5th Grade Authors

Our thanks to these pupils who
participated in a "Food for Thought"
storytelling and writing sessions at Parkside.
The mentor text that got them started?
Chinese for Mother's Day https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YSkRtf0b_gxD7VnAyH2JmwpMhqiba4-s4liOEhCHJi0/edit?ts=5a8a5d0d

We hope they continue to write for themselves
and others, because encouragement is fueled by words!

Archie Smith, Boy Wonder

~By Lane

A long time ago in a bedroom far, far away the Boy Wonder (AKA

Archie Smith), was asleep.  Then he heard a tiny voice that said, “Is he the one?”  

Two hours earlier, the evil Pink Vader sent his big soup loving toaster troopers to

capture Smith.  When the toaster troopers got there, they were balls of light; one of

them even cried lightening bolts!  Everyone thought it was cool.  They they

captured Smith, but the troopers didn’t know he had a lightsaber.  As soon as they

turned normal, Smith was going to slice them and go.  When Archie Smith got

control of the ship, it wouldn’t go.  Then it hit him!  Smith was in Pink Vader’s

tractor beam.  When he was on the Star Destroyer, he managed to wipe out the

empire.  But suddenly out of nowhere, there were three robots and BBQ Fett.  

There was a coffee-maker robot, a toaster robot, and a microwave-robot.

Archie had to call for some quick backup and his sister Laya, Swan Solo,

and Chipaka came right away.  They defeated all the robots and BBQ Fett.  But

then Pink Vader froze Archie Smith’s friends in carbonite.  It was time for Archie

to call for more help!  It was the Gee-Waks turn to come ahead.  Pink Vader sighed,

and went onto to defeat the Gee-Waks.  At last, one final fight was about to take

place.  They all battled and battled for hours…...until the evil Pink Vader was

finally defeated.  Archie Smith kicked Vader off the ship, got his friends on the

Melanye Food Kit.  He left and blew-up the Star Destroyer once and for all!

Cake

~By Addie

Do you like cake?  I don’t, that’s for sure!  But…..I used to like cake.  Wait,

so why don’t I like it, you ask?  Well I’ll tell you all about it.  It all started with my

cousin’s birthday party.  She had a disgusting cake!  So now I simply despise

cake!  Let’s talk more about her party.

It all started with my cousin’s 16th birthday party.  If you know anything

about birthday parties for sixteen year olds, then you know that girls take them

VERY, VERY seriously!  To them if it’s not absolutely perfect, then it’s a disaster.  

So, my cousin was like any other girl.  She invited friends and family.  She invited

more friends, and more friends.  It was all going very good.  She even got her first

car on her birthday!  The party was going great!  

Of course, that day I was acting like any other four-year-old, because I was

so excited to be eating cake!  I was practically bouncing off the walls, just ready to

Start eating.  When it was time, they brought out this huge, beautiful three tiered

cake.  I was amazed!  How could something like this look so delicious?  I

remember Presley, my cousin, got the first slice of cake.  I was not very happy or

pleased about that, but at least I got the second slice of cake.  When I went to take

the first bite, it felt like I was going in slow motion.  Just as I opened my mouth

and imagined the amazing taste of her cake, it popped into my mouth.  

I was shocked!  My piece tasted dreadful, it tasted just like cardboard!  I was

devastated; how could cake taste so bad?  I immediately spit it back onto the plate.  

“Yuck” I screeched, “this is so gross!”  My mom was shocked because she thought

it was the best cake in the world.  That turned out to be the worst birthday party in

history!  After this experience I’ve never like cake again.  It is terrible!  That piece

of cake tasted like some cement and cardboard was put into a blender, along with  

pieces of camel’s hair.  How does anyone like cake?  I used to like it, but now my

cousin has ruined that for me!  

Now you realize why I hate cake.  It all started with Presley’s birthday party

because her cake was simply terrible.  I was only four years old back then.  

Now I despise all kinds of cake and this is the truth.

Life of a T1D
Of a Ten Year Old Girl

~By Dakota

I'm a fifth grader now, but I got diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) on

March 10, 2017.  The day before, March 9th….I woke up feeling sick.  We all

thought it was the flu, so my mom took me to the doctor.  The doctor didn’t think it

was the flu; she thought I had an appendicitis (but of course, I didn’t).  The doctor

sent me to the hospital; they checked my sugar and it was 650.  Right away the

doctor called an ambulance to transfer me to Indianapolis, where I was taken to

Riley’s Children’s Hospital.  Riley’s saved me.  This is my story.

My family and I stayed at Riley’s Children’s Hospital for some time.  I

learned how to take my shots and draw up my insulin and then after three long

days, we got to go home.  Then after about one week of being home, my sugar

dropped way down.  I remember I was just laying down.  Our big English Mastiff  

Zeke tried to warn me by getting up on the bed and putting his heavy head on me.  

The dog tried pushing me off the bed, and finally he did.  All of a sudden, I felt

very low.  I headed for my mom dad who were across the house and stumbled into

their bedroom with Zeke right behind me.  I told mom how I felt and they checked

me. My sugar was at 24; when it falls to under 25, that is when you are most likely

to pass out.  To get my sugar up, I drank almost one-half of a bottle of honey that

night.   

My second month of having T1D was full of lows; I was still

honeymooning.  This is when my pancreas would work, and then it would stop

working…...weird, I know.  It was then that I went to the highest sugar I’d ever had

since being diagnosed:  356.  When he saw this, my dad had me exercise and clean

my room; mom was at work.  I stopped cleaning and the next time dad checked, I

was at 184.  My dad said, “That’s kicking diabetes’ butt!”  I laughed so hard after

He’d spoken!  

My third month of having T1D was full with crazy things.  My cousin was

diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as well, in May.  His name is Braden and his

family also has an English Mastiff, from the same litter that Zeke was born into.  

Braden has been very brave since he found out he has T1D.  After school got out

for the summer, the next few months were hectic.  In the fourth month, I kept

repeating my routine. I have had a lot of help.  Mom, dad, my sister, Grandma,

cousin Braden and his mother my aunt have all been by my side.  My school nurse

Mrs. Foster has helped me so much with my T1D.  Other people who have helped

me at school are Ms. Grimes, Mr. Jennings, Mrs. Pettit, Mrs. West, and my friend

Haven Shick.  I have been back to the hospital since my diagnosis because of a

stomach issue and all during that visit, my sugars were perfect!  

During another hospital visit, I had the Dexcom.  It is a device that

continuously checks my glucose, my blood sugar.  Since my diagnosis, it seems

that our dog Zeke knows when something is wrong with me.  After getting home

from the hospital, our dog seemed to sense something was up.  I was in my bed,

playing with my phone.  All of a sudden this 200 pound animal jumps up on my

bed.  He tries to push me off….of course Zeke does!  

Two weeks after returning home from that hospital visit, I went on a two and

one-half mile walk called “Step Out to Stop Diabetes!”  If you were involved and

raised more than $1.000.00 you got prizes.  Well my family got together and we

raised $1,001.00.  As of now, we haven’t gotten our prizes yet.  As of now, we are

working on getting The Pump.  It is a device that will give me my insulin and I will

not have to take insulin by having a shot.  But my doctor said, “You can’t get the

pump until March, 2018.”  That is about half a year away, from now.  It’s

September and so I have lived with diabetes for eight months but I am strong.  I

will beat this!

   

My Super, Awesome Halloween Party ~By Boston

Every year I have this super, awesome Halloween party.  My whole family

helps host it.  It is the Nox, Kaya, my mom, my dad, Aunt, and Uncle, and me.  

Setting up is probably the hardest part.  In order to have the party, we have to

follow the steps. 1.)  Setting up
                              2.)  Getting ready
                              3.)  People starting to come
                              4.)  Having fun
                              5.)  Going home

The first step is making the guest list.  We have to think about all the people

we know and write them down.  The second step is thinking of the time and date

we’re going to have it.  The third step is know what to get for the party.  The last

step is getting the costumes.  

Once we do that stuff, we can start setting everything up.  The last time we

had the part, we had a corn maze.  Of course, we had to ask the farmers.  They next

day it was time for the party.  That evening people were starting to come and when

everyone was there, we started playing games and having fun.  

The next day it was “clean up” time.  That is my least favorite part.  Why?  It

seems that everytime we get everything cleaned up, there’s still more to clean.  It

kind of makes me sad when Halloween is over, but then we get to prepare for

THANKSGIVING!  Every Thanksgiving we have this super, big feast.  I love

making the holidays fun with my family.  I never want to not have a party. Every

time I do something fun, I want it to be with my family.

The  Funny Lives of the Denhams and the Ruppels ~By Beth

Sometimes I like to tell people unusual things about my family because it

embarrasses them.  A trip to Evansville, Indiana comes to mind.   Another time my

mom and her brother had a quite embarrassing incident on their school bus.   If you

can believe this, even my dad surprised us once, by falling out of  his chair!  I tell

you, my family is really, really funny.

That trip to Evansville all started with a silly argument while I was in the car.  

We were traveling together:  my Grandma, my little sister Sara, our Aunt Carrie,

mom, and I.    When I think back, it was super-duper funny because Aunt Carrie

and my mom were arguing about where to shop, in Evansville.  Suddenly my

Grandma yelled, “I WANT A DONUT!”  My Grandma was the first person to get

all excited and then yell at different times that day…...  teasing us the whole time!  

So when my mom heard Grandma, she headed down the highway past Princeton,

straight towards Evansville and right to The Donut Bank.

What started out as an ordinary day ended when mom had her brother get

sick..right on her while they were going home.  So, here’s how it happened.  Mom

and her brother my Uncle, were riding together on the school bus.  Uncle Dave

asked if he could sit with my mom; she said, “Yes.”  When he sat down, he told

mom that he didn’t feel good.  Hearing that, my mom said, “Are you going to

throw up?”  Dave told her yes….and suddenly  he “threw up” into my mom’s

hands.  Right away, everyone got up and went to the front of the school bus!  

One last funny story; this one is about my dad.  We were at home and he was

sitting right with us, in a chair.  But things all went downhill from there!  I

remember that Parker our neighbor, my little sister Sara, our friend Zach, and I

were all playing house.  I was pretending to be cooking.  Suddenly I looked up and

saw dad slowly, I mean really, really slowly…..fall backwards, right out of his

chair.  He was holding a drink in his hand but as he fell, dad didn’t spill anything

out of the glass.  It was very unexpected….like dad was in slow-motion!  

My Buddy

~By Jayla

Hi, my name is Jayla and Buddy was my dog.  I was just six years old when

we got him.  Yes, our pet was a male boxer.  My mom, my brother, Buddy, and I all

lived together in a trailer back then.  Our dog Buddy loved me so much and

I loved him too!  

OK, let’s get to the funny things I remember about our Boxer, that Buddy!  

Most of the time, Buddy was tied up outside when we went out to play.  If you ran

near him, Buddy would always chase you.  He also tried to chase cats whenever  I

took him outside for a walk.  Buddy is so strong!   

Do you know what else my Buddy and I would do?  OK, let me tell you.  

Whenever my mom tickled me, I would laugh and Buddy would nibble on me!  

Then when I got up and ran around inside our trailer, he would chase me.  I have so

many nice memories of Buddy, our playful, loving Boxer!

The  Best Party

~By Logan

Have you ever been to a fantastic birthday party?  You know the ones with

fun games, dancing, and good food?  Those kind of birthday parties are always the

very best kind.  Those are the kind of celebrations that are hard to forget.

I was invited to Koby’s birthday party last year.  While I was there, we

played the best games.  We were playing one where you have to run to the chair in

the middle of the room with a balloon between your legs.  Then you put a balloon

on the chair and bounce on it until you pop it.  We played tag.  It was the boys vs

the girls.  The team of boys was a little faster than the girls.  We played so many

things, I can’t remember what each one was called.  Don’t you just love playing

fun games at birthday parties?  

Have you ever been at a birthday party, and they had a dance-off?  We all

had a chance to do that.  Koby’s dad put some music on, so we could get started.  I

had a dance off with a girl named Gracie.  One of the songs we danced to was

Whip/Nae Nae.  A girl named Erin was dancing with us too, along with Katie.  

Some people said I won, while others thought Gracie and Erin won.  Koby was

videotaping the whole dance.  I think we looked weird.  It was really funny!

Great party food for us, oh…..yes!  We had pizza and it was delicious.  It

was the best! The string cheese in the crust was so good.  When it came out of the

oven, it made my mouth water.  When you took a bite of your pizza, the gooey

cheese looked like a waterfall.  There were lots of chips too and I ate some

Cheetos.  They were so good!

You should always go to birthday parties if you are invited.  At my friend’s  

we played the best games.  I remember doing the best dance-off!  We had the best

food.  Thank you Koby, for inviting me to your birthday party.  You had us all over

for the best party, ever!

The Imposter Elf ~By Kaelee

One day when my dad got home from work like normal, he told me

something exciting.  There was an Elf on the Shelf at his work that was on the

floor, unclaimed.  It was dressed completely in camouflage!  He said I could have

it if nobody came forward and claimed the little guy.  Well eventually my dad

brought it home, and I named him Leroy.  This is where all the fun began!

When my bestie Mackenzey came over to visit, I thought of something

really, really funny.  I told her, “I got another Elf even though I already have an Elf

here, named Mary.”  I explained to Mackenzey that this new Elf was named Leroy

and that he came wearing a cool camo outfit.  I told her that Leroy arrived at our

house earlier than Mary, this holiday season.  But then I suddenly snatched Leroy.  

Mackenzey’s face quickly turned from being curious to being full of fear!  She

thought that I was just being plain stupid for touching the Elf.  So I put Leroy back

where he was sitting in my room, and just laughed.  I could tell right away that my

best friend was troubled.  So, I explained to Mackenzey that Leroy was a “fake,”

and that I got him from my dad’s work.  She was very, very confused at first but it

worked out.

Later that evening, Mackenzey stayed with us and ate dinner at my house.  

We watched some TV and came up with a new game to play, with my Elf.  It was

where you had the chance to hide Leroy somewhere in the house and then the

opposite person tries to discover where he is.  We decided that if you have more

than two people in your game, it is best to see just who can be the first person to

find where the Elf on the Shelf is hidden.  Now I am counting down the time until

my real Elf Mary, can meet Leroy for the first time.