ACARA Years 3-6

Story·Lucy Strother, age 9 — A tall, insecure fifteen-year-old faces pressure to cheat on a state test from a classmate, but finds courage through her childhood teddy bear to do the right thing.

Story·Ryan G. Braun, age 10 — A 10-year-old recounts Hannibal's ambush of Roman forces at Lake Trasimene in 217 BC, detailing military preparations, strategy, and the devastating Carthaginian victory.

Story·Lisa R. Neher, age 13 — A nervous girl drives to her school play audition, battles stage fright, performs her monologue, and finds relief in having tried her best.

Story·Rosalie Schulick, age 13 — A six-year-old girl hatches a duckling from an abandoned egg, raises it as her best friend, then learns to let it return to its wild family at the pond.

Story·Emma A. Lunbeck, age 12 — A city girl discovers freedom and friendship with wild-haired Robbie during a brief stay in the country, then must leave him behind.

Story·Emily Heninger, age 11 — A seven-year-old girl reluctantly tries water-skiing again on the Mississippi River and finally succeeds, discovering the joy she'd been missing.

Story·Nina Painter, age 12 — A girl who loves ocean life runs away from home during a hurricane, is rescued by dolphins, and learns to appreciate what she has.

Story·Annika Thomas, age 11 — A shy girl misreads a sentence that spans two pages, creating classroom tension until a classmate secretly helps her discover the missing words.

Poetry·Zoe Paschkis, age 12 — A poem explores the power of words to destroy friendship and the deeper power needed to repair it through forgiveness.

Story·Chappell Sargent, age 10 — From a peach tree, a girl watches her sister ride and remembers her own horse Bosa, sold years ago, recalling their stubborn bond and the day they parted.