Ideas that embark

Sweating together, dribbling down the court, Panting from exhaustion, no reason to abort. As I clutch my knees, Saying a silent plea, Then for a split second, A tap on my back beckoned, “Come on, we are almost there” My teammate said, stealing the ball with seconds to spare. I stand back up, encouraged by my team, Running and passing, avoided defense as it seemed. I set a screen, The point moves down unseen. With a quick look, She passes the ball with a hook. The ball is shot, As it enters the golden pot, It goes through, Woohoo! The buzzer beams I look across to my team. Ecstatic, mixed with lucidly dreaming. I am proud to have won, I think But, most of all, I am proud to have won together.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Let me present to you, Shruti Ram!” I plucked up the courage and stepped out on the black wooden platform stage, with a smile plastered on my face. The traditional Indian dance garments are glowing with a multiplex of colors with golden trim on edge of my short sleeves and the rim of my skirt and leggings, as my feet made contact with the stage the heavy necklaces adorn with jewels swayed from left to right as my head jewelry remained fixed on my head. My face is dressed up with bright red lipstick as my eyes are lined with black eyeliner with a red round bindi , an accessory worn by Indian women, on my forehead right above the middle of my eyes. I stood on the stage, as the image of an Indian goddess, waiting for the music to begin. Then, “Dum, Dum, Dum…”. You hear the sound of the tabla , a traditional Indian drum ring in, as the singer sings a song about the god being depicted. With the combination of the tabla , the veena , an Indian classi

A hot cup of hot chocolate, silken smooth fogs up my glasses as I take a sip. The smooth liquid gold floats down my throat as I prop my feet up on my bed and open my book. I sit and I gaze upon the pages sucked into an alternate dimension. With that, self- care is important and should not be skipped upon. In a daily week, students constantly stress over the next math test or completion of the next project. On top of that, they participate in extracurriculars like sports and prep classes. However, all of these students continually overlook and forget to place time of self-care whether it being sketching a picture or simply just watching Netflix. For starters, self-care opens a window of opportunity for students to understand the meaning of reflection. When a student sits down and really put aside some caring time for themself they stumble upon some valuable lessons. Students come to terms with their emotions and learn to understand mindfulness. Plus, just recently, scientists are sayin

“Curiouser, and Curiouser,” Sarah read. Ever since Sarah could remember her favorite book was Alice in Wonderland. She admired the main character, Alice, for her fearlessness and hoped that one day she might have her own adventure. That night, after reading Alice in Wonderland, Sarah wanted a midnight snack. Sarah hopped out of bed and tiptoed past her mom’s room. She stepped on each wooden panel anxiously, hoping that she wouldn’t wake her mom. As Sarah made her way to the kitchen, she noticed something lying on the floor. She bent down and picked up a smooth box-like object. It was about the size of a tissue box but was made out of a luxurious metal, that was smooth like glass. Sarah felt around the box, feeling some raised buttons until she stumbled upon a sticky note. Sarah peeled off the sticky note and held it by its adhesive backing. The sticky note read: “Press the star-shaped button.” Intrigued, Sarah followed the simple instructions and pressed the star-shaped button. Within

Girl Code “Class dismissed,” announced Mr.Dobbins as the bell rang at the end of the school day. Shruti leaped up in joy. She ran and quickly stuffed her textbooks in her book bag and headed to room 402. As she entered the classroom, she was greeted by Mr.Hunter, the computer teacher. “Hello, everyone. Happy Melbrook Middle School Club Day and welcome to the coding club.” Mr. Hunter introduced with a smile. “This year we are going to be learning 5 different computer languages. However, before jumping into the fun, let’s do an icebreaker game! Partner up everyone,” Mr. Hunter chided as the students got up to find a partner. To Shuruti’s dismay, there were no girls in the room to partner up with and all the boys in the room found someone to be partners with. Already frustrated enough, she had to play the icebreaker game with the teacher. Afterward, feeling disappointed in not having a partner, Shruti headed to her Bharathanatyam class, which is a form of traditional Indian dance.

 Rise  In a world, Where smart is the new beautiful, We will rise. In a world, Where insecurities fade, And strength overcomes, We will rise. In a world, Where being bossy, Is a smart negotiation technique, We will rise. We are smarter than most, Fearless beyond our imagination, Stronger than iron, Encouraging to everyone, And bold in any challenges that come our way. We are women. Today is the last day, That we will rise. Today we have risen.