I used to be the best kid, the best daughter, the best student; I used to be so good until I got into alcohol.

I used to be the best kid, the best daughter, the best student; I used to be so good until I got into alcohol. My life changed completely. I got into a lot of trouble. I went to boot camp. I got away from my family, and my mom got real disappointed with me.

I was in the party with my friends, one of my hommies’ boyfriends came to the party and brought Bacardi, and my friend started to drink with him. She invited me to do it, and … I did it. I got drunk, really drunk, and I didn’t know what I was doing. The next day my friend told me what happened. I did a lot of stupid things, but I liked it because it made me get out of my world even just for some hours. So I kept doing it almost everyday.

One day we were at her house, and she got out a bottle of vodka and package of marijuana. I got scared about smoking, but I just took the bottle and started to drink until I didn’t know what I was doing. We got out of her house, and when we were walking out of my complex, a police man took us and drove us to the police station. He made my mom come and her mom too. He took us to a military thing that I don’t know the name, but all I know is that it was the hardest thing I had to do in my life. Since then I have never taken drugs or alcohol or anything else.

I learned my lesson so good because we had to clean, wake up early, and many more things. Now my mom trusts me again, and I really know what is good and what is bad. Now I know the people I should hang out with.

By a middle school student

I would like to be an inspiring actress, model, and singer.

Everyone has an idea of what they’d like to be when they grow up. I know what career I’d like. I would like to be an inspiring actress, model, and singer. Why? I’ll give you three reasons. One, because I love to dance, act, and sing. Second of all, people say I’m really good at those three particular things. Lastly, I want to become a famous one day so I can be rich, and so I can be on TV.

First of all, I will tell you why I want to tell why I want to become an actress. I really love to act. Also, my friends say I’m a good actor. I remember one day my friends came into breakfast, and they saw me crying. I wanted to fool them so I said that I had a serious disease, and I was going pass away in one week. They were all depressed. That’s when, I couldn’t hold the laughter in, and I busted out laughing. They were kind of mad because I tricked them, but they laughed along.

Secondly, I will tell you why I want to be a model. Every time I walk down the street, people always give compliments. They either say “you’re are a beautiful girl” or “you should be a model”. Also, I am tall with long legs. In my free time, I pretend I’m a model. I dress in my older sisters flashy outfits and act like I’m in a show. It’s hilarious because I always trip in their high heels.

Finally, I will tell you why I want to be a dancer. One, I dance really well. My best friend Mya always teaches me a lot of the new dance moves, but then I put my own little twist in it. Also, anywhere I am I will start dancing for no particular reason. It’s a habit. Another reason I just love to dance; it’s what I do. It tells people about my personality. I’ve been dancing since I was in my mom’s stomach.

Now you know why I want to be a singer, dancer, and actress. If you don’t remember, let me summarize for you. First, is because I love to do all those three things. Second is because people say I’m really good. Lastly, is because I want to become famous in those things so people can know me and admire me. Also, so I can make a lot of money! Now since I told you my careers, what are yours and why?

By L. J., a middle school student

I’ll tell you what I want to be. I want to be a judge.

What do I want to be when I get out of school? I’ll tell you what I want to be. I want to be a judge. Why. One reason I want to be a judge is because they get good pay. Judges make at least $80,000 a year. Now to me that’s good money. I could live with that.
A second reason I want to be a judge is because so many people are being blamed for crimes they didn’t commit. I think that isn’t right. We shouldn’t be putting innocent people behind bars. The real criminal is still out there. And he is going to keep committing crimes. That has to stop.
The third reason is kind of like the last reason, but not quite. There are so many criminals out there, and I want to have them put in jail. When I become a judge, I will make sure that they are put behind bars and give them what they deserve. And when they beg for clemency, I will tell them, “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.”
My last reason is ever since I was little I admired them. I always wanted to wear the long black robe and sit on the high bench. It has been my dream for ever. And I will do what ever it takes to become a judge.
Well, those are my reasons why I want to be a judge. Good pay, keep innocent people out of jail, put real criminals in jail, and it has been my dream forever. I hope my reasons are good enough for you. And I promise you I will be a judge some day.

By J. W., a middle school student

All of us face challenges in life. I know I do.

All of us face challenges in life. I know I do. I’m going to tell you three challenges I faced in my lifetime. One of them is, the first time I been to E.A. The second challenge I faced was when I was entering middle school. The last challenge is when I moved to another city.

My first challenge I faced was when I first went to E.A. I didn’t think it really mattered, so I didn’t go. That’s when E.A. called my dad, and they brought me to E.A. The first thing I thought was “man, these teachers are mean.” Later on, after I got used to it, it didn’t seem like nothing. They taught interesting things and did fun activities.

My second challenge was when I first entered middle school. All I could think about was, “Am I going to be popular?” or “Are people going to accept me?” As my sixth grade year went by, I made a lot of friends, and I found out that I was more popular than I thought I would be.

My last challenge I faced was when I moved to Immokalee. I missed all my friends. The first thing I did there was make new friends. I didn’t have time to lose. My first friends I made were named Mona and Donald. The school I went to was called Village Oaks Elementary. I made a lot of friends and a lot of enemies. That’s when things got out of control. The recess teacher didn’t like me, and they taught me things from Lake Park I already knew. So I moved back to Naples, and I was really overjoyed. My friends were really happy to see me.

Now you know what challenges I faced. Let me summarize for you. My first challenge I faced was the first time I went to Enhanced Assist (E.A.). The second challenge I faced was when I entered middle school. Te last challenge was when I moved to Immokalee. What challenges did you face and what lessons did you learn?

By L. J., a middle school student

My challenge is moving.

My challenge is moving. When I moved from California, I had to deal with a lot of things like a new school. You might have experienced this; you might be like me when I moved to my new school. I had to deal with classes and teachers when I was supposed to be in the 8th grade hallway I ended up in the 6th then I walked into the gym when I was looking for the lunch room. Another thing was leaving my close friends behind. I didn’t know anybody so I always stayed quiet or walked quickly to my next class.

Another thing is new people to meet. At my old school if people didn’t know you, they would ask you “ay mija or girl what is your name, and I would tell them my name, and we would just talk about things. When I would see them in the hallway, I would say, “Hey, what it do.” Even if they didn’t know you, they still showed you respect. Now people talk about you like crazy, “Hey, have you seen the new girl?” or “Oh my gosh were is she from?” and “Eww, I don’t like her!”

Another problem is a new neighborhood not every body acts sunny side up. Not every one is going to like me. I understand that, but you don’t have to be a snob about it. Hello, welcome to the real world. Another thing is a new home I mean who wants to wake up and walk into the closet when your looking for the bathroom. Aghhh, that’s annoying. Well now you know what happens in the real world, and that’s why I hate moving.

By I. T., a middle school student

One challenge I faced in my life was learning how to play the sport Paintball.

One challenge I faced in my life was learning how to play the sport Paintball. That was two years ago, and now I’m on a team and winning tournaments. I’m going to tell you about my challenge in learning to play Paintball.

One challenge I faced in learning to play Paintball was learning what bunkers are which. Bunkers are the objects you hide behind so you don’t get shot. For example, back left is in the back row of bunkers on the left corner. There can be a total of 50 bunkers on a field and I had to learn all of them!

Another challenge I faced was to learn the rules of a game. There are different types of paintball. The one I play is called Speedball, which is basically a flat piece of land with bunkers filled with air. There are at least 10 rules of the game that you have to know so you don’t get penalized. For example, an obvious one is that if you get shot, you’re out. And if you wipe the paint off then that is a penalty.

Another challenge I faced was learning the maneuvers of the game. Before the ref starts the game, you and your teammates come up with a plan that will help you win the game. To go with that, I had to learn the different positions a player can play. There are five different positions you can play and you need to know them in order to win.

In conclusion, learning to play Paintball was a challenge in my life. But that was two years ago and now I’m on a novice team and winning tournaments for cash prizes.

By L.C., a Middle School Student

When I went to middle school, it was hard to make new friends.

When I went to middle school, it was hard to make new friends. When I was in the 7th grade, there were many kids that didn’t have any friends. I only had one friend, and it was hard to even get two friends. In my life I face many different challenges. It’s hard, but I try. When I passed the 7th grade, I went into football. It is the hardest sport ever. I was a line backer in football. Another challenge that I have faced is when I was eleven years old I had a best friend, and his name was Joy. He was nine. I faced the biggest challenge of my life. When Joy and I were walking down Lunar Street there were these two 15 year old boys who beat Joy up every time he walked down Lunar. So march 15, 2002 I was walking with Joy and the two kids were standing right where they always stand. So they came up to Joy and one said I am going to punch you right in your mouth. I stood up for Joy and hit both of them in there face and from that day on I never saw them again. So that was the biggest challenge I have ever faced in my life. All of us face different challenges in life. One challenge might be making new friends. Another challenge might be how to play sports or a musical instrument. So next time you write you should write about facing different challenges.

By K. M., a middle school student