Scholarship / Olshansky Award for Originality - Original Poem [2]

Prompt- Essay 300words or less describing their original creative work or idea. (Should include documentation of original work)

Original Work

Acid and Frost

By Mariah Scanlon

The purple velvet of night
licks at the edges of a yard.
Patio chairs lay, knocked about
a silent monument to fear.
Through gaping holes in the house
emotions sliver out.
Fingers of hate, stretching and reaching
Neighbors close windows and shutters
to protect their facades.

Acidic accusations pour from his mouth.
It laps at her soul and buries in her veins
Scorching and burning
this acid, as it scalds, demands answers
But she has none

No answers to give to this lion of a man
as he rips and tears away at her heart.
A mouse, shaking and afraid,
she merely waits
So sad, So sad she waits
for a fate she knows is coming

Peace, full and heavy
climes in through open windows and doors.
Slowly, so slowly, across the house
it inches.
Its milky white calm spreading
like the sheet of white over a corpse.

A room, lit only by the dewy blue of a television
he lies in wait.
A lion full after the mean of her soul.
liquid courage induced stupor
He is no longer a lion.

Cold black and white tile rise up to meet her.
A chair, thrown and broken
serves as her audience.
Frozen strawberries pressed to and ocean
blue cheek.
Not witnesses but bottles and chairs
as a crystal tear runs downward.

At last, a hand meets a counter.
She's up.
A table, a grainy chair
She's moving
The red of fallen strawberries trail behind her
fallen and left behind, a vibrant red.
A door handle, brassy and cool to her touch
finds a perfect fit in her palm
as if it were waiting for her to reach for him.
This is it.

A car door, turn the key.
She's out.

The acid drains and pools on the floor.
For once, her veins are open and free pulsing with her heart,
newly aware of the rhythm of the world.
She is no longer a mouse

Swollen purple crescents part,
revealing a smile that she thought dead
No longer will acid be her drink
and frost be her lover.

Essay

My first day of creative writing senior year, my teacher sat down in front of the class and announced, "Prepare to hate me!" We all laughed, not knowing what she could possibly mean, as this teacher was renowned for being someone that everyone loved. "Today we begin a journey into poetry." she announced. "By the time we are done you will all have a poem that shows your best work and effort." Instantly I knew what she meant by hatting her.Poetry was not something I was talented at, and I would be lying if I was excited for the challenge. Weeks slowly passed and I had no new inspiration and what I had in front of me was, in my mind, complete junk. Finally a friend of mine leaned forward, offering a headphone to his mp3 player, telling me he had a song that I would love,a song called "Bruises" by Chairlift. As I listened I found myself going back to one particular part of the song. It was a quick section of the chorus, talking about "frozen strawberries" being used to ice bruises. I found the imagery startling, the idea of a woman, pale and bruised black and blue popped into my head. I saw her setting these dull frozen strawberries to her bruises, and how they slowly defrosted to become this vibrant red that was so alive and different from the woman holding them. This picture screamed for a story, and this was the moment when "Acid and Frost" was born.

Acid and frost is the very first poem I ever wrote, and it is also the poem that I am most proud of. While it is not personal in the, "my own story" sense, it is personal and close to me in that this poem showed me what I could do with some time, and imagination. This poem gave me the beginning spark to go into a professional direction with writing. "Acid and Frost" was published in Teenink online , a teen literary magazine, got me accepted into an exclusive writing program, and it will always be the poem that I can trace my love of writing back to.

Scholarship / Community Influence Scholarship Essay; 'Coaching has greatly affected my life' [4]

Prompt- Compose a short prompt, 300-500 words, describing why you qualify for this scholarship. Remember, this is based on a combination of citizenship, character, responsibility, community and satisfactory academic record.

scholarship application essay

Throughout my high school years I have contributed to my community in many ways. However, none of those ways had such an impact on me or others as my assistant coaching through the Natick recreation department basketball for three years.

I was involved in rec basketball for all of middle school. From fifth to eighth grade, the basketball program, from coaches to teammates, influenced me to be better and try harder. Basketball instilled in me the importance of working with others towards a goal and the importance of hard work. When I reached High School and did not make the team freshman year I was disappointed, thinking I would be losing this important part of my life.

However, in the fall of my sophomore year I called my coach whom I'd had a few times in middle school, Rich Cohen, and asked if he was in need of an assistant coach for his 7th and 8th grade girl team. I figured this would get my community service hours out of the way while also filling the space left by not playing basketball anymore. I never could imagine the long term effects of that phone call.

I have grown up and matured significantly since my sophomore year, and a big part of that is thanks to my coaching experience. I have seen so many girls over come limitations in their own personal shyness, and even overcome their fear of playing a sport. I have seen young girls progress into young women and have hopefully helped them in that process. Working with these girls who are so much younger then me, who look up to me, has inspired me to be the good person that I am. When I step off the court I still have the mentality of having to be an example.

Each girl has affected me in her own way, such as my 4'9" seventh grade player who was intensely afraid to shoot at the start of the season, but by the end of the season she was averaging a basket a game, showing me that we are not limited by things that other have decided should be out of our reach. I hope that through my years in the basketball program I have shown these girls a multitude of things to come. I hope I have given them a person close to their age who is also someone to be admired. Coaching has greatly affected my life, and I hope that my efforts have affected their lives, and therefore the community, as well.

Undergraduate / "My two educations" - College essay [4]

Prompt- J.t. Adams stated, "there are . . . two educations. One should teach you how to make a living and the other how to live." Describe what the quote above means to you and your expectations of your Endicott experience.

"My two educations"

By Mariah Scanlon

"There are two types of education... The kind that teaches you how to make a living, and the other how to live." J. T. Adams

I find this quote by J.T Adams extremely interesting in both its message and its prevalence today. There has never been more focus on the economy in my lifetime then there is right now. Everyone is worried about job security, government spending, and the country's deficit and it does not matter what job you hold or how educated you are. "How to make a living" is the biggest question that everyone faces from the point they reach their teenage years until the very end of their life. Expenses change, going from spending money for the weekend to car insurance and finally a mortgage, food and utilities, but that need to "make a living" is always there. Very rarely does the every day person make the connection between making the living and living. I feel that throughout the years I have come to learn that without the appreciation of how knowledge can be applied, it is useless in the real world.

I am afraid of growing older, not because of fear of old age or fear of responsibility, but rather because I am afraid that I will lose that need to live while I attempt to make money. When I look for a job, I not only look for what will make me the most money, but also what I will enjoy. Does this job stimulate my mind? Do I feel excited when I go into work each day? I feel that as we get older, that need to love what we do fades, and with it, our passion for life. Here is where the education at Endicott comes in. If you have taken advantage of the higher education opportunities offered, then you have been given an amazing gift. Throughout these up coming 4 years, Endicott would provide instruction in the field of creative writing, one that I have a strong drive and passion for. Endicott also would provide me with the materials to go further in my field, as well as reinforce my love of writing. Education must give us the skills to excel in our selected areas, but still instill in us the feeling of passion and life for that topic, Endicott, as I have come to learn from friends who have attended the school, has excelled at this. Not only does their form of education teach the mechanical and finer skills of performing the selected tasks, but also instills a work ethic that transposes the boundaries of a classroom and carries into everyday. Since grade school, we are taught to think quickly, to problem solve for our selves, as well as work with others to complete tasks. Education is needed to both create a rounded human being, as well as equipped that person with the tools to financially succeed. When a school manages to reach out and change students lives in such a way that they are able to go out and get the mortgage on the house of their dreams, and pay it off, moreover carry on successful relationships and jobs, then that institution has succeeded.

Endicott has always been a forward thinking school, from the moment of their creation in 1939 to today. They have embraced the idea that times change, and we must change with them. However, throughout the years, Endicott has not compromised their original goals of educating young minds in a way that prepares them not only as individuals in the workforce, but as community members as well. My passion is writing, and for that I would work hard, study, and take on every challenge. But just as all of that matters to the final product, so does examining life around me for inspiration and reasons for putting words on paper that spill out emotion and pure passion. I want to be part of a school that will encourage me to be a part of the life around me, as well as a part of the class room. Endicott encourages embracing diversity and change through educating and informing their student body. J.T Adams thoughts on the two educations are exemplified at Endicott. I feel that my passion for writing and for living life to its fullest, using my "two educations," has made me into an someone who is capable of taking on great challenges and taking full advantage of educational opportunities.