Jessica Hershner, a fourth-grade teacher at North Hills Elementary, explained this submission in her e-mail: “My class is really glad April is almost over and they show this in their writing assignments entitled, April Really Bugs Me!”

April Butterfly
My bug is the April Butterfly. It’s a beautiful butterfly but sometimes is ugly. When it’s happy it is blue with green polka dots. When it is mad it’s red with black lines. The April Butterfly eats everything but jets and planes. Its eyes are as big as golf balls. My bug has big blue wings like the sky .You better not make my bug mad or else. — By Aalyah Acevedo

April Bugs Me
My crazy crawler is called the April Gator Shark crawler. The Gator Shark eats any thing that is bigger than him. His blood is green. The critter is as fast as a jet at running but hates the rain. Its home is made of sticks and leaves. Its razor sharp teeth can break a finger and cut flesh. The Gator Shark is as mean as a pit bull. This monster has hands as knives. There are only twenty in the world. If you see one get out of its way! — By Trevor Banks

April Really Bugs Me!
My bug is an Aprilfly. It is a girly bug when it comes to looks. Aprilflys are light and dark purple with black sparkles on their wings. When it comes to eating, an Aprilfly is like a boy because it eats spider eggs and cockroaches. An Aprilfly acts like a crazy bee sometimes because it goes flying around looking for food. It can be as crazy as a jumpy monkey. Now you are in warning for seeing one. — By: Olivia Bernoudy

The Aprilflower Bug
The Aprilflower bug eats humans and other things. They live in The United Bugs of Insectrica. They don’t bite but they have a nasty stinger like a big fat bumblebee. By the way your only chance of seeing one is one out of one million. They have skin like chameleons so WATCH OUT! They turn sun yellow, eggplant purple, ocean blue, flaming red, and carrot orange and hot pink. That is why you don’t want to ever, ever see an Aprilflower bug! — By Trevor Blood

April Spider
The April Spider really bugs me because the spider has eight hairy legs. It also feels weird when it climbs on you with its slimy body. The spider licks you with its hairy tongue that is as hairy as a bear’s back and it’s disgusting. You should stay a few feet from it or it will spit out water. That’s why April really bugs me. — By Jacob Broederdorf

April Really Bugs Me
My April bug is an April bee. It eats other insects and has sharp teeth for ripping into flesh. It looks like a regular bee, but it’s not. It’s a different kind of deadly bee. It has 12 legs, 6 wings, with two sharp stingers, and two pointy ears at the top of its head. The two sharp stingers are for shocking its prey. Then it kills it for its super, yummy dinner. The 6 wings are for flying high in the air. The April bee’s ears hear like a hawk. The strong little legs are for running really fast. The April bee looks as yellow as the sun. It is also the color black. That is my scary April bug.– By Mercedes Bryan

April Really Bugs Me
My April bug is an April worm because in the beginning of April my friends and I find lots of worms. I know worms aren’t really fast so if you see one don’t be scared. The April worm lives in the wet soil. The snake is the worm’s worst enemy because the snake is fast but the worm is slow. I also like worms because they scare the girls and that’s my most favorite part. The worm goes as slow as a sloth. I love April worms because they are good for the enviroment. — By Iyan Butler

Beware of the Aprilbee!
April really bugs me because of the Aprilbee. You wouldn’t want an Aprilbee to sting you because its stinger is like the size of a great White Shark’s tooth. Also you know a bee has black and yellow stripes, right? Well, the Aprilbee has red and green stripes. Crazy right? The Aprilbee eats worms. Yuck! It is big as a frog. The Aprilbee with thick red and thin green stripes is a male and the one with thick green and thin red stripes is a female. When a male stings you, the spot will turn red and if a female stings you, the spot will turn green. Beware of the Aprilbee! — By: Hao Dao

The Aprilhater
My bug’s name is The Aprilhater. She hates ALL boys! The Aprilhater chews on anything I don’t like. One thing I don’t like is my little brother and his friend, Austin. My bug gnaws on the skin on top of the heads. Then, my bug gnaws on the skull and starts eating the brain!
My bug likes to bite people when they’re asleep. Also, my bug likes to eat bees. My bug is like a hungry spider that hasn’t eaten since 2000! In the future, The Aprilhater might start biting cats. The Aprilhater already bites snakes, lizards, boys, spiders, and bees.
Boys, watch out, there’s a new bug in town! Her favorite toys are flies and ants. She is mostly red and black with orange spots.
My bug follows me anywhere I go even if I don’t want it to. It’s like my long, lost twin sister because my bug does whatever I tell it to. Hopefully, you don’t get bitten by this bug!– By: Marissa DeLeon

The Spring-Vampire
Did you know there is a bug called the spring-vampire? They are very close to extinction. There are only 2,000 left. It can fly 100 miles per hour! It can also flap its wings per second! Their teeth are sharp as a chain-saw! Their red eye makes you hypnotized if you stare at it too long! The most important thing you should know is that it sucks blood! So keep your eyes out for this mysterious bug! — By DJ Haas

April Really Bugs Me
The April mean bug is a bug that comes out on the first of April. This bug is about 7 inches long. It has 18 legs and 3 red diamonds on its back. This bug also has 3 red eyes. One eye is on its back and the other 2 are coming out of its head. This bug has 2 3-inch pinchers. This weird bug’s body is like a big oval. The bug’s color is black and red. This mean bug doesn’t fly. My bug also eats little rodents like mice and rats. When I saw this bug it seemed as scary as a big monster. That is why my April mean bug really bugs me. — By: Joey Holder

April Flea Eater
My bug is the April Flea Eater. It really doesn’t eat fleas. It eats animals and humans. Beware, this bug is the most dangerous in the world. Ooohhh I almost forgot, don’t disturb it or don’t destroy its home or it will hunt you down and eat you. It has sharp claws as sharp as knives. It can fly 9,000,000 feet high. It lives high in the mountains in a huge honeycomb. The color of the April Flea Eater is yellow, red, orange and black. This is the most dangerous bug in the world. — By: Cody Isachsen

April-Fly
My bug is the April-Fly. The April­Fly is very small. He’s small like a pea. You also have to beware because it bites. It looks like a little green speck. It flies as fast as a race car. He likes to eat ladybugs and leaves. They act like mini mean dogs. So one day you might be lucky enough to see the April-Fly. — By: Diane Judge

The Apriling
My bug is the Apriling. It looks like a fly, but it has hair, legs, and arms. My bug, the Apriling is orange and black like a panther with a red afro as big as my grandma’s. The Apriling only eats black and red ants. The Apriling’s favorite kind of ants are the red ants. The Apriling flies and sometimes bites. My weird bug, the Apriling, flies by its ears, which are HUGE!!!! My bug also bites with its little tiny teeth. So watch out for the flying, biting Apriling because it might not be a regular fly. — By: Kristina Landis

April Bugs!
My April bug is an Aprilflea. The thing that I like about it is it eats all the bugs that bother me. Even the ones that don’t bother me. It’s awesome! It looks likes a Beetle. It has a shell too. Its shell is colored orange, green, yellow, blue, red and brown. Its antlers are bright brown! Its shell has stripes on it. That’s Why April really bugs me. — By: Joshua Leighton

Aprilfly
April really bugs me because there is a bug known as the Aprilfly. It flies and bites. The Aprilfly is bright purple. It acts like a monkey ripping flesh. The Aprilfly lives in the United States of Bugerica. It is as mean as King-Kong. The Aprilfly’s main diet is people, hairy caterpillars, venomous snakes, frogs, toads and tarantulas. You don’t want to get bit by my bug. — By: Bryce Linz

The April Tree Bug
My bug is named the April Tree bug because it lives in trees and eats leaves. The April tree bug is as camouflaged as a pair of Army pants. Good luck trying to find my bug in the trees.– By Chloe Mann

April Really Bugs Me
My bug is big. It’s black and yellow. This bug eats other bugs. It also flies. They’re as big as your hand. Their wings are so big that they can fly 110 miles per hour! It has a very bad pinch. This bug has two big eyes. So watch out for the April bee! — By: Brandon Olschefski

April Really Bugs Me
April really bugs me because of the AprilAnacondas. All of them can slither fast, faster than a racecar going fast. Oh, also they can stand like a human and blend in with stuff. Also they have huge red fangs as red as flames. They have a blue tongue bluer than the ocean. The AprilAnacondas have a spitting hole that spits out water with poison in it. They can jump higher than a kangaroo. So, I wouldn’t even mess with it if I were you. They also bite girls. So watch out girls it’s coming after you. — By: Andrew Reever

The April Fool
The April fool has seven legs and is purple. It eats ants and can fly. It lives in Hawaii. Its job is to bug annoying little sisters and stings your math teacher. It has racing stripes and a green horn on its head. It flies as fast as a bird. It is a cool bug so don’t mess with the April fool. — By: Cole Sminkey

April Really Bugs Me
April really bugs me! There are bugs known as the June bug and the Mayfly. Have you ever heard of the April Stink bug? Ewww! Sounds gross, huh? The April Stink Bug looks like a dead leaf. The April Stink Bug will bite you if you mess with it! The April Stink Bug is brown. If you kill it, it will stink for a while. Black stuff will come out of the April Stink bug when you kill it. When you kill the April Stink Bug it smells like the sewer. The April Stink Bug eats ants, flies, and other little insects. THAT’S WHY APRIL REALLY BUGS ME!!!!!!!! — By Kaitlin Warnecke

April Really Bugs Me
My bug is called the Aprilbite. The Aprilbite looks like a bee and its stinger looks like a needle. The Aprilbite eats grass and drinks poison. It lives in a lagoon and sleeps on a tiny sandwich. So watch out for the Aprilbite. — By: Lindsey Williams

The Aprilearwig Bugs Me A Lot
My worst pest of April is a bug with the name Aprilearwig. An Aprilearwig is as mean and nasty as a big killer whale. He bites you with his pinchers and poison gets inside you. Then the big bug somehow crawls inside you and makes you sick. Raaaaaaa!!! He¹s coming to get you! He¹s eating you alive. When he eats you alive you turn stiff and green. One other fact is that this bug can change colors. Its colors are fiery red, ocean blue, poison purple, bumblebee yellow, grassy green, pumpkin orange and dirty brown. Watch out they’ll give you nightmares!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sometimes you get mixed up with its head and the bottom of it. So keep your distance and stay away from the Aprilearwig!!! — By Cheyenne Zeamer

Fourth-graders in Jim Fahringer’s class at North Hills Elementary School wrote stories about their most prized presents.

The Best Gift Ever
By Cole Bailey
RIP, TEAR! I opened my last present. I had already gotten a remote control racecar, football cards, candy, two DS games, and a notebook. So I didn’t know what to expect. As I looked at it, I was speechless.
My mom asked me…“Do you like it?”
“Yes.”
“Are you lying?”
“No.”
I was so excited! When we were all done opening our presents I zoomed upstairs as fast as a cheetah so I could play my new video game for my Play Station Two. The game was” Madden 10”. It is called “Madden 10” because of the famous commentator Joe Madden. In “Madden 10” you can play tournaments, mini games and other really cool things.
The morning after Christmas, I was still up. I had played two games on my “Play Station II”. One was with the Ravens and Steelers. I controlled the Ravens and won 105 to 35. The other one was with the Saints and the Browns. I picked the Saints and won 86 to 7.
When I came downstairs the next morning with blood shot eyes, my mom yelled at me for staying up all night and playing “Madden 10”. I had to go to school without any sleep and with blood shot eyes. I was really tired the whole day. But I didn’t care, it was still my best present ever!

The Best Gift Ever
By Molly Bruner
Crinkle, Crackle, Crinkle Crackle! “Oh my gosh, oh Grandma it’s as beautiful as the most beautiful butterfly you could ever see.” It was a giant dollhouse. It was so big that my little sister could fit in the living room on the bottom floor. This is the best present because my grandma and grandpa and mom and dad helped build it with their own hands. The reason why it is very special to me is because my grandma has died of cancer. It means so much to me now. So I try to take care of it even though it is sort of falling apart. I asked my dad if he could glue the top and one of the chandeliers back on.
I miss my grandma so much I would do almost any thing to see her again. I am very thankful for my family. Now I always play in the dollhouse and my sister and I pretend to be neighbors. We have competitions and races. Even though I win, I say she wins to make her feel good. The owner of the house is my little sea horses from My Littlest Pet Shop. I invite my sister’s pets over to play. The house has a living room, guest room, kitchen, an attic, and a bathroom. I love my large wooden doll house. It reminds me of my grandmother. I loved her like she was my own mother. I am very thankful for my family that is alive and dead and this special present that they gave me three years ago.

The Best Gift Ever
By Erin Cabry
“Rip rip, Mom, Dad I got a…” My dog, Miley grabbed my present. We had to run all over the house to catch her. She ran as fast as a cheetah running to catch it’s prey. I finally got the present back. I was glad that there wasn’t not any teeth marks on it. There was slobber all over it. “Mom, look I got a…”
My brother yelled, “I got a fire truck!” He was hugging my mom for joy. (Even though my mom didn’t buy it for him). My mom said giggling. “It was from Santa.”
All of a sudden my sister screamed, “I got a stuffed animal monkey!” She was unwrapping her presents upstairs. Then my mom looked at me and she saw something in my hand. She asked me what was in my hand so I said it was my I-pod Nano. That is why my blue I-pod Nano is the best gift ever.

The Best Gift Ever
By Daniel Escobar
I woke up and it was Christmas. I got the Xbox 360. It is really cool. Two of the games that came with it were called “Naruto” and “Call of Duty – Modern Warfare 2”. “Call of Duty” is really fun. In the game you are in the army and the missions are fun. Towards the end of the game you find your captain. He is a hostage because the leader of the army was bad. When you find Captain Price, you have to stop the leader of the bad army. It is really an interesting game. One of the parts of the game is where you are in Washington D.C. and a nuclear bomb explodes and you go in the White House and look to see if there are any survivors and begin to investigate. There are mini missions called “Spec Ops”. There is a game where there are guys with a lot of armor and you have to capture them. Sometimes the enemy team sends out 15 soldiers with 15 layers of armor on them and you have to defeat them. When you have a sniper you have to look quick so you can shoot the head of the enemy soldier. There are 39 missions in the game. You can also play online. I am rank 65 and have a lot of weapons. One of the weapons that I don’t have yet is the Ak-47. That’s the only one left, and I need to be rank 70 to get it. Well, that’s it, the best gift I ever got, my Xbox 360 “Call of Duty – Modern Warfare 2.

The Best Christmas Present!
By Lauryn Carrington
“This looks awesome!” I said when I looked under the Christmas tree for a good present to open. I saw a big present. We tore it open like an animal tearing opening its prey. “It’s a Wii!” I said. I say to my mom, “I’m going to love this forever!” “But did the Wii come with games,” I thought? It did! It come with two games, Mario Kart, and Wii Sports.
Our family loves our Wii! Now I play with it on weekends a lot. We bought some games and some of them are: “Animal Crossing City Folk”, “My Sims Kingdom”, “My Sims”, “Lego Star Wars”, “Lego Indiana Jones”, and “Wii Sports”. My most favorite game is “Animal Crossing City Folk”. It is about living on your own and you have animals for a neighbor! Then my second favorite game is “My Sims Kingdom”. I have played it three times! Now I love to play my Wii so much that it’s like part of the family. If you get one will you like it?
So what is your favorite Christmas present you got for Christmas?

The Best Gift Ever
By Timothy Completa
What holds a pet and contains water? To find out, keep reading.
Last year on Christmas Eve I drove to my dad’s house for Christmas and I got the best Christmas present ever. On Christmas morning I ran over to my dad’s bed and woke him up. Then we ran upstairs to the living room where the tree was on the tree stand. I saw one HUGE present with red wrapping paper. It was so big it wouldn’t fit under the tree, and I’m not just talking about the present, the ribbon was also HUGE. I ran over to the HUGE present and my dad saw me running over to it. “WAIT save it until last,” my dad yelled.
Unfortunately I had to wait till my sister opened her presents. Then I got to open the HUGE present. Finally I found out that it was a fish tank. I really liked my present. Later I bought four or five fish. That was my favorite Christmas present and my favorite Christmas ever.

My Best Gift Ever
By Gavin Downey
“Rip, rip, rip, rip, tear, tear. ” Opening my present, I kept thinking, “What could it be?” It was a TV for my Wii for my room! Even though it’s small, my TV will be awesome because it came with a cool stand and a remote that looks cool! It is about 18 inches wide, I think! It was the second biggest present for me! My biggest present was actually a guitar.
I still use the TV a lot because it is awesome. I like that TV the most because I finally have a TV in my room! It is cool and I am very happy that I got it! I will never forget it because it means a lot to me and I thought that I would never get a TV in my room for anything. Now that I got it, I am more happy than a guy who get his favorite meal in four seconds!
The TV is my favorite present of all time! It was the best gift I ever received in the whole wide world!

My Best Gift Ever
By Isaac Embry
Two days before my birthday on a Sunday morning I was thinking to myself, ”I wonder what’s in that box in Mom’s car! It’s my birthday today and I‘m finally going to know what’s in that box.” My eyes were closed for a couple seconds then I started ripping the paper. I opened my eyes and saw it was the CS-6 Nerf Blaster! I was happier than a baby on Christmas. With some big scissors I cut the cardboard and plastic and started putting it together. After I was done it looked awesome. So I took two empty soda bottles and used them as targets. The first dart missed, but my second one hit it right smack dab in the middle. This was my favorite birthday present ever because it’s fun to play with and it’s from my parents. What’s you’re favorite birthday present?

My Best Present Ever
By Kollinn George
“Wow that was not fair, like life! Man Peach won the race. I still am winning 20 to 18 by race points. Yes, it is the final racing place. Now what, Peach? Sorry about that. So do you want to know why I like it? On my eighth birthday my parents bought it for me but I did not want it. At home I tried it and it rocked. Now I respect it because my parents gave it from their heart. The game is helping me get ready for my racing career.
So, now do you want to know how I got it. We were at Chucky Cheese on my eighth birthday. Everyone had chocolate cake. Also inside the cake was chocolate filling and it was delicious. Then it was time to open presents. It was close to the last one. The game was Mario Kart for DS. Happily, I learned never to judge anything by its cover.

My Best Gift Ever
By Hannah Grigg
“Theresa you gave me…” My sentence was cut off because my mom brought out the birthday cake. Everybody started singing Happy birthday! They sang Happy birthday as fast as you can say, “Every single monster is weird”. After I blew out the candles, I finished my sentence. You gave me straw glasses. When you drink through it, it goes around your ear, then around your eyes, then around your other ear, then into your mouth. I love that gift really much. I still use that gift till this very day. That was my most favorite present ever! What is yours?

My Best Gift Ever
By Ben Herbert
“Holey Moley Quackamoley!!!” That was one of my crazy languages I use when I’m surprised. Today was my birthday and I was just taking it easy when my dad walked in with a big thing wrapped up in paper, I was NOT taking it easy. I jumped up and ran as fast as Sonic, The Hedgehog, to get a close-up. And here was my reaction…
“WHHHHOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAA!!! That is a birthday present!?” My dad said it wasn’t just any birthday present, it was MY birthday present. When it was present time, I decided to save the best one for last. All the other presents were t-shirts, jeans, socks, Pokeman, Bakugan, Hotwheels, Legos, and underwear. I just hope Dad doesn’t put pictures of me holding boxers on Facebook.
So here it is, the Grand Finale, I opened it. RIP! TEAR! I gasped, “A BIKE”!!! That’s right. It was a very tall new bike that was just my size! ZOOM!!! I blasted outside and I rode it. The reason why I like it is because it didn’t make me look like an oversized four year old.

The Best Present Ever
By Nolan High
Woops the Wii remote fell out of my hands. “Hey I didn’t see you there. Guess what? OH, you want to know what I got for Christmas. I received the new game ‘Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games.’ I’m more excited that I got this game than a lion that gets his favorite food because it has my favorite character, Sonic. I liked this game the most. Also, I like it because it’s exciting to play on multi-player. When I saw it on the commercial it looked so cool and I wanted it more than a snake wants mice. My favorite game on “Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games” is pinball because I beat everybody. That is the best game I ever received. What is the best game you ever received?

The Best Present Ever!
By Philip Johnson
“Wake up,” my brother, Ian, screamed! Then we sprinted as fast as a cheetah to open our presents. When we opened the first present it turned out to be a new Wii with four controllers. “That is so cool”, I said. The only game in the box was “Wii Sports”. So far we’ve had it for four years and it is an amazing game!! The game is very much fun because it has all sorts of games like tennis, baseball, golf, boxing, and bowling but no football. It really stunk that it didn’t have football but my favorite on the Wii is baseball. It was the coolest present ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Best Present Ever
By Meghan Kent
Tear, rip, open! Tear, rip, open! Tear, rip, open! That cycle went on over and over for about 20 times before I finally got to the best present. Oh, and I ripped through that paper faster than you can say, “Sister Sue sitting on sharp stuff!”
“That’s the last of the paper and boxes,” I said in excitement as I looked down to find a small silver and white box.
“Do you like it,” my granny asked cheerily?
“I…I…I…I love it, more than I love food or, or, or…,” I just could not say the words I needed to say. I love my new ipod,” I beamed in excitement!
I love this present because a loved one gave it to me, not just any loved one, but my granny!
I listen to it all the time because of my granny. If it wasn’t for her I would not have what I have today, an ipod, the greatest gift ever!

The Best Gift Ever
By Elizabeth Koimene
“Crumble , Crumble, Crumble!”
“Did you hear that Sis?” I said excitedly
“No, now go to bed,’’ said my sister.
“Fine.” So I went to bed.
The next morning, I ran downstairs and tried to find the presents, but my parents hid them. They said that I had to wait till it’s the middle of the day to open my presents. So I waited until it was the middle of the day and I zipped over to the tree faster than an African cheetah. Then, I ripped it open and found a … Wii. I was jumping and shouting because I was so happy. I still use it to this day because it reminds me of my parents when they go somewhere far away. I will never forget that glorious day when I got my WII — the best Christmas present ever!

The Best Gift Ever
By Alec Leese
“Screech, screech get out of my way, you drive like my grandma! Yeah, you do! Low on battery, what! See if you can guess what I got for my birthday?” Well, if you guessed a laptop, you are correct! There are many programs on my Mac or if you call it Apple. My favorite part is the Internet where I can play any game I search. Since it is up to date it goes as fast as a cheetah. I can also make movies but let’s get on to the good part.
Well, I really wanted my own laptop for a long time because I would always ask my parents if I could use theirs. Sometimes I would be able to use theirs but many times they would be working and I would not be able to. So finally they saved up and bought me a laptop. So, guess what? On my birthday I received the laptop and I was so undeserving. You may ask why do you feel so undeserving for your gift! Well, I felt that I did not deserve this gift. I know I am really glad that I have that laptop, but since my brothers don’t have one, I guess I will share even though my laptop is the best gift I ever received.

My Best Gift Ever!
By Josh Metzger
“Hurray the presents are here! WOW! That’s a small present! It looks as small as a Rabbit but as long as a ferret.” The present said, “To Josh & Jacob, from Grandpa.” I opened the present. It was a “Play Station Two”! I shoved it into the TV, plugged it into the power plug and I started playing. I played this game called, “Ratchet & Clank”. By the time the day was over, I was on level four. It was the best present because it was my first game system. What was the favorite present you ever got?

The Greatest Gift I Ever Got
By Taylor Morgenegg
“Is that who I think it is? Could it really be? No, it couldn’t be.” I closed my eyes and tried to go to sleep, but excitement poured out of me like the water in a sink faucet. Then as soon as I knew it I was asleep again.
I woke up to my brother, Jake, yelling at me. I answered in a slow voice and walked downstairs to see my Christmas tree flooded with presents like a sea of fish. But then I smelled warm buttery cinnamon sticky buns. Then I took one out of the tin foil and bit into it. Buttery cinnamon dough slid down my throat. Mom and Dad said We could open one of the presents. My brother replied, “I already opened one of my presents,” as another piece of the cinnamon bun slid down my throat. I quickly opened a small but heavy present. In it I saw an “ipod”. “Yes!”
My mom and dad walked down the stairs. “Thank you! Thank you! This is the greatest gift I ever got.” I wanted this present because I like to listen to music and play games. I couldn’t wait to down load music on it. It’s also my favorite color witch is blue. This is the greatest gift ever?

The Best Gift Ever
By Harini Narayan
What was the best gift you ever received? My tenth birthday, which was last November, was my favorite birthday so far because my parents ordered me a digital piano! It’s dark brown like chocolate with one of those sliding openings and it has 14 different sounds. In addition to that, you can combine two different sounds at the same time. It has a metronome, a demo sound, and you can record yourself playing. The digital piano has two different slots to hold your recorded songs. A stand is also built in, so I wouldn’t have to use my old metal one. Before I got my piano, I had a keyboard, and it didn’t have all the things that my new piano has. My piano is my favorite present of all presents I ever received.
What’s yours?

My Best Gift Ever
By Jonathan Nemtuda
Today is Christmas morning! I darted downstairs. As soon as I got a glimpse of those fantastic, big presents, I knew which one would be the best. Well, I saved that one for last. After I opened every present I opened the biggest and last present which was about as big as school desk.
Rip! Tear! Rip! “It’s a Wii!” This is the best present because most of my friends had one. It was kind of annoying that I didn’t have one. Also the Wii was one of the newest game systems around. It’s pretty hard to get. You should also know that it plays Game Cube games too, so I can get rid of my Game Cube. It also came with three games, Mario Party 8, Wii Play and Wii sports! I’m going to play the Wii right now, and I’m going to ask you, what is your best present ever?

The Best Present Ever
By Makeda Ramnath
Do you want to know what my best present ever was? No, Well I’ll tell you anyways. It all started on a Sunday night, when I got my $50 gift card. I love this present because my parents had to spend $50 just for me.
The next day I shopped. That day we drove to the store. I picked out my own outfit. In the store I found a skirt and a lot of shirts. Also, I grabbed two pairs of jeans. As soon as I grabbed the two pairs of jeans I ran as fast as a cheetah running to catch its prey into the dressing room because I was so excited!
“Makeda hurry up,” my mom said after about five to six minutes.
“OK,” I said.
I came out and my mom said, “Wow, you look amazing.” I love this present because $50 is a lot of money. It’s a lot of money because my parents could have spent it on food , clothes, and/or bills. But instead they spent the $50 just on me for my birthday present. That’s why I think this is the best present ever! What’s your best gift ever?

My Best Gift Ever
By Yazmine Velazquez
What was the best gift you ever received? Well, mine was a… well, I don’t want to spoil the story by telling you too early! So, if you want to know, read my story.
“IT’S CHRISTMAS!” my seven year old sister screamed as we both ran down the stairs as fast as a roller coaster in an amusement park! My mom, dad, and baby sister sleepily walked down and we all admired the gifts under the tree.
“Can we open them now?” I asked.
“Sure,” said my mom as my sisters ran to the tree and started tearing open the gifts with their names on them.
“Oh! look at this neatly wrapped gift! My name is on it along with the sparkling wrapping paper with Santa Claus on it,” I said excitedly! I ripped the paper open and guess what I saw? Go ahead, guess! You don’t have an answer? Okay. It was a NINTENDO DS!!! It was dark pink and came with a teal blue DS case and three swirling DS pens. I loved that gift! It was from my Mammaw. So I called her to say thank you. Well, there you have it! The best gift I ever received.

The Best Gift Ever
By Brandon Wivagg
“What do you think it is, Connor,” I asked?
“I don’t know, but it’s small,” my brother said. Rip! I was surprised by the gift we received. It was a Wii. We ran around everywhere.
“Wait! You have to open the rest of the presents before you play with the Wii.”
So we did. Then my dad hooked up the Wii. We played Wii sports. I won every game but baseball because Connor hit a home run every time. If it was Connor vs. Babe Ruth he would win 999,999,999 to 0 because he’s so good. He could win a game faster then a cat can climb a tree. Now Connor and I know what the gift is and it’s the greatest gift ever!

Students in Jim Fahringer’s fourth-grade class at North Hills Elementary wrote poems entitled, “Looking Out My January Window.”

Looking Out My January Window!
By Erin Cabry

Soft cottony snow falling from the sky
Icicles hanging from roofs like stalagtites
Kids, like groundhogs, crawling through the snow
Kids having snowball fights.

Large black shovels throwing snow around
Kids sledding down slippery hills
Footprints ruining the perfect white carpet of snow
The hardest thing is the heating bills.

Cars stuck in the icy white snow
Snow plows blowing snow like a turning merry-go-round
From the chimneys, smoke rising like the smoke from Santa’s pipe
In the snow, dogs jumping all around.

A blizzard spinning in a circle
A trampoline covered in snow
Ice as slippery as can be
A car driving very slow.

People walking holding hot chocolate
Steam rising from the cup
Kids sledding down a huge hill
Kids throwing snow up.

The shining lights still up from Christmas
The gray sky with snow dancing fast
A slide covered with white fluffy snow
Children running inside at last.

Looking Out My January Window.
By Cole Bailey

I see evergreens in the snow
All the lights and all the decorations.
The day goes so slow
I can’t see any grass on the ground

From the gray sky it starts to snow
The kids come rushing
The ice stops the water’s flow
Snowmen waving at me.

I see kids building igloos
We’re taking down our tree
Someone blew a fuse
When they took the lights down.

I see Lawns of white
December is over
It’s a beautiful sight
But the kids still play.

Snowballs on the ground
Snow angels too
The kids are still snowbound
There’s joy in the air

People playing everywhere
There’s laughter all around
They fall but they don’t care
Later kids will have hot cocoa.

Looking Out My January Window
By Molly Bruner

Looking out my January window
My eyes spot sparkling snow
I can see kids building an igloo
Snow covered branches are bending low

Now the kids build a snowman
The sky is as gray as an elephant
Kids are having a snow party
It is like a treasure hunt

Other kids sledding
They build snow forts
And throw snowballs
Then they play snow sports

Parents are shoveling snow
There are some bare trees
I see clouds in the gray sky
Kids building igloos on their knees

I see some ice on the road
There is ice on cars
I see frosted pine trees
And ice on monkey bars

I can see sled tracks
There are some hills of snow
I can see dead plants
And some snow getting a good blow

Looking Out My January Window
By Lauryn Carrington

Looking out my January window,
I see snowmen in the pure white snow,
Children sledding on one big snowy hill,
Snow flakes dancing on their faces all low.

Looking out my January window,
All I see are houses covered in snow,
I see the smoke coming out of chimneys,
Crystal clear icicles hanging on roofs all aglow.

Looking out my January window,
I see bushes covered in snow and ice,
Snow covered trees,
Dogs in a yard scratching as if they have lice.

Looking out my January window,
I see shovels on a snowy driveway,
A real big snowplow,
Some kids skating on a frozen bay.

Looking out my January window,
I see kids drinking hot steaming cocoa,
Which flows to their stomach,
Making them to start jumping and loco.

Looking out my January window,
I see kids playing in a snowball fight,
Others making huge fluffy white snow forts,
They will see the morning light.

Looking Out My January Window
By Timothy Completa

Looking out my January window
I see trees all covered in snow
All the trees are hanging low
And the trees have no leaves

Swirling like a merry-go-round it goes
Snow is white and fun
And when a snow blower comes, around it blows
I love sledding in the snow.

Ice is slippery and fun
People love to slide on it
But when they slide on it they always hit their bun
I love the ice

I love making snowballs
Especially big ones
And when I hit people I make big falls
I love snow

I see skiers skiing
A full moon glistening on the snow
Bundled up kids zooming down the hill on their snowboards without seeing
If you trip, in the high and fluffy snow you will go

I love snow
When it is good for packing you can make snow forts
Lovely plump snowmen all aglow
Standing guard in my white yard

Looking Out My January Window
By Gavin Downey

When I look out my January window,
I see roofs covered with snow,
Snow plowing and deep gray clouds,
A beautiful white carpet of snow below.

People using shovels,
All over drive ways,
Snow plows scooping the snow,
All of the winter days.

Rounding up snowballs,
That I am going to throw,
We will have our snowball fight,
Next to piles of snow.

Now I smell hot cocoa,
When I am at the window,
But now I only see,
The window covered in snow.

Dead flowers cover the ground,
Next to snowmen,
As all the kids play,
Right next to my friend Ben.

I smell lots of hot cocoa,
On a dinner table,
As I want to drink it,
I try to be stable.

Looking Out My January Window
By Isaac Embry

Looking out my January window I see
Icicles falling from a tree ever so slightly,
A beautiful white snow statue,
That looked like Kyra Knightly.

When I look out the window
I see dark clouds moving in a big fusion
And causing lots of confusion,
Then I thought, it’s just an illusion.

Outside my January window
I see little snowflakes falling from the sky
Foxes looking very sly,
And snowballs hitting kids in the eye.

On the frostbiting edges of my January window
I see shiny streams glistening in the light ,
People shoveling their driveways
Taking the pain of a sensational frostbite.

Looking through the foggy mist of my January window I see,
Little kids running with glee,
Snowmen being created.
Dogs playing so happily.

Sorry to say, my poem is done,
Please don’t be mad, I’ll write another one.
So go outside and have some fun
Keep your eyes open to find the next one.

Looking Out My January Window
By Daniel Escobar

I see snow falling like cotton
Icicles hanging like stalagmites
Gray skies covering the earth
Kids having snowball fights

Swirling like a merry go round
Icicles glinting like shining light
In the sky
The light is very bright

Kids play outside
Making a snowman
Watching the frozen slides
Snow, like ice cream, on top of the trashcan

Kids wake up in the morning
Anxious to go outside where the icicles are hanging
On top of the hill
On the sled riding

Going fast, turning
Left, right, not crashing
Kids yell and scream
Happy sledding laughing

So much fun the kids are having
They have hot chocolate for a nice drink
When they go outside it is cold, inside is warm
When they step in the snow sometimes they sink.

Looking Out My January Window
By Kollinn George

I feel something like snow
My friend is out there
Snow is falling on him
Covering him everywhere

An avalanche is coming
Everyone surfed it
Down goes the mountain
Moving bit by bit

Snow angels everywhere I see
So far I see six
I see a sled flying
Falling ice also sticks

I am sitting by the fire
I feel the warm heat
I hear something like a hammer
Something like a beat

The trees are covered in snow
My whole yard is white now
The road is white also
Now the road plow

A five foot snowman
With a black hat
Also a black scarf
With a middle like a fat back

Looking Out My January Window
By Hannah Grigg

I see lots of snow
Snow laden evergreen trees
Everybody is wearing coats
While skiing on their skis

Kids drinking hot chocolate like dogs
Kids picking up dead flowers
Everyone is wearing a hat
In the distance I hear snow plowers

Dreary gray empty skies
Kids are having a snowball fight
Kids are rolling in the snow
Snow plowers go out-of-sight

I see decorations from Christmas
Kids are building lots of igloos
Everyone is wearing scarves
And protecting their cold feet with gumshoes

Snowflakes fall from the sky like cotton
Kids are playing in the snow
Icicles hanging from cars
Kids walking through the snow slow

I see clouds moving in the sky
There are lots of pine trees swaying around
Kids are sledding down steep hills like rockets
I see shovels shoveling on the ground

Looking Out My Window
By Benjamin Herbert

When I look out my the window,
I see snow on the ground.
North, south, east, and west,
Snow all around.

When I look out the window,
I see a frozen pond.
Snow dancing in the breeze,
What’s next? James Bond?

When I look out the window,
I see no animals.
Except in the woods,
I see quite a few mammals.

When I look out the window,
Hoping January never ends.
Loving January so much
Wishing it was my best friend

When I look out the window,
I see dead trees.
And up high in the sky,
I see a nest of hibernating bees.

When I look out my window,
I see my snowman
With one big top hat
I named him Dan.

Looking Out My January Window
By Nolan High

Looking out my January window
I see snow piled high
Kids with their sleds close by
Icicles falling from the sky

Enormous snowball fights
All leaves with frostbite
Kids making a snowman
Kids in their bed at night

Snow falling from the sky
Hot cocoa being slurped down
Birds flying south for warmth
Gloves that are never found

Snow falling that day
The news says snow all day long
Snow falling all around town
Birds singing a song

People sitting next to a fire
Kids sledding down enormous hills
Bears sleeping through the winter
Kids getting the chills

Schools closed for the day
Kids rushing through the snow
Mom cooking a turkey diner
Kids watching their favorite TV show

My January Window
By Philip Johnson

Looking out my January window
All I see is snow
The snow is very white
Hey! Is that a crow?

There is also some headwear
These are called hats
But my hat is frozen
At least there are no gnats

I see a pointy object
Hanging from a neighbor’s house
The frozen water turned into an icicle
Drifted snow and ice covered my tree house

There’s an animal outside
It is a furry dog
The dog starts to shiver
Well, at least there isn’t a Hog

That thing is cool
Well, it’s a snow fort
For your snowball fights
Hey, it looks like a snow court

Hey, look at that snowperson
Or a carrot nosed snowman
He has warm things on
Hey, look it’s the snow blower man

Looking Out My January Window!
By Meghan Kent

When I look out my January window
I see the leaves falling with the wind,
I remember when it snowed long ago.
The kids are having snowball fights

Still looking out,
I see dog tracks in the snow
Kids running about
And slippery roads of ice.

Sleigh tracks in the snow
Light flakes of snowfall
Sleigh rides on the hill also
Wet gloves and scarves.

Cold children wanting hot cocoa
Dogsled races
People going Loco!
Don’t forget the snow-coved windows.

The decorations still hung,
Lights still on the trees
The baby out there in the snow, so young!
Cars stuck in the snow.

The brightly lighted Christmas tree
Footprints in the deep snow
The temperature feels like one degree
And sadly January is over!

Looking Out My January Window
By Elizabeth Koimene

Looking out my January window
Happy kids are playing in the snow
A big dead tree with fallen branches
Sun sparkling on snow like a rainbow

Looking out my January window
I see frozen grass
Icicles and frozen bicycles
And streets as smooth as shiny glass

Looking out my January window
I see a gray open sky
Shivering kids in a snowball fight
Cold birds in trees singing a lullaby

Looking out my January window
Icy glistening snow rolls down a stream
Looking like gold specks of dust that fell from Heaven
Pine trees with hats of snow like whipped cream

Looking out my January window
Stars twinkling in the midnight blue
The full moon reflecting on the shiny snow
A screeching owl catching my view

Looking out my January window
I see dripping water turning to ice
And cold animals crying
In a pure crystal paradise

Looking Out My January Window
By Alec Leese

When I look out my January window
I see sparkling snow with kids and lights
Walking in the snow feels like you’re in an under tow
I see boys having snowball fights

I see smoke coming from the chimneys of the homes,
Peoples’ breath turning to fog
Someone chopping a log
There goes a jumping and a playful dog

Dead trees at the end of our road
People singing carols and having fun
Kids sledding down the hill
A little boy eating a cinnamon bun

Scampering through the snow goes a hare
Also a shiny silvery pond
Snow covered mountains like vanilla ice cream cones
The cold wild deer might bond

Mmmm … I smell cookies
The bright sparkling stars are coming out
The bright twinkling Christmas lights are all gone
Is Christmas over, I doubt

Now kids and adults are home
Lights are going down
So now the neighborhood is pitch black
Its time to go to my loft

Looking Out My January
By Josh Metzger

I look out the window
And see a little snow
I hear the snow blow
And see someone shoot a bow

I want a snowman
I see a kid sledding
Walking in the snow, I see a tall man
And hear a deer bedding

I see the snowflakes
I feel one on my tongue
A little boy slipped on the ice
The icy cold stung

I hear the cracking of dead trees
I see a frozen garbage can
I can’t see any leaves
But I see a little shivering man

I see ice on the road
I see the snow plow
I look at the gray sky
A little girl fell and said “ow”

I see a pile of snow
A person shoveled the driveway
I see a snowflake
Is that snow plow coming my way?

Looking Out My January Window
By Taylor Morgenegg

Looking out my January window
I see Corgis sniffing the frozen ground,
Icicles dripping down,
And kids are running around.

Looking out my January window I see
Frozen ponds glistening in the breeze,
Snow falling like crazy,
I sneeze in the freeze.

Looking out my January window I see
A snowman in the frosty freezes,
A button nose,
And a breezy Snow freezes.

Looking out my January window I see
A St. Bernard sniffing in the snow.
When I look through my Neighbor’s window,
I see a plate of Cookie dough.

Looking out my January window
I see a frozen stream,
Snowy trees,
And a sunny snow beam.

Looking out my January window,
I see a gray sky,
And dead flowers in the snow.
I smell warm pie.

My January Window
By Harini Narayan

When I look outside my January window,
This is what I see.
Snowball fights, decoration lights,
Kids screaming with glee.

Smoke coming out of the chimney,
People shoveling snow,
I see bare trees and wilting flowers,
When I look below.

Icicles hanging from the roof,
Shovels and snow plowers doing some work,
When the gray skies turn pitch black,
The cats begin to lurk.

Hot cocoa sits invitingly on the table,
After a snowy day.
Snowmen and fort building,
And slipping on the icy driveway.

Christmas trees lighting up the house,
Skating on the frozen pond below,
Looking at the snow-covered buildings,
Dogs digging in the snow.

Warm gingerbread cookies,
Waiting to be munched on,
Look out the window tomorrow,
All the snow will be gone.

Looking Out my January Window
By Jonathan Nemtuda

Looking out my January window
I see shovels lying around,
There are footprints in the snow
Our snowman not looking very round?

I see an igloo and a snow fort
Some snowflakes falling to the ground
There are lots of dark clouds,
And some icicles on the gutter are found.

I see my mom’s car sliding down the driveway
Kids ice skating on a frozen pond
Along with some kids sledding
Some snowflakes swaying around like a magic wand.

Some kids making a snowman,
I see a car stuck in the snow.
There’s smoke coming from my chimney
I saw a snowman wearing a bow.

Snow swirling like a tornado,
And some leftover Christmas lights
Kids sipping some hot cocoa
And some kids having a snowball fight.

I see some kids shivering in the cold,
Also my mom’s car covered in snow
I feel the cold air coming from a slightly open window.
And heading south is a big old crow.

My January Window
By Makeda Ramnath

Looking out my window I see a tree bending down low for me.
While the falling snow sparkles so wonderfully and shiny.
It glanced at me and showed me the decorations on the pine tree
Their lights are so bright and sparkly.

Snowflakes and bare trees look at me so crazily.
Husky dogs barking in my backyard.
At night chimney smoke makes me feel so cozy when the moon makes it as bright as a summer’s night.
Running through the snow is a big St. Bernard.

Kids ice-skating in the road.
I think one of them hit a toad.
Kids slipping and sliding, having such a great time
Hearing the Christmas chimes but one of the chimes fell on the road.

I see sparkly snowmen so pretty.
I see people on the street called mimes.
Kids drinking hot chocolate and there’s smoke from the chimney top.
The smoke from the burning chimney smells so good at night, sometimes.

I see icicles and frozen grounds.
There are snow angels all over the ground.
The dead flowers don’t look so pretty anymore.
There are some hares from under ground but they don’t make a sound.

Icicles hit someone’s head and it sounded like a chime but now they’re fine.
Outside my window I see some ice falling from dead trees making a big snow pile.
I see kids that slid and broke a bone, I think they went home.
Know we have to wait a long while.

Looking Out My January Window
By Yazmine Velazquez

Looking out my January window
I see a kid, a sled
A green pine tree on a hill,
And a snow covered house painted red.

A gray squirrel, a husky dog
Benches covered in snow.
I also see a snow plow
As I watch the wind blow.

Icicles hanging, bushes blowing,
And a dark gray sky.
A white tailed deer, some sticks from trees.
And a skater skated by.

Smoke from people’s chimneys,
Houses covered in sparkling snow.
Frozen ponds shine and glisten
As I watch evergreens grow.

In the dark gray sky I see
Twinkling multi-colored lights
Shining ever so brightly,
On January’s dark, winter nights.

Ice as shiny as glitter.
Blowing white, pearly snow.
As I gaze outside
Through my January window.

Looking Out My January Window
By Brandon Wivagg

Looking out my January window
I see snow, snow, SNOW.
Snow as beautiful as my wife in her wedding dress
It reminds me of my stuffed animal Po.

I see more than snow
I see gray
Because of all the gray clouds that make snow
But at least I don’t pay

I see much, much, MORE!
I see kids having lots of fun
Having fun in the snow
In summer they will have fun in the sun

There is even more I see
Kids having hot cocoa
It tastes better with a marshmallow
Sometimes it makes the kids go loco

I see a lot more
I see dead grass
It’s all because of the kids with their dirty feet.
It would make it worse if the kids sass.

I see one more thing
I see lots of sleds
Kids sled all day long
Until they go to their beds.

Fourth-graders in Mr. Jim Fahringer’s class at North Hills Elementary wrote these holiday stories on the topics, “If I Could Give the World One Christmas Gift” or “If I Could Give the World One Gift.”

If I Could Give the World A Present
By Cole Bailey
If I could give the world a present it would be a family for every lonely child in the world because children have nothing without a family. Children without family hunt for their own food. When homeless children have a family they would have someone to talk to. A kid without a family could cry a river of tears as fast as an elephant could spray it in because kids without family have to do without very much. They have to fend for themselves. Most homeless and lonely children die quickly. The children die from lack of food, clean water and warmth. If each lonely child had family the children would live longer and enjoy life more than usual.

If I Could Give the World One Christmas Gift
By Molly Bruner
If I could give the world a gift it will be to help the environment so we would have no pollution in the world. I would ask everyone to go to a beach and clean up trash on the beach and in the water for the animals and us. I would ban plastic bags and put fabric bags in their place. I would do that so sea animals don’t think it is their prey and choke on the plastic bags like a person swallowing a sword. After all that is finished, I would go plant some trees and flowers to make the environment a better place to live and to keep the rivers clean for swimming, fishing and canoeing. If we don’t throw trash on the beaches and oceans, they will stay clean for our animals and us to swim and build sandcastles on the beach. People should have battery powered cars in place of cars that run on gas so we can see the beautiful clean world.
I don’t know about you, but I would like to live on a clean earth.

If I Could Give the World One Gift It Would Be …
By Erin Cabry
Can you guess what I would give the earth if I could give it one gift? If you said a giant plant shop, you are correct. It would be as big as Mt. Everest! It would have elephant ear plants in it. That plant is as big as an elephant’s ear. It would also have the earth’s most rarest plants. I‘ll also raise vegetables and put vegetable oil in the gas tanks of cars. I would put a whole bunch of plants and trees around the plant shop. The plant shop would be full of gigantic plants and trees like a rainforest. Many of our trees and plants are being chopped down and destroyed and my shop would help us replant all the trees that were chopped down. It would also help replace some of the rare plants that are endangered and almost extinct. I hope the earth likes the present that I would give it because it is a very valuable present that is needed by all the people of the world.

If I Could Give the World a Gift
By Lauryn Carrington
If you love the Earth, well, you better read this! If I could give the world a gift it would be water, air, and clean ground. Because this very minute someone is throwing garbage on the ground. The ground is just like a huge trash can. First, we will talk about the water. People just throw garbage into the water. Some factories that are near the water even dump polluted water into our oceans, bays, and rivers. Now we will talk about the air. People use a lot of cars and the smoke that comes out of the back of the car is polluting our air but that polluted air will disappear because of trees. But if people are cutting down trees and if there are no more trees, we would probably not be living right now. If trees were not here, the trees would not be breathing in the bad air and breathing out the good air. Well, if I could give the world a gift that is what I would do. If you love the Earth so much you should do something good for it too. I think that’s a nice gift to give to the Earth, but what do you think?

If I Could Hive the World One Gift It Would Be
By Timothy B. Completa
If you could give the world one Christmas gift, what would it be? Well, I would give the world peace. There would be no more wars and everybody would be friends. How would I do this you might ask. Well I will talk to all the presidents of the world and make them stop wars. Everyone would be friends. People could rest at night and not fear tomorrow.

My Gift to the World
By Daniel Escobar
If there was one gift that you could give to the world, what would it be? This is the one gift I would give to the world–a house for everyone.
I would give the people of the world a house so they wouldn’t get wet in the rain and so they wouldn’t get cold in the winter season. Sometimes it is as cold as an iceberg or hot like a volcano. Well, I think everyone should have a house because there are people on the streets who move from one place to another and eventually they get sick and pass out because they get too hungry, cold or they have nothing to drink. So that is the one gift I would give to the world–a house.

If I Could Give the World One Christmas Present!
By Gavin Downey
If I could give the world one present it would be to lower the prices on things because some people are laid off or don’t have that much money or don’t want to wait for the sales to come up. So I would lower the prices for everybody so they wouldn’t have to wait to get more money or wait and wait and wait for the big sales. They really need those supplies immediately sometimes! If prices were lowered, they could get more things that they need and want! The first thing that will change is the TV and all the phone prices and the most expensive items. If this wish wouldn’t work for some reason, I would write a letter to the president! I would send it to the next president until they say yes. I will be strong and brave like Sarah in that book where she saves Thanksgiving! I would be that brave and not give up because my mom’s laid off and I don’t want her to spend all her money for us because she needs some for herself! She buys us expensive things all the time and we buy stuff that we don’t need! That’s why I am giving the whole world this gift this Christmas!

If I Could Give the World One Gift This Christmas
By Kollinn George
If I could give the world one Christmas gift it would be world peace. I would give this gift so no one would lose their loved ones. Also, so no one would kill someone that they might be friends with in the future. The kids might lose their moms or dads. I would then stop the nuclear bombs. The earth would be a more peaceful place where everyone would be friends. Your friends would be as sweet as candy! Well, now you know what I would give the world! What would you give the world?

If I Could Give the World One Gift
By Hannah Grigg
If you could give the world one gift what would it be? Well, I would give the world no more pollution. When we are polluting, the earth gets as dirty as a dumpster. I would give the earth a pollution free environment because too many people are polluting it. We should stop polluting so we can have fresher air to breathe. If we cut down fewer trees each year we will have cleaner oxygen to breath. Everyone might live a little longer! That is why I would give the world no more pollution. So, don’t pollute!

If I Could Give the World One Gift It Would Be …
By Ben Herbert
If I could give the world one thing, it would be music. In places like Africa, people aren’t allowed to listen to certain types of music so I would travel there and bring along a radio so they could listen to their own music. In places like China or Italy, they don’t know our kind of music. So again, I would bring my radio and introduce them to rock or pop. But there are some places in the world that don’t even KNOW music like Rotuma Island (Fiji) or Yap Island. So I would go there and introduce them to rock, rap, pop, country, punk, polka, and any type of music. Sometimes music can be important like when you’re tired, a lullaby can put you to sleep. When you’re bored you can play some music you can dance to, just like Michael Jackson. So that is the thing I would give the world.

What I Would Give the World
By Nolan High
“Wow I’m seeing a lot of cans!” There are more cans along the road than there are in a junkyard. Do you know what I would give the world if I could give one present this Christmas? I would give them a cleaner world. I would close down all the companies that pollute the world. I would make a law saying you cannot litter. The person that litters will be more miserable than the people in the great depression were. If people keep on polluting, then all of us will have a shorter life span. That is what I would give the world.

If I Could Give the World A Gift
By Isaac Embry
If I could give the world a gift, it would be peace. I’d give the world peace because all the wars in the past would have never started. All the wars currently being fought would end. Men and women wouldn’t have to sacrifice their lives in wars. People all over the world wouldn’t have to wake up and think about if this was their last day to live. No bombs would be dropped in cities, states and countries like firecrackers. Troops could stay with their family and kids. So, if I could give the world a gift, it would be peace,

The Gift I Will Give To The World
By Philip Johnson
You will never guess what I would give the world if I could. I’ll tell you anyway. It is a house for the homeless. It’s 200 miles long. The house is 28 stories high. I think all the homeless could fit inside. Since the homeless don’t have any money, I’ll let them in for free. There is a pool, cozy beds, free food, hot tub, and free clothes. The homeless will have a three hour class. They will go to school on certain days. Those days are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. There would be a small T.V. in each room. They would have all the channels. The best channels are Nickelodeon for the boys and girls, Cartoon network for the boys, Disney Channel for the girls. The homeless would flood like a river to get in. I think the homeless will like this house.

If I Could Give the World One Christmas Gift
By Meghan Kent
If you could give the world one gift what would it be? As you think about that, allow me to tell you what mine would be. It would be no pollution, anywhere, in the universe!!!! The world has too much pollution and it is bad for the earth and it’s killing our earth. So, remember don’t pollute. Oh, and also don’t forget that is what I would give the world, No pollution as fast as a heartbeat if I could!! So, what would you give to the world? Just think.
So, have you thought of what you would give to the world? What would it be? Is it a good thing or bad thing? So, do you think no pollution is a good present or do you have another idea? If you have another idea what is it? So, just remember, if I could give the world one gift it would be no Pollution!

If I Could Give the World One Christmas Gift
By Elizabeth Koimene
If I were to give the world one Christmas present it would be peace. All around the world white and black people fight because they don’t have the same skin color. Because of that hatred, there’s a group of black people called Black Panthers and they are ready for war against the KKK. The KKK is a group of white people and they’re ready for war with the Black Panthers and I don’t want that in this world.
If they continue hating each other it will create something even bigger than fighting and I don’t know what it is, but I know it will be worse than a snake biting a human being. I just want the world to be at peace with no fighting, no hatred, and no killing. I just want peace. That would be the one Christmas present I would want to give the world because the world needs it.

I Hereby Say That …
By Alec Leese
If I could give the world one Christmas gift I would give the world peace, like every president wants to do. They never do, but they say they will. So I want to go beyond the extraordinary and do what I say. I’ve decided that the world needs peace. My gift would be to stop war altogether, not just one. Worldwide, we all will stop war, that is what teamwork is. What I really want to do is make the world work together. With world peace we would be a family like all animals. Their family is big and our family will grow as fast as a cheetah. So think about how the world would look, sound and smell with worldwide peace. I want the world to be a clean healthy place where we work together. World peace would help us do this. That is what the world will get from me this Christmas.

If I Could Give the World One Christmas Gift
By Joshua Metzger
If I could give the world one gift it would be to pick up trash and dispose of it properly and recycle it. I would clean out the creeks and streams. If I caught someone littering, I’d tell them not to litter, it is against the law and then shake them like a fish!
If you recycle you will be a better person because you will not go to jail for littering. That is why you should recycle. It is your choice to clean up the world or live in a world that is like a dumpster.

The Best Present That I Could Give to the World
By Taylor Morgenegg
If I could give the world one Christmas gift this year it would be a faithful dog that could stand by their side no matter what they’re going through. Dogs can do many amazing things that we can’t do. One dog saved sixty people from an avalanche. There are over two hundred dog breeds from pure bred to pedigree pooches and even mixes. No dogs are exactly the same. They each look different and bark different. The basenji doesn’t even have a bark, but they can howl. Dogs have something special about them that when a person, who’s sick sees a dog, something about them just makes that person smile like the most wonderful thing just happened to them. That’s why I would give the world a dog this Christmas.

If I Could Give the World One Present
By Harini Narayan
If you could give the world one thing, what would it be? I would give the world an animal companion. People would never be bored, there would be no stray animals, and you’d have a buddy wherever you go. They’d be trained and they wouldn’t fight with other animals. You wouldn’t have to leave them outside, either. They’ll be able to have access to everything as much as humans do. When they come to you, they’ll be potty trained, unless you get an animal that’s too small to use the bathroom. They will only get dirty, if you don’t clean them. You won’t be able to trade, sell, or abandon these animal companions. Clothes you pick and buy would be put on him or her. You can have one to five animals per person. But the best thing is, your companion won’t die unless you do. You’d stick together like glue forever. What would be a gift that you’d give the world?

If I Could Give the World One Present
By Jonathan Nemtuda
Hey! Do you want to know what one present I’d give the world. I would give the world, better security. because I watch the news everyday, and there are all kinds of people being kidnapped. If the world had better security there wouldn’t be any kidnapping. There’s a lot of criminals loose in the world. Better security gives you less pollution from litter. I think we should have cops in every neighborhood. I bet if we did have a cop in every neighborhood, the world would be a safer place to live in. It would be as safe as the president. The last thing is, if you can make this all happen, please do. That is the one gift I’d give the world. If you had a choice what would you give the world?

What I Would Give the World As A Present
By Makeda Ramnath
If you could give the world any present, what would it be? I would get more people to fight for freedom so people really know why the statue of liberty is in New York Harbor. Way back then a Frenchmen built the statue of liberty to show that America was the land of the free and all who wanted to, could come here. Like when the Pilgrims came to America they could serve God however they wanted to and not have someone controlling them like slaves!! We’re going to fight as hard for freedom as a lion chasing his food down. What would you give the world? Well, now you know what I would give the world!!

If I Could Give the World
By Yazmine Velazquez
“Okay, so, if you, yes, you, could give the world one and only one gift, what would it be? Would it be no pollution? Or maybe give everybody a home? Well, I would give every kid a family. Yes, a family, as fun as an amusement park. A family to be with everyday, to tell them about your bad dreams at night and just to feel their love! I would give a family some sisters and brothers to play with when they are lonely, a mom and dad to have memories with, and maybe a pet to keep them company! You know, not everyone has a family. So don’t take them for granted and remember to love your family as much as they love you!”

If I Could Give the World One Christmas Gift
By Brandon Wivagg
If you could do something for the world, what would you do? Well, I don’t know what you would do, but I would invent a medicine and put it in the air so when factories work, no smoke comes out. Could you imagine the world with no smoke? Well, I could. You would smell flowers everyday and no bad gases. You would hear birds chirping. It would change the world. If you still don’t get it, think of your dirty hair, then you take a clean shower, right. If that medicine doesn’t work, you, that’s right you, can still help save the world. Here’s how … You can pick up litter. This next one is for grown ups, try to buy a factory and then tear it down. That’s hard to do, but do it. It’s so easy you could do it faster then a cat can climb a tree. So that’s what I would give the world this Christmas, what would you do?

Fourth-graders in Mr. Fahringer’s class at North Hills Elementary explained what they are thankful for in observance of Thanksgiving.

Do you want to know what I’m most thankful for? Well, I’m going to tell you faster than a cat can climb a tree. I’m most thankful for my family because without them, I would not be living on this earth right now. My family is also the best parents in the world because they are kind, intelligent and cool. They are so smart they help me with anything. I don’t know a place I haven’t been with them. Well, maybe here at school, but nowhere else. I just love my family and am very thankful for them and their love and care. What are you most thankful for? — By Brandon Wivagg

I am most thankful for my family. Out of all my family I would pick my sister to write about. She keeps me company when my friends cannot come over to play with me. Sometimes she can be mean to me. Once she bit me and it felt just like a lion attacking its prey. For most of the time she is pleasant, so we play together nicely. My little sister and I get in fights a lot. I try not to fight with her but we always do. I don’t mind it and I can stand it. I am so thankful that Alison is my little sister. — By Molly Bruner

“Mmm!” I said. “I am hungrier than a lion that has not eaten for weeks!” That reminds me that I am thankful for food because I eat more than my mom. I’m also thankful for food because if I didn’t eat, I would starve to death in less than two weeks. The last thing about food that I am thankful for, is that some food is healthy and some is unhealthy for people. That is what I am most thankful for on Thanksgiving. — By Erin Cabry

Are you thankful for the food and water you have? Well, I’m thankful for the food and water I have because some people in the world are as hungry as a Golden Retriever because they don’t have any food or water. I can walk over to the tap and turn it on and have delicious clean water to drink anytime I want. When I come home at night my mom has a snack waiting for me. In an hour or so, I sit down and eat various kinds of delicious food. Sometimes I think that people could be a little nicer to the starving people in the world and maybe even give them just one little can of beans. So that’s why I’m thankful for all the food and water I have! — By Lauryn Carrington

What are you most thankful for? I’m most thankful for my family because without family it would be as disastrous as the volcanoes in Hawaii. Without family, you wouldn’t have anyone to talk to, or help you with homework or cook for you. It would be horrible, because I love to eat! No family means no money, no school, and no jobs. Nobody would learn anything because the school wouldn’t have enough money to buy supplies for the student’s education because there wouldn’t be any adults to pay school taxes. Without education, people wouldn’t know anything, so nobody would know how to buy things to eat to be healthy. I don’t know what you are most thankful for, but I am most thankful for my family. It is the greatest part of my life, even greater than the world Olympics. — By Cole Bailey

Do you want to know what I am most thankful for? If you do keep reading? I am most thankful for my father. He has always been there for me. Every day I’m with him my heart pumps as fast as a Cheetah and he tells me he loves me at least twelve times. Every time he says it, I say it back and I mean it. I hope he means it too. That’s who I’m most thankful for and why I’m most thankful for him. I will always remember my dad even after he dies. — By Timothy Completa

Who are you most thankful for? I am most thankful for my family because they live with me and I care about them and they care about me also. They buy water and everything that we all need. Sometimes I will buy food or anything that all of us need also! They are awesome and they think I am awesome too! Our family helps each other any time we need it! We are a loving family and we all need a fun time and that is what we do all the time! My family is like having a cuddling pet that loves you like a dog! You can just do almost anything you want with them anytime, anywhere! I love my family so much because they buy me some objects that I don’t need. Sometimes they buy things like my phone. That isn’t the only reason why they are awesome because there are a thousand other reasons why they are awesome. What person or thing are you most thankful for in your life? — By Gavin Downey

There’s turkey, there’s stuffing and then there’s family. Your mind should tell you it’s Thanksgiving but if it says Christmas, then something is wrong. Thanksgiving is a holiday of giving and spending time with your family. So it’s Thanksgiving and here’s what I’m thankful for. I’m thankful for my Dad because he helps me with things like sports, videogames, and yes, school. He’s like a walking dictionary filled with answers. He’s like a Super Dad but doesn’t wear those capes and lousy tights and drink super juice. He just wears a t-shirt and sports a robe and drinks caramel flavored coffee. I love my dad that way and I am very thankful I have him as my dad. — By Isaac Embry

Do you know what I am most thankful for? I am most thankful for my family. They take care of me and feed me. Sometimes they are sick and I have to take care of them. Most of the time they take care of me. We all love each other a lot. Some of my family members live in different sates or they are in South America. It is sad because I miss my other family members in South America. Sometimes we wonder if they are safe. Do they have enough food? That’s why I am thankful for my family. I will do anything so I will not lose my family. If I would lose my family, I would scream as loud as dinosaurs scream. I am most thankful for my family. — By Daniel Escobar

What are you most thankful for? I am most thankful for my parents because they care about my health. My dad helps me with my compass rose project because he steps on the circle so it is like you have to be still when a TRex is chasing you so he does not see you and eat you. The most fun part about him is when we play football at the bus stop. My best friend and I joke around with my dad and tell him that he cannot catch the ball. He then jokes back with us and tells us that we can’t catch, even if he handed it to us.
Now my mom, she makes killer cookies. They taste like you died and went to cookie heaven. My mom also rocks at Super Smash Melee. She knocked Fox’s last breath out and I could not believe my eyes, Pichou won. Awesome battle, mom. I will always be thankful for my dad and my mom because they play with me and they love me. — By Kollinn George

What are you thankful for? I’m most thankful for my family because they take care of me. They feed me as fast as a runner can run. I get to have chicken noodle soup and snuggle up with them when I’m sick. They let me watch Nickelodeon and lay in bed all day when I’m sick. When I need to go somewhere they’re always there to take me. My mom makes the best food so I eat it all every night. My family is always there to help no matter what. I love my family for all they do for me and for how much they care about me. Does your family do that for you? — By Hannah Grigg

Do you want to hear what I’m most thankful for? You don’t! Oh well I’m still going to tell you. The thing I’m most thankful for is FOOD!!! Boy, do I love food more than a high school boy who has the biggest crush on the prettiest girl in Central York High School. If I was a hobo living on the streets and a man walked up to me and gave a list of 100,000,000 different types of food combinations, you’d see me checking off the different foods I would wish to eat faster than you can say Dracula Dates Dumb Devils! But do you want to know the favorite type of food I’m thankful for? My favorite type would be Toasted American Cheese Sticks (or TACS for short). I wish that TACS would always be served on Thanksgiving instead of turkey and stuffing and… well you know what I mean. There you go, my thing I’m most thankful for. Thanks for reading! — By Benjamin Herbert

Munch, munch, chew, chew. WOW! I’m hungrier than a lion who hasn’t eaten for a week. But, I’ve been thinking what would happen if I didn’t have this food. Maybe I would be living on the streets. I’d be hungrier than a chicken that hasn’t eaten for a month. If I lived on the streets I would have a shorter life. That is why I’m thankful for food. — By Nolan High

What are you thankful for? I’m thankful for food. Food is what keeps us alive. What does it taste like? It matters what kind of food you’re eating. There are many kinds of foods. The food groups are fruits, vegetables, sweets, grain, dairy, and meat. My favorite food is in the fruit section. What can it be? It’s a honey crisp apple. When I take a bite it’s so juicy. Think about it, some people don’t have any food. So, if you know someone who has no food, you should help them out and if you’re reading this be thankful for food!!!! — By Phil Johnson

What person, place, or thing are you most thankful for? I am most thankful for my family because without my mommy and daddy, I would not have the house I live in now. Without them I would not have food, water, or clothing. So that is why I am as thankful as the pilgrims when they held their Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving is coming up and so that is when everybody is most thankful for what they have. The reason I am most thankful for my family is because of their jobs. Their jobs are what make the money and keep me healthy and living! — By Meghan Kent

Would you like to know what I’m most thankful for? Well, it’s my parents because they raised me from the day I was born and I know that they love me. I also know that they will take care of me until I’m 18. They tell me that they will be as old as the first gourmet when they stop taking care of me. But, my parents don’t know when I will start taking care of myself. My parents are very, very, important people in my life. That is why I love them so much and will always obey them. I just love my parents so much that I will drop my body in fire just to see them in heaven. Nobody knows the love I have for my parents, nobody, nobody at all. — By Elizabeth Koimene

Land-Ho! Why, hello mate ye shouldn’t be around here, what do you need, your…family?
Yes!! Well, let’s go. My family is important to me because you see I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have them and my brothers. Think of it, a little baby sheep and its mother were attacked by a coyote and they’re lying there, no family, no future, no nothing. See how lucky we are? However we just take our families for granted. So think, that not everyone has a family. Even I take them for granted. So be thankful for your family and not just what your family does and has. Someday you will notice that your friend can be poor, rich or both. I like Thanksgiving because I can spend time with my family and remember, family is as good as Thanksgiving!! — By Alec Leese

Ok, you probably wonder why I am most thankful for my dog ? Well, I will tell you.
I’m thankful for my dog, Bambi, because she is a lovable dog and she is trustworthy. She is really tough and she likes to play tug of war. I always wanted to have a dog that you could play tug of war with. You don’t want to play tug of war with Bambi because you will be pulled like a little chipmunk with no control over your body. My dog, Bambi, is more kind than most dogs we know. She is very active to play any time, anywhere, and that is why I chose my dog, Bambi, as the thing I am most thankful for. — By Josh Metzger

I have a lot of things I’m thankful for, like my family, my house, food, water but the thing I picked was my dog, Angel. Angel is a golden retriever mixed with a border collie. She is as soft as a feather and as fast as a racecar. Before I got Angel, I had been wanting a dog for three years. Angel has a lot of neat things about her that make her the best dog in the world. One of the neat things that Angel does is play soccer. She has boundless energy and loves to go for walks and she never wants to go inside. The thing I love most about Angel is that she is always there for me. This is why I’m thankful for my dog, Angel. — By Taylor Morgenegg

What is the one thing you are most thankful for? The thing I’m most thankful for is my family. My parents will give me anything, and all they want in return is for me to have good grades and a good character. I have the kindest family anyone could ask for. If I could keep one thing, it would definitely be my family. My family is what I’m most thankful for, and it’s because they’re the best. I’m most thankful for my family because they take care of me like somebody carrying glass and being afraid they will drop it. They provide me with a huge room, food, and a heated house. But I am most thankful for my family because they love me. — By Harini Narayan

What are you most thankful for? Well, I’m most thankful for North Hills. I’m thankful for this, because North Hills is my school. It’s where I get an education and I can meet new friends and the best thing is that we have the best teacher ever. Also, I have the nicest friends They are as sweet as a summer’s day. I also love that we have the nicest teachers here. That is why I am thankful for my school, North Hills. — By Makeda Ramnath

What’s the thing that you’re most thankful for? Well, I’m most thankful for my family. First my mom is the one who cooks all of the food. Also, she keeps the whole house clean. Second, my dad earns the money to buy food and water. My three sisters also care for me. I wouldn’t want to lose them or any part of my family. Finally, my dog and cat feel like cuddly bunnies. Without them I wouldn’t have any pet to play with. Actually I don’t want to lose any part of my whole family. You should be thankful for your family too. — By Jonathan Nemtuda

What are you most thankful for? Well, I am most thankful for my family because they provide food, shelter, water, and everything I need. I love them very much. These are just some of the many great things they do for me.
My dad takes me to the bus stop in the morning. If it wasn’t for him, I would be late for school all the time. My mom makes my family dinner as delicious as an ice cream sundae! My mamma and papaw let my two sisters and I sleep over when my mom and dad want to go out. Also, they let us stay over just for fun, too. My two sisters are fun to play with, and my cat and dog are very energetic and cool. My family is way more awesome than any one in the whole world and they love me more than anything in the whole world! — By Yazmine Velazquez

The subject is “Mayflower” for these stories written by students in Jeff Deffinbaugh’s fifth-grade class at North Hills Elementary, Central York School District.

By Brandon Holder
Mayflower
In 1620 the Mayflower set sail on the North Atlantic Ocean with many different people onboard like the Pilgrims, strangers and the crew. The reason they left is for religious freedom.
The Mayflower voyage was brutal with terrible storms. There was no privacy and many people got sick. Two people died.

By Brooke Dubbs
November
My next 3 paragraphs, I’m going to tell you the setting, the characters and people, the problem and solution of the Pilgrims voyage.
First of all the setting of their voyage was going north on the Atlantic Ocean.
Next, the people who were on the voyage were, strangers, children, adults, crew, and some indentured servants.
Finally, the problem and the solution, was pilgrims wanted a community to practice religion. That was the problem. The solution was, they celebrated with a Thanksgiving Fest. Which proved they were happy with new lives and friends.
There was a summary about the setting, the people/characters, also, the problem and solution.

By Bryan Stanley
The Mayflower Voyage
In the beginning three groups of pilgrims, Strangers and servants made a boat called the Mayflower. Pilgrims wanted to go to a land where they could practice their religion. Strangers went to the new land because they wanted wealth.
Then they sailed the Mayflower, but in the Mayflower there was no privacy and no toilets so it stank. Soon many people got very sick and two people died.
Finally after 65 days they finally found land. When they got on land many adults were sick and the children had to do adult chores. Half of the people died after they got to the land.
Then the pilgrims went to a different land. At the land the pilgrims found the two Indians Squanto and Samoset. Squanto helped the Pilgrims harvest. The Pilgrims and the Indians had Thanks-giving Feast.

By CHARLES REINHARDT
The Mayflower
The time is September November.
The characters are the pilgrims, strangers, and crew. The problem was that the pilgrims wanted religious freedom. The middle was that the adults were getting sick. The end was pilgrims built houses. Few adults worked jobs. Samoset brings Squanto and he teaches them how to plant corn with fish. Chief Massasuit makes deals with pilgrims. The solution was they celebrated with thanksgiving feast which made them proud, they were happy with many lives and friends. The theme is do whatever it takes to reach your dreams.

By Elijah Kinley
The Mayflower Voyage
The Mayflower journey has just begun! Today we set sail on the rough northern Atlantic Ocean. We are all together 102 people, 30 kids and 72 adults. During our journey we battled very tall waves! They were waves at least twenty feet tall. At one point one of our main supporters for the deck broke. We fixed it with a screw that was very large and planks of wood. We also had a man fall over board! He was o.k.
When we reached land we tallied up the death count. The total was two dead and one born. So there were thirty-one kids and seventy adults to build the houses and the settlement. Many people died on the ship. Now there were only twenty adults and thirty-one kids.
Later this friendly N.A., he was called Samoset, and he left and came back and told the pilgrims how to plant crops, fish and hunt. He also told the kids to plant with fish in the soil to make the soil richer. Later the Indians and pilgrims had the first thanks giving for three days.

By Alara Powell
How Thanksgiving All Started!
The Pilgrims, Indentured servants, and strangers got onto the Mayflower ship. Everybody was cramped except for the shipman, but they did have to do back breaking work. The kids had to take care of the sick. They had to fetch water, find food, and cook. It wasn’t easy to work. The explorers were searching the land. They found a little part of a tribe. They ran, the pilgrims looked for them for days to find those Indians (Native Americans) but their luck was bad. Until a miracle happened.

By Jason Hidalgo
The Amazing May Flower Voyage
This is my summary of The Mayflower. First, this event occurred on September-November, 1620 at Plymouth Harbor at the North Atlantic Ocean. This was the setting that this event occurred on.
These were the characters/groups of people that took place in this event. First, there were the pilgrims that wanted religious freedom. Then there were the Native Americans who is Samoset and Squantoe who taught the settlers how to survive in the wilderness. These were the characters.
This is why the pilgrims left England. First, they left and went on the voyage because they were tired of worshiping kings and queens so they wanted a community to practice religion but England wouldn’t let them. That is why they left England.
This is what happened when they found land. First, when they came they built houses and the little kids had to do grown ups jobs because they were sick. Then they made a peace treaty with the Indians and finally celebrated with a Thanks giving feast.

By Joey Nelson
Mayflower Voyage
On 1620 in Europe, pilgrims wanted religious freedom. The pilgrims and the strangers and the crew sailed on the Mayflower from September to November to a land. That land is called Plymouth Harbor
They didn’t find anything there so they got back on the boat and found another land called Province Town.
They saw all the trees were cut down and there was lots of open space and they saw Samoset. Samoset gets Squanto and Squanto teaches them how to live on their own. Then they made a peace treaty.

By Justin
September
The Pilgrims set sail on The Mayflower from Europe on September 1620. At sea they had no privacy and the sea was rough and brutal. While they were at sea the Pilgrims had difficulty especially when the main mast broke. They had to use a jackscrew to fix it.
Almost the whole crew wanted to turn back, but when they saw land, they all rejoiced. The first place they went to wasn’t suitable for housing. While they explored they found Indians but they ran away.
They went to another spot called Plymouth and built houses there. Most all the adults got sick so the kids had to do most the work. Three Indians, Squanto, Samoset and chief Mossasow, helped the Pilgrims plant corn and other crops. They had a feast with the Mossasow Indians.

By Karlie Huber
The Mayflower
In the month of September 1620, pilgrims, strangers, crew, and indentured servants all went on a boat called The Mayflower, to find new land. They all went on this voyage because pilgrims wanted a community were they could practice religion because England wouldn’t let them practice there. This voyage was very difficult for them due to all the storms and unfit living conditions.
Soon, they all reached land. They saw Native Americans but didn’t go in reach of them. Also, lots of people became very sick on board. So, they set sail to find different place.
They found land in Plymouth. Only a few adults could do work because lots of them were sick. Then they met a man named Squanto. Squanto taught all of the children how to plant fish to make the soil richer. All of the pilgrims had a Thanksgiving feast

By Keli
The Mayflower
In the beginning the Pilgrims, indentured servants, strangers, and their crew sailed across the harsh, rough North Atlantic Ocean.
They wanted religious freedom and they couldn’t get that in Europe. Life was really hard with people everywhere sick, no privacy, and 2 people even died.
After a while people were even wondering if the Mayflower should keep going, but yet they kept moving.
Once they got there life got really hard. There were even people dieing every day. One day a group of men spotted a tribe, but they were frightened by the weapons and ran away.
Later on the tribe’s master came to meet them and they became friends. They taught the Pilgrims to fish and plant.
To celebrate they had a huge feast now known as Thanksgiving.

By Marisa Gingerich
Mayflower Summary
First, in September of 1620, the Pilgrims sailed off into sea from Europe, because they did not want to be able to have a religion that either a king or queen gave them. They wanted to be able to have their own religion. The Pilgrims traveled from September 1620 to November 1620. The people that traveled were the Pilgrims, strangers, crew and indentured servants.
Next, while they were on the boat, it was a very hard journey. On the voyage there were very bad storms and unfit living conditions. Also two of the people died while they were on their journey.
After, the voyagers finally found a land called Provincetown Harbor. But they did not stay there for long because they were exhausted and they could not find any Native Americans. They found Native Americans. But they ran away because the Pilgrims showed guns at them and that scared the Native Americans.
Finally, the voyagers set back on their voyage and they landed at a new island called Plymouth Rock. The Pilgrims stayed at Plymouth Rock for a very, very long time. They found Native Americans named Samoset and Squanto and they celebrated a Thanksgiving Feast with them.

By Marvin
The Pilgrims came from Europe which did not let them practice their own religion. So the Pilgrims set a sail on a ship called the Mayflower. The people on the Mayflower were Pilgrims, strangers who seeked wealth, a crew, and intended servants who are not really slaves but had to pay off a debt.
The Pilgrims went on a 62-day voyage to a new land. On November 9, they landed in Plymouth, Harbor where they found Indians. So they sailed some more and landed in Probontown where, to their surprise, land was clear.
The Pilgrims then started to built homes in hard brutal weather. Many because of their ill died. A couple months later the Pilgrims met Samoset. Samoset then explains to them what they do not know. Then he brings Squanto who teaches them how to live, then they celebrate what we call today Thanksgiving.

By Mike Rohrer
The Mayflower Voyager
September-October 1620 pilgrims were at England and got on the Mayflower. And set sail on the Atlantic Ocean …
The First groups were the srangers
And they wanted money and to get rich … the second group were the pilgrims and they were on the boat because they wanted religious freedom cause England would not let them do this …
The first PLACE THEY STOPPED was Provincetown, Mass. Then they went to Plymouth Harbor, Mass.

By Sara
How Thanksgiving Started
In the beginning, children, men, and women all boarded the Mayflower from England hoping to find land and start a new life. It took them 65 days until they found land. When they did they were very excited.
When they got off the Mayflower on the east coast they walked around until they found the perfect place. It was night so they made a campfire. The next day they spent the whole day chopping down trees and making sticks of wood to make houses. They spent the next month building one-room houses.
Then, the children met Samoset and the next day Samoset brings Squanto and Squanto teaches the Pilgrims how to harvest, hunt, and fish. Then came Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims invited chief Samoset to a peace treaty then invited chief Samoset and Squanto to a feast.

By Lynaya Beck
The Mayflower Story
The pilgrims, Indentured servants, control men, women, and children all boarded the Mayflower one September 1620. Each of them had reasons to board the Mayflower.
The pilgrims were not happy about the king telling them how to worship. Along the way sailing the boat for two months with no privacy they ran out of food, no bathing, they had a very rough time.
The pilgrims met Samoset, taught them how to grow corn and when to grow corn. The pilgrims got their freedom back now they can worship whoever they want and they had their first Thanksgiving feast!
This has been a story about the Mayflower and how the pilgrims got their freedom back plus what a rough time they went through and how they risked their lives to have their freedom.

By Va’kai Henderson
The Mayflower Voyage Summary
On September-November 1620, 102 passengers were at sea on the Mayflower. There were pilgrims, strangers, and the crew.
One of the problems is that many people were sick and there was no privacy.
Then they arrived after 65 days. When they did arrive at Plymouth Harbor they met this guy named Samoset who taught them how to fish and grow corn

By Emily Sprenkle
The Mayflower Voyage
In September 1620, the Pilgrims set sail through the North Atlantic Ocean from England. In England they were not allowed to have their own religion. The Pilgrims, strangers, indentured servants, and the crew all hopped on to a ship called the Mayflower.
The 65-day voyage was very uncomfortable due to storms, no privacy, and having to stay in the same smelly room. During the voyage two people died.
After 65 days they made it to Provincetown. A few Pilgrims got off of the ship to look for a place to build homes. They saw Native Americans but did not make contact. Many people still on the ship were very sick. They decided this wasn’t a great place to stay.
The Pilgrims traveled longer and arrived in Plymouth Harbor. They found an open space to build homes. Only a few adults were well enough to work at a time. The children had to take their place. They met a Native American named Samoset and he brings someone from his tribe named Squanto. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn, hunt, and to fish. Many other Native Americans came and Chief Massasoit made a peace treaty with the Pilgrims. They all celebrated what we now call Thanksgiving.

Anonymous
The Mayflower Voyage
Around the month of September (1620) hundreds of people decided to leave England because they wanted religious freedom. But also because some people thought they would find riches in the new country. Pilgrims, strangers, and of course the crew all boarded the great ship of freedom called the Mayflower.
The weather was excruciating and disturbed the one plank on deck and that made the passengers want to turn back and head back to England. But the captain told them they already came so far so there’s no sense in going all the way back to England. There was an unfit living condition, no privacy, and everyone was getting sick on deck.
Once they found land there was no way they could build houses and then they saw native Americans but they ran so the Mayflower’s explorers chased after them but then the natives disappeared. The explorers went back to the boat and searched a different part of the land and found it and started to build houses. Only a few adults could work at a time so the kids took on the adult’s jobs.
When they met Samoset he then brought squonto and he taught them what they did not know and then he brought chief Mastasoy and then they signed a peace treaty and ate a feast and played games for 3 days in celebration of their friendship!!!

Fourth-grade students in Mr. Jim Fahringer’s class at North Hills Elementary, wrote stories about what they did over the summer.

Gone Fishing
By Cole Bailey
Did you go fishing this summer? Well, I did. This summer I traveled to a fishing place with my pap, mom, and my sister. We prepared everything and placed the bait on the fishing poles and started fishing. My sister and I waited and waited and I felt a bite. Then my sister felt a bite and I lost mine. I think the fish ate my bait and swam onto my sister’s hook. My face turned red and I was as steamed as a lobster.
After my pap baited the hook, I cast it out again. Finally after waiting for a long period of time I felt a tug and I pulled and reeled it in. It was my first fish of the day. My sister reeled in a miniature fish. Our pap put bait on the hooks and we cast out our rods and waited. Suddenly I felt a tug so I waited until it pulled hard enough so I was sure I caught something on the hook. Next, I reeled the fish in and it was nothing more than a tiny little fish barely bigger than my hand. They’re such little fish but they pull so hard!
All of a sudden I saw my sister reeling in a fish. It was a good size fish. My score was two and my sister’s score was two. With help from my pap, we baited the hook again, and I cast my fishing line into the water and waited for a fish to put its mouth on my hook. Pap told me to put my rod in the current. I felt something hit my rod again and a fish was hooked. I pulled and reeled the fish in. It was a good size fish.
Then it was my sister’s turn. She had the bait already on the hook, so she cast the hook into the water. She waited and waited, then she must have felt a tug because she pulled and reeled in a fish that was bigger than my foot. We decided that would be it for the day. The final score was four for me, and four for my sister.

My Day At the Beach
By Molly Bruner
The first time I was zapped from behind was down in the Delaware Bay. On my day at the beach I was swimming in the ocean towards my Mom. On the way to my Mom, I felt a zap on my ankles. It was like getting stung by a wasp. There it was, a jellyfish about the size of a medium pumpkin. Immediately we rode a wave into shore and jumped out of the water. We walked fast on the beach to get to the lifeguards. They did not have vinegar, but a lady behind us did. She was a nurse. Both ankles really hurt and we rubbed the vinegar on them but unfortunately it didn’t help very much. So, we put dry sand on it and it felt better after awhile. Then, we left. I would not like to have that experience ever again!

The Comet
By Erin Cabry
What is your favorite ride at Hershey Park? Well, my favorite ride is the “Comet”. When I visited Hershey Park I ran to the “Comet”. When the Comet stopped, I ran on and forgot I had to go to the bathroom! We rode up the big hill and I got so scared because I forgot I had to go to the bathroom. When we arrived at the top I almost had to go to the bathroom in my pants! I had to twist my legs three times. When the little hills came, I twisted my arms too. The worst part was the speed of the rollercoaster. When the ride was over I flew to the bathroom like an eagle swooping down to catch a fish. My sister and my dad walked on the “Comet” again but I was still in the bathroom. I will always remember that humiliating day when I didn’t go to the bathroom before getting on a roller coaster.

Splash!
By Lauryn Carrington
Where did you go this summer? Well, I visited a pool that was very fun to visit.
There was a rope that you held onto to swing and then jump into a bunch of water! In the pool is this big obstacle course made out of leather so if you fall off and want to come back on, you will fall back off. There was also a very big water slide which I only slid on three times because it hurt when I slid down it. It goes down side to side, then all of a sudden you find yourself falling from the slide like a boulder that is as heavy as a ton. Then it was time to leave but I didn’t want to leave because I was having too much fun in this pool. I really want to come back here again!!

My Vacation at Branson
By Timothy Completa
Too bad the summer is over because some of my relatives and I drove and drove to Branson, Missouri. Did you know in Branson there is a lot of “go-cart” tracks? The first track we visited, I was too small to drive a go-cart, but the next night we drove to another go-cart track. In that one, I was tall enough to drive. Happily I drove and I drove for what felt like 100 times. One time I was driving and my brother hit me and I flipped onto my side but I was brave and drove again and again. I drove as fast as racecar #08! After about two hours of driving on the go-cart track, my mother said it was time to go but I wanted to stay until it closed. Sadly I thought to myself, “I am having so much fun, I never wanted this day to end!”

The Lightning Racer
By Gavin Downey
Did you ever ride a gigantic rollercoaster? Well, I rode the biggest and best rollercoaster ever, called “The Lightning Racer”. It was awesome! I rode it so much I wasn’t afraid to put my hands up the whole time! The ride has two teams, “Thunder” and “Lightning”. They race on different sets of the rollercoaster tracks. “Lightning” mostly wins, but “Thunder” sometimes wins. When you are on ‘Thunder,” one of the roller coaster teams, you get to see the other team better and that makes this ride really cool.
My whole family and I can go on the front, middle, and the back of the ride and not be scared! The ride is the best ride ever! When I first zoomed up the big hill I was so scared I almost wanted to jump out of my seat and run to the bottom like a cheetah but then I loved it so much that I rode it four more times!!! The ride has a lot of big hills. The Lightning Racer is the best ride I ever rode! I rode with my big sister the whole time we rode the awesome ride! The ride was faster than a tiger running as fast as it can! That ride is the best ride you could ever think of your life! What’s your best and most awesome ride ever?

The Experience I Hope Never Happens Again
By Isaac Embry
You know the saying, “ Go to the bathroom before you go on a trip.” Well, that’s one of the things my sister doesn’t listen to, but I learned my lesson, so after this experience she will too.
I woke up at 6:00 in the morning, the day I traveled to a convention in Kentucky. Once we rumbled in the car I started playing my DS. Awhile later my little sister, Victoria, said, “I have to go.” My face turned as green as a frog. In my head I was saying, “Please tell me they’re not going to do what I think they’re going to do.” Luckily they didn’t do what I thought they were going to do. That’s one experience I don’t think that I’ll probably have again. At least I hope not.

What I Did This Summer
By Daniel Escobar
Have you ever had the best summer ever? Well I did. In the summer I played the X Box 360. There was one game that I played. The game is called, “Naruto, the Broken Bond”. It is really fun because you are a Ninja and you have a secret power called the “Nine Tailed Fox Demon” who is as strong as a lion. When he was born, his parents put a secret power in him. He then left the village so that people wouldn’t make fun of his parents because their son has the “Nine Tailed Fox”. Their son, the “Nine Tailed Fox” attacked the leaf village. Naruto’s dream is to be the best Ninja in his whole village which is called a Hokage. In order to do that, he has to risk his life pushing himself to the limit every day to be the best Ninja in the village. So that’s what I did over the summer to make it the best summer ever. I played my favorite game “Naruto the Broken Bond”.

The Arrow
By Kollinn George
What is your favorite summer activity? My favorite summer activity is archery at Camp Tuckahoe. If you every go to Camp Tuckahoe it will be awesome. When I saw it, it was like being in “Kid Heaven”. After arriving at Camp Tuckahoe, we jumped out of our truck and looked for the Pack 25 tent. We could not find it. When we got to the front desk they said no one else joined from pack 25. So I had to be in Pack 95. There were many activities like fishing, shooting BB guns, and crafts. When we were done with everything it was time for archery. Everyone in our pack ran into the archery range and I fired the arrow. It traveled right through the tarp. One other time the arrow flew into the target sideways like a turtle running fast. Another weird time was when the arrow flew up on the tarp and slid off. Being at Camp Tuckahoe and shooting a bow and arrow was one of the most fun times in my life.

The Dunk Tank
By Hannah Grigg
Have you ever been dunked in a dunk tank before? Well, I was. I did it at a birthday party for four boys. The four boys ran to be dunked first in the tank. My dad was the very first one to be dunked! I tried to dunk him, but I didn’t. We had to pay a dollar for three balls. If you’re a family member you didn’t have to pay to dunk them. So I didn’t have to pay to dunk my dad. Next up was Daryl. I didn’t try to dunk him. But other people did. Then it was Sean’s turn. He got dunked like five times. Last but not least, was Dan. I didn’t dunk him but I tried.
The kids also ran to the line. I ran as fast as a cheetah to the line. Ten kids were in line to be dunked. I was one of them. I got dunked twenty times because I was in the tank four times. It took ten throws before someone dunked me the first time. The water was really cold. My dad and I were as cold as an ice cube when we climbed out. So was everybody else. Luckily we had towels there. It was a blast. Have you ever dunked someone in a dunk tank? Well, let me tell you, it is a lot of fun!

Riding A Train Cart Up a Mountain
By Ben Herbert
Have you ever ridden a train cart that moves as slow as a three-toed sloth up a hundred foot mountain? I have. It all started when my sister, my dad, my sister’s friend, my brother, our friends, and I were walking in Johnstown, Pennsylvania until we saw something. It was a train cart gliding up a hundred foot mountain. Emma, my sister, didn’t want to ride it but the rest of us did. When we walked on, I thought, “This is so large I could fit an SUV and 20 motor bikes in it.” Then CLICK! It started moving up the mountain as slow as a three-toed sloth. Every time it reached a foot higher, Emma would be even more scared! After we reached the top, I looked at the view and boy was it awesome but when Emma looked at it you should have seen the look on her face! That was my most exciting thing that happened over the summer.

The Comet
By Nolan High
“Dad, stop driving so fast!”
“Sorry, boys I’m just excited to go to Hershey Park!”
“Wait, we’re going to Hershey Park? Drive faster!”
“Mmm, I smell the sweet smell of chocolate like Hershey’s chocolate.”
“Me too, look, it’s Hershey Park. It’s as big as the Eiffle Tower!”
“Wow it’s the Comet! I heard it was one of the fastest rides in the park! It’s so fast that the air lifts you right out of your seat! Let’s go on that first.”
I went speeding off like a cheetah.
“Nolan, wait for us. Oh, sorry, look we’re the first ones in the line.”
“That’s nice, hurry up, the other people are coming.” I was worried about falling out of the seats. “Wait, I hear a clicking sound. Doesn’t that mean bad? Wow! Don’t look down! Look at the huge loops and the sharp turns. Oh, no. I just remembered that this thing is made of wood! It’s done. Am I still alive? I guess it’s true. It is one of the fastest rides in the park! Now let’s ride the Bear!”

The Rock and Roll Rollercoaster
By Philip Johnson
What was the most exciting amusement park ride you ever rode? This summer I rode the most exciting rollercoaster ever!!
The first time I rode on the “Rock and Roll” rollercoaster I felt weird because it does three loops in a row in the beginning. If you bend your back when it starts you could break your back! Zooming out of the first loop, the coaster traveled faster than a cheetah runs. It has all these signs that say, “25 Miles an Hour” when you’re going 80 miles an hour. It also says, “Concert Ahead”. My brother kept hitting his head on the seat. It is an indoor rollercoaster. When the ride starts, everything turns green. In the very beginning you can see where the band plays. It was the most fun ride I was ever on.

Maine
By Meghan Kent
“Slam,” I slammed my door shut as I raced as fast as a racecar out to greet everybody!
“Welcome to Maine”! That was Tim’s greeting to us! I hugged everybody and shot up to my
ping-pong playing cousin, Olivia, like a lifting rocket going into space! Her cousin, Megan, and she
stopped and they showed me our room. We walked back downstairs and played more ping-pong!
After playing ping-pong, we threw some rocks and ran back upstairs to relax! Wow, my stay in Maine is really going to be awesome this summer!

My Nephew
By Elizabeth Koimene
What did you do over the summer? One of my special summer memories was when my nephew visited my house. His name is Abraham and he’s two years old. When he came, my sister and I taught him how to walk. Every time we let go of his hands he would fall. We laughed a lot and suddenly out of nowhere he fell. He jumped back up and started to walk. Every one was amazed at how Abraham could walk on his own, without any help. He was walking, but as slow as a turtle. His aunt, who is me, was still in shock about his walking but everybody else was clapping. He started to smile and then ran to me. I hugged him and swung him around. I will never forget that mysterious day when my nephew started walking!

Fireworks!
By Alec Leese
“Alec! Alec!! Get up it’s time to go get the fireworks at the South Carolina fireworks store!”
“Yes, let’s go.” When my family and I arrived at the store I felt butterflies in my stomach. When we walked in the store I just wanted to say, “I love the smell of fireworks in the morning”. When I saw all the fireworks I went ballistic!! As soon as we grabbed a basket it was like a firework frenzy!! We purchased at least one hundred fireworks because we purchased eighty and then received 27 more free.
The next day vacation was over. I was ready for it, because we could set off some humongous fireworks!! The ride home was as slow as a turtle. So to overcome being bored I took out all the fireworks and laid them all over the back seat. Three days after we came home we invited my grandparents over, but it just so happened to be their anniversary so I decided to have a fireworks show! When the time came for the fireworks show we counted down 3.2.1.0. Boom boom! All these loud booms exploded. In the grand finale we went wild over the many exploding and colorful fireworks. That’s what’s so cool about my summer vacation!

At the Beach Catching Clams
By Joshua Metzger
Cool, I’m on a super vacation with my friend, Griffin. We were hunting for big clams, down at the wet beach. I tried to make a clam hotel but it didn’t work. One of the clams I found was much bigger than the other clams. He would be my clam king. I named my clam, “King Clam of the Clam Kingdom”. In the wet sand we also found another clam and named her, “Queen Clam”. My friend named his clams, “Pitchy” and “Big Clam. Then we released them and they dug into the sand like lightning. I will always remember that day at the beach when we caught clams and made a clam kingdom and hotel.

The Crash
By Taylor Morgenegg
Crash! Swish! Crash! Swish! I heard the noises of crashing waves as my dad and I splashed all the way to our belly buttons and started to boogie board. Then I saw the biggest fastest wave ever. It was as fast as a roller coaster! I got ready for it and then it towered over me and sucked me in. I slowly rose up with salty water in my eyes. I said, “I think I’m done”. Then we slowly walked back to our towels.

Wonder Works
By Harini Narayan
Have you ever been to an upside-down building? Well, I have.
My eyes widened at the sight of our destination. My sister, mom, and I were driving up to Wonder Works in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We walked up to the front desk, paid for the tickets, and headed inside. While trying out some things, we explored the Wonder Works building.
Next, we spotted the rock-climbing wall, which was so huge it looked as tall as the sky. My sister, Yamini, and I walked over and stood in line. After waiting a long time, it was finally our turn. We were both strapped into heavy underwear with straps and were sent to the first two sections. At first, I was surprised at the fact that I didn’t suck (not that I actually did that well). Or at least that’s what I thought, until I came to a small part with a long gap. I couldn’t make my foot stretch over, so I dropped down and started all over again. I did the same routine maybe five more times (still with no luck) until I finally gave up. Plus, we had more things to see. And even though I gave up, Wonder Works would be something I would never forget.

The Go Carts
By Jonathan Nemtuda
Finally, time for “Fun-For All”! It’s a place in Pittsburgh. My favorite ride was Go-carts, best thing there, actually. Workers would let me drive but I didn’t. Also the cart was as fast as a streak of lightning. It was outrageously fast, actually. My mom let me do it again but this time I drove. I bumped into cars, walls, rails and tires. It was just like bumper cars. We did ten laps. It was so much fun I wish I owned the go-carts. That was probably one of the most exciting things I did during the summer.

The Birds’ Show
By Makeda Ramnath
Have you ever seen an exotic bird show? Well, I saw this really great exotic robotic bird show at Disney World this past summer.
While at Disney World, we saw a live bird show but the line was so long it felt like an hour of wait time. Finally, after that, we saw the robot bird show. The birds were not real. In the show, the queen bird kept on singing like an opera singer. Everything she said, the other birds told her to stop, but she would not listen to them. Then, the king bird ascended from the ceiling in a basket like an angel coming down from Heaven and the lights suddenly shut off. There was a big pause and everyone said, ‘’WOW.’’ Next, the robotic birds all sang a song called, “The Mambo”. My family and the audience started laughing like crazy.
Finally the show was almost done except the baby bird had to do a curtain call. Then the show ended and we drove back to our condo and hopped in bed. It was a wonderful day to be alive!

Fast Cars
By Yazmine Velazquez
What was the favorite place you visited this summer? Well, my favorite place was Dutch Wonderland.
One day, my mom, her friend Amber, her son Elijah, my two sisters, and I drove to Dutch Wonderland. We walked in, got our tickets, and started enjoying the rides. The first ride we rode was the “Fast Cars”. I jumped on with Elijah and my two sisters rode on the ride together. The ride started. It was slow at first, but suddenly… SWOOSH!! around a corner as fast as a horse can run! Wow, that was fast! We did that eighteen times! Then, it stopped. The ride was over. It wasn’t my most absolute favorite ride, but, I also kind of liked the fast cars.

The Niagara Falls
By Brandon Wivagg
“I wonder where we are going,” I asked myself because I really wanted to know. It was seven in the morning and we had been driving for two hours. I just played my DS for the rest of the trip. Well, I eventually looked up from my DS and looked out the window and there was a waterfall. It looked like a low dark cloud raining on a small area. There was so much mist coming from the waterfall that it looked like a dense fog. When my family and I walked to our room we could see the falls perfectly. My favorite part of visiting Niagara Falls was the riding of the “Maid of the Mist”. The “Maid of the Mist” takes you as close as you can get to the falls. We had lots of fun until we had to leave. I wish we never had to leave the falls because it was the most beautiful sight I ever saw!

Students in Mr. Deffinbaugh’s fifth-grade class at North Hills Elementary School, Central York School District, wrote stories about their most memorable moments.

By Sara Hans
My Summer Paradise
One time in the summer, my mom and I, my brother, and my babysitter pulled into the hotel that was on Myrtle Beach. It smelled like saltwater. Once we got unpacked we got on our swimsuits and went to the beach. I was only 5 so I didn’t go in much. I just went in until it got to my knees, maybe my belly button sometimes.
Next, I got out and sat on my towel. I watched the greenish blue waves crashing on the shore. The sun was beating on my head, then I touched the top of my head and it’s sizzling hot. I listened to the little planes go by, the seagulls squawking over french-fries and hotdogs. Mmm, that wonderful smell of greasy food. Then, I got back up and the hot sand was between my toes so I ran into the warm water dancing around my ankles, and making holes in the sand.
Then, I filled my bucket full of water and was dumping the water in. Then, I took my shovel and dug for sand crabs and was catching fish as they got pulled in and out of the tide.
Then, it becomes nighttime so we took a short walk on the shore. Then, we walked to the hotel and took showers and went to bed.

BY SARAH SPINNEY
Blaze! Blaze!
I woke up one fantastic summer day, the sun shining though my window. I hopped out of my bed and shuffled downstairs. “Hi Dakota,” I say to one of my dogs, “do you want your breakfast?” At the word Dakota wags his tail. “OK let me go get Blaze.” I walk outside slamming the door behind me. Usually I assume my other dog, Blaze is outside when I wake up. He loves the outside.
“Blaze!” I call, “Blaze come get your breakfast!” I wait several seconds and walk around my yard. Then it hits me like someone hit me in the stomach, I saw a hole in my fence. I run out of my backyard screaming Blaze’s name despite the fact it is 7:00 in the morning and I’m still in my pajamas. I run in to my neighbor Ann’s yard.
Ann who is laying in her deck chair holding her dog Katie says, “yes her was back here earlier,” I run “Blaze? Blaze! ” I scream. I run up four houses and look in their backyards. Just as I started to cry my knees buckled and my throat got dry.
I felt a rough wet tongue on my face, I look up “BLAZE!!” I yell, I hug him harder than I ever hugged him before. “Lets go get some breakfast!” I say to him and we run home.

By Emily Sprenkle
Shooting Through the Air
One steaming hot summer day I was at Hershey Park with my friend, Marisa. We had been walking around for a while so it was really hot. We came to the Lightning Racers roller coaster. That is when I knew I wanted to get on my first roller coaster.
I unsurely walked up the ramp. We zigzagged through the crowded, winding ramps and finally came to where the roller coaster was. There was a long line of people so I wondered if we should come back later. It was really crowded in there. That made it really hot. The sweat was dripping down my forehead like someone poured water on me.
Finally, the room cleared a little bit and we could get on the ride. I could still taste the cold sub I had earlier for lunch. All of a sudden the roller coaster started moving. Slowly, then it started to speed up. We went down a small hill. Then we started to go up a big hill. We finally got to the top. The roller coaster paused for about 5 seconds then went speeding down the hill. We went on a few smaller hills, then went down another big hill and got our picture taken. The ride was over.
When we got off my legs were a little wobbly. I felt fine. I wanted to go again.

By Bryan Stanley
Wipe Out
One day I was bogey boarding at Cape May, New Jersey. I was riding some small waves at the time.
But I did not see the huge wave behind me and … Splash! The wave smacked my back, it felt like I was being struck by a whip. I tasted salt water and it tasted horrible. My strap on my bogey board broke and sent my bogey board floating away while I was still under the water.
I had no air under the water at all and I only saw sand and a couple of shells. I eventually got up and got air.

By Keli Watson
Fall Through the Sky
I was taking a stroll through Disney world with mom and my dad because we were excited to be there. We saw a bridge. It was plastic wood. That was when I saw it – Splash Mountain. It was a huge mountain and up in the corner of it a plastic log with people in it rolled out then back in. In a matter of minutes later it plunged down. A 50-foot DROP! I asked my mom if we could get on and she said “Sure, let’s go!”
We got in line and we were talking to the people behind us and having fun. We waited about an hour and then saw a creepy old turn-up sign that read: No turning back NOW! And that just about did it for me, I was officially petrified, but I still wanted to get on. A few minutes later I was getting on a log with mom and dad.
It started to move. First we went through this dark tunnel. We were moving pretty slow, but we saw the light at the end of tunnel and then it turned into a really jolly happy place. I told the story of “Peter Rabbit.” It’s a really nice story.
We went through the inside of the mountain and then suddenly we just slid, we went up, down, side to side. We went crazy then we went back to normal, slow and steady. Then we went on a few small hills but every one thought they were the big drop. But soon after those small hills came the chains churning I was petrified and then …
AAAAA!
WOOOOO!!!
SPLASH!!!!!
I was relieved and happy because I did it and loved it, I felt like I was flung out of my seat, the air was slamming my face. I wanted to do it AGAIN!

By Joey Nelson
The Terrifying Coaster
The minute I got to the amusement park I looked up at the gigantic rides. I saw one I knew I wasn’t going on. It was a loop roller coaster. I’m so scared of them.
My mom gave the ticket person the tickets and went strait to the coaster and told me to get on. I said, “No way!” My mom said that it would be my first time and that it would be fun. So I said, “If I die it’s your fault.” The coaster looked like a death trap and I knew I would die. I got on the terrifying coaster and when I was on the loop I was so scared that I was going to pee my pants. Luckily I didn’t.
I got off the ride and I was so relieved. When I went back to my mom I said, ” want to go again!”

By Alara Powell
The Comet’s Danger
I was high in the air, I could see the ground and how far down it was. I could feel the wind blowing in my face. My heart was beating rapidly because my seat belt came undone. The wind was loud, blowing in my face even harder now, it was getting loud. I could smell the aroma of cotton candy and hot dogs.
When I went down I hit my head in the corner of the ride. “Ouch!” I yelled. “When is this ride over?” I asked myself. l felt like I was about to fly out of the ride “Ouch!” I yelled again. And then I started to scream, “AAAHHH!” When I’m done 1 will have accomplished riding my first roller coaster.
I consent with my mom that I would ride this. But now I’m regretting it. I think I even felt a tear because I thought my life would end. I yelled for my mom, she didn’t answer. I yelled one more time, she didn’t respond.
I started to become very worried. That was a relief, l could have died! Never take me on that ride again! I didn’t come here to die, I came here to have fun.

By Justin
Into the Darkness
One day my mom declared, “We have to put Sheba to sleep.” Everyone gasped, “Why” I asked. “Because she is very sick,” mom responded sadly. “We will have to take her to the vet tomorrow,” she explained.
The next day we all ate a sad breakfast, wishing that our beloved dog didn’t have to go. When the time came to take her to the vet mom slowly got Sheba in the car and drove off. I was barely holding back tears.
When my mom’s car came into a stop in the driveway, I knew this is going to be the gloomiest day ever.
That’s my saddest and most memorable moment.

By Karlie Huber
Flying Across The Ocean
“Mom, look at those people! What are they doing? They’re parasailing! I want to do that! Can we mom?”
So we went up to our beach house, and my mom called the place where you go parasailing. We went to bed that night excited to get up the next morning. We all got up that morning at 8:00 am, and ate breakfast.
Fifteen minutes later, we got in the car and took off. It took about fifteen minutes to get to the parasailing place. When we got there we waited for my cousins Hailey and Abby.
Soon, my cousins got here and we went to get tickets. Each ticket was about fifty dollars. We all waited for about ten minutes for the boat to come and then we all got on the boat.
First to go was my sister Lauren and my cousin Abby. We all watched them as we were on the boat. As soon as it was my turn, my cousin Hailey and I went up! We were going up and looked down and saw everybody waving. You could see other people parasailing, too! We were so high in the air that we looked down and saw a ton of jellyfish. We got reeled back in and I said as soon as I got down, I would always remember that!

By Kelsey Kauffman
The Last Morning Together
“Well I guess I’ll see you boy!” I said to my dog Toby as I walked out the door to my bus stop. At school everything was absolutely normal except we had a substitute that day and it was a Friday so we had fun Friday at the end of the day today. On the bus everything was pretty much the same except the bus driver accidentally missed a stop this evening, which she never does.
When I got home I did my homework for a little, I didn’t notice anything but then I did, I didn’t see Toby at all since I was home. A brush of fear went through my body all of a sudden. After that I went looking for my mom and dad. I ran toward the front door but before I could open it my parents walked through the door. I slid to a complete stop so I wouldn’t run into them, their faces were red from the freezing cold weather that stormed right outside that door. My mom and dad said, “We need to talk to you once the boys get here.” 2 seconds after she said those words my brothers came running in the house.
Then, we sat in the living room and the words that came out out my mother’s mouth are words I will never forget. And still even today I will never forget all the tears that welled up in my eyes because my mother sold a part of our family, and that part will never be forgotten. I still love Toby and miss him very much.
THE END

By Brandon Holder
Raging Soccer Ball
“Pass pass” I said as I was sprinting up the field. It was 2:30 and I was in the middle of my third soccer game of the season.
As I marked up for the corner kick I was following number 36 then suddenly he got the ball between his big feet then out of nowhere he blasted the ball at my face. I could hear the crowd gasp and I could smell the incinerator. I could taste the mud on the ball and it felt like I was getting charged by a rhino! I could see the blood dripping on my shirt.
Then I got up about 5 seconds later. We ended up winning anyway because Niko had to take a free kick and “bam,” top right corner, everybody ran screaming.
We won!!!

By Jason
The Day I Almost Died Of Boredom
One torrid and scorching sunny day in Paris, California, I almost died of boredom. I was so sweaty and blazing hot that I could feel drops of sweat rolling down my sultry face. I was so bored that it was like being in an inferno of flaming hot sand in a desert in the middle of nowhere.
This is what I tasted. I was so thirsty and dry that I had to drink my saliva in order to keep my self alive.
That was what I tasted.
This is what I heard. The only thing you could hear is the racket of cars dashing and the angry pit bulls barking. That was what I heard. That was the day I almost died of boredom in Paris, California.

By Marvin Gonzalez
The Inferno that changed our lives forever
One sunny day on August 3, 2007, my family and I were preparing for the greatest trip of our lives … Or, should I say, one of the most memorable and terrifying moments in my life.
August 3, 2007, my family and I were preparing to travel to our homeland El Salvador.
As we entered our vehicle I felt a pint of joy but also a cup of fear. As our car launched out onto the road we noticed the car coughing out smoke and then the car went crazy. Luckily my dad is a good driver so nobody got hurt, but 2 things did our feelings and our car. Then suddenly our car stopped and everyone went flying we quickly got out and stood there glancing and crying.

By Marisa Gingerich
The Best Ride in Florida
In the year of 2nd grade, my family and I went to Orlando, Florida. It was steaming hot outside when I was in there.
Then, one day I went to MGM in Disney World. My grandpa said to go on the “Tower of Terror,” and that would be some of my birthday present because it was really close to my birthday. So I went on the ride. But the rest of my family was too chickened out to go on it.
When I was walking to get on the Tower of Terror I was very shaky and scared. Then I went into the fake elevator. I got in and all I heard was a lot of crying. Then the ride started and then all I heard was screaming.
The ride was going so fast that I could only see brown walls for a couple of seconds, then it turned to light, and that kept happening until the ride was over. But it looked sort of cool.
At the beginning of the ride I was really scared, but when I got off the ride I thought it was really fun, and I wanted to go on it again. But I didn’t get to because I had to go do other things that my family wanted to do.
That was the time I went to Disney World, and got on the “Tower of Terror.” Also the ride that I like the most in Florida!

By Brooke Dubbs
Moreo’s Last Day!
The day before Christmas started out like any other day, but for me tragedy was about to strike.
We were about to back out of our driveway, then all of a sudden, my neighbor came over and said that my cat (Moreo) was laying over there. So I quickly got out to see if that was my cat and it was. I walked over to him and I started to get mournful. I started to weep. My kitty was dead. I trotted into the house just crying my tears out. My mom walked over to him and picked him up and put him in a container and put him in the shed, Jesus took him up to Kitty Heaven. It was a very depressed and a melancholy moment. And, if you really want to know what happened, well, he got hit by an ups truck and the lady or man didn’t even know it. Just tears were falling down my face. It was sad to see him go like that.

By Karim Barsom
There’s Always a First
I’ve dreamed of going on my first roller coaster for 7 years and three years ago it happened. My family and I were going to Hershey Park for the first time. We went on a ton of other rides before coming to the first coaster.
It isn’t what you would call a thriller but it was good enough for me. I got in line that was from here to Timbuktu. We were waiting for an hour. Once we finally got a chance to go on the train of the roller coaster I felt like I was in a 7th heaven.
I got on and couldn’t wait for us to get moving. When we started moving we slowly went up a hill. I could see that the track was exploding with turns and twists. We got to the top of the hill and went rocketing back down. I could feel the wind in my face like a whirlwind. There were 3 sharp turns and at least 5 or 6 ups and downs. Like I said before it isn’t the greatest in the world. I had so much fun though. That was the first time I ever went on a roller coaster.

By Mike Rohrer
My Day at Field of Screams
At Field of Screams we went to the den of darkness. And we saw a bunch of scary people. I told my dad that I’m scared. And it’s so dark in here.
Next we went to the nightmare asylum. And it had light, but dim light. And it was foggy inside the house. “I can’t see anything,” I said. Me too, dad said, then we saw a ghost. Ahh, run, we all said, then we got though the house, it was so scary and dark.
Then came the haunted hayride. It was scary cause this guy came and it was a zombie, it looked so real. Then there was this pig guy cutting a pig. It was scary. Then it smelled like smoke. Then these weird people came. Then it was over. Then we went home. That was my day at Field of Screams. The end.

By Lynaya Beck
The Revenge of the Mummy Moments of Scariness
It was the day when my family — my dad, my mom, my bad brother and me — all traveled to UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. We were forced to by my parents to ride REVENGE OF THE MUMMY.
I screamed at my parents saying, “How in the world can I … scary mummy ride … that’s a roller coaster … not is scary? It’s terrifying in my words!” I tiptoed and actually did the moonwalk.
My dad still forced me to ride the roller coaster.
I was crying about a scary terrifying roller coaster. “It’s a roller coaster,” I cried to my dad but he didn’t believe me. I kept crying but when we got on the ride my family were already in the front seat which was not my part of the plan. I know a scary roller coaster when I see one and this is definitely a scary roller coaster. The ride started, I quickly closed my eyes until for sure I wouldn’t cry even harder. Then I slowly started to open my eyes and I saw wind flow right through me.
Another thing I saw was mummy statues were opening up with flames every where. They were also filled with cobwebs and ants. I thought in my head, they haven’t been cleaned for a while and they must be real dead people. Of course I knew they were plain fake skeleton bones but you can never be too careful. All that they had was bones BONE’S EVERY WHERE! What really scared me was while I was on the ride it started to slowly lean backwards a short clip from the movie.
The movie was short but it was about the roller coaster. Then fake bats spread out. Right before that I could taste the flames like hot chocolate on your tongue after you take a fast sip of it. This was my experience of the scariest roller coaster ever.

By Vakai Henderson
The Best Day Of My Entire Life
The best day of my entire life is when I went on my first rollercoaster. It looked like you would die when you first saw it. It was the scariest ride in the whole wide world.
When you go on this drop you feel like you’re on this skyscraper and then you zoom down the skyscraper.
It sounded like a thousand screams in your ear, wind, while the ride goes faster and faster, then boom!!! Crash!!! It’s all over. And that was the most memorable moment.

By Elijah Kinley
The Best Day of My Life
The best day of my life started out as a normal day of my life. We got up, we ate breakfast, we got dressed. Then we got into the car and drove up to my grandma’s house. After we picked up my grandma we got back on the road.
We stopped to get gas and drinks. I got Gatorade lemon-lime. Then we got back on the road.
When we got to our destination, which is Hershey Park, and when we were parking I could already smell the rides and the food lurking inside the park. Then we got out of the car and jolted to the tickets desk. We handed him our new, smooth tickets and ran inside.
“Wow, this place is a wonder place,” my family professed. “Lets go get our maps of the park.” My grandma protested while we walked to get our maps. I plopped into my cousin Joey. “Hey hand me my glasses.”
“Here you go.”
“Hey I know you, you are my cousin Elijah.”
“Yay.”
“So you want to ride the gas powered cars?”
“Yes.”
Five minutes later and ten minutes waiting in line … vroom, vroom, clank, boom, smack. We hit the car that just broke down. They cleared the car away from the road. We drove to the finish line and stopped. “Do you want to ride the lightning racers?”
“Yes.”
“OK.”
I get to race in the blue car and my cousin is in the red one. We won the race!!!
This is the best day of my life.

Anonymous
Beach Front Avenue
“Oh my gosh!” my mom shouted. I was only one year old when I went to the Bahamas. Luckily my family told me everything that happened and we have plenty of pictures!
We stayed at a gorgeous, beach front hotel called Atlantis! This hotel is perfect. It has the world’s largest marine animal aquarium right when you walk inside! There are angels painted on the gold walls. Also, there is a huge bridge right in the middle of the hotel.
There are huge slides everywhere outside! The one I went on was a huge twisting slide that led into a clear tube through a shark tank. My dad went down one that was a 60 ft. drop that was 85 degrees! There was also a lazy river ride through a shark tank!
The exotic animals were awesome! We got to swim with dolphins and hug and kiss them if we wanted to. I was only a little girl so I screamed and cried!
As you can see, the Bahamas is a great place to go. If you ever go Atlantis is the most exquisite place I’ve ever been! Make sure you bring a hat because it’s hot!

Students in Jim Fahringer’s fourth-grade class at North Hills Elementary School, Central York School District, wrote personal narrative, real-life stories about their most frightening moments.

STOPPED COLD
By Cole Bailey
One night I was in bed watching television when I heard a “kk, kk, kk” sound. Then my bedroom light died like it was shot with buckshot by a hunter. So I jumped out of my bed and grabbed two things, my bat and my flashlight. Then I ran downstairs waving my flashlight around the living room and pulling up the blinds and looking out of the windows but didn’t find anything. So I carefully walked down the basement stairs waved the flashlight around and would’ve sworn I saw someone or something which made me feel like I wasn’t alone. Suddenly I saw a shadow right in front of me. Then at the top of the stairs I saw my parents. You guessed it. I saw that the shadow was my parents and the sound was coming from the trees hitting the house. After all this I ran back upstairs and jumped into my bed with a thump but the “thump” noise was not made by me. What could the “thump” have been?

THE BLOOD MONSTER
By Molly Bruner
If you like dogs you will be amazed by this story of my dog and me when I was three or four years old. It all started outside on a sunny day. I was watching my dad walk my dog, Jake, around the end of my driveway. Wanting to walk my dog, I asked my dad if I could hold the leash. My dad forgot to hold the leash and Jake took off. Still holding the leash, I tripped and fell like a clown tripping over a barrel, and was dragged on the sidewalk by my Golden Retriever dog. Then my mom came out and saw me lying on the sidewalk face down and she took my in the house. My body was bleeding everywhere. Later my dad walked slowly in the door, holding Jake by the leash. My dad and I learned a lesson from this experience and I have a scar on my forehead to remind me.

THE DAY I ALMOST LOST MY FINGER
By Erin Cabry
Have you ever needed a cast? Well, I did. When my mom and dad were cleaning the garage I found my mom’s old purple bike. So I jumped on my mom’s bike and it fell over! When I got up, blood was gushing out of my finger! I ran inside and cried to my mom. Suddenly she grabbed my arm and put me into the car. We were on our way to the emergency room!
Arriving in the emergency room we saw that there were already thirty people waiting! After two hours passed, they finally called my name. When they called my name I screamed in my head instead of out loud! I lay down on the bed and they put a needle in my arm. The needle was as sharp as broken glass on the ground. In the needle was a sleep medicine so I fell fast asleep. Working fast, they sewed my finger up while I was sleeping.
After about an hour, I opened up my eyes for a minute and I looked at my arm. I found a needle in my arm and then I fell a sleep again. Finally, my dad came to pick me up because my mom had to go to work. Waking up in the car, I felt really dizzy. Suddenly my brothers yelled, “Hi, Erin!” I screamed for ten seconds. Then I looked at my finger and I could see three stitches through the top of the cast that the doctors put around my finger. For about thirty minutes I screamed in the car! I stopped to take a breath and suddenly I thought that maybe my dad would buy me a Webkinz but he didn’t. Arriving home and going upstairs to my room, I cried myself to sleep. That was the most scary time in my life … so far.

THE SCREECHING BATS
By Lauryn Carrington
Do you know that bats live in Mexico? Well, when I was in Mexico for my Grandpa’s birthday, my family and I saw these little black things in the air. They were eating all the little bugs in the air like fruit flies, flies,and evil little gnats! They came out because night fell. After dinner, we walked back to our rooms and it was pitch black like a black cat. It would be a light black cat because you could just see the little black bats with the pretty white stars as white as snow. The flying bats really scared us because they made these squeaking little noises. “What was that?” I said to myself. My dad said they’re just bats. We got in our nightgowns brushed our teeth and went to bed.

THE TIME I THOUGHT A ROBBER WAS AT MY HOUSE
By Timothy Completa
Has your blood ever run cold? Yes? Well, that’s funny, mine has too. One night my friend and I finished playing Uno and closed the door. Then we ran to get ready for bed and when we ran down the steps, the front door to my house was open. Very frightened, we ran outside because we thought somebody broke into our house. When my brother came home we asked him if he ran as fast as the fastest runner in the world through the house earlier while we were upstairs. He said no. Who could it be? We may never know. Do you think we will ever find out?

THE BIGGEST BEE YOU WOULD EVER IMAGINE IN YOUR WHOLE LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Gavin Downey
Have you ever been so scared that your blood ran cold? Well, that’s what happened to me one dark night! My cousin, sister and I played “Try to Catch Lightning Bugs,” but it should’ve been really hard but it wasn’t. Mom said that we should use our hands! I tried to catch lightning bugs and then all of a sudden we heard this buzzing sound! All of our blood ran cold! Then we saw a bee! It was huge! We ran so fast that the bee was no match to get us! Everyone ran as fast as a cheetah running as fast as it could in its whole life! Heading for the door, we quickly opened it and then slammed it back. Slamming the door just in time, we stopped the bee from attacking us. The huge bee slammed into the door! It was the scariest thing in my whole life! We all said, “phew”! Very tired, we just passed out like a sloth on the couch!
I would have been stung worse than you think! If you are thinking a bruise, you are wrong, because it would have been a disaster like the biggest bruise ever! If you were me, you would be scared so much that your heart would stop!
After all this, we told our mom and she asked if we were ok. She said, “Phew, I can’t believe you guys are ok!” That is my most scary experience that will ever happen … for now! What’s your most scary experience in your whole lifetime?

NIGHT OF THE UNPARKED CAR
By Isaac Embry
Have you ever been in a car accident? Well, I almost was, and here’s my story.
“Class is dismissed.”
I’m glad school is over. My dad is here to pick me up and I hop in his car, that great, old, gray Chevrolet. The ride to the barbershop felt just like the Storm Runner at Hershey Park. I was playing my DS when the car stopped. We finally arrived at the barbershop. I was still in the car thinking, “Why did Mom have to say I needed a haircut?” When the barber finished my haircut, it wasn’t that bad. I hopped back in the car so I could go home. Once we pulled up in the driveway, I was gathering up my things, when suddenly the car started to move. My blood was as cold as Canada. The car almost backed up into the mailbox, when heroically, my dad jumped in the car and drove it back into the driveway. Now I call that night, “The Night Of The Unparked Car.”

A BIG STORM
By Daniel Escobar
Have you ever been in a big storm? Well, I have been in one. One day there was a big storm. My sister and I were at the park playing basketball. Suddenly out of no where, somebody said to everybody in the park that there is going to be a big storm. Then my sister and I started to put our jackets on when it got so windy that Angelica and I couldn’t put them on. We started running to the house when it stared to rain like a gushing fire hose. It was weird because it was windy, then it started to rain. When we rushed out of the park it stared to hail. The hail looked like those salt balls that people use for melting snow. Angelica was scared, me too. My dad was really scared also, because he didn’t know where we were.
When we arrived home we changed are clothes because they were as wet as a sewer plant. I received bruises from the hail and was soaking wet but I was happy to be safely home. When we finished changing our clothes we looked outside and the whole park was flooded. Even the street was flooded. A car got stuck in the water. It was really scary with the hail hitting my leg and the flooding. My leg hurt a little bit, but I was ok. I didn’t get hurt a lot, nothing more than a pinch. When the storm finally ended I was really glad. I hope I never have another storm like this one.

HURRICANE ELIZABETH
By Kollinn George
What is cold and hot and they chase each other? Well, if you answered a “hurricane,” you are correct. The hurricane came through my backyard and everyone’s yard. It even destroyed some cars and it never hit the back of my cul de sac. When it blew away, we walked outside and saw trees fallen over. Our front tree was still standing and we were happy. We were as lucky as a weak dam holding back a large river of water making sure it does not flood a valley. Hurricane Elizabeth terrified us by blowing and tearing up trees by their roots, but I was thankful that everyone was safe and sound!

THE BLACK ANACONDA
By Hannah Grigg
“Aaaa!” I screamed. When I zoomed down the “Black Anaconda” at Noah’s Ark in Wisconsin. I got really scared. We drove to Wisconsin because my grandparents wanted to see their friends from Florida. I rode on the ride with my two cousins, Sarah and Aaron. The ride zoomed ahead as fast as a cheetah running. Water would splash in my face when we’d zoom down and up the hills. I sat in the front because I was lighter than my cousins. It turned pitch black in some areas. I was scared the most because I was the first person to know when we are going down or up hills. I was so scared that I almost peed in my pants. On one side of the deck where you jumped on the ride three people fit into one raft and on the other side of the deck one or two people fit into one raft. My mom, my sister Abigail, and my cousin, Megan, rode the “Black Anaconda” too. When they hopped off, they said, “We were really scared too!” What was your most frightening time on a ride?

THE HAILSTORM
By Ben Herbert
CLANK! A loud sound had hit the window as I was watching TV with Emma, my sister. “What was that?” I asked Emma. She told me that a hailstorm was supposed to hit York, Pennsylvania which is where I live. So I stepped foot outside to see if Emma was right and sure enough, she was. Hail was falling and tapping on my head, arms, legs, and feet. I walked inside and plopped down on the couch and got right back to watching TV. Ten minutes passed and the hail fell hard, then harder, then so hard that it felt like hail was being fired out of a rifle! So far it was hailing for one hour and fifty minutes and I was resting on the couch right next to the window with a blanket up to my chest watching my favorite show on MTV called Viva La Bam. Emma had left the room to go check on her E-mail.
Then suddenly … CRASH! “Ahahahah!” I screamed. Somehow, my very strong glass in the window had been destroyed by the hail! I put the blanket over my head so glass wouldn’t slice my head open. Glass shattered on the blanket. “Emma, Dad!” I screamed.
Emma walked into the room. “What do you — OH MY GOSH! Dad, Ben is covered in hail and glass!” she yelled. Dad ran into the room. “BEN, GET AWAY FROM THE WINDOW!” I collapsed to the floor and crawled away from the window. My dad ran over to the phone and called the repair man. I just sat there thinking about how lucky I am that my head didn’t get sliced open by the glass. That was the most frightening experience that has ever happened to me.

LYME DISEASE
By Nolan High
My mom stopped in her tracks when she saw it. “Nolan what’s that on your leg?”
“I’ll check, Mom. It’s a tick!!” My mom grabbed me and threw me in the car. My blood turned cold when I saw the word Hospital. We walked into the huge terrifying Hospital. I hesitated for a second, until a doctor brought me into a cold white room. As soon as I saw the huge needle, I ran for the door but the room was so white that the door blended in with the whole room. The needle was in my arm and I was yelling and kicking. I lay in the Hospital bed for an hour and was then released. On the way home in the car I was as silent as a deer. When I arrived home, I climbed into my big warm bed and fell asleep. Being tested and treated for lyme disease in the hospital was my most frightening experience. Three weeks later, I jumped out of bed and I saw a tick on my brother Grant’s leg.

THE SCARY TIME
By Philip Johnson
Have you ever been in a tornado, a hail storm, a big rain storm, or a wind storm? Well, I have. One day at around 1:00 in the afternoon, my mom called and said a storm was coming. Then we all ran into the basement except for my cleaning lady. We watched the news. It said, “Tornado Warning”. The wind blew for a half an hour. Then it hailed for five or ten minutes. It stormed for a while. When it was finished, we walked to the park. The small bathrooms were flipped over and it was very muddy, plus the creek was flooding as fast as a cheetah and was full of branches and leaves and lots of mud. Then it started to rain for a while. I was so scared I flipped over my chair. After all that, my mom arrived home. Then my sister and my brother, Olivia and Matt, plus my mom drove around the neighborhood to see some of the broken down things. They saw where the tornado hit. I always remembered that time and it was very scary!!!

THE CATCH OF THE DAY
By Meghan Kent
What is the most scary time you ever had? Well, if you read my story, you can find out what mine is. So go ahead and read it!
“Jim, grab him!” Shannon yelled to Jim as we all looked over immediately! Olivia and I were sliding off of a rock that we sat on! We all ran over as fast as a rocket to Brogan, my cousin, as he was splashing in the water trying to get up to the surface, with his little body and choking with every breath he took! Jim grabbed him as he got to Shannon’s arms. We all ran over to them and made sure he was ok and sure enough he was ok, not great, but ok! We all got in the car and quickly drove back to the cabin! Jim made the catch of the day! Literally, he did make the life saving catch of the day! When we arrived back at the cabin we gave Brogan his juice and he took his nap.
Brogan almost drowned that day and it was the most scary experience of my life. I really hope nothing like this ever happens again!

A SCARY BEATING I DESERVED
By Elizabeth Koimene
Have you ever been so frightened your blood turned cold red? Well, it happened to me. Everyday this guy would come by in his car and call my niece and me and offer us some candy. I was four and my niece was three. We didn’t know what we were doing but I knew we were very scared. We wanted to show our tough side. You know, like cool kids. Well, cool stuff did not exist in my house so my older brother finds out we were doing this. You should have seen the look on his face! His face was as mad as a snake when someone tries to kill it. The next day my brother beat us and I mean a real beating! We deserved it. We learned our lesson that day. We will never do that again. I will never ever forget that big beating DAY! But I still wonder, is that guy still around?

MY MOST SCARY EXPERIENCE
By Alec Leese
“Beep. Beep … beep … beep!”
“ Ahhhh, turn that sound off!!” That night it was a full moon so I still did my usual brush my teeth, get ready for bed and so on. But this night will be the night that I will always remember to lock the doors. That night I was sound asleep and dreaming. Near one o’clock in the morning I heard, “Beep Beep, Beep, Beep …” Soon my adrenalin started to rush and soon I lost my adrenalin and heard my dad yelling, “GET BACK here!” When I heard that, I thought that we were robbed so I shoved my head under the pillow as fast as a rabbit. I was so scared I started to cry and waited for the sound to stop. When it stopped I asked what happened and my mom and dad said go back to sleep, it was just the alarm. But then I realized it was only my mom and I did not hear my dad until I called my dad and he answered but I was terrified!! That’s why I’m more aware of my surroundings because of that night.
The next night, life was normal and I found out that my brothers slept right through it all. They still did not know that they slept right through it all but we were cracking up over all that. But now the truth is revealed about what really happened. The two sided tape that held the magnetic piece onto the door did not hold and it fell and set off the alarm system. Wow! I sure was glad that it was not a burglar!

THE SCARIEST TIME OF MY LIFE
By Joshua Metzger
BANG!!! It was really a loud BANG!!! It sounded like a door slamming hard. I woke up when I heard thunder but I fell right back to sleep. It was morning time. We sat down and ate breakfast. I ate mine fast. I had told my mom about the door. My mom, my brother and I checked the basement, the back door, all the bedrooms, the Garage and the car? There was a car jumper start kit sitting on our car seat. Certain things were missing like a couple of DVD’s and my brother’s Walkman, We called the police. The police came as fast as racecar. The cop took the car kit with him. And to this very day the police are still trying to collect evidence and find out who robbed our car.

THE HILL OF DEATH
By Taylor Morgenegg
“Ch ch ch.” I heard the noise of moving wheels as the bright tractor lights glowed in the pitch-black sky. Sarah and I were being pulled on a tractor ride at her Halloween party. As we flew around a couple of trees we were ambushed by every person there. They chased us all the way down the deepest, biggest hill. “Ahh! Ahh ahh” and we slammed right into a tree just like George of the Jungle. Some of the people hopped out of the ride to help push it back up the death hill. It was difficult to see in the black sky only lit by the bright light from the moon. The tractor started to run and we rode back to the party and got a snack. From that day on we called it the “Hill of Death.”

I FEEL BAD
By Harini Narayan
“Mom! Can I go on that one?” My sister asked. It looked like a ride she would pick. Fast and nauseating, I thought. We were in Michigan, visiting my dad’s school friends.
“Harini, you come too.”
“No thanks, I’d rather not.”
“But, I insist.”
“No.”
“So, you’re scared?”
“No.”
“Then come.”
“Fine.”
So we walked over and stood in the line, which was short. Pretty soon it was our turn. We both got measured. Unfortunately, I qualified. Yamini, my sister, and I were squashed into one seat. “Buckle up, and hold on for your dear life!” a voice said. The ride started to spin, at first slowly, and then at a fast, horrible pace, like it was spinning for its life. I felt like I could throw up enough to fill the whole amusement park. As if that’s not enough, the seat spun too. The ride was over in about five minutes. I went on it again, just because I felt like it. It was probably the worst ride I’ve been on in my entire life.

THE HAUNTED HOUSES
By Jonathan Nemtuda
What’s the most frightening thing that ever happened to you? Well, my most frightening thing was visiting the haunted houses with my Boy Scout troop. I only walked in two of the three haunted houses and I wish I hadn’t gone in them. Also, the trail leading to the houses was scary too. It felt like my heart was going to pounce right out of my chest. On the trail there was this werewolf and in a blink of an eye he was in front of you. There was a guy with a real chain saw who was so scary I almost peed in my pants. Soon, I came to a little shed that was kind of scary, but not as scary as the trail or haunted houses. Then I walked in slowly … What a relief! — It was the end of the trail. I never want to go there again.

THE MYSTERY OF THE MOTEL
By Makeda Raman
“Knock, knock.”
“Who’s there?”
One day my family and I traveled to New Jersey and tried to find a hotel. After a long time we found one. When we got there we put our pajamas on and watched a little T.V. Then we ran to bed, but my dad couldn’t sleep. During the night when we were sleeping my dad woke up and hid my little brother, my other two brothers, and me under the beds because someone was knocking on our window. I was really scared and started shaking like an earthquake. My dad asked my mom to call the front desk security and I was seriously scared. Once the security approached, the person knocking on our window ran away.
We were so scared that I screamed at the top of my voice that the real police came and hunted that person down. Unfortunately they never found the person that came to our motel. That night we drove back home. We said we would never go back there ever again. Now whenever we vacation in New Jersey we go to different motels. I will NEVER forget that terrible thing that happened that night in New Jersey at room 67 in the motel when the mystery person came to our motel room at 10:30 at night. No one will ever know who the mystery person was and we plan to never remember that person ever again.

“SWOOSH”
By Yazmine Velazquez
Has anyone ever sounded like a ghost to you? Well …
In third grade I sat in my chair and told Mrs. Lind to turn on the heater because I was cold. It was raining and the wind was picking up and moving around all the crisp fall red, yellow, and orange leaves off the wet ground. Suddenly, SWOOSH, I heard a sound. Oops, it was just the heater. One hour later, SWOOSH, I heard that noise again. Was it the heater again? I looked out the window. The noise was just a branch gently brushing against the window in our classroom.
The next day, the weather was fantabulous! It was sunny and bright outside the school. No wind was blowing, and all the branches were picked up off the ground and cut down off the oak trees. But, right when I sat down … SWOOSH, again! That noise! Like yesterday! It was stronger and stranger this time, like a big, giant, and loud wind! That was what the sound, sounded like. But, it was sunny out, and the wind was gone and … there were no, nnnoo, nnnnoooo branches. I started to stutter, a lot. “What was that sssounddd?” I whispered to myself. A BIG question mark popped into my head. Was it a … ghost? I raised my hand to go to the bathroom. When I walked in the bathroom, I thought, and thought, and thought. I walked back to class. I asked Mrs. Lind if anything was sounding strange to her. She said, no. Uh, Oh! I was frightened! Then, while my class had D.E.A.R time, I heard SWOOSH … AHHHHHHH! Again! What is it! But then, I saw Shae whistle and hiss behind Ethan, Madison and Kaleb. So, I found out it was Shae! I told her to stop doing that, and how she scared me. Shae apologized for what she did. I was relieved that it was Shae. No ghost after all. That was a most frightening experience!

THE CAR ACCIDENT
By Brandon Wivagg
“What’s the guy in that car doing? He looks like he’s riding on a cheetah, he’s going so fast.”
“He’s trying to pass the huge truck,” said my mom.
CRASH!!! The car hit our car and the huge truck, leaving the car that hit us spinning in circles. It landed sideways in front of a few cars in back of us. It felt like it was raining car parts because there were pieces of car everywhere. We dashed away from the road after that, but will never forget that frightening day when we almost became seriously injured or even dead .

Students in Jim Fahringer’s fourth-grade class at North Hills Elementary wrote these persuasive paragraphs.

Why You Should Wear a Seat Belt
By Karim Barsom

“Crash! Ahhhhhh! Boom! You get a ticket because you weren’t wearing a seat belt.” Hello, I think you should wear a seat belt because you can get seriously hurt or die if there is a car crash. It is also illegal to not wear a seat belt. Wearing a seat belt can save you and others from getting seriously hurt. It might be tiring to have to put on a seat belt every time you go into a car, but your body feels as good as if you are sleeping and not falling through a windshield when you are wearing a seatbelt! That is why I think you should wear a seat belt!

Good and Bad Drugs
By Hannah Bowders

Please don’t take drugs that are not recommended for you. Why? Because, you can get terribly sick, or worse, die! Would you want to die from taking drugs? I sure do hope not! If you even try it once, you’ll be addicted forever until, you quit! So don’t take drugs. As a matter of fact there are some legal, but bad drugs, like possibly something you smoke, alcoholic beverages, and other things like that. Would you rather be healthy or unhealthy? You would be healthier if you didn’t take bad drugs at all! But, like I said, it’s your decision!

Why We Should Hunt More Deer
By Aidan Bradley

Did you know the most dangerous animal in Pennsylvania is the deer? This is because they run into the middle of a road and create a big accident, which injures a lot of people. Deer breed fast and the population gets bigger and bigger, and that means more accidents and injuries. They also destroy farmer’s crops like fire destroys wood. That is bad, because every crop they eat is one less crop for us. Right now you can hunt four deer per year, but I think it should be five per year. Deer are the most dangerous animal in Pennsylvania and because of this, I think we should hunt more deer.

Why Teachers Should Get Paid More
By Ashley Crowther

Teachers should get paid more. They need to take care of kids for a long time. The only breaks they have are lunch, recess and specials unless it’s a day off. Also they don’t get a lot of money for teaching. Often they stay in cold classrooms. Teachers grade papers, give out papers, correct papers and help people with papers. Another reason is they get up early to go to the school. Also, the teachers help kids when they get sick and take them to the nurse. Teachers help kids get smarter and stronger so they can get a job when they grow up. That’s why teachers deserve to get paid more.

Why Students Should Wear Uniforms
By Jada Dumeng

Why should students have to wear uniforms? Students should wear uniforms because they wouldn’t be too busy picking out clothes and then miss the bus in the morning. Another reason why students should wear uniforms is because bullies wouldn’t make jokes about how the student dresses. Also, it is a safe idea because sometimes the bullies make jokes, and then they start pounding on kids like a wolf jumping on a bear because the bear has taken his fish. Parents would be happy because they wouldn’t have to spend a lot of money for school clothes. This is a great idea because it would be easy to get dressed and students wouldn’t feel bad about what they wear because bullies wouldn’t make jokes about them.

Keep Hunting Animals
By Devon Evanitus

Do you think we should keep hunting? Well, I do. You should keep hunting because if we don’t, there will be too many animals. The animals will keep on multiplying, and there are already too many animals. Our state should extend hunting season so there will be less animals that can cause accidents. If we stopped hunting there would be no deer baloney. It would be easier to drive if there were less animals. It should be a balance between deer and the amount of humans. When we stop hunting there will be a million animals. That’s why we should keep hunting.

Stop Hunting
By Emily Ferree

All you people out there, especially you hunters, should listen to ME! This story will snap your hunting career in half like a twig. Hunting could drive animals to extinction! So let’s say you just killed a female duck. Then you just killed a full generation of ducks! The reason it is a full generation of ducks is that the female duck reproduces and now you stopped that reproduction. If you kill a deer, only kill up to three. Otherwise, the population will dip too low and deer will become extinct! Plus, look at it from the animal’s view. It’s cruel and you probably wouldn’t like it if someone chased you down with a shotgun. Now if you still want to hunt, please read this story again.

Recycling Beyond Bottles and Cans
By Ashley Gallagher

We all know how important it is to recycle bottles and cans to help the environment. But, we all have things we no longer want and we simply throw them away like a dirty tissue. Instead, those things can help other people with a little creativity. Since I was four I’ve been collecting glasses that people have sitting in their cabinets and don’t use any more or glasses that people are about to throw away. Then I give them to people who can fix them and they give them to poor people who can’t afford them. Also my sister, Sydney, and I are forming a group called “Syderella” where we get dresses that people don’t want anymore because they’re out of style. After that we make them in style by putting beads, straps and color to them. Lastly we give them to people who can’t afford dresses. Do you usually throw away your magazines when you finish reading them? Well, instead, you can make them into tote bags. I have one with Miley Cyrus on the front. See how you can help people and help the environment at the same time?

WHY TEACHER’S SHOULD BE PAID MORE
BY VA’KAI HENDERSON

DON’T YOU TEACHERS DISLIKE THE FACT THAT YOU TEACH PEOPLE‘S KIDS BUT YOU DON’T GET PAID THAT MUCH? I THINK TEACHERS SHOULD GET PAID MORE BECAUSE THEY WORK THEIR BUTTS OFF LIKE WORKING OVER TIME AT A ZOO WITH WILD ANIMALS. TEACHERS WORK HARD MAKING SURE KIDS ARE SMART AND HELPING THEM OUT WITH THEIR PROBLEMS. WHEN THE KIDS ARE SCREAMING AND YELLING IT JUST MAKES YOU TEACHERS WANT TO GO BOOOM!!!!! THAT’S WHY I THINK TEACHERS SHOULD GET PAID MORE.

Too Much TV Can Be Bad For You
By Liam Hogue

Do you watch too much TV? Three hours of TV a day is probably too much TV. Watching too much TV is bad for your eyes. When you watch too much TV it’s like you’re asking to get fat. So if you watch Biggest Loser too much you could be on Biggest Loser some day. Also, if you watch TV all day you won’t have many friends. You won’t have many friends because you won’t have any time to play with your friends if you’re watching TV all day. Sometimes if you hear the TV saying “Come watch me!” Just say “No!” That is why I think you shouldn’t watch too much TV.

Why Teachers Should Get Paid More
By Elijah Kinley

Do you think teachers should get paid more? Well, I think teachers should get paid more because if you are out buying things, teachers teach you how to add. Teachers teach you that skill. Plus, when you are a kid you have to learn how to read because when it is time to do a reading test you are going to fail like a baby that was just born. The books get harder and harder all the time for the rest of your life. You also need to know how to read because when you get older and no one is there to help, you need to know how to read. When you grow up and need to look for a job you’ll need to know how to read the application. Also, when you are a kid and you want to grow up to be an electrician you have to go to science class at your school because if you really want to become an electrician you have to learn the right voltage for that type of light bulb or for the refrigerator. This is why teachers should get paid more because teachers teach us all these skills.

Why Drugs Are Bad
By Carter Luckenbaugh

Have you ever thought of taking some kind of drug? Well, do not even think about it. A lot of people think that drugs are cool, so they think, “I’ll just try it once. It won’t hurt.” But then they become addicted to the drug and become mean or act weird. Also, if you play sports you’ll most likely be unfocused or tired. Or, if you have a family that you love and want to spend time with, you can’t, because you’re probably going to be too busy doing a drug or buying some. Something else to think about is do you want to look as sick as a pig? The last fact is do you want to have a healthy future or an unhealthy future? So do not even try drugs ONCE. It’s your choice! Do you want to think you’re cool and possibly die or do you want to act normal, smell good, and live a long healthy life? It’s all up to you.

Stop Smoking!
By Grace Mills

Hello! Do you think people should stop smoking? Well, I think people should stop smoking. Here’s why! You should stop smoking because I know it will hurt your lungs. Smoking is known to cause cancer and can be harmful to pregnant people. If you keep smoking it will be like you’re poisoning your body. Also, it costs a lot of money. It will make your hair and clothes smell badly. Smoking is just as bad as drugs. When there is a lot of smoke in the air, sometimes it is hard to breathe. So if people would stop smoking, people could breathe better, smell better, and they wouldn’t be hurting their lungs. Another thing is if you stop smoking you won’t waste your money on cigarettes. If you do that, you’ll have more money for health bills, clothes, and food, so…. STOP SMOKING. That is why I think you should stop smoking.

Snowboarding
By David Myers

Have you ever seen someone come zipping down a mountain on one big wide ski? You should try snowboarding because it is awesome when you’re flying down the mountain with the wind blowing in your face! Skiing is too easy for me because it takes away the thrill of trying to balance. Also, have you seen any one in the X-Games with skis? Most of the people that do awesome things on snow are snowboarders just like Shawn White. When you’re snow boarding you feel like you’re going as fast as a 300-horse power car. You won’t get a scholarship from snowboarding but it is really fun doing half pipes and getting awards. That’s why people should snowboard. They should feel the thrill of when you’re flying down those mountains.

Why Teachers Should Get More Pay
By Jamyya Murphy

Did you know teachers get little money for staying in school teaching your children? Teachers stay in school for about seven hours teaching your children. When your child is bad in school, who deals with it? Of course, the teachers do. The teachers try to help your children when they are failing. They grade so many papers at night not just on the weekday, but on the weekend too. They work like a dog. At night they’re so tired of grading paper after paper and they just want to go to sleep. So now you know why teachers should get more pay.

Stop Killing The Polar Bears and Seals
By Haley Myers

STOP KILLING THE POLAR BEARS AND SEALS!!!!!!
The chunks of ice that the seals lay on are breaking apart and floating out into the ocean. Then when there’s nowhere for them to go the big whales come up and snatch them right off the blocks of ice. Seals are one of the endangered animals. Polar bears are becoming extinct because the ice is melting and people want their fur. I want this to stop because it is as harsh as killing people. Polar bears and seals are just like people; they eat, sleep and walk just like you. People are trying to save all the seals as possible. Some people even own a shelter for seals. That’s what I want to do to.

Why Teachers Should Get Paid More
By Michael Nwanguma

Teachers are the reason that earth is as good as heaven. So why shouldn’t teachers get paid more. I think teachers should be as rich as kings. They teach the future leaders of the world. Another reason why they should get paid more is because teachers spend most of their day helping kids get smarter and stronger. A third reason why teachers deserve more money is because without teachers, no one would be able to get a good job and the world would be as wild as a horse. Also, teachers work harder than anyone I can think of. Yet another reason why teachers should get paid more is because teachers have to put up with students as loud as elephants and classrooms as cold as the arctic. Finally teachers should get paid more because they have to give and correct tests. I think teachers hate giving grades as low as a trench. That is why I think teachers deserve more money.

Students Should Not Miss Too Much School
By Aarthi Pookot

School is an important part of our everyday lives. It is a great place to learn because specialized teachers who have gone through what we students do, understand what kids are like. Because of knowing this, they can train us in subjects necessary just like dog trainers train dogs. Some students don’t like school because of the homework. This is understandable, but, homework helps you practice skills you’re learning in class. Homework also helps you study for tests. In fact, another dislike for school is tests. Students get worried that they won’t do well and skip school. No one wants to get bad grades but there are some remedies for doing well on tests. For example, if you eat well, sleep well, attend school regularly, and study, you will succeed. One important rule I almost forgot, RELAX! Making friends is another great skill. Its an important skill because if you learn to get along with others now, in you’re job you’ll have no problem working with other people. School is a great place to learn this skill because there are so many kids around. After all of this “talky talky” let me get to the point: If you miss school, you miss knowledge. If you missed a lot of school, I can tell you’re going to be sorry you missed school when you’re grown up. All I’m trying to say is: Be smart and GO TO SCHOOL!

Why High School Should Have Recess
By Bryan Stanley

Did you know all high schools don’t have recess? I think all high schools should have recess because their lunches are big. Also, teachers give too much homework so when students get home they can’t exercise because of all the homework. Also, if high school students exercised, they would be more focused at school. No exercise and big lunches are like a chocolate bar for dinner. Did you know over 15% of the students in PA are over weight? I believe it is very important for high school students to exercise at recess everyday.

Why Students Should Be Allowed To Chew Gum
By Tara Stevens

Did you know that chewing gum is good for you? We should be allowed to chew gum in school. Research shows that gum increases alertness, focus and concentration. Gum, especially sugar free gum, improves your oral health. It cleans food particles off your teeth after meals. At our age we are responsible enough to chew gum in class. There won’t be any sticking it to the bottom of the desk or in people’s hair because we wouldn’t want to get in big trouble. If we had gum, everyone would be as good as A+ students.

Why You Should Own a Dog
By Max Gotwals

Did you know that dogs have been man’s best friends for millions of years? There are many important reasons why you should own a dog. They are always there for you. All dogs greet you and they play with you. Dogs are good at snuggling. When you are met at the door by your dog, they will jump up on you and lick you because they love you and missed you.

Most dogs are helpful. They do work for you and guard you. Sometimes, they pull things for you. Dogs love to be with you and please you.

The police and army have recruited dogs as attack dogs just like their ancestors. Dogs are very valuable to our police and army. Sometimes dogs risk their own life for the police and the army. They actually save people’s lives and policemen’s and soldier’s lives.

Getting a dog to come home with you is like saving the whole world. It will give you much fun and pleasure. You will always be able to talk to your dog and tell it your deepest darkest secrets.