N O V E M B E R I S S U E V O L U M E 1 4 , I S S U E 3

Editors:

Jacob Seiple

Dylan Nelson

Cory Deboer

Tenley Huttenlocher

Contributors:

Alec Bennett

Grant Fiedler

Zach Fox

Adam Then

Kaylee Meyer

Paige Sowle

Taylor Patterson

Madi Schultz

Gracie McMahan

Andrew Scheider

Andrew Lameyer

Hannah Milliken

Adviser:

Mrs. Fry

I had the privilege of interviewing Maggie Johnson. She

was born on July 24 to her parents Jaeni and Justin. She has

two sisters, Sami and Kristina. She has a cat, a dog, and

three horses. Her favorite color is blue. For Thanksgiving,

she plans to go to her grandma’s house with her family and

does not plan to go shopping on Black Friday. Her favorite

show is Reba, and she does not enjoy watching sports.

When I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up,

she thought she might want to be a lawyer. Congratulations

to Maggie for winning Student of the Month.

By: Kaylee Meyer

December 7th —Winter Gear Drive

Coming Soon—Penny Wars

By: Grant Fiedler

P A G E 2

By: Hannah Milliken

P A G E 3

Lena-Winslow Junior High hosted a Halloween dance on October 30th with lots of fun,

games, and deals. They had snacks and sold Little Caesar’s pizza. Many students wore

their costumes to the dance. My favorite costume was Douglas Jordan dressed as Don-

ald Trump. There were many deals on the snacks at the dance. There was a photo booth

and a costume contest. Caleb Matz was the winner of the costume contest.

By: Taylor Patterson

P A G E 4

On October 16th, the 8th grade class took a field trip to Adkins Energy

and The Cave of the Mounds. At Adkins the 8th graders learned about

ethanol and the steps it takes to produce it. Also, they learned about

biodiesel. After they finished learning at Adkins, they were bussed up

to a park near the cave to eat lunch. The weather was very cold and

windy but it was a beautiful view. You could see for miles. After the

cold lunch, they went to the Cave of the Mounds. Before they entered

the cave, they watched a video on how it was formed and how it was

discovered. When the video was finished, they walked through the

wet, cold, drippy, but beautiful cave. It was a very cold, but exciting

field trip.

By: Hannah Milliken and Tenley Huttenlocher

P A G E 5

7th Grade Basketball Team

Coach: Troy Keene

1 Carter Burke

3 Noah White

4 Alex Daughenbaugh

10 Tristan Rood

14 Austin Block

32 Braden Baldauf

33 Tavor Buss

36 Caleb Matz

40 Jack Setterstrom

51 Max Amendt

By: Andrew Scheider

8th Grade Basketball Team

2 Beau Linden

5 Grant Fiedler

12 Kade Chrisman

15 Tyler Barthel

20 Andrew Scheider

21 Jacob Malloy

22 Hudson Humphrey

23 Ronny Valentine

25 Dawson Dunbar

42 Alec Bennett

43 Alex Leamon

44 Cole Bardell

45 Sean Ormiston

50 Bailey Leamon

54 Ben Sisler

55 Isaiah Bruce

Manager: Krista Keene

P A G E 6

Where do you go for Thanksgiving?

Tiara– Grandma and Grandpa’s Quintin– My house

Sara– Cousin’s Grace– Grandma and Grandpa’s

Michael– My house Laughlynn– Aunt and Uncle’s

John– Grandma’s

By: Adam Then

What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?

Alyssa W.-Mashed Potatoes Jack S.-Chocolate Pudding Pie Gennings D.-Turkey

Braden B.-Stuffing Maggie J.-Grandma’s Noodles Owen K.-Turkey

JoAnna M.-Deviled Eggs Daniel O.-Turkey Hanna B.-Noodles

Delanie M.-Pumpkin Pie Tristan R.-Turkey Marissa J.-Ham

Jensen B.-Stuffing Kristan M.-Turkey

By: Grant Fiedler

What are your plans for Black Friday?

Dale– Play Fallout 4 Dylan– none at all Zach– Sleep

Zane– Buy Walmart Stock Ethan– sleep Kade– play video games

Paige– Go shopping Isaiah– Shop @ Toys-R-Us Hudson– Um… Nothing

Madi– Sleep Samantha– sleep Alex– Shop @ Toys-R-Us

By: Alec Bennett

P A G E 7

You should meet this man named Landin Heiler. He is 12 years old. He was

born on May 1, 2003. His parents are named Sarah Heiler and Jeremey

Goodrich. His favorite food is pizza. He has 1 cat and 2 Leopard Geckos. His

favorite subject is art. His favorite teacher is Mrs. Fry. His favorite holiday is

Christmas. His favorite color is turquoise. His favorite book is Lord of the

Rings. I hope you get to meet him .

By: Taylor Patterson

Meet my unique friend Joel Michael Martinez – Brown. Joel was born in Mon-

roe, WI on May 17, 2002. Joel’s favorite things to do are 720 instaswapping,

hanging with his broskies and eating his favorite food. Joel has one 20 year old

sister named Alanna. Joel has two cats named Houdini and Pumkin. He also

has one dog named Joey. His best friends are Isaiah Bruce and Gaige Devers.

Joel wants to be Isaiah Bruce when he is older. Oh by the way his favorite food

is tacos. Joel is very committed to his new gaming clan called Crimson.

“Crimson Crew for Life” – Joel Martinez.

By: Andrew Lameyer

I had the privilege to interview Marey Roby. He was born in Rockford

on November 6, 2003. Marey is 12 years old. He is the brother of 10 sib-

lings, his favorite brother is Ronny. There is no reason why Ronny is his

favorite brother. Marey wants to be an NFL Player, and his favorite

place to eat is Golden Corral. His favorite color is blue, and his favorite

food is waffles. His favorite artist is Selena Gomez.

By: Paige Sowle

P A G E 8

Hello, my name is Abby Strominger and I would like to be a part of Student

Leadership. I have been a part of Student Leadership for two years and would like to

be involved in it for my last year of junior high. Some things that I liked doing in this

program in previous years include presenting bullying PowerPoints and skits to the

elementary school classes, making posters, working concessions at sporting events,

making posters etc. In past years in Student Leadership I think I have learned much

more about topics such as bullying just by teaching the younger kids about them.

In previous years I have done a good deal of volunteer work in which I believe

qualifies me to be a good student leader. When I was in elementary school, I went

with a group of student to the nursing home and sang to them. In 5th grade, I saved

some of my money and donated it all to a fundraiser for Leukemia. In 6th and 7th

grade I worked volleyball and basketball concessions for Student Leadership. Also,

during guided studies I went down to the elementary and helped and played with the

preschoolers. In 7th grade I delivered lunch cards to the elementary school teachers. I

am doing this again this year. In addition, last year I volunteered at the thrift shop

during Student Leadership. During the summers of 2013, 2014, and 2015 I volun-

teered at the Pecatonica bible school.

For this upcoming school year I think that we can make the school environment

more positive in many ways. We could have more awareness dress days where the

students and staff would wear clothing of a certain color for a cause or even just for a

reason we make up. This would bring most of the students together in a happy envi-

ronment. Also, we could through a mixture of dances and movies so that the new 6th

graders will get to experience both of them. I have many more ideas for the school if I

get into Student Leadership.

P A G E 9

I, Kassidy Humphrey, would like to become a student leader again be-

cause I like to help others in need, help out at concession stands, and other fun

activities. I would make the school a better environment by cleaning it up, mak-

ing sure everyone is safe, and making sure everyone is following the school

rules. I have been a student leader in the past and loved it. I loved teaching the

little kids about bullying on PowerPoint, and I think it was a great experience to

make our younger generation end bullying. A fun idea I have for the school

year is having a “take a book-give a book” session. I think it would be fun to

have this session because it will let kids give an old book that they don’t want

anymore and get a new one.

Some past examples on why I would be a great candidate are, at my

church in McConnell, Illinois I always help out with the ham and soup lunch

and the strawberry social. Another reason why I would be a great candidate is a

couple years back, I was sitting with my friend Addie Roberts at Sullivan’s, and

Addie told me that a senior citizen had dropped her wallet and did not notice

that she had dropped it. I told Addie I would be back, and I ran to grab her wal-

let and return it to her. She thanked me for picking it up and returning it to her, I

was very grateful that I had returned it to her.

In 4th grade a new girl came into our class and she sat right next to me. I

helped her with her desk and I showed her where her bus and locker were. I in-

troduced her to some of the other students and teachers. I love participating for

fun things to make our environment a better place, like picking up in the ditches

and helping out at stores for the day. I would like to be another great student

leader again!

P A G E 1 0

My name is Ross Stabenow and I would like to be a member of the student

leadership committee because I think it would be fun and a good experience for me.

I’m responsible and I try to set a good example for other people around me. I also try

to be helpful and encouraging to others at home, at school, and in my community. I’m

also a caring person and I get along well with others.

I would make the school a more positive environment by staying positive and

being a good role model and encouraging others to always do their best and work their

hardest.

One idea I have for the upcoming year is to try to reward kids for being “good

citizens”. For example, committee members would nominate others that they’ve wit-

nessed doing “good deeds” and those who are nominated are entered in a monthly

drawing to receive an award or some sort of special privilege. Another idea I had was

to have students tutor other students who are in need of a little extra help.

I am a very good student and I get mostly A’s and B’s. My grades have always

been very important to me and I work hard to keep them up. I hope to make the honor

roll while in Junior High.

I try to be an active member in my community. Some of my past examples are

I’ve been elected president of my 4-H club the Lena Lucky Clovers for the past three

years. I hope to become a Jr. project leader for my club this year. In elementary

school I participated in the Wee Deliver program in 4th grade and I was a flag bearer in

5th grade for one semester. I have also done a lot of community service, such as help

clean up at the Winslow Community Center. I’ve helped clean up roads and yards af-

ter storms last year in my area. I served meals at the Rockford Rescue Mission with

other members of my church youth group. I’ve helped collect food for the food drive

with my church every year. I’ve also been an Accolate at my church for the past four

years and participate in VBS and Sunday school.

I like helping others and making a difference in my school and my community

and I hope to be considered for the student leadership committee.

P A G E 1 1

Dear Mr. Lobdell:

I believe that having uniforms would encourage respect towards teachers and produce a positive envi-

ronment towards learning. Violating the dress code can cause multiple problems such as students get-

ting sent home to change or distracting others. It is my belief that if everyone were wearing the same

clothing, our school would not have that problem. I would support the fact of our school requiring

students to wear uniforms in the near future.

There is no doubt that having school uniforms would give a benefit to parents, students, and teachers.

Most importantly, school uniforms help practice discipline and issues of bullying. Multiple studies

show that having uniforms in schools lowers bullying, violence, and misbehaving incidents. Schools

near ours, such as Aquin Catholic Schools, provide a strict dress code to reduce distraction and elimi-

nate competition among the students. Some students have been sent home to change or sent to the

principal’s office for being inappropriately dressed, and with uniforms, our school would not have this

common problem. In addition, uniforms are not high in cost when they are being compared to the

other clothing teens wear. Several mothers of teenage girls noted that the designer jeans they buy for

their daughters are more expensive than full uniforms. If students are required to wear uniforms, par-

ents would not have to spend money on their expensive clothing choices. Finally, if all students are

wearing the same thing, it will reduce bullying and peer pressure. Having uniforms eliminates the

clothing competition among the students and produces school safety. For example, many students are

bullied because of not having enough money to buy the latest clothing styles, and uniforms would take

away this daily issue. I would support the decision of having school uniforms because students would

be more mature and cooperative, parents would get a financial benefit, and bullying would not be as

common.

Undoubtedly, having our school require uniforms would please multiple students who are bullied or

mistreated for what they wear, and reduce discipline problems. Students would not get called out for

wearing inappropriate clothing such as leggings or shorts that are too short if we were not allowed to

wear those things and required uniforms. People argue that students should not have to wear uniforms

because of expressing themselves through the clothing and accessories they wear. I believe that there

are many other ways for kids of all ages to express themselves through other ways than just clothing,

such as their personalities or extra-curricular activities. I agree to the fact that our school should re-

quire uniforms, and I encourage you to consider the topic of having them.

Sincerely,

Kaidyn Sargent

P A G E 1 2

Dear Mr. Lobdell:

Our school could be provided with several benefits, with just one big change, year-round schooling.

One of the main benefits with this change would be our learning difference throughout the breaks and

learning of year-round schooling. In support of this, the schedules or breaks for students can be help-

ful at times when students are struggling with what is being taught or need help catching up on things

when gone or sick from school. In my opinion, we should think about year-round schooling, with all

the benefits it would be a great change for our school.

As I have noted, not only does year-round schooling benefit students, but also the teachers. With

more breaks during learning periods, the students learning habits increase and the teachers find them

more focused during the learning period. In addition to these breaks, the students are provided with

intersessions or enrichment during these breaks. In our school when students are gone or sick for a

long period of time, they may come in to the school for intersessions or extra help on these breaks.

Also, kids who have more troubles learning, or have disabilities may come in on these breaks for extra

learning on what they struggle with. On the other hand, the schedule change or breaks are good for

the students and their families for both learning loss and family vacations. Student’s that are not in a

school with year-round schooling usually go on family vacations in the summer or other common

breaks. During those common breaks, main attractions raise their prices knowing families will use

this time for vacation. With year-round schooling a student’s family can get a cheap vacation without

the child missing school, instead they can go on their given breaks. In effect of a long summer break

most students intend to lose some of their required skills such as, reading skills, math skills, and

spelling skills. When returning from a long summer break we spend almost a whole quarter of re-

view, when we could have used that time for new information. Year-round schooling has shown sev-

eral benefits with the learning of kids.

Year-round schooling can prevent learning loss, help students of all types, and give families more

time for vacations. Year-round schooling is very beneficial for everyone with-in the process. It may

be struggling at first for the student to comprehend with the schedule, but after one semester the learn-

ing increases. In my opinion, students would be provided with a better knowledge during the year,

and would provide help for all the students.

Sincerely,

Alivea Peight

P A G E 1 3

By: Gracie McMahan, Madi Schultz, & Zach Fox