online at www.connectionnewspapers.com Follow on Twitter: @ffxconnection December 26, 2013 - January 1, 2014 Fairfax Fairfax Serving Areas of Burke Serving Areas of Burke Children Children’ s Connection 2013 s Connection 2013 Children’s Connection 2013 Autumn Leaves by Angelica Lin, fourth grade, Wakefield Forest Elementary.
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The Fairfax County Federation of Teachers would like to thank all ofthe 2013 award winners listed above for their consistent advocacy,proactive communications, and support of our workforce over thepast year. We publicly acknowledge their efforts to make a differencein the lives of FCPS employees. Thank you for caring about us; itmatters and is appreciated.
WelcomeDear Readers:This week, the Fairfax Connection turns
over its pages to the youth and students.We asked principals and teachers from
area schools to encourage students to con-tribute their words, pictures and photos forour annual Children’s Issue.
The response as always was enormous.While we were unable to publish every piecewe received, we did our best to put togethera paper with a fair sampling of the submit-ted stories, poems, drawings, paintings,photographs and other works of art.
We appreciate the extra effort made byschool staff to gather the materials duringtheir busy time leading up to the holidays.We’d also like to encourage both schools andparents to mark their 2014 calendars forearly December, the deadline for submis-sions for next year’s Children’s Connection.Please keep us in mind as your children
continue to create spectacular works of artand inspiring pieces of writing in the com-ing year.
The children’s issue is only a part of ouryear-round commitment to cover educationand our local schools. As always, the Con-nection welcomes letters to the editor, storyideas, calendar listings and notices of localevents from our readers. Photos and othersubmissions about special events at schoolsare especially welcome for our weeklyschools pages.
Our preferred method for material is e-mail, which should be sent [email protected], butyou can reach us by mail at 1606 KingStreet, Alexandria, VA 22314 or call 703-778-9414 with any questions.
Editor Kemal Kurspahic
Frozen in Time by Jordan Lucas, 4th grade,Wakefield Forest Elementary.
By Daniella Contreras, 5th grade, Eagle View Elementary.
By Valerie Lam, kindergarten, Fairview Elementary.
By Madelena Johnson, 7th grade, Lanier Middle School.
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Children’s
Connection
Our Soldiers— Katie Ballou,
9th grade,
West Springfield High School
It is a winter morning in Texas,and the air is cool. My mouth isdry and my anxious fingersfumble with the zipper on mysweater. Music plays behind thechatter of the patient families.We stand on a huge field in frontof the First Calvary’s Headquar-ters at Fort Hood Texas. TheAmerican flag waves as ifAmerica can feel the excitementof the families. The smell of pinedrifts on the cool air and into mynose. The familiar smell com-forts me and calms my nerves.
A voice comes over the speakerand announces the arrival of thesoldiers we have been waitingfor. A bus pulls up and mystomach fills with anxiousbutterflies. We see booted feetfile off the bus and march intoformation behind it. All thefamilies are cheering andclapping. I can hear the lowrumble of the bus as it pullsaway, revealing the soldiers.They march onto the field and Icannot see their faces well, but Iknow they are searching for theirfamilies. The National Anthemplays and two mounted FirstCalvary Horsemen ride acrossthe field atop their horses. Wesay the Pledge of Allegiance andhave a moment of silence for thesoldiers who will never be ableto return home. During all ofthis, I am staring at one manwho is in the front row of thelined up soldiers. The man onthe speaker then announces thatwe can finally be reunited withour loved ones.
I run past my family and theother families. I look around. Iwas only a four-foot-eleven fifthgrader, so it is hard to look overthe top of the towering soldiersand their families. I then catch aglimpse of a man. I see only theback of him, but I know who heis. He is looking for something. Ilook at his hat and it has a veryfamiliar name on it: "BALLOU." Irun to the soldier and tap on hisshoulder. He turns around. Hisface lights up and he picks meup. I take in everything aboutDad: his Old Spice cologne, thefamiliar roughness of his uni-form, and his hugging arms.
“Katie,” his voice shakes and Ismile because I know that dadwill never leave again.
A Hedgehog Christmas by Rebecca Elliff, 3rd grade, White Oaks Elemen-tary.
When I Grow Up…The question, “what you’d you like to be
when you grow up?” seems like an impos-sible one to answer. As for me, it never hasbeen. The reason? I’ve always been intimi-
Lake Braddock
Secondary Reflections
dated by this question, and so, I’ve chosento manipulate it. With all other jobs, we’reare defined as one person; doctor, teacher,lawyer. But with my dream job, I can bewhomever I wish to be. I can create which-ever circumstances I wish, whatever peopleI can conjure, and within whatever timeperiod I want. I answer to no one, except
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There are stories in my headThousands of storiesTrue and FictionCharacters of my own creationAnd characters that are not mineThey are all there with meAll the timeIt’s my happy placeI can disappear inside my stories
anytimeI can get my stories onto paperBut many are just mineJust for meSometimes the stories are too
muchToo many worlds in my headand I need a breakAn escape to realityBefore I dive back in againTo the stories in my headTo my own mini world
LegacyBy Jana Considine,
8th
grade
I stand tall, proud and resilientAs around me chaos fallsDestruction is constant, creation
is tooIf I kill the killers who started thisDoes this make me as bad as
them?Or will I be seen as a heroWorshipped as the salvation to a
nation?Either way the ending is still the
sameI will dieNo matter if it is by old age or
enemy handsA sickness taking away my life
or an accidentI will die eventuallyBut my legacy- ºHow I am re-
membered is what will keep me liv-ing on
I refuse to be forgotten, just asacrifice to this war
I want to be remembered as Iwalk to face the flames
The threat of disaster is nothingand I fear nothing
Either way I will dieIt’s my legacy that will live on
My Historyof Being aTroublemaker
By Lars Wathne
My worst day of school is prob-ably my first day of kindergarten
I got off to an immediate badstart with my teachers,
One that would continue on andon
Our good relationship didn’teven last five minutes
When people ask all I can say isI’m Daddy’s little girl
Joy andHappiness
By Courtney Williams,
8th
grade
Winter-soft and powdery it falls.I imagine being a toddler again;Jumping and frolickingThrough its white kingdomthat has showered the earthwith a big white blanket.Missing school and helping my
dad shovel the driveway,never truly appreciating its time.Snow turns to flowers. Winter
turns into spring.Spring-warm and inviting it
comes.I imagine being a kid again;seeing the bright petals of flow-
ers, blooming out of dormancy,smelling that sweet smell of life,never truly appreciating its time.The year goes on from warm to
hot.Spring turns to summer.Summer-it comes rolling in with
the excitement that it brings.I like to remember my teenage
years;swimming in the lake,drinking too much soda;playing football in the fields,
airplaneExcited and feeling magicalI drop from the planeCaught with a huge trampolineAs if I were a gymnastI spread my new wings and take
off like a birdSoaring through a gumball can-
yonI spot a giant green creatureI think it’s called a T-Rex?I finally touch down to the
groundI open my eyesAnd my masterpiece is done
Outer BanksBy Rachel McGirl,
8th
grade
I always like summer bestSighing asThe salty airCaresses my cheeksRunning barefootAlong the sparkling wavesListening as they whisperAnd softly lap againstThe crystal white sandsSkimming the seaside forA perfect seashellIt had to be smoothAnd roughIn all the rightPlacesWaking upAnd running toThe window forJust a glance atThe sun-kissed shoreAnd the glistening seaRushing to seeWho can get theirBathing suitOn firstWatching the horsesTrot calmly asThe surf crashesAnd foamsAlong their anklesTheir coats smoothAnd gleaming inThe sunlightSkipping downThe boardwalkHand in handLooking up intoThe dark night skyAt the twinkling starsFeeling safeAt peaceAt home
Autumn DayBy Rachel McGirl,
8th
grade
The leaves swirlCarelessly along the drivewayI watch as they riseAnd fallThe sky begins to fadeIt looks as ifAn artistHad painted streaksAcross the skyBut it is astounding
By Bethany Camp, 12th grade, Robinson Second-ary School.
Poems from Robinson Secondary
When the morning announce-ments came on the TV,
They put a Barbie doll on thescreen,
So I, being the little impulsivechild that I was,
Ran up to the TV and punched itThe punch really hurt,But it was worth itEverybody in the class started
laughingApparently, the teacher didn’t
think it was very funnyBecause she marched me to the
principal’s office,Not five minutes into my school
careerThe principal and I became very
closeOver my first few years of schoolDuring kindergarten alone,I might have gone to him about
once every weekIt eventually came to the point
where he would just shake hishead,
And send me outside for thirtyminutes,
To think about what I had donethis time
One time, it was fighting withscissors,
Another, it was biting a kid’s fin-ger,
And so onTo this day, I am still very impul-
siveAnd still like to talk a lotBut, I am not nearly as bad of a
troublemakerAs I was when I was a little kidI think I was born to give teach-
ers headaches
Daddy’sLittle Girl
By Courtney Williams,
8th
grade
Fortunately, we sit on the couchand cannot be serious for an houror two
Unfortunately, that doesn’t hap-pen too much
Fortunately, he tells me I can getstraight A’s
Unfortunately, I’ve never gottenstraight A’s
Fortunately, I can tell him aboutmy favorite boy band and theirhandsomeness
Unfortunately, he doesn’t careFortunately, he wants me to have
friendsUnfortunately, they can’t be boysFortunately, he lets me walk to
the bus without him to school thenext morning
Unfortunately, he makes mebring my brother
Fortunately, he loves meUnfortunately, he’s overprotec-
tive
wanting school to end but neverwanting to start,
talking to friends and pulling all-nighters,
never truly appreciating its time.The leaves begin to change.Summer turns to fall.Fall-it comes showering the earth
with leaves.I imagine being a younger adult;admiring life and its changes,watching my baby girl discover
the art of jumping in piles of leaves,and the difference between red,
yellow, brown, and orange,appreciating the time that I’ve
been given to share natural joy.
PaintingBy Cameron Earls
Grabbing a vast white sheetI stick it on the easelIn a land of colorsI touch the brush to the paint and
take a swishOn the canvassSuddenly I am I a different worldFull of color and brightnessI let my imagination take me
wherever it wantsNow there are knights surround-
ing meI use my hot air balloon to es-
capeLanding in sinking sandI grab a rope connected to a blue
I hear the windWhistle throughThe branchesAnd I sigh atThe beauty of it allSquirrels scamperAnd chase each otherThrough the brushHappy and innocentAnd carelessI feel young againThe sun begins to sinkInto the horizonAnd the stars emergeThe leaves cease to swirlAnd the squirrels disappearBut the wind continuesTo whistle.
Last FrontierBy Emerson Kuzemka,
7th
grade
Standing like living statues,Vast miles of crystal clear blue
skies,Trickle of melting snow,Lonely Blue lakes shine,Large boulders cast eerie shadows,Wind whistles wisely,Where land meets the sky,Many call it the last frontier,The land of promise,Valleys gleam with life,Storms shape the gold sand
beaches,Winds filled with sweet salt,It is untouched land,Only touched by few humans,It is made of gold
UntitledBy Mason Ghodsi,
8th
grade
A darkening nightAn old townWorn from years of litter, carelesspeople and graffitiThe wind whip’s across the emptyparking lotOld newspapers flutter around in theairUsed cups and grocery bags skidacross the asphaltOne light flickers, letting out a quietsteady buzzHands shoved deep into his pocketsHead downHe slowly walks through the barrentownHis coat isn’t much against the bit-ter cold airCutting through like a frozen bladeThe last of the sun disappears behindthe horizon lineThe voices start up nowQuiet whispersEvery word is held longBefore they had comeThis had been a normal townThen everybody fledExcept for himHe stayed foreverHe didn’t have a choiceHe couldn’t leave.
One of the best thingsabout Virginia is its natureparks. Recently, I was hik-ing at Mason Neck StatePark, which is one of theonly places you can seebald eagles. It was beau-tiful autumn day. The skywas a deep ocean blue,and the sun was shiningbrightly, though it was nothot at all. There was apleasant breeze comingfrom the river, whistlinglightly. The Bay View Trailhad a lovely view of theriver. The Eagle Spur trailled us through the woodsto the Eagle Viewpoint.The Eagle Viewpoint wasa covered shelter with awooden bench that youcould sit down and ob-serve everything around.There, I actually spottedone bald eagle flyingaround. Also, I saw the most gorgeous col-ors of the leaves: fiery red, orange, and puregold. Mason Neck State Park is an amaz-
ingly beautiful place, and I hope that allpeople that live in Virginia and visitors fromout of state will visit there sometime too.
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Children’s Connection
Midnight Tiger by Yusuf Ahamed, seventh grade, LakeBraddock Secondary School.
ReflectionsFrom Page 7
Lake Braddock Secondary Reflections
my pen and my characters. Theworld is at my fingertips. By be-ing this job, I can escape the in-evitable labels of a job waiting forme, and I can create my own. Thisis why, when I grow up, I want tobe a writer. —Laura Kirk, 7th grade,
Lake Braddock Secondary
What you do when you grow updepends on your personality, in-terests, and strengths. When Igrow up I would like to work in ajob that involves politics, so I willstart as a lawyer and work my wayup to higher positions. Any jobwith politics involves interactingwith people. I like talking topeople and learning their opinionson different matters. I want to be-come a politician to help our coun-try be the best country it can be.
— Nandhana Nair, 7th
grade, Lake Braddock
Secondary
A Gift for MyParents
If I could give my parents a giftthat didn’t cost money, then I
would give them less stress. Myparents are always there for mysister and me whenever we needhelp. Every day I wake up at6:00a.m., go downstairs, and mymom is waiting for me with break-fast on the table. Whenever I needhelp with math, my dad is thereto help me. These are just a few ofthe many things that my parentsdo for me. Thanksgiving was just
three days ago, and I definitelyhad something to be thankful for.
— Alex Ahn, 7th grade,
Lake Braddock Secondary
School
DukeThe best gift I ever received was
when I got my dog. When I was3-years-old, my mom and dad sur-prised my brother and me by tak-ing us to the shelter to adopt a dog.There were two dogs that weliked; one was a yellow Labradorretriever and the other was a shep-herd mix. My parents left it up tomy brother and me to choose. Weboth shouted at the same time,“We want the yellow one.” Nowten years later, we still love “Duke”as much as the day we picked himout.— Nicholas Margraf, 7th
grade, Lake Braddock
Secondary
The BestChristmas Gift
The absolute best gift that Icould give to my parents would behelping them when renovating ournew house this holiday season.Examples such as, helping takedown wallpaper, painting, or justkeeping my siblings under controlso they’re not bothering my par-ents while they’re working. Iwould do this by asking if I couldhelp, trying my best and makingsure I know what to do for them.That is the best Christmas gift Icould give them this year.
—Nevan Carter, 7th
grade, Lake Braddock
Secondary
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By Allison Withee, Springfield EstatesElementary.
By Kimberly Escoba, Springfield Estates Elementary.
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were realEveryday I walk down stairs with a smile on
my faceEveryday I mess upEveryday I want someone to talk toEveryday I hang out with my friendsEveryday my friends help me forget what I did
wrongEveryday my friends inspire me to do my best,
never give up, and put my best foot forwardEveryday my friends have my back and I have
theirsEveryday I find a new dream to work towardsEveryday I believe I can do anything which I
canEveryday you might try to tear me down but I
will always smileEveryday you fake your way to the topBut everyday I know that if I believe in my
dreams then one day I might inspire you to dothe same
— Rachel Scout Strohecker,
6th grade, Sangster Elementary
By Jessica Olmedo, 8th grade, Key Middle School.
By Milton Ramirez Flores, 8th grade, Key Middle School.
The Last SwingThe dead grass and gravel crunch under my
sneakers. A cool, crisp, breeze cuts through thestill, dry, air like a knife. A chickadee chirps inthe branches of a tall pine. Walking alone on thefamiliar, worn path, I arrive at a small play-ground and sit down on my favorite swing. Itcreaks and groans, being un-oiled and well used.As I swing, a rhythm starts. Back, forth, creak,back, forth, creak. My breathing matches thesteady beat of the swing. I look into the horizonand see the tops of the Cascade Mountains,blending into a pale pink sunset that looks as if itwere painted. While I gaze, I inhale the coolevening air and sigh. This is my last time at thispark, my last time looking at this sunset, my lasttime on this very swing. I hop off and walk homeas a tear, silent as the night, rolls down mycheek.
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