The Panther Press
Published for the Students of Farnsworth Middle School
June 2019
8th Grade Reflections
by: Abby Wetzel
What will you miss most about middle school?
“My favorite teachers and friends that go to different high schools.” ~ Leslie Altamirano
“All the PBIS and the Awards and Gold/silver honor rolls.”
~ Daquan Graham
“The teachers, and the library books.” ~ Caden Renzelman
“The vending machine.” ~ August Regan
“Student Council” ~ Alyvia Jensen
What is your favorite memory of middle school?
“When I thought that it was pajama day but later found out it was not.” ~ Ko-Rye Scales
“The overnight lock-ins for international club.” ~ Leyna Nicla
“Aidan Crimmins breaking the table at the talent show.” ~Wyatt Hilbelink
“My favorite memory in school would be presenting to the elementary schools in Advanced WIN” ~ Nick Mathison
“Mrs. Rogler spraying people with water if they fell asleep” ~Lalia Hadzidedic
What is the funniest thing that happened to you in middle school?
“‘I'll beat you with my shoe,’ this happened when Abby got water on me and I chased her around the gym with my shoes.” ~ Emma Gosse
“Falling down the stairs twice because I hurt one knee falling down the stairs so I tried hopping down the stairs which ended in me falling again and hurting my other knee.” ~ Madi Weiss
“When I fell in a recycling bin in 6th grade” ~ Amanda Lohmier
“Tyler Weser” ~ Jacob Weidig
“Jacob Weidig” ~Tyler Weser
What is one piece of advice for the 6th and 7th graders?
“Suck it up, the work isn't too hard but the memories will leave the biggest impact of all. Just wait and see.” ~ Joey Bayer
“Getting the wrong answers is proof that you’re trying.” ~ Nolan Rubin
“Bring your own toilet paper because school toilet paper isn't that good.” ~ Elizabeth Bonestroo
“Don’t worry about what your friends think of you or the people around you, be yourself and you will be successful, cause most of the time they will not be your friend later in life so don’t be what they want you to be, Just be you.” ~ Hailey Place
“Don't procrastinate and try your best.” ~ Maddison Arndt
Working hard creating a city in Algebra
Playing with the pep band at South High
Racing their cars in Project Lead the Way
It's So Hard to Say Goodbye
by: Panther Press Staff
Every year we welcome new staff to Farnsworth in September and every year we say goodbye to those leaving us in May. This year we have four staff members that, after many years dedicating themselves to education, have decided to retire.
Ms. Meulbroek is an educational assistant at Farnsworth. She has worked in education for 19 ½ years. One thing that she has really enjoyed is working at a school with her youngest daughter, as well as having her granddaughters in 6th grade at Farnsworth. When she retires she plans to babysit, attend school events for her grandkids, volunteer with special needs kids and maybe help with the Lunch Buddies program. No matter what she is doing when she retires, she said she will miss the students and staff.
Mr. Helmstedt is the Spanish teacher at Farnsworth, Urban, and Horace Mann. For the past 24 years he has been influencing kids. He did a variety of activities in his classroom, but enjoyed the parties the most. Mr. Helmstedt never thought he would like kids and enjoy his job as much as he has. When asked what he would miss the most about Farnsworth he said, “My students and colleagues.” He is looking forward to traveling the world, fishing, reading, enjoying time with his friends, wife and family.
Mrs. Towne has held different positions at Farnsworth, including teaching ELA and Social Studies. This year she is the Interventionist. Ms. Towne has been in education for 33 years and began teaching at Farnsworth in 1999. She has enjoyed working with talented teachers and wonderful students. One of her favorite memories was from seventh grade Social Studies when they had a siege simulation and she was able to launch paper cannonballs at the student kingdoms. Ms. Towne is going to miss every day being different. There is nothing like a day in middle school! The moods change like the weather and there is always something interesting and exciting happening. Ms Towne will be remembered for her desire to motivate students. She wants everyone to remember to be kinder than necessary - you may make a difference in someone else's life with one small kind deed! If you are looking for Ms. Towne after June 12th, you can find her spending time with her family and saving the world.
Mrs. Larson is one of the School Counselors at Farnsworth. She has been at Farnsworth for 27 years. During that time she has had many memories, but mostly she will remember those moments when she had been working with a student, sometimes for several months, and then all of a sudden they "get it" and make a change in their life for the better! Having spent her whole career at Farnsworth, she knows it is a great place for kids. While she is excited to retire, Mrs. Larson will miss the students and staff at Farnsworth. Her biggest plan in retirement is to do whatever she wants! On a serious side, she added, she plans to do some traveling, not worry so much about what time it is, get outside as much as she can, spend time with her husband, and cuddle with her grandchildren whenever possible!
Congratulations to all of the retirees! You are truly an inspiration to us all, happy retirement.
The Phil Swift Appreciation Foundation
by: Jenna Resheske
Throughout my time as a seventh grader at Farnsworth Middle School I have accomplished much and am proud of said accomplishments, whether they be academic achievements or otherwise. Though I’m proud of all I achieve, one accomplishment in particular, makes me very proud, and that is having assisted in the creation of the Phil Swift Appreciation Foundation.
For those who don’t know what the Phil Swift Appreciation Foundation is, it is an online google slides presentation that is shared to many people by my friend Paige and myself. The presentation features many memes and these specific memes are sorted into many categories and themes each Monday and Wednesday when the presentation is updated. We don’t resend the presentation every week, it’s our readers’ responsibility to check it on Mondays and Wednesdays.
The idea to begin the Phil Swift Appreciation Foundation sort of came out of nowhere. At the time, my friend and I had just finished a science project involving a particular meme subject, Flex tape. A tape told to have such strong adhesive that it could even work under water. Paige and I had now grown to believe that Flex Tape could dominate any other brand of tape. So that’s what we set out to prove in our science fair project. The project involved a series of tests that all brands of tape underwent. (Ex: Scotch, Duct, Packaging, and of course Flex Tape.) As we predicted the Flex Tape came out on top in every single test.
Now you may ask what on earth this has to do with the foundation. You see, the spokesperson representing Flex Tape is a man named Phil Swift. He’s most known for a commercial advertising Flex Tape to the public, also displaying its amazing strength. During the length of the commercial, Phil saws an actual boat in half, repairing it with only Flex Tape. (Look up the commercial to see for yourself!) He then takes the boat out into the open waters. The boat is shown to have no leaks and carries Phil safely across the water. To my friend and I, Phil Swift was always a great source of humor anytime we needed it.
After the science fair was over, our teacher began telling us about Newton’s laws of motion. After learning about them we were told to make a Google slides presentation displaying our understanding of the subject, showing examples and whatnot. A select few people in my class always came up with some really cool way to end their slides, ways that didn’t relate to the topic at all. To me it was creative and funny. I wanted to find a creative way to end what would have been a really monotone and educational presentation and then, it was like a bag of rocks hit me from the heavens. I had come up with the idea to end my presentation with the text : In honor of the Phil Swift Appreciation Foundation, Don’t forget to purchase your Flex Tape Today! I had no idea what it was but I loved that name, it just seemed to perfectly convey everything I was trying to say, and it didn’t hurt that it had a nice ring to it either.
Now of course at the time, no real foundation existed, but that would soon change. I presented in front of my science class after adding some animations to the slide since it would get me some extra credit. I can’t tell you how good it felt when I saw them laughing at what I’d done. Now, I must mention that I had this class with my friend Paige, I had no idea that at the moment I was presenting, she was formulating a plan that would change both of our lives. A couple of hours passed after science. When Spanish finally came, and I got to sit next to Paige she finally told me what she was thinking. She suggested that maybe we could make a platform on which we shared memes with other people, a different theme of memes every week. I asked questions about, how we would share it, and what we would use (Doc, slides, etc.) She had an answer for every question I asked. She had really thought this out. So I agreed that it was a good idea. One more way we could brighten people’s day.
You must understand that my friend isn’t one to sit on an idea and wait. The next thing I knew she had shared the official slides with me. By the time I looked at them, the title page was already decorated with several images of Phil Swift. It was glorious. She also told me about a page she had printed, kind of like a sign-up sheet. She explained that before we revealed our grand plan to the student body, we should have an understanding of just how many people we were going to reach. So before updating the slides with our first week of memes, we waited a few days so those who were interested could sign up. I should mention that the sign-up sheet was located in our ELA and Social Studies classroom so students could see it when they were getting supplies or walking in. The sheet required only a participant’s email address, so we could send them the presentation.
At first, we didn’t expect a big response, and though we didn’t get the entire 7th grade in on what we were trying to do, we ended up getting the email addresses of a fair few students. We were ecstatic! And so, the following Monday we posted our first week of memes. Cheese memes. Yes, you read that right. As ridiculous as it sounds, it worked! As word spread about the foundation we began seeing more people joining. We placed more sign up sheets in different classrooms. And since we began to think that posting memes on just Monday’s weren’t enough we started updating the slides on Wednesday’s too! Our love for memes hasn’t faltered and we still enjoy updating the presentation every Monday and Wednesday. And it is truly amazing to think that as I’m writing this, we’ve been posting memes for almost ten weeks now. Our hope is to reach all grades with our memes, not just our own. So no matter what grade you’re in reading this, I implore you to join us and go to either Mrs. Neitzke’s or Mr. Kainz’s classroom to sign up so you can get your totally free, 100% clean (no swearing) memes today.
National Parks: A Must See
by: Juliana Wetzel
Did you know there are 58 National Parks in the United States? A National Park is a park used for conservation services. The three most visited parks are the Great Smoky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, and the Rocky Mountains. These parks have amazing natural beauty, wildlife, and wonders.
I have been to seven National Parks with my family. Each one of the parks is unique in what they have to offer, but they all have been incredible. While in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, we were driving through Cades Cove and we saw all of these cars stopped, so we stopped too. We got out and saw what the fuss was about. There was a mama bear and her three cubs playing the woods. There was a park ranger there keeping both the people and animals safe. The ranger clapped two pieces of wood together and then the baby cubs ran up a tree. It was a great trip.
Another memorable trip was to Glacier National Park in Montana. On July 5th, we got up early to drive to Logan Pass which is located along the Continental Divide. We began the hike at the Visitor’s Center and quickly realized, we would be hiking on snow… three feet of snow to be exact. The hike up was hard and we kept falling into the snow. At the top, we saw mountains goats and a beautiful lake formed by glaciers. It had an aqua blue color because of the minerals and particles of rock the glacier left behind. On the hike down, we had a contest to see who would fall the least. I lost.
National Parks are part of this country’s history and will be enjoyed by people for years to come.
The bears in the Great Smoky Mountains
Logan Pass in Glacier National Park
One of the many beautiful sights in Glacier National Park.
Stranger Things Season 3
by: Paige Benish
Stranger Things Season 3 is going to be released July 4th, 2019, which is coming very soon. If you're like me, you’ve spent your entire weekend rewatching season 1 and 2 and all available trailers and teasers. Personally, I think it's one of the best shows of all time. If you haven't seen Stranger Things already, I highly recommend going to Netflix right now and binge watching it. Also, please watch the official trailer, and teaser before reading on.
Warning! Possible spoilers ahead!!!!!
If your also like me you have spent this entire year (the gap between season 2 and the soon release of season 3) coming up with conspiracy theories for what is going to happen in season 3.
The Rats - When the trailer was released it had a clip of rats running across a warehouse, and in the poster they released, it had rats in the hill the crew is standing on. For the most part, rats have symbolized disease and plague. My theory is that the rats were in the underground tunnels (which are not part of the upside down but lead to the recently closed gate {which Eleven/Jane almost died closing it}) and contracted some kind of upside down disease and bit someone in the normal world. That would explain the titles for season 3 episodes “The Mall Rats” and then “The Bite”. In the trailer it shows Max’s older brother, Billy, working as a Lifeguard and then him having a massive rash/bite on his arm. I think the rats could have bit Billy which could explain the episode titled “The Case of the Missing Lifeguard”. This would also explain the clip in the trailer of what I think to be Billy’s bloodshot eye.
The Battle of Starcourt - Every season the Duffer Brothers have shown us a new round of monsters from the upside down. The first season Demogorgons, the second season Demodogs, and the Shadow monster/Mind Flayer and now what appears to be a Demo-Spider thing. But one thing seems for sure, the last episode of the season “The Battle of Starcourt” will be the battle against whatever it may be (this monster or maybe a different one) and it will take place at the Starcourt Mall. Notice in the poster only Eleven and Will are looking at the camera which leads me to believe the poster is from the view of this new monster.
Joyce Byers and Jim Hopper - With Joyce freshly single after Bob’s death and many shared traumas with Hopper, I’m betting they are going to be a couple.
“When Blue Meets Yellow in the West” - In a teaser Stranger Things released they highlighted words “When Blue Meets Yellow in the West”. This could be taken three ways, 1) In the poster Eleven is standing in Blue clothes next to Mike in a Yellow shirt or 2) in the trailer there is a scene with Eleven in yellow T-shirt standing next to the blue ocean (is it in the west???). The shirt she is wearing in that scene (again, in the trailer) is the same shirt she is wearing in the scene of a wrecked Starcourt Mall, which I’m guessing is from the episode “The Battle of Starcourt Mall”. Or 3) in the teaser for Starcourt Mall the hands of the clock, which are blue and yellow are close to meeting at 6ish. This really is not a theory but an interpretation of the highlighted words in the teaser.
Again, these are all theories which possibly could be very wrong from what will happen. Have any theories of your own? Email your ideas at 24benish645@sasd.net.
Librarian's Corner: Summer Reading Opportunities
by: Amanda Staron
Coming to a park near you: free books! Books on Bikes is back, and the librarians from the school district will be biking to city parks again this summer to give away free books and freeze pops. You can check our web site at booksonbikessheboygan.org to find out which parks we’ll be visiting on which days. We should be at King and Roosevelt Parks on July 10 and 31st sometime between 10 and noon, weather permitting. Look for bright orange bikes pulling trailers, and when you see us, don’t be shy -- come on over and get free loot! You can enjoy a refreshing ice pop and search through our trailers to find a book you’ll love.
Want even more books? Don’t forget that you can access ebooks all year long with your Virtual Library Card. Visit meadpl.org/vlc and click on Libby for ebooks and audiobooks, or Hoopla for ebooks, audiobooks, TV, movies, music, and comics. Your library card number is 0035 followed by your student ID#. Your PIN for Libby is your 8-digit birthday. For Hoopla, you’ll need to think back to what password you chose when we set up your account during an IMC visit back in winter. You can always call Mead for help if you get stuck!
Participating in Mead’s Summer Reading Program is a great way to get free stuff while enjoying books. Most of you signed up during an IMC visit, but don’t forget to go back to the program site at http://meadpl.readsquared.com and log the books you’ve read. Every book lets you choose a raffle ticket for a small prize, and every three books get you an entry toward the Grand Prize of your choice.
Reading a great book is a perfect way to spend a lazy summer afternoon. Reading even just a book or two over summer will help you keep your skills sharp so you can start school next fall at the top of your game.
Summer Reading List
by: Paige Benish
Need a good book to read this summer? Look no further! Here are some good reading books for over the summer.
Becoming by Michelle Obama - The autobiography of one of the world’s most outspoken women. You go through her life struggles of adversity from her young days of sharing a room with her brother to being the president's wife and facing backlash for being a black woman speaking her opinion.
All Rights Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis - In a world where every word you say you have to pay for, Speth refuses to speak in protest, and starts a whole new rebellion.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - It follows events in the life of a 16-year-old black girl, Starr Carter, who is drawn to activism after she witnesses a police officer shooting her childhood friend.
I am not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sánchez - Julia Reyes is a 15-year-old daughter of Mexican immigrants. Her 22-year-old sister, Olga, was recently hit by a bus and killed. Julia's mother, Amá, is a housecleaner. Everyone believed Olga was the perfect daughter, one who attended church and community college classes, had no social life and never shamed the family. But does she live up to that expectation?
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell - the story follows dual narratives by Eleanor and Park, two misfits living in Omaha, Nebraska from 1986 to 1987. Eleanor, a chubby 16-year-old girl with curly red hair, and Park, a half-Korean, 16-year-old boy, meet on a school bus on Eleanor's first day at the school and gradually connect through comic books and mixtapes of '80s music, sparking a new friendship.
Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - Set in the early 1990s, the novel follows Charlie, an introverted teenager, through his freshman year of high school in a Pittsburgh suburb. The novel details Charlie’s unconventional style of thinking as he navigates between the worlds of adolescence and adulthood, and attempts to deal with poignant questions spurred by his interactions with both his friends and family.
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - It is set in a future post-scarcity dystopian world in which everyone is considered an "ugly", but then turned "Pretty" by extreme cosmetic surgery when they reach the age of 16. It tells the story of teenager Tally Youngblood who rebels against society's enforced conformity after her friends Shay and David show her the downsides to becoming a "Pretty", even though it is obvious to most people.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - the novel is narrated by Alina Starkov, a teenage orphan who grows up in the Russia-inspired land of Ravka before her entire life changes after unexpectedly harnessing a power she never knew she had to save her best friend.
Out of the Box Summer Ideas
by: Jenna Resheske & Shaina Thaves
Hiking- What could be better than taking a hike with beautiful scenery all around?
Handmade bracelets- Got string? Charms? Beads? Let your imagination go wild be creating your own bracelets! They might even double as great gifts for friends!
Laser tag - Find a local laser tag place and invite some friends, it’ll be a blast!(Much funny, such wow)
Arcade gaming- Check out the ancient days of gaming by going to a local arcade, and again, inviting some friends wouldn’t hurt.
Make a short film- It doesn’t have to be on uploaded on Youtube. Make your own movie production with something as simple as a phone camera!
Watch a documentary- As mind numbing as it might sound, documentaries can really open your mind, watching one this summer will help you to learn some unusual and random facts that you can share with your friends.
Have a picnic-The school picnic doesn’t have to be the only one you go to, find a beautiful, fun area to have a picnic with family and friends.
Water balloon fight- Summer anywhere can get unbearably hot, instead of heading inside as fast as you can. Try having a water balloon fight to cool yourself off.(Fighting heat stroke since 2005)
Work at the Humane Society- Our local humane society is always looking for new volunteers. If you’ve got nothing better to do, why not comfort shelter animals that have gone through trauma and are in need of a home?
Build a potato gun- This needs no explanation.
Geocaching: What is geocaching you may ask? Geocaching is a sport in which you use a GPS and coordinates to look for caches with goodies inside hidden in an eco-friendly site above ground. To learn more about geocaching, go to https://www.geocaching.com/play. Here you’ll find many places to geocaching and learn the basics.
Tie-Dyeing: We all can agree that we have at least some plain clothes lying somewhere around our house. This is why tie-dyeing is a perfect summer activity. If you’re doing it with friends and family, you can show off your artistic talent. However, you can also do it by yourself. So go grab a tie-dye kit and get started!
Take a Road Trip: Ah. There isn’t anything better than a good road trip. Taking in all the scenery, going camping, or just visiting friends and family who live far away from you. Be sure to jot down every place you visit. You wouldn’t want to forget a breathtaking view you’ve seen, do you?
Random Facts
by: Paige Benish
Ever need a random fact to spice up your day with a little knowledge or just be that weird know-it-all, well my collection of Snapple caps are here to help.
The King of Hearts is the only king without a mustache
A bee has 5 eyelids
The area code for Wichita, Kansas is 316
The bullfrog is the only animal that never sleeps
A giraffe has no vocal cords
Mosquitos have 47 teeth
The lifespan of a taste bud is about 10 days
There are 119 grooves on the edge of a quarter
The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows
Squids can have eyes the size of volleyballs
Frogs never drink water
A duck can’t walk without bobbing its head
Dragonflies have 6 legs be cannot walk
The speed limit in NYC was eight miles per hour in 1895
Antarctica is the only continent without owls
Your ears never stop growing
The longest attack of hiccups ever lasted 64 years
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
In New Zealand, it is illegal to name twins “Fish” & “Chips”
The Empire State Building has 73 elevators
Why Join Chess.com?
Do you want to learn chess? Do you need practice at chess and desperately need to get better? Or do you just want to play more chess? I did and I joined Chess.com and learned a whole bunch of strategies and got a lot more practice than I ever did before I joined. If you’re looking to learn how to play this is a great website to help you. After you learn the rules, which are fairly simple, chess can be a really fun game and highly beneficial to your brain and strategy. So if you have nothing to do one day, try learning chess. Someday you could be that old person in the park playing chess.
Challenge: Where in Sheboygan can you find these chairs?
Do you know where you can find these chairs? Send Mrs. Wetzel an email at jwetzel@sasd.net.
If you are right you will win a prize!
Keep up to Date on Farnsworth Events
Email: jwetzel@sasd.net
Website: http://www.sheboygan.k12.wi.us/schools/farnsworth/
Location: 1017 Union Avenue, Sheboygan, WI, USA
Phone: 920-459-3655
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/farnsworthpanthers/
The Staff:
Paige Benish, Jenna Resheske, Shaina Thaves, Abby Wetzel, and Juliana 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.