Awesome Writing!

The students in Room 6 recently had the opportunity to enter a writing competition (for rural schools, organised by Harcourts).  The topic:  a significant life moment.  It also had a 400 word limit and needed an illustration to go with it.  Congratulations to those who chose to enter the class part of the competition - good on you.  Check out their awesome writing below:

Good luck to Jasmine and Cody, who will go forward to represent our school in the Harcourts competition.



Best Year Seven - CODY

As I walked into the Civic Centre I grew really nervous, like a bunny rabbit alone in the forest. I was nervous, because I didn’t know if I was going to get an award or not at the rugby prize giving.  I hoped I would, because I had worked really hard all year. As I entered the enormous hall, I was blasted with noise. While I tried looking for my team, I was struggling to hear myself think.  I was unsure if I had found my team or not, over the deafening sound. I finally made my way through all of the kids sprinting everywhere and sat with my team.

After 10 minutes of feeling deaf, someone finally told everyone to calm down and be quiet. They started with the younger children. First under 6’s, then under 7’s and so on. It seemed to be an age before it was finally our turn, the under 12’s. They started off with the team awards, chosen by their coach. Nick Crosswell, from the Manawatu Turbos, was presenting the certificates. I didn’t get an award and I thought, “They must have been better than me.”

They then moved onto the supreme awards, for the best in the grade, instead of just the team. They announced best ball skills, sportsmanship, player of the year and finally, the best year 7. Before they announced the name, I thought it would be Te Rangi, and so was gobsmacked when I heard my name.

As I got up to receive my award I was really nervous. When I stood on stage my knees turned to jelly, as all the kids were looking at us. I hate having to go on stage, because it’s one of my worst fears. I nervously looked for my parents while up there and found them. They were very proud of me, making positive gestures for me.  That managed to make me less nervous. Finally we went off stage and sat with our teams again.

Once the prize giving was finished, we took a team photo of everyone with their awards and headed home. When we arrived home I raced to my bedroom to figure out where I should put the trophy. I decided to put it on my drawers so I could see it every day.  As I stood back to look at it, I thought to myself, “Man I’m proud, very proud…”

Casper - ASHLEY

There I was sitting on the chair, when my mum and dad walk through the door holding Casper, our new puppy.  He was a golden lab. I think my mum and dad chose him, because golden labs love to play. I was in charge of feeding him, taking him for walks and cleaning up after him. One morning I was in bed and Casper started barking so I got up let him run around the house and then I took him for a walk.  As I was taking him for a walk he met a friend.  What kind of a friend you might be wondering?  Well it was a lady friend, WOOF WOOF!  Casper is so happy to have a new family that he can play with.  Unfortunately he does not get on well with our cat, because he always wants to play ‘chase the cat’.  My puppy is a cute, furry loving, small, playful pup and we love him so much.

The Red Carpet - BLAIR

As we were walking down the red carpet at the Regent Theatre, I said, “Just like Jonny Depp”, to my friend Eli and Flint.  It was a bit of a shock to be here. It all started when we entered a video in a competition for a book tribute that we made at school.  We had been selected as finalists for the Manawatu Digi Awards.  We all felt posh for once, we even had our own waiter. It felt like a dream, but this was real!

After walking the red carpet, we went to our reserved seats. I had never had reserved seats before!  Front row too! We watched as people in dresses and suits came past us, giving people wine and finger food. Finally after a long wait, the show started.  A guy came out with a flower in his pocket and a table with wheels.  On the table were trophies and iPods.  The nerves started to kick in now. But it was another painstaking wait till Book Tribute announcements came.

Finally, out of nowhere our video came up onto our screen. It was so embarrassing watching our video about Captain Underpants. We were crouching down in our seats, hoping no one would see us.

It turned out that we didn’t win, even though we gave it our all. We all were devastated that we didn’t win, because we all thought our Captain Underpants video was the best (not bragging though, just saying).  But I will always remember the day that I walked the red carpet and felt like a superstar.

Not Ever Again - JORJA

I felt like a fly in a room full of windows. My family and I had been traveling for five hours, my legs felt like jelly and I had heard nearly every song on the radio twice. The car came to a sudden stop at a large gate. Slowly it opened to a big, beauty of a house.  I jumped out of the car and ran into the flash house. My eyes were glued to the coffee maker, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! But, I was tired and ready to go to bed.

The next morning, after I had tried to make a coffee for mum, we decided it would be a good day to take a bus into the Auckland City Centre and do some shopping. My sister, mum and I were having a blast but of course all days must come to an end so off we went to find the bus back to our holiday home. One problem where was the bus to get home?

After walking around for what felt like a life time we found an information centre. Mum snatched the booklet off the shelf and before I knew it, we were heading up lower Albert Street. A bus stop came into my line of view which was a start, and even better it would take us to our street. I collapsed onto the bus chair when mum said “Ready to do it again tomorrow?” I moaned, glaring at her and angrily said, “Not ever again!”

The New Baby - OLIVIA

I have always wanted a baby sister. We were still deciding on the name when mum came up with the name Chelsea, we all liked that name so it was decided that that would be her name.

Once she was born I was so excited.  My mum had a home birth. It was the most nervous five hours of my life before I got to see her. She was as small as a pea. I had never seen a new born before and I never imagined that the first one would be my sister. She was dressed in a pink suit that was as fluffy as a rabbit’s tail.

The first time I ever got to hold her was a day later when she was awake and after she had had a bottle. I was so nervous to hold her, because I didn’t know how to. Chelsea was very cute and she looked like her dad. I was surprised to see how little she drinks, but mum said it’s because her stomach is as small as a marble.

Our house was too small to have everyone in there, so I had to sleep out in a caravan with my brother.  It was not a fun thing, because it was cold. I bet Chelsea thought that she was awesome, kicking my brother and I out of the house. 

I had always wanted a baby sister and my wish came true.

WHAT A WAY TO START A HOLIDAY, CRUISIN’ ON THE INTERISLANDER - VICTORIA

So we were waiting in the massive, long, line to board the humongously high Interislander.  My heart was beating, getting faster and faster then…… I was panicking. The last thing I wanted to do was panic! I had never liked the swishing swirling sea, and I had never been on a boat like this before. It was so BIG! As my dad tried to be silly, racing and revving up the raggedy ramp, I felt like I had butterflies and even moths in my tummy.

After we parked in the teeny, tiny, tight parking, my family and I raced up the very top to have a look at what was meant to be a ‘great view’ and it was, but I thought I was going to spew my guts out, when I saw how high we were! All I wanted to do then was get off the ferry. We wizzed back down to find a seat quickly, because there was loads of people walking around like lemurs and pinching all the seats.

Mum and dad choose a perfect seat, that had the sparkling sun shining on the table.  My sisters and I spent our parent’s money at the café.  When the ferry was coming into the Marlborough Sounds, I saw a seal, but it wasn’t the first seal I had ever seen.

In the end I enjoyed the smooth, calm, ride, but I felt like I was the only one enjoying  it, because everyone else around me was sleeping. Some of them were loud snorers.  Overall, the cruise down south was AMAZING!

Jessica - JASMINE

She has long blonde hair and eyes that twinkle like stars. She is beautiful, and very unique in her own way. Her jokes have no punchline, yet the way she tells them makes me crack up, she laughs for no apparent reason, and sings and dances until she drops. Her name is Jessica and she is my little sister.

I clearly remember the first signs that Jessica wasn’t well. Refusing to eat wasn’t a common thing for Jessica, and drinking three bottles of water a day isn’t normal. As the days went by, Tanya (my step mum), got more worried about her. Jessica went floppy, slurred her words, wet the bed, and went ghostly pale. She didn’t tell me her jokes, or spin around in circles like she used to. My little sister was slowly fading away.

That’s when the horrible day finally came. Taking Jessica to the hospital was the easy part, but what happened inside the hospital, is unforgettable.  I remember the doctors telling Dad and Tanya the horrendous news, and Jessica being rushed into emergency care. I couldn’t believe it. My little sister had diabetes. A drip was put into Jessica’s arm, and boy did she cry. Meanwhile, my little brother Taylor was scared. Seeing his big sister crying wasn’t very good. Holding back my tears, I desperately tried to distract him by showing him all the toys. He seemed happy after that. I remember holding her quivering hand, and talking to her. I said things like, “You’re going to be fine, don’t worry, I love you”.

To this day, Jessica has a pump on her belly that feeds her insulin. We give her a blood prick on her finger every day, to check her numbers. The paleness in her faded and she began to sing and dance with me again. I was over the moon with joy. Her life will never be the same again, but she still has the beautiful spirit that I love.  I got my little sister back!

The Time Had Come - JAGO

The day had come. The time had come.  My family and I were leaving our country. I’d known this day was coming for a while now, and all of my friends had said their farewells.  My school had all signed a card for my family and we even had a leaving party, but nothing, no one, could prepare me for the first step on to the plane, my last step on my home turf; my last step on English soil.

I had a mix of feelings welling up inside me. I can’t really explain them, for they were all mixing and churning into one feeling. I guess it was a mix of sadness, excitement at the adventure ahead and sheer terror. I was leaving all of my friends behind and entering a new world where I was an outsider, an intruder.

I hate planes, so every bump, every rumble, every tiny bit of turbulence was terrifying. My big sister was fine. In fact she was having a great time, but I most definitely was not, and as the plane dipped its’ nose coming in to land (of course I didn’t know it was landing at the time).  I was…… well you can probably imagine how I was, but let’s just say everyone that was asleep was no longer asleep. And if you still can’t imagine how I was acting then imagine a two year old who had all of his lollies taken off him.

The plane landed. I felt really tired, because of the jetlag and the fact that I hadn’t slept a wink the whole journey. I was terribly embarrassed, because of my acting up on the plane. As I stepped out of the plane I was blasted with the heat of this new country. “And I thought I would need a jumper,” I thought (that was back when I still called them jumpers, not jerseys).

The rest of that day was the most exciting day of my life. I was finally in my new home. I was finally in New Zealand!