District 11, Hammocks Middle School

Narratives and drawings by the students of Hammocks Middle School.  Click an image for larger view.

Brittney Rivera, age 13

Man is ruining our environment. For example, when construction workers build buildings in tree populated areas, they need to cut down the trees to make room for the buildings. Another example is one day I was on my way to the Dolphin Mall when I saw a manmade lake. The water was not blue as natural water is. It was powder blue. This was because dusty rocks had fallen into it. I could also tell that an abundance of trees had been cut down from their natural environment because there were bunches of trees surrounding the manmade lake. Seeing this made me angry. I didn’t think it was healthy and it definitely wasn’t as beautiful as nature made things. Trees are needed to breathe oxygen. 

Nadia Contractor, age 13

People today treat our world as if it can be reused. Well one day our world will be finished, with no natural resources left. So if you see someone throwing their garbage right on the street, what would you do? Honestly I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone stand up for our environment. But I know there are those who actually care and do things to make a difference in our world. Like the time I spent my summer in Orlando. My cousin and I were walking around the neighborhood when we saw construction workers cutting down trees just to make the complex bigger. So we went to the management office to complain. They didn’t care. This taught me a lesson about how little people care about the earth. 

Jose Larios, age 14

People dump trash into our waters and pollute it. Fish are dying. When people smoke cigarettes, and when smoke comes out of cars, the smoke goes to our ozone layer. We breathe it and we get asthma. We and our animals are dying and I feel bad. I have a friend that throws trash on the floor. Once he threw a piece gum on the floor and it got stuck on a bird. The bird couldn’t move because the gum got in its wings. It made me feel horrible.

Alejandra Fernandez, age 13

Every day we use gallons and gallons of water. It is an essential part of our lives. Whether it’s for washing our clothes or dishes, taking a bath or even brushing our teeth, we all use water. But some people use more than others. Some even abuse it just because it’s there. One day I went to my friend’s house and her mom asked her to wash the dishes. My friend opened the faucet and left it open while she rinsed the dishes and put soap on them. In the middle of scrubbing the dishes she decided to change her clothes because she didn’t want them to get wet. She left the water running while she went to her room. It took her more than ten minutes to pick the perfect outfit. When I went to close the faucet she told me not to worry because her mom has more than enough money to pay the water bill.

Enrique Villa, age 13

It was a sunny day when I witnessed something terrible. I was at a dock when I saw a person dump leftover gas into the ocean. Of course, one person doesn’t make a difference, but if everyone did it, it would. Each and every one of us should fight for what’s right. There are living creatures under water that are suffering because one guy had nothing better to do than to pour gas into a home of billions of creatures.

Vanessa Paredes, age 14

My brother dumps his nasty food wrappings and soda cans in the middle of the street. It makes me so mad that he won’t wait until we get home to throw his trash away. I have asked him nicely to throw it away in the garbage can instead of tossing his trash on the street where a car can make it fly and hurt someone walking on the sidewalk. I’ve tried time after time to convince him not to throw his trash on the street but he doesn’t listen to me.

Christine Khan, age 13

Every 4th of July and New Years fireworks are lit. When I see how much smoke is left in the air after the fireworks it breaks my heart to see how man can be so cruel to the environment. I know over time our ozone layer is going to get to the point where it no longer exists because of pollution such as this. Also, animals are affected by our bad choices and it makes me angry.

Valerie Regis, age 13

When I went to Haiti with my mom we saw how polluted the country was and how it was trashed with dirt and garbage. This affected me because it made me dirty and congested. I felt hurt that the country was suffering and practically deteriorated. We saw people living on the streets wearing rags. If that wasn’t bad enough, trucks and cars added to the pollution with smoke coming from their tailpipes. My mom was so affected she was in tears seeing her home that no longer seemed familiar. I don’t want that to happen here.

Jessica Gonzalez, age 13

I usually think that our community is nice and respectable. We’re in the suburbs, which has a kinder and gentler vibe than the city. In my neighborhood everyone is pretty easy going. Yet some people’s actions are not always thoughtful. I noticed my neighbor from across the street dumping a barrel of liquid into the outside sewer drain. I had no idea what he was doing until I heard my mother talking about it with our next door neighbor. They said the man was dumping chemicals into the drain and these chemicals could possibly damage the environment. Eventually the man stopped without anyone saying anything to him, but he’s not the only one throwing things in places they shouldn’t. I’ve seen people tipping over their tank of gas into the soil. People are selfish and think they have an “everything’s peachy” way of life. But it’s just not like that. 

Valeria Rozo, age 13

When I’m on Krome Avenue I see a lot of trucks blowing off smoke. I get mad because they are polluting the air and that destroys the trees. People with asthma are affected when they breathe in the air from the trucks. The different types of chemicals are harmful when it is breathed in. It damages their lungs.

Xiomara Solis, age 13

On a road trip with my parents we passed a factory that was giving out a lot of black smoke. The smoke had to be hurting the environment. Seeing it made me think that I’m a consumer of some of the things made in this factory. I thought of all the things I use daily and buy that I don’t need.

Leighton Shervington, age 13

When I was driving to Orlando I saw people dumping garbage in a canal. They had about five big bags of garbage. I felt bad because all that pollution is killing the things living in the ocean, like the fish and plants. All that garbage could have just been taken to a dump. But no, they dumped it in the canal. 

Stephanie Viamonte, age 13

One day I was in my house and my friend and my sister were outside and I witnessed them doing their hair with hairspray and other products that pollute the environment. I felt furious because they are polluting and destroying the environment that we are going to be living in for many years.

David Vallejo, age 13

A couple of months ago I saw four guys throwing metal bars into the lake. It made me feel angry because they were polluting the water and ruining the lake, and killing the fish.

Brian Cruz, age 13

I have witnessed people, some of them construction workers, destroying a natural habitat - the Everglades. Because we get our water from the Everglades, we are draining the amount of water stored for the animals. As a result, our animals are dying. We are also destroying our air by cutting down the trees and grass that produce oxygen. Why do you think some of our animals are almost extinct? Our society needs to take better care of our environment. I feel regret and I feel bad, not just for me but for the animals as well. I think we should have tighter security to protect our environment and offenders should receive harsher punishments, even the hunters who have licenses. The Everglades should be off the list of places to build homes and malls. Let’s just say, “No more Glades for Man’s Sake.”

Nathalie Lopez, age 13

I once witnessed an oil spill and saw the affects it had on the animals, as well as the damage it did to the ocean. I saw birds that had oil in their feathers and fish dying. Walking on the shore of the ocean I saw dead marine mammals. This oil spill was caused by man’s own invention, boats. When I saw the beach I was dumbfounded by how humanity can destroy the natural habitat. My depression got worse when I thought about the pain the animals suffer.

Carlos Garcia, age 14

On a trip with my mom, I saw smoke coming out of a factory. At first I was an idiot kid who knew nothing. But after I heard about global warming I felt terrified. Earth will become as hot as Venus before anyone knows it if we don’t filter the gas before it comes out. I hope every factory starts doing it. Even vehicles need to be assembled to run on electricity. 

Priscilla Diaz, age 13

The day started peacefully. The air was fresh. The trees were so lovely as the sunlight hit the leaves. My mother and I walked to school remembering all the happy moments. We were reaching our departing point when we heard a disturbing sound. We turned our heads as a bag full of trash flew across the street. It was a mess. I asked my mother, “Why do people do that?” She simply replied, “There are people like that.” I was angry. We were destroying Earth when we need it the most.

Mauricio Ruales, age 13

When I was watching television in my living room I looked out my sliding door window and I saw my neighbor spraying some kind of chemical on her grass and garden. It didn’t really affect me at first, but when I thought about it I wondered if it was harmful. I wanted to say something to my neighbor but at the same time I didn’t know what to say. I thought of the ozone layer and how maybe some of these chemicals were affected it.

Anthony Mediavilla, age 13

I recently noticed that people who own dogs have stopped picking up after them. This has to be unhealthy for our lungs. Sometimes we step on the dogs’ waste and it’s not very pleasant. It is disgusting and you know it. You get home and your shoes stink up the house. You get Lysol to kill the bacteria. Little do you know that Lysol is a chemical that is not good for your lungs. I think we should start cleaning up after our pets for our health and for the environment.