Mr. Hylkema

Where were you with this photo?

This was the 2007 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

How did you manage that?

I auditioned for it over the summer and they accept a certain amount of kids per state so they can have representation from all 50 states and Washington D.C.

What did you have to do in the audition?

I had to play a solo, I had to march-- I had to video tape myself marching. Oh, that was fun! And yes, it was still video tapes.

How old were you?

I had just turned 18 three days before that.

What song did you play?

I know we played Sing! Sing! Sing! in Herald Square. I forget what we did in the parade. It was some arrangement of some tune that the band director did. Maybe it was Jingle Bell Rock.

What inspired you to start doing music or start playing an instrument?

That’s two different answers.  I started playing the trumpet because I wanted to learn Reveille, the Army Call. And then, I was actually going to quit the trumpet going into middle school (we started instruments in fourth grade and I was going to quit after sixth grade) but then I heard that the middle school band director was super awesome.  So I stuck with it, and it was because of her that I am here right now.

What are you doing now?

I’m teaching you fun children.

What made her so inspirational?

Her philosophy was if you learn to love to work hard, you can accomplish anything.  And, we did so many things throughout the year, especially the jazz band.  It was this coveted super-ensemble that you were dying to be a part of. And we would play at high school festivals. We went to Hershey Park; we would always win against everybody. We even got a 100 one year! At the end of that, I felt it was really normal, but looking back, I realized that not everybody got to do what I did. Not everybody got to play with professional musicians as middle school students. That’s what I want to bring to you.

Do we secretly drive you insane?

A smidge.  

What’s your favorite part of teaching at RMS?

I love working with wonderful students and colleagues everyday.  It’s true!  You kids are fun!

Emma O

What’s the story behind this picture?

So, we were in Disney and that was my first time on Splash Mountain. My face explains it.

Who’s standing next to you?

It’s sitting.  My mom is on my right and my sister is on my left and they were laughing at me because I was crying the whole way through.

So, your family is close?

Our family is really close to each other. They really really like to be really touchy-feely with everything. That’s how I was raised, so I’ll just give random hugs.

Which is your favorite Disney character?

Probably Rapunzel ‘cause she’s really brave and all that stuff and I also really like her hair.  I mean, just look at it! Majestic!

What are some other things that you like?

Our family really likes to do game night sometimes. We have a little trophy, it’s a little silver knight, and the top of it broke off. We replaced it with a die so it’s really cute. Nobody else has had it besides me because I win every game. My brother accuses me of cheating even though I don’t have any tricks up my sleeve.

Do you have any other siblings?

Yes! So my sister is Maddi.  My brother is Max.  And they both try to be the boss of me. All the time. But, no, I don’t listen to them. But I do love them. (Occassionally, giggle.)

How will moving to Florida change your family?

Our family has really come closer together since we first moved to New Jersey.  I’m assuming we will get closer because it’s just a matter of where your family goes-- that’s where your home goes. That’s what my mom and dad believe and that’s what I believe too. It’s really nice to have people there for you wherever you go.

Julia T

What is the box you are holding in your hands?

The box I was holding in my hands is the Boredom Blueprint Idea.

What are your favorite activities to do?

Horseback Riding!

What is the blueprint for?

It’s a blueprint for curing summer boredom. It’s a project I started in the beginning of the year and the idea box is just for creative suggestions.  I want ideas to be cost effective with things you can find in your house.

Could you possibly make a wintertime box?

The whole purpose of it is in the summer when you are alone and you’re bored you have creative ideas to do and ideas to get your brain working.   

What’s one of the ideas in the box?

Well, right now there’s no ideas in the box.  Please add some!  Just get a sticky note or a piece of paper and put it in! (The boxes are in Miss Bengels' and Mrs. Miller's rooms.)   One idea we had was Go to Six Flags but that isn’t cost effective.

How did you come up with the idea?

Well, actually, I was just bored in the summer and I was thinking of ideas of what I could do and I came up with a few of them and we had enough to start the project.

What were some ideas you had this summer?

So one of the ideas I had was when you’re bored, you can go outside into the woods and find a tree stump and try to find how old it is.  

What will you do with the ideas when the box is filled?

Well, Brianna and I, since we first came up with the idea, we are going to sort through the ideas and maybe revise them and then use them in the project.

Where will we be able to see the results of the project?

So, Miss Bengels and I were thinking about maybe using a blog or something with emails to get the project across to kids and let them know about it because right now it’s just two classes that know.

What are your hopes for helping the world?

I just hope to engage kids over the summer so that when they come back to school their brains aren’t dead.

Jada B

Who is with you?

This one of my really close friends. Her name is Chaise.

How do you know each other?

Our parents are really close and we’ve been on vacations together since we were babies.

Where were you in this picture and what are you eating?

I was at Princeton University at the Grand Hall and I was at an event and we were eating pink lollipops.

What kind of event was it?

My friends’ cousin does step-shows and it’s really really fun and at the end we made up one of our own.

What is a step-show?

A step-show is a thing when people from colleges all around the world will come to one place and they’ll compete and they’ll use their feet and their bodies to make noises, so they don’t use any music or anything, they just make music with themselves.

Do you do step dancing?

Well, it kind of runs in the family cause my mom did it and I do it sometimes when we go to my mom’s college, I do classes.  At the step show, since Mannequin Challenge is a really big thing now, they put that into the dances.

Why is step dancing meaningful to you?

To me, because when I started, and a lot of people don’t believe this, but I was really shy, and when I started stepping, I met a lot of really cool people and I gained friendships.

How did your friend’s parents and yours meet?

Well, my mom is in a sorority and so is my friend’s mom and they met like 20 years ago and so we kind of got forced into a friendship but we enjoy each other’s company.

Mr. C

What made you want to be a counselor and help kids?

I thought I was going to go into the military for a long time and I was presented with an opportunity to do an internship at a juvenile detention center. From there, I realized that I couldn’t necessarily help those individual students as much as I wanted to so I asked those students what did they need before they got there and the one thing they said they needed was a counselor, someone that would have helped them before they got into the system.

How old is your daughter?

That is Mac, my daughter Makaila, and she is 18 months old.

What is the hardest part of being a dad?

Oh, gosh. Never being able to ensure her safety 100%.

Being a father has changed my outlook on life.

If you were counselling your kid, would it be from counselling one of your students?

Yeah. For me, that would be too much of a conflict of interest for me to ever try. I’ve thought about how I will separate myself as a parent and as a counselor as I get older. A counselor has to test your boundaries of emotional and social security, and as a father, your instinct is to protect.

Did you ever think about counselling adults?

I prefer middle school students, I should say, because you’re at an age where life is most complicated and a lot of times adults forget that. You’re at an age where you are still impressionable and we can set you up for some things that will benefit you. Adults are more hardened and are harder to change.

What are your hobbies?

I love soccer. I play in an adult soccer league. I am an avid person in the outdoors. I’m an outdoorsman; I love being in the backyard gardening. I need things that will keep my attention.  

What are your biggest hopes for your daughter and for your students?

I do have a lot of hopes for you guys. I hope you will be individuals who are proponents of change, agents of change. I hope you are able to fill desires that you have, and in the course of that, make our society and communities better places. But more than anything, I hope that you guys and my daughter start to grow in a world that becomes more accepting, more tolerant, more loving.

Sophia C

Who is in the picture with you?

This is my cousin.  She can’t walk because she had a stroke in Hershey Park.  She goes to a private school because she has disabilities. She can barely talk, and she can’t walk.

What’s her name?

Ellie

Where was this picture taken?

At Turtleback Zoo.

How old is she?

She’s four.

How do you communicate with her and how does she communicate with you?

Mostly through sign language. She can speak a little bit of English but it’s mostly Spanish. It’s easy for me to understand but sometimes she doesn’t say it the correct way, so that makes it hard.

Were you with her when she had the stroke?

Yes.  She was three. We were in the line to go on one of the rides at Hershey Park and she stopped breathing. She stopped moving.  Everything in her body stopped moving. We had to drive her to the emergency room. It was really scary because I was sitting right next to her and her eyes wouldn’t move. It was the scariest experience I have had.

Who helped you handle the fear you felt?

Her dad, mostly, because before that she had migraines, she didn’t breathe correctly. Everyone thought it might happen but they didn’t know when or where. So they were very cautious about it.

When you got to the emergency room, did they give any information?

They thought it was a heart attack at first. But my father called early, they made sure they would wheel her away very fast to give her help.

What advice do you have for family members of people who have medical problems or disabilities?

Don’t be scared because it’s mostly going to be okay.  When my grandmother got diagnosed with cancer, they found what it is, they did it quickly, and then it was all over.  She was only two when it happened to her, and she remembers it but she doesn’t really, and she won’t speak about it.

Where do you get your strength from?

From her. She always has that attitude where she’s not going to stop. She knows what  happened to her but she’s not going to stop trying.

Zoe O

Is that your Mom?

No.

Who is it?

It’s my aunt and my cousin, seventeen years ago.

Why is she reading a book to him?

I don’t know...but she’s an author.

What kinds of books does she write?

She writes horror stories for young adults.

You’re a young adult. Does that scare you?

I’m not allowed to read them because they’re for older people who aren’t in middle school.

What do you have in common with your aunt and your cousin?  

I don’t really know my cousin but I like to write like my aunt.

Are you close with your aunt?

She lives on the other side of the globe, in Australia.  

Have you ever been to one of her book signings?

I know that she sends my mom pictures of the awards and stuff that she gets, but I’ve never been to one of the events.

How often do you get to communicate with your family in Australia?

Not often. Like, sometimes on the holidays, but other than that, not really.

How many times have you been to Australia?

Um, I have no idea. I don’t really remember because I was little and I have a horrible memory of anything that happened to me when I was little.

What is your aunt’s name?

Her name is Kaaren Warren but it’s spelled with two A’s and it won’t work unless you use both of them.

Do you remember your mom reading you stories?

Yeah.  She read me like this book called the Kangaroo and the Digeridoo and my brother still reads it.

Cadence F

Why are wearing a safety pin?

I’m wearing a safety pin to show people that I’m a safe person to talk to.

How many people have you given safety pins to?

About twenty.

How do they respond when you give them safety pins?

Not always do I give them pins, but  sometimes they ask me. When I give them to people, they are pretty happy.

What do you talk to people about?

Basically how it is important to treat people with respect and how you should treat them well even when they don’t treat you well.

Why is there a need for safety pins now?

Cause society has formed cliques and groups based on who people are and what they believe so when they are wearing safety pins, people know you are a safe person who won’t judge them or mistreat them.

How and when did you come up with this idea?

I didn’t come up with the idea. I saw it online and my group leader decided to give us all safety pins to give out.

How does this make you feel less alone in the world?

Well, because I know that like me, other people have been bullied and it makes me feel comforted to not be the only one.  I’m sad to know that there are other people who have been going through what I was and I want to help.

Megan A

Where were you in this photo?

This is me at the United Nations when I was at the International Day of the Girl which was pretty awesome.

What did they do there?

It was mostly just presenting about the giant world issues that are happening for girls.

Why did you want to go to this event?

Counter to popular belief, I actually am a girl and I went there because of activism, I guess.

Did you meet any interesting people there?

It was really crowded and I couldn’t get to meet the people I wanted to meet because they were being swarmed by other humans but there were some cool people.

How did you find out about this event?

Miss Bengels!  (That human!)

What did you enjoy about it?

There two girls there who were presenting interpretive dance about the girls and what they were going through and they had singing parts and that was pretty cool.

What issues were most important to you at the event?

There was some pretty deep stuff that happened there. Miss Bengels told me that I was going to leave angry and I left angry.

Why were you angry?

Because still there is some bad stuff going on in the world and girls are getting married at like nine and that’s not cool at all.

Was there anything hopeful that you heard?

There a presentation about Malala and how she did some cool stuff and there was education now because of Malala and that’s important. Also there was a girl who was doing something with her Girl Scout troop for girls who were living in different countries who don’t have as many rights.  She was giving them coloring books and crayons that they could color inspirational messages. That was pretty awesome.

How do you hope to make the world better?

Tacos for everyone!  And also, there should be more rights for people, because if you are taking away people’s rights just because you think they’re stupid, that’s not cool. It’s like saying that “because I’m on a diet, you can’t have cake either.”  That’s not cool.

If you had the chance to go again, would you?

Yes! Yes! 100% yes!

Gina H

What was your inspiration for the toucan?

It was for my mom because she really loves animals-- that’s also for the turtle, too-- because she had a lot of work and I wanted to do something to make her smile. That’s why they’re laminated. I put them in my presentation for art.

Why did you do the one with all the shapes and colors?

Well, I was inspired by my best friend’s older sister. She drew something really awesome with a lot of shapes and colors and I thought it was really pretty, so I decided to try one for myself.

How do you feel when you are creating art?

Well, I feel pretty calm and happy, like I don’t have anything to do so I’m just there, doing what I want.

Do you get stressed out if you have to erase a lot?

I don’t really stress out because whenever I draw, it calms me and makes me happier, when I am stressed. So if it comes out bad, I don’t stress. I’m kind of a perfectionist when it comes to marks and eraser smudges but I just fix it!

What else do you draw?

I can draw cartoons, and really fun, bubbly happy stuff, flowers, and sometimes people.

What inspires you to draw?

What motivates me to draw is pretty much the people around me and what I see, and my Grandma and my Mom, they were really good drawers and they inspired me to do what I like to do and they have a really big effect on me.

How has your drawing changed since you came to the middle school?

It’s definitely changed a lot because I’ve learn a lot about values and shading and how to use color and contrast, other than just drawing doodles.

Liz B

 What were you doing?

It was a pumpkin carving contest at Black River Roasters. It’s owned by my friend’s parents.  The people working there didn’t know me, though.

Did you win the contest?

  Yes I did!

How many people were there?

   Me! I showed up and no one else was there. That’s why I won.

Do you think you would have won anyway?

  Well, duh! Obviously I am a better pumpkin carver than anyone in my town!

What did you win?

  Since it’s a coffee shop, nothing, because my parents don’t like me drinking coffee.

What are the eyes made out of?

 White pumpkins.

Did you name your pumpkin?

   Yes.  Its name is Patricia.

How long did it take you to make it?

  Thirty, forty-five minutes.

What did you use for it?

   It’s pumpkins and the hair is kale.  My mom just came home with kale and she told me that it spoke to her and that I should use it… those were her exact words.

How did you carve the smile?

   I carve the parts that were in-between the teeth and then I chipped off the outside skin on the teeth.

Where did you learn your pumpkin carving skills?

    My dad.  

Did you end up eating the pumpkin?

  No, I did not eat the pumpkin.