Cowboy Roundup

By Luis Samarripa

Rough Draft

At the age of 27, Chad Hymas’ life changed instantaneously when an accident left him paralyzed.  President of his own communications company and an internet marketing company, Chad has been recognized by the state of Utah as the Superior Civilian of the Year.  At 37 years old, he is the youngest person ever to receive the CPAE award and be inducted into the National Speaker Hall Of Fame.  As a member of the National Speakers Association, Chad spoke at more than 220 events last year and travels as many as 300,000 miles a year.

Chad is also the author of the regionally best-selling book Soaring to New Heights.  Chad’s topics focus on leadership, teambuilding, customer service and mastering change.  He will not only inspire, but he will motivate people audience; he will create an experience that will touch everyone’s hearts for a lifetime.  Chad just wants to make a difference and help people realize that it is not always about them.

When he came to Meeker, and came to our school, he opened everyone’s minds to be better people, to encourage themselves, persevere, and to go far in life, no matter what obstacles are in the way.

By Calvin Shepherd

Rough Draft

                I never really knew how he got the way he was.  I would never describe has as dumb, he just misunderstood a lot.  He could hardly hear, and made the biggest influence on my class and most of all me.

                Elementary School, 5^th grade.

                Yes, I was immensely interested in the show “Prison Break.”  I was addicted to the thrill and the problem solving skills it took to break out.  I took me awhile to figure out how simulate the exact reenactment of the show, Bruce was there to help.  Cubbies around the school where used to hold the entrance to the school.  These cubbies became my prison cells.  Bruce was my warden and guard.  Days went faster by running the streets after an escape and being escorted to my cell by Bruce.

                Middle School came around and games became more and more lame.  Bruce being able to listen and work with me became my full time partner in classes.  Bruce wasn’t that hard to work with, he couldn’t understand which resorted to me doing most of the work.  I didn’t mind.  It was good for me and him.  We got work in the halls and got a lot more done.

                Without knowing how Bruce was and how happy he was even with his unfortunate disability, I don’t think I would appreciate the things I do today.  Bruce’s hard work and dedication to the sports he wasn’t able to play helped me to become better in sports because he never gave up even from the sidelines, neither did I.   Bruce’s abilities changed my life.

Name has been changed to protect Bruce’s privacy.

By Dom Devore

Rough Draft

Adversity is one thing, but this takes it to a whole new level.  On March 1^st 2011, it is published in “The New York Times” and “Mail Online” that the European Court bans gender as a factor in insurance.  This basically means that the ‘gender equality’ ruling means young men cannot be charged more for their car insurance – even though they are ten times more likely to have a serious crash.  Also pension and medical will have to be adjusted when the new ruling will become permitted on the 21^st of December this year. 

An example would be car insurance.  The Association of British Insurers’ predict that women drivers under the age of 26 may face a 25 percent rise in car insurance rates, with a 10 percent drop in rates for men within the same age group.  Currently, the standard practice across Europe is to base insurance rates on statistics about differing life expectancies or road accident records of the sexes. 

A woman driver under the age of 22 pays around $2,604.24 in car insurance while a young man is charged an average of $4,257.82.  This is because men under 22 are ten times more likely to have a serious crash, 25 times more likely to commit a driving offence and twice as likely to make an insurance claim. 

The risk difference between the sexes becomes less pronounced as both get older.  But the ruling means that in future gender cannot be taken into account when accounting premiums.  That means age will become the overriding factor when calculating insurance.  Hence young women can expect a rate hike of up to 25 percent.  But at the same time, an income a man receives for life from his pension will be cut by as much as 8 percent. 

Insurers grudgingly accepted the ruling, but said the change will be bad for customers and they maintained that their current policies were fair.  They insisted that the typically longer lives of women should be taken into account when offering life insurance policies, for instance.

Currently millions of insurance policies take gender into account.  The court ruled that practice as inappropriate since there are myriad other factors that could be considered.  Gender, however, is typically easy to check and can point to sound statistical conclusions, the industry says. 

A statement the court said to this was, “Taking the gender of the insured individual into account as a risk factor in insurance contracts constitutes discrimination.”

Until now, discrimination in setting insurance rates has been explicitly permitted under EU equal treatment rules.  It allowed the market to fix the price of a financial product based on the statistical likelihood of a person having an accident, falling ill or dying.  All EU insurance policies will be affected by the new ruling.

By Perla Romero

Rough Draft

Adversity is that struggle we most have yet to face. Most think its applying to human, but yet it applies to all from a broken tree branch, from a dead plant, to a dolphin tail. My story applies to how not only humans suffer differences, but so do animals. No one really pays attention to it.    

          This is where neglect starts to happen, we treat animals like they’re not worth anything, but they’re actually worth more than what you think. The movie Dolphin Tale is based on a story centered on the friendship between a boy and a dolphin whose tail was lost in a crab trap. The dolphin now isn’t normal just because he lost one little part of his body and isn’t able to swim very well.  Life is challenging and you just must keep moving, because if a dolphin can learn to swim without a tail and overcome adversity, so can you!

By: Sidney McCourt

Rough Draft

Adversity is a part of life. Everybody has hard times.  So why do some individuals overcome while others don’t?  It’s all about the way you choose to handle the adversity. When something bad happens like an injury or loss of a loved one, it can make you feel like there is no end to your problems.  You feel like there is no way out. But adversity can be a lesson.  If you have lost a loved one you come to appreciate the people you have in your life, and spend more time with them.

Sometimes misfortune can come to you because you need to change.  For example, there is a movie about a man who led a life of crime.  He had never planned on seriously injuring anyone but he accidentally hits a boy with his car and kills him.  He is sent to jail. Where he finds God and turns his life around.  Instead of coming up with excuses or sulking, he completely turned his life around.  It’s a perfect example of overcoming adversity.  There were probably reasons he was the way he was.  But instead of dwelling on them, he went to church and became a better person.  

My dad would also be a good example of overcoming adversity.  He grew up in a very abusive home, physically and verbally.  He was given no money, or even a ride to leave for college. But even with all the damage his family had caused him he still managed to make a good life for himself. He is now very successful and a very good father. He is this way because he is determined.  He could have given up because of how hard it was and just blamed all his problems on his parents, but he didn’t. He pushed through and made his life better.  He has three siblings who did just that though, made terrible decisions and blamed their family, and none of them have a good life because they chose to dwell on the adversity instead of pushing through.  Even though the abuse was hard to deal my dad still manage to overcome all of it, because he knew what he wanted and he had the determination to do it. 

Adversity is unavoidable.  It’s better to just accept it than fight it. You can control your attitude about it. 

“Recognize misfortune for what it is: an opportunity to lift yourself to a higher level.  Sailors caught in a storm should pray not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear.  Why should they accept the storm?  Because a smooth sea never made a skillful mariner.”  – Chuck Gallozzi

A great way to deal with adversity is to remind yourself that it could be much worse. Whenever I’m down I have to remind myself how little my problems are compared to a lot of other peoples. Like whenever I’m mad at my parents I think about how terrible my dads’ parents were to him and how lucky I am. No matter what the problem it could always be worse. Don’t let adversity control you. Have hope, believe in yourself. Have a deep seated notation that “I am a good person. What happened to me is not right or fair, but I can’t let this define me or my life.” So in conclusion, there is no avoiding adversity. Everyone has problems, some bigger than others. But everyone can learn and grow from adversity. It’s all about attitude.

Rough Draft

Emily Cardile

1/9/12

A new pair of socks.  A simple fall to the floor.  What was thought to be a simple broken arm.  What turned out to be a complicated broken arm that needed surgery, two weeks of in-cast recovery, ten weeks of physical therapy and the long relearning process.  Although this would be considered low on the scale of difficult adversities to overcome by many people, it was one of the biggest in my life.

It terrified me.  I was afraid to go through with it.  The word its self scared me.  Surgery; a terrible word for a 14 year-old to have to think about.  I did it anyways, and it wasn’t as bad as it seemed to be. The recovery afterwards was worse than the surgery itself.  Except for when I was asked to put on the hospital gown by myself with one hand, and had my Sprite and gold fish knocked off the table and sprawled across the floor by the nurse, I don’t really remember much.  I do remember the recovery.  For the longest time, I couldn’t do anything at all.  I couldn’t support my arm without a sling, or take a shower.  I had to take baths and wash my hair in the sink.  I couldn’t brush my hair, or eat, or pick things up.  I had to learn to do everything with my left hand, which was quite a challenge for me, since I’m right handed.  The little bit of luck I got was that I was homeschooled through all of this.

 The doctor didn’t believe in me.  He didn’t think I could do it.  He told me I would never regain full mobility.  I had to work hard, going to one physical therapy class after another. I had to work on it at home, and while I was there.  I had to get all the strength back in my arm, and the mobility in my elbow and wrist. I basically had to relearn how do to everything all over again.  I went to physical therapy three times a week, for ten weeks. 

When this time was up, I did what the doctor said I couldn’t.  I gained all the mobility back.  I relearned how to draw, and eat and do all the everyday activities.   Everything was close to back to the way they were, minus the three inch scar down my elbow, the four screws in my bone, and all the memories of the event. All it took was a little perseverance.

Rough draft

By Kiana George

Act as if what you do makes a difference.  It does. 
-William James- 

What if just the simplest thing you do makes a big impact?  This is not an “if”, this is a reality.  Everything you do, no matter how small, can affect EVERYTHING. I mean everything. This is what happened to Chad Hymas.  Just one mistake changed his world forever; April, 3 2001 Hymas’ life altered when one 2,000 pound bale of hay fell on him leaving him a quadriplegic.  Though his legs and most of his upper body died that day, his spirit did not.  He has done much after that day including:

• Setting the world record for wheeling his chair from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas.
• Spoke on 5 Continents and 4 Countries.
• Hymas is the youngest ever to receive the CPAE award and be inducted into the National Speaker Hall Of Fame.
• The Wall Street Journal calls Chad Hymas one of the 10 most inspirational people in the world.
• He is a CSP (Certified Speaking Professional).
• He plays and is in basketball, rugby, wheelchair racing and officiating basketball.
• He has fulfilled his fife dream of being a cowboy and is raising 5110 head of elk with his father, Kelly Hymas.
• And not the last or the least, spending many hours with other injured individuals in therapy, encouraging them to overcome their challenges, focus on dreams and make them a reality, and to love life for all that it has to offer. To achieve the unachievable and to reach for the unreachable.

This man has done so must in his lifetime and is still will for many years to come. So ask yourself before you make that bad decision.  Think how this will affect me or everyone else.  What have you done today?

By Linda Olivas

Rough Draft

As the tall-tale has been told to every child in history, the so called Santa Claus would climb down the chimney of your house, eat the cookies and milk that had been left on the table, and leave the presents that you asked for.  After doing so, he would climb back up and ride off on his sleigh that was getting pulled from his reindeer.  For a small child, this story is very believable since they have enough imagination to believe that pigs can fly!

On Christmas Eve, my family would all get together with a big dinner, and exchange presents.  Throughout all my years, this was always very enjoyable.  This would be our way to surpass the time until Christmas, when I was little, it was for me anyways.  I would go around and play with the other kids or try and hold a conversation with the adults to stay up until 12 o’clock in the morning to start opening the presents that our parents had gotten for us.

Being a little girl, this mission seemed to be physically and mentally impossible!  When the clock finally struck 12, we rushed towards the presents with excitement to see how much money our parents and family members spent on us this year.  Although this didn’t matter much at the time, all that mattered was that we got new things.  Like all kids, they right away want to use their new things right away, so I would at least stay up an hour more to play with what I got. Then I would fall asleep.  In the morning, I would rush into the living room where the Christmas tree is usually placed and see what Santa brought for me this year.

Now that I actually think back to when I believed in Santa, my routine didn’t exactly fit the tale about Santa Claus.  Either way, I still enjoyed the thought that he existed or that he would bring me the toys that I wanted.

By: Luis Samarripa

          Christmas can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people; to some it doesn’t even mean anything it is just another day of their lives, but to most people it means getting presents and lots of them too.  On Christmas people just love receiving presents.  People are really greedy about their presents on this day, if one doesn’t like it they want the receipt so they can take it back or they take it, but don’t appreciate it.  And then I think why this is. 

This is possibly because as the years go on technology is getting more advanced and people expect to get those things that are more advanced or at least get something better each year.  So what I’m trying to say is GET PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT FOR CHRISTMAS!  Trust me, it will make things a lot easier for everyone.  You won’t have angry people at your Christmas party if you give the people what they want.  Even if it does cost some money, the person you give it to should and will appreciate it. 

Also if the person does not want a present in a box, give them what they want.  If the person just wants to spend time with their family then gather up your family and be happy together.  Because that is what Christmas is about, being with your family and being happy.  You can’t go wrong with the family if that is what one wants, but if you plan on getting a present be very careful.

By Bryan Benitez

Rough Draft

Christmas is the time of year were your mom stays up late baking food for the next day and are ready to have a big celebration with your chill family.  I’m Mexican and we celebrate Christmas by eating a special meal like tamales, and pozole.  If you don’t know what it is, tamales, are a Latin American dish made of masa. Tamales, can be filled with beef, chicken, cheese, vegetables ,chilies and other stuff whatever you want to put there, that you enjoy.

Christmas is a holiday, it only comes once a year and you have to take advantage of that.  It’s the day each person is waiting for, everybody is so eager to unwrap there special gift they were waiting for.  Every time Christmas comes we wait till twelve a.m. to unwrap the presents.  After you open your presents you are so happy you got what you wanted and you always give your mom and dad a big, luscious, juicy high-quality hug.  After that you don’t care if is Christmas or not because you’re so excited with what you got, then you go to wear out your Christmas gift in order to enjoy it.

This is a special holiday because it’s the day you have peace, and a good time with your family, and eat a special meal. For little kids when they think of Christmas they think of toys, but when you get older, Christmas actually is not about the stuff you get, it is to share love with your family. So everybody have and wonderful             Feliz Navidad!

By: Jose Camargo

Rough Draft

            Christmas is the holiday that only comes once a year every year.  Christmas can be thought of in many ways.  For starters it can be thought of the day you get presents or the day that families get together and rejoice.  A lot of people take it for granted; they don’t value the meaning of Christmas as much as others do.  The day of Christmas to me has no specific meaning. In my opinion Christmas is the day that my family shares. It is the day we have a wonderful dinner all together as one happy family.

            Many different people celebrate it in other ways, there isn’t just one way to celebrate it but the most common is with the Christmas tree, and the giving of presents.  I don’t know any other way to celebrate it but the way I know how to celebrate.  In some cases people don’t celebrate Christmas for their religion so they don’t get to have the fun that others get to have. That doesn’t matter to them as long as they are with their families and love and care for each other.  This holiday only comes once a year and it’s the only time that you see the joy of many people come out and shine.  

            During this holiday lots of meals come to households just for this special occasion. From all over the place delicious meals come and invade your homes for those days of Christmas. There are religions that have certain dishes for the time of year that is most very significant to all. There is one thing that you must know about Christmas, and that is that if you don’t celebrate it with your family there is no point in saying that you celebrate it.  It isn’t only about the material stuff that you will get on Christmas; it’s so much more than that, it all about being with your family.

            This article is about the holiday known as Christmas with the aim of it to be celebrated with your beloved family that will be there for you no matter what. So remember that on the day of Christmas will only mean something if you’re with your family as one happy group that will live on inseparable.  Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

By Jordan Smith

Rough Draft

Around the holiday season, the cities are filled with obsessed shoppers looking for the right gift, endless amounts of sales promoting the next big thing, and people forgetting the real meaning of this holiday.  Yet, in this small town of Meeker, Christmas is more than just gifts, or whether you were on the naughty or nice list. Christmas in this small, one horse town is about family, and giving instead of getting.

Many people in the cities, or even just towns a smudge bigger than Meeker, are too preoccupied with what they are going to write on their wish list to Santa instead of giving to those less fortunate.  Thankfully, folks in Meeker are willing to bend over backwards for others. Several churches open up to the town of Meeker and are enthusiastic about helping those that need it the most around this time of year.

The Meeker United Methodist Church puts on the Giving Tree every year, and supplies many families with the gifts they can’t afford, the clothes they need to stay warm and even providing food so they can have a feast to celebrate the holidays with.

The Giving Tree is a great opportunity for several individuals to give their time to the people that need it the most.  The Meeker United Methodist Church Youth Group helps hand out baskets of food and supply possessions o hand out to everyone in the community. This goes to show that not all teenagers are as uninvolved in the community as they are labeled to be. Not only are these teenagers helping give others a wonderful Christmas, but they are taking time from their own break and time out of their schedule to make Christmas just as special to everyone else as it is for them.

Along with the Giving Tree, there are boxes fun of brand new presents at this church that are shipped overseas to kids that barely have enough to eat each day. This is another opportunity that people in the town of Meeker have to be selfless and give back to those that deserve, especially around this time of year. Christmas is a special time, not only because of the presents and being able to take a few weeks off of school, but this is the time that many can show the side of them that is not shown all the time.

This year for Christmas should be just as special as every other year and everyone can make it that way with just one selfless act of kindness.

By Emily Cardile

Rough Draft

Twenty Years Ago

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Chloe who wanted more than anything to be a missionary.  She dreamed of all the places she would go and people she would help.  She had light brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, but all her childhood she also wanted something else.  She wanted blue eyes. And not just the pale, lifeless blue, either.  She wanted the bright, exciting blue eyes.  She knew this could never happen, so as she got older she learned to accept her brown eyes, even though she secretly longed for her blue ones……

Present Day

Chloe grew up into a beautiful young woman, and was finally old enough to become the missionary she always wanted to be.  Christmas time came around, and Chloe was preparing to take a trip to India with presents for some of the women and children.  Many people gave her gifts to take with her, and she became more and more excited to take them to India.  The time finally came for her to leave, and she couldn’t have been more thrilled.  She was able to take hundreds of presents with her to give the people there a good Christmas.  Bunches of people donated clothes and shoes, toys and crafts for her to take with her.  The plane ride half way around the world seemed to take over a lifetime.  When Chloe got to India, she was given the clothes that were the appropriate thing for women to wear.  She had to wear the head covering, where all you could see was her eyes, and the skirt, where all you could see was her feet.  This didn’t really bother her much, as long as she could do what she came for.                                                         

She went to several different villages and towns handing out gifts to the families in need.  It made her heart melt to see all their faces light up with excitement, appreciation and happiness.  The whole village was bursting at the seams.  They all exchanged gifts, and had a big Christmas dinner feast with all they could find and cook up.  Everyone danced and sang and played instruments and had a great time together.  All the children played together while the adults talked.                        Chloe was over in India for about a week when the government realized how many Americans and other visitors were in the country, and this frightened them with a fear of being overtaken.  So, they started driving out and arresting everyone who wasn’t Indian.  Chloe heard about this, and realized she was supposed to be one of the ones to leave, and she felt that her job there was not finished yet.  She tried to make sure she didn’t get worried over it, even though she was a little scared.  She told herself that everything was going to be ok, and to remain calm.                                                    

 Then, a group of guards and police interrupted their Christmas party, having everyone come out side and stand in a line.  They looked at everyone, and searched all the houses.  They knew they could recognize the people to be arrested by having blue or green eyes, because Indian people only have brown eyes, or by the clothes they wore.  One of the guards came down the line of people, with a gun at his hip, and eyes piercing like a knife.  It was almost Chloe’s turn.  Her heart was racing in her chest, a bead of sweat on her forehead.  The guard was coming, getting closer and closer, going by person after person, coming towards her.  This was it.  It was her turn.  All the other people in the village knew she wasn’t Indian, and they were as scared as she was.  The guard came up to her.  All he could see was her eyes.  The clothes she wore hid her heavy breathing and the look of pure terror on her face.  Remain calm, she thought to herself, although not really helping, it’s going to be alright.  She prayed a silent prayer for help.  The man looked into her eyes for only a second or two, but to her it felt like hours.  They locked eyes for only a moment, then he moved on to the next person in line.  Chloe, along with the whole village, let out a sigh of relief with a breath they didn’t realize they were holding in.  The guard walked down the rest of the line, not finding anything, then signaled to the other men, and they all got back into their cars and left.  Everyone waited until they were a safe distance away before letting out a cheer of joy and thankfulness. Everyone went back to singing and dancing, and everybody thanked God for keeping Chloe safe. Although blue eyes were one of her lifelong dreams, her brown eyes had just saved her life.                                   

A few days later, Chloe returned to her home town.  She went to her house and her church and told everyone what had happened and what God had done.  The whole congregation celebrated and came up to her asking for details, and what it was like. Chloe now has a great story to be able to tell generations to come about the goodness of God, and what he had done for her.  This was a Christmas she would never forget.

By Ava Ward

Rough Draft
            In the festivities of Christmas, we hang stockings above the fire place and pretend there is a man named Saint Nicholas, but how was this all started?  Why do we do all these strange things in celebration of Christmas?  In the 4th century, Saint Nicholas was known for his generosity and his devotion to children. In 340 A.D. he died and was buried in Myra, an area in present day Turkey. Italian soldiers stole his remains and took them back to Italy, making him famous in Europe. 

His reputation of kindness and generosity led people to believe he could create miracles and he soon became the patron saint of Russia, known for his red cape and flowing white beard.  In Greece, he is the patron saint of sailors, in France he was the patron of lawyers, and in Belgium the patron of children and travelers.  Thousands of churches across Europe were dedicated to him and around the 12th century an official church holiday was created in his honor.  The Dutch where the ones who kept this belief alive.  Dutch children would leave their wooden shoes above the fire place, good kids were rewarded with goods in their shoes and the bad children were given coal.  This tradition was soon picked up by Americans in the 17th century.
        This still doesn’t answer the question, where did the hanging of stockings come from?  As I stated before the idea of stockings started with the Dutch with their shoes placed above the fire place in hopes of having goods in the morning. Legend has it; a kindly nobleman became extremely depressed after the passing of his beloved wife and foolishly squandered his fortune. Leaving his three young daughters without dowries.  The legendary Saint Nicholas heard about the girls’ sad dilemma, and set forth to help them.  Wishing to remain anonymous he rode to the young ladies house and placed three things of gold above the fire place, where by chance a woman hung her stockings up to dry.  In the morning the girls found a surprising fortune.  Ever since that shocking morning, as tradition, we hang stockings above the fire place. Isn’t it odd how we do all these things but never ask where they came from?

By Dom Devore

Rough Draft

I was running through the forest.  Running, and breathing, and surviving were the only things on my mind to get through this.  I hear the crunch of my feet as the step on the crisp, cold fallen leaves of the trees.  I hear my heavy breathing from this tiring run.  I can see my breath getting in the way of my glasses, fogging my vision.  I’m looking down at the ground so I don’t trip on the “unknowns of the forest”.  What is wrong with him?  

Evening:  October 29, 2009

     Two more days until Halloween.  I have plenty of time right?  To get a costume, host the Big Halloween Bash that Katie always loves to have back at the house.  Oh, Katie, by the way, is my sister.  Twin sister. Her real name is Katherine.  My name is Katrina.  You can call me Kat.  Everyone else does, so go for it.  Ever since Katie and I were little, we’ve always had those nicknames.  She started calling me Kat, because those are my initials.  Katrina America Taylor.  I know, weird name right?  Anyway, I have a huge dilemma.  I DON’T HAVE A COSTUME YET!!!  Katie’s going to kill me. Not literally though.  I hear we have this new kid.  I think his name is Peter, Patrick, something that starts with a P.  I’m walking home from school through the cut path in the forest that I know.  As I walk in the fresh, chilly air a breeze continues blowing in my face.  The only sound I hear is my feet pounding against the wind blown leaves on the old dirtied path.  Then I hear footsteps behind me.  It seems like they’re following me.

      “You’re just being paranoid,” the voice whispers to me in the silence. 

I turn around and look.  Nothing is there except the trees and their familiar, lurking shadows that I’ve grown up with.

      “I told you, you were being paranoid,” the voice eggs on.

      “Shut up,” I say to myself, “leave me alone.”

      “You know talking to yourself is a sign of insanity,” a new voice adds.

Wait, what?  A new voice?  What the elk?

      “Who’s there?”  I shout into the trees.

A murky shadow-like figure jumped down from an old, rickety tree with a thump, landing on his feet perfectly.

      “Calm your chizz girl,” he replies sarcastically.

      “Oh, it’s just an arrogant prick,” I say to myself, but loud enough for him to hear me.

      He strolls up to me.  And you could honestly see the testosterone drip off of him like an aura.  We were about 100 feet away so you could see his swagger as he walked.  I may admit he was pretty hot.  He had wavy-straight, dark brown colored hair.  With an addition of gold-ish highlights.  He was wearing a long sleeve Hollister shirt under his Abercrombie vest.  His pants were just regular jeans with Vans.  His face was of perfect complexion with teal-like blue eyes, mixed with pure hazel and violet.

      “Wow,” I whisper to myself, “he’s gorgeous.”

      “Why thank you.  I already know I am but it’s always so good to hear it.”

What?  He heard that?

      “Okaayy, well whatever but I gotta go so I’ll see you later..  Or not,” I reply back. 

      “My names Parker by the way.”

      “So you’re the new kid.”

      “Yep.”

      “Yea well I got to go, so bye.”

      “I didn’t catch your name,” he shouted after me.

      “Katrina,” I shout back, “but call me Kat.  Everyone else does.”

      “Katrina that’s beautiful.  Well see you tomorrow Kat.”

Then he was gone.  Just like that.

Morning:  October 30, 2009

      I’m going the costume shop after school today.  Last night I dreamt about my encounter with Parker.

      “Wow he sure is dreamy,” the voice says sighing.

He sure is I think to myself as I walk into first period.

Evening:  October 30, 2009

      I’m walking down Main Street to the costume shop for my costume until-

      “What the heck?”  I hear a voice say as they slam the door into my face.  Awesome, right?

      “Oww.  Oww.  Oww.  Oww!”  I shout angrily.

      “I’m soo sorry..  Oh hey its you.  Kat right?”

      “Uh yea it is.  Hi, Parker.”

      “What are you doing here?”

      “Well obviously getting a costume, duh.”

      “Oh, cool.  I just got one.”

      “What are you going to be?”

      “Not telling.  It’s a surprise.  So I’ll see you at the party?”

      “What party?”

      “Some girl named Katie I think invited me to this Halloween party she has every year.  You know she kinda looks like you except with blonde straight hair with blue eyes, with no glasses.”

      “Oh well Katie is actually my twin sister.”

      “Twins?  Impressive.”

      “Thanks I think.  Yea but I gotta go so see you later.”

      “Ok well bye!”

Before he disappeared again he whispered in my ear, “but I prefer girls with curly brown and big brown, amber eyes.  With glasses,” he adds.  He exactly described me. 

I felt my blush coming as he stepped away from me, and he noticed.

      “I’m so delighted I could make a pretty girl blush,” he said in an aristocratic, phony British accent.  My blush grew a deeper red than it already was.

      “See you later Kat.”

Morning:  October 31, 2009

      Yay!  It’s Saturday!  Oh, crap.  The party.  Even though the party is and was my sister’s idea you’d think she’d decorate the house, living room, patio and pool area.  Or even clean up the mess the party-goers leave as a contribution to MY hard work.  Apparently not, I have to do it according to her and my mom.  You’d think that since I’m the youngest I would get babied.  Anyhow it’s almost noon so I better get started.

  Evening:  October 31, 2009

      It’s around 7:45, so people will be coming around in 15-30 minutes.  Usually this place is crowded around 9:00 with everybody. 

-*-

      Time passes and it’s around 9:15 and everybody is here.  It’s so crowded!  I just came from room on the third floor and the hallway is packed!  I’m trying to squirm pass all the couples and party-goers as I try to make my way to the kitchen to get a drink of the punch bowl and the island counter. 

      “I wouldn’t drink that if I were you,” he whispered loudly in my ear to make sure I heard him. 

      “Why not?”  I ask curiously.

      “You never know what could be in it,” he replied this time normally.

      “Ok, then,” I say then walk away outside to dip my feet in the pool.

      As I pass the dancers and the half-naked teens, I go to a quiet side of the pool that is unaffected by the ripples of the cannonballs and chaos.  As I look at my surroundings, I see Parker going into the woods that are around the house.  I watch him go until his figure disappears from my view.  Then I see shadows creep up after him.  What the heck?  I dry my feet off from a nearby towel put my shoes on, and follow him into the dark unknown. 

      As I start walking past the tree house me and my sister made about 10 years ago, I hear chanting.  As I’m nearing the pit of fire I see and the smell of ghastly smoke I see Parker.  He’s talking to someone.  He looks about our age but a few years older.  I’ve never seen him before but he looks a little familiar though.  Then Parker drops on top of the ground, covered with moths and leaves.  I hear his bones snapping, it is such a horrible thing to hear.  He doesn’t scream or yell in pain though.  He just has the tears of pain flowing down his cheeks.  I want to help him but the other guy is helping him it seems.  Well it seems like he is trying to at least.  He’s down next to Parker, with concern and anguish in his facial features.  Then the dude blocks my view!  I hear a growl and a wolf took Parker’s place.  I look in horror.  The eyes look so sweet but his sharp canines say otherwise.  I break into a dead sprint.  What the heck is going on?

I’m trying to run to the safety of my home.  Back to the party where others could help.  Running, and breathing, and surviving was the only thing on my mind to get through this.  I hear the crunch of my feet as the step on the crisp, cold fallen leaves of the trees.  I hear my heavy breathing from this tiring run.  I can see my breath getting in the way of my glasses, fogging my vision.  I’m looking down at the ground so I don’t trip on the “unknowns of the forest”.  What’s wrong with him?  I loose my focus and trip on the ladder that Katie made to the tree house.  As I fall I hear the padding of paws against leaves.  Before I fall and black out, I land on fur.

 By Shelby Burke

Rough Draft

                “What comes next in this thing we call life?  What will become of this beautiful 15 year old girl?  Collage is so close but yet out of her reach.  School has become second nature to her.  Moving to this small community we call Meeker Colorado, has become nothing more than a burden in her life.  She moved here in honor of her mother’s wishes.  Her daddy died when she was a baby girl, and her mom has raised her since the age of three.  The year is 1985; the month is October.  School is terrible, her mom is never home and she has no friends.  Halloween is right around the corner; her favorite holiday of the year. 

                In her old town they always dressed up and went to parties.  They would always play spin the bottle or watch scary movies.  This year was going to be different.  She has no rules, no friends, and her mom was going to be gone.  The question of what she could do flutters her head.  Should I stay home… No, should I go to the fire?… No…  All the sudden her mind filters all the lame thoughts out and it came to her; the cemetery!  

                That next day at school her first friend approached her.  Off first appearances she seemed fake.  The perfect fake tan, the perfect white teeth and the bleach blonde hair reminded her so much of the Barbie she had when she was a little girl.

                “Hi my name is Terra Mee,” She says.

                “Hi my name is Ruby,” she reply

                Over the next couple days Terra and Ruby become friends.  They chit-chatted on the phone, they had sleep over’s, and everyday they went to lunch together.  Halloween night was in exactly 2 nights.  Ruby decided to invite Terra to go with her on this exciting adventure she had planned.  Ruby not only wanted to go, but she was thrilled to take on such an adventure. 

                 It’s Halloween Night.  It is exactly 9 o’clock and the girls began to make there way to the scariest place in Meeker Colorado.

                “Come on Terra,” Ruby yells.

                “I…. I am coming, I have a really bad feeling about this Ruby.” Terra replies

                “Oh hush up it will be fine,” Ruby replies.

The girls creep through the cemetery.  It’s almost as if someone is behind them.  The girls try and ignore the sounds that fallow them.

“Terra are you ready to go?” asks Ruby.

No reply.

“Terra this is not funny,” Ruby Yells.

Still no reply…

Ruby starts to make her way back when she sees the open hole where a grave is, but no casket. She looks in the hole and sees her….. Sees Terra laying there with blood shot eyes, her hair filthy dirty, and her body covered in a thick red liquid.  Ruby jumps in trying to save her life.  Dirt starts running down her back, she looks up in hopes to find the full moon, but instead a man is there shoveling her in. 

She screams, “Someone save me!”       

                 “No one can save you.  Halloween night the dead are let out and if you disturb us we will make you one of us,” A man said.

~ Next day~

                 The next day in the newspaper there was an article about two missing girls.  No one knows where these beautiful women ended up.  People have different versions of the events that happened, no one knows the truth.  Growing up my grandma use to always like telling my sister and I haunting stories.  This is her version of the events that took place, so if on Halloween night you decide to take a trip up to the cemetery then remember these beautiful young girls, and watch out for the man who is here to take your life.

By Jordan Smith

Rough Draft

            When Halloween is brought up, several people think this holiday is just about getting dressed up in the scariest costume possible, walking the streets looking for free candy, and awaiting a future dentist bill that will haunt them forever. What people don’t see is that there is more behind this celebration than that.  The side people don’t see is being covered by all the pleasant thoughts of the yummy treats.  The truth is really being hidden behind all of the smiles and laughing faces.  What is really going to happen on the night of the 31^st of October this year? 

      On October 13^th, according to the Kent, Ohio Record-Courier at Kent State University, there were rumors flying left and right about a prediction of a massacre that was suppose to take place the night of Halloween.  This prediction was supposedly made on the Oprah show by the same woman who had predicted the Oklahoma bombing a few years back. This prediction has been in papers, on the radio, and it even got to the point where investigations were taking place.  The prediction was about a massacre that was going to take place at a college in Michigan, near some railroad tracks. This was the prediction the woman had made on the show:

“Before the end of October there is going to be a mass murder (bombing) in a large H-shaped (name begins with H) building on a (Big Ten) university campus (in Michigan) (that has a morgue in it) (near some railroad tracks).”

            Many parents called into the Oprah show and the college with worried complaints about the students’ safety. Who wouldn’t be worried?

The strange thing about this specific prediction, is that there are rumors flying over other campuses in different places such as the University of Dayton, the University of Michigan, and many others. Is this the real deal, or just someone trying to get a scare out of people? Many have been questioning if this is just some old urban legend or if there is a real reason to be worried and try to do something to prevent it. This is a hard prediction to just over look.

A few investigators went on in the investigation and tried to get this issue under control. They came to believe that this was just an urban legend, while others still believe that it is going to happen.  Which is the truth?            

An article was written in a local paper stating that “Students need not to fear a Halloween massacre this year,” yet many still seem to be worried.  A freshman at the Michigan College had stated to a newspaper, I’m scared…  [But]  I’m going to the fraternity house for the weekend.  I don’t care if it is true or not.  I’m not waiting to find out.”

State News staff writer Jennifer Meese summarized the whole story, so people who have only heard part of the story knew what was being said. Now it is being said that the serial killer will be dressed in a Little Bo Peep costume. Some people think this is just a joke but some believe this is the real thing.  The only question left to ask is, Will this massacre really happen on Halloween night?

      By Perla Romero

Rough Draft

      Halloween.  What is Halloween?  Halloween is a holiday that’s celebrated annually on the night of October 31.  It originated in Ireland, and is celebrated in quite a few countries including Ireland itself, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and Sweden, among others.  It’s celebrated in a variety of ways and activities including trick-or-treating, ghost tours, bonfires, costume parties, “haunted house” tours, carving pumpkins (Jack-o’-lanterns) and reading / watching scary stories / movies. 

       Many people don’t celebrate Halloween because of religious matters. They think that by celebrating Halloween they are worshipping the devil and we shouldn’t judge them because it’s their religion, their beliefs.  Halloween in my opinion is just honoring the dead.  Which isn’t that bad.  On Halloween not only do the dead come alive but the inner child lives once again.  Never underestimate a kid hungry for candy!

       “Teenagers are too old for trick-or-treating,” is what I always hear and it’s not fair because I love trick-or-treating, not because of the candy but because it’s one of the best holidays to spend time with your siblings.  Spending time with your younger siblings is the best thing you could do.  There are two benefits you get when you go trick-or-treating, because you get candy and you get to spend time with your family just like Christmas.

       The basic thing to do on Halloween is dress-up. You can dress up scary or goofy looking, whichever one you prefer.  I prefer to dress-up scary because it’s very fun to see the expression on people’s faces when they look at you.  Or to scare everybody in your neighborhood.  Once you’re all dressed-up then you can go trick-or-treating.  For those who don’t know what trick-or-treating is; it’s when you go door to door and then you say “trick or treat” and they decide whether to give you candy or tricks.  Trick-or treating is really fun and I recommend it to everybody!

By Zack Williams

Rough Draft

      As I was walking down the snowy road on Halloween night,  I saw many little children getting candy and having a blast tripping over their costumes and digging through their candy trying to find that one piece that would satisfy them until they got home.  I saw the teenage kids scaring the little kids and some were partying, the usual thing that goes on. The parents just wanted to go home so they could sleep, because they had to work the next day.  Although Halloween seems fun when everyone is out, what happens when everyone goes to sleep? This is when it really gets scary.

It’s about three in the morning, still dark, even colder and I see a man with a really good costume on.  It has a burned up face, a top hat, and a really big knife. While getting closer I realized that, either that was a good costume or…it was real. How could it be real?  It’s easy to think that I am just scared because its Halloween night, but then he gets closer and screams my name.

I start running the other way as fast as I can.  I got to get away from him, still thinking he has a costume on.  He finally got me “stop moving!” who is this guy what did I do? Then he put the knife to my neck. I see it this way-  if I was going to die tonight, I want to know who my killer is, so I reached for his mask, the problem is this thing didn’t have a mask, this is his real face. I somehow manage to hit him and stand up and keep running away just like last time he got me. “What are you!?” I scream in pain “I’m your worst nightmare.” Then at the blink of an eye I am in another world.  There is fire bursting from the ground.  It smells like sulfur and ash. “Where am I?” I hear a voice say- “Welcome to the underworld, it is Halloween.”

   By Emily Cardlie

Rough Draft   

      Unlike most people, my family does not celebrate Halloween.  While everyone else is all dressed up, and out trick-or-treating, my siblings and I get to stay at home and take turns answering the door and handing out the candy. My dad has been telling my brothers, sister, and I that Halloween is not a holiday that we will never be participating in. But while other kids would hate this way of doing things, I don’t really mind it that much.

    We don’t believe in all the ghosts, goblins, witches, evil spirits and the like, so we don’t participate in a celebration that exalts these things.  Halloween is a time to have fun with your family and friends.  Disguising yourself as something you’re not while getting a bunch of free candy would cause my siblings to be hyperactive.  They don’t need any more sugar in their diet.
     So, we just sit at home and eat candy apples and watch movies until we are so bored to death that we go to bed.  That is all Halloween is to me and my family, just another day on the calendar, and that is perfectly fine with me.