(upbeat music) - Hi, I'm Jayden Williams.

- And I'm Atticus Walker.

Along with Jacob Askins, Jane Berger, Nora Chiboroski, and Chase Taylor.

- [Jayden] We are from Shikellamy Middle School in Northumberland, PA. We want to show you what it's like to be a middle school attendee at Shikellamy.

- We chose two students, two staff members, and one teacher to be our heroes.

- Adalyn Pastuszek, eighth grade student, Egan Shimel, seventh grade student, Jackie Donnelly and Erica Derk, administrative assistant and attendance secretary, and Mr. Craig Specht eighth grade social studies teacher.

- These five people inspire students to keep moving throughout the day.

- [Girl] Mr. Specht is very inspirational and wise.

He helps struggling students to succeed during their day and gives them chances to shine.

He gives every student a fist bump upon entering the classroom each day, helping them to get ready for the class.

Mr. Specht is an amazing teacher and we've all learned so much from him.

- I went to school here at Shikellamy.

I've been here all my life.

I went to Priestly Elementary School and have been teaching here for 16 years.

My main goal and my hope in interacting with students is to make them feel welcome here at Shikellamy and to get them engaged in American history.

I do this by speaking with them every day they come into my room and trying to make a personal connection and trying to make history come to life to them.

My goal by the end of the year is for students to walk out of my room and say, "Boy, I've learned so many great stories "and I am inspired to learn more."

My biggest challenges as a teacher are, I think, the things that I can't control.

They're things that I have no control over.

Those can be things that are happening in a student's life that I can't impact.

They are also things in society like students' addiction to social media and their phones.

That is so hard to control and I don't think that's just a challenge for me.

I think that's a challenge for parents and adults in the world as well.

I really try to make my classes engaging as possible so that students are engaged from bell to bell.

Learning about things that are important in our nation's history, some of the values and ideas that are foundational to the success of our country.

And I believe that most students feel like they've been engaged for the entire 45 minutes of my period.

Whether I'm singing and dancing on top of a desk or telling stories about some of our famous founding fathers.

So I think there's three parts of my job that are really rewarding.

Number one is like the short term change you see in students so that I have them for one year and then they go to the high school, but I can see their growth and change over a one year period and I can see them grow into young adults.

Second most rewarding thing, I guess maybe these aren't in order, but another rewarding thing is that I get a note of thanks after two or three years from somebody I haven't heard from that says "Thank you for being there for me in eighth grade.

"It was a tough year for me.

"Middle school is a tough time in my life "and I always felt like you were there for me "and I appreciate what you taught me."

And then third, and this is then even a longer term impact, right, is these are the relationships that I've had with students over my 16 years of education that I've seen students grow into successful adults in our community.

And I've had the ability to both interact with them and mentor them over those years.

I just had lunch with a student who's considering, no longer a student a graduate of college who's interested in coming back and teaching at Shikellamy.

And it was really rewarding to talk to him about what that might look like for him and how I could help him along the way.

And I have numerous stories like that of students that I've mentored with personal connections.

And much of that I'd like to include is that, through the Shikellamy Forensics Program with Ellen Boyer, I've done that for 16 years and many of those mentoring relationships have come through forensics and helping students learn to communicate well with others.

- [Girl] Adalyn Pastuszek is ready for anything.

She participates in JROTC, concert band, and honors biology.

She has done amazing in the Patriots Pen Competition for JROTC and has competed in nationals with her composition.

- I've been in the Shikellamy school district since I was five years old, so that's nine years now.

During school, I participate in honors biology and concert band and I participate in JROTC and after school I participate in jazz band and art club and as many volunteer JROTC programs as I can.

I certainly enjoy bio because there's never a dull moment with my classmates, and JROTC because it helps me become a better leader for my peers.

Don't try and be anybody you're not.

Be yourself, 'cause like, if you have faith in your own abilities, that'll take you on.

Faith doesn't make things easy, it just makes them possible.

- [Girl] Egan is a friend to all.

His bright and radiant personality inspires everyone to be the best version of themselves.

He never fails to put a smile on anyone's face.

Egan's positive attitude, strong leadership skills and social skills help not only him, but his peers get through the day with their heads held high.

- I have been in the Shikellamy School District for about six years now.

I'm in chorus, I'm in Spanish, I'm in theater, and I'm also on student council and then forensics.

So forensics people might think, you know, like FBI and you know, police, but this forensics is competitive speech.

So you know, you go to different schools and you compete against other people and you just speak about different topics.

My like pro thing is poetry.

You know, I just win and win every time that I read a poetry piece.

Every day after school I have to go to the high school and you know, be there until eight o'clock and you know, it's just, it gets tiring.

There can be bullies.

You know, when I first came in sixth grade, I was very shy.

I didn't like to talk to people.

I kind of let people, you know, walk all over me.

But you know, throughout my years here, you know, I just stepped up and, you know, I learned to be myself and not to let people, you know, just be me.

It inspires a lot of people.

You know, I'm happy when people come up to me and you know, like asking you a question or, like, how do you get through this?

And I'm happy because I'm encouraging people to be themselves and stand up for themselves.

Middle school can be tough.

There is a lot of work to be done.

Middle school is more like figuring out yourself and you know, people care a lot about their grades and yes, grades are great.

You should, you know, have A's and B's but you know, it's just a main factor of get friends and learn who you are.

You know?

- [Girl] Jackie and Erica run the office and practically the entire functionality of the school.

Without them, nothing would get done.

The school wouldn't function.

The office would have mass chaos.

They control attendance, take calls to the school, and organize school mail.

- I went to Selinsgrove School District.

- I went to Shikellamy School District.

- I am the attendance secretary.

So I basically just make sure that kids are showing up on time, that everybody's accounted for.

And yeah.

- So I'm the administrative assistant to the principal.

I have a long list of duties but mainly, you know, budgeting and purchasing, handling student files and transfers, answering phones, dealing with faxes, and so on.

- By always listening to the students, lending an open ear.

Just trying to be there for them as much as we can.

- Yeah, and and being a friendly, familiar face that you know they feel safe with.

- I think the hardest part that we have to do is watching kids start out from sixth grade and then they're in a flash of a blink of an eye, they're in eighth grade and they're already off to the high school.

- For me, maybe not being able to help with every situation.

- Being able to be around all you students and being with my best friend every day.

- I'm gonna have to say the same, you know, working with the students and working with my friend.

- [Girl] Finally, we will interview all of these heroes at the same time.

Now let's see how these heroes work together to make this school amazing.

- Hi, my name is Jacob Askins and this is our panel.

First question is from Mr. Big, how has Shikellamy changed over your time here?

- Shikellamy has changed a lot in my lifetime, even my parents' lifetime.

There was actually two school districts, Northumberland and Sunbury and then when I went to school here as a kindergartner, there were nine little elementary schools and two middle schools.

And then that's even changed now, right?

We're down to one middle school, a new building here in Northumberland and three elementary schools.

So things have changed a lot over my career at Shikellamy.

- Okay.

Adalyn?

- It changed a little with the elementary schools mostly because I remember there was Priestly and Beck and Chief in Oakland and they all had kindergarten through fifth and now it's kindergarten through fourth and then all fifth graders at Beck, I believe.

- Okay, Egan?

- I'll take the topic off the buildings for right now.

I mean there's a lot more activities.

You know, the school district has gotten more opportunities for kids to do fun stuff.

So yeah, it's what I have to say.

- I'm gonna go back to the buildings.

When I attended Shikellamy Middle School, it was actually in Sunbury, not Northumberland.

And this building was actually in a different spot close by.

So it's changed quite a bit.

- I'm gonna go off of what Egan said, there is a lot more opportunities for not only just students but for parents as well to get involved with the school, like outside extracurricular activities and such.

- Okay.

How has the pandemic affected Shikellamy in the middle school?

- So I think the Shikellamy Middle School was ready to do learning online.

Most of the teachers in this building had been trained in Google and all kinds of different applications to do learning online.

So we snapped pretty quickly into online learning and then when we came back in the fall, we kind of had this hybrid model where students were some were online and some were here and we were able to provide great opportunities for all those students.

The other part of that I think is like, I think that people have changed since the pandemic.

They're more likely to be involved in, you know, social media and technology.

And I think there's a lot of opportunity for being present in school that was missed over those years.

- Adalyn?

- I think like a lot of the students had a lot more freedom during like the virtual learning because they could pretty much turn stuff in whenever they want and just blame it on the internet.

And now a lot of them, in my grade at least, are like a little lazy with their work.

- Egan?

- I mean, I wasn't here in the middle school when the pandemic happened, but I mean I can go with what Adalyn said, like when I was in third grade when it happened, kids wouldn't do anything.

I mean it was a lot more free, just kind of do whatever you want kind of thing because you know, the school district didn't wanna like push it because there was still covid going around and they didn't want it, you know, to spread even more.

- So I actually started after the virtual learning and coming back in person, it was a lot of, you need to wear the mask, oh we don't need to wear the mask anymore unless you're sick.

Oh we need to wear the mask again, no more masks at all.

So it was a little bit of an adjustment that way.

- I agree with what Jackie said, but I started after the pandemic as well and with the masks it was just challenging of one day you had to wear it and then the next you don't.

- Who or what is your safe space in this middle school?

- I'm fortunate to have worked with some people in my hallway for a long time.

Mrs. Alex and I actually went to elementary school at Priestly together and have known each other for a very long time and Miss Addison and I have worked a long time together and vice principal, Mr. Brown and I were friends in high school, played basketball together and then we went to Susquehanna University together.

So I'm fortunate to have a lot of people I can turn to in this building.

- For me it's gotta be JROTC 'cause everybody's always so nice there, even if they seem scary.

Like when you envision JROTC, I'm sure a lot of people will think like drill sergeant kind of thing.

But for me, Sergeant Henninger and Colonel Cassem have been extremely inspirational and comforting and are always there for you no matter what.

- I mean it's usually the office.

These office ladies are amazing and you know, they make me feel at home.

Mrs. Calsick and Mr. Hicks.

I go to Mrs. Calsick and talk to her and then I usually help with her students.

And the same thing with Mr. Hicks.

- So I'm gonna say Ms. Derk, here, and Mrs. Cole, along with maybe Mrs. Calsick and Ms. Emrick, Mr. Hicks, there's a few teachers that I can go to.

I'm fortunate to have made a few friends here.

- I'm gonna have to say Jackie here.

Also, pretty much the same, our principals are great, Mr. Palmatier and Mr. Brown.

They create a really good safe space.

Not only just for us, but for all the students as well to open and come talk to them at any time.

- What is one thing you would change about school?

- Just sometimes the way the building's set up.

I don't get to see some of the people I've worked with for a decade or more.

I don't, I have friends in seventh grade and sixth grade that if I don't make a point to go to their wing, I might not see 'em for a week or two weeks.

- I would like, I know this is outta my control, but like I would change where the money goes 'cause I know kids like to do a lot of fun stuff and hands-on activities.

But there's some stuff we need.

Like I know a lot of people in my grade and grades below me can help me with this 'cause we definitely need new music stands.

They're like falling apart.

- Okay.

- I mean, I think, you know, clubs and more activities after school or even in school would really help, you know, because yes there are clubs but you know, not everybody likes, you know, the topics that they're about.

So yeah.

- I'm gonna agree with Egan.

I think more clubs and activities for the students.

- I'm gonna say the same thing, also.

Just something to get kids like sometimes get school off of their minds and get them into something that's fun and that they enjoy and keeps kids outta trouble.

Just more activities.

- What is the best school lunch?

Oh boy, there's a couple of good ones, but Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving feast.

- I'm gonna have to agree with him.

That's pretty good.

- You know, I wish I could say I packed my lunch every day, so.

- The popcorn chicken bowl.

- Chicken and waffles, by far.

- How might the Shikellamy School District defer from other schools in the area?

- I have friends that have worked in other districts and then come to work here and they're always just impressed by the community and the way students are engaged with learning.

They're just, they feel like there's something special about the way our community works together.

- I honestly have not interacted with any other schools that well.

So I have no idea how I can input to this.

But I feel like Shikellamy is a very strong and independent school district.

A lot of good people come out of it.

- I'll continue with what Mr. Specht was saying.

You know, there's so many communities, you know, around our school district and you know, there's Sunbury, Northumberland, and then you know, like you go back a little farther, there's you know, Paxinos and all that.

So there's all of these different counties and you know, there's different cultures and you know, different beliefs and all of that, that they come together and they all work as one, which I think is super cool.

- I'm not sure, but I would say that we're pretty friendly and welcoming here at this school district.

- Pretty much what Jackie and Egan both said, everybody here is just pretty much like, and that was the first thing when we first started they said we are one big family here.

And they definitely proved it.

Like we are all family and help everybody go under our wings.

- Okay.

What is your favorite part of life at school?

- You guys.

You guys, you know, seeing you guys interact in my class and succeed and be positive about learning.

- Seeing a lot of my peers like help each other.

Like even if you're not good friends with them, you could still like help them and be friendly.

Just nice to watch people get along.

- I mean, being popular, I mean it might sound, you know, mean, but honestly to have that group back you up and you know, encourage people and you know, everybody comes to you and you know, just like ask you questions about, you know, like, hey, how do you know this?

Or you know, how do you get through something?

It really means a lot.

- Seeing how the students change like over the years and how they problem solve differently and just watching them succeed.

- Yeah, being able to see you guys every day and have you guys tell us like how your weeks are going, what your plans are, what your future plans are.

That's just, that's really great.

- What advice do you have for an incoming teacher or student?

- So I think this is true, not maybe just for a student or a teacher, but this is anybody.

And when you move to a new place, get involved, right?

Get involved in something.

There's so many opportunities here that Egan's talked about and everybody's mentioned all these opportunities.

JROTC.

So get involved, make some friends, right?

Meet some people, make some connections so that you feel at home here or anywhere.

And then work hard, work hard.

Whatever you pick, whatever you devote your efforts to, do your best at it.

- I would definitely say like be yourself 'cause there's only one of you, you have control of your own abilities and have faith in those abilities.

'Cause faith doesn't make things easy, it just makes them possible.

- I mean, when new students come to our school, I usually, you know, tour them around and the first thing I say is just always be yourself.

And you know, that's the only thing you can do in this society now.

I mean, it's not good to hide who you really are and you know, I've learned that.

And then this is where I am today.

- I would say don't be afraid to ask questions.

We were all new at one point, you know, we're all friendly and welcoming, and again, just don't be afraid to ask questions.

- Basically just be yourself.

Don't be scared to come in.

I mean, some of us may look pretty intimidating and scary, but I mean everybody, and this goes for everybody is always willing to help or put out a helping hand or just do anything they can.

- And these two students, right?

These are great examples of people that have stepped up and got involved in so many things.

I'm sure they've interviewed you guys already, but what you're doing is taking advantage of the opportunities that are here.

And there's so many I see that could do that, and we all try to encourage them to do that, and that's our great hope here at the Shikellamy Middle School is to get everybody involved like you guys.

- How do you think others perceive Shikellamy?

- I think some of the things that we're well known for are the theater and forensics program, which Mrs. Boyer has been in charge of for longer than I've been alive.

She's the queen of the stage over there and her productions are incredible.

And she's now retired as a teacher, but still in charge of our theater and forensics program.

And she's really just a wonderful asset to this district.

- Right, Adalyn.

- I think we're like very well known for, and I can see why, being brave and being like confident.

'Cause our walls and our floors all say Braves, we should just, we're part of Shikellamy.

We should be Braves ourselves.

- I'm gonna have to go with what Mr. Specht said.

When we go to Ray of Lights for instance, you know, we're very well known for theater and when the other high schoolers see us, they're kind of like, "Oh darn."

You know, like "They're coming over here."

So that's just what we're known for.

- I'm gonna second that or third that I guess.

They do a very great job.

My daughter looks forward to going and seeing, you know, their performances and they do great.

- I'll go with what they said as well, but also the band.

I've always heard from a lot of people that Shikellamy has one of the best bands in the state.

- And I think we also have a lot of great sports programs here.

I know the wrestling program has just had some tremendous success and I know that track and field has been really, really great.

And our cross country coach has also been a teacher.

He retired and is still coaching.

He taught my parents and coached my parents and he's still coaching cross country.

Mr. Bell.

He's kind of a legend of the district as well, right.

So yeah, we have a lot of great programs.

- Do you mind if I second what Erica said too about the band?

'Cause that is very true.

I don't know why I didn't think of that.

'Cause like last year I was in seventh grade we were playing high school, like 11th and 12th grade music and we have been very successful since.

- And I think that's something that we're proud of here at the middle school, right?

That we get these students involved at a high level.

We can make connections to the high school and we make connections to programs within our district and maybe other schools that middle schoolers aren't able to do until ninth grade.

And we just open the door, get 'em involved.

- What is your favorite part about living in Shikellamy?

- I love the people here.

I also love the history here as a history teacher, we have so much incredible history around us.

Just down the street we have the Joseph Priestly house, which will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of Oxygen this year.

Joseph Priestly was a friend of our founding fathers.

It is in an exile from England that I'm gonna teach you about later this year.

We will talk about his history.

We also have the Edison Hotel.

One of the first electrified buildings in the United States of America.

We have all this history of economic history of coal and trade and the beginning of our country.

So I think our history is really special.

- I especially like living in the Sunbury Northumberland County area because we get to be part of one of the very few JROTC.

I know I'm talking about that a lot.

But like, we get to be one of the few parts of a JROTC program and for us that's really inspirational 'cause there's a lot of military history around our VFW, which is post 1532, I'm pretty sure.

And it's just amazing to see all the veterans that are there and what they've done for us.

- I gotta be honest, I do love Knoebels.

It's right in my backyard and I mean, I'm so thankful that you know, the school-- - [Mr. Specht] Free admission.

- Yeah.

You know, the school gets to go there every year for a field trip and you know, everybody gets to bond and ride roller coasters together.

And I just, yeah, it's what I love.

- Yeah.

I like all the different activities.

Like Knoebels, you've got Bloomsburg fair.

There's a lot to do.

And then you have, you know, your family and friends close by.

- Going off of what Mr. Specht said, like the history aspect of being in the area.

Once you think you know everything, like something new always comes up.

There's just so much history in this area.

- And I think we're three hours from everywhere.

We're three hours from everywhere.

How far is it to Philadelphia?

Three hours.

How far is it to New York City?

Three hours.

So we have all this access to all these wonderful things around us that we've tried to bring to life.

- Thank you all for coming and answering these questions.

(upbeat music) - Thank you for joining us and learning about our school life.

We hope you learned about how students, teachers, and staff members live their lives at our school.

We'd like to thank not only our heroes, but our entire school-wide community.

We'd also like to thank the Degenstein Foundation for funding this amazing project.

And of course WDIA, because without them we would never get to experience this dream.

(upbeat music)