Student’s Writings

4 Senses by Rhys Guilfoyle

The students were tasked to write a story about the loss of one of their five senses.

RHYS turned his loss of TASTE into a championship-winning advantage at Carolina’s annual Hot Pepper Eating Challenge.

Senses by Hector Rivas

The students were tasked to write a story about the loss of one of their five senses.

HECTOR leapt forward 50 years to prove Mr. Tom’s point about headphones leading to loss of HEARING, notwithstanding being in a Nursing Home with a particularly loud cousin.

Wonderland by Kendall Curtis

The students were tasked to “picture yourself in Wonderland.” The prompts included the Beatles song, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” which was inspired by a child’s nursery school drawing and the imagery of “Alice in Wonderland.”

We  are  featuring three very different approaches to the topic. Jayla takes us (and two of her fellow students) down the rabbit hole. Rhys considers it from the perspective of a real world trek to reach America from Colombia. And Kendall reminds us that Wonderland is always within us.

WONDERLAND

A land or place full of wonder? Do any of you know a place like that? I do—my brain.

I would love to see my brain one day. I would cut open my head and rip it right out. You know, if it wouldn’t kill me! My brain is different from everyone else’s. Sometimes I can’t even wrap my own head around it. Like when I’m having a bad day and my brain just shuts it out. Or when someone says something that really tests my patience, and my brain figures out a way to make a joke out of it. My brain can make a joke about anything. People tend to be attracted to me because of my brain. Whether it be how funny I am or how empathic I am. But you know the thing about having such a good, funny brain? When I get low, I don’t stay low long. My brain tries to fight every bad thought that I have. Sometimes even before I’m done coping.  It’s like my brain is wired to always be in wonderland. Even when it shouldn’t be.

I can’t talk or respond when I’m upset. I just shut down. My brain won’t let me talk. My brain thinks that if I respond while I’m upset, I’ll ruin everything. Sometimes I think so too, like when I slip up. Like if I cry when I get upset, that’s a slip up. Or if I go off, or sometimes when I just want to feel sad, my brain won’t allow me to. My brain comes down to my ear and whispers to me, “Someone has it a lot worse than you.” After that, I go back to my regular coding. I think the longest I’ve ever been upset was when my mom wouldn’t pick me up from a sleepover when I told her I got a bed bug bite. She just told me to wait till the morning. I was mad at her for a week.

Some people may think having a brain like that is terrible, but that’s just until I make them laugh with my amazing jokes.

Another reason I think I have such a good brain is because it keeps everyone on their toes. You never know what I might say. I’m always on a different wave than most people, and that’s how I like it. Let me give you an example. You may look at one of the paintings on these walls and ask yourself, “I wonder who made that?” While you’re thinking about that, I’m thinking about who climbed up the ladder or stood on a desk to put it up there? Did they fall? You see? Now I got you thinking about how all the stuff in the room got where it is. Or maybe not. Maybe you’re thinking about who’s going to read their writing after me, or if I’m ever going to be quiet. Who knows?

I know what I’m thinking about though. Ha! You thought I was going to tell you! Back to the point. I have other things that I consider “a wonderland” but I’m not gonna bore y’all with those details. You’ll just have to wait for the sequel.

Kendall Curtis
4/21/23

Wonderland by Rhys Guilfoyle

The students were tasked to “picture yourself in Wonderland.” The prompts included the Beatles song, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” which was inspired by a child’s nursery school drawing and the imagery of “Alice in Wonderland.”

We  are  featuring three very different approaches to the topic. Jayla takes us (and two of her fellow students) down the rabbit hole. Rhys considers it from the perspective of a real world trek to reach America from Colombia. And Kendall reminds us that Wonderland is always within us.

WONDERLAND

There is no opportunity in my country. I can’t make enough to support myself. I have to go to America. America seems like a wonderland. I won’t be persecuted for what I say, I can practice my own religion, and it has good paying jobs. But how do I get there? I have no visa or a green card. I have to make it there myself.

I started off in Colombia to make it through the Darien Gap to Panama. Hundreds of miles of jungle are between me and freedom. The cartels set up a sophisticated operation to move us; they’re trafficking us. They told us it will only be a two-day walk. I use my savings to buy water, some clothes, and to pay the fees. As soon as we make it on the trail, it’s nothing like the cartel said it would be. The mud grips your feet and pulls you down. People lose their shoes and have to walk the rest of the trip barefoot. Cartel members get paid to carry luggage and children up the mountains. Children scream for their parents because they got left behind.

When we made it to our camp, people were snatched out of their tents by masked men with machine guns and machetes, never to be seen again. The cartel had lied about it being a two-day walk, it was five days. A man snagged his foot on a rock and broke his foot. Everyone just walked by and left him there. A much as I wanted to help him, I had to keep going.

There was a clearing next to a river where people had to get on boats. The cartel wanted to make as much money as they could, but they threw so many people into the boats that water was getting in over every wave. Human skulls and dead bodies floated in the water and rested on the riverbed. We made it to camps—one was a newer camp run by the Panamanian government, while the other was the cartel’s camp. There was no electricity, no plumbing, and sick people were throwing up everywhere. Buses that would take us out of here arrived hours late. The people who couldn’t pay were left behind to work until they could get a ticket to leave. When the buses arrived, it was a stampede to get on. I managed to get on, but I lost my bag in the process, I had no more money, but I still had my life.

I lived in Mexico, working several jobs to save up enough money to finally make it to America. When I crossed the border into America, heavy weights were lifted off my shoulders. I could finally get what I always wanted, a better life.

Rhys Guilfoyle
4/21/23

Wonderland by Jayla Nickens-Gill

The students were tasked to “picture yourself in Wonderland.” The prompts included the Beatles song, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” which was inspired by a child’s nursery school drawing and the imagery of “Alice in Wonderland.”

We  are  featuring three very different approaches to the topic. Jayla takes us (and two of her fellow students) down the rabbit hole. Rhys considers it from the perspective of a real world trek to reach America from Colombia. And Kendall reminds us that Wonderland is always within us.

WONDERLAND

Sitting in the classroom, my head felt light. I closed my eyes and started thinking. A few
minutes later I hear this ticking. I try to ignore it, but the ticking continues. I pick up my head,
everyone is gone, and this white, ugly, red-eyed rabbit is staring at me. It looks down at
its ticking clock, then at me, and runs off.

I run after the rabbit. We get to a park, and he jumps down a hole. It reminds me of the movie “Alice in Wonderland.” However, when I jumped down the hole, my trip wasn’t as slow or as nice as Alice. I smashed into a piano, dislocated my finger, and slammed into the ground.

“Damn gang, why you land like that?” Karla says

“What you mean? You acting like this a regular thing” I said

“You saw that rabbit too huh? He threw a rock at me, next thing I know I’m spiraling down
this hole” Karla explains

“Anyone else down here?”

“Kendall, but she ain’t see the rabbit, she was walking and fell into the hole”

“Where is she”

“Over there lying down” Karla points

“Wassup son” Kendall says

“How you fall?” I asked

“Listen son, my ankles gave out and I couldn’t catch myself in time, but I knew I was
going down so I didn’t even try to stop it”

“And y’all ain’t look for a way out?” I asked

“Nah gango” Karla says

“Ard come on” I say

We helped Kendall off the floor and opened the door. Nothing but dry grass and trees. I
look over to Kendall and Karla, their entire outfits have changed. They were wearing big brown
worn-out pieces of cloth, worn-out shoes, and beads. Sadly, I was wearing the same thing.

“Where are we” Karla says

“Who cares? Look at what I’m wearing!” Kendall screams

“This is some caveman type thing, reminds me of a video game I played” I say

“We don’t have no phones, no music, no food, no showers, no nothing” Kendall says

“I can’t listen to YoungBoy” Karla starts to freak out

Before I can say anything, we hear a ton of screaming and people dressed just like us are
running towards us, bows and arrows in their hands. They motion for us to follow them. They
lead us into a cave and they start telling stories with paint.

“Ahhh!”

A bloody scream is heard, and the people are alerted. They hand us weapons and
encourage us to help them fight. We help them but it doesn’t last long. Kendall gets shot in the
head by an arrow, Karla gets shot in the neck, and I was chased and then pushed off a cliff.

As I’m falling, I hear the familiar ticking of the clock, and I pick my head up to see everyone back in the classroom and Mr. Don giving us a prompt. “Wonderland.”
Jayla Nickens-Gill
4/21/23

Spring Break – Opening Lines

An important aspect of Creative Writing is an opening that grabs attention and provokes the reader’s interest to know more. Last week, the students were tasked to share stories about their Spring Break experiences. Here are some of their opening lines.

CHASE: I wake up at 3 P.M. on the table. My head feels light. This massive white light shines down on me. People surround me in white coats. “Okay, Chase. We’re going to move you onto your bed,” a blurry figure says. I nod my head. I can’t talk. I can barely breathe. I’m hyperventilating. “3, 2, 1,” someone says. I’m lifted off the operating table. Someone shoots me with a shotgun 7 times. At least that’s what it feels like.

RHYS: I don’t know if anyone else does this, but I have a list of the coolest things I’ve ever done. I’ve been on a roller coaster with no seatbelt, drop-kicked my brother, and saved my house from a fire. But nothing I ever did tops what I did over Spring Break—I met Batman.

HECTOR: On Wednesday afternoon, I finally snapped.

JAYLA: I thought it was a great idea to go out to eat. The car ride was terrible. Shonda was blasting church music the entire ride.

KARLA: Spring Break was terrible. I was so sad. I hated it.

KENDALL: On Saturday, I decided to change things up a bit. I knew what had to be done. It was finally time to get my nose pierced.