Q: What is the most thoughtful gift you have ever been given?
The most thoughtful gift I have ever received is probably a book I got from my best friend. The book was “Two by Two” by Nicholas Sparks and is among one of my favorites I’ve ever read. But what made the gift so thoughtful was the means from which she got it from. She gave it to me for my 13th birthday, but she had in fact got it the year before. In our sixth - grade elementary school book fair, I had seen that book and I thought it was interesting. Upon reading a couple pages, I was immediately hooked and decided to purchase it. But after I made the realization I didn’t have enough money for it, I decided to show my friend in case she thought it was interesting and wanted to buy it for herself. She didn’t find it particularly intriguing but took careful notice of my interest towards it. After my class had left, she –without my knowledge—took the book off the shelf and tried to purchase it. She herself was a couple dollars short but she managed to bargain with the poor PTA mom at the front register and haggled her enough until she got it for a price she deemed fair. Almost a year later on my 13th birthday, the book appeared in my locker the morning of my birthday. I never knew what she did until she told me the story that morning, and it is still one of my favorite gifts till date. (252 words) -Aadya G. The most thoughtful give I have ever received was this giant gnome from my grandmother. I love gnomes, so this was just perfect for me to get since it just made my collection better with gnomes of all different sizes. -Madison L. The gift of love. I always enjoy to show my family that I love them every holiday. This year, I want to expand my doors to those in need, and give gifts of all kinds to all kinds of people. -Daniel K. Q: If you had an unlimited amount of money, what is the most meaningful gift you would buy or make for somebody? If I had unlimited amount of money, I would buy my parents anything they wanted. I would do this because my parents have always been there for me and got me things that I wanted, so I would like to give back to them and give them anything they wanted. -Madison L. A 3-page card talking about the person. -Elena D. Beach house for my Mom. She has always wanted one and I would give it i a heartbeat. I would then bribe all of the governments of the world to stop global warming in exchange for a huge supply of money. I would also bribe for world peace. I would then colonize the moon using my endless money and build nuclear fusion reactors around the world to make basically endless clean energy. Using all the space on the moon I would create farms of all kinds and fix up world hunger. Then I would hire a crack team of cleaners and pay Elon Musk to build an ocean cleaner. With my empire growing larger than the Earth itself, I would finally settle down in a nice house, get a wife and kids, and live until I am old. Then I will use my money to develop a device that would reverse aging. I would give this device to my parents friends, wife, kids when they are old enough, and we will slowly take over the gene pool and everyone would live forever. Eventually, one day I will get tired of living forever, and settle down by the beach and die to a glorious sunset, my life ever impactful to all humans on the planet. -Daniel K. Q: If you had to choose a place to vacation this holiday break, where would you go? If I had to choose a place for holiday vacation it would be to Hawaii. I have already been there once, but it was just beautiful there and it would be nice to just sit back and relax in Hawaii during Christmas. It would be wonderful to get to go there again especially during the holidays. -Madison L. Russia to see my extended family. -Elena D. Japan. I think its kind of cool there. They have video games and vending machines. -Daniel K. Q: What would you plan to do if there was an unexpected snow day? SLEEP!!!!! -Elena D. Sledding. I love sledding. The thrill of sliding down a snowy slope and hooting and hollering is such a joy. Unless its a bad snow day like on Monday. -Daniel K. Q: How would you bake the perfect holiday cupcake? If I had to bake a holiday cupcake it would be a peanut butter vanilla cupcake. It would have crushed up Reese’s peanut butter cups in it mixed with the vanilla cake. Then the icing would be peanut butter mixed in with butter cream icing. This cupcake would be my perfect one since I love everything peanut butter. -Madison L. I burn everything so I would let my friend handle that. -Elena D. I'm not a baker, but I would put a snowman on it. I think that would be neat. -Daniel K. Q: Reflect on this past year. What have been the highlights? Were there any challenges you overcame? This past year has been great. Somethings I did was go on many vacations like to San Francisco, Hawaii, and to the New Jersey beaches. Also, I have made many new friends during the first year of middle school. Some challenges were trying to keep all A’s and do well in sports. -Madison L. My birthday and skiing and vacations are some of my highlights. My challenges can be summarized in swimming. -Elena D. I'm better at school, I've changed my attitude and am working to become a generally good person and student. -Daniel K. Write your own question! Q: What is your favorite holiday memory? My favorite holiday memory is when my family was putting up the Christmas tree and the tree fell onto my brother and almost my dog. It was one of the funniest things ever, and to this day every year when we put up the tree, we always talk about it and laugh. -Madison L. Q: What is the best holiday? Christmas. Nothing can compare. A few years back I was in a classroom and we were talking about the good ol' mas of christ. The teacher would ask, "Why do you like Christmas?" One kid said, "I don't really like the holiday itself, I like the buildup and the mood more." This statement has stuck in my head. At this point I don't remember what year this was in, who's class this was, who the kid was, or even what he looked like. Because it doesn't matter. Christmas is not about getting presents or singing songs or sledding down hills, or building snowmen. It's not even about a man trespassing private property and committing reverse robbery while riding a magic sled pulled by deer. It is a time of giving. A time when even the most cold-hearted and mean people, the poor, the rich, and the comfortable middle class can all come together and celebrate a time of love and joy. Christmas was created as a coping mechanism to the cold, hard winters and hunger. Back then, the winter was depressing. People created a way to celebrate the times, they made up stories of a man who gave gifts, and this inspired them to give gifts. These tales of love carry on even to this day. This is not a holiday. This is a celebration. Thank you for listening to my TED talk. Peace! -Daniel K.
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Q: What are you grateful for?
I’m grateful for my family and my friends. I’m very grateful for all the opportunities that I have been given throughout the year such as meeting my closest friends and my school and stuff like that. I’m grateful that I have opportunities such as being able to have the food on my table to travel to many countries. I’m happy that I have both a father, a mother, and a brother who loves me very much. I’m grateful for the people that have helped me through my great concussion last year which I gained from a hit in the head with a volleyball, which made me temporarily lose my memories. It was a struggle but with the help of all my loved ones I was able to get through it. I am grateful for all that my parents provide me like a tutor when I needed assistance in math or helping me study for a test they would always be there to offer me a guiding helping hand. I’m grateful for everyone that has ever impacted me because they have made me who I am whether be flaws or good quirks I have. All the people I surround myself with help make me, me and I wouldn’t want it any other way because if I was in another country I’d be forced to act a certain way or forced to marry someone I didn’t even know. So I’m grateful for everything ever given to me from the time since I was born and til now. -Marina K. One thing I'm grateful for is my family because they help me get through my life and encourage me to do things that they think I will do good at. I’m also grateful for my friends because they also encourage me to do better in school and during sports. -Madison L. I am grateful for my family. To have a roof over my head, and friends I can count on. -Leah B. I'm grateful for my family and friends! -Peyton S. Q: What are your favorite Thanksgiving foods? My favorite Thanksgiving food of all time are my mom's homemade stuffing and duck with a little bit of cranberry sauces mixed. All the foods in thanksgiving taste so good but honestly all my moms cooking hits a place home in my heart that can’t be compared to no one else’s. -Marina K. Some of my favorite thanksgiving foods are stuffing because I just like how it taste and the flavors it has in it. Another one of my favorite thanksgiving foods are apple pie because I love any type of dessert, but apple pie just is the best since I love apples and pie so them together is just wonderful. -Madison L. Jalapeno cornbread. I grew up being dairy free, when I lost my allergy, about a year and a half ago, I was so excited. For thanksgiving that year, I finally got to try my grandmother's cornbread, and it tasted so good. That year exposed to me a different side of Thanksgiving, I got to try new things. My family also typically does salmon instead of turkey. And that has always been one of my favorite foods. I also recall one year there being lobster, I always love how my family experiments with the holiday. -Leah B. Pecan and Dutch Apple pie and ham. -Peyton S. Q: What do you usually do on Thanksgiving (Do you stay at home or travel? Who do you see?)? Are you looking forward to anything in particular? We usually either stay home or go to punta Cana or go to a soup kitchen, it depends on the mood of thanksgiving. This year we’re celebrating Thanksgiving with friends and eating a bunch of good food. I’m very excited to see my aunt and my cousins because I don’t get to see them that often but when I do I always have a bunch of fun. I’m also excited to have my friend over for thanksgiving it’ll be a little more special with them there. But usually we vary what we do during thanksgiving because sometimes we would rather go to punta cana for a vacation because it’s easier and we can lay on the beach but I’m glad I’m home this Thanksgiving for I get to spend it with the people that matter most. -Marina K. Normally on thanksgiving my family goes and eats dinner at either my aunt’s house or my grandmothers. We usually don't travel around thanksgiving. One thing I'm looking forward to is watching the Thanksgiving Day parade on tv. My family also likes to spend the day with each other and do different activities like playing bard games. -Madison L. I stay home. My family always hosts. Sometimes we have family in. But typically it's just the local people. My parents always follow the Jewish custom of welcoming those on the outside in, so are table is always full. -Leah B. I spend time with my mom's side of the family; I'm looking forward to seeing all my cousins. -Peyton S. Q: Do you go Black Friday shopping? What are your most memorable Black Friday moments? I love Black Friday shopping honestly I might even prefer it to thanksgiving. I usually just buy a bunch of stuff for myself rather than go gift shopping. My most memorable Black Friday moment would probably be when it was still thanksgiving but targets Black Friday opens earlier than usual so we went on that Thursday and we saw these gigantic teddy bear for ten bucks easy so we bought like five of them for only fifty bucks. -Marina K. I don't ever go black Friday shopping. But this year I would like to get the opportunity to go black Friday shopping with my family. Because I would like to experience what black Friday shopping is like. -Madison L. I went Black Friday shopping once. But typically, I sit in my dad's office as my family looks for stuff on amazon, cowering the website for new deals, and interesting pieces of technology. -Leah B. No, I don't go Black Friday shopping--too hectic! -Peyton S. Q: After Thanksgiving, how do you usually spend the rest of your Thanksgiving break? After thanksgiving I spend my break with my family and friends, going out and doing things with them. I also sleep a lot because I’m still tired from school, and it gives me a chance to catch up on my sleep schedule. -Madison L. Baking. My aunt and I always, even after the holiday try to find something interesting to do with all the leftovers. We made sweet potato cupcakes once, they were actually decent. -Leah B. I normally just chill, and get ready for Christmas!! -Peyton S. Write your own question! Q: What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory? One of my favorite Thanksgiving memories is when my cousin came in from California for the holiday. We had so much fun. I was only eight, and at that point I hadn't seen him since I was five years old, it was so nice to be able to see my family. -Leah B. Q: What have been some of your best Halloween memories?
I have always enjoyed Halloween because I love candy. When I was eight, I used to live in Long Island, New York. My cousins came to visit that year, and they happened to come in October. One of my cousins were 11 and the other was four. My cousins never went trick or treating before, so we decided to show them what they were missing out on. My older cousin dressed up as a bat, I dressed up as a witch, and the younger one dressed up as a police officer. In New York, all my friends lived in the same neighborhood as me (except one), so I always got a lot of candy. This year it was no different. My cousins and I went from door to door collecting as much as our bulging bags would hold and went back to my house. As soon as we went inside, we immediately collapsed on my bed and promptly started eating. About 2 hours later, I got a phone call. It was the lonely friend from another neighborhood. She invited us over for a party. Mind you, we were all on loads of sugar already. We decided to go anyway, and obviously we overate. We came back home will bloated stomachs and skipped dinner that day. Instead, we watched horror films (well, as horrifying as you would let a brave four year old watch) and retired to bed. Even though we had stomach pains the next day, it was worth it. -Namrata S. Some of my best Halloween memories have been walking around my neighborhood with my friends. When we walk around the neighborhood we stop at a couple of the parties we have been invited to, say hello to everyone, and take as much candy has we could get from everyone around us. In past years, a couple of people would get together and decorate a trailer. Ride around the neighborhood with the parents staying near the trailer and us running from house to house getting candy. These are some of the best Halloween memories I have. -Madelyn W. When me and my sister were younger, we would have to wait until their was a howl at the moon until we could go trick or treating. Now I’m thinking who howled at the moon every year… -Lauren M. -Getting full size candy bars! - I love candy -Group costumes which was fun because the people would have to guess what we were -My mom making me my costume was cool because I got to choose what I wanted to do -Mya F. I look forward to going to Peddler's Village with my family every year, normally in early fall. -Kriti M. I went trick or treating and the person in the house scared me with his scary costume. He had a fake knife headband that looked like he was hurt really badly. All the little kids trick or treating with me were so scared we all ran into my house. When we came back out, he gave us candy and apologized for being too scary. -Chaeyoon C. On Halloween night, just after the incident about the clown sightings and the tiny car where multiple clowns filtered out of, Nicole, my sister, Selene, my little cousin, and I were walking down a dark and eerie sidewalk. None of the houses had their lights turned on. With my sister and cousin walking in front of me, I trail behind. Up the street, coming out of a garage with green smoke drifting through the air, two kids in full body costume were making their way towards us. One was dressed as Slenderman with an axe, and the other was a clown carrying a chainsaw; both of them were speed walking towards us, and it was only until the clown turned on his chainsaw and began dashing towards us that my sister and my little cousin screamed at the top of their lungs, running for their lives onto the other side of the sidewalk. I laughed at our pursuers as I calmly walked to the other side, where my sister and cousin were waiting for me, red in the face. -Melissa H. The brutal trade at the end of trick-or-treating. -Elena D. My favorite Halloween was the Halloween of 2016 because of the candy, costumes, but most of all it was my favorite Halloween because it was my little 5 year old cousins first Halloween. The way my cousins face lit up throughout the night was amazing and just made my heart sore. He put on a, in his own words “rad ninja costume” and started posing for the camera. As he walked outside skipping and swinging his candy bucket, he asked at least 20 questions. As we stepped up to the house he jumped to the doorbell and while the door opened, he yelled “Trick or Treat!”. But his smile grew from ear to ear when the candy dropped into his orange bucket. Like usual the police also gave out some candy throughout the night. Overall watching him do what I did 5 years prior and being there for him was so fun and reminds me of the feeling I get while volunteering! I also loved this Halloween year because of some of the fun family traditions such as picking our own pumpkins and craving them. When me and my family pick pumpkins it’s fun to compete with others to pick the best ones, have some quality time especially outside, the creativity that goes into carving them, and of course crushing them with a hammer at the end, my favorite part of the tradition. Although I love to spend time with my family, my favorite tradition with my friends is to watch a scary movie and the best and scariest one I’ve watched so far is Saw because of how brutal, gory, and truly evil it is which I think turns it from a basic level jump scare movie to a real horror movie. Also, it has no fictional element which means it theoretically could happen in real life making it even scarier and better. Personally I love horror movies and I really recommend it to anyone looking to have a good scare! -Lisa S. Some of my best Halloween memories are from when I was little, I would dress up and then go out into my neighborhood and go trick or treating with my brothers. And then when we get back, we would try to count all of our candy and starting to eat it and try to stay up as long as we can without being yelled at by my parents. -Madison L. My favorite Halloween memory was in sixth grade. It was when my friend and I went trick or treating in my neighborhood as the devil (me) and an angel (her). We combed through our neighborhood for hours, from 6-8:30. It was then that I discovered all the houses that give our full size candy bars, so I know which houses to target over the next few years, including this year. We also watched a movie at my house afterward while eating pizza and munching on some candy. It was truly the best! -Swarasatwika P. Halloween is a big time of year in my family, almost as big as Christmas. My moms’ favorite holiday has always been Halloween and so we grew up loving it just as much. Since I was a baby, I have never bought a store costume. It has been a tradition to always make your own costumes. My favorite costumes were when I was a piano is kindergarten, a box of Crayola crayons in third grade, and a deck of cards with my friends in sixth grade. My mom would always throw big parties every year. All our family and friends would always be there. We would have tons of Halloween themed food and drinks. My dad would set up a movie screen outside with Halloween movies always playing. Halloween music would always be blasting. Family would be gathered around the fire pit telling scary stories. I have learned that I don’t love Halloween for costumes, the candy, or the food, but for who I’m surrounded by during spooky season and the memories we create. -Casey B. Q: Is there any activity that you like to do with friends or family during October, such as apple-picking? Describe it! In October, my family loves to have potlucks. Every month we either have a potluck or go to one, but October is the time where we have the most in a month. This is because we have a festival in October. Potlucks usually start around 7-8. People always say come at 7 but families love to come late for some reason. Unless they’re the type of family who likes to help the host out. In a typical potluck that we host or visit, there are about 7-10 families, around 21-30 people. Every family brings in a different meal or snack. Meals can be anything from meat to lasagna, and snacks are usually fried food. Though one time we had pizza bread. An actual slice of bread, flavored like pizza. It was interesting. In the beginning of the potluck, children will usually watch a movie or play games in a separate area than the adults. The adults will play card games, sometimes gamble, and arrange the food. Then, we all come together to enjoy the meal, a “feast” if you will, which is always delicious. After that, we play songs on a speaker and dance, or sing, just to show our talents. Then, we eat some more. I know, we love eating. Next, the children leave to watch another movie while the adults have conversations. Usually about education, gossip, or politics. Finally, this would be around 1 o’clock, we would all go home and get some rest for the next day. -Namrata S. One activity I enjoy doing with my family and friends is going apple and pumpkin picking. I enjoy these activities with them because during the being of school everything becomes so busy. Trying to get to activity to activity, spend time as a family, and school. This is a chance for us as a family to spend time together. When apple picking, we climb the trees trying to see how high everyone can get. And also, when pumpkin picking, we see who can carry the heaviest pumpkin to the car. After we are finished picking the apple and pumpkins it leads to cooking and baking in the kitchen. After we carve out the pumpkins, we take the seeds, wash them, place them on a baking sheet and salt them to make pumpkin seeds. We hand them out to our neighbors to eat. With the apples we make applesauce, apple pie, and pancakes with apple slices in the middle and then place cinnamon sugar on top. Every year, when it is time to carve the pumpkin, one of us tries to do a difficult design and fail, another person tries to make a face out of the pumpkin, but it ends up looking deformed. Then the last person, make random shapes and looks like they sent hours working on the design. We place them in the middle of the porch for all the world to see. These are the activities I like to do during the month of October with my family and friends. -Madelyn W. Me and my family annually go apple picking at Soleberry farms, and after apple picking we always get their fresh apple cider donuts (made on premises!) and their apple cider. -Lauren M. I like going on hayrides and apple picking because I loves apples. I also love having bonfires and making smores because they are one of my favorite foods. I also like corn mazes and doing them with friends because it always takes a group effort. -Mya F. We like to hang up Halloween decorations together in the first week of October, and when my sister and I were little, we used to go to Shady Brook Farm to go on the hayrides and decorate pumpkins. -Kriti M. I like to go to parks and such because the leaves look amazing and its good for our health too. October is one of my family member’s birthday so we always celebrate it In a special way. We sometimes decorate the party for their birthday with Halloween themed or just autumn/fall theme. I always just bike ride or play sports with my family members because it’s not that hot outside and it’s a good way to exercise. -Chaeyoon C. We don’t really do anything, though sometimes my cousins would come over to my house so that we would go trick-or-treating together. -Melissa H. Each year me and my friends go through a hunted hay maze. I hate jump scares and that maze is full of it, so honestly, I don’t know how my friends drag me into it each year. -Elena D. One activity I like to do with my family during this time is to go out and go pumpkin picking. When we go pumpkin picking we also go to a patch and then we all pick our favorite pumpkins. I also pick the biggest pumpkin of my family. -Madison L. My favorite fall activity is haunted hayrides and walk throughs. I always love the suspense you feel waiting for what is going to come next. The ultimate attraction in Terror behind the walls at the Eastern State Penitentiary. -Casey B. Q: What are your typical Halloween plans (What are you wearing this year? Do you usually trick-or-treat?)? I usually trick or treat, but I don't know if I will that this year. I have no idea what I'm going to be for Halloween -Lauren M. I will probably do a group costume with some of my friends, but we are not sure what it will be yet and I love trick or treating because you can walk around dressed as anything you want and get free candy! -Mya F. I don't know what I'm going to be for Halloween this year yet, but my sister, dad, and I go trick-or-treating together. -Kriti M. I usually do trick or treat but this year I might be a little busy. I have to go somewhere then maybe when I come back I might have time. But this year, even if I have time, I think I will go out to dinner with my family or just stay in that night and spend more time with families than being outside. -Chaeyoon C. Usually, I would have work or finish my homework. Because Halloween has fallen on an inconvenient day for the past two years, I haven’t gone trick-or-treating. -Melissa H. We do the average trick or treat around the neighborhood. -Elena D. My Halloween plans, I normally go out with my friends and trick or treat with them. So far this year I'm going to be going out with my friends. And after I am done going out with my friends, we like to exchange candy and start to eat some of it. -Madison L. My typical plans are going trick or treating, hanging with friends, trading candy, watching a movie, and of course having fun through it. A week or two before, my friends and I make plans as to where we are going trick or treating and whose house we will be at after. Every year, we go to a different person’s house. After, we decide what we want to be. Sometimes we coordinate, but sometimes we just choose on our own and surprise each other. Most of the time, we do something funny or related to an inside joke. This year, we plan on doing the four Teletubbies, different internet girls (VSCO girls, E-girls, etc.), or some type of matching costumes. Then we get our pillowcases on the day and go out to collect our sweet treats. After, we snap a few funny and group pictures before we head inside. Then we just chill, eat candy, and watch a movie. And that’s our Halloween! -Swarasatwika P. Q: What is the ultimate scary movie and why? The ultimate scary movie is The Sixth Sense. This movie stars Haley Joel Osment and Bruce Willis. It is the ultimate scary movie because it tells the story of a little boy named Cole Sear, who sees ghost. These ghosts visit him because of some unresolved issue. He doesn’t want to tell anyone about this anguish, expect child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe. Has you watch the movie you are going along with Dr. Crowe trying to figure out the special abilities of Cole, finding out why each ghost is visiting him, and how to help Cole live with this anguish. This movie takes place in the city of Philadelphia, which is a cool detail, as we live close to the city. I also enjoy this film because M. Night Shyamalan is the director and also wrote the screenplay of this movie. -Madelyn W. I don’t usually watch scary movies, so I don’t really know. -Lauren M. I do not like anything scary because it creeps me out a lot bus the only thing, I will watch is stranger things even though it is not a movie but is still very interesting. -Mya F. It's been about 2-3 years since I watched a "scary" movie, but at the time I thought that the weird doll from Caroline was real, and out to get me. So that was DEFINITELY the scariest movie at that time. -Kriti M. For me, it’s Annabelle. I never really watched the movie but my friends are always talking about the movie so I get the idea. I think that because I’ve always been really scared of dolls and especially when they are cursed and wants to harm humans. The fact that dolls are alive and like moving in movies are just scary. -Chaeyoon C. For me, I don’t really find any movie scary because it’s like a roller coaster; after it’s don’t, you want to do it all over again. However, I found “Happy Death Day” quite disturbing because Babyface would just appear out of nowhere and just kill the female lead. I hate the feeling of anticipating and knowing that she’s going to get killed, but not when. It was such a stupid movie, but it still made me check under my bed and leave my closet open to ensure myself that no one was hiding in there. It also took me a while to not think about a knife piercing through my chest whenever I sat with my back against a door, closet, or wall. -Melissa H. I don’t watch scary movies, but I have heard that Annabelle is the one movie that even the most “scary movie fanatics” get nightmares from. -Elena D. The ultimate scary movie is The Conjuring, it is very scary, and it is fun to watch the days leading up to Halloween because it is scary. And it gives the scare that I like near Halloween. -Madison L. For me personally, the ultimate scary movie must be Truth or Dare because of the way their lives changed. They were just the average group of collage kids looking for some fun over the weekend, but instead they faced the wrath of a dark presence, almost a demon. I always wonder how normally they could’ve lived out their lives if they just skipped that one weekend. Adding to the chilling plot, there is SO much blood and their screams were all like jump scares. The gory added to the unsettling plot and resonances creates the equation to one of the scariest horror movies out there, Truth or Dare. -Swarasatwika P. Q: If you could only eat one type of candy for the rest of your life, what would you choose? Why? That’s a hard one. Probably Kit-Kat because I couldn’t eat Reese’s forever because the peanut butter would get too overwhelming. And c'mon, you can't not love wafers dunked in chocolate. -Lauren M. I would choose peanut butter M&M’s because I love them and they are probably my all-time favorite candy and I could probably eat them for the rest of my life because they are that delicious. -Mya F. KitKats, definitely, its' been my candy "nickname," and I like sweet n' crunchy candy, soooo.. -Kriti M. I would choose Twix bars because they are crunchy and sweet at the same time. It’s just my personal favorite. -Chaeyoon C. It’s a really tough decision, but I’d have to choose Almond Joys. What better combination than coconut and chocolate? -Melissa H. Twix because it is perfect. Caramel top and a wafer bottom, the perfect mix between crunchy and creamy. -Elena D. The one type of candy I would only eat for the rest of my life would be Reese Peanut Butter Cups because I love them so much, and because I love peanut butter and chocolate. -Madison L. If I could only eat one type of candy/chocolate for the rest of my life, it would be Kit-Kats because of the texture, and taste. First, we all know how perfect chocolate is. The soft, smooth texture in our mouth plus the sweet flavor is heavenly. Adding to the perfect taste, there’s the touch. It’s not super smooth or rough. It is a perfect combination of crunchy and soft, just melting in your jaws. Just the combination of consistency and essence is enough to make my mouth water now, and it will make my mouth water enough for the rest of my life! -Swarasatwika P. Write your own question! Q: What is your favorite part of Halloween? I always love decorating for Halloween and such because I love ghosts (the cartoon ones) and I think that they're cute. I also just love Halloween in general and I love all the unity and festivity of it. -Lauren M. Q: Do you think you should have off school for the day after Halloween? I think we should have off because a lot of students are up really late and have ate a lot of candy. They also might not be 100% recovered and not do their best work in their classes. I also think we should have off because students could not get enough hours of sleep and get sick off of it. -Mya F. Q: What is you scariest memory from trick or treating? When my neighbor dressed up in back and chased me and my friend down the street with a chainsaw. -Elena D. Throughout middle school, many teachers have constantly told me that I needed to volunteer. That I needed volunteer hours to get into the National Honor Societies, to get into college, etc. I remember one of these instances very well. It was the beginning of my 7th-grade year at Unami Middle School and my science teacher had given my class that speech about how community service was important. I thought about what she said. I knew that she was right, that I should start volunteering, but frankly I was a little scared. I had absolutely no idea where to start. I went my entire 7th-grade year without volunteering. In 8th grade, I was able to find a soup kitchen where I volunteered a few hours with a friend. Then in 9th grade, I had a little bit more luck: I volunteered at Impact Thrift Store, CB Cares Pumpkinfest, the Mill Creek Musical, and a few spring fairs. During that time, I was able to meet quite a few event organizers and volunteer coordinators that I would later contact in order to provide opportunities for Volunteer Teens. At this point, I realized that I enjoyed volunteering and helping out my community, so when I started at CB South I was looking for a way to get more involved. I attended an informational meeting for South’s local chapter of Key Club. While attending this meeting the advisor told us about a leadership position where we would be able to take charge of one event. This got my attention as I realized that I wanted to do more than just attend volunteer events. That’s when I got the idea to start my own volunteer group. I thought back to how difficult it was for me to find volunteer opportunities in middle school. So I set out to create a group that would do all the hard work of finding quality volunteer opportunities and make them super accessible to anyone that was interested. In October of 2016, with the partnership of CB Cares Educational Foundation, CB Cares Volunteer Teens was born. We started at Unami Middle School before opening the group to all 5 middle schools the following year. As the years went on, CB Cares Volunteer Teens started to take off, with more and more volunteers joining and attending events. When we created the group, I knew it needed to have a few key characteristics to ensure it was successful. First, our signup process was super simple and free; if someone wanted to volunteer, all they had to do was fill out a form and get opportunities sent to their email. Second, we kept a detailed record of every event the volunteers attended and how many hours they had, so when someone wanted to apply for organizations like NJHS they could easily see all their hours. Third, we sought out high-quality volunteer events as well as a few unique volunteer events, so there would be something for everyone. Lastly, every volunteer event we attended or hosted was supervised by a high school leader. This ensured that at every event there was someone in charge that the volunteers could go to. After running this group for three years, going from 0 to 5000 volunteer hours, I have seen some volunteers do some incredible things for their community. The next group of leaders has now taken over CB Cares Volunteer Teens and I am excited to see where this group goes in the future.
-Daniel Remishevsky Q: What is your favorite subject and why? Probably advisory because that is when we let loose and relax. -Lauren M. My favorite subject is math because I enjoy using formulas to figure out problems. I love algebra because you can plug your answers back into the problem to see if you are right. I find the whole subject very interesting. -Rachel D. My favorite subject is English because I love reading and writing. -Cheyenne T. Q: What has been the highlight of your school year so far? Probably being given a higher role in running Tamanend iTeam. -Lauren M. My 8th grade year was a lot of fun. I made tons more friends, and it was much easier maneuvering around the school since I had been here for a year already. I enjoyed my locker much more than my previous one (which was 1001, a horrible spot!). All my classes were close to each other which was way more easy than before! I liked that 8th graders were treated with much more respect than before, in 7th grade we were babied to say the least. I also was much less confident in 7th grade because I barely knew my way around the school. Eighth grade was certainly a step up. With more homework, plenty more responsibility, and having to be “role models for the seventh graders”, the school year was jam-packed full of stress. I definitely struggled a lot with managing homework and after school activities such as ballet and ski club. I made it work, but now it makes me wonder how this ninth grade school year is going to turn out. I have Marching Band twice a week and games on Fridays, I have ballet Monday's, Wednesday's, and every other Thursday. This is gonna be a stressful year! A few dislikes I have about eighth grade include the condition of the bathrooms. While my school's bathrooms are clean, in the girl’s room the supplies dispenser hasn’t been refilled in years and I am barely able to borrow supplies from friends. It would be much, much easier if the staff restocked the dispensers. I am sure I am not the only girl who believes this would be a good idea. 8th grade school year overall was so much fun education-wise because I really enjoyed my classes. -Anonymous The school year hasn’t been very long so far, but my highlight of the year is probably social studies class, or learning Spanish. In social studies class, my teacher is very funny and enthusiastic. This makes it easy to engage in the class. I also love my Spanish class. It has been very fun and interesting learning how to speak Spanish. I also enjoyed picking my Spanish name. -Rachel D. My little brother auditioning for chorus. -Cheyenne T. My best memory at school so far was when I competed in the Science Fair. I had such a fun time making my project, and the satisfaction of winning 1st place for my category is something that will fuel me for years to come. Like all my classmates, I spent all of my 8th grade year working on my project. It was about Spectrometers, which are machines that are used to determine the composition of planets and stars far away. For example, looking at the Fraunhofer Lines in the light from another planet can help you determine what the planet is made of. This is how scientists everywhere figured out that the sun is mainly made from Hydrogen and Helium, without having to actually visit the sun and take samples (which I’m sure is not yet possible). Every couple of weeks, we would complete different sections of our project and turn them in to our science teachers. Once we completed all the “tipsheets”, we put them together to form our project. Making the poster for my project was really fun to do. I got a bad papercut! Stapling and pasting my papers to the board was a long and laborious task for sure. I even had to rehearse what I would say to the judges, when they asked me questions. It was very stressful, as nobody knew the exact questions they would ask; this meant we had to know our own projects inside and out so we could answer anything about them. When the time came to go to the Fair, I was very nervous! But I’m still very glad I did it, because I won $50 to put straight into my savings account. Yay! -Anonymous Q: What holidays or events are you looking forward to? Christmas and the South Arts and Crafts festival. -Lauren M. I am looking forward to Halloween and the fall season in general. I would love to get involved in Halloween events for CB cares this year. I am looking forward to the mega food truck event. I would also like to get involved on Martin Luther King day. I am looking forward to the winter holidays as well. I would like to volunteer at Valley Square. -Rachel D. Christmas. -Cheyenne T. Q: What is your favorite thing about Fall? Jumping in leaf piles and pumpkin pie. -Lauren M. One of my favorite things about fall is the weather. I love how it is not too warm and not too cold. I also like all of the pumpkin themed things, like pumpkin muffins and lattes. Fall is my favorite season. My birthday is also in the fall, so that is another one of my favorite things about fall. -Rachel D. Everything. -Cheyenne T. Q: If you had to design a haunted hayride, how would you design it? Hmmm... I don’t know if I would design one, but I would probably make it so halfway through the ride the driver would look back at them with a skeletal face instead of his/her real face. -Lauren M. If I got to design a haunted hayride, I would make lots of tunnels to go through. It would be cool if it was Zombie themed. I would add cool sound affects to add to the experience. I would add fire for decoration. I would add a different scary theme to each section of the haunted hay ride. -Rachel D. Q: Why did you decide to join CB Cares Volunteer Teens? Because I wanted to help out my community and my friends are doing it, too. What better way to help out than with your friends? -Lauren M. I joined CB care teens because some friends recommended it to me. They said it was a fun way to volunteer, and it is. I also like volunteering in general, so I wanted to get involved with CB cares. It is also a way to bond and hangout with other people I know, while volunteering. -Rachel D. Because I love helping people. -Cheyenne T. Q: What has been the best event that you volunteered at and why? My favorite volunteering event so far was actually the one I most recently participated in: screwing in lightbulbs and fixing up all the snowflake light structures. This took a very long time to do, and my hands hurt so much afterwards, but hanging out with the other volunteers was a lot of fun and I really felt that I was contributing to my community. Though it was a while ago, this was my favorite one because of how much work we did and how satisfied with myself I was afterwards. And we got free food! Even now I look upon the memory fondly. Helping out my hometown is something that gives me satisfaction and happiness in all its forms. I hope to continue with the CB Volunteer Teens for as long as I can, and I can’t wait for my next opportunity to volunteer. -Anonymous Probably astronomy night because I liked looking through some telescopes and I love the night sky. -Lauren M. I would say the best event I have volunteered at was the I run 4 life program at Jamison. I personally like to run, and I always wanted to help out at the program because I used to be part of the program. It was fun helping and hanging out with the kids. I got to help out at the color run and the obstacle course. -Rachel D. I’ve volunteered at many events before and I personally think that many of them are very entertaining and fun. One event that I really enjoyed was the Easter Egg Hunt at Valley Square. I really enjoyed this event because many of my friends also volunteered on the same day, and my friend and I both had signed up to be at the tattoo station. Thinking back to that day, I’m glad I signed up for that position because it felt amazing to help my community and meet all the little kids and even adults who wanted fun and cute tattoos to be tattooed onto them. One woman even asked me to put a tattoo on her cheeks! Although it was awkward at first, in the end, we were all laughing and having fun. Another event that I absolutely loved was the winter festival. My friend and I, as well as another girl, we all were signed up to hand out hot chocolate and cookies. It was a very cold day and our stand was located across the street from the administrative office at Valley Square. To prepare for our stand, my friend and I had to make a couple big batches of hot chocolate and then carry it out to our stand. We thought all the hot chocolate would be enough to last for the whole day. However, after a couple hours and batches of hot chocolate later, we realized that we only had 1 jug of cocoa powder left. This was not a good sign because there was a crowd of cold and thirsty people waiting for their drink. Furthermore, we also began to run out of whip cream and chocolate chips for the hot chocolate. Many times, we had to tell people that hot chocolate was coming in 10 minutes which did not end really well, but most people were understanding. Overall, this winter event was a really fun opportunity and experience for me to hang out with my friends and help my community. A volunteer event that did not end well in my opinion, was when I volunteered at the Rocks and Mineral Convention at Churchville Nature Center. I did not enjoy this volunteer experience because after my friends and I signed up for what positions we wanted, after getting there, we weren’t doing what we signed up for. That wasn’t a big problem since my friends and I were positioned pretty close. However, later on, my friend got moved to a separate room and I was stuck with trading prizes, which I did not sign up for. Moreover, I was at Churchville Nature Center for 5-6 hours and I was NOT able to sit down at all because there were no more chairs available. One thing that I enjoyed from this event was that I made new friends with kids from other schools that also came to volunteer. -Nicole H. Q: Write your own question! "What is your funniest sunburn story?"
My funny sunburn story is from when I went to LBI (Long Beach Island) for the first time and we spent a long time on the beach. My friends and I had so much fun going to amusement parks and going mini-golfing (I won!) in the small town. The ice cream there tasted amazing. My friends both got soft-serve, but I decided to get the wildest flavor I could find. ‘Birthday chocolate Extravaganza’ surprisingly tasted great! Although I wouldn’t recommend doing much exercise immediately afterwards. That day we decided to walk down to the beach and splash in the waves. The sand was so soft there! It was super sunny outside, so we re-applied sunscreen a couple times, but we all fell asleep face-down and slept for hours! My back still hasn’t recovered yet. Leaning against chairs or slouching hurt a lot, so I had to sit up perfectly straight most of the time. As you can imagine, this was not fun when all I wanted to do was sit down on the couch and watch a movie. I looked like a robot all the time, any friends I had over would ask why on earth I was acting like military personnel. At least my posture has since improved dramatically! I spent so long applying lotion to my back, hoping it would help the positively gross peeling. It still looks like a self-tanning experiment went horribly wrong. That was a lesson learned, for sure. I will never underestimate the power of the Sun any longer! -Anonymous "What is something you do to de-stress?" Skiing is something that I do when I need to relax and take my mind off things. Whenever I’m stressed about something, skiing makes me forget all about it. Maybe it’s because you have to be paying full attention to what you’re doing as you ski down a hill. I have to focus on all these things: keeping my knees bent (but strong) so they don’t hurt when I land jumps, focusing on my skis to stop them from crossing so I don’t fall dramatically, and holding on tight to my poles! The last thing I want is to crawl back up a hill wearing my ski boots because I dropped a pole. When it’s not wintertime, I can often relax by writing short stories. My cousin and I exchange writing pieces every Saturday and it always gives me something to look forward to. However, I am not very good at typing. This certainly does make it a little harder! When I don’t feel like typing, reading is just as relaxing. My favorite books make me feel like they are transporting me to another place, and they help me take my mind off things just as well as writing and skiing do. Watching TV, especially horror movies/tv shows help me distract myself the best. The horrific and suspenseful atmosphere always makes me give it my full attention. The gorier and more stressful to watch, the better! It helps me focus on the main characters problems instead of homing in on my own; similar to when I read books. -Anonymous 'What did I do this summer?" As per usual, My summer is packed with plans. Usually as soon as school ends, my family visits the amusement park Knoebels for a few days. This is one of my favorite places because the rides are so much fun! My absolute favorite are the rollercoasters. The sense of thrill is simply amazing and so much fun to experience. After Knoebels, I plan on participating in Dance Camp at my ballet studio. This is when we spend the week learning new moves and practicing old ones. It’s a very draining thing to participate in, because it is a nonstop workout! I eat and drink like a horse during camp week. I have to deal with the leg cramps and muscle stitches if I don’t warm up correctly before dance, so I have to make sure to do that before class. After ballet camp is over my family travels up to Vermont for a week. The drive is 7 hours! It’s worth it, however, because our house at Lake Dunmore is beautiful. Its right near a nice town that has good ice cream and lots of cute shops. Once we get back from Lake Dunmore, it's off to CB West Marching Band Camp for me. For 5 days we go from morning to afternoon out on the high school fields doing drill. Its so much fun, but I am sweaty and dehydrated by the end of each day. Once the camp ends I am back to Vermont again to visit my cousins. We go bowling and get a ton of prizes at the arcade! Summer is over soon, and back to school. I sure had a good summer this year. -Anonymous "How does volunteering make you feel?" Volunteering gives me a sense of happiness that is different from any other kind. There’s “I just ate a lot of yummy ice cream” happy, “I just got a 100% on my test” happy, and a “I won the lottery” kind of happy. But volunteering makes me feel satisfied with myself and comforted. I know that I did something good to help my community or my peers, and that happiness can’t be found in very many other places. Since I am in the National Junior Honors Society (NJHS), we also need 10 hours of volunteer work under our belt by next March. Contributing to this blog, as well as other activities that I’ve done, have put good time towards that goal! The benefits are endless. While keeping up with NJHS and also helping others, I am left feeling satisfied and complete. Writing these paragraphs gives me other benefits too. I can practice speeding up by typing (which I am not very good at), and I can express creativity in the words I choose. Since school has only just started, we haven’t started any writing assignments yet. So, for me this is the perfect opportunity to write my heart out and type until my fingers bleed (though hopefully it won’t come to that). “Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” ~Elizabeth Andrew. This quote perfectly sums up how I view volunteering. With so many outside of school activities, its hard to keep up with the CB Volunteer Teens and schoolwork in general. That’s why the group is so amazing. No matter how many times you volunteer or how little times you do it, the amazing feeling remains nonetheless. -Anonymous "What are some ways you get involved outside of CB Cares?" I get involved by helping at my school. I help at the KAD charity basketball tournament at Tamanend Middle school. I helped by selling drinks. I help at my synagogue with the inclusion program. My cousin is a teacher at an autistic school, and I would help the students there. During the school year, I help sell tickets for the fall and winter dances. -Rachel D. "The last time I did a random act of kindness and how it made me feel" The last time I did a Random Act Of Kindness was when I helped out one of my friends (who shall remain unnamed). It was the second day of school and she didn’t have her syllabus signed. Our teacher told everyone it was totally fine if they brought it in the next day, but she was still nervous that she was going to be the only one who didn’t turn it in. I promised her that I would turn mine in the next day along with her, so she wouldn’t have to be alone. Her anxiety ceased, and she thanked me a lot. It felt really nice to help her out. I know how I would have felt if I was the only one who didn’t turn it in right away: very embarrassed! I had a good feeling all day because of her. Her anxiousness was clear, and thanks to me it was gone. The next day we both turned our papers in at the same time (with no consequence) and she smiled at me. Making her feel better fueled me through the day. Lesson learned! Helping others can make you feel confident and happy for hours on end. Though it might seem like a big effort, it really isn’t! All it takes is a couple kind words, maybe a compliment or two, and the satisfaction is lasts for a long time. And when you’re on the receiving end, you are so grateful for the act of kindness someone has bestowed upon you. Whether it’s easing your nerves about a project, or complimenting your outfit, it makes you feel great to be helped and it feels great to do the helping! Keep this in mind next time you are at school and see someone who’s having a bad day. -Anonymous "What is the most recent event that you have volunteered at?" The most recent event I participated in was when I worked on all the light up snowflakes for the streets of Doylestown. Each lightbulb had to be screwed in, tested, and replaced if needed. The task took us a whopping six hours, but it was so worth it. My hands, arms, and legs hurt from constantly screwing things in and standing up for so long. There were so many snowflakes! Each volunteer had a different job. Some were unloading the container of snowflakes and setting them up for us. Others checked the bulbs and unscrewed the ones that didn’t work, and then me and a few people screwed in the new lightbulbs. Each snowflake came in pairs, so both were connected and would go on opposite sides of the same lamp post. This made it difficult to move them around individually, because they were attached together! Though this experience was long ago, I had a lot of fun. -Anonymous |