The Panther Press
Published for the students of Farnsworth Middle School
Teacher's Point of View
Every year there are new fads that kids love and oftentimes baffle adults. Seven teachers at Farnsworth weighed in with their point of view on fads that are popular among students.
Dabbing
Mrs. Henschel: Funny, if not overused.
Mr. Kainz: I think it is kind of cool!!! Easy to do and modeled after a professional Football player.
Mr. Chase: Dabbing is a thing of beauty when performed correctly by one as I. Just don’t overdo it.
Mr. Frame: Here in America, the kids have an obsession with hitting their inner elbow on their nose for a quick smell. If your elbows smell really bad, ”it’s time to wash them”.
Ms. Conger: Ask Bjondina Bushi. She asks me to dab all the time in the hall, and was seriously shocked when I did!
Mrs. Kroener: Silly.
Mrs. Hranicka: My favorite dab was when a student sneezed and dabbed at the same time. Funny the first time…
Water Bottle Flipping
Mrs. Henschel: I think it is dumb
Mr. Kainz: I guess it is harmless, but kind of silly. I could think of other things to test odds and coordination.
Mr. Chase: I bet Mr. Frame could flip a car.
Mr. Frame: If you can’t beat a dude’s perfect flips … keep practicing at HOME.
Ms. Conger: HATE it!!!!!!!! SOOOOOOO annoying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mrs. Kroener: Annoying, but I get why kids like it. It is like hacky sack. Do kids even know what that is? Small attainable challenges.
Mrs. Hranicka: How did that start? It's annoying.
Mannequin Challenge
Mrs. Henschel: Is there a point to this challenge? Never witnessed it.
Mr. Kainz: Have no problem with it. Kind of neat when done in a large group.
Mr. Chase: Mannequin challenge is too easy. I can do it for at least 8 hours a day.
Mr. Frame: Seems to be a ritual where students have temporary paralysis for 1 minute and can't move until someone laughs.
Ms. Conger: I have no idea how they do that!!
Mrs. Kroener: An interesting challenge. I like it!
Mrs. Hranicka: I like this one; it's amazing the students who can't sit still in class are able to do this with no problem at all:)
Andy’s Coming
Mrs. Henschel: Who's Andy?
Mr. Kainz: Loved the movie, again no real issues as long as no one gets hurt.
Mr. Chase: Andy's coming is the best! We must be mindful that we respect others by performing in the appropriate place and time.
Mr. Frame:*Spoiler alert* Andy went to college and gave his toys to Bonnie.
Ms. Conger: Just plain silly!
Mrs. Kroener: umm...
Mrs. Hranicka: Had to look that one up…
Juju on That Beat
Mrs. Henschel: Had to google that one....entertaining but not my kind of music.
Mr. Kainz: Not a fan, Don't really like it
Mr. Chase: Dance yes, lyrics, no.
Mr. Frame: Hilfigerrr
Ms. Conger: Funky!!!!
Mrs. Kroener: Not the worst slang I have heard
Mrs. Hranicka: You ugly
Snapchat
Mrs. Henschel: Fun
Mr. Kainz: Ok with it when done at appropriate times. Also keeping in mind the respect and privacy of others.
Mr. Chase: Snapchat is cool. I don't post on it, but some people are really great photographers and I enjoy their work.
Mr. Frame: Use to have one then I got bored. Went back to texting
Ms. Conger: WAY overused!!!
Mrs. Kroener: 50/50--I don't really know enough about it, but like other social media it is addicting.
Mrs. Hranicka: I tried to do this...not a fan. Would rather talk to the person.
Mrs. Roeck - Simons & Mr. Kooistra get into the spirit of Pink Day!
War Among Classes
The Penny War was a huge success! During November, the students at Farnsworth had a challenge to raise as much money as they could in coins. To make the war a little more fun, students could put dollar bills in different teacher’s containers who had more money than their class. Those dollar bills were counted against the total. The academic class in each grade level that raised the most money won an ice cream party. In 6th grade, Mrs. Hranicka’s class raised $41.12 in coins, but had $6 against them. In 7th grade, Ms. Neitzke’s class raised $113.70 in coins, but had $26 against them. In 8th grade, Ms. Daun’s class, raised $25.71 and had $0 against them. In all, the school raised $457. A check was presented to a local food pantry on December 12th.
Pictured below L to R: Jose Guiterrez, Food Bank Director, Brandon Alvarez, and Daniela Cortes
Light Busters
Light Busters is a group of 7th grade students that will attempt to save energy and make a difference to the environment in which they live. The students will check classrooms daily for lights that have been left on, but are not currently being used by any students or staff. They will also look at the garbage cans and recycling bins to see if any items were missed placed. If a Light Buster member finds a room light on without occupancy, or items misplaced in the garbage then the student will place a notification tag near the container or light switch of that room. Each month the Light Buster students compile data that records the amount of energy usage. Then, they compare this data to those months prior to the programs existence to measure improvements.
Pictured below: Current 7th grade Light Busters
In the Know with the Farnsworth SRO
Submitted by: Officer Hang Lor
Are you a junior fact-checking detective?
According to the site ibfakenews.com, a 14 year old Wisconsin teen was arrested when he refused to stop playing the popular mobile game Pokemon Go while at school. One law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the case, said the teen was charged with Disorderly Conduct and Resisting Arrest. The second charge was a result of the teen refusing to put his phone down and continuing to play the game even as he was being handcuffed.
I sincerely hope the above story isn’t true… because I made all of it up in a few minutes. We live in a world where technology and information is everywhere. Social media has given a voice to anyone who has access to the internet. We all know that not everything on the internet is true, yet people fall for hoaxes or scams on a regular basis.
There are plenty of fake news sites that write stories just so they’ll be shared on social media. These sites make money from advertisers for every click they get. The more believable or outrageous the story is, the more likely it’ll trend or go viral. For example:
The famous actor Morgan Freeman is still very much alive but has died at least twice if you believe social media.
A common hoax that comes up regularly is that Facebook will start charging monthly user fees unless you share a post saying you don’t agree to pay (or something similar).
Remember last year when armies of clowns were supposed to attack innocent people? The internet lied to us about this one too.
No one likes being lied to, yet many of us tend to believe posts we see online without ever checking to see if it’s even true. Online fact-checking is pretty easy to do, especially with search engines like Google and Bing. Snopes.com and other fact-checking sites are also good places to start.
There were literally hundreds (if not thousands) of news articles from credible sources saying the clown frenzy from last year was fake. Yet, millions of people chose to believe what they saw on social media from some person they’ve never heard of. Don’t be lied to- do some online detective work. That way, the next time your news feed shows aliens invading a cruise ship or minions hacking into email servers, you won’t fall for the clickbait.
January Perfect Attendance Breakfast
7th Grade Service Project
By: Ainsley Schwalbe
In the month of October, Mr. Kainz’s WIN class did a service project to help a neighboring school. The 7th graders held a book drive through 7th grade, collecting many books to encourage reading at the elementary school.
Why did you want to do this service project?
We wanted to give back to the community. Many of us went to school there, and we wanted to help the students with their reading, and give the teachers more resources.
What school are the books going to?
Wilson Elementary
What do you think the kids at Wilson will feel about this book drive?
They will be happy because they will have a lot more choices of things to read.
How many books did you get?
As a group, we set a goal of 600, and we got 841 total.
Are you happy with these results?
Very pleased, because we exceeded our goal by a lot.We want to say thank you to all of the 7th grade students and teachers that donated books!
How did you feel about the book drive?
It was fun, because our WIN class likes reading. We had to sort through all the books and arrange them by grade level, which was fun to do. It was different from just doing normal things, like reading and sitting. We liked to see how the classes worked together to collect as many books as possible, showing that they care about the community and they support reading.
Who was involved in the book drive?
Mr. Kainz’s WIN class organized the book drive, and all of the 7th grade advisories participated.
Do you appreciate the kids that contributed to the book drive?
Yes, we appreciated the staff and students that contributed to the book drive, and we appreciated the support so much, we gave an ice cream party to the two classes that raised the most money.
Pictured below: Students in Mr. Kainz's WIN class and the books they collected.
Librarian's Corner: Check out What's New in the Library!
Submitted by: Mrs. Staron
Blind Date with a Book
You can’t always judge a book by its cover. In February we will have a selection of wrapped-up books available, each with only a single sentence on the package to give you a hint of what’s inside. Is one sentence enough to grab your interest? If so, check one out and go on a blind date with a book!
Panther Hunt
Who knew panthers loved libraries so much? Apparently panthers love to lounge around on bookshelves, because one has been hiding out in our stacks recently. Follow the clues to track down the panther and you will win a prize. Start your chase at the Panther Hunt sheet in the comfortable seating area.
Recommended by YOU!
Throughout the library you will find little display stands featuring books that have been recommended by your classmates and teachers. If you would like to recommend a book, fill out a “Read This Book!” slip at the circulation desk. Soon your chosen book will be on display!
As always, if you see a book on display that you want to read, don’t be shy -- take it and check it out! You aren’t messing up the display, you’re using it as intended.
Movie Review
If you are a Harry Potter fan, you’ll love Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Newt Scamander comes to America to look for another fantastic beast to add to his collection. Along the way, he accidentally switched his magical suitcase with Jacob Kowalski, a No-Maj. He has to track them down with the help Tina and Queenie Goldstein. This movie is funny and action packed. Whether you like Harry Potter or not, this is a great movie for teens and adults.
Mr. Bekkum and Mrs. Miley, 6th grade teachers, get into the holiday spirit with Ugly Sweater Day!
Panther Problems
By: Panther Press Staff
How should I be safe online?
Make sure to guard personal information. Don’t give out personal information such as address, telephone number, parent’s work address/telephone number without parent’s permission. Talk with your parents about posting pictures of yourself or others without parental permission.
Can rabbits eat strawberries?
Yes, but very occasionally.
What happens if someone starts to bully me?
If someone starts to bully you, tell them to stop bullying you. If they don’t stop, just walk away. If they follow you around, then you should tell an adult.
What is 4-H
4-H is a global network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". 4-H can give you many opportunities with things like animal science, projects like baking, photography, and knitting, and volunteer work. 4-H can give you the opportunity to work with animals such as pigs, cows, dogs, cats, and horses, and you don’t even need to own the animals. Those involved also can get the chance to win ribbons for the work they do throughout the year. Also it can give you the ability to make new friends through 4-H. You can also receive college grants through 4-H. If you are interested in finding out more about 4-H, contact 450 -5900 or go to this website http://sheboygan.uwex.edu/4-h-youth-development/. 4-H is a great thing to get involved in, so why don't you try it.
Favorites of 2016
Farnsworth students took a survey of their favorites from 2016.
Top 5 Movies
1. Suicide Squad
2. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
3. Moana
4. Star Wars: Rouge One
5. Ghostbusters
Top 5 Songs
1. "Closer" by The Chainsmokers
2. "7 Years" by Lukas Graham
3. "Black Beatles" by Rae Sremmurd
4. "Say You Won't Let Go" by James Arthur
5. "JuJu on the Beat" by Zayion McCall & Zay Hilfigerrr
Top 5 TV Shows
1. Big Bang Theory
2. Spongebob
3. Family Guy
4. The Flash
5. The Vampire Diaries
Hour of Code
By: Ethan Piper
In the library during December, we had our annual Hour of Code. Coding is when you put together codes or words to make an object on the screen do an action. For example, if you put the word *move forward* the object will move forward. There are numerous choices of actions to select from on the screen. What I did in the library with my class was a Minecraft coding. We got to make chickens, cows, and the Minecraft person, Steve, do lots of actions. It was interesting making objects obey your commands .
Coding is meant for kids to learn in a different way. It is a way to explore what a computer is capable of doing. Computers are very obedient, and with coding you can make the objects do whatever you want. It is important because coding can also be used to program computers, ipads, and many more. Ten percent of all students in the world, have been interested in coding. Here is an awesome website about computer science that shows you can do all kinds of coding. https://code.org/learn
Time to Laugh
By: Ivy Kohn
Q: What words do students say the most?
A: I don't know
Q: Who invited algebra?
A: The clever X-pert
Q: Why did the boy eat his homework?
A: Because his teacher said it was a piece of cake.
Q: Why did the dog cross the road?
A: To get to the "barking" lot!
Upcoming Activities and Events
February 16 - Parent/Teacher conferences & Science Fair - 3:30-8:30 pm
February 17 - Parent/Teacher conferences & Science Fair - 8:00 - 1:00 pm
February 24 - Activity Night - 6-8 pm
March 7 - Band Concert - 7-8 pm
March 8 - All School Concert - 8-9 am
March 17 - Activity Night - 6-8 pm
March 24 - Early Release at 1 pm
March 27 - 31 - Spring Break, no school
Keep up to Date on Farnsworth Events!
Email: ksharpe@sasd.net
Website: http://www.sheboygan.k12.wi.us/schools/farnsworth/
Location: 1017 Union Avenue, Sheboygan, WI, United States
Phone: (920) 459-3655
Facebook: facebook.com/farnsworthpanthers/
The Staff:
Leslie Altamirano, Blake Eder, Ivy Kohn, Ethan Piper, Ainsely Schwalbe, Shaina Thaves, and Abby Wetzel
Advisor: Jill Wetzel
The Panther Press is published by the students of Farnsworth Middle School for its
students, their families, staff, and the community.