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.