Fall 2023 Semester

Section A
Participating
Students:
Michaell Alonzo
Alexandra Camarena
Lilly Cantu
Danna De La Fuente
Ryan Garcia
Kaila Halpin
Matthew Holland
Daniela Iniguez-Jaco
Jason Jacobo
Fernando Jaime Sepulveda
Marisabel Jimenez
Ian Mcewen
Mandy Mendoza
Daniela Montes De Oca
David Montoya
Riya Patel
Kat Sanchez
Teresa Skidmore
Shea Spellman
 Michaell Alonzo
“Spirit Whisperer”

In a world far removed from the lush landscapes and vibrant colors of the past, there lived a girl
named Terra. Before Terra was even born, there had been a war. At the push of one button, a world that
was once full of life had turned into an apocalyptic realm where cities crumbled, and skies turned gray. 20
years later, still amidst the despair, Terra came to discover that she possessed a unique gift that set her
apart from anyone else – she could see the spirits of the environment.
Terra's eyes were not like others. When she looked at a tree, she saw the faint silhouette of a spirit: a
ghostly figure with leaves for hair and roots for feet. It was a gift she had cherished but, afraid of being
judged, she had never shared it with anyone. The spirits were her friends and confidants.
One day, while walking through the ruins of what was once a thriving city, Terra noticed something
unusual. The spirits seemed agitated. She approached a tree whose spirit she often talked with, and the
spirit spoke to her in a soft, weakened voice. "Terra," it whispered, "the balance of this world is in grave
danger. The resources are fading, and with them, so are we.”
Terra’s heart ached for her spirit friends. Not wanting to lose them, she knew she had to do
something to protect the environment. With determination in her heart, she embarked on a journey to find
the ancient Guardians of Nature – beings whom her spirit friends said possessed the power to restore
harmony to the world.
Her journey took her through wastelands and treacherous terrain, but her connection with the spirits
guided her way. At last, deep in the mountains, she reached the heart of the wilderness, a place that
seemed frozen in time – untouched by the apocalypse, where the Guardians of Nature resided. With the
wisdom of centuries, they listened to Terra’s plea and impressed by her selflessness and commitment to
both the environment and spirits, agreed to help her.
The Guardians shared their knowledge and bestowed upon her a unique gift – the ability to
communicate with people's hearts and inspire change. With this new power, Terra returned to the dying
cities where she began to share her message of hope and responsibility.
As she spoke, her words resonated with the hearts of those who listened. Hearts began to beat like
drums and people began to see the beauty in the world. They started working together to protect the
environment and soon, the gray skies began to clear, and the land started to heal.
With time, the world transformed. The once-apocalyptic world became an oasis, and at its center was
Terra – the Spirit Whisperer. Terra had fulfilled her wish to protect the environment through the power of
the human spirit. In a world that had almost lost hope, she had shown that even in the darkest of times,
one person's determination could bring about a brighter future for all.
 Alexandra
Camarena
“Spinning”

Spinning. Sky spinning. Mind spinning. Memories spinning in her head. Her
eyes opened to the white ceiling with a cream-colored fan in the center of the room.
There lay a woman in a light pink flowery nightgown, wrinkles defining her facial
features, with not a brown piece of hair in sight. A single tear drop rolled down her
cheek making her eyes glisten with the overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. The
dreams didn’t happen often, but when they did, they were of the days of her with her
true love. On one hot summer day, the beautiful girl was pacing back and forth on
the soft white beaches that were considered to be the earth's pillows. Frantically,
Bella thought of how she could help her beautiful island. With each passing day, the
fire-burning sun was burning holes in into her heart. The heat was rising with each
day and beginning to kill off not only the trees and plants on land but also the coral
reefs and sea life in the ocean. Getting overcome by the heat of pacing around and
the stress, her body gave up and plopped into the sand. With her head still spinning
she began to open her eyes slowly to the sight of a caramel-skinned man with dark
brown hair asking, “Are you ok?” Despite her disorientation, she was able to utter
the words, “Yes, just a bit hot.” He picked her up and carried her to the nearest
restaurant on the beach to get her water. As she cooled down, the handsome man
began to talk to Bella about what happened and asked her why she seemed so tense.
She went on to explain how she had noticed the draining of life in the ocean as well
as on land. Not being able to bear the thought of her being sad, he offered to help.
On the back of a napkin, in black ink, was the idea of advocating to minimize the use
of cars and to ride bikes instead since the island was small. In a heartbeat, she
snapped back to reality. Her reality. The reality where the man she fell so deeply in
love with had passed away five years prior. And much like her beautiful island, her
life was also draining away. Again, the spinning continued. Sky spinning. Mind
spinning. Memories spinning. Spinning.
 Lilly Cantu
“The Seaside Solution”

In the coastal town of Seaside was a fisherman named Miguel, and a marine biologist
named Sandy. Miguel had lived in Seaside since he was born and had worked at his dad's
fishing company for as long as he could remember. He vividly remembered the fishing trips he
would take with just his dad: they’d wake up at the crack of dawn and head out to the beach.
The air would be cool but a bit sticky due to the humidity, and they'd stay out there for hours
catching fish, standing in silence. They were men of not many words but enjoyed each other's
company. They continued to do this every weekend until his father passed, and he could no
longer bring himself to go out because it hurt too much, and the silence was no longer peaceful
but bitter. Sandy was also from Seaside and lived in a house that was right on the beach. She
remembered when she was a child and would wake up early to sit out on her porch and as
soon as she’d walk out the door, the air would be filled with humidity and an aroma of sea
salt. She found peace in watching the sunset rise and the waves crash against the sand.
It was a Saturday morning, and the sun was just starting to rise, and Miguel decided that
it was finally the day that he’d go out and fish just like he and his dad used to do. He’d been
out there for an hour with still no catch, and he was starting to get upset. He thought that it
was a stupid idea it was for him to come out when a lady approached him asking if he had
caught anything. He gave her a head shake and went back to staring at the water when she
continued. She began telling him how she had noticed over the years that more trash had been
washing up on the shore and that that might have been the reason why he had yet to catch
anything. After over an hour of talking, he warmed up to Sandy and they began to wonder
where this new surge of garbage had come from. They then decided that they would help each
other figure out what the source was and how to put an end to it.
So, they set out on a little trip to the beach and hopped in the boat Miguel's dad used to
take him on their fishing trips and they set sail. It was there that they saw, in the distance, a
huge commercial ship dumping tons and tons of garbage into the ocean. Sandy was quick to
take a picture of the scene and they headed straight to their local police station to report the
crime. It was then that they were able to find peace knowing they had made a change. One
week later, Miguel had no problem catching fish, and Sandy felt fulfilled knowing that she had
restored the lungs of the ocean.
 Danna De La
Fuente
“New York the New
Never Land”
Once upon a time, three young children, Wendy, Tomas, and Michael couldn’t sleep at all one night.
This happened often. They would feel that they were in a fever dream; the dream was always of them
flying away from their parents, and away from home in New York. Their desires to leave were so strong
that one night, out of nowhere, weird whispers in the polluted air made their way toward their room. The
night felt mysterious. Upon hearing the whispers, Wendy crept toward the window and heard a boy
pronouncing her name at a low, slow pace.
“W-e-n-d-y.”
Surprisingly, she wasn’t scared but instead felt comfort, as she tilted her head out of curiosity to
discover who was outside the window. Suddenly, through the wind that night, a boy appeared behind the
tired tree branches.
Wendy asked, “Who are you and why are you here?”
Peter responded, “I am Peter Pan from Never Land.”
Wendy wasn’t sure what to say; after all, the boy was a stranger. However, for some reason, she felt
safe with him. Curious, Wendy asked Peter if she could go to Never Land with him.
He rapidly responded, “Yes,” with a smile that was as bright as a flashlight on a dark night.
“Wendy, you can come with me but on one condition.”
Wendy asked, “What’s the condition?”
Peter rapidly said, “You will help me by telling fairytales to kids about climate change awareness.”
As soon as Wendy agreed to the condition and was about to leave with Peter, Tomas, and Michael
overheard their conversation. They also wanted to go. They were clueless about Never Land since it was
an island far from their home. Peter Pan wasn’t a normal kid; he was the captain of the Lost Boys, who
didn’t have family, brothers, or anyone – just the animals and nature back on the island.
Peter asked, “Are you all ready to not come back here ever again?”
Wendy stepped back and asked, “Aren’t we coming back to see our family?”
Peter responds, “We are not coming back here. I came here to rescue the earth you are living on right
now.”
The kids looked at each other, confused about what he said, because they hadn’t realized how bad the
pollution in New York was. Peter told them proudly that, in Never Land, there was no pollution,
deforestation, or trash on the streets. He convinced them to help the environment in New York City. The
kids were amazed about how different the city would look if they took care of the Earth. They started
spreading the word to schools, as well as providing recycling bins around the city to make a change. Years
passed and New York City was recognized as the cleanest and greenest city, thanks to a visit from Peter
Pan.
 Ryan Garcia
“Final Goodbye”

Once upon a time, in a place filled with textbooks and high expectations, came students
whose hearts yearned for success. Day by day, their thirst for knowledge grew immensely but the
distractions of the blitzing sun had become their focus. With the understanding that these
moments for the students would not last forever, they began taking every chance that they had to
save what brought them happiness and wisdom: their beloved college.
The beautiful and lively campus of St. Angelo that the students remembered from their first
day began to become unrecognizable. The tall trees that once guided the students on their way to
class disappeared. The restless sun began transforming every part of campus from a lively green to
a spiritless yellow. The heart of the sun beaming down created dust pockets all over the campus
that was once beautiful, destroying the soft grass that was the face of St. Angelo. That was not the
campus that the students remembered as their once beloved friend; the sun became their number
one enemy. The students began sharing their ambitions of trying to preserve the campus with the
President of the school, but he was uninterested.
He stated, “The school has lacked funding from sponsors for many years. Do you think we
have a budget for landscaping anymore?”
With that response, the students felt hopeless, as the person they imagined to be the first to
help was ultimately the last. So, instead of letting what used to be a sparkling foundation for
students to learn and grow die, the students took matters into their own hands. Every day the
students passed out flyers that shared their thoughts of climate change and how it was affecting
their home. Nobody bothered to take any of their flyers but instead continued with their lives.
Lost and hopeless, they began to accept defeat and apologized to each other for what they could
have done differently to prevent the devastation.
As the days went on and their hopes of reviving St. Angelo vanished, one person kept that
dream alive. The students had no true response from their peers about the conditions of their
campus, but the President understood what was at stake after their interaction. His undetermined
attitude quickly switched as he also remembered the spark that once flooded the university.
Creating a new hope for these students, the President began advocating to the entire campus to
volunteer to help revamp St. Angelo. Planting trees and new grass was the first step for the entire
campus as students also started to help. Together, they created a vibrant and beautiful campus for
the students to remember the name St. Angelo.
 Kaila Halpin
“Putting Out
Hurricanes”
In a world where hurricanes are consuming coastlines and are becoming more and more
common, a 16-year-old girl named Maren is learning to control her extraordinary abilities. Maren
has known since she was little that she could control water with only her mind. It started small,
with just little rain raindrops seeming to float around her fingertips, but then over time has turned
into Maren being able to move the water in oceans – creating waves and whirlpools. Maren lives
on the coast, and hurricanes have been threatening other areas near her home. Hurricanes are not
always an over-looming threat, but human inaction to climate change has led to hurricanes
sweeping over cities and devastating communities. Maren is scared that her home, friends, and
family will be next, so she trains and trains and trains, hoping that one day, if needed, she will be
enough to save the city.
Maren is not completely alone in this though: she has her aunt Mira. Mira also has the
unique ability to control water and has spent the last 20 years slowly mastering her abilities.
Starting simply with twisting pool water into the air and winding the water about her wrist, to
something as incredible as parting a lake so that she can walk on the sand without ever getting
wet. Maren thinks Mira is the coolest but does not understand why she is so hard on her. As they
have been training for the past few years, Maren has been able to control bigger bodies of water
for even longer periods and she stresses about whether she will need to use her abilities to help an
entire city.
The news says it’s coming. The biggest hurricane yet. Maren is afraid. She wonders why this
responsibility lands on her. The older generations have failed and given up on the Earth, which
leaves this continuous and unprecedented destruction. Mira tells Maren that they must split up if
they stand a chance and says that she is ready for this. As Mira leaves, Maren takes a deep breath,
steps outside, and feels the hard wind slapping her across the face, as if the hurricane was already
beating her. Running to the beach, Maren comes face to face with it. The hurricane roars loud
and clear, but Maren stays steady. She must do this for her home, her people, and for Mira who is
counting on her. Maren reaches out to the ocean and all the water that is hurling towards her and
pushes as hard as she can. For what feels like years, the hurricane pushes back but eventually
retreats. Maren drops down to the sand, feeling immense relief. She has done it: she has saved her
home and city. But Maren wonders if the future cities and communities have someone to save
them, too. She also wonders if the hurricanes will ever stop coming, or if the prior damage will
continue to haunt the Earth forever.
 Matthew Holland
“A Radiant Duality”

Somewhere in the sun-scorched mountains of the New Mexican desert, underneath miles of earth, lies an
abandoned research facility. This was it, it happened right there all those years ago.
“John, we’ve got the equipment set up, you should come look at this.”
As John walked over to Lucy, projections of what happened all those years ago began to unfold in front
of them. “Here John, put this on and you’ll be able to see everything like we were there.” Suddenly transported
back to a time when the right choice could have been made, Lucy and John watched the past unfold.
“That’s him, there’s Elo,” John muttered. He was unmistakable to them as his poster was on every street
corner after the war ended. “I thought he'd be taller,” remarked Lucy. Elo was a slender boy with long dark
wavy hair and bright piercing green eyes. “Hard to believe that kid is the reason for all the fallout, huh Lucy?”
Lucy fixated on the other people in the vision, “Shhh let’s see what happens.”
“Good morning, Elo, ready to get started today?” asked Dr. Drecklore.
“Good morning, Doctor. Yes of course, just like every other day,” Elo replied.
“Good, because today is a very important day, Elo. It's going to be the most important day of our lives.”
“Is it finally time for us to give the world free electricity?”
“That’s it exactly, Elo. Today is the day we save the world!”
“Are we ready to get started?” asked a voice from the control room.
Dr. Drecklore's senses sharpened as he recognized the voice, he knew he had to be vigilant, not just for his
sake, but for Elo's as well. A few moments later, as Dr. Drecklore got close to the control room, he could smell
cherry and vanilla pipe tobacco as it filled the air. Its sickly sweet smell penetrated everything and gave Dr.
Drecklore an all-too-familiar feeling of dread.
“Julius, what are you doing here?” asked Dr. Drecklore. “It’s good to see you too Philo, it's been a while,
hasn’t it?” “Yes, and I thought I made it clear that when you turned our radio communication satellite into a
weapon that was to be the last time, I was to see you.”
“Don’t be so crass Philo, the laser still communicates as intended. It just tells people they should be on fire
from the upper atmosphere,” Julius said with a smirk as he puffed on his pipe.
“Despicable,” Philo responded.
“Enough talk,” said Dr. Curie, “Julius is here from the team up north and wants to see what Elo can do. I
have already given them the full brief about how he provides power for the surrounding 1000 square miles and
how he can overload when pushed too hard. Okay, gentlemen let's begin the first test for the project labeled:
Manhattan.”
“I can’t believe it,” John exclaimed, “They had the choice to save the world right there and give everyone
free electricity, but they chose to turn Elo into a Weapon to win their war. And we are still nearly wiped out,
but not before draining the world of its resources, wildlife, and any way to return things to “normal.’”
“Not sure what you expected John. Sometimes people make the wrong choices and there isn’t a happily
ever after.”
 Daniela Iniguez-
Jaco
“Marigold and Her
Comfort Place”
There once was a beautiful girl with the most gorgeous green eyes like grass and blonde hair
like yellow corn. Everyone loved her beautiful smile and her amazing personality despite her
mother always being horrible towards her. Her mother would constantly yell at her, “You need to
stop asking for attention, Marigold!” Marigold always felt upset that her mother would put her
down, but that never stopped her from having a beautiful smile. Marigold loved to go to the
beach to distract herself from her mother’s remarks. She would sit on the beach and pick up any
creatures that washed up on shore. Marigold would go to the beach whenever her mother was at
work. Marigold hated her mother’s job because she knew it was harmful to the environment. Her
mother worked at a factory that would emit loads of dark gasses into the sky. No matter what she
told her mother, her mother did not care, and she continued working there. Marigold was upset
that her mother refused to quit her job at the factory, so she went to her comfort spot. She went to
the beach and then she saw a lovely young man there. He saw that she was visibly upset, so he
went up to her and asked her if she was alright. Marigold began to talk about her mother and the
man listened attentively. He then said, “I’m so sorry to hear that. My name’s Declan by the way. I
must leave right now, but if you ever need to talk about anything, I’ll be here.” Declan left the
beach, so Marigold decided to take one last look at the ocean before she went back home. She
noticed something peculiar though. She noticed the water was higher than usual, but decided it
might be nothing serious and went back home. When she went home, she turned on her television,
and that’s when saw that water levels were rising due to too many greenhouse gasses in the
atmosphere. Marigold was devastated because she didn’t want her comfort place to be ruined. She
knew that she had to stop her mother’s factory from further destroying the beach. She ran to the
beach and found Declan and she told him about the water rising. They both decided to start
protesting outside of Marigold’s mother’s job. This did get the attention of multiple employees,
and her mother was the last one standing. Marigold tried to plead with her mother and eventually
her mother gave in. “Marigold, I haven’t been kind to you growing up, but I see that the beach is
your favorite place and it’s not fair if I destroy it. I’ll find a different job and for now, we can all
stay in a tall tower just in case the water continues to rise,” her mother consoled her. After some
time, the water went back to normal and Marigold, her mother, and Declan went to the beach and
watched the sunset. Everything was back to normal and Marigold lived a peaceful life.