16190_hackley

Reflection : Part 3
I have grown through maturity and responsibility. I wake up very early with Misha next
to me and we are like roommates, so we would get dressed, brush our teeth, go downstairs, eat
breakfast, and then I take a shower and then we get ready for school. Just before I leave for
school, we take Misha for a walk.

Reflection : Part 4
This memoir impacted my life going forward because it has helped to teach me how to
take care of my future kids, husband, and my pets. Anyway, it is hard for some of the moms to
take care of their kids, like my mom has to take care of many of her children that she raised, and
I have to always help her with it. I see how tough it is to take care of your kids, so hopefully this
responsibility of having Misha has helped train me for the future!

Annie Sheikh

“Suspended in Fear”

“I’m scared, Mom! I’m scared!” I cried these words into my mother’s shoulder while I
was on the way to the hospital. I was finally going to have my operation! It was two a.m. and my
mother and I were driving to the hospital, not sure what would happen.

It was 2013 when I got my procedure, although I was born in 2008. When I was born, the
doctors noticed I had a big mark on my left hand. They found out that it was an oversized nerve
that was bringing liquid in, but not letting liquid out. It would slowly grow bigger and bigger.
The doctors told my parents that I would need to get a biopsy to make an opening in the nerve, or
to get rid of it all together. They said it was not too serious, but if I did not, there was a chance
that the mark would continue to grow until it consumed my hand. My parents were not sure what
to do, so they decided to leave it alone.

When I turned four, they saw that my birthmark (what we called it) had noticeably
grown. They started looking for doctors that could help, and found a really nice one in New York
City. Every few months we would go to see him. At one appointment he suggested that I get an
MRI to see how deep the mark was. If it was really deep, like most of these cases are, I would
need serious surgery, and they would need to remove the whole thing. If it was only on the skin,
I would only need a procedure. The key difference between the two would be that the procedure
would just be injecting something into my hand, while a surgery would be going fully into my
hand. We scheduled the MRI about a month later, not sure what we would find.

After I had the MRI, the doctor realized that my birthmark was not as deep as he
suspected. We were all relieved that it was not as serious as we had previously thought. The

doctor gave us two options. I could get a procedure slowing the growth of the nerve, or a
surgery, taking the nerve out. The procedure would stop the mark from growing as fast as it was,
but I would need two or three operations because the opening they would make in the nerve
would not be permanent. If I got the surgery they would take out the mark, but it could infect my
entire hand. They would be taking a chunk out of my hand! He told us to think about it and to
call him when we had a decision.

We took a few months to think about it and we decided that I would take the procedure
and leave it at that. When we scheduled the operation, I was not really thinking about it. I did not
think it would come that soon.

After we scheduled the procedure, we decided to think about who would take me and
when we would go. My family and I decided that my mom and I would go to New York City the
night before and my dad and sister would stay at home. When I heard that my dad and sister
would not be coming, I got even more nervous. I had never been separated from my family
before (aside from business trips). My parents tried to make me feel better, but there was no use.
I was petrified!

I was five years old, a Kindergartener, when I got the procedure. I had known this day
would come sooner or later, but not this soon! What would happen? Would it hurt? Would my
hand ever be the same again? I was five! The day before the procedure, my mom picked me up
from school early. We stopped back home quickly and then went to New York City, where the
operation would take place. At first, I did not know why she was picking me up, but then I
remembered. I suddenly felt like I was falling in a big, black hole. The whole drive to New York

City, I tried to act normally, but in the back of my head, I could see the hole slowly consuming
me, filling me with terror.

Once we got to the hotel, I continued to worry. I could not sleep, I was too scared. I
noticed my mom could not sleep either. In the end, my mother and I barely slept. Waking up
wasn’t pleasant. I was sleepy and scared. I quickly dressed because we needed to get to our
appointment. I did not want to leave the hotel. I personally didn’t want to leave my bed. I did not
know what would happen to my hand, and I didn’t want anything to change. My appointment
was around three or four, so we left the hotel at two am. During the car ride, tears ran down my
face as I leaned on my mother’s shoulder. I could not help it, I was scared. My mom tried to
comfort me, but there was no point. I was a mess.

When we finally got to the hospital, they took us to a room and had me lie in a bed. They
took my vitals and I just sat there. It felt like forever. As I looked around, I could see nurses
running back and forth outside my door. There was not anything interesting in the room. I mostly
talked to my mom. She seemed really nervous so I tried to stay calm. About an hour later they
rolled my bed out of the room. My mom started to follow, but the nurse said she would have to
stay there. At that moment I felt as though I was falling into a pit of doom. All nervous feelings I
had had before tripled.

“Everything will be fine,” my mom said, although I could tell she was nervous. “Trust
me.”

They took me into this room where the surgeon was waiting. I had met him before, and
he seemed nice enough. He drew an x on my birthmark.

“To show how cute it is,” he told me. Looking around the room, I saw lots of scary pieces
of equipment, that frightened me. I had always been scared of needles and there were millions in
that room. They put a mask on my nose and mouth and I started to feel sleepy…

When I woke up, I was back in my hospital bedroom. Where was I? What had happened?
How long was I asleep? Everything seemed like a blur. I looked around the room. My mom was
on one side. She looked up and started smiling. That’s when it hit me. I was in the hospital and I
had just had my procedure. I didn’t want her to start crying again so I turned the other way. My
dad was on the other side.

“Dad!” I shouted, as I tried to get up. My mother quickly lay me back down.
“You just woke up from your operation. You need to rest,” she told me. My dad sat on
my bed, and I realized he was holding a bag.
“These are for you,” he said to me, “as a get-well-soon present.” I could not stop smiling.
“Thank you!” I yelled as I started taking things out of the bag. There were three movies:
Frozen,​ ​The Pirate Fairy​ (soon to be my sister’s favorite), and ​The Sound of Music​. I was
overjoyed! My hand hurt, but the doctor said I was free to go. I could finally go home! I left the
hospital feeling happy that my dad was there. I was also proud that I had been able to deal with
having a major procedure on my hand, even though I was only five. On the drive home, I
realized that I could not wait to see my sister. It had felt like years since I had seen my sister or
been in my house. When I walked into the house, my sister jumped on me.
“Surprise!” she shouted. She seemed so happy. Right behind her my nanny held a poster
that she and my sister had made when I was gone. It said, “Feel Better Annie!” and, “We Love
You!” I gave them both huge hugs.

Because of this experience, I learned that my family will always be there for me. When I
got this procedure, I was five and scared of everything! (especially huge doctor offices and huge
needles).

My family helped me get through the first procedure, and they will help me get through
the last. I have learned that no matter what happens, your loved ones will always have your back,
and that they will always be there for you. Whenever I am scared, or a problem looms over my
head, I remember this memory, and know my family will help me get through it!

Sam
“Fencing and Me”

En garde. Prêt? Allez!
I started fencing in first grade one fateful day when Mika’il Sankofa (coach) decided to
make a fencing club at Hackley. I signed up because my mom described it as “sword fighting.” I
know, stereotypical. The only real thing I remember from this experience in first grade was a
“tournament” in which I got first. He continued the club for one more year, but then the Hackley
fencing coach took over the club and I quit because I didn’t like him very much. I don’t really
know why though, but then I had a problem: I had no sport to play.
Fortunately, a year later I found coach’s fencing academy, Thrust, was near me at the
YMCA. Unfortunately, I was out of tune so-to- speak, so I went to the easy Saturday class and
eventually became the best fencer there. Then I went to a ​MUCH​ harder class- Thursday classes.
The Thursday class was where all of coach’s best fencers go. We started with hand ball.
Then we got to the “bane of my existence.” It was what I’m going to call a “hot up.” We ran
around with a ball and you had to throw it to the last person, who had to run up to the front of the
line and become the first person. If someone dropped the ball then everyone would get 10
push-ups. Sometimes we cheated when coach wasn't looking, and didn't have to do any push-ups
and just kept going. Then we got to the practice which was pretty uneventful. I just found it
extremely boring. We did a bunch of stuff that wasn’t fencing in fencing class. Then we hooked
up to scoring machines and started fencing. I won exactly zero b​ outs​ (rounds in fencing).
Needless to say, I got absolutely destroyed. I kept going and it was pretty uneventful.
A couple months later, I started getting better and I started getting a little more excited to
go to practice. I had found a “friend” and his name was Jake. He was probably a better fencer at

the time, so after warming up and practicing a little, we went straight into fencing. I picked Jake
as the person I wanted to fence with. Sometime into the bout, I was going back and I did a move
called a Parry Riposte. (Parry Riposte is when you block your opponent’s attack and you hit
him/her.) It is strong because it gives you the right of way. I’m bad at explaining right of way, so
here is a good explanation: “​Priority or right of way is the decision criterion used in foil and
sabre fencing to determine which fencer receives the point if both fencers land a valid hit at the
same time​”.​

I performed the move and got the touch. As he was walking back, he hit me with his
saber on the leg. This immediately got me very angry. I didn't say anything because I didn't say
much at the lessons since I was still kind of shy. That was the topic of the conversation that I had
with my dad in the car. We talked about how to act properly in sports. That taught me not to be a
bad sport and to always carry out good sportsmanship.

A couple months later, I went to my first tournament. Unfortunately, the tournament was
absolutely enormous. I estimated there were about a thousand people there. Of course, not all of
them were fencing at my age, but there were a lot of people and I was still a fairly inexperienced
fencer. A fencing tournament carries on as follows: first, you are randomly picked to fence 5 to
10 other fencers. You all fence each other, and depending on how well you do, you get a s​ eed.​
Depending on your s​ eed,​ you either fence a better fencer or a worse fencer than you in the direct
elimination round. If you lose a bout in direct elimination, you are eliminated from the
tournament.

I did not do well at all in my seeding rounds. That was because I had the misfortune to
have the second best fencer in my age group in America in my pool. I lost my direct elimination
round.

During this time in fencing, I was just having fun. When I went to practice, I wasn't
particularly motivated or very competitive. I stayed because I liked just the fencing component,
but nothing else, plus I liked being the best!

The thing that really motivated me was a tournament that I went to this year. It was a
super Youth Tournament (which is a national competition in which you can earn national
points). You have to get there at least an hour early to get your equipment checked. Afterwards,
there's a lot of waiting around and some reading and some watching some bouts and some
practice and warming up. I watched a couple of s​ abre​ (the kind of fencing I do) bouts and a
friend from Hackley’s f​ oil​ (a different kind of fencing) bout. Eventually, my age group was
called up to our seeding bout. I was with seven different people. There was one person who had
an American flag on his mask. His coach had to recommend him to get that. Coaches only do
that when they think that the fencer is really good. I lost against him and two other people.

Before I tell you the results of my seeding bout, first let me tell you about my director.
Sometimes he would start the bout, then just turn around and talk to the director behind him and
not pay attention to the bout. I was kind of annoyed with him, though I didn't say anything. In
my seeding bout, I scored a 7 plus. This meant that in total, I got seven more touches that I lost.

After a little more waiting around, they posted the direct elimination round. Once I found
my opponent, a guy whose name was Caleb H., we began fencing. If I won, which I thought I
would, it would have been my first direct elimination rounds that I'd won. In the direct

elimination round, you get a one minute break when someone reaches 5 touches. There was the
one minute break, with me three points ahead at 5-2. Then, 6 to 2. It eventually got to the point
where it was 9 to 9. I went forward and tried to hit his blade. He made me miss and hit me
making the score 10 to 9. I had lost. I placed 35th of 63 in the super youth. Everyone was proud,
but I was mad. When we got in the car, my first reaction was:

“Ok, when is the next tournament we can go to?”
The next lesson I went to felt just like the tournament. The lesson after that, coach went
over everyone that came to the tournament. There was Mukund, Philp, someone else and me.
Every year coach would hold a local Thrust tournament, not like the one previously mentioned.
It had been a year after the last one, and I was (and still am) ranked 14th in the tristate area. I
came in knowing I was the best fencer there, which increased my anxiety because if I lost,
well… I would hold myself accountable. Fortunately, I came out of the pool undefeated and
ranked number on; both new achievements! I also got a bye. Unfortunately, I was set to fence
the winner of another bout, but they were both from my club.
I started to yell. Yelling does three things: one- it relieves anxiety; two- it scares your
opponent; and three- it shows the director that your are confident and should be awarded the
touch. Just before my bout against the thrust guy, someone else from Thrust was eliminated,
making me the only person from Thrust left. I had to fence someone with red socks. He was
taller than me, which gives him longer reach, but I was a much better fencer. Near the end of the
bout, it was 8-7 me, but we both got a red card which gives the opponent a point, so now I only
needed one point to get the win and I got it!

The next guy I fenced was for gold, which I had never gotten. Everyone was watching,
and what they watched was the other kid’s complete and utter annihilation. My first gold! I
agreed. The fence Y12, which is the age group above mine, but it only was three (including me)
people from Y10 (my age group) and one Y12 person who lost. Nothing eventful happened again
until the finals and I was against Mr. red socks. I was super nervous even though I had already
beat him, but he kept cutting to the he, so I kept on doing Parry Repostes and distance reposts (to
make him miss and hit them) I won easily with the score safely at 15-8.. My first gold had
become my first two golds! I had won both Y-12 and Y-10, having only lost once in the seed
bout of Y-12.

Unfortunately, this is an open- ended story with Nationals coming right around the
corner, but with my teammates and wins behind me, I feel confident in a top 30 placing, and, if I
qualify a Y-12 direct elimination win. Fencing has brought me friends and fun, and I hope to
improve and continue fencing!

Canyon Thompson
‘‘Hard Times’’

Have you ever had a sickness? Well, I had and it’s called pneumonia, a sickness that
affects your lungs and breathing. This happened when I was three years old, in the spring of
2011. I went outside without a coat in the cold rain. I had never gotten sick in a long time, and
then I started coughing and I felt a little pain in my lungs. I was confused. I thought I had a cold.
This coughing and laughing confused me and I ignored it at first.

Then everytime I coughed it hurt, and it continued and continued. I also had many
stinging headaches that annoyed me. I figured out every time I laughed or coughed it hurt so I
would try not to. I didn’t think it was worse than a cold. I was really scared, so I told my mom.
Then she brought me to the doctors.

I was very nervous at the doctor’s office. It always scared me because I usually got shots
there. I told the doctor what was happening to me, and he explained what was actually happening
to me.

“Make sure not to laugh too hard, and drink more water and honey to sooth your mouth,”
he said.
After, I was happy because the doctor gave me a lollipop at the end of my appointment.
“You may have pneumonia. We have to bring you to the hospital,” the doctor said.
“Okay, thank you, bye!” my mom said.
My mom drove me to the hospital in a rush. She went to the nearest hospital she could
find and went as fast as she could. I was bawling my eyes out while sucking my strawberry
lollipop.When we arrived, my mom held me by the hand tightly and we went inside. The

workers there were greeting us nicely and I was confused, sad, and happy. My mom took me to
the front desk and told them about what happened.

The front desk lady said, “Ok! We will be with you soon.”
“Thank you very much,” my mom said.
I was waiting patiently, silently sucking on my lollipop that was almost done at that
point. Then the front desk lady said we can have a room and go in a hospital bed. When I was
getting transferred to the hospital room, I was getting scared and confused because I didn’t know
what pneumonia was at all. In the hospital bed, they gave me a cup of water and fruit. The food
was really good, so I wasn’t that scared anymore.
During the 4 weeks I was there, my mom brought her own meals and brought me clean
clothes. My dad and my sister brought me gifts. I was very grateful to get all of these gifts and
clothes. I also ate many foods to stay healthy. I was sleeping most of the time. The weeks felt
like years and the days felt like months.
The doctor gave me antibiotics to take two times everyday. I was very lucky because the
medicine tasted very good and I enjoyed it. It made me excited to have my medicine, so I took it
everytime I needed to. After four weeks I felt better.
This was a great achievement for me because I hated how much it hurt. But also, a little
bit sad because I didn’t have to take my medicine anymore. I told the doctor with excitement that
my pain stopped when I coughed/laughed. The doctor checked my lungs to see if there was still
an infection and he said it was perfect! I was really happy because I could go home again and
have fun. I thanked the doctor for curing me and we said goodbye.

Having pneumonia was scary, and a long experience. I couldn’t go underwater or hold
my breath longer than other people, but at least I’m still cured. Health is an important valuable
thing. If you have pneumonia, stay strong and don't give up. This sickness made me stronger and
made me more confident. I found out that I can outlast four weeks and stay happy and strong.
The hardest moments become everyone’s proudest moments because you have to get through
them. I’ve learned that health is very important and that you shouldn’t go outside in the cold
without the proper clothing. This made me grow emotionally and physically because I made it
through a really tough time when I was only three. I now know that I am strong and can make it
through any hard time with my family by my side. It impacted my life when I think about it
because I was really young and I could have died, but I made it and I’m proud. Always stay
strong no matter what you are growing through because there are better times.

Juno Yang

“Predators”

We were going to see tigers, an animal I was a little scared of. Tigers intimidated me

because of their strange black stripes, looking like a war mask. My uncle, aunt, grandma, cousin

and I had been in Northern China for a couple of days at this point and had just left the little

house we had been staying in.

“I can’t believe we’re going to the tiger park!” I said, bouncing happily in the car.

“Yeah,” said my cousin Eric, joking around as usual.

“It’s very exciting,” said my grandma, “but make sure I go in front of you, in case a tiger

escapes.”

“Don’t worry grandma, “ I say, “I’ll be fine.”

Just then, we arrived at the tiger park. Uncle bought tickets and we went inside the

woods. We were standing on an elevated road and there were fences on either side of me.

Finally, after 200 meters, we saw two tigers with a blossom of black stripes on their faces in a

meadow. They were lying down, so we decided to pass them. We walked further and found a

clearing with a bunch of animals. I saw three little gerbils running around in a gerbil house, 100

clucking hens in a pen, and 45 honking white geese in a field.

In front of us were three large cages. The first one contained a tiger lying down. The next

cage contained a mother tiger and two baby tiger cubs with her. Suddenly, the mother tiger

picked up one of the cubs in her mouth and strode through the small door at the back of the cage.

They both appeared in the doorway at the back of the first cage.

“The two doors are connected,” Eric observed.

“I realized that,” I say.

We walked toward the third cage and saw a bear on a metal bar inside it! We stared up at
it, as it chewed a stick.

“Whoa,” I say softly. The bear continued gnawing the stick.
“That’s a vegetarian black bear,” said the lady working there, “he’s quite tame.”
“Okay,” I said. “We’ll come once he gets down.” The lady nodded and walked away.
We continued to another elevated walkway lined with fences. We came to two tigers, a
male and female. Another woman was talking to a family. They finished their conversation and
the woman turned to us.
“Would you like to buy a chicken to feed the tigers?” she asked.
“Sure,” said Uncle.
“NO!” I shouted, “please no.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“It makes me feel queasy.”
“You can learn greatly from it.”
“Please Uncle, don’t do it.”
“Nature is cruel, Juno, it’s natural.”
“V-very well.”
Uncle handed the woman the money and she left. Soon she came back with the chicken.
The tigers followed her all the way to the lookout stand.
“Excuse me?” I ask. “Can I climb up with you?”
“Of course!” she said. I clambered up the rickety ladder after her and onto the platform. I
watched as she grabbed the chicken by its wings and dropped it over the fence. Suddenly the

female tiger leaped up and snatched the chicken out of the air. She raced ahead, the male tiger
snapping at her heels. After a while, the male stopped nearby, mournfully looking at the dying
chicken. I climbed down from the lookout and watched through the fence. The female tiger
calmly waited for the chicken to stop moving and then shook it.

“Madam?” I asked, “why isn’t the male tiger fighting for the chicken?”
“If a tiger has food, no other one can steal it,” she answered.
“Oh, I see now,” I said. The chicken had died now and the female tiger was shaking the
chicken’s feathers out. I guess she didn’t like them.
The chicken had stopped twitching, and the tiger was eating it. I shuddered and backed
up. The chicken was now a bloody mess. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Calm down Juno, I​ think, i​ t’s all going to be alright.​ Slowly, I open my eyes and watch
the tiger devour the rest of the chicken.
Soon the tiger had finished eating and we went back to the bear, who had now gotten
down. The woman handed Eric and I papayas to feed him. The bear quickly ate them, and after
eating two more, climbed back up the tree. The lady led us up to a fenced platform, where she
picked up a blue tray with two pieces of meat and two meat picks.
“Do you want to feed them?” she asked, as she gestured to a different pair of tigers
prowling to the fence.
“Sure!” I exclaimed, grabbing a meat pick. Eric did the same, and we stuck the meat
through the holes in the fence. The tigers chomped down the meat in one bite as we put the picks
back on the tray.

“Let’s go!” Grandma said, as she pulled us away. We all waved good-bye to the
animals as we left.

“That was fun!” I said, as we drove back to the village.
It was indeed, and a great learning experience. Maybe my stomach was getting
stronger. Maybe nature was as cruel as I saw, because I had realized, not everything was
good. Animals were incredibly selfish, as I had found out. Maybe one day I would find
out why?​ N​ ow I had.

Calliope Yannuzzi

“The Cherry Blossom Tree”

How do you feel about nature? I feel that nature should be respected and is a beautiful

thing. Some people don’t feel the same way. It gave me a stomach ache when I saw people

tearing down the tree.

I was in Mrs. Rudiak’s classroom for four years. My old school, Thevenet, is a

Montessori school. You stay in the same classroom through your grade level. In other words, a

classroom can consist of more than one grade level. I was with Mrs. Rudiak when I was two

through five years old. At Montessori, we went on nature walks and visited the farm animals. My

favorite animal in the barn was the gray goat with floppy ears. My favorite animal was the goat

because it was so cute and really friendly.

My school would have lots of parties and activities to celebrate nature. The school was in

the middle of the forest, surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers. Our classrooms had windows

looking around them so we could see outside, surrounded by trees and little houses we would

play in. The houses looked like small barns; they all were two rooms and had fake fruit and they

also had wooden blocks.

When I was two years old, my parents and I planted a cherry blossom tree for my

teacher’s mother who had passed away. I remember picking a spot all the way on the left of the

playground for the tree to be planted. It was a warm and sunny day when we planted the tree. I

also remember digging the hole with my parents. We had a big shovel, and my Dad picked it up

and began digging a big circular hole. It needed to be a deep hole because the roots would spread

out and they needed room. It felt like it took a long time to dig the hole, but my Dad quickly dug

it. I was too young to put the tree in the hole, so my parents planted the tree carefully. We picked
a cherry blossom tree because cherry blossoms bloom beautifully and bring joy to everyone
because of their color, shape, and scent. Another reason for why we picked this tree was that
when the wind would blow, the blossoms would fly through the wind, over the children's heads
when they would be playing tag or any other game. It was symbolic of love and joy of the
children and Ms. Rudiak’s mother.

When we just planted the tree, it looked like a little twig with leaves. A couple months
later, the tree grew into many branches and the tree trunk started to get bigger. Some of the
leaves started to turn into buds. The buds turned into flowers in the spring. The colors of the
flowers were pink and white. When there was a strong wind, the flowers would blow off towards
the children playing on the playground. In no time, the tree grew and had long beautiful
branches.

One day when the tree started to get bigger and beautiful, the boys in my grade ripped off
the branches just to get a laugh. It made me feel really sad because I was connected to the tree. I
thought that the boys should get in trouble because they were destroying something that wasn't
theirs, and something that was so special and meaningful to my teacher. First, I asked them to
stop nicely, but they didn't, so I asked my friends to form a ring around the tree so we could
protect it. We joined hands and tried our best to protect the tree. The boys shoved us so they
could get to the tree and rip more branches off. Our plan wasn’t working; we needed more help
to stop the boys and save the tree.

Mrs. Rudiak saw what was happening so she ran over to us.
“That's enough, all of you!”

The boys stopped immediately and ran off. They looked very angry and embarrassed
because they knew they were going to get in a lot of trouble, and because of that, we had a
classroom discussion. During the discussion, Ms. Rudiak said the the tree was for her mother and
that she was tired of reminding us to stop touching the tree, and to leave the tree alone. I think
that Ms. Rudiak felt disrespected when people were tearing down her tree. I know I would feel
awful. Maybe she even thought of the tree as her mother. Luckily, the tree healed itself and it
ended up to be ok.

This experience made me realize that nature can't defend itself. It's our responsibility to
respect and protect our planet. Did you know that plastic bags and pollution are being dumped in
the ocean? I learned that we all need to put in a better effort to save our planet. For example, we
need to recycle and pick garbage up when we see it. Most recently, I stopped using plastic straws
to save the turtles in the ocean that are dying because we can’t throw things in the garbage or the
recycling bins. Isn’t that ​ridiculous!​ The plastic straws get stuck in the turtles noses which causes
them to ​suffocate​. Plastic is also affecting animals in the ocean because the animals think the
plastic bags are jellyfish, and then when they eat it, the plastic clogs up their origins. I think we
should all stop using plastic bags and plastic straws, so the turtles in the ocean feel safe and
healthy.

Even though I don't see the tree any more, I have a feeling that it’s very healthy and looks
beautiful, and I would love to stop by and see how its beauty has grown over the years.

Credits

__________________________________________________________

Special Thanks to:

Cyndy Jean, Middle School Director
Brad Walters, Assistant Middle School Director
Dr. Richard Robinson, English Chair
Don Eleck, 5th Grade Dean

Faculty Instructor & Editor:

Jennifer Louros

Hackley Middle School
293 Benedict Avenue
Tarrytown, NY 10591

Spring 2019