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Student’s Writings

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Student's Writings
January 29, 2026

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] The students were presented with a 1965 video of Bob Dylan’s iconic song, “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” and asked to consider its message. MOHAMED…pens a letter from the songwriter himself. Back Then is Starting to Look Like Now Dear leaders of the future, When I wrote the song, “Subterranean Homesick Blues”, I wasn’t intending for the future to revert back to the past. At my current age of 84, I have seen plenty of change, both good and bad. And I can say with confidence that the United States of America is in big trouble. I’ve seen it all: war, corruption, economic frustration, and even the systemic disillusionment America presents. I thought that there was nothing worse than what I experienced in the 60’s, but there is. And that’s the current administration. Within a year of the President being in office, the damage done could take years to repair. Our global relations with other nations are fading. What they call the issue of immigration is not only hurting countless families but also taking a toll on our economy. It’s a major betrayal to drive out to the very people who build this nation. Democracy is being shattered with the corruption happening in the government. Those in power only look out for themsleves rather than the people of this nation. It’s a tragic world we live in and only the leaders of the future can rebuild the damage that is being done. I urge you all to step up and fight with unity and justice Do not be comfortable. That only...

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Student's Writings
January 29, 2026

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] The students were presented with a 1965 video of Bob Dylan’s iconic song, “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” and asked to consider its message.  RYLEE…finds the “twenty years of schooling” line to be alarming. A Song Stuck in My Head   A dark room, and an alarm that’s been stuck in my head for as long as I can remember! It's a pattern that has been embedded in me forever. Yet, I continue this cycle because, once I get out of school, I will be moving on my own schedule. Or maybe that’s just what I tell myself to get through these days. I listened to the song "Subterranean Homesick Blues” by Bob Dylan, and one specific lyric that stands out to me is “Twenty years of schooling, and they put you on the day shift.” Which makes me wonder, will I ever break this trying cycle? Waking up and going to school for what feels like the majority of the day and then going straight home is what feels like one of the most repetitive things that one can do. By the time I actually enjoy the concept of life, and my actions stop counting towards how successful my future will be,  could be at retirement age! I suppose if your career ends up being something you enjoy, then it might not feel too bad, but getting to that point can take years. There really is no being certain when the cycle stops, or if it ever will. So I guess my real question is, when will that alarm...

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Student's Writings
January 29, 2026

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] The students were presented with a 1965 video of Bob Dylan’s iconic song, “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” and asked to consider its message. MADISYN…shares the obvious truth the song made her realize. Obvious Truth One of the most famous lines from Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues was “You don’t need a weather man to know which way the wind blows.” This line means more than what it says. It gives us a glimpse of what most people had to differentiate; the obvious truth versus the truth that was shoved in their face and forced to believe.  This is seen in every part of history. Especially today with social media as the main source of information. So many “truths” are shoved down our throats forcing us to repeat the same thing like a broken record. In some cases, if you have an opposing opinion, you are forced to keep it to yourself or you would be shamed online or even threatened.  Normalization just stacks on top of that because once something bad is normal and everyone does it, it shouldn’t be an issue, right? Well, it still is. It always will be. Just because “everyone” agrees doesn't make it ok. If everyone could use the brains they have and form their own thoughts and opinions instead of imitating others, they might be able to figure out what they truly believe and why. That’s my obvious truth. Madisyn Hall January 28, 2026 [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]...

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Student's Writings
January 29, 2026

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] The students were presented with a 1965 video of Bob Dylan’s iconic song, “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” and asked to consider its message.  ETHAN…transports himself to the 1960s to truly appreciate  what “Mr. Bob” is saying. A Song for Me Imma be real, I could not understand a single thing Mr Bob. Dylan was saying. It just sounded like he was yapping about stuff that was not important to me. That is what I thought until I decided to open my mind, and really understand what Mr. Bob was talking about.  To really understand what he is trying to say you have to think about the 1960s era and everything that was going on back then. To me, it seems like Mr. Dylan is trying to warn us about following blind rules, and leaders. Lines like,” Don't follow leaders, watch the parkin meters” encourage independent thought and caution against government and societal control. Mr. Dylan also referenced specific events that happened such as the use of high pressure fire hoses on peaceful protesters during the civil rights movement in Birmingham, Alabama ("Better stay away from those / That carry 'round a fire hose") To me the lyrics also touch on the feeling that conventional life is a trap. The line, "Twenty years of schooling and they put you on the day shift," conveys the idea that following societal norms and getting an education doesn't necessarily lead to a fulfilling life, a sentiment that resonated with the youth of the time, and some today. Overall, “Homesick Blues" is an iconic, lyrical assault...

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Student's Writings
November 25, 2025

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] Topic: STUFF. We’re surrounded by stuff in life…and in the TCS classroom. Stuff we barely notice. The students were challenged to focus their creativity on a tangible bit of the room they occupy every day. RYLEE…looks at, around, and through the school’s front window and relates it to her personal TCS journey. A View Into Lives   I remember driving past this school for the first time before I even applied. I saw a student turn off the lights, and then the blinds to the window closed. I sorta envisioned myself here at that moment I suppose, only for a second, and then my mom drove off. I would soon return to this school to check out the perimeter. Of course, this time I had already applied. I looked through the window again, and this time I noticed all of the art work that sat there. I was fairly impressed, I must admit. Wrapping my head around that this was really was a school still wasn’t fully there though. Time passed, and I was invited in for a shadow day. When I walked up to the school, I looked through the window once again. This time I noticed the students, students that seemed to be here their whole lives almost.  I finally made my way into the school and I was greeted by Mr Tom. We talked and whatnot,and then, I was directed to my seat. I find it funny how my current seat is very much similar to where I sat that shadowday. I remember looking through the...

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Student's Writings
November 25, 2025

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] Topic: STUFF. We’re surrounded by stuff in life…and in the TCS classroom. Stuff we barely notice. The students were challenged to focus their creativity on a tangible bit of the room they occupy every day. JUDAH…personifies the omnipresent student water bottles with humor, pathos and street cred. Stuff. (Yeah that's the title). It was a peaceful early morning when me and my people were violently grabbed by giant hands that fell from the sky. I was enclosed in darkness until I woke up in a room. We were spread apart in the room. My wife and my best friend were placed in a corner while I was far away on another desk. At first, everything was quiet. Until I witnessed the unthinkable. My wife was picked up off a table and water was forced down her throat. Then one of the giants lifted her up to their face and started sucking the life out of her. The same happened to my best friend. I was then grabbed and taken to another room, I wasn’t even able to process what had happened.  When I got to the room a name tag was placed on me. It read Mohamed. I was then left in the room… Traumatized. The room was dark and I was placed in a cup holder so I couldn’t turn my head around but I heard a voice.    Crackhead bottle: “Yo n**ga, what up”? Me: Hello, is someone there? Who are you? Crackhead bottle: You know who I am, I'm Crackhead bottle and you, owe me money, n**ga!!!  Me: I don’t...

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Student's Writings
November 25, 2025

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""]STUFF. We’re surrounded by stuff in life…and in the TCS classroom. Stuff we barely notice. The students were challenged to focus their creativity on a tangible bit of the room they occupy every day. JORDAN…takes up the plight of the long-suffering voiceless inhabitants of the fish tank…Fish Lives Matter, Too. The Tank  You would think that I love my life, but I don’t. I’m the most mistreated animal in history, besides hamsters. You flush me down the toilet when you don’t need me anymore. I get stuck in the same, musty tank for days without it being cleaned. I bet you already knew this, but I’m a fish. Specifically, a fish in The Community School. Of course, Hector forgot to feed us again, like he always does. I don’t know why Mr. Tom thought it was a good idea to put our lives in the hands of the most forgetful person in the school. Also, my health makes life so much harder. I have a bad case of fish asthma. My gills can’t take in enough water, so I feel every bit of pressure in my tiny fish heart. Of course these humans don’t understand anything about fish. That’s why I’m planning to gather all of the fish in the tank for a meeting. We can’t keep living like this under the authoritarian rule of the homosapien species. I call this revolution Fish Lives Matter, or FLM for short. We have been abused, tortured, and eaten for years without a second thought.  Every other object in the room has...

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Student's Writings
November 13, 2025

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""]CHANGED FOR GOOD…The students were asked to reflect on a relationship that has affected their life for the better MOHAMED…reminds us that the most important person who can change us for the better is ourself. No One’s Coming to Save Me I was six years old when my family left Mali. I didn’t understand why at first. I just remember the long flight, the boxes we couldn’t bring, and my mother whispering that America would give me a better life. But “better” didn’t come easy.We didn’t have much money.  My parents worked long hours, and I learned early how to make things last, one pair of shoes for everything, from school to the playground to Eid prayer. Kids at school noticed. They laughed at my accent, my clothes, and even my name. I’d smile like it didn’t bother me, but when I got home, I’d sit in silence, replaying every insult in my head. Middle school was the worst. Everyone wanted to fit in, and I stuck out. I didn’t talk much. I kept to myself. Sometimes I’d pretend to be sick just to avoid the noise, the jokes, the whispers. I didn’t know it then, but all that pain was teaching me how to stay calm in the middle of chaos. Back then, basketball was just something I watched on YouTube. I’d see players like Kevin Durant glide across the court, and I’d imagine what it felt like to move like that. But I never really played. I told myself I didn’t have the time, or the...

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Student's Writings
November 8, 2025

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] CHANGED FOR GOOD…The students were asked to reflect on a relationship that has affected their life for the better. RUTH…pens a tribute to her mother’s story of resilience and love. Change for Good         My mother, Carla Lizette Monge Rivas, was born May 20, 1975, in Suchitoto, El Salvador. She was actually born on May 18th, but the doctors had messed up her birth certificate. She’s the middle child of a 4-child household. Both my grandparents were always busy working hard for her and her siblings. So, from a very young age, she learned to be independent and take care of herself. When she was in the middle of college at age 25, she chose to leave school to come work here in the U.S. Like almost every, if not all, immigrants, my mom came here in search of a better life and a way to help my grandparents.          She would very soon meet my brother’s dad, get pregnant, and start her business. When Jonathan was only 27 days old, he was sent to El Salvador to my grandparents because my mom couldn’t take care of him due to her business and not being financially stable. She met my dad during that time, but they didn’t actually start dating until 3 years after meeting. She then got pregnant with Karla, and a year later, she got pregnant with me, her favorite child.         The thing about my mom is that she’s too kind. She goes out of her way...

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Student's Writings
November 8, 2025

CHANGED FOR GOOD…The students were asked to reflect on a relationship that has affected their life for the better. JORDAN…introduces us to someone outside her family, but deeply inside her heart. Change For Good The first person that comes to mind for this prompt is Ms. Wickless, also known as my TCS sponsor. I met her in my 8th grade year at Sisters Academy of Baltimore. There were three teachers in charge of the Graduate Support program. Ms. Fortson, Ms. Evans, and finally Ms. Wickless. My class had about 14 students and we were split into groups based on how much help we needed with picking a high school.  Ms. Fortson took students that needed the most help, which was half of the class. Ms. Evans took students that were somewhere in the middle. Ms. Wickless took students that didn’t need as much help as the other two groups. Surprisingly, I was in her group with two other students. We sat down in a quiet room and got to know each other better. It was a little awkward because this was the first time we’ve actually met this lady. The first impression I got from her is that she was very friendly and easy to talk to. That made it easy for me because I have trouble talking to people I don’t know. During the half an hour we spent together, I took notes. I didn’t just jot down a couple words, I actually wrote enough to fill up at least a full side of my notepad. I may not...

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