“What It Really Means When You Say, ‘You’re So Pretty’” by Kelly Shepherd

I believe that women deserve to be treated equally to men and shouldn’t be held back by the unspoken “rules” of society. I recognize this because unknowingly, I am judging the girls around me in a way that I am truly ashamed of. I look around me and I see every single girl in this school trying to find her place, whether it is that she wants to be noticed or she wants to be in the background. Both are completely fine, and these girls that I pass in the halls every day are going through things very similar to what I am going through. They should be able to express themselves and figure out who they are without the opinions of those who aren’t entitled to ones affecting the way that they act, dress, or carry themselves. Every girl that I see has a different style and a different way that they carry themselves. While these things may seem completely opposite at times, we are all affected by the media. Every day we hear, “You need to be skinny, but still curvy. Tall but not too tall”, so every single day we look in the mirror and we compare ourselves to the celebrities that we see in the movies, on TV, or on the stage and we look at the body types that are the opposite of our own. What I see around me are girls that change themselves so that they will appear attractive, sexy, or even smart to people that do NOT matter. Our whole lives we grew up hearing “oh you’re so pretty”, which is a kind thing to say; however, this statement causes us girls to think about what makes us cute or pretty rather than things that are more important, like our intelligence.

Women’s bodies are sexualized and we are brought up thinking that we cannot show our skin because it might be taken the wrong way. At school, where we are supposed to be learning how to be accepting and treat others in a way that we want to be treated, there is a dress code that says you cannot show your shoulders. This is only true for women though, I look around and I see guys in muscle shirts, showing their shoulders. Why is it that when a girl shows her shoulders, it might be distracting to our male classmates? These guys that we grow up with only hear that women’s bodies are a distraction and it is our fault for deciding to show our skin. This belief that guys have that the way that we dress makes them irresponsible for their own actions is similar to the reasoning that some rapists have that the girl was “asking for it” because of the outfit that they wore. I am not saying that this is a direct cause and effect relationship because not every guy is a rapist; however, I am stating that men should be held just as accountable for their actions as women are.

Young women grow up seeing unrealistic ideas of beauty everywhere that they look. We try to stay positive and think, “We are perfect just the way we are”, however it is extremely difficult because all over the tabloids and the internet, we see headlines like “How to Lose That Belly Fat” and “Are you Beach Body Ready?”. Society is contradicting itself when they say love yourself then have headlines like this. At the end of the day, women need to be able to express themselves in a way that makes them happy, no matter how society sees them. I believe that if society lets up on the extreme body images portrayed and stops airbrushing models in the magazines, women will be able to feel comfortable in their own skin again.

"The Spoon" by C.T. Ruth

Joy sometimes looks like Jay

Which makes my heart stop for a little bit

Because it reminds me of summer air and shared smiles

And I'm caught in this fantasy of you

I'm rolled up in the idea that you wanted me for me

Hips and scars and all

I've started to forget about the spoon in my car

It's just a normal thing now until I drive someone new and they ask

I smile a little before I dive into the story of us

Weaving and webbing together what July was

Sometimes I catch myself making it seem less or more than what it was

At the end of the day it was just a month with exchanges of you

"Science" by Wayne Bow

We are our own mitochondria:

We have power.

We’ve conquered the elements

And drawn tables upon which we

Plan the future of mankind.

We have power.

There are obstacles, yes.

Every person has their own fire

That sucks the air out of our lungs

But the ones that cannot be diffused through

I can count on my digits,

And they’re far from significant.

Go figure.

I learned that the friction is negligible.

Resistance should not b

e considered and that

No matter who you are,

There’s always going to be a force

That will support you with every step.

And you don’t have to be normal.

There’s no need to conform or be constant.

Be independent. Be varied.

Be the evolution that you want to see in this world

And confirm the positive results.

I learned that we are all attracted to each other.

Even if it’s just on some subatomic level,

We are all magnets that pull at each other.

To be closer. We want to be closer

And not in terms of sign.

I’m positive that the fact that we exist is enough.

The fact is that our bodies are designed to protect.

We’re hardwired to reduce pain and suffering.

We are designed to be safe, but we’re also designed to be free.

We are designed at birth and we resign our losses

As nothing more than a virus.

We take DNA for destiny and let it choose for us.

Education is an art, and it’s up to us to interpret it.

The facts can be devised to suit our own needs,

So do what you want with what you have.

Embrace the virus! Attack the system that keeps

Us from experiencing the world around us.

Be nervous. Be edgy.

Be sensitive but not defensive.

Sense the world’s willingness to comply.

Let your bonds be broken and be free

From all material desires.

I learned that almost everything in the universe

Is comprised mostly of atoms, and how

Atoms are comprised of almost nothing.

I questioned how much of us are really here,

And if we’re not here, then where are we?

"A Letter to my Pillow" by Samurai Jack

Dear Pillow,

I am writing you this letter when I think about you most, when I have to work. I’m sitting on my porch with my lawn half mowed, tired and wanting to sleep. Just like a thirsty dog crawls towards water, I crawl towards the time of day when I can put my head down upon you. You are the goal of a hard day’s work. You are the pot at the end of the rainbow. You don’t complain, you don’t have needs, you only give, give give. It’s amazing! I use you everyday, but you don’t complain. You are so perfect. You’re the perfect balance of softness, and you never get too hot or too cold. Unlike people, you never leave. You never hurt me. You are like clouds as seen from a high mountain or hill-Fluffy, soft, and beautiful. Even as I write this, I day dream about laying on you and falling asleep. Until 11 PM, my love.

Sincerely,

Samurai Jack

The Courage Wall: Week 2

Some photos of this week's posts on the Courage Wall...

 

"Not Today!" by Miss Steak

Today is the first Monday of the year. I can’t let this Monday be bad. It's the first day back from break and everyone looks unhappy to be at school. I try to remain positive and think about all the great things I’m going to do. I’m going to get an A on my English test, I am going to own my presentation for Spanish. As I walk down the hallway someone spills their orange juice all over my nice, new sweater. Remain positive, remain positive. It’s fine I have a shirt on underneath my sweater and I can wash it when I get home. I’m ok. I’m ok.

Alright next class. “Everyone turn in their packets before the test. Miss Steak, do you have your packet?”. As I look through my binder my packet is missing. My stomach drops. I frantically search my whole backpack. Suddenly, I realize that it isn’t in my bag. It’s on my desk from when I was making sure my answers were perfect. “Make sure you have it on my desk for half-credit tomorrow”. Ah can this day get any worse?

No, it can only get better. I still have Spanish. I can still do good on that. As I force a smile and a laugh I head to lunch. All my friends are complaining about being back in school and how they just want to go home. I try to get them to remain positive but they just shoot me dirty looks. As I open my lunch my yogurt falls out and smacks on the table with a bang. It pours out onto my leg. Dang it. I quickly start wiping off the yogurt but it looks even worse. My friends start laughing. “Ha! He peed his pants”. My cheeks turn tomato red. I sit down and start eating my food but I have lost my appetite. I just want to go home.

No! I can do this. It’s not that bad. As I get up from lunch I get laughed at a little more by the freshmen. Gosh, this is so embarrassing. I try to pull my shirt down to cover up the stain on my leg. As I walk into Spanish class the teacher tells us that he has decided to extend the project. Dang it. As I crawl to the bus my confidence from this morning has left me. I walk home and finally lay down on my couch. As I lay there my dog comes up and starts licking my leg. Before I know it my stain is gone. I get up to get some water but as I look on the counter I notice some Swedish Fish with a note.

 It read: Just in case you had a bad day, Love Mom.

A smile creeps over my face. Not today.

"Courage" by No Name

One fear of mine is the fear of bodies of water. There is not one particular reason for my fear of the ocean, lakes, or at one point pools. For example I am afraid of drowning. Years ago I used to live up in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. My neighbors had a pool so we used to always go up to their house during the summer to play. One day my little sister fell into the pool. She did not know how to swim yet so I had to jump in and save her. A couple days later she fell in again and my neighbor jumped in to help. Thankfully both times she was ok.

When coming to bodies of water I am not just afraid of drowning. Another fear of the ocean is the fear of getting lost at sea. I have a very small fear of getting lost while hiking because I know how to use a map and compass. However when at sea I would have no idea what to do. After getting lost the possibility of starving or dying of thirst becomes greater and does not sound like a good way to die at all.

I also have a fear of swimming in big bodies of water. Im afraid of getting hurt and there are many things in big bodies of water which i do not know about. My mom used to tell me about lake sharks when I was little which scared me a lot. I used to have a small fear of sharks but I believe that might have magnified it. When I was in Hawaii and Costa Rica with my family I went swimming in the ocean. The water was nice and the air around me was warm, but both times I remember being extremely scared because of sharks. When we were in Hawaii we were close to the land and jumped in and out very easily. However when we were in Costa Rica we were on a boat jumping in so we were further from land. It was windy where our boat stopped so the waves were bigger that usual and it was harder to see through the water.

After I jumped from the boat i felt a huge rush of fear because I felt completely alone and was afraid that there was a shark beneath my feet so I swam to the boat as fast as I could and jumped on.

I was proud of myself at the same time I was scared because I was proud that I jumped in the water and took a chance. I think I jumped in because of all the encouragement of other people who were on the boat and jumping off was fun although I wish I could’ve enjoyed the water more.

Courage Wall: Week 1

The Courage Wall at the end of Week 1

In short, this week has been amazing. After spending about four months raising money, buying supplies, installing the panels with the help of our administrators, painting, and stenciling the wall, the Courage Wall officially debuted last Friday. Below are several photos of the many, many contributions to the wall this week.

“Why You Should Go To the Nova Mini Maker Faire” by The Scarlet Stitch

On Sunday March 13th, 2016 the third annual Nova Mini Maker Faire will be held at South Lakes High and Hughes Middle school. The Maker Faire is a celebration of creativity and innovation. At the faire, there will be something for people of all ages to enjoy. There will be exhibits ranging from science and engineering projects to arts and crafts! If you are looking for an exciting way to spend your Sunday then look no more!

What makes the faire so much fun is the hands-on nature of it. Most of the makers at the faire have thought up a way for you to enjoy and experience their projects yourself. At the faire you can fly drones, perform science experiments, play with yarn, and so much more! You are guaranteed to walk out of the Maker Faire having learned something new!

Another reason I’m so excited for the Faire is because I am going to be a Maker in it! Come out and visit me as the Scarlet Stitch. I will be debuting a new crochet costume and a crochet sculpture of a velociraptor. Me and my team will be there to promote all things related to yarn crafting, especially crochet! We will have crochet crash courses and crochet themed coloring book pages too! Come say hi at the faire and learn more about my favorite craft!

When planning your weekend, make room for the Nova Mini Maker Faire! Be sure to spread the word and bring your friends. Have fun, learn something new, and get inspired to create!

For more information, visit http://makerfairenova.com/attend/

"Whiteout" by Hunter Vega

I woke up to hope. A quick glance out the window was a snapshot of a beautiful landscape, a painting of fairytale woods, frozen in time. The snow was fresh. It looked like it was just brimming with possibility, even if the room felt barren. I rushed to dress, stumbling over shirts and socks and my own limbs. I had never experienced so much excitement this early in the morning, that was for sure. I felt like my vision was crowded by white- the bright, clean snow was crystallizing, frosting over my eyes, filling my mind past capacity with joy. This had to be worth every Christmas morning I’ve ever lived. She must still be here. It’s all I needed right then. I just needed five more minutes with her, then I could fix things for good. Fresh snow, I thought.

As a child, I had always been thrilled at the prospect of new snow, just like anyone else. Except for her. In my case, it may have bordering on obsessive, because I still remembered, crisp and clear, that time in the first grade when we watched a film on agriculture. I stared at the screen, wide eyed, and wondered why no one would plant in winter. The most fertile-looking fields were the plain white ones, the blank slates. When we walked home together, I’d have to grab her arm to keep her from cutting across the empty page. I was always sure she just wanted to ruin it. I found comfort in nature’s white washed fences, respected them. Nothing matched knowing you could cover up something ugly.

She had to be downstairs. Maybe she was still sleeping, but I knew her. If she wanted to leave, she’d get up before she needed to. I hit the door like a drowning sailor hits the lip of a lifeboat. Shoved the door open with too much force. I stopped for a moment at the edge of the top step. She was still here. We had time. I needed just five minutes to talk about it, but I could probably walk downstairs like a normal person would. The windowpane at the landing only showed me white.

Our seventh grade teacher had told us that the only tools to telling our future were hidden inside us. In every kid’s brain, there were blueprints to an adult with troubles and complexes and complex problems we won’t even understand until we’re older. A habit was never a habit after that day, an interest was never just an interest. At least, that’s how it was for me. I kept one ear open for this lecture, even as I opened up a brand new notebook. She ignored the teacher completely, stretched her arm across our table, like she didn’t even realize she was doing it. She just reached over and made neat little lines across the cleanest page in blunt black pen. I almost slipped at the bottom of the staircase.

Taking two steps at a time may have been a bit much. The moment my feet touched the ground floor, I was moving again. There was the couch. Her comforter had been tossed back over the armrest. It was folded once over. I knew as soon as I saw that. Something was wrong. But she had to be in the house, right? Fresh snow. I made my way to the kitchen, stomach dropping lower as I moved. It was empty. The house was draped in a hush. I whirled around and dashed for the back door, slamming it on my way out. There it was. The snow that lay at my feet was ruined with a path of shuffling footsteps, leading my gaze to the messy, peeling tire tracks she’d left behind. She’d been gone all along. She’d taken the back door, the long way, leaving me with all this snow, freshly turned over.