My mouth waters as the smell of pretzels fills my nose. My stomach growls quietly like a cat meeting a stranger. The moisty air around me hugs me like a cuddly teddy bear. I feel super uncomfortable when my sweat has nowhere to escape. It sounds like being in jail for the first time in an entire life. The floor is so slippery wet that it feels like a million groups of fry swimming around me. When I look down all I can see is stairs and fog. I gulp down the thought of an endless maze and begin to hike down the mountain.

I stop to hear my heart bump rapidly like the speed of a cheetah catching its prey. I really want to turn into an eagle so I can just dive down. I’m just halfway down the mountain! I can’t believe just 45 minutes have  passed by; I guess time flies when you’re having fun until you find out what time it is. All of a sudden my cousin cries like a mouse but can’t control her emotion; she bursts at all her stress through tears. I have to admit, I am surprised to see my cousin cry in public. My aunt asks me if I want to stay, and rest too, but somehow the yes comes out with a no. I don’t want to get embarrassed, I guess, so I take the hiking stick from my cousin and keep on hiking down. Now I am an old lady who needs a “cane” in order to walk.

After a few minutes fly pass, I actually start to think if I have reached my limits. Should I stop at the next rest point? Questions pop into my head like the speed of popcorn cooking. The closer I get the louder I can hear water gushing down; it cools down my head from all those questions that make my head explode. It’s like I’m in a horror movie. A curious person like me always wants to know what is going on. I need to survive this journey to tell my tales to the people I know, or maybe even strangers.

At first I think it is some kind of river, but I live and learn it is a waterfall. The three step waterfall of course got that name because it takes three steps to touch the bottom.  The waterfall is so tall it reaches to outer space. People these days are more adventure first and then safety second. There are so many people who try to climb and touch the waterfall; they’re a bunch of daredevils. When I’m about to get my phone and film the waterfall, I realize my grandpa has the phone, and he is with my cousin. Now I wish I can time travel back in time to get my phone. My leg is shaking so fast it could actually make a hurricane, but luckily it didn’t, or I will be to blame if they find out.

In summary, mountain hiking is a stressful experience, but there is a mixture of emotion that I will cherish. From this experience I learn a lot; life is a mystery, like the time when my cousin cries all of a sudden. After all, if there’s no pain, there’s no gain.

-Jessica Ren

My First Kid’s Class

He tied the belt around me and pulled three times, hard. I was wearing a gi, a kind of white robe used for jiu jitsu. It was an amazing feeling. Well, I mean figuratively… The gi was sweaty and a weird, irregular shape, but it felt gratifying to be trying something I’d never done before and making progress.

When we got onto the mats we started by lining up by belt. The highest belts were in the front, and the lowest in the back, so I was in the back because I had only just started jiu-jitsu. Now it was time for the dreaded warm-ups. We started by jogging around the mats, rolling and sneaking on the floor and other basic moves. Then it was time for the best part, learning new moves. We all lined up on the crisp, rigid mats listening to the explanation. The professors were demonstrating a takedown called “Tackle the Giant,” which was a way to efficiently take down someone bigger than you. Following that, we put it into practice. As I got to the front of the line, I felt a strange mix of anticipation and timidity. I was so excited to be advancing my hobby but nervous for what the professors might think or how I would do.

“C’mon up!” Bruno (one of my professors) said in his lively, thick Brazilian accent.  I rose to my feet and scrambled towards him. “Go ahead,” he prompted.

“OK.” I pushed my body into his hips and locked my hands onto the back of his knees. I pulled with all of my capacity. He fell to the floor and smacked the ground. He tapped me twice. This meant “let go.” I released.

“Nice work!” he declared. I was content, for it felt satisfactory to try something new and succeed. Now I got to spar with the other professors, getting new feedback everytime. After we’d done this about three times, the moves changing a small bit every time, something new added each time. The moves felt fluid and powerful. I felt responsible and empowered with this knowledge and skill, but I’d felt like this before.

About a week earlier, I had a private lesson with my instructor, Richie. He had taught us a move that could seriously injure someone. He had said to us, “I am trusting you with the responsibility of knowing this move. I want you to be very careful with this knowledge; if one person moves a weird way, one of you could be seriously injured.” I had felt a huge wave of responsibility and empowerment in that moment. It was an intense statement, something that you aren’t told just every day. Aside from feeling intimidated by this, I appreciated a sense of happiness, power and trust.

The class was coming to an end, and it was both a satisfactory and bitter moment. It was such a wondrous feeling to work hard, go far and succeed, and especially in only one hour. I was also quite pleased about the fact that we got to get burgers and shakes after. But at the same time, it was sad to leave, and I didn’t want to depart with the feeling of growth, empowerment and happiness.

In conclusion, jiu jitsu is a life-changing, empowering sport. After trying jiu-jitsu, I changed in an amazing way, and if more people tried jiu-jitsu, the world would be a safer, happier place. Will you try jiu-jitsu?

-Nora Whiteside

A Nervous Night at the Concert

I could not wait for it…I could not wait for it any longer. I felt like there were 48 hours in a full day in November. At last I got through it. On the day of the concert, the clock stalled as if it were broken; I was just sitting there.

          My family and I raced into the car. I was so nervous. I felt like I didn't want to go on stage. I felt optimistic that our rehearsals were great. The trombone stood ready. I was ready to go onstage.

I was so excited for the concert; I knew the rehearsals were great. But once I got in the car I was nervous and stressed. But I would not let these feelings take advantage of me. The left side of my brain was telling me,  “Don't go on stage!”  My bones felt as hard as a rock; I felt like I was touched by Medusa but said to myself, “I need to have courage." I told myself, “I am nervous, but I am going on anyway.”

I glanced at the quiet chair next to me. Upon it sat quietly a trombone all alone. No, no one was holding it. Its player seemed to have left it all alone. I then wondered about what the band leader must be thinking; what if she was gripped by nerves also? What if the child who played that trombone beside me just took off, wasn't going to show up, abandoned the concert? What would she do? What if Jim accidentally whacked the sax player in the back of the head with the trombone slide? What if Susie accidentally poked Janice in the eye with a violin bow? What if Sally fell off the stage? What was the leader thinking? If any of this happens what would the parents think? What would the principal do to her? What would be the remedy for nervousness now? More courage?

As things began to settle down, the director told all of the children to smile, and with all the charm of a Kim Jong-Un, she firmly enforced the joy. Then, almost like a pitcher on the mound with a 3-2 count, she lined up her skirt, picked on her blouse, her necklace, motioned her hand as if to crack her knuckles and raised her baton. Well, things are now moving so quickly, maybe the only answer for me straightaway is just one big deep breath….Ahhh! “We are all in it together,” I told myself and felt a little better. I am glad the conductor is keeping herself together.

It was about to begin. Fourth grade was the first group to play. I drew in another big deep breath, which happened to help. I reminded myself how much I practiced and the kind words of encouragement of my teacher and my family. I no longer felt Medusa’s touch. I was loosening up. The band conductor raised her baton, and we played our first piece. I was no longer afraid. I felt like all the practice paid off. I felt more confident. I guess courage is essential while confidence is something else and can grow with practice.

Oh yes, about the fellow who left his trombone alone on his seat. He returned. When the chorus was singing he sat on his trombone. It cracked! See how nervousness gets people to get into awful situations like that? Upon reflection, when one develops a skill, he may unexpectedly learn other skills that he can apply to other areas in life. It seems so important for us to control nervousness whether onstage, in front of many strangers or beside small groups of people we know. One way to stop nervousness is through confidence developed by practice, calling on courage, or maybe just a simple deep breath. And remember, if we happen to be in a group, we are all in it together.

-Michael Pontisakos

Athleticism is an important skill that not everyone has and can be a crucial skill in an emergency.  In an imaginary world, let’s say that there is evil coming after you, and only you.  You have no one to help you escape or survive… you’re on your own.  All of a sudden, you’re being chased, but you are athletic.  You could keep running non-stop and your legs wouldn’t get tired; you could jump over a knocked down garbage can, then climb up a fire escape.  You open the door, sprint through the hallway and strafe left to right avoiding others.  Until you notice you're running right into his trap.  He's standing right in front of you, waiting.  Although you have agility, you stop on a dime and turn around. You turn again into an empty closet and he runs right by you without a glance. You hear him go down the stairs and you run, like the speed of light, and down the stairs on the opposite side of the building in a flash and hide in the crowd at the door.  Without athleticism in the situation, you would have been “dead meat.”  You wouldn’t want to be caught after 30 seconds of running, would you?

Jason Pierre-Paul is a NFL player who blew his finger off in an accident with a firework.  Now he uses his athletic ability to still play defensive tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  The injury occured in 2016.  In 2017 he came back strong with eight sacks, five points defended, and 48 total tackles.  Pierre-Paul took advantage of his athletic ability and used it to continue thriving in the NFL.

Less than 2% of people who played an NCAA level spot in college go pro, but athleticism opens up many other job opportunities as well.  You could be a police officer to stop the “evil” in that situation.  You could be a firefighter using your athletic ability to quickly put out and save people in a fire.  You could be a fitness trainer at a gym and help others stay fit like you, or you could be a physical education teacher and inform the youth on how to stay healthy.

If you’re athletic, try playing a sport!  For example, you move to a new school, but you are on the school baseball team.  Since you play baseball, you already know ten people and won’t feel as alone during the transition.  Also, 55.5% of high schoolers play a sport, and playing a sport is also a good way to spend time with old friends.  Sports are a great way to blow off steam, relax, and have a lot of fun!  After you are done with a practice, you can have a friend over to hang out.  During a sport - baseball for example - you get to spend time with friends and new people in the dugout!

Overall, athleticism is an important skill to possess.  It can save people, or give them a new hobby. Sports can bring people together; about three out of four adults played sports when they were younger, and it gives them memories that last a lifetime.  Do you want to create that bond with your friends and family? Try playing a sport!

-Micah Vennard

Everybody encounters things that he or she must deal with throughout his or her life. The eminent thing is that I am able to find a way to work through those strenuous times or difficult situations. Through my own experience, I discovered a skill that sincerely helped me with continuously hauling myself through hard times and getting me back on my feet. This skill that I uncovered is called perseverance. Perseverance helps me to keep trying to do better. It guides me to keep progressing past whatever it is that is holding me back. Perseverance helps me allow the difficult times to shape who I am and accept that they are there to help me grow and change. It has always tremendously helped me push myself to be the best that I can be. Personally, I have encountered many circumstances and experiences in which perseverance was essential. In my experience, perseverance is a fundamental part of openly discovering who you are and bettering yourself as a person.

From a young age, I immensely aspired to learn how to ride a bicycle. It was a small part of this scary and fascinatingly undiscovered territory. I told my mother how badly I utterly desired to make this happen. One day she brought me to the store so that I could pick out my first bicycle. There were more bicycles than I had ever imagined. There were so many diverse colors and sizes; I was wildly overwhelmed. Out of the hundreds of bicycles on the rack, one bicycle stood prominently to me. It was reflecting brightly with a glistening pink with neon green stripes and had a small brown woven basket on the front. The moment I had seen it, I immediately recognized that this was the one. I was ecstatic to bring home a brand new bicycle whose tires smelled of rubber and tire cleaner. This was the fun part, enjoyably picking out a girly bicycle with pretty colors that had holographic ribbons delicately draped over the handlebars. Soon followed the hard part, learning to ride the bicycle.

My mother and I brought my new bike outside; it lightly smelled of rain on the pavement of a hot summer day. The air felt warm and damp. My mom hesitantly lowered the seat and held the bike up as I got on. I slowly began to pedal. The sound of the tires clicking fascinated me.  Wow, this isn't so bad, I thought to myself. My mother thoughtfully asked me if I was ready for her to let go. Of course, I said yes, I was ready. Before I even got the chance to pedal once more, my bike unsteadily tipped right over. I was suddenly devastated. It was a good thing my mother invested in knee and elbow pads.  Although I was a bit shaken, I was determined to try again. And again. And again. My mother was there supporting me through it each time I fell, and each time I got back up. 
            I began disappointingly telling her how I would never be able to do it without falling, that it was a waste of time. But without even knowing it, I was doing it all on my own. I was steadily pedaling and balancing and talking all at once. When I put my feet down on the ground to stop myself and quickly turned around to find my mother tensely walking behind me, I couldn't believe what I saw. I had actually done it. I suppose all of that falling paid off. My mother was so proud of me. But more importantly, I was proud of myself. I had achieved my goal of riding a bike. It was not easy, but I had done it. Every time I fell, with a fair amount of encouragement, I got back up. Yes, my knees were scraped, and yes, I had a helmet head, but I could ride a bicycle, which is more than I could say the previous day. I could ride a bicycle.

Perseverance is a skill that is greatly going to help me through all of my life and has already vastly helped me get through so much. As said by Julie Andrews, “Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.”  I may fall a million more times, metaphorically speaking of course. Maybe literally, every once in a while. But I will get back up, every time. Because I know I can. And I know that I need to.

-Maya Sweeney

Skiing, just the word brings me back to the tall snowy mountains with the cold crisp air and coming down to the sizzling cocoa, speeding down the steep black diamonds.   But it wasn’t always like that. Before the skill came the anxiety and the face full of snow. It is hard to imagine that the elite skier was once that bad of a skier.

I stepped out of the car and faced the white-capped mountain. The cold crisp air blew at my face, whispering in my ear and blowing the wisps of my tied back hair all over the place, messing up my sleek ponytail. I walked to the lodge and read the sign “Maple Ski Ridge.” “Maya,” my mom called, snapping me out of the trance. “Come here and I will help you put your boots on." I walked over and watched the boots be strapped tightly onto my feet. I strapped on my plum purple jacket and pulled up my purple and white snow pants, and my mom stuck my helmet on my head, making me feel like a little bobblehead. 

I clung nervously to my mom. “I don’t want to ski,” I whined, “I am gonna fall!” 

“Even if you do you will get right back up and continue down the hill,” she insisted.

“Can I just go skiing with you?” I asked my parents.

“If you wanna ski up there,” my dad said, gesturing to a huge hill with a chair lift strung up the side. It was monstrous. My jaw dropped, and I put on my skis and walked to the bunny hill. It was supposed to be a little kids’ hill, but to me, it looked huge, staring at me, the trees casting an ominous shadow.  My mom signed me in, giving me more time to worry and more time to stare at this hill; as I watched, a kid fell and sprayed snow everywhere. That’s gonna be me, I thought.  I gulped down a scream. I did not know it then, but I was awaiting my unknown passion.

The ski instructor looked at me. He asked me my name. “Maya Grace Shoemaker,” I squeaked. He took our little group to the rope tow.  After what seemed like hours of the skis on my feet, crisscrossing and making me stumble back up the hill, I made it to the rope tow. I watched as he taught us to grab the rope and have it pull us all the way up the hill. I grabbed on, and with a sudden jolt, I was yanked up the hill.  Halfway up my ski popped off; I looked back and tried to reach it, but I was too far. I speculated on what to do, but before my little brain could figure it out I was at the top; I watched hesitantly, wondering if I should try to get it. My instructor grabbed it in the knick of time and delivered it back to me.  I fastened it on, and he taught us how to maneuver down the hill.

I tried to start but fell;  I could not even get up. I tried and tried again until he decided to help. “ Sit on your butt and move your skis to the side,” he boomed; I did and stood up. Halfway down the hill I finally started to get it until a little bulldozer smacked into my back, causing me to fall and slide down the hill. I was helped up at the bottom but sent the girl a death glare. “Let’s have a little break,” the instructor said. I was just a little too happy; we got some hot chocolate and then went back out.

“That was only like a five-minute break,” I argued.

“Yeah well, you are here to learn to ski,” he retaliated. We went back up the mountain so I could wipe out a couple more times, and I was completely used to the taste of snow since I had landed on my face so many times. I was cold and tired and bored. I remember telling my mom I would never do it again, but I showed up the next week, then the week after that, and even the week after that. After many more bruises and lessons and begging to skip, there were fewer bruises and more looking forward to skiing. 

I still can’t believe I didn’t want to ski. This memory was so important probably because now I can’t imagine not skiing. That first day there was anxiety, and now all I can think about in the summer, fall, and spring is how much I want to ski. I guess that’s how it is sometimes with passions; you never know you have one until you do it.

-Maya Shoemaker

Have you ever ran a 5k or a whole marathon? Are you in school and recently ran the mile? There are millions of people who have. Running is known by a lot of people, and it is done by a lot of people. But a lot of people also don’t run for many reasons; some aren’t physically capable, some are too busy, and some are just lazy. Running is the concept of moving but at a fast pace. But more people should start running, including you.

Running has many benefits. It improves your overall health. Studies have shown that running increases your good cholesterol, increases your immune system, and decreases your chance of getting blood clots. If you are a woman, running decreases your chances of getting breast cancer and strokes. Over two dozen studies have shown that women who exercise have a thirty to forty percent lower chance of getting breast cancer. If you have early-stage diabetes, HPB, or osteoporosis, running is for you, and it decreases your chance of getting heart attacks and heart diseases. A study conducted in 2013 states that higher levels of physical activity reduced the risk of coronary heart disease by twenty-one percent in men and twenty-nine percent in women. Running also helps lose weight and burn calories, and running is one of the best ways to do that.

Running helps with memory. In a study done at the University of British Columbia, researchers have found that repeated aerobic exercise boosts the size of the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that deals with verbal memory. Also, old people should run (unless they aren’t able to) because it slows your mental descent. Finally, the American Heart Association says if you run 150 minutes a week it will help keep your blood pressure in the good area.

Running helps with cardiovascular endurance. The more someone runs the longer they can run, and the faster they can run. How that happens is when you run more your heart can become stronger. So your heart can pump more blood to your lungs, and you will get more blood and oxygen in your muscles, which you need in order to run.

Running slows down your aging. It doesn’t slow down your physical aging, but it does slow down your biological aging. Biological aging refers to the telomeres that protect your chromosomes. But as you get older those telomeres get shorter, which is aging. When you run, or exercise in general, it lengthens the amount of time it takes for your telomeres to get smaller, but if you want to slow the process down a lot you have to run a lot, no pain no gain. Larry Tucker from Brigham Young University studied people who run/exercise at least thirty to forty minutes a day five days a week and people who don’t run/exercise that much. The people with high exercise had a nine-year difference in biological age than people who don’t exercise that much.

Running has many benefits, physically like improving your cardiovascular endurance and mentally like improving your memory. More people have started running over the years. Some people run because it’s fun, some people run for the benefits, some people run because they have to. But no matter why you run you will still get the benefits it brings. It doesn’t matter if you have barely run since school or if you are in school. Get out there and just run.

-Sai Settipalli

Do you have someone with whom you can be absolutely honest?  Someone whom you can show your true self?  A family member, a lover, a friend… or even something inanimate, like an instrument?  Many people have this advantage and blessing, but there are people out there that lack all this fortune. I’m lucky to have both family and friends.  But I also have the piano, and I’ve got to admit, the piano helps me the most out of everything.  It wasn’t always easy with the piano, as with everything else, but I managed to overcome one of the highest turning points, which obviously changed my life since then.

When I was younger, perhaps around the ages six to eleven, piano was the one thing I despised, along with swimming.  I mean, I still despise swimming, but that’s different because I’ll never learn how to love swimming.  I dreaded the suspension that lead up to the moment where I had to play the piano.  It was probably the one time during the day that just destroyed it.  Piano destroyed my Saturdays, in particular.  I have piano lessons once a week on Saturdays.  Now I have a 50 minute lesson,  but when I was younger, I only had 30 minutes.  My sisters and I would play at Mrs. Jennifer's house, our teacher, and she would give us pointers and what we can do to improve one thing and keep doing something else.  She’d also assign us new music we’d have to practice in a week’s time. 

Thanks to her, I learned that I hate the slow, complicated, hand-tangling songs, such as Debussy and Bach.  I also learned that I love the fast, emotional ones, such as Mendelssohn.  Mozart, along with Beethoven, are the kind of guys who are really strict with their notes and beats.  They’re not very carefree like a ballerina, but more like a marching band.  I’m not saying that a ballerina can’t dance to their music.  Actually, I don’t believe I ever even saw anyone dance to a classical; that’s probably just because I’m not interested in dancing.  Anyways, Mozart is softer than Beethoven, so Mozart is closer to my liking than Beethoven.  Mendelssohn is faster and has a lot of sixteenth notes in the music, but you can slow down and speed up whenever you want.  You can also pound the keyboards, making it sound like an elephant was walking on the piano and five seconds later be as quiet as a mouse.  But he’s not as free as Chopin.  He is known as the “Poet of the piano.”  After all, when you hear someone play him, it sounds like a poem.  All tangled up with notes and rhythms you don’t understand, but once you untangle the ropes, you slowly understand the meaning behind his music.  His music is really powerful and passionate.  All you have to do is grab a bowl of ice cream, sit down on your couch, turn on your TV and put the volume low, put on a drama, grab your speaker, and play some Chopin.  I don’t know about you, but secretly, I’m an oversize baby that cries when watching both dramatic movies and other people crying… I swear, crying is just as contagious as yawning.

 Mrs. Jennifer announced one day that we had a concert coming up.  I was currently playing two jazz pieces, so my new assignment was to memorize them.  I’ve got to say, out of every step you have to take to learn a piece, memorizing is the worst out of all.  There are sections that I know really well, so there’s no problem in memorizing those.  But, there are places that I don’t know quite that well, causing me to sit at the piano, playing the same section over and over and over until I feel like my fingers will just break off.  The concert was about to come up, and I still didn’t have my pieces fully memorized.  However, as everyone knows, time doesn’t wait for you, so if you’re behind, you’ve got to pick it up.  That’s exactly what I did, and it really paid off in the end.  The concert finally came up, I had my pieces memorized, yet I still did not feel ready.  I did have my pieces memorized and such, but I believe that no one is ever ready.  They may have the confidence to do something well, but to be ready is imaginary, in my opinion.  I was placed to play second to last.  My oldest sister, Irene, was going to play after me, putting her last.  To be 100% honest, I was sweating like a pig, which isn’t that pleasant to imagine.  Everyone else was playing so beautifully, so it obviously intimidated me.  I was going to look like a five-year-old’s drawing next to “The Kiss” by Picasso.  But, alas, it was my turn to play. 

You know that feeling you get when you are taking a Biology test that you absolutely forgot to study for and you get to a question where you don’t even understand half of the words mentioned?  I feel like everyone has experienced this at some point, and it’s a really unpleasant feeling.  That was me at the concert.  My brain felt like it was going to tear apart, but at the same time, it felt like it was shrinking to the point that it would disappear.  That’s bad, because either way, with a brain split in two or no brain at all, you can’t play your piece, let alone live.  I don’t know how I survived, or how I even got to the piano without falling on my face, but the next thing I knew, I was sitting on the stool, my fingers ready in pace.  At that point, I completely blacked out.  This always happens to me when I’m put under the spotlight.  I can’t really explain how I felt in that moment, because to be honest, I didn’t feel anything at all.  I did take a deep breath, which helped a ton!  I could just feel all the stress being released along with the CO₂.  That’s when my hands started playing instantly, before I even got comfortable.  It was like an imaginary puppeteer was pulling on my strings, and I had no control of my hands.  I did make a few mistakes, but technically, I had no control over myself, so the fault lies on the invisible source controlling me, as bizarre as that sounds.  Most people in this part would be describing their feelings and how they poured their whole heart into the piece, but that wasn’t me.  I did add dynamics to the pieces, but I didn’t feel that liberty of manipulating and changing the song to my own satisfaction.  That’s why it felt like I wasn’t playing the piano, because in that moment, it didn’t sound like me.  I guess you could say that I was disappointed in myself for not achieving my highest potential.  But it was all over just like that, and I remember this wave of relief just hitting me.  I quickly did a small bow and then scurried to my seat, ending my performance for sure.

Piano is a something that I am so lucky and fortunate to have and to be able to use.  Piano doesn’t just benefit you academically, but also mentally.  I read in a few articles on the web that people who play an instrument actually have it easier in math, memorizing and finding any patterns.  I never feel ready for anything, and when put under the spotlight, it makes it all worse.  There are two types of people who are put under pressure, the type who does well and brushes it off as if it’s nothing and me, the type who procrastinates over it and just wants to bail out of everything.  Most of the time, you’d see me completely just trip over myself as I try to perform my best, but this incident was different.  It wasn’t me that was playing.  I don’t know how to explain it, but the feeling, if there was any, and the manner I played,  was similar to something else.  I was the sweating pig, and the demolished brain.  What I wasn’t were the hands and the rush of feelings.  
           I guess I learned a lot from this invisible source.  I learned that the piano isn’t something I should take for granted.  Yes, there’ll be times I’ll mess up and get frustrated and just become a boiling pot of water, but as long as I get over it and achieve my goals, it’ll all be worth it.

-Agata Montanini

Why do people create art? Many do it for various reasons. For example, some people do it to earn money, and others do it for fun or as a hobby. I personally do it as a hobby. Sometimes I draw because I’m bored; other times I may be drawing because I’m upset. I draw when I’m bored simply because it’s fun. I draw when I’m upset because I found it easier to show than tell. I started drawing when I was in second grade. I typically drew animals and nature. I liked to draw flowers, cats, dogs and more. As I got older I focused more on my drawing, like making improvements, focusing on details, and making longer projects. In my art class, we did different art projects using oil pastels, watercolors, and acrylic paint.

We walked down the hall, our footsteps echoing against the walls. The teacher was leading us to the art room, and when we were there my classmates and I shuffled in, the teacher heading back to her class. We walked to our seats and sat down. After we sat in our seats our art teacher announced we were going to draw a close up of a lily. She called out each table to get a piece of white construction paper that was 16’’ by 12’’ and then go back to their seats.

After everyone was done, she told us to gather around the table she was sitting at. She was demonstrating how to draw the outline of the petals and the middle part of the flower with crayons, and when she was done, we went back to our seats to try it on our own. We could also choose any color we liked; I chose pink. After everyone was done, the teacher told us to color the background, and the color had to be a little darker than the petals. Before we knew it, class ended, and my classmates and I had to head to our next one.

We had art again two days later. As we got to class, I noticed cups of paint and water cans on the tables. She told us to gather around the table she was sitting at. She had a plastic film and her finished drawing of a lily. She told us to put the film on top of the drawing and paint on the film with the colors we chose. She was also demonstrating to us how to blend the paint to create darker or lighter shades of that color. After we were done, she said to paint the background, and when we finished, she put the wet painting on a drying rack. After we got to have free time and color whatever we liked.

A few weeks later my family and I received a letter that my project got second place in an art contest at a museum for young artists in the district. We went to the museum to see my art piece and the others. When we got to the section with my piece, I saw that the plastic film was stapled on the construction paper with the painted side down. I also saw that my friend got first place. Later at school I congratulated my friend on getting first place.

The reason I create art is because it’s fun, and I do it as a hobby, though others may do it for other reasons. When I get older I wish to improve on my skills and draw with a wider variation. I wish to improve not only my talent but also my creativity.

-Emily Zhong

Have you even been so nervous that you were shaking? I was, when I did NYSSMA on my violin for the first time. I had been playing violin for nearly three years, and even though I had been stressing and preparing for this for several months, and I knew it didn’t really matter, I just couldn’t shake my nerves as I got out of the car.

I shivered as a chilly breeze raised goosebumps on my arms, my dress not offering much warmth. Clutching my violin close to my chest,  I kept my eyes on the doors in front of me, and my heart started to race as they grew closer. I hesitated as my mother opened the doors to the school, taking a moment before I stepped in. As soon as we entered, a woman sitting behind a table greeted us. She was younger, and I figured that she was a highschool student, based on the way the shirt with “VOLUNTEER” written in block letters across it was hanging loose on her shoulders. She quickly explained that I first needed to go to the gym to warm up, and how to get there. Arriving in the stuffy gym did little to ease my apprehension. It was crowded and loud, tons of people all practicing their songs. I could almost feel the nervous energy hanging in the air. I pulled my violin out of its case before tuning the strings and putting rosin on my bow. My mother hovered nearby as I put my violin on my shoulder and drew the bow across the strings before going through my scales and song a couple of times. I didn’t feel ready yet, but I diminished my worry as I packed away my instrument and vacated the gym.

A few minutes later, I sat in front of the woman who was about to listen to me. She composed herself with an intimidating posture, and if she meant to or not, I was unsure. She towered above me, her jewelry dangling from her wrists and neck. And I could see her short, brown hair beginning to gray. Although she did seem okay and had tried to make jokes upon seeing how tense I was. I was feeling a bit better by the time she asked for me to start playing. I drew in a breath, my heart pounding as I raised my violin. Gingerly, I drew the first notes over the strings while trying to control my shaking hands. It seemed to last forever as the bow danced over the strings, even though it couldn’t have been more than a minute. Finally, I dropped my arm, and still clutching the bow, I let out the breath I realized I had been holding. I had been subconsciously watching the woman as she had vigorously scribbled down notes on my performance, and now she looked down at me over her glasses. My insides churned, unsure if I should be relieved or terrified. Glancing at her notes once more, she stood up.

¨Thank you,¨ she said, putting her notes on the desk. Nodding, she opened the door for me, both of us stepping out. I let my eyes wander as the woman and my mom conferred, watching the others walking into rooms or waiting anxiously in the hallway. I wondered if they were as nervous as me, although most of them seemed relaxed. They held themselves with a confident posture; chins jutted out while they leaned against the wall, idly scanning the crowd. They looked older, though, and I assumed they had been here before. I did notice others, too, that weren’t as composed. One young girl had her viola tucked under her arm, and she cowered near her father.  At last, my mother finished talking with the judge, and we said goodbye, starting off to find our way out of the school.

¨How was it?¨ My mom asked as we walked through the parking lot.  Shrugging my shoulders, I simply muttered that it was fine. After my heart rate returned to normal, I realized I was glad I did it. I think that challenging yourself is necessary, and it’s the only way you can learn things and grow as a person.

-Ava Vitali

Have you ever played an instrument? Do you want to learn, but you don't  know where to start? Here are some things you can do to start out learning the flute. Knowing tips and tricks can be handy when you are an aspiring flutist.

The first thing to start out with is assembling your instrument. Putting together an instrument when you don't know how can be hard. Here's how you do it.  Start by holding the medium length piece; this piece is called the head joint. Then take the longest piece; this piece is called the body. Attach the head joint to the top of the body. Twist it so that the hole in the head joint is aligned with the middle of the keys. Make sure it´s aligned with the side with more keys, not the side with a scarce amount. Next, take the shortest piece, called the foot, and connect it to the already assembled head joint and body. Make sure the rod holding all the keys on the foot is lined up with the middle of the keys on the body. If you´ve done all the steps correctly so far, you should have a constructed flute!

The next step is to learn how to flawlessly hold the flute. First, place your left hand. Starting from the top, skip the first key, putting your index finger on the second key. Then skip another key and put your middle finger on the fourth key. Place the rest of your fingers on the following keys: ring finger on the fifth key, pinky on the sixth key; the sixth key is the key that is jutting out a little. Put your thumb on the back of the flute with it on the fourth key from the top.  You will notice that when you press it, the key underneath it will also go down. Now you've placed your left hand. Next you have to position your right hand. Skip two keys after your left hand, and place your index finger on the third key. This key is also the ninth key from the top. Position the remaining fingers on the following keys: middle finger on tenth key from the top, ring finger on the eleventh key and pinky on the twelfth. The pinky key looks a little different from the other keys. It also is on the foot instead of the body.  Your thumb will go on the backside of the flute, where there are no keys. Now you´ve planted your right hand and are successfully holding the flute. Almost all fingerings are combinations of the keys that you are pressing right now. This is also how you should hold your flute in rest position, or when you are not playing.

The third step is to learn how to blow air into your flute.  Rest the middle of your mouth on the middle of the hole. Then roll the flute back away from yourself, so the hole is parallel to your mouth, and blow. For low notes, blow softly. For high notes, blow hard. Practice making sounds that are loud, soft, high, and low.

The fourth step is to learn about a staff. The staff has four spaces and five lines, where notes go. Notes can also go off the staff. There are a few different parts of a staff you should know about. First is the key signature. The key signature is the part of the staff that tells you what notes should be flat, sharp and natural. It is located to the left area of the staff. To the key signature’s right is the time signature. This tells you how many beats are there per measure. The time signature is a fraction. The final part of the staff is the clef. It is located to the left of the key signature. There are two clefs, the bass clef and treble clef. The flute plays on the treble clef.

The final thing to learn is notes. Notes are put on the staff, on either a space or on a line. Each note has a letter name from A to G, then it starts at A again. Notes also have what are called chromatics. There are three different chromatics: sharps, naturals, and flats. Each one has a little symbol that is written in front of the note. These are the most important things to know while starting.

Knowing the basics is very important when playing the flute,  so keep practicing until you get the hang of the basics. Understanding what to do and where to start is essential. Definitely give playing the flute a shot, and most importantly, enjoy it. Have fun!

-Trivika Komatireddy

There was cardboard, tape, wood dowels, and a hot glue gun. Drawing on the cardboard, cutting shapes, glueing dowels to cardboard, then taping all around it, I made my first cardboard sword.

I’ve made a couple of swords since then, but my favorite is still my first one. The first sword I made was based off of the video game The Legend Of Zelda. In that game there is a sword called the Master Sword. I really love The Legend Of Zelda, and I wanted to make the Master Sword. The sword has taken some battle damages from playing with it. One thing was the handguards; the handguards started to fall of because  they weren't built well. I just ripped them off, replacing them with a different type of handguard. Now the sword is not the Master Sword, so I renamed it the Time Sword.

All the swords I’ve made have names; I wanted them to have names of elemental factors like a video game. I’ve made seven swords/daggers. I’ve named all the swords/daggers so far as The Fire Cleaver, The Water Katana, The Earth Longsword, The Time Sword, The Light Short Sword, The Dark Dagger, and The Poison Knife.

I think I will do things to make these swords look better, and they’re pretty cool ideas. The only thing is I don't know when I should do them. With The Time Sword I want to build it out of wood and paint over it. With the other swords I think I will do the same things. But I think with The Water Sword I’ll make the blade out of something clear. With the Light Sword, something with lights. So many things I can do to make them look fantastic; I just have to think about how to do them.

Building these swords is so amazing.  When I finish I’m always proud of myself. But they don’t always end up like I wanted them to be. It's always a surprise of what they’re going to look like at the end. I think you should try to make cardboard swords too; they’re so cool to have.

-Phillip Ramos

Have you ever wanted to flip and twist upside down ten feet in the air? If so, tumbling is the thing for you. Tumbling is unusual because when you were born, you didn’t come into the world to tumble; it is weird for your body to be flipping upside down while constantly punching your feet into the floor.

Tumbling is acrobatics, flipping and twisting your body over and over again. While your tumbling you have to punch your feet into the ground. You have to do this to get off the ground. To be good at tumbling you have to have a lot of strength and flexibility. You need to be strong to hold yourself up when you're upside on your hands. You have to be flexible so the tumbling looks good. The strength and flexibility come as you tumble more and more.

The levels of tumbling vary from different sports. In cheerleading, there are seven levels. In gymnastics, there are ten levels. Same skills, just sectioned differently. In cheerleading, there are seven levels. The lowest level is level one. It has back walkovers, front walkovers, handstands, forward rolls, backward rolls, and cartwheels. The highest level is level seven. There are double fulls, flips in stunts, and a lot of other crazy things as well. In gymnastics, there are ten levels. The lowest level being level one and the highest being level ten. In level one, the skills are 3/4 handstand, cartwheel, backward roll, forward roll, and split jump with 30-degree leg separation. Some of the hardest skills on level ten are Arabian double fronts, double layouts, and more.

Tumbling is scored differently for different sports. For cheerleading, if you don’t land your tumbling at a competition, it is .25 off your score for the whole team. For gymnasts, if they don’t land their tumbling pass the deductions are worth .5 points. At a cheerleading competition the tumbling is also based off of how good it looks. The tumbling technique score is out of five. Gymnastics is also like it too, but it is out of ten. For gymnasts, if they don’t stick their skill, they get up to .3 off of their score. Gymnastics tumbling scoring is much harsher than cheerleading scoring. If gymnasts have their arms bent, it’s a deduction. If their legs are a little bit apart, they get a deduction.

All in all, tumbling is unusual because of all the crazy things tumblers do. Tumbling has many different levels and different ways of scoring it. It is never too late to start tumbling.

-Riley Messier

Speedrunning is a mess. It's the dirty work for someone who looks up “Super Mario Odyssey All Moons% World Record Speedrun” (a ten hour long marathon of playing Mario). Speedrunning is where you try to beat a game as fast as you possibly can from start to finish. Your one goal is to beat your own best time. It's a precise and unforgiving hobby. Sure, it's exhausting, but it really pays off. It feels so good when you finally beat your fastest personal time. This is Speedrunning.

“So. What games do you speedrun?” you ask. Well, I do a lot of games, but the game I always go back and run through is Super Mario 64 (I shorten the name to SM64). It is often considered one of the greatest games of all time, and it really shows. Fantastic visuals for the time, memorable stages, and a soundtrack that to this day is still legendary. It's possible you have even played this game before, as it came out in 1996.

There are categories for games in speedrunning; different ways to beat it. You have five standard categories: zero stars, one star, 16 stars, 70 stars, and 120 stars. The one category I do in SM64 is 16 stars. It’s quick at a maximum time of 30 minutes, the perfect length. 16 stars means you have to beat the game with 16 stars. So I'll sit down, do a run, and when I obtain a personal best, meaning I got a faster run than the fastest run I had done previous to that, I post it on Youtube for the populace to see. Then I post the video to a website called SPEEDRUN.COM (I capitalize SPEEDRUN.COM because that's how everyone refers to it). On that website, it categorizes runs into a leaderboard where you can see who has the world record. Over 500 different people have submitted runs to the SM64 16 star category. I place somewhere around 390 to 410th place (I haven’t checked the leaderboards in a while, so I don't know my exact place). My fastest time is 25:05; impressive considering I only started in December of last year (2017).

 If there’s one thing I’ve learned from speedrunning, it’s that speedrunning is a real process. You get tired, angry, but you feel the need to do better. You get angry after you have done the same level 300 times in a row and have not gotten better at it. But once you get better and faster at it after all of those attempts, you feel like the world is at peace. You feel you are at peace with yourself. It gives a pretty long lasting amount of dopamine. Of course though, there are the less relaxing moments of speedrunning.

Most people say that air traffic control is the hardest, most stressful job ever. But in reality, it's the second most intense job, with the first being speedrunning. After a while of speedrunning, you don’t need to beat the game, you need to PERFECT the game. One missed jump in a normal gaming session (where you’re not speedrunning) would be no problem. But in speedrunning it’s catastrophic. The world record holder for 16 star in SM64 is Weegee14 (that's his username; no one knows what his real name is). HE made a living off of playing that one game really well. He got his name out there all for the low low price of free. He once said that every second counts in a run, and he is so right. One missed jump could mean the loss of several seconds, which is awful. Anymore than that would mean a reset (where you restart the game completely) for me. Of course though, the more intense parts are toward the end.

Picture this. You just got to the end of a 30 minute marathon of SM64. You are on personal best pace. You haven't had a run like this in months. You pop out of the pipe, emerging from the ground (as Mario) on an epic battlefield hundreds of miles in the sky. The sky is dark. Slowly from the shadows, Bowser emerges, anger in his face, from the shadows of the dark stormy clouds behind you, laughing menacingly. It’s raining hard. This is the final fight. You can't mess up. Everything needs to be perfect. You run and dash and dive over and seize Bowser by the tail and swing him into one of the bombs on the battlefield. It makes a menacing explosion as Bowser growls in agonizing pain from being thrown into a bomb. You rinse and repeat again. One more throw to go. Then, even just for a second, everything is silent as Bowser lifts himself off the ground. But that moment is suddenly crushed as you feel a slow rumble beneath your feet. The stage slowly crumples away into a star pattern. You are so close. You’re over 30 seconds ahead of your personal best.

Now obviously, none of what I described is real. You're not really in Super Mario 64. You're sitting in a room with a very sweaty game controller in your hands. You feel this though. This kind of immersion you wouldn’t feel in a normal casual playthrough of a game. In a casual playthrough of the game, if you die you can just retry until you get it right. But that doesn’t exist in speedrunning. You mess up once, you restart all the way back at the beginning. Your run is on the line. “You can't mess up. You won't mess up,” you tell yourself. Two different things could happen. In one case, you throw Bowser straight into the bomb. He flies back onto the playing field due to the explosion. Kaboom! You've done it. You beat the game. You grab the final star and end the game. You press the timer button you had next to you to time the run. 32 seconds ahead of your PB. You jump up and down as if people were throwing you into the air in excitement as Mario flies off the stage (using a wing cap) and the credits roll. But then there's the other case. You throw Bowser- and you miss. Bowser gets back up. You just lost the chance to beat your personal best. You are angry. You walk away, curse, or maybe even throw the controller at the wall.

          I don't throw controllers at the wall anymore for two reasons. One was once I was watching someone play a game online, and they lost and got real angry. They threw their controller at the wall and the controller just SHATTERED into pieces, and that made him even angrier. The other time I was playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe online. I was in first place. So close to the finish line, and then I got hit by a blue shell. I came in sixth. I threw that controller at the wall, and by that I mean I THREW that thing with some real force. Unfortunately, this one was one of those controllers. Built like a tank. Needless to say, it dented the wall. Anyway, that's the kind of intensity a run puts you through. It’s an edge-of-seat-experience. Losing a run makes you feel awful. It’s the game kicking you in the back. You get angry. But then, when you finally complete a run that beats your personal best, it makes you feel like you’re on top of the world.

And that's my experience with speedrunning, and why speedrunning is important to me. I love to speedrun so much because, like I said earlier, speedrunning gets you invested and excited. It is really competitive, and it makes me happy. That burst of dopamine from completing a run is exciting, and that feeling doesn't go away fast. It gives you energy to keep going because you know you will eventually beat your record. But most of all, I feel Speedrunning is important because anyone can do it for free, and if they practice enough, they can break records, make a name for themselves, and even get paid a little, all for free, like Weegee14 did. In tennis or football, it’s so unlikely you will ever make it to the big leagues. And in order to get into some matches, you have to pay. But that is non-existent with speedrunning. That is why speedrunning is so important, and therefore my special and unusual hobby. I still think that speedrunning is a mess, but so what? It’s fun!

-Enzo McLauchlin

You probably have a computer. Maybe you have a laptop. Maybe you have a desktop. But have you ever wondered how these computers work? Well, if the answer is yes, then you're in luck.

With a computer, there are many different components. Without one, your computer probably would not work. Let's start with the thing that holds your computer together.

The first part is the motherboard. I compare this to a heart because it gives power and commands to all of the other components. Without a motherboard, your computer would just be a pile of components inside a case. None of the components would communicate with each other. Almost none of the components would omit power. Your components simply would not function.

If we have a heart, we have to have a brain. The next component is the Central Processing Unit, or CPU. The CPU, as I said, is like a brain to the computer. It sends the motherboard all of the commands. It makes sure that all the components know what they are doing at any specific time. Without your CPU, your computer wouldn't be able to do anything. None of the parts would have anything to do.

Next we have either the graphics card (GPU) or integrated graphics (APU.) These components are what cause the images that appear on your screen. They are also the most important part for gaming. A good graphics card can enhance your gaming experience.  GPUs and APUs are a little different though. An APU is built into your CPU. These are usually not very powerful. This makes sense because they have to share resources with another part, and they are small. A graphics card is kind of like a big card. It has at least one fan, and it is normally one of the biggest components. These can get very powerful, especially compared to APU's. However, recent APU's have been getting better. They are able to run some games at medium settings 1080p. A good example is the Ryzen 5 2400G. This has an APU that is semi-capable of gaming. What I mean by this is it can run games at 1080p low-medium settings. That is graphics units.

Next up we have the memory, or RAM. This is what holds all the tasks that are currently happening. The minimum you should have today is 4GB (gigabytes), but 8GB is recommended. The RAM stores tasks that are happening, like web browsing or gaming. It also stores some aspects of your operating system. Just remember this: RAM is short term memory.

Next we have storage. This is where your files are when you are not using them. There are hard drives, or HDDs, and there are solid state drives, or SSDs. Hard drives are much slower, but you can buy mass amounts of storage like 1TB (1 terabyte = 1000 gigabytes). SSDs are much faster, but the price reflects that. You can buy a 1TB hard drive for about the same price as a 128GB SSD. There are two different types of SSDs. There are M.2 and SATA. Hard drives are based on SATA too, but the drive itself is much slower. M.2 SSDs are the fastest storage type out right now. They are directly connected to your motherboard. SATA SSDs are connected to your motherboard using a SATA cable, which is slower. So to sum it up, there are SATA HDDs, SATA SSDs, and M.2 SSDs.

Next we have the power supply. This is your battery in a laptop. In a desktop, this is what is plugged into the wall. It is a box with wires going to your motherboard and components. It sends power to everything, maybe not directly, but it does. Most of the components get power through the motherboard, which gets its power from here.

Next we have the CPU cooler. Our graphics cards need cooling, and so do our CPUs. This is the job of the CPU cooler. It’s there to prevent your CPU from overheating. It simply keeps your computer from exploding.

Another part is the case. This is actually not necessary. Your computer doesn't need this to operate, but they are always included with pre-builts, and they make your computer easier to turn on and plug peripherals such as a mouse, keyboard, and webcam into (there are other examples). Think of it like the back of your phone. If it isn't there, it's just a motherboard attached to a screen. So it's pretty important.

          Next we have monitors. These are what you see your images on. This is not an internal component, but it's an important one. Without this, you could not see what's going on with your system. With a monitor, there are three main specifications: resolution, refresh rate, and response time.

First we have resolution, or res. This is how many pixels are displayed on your screen. The more pixels you have, the better your image is going to look. Right now, the standard is 1080p (or 1920x1080 pixels). The current high end is 4k (3840x2160 pixels). The mid range is 1440p (2560x1440 pixels). The higher the resolution gets, the harder it is to run your operating system and applications.

Refresh rate is how many times in a second your screen refreshes. The higher the number, the smoother the image. The current standard is 60 hertz (Hertz can be shortened to hz). The mid range is 144hz. Effective high end is 288hz. It's harder to run your operating system at higher refresh rates.

Then we have response time. This is how fast your monitor changes compared to when you send a new command (move mouse, type on keyboard, etc.). The current standard is 1ms. This is also the current high end. Some monitors have a higher than six ms response time, but not many. This mainly depends on your monitor and cable, not your computer.

Finally, we have your keyboard and mouse. These are what you use to control everything in your operating system. With a mouse, you move your cursor. With a keyboard, you type letters and characters into your operating system. With that being said, let's talk about what your operating system is.

There are three main OSs. They are Windows (by Microsoft), MacOS (by Apple), and Linux (by Linus Torvalds.) There's a good chance that you have heard of at least Windows and MacOS. The OS is what all of your apps and programs run on. Without the OS, you would be stuck with your UEFI, or BIOS.

The BIOS is built into your motherboard. The BIOS is where you can make your computer run faster. This requires extra power. This is called overclocking. Overclocking your system requires better cooling and a better power supply. It may be worth it for some, but definitely not all. Overclocking can void your warranty, so be careful. Overclocking is definitely not a necessity.

Finally for software, we have programs. This could be something like Chrome and Fortnite. It could be CMD (command prompt). It doesn't matter. Anything that runs on your OS is a program. Everybody uses programs. Think of programs as a mini operating system. They each function for a different purpose.

Between all of these components, your computer can function the way you want it to. Of course, computers keep getting better, but the core components will stay the same for a long, long time.

-Isaiah Kushner

Have you ever felt like everything in a moment depends on you? The pressure of a crowd of people watching you, waiting for you to mess up or succeed. Chills going up your spine because you know that you could blow it for everyone else. That’s how I feel running to the goal and stopping anyone in my path.

The game was on a soggy field that sprayed dirt everytime you sprinted. It was the last game of the season, and my first year on a real school team. The game had just started, and Coach put me on left defense to start. I would be in charge of Burnt Hills’ strong side. We lost the coin toss, so they had possession of the ball. This meant all eyes on the defense right away. Of course, with our luck they drove the ball straight down the field. We stopped it easily, but it gave them a huge head start. I ran back to defend the goal; if they got past our center defense I would be there. Them having the ball made me really nervous; it was a thrill, though. The feeling made adrenaline rush through me. Our team had a flawless season, undefeated with no goals scored against us. I didn’t want to mess that up.

Two goals were scored by halftime. That put us in a comfortable position. As a defender I got to play up the field, almost a midfielder. It was far more laid back; we were all talking on the sidelines, making up silly cheers. We even had a circle of air dribbling, when you pass the ball with a scoop or a flick. Basically everyone was super carefree. We celebrated the end of the season with a great win. I remember at the end we all ran to Sofia, the goalie, and had a big group hug. It really made us feel like a team. I felt bitter about the day. It was the end for these people I considered my friends, but it was also a sweet feeling because we had won a fair game.

This day was so important to me because it made me feel intense and confident in myself. That’s why I like field hockey. You’re a part of a team. It creates so much more than just the sport. These memories I make with other people change the way I looked at a sport.

-Makenna Fahsel

What do you think when I say Lego? Do you think of those little Lego guys with those faces that just stare into your soul? Or those times you were stepping on one of those bright red 2x4 pieces, just before landing into a bucket full of them? Maybe, but they have a purpose more than causing pain to your foot, or just the company attempting to make money. They are here because they are very important to your life. I know what you’re thinking, Duh. Lego doesn't save your life! It's a painful experience! That statement is WRONG. It has more value than what you think. Lego comes in different kinds of forms: Normal Lego, Lego Duplo, and Lego Technic. They represent the three important features of Lego.

 Duplo is great for the little ones because Duplo increases child development. The Duplo pieces are a lot bigger and brighter than the usual Lego pieces so that the little ones don't choke on them. There are different sets that have bright designs that the kids could enjoy, like an airport, a number train (which helps with counting), and a box filled with a variety of different styled Duplo blocks. This builds the child's creativity by creating stories with the blocks and Duplo people, creates goals when they start stacking towers, and predicting outcomes for when the tower knocks over. It’s very enjoyable to see a child developing his/her early mind with Duplo.

Normal Lego and Lego Technic increase brain power much more than Duplo because the toddler grew up into a kid. Kids can improve their creativity, develop problem solving, and work in three dimensions using Lego. I recommend you start out with the smaller Lego sets like the junior, and when they get older you can go and build the other sets. Technic takes increasing brain power for little kids to a whole other level. Technic uses interconnectable rods, parts, gears, and most importantly wheels (no wonder they call it the “studdless build”). The Technic theme has vehicles like excavators, trucks, and race cars.  Lego Technic requires motors in order to work and look awesome. This can help develop teens’ brains with motor skills, communication, and logic thinking. I have one Lego theme which is technically related to technic: Mindstorm. Mindstorm requires a lot of lines of code on a NXT Intelligent Brick (the main computer system of the mindstorm theme) in order to do anything.  Programs can be run on Mac and OS, and they provide a visual programming language for writing out simple lines of code and downloading them into the Intelligent Brick. It's a very complicated system of programming, but it improves communication and critical thinking.

Lego has more purpose than just increasing young minds. It’s also fun! Lego comes in so many themes, sets, and pieces. It has Ninjago, Ghostbusters, Lego Classic, Minecraft, and Lego Classic. It has big pieces, small pieces, long pieces, short pieces, red ones, blue ones, and the list just goes on and on; the amount of combinations is bigger than the molecules in the entire universe!

Lego can increase your brain power and is not a waste of time/money. Even schools recommend Lego to students. It can help your children become great thinkers and the youth become great builders. Now I want to ask you a question, what delivers more pain: Stepping on a Lego, or teaching your kids without Lego? One causes more impact on your life than the other.

-Griffin Elmore

YOU, yes, you!  Have you ever found something so cool, so amazing, so, you?  Something you like, no, LOVE, something you can see in your mind all the time, something you just need?  That’s how a collection starts.

A collection is something you take interest in, like, let’s say seashells.  You think they’re cool, so you might have a shelf filled with different seashells.  Maybe one’s from your Grandma’s home on the beach.  Maybe ones from your trip to the beach. Whatever it is, or however much you like that special ‘thing’, that’s what your collection is about.  Mine, however, is pigs.

Why would I collect pigs?  What’s so special about them?  Well, really, I don’t know. Whatsoever.  I started collecting pigs when I was really young.  I collected them because I thought they were interesting, but then it turned into more than just a few pigs.  And as any typical collection, when people notice it, they give you more of that something.

Usually on Christmas is when I would get more pig-related things.  But sometimes I’d get them from vacation, some from traveling, and even some from my (close) friends’ trips.  But that happens with any collection.  It turns from you collecting that “thing” personally, to your close friends and family getting them for you whenever they see it.  When people see something related to your collection, they think of you.  For me, whenever my close friends see a pig keychain,  they’d get it for me and say, “Zach, I thought of you when I saw this!” So then I thank them, maybe give them a hug, and put on a happy smile. That might just be the fastest way to grow your collection.

My collection has turned out to be very big.  If you give yours a few years’ time it too will grow big.  In total I’ve collected over 40 pig related items; most are gifts from others.  The best thing about collections, or at least in my opinion, is showing off the collection.  When it grows really big and grand, that’s when it gets interesting.  So when you have a lot of that thing,  you can show how many of that thing you have, how many different ones; there’s really limitless possibilities.

Why I chose pigs to collect is still a mystery to anyone, even me.  But, collecting special “somethings” can be a big part in your life.  Like how I collect pigs is a big story to tell.  But a collection isn’t just about telling stories of how you started collecting that special something, or what and where you’ve collected that thing.  It’s about what you think of your collection.

-Zachary Dumlao

Have you ever been in a contest? If you have, then do you recall all those feelings you had before and after? Nervousness is something we all have encountered, and if we pay attention, we can gain more experience on how to deal with it.

Every year my parents make me or my sister enter the art contest at the Dutchess County Fair, which is located in Rhinebeck. Most of the time, I don't like being forced into things, but I was used to entering this fair, and I knew just how good my art had to be. But this year I felt like I could really win! Something told me I could do it! Something told me I was going to blow the competition out of the water and win that first place ribbon!

Yes, I do understand that the competition will be difficult (like it is every year), but you have to have hope, right? Yeah, well, I'm having some doubts… actually just replace that some to A LOT! I can't help but feel scared, excited, nervous, giddy, pressured, and some light headedness. I even get this horrific thought that everyone else is better than me, and every time someone comes around and sees art they say, ¨Uh, that's hideous!¨ Just thinking about it makes me want to be a pill bug. Then I can curl up into a tight ball so nothing can harm me.

I remember clear as day the years that I was confident I was going to see a glorious, royal blue first place ribbon hanging from my art, but then when I took a peek all I saw was a dull ribbon that said ¨participation¨ on it. For me it was screaming, ¨look here at this sloppy mess!¨ There was that one year that I got third place, but that just wasn't good enough for me. I thought that I did excellent on my art, and I questioned what I did wrong for me not to win first place. It confuses me until this day why I keep on trying even when every year I get crushed. I’m guessing I just want that short, yet long lasting taste of victory. Oh, and yes, I will get it.

The car ride… oh my gosh, the car ride, I swear on my life it takes years to get to the the Dutchess County fair. I'm impatient enough, but when my emotions are riled up, then things get ten times longer than they really are.

My thoughts jumble up as the roads twist and turn. It feels like I am locked up in a chamber, and I can only dream about getting out. And being motion sick doesn't help a thing. My palms get sweaty and I start thinking the worst. I plan out how everything will go terribly wrong in my head and then stress over my predictions afterwards. It's not fun at all. I hate the car ride just as much as anything else.

Getting out of the car is nice… until I realize that I am even closer to my artwork than I was before. I want to book it all the way home, but I know I can't get out of this, and I shouldn't get out of it. I then see that it's great that I'm doing this, and how much it will help me with my art improvement. This is a great opportunity to get tips on how to do better and have more knowledge on what needs fixing. And also knowing what I'm doing right! And like I said, I should stay positive! Yes! I think, this will be an extraordinary time!

 I strut into the fair. I take a big sniff; it smells just as great as last year. I take a turn and look up at the tall, seemingly intimidating, white building. I tell myself quickly, ¨It doesn't matter if I get a participation ribbon, I know that I tried my hardest on it.” I take a deep breath in and make a small sigh. Then I take a step inside.

I look around for no reason, probably just to waste time. ¨Uh,¨ my stomach is stuffed full of butterflies. Everything looks the same as last year, the tall white sealing and slightly darker walls. I start to walk around and look at the different art. One piece of art stands out from the others; it is very good. Looking at it I can see how talented the artist is.

 It is beautiful; it is a painting of a Native-American man. He has a fearless expression and has a bold headdress with many beads and feathers. It holds lots of emotion. And of course it gets first place. I get a burst of jealousy. I stick my chin up high and glare at it. I stop and realize it is rude to make such a face. I also should not be jealous because they are much older, so they know more.

I look around, hair whipping, to make sure no one saw. I then start to look around again until I see it… my art hung up on the wall. I stare at it for a while. My body feels tense. I feel as if I am going to puke, but at the same time I am hyped. I am worried and excited about what kind of ribbon I will get. I slowly walk towards it and see… nothing? I get worried. I inspect the frame carefully, and then there it is, hiding behind the frame. I take a careful look at the ribbon. A tear rolls down my cheek when I see what I had gotten. Third place.  How? My heart skips a beat, no, two beats. I thought for sure it was worthy of first place! My sadness dominates all my other feelings. I just can't wrap my head around what I just saw.

When the day was over and we had to leave, I sat staring out the window the whole car ride, just thinking. Thinking, how could it be possible that I had gotten third place? Thinking, am I even a good artist ?  Thinking, should I have even of done this in the first place? This was the one year I felt my art had the greatest potential of winning. It was hard to know that something I worked hard on wasn't ¨good enough¨ for the judges. But at the end of the day, I knew that this helped me. It made me want to try harder on my art, learn more skills, and to one day get that first place ribbon.

Even though the Dutchess County Fair was emotionally and physically hard, it was a great way for me to improve my art and push myself to do better. And as you can see, sometimes what may seem bad can actually be good.

-Rachel Drozdyk