May 26
opinion challenge: Astronaut

We Are Not Alone

Sometimes I think about how expansive the universe is. I don't like to think about it too much though, because I can't quite comprehend it all. For example, the universe is growing, right, but what is it growing into? If the universe is all there is, what is on the edge of the universe? And how will it die one day? How does something that is all there is die? It's a bit too much to contemplate. 

If I ever got the chance to explore it, I would find the edge. I would find the edge of all there is. I'd look out beyond the edge, and I don't know what I would see, but I think it would help everything make a bit more sense. 

I think that we are not alone. The universe is too big to house so little life. Or maybe the life that does exist, does not look how we think it should.
May 24
opinion challenge: Astronaut
Connor Gaine's picture

Going to Space

If I had the opportunity to go anywhere in space, I definitely would take it. The thing is, there's nowhere that would seem nearly as cool as Earth. On our planet, I could go deep into a rainforest, scuba dive in the ocean, and walk around the desert. In space, it is all empty. I think looking back at Earth and looking at other planets more closely would be amazing, but I think the experience, and being able to say I did this would be just as cool as looking at the planets. So assuming that I would survive anywhere I would go, I would want to take into consideration how long it takes to get there. I would really like to drift around in unexplored places, but I would probably die before I came back, and I still want to do all the stuff on Earth that I mentioned before. Knowing that, I would probably go to the Moon. First, it does not take that long to get there, so I would not have to worry about how much longer I have to live when I get back.
Apr 30

Forgiveness


Sometimes, it’s easier to forgive, 
than to hold a long lasting grudge. 
It makes it easier to live,
without a burden to judge. 
It’s not easy to always let it go,
but to keep my peace,
I won’t forgive just for show.
Apr 16

The Guns

"Bad guys will always get guns."

That's not the point, though, is it? Identity thieves will always find a way to hack your email, so what's the point of requiring a complicated password? Bank robbers will always hold up banks, so why lock the safes?

Because doing that makes it harder, it buys time for alarms to ring and attention to be drawn. Adding an extra layer of basic security keeps the local boy from trying to break into the village store. The point isn't to keep the "good guys" defenseless, but to keep the opportunist people from jumping on it.

This isn't a mythical James Bond villain acting out of the shadows, these are your co-workers, neighbors, friends, and family. They aren't gathering these materials illegally; they are acting within the confines of the law, and all the safeguards that were there have been disabled by security because the employees could set them off.
Mar 25
opinion challenge: Bread
Hardy's picture

Bread


Bread. I love bread, and when I say that, I really mean it. Not in the way you love a show or a new pair of shoes. I really love bread. Bread is so versatile. Without bread, what would you do? Make pizza? Out of the question. Without bread, pizza is nothing, just a sad sauce with not enough substance to be considered a dish. What will you have for lunch? A sandwich? I’m sorry, but you're out of luck. With bread the possibilities are endless: butter it, make a sandwich and if you add the element of heat, toast. You can put butter on toast too, peanut butter, jam, whatever really, you can't go wrong with toast. Bread’s even better fresh. When you bake a loaf of bread and take it out of the oven, the smell floats through the room; it feels like a warm, soft and comforting hug. Bread is comforting, it's reliable, I trust bread, like a good friend.
Mar 20
opinion challenge: Movies
Emmett Terry's picture

Cocaine Bear Review

Movie: Cocaine Bear
Age Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
Audience Score: 72%
My Rating 1-5: 5
Mar 18
opinion challenge: Love

Love To Me

I used to think that love had to involve sacrifice, because of the role it played in my family while I was growing up. I still remember the slamming doors and the screams, with little me just wanting to escape from it all. I remember thinking, "should I run away?" I never did, but at times I wished I had. I can still recall what it was like for my mom; she would give up almost everything just to be with the person she supposedly "loved." So, I thought that's how it was going to be in life - if you wanted to be with someone, you had to give up everything for them to stay with you. If you didn't, you could forget about them wanting to stay with you. I used to think, "I'm never falling in love!" And, to be honest, I never did. There was no one that I truly loved like that, even if they were crushes.
Mar 14

The Extinction Project

The Willow Project is a multi-billion dollar oil drilling project in Alaska.
The federal government plans to release 629 million barrels of oil and produce 287 million metric tons of CO2.
This project is extremely harmful to the environment and all the animals living in Alaska.
Half of these species are already at risk of extinction, and due to this project, over half of them will most likely be wiped out.
This oil drilling will cause even more climate change and damage to our Earth and environment.
President Biden has recently just granted approval for the continuation of this project to secure jobs for those living in the area.
Although many will receive jobs from this harmful project, the conditions they will be living and working in will become extremely polluted and dangerous. 
Our planet needs our help, and we are not providing for its needs.
We are doing the complete opposite.
Mar 14
opinion challenge: Movies

A Review: Yes Day


Movie: Yes Day
Tomatometer: 51%
Audience Score: 43%
My rating (scale of 1-5): 2.5
Mar 13
opinion challenge: Movies

Easy A: A Review

Movie: Easy A 
Age rating: PG - 13 
Rotten Tomato Score: 85% 
Audience Score: 77% 
Personal score: 65% 

Summary: “Prompted by her popular best friend to spill details of her boring weekend, Olive (Emma Stone), a clean-cut teen, decides to spice things up by telling a little lie about losing her virginity. When the high-school busybody (Amanda Bynes) overhears the conversation and spreads it all over campus, Olive is suddenly notorious but for the wrong reasons” (Rotten Tomatoes). 

Review: 
Mar 03
Meili Winchester's picture

The Ladder of Life

“Just one more rung,” I gasp, hopelessly looking up at the death trap gaping at me. I work tirelessly and use every muscle in my body. I don’t know how much longer my weak body can hold on. 
Life, remarkably, is similar to climbing a ladder. Everything I do, even the simplest things, drains energy. I have to use my entire body, whether it’s my mentality or my legs to move forward. I feel no end. I’ll be stuck on this ladder forever. I’ll stare up at the thousands of rungs above, each painting its own story, each waiting to be reached. 
Perhaps, there is a rung that is smooth and easy to grip, or maybe a rung with spikes. Either way, each is an example of how life can seem perfect and awful at the same time. Each rung connects to one ladder. That ladder holds all the answers, only if one dares to climb over the obstacle. 
Feb 27
opinion challenge: Teenager
Akvt's picture

2023 Teenager Experience

Being a teenager in 2023 is complicated, to say the least. While you can't say if it was better or worse in the past, you can say it is still a weird experience. Being a teenager in 2023 is a constant battle of bombarding opinions from both welcomed and unwelcomed sources. All of the fights, movements, and trials in the world are on display, conflicting views on the events being blown into your face whether you like it or not. Being a teenager in 2023 is an uphill battle for everyone. The need to choose and fight for a side on a topic you may not know much about is suffocating. Being a teenager in 2023 is a free daily dose of an identity crisis. Labels and peer pressure lead to questioning yourself, even if you are already happy and know who you are. Being a teenager in 2023 is a constant flow of relationships. Childhood friends grow cold and distant on one side, and new friendships blossom with the seasons.
Feb 24
monty's picture

Why refrigerators are so good


 I have apples, peppers, cheese, cucumbers and more things that I love. food it sits in my fridge waiting for me to eat it all up nothings better then when mom comes come from the grocery store and fill up the fridge with all the best foods and drinks the food gets kept cold and all the enjoyment when you find something you want it's the same feeling as when you ask for something and get it. There's all sorts of things allowed in the fridge. You can have meats, vegetables, fruits and more. It's the perfect spot for leftovers too. In the middle of the night you just wake up hungry and waddle to the fridge for leftovers then go bed to bed. It's the perfect night at that very moment. You wake up the next day, grab a snack from the fridge and walk your way off to school.
 
Feb 22
happyguy123's picture

Summertime

Summer is my favorite season because it’s warm and you don’t have to put on a bunch of gear to go outside. It’s easier to run around and play sports, like swimming. I like to play soccer in my backyard and swim at the beach. Also, the sun doesn’t set until late, so It’s a nice light and you feel so alive and light as a feather, just running around. There is no school so you get to sleep in every day. It’s easy to just go down to the park and play with friends. I like to barbecue burgers and chicken. I like going and getting french fries. I like to water ski, sail, and jump off high places into the water. When you jump off a high rock or bridge, it feels scary and like you’ll never hit the water. That’s how big the drop into the water is.
 
Feb 18
opinion challenge: Love

Love Fast, Die Young

Love is not just romantic, or I guess romantic love is not the most important kind of love. Someone can feel completely whole without ever being in a romantic relationship and that's okay, because love is whatever we want it to be. 

Love does not always last forever, it can be inconsisent, and fleeting, but no matter how long it is there it is beautiful. We must open our hearts to the possibility of love, but be able to let it go when we must. 

I don't know if I will ever find a love that can make me feel whole, and I don't know if that's the point of it either. Maybe we love because we don't know what else to do. We don't have much time on this earth, so we love while we can, and mourn life once we're gone. 
Feb 15
jellyfish27's picture

Ice rink

The smell of the ice, cold as it comes into your nose the smell is sharp but amazing.  You exhale relaxed because you can tell you're at home. The taste of water after a three- minute shift is like heaven chilled from the cold rink. It settles your breathing as you take a sip.  The sound of stopping, your skates cutting into the ice, the cloud of snow so tall it reaches the top of the boards. The sight of the puck hitting the back of the net the ripple like water  through every string from the impact. Your team is rising on the bench. The first touch of your blade to the ice is like a knife. The first touch of your stick to the ice you can feel it through the stick, the first touch of the puck to stick as you take the face -off.  All that is my favorite place,  the ice rink.
 
Feb 14
Writerme's picture

Weather Moods.

The weather is a big part of my mood. If the weather is too hot or too cold my mood tends to be more in the unhappy side. Although when it’s raining or snowing; the soothing setting from the snow or when the thunder roaring and the rain is snapping, I tend to be more on the calmer side. If the weather makes me feel uncomfortable or annoyed like really hot weather, thats what makes me not like the weather that day. Therefore if the weather is comforting to me, thats the weather thats when I’m more likely to like. Overall if I like the weather my mood is good and if I don’t like the weather my mood is down.


 
Feb 13
soccerplayer's picture

Teachers are not the Same

In some countries teachers are torturers. They hit students. In the US teachers are not hitting students and they are good. They help students and also they teach very well. I like doing math problems if I have questions the teachers helps me. I love to go to school in the US.

 
Feb 13
hande's picture

Messi's Influence

  My favorite athlete is Lionel Messi. He has greatly influenced me from the moment I learned about him. Not only has he influenced me when I play soccer, but he also changed my mindset in general. I love that he glides past his opponents like they’re just illusions, then BANG! The ball is in the goal just like that. He is the best player in the entire universe and a significant influence on people who love soccer around the world. But he has also influenced me in other ways, not just in how he plays, but in how he made it to the top. He started in a super poor family. He had to overcome illness and he probably only made it to the top because of his grandma. Now every time he scores a goal he points to the sky and thanks his grandma for all the help along the way. Thanks to him I don’t have to worry about my weaknesses while playing, just my strengths. 

 
Feb 13
Lebron1's picture

Mind changing advice


The Growth Mindset Project changed my way of thinking. This is because I have always loved basketball, but I have never been motivated to get good at it. My way of thinking changed when I learned about The Growth Mindset Project in school. During this project we learned that you might not be the best at something, but you can always improve and become a better person. This changed my way of thinking from, “I should just stop, I will never be any good,” to “I can still have fun + benefit doing something that I am not good at, and one day I will be a lot better than when I started.” “One day I might play basketball like a mouse, the next I will be like a lion” - John Minor. I don't believe that to do something you have to be good at it; I think that it's ok as long as you have fun.