What better time to embrace change than a brand new school year and a change in season.
Students at Washington High School in Washington, North Carolina were given a writing challenge this Fall 2023 First Quarter to create stories and images based on the premise of change.
Take a look below at the entries we received.
It is our hope these selections created by Washington High School students inspire you to flourish in times of change.
"Change it Up!"
WHS Writing and Visual Art Challenge Entries
Fall 2023
*All selections below are original creative works by Washington High School students
Pencil Sketch by Sinujae McNeill Byrd
Washington High School Junior
& contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
Photo and Poem by Sandrea Carter,
Washington High School Senior
& major contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
"A Mother and A Daughter"
short story and art by Lucero Castillo Miranda
Washington High School Senior
& major contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
Visual Art pictured above is original work created by WHS Art students Fall 2023 Semester: Ava Ormond, Victoria Hennasey, and Cheyenne Jefferson
iPhone Photography
by Alexander Ramirez Martinez
Washington High School Junior
Pam Pack Writers' Group contributor
Changes.
a two-part poem
by Janina Boomer
Washington High School Junior
& major contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
People are often afraid of the future.
People are often afraid of things not being the same.
People are often afraid of the unknown.
They say the only constant in life is change.
But what if change stopped being a thing all of sudden?
What if change stopped existing?
What if diapers were full and kept that way?
What if nobody stopped living?
No one changing outfits.
No one changing jobs.
No exploring options, no sun, just fog.
Stuck in an endless cycle of repetition.
One emotion.
One condition.
One commitment.
Changes Part Two.
Imagine a world where everything is the same.
Like minded individuals who might as well
share a brain.
A world where you indulge in tasteless food,
monotone music,
a strict set of rules.
Although I can see it all over your face,
You're skeptical, and it's quite normal to
fear change.
But contemplate the horrors of what could
Possibly be the case.
What could possibly be our future
If fallen into the hands of a woman or man,
Who is abundantly drawn to a vision of simplicity.
Who will vigorously withstand continuously.
Yet you claim to be afraid of change so you never
bother switching lanes.
What's the point of having a car if you plan
to keep it that way.
Since the only change is constant, who knows
What's next for us?
It may seem unrealistic, but you're afraid of change.
It all seems like “way too much”.
Will the world constantly change, or will that concept
be rearranged?
Yet you claim to be afraid of change.
Imagine life without it.
Because a life without change wouldn't
even feel like life to begin with.
Maybe you still aren't convinced.
Maybe, you'll be the one to shape the world into
one you always secretly desired, a world where
the change you made is constant.
Drawing by Ivy Perry
Washington High School Junior
& contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
Drawing by Narque Lopez
Washington High School Junior
& contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
The Changing of Seasons
Smart Phone Photography
origninal photographs by WHS students
photography by Nathan Sopher
Washington High School Junior
& contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
Photo by Alaina Moore
Washington High School Junior
& contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
Photo by Grace Gaskins
Washington High School Junior
& contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
photograpy by Lemont Murphy
Washington High School Junior
& contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
Photo by JaTavion Ebron
Washington High School Junior
& contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
photography by Patrick Jansen
Washington High School Junior
& contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
Growing Up
A Poem by Sandy Castillo Miranda
Washington High School Junior
& major contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
Growing up is realizing that the big blue chair was not that big. That chair wasn't even that comfortable, yet I still chose to sit. Just because I knew my sister loved that chair for one odd reason. The chair I struggled so much to climb into was now as easy as walking. Looking back, I feel a new found grudge to that blue raspy chair.
Growing up, I see that everything that looked so small became "oh so big." The world that I thought was only my backyard and the occasional store, became huge, as I learned of the places that could be explored.
Growing up, the things that used to shine in my eyes, soon looked clunky and dull, and I wonder how they looked so good? When I was younger, I looked at the world through sparkly tinted glasses. Now that I am older, I have taken off those glasses but the world I saw so bright turned a bit more bleak than it once was, at the peak it was. Although I know that the glasses will never show me the world I used to see, I still put them on occasionally, when I am alone and without fear. Oh, so slightly the world will change, and then, and only then, do I forget,
I'm all grown up.
Photo by Christian Summerlin
Washington High School Junior
& contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
Photo by Grace Gaskins
Washington High School Junior
& contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
Photo by Jacob Daniels
Washington High School Junior
& contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
A Poem and Pencil Sketch
by Jordyn-Dawn Reddick
Washington High School Freshman
& contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
iPhone Photography
by Alexander Ramirez Martinez
Washington High School Freshman
& contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
There was a caterpillar named Buggy, content with life on the ground.
One day, he started to build a cocoon.
It was scary and uncomfortable, but he embraced the change.
After weeks of transformation, he emerged as a beautiful butterfly.
Buggy realized change, though daunting, often leads to beautiful outcomes.
A Short Story
by Adam (Erika) Warner
Washington High School Senior
& major contributor to Pam Pack Writers' Group
As the cab pulled up to the apartment studio, Harper put away his phone and thanked the man. The man cleared his throat as Harper opened the door. With an awkward smile, Harper pulled out a five dollar bill from his wallet, handing it over to the taxi driver. The man nodded and wished him a good day. Harper sighed, grabbed his bags and got out of the car, carefully closing the door behind him. Almost immediately, the cab driver sped away, leaving Harper alone in a concrete jungle.
“Okay… Here goes nothing." Harper whispered to himself, pulling on his guitar bag and wheeling his suitcase over to the building.
As the door opened, he was hit with a gust of hot air and dust. Coughing, he waved his hand in front of his face and opened his eyes to see a small middle-aged man yelling on the phone and pacing the lobby. The man looked at him and Harper tensed, gave a forced smile and quickly found a place to stand in the awkwardly small lobby. There were chairs, but when Harper looked at them he could’ve sworn he saw something small jump. Once standing out of the way of the door, he checked his map to make sure this was the place he had rented out. An exasperated sigh broke through Harper’s taut lips and he set his head against the wall, closing his eyes. He never thought in a million years, his life would get this lonely after his high school graduation. It was the first time he had been truly on his own. He was devastated.
Opening his glistening eyes, Harper sucked in his bottom lip and looked at his phone. Hesitantly, he opened Messenger and looked at his father’s chat. Just a few weeks prior, Harper’s ex-boyfriend "outed" him to his strict father. Every night after was an argument with his dad, and finally the last straw broke and Harper decided to leave. Either way, Harper did not see the difference. The last thing said in the chat was from his father, “I hope you get better.” Harper quietly thought to himself at the text through vision blurred with tears. He was not sick. His father was the one who needed help understanding this fact.
“Alright, kid. What’s your name?” The yelling man spoke in a tart voice, making Harper flinch. Quickly, Harper blinked the tears out of his eyes.
“Um, Harper Landon.”
It tore his heart to hear his own voice. His normal confidence was gone. He hadn’t spoken much since he left home. He hadn’t even felt much since he left.
“Right,” the man drew out the “i” for a couple seconds.
He grabbed a clipboard, nodded then said, “Landon. Apartment 5, 3rd floor. Here’s the key.”
Harper took the key with a quiet “thank you” and started up the stairs. They were creaky, making him a little uneasy as he went up the steps. Finally, he reached the 3rd floor and turned towards his door, unlocked and pushed it open, rolling his suitcase inside. There was a thick smell of smoke from the last occupant, which made Harper scrunch up his face. He set his suitcase in the room and shut the door behind him, looking around.
“Okay…” Harper whispered to himself after deeming the place at least somewhat clean. He set down his guitar on a broken coffee table. With a deep sigh, Harper pushed his hands up from his eyebrows, clearing his hairline from sweat and pushed his hair out of his face. Hands still in his hair, Harper looked at the yellowed walls of the kitchen.
“Okay…” He repeated to himself, a little more shaky than before. His lips shook, eyes filling with tears.
"I'm going to be okay."
Habits
Great
Change
Here are some of the responses we received:
"It is scary changing from a 'teen' to a 'young adult'."
"I am nervous (and excited) about moving on from high school."
"I am not afraid of change, but sometimes just the event or context..."
"If it's a very minor change, I won't be bothered but if it's something major, I am more likely to be afraid."
"Yes, I am afraid of change. It is always a kinda difficult thing to get used to something when you have a very hard time in new situations while having so much anxiety."
WHS Student Responses to the question "What are some Things that changed for you this school year that made life a bit more challenging?"
*Applying to colleges
*Moving to a new home, town, and/or school
*A best friend moved away
*Taking new classes
*Getting a new device that you have to learn how to use and program
Advice from Pam Pack Writers' Group on how to cope with change:
"My advice to freshman (about change) is to, always keep going no matter what."
"We may not realize it but there is change in our everyday life..."
"Accept change. it happens. go with it."
"look at changes in your life as new chances... new opportunities."
"Keep Going... Believe."
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