Metamorphosis Drawing

Posted on by
2

Photo taken by: me/DA student

In art class at Durham Academy, me and the other students started working on a transition drawing where we would transform an object into an animal or the other way around. We started by drawing an animal (of our choice) and object (sort of our choice because we had a couple options) and then we would try to morph them into each other through 2-4 steps. This project was really fun because you would have really funny looking transitions and while drawing you could laugh and talk with friends. Me and one of my classmates finished early and she started to do things like do my hair or curl my hair which was easy because our teacher had a hair dryer. This project took about 3 classes for me and some are still shading or have been done for days. I would recommend this drawing style called metamorphosis drawings.

My Ideal World

Posted on by
1

We’ve finally arrived on Aezorz where the sky is a beautiful mix of cool colors. I see purples, pinks, blues, reds, and colors I haven’t seen. Before landing, we saw beautiful oceans of clear purple water, the purple is a reflection of part of the sky. The real color of the water is a tinted white. I also thought I saw a big red whale in the water. The other teammates claimed that I was going crazy and that there were no animals on this planet. About 13 minutes after that while still landing we found an animal. It looked like a cow but purple and had gemstones on it. I knew I wasn’t going crazy. Landing took about 15 minutes, but after we landed I walked straight to a baby “cow” that was blue and had vines on it.

I walked to a really big tree and wondered why it looked and sounded like there were people or animals in the hollowed out holes in the tree. Suddenly I saw a white animal that looked like a human but had long white hair and bumpy white skin rush past me. I started to climb the tree when I got to a hollowed out bit. I looked in and saw a little “boy” wearing white puffy shorts and a shirt that looked like a suit top. I took a picture to report it to my crew. I knocked on the tree, scared for my life, when their family came and started speaking Latin. Lucky for me I know Latin. The family asked me to come in and started telling me about the planet we were on.

Once the “sun” came up, a bunch of animals and “humans” came out and the weird sparkling dot and “string light stars” went away. My crew and I walked around taking notes on the animals. I’m about to name a bunch of animals. They all sound crazy though. One animal was a giant red whale which stayed by the shore, a bunch of cows that all varied to be different colors with different earthy things on them (like crystals, vines, flowers, etc), a giant bird that is see through and glowing all different colors, and a bunch of other animals. The little “boy” I met earlier told me that there is no such thing as genders. You are assigned a sex at birth which isn’t what you are referred to but it’s for medical reasons like medicine.

As a group of Kuswlers (the people) told us about their religions I swear I felt the ground move up and down like it was breathing and after it happened the Kuswlers said that it was Viwdiag (like a Mother Earth)  breathing. The religion was just about how they respected Viwdiag and gave her offerings every time the moon kvigash (kiv-ag-ash) turned red.

When I went to one of the restaurants I said I had nothing to trade and they gave me the food for free. The food looked like a black spiky egg cut in half with an orange soup with chunks of fruits and herbs sprinkled on it. Their food was mostly spicy and had loads of herbs on it or fruits.

Once it was night again we collected some of the weird glowy things that floated around and then went to swim and ended up finding a giant red whale that would swim us around. This is probably the best place I have ever been.

When we woke up the next morning we went to go meet the princess and queen but when we got there there was a note that said they were dropping off their son at school. The air smells amazing today. I have noticed that the days are super long and not much light but at night it’s short and a bit of light, not as much as day but I like night the best.

We have to leave soon but I want to take one more look around and say goodbye. I walk to the waterfall with the weird crystals in it, I say goodbye to the red whale, I say goodbye to the “cows”, and last I say goodbye to the “people”. I hope we come again soon.

Natural Science Museum in Raleigh Field Trip

Posted on by
Reply

Taken by Durham Academy teacher

Taken by Durham Academy teacher

Taken by Durham Academy teacher

______________________________________________________

On January 27 2023 Durham Academy went on a field trip to the Natural Science Museum in Raleigh. The museum had a bunch of interesting places. One thing at this museum I really liked was the animals, they had a bunch of animals like snakes and turtles there was even an eel. One weird thing I think I will never forget was their railing on the stairs. It went from cold metal to warm metal and that was just very fascinating to me for some reason. Another thing I really liked was the escalators and not because they were fun (they were) but because it was cool to see the transition from floor to floor since each floor was completely different. The weather was really nice so lunch wasn’t as cold as expected. Since this museum had multiple floors it allowed space to hang (fake) whale bone body’s from the ceiling. There was a room full of dinosaur statues and in that room everyone was obsessing over one place where a YouTuber (Mr.Beast) sat. On the bus rides there was a lot of singing. I would really recommend going there with your friends and/or family.

Window or Mirror?

Posted on by
1

Image from Sora

I have been reading Out To Get You recently. It’s an amazing book by Josh Allen. It’s just a bunch of short horror stories and it’s really good. A window book is something you can’t relate to and a mirror is where you can relate to all or most things. I can’t decide if this book is a mirror or window because most of the stories are windows but every ONCE in a while I will find a mirror story in this book. One way it’s a window is my life is not filled with haunted things. Sometimes the characters are younger or older than me. Sometimes it’s a mirror because a character is my age. Another mirror example is there is a cat in one of the stories and it makes me think about my own cat. This is a really good book and I recommend you read it!

 

UNC Ropes Course

Posted on by
Reply

The zip lining tower

I’m the kid with half and half shirt

Me zip lining

Once again I’m the kid in the grey shorts and white shirt an blue helmet

People waiting to zipline

I’m the kid in the white shirt

At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year Durham Academy went to UNC Ropes Course where we did a zip line, group games, and ate. That day it felt weird to go to school with only a water bottle and snack/lunch.

My group played walking tag first. My best friend Mica  and I teamed up. She tagged me but I couldn’t get her. My shoes got soaked. Next, we played some activity games like balance the boat where we tried to balance an oversized seesaw. We then took a break before lunch then had lunch. Lunch felt like the longest lunch of my life but I got to talk to some of my best friends like Zoe, Mica,and Elena. After lunch I got to go on the zipline. The zipline was very high up which is scary since i’m scared of heights. I thought about forfeiting but I didn’t and I’m so happy I did it. It was the best feeling ever.

I want to thank my school for all the amazing things they let us do. My school gives me opportunities to do new things and find what I like. I also want to thank Mica because she convinced me to go on the zipline. I love these new opportunities I have been able to do.

Wisdom Tale Projects

Posted on by
Reply

My Language Arts class is reading a book called Wisdom Tales. For the past week or so people in my class have been practicing or making their wisdom tales project. My friend Emily and I teamed up to do a story named The Little Lizard’s Sorrow which is basically about this gambler who made a game and he lost the game to a beggar and turned into a lizard. Emily  and I did acting. Emily was the beggar and I was the lizard/gambler. For these photos, I am the kid in the big white and grey sweater and Emily is the kid in the pink pants.

Camp Hanes Trip

Posted on by
2

Camp Hanes 

September 29th the 6th graders at DA came to school at the normal time but with a bunch of luggage. The 6th graders waited like 15-20 minutes for the buses, getting in the buses was chaotic but after we all settled down in two different buses we started our two hour long drive to Camp Hanes. When the 6th graders arrived at Camp Hanes, they brought all our stuff to the gym and then played for corners and other fun activities. We got all our stuff and walked to our cabins and settled down. After we settled down we went outside and played soccer, volleyball, or other activities for fun.

My favorite activity at camp Hanes was probably the bus ride and the walk because on the bus ride there we got to have candy and talk and I sat next to Mica which was fun. I liked the hike because it was difficult but the view was really pretty and I like walking up the steep bit with the rope. At night we had a campfire which was really fun and we got s’mores and the workers performed skits. At the campfire it was a bit chaotic but that didn’t stop it from being fun. On the bus ride home me and my friend Mica took a nap and then we watched ratatouille which was an awesome movie.

I’m proud that I could actually sleep that night because the bed was not comfortable and there were a lot of people snoring which made it hard to fall asleep but once I did I slept for a long time and was able to wake up and get ready. The hardest part about the trip was probably packing and moving our luggage because my luggage was very heavy. In the end camp Hanes was really fun and I got to know more people better

Lilah’s Backpack

Posted on by
Reply

This summer I read Finding Someplace. It’s a book about a girl named Reesie, who’s turning 13, but on her birthday Hurricane Katrina hits. She packed her bag with her phone, important documents, and a photo of her parents. Before she left she went to Ms. M’s to get her birthday cake. She then helped with Ms. M’s garden. What would you pack?

Because of this book, I’m going to draw what I would pack. 

If I were in this situation I would pack my phone and a portable charger so that I can stay distracted or have a flashlight. A couple outfits so that I can stay comfortable. And keep my favorite clothes. My special blanket because it is very sentimental. Money just in case I need some money to get help. A pillow so that I can sleep. Medical kit and an emergency kit in case I get hurt or there’s an emergency. Water to stay alive and hydrate…(Maybe) games and skincare/makeup because if I survive this is some stuff I would. I want to keep it. Snacks to stay alive. A journal and my pencil case to keep myself entertained. And last but definitely not least my cats because I love my cuddly adorable cute amazing cats. All of these things are either necessary for my survival or they are very sentimental.