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ISSUE 1, VOL. 3

SEPTEMBER 2026

THE RAPTOR REPORTZ IS A STUDENT-CREATED, STUDENT-WRITTEN NEWSPAPER, BRINGING YOU NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT FROM LRIS.

WELCOME BACK! WELCOME TO LANDIS RUN, FIFTH GRADERS! BY ARI LEVINE EDITED BY CHARLIE AXFORD

Welcome to Landis Run, new 5th graders! Adjusting to a new school will take a little bit of time, but if you push through, it will be easy! One thing you can do to help adjust is to get to know your team. You can connect with new students from other elementary schools and your teachers! Some discussion topics are sports teams, favorite items, or even your elementary schools!! Landis Run may be bigger than your elementary school, but you can very easily get used to a big school! Some tips for adjusting to a bigger school: 1. Learn your way around: Ask your teacher to take other routes to related arts or recess! 2. Sign up for band or other extracurriculars! These activities are placed in all of the unusual areas around the school! Check out Hazel & Zoey’s article about this on page 2! Adjusting to a new school may seem hard, but if you follow these tips, the time will fly by!!

CAUTION: CONSTRUCTION AHEAD! Have you noticed all the construction happening outside of Landis Run this year? It's kind of exciting to watch! The district built a brand-new road called Landis Run Drive that branches off of Blue Streak Boulevard, which should help cut down on all the traffic around our school during dismissal and arrival. They're also expanding the parking lot and adding new lots along the drive, which will be really helpful for after-school events like Back-to-School Night, Arts Night, and concerts. Another cool part of the project is a new maintenance and storage building with a barn-inspired design — it's going to have an office, garage bays, and even storage for food services. It's a pretty big change compared to last year, when there was no construction near the parking spots at all and no transition times built into our schedule. It'll definitely be interesting to see how different Landis Run looks once all this construction is finished! SOURCE: LNP

ISSUE 1, VOL. 2

RAPTOR REPORTZ

SEPTEMBER 2026

STUDENT LIFE GETTING INVOLVED AT LRIS BY ZOEY KAREEM, HAZEL MCILVAIN, AND LEO GRENTER

Here at LRIS, we spend a lot of time working hard: completing classwork, finishing homework, and studying for tests, but there are a lot of amazing opportunities that students can get involved in that our Landis Run provides to enrich your school year. Many opportunities are awaiting you. Here is a list of just a few of the different things to do. Girls on the Run for 5th grade, and Heart and Sole for 6th grade, are great opportunities to get moving with other girls. With 75-90 minute sessions, these clubs are fantastic for empowering girls to be the best version of themselves. As the website says, “meeting in small teams, trained volunteer coaches inspire girls to build confidence through interactive lessons and physical activities.” Another club is Math for Girls. As Shanvi Jeagan says, this is a club to challenge and enrich your math skills, while having fun. You can hang out with your friends and have a sweet treat towards the end! Band and Orchestra are our two amazing musical groups led by two amazing teachers, Mrs. Scott and Mrs. Earley. The groups meet twice a week at REM and have so many different types of instruments. The orchestra includes all of the string instruments: the violin, viola, cello, and bass, which altogether makes such a beautiful sound! The orchestra plays a wide range of songs; they can be exciting, mysterious, classical, emotional, and more! The band has a wide variety of amazing instruments, including the trumpet, alto saxophone, euphonium, French horn, flute, clarinet, trombone, and tuba. The percussion includes bass and snare drums, as well as bells and anything else you can think of! The band plays lots of upbeat and beautiful songs that people are usually still humming along to days after they hear them. If you are in sixth grade and you love playing your instrument so much that you find yourself wanting more music, then you can also join Friday ensemble. This takes place on Friday at REM, and it is for both Band and Orchestra. Chorus is also an amazing musical ensemble that has the chance to perform at concerts and assemblies and also meets biweekly at REM. You can even participate in a chorus festival that includes the middle and high school! As Emma Yocum puts it, “I think chorus is a fun, learning, music experience. I think it's fun because you get to learn different parts, part one and part two. Part one is typically higher, while part two usually is lower. You get to harmonize and see how it sounds.”

If you like physical activities and exploring your faith, then FCA (Fellowship for Christian Athletes) is the place for you! You can hang out with friends, play games, and do a bible study. The drop-off time is 7:15 on Friday mornings, so you might have to wake up a little earlier. If you're not a morning person, then maybe Bible-2School is a better fit for you. During your lunch period, you are transported to Calvary Church on a bus, where you eat lunch, do a bible study, and have fun! Leaders of Future Generations (LFG) and FOR Club are clubs you can get recommended to by your teachers. LFG is a seasonal club that takes place after school. As a former LFG student, Katelyn Space, puts it, “(LFG) is for students who stand out by being leaders in their classrooms. We have a gathering twice a week to talk about how we can be a better leader and show our leadership qualities! At the end of LFG, we do a field trip to show off our leadership skills! (It could be going to a hospital, retirement home, school, etc.) we mainly just focus on leadership skills and how we can become a better leader!” FOR Club (or Friends of Rachel) is an organization that is based on a girl who showed an extraordinary level of kindness all throughout her tragically short life. FOR club members show love, kindness, and respect to teachers and students alike. They hold monthly meetings and occasionally have fundraisers. “We do things around the school that benefit the students. Last year we wrote positive quotes for PSSA’s. We also took the incoming fourth graders on tours, made positive posters, did food drives, and made gifts for new students,ˮ Two FOR club members, Tyler Paine and Brecken Stauffer, had shared. Envirothon is a club that meets after school. You can study animals and environments around us. If you would like to join, there will be an announcement, and you will find the permission slips in the office.

Continued on page 2

FOR club members, Katelyn Space and Ella Fenstermacher

ISSUE 1, VOL. 2

RAPTOR REPORTZ

SEPTEMBER 2026

STUDENT LIFE 6TH GRADE: WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY BY MACKENZIE FLETCHER

At this time of the year, everything is geared towards fifth graders. But as a sixth grader, I realized we need a little help too. So let me ask you a quick question: how do you feel about being at the top of the school? If it’s not what you thought, why do you think that is? Some may say the sixth graders were different last year. Maybe they talked more with the fifth graders, maybe they were nicer or meaner, or maybe it’s because you're still the same person and so are your friends and classmates. What I mean by that is everyone’s the same. You probably don’t look that different from last year, and you might like most of the same things just that now you’re older. If last year you thought the sixth graders were mean, let me start off by saying I’m sorry. Hopefully nobody was unkind to you. The sixth graders last year should’ve been nice to you, not only because they should be nice to everyone but also to set a good example. As sixth graders, many fifth graders look up to you whether you know them or not. What you think is cool, they probably think it’s cool too.

GETTING INVOLVED AT LANDIS RUN, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 Raptor Reportz is a club where you help write the school newspaper every month. You can write articles, make comics, create calendars, type quizzes, edit other students' articles, and more! If you would like to join, please contact Mrs. DiNardi. Math 24 is a place where you can have fun around so many kind people with the same interests as you,” Marshall Hintz, and Emmy Catania comment. “Run by Mrs. Wood for 6th grade and Miss Hess for fifth grade, it is a super fun way to work on your math skills. The rules are really simple. Make 24 out of the four numbers on the cards, using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. No homework, no stress, just fun. All the fifth graders play against the top 24 fourth graders and sixth grade has its own tournament. It is overall a great place to be.ˮ

For me, I always thought it was super cool to hang out with my older brothers and their friends; that would result in me doing stuff I was probably too young for. What I mean by that is that if you start racing the halls, the fifth graders passing by may start to run. Now, how do you make sure you’re setting a good example for the fifth graders? The first way is to always follow the school rules. Now that’s kinda obvious, but you might pull out your phone on the bus and think it’s fine if your bus driver doesn’t notice. But it’s not! Having a good character means doing what’s right even if nobody is watching. Which means, don’t eat on the bus, don’t pull out your phone, don’t yell on the bus, and don’t switch seats. Also try your best to pick up trash even if it’s not yours. While you are in the hallway, don’t run or race anyone. Also, watch where you’re going so you don’t bump into anyone. While walking, don’t have your iPad open because you could drop it and break it! If you’ve ever been distracted by people in the hall, did you think it was annoying? If so, try not to be annoying. What I mean by that is, don’t poke your head into classrooms because your friend is in there. Also, don’t talk in the hall, especially while passing a classroom with its door open. That can be really distracting when people are being loud outside. Also, this is obvious, but listen to what your teachers are saying and what their specific rules are. This is all to make sure that our school runs smoothly and so we can have more fun.

Homework Help is a club where you can catch up or get help with any homework for any subject. High School students come over to help you so you can be more comfortable with people closer to your age. It takes place in the library on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and we hope to see you there. Reading Olympics is a club where you have a list of assigned books and answer questions about them. You are expected to try out to make the team, and the person who does the best at try-outs becomes team captain. You have around a month to prepare with weekly meetings in Mrs. DiNardi’s fifth grade room (room 209), then eventually you go on a trip to the IU13 to compete with other teams around the counties! The Reading Olympic events are not designed as a competition, but rather a celebration of the reading that has occurred throughout the school year in our counties. Overall, Landis Run is full of great opportunities to explore your interests, try new things, and have fun this school year!

ISSUE 1, VOL. 2

RAPTOR REPORTZ

SEPTEMBER 2026

MUSIC ST

TIPS FOR 1 YEAR MUSICIANS

1ST YEAR BAND REHEARSAL

BY: MACKENZIE FLETCHER, HADRIAN CAMPOS & ADELE SALEM Hello! If you don’t know me, my name is Mackenzie Fletcher. I’m in sixth grade, and like a lot of you, I play an instrument. I play the violin in second-year orchestra. Trust me, I know how overwhelming orchestra and band can seem at the beginning of the year. I wanted to give you a few tips to make the first year of orchestra a little less overwhelming. My friend and fellow writer, Hadrian Campos, will be giving tips for all of the band students. My first tip, which is probably the most helpful, is to always ask for help! Your teachers know what they are doing and can answer any questions you may have. At the beginning of the year, I tried to do everything myself. That resulted in me feeling really down after I tried to play. After asking for help, I actually started to improve and learn. My next tip is to set an alarm for your sectional time. You might think that you’ll be able to remember what time to go to your sectional, but most of the time people don’t have an alarm set, and then they are working on something and forget. So at least for the first few weeks, set an alarm. Last year I was a 5 Hawk, so I left about five minutes early. How early you need to leave mostly depends on where you are leaving from. For example, if you’re leaving from the gym or the music hallway, you’ll probably only have to leave one to two minutes early. Which leads me to my next tip: give yourself time to unpack. My name is Hadrian Campos. I am here to tell you about school band. Band is similar to orchestra; there will be sectionals, REM band, and outside-of-school practice on your own. Come to REM band as much as you can, and try to come every day you can. Sectionals are already so short, so you want to have the most time you can to play. I recommend getting there a minute early to unpack and get what you need. However, if there’s another sectional, try your best to be quiet and to not interrupt. My last tip for now is to always keep your head held high. By that I mean never feel bad about your playing and never discourage others. Every instrument is hard, no matter what you’re playing. Just try your best and have fun!

I’m Adele Salem, and I sing in chorus. Here is some helpful information about the chorus for fifth graders. (And new sixth graders, you’re with Mrs. Richerts.) There are no tryouts to join. You meet on the stage, which is in the gym, behind the curtain. Yes, that’s whatʼs back there! You meet on Monday and Tuesday during REM for fifth grade and Wednesday and Thursday for sixth grade. Pack up before REM and bring your bag; we dismiss from the stage. Mrs. Beakes will most likely give you a booklet or paper with the lyrics to a song for every song. In every semester, you learn about 4-6 songs. We get pretty good, but you need to focus. The risers have four levels and go by height. Shortest on bottom and tallest on top. You can stand on the risers with your friends, but behave; we’re serious. Don’t worry, though. It’s fun! There are tryouts to do the occasional solo or simple instrument. And all these practices pay off. We do concerts at the high school in the winter and spring, one per semester. You can join in the middle of the year when we start up again; we do different songs. The winter concert focuses on wintery, holiday songs. For the dress code, wear dressy, formal clothes and bring your family. 5th and 6th grade do the concert on the same night; 5th grade does theirs and 6th grade does ours, and then we do a joint song. Finally, remember the whole point is to have fun. I always thought my singing was bad, but nobody made fun of me. Now I’m more confident. That’s because we encourage each other. We’re nice, so chorus becomes a good experience and a happy, safe space. Hope this helps!

ISSUE 1, VOL. 2

RAPTOR REPORTZ

SEPTEMBER 2026

STUDENT LIFE Places & People at LRIS Pictures by Ari Levine and Jacob Topper

OFFICE

The office is a place you probably won’t go to that often, but there are still many cool things about it! If you ever have an early dismissal, the office is where you’ll go. A tip that I have for early dismissals is to try to get to the office a little before you’re meant to be picked up. Another reason you could go to the office that you should typically try to avoid is if you forget something. If you do end up forgetting something, though, just head over to the office, and they can call your parents. Once your item is dropped off, the office will update the items dropped off list. You can access this list on the QR codes in every homeroom. Another reason you could go to the office is if you see something happening and need to talk to a principal. You should really only need to go to the principal if it’s something a teacher or your bus driver canʼt handle.

MUSIC HALL There are many reasons you may go to the music hall. The main reason is for music class. Mrs. Richerts’ and Mrs. Beakes’ music classrooms are both located in the music hall. The other music-related reason you might go to the music hall is for band and orchestra. You will have your sectionals and full group band or orchestra in either Mrs. Earley’s room or Mrs. Scott’s room. The last reason you might go to the music hallway actually isn’t music-related! It’s a little misleading, but in the music hallway we have our fitness room; you’ll probably only go here with your gym class. There are a few floors that might go to the fitness room during Fun Fridays, though! Hope this helped you learn something about the music hall!

THE SECRET SUPERHEROES OF LANDIS RUN

That means that can help if you need to make a phone call, if you forget something, or if you miss the bus. They make announcements over the loudspeaker, they organize your early dismissals, they organize your office notes, and so much more!!

BY MACKENZIE FLETCHER

Many people don’t know who Mrs. Powers and Mrs . Larsen are or what they do for our school. They are our school secretaries.

MRS. POWERS

MRS. LARSEN

ISSUE 1, VOL. 3

RAPTOR REPORTZ

SEPTEMBER 2026

ENTERTAINMENT DOLLY PARTON:

DOLLY PARTON

AN AMERICAN IDOL BY STELLA VALENTIN DOLLY PARTON Dolly Parton was a singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman. In her career, she sold over 100 million records! She wrote 3,000 songs and became one of the most culturally unifying figures in modern history. She lived to be 80 and passed away on August 25, 2026. She was secretly diagnosed with cancer but did not tell anyone because she did not want to worry anyone. CHARITY Dolly Parton held many charities; for example, “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library,” was a fundraiser started in 1995 where new, free, high-quality books were sent to kids from birth to age 5. It was inspired by her father, who never learned to read. Dolly Parton has gifted 200 million books worldwide. Another charity that Dolly Parton did was “The Buddy Program.” She reduced the amount of high schoolers dropping out of school in Tennessee by promising every seventh- and eighth-grader $500 if they successfully graduate. CONCLUSION Dolly Parton was a wonderful person. She helped others with her charities and changed a lot of people's lives. In the words of Dolly Parton, “We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”

SURVEY SAYS...

Scan the code to tell us your opinion on this month’s survey! The results will be shared in our next issue.

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." Dolly Parton January 19, 1946 - August 25 2026

JOIN OUR TEAM! Let us tell you a little bit about us. We will be making a newspaper every month. We are looking for new recruits so that we can create more articles for the school. Do you like to write? We’d love to have you join the Raptor Reportz team! Scan or click on the QR code to fill out an interest form, and weʼll be in touch!

ISSUE 1, VOL. 3

RAPTOR REPORTZ

SEPTEMBER 2026

STUDENT LIFE BASH THE RIDICULOUS B Y J A C O B T O P P E R A N D S E B A S T A I N S CA E F F E R (This article was approved by Sebastian Christoffel)

PART 1: THE GAGA GAMBLE Some rather interesting things happened at recess Gaga today. As you know, there is a Gaga pit in the recess yard to play Gaga, obviously. But there is just this one person who really makes Gaga interesting: Sebastian Christoffel. Also known as “Bash.” In Gaga, Bash made a rather weird play. As the ball was sent into the air to start the game, the game was pretty normal so far. People were screaming, “Iʼm not out!ˮ and causing mayhem until a kid named “Andrewˮ got the ball and started bouncing it against the wall. He was taking a little while, so Bash The Ridiculous stepped into the action. Bash crawled underneath Andrew’s legs and stole the ball from underneath him! The pit erupted into a continuous roar of screaming and shouting, shocked at the scene of the insane play! No one had ever seen anything like it. It was amazing. Seconds later, Bash smoked Andrew, sending the ball flying with the hit of his fist. But without further ado, let’s get to the interview!

Q1: WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN THAT PLAY HAPPENED? A: Bash said, ”Dino Chicken Nuggetsˮ Q2: WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THAT WAY TO STEAL THE BALL? A: Bash said, ”Andrewʼs a cheater.ˮ Q3: IS THIS YOUR NEW SIGNATURE MOVE? A: Bash said, ”Yesˮ Q4: ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD? A: Bash said, “Go Ohio State!” Until next time, Folks. If you liked this article, there will be more to the series! Get ready for more “Bash The Ridiculous!”

r R A a L l U u B b U u T Z W E I V E R r

BY LUKE DORSEY THE GREAT Hello to everyone here! This is the awesome allnew “Tubular Reviewz” what I do here is review certain products, it could be anything! So the first review is a tubular board game called, “Magical Athlete” published by cmyk.games. It uses pretty abstract characters with the ultimate goal being to get to the finish line first and win the most points after 4 races. It’s pretty awesome to pull out a huge baby or decimate the competition with a rocket scientist

September S M T W TH F 1

NO SCHOOL

Labor Day NO SCHOOL

Health screenings, all:height, weight, 5th grade back to 6th grade back to vision. 6th: scoliosis school night 6pm school night 6pm 14th-18th

21 NO SCHOOL Yom Kippur

22 First day of Fall

NO SCHOOL

Picture Day

Patriot Day

Back to school CELEBRATION!

24 Health screenings, all:height, weight, vision. 6th: scoliosis. 22nd-24th

October

S M T W TH F 4

9 NO SCHOOL for teacher day

10 NO SCHOOL

Early dismissal

5th grade

FUN NIGHT Overlook Skating 5:30-7:30

11 NO SCHOOL

12 NO SCHOOL

23 Picture Retakes

31 HALLOWEEN!

ISSUE 1, VOL. 3

RAPTOR REPORTZ

SEPTEMBER 2026

FUN & GAMES Directions: In Sudoku, you have to fill a nine-by-nine grid with the numbers one through nine. Some numbers might be filled in already. The same numbers can’t be in the same column or row. Then you fill in the numbers until the whole board is filled.

Sept Fu n N a t i oe m b e r 9f a c t : C a n n a l S ut h ( 9 / 9 ) you g u e s d o k u Dw a s s wh y ? a y.