About The Staff
(This issue they share what they were doing 10 years ago)
(This issue they share what they were doing 10 years ago)
Lillia B., age 7, spent most of her time outdoors catching snakes and putting spiders on her head. She frequently went camping with her family, and played lots of outdoor games with her family. When she was bored, she enjoyed being a little brat and a tattle-tale on her older siblings for no reason. Along with these things, she spent lots of time talking to herself in her own imaginary world, running circles around the house, repeatedly running into the couch head-first, playing intense battle horses with her older sister, watching Barbie movies, and catching more disgusting bugs.
Thia is around the age of five at this point although she can not wait for her sixth birthday. But in the meantime she loves to play with all of her dolls. She also enjoys playing outside whether it's summer or winter. She takes both dance and swimming classes. On the other hand, some of her favorite things should also be known. For example, her favorite color is pink and her favorite fruit is blueberries. She really likes the dress she is wearing although it could have been better if it was pink.
Allie was six years old in this photo. It was taken at her cousin's wedding, where she was the flower girl. Explicitly memorized from the experience was the rough order of 'ballerina hands' given to each of the four flower girls when they were directed how to do their jobs. That Summer of 2012 was a fun one, full of summer smiles and happy weddings.
Mercedes was a very outgoing six-year-old who loved her weekly visits to the beach - she practically lived for them! She enjoyed playing with her sister, creating new games everyday, and going to the park. Mercedes was still adjusting to the fact she had a third sibling and wasn’t too fond of the idea of giving up play time to watch the little squirt. Some of her favorite toys were Squinkies, the Littlest Pet Shop, and Calico Critters. She played outside in the sunshine constantly, whether it was to ride bikes, play chalk, or jump rope. Her favorite place besides Avila Beach was any aquarium in the area.
In 2012, Mackenzie turned seven years old. Mackenzie was the oldest sibling out of 4 girls. Mackenzie shared a room with her three-year-old sister. Mackenzie also received her first pair of glasses that year. She also loved going to the salon where her aunt worked to get her hair and nails done. That fall, Mackenzie started 2nd grade and participated in junior cheerleading. Mackenzie also attended her first concert, the band being Thompson Square. For Halloween, Mackenzie dressed up as Frankie Stein from Monster High. She also attended her first haunted house that year and couldn't go past the first room.
At age five Anna had a wild imagination that would carry into all stages of her life. She would play games with her younger sisters and make up imaginary friends. She also enjoyed mass consumption of anything sweet. Or anything really. She also enjoyed reading…a lot. Like a lot, a lot. She once stacked up a huge pile of books on her bed and remembered staring at it in awe. She was a very happy child, except when her sisters pulled her hair.
10 years ago, Emma C. was 6-years-old. At the time, she was homeschooled and spent most of her free time playing outside with neighbors and siblings. She wore nearly exclusively pink in order to help her parents differentiate herself from her twin (Allison C.). At 6-years-old, Emma had 4 sisters, a cat, and a dog. Since then, her family has grown and as have her pet-quantity. With 7 siblings, four cats, two dogs, and four birds, she's proud of where she is today.
Lily is a five-year-old who loves dancing, playing the piano, riding her bike, singing, and playing outside. She likes to make up games with her little sister and baby brother, and she has playdates with her cousin, who is also five. Lily enjoys volunteering in Sunday School, where her parents are leaders, and she loves to learn. Some of her favorite movies include The Aristocats, The Jungle Book, and Cinderella, and she likes to watch Curious George and Veggie Tales as well. Her favorite lunch would include cottage cheese, turkey and butter on rolls - which is the way her Grammy makes sandwiches - and LOTS of blueberries!
Grace R. is living just outside of Waupaca Wisconsin in a place called Pine River. She is currently in the first grade enrolled in the school Pleasant View. She loves to play on the tire swings at recess with her best friends Gracie, Jackson, and Mason. Grace loves her teacher Ms. E. because she brings the class snacks every Friday! School is also great because Grace gets her own email. That way when she gets home she can email her best friend Gracie! Grace also has a dog named Cowboy, he is a boxer. She loves playing with him outside, with her little sister Elle.
Kaitlyn E. is 7 years old and currently loves giraffes. She owns multiple giraffe shirts, purses, earrings, necklaces, and a pair of giraffe slippers. This does not include her large collection of giraffe stuffed animals and figurines. Besides obsessing over giraffes, Kaitlyn tent camps with her family, including a trip to Michigan that was anything but warm. Kaitlyn also enjoys improving her water skiing skills on her family ski boat in the summertime. If there is anything else she enjoys is her family’s pets, including her dog Harlie which she may have buried in the sand box with her sister (don’t worry his head was never covered).
Chesney is a bubbly, fun, and all together happy 1st grader. She just moved to her grandparents farm and spends every moment she can outside. She loves horses more than anything else in the world. Every day after school she runs out to the barn, and jumps bareback on her horse, Misty to go for a ride. Why does she ride bareback? Well being a 6 year old, she's not quite strong enough to lift the saddle all the way up onto her horse. That doesn't stop her from riding every single day though. Chesney also loves playing Mario on her DS with her brothers.
In the morning, Elizabeth lays silently under her blankets, listening to the wind, the snowplow, or the birds, and imagining her future as though it was playing out on the white ceiling sloped above her bed. She is often like that, lost in her thoughts, imagining worlds that don't exist and stories that will never be true. She is good with stories, and loves to tell them; sometimes with tunes on her piano, but most of the time as though they happened to her. As a result, they say she lies, but she thinks that silly. Did they actually believe she had slain dragons, driven cars, and robbed a bank? Well -- maybe she had, let them wonder.
10 years ago, you would more than likely find a young Anne (known then by her entire first name: Anne-Marie) playing with her sister, catching snakes (yes, first grade Anne actually did that), and taking piano lessons. Back then, Anne and her family lived out in the country, roughly half an hour from Appleton. Because of this, she found joy in walking barefoot outside and climbing trees in her backyard. Additionally, she took piano lessons every week, which ignited a passion for music that she would carry with her throughout her future teenage years.
Currently an English teacher, student council advisor, and baseball coach at Mount Horeb High School, Mr. Kunkle is pretty certain this will be his life for the foreseeable future. He recently moved into a new house and is blissfully unaware that critters will soon find a way to repeatedly get in between the foundation of his basement and the drywall where they will perish and give the entire house the scent of death and decay. He has a young daughter, only one dog, and is pretty much certain toe-shoes will never go out of style.