S E P T E M B E R I S S U E V O L U M E 1 5 , I S S U E 1

Editors:

Parker Terhaar

Griffin Durham

Contributors:

Andrea Sutter

Austin Block

Hanna Brinker

Addie Roberts

Cole Gerber

Jonah White

Taylor Dawson

Doug Jordan

Kristin Molitor

Gennings Dunker

Logen Foley

Delanie Martin

Adviser:

Mrs. Fry

Caleb Matz has been elected student of the month.

Caleb was also mathlete of the month last year. When

I interviewed Caleb, he said he wasn't paying attention

to the announcements and he found out later. Caleb

has two sisters, Olivia and Alyssa. His favorite color is

red, and his favorite food is cheeseburgers. Caleb's

birthday is August 20th 2002. The school chose Caleb

because he was nominated by his teachers for his good

behavior and academic achievement.

By Austin Block

Over the summer the school has gotten a lot of improvements. The

high school got a new gym floor, new hallways, and the outside got

painted a different color. In the junior high more classrooms received

new computers and they also got a new gym floor. The elementary got

a new gym floor and new locker rooms so the high school could play

sports in there. The school also got a

new weight room behind the high

school for summer practices. I think

all of these improvements will really

help the school in the future.

By Taylor Dawson

P A G E 2

I got to interview the one and only Mr. Geiseman. Mr. Geiseman was new

half way through the year last year, so he has not been interviewed. Mr.

Geiseman has 2 children a boy and a girl. His daughter’s name is Sarah

and she is in 5th grade. His son, Ian, is in 2nd grade.. Mr. Geiseman’s fa-

vorite student is Delanie Martin. Mr. Geiseman says he likes teaching in

Lena and thinks a lot of the kids are well behaved. Mr. Geiseman is also

married.

By: Delanie Martin

This year we have two new teachers. I had the chance to interview Mr. Masa-

Myers. Mr. Masa-Myers’ favorite hobby is fishing. In his free time he loves run-

ning, spending time with his fiancé, and playing this his two cats. In the short

time he has been in Lena, he has enjoyed going to the Lena Drive-In. His favorite

food is flite mignon, if he can afford it. He is from Freeport IL. This is his first

job right out of college. Finally I asked him what his favorite part about Lena was

so far and he said the community.

By Hanna Brinker

Mr. Mays, born on December 15, 1993, moved from Bloomington Normal. Mr.

Mays has a cat named Kili and monkies are his favorite animal. In his free time he

likes to watch movies and his favorite shows are Doctor Who and Stranger Things.

Mr. Mays said he liked to travel, and he has been to Russia and Costa Rica. His fa-

vorite part of his job is the active teaching, and he likes all of his classes the same.

His favorite foods are calzones and pizza. I asked Mr. Mays what he did in his free

time and he said that he doesn't have any and he sits in a corner planning lessons. It

was a lot of fun interviewing Mr. Mays. I found out a lot about him that I didn't

know.

By Andrea Sutter

P A G E 3

September 1- Taylor Ditzler Amill September 20– Maya Curtis

September 1- Samuel Pecoraro September 22– Maisen Smith

September 4- Rodney Brookman September 23– Seth Wagner

September 4– Henry Engel September 24– Doug Jorden

September 5– Sage Huneke September 26– Kieran Madigan

September 5– Gina DeVoe

September 12– Nehemiah Schroder

September 13– Jensen Block

September 13– Tyler Croatt

September 15– Connor Reynolds

September 19– Sarah Foley

September 19– Kansas White

By Taylor Dawson and Addie Roberts

Discovered by Jonah White

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjq6-DFoqPPAhXoz4MKHVKDC1cQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpaper4pc.com%2Fcartoons%2F29%2F&bvm=bv.133387755,d.amc&psig=AFQjCNHLnyn9SZdrB2lpOSn4ARBBRr3ZWw&ust=14746438337274

P A G E 4

8th Grade

Coach: Tammy Daughenbaugh

2 Sidney Weegens

4 Alyssa Williams

5 Taylor Dawson

7 Maya Curtis

8 Jennifer Swedlund

12 Ally Milder

14 Ella Wolfrom

17 Kayte Gable

18 Sadie Mowery

19 Ashtyn Brinker

22 Hanna Brinker

23 Sage Huneke

24 Sarah Madigan

25 Kassidy Humphrey

27 Ashlyn Almasy

Managers: Alyssa Daughenbaugh

By Doug Jordan

7th Grade

Coach: Bonnie Broge

1 Kamryn Cain

3 Kylie Wagner

6 Zoe Bardell

9 Leah Goebel

10 Kalli Humphrey

11 Paige Bennett

13 Lila Rudisil

15 Sarah Edler

16 Ava Randecker

20 Lily Karakas

21 Marissa Strominger

26 Gina DeVoe

28 Izzy Flaminio

34 Kaitlyn Sweeney

40 Tess Dameier

P A G E 5

What was one thing you did over the summer?

Madison Young-Showed animals at the fair Emma Kemple– Went to Niagara Falls

Nyiona Davis– Swam Mason Smith– Went Boating

Simon Edler-Fished Kansas White– Played softball

Wesley Offermann-Played Baseball Makenzie Foley– Swam

Drew Steckwald– Went to a Cubs Game Seth Wagner– Played Baseball

By Hanna Brinker

What is your hair length?

Izzy Flaminio– 21in Ava Randecker– 17in

Zoe Bardell– 12in Conner Rendles– 2in

Kali Humphery– 17in Zak Cramer– 1/2in

Brady Eilders– 3in Ellie Bower– 10in

Ethan Fye– 3in Caraoline Reed-15in

Marey Roby– 1in Luke Benson-2in

By Kristin Molitor

What is your favorite movie?

Kassidy Humphrey– Shrek Alysse Potter– Shrek 2

Maya Curtis– Bring it On! In it to Win It Addie Roberts– High School Musical 2

Braden Baldauf- Back to the Future Part 2 Sadie Mowery– The Boy

Connor Edge– My All American Alyssa Williams– Jurassic Park

Maggie Johnson– She’s The Man Tristan Rood– Lights Out

By Taylor Dawson

P A G E 6

Nick Swedlund, born on February 21, lives in Winslow and

moved from Monroe. He has a brother and a sister. I asked his

favorite subject and he said math and science. His favorite TV

shows are Pokémon and Attack on Titan. His best friend so far

this year is Sam Pecoraro. In his free time he likes to spray-paint

card board.

By Andrea Sutter

I had the pleasure to interview Jennifer Swedlund. Jennifer is in

8th grade and enjoys many things such as running and reading.

Jennifer’s favorite subject is math and her favorite teacher is Mr.

Mays . Jennifer’s best friend is Jacie from her old school in Mon-

roe. Jennifer says she enjoys Lena a lot. Jennifer's favorite food is

orange chicken.

By: Delanie Martin.

Ayden Myron Packard was born October 8,2004.He is in 6th grade. His parents are

Don and Stacy Packard. He also has a little brother named Alex in 5th Grade. He

has two pets, a dog named Emma and a cat named Phoebe. Hid favorite color is red

and his favorite food is ribs. His favorite subject is Social Studies. In Ayden’s free

time he enjoys playing sports, but his favorite sport is football. His favorite teams

are the Bears, the Cubs, and the Bulls. His Favorite teacher was Mrs. Heim in Kin-

dergarten. Overall, I enjoyed interviewing Ayden.

By Addie Roberts

P A G E 7

6th Grade

Emma Kempel, Kieran Madigan, Ayden Packard, Rowen Schulz, Drew

Streckwald, Kanzas White, Jacob Zeal

7th Grade

Luke Benson, Kamryn Cain, Tyler Croatt, Amill Ditzler, Isabella

Flaminio, Sarah Foley, Grace Fox, Leah Goebel, Kali Humphrey, Brody

Mahon, Lila Rudisill

8th Grade

Ashtyn Brinker, Carter Burke, Alex Daughenbaugh, Taylor Dawson,

Kassidy Humphrey, Sarah Madigan, Caleb Matz, Ally Milder, Addie

Roberts, Sidney Weegens

P A G E 8

Hi, my name is Ayden Packard and I am in 6th grade. I would like to be on the Student Lead-

ership team because I feel I am responsible and want to make a difference in our school.

There are some kids that I look up to, they are good role models for me and I want to be a

good role model for other kids too.

I feel I would be a good leader because I enjoy helping others and would like to help

in our community and schools. I have experience helping with little kids. I go to a daycare

with a lot of younger kids. I have to be a helper with the 11 month olds and little ones. I help

play with them, make sure they do not get into things that could hurt them, and cheer them up

if they get hurt. I also help our daycare come up with fun things for the little kids to do and

set up the games.

If I were selected to be a student leader I would push to stop bullying. For example everyone

focuses on the bully but he/she is not the only person in this. The bystander and victim are

just as important. The bystander needs to feel they can either help the victim or go to a teach-

er for help. By having anti-bullying groups kids understand to help the victim. The victim

will also understand they did not do anything wrong. I think it is just as important in the Jr

High as it was in the Elementary because with more freedom comes more opportunity to bul-

ly someone.

I would also like to do more to help the families who don’t have a lot. I know there

are some organized food drives but I would like to be able to help those families even more

during the tough times. I would like to organize some fundraisers so we could earn money to

buy the families things they need at their house.

I have been on the WEE Deliver team all three years I was a Nixie Clerk a Carrier and the

Post Master and was on flag duty. I am always willing to help my classmates and I have a

positive attitude. I enjoy working at events and am happy to volunteer my time for anything.

I am not afraid to share what I think and I am not shy to try new things. I just want the best

for our school and the community and want to be part of that team.

P A G E 9

My name is Kalli Humphrey and, I am in seventh grade. I would enjoy helping out

again this year for student leadership. I had tons of fun helping with concessions at volleyball

and basketball games, and I hope to help with several more. I helped with Mrs. Huneke’s

benefit I had a loads of fun. I loved doing the games; I hope we can do another benefit. In the

previous year during my study hall I went down to the elementary and helped a student in

Mrs. Huneke’s class with homework. I think that we should bring in school supplies and do-

nate it for people in need.

I volunteered to help all night at Mrs. Huneke benefit. There were tons of games and I

worked two different games. The kids who played games would give you tickets and that

would raise money from buying the tickets. We earned loads of money, for Mrs. Huneke. It

was a fun night I all the kids had a lot of fun.

I enjoyed helping a student during my study hall in the previous year with homework. I hope

if there are any kids who need help with homework that the student leaders could help again.

So, if there were any students who needed help that there teacher could let Mrs. Robbe know

and leaders could help. When the student needed help leaders could go down to the elemen-

tary during their study hall. There would be three leaders that could go down and help, one

could stay and help their teacher and the other could go and help in the hall.

I think this upcoming school year for student leadership should donate school supplies. One

way that we could donate is put baskets out in the hall and make posters for donating sup-

plies. Then we would plan a day and take the things and give it to the students who need sup-

plies. Or the teacher could draw five student leaders to go give the supplies.

Overall, I think I could be an excellent student leader from the things I have done in the past.

I really liked helping out last year. I hope I can make this school year a better environment.

P A G E 1 0

My name is Taylor Dawson and I’m in 8th grade. I would love the opportunity to be a Student Leader

again this year. In the last 2 years I was able to help out other students as well as my school & community.

The first reason I would like to be in Student Leadership is I love helping people out in anyway that I

can. I also loved going down to the elementary last year for student leadership because they would brighten my

day with their smiles. This summer I babysat for 2 younger kids in town and also my little brother. I was able

to take the kids to the park and teach them how to play basketball. I also did crafts with them and read stories.

This past winter, I shoveled my neighbor’s driveway who have a hard time doing it themselves.

Another reason I would like to be in Student Leadership is because I would like to make our school an

enjoyable place for everyone. I would be willing to stay after school and help other students if they are strug-

gling with homework. I would also like to help with concession stands again this year. In the last 2 years I

helped at concession stands quite often and had a lot of fun. I would always offer to stay and help after my shift

was over if they needed my help. I would like to hold community clean-up days where we would encourage all

students to participate to keep our town looking nice. I would also like to hold fundraisers to raise money for

people with cancer or other illnesses. Another way I would like to help out the school and the community is

holding a book drive where kids will bring in old books they don’t read anymore and donate them to the school

or give them to children who don’t have enough money to buy books. I believe this will really get everyone in-

volved with helping out the community.

I have always gotten very good grades and have never received lower than an A on my report cards.

The last 3 years I received the Presidential award for getting all A’s. I also was awarded the Citizenship award

for being recognized by other people for helping others and the community. Besides getting good grades in

school, I also participate in sports. I participated in Volleyball, Basketball, and Softball. I was also a part of a

club volleyball team in the winter and a club basketball team in the summer while maintaining all A’s.

I’m a very hard worker at both home and school. I do my best to get along with everyone and like to be

a good role model for my peers. I come to school every day with a smile on my face and a positive attitude. I

think these are all great qualities in being a good Student Leader.

Thank you for considering me for Student Leadership again this year.

Sincerely,

Taylor Dawson

P A G E 1 1

Dear Mr. Lobdell:

Homework has been known to be great for a student learning a new skill, but homework may not be as good as many people

think. There has been a debate over having homework and not having homework for a long time, and even thought home-

work can have positive effects on a student having too much homework can be bad for a kid. While it can teach responsibil-

ity, too much homework often leads to increased stress, sleep deprivation, and the temptation to cheat.

For example, doing homework may cause the student and/ or the parents of a student stress or other unwanted problems. The

pressure of homework does not give students enough time to refresh their minds and bodies. The American Psychological

Association led a survey in 2013 that found 45% of United States students were stressed out because of homework. Similar-

ly, in a study conducted by The Journal of Experimental Education concluded that more than 70% of students said they were

often or always stressed over homework, and less than 1% said homework was not a stressor. The Journal of Experimental

Education also researched how many students had physical signs of stress including headaches, exhaustion, sleep depriva-

tion, weight loss, and stomach problems. More than 80% said they had at least one physical sign in the past month and 44%

said they had at least three symptoms.

Furthermore, a student might be doing so much homework at night that they will not have enough sleep, and they will be

unprepared to learn the next day. Specifically, Tom Di Giulo, a Latin teacher in a middle school in Pennsylvania, says his

kids are overwhelmed. His students will submit work at midnight or later. For instance, Cari Gillen- O’Neel studies 535 kids,

and the average amount of sleep per night was 6.9 to 7.6 hours. A study shows short sleep can make lead to obesity in chil-

dren. Depression and anxiety are also related to sleep deprivation.

Although many think homework teaches responsibility, homework may not have that effect if students do not have the desire

to do it. Too much homework could prevent cheating instead of responsibility because kids want to finish work. Students

who cheat just to complete their work rob themselves of the opportunity to learn. Also, the practice of homework could be-

come a waste of time if students are copying answers from one another. For example, when students cheat they do not know

the material they need to know, so they will struggle the next years with that skill.

Homework can help teach students responsibility, and while that might be true homework can have many negative effects on

a student such as sleep deprivation, stress, and the urge to cheat. As a result, limiting the amount of homework will allow

students time to refresh, and could decrease stress, cheating, and hours of sleep lost due to overload. Therefore, I recommend

we should limit the amount of homework to no more than 80 minutes per day, so students in our school are more prepared to

function at school.

Sidney Weegens

P A G E 1 2

Dear Mr. Lobdell:

Limiting homework has been an ongoing topic for many years. I think that limiting homework versus homework is neces-

sary. While it can teach responsibility, too much homework often leads to increased stress, sleep deprivation, and the temp-

tation to cheat.

First of all, homework increases stress for students and parents. In 2013, the American Psychological Association conducted

a survey and they found that 45% of United States students were stressed out because of homework. Also, the pressure of

homework does not give students enough time to refresh their minds and bodies. In addition to this, Alfie Kohn, who writes

books about homework and if it is healthy or not stated, “Too much homework can cause considerable harm, raising levels of

frustration, and anxiety,” this shows me that homework is fairly unhealthy to students and someday, if a student has a lot of

homework and is going through depression, they could hurt themselves.

Homework can also cause sleep deprivation. Tom DiGiulio, a Latin teacher in a middle school in Pennsylvania, says his

students are overwhelmed. They will submit homework at midnight, or even later. For this reason, a typical teen should

have between 8.5 and 9 hours of sleep on school nights and most aren’t getting that, so a teen with good sleeping habits is

normally sleep deprived. In addition, about 90% of teens aren’t getting enough sleep and part of this issue is that there is too

much homework. Studies show that not enough sleep can cause children to be obese. Homework leads to not enough sleep,

so homework can cause children to be obese. Also, sleep deprivation causes depression, anxiety, and irritability. A lot of

students go through this and homework is a part of the cause.

On the other hand, homework has an upside. First of all, it can teach responsibility, but if students aren’t interested in what

they are learning about, it could promote cheating instead. Another thing that homework does is it provides practice for stu-

dents to increase their knowledge and skills, but it could also become a waste of time if students are copying off of others

just to get it done. This is less likely to happen if teachers hand out homework that means something to students and they

want to learn about it.

All in all, limiting the amount of homework will allow students time to refresh and could decrease the amount of stress,

cheating, and hours of sleep loss due to overload. Therefore, I recommend that we should limit the amount of homework in

our school to no more than 80 minutes per day so students in our school are more prepared to function at school

Alex Daughenbaugh

P A G E 1 3

By Cole Gerber, Gennings Dunker, and Logen Foley