Student Photos and Writing
Students were guided through a series of readings, discussions, and brainstorming sessions before they began writing and photographing. They were asked to choose a genre (essay, poem, letter) that best suited their message, audience, and personal style. They were also asked to select one (or in some cases 2-3) photo which they felt best represented their words and most clearly conveyed their main idea. Individually, each piece demonstrates the linguistic and creative growth of each student. Collectively, they speak to some common themes and quietly call for action on a number of community issues.
Adnan Nabi
Dear Uncle,
I can't wait to see you in the United States. Before you come to the United States; I would like to tell you some things about my neighborhood. I like my neighborhood a lot in the United States. In my neighborhood, people are very polite, quiet, respectful, and helpful. If I am going to... » Read more...
Alejandra Ochoa
Dear Karla,Everything is different since I moved to another house, the one I'm living in now. You know how we had fun together when we were neighbors. I miss hanging out with you. Do you remember when we used to go to the swimming pool, play outside with balls, go to the laundry, go...
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Alejandro Garay
Hi Juan,
I write this letter to you because I want to let you know how I am doing in my new house. I want to tell you the way I feel in this new place where I live. First of all, I live on Mabel Street and it is a peaceful place to live. My neighbors never try to have a discussion with us; it is like... » Read more...
Amani Thal
Child Who Used to Be FunDear child who used to be fun, When you were a child, you said that everything would be fun and different. You used to think that everything would be easy to do. You thought that you wouldn't have to work as hard to get money. And if you were to see the airplane,...
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Amelia Jallayu
Dear Jaltoh, If I were to tell you how much I miss our neighborhood, I would just bring back the past memory of how we all used to play together and how I miss all of our past. Friend if I were to tell you all about the boredom of my neighborhood, you won't have...
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Aminata Sawyer
My NeighborhoodHow precious and beautiful My Tucson neighborhood is Look at my neighborhood shining Like the sun from above Gleaming like silver and gold I love sitting at my window most of my quiet moments Watching the birds playing in the sky Listening to the sound of the calm and...
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Arthur Jallayu
The Positive Place for Kids and TeenagersHi people of the world. Let me take you on a tour of my neighborhood. When I take you around my neighborhood, you will wish to live here. I live in a unique neighborhood. This area has a lot of fun places for your kids. In my mind, I see this...
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Bob Odu
My Neighborhood ViewMy neighborhood is a small area in southern Tucson. We live right next to "A" mountain. My neighborhood is surrounded by tall buildings and mountains. Before living here, we lived on Swan and Grant. It was our first apartment when we first arrived to the United States...
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Daniel Martinez
From Daniel (age 15)Dear Daniel (age 8), Hi Daniel. Maybe you are asking yourself who I am, why I put the age on this letter, or why I'm writing to you without you knowing me. Let me explain why. First, let me tell you who I am. You have known me all your life because I'm you. I am now...
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Daniela Nava
Dear Mariana,Hi, how are you? What have you been doing? Remember when I used to live in the same neighborhood as you. That was really fun, but now I live in the worst neighborhood you can imagine. But I will tell you about that later. Now I just want to remember the good times we had...
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Daniela Romero
Dear Mariana,Hi! How are you? I hope you and your family are okay. That's what I hope. I wonder what's happening over there. You know I miss you a lot, as well as our friends from school, and everything about my old neighborhood. Please tell our friends that I said "Hi!!" Well, some...
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Daninza Bautista
"The Lonely Neighborhood"The lonely neighborhood, the place With barren streets, with bored kids And the sadness inside our veins. The Yelling of a manager, the crying of a kid, Which always is afraid of losing his Grin. The lonely neighborhood, the sound of Birds, and the image of a...
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David Coronado
The American DreamThe American dream is truly outstanding for some but not for everybody. My family, for example, is doing a fine job in America When my dad first came to America, he was illegal And alone His life at that time was very difficult, but once he got the residency of this...
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David Fonseca
Mystery in the NeighborhoodChapter 1 "Run," I said when I saw the shadow behind Chris. He started screaming desperately. I could see in his eyes the fear of the impotence while running. Just a few seconds passed when the whole park was covered with the darkness of the night and the birds...
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Eliseo Egurrola
Hi Jesus,I've written this letter to you so that you can see how my neighborhood is in the United States. Here in my neighborhood there is lots of Mexican culture; of course there isn't as much as in Mexico. One thing that is happening in the United States is that Mexican culture is...
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Elizabeth Berber
Bad People in the NeighborhoodIt was a very nice neighborhood She was a very nice person Until bad people came to the neighborhood Until she met this boy I never thought it was going to be like that She never thought that he would be like that I was scared to come to the neighborhood She...
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Francisco Nunez
Dear Francisco,Hello Francisco. How are you doing? I hope well. I'm just writing you this letter to tell you about the neighborhood where you are going to live in the future and play soccer. I know that you are crazy about soccer and it's your passion. That's why I want to tell you about...
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Hawa Bealue
Kids Come Knocking at the DoorKids come knocking at the door every second, asking for my little brother to come out for them to play. All I do is sit in the house twenty-four hours a day. Not because I don't want to hang out or play with my friends too just like my little brother, but...
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Ivonne Franco
Dear Nany,Hi! How are you? I hope you are good. I write this letter because I am bored and I am going to tell you about my new neighborhood and my old neighborhood. My new neighborhood and my house are too noisy and dangerous. In my house my mom talks too loud - you know it. My sister...
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Jesus Carrillo
The Different Perspectives of a NeighborhoodMy neighborhood is a safe place for homeless people and alcoholics. At daytime, it is really calm, but when the sun settles down, the homeless start to rise from north, south, east, and west. The alcoholics are friends of the homeless and they...
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Jesus Morales
Dear Ulises,What's up? I hope your life is going great. I just want to say hi and see how things are going with you and talk to you a little bit about how good and relaxing my new neighborhood is. It is not as good as the one we lived in in México, but it's very peaceful and quiet and...
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Jesus Valenzuela
My NeighborhoodMy neighborhood where I used to live was boring because there was nothing to do outside. It was lonely because no one was outside playing. Everyone fould just be inside on their home. And there was no park near our old neighborhood. There was one park but it was very far...
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Joddy Borrego
In my neighborhood, nobody sticks together. Maybe it does not deserve the name neighborhood.Dear Joddy (16 years old), Hi Joddy. How are you? Hope you are doing ok. Well, I just wanted to write to you and really talk a little about the "so called neighborhood." Here are some things that...
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Jorge Guerrero
Memories of My GrandfatherEver since I was little, I always had a gun. My first gun was from my grandfather. He made it for me when I was like 4 years old. It was a rifle that was made from wood and it shot rubber bands. I would always shoot some things. When I was kid, I used to watch...
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Jose Cabrera
Battle in the NeighborhoodIf you go to my neighborhood, you would see both revitalization and deterioration. There are some old houses that are being torn down to make room for the new ones. What is so cool about those houses is that they use solar heated water and they collect the rainwater...
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Joseph Thal
The Crazy Apartment Before the Nice One and One Bill After AnotherI still remember our old apartment. I see it in my mind like I lived in a jail, a dangerous railroad, a wrong place to live. My family lived in an apartment like that because there wasn't any other place and nowhere to...
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Josephina Thal
Imagining the Neighborhood You Have Never SeenDear Josephina, remember the time when you and I used to sit outside when the sun would go down, looking upon the , seeing airplanes flying, and imagine how America would look when we made it there. Do you remember the time when you and I...
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Juan Avina
How to Raise FamiliesSome people say that my neighborhood is not a safe place because they hear a rumor that it is a gangster zone, but that is no more. They don't know because they don't live there. Actually, my neighborhood is a nice place you can hang out with your friends. Companies...
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Julio Padilla
Dear Julio,Hi, how are you? How is your life going? In your neighborhood is everything still the same? Are you still going to the same high school? Are you still playing soccer? Are you still having the same girlfriend? How many? Do you remember all the people that lived in your old...
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Karina Valenzuela
Dear Carolina,I wish I could live in the same neighborhood with you again. That way we could go to the park and walk or talk about what happened to you and me. You should see where I live now; my new neighborhood is not boring, and it is not fun. You should see the park because it is...
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Karla Moreno
Dear Dulce Rojas,I hope that you are doing great. I miss all of you guys a lot and I miss the place where I used to live. I'm now living in Tucson, Arizona. My neighborhood is so boring. None of my neighbors go out of their houses. I'm always bored in my room because I have nothing...
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Kathya Castro
My Neighborhood Represents My LifeMy neighborhood represents my life; I have a special feeling to this place. My neighborhood has a lot of entertainment places but I do not have time to enjoy them. My family likes this place because my parents work near my apartment and I work too. One...
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Kelvin Jallayu
The Effects of Smoking in My NeighborhoodNot like there are not other ways of affecting the neighborhood, but the most dangerous and distorting way of affecting the neighborhood is by smoking. Smoking around the neighborhood affects your neighbors around you, mostly the young children...
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Lydia Galvez
What Happens to a Lonely Neighborhood?Does the neighborhood get jealous when other neighborhoods are glad, or does it get sad? Does it get happy when the sun rises or does it get frightened when the darkness of the night comes out? When you hear those howls from dogs like wolves looking...
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Margarita Ochoa
Dear younger Margarita,In this life, there are a lot of things that change, like in my neighborhood. It is a very boring place; the only thing that you can hear are the leaves of the trees falling down. Maguie, in my neighborhood, there is nothing to do. I'm really bored and there...
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Melissa Torres
Dear Daninza,Hi! How are you? I want to tell you how proud I am of my neighborhood. I would like to tell you how pretty my neighborhood is and what I like about it. I want to tell you about my neighborhood because it's very interesting. There is a lot of Mexican culture around my houses...
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Mighty Tolwi
Dear Mac,Hey dude, in my neighborhood it is like people don't have jobs. You can't hear the sound of the engine in the morning dude and in my hood, you will see only one car come out of its parking space. Dude, does the ocean still splash on your face in the morning to make you awake...
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Mohamed Iman
Comparing Somalia and the United StatesMy former neighborhood in Somalia was very different than my new neighborhood here in the U.S. My former one was so crowded because there were a lot of mango trees around everybody's houses. When I first saw our house, I thought it was in the jungle...
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Mohamed Konneh
Struggle in My HoodI grew up with the struggle, In my country and now It's the same hard struggle of Immigrant life in the U.S. When I look at myself, I see how my life changed So fast with me, All these years, All the tears we let fall in the war in Africa And now all the struggle and...
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Omar Perez
Dear Gerardo,Hi! Gerardo. How are you? I haven't seen you since we graduated from middle school. I would like to know what you have been doing all this time. Are you living in the same neighborhood? Did you continue studying or are you working? Do you still like soccer? I remember the...
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Raul Oseguera
The Overlook at Pantano Football ClubJuly 31, 2004. When we arrived in Miami, it was so beautiful, the city, the buildings, and overall the beach; that was so amazing. "I am going to live here in this spectacular place, I can't believe it." I was thinking about all that. But my heart...
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Rene Luque
How My New Neighborhood Influences My Life and What I Can Do About ItSince I arrived in Tucson, Arizona, I started to feel weird. I don't know why, but I was sure that something was going to happen. When I looked at my neighborhood for the first time, I thought: "It's a nice place....
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Sadaf Hakeem
Dear Grandma,I wish I could come back to Pakistan, a place where I believe dreams come true. In that place, there is a small neighborhood that looks like a heaven. I wish I could live with you again in the same neighborhood where there is peace and love for each other. We always used...
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Sethlina Impraim
Why is My Present Neighborhood Like a Cemetery?Every morning I see myself And my family alone talking. I hear their voices in different tones. I don't hear anybody else talking or Walking in my neighborhood but All I can see and hear is the sound of cars. I am tired of living in a neighborhood Like...
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Steven Jallayu
I Don't Deserve a Dreary NeighborhoodNeighborhoods with more people, more socialization, and more exciting activities are never boring. A place where children cannot focus or socialize safely is not a safe place for them to live. A neighborhood that is dreary makes children feel that...
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