2000 Presents for Everyone

One Christmas Eve in a little brick house something weird happened at 10:00 p.m. A little girl made a wish that she would get 1,000 presents for Christmas.

Then at midnight and one second, five presents were there. The second after that, 2,000 presents appeared. The same happened to every state and house in the United States of America like: Florida, Iowa, Maine, Washington, Washington D.C. and Oregon. The same things happened in Alaska and Hawaii.

Then something weird happened again. It started raining candy, soda pop, chocolate and lollipops. The children suddenly woke up, grabbed bags and went to get candy on the street, just like trick-or-treating, except they didn't have to ask people for it.

Then all the children's parents said, "What were you doing outside on the street?"

The children lied because they didn't want their own hard work to be confiscated. Of course, their hard work was getting candy so they lied to their parents. Their parents already knew their children lied to them, because of the looks on their faces. Still, they didn't punish them because they were young and didn't know much manners, so they let them go.

The next morning was great, because everyone got 2,000 presents for Christmas. Everyone was happy, but the little girl was feeling terrific that morning.

Two of the presents everyone had for Christmas were a Nintendo DS Lite and a Wii. Then, the same afternoon, everyone went to a desk and found a laptop or a computer to play with.

They lived happily ever after.

My Invention - Time Travel Machine

I thought of a time travel machine because I thought it would make my life easier. I think that if you're hiking it's just a waste of energy. That's why I thought of a time travel machine. If you were trying to get somewhere, you would just go in my time travel machine. But I would charge 100 bucks to go inside! People would all be arguing because of how much it costs.

What my machine does is pretty amazing. It could send you to your house, it could send you to the jungle or anywhere you want to go. It wouldn't send you to space without a special space suit or space helmet. But it would take you anywhere else and it could even change the time!

It works by electricity. First you plug it into an outlet, then a propeller at the bottom of the time travel machine spins which makes a purple kind of air come as it spins really fast. Then there are a bunch of buttons on the time travel machine that tell you all the places in the world and you press a button that says where you want to go, push on it and then you are where you want to be!

Alien Invasion

Once there were two boys named Max and Joe. One night they both asked to sleep over at Max's house and the two moms said yes. At midnight during their sleepover they saw a big green and blue meteor that looked like a space ship crashed into the old Murlan junkyard.

Both Max and Joe had their tongues hanging out of their mouths drooling.

"Let's go check it out," said Max.

"O.K.," said Joe, shaking.

So they ran downstairs and ran outside.

"It's kind of dark out here," said Joe, staring at the glowing green and blue light coming out of the junkyard.

Their eyes became bigger and bigger coming closer to the light. They finally reached the junkyard.

"It's! It's! A spaceship," said Joe.

"Wow!" said Max looking like he was paralyzed.

So they continued walking closer and closer to the spaceship. Then ran and hid behind a pile of rubble.

They quickly peeked over the pile and watched the bottom of the spaceship open. It opened and a bunch of steam came out of the bottom.

Two green things with long robot-looking legs and red eyes came out of the spaceship and looked around. The aliens quickly walked out of the junkyard and into the forest.

"Wow!! What were those things?" said Joe.

"I have no idea," said Max.

"Those things looked massive," said Max.

"Hey Max," said Joe, "Let's follow them into the forest."

"O.K.," said Max, forgetting about his home and his parents. So Max and Joe went into the forest.

"Hey Max," said Joe, "Let's go this way. I see tracks."

"O.K.," said Max. They followed the tracks until they heard a loud coyote howl. After the howl the coyote ran right in front of them. Then it looked up at something behind them. Its eyes turned huge and it ran away whining.

"What's behind us?" said Max with a lot of fear, thinking it was the aliens. Joe thought the same thing Max thought so they both turned around and it was the aliens. Max and Joe ran as fast as they could to a nearby bush.

The aliens followed close behind them but once Max and Joe hid behind the bush, the aliens could not see them. So the aliens went back to their ship, took off, and flew across the forest to Berry Creek.

Max and Joe followed them to the creek and watched them. The aliens both slipped into the water and drowned.

Hallow and Ween

Once upon a time there were two witches. One had blood-red nails and the other had teeth that glowed in the dark. Their names were Hallo and Ween.

One day they found a trapdoor. They went inside. They found themselves in a little room with a closet, a bed and trash. Suddenly, they heard footsteps. They hurried inside the closet. Ween used her glow in the dark teeth to help her look around the closet. Suddenly, she heard voices.

"Merlin, how can we find and kill Hallo and Ween?" said one voice.

"I don't know, but I know how they can kill us. They have to get a werewolf's tooth, a bowl of throw-up from a vampire and one of our hairs. As soon as they have all of the things I mentioned, we will die," said Merlin.

"Let's go," said someone.

Hallo and Ween jumped up and opened the door of the closet. They saw someone's hair disappearing up the stairs. Quickly, Ween rushed to the stairs and plucked a hair.

Hallo's mom was a vampire. She was sick. Hallo collected a bowl of throw-up from her.

Then, they went to Werewolf Valley. Most of the werewolves were sleeping. Hallo and Ween carefully pulled out a tooth. They heard a scream as Merlin fell down dead.

Everyone congratulated Hallo and Ween, because Merlin was very evil and they killed him. They got 100,000,000,000 spook dollars each as their reward.

The Haunted Ice Cream Truck

As a fun writing project leading up to one of the spookiest holidays of the year, students in Form 4 (5th and 6th grade) collaborated on a story of ghosts, demons and crazy monsters. Participating students each wrote one or two paragraphs, taking the tale on some interesting twists and turns and revealing some surprising character attributes!


In a little town on the south side of America, there was a kind man called Mr. Blankly. He owned a "walk-in and take" ice cream truck. Many kids would go in and take more than enough ice cream bars. When an adult went in, they never came out. The only adult that came out was Mr. Blankly.
(Mahima)

Mr. Blankly was a hunchback with a friendly attitude. He loved children, but never had any of his own. In his free time he would visit the children on his block. At first, when he moved into the neighborhood, people thought he came out of a haunted house! Now people thought he was one of the most joyful and happy men in the world.
(Varun)

Mr. Blankly held a dark secret though, that stayed even after death! His ice cream truck was anything but ordinary... It was actually owned by his wife, who tried so hard to make him as evil as she was. She died, leaving all the horror and evilness in Mr. Blankly and the ice cream truck. By night he was...
(Julie)

a demon! Every night he would go home and his wife's soul would possess him. He would go to his room, lock the door and become a demon. He would then go in his truck and drive around doing evil things. Soon his hate was not only for adults, but for kids too. His basement held another secret... it held the bodies of his victims. Soon he would become a demon in the daytime also. He would ask someone if they wanted ice cream, take them inside and suck all their power. Because he sucked their power he was unaffected by sword and guns. That is where our hero, Jack Box comes in...
(Akshay)

Jack Box was an ordinary kid with the most random powers. He could scream until someone went deaf or turn someone into a hamster. One day, Mr. Blankly was driving by. Jack Box happened to be walking by. As soon as he saw the ice cream truck, he asked for ice cream. Mr. Blankly being the mean person he was because of his wife said, "NO." Jack Box got so mad, he turned Mr. Blankly into a...
(Swati)

RAT!!! Jack screamed until his ears exploded and took all the ice cream he wanted. But the ice cream turned into evil spirits and scared him. Jack was so surprised when the ice cream vanished that he took out a laser and shot the ghosts. But the ghosts...
(Sahil)

couldn't be killed! They tried to squeeze the life out of Jack, but Jack used his Charlie the Unicorn powers and made those ghosts into giant ice cubes. Then he used Charlie's tusk, ran full speed at them and - WHAM! The ice broke into a million pieces and shattered the whole ice cream truck. Everybody was so happy at that moment. But what they didn't know was that...
(Bennett)

when all the ice cream splattered everywhere it slipped through the cracks on the sidewalk and through the street cracks. Underneath the ground all the ice cream mixed together and soon there was a big, mean, ugly ice cream monster. At night he would steal the souls of kids. The only way to stop him was to...
(Lama)

melt him! To melt him you had to make him lose his power. He would have to stay in the hot sun and not steal any kids' souls. The only other thing that could power him was ice cream. The only people who could defeat him and make him lose his powers were...
(Anjali)

awesome 6th graders at Delphi Academy! They were superior to Jack Box with their super-kung-fu-ice-cream-eating powers! Their awesome teachers, Mrs. French Fry and Ms. Tryforosaurus had created that move when they were young students in case of an ice cream monster attack. So they teleported to the ice cream monster and the whole class started eating him super fast.

As he shrunk, the ice cream monster said, "No fair! You can't eat me! I want my mommy! CHEAP GUY!" Soon, the ice cream was gone, but the soul of Mrs. Blankly was still there.

"How do we kill her?" said a student. Then they all had the same idea. They all jumped high to surround her, and in one bite from every person, they ate her. Later in the afternoon, everyone was talking about it saying things like, "That was delicious," or "Best field trip ever!", when Ms. Tryforosaurus said, "I wonder how many calories that was?"

So they looked at a recipe from the ice cream truck:

Calorie Bomb Ice Cream Monster
Serving Size: 1
1,300,000 calories

"OMG!" they all said. Then Ms. Tryforosaurus turned evil and started crushing cities to get rid of all the calories. Now there was a new problem: Tryforosaur and her Forosaur minions.

"Oh no, not again!" screamed the students.
(Aaron)

The End

Dear Mr. President...

Students in Form 4 (5th and 6th grade) have written to President Obama following his speech on education delivered at Wakefield High School in Virginia. Here are some of their letters for your enjoyment!


Dear Mr. President,

Hi. I’m M., an eleven year old student in Delphi Academy. In my school we watched your speech about education in Virginia. You said that everyone has responsibility and that is true. Part of a student’s responsibility is to meet his/her goals. Some of my goals for this year are: to be on time, be number one in my class, graduate early (we have a different system in Delphi), and turn in all my assignments on time.

Your speech was inspiring and I hope that many people set their own goals and they will not drop out of school. It is important to study and hopefully your speech has influenced many kids to try as hard as they can. If you don’t try you won’t know if you could’ve done better.

In your speech you talked about how many children are unlucky. Now I feel very happy for what I have. I think everyone should have a safe environment to learn. I’m thankful I have a good school to be in.

I have some questions. Please take time to answer, but it’s okay if you don’t. I know you’re busy. What about kids who don’t have supplies or a good school? Will you help those children? Can you improve technology in schools? I want everyone to have a good education.

Thank you for the inspiring speech. Even though we didn’t see it in person I thought it was great.

Thank You, M.R.


Dear Mr. President,

I heard your speech and it was good. I liked what you said in your speech about keep on trying and when you give up, you give up on your country. That was smart.

Also in your speech you said that you don’t know what you’re good at until you do your school work. I liked that too so I will try harder in school and not give up so easily.

Your speech was very clever, helpful and inspiring. I will try harder in school, work harder and be more responsible when I work. Also I will try not to get in too many fights with my brother and sister. Your speech was great and I am proud to call you my president.

Sincerely, L.F.


Dear President Obama,

Hi! My name is S. and I go to Delphi Academy. I am in 5^th grade and I am 9 years old. I have always wanted to be a doctor or an engineer.

Your speech inspired me to work harder in my studies and to be a better student, so I will do the following things. I will do my homework, I will keep up with the class and I will always be on time to class.

I want to thank you for encouraging me not only to do well in my studies but to build a good future for myself. After hearing your speech, I was motivated to start volunteering.

I could clean up a park near my house or go to a Coastal Clean-Up if I can. By doing this, slowly, we can clean up the place.

I really enjoyed your speech not only because you motivated me to study but because you talked about your past. It is amazing a boy with no father after the age of 2 could become the president of the U.S.A.!

By seeing that, I realized that if you really want something, you have to work for it because no one is born talented. You have to practice.

I feel lucky to have watched your speech because in some schools, kids could not watch your speech. I enjoyed your speech a lot and I hope you make another one soon! Hope you can write back!

Your speech was great!

S.S.

Dear Mr. President,

Hi, my name is B.W. and I go to Delphi Academy.

I think your speech was very inspiring. I learned a lot from it. My favorite part of your speech was when you told us that you always have to push yourself if you want a better education. I also learned to never give up on anything.

Here are the goals that I’ve set for myself in order to be a responsible student: I will always do my homework. I will try to get as much done as I can. I will respect what my teachers say. And I will study as hard as possible.

When I grow up I would like to be a football player. But there’s not a great chance of that. So I would like to be a doctor or dentist. It would require an extra education to do that so I will study extra hard. Thank you, Mr. President, you have inspired me to work way harder and I hope you inspired others too.

Sincerely,

B.W.

Dear Mr. President,

I watched your speech about school and how you should try your best. I am really trying to do my best in what I do. It really helped me see that you just have to try to do things and can do it.

I have made some new goals to make me a better student. Some of the goals I have made are: I will always bring homework home. I will always do my homework. I will stay on track with my targets and try my best to get ahead. I will respect all my teachers. I will not drop out of school. I will always try my best and my last goal I will make all my goals. Those are some of the goals I made. Your speech really helped me. Thank you.

From, A.G.

Dear Mr. President,

Your speech was very inspiring. I learned how important education is. I also learned about hard work and self-motivation. I am very proud to be able to listen to your speech. I also learned about how failure is one of the biggest lessons life teaches you. With this I learned about learning and achieving your goals, and that everything requires education, or knowledge.

My goals for this school year are: listen to my teacher at all times, don’t goof around in class, don’t make unnecessary noise in class, and always focus on my studies. My goals for this year are: once I get home start my homework, and not watching TV on the weekdays.

This year I also want to help the environment by picking up trash, throwing trash away in the garbage can, and telling people not to litter. These are the most important things I learned from your speech.

Love, V.J.

Dear Mr. President,

Hello, my name is J.M., I am twelve years old and attend the Delphi Academy of Santa Clara. At my school, I saw your speech on education and the importance of a student. I was greatly inspired by your speech. I was also glad someone as superior as the president could understand the hardship of the first day of school.

I like to write and direct. I would like to be a writer and director for movies. I have already made some videos of my own. Your speech reminded me not to be opposing my education. I know, to make my dreams a reality, I have to work hard in all subjects and make everything I learn count. I believe you’ll be a great president.

Thank you, J.M.

Dear Mr. President,

Hi. My name is A.Y.. I am 11 years old and I go to Delphi Academy. I am in 6^th grade and I live in California. How are you doing? The weather feels a little hot, but not much.

Anyways, when I was at school, I watched the speech you presented at Wakefield high school. It was great. My goals are going to be to remember my homework and to get work done. What do you do all day as president? I would like to know. It is okay if you don’t reply. Have a good time as president!

Sincerely, A.Y.

Peace for the World

A Poem by Vaishnavi M., Age 8


Peace for the World

Peace to me means "No fights",
But do we all realize it?
No, we don't.

Peace is a good word to think of,
So that there is no violence around.
Peace could be anywhere
Where people think and cooperate.
Peace is good anywhere and everywhere you go.

But here is a rule.
Don't push and hit.
Tell your feelings and what you don't like about.

Peace is not only for people.
It is for grass and trees too.
They are also things that breathe and live.
When you rest in the patio, make sure you don't sit on the grass.
Don't cut down trees.
They mean no harm to us.
Be at Peace with them.
Save Our World.

What is better, Peace or Violence?
I choose Peace.
Stay home with your family.
Don't go far to fight a war.
Don't fish or hunt in forests.
Don't step on ants 'cause it is like a giant stepping on you.

Many people have tried to get Peace.
But not everybody listens.
But Oh! my beloved friends,
Listen to me, I tell you,
"Have peace my friends."

Anybody who reads my request,
Please help me spread the word.

Let Peace ring around our Planet Earth.

Perspectives

I'm going to describe a person that is very well-known at our school and is diverse in personality. He/she will be nicknamed Chompers throughout this piece to hide their identity and keep you interested, because who doesn't like the name Chompers?

I will not be revealing their appearance or gender, just personality in my view. We'll see if we all see eye to eye.

When I first met Chompers, I thought they seemed shy. By the time we had been in close quarters for the whole day, I found this was definitely not the case. I found Chompers to be very talkative and very funny. Chompers was particularly witty and someone I found to be a very good friend.

Chompers wasn't the kind of person who was funny for awhile and then began just nagging at your sanity, but someone who was constantly saying funnier and funnier and wittier and wittier things. I was very amazed as it was such a change in personality.

But Chompers was not only hilarious, oh no, but hard working as well. They took serious matters seriously and joking matters jokingly. I found this very admirable. Chompers was also very aware. They noticed the small things that directed the next move, thus rarely having those "oops" moments. Chompers was confident and just, enthusiastic, well-kept and unique.

Chompers was also very fashionable. At the first free dress day, Chompers came very well presented and not stereotypical. Chompers had some of the best shoes I've ever coveted. They dressed comfortably and appropriately, which I also admired.

When I first saw Chompers I also thought they would be very serious and studious, which I accepted. I realized it's very important not to judge a book by its cover.

Chompers does not take themselves too seriously, appreciates everything, validates all good things, is understanding, artistic, talented, mature and completely unique. They are ethical and completely trustworthy.

But most of all, Chompers is someone I greatly admire. Chompers is a very good person and friend. I am sure Chompers will do very well in whatever subject they choose and deserves the best. I am so lucky to have known Chompers and called them my friend. I have learned a lot from them and completely appreciate them.

Thank you, Chompers. A.K.A. ... _______________.

Li Bai

Poetry is a form of art and literature in which the writer expresses emotions using short lines of rhymes and metaphors. There are many forms of poetry but there is no restriction to what language it is in or how the poet can express themselves.

Chinese poetry is a series of four lines or more in which the writer creates a rhyme of five to seven symbols. Each verse has to have a matching rhyme and advocates a single sentiment.

The Chinese have many famous poets. If you ever attended a Chinese school you would need to remember two poems every week. By the time you graduated, you would need to be able to quote any one of the poems you had learned.

The most famous poets in China are Li Bai and Du Fu. These two poets are so great that they are considered as "poet saints". There is also a saying which is that every time they have wine they are able to rhyme.

In this report I will be talking about Li Bai and his poems.

Li Bai was born in 701 AD in Xi An, the Sue Ye city. He was a very prominent poet in the Tang Dynasty and thousands of his poems are still intact today.

In his childhood Li Bai lived in the Si Chun province. Once he had finished his schooling, he traveled far and wide to see the sights and to meet more people. His main goal of life during that time was gaining a prominent position in court, but instead he found that he had a liking for poetry and soon he became famous for his works. During his travels he met Du Fu who revered Li Bai. The two quickly became intimate friends and they would drink wine and discuss politics.

Soon Li Bai departed to continue his travels and in the end he did gain a position in court but was fired when he insulted the emperor. In the late years of his lived he devoted himself to being a hermit and wrote poetry until his death in 766 AD.

Below I have given an example of his most famous poetry. Due to certain complications in translation the poem might have lost its rhyme and rhythm, thus some effects of the poem might no longer be the same.

Sentiments of a Tranquil Night
by Li Bai

Before my bed is a sheet of moonlight,
As cold and white as a sheet of frost.
When I raise my head I think of the moon,
But when I look down I think of my home.

Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928. Her real name is Marguerite Ann Johnson. She was (and still is) an American poet, memoirist, actress, author, producer and an important figure in the fight for equality on the bases of race, gender, ability and literacy.

She is also very well known for her six-part autobiography beginning with the book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, along with her poetry. Her volume of poetry, Just Give Me a Drink of Cool Water 'Fore I Die was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Mrs. Angelou read her poem On the Pulse of Morning at President William "Bill" Clinton's inauguration in 1993.

She has been highly honored for her work by the United States Government and has been given many honorary bachelor's and master's degrees by many respected colleges and universities.

May Angelou is also famous for addressing issues such as race, gender inequality, poverty, love and loneliness in her poems, essays and stories. You may read the poem On the Pulse of Morning for further explanation of how literally skilled this poet truly is.

On Inspiring Integrity & Celebrating Family

Inspiring Integrity

Integrity is an important thing in our lives because without integrity the world would be filled with sinister scums and thieves who have no sense of what is right or wrong. But with integrity people would be able to live in harmony with one another and the world would be a better place.

George Washington had integrity and his fellow countrymen loved him. Lewis and Clark had integrity and it created the strong bond between them and their men. There are numerous people who reached a certain immortality because of integrity.

To inspire integrity I should first have it myself and show that life changes for the better when you have it. Also, I should show that with integrity you would be happier and other's lives would be much easier, too.

Celebrating Family

Family is one thing all humans have and need. Your family loves, cares and supports you - a fact that some solitary people hate to confront. A person without a family is like a single blade of grass in the middle of a dry field, with no one to support him when he is down, to share his sorrows with and no one to share his joy with.

As a matter of fact, a family does not even have to be only with your true parents. An orphan could be adopted, people join together in groups and form their own families and we all belong in the family of the human race. Race, religions, languages and traditions do not keep people apart - it's the prejudices that do this.

The pilgrims had their families in the "New World" and were able to survive in the wilderness. Pioneers of America had their families and friends who tended to them and kept them company on the vast and lonely plains in harsh conditions. Countless inventors had their families who helped them when they were in need. Today many of us have families that love and care for us and provide food and education for us.

To celebrate family I should start by returning the care and affection they show me, be glad that I have such a wonderful family and treasure it.

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. He was also a great inventor. One of his many inventions is the lightning rod. The lightning rod is used by many people today and really helps decrease the chances of fire caused by lightning.

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 on Milk Street in Boston, Massachusetts. His father was Josiah Franklin. Josiah Franklin was a tallow chandler. Josiah's second wife was Benjamin Franklin's mother. Josiah had seventeen kids altogether; Ben Franklin was the fifteenth child and the tenth and last son.

Josiah Franklin could only afford to send Benjamin to school for two years. Benjamin attended Boston Latin School but didn't graduate. Though Benjamin had only attended school for a short time, he continued his education through avid reading.

At the age of twelve, Benjamin was apprenticed to his older brother James, a printer. Later, Benjamin escaped the apprenticeship without his brother's consent and became a fugitive.

When Benjamin was seventeen, he went to Philadelphia. He worked in several printer shops but still wasn't satisfied. Also at age seventeen, he proposed to Deborah Read. However, her mother declined his offer. Afterwards, Benjamin went to London. During his absence, Deborah married John Rodger, but Rodgers escaped to Barbados and took the dowry with him. After Benjamin came back, Deborah married Benjamin.

In 1733, Benjamin published Poor Richard's Almanac under the pseudonym Richard Saunders. Though everyone knew that it was actually Benjamin writing the almanac, he denied. He stopped writing it in 1758.

One of Benjamin's greatest inventions was the lightning rod. In 1752, Benjamin conducted the famous kite-flying experiment in which he was able to prove that lightning was electricity. During the 1700s, lightning was the main cause of many fires. Many of the houses were made of wood and once they were struck, they would completely burn down.

Benjamin wanted to fix that, so he invented the lightning rod. The lightning rod is a metal rod attached to the outside of a house or building. One end of the rod points toward the sky and the other end is connected to a cable which goes ten feet underground. The rod attracts lightning and once the rod is struck, it takes the charge underground and decreases the number of fires that are caused by lightning.

On April 17, 1790, Benjamin Franklin died at age 84. Approximately 20,000 people attended his funeral.

Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur was born December 7, 1822, in Paris. He was the son of a tanner and grew up in the small town of Arbois.

In 1847, he received his Ph.D in physics and chemistry at the Ecole Normale in Paris. Becoming an assistant to one of his teachers, he began research that led to a discovery. He found that when a beam of polarized light passed through a solution of naturally produced organic nutrients, the light was bent to the right or left. Whereas if the beam passed through a solution of artifically synthesized organic nutrients, the beam didn't bend. Pasteur found that when chemists synthesized an organic compound, its optical effects are cancelled.

After teaching at Dijon & Strasbourg for several years, Pasteur moved to the University of Lille, where he was named Professor of Chemistry and Dean of the newly founded Faculty of Sciences in 1854. He immediately devoted himself to research on the process of fermentation. In the 1860's, a debate was rising - could beetles, maggots, eels, mice, etc. appear spontaneously? His research and experience with fermentation led him to believe that nothing appeared spontaneously. He produced a set of two experiments for himself to see this.

First, he drew the juice out of grapes using a heated hypodermic needle and placed it into a sealed jar. The juice didn't ferment, but juice that had dust from the grapes' surface did ferment - it didn't appear spontaneously. In another experiment, he drew the juice out of the grapes the same way as before. Then, he put the juice in a flask with a long, thin neck. He heated the neck so he could bend it into an "s" shape before sealing it. Nothing grew in the flask. Next, he snapped off the seal. Dust did fall into the open end, but it didn't touch the juice. He tilted the flask so the juice touched the dust. The juice now fermented. Pasteur had shown that it was the dust - not the air - that caused fermentation.

In 1865, Pasteur was called in by the French Department of Agriculture to investigate a disease that was devastating silkworms. Pasteur taught the silk farmers to tell if the worms had the diseases - pebrine and flacherie. During his research, he found that healthy worms that fed on leaves touched by sick worms caught the disease. All together, Pasteur was led to believe that disease was caused by micro-organisms.

Later on, Pasteur was studying the kind of cholera that affected chickens. He identified the bacteria and was growing it into a culture. If he injected it into a chicken, it'd die within 48 hours. He went away from the lab for three weeks one summer and returned to find that his cultures of cholera couldn't kill the chickens. He and his colleagues were disappointed - maybe these bacteria weren't the killers after all? So, he made a new batch of bugs and injected it into the chickens. The chickens with the old bugs were unaffected, but the ones that received the new batch died. Pasteur had realized tha the had come up to the same experiment outcome as Edward Jenner. The bugs had given the chicken immunity! He had made a vaccine for the disease.

Pasteur spent the rest of his life working on the cause of rabies. After experimenting with the saliva of animals suffering from this disease, he concluded it came from the nerve centers of the body. When an extract from the spinal column of a rabid dog was injected into the bodies of healthy animals, symptoms of rabies were produced. By studying the tissues of animals, particularly rabbits, he was able to develop a subdued form of the virus that could be used for vaccination.

In 1885, a young boy and his mother arrived at Pasteur's laboratory; the boy had been bitten by a rabid dog. Pasteur was urged to use his new method. After the ten day treatment, the boy recovered and remained healthy. His research on rabies resulted, in 1888, in the founding of a special institute for treatment of the disease in Paris. It was run by Pasteur until he died.

When Louis Pasteur died September 28, 1895, the world was a safer place.

From A Delphi Graduate

Here are two poems written by Tarick, a Delphi graduate. She is currently a sophomore in high school.

This first one was written to her mother, who is a teacher here at Delphi. The second has a musical background.


*****


Within, I look
deeply, past the many gates
I have seen your face before
Those features I know too well
Each wrinkle, each curve
Shapes a magnificent being
Radiating LIGHT,
Breathing LIFE,
Expressing LOVE,
I've come to know such an
amazing being.

Thank You for
being that amazing being.


*****

the quiet breath of night washes over leisurely
I can recall her being the one who first welcomed the winter
the bite she issues is indifferent and unpleasant
the feeling never seems to go away
my heart is beating in perfect cadence
to the clock inside that waits
endlessly ticking away the seconds, minutes, hours
the sun becomes dull, the moon dead
vivid eyes becoming bleak, and dreary with age
hands slowly ceasing to feel
the cold is unbearably long and burdening
at a moment around half past troubled
a memory has found its home within my crevices
she comes around once again, I knew her so well
yet her touch feels unusual against my skin
a unique warmth has come across my distant soul
engulfing me within a never-ending embrace
as I willingly fall back into open arms
the cold is lost and forgotten


Tarick

Lukas Van Schuyl, Private Eye

This story by Shruti was selected for publication in the 2008 edition of the Anthology of Short Stories by Young Americans. Congratulations to Shruti. Here is the story for your enjoyment.

Van Schuyl and Son
62442 Detective Street
Berlin, Germany

Lukas Van Schuyl, Private Eye

CASE FILE #123978: Mystery of the Missing Mechanism


1/25/2007, 4:00 pm; the Ritz-Carlton, Paris

Hello, I am Lukas Van Schuyl, age 14, private detective. The information in this file is secret. Please don’t repeat this to anyone, especially Karl Van Holdt.

An ancient mechanism invented by Kaaren St George, a little known inventor, has been found and is being shown at the Louvre tonight. I am invited and will be there.


1/25/2007, 7:30 pm; the Louvre, Paris

The dinner party is exceedingly boring (as all of these dinner parties are). I often wonder why they were created. Is there a reason? I’ll ponder over that when I return to Van Schuyl Place in Germany. Look, there’s the announcer!!!!!

“The mechanism invented by Mrs. St. George so she could cross time and space has been found in her childhood home and will be displayed tonight! How exciting…” he said with an American accent.

“Get on with it, person!” exclaimed Karl Van Holdt, my sworn enemy. “You, lift the curtains!”

The Curtains parted, revealing an empty glass box.

“It’s gone?” the rich celebrities and aristocrats yelled, unhappily thinking of the money they'd spent to come there.


Later that Evening, back at the Ritz-Carlton:

I called home and Marius, my 10 year old brother, answered the phone.

“This is the Van Schuyl residence, Marius Van Schuyl speaking!”

“Marius, it’s me, Lukas. Can you and Marcus [Marius’ twin] arrange for my transport? I need to get to Italy, fast!!”

I think Friedrich wants to talk, dude," he said and handing the phone to Friedrich, my youngest brother, he resumed his duties.

“Hey Freddy, what’s up?" I said.

“Can you come home now??”

“I’ll try, Freddy. Give the phone to Marcus or Marius, okay?”

“I miss you Lukas…” he said and broke into tears.

“Hello?” I said. When no answer came I put the phone down.

I understood how Friedrich felt. Ever since Father disappeared, I have been the man of the house and Friedrich needs me as a brother and a dad, too.

I knew what to do next. I had to go see Aloysia, the prophetess.


1/25/2007, 9:30 pm; 62442 Rue Del Prophetéss, Paris

I walked up to the door, noting the absence of security gadgets, and knocked three times. Aloysia believed the correct way to do things was in sets of threes.

“Lukas, my, you’re so tall! Come in! Come in!” she said, apparently surprised. “Have the police found your father?” she asked.

“No”, I replied, trying to remember when I had told her about Papa.

“Are you wondering when you told me about your Papa?” Aloysia asked. This lady was legitimate. No doubts about that.

“I need some help finding a machine. It belonged to Kaaren St George. You can use it to pass through space and time. Can you help me find it?” I said.

“I’ll need a picture…” she said.

”Wait, I’ve got one…” I rummaged through my pockets and found a crumpled picture of a doorway illuminated by dancing multi-colored lights. The lights were swirling in a beautiful pattern.

“That looks nice,” she said. ”Positively marvelous.”

I felt that was a serious understatement. When I looked at that picture, I felt calm and like I was in a place with my family. But in a place where no one could hurt us, not even Karl Van Holdt.


2/8/2007, 4:30 pm; 62442, Via Del San George, Milan, Italy

I nervously shook in my brand new Armani suit. Although I had met famous entities before, I was very scared about meeting this woman. The door creaked open and a middle-aged, brown-haired, mother-like figure peered out of it. She saw me and said, “You must be Lukas, why don’t you come in!”

As I walked in, I noticed more about Kaaren. She seemed like a nice woman, so I tried to start a conversation with her.

“Um, excuse me, Mrs. St. George?” I said out of the blue, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Yes, Lukas, you may,” she replied.

‘’Your machine is missing and I want to know if you know where it is. Do you?”

“I can tell you the exact location: “Two words for a cliff in Scotland. The first word starts with a ‘B’ and ends with an ‘N’, Second starts with a ‘W’ and ends with an ‘S’…. Can you guess, mio piccolo?”

“I got it!” I cried. “It’s in Ben Wyvis!”

“Thanks, Lukas. I’ll need that teensy bit of information to find the Dimension Traveling Glass.” said a boy’s voice from the shadows. "Some detective you are, Lukas. You failed to perceive that I was in the room? Ha! ... Kleiner Verlierer, sollte der ganzer detective Arbeit mich überlassen haben!” he muttered in German.

[Translation: “Little loser, should have left all the detective work to me!]

"Little boys like you should be at home with their mommies, while big boys like me, should do the detective work. Okay, Little Lukas?” said what I now knew to be Karl.

“Never!” I cried and put on my invisibility cloak and disappeared.


2/8/2007, 7:48 pm; Summit of Ben Wyvis; Scotland, Great Britain

As I stood on the summit of Ben Wyvis, I felt the same feeling I felt when I looked at the picture of the Glass. I knew that it was near; I just had one of those hunches that we detectives so often risk our lives on. I climbed around a crag in the mountain and came face to face with a red and gold, shimmery scaled European dragon! It was staring right at me!

“Okay, you’ll be all right, Lukas, you’ll be fine, just as long as you can outsmart it. Lukas, you know you’ll be fine,” I reassured myself.

“Here, take this,” I said and opened a box of Mentholatum™ (my grandpa, Georg Van Schuyl, late dragonologist, says that menthol makes dragons sleepy and this even had menthol in its name!).

Immediately I located the Glass and lunged for it. For a brief second I held it in my hand and turned around to make my getaway, but found Karl behind me, snarling.

“Little idiot, you don’t know anything about life! You think it’s all just ‘solve a mystery, get the prize money and you’re set for life’! No way! At least that sort of thing never happened to me, I was always skulking around after you solved mysteries that I had come so close to solving but never did. Lukas, please, please, give it to me!” he said and grabbed my hand.

I kicked him in the groin and broke away from the grip he had on my hand. I quickly climbed into the waiting Lear™ Jet that had been sent from Van Schuyl place. As I climbed into the jet, I looked back, one last time, at Karl clutching his groin and groaning. I smiled and climbed up the remaining steps. For a couple seconds, our eyes met. He mouthed clearly, "You will pay for this, Van Schuyl! You will!!!”

I had notified Marius, Marcus and Freddy about my trip to Scotland, so they sent the jet. Then I saw a ragged man sitting in a seat. He lifted his head up when he saw me.

"Lukas, my son, it’s Papa. Come to Papa!” he said and held his arms out to me. I ran into them and thought that maybe, now that we have Papa back, the Van Schuyls could be a normal family.

Then again, maybe.

End of CASE FILE #123978: Mystery of the Missing Mechanism