The Observer A Literary Magazine October 2, 2014
From The Editors Welcome to the first issue of The Observer. This year Sorensen Magnet School of the Arts & Humanities, is putting a stronger emphasis on writing throughout the curriculum. In an effort to celebrate these works, we present The Observer, a Literary Magazine. The publication is scheduled to be published every two weeks by students of Sorensen. The writings are submitted to a team of student editors who review each piece, then complete a Peer Review form. Each review provides compliments, suggestions, and shows corrections that need to applied. The submissions are then returned to the teachers, so that the student writers have the opportunity to review and make corrections. They are then resubmitted for publication in The Observer. We are excited about this endeavor, and look forward to celebrating the many fine writings that will come forth this year. I now introduce you to the student editors of The Observer Blair Williams Managing Editor Student Editors Elisabeth Edmonds Hi, I m Elisabeth Edmonds. I m in 5 th grade and I ve been going to Sorensen since 3 rd grade. I took on this job as an editor for The Observation because I love to write and have always wanted to be an author. I m so excited to have this opportunity! Georgia May Hi, my name is Georgia May! I am in 5th grade in Mr. Groth s class. I have always loved to read and write, and that is why I am so excited to bring to you the latest and greatest happening at Sorensen now! Myah Rietze Hi my name is Myah Rietze. I m in fifth grade in Mrs. Palmers class. I ve been going to Sorensen since I was in kindergarten. My very favorite subjects are reading and writing, that s why I m so excited to be an editor for The Observation. Chloe Hanna Hi, my name is Chloe Hanna. I m in Mrs. Palmers 5 th grade class, and love to read and write. I ve been at Sorensen since 2 nd grade and have gotten inspired to take on this job as an editor. Page 2
In this issue The Summer of Atari Simon Gage 3 rd Grade Mrs. DuCoeur When I Saw The Sunset Ella Moser 4 th Grade Mrs. Edmonds The Great Seal Ben Hannigan- Luther 2 nd Grade Mrs. Corbeil The Corkscrew Naomi Booth 5 th Grade Mrs. Palmer Swimming in Race The River; Ada Christensen 5 th Grade Mrs. Palmer The Liberty Bell Joel Bryan 3 rd Grade Mrs. Corbeil Ice Cream Neil Hutchins Kindergarten Mr. DuCoeur Going Tubing with Merin! Georgia May 5 th Grade Mr. Groth Fall Fun Nicole Fuller 4 th Grade Mrs. Schreiber A Night at the Parks Eden Lamburth 2 nd Grade Mrs. Weymouth Looking at the Stars Elisabeth Edmonds 5 th Grade Mr. Groth Fall Leaves Ruby Looyenga 4 th Grade Mrs. Schreiber Page 3
The Summer of Atari By: Simon Gage 3 rd Grade Mrs. DuCoeur My favorite experience from summer was bringing home an Atari from my dad s straw bail cabin. He bought it ten years ago. We plugged it in to the T.V. and it started up, and I started playing. There are two games I like playing. One of them is called Asteroids. Another one is called Adventure. In Asteroids, you are a small spaceship and you shoot asteroids. When you play Adventure, you are a little cube and go around in a maze, use keys to unlock buildings, and fight a dragon. I haven t checked out 6 of the games yet and I bet they will be cool. Every night if I get to watch T.V. I play Atari, and sometimes Grayson or Collin or another friend can play with me. When I Saw The Sunset By: Ella Moser 4 th Grade Mrs. Edmonds This summer my mom, sister, and I went on a bike ride through our neighborhood. We were following the sun and hoping to see the firey sunset. We had started at my house and rod down the street. We rode, and rode, and rode, following the sun. My favorite part was when we had to go up a steep little hill. My sister and I almost fell off of our bikes because it was so steep. Once we got to the top, we were next to a railroad track. I spotted the sunset. I chased after it an then I saw it. It was so beautiful. The Great Seal By: Ben Hannigan- Luther 2 nd Grade Mrs. Corbeil The Great Seal is on the back of our money. The olive branches mean peace, the arrows mean the government can have peace or war. The Great Seal is a round piece of metal with the seal on the front and the pyramid on the back. The thirteen arrows represent the thirteen colonies. The ribbon says From Many to One. Page 4
The Corkscrew By: Naomi Booth 5 th Grade Mrs. Palmer My two best friends, Madison and Kayla, invited me to Silverwood. When we got there we went on the train ride. After that, we went on lots of rides, but my favorite was the Corkscrew. As we passed it Madison asked her mom if we could go on it. She said yes, so we went through the gate. As we neared the stairs going up, the suspense grew. I knew Maddi must have felt the same, but Kayla couldn t have because at 8 years old she wasn t ready to ride it yet. Even though she is only 2 years younger than Maddi and I, she is not as brave. As we climbed the steps and got to the top, I was both very excited and nervous. I had not ridden this for a year so I had forgotten how it felt once you were on it. As we were in line I watched the ride. This was going to be fun. When we finally got on the ride I was almost shaking. The ride started, this was it. As we started going up the hill, I had butterflies in my stomach. We got to the top and rounded a small curve, then came the big drop. We went in a loop- da- loop 2 times. The rest of the ride was pretty calm. When we got off I was glad I had gone on the Corkscrew! Swimming in Race The River By: Ada Christensen 5 th Grade Mrs. Palmer One day I was competing in Race the River and I was doing swim. I got to the starting line and they yelled three two one goooo! I was just swimming along and I was about to pass this guy that was breast stroking, and then I got so I was right beside him. He saw me, so he would start going faster and faster, so I couldn t pass him. I kept trying and trying to pass him, but he would go faster and faster. Finally I was like ok I give up, and obviously he was thinking the same thing, so he was going slower and I started going slower also. I just kept going with the swim and I eventually beat him. My team got 7 th. P.S. It was an adult triathlon. The Liberty Bell By: Joel Bryan 3 rd Grade Mrs. Corbeil The Liberty Bell weighs 2,000 pounds. A crack appeared in the 1956. It is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It rang when the colonists signed the Declaration of Independence. The bell is un- ring- able because the crack would grow too big and it would break. Page 5
Ice Cream By: Nell Hutchins Kindergarten Mr. DuCoeur Page 6
Going Tubing with Merin! By: Georgia May 5 th Grade Mr. Groth So first of all, it was August 28, 2014 and my friend Merin had come over from Seattle for a quick trip. The sky was gray, the waves were white- capped, and the water was cold- but Merin still wanted to go tubing! I put on my goggles, because of course I was the one she wanted to go with, and some of the most fun 5 minutes of my life came alive. Minute 1- Alright, here we go! said Merin as we snaked around in the white and blue two- person tube which filled with water once you sat down. We started to accelerate to the point that you start to think, Why am I doing this again? Isn t this so fun? Merin yelled at the top of her lungs as the knot that we had forgotten to untie started to spray us. Yeah! I yelled back spitting out lake water like crazy because of that darn knot. Uh, really fun! Minute 2- They tried to knock us off. Merin? Merin!? Merin!?! I said, thinking that she had fallen off. Yes, yes, I m right here! Oh, Merin! I thought you had fallen off! After that, we told them to do no more donuts and for a while we were on a good pace, then they started to speed up again! Minute 3- No, no, not again! We said in unison. We tried everything- yelling, hand signs, even trying to stand up in the tube! Apparently they weren t paying attention! Ugh. I heard Merin grumble as our goggles filled with water as we continued to get sprayed. Minute 4- Uh, Georgia, I m soaking, freezing, and ready to get off Can we? yeah, maybe just a few more minutes? I suggested. The water kept splashing- colder and colder, more and more. Hey, Georgia? Want to get off now? said Merin. Sure, yeah. I m ready- you can do the sign. Merin did the cut it sign a few times and then the boat finally stopped. Minute 5 We pulled ourselves back to the boat then jumped in. The water felt warm now! Merin was the first to grab a towel though after we got off, Brrrr, I m cold! she said. Yeah, me too, but that was really fun! Fall Fun Jumping in the leaves, shouting out, trick or treat! Color everywhere, wind blowing in my hair. All my friends gather up to play. Happiness everywhere. That s what fall s all about, fun! By: Nicole Fuller 4 th Grade Mrs. Schreiber Page 7
A Night at the Park: Based on a true story By: Eden Lamburth 2 nd Grade Mrs. Weymouth One time at my Grandma s house, at night, I went on a walk to the park with my Grandma. I saw a cat. It was climbing a ladder up to the slide. Right paw first and then left paw. It was going down and at the end of the slide it flew in the air! He ran off. We went home with a flashlight. We made little shadows with the flashlight. The cat was funny at the park. Looking at the Stars By: Elisabeth Edmonds 5 th Grade Mr. Groth Have you ever felt like you were just one part of a huge world? Well, I have. It happened on a clear starry night in August My Family and I had been staying in Best Western at, Ocean Shores, WA, which just happened to be right next to a sandy beach. Unfortunately, we were only there for one night. So my dad, Eric Edmonds, and I decided to take advantage of it. We headed out in our old family van, still blue as ever, to the beach. It was a dusty road with tons of sand on it, but it was still fun to drive on, anyway. When we got there we parked the van and got out to see what we could see. What we saw and heard was almost unimaginable! The sound of the crashing of the waves in the distance, the feeling of the sand on your toes, and most of all the unending blanket of stars so clear I thought I would be able to touch them! That feeling on the beach, at night, looking at the stars, looking at the stars made me think of how limitless the universe was. That is a feeling I will remember forever. Fall Leave By: Ruby Looyenga 4 th Grade Mrs. Schreibier It falls so silently, so brightly colored. Parents raking everywhere you go. Children waiting ofr snow to come, Thanksgiving and turkey. Getting ready for Halloween, oh so many things in fall, it s great fun to have fall around! Page 8