All About Chickens

photos and story by Sydney S.

Chickens are intelligent birds, and we’re lucky enough to have the chance to get to know them. I asked two YMS students about their opinions on chickens. From the best things about them to the color of their eggs, you can learn more about these outstanding birds.

Aria, a 7th grader, said that her favorite thing about chickens is how their personality differs so drastically from chicken to chicken. Some can be curious, while others can be more docile. Kora, a 6th grader, noted that her favorite thing is their feathers. Other good qualities are that they will eat anything because they’re omnivores and they’re natural bug control.

Aria also said that her least favorite thing is the constant cleaning of poop and the flies that come with bug season. Kora said that she hated their loud sound. These are both true, and chickens are also very high-maintenance animals.

Kora would definitely encourage others to get chickens because you can get free eggs daily. Aria agreed, saying you should get them to learn about owning an outside animal and to learn responsibility.

They both agreed that they would want colored eggs. Chickens can lay blue, green, olive, cream, and pink-tinted eggs. Aria said her favorite color of egg is ruby red and Kora’s favorite is brown.

They both quickly noted that their favorite colored chickens are black chickens. Aria described their feathers as ‘almost rainbow in the sunlight’. Other good breeds include Buff Orpingtons who are friendly, Black Australorps, Rhode Island Reds who are hardy, and Barred Rocks who are steady!

Chickens are amazing creatures,and I hope you learned something new about them today!


Sources:

https://greenamerica.org/green-living/many-benefits-backyard-chickens

Med Camp

by Kenley S.

Med Camp is a program for 7th graders. It is a day set aside to learn about health and make healthy decisions. It is held in the school gym. This program that makes this happen is called Area Health Education Center. They teach students how to perform CPR and other medical procedures. I interviewed Mrs. Schaffer, and she said the students enjoy it, it is very interactive, and it is cool to be around. Med Camp is scheduled for this Wednesday, April 22, 2026.

YMS Drama Performance Selection

by Hattie H. 

This semester, the Drama classes are doing “The Twelve Angry Pigs.” The play is about twelve pigs convicting a person accused of blowing down two houses. A movie was made after the play called “The Twelve Angry Men.” The play is full of arguments, jokes, and confusing characters. The play teaches you the importance of critical thinking, looking beyond prejudice, not jumping to conclusions without evidence, and not following the crowd unless you truly believe in it.

Being on the Newspaper Staff - One Reporter's Perspective

by Sloane H. 

The Yankton School System has a good way of providing students with quality clubs, programs, and extra classes. One of which includes the YMS Newspaper class. My experience was definitely a fun one, with meeting new friends, exploring new topics, and improving my public writing skills. It truly has been a fun roller coaster of unique stories from all points of view.

Since joining in my sixth-grade year, every month has been a different experience. It's like everything is planned out, yet exact opposites, all at the same time, every time. Most are about topics that you can pick, so it's not exactly like homework you don't want to do. The one thing you can’t pick, is that everything you write about has to be related to either YMS, stuff happening in Yankton, or things around South Dakota.

Making friends has never been easier this way. Picture this: You're able to partner up with anyone who's willing to be in the Newspaper community. If you want to do a solo project, you can still make friends that way. For example, every month there are work days to visit Mrs. Andrews’ room to work on assignments for Newspaper, most people go to those. You can make contact on similar topics, and have deep connections even in different grades.

To add to this, Newspaper has improved my day to day life in a lot of ways. It has me double check on what I'm writing and fix mistakes when writing it. I feel free when typing whatever comes to mind, but it's alright to write things down on paper first. Having a rough draft for informational topics is a clever way to redraft my work and make it the best it can be to post to the public. All of these have led me to understand story structure and opinion writing better.

In conclusion, the experience is very fun and helps you in countless ways. This very article would have been very different if not for the stuff you can learn at YMS Newspaper. Every memory made, from attending meetings, to publishing projects, will be remembered and loved. Even if it has to end in a couple months from now, if sure has been fun, can't wait to get to work on more articles soon!

Easter Myths!

by Cate H.

Easter is a very treasured holiday in history. I have 10 crazy myths to tell you!

1. The Easter Bunny came from a Germanic tribe myth.
2. 1.5 MILLION Peeps are consumed each year.
3. American’s eat over 16 MILLION jelly beans a year.
4. Before chocolate, Prentzelts were originally gifted to others.
5. An old German custom involves dancing around eggs without cracking them.
6. In Germany it is common to hand painted eggs on a tree.
7. The most expensive egg was bought for around 7,000 euro in the UK.
8. In Greece eggs are usually dyed red to symbolize the blood of Christ.
9. The world biggest chocolate egg is about 33 feet tall and 15,000 pounds! Imagine being crushed by a chocolate egg!
10. The first ever chocolate egg was in 1873, Bristol, UK.

State Testing Season

by Saige N.

Sorry to say it, people, but State tests are coming up. I know seventh- and eighth-graders just took some big tests, but those didn’t count. Let's hope you remember all the things you learned this year in math and ELA, but you eighth-graders have to take a science test, too. It will include things from the past 3 years, so you might need a refresher. I’d get on that if I were you. I personally remember nothing from sixth grade. At least we have different periods to go to, unlike elementary kids, who pretty much have to sit there for 5 hours. Let's all get through this together. Good luck to you all.

Time For Track!

by Addie E. 

It is finally time for 6th grade track! Whoever wants to join will be training either on Mondays and Wednesdays, or Tuesdays and Fridays! Then at the end of the year they will have their one meet! Let's wish them good luck with their season!

The coaches for the middle school track team are Jamie Tramp and Nikki Iwan . Coach Tramp is going to split the students who sign up into two groups. The first group will be practicing on Mondays and Wednesdays, while the second group will have their practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The two groups will also alternate with Friday.

There will be one meet, on May 12, Tuesday. Jamie Tramp says it is an “Intramural track meet.” If the track would like to participate in track they must keep up with their homework or Mrs. Tramp will have to send them to their teachers to work on whatever they need to.

The track team will start practices on Tuesday, March 24, the day after the meeting to sign up in the lecture hall. So track is finally here! Let’s wish the YMS track team a great season! Good luck Bucks and Gazzels!