Art Statement!

My art project is a Christian Cross made out of a baseball bat, which combines two very resilient stories. One containing a story about my dad going to a catholic school when he was Christian. The other, about Jackie Robinson, who was the first black major league baseball player. He was yelled and teased about being a negro. The quotes on the baseball bat all are from Jackie Robinson.

My Resilience Essay

My Resilience Essay
Paul Rogo
"I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being." Jackie Robinson once said that, while he played for the NY Dodgers baseball team, many hated him for the color of his skin. Though, he never stopped hitting those balls. Just like my dad. He was a catholic at a all Christian school, he was picked on all through elementary school, and got graded harder. He never changed schools or gave up on trying to fit in.
He was a strong black man! He entered the world of baseball with determination, the will to stand above all others. While people discriminated him, he played, while people yelled at him from the stands, he played, and while his own teammates beat him, he played on like no one else. That was when they began to realize what this man was made of.

One boy, two religions, one belief. That was something my dad faced through his childhood, he went to a all Christian school, while he himself was a catholic. He didn’t hide it, and was teased, beat up, made fun of, and graded harder than anyone else. He even almost failed 3rd grade, but his parents stuck up for him. He refused to convert to Christian; he was a catholic at heart.

Being in middle school, it’s never easy. People, anyone and everyone gets teased at some point. Some even more then others, unfortunately. I am definitely one of them. For example, I can be very slow (mentally) and people laugh at it, and call it a blonde moment. I don’t really care anymore though, I overcame it. As well as, like the only one not done with a test, or the only one who doesn’t play a sport. Except, my problems are far less greater than theirs were.

Living on a legacy such as Jackie Robinson is almost impossible, and my dad is almost impossible. Their lives aren’t even comparable to mine. The legacy they have is important because they never gave up, they didn’t stop when the everyone else wanted them to, they didn’t give in.

Lord of the Flies Trial Job Summary

MEDIA COVERAGE::

During this project, I had the job of being a court reporter. My strengths are getting things done on time, and making sure it does get done. My challenges were using technology and tapes/cameras. To prepare for this I had to tell people in advance and write down questions on what they would need to answer, as well as prepare the tape, camera and tripod for filming. During the trial Arielle and I just filmed it and changed out the tapes. After the trial [still am] we have been editing and uploading the footage that we got. I think for this project I deserve an A- [89-91].

Short Story

Mr. Magic

By Paul Rogo

 

Once in a far, far away island off the coast of Canada, lived a young teenager, named Ramirez. He lived on York Island. Ramirez worked as a cook, at a business his family owned. His family was extremely poor, only owning a tiny house behind their store; in his family were, his parents, and his two sisters, Yolanda and Gabriella. He didn’t even attend school; his family couldn’t afford to have him not work. But, his luck was all about to change.

 

“Ugh, its 6:29, just one more minute of sleep,” I whispered under my breath, I knew I had to get to work early to help unload the delivery of the food supplies. As soon as I got dressed, I left for the shop. Even if it was only fifteen steps away, the weather was hot and muggy. The sun was just rising over the bay, all I could see was a slice of orange gleaming over the ocean. As I walked into the store, there were bags of beef, lettuce, and tomatoes. I felt fat just looking at them! Of course, Yolanda didn’t have to do a dang thing and just sat in a chair painting her nails, being the only boy child in the family really sucked. Our first customer had just walked in, letting in all the sunlight into the dark dungeon-like shop. And of all the people it could be, it was Sophia. Her beauty glowed with the sun shining around her as if she was an angel.

 

“Hi, could I order a Double Cheese Burrito without tomatoes please?” She looked at me, questioning. I walked to the front of the shop and grabbed my apron. I rang up the cash register and yelled to Yolanda to get on it. She got her blubbery butt up and got to the stove. I was just staring at Sophia while she was checking her cell phone. For a second, I thought I had drool going down my face. She looked up and gave me the cash; I quickly took it.

 

 Her hands were very soft, like a banana peel. I took it and handed her the burrito she ordered, she said, “Thanks Ramirez!” and smiled with a big grin, showing off her shiny pearly white teeth. She had been coming to our store for 2 years and had never known my name, after telling her 20 million times, I had wondered if she ever knew I liked her. I just wanted to faint.

 

As soon I went home, I went to tell Gabriella, she was the more understanding nicer sister. Even though she was older, we were closer. I told her everything; even though she laughed she gave me some advice. She told me I should (1). Shower daily, (2). Get a new hairdo, (3). Be flirty.

 

Since I never went to school, I never got to be around girls. Only Gabriella went to school in our family. Our mom yelled at us too come in for dinner, she said she had some news. So Gabriella and me lingered into there, there was pasta on the table with bread and butter, the typical dinner of a our family. As soon I started slurping my noodles from the bowl, my mom began to tell us of the news. “Well, I have some bad news, our life style will have to change drastically.” I stopped slurping as my noodle just hung like a tail in my mouth. “A man called today and said that if we can’t pay all our bills, he will take our house away and our business as well.” Then my noodles dropped, as did my mouth.

 “WHAT!?” yelled Yolanda,

 

“How can we be any different, we live cheaper than hobos!!” She questioned. She stormed out of the room crying and sobbing as if the world had just ended. I picked up my bowl, I was only shedding a few tears, my days of impressing Sophia just came to a screeching halt.

 

 

I went into my room, and just screamed at the top of my lungs into my raggedy torn pillow. This day was the best and the worst at the same time. I ran into the other room to ask Gabriella what I should do. She just said, “Wish upon a star.” I didn’t think that was going to work. So I told my parents I was going to walk to the beach, just to let the  air cool off my steam. As I was walking down the street, there was a young boy around the age of 10 riding a shiny bike putting up signs on windows, poles, anything and everything. I walked over to one and it read, “LOST: Girl Named Sophia Tanner, 15, 5’ 4”, athletic, last seen wandering in West Vancouver, if found call York Police.” My heart sank to the floor as I ran to a phone book to look up her name and check the address it listed, since I see it almost everyday. My heart just broke into two. It was she.

 

I ran down to the sand and just fell, like my heart did. I just cuddled up into a left-behind beach chair and fell asleep. After my two-hour nap, I woke up and just gazed at the stars. As my eyes stared upon them, a shooting star came out of nowhere! I thought, why, not I am going to wish upon it. But what to wish!? There are so many things; I came to a quick conclusion, that a genie in a bottle would be fantastic!

 

“ Shooting star! I wish I had a magical genie in a bottle that could grant me all the wishes in the land!!” I shouted into the infinite sky that laid calmly above me. I fell into, another, deep sleep.

 

I woke up the next morning cuddling a lava lamp; I hadn’t seen one of these  in a long time I thought! Forgetting what happened last night, I just stared at it quizzically. I looked at it from all views, and only seeing the lava goop up and down continuously, not even plugged into anything. I stared into the goop very deeply, and then I noticed a nail sized bed floating in there, along with the goop. I looked around me to make sure I still wasn’t dreaming, then I pinched myself to double check. Unfortunately I was awake and that pinch caused real pain. I looked even deeper into it. I noticed a small, itty bitty blue creature in there, the size of a crumb. I had one of those brain blasts where I remembered what happened last night. I started to rub the lamp; cause that is what Aladdin did when he got his genie. All of a sudden everything around me came to a freeze, thankfully not my lost heart, and small puffs of smoke that got bigger and bigger came out of the lamp.

 

 

“Ramirez! I am your Genie from now until you turn 21!, My name is Nathan!, and this is my girlfriend, Christina Aguilera.”

 He rumbled, then smaller pink puffs of smoke rose into the air as did his and out came Christina, all I could say was,

“Daaaamn.”

 She was just radiantly gorgeous, although, I had never seen a celebrity…she was different. After having a small tear of drool fall from my mouth, the genie interrupted me explaining everything to me, like rules and telling me about him self, and what my future entails. Then, I told him a little about me and why I wished for him. Then, my adventure began.

 

 

 

 

 

“So, am I allowed to wish for money and to find where some one is?”

 I questioned the genie with high hopes of knowing, but somewhere in my heart, I felt that doubt would overcome my hopes and dreams of having a life I had always dreamed of, instead of facing the life I painfully dread.

“Well…I guess I could, but I wouldn’t advise giving money, it might make you feel guilty, finding Sophia, would take me no more than a second”

 He responded perkily. “Ha! Guilt won’t stop me! My life would be far worse if I didn’t wish for it, so….how do I make a wish?”

 I questioned, again.

“Here’s an example, Oh great genie! I wish for…blah blah blah”

He told me deeply.

 “Do I have to say ‘oh great genie’ though? So I just close my eyes and say I wish then say what I want?” I wondered.

 “Yes, that easy,” he responded.

 “Wow! Ok then, I wish for my parents to have an unlimited amount of money in our bank account”

 I shouted! Dollar bills flew from  Nathan’s fingers as they flew into the direction of my family’s bank, thankfully the world was still frozen.

 

I rushed home with my lamp in my hand, with Nathan and Christina in it, I wondered what would happen if I dropped it, I don’t want to chance it, and so I walked calmly. When I walked in the door, forgetting I was gone all day and night. My mom rushed up to me gave squeezed me with a caring and loving hug. But, my dad on the other hand was interrogating me, I guess when they were frozen, and it didn’t freeze time. As they finished with their wondering questions, I went into my closet and rubbed my lamp, out came Nathan, just Nathan this time.

 

 

“Where Christina! What happened! Where is she!?”

 I whispered loudly, with fear in my tone.

 “We got into a small fight, she said she will be back soon, and needs sometime alone, she went to her own lamp .” He sobbed to me.

 “Awe, Nathan, I am sure everything will be ok, but may I grant a wish??” I asked,

“Of course! Take my mind away from all this, what would you like?” He replied sweetly. “I wish Sophia was ok and back to her home perfectly safe.”

 

“So, is Sophia at home? Or…where is she?”

I questioned Nathan.

 “Well, all I am going to say is that I should go” He said sneakily, and with a snap of his fingers, he was gone, but, Sophia just came out of nowhere!

“Sophia?” I said confused, although I was filled with joy, I was somewhat scared what would happen, since were both in my closet.

“Ramirez?” She answered, confused as well.

“Umm..How did you get here?” I asked her,

“I don’t know actually, I was just at Vancouver spa and got here, but I’m glad I’m here” She said with a giant grin on her face, she then leaned in toward me and kissed me on the cheek, “Oh yeah, I’m glad I’m here too” I said excitedly.

 

 

 

 

The End

 

Short Story

Title: Mr. Magic

Author: Paul Rogo

Genre: Fantasy/Fiction

Pages: 4

Mentor Text: I really got all my ideas form a mix of places, I got the idea of having a genie from Olivia, but I had really based the genie and it characteristics off of Aladdin. I got the genies attitude from aladdin, also the color blue from that genie as well. The idea of wishing on a star didnt really come from anything, just thought of how miracles happen. My writing techniques I had learned from Mr. elizondo, who told me to put emotion and feelings into my writing.

Audience: Maybe the ages from 8-11, more understanding the feelings of crushes, and know more about how they work and what happens. Also because they might not know bigger words

Writing Process: Each day I just wrote a little bit more and more and had 1 or 2 people read it and they thought it was great and was impressed.

Publishing Process: I would like to have a proper book cover with a full page illustration, with my pages being laminated. And having maybe one or two other illustrations in the book.