Life is full of the unexpected, or at least that’s how I see it in my head.
The city is nothing compared to the beauty of nature.
Mountains taller than any skyscraper; filled with trees, plants, and animals.

From where I stand, I can see the mountains.
I can see the comfy homes of the people.
I can see the ocean light blue like the lovely sky.
I can see the sun set as the moon rises.
I can hear the music of nature.
I can hear the crickets chirping happily throughout the day.

And when the clouds pour, you can hear the native coquis singing in the night.
At night you could hear the trees speaking with you as the win breezes.
And during the day, the air is slightly still while the rays of the sun hit your face.

From where I stand, I look up to the sky and think of my life.
I think of those I have met and those I have left behind.

From where I stand I patiently watch as the sun sets into the ocean and leaves the sky orange. I can see the palm trees swaying.
From where I stand, I look down on my past and look up to my future.

But from where I stand, I can see the obstacles in which I must face in the present. I watch as the stars begin to appear, brighter than any I have ever seen in the dark infinite sky.

I stare into the sky looking at the brightest stars, claiming them to be my loved ones and those I desire.

From where I stand, I begin to miss those overseas or across miles of land.

Even if the distance may seem like a problem, I always remember that we are all under the same moon. We are all under the same sun, blue sky, stars, and white clouds.

Honk! Honk!

The boat is going to depart in ten minutes and Jim is running as fast as he can to catch his boat to go home. He was visiting the town of Seltaeb for the week. He must return today because he did not request extra days off of work nor can he call in sick after so many sick days off. As he runs through the town, he dodges cars and people. If he doesn't make it to the dock before the boat leaves, he will have to wait until next week when the boat returns.

"All aboard!" says the captain of the boat.

Jim got on the boat right before it departed. Giving his ticket to the captain, he steps on.

"We have rooms in the lower section. You may ask one of our helpers down there to show you how to rent a room," the captain informed Jim.

"Thank you. I think I'll get a room"

"Well, we're about to shove-off so I must go."

Ding-a-ding-a-ding

Jim walked down to the lower level and talked to one of the clerks of the room rentals. He received his key and threw his suitcases on the bed. He unpacked and laid down for a bit. The rocking motion of the boat made him feel queasy but relaxed at the same time. He awoke from the unexpected nap and went up to the deck of the boat.

"This must be the Hued River." he thought to himself.

There was something different about this river. It was very long but not too wide. The splashing sounds hitting the boat were very relaxing and soothing to Jim. There were trees of a variety of fruits and colors. Tangerine trees reached out toward the boat and Jim went to grab one. The smell of it was so satisfying, he couldn't help but peel it as fast as he can. As he bit into the wedge the explosion of citrus filled his mouth like fireworks.

"Whoa! This is one of the best tangerines I've ever had. I should take some more for the road," he exlaimed to nobody in particular.

When he looked up the sky was the shade of ripe limes. The color of the sky was so brilliant. His eyes were wide open and his mouth stuffed with citrus. He was so full of awe.

"Jim..." whispered a voice.

Jim turned around and didn't see anyone.

"Jim..." whispered the same voice.

"Yes?" asked Jim as he turned to see who was calling him.

As he turned he saw the most beautiful eyes. The woman had been there since he picked the tangerine. His attention was on the woman now but the sky gave contrast to her silky blue eyes and big bright smile. When he blinked she had disappeared. Flowers began to surround the boat. They grew as high as the sky in a matter of seconds. The most beautiful green and yellow flowers appeared and hid the water and everything beyond it.

The boat finally came to a stop near a long and winding road. Jim knew he had to take the train, which was a couple of miles away. He decides to walk to the train because the train departs in two hours, plenty of time for a walk.

There was a park on the way, so he decides to stop and walk through it. There, he sees big trees and beautiful flowers. As he walks along a bridge, he is able to take-in a wonderful view of the park.

As Jim looks over the bridge he sees rocking horses. All the rocking horses are eating marshmallow pies, which they seem to enjoy very much. As they rock back and forth, one gives out a big Naayyyyy.

"Such an odd place this seems to be," Jim thinks to himself as he walks along very bright flowers.

Everyone that he passes smiles at him and gave him a big "Good Morning!" The flowers began to grow again very rapidly and he soon found himself trapped in the flowers. He runs out of the flowers and whistles at a taxi. A giant newspaper covered taxi stops in front of him. As he opens the door, he realizes the taxi is made of newspaper and he runs away in disbelief and fear of what was starting to seem to be the oddest place he's been to.

As he gets to the station, he hops on the train and gives the conductor his ticket.

"Top of the morning to you sir," said the conductor as he greeted Jim.

"Good morning. What an odd place this is. I thought it was near the middle of the afternoon," replied Jim, puzzled by all the good mornings.

"Oh no sir, there is still sun outside. Nowhere near afternoon," said the conductor as he gave Jim a big smile.

"Did he mean afternoon as in night?" Jim thought to himself.

Taking his seat, he looks out the window and sees the lady from the boat on the next stop. He yells hoping she'll hear him, but the train passes her position, stopping seconds later. He runs to get off the train to catch her, but figures she must have disappeared, just like she did on the boat. He takes a seat, disappointed that he will never see her again. He begins to fall asleep but can hear her calling his name.

"Jim!" She whispers. "It's me, Lucy."

"Lucy" he says as he dozes off to sleep.

Honk! Honk!

Jim is startled by the horn and finds himself in his room on the boat.

"Lucy?!?" he yells. "I can't believe it was all a dream!"

When he gets off the boat he sees that everything was back to normal. But deep inside, what he experienced was love at first sight.

"It was the eyes," Jim thought to himself.

Based on a song by The Beatles.

Wednesday during 5th period, there was a commotion in the hallways. As students were going through their daily routine, there was a sudden sound of music coming from the intercom. Girls instantly jumped from their seats, out of their classrooms, and ran into the halls. Students immediately asked their teachers for permission to step into the hall way to watch exactly what was happening, and everyone soon realized that a group of girls were performing a practiced choreography called a flash mob.

Every year, Physical Education teachers attend a convention held by the Illinois Association of Health Education Recreation and Dance. At this convention, teachers share ideas about how to make physical education fun. At the convention, one of the teachers had the idea of a flash mob.

The teachers who organized the flash mob include Ms. Buchic, Ms Howard and Ms. Mehorczyk. The objective of the flash mob was to demonstrate to students that physical education is fun. Ms. Buchic believes that the flash mob was a success. She noticed that the girls in her class were eager to go to class and learn the choreography.

“I think the kids here are great and that we have great school spirit,” said Ms. Buchic.

She also explained that it is important to note that all the students were responsible enough to go into the hallway for approximately two minutes and return to their classes without incident.

Ms. Buchic is considering organizing another flash mob. However, she will not guarantee it. Since a flash mob must be unexpected or else, what fun is it?

Yesterday, December 21st before noon, Kelly Cantantes was invited to sing on ABC 7 News live for a segment called Chorus Week. The received the honor because they earned superior ratings in both city and state. Five schools from the state were chosen to sing and spread festive holiday spirit to ABC's viewers. Out of those five schools, Kelly High School was the only CPS school actually picked.



See video of performance