“Growing Gains”VIGNETTES

A narrative told through a variety of voices

“Growing Gains”

“Growing Gains” is a compilation of vignettes written by seventh grade students from Pine Grove Middle School. It is mirrored after Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman. In Seedfolks, Fleischman uses thirteen narrators to tell the story of the founding and first year of a community garden in the immigrant neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. This community learns, through the metaphor of the garden, that they are united, for there is always hope.

In “Growing Gains,” eight voices share their stories of lessons learned as a community at Pine Grove Middle. Through each vignette, students remember and convey how Pine Grove has truly been their “field of knowledge.” Each author, like Paul Fleischman, began their vignette with an authentic story from his/her life. They then used the creative writing process, the story’s central idea, and the knowledge of each other’s characters and stories to mold and develop new tales.

As you read this short story, discover how these eight lives merge and grow. Students, without knowing, make powerful impacts on and in each other’s lives. At the bottom of each vignette, the author chose a vegetable or flower which symbolizes his or her story. You can find these plants in Pine Grove Middle’s garden boxes.

Enjoy!

~ Ms. Zimmerman and Mrs. Bunch

Table of Contents

Page # Vignette AuthorRafe Nick GreeneDori Piper Jackson

Ralph Taylor DennisHorton Caitlin Webster

Josh Joshua TorrenceLindsey Lindsey TaylorKason Kason BondsVynRé RéVyn Smothers

Rafe JohnsonHave you ever had one of those days when you’re in the zone, you’re

just on the ball, and then you ran over a pothole on your road or stardom.

That happened to me one day and it went over like a turd in a punch bowl.

Oh by the way my name is Rafe Johnson and I’m just your average middle

school kid. Going to school day after day giving you useless topics to study

about like the War of 1812, the Revolutionary War and after that you get

quizzes, chapter reviews, tests, essays. Well you might not think that those

topics are stupid and useless but you don’t know a thing about me. Well

anyway let’s get back to the real story.

So I’m walking into world cultures (P.S. the teacher here is the pits. His

name is Mr. Griffin) and I go over to my seat and start to pull out my

homework when Mr. Griffin tells everybody to pass in our homework. I give

him mine and he walks over to his desk to grade them. He tells everybody to

work on some useless worksheet he gave us. I just sit there and wait until

the mod is over. Then Griffin calls me over to his desk. I go over to his desk

and is blabbering to me about my homework. But I tell him that I got all the

answers right. But he said that he couldn’t read my hand writing. The whole

class is snickering and giggling behind me. Seriously, you couldn’t have took

me outside to chew me out big time. I take the paper from him. As I walk

back to my seat, he tells me to hand it over tomorrow redone and neat. Then

he tells everybody to hand in their worksheet. I give it to him and tells me

that I got a lunch detention tomorrow at lunch.

When the day is over, I head home and into the front door. My uncle is

already waiting for me at the front door. He takes me upstairs to his room

and chews me out big time. He yells at me about how bad I’m doing in world

cultures; my grade, the amount of missing work, and my lunch detention.

Then he tells me that I got to shape up if I want to end up into a good college

and job. That night I think about what my uncle said earlier. He’s right

though. I really do need to straighten up or else I’m in a whole lot of trouble

when I get out there in the real world.

The next day at lunch I go over to the desk facing the wall at the

cafeteria. I just about to eat when I hear a familiar voice right next to me. It

was Horton. He asked me what I did to get lunch detention. I told him that I

didn’t do my work. I asked him what he did to get in trouble and he said that

he was talking in art class. We sat there quiet for a long time until I said

something. I told him that we need to shape up before we got a whole lot of

trouble when we get out of school. He thought about it for a long time. I was

about to say something else to break the dull silence until I got caught by

one of the teachers.

The next semester my grades jumped up a mile. Even though my

grades were good in Mr. Griffin’s class, I don’t think he still likes me. But it

doesn’t matter because I got a whole different future ahead of me.

Nick Greene

dreamatico.com

Apple. Apples are brimming with symbolic meanings and mythic associations. In China they represent peace, and apple blossoms are a symbol of women's beauty. In other traditions, they can signify wisdom, joy, fertility, and youthfulness.

http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Fi-Go/Fruit-in-Mythology.html

Dori

My name is Dori. I am a 13 year old girl that goes to Pine Grove Middle. One day,

when I was in sixth grade, I got onto the bus with my sister, Tracey, and sat down in

the middle seat where I usually sit alone, reading a book. That day, however, the

people behind me were being more obnoxious and loud than usual. As you could

imagine, it is incredibly hard to focus on what you’re doing when all you hear is the

sound of annoying laughs and irritating yelling. I still don’t understand why they

were yelling, they were sitting so close next to each other. They were also talking

about John and Kathleen since they had not yet gotten onto the bus. I looked at

Tracey and we rolled our eyes, an activity we do often. At the next stop, I saw Carly

eagerly hop onto the bus. Behind her was a boy named Rafe. Rafe always picked on

Carly. Behind Rafe was John. John dropped his book, so Carly stopped to help pick it

up. This angered Rafe, so he pushed Carly out of the way and impatiently stepped

around her to his seat. Some of the kids behind me, like Kathleen, Rachael, and

Robert, laughed and teased her. Robert was a very dumb ignorant person and often

made me angry and frustrated, but so did eighty percent of the people that went to

my school. When John and Kathleen got into their seats with Rachael and Robert,

they talked to them like nothing was wrong, even though they were just talking

about them. Wow, if only I was as lucky as they are, with such good friends, I

thought to myself sarcastically as I laughed. When Carly got up she walked passed

my seat. But instead of sitting there reading, I motioned for her to come into the

seat with me. She sobbed as I tried to calm her down. We talked and made jokes

who and Rachael talking about Kathleen and le time. When we got off the bus, I

walked to class with her. On my way I heard Robert and Rachael gossiping again.

That day I learned that friendship was rare and valuable, and you shouldn’t trust

just anyone. However, I felt like Carly was a good friend and would never betray me.

I felt true friendship that day. I knew if I felt the feeling that feeling again I should

trust them and return to them the friendship they would give to me.

http://www.almanac.com/plant/african-violets

African Violet

The African Violet grows through early spring to fall. The flower represents

devotion and loyalty. This shows the story of Carly and Doris because they are loyal

to each other’s friendship, even though others around them are setting bad

examples of friendship. They treat each other’s friendship as you have to treat the

flower, with care and kindness.

Ralph

When I was in school today my teacher, Ms. Holland, called me to the front of

the room and handed me a pass during homeroom. The pass was for me to

go to notebook doctors, which is where I help other students organize their

binders. On the way to notebook doctors, I saw my friend VyñRe. When we

all got there we received patients and went to our spots in the room and

started to organize binders. VyñRe was talking to her patient, Marvin and

Marvin was mad because she didn’t like how VyñRe was organizing her

papers. I had to talk to Marvin and she told me that she didn’t want her

papers organized that way. I continued to try and calm Marvin down,

because VyñRe is very timid. I reassured her that her papers would not be

like that in her binder and that those were the steps Ms. Jaqueline told us to

use. Marvin was still mad and being rude, she continuously told VyñRe to

shut up and to get off of her things. I took Marvin outside the room into the

hallway and I told her that she needed to calm down and that her papers

would be organized well so she could find everything easily. She told me to

shut up so I got Ms. Jaqueline. She told Marvin to go to the office and I had to

walk her up. When I got back VyñRe was upset and I helped her finish

organizing Marvin’s things then I walked her back to class.

Geraniums represent true friendship. This connects with my story because I help VyñRe

through her issues and stood up for her.

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/geranium/geranium-care.htm

HortonThe bell had just rung and the class was taking their seats. I was sitting at the table with closest

friends: Roberto, Jackson, Sunny, Anna, Debbie, Holly and Ralph. We are a very talkative table.

Our teacher Mr. Zim was an extremely strict teacher and always yelled at us! Once we all got

settled and class was started, Mr. Zim began to show us how to paint the clay pot the class was

beginning to make. The class began to get very loud and Mr. Zim was furious. He screamed at

the class and began giving out detentions. Ralph and I started to play around in the paint and

smeared it on our hands. Also, we began to sing at the top of our lungs and talk very loud. Mr.

Zim was annoyed at us and gave us a warning not to disobey the classroom rules. We just kept

talking and painting our hands. Unfortunately, Mr. Zim was so mad at us that he gave both of

us lunch detentions for two weeks for our bad behavior. Ralph and I were so upset, so we tried

to talk him out of it, but he followed through with his punishment. He explained that we should

learn our lesson and follow the rules of the classroom. We soon realized that it was our fault

and we deserved the

punishment that The white Chrysanthemum goes along with my vignette because it symbolizes truth. In my vignette Ralph and I told Mr. Zim the truth about disobeying the rules of the classroom.

was given to us. The class had begun to settle down after they saw what the punishment was.

So, the lesson we learned was, follow the classroom rules or expect the punishment.

JoshIt was dark behind the stage in the cafeteria. I kept pacing, left and

right, scanning my script with frantic eyes. It was the opening night of the

school play, and I was playing the lead role, Danny Zuko. I was in almost

every scene, with tons of lines and blocking that was memorized. Although I

knew my part, my lines, and my blocking, I was so fearful that I would blank

out on stage, where it really mattered. I whispered my lines to myself, over

and over again, making them impossible to forget. The dress rehearsal was

awful, I thought to myself. What if tonight was the same way! I started to

take deep, calm breaths. I couldn’t afford to be negative right now; this was

definitely not the time. All I could do to make this play a success is to

concentrate, to focus on the tasks at hand. The show was already sold out, a

first in Pine Grove. I could hear the audience talking, muffled voices

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chrysanthemum_aka_white_mums.jpg

jumbled all together, resulting in a joyous cacophony. This was my time to

shine.

“Josh, come over here. I need some moral support.” said my friend,

Jolene. She played the mean old principal at Rydell High, and she had long

monologues to memorize. Jolene always got nervous about things like this,

so I needed to be as calm and amiable as possible in order for me to help

her. I walked over to Jolene.

“Hey, are you nervous for tonight?” She looked at me in a

condescending, sarcastic way.

“What do you think Josh! I have all of these monologues to say up on

stage, so of course I’m nervous. How about you?” I contemplated on what to

reply.

“Yeah, pretty much. My heart is beating really fast and I can barely

think straight. I think that’s pretty much everyone here.” Jolene nodded in

agreement.

“Hey guys!” whispered my other friend Jason. He played Sonny in the

play. “So, you guys nervous?” I looked at Jolene and she looked back at me.

We started laughing.

“You just missed us talking about how nervous we are. Are you?” I

said. Jason put his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket.

“Not really. I’ve done this thing before, so I think I have this.”

Although he said he wasn’t nervous, I could see in his eyes that he was

terrified. Who wasn’t? I decided to walk over to Diana to see how she was

doing. She played Sandy, the other lead, and she was one of my closest

friends in the play. She was pacing and staring at her script, mouthing lines.

I smiled, thinking about how I was doing the same thing a few minutes

earlier.

“Hey, so, how’re you holding up?” Diana didn’t look up from her

script. It took her a few moments to respond.

“How do you think Josh? I’m so nervous to go on stage, it’s not even

funny.” She said all of this without even looking up from her script.

I knew that I could offer no help for Diana. When she got this way, it

was best to leave her alone for a while so she could sort it out herself. I

went back to where I had put my script and read over the hardest scene I

had in the play again. It was the scene where Danny and Sandy were at the

drive-in-movies, and I always had trouble with it, especially while first

learning it in blocking. It was because my solo came right afterwards, and it

was a very hard solo. I started to get really nervous again this time, and I

tried to breathe in deeply, but that wasn’t working anymore. That was when

I saw Mr. Ford, one of the directors of the school play. I decided I needed to

talk to him about how nervous I was. I couldn’t afford to mess up on stage,

so maybe he had some pointers for me to not get so nervous.

“Mr. Ford, can I ask you a question?” I said to him as I walked over.

“What do you need, Josh?” he said nervously. He was probably just as

nervous as the rest of the cast; it was his show after all.

“How do you control your nerves before going on stage? I’m really

anxious, not about going on stage, but about messing up and embarrassing

myself.” Of all the things Mr. Ford could do, he just laughed nonchalantly.

“You of all people shouldn’t be the least bit worried. You’re a triple

threat; you can act, dance, and sing. We chose you to be the lead for a

reason Josh.”

“Thank you, but I’m still nervous, everyone gets nervous.” He looked

back at me with slight amusement in his eyes.

“Nerves are good for you Josh. Once you get anxious, then adrenaline

kicks in and you’ll get more energy. Once you get the energy, nothing’s

gonna stop you from ruling that stage.” I thanked Mr. Ford and walked

away since I knew he was busy talking with the tech crew.

I wanted to be alone for a while, and I needed to go to a separate

hallway for my first scene. As I was walking down the hallway, alone,

without anyone to talk to, I thought about how much fun the play would be,

and other positive thoughts in my head. Negativity wasn’t an option

anymore; I needed to be as optimistic as possible in order to succeed. But I

kept thinking that awful thought at the back of my head; there was a

looming, undeniable possibility that I would fail. It was my first time acting

before, my first time in a real school play. So many things could happen

when I go up on stage. I could be mediocre, a revelation, or a failure. As I

was walking down the hallway, I saw my close friend Dori. She had said she

was coming to the play that day, and I was so relieved to see her.

“Dori, you actually came!” Dori looked up from the water fountain.

“Of course I came, I said I would, didn’t I?” I had gotten used to this

sarcastic, submissive personality that was Dori. It was actually pretty funny

after I accustomed to it.

“Thanks for coming. I needed some support for this because I am so

nervous.” I said.

“Aren’t, like, fifty people from your family coming tonight? It’s not like

you need more support; half of your family is here.”

“Yeah, but still. I’m really nervous so I need all the support I can get.”

Before she could respond, the lights dimmed in the cafeteria, and it was

time for the play to start.

“I gotta go find my seat. Good luck, Josh.” When Dori left I was alone.

I had to deal with this unshakable apprehension alone.

It’s like time was obsolete when I’m nervous. In no time at all it was

my time to enter the stage. I was almost late! But thankfully, it was my only

mistake that night. The rest of the play was smooth sailing. At the end at

final bow, the play was so good we got a standing ovation. My family was

impressed and so was the rest of the audience at our ability to act as well as

we did. Loch Raven High also did Grease that year, and they came up to the

cast and asked to take pictures because we did such a good job. I was

really a revelation, not a failure, or a mediocre wannabe. I finally realized

what I wanted to do! I wanted to act, to be on stage or on film. My ambition

soared high that night, and I understood that my dream of becoming an

actor needed to be achieved.

Lindsey

I woke up that warm June morning feeling excited that the day had

finally come. I had spent that last month preparing for my audition for

Peabody Chorus. I spend all school day excited and unfocused wondering

what would happen. Afterward, I felt nervous as my mom drove me to the

audition. When we got there we were called in alphabetically by last name,

so when the lady started calling "S", I knew I was soon. When my name is

called, I stand up nervously, audition, and hope for the best.

A forget-me-not signifies that once you see me on stage, on film, or on television you won’t forget me easily. The name “forget-me-not” is derived from a German folk-tale about how God named the flower. The flower cried out “Forget me not, Father.” So God decided that would be the flower’s name.

http://epicsoftware.com/index.php/plant_seeds/

One week later, a letter in the mail comes addressed to me from

Peabody. A rush of excitement fills my body as I rip open the envelope to

read the following, "Congratulations, Lindsey Taylor, you have been accepted

into the Peabody Children's Chorus."

Three months later Peabody starts as well as the new school year. At

school I realize that I can use my skills in chorus class. Then I met Ralph

during class. Ralph is friendly so we started talking and I found out that

Ralph loves music as well. During class we learned things that I didn't even

learn at Peabody. As the year went, we built our skills and applied them to

the winter concert. We would help each other in class by practicing rhythms

and beats. Now as the year goes on, we apply all of our skills to class in

order to do the best work possible.

The marigold is associated with the sun - being vibrant yellow and gold in color. The marigold is also called the “herb of the sun”, representing passion and even creativity. The marigold is

associated to me because I am creative and passionate about music.

KasonI`m Kason I was in grade 6, I was about to leave the class room when my science teacher, Ms.Marvin,

asked if I could help wipe the boards, clean the desks, and stack the chairs. I said yes and I came after

school I wiped all the boards including the chalk boards and the word of the day boards. I also clean the

desk and stacked the chairs. She thanked me with some TRACS and I left. I liked the feeling of helping

people so I came the next day to help her but I couldn’t because she didn’t go to school that day. So I

wondered around asking my teachers if they needed any help after school.

I found a teacher Mr.han, He asked if I could wash all the wipe boards so I did and I washed them with

water just to be nice. He thanked me and I asked does he know anyone who needs help, He said the

math teacher, Mrs.Kimm, needed help. So I went to the math teacher and asked if she needed me to do

anything. She started to shake her head no but then I gave her some ideas, I said I would stack the

chairs, wash the boards, gather papers, or wash the desks. She answered no not that but I do need

someone to help me rearrange the books for next year. So I did then left.

The next morning, I went to the notebook doctor 'cause' when I thought about it I wasn't very organized

myself. They cleaned my notebook and it was very disorganized. All my papers were in the wrong places.

This is where I met my good friend, Ralph, who helped me not only helped become organized she also

helped me stay organized.

The aloe Vera plant is very helpful by cleaning the air and helping cope with a

burn.

VyñRéI was in notebook doctors and it was kinda cool. I mean, aside from the fact I had to help and

talk to complete strangers. I got to help people. I liked to help because it gave me a really good feeling.

And it was pretty simple, really. You talk to the people, help them clean out their binders and organize

it, and go on about the rest of your school day until the next time you went for notebook doctors.

Notebook doctors was also like an experience for me 1. to meet new people which I love and 2. help

others. Then one day, there was this person and they had an attitude towards me and I was just trying

to help. 'Cause I mean, why go to notebook doctors if you don't want to be helped by someone.

Anyway, Ralph was there, and helped me out with the person and we became friends. Later that day, I

thought about the fact that Ralph wasn't always gonna be there to help me out, so I needed to learn to

stand up for myself. Sometime after that incident, some people were talking about me and my friends,

so I respectfully told them that they needed to back off and shut their faces and that they shouldn't talk

about me and my friends because I don't go around talking about them and their friends. I know that

wasn't as respectful as I made it out to be but they sure needed someone to tell them that and they're

luck to have someone as nice as I am to be the "someone" them. I liked being that someone. It felt good.

I chose the Peruvian lily because it symbolizes friendship, devotion, love, and support. This ties into my vignette because Ralph helped me and I supported and helped others and I was patient with the notebook doctor patients.