- Story by Abbie Dinowitz

As I crawled out of the anthill early yesterday morning, I was happy to see the enormous yellow sun shining brightly over the park. The sight was a huge relief, since the previous day it had rained and my friends and I had experienced several near-death experiences in puddles.

I reentered the hill quietly, careful not to bother my relatives who were still sleeping. There are more than a hundred of us who reside in the hill; we are the biggest ant family in the area.

My favorite older brother was awake, so I invited him to join me for breakfast.

"Let me relax for a little while, Sammy!" he grunted at me. Josh never wants to do anything with me anymore.  We used to have picnic-searching adventures and relay races all summer long. But this summer is different. Now all he cares about is journeying across the street every day so he can visit his girlfriend, Lisa. 

I sighed and went back outside alone.

I found some crumbs from a chocolate chip cookie near the big oak tree, but I didn't have much of an appetite. I wandered aimlessly for a little while, waiting for everybody to wake up. Soon, a group of small, giggly ants emerged from the hole at the top of the hill.

"Morning, Sammy!"  they shouted cheerfully. 

I greeted my cousins with a grin. Although they are girls, Jamie, Jill, Jessica, and Joanne are always ready to cheer me up when I'm upset. As I shared my cookie crumbs with them, I updated them on the Josh situation. It was old news though; I had been complaining to them about my brother daily. They knew that the best solution was to change the subject.

Click HERE to read the rest of the story...

This is the 10th piece of student writing in a string of two straight weeks of student writing!

- Poem by Katharine Larson, Grade 6

I am happy and excited

I wonder why we can't have everything for free

I hear my grandfather's voice

I see Broadway

I want a Golden Retriever

I believe we all make mistakes

I ask why some people are nice and some people aren't

I am happy and excited

I pretend to be the best dancer

I feel rocks at my feet

I touch silk that is not there

I worry what luck I am going to have

I cry when my friends are mean

I believe we are equal

I ask who invented people

I am happy and excited

I understand we can't do everything we want

I say people should help out the poor

I dream I will live happily for the rest of my life

I try to be the best person I can be

I hope to get a scholarship

I believe we all have a good quality

I ask why dogs can not talk

I am happy and excited 

This is the 9th piece of student writing in a string of two straight weeks of student writing!

Check back every single day 'til Christmas to see if your writing gets posted!

- Poem by Michael Schwendeman, Grade 8

Seems like a vapor that you just can't see
Something surrounding, puzzling me
The ideal perfection you can't wait to receive
One beautifully glorious mystery

Something like a vapor carried on by the breeze
Its splendor unknown due to its secrecy
It is always around and watching with care
Attempting to cast away all known despair

Kind of like a vapor, fluent and free
Drifting this way and that, wherever it will please
Desiring only to live with tranquility
The core importance is its humility

And as this vapor waits for the faithful and true
Wishing only that somehow we knew
That along the horizon, the future in store
Heaven was waiting through the open door

This is the 8th piece of student writing in a string of two straight weeks of student writing!

Check back every single day 'til Christmas to see if your writing gets posted!