Asbury Park Press

“What was the most memorable thing about your summer vacation?” was the first monthly topic we posed to students in our APP Student Voices essay and video competition. Yes, there were fond recollections of lazing at the beach, challenging hiking expeditions, scary amusement park rides and unforgettable travel experiences. Not all the memories were positive. There was a mix of both among the winners. But they all had one thing in common, however: Good writing and good storytelling.

First place essay winner: Grades 7-8

The same old routine

“You wanna build a fort?” Georgia asked out of pure boredom.

“I guess.”

Georgia and I had been out riding bikes all day, to about every single place around town. First we went to Ritas. Yes, we did go to Rita’s at 10 in the morning. And then we went to the park, and then the other park, and then 7-Eleven, and then we went back to the other park. This is where the not-very-interesting-but-interesting-enough-to-write-a-story-about part comes in.

Well, sort of.

“Ughhhhhh,” I said as I finished the last bit of my cherry-limeade slurpee. “What now?”

“I don’t know,” she said in a monotone voice. “This always seems to happen.”

And she was right. We went to a bunch of different places, got Slurpees, went into the woods at the park, and played Truth or Dare. And then we got bored. Our schedule was always the same. But Georgia had an idea this time. It changed the schedule.

“There's some sticks over there that we could lean up against the trees.” This time she didn’t seem as sleep-deprived. So I went with it.

“Doesn’t seem like a bad idea.”

So we got to it. We added sticks to logs, logs to trees. One after the other, they began to pile up. The occasional stick would fall and we would have to start over, causing an array of fights on whose fault it was, but otherwise we were pretty silent. My mind started to wander. Wander like when a mother lets go of her child’s hand, enabling them to explore the world around them. I thought of the things I did over the summer. In fact, I realized the lack of things I did over the summer. I was quite disgusted with myself. The same routine over and over. Wake up at 11:30 because you didn’t go to sleep till 3 a.m., eat lunch, watch Netflix, and then go to sleep. The occasional activity normally consisted of me hanging out with Georgia like three days in a row. But otherwise not much had happened.

“You wanna go get pizza?” I asked her without making eye contact.

“I guess so.”

To say the least, we never finished the fort. We planned on it, every day wondering what happened to it. A month later we went back to see what happened, and to our surprise, it was gone. Not just the structure, but every single stick we used to make it. Gone in an instant. Just like my summer.

Ella Willmot

Memorial Middle School

Teacher: Lynn Thompson

First place essay winner: Grades 9-12

Beaches were my safe haven

I’m not going to lie and say that my summer was amazing and that I explored new places, because that’s not even close to what I did. The only thing that my summer consisted of was work, babysitting, chores and summer homework. Yes, there were a couple of times where I went to my friend's house or to a fair, but that’s not worth remembering. The only memorable event from my summer is probably going to the beach. Just me by myself in a large sweatshirt and gym shorts.

Why was that so memorable, you ask? After a long day of carrying heavy trays at a yacht club, the only thing I wanted to do was kick my feet up on the couch and relax, but of course that’s not possible. My mom would yell at me that I’m lazy and don’t help around the house just because of those 0.2 seconds that I decided to take a break. Then I would go to my room where there would be another obstacle in the way of my finishing line. In my room, my 11-year-old sister would obnoxiously keep asking me if I could play with her. She would throw a tantrum by crying and yelling enough for my mom to run lightning fast to the room. My mom would yell at me to play with her and it would be the same routine.

One of those days, it all made my head burst and I stormed off with my bike. I didn’t even know where I was going so I just pedaled.

I stopped at my local beach, which was only five minutes away from my house. I took off my white Vans and proceeded to climb the stairs leading to my safe place. As I climbed upwards, I saw it. I saw the cotton candy colors mix together in the sky, creating a peaceful artwork. I found a quiet spot on the sand near the ocean and just plopped myself down and covered my face with my hoodie. I love the smell of peace and the sound of the blue waves crashing. The air, the view and silence all made me feel at ease. It was my home away from home.

Ashley Villegas-Tapia

Point Pleasant Borough High School

Teacher: Shannon Orosz

First place video winner

Second place essay winner: Grades 7-8

Should we have said good-bye to the ghost?

I will never forget this night. The temperature reached a steamy 100 degrees that day and it turned out to be the stickiest night of the summer. As I stepped outside I felt as if I was being wrapped up in a warm blanket. Hot nights and fun plans are what summer is all about and that night I had both. I had not seen her in a couple of weeks so I was looking forward to hanging out with my best friend.

We started out eating all our favorites until our stomachs felt like we just finished Thanksgiving dinner. The summer heat definitely called for a night swim, and despite being so full that we could barely move, we jumped in the pool. It was really warm like a bath so we stayed in for a while. Afterward, we went into the basement to play some games.

I have heard creepy stories about the Ouija board so I have never purchased one myself, however my friend had one and suggested we play.

We played until we got bored about 10 minutes later and decided to put the game away. “We didn’t say bye to the ghost,” I thought to myself. I shrugged, it’s fake anyway right? We sat on the couch with our phones thinking about what we should do next.

All of a sudden, the lights started flickering, then the power went out. We screamed and tried running for the stairs, but we just ended up bumping into each other and falling. We finally got to the stairs and sprinted up with our hearts beating out of our chest. We sat with my friend’s parents and lit candles until the power went back on two hours later.

Was it the Ouija board that did this? Should we have said goodbye to the ghost after all? My friend and I sat there wondering if we brought this on by not properly finishing the game. We will never know for sure, but I do know that I am never playing on the Ouija board again, and I will never forget that night.

Emerson Szuba

Manalapan-Englishtown Middle School

Teacher: Cassandra Capadona

Second place essay winner: Grades 9-12

Car rides with my brother helped me grow up

The most memorable thing about my summer vacation was the car rides I had with my brother. Over the summer I had many things going on, such as swimming, volunteering at a hospital, band, getting tutoring, etc. And he would drive me to all those places.

During these rides I learned a lot about myself and through the many talks we had my perspective changed on how I approached school, relationships and my future. I specifically remember the times when he had to go on hour-long drives to certain places and those were the absolute best. It was a lot of fun blasting music, singing along and cracking jokes. And sometimes my brother, being the great poet he is, would make his own beats, and while driving would rap over them. (One time he even recited poems he wrote about his time growing up in Memphis, Tennessee over somber music; which was both awe-inspiring and hilarious.)

However, through all the fun my brother hit me with a reality check. When summer break began I was still a kid. I still wanted to hold on to the times when I had absolutely no worries and all the free time in the world. I didn't want to gain responsibility or be active, but riding with my brother taught me if didn't keep moving I was going to be left behind. This summer my brother left for college in North Carolina.

Our whole family (my dad, mom and I) accompanied him on the 10-hour drive and I loved every second of it. And on our way back home, with just me, my dad and mom, I stared out the window at the vast openness of North Carolina, and reflected on all the great things that happened this summer.... I grew up. With my brother leaving, so had my ability to rely on him with my problems. Now I couldn't depend on him for rides anymore. So, thanks bro.

Zachary Cho

Jackson Liberty

Teacher: Traci Maloney

Second place video winner

Third place essay winner: Grades 7-8

The Bard, the Fish and the Mage

Who am I? I am but a young tortle who has not quite mastered the ways of the bard. Who are they? A fish man, whose swords could slice through rock as well as the human mage, whose spells are as dangerous as they are elegant. We travel through a swamp looking for treasure that lies within it. Without warning, eight arms each the size of an oak tree emerge from the depths of the muddy water. One of them grabs me as I drop my flute by mistake, another one swats my friends away. I’m the main course. Without my flute I’m powerless, or am I?

I grab the dice with 20 sides and I roll a 12. I bite the arm but I fail to deal a lot of damage to it. Finally, a head starts to emerge to reveal itself as a Kraken; the fish roles a 16 and damages the Kraken before being crushed by one of its titanic tentacles. The mage goes for the attack as well but roles a 4. The attack fails. If I don’t roll something good now I’m as good as turtle soup! I grab the dice, I vigorously shake my hand as I let go of the dice. Plump, plump. The dice bounces on the table to reveal a 17. I bite on the tentacle with aggression, tearing through its hard, slimy flesh. It lets go of me with a blood-curdling screech. I land in the water and find my flute just before we start rallying ourselves.

I, Luke, the tortle bard. Elrick, the fish person. As well as Adam, the human mage. We all roll, together we get a 17,19 and 20. Elrick’s blades slice through the Kraken with ease, Adam casts a magic missile that nearly slays the beast. Finally, I cast an Arcane Sword spell that delivers the final blow. Boom! The Kraken collapses. We were victorious. Right then, the counselor blew the whistle and it was time to go home. We all packed up and got into our parents' cars and said goodbye.

Who am I? A boy the age of 12 who has the greatest friends anyone could ever ask for and loves Dungeons and Dragons. We didn’t find the treasure because the treasure was right in front of us. The greatest treasure of all was the time we spent together.

Luke DeRisi

Manalapan-Englishtown Middle School

Teacher: Cassandra Capadona

Third place essay winner: Grades 9-12

Israel's Mount of Olives was high point

Darkness trickled over the land of Israel, making the city of Jerusalem glimmer. The miles of ancient buildings and cities surrounding me hid as the heavens dimmed. Sweat slipped down my forehead after conquering a steep mountain covered with Jewish graves. My heart skipped a beat as I watched the twilight rise over the Old City, encompassed by the people I love. This was the moment where I realized that I was halfway across the world, saying goodbye to one of my favorite cities on the globe.

This summer had been a great one, full of laughter, adventure and experiences. At this moment, I had only one more week left of my eight-week venture. We were going to Tel Aviv, and then on the plane home. Standing at the edge of the Mount of Olives and observing all of the lights in Jerusalem might seem bitter, but I was content by all the memories that flooded through my mind; memories that included climbing mountains, eating foreign foods, meeting indigenous people and late nights full of laughter.

As I saw the Temple Mount gleaming bright and I heard the business of Jerusalem streets, I revisited all of the people and experiences that I had encountered in the past weeks. My family team, the Chinese kids and the Israel shopkeepers that I will most likely never see again. I have made peace that all the foreign foods, sights and sounds I have encountered during this summer will never come across my life again.

Reminiscing on this mountain, during this sunset, was the best moment in my entire summer, as crazy it might seem. I could go on and on about my summer, down to every last detail; however, this particular part of the summer sums up every moment into one. All of my friends were around me living this moment as well. This was the point of the summer where I could appreciate all the pain, love and cramps that this summer has given me. Standing on this mountain, with Jerusalem in front of me, I fully embraced the memories and the sorrows that flushed my eyes.

Kendall Boyle

Lacey Township

Teacher: Anita Soto

Third place video winner

Honorable mention essay winners: Grades 7-8

Ethan Jacobson, Grade 8, Memorial Middle School, Teacher: Lynn Thompson

Logan Mesh, Grade 7, Manalapan-Englishtown Middle School, Teacher: Cassandra Capadona

Ava Candelmo, Grade 8, Memorial Middle School, Teacher: Lynn Thompson

Honorable Mention Winners: Grades 9-12

Lindsay Lloyd, Grade 12, Freehold Township High School, Teacher: Cheryl Lanza

Mushfiqul Islam, Grade 9, Jackson Liberty, Teacher: Traci Maloney

Mariah Khan, Grade 11, Point Pleasant Borough High School, Teacher: Shannon Orosz

Honorable Mention Video Winners

Jack Nelson, Grade 12, Christian Brothers Academy, Teacher: Despina Manatos

Liam Sullivan, Grade 12, Christian Brothers Academy, Teacher: Despina Manatos

Rodney Wotton, Grade 12, Christian Brothers Academy, Teacher: Despina Manatos