I feel proud of myself. After that I go back to the kitchen and taste my Christmas cookies. If there is something wrong with the taste, I bake them again and fix what I did wrong. When I have finished baking, I go to the letter room where Santa is

Pawprints 12

Pawprints 37

Yo Tengo un Gato

Yo tengo un gato

Pero yo quiero un pato.

Y yo quiero un perro

Pero el perro va a asustar el gato

Y el gato va a asustar el pato.

~Nathan Garcia 8A

(Translation from the Spanish)

I Have a Cat

I have a cat

But I want a duck

And I want a dog

But the dog will scare the cat

And the cat will scare the duck.

Spring!

Spring is all about flowers everywhere, lots of water coming down the

mountain, and life blooming back to the sky. It is a time when cute

new babies are born; a time when earth is growing again! All my

life, I have loved spring! No more gray days, but lots of rainy days,

so you can stay inside and read. I read for as long as I can, while I

lie on the couch, or go to the beach or watch TV. If my mom tells me to

go outside, I take a book; if my dad says to go to breakfast, lunch or

dinner, I never go without a book. That is the best part of spring!

~Makenna Kibbe, 4B

Spring is an amazing time; the time when new flowers bloom and

grass grows thick and green. Bees start to pollinate the flowers, and

animals come out of hibernation from the cold. Spring is a time of

growth, renewal, and new life for plants and animals. Spring is nei-

ther too hot nor too cold, and it smells really good outside. It is a

great time to be active as the weather grows warm and the cold

ends. I’m so glad spring is near!

~Nicholas Polen, 4B

Lily Lillian

Lily Lillian comes to town

To see the beautiful rose house.

She sees roses, she sees tulips,

All around the garden.

How lovely was her view,

From birds to bees to beautiful trees.

She closed her eyes and smelled the scene,

She thought she was in a dream.

~Tiffany Chang, 3A

My Six Word Memoir

Casting my line,

All is fine.

~Liam Unanue, 5A

Pawprints 36

still writing his letters, and I scold

him for not using better hand-

writing. I also urge him to use a

pencil instead of a quill pen,

because the ink will blotch and

drench the paper. Then I go to

help Mrs. Claus make hot

chocolate with marshmallows for

all the elves. After I am done

helping Mrs. Claus, I go to Mr.

Christmas’s bed and give him candy canes because he is sick.

Finally, I return to the kitchen to make dinner for Santa: soup and some

candy canes, and very hot, steaming hot chocolate. Then I take the tray with

Santa’s dinner up to his room. I go back to the kitchen once more and make

warm chicken noodle soup for my dinner, and flavored ice for dessert. I eat

quickly because Mrs. Claus has left the window open again! If I eat slowly, my

dinner will be cold. After I finish, I take dinner up to the elves’ room so they

can eat, because they have been in the workshop all morning making toys for

Santa. All the elves are tired, so I leave the dinner tray on their table.

After that, I watch my favorite movie, How the Elf Saved Christmas. Then I

put on my nightgown that has a picture of a wreath on it. I also pull on my red

stockings and get into my bunk bed. I share my bunk bed with Mr. Christmas.

He sleeps on the bottom bunk and I sleep on the top.

So an elf’s life is exciting, hard-working, and a great adventure!

~Leila Wu, 3A

Exploding hamburgers at my side,

I must get ready, I must hide.

They are vicious and delicious!

I must leave the dining car.

One explodes in front of thee,

And that is the end of me!

~Andrew Smith, 2B

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Dad

The person who is most important to me is my dad. Although he can’ t come to

America a lot, he sends money to us every month. He is very important to me because he is

the one who thought that my brother and I should come to America for a better education. I

care about my dad because he is the key to my good education.

At first we were all scared about America, but as the days passed, I got used to

being here. The first school I went to was called Baldwin Stocker. My dad was not sure I

would be able to adjust to a public school, and sure enough, I got bullied. The same thing

happened at the second school I went to. The third school was a very good school. It was

called Clairbourn School. In order to come here, my dad sent more money so that my

brother and I could move to a better school. When I got to Clairbourn, I felt that I was

finally home.

When my dad visits, we make sure we always go to the Santa Anita mall, and

Golf Smith. My mom usually gets exhausted because we go to so many places. The first

thing we do when he comes is play basketball. My dad used to be better than me in

basketball, but now I can go past him if he is guarding me.

We all have a lot of fun when he comes, but when he leaves, all we can do is cry

and hug each other. I care about my dad and he cares about me, because he loves me and I

love him. We always make sure that my dad lands safely in Korea, and we can’ t wait

until the next time he comes.

~Darwin Wonmin Kim, 5B

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Searching for salmon

Along a rushing river

Paw catches a fish!

~Alexander Silveri, 2A

Eagle flying high

Searching for mice

and salmon

Babies in nest wait.

~Winston Lee, 2A

A Bunny Story Once upon a time, there was a rabbit king, and he had a little boy. They both liked to play in the bushes. Then a storm came, so they went inside and played. Once the storm was over, they went to go play in puddles. The queen came out and joined in the puddle jumping, and then she announced it was dinner time. On Saturday, they went out to play, and then they went on a drive to the supermarket. They let the little boy sit in the cart, and when they got home they had lunch. After lunch they went to church together, and met some of their friends there, and invited them over for dinner. Once they finished dinner, they said good-bye to each other and went to bed. The next day, they went out to buy some fish for the fish tank. Then they had a baby, and just had lunch. They took a bath, and then it was time to sleep.

~Janeen Wang, Pre-kindergarten A

War

There was once a war. But this war was unique. It was a war

of snails against ants. The ants had tiny salt cannon. The snails made

an alliance with the termites. The ants fought alone. The termites out-

numbered them, but ants eat termites. The war lasted an entire day,

which is like a year to the insects. Almost all of them died. When it

became clear that the snails were losing, they hid in their shells. Then

a human stepped on the ants. The snails had won. But the people

stepped on them, too. As in every war, in the end, everyone lost.

~Kristofer Chang, 5B (illustration by Anthony Chang, KA)

Pawprints 35

Josh ran home, but the creature in his house was still there. That

was weird because everyone else’s creature had gone. He thought that was

unfair, but he said to himself that that was how it was going to be; he had to

accept the consequences. He suddenly felt very tired and fell on the floor and

went to sleep.

He had a dream that he was in space with the creature, and they

kissed. He woke up instantly. He saw the creature under the rug right next to

him, and he panicked. He jumped up and ran screaming out the door.

When he returned home, the creature did what it had done so many

times before: It went back and forth, back and forth, back and forth between

the living room and his bedroom. And Josh did what he had done the last

time: He gave up and went to his neighbor’s house.

When he went home, the creature was gone. He sat down and

thought, and then he realized something: The creature could time travel. So

when it came back, Josh said, “I know you can travel through time.” At this,

the creature zoomed away.

Josh was so happy that it was gone. The creature had come to Earth

to get revenge on humans, but had failed. Josh had defeated him.

But then… two weeks later… it happened again.

~Allison Chang, 4B

Natural Arithmetic

Addition makes the numbers grow

Like drifts under a falling snow.

Subtraction shrinks them into dust

Like autumn leaves before a gust.

To multiply takes giant leaps

Like daffodils that bloom in heaps.

Division takes things all apart

As summer melts an ice cream cart.

Arithmetic has complex reasons

That imitate the changing seasons.

~Nicholas Rivelle, 5B

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~Leilla Wu, 3A

In China, I help people do

things, especially at night. I help my

grandmother and my grand-uncle to buy

groceries for poor people to eat. We live

in a big building in a park that has shops,

and there are people there who don’t

have dinner. My grand-uncle buys pork,

chicken, noodles and steak, and we give

them to the poor people. They have kids,

and sometimes we buy child-size food

and drinks for them. They cook the food

and eat it, and then they take a shower and go to sleep. Sometimes we buy

them water and bread. We do this to be kind.

~Kevin Huang, 1B

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Graphs

Graphs are flowers, always growing

Different shapes and sizes showing

Graphs are birds, soaring, dipping

Ascending and descending

Graphs are like friendship

With ups and downs

Graphs are human as smiles and frowns

Starting low, ending high

Curving from the Earth to sky

Graphs reveal an endless story

I think graphs are extraordinary!

~David Chen, 5A

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Nightmare at the Keyboard

I have experienced the worst piano performance of all

time. Let me tell you the whole story…

I walked on stage and bowed to the audience. There was

the usual polite applause. Then I sat down on the piano bench

and adjusted it to make myself comfortable. I was about to start

playing when people in an adjacent room began screaming! I did

not know whether it was a riot, or a dress rehearsal for a comic

opera. Then tap dancers began tapping, and it sounded like an

army of cap guns going off! It was a disaster, but I didn’t tell you

the worst part yet.

I started to play and… nothing. There was no sound

coming out of the piano. No matter how hard I pressed the keys,

there was just silence!

Under the Rug

As the morning went by, Josh heard a crash! He ran into the living

room and saw something unusual – a lump moving under the rug! He took a

step back and tried to examine it. Suddenly, it disappeared! He took a deep

breath, and went to harvest some crops. When he came back, he saw it again,

but this time he saw some crumbs. Now he guessed that whatever it was, it

was alive.

He looked back at the rug, but the thing had disappeared again! He

did not know what to do. He was so scared that he almost fainted. Then he

went to lunch, but when he came back he saw the thing again, and this time

he lost control. He took a living room chair and tried to kill it. But it moved

fast, and ran under his bedroom rug. It ran so fast that he could not even see

it. He darted into his room, but the creature wasn’t there. But when he went

back into the living room, he saw it again.

It ran back into his bedroom, then into the living room again, back

and forth, back and forth, about a hundred times. But not one of these times

did Josh actually see it. By this time, Josh was so exhausted from chasing the

thing that he fell asleep.

He did not wake up until the next morning, but he was still scared.

That night he slept in his neighbor’s house, but even then he did not sleep a

wink. The following morning he went back to his house, and he saw the thing

just as it was emerging from under the rug. It darted away, and Josh fainted

because he was so tired and scared.

Now everyone in the neighborhood had a thing in the house. Josh

wanted to run away forever, but he knew he couldn’t. No one dared to move

because of the things. Josh considered packing up and leaving, but he felt

responsible. Everyone was freaked out. Then one day, Josh heard a lot of

laughing in the neighborhood. He thought it was strange, because there was a

creature in every house, so he went to check it out.

Everybody was having parties and fiestas. Josh asked them why they

were partying. They told him it was because the creatures were gone.

“How did you do that?” Josh asked.

His neighbors said that one morning they woke up and the creatures

had disappeared.

Pawprints 33

The Weird Pig

The weird pig has a very silly wig

The weird pig is very big

The weird pig likes to eat

The weird pig is hard to beat

The weird pig has a rat

He has a beautiful hat

But when it’s time for tea

We went to the Aquarium of the Pacific. I liked the leafy sea dragon. Alexander called the giant sea bass “Fatty Pants.” The penguins have name tags on their flippers. I love the shark lagoon. They have an adult zebra shark. I could only touch the baby hammerhead shark’s dorsal fin. Inside one of the tanks there was a note. It said: “Can you find the stone-fish?” I found it!

~Kelton Lin, 1A

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Questing Knights

Part Two

Chapter 1

It was just after dawn when the knights of the realm were deciding which route to take to find the long-lost diamond of power. These knights were not just any knights; these were knights of wisdom and power. Prince Theoden, Sir Alexander, and Sir Henry were planning how to get the dia-mond.

“There must be something protecting, guarding, or watching this diamond,” Henry predicted. “Now our problem is to discover what that something is,”

“Whatever is protecting it cannot be from another realm,” Alexan-der observed. “They would have already taken it and started an apocalypse.”

“Well, it will prove a surprise. The diamond is under the ground just beyond the mountains,” Theoden added. “We shall be heading off at dawn.”

Chapter 2 The next day, the questing knights hung polished iron breastplates

over their chests. Each knight then attached a cape, and swiftly mounted his horse. Hanging from each noble’s belt was a sword of pure mithril silver.

“Let us begin our journey!” Theoden announced. Then Sir Henry, Prince Theoden, Alexander, Raymond, Matthew, and Michael rode off into the misty, cold mountains.

The jingling, rattling, and clattering of the six knights’ chainmail rang through the forests of the mountain. It had grown late.

“We shall rest here for the night,” Theoden said, and he thumped down onto the rocky ground.

“Henry, go get firewood,” said Alexander.

Pawprints 17

“Michael, you hunt for rabbit with Mat-thew. Raymond, you shall cook. I will have a look around.” With that, Alexander drew his sword and left.

Chapter 3

Alexander wandered through the forest, sensing that that he was being watched. “Is someone there?” he called. “More like something there,” he joked, trying to keep himself company and in good spirits.

Then something caused a nearby shrub to rustle. “Hello?!” The shrub was shaking so furiously that Alexander began to feel fear. Then, out of the shrub jumped Sir Henry. “AAAHHH!” Alexander exclaimed. “What in blazes were you doing?

What?!”” Sir Henry admitted, “I was just getting firewood for the fire.” He

paused pointedly. “As you so rudely told me to do.” “Oh, right. Carry on, Henry,” Alexander told him. “I’ll go back to the

camp.” Chapter 4

After a troubled night of sleep, the knights packed up and started back out of the mountains.

After many hours, they were clear of the forest, but it was little conso-lation, because they found themselves caught in the glutinous, wretched swamp.

“We will camp here for the night,” Theodon declared, though he was far from happy with their place to sleep.

“Sire, cannot we go a little further in search of grassy land?” Alexander suggested.

Theoden was relieved to hear the welcome idea. “Yes, I believe we should do that.”

The knights rode a few miles further until they reached the grassland, where they rested.

Chapter 5 The next day, as the six nobles were riding on, continuing their quest,

a forest goblin jumped out at them from the nearby bush. It grabbed hold of Raymond, sending him sprawling from his horse.

Pawprints 18

A few days later, Mr. Turks returned to tell Grace the results of the DNA

tests. Christy stood outside Grace’s room to hear what he said. It turned out that one

of the hair samples matched Grace’s! Christy was amazed and shocked: If one of the

hairs matched her mother’s, then one of the maids was Grace’s daughter.

Grace was happy and excited. She and Mr. Turks went quickly to meet

Grace’s daughter at the mall, as Mr. Turks had arranged.

During the car ride, Mr. Turks told Grace that Emma was single, and had

been adopted by a woman named Madison. Emma worked at a teenage tea house,

and had many friends. Grace started crying because she felt guilty for not having

raised her daughter, though she was glad that Madison had been there for her. Mr.

Turks was able to calm Grace before they went into the mall to meet Emma.

She was waiting at the food court. Grace did not want to shock Emma, so

she introduced herself with a simple handshake. They chatted for a while, and then

Grace said that she had a meeting to go to, and she hurried out of the mall. Mr. Turks

was puzzled. But in the car, Grace told him that the girl at the mall was not her daugh-

ter. She asked him to look again at the DNA tests, to make sure nothing was wrong.

That night Mr. Turks called Grace and told her that the hairs that had been

tested did not belong to the Emmas. He said that they actually belonged to her maids.

Grace was confused. She checked the security cameras which were all over the house

to see if there was anything suspicious. To her surprise, she found a clear view of

Christy switching the hair samples.

Grace called Christy to her room. She gave Christy a chance to confess, and

when she did not, Grace slapped her, and told her that she knew that Christy had

swapped the samples. Christy was stunned that her mother knew what she had done.

Grace was very upset with Christy, but she put that emotion aside, because she want-

ed to know which young woman really was her daughter.

The following morning, Grace took all three maids to a laboratory to have

their blood tested. But before the technician came back with the results, she already

knew which maid was her daughter.

How did Grace know which maid it was?

~Emily Su, 7A

Pawprints 31

(Grace was with the maids when they had their blood drawn. The maids had to roll up

their sleeves, and Grace looked at each maid’s wrist to see if she wore the bracelet

she had given Emma. None did, but one maid had a scar on her wrist – the scar from

the scissors cut when Emma was little. The maid had not shown up on the orphan-

age’s list, because when she left the orphanage, she did not know what her name

was. Her adopted mother had named her Sophia.)

The Long-Lost Daughter

Grace was in her office working on her company’s stock reports when she

felt a sudden pain in her chest. It was tight and crushing, and she could not breathe.

She told her assistant, Allen, to take her to the hospital. In the emergency room,

they did blood tests and put her on a heart monitor, while Grace looked around at

other people clutching tissue boxes and covered in blankets.

Finally, her doctor came into the room and told her with a solemn face

that she was very ill; in fact, he said he was not sure how much longer she would

live. Grace was so shocked by the news that she fainted. When she recovered, Allen

took her back to her house, so that she could rest in her own bedroom. But Grace

could not rest; she kept trying to decide who should take over her company. She

owned a famous designer clothing line that was worth millions of dollars, which she

had built herself. She knew that whoever would take it over must be someone she

trusted. She thought about her employees and her family and her friends, and sud-

denly, she remembered her long-lost daughter.

Twenty years before, Grace had been a poor single mother who had just

given birth to a daughter, whom she named Emma. She did not have enough money

to raise Emma, so she gave her to an orphanage. As a keepsake, Grace gave Emma

one of two identical bracelets. She cut the tags off and put the scissors down to put

the bracelet on Emma’s wrist. Emma, being a toddler, did not know any better, and

she cut herself with the scissors. Grace stopped the bleeding and put the bracelet on

her wrist. She kissed Emma, and put the other bracelet on her own wrist.

Later that year, Grace met a wealthy man and they were married. A new

member was introduced to the family when Grace gave birth to a daughter named

Christy. Upon the arrival of Christy, Grace started the clothing business, which soon

became a multi-million-dollar company.

Grace called Allen to her bedroom and told him to hire a private investiga-

tor. He found one named Turks. Grace met Mr. Turks at a coffee shop and gave him

a picture of Emma and a folder of information about her. Mr. Turks promised to

report to Grace as soon as he made progress in his search for Emma.

A few days later, Mr. Turks came to Grace’s house and told her that he had

found three Emmas, all of whom had gone to the orphanage. Grace was excited by

the news, and instructed Mr. Turks to order DNA tests on the young women. Mr.

Turks said he had obtained samples of their hair.

During their conversation, Grace’s daughter, Christy, was outside the

room, listening. Christy was frightened that if Grace found her long-lost daughter,

she would not inherit the clothing company. Christy thought quickly and went to the

maids’ rooms and got samples of their hair. She ran out with the hair and bumped

into Mr. Turks. She invited him to have dinner. During the dinner, Christy excused

herself, and switched the hair he had obtained from the Emmas with the maids’ hair.

Pawprints 30

Since these creatures were not very big, only about a foot and a half

tall, Theoden hurried up to it, plucked it off Sir Raymond, and threw it sixty yards in the direction from which they had come.

“Now we can proceed,” said Theoden. “What? We are not going to stop here for the night?” Raymond said.

“That creature almost killed me.” “I believe it would be better to press on, Sir Raymond,” Theoden

responded. Chapter 6

After a long while, the knights reached a huge temple. “We are not going in there,” Sir Matthew protested. “Yes, indeed we are,” Theoden replied. The horses’ feet clumped on the cobbled ground as the brave knights

entered a dark, dim tunnel leading to the temple. “Eeeeeeekkkkkrrrr.” Weird sounds echoed through the dusty room.

All of a sudden, the horses screeched horribly and bolted, sending the knights racing out of the temple.

Michael, Matthew, and Sir Raymond were thrown from their horses. Seeing this, the others jumped off, in order to stay with the group.

“Well, this quest will not be using horses for the rest of the time,” Alexander joked.

“We must return to the temple,” Theoden commanded. “Everyone, be silent!”

They retraced their route to the tunnel and re-entered the temple. Passing through the dusty room, they found themselves in a much larger cham-ber. There, in the center of the dirty stone walls, was a diamond. It was the diamond.

“There it is,” Matthew breathed. They all stared at it, enchanted by its beauty.

Chapter 7

Theoden grabbed the beautiful blue jewel from where it was settled on a lace cushion. Then, as if there was a sensor detecting that the diamond was about to be stolen, the walls started to crumble and break. A million goblins swarmed out of the walls and onto the knights like bees attacking a hungry bear.

“Let us get away from this cursed place!” Sir Raymond exclaimed. The armored men’s swords were swinging and flailing as they retreated

into the tunnel. Before anyone knew it, they were out of the temple and back in the

forest.

Pawprints 19

“Well, we have the diamond,” Sir Henry said. “Let us go back to the castle and announce our victory.”

Chapter 8

They journeyed through the forest for nine days until, in the distance, they could make out the image of their castle. The knights hooted and hollered to express their joy.

They managed to make it back to the kingdom, and they all had a feast to celebrate the successful completion of their quest.

~Teddy Barker, 5B

Testing, Testing, 1,2,3

Sitting with jitters, racking your brain.

Sitting there thinking, while you go slowly insane.

The eerie silence despite the scratching of pens,

Papers rustling, lights buzzing.

It’s almost as if you can feel it,

Brains whizzing, hearts thumping.

The clock ticks as time flies away.

It just feels like it’s already doomsday.

Look out the window,

Sunshine, sweet vitamin D.

Reach your ears past the door,

Birds chirping, airplanes flying.

Just a couple more to go,

Come on, remember this mumbo-jumbo.

Where’s that four-leafed clover?

Well, I’ve tried my very best,

And now it’s over.

~Marisa Dragos, 8B

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Dream Dream Defeats the Evil Wolf (translation from the Mandarin)

There was once a young girl named Dream Dream. By the time she was eight years old, she had already mastered all the moves of kung fu. On top of a mountain was a big hole; in the hole was a big, evil wolf. It often came out and scared people. People were terrified of him and despised him. Dream Dream came up with a plan to defeat him. One day, Dream Dream made a big cake, brought her knife, and went alone up the mountain to the big hole. She had made the cake herself, and on the outside she put lots of honey and sugar; on the inside she put poison. The wolf was already hungry. When he smelled the cake’s fragrance, he gobbled the whole thing in one gulp. Slowly the poison began to work. Dream Dream knew it was time to act. She lifted her knife, and with one swing, the wolf was dead. When the people heard that Dream Dream had defeated the wolf, they were very happy. Everyone agreed that Dream Dream was a clever and brave girl.

~Leila Wu, 3A

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Christian Marks, 1A, oil pastel

Tian Griffin, 8B, marker on paper

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Christopher Thomas, 8A, oil on board

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Ashlee Notley, 1A, watercolor on paper

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Megan Cesped, 2A, watercolor on paper

Michelle Wang, 8B, colored pencil

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Zachary Dietle, 3A, pastel on paper

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Jamie Notley, 3A, watercolor on paper

Chloe Kessel, 6B, photograph

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Chloe Kessel, 6B, photograph

Ava Burlingame, 1A, pastel on paper

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Aileen Cho, 3B, acrylic on canvas

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