Palmetto Middle School recently received notification that six students from the school are Dade County Reflections contest winners.

Miami-Dade County Reflections finalists for Palmetto Middle School are (seated left to right) Katie Berendsohn, Danielle Chiu and Emily Glosser. Standing (left to right) are Andrea Oranksy, Colin Toler and Amanda Press.

Reflections is a statewide PTA-PTSA program designed to honor students who excel in the arts. This year the theme was "Anything is Possible." Each winner is eligible to compete at the state level.

Dade County Reflections winners for Palmetto Middle in the literature category include Katie Berendsohn, Danielle Chiu, Emily Glosser and Andrea Oransky. Amanda Press won the art category and a music award was presented to Colin Toler.

Receiving honorable mentions were Melissa Kalisch, Maria Aguilar, Stephanie Benson and Erica Fabry.

Literature winners Glosser and Chiu received their awards for poetry. Oranksy wrote a short personal narrative and Berendsohn won for a story of fiction.

Art recipient Press' winning entry was a pencil collage, while Toler earned his music award for composing and performing a classical cello arrangement.

Students who received awards at the school level only included Jacqueline Llorente and Priscilla Vilches.

Literature and art winners had their work displayed at the Art Gallery at the Design and Architecture Senior High School. Toler has been invited to play his cello on the air at WLRN Radio.

Anything Is Possible
by Danielle Chiu

Knights in shining armor
fish in clouds above
the sea is glowing in my sink
a fellow finds true love.

Goblins, ghosts, and monsters
a snail who wins the race
haystacks made of fine silk fabric
a pretty witches face

Underwater castles
horses that can fly
fairy queens and happy teens
a yummy onion pie.

Anything is possible
it all comes from your head
just use your imagination
and remember what I said.

Anything Is Possible
by Andrea Oransky

Do you think anything is possible? I do. I think anything you want could be possible. Take me for example. When I was three months old, I started having seizures and I had to be in the hospital for a long time. Then I got better. A few years later I went to Leewood Elementary School for kindergarten, first and second grades. At that time I started to have many seizures gain. These seizures affected by memory.

I started to have trouble with read

ing and learning. That's when I went to a private school called Killian Oaks Academy because I was a bit behind the other students my age. I started there at the end of second grade and went there for third, fourth, fifth and sixth grades. In the beginning, it was hard for me, but then it got easier.
Since I was going to a private school, I didn't get to see my friends as much. I was not happy there. In sixth grade I worked really hard at my schoolwork so that I could go to a public school for seventh grade. Finally my mom and dad decided to let me go to Palmetto Middle School because they thought I worked hard enough and had caught up to other children my age.

Now I am going to a great school called Palmetto Middle School, where I am so much happier than in my other school. I am also learning so much more. I have so many more friends. All the hard work paid off. Anything is possible if you just believe in it and work hard for it.

Anything Is Possible
by Emily Glosser

I never believed in witches, or ghosts that pop out and say boo;
But I do believe in rainbows, the kind you can jump over to.
Yes, I jumped over a rainbow, many years ago;
For when I was caged in a car crash, I wasn't free to go.

My legs were crushed, and taken off, and I was always howling in pain;
Every night I would ask God, Is this my life's lane?
Then one cold, damp night I heard a voice that told the answer that's right;
It was the voice of God in which he said, "try to jump over the rainbow of life."

I trusted that voice from that day on and I was transformed into a knife;
Cutting the cage that held me back from the greatest gift, my life.
Then one day I opened the cage, it was probably a month later;
And I was free to take care of myself, instead of being catered.

So if you ever jump over a rainbow, it is not a pot of gold you will see,

Instead you will be added to the list of dreamers, the ones you will find like me.

Emily Glosser
Grade 6
Palmetto Middle School
Instructor: Mrs. Berman

Anything Is Possible
(The Nurturer)
by KATIE BERENDSOHN

It was a crisp cool morning, the first day of fall. The leaves were starting to change color. Elena was on her way to school. She had to walk a mile every day to school. The bell did not ring until 9:00 in the morning, yet she always left home at 6:30. Today she left very early and had time to look around a bit in town. It was O.K. because everybody knew everybody in her little town. As she was walking she saw Edwin Salkon. He was the school bully. Whenever he saw Elena he picked on her. More than he did with anyone else smaller than him.

She turned and started to run in the opposite direction. She hoped he didn't see her, but he did. He was running after her. She zigzagged through buildings, she pumped her legs as fast as she could, but he was hot on her tail. Then, he started to burn out. Elena could hear his footsteps getting fainter. She turned another corner, and the footsteps ceased. She looked around, then she felt a tidal wave of panic smash into her. She had never seen this place before! She started to turn, then stopped. She looked in front of her. A small old looking white wooden building sat in front of her. Attached to it, was a sign that had a hand with strange markings on it. This is what caught her eye. She was curious and could no longer help herself. She went inside. 

There were only four rooms, two on the first story and two on the second story. The second story was blocked off with a sign that said PRIVATE KEEP OUT! The room Elena was in was the sitting room. It had a dim reddish glow to it. There was a couch on her left with its back against the wall. There were also a few tables with plants on them scattered around the room. A young voice called from the other room, "Come here." That startled her. Yet she went into the other room. The room was bigger than the waiting room and was filled, wall to wall with candles of all shapes and sizes. In the center of the room was a small table which had on it one large candle with strange writing and pictures on it. There was a black girl about Elena's age sitting at the table. She was a lovely girl. She had long, silky black hair. She looked young, yet her eyes seemed to have deep wisdom and sorrowful secrets hidden behind them. What she said next shocked Elena more than anything else she had seen so far. She said, "I've been waiting for you for a long time. Now that you have come, we have no time to waste. Let us start the ceremony." "What are you talking about," cried Elena. The pretty girl told her to sit down. "My name is Salloon. I am a messenger and I bring a message to you, but instead of me telling you, you shall tell yourself. Stick out your index finger and touch the wick of the candle." Elena did so. As she was moving her hand, Salloon started to chant words that seemed like they were in a beautiful song, yet she didn't sing them. It was the words themselves that were beautiful.

As soon as Salloon stops chanting Elena touches the wick. The wick lit in a puff of fire. This startled Elena and she nearly flew back in terror. Then she stared at her hand. "Yes, Elena," said Salloon. "You did light it yourself. Now watch." The flame started to get brighter, suddenly a glittery dust flowed from the first candle and went to the next closest candle to it. The dust went on in this way until every candle in the room was burning brightly. "You see," said Salloon, "The lights are like people and the flame is like magic. People believe in it, but if the flame isn't nourished, the light goes out. If nobody takes care of them for awhile, soon all go out. And then when the last one is left it can either spread its flame once more, or go out. If it goes out there is no more flame, and no more flame to be spread and it is gone forever. We are at the last candle now, in the world of magic and dreams. If this person who nourishes the flame does not do what was meant to be done, the flame goes out. It is as simple as that." All Elena could do was stare. "Yes," Salloon went on, "you are the nourisher. You have the choice, you must make it now." Elena just stared once more, she felt like she was staring for hours, yet it was only two minutes. Elena broke the cold silence. "I will," she whispered. Suddenly there was a great flash and the room became dazzling bright. Salloon started another chant, but this time it wasn't that soothing. To Elena's amazement, she understood it and she started to cant also. They chanted over and over and louder

and louder. Elena started to feel like something was pulling her, as if all of her strength, both physically and mentally were being stretched to their fullest. It got so bright that she had to cover her eyes with her hands. It was like staring at the sun. Then she felt like she was being sucked into a giant twister that was pulling her straight up.
Elena was being pulled into the portal of Tethinmar, the island of wild magic. She felt herself falling. Then abruptly she crashed into water. When Elena swam to the top of the water after plunging down from her fall, she saw that Salloon was still with her. They swam to an island that they saw in the distance. The island was tropical. Near the beach the land appeared flat, inland there was a giant mountain.

Elena realized, when she got to shore that when they went through the portal their clothes had changed. She was wearing green pants with black leather boots, a white shirt, with a great vest. She was also wearing a leather belt which held a brilliant silver sword. Salloon was wearing a white dress that hung loose, she also wore a belt which held a sword. On her feet were brown leather shoes. Over her clothes she wore a long black, hooded cape.

Salloon said, "We made it to the island of Tethinmar, there is the mountain Sethgrith which means one mountain." Once they dried off, they decided to search for water and food. While they were searching, they stumbled upon a cave. Inside they felt an evil presence. They tried to get away from it and find their way back to the cave entrance. They ended up getting more and more lost in the great maze of a cave. Elena didn't know how, but she knew that the creature following them intended to make a move soon. She clutched the hilt of her sword, then it lunged at them with a blood curtailing cry. To her amazement she knew how to fight with the sword. The creature was fast and was hard to strike. Salloon was trying to circle around behind the creature, so that she could get a clean blow at it. When Salloon was about to strike the creature, it turned around and spat a putty like substance at her. It was as if the slime was a monster itself, it wrapped around Salloon and held her fast. She dropped her sword and was held powerless. The creature grabbed Salloon and started to run. Elena didn't know how, but she could dimly see the creature in the darkness. She followed it, it tried to lose her, but she was a good follower and kept tight in its tail. Elena follows him out of the cave. Abruptly it turns and said, "Want her bad, you does?" in a squeaky, low pitched voice. "I give whats you want bad, ifs you gives me what want me most!" "What is it," asks Elena. "Frost stone, frost stone, frost stone!", he screeched quickly. "All right, how do I get this frost stone," she asked. "Mountain top find you frost stone. Now goes quick before I eat precious that I holds." The creature took Salloon and disappeared into the wilderness. So Elena set off to the mountain to find the stone of the frost.

Without having any supplies, without having anything to use it took Elena a week to get to the top of the mountain. At the top Elena found a statue, as she passed by it spoke to her. "You cannot pass until you answer the riddle of the great Suncrut." "What is the riddle?", asked Elena. "What is a man and also a spirit? Made all including time and is time and yet timeless? That is the riddle you must answer." Suddenly it came to Elena, as clear as if she had written it herself. "God," she answered. One simple word. "Go, what you seek is in the great pool at the end of the path," the statue said. Although she was freezing cold, she felt a flood of warmth flow over her, for her burden of worry had been lifted from her heart. She retried the stone from the pool. As soon as she held the stone, she realized that this was her way home. If she gave up the stone, she would save Salloon, but they would never be able to go home. If she kept the stone, she could go home, but Salloon, her new friends, whose life was in her hands could die a terrible death. Elena's last choice was to fight the beast, both Salloon and Elena would die a terrible death, the flame of magic could burn out leaving the earth without magic. And this terrible creature would hold something of great power which it could use to go to the earth and maybe even destroy the world. Although Elena knew her chances were slim, she decided to fight the beast and go home with both the frost stone and Salloon.

Elena made her way back down the mountain. When she got to the cave she rests until she is disturbed by a feeling of great evil. The creature had returned. "Me have precious, stone have you?" he questioned threateningly. Elena didn't answer. The creature came forward, "Stone have you?" he shouted again. She still didn't answer he charged at her, rage in his eyes. "Stone have you!" he yelled, no longer as a question but a demand. As he did a thought raced through her head. The thought of a slimy shriveled up half dead creature thinking he can control whether she lives or dies as if he were God. This so enraged Elena that it set off an explosion inside of her. Without thinking, she threw her sword at the best, missed and regretted throwing it immediately. The creature swerved quickly and charged at her again. Still in her rage she screamed. Not a scream of fear, but of anger. Such an anger that exploded not only inside of her, but fire shot from her in a brilliant light. The fire was directed at the creature. The beast let out such a cry that anyone who heard it felt pain themselves. And this scream was the last it ever spoke. At the creature's death, Salloon was released and appeared in front of Elena. Together they made their way back to the shore and recited the chant that they had said when they first came. When they returned, they knew that the flames of magic would burn on for they had saved Tethinmar from the evil of the beast.