English
Showcasing Student Writing
The Cairns Eisteddfod is always an exciting event on the St Stephen’s calendar, with so many wonderful sections for our students to participate in and showcase their talents. From an English perspective, we are particularly passionate about the literary section, especially following the success of our students in previous years.
This year, we were thrilled to have over 72 pieces of student writing submitted across the literary categories. These submissions were supported and coordinated by our Writing Coordinators, Miss Angelique Breakspear and Miss Emma Ledlin, who generously gave up their lunchtimes to help students develop ideas, refine their writing, and build confidence in their craft.
As writing is a crucial component of our School Action Improvement Plan (SAIP) - with a particular focus on embedding the Writer’s Toolbox program across all curriculum areas - I wanted to take the opportunity in upcoming newsletters to share some of these student submissions from a range of year levels and genres. The creativity, thoughtfulness, and talent demonstrated in these pieces is something our school community can be incredibly proud of.
Kind regards
Mrs Ambre Paolacci | Middle Leader English
Year 7 - Creative Writing
James Kath
"One Goal"
Boom, Boom, Boom. No one knew I was here. Boom, boom, boom! The forest had been peaceful just minutes before the thundering storm. Lightning struck the ground around me, causing earthquake-like vibrations. I was running as fast as I could through Gifford Pinchot National Forest, whilst trees toppled over beside me in either direction. Why, I thought, Why here, on this planet?
Rumble! My heart stopped, as I heard the deafening rumble. I checked my planetarium, my universal time travel watch. Yep, I was a time traveller. A cold shiver ran down my spine as I read the date. May, 18 1980. I checked the upcoming events to realise I was doomed, upcoming events, “Mount Saint Helens erupts”. Here I was, right next to the beautiful mountain, hardly believing it was a ghastly volcano. Boom! Meters away from me a tree toppled over, flattening a nearby shrub, but revealing a glint of shiny silver metal, The time machine! Whilst bolting toward the time machine, ash shot up into the sky, it was happening, the eruption! I took off my shirt and put it over my face, to protect myself from breathing in the smoke. Finally, I made it into the time machine and firmly sealed the door shut. I put in a random Universe, Galaxy, Solarsystem, Planet and time, then hit the big red button, TRAVEL. ZOOMP!
Not a moment too soon, for right where the time machine was, there was hot molten lava!
TSSSST. I opened the door, instantly soaking up the surrounding energy. “Good” I thought, “not like Earth”. The planet was covered in black rock and had small pools of lava everywhere. It did not look like life existed here.
There is something I am not telling you though, and it is that I am almost like a god, immortal, powerful and protector of the galaxy. Yep I am the one thing keeping the whole multiverse in balance, however, my one weakness was a planet called Earth, because for some reason, my power did not work there, making me just a mortal human.
Zap! I created some lightning from my hands and shattered a nearby rock. Flap, flap, flap, came a faint noise in the distance. I looked and saw a dark shadow in the distance, moving ever nearer. A few minutes later, a large dragon-like creature landed in front of me. It was massive, in fact, it was one of the dragon kings squadron leaders! The dragon king—powerful, evil and feared, was the leader of the dragon force, the worst thing in the multiverse. They were power hungry and took anything they could, even if it meant destroying entire galaxies. “Leave”, boomed the mighty dragon,” or I will assemble my squadron of 999,999 dragons and destroy you”
“Challenge accepted”, I replied.
Underneath the moonlight, 1 million dragons and one ultra powerful universal protector stood face to face, ready for combat. The dragon's side looked daunting, all armoured in titanium and holding 2.5 meter long spiked maces. I held out my right hand and a strange glowing stick appeared. The dragons did not know that this was my weapon. Forged in the depths of Power Delve mountain, this weapon was one of a kind. 2 minutes later, 1 million dead dragons lay around me, yet not a drop of blood to be seen. The dragon king would be furious about me taking out the 153rd out of 199,999,999,999th squadron patrol.
Suddenly, a paper blew out of the leader's chest plate, the location of the dragon king's fortress, on planet Serzang! I could now destroy the dragon king once and for all, putting eternal peace to
the multiverse.
I climbed back into the time machine, closed the door and entered the coordinates to planet Serzang: Maytyz, Corningstar 12321234, Livingflame, Serzang and current time. Zoomp! I opened the door, only to realise I was not on planet Serzang at all.
No, I was back on earth, and my time machine was slowly melting into molten lava!
I jumped from my time machine. Mount Saint Helens was erupting, and I was right back where I started, and to make matters worse, my time machine was now destroyed.
I ran through the forest and crashed through the undergrowth onto the main road. A car came zooming by, the man inside looking terrified, and seemed even more scared when he noticed me.
“Get in!” he yelled. I jumped in and the man pressed hard on the pedal. Vroom! The car shot along the road like a gunshot, the man white as chalk. “It’s terrible isn't it”, the man said. It was hard to reply, knowing that the ground would be covered with lava in just minutes. I only had 4 words for the man, the truth. “We're going to die”.
The man looked curiously at me, “I don’t think so’, came his reply. “Watch this”. The man pressed a button and two skinny wings shot out from underneath the car. In about ten seconds, the car had propelled 10 metres from the lava covered ground.
“How did you do that”, I asked the man, astonished.
“I’m a scientist, " replied the man, “who was here studying the mountain right before I got a call to get out of here”.
“I mean the car, how does it fly”?
“Ho ho, this is the world's first flying car”.
I couldn’t believe it. Earth was not supposed to get flying cars until 2050, yet alone 1980! I decided I would tell him the truth. We talked for a few hours and I worked out that the man's name was Stanley, A widely famous scientist known for his creations. He seemed shocked that flying cars were not supposed to be out until 2050, 70 years in the future. He did not seem convinced at the start, but he eventually began to believe me.
Then I told him the most important thing. “I need to get off this planet, NOW!” Stanley seemed shocked at my words. “You won’t go to the moon will you?”, he asked.
“No, much much further”. “So like, Mars?”, questioned Stanley. “Well more like Serzang, a planet which is 5,372 universes away from this planet in this solar system in this galaxy in this universe.
Year 8 – Poetry Writing
Hannah Barnes
"Growing Pains"
Happiness feels heavier than it used to,
We used to laugh so freely.
Never worrying about being too much,
Or whether our laughter took up too much space.
We used to cry tears of laughter,
Watermelon juice dripping from our chins.
Now it’s soft smiles, practiced laughs -
It’s the weight of our pasts, and the fear of our futures.
The doctor spoke about growing pains.
But I don’t think this is what he meant.
The real pain of growing up is feeling like this.
Like you’re losing the version of yourself when joy came so easily.
Like the young girl with the gap–toothed smile is slowly becoming someone you don’t even recognise anymore.
Happiness feels quieter,
Harder to hold on to,
Harder to find as we get older.
And when it’s not there, I notice the gap it leaves.
I wonder why something so simple is so hard to hold on to.
Year 9 – Poetry Writing
Jessica Bielienkova
"A Stranger Called Happiness"
I have heard of happiness - a distant, fleeting thing people speak of so easily, yet it has never lingered long enough for me to hold.
They say happiness feels like light but I have only known shadows stretching endlessly before me. Even its faintest glow has always eluded me. The shouting and inner conflicts torment me from the depths of my despair. My heart shrinks, clenched like a fist in my chest. The agony is excruciating, as if someone is plunging a knife into my bones and muscles twisting it. My fragile, tender heart lies solely within this little girl; so how can a young girl endure such immense suffering, when happiness has always felt just out of reach?
So youthful and small, yet compelled to grow up. A creeping vine that drains life from a tree. You are the vine, while I am the tree. I sense the treachery yet again.
All of my negative feelings foster a sense of instability within me. The real question is, was it my own mind that stole my peace, or was it you who kept happiness from ever settling? Even in moments of calm, I could feel its absence pressing against me, a ghostly weight that reminded me how distant joy remained.
Recently, I have noticed glimpses of strength that I have been dismissing as mere dreams. Aspirations require effort, determination, and fortitude, I am questioning whether I have these traits in me. The transformation of a butterfly, the transformation of my soul.
Like a butterfly during metamorphosis, emerging from a silent, challenging phase into a beautiful, transformed state.
My vulnerability slowly fading away, I feel the power coursing through my veins. Pain, a cruel tutor with a heavy hand, taught me to stand taller, its whispers of weakness eventually hardening into a voice of fierceness and resilience. My heart, once a shattered window, is now mended with clear glue, but the cracks are still visible, and a chill can slip through them on a cold day.
My vulnerable heart has been drained of all trepidation, now stronger than before. After all the ache and struggle I have endeavoured as of you. You became the compass that turned my world pointing me to a new horizon, you led me through rough ocean storms, and towards cliff edges, yet I was responsible for finding true courage after this treacherous journey. Now with each breath I take, I move closer to something I once could not name—perhaps happiness, or something like it. And though I have lived without it, I am no longer afraid to find it. And maybe, just maybe, its presence will finally stay.