Griffin the Great By Jack Serowick

Cash Machine Dilemma By Aubrey McManus

Problem Solved – The Story of an Ethical Dilemma By Kira Pomrinke

The Unexpected By Kaed Wills

The Voice By Sofia Quaglia

Chon Chon and Yuan Yuan By Jessica Zheng

The Big Competition By Trinity Foulds

I Believe By Chloe Gilliland

To Be or Not to Be By Maggie Martin

We Can Do It By Olivia Anne DeScipio

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Griffin the Great

Author: Jack Serowick School: JT Lambert Grade: 6th Nominated by: Rotary Club of The Smithfields Once upon a time, there was a young boy that discovered he had powers when he was only three years old. His name was Griffin. He discovered he had powers when he touched a wilting flower and it grew big, healthy, and beautiful again. This was the power of life. Sadly, Griffin’s hometown became the source of a major factory and pollution was in the air. By the time Griffin was twelve years old, he was award of his powers, but he discovered that he could not generate the power but that he was born with extra life energy that he could distribute to other life sources. If Griffin used large amounts of power at a time, he might run out of all his extra power. This would not hurt him because his body locked away enough energy for him to survive and stay healthy. He was discovering this every time he used his energy because he would feel really tired and sluggish. As Griffin grew, the pollution became worse. Eventually, the pollution was so bad that the trees were dying. He knew he had to do something soon but he was scared to lose his powers. But, time was running out. Soon the village was aware of the boy’s powers and pleaded for him to help. He knew his village would crumble if he didn’t help, but with everyone screaming at him, he could not think. So he ran away from all of the commotion. He was sitting in his house thinking about what he could do and then all of a sudden, something went “boom”! He knew at that very moment that time was running out for everybody so he had to hurry. After he left his house, he ran into the village and told the people in the village he would help. Griffin went into the forest and looked at the mess. He knew it would take too long to go around and restore every tree. Then he got an idea. Griffin placed both hands on the freshly fallen tree stump and focused. Suddenly a green orb started to form around him, and the tree stump started to shake, and the ground started to rumble. Then out of nowhere, the ground started to pulse and grow green. Then a blinding light exploded from the orb! When the light settled, Griffin was standing and staring at the stump. Just like that, giant tree formed right in front of him. Then, little by little, every tree in the forest started to take form and grow back. When every tree grew back, Griffin fainted from exhaustion. His dad then came out from the crowd and carried Griffin back to his room. When he woke up the next morning, he discovered that he did not have his powers anymore. He was okay with losing his powers as long as he did good and saved his town. Griffin then got up out of his bed and walked outside. When he walked out of his house, everybody in the village was at his front door, cheering for him. “Griffin the Great” is what the villagers were cheering! He might not have any more powers, but he knows he is still respected and loved by his family and his village. Of course, he is not known as “Griffin the Great” - - the village hero.

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Cash Machine Dilemma

Author: Aubrey McManus School: State Street Elementary Grade: 5th Nominated by: Rotary Club of Kingston The sun shone brightly in the blue Sarasota, Florida sky as Ben and his friends walked home from the beach party his parents just had for him. He had just turned thirteen today, and he had thought he had the best day ever, as he walked back to his house with his friends Mason, Caleb and Lucas. “How can this day get any better,” thought Ben. “A beach party, swimming in the ocean and football on the beach!” “Ben, go out for a pass!” yelled Mason. Mason threw the football as far as he could, and it landed over Ben’s head in the bank parking lot next to a couple of really nice cars. As Ben went to retrieve the ball, he noticed a young girl he had met this summer at the beach named Elizabeth, who was taking money out of the ATM machine. “Hello, Elizabeth!” Ben shouted, as he blushed. Elizabeth was a very pretty, tall girl with short, auburn hair who was visiting her Aunt Brooke and Uncle Keith for the summer. She lived in Pennsylvania and was returning home tomorrow. Ben was so excited to see her one lsat time, as they formed a friendship over the summer, and promised each other to text and call each other. ‘Hi, Benjamin!” replied a giggly Elizabeth. She was the only one besides Ben’s mother who called him by his first name. Elizabeth was not able to make it to Ben’s party because she wanted to spend her last day in Florida with her aunt and uncle. Elizabeth waived goodbye as she got back in her Aunt’s car. “I am sad that I won’t get to see Ben for another year,” she said to her aunt. “Don’t worry, with all of today’s iPods, Facebook, cell phones, and SnapChat, I am sure you two will find a way to stay in touch,” explained her Aunt. “I guess you’re right. I love you, Aunt Brooke, and I am really going to miss you and Uncle Keith as well,” said Elizabeth, as she gave her aunt a hug. Ben waived back as he picked up his new Nike football. As ben looked over to where he had seen Elizabeth, he noticed money hanging out of the ATM machine. “Oh, no!” Ben said. “Elizabeth must have forgotten the rest of her money”, he thought to himself. Mason, Caleb and Lucas ran over to see why Ben was standing by the ATM machine. “Look!” said Ben, with an excited voice. “Elizabeth must have left some money in the machine” he said to the boys. “Finders, keepers! Losers, weepers!” yelled Lucas. “How much money is there, Ben?” Mason asked quietly. “Let’s go to the movies!” Caleb replied.

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“There’s a hundred dollars!” Elizabeth is such a nice girl. I could never keep her money. What if we get caught stealing the money? Our parents would never let us play together the rest of the summer”, Ben said. “You’re not cool, Ben! I thought you were our friend”, Lucas said. “Yeah, c’mon Ben, we can have so much fun with all that money! Let’s go, dude”, yelled Caleb. As the boys argued, Ben’s parents were walking close by. “C’mon, Ben, it’s time to get home and in the shower!” yelled his dad. Ben left the boys and headed home, placing the money quickly in his pocket so that his parents would not see. Later that night, Ben realized that the right thing to do was to call Elizabeth on her phone and let her know that he had her money, but the call went right to voice mail. He knew the next morning she was flying back to Pennsylvania. The next day, he went to Elizabeth’s aunt’s house and gave her the money to send to Elizabeth. Ben told her how his friends wanted him to keep the money, and her Aunt Brooke praised Ben for not giving in to peer-pressure and for giving back the money. “If they are your true friends, they will forgive you,” said Aunt Brooke. Elizabeth sent Benjamin a letter, thanking him for finding her money, and that she really liked him. Ben’s friends did forgive him, and they enjoyed the rest of the summer.

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Problem Solved – The Story of an Ethical Dilemma

Author: Kira Pomrinke School: Dallas Elementary Grade: 5th Nominated by: Rotary Club of Dallas “Come on, Mia! We don’t have all day!” Neveah wailed. I gave my mom a hug and ran out of the family’s café doors. “Have a good first day of middle school!” Mom called after me. When I got out to the sidewalk, I threw my backpack in the back seat of the Mustang. I climbed in after it with our friend, Sierra. Nevaeh and Sierra are my best friends. Nevaeh’s mom, Mrs. Starson, always drives the three of us to school. And, although they’re my friends, I’m a little bit jealous of them. They are the most popular girls I’ve ever met, after all. I really only believe that there’s one flaw to them. That is because they’re always so rude to my other friends, Maura and Sloan. “So, Mia,” sierra started loudly, breaking my train of thought, “Neveah and I might have a party next weekend. Do you want to come?” “Well,” I said, “I don’t even know when it is or what I’m doing so… I really don’t know,” I remarked. “Oh, okay,” Sierra said sadly. I felt bad, but it was true. I don’t know what I am doing next weekend. But the real reason was that Sloan and Maura said that they might have a party. This was just great. At least the rest of the car ride had no conversation until we got to the school. “See you girls after school,” Mrs. Starson called. “Bye!” I relied enthusiastically. Nevaeh and Sierra were silent. Then, of course, as we got out of the car they strutted over to the coolest kids in eighth grade. To be honest, Nevaeh and Sierra looked so pretty in their beautiful, silky dresses. Then there was me. Me, with my long, brown hair in a ponytail and headband, Me, with my athletic t-shirt and shorts. Me, walking over to my other best friends, not looking for any attention Sloan and Maura ran across the schoolyard to greet me. I held out my arms, but I instantly regretted it. I don’t know how, but I forgot that their hugs were identical to football tackles. We all fell to the ground in a heap of laughter. My ribs hurt, but I didn’t care. These girls were my best friends that would always be there for me. In that moment, I forgot about Nevaeh and Sierra, but not for long. “Hey, Mia,” I heard Nevaeh call, “What do you think you’re doing with them? It’s going to ruin our reputations! Now, come on!” I gave Sloan and Maura my sorriest look and walked away. I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do, but what choice did I have? “Okay, Nevaeh,” I told her from the bottom of the school’s steps, “I have more friends than just you guys. I want to hang out with them, too. I still want to be your friend, but right now I’m hanging out with Maura and Sloan. So please understand, okay? Got to go!”

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I turned on my heel and ran back to where I came from. But I didn’t see Sloan and Maura in the school yard. I checked their lockers, but they weren’t there, either. I ended up finding them sitting on a curb in the rear parking lot, close to the school. Maura picked her head up just in time to see me sit down next to her. “Hi, Mia,” she greeted me with a sad look in her eyes. They were silent, so I spoke up. “Listen, guys, I shouldn’t have run away like that. It was totally wrong of me. Will you ever forgive me?” “Of course we will!” Sloan said excitedly. “I’m glad you came back because we had to give you this” She handed me an envelope which I tore open. I found a card with animated cowgirls dancing on it. It read:

Join Us For Our Hoedown Party! When: Saturday, September 3rd

Where: Sloan’s backyard Don’t forget to dress up in your favorite cowgirl outfit!

I laughed. “How could I not be there? I’m all in! Now…can we go to class? We’re late already.” So that is what we did. The time flew by. Soon, the clock read 2:45 pm. Time for my last class, algebra. I was lucky enough to sit by Nevaeh and Sierra. When Mrs. Steward was teaching, I caught Sierra slipping me a note under the desk. I knew I couldn’t open the envelope now, so I waited until the bell rang and I was at my locker. I ripped open what turned out to be an invitation. The black and white letter read:

It’s a party! Where: Nevaeh’s house

When: Saturday, September 3rd Don’t forget to wear your black and white and bring a bathing suit!

I almost fainted. I checked the other invitation. It couldn’t be true, but yet it was. Both of the parties were on the same day. How could I choose where to go? I mean, Nevaeh and Sierra are really popular, but Sloan and Maura are always there for me. I already said yes to Sloan, but what would the other girls think? I somehow made it home in one piece. Later that night, when I was eating dinner with Mom, I filled her in on my dilemma. “Well,” she said, “This is a really tough decision, and I know how you’re feeling. It’s your choice. I do have an idea if you want to hear it” “Of course I want to hear it, Mom”, I exclaimed excitedly. “Okay, Mia”, she explained. “I think you should tell both girls you can’t make it.” “What?” I yelled impatiently. “Let me finish,” Mom said calmly. “Whichever girl is more understanding towards this statement is your true friend, and you should go to their party.”

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“That’s a great plan!” I replied. “That”, she smirked, “is exactly why I thought you would say.” The next morning, when Nevaeh, Sierra, and I got to school, we hopped out of the car. As usual, I waved and smiled goodbye to Mrs. Starson. Today, though, instead of finding Sloan and Maura first, I walked to the lockers with Nevaeh and Sierra. “Nevaeh?” I asked. “Yeah?” “Um, I was just going to tell you…I can’t make it to your party, and I’m really sorry.” She stopped in her tracks. “Excuse me?” she asked awkwardly. “Mia, I thought you were my friend. Like, are you serious? Stop kidding me like that!” “I…I’m not.” “What? I’m done!” She flipped her hair and the two girls walked away. “Yeah, seriously,” Sierra called over her shoulder. “Okay then,” I muttered, “I’m pretty sure I know whose party I’m going to.” I ran out the doors. I found my other friends in the rear parking lot again. “Hey, guys,” I sat down. “I have some bad news. I can’t make it to the party.” Sloan looked at me as if someone had crushed her. But Maura spoke. “Oh, well, that’s okay. We…we understand.” She said. “Really? You’re not angry?” “We wish you would come, but if you can’t like I said, we understand. We are all best friends, after all. What else would a true friend do? It’s not like we have a right to make you or be mad at you.” “Then, I’m coming!” I blurted out, cheerily. My two friends looked at me, puzzled by my statement. So that was when I spit it all out. I jabbered so much about my problems with the two cliques of girls and Mom’s idea. While I was talking, the girls’ smiles grew. Sloan hugged me when I was done She whispered, “Thank you.” That Saturday, I was driven to the party. I was in the most stunning cowgirl outfit I’d ever seen. When Mom pulled in the driveway, I was that I was the first one there, other than Maura. I walked up to the huge, glass door and rang the bell. My best friends opened the door. Sloan smiled. “We knew it would be you.”

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The Unexpected

Author: Kaed Wills School: Tobyhanna Elementary School Grade: 6th Nominated by: Rotary Club of Blakeslee It was a beautiful fall afternoon in October. The air was so crisp you could smell the fall leaves and their vibrant colors. The sky had an amazing orange hue and Samantha and Jonathan hiked through the woods and took in the fall rays. During their hike, they crossed a rickety bridge, bringing them across a roaring creek. As they came to the end of the bridge and rounded the crest to the right, they saw a young boy sitting on a rock, alone, crying. Samantha and Jonathan knew that they needed to be home in an hour; however, they decided together that they could not leave the young boy there alone. Samantha and Jonathan sat next to the boy, and Samantha asked, “What is your name?” The young boy responded hysterically, “my name is Jonas!” “Hello, Jonas. I’m Samantha and this is my friend, Jonathan.” “Hello”, said Jonas. “Why are you crying?” asked Jonathan. Jonas responded, “I was hiking along this bend and slipped on a wet rock. While I was falling toward the ground, I twisted my ankle and fell on my wrist. I tried to stand up, but I can’t and my cell phone fell into the creek below so I couldn’t call for help.” Samantha and Jonathan looked at one another with feelings of empathy across their faces. Jonathan said to Samantha and Jonas, “I have an idea! I will call my mom and tell her what has happened, and ask her to call Samantha’s mom. This way, they will understand why we will be late getting home this evening.” Jonathan continued. “Samantha, while I call my mom, you call 911 and tell them what happened.” While Jonathan called his mom, Samantha called 911 and explained in detail what Jonas had told her happened to him. “ Jonathan, the ambulance is on its way. You go down to the beginning of the trail to greet them and show them the way. Don’t leave until they get there. Make sure you have your phone.” “You got it”, replied Jonathan, as he headed down the trail. “Jonas, they will be here very soon. We are going to get you help, and get you off this trail,” Samantha said encouragingly. Jonas smiled, a painful smile, and shook his head yes. While waiting for help to arrive,, Samantha knew Jonas must be thirsty. She reached into the glittery purple back pack, pulled out an empty bottle and headed down the rubble path to the creek. When Samantha got to the creek, she lowered the bottle into the frigid water and filled it to the top. Samantha walked back up, reached into her backpack again and pulled out a water purification tablet and placed it into the bottle, shook it up, and offered Jonas a drink. To pass the time, Jonas and Samantha told one another about themselves. Jonas told Samantha how he is an only child and that his father works all of the time, and that his mother is

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only home with him on Saturdays and Sundays. Jonas proceeded to tell Samantha that he loves to hike and fish, but he always does it all alone. Samantha felt badly for Jonas. That couldn’t be any fun, doing all those things alone. While Samantha told Jonas how she loves gardening with her mom, rock climbing with her dad, and loves to hike with Jonathan, she came up with a plan to include Jonas in her hiking trips. “Jonas,” said Samantha, from now on, whenever Jonathan and I go hiking, you go hiking too!” “That’s great, Samantha. Thank you”, exclaimed Jonas. Half an hour had passed and Jonathan returned with the ambulance crew. They introduced themselves and got Jonas settled on the backboard. As they all walked down the hiking trail, crunching leaves beneath their feet and breathing in the fall air, Samantha filled Jonathan in on Jonas’ joining them for future trips. Jonathan was thrilled with the idea. He loved knowing he would get to spend more time with the brave boy, his new friend, Jonas. The kids exchanged phone numbers and Jonas went off to the hospital to get examined. Samantha and Jonathan headed home, feeling great knowing that they had sacrificed their alone time and risked punishment by their parents in order to help a stranger in need. Through their efforts and good work, they made a new friend for life, and learned that friendship is the greatest gift ever.

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The Voice

Author: Sofia Quaglia School: Pittston Area Grade: 5th Nominated by: Rotary Club of Pittston There was once a girl with an amazing talent. When she sang about something, it came true. Zelena Montgomery was born into the kingdom of Franticia. Her grandfather, Midus, is the king, along with her grandmother, Isabella, the queen. Her mother, Cora, is next in line for the throne, along with her father, Ronald. Zelena has a sister, Maria, and a brother, Christopher. She also has an amazing best friend, Elizabeth. Everything in her life was perfect. Then, one day, Zelena was sitting in her castle, talking to Elizabeth when her mother called her to the throne room. “Zelena, my dear, you have mail,” Cora said. Zelena picked up the letter. It read:

Dear Zelena Montgomery,

We would be honored if you would attend Tillymay, school of

future kings and queen. We are giving you a full scholarship.

Classes start tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Professor Faloula

Tillymay was the school that Queen Isabella attended. But when she went there, it was under different management. Professor Faloula just became the new dean a few years ago. Cora and Ronald explained to Zelena what a great honor it was to be selected to attend such a prestigious school as Tillymay. Many great kings and queens had attended the school, and now it was Zelena’s turn to learn all she could. So Zelena packed her bags and went to Tillymay. Tillymay was close by the kingdom of Franticia, so Zelena was not far from home. When Zelena got to Tillymay, she went straight to her dorm. She really wanted to meet her roommate. When she walked into her room, she saw a girl at a desk, reading a book. “Hello, I’m Zelena. What is your name?” Zelena said energetically. The girl slowly turned around. “Hello, I’m Annabell”, the girl said with a smile. Zelena and Annabell became instant best friends. The next day, they walked to class together. When Zelena walked through the door, the first thing she saw was her new teacher. “Hello. I’m Mrs. Lockey, your new teacher” she said with a smile. After a few days on campus, Zelena started noticing strange things. For one thing, when Zelena was walking to her dorm, she saw Professor Faloula talking to a large man. Zelena

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overheard her say, “Their Kington is too strong for these weapons. You need better ones!” But that’s not the worst thing. One day, Zelena was the first one in Mrs. Lockey’s class, and the teacher was writing something. Zelena didn’t think much about it at first. But when she got closer, Mrs. Lockey started screaming, “Stop! Don’t come any closer! Don’t look at my battle plans!” Zelena decided to write a letter to her mom about the strange happenings. But when she went to send the letter a large mob of teachers and students circled around her and said, “You can’t mail that letter.” They took her by the arms and dragged her to the cafeteria. Zelena just looked at everyone, petrified. Then Professor Faloula stood up and said, “Zelena, we know about your special power. We are going to have a war against Franticia and you are going to help us destroy your kingdom. You will use your singing power to help us!” Zelena got up and ran as fast as she could to her kingdom to warn her family. “Mommy, Mommy! Tillymay is planning to go to war with you! They want me to help, to”, Zelena screamed. “Tillymay has always wanted our land to expand their school and increase the number of students they can accept.” explained Cora. “Our army will be ready to attach when they get here.” “Are you going to hurt Annabell?” asked Zelena, worried about her roommate. “I’m sorry, dear, but our soldiers will hurt anyone who gets in the way of protecting our kingdom,” Cora explained. With tears in her eyes, Zelena took a very slow walk in the forest. She decided that she would just sing it all away. She tried, but it didn’t work. She tried again and again but no success. Then, she had an amazing idea. She couldn’t sing it away, but she could do something else. So she sang “This was all a dream.” Moments later, Zelena was back in her castle with Elizabeth. Everything was back to normal, and she was glad she woke up from that nightmare.

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Chon Chon and Yuan Yuan

Author: Jessica Zheng School: L.B. Morris Grade: 5th Nominated by: Rotary Club of Jim Thorpe Chon Chon and Yuan Yuan were young children of a Chinese family located in a small farming village in North Central China. Chon Chon was a six-year old boy. He had good business sense and helped run the family farm. Yuan Yuan was a two-year old, gifted girl. She was able to read, write and understand high level mathematics. Chon Chon was very close to and protective of his little sister. It was the late 1960’s and there were problems in China. Food was scarce. The family could not produce enough food to feed themselves and supply the government food bank. They had to move to the southern part of China where the land and climate were better for farming. Farming permits were only issued to people who could work on a farm. Yuan Yuan had to be left behind with the village elders. Chon Chon and his parents were devastated. They knew that Yuan Yuan would probably die of starvation. Yuan Yuan also understood that. She egged the family to leave to save themselves. On a rainy day in October, Chon Chon and his parents left their village for southern China. Life was not easy in the south for Chon Chon and his family. Their hearts were broken, worrying about Yuan Yuan. There were no phones and mail service was restricted. They heard that many people were dying of starvation in the north. They worked 16 to 20 hours a day to grow enough food. Chon Chon managed the family farm very well. The family produced enough food to supply the government food bank and meet their needs. Chon Chon sold the extra food and saved the money. After fifteen years, Chon Chon had saved enough money to move the family to Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, Chon Chon used his business skills to become a successful and wealthy food trader with mainland China. Ten years later, he was a respected business leader in Hong Kong. He cared for his mom and dad, providing them with a very comfortable house with servants. However, Chon Chon and his family were heartbroken, not knowing what had happened to Yuan Yuan. During 1996, Hong Kong became part of China. Chon Chon’s mom and dad were aging, and the family decided to return to China to try to find out what happened to Yuan Yuan. During 2000, they traveled to north central china to search for information about Yuan Yuan. Things had changed in the thirty years since they had left that region. There were many new roads and the small villages grew into large towns and small cities. Chon Chon and his family had problems finding the location where their family farm had been located. They checked into a hotel and asked the manager for directions to their farm. The manager was new to the area and could not help them. He suggested that they visit the regional hospital and speak with the chief medical doctor. The hotel manager knew that the doctor had grown up in this area. The next morning, Chon Chon and his family went to the regional hospital and asked to speak with the chief medical doctor. They were taken to the office of the doctor. Chon Chon was shocked. The doctor seemed to look like his mother when she was young. He asked the doctor how she knew the area. The doctor explained that her family had to leave the area when she

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was to years old, to go south to work on a farm. She has been very hungry and scared. A government official visited the area and was impressed with her intelligence. He took her to Beijing and raised her as his own child. She did very well in school and received her medical degree at nineteen. She decided to come back to the area and set up the hospital to help the local people. Chon Chon told the doctor that he was her brother and the others were her mom and dad. All hugged each other and wept for joy. Thirty years later, on a bright sunny day in October, Chon Chon, his mom and dad and Yuan Yuan were finally reunited!

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The Big Competition

Author: Trinity Foulds School: Evergreen Elementary School Grade: 5th Nominated by: Rotary Club of Hamlin Once upon a sunny day there was a 10 year old girl named Sara Hope. Sara loved to ride horses. She even had a horse of her own, Lucky. Lucky and Sara have a big riding competition in 3 weeks and they are practicing every day after school and on the weekends. The day before the competition while Sara was practicing, her best friend Grace came over to her and said “Are you coming to my party tomorrow? You are coming? Right?” Sara sat on Lucky’s back and stared at Grace. She had completely forgotten about it, but she couldn’t tell Grace that. Sara said “Tomorrow! Right! Right! Yeah! Totally!”

“Whew!” Sara said to herself quietly but somehow Grace heard her and said “What?”

“Ohh…. Uhhhh…..nothi- I Mean...” Sara trailed off as she trotted away on Lucky all the way back to the river in the woods.

“I love this spot.” Sara said to herself. She kissed Lucky on the top of her head. Lucky snickered as if she was asking “Why?” Sara smiled and answered “I love this spot because this is where I found you Lucky.” She snickered once more like saying “I love you”. “I love you, too.” Sara said to her quietly. They sat there until they fell asleep to the sound of the rushing river.

“What?” Sara woke up startled when she suddenly saw the familiar face of Grace McCane.

“Wake up! Wake up!” Grace shouted. Sara realized they were in her bedroom.

“How are we in my room?” Sara was very confused.

“I woke you up and we rode back to the barn and we walked up to your room. I spent the night. I have to go now and get ready for my party, see you in a couple of hours.”

Sara stood up and started to get dressed.

“Wait, should I put on my riding clothes or my party clothes?” Sara had asked herself this question so many times over the last few days and she still didn’t know what to do. She put on her riding clothes, ran downstairs to put Lucky in her trailer along with her tack, feed, water, and hay.

“Mom, can we stop at Grace’s house on the way because it is on the way to the competition?”

“Sure, why not? We have plenty of time.” When they arrived Sara gave Grace the biggest hug ever! Grace asked Sara,“Why do you have your riding clothes on? You can’t party in that!”

“I know. I’m wearing these because I’m not partying. I’m going to the competition.” Sara said slowly and cautiously.

“How could you? It’s my 11th birthday and you’re missing it all! I’m never talking to you again!” Grace said disappointed and angrily.

“Grace, I’m sorry but it is the championship and if I miss it I’m kicked out of the barn for good. My team is counting on me!” Sara shouted.

“So they are more important than me? Your best, I mean, used to be best friend.” She started to cry.

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“We are still best friends, but I have to go now!” Sara and her mom drove to the competition. Her number for the English part of the competition was 103204.

“Sigh”

“What’s wrong Sara?” her mom asked her curiously.

“My number is Grace’s birthday, October 3rd 2004.”

“Oh Sara, you should go get Lucky and get tacked up. It’s your turn in a couple of minutes. You spent a long time at Grace’s house.”, she said sternly but softly.

“Number 103204, please enter the ring. I repeat number 103204 please enter the ring.” The announcer said.

“Go get ‘em, Sara! You didn’t name her Lucky for nothing!” Sara’s mom said excitedly. Sara was still disappointed in herself for making Grace feel so terrible. She kept her mind focused just long enough to into the championship competition. Apparently it was just long enough to win the competition!

“I won! I won!” Sara shouted. She rode up to the judges to receive her ribbon when she saw Grace out of the corner of her eye. Sara rode up to the fence and shouted her name. Then she saw Grace. Grace was crying. Unsure if it was tears of joy, disappointment or anger, Sara hoped off of Lucky. She swung the reigns over Lucky’s head and led her out to where Grace was standing.

“I’m not angry, I’m happy.” Grace whispered. Sara smiled back at her.

“Thank you!” she said. They hugged until Sara Said “I’m so sorry but, I have to get back to the ring to get my trophies and ribbons.”

“Ok” Grace smiled.

The announcer said “Number 103204 please come forward.” I stepped closer to the man with Lucky. Lucky was sniffing his pockets for some treats so I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out a piece of a carrot. Lucky snickered as if she was saying.

“Thank you”

“You’re Welcome” I whispered to her.

“Number 103204 has won the competition. Their prizes are the first place trophy, blue ribbon, $10,000.00 cash and a $1,000.00 gift card to the tack shop!”

Everybody in the crowd started to scream and cheer! Sara ran to Grace in the crowd and told her that she would use the prize money to start a summer camp for kids in the city that had never had the chance to be around wonderful horses like Lucky. “I’m going to call it “By the Grace of a Horse” in honor of you, my Best Friend. Happy birthday, Grace!”

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I Believe

Author: Chloe Gilliland School: Troy Intermediate School Grade: 5th Nominated by: Rotary Club of Troy I am moving from California to Florida. I’ve moved five times in the past three years. I’m starting my new school tomorrow, which is really hard for me. I had a dog named Bella, but we had to sell her, because there wasn’t enough room for her in the car. My name is Trish and I have a brother named Mason, and a sister named Ella.

It is the first day at my new school in Florida. When I was walking to my classroom everyone was staring at me. I was the first one in the classroom. I sat down in the front of the class so I could see. When the bell rang, a lot of kids came in the classroom. No one would sit by me, and when there were no seats left, just the two by me, kids were standing around the room. When the teacher came in she made those kids sit by me.

After the bell rang everyone went out for lunch so I followed them. The whole day I was by myself with no one around me. When I got home I didn’t tell my parents I had a bad day, I just went to bed. The next day at school I made five friends. The next day I went to school I walked to my friends but then I saw them bullying a new kid. I felt pretty sad because that was me three days ago getting bullied. When I went past them, they yelled my name, but I just kept on walking. They came up to me and said wasn’t that awesome how we were messing with that kid. I just said “It was pretty sick and funny.”

The rest of the day I couldn’t stop thinking about how I made the wrong choice of friends. I didn’t tell any teachers or my parents. The next day at school I saw them bullying someone else. I went right up to them and told them to stop bullying kids. They told me to leave because they weren’t my friends anymore. I was fine with that but they kept bullying kids. I still didn’t tell anyone about what happened.

The next day, the same kids started bullying me. They bullied me the whole day, which made me extremely mad and sad. When I got up the next morning I was scared to go to school, but I went anyway. The mea kids bullied me all day again, but at lunch kids who got bullied sat by me. I told them I have a plan.

Tomorrow we will stand up for each other and not get bullied. That’s what we did. We walked in to the school holding hands, showing that we care for each other. The bullies didn’t bully us, so we were happy and had a good school year. I went home and told my parents about my school year. They said why didn’t you tell me about this? My answer back was “I wanted to stand up for myself and the school.”

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To Be Or Not To Be

Author: Maggie Martin School: Lackawanna Trail Elementary School Grade: 6th Nominated by: Rotary Club of Trail To be or not to be? At least once in our lives, we have to ask ourselves that question. In my case, my choice was to ruin a long-lived friendship, or to keep it. My name is Kathleen and this is my story.

Alex

I have known Alexandra since I was three. Our parents met at the Sand Point Winter Fest. They had a lot in common; they were both locals, and they both had twin boys and a 3-year old girl. Also, we would all go to Sand Point School District. Once our parents sat Alex and me down to play, I immediately liked Alex for her fun, bubbly, and bright personality. Our parents decided they had no choice but to put us in the same pre-school, Alaska Learning Center, Because Alex and I were practically inseparable. When kindergarten came around, we were luckily put into the same class. If we didn’t, we would probably have thrown a hissy fit until they put us together. We were in the same class until 8th grade. Then we went to the High School where everything changed. The day before the start of 9th grade, I knew something was up with Alex. She no longer had the brilliant smile that used to plaster all over her face. Instead, it was replaced with a smirk. Her skin, which usually shines, was replaced with a dull complexion. Her blond hair was cut into a bob. She started to look at me like I was insignificant. It was like suddenly, overnight, I turned into a downcast. I was her unwanted sidekick, and she was the almighty super hero. My brothers, Caleb and Connor told me that it was a stage in life that all girls went through, and I was under-developed so I didn’t understand. They started laughing at that. You see, my brothers are practical jokers, always putting a fake spider in my bed, putting a Whoopee Cushion under my seat, or just laughing at nothing to make me feel uncomfortable. My brothers and are practically opposites. I am a straight 100’s (last year I got a 99 in English. I was SO mad) student in the gifted program. My brothers are students that were threatened to be held back last year (my mom was SO happy when she heard this. NOT!) I am a cross country star. They are the best sprinters on the track team. In fact, the only thing that is the same about the three of us is our looks. We have straight hair the color of chocolate, with big brown eyes from our dad’s side, and dark skin from our mom’s. I went to bed that night thinking that something was wrong with Alex. Turns out, the roblem was even worse than I ever imagined.

Getting Ready

“Kathleen”, my mom yelled. “You are going to miss the bus on the first day of school!” I thought I wouldn’t hear those words again after last year. In reality, I have four more years of hearing my mom say those awful, absolutely dreadful words that meant one thing…school.

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“Coming!” I replied, still half asleep. I had to quickly get ready for school, not paying much attention to my clothes. My brothers were already downstairs, eating sugary cereal (disgusting!). “Wake up, sleepy head. School won’t wait forever’, Connor said. I rolled my eyes at that comment. My brothers both know that I am much smarter than they are. I am taking 11th grade honors math, 10th grade honors English, AP World History, and 11th grade science, when I am only a freshman, whereas, my brothers are in 11th grade LOW math, science English and history. “Oh, look who woke up on the wrong side of the bed today!” Caleb said in his worst baby voice. “I think someone needs a hug!” I pushed him away and opened up the refrigerator just to find that someone used up all of the milk. Just great, I mumbled. “The bus is here” my brothers said in unison. (Why do twins do that?) I grabbed a granola bar and ran down the driveway. My brothers beat me to the bus.

The Problem

That day, after school, I found out what was wrong with Alex. The weather was beautiful and sunny after school. I was running to the park my second time that day. My shoes slapped down on the sidewalk. A nice breeze blew on my neck as I was nearing the city. When I reached the city, I saw Alex, hidden in the dark alley between two store, smoking. Not knowing what to do, I continued running, pretending I didn’t see anything. Alex quickly looked over her shoulder and saw me. I didn’t see Alex turn around, so I continued on telling myself over and over that she didn’t see me, that I’m okay. Pretend that nothing happened. When I turned around to head home from the park, Alex was on the sidewalk with a treacherous look on her face. A lighted cigarette lay in her palm. She was stalking me, like an eagle that cornered her prey. “So, what are you going to do about this?” Alex said. I didn’t know what to say. I was speechless. My thoughts got all jumbled up. My mouth was dry. My heart was pounding, ready to explode. I wasn’t expecting the confrontation. All I wanted to do was run away. “I have no idea” I said. Alex’s jaw dropped. I quickly pivoted and ran, faster than ever, back to the comfort of my bed.

Just a Dream

That night, the encounter with Alex kept on replaying in my head. Alex, looking surprised as she looked over her shoulder. Her eyes turning wide as I told her that I had no idea of what I was going to do. My heard was thumping. It was almost like I went back in time to see the whole thing.

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I woke up sweating. Conor loomed over my bed, looking as if he had just seen a ghost. “Are you okay?” I asked him. “You look pale” “Am I okay? Ha, you should have heard yourself last night.” Connor replied. I groaned So, he now knew my problem. “Is it true?” he asked, looking sorry for me. “Do you want the truth or lie to make you feel better?” I asked. He looked at me, staring right into my eyes. He looked strong, but I knew he was hesitating. “The truth” he asked boldly. “Are you sure?” I asked him. He quickly nodded his head. “Well, here goes nothing” I shrugged.

The Choice

“So, what are you going to do about your problem here, little sis?” Connor said after I told him the whole story. “Funny that you should ask me that. Alex asked me the same thing.” I replied. I stopped and thought about his question. Truth is, I had no idea what I was going to do. I usually have an answer to every problem on a test. But faced with a real world problem I am stumped. “I don’t know” I said, on the verge of tears. “What is your heart telling you to do?” “My heart says nothing other than, legs. Burning. Must. Stop. When I run long distances. I doubt it will help me with this problem. “Then, run. At least your heart will tell you something.” So, that’s what I did.

What I Did

After I ran, my heart, for the first time ever, told me something important. What kind of friendship would Alex and I have if I let this problem go? I thought for a long time about this question. Good thing my brain is as smart as it is. Otherwise, it would have taken me forever to find the solution to the problem that I was faced with. If I did nothing, Alex would disregard me anyway. It is better that I tell an adult and get help for Alex and have her hate me, than to have Alex still smoke and have her ignore me. I told the guidance counselor the next day. She thanked me for telling her about this problem, even when it would break up a friendship. I have no idea what Alex did about the problem because she never talked to me again. The only thing that matters is that I helped Alex with a problem that would have haunted her life. So whenever someone tells me to be or not to be? I choose to be.

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We Can Do It

Author: Olivia Anne DeScipio School: North Pocono Intermediate Grade: 4th Nominated by: Rotary Club of North Pocono My first day of school is tomorrow. I’m really excited but school is a bigger job for me than most kids. I’m not the best student. I’m hoping this year will be different. As I got out of bed, I could smell hot waffles cooking. I quickly dressed, ate, and gulped down a big glass of orange juice before going outside. It was a windy day and the leaves were just turning colors, the beginning of autumn. I sniffed the air before going next door. It was crisp and fresh. I knocked on the door and heard a voice squeak, “Be there in a second.” A moment later, out popped my best friend, Meg. “Let’s go!” I said in a cheerful voice. Meg was quiet; something was wrong. It was all over her face. “Maggie” she said quietly. “Yes.” I answered quickly. “I have terrible news,” she said a little louder. “I ha-ha-have to move,” she added. I froze in my tracks, unable to move my arms and legs. “But why? Everybody in the neighborhood knows you. Why would you want to move?” I moaned. “You said you love it here.” “I really do, Meg, but they want to build a road right through my house. The mayor says they need a bigger road to connect the highway to some stupid, new plastic factory! A lot of other folks have to move, too. They are giving us just two months to find a place,” she whimpered. “Oh, Meg!” I signed, looking at my friend’s face. She looked like a lost puppy. We slumped down onto her front steps. Neither of us talked for what seemed like forever. Then, a light bulb went on. “I have it!” I screamed. “Come on,” I yelled, pulling her across her lawn. “Just come on! I’ll explain later. My mom loves when you come over. “What do you mean, you know what to do?” Meg asked as we sprinted upstairs to my room. I sat her down on my fuzzy pink comforter. “Meg, I think I have a plan to keep the road from being built.” She flung herself back on my bed. “How? We only have two months before I have to move,” she moaned. “Yes, but you said the road was to connect the highway to a new plastic factory.” “So…” she said.

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“Don’t big, heavy, dirty trucks haul things to factories?’ “And…?” “They pollute the air which makes towns dirty…” I continued. “Oh…yeah.” “We can make people understand that. Let’s get the word out. We can put up signs, hand out flyers and have protests. If we can get people on our side, you won’t have to move!” “Maggie! That’s awesome – how do we get started?” “Let’s start working on the flyers now,” I instructed. “Great!” Meg exclaimed. I jumped up, excited to have a real use for the new computer my parents gave me for my birthday last month. I love writing and they thought I could try typing my stories on my own computer. My fingers began moving swiftly across the keyboard. I was pretty good. A moment later, I called over to Meg. “What do you think?” Meg read over my shoulder:

“Save Our Neighborhood! Say NO to the new road. Help keep

out trucks and air pollution. We need you! Call (672) 521-

5755.” “Maggie, it’s great but there’s one problem…school starts tomorrow.” “That’s the good part, silly. We can post them all over the school and get other kids to help.” “Great! We’ll talk to the principal as soon as possible,” Meg said. “Coming,” we yelled. “I can’t believe it is lunch time already,” Meg said as we walked downstairs.” Mom had grilled cheese and chocolate milk waiting for us, our favorites. We ate and we talked about our ideas. Mom even got involved, too. She said she would talk to Dad and Meg’s parents about meeting with the principal and getting the whole school involved. After lunch, Meg headed home. I ran back upstairs and typed until dinner. I made five different flyers and two posters. At dinner, Mom and I talked with Dad about my big idea. They called Meg’s folks and made plans to visit the school the next morning. That night, as I snuggled under my fuzzy, pink comforter, I said to myself, “This could really work. We can make a difference and I’m proud of us.”