Thunderstorms

By:  Alaina

Long ago, there was an old man named Broze who moved to a new village. People tried to make him feel welcome by offering him crops and flowers, but Broze screamed and turned the people away. The Creator saw Broze and was not happy that he screamed at others when they tried to give him gifts.

The Creator thought about what he should do, and then he created a woman named Martha to talk to Broze. Martha was sent to Broze’s wigwam and she tried to reason with him about being kind, but the talk didn’t work. Martha told the Creator what happened and he was not pleased.

The Creator thought of a new plan, which was to kill Broze’s crops.  When Broze heard this plan, he said he wouldn’t care if that happened. The Creator was so mad, he killed Broze’s crops anyway, but Broze still didn’t learn to be kind or thankful.

Next, the Creator sent Martha to tell Broze that he would give him one more chance to be kind to others, but Broze just ignored Martha and slammed the door in her face. The Creator saw that Broze was being rude and disrespectful to Martha so he grew even angrier until he finally snapped.  He brought in rain and created a yellow strike called lightning.  He wanted his voice to be heard so he created a booming sound called thunder and when the Creator merged rain, thunder, and lightning, it created a thunderstorm. So, the Creator summoned lightning to hit Broze’s wigwam and he started to scream in new languages like Algonquian and Yaquina.  After a while, The Creator started to feel sorry for the way he was acting and decided to make his point with kindness. So, he said he would spare Broze’s life if he would agree to be respectful and kind to others. Broze agreed and was never cruel or mean again.  He was always kind to people and learned to be thankful for his life.

      So every time Native Americans see thunderstorms, they are reminded to be kind to others and be grateful for others’ generosity.

How the Northern Lights Came to Be

How the Northern Lights Came to Be

By:  Dakota, Madison, and Mika

One late afternoon, in a village covered with heavy snow, there was a girl named Layla who had a very bad argument with her family in her round, icy home.  They didn’t agree on Layla’s desire to hunt with the men because it was against her religion. Layla ran away to clear her mind, but she was absentminded in her thoughts.  She soon realized she was lost in the dark night. 

  

            As she went through the thick, fluffy snow she saw five totem poles. Layla begged the five wise totem poles, “Please lead me back to my village with some source of light.” The totem poles responded, “We will lead you with 1,000 oil lamps and no more.” As she got to the last oil lamp, she tried to carry it with her, but the oil lamp was too heavy and she fell down.

Next, she met a fox named Max. She made a deal with him when he said, “I will give you a box of matches if you allow me to walk with you on your long journey.” They had seven matches and used three. They both stopped to take a break to get a drink. As Layla was getting a drink, Max ran away with the last four matches. Layla turned around and saw the fox running away with the matches in his jaws. She was running after the fox, but Layla could not catch up with him. Layla was so upset she cried very hard.

As Layla was sitting, she sobbed to the god Tiki, “Please, oh please, give me one more chance and lead me home.” The god used his powers and caused the Northern Lights to shine brightly over her head. The Northern Lights lead her home to her village where Layla’s family reached out their arms to hug her. “I’m so sorry for disobeying my family and religion,” said Layla.  “We forgive you,” the family replied.

In conclusion, whenever Inuit people see the Northern Lights they are reminded to obey their religion.

Who Makes the Wind?

By: Autumn

Once there was a man named Howler. He lived with his wife, Saya, his son, Anthony, and his daughter, Tulip. They lived in a little hut by some small hills. The hills were surrounded by trees and bushes. It was peaceful there, except for an old, selfish woman named Foxarora.                                                                                                                                                                    

One day, as Howler and Anthony were sharpening their spears, Tulip came running up to them and handed Anthony a small, brown object. It was a dead bird. Tulip told them what happened: the bird had eaten all of the raspberries, so Saya killed it out of fear. That night, the family prayed that the birds would go away. As they slept, Cloudonius, the sky god, rained down on the land. He had hoped to wet the birds’ feathers so they would stop eating the people’s food.

The next day, news of the birds had spread to the selfish, old woman, Foxarora. She laughed and mocked,” They should get a cat to eat the birds!” That night, as Anthony and his father were coming home for dinner, Saya ran out. “Have you found anything to eat for dinner?” she asked.” No. Why?” asked Howler. “Have the birds come back?” he asked softly. Her answer was, “Yes,” so the family had to eat the few leftover squirrels they had been saving for winter. That evening, they prayed that the birds would go away again. Cloudonius heard them, and made thunder, hoping to scare the birds away. That did not work either.

The next morning, when Saya was on her way to the market, she passed Foxarora. Foxarora said,” Where’s your little birdy?” She laughed and walked away. That night, Tulip anxiously watched her mother cook. So far, there hadn’t been any more birds. Then there was a sound like a howl. Saya shivered. “What was that?” she thought. “Ah! The gods must be trying to blow the greedy birds away! Hurray!” shouted Tulip. And the birds disappeared.

So now, every time Cloudonius sees a bird, he makes the wind to remind them not to be greedy. The birds never bothered the family again. As for Foxarora, she never bothered them again either, and nobody knows why.

Dinosaur Facts

By: Brody N.

·        When dinosaurs ruled the Earth there were carnivores (meat eaters) and herbivores (plant eaters).

·        The Brachiosaurus eats plants.

·        T-Rex teeth are sharper than a shark’s tooth.  They are meat eaters.

·        A triceratops horns are used for fighting.

·        Ankylosaurus’ have very hard heads.

·        The pterodactyl can fly up to 67 miles in one hour.

Letter to Patricia Reilly Giff

Dear Patricia Reilly Giff,

            Dreaming was very hard for me until I read your book, “Wild Girl.”   Your words moved me to start believing more in myself.  Your book led me to know that I have a voice, and I should use my voice to stand up for and support what I believe in.  In short, your story really changed my vision of myself and the life I plan to lead until I die.

            Your book, “Wild Girl” inspired me to move on from the past and let go of my regrets.  I was weighted down by my poor choices, hasty decisions, and uneducated beliefs.  Only when I finally let all this go, did I feel free to really know, understand and accept myself.  Your main characters words and actions truly taught me how to be me and not anyone else.  Since reading this book, I am making much better choices.  I don’t always get in trouble and I know how to control myself better.  When I feel the need to do or say something, I don’t feel pressured or afraid.  The words you gave your book character helped me to understand that everyone is not going to make fun of me for what  I might do or say.

            While I read your book, I thought to myself that people are too worried about what they look like, talk like, and all the rest.  People are consumed with the fear of what others think of them.  The people I meet everyday never let themselves feel free.  Many days, I feel surrounded in a world where people live in fear of being rejected and never know the feeling of self-acceptance.

            Emotions, images and memories were flowing through my head as your book took me on the journey of Lidie’s life.  I could feel the freedom you felt while you rode your horse.  I imagined that I was right there with you.  Reading each and every word as I flipped through the pages, I developed a new picture in my head where I was always with you.

            I came in touch with many emotions as I turned the pages.  I experienced happiness, sadness, determination, and many more emotions on a very personal level.  The emotions I went through were endless and I understood why your words impacted me so strongly.  Your book moved me and changed me because I saw myself in the eyes of your characters and through those words, I slowly began to carve out a hope for my life.  Hope that includes accepting and loving myself.

            So many memories came back to me as I read your book.  One especially hurtful memory that came to me was the memory of being in third grade and being teased for having braces on my teeth.  Many kids passed hurtful comments and some even physically pushed me around.  I didn’t talk much that year because I was so embarrassed.  My lack of communication with my peers led them to believe that I was stupid.  I realize now that if I had just accepted myself, everything would have been quite different.

            I am forever changed, and I am grateful.  I now think of myself as a wonderful girl.  Your story taught me to be true to myself and to always be me. 

            As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Be you, everyone else is already taken.”

                                                                                    Thank you for helping me be free,

           

                                                                                    Kylie M

Letter to Suzanne Collins

Dear Suzanne Collins,

           

            At a time in my life when I was jealous of my little brother for practically everything, I checked out your book, “The Hunger Games” from the local library.  At first glance of your book, I thought, “Man, this book is long, and I might not even like it, either.”  But the pages turned and turned with ease and as I neared the dramatic conclusion of the life and death games, I realized that this book impacted me socially, politically, and spiritually.

            This book has taught me a lot of things.  First, it taught me that sometimes rules need to be re-considered and even bent.  Some things are not black and white.  Second, it taught me that sometimes people will trick you to get what they want, like my little brother.  He has been known to lie and say things like, “Dad wants you to make me cereal.”   Your book made me take time to be more aware of who I should trust and that trust is earned, not given.  President Snow is an example of one of those people who play tricks and lies, not for the sake of others, but for himself.

            Panem’s government is very different from our current government.  Their country is divided into 12 districts.  This is quite different from the world I have known.  Your writing has taught me to feel empathy for countries whose leaders are tyrants, like President Snow.  The president you describe escaped my acquired knowledge of adults, and my belief that adults actively choose right from wrong.  Your writing made me grateful for our American way of government that is established “for the people, by the people.”

            Sometimes situations require rules to be broken.  By breaking the rules, sometimes it forces others to think more about the rules, question why, and stir change for the benefit of all.   Like Katniss, sometimes people are forced to break the rules to bring awareness and change.  There hope is not only to make things better for themselves, but for others. 

            Some emotions that arose in me were sadness, anger and empathy, as I became more and more involved in the lives of your characters.  Knowing that some eat well and live spoiled lives while people in neighboring districts are poor and hungry made me feel all of these emotions.   I realize now more then ever that I am very lucky to live the life I have.  I could not imagine myself at ‘the reaping’ or watching a family member being selected for ‘the games.’ 

            I really enjoyed reading your book!  It aroused many emotions inside of me and now more than ever I know to appreciate life and never take it for granted.

            Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and sharing with you how your novel impacted my life.

                                                                                                            Your thankful reader,

                                                                                                            Ericka H.  

Letter to John Green

Dear John Green,

            In your writing, I came to understand that there is so much more happening in every person’s life than I may ever know. We all have a history, and some of us are blessed with a future, but none of us last forever.  Your writing also inspired me to be more curious about the world and question more about the things that I see and hear, especially when I don’t understand.

            I have a lovable cat that always puts a smile on my face.  Just like anyone else that has a pet, I love my cat and never want to see him die.  Reading about Gus’s life and untimely death helped me really understand that no matter how much I love my pet, he is going to die one day.  I do not want my cat to ever die, but your words helped me to understand that death is a part of living.  I will one day have to face the pain of the loss.  You also taught me to make the most of the time I have with those I love, so I plan to spend as much time as I can with him before that day comes.

                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                Jaden