INKspirations Fall 2025

INK spirations…

Where words paint pictures and colors tell stories!

The Literary Magazine of Merritt Memorial School Vol. 2 2025

Cover Art by Jian Nam

Fall Haikus

Ilovecutesquirrels Theysaveacornsforwinter They’recutewhentheyeat.

- IreneKim

Leaves fall every day Leaves falling down, spinning ‘round

I love fall a lot.

- Ian Cho

Fall Fall has it all Leaves and trees, spooks and books. Woah! Halloween candy!

- Madelyn Scianna

Foxesareorange Theyjumpincrunchyfallleaves Foxesaresocute. - AbigailHwang

Ilikesweetcandy Iliketogetbigpumpkins Ijumpinleafpiles. - AlaMutlu

Fall! Fall! Fall! Fall! Fall!

Leaves crunching beneath my feet. Fall is everywhere!

- Olivia Lee IIwilljumpinleaves loveplayingintheleavesIlovegoodfallfun! - SheridanThompson

I like raking leaves

I like to jump in them too

Leaves make crunchy sounds.

- Nathan Poon

Halloweenisnear Leavesarefallingfromthetrees It’stimetodressup.

- Zoe Burlison

Ilikeorangeleaves IlikeHalloweencostumes Ilikecoolweather!

JianNam

IIlovethecolors lovemybirthdayinfallIlovethedonuts.

- LeyahBerger

Halloweenisfun Yougetacostumetowear Candyisyummy! - MyraKocacal

It is getting cold. The leaves are falling down fast In fall the leaves fall.

- Logan Lim

I like fall weather

IHalloweenisfun! liketocarvecutepumpkinsIlikesweetcandy. - GiaHan

The leaves are very pretty I like apple pie!

- Sarah Kim

Leaves fall to the ground. I like to jump in the leaves I love fall so much.

- Yuna Cho

By Irene Kim

A Sense of Autumn

By Madelyn Scianna

When I walked the autumn air was so breezy from the orange trees

As I walked I saw pretty white and orange pumpkins and some were on a stack of hay

Off in the distance I heard the cold wind stroking on my face and the big loud bell ringing

When I moved I stepped on an autumn leaf that crunched with a crisp sound.

I took a deep breath and watched the flowers move and sway.

The air smelled like food and autumn time

The countryside looked so pretty it had colorful trees and falling leaves.

I marveled at the orange falling leaves and the breezing trees with a big wind

Swaying trees and crispy air caught my eye

The countryside was dotted with colorful leaves and trees and pretty sun flowers

I could almost taste apple cider, pumpkin pie and apple cider donuts.

And my mouth watered as I saw apples falling and the sun shining on me while eating Halloween candy.

Soccervs.Baseball

Soccer is so much better than baseball! I think it is better because you don’t have to run so much like baseball.Insoccer,youstayinyour areaofthefieldandonlyruninthis area.Anotherreasonisyouhaveto play with your team to win. It is important to pass the ball. Also, in soccer, you do not use your hands unless you are the goalie. This makes it easier to play. Last, I like soccer better because you are always playing. In baseball, you can sit on the bench when the other team is up. That is so boring! These are the reasons why I think soccer issomuchmorefun.

- LoganLim

I think baseball is better than soccer becausesoccerhassomanyrulesthat it makes it hard to understand. Because you only can use your legs, your arms do not get strong. In baseballyouhavetouseyourarmsto hit, catch and throw the ball and your legstorun.Soyouaregettingstronger in your whole body. Also, baseball is the second most popular sport in America. Nobody really knows about prosoccerinAmerica.Last,yougetto work as a team to win a game. You need to hit the ball and get on base and then your team player can hit the ball too and maybe you will score. These are the reasons why I think baseballisbetterthansoccer.

- IanCho

The Dream

By Ala Mutlu

By Madelyn Scianna

Title:

Ordinary Artist: Alex Warren

Song Review

Why I Like It: I chose this song because of the words and the melody. It's so catchy. I love it because it is calm, and if you're having a bad day, it cheers you up. I’ve been upset many times and once I play it when I was upset and I started singing it, I forgot that I was sad. It’s a good song to dance to and sing to. It really makes me so happy and has a really good melody and tune. It is uplifting and gives hope.

Rating:

SONG REVIEW

By Zoe Burlison

Title: Firework

Artist: Katy Perry

Genre: Dance-Pop

What the song is about: The song

"Firework" is about empowerment and self-worth, encouraging listeners to recognize the unique "spark" or potential within themselves and let it shine brightly despite feeling insignificant or overlooked. It uses the metaphor of a firework to suggest that everyone has the power to be bright, powerful, and to make a spectacular impact, promoting confidence, perseverance, and self-acceptance.

My review: It is a great song and brings out people's courage and confidence. The song says that everyone has an inner firework ready to open up and be your true self. The song provides comfort by letting listeners know they are not alone in their struggles. It can help people gain confidence and open up to things. So I definitely recommend this song for anyone who is ready to become the true you.

Stars:

By Irene Kim

Kylie’s Sprained Ankle

By Madelyn Scianna

“Ouch!” Kylie yelled as she tripped on the stairs outside. She started to cry. “Ouch!” Her dad picked her up and carried her to the car. “It hurts!” she cried. Her dad asked how that happened. She explained that she was wearing my mom’s Uggs, and they were too big and she tripped. She was going to the firehouse because her dad was a firefighter and needed to get something. Right at that moment, Kylie noticed that she had a cheer competition early in the morning, and she was so mad. She took off her shoe and showed her dad that it was purple. She didn't know what he meant when he explained that It was swollen.

“Hi, Doctor Jones. I hurt my ankle,”

Kylie said shyly as she could barely walk. She explained that she tripped on the stairs. He took her behind the x-ray machine. It was so dark . Kylie slowly and quietly asked, "Will it hurt?” He couldn't hear her. “Sit here, princess,” he said. He took the x-ray. As she was waiting for the results, she felt was so hungry but she didn't know when they would be done. The doctor came in with a pencil and a piece of paper. Kylie's jaw dropped. She grabbed her mom’s arm, and her mom whispered, “Good luck, dear.” Her eyes glared at the doctor. She shook as she waited for the doctor to speak. He announced it was a sprain. Kylie looked at her mom and stared at her. She was happy because it wasn't broken but didn't know if she could compete. He explained that

she probably would not be able to compete, but they wouldn't know for a day or two. He advised her to get a lot of rest and ice it in the morning, the middle of the day and at night. Kylie left the doctor’s office and went home feeling sad and defeated.

She iced it as she was told. Her foot hurt so much and felt like it was going to come off or explode. She didn't stop icing it because she didn't want to let her team down, and she wanted to compete. She wanted to perform because she had been working hard the whole year to get to this very point and to this very day. So she wanted to do everything she could to compete.

It was Saturday morning. Kylie woke up full of chills. She was in so much pain. Her leg was throbbing like crazy. She was so cold and when she felt her belly grumble, it knew it was the most painful day of her life. She was not able to get out of her bed. She woke up at 12 am with insane throbbing, and her foot looked like a watermelon. Once she was out of bed, she limped to her cheer uniform. Her mom instructed her to sit down. Her mom went and got all her stuff she needed to do her hair. She did a slick back ponytail with her bright yellow Cougars bow.

When they arrived at the competition place, Kylie didn't know if she could get out of the car, She had her dad hold her. Her coaches didn't know if she could perform. She wanted to perform so badly but didn't want to push it. She had a big decision to make. It was 20 minutes away till the competition started. The coaches talked to the judges to see when the Cougars would be

up. “You guys are up in ten,” the jude said.Right then, Kylie decided to

She decided to do it. She could deal with the pain afterwards. She was nervous but went out and did her best. Kylie felt brave when her family cheered her on. She did it with a smile on her face and stayed on her feet with every move, jump and turn. She felt the energy of her team. When they finished, her team ran to hug her. They knew what she did for the team. It did not matter if they won or lost. The joy of being out there was the win, and it took every pain away.

Halloween candy is so good!

I want to have a cat!

- LeyahBerger

6 Word Memoirs Ican’twaitfor5thGrade!

- IreneKim

- Ian Cho Iamhappytobekind.

I would like many more sleepovers.

I like to go pick pumpkins.

- Myra Kocacal IamintheINKspirationsclass!

- Jian Nam Iwanttohaveaparrot.

- LoganLim

- Abigail Hwang Iliketocollectshinycrystals. - AlaMutlu Iliketocollectprettycrystals.

- GiaHan

- ZoeBurlison Ican’twaittoeatturkey!

- NathanPoon

- Sheridan Thompson Iwanttohaveadog. - YunaCho IamintheINKspirationsclass!

I’m excited to go to Florida! - Madelyn Scianna

- OliviaLee Iliketojumpinleaves!

- SarahKim I really love very funny dogs!

By Gia Han

AllAbouttheHanwhaEagles

ByIanCho

The Hanwha Eagles is a Korean baseball team. They are part of the KBO. They are located in Daejeon, South Korea. Let’s learn more about them. The team started in 1985 with the name Binggrae Eagles. They did terribly that first year. The Eagles made it to the Korean series four times in their first seven years but never won. Then in 1993, they changed their name to Hanwha Eagles. They finally won the Korean Series in 1999.

In 2025, they played in the Korean Series against the LG Twins but lost to them. Cody Ponce was the pitcher for the Eagles and won the MVP for that Korean Series. The Eagles players are mostly Korean but they do have some non-Koreans like Luis Liberato and Ryan Michael Weiss.

The Eagles have retired some numbers including 35 which was Chang Jong-Hoon, 52 which was Kim Tae-Kyun, 23 which was Jung Min-Cheul and 21 which was Song Kin-Woo. This means no player on the Eagles team can use those numbers any more.

I really hope that the Eagles win the next Korean Series. I also hope that now that you learned about them, you will also be a fan.

Mochi and Peanut’s Sleepover

By Sarah Kim

One day there was a cute little puppy named Mochi. She lived in a town called CocoShake. She was a magical puppy.She loved to fly around the town. She had a best friend named Peanut the rabbit. Mochi’s favorite food was called chicken puff noodles. Peanut’s favorite food was called carrot lettuce soup. They always liked to play together after school. Their school was called Woodpine Elementary School. Mochi had a treehouse in her yard, and they liked to play there.

Today, they decided to go to Mochi’s treehouse. Peanut asked, “Do you want to eat a snack?” Mochi said, “Yes!” So they made their favorite foods: chicken puff noodles and carrot lettuce soup. When they were eating their snack, they suddenly remembered that they were having a sleepover! They were having it at Mochi’s house. Peanut quickly went to her house and got her toothbrush, pajamas, and her sleeping bag. It was almost time for dinner. It was 5:30. They went to Mochi’s house. Then they ate dinner and went upstairs and brushed their teeth, washed themselves, and got into their sleeping bags.

Suddenly, they heard a strange scary sound. They saw a scary shadow at the window. It was a wolf! ‘’What should we do?’’asked Peanut. “ I know!” said Mochi. “I could use my magic!” “Oh yeah!” exclaimed Peanut. So Mochi got her magic wand and shouted, “Abracadabra! Make the wolf disappear!” Instantly, the wolf disappeared! “Yay!” said Peanut. “You are a hero!” They slept peacefully and happily for the rest of the night.

Getting to

Mrs. H. is one of our wonderful Merritt School paraprofessionals. She is also the caretaker of our beautiful Merritt School Garden. Let’s find out more about her.

1. WhydidyoudecidetobeaparaprofessionalforMMS?

BecauseIloveworkingwithchildren.

2. Whatisyourfavoritecolor? Iloveturquoise!

3. Whatisyourfavoriteanimal? Dogsaremyfavorite.

4. Howmanyyearshaveyoubeenanaide? Ihavebeenanaidefor26years!

5. Doyouhaveanychildren? Yes,Ihaveonedaughter.

6. Howoldisshe?

Sheis32yearsold.

7.Whatisyourfavoritefood?

Ilovepasta!

Know Mrs. H!

ByAlaMutluandSheridanThompson

8. Whatisyourfavoriteholiday? Christmasismyfavoriteholiday.

Whatisyourfavoritepartofbeinganaide? Gettingtoworkwithdifferentteachers.

WhydidyoudecidetoruntheMMSgarden? IwantedtoeducatestudentsaboutMotherEarth. 11. Whatisyourdreamvacation? Anytropicalbeachwouldbeamazing. 12.Whatgradewasyourfavoritewhenyouwereachild? Iloved4thgradebecauseIlovedmyteacher. 13.Whatwasyourfavoritesubjectinschool? Sciencewasmyfavoritesubject.

isyourfavoritesong? HarvestMoonbyNeilYoung

By Irene Kim

ByYuna Cho

Are We Late?

By Gia Han

THE END

The Worst Birthday

By Abigail Hwang

Mila woke up. She could not wait! Her birthday was today. She was so excited for her birthday. But then she felt a little sick. Her mom came in.

“Mom, I feel sick,” said Mila. “But I don’t want to cancel my birthday party.”

Her mom felt her. “Sorry, sweetie. You are sick. You are hot. Let’s see your temperature.” Her mom came back with a thermometer. “Oh! You have a fever. I am sorry. You can’t have your birthday party.”

“But mom, please! I was so excited for this. It is my birthday!”

“I know. But I promise we will have your birthday party when you are better.” Mila knew her mom was right. She stayed in bed and tried to sleep. She was sad she did not go to school to see her friends. She was sad she was not having her birthday party. She was sad she was feeling sick. She fell asleep dreaming of being better and having the best birthday party ever.

Favorite Animal at MMS

By Leyah Berger, Zoe Burlison, Madelyn Scianna and Olivia Lee

Do you have a favorite animal? There are so many animals to choose from. We decided to ask all students at Merritt School which animal is their favorite. They could choose between a dog, cat, panda, turtle or horse. Not surprising, but the winner was a dog. A dog was the favorite by over 50%! We may have expected it to win but not by that much. More surprising was that the number two spot went to turtles! Turtles were the favorite animal for 16% of students. Third place went to pandas with 14% and then cats with 13.6%. Last was a horse which was the favorite of only 4% of students. We are sure that students at MMS love all animals and may have chosen another favorite from the choices they were given. Dogs may have still won. Let’s not forget they are man’s best friend.

By Leyah Berger

Book Review

By Zoe Burlison

Title: It’s My Party And I Don’t Want To Go

Author: Amanda Panitch

Genre: Fictional Chapter Book

What the book is about:

Ellie Katz dreads her upcoming bat mitzvah, a large event that triggers her social anxiety. With her best friend Zoe, she hatches a plan to sabotage the celebration through increasingly extreme measures, like hacking the DJ and starting a food fight. Ellie's plan gets ruined, which leads to a fight with Zoe and unintended consequences. The novel deals with the universal experience of growing up, the struggles of social anxiety, and the importance of friendship and family.

Why others should read it:

Others should read it because it shows a story about friendship. It shows a healthy and realistic friendship between Ellie and her best friend, Zoe. The story highlights the importance of cooperation, forgiveness, and working through mistakes in a friendship.

My review:

This is a good book for kids in the middle grades like 3rd - 5th grade. It helped me a lot when I related it to real life. It helped me become less shy, and I got closer to my friends because in the book it shows how Ellie gets closer and stronger friends with Zoe. The book also helped me with social anxiety, and now whenever I overcome a social anxiety fear I think back to the book. So my review is that I loved it and definitely recommend you to stop by the library and check out the book.

Stars:

The Weird Camping Trip

By Jian Nam

Interview with

Mrs. Mamary is one of our amazing first grade teachers. Many of you probably had her as a teacher. Do you think you know all about her? Let’s see how much you know.

1. How many students do you teach? I have 21 students this year.

2. What made you be a teacher? I wanted to help children learn.

3. What is your favorite food? Sushi is my favorite food.

4. Where is your favorite place to go? Florida is my favorite place.

5. Do you have any kids? If yes, how many and how old?

I have 2 kids One is 5 years old and the other is 1.

6. What is your favorite sport? I love soccer the most.

7. Where is your dream place to visit? Italy is my dream place.

8. What is your favorite song?

Right now I love the song Golden by KPop Demon Hunters.

9. What is your favorite movie? My favorite movie is Moana.

Mrs. Mamary

Song: Gnarly

By Leyah Berger

Artists: KATSEYE

Song Review

Genre: Dance Music

What the song is about:

The song is about how the one word gnarly can mean many different things. Some things can be cool (good gnarly) or gross (bad gnarly). For example, fried chicken can be amazing or maybe yucky to someone.

Why I like this song:

I like this song because it has a nice beat and it's a catchy song. I love to dance to it.

The Little Lost Panda

By Gia Han

One day there was a girl named Sophia. One cold morning, Sophia built a snowman. It was as white as a puffy cloud. After she built the snowman, she got carrots to put on the snowman.It was getting darker, and the moon was big and bright like a shooting star in the sky. So Sophia went inside and drank hot cocoa. When she was getting ready for bed, she brushed her teeth, took a bath, read a book and wore her pajamas. Sophia finally got tucked into her cozy bed and her mom and dad hugged her and soon she fell asleep. In the very early morning, a panda came along and started climbing on the snowman that Sophia made! Sophia woke up and ran downstairs for breakfast. When Sophia’s mom yelled, “Aaaaa!” Sophia ran to the yard very, very quickly and when she saw the panda. She screamed, “Aaaaa!” Her mom shouted, “There is a panda climbing Sophia’s snowman!” “Where?” asked Sophia’s dad. And then seeing it, Sophia’s dad screamed, “Aaaaa!” too. They all went into the backyard and surrounded the snowman and the panda. They yelled, “Panda, go away! Panda, go away now! Panda, go away!” Sophia thought it was a baby panda so she didn't want to scare the baby panda. The panda did not go away so Sophia’s dad called the animal rescue. A bit later, the animal rescue team came to Sophia’s house. They checked the panda and said that the panda might have lost its mother. One of them said, “I am going to bring this cute panda to a good place to stay until it knows how to do things by itself.” The team gently moved the panda in their truck. Sophia’s family was waving at the truck as it drove off and the panda waved back.

By Myra Kocacal

Fall

By: Jian Nam and Sheridan Thompson

Crispy and cool weather in fall

The sturdiest trees look very tall

Orange and red and yellow leaves

Are gracefully falling from the trees

My dad is raking up the leaves

Falling free from the tallest trees

Student-Teacher Debate Which Food is Better? vs.

Pizza

I think pizza is so much better than hamburgers! It is better because it is cheesy. It is also easy to eat. You can add meatballs if you want.The crust on pizza is so good. You can also make pizza. It is easy to make. The best reason pizza is better is because pizza is so delicious! I can’t wait to eat pizza again!

- Abigail Hwang

Hamburgers

I think hamburgers are better than pizza! Hamburgers are so easy to eat. Hamburgers are good for you. You can add cheese to your hamburger. The cheese is yummy! You can also eat fries with your hamburger. I think hamburgers are so delicious and are better than pizza. I love hamburgers!

Ms. Serafin

By Abigail Hwang

The Missing Dog

By Sheridan Thompson

Dinggggggg donnnnng. “Hi, I'm here to take care of Sophie,” said the lady. “I brought you a present,” she exclaimed. Sophie opened the present. “WOW! It’s a big fat fluffy puffy DOG!” Sophie shouted. “I love it! Can I keep it?”

“No,” the babysitter replied. “But we can play with her!”

“Ok. I want to go to the park,”said Sophie. “Ok,” the babysitter said. “But do you want to bring the dog or no, Sophie?”

“Yes, can we please bring him because I want to walk him?”

“Ok! Let’s go and walk to the park.” Sophie was so happy walking with the cute dog. She liked how

later, Sophie yelled, “Wow! This is awesome. Hey, I want to go on the slide to go play!” Sophie tied the dog to a bench and went on the slide. A little bit later, she came back. “Uh oh! The dog is missing! Let’s look…under the slide. Nope! Under that car. Noooo! He is nowhere to be found! Maybe we should go home and put up posters of him.”

“Good idea,” the babysitter said. Five minutes later they went back to the house and Sophie said, “Let’s go in the house. We can make posters and then go back to the park to put them up. I really hope we can find that dog! I am so sorry I lost him!” CLICK! The door opened slowly. “Sophie? We’re here in the kitchen and look what we have… the dog!” Sophie’s parents exclaimed. “Yay! I was so nervous I lost him. Thank you very much for coming back home, Ruff!”

Aaron’s Hit

By Ian Cho

By Myra Kocacal

The Bad Birthday

By Ala Mutlu

Today was my birthday.I know most kids are excited. Well, I was not. I wanted my parents to be there for my birthday. They had to go for a visit to my grandpa because he is super sick, and I do not have my passport so I cannot go. And tonight they are going! I wish they were here for my birthday. I sighed.

”Ellie, it's time for school”! My mom shouted from the kitchen. I did not want to go to school. ”Ok.” I shouted back. I went to my closet and dressed up. I still was sad that my parents were leaving for my birthday and the day. I sat at the kitchen table still feeling sad about my parents leaving.

”Why are you so sad?” my dad asked.

”You guys are leaving today, and it is my birthday. Who am I going to stay with?” I asked. "You will stay with your friend Lily.”

”Ok.” I said still feeling so sad.

“Get your coat. It is time to go to school.”Mom said. I put on my coat and hopped in the car seat. All the way to school I was really sad. I hopped out of car and walked to my class. I sat in my seat, and I was still so sad about my parents. I could not stop thinking about it.

RING! The end of the school day. I was not looking forward to going home. I got out of my seat and walked to the car. As soon as I got home I laid in my bed.

“Sweetie, we’re going now.” I went to the door and said goodbye. My heart broke as I heard the door close. I went to my bed and closed my eyes and before I knew it I was asleep. I opened my eyes, and it was a miracle.

”MOM! DAD!!!” I shouted. I hugged them so tight. ”But you are going to grandpa’s, no?

”Well, he got better so we brought him here.” Mom said. Grandpa walked into the room.”Grandpa!”I shouted. I ran to hug him. This turned out to be the best birthday ever.

Chapter One

It was a sunny day and Max’s dad wanted to take him on his first fishin trip. So he went inside and asked his son i he wanted to o on a fishin trip. “Do you want to o on your first fishin trip?” asked Max’s dad.

“Do I have to o?” whined Max. He, who on the other end was always ettin upset and whinin when he had to do thin s.

“I don’t care. We are oin because I want to take you on a fishin trip,” Max’s dad said as his voice calmed down. Max finally a reed and then went upstairs in his bedroom to et his thin s to o on his first fishin trip which he was not happy about at all.

“Hurry up and come downstairs because we want to o be ore it ets dark,” his dad said as he ot in the car and waited or Max to et outside. I’msoexcitedtoshow mysonmyoldfishin boat romwhenIwasakidlike him, his dad thou ht to himsel . Ishouldtakemysonon myboatmoreotenandIcan’tbelievethisishisfirst time.Whydidn’tItakehimwhenhewasyoun er?Max’s dad questioned to himsel .

Now Max has been inside or a while so his dad started to et worried. He called inside the house, “Are you comin ?”

“I’m comin ,” shouted Max. His dad knew he was stallin , and he was scared. So he decided to try and calm him down. Max ot in the car and his dad saw his hands turnin into fists, and they were sweaty. His dad on the car ride there asked Max i and why he is scared.

Chapter Two

They talked about what Max was scared o and ound out that he was scared o him flippin the boat over, and he did not know how to paddle. His dad knew what it was like to eel like that because he elt the same way on his first time oin fishin , and Max’s rand ather probably elt the same way too.

“How about I tell you a unny story,” said Max’s ather as he came up with a plan. “Ok, this story is about me and your rand ather so it is a true story,” he said calmly.

‘Tell me ather,” insisted Max.

“ Your rand ather took me fishin or the first time and I did not know how to paddle like you so your randpa did it and the boat flipped over. But don’t you worry my son because we were wearin li e vests. That is why I told you to wear one, or your sa ety,” his dad said with lau hter about the past. He also told his son that the fish don’t want to eat humans because they are more a raid o us than we are a raid o them. “So are you ready to o now?” asked Max’s dad.

“Yes I am,” Max said proudly. Finally they ot to the dock, and Max was amazed at his dad’s boat. They ot in the boat and athered all the thin s they needed or the trip.

Chapter Three

To ether they shouted “ 3, 2, 1… Let's o!” and Max’s dad took the anchor out o the round. He took out their fishin rods to catch some fish. Max tried to paddle but was havin a hard time. So his dad paddled the boat. Meanwhile, Max ound out that fishin and bein on a boat was really un, and he was really ood at findin fish. The boat suddenly be an to shake and Max ot scared but quickly put on his li e vest.

“Is everythin ok?” asked Max scared that somethin was oin to happen like the boat mi ht flip over or break apart.

“Don’t worry! Even i it does flip over, remember the story and how it ended up to be ok,” Max’s dad said as he was tryin to strai hten out the boat. Suddenly a fish swam under the boat and the boat shook more and more which worried them more and more.

“Wow! Look what I did!” Max said proudly. “I cau ht a fish.” But at the same time, WHOOSH! The boat flipped upside down, and everythin ell out o the boat. Max and his dad went flyin into the water. Thank ully, the fish were scared and swam away to their homes.

“Max!” shouted his ather to make sure he was ok.

“Dad,” Max shouted back. They were all ok, and Max suddenly elt like he would drown even thou h he was wearin his li e vest. He swam over to his dad as ast as he could and ave his ather a bi hu , and his heart stopped poundin and he now elt sa e with his ather.

Chapter Four

They swam to the shore and made sure to et as many o their thin s as they could carry. They said oodbye to the boat, and when they ot to the shore they sat down and ot fishin rods and uess what? They started to catch more fish. They realized that Max was not ood at paddlin the boat but that did not mean that he could not o fishin anymore. So they fished rom the shore. Max cau ht lots o fish or dinner.

They headed home and showed the fish they cau ht to Max’s mother. “Did you have un?” asked his ather because he wanted to know i he should take his son more o ten.

“That was the best day o my li e because it was with you, and I want to o fishin every day. Let’s set the table to ether,” said Max to his dad, and that is what they did. Then Max walked over to his mom and helped her et the fish he cau ht ready or dinner. “Now can we eat,” exclaimed Max.

“Yeah! I think it is time to eat the fish,” said Max’s dad. A ter they finished eatin , they ot in bed and until Max ell asleep all he could think about was how he really overcame one o his ears. He elt sad because the day was over, but he also elt proud o himsel because he went on his first fishin trip.

By Abigail Hwang

Getting to

How many of you had Mrs. Brueck in Second Grade? For those that had her and for those that did not, it is time to get to know more about her! Let’s go!

1. Whydidyoudecidetobecomeateacher? Ialwayslikedschoolandplayedschoolallthetime.

2. Howlonghaveyoubeenteaching? Ilovebeinga2ndgradeteacher.I’vetaught2ndgrade for21years.

3. Whatisthebestthingaboutteaching? It’schallengingtofigureouthowtoteachsomeone, butIfeelproudafterwards.

4. Whatisyourfavoritebook? Charlotte’sWeb-agiftfrommy3rdgradeteachers.

5. Whatwasyourfavoritesubjectinschool? Math!It’sfun!

6. Whatisyourfavoriteseason? Fallbecauseithascolorfultreesandapples.

7.Whatisyourfavoritekindofdog? Pugsaremyfavoritedog.

………Mrs. Bliss!

Know Mrs. Brueck!

ByGiaHanandJianNam

8. Whatisyourfavoriteicecream? Chocolatechipmintandvanilla withrainbow sprinkles.

9. Whatisyourfavoriteholiday? IloveThanksgivingwithallthe foodandtheparade.Also, Christmas.Ilovetodecorate thetreeandgivegifts.

10.Whataresomeofyourhobbies? Ilovetoreadandbake.

11. Whatisyourfavoriteplacetovisit? MyrtleBeach,SouthCarolina.Ihavemanyfamily memoriesthere.

12.Whatwasyourfavoritesubjectasachild? Ilovedreadingandspelling.

13.Doyouplayamusicalinstrument? No,Icannotplayamusicalinstrument.

Home Alone

By Irene Kim

Once there was a dog named Pinky. She loved to eat toilet paper. One day, Pinky’s owner went to a party. She forgot that she left Pinky home alone. She remembered that last year Pinky went crazy. This year was the same. Pinky was home alone and was bored. She walked around the house trying to find something to play with. Then she saw it. TOILET PAPER! She grabbed it and started to play with it. She pulled it and ran into the kitchen. She ripped and bit it into a million pieces. Then she saw the baby’s toys and started biting those too. When the owner came home, she was so surprised. “Oh PINKY!” she yelled. She went to the doctor with Pinky. Pinky needed surgery to get the paper out. Everything went ok and Pinky was ok too. And they lived happily ever after. No more toilet paper for Pinky!

The Haunted House

By Sheridan Thompson

“Boo!”shouted Makayla. “Ahhhhhhh!” screamed the three other girls, Ava, Maya and Mia. “Let’s go in that haunted house,’’ Makayla said. “ NO!” Ava yelled. “Look at it,” Maya and Ava said. “There are cobwebs and spiders and dust everywhere! It's just so gross!” Maya said. “Yeah! We should just continue our trick or treating. We got a lot of candy, but we can get even more,’’ Mia added. “Well…I'M GOING IN AND THAT IS THAT!” Makayla exclaimed. Makayla went in slowly as her friends waited outside. Makayla looked around. “WOW! It's so fancy in here. Then why is it so ugly on the outside?” she wondered. Just then a picture fell down from the wall. The room went silent. Makayla ran to the living room to check what was going on. “He- hello?” Makayla called out in a quiet voice. Just then a deep scary voice screeched, “Why are you here?” But Makayla was too scared to answer, so she ran out of the house to go tell her friends the crazy thing that happened.

As she ran out of the haunted house, her friends saw her and asked, “WHAT , WHAT HAPPENED???” “Guys, we got to go now to my house,” Makayla demanded. They ran quickly with thumping footsteps. When they reached Makayla’s house, they quickly ran up the stairs to go to her bedroom. When they got in, Makayla told them all about what happened in the haunted house. The friends said, “Wow! That is crazy! So spooky!”

As they were talking and talking, they realized that it was 1am! So, they would not have enough time to go back and trick or treat. They ended up having a sleepover. When they woke in the morning, they went to eat all the candy they had gotten the night before. Later, they went out to go bike riding, but Makayla realized she left her phone at the haunted house. They knew they would have to go back there to get it. So now, they started running toward the haunted house. They were shaking as they got to the house. Makayla said, “I am not going back in there alone so one of you guys has to come with me.” Ava said, “Fine. I will go with you.” Mia

exclaimed, “Whew! Thank God!” Makayla then said, “Ok, let’s go now.” They took little steps as they walked into the haunted house. There on the little table in the hallway was her phone. It seemed so close to them but yet so far away! Makayla quickly ran with what felt like ages and grabbed her phone. As she was running back, she tripped. BOOM! Ava ran to help her but then as they started back to the door, they both tripped. That is when they realized they were stepping on skeletons. “Aaaahhhh!” they both screamed. They did not bother to look what kind of skeletons were there. They just ran as fast as they could out of that house. That was the scariest adventure they ever experienced.

Mud

Chapter 1: Outside

It was a rainy spring day. Sadly, Chloe was staring out the window longing to go outside. “Mommy? Can I go outside?” Chloe asked desperately. Her mom went to look out the window. “Not with this weather,” her mom replied. Chloe was a three year old girl with short curly blond hair and blue eyes. That moment she felt anger bubbling up inside of her and at last she exploded. “ I want to go outside!!!!” she screamed. “NO!” her mom screamed back.

“MMMMMMM!” Chloe stormed off to her bedroom and slammed the door. She screamed, “But Sissy got to go outside with her friends.”

“That’s different!” her mother called from the first floor, “Charlie was walking to her friend’s house!” her mom added. About 2 minutes later her mom came in and said, “Alright…in a few minutes we can go outside. It will clear up soon.” Chloe jumped up off her bed.

“YAY!!” Chloe screamed. “I’ll go get your stuff,” her mom said. Chloe was grinning ear to ear. “Thank you, Mommy!!” Chloe called after her. NOw her mom was grinning.

Chapter 2: Mudded

She ran outside and ran to the trampoline. “Oh nooo,” Chloe whined at the sight of the trampoline. Her family’s trampoline had mud, water, dirt and things Chloe did not want to know.

“Honey, no trampoline today.” her mom said to Chloe with fake sympathy.

“I WANT TO GO ON THE TRAMPOLINE!!!” Chloe yelled. “Hmmph. Fine, but please be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Chloe squealed with delight. “YAS!” Chloe screamed.

“Soon my own child is going to break my eardrums,” Chloe’s mom muttered under her breath. Suddenly, Chloe’s mom heard a thump and a scream.

Chapter 3: The Hospital

Chloe’s mom rushed over to the trampoline. “MOMMY! My arm hurts!” Chloe whimpered. “Try lifting your arm,” her mom ordered.

“NO! My arm hurts too much!”

“Try lifting your arm!!” her mother screamed. “NOoo!” Chloe wailed. Pretty soon, the two girls heard sirens coming to their house after Chloe’s mom called 9-1-1.

“Ma’am, is this your house?” the ambulance driver asked.

“Yes,” Chloe’s mom replied.

“And is this your daughter?”

Her mother sighed. “Unfortunately, yes.” “Okay,” the driver said. “Honey, does your arm hurt?” Chloe nodded sadly. “We are going to put a CAST on your arm. Do you know what a cast is?” Chloe shook her head. “Casts are fun. We’ll show you at the hospital.” Chloe gave the driver a big thumbs up. “OK. Let’s go!! Ohand by the way, my name is Steve.” Chloe smiled.

“I love the name Steve,” Chloe said as her whole face turned crimson red. Steve turned around. “Thank you!”

Chapter 4: The Doctor

“Do you want some candy sweetie, or some chocolate milk?” the nurse asked. “Can I have both?” Chloe asked desperately. The nurse said, “Of course.”

“Don’t be greedy,” Chloe’s mom scolded. “No, it’s okay,” the nurse said sweetly. She walked out of the room to get the candy and chocolate milk.

“Honey! You just made more work for the kind nurse!” exclaimed Chloe’s mother.

“But the nurse said it was fine!” As she said this, Chloe threw up her hands and winced at the pain.

Chloe’s mom rushed over to the chair that Chloe was sitting in.

“Sweetie! Don’t move your arms! The arm WILL became worse.”

“OK,” Chloe reluctantly said. Right then, the nurse came in holding the “food” on a tray.

“Here honey,” the nurse said as she placed the tray on Chloe’s lap.

“Yum, yum!” Chloe exclaimed at the sight of food. After the two girls got home, she cried so hard and her arm hurt so much.

“Thank you so much, doctor,” her mom said on the phone in the background. “Honey, you did so good. I will email your school and tell them. You will be back in no time.”

The Two Bunnies’ Adventure

By Jian Nam

Once upon a time in Bunnycute Villa e, there were two bunnies named Strawberry and Man o.They were best riends. They had a lot in common like they liked to dance, eat,and sin . But un ortunately, they were not so talented. One day, Strawberry and Man o decided to o on a secret trip without their moms knowin ! So that ni ht at 12:00am,they snuck out o their house. As planned, they met at Lilymut Street. “Man o, I ot the train ticket.”Strawberry whispered. “Great!!” Man o shouted. ”Oops!” Man o whispered. They ran to the train station just in case people woke up. ”Here you o!” Man o said as she handed the ticket to the ticket man. ”Thank you,” the ticket man replied .”Huh?Theticket man’svoiceisreally amiliar.” Strawberry thou ht. BEEP! “Excuse the interruption. Train number 5 is oin to leave in five minutes, thank you.”

”Quick! Let's hurry up!” Strawberry shouted. They ran to the train and ot a spot. BEEP! “The next stop is Bawaii, Bunny Island.

” Wait!” Man o said.”We didn’t even discuss where we are oin !” “Let's just o to Bawaii." Strawberry answered. ”Okay!” Man o a reed. They ot off the train and ot in a taxi. ”What a ood day, ma’am,” said the taxi driver. “No offense, but you sound just like my mom!” Strawberry said. “Because I am your mom!” The taxi driver burst into lau hter. ”I was spyin on you all the time! I was also the ticket man too!” Strawberry elt like sinkin down on her bed and cryin her eyes out." But that means I have to o home!” “I discussed this with Man o’s mom and she said you uys can keep oin on your trip.” “ YAAAAAAAYYYYY!!!” The two best riends shouted in happiness. They went to a very luxurious hotel and ate man o pizza and strawberry pizza. They admitted that it was the best day ever in their lives. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The alarm ran . ”Huh?” Man o mumbled while rubbin her eyes. ”That was a dream? But it elt so real!” Man o rabbed her phone and called Strawberry in a rush. Strawberry said she had the same dream! Was it real or not? It was le t as a mystery between them. They are still livin in Bunnycute Villa e, keepin their secret all to themselves.