How To Relieve Stress

I do believe that music and writing are ways to help prevent stress. When I take the time to write down some thoughts while listening to my favorite songs, it makes me feel a lot better when I am struggling. Writing is a form of expression. It is as if you are using emotions in person but on paper or in something such as a blog.

Writing. It can be as simple or complex as you would like it to be. You could create a poem, a short story, the list is neverending.

Writing is a form of art. Use it to express yourself. Shout out to the world in the form of words!

A few words from your peer,
Nicole D.

Hidden Life

And into the light she stepped

with graceful caution,

unkown entirely to what lingers

in it's profound purity.

The lightness,

the rays illuminating

what lies in the inconcievably depressed,

decrepit black shadows of humanity.

It allows all eyes

to not just see,

but feel

and know

and comprehend

the truth,

for nothing can hide

in the enlightened corners

of this life.




Courtney (Amber) Stiles
Period 4

Help Me Santa!!

dear santa;
all i want for cristmas are good grammer so that i can write good? all my friends write good and there papers are well to. plez help me.
sincerely: worse grammer student


Dear Bad Grammar Student,
I'm sorry but the elves in my workshop only build toys here at the North Pole. Luckily for you though, I have helpers in B20 who can help improve your writing. They are excellent writers (even if their ears aren't as pointy, and they are much taller than your average elf).I ho- ho- hope you have a Merry Christmas!
Sincerely, Santa

Livin' the Teenage Dream

Livin' The Teenage Dream

Sleeping through school, going home to a ficticious social life we brag about at school when we aren't sleeping, blowing off homework till' the last minute, and staying up late to accomplish the homework that won't get done. The life of a teenager is not quite a glamorous as our parents may think...or is it?

Having a giant (if educational) party with all your friends for 7 hours a day, not worrying about bills or debt, free meals, free stuff, and little to no responsibility. Our parents only seem to hate us because we're living the life they can no longer live. The teenage dream.

It's all about perspective!

No life is really completely that glamorous. For instance, as talented as Rick Astley is, he only had one hit single. As intelligent as Hermione Grainger was, she still had to go to college. The point being, everything has its benefits and its negatives.

So next time you're about to complain about being tired or hungry, think of all the things you have going for you. As we enter this Holiday Season I encourage to spend it happily with your family. Don't waste this opportunity arguing with them...because pretty soon they will be paying for your college.

Connecticut: Moving Forward

A lot of hearts were broken Friday morning when 26 people lost their lives to a cruel, unecessary crime. The day started so normal: The children woke and went to school, ready and eager to learn new things from their teachers and mentors. But at 9:30, their lives ended suddenly, long before they ever should have. Almost immediately, news crews arrived to publicize the scene and show the world what a terrible thing Adam Lanza did. It's understandable that the world should know what happened on that fateful day. The world should remember those victims, and preserve their lives and sacrifices so that this action may never happen again. But at some point, the families and loved ones should be left to grieve in private. There needs to be a point where the news crews and press leave the scene and let what happened fade from the news lines. The last thing we need is to idolize Adam Lanza in the press, giving him the attention he so desperately craved. It was an unforgivable thing what he did, and the lives that he took should never be forgotten. But we should remember then privately, in our memories and our hearts. Not in the thousands of news articles and headlines throughout the world. We should remember these children and the teachers that gave their lives to protect them, and let their souls rest peacefully, knowing they will never be forgotten.

Giving Back

The Milford Writing Center is truly getting festive. If you come down to B20 you can see all the streamers and lights hanging from the walls. We even have a reading tree as well as a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. I think that all of us are so excited for the holidays and especially for break. From our Secret Santa gifts to our decorations, I think it is really easy for us to get caught up in all of the Holiday celebration. Then we forget about what this time of the year really means. That is why the Writing Center has also started collecting gloves and mittens. We are trying to reach out to those in the community that cannot afford to have necessities like gloves. It was really exciting seeing the box fill up over the past 2 weeks. Today counted our collection and we received 90 gloves/mittens, 2 scarves, and 1 hat.

Snow Day

Snow Day   

By Billy Collins

Today we woke up to a revolution of snow,   

its white flag waving over everything,

the landscape vanished,

not a single mouse to punctuate the blankness,   

and beyond these windows

the government buildings smothered,

schools and libraries buried, the post office lost   

under the noiseless drift,

the paths of trains softly blocked,

the world fallen under this falling.

In a while, I will put on some boots

and step out like someone walking in water,   

and the dog will porpoise through the drifts,   

and I will shake a laden branch

sending a cold shower down on us both.

But for now I am a willing prisoner in this house,   

a sympathizer with the anarchic cause of snow.   

I will make a pot of tea

and listen to the plastic radio on the counter,   

as glad as anyone to hear the news

that the Kiddie Corner School is closed,   

the Ding-Dong School, closed.

the All Aboard Children’s School, closed,   

the Hi-Ho Nursery School, closed,

along with—some will be delighted to hear—

the Toadstool School, the Little School,

Little Sparrows Nursery School,

Little Stars Pre-School, Peas-and-Carrots Day School   

the Tom Thumb Child Center, all closed,

and—clap your hands—the Peanuts Play School.

So this is where the children hide all day,

These are the nests where they letter and draw,   

where they put on their bright miniature jackets,   

all darting and climbing and sliding,

all but the few girls whispering by the fence.

And now I am listening hard

in the grandiose silence of the snow,

trying to hear what those three girls are plotting,   

what riot is afoot,

which small queen is about to be brought down.

       A poem is a great way to easily capture a feeling, thought, or emotion. Snow Day by Billy Collins captures my thoughts on this time of year.

Who doesn’t love a day when you wake up and find snow covering the ground, the world around you completely whited out, and school closed for the day!? I certainly do! A snow day is a day that is meant to be a freebie to relax and play and not have a care in the world. Many times its a nice day off from the stress and work of school. The line that says “ the dog will porpoise through the drifts” reminds me so much of my own dog in the snow, using a whipping like motion like a dolphin just to get through the snow. I just love snow and everytime it snows I get that excited feeling, like that feeling you get on christmas morning before you open presents, that’s how excited I get about snow.

I think that Snow Day is a poem that can bring out the youth in all ages. Something as simple as snow can bring back fond memories of spending a day trapped with snow. I really hope that this year we will have at least one snow day so we can all experience that excitement and happiness of a SNOW DAY!!