XPI Student Showcase
Welcome to Xpress Plugged In, our new online gallery of student expressions. Please follow the submission instructions CAREFULLY. New work will be posted every Monday.
-- Nancy Green, editor of XPI
Selections for the Week of 4/26/2010
Vocaloid 03, colored pencil
Jesse Barbon, eighth grade, Coleman Middle School, Tampa
Safety Harbor Middle School
Running From Winter
Frost-painted lawns,
Brown leaves on the ground.
You can't stay outside when winter's around.
Hot cocoa inside near a fire ablaze,
How do I escape from these wintry days?
Lost, trapped in a torrent of snow,
The desolate Earth longs for winter to go.
When into watery streams frost has turned,
Comes the season for which all of nature has yearned.
Taking the edge off the chill in the air,
Green breaking through nearly everywhere.
Rapidly blooming, the flowers stand tall,
To spring, the icy winter must fall.
Birds' songs fill the air,
Lush green grass on the ground,
Enjoy the outdoors when spring is around.
Into the face of a bright season I gaze,
I have escaped from those wintry days ...
Jenna Thompson, seventh grade
I'm sorry!
So I have these words I say,
actually quite often.
Each and every day, "I'm sorry".
They just slip out,
without thought or hesitation.
People look at me weirdly,
because there's no reason to say them.
But when there is a reason to say them,
and I say them,
people think it's just a joke and I don't mean it.
So no more "I'm sorry" unless I really mean it.
Because I've got to break this habit.
Stephanie Clark, seventh grade
My worst habit
My worst habit is biting my nails:
Walking down the street biting the tips,
Walking down the street hurting my lips.
When I get nervous I start to chew,
It's worse than getting the flu.
I'm sitting bored in school, looking at my nails,
Thinking to myself, "What a fool."
Andrea Fredericks, seventh grade
Love
Love is hurt,
Love is happy, chocolates, movie night,
And hurt again.
Love is a poison,
A deadly chemical,
That brings life,
And can be taken away.
Builds one up,
And destroys in an instant.
Some say it is like water, you always need it;
Others, like a prison - a trap.
"Love is all you need"
"Love Stinks"
Finding a soul-mate
"'Til death do you part"
"All is fair in love and war."
The color red, Love;
Red, also the devil.
Love can bring two together,
And crush many others.
Love...
A warm feeling of personal affection,
Passionate affection for another.
No love lost...
Chandler Walker, eighth grade
My Worst Habit
We all have bad habits that we want no one to know:
My habit is second guessing myself and that's not good.
It's really hard to break a habit and to keep it low,
Sometimes people quit even though they never knew they could.
I'll be taking a test in any class,
Trying hard to do my best,
(Even though no one has a blast
It's worse for me on every test.)
I think the answer is A, but then I will change it to B:
I have no idea what the answer is now.
Second guessing is bad, you see.
Abigail Gilbo, eighth grade
Oh, the Places I'll Go
Oh, the places I'll go
Oh, the paths I could take
Though I want to scream, "NO!"
It's no longer my choice to make
What once had been a choice
Was what I wanted, you see
Until I realized
It was not best for me
So alone, I'll continue
And alone I will be
Oh, the places I'll go
Will be lonely with no company
But I know I'll survive
I'll make some new friends
Oh, the places I'll go
My heart, it can mend
Kaylee Essex, eighth grade
Special Place
We all have a special place where we can be ourselves, just relax and have fun. That place for me is California.
Every summer my aunt and uncle open up their house to me for a few heavenly weeks. They pay for my food and my enrollment in various camps throughout the San Francisco Bay area. Last summer I attended the Circus Center Circus Camp. There I learned how to juggle and do the flying trapeze. Since I am an avid soccer player, my aunt thought it would be a good idea for me to participate in the Dave Fromer Marin Soccer Camp as well.
When I wasn't enjoying my camps, I was walking the Tennessee Valley Trail experiencing the superb scenery. Green rolling hills, lavish rocky beaches, and magnificent seas of lavender, California is a maze of wilderness excitement. In California, I have the freedom to do almost everything I want. It feels like my niche, and I hope to live there when I am older.
Christian Albrecht, eighth grade
My Favorite Place
Noisy and crowded, filled with screaming kids and arcade games: Where could you go any time of the day and always have fun? My favorite place is Celebration Station.
At Celebration Station, I ride go-karts and bumper boats, and play miniature golf, arcade games and laser tag. Most of the time I go with my two best friends; we go early in the day and stay until dark. Sometimes we have lots of fun playing games and winning jackpots. Other times all we do is sit and talk, and we will still be having a great time, laughing over the stupidest things.
My friends and I normally go on Wednesdays or Sundays because that's when it's less crowded, but even on a Friday or Saturday when there are lots of birthday parties and chaotic situations, we still have a great time. One day my friend won the jackpot on a game and we got 1,000 tickets! We were jumping up and down screaming. With our tickets, we got a giant lollipop and a huge pair of glasses.
Everyone has a favorite place, whether it's at the beach or in their own room, or even in a different country. Mine just happens to be at a chaotic arcade.
Stephanie Clark, seventh grade
The Lady of Evening Colors, pen and colored pencil
Brandi Gross, 12th grade, Dunedin High School