Excuses, Excuses! Contest Winners 2025

In the Excuses, Excuses! contest, students pull three random words from a box, and incorporate those into excuses for why they were late to school, or why their homework was late. Unsurprisingly, students excel at the task! 

Winner: 10 Points | Words: Perfection, Pass, Space

Don’t look at me like that, please! I have a perfectly valid reason for forgetting my homework… This time. I know I’m not going to pass this class already, but I have a great excuse, I mean, reason, for forgetting my homework. I saw a helium balloon floating out of a sobbing child’s hand. I ran to a nearby costume shop, grabbed a spacesuit, and prepared to jump off the store’s rooftop. I mean, my launchpad. The space suit was so pretty– perfection! I launched into space after the balloon, but the only thing I retrieved that day, were broken ribs and a trip to the ER.— Sloka, 7th

Second Place: 7 Points | Words: Monsters, Corner, Lego

Yesterday, while I was doing my homework, the monsters from my closet jumped out and snatched it from me and ran off. I chased after them, and I heard the monsters dropping something. I ignored it and turned the corner, stepping on my worst nightmare, a.k.a. Legos. I fell back and hit my head, and the only sound I heard before passing out was the faint rustling of my homework being eaten. — Brianna, 8th

Third Place: 5 Points | Words: Muffin, Backyard, Ashes

I was late to school because I was baking muffins the other night when my pet phoenix burst into flames over them, and the ashes went in. While everyone was at the funeral in my backyard, I ate them and choked, so my other phoenix flew me to the ER. That’s why I’m late. The lingering trauma. —Lana, 6th 

Honorable Mention: 3 Points | Words: Textbook, Existed, Zeus

I was doing my homework when a lightning bolt came down and struck my textbook in half! It was probably Zeus. How did I even know he existed? —Steven, 5th