The community would gather to sing carols and welcome jolly old Santa into town. ... The streets of the town were full of loving families lingering, waiting for the traditional parade to begin. ... The taste of candy cane settled in our mouths, making every breath we took in refreshing and sweet. ... Delight overwhelmed our soft hearts. ... I would gather my rowdy cousins, play games, sing, and talk about what we wanted for Christmas. ...

• Word Count: 796
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Whether it is the death of a family member or friend, the first time we had our heart broken, or even something positive such as our first job, everyone has a story. My pivotal point occurred October 14, 1996 in the small town of Covington, Virginia. It was on this day, in this small town in which I witnessed the murder of my 19-year-old cousin Jonathon or "Johnny- as the rest of the family knew him. ... We were in town because of my grandfather's recent passing. ... Marcus and I explored the surroundings as we had done for years, running up and down alleyways, playing hide and go...

• Word Count: 878
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

I believe that our earliest childhood memories play a part in influencing our future career; it's certainly true for me. ... A kiss on my forehead, and father was off to town for more supplies. Town was not far away. ... A man in a police car was barreling straight towards our camp site. ... On my father's way to town he was run off the road by a vehicle that crossed over into his lane. ...

• Word Count: 1186
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

We are all given gifts of different kinds in our lives. ... A happy home in a small town is shattered by tragedy. ... Suddenly, a pregnant stranger stops in town and decides to stay. ... The setting is in a 1950's small Midwestern town. Children play in the streets, on the skating pond, and attend the movie house. ...

• Word Count: 1146
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

We often keep our college and home lives separate. ... When we got Thurmont, you could tell that the town was different from the suburban neighborhood I grew up in. ... There was something familiar about the small town. ... This was the first major difference I noticed between our culture. ... We came back to the house and played video games for the remainder of the night. ...

• Word Count: 1171
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Many people come from out of town to participate in many of the festivities that the block party has to offer such as all the games, music and all of the food. ... The first year my family and I moved into that apartment someone knocked on our door and asked if we would be willing to volunteer and help set up. ... When I lived in Whiteaker my parents would let me go and play at the park without many questions, but as soon as we moved to Thurston when I asked to go play at the park the answer was always "no.... The difference between Whiteaker and Thurston was that in Whiteaker people rea...

• Word Count: 1001
• Approx Pages: 4

We were already halfway to the outskirts of town when I wept. ... It was a Sunday evening and we were riding the bus heading to my mom's small town after her mother died. ... She never told me stories, played with me nor cradled me in her arms. ... She must have been very lonely being only with me in our house. ... Morning came and the prickling summer heat wasn't sensible enough to give shade for our grief. ...

• Word Count: 1160
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

"There's nothing like giving up your heart and soul on every play and then to get right back up and in it again," he once told me. ... The dingy hospital of our small town did not provide the simple convenience of working lights let alone a television restricting any hope of him watching the game. ...

• Word Count: 481
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

It is a belief that adulthood is marked by a sense of responsibility, the ability to effectively handle tough situations without self-doubt and the confidence to overcome any adversity. Since childhood I have understood the importance of having faith in my own capabilities and competencies to trounc...

• Word Count: 576
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

We would play basketball a lot and play his Nintendo whenever I went over to his house after school. ... Both of us were enjoying our years of junior high, and preparing to be together for high school, but things started to change with him. His dad went out of town more and more, leaving just Bill and his mother in the house for months at a time. ... He wanted people to come over to play basketball and have fun. ... Bill's father was home when Julie died, and Bill was playing the good son card. ...

• Word Count: 1077
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Although both a person's environment (or surroundings) and their heredity play a significant role in how their character is molded, I believe that their heredity is the most predominate force in their lives. ... Our environment (or surroundings) makes a big, but not quite as big of an impact on our lives. One the most common factors in our environment would be our friends. ... A lot of times peoples" friends are selected from the same part of town there are from just simply because they can most closely relate. ... This goes back to where we inherit many of our beliefs from our parents ...

• Word Count: 1000
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Losing the house once again lead her to write, she wrote the poem Burning of Our House. Simon moved up regularly in the administrative and political ladder, which caused him to be out of town quite often. While he was out of town Anne spent much of her time in a large library and took care of the house full of kids. ... Anne's husband played a major part in her writing career. ...

• Word Count: 971
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Here we get our first glimpse of the attraction between Janey Carver and Benjamin Hood. ... Later, after Thanksgiving, a huge ice storm rolls into the small Connecticut town in which the story takes place. ... Though its story is somewhat confusing and it's message is puzzling, the actors play their roles well and Lee's cinematography is superb. ...

• Word Count: 969
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

I grew up in a small town twenty miles away, in a small cluster of houses in what today is called a sub-division. ... My family perceives time as being very important in our lives. ... My parents were also pushing me to go outside and get some exercise, so playing sports just became natural for me. ... These are some of the beliefs that our family has. ...

• Word Count: 942
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School