Our last group of writers has arrived!

Remember to read all of the selections for this month --   comments are for this latest group only (no earlier months/submissions, or last year's submissions)

Remember:
All Students:  Be sure to read the entries for this group  (May.  Everyone is required to comment on at least three different pieces of writing.  You must post the comment here on the blog (below the post is the "comments" link to click) AND cut and paste your comments, complete with dates and times, on to a Word document and turn it in to me by May 11.  You must do both to get credit for comments this month.  Comment moderation will be on, so plan ahead.

Remember, comments must be positive, supportive, constructive, and SPECIFIC.  No "Good Job!" comments, unless you follow that with specific things you thought were done well in the piece.  Show them you actually took the time to read and enjoy their work!

"500 (More Like 4) Years of Fame" by Cody T

     Four years fly by fast when you're having fun. I remember how I thought it was
impossible to march in time and play an instrument at the same time when I was a freshman.
Speaking of freshman year, I met some of the best group of people that year. I played alto
saxophone, so I was a part of the alto sax section of course. We were always on top of things and
got all of our work done. But best of all, we were a family. Many of my good friends that I met
in middle school, including my best friend Stephany, were in the section and there were so many
amazing upperclassmen to look up to. Two of them in particular were some of my biggest
inspirations: my section leader named Andy and a senior, who was junior staff coordinator at the
time, named Araybia. They inspired me to go for junior staff coordinator and even alto sax
section leader. They taught me so much my freshman year and and welcomed me with such open
arms. I'm truly grateful to have been under their direction.
     My sophomore year, I ended up switching to tuba, which was a completely different
instrument from alto sax. So much for going for alto sax section leader. I joined the tubas
alongside Santi, Emon, and Manuel, who had already marched tuba the previous year.
Unfortunately, Emon had to go to the front ensemble due to complications so it was just the three
of us as sophomores. Marching tuba was much more demanding than marching alto sax. The
pain in my left shoulder was unbearable and I would often lose hours of sleep because of the
soreness. But I could not have been more happy with switching sections, oddly enough. The
tubas were another group of people that I called a family, and similar to the alto saxes, we were
always on top of things no matter how difficult the music or drill.
     Junior year kind of just happened. Everything went well, but no new major changes
occurred. But senior year was where plenty of change happened. I went for junior staff
coordinator and I ended up as coordinator and tuba section leader. Mr. Hackworth, our director at
the time, left and a new director named Mrs. Marin came in to fill the void. It was weird after
Hackworth left since he's been my music teacher for the past three years, but Marin has shown
she is just as capable during her first year with Etiwanda. There were a lot of changes this year,
but it went surprisingly well under a new director. We ended up getting third place at champs,
which was a major improvement from the twelfth place we got my freshman year.
     These past four years have been filled with joy, stress, tears, and sweat. Lots and lots of
sweat. And tears. But the experiences I've been through and the friends I've made are my fondest
memories. Music isn't just going "toot toot" and "bang bang" on some instruments. It's a way for
me to express myself and leave behind the overbearing stress of school. It isn't just marching
band to me. It's my life. The alto saxes and tubas aren't just my sections. They're my family. It's
been a blessing to have been able to march these past four years. Practices were hell, but the
feeling of performing made it worth all of the pain. They say that you'll know what it feels like to
truly be in a marching band once you step off the field after champs. They never said anything
about what it's like when you step off for the last time. It was one of the most agonizing feelings
ever, like walking away from a passionate relationship. But hey, at least it was in tempo.

"Scapegoat" by Manuel P

     I am going to get executed in a few days; the jury has finally decided that I would get
shot by a fire squad by the end of the week. Who knew that I would get to this point in my life; I
am in utter disbelief that someone as innocent as myself, or at least I believe myself to be
innocent, would be executed for the actions committed by another individual. I was enraged by
the fact of his betrayal and how he could put the blame on me without hesitation. I ask myself
the same questions sometimes- Was it really worth it? Does this individual hold any significance
in my life? I have been stuck in solitary confinement for quite some time now, where isolation
has become common practice, and my only friend seems to be myself. Nobody from my family
or any of my comrades have stopped by to visit me, which shows how their perception of a
criminal can get to their heads, whether they view me as a hostile person or just a
disappointment. As I continued to go through the motions of my final week here, all I could think
about was the period of time where I first met this person to the time I was first imprisoned. I
could relive the moments of the unintentional manslaughter where I was caught in the act at the
wrong time and place. During the moment where I got caught, I knew that against all odds, that
everybody would view me as guilty. I was driven to madness as the constant sequence of
events would run through my mind everyday. It is crazy to believe that this individual was
considered to be a close friend of mine in the past or how everybody did not seem to care that I
was in prison; however, deep down in my heart, I still viewed this person as a friend, despite the
pain of betrayal outweighing my emotions. Life in prison has progressively numbed my emotions
until the actual day of the execution. As I woke up, I realized that I was going to die today. This
reality check revived what was left of my mental integrity. Just as any normal day at the prison, I
went through the daily routine until I was called up to the field where I would get executed. As I
walked, I could see my family and friends attending the execution and I could not help but cry at
the fact that I would not be able to see them again. I eventually bid farewell to my family and
friends but was shocked to find that the individual who I took the blame for was not in
attendance at my execution. Even though his absence was disheartening, it made me realize
that he was ashamed to show his face to me despite all of the things I have done for him. At this
point, I figured that it was pointless to think that he would show up as I walked away from the
crowd to death row. I could visualize all of the memories in my life after they forced me onto my
knees and placed a bag over my head. As my life flashed before my eyes, I realized that
throughout most of my life, I have gone through various positive memories that outnumber the
negatives; I found the courage to forgive him for what he did to me. After All, closure is not met
without forgiveness. . . As the countdown began, I could not help but smile at the fact that I was
able to share memories with this person and the others who gave my life meaning.

"Love" by Alexa S

We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the
illusion for the moment that we're not alone.
                               - Orson Welles

“Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can
accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.”
                             - Vincent Van Gogh


Love: an intense feeling of deep affection. Intense is one way to define this emotion whereas it
seems to me to be indefinable . Love is a strength but can be seen as a weakness when
exposing how vulnerable you both are to each other allowing them to easily have a chance to
bring you down. Love doesn’t exist to some people, others seem to feel that it drives the world
to keep its sanity, or is a horrible phenomenon of lies. The way love is defined for someone is by
their past in the relating to it and has an immense influence on whether they are in either of the
groups. Love should be defined on your own personal relationships and be what is your own
belief. Love can hurt, help, or support but is never limited to doing just some of those actions.
Love can cause chaos and start wars as it can very much end them to create peace. Love can
be the basis of decisions and the lack thereof. I could go on and on for love is in everything.
From the prehistoric foundation of religion to the modern day passion in the eyes of my peers
expressing what their true interests are. A noun or a verb ? “What is love- baby don't hurt me no
more.” The realization of where would most of the songs that emit from your headphones be if
love didn't impact the artist in the way the song came to be. Love is a very powerful force in our
universe that is very underestimated. Love to me, starts off in this biologically occurrence where
you see that adorable person from your last period talking casually about how that particular
class sucks but in reality your brain is sending out dopamine like a broken fire hydrant . The
neurotransmitters norepinephrine and phenylethylamine that cause you to focus on how mind
boggling that no one sees how perfect they are.The fact that you can't stop thinking about this
person is from plummeting amounts of serotonin. The newfound sense of euphoria that trails
along with seeing that person everyday is from the constant increase of dopamine. The hurtful
part is when the levels of phenylethylamine drop after the relationship ends giving symptoms of
depression in which is where love is believed to be only the sad parts rather look at the whole
experience. Even if it didn't last, it's to be learned from. To love and to be loved back is an
experience like no other from I have seen from all aspects except my own. I have yet to fully
understand this and know my views of love will change in due time when it's no longer scientific.
Love is definable in all ways of life and could be found wherever you go.
Find your own definition of love and don't be disappointed to not find it so quickly.
Love is.. (for feedback please finish this sentence)

"Voices in My Head" by Isaiah C

     “Why don’t you listen to me? You idiot! You’ve gone and done it again! You will never get this chance again!” There it is again. The voice in my head screams as I silently watch her walk away for the 8th time in a row. “Wow. A forty six percent. Those colleges will laugh at you then throw your application in the trash with all the other imbeciles.” My math grade has dropped to a seventy percent as I try to hang on to this C- until graduation. “You look like a fool. Ugly. Stupid. Don’t wear that, you look too skinny. Or that, it's too flashy. You know what, you might as well wear a clown costume to school you dunce”. Every day when I try to get dressed, he tells me I’m no good.  Ever since my dream school denied my application, I've been doubting myself. Sometimes he’s quiet. Sometimes he’s mean. Other times, he is really mean. I found out that the only way to get rid of him is to be confident. So I went to the gym, gained ten pounds and got a new haircut. I went to the store and spent massive amounts of money on new clothes. I got an eighty five percent on the latest math quiz. And I finally talked to her last week.

 Lately, he’s been silent. I guess he’s got nothing left to say now that I got my life together. And for the first time in weeks, I truly feel happy. Then I decided to push my luck. It ended up being the worst decision of my life. On tuesday, I caught up to her after school. “Hey, what’s up. I just wanted to know if  you wanted to hang out this summer.” “I don’t want this to be weird, but I thought we were just friends. I never really saw you like that.” “Oh, no, it’s fine” I whispered as I walked away in shame. “Nice one Romeo, you were real smooth with that execution.” Uh-oh. He’s back. I ignored him and tried to get focused for my math test next period. “The answer is C. No, not A. And that’s not A either. You can’t have three A’s in a row you fool.” Before I know it, the bell rings and I leave school unsure of my results. I checked my school loop. My grade has dropped to a sixty seven. And right after that, I receive an email from my back - up college. “We are sorry to inform you that your application has been repealed due to your current grades. You may send an appeal to our head of admissions.” “I don’t know how you got rejected by a community college. You are truly special.” Shut up. “You're a failure, you know.” SHUT UP! “I don’t know why your parents put up with you.” SHUT UP!!! “You’re worthless, you piece of tra...” BANG!

"Untitled" by Ruben R

      The day I truly realized life is too short was on a cold Saturday morning. I was on my
way to the Glendale hospital along with my dad who had told me that my uncle had a stroke and
that he was in critical condition. The ride there was completely silent all the way through until
we were parked, when my dad told me that I had to stay strong and hold back any tears no matter
how bad my uncle’s condition was. Hospitals are a dreadful place that make me feel empty and
sorrowful inside being surrounded by the sick and the weary, a place for families to grieve or
worry for their loved ones. The pit in my stomach as soon as I walked in the cold building sent a
shiver down my spine that told me it was going to be a rough day. The head nurse that led us to
my uncle’s room had no expression, no remorse, and definitely no comfort on her blank face.
     My aunt as well as my grandparents were the first faces I had seen in that entire hospital
that weren’t completely pale, but soon after I recognized their swollen eyes that were deprived of
sleep and tired of consistent crying. They forced a smile and we exchanged hugs but I couldn’t
get a single word out, all I could think about was how bad my uncle was. When they led us
inside it left a mark on me and will forever remain for the rest of my life. I stood there looking at
him, a man who once stood tall and strong, now lying feeble and numb. His right side from head
to toe was completely paralyzed and swollen, yet when he saw his brother and his nephew the
side of his face that could function managed to shine a big smile. His words were barely
understandable and in that instant I felt the urge to cry. It felt so wrong for any human to sound
so distorted and in pain. Tears started to swell in his own eyes as he began to beg my dad to
“take care of mom and pop when I’m gone” as he repeated it until his words were inaudible. He
then turned to me and told me to live my life in a way in which I will find true happiness and that
that was the best way to live. My family and I tried to comfort him telling him that he was
strong and would make it through this and that he would have a long time to live through the rest
of his life. After that the rest of the day was calm but still had it’s share of tears and us staying
there by his side talking to him and comforting him.
     When it was time to leave later that day the ride home was as silent as the ride to the
hospital, except in my mind my thoughts were racing and I eventually came to a point of
enlightenment. I realized life really is too short, and can come to an end at any moment. That it’s
best for us to spend it in whatever way in which we will find true happiness. Life is too short to
worry about little things such as temporary relationships with temporary, toxic people and
instead should be focused on spending it with our loved ones. Life is too short for us to reflect on
the past. We’re better off looking toward the future and what it will bring us.

"Old-Timey Hero Story" by Nathan S

     If we were to go back and look, a long long time ago in a place far far away from here.
Across the ocean and over normal woods where no one else cared to travel, we would find an
almost mighty, kinda-sorta-sometimes powerful knight. This knight devoted his life to finding
secondhand magic items and trading them to ordinary people, to whom nothing interesting ever
happened. Where we see him now he is coming back from a quest where he found a scroll to
raise the dead. As he was wondering why nobody else ever kept it he realized that all he could
do with it was levitate dead corpses. This fit perfectly in his collection. With him he kept a mighty
magic sword that could cut through any cloth, and in his belt he carried a hammer that could
break through any piece of glass. Around his neck he wore an amulet that allows him to read his
own thoughts super clearly, and on his finger he wore a ring that would teleport anywhere he
wanted it to go. The rest of his collection he kept on a horse named Steve that was enchanted
to never die. This sounds useful, except the horse was enchanted when it was already old and
feeble, so it can hardly move and needs a lot of rest. This is ok because our knight likes Steve
and even taught him to do tricks.
     Our knight cannot go on adventures with the other knights. The sorcerers he meets just
laugh at him. No one with any money will buy his items; He just gives them away to those
without money, so at least they can have some magic. “ Why don't you find some real magic?”
The other nights jeer at him. Our knight insists that he does have real magic, just as powerful as
any of their magic questing swords. “How does a magic sword cut through cloth any different
than a normal sword?” the mages constantly question him. “Duh.” replies the night. “It does it
magically.” And they refuse to hear him but then our knight tries to explain.
     “My magic isn't the most powerful or impressive” he admits “but a little magic is much
more helpful than no magic at all” the knight contentedly concludes. None of the other knights
can ever understand as most spend their entire lives searching and fighting for powers that they
will probably never find. They cannot understand our knight, so our knight simply travels around
looking for ordinary people, helping them find some magic. They are always grateful to have it,
and our knight is happy with the magic that he already has.
     We always hear stories about the great heros, that are smarter or stronger or luckier
than everybody else. Why are there no stories about the heroes that are just kind of adequate?
They don't need great inspiring messages, just useful reminders that everyone sometimes
forgets. Not everybody can be the greatest and the strongest, but if you spend your whole lives
trying to become your heroes you will never appreciate how great you already are.

"01-05-2015" by Gavin M.

Monday-January 5th, 2015

Back to School. My schedule didn’t change a lot. I only have a different teacher for math now. But some other people got switched into most of my classes. It wasn’t really a big deal until 4th period. The bell rang and I started taking out my notebook. This girl walked in late and when i saw her I felt… weird. I think I’m gonna try to talk to her.

Friday- February 6th, 2015

I still haven’t talked to her. She seems pretty chill but I don’t know what to ask her, I mean we don’t really know the same people since she’s a senior and I’m a sophomore. I looked through last year’s yearbook. She’s in soccer, that's pretty cool. I could ask her about that but that's kind of weird, I don’t even really like sports.

Thursday- March 12th, 2015

I finally talked to her after class but it wasn’t really anything personal. I asked her if she had a job. She misheard and thought I asked if she had some gum. She said yeah and she gave me a piece. It was awkward but I took it and asked again. She said she worked at the taco bell down the street from school. I asked her if they were hiring and if she could give me some tips for job hunting. She said that the manager is coming in on tuesday and that I should stop by because he gives interviews on the spot. Hopefully I get the job.

Tuesday- March 17th, 2015

I went to Taco Bell. I saw her working. I was really bad talking to the manager. Needless to say I didn’t get an interview.

Wednesday- April 1st, 2015

Today in my 4th period I ran up to answer a question on the board, no one else knew the answer and I thought I did. On the way to the board I kinda tripped on a wire. A lot of people laughed including the girl. I ended up getting the answer wrong too. I didn’t feel embarrassed, I got to hear her laugh. She has a nice smile, too. 

Wednesday- April 29th, 2015

The girl and I started a habit of waiting for each other after class and walking together to lunch. We talk everyday. I don’t think I’ve been this happy before. I’ve even started working out. I wanna tell her I like her but I don’t wanna ruin what we’ve got going. I have to tell her soon though, She’s gonna graduate in less than a month.

Tuesday- May 26th, 2015

She graduated and I didn’t tell her. I tried going to visit her at work since I was going to get a book from a bookstore near there. I walked for six hours and right when I was about to walk from the bookstore to her job my mom came to pick me up. I was pretty angry but mostly sad. I gave her my number and she still hasn’t text me.

Monday- June 1st, 2015

I was on Snapchat today and I saw her on this guy’s snap. I was surprised that she knew him. I guess they were smoking last night or something and she ended up spending the night at his house. He posted a picture of her sleeping. I kept looking at it. Her new nose ring looks cool.

Thursday- July 30th, 2015

I start school next week. I haven’t even started my summer reading for school. These last few months have been too depressing. I need to get over her.

 Thursday- July 21st, 2016

I was smoking with my cousin today. The smoke still hurts my throat and the high makes me feel stupid. I’m gonna try to stop smoking again.

Friday- July 22nd, 2016

I found her twitter the other day. I requested to follow her and she just accepted it today. I tried messaging her but she hasn’t replied yet.

Tuesday- September 6th, 2016

My friend tried acid the other day. He told me it was pretty cool. It sounds interesting I might look into it.

Saturday- September 10th, 2016

I messaged the girl today. I asked her if she knew anyone who sold tabs. She gave me her kik and she told me she knew a guy in Norco. I asked her how it was for her. She told me that it was “Fun Times”

Sunday- October 2nd, 2016

I don’t think she really cared for me. She won’t even talk to me about anything. Is it because I’m not “cool”- because I don’t go out to parties or drink or do acid? She pushed me to better myself and now I feel like the thought of her is just holding me back. I didn’t think it was possible to hate someone who meant the world to me THIS much.

Sunday- January 5, 2017

Tomorrow I go back to school. I need to do better this semester. I gotta finish High school strong.

I stopped smoking. I realised that it's really messing me up in school and I can’t afford ruining what I have going for myself. The girl deleted all of her social media so it helps keep me from thinking of her. I hope she’s doing ok.

"Simultaneously" by Sabria J

            I always had a deep rooted fascination with the idea that two different things can act together simultaneously. It invariably means that nothing, no situation, person, object, or natural occurrence, will ever be the same. From identical twins to toys being consecutively made in a factory, none will ever be the same, because something unique happened in that specific moment of conception that will never be synonymous to the rest. As much as we all attempt to grasp the norm, each and every single one of us will continue to be incomparable. It is strange indeed, and through the suspicious, detrimental occurrences I find beauty in that; your own character and everything that transpires within your life is created by just…living. Your existence is a minute detail that greatly contributes to the beauty that lies within planet Earth and beyond.   

We are all born as books, with no title and blank pages, but the moment we begin to actually live, is when we create a story, a unique one. We are a continuation of seemingly unstoppable highs and dire lows, and it will never cease because as long as our hearts are beating, something or someone is simultaneously contributing to your next second, minute, hour, day, week, or year in your life. The catch, however, is that you simply do not know who that person is or what that “thing” may be, making the essence of time your enemy, and as contradicting as it may appear, the only thing that will ever be constant within our lives is change.

Weird, isn’t it?

            As an optimist, I always questioned why is it that nature’s uncontrollable situations occur against us at times? Why can’t everything constantly work in our favor?

I guess the only answer that I can attempt to cohesively convey is that it just does, it simply does. 

Like the yin and yang, we cannot grasp light, until we have witnessed darkness, and darkness shall continue to exist as long as we have light. The polarizing concepts continually rely on each other, an inevitable, yet contrasting match.

“Everything happens for a reason” holds extremely true to this idea. You may not realize it yet, but you will soon. Just remember that “reason” is being created, right now, simultaneously as you read this.