I am very concerned for the sake of the city. I have seen items such as appliances covering the streets with no care for the community.

Ever since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the subject of gun violence has become a topic of national concern. The main question is how do we stop shootings like Sandy Hook from happening without taking away people's rights?

I'm a student at Elliott Alternative High School. Most people think that Elliott is a bad school, that it's all bad kids that go there. Many of the kids that come here have done poorly but are now trying to turn things around and do better in school in order to have a better future.

I am a sophomore at Grace Davis High School, and I would like to bring a situation to the light. My principal is being fired for speaking her mind to the school board.

Why do people feel the need to do graffiti? It makes our community look dirty. What could we citizens do to keep them from doing graffiti?

Kathy Davis read "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss to her second-graders at Mitchell K-6 School in Atwater and then asked them to write what they thought the Grinch meant when he said, "Perhaps Christmas doesn't come from a store, perhaps it means a little bit more."

Editor's Note: These letters were written by students in Carol Ovalle's class at Everett School in Modesto.

Let's get these facts straight: 70 percent of the food found in most grocery stores is genetically modified in some way or another. That's right, 70 percent. Most of the genetically modified food is not labeled.

I think there is too much litter on the ground. To fix that, I thought we could have a day every year to pick up trash. That way our world will be a cleaner, better place.

The upcoming election is a wonderful opportunity to get involved in the community no matter what party you are affiliated with.

The recent bout of marijuana busts in Stanislaus County have raised questions and remarks about the presence of drugs in schools in the community.

It's not fair that people litter and other people have to pick it up. I would like people to stop littering.

Earlier this year, I received my B.S. degree in chemistry with a biology minor, and am looking feverishly for a job in this area that fits my qualifications.

I wanted to tell you what made me sad. In Denair, there was a robbery that took place at my dad's house. Two big guys broke into my dad's girlfriend's car. They stole important things to us. For example: They stole my dad's bag of tools, so now he can't put me and my sister's bed together, so all we can sleep on is a mattress on the floor. We are very tight on money so we can't afford new tools.

During the 2011-12 school year, I was fortunately selected to be a part of the Leadership Academy along with 29 other students from 21 high schools throughout the county. Seeing the many career opportunities was an invaluably enlightening experience.

I was very pleased to see that The Modesto Bee/modbee.com covered the AIDS Memorial Quilt.

As a recent graduate of Johansen High School, I would like to thank all of the teachers who have gotten the Class of 2012 this far.

When someone pursues the visual arts or music, he or she is making a sacrifice.

Girls need to stop complaining about their physical appearances. Low self-esteem is just a hindrance in life.

As members of the Ceres High PHAST (Protecting Health And Slamming Tobacco) youth coalition, we urge your "yes" vote on Proposition 29. More than 1,200 people die every day in the United States from the effects of tobacco use, and "Big Tobacco" companies need replacement smokers.

The country's unemployment rate is at 8.1 percent and about one out of every six Americans receives government assistance, whether it be food stamps, welfare, etc. Meanwhile, meaningless reality stars, like the cast from "Jersey Shore," will earn $100,000 per episode in their upcoming Season 4.

Every day I walk to school and count the cigarette butts. On the ground, I have found a record count of 22 in four blocks.

As many seniors are graduating from high school, teachers are encouraging us to vote.

The state Legislature should pass the Middle Class Scholarship Act. If it indeed is passed, a corporate tax loophole will be closed and the savings will be used to lower student fees.

As the year is coming to an end it is a very stressful time in a senior's life. We're all excited for graduation and to go on to the next step in our lives, but first we have to make some decisions. At this point everyone knows what they're doing after high school, whether it's going to college or the Army or starting to work. It is a big time in all of our lives and whatever we do now will affect us for the rest of our lives.