Prompt: Many observers of our society claim that modern people, immersed in materialism, are “owned by their objects.” Yet many of us have objects that we treasure not just for their material value but for a variety of other reasons. Describe one object that is important to you. Explain what values it represents, and comment on those values.

BOOKS

By: Connor Bartsch

Books are essential to me. It is where I can get away from the real world. If I am bored, there is a whole other world I can dive into without having to worry about what's going on in my life. I read a lot because sometimes I need a break from technology and people in general. I love books!

I have two whole bookshelves full of books. Some I have read, and some I haven’t. In 5th grade, I read 80 books in one year! I have almost 200 books. It has been a while since I re-counted, though. This just goes to show how much I love books!

Dog

By: Noah Bublitz

I painted this thing a while ago with my mom, aunt, and cousin. We went to this place where they built stuff out of clay. I picked out a dog. I have a dog and he always makes me happy when I'm sad. I love him very much and I wouldn't want anyone more than him to make me feel better because he does it the best. I just knew from the start he would be the one because when I laid down when I went there to pick a dog out he came over and just wanted to play and had so much energy.

I have this painting on a shelf in my room. It is always such a good memory to me when I look at it. It just means so much to me because I love my dog and do a lot of stuff with him. It also is really important to me because he is getting older now and I just want to do or play with him as much as I can. It is just one of my favorite things I have made. So that's why I choose my painting of my dog.

BeeBee

By: Molly Burg

I live a wonderful life. I have been given so much throughout my life and am thankful for many things. I was thinking about doing one of my sports things because sports have changed my life. Three things are more important to me than sports. God, my family, and friends. So, I introduce you to BeeBee. 

My family and I went to the Dells for a family trip. I loved claw machines. Now this doesn’t mean I’m good at them. Well… I am now, but I was four so give me a break!! I wanted a stuffed animal from the claw machine so bad and I wasn’t going to get the answer no! My sister then got me the Bee. I have it to this day. Her name is BeeBee. 

    My Hippo!

By: Kayla Campbell

When I was a very little girl, I was given a stuffed animal hippo that I loved very much. I would bring her everywhere with me! I hugged her so much that she lost most of the stuffing in her neck. It moved down into her stomach area. I never was bothered by that because she was very loved and used. The most special memories I have with her is when my dad would always make a silly high-pitched girl voice so she could talk to me. Sometimes he would pretend to make her talk and say, “Kayla, go brush your teeth!” or “Kayla, I love playing with you!” I loved it so much.

I slept with my stuffed hippo every night and even brought her on trips and vacations with me. We were the best travel buddies! I even brought her shopping one time and put her in the shopping cart like a baby. As of now, she sits on the pillows when I make my bed or I put her in my closet. My little hippo is one of the most special and meaningful toys of mine that I have kept. Someday, maybe I can pass it on to my kids!

My Stuffed Animal 

By: Savannah Carr

One very important object to me is a stuffed animal that I got as a baby. My sister and I have matching ones that we got when we were born. They are lambs, mine is a big lamb and my sister's is a small one. For a while after I got it, I hated it and I would cry whenever I went near it. After a while, I started to like it and I brought it with me everywhere. 

Now it sits on my window bench in my room. My sister still has hers too and she keeps it in her bed. I am going to try to keep it as long as I can. It used to be white but now it is slightly grey. It is grey because I have had it for a really long time. 

Wooden Train Model

By: Easton Forston

The one important thing to me is the wooden train that my great-grandfather made. It’s important to me because he made it for me before he died, and when I got it, it had a bunch of notes with it. The reason it is important to me is because he and I would always hang out together in his basement, playing with his model trains.  It is important to me because he and I would always hang out and would always be playing with trains.  When I got the train, it reminded me of when I would go down in the basement to play with his model trains.

I always liked to spend time with him, so when I got the train, it reminded me of when we hung out. Almost every weekend I would go over to his house and hang out with him. The reason I wanted it was that I didn’t want it to go to a storage place where it would get wrecked.  Another reason is because it reminds me of hanging out with my great-grandfather a lot. When I got the train I was so happy because it reminds me of him and how much fun we had with each other when I was younger.

My Trophy from Boy Scouts

By: Aiden Manor

I have something that is really important to me and it is the trophy I won at the pinewood derby when I was in Boy Scouts. It is really cool and important to me because it was my last year at Boy Scouts and I won. It is really cool because of a white base that looks like marble and a golden beam. There is something on the trophy that is even cooler. It is sticky tape on the top of it so I was able to put my winning car on top of it!

I built my car with my dad, and we went into all the factors on how to make the car fast, like only putting 3 wheels on and making it drive itself into the rail on the track. That made it even more special because I got to spend time with my dad. We called it the “Wooden Wedge" because it looked like a wedge of wood.I won all races and set a track record at the race and I won 1st place.

Magic the Dragon

By: Adeline Thierfelder

One of the most important things to me is a stuffed dragon which isn’t that stuffed at all, the head flops everywhere. The reason it is important is because I got it in the hospital when I was only two… even though they probably gave it to everybody. I have never put it in a box, even when I moved to 3 different places. It is a white Beanie Baby named Magic.

It has been there with me since I got it. It might be old, but I love it. I still remember when I moved the second time with it. I refused to put it in a box, and I wanted it with me. This dragon stuffed animal is more than a stuffed animal. It is like an emotional support stuffed animal. Even though I don’t touch it a lot or give it a lot of attention, I love it.

The BIG GOBLIN Dice Tower

By: Nathaniel Wolfgram

I play Magic The Gathering which requires you to roll a D20 at the beginning of the game to determine who goes first. I also want to start playing Dungeons and Dragons which rolls many D20s. About two months ago, we went to West Bend and stopped at Game Stop. At Game Stop I stumbled upon a Red Goblin dice tower that was on sale for $25 instead of $40. I decided to buy the Goblin because I thought it was funny. I also got a Thunder Junction pack.

My mom was mad that I bought it because she thought it was Satanic even though it was just a Goblin. When I showed Jonathan the Goblin we kept saying, “The Big Goblin!” in a funny voice. I also pulled $13 worth of cards from the six-dollar pack I bought so that was cool. Once we got home I unboxed the Goblin and put him in my room on the floor. Whenever I play Magic at my house now I always use the Goblin to roll dice so it was a good and funny investment.

What I Can’t Live Without

By: Roxy Ehley

The most meaningful thing that I have currently is my baby blanket. The baby blanket I have right now has a huge backstory. The baby blanket that I had when I came out of the hospital was lost in the woods. One day I was with my friend and her mom and I was about 3-4 years old. I was walking in the forest and I dropped my blanket. About 5 minutes later we realized I didn’t have it. We traced our steps and we never found it. I was bawling for days because I brought my blanket everywhere. We now think that an animal took it. 

I was at my grandparents' house for a little family party, and I was crying because I had missed my blanket. My grandma went to the basement and brought out a really soft, cute, black and white baby blanket and said, “Do you want this?” I was so happy when I saw it because it matched my room. I said, “Yes yes yes!” I felt very appreciated and I love my Grandma! I loved this new baby blanket forever and I even still have it today and sleep with it every night!  

Fishing Pole

By: Cameron Garven

My fishing pole is the most important thing to me. I go fishing a lot, so I need it. I put a lot of money into my rod I need to keep. I can't break it because my papa will get mad. One time Frankie broke my rod when we were fishing, but I had a warranty, so it was all good. We bought an inflatable boat.

One time we were fishing and he flipped off the boat. It made me sad because he scared the fishies away. It’s okay though because it is a fun experience. Along with the cost, the pole holds memories. That is why I like it a lot. It is my favorite.

 Box of Silent Whispers

By: Heather Hilgendorf

When I was young, when my grandmother's eyes still shone with remembrance. I remember telling her this: “Fairy Grandma, I seem to feel at peace when I sing; it feels as if the monsters in the shadows pause to listen.” I remember her staring at me for a moment before her expression changed. It changed into something I had only seen from my mother before, one of pure love and adoration. She took me silently into the dining room, the table piled high with trinkets from antique stores and far-off places alike. 

I remember her hand digging into the pile, her eyes still on me as I gazed in wonder at the pile. Her face had lit up when her hand closed around the item she had been looking for. I had held my breath. She pulled out a small box, enclosed in her once long, thin fingers, embroidered with styles of art that reminded me of Monet’s style itself; a small key would be able to spin if turned. The cool metal had brushed my palms as she had handed it to me. I must have made a sort of face because she had laughed. I remember questioning her as to why she had given me the strange box. “What is this for?” Her laugh had died down.

 I remember the doorbell ring, a sweet ring of chimes throughout the small house. My mother had come to pick me up. As a child, I instantly ran to the door, excited to see her for the first time since the week before. I had dropped the box on the table, the trinket forgotten in my joy. My grandmother's face must have fallen, but I feel she understood. I was only a child, after all. 

The next time I saw her, we went for a walk. She paused, and so did I. She had dug through her bag previous times on our walk; I remember becoming quite frustrated, not yet understanding why she was so persistent in finding the item she was looking for. Until my eyes shone with familiarity at the box she had pulled out. “Remember this?” She had smiled, that loving one yet again, the one I haven’t seen for too long now. “You should take it this time, yes?” She had asked me, but the words had not registered in my head until the box was in my hands. 

A Sword

By: Jackson Petrie

When I was younger I loved Marvel. When I turned 6, I went to a Marvel show in Milwaukee. It was this huge arena with motorbikes. There were also Marvel stunts. We walked around and saw the characters.

I then went to the shop. I got a light-up sword and a boomerang, and my sister got a doll. When I got home I played with it all the time until it broke. So even though the sword is broken and beat up, it still holds a place in my heart.

My Bed 

By: Charlie Schaefer

My bed is so comfy and nice. I have had it since I was in 5th grade and I like it a lot more. Lots of people do not think this is so special, but it has a whole desk under it. I actually got the bed from a church. They were doing a rummage sale and we picked it up. It is a loft. It has a twin-sized bed with a big desk under it. 

I got a new desk and it is a lot nicer and I put my gaming stuff on it. I still use the bed though. I put most of my stuff on the bed desk but sometimes nothing. The reason I like it so much is that it is higher so in the winter I do not have to have a lot of blankets. This helps a lot because I don't have to have it if it is in the wash. 

Prayer Book

By: Austin Schlintz

I treasure my prayer book because when I am not having the best day I read in it. I also read it with my family at night. I like that book also because I got it from my pastor when I also got a ton of other cool things like a hymnal, and scroll with my confirmation verse on it. The prayer book also has a lot of other prayers like for example after surgery, Holy Week, and Ash Wednesday. 

I value this book because it just helps me every day and it shows me what life is all about. Most of all I value this book because I know I can never outgrow this book. It is really important because it was from my pastor. It also helps me learn what other events are like Ash Wednesday and Holy Week. It also gets me through hard times because it has a few verses about hard times. 

The Great Necklace

By: Marli Stefanski

On my first communion, my grandparents gave me a diamond cross necklace. Then 2 weeks later my grandpa died. This was one of the last things he gave me because he died from esophageal cancer. My grandpa was sick so sadly he couldn't even come outside for my communion but at least he was comfortable at his own house. We were able to Zoom call and he could watch me.

At the time obviously, it was sad that he was sick but it was also a very exciting moment to get closer to God. This necklace has a special place in my room. It even has its own box. I am so glad that my grandpa was able to give it to me before he died. I will always remember him and everything he gave me but this will be a special one.