The Teen Scene congratulates the following schools and writers! We will be delivering their prizes and celebrating with them!!

Leland Middle School:

Short Story – Alyssa W.

Brunswick County Early College High School:

Short Story – Violet A.

Poetry – Olive P.

Visual Art – Jessica G.-E.

View these winning entries below!

Short Story: Alyssa W., Leland Middle School

“Congratulations! You’ve won a free, week-long trip to Japan.” I beamed with joy. The prize for the science fair was a trip to Japan, and I was so excited!

Japan is one of my favorite places in the world (obviously), which made me feel like I should sign up for the contest. I really didn’t think I could win, but here I am, on a flight to my favorite place in the world! Usually, I was deathly afraid of planes because they are super terrifying, but now that I’m in one going to Jaan, I don’t care that we might fall to our deaths in an ocean that could be fatal to fall in due to the extreme height of the plane.

It took some time to get there, but it was so amazing! One cool thing about Japan is that it’s really safe. I’m glad that I won that science fair. I could see even little kids walking down the sidewalks with little worry. As an American, that’s really surprising.

There was really good food. There was this one ramen shop that looked like the one from Naruto, one of my favorite anime. It tasted even better than it looked. It was delicious. I ended up eating about 3 bowls.

Now, we’re in our hotel room. The hotels were really clean, and the maid staff did an amazing job! I feel like I’m going to fall asleep as soon as I sit on the bed. I think I ate too much ramen.

I woke up this morning and did my usual morning routine. My mom and I got to go to this cool anime park, which I bet will be fun.

I was right. It didn’t look how I expected, but it had some major things in the anime, which was really cool. I would’ve definitely never been able to design something like that. There’s a sushi shop here too!

The sushi was amazing. I think I ate too much again. We walked around the park and explored all day! It was super cool and exciting! There was also another ramen shop, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Only 3 days left of my original 5-day long trip. The date of my relearn was coming sooner than I expected, which I did not like. The only bad part about my trip to Japan is that I have to go back.

Anyway, we got back to the hotel room at about 9 pm. I’m eating dinner right now. There’s this one really good soda called Ramune, which tastes really good.

The next two days flew by! It was super fun, though. I went to some amusement parks and explored the beaches, mountains, and all the other cool stuff about Japan!

Today, we’re going back since it’s the last day of our trip. I packed all my stuff and said my goodbyes to the beautiful land of Japan. The plane ride back felt like it lasted longer than the trip. I hope that one day, I can return to Japan’s beautiful lands.

Short Story: Violet A., Brunswick County Early College High School

I have my ticket to go anywhere in the world for a whole week. I am excited about this trip. I worked weeks and weeks to win this contest just for this ticket. After finishing the reading competition with flying colors, I won! I ran home to my mom. “Mom! Mom!” I called when walking into the door. It’s always been just me and my mom, I love my mom more than anyone. My mom knows me as a person; she lets me tell her anything, and most importantly, she trusts me. So, going home to tell my mom about this contest and how we can go anywhere we want was a no-brainer to me!

I get through my house doors only to see my mom isn’t home yet. I look around to see if she is in another room, I find a note saying, “Working late tonight, picking up an extra shift, dinners in the fridge, don’t wait up! Love mom”. Ok, Mom is picking up another late shift, It hurts knowing she has to work so many extra shifts just for us to get by. I get my dinner and go upstairs. I’m left in my room, thinking about where my mom and I should go. I won this contest just for us; now we can go anywhere. I know my mom has always wanted to go to Japan. Japan is so beautiful, with such a defined culture and uniqueness. Since it was my mom’s dream, it soon turned into mine. I knew that was where I wanted to go. Finally, I can make my mom’s dream come true! I go to sleep.

“It’s Saturday. Mom should be home soon,” I think to myself. I wait around, preparing what I’m going to say to her. I am excited.

“Hey, Violet!” says Mom as she walks through the door.

“Mom, I have great news!” I exclaim.

“Yeah? What is it?” Mom says back.

“I won the writing contest, I won a trip to anywhere in the world!” I say so excitedly.

“That’s amazing, Violet. I’m so proud of you! Where do you want to go?” Mom responds.

“Mom, I’ve been thinking about that question since I won the contest! I would love to go to Japan with you; it’s something I’ve always wanted to do with you, and I know this is the experience of a lifetime!”

My mom looks at me very solemnly. “Violet, we can’t go, that’s way too expensive,” Mom says, sighing.

“But Mom, I got the free ticket with all expenses paid!” I happily rebuttal her concerns.

“Violet, that ticket is for one person. We can’t both go. I’d love for you to go I wouldn’t want to take the experience away from you. You worked so hard for this, and you deserve the reward.” Mom added on.

“But Mom, I wanted to go to Japan with you,” I said.

“Violet, you don’t know how expensive it is,” Mom says.

I am so upset with myself that I didn’t think of this, I wonder how I misunderstood. I thought if I went, obviously mom could come. But I was clearly wrong. I feel stupid for even mentioning this idea.

“Mom, I’m sorry I didn’t know,” I say, looking down. “Violet, this was a very sweet and thoughtful thank you for thinking about me enough to consider me for this trip,” Mom says tearfully.

“Violet, please go on the trip, this is an amazing opportunity, you don’t need me dragging you down, you deserve so many amazing things,” Mom says, now crying. I started crying, and I’m not sure what to say next. I don’t want to go on this trip anymore, if it’s not with Mom, it’s not worth it. I only ever wanted to go on a trip because of her. If my mom can’t experience it, I don’t want to either.

Poetry: Olive P., Brunswick County Early College High School

Vienna, oh Vienna, a city so divine,

The streets shine with fine wine and carefully cultivated design.

Where history and beauty forever intertwine.

With palaces and gardens, a majestic sight,

Every step taken feels like a secret delight.

Stroll through the streets, where stories are told,

In every corner, a tale of legends unfolds.

To think that many of us will never know,

The people on these streets pass ‘hello’

With peaks of Schönbrunn’s splendor to Belvedere’s art,

Vienna captivates with its charm, stealing your heart.

With all of its beautiful, wonderful parts.

The Danube dances with grace and delight,

As the melodies of Vienna fill both day and night.

Savor a slice of Sachertorte, warm like summer rays of light,

Indulge in the flavors, a moment of yesterday’s grand endeavors.

The wine, the coffee, and the toffee all lighten the day to the weight of a feather.

Vienna, dear Vienna, a city so grand,

With no sunset-softened moment unplanned.

In your embrace, beauty, and history stand.

I long for the day when I’ll explore your streets,

Until then, Vienna, in my dreams, we’ll meet…

In my dreams, I’ll be complete.

Visual Art: Jessica G-E., Brunswick County Early College High School 

The Angel of Independence

If I were given a free ticket for a week to go anywhere in the world, I would choose to visit Mexico. The drawing I made is of the ángel de la Independencia, which is located in Mexico City. The statue holds important history to Mexico. Underneath the statue, the 14 national heroes are buried, and the angel was built to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of Mexico’s independence.

The End…until next month

“Win Prizes” Photo  Nick Fewings on Unsplash