Carnival Recap

Here is a first-hand account of the Summer Reading Carnival held at the Kennedy Library on August 16.

THE CARNIVAL
On August 16, I went to the library carnival with my family and friends. Every year the carnival is held outside. But this year it was inside because of rain. There were lots of people. Me and my brother got nice books. I got a tattoo on my hand and a beautiful butterfly on my cheek. We ate pretzels, popcorn, and ice cream. I enjoyed having snacks with my friends. Then we went outside. We played Go Fish, Needle in a Haystack and Sail Away. There were more games inside. I had so much fun playing Knock Off and Leap Frog with my friends. We got lots of goodies. The best part was that I met my school friends over there. Then it was time to go home. I had a great time in the Carnival.

—Arushi

STFK: A Question

WOULD YOU RATHER BE A LION OR A LAMB?

If you had the chance to be a lion or a lamb, which one would you be? Or just yourself. I am going to tell you what I want to be and why. I would want to be a lion because I would be the king of the jungle and all animals would fear me. I could also run very fast. Even people would be scared of me!

I would want to be a lamb because I could peacefully graze on the nice grass. I would want to be a lamb because I don’t want to be a lion’s dinner nor as mutton.

I would love to be me because I can do alot of stuff that lions and lambs can’t do for example: play video games, read books, have playdates and go to restaurants etc.

I would want to be me instead of a lion or a lamb. I think I am what I want to be, do you?

—Julian, age 9

Essay Contest Winners: Part 2

Serena Jameka Williams, born on September twenty sixth, nineteen eighty one in Saginaw, Michigan. She is the youngest of her family and has five sisters.

Serena’s father was determined to see his girls succeed so he used what he learned from tennis books and videos to teach Serena and Venus how to play. He also gave them two hours a day of tennis practice.

After some time the family moves to Compton, California, an area where the crime rate was too high. The father wanted to expose the daughters to the possibilities of life if they didn’t work hard.
In 1995 Serena became a pro. She ranked 99 in the world rankings. In 2002 people magazine selected her as one of the 25 most inspiring people.
—Jordan

Jennie Finch is my favorite female athlete. She was described at the most famous softball player by Time Magazine. Jennie Finch helped the USA Softball Team win a gold medal in 2004 Summer Olympics. Since she was 5 years old when she began playing softball, her determination inspired me to play. Jennie Finch is strong, a good leader, and an awesome team player.
—Madison

“Olive Little: The Spectacular”

Olive Little was a pitcher on the Rockford Peaches in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) from 1943-1946. In 1943, Olive went to the All Star Team with 151 strikeouts. With her pitching, the Peaches won 21 games! Also, in 1943, Olive pitched the first no hitter in the league and only lost 15 games.

In her career, Olive had a 57-57 record, 381 strikeouts, but gave up 383 walks! I picked Olive because I am a pitcher just like her. I hope one day women will be able to play in the MLB.
—Matthew

“Winners, Not Quitters”

This is Mariel Margaret Hamm’s, otherwise known as Mia Hamm, favorite quote. For those who have no idea who she is, this will tell you a little about my favorite athlete player. She is considered the best female soccer player in history.

Mia Hamm had the habit of not quitting till she won, I guess that’s what made her be my favorite female athlete. At the age of 19, she was the youngest team member to win the World Cup. Her quote helped her win.

Mia Hamm retired after winning gold in the 2004 Summer Olympics. Mia Hamm is persistent, confident and a winner, not a quitter, that’s why she’s my favorite.
—Susanna

—Jonathan

Women’s Sports Month Essay Contest Winners

A while back, we asked you to write about your favorite female athletes. Thank you to all of the participants who submitted essays!

My favorite woman athlete is Michelle Kwan because she is a wonderful role model. She has won many awards and works hard to accomplish her goals. She doesn’t give up and keeps moving forward. Even if she falls down or makes a mistake she gets up and tries again. I like how graceful she is as a figure skater. She believes in herself and has good sportsmanship. She shows and artistic style as she skates on the ice. Michelle Kwan is a good role model for many young figure skaters in the world.
—Kiran

Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha, known as P.T. Usha is an Indian Woman athlete. She was the first Indian woman, and the fifth Indian to reach the final of an Olympic Event. She is called the Sprint Queen of India. She also earned the titles such as Queen of Indian Track and Payyoli Express.

She was born on the 27th of June, 1964 at Payyoli, a village located in District Payyoli of Kerala to E.P.M. Paithal and T.V. Lakshmi.
The Kerala State Government began a Sports Division for Women at Kannur in the year 1976, and 12 year old P.T. Usha was one among the 40 girls who began their training under O.M. Nambiar, the coach at the Division. Usha debut into international athletics when she participated in the Pakistan Open National Meet in 1980 held at Karachi. She grabbed 4 gold medals at the athletics meet. At the Los Angeles Olympics, Usha won 400m hurdles heats but unfortunately lost the 400m bronze medal in 400m final round. At Seoul Asian games in 1980, Usha clinched four gold medals in the 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles and 4×400 relay races.

Her achievements in the field of sports are innumerable. She was given the prestigious awards like Arjun Award and Padma Sri Award in 1984. P.T. Usha’s life shows that success knocks at the doors for those who strive for it.
—Rittish

“East or West, Hope is the Best!”

I first saw Hope Solo on TV at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011. She’s the goal keeper for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer team.

I think she is an amazing goal keeper because she made it to the finals with some great saves. Did you know that Hope once went 1,054 minutes without allowing a single goal! This is why Hope Solo is my favorite athlete.
—Julian

“My Favorite Woman Athlete”

My favorite women’s athlete is Preeja Sreedharan. I am going to tell you a little about her.

Preeja is a famous Indian long distance runner. She was born in Kerala in 1982. Her father died when she was only six years old. Even though they were very poor, her mother and brother worked hard to pay for her training.

Preeja was a hard worker and she won the gold medal for the 10,000 meter event at the Asian Games in 2010. I like Preeja because even though she was poor she never let anything stop her from running.
—Julian

SFTK: Summer Vacations

MY TRIP TO BRONX ZOO
This year, on Memorial Day, I went to visit the Bronx Zoo. I saw many animals. Some were very friendly. Some were a little scary. I had great fun inside the butterfly garden. It was a hot and sunny day, and I enjoyed my ice cream. Dora and Diego show was amazing. The best part was the Camel Ride. It was so much fun. Me and my little brother would like to go to the zoo again.

—Arushi

All my summer vacations were great. My favorite summer vacation was last year at Six Flags. We had a great time. My family, cousins, and friends went there too. There are lots of rides and rollacoasters. The first rollacoaster I went on was Skull Mountain. I went on it with my cousin. It was dark, fast, scary, and there were orange and black glowing pumpkins. After that we went to the Loony Toon section. Then we went on Run-a-way train, and some water rides. Soon we took a lunch break. After the lunch break we went on Buckineer. Also we went on even more Loony Toon rides. Then we went on the Sky Ride to get on the other side of the park. And then we watched a little show and soon had dinner. Finally it was our last ride and we went on the Fares Wheel. Now it was time to go and that is my full day of FUN!

—Basheerah, age 7 1/2

MY TRIP TO THE BEACH
I went to the beach last weekend. Have you ever been to one? We had a wave of fun! My friend’s family and mine had planned to go to Point Pleasant Beach.

First we went to the sandy shore and I put my feet in the cold water. My friend, her brother and my sister started to build sandcastles. When I got tired of playing in the water I dug a deep hole in the sand and sat in it. Then we had a picnic at the beach. We ate sandwiches, watermelon, and our dads bought us French Fries and nuggets. While I was eating the wind blew my plate away! Later we walked to the amusement park. It was awesome! We went on alot of rides. My favorite was the roller coaster because it went fast. The last ride was the kiddie train and it went around the amusement park. It was a perfect ending to the day.

—Julian

Straight From the Kids: Summer Vacation

My favorite summer vacation was when we went to Wildwood. And we went on the boardwalk and we went on rides like the tilt-a-world and the log flume. We also went to a water park and it was amazing and it had a speed slide, a lazy river, and a tarzan swing. It even had a hot tub! I had alot of fun at Wildwood!