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It was free choice - an open forum and a chance for fifth-graders to express their creativity in the Young Expressionist-Junior Journalist contest for April. Demi Durkin, from Cotee River Elementary School was named the poetry winner for her poem about moving on to middle school. "I was really happy when I heard I won," said Demi. "I love to write. I sit at home at my computer and write things, and I keep a journal."
Demi is the daughter of Lisa and John Durkin of New Port Richey. She spends her spare time partaking in a variety of activities: tennis, softball, soccer, karate and dance, and is also an avid reader, choosing "random books about young girls." She also is into Web design and, until recently, had her own Web site.
Abby Oakes, from Trinity Elementary, was the prose winner for the second time this school year, for her take on the old fairy tale about the Gingerbread Man.
Abby came up with her idea after reading a book called The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. "I love to write. It's one of my best subjects," said Abby, the daughter of Craig and Holly Oakes of Odessa. "Usually, I write fiction, like fairy tales and stuff, but I do write some nonfiction. I'm just not as good at it (as fiction)."
Abby likes to run track and hang out with her friends in her spare time. "I used to do a lot of horseback riding, but I've taken some time off from that since I broke my arm," she said.
Abby said she is looking forward to attending Seven Springs Middle School and has a little more than an inkling of what she might want to do when she grows up. "Something with writing, maybe a children's book - a funny one because I like to write comedic things."
It was a bad dream about an errant ostrich that inspired Kelly Lewis to draw her picture. "I like drawing them because they're so neat looking," said Kelly, who recently completed fifth grade at Cypress Elementary school and will attend River Ridge Middle.
Among her other favorite drawing subjects? Farm animals - especially pigs, "because they're so cute," she said.
Kelly says she draws in class whenever she's allowed to or at home. The drawings that go with book reports also help make that assignment a lot more pleasant.
Drawing is fun, but Kelly's first love is acting. When she grows up, it'll be a toss-up between being an orthodontist and an actress."My mom says maybe I can go to Hollywood some day," she said.
Kelly, the daughter of Mark and Doreen Lewis of New Port Richey, recently appeared as a Munchkin in the Richey Suncoast Theater's Wizard of Oz. She also takes dance lessons, and plays the violin and right field on a youth softball team.
The contest is sponsored by the Pasco Times and the Pasco School District .
Fifth-Grade Endingby Demi Durkin, Cotee River Elementary, fifth grade
At the end of the year we all have to leave
off to new schools with goals to achieve
I will have to part with every last friend,
and wish that the year would never end.
So many, "I'll call yous,"
too many "goodbyes,"
lots of emotions bringing tears to my eyes.
I guess at some point, I will have to let go and make new friends instead of the ones I already know.
It seems so unreal, and it seems so untrue,
that I have to tear the picture of me and you.
Sometimes I wonder, why I must cry,
but in that exact moment a million memories fly by. New pencils, new papers, new phone numbers to add but never to forget the ones that I've had.
Maybe in high school we will meet again, but until that day
this poem has come to an end.
The True Story of the Gingerbread ManBy Abby Oakes
I the Gingerbread Man was framed, September 16, 2003, when that woman known as "sweet" old lady tried to cook me.
It all started at the grocery store. I was crammed into one of those cookie dough containers. That old lady picked me up and walked swiftly over to the cash register. Then she brought me to her house and plopped all the dough out of the container and onto her kitchen counter. I was relieved. I took a deep breath and shouted, "I can breathe." Then the old lady formed me into the shape of a gingerbread man. I didn't know what was in store for me next. She shoved me into the oven. At first the temperature was pretty comfortable, but then it started to get hotter, and hotter and hotter, then steaming.
When people tell the story of the gingerbread man and come to the part where I jump out of the oven, they make me sound like a criminal. Well, I bet you wouldn't want to be put in an oven then burnt to a crisp! So I took one mighty leap, right out of the woman's grasp.
I started running as quickly as my little legs could carry me (which wasn't very fast). I ran speedily down the country lane. Well this is the part where I am supposed to say, "Run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man." That is not what I said! What I really said was, "I'll run and run as fast as I can, but I hope you don't catch me or I'll be back in that pan." From a distance it must have sounded different. I came to a group of six workers working in fields. They called out, "Ooh, you look tasty." "No I don't!" I cried.I kept running more quickly as I went on. I glimpsed back and out of the corner of my eye I saw that along with the old lady and the workers, that now some farmers that were out at their barn had joined the chase. I swerved in and out of buildings trying to lose them, until I came to a crowd of pigs, hens, cows and horses from a nearby farm. They were sniffing me and trying to eat me! I ran through a horse's legs and kept going.
Then I stopped dead in my tracks. It was a fifteen foot wide river! I knew that if I tried to swim across I would disintegrate. Then this wolf trotted up to me. He looked friendly and when he saw all the people chasing after me, he offered to swim me across the river. I gratefully took the offer and he swam me across as all the helpless creatures on the other side watched in astonishment. Then as we were swimming across the river, the wolf said he would pretend to eat me to get all those people off my back. Then as the story states, he tossed me up in the air, and at the last minute I somersaulted a little over to the left and clung to the wolf's whiskers to give the illusion that he had eaten me.
Well, that is the true story of the Gingerbread Man. Now I hope you believe me and not those stupid people at the fairy tale press, because all they want is a good story.