My favorite story of magic, betrayal, and true love is The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. The book feels like home to me with its yellowing pages and creased spine, which is why I'm so fond of it. The School for Good and Evil is about two young girls from a small village who end up at a school for fairy-tale characters. The two girls, Sophie and Agatha, are different in every way. Sophie values her appearance very much and dreams of becoming a princess, while Agatha wears baggy black clothing and wants to live with her mother. Despite their differences, the two are best friends. The relationship between the characters is similar to the one I have with my younger sister. Sophie and Agatha are torn from each other many times, but the strength of their friendship always reunites them. This brings me great comfort because whenever my little sister and I are angry with each other, I can remind myself that we can fix any problem together, just like the characters in the book. The character I relate to the most in this book is Agatha, and I relate to her emotional growth throughout the story. Agatha starts as a rather hateful and pessimistic character and later learns to appreciate the beauties of friendship and self-love. I used to have a grim outlook on my life, but over the past few months, I have been trying to find joy in the small moments of my life, like spotting a yellow butterfly on my morning run. I've loved The School for Good and Evil for many years. I've read it countless times, and I find the familiar characters are a great comfort for me. I think having a comfort book is valuable for everyone.

For a long time, I thought I had to be someone I wasn't to be able to be happy. I was under the belief that if I fit in with the "cool" groups of people, then I would feel contented. Thankfully, I realized that there were other ways to feel joy without making myself uncomfortable. Much of my happiness comes from simple pleasures, like talking with my sister every night and bonding with my pet guinea pigs. My little sister is two years and one day younger than me, and she is the most energetic person I know. Every night before she goes to sleep, she comes and talks to me about her day and the chaos of middle school. No matter how tired I am, listening to her stories always makes me smile. Sometimes our conversations are about serious problems she faces, and in that case, I do everything I can to help her out. One night she came into my room and told me that she didn't feel as pretty as other girls, and after reassuring her that she was beautiful, we loudly sang the song "What Makes You Beautiful" until she felt cheerful again. The routine of our night-time conversations is a constant that I can depend on to make me feel joyful. Walking into the living room after a long day and seeing my two guinea pigs, Leon and Ezra, run out of their tiny houses to greet me brings me much happiness. When I first got Leon and Ezra, they were shy and would rarely exit their homes when I was in the room. Gaining the trust of these small animals is such a magical feeling. By focusing on the smaller joys of my life, I can feel content as I go about my day.

Jonathan Van Ness said that "Self-care is the non-negotiable. That’s the thing that you have to do". I practice self-care by setting up times to be alone and maintaining healthy relationships with my friends and family. I am very busy with sports and schoolwork, so I set aside time to be alone in my schedule. Taking time by myself allows me to step back and reflect on my feelings, which can help me find ways to feel more joy. An example of this was when I realized that karate made me happy I made it a priority to go to extra karate classes. Alone time also lets me be creative. Spending time alone allows me to focus on hobbies like drawing, making jewelry, and crocheting. The effect of taking time for myself is that I feel calmer when I go about my life. Maintaining healthy relationships with my friends is another way I practice self-care. I do this by communicating my feelings and setting boundaries. Recently, I had a friend who was becoming very emotionally draining for me. She would only talk to me about her problems, and I would always listen because I wanted to be a good friend. It got to the point where I would feel overwhelming worry and anxiety when I was around her. I told her how I was feeling and asked her to inquire if I was in a good mental space to listen about her problems before she would start venting to me. Setting this boundary helped me feel better, and it helped our friendship grow even closer! In conclusion, setting up times to be alone and maintaining healthy relationships with the people I love are how I practice self-care. These actions impact my everyday life by helping me feel serene and joyful.

It's easy to find happiness if you look for it. From laughing at a funny joke to eating a bowl of ramen, merriment is all around me. Practicing karate, learning about nature, and cooking with my family are all activities that make me happy. I have been practicing Seido Karate for eight years, and I have a junior shodan black belt. Karate makes me happy because I spend time with people I love, and I'm always learning something new. When I took my black belt test, I took it with three other students of the same rank. The four of us have grown up going to karate lessons together, and it was delightful to test with them. Karate was virtual for a while because of COVID-19, but now we're training back in person. Being in the dojo again allows me to learn new skills, like using a bo staff! Just like karate, learning about nature also makes me happy. I love spending time in nature, and my favorite part is learning about all of the wildlife. I have always been interested in entomology, the study of bugs. In elementary school, I would spend recess looking for beetles and spiders! Recently, pinning butterflies and learning about their anatomy have made me happy. Looking at their vibrant colors and delicate wings brings me joy. Everyone in my family is busy with work and school. That is why cooking meals with them makes me smile. We work together to cook a delicious meal, and we also catch up with each other and have fun at the same time. We love to play music and sing together while we cook. Practicing karate, learning about nature, and cooking with my family make me happy. All I need to be joyful is the world around me!

I've loved bugs since I was little. I would catch spiders and millipedes during elementary school recess. In my free time, I would learn about insect life cycles online. Other kids would call me weird, but I continued to be captivated by entomology, the study of bugs. My interest in entomology has continued, and now one of my favorite hobbies has been learning to pin butterflies. My mom has always supported my love for bugs, even though she doesn't fully understand it. One year she took me to a plant nursery to buy some milkweed plants for the monarch butterflies that migrate through Texas every year. I watched as the monarch caterpillars fed on the milkweed until they were able to hang upside down and create a chrysalis, and I watched as those butterflies emerged from their chrysalides and opened their wings for the first time. When my mom saw how wonderstruck I was by the butterfly metamorphosis, she encouraged me to learn more about bugs. I am so grateful she helped my passion for entomology grow! Pinning insects allows me the opportunity to be fascinated by the morphology of bugs. Pinning butterflies takes a lot of time and attention to detail, which is one reason why I enjoy it. First, I hydrate and relax the butterfly. I hydrate butterflies by sandwiching them in damp paper towels, placing them in an airtight container, and leaving them to rest for 24 hours. When the butterfly is done hydrating, I can gently pinch its thorax, causing the wings to spread apart just enough that I can pin it through the center of the thorax. Next, I carefully adjust the wings and antennae. After letting the butterfly rest for a week, it will be completely dried out and ready to display! I enjoy pinning butterflies because I can handle and study the butterflies close up. There are so many details on butterflies that you can't see from far away, for example, the tiny scales and furs on the wings. I love observing the colors and patterns on the wings. The ventral side of many butterflies is colored in camouflage patterns so they can hide from predators, and I always feel a thrill of excitement when I spread a butterfly's wings and see the beautiful colors on the dorsal side of the wings for the first time. I also enjoy the care and precision it takes to pin a butterfly. I have to adjust the wings until they are in the perfect place, but I have to grip them lightly enough with the tweezers that the fragile wings don't rip. Gently handling a delicate butterfly is very calming, and it makes me feel relaxed and centered. Pinning butterflies is one of my favorite hobbies, and I enjoy it because I can observe the beauty and anatomy of the butterflies up close. I will continue pursuing my passion for entomology, even if it is out of the ordinary.

When I first walked into the karate dojo, I was clueless. I didn't even know that I was supposed to put my thumb on the outside of my fist! Now, I am a junior shodan black belt in Seido Karate. Karate is my best skill, and I improve it by training at least two times a week. I have been practicing karate for eight years, but there is always more to learn. Karate was virtual for a long time because of COVID-19, but now we're training in person again! I have been improving on much of the material that I couldn't learn during virtual karate, including partner exercises and weapons training. I enjoy partner exercises because I get to interact with other students. However, it has been frustrating when I can't remember a technique. In these situations, I ask an instructor for help. Asking for help can be embarrassing, but it is the best way to learn how to improve. When I asked my instructor why there wasn't much power in my punches, she explained that I needed to move my whole body by turning my hips to increase my force. I took her advice, and now I can punch with power. Using a bo staff is tricky. It's difficult for me to strike and block quickly with a bo because it is a large weapon. Practicing my techniques has helped me enhance my bo skills. I practice my bo strikes slowly and precisely, building speed over time. Practicing allows me to be in control and confident when I use a bo staff in class. Karate is my best skill, and I improve my karate by listening to my instructors and practicing my techniques. I will continue to grow and learn in my karate class.

Success is only possible with hard work. While studying vocabulary for my classes, I use two different methods to help me remember what I've learned. I make a chain of words that connect to the word I am trying to memorize, or I say the word out loud while making hand gestures that relate to that word! Making a chain of word connections is easy. For example, if I am trying to memorize that the butterfly is in the insect order of Lepidoptera, then I would make a word connection. First, I would find a word that sounds like Lepidoptera, and then I would connect that word to the word butterfly. The chain of word connections is; Lepidoptera sounds like the word leopard, and leopards live in the jungle. The jungle is also where the world's most beautiful butterfly, the blue morpho, lives! Now, I can remember that the butterfly is in the order of Lepidoptera! I mainly use word connections in my biology-based classes, like Human Body Systems, but I also use it for remembering complicated words in Language Arts or Spanish. Using hand gestures to learn vocabulary is another fun way to memorize words. If I want to remember that the Spanish word consertarse means "to agree," I will use hand gestures. For this word, I will use the hand signal of "thumbs-up." I am using thumbs-up because it is a gesture of agreement. Then, I will say the word consertarse while making the thumbs-up gesture. Now I will remember the definition of the word consertarse. I use this method of studying in my Language and history classes!

My name is Emma Thornton, and I am a student, a volunteer, an athlete, and I love bugs. I am a freshman in high school, and I enjoy my Ethnic Studies and Human Body Systems classes. I run a service project called Positive Puzzles which gives hospitalized children toys. I am a JV athlete, and I am on the cross country, basketball, and track teams. I am an entomology enthusiast. Entomology is the science of bugs, and I love learning about insects and their life cycles. I am also an older sister, and I strive to be a first-rate role model for my little sister.

My hobbies are the stars that light up my sky. I enjoy my pastimes because they are a way to calm down and escape everyday life. My favorite hobbies are practicing entomology, crocheting, and practicing karate. Entomology is the study of bugs. I love learning about insect anatomy and the life cycles of bugs. I have been interested in entomology since I was a child, and I would go outside to look for bugs in my spare time. Nowadays, I have pursued my interest in entomology by learning how to pin butterflies. Pinning butterflies takes a lot of time and attention to detail, which is why I enjoy it. First, I hydrate and relax the butterfly. Then, I pin it through the center of the thorax and adjust the wings. After letting it rest for a week, the butterfly is ready to display! I love making things with my own two hands, so I also enjoy crocheting. I have been crocheting for a few years now. I learned how to crochet at a summer camp that I went to in Mexico. I love making plushies, and my most recent crocheted creation was a raven. Crocheting helps me relax because the stitches are easy and repetitive. I enjoy crocheting with my friends, and I also enjoy practicing karate with friends. I have a Junior Shodan Black Belt in Seido Karate, and I have practiced karate for eight years. My favorite parts of karate are sparring with a partner and using a bo staff. I enjoy karate because I am constantly learning new techniques. Karate is a way for me to get stronger while still having fun! Practicing entomology, crocheting, and practicing karate are some of my favorite hobbies. Following my passions brings me joy, so I will continue to follow them.

It's easy to find happiness if you look for it. From laughing at a funny joke to eating a bowl of ramen, merriment is all around me. Practicing karate, learning about nature, and cooking with my family are all activities that make me happy. I have been practicing Seido Karate for eight years, and I have a junior shodan black belt. Karate makes me happy because I spend time with people I love, and I'm always learning something new. When I took my black belt test, I took it with three other students of the same rank. The four of us have grown up going to karate lessons together, and it was delightful to test with them. Karate was virtual for a while because of COVID-19, but now we're training back in person. Being in the dojo again allows me to learn new skills, like using a bo staff! Just like karate, learning about nature also makes me happy. I love spending time in nature, and my favorite part is learning about all of the wildlife. I have always been interested in entomology, the study of bugs. In elementary school, I would spend recess looking for beetles and spiders! Recently, pinning butterflies and learning about their anatomy have made me happy. Looking at their vibrant colors and delicate wings brings me joy. Everyone in my family is busy with work and school. That is why cooking meals with them makes me smile. We work together to cook a delicious meal, and we also catch up with each other and have fun at the same time. We love to play music and sing together while we cook. Practicing karate, learning about nature, and cooking with my family make me happy. All I need to be joyful is the world around me!

All change starts small. I have acted locally to affect positive change for my community by collecting and donating puzzles to the Assistance League of Austin, sewing over 300 face masks for essential workers, and making and selling jewelry to fundraise for OutYouth Austin. I started a service project in 2018 called "Positive Puzzles." The mission of this project is to collect used puzzles and donate them to the Assistance League, a non-profit organization. I donate the puzzles to the Assistance League to support their Toy Cart Program, which gives injured and sick kids in hospitals toys. I broke my femur in third grade, which is why I chose to help hospitalized kids. I have donated over 200 puzzles so far. In 2020 my 7th grade STEM teacher taught me how to use a sewing machine. When COVID-19 started spreading, I used that knowledge to sew over 300 face masks for essential workers. I spent over 30 hours sewing masks to keep my Austin community a safe place. I gave these masks to Make-A-Mask Austin, who distributed them around the city. However, masks aren't the only items I have made to improve my community. In June of 2021, I made and sold rainbow jewelry to raise money for Out Youth Austin. Out Youth is a non-profit that helps young people in the LGBTQ+ community. I handmade necklaces and earrings, sold them, then donated half of the profit to Out Youth and used the other half to buy materials. I sold out of my items and donated $288 to Out Youth. I have made a positive impact on my community through these three projects. I love my city, and I will continue to make it a better place.

The Texas state motto is "Friendship," and it suits the people of Texas perfectly. I am a born and raised Texan, and I have lived in the city of Austin my entire life. Being a Texan means being an active part of my community, engaging with the culture surrounding me, and always being willing to help out a friend. The street I live on is a tight-knit community. We huddle up around bonfires together and sing songs late into the night. We laugh and make jokes as we hang up our Christmas decorations. Everyone knows everyone, and our small community holds a special place in my heart. Austin is the live music capital of the world. My family and I engage with Austin's musical culture by going to the flashy concerts at the Austin City Limits festival and the smaller performances at Waterloo Park. Food is another part of Texan culture. Barbeque is a point of pride for many Texans. I've eaten many meals of barbeque in my life, and there are even pictures of me eating barbeque from when I was a toddler! As a Texan, I always try to lend a helping hand. Last February, it snowed so hard that the people living in my area lost power and water for almost a week. My family helped collect and distribute food and bottles of water to the neighborhoods near us. I am proud to say I'm a Texan because being a Texan is about friendship, love, and compassion.