Author Archives: zeke

The Couple That Made It Out Alive

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This is a painting of Mt. Vesuvius erupting.

February 19, 2020
By Zeke

As the shimmering sun shone down, Atticus and Antonia were enjoying their vacation in the Roman city of Pompeii. Atticus, who was a lavishly wealthy tax collector, had brought his wife to the beautiful bay town. In August a festival was held to commemorate the god Vulcan, so they had chosen this time to visit. 

When the celebration was over, Atticus and Antonia packed up their belongings. Suddenly, great earthquakes started to shake the land. Because the trimmers happened all the time, the couple didn’t think anything of it. Out of nowhere, they could hear erupting and exploding outside. Mt. Vesuvius, the place where Vulcan dwelt, was spewing molten lava out of its top. “We need to get out of here, Atticus!” screamed Antonia frantically. “I don’t know if we can make it on foot. Either way, let’s run!” he remarked.

When they sprinted outside, Atticus’s blood turned cold as he gazed at the billowing bunch of smoke that was black as night. It was rising out of Mt. Vesuvius like a serpent. Luckily, there was a spare horse out front. As they rode away from the ash-covered city, the frightened pair heard wailing and moaning from inside the smoke. Their vacation was ruined, but they made it out alive.


The Surreptitious Boy

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Here is Edmund meeting the White Witch.

February 4, 2020
By Zeke

Edmund should not have followed the White Witch because of these three reasons: It was foolish, secretive, and selfish. 

Following the White Witch was foolish since Edmund had already been told by Lucy that the sinister tall figure was evil. He was well aware that she was crazy, and yet he still followed her, therefore, making him unwise. Until she found a use for him, the Witch had also been mean to Edmund. Moreover, the sledge-riding, spear-wielding maniac had treated the dwarf with scorn.

The deceptive child was secretive when he slyly snuck out of the house of the Beavers’, who had shown he and his siblings nothing but hospitality. Edmund knew he was doing something wrong. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have crept out of the warm and cozy cave. He also gave the White Witch information behind his brother’s and sisters’ backs, which put them in danger.

Edmund was selfish. When he first wandered into Narnia, the mischievous boy told his family he hadn’t been there, making Lucy seem insane. He also didn’t want to share the kingdom that the Witch told him he would inherit. If he wasn’t so greedy, he would’ve divided the power  with them. Throughout the story, Edmund was self-absorbed.

All of this proves that Edmund was immature, surreptitious, and only thought about himself.

Hard Work & Money

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This is me in front of my business, Woodforest.

By Zeke Dillingham
January 22, 2020

BizTown was held on January 13, and my brothers and I diligently prepared for it in December. This Junior Achievement project teaches children both how to correctly use money and to have fun while working. For three Mondays we tirelessly woke up, drove to Kernersville, had meetings, and discussed the values of economics. Patiently, we waited and were extremely excited for the big day.

Finally, we took the long, rainy trek to Charlotte, where I worked as a teller at Woodforest Bank. My co-workers were Aiden, who was CFO, Joel, who was CEO, and Abbey, who was marketing manager. As BizTown began, there was a massive line of people at the bank. When a citizen came up, I would ask them for their account number, update their bank account, and give them a coin for a drink at Chick fil-A. I then went to use the money I had worked hard to earn and spent it on a service called the Plane-Flying Simulator. After our long day of work, we went home.

The BizTown participants learned concepts such as work-readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. We also democratically voted on who would become mayor, whose job was to make sure every business ran smoothly. At the event, Woodforest was even voted the best company! BizTown helped me learn the importance of hard work and money, and I look forward to going back next year.