Wisdom Writers: Volume 3

By Ana G Montano

The Wisdom Writers book and project began in the fall of 2021 at the University Charter School in Livingston, Alabama, when Paris Henderson, a sophomore, shared her idea of creating a book to share high school experiences, struggles, and triumphs. By sharing their stories, students hope to help

• Language: English
• Publisher: University Charter School
• Release date: May 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9798869277640

Ana G Montano

Ana is a sophmore at University Charter School. She is fifteen years old, and this is the second volume of the Wisdom Writers book she has edited. She is an avid reader and has organized and judged writing contests at school.

Book preview

University Charter School Students

Wisdom Writers:

Volume 3

Copyright © 2024 by University Charter School Students

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

University Charter School Students asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

University Charter School Students has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

First edition

Editing by Ana S. Montaño Alanis

Cover art by Emonie Rush

Advisor: Tamaya Tolliver

Advisor: Charle Ryland

Advisor: Avery Long

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

Find out more at reedsy.com

Contents

Foreword

Preface

I. OUR SCHOOL

1. ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN SCHOOL

2. Hannah Price

3. Traeger Stephens

4. IRRITATION FROM PEERS

5. Aliyah Martin

6. Zy’Kirea Long

7. Hannah Price

8. Angel Burrell

9. Addyson Tillman

10. Anonymous

11. Anonymous

12. Clint McDonald

13. HIGH SCHOOL & MIDDLE SCHOOL EXPERIENCES

14. Zy’Kirea Long

15. Anonymous

16. Jaylon Amerson

17. Tratavein Collins

18. I WANT TO LEARN

19. Kayla Harris

20. Avery Long

21. Avery Long

22. Aliyah Martin

23. Angel Burrell

24. CHARACTER EDUCATION TRAITS

25. Anonymous

26. James Edmonds

27. Colton Burg

28. Kayla Harris

29. LAWS OF LIFE

30. Amarion Dubose

31. Ella Hill

32. Preston Irby

33. Ana S. Montaño Alanis

34. Colton Burg

35. Zamiyah Rice

36. Anonymous

37. Craig Ellington

38. Anonymous

39. Kareem Elnaham

40. Madison Love

41. Zy’Keria Long

42. Hannah Price

43. Addyson Tillman

44. Tamaya Tolliver

45. Jamiya Jenkins

46. Mathew Kendrick

47. DEAR 7TH GRADE SELF

48. Amarion Dubose

49. Zy’Kirea Long

50. Zamiyah Rice

51. Matthew Buck

52. James Edmonds

53. Craig Ellington

54. Anonymous

55. Gradon Fike

56. Anonymous

57. Ryan Vaughan

58. Madison Love

59. Anonymous

60. Anonymous

61. SPORTS

62. Yazmine McAboy

63. NARRATIVE 4 EXPERIENCE

64. Avery Long

65. Kayla Harris

66. Angel Burrell

67. POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF HIGH SCHOOL

68. Amarion Dubose

69. James Edmonds

70. Kareem Elnaham

71. Jamiya Jenkins

72. Mathew Kendrick

73. Yazmine McAboy

74. Zamiyah Rice

75. Addyson Tillman

76. Tamya Tolliver

II. OUR LIVES

77. HOLIDAYS & TRADITIONS

78. Emily Walker

79. Clint McDonald

80. Kayla Harris

81. Anonymous

82. Tavares Foster

83. MY PLACE

84. Emily Walker

85. Avery Long

86. Aliyah Martin

87. Hannah Prince

88. Traeger Stephens

89. Anonymous

90. LEARNING EXPERIENCE

91. Lennon Phillips

92. Amarion Dubose

93. Matthew Kendrick

94. Zy’Kirea Long

95. Hannah Price

96. Zamiyah Rice

97. Addyson Tillman

98. Angel Burrell

99. Emily Walker

100. WHEN DID YOU LAST…

101. Shaquon Lee

102. Ana S. Montaño Alanis

103. Ana S. Montaño Alanis

104. TEENS

105. Sadie Carter

106. Justin Clarke

107. A.J.

108. MUSIC & ART

109. Angel Burrell

110. Tavares Foster

111. Kayla Harris

112. Emily Walker

113. Anonymous

114. Jaylon Amerson

115. Zy’Kirea Long

116. Jamya James

117. Addyson Tillman

118. TRAVEL

119. Matthew Kendrick

120. Amarion Dubose

121. Zy’Kirea Long

122. Tamaya Tolliver

123. EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

124. Yazmine McAboy

125. Zamiyah Rice

126. Tamya Tolliver

127. Amarion Dubose

128. Kamyia Dubose

129. James Edmonds

130. Matthew Kendrick

131. Addyson Tillman

132. POSITIVE EFFECTS OF PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS

133. Kayla Harris

III. OURSELVES

134. POEMS

135. Anonymous

136. Addisyn Barton

137. Ana S. Montaño Alanis

138. Ana S. Montaño Alanis

139. Rebecca Boydstun

140. Rebecca Boydstun

141. Rebecca Boydstun

142. Rebecca Boydstun

143. Rebecca Boydstun

144. FEARS & ANXIETIES

145. Angel Burell

146. Anonymous

147. Kayla Harris

148. Zy’Kirea Long

149. Aliyah Martin

150. Ana S. Montaño Alanis

151. Hannah Prince

152. Traeger Stephens

153. Avery Long

154. Tavares Foster

155. Leia Pitre

156. Addyson Tillman

157. A.J.

158. Zamiyah Rice

159. Caroline Sparkman

160. Zy’Kirea Long

161. Amarion Dubose

162. Ana S. Montaño Alanis

163. INSECURITIES & BODY IMAGE

164. Hannah Prince

165. Kayla Harris

166. Hannah Prince

167. Angel Burrell

168. PASSIONS

169. Avery Long

170. Ana S. Montaño Alanis

171. FAMILY & HOME LIFE

172. Anonymous

173. Anonymous

174. Avery Long

175. Ana S. Montaño Alanis

176. LOSS

177. Aliyah Martin

178. Caroline Sparkman

Acknowledgments

Foreword

We’ve seen it all and we’re still moving.

Like all histories, it’s best to begin at the very beginning, and for West Alabama this means we start with the Choctaw Nation.

Sumter County, and western Alabama in general, is a mainly rural region covered in pastureland, fields of flowers, rolling hills, and cliffs of pure white limestone, a land that has brought explorers and travelers here since DeSoto explored this land over 400 years ago. A land which feels as if time as stopped, yet is quietly progressing forwards, a land rich in resources, yet not in capital, a land which lays upon the River of the Coffin Makers, 20 and 17, these numbers mean so much to those traveling long distances, or just stopping into town for groceries. This is what we know as home, number 60, and we represent it with pride. Throughout the earliest years post Treaty of Dancing Rabbit, the land was mainly, no, entirely agriculturally dependent, yet it was a flourishing land, river boats sailed the waters of the Bigbee, from steam sternwheelers to a gumtree canoe under the light of the moon, bringing commerce to the towns of Gainesville, Epes, and McDowell.

In 1861, the state seceded from the nation, a republic born and fell within months, soon, a great power rose, and the Southern Wind roared to life, though to tame it took many men, much hardship, it was still done, marching to take on the Queen City of Mississippi, boys in blue rolled over the communities of Pickens and Sumter Counties, then all was quiet. Reconstruction could now begin a new life for those of the South, a hopeful one at that. From the 1850s to today roads not of tar or dirt, but iron and nickel, have rolled along our hills and forests, connecting the Queen and Crescent with the Phoenix and Pittsburgh of the South, the hammer of the drivers, the roar of a whistle, the rattle of a boxcar car, and the hum of a General Electric or Electro Motive Division motor, the towns that grew up along these trade roots are still prevalent today, might not be in the grand scheme of the world, yet we know them, and you can probably name them too. The Alabama Great Southern, the Southern, our own Alabama, Tennessee, and Northern, the Sumter and Choctaw and its little steamers, to the giants of the Midwest, the Frisco and BN, they all have rolled through at one time or another, and now all that is left is the Thoroughbred, a merger of the railroad that Served the South, and the line which hauled the coal to the coast. Back in the day my great grandfather ran the line of the Selma line, York to Selma, a line which is almost completely forgotten to all, like the rest, but not to me. When the wars came, our men were sent, when hard times reared their head, we stuck together through thick and thin. We sure have stayed to our roots, but we’re growing, from agriculture to business, we’re at the center of it all, bringing in industry to the destitute, bringing in fame for a region.

From War Eagle to Roll Tide, Go Big Blue and Go Tigers, culture still abounds, the weekends bringing in the games that gather crowds, that people like my mother sit down and watch for hours, rooting for the home team, might not always win, but has that ever stopped us? Did it stop us when war came, when the railroads left? Did we ever believe that through it all we were never going to succeed? I’ll ask you this: When has a proud Alabamian ever said quit when the going gets tough, when the road becomes rocky, and when the rains fall, no, when the rough gets rougher, the Alabamians get tougher. That’s why I’m here, that’s why I’m able to say that we’ve been here, been here for nearly 7 generations, and we aren’t planning on giving up on Alabama anytime soon. Our region has been blessed by the Lord above with resources which have given rise to our towns, our landmarks, and that’s why every Sunday morning, we head to the old white church on the hill, sing praises, and talk of what’s gone on that week. That’s where we gather, may it be a church, the Bakery, Jim’s, Austin’s, no matter where it may be, when we get together, you better prepare for some gossip and hearing just about everything under the Sun. Yet, that’s what I love, listening to what’s gone on, to the elderly and their stories and jokes, it makes me smile, and for every mile of this land, I find quite a bit that makes me smile. There’s always something along the way to make your day, no matter how dark it may be, or how high the heat rises, this is Sumter County, and am I sure glad to be right where I am today.

Author: Wyatt Dial

Preface

If you’ve ever felt like you’re trapped in a box, then perhaps you are familiar with what I’m going to talk about.

I was going to write about something completely different. Maybe how I’ve been affected by bullying, or by my family, or about moments in my life, like the topics suggested. But I’ve come to realize that the story I want to tell is hidden in every story I’ve told, and the message I want to impart is so much greater than that. It’s a lesson I’ve only learned recently. I want to ask you this:

Why should we define our lives and dreams by the expectations set for us by other people?

I read a book about this recently. It’s called Gap Life by John Coy. I’ll give you a quick run-down; a recent high school graduate named Cray doesn’t want the life of a doctor his father has set out for him, and decides instead to take a gap year. It’s a coming-of-age story at its purest: a teen growing into an adult and learning valuable lessons along the way. I’m sure some people in here have read a similar story.

I think it’s interesting that I read this book when I did. I don’t believe in fate or destiny, but I think I knew what I was doing when I plucked this book from my bookshelves and placed it in my backpack. I’m glad I did. I learned a lot from it, and Gap Life comes highly recommended to anyone looking for a good book.

But the lesson Cray practices over the course of the book is the lesson I want to teach: The only type of success that will make anyone happy is the success they set for themselves. What each person defines as successful, not the society around them. Let me ask you a question: did you write the rules for your life? Did you set the expectations, purposefully, personally? The answer is probably no, because the truth is, most people don’t. The truth of our society is that we are not generally trusted to set our own definitions of success, especially when there are other people who seem have more knowledge on the matter preaching the meaning of success.

This meaning of success is usually wealth and power in the business world, or making some huge discovery that will be remembered for centuries. But how does anyone ever truly know what success is for someone else, especially someone they don’t even know exists? What if that’s not the path you want? What if you want something more personal, something that lights a fire in your heart, something you love doing?

It always seems that this dream is devalued by society. After all, isn’t it just small-minded and small-scaled, a lack of drive, of ambition?

Isn’t it a lesser dream?

No, it’s not.

How can a dream be lesser than another when each dreamer wants theirs the same?

Author: Charle Ryland

I

Our School

1

ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN SCHOOL

2

Hannah Price

The first thing I accomplished this school year was passing the CPR test for Nurse Jenny. It wasn’t a big test but it was very important. You couldn’t miss more than 3 questions. If you did, you failed the test. There were 25 questions on the test. I was very nervous about taking it. Also, the CPR check was easy. It was a lot of work to save an adult, child, and infant, and you had to make sure you did it right. I never thought I would pass the CPR check-off and test so I am very proud of myself for that. I prayed to the Lord about the test to lead and guide me through it.

3

Traeger Stephens

I have met my goal of having an 80% or higher in my classes. I have also accomplished getting my driver’s license. I took driver’s education with Coach Walker Lewis last year. It taught me how to turn my tires toward the curb while parking on a hill. My mom helped me get my license online. It felt really good, and I was really happy to be able to drive wherever I wanted to go. I like being able to get fast food whenever I want, Little Ceaser’s being my favorite place to drive to get food from. I like being able to drive people around in my truck, too. I feel like I was ready and responsible enough to drive at 17 years old.

I also became CPR certified with Nurse Jenny this semester. I liked this process better this year because I only