Embedded Files
The SD Challenge
The SD Challenge
by Mr. Jason Cheek
by Mr. Jason Cheek
Many times, due to the requirements of the state department of education, we envision our schools only involving reading texts, adding and subtracting numbers, and making sure that we cover all of the standards that prepare us for state testing. Of course, these are very important items and crucial for a successful education, but I also believe that the school experience is so much more.
As most of you know, I believe that we all should be kind and respectful every single day to our friends, family, and teachers. We have a very diverse population at our school, and I feel we can learn great things from one another. Individual differences and interests are what makes schools like ours awesome! The fact of the matter is that if we were all the same, life would be pretty boring.
We have athletes, honor students, average students, rich students and poor students as well as many other groups. I would like to challenge each student at South Dearborn Middle School to regularly do these six things:
- Meet someone new each week.
- Compliment someone each day.
- Help someone that may be struggling, even if you do not know them.
- Do the right thing always- even when no one is looking.
- Ask for help if you need it
- SMILE
Lastly, never underestimate the effect that kindness has on an individual!
"The Squire Times" Riddle
"The Squire Times" Riddle
by Michael King
What room do ghosts avoid?
What room do ghosts avoid?
Answer can be found at the bottom of the page.
Teacher of the Month
Teacher of the Month
Mrs. White
Mrs. White
by Avery Wuestefeld
Meet Mrs. White, The Squire Times Teacher of the Month. This is Mrs. White’s first year at SDMS where she teaches 7th grade Health & Nutrition and 8th Grade Exploring College Careers. Mrs. White is a graduate of South Dearborn High School and Northern Kentucky University and has been teaching for 9 years. Her previous 8 years were at other buildings within the South Dearborn School Corporation.
Wuestefeld: What Inspired you to be a teacher?
Mrs. White: I always loved school and enjoyed playing it at home when I was little. I knew I wanted to be a teacher though after I had a terrific 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Thorpe. I was always the shy kid in class, and she made me feel special and made an extra effort to get to know me.
Wuestefeld: What is the best part of your job?
Mrs. White: The best part of my job is getting to know a lot of different and really neat kids.
Wuestefeld: What do you like to do in your free time?
Mrs. White: I enjoy exercising, like running, walking, and lifting. I also really enjoy travelling and spending time with my family.
Welcome to SDMS, Mrs. White! We hope you have a great year!
Welcome to SDMS, Mrs. White! We hope you have a great year!
Mrs. White
Mrs. White
Macie Teke (8th Grade)
Macie Teke (8th Grade)
Artisan of the Month
Artisan of the Month
Macie Teke
Macie Teke
by Avery Wuestefeld
Meet Macie Teke, The Squire Times Artisan of the Month. Macie is an 8th grader and a 2 year member of SDMS Showcase. Besides Show Choir, Macie also participates in cheerleading and basketball.
Wuestefeld: Who is your favorite artist?
Teke: My favorite artist is Billie Eilish.
Wuestefeld: Why did you try out for show choir?
Teke: I tried out for show choir because I like dancing and the competitions.
Wuestefeld: What is your favorite thing about show choir?
Teke: My favorite thing about show choir is the competitions.
Wuestefeld: What is something you want your classmates to know about you?
Teke: My classmates should know that I am very weird and love to dance.
Good luck in the upcoming competition season, Macie!
Good luck in the upcoming competition season, Macie!
Like The Squire Times? Want more South Dearborn news? Check out the The Knight Times by clicking the link below:
Where in the World
Where in the World
is Lake Baikal?
is Lake Baikal?
by Mr. Wagner
There are many strange and beautiful locales in this vast world of ours, but it's often far too easy for us to get caught up in our own little worlds and forget to explore those incredible places. Therefore, through each issue of The Squire Times, I will shed some light on a new, rare, and incredible geographical or geological anomaly. So come with me on a quick trip to the other side of the world. Word of warning, however: You might want to bring a jacket; it's cold out there.
Siberia, Russia
Siberia, Russia
This time of year Lake Baikal is mostly covered in about 2 to 5 feet thick ice! Thick enough to walk or...drive your van on. However, in the summer months, Lake Baikal is a lakeside, serene paradise meant for fishing, boating, hiking, and swimming. Located in southern Russia in the region known as Siberia, the lake is considered by geologists to be one of the oldest lakes in the world. Some estimate its age to be somewhere between 25-30 million years old! Lake Baikal, however, isn't just unique due to its age.
Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, holding somewhere between 22-23% of the world's fresh surface water. To help illustrate its size, it contains more water than all the North American lakes combined.
So, if you're looking for a new summer lake to explore or are just exceptionally thirsty, maybe Lake Baikal might be worth a visit. Of course, you'll need a passport.
Academic Team
Academic Team
A Stroke of Genius
A Stroke of Genius
by Mary Hallgarth
There's all sorts of teams at South Dearborn that don't involve sports! At South Dearborn, we have a variety of clubs and teams, but in this issue of The Squire Times, I'll be covering our middle school’s academic team. On October 16th, the academic team had their first meet of the year, and it was an event not to be missed!
Even though the October 16th meet was the academic team’s first meet, they did very well! For those of you don't know how an academic competition works, there are four different subjects: language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Each team of five is made up of a combination of 7th and 8th graders who answer questions pertaining to a selected topic. This year's topic is "The Fertile Crescent." During the meet, there is also an “all around” interdisciplinary portion where student captains and a few other members answered questions about all the subjects.
The team did particularly well, considering they had yet to have formal practices! SD traveled to Batesville where they competed against five other schools. The language arts team, coached by Mr. Wagner, struggled the most this meet, not reaching a third place ribbon. The math team, coached by Mrs. Mullalley, persevered and snatched a second place ribbon. The science team succeeded as well, taking home a well-fought for third place. The science team is coached by Mr. Gardener. The social studies team, coached by Mr. Dennis, did very well too, scoring a second place ribbon for South Dearborn. The interdisciplinary team, however, did the best. They tied for first place!
Often times, teams disagree on the correct answer, or worse, have no idea of what the correct answer is at all! In such situations, the team captain steps forward to select an answer. Team captains are also responsible for marking each answer down before time is called. The following students were captains at the October 16th meet: Austin Hoskins (social studies), Leroy Tice (math), Hayden Fox (science), and Clovis Hudnall (language arts).
Just like links in a chain, a team is only as strong as each of its players. Whether they are answering questions or cheering on SD, all the members make the academic team a success. Austin Hoskins, James Murray, Austin Pitts, Cameron Spence, and Riley Lagaly make up the social studies team. Nathaniel Ullrich, Leroy Tice, Lillie Davis, Brendan Lowe, and Jullian Lane are on the math team. The language arts team consists of Clovis Hudnall, Emma Kochert, Becca Kreimer, Diane Tolentino, and Lauren Stevenson. The science team's members include Hayden Fox, Max Burger, Adam Bruner, Lorena Osorio, and Mary Hallgarth.
Overall, the academic team did well considering it was their first meet. Their next meet is November 14th, and it’s at South Dearborn. We hope to see you there supporting the Squires! Congratulations to all members of the team!
Renovations
Renovations
by Mary Hallgarth
If you have past through our middle school within the past year, you might have realized that some things about the school have changed. Over the summer, our school underwent some renovations. A lot of those changes were in the gym, seeing as many aspects of our gym were in disrepair and some parts literally crumbling.
Since it was built in 2006, the current SDMS building has seen thousands of teenagers pass through its doors. As you can imagine, that many students tend to wear on building. One of the summer renovation projects revolved around our gym bleachers. In the past, if you sat on them wrong they would crack and chip. Eventually, there were few places that weren't broken. The lights in the gym used to be horrible as well; since many sports, events, and programs take place in the gym, it was necessary for new, energy efficient lights to be installed.
The second floor also saw some renovations. Directly outside of the office, there used to be red and blue carpeting. Due to the heavy foot traffic to and from the office, the carpet was difficult to keep clean. Now there is a nice terrazzo (a poured tile substance) flooring. There was also supposed to be window updates in our library; however, the leaky windows still remain.
I asked Mr. Cheek, our school’s principal, about the renovations, and his response helped shed some light on the decisions made concerning the renovations. The first thing I asked was, how much the renovations cost. In response, Mr. Cheek said, "The cost for our renovations was pretty low compared to the other buildings simply because ours is not as old.”
I also asked Mr. Cheek what went into the decision to get new bleachers. “Our bleachers were in really bad shape and were really an eye sore due to the amount of broken seats that we were dealing with. Since all of the other schools were renovating, we felt it was time to replace the blue seats with the red. They turned out great and really makes our gym one of the best around.” No longer do SD students have to worry about scrounging for an unbroken bleacher seat in the morning!
The last question I posed to Mr. Cheek concerned the library windows. I had been informed that for many years, the large glass windows in our library leaked substantially whenever it rained. Since no visible repair work had been completed, I asked if they were still apart of the renovation plan. “Yes, they should have the problem with the window leak repaired over the next month. This has been a problem since the school was built. I believe that the windows were not installed correctly causing the excessive leaks.”
Hopefully, the final leg of the summer renovation takes place within a few weeks. As a student at SDMS, I can speak for us all that the renovations have made our school a better environment to learn.
"The Squire Times" Riddle Answer
"The Squire Times" Riddle Answer
by Michael King
What room do ghosts avoid?
What room do ghosts avoid?
Answer: The Living Room
Answer: The Living Room
Report abuse