The following letters were written by students in Lucy Rioux’s seventh-grade accelerated reading program from Oak Hill Middle School in Sabattus. The letters were composed in mid-December, before the winter holidays, and reflect issues they found interesting at that time.

A scary situation

I write in response to an article I found on the Sun Journal website. The story reported that on Christmas eve, a woman was robbed of her Christmas presents by two men, one with a handgun. They retreated back to their vehicle and headed toward Westbrook.

That story unsettled me. Knowing that could have happened to anyone is scary. People such as those robbers corrupt the world constantly.

People who cannot afford or don’t have a security system or alarm are constantly in danger of robbery or worse. People and their families could have everything taken from them in the blink of an eye. That would scare just about everyone.

If such bad actions will never stop, it is up to people to keep them from happening — get a security system for homes. For those who can’t, make sure all doors and windows are locked tight.

Stolen Christmas presents are the least of what robbers could do if they broke into a house.

Alison Deditch

Cleun up social media

This is in response to a letter to the editor written by Doug Taylor (Dec. 11). In it, he wrote, “It seems as though every night on the nightly news someone is succumbing to the danger of various social media …” Social media seem to be harming people, so why should we have it in the first place?

I agree, social media can be dangerous, but we must take into consideration how lucky we are to even have access to the Internet.

Taylor mentions in his letter that he has dismissed himself from Facebook, the Internet and even refuses to have a cell phone. So many young people around the world don’t have those things and, maybe, never will.

We can start fixing the harmful acts if we use our Internet access to be kind to others. We can be the ones to take action, simply by saying “hello” or “good morning” to people who we interact with online. We can be the ones to report the use of foul language or inappropriate images.

If you have something that many others don’t have, you better be working hard to make it how you want it.

So, the next time you log on to your social media account, take action and help us keep the use of our Internet.

Amara Denis

An inviting environment

I write in response to a story in the Sun Journal (Dec. 15) “First center of its kind opens for young victims of crime.” It was written about the Children’s Advocacy Center.

The center is located away from from the police station so children don’t feel threatened while talking to people about their case. They were normally interviewed in intimidating places.

The center has a kitchen, living room and an interview room to help young victims feel more welcome and willing to come and talk about their problems. In an unseen room, other technicians record the information spoken of.

I think that it is amazing that they are doing this for children who have experienced something that they need to talk about. If kids feel intimidated by the fact that where they are being questioned feels like a “mean” facility, they may not want to tell the full truth. I know that I would much rather be in an inviting environment to talk about something I wouldn’t feel comfortable telling someone in an interrogation room.

I think that this great facility will help kids in the Lewiston-Auburn area open up about their case, making it easier for the professionals to help them through a difficult time, rather than if kids were in a “cold” facility.

Kyleigh Hyde

Must have a solid reason

I write in response to a letter to the editor (Dec. 15) by Eric Rohrbach concerning the accusation of Russian involvement with the U.S. presidential election. Many people believe strongly that the Russians hacked the U.S. to help Donald Trump win that election. Rohrbach stated that we should be concerned about that.

Judging from conversations I have had with others, not everyone thinks the election was fair. But I think they say that because they didn’t vote for Donald Trump.

Maybe the results of the election were unexpected, but that is no reason to blame others for our decisions. We have no real, solid proof that Russia was involved in any way. Before jumping to conclusions, we need to investigate further.

Even if Russia did somehow hack U.S. systems, the election results are not going to change. Hillary Clinton isn’t going to suddenly be the next president.

Rohrbach wrote that if we aren’t concerned about the information that Russia might have hacked, we don’t know anything about patriotism. I won’t say that I am not concerned, but if our country is going to make this issue a big deal, let’s know more about the details. We need more evidence in order to prove anything.

The real concern is if anyone managed to hack us, we need systems that are more secure.

What does it say about our country if we accuse others without solid reason?

Kaylee Mousseau

Editor’s note: At the time this letter was written (mid-December), there wasn’t conclusive evidence of Russian involvement. That has since been proven, without a doubt.

Creative addition to Auburn Library

I read an article on the Sun Journal website (Dec. 11) regarding the new 3-D printer at the Auburn Public Library. This type of 3-D printer usually costs around $1,299, but the library got it through a grant from the Maine Community Foundation.

The cool thing about the 3-D printer is that anyone with a library card can use it. It costs 20 cents for every gram of plastic that is printed and users can keep the designs. Such things as an ice scraper, Pokemon and even an iPhone case have already been printed with it.

I think that is such an exciting thing to have at a local library. The only thing is that it takes awhile for something to print. A small Christmas ornament took more than 90 minutes to finish printing. However, I think it is worth the wait to create something with such amazing technology.

I had heard of 3-D printing before and thought how cool it was. I didn’t ever think that it was a possibility to use one, but now it can be.

This is something, I think, that is very interesting, and many people will enjoy being creative with this new addition to the Auburn Public Library.

Marissa Morgans

Safer fireworks storage

I write in response to an article about a fireworks explosion that happened in December in the country of Mexico. I think people should be more cautious and aware of where fireworks are stored because of the threat of an accident.

In that devastating event, many people (31) were killed and about 60 were injured. Even houses and other buildings nearby were affected by the massive explosion. Those fireworks put many lives in danger. Should such events be stopped?

In my opinion, although fireworks are a great way to celebrate holidays (such as the Fourth of July) and many other mesmerizing events, recently they pose an extreme threat of danger. Think of how damaging they are and how terrorists could manipulate them.

Fireworks should be stored in places that aren’t next to many other buildings and away from people. That would be so much safer. We take many unsafe chances that put lives in danger. We need to be a lot more aware and take precautions.

Accidents like that one shouldn’t happen. Mexicans (and Americans) need to make an adjustment, for society’s safety. Think about how dangerous things are in our everyday lives. One small change could make one real huge difference.

Paige Gonya