Stephanie Ispas
Stephanie is in her school’s Honor Society and does projects to help her community. She enjoys drawing, reading, and is very passionate about getting good grades in school.
It was a hot afternoon. School had just ended, and Claire was walking back home with her friend Gavin. Claire was silent and said nothing the whole way there, because she had a rough day at school. She sighed.
“What’s wrong?” Gavin asked.
“Well, everyone’s been calling me selfish. So what if I have my own things to care about, like homework, credits for community service, and my projects?” replied Claire.
“I don’t think that you’re selfish. It’s okay to take some time off just taking care of yourself. Hey, since you need credits, why don’t you come with me to help out at the local food bank tomorrow after school? You can get community service credits there!” Gavin offered.
“At this point, I’d do anything for credits...” Claire replied
“Yay! Meet up with me in front of the school tomorrow and my mom will drive us to the food bank.”
After school, Claire and Gavin went to the local food bank. Gavin showed Claire around and told her the procedure and what she could help with. Claire helped out with organizing the food while Gavin helped out with deliveries. At the end of the day Claire sighed, “I might as well continue to volunteer here. This is a great way for me to get hours for my college resume when I’m older.”
After a few days of volunteering at the food bank, Gavin went up to Claire.
“Would like to help me out with the deliveries? Today is especially important because we’re donating food to an orphanage that’s been running low on money and we want to help out by delivering some food to them.” Gavin asked.
“Okay, I’ll help.” Claire agreed.
When Claire and Gavin arrived at the orphanage, they helped distribute the food. Claire watched the orphans’ faces light up with happiness, which made Claire smile too. She turned to Gavin and said, “Helping other people feels amazing! I guess that when you volunteer it isn’t the hours for your resume that count, but helping other people, and the happiness that you can give them.” Because of their outstanding service at the food bank, Claire and Gavin both received awards from their schools. Everyone realized how kind and caring Claire really was.
Vicky Raggi
Vicky is in seventh grade. She is in Toastmaster’s gavel club, and likes to volunteer, especially at her local nursing home. She really likes baking as well. She cooks too, but has a very strong sweet tooth.
Ever since Jessica was young, she felt red. However, in her world, people were born colors, and assigned responsibilities. According to her physical appearance, she was blue. Blue people, like her, did all of the cooking and cleaning. Red people were outside, being free. They worked in the fields, and did a lot of the work. Jessica always felt like she belonged with the reds. It wasn’t that she wanted their benefits. It was that she had just always felt that she was red. Jessica wanted to be red.
Jessica had never told anyone how she felt about being blue. But one day, on the bus, she told her best friend, Tiffany. When she told her this, Tiffany was silent, and then promised not to tell anyone. They got off the bus, and Jessica felt good. She had finally told Tiffany, and Tiffany had understood. This glee, however, did not last long. By the end of the day, everyone was laughing and teasing her. She wondered how it had gotten out. Surely Tiffany hadn’t told Vicky anyone. The next day, Jessica found Tiffany in a giggling and whispering group of blues. They all quieted down near Jessica. She turned to Tiffany, searching her eyes for any sort of consolation.
“Um, Tiffany? Where were you on the bus? What happened?” Jessica asked.
“Like I would hang out with a freak like you,” Tiffany scoffed. At those words, Jessica stumbled back. “N-no......”
For the rest of the day, Jessica wandered through class after class, hour after hour, silently bearing each insult that pierced her. But after a while, she found that she didn’t care. Nothing mattered. Well, except for Tiffany. Tiffany had always been there, no matter what. She always counted on Tiffany to catch her. But now, she wasn’t there, and Jessica just kept falling and falling. She bumped into someone, and looked up. Oh god, no. It was Jason. He was perfect. She always adored him, and she couldn’t stand hearing his hatred for her.
“Please, just let me go home. Spare me from your hatred and hurtful insults.” She pleaded.
“What are you talking about? You are amazing. I really like how you are, and how open you are. I was avoiding you because I didn’t think I was worth your time. I-I really like you.” He said, shyly.
This was astounding to Jessica. She suddenly felt again. She was accepted. She thought that Tiffany was all that mattered, all that was there to fall back on, but she was being caught by someone else. Someone who accepted her.
“So.... I was wondering.... do you maybe want to hang out sometime? Now that I know that you are red, I could teach you how to work in the fields, and we can be red. Together.” Jason asked.
“Yeah, I’d like that. But won’t you be teased?” Jessica replied, feeling like she was floating on a cloud.
“I don’t care. We are all equal, and if they don’t see you for who you are, then I don’t want to see them!” Jason joked.
So off they went, together. Ignoring all the whispers and laughs, they were happy, and one day, they found a place where they were accepted, where they belonged.
Anirudh Prakash
Anirudh is 13 years old, attends the highly gifted program (PRISM) at his middle school. With his family, he loves to be involved in the book drives, food bank, recycle clothes for a cause. He is in a Future Problem Solver’s Club with his school, which teaches him how to be a great citizen of tomorrow today.
“All heed, Moby!” The pod cheered his skilled demonstration of ‘breach’. Although depths petrified Moby, he diligently raised higher to repeat his adept flips. Curious to investigate the glimpse of a mysterious white speck, he breached over and over. Tossing things out frantically, a small fisherman struggled to keep his boat afloat.
“Hey! I think that’s Vince, he needs help!”
“It is too dangerous, Moby. Vince is a human after all, a foe of marine life,” skeptic aunts advised.
“Vince rescued me back to water when I washed up his beach. Now I pay him back, right?” Moby insisted.
“Vince had hundreds of humans to help then,” reminded his haughty cousin.
“Our pod is huge, we can help: together,” stubborn Moby pleaded his case. “We are no match to angry waves. Whales do not help humans. Forget Vince! Let us move away from storm.”
Moby’s dad delivered the group verdict. Fight for Vince, or swim to safety: Moby faced his dilemma; his family quickly disappeared.
He chose the neither safe nor popular path. His conscience reminded him about an individual’s obligation. Near the shattered boat, Moby’s zealous eyes met Vince’s terrified pair. He tugged the boat for hours amidst intense squall before reaching the faraway island.
“I wonder where my pod is?” Moby bellowed for family and friends, but the roaring rough waves buried his exhausted call while he drifted in and out of consciousness. When the gale calmed down, a faint light broke out of the sky. Vince patched up his boat enough to venture homewards. He scouted the seas, although, not for fish.
Finally, he found Moby on a large mossy rock, perhaps his shelter! Ecstatic, Vince circled around, waving thanks to his lifesaver. Moby smiled back at Vince, and soon disappeared into the depths. In spite of discouragement from family and friends, he had unwavering principles. He upheld Integrity with courageous will power to overcome adversity.
Hannah Robinson
Hannah is ten years old. She loves to draw, cook, and to design clothes.
Julia and Daphne were best friends since they first met in preschool and now they were in 7th Grade. They were common in almost every way. They both loved the outdoors, shopping, had long hair to their shoulders, and even talked alike. But the only difference was that Julia was very rich as both her parents were CEO’s of big companies. Daphne’s dad was a garbage man and her mother didn’t work, resulting in a lower income. Julia always wore fancy jewelry that she brought from exotic vacations. Daphne was secretly jealous, but didn’t want it to get in the way of her friendship with Julia.
One day at school, in gym Julia told Daphne about the diamond necklace around her neck. She said that it was once owned by Queen Elizabeth the First in the 1600s. Daphne felt a sting of jealousy but ignored it. The necklace was beautiful with little pieces of gold threaded through it. The two started their 3-mile run, and Daphne was lagging slightly behind Julia. She saw that Julia’s necklace becoming undone, and then that it had fallen to the ground without Julia noticing. Daphne picked it up and started to tell Julia that she had dropped but then looking at it became mesmerized by its beauty. Without realizing it she put in her pocket, and kept running.
Daphne forgot all about the necklace until when at her house Julia called in tears that she had lost her necklace and that she would be grounded for life. Daphne felt ashamed for not telling Julia about her necklace. Crying, she told her dad about everything who told her that it is always better to tell the truth and that Daphne should just be honest to Julia.
The next morning Julia was sulky and miserable and Daphne never got a time to talk to her. The necklace felt heavy in her pocket. She found Julia sitting alone in the corner of the lunchroom.
“Hey Julia, remember the diamond necklace owned by Queen Elizabeth the First?” Julia nodded sadly. “Well, here it is!”
Daphne took the necklace from out of her pocket and handed it to Julia. Julia face brightened just like a sun coming from behind a cloud. “Oh Daphne, you’re the best friend I could ever have!”
Daphne looked at her feet and said, “No, I’m not.” Daphne then told how she was going to give the necklace but then became greedy and wanted it for herself. She told Julia about what her father had said. “I hope you forgive me, but I won’t be angry if you don’t.”
Julia gave her a big smile and said, “Oh Daphne, you’re still the greatest best friend that anyone could have. That’s what I love about you. You’re always so honest with me. Honesty is one of the traits of a leader and you are a leader.”
Shloak Dutta and Souptik De
Shloak is a 10 year old attending sixth grade. He loves to play soccer, read fictional books and travel with his family. Lionel Messi is his soccer god, Harry Potter his ultimate guru, and Chicago the coolest city on earth.
Souptik is an 11-year-old sixth grader. He likes to cook Italian, Indian, and Mediterranean food, invest in the stock market, play soccer, and hang out with his friends. He likes to stay active and get involved in the world around me.
Everett Jade was an environmentalist genius at the age of 11. He lived in the future when Earth was a blackened place of miserable, dirty, areas. Diseases caused by the oversized garbage dumps killed great numbers at a rapid speed. It was hard to breathe because of the low quantity of plant life. Everett was very disappointed at what his world had become. He lived in one of the worst part of the Earth, where the great population was disappearing thanks to the increasing pollution. Everett figured out that if he didn’t change something the human race would die.
Everett called his friends Polina and Spark to help him carry out his new idea. He explained to them that if all three of them could convince the world that by planting trees and plants they would save humanity and countless other species living on earth. Polina, being Everett best friend thought it was a great idea, and Spark liked it too. They started by planting one tree in the middle of their neighborhood. Then they started planting them all over the world. People began to become interested about what was going on. They asked what the three eleven year olds were doing, and they answered, “Saving the world by planting trees. If you want to help, start planting.” Soon their community was beautiful and green and all the people kept planting trees and tending for plants.
The three good friends went around the world with other people in their city and convinced more people to help the worthy cause and save the people from extinction. Everyone was now planting and tending. Everett was beginning to accomplish his goal. From there the sky was the limit. The world was turning from black to green again. The three best friends’ slogan was Our World is in Your Hands. Take Responsibility. Earth thrived long after the heroics of the three heroes who were honored by being named the Green Three. Their legends will always be in our hearts and we will always remember how they saved the world by going green.
Sara Hansen
Sara is 16 years old. She loves to draw and read in her free time. She is currently in 11th grade. Her favorite class in school is Outdoor Adventures, which is a part of PE. When she’s not doing school work, she is doing one of her favorite things, karate. She is also a really big fan of the football season and playing ultimate Frisbee.
Flora was the new girl in town. She didn’t have many friends and always felt threatened by the popular kids. Flora was nervous to start out at a new school and lose all her friends, and have to make new friends. She got through the school day, with lots of people introducing themselves, but none of them similar to her old friends. Until one day, Rebecca, a classmate of Flora came up and introduced herself. Flora realized that Rebecca was a lot like her past friends. Rebecca told Flora that she was having a party at a friend’s house that night, and Flora was invited. Being a new kid at school without any friends, Flora said yes.
That night, Flora got dressed in her best clothes and waited for Rebecca to pick her up. She was on her way and was really excited. She arrived at the party only to realize that it wasn’t like any of the parties she had been to before. There were people who were smoking in the back of the room and people drinking everywhere. It didn’t take long before some of them were trying to drawing her in. She had a drink handed to her as soon as they saw there was not one in her hand. She didn’t take any because she didn’t want to risk having anyone slip something bad into her drink. Soon she met up with Rebecca, who was clearly drunk. Flora was slightly scared, and all she wanted was to get out of there.
She decided that she would leave the party and told Rebecca that she had to go because her mom needed her to come watch her sister. After another five minutes she left the party. Flora was happy that she was able to get away from the party even if it was full of the kids. Flora finally found her perfect group of friends… friends that accepted her and she didn’t have to try to be someone that she wasn’t.