My fingers ran up the piano. The notes slid under my fingers. My brain was calm and still. As my eyes checked my fingers, the music flooded out of the piano like a roaring ocean. I have played the piano for three years, and it gives me bliss. I have been in two recitals. The first one was very exciting, but it made me anxious; however, it made me better at performing in front of an audience.

A fresh gust of summer air swept over my face. It was the day. The day of my first piano recital. I felt excited, and my stomach felt like a million tiny bugs were crawling in it. I was very nervous. My song echoed in my head. The song I had been practicing with for weeks. “Lavender's Blue” was the song, so the high notes danced around my head as I thought about it. But it was no time for worrying. We were about to step into the building. I looked around me and realized that this was it.

I walked into the room where all the kids were practicing their instruments. I thought that it was very cool. The bugs in my stomach were still in there, but I was trying to think of different things. I headed straight for the piano and practiced my song. The notes were amazing. Then I thought of playing on the stage and all those people looking at me. My stomach felt weird, and my mouth dried up, but I was still happy about being able to do this.  I tried super hard to focus on the piano, but the thoughts were still spinning in my head. 

It was about to be my turn to play the piano; I thought I had memorized my song. Kids had left the room and were walking onto the stage.  I had the song in my head, and I knew it. If I was okay with my song then why had I been so worried?  But playing the piano had always made me happy, and now I was so worried. I had been thinking more and more about my song. But before I could think of my song twice it happened.

“Emma. come; it is your turn,” A lady said. It was about to happen. I was walking to the door.  My stomach squeezed  and my throat hurt. I walked to the stage. Soon I went on to the stage. The lights shined on to my face; the stage was very bright. The audience was dark. I could kind-of see my parents and family. I felt excited. I walked to the piano; I still was shaking. I played my song and the notes flew out of the piano. I had played my song and I had only made one mistake. A humongous weight was lifted from me. I was so relieved and cherry.

I am happy I did this. It was good for me to do something that had been different. I like playing the piano because it gives me joy. It also helps me to get over my fears. I want to continue to play the piano because it  gives me joy and it helps me, and I would want it to help others to  do things that are outside of their comfort zones.

 

 

-Emma

 

 

The Mind

 

Have you ever had a distant feeling of home? A feeling you aren't familiar with, but it calls out to you as if it promised prodigious wonders beyond belief, only for you to be damned into spiraling horrors? This is my story.

The chill of the cold winter air was nipping at my nose. My lungs were burning as the sharp air traveled through my body. However, I did not mind. I had been gazing at the endless gray sky for what felt like an eternity. Tall leafy giants towered over me whilst I rested on mounds of snow. I grew even colder as the snow I was lying on began to seep through my hat. I decided to take my mind off of the stinging sensation by closing my eyes and letting my mind travel far, far away. At the beginning, I saw nothing, just a lonesome void that would soon disappear with the opening of my eyes. Then I saw light! I began to doubt what I was witnessing and assumed it was merely the Sun. The light grew closer, and closer, and even closer. It couldn’t be. It is nothing more than the Sun's rays, I thought to myself. Then it hit me. The sky was clouded in gray. The sun wasn’t visible. I opened my eyes and sat up swiftly. My mind was racing. It was difficult to process what I was seeing. I decided to head inside for the day. At the time I didn’t know it, but this single encounter would trigger oncoming blissful, yet damning sights.

I traversed my empty home and opened my bedroom door. As the door creaked I jumped and spun around. “Who’s there?” My voice echoed along the hall. I shook my head in denial and continued to my bed for a well deserved rest.

I awoke to the sound of chattering and plates clattering. It was time for dinner. I followed the sweet smell of plantains to my dinner plate, waiting for me at the table. I was excited to bite into the ripe and sweet plantains, but I wasn’t hungry all of a sudden. I picked at my food with a shallow face. “May I be excused?”

“What for?” my mother asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

“I don’t feel too well.”

“Would you like some medicine?”

“No thank you.” I shoved my plate into the sink. The sighting from earlier that day was itching in my brain. I flopped on my bed, exhausted. Why won’t this thing leave me the hell alone? I asked myself. I buried my face into my pillow.

Before I knew it I was dreaming, a dream of pure bliss. Little did I know, the apex of my nightmares was soon to come. I saw deer striding through endless fields covered in vibrant green. The sun was glaring onto a nearby pond. Everything seemed to be just fine until I woke up. My room was dark, nothing out of the ordinary. I felt a strong presence...a familiar yet distant one. After what I had encountered the other day I would assume this would be a pleasant encounter. Oh lord was I mistaken.

A man with bushy eyebrows and a long pale face approached me from the shadows. A grin stretched across his face from ear to ear. I began to see my room transform into a devilish nightmare. I wanted to run, but I was stuck. I had no other option but to onlook the monstrous display before me. More and more figures, pale and thin, began to emerge from the shadows. The one that frightened me above all the others was a creature with a twisted jaw, blank eyes, and a grimacing gaze. Its guts were exposed by a gashing hole in its torso. It dragged its cold, lifeless hand across my face. My heart was pounding as its cold breaths, lifeless and heavy, skimmed my face. It created an indecipherable mumble that the others seemed to understand. The creature covered its eyes and began screeching as if it was a siren. I layed stiff as a board unable to move. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest. It lunged at me, mouth open. Its array of teeth, glazed in saliva, sunk into my skull.  I closed my eyes and stayed that way for a long time until I mustered the courage to see if they were still there. They disappeared. My room returned to darkness.  I sat upright in my bed. My breaths shivered on their way out. I couldn’t begin to comprehend what I had just witnessed.

Now that I am older I realize the sights I saw were merely a figment of my imagination. Going through sleep paralysis has taught me a valuable lesson of overcoming fears. When I was younger, I would often find myself afraid of the creaking I could hear from my bedroom at night. This is a common fear of course, but I believe that I dropped it sooner than others. Although sleep paralysis is frightening, it taught me to overcome my fears and phobias.

 

 

-Judah

 

 

Have you ever felt like there was something you could do that could make people happy? Have you ever felt that you were talented with something and wanted to share it with the world? Poetry is a writing form that is used to make people happy and share important concepts with the world. Many people don’t pay attention to and value the benefits of poetry. After learning about this extraordinary form of writing that lies underneath the shell of everyday stereotypes, anyone can cherish the wonderful experiences that come with writing and reading poetry.

Poetry is a writing form that allows you to express yourself using feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Poems are pieces of writing that are like little windows into the mind of the poet. Unlike prose writing, poetry does not need proper punctuation, grammar, or spelling to be astonishing. In poetry, it's really the thought that counts. To illustrate this, the poem How Billy Collins Writes A Poem by Marjory Wentworth says, “When you first wake up, notice/ how your mother’s voice, calling/ you to breakfast, sounds like a fire alarm.” This can bring back memories, emotions, and expresses childhood, your most content days.

There are so many poems talking about nature or the world around us. Poetry is important because, through it, you will learn to appreciate the world around you. Even poetry about a broken-down shed can make you realize and appreciate things if you think hard enough. For instance, lines from Exultation by Lidy Wilks say, “My petals/ flourished/ day by day,/ growing/ ever larger/ and vibrant,/” In this poem, she describes life from the point of view of a tulip. You can have a great appreciation for just a simple topic. Secondly, poetry is important because it offers a great way to connect with other people. For example, an excerpt from Kid Stuff by Brian A. Bendall says, “Chocolate candy cigarettes/And big bubble gum cigars./Mini Bricks and Red Ball Jets,/Hopscotch and Dinky cars.  This poem talks about childhood and all the happy days and memories. This particular segment talks about popular candies at that time. It has a topic lots of people can relate to, which means that it helps them connect with each other better. To show this, if one person reads a poem about school, they could share it on social media, and many people around the world could comment and like that poem. This is just one way poetry helps people connect, and there are lots of different ways. 

Finally, the last reason why poetry is important is that it helps a person mentally. This could mean that poetry makes people happy, sad, or mad. Poetry could help you cope with stress in your life, and it could bring back memories of loved ones. Poetry can make your everyday life a little more peaceful. To show this, lines from Jazz Jive Jam say, “On Saturday, my mama sang/ a song that sounded blue./ Then daddy made his trumpet cry--/I guess the rent is due. ‘Round Midnight came a band of  neighbors/ swinging soul to soul.” This is an example of a poem that has an emotional effect on your brain. Singing, dancing, and playing an instrument are all ways to express yourself.  Writing poetry can be very therapeutic and de-stressing for some people. Not only does reading poetry help a person, but so does writing.

To sum this up, poetry is a very diverse and expressive writing form. It connects people with each other, helps you appreciate things, and helps people mentally in various different ways.   Right now, poetry is not as valued and respected as it should be. Given the fact that this writing form is very helpful to many individuals, numerous people still tend to lean away from trying this out, thinking that poems are odd, or that it’s a waste of time. Now, with some key principles of poetry under their belt,  people should disregard these false assumptions and consider putting a small amount  of time in their day to really see the eye-opening experience poetry is.

 

 

-Nethra

 

Have you ever rode a bike before? Think of the rhythmic clack of the chain, the sound of your tires lightly treading, the wind blowing on your face, the trees and the houses that you go by. Well, that's what I picture when I think of riding my bike.

When I was learning how to ride my bike without training wheels my dad and I started on our driveway because it has a slight slant, so I didn't have to pedal to go down it. It was very hard to learn how to balance on a bike for the first time. When you think about walking you think of balance from a front to back perspective of when to move your feet when leaning forwards, but when you are on a bike it is very easy to fall off from the sides while it is nearly impossible to fall off the front or back of a bike. When I was first learning how to ride my bike I noticed the slight clicking of the chain over the gears. The clicking was oddly calming and rhythmic, like it was trying to soothe my jittery nerves while balancing.

Once I could balance on my bike the next thing was staying balanced while breaking. My dad stated, “You need to know how to stop before gaining speed.” I mainly practiced that while going down my driveway. Again, the clicking of the chain was there with its soothing constant, never-changing, rhythm. When I was practicing my braking, the main reason I was falling off was because I never knew the timing and speed of when to put my foot down to fully come to a stop. Always at the bottom of the driveway the chain clicking stopped, as if waiting patiently for another round.

Once I was able to use the brakes to stop it was time to learn how to pedal and turn. Learning how to pedal while staying balanced was tricky. It took me a while to learn how to do it. Once I could balance while pedaling I could officially say I could ride my bike, but it was a rocky road before any of that. After looking back, I think the hardest part was learning how to shift my weight without falling off. At the beginning of my pedaling practice, I was pedaling so slow that the chain wasn't catching on the gear, thus my pedaling was doing nothing. At least the clicking of the chain was still there with its rhythmic ways, but all good things must have an end. When pedaling, assuming I was pedaling fast enough for the chain to catch on the gears, the rythmic clicking was not there; instead, there was just the slight sound of tires lightly treading on roads.

After a while of practice I could finally say, “I can ride my bike.”  It took a while to build endurance, but that was a smaller challenge that I also overcame. Once you learn a new skill, you can always build and improve it.

 

 

-Stephen

The wind whistles past you as you make your way across the turf;  30-20-10- touchdown! Football is one of the most exciting and rewarding sports you can play. Although you might not know this, football is a team sport where everyone has a role to play in success. Some may get more attention or have better stats, but everyone matters. That star quarterback couldn't play well without his lineman protecting him and the receivers catching his passes. One of the most important and underrated positions is that of lineman, both defensive and offensive.   

The offensive linemen are the backbone of a great offense. They are the people in the background doing the dirty work of holding the line. Holding the line in football refers to pushing the defensive lineman away and protecting the quarterback. Offensive lineman also have to open up holes for the running back. This is when the offensive line pushes away the defenders and makes a hole for the running back to go through, allowing the running back to get more yardage.

Defensive linemen are also not given enough credit for how much they do.  The defensive linemen push the offensive line and collapse the pocket. Collapsing the pocket pushes the offensive linemen back and potentially even sacking the quarterback. Another big job for the defensive line is to put the running back in the dirt. Defensive linemen are the first line of defense against a run; their job is to stop the other team from getting the first down. A great defensive lineman like Reggie White can change the course of a game.

Now for arguably the most underrated side of football, special teams. Special teams consist of punters, kickers, and kick and punt returners. Special teams have a role unlike any other on a football team.  A football fan will have no problem remembering legendary kickers such as Adam Vinatieri, the highest scoring player in NFL history also known for winning four Super Bowls. Kickers’ jobs are to kick off the ball and to kick extra points and field goals. Punters are responsible for punting, which if done right can give your team an advantage by putting the opposing offense a greater distance from the endzone. Returners have the chance to score a touchdown or put the team in a good field position, making them more likely to score.

Legendary coach Bill Belichick once said, “On a football team, it’s not the strength of the individual players, but it is the strength of the unit and how they all function together.”  Football is a team sport where no one can be truly successful without every person doing their job, however unnoticed they may be.

 

 

-Cal

                                          The Ice Cream Ball

                                 

Do you have a tradition? Well my family did. Here is my story of how my tradition works. 

My grandma would host a Superbowl party every year. Sadly this tradition stopped. I was six at the time. Towards the end of dinner my grandma would leave the table, and she would bring out this blue circular bowl that had a screw on the lid on it. Then she would take off the lid. There was another bowl inside the sphere that was much more shallow. Where the more shallow bowl would meet there was air, somewhere to put ice.

In the outer shell of the bowl she would put ice in so the inner bowl would be as cold as winter snow.  The inner bowl that's now cold has no direct contact with the ice.  In this inner bowl she would put cream, white sugar, vanilla flavoring and whatever else it takes to make ice cream. She would take the lid, screw it on really tight like a rubber band and then it was time to make ice cream.

It was time for the fun to roll in. The family would get in a circle and toss it around, and I threw it at the circle-patterned carpet. Once the ice cream ball was thrown around and tossed the ice cream was ready to be split up. Each family member would have a little vanilla ice cream. But me, I would have a huge amount of tasty vanilla ice cream, and I loved the ice cream a ton. 

Would you do this for fun? Or would you do this for the ice cream? I would do this for both.  Now my life is more boring. I just go to the freezer in the kitchen and pull out my favorite sticky caramel cores ice cream for dessert. But this year my mom said she is going to ask Santa to buy a new ice cream ball maker. We will be able to start the tradition all over again.

Do you have a tradition like this, or do you have a tradition that is different? Family traditions help you have good memories and replace the bad ones.

-Ben

 Game Design

You sit in your room, thinking about how you can make a game. You want to make a game that will become popular, but you don't know what to do. You have some basic coding knowledge, but you’re having trouble coming up with an idea. We will follow the development of a game and find out how to make one by following these simple steps.

The first step in game design is planning; you want a basic idea of what you need to do. A great way of doing this is to ask people what they would like in a game. If you have a social media following, try polling your audience on what they like in games and base your fundamentals off of that.

Our next step would be to find out what people would like in a  video game. Keep in mind that you are still the one in charge, you can reject things that you don't think would fit in your game, but you should still listen to suggestions.

Inspiration is part of any work ever made, and game design is no different. Let's take a look at some successful games and loom at what makes them memorable. First up is Valve’s Team Fortress Two, a class-based first person shooter with teamwork elements. Lots of people come to TF2  because of the nine distinct classes. One of my favorites is the Scout, an arrogant kid from Boston; he was the youngest of eight boys growing up, and he loved to fight as a kid, but his older brothers always beat him to the fights. He thought,  If I can run faster than my brothers, then I can beat them to the fights! This explains Scout’s fast running speed and doubled capture rates; this class is all about speed. 

Take a look at the Sniper, a support-focused class tasked with taking out key opponents on the enemy team, such as a Medic. Sniper comes from New Zealand but was raised in Australia, hence his accent. Sniper is a professional Hitman. He’s efficient, polite and has a plan to kill everyone he meets. Sniper’s biological father drowned when Sniper broke a glass dome encircling the country of New Zealand as it was expected that magma would cover New Zealand; it was in fact water that covered the country.  

The last Valve character up is the Medic. Taking on a supportive healer role, it's the Medic’s job to make sure his teammates stay alive.  Medic is a crazed German treating his patients more like lab mice than like people, as seen in “Meet the Medic.”  Medic can use charge from healing teammates to make a teammate invulnerable for a short while, which is useful for pushing towards an objective or clearing out large swathes of enemies. This makes the Medic a prime target though, so it's up to Medic’s teammates to defend him so he can heal the rest of the team.

Another great game is Terraria, developed by ReLogic. Terraria attracts players because of its addicting gameplay and strong replay potential. Terraria has four main builds you can play as, adding to the reply potential.  The tech tree in Terraria consists of multiple branches; these all have a separate area in the tech tree, (it's highly simplified) although they divide at first.  They come together at the Lunatic Cultist fight, then they all progress the same way after the Cultist fight. You can lay as a brave knight, harnessing the energy of earth itself manifested into a green saber, or a cunning summoner, using long forgotten magic to spawn minions to do your bidding, eventually harnessing light itself to spawn and slash your opponents with a sword of pure prismatic energy. My favorite is the Ranger, using bows, guns, even rocket launchers to obliterate anyone who crosses you. The final build in Terraria is the Mage, using enchanted weapons and Mana-fueled rods and wands, commanding meteors and typhoons at will. 

In Terraria you can find accessories in your travels, ranging from boots to wings, emblems to magnets. These are extremely helpful in gameplay; most are just simple quality of life things, like running faster or increasing the amount of summons you can have out at a time. If you have the Goblin Tinkerer in your town, you can pay a fee to get a random prefix on weapons or accessories, making them better or worse. 

By now you’ve looked at some games you like, analyzed why you like them and know what type of game you want to make and how to incorporate the elements; now you must choose a game software that supports what you want to make. Unity is a great starter engine, but I recommend you start by making simpler games and work your way up to developing your game. Perhaps you could invest in hiring other game developers to speed up the process of development; this step takes time, LOTS of time.   Just remember to not rush yourself or your employees. 

Now that your game is basically done, you should find playtesters to find glitches and bugs, then patch those before release. If the players find a glitch, then patch it.

There isn’t much to the last step, just keep updates flowing in to make sure the players don't get bored. The more players play, the more popular you will get. More players will make your next release grow even faster.

Games are important in the modern human world; make yours an important part of someone’s day.  From ten people to 10 million,  make somebody's life just a bit more fun.

-Alex