1 Table of Contents Introduction 2 Jack, Jesse, Troy, & Ian 3 Lucas, Joe, Jonathan, & Brendan 8 Haley, Jake, Anna, & Cole 13 Sebastian, Maz, Nicole, & Jadde 18 Justin, Ni'yah, Nate, & Nandini 23 Kelvin, Nathaniel, Juliana, & Cassie 28 Abby, Nathanael, Gaby, & Bren 33 Angelo, Max, Gabe, & Edie 38 Leilan, Sara, Hannah, & Aayush 43 Jahari, Paul, John, & Enniah 48 Isaac, Livy, Carlos, & Ruby 53 Rachel, Rose, Danny, & Era 58 2 Introduction Dear Future McAuliffe Scholars, This anthology is a collection of narratives written by the sixth graders at Christa McAuliffe Charter School; the same sixth graders who were last year in your shoes. These narratives are about the transition from elementary school to McAuliffe. This collection displays many different stories about students joining a new community. It is made interesting by the diversity all of the scholars bring. Throughout the fall trimester, students have been working on crafting their narratives while being guided by various learning targets. The long term target students have been working on is, “I can craft a narrative about my place in the McAuliffe community.” As we crafted our narratives, we learned to use transition words and figurative language to enrich our work. The purpose of this expedition was to build a stronger community and make connections to other people. We hope that the readers of this anthology will know now that joining a new community may be hard at first, but “bridges” are built more quickly than you may expect. We hope that after reading this anthology you will feel more excited to come to McAuliffe. Sincerely, Class of 2017 Introduction by: Ashna Hille, Alexa Hughes, Marian Rookey, Laszlo Bernstein, Stephen Eckelkamp, and Daniel Xu 3 Engineers (from left to right) are: Troy, Ian, Jesse, & Jack 4 Jack M. 12/1/14 Mr. Paras Before I came to McAuliffe, I felt all over the place. I was leaving all of my friends behind, friends that I have known for years. I didn't know what to expect. The fastest man alive was running around my brain carrying stress and worry. I kept saying that it was a big step to go to McAuliffe, and it would help me to be with my friends to have some support like in elementary school. That would make the whole transition a lot easier I thought. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect from McAuliffe. In the first few days I was very shy and upset. I didn’t know many people, no one was a close friend at least, and I didn't want much to do with school. I just tried to get the days over with. I desperately hoped that it would get better. Soon enough, people came up to me and I had people to socialize with, and things began to get better. Now I am really glad that I came to McAuliffe. McAuliffe makes learning fun and I really look forward to going to school. The teachers are phenomenal and I love their attitudes. Its really interesting to have multiple teachers that each have their own expertise. I also really enjoy the way McAuliffe operates and goes about everything. It makes me wonder what the other middle schools are like. I couldn't be more happy the way things have ended up. Everybody has been very welcoming and I hope I can pass that kindness on to others. The way the community has treated me is unbelievable. Most people are very nice and open about things. Every day I wake up wondering what my classes will be like. The anticipation is eating my brain as if it were a hungry zombie. Although I do not enjoy the time it is taking to go to the new building, I can definitely look past that because of this wonderful school community. 5 Jesse R. 12/1/14 Mr. Tadmor When I first heard about McAuliffe two years ago, I was unsure about where and what it was. However, through my mother and my friends, I soon learned that it is an amazing place where students learn through exploring. Some of my first thoughts on this were “Oh, I don’t know if I’ll fit in,” and at the same time, “You know, this actually sounds kinda fun”. So, I had many mixed feelings and was unable to decide until eventually, the decision was sort of made for me. My mother was the one who prompted me to go most, and through all of her prompting I finally said something along the lines of “I guess I’ll go ”. By that point, I was filled with anxiety and wanted nothing more than to back out of my decision, but it was too late! I had already made my choice. When I arrived on the first day of school, everything seemed so new. I had been here before on several occasions, like meeting my crew leader on supply drop-off day, but everything seemed very distant. Thoughts flew through my head like a flock of geese, such as “Who are these people?,” “Do I belong here?,” “Will I fit in?,” “I miss my old friends.” I pushed all these thoughts and more deep down inside of me to encounter later. Today, I was going to have fun. I ascended the flights of stairs, noticing the brick walls that were nothing like the ones in my old school. When I reached the top, I pushed aside the double doors and looked down the long hallway. Classroom doors lined the walls, and mine was at the very end, just so I could dwell in my peculiar feelings of anxiety and excitement even longer. So, I took it step by step. After one step I told myself everything would be fine. Another step and I tried not to forget my crew leader’s name: Mr. Tadmor. Finally, and seemingly an infinite number of steps later, I was there. After that, the rest is history. When I opened my crew room door, my life changed for the better. I was exposed to new friends, new teachers, and new learning. Now, I’ve been at McAuliffe for about three months, and I’m loving it. I have made so many new and amazing friends, have so many awesome teachers, and am having so much fun. I love our expeditions, especially the overnight trip to Nature’s Classroom that we went on. We had amazing classes like building hot air balloons and going on hikes. I don’t really have any fears. I feel comfortable here. My friends are great, my teachers are great, and my learning is great. For my hopes, the list is very short. In the future, I hope for, more amazing expeditions. All I can say is “Thank you, McAuliffe,” oh, and I love this school! 6 Troy B. 12/1/14 Ms. Leeuwen I had mixed emotions about coming to McAuliffe. On the one hand, I did not know how the teachers and staff were going to be at the new school. I was worried about the work I would get there, such as class work, fieldwork, homework, etc, but I was also very excited about what it was like to be a sixth grader at McAuliffe, and what that experience would hold in store for me. I had heard a lot about McAuliffe charter from my brother and he made it sound like a really cool place to go. During the first few days of school, I was still as nervous as a squirrel about to lose his acorns before McAuliffe. However, soon I started getting more used to my new school. I was glad that I saw some people that I knew here, and I also made some new friends. I was also excited that the teachers I have are really nice and as friendly as a dog who’s glad to see you. Soon after I joined the McAuliffe community, we took a field trip to a place called Nature’s Classroom with all our classmates. I was worried and anxious about this, but also kind of excited. I did very good there and it was a great experience! I am now comfortable at McAuliffe, and content that I am here. I am glad that I know more people than I did during the first few days at McAuliffe, and I am doing well in subjects both old and new. McAuliffe is still presenting me with some new things that I am confused about some new things and subjects. In my future time at McAuliffe, I hope to get good grades and pass all my classes so that I can eventually get into the Keefe Tech high school. I also want to make more friends and get better acquainted with my teachers. I am excited for the near future at McAuliffe because I am hoping for good grades and good friends. I’m excited to see how McAuliffe goes! 7 Ian B. 12/1/14 Mr. Tadmor In 5th grade, I had finally chosen McAuliffe instead of Ashland Middle School. I had been going back a forth on what school to go to for the entire year. By the end of shadow day, I knew what school I was going to go to. The entire idea of an expeditionary learning school was very desirable. I was thrilled for the new school and a fresh start from my old ELA and math teacher that I had for three years. On drop off day, it was boiling, and I was surprised to find that we were in fact, not moving schools.

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