“Dreams Make” by Saanvi Gutta

They say clouds are made from dreams.

But I don’t think that’s true.

Colored white like lies and

Covering a sky so blue?

 

They never stay long,

Always on the go.

They bring horrid rain, hail,

Misery, and cold snow.

 

What kind of dream

Would such a tragedy be?

I think the sky is what holds

The dreams of you and me.

 

The sky is always blue,

Unless it’s the end of day,

Then it explodes into color, 

Like paint on a blank array.

 

Even if it’s dark,

It lets the stars glow and shine.

It’s a never-ending expanse,

That withstood the weight of time.

 

Head above the clouds?

So that head can see the sky.

Even our old proverbs,

Tell us the clouds lie.

 

We made a sky,

Of hopes and dreams.

Clouds are just doubts

Of what they all mean.

“Just me, I Am” by Anushka Yerramareddy

She just so happened to be there that day,

as I was taking a stroll around Glenforest Bay.

So I decided to go and greet her there,

and I told her my name was Sally O’Hare.

 

“Nice to meet you,” she said with a smile,

and she claimed she had lived somewhere near the Nile.

But of course I knew her words were lies;

she was a pale little thing with ocean-like eyes.

 

Yet I dared to ask, “Who are you, ma’am?”

And she replied with, “Just me. Just me, I am.”

“Just Me,” I addressed her in a mocking way,

“will you be here tomorrow, right by the bay?”

 

“Of course,” she answered with a sly little grin,

and off she went, with a small tilt of her chin.

So I came for her the very next day,

but Just Me was nowhere in sight at Glenforest Bay. 

“Snow” by Keerthi Selvam

Snow, soft and white, blanketed every inch of the forest, yet snowflakes still fell incessantly upon the ground. The woods were perfectly still, save for the crunching of footsteps made by a girl in a hood.

Her breath was visible as she climbed up the frosty hill, shading her eyes from the dazzling colour of the snow. Finally, she stopped at the very top with a sigh.

She knelt down, and with her bare hand, dusted the snow off of a gravestone. Without even looking at the inscription, she recited in a soft voice, “To live in the hearts of those we love is not to die.”

She paused for a moment, silently reflecting upon something, and then lowered her hood. Perched in her auburn hair was a single red rose, which she gently removed and dropped onto the grave.

“Happy Birthday, Little Brother,” she said aloud, letting her gaze settle on the flower. “How old are you now? Twelve? Wow.” The girl let out a breathless laugh. “You’re growing up so quickly.”

She paused to tuck a wisp of stray hair behind her ear. “I’m doing okay. Winter is always a little bit difficult, but I like seeing the snow. It reminds me of you. Do you remember that snowman we built, about six years ago? He was the ugliest thing on the face of the Earth. Of course, I couldn’t tell you that back then. You adored him.”

“In case you were wondering, Miles is doing fine. He’s still eating everything he gets his hands on. He’s seventeen times fatter than he was when we found him, which is good, but I miss having a kitten running around the house.”

A single tear slipped down her cheek, but the girl hastily brushed it away. “I miss you. I know it’s been four years and that I should move on, but the house is so, so quiet. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” She stopped for breath and looked at the epitaph with pained eyes. Voice breaking, she whispered, “You weren’t supposed to join Mom and Dad yet. You were supposed to stay with me.

“I’m sorry for failing you.”

She dropped her head, burying her eyes with her sleeve. It’s no use, she thought. No amount of wishing will bring him back.

Suddenly, she heard a soft voice in her ear. A voice she hadn’t heard in five years. 

“It’s going to be okay, I promise. Please don’t cry. I’ll wait for you, no matter how long it takes, and one day we’ll see each other again.”

The girl spun, and for a split second, saw the smiling face of an eight year-old boy. Then, as soon as he had appeared, he vanished, leaving the girl alone in the forest once again.

Hot Spot All-You-Can-Eat

By Prajanya Prabakaran

Hot Spot is a self-serve restaurant. In Hot Spot, they give you broth
where you can boil toppings (chicken, mushrooms, shrimp,
scallops, ramen, etc.) you order. You can only stay inside the
restaurant, but toppings are unlimited after you pay for the first
set of toppings. There is a fee per person.

Overall, the atmosphere is nice. The music is mostly pop (Ariana
Grande, Justin Bieber, Adam Lambert,ect.), there is mostly child
appropriate music, and the wall decor is beautiful.
The food needs to be cooked in the broth you select. There are a
variety of sauces to choose from. The sauces are the only spice the
toppings get, they are not pre seasoned. This makes for bland food
if not seasoned.

At first, the staff will gladly ask whether you want refills or more
toppings. After a while, however, they will ask this question less
since they don’t want you to eat a lot of toppings to get the most
out of your money. Although the reason behind this behavior is
understandable, the behavior benefits the company, not the
consumer. From a consumer viewpoint, you aren’t getting as much
as you could.

Overall, Hot Spot is a great late dining spot.

3232 Old Pickett Road

Fairfax VA 22031

This is the graphic novel to read!

Nimona is the best graphic novel I have read so far. If I were to rate this book out of ten, it would receive an eight. Nimona Is a national book Finalist. Nimona and Blackheart are depicted as villains by the institution. But were they really villains? Do you know who Nimona is? What did they do? Find out by reading this book! 

  • Book review by Jivom Sharavanah                         

Board games are more than just fun to play!

By Jivom Sharavanah

 

Playing Board games have many benefits for all people. A simple board game can activate survival genes in your brain, making the brain cells live longer and helping to fight disease.  Board games help children develop logic and reasoning skills, improve critical thinking and boost spatial reasoning. These board games will help students in the long run.

PLAY BOARD GAMES AT THE ACADEMIES OF LOUDOUN TODAY!

Meet Mrs. Heather Herrmann

By Manusri Vemulapalli

Mrs. Herrmann

Ms. Heather Hermann is a wonderful mathematics teacher here at the Academies of Loudoun. She earned bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and theater studies at Duke University. After first teaching in New Jersey, she joined the Academy of Science faculty in 2014 and currently teaches AOS Mathematical Analysis and Computational Modeling (9th), AOS BC Calculus (11th), and AOS Multivariable Calculus (12th).

She told me she likes teaching here because she loves her students and has amazing coworkers. Also, she has access to incredible resources. She said she’s impressed with so many things here but especially the things that come out of the makerspace.

In her free time, she likes to read books and watch sports with her husband.

A Poem by Saanvi Gutta

What’s the word?

For when the floating lightbulb

Glows above your head?

When you revitalize into life,

From the struggles you’ve faced being dead?

When you’ve figured it all out?

A golden, victorious moment,

And the excitement to just shout.

It makes you feel warm and proud,

And clears your vision like a sky,

Colors revealed by an unknown shroud,

That you never realized covered your eyes.

It melts away your panic, your fear,

All you anxieties just … disappear.

The name of it, I can’t recall …

Eureka!

I’ve got it.