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Outstanding Student Writing

A few weeks ago, students were shown two pictures of the fall of the Berlin Wall. From those pictures, some vibrant writing grew. These students had a ten-minute history lesson before writing...

Berlin Wall
By Andrew
I pushed through the crowd. People stood, screamed, yelled, jumped, and chanted. So may people piled in the massive crowd. We crowded like ants fixing their hill, only we fixed our city. I fought closer to the front. I needed to get a hit in on the wall that separated my city, my people, my family. I finally arrive. There was a man with an ax. He chopped away at the wall. He wore a pink sweatshirt and blue jeans. His friends around him looked unusually calm to me compared to the other people in the crowd. I figured that they'd stood longest considering how close to the wall the were. I then realized I possessed nothing to hit the wall with. Disappointed, I watched the man. Once he became tired, I grabbed the ax and flung myself at the wall. I hit it. The cement chipped and cracked from the force of the ax. I hit it until the man made me give back his ax. After handing it over, I sunk back into the shouting crowd, my mission complete.
I Watch
By Amy

I watch as the Berlin Wall comes down. After living in East Berlin for twenty-five years, I can finally return home. Bang! Bang! The person near me hacks away at the wall.
"Hand me the crowbar," I say to the man.
He hands me the crowbar, a smile plastered on his face. I firmly hold the crowbar in my hands. My heart pounds in my chest. My breathing accelerates. I raise the crowbar in my hands and slam it into the wall. I bash into the wall over and over again until my arms become Jell-O. A large chunk falls out. An uproar ensues. I can't help but smile.
I look up to see everyone clapping. People from all around embrace me. Their warm touches got to my soul. I became weightless. Everyone around me and I took one step closer to freedom. No longer would Soviet Russia control us. They stare at us emotionless. If I came near the wall yesterday, I'd see this day from heaven. Now I just destroyed part of it, and they stood and did nothing. Boom! A large piece of the wall falls. I make a mad dash toward that area. A huge gap sits there. I look through and see my husband. Tears pour out of my eyes. I break through the crowd and dash through the gap.
"Dan! Dan!" I shout.
"Amelia!" Dan yells. He runs toward me and gives me a great big hug. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too," I say. "Where are the kids?"
Sadness takes over his face.

"They tried to go over the wall to rescue you, but they were caught and killed."

Tears spill out of my eyes. A state of shook comes over me. I can't move. I can barely breathe. I fall on my knees and mourn.
Escaping
by Hunter
I looked over my shoulder to make sure no one followed me. I took a deep breath. About ten people, including me, walked over to the wall. and tried to start to tunnel underneath it. All of the sudden there was a loud "Crack!" One very large man, that looked as if he could life a building, fell to the ground. We didn't waste a second. Everyone started scattering in different directions, searching for somewhere to hid. The bullets come down like rain, making no place safe.
My name holds no importance. Only escaping the wretched East Germany matters. The Berlin Wall stands in my way. I slowly started inching back. Then I shot off; I was lightning. I ran for what seemed like an eternity. When I finally slowed down, I knew exactly where to go. The man I wished to see held an East German official position. He could smuggle me across to West Germany because he posses a pass. I just hope he doesn't let the cat out of the bag.
I knew this man when I grew up. When I arrived at his house, I knocked three times. He answered and invited me inside. I told him that he must get me across now. After much deliberation, he agreed. He led me to his car and took off the fender. You couldn't fit a baby in the hole he showed him. He told me to get in, and I somehow managed to squeeze inside. I heard the engine rumble for a while, but then it stopped. I could hear voices. We must have arrived at the wall. I held my breath and waited. I heard laughter and salutations. They engine roared alive again and continued. We stopped and my friend let me out. I hugged him and ran away happy. Freedom tasted so good.

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