It began with a class field trip to China organized by my real-life teacher to film the culture, tourist attractions and beautiful scenery. I, not like my real-life self, was eager to go to China. The other students and teacher melted away once we arrived and I found myself in a large courtyard that resemboled the inside of the Forbidden City. But it couldn't be...

Melli looked around at the noiseless room. People were laughing and shouting, but the only thing she heard was silence. This is how she was born. In a world full of color and noise, she had none of it. People had tried describing color to her before, but she couldn't grasp it. She got up, tking one last look around the room before walking outside. She popped some gum out of her pocket. Extra spicy cinnamon. Her sense of taste was diminished as well, although she could taste extreme flavors.

I remember the older version of myself. The one that got lost in a storm of hate and heartbreak. That me was strong. She held onto the happiness in her life for so long and tried immensely to get back up after life pushed her down. I’m not sure what broke that part of me, or what the final straw was, but she disappeared. Leaving behind a lonely, angry and vulnerable version of what once was. I’m trying to enjoy my time here on this Earth, I really am. But there is something holding me back.

         Mother Nature is in grave danger! We humans are destroying the earth in our everyday lives. All of the cars we use are destroying the environment. When you drive to work or school every day you are destroying the earth. Those beautiful trees that you have seen in your yard all of your life are getting destroyed everyday because of pollution.

The world is dying and we need your help. Climate change has been affecting our world for years and we need you to stop it. You can help by not polluting like driving your car less or recycling and not throwing everything in the trash. It is a proven fact by many naturalists like me that the if you don’t pollute as much you will feel better as a person. If we don’t stop climate change than the weather could gat severe and the air unhealthy.

Climate change on planet earth. Just imagine the animals drowning in the poles from climate change. Just think about the grasses dying. Do you really want this to happen? It affects more than just animals, it affects us and planet earth. Can’t you see the changes in weather. Soon enough planet earth will be a dessert or even just volcanic ash. If we don’t stop these climate changes then we will end up like dinosaurs. Dead. One way we can fix this is by using solar instead of gasoline.

The world, it's trapped in an atmosphere of pollution. Ice caps are melting, the poor polar bears are finding themselves in danger, all because of the humans and their stupidity. Don't be one of those people, make a change. It isn't too late to turn things around… or is it? (Shrug) Might as well try. It's the human’s fault that the earth is dying, it's the humans fault to fix things.

By Natalie Strand, Randolph Union High School sophomore

On Friday, March 23, I boarded the Amtrak in Randolph with 11 of my peers and three teachers, not knowing what to expect of the March of Our Lives in Washington DC. I’ve been to protests before, small ones in Montpelier and big city ones in Boston, but never had I marched on Washington before.