Some Summer Madness

By Hayley Andrews

Headliners

Summer is usually the time of getting off school, having parties and also sleeping in late but what really gets on my nerves is the weather. Northern Irish people are the worst for warm weather. Once they see a tiny bit of sunshine, they crack out the three-quarter lengths, flip-flops and sunglasses.
I prefer the cold weather and having to wrap myself in a big woolly blanket.

I hate it when the weather is all hot and clammy and I have to sit in school.

It’s like sitting in a big oven and we can’t open up the windows!
This also brings to mind the most talked about subject of recent years, climate change. Waaaa! It’s these two words that have everyone out with their recycling bins on bin collection days.

I always nearly get knocked down by that recycling van every Monday!
It annoys me that the news organisations are only taking notice of climate change now.

Surely they knew all about the problem years ago.

In the part of Belfast where I live they are doing something about it. They will soon be installing solar panels in selected homes and also some thingymabobby or other to stop heat escaping from your house.

This is in an effort to cut down on electric and gas usage and thereby reducing our bills. Yippee.
The government should really stop and think just how they are going to make solar panels more cost friendly for working class people like myself ( though, I don’t have job and I hope I don’t get one ).
Unfortunately my house didn’t get selected for solar panels. I’m pretty unhappy about that as I had always dreamt of the day when I would get solar panels. I guess I must wait until I am older.
I also like the idea of wind turbines, they are pretty and remind me of the time I went to Amsterdam! That was a fun trip!

Anyway - climate change matters to me because I’m a tree hugger and I like the environment. I want an electric car too!

Damien's on the right track

By Damien Simmons

Lisanally Special School

My name is Damien Simmons and my hobbies are Greyhound Racing, playing the PS2, and the following football teams Arsenal and Chelsea.

I play lots of games on the PS2 I like Formula 1 and Fifa 07. I also like music. I like Grease and High School Musical 2.

I have a dog called Good Man he is brindle dog. His father is called Hush Man and his mother is called Dirren Glen. He runs at Dundalk and Lifford. I walk him out at the tracks. Granda walks him out every morning and when I’m off school I walk with him and the dog. We walk the dog at the golf course and in Lough Neagh.

PlayStation games rock

By Ryan McCone
Lisanally Special School

I like gaelic football and my favourite teams are Clare and Armagh. Oisin McConville is my favourite player for Armagh.
I also enjoy listening to rock music and I have Rock Star game on the PS2. I love playing this game because it allows me to play the guitar which is my favourite musical intrument. When I go home I like to go to out and play football.
At Easter I got four chocolate eggs and one was a Crème Egg.
I have a dog called Spot who I take out for a walk.

Aoife gets a kick out of football

By Aoife French
Lisanally Special School

My name Aoife French and I like soccer and follow Man Utd and Liverpool.

I also like playing on the computer and watching TV.

I got a new football recently and it is red and black.

I really like Ben10 and Yu-Gi-Oh.

I also like Shane.

Walt a wonderful place to visit

By Stephen Loughran
Lisanally Special School

My name is Stephen Loughran and I would like to write about some of my interests.
My favourite sports are gaelic football and golf. My favourite gaelic fotball team is Armagh and Manchester United is my favourite soccer team.
I have PS3 and Wii. My games on a Wii is Super Mario Galaxy and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. My Favourite Game on PS3 is The Simpsons Game.
I also love The Simpsons Movie and High School Musical 1 & 2.
Every Friday when I leave school I go to Armagh to go to supermarket called McAreney’s. Sometimes I was going to Rushmere Shopping Centre in Craigavon.
My Sisters are working in chip shop called Ellen’s in Keady.
For my holidays this year in July my family are going to Florida. Florida is a state in USA. The are lots of things to see and doo there such as the Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Studios and Also Wet n Wild.
Over the years Florida has been struck by Hurricanes and many building have been destroyed.
Walt Disney World Resort was opened in 1971, five years after Walt Disney Died in 1966 during the production of a film in 1967 called The Jungle Book.

By Kevin Mc Entaggart

Lisanally Special School

My name is Kevin McEntaggart and I love to cook food.
As well as cooking I like to play pool and the PS2 and I am also interested in gaelic football.

My favourite team is Down.
When I get older I think I would like to be a firefighter because I think they are very brave.
When my school had an open day recently I showed the guests how to play football and basketball. We also played Turbodaily which I like.
Outside school I go to the cinema with my parents and I enjoy watching comedy movies and music shows on TV.

Elvis fan is all shook up

By Nathan Andrews
Lisanally Special School

My name is Nathan Andrews and I am a big fan of computers and games.
I love to play on my laptop at home and I like using Windows Vista. I think I would like to work with computers when I get older.
I also have a PS3 and love playing games on it.
My favourite films are Spiderman and Lord Of The Rings and my favourite music is Elvis and I would love to see his house in Graceland.
Recently our school had an Open Day and I took part in some PE.

By Colum O'Neill

Lisanally Special School

My hobbies are farming, Armagh, boxing, rugby, cinema, looking after my snake, midsummer murders.
I like looking after cows, sheep and chickens in the farm main Moy road. My uncle Sean owns the farm. I help my uncle to clean the cattle houses. I also drive a Massey Ferguson 135.

By Pauline Wong

Lisanally Special School

I like playing with my dogs and I take them for a walk.
I like watching television with my Mum.

We like watching wild life programmes and going to my Nanny’s for a walk to see if my Nanny needs anything at the shop.

I like going to computers on a Monday after than I like going to choir too.

I am also a prefect in Lisanally Special School.

By Shane O’Callaghan

Lisanally Special School

My name is Shane O’Callaghan and I love Yu-Gi-Oh and I have lots of cards. I am also a big fan of PS2. I like football and my favourite teams are Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool. I like animals such as snakes because they move very smoothly. I also like whales and cheetahs. It was Open Day at our school on Tuesday 15th April. When the visitors were being shown around our school I was doing French with Mrs. Devin and then I did P.E. with Mr. Oldham. We had a very busy morning. The visitors loved our school and Ms. Flynn was very pleased with us all.

By Alec Campbell

Lisanally Special School

My name is Alec Campbell and I like the Simpsons Hit & Run game for the PlayStation 2 because you can collect lots of money!!!!!!!!!. I save some money to buy chocolate.
I fight with Kim, my sis.
I love, love, love my doggie Jess who is white and brown and has a black nose.
I also like playing with my teddies London, Barney, Pickacku, Pongo, Dusty, David, Pooh, Purple, Blue Guy, Green, Peter, Rudolph, Gloria and Pinkie Rudolph.
I also have more than 100 Pokemon cards.
I really enjoy going out on my bike which is called Speedy.

Technology Torture

By Molly Cullen
Headliners

We have to do Technology until the end of 3rd year and then we get a choice to keep studying it or not. Personally, I hate technology. I think we should do it in 1st year and THEN decide to keep it on or not.
In my opinion it’s really pointless learning how to make a toy buggy. What’s the point? I’m never going to have to make one in the future. My employer is NEVER going to ask me ‘Did you pass Technology?’
I told my technology teacher this and she told me I would need it in later life. Never in my later life do I plan on making a buggy, key-ring, or a moving hook.
If you’re hopeless at Technology, like me, why do you still have to do it? I get why you have to do Maths and stuff, because that makes sense, being able to add and subtract.
The Theory to the subject is even more pointless. I couldn’t care less if a lever was balanced, or how much resistance is in a resistor. Out of my whole class (20 people), there is ONE person going one to do it at GCSE. ONE. What’s the point in making a class of 20 sit for 70 minutes of pure boredom each week, when ONE person is continuing it next year???
Technology is torture. The only result that comes out of technology is that we can stand and talk, until the teacher notices and makes you wire up your pointless project again, because you did it wrong the first 20 times. Can she not get the picture? Most of the 3rd Year population at Wellington College hate it. We should use the time for something interesting, like Drama or P.E. Not something stupid like technology.

Time flies... relatively speaking

By Laura Haughey
Hunterhouse College

Why is it that time only goes fast when you’re having fun?
The worst time for time to go fast is when you’re having fun and the best time should be when you’re sitting in the most dreaded class that does nothing for you and does benefit you at all i.e. right now.
It has taken me only one minute to write this.
Another thing, why does my sleep just consist of one blink?
Why does time have to fly when the best part of the day begins – bedtime?
I like to cherish my sleep time but because it’s a blink I don’t even know I’ve fallen asleep.
Right, so I’m sitting in class right now mulling over what I’ve written and time is still taking itself.
Only six minutes have went by and I’m still ranting on how time is such a melt.
Ever get when the news comes on and there’s a good show on after, but they news decides to broadcast really monotonous stories therefore it takes longer?
These tend to be on politics.
Who really cares like?
I don’t know about yourself like but I’d rather watch Ann Robinson grief people for being themselves.
Kay so it’s 6:30pm by the time the news is over and the TV show you’ve been waiting on comes on.
You have a few laughs, blink and it’s over.
You then go and waste your life away on MSN and then you look at the clock, it’s now 9:30pm. I’m now officially a computer creep.
I am now MSN and BEBOED out to the max.
I then do the daily things like attempt homework and shower.
It’s now 10:30pm.
I MSN it again and go to bed and blink.
It’s now a new day…

By Rachael Hesketh

Hunterhouse College

I don’t want to write about something, just for the sake of writing.

No ID is just the ticket

By Ciara Grazier

Hunterhouse College

Like many other people under 18, I see this information on tickets, ticketmaster or any posters for a good gig, and get very disappointed.

I start trying to make the decision as to either take the chance of buying a ticket and getting in, being ragingly rejected, or to just leave it and sit at home while old couples are having a drink and watching a band they haven’t even heard of who are AMAZING.
I think it’s ridiculous that we aren’t allowed into a building that has a bar, it’s not like we’re planning on getting plastered.

People should just be asked for ID at the actual bar.

And I hate the way bouncers can be so cheeky and sarcastic to you, it’s like they were never young themselves and they hold all the power to just ruin your night.
Some tickets don’t even say that it is for over 18s only, so then many more people buy a ticket and are let down and you can’t even get a refund in most cases.
ID should be asked for at a bar, not to go into a big room to listen to music.

I can't Blink of anything to write

By Lauren Hamilton
Hunterhouse College

I don’t know what to write about today.
There’s lots of things I could write about but I have read them all before and that would bore me.
I could write about my team Manchester United or my favourite band Blink 182 but I really don’t feel like doing that. I hate being in school and having to write about things and having to think of my own blog is hard.
So I’m just going to tell you about how I can’t think of anything that excites me and that I can write about today.

Musing about a long summer holiday

By Sandra Perry
Hunterhouse College

My Summer is gonna be such banter, not only do I have 8 free weeks of NO SCHOOL, but I'm going to Muse…3 days of Tennents Vital, weeks of tennis and should be going to Edinburgh or somewhere…
After 30 weeks of school, I FINALLY HAVE 8 FREE WEEKS OF NO SCHOOL….and MUSE!...quite possibly, one of the most AMAZING bands alive.
Thursday night got a text through…
‘here dude, you like Muse?’
SO OBVIOUSLY I was like…
‘errrrm HELL YEA!...y’ So you know… ‘wanna go see em in Dublin?’
And this is the point, where I realised I AM GOING TO HAVE THE MOST IMMENSE SUMMER EVER.
When Muse did Wembley, a ROBOT brought your man his guitar out…A ROBOT!
3 days of Tennents Vital…even though the headliners aren’t up yet...I DON’T CARE…cause it’s 3 days instead of 2..and I only went to 1 day last year…I DON’T CARE CAUSE IT’S 3 DAYS NOW…and I’m going.
WEEKS AND WEEKS OF TENNIS, starting with the French Open where I can watch Rafael Nadal whip everyone’s asses…ooooh yes :D ..but, this is where school becomes a problem again, Wimbeldeon starts WHILE I'm still at school, what are they doing?
School CLEARLY ruins everything.

Burning issues

By Sarah-Jayne Tracey

Hunterhouse College

People are always telling us that we should recycle more and that we are ruining the planet, but is it true or is it just made up to scare us.

Some people believe that global warming is happening and that we should be worried.

Although many people believe that global warming is coming some people don’t, they think that scientists and the government are making up stories about how the ice caps are melting, sea levels are rising and how if they do we will all be underwater!
Which do we believe? Do we believe scientists telling us that this is happening or do we believe that it’s all just a big scam to get us to recycle more?

I believe that global warming is coming and it’s quite scary, but I also believe that if we start to change our way of life and try our best to help we could stop it or keep it away for as long as possible.

Even though I don’t like when people are always nagging me about how we should be recycling more and how we should do this and how we should do that, but in the end they are right and we should listen to them.

So the next time we are leaving the house and our phone chargers, TV’s, DVD players and lights are still plugged into the plug socket we should think and switch of the main socket at the wall!

It's just not fare

By Sophie Dickson

Hunterhouse College

Why is it that whenever I get on a bus, it’s the start of a very painful (and embarrassing) journey?

It is not impossible for anyone else to survive a bus journey without actually wrecking their limbs, so why me?

I get a bus virtually every day, so I have this ‘pre-bus-ness’ every day, this is when I am anxious about what sort of pain or embarrassment I am going to inflict upon myself.

If I was a fan of the phrase ‘bad times’, I would be using it right now.

You can only imagine how much I hate snow, when I have to worry about actually getting to the bus stop safely, with all limbs in tact.

Just the other day, all I needed to do was attempt to get on the bus before I actually hurt myself. It was about time.

It was getting a bit boring having to wait until I was on the bus before I damaged myself.

I hadn’t even put my two feet inside the bus, and the bus driver closed the door on my knee.

Of course, it had to make my knees equally sore, and couldn’t just injure the one that had been hurt one week previous to this.

Of course, I had hurt that one on a bus too.

Gotta a love for life

By Gina Ritchie
Hunterhouse College

I hate the fact that we have 5 days a week of school and only 2 days of the weekend, does my head in. Things would be so much easier if I had a car, I could do things at my pace and leisure.

I hate the fact that everyone I hang out with are older than me and all have their own methods of transport and I have to get stuck with someone else.

I hate that I spend more time with teachers and people that I don’t necessarily like in school than with my family at home.

I hate doing ironing every Wednesday and Sunday and the fact that I don’t get paid, but I love that it makes my mum happy that it’s one less thing for her to do.

I love the weekends where you get up, don’t plan what you’re gonna do but just go with the flow, roll outta bed, get a quick shower, slap on some makeup and get in my mate’s car and drive, not knowing where were going, what were gonna do or how much money it’ll cost.

I love the song Elements by Tiesto, there’s no words in the song but it just makes me feel like I can do anything, it puts me in the mood for anything, it’s the song of my life.

I hate school and the fact that in an all girl school there’s always guaranteed to be an argument between people in my class and you have to choose sides.

I hate that I have to get up at 7am to go to school and I don’t get home ‘til 4pm.

I hate that my mum makes me come home at 10pm whereas all my friends have no set time as to when they have to be in, but yet I love that my mum’s only doing it to look out for me and make sure I’m safe.

I hate school uniform because it’s plain and you have to wear it 5 days a week but it’s better than wearing your own clothes otherwise it’d be a fashion contest everyday.

I love that my friends don’t or look down on me because I’m the only girl in the group and that

I’m 3 years younger than the majority of them and that they treat me equally.

I hate school, it melts me. I know it’s not meant to be fun but I’m not concerned with it, I do well in school but I just don’t have the determination to go on, I want to do well in my GCSE’S and then drop out of fifth year and get an apprenticeship in mechanics, move on to traffic branch and get on with my life.

I hate the fact that the car I want costs £26,400 every two years to run, and that it has to be imported from Japan.

I hate that my boyfriend gets up at 2pm everyday, goes to work for a couple of hours and then gets to do whatever he wants from then on, he can stroll into the house at 6am if he wanted. Melts my head.

I love the fact that even when I get jealous and angry at the tiniest things people don’t react back the same way but let me blow off steam.

I love that when I get home from school my dad always asks me what I want for dinner and tries to make it the exact way I like it, even though he’s not my real dad, the smallest things mean the most to me.
My sister left home when she was 16 to be with her boyfriend, I didn’t talk to her for a year because I hated how much she hurt my mum, but I love it now because that she’s wised up and is picking up the pieces that she left, I love that she texts me the odd time and comes up to the house to confide in me about things she never would of done before.

I hate that when you go to the cinema and you wanna see an 18 film but you can’t because you’re too young so you get stuck with a 12 or 15 and still have to pay the adult price.

I hate that my mum says I’m too young to know what I want, just because I’m 15 doesn’t mean

I have the mentality of an 18 month old baby.

I love people who live every day like it’s their last.

I love those drives when you’ve got the tasteful music on kinda loud and the sun’s shining so much that you can’t see where you’re going but yet it doesn’t matter. And you’re with one other person in the car, both with your sun glasses on, not having a care in the world, not thinking of anything, apart from each other.

I love my mum.

I love my dad.

I love my boyfriend.

I love the people in my life who make a difference.

I love things that make life worthwhile.

I love that no matter how bad or sad I feel because of school, it only takes a matter of minutes for my bestfriend’s to change my mood.

I love life.