Brought to you by: In the Newsroom 2026
Sophia Acho Eliana Irrobali Sofia Ahmed Abigail Jin Luisa Blaesche Sanaya Khowaja Coco Desai Hayden Elizabeth McKissack
Josephine Osburn Kyla Raval Reese Renkes Clara Seline
Special thanks to our teachers Mrs. Coulonge and Mrs. Hunter!
HockaNews 2026
2
Life with Lacrosse
HockaNEWS
By Kyla Raval
My name is Kyla Raval and this paper is diving deep into a life of playing lacrosse and all the challenges it may bring. I interviewed junior Vera Hammer and this is what she had to say. She told me that she started lacrosse in sixth grade. She's played lacrosse for five years. I wondered how she balanced school work and lacrosse without being behind on one of them. Her answer was what I expected. She told me about how she had to use some of her free time at school and whenever she got it at home. She also mentioned how sometimes she had to stay up pretty late just to get some practice or school work in! Which led me to my next question: If you worked so hard to do this sport, what keeps you motivated to play it? Hammer didn't waste a second to answer this question, and automatically she told me that she noticed everyone was doing it, so she thought "let me give it a try!" She asked her mom and just like that she was loving lacrosse and made friends. Just like me, Hammer plays defense and thinks it is a very important position because without defense the team would fail.
11
October 2026
Behind the Scenes of the 8th Grade Musical By Reese Renkes and Coco Desai
I totally agree with her. Just when I was telling her about how I also played defense, my next idea popped into my head. I already knew about Hammer and her lacrosse life, but if you're a writer you're always thirsty for more. She told me that the lacrosse team had just won the championships. She told me that she felt like all of her hard work had paid off while bursting with joy. Like I said in the introduction, Vera had challenges and not all the good ones. I didn't know this until I met her. She broke her thumb in September. It was very sad. Not being able to play her favorite sport for a while must have been hard. I wanted to get back to the good stuff, so I asked a question that everyone likes: What are your favorite traditions?
Vera took a second to answer this, then finally told me how her team would write compliments to each other and you wouldn't know who it was from. I asked Vera: What is your worst fear? Hammer told me how some of the players were really big and strong and how some were even scary. I totally agreed with her! I asked her if she had any times where she wanted to quit and how she got over that. She told me in the beginning, it felt impossible but after a good long talk with her mom, she kept progressing! Vera made connections with people in the grade above. Connections with your teammates are so important in sports. I hope you liked this article: all the fun, sad, and amazing stuff. Thank you for reading!
This year’s eighth grade musical is Annie presented by the Class of 2031. This grade has worked so hard to bring the musical to life. From the actors to the tech crew, this is going to be an amazing production. Here are a few things the cast said. First, Miss Hadley Boyle auditioned for Miss Hannigan, but got Mr. Warbucks. In her audition, she sang Little Girls, Easy Street, I Don’t Need Anything But You, and Tomorrow. Miss Boyle gets into character by taking a moment and tries to feel how the character feels. Then we interviewed Liv Kane. She tried out and got a dancer. She is looking forward to learning NYC.
Next we interviewed Zoya Khan. She loves to act and wanted to be Annie. Before she found out she got Annie, during her audition, she sang Tomorrow. And here’s a few words she said, “I get into character by taking a moment and thinking that the character has been through and think what it would feel like if it happened to me". After that we interviewed Kate Sanders. She is one of many stage managers and also designs sets. Kate’s favorite set is Mr. Warbucks' house because it has purple, which is her favorite color.
She said, “The most difficult thing about changing sets is you have to go fast but you have be careful not to run into people because it’s dark.” Seeing all the characteristics come together is where the magic happens. To make this year’s musical come to life. You are also welcome to come see Annie Junior on October 22nd and 23rd. This grade has worked so hard from the dancers to the stage managers. If you come see this production, we hope you enjoy!
10
The Fourth Grade Feeling
HockaNEWS
by Abigail Jin
My name is Abigail. I am currently in Fourth Grade and I am new to Hockaday. This is my first year in the Hockaday community so I want to know more about Fourth Grade experiences. I interviewed three Upper School students who have experience Fourth Grade before. Here is what they have to say.
Junior Avery Lannen says she felt excited and a little bit nervous of all the changes. "It was a huge shift," she says. When Avery first joined Fourth Grade, she says she fells that it's like an end of an era. Change of uniforms also overwhelmed her.
"From jumpers to skirts, I feel completely different," she says. And at challenging times, Avery says teachers were really supportive and helpful. "I didn't get fractions, and teachers made them so much easier for me," Avery says. Finally, it was time for Middle School. Avery felt very excited to go into Fifth Grade. "Fourth Grade prepared me for Middle School," she says.
Sophomore Sophia Marsh says she was in Fourth Grade when it was COVID year. So everybody was a lot closer together and they had a lot of fun. When it was Sophia's turn to be in Fourth Grade, she was excited about being a
Brooklyn was interested in journalism since Fourth Grade. She had lots of friends that came into Fourcast with her. She has made lots of new friends too. "That is a reason why Fourcast is my #1 favorite class," she says. "Something interesting in being the sports editor is going to games and taking photographs," Brooklyn says. Catching cool scenes on the basketball court sounds really fun. Overall, Fourcast changed Brooklyn's usual life. "It made it so much more interesting and thrilling." As you can see, after what these Upper Schoolers said, you can definitely tell Junior Brooklyn Friesen that Fourth Grade was super important is a sports editor at to them. Fourcast. She joined Fourcast as a sophomore. "I got my dream job," she says. a leader of the Lower School. "I was super excited to be a great role model for the little kids," Sophia says. When Sophia faced a challenge and her mother got sick, teachers would make her feel involved and a part of something. "Teachers change everything," she says. When it was time for her to leave Fourth Grade, Sophia felt confident to enter Middle School. "Fourth Grade is the grade that prepares you for everything."
3
October 2026
Rising to the Top
by Sofia Ahmed and Hayden Elizabeth McKissack
Varsity Tennis has started and we are ready to bring on the competition. You might be wondering how the tennis players keep up with homework and tennis. Well some players do their work during Study Hall, before their practice. Our number one player Margot Spikes started playing tennis when she was seven years old. Spikes says, "My favorite stroke is the serve because it looks so cool." With about fifteen to seventeen people on the team, it is a big deal to be number one. Speaking of tennis, the US Open just ended and our amazing coach, Coach Carol Thumlert witnessed it all and was cheering for Ben Shelton and Emma Navarro. Outside of tennis, Coach T loves riding her bike, reading, and playing with her dog. This is her twentieth year of coaching.
Wow that's a lot of years! Tennis is a great sport and it has a lot of coordination. Tennis helps you make bonds and go beyond your limits. You are a winner!
4
HockaNEWS
Under the Friday Night Lights: Daisies and Lions find joy in their sports By: Josephine Osburn and Sophia Acho
Hello Hockaday, this is Josephine Osburn and Sophia Acho writing about football player David Dickson and St. Mark's Cheerleader Josie Clifford. Dickson was asked the question: "What is the hardest part about being a football player?" Dickson replied: "The hardest part is the summer workouts and having the discipline to stay in shape for the fall season." Dickson said the team's favorite snacks before a game is grilled chicken, pasta and marinara sauce. The St. Mark's football team practices at the St. Mark's field from 6-8 a.m. Monday through Thursday and they have games on Friday. Dickson is a senior and is a running back on the football team.
A few months ago my partner Josephine and I interviewed cheerleader Josie Clifford. Here are a few facts about her: Josie did competitive gymnastics for 9-10 years, so she had a little bit of experience before she started cheer leading. One of Josie's favorite part of being a cheerleader is spending with her teammates and the positive environment. We asked Clifford what time she starts practice and how frequently they practice. Clifford answered, "We practice from 4:30-6:30 p.m. from Tuesday through Thursday, but sometimes we practice on Monday mornings from 6:30-8:30 a.m..
Another question we asked was "are you nervous for walking onto the field?" Clifford replied, "Yes, I get nervous about walking onto the field because some stunts don't always hit during halftime. Finally we asked: "What's your favorite snack to eat before a game?" Josie said, "A lot of the time we get Chick-fil-A before games and that's always a fun snack!" I think we can all learn a lesson from Dickson and Clifford about the importance of sports and how much fun we can have with them.
9
October 2026
Wordsearch
hockaday zipline musical circus scholarship daisy athletics character cornerstones courtesy green dallas jade library rotunda sage white
Crossword Puzzle
8
5
classes in fourth grade What's your PIC? New and what they teach
By: Luisa Blaesche and Clara Seline Have you ever wondered what its like to have new classes on your schedule? Well, this year is full of opportunities for the fourth graders as they explore a new class called P.I.C. The fourth graders have six options to pick from and then they get sorted into different classes. Here are some of the girls we interviewed in the different P.I.C. classes. First, two girls in Culinary Chemistry: Catherine Constantine and Bennet English. Bennet said that "on one day we do an experiment and another day you cook or you do it on the same day." Catherine Constantine said "that if you think one thing will happen something else might happen that will blow your mind." We asked what they have made so far and they said, salad with dressing and ice cream. Print and Purpose is another great class and Sullivan
Nance and Caetana Silva are in that class. Sullivan said that "you make a little magazine about something you are passionate about. Caetana said, "you make poems, write comments, and cut, glue, and paste magazines together." There's another class called Curious Coders. We have Amalia Vadia and Anna Johnson to tell us what they do. Amalia said that you learn coding, and Anna said you code a game on this website called Scratch and you can make things fall out of the sky. Have you ever wondered how to play the Ukulele? Well we have a ukulele class in P.I.C. called Uke Can Do It. Milly Ruggeri and Caroline Russ will tell us what they do. Milly said we learn the strings of the ukulele and learn how to play songs.
Caroline said that they will all perform together at gathering.. Do you want to learn about the sea? We have Grace Duong and Emma Herbst here to tell us what they do in the Under the Sea P.I.C. class.. Grace said that you research and you find a question and then you try to answer it. Emma said you get to find interesting facts. And last but not least take a look Inside the Newsroom. We've got Abigail Jin to tell
you what they do. Abigail said you write a newspaper for Lower School. She said the most interesting thing is that you get to interview people, "it was super fun and was my first choice," said Abigail. Now you know all about the first rotation fourth grade P.I.C. classes. I bet you'll love your P.I.C class when you get to fourth grade.
Courtesy Makes a Big Difference By: Eliana Irrobali
Every day, every morning, every afternoon, Sage is working, serving, preparing, baking, and cooking 1,300 - 1,400 meals a day! That’s a lot of meals ! ‘’There is a staff of 17 people, ‘’ Pearl Daniels says. Pearl Daniels is the Assistant Food Director (ASFD) for Sage. She started as the baker for Sage and has worked her job up to ASFD. Pearl has been working at Hockaday for almost 8
years. Pearl wakes up at 5:15 am to get to work on time! That’s really early! So, she’s probably tired at the end of the day. Pearl enjoys her job very much because of the staff and the wonderful and caring community. She has had baking experiences from when she was little. Pearl made chocolate chip cookies and homemade bread with her mom when she was little.
Her favorite food to prepare is grilled cheese sandwiches, and her favorite dessert to make is cheesecake. When she is not at work she likes to listen to Kpop music and enjoys crocheting. Everyone in Sage is so hard-working, helpful, and makes lunch actually happen. So that’s why we should be courteous and grateful to our lunch ladies.
6
The Life of a Teacher
HockaNEWS
By: Sanaya Khowaja
First is Leisa Woodward. Her favorite food is Mexican food and her favorite drink is Diet Coke. Her favorite dessert is strawberry cake and her favorite color is pink. Her favorite book is Charlotte’s Web and her favorite subject is reading. When she was younger her favorite subject was math. She thinks it is easier to teach multiple classes because she wouldn’t run out of ideas for teaching. And it would be boring teaching the same thing again. The schools she went to are Pleasant Grove Elementary, North Whitfield Middle School, and Northwest High School in Georgia. She has already taught kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade in Chicago and Georgia. When she went to college she thought she wanted to be an nurse, but then she realized she liked working with kids and became a teacher. She was very nervous on her first year of teaching but the kids loved her. She also liked to share her ideas with the teachers and plan the things for the next day.
Next is Shayna Durrin who is a 2nd grade teacher and she is new to Hockaday. Her favorite food is avocados and chocolate. Her favorite drink is water and she has been teaching for ten years. On her first year of teaching she was nervous because she thought the kids wouldn't like her but Meet the Teacher went well because it was nice meeting all the students. Her favorite subject is writing and her favorite book is Encyclopedia Brown. When she was younger, her favorite subject was reading. Her grandmother inspired her to be a teacher and she also really likes working with kids. She is also looking forward to Hockaday's traditions. Her favorite specials are PE and library. She has already taught at the Emory School in Houston and she also taught at Lamplighter and Greenhill. She thinks it's hard to teach all the classes at once and it would be fun to switch classes because you can go deeper with learning.
7
October 2026
Now is Autumn Schnitzius who teaches 3rd grade math and even though she is not new to Hockaday, she is new to 3rd grade. Her favorite food is Indian food, but she doesn't like it too spicy. Her favorite drink is Dr Pepper and she likes to play soccer, travel, and spend time with family. Two teachers that inspired her are Mr. Varning, her fifth grade teacher and Ms. Britton-Simmons, who was her high school teacher. She loves multiplication and has been teaching for 18 years. Another reason why she wanted to be a teacher is because when she was a teenager, she taught horseback riding and swimming. She also likes to make collaboration games and she likes to collaborate or work with the other teachers and kids. Her teaching skill is being flexible with sudden things. She also likes learning to teach. She was nervous if the kids didn't like her on the first day of teaching, but she enjoyed it. Meadowbrook was the first school she taught at.
Finally is Elizabeth Robinson who is a fourth grade teacher and her favorite food is steak and tacos. Her favorite drink is iced tea and cherry limeade. Her favorite color is blue and her favorite subject is math but when she was younger her favorite subject was reading and history. She was born in Plano and this her 21st year teaching. She has taught at Plano and New York City but thought Hockaday would be a good school and decided to teach here. She used to be a camp counselor when she was a teenager and she really liked collaborating with the kids. Mrs. Goodwin, her 10th grade teacher inspired her to be a teacher and she also loved playing math games so she decided to be a math teacher. On her first year of teaching, she was more excited than nervous and she really enjoyed listening to the kids and she hoped that they would understand that she cared about them.
6
The Life of a Teacher
HockaNEWS
By: Sanaya Khowaja
First is Leisa Woodward. Her favorite food is Mexican food and her favorite drink is Diet Coke. Her favorite dessert is strawberry cake and her favorite color is pink. Her favorite book is Charlotte’s Web and her favorite subject is reading. When she was younger her favorite subject was math. She thinks it is easier to teach multiple classes because she wouldn’t run out of ideas for teaching. And it would be boring teaching the same thing again. The schools she went to are Pleasant Grove Elementary, North Whitfield Middle School, and Northwest High School in Georgia. She has already taught kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade in Chicago and Georgia. When she went to college she thought she wanted to be an nurse, but then she realized she liked working with kids and became a teacher. She was very nervous on her first year of teaching but the kids loved her. She also liked to share her ideas with the teachers and plan the things for the next day.
Next is Shayna Durrin who is a 2nd grade teacher and she is new to Hockaday. Her favorite food is avocados and chocolate. Her favorite drink is water and she has been teaching for ten years. On her first year of teaching she was nervous because she thought the kids wouldn't like her but Meet the Teacher went well because it was nice meeting all the students. Her favorite subject is writing and her favorite book is Encyclopedia Brown. When she was younger, her favorite subject was reading. Her grandmother inspired her to be a teacher and she also really likes working with kids. She is also looking forward to Hockaday's traditions. Her favorite specials are PE and library. She has already taught at the Emory School in Houston and she also taught at Lamplighter and Greenhill. She thinks it's hard to teach all the classes at once and it would be fun to switch classes because you can go deeper with learning.
7
October 2026
Now is Autumn Schnitzius who teaches 3rd grade math and even though she is not new to Hockaday, she is new to 3rd grade. Her favorite food is Indian food, but she doesn't like it too spicy. Her favorite drink is Dr Pepper and she likes to play soccer, travel, and spend time with family. Two teachers that inspired her are Mr. Varning, her fifth grade teacher and Ms. Britton-Simmons, who was her high school teacher. She loves multiplication and has been teaching for 18 years. Another reason why she wanted to be a teacher is because when she was a teenager, she taught horseback riding and swimming. She also likes to make collaboration games and she likes to collaborate or work with the other teachers and kids. Her teaching skill is being flexible with sudden things. She also likes learning to teach. She was nervous if the kids didn't like her on the first day of teaching, but she enjoyed it. Meadowbrook was the first school she taught at.
Finally is Elizabeth Robinson who is a fourth grade teacher and her favorite food is steak and tacos. Her favorite drink is iced tea and cherry limeade. Her favorite color is blue and her favorite subject is math but when she was younger her favorite subject was reading and history. She was born in Plano and this her 21st year teaching. She has taught at Plano and New York City but thought Hockaday would be a good school and decided to teach here. She used to be a camp counselor when she was a teenager and she really liked collaborating with the kids. Mrs. Goodwin, her 10th grade teacher inspired her to be a teacher and she also loved playing math games so she decided to be a math teacher. On her first year of teaching, she was more excited than nervous and she really enjoyed listening to the kids and she hoped that they would understand that she cared about them.
8
5
classes in fourth grade What's your PIC? New and what they teach
By: Luisa Blaesche and Clara Seline Have you ever wondered what its like to have new classes on your schedule? Well, this year is full of opportunities for the fourth graders as they explore a new class called P.I.C. The fourth graders have six options to pick from and then they get sorted into different classes. Here are some of the girls we interviewed in the different P.I.C. classes. First, two girls in Culinary Chemistry: Catherine Constantine and Bennet English. Bennet said that "on one day we do an experiment and another day you cook or you do it on the same day." Catherine Constantine said "that if you think one thing will happen something else might happen that will blow your mind." We asked what they have made so far and they said, salad with dressing and ice cream. Print and Purpose is another great class and Sullivan
Nance and Caetana Silva are in that class. Sullivan said that "you make a little magazine about something you are passionate about. Caetana said, "you make poems, write comments, and cut, glue, and paste magazines together." There's another class called Curious Coders. We have Amalia Vadia and Anna Johnson to tell us what they do. Amalia said that you learn coding, and Anna said you code a game on this website called Scratch and you can make things fall out of the sky. Have you ever wondered how to play the Ukulele? Well we have a ukulele class in P.I.C. called Uke Can Do It. Milly Ruggeri and Caroline Russ will tell us what they do. Milly said we learn the strings of the ukulele and learn how to play songs.
Caroline said that they will all perform together at gathering.. Do you want to learn about the sea? We have Grace Duong and Emma Herbst here to tell us what they do in the Under the Sea P.I.C. class.. Grace said that you research and you find a question and then you try to answer it. Emma said you get to find interesting facts. And last but not least take a look Inside the Newsroom. We've got Abigail Jin to tell
you what they do. Abigail said you write a newspaper for Lower School. She said the most interesting thing is that you get to interview people, "it was super fun and was my first choice," said Abigail. Now you know all about the first rotation fourth grade P.I.C. classes. I bet you'll love your P.I.C class when you get to fourth grade.
Courtesy Makes a Big Difference By: Eliana Irrobali
Every day, every morning, every afternoon, Sage is working, serving, preparing, baking, and cooking 1,300 - 1,400 meals a day! That’s a lot of meals ! ‘’There is a staff of 17 people, ‘’ Pearl Daniels says. Pearl Daniels is the Assistant Food Director (ASFD) for Sage. She started as the baker for Sage and has worked her job up to ASFD. Pearl has been working at Hockaday for almost 8
years. Pearl wakes up at 5:15 am to get to work on time! That’s really early! So, she’s probably tired at the end of the day. Pearl enjoys her job very much because of the staff and the wonderful and caring community. She has had baking experiences from when she was little. Pearl made chocolate chip cookies and homemade bread with her mom when she was little.
Her favorite food to prepare is grilled cheese sandwiches, and her favorite dessert to make is cheesecake. When she is not at work she likes to listen to Kpop music and enjoys crocheting. Everyone in Sage is so hard-working, helpful, and makes lunch actually happen. So that’s why we should be courteous and grateful to our lunch ladies.
4
HockaNEWS
Under the Friday Night Lights: Daisies and Lions find joy in their sports By: Josephine Osburn and Sophia Acho
Hello Hockaday, this is Josephine Osburn and Sophia Acho writing about football player David Dickson and St. Mark's Cheerleader Josie Clifford. Dickson was asked the question: "What is the hardest part about being a football player?" Dickson replied: "The hardest part is the summer workouts and having the discipline to stay in shape for the fall season." Dickson said the team's favorite snacks before a game is grilled chicken, pasta and marinara sauce. The St. Mark's football team practices at the St. Mark's field from 6-8 a.m. Monday through Thursday and they have games on Friday. Dickson is a senior and is a running back on the football team.
A few months ago my partner Josephine and I interviewed cheerleader Josie Clifford. Here are a few facts about her: Josie did competitive gymnastics for 9-10 years, so she had a little bit of experience before she started cheer leading. One of Josie's favorite part of being a cheerleader is spending with her teammates and the positive environment. We asked Clifford what time she starts practice and how frequently they practice. Clifford answered, "We practice from 4:30-6:30 p.m. from Tuesday through Thursday, but sometimes we practice on Monday mornings from 6:30-8:30 a.m..
Another question we asked was "are you nervous for walking onto the field?" Clifford replied, "Yes, I get nervous about walking onto the field because some stunts don't always hit during halftime. Finally we asked: "What's your favorite snack to eat before a game?" Josie said, "A lot of the time we get Chick-fil-A before games and that's always a fun snack!" I think we can all learn a lesson from Dickson and Clifford about the importance of sports and how much fun we can have with them.
9
October 2026
Wordsearch
hockaday zipline musical circus scholarship daisy athletics character cornerstones courtesy green dallas jade library rotunda sage white
Crossword Puzzle
10
The Fourth Grade Feeling
HockaNEWS
by Abigail Jin
My name is Abigail. I am currently in Fourth Grade and I am new to Hockaday. This is my first year in the Hockaday community so I want to know more about Fourth Grade experiences. I interviewed three Upper School students who have experience Fourth Grade before. Here is what they have to say.
Junior Avery Lannen says she felt excited and a little bit nervous of all the changes. "It was a huge shift," she says. When Avery first joined Fourth Grade, she says she fells that it's like an end of an era. Change of uniforms also overwhelmed her.
"From jumpers to skirts, I feel completely different," she says. And at challenging times, Avery says teachers were really supportive and helpful. "I didn't get fractions, and teachers made them so much easier for me," Avery says. Finally, it was time for Middle School. Avery felt very excited to go into Fifth Grade. "Fourth Grade prepared me for Middle School," she says.
Sophomore Sophia Marsh says she was in Fourth Grade when it was COVID year. So everybody was a lot closer together and they had a lot of fun. When it was Sophia's turn to be in Fourth Grade, she was excited about being a
Brooklyn was interested in journalism since Fourth Grade. She had lots of friends that came into Fourcast with her. She has made lots of new friends too. "That is a reason why Fourcast is my #1 favorite class," she says. "Something interesting in being the sports editor is going to games and taking photographs," Brooklyn says. Catching cool scenes on the basketball court sounds really fun. Overall, Fourcast changed Brooklyn's usual life. "It made it so much more interesting and thrilling." As you can see, after what these Upper Schoolers said, you can definitely tell Junior Brooklyn Friesen that Fourth Grade was super important is a sports editor at to them. Fourcast. She joined Fourcast as a sophomore. "I got my dream job," she says. a leader of the Lower School. "I was super excited to be a great role model for the little kids," Sophia says. When Sophia faced a challenge and her mother got sick, teachers would make her feel involved and a part of something. "Teachers change everything," she says. When it was time for her to leave Fourth Grade, Sophia felt confident to enter Middle School. "Fourth Grade is the grade that prepares you for everything."
3
October 2026
Rising to the Top
by Sofia Ahmed and Hayden Elizabeth McKissack
Varsity Tennis has started and we are ready to bring on the competition. You might be wondering how the tennis players keep up with homework and tennis. Well some players do their work during Study Hall, before their practice. Our number one player Margot Spikes started playing tennis when she was seven years old. Spikes says, "My favorite stroke is the serve because it looks so cool." With about fifteen to seventeen people on the team, it is a big deal to be number one. Speaking of tennis, the US Open just ended and our amazing coach, Coach Carol Thumlert witnessed it all and was cheering for Ben Shelton and Emma Navarro. Outside of tennis, Coach T loves riding her bike, reading, and playing with her dog. This is her twentieth year of coaching.
Wow that's a lot of years! Tennis is a great sport and it has a lot of coordination. Tennis helps you make bonds and go beyond your limits. You are a winner!
2
Life with Lacrosse
HockaNEWS
By Kyla Raval
My name is Kyla Raval and this paper is diving deep into a life of playing lacrosse and all the challenges it may bring. I interviewed junior Vera Hammer and this is what she had to say. She told me that she started lacrosse in sixth grade. She's played lacrosse for five years. I wondered how she balanced school work and lacrosse without being behind on one of them. Her answer was what I expected. She told me about how she had to use some of her free time at school and whenever she got it at home. She also mentioned how sometimes she had to stay up pretty late just to get some practice or school work in! Which led me to my next question: If you worked so hard to do this sport, what keeps you motivated to play it? Hammer didn't waste a second to answer this question, and automatically she told me that she noticed everyone was doing it, so she thought "let me give it a try!" She asked her mom and just like that she was loving lacrosse and made friends. Just like me, Hammer plays defense and thinks it is a very important position because without defense the team would fail.
11
October 2026
Behind the Scenes of the 8th Grade Musical By Reese Renkes and Coco Desai
I totally agree with her. Just when I was telling her about how I also played defense, my next idea popped into my head. I already knew about Hammer and her lacrosse life, but if you're a writer you're always thirsty for more. She told me that the lacrosse team had just won the championships. She told me that she felt like all of her hard work had paid off while bursting with joy. Like I said in the introduction, Vera had challenges and not all the good ones. I didn't know this until I met her. She broke her thumb in September. It was very sad. Not being able to play her favorite sport for a while must have been hard. I wanted to get back to the good stuff, so I asked a question that everyone likes: What are your favorite traditions?
Vera took a second to answer this, then finally told me how her team would write compliments to each other and you wouldn't know who it was from. I asked Vera: What is your worst fear? Hammer told me how some of the players were really big and strong and how some were even scary. I totally agreed with her! I asked her if she had any times where she wanted to quit and how she got over that. She told me in the beginning, it felt impossible but after a good long talk with her mom, she kept progressing! Vera made connections with people in the grade above. Connections with your teammates are so important in sports. I hope you liked this article: all the fun, sad, and amazing stuff. Thank you for reading!
This year’s eighth grade musical is Annie presented by the Class of 2031. This grade has worked so hard to bring the musical to life. From the actors to the tech crew, this is going to be an amazing production. Here are a few things the cast said. First, Miss Hadley Boyle auditioned for Miss Hannigan, but got Mr. Warbucks. In her audition, she sang Little Girls, Easy Street, I Don’t Need Anything But You, and Tomorrow. Miss Boyle gets into character by taking a moment and tries to feel how the character feels. Then we interviewed Liv Kane. She tried out and got a dancer. She is looking forward to learning NYC.
Next we interviewed Zoya Khan. She loves to act and wanted to be Annie. Before she found out she got Annie, during her audition, she sang Tomorrow. And here’s a few words she said, “I get into character by taking a moment and thinking that the character has been through and think what it would feel like if it happened to me". After that we interviewed Kate Sanders. She is one of many stage managers and also designs sets. Kate’s favorite set is Mr. Warbucks' house because it has purple, which is her favorite color.
She said, “The most difficult thing about changing sets is you have to go fast but you have be careful not to run into people because it’s dark.” Seeing all the characteristics come together is where the magic happens. To make this year’s musical come to life. You are also welcome to come see Annie Junior on October 22nd and 23rd. This grade has worked so hard from the dancers to the stage managers. If you come see this production, we hope you enjoy!
Brought to you by: In the Newsroom 2026
Sophia Acho Eliana Irrobali Sofia Ahmed Abigail Jin Luisa Blaesche Sanaya Khowaja Coco Desai Hayden Elizabeth McKissack
Josephine Osburn Kyla Raval Reese Renkes Clara Seline
Special thanks to our teachers Mrs. Coulonge and Mrs. Hunter!
HockaNews 2026