1st Year Program 2026-2027
Middle School
by Addy Archibald
Middle school is like a big nest of bees. Everywhere you look, kids buzz with gossip, teachers call out directions, and students try to figure out where to go. This chaos was going on as I crossed the threshold of the front door on my first day. My nerves kicked in. Students scrambled every-which-way, hunting for classrooms like players of a high-stakes scavenger hunt.
I finally found my first class: Orchestra, and a wave of sound hit my face. Our teacher was playing loud music from her phone and laughing, which instantly made the room feel less stressful. We spent the entire class introducing ourselves. After we left Orchestra, the rest of my classes (Science, Social Studies and Math) went the same way. We met our teachers and talked about ourselves.
Middle school is so different from elementary school. Teachers are much more strict in middle school, pushing kids more than in elementary. Elementary is a soft rug and middle school is rough turf. Elementary school is full of games, trying not to scare kids away from the rest of their education. Kids are delicate pieces of glass: if you drop them they shatter.
I enjoy middle school, but I enjoy North Fork more. Middle school is crowded and has a lot of people in each class, whereas North Fork has only a few kids per class. Also, at North Fork I am a lot more challenged than I am at Payette Lakes Middle School. I have the ability to do harder work which I very much appreciate. History, English, and Math have helped me do more challenging work at Payette Lakes Middle School, so I now feel stronger in those subjects. Middle School was hard at the beginning of the year, but now I enjoy it: I am confident as I gain more freedom.
Summer’s End
by Ellie Turnbull
Willow branches droop low,
hanging inches from damp dirt.
Rustling leaves rattle like loose teeth
as rays of sun claw
between gold and amber leaves.
Warmth seeps into my bones.
I slump against the old tree:
cold bark fights against heat from
the setting sun.
My Adventure
by Hazel Brown
For one week this summer, my cousins Orin and Wolf, from Bend, Oregon, came to visit in MacCall. We hiked to Josephine Lake. My cousins and I quickly ran ahead of our aunts, uncles, grandparents, and parents. The trail was dusty like smoke rising from a fire. It uncovered rocks and roots, that seemed to become small mountain peaks above the land below.
As the lake came into view, we all decided to swim in the clear, cold water. Wolf, the tall and lanky teenager, jumped right in without a care for the brisk water. Orin, on the other hand, waded in to his knees and announced, “Nope, too cold.” Then he wobbled on the slippery rocks and fell under with a big splash from a clumsy belly flop. I smirked, dipped the tips of my toes into the water, and quickly decided to not get in.
For a while, I watched as all the boys swam. Then I took a shortcut by hopping on floating logs to arrive at the campsite at the end of the trail where all my family was hanging out. My mom and grandma had gone to pick big purple huckleberries, and Wolf was off looking for cool rocks. As soon as Orin reached the campsite, we ate some snacks then watched our younger cousins run around.
Orin and I soon felt bored, and we had heard there were cliffs by the lake. So we found a stream that we knew led to the lake below. Of course, Orin had to choose the hardest way possible. We bushwhacked down a steep hill with a small deep stream running at the bottom. Further downstream Scout, my dog, crossed. Orin followed. We walked until we found out the hard way that it was a five-foot drop to the steep side of the stream. When he made it to the other side, Orin found a log that I could cross with. We bushwhacked some more and met up with Wolf and his dad, who had found a really easy way to the lake. We slogged through marshland until we finally reached the lake and cliffs. Ahead of us, Orin and his dad arrived at the cliffs before Wolf and I.
Wolf had decided to jump from the highest cliff, which was almost forty feet tall. He did it a few times, but the first time he almost lost his watch! Then it started to rain. Orin and I took a fast way, and Wolf and his dad took a different way with all the dogs.
As soon as lightning and thunder started, Orin and I lost sight of the other two. We reached the trail, then sprinted. Passing our moms on the trail, we took the keys for the car so we could be warm. We passed our grandparents, who had been smart enough to bring raincoats. The whole thunderstorm and trail sprint we told ourselves, “This is just like a survival game!” When we saw the trail sign we yelled, “We did it!” My sister, cold and wet, sat by the trail. We put her in the car, loaded the dog up, and jumped in to turn the temperature on high.
My dad came running down the hill. Wolf and my uncle were still gone! My dad ran back up the trail to find them. About fifteen minutes later, they showed up. Wolf had cut himself open on a rock and ended up getting five stitches. The rest of that rainy day, we just hung out at my grandparent’s house.
To print a list of all your VOCABULARY for this year (adding as we go), see the 1st Year Vocabulary page OR play to study your words on Quizlet!
Assigned so far: fantasy, griffin, canon (n), archaic, indolent, ardent, rapacious, benevolent, cryptic, solicitous, flora, fauna, indigenous, supercilious, ardent, subtle, sardonic, miniver, usurper, obscure, scrupulous, elusive, magnanimous, dubious, cryptic, solicitous, garrulous
Check every piece for THESE SKILLS before turning anything in for an edit.
Please have your students read books from the 4th-6th Grade Reading List during the year.
Remember that these lists are not an indication of reading level, but are created to give students a background for their upcoming years of study at the NFS. Please do NOT have children read books from lists that are in their reading level, but above their NFS class level.
See pieces written by WW students (2nd-6th graders) from 2000-2023 HERE.
See pieces written by 1st Year classes (6th & 7th graders) from 2001-2020 HERE.
Fibonacci Links to explore:
Numbers in Nature reveals the secrets of the Fibonacci sequence in an exhibit from the Annenberg/CPB video.
Dr. Ron Knott's website on Fibonacci Numbers and the Golden Section in Nature is a great place to explore the Fibonacci sequence. His site allows you to see many of the ideas we discuss in WW and continue to explore in the 1st Year Program.
“Teaching is mostly listening, and learning is mostly telling.”
-- Deborah Meier, 1995
Cinquain
by Mary Parker (2006)
North Fork:
World History —
Continuously writing poems.
We learn without realizing:
Achievements.
Pieces now in play:
(updated 11/4/26)
Hazel:
paragraphs on A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver
1st Person Narrative: Getting my Cat
Pink poetry: The Right Words
Green poetry: Haiku
Project: FASHION
Map; Timeline; 5 artworks; I-SEARCH Report
Addy:
paragraphs on A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver
1st Person Narrative: Cafeteria Food
Pink poetry: Poem of Feeling; The Right Words
Green poetry: Haiku
Project: ART
Map; Timeline; 5 artworks; I-SEARCH Report
Ellie:
1st Person Narrative: Concert
Pink poetry: General-Specific
Green poetry: Haiku
Project: ARCHITECTURE
Map; Timeline; 5 artworks; I-SEARCH Report
Aveer:
1st Person Narrative: World Cup — Argentina vs. Algeria
1st Person Narrative: Skatepark
Project: WEAPONS
Map; Timeline; 5 artworks; I-SEARCH Report
Green poetry: Haiku; Tanka; Tercets; Quatrains; Cinquain; Limericks
Bruce:
1st Person Narrative: Soccer
Pink poetry: Pictures with Words; Poem of Feeling; General-Specific; The Right Words
Project: WEAPONS
Map; Timeline; 5 artworks; I-SEARCH Report
Mysterious Flying Adventures
by Ellie Turnbull
2:00 am September 6th:
I awake to rain pattering against the tent. Still groggy, I sit up in my sleeping bag and look over at my parents. The faint glow of my dad’s phone illuminates his face as he reads his book. I lie back down, my mind racing about what the rain could do to our morning plans.
The previous day I had jolted awake just in time to see us fly over the Middle Fork. There was a surprising number of river rafters out for this time of year. We were flying in my dad’s single engine Cessna to camp in the Idaho wilderness. We touched down onto the rocky dirt runway in the backcountry. Hopping out of the plane, we immediately ran down a steep hill to be closer to the rushing river. Our dogs ran and jumped in the water as soon as we were close, splashing all of us with cold water. Soon we walked back up the hill and started setting up camp.
After a picnic lunch, mom, dad, and I, decided to hike so my dad could fish. A narrow path hid behind the Ponderosa pines. We followed it to see where it led. As we climbed up the mountain, waves of rumbling and sloshing water slapped the rocks. My dad found a calm section of river to fish, while my mom and I watched.
Back at camp, my older sister Emma rushed over when she saw us return: she had seen a huge snake! About an hour and a half later, just before dinner, my dad spotted a black bear on the mountain. It was only a speck, so we had to squint to even see it with binoculars. After dinner we made s’mores, roasting them over our camp stove. The scent of slightly burnt marshmallow filled my nose. The delicious smell was overwhelming and I couldn’t wait to eat. Finally, it was time for sleep. I crawled into my sleeping bag, excited about the morning to come, because mornings are my favorite part of camping.
When I awake the next morning, it is not so fun. Hoping for breakfast and hot chocolate, I discover the sudden rain had turned our camp into a puddle. Outside our tent, the smell of grass, rain, and wet dog surround me. Our chairs, shoes, and kitchen tables are soaked from the unexpected storm. With normal camping, people can pack up and leave whenever they want to, but with plane camping, we are very dependent on the weather.
We pack our gear in preparation for a break in the rain. After standing around for a while (because all the chairs are wet), we finally have a weather opening which makes it safe to fly out. Disappointed to have missed my favorite part of camping, on our arrival home, my mom makes everyone breakfast and I finally drink my hot chocolate.
