Raveena Ghanshani
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1 2 My Heritage Is… Discover Your Talent June 2013 3 No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a storage or retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Wonder Writers. For information regarding permission, please write to: Wonder Writers 1 League #60715 Irvine, CA 92602 or email to [email protected]. Copyright © 2013 by Wonder Writers. All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America. 4 Introduction Dear Writer, Congratulations! You are now a published writer, an accomplishment only a select few can claim. I commend you for having a passion for writing and spending the time to share your voice and inspiration. This is a notable achievement at a young age, signifying that you have a bright future ahead. As you may know, this was Wonder Writers’ 7th contest. It’s hard to believe our organization has grown so much, and I would like to thank you for your unwavering support in helping Wonder Writers progress over the past years. It is because of the efforts of teachers, parents, judges, sponsors, and the young writers, that Wonder Writers has been able to reach this stage. However, perhaps more importantly than giving young writers a portal and opportunity to share their work, Wonder Writers has been able to make a significant impact in the community and world around us. In fact, we have raised over $10,000 for charity, and I am confident that with this book we will be able to help and better our world even more. As we culminate our seventh contest with the theme of “My Heritage Is…,” I want to emphasize the importance of never forgetting who you are or where you came from. Our last contest was aptly titled, “My Dreams Are…,” and it is clear that all of you have an exciting and promising future ahead. While I am certain that all of you will reach tremendous heights and accomplish much, it is pertinent to always remember your roots and honor your heritage, and perhaps more importantly, give back to those who helped you get to where you are. Once again, I applaud you for your great work in writing and for sharing your heritage. I look forward to seeing your future achievements and reading your next pieces of writing. Please enjoy reading this book, in which countless hours of efforts were spent. Thank you, as always, for your continued support and keep on writing! Best Regards, Govil Gupta Founder 5 Our Judges Ms. Jeanie Fritzsche Retired Curriculum Coordinator Irvine Unified School District Has a MA in English, as well as a BA and MA in Speech Pathology. She served as the Language Arts, Social Science, Library/Media, and Service Learning curriculum coordinator for the Irvine Unified School District from 2001 - 2010. As part of her job, she wrote constantly, including grants, curriculum, and correspondence. She has also been a participant in "Writers' Block Party" Writing Workshop since 2001, writing short stories and literary non-fiction. She retired from IUSD in June 2010 and now maintains a literary blog and writes short stories. Ms. Julie Duck Creative Writer and Published Author Julie Duck wrote her way through school on an old-fashioned typewriter and was sidetracked by careers in magazine publishing and copywriting. She has written works such as A Place in This Life, an edgy young adult story about a girl who falls for a boy with leukemia. Next there was SWELL, the story of an art prodigy who loves the most popular boy in school. More recently, she has worked on little rooms and The Joy and Torture of Joshua James. Julie looks forward to writing more stories that hit where the heart beats fastest, and the soul reaches out for more. Acknowledgements My family for their continued support All of the teachers and parents who encourage and motivate students to write All of the volunteers who helped judge the contest entries and publicize the contest All of the students who spent time to write and submit their essays and poetry *** For questions, comments, and information, please visit www.wonderwriters.com or email us at [email protected] 6 Table Of Contents JUNIOR CATEGORY ........................................................................................................................ 10 First Place Winner ........................................................................................................................... 11 Megan Peng ........................................................................................................................................ 11 Grade: 3, Santiago Hills Elementary School ..................................................................................... 11 Second Place Winner ...................................................................................................................... 13 Katherine Park ................................................................................................................................. 13 Grade: 5, Meadow Park Elementary School ..................................................................................... 13 Third Place Winner ......................................................................................................................... 15 Nitya Swaminath .............................................................................................................................. 15 Grade: 4, Brywood Elementary School ............................................................................................... 15 Honorable Mention ......................................................................................................................... 17 Brynna Mariko Hsia ........................................................................................................................ 17 Grade: 3, Santiago Hills School .............................................................................................................. 17 Honorable Mention ......................................................................................................................... 18 Emily Chen .......................................................................................................................................... 18 Grade: 4, Bonita Canyon Elementary School ................................................................................... 18 Honorable Mention ......................................................................................................................... 19 Tara Toossi ........................................................................................................................................ 19 Grade: 6, Westpark Elementary School ............................................................................................. 19 Other Notable Entries .................................................................................................................... 21 Chloe Le ............................................................................................................................................... 21 Grade: 4, Brywood Elementary School ............................................................................................... 21 Emiliano Olague Hernandez ........................................................................................................ 22 Grade: 6, Oak Creek Elementary School ............................................................................................ 22 Harish Seenivasen ........................................................................................................................... 23 Grade: 2,Westpark Elementary School .............................................................................................. 23 Vishal Seenivasan ............................................................................................................................ 24 Grade: 3, Westpark Elementary School ............................................................................................. 24 Shreya Tyagi ...................................................................................................................................... 25 Deerfield Elementary School .................................................................................................................. 25 Rambod Memarian .......................................................................................................................... 26 Grade: 4, Culverdale Elementary School ........................................................................................... 26 Jasmyne ............................................................................................................................................... 27 Grade: 6, Greentree Elementary School ............................................................................................. 27 Arian Salahzadah ............................................................................................................................. 28 Grade: 3, Westpark Elementary School ............................................................................................. 28 Beeta ..................................................................................................................................................... 29 Grade: 4, Westpark Elementary School ............................................................................................