7J Feature Articles

Mrs. Jones's journalists

7J

2020-2021

Sacred Heart of Jesus
Catholic School

Cover Art by Adaela Amick

Dear Reader,

We are so excited to share our writing with you! Through the past two months we have interviewed, drafted, edited, designed, and now published our writing. Publishing is something new to most of my peers, so we are delighted to be able to share these with you.

Each page you read in this eBook is a feature article about a person who is special to each student. We interviewed a person we know with an interesting job or aspect of their life. After the interview, using quotes and other information they gave us, we formed an engaging article featuring them and their eye-grabbing aspect of life. Being interviewed is something that most of us will do in the future, so it was fun for our heroes to be interviewed and for us to see what it takes to interview someone. Let us be the first to tell you: it's not easy, and there's much more preparation than you think!

During this project we had lots of goals to reach by the end. Those goals would help us reach the end along with making our writing better. Every student in Mrs. Jones's homeroom had five important goals they had to follow.

The first one is, “Students will incorporate learned narrative craft techniques to engage the reader.” This means we had to use dialogue, the figurative language we have learned in years before, and narration. The second is, “Students will consider word choice to develop a formal tone that flatters the subject,” meaning that we used a formal tone, like what you would find in a newspaper. This tone should flatter the person or what makes them sound cool or amazing. The third one is, “Students will smoothly integrate details, anecdotes, and quotations to develop the angle on the subject.” In other words, we included quotes, facts, and little stories to keep the readers engaged.

Two more left! The fourth is, “Students will plan and write using an organized structure, beginning with an engaging introduction and reinforced by a bold conclusion.” We worked really hard to get our reader’s attention and leave them with a big idea at the end. Finally, the last goal is, “Students will collaboratively publish a multimedia eBook that is creative, organized, eye-catching, and flatters the subject.” We got to publish our writing, which is something new most of my classmates haven't done before.

The purpose of these articles was for the children to go and learn how to interview someone over 18 or important in their lives. Then write what they learned about the person in an article. Some interviewed siblings, grandparents, friends, parents, or even family friends. As you read these articles, feel free to click on any pictures or videos, for they are for your convenience and interest.

All of the 7th grade at Sacred Heart Jesus Catholic School have worked very hard on this and spent lots of time making these articles very fun and interesting to read. We hope you like reading them and clicking on all of the fun links and cool pictures!

God bless you all!

Sincerely,
Alli Kuebelbeck, Myla Pendergast, & Valerie Westfall

Table of Contents

Pg 1: Cover
Pg 2: "Dear Reader" Letter
Pg 3: Table of Contents
Pg 4: Brady Harley
Pg 8: Will Ochs
Pg 10: Alton Porter
Pg 12: Frankie LaPorta
Pg 16: John Boor
Pg 20: Brody Bruggeman
Pg 24: Valerie Westfall
Pg 28: Adaela Amick
Pg 32: Jack Carpenter
Pg 34: Audrey Lockett
Pg 38: Alli Kuebelbeck
Pg 42: Alec Jett
Pg 46: Jillian Spacek
Pg 50: Myla Pendergast
Pg 52: Jimmy Peck
Pg 56: Keat Klein
Pg 58: Malin Chaput
Pg 62: Elle Pederson
Pg 66: Avery Westrup
Pg 70: Francis Menghini

Page Design by Francis Menghini

Table of Contents

Pg 1: Cover
Pg 2: "Dear Reader" Letter
Pg 3: Table of Contents
Pg 4: Brady Harley
Pg 8: Will Ochs
Pg 10: Alton Porter
Pg 12: Frankie LaPorta
Pg 16: John Boor
Pg 20: Brody Bruggeman
Pg 24: Valerie Westfall
Pg 28: Adaela Amick
Pg 32: Jack Carpenter
Pg 34: Audrey Lockett
Pg 38: Alli Kuebelbeck
Pg 42: Alec Jett
Pg 46: Jillian Spacek
Pg 50: Myla Pendergast
Pg 52: Jimmy Peck
Pg 56: Keat Klein
Pg 58: Malin Chaput
Pg 62: Elle Pederson
Pg 66: Avery Westrup
Pg 70: Francis Menghini

Page Design by Francis Menghini

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My Dad Works at a Facility which Makes COVID 19 Test Kits

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My dad helps people all over the world

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My dad does a lot while working for ThemoFisher

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There are a plethora of skills to have in order to get this job

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At 5:30 in the morning the alarm goes off and my dad Jon eats breakfast and is getting ready to leave to leave to work which he enjoys doing. Everyday my dad goes to work at ThermoFisher Scientific, and he loves working there because he knows that he is helping millions of people by making the vaccine which is letting families all over the world know if they have a positive or negative test so they can protect themselves and the people around them. My dad Jon enjoys working a rotating schedule which is basically where he works two days and is off two days so that he has more time to spend with his family.

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My dad does a plethora while working for ThermoFisher Scientific; he manages over 125 people at the same time who make COVID test kits so people could get tested for COVID-19. The people that he is managing have made millions of COVID-19 test kits already which is very impressive. Everyday my dad Jon manages his 125 employees to be sure they are doing their jobs correctly, and are breaking records each and every day for how many COVID test kits they can make in a day which I think is very impressive.

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There are several degrees and skills you have to have in order to work for ThermoFisher Scientific. This includes having several years of management experience. Another one is that you have to have experience in aseptic behavior which is basically being extremely clean and washing your hands often. Another degree or skill you have to have in order to get this job is a degree in chemical engineering. And you have to have experience in startup manufacturing and continuous improvement. Finally, you have to have many years of engineering automation experience.

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There are a plethora of skills to have in order to get this job

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What my dad's job is about

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There are several degrees and skills you have to have in order to work for ThermoFisher Scientific. This includes having several years of management experience. Another one is that you have to have experience in aseptic behavior which is basically being extremely clean and washing your hands often. Another degree or skill you have to have in order to get this job is a degree in chemical engineering. And you have to have experience in startup manufacturing and continuous improvement. Finally, you have to have many years of engineering automation experience.

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My dad does a collection of things for his job. Here are a few of them. My, dad is an operations manager for VTM (Viral Transmission Media) microbiology mission for ThermoFisher Scientific. And my dad manages 125 people who make COVID-19 test kits for people all around the globe. “I Love having a job that contributes to a solution for the overall efforts to help our current situation with COVID-19.”

It took several years for my dad to get the job he has today

My dad has a very interesting job

It took several years for my dad to get the job he has today. You have to have 4 years of school to get this job, and you have to have several years of work experience. My dad has been working at ThermoFisher Scientific for about a year so he is pretty new to his job at ThermoFisher Scientific and he is already breaking many records each day for how many COVID-19 test kits they can make in a day which is very impressive.

My dad has a distinctive and interesting job. His job is extraordinary because he manages people who make COVID test kits for people all around the globe. That is crucial so people know whether they got a positive or negative test, so they can protect themselves and the people around them.

“I love having a job that contributes to a solution for the overall efforts to help our current situation with COVID-19.”

Brady Harley

By William Ochs Feb. 22

The long and complicated life of Melanie McKenzie Ochs

i wonder if I could be teacher too?

“You need to figure out what you want to teach, before you teach it"

M

elanie McKenzie Ochs was born in Kansas City on June 26, 1977. She always loved kids and knew that one day she wanted to help them. Melanie didn’t always want to be a teacher though. At first she wanted to run a greenhouse, which shows today because our house is full of plants. Although operating a greenhouse would have been fun she knew that she wouldn’t be working with kids. She decided to be a pediatrician but quickly changed her mind when she realized she’d be giving shots and eventually dealing with blood. Melanie then decided that if she truly wanted to make a difference and help children, she needed to be a teacher.

Off to college she went. When starting at Emporia State University she took Art classes. She was going to be an art teacher that would expose students to a creative mindset. While attending art classes she was informed that art is not a mandatory class in education and could always be taken away. She knew she didn’t want to spend 4 years of college on something that could be so easily removed. Melanie changed her courses and directed her attention to early childhood, she was going to be an early childhood teacher.

She admits that changing her courses was sad and time was lost. However, with the new direction came new challenges. There were new tests that she would have to take and new obstacles to overcome. She had to be an Aid in preschool classes which she said “was a lot like being in a daycare.” She would have to learn how to have conversations with parents regarding their children. How would she teach students the letters and sounds of the alphabet or the names of numbers? This was more difficult than she had originally thought. Could she conquer this new territory?

Through lots of hard work, dedication and support from her parents she graduated in 2002 from Emporia State University with a Bachelor of Science in Education. Then 8 short years later, in 2010, she graduated from the same University with her Masters in Education. Melanie is now a reading specialist in the elementary school and works with kids grades K-5. She teaches them how to read and is still achieving her goals on making the world a better place.

I asked Melanie “How can I become a teacher?”
She replied, “You need to figure out what you want to teach. For example, do you want to teach in an elementary school where you would cover all the areas of the curriculum? Or would you like to teach in a junior. high or high school environment where you would select an area of interest like, social studies or science?”
I then asked, “Do you have any tips on how to be a good teacher?”

Melanie answered, “Good teachers are those that listen and meet students' needs where they’re at. They have a good rapport with parents and make learning fun.” After interviewing Melanie I feel like if I put enough hard work and dedication into college then I could be a teacher too.

Change of plans

Going to collage

elanie McKenzie Ochs was born in Kansas City on June 26, 1977. She always loved kids and knew that one day she wanted to help them. Melanie didn’t always want to be a teacher though. At first she wanted to run a greenhouse, which shows today because our house is full of plants. Although operating a greenhouse would have been fun she knew that she wouldn’t be working with kids. She decided to be a pediatrician but quickly changed her mind when she realized she’d be giving shots and eventually dealing with blood. Melanie then decided that if she truly wanted to make a difference and help children, she needed to be a teacher.

Off to college she went. When starting at Emporia State University she took Art classes. She was going to be an art teacher that would expose students to a creative mindset. While attending art classes she was informed that art is not a mandatory class in education and could always be taken away. She knew she didn’t want to spend 4 years of college on something that could be so easily removed. Melanie changed her courses and directed her attention to early childhood, she was going to be an early childhood teacher.

She admits that changing her courses was sad and time was lost. However, with the new direction came new challenges. There were new tests that she would have to take and new obstacles to overcome. She had to be an Aid in preschool classes which she said “was a lot like being in a daycare.” She would have to learn how to have conversations with parents regarding their children. How would she teach students the letters and sounds of the alphabet or the names of numbers? This was more difficult than she had originally thought. Could she conquer this new territory?

Through lots of hard work, dedication and support from her parents she graduated in 2002 from Emporia State University with a Bachelor of Science in Education. Then 8 short years later, in 2010, she graduated from the same University with her Masters in Education. Melanie is now a reading specialist in the elementary school and works with kids grades K-5. She teaches them how to read and is still achieving her goals on making the world a better place.

I asked Melanie “How can I become a teacher?”
She replied, “You need to figure out what you want to teach. For example, do you want to teach in an elementary school where you would cover all the areas of the curriculum? Or would you like to teach in a junior. high or high school environment where you would select an area of interest like, social studies or science?”
I then asked, “Do you have any tips on how to be a good teacher?”

Melanie answered, “Good teachers are those that listen and meet students' needs where they’re at. They have a good rapport with parents and make learning fun.” After interviewing Melanie I feel like if I put enough hard work and dedication into college then I could be a teacher too.

Dedication

Afterwards

Kathleen Porter is the hardest working person I know.

Do you handle hundreds of thousands of dollars everyday? Are you able to control 12-15 employees who work around the clock jobs? Have you ever had to tell someone what to do with 100,000 dollars? Well, Kathleen Porter does. She is a bank manager, and every single day she helps people decide what to do with their money. “Some people come through each day with more money than they know what to do with.”

Kathleen says, “And everyday, it is always just a roller coaster.” Many people come through each day with so much money, they don’t care if they lost 10,000 dollars. There is also the opposite, people who come in with not enough money to buy a candy bar in their pocket, but enough to buy a plane in their bank account, and they can’t afford to lose a penny. She controls a team of 12-15 people everyday telling them were to go, who to work with, and what happens throughout the day. Who wouldn’t want this job? Well…

This job is a lot of responsibility; they have to do all sorts of things. For example, they have to manage lots of unruly people at the same time. Have you ever tried to control a little puppy? Try controlling 12 of them simultaneously. It is a hard job overseeing a team, but what's harder is having to deal with customers who don’t know what to do ,especially if they are in debt. While you do that, there are still so many things to get done. For example, you still have to uphold your kindness to the customers while you are still trying to figure out why one of your team members quit their job. While this has not happened to Kathleen, she has had some close call with people who have worked there for 10 years or more. She explained to me that, “As a bank manager, I work with people who have worked here so much longer than me.” There have been lots of close calls with people wanting to leave after working there their whole life. She is an amazing manager. She can manage customers while simultaneously managing an entire team.

While I was interviewing her, I noticed that she was a very gleeful person, and that says a lot about her. It shows us that she, especially under the pressure of her job, is still an extremely kind person. When I asked her a question, she took it in many ways that I was not expecting her to. For example, when I asked her what she liked about her job and what she didn’t, she said, “Well, what I really like is that I am able to help people who come in asking about what they should do, and what I don’t, it's just that, every once in a while, people come in who are angry because they couldn’t pay their rent and things like that, and they get angry at the bank.” She is a very perceptive person. She didn’t respond with ‘I think’ or ‘I'm pretty sure that’ She answered specific questions that I was expecting a one word answer for, she turned it into a 10 minute long discussion on how her job treats her, and how much she loves her job. “I never thought that I would be in banking,” said Kathleen. She had so many jobs before this point, it is amazing that she was able to end up in banking. With all the past experience she had leading up to this job, she was guaranteed to get this job.

Even with all my past experience,” she said, “it was still a challenge to get to where I am today.” Even though it is such a stressful job, Kathleen Porter loves working with others, she realizes her place in the bank, and she doesn't brag, boast, or complain about her current position in the company. Although her job is hard, she continues to be the best she can be and she loves what she does. Being a bank manager is something that not many people get to do. It takes a lot of hard work to get where she is today, but Kathleen Porter is the best person for the job. She is very hardworking and still, she is so friendly. I have met lots of great hardworking people, but they are never very friendly, they are all just obsessed with their work — not Kathleen though. If you are planning on going into banking, then try working your way up to a bank manager. Go find people in your family or your friends, and see if they want to try going into banking, there are so many benefits and zero downsides. Just ask Kathleen Porter, she is the best person for the job, she says that she loves her job and when I asked her what she didn’t like about her job, she said, “There is nothing I don’t like, but there is lots I do like,” she said. “For example, I love working with my team, my hours are great, and I get to work with lots of amazing people.”

“