<\/p>\n
On the last day of fourth grade, Ally\u2019s teacher gave each of them a blank sheet of paper. \u201cWrite your name at the top and pass it to the person to your right. For each paper you get, write something nice about the person, how they\u2019ve helped you this year, or write a unique wish for their summer break.\u201d<\/p>\n
The nine-year-olds grumbled at having to do work on this day normally reserved for movies and pizza parties, but they gritted their teeth and wrote their messages, trying not to stare at the clock. After all, this would be the last assignment they would ever have to do in Mr. Kirby\u2019s class. Finally, Ally got her paper back, and, after the bell rang and shouts of joy from no-longer fourth-graders filled the air, she read her classmates\u2019 words on her last walk home from school of the year. Her best friend Lucie had written, \u201cI hope you have a magical summer and keep feeling as awesome as you are. See you later, love bug, XOXO!!!!!\u201d Lucie\u2019s twin brother Kyle wrote, \u201cGood thing I don\u2019t have to listen to you and Lucie squeal over One Direction anymore, because another day and I would have had to borrow some of Mr. Kirby\u2019s duct tape. Have a fun summer, Al.\u201d But it was another boy, Liam, who wrote the note that changed Ally forever.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were nice to me,\u201d it said. That was all he wrote. But it was enough to make nine-year-old Ally tear up and clutch the paper to her chest. For Liam was the boy who had ADHD, and dyslexia, and probably a dozen things besides. Liam was the boy who sat in the back of the class in fear that Mr. Kirby would call on him and make him give an answer of which he hadn\u2019t the slightest idea. And Liam was the boy who, when he tripped over a backpack and landed sprawled over Clara\u2019s desk, she told him that she was going to crush his puny head. Ally tried to visit him when she saw him sitting alone at lunch, and he would smile shyly and tell her about his robots and his seventeen pets. And now, to him, the thing about her that had been special, the thing about her that had been unusual, was that she was nice to him, sweet Liam. When she got home and her mom asked her what was wrong, she couldn\u2019t answer. She could only stare out the window and watch the summer pinwheels spin in the breeze.<\/p>\n
The next year, the bullying got so bad that Liam left the school and wasn\u2019t heard from again.<\/p>\n
Eleventh-grade Lucie stepped out the high school doors at the end of school before winter break. Now, seven years later, her hair was pink and she had gotten a perfect 1600 on the SAT. Soon after, sixteen-year-old Ally followed her out and ran to catch up. \u201cWhat are you doing for the next two weeks?\u201d Lucie inquired, starting to cross the street. \u201cOh, probably still volunteering at the elementary school…\u201d Ally knitted her brow. \u201cWhat are those kids doing over there?\u201d What they were doing was standing around one hunched-shouldered girl, blocking her way. Their mouths moved to form words that\u00a0darted across the street like arrows and stung Ally\u2019s cheeks and eyes. They pushed the girl over, and something in Ally broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey,\u201d she shouted, running down the crosswalk, waving her arms as if to shoo a crowd of flies. \u201cHey, stop it!\u201d The girl looked up gratefully and scurried away, but the other kids stayed where they were and folded their arms, looking rather unimpressed. \u201cForget it, lady,\u201d one beanie-clad boy advised her. \u201cWe were just having fun. Plus no one cares about you and your special activism.\u201d<\/p>\n
That night, as she was going to sleep, Ally stared up at the ceiling. Possibilities were painting themselves before her in the dark.<\/p>\n
Flyers littered the halls when the high school came back from break. \u201cIs this all you, Ally?\u201d Kyle asked her at lunch, gesturing to the posters taped around the cafeteria. She nodded. \u201cThe elementary school principal said that if I can get more than a thousand people, they\u2019ll make it a yearly event. Now I guess I have to work on advertising.\u201d<\/p>\n
KINDNESS FAIR! @ James & Johnnie Clark Elementary<\/p>\n
Come write cards, make chalk drawings, and talk with us about the power of caring.<\/p>\n
9:00 to 5:00 on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if anyone will come,\u201d Ally admitted to her mom on Friday night. \u201cBut if they do, well, I hope it helps.\u201d People did come. They came from the elementary school, the middle and the high schools, and from around the town, where Ally had managed to pin a few flyers. She watched it all unfold–the volunteers helping people draw hearts on the sidewalk, her friends writing cards for the children\u2019s hospital–with a rush of pride at what she had created. But as the day went on, a sinking feeling arrived. How much was it really doing?<\/p>\n
A boy who seemed somehow familiar came up to her. \u201cYou\u2019re the girl, right? I just wanted to thank you for organizing this whole thing. My sister was getting bullied so much that she wanted to leave the school, but today a lot of kids apologized for how they\u2019ve treated her, and she thinks she might want to stay. Thank you! I wish someone had done this when I was in fourth grade.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just then, Principal Hernandez came running up. \u201cAlly, you\u2019ve done it! So many people came and donated that we can do this every year from now on!\u201d<\/p>\n
The boy said, \u201cCongratulations!… Wait. Is your name Ally?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d Lucie teased, as she, Ally, Kyle, and Liam went to get burgers when the fair was all over. \u201cThe kids are kind, and they have you to thank.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it was all Liam,\u201d Ally said, and they laughed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We\u2019re very pleased to announce the results of our special Teen Zine Writing Contest! The theme was TEEN ADVOCACY. We received some amazing submissions, and we have here our top three winners. Thank you very much to everyone who participated!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
2nd Place “The Promise” by Ava Slocum, age 15 On the last day of fourth grade, Ally\u2019s teacher gave each of them a blank sheet of paper. \u201cWrite your name at the top and pass it to the person to your right. For each paper you get, write something […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[117,28],"tags":[92],"class_list":["post-5245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion","category-writing","tag-contest"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s5ZwbD-slocum","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4571,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2018\/the-arsonist-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":5245,"position":0},"title":"The Arsonist — Teen Review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"February 24, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"review by\u00a0Sylvie Bower, age 16 The Arsonist\u00a0by\u00a0Stephanie Oakes \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Arsonist is the story of Ava, Molly, and Pepper. Ava Dreyman is a world-famous martyr of the Cold War, whose life and possibly death are memorialized in her diary. Molly Mavity is the daughter of a murder-arsonist about to be executed,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/02\/The-arsonist.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/02\/The-arsonist.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/02\/The-arsonist.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/02\/The-arsonist.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3030,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2016\/robot-making-with-creative-reuse\/","url_meta":{"origin":5245,"position":1},"title":"Robot Making with Creative Reuse","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"July 20, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Recap by Miko Sellier, Grade 9 \u00a0 The Robot Making workshop took place in the teen library room on the fourth floor. I happily helped with setting up the crafting tables and signing everyone in. The setup consisted of brown paper bags full of \u2018supplies\u2019, a pencil, and a piece\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art & Crafts"","block_context":{"text":"Art & Crafts","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/steam\/crafts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2016\/07\/IMG_0438.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2016\/07\/IMG_0438.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2016\/07\/IMG_0438.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2016\/07\/IMG_0438.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2016\/07\/IMG_0438.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1706,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2015\/love-letters-to-the-dead-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":5245,"position":2},"title":"Love Letters to the Dead — teen review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"May 15, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Review by Hadley, teen reviewer Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira Laurel switches schools after an unfortunate accident leaves her mother across the country and her sister May buried in the ground and the past. She believes that the best way to move on is to start over\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Teen Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Teen Reviews","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"five-stars","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2015\/03\/five-stars.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":155,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2013\/a-few-summer-book-reports\/","url_meta":{"origin":5245,"position":3},"title":"A few summer book reports","author":"","date":"August 15, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Teens who entered our Summer Reading Club drawings were asked to write a few words about each book they read. Here are a few samples that might guide you to a new book to read: What character in the book would you like to be and why? Ava M., book\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Teen Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Teen Reviews","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":104,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2013\/teen-summer-reading-club-winners\/","url_meta":{"origin":5245,"position":4},"title":"Teen Summer Reading Club Winners","author":"","date":"July 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"We have the list of the winners in our Summer Reading Club drawings for weeks 5 and 6. Here they are: Week 5 Dominique Artiaga Robert Atayan Carolina Barsoumian Edgar Cantero Emily Cantero Nitin Chandra Anahi Diaz Suhey Elias Jackie Fisher Mona Ghannoum Zo\u00eb Anna Gibson Samantha Harris Elizabeth Herrera\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Agendas & News"","block_context":{"text":"Agendas & News","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/agendas-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4877,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2018\/who-reads-the-waterfall-on-the-other-side-by-hannah-cahalan\/","url_meta":{"origin":5245,"position":5},"title":"“Who Reads the Waterfall on the Other Side” by Hannah Cahalan","author":"Jane Gov","date":"November 13, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Young Readers League 2018 Writing Contest Honorable Mention Category 2 (ages 12-14) \u00a0 Hannah Cahalan Age 12 (Grade 7), Blair Middle School \u201cWho Reads The Waterfall On The Other Side\u201d \u00a0 The mage stared at the waterfall as it glinted in the sun The water rushing down as it filled\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/image_yrl2018_writingcontest.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/image_yrl2018_writingcontest.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/image_yrl2018_writingcontest.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/image_yrl2018_writingcontest.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/11\/image_yrl2018_writingcontest.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5245"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5249,"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5245\/revisions\/5249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}