Fall is in the air, and it is time to prepare for the festivities!

Spirit Halloween is open, although it is not in its usual spot this year. It used to be in the old Sears at Lakeview Square Mall, but it's now on Beckley Road, where Big Lots used to be. Go check it out, search for Halloween decorations, and pick out a spooky Halloween costume!

Everybody loves a fun drink, and Biggby and Starbucks have recently dropped their fall menu! Biggby’s seasonal drinks consist of pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin cold brew, caramel apple cider, and maple bourbon-flavored drinks. Starbucks has also brought back its pumpkin spice flavor, which can be put in chai, cold brew, or a frappuccino, along with a new pumpkin spice matcha drink. 

Gull Meadows Farm’s fall season started on September 5th and lasts until November 1st. They offer many fun activities, including apple and pumpkin picking, navigating the corn maze, taking a tractor ride, petting the farm animals, and enjoying delicious donuts and apple cider from the market. It is an amazing place to take cute photos and get into the fall feels!

Kaden Grupczynski is one of the lucky few seniors who were chosen to be a part of our homecoming court here at PHS. Kaden says he is excited and looking forward to being a part of the experience and enjoying the week. He is mainly excited for the dance itself, although he is looking forward to having a fun night with his friends in general. When asked why he believes he was chosen for court, he answered simply, “I’m a cool guy.” To Kaden, school spirit means having pride in the school and showing support. 

Layla Kelly was one of the handful of senior girls chosen for court. Kelly says she is excited to experience being on court with all of her friends and to make memories together. During homecoming week, she is most excited for the dance. She says she and her friends are also looking forward to dressing up for the spirit days. Kelly believes she was chosen for court because she is involved in multiple school activities. To her, school spirit means being involved and participating.  

Mr. Anderson is a sign language interpreter at Pennfield who assists Phoenix, a deaf student who transferred last year. After a few months, he got the idea for an American Sign Language Club due to the number of questions he was receiving. Many students desire to learn more. Anderson took it upon himself to use his downtime after school on our short Wednesdays to educate other students about sign language. He intends to continue the club this school year. Anderson states, "The club is designed for beginners," and encourages anyone curious to stop by. The club meets every Wednesday from 1:30 to 2:30 in room B109.

Mr. Lessnau, an English teacher here at Pennfield High School, reflects on how he feels about seminar. Lessnau likes how he can see some of his students twice a day and hopes to get to know his seminar students better and support them throughout the school year. Lessnau says it’s too early to tell whether we should continue seminar in future years. He misses the extra time in his academic classes but doesn’t think it is a misuse of time; it serves an important purpose, and he is hoping seminar is making an impact on his students.

Mrs. Gammons, another teacher here at Pennfield High School, also gives her feedback on seminar. Gammons said, “Seminar is a great class to have; however, you get what you put in. So if you don't value it or what we are trying to do to help everyone succeed, you'll view it completely differently than those who take something from it each day.” She hopes to help students succeed and help to make sure they aren’t falling behind; she hopes to have everyone in her seminar have passing grades in all of their classes. Gammons thinks that having grade checks will hold students accountable for getting work done and being responsible for their grades. She feels that everyone benefits from having someone in their corner, and she is okay with being that person for everyone in her room.

Mr. Diemer says that returning to Pennfield High School has been an amazing experience. He is excited to be back and especially happy to see some of his favorite students again. This year, Diemer is teaching six different classes, and his master’s degree has prepared him to teach a variety of computer science courses. Diemer believes that as careers continue to become more technology-focused, understanding the code behind the programs people use and how they operate can open new doors for students in the future. One of his favorite aspects of teaching computer science is that it is not a traditional core subject, allowing for a different pace and learning experience than required classes. Diemer’s advice to his students is to recognize that everyone is constantly adapting to the technology that surrounds us in our daily lives. By taking computer science classes, students have the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the technology they use every day. 

A good football captain puts the needs of the team ahead of their own success. Our varsity football captains are Peyton Merlington, Alex Miller, and Connor Wood. We asked them about their leadership, memories, and the upcoming season! 

Merlington says being a captain means seeing that all of his hard work has been paying off. One of his favorite football memories is spending time with his teammates in the film room. As he enters his senior season, Merlington hopes to win games and be someone his community can look up to. He believes the team's chemistry and determination are what makes their team special.

Miller says being a captain means a lot to him, especially his senior year. His favorite football memory was his sophomore year, when his team went on a three-game winning streak. Miller encouraged new players to go with the flow and enjoy every moment. He believes that his team will have a very successful season.   

Wood says some of his favorite memories are joking around with his teammates in the locker room. As a captain, his tips for upcoming football players are to work hard and enjoy the sport. In his final season, he plans to work hard, enjoy the experience, and make the most of his time with his team, which he considers his family!

Not only is our library being filled with new books this year, but we also have a new librarian behind the desk! Let’s welcome Mrs. Meghan Babbit. Mrs. Babbit fell in love with speech, ideology, and reading, which led her to her career in librarianship. She has always been a big reader, and she stumbled upon this job when her husband joined the military. She has worked for Willard, Branch District Library, Union City, and Colorado State University Library. She also enjoys working with children and claims they are more interesting and fun to work with than adults. She has 2 kids of her own, a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old. She plans on remaining in education, even if not as a librarian. She has a master’s degree and also wants to work on getting a teaching certificate. She says if she teaches, she would like to explore English or electives. She has enjoyed her experiences at this school so far and says everyone has been very welcoming. Her favorite author is Freida McFadden, and she enjoys reading mysteries, horror, and true crime. She likes these genres because they are more interesting than real life. Another fun fact about her is that she took Ms. Royer's yearbook class before!

She also wants students to know we are getting more fun additions to the library. We are getting new books, word searches, and coloring pages, and she wants students to come check out the media center. There is also an author talk on November 17th in the cafeteria at 4:30. She really wishes more people would know about it and hopes students will go check it out. Thank you for getting to know our amazing new librarian, Mrs. Babbit. 

Around Pennfield High School, a couple of new additions have been spotted. Ms. Royer and Ms. Smithkey have new desk pets: geese. Ms. Smithkey has 1 goose, soon to be 3, named Cardi Beak, Ryan Goose-ling, and Honk Solo. She bought her geese from Temu. She’s always wanted a porch goose. Her geese serve a strong purpose in her classroom, bringing happiness, joy, and smiles to math class. Currently, Cardi Beak is wearing a pink sweater with a gold necklace. Ms. Smithkey added that her geese will have special Halloween costumes. Honk Solo will be Frankenstein, Cardi Beak will be a witch, and lastly, Ryan Goose-ling will be a ghost. Ms. Royer has one goose named Gulk, Goose Hulk. Ms. Royer got her goose from Amazon, influenced by social media to buy one. Gulk brings a sense of community to her classes. Her students held a competition on what to name the goose during the first week of school. Gulk's current costume is football-themed. 

Previously an English teacher at Pennfield, Mr. Martin has taken on a new challenge of becoming Pennfield's Athletic Director and head football coach. For Martin, the decision to move into administration was about finding a new way to make a difference in the school community. After two decades in the classroom, he felt ready to take on a leadership role and believed he could have a greater impact by leading the athletic department. 

Before officially stepping into the athletic director position, Martin spent two months shadowing former athletic director Mr. Steele. During that time, he learned the responsibilities of running an athletic department, including contacting officials and other schools, and organizing sporting events. Martin continued learning the many ins and outs of his position throughout the summer. While he expected the job to be busy, the number of emails he has to tend to caught him by surprise.

Although the athletic director position is new to him, coaching certainly is not. Martin brings more than 40 years of coaching experience to his role as head football coach. He is looking forward to attending sporting events, talking with students and staff, and helping Pennfield athletes succeed. 

As the football season gets underway, Martin has emphasized that success is more than the scoreboard. He wants to build a program based on strong character, teamwork, accountability, and pride in representing Pennfield. He calls this the team “DNA” (Discipline, Nastiness, and Accountability). Though the football team did not win their first game, Martin believes the players demonstrated those qualities on the field.

Emma Boyd, Carson Wright, and Ella Hock are ready to lead the student section this football season. Emma’s favorite chant is “Which Way? That Way!” because it gets students involved. She is most excited for the Hastings homecoming game because of the large crowd and school spirit. Carson’s favorite chant is “I Believe That We Will Win!” because it gets everyone loud. He is looking forward to the rivalry games because they are the most exciting.  Ella’s favorite chant is “We Can’t Hear You” because she enjoys interacting with other schools. All three leaders plan to promote games through social media and encourage students to show school spirit.

Sophomores Kellay Dickerson and Isabella Bunch will be working together on The Emerald and The Emerald’s Instagram this year. Their goal is to make both platforms more engaging, informative, and visually appealing for students.

Dickerson hopes to increase the number of Instagram posts and make the page a reliable place for students to find important school information. For The Emerald, she plans to add more color and decoration while keeping the newspaper easy to navigate.

Bunch also hopes to create a consistent posting routine and add fun posts and videos to get more students interested and involved. Both are excited to work together and make The Emerald and Instagram something students can look forward to each week.