Writer's Workshop Portfolio

  Teen Depression By: Anna Jaramillo

 Have you ever seen someone get bullied or teased? Picture how they felt in that moment. They might have felt embarrassed and/or upset. Do you think this would affect their lives? Teen depression is a big problem all around the world. It starts off in many ways. It could start off with social media, school, or problems at home. It could lead to an awful effect, such as self harm and possibly suicide. There could be many ways to tell that a teen is depressed or being bullied. They might not want to eat, they could be getting bad grades, they stay in their room most of the time, and they are more quiet than usual. Depression effects about 20% of adolescents by the time they are adults. Also, two-thirds of people with depression do not seek help, which increases the popularity of depression. Teen suicide is the third leading cause of teens death in the U.S. Recently, a girl in 8th grade has been depressed for a while. She felt invisible and is often made fun of for her appearance. People do not realize what kind of harm could be caused because of this. There are many bystanders that don't do anything but watch them being hurt, or even laugh at them. Now, this girl has not been eating and has been starving herself. Her mom found out that she wasn't eating, so she took her daughter to the doctor, and she was diagnosed with anorexia. Now, her daughter is on a special diet to help her stay healthy, and now she is happy with her self. She has talked to a social worker as well, and this has helped her build up her self esteem. A recent survey has been made for students in Heritage Middle School to see how students feel about teen depression. The first question was, "What do you know about teen depression?" Most people said it was common amongst teens, it was a state than teens fall into, and it could have many effects in their lives, such as runaways, self harm, and possibly suicide. The second question was, "Do you know anyone that is depressed/bullied?" Most of the people said no, but other people said that they have friend that hurt themselves and have been teased. The last question was, "Do you have any ideas or ways to stop this?" Their answers were to decrease the amount of time they are on social media, telling an adult, telling a social worker, and to stay healthy. In conclusion, teen depression is something that could impact someone's life in a negative way. There are a couple of things that you could do to help. Another way you could help is to tell a trusted adult about the problem. You could also see a social worker to help you stay healthy and happy. A very simple way to help someone else is to simply pass on a smile to someone everyday. A smile could make someone's day better, and it is very easy. If it is you that is going through this, you could call a suicide hotline. Some people may not want to call one because they are afraid of what will happen when they call. But, there are people on the phone that are caring and would like to help you. I want to encourage teens to help out their peers if they are depressed, and I want teens who are depressed get help, because everyone deserves happiness.  


The Lockdown
By:Anna Jaramillo

It started off as a normal school day on Thursday, April 30th, 2015. Nothing seemed suspicious, until students made it to excel. Students sat in their seats and began to read for about 5 minutes. Then, the principal announced, "We are now going to be having a hard lockdown." Everyone got out of their seats and immediately sat in the corner, away from the door, so no one would see through the glass of the door. Everyone thought it was just a drill. Students quietly laughed and tickled each other. No one knew what was actually going on.
Then, the teacher whispered, "Kids, this is not a drill. I was not told that there would be a lockdown today. Please remain quiet." Then, students were perturbed. People wanted to know why it was happening, but there wasn't a way to find out. Students all sat still for almost an hour.
After this, it was announced that they were now going into a soft lockdown. It was past dismissal time, so students were worried about what parents were thinking. Some parents thought it was very serious. Students wanted to call their parents to notify them what was going on since they did not want them to be worried, but they were unable to make phone calls as well. After 40 minutes, students were finally allowed to leave the building. Students reached to their parents and we're happy to go home. It was a day all students would remember.

         On June 10th 2009, I woke up to the birds chirping and the wind blowing through the windows. I thought it was going to be a normal day. But, then I walked down the loud, creaking stairs and  glanced at my grandmother sitting down on the couch folding some clothes and watching TV. I walked around the whole house and I realized my parents weren't there, so I slightly began to worry. I asked my grandmother, "Where are my parents?"
     "They're at the hospital because your sister was born!" When she said that, I felt like it was the best day ever. I had been waiting for a long time for my sister to be born, and now she has finally arrived. I wanted to go there as soon as possible because I was so excited to see her, however my grandmother told me we had to wait for my aunt to pick us up. She told me that my aunt would not be here until she got out of work, which would be about two hours. I was frustrated because I wanted to be there as soon as possible. It was a moment I had never experienced before. To make time pass, I cleaned my room and I set up my sister's bed and I wanted everything to look nice. I couldn't wait to meet her.
      A couple minutes later, my aunt had finally arrived. I raced to her car as quickly as I could. We drove to the hospital and we entered the hospital. I was anxious to meet her. It took a while to get in, so my grandmother tried to entertain me by making up a handshake in the waiting room. At last, we walked into the room and I saw my sister for the first time. There was a moment where I just stood there and I had finally realized that I now have a younger sister. My mom and dad had the biggest smile. She called me over to go see her. I was so excited to finally be able to see my sister. It had felt something in my stomach that I had never felt before.  At some moment I felt some sort of discomfort. I think it was because I had never experienced having a sibling that was younger than me, so I didn't know what it would be like. I helped my mom name my sister. We agreed to the name Bianca. My father thought of Sofia for her middle name. When she finally came home, my mom saw my setup for her. I even drew a picture next to her bed to welcome her home. My older sister was not here with us because she was in California with my aunt. But, when she arrived home she was also very happy.
      The next couple of days weren't very easy. We had to do a lot of tasks for my mother because she had to take care of my sister for most of the day. We had to clean the house, do the dishes, and prepare food for her. I remember always wanting to feed her and play with her. I would always want to be next to her. Family members would come over to see her. But, I do remember being somewhat jealous of her because she would get all the attention when family members came. I used to be the youngest, but now she was. But now, I am no longer jealous of her since I've grown up and matured a lot more.
     As a result, we had to end up moving since we would need another room. This changed my life a lot since I had never experienced going to a new school at the time. But, I ended up meeting some of my closest friends to this day, and that would've never happened without my sister.   Now, my sister is 6 years old and is in 1st grade. She goes to Piper and I've seen her grow up over time. She's learned a lot from me and she does some of the things that I do, such as dance. She also loves to dance and I like teaching her a few things.
This experience means a lot to me because it was a moment that changed my life. It changed my life by making new friends, learning to be responsible, and It was a memorable moment for my entire family. I've learned that one thing can change your life completely.  I've learned that something can change your life, even when you don't expect it.