The Panther Prints

December Poetry By Juliette  Cold sting of winter air Bites with frozen jaws at the Warmth of our small toes Made it out of clay And when it’s dry and ready Dreidel I shall play We wake up to that Lovely smell of Christmas pine And the early fog Snow fades beneath feet Snowflakes glide to eyelashes Cocoa burns young tongues Crisp rips of paper Bows torn off, smiles then brighten Makes a happy mess My dry, old hands soothe My very chapped lips that sting Looking for chapstick Holidays are done Appreciative of my gifts Leaving family  Gg

Answers to November Riddles 1. There are five children 2. A rainbow 3. Loneliness 4. An individual  5. A stapler December Riddles 1. What’s useless to one but priceless to two, can create and destroy but can never be touched? 2. What never stops progressing until the day you die? 3. What appears once in a minute, twice in a millennium, but never in a hundred years? 4. Let me breathe and I will thrive, give me a drink and I will die. What am I? 5. I send waves but not of water, can instate any kind of emotion, sit in your pocket or in your car. What am I?

November Riddles By Zidane Answers to October Riddles 1. His own nose 2.  Stop imagining 3. There are two “me”s. 4. He is going by B.C. years 5. Nothing This Month’s Riddles 1. Mary has four daughters, and each daughter has a brother. How many children are there? 2. What’s red, blue, yellow and green, but no one can touch it, not even the queen? 3. What’s always with one but never with two, and can fill an entire room? 4. What is something that all people share, but never fits in with a group? 5. With sharp fangs I lie in wait, dolling over bloodless prey, eternally enjoying in a single bite. What am I?

October Riddles  By: Zidane 1. What does the greatest detective in the world always overlook? 2.  Imagine you are surrounded by sharks in a sinking boat with nothing to help you. How do you get out? 3. Can you tell me me what's wrong with this sentence? 4. A man is 25 in 1985, but 15 in 1995. How is this possible? 5. What is everywhere, but nowhere at once?

Halloween By: Angela Ramirez There are many reasons to celebrate halloween; the haunted mansions, old witches, the funny or scary costumes, pumpkin carvings,  and the joy of going trick-or-treating and getting a lot of candy, kids at each house demanding sweets, snacks, and small gifts. Halloween is a widely celebrated tradition amongst a lot of Americans. In the beginning of October you start seeing very decorated houses, and stores become full of candy ready, for customers to buy. Halloween it the biggest celebration that sells the most candy in the United States, and an enjoyed day filled with mystery, magic, and superstition. Halloween is celebrated on October 31, and it has its roots in the ancient, pre Christian-Celtic festival of Samhain. They believed that putting wine and food outside their doors would keep the bad spirits away from them. Halloween came to America when European immigrants arrived there, bringing their customs with them. Taking from the Irish and Eng...

(Answers at the bottom ⬇️) 1. Who's your favorite journalist? ;) Zidane Juliette Odessa (Just kidding. Next....) 2. Who is the leader of the Sith from episode IV to episode VI? Darth Vader Darth Sidious Darth Bane Jar Jar Binks 3. Who is the other Force-sensitive besides Luky Skywalker? Han Solo R2-D2 Princess Leia C3-P0 4. Which character is not Force sensitive, yet wields lightsabers? Anakin Skywalker General Grievous

Freedom at a Cost With gallant demeanors and flags raised With want of peace, but death standing just at bay With conflict arisen in the streets Tear-heavy eyes begin to leak For war is something that is spoken of As if it is something that us humans love As if it is something that we just do As if it is something we want to Have in our society Have over us like a black cloud Hanging over our heads Making a dark shroud But there are men and women who understand That war is not so plain and bland War means death Death for you Death for your family Death for your enemies For your friends, too Too late, though, The flags have been raised The guns have been brandished And for a moment, you just gaze For a moment, your opponents you study, Appraise For a moment, that lasts a millennia You muster your strength, Your love Your hate Love for the ideals you protect And for the hate of black slaves And as around you the shouting starts The screaming begins Sc...

       Memorial Day is a holiday, celebrated by Americans. It honors the millions of people that died while serving in their military. It was originally called, “Decoration Day.” People started celebrating their veterans in the years following the Civil War, although it didn't become an official holiday until 1971. People honor their lovers ones that passed away by visiting cemeteries where loved ones are buried, memorials, family events, and participate in parades.       For many years, Americans celebrated Memorial Day on May 30, but in 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. This act accustomed people to celebrate on the last Monday of May, so that federal employees could enjoy a three-day weekend. This took effect in 1971.     Learning about this holiday inspired me to write this short story for you. We Will Miss You         The year is 1863, we live in Virginia. Everything is chaos because Dad’s ...

50-50 Day is an international day discussing what it’s going to take to get to 50/50 between men and women in all aspects of society. 50-50 Day was started by my mom, Tiffany Shlain. 50-50 Day was at first just a twenty minute film, 50/50, on the past, present and future of women in power. It was released just weeks before the election, meant to welcome in the 1st female president of the US. However, after unexpected results in the 2016 presidential telection Shlain realized that this conversation was more important than ever… it made the film even more potent. Shlain decided to create 50-50 Day. Shlain had worked with this model previously with Character Day, which was shown at schools across the world including Mill Valley Middle School. 50-50 Day, which was on May 10th, had worldwide screenings of the film all over the world along with global discussion on gender equality as well as interviews with Rosie Rios, former Treasurer of the United States, Dolores Huerta, activist, Eva Lon...

On April 19th, Wednesday, Mill Valley Middle School welcomed a special guest: Chelsea Clinton. She was here to speak about her new book: It’s Your World. A 8th grader, Zara, introduced Ms. Clinton. Following, twenty students, a combination of 6th, 7th and 8th graders asked Ms. Clinton questions. These questions ranged from what it was like growing up in the White House, to advice, to homophobia in the current administration, to how we can create social change. Ms. Clinton answered honestly and warmly. She discussed her proudest achievements, being a mother, running the Clinton foundation, why she wrote her book and criticism she faces in the public eye. She told us about her role model, her grandmother, who surpassed the odds against her. “If you are blessed, it is your duty to extend the circle of blessings.” “Take serious advice from serious people seriously and unserious advice from unserious people unseriously” “Life is not about what happens to you, but about what you do wit...

Answers to March Riddles 1. The maid 2. They didn't say where he died 3. The poison was in the ice 4. A broom This Month's Riddles 1. What's round yet flat, scarlet yet orange, can be rolled up, ripped up, yet still tastes the same? 2. What's red or green, sweet or sour, has a seed yet grows on trees? 3. Where do you learn but forget, smile and cry, make friends, break trust, deceive and grow in lust? 4. What clicks, puts words onto screens, creates cartoon emotions and rights its own wrongs?

In celebration of national poetry month (April), here is a slam poem. Slam Poetry is a type of competition where people read their poems without props, costumes, or music. This is a poem about body shaming. And now, without further ado I present to you, "You won't Understand." You Won't Understand By Juliette             Why. Why do we show them that this is the way? We teach the wrong, when we should be teaching the right Why do we tell them to live like this? It's gotten to a point, that's not human anymore But the problem isn't in what we say, It's what we see and show. Somehow, someone, somewhere said that this is the ideal, And this is attractive, But it blew up and became radioactive. Why do we starve ourselves to the point of death? Skipping meals to get a decent photograph Why do we spend money to look like the ones that are ruining themselves? Earning just to be spending, doesn't make sense Why do we want to be the...

Attraction Two electrons - Tunnel through it all Refusing the law For something so small. Passion A candle slowly melting Going away Even as I just lit it It isn’t going to stay

Dear Students of MVMS, In light of the recent events at Mill Valley Middle School involving the writing of defamatory symbols there have been many discussions condemning this incident. Although, I do not believe these students acted with the malicious intentions that the symbols represent, but it is essential to realize there are many people out in the world that do. This incident forces us to recognize that morality on a whole, is relative. Our society, our culture constructs the basis of our morality and our family and history fill in the blanks. In our society, we are given many liberties in what we choose to believe as guaranteed  in our Constitution: freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of religion. With these freedoms, we must tolerate many opposing points of view and many different views on what is right and what is wrong. We learn from our schools, parents, and friends what is good and bad, and it is usually not a conscious decision. For example, imagine a ki...

    Overall, the Grammy’s were actually pretty entertaining. The performance with A Tribe Called Quest and Anderson .Paak were great and very relevant because of the themes of resistance in their music. Anderson .Paak was definitely a good choice to pair with the old-school sound of A Tribe Called Quest. One of my few problems was how many awards Adele won. “Hello” was good, great even, but 23 as an album was definitely not better than Views or Formation. Everybody and their mom listened to Views and Formation which empowered women everywhere to stand up for themselves. Even Adele wanted Beyonce to win the award for best album of the year. I was also very disappointed that Frank Ocean didn’t submit his album Blonde, because, for me that was the best album of the year and definitely in my top 5 of all time.     Some of my favorite moments in the Grammy’s were when James Corden started rapping and got a bit political, Schoolboy Q was shown wearing a bright pink hoodie...

I’m Sorry Words fall from my mouth in jest Like daggers with no purpose Points sharp, intentions dull Yet they find your heart Dead on I laugh, not seeing, not looking At the blood drowning your chest At your glassy eyes You choke, tugging at the dagger Wedged deep And I notice I blubber on my apologies pushing My heel into the wound Did I see you as they dropped from my red hands? Did I see you when I let them fall? I did not mean it My conscience is made of angel feathers I never meant to harm you, precious you My actions are blistering Pressed into coals to feed the fire My apologies do not heal your punctured heart or revive your glassy eyes Mountainous fields of misunderstanding Echo between us as I cradle Your heart And grasp your silent, cold hands for forgiveness.

Jicama Heist  Jicama, oh jicama wherefore art thou jicama? Deny thy orange and refuse thy tray And I swear, my love, they will serve you on every hot lunch day. And so, our story begins with the purge for jicama and the everlasting hunger for it. There we were, eating our drab cheddar bunnies and cardboard pizza slices, longing for the juicy, crunch of jicama, And then we saw it, the beautiful, pure white jicama. So we double knotted our shoelaces and got in our stances, ready to make the run. “GO, GO, GO, GO, GO!!!!” Running up to the hot lunch window, crouching so that the lunch lady can't see us, reaching our arms up into the bins, and snatching the beautiful vegetable, and making a run for it. Panting, we make it back to the classroom and revel in our newly won prize, Chanting our happy poem, “Jicama, oh jicama wherefore art thou jicama? Deny thy orange and refuse thy tray And I swear, my love, they will serve you on every hot lunch day!” Know it by heart, an...

A Still World By: Carly Deep ocean obis  Crashed jello waves stop to watch The flowers dance in the tall grass  On a simple day The kids went out to play Running barefoot on The dusty savanna Dancing on the farm A girl listens to the music  Made by the world The geese flapping in the sky The grass swayed The children's feet put the beat in motion As she listened she heard wild horses Running through the savanna All put together with the Bubbles of the fish Popping at the surface of the oceans Waves soared through the beat Crashing on the sand like a symbol It was a beautiful piece of art Being painted on a rainy day as The water dripped down the window In the forest the dew slipped off  The smallest of grass Making the pinging vibration of the world As it Circulated in the dancing girl's blood and She danced wildly through the world’s deepest peaks and tallest canyons.  Singing to the beat was the most ...

Answers for January: 1. A catcher and an umpire 2. The letter E 3. A seat belt 4. A desk This month's riddles: 1. A rich man was found murdered on a Sunday morning. There were four suspects, each of them claiming to do something when the murder happened: The gardener claimed to be picking vegetables. The cook claimed to be making breakfast. The maid claimed to be picking up the post. The butler claimed to be dusting the shelves. Who murdered the rich man? 2. A woman killed her husband, leaving NO TRACES OR EVIDENCE that she did the crime. Then, she dumped her husband onto the ground and drove home. Later that night, she got a call from the police saying that her husband was murdered. She drove straight to where she murdered her husband and was arrested on the spot. How did the police know she was the murderer? 3. Two women were having lunch together. They each ordered the same drink: Iced tea with extra ice. One of them drank five iced teas extremely fast, and...

What do you think flash fiction means? Lightning fiction maybe, short, over in a flash… Flash fiction is another form of storytelling, an intense burst of story over in 150 words. This form of story unlike any other, because the story starts in the middle, the end occurs in the middle and then there is the afterwards to help the reader process. This process is challenging, but fun and wildly creative. They are usually inspired by curious photos. Flash fiction pieces are meant to be so intense that you can only read a couple at a time. Here is an example of one of my own flash fiction pieces: [The photo: two kids jumping off a rock; you can’t see the ground beneath them; they swathed in their silhouettes. ] The Flight She was flying. Frozen screams languished, but she only heard freedom. The concern of death was inconsequential. The boy had jumped too, he was going to die, but it was his fault for not understanding her longing for flight, the yearning for wind in her ears. Th...

A man runs from straight some distance, turns left and runs the same distance, turns left and runs the same distance again, turns left and runs the same distance once more and ends up back home. When he comes back home there are two masked men standing there. Who are they? I am in the beginning and the end, at the end of space and time, and essential to creation. What am I? I am long and can be any color, slip across your chest, and fit perfectly into a square hole. What am I?

Ode To Salt By Zidane (For Juliette) During science class You dry up the room with salt The flow never ends

We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service: Hype or Hot By Cal     The long-awaited album by A Tribe Called Quest, We Got it From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, came 18 years after their last release: The Love Movement. It was released on November 11, 2016 by Epic Records; 8 months after one member, Phife Dawg, passed away. The album features appearances from an eclectic mix of artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Jack White, Elton John, and Kanye West. The reason for the delay is relationship issues between the group. It’s their second record ever to reach the Billboard 200 and received wide critical acclaim. The title was created by Phife Dawg before he died and even though Tribe doesn't understand the meaning they kept it in place to honor Phife.     My favorite track off We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service is “Dis Generation” which features Busta Rhymes. My favorite line is “Talk to Joey, Earl, Kendrick, and Cole, gatekeepers of flow. They are e...

4 Your Eyez Only: Hype or Hot By Cal On December 9, the long-awaited 4 Your Eyez Only by rapper J. Cole dropped. It was dropped exactly two years after Forest Hills Drive, his most recent album. It is J. Cole’s 3rd ever studio-produced album and the hype surrounding it was crazy. I’m here to compare it to his other albums Born Sinner and 2014 Forest Hills Drive and to give my thoughts on whether the hype was deserved. 4 Your Eyez Only touches on many relevant topics such as mass incarceration and drug abuse. He also talks about his daughter, Nina, and what he hopes she will do. My two favorite songs off of Eyez are “Immortal” and “Neighbors”. Immortal is about how legends live on far after they've died and sometimes even surpass legends that are alive. He references real legends such as Tupac and also fictional ones such as Tony Montana. “Neighbors” is a song about current signifigant issues such as stereotypes and racism. If I had to put J. Cole’s three studio albums in order ...

Show me what democracy looks like!     This: millions of men and women of all ages across the world peacefully protesting for what they believe in, is what democracy looks like. This past weekend I along with many others took the streets. On Thursday afternoon I boarded a plane with my dad, mom and sister to the capital of our country: Washington DC. I wore a shirt with suffragette emblazoned on it. On the plane, many people wore pink pointed hats in defiance.     It was my first time in the capital. Wide eyed, I gaped at the Washington Monument swathed in night. We pulled up at the Watergate Hotel, the infamous hotel where the Nixon scandal occurred. But this hotel has embraced the scandal, making Nixon’s resignation speech what it plays when you’re on hold. The next morning I awoke at noon, thoroughly jet lagged. We turned on the TV in time for Trump’s inauguration speech. It felt surreal to be in the same city as him and I watched bewildered as he proceeded to i...