When I first arrived in August, I expected 7th grade to be no different than 6th grade. Same crazy friends, same mediocre teachers, same small stack of homework. After all, why should it be any different?

But I soon realized that I was wrong. Dead wrong. If 6th grade was the Bahamas, then 7th grade was the North Pole, because they could not have been more different. For starters, it was kind of weird to take different classes from my friends. In 6th grade, everyone had the same electives so we all had a lot of classes together. This year, the only time I get to see some of them is at lunch. Second of all, 7th grade had about three times as much homework as 6th grade. By the time the first week of school was over, I was ready to collapse. But on the bright side (if there even was one) the teachers were pretty cool.

By October my life was filled with piles of homework and not enough time to do it all. Everywhere I looked I saw a review packet that needed finishing, a math problem I had no idea how to solve, or an incomplete essay. Every night I would come home with my backpack weighing 20 pounds because it was so full of textbooks and binders (not kidding I actually weighed it once).

Eventually I figured out that when it comes to homework, I really had to pace myself. If you wait ’till the very last minute to do that 4 page review packet for science, you’ll be in big trouble.

In 7th grade I learned a lot of things. One of them is that procrastinating is the worst possible thing you can do. If you have something due by the end of the week, just get it done as soon as you can so you won’t have to do it later. I also learned that with subjects like math and science, you really do have to study for tests. I might have been able to wing it in 5th and 6th grade, but if you skip studying in 7th grade, theres a good chance you might fail. Last of all, I learned to always try my hardest. Every day you slack off, thats another day you fall behind. What I’m trying to say is, if life gives you lemons, you wouldn’t just squeeze half of the juice out of the lemon. You would try to squeeze all the juice you possibly can out of that lemon.

As the year comes to a close, I just can’t believe how fast it went by. I can still remember the first day of school clear as day. The excitement of seeing my old friends again and the frustration of not being able to open my locker fresh in my mind.

If I had to do it all over again, I would try a bit harder at everything. Run a little faster at Cross Country, study a little harder, little things like that that might have changed my whole year for the better.

My advice for the incoming 7th graders is just to enjoy 7th grade. I’m not gonna lie, its very hectic and stressful, but it’ll be over before you know it. If you spend all your time worrying about the upcoming science test, you’ll never be able to actually enjoy the year. So even with all the big tests and assignments, find time to hang out with your friends or try a new sport. That way, you can make the most of your 7th grade. I personally have had a great (sort of) year, and I hope that the upcoming 7th graders will agree!

So a few weeks ago my friends were talking about (more like obsessing over) this new app called Wattpad. Never having heard of this, I asked them what all the fuss was about. Apparently, Wattpad was an app where you could read other peoples’ stories that they had written and posted. You could also write stories of your own and post them for people to read. So kind of like Instagram, but for writing.

So after many days of my friends begging me and trying to persuade me to get an account, I finally obliged and signed up. Soon enough, I discovered that Wattpad was one of the best things ever.

I could spend hours on end just browsing through the discover section, trying to find a new book to read. When something does catch my eye, I’ll read the description and see if it’s worth my time- which it usually is. Some of the posts on there are AMAZING and might even be good enough to be published.

And no matter what kind of mood you’re in, theres bound to be a story to match it. If you’re feeling bored but don’t have a lot of time on your hands, theres plenty of short stories out there to explore. If you’re really annoyed or on edge, I’ve actually found a book which is literally just someone complaining about random things- and I’ve been able to relate in many cases. And if you’re in the mood for a romance book, theres a whole section of that for you to take a look at. There’s also fan-fictions on pretty much any celebrity out there (mainly One Direction).

In addition to providing endless reading material, you can also write about whatever you want on Wattpad. Make up characters, design a fictional story, write a fan-fiction, whatever. And nobody’s going to judge, because we’re all wannabe writers in this world. I love reading what my friends have been writing about.

Next week my friends and I are having a short story contest. A short story is basically a story with only one chapter, and we’re seeing who can write the best one in only one week’s time. I can’t wait to get started on my story, and see what my friends come up with.

As you can see, Wattpad is pretty amazing. But you don’t need an account to read other people’s work. I advise you just to look into it and see if you like it. Maybe you’ll hate it, or…maybe it’ll be your new favorite thing. 🙂

The Meehoo with an Exactlywatt
from the book “A Light in the Attic” (1981)
By Shel Silverstein

Knock knock!
Who’s there?
Me!
Me who?
That’s right!
What’s right?
Meehoo!
That’s what I want to know!
What’s what you want to know?
Me, who?
Yes, exactly!
Exactly what?
Yes, I have an Exactlywatt on a chain!
Exactly what on a chain?
Yes!
Yes what?
No, Exactlywatt!
That’s what I want to know!
I told you – Exactlywatt!
Exactly what?
Yes!
Yes what?
Yes, it’s with me!
What’s with you?
Exactlywatt – that’s what’s with me.
Me who?
Yes!
Go away!
Knock knock…

The Meehoo with an Exactlywatt is one of my favorite poems because it’s creative and humorous. I mean what’s a poem without humor? In my opinion, Shel Silverstein is one of the greatest poets ever. Check out some of his other poems, and comment if you like this one!

I held my breath as I tore open the neatly wrapped package- hoping…just hoping…

A gray tuft of fur peeked out from underneath the shiny paper, and I gasped when I saw a what was underneath. It was a Webkinz stuffed animal! They were the hottest new toy in stores, and exactly what I had wanted. The soft cuddly Koala bear stared up at me- just BEGGING me to play with it. It was immediatly named Coco, and became my new best friend.

I can still remember this Christmas morning so long ago. The fresh white snow covered the ground like a blanket, and the sky was the clearest of blues. So naturally…I headed over to my computer. Webkinz stuffed animals were so popular because they also had a whole online world where you could bathe, clothe, feed, and play with your pet. But of course that didn’t put a stopper on their ability to cuddle. The moment I logged in, I was instantly transported to their colorful, plush, playful world. Memories of Quizzy’s Corner, Ms. Cowaline’s Academy, and the Curio Shop still come flooding back to me nowadays.

Even though I don’t play with Webkinz anymore, I still reminded of the happy years I spend my favorite toys every time I see my little brother play with his. Over the years, I developed quite a collection of the stuffed animals. Pebble Drebble the bunny, Milky the cat, and Speedy the turtle still live in my room- a constant reminder of my joyful childhood.

That Christmas, I might have just recieved what seemed like a silly stuffed animal to someone else, but to 7 year old me, it was my whole world.

ACL. Painted Cows. South by Southwest. Town Lake. Where can can you find all these things? Austin, Texas of course! The only place where being weird is an asset. These are just a few of the many reasons why Austin is a great place to visit.

For starters, downtown Austin is pretty awesome. With countless great restaurants and cool sights, its definitely one of the coolest places in Texas. On the other side Jo’s Coffee is the       “I Love You So Much” graffiti wall where you can go and take pictures with your friends. Then cruise on over to the “Hi, How Are You” frog graffiti on the side of the South Exchange music store. If you really like it, take home a t-shirt! And don’t be surprised to see any painted cows posing around town. Zilker park is another great place to visit. A perfect place to take your dog on weekends, and where the annual kite festival is hosted. Take the Zilker train ride to see all the cool things around town. Just a few blocks away is the Zilker Botanical Garden, where everywhere you see is bursting with color. Don’t forget Barton Springs!- the absolute perfect place to cool off during summertime. Lastly, the bat bridge is a fantastic way to end your fun-filled day. I have been to downtown Austin probably a million times, and I STILL haven’t seen all the cool things it has to offer. With all these amazing sights, how can someone NOT want to visit Austin?

In addition to all the super awesome places to go, Austin also has THE BEST food. Let’s start with an all-time favorite: Rudy’s– also known as the worst barbecue in Texas. Brisket. St. Louis pork ribs. Sausage links. Creamed corn. Rudy’s has it all! Top it all off with their famous barbecue “sause”, and I assure you, you’ll be begging for more. Next up is Torchy’s Tacos. Torchy’s is an impossible to find food truck with the best tacos you have ever eaten. Whether its for breakfast, lunch, brunch, or dinner, Torchy’s always gets a 5 star review from me. Next we’ll visit Chuy’s– the best tex-mex in town. The actual restaurant is decorated to make you feel like your back in the 60s, and Elvis Presley is the main feature. One of my favorite things about Chuy’s is the chip car. You can get chips, queso, salsa, and beef all for free- and out of the back of a car. Its pretty cool. Now I would talk about my favorite restaurant in Austin, but I really don’t have one. They’re just all so good! When visiting Austin, you definitely won’t have trouble finding a place to eat.

Cool sights, awesome food, Austin, Texas has it all! Everywhere you go is a new place to explore. If I didn’t live in Austin, I would definitely be choosing it for my next vacation spot. But the question is: will you?

I used to go to Champions twice a week for gymnastics, that is, until I broke my arm last April (see: A Break From Gymnastics). I was feeling slightly lost because gymnastics has always been MY sport and now that was gone. All of my friends had a sport they were great at, whether it be swimming, soccer, dance, running, or Taekwondo. I was never the best at any sport. What I needed, was a fresh start.

And then the perfect opportunity presented itself.

The first thing I do when I step into Champions is take a deep breath. I have always loved that smell- sorta a combination of hard work, sweat, and chalk. I was here for my evaluation for Turbo Tumbling. I figured that even though I may never be the best at it, I might as well give tumbling another shot. After all, its what I love. Coach Jeremy was to evaluate me. In other words, he was going to lead me through a series of exercises and see what I can do. Cartwheel. Round-off. Back-handspring. Pretty easy. But everything was riding on this one evaluation, so I tried my best. After we were done, he took me down to the lobby to discuss what level is right for me. That was when this night took a huge plot twist. Blah blah blah…Level Three…Blah blah blah…Tuesday night… Suddenly Coach Jeremy starts talking about something that I’ve never heard of. It was called Atomic Trampolines and Tumbling, or Atomic T&T for short (haha get the pun?), and it was a competitive trampoline and tumbling team where we trained all year and competed in December. I would be working with kids around my age who had also never experienced this. They would be practicing twice a week and if I wanted, Coach Jeremy could evaluate me for it right now!! I could hardly believe my ears. My mom didn’t even need to ask whether I wanted to try it, because the expression on my face yelled the answer loud and clear. The trampolines were not regular tramolines, and I learned that soon enough. They were designed to bounce people extra high, so if you tilted your self the wrong way, they would send you shooting off in the opposite direction. When Coach Jeremy brought me back to my mom, I had a smile the size of a watermelon plastered on my face. That smile stayed on my face the entire car ride home. Atomic T&T was exactly what I had been looking for, and even when I was considering giving up gymnastics, something great- something BETTER than gymnastics- happened to me. This shows you can’t ever give up on your dream.

By Catherine and Allyson

I was having a horrible day until I popped that little square of heaven  in my mouth— the silky smooth candy resurrected me. Oh, chocolate is truly amazing.

For instance, there are endless types to satisfy your taste buds. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, mint chocolate– you’ll never get bored when each new flavor you discover is even better than the last! No matter who you are, there’s bound to be type of chocolate that’s right for you.

In addition to the countless varieties, the way chocolate makes you feel is enough to turn any frown upside-down. After a stressful day at school, or maybe an exhausting sports practice, chocolate is a great way to unwind. For me, its the perfect remedy for “too-much-school-iosis.” It can also leave some people just plain giddy; I think Willy Wonka from the classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is Exhibit A. You might be mad or sad, but no matter what mood you’re in, chocolate will always leave a smile on your face.

I could eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but of course too much of a good thing can lead to a bad thing. As I always say, a piece of chocolate a day will keep all bad thoughts away. So anyways, chocolate can be, ugh, you know what? I think I’m going to grab some chocolate right now…

Crazy, loud, obnoxious, wild.
They’ll steal your food,
They’ll make fun of your clothes.

“Why am I friends with you?”,
But then you’ll know.

Because of the endless laughter,
And all the inside jokes.
From purple Gatorade to Sneak Attack,
And of course leather pants.
Nobody will ever forget our very first school dance.

Some are tall,
But most are short.
When it matters most,
They’ll give lots of support.

Like on a day when the cookies are hard.
We’ve got dancers, bowheads, and robots galore.
And of course that one strange friend you don’t know what to do with…

On Fridays we’ll go to open door,
Play Apples to Apples and Truth or Dare,
And force people to take down their hair.

I know it seems weird but this is just the beginning,
Because thats just what friends are for.

I love orchestra, I love Ms. Compton, but most of all, I love the cello. They way it fits perfectly against you when you play makes the musician feel really connected to the instument.
Its a bond like no other.
Anger, sadness, joy; the cello translates your feelings into the music.
Its graceful curves only add to its beauty, and the way the bow glides effortlessly across the strings makes it almost seem magical. Oh the music! Not too high like the violin, and not too low like the bass (no offense guys), but a mellow tone right in the middle. You can feel it vibrate against your chest as you play.
There’s really only one word to describe it all- perfect.

They live among us,

hidden.

They may seem no different than the rest of us,

but they are special.

Some too scared of themselves to speak out,

others reaching out to protect their loved ones.

All have powers or hidden abilities.

They can’t explain it,

it just is.

Some abilities weighing them down,

while others have powers saving lives that are within death’s grasp.

The slightest genetic alteration is forming the next generation of the human race.

Peter, Niki, Matt, and Claire,

are only a few of these unexplainable miracles.

Every second of their lives is in danger,

and many are getting tired of looking behind their backs.

And then there’s Sylar,

who is too power hungry for anyone to control.

The world around them is changing,

and they must change with it.

Follow them to the future, through the mirror, deep inside one’s mind, and maybe up into the skies.

Everyone has a destiny to fulfill,

but are they ready for it?

Agnello, Anthony John. “The Next Xbox’s Original Television Line up May Be Headed up by ‘Heroes’.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Digital Trends. Digital Trends, 18 Apr. 2013. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.