ACARA Years 3-6

Story·Caroline Thomas, age 12 — A Blue Heeler named Patches patrols her Texas ranch, herding horses, chasing cars, and protecting her territory until pride lands her in the pool.

Story·William Gwaltney, age 11 — A family's Saturday night visit to a Mexican bakery becomes a sensory journey through pastries, Spanish conversations, and anticipation of Sunday's church crowds.

Story·Bailey Bergmann, age 12 — After being attacked by a dog as a toddler, Asa struggles with her fear until a friend's puppy needs adoption following a tragic accident.

Poetry·Laine Bruzek, age 12 — A child lies in grass watching the sky transform from day to night, observing clouds, sunset, stars, and moon in their eternal dance.

Story·Anna Elizabeth Blech, age 11 — A girl races to school in panic after oversleeping, only to discover at the locked doors that it's Saturday.

Poetry·Benjamin Firsick, age 11 — A boy raking leaves watches migrating birds, imagining one small bird who flies the opposite way eventually saves the flock from hawks in Costa Rica.

Story·Dressler Parsons, age 11 — A lonely girl rescues a kitten from a rattlesnake in the Arizona desert, and the small act of caring brings her disconnected family together for the first time in years.

Story·Alexis Colleen Hosticka, age 12 — A father and son hiking trip turns dangerous when an avalanche strikes, and a mysterious deer saves the boy's life by warming his unconscious body.

Story·William Gwaltney, age 12 — On Christmas Eve, a boy helps his father and veterinarian deliver a calf too large to be born naturally, saving its life through emergency surgery in a blizzard.

Poetry·Rhiannon Grodnik, age 11 — A young observer watches the sunset over San Francisco Bay, experiencing a moment of profound solitude and connection to the infinite before the city lights disappear into darkness.