i is

i is not real and so, you see,
i can’t be found, like counting apples on a tree.
when you thought you neared the answer, everything was going great,
then i turned up and ruined it. oh, what a cruel fate.
i has to be made square, so i is useful to you,
but sometimes there is nothing that you can do.
’cause i prefers being unreal; imaginary.
so i is like an elf, pixie, or fairy.
alone, i cannot be pinned down into reality.
i is something to contemplate like mortality.
i is something one might find if one goes back and checks.
i is part of the equation for all things complex.

by Vivian Steyert

Written for Lorien Haavik’s Algebra II GT.

i am a chinese language student

by Kristen Hise

Hello! My Chinese name is Hai Ke Li. I am an American.

I am tall and smart.

realize

What is understanding?
Is if finding your identity built into the lesson?
Or maybe it’s recognizing your reciprocal in another.
You can run in circles trying to see the sines,
But if you don’t analyze the probabilities of understanding,
You may need to find the median to regroup again.
You can’t be irrational when you go about your problem solving,
You have to be determined to find the absolute value.
Simplify your mathematics and see it’s not as bad as it may seem.
Take time to realize that dividing your problems may only cause them to multiply.

by Melissa Jameson

Found poem written with words from Prentice Hall Mathematics Algebra 2. Written for Lorien Haavik’s Algebra II GT.

still life

by Shanika Rousseau

Created in Ms. Leatherman’s Art 1.

Assignment: Select an interesting viewpoint of the still life and render it from observation using colored pencils on drawing paper.

still life

by Rebecca Martinez-Greiwe

Created in Ms. Leatherman’s Art 1.

Assignment: Select an interesting viewpoint of the still life and render it from observation using colored pencils on drawing paper.

still life

by Nicholas Theodoris

Created in Ms. Leatherman’s Art 1.

Assignment: Select an interesting viewpoint of the still life and render it from observation using black and white charcoal pencils on gray paper.

moonlit cottage

by Nicholas Theodoris

Charcoal on paper. Nominated by Justin Parke.

still life

by Kevin Flanagan

Created in Ms. Leatherman’s Art 1.

Assignment: Select an interesting viewpoint of the still life and render it from observation using colored pencils on drawing paper.

still life

by Rachel Shulder

Created in Ms. Leatherman’s Art 1.

Assignment: Select an interesting viewpoint of the still life and render it from observation using colored pencils on drawing paper.

can anyone tell me?

Nothing I can do in this world with my rights,
Wanting to be free and wanting to fly;
Can anyone tell me that I am going to be alright?

I’ve been tortured in my heart every night,
I go outside and yell until I cry;
Can anyone tell me that I am going to be alright?

Come, God, and shine on me with your bright light,
Thinking it would be better as time goes by;
Can anyone tell me that I am going to be alright?

Let me be free and let me find my new sight,
Leave me at my sight until I die;
Can anyone tell me that I am going to be alright?

I fight every day with all my might,
I won’t give up freedom, and still try;
Can anyone tell me that I am going to be alright?

Nothing I can do in this world with my rights.
Come to my heart, but don’t try to lie;
Guide my heart, God, with your almighty smite.
Can anyone tell me that I am going to be alright?

by Tae Cha and Greg Price

Written in Joslyn Wolfe’s English 11.

Assignment: Students were asked to identify the structure and organization of a villanelle. They then wrote a villanelle as a way to interpret and respond critically to aspects of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God.

i can make a difference by

Flying a kite, writing my feelings in the sky for the birds to read. And helping the stars to smile and the sun to rise. Better than me keeping it all balled up inside, waiting for the moment to be let into this world which is cold and dishonest, but if I write my story in the sky then maybe a little girl in Darfur will stop crying. She’ll see that life is not all about guns and violence, that there is more to life. That you have to look and listen, feeling the simple things in life. Like the gentle kiss you get from the sun on your cheek, or the song that the birds and the trees make on a cold day. Or feeling the playful push that the wind gives you on your slow days. I can make a difference by writing my story in the stars, the same stars that helped the slaves find their way. They could help a lost child who needs a way out of the forest, out of their situation that could be their light to follow. If you wanted to make a difference, you have to first start from the inside and find your way out.

by Sahhara Sharpe

Written for the PTA Reflections writing project. Received awards from both the Howard County PTA level and Oakland Mills High School PTSA.

random acts of kindness

Kindness is helping the Special Olympics, exceeding your comfort zone.
Kindness is sitting with a classmate who is eating more.
Kindness is being open when you don’t get your way.
Kindness is smiling at a teacher who’s had a bad day.
Kindness is introducing yourself to someone who’s new.
Kindness is broadening your horizon from more than just a few.
Kindness is holding the door whenever you can.
Kindness is recycling those bottles so they’re not stuck in the sand.
Kindness is helping the elderly cross the street.
Kindness is smiling at everyone you meet.
Kindness is being excepting and preventing racism.
Kindness is helping a friend with your upbeat optimism.
Kindness is lending a hand to someone in need.
Kindness is planting a forest with one little seed.
Kindness is holding the books of a kid who broke their leg.
Kindness is helping them out with less than a plea or beg.
Kindness is opening your heart and opening your mind.
Kindness is doing your best to just be kind.
Kindness is helping others, you know what I mean.
Kindness is stepping outside what’s normal in your social scene.
Kindness isn’t building walls, but building bridges.
Kindness is knowing you’re affecting others with every decision.
Kindness is expressed through actions, words, or song.
Kindness is standing up for others and knowing right from wrong.
Kindness is making a difference and changing the world one act of kindness at a time.

by Jourdan Davis

Written for the PTA Reflections writing project. Received awards from both the Howard County PTA level and Oakland Mills High School PTSA. Selected to compete at the Maryland State PTA Reflections Level.

heart of a champion

Having a heart of a champion when he came out of the womb
A youngster with determination and focus
Created as a prodigy ready to bloom

He was thrown into situations to meet doom
People trying to hold him back like mucous
Having a heart of a champion when he came out of the womb

But there is something missing in his life that has him stuck in a dark room
He feels as if there is a spell put upon him like some hocus-pocus
Created as a prodigy ready to bloom

A simple four-letter word that puts him in a gloom
Has him going crazy like a clown in the circus
Having a heart of a champion when he came out of the womb

Running over and sucking the happiness out of him like a vacuum
Head in a state that he feel concuss
Created as a prodigy ready to bloom

Waiting for it to hit him like boom
‘Cause if it misses, feeling will leave his body like a dead carcass
Having a heart of a champion when he came out of the womb
Created as a prodigy ready to bloom.

by Greg Price

Written in Joslyn Wolfe’s English 11.

Assignment: Students were asked to identify the structure and organization of a villanelle. They then wrote a villanelle as a way to interpret and respond critically to aspects of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God.

their eyes

The hurricane came, it came towards us.
I was so scared I couldn’t breathe.
But we decided to stay and sit in the must.

The hurricane came, it came towards us,
but we had everything we would need
and I was with Teacake, the one I trust.

The hurricane came, it came towards us.
I sat on the bed while Teacake took the lead
and I was with Teacake, the one I trust.

The hurricane came, it came towards us.
The water came and we couldn’t breathe.
The water came through and the window busted.

The hurricane came, it came towards us,
But I was with Teacake, the one I trust.
We decided to stay and sit in the must.

The hurricane came, it came towards us.
I was so scared I couldn’t breathe.
The water came through and the window busted.
I was with Teacake, the one I trust.

by Desiree Williams

Written in Joslyn Wolfe’s English 11.

Assignment: Students were asked to identify the structure and organization of a villanelle. They then wrote a villanelle as a way to interpret and respond critically to aspects of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God.

macbeth

by José Mendez

Pencil sketch created in Ms. Sunderdick’s English 10.

teapot in disguise: hamster

by Grace Dell

Glazed earthenware created in Ms. Leatherman’s Art I.

Assignment: Design a teapot that doesn’t look like a teapot.

beowulf underwater

by Christina Landeros

Pencil sketch created in Ms. Klinefelter-Lee’s English 12 Honors.

Assignment: Students studied Beowulf as an archetype of the depiction of war and warriors. In groups, students identified key descriptive text passages, illustrated them, and constructed class comic books retelling Beowulf’s story.

teapot in disguise: mariachi

by Jose Mendez

Glazed earthenware created in Ms. Leatherman’s Art I.

Assignment: Design a teapot that doesn’t look like a teapot.

table, chairs

by James Stribling

Black and white photograph created in Ms. Barillaro’s Photography II.

Assignment: Students take black and white photographs, then develop the negatives in the lab and prints in the darkroom.

champion of courage

Coach Brad Howell has played a major role in several students’ lives here at Oakland Mills High School. He is my wrestling coach and did not let my gender stop him from letting me join the team. Coach Howell is a teacher to the students with learning disabilities, he is a mentor, and he is an inspiration to those who want to succeed. He talks of P.R.I.D.E. at practice and has helped me apply this to everyday life. He has helped me to see what I am capable of through his coaching techniques, and he is constantly trying to change his students and athletes for the better. With patience, dedication, and the ability to see everyone through two unbiased eyes, Coach Brad Howell is my Champion of Courage.

by Dalyce Wilson

One of 28 finalists among 5,000 entries in the 2008 Champions of Courage Black History Month Essay Competition held by Fox 45. Sponsored by Mr. Foy.