Speak Your Mind & Shape Your World 2013 - Issue 9 by Medaille University

Speak Your Mind & Shape Your World Issue Nine Spring 2013

2012-2013 Masthead

Student Editorial Board

Staff and Supporting Members

Danni Jo Bechtold Tapestry Charter School

Roni Hyde Project Coordinator

Vianca Morales Riverside High School

Kerri Spuller Student Editorial Board Assistant

Andrea Pause City Honors High School

Joe Bieron Student Editorial Board Assistant

Hector Tirado McKinley High School

Dr. Mary Ellen Mulvey Project Supervisor

Cover Art Work

Leona Soule Administrative Assistant

Journal: “Self with Balloon” by Mercedes Olmsted Grade 12 City Honors High School Teacher: Cheryl St. George

Steve Ansell Layout and Graphic Design Consultant Professor Courtney Grim Arts Consultant

CD: “Homeward Bound” by Danni Jo Bechtold Grade 9, Tapestry Charter High School Teacher: Joe Bieron

Professor Mark Lavatelli Visual Arts Committee Professor Ted Pelton Literary Arts Committee

Music Provided By: The UniTones

Karen Williams UniTones Director

Acknowledgements The SYM staff and student editorial board would like to extend our gratitude to the many Buffalo high school teachers, administrators, principals, Medaille faculty and staff, and the community partners who supported the Speak Your Mind Project this year. We thank you for your dedication and continuous support- you make a difference in the lives of students and families across our city. Thank you for making this project possible! The following teachers submitted work to the journal this year: Joe Beiron, Tapestry Charter High School Danielle Collier, McKinley High School Rebecca Dame Seidler, Leonardo DaVinci High School Kathie Eizenger, Bennett High School Jessica Gilmartin, Lafayette High School Jackie Hart, McKinley High School Erin Kaminski, Riverside High School Veronica Kruger, South Park High School Rosemary K. Lyons, Riverside High School Linda Norton-DiCanio, Leonardo DaVinci High School

Craig Puffer, International Preparatory School Seana Root, City Honors High School Melissa Meola Shanahan, Lafayette High School Cheryl St. George, City Honors High School Jill Stiller, Burgard High School Edie Syta, East High School Jane Van Deusen, Lafayette High School Sabrina Vircillo-Franke, City Honors High School Nate Zappala, Burgard High School

Sarah Zimmer, Burgard High School

Thanks to the following Buffalo Public School administrators for their continued support: Michele Agosto, Supervisor of Curriculum in Art Education Julie Romain, Supervisor of English Language Arts

2012 Speak Your Mind & Shape Your World Major Sponsors Medaille College Buffalo Public Schools

Buffalo Public Schools Foundation WNY AmeriCorps VISTA

Additional Partners & Supporting Organizations

Jackie Albarella Architecture and Design Academy (ADA) at PS 198 International Prep Tony Caferro and Deep Thinka Records/DTR Studios Medaille College Office of Admissions Petit Printing Tops Friendly Markets 4

Introduction Hello, dear reader! What you hold in your hands is the 2013 publication of Speak Your Mind & Shape Your World, the ninth edition of the literary and visual arts journal for Buffalo high school students. As we round the corner to nearly a decade of publishing some of the most innovative, moving, and creative pieces our cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youth have to offer, our student editorial board has lovingly packed this issue with a broad selection of works that we hope you will find compelling and thought provoking. We have been impressed by, and thankful for, all the students and teachers who submitted work this year as well as the family, friends, educators, and others who encourage our youth to pursue their passions and push them to achieve. Though our student editors spent many long hours poring over and thoughtfully discussing the technical quality of submissions, we spent even more time engaged in conversation about the deeper significance behind the submitted works. We unpacked meaning, pulled back layers of truths, tangled ourselves in philosophical debate, and reveled in raw experience. It is an honor for us to represent the work of students throughout the city and provide a platform on which others may let their voices be heard, see their ideas acknowledged, and their talent and dedication recognized. We strive to craft a patchwork of visceral experience and insight, and offer you a vast array of voices that you may find speak to you on a personal level, and perhaps spark thought on social issues and the world around us. We ask you to listen closely, look carefully and take in as much as you can. We hope you enjoy! Roni Hyde Project Coordinator 2013

Artist’s Statements “Self With Balloon” -- Journal Cover Art After I developed the idea for this piece, it translated completely differently onto the taskboard, but I was okay with that - it’s a large part of the reason I decided to make it the first of a series. Initially, this piece was intended to communicate a mood of serenity and calmness, yet as it revealed to be a much darker representation, teeming with chaos, I realized I liked it much better that way. This work represents a detachment from reality that can be identified by anyone, it symbolizes an alternate essence of the human perception of what reality is and could be. - Mercedes Olmsted

“Homeward Bound” -- CD Cover Art I took the image “Homeward Bound” in my hometown of Gallatin Gateway, Montana in the summer of 2012. In the background, you see the beautiful Rocky Mountains, a range I always associate with home. It was taken on the highway right off the dirt road of my childhood home. The concept of this picture came from the idea of being a small town girl and the universal feeling of wanting to break out and start a new life. There’s something to be said about the time in a teenager’s life when they’re ignorant of life outside the outskirts of town. There’s beauty in the unknown. This photo will always remind me of that time in my life when I was young: Infinite and crazy and reckless. That feeling was fun. And free. And a little dangerous. Driving around late at night on roads I had known my whole life, but somehow feel so different when you’re behind the wheel, controlling the fate of the car, is a feeling I’ll never forget. I hope this image captures how small I felt, like the toy car in this picture. I was easily crushed in the real world, but still brave enough to keep on driving, because that’s all I knew how to do. I didn’t know where I was going, but I was rushing there 90 miles an hour, young blood coursing through my veins.

So here’s to the brave and courageous, young and unafraid. -Danni Jo Bechtold

Contents Asli Ali Tazira Allison-Johnson Ninoshka Aluarez Luis Arroyo Anthony Avery Ledeebari Banuna Mandie Baptista Zerrick Barlow Samantha Baumer Paige Beal Danni Jo Bechtold Ujma Begum Phedra Benoit Kaylie Benson David Bierman Katelyn Book Chelsey Borkowski Aniyah Brown Kara Brown Iviangelisse Carino Elliott Carlson Carlon Carter Sam Chen Marisa Constantino Ariel Cunningham Jonathan Davis Jose Diaz Michael Edwards

The Story of Us………………………………..…..18 The Climb………………………………………....20 Nonviolence……………………………………….27 Ambition…………………………………………..21 Wild Zebra………………………………………...53 Buffalo Historical Society……………………….100 A Growing Man………………………..……..........14 I Carry Your Words on My Back………………….55 Spirit House…………………………………..........49 Forms of Picasso…………………………………..38 All You Need is Love……………………..……….75 Girl Kissing………………………………………..18 High School Lessons………………………………38 Untitled (You Took a Piece)……………………….43 Our Energy is Everywhere………………………..46 Untitled (Sock Monkey)………………………..…61 Untitled (Ferris Wheel)…………………………….68 Girl from Bangladesh……………………………...31 Matesprites………………………………………...66 Forest Lawn Cemetery Gate……………………...101 Untitled (Field of Flowers)………………………..60 Demon Guardian…………………………………..24 I’m Brightest in the Darkest Places………………..88 Illusions…………………………………………....54 Today’s Ideal Woman……………………………..72 Red Rose…………………………………………..52 Diptych Blue Tree………………………………....62 Mi Novio y Yo…………………………………….81 City Hall………………………………………….104 Untitled (Beatles Forms)………………………….95 Alicia……………………………………………....63 Mao Ze Dong is the Never Setting Burning Red Sun in Our Hearts……………………………………….97 The Great Bridge…………………………………..89 The Frog Prince Spirit House……………………...49 Jonny Cakes Spirit House………………………….49 Untitled…………………………………………….53 Design for a New House in Buffalo……………….51 7

Karissa Farrell Leah Ganey Margaret Gelen Ethan Haynes Oscar Heard III JoAnne Hussey Isnino Iffin Jerad Ithavong Shaquille Jackson Aleena Jafri Jahlil Jones Ezana Kahsay Brigid Krause KayLeigh Kubiak Charlotte Kuhl Blandine Kwizera Gensis Laboy Anthony Laureano Hanna Lezan Zamyiah Lynch Eden Mack-Hardiman Daja Mangum Min Min Maung Aye Cha May Ruby Medina-Rivera Thein Soe Moe Vianca Morales

North Park Theater……………………………….102 Self Portrait in Glass………………………………59 Skull Vanita……………………………………….84 Bird in Flight………………………………………98 John Lennon……………………………………….95 The Game………………………………………....91 A Bird Perspective………………………………...61 Flower of Hearts…………………………………..19 Getting the Mind to Think Positive……....……......69 Oh, How I Cannot Be Without My Mother………..85 Design for a New House in Buffalo……………….51 Only Him…………………………………………..25 Invisible and Soundless You……………………....39 Hijab……………………………………………….34 Celestiality: Female………………………………..64 Celestiality: Male………………………………….64 Shinji……………………………………….……...35 Untitled (Shadows on House)……………………..42 Design for a New House in Buffalo……………....50 War………………………………………………..29 Desire……………………………………………...15 Fire………………………………………………...74 What May Be Said………………………………...97 Poverty…………………………………………..22 The Tiger…………………………………………..87 The Eye………………………………………….....78 Fear…………………………………...…………....23 Trust………………………………..………………75 Fear…………………………………...…………....23 Peace of Mind……………………………………..82 You Again…………………………………………19 Enter the Void #1………………………………….40 Why Violence in Our Community?........…….........71 Pyramid…………………………………………....58 A Fall Night………………………………………..57 Snowy Day………………………………………...96 Island………………………………………………52 Blossoming Almond Tree………………………....55 Float On…………………………………………....33 Untitled (Transcend Reality)………..…..……........41 Flying……………………………………………98 8

Michael Murchison Dominique Murray Phaw Mu Nar Christian Ndagano Kinkosi Dorcas Nsumbu Michael Rivera Ocasio Tah Oo Ryan Ork Andrea Pause Nathan Pena-Rivera Destiney Plaza Elizabeth Podgorny Marissa Polovnuk Shaqri Ransome Jennifer Ray Samekh Harris Reed Brian Rosario Brenda Sams Ninoshka Santiago River Saxbury Lakari Smith Tatiana Smith Dreizka Sostre-Robinson Shawna Stalikas Fadi Suboh Christian Taylor Checolathiwot Teraga Liam Kham Thang

Listening to Art……………………………………37 Lazy Duck Day…………………………………….57 My Name………………………………………......32 Just Another Guitar Storm…………………………58 Classtime………………………………….…….…60 My Name………………………………..…….......86 Time for Tennis…………………………………....70 Bob Marley……………………………..……........28 Addiction………….………………………………43 Murky Waters…………………………………..…56 Shadows………………………………..………….93 Them Birds…………………………………….….56 Persistence…………………………………….…..36 Heart…………………………………………….....44 The Ocean is Crying for Me……………..………..84 Skeleton……………………………………………47 Dyslexia……………………………………………99 Hot Pink Swans……………………………..……..15 4th of July……………………………………...…...90 Still Life……………………………………………86 Daddy Who?.............................……........................79 Design for a New House in Buffalo………………50 Field Mouse……………………………………......17 Alice……………………………………………….73 Spirit House…………………………………..…...49 Bridges………………………………………......24 Éros…………………………………...…………....67 Night Time in Winter……………………………...76 After School Snack………………………………..77 Boys & Girls…………………………………….....65 Winter Barn at Night………………………………...62 Tragic Bloom………………………………………54 Personal Essay……………………………….........30 The Other One……………………………………..80 A New You……………………………………...…90 As I Walk Out……………………………..……..105 Open Them……………………………………...…91 Why Am I Mistreated by You?.....……...................94 Parrot……………………………………………....57 The King…………………………………………...60

Hector Tirado Yesenia Torres Brian Trinh Carlos Williams Dae’ja Williams

Untitled (Every Day I Sit)………………………....67 America……………………………………….....82 Untitled (As My Mind Runs)………………….…..88 Diamantes Fashion Design…………………….….63 Ben…………………………..……………….........14 Another Day in Class……………………………...39 Burning Tree…………………………..……...........74 Buffalo……………………………………………103 The Gardener and the Rose………………………..16 Mistress of Ribbons…………………………..........45 Jesus……………………………………………….83 Mistress of Loneliness and Lust…………………..92 March……………………………………………26

Speak Your Mind & Shape Your World Issue Nine Spring 2013

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.”

-Oscar Wilde

“The role of a writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say.”

–Anais Nin

“This world is but a canvas to our imagination.”

-Henry David Thoreau

A Growing Man… Anthony Avery

My life is a story that is often misunderstood, only to be understood by people that can relate. I’ve been through the most frightening things; just thinking about it gives me the shakes. As I grow older I realize that these are the things that made me who I am… A man. Not caring about the handicap of not having my father by my side… Instead I’ll fill my mother’s heart with joy at graduation, walking across the stage with pride. It’s funny how things flow together when you’re blessed. Actually writing this poem helped me get some things off my chest. Now I can stretch, inhale and exhale; I can breathe at last. I think my future is getting built by the things I’ve been through in my past. On the highway to success, I just pray I don’t crash. My mama told me only the strong survive, and only the realest ones last. Grade 12 Burgard High School

Ben

Brian Trinh Grade 11 Leonardo DaVinci High School

Desire KayLeigh Kubiak

Why are moths drawn to a flame? Are they truly unable to tell that the light they desire is burning them alive? Is the power of what they confront so far beyond their comprehension that they have no choice but to be consumed? Or are they the only creatures brave enough to embrace the truth; that death is the only goal worth pursuing in life? Grade 10 Burgard High School

Hot Pink Swans

Marissa Polovnuk Grade 11 Riverside High School

The Gardener and the Rose Carlos Williams

A rose and her thorns circle all around. But her beauty irresistible, like the sweetest sound She was placed in a land, where the soil was too dry Her past gardeners so heartless, they left her here to die I push through thorns, and walked right into her heart And I saw the problems I faced, and couldn’t wait to start I wanted you slowly, like a lover’s passionate kiss Then tended to your needs like a satisfying bliss I cleared away your thorns, so everyone could see That you are a blossomed rose, my sweet lady. And when the storms, like arguing words came to blow you away I dropped in front of you, put my pride aside, hoping you’d stay When the sun tried to dry you, I gave you the water I need And I looked at myself to find, that I bleed. Then your thorns grew, like a maidens tears as she cry I watered her with my blood, as her thorns piercing my thigh So you said my blood can no longer be your water You sent me away, to try to love another And when that other tried to tend to your tender, tending, he went away And though you told me to go, I felt a need to stay So I return to my lovely rose, and I called for the rain Ripping the thorns away, who are as a girls stabbing pain My arms covered in your thorns blood and water creates a sea In the end it’s the gardener and the rose, who will always be you and me Grade 12 Burgard High School

Field Mouse

Brenda Sams Grade 12 South Park High School

The Story of Us Asli Ali

We started out like every love story Inseparable and soaking in our morning glory The things we planned, Promises we made Together forever, for that I prayed The thought of you used to take away my breath Now all I’m left with is a painful heart and painful regrets As I look back on all our memories The good, the bad and the ugly Even though we ended I’m glad it happened Because you have taught me many valuable lessons Now I’m more careful with my heart And I’ve gotten better at hiding my scars But don’t worry I don’t hate you But by no means do I love you Now you’re just somebody that I used to know We started out like every love story But for how we ended. I’m sorry. Grade 10 Riverside High School

Girl Kissing

Paige Beal Grade 12 City Honors High School

You Again Zamyiah Lynch

I never thought I’d see you again Your laugh, your smile, your eyes I see you in my dreams Though you never look my way I don’t think you see me Even if I call your name As you walk away I try to get your attention To make you stay with me When you’re gone I wake in a cold sweat I cry out your name as I begin to cry Because I know in my heart that I will never get to see You again. Grade 10 Early Middle College High School

Flower of Hearts

JoAnne Hussey Grade 9 Riverside High School

The Climb Asli Ali

They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger But I don’t know if I can endure this any longer The ladder to success isn’t an easy climb And I fear I’m running out of time I know I want it with all my heart But how do you know where you’re going when you don’t even know where to start? Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it at all Maybe I should just stay down after every fall? And then I remember It’s because I want my tomorrow to be better than my today And I know dreams just don’t come true, you have to pave the way So I’ll endure it a little longer And hopefully it does make me stronger Cause I’m already halfway up And I’ll keep climbing to the top Grade 10 Riverside High School

Ambition

Tazira Allison-Johnson Grade 10 Leonardo DaVinci High School

Poverty

Charlotte Kuhl Grade 11 City Honors High School

Fear Anthony Laureano

What is fear? Is fear real? Is fear inside or in our heads? Fear is us? We are the monsters. Living in the shadows We are the ones weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re afraid of But we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t handle that Fear holds us back 1 word 4 letters 1,000 meanings How can one word have so much effect on us What is fear? Is fear inside or in our heads? Grade 10 Riverside High School

Bridges River Saxbury

Don’t feel bad for me, I’ve done all of this to myself I now swim in the smoke of the flames of all the bridges I have burned Soaked in gasoline All so I could throw the match and watch it all go up in flames Maybe the bridges were never supposed to be built Is that why it’s so easy to just walk away? Well enough is enough, I’m leaving Setting fire to every bridge I cross They say you can’t turn back But now I’m stuck here all alone with nowhere to go Grade 12 Burgard High School

Demon Guardian

Katelyn Book Grade 11 Leonardo DaVinci High School

Only Him Shaquille Jackson

Who knows what goes on inside? Who knows how many tears you dried? Who knows what the real world is like? Or where you’re going when you lose sight? The mortal world is to human flesh, As his spirit and our heart connects. You will find if you take the time to seek, He will help you break the muzzle and speak. His grace, his love, his forgiveness, and all. He hears your cries and he hears your calls. When you move out of man’s sight, It’s still in his vision; it’s like the light. Who knows what goes on inside? Who knows how many tears you dried? Who knows when your life’s light getting dim? Who knows and controls it all, Only him. Grade 12 Burgard High School

March

Daeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ja Williams Grade 12 Bennett High School

Nonviolence Asli Ali

I look around and I see a world of falling apart And it truly is none other than our own fault The forceful destruction is one we’ve brought on to our selves We have embedded it into every aspect of our lives We’re violent with our words and violent with our minds Maybe the sword has become mightier than the pen Why is it that we instantly assume fighting for what you believe, Means someone has to bleed? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said “nonviolence means not only avoiding external physical violence but also internal violence of the spirit. You must not only refuse to shoot a man but refuse to hate.” Martin Luther King was one of the greatest civil rights activists and a role model to people everywhere but he never lifted a hand on another man Yet his actions were legendary Actions that inspired so many Fights break out everyday because someone said something about someone Always quick to get angry yet never stopping to reflect on all the wrong we’ve done Anger is heavy on the heart and a poison to the soul Like an endless sea it swallows us whole We try to display our strengths with heinous acts of violence Who ever can do the most harm is the strongest That the message that imprinted in the minds of youth today There was a man who was and still is a role model to people everywhere He said “power consists not in being able to strike another but in being able to control oneself when anger rises.” This man was my prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) Revenge has become a way of life We feel that if wrong has been done to us than we must retaliate So violence becomes a never ending cycle To the point where everyday becomes a struggle for survival Mahatma Gandhi said “an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.” This man freed his country from the oppression of another country but never resorted to violence Violence is an earthquake so devastating its damage takes a millennium to mend It happens in the blink of an eye Yet its effects last longer than a lifetime We’re unconscious of the harm we’re doing We’re violent with our deeds and violent in our speech This forceful destruction is one we’ve brought on to ourselves And it truly is none other than our own fault Because when I look around I see a world falling apart

Grade 10 Riverside High School

Bob Marley

Ryan Ork Grade 10 City Honors High School

War

Brigid Krause Grade 10 City Honors High School

Personal Essay Fadi Suboh

My name is Fadi Suboh. I’m a student at City Honors High School, I am from Palestine, the Middle East, and I feel that growing up in the neighborhood that I did for 13 years shaped me to become the unique person I am today. I moved to the U.S. when I was about to enter ninth grade. I lived in the lower west side of Buffalo for two years, the part of the city where many refugees are placed, and continuing my life in the U.S. made me immersed in a melting pot of culture and language, whereas back in my hometown it was all just one culture, one language spoken at home, and one type of people. I feel that moving to the U.S. completed and filled up the empty parts of my unique portion of my personality. I was able to observe and appreciate other cultures. However, when I was younger I always felt left out. When you’re a child making friends isn’t so difficult, all you have to know how to do is share a ball, catch, hide or seek, or play hopscotch in the streets. Although, it can be frustrating not being able to communicate effectively when there is a misunderstanding. In the U.S., it was appealing to gravitate towards kids who spoke my own language “Arabic,” but I would get lonely seeing as most of my schoolmates didn’t speak it. I sometimes felt like I was being suffocated by the language barriers. I figured that the lack of language I had was all what separated me from people outside, I resolved to fix that problem, and learned the languages that surrounded me, such as English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Urdu, Bengali. Trying to learn these languages might have started as a child’s habit, but it became my passion. I can deeply appreciate the complexity and beauty of language. No, I can’t yet communicate in any of these languages articulately what so ever, maybe I can say a couple words or an incoherent sentence, but I have something to work towards. I am fluent in three of them, though, Arabic, English and French. Although I still have my goal; to study the structure of engineering and be able to speak many different languages, it is no longer specifically to settle disputes over “whose ball is whose”. It is to be able to help the world, because everyone can benefit from a greater understanding. I have a deep desire to come to understand, and be understood unlike anyone else. I’m not saying that I’m better than anyone else on this planet, nor am I saying I’m ethnocentric. I have a deep desire to major in engineering. I’ve wanted this knowledge my whole life, and I will strive to meet the goals I set for myself at a young age. My drive to reach the goals set for myself will set me apart from others in a college community. When I set my mind to something I will work for it, even if it will take a lifetime, which perfecting any goal will and I am up for that challenge. All I am saying is that we’re all equal here but each one of us has a unique way to live his/her life. Grade 12 City Honors High School

Girl from Bangladesh Ujma Begum Grade 9 Burgard High School

My Name Phaw Mu Nar

My name means “night flower” moon It’s like jasmine but smaller When dark comes through, it starts to bloom. My name is bright like a full moon White and yellow added together Has light to go through when it is dark. My name sounds like birds singing In the morning on the tree Flying around up to the sky I feel like I fly with them. My name smells like fire works With dinner my mom has cooked. My name smells like Thai food It makes me so hungry when I think. My name feels like I sleep on the bed. My name is Phaw like a flower. Grade 11 Lafayette High School

Float On Vianca Morales

It’s always sunny in this internal world even when it rains. Darkness lurks every step, every turn though this light remains the same. Light or dark, I can’t differentiate. Truthfully, society is still blinded it’s all just different shades of gray. To give or to not give a damn? But what truly is a damn? Contradictions all on this Earth new ones still unheard. To understand it all is to grasp the concept of nothing. Because there is always conceptually something. Happy people are deceiving themselves. The sad, denying themselves life. The angry, misunderstood. The numb forgetting feeling. What is perfection? I wonder what is really right and wrong. What is truly poor and whether the wealthy are really rich. Controversial issues will never be solved. People always deciding other peoples’ fate. Life just works that way. So I float on. Grade 10 Riverside High School

Hijab

Aleena Jafri Grade 11 City Honors High School

Shinji

Jahlil Jones Grade 10 East High School

Persistence Destiney Plaza

The moment, You thought you lost everything in the blink of an eye, Where your right doing had no effect, Then your wrong doing drifted you furtherâ&#x20AC;Ś Drifting, until you see it disappear into the horizon. Persistence can retrieve it. It persuades what was lost to return. Persuading so that it irritates what was lost Causing such irritation so that it has no choice but to come back. It is not until that extent that you realize the value of persistence. You have to crave it. You have to be desperate. You have to starve and be dying of thirst. Persistence is that drop of water that you need to survive. It is not until that level of dehydration, Where you can obtain what once was yours. Grade 12 Leonardo DaVinci High School

Listening to Art

Michael Murchison Grade 11 Burgard High School

High School Lessons Danni Jo Bechtold

The one thing I’ve learned about high school so far is simple: Screw it. Do whatever the hell you want, Because no matter who are you, How you act, What path you take, Someone’s not going to agree with you. You’re not going to like everyone. In fact, There will be very few people You Sincerely enjoy. Treasure them. Keep them close. Laugh too loud in class And come up with dances to your favorite song. Have hot dog eating contests in the cafeteria Make paper hats out of failed tests And vow you’ll study harder next time. Make memories and Stories to tell. Become close with the people around you, Because they Make high school Worth it. Grade 9 Tapestry Charter High School

Forms of Picasso

Zerrick Barlow Grade 12 City Honors High School

Invisible and Soundless You Shaquille Jackson

One time shall I see your face? My heart shall jump for joy. It will feel like I won a race Or a poor boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first new toy. The sound of your voice which shall river flow through my ears, Will trigger the memories of the years you were here. The fun and good times not the sadness and fear. A new memory with you I want to appear without tears. Your touch and your appearance created a home in my heart. Your smile and your laugh became a resting spot in my mind. When you became invisible and soundless I got bit by a shark. The pain is stuck here because you on earth, I can not find. Grade 12 Burgard High School

Another Day in Class

Brian Trinh Grade 11 Leonardo DaVinci High School

Enter the Void #1

Eden Mack-Hardiman Grade 12 City Honors High School

Untitled Vianca Morales

Transcend reality I want to be pushed to insanity. Imbalanced, to be manic. Tension hanging heavy. Everything electric. Every atom of my being to be burning. Hell with romance and passion. What I want surpasses this. Bright colors Reds, oranges, yellows, purples, pinks Surround the palette that is my body. Painting all I see, swirling. While the sun showers, Blades of grass tickling skin. The universe slowing; “now” is never ending. Two melts into one As neurons explode. We’ll sink into the earth. Let a crazed lover grow beauty From the roots to the leaves. Once unleashed love is inexhaustible. I am inexhaustible. Grade 10 Riverside High School

Untitled

Jahlil Jones Grade 10 East High School

Untitled Danni Jo Bechtold

You took a piece of me a long ago that I cannot seem to recreate. And I’ve been looking for it in all the wrong places: The bottom of beer bottles, anonymous cities, other people’s hearts. I’d like to be my old self again, but I’m still trying to find her. Grade 9 Tapestry Charter High School

Addiction

Andrea Pause Grade 12 City Honors High School

Heart Destiney Plaza

There are things, my child, that in life you must keep safe in your heart, Where nobody can find them, Unless they have the key… But don’t let the heat of your heart destroy them… Rage, the hottest of them all, will melt them. Hate, like liquid nitrogen, freezes them. Betrayal is acid bitterness and causes them to deteriorate. Note, if any of these are released, you will lose what is inside. Rage spills, causing it to disperse the melted content which, later, will evaporate. Hate shatters at impact when released. Betrayal acts like dust when released and will disintegrate in the ground. But Love my child, yes Love, Love will comfort and protect. Love is the safest, making it indestructible. It creates a force field making it impenetrable. As all the forces go against Love, like the superhero, Love remains victorious. If what is kept within your heart has been fed Love, My dear child, nothing bad will destroy it. When released, its shield will protect it, Making it land safely; therefore, it will live, my child, It will grow and create an indescribable beauty able to stand on its own. A blossoming flower Or a butterfly leaving its cocoon. Love, yes Love, Love is what should surround whatever you keep safe in your heart. Where nobody can find them Unless they have the key… Grade 12 Leonardo DaVinci High School

Mistress of Ribbons Carlos Williams Grade 12 Burgard High School

Our Energy is Everywhere Danni Jo Bechtold

There are so many things I do not understand in this life I’ve been given, but there’s one lesson that will stick with me always: We are made up of so much more than skin and bones. We are composed of cells, of memories, of constellations. We are living matter and proof that life is worth living. Our life is contracted of loves, losses, and the people we’ve met. We are a melting pot of strange and beautiful things. Everything we’ve touched, everyone we’ve spoken to, all the footprints we’ve laid down will forever affect anyone who’s ever walked in the same direction. Our energy is everywhere. Grade 9 Tapestry Charter High School

Skeleton

Elizabeth Podgorny Grade 12 City Honors High School

Project Home at Riverside High School – Spirit Houses (page 49)

This year, students at Riverside High School are using their creative talents for a cause. In addition to building their skills as artists and creative thinkers, they are learning about giving back to their community. Art students in Mrs. Lyons’ classes used found materials collected over the summer and fall to craft decorative miniature houses called “Spirit Houses.” The students have decided to sell the Spirit Houses and donate the proceeds to Compass House, a local safehaven for runaway, homeless and at-risk youth. The following page features a sampling of these carefully and beautifully crafted Spirit Houses. Teacher: Ms. Rosemary K. Lyons

The Architecture and Design Academy at International Prep (pages 50 & 51)

Founded in 2010, the Architecture and Design Academy at International Prep (A.D.A. @ IPrep) was started as a way to interest more students in pursuing careers in architecture and design, (such as product design, interior design, communications design, fashion design and game design), and enable them to do so, while increasing the diversity of people working in those fields. The stated goals of the A.D.A. are to get students into the colleges of their choice, on scholarships, and to provide them with the skills they will need to succeed in both college and in their future careers. The A.D.A. program is open to students from across the district; students can apply from 8th through 11th grades. The program is designed to take four years, (grades 9 through 12), but can be compressed into fewer years, depending on the circumstances. Although the emphasis is on the design process and its related fields, the knowledge gained will be useful in any career the students pursue: the courses involved will give them a solid grounding in problem solving, creative thinking, critical thinking, and presentation, as well as a number of valuable computer skills. The A.D.A. @ IPrep is affiliated with the University at Buffalo’s Department of Architecture, as well as the Western New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and makes use of the rich architectural heritage of Buffalo. Teacher: Mr. Craig Puffer

Left: Spirit House Mandie Baptista Grade 11 Riverside High School

Right: Jonny Cakes Spirit House Jonathan Davis Grade 12 Riverside High School

Below: Spirit House Ninoshka Santiago Grade 12 Riverside High School

Above: The Frog Prince Spirit House Ariel Cunningham Grade 11 Riverside High School

Design for a New House in Buffalo Brian Rosario Grade 11 International Prep

Design for a New House in Buffalo Ezana Kahsay Grade 11 International Prep

Design for a New House in Buffalo Jerad Ithavong Grade 11 International Prep

Design for a New House in Buffalo

Michael Edwards Grade 11 International Prep

Island

Thein Soe Moe Grade 9 McKinley High School

Red Rose

Kara Brown Grade 11 City Honors High School

Wild Zebra

Ninoshka Aluarez Grade 11 Lafayette High School

Untitled

Jose Diaz Grade 11 South Park High School

Tragic Bloom

Shawna Stalikas Grade 11 City Honors High School

Illusions

Aniyah Brown Grade 11 City Honors High School

Blossoming Almond Tree Thein Soe Moe Grade 9 McKinley High School

I Carry Your Words on My Back Ledeebari Banuna Grade 12 City Honors High School

Them Birds

Nathan Pena-Rivera Grade 9 Riverside High School

Murky Waters

Andrea Pause Grade 12 City Honors High School

Parrot

Liam Kham Thang Grade 12 Lafayette High School

Lazy Duck Day

Dominique Murray Grade 12 McKinley High School

A Fall Night

Aye Cha May Grade 9 Riverside High School

Just Another Guitar Storm Christian Ndagano Grade 10 Riverside High School

Pyramid

Min Min Maung Grade 12 McKinley High School

Self Portrait in Glass Leah Ganey Grade 12 City Honors High School

The King

Liam Kham Thang Grade 12 Lafayette High School

Classtime

Kinkosi Dorcas Nsumbu Grade 10 Riverside High School

Untitled

David Bierman Grade 11 South Park High School

Untitled

Danni Jo Bechtold Grade 9 Tapestry Charter High School

A Bird Perspective Oscar Heard III Grade 12 McKinley High School

Winter Barn at Night Dreizka Sostre-Robinson Grade 12 Bennett High School

Diptych Blue Tree

Kara Brown Grade 11 City Honors High School

Diamantes Fashion Design Yesenia Torres Grade 11 Burgard High School

Alicia

Carlon Carter Grade 9 Bennett High School

Celestiality: Female Aleena Jafri Grade 11 City Honors High School

Celestiality: Male

Boys & Girls Tatiana Smith

The attraction so strong It’s only logical and physical When a girl longs for her first kiss The boy dismiss her But in the mist of his heart He longs to be with her Like Romeo and Juliet But the twist is in the beginning And never gets to the end In and out of love they go They think there is love But truly, they don’t know how spell love Boys and girls Just children Can’t wait to become Men and Women Grade 10 Burgard High School

Matesprites

Phedra Benoit Grade 11 City Honors High School

Untitled Hector Tirado

Every day I sit in a cluster of thoughts wondering when I’ll stop thinking but with every second counting my mind travels to places I’ve never been, waiting for my break; reason in silence. When does the fairy tale ending happen, where we all go, to a place called home sweet home? Grade 12 McKinley High School

Éros River Saxbury

I never knew there would be a better tomorrow But you’ve come into my life and taken all my sorrow. My days of sadness are a thing of the past I have found true love at last. My days of emptiness are gone for good You fill a void in my heart that you should. You’ve opened a window You’ve shown me the light My love for you will continue to burn bright. Grade 12 Burgard High School

Untitled

Danni Jo Bechtold Grade 9 Tapestry Charter High School

Getting the Mind to Think Positive Isnino Iffin

I might not know how to rhyme or combine all the things on my mind so I am going to say, what I need to say Expressing things in my own way

a country in need of peace the terror & pain seen around the world. I encourage myself & others to envision a better future for ourselves No pollution no wars & no division With peace & tranquility everywhere A world full of happiness and cheering faces That’s a future way beyond

I encourage myself & others to speak out we are humans made with two ears & a mouth for the reason to speak out & to be heard I encourage myself & others to be leaders to lead others to a positive way No hatred & no violence But have patience fighting & killing is not a positive solution It makes us inhumane and even less civilized then we are.

I encourage myself & others to look down on violence & swearing— And all the killing Look for a positive role model A person with morals & influential to the world stop encouraging the bad & the worst giving them our mind & full attention They live shameless and careless not offering a penny for the homeless Morals are what we need in a society like honestly, kindness & caring Which is: felt by the heart understood by the mind & needed by the soul

I encourage myself & others to struggle hard to find ease Even though we are far from perfection We are made with a complex mind From the Divine From it we can find a solution for:

We are all under so much stress Let’s just try to express Our dreams & our desires Before they expire And before we are silence to show our intelligence

The threat of a gun The suicide of a person The pain of a sharp knife thrown in the heart The food of a child in starvation

Grade 10 Riverside High School

Time for Tennis

Tah Oo Grade 9 Riverside High School

Why Violence in Our Community? Daja Mangum

Why is violence in our community out way of solving problems? There is no way logic in the activities of a gun. You shoot a person down someone’s daughter or son, No reason why just the sound of a gun. It may be hatred or just because, Did people honestly forget about brotherly love? What is the need for fights and guns in our community? We are killing our own, the precious young. Oh, I get it; you want to be “cool”. Cool is not the word the word should be FOOL! Because what you’re doing is childish, all of it is just NONSENSE What’s the reason why you want to shoot someone down? In your own COMMUNITY? As if they were a piece of meat lying on the ground. Is it their clothes? The way they dress? How they style their hair, or the color of their skin? If they like to draw, or if they like reading a book People in our community have forgotten what we stood for… Black people as union, we can rule the WORLD! Did you forget President Obama is African American? The first black man in office, and he’s in control. Before you pick up a gun, pick up some sense! Think about who you are, and what you can accomplish! STOP THE VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY! McKinley High School Grade 11

Today’s Ideal Woman Aniyah Brown

Short skirt, seven inches above the knee Long Acrylic nails with pedicured feet Half shirt top, exposing of the breasts, Just covering the face up with makeup, not caring about the rest Welfare? Indeed, it goes to the dress Sometimes the nails, or maybe a hair press. Child support? Definitely, it goes to her too, But not the baby who’s sick with the Flu Living with a man, giving all of herself, Who gives her nothing but broken bones and bad health No respect for mom, not even for her race, Giving herself everyday to men, just to see Washington’s face No high school Diploma, blame the guy Only eighteen years old, struggling to get by. HIV Positive, with a life ahead Lucid of happiness, accepting pain instead This is how our women are today Shall we strive and try to make this change Long skirt, three inches below the knee, No acrylic nails, nor the pedicured feet Fully dressed, no welfare Embracing her beauty, embracing her nappy thick hair Without child support, no need for that, Married happily, indeed a fact, Happy child in good health, With a mother who obtains respect for others and herself High school diploma and PhD A well paying job, no HIV Living up to her mother, honor and respect, Pride in her heritage with no regrets Taking what life gives, Learning, flourishing from it, That’s how you become an Ideal woman Grade 11 City Honors High School

Alice

Brenda Sams Grade 12 South Park High School

Fire KayLeigh Kubiak

Down the ocean By the sea Is a place Inside of me Up the clouds By the sky Is a place Where I hide By the park, in the trees Is a place Where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find An emotional wreck Bursting into flames That represents a cold Frightened, angry me The ocean pulls The sea pushes The clouds comfort The sky lets go The park crowds The trees cover And the emotions Are confused And the mind dysfunctional

Burning Tree

Brian Trinh Grade 11 Leonardo DaVinci High School

That is why flames Represent me For they are never Consistent Forever in motion And warm yet Still frightening And always angry Grade 10 Burgard High School

Trust Anthony Laureano

Trust…T… R… U… S…T… Trust… Hard to get easy to be broken… Not everyone gets it but everyone wants it… Trust is like glass Once you have broken it you can fix it But you can still see the crack… Grade 10 Riverside High School

All You Need Is Love

Samantha Baumer Grade 10 Leonardo DaVinci High School

Night Time in Winter Lakari Smith Grade 11 East High School

After School Snack Lakari Smith Grade 11 East High School

The Eye

Gensis Laboy Grade 10 Leonardo DaVinci High School

I hear the words “I love you”, or was that my imagination? I want to reach out to them, but I can’t reach them, no matter how hard I try. I feel my heart racing; trying to run away, I can feel the water gathering in my eyes, I’m becoming dizzy on my feet, I start to sway, But I won’t fall to my knees; big girls don’t cry. Your voice, I can hear it so clearly, These memories are becoming too much, I have to abandon these memories and return to reality, These memories are useless; they are nothing but a crutch. My hands won’t release them memories yet, They refuse to cast them into a dark abyss, Don’t they understand you’re the boogeyman, a threat? I don’t want to remember anymore, I want serenity. My hands turn the key, Setting the lock back in place, I’m a caged bird, longing to be free, My shoulders bear the burden of the memories, the impractical weight. This emotion; you can never know, This pain; I will ignore and play the fool, The lock does a great job of stopping the memories from an overflow, I won’t keep remembering forever, that would just be cruel. I’m going to forget, perhaps sometimes soon, The next time I see you, I wonder if I’ll say ‘Daddy Who?”

Daddy Who? Samekh Harris Reed

Somewhere in my heart there is a place where your presence resides. Quiet just as you are. I sometimes forget you are there. I’m afraid to let you know somewhere inside, My heart is already aching, no need for further impairment. Wrapped around by chains and locked with a bolt, You need a key, This is not regular heart; it’s like a vault, I don’t think there’s anything inside that’s valuable enough for you to see. Locked inside there are memories, Private yet displayed for my heart to feel, Dragging my mind down an unwanted journey, Down memory lane, it all seems surreal. I remember Birthdays when you visited with a smile, I remember hugs where you held me tight, Your absence was regarded with disdain; Vile, You started leaving me more and more; it didn’t seem right. I remember being held in your arms, A memory flashes; being carried off to bed, I let myself remember and feel a bit more, what was the harm? After all you will never know my true feelings; this is all in my head. So many memories dance across my vision, Teasing me with their whispers of past sweet times,

Grade 11 McKinley High School

The Other One Fadi Suboh

Life does Not sweet to its past residence Nor goes backwards You are the bows and your children are the arrows Let your twisting be between the hands of the wise archer When life makes you release your children with joy and pleasure. When time starts to lose its beat in a leisured conversation Hold the bow in a complete measured concentration. A tiny archer takes his way intent, on mischief, which is his especial bent But the other archer looks brand erected on the road to infinity And releases the arrow quick snipe-far-reaching to impress you by his ability Because as he loves the arrow that flies Away like a broom as he stands So loves the bow that is help in his hands And when days run by so fast in a calmative repetition, Scores are reached â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and targets are hit â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just like in a friendly competition. Grade 12 City Honors High School

Mi Novio y Yo

Iviangelisse Carino Grade 12 Burgard High School

America Hector Tirado

It’s a shame to live like this People with no class No sense & No idea what it is to have a “family” All they know is the streets The welfare line And their check date See they have it all confused America is land of the free But all you people have the wrong definition of free It’s not your money It’s the tax payers That’s why America remains the way it is; too generous. Grade 12 McKinley High School

Peace of Mind Hanna Lezan Grade 12 South Park High School 82

Jesus

Carlos Williams Grade 12 Burgard High School

The Ocean is Crying For Me Destiney Plaza

As if I were drowning, In the saltiness of the ocean, Extending my hand for somebody to grab me, I open my eyes to see where I am, Where to find my way out, But it just burns and I remain blinded. I scream for help and nobody hears me, Just a simple bubble rises to the surface, The tears go down just to blend in With the saltiness of the ocean. Grade 12 Leonardo DaVinci High School

Skull Vanita

Leah Ganey Grade 12 City Honors High School

Oh, How I Cannot Be Without My Mother Isnino Iffin

I am so in awe of my mom She is so merciful She is like Friday From a long hard working day I always look forward to seeing her She is wise and strong She speaks so wisely And stands strong when raising me Oh, how I cannot be without my mother! Her mercy is like a cloud filled with water She strikes like lightening to protect me Her words shape like the skeleton shapes the body Her nourishment holds me together like the muscles That holds our bones together Oh, how I cannot be without my mother! She is understanding Like a best friend She is patient Like a lion hunting a prey I feel all grown but to her I am still a child Enduring with my annoyances, with all my problems, Who will always be here for me? Oh, my mom Oh, how I cannot be without my mother! Grade 10 Riverside High School

My Name Michael Rivera Ocasio

My Name is the color orange because I am like a tiger… My Name sound long as the Titanic… My Name smells like the summer peaches that I love to eat… My Name feels like the crazy boy I become when I do crazy things… Grade 11 Lafayette High School

Still Life

Jennifer Ray South Park High School Grade 12

The Tiger

Blandine Kwizera Grade 12 Burgard High School

Untitled Hector Tirado

As my mind runs in thought I lay here restless- my heart racing, my body slowly breaking down, the emptiness of my craving for happiness… when does my break come? Haven’t I been pulled through enough? I’m 17 living the life of an adult, chasing my dream with no motive. No one to live for, clustered my thoughts stick. Slowly killing me inside out until I rot, with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Slowly I see the light, until it smashes right before my eyes. Lay in ruin nothing but the past shall my future bloom like spring. Grade 12 McKinley High School

I’m Brightest in the Darkest Places Chelsey Borkowski Grade 12 South Park High School

The Great Bridge

Marisa Constantino Grade 11 Leonardo DaVinci High School

A New You Fadi Suboh

My people, My friends, Listen or thy tongue will make thee deaf. Every New Year has new fresh beginning The fairest day that ever yet has shone That has for us so many wonderful things Will be when thou the day within shalt see Listen my soul to the glad refrain And, spit of old sorrows and older sinning The fairest rose that ever yet has blown Followed by forecasted troubles, When thou the flower thou lookest on shalt be, And a great possible pain; Why donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you move ahead with thy new clef? Open thy heart on this new day to start all over again Making Love, peace, and living a happy new year That will bring in thy eyes happiness and no tear. Grade 12 City Honors High School

4th of July

Shaqri Ransome Grade 11 East High School

Open Them

Christian Taylor Grade 12 City Honors High School

The Game

Ethan Haynes Grade 10 Leonardo DaVinci High School

Mistress of Loneliness and Lust Carlos Williams

She’s so beautiful, but inside there is nothing to be desired She touches me, her poison spreads, and my skin is as flames of fire I fight her attraction, but no one else is here for me, but empty space And her dark eyes are as the loneliness of my black heart I’ve seemed to misplace She comes to my ear; with every breath chills hit my spine She whispers her name, dragging every word like drugs to my mind Saying “I’m lonely lust stay with me. Me, you and nobody the way it will always be” Unable to find anything else true, I give in to her kiss Fill of sorrow and bitterness, a heartless abyss I embrace her still, and caress her curves With the bit of her lip, she frozen all my nerves Her cold arms unable to subdue my pain No love in making love, and even that’s a game But she’s here and only her, no one else for miles As I step outside into the real world trying to make a smile This loneliness like my mistress underneath the sheets But my love is frozen, a heart unable to beat So I move close to her to feel her cold breath Because when I look for anyone else there is no one left Grade 12 Burgard High School

Shadows

Andrea Pause Grade 12 City Honors High School

Why Am I Mistreated by You? Checolathiwot Teraga

Does my LIFE have a VALUE? How are we DIFFERENT from one another? Were we not all born by a MOTHER? How am I different from you? Is it the color of my SKIN that’s an issue? Or is it the way I DRESS that made you CONFESS to INSULT the way I carry MYSELF? WHY is VIOLENCE your way of solving PROBLEMS? WHY can’t we get along like BROTHERS and SISTERS? WE can DISCUSS our issues with kind WORDS. HELP each other when PROBLEM occurs. There are other ways of solving problems in our COMMUNITY besides VIOLENCE. It’s so SAD that Stabling a BROTHER in the dark alley has become our new influential ways. WHY does a MAN have to DIE for one to feel PRIDE? Our COMMUNITY should be a place to be viewed in GRACE. No BROTHER or SISTER Should FEAR another. PEOPLE should go from place to place filled with CONFIDENCE. Let us not break the Mother’s Heart by causing all of this VIOLENCE in the COMMUNITY. The VIOLENCE is UNIMPORTANT. I BEG you to STOP all this VIOLENCE, So we can CHANGE the WORLD and make a DIFFERENCE. Grade 12 McKinley High School

John Lennon

Margaret Gelen Grade 10 City Honors High School

Untitled

Elliott Carlson Grade 10 City Honors High School

Snowy Day

Ruby Medina-Rivera Grade 12 Bennett High School

What May Be Said KayLeigh Kubiak

The benefit of writing a poem of your own Whether the words are fact or fiction Will never be known You can write out your soul Hidden is the source of eloquence Admitting you to write upon the scroll Do the words come from experience? Or just curious wondering thoughts That is creating the beautiful cadence The truth may even be both Wondering at how things have changed Through the times of hardship and growth Of the meaning in each phraseWhat is to be perceived? Maybe thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the point of a transcribed maze Grade 10 Burgard High School

Mao Ze Dong is the Never Setting Burning Red Sun in Our Hearts Sam Chen Grade 10 City Honors High School

Flying Vianca Morales

Just yesterday a gun went off in my head. Making my word slip away as I spiraled down, pushed by gravity into a room of no light or life whatsoever. A hell in itself. Running around, yet I keep hitting walls. Can’t see them, where are they coming from? Somehow blood red is spilling from me. I am the artist; I am always the canvas. I’m the paint too. Dark art, tortured soul, my life and drawings are seen in gray. Screw it. My work isn’t good enough. Livid? I am. Douse it all in alcohol or something. burnburnburn. Scarlet slips away. I slip away. Woke up this morning, it was all the same. But I’m flying today. For now. Grade 10 Riverside High School

Bird in Flight

Leah Ganey Grade 12 City Honors High School

Dyslexia

Elizabeth Podgorny Grade 12 City Honors High School

Buffalo Historical Society Luis Arroyo Grade 11 Riverside High School

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Forest Lawn Cemetery Gate Kaylie Benson Grade 12 Riverside High School

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North Park Theater

Karissa Farrell Grade 12 Leonardo DaVinci High School

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Buffalo Brian Trinh

It’s true, for the eye, it cannot lie. For the reasons to why the brothers leave When all you hear is the people’s cry, of the blood in hand, to the family’s grief. They said it is run by greed. The facts, it hurts, but I just agree. But I love my city, from where I grew. From the homes to the roots it was built. The place is great, as I’ve always knew. For the worst that thousands have felt, That drove us to the city we know, A place full of love, and full of snow. Grade 11 Leonardo DaVinci High School

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City Hall

Iviangelisse Carino Grade 12 Burgard High School

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As I Walk Out Fadi Suboh

As the light walked barefoot, and parted those tree branches You, and a dry breeze Both swept up a lot of shattered dreams. Life was pure and all it had was just vagueness – The coldness erasing the warmth, the tears erasing the pictures. The piece of wisdom we didn’t know is that “fate is fate”. Troubles ran like rivers, flowing through my life. I got on my knees, picked up the broken pieces, And helped myself through my strife. With tender care, added comfort, warmth, And images that line up on bright walls, I look upon those troubles fondly, bringing forth A strong sense of satisfaction that walks with me in these halls. Grade 12 City Honors High School

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Editor Biographies Hector Tirado Hector is currently a senior at McKinley HS, who often reads and writes almost every day. He is a strong believer that strives for success and will be very sad to leave the editorial board this year after given the opportunity 3 years ago. Hector is a great deal of fun and an adventurous person who loves life.

Danni Jo Bechtold Danni Jo Bechtold, 15, was born and raised in rural Montana. In November of 2011 she moved to Buffalo, New York, with her father and two ridiculous dogs. She is currently attending Tapestry Charter High where she plans to graduate from in June of 2016. After finishing high school, she plans on attending a university in Europe where she will double major in English and World Religion. She will then join the Teachers Without Borders program and work on constructing her first novel. She wants to write and take pictures for the rest of her life-thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what she was built to do. See her complete body of work at: Portraitofayounggirl.tumblr.com.

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Editor Bios, Continued Andrea Pause Andrea Pause is a senior at City Honors, and this is her second and last year as an editor on Speak Your Mind. She is a doodler extraordinaire, a lover of pillow forts, an expert in the fine cuisine that is macaroni and cheese, and a devourer of books--figuratively speaking, actually eating books would be weird.

Vianca Morales Vianca Morales is a sophomore at Riverside High School. This is her first year as an editor for Speak Your Mind. She is 15, her zodiac sign is Scorpio, and she is known for being free-spirited. You can find her anywhere there is coffee, writing poetry, seeming to be in her own world. She enjoys riveting conversation, and manic fun adventure. Vianca plans on going wherever her heart takes her. Writing poetry, maybe a novel, possibly tattooing. Times are tough for dreamers, but her optimism won’t fade. Her goal in life is be completely happy. “Thomas Edison’s last words were ‘It’s very beautiful over there’. I don’t know where there is, but I believe it’s somewhere, and I hope it’s beautiful.” “We need never be hopeless because we can never be irreparably broken.” “If you don’t imagine, nothing ever happens at all.”

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Advisors to the Editors Joe Bieron Joe is an Americorps ABLE member who is currently serving at Tapestry Charter High School. He enjoys working with the extremely talented and artistic youth in Buffalo, and hopes to some day teach.

Roni Hyde Roni was lucky enough to wander in to Buffalo in time to work with a group of fabulous students, teachers, administrators and community members to assemble the Speak Your Mind project this year. She is grateful for the opportunity and all the fun along the way. She is an AmeriCorps VISTA member and enjoys a good adventure.

Kerri Spuller Kerri Spuller is an AmeriCorps VISTA for the Medaille College-Riverside High School Partnership, and is happy to be working with the Speak Your Mind Editorial Board for her second year. Â Kerri loves reading, drawing and spend quality time with her cat.Â

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Petit Ad

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Need more SYM journals, spoken word CDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s or artist notecards? Published students and BPS teachers receive a free copy of SYM materials.

2013 Journal: $12 Past-edition journals: $8 Spoken Word CD: $5 Single Notecard: $0.50 5 Pack of Notecards: $2 SYM BUNDLE: $15 2013 Journal, CD and 5 artist notecards

Contact our office and let us know what you need! Call 716.880.2817 or e-mail at: speakyomind@gmail.com

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Want to be a Speak Your Mind Editor? Join our team and go behind the scenes of this creative project: Learn what it’s like to create an art and literary magazine, gain leadership skills and have lots of fun while making new friends from across the city. You should join if…. • You have an interest in or passion for art, writing, editing or just want to share your creative genius! • You can dedicate time to the project • You’re looking for a fun activity that will also boost your resume

• • • •

What to expect: Weekly meetings from January-May Dinner provided at every meeting, reimbursement available for bus/metro fare to attend meetings Learn how to critique art and literature, gain valuable leadership skills and editorial board experience, attend workshops by guest speakers Create the next SYM!

We are taking applications from BPS students enrolled in grades 9 -12 for our 2014 student editorial board. For more information or to apply, contact us at 716.880.2817, or by e-mail at speakyomind@gmail.com. Educators are welcome to nominate students! 112

Student Editors Danni Jo Bechtold Vianca Morales Andrea Pause Hector Tirado