AUTHENTIC ITALIAN: I savor the aroma of Italian spices and melting mozzarella cheese each time I walk into Rocco's Pizzeria in Walnut Creek. Vintage posters and framed photos cover every wall, enlivening the restaurant. Rocco's possesses a classic, Italian-family-restaurant atmosphere. The staff is friendly, but not overbearing. The menu is an array of comfort food with pizza being its main star. While skimming through the items, from the pizzas to the sandwiches, your appetite will be revved up. This restaurant is a valuable deal, considering how superb the food is, and it is always packed. It's perfect for a casual family dinner or a night out with friends after a football game.

-- Carina Chiodo, Carondelet High School (Concord)

FASHIONABLE BOTTLES: Recently, I witnessed two students arguing about who had the better, not shoes or clothes, but water bottle. One student had a beautiful Klean Kanteen silver water bottle, imprinted with blue spirals, while the other had a simple ocean blue Nalgene bottle. While both water bottles were equally lovely, it was weird to see containers, designed to hold liquids, compared as if they were a fashion accessory.

Everywhere I turn at school, I see someone carrying, with pride, a reusable water bottle. The old clear ones you buy at the store seem to be mostly gone for good. With different brands, different prices, different colors and different designs, I think that colorful,

-- Amanda Duong, Alameda High School

NOT JUST FOR KIDS: Many people would question a movie based on a book that consists of only 10 sentences. Why make a movie? It's based on a children's book, so it's a movie for children, right? Why should I go see it? To them I say: See it because it is simply worth your time. "Where the Wild Things Are" is a movie based on a children's book, and it's about a child, but it is definitely not a kiddie movie. Director Spike Jonze gives "Wild Things" and even Max, the protagonist, depth, emotion and complexity unseen in the book. The movie swoops in and takes you on a journey to a place you've never been to before. Even the most die-hard fans of the book will have to admit that the movie is an adventure unto itself, and well worthy of praise.

-- Hannah Bartlebaugh, Deer Valley High School (Antioch)