CITYWIDE WRITING AND ART CONTESTLA’s BEST 17TH ANNUAL FAMILY BRUNCH

21 LA’s BEST STUDENTS Winners of the citywide writing and art contest

“HOW LA’S BEST MAKESME FEEL SPECIAL”

CITYWIDE WRITING AND ART CONTESTLA’s BEST 17TH ANNUAL FAMILY BRUNCH

— Jacob Flores, Grade 5, Bright

— Steven Estrada, Grade K, 135th Street

Special Feeling

LA’s BEST makes me feel great,

Sometimes when I come, I come late.

LA’s BEST is a place where there is fun,

I always play outside under the sun.

When we do homework I finish it all,

If we have time we play handball on the wall.

Some days are cold, some are hot

Some are fun and some are not.

Everyday we do clubs and do stuff,

Some are easy and some are really tough.

When I get in trouble they call me, I think that’s fair

All I know is that my staff actually care.

Every time my parents come for me,

I always have that special feeling,

And it started when LA’s BEST staff gave me

their greeting.

— Jose Colon, Grade 6, 2nd Street

— Mackenzie Boute, Grade 4, Gault

— Melanie Orozco, Grade 5, Esperanza

— Carlos Rivera, Grade 4, Broadous

LA’s BEST is special to me because it is fun and it makes me a

better person. I’ve become a better person by learning how

to understand others’ feelings. I have learned not to judge

anyone by what’s on the outside, but by what’s on the

inside. Before, bullying was a big problem for me. Bullying to

me is when people pick on someone by hurting their feelings

or literally hurting them. I used to be bullied by someone,

but learned to just ignore them and walk away, but I used to

get mad. I ended up becoming a bully to others as revenge. I

picked on a kid that everyone else picked on because I was

mad, but after a talk with coaches I saw how it can be mean.

I remembered how I didn’t like it and how it made me feel. I

stopped being a bully and learned to be nicer to others. I

know LA’s BEST really helped me change, especially through

the club, “Character Counts,” where they teach you how to

become a better person. In “Character Counts” we also get

to play games and have contests, which makes it really fun. I

feel like being nicer and changing into a better person and

that’s how LA’s BEST makes me feel special.

— Linda Garcia, Grade 4, NEW Canoga Park

— John Zimbardi-Le Mons, Grade 3, Valley View

LA’s BEST makes me feel special because I can get my

hands dirty exploring nature.

— Amaria Waters, Grade 2, 135th Street

— Alicia Aquino, Grade K, Magnolia Avenue

I feel special in LA’s BEST because my coach Ms. Q

shows me love. The reason that I feel special is

because kids do not show me love. They’re not nice to

me. They don’t want me to be their friends and they

call me mean names. Also, during school time teachers

are too busy to show me love and even the principal. I

have family but they live in Iran so they can’t show me

love because they’re too far also. My grandmother

doesn’t speak English so she can’t talk to me. This is

about why I feel special in LA’s BEST.

Your Friend, Sarnia

— Sarnia Ghanbari, Grade 3, Canoga Park

— Georgia Carias, Grade 5, Stonehurst

LA’s BEST makes me feel special because it is a place

where I can grow.

— Adan Villalba, Grade K, Magnolia Avenue

— Sergio Renteria, Grade 5, Weigand Avenue

— Lily Yuan, Grade 9, Bushnell Way

LA’s BEST makes me feel special because when I go to

dance club I feel totally free. When I am practicing

dance I feel so relaxed and happy and I can just dance

my best. People used to call me names because I

didn’t talk much but a staff member saw me dancing

and told me to join the club. After I started dancing all

the names disappeared and my time at LA’s BEST is the

best now. I would have never had enough courage t

dance if that staff member didn’t see me so they made

me feel special.

— Nataly Escobar, Grade 5, Figueroa Street

— Kenya Wynn, Grade 4, Stanley Mosk

— Denise Perez, Grade 5, Latona Avenue

LA’s BEST makes me feel special because the staff

usually compliment me and make me feel that there’s

things about me that people like about me. LA’s BEST

also makes me feel like a winner. The staff always

supports me no matter what, even if I fail. It real

makes me feel happy. Usually when I fail, people feel

horrible, terrible, but in LA’s BEST, I don’t have to

worry about that. If and when I’m feeling sad, the

staff always come talk to me and make me better.

That’s how I know they cared about me and everyone

in LA’s BEST. Most important, they always motivate

me to follow my dreams. Whenever something was

wrong with me, they always try their best to fix my

problem. This is why LA’s BEST makes me feel special.

— Mynor Marroquin, Grade 4, Arminta

— Jon Jairo Zarate, Grade 5, Esperanza

— Matias Garcia, Grade K, Maurice Senak