Essay - If I Were President

If I were president...

- Gordon

If I were president, I would make good laws for everybody. All states should be treated equally. They should be happy of what they have. Only one thing is very precious and valuable...FREEDOM.

I would stop destroying animal's homes and start helping Earth, like everyday is Earth Day. Just think...Do you care about you or others, like people killing tigers. I think tiger fur is better on tigers, not fancy staff.

Being a president would be fun, but is part of our whole country.

If I were president...

- Aaron

If I were president, I would make good and fair laws for everyone. The world will become more beautiful, and the people live more happier. A no pollution law will prevent people dump the trash everywhere. Our Mother Earth will be cleaner. There will be a law banning the wars so the people can live peacefully. There will be a no overhunting or deforestation law to protect the beautiful nature and endangered animals. I'm going to ask people to plant trees around the nearest river. There will not be dead zones in the ocean. If I were the president, I would make our world cleaner and better for our people, animals, and our Mother Nature.

Essay - Vacation by Gordon

Vacation

- Gordon

If I could go anywhere on vacation, I would go to outer space. I want to be an astronaut when I grow up. It will be fit for any kind of vacation. Just think of it! Tortilla fights, flying food, and seeing the entire galaxy! You can even see dwarf planets. Space is going to be so exciting!

The second place I would want to go is the Dead Sea. You can read your favorite book a trillion times and still not sink. There is almost nothing that lives in the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is very comfortable.

There are many places I want to go but those are the ones I wish to visit the most. Vacation is the best thing in the world!

Essay - Valentine Mouse by Gordon

Valentine Mouse

- Gordon

There is a Valentine Mouse hiding at school. Why is he hiding from everyone?

He bought a pair of glasses. They were the shape of hearts. He was a bit embarrassed. What if the kids laughed at his glasses?

He saw children run past his hole. One dropped a card at his hole. It said, "Be My Valentine, Henry the Mouse." Henry worried even more. He peeked out of his hide-sneaky-hole. Kids almost stomped on him. "What a disaster," Henry thought. "I will never come out." He thought that was the final decision.

When it was Valentine's Day, the kids had a party. At night, Henry scampered and ate the crumbs. People were still in. They said, "Dear old mouse, why do you never go out?" Mouse replied, "I was afraid of you might laugh at my glasses." That was the end of the mouse worries.

Essay - Legend of Nian for Chinese New Year 年的故事

The Legend of 年

Underwater-living monster 年

- Aaron

            Long, long ago 年 did not mean year, but was the name of a deep underwater-living monster. Every year the monster woke up from a deep sleep to eat people. Nobody knew how to drive it back until…

            One year, the people in a valley decided to go onto the nearby mountains to avoid being devoured by the hungry 年. Only an old lady stayed behind. She wanted to look as good as possible when the 年 came, so she wore her red wedding dress. The old woman also wanted the 年 to eat a plump woman, not a starving one, so she ate a big meal.   

                        When the 年 came, it found all the houses empty except for one. The 年 opened the door, and closed it again because it couldn’t stand the light. The stove’s bamboo made an exploding sound, which scared the 年 away. This lady was smart, so she knew that it could be frightened away by loud sounds and bright light.

            The day after the next day, people came back and were worried about the old lady. When they entered, they were greeted by a surprise. The old lady they thought was in the 年's belly was waving at them. They asked her how she survived the 年 and she told everything that happened that night. Every year after that, the people followed what she did, and the 年 never ever came back.

            All along the 年 was afraid of 3 things: red, loud noises, and bright light. Nobody knew them until the old woman used them to drive away the 年. It’s why we wear perfect-looking clothes, not bad looking ones on Chinese New Year. It is the reason we have red paper bags, not blue, green, black, teal, tan, or yellow ones.

Happy Chinese New Year

Celebrating New Year

 - Gordon

Monster 年

Today, I’m going to talk about a legend. Once upon a time, a monster called 年 (translation is year) haunted a village. To celebrate New Year, 年 touches a kid’s head. When a kid is touched by 年, they will be a bad kid. So, one New Year, kids were going to sleep. Their parents didn’t want bad kids. They put 10 red bags full of shiny coins and secretly shot up firecrackers. 年 was coming. He saw the redness, shiny, and heard the loudness. 年 screamed. He saw all his weaknesses. 年 never ever dared to come back and haunt  the village anymore. The end. That is the happy ending of the story.

         This year is the year of Ram. We still hang up red lanterns to scare away 年. After this, it became a tradition. That is why Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in Chinese history.

BECAUSE TODAY IS THE YEAR OF RAM, WE WILL MAKE A RAM. Isn’t that fun?

Cherry Blossom