Bolingbrook Student Named Finalist in Expression Challenge

Submitted by Valley View School District 365U

BOLINGBROOK, IL — Bolingbrook High School senior Amber Saul has been named a finalist in the 2015 Walgreens Expression Challenge.

Saul, who wrote a compelling piece entitled “Beyond the Lights,” will be among six Chicago area students who will be honored at a Jan. 7 awards ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Winners will be announced in creative writing, visual arts and media arts.

The Walgreens Expression Challenge is an incentive-based contest designed to help high school teens showcase their creative perspective on healthy lifestyle choices by voicing their opinions on critical issues they face each day. Many of this year’s 1,600 entries focused on peer pressure, self-esteem and bullying.

Chicago-area Expressions Challenge qualifiers were selected through public online voting. A panel of judges selected 30 semi-finalists and ultimately the winners in each of the three categories.

Saul’s winning piece

Beyond the Lights

By Amber Saul

The world, a stage,

Bright lights shining down upon us all,

Me, an actress,

Fumbling to and fro on this strangely lit platform called Life,

Hiding in corners and trying to remember

Lines I never will,

We are all upon this stage, acting,

As it would be,

For each other’s amusement,

Putting on

Magnificent masks and frilly costumes,

To cover what we truly are,

But behind the curtains,

Beyond the Lights, We find a much simpler scene,

One where we do not have to act

Or

Hide our feelings

Or

Our Thoughts,

Behind Mesmerized lines,

And fake smiles,

There is no rehearsal or need for perfection,

Just bring you

As you are and be it,

There is no harsh light,

Under which you will be judged,

Or given over to heartless fiends for dissection,

Only true things exist here,

Whether ugly or beautiful,

Without an audience,

You feel no pressure to be something you are not,

Only the immense comfort of being you,

So when I am upon the stage, struggling to even breathe,

I think about life Beyond the Lights

And I finish this ferocious, endless play,

With a simply stroke of

Me,

And I will leave this old life behind,

The bright lights, the pain of being someone I am not

For better times, kinder people, and lovely places,

That I hope I will find,

Open up and be free!

With strength as strong as a willow tree!

Speaking as sweet as a honey drop,

So that the whole world will listen, will stop,

With a touch so gentle as a cloud,

Spreading love and warmth to which I hope you would be proud,

Listening so intently to others adversaries,

Like a mother would for her child,

I will taste this world, this home, this big, open wild,

And will make worth all the while,

Beyond the Lights.