Xpress, the Coolest Section of the St. Petersburg Times, is the home for features, news and views of interest to young readers. Most of the work in Xpress, which appears on Mondays in Floridian, is produced by the Times' X-Team. The team of journalists ages 9-17 from around the Tampa Bay area is selected every year at the end of the school year to serve during the following school term. The current team of 12 was chosen out of 150 applicants. Watch for X-Team application forms in Xpress during the month of May.
Read the reviews by Xpress Film Critic Billy Norris
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This month's topic prompted students to think about when they were young in . . . We were astounded by the wealth of experiences these young people have had in their lives. Search for the snow angels, poignant moments at Ground Zero and the simple life in Mexico. And if you want to see your prose, poetry and art on these pages, see the instructions on page 6E.
- Nancy Green, Xpressions editor
When I was young in Palm Harbor, I used to call french fries "bobbies."
- Matthew Dixon, 10, fifth grade, Palm Harbor Elementary
When I was young in 1992
- Howie Acosta, 13, eighth grade, St. Paul Catholic School, St. Petersburg
When I was young in the bathtub, my favorite toy was my rubber duck.
- Haley Bell, 16, 11th grade, St. Petersburg Catholic High
When I was young in Wisconsin, I would always go on the train at Baybeach with my cousin Jenna.
- Claire Krueger, 13, eighth grade, St. Paul Catholic School, St. Petersburg
When I was young in the Keys . . .
- Ashley Grotecloss, 13, eighth grade, Tampa Preparatory School
When I was young in my house, we washed puppies in my bathtub.
- Savannah Pearson, 8, second grade, Lutheran Church of the Cross Day School, St. Petersburg
When I was young in the mountains, we stayed in a cabin.
- Allana Allman, 7, second grade, Lutheran Church of the Cross Day School, St. Petersburg
When I was young in Coker Creek, Tenn., it was one of the best times of my life. The wind whistled beneath the branches. The rivers spilled over rocks. One by one, each leaf would fall, twisting like a propeller to the ground. Every tree cried of life, and the mountains yearned for the morning. The birds in the trees sang magical songs. The butterflies floated like feathers. The grass was always green, with a sunny glow. When it rained, it sounded beautiful, and it smelled nice, too. The clouds were fluffy and white, and the sky was robin's egg blue.
Don't even get me started about the people - they were so kind and gentle, courageous and strong, and they always helped a friend in need. And the food was delicious! That sizzling bacon, that tender steak, those meaty burgers.
Living up in the mountains was a joy for me. Coker Creek was "a little town that no one has heard of," according to my mom, but since it was so small, I knew everyone and I was never lonely.
I love animals, and in Tennessee there were a lot of them. One time I heard something in the middle of the night and saw a baby bear eating the cat food on the porch.
So now you can picture in your head what it was like when I was young in Coker Creek, Tenn.
- Caitlin Pyros, 11, sixth grade, Tarpon Springs Middle School
When I was young in 2001, my family and I took a trip to New York City. I was astonished at how large and dazzling the city was. We explored the subway, contributed our prayers to the Ground Zero site, savored street vendors, and visited my father's old fire station. Then we took the ferry from Battery Park to Staten Island and back. In the afternoon we went to the Museum of Natural History to see timeless treasures, after having lunch at the South Street Seaport. Later that night we went to Rockefeller Plaza to hear the harmonious carols and see the unbelievably tall Christmas tree with its magnificent, glittering ornaments, its brilliant lights, and its glistening pine needles covered in snow.
- Josh Fanelli, 11, sixth grade, St. Paul's School, Clearwater
When I was young in the hospital, I used to paint and color with my friends in the playroom.
When I was young in the hospital, a teacher came to my room and taught me how to spell words.
When I was young in the hospital, I had to get X-rays and shots that would hurt.
When I was young in the hospital, my dad would spend the night and that would make me happy.
- Lyndsey Staub, 10, fourth grade, Blanton Elementary, St. Petersburg
When I was young in Philadelphia, we didn't live near a pool or the ocean, so when it was hot, we would get a key to open up the fire hydrant so we could cool off. One person in the neighborhood was in charge of keeping the key. Sometimes, he would put a special attachment on the fire hydrant to make the spray come out differently.
- Thomas McFadden, 11, fifth grade, Palm Harbor Elementary
When I was young in Mexico, I loved my simple and safe life. We were allowed to be kids and have fun. After the men in our town came back from work each day, all the children would play together in the streets while our moms prepared dinner. Everybody in the town knew everybody else, and we all helped one another. Mothers stayed home with their children and took care of the home. Men worked hard to provide for the family. I always felt good knowing I was never alone. On Sundays the whole town went to church, and afterward we would get together at the plaza.
- Consentina James, 13, eighth grade, Meadowlawn Middle, St. Petersburg
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From middle school students at St. Paul Catholic School in St. Petersburg:
When I was young in my old house, there were never any blase moments at this little explorer's dream place. Inside it was a magical wonderland. It had cushy couches and beds that you would feel so good in, a gigantic kitchen where I would make my beginning steps to cooking, and a room with every stuffed animal and Barbie in the world. The outside of my house was like a wide jungle with every kind of fruit tree: mango, lemon, lime, mini banana, papaya, orange and tangerine. This house was my dream home of my lifetime.
- Alejandra Sosa, 14, eighth grade
When I was young in Michigan, I sped down the hill in a purple sled, right by the Holiday Inn. The harsh northern winter wind nipped at my nose and cheeks. My face was rosy red, because the temperature was below zero. I sat in the sled with my older sister, Amy, behind me. I was only 5 or 6 years old, so you can imagine how terrifying (but exhilarating) this felt to me!
- Zach Brasseur, 12, sixth grade
When I was young in mind,
I believed that everyone was equal.
I thought everyone deserved the same privileges.
When I was young in mind,
I had a positive attitude.
I always thought everything would be great in the end.
When I was young in mind,
I was joyful and relaxed.
I would live in the present, forget the past, and ignore the future.
Now that I am older,
It seems like life isn't as fair as it used to be.
Certain people do get certain privileges.
Now that I am older,
Not everything seems to have a positive outcome.
I accept the way life is.
Now that I am older,
I still live in the present.
I know more about the world and,
It's good to forget about the past, learn from it, and carry it to the future.
- Natalie Cole, 12, seventh grade
When I was young in Boston, I would always go out on the first day there was snow on the ground and play in it for hours. I would make snowmen, snowballs and snow angels. My uncle taught me how to make the perfect snowball. I never liked wearing my snowsuit, so I used to just run out in a T-shirt and jeans, but as soon as I got outside I would regret not putting on my snowsuit. I wish that I could go back to my childhood just once and relive those days in the snow just for an hour or two.
- Nicholas Vitrano, 13, eighth grade
When I was young in the game, it was all just for fun.
If you messed up, it didn't matter, because we were only there to have fun.
The game didn't matter to the players or coaches, because it was all just for fun.
You would hit the ball and run the bases and never get out, because it was all just for fun.
The best thing about it was meeting new friends.
We were all there for the same thing.
We were there just to have fun.
- Kenneth Staton, 12, seventh grade
When I was young in Orlando, my mom would send me to my room for a timeout whenever I did something wrong. After sitting in my room for a while, I would feel guilty, so I would write a note that said something like, "I am sorry" or "I love you." Then I would slip the note under my door, and my mom would find it in the hallway. Once when I was 6, I did something bad and was sent to my room as usual. A few minutes later, I slipped a note under my door. I heard my mom stop outside my door, and then I heard her run away. She had run to the laundry room so that I would not hear her laughing. This was what my note said: "I have had enuf of you!" My mom still has the note!
- Johnny Annunziata, 12, seventh grade
When I was young in Tampa, I had a Barbie jeep and a Barbie convertible that I would drive up and down the driveway.
When I was young in Tampa, I used a 12-pack empty beer box as a fort.
When I was young in Tampa I used to sit in front of the refrigerator eating a jar of pickles.
- Carrie Edwards, 12, seventh grade
When I was young in New York, I would wake up at the crack of dawn and wait for the bus outside my big old house in Long Island. I would hear my dog bark when she saw the bus, and as I ran toward it, I would see rabbits hopping in the short grass. After school we would take all of our leftover money from lunch and walk to a deli close by. We would hang out there until our parents came to pick us up. I miss New York, and I miss being young, too. But now I just have to keep on walking forward and enjoy what I have in front of me.
- Kayla Roberts, 10, sixth grade
* * *
From middle school students at Tampa Preparatory School:
When I was young in Puerto Rico, I lived in these projects that were made out of red bricks with all my relatives. I used to practice my ABCs on the sidewalk with chalk.
- Christian Garcia, 14, eighth grade
When I was young in my small hometown in Pennsylvania, the ice-cold winters were always my favorite season. Each morning I'd drink hot chocolate with my mom and get dressed in layers to play in the newly fallen snow.
- Emily Cartwright, 13, eighth grade
When I was young in downtown Tampa, I listened to the sound of cars breezing past me and the hustling and bustling of people on their way to work.
- Cassandra Gandle, 13, eighth grade
When I was young in Toledo, Ohio, I joined a swim and dive team. I made some of the greatest friends I have ever known, and I gained much more confidence to try new things.
- MaryBeth Dietrick, 13, eighth grade
* * *
From Highland Christian Academy in Clearwater:
When I was young in my bedroom I would have nightmares about some of the movies that I watched, such as Jurassic Park. I thought there was a dinosaur outside my room, outside my window.
- Nicholas Bacher, 14, eighth grade
When I was young in my mom's restaurant, I took naps and hid in big boxes that cups came in. I played with the cooks when they were not busy. I put ice down their backs. I had many of my birthdays there. When I was hungry, I would order food. I got it for free. I also watched TV in the office.
- Andrew Chen, 12, seventh grade
* * *
From fifth-grade students at North Ward Elementary in Clearwater:
When I was young on Verbena Street, I would go down to the beach to swim in the ocean and play in the sand.
When I was young on Verbena Street, I would play in my isosceles triangle tree house, climbing up higher than before, just to see the top of 880 Mandalay building.
When I was young on Verbena Street, my silly cat, Fluffy, would mess up the Christmas tree, breaking old ornaments and creating great chaos! But I didn't care because I was having a joyous time on Verbena Street.
- Jeffrey Van Wagoner, 11
When I was young in the stables, my nana and I would go out at 5:30 each summer morning and feed our magnificent horses their crunchy oats and cool water. Later, we would give the horses a good washing to cool them off from the hot, humid, July weather.
- Karen Barr, 11
When I was young on Bermuda Street, my cousin Emily and I would throw tiny acorns from my wooden deck to her low, flat roof to make her dog, Shmose, go crazy. Shmose would then run around the house, breaking everything in her path, barking like someone had just set off a bunch of fireworks around her.
When I was young on Bermuda Street, I would use my mom's aloe vera plant to heal the scratches and cuts that my cousin left on me during our aggressive karate sessions in my back yard.
When I was young on Bermuda Street, I always wondered why my cousin Emily moved away with her family. She told me that we would live close to each other forever, but we didn't.
- Alex Tactuk, 11
When I was young in Big Bear (Calif.), I played in the snow that was like a pillow. I'd dig in it, thinking I'd find a pearl. I felt really cold and numb. Then I'd drink hot cocoa with marshmallows floating in it.
When I was young in Big Bear, I saw the same reindeer almost every day until my grandpa saw it and scared it away with a shovel. But I still brought the reindeer berries every weekend.
When I was young in Big Bear, I thought there would never be anything better than Big Bear.
- Eric Cortez, 11
* * *
From second-graders at Lutheran Church of the Cross Day School in St. Petersburg:
When I was young in my old home, I would go down the laundry chute with my friend.
- George Steigner, 8
When I was young in Colorado, I watched for deer and rabbits.
- Jessica Silk, 8
When I was young in the Netherlands, a horse pulled our carriage.
