My Book Spine Poem
Keeper
The Giver
The Weirdo
The Great Brain
The Burning Maze
The Last Olympian
The Wednesday Wars
The Maze Runner
I’m So Done
©ElleShifflette
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is an American singer/songwriter. She is a very talented woman who’s journey to fame has been tough because of some of the criticism. It all started at Bluebird café where Big Machine Records first noticed her. Now she is a successful, happy, and adored singer.
Her albums listed in release order are: Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, Reputation, Lover, Folklore, Evermore, Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version), and Midnights.
However, her solo albums listed in most popular order are: 1989, Evermore, Folklore, Midnights, Reputation, Red, Lover, Fearless, Speak Now, and Taylor Swift.
I personally love Taylor Swift because of her resilience and toughness to never let people get her down. She tries to not look at herself in photos because she tends to criticize herself, and she doesn’t want that. Some media calls her overweight and untalented, but she pushes through and overcomes negative comments. Someone even came on stage when she got an award and took the microphone from her hands! He then said that Beyoncé deserved the award more than Taylor did. Then he apologized and then asked if he could put her name in his song lyrics. Being the forgiving person she is, Taylor Swift said yes and accepted his apology. After that he released the song and it had very explicit lyrics about her. She persevered even through that and stayed strong. That is what I most admire about her.
Looking for the Key
This story was about a man who lost a key to a great treasure. People wanted to help him find it, so they could get part of the treasure. After looking for a while, no one could find the key. So the helpers asked him, “Are you sure you lost it out here?” The answer was no, he lost it in his house. He told them, “It is far to dark to look inside for the key, so I am looking out here.”
The moral of this story is that to find happiness, you need to look inside of you.
I worked with Stella and Soledad on this project and here is our script:
(Elle crawling on the ground looking for something)
Stella: Why are you crawling on the ground?
Elle: I’m looking for the key for a great treasure that I lost.
Stella: A great treasure? Why don’t I help you?
Elle: Sure!
(Looking on the ground for a couple seconds)
Soledad: What are you guys doing?
Stella: I am helping this man look for a key to a treasure box.
Soledad: A treasure box? Why don’t I help?
Elle: Ok.
(Keeps looking)
Stella: Are you sure you dropped it here?
Soledad: Yeah, I don’t see it anywhere.
Elle: No, I lost the key inside my house.
Soledad and Stella: WHY ARE WE LOOKING FOR IT OUT HERE THEN?
Elle: Good point, it is too dark inside my house to see anything, there is more light out here.
Camp Hanes
On the 29th of September, the 6th grade spent the night at a camp in King, North Carolina, called Camp Hanes. It was so thrilling to get out of my car and see my entire grade out in front of the school with all of their luggage. I felt a rush of excitement that I was about to experience the trip of a lifetime. Once we had loaded all of our bags onto the bus, the 6th grade separated between two different buses. Once everyone was on board and had a seat, the buses were on their way to Camp Hanes!
The ride was overall really fun, it was just really hot and stuffy. But the second I stepped outside, I realized that the ride there and back would definitely be worth it. Once we got there, everyone was so anxious to get fresh air and go to their cabins. What we did was bring all of our bags into a gym and then head to a big room. In the room we played games and had so much fun! Finally, it was time to see who was in our cabins. YES! I got two of my friends! We lugged our bags up the hill to our cabin. Once everyone was unpacked, we found out what groups we were in for activities and went down to the dining hall for lunch. We sat with our advisories and ate chicken fingers and mac n’ cheese. The salad bar was absolutely amazing! They had every topping you could think of along with a large selection of dressings. Once we had finished eating, everyone gathered outside. It was time for activities!
I couldn’t wait until to see what my first activity was going to be. We got together with our groups and found out what we were doing. My group was going to be assigned with another group and do the hike! We had to pick a partner so that we could make sure everyone was still with us. My partner was Sloane. I really wanted to get exercise, so whoever didn’t want to carry their backpack gave it to me! The hike was overall really fun, and my favorite parts were climbing up steep parts using a rope and the amazing view. I loved the beautiful mountains stretching out on the horizon. The hike down was nice too, because it was way easier going downhill than uphill. I am so grateful that I got to do that.
Overall I really enjoyed the opportunity to be able to go to Camp Hanes. It was really fun and I am thankful for everyone who contributed to our great time! To the chefs, the teachers, the counselors, and the bus drivers: Thank you!
Elle’s Backpack
Over the summer I read Finding Someplace by Denise Lewis Patrick. In this book a girl named Reesie needs to evacuate her house, and fast. It is up to her to bring anything that might be of value to her family later on. She brings only what she needs, no more, no less. She is a smart packer and brings important papers, but if I were her, I would pack a little more heavily.
If I was Reesie, I would bring money, so that I would be able to buy food, drinks, and any other essential items. Next, a blanket so I would never be cold, and some snacks to keep me going for a little while. Then I would pack my stuffed animal Beary, because he is special to me, some extra clothes so I wouldn’t be wearing the same dirty clothes all the time, and some old valuable photos. Then I would put in the essentials. A water bottle, a flashlight and some extra batteries, a knife, in case I needed to defend myself, and some passports for identification. Lastly, I would bring a Bible, because this is something that would help me always stay positive.
These are things that I think would be very important to have if everything else got destroyed. But that’s me, what’s important to you?