Summer

by Nuriel Rozenberg

Another day, another week, another month, another year. The school year is almost over and you know what that means summer! Oh, do I love staying up until 4 am and it not be a consequence because I have nowhere to be the next morning. It feels great to sit there at abnormal hours of the morning binge watching your favorite shows and being able to watch the next episode, especially when left on a cliff hanger. Of course, you can't stay up that late and not have a midnight snack, it really makes all the difference in staying up. I do love staying up with friends really late at night, sitting under the stars, and roasting marshmallows. Nothing says summer like a good s'more. There is really something peaceful about being awake that late at night and not hearing cars or your neighbors. No school means no stress which makes everything better.
Going to the beach is pretty great too. Hearing the waves crash onto the shore as the sun beats down on you. It's pretty amazing. You come back all tan and pretty, even though there is sand in places sand should never be. Summer is when everyone takes trips, too. Everyone travels and goes to all these cool places. For example, this summer I am going to Israel for almost 6 weeks by myself. I'm very excited for the adventure and to go out. Life is different there, it is more lively. I get to try new foods and tour the country, which will be very fun.
This year went by pretty quick. I mostly enjoyed it and I have memories from this year that I will probably never forget. Although I'm sad to be leaving my friends, I know that we will talk almost every day and see each other all the time once school starts again next

Meeting Sarah J. Maas | By: Kristine Le

my signed book

Two weekends ago, my best friend and I traveled five hours to Rochester, New York to attend Teen Book Fest. At the festival, I got to meet one of my all time favorite authors, Sarah J Maas. Looking back on it now, the moment felt so surreal. Ever since I was in eighth grade and I first met my best friend, we have been talking about one day meeting her and now it was finally happening. At the opening panel, all the authors attending the festival were introduced and I just sat there staring at Sarah not believing what my eyes were showing me. In the back of my mind I was thinking, “Oh my god, this is real. This is actually happening. It’s Sarah J Maas sitting in that chair.” Being the fangirl that I am, I had watched all of her interviews I could find on YouTube but, none of that helped to kept my excitement levels at bay. During the first fan session we attended that day, it was a simple Q&A with Sarah as well as another author Reneé Ahdieh (also an author that I really love). As a I sat there listening to them answer the questions, I found that I knew most of the answers myself but hearing Sarah talk and to witness her down to earth and very real personality was so special to me. Later on during the day there was a sessions set aside specifically for book signings. I had been preparing myself for this moment for the past week and had pre-packed a backpack filled with three of my favorite books by Sarah. After waiting for a total of three hours, it was finally my turn to get my book signed. I walked up to the table and handed her my book with the dumbest smile on my face. I had no idea what to say to her so I simply asked her how her day was as she began to sign my book. In my head, I was thinking, “Really? That’s all you’re going to say?” but I could not find it in me to try and start a conversation. She was so sweet and kept up the conversation for me. The signings had to be quick and brief, so I was only able to get a single book signed and could not get a picture. When the signing was done, I left the room feeling so accomplished and something checked off my bucket list.

Side Story: I wanted to include this in my blogpost but couldn’t find a way to squeeze it in so enjoy a little something extra.

As my friend and I were making our way to our first fan session for the day we were stopped by a stranger and asked to take a selfie with them. Not knowing what to do, my friend and I simply posed for the picture and after, the strange says to us,” You have no idea who I am do you?” to what my friend openly responds with, “ Nope, but have a nice day.” That “so-called” stranger turned out to be a guest author for the festival… oops.

. kasey senatore

this skin is not my own
it is a
fantasy, it is
an illusion, it is
it is a shield that i wear on my soul
this skin is not my own
when i fall asleep at night i don’t feel it
when i dream i don’t know my skin
therefore i am not my skin
have you ever felt that way?
it isn’t me, it is
I t   is
it  i   s
it    is
I?

we are all born Free*

      *but there is an asterisk
we are
restrained by our bodies
by the timers on our lives
by every saying about how short we have til we die
it restrains me
i am stuck in my skin
i cannot know everyone
i cannot know everything
i cannot be everyone and see everything
this skin is not my own

i want to break out of it i want to spread my consciousness across the world i want to be on the peak of the himalayas i want to be at the bottom of the grand canyon i want to be in tokyo’s modern streets and at the same time i want to be here in Sparta, New Jersey where i am.

it isn’t me
my flesh and bone, the cartilage in my ears,
the fat on my belly, the organs it protects,
it is my
mind, my mind is me,
my brain,
the fleshy folds of my unconscious  consciousness,
i am in my skeleton,
i am the nerves that run through this body,
i am the thought in every step,
i am me, but i am not my skin, i am not .

sleep deprivation and 3am philosophy -- Kasey Senatore

TED Talks by Cameron Riley

     I have recently been watching TED Talks for a Journey Journal in English. These talks are about 18 minutes long and can be about almost anything. Topics such as the Zika virus, school and poverty are three of the many topics that have been discussed at TED Talks. During school, teachers such as Mrs. Kopp and others have shown TED Talks in a wide range of classes. I discovered TED Talks in middle school, some being very simple such as "How to find a wonderful idea" and "A tribute to nurses". Others being about very difficult and harsh topics such as "Behind the lies of Holocaust Denial" and "How racism makes us sick". When I first heard in our English class that one of our independent work assignments was to make a journal, I wasn't very excited. Mrs. Kopp left some examples for the class to choose from if needed. The first option was to watch TED Talks and record what I liked, didn't like and what could be taken away from each speaker. I became excited to learn that I could watch these talks and discuss them in a paragraph to summarize what I enjoyed and what I learned from each talk.
     While working on this assignment I have watched and enjoyed multiple TED Talks, each one being interesting and able to grab my attention in many different ways. One of my favorites called "Poverty isn't a lack of character; it's a lack of cash" by a historian named Rutger Bregman. His talk discussed Poverty and the one scientifically proven way that it could be avoided. Before the video started, I was very questionable about watching this talk. Poverty is a very tough topic to talk about and may not be a suitable topic to bring up in certain places. But the outcome of watching this video was terrific. I learned about a study in Canada which ended poverty in their town by giving people more money. It doesn't seem very exciting or cool but these kinds of talks and discussions really interest me and have made me enjoy this unit in our class more than any other.
     I highly recommend watching these TED Talks. You may learn something new or be interested to watch a video on a familiar topic. Whatever you chose, you won't be disappointed.
     

Time by Melissa La Fountain

“What if the clocks get so large,

That they cascade over every thought?” she asks.

Could we use the tattered string

In the craft room drawer

To pull the hands back a few hours

So that we could enjoy the time

Rather than dwelling on it?

We’ll pluck each clover from the ground

Four leafed or three

Just because they are nice

Not because we need luck

We will use the wind to

Let our hair fly back

Setting loose whispers of

“I’ve never felt so free,

Just watching time go by.”

We’ll write our names on the trees

What if time never stops?

We’ll keep moving with it

Taking every bend and turn

Going with the flow

Riding with it

My friends like to think about time

By measuring how little may be left

We live in a ticking place, but treat it as if

The clock has been broken for years

I tell them to take off their watches

To pick some clovers

To let the wind play with their hair

As it does with mine

I give them a pen

To write their names on the trees

“What if the time is up soon?” they worry

Then it will all be over

And you will have spent so much time

Watching for the end

That you have forgotten

To appreciate the beginning

Reflection by Sylvia Kloian

This is a poem that I wrote that follows Shakespeare's iambic pentameter.

I have a friend who does not like mirrors.
A curious thing, as that's where she lives
And though her reflection couldn't be clearer
She still doesn't see all the light that she gives.

But I think you're beautiful. Is that not
Enough? Can you not see you already
have all of the attributes that you sought?
So no need to keep yearning, stay steady.

Your eyes, brighter than any happy thought,
with a passion that's not easily found
You have strong armor that cannot be bought
And your words have meaning that will resound.

You have worth, use, you stand tall with pride
That's what one sees looking from the outside. 

"Fire" by Lomaani Ranasinghe

In your eyes there was fire

burning bright it was

I remember looking the first time

upon first glance it was a galaxy of stars

it wasn't long until it belonged to my universe

In your eyes there was fire

a fire that had grown each and every time i looked into them

a fire that i believed would never die

In your eyes there was fire

but one day

it just wasn't of the same kind

it had died down

in the dimmed darkness

i only saw loneliness and loss

in the faded darkness all i could see

was a reflection

of none other than

myself

In your eyes there is no fire

and no matter how hard i try

there's nothing i recognize

what was once a galaxy of stars has evanesced

leaving me blindly searching for a fire

i wish i hadn't burn out