Top Five American Holidays by Felix Sawers 

1. Christmas  I like Christmas because of their amazing songs.

 (It is proven that Christmas songs' nostalgia improves your mood.)

2. Halloween. I like Halloween because it's a public event that everyone can participate in. 

(according to md linx people how are most active during Halloween seem to have a better immune system) 

3. Easter. I like Easter because you get to hide eggs and watch people try to find them and  vice versa. 

(It can also be celebrated as more than a holiday for many religious people)

4. Saint Patrick's Day. Now this is a really fun holiday to celebrate as a little kid because you get to make traps and try to stay awake so you can see the leprechaun. It also has a lot of fun stuff to celebrate like wearing green. It also encourages people to recycle to be in that green spirit.)

5. 4th of July. I like the 4th of July because you can spend time with family and enjoy the firework show.  (The cool thing about this holiday is that you can learn about why it's a holiday and more)




Interview with Mr. McGonigal by Cooper Phillips and Scott Adkins

Recently I interviewed Mr. Brian McGonigal, who is the 6th grade Mountain Lion math teacher.   I asked him a few interesting questions, and this is what he had to say:

What is an interesting fact that a very little amount of people know?

He was in a car accident.

Favorite sport or sport team? 

Penn State Football.

Dream car?

Ford F150.

Favorite Food?

Steak.

Favorite Subject?

Science.

Normal Weekend?

Traveling for his kids’ sports. 

Scariest moment of his life?

Being stuck on a hike at night with no cell service.


Interview with Mr. Boyer By: Izzy Doliana

Favorite Animal: His dog (Golden Doodle)

Favorite color: Dark Blue

What is your hidden talent: Play guitar and singing

Do you have any pets: 2 ( 1 cat and 1 dog)

Favorite Marvel hero or villain: Thanos 

Favorite candy: Skittles 

Favorite childhood halloween costume: Mummy (Won an Award for it)

A place you want to go to: Germany

What is your favorite tv show or movie: Star Wars (Tv shows and Movies)

Favorite Season: Fall


Respect Everyone by Aparna Anand

Being middle schoolers can be tough. There are a lot of things we students have to keep track of, like emailing our teachers and getting our homework done. But above all that, it’s important for us to remember to respect everyone.

Why do we need to address this?

According to USA Today, the number of reports about incidents of disrespect and bullying in middle schools have gotten higher over the years. Now, many middle schoolers suffer from having to deal with unfortunate comments about their bodies and how they look on the outside. More than 19% of middle school students say that they’ve been bullied about their appearance more than once in their lives. 

And these stats aren’t just from other middle schools in the country. 

“Unfortunately, over the years I've seen way too much of people being disrespectful to others,” says 6th grade Ac. Lit teacher Mr. Tranell. “That's why education is key and that we all as teachers and school staff members need to not only teach what respect is, but we must model respect through our daily behaviors, routines, and interactions with students and other staff.”

We can’t stop what happens in other schools, but we can stop disrespect here at PFMS. Our goal is to make PFMS a safe and respectful place to learn, and we want students to feel comfortable and confident no matter how they look. 

How we can solve the problem

You might remember the No Place For Hate poster contest that we all participated in. It was fun to do, and more importantly, was a step in the right direction. Activities like No Place for Hate and ROAR, both commonly referred to in PFMS, make learning possible in a comfortable, respectful, and safe learning environment. As we start to fight hate and support one another, things will change for the better. And before we know it, lots of new sixth graders will join our community next school year, and we want them to learn in a place where everyone supports each other and respects each other. 

And it’s important that as we move forward in our lives and become more educated, respectful students, that we always remember to respect each other. Because when we change things in our world one at a time, things in our world will change for the better, and it all starts with just supporting each other and respecting each other for who we truly are.

PTSO Fun Run: An Interview with Mr. Fester by Camilla Thorsen

What is fun, raises money for the school PTSO, and gives students a chance to exercise? The Fun Run! We all went to the Fun Run fundraiser last week, but does everyone know what it was for?

According to Mr. Fester, Vice Principal of Park Forest Middle School, “The Fun Run is a fundraiser for the PFMS PTSO.” The PTSO, Parent Teacher Student Organization, needs money so teachers can buy fun and essential things for their classes. “The money will go towards their general budget to ultimately give back to the teachers and students at the school,” Mr. Fester said. “In the past, the PTSO has helped to purchase books for the school, fund field trips, and provide money to our ROAR program.”

PTSO also funds things that will directly benefit YOU. Soon, the school will buy lots of lollipops to sell to students to fund ROAR ticket prizes. Also, the donations from the Fun Run will go toward many clubs and AREAs, such as TSA, which uses the money they get from PTSO to support students attending competitions. So, in summary, the school has a Fun Run fundraiser each year to raise money for fun items teachers and students will enjoy.

Why are we having this Fun Run? Mainly because the Fun Run is, well, fun! According to Mr. Fester, it is the “perfect blend of many elements that we love at PFMS.” He said that it gives the PTSO a chance to collect money from a fundraiser but it also gives everyone a chance to exercise. This is good because, since students have to sit through a seven hour school day, some exercise could definitely prove useful. Plus, we tried a type of exercise used in the military - running with five pound backpacks. With only two minutes between classes at PFMS, this exercise could definitely come in handy! We did this because Penn State’s ROTC, or Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, came to help with our Fun Run. 

Even though the Fun Run is over, if you want to donate to the PTSO now, you still can. In fact, you can any time of the year! Just write a check made out to PFMS PSTO and bring it to the main office. 

The Fun Run helps to fund fun and important things for students and staff, and gives us a chance to exercise. Mr. Fester said it best: “It provides an opportunity for all of us to gather socially for a common goal.”

Strange Holidays by Craig Adkins

You know the big holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. But most people don’t know the small and strange ones. And I’m here to tell you about five of them.

1. National Spaghetti Day. January 4th

2. Super Mario Day. March 10th

3. National Hug Your Cat Day. June fourth. This is my favorite right now.

4. Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day. December 8th.

5. Halloween. The thirty-first of October (You might think it’s not, but search up its history. And it’s a little strange going door to door demanding candy.)


Stella’s top 5 jokes!! by Stella Loverich

TOP FIVE JOKES BY STELLA

1. What’s orange and sounds like a parrot?

A carrot!

2. This morning my brother told me to stop acting like a flamingo.

So I had to put my foot down!

3. What did the evil chicken lay?

Deviled eggs!

4. When does a joke become a dad joke?

When it becomes apparent.

5. Why couldn’t the bicycle stand up by itself?

It was two-tired!


State Jokes By Scott Adkins

I just decided to do this one day, and here are some stupid jokes.

Nebraska did not ask ya to come here.

California has a lot of thorns, it always jabs at my mind.

GEOrgia is a great spot to mine. It also has a lot of ridges. (GeoRGia.)

North Carolina always looks up.

West Virginia is the opposite of East Virginia.

Going to Maine is my main goal in life.

New Jersey lost its Old Jersey.

Delaware is a fashion warehouse.

Pennsylvania has great writers.

Ohio greets you well.

In Washington, nothing is dirty.

Maryland is a merry place.

What did Tennessee? The same thing Arkansas.

Colorado is colorful.

I learned my jokes from you guys. Utah me well.

Iowa to visit Iowa sometime.

New HAMsphire has a lot of pigs.

I heard Oregon is the most musical state.

Idaho what you are talking about…

I had a question about State Jokes, but Alaska later.

In Rhode Island, the traffic is terrible.

Connecticut connects Rhode Island with Massachusetts.

Whenever you travel from Maine to Florida, things just go south, if you know what I mean.

FloRIDa does not keep many things.

ILLinois is SICK, if you know what I mean.

And last but not least, Mississippi has a ton of snakes. 

These jokes are terrible, I know, and sure, punch me in the face, but before I end this state jokes thing, I just want to STATE the obvious. You can make a lot of State Jokes if you try.

Racism by Lucy Roop

Racism. An act of hatred towards a person because they look different because of their skin color. In America, racism is toward black people or people of African descent.  Others are Asians, Latin Americans, and the Indigenous community. The group of people I am focusing on in this essay is the Black or people of African descent community.

 Hate 

The Black community has been hated since August of 1619 the day the first ship of slaves arrived in North America. The most hate has been from white people, there is no denying it you can’t say that the majority of racism hasn’t come from white people cause you would be lying. The hate has gone on for more than 600 years. Not only is it hate but its in-equity. People suffer from this whether it's a loss of a family member because of cops or a shooting,  to hate crimes and hateful sayings. All of these people can not take all of this hate and we need to stop it. 

George Floyd 

In the early summer of 2020, George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis, Minnesota by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer who was 44 years old at the time. Derek Chauvin was cut out of the police force and sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for killing George Floyd. After reading the article “The Innocence Project” you find out that Floyd was trying to buy a tobacco substance with a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill and was being arrested when Chauvin had made a poor choice by trying to pin Floyd down. George Floyd's last words were “ please stop, I can’t breathe”. This struck the Black Lives Matter Movement. 

BLM Movement 

The Black Lives Matter Movement was started when George Floyd died. There were peaceful protests and not so peaceful protests. From the time the movements started to May of 2021, 1,068 black people or people of African descent have been murdered by US police. That is not okay. The reason why people were protesting in peaceful or non-peaceful was because of this. The people were angry and they wanted justice for the people we have lost from the police brutality. The not so peaceful protest was usually peaceful to start with but the police stepped in and that's when it got hectic. Now that is not always the case but you never really know why the peaceful protests turned violent it could be a number of reasons. The movement was to show the world and the murderers how much those lives meant to the people and how the murders took a toll on their lives.

Solutions 

The solution to racism is easy, Don’t do it. Just because someone looks different because of their race or talks differently because of their ethnicity does not give you a right to hate them. You never know who a person is without knowing them. So don’t hate on someone if you don’t know them, don’t hate on them in general. Because you never should judge a person just by their appearance. What if you were that person and someone who you didn’t even know was doing that to you don’t you think that you would be upset. Everyone needs to be nice so everyone can be equal with each other.


Room 308 by Carolyn Frank

Sandra Peters 3/31/22 11:20

I walk through the hallways, bright lights blinding me. I’ve walked so long that I can’t feel my feet. I haven’t seen a single person for three days. I don’t even know where I’m going anymore. Every so often I hear a bell ring and children talking, but there’s no one here. I’m alone. In a cold hallway. I run into enough water stations to keep me going, but I’m running out of food from my lunch box. I won’t even think about stopping though. If I stop, they’ll find me. This was supposed to be a quick errand. A quick errand to room 308.

Mr. Brooks 3/31/22 11:20 am

I swear on my grave  that I have no idea where Sandra is. I sent her to room 308. I meant to say 408 but she was already gone. No one can find her and everyone thinks it’s my fault. I can’t sleep at night with all the guilt beating down on my shoulders. Sandra’s mom, Mrs. Peters, keeps asking me if I’ve found her. We both know the answer but we search anyway. All of Sandra’s friends are worried sick and her sister won’t come out of her room. I might get fired, just for letting this kid out of my sight.



Sandra 4/1/22 3:09

I started hearing the voice about an hour ago. It sounds like a girl, maybe a little younger than me. She’s whispering.

 “Sandra, Sandra,” she says. I can’t bear it. I start to cry, even start to think I should go back, but that would just be another maze of hallways. I need to get to room 308. Then I get an idea. “Where’s room 308?” I ask the voice. She screams. It’s so high pitched and horrid that I sit in a gap of the lockers and hide. 

Then I hear, “Come out of there, I-I can take you to ro-room 308.”

I’m ecstatic, but by the voice I can tell that she isn’t as enthusiastic.

“But first you need to close your eyes.”

“What?” I say.

“Just do it,”

“Okay,”

I close my eyes and can feel a slight tug at my arm. Soon I’m being pulled through the hallway by a small hand. I try to open my eyes but somehow they are stuck shut. 

“No peeking!” the girl says.

“Why?” I try to mumble, but I know that she can’t hear it. I can barely hear my own voice with all the air rushing against my ears.

We suddenly stop, and I realize that we’re in front of a door. The door is marked 308. Room 308! I look beside me and I see a girl. I realize that she’s the one who took me here. 

I’m about to open the door when she stops me. 

“Wait!” she says, “I can’t let you go in there.”

“Why?” I attempt to say again, but this time she hears me and stops me mid-word.

“I was the last person to go in that room. It’s wonderful, but that doesn’t last. Soon he’ll take you and you’ll forget everything and-”

“He?” I echo’ “who is he

She’s about to answer but then I’m pushed in the door by hands that seem much less scared and much more forceful.

I look behind me as I fly through the air and see the girl being held up by the collar of her dress, and she’s screaming again. Holding her up is someone- or something- in a black robe. I shiver, already falling on the floor. I try to run out of the room but the door closes and I can hear it lock from the outside. 

Martha Peters 4/4/22 11:38

I’m so worried. My daughter is gone and I don’t know if she will ever come back. I need to go to where she was last seen. It's been 7 days. I can’t stand, can barely breathe. My family keeps trying to help me but it doesn’t work. I need hope. Hope is gone. So I need to keep searching. Whether it’s online or I have to tavel around the world, I will find my daughter.


Kentucky Vs Penn State by Macon Workman

I keep arguing with people about why Kentucky is better than Penn State. I know half of the school will probably disagree with me, but here’s some evidence.

Football

Now I will admit Penn State used to dominate football, but that time is over. Evidence number one: this year, as a top-five ranked team, Penn State took on the Iowa Hawkeyes and lost 23-20. Kentucky played the Hawkeyes in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl (which I will talk about later), and won 20-17. 

Now you might say, “it’s not fair: we didn’t have Sean Clifford for most of the game.” PSU lost to Illinois with him playing the entire game, and they lost even worse to Arkansas in the Outback Bowl, though they had him the whole game.

Evidence number 2: The 2019 Vrbo Citrus Bowl where Trace Mcsorley had his last game as a Nittany Lion and Benny Snell Jr. had his last game in a wildcat uniform. Kentucky was in the lead for most of the game until the fourth quarter, when Penn State decided to play football and scored 17, but somehow pulled off the loss. People tell me that Penn State was the 4 seed, and I admit they had a chance to go to the championship, but then somehow, PSU lost 6 out of the next 8 games, including the bowl game.

Basketball

As I’m writing this, Penn State men's basketball has an impressive 1,517 wins in their history. Oh, did I mention that Kentucky has 2,327 wins so far?  Now, wins are good, but postseason play is more important. Penn State has only been in the March Madness Tournament only 9 times, 9! While Kentucky has been in it 58 times! They hold the record for going to March Madness the most. Also, in Penn State’s 9 March Madness appearances,  never advanced beyond the Final Four. Meanwhile, Kentucky, in its 58 appearances, has won 8 times; that's the second most of any team (UCLA has the most with 11 National Championships). Also Kentucky has 128 NBA draft picks; that's the most by any college!

Other Sports

Although Kentucky might be better at basketball and football, Penn State is way better at hockey, and Kentucky doesn't even have a real hockey team. Also, Penn State has one of the most dominant wrestling schools in the country, and again Kentucky does not have a wrestling team. But in women's volleyball, Kentucky takes this one, not only winning last season but having an exceptional season this year. Don’t get me wrong:  this Penn State women's volleyball team is incredibly good. Also, while I’m writing this, Penn State men’s volleyball is off to an amazing start while being 4-2 but having four 3-0 sweeps before losing two. Sadly I can’t compare Kentucky men's volleyball because we don’t have one. Also I’ve looked through swimming, and I think Kentucky barely won. 

In baseball, I believe that Kentucky dominates Penn State. But for the last sport I’ll give lacrosse to Penn State because they are a pretty good team. 

Now that I’ve looked at the results  Penn State finishes with a score of 4 points and Kentucky finishes with a score of 5 points. So, in my opinion, Kentucky is a better sports program than Penn State.  




Teacher Spotlight: Mr Schmidt by Halen Holes and Cooper Phillips

What is an interesting fact that a very little amount of people know?

A high school gym is named after his father.


Favorite Football Team: Eagles.


Dream car: Mercedes.


Favorite Food: kale


Favorite Baseball team: Phillies.


Normal Sunday: Watch Football or Watch/Play Golf. 

Scariest moment of his life:

  • He was in Ocean City, Maryland and floated out to sea and had to be rescued in 6th grade.

  • Or when his dad had to do the Heimlich Maneuver when he choked on a Jolly Rancher in a barber shop.



Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Boyer

Interview with Mr. Boyer

What’s your favorite type of hot sauce?

Frank’s Red Hot and Wegman’s Green Sriracha. 

Do you like cheese?

Yes, I love cheese

Who is your favorite colleague?

Tech Ed People - They don’t annoy me

What is your favorite part about tech ed?

Watching students succeed

What is your favorite shade of rainbow?

The brighter the better

Do you like to work with Mr. Zimmerman?

Yes, we have a lot of fun with him.

If you ate a table, what would you do with the chairs?

Put them outside

What’s your opinion on dino nuggies?

My daughter LOVES them.

If you were a dinosaur, which one would you be?

The Boyersaurus.

If you traveled back to the time of the cave people, what kind of cave art would you make?

Something with spears.

 If you were in a survival situation, would you eat soggy noodles?

Yes. Absolutely.

Who is your favorite character in the Grinch?

The Grinch

What’s your favorite letter?

C-

If a student ate a piece of wood, what would you do?

Watch them.


Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Roth (6th Grade Wolves) by Nathaniel Lerner

What is your favorite food 

Pizza 

When did you find Pez for the first time

7th grade 

What is your favorite flavor of Pez

Cola  

What is you favorite book

A Wrinkle in Time  

Who is you favorite/ best Pez dispenser? 

Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup    

Teacher Spotlight: Mrs. Owens by: Nora Poole and Kate Duffey

Mrs. Owens teacher the advanced math classes at Park Forest Middle School. You can find her in room 419!

What is your favorite color?

  • Purple

What is your favorite book?

  • Lord of the Rings

What is your favorite math topic?

  • Geometry

What is your favorite sport?

  • Ice Hockey

What is your favorite music decade/genre?

  • 80’s

What is your favorite food?

  • Steak

What is your favorite movie?

  • Star Wars movie 4

Where did you go to high school?

  • State high

What was your favorite vacation?

  • Switzerland 

What is your favorite animal?

  • Dogs

Staff Spotlight: Mrs. Lasorchik by Piper Thoman

Mrs. Lasorchik is our wonderful computer technician who works in the PFMS Depot! She’ll help you with your Chromebook and any other school technology issue.

What is your favorite tv show?

N.C.I.S

What is your favorite color? 

Blue

What is the best part about your job?

Get to see the students.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Chocolate chip

Who is your favorite student?

She Likes them All

What is your favorite part of the Air Force?

Fixing airplanes.

Who is your favorite musician/Band?

 Fleetwood Mac

What was the hardest computer problem that you’ve fixed? 

Network not available

What was your favorite thing to do when you were little?

Climb trees.

What is your favorite food?

Lasagna.

Do you like cheese? 

Well, you know, there’s cheese in lasagna. 

What did you want to be when you were little?

I never knew

Who is your favorite author?

Tom Clancy

Where do you spend your free time?  

In the woods, camping. She helps run a girls BSA troop.


Teacher Highlights:  Mr. Ammerman by Rylee Troup and Jennie Varrassa

Favorite Season?   Fall.

What did you do as a kid?   Played outside and played around with friends. 

Favorite thing to do in your free time?   Spend time with family and exercise. 

Favorite Color?   Doesn’t have one; likes them all. 

Favorite Sport?   Football. 

Favorite Book?  The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom. 

Favorite Movie?   Christmas Vacation

Where did you go to school?   Penn State and Towson.

Favorite Food?   Pizza. 

Dream Vacation? The Caribbean. 

Why do you like teaching?   I like getting to know the different kids and help them grow/achieve their goals;  and meeting kids.


What did you want to be when you were a kid? Pharmacist, because my friend's dad was one. 

Do you have any kids, and what are their names? Kolten-12, and Grace-10. 

Where were you born? Clearfield, PA.

Favorite subject in school? Math.

What if your favorite author? Jerry Spinelli.  

What is your favorite genre of books? Biographies. 

What is your favorite genre of music?  Classic Rock and Country music. 


What is your favorite song?   Shout By the Isley Brothers.  

Favorite Cafeteria food?   Buffalo Chicken Dip. 


Favorite Sports team?   Penn State Football Team. 


Anything else you want us to know about you?  I am having a great school year because we can be in person, and the people I work with are awesome.