Allen Brook School

Fine
Loving
Open to the air
Wonderful
Enchanted
Really nice
So soft

brown
Brown, whole
yummy, squishy, cooked
warm, delicious, good, oval
potato

Uncle Sam
Likes lamb
and ham;
With a tad of clam
It all tastes good with jam!

He Dances

He who holds on, but expects the world to change

Always seems to rise before the sun, and watch it in exchange.

In the morning glory though, the color truly prances,

and with the eternal gaze, real also,

he dances.

by Olivia - Grade 4
Allen Brook School

I've been through stress.
I know stress.
In November my mom and dad went away. My mom needed a stem cell transplant. I was scared. I was stressed.
I was cold and alone.
I didn't know what to do. I felt tired.
This is what I did:
I'm not a superhero but I put on a suit,
A calm suit.
I rap, tap, tap my hand from my neck to my toes.
My mother's calm whisper flows through me.
I exhale.
And I know my mother and father are with me,
and I feel safe and calm.

My Somewhere

By Olivia Pintair
Allen Brook School, Grade 4

“There is always a somewhere.” That’s what I believe. Read more »

By Jeff Goldman
Allen Brook School, Grade 3

When I hear the word "Africa" I think about how some Americans think they have trouble, but they are not thinking about life for African people. Many Africans have no food unless it is dirt or an animal they have killed themselves.
Americans don't think about the fact that some African people live in houses made of sticks and straw. When we say we don't have enough money, we should remember others. When I hear the word "Africa," I know that many people there need help getting food, building houses and finding the supplies they need to live their everyday lives.

By Alexa Kartschoke
Allen Brook School, Grade 3

When I hear the word "Africa," I picture zebras running through grass as tall as a snowpile here in Vermont. I also imagine a hippopotamus as fat as five Thanksgiving turkeys blowing bubbles in a muddy pool. There are also some elephants stomping around with the sound of a volcano erupting.
I picture villagers working and little children running through dusty streets. There is a whole market full of shoppers. In the distance people are riding in a jeep on an African safari.
Africa would be an amazing place to visit. Maybe some day I will have a chance to travel there and see for myself.

By Tasneem Sadok
Allen Brook School, Grade 4

It was on the road in a bag. I walked over to it. Next to the bag there was a sign that read, "Kitten for Sale."

“Oh, poor thing,” I cried. I couldn’t just leave it there. So I went over and peeked inside the bag. I heard the faintest meow. I took the kitten in my arms and gave her a soft pet. I ran inside crying, “Mamma, Mamma, look, look!” “Oh dear,” she mourned. We’ll have to take great care of her. Read more »

I Turned and She Was Gone
By Alexa Kartschoke

My sister and I are best friends in the world. Our names are Tasha and Chloe. We do everything together. One day, we decided to make a secret, special house. So, we dug a deep, dark hole and called it our ‘Secret House.”
We hung out there for a while and then I wanted a drink so I told Chloe. I started to leave but then I turned to see if she would follow. But she did not follow because she was not there.
When I turned, she was gone. My sister. My best friend. For days and days I did not see my sister. Those days became weeks and then a month and still no Chloe. Through the weeks, I thought she would never come back. But, then, one day, I went into our secret house. There she was! Chloe had just run away and now she was back. I gave her the biggest hug ever. We were back together again.

Gone

By Riley Brown
Allen Brook School, Grade 4

The day started off cheerful and fun. I was playing with my favorite doll, which used to be my great grandmother’s. I always take good care of it.

My doll and I were playing in our backyard. My brother was playing on the swing set. I stood up and started merrily walking inside for a drink. When I came back outside I walked over to the swingset, looking for my doll. There was no sign of my brother and my doll had disappeared.

“Where did it go?” I asked myself. I ran inside as fast as I could to tell my mother what had happened.

She said, “I have no idea where it could have gone.” Read more »

Thin Air
A Bedtime Story
By Hattie Roberts

Once, long ago, lived a man on the mountains. His name was Jack Arosa. He lived in his tent at the very top. The air was thicker at that time than it is right now. Life was easy and very simple to pass through.
One morning, at about five-thirty, a circular storm looked like it was heading his way. Jack climbed onto one of the trees with his binoculars on to see what was the matter. He realized that it happened to be an extremely large storm. It had never been heard of before. It was called Hurricane Thinra. He quickly climbed down the tree to grab his bags. While he was packing up, he realized that the air became thinner than usual.
As he walked down the mountain he tripped and fell down, rolling and rolling and rolling. As he got closer to the bottom, he could breathe because the air was thick. The higher elevation had thin air and the lower elevation had thicker air. Read more »

By Brigham Francis
Allen Brook School, Grade 3

Hiccup
Hiccup
Hiccup
Will he ever stop? I thought.
It was Christmas Eve and my brother was hiccuping in his sleep.
You think that would be annoying?
Well… you’re sleeping!
Ya! Read more »

A song about Samuel-D Champlain
By Alexis Meyer

In 1567someone was born, a guy, a star,
(Chorus) Samuel-D, Samuel-D, A guy who discovered Lake Champlain. A very courageous boy with the last name of a famous lake.

He traveled through Quebec at nearly sixty-five. And then the Saint Lawrence River. Yes, yes, yes he did, before the Europeans. (Chorus)
He traveled from Martha’s Vineyard, to the Mainland’s, with boats and boats of people. (Chorus)
In 1603, 03,03,He went back to Can, Can, Canada, Many, many French men’s lost their lives, because of the frigid winter season. (Chorus)
And now he is gone, away, it’s like he disappeared, Samuel-D Champlain

History in Vermont
A Vermont History poem
By: Morgan A. Roberts

Samuel De Champlain
was the person who made the name up for Lake Champlain.
The reason why he named it that
is because he was the first European man to discover
Lake Champlain.
The Lake is perfectly beautiful.
But now they say a legend is in the Lake
a monster named Champ.
There are plenty of pictures of him.
But hardly any one believes
that Champ is real.
People say it is an island of some sort.
But on the news
they show a video of him attacking a fish under someone’s boat.
But every now and then someone sees him in the water and then they believe in him.

Lasagna

By Jamie Pashby-Rockwood
Allen Brook School, Grade 4

Layers and layers of creamy rich sauce.
Slippery, long layers of yellow bumpy noodles.
As I tossed the onions like bouncing on a trampoline,
my eyes started to cry.
Water dripping down my face
and landing on the pool of other tears.
They shiver down my face like a river
rushing down to get to a water fall.

That’s just the beginning.

As the meat rolls in like a rock
smashing into the water
and sizzling like magical soup
it separates like friendship just barely ending.
As the two bottles of spaghetti sauce
bumble and tumble into the potion of magic,
it steams like a hot tub
with all the spices you could ever imagine.
While I stack the noodles in the silver, square pan full of sauce,
some of the noodles fall off.
I want to taste that slippery noodle.
So I place the noodle on my tongue
and crunch it like a stone smashing on the gravel and separating. Read more »

The Wind’s a Treasure
By Molly Duncan
In the mess that the sky makes and leaves behind, between every scattered cloud is something that no one notices. It scuttles its way around looking for the perfect place to blow. The wind can be a friend to all nature and earth though it still has its fights. It still skips and plays in the moonlight. It picks the leaves up when they’re down and turns them all around. Everything has its picture perfect part of them that’s solid silver and gold. The wind is something that’s all around and is a precious thing. The wind’s a treasure that no one notices and its blizzards create a show out of the tiniest details, and its sudden breezes ripple the waves. Its quick blow lifts the objects below into the heart of the sky.

Ugh
By: Maddie Huber

“Ugggggggghhhh!!!” It’s Christmas morning, and my parents have not woken up yet! Waiting is so long, especially when you’re sitting right in front of the presents! I sit in my bed and read my Junie B. Jones book, but it is hard to read because I am reading about this girl who is celebrating Christmas and how can I read about a holiday that I can’t even start to celebrate! It is so tempting to go downstairs and tear open all the presents, even though they’re not for me!
Finally my parents wake up: the moment I have been waiting for all morning. “Presents” I yell, but first before everyone opens their presents, I have to get some breakfast in my stomach. Read more »

By Allie Pashby-Rockwood
Allen Brook School, Grade 4

Have you ever gotten so annoyed that you want to scream? Well sometimes you just might have to. Everybody has to get annoyed at least once in their lives but not always for the same reason. Read more »

By Olivia Pintair
Allen Brook School, Grade 3

My boy is a small one,
I call him my bluebird,
I call him this name for his eyes.
I have never seen such a brilliant shade of blue.
His eyes thrash like the ocean,
and sing like the birds.
They rain and cry like the open sky.
I call him my bluebird.
I call him this name for his eyes.

By Olivia Pintair, Grade 3
Allen Brook School

Every day has its own ocean full of seashells hiding life's adventures. Each shell is waiting to wash up on shore and reveal its secrets. I have set out to find them. I have been to rivers where water parted and let leaves float through as if they were kings. I have been to the sea where little crabs scuttle by the sand and race me to the water. I have been to a little stream where birds sing peaceful songs as I sit beside the water skipping rocks. I have searched, but it is not until now that I realize. These adventures I have looked for all this time happen to be the time I spent looking for them. The leaves and the crabs and the birds were the secrets I searched for in my adventure that just happened to wash up on shore.

In the Dark
By Olivia Letourneau
Allen Brook School Grade 4
Can you imagine driving home on a cold stormy night? You could be hearing ghost sounds in your car! As my mom was driving, I heard a big crash. BOOM! I jumped up out of my seat and asked, “What was that?”My mom’s eyes got enormous and scared. Now, I was even more frightened as she said, “I don’t know.” Again, I heard a big crash. I was freaking out. My mom was still driving but it was pitch black out and raining. It was so foggy out that she could hardly see. We were almost home when…
I heard the loudest crash of my life! Now, I was so scared I started to cry. I wanted to get out of the car and run! We finally made it home. I couldn’t even see It was pitch black and pouring buckets of rain. Again, an even LOUDER boom. I fell down and hurt myself. My foot started to bleed. Then I heard a loud scream behind me and… Read more »

The Lurking Creature

By Kaitlyn Kaplan
Allen Brook School, Grade 4

My little sister Jocelyn was playing in her outside, colorful playhouse. Our family was enjoying the summer day. Our back yard used to be forest so we had to watch out for creatures. My sister was carelessly playing in her playhouse and then it happened. The animal went under our fence. It was limping and it went right into my sister’s playhouse. Everything went silent. Only my sister didn’t seem to notice. We could hear the wind. We were too frightened to scream. If we did, we might upset the raccoon and it might have rabies.
I could smell and taste blood. I realized I had bitten my lip as my family watched in fear. But, it did not bite my sister. It lurked past her and went towards my mom. It ducked right under her legs and finally went into the woods.
What a relief!