Girls Basketball Starts!

by Aria H.

On October 20th, 2025, girls basketball officially tipped off at Yankton Middle School! Basketball is a fast-paced, teamwork-driven sport that requires skill, coordination, and dedication. It was first introduced to women in 1892 at Smith College—just one year after the sport itself was invented. No wonder so many young athletes are eager to join this season!

To learn more about the excitement surrounding this year’s team, I interviewed a few of the players.

First, I spoke with Jocelyn H.
I began by asking, “Are you excited for the season to start?”
She smiled and answered, “Yes, because it gives me something to do during the school year.”

I followed up with, “What do you think you’re best at in basketball?”
Without hesitation, Jocelyn replied, “I think I’m best at shooting!”

She also told me that she played last year — and when I asked why she decided to join again, Jocelyn said, “Because I played basketball last year and I enjoyed it!”
It’s always inspiring to see someone stick with something they truly love.

I then got the chance to talk with Nora B., one of the players on the seventh-grade basketball team. My first question for her was, “Are you excited for the season to start?” She grinned and said enthusiastically, “Yes!”

When I asked what she thought she was best at in basketball, Nora replied, “I think I’m best at shooting from the block.” She told me she also played basketball last year, so this isn’t her first season on the court.

Finally, I asked why she decided to sign up again this year. With a big smile, she said, “I signed up for basketball because it’s my favorite sport, and it’s the one I think I’m best at.”

After our chat, I thanked her for her time and headed off feeling excited for the season ahead too.

As the season gets underway, it’s clear that the Yankton Middle School girls’ basketball team is ready to give it their all. With teamwork, determination, and plenty of school spirit, these players are sure to make this season one to remember. Go Gazelles!

Happy Halloween from YMS!

 Peyton and Sofia have been hard at work interviewing teachers and staff about their Halloween decorations around YMS!

Part 1 = 

Part 2 = 

Spooooooky Story!: The Hot Dog Broom Retold

By Sydney S.

Before school on a very, very foggy Halloween day, my friends dared me to climb the tallest tree by our school. We all called it the Sky Touched Tree because it always seemed to touch the sky. On this particular day, it appeared extra menacing, but I could never turn down a dare. . . . . and I still had some time before school officially started. I mean, I really had no choice if you think about it.

I started to climb, and climb, and climb. I kept thinking the tree must end somewhere, and I must be getting close because I could almost touch the clouds, but it just didn’t stop, and I just kept climbing.

Then I saw it. Green, wicked-looking people standing on the clouds with brooms. At that moment, I had a quick thought- witches - and I knew I had to, just had to keep going. I was on the middle school's newspaper, and maybe the witch-like people would be okay with an interview?

Thinking that sounded like it made complete sense (even though it really didn’t), I started getting up off the tree and walking towards the great people. They didn’t seem to notice, then all of a sudden I saw a store! Almost like Ace or Walmart- except all I could see they were selling were hot dogs! What could anyone possibly do with so many hot dogs? It was wild, crazy, and unbelievable how many hot dogs there were as I started getting closer, and as I inched closer, I saw that those hot dogs were glowing green! A strange, bright, and terrifying green!

If I were really thinking about doing a newspaper article on this, I'd better ask some questions, I thought as I started walking to the witches - by that time, I was positive that they were real live witches. I walked closer and saw they were all wearing black as well. I suddenly ask, “Excuse me, but why are there so many hot dogs lying around?”

The smallest witch quietly answered, “Why, little one, these hot dogs are filled with the fuel that makes our brooms work!”

“And the fuel is very healthy, in fact, we eat it some days when we’re really hungry,” another witch put in.

“Umm . . . I don’t think that is very healthy. In fact, because you eat that bright green fuel, I think you turn green.” After I said that, a nearby witch spat out a piece of hot dog. Ooops. Maybe it just tasted really bad?

“What is your name, little miss know-it-all?” shrieked a witch.

“They call me none of your business. Thank you for wondering.”

All of the witches laugh, large laughs—maybe they aren’t evil? After my amazing ice breaker, the witches start telling me all kinds of cool, interesting facts, like did you know that clouds taste like hot dogs, not cotton candy? I even got to try it myself!

Anyway, I started to relax, and the witches all became my friends! I told them about the latest school drama (Clara McBarn drank milk too fast and it shot out of her nose), and I told them about my new chickens (Zoey, Eva, Evie, Cloud, Cotton Candy, Violet, and Bob).

As I am explaining how science works, the witches screamed and ran for their brooms. Did I really scare them that much with the fact of cells? No, that can’t be it. All of a sudden, I see the witch police! (You can tell they are the police because their brooms have blue and red flashing lights.) Someone must have tattled that I, a human, was here in the clouds! Maybe it was Lucy or the mean and rude Worm! Well, I guess I’ll never know, but I have to go right now!

I run towards the tree and start climbing down as fast as I can. I hear the local fire engine. That’s weird, maybe a cat ran up a tree. Oh no! They’re here for me! Oh gosh, I’m going to be in soooo much trouble! As I jump down the last bit of the tree, my mom comes running and hugs me. My friends look like they’ve been crying. Maybe they thought I got hurt? Anyway, I didn’t have to go to school that day because of my awesome time on top of the tree—so I found a way to skip middle school for an entire day! I should write a story about this! I’m going to call it . . . . . The Hot Dog Broom!!!

Meet Ms. Cwach

story and photo by Addie E.

I interviewed a new teacher recently, Ms. Cwach! It is her first year actually teaching. She teaches 6th grade math and also coaches cheer. She thinks “It can be hard to time manage both at the same time.” Her story of how she became a teacher starts when she was 8 years old. She had a teacher who she thought made a difference so she wanted to be a teacher. Since it was a math teacher she wanted to be a math teacher and make a difference, and she loved math! 

Ms. Cwach says she likes to teach kids because she thinks they are fun. Especially middle school kids! Ms. Cwach says she loves to teach kids. The reason is because she loves interacting, and joking with kids. One final comment from a new teacher Ms. Cwach is “ Teachers want to have fun too! So that is all you need to know about Ms. Cwach.

March to the Meridian

by Aubrey H.

On October 14, 2025, I interviewed Aria H, who is in 7th grade, asking her how she thought the March to the Meridian was. Aria is a part of the color guard. So she was holding a flag the whole time. Some of these questions were about how they liked it, if they were nervous about marching, and what they did not like about the March to the Meridian. There are many more questions I asked. 

The first question was, “How did you feel going into the March to the Meridian?” Aria answered that she was nervous but really excited. The second question was whether she enjoyed it. She said, “Yes, but we could have done better.” She just thought that everybody was rushing and just wanted to be done with it. Another question was about your favorite part of March and why. Aria answered that her favorite part of March was hanging out with band friends and making music. 

Another question I asked was what did you not like about Marching. Aria answered that she didn’t like it because the bridge was really narrow and hard to walk. She also thought people weren’t on beat and everybody was just rushing. 

The second to last question was why did you choose to do color guard other than march. Aria answered with, “you cannot play oboe, which is my main instrument and I was struggling with the other instruments since I haven’t played them in awhile. 

The last question I asked Aria was if it was easy to walk when you're holding/throwing a flag. Aria answered that on the bridge it was difficult and rough and really slim, but off it was pretty easy. 

The second person I interviewed was Hadley B and I interviewed her on October 20, 2025. Now Hadley played an instrument in the march so now we get a different perspective. I asked the same questions I asked Aria except that instead of color guard I changed it to marching with an instrument. 

The first question was how did you feel going in March. Hadley answered that she felt good, not nervous about it at all. The second question was if she enjoyed marching. She said yes because it was really fun. 

Another question I asked was what was your favorite part. Hadley said that her favorite part was marching across the bridge because it seemed really cool, and something she had never done before. The fourth question was what did you not like about marching. Hadley answered with, it started raining while we were on the bridge, and it was cold. 

The second to last question I asked was what is your instrument and why did you choose it. Hadley said that she plays the alto saxophone because my dad played the saxophone when he was in my grade. My last question I asked was if it was easy marching with your instrument. She answered yes, because we have a neck strap. This basically wraps up on what happened at the march to the meridian. 

I hope you guys enjoyed having both perspectives on marching with a flag and marching with an instrument.

Cartoon: 150

cartoon by Quelby B. 

 

What is it like to be a hero?

story and photo by Catherine H.

Officer Olson, the school resource officer, is a hero many people don’t think of. Whether his job is not the first thing you think about, it certainly is an important one. School officers are one of the most important. In my opinion, without them, school shootings would happen a lot more often. But with Officer Olson it has become a lot safer in school today.

School officers are also very valuable people if you need help finding something. Officers have even hosted fun events, such as Officer Olson. He hosted a car show at the school. Sometimes Officer Olson and all school officers are very helpful people, and we are lucky to have them. Officer Olson and School officers also try not to take days off unless it’s Christmas break, when they even have work. Officers sacrifice vacations sometimes just to protect their school or the county.

Yankton is lucky to be one of the first big schools that had 2 cops. School Officers enjoy their time here and love meeting the kids; we should help make that stay here at Yankton. So if you see a school resource officer, don’t forget to say, “Hi,” and wave.

Pep Rally

photo by Dr. Olson

by Aubrey H.

On September 26th of 2025, the Yankton Middle School held a pep rally for homecoming at Crane Youngworth Field. Due to the gym being unfinished, Crane was our only option. All middle schoolers walked over to Crane with their homerooms around 8:45. 

Each grade sat in a section. Dr. Olson asked if each grade and the teachers were here. Each grade would yell, and the rally had started. We played a series of games, from water balloon games to the farthest football kicks. Dr. Olson would pick a couple of students from each grade, including the teachers. We also did trivia, which the eighth graders got every time. 

We did this back and forth for about an hour and a half. We all almost lost our voices at the end of the rally. We did a dancing competition and an obstacle course with water balloons on a spoon that we could not drop without restarting. All the grades cheered, from cheering for their grades by doing cheers against the other grades. The one we did the most was Alligator and "We got spirit, yes we do, we got spirit, how bout you." We did that one the most. 

Everybody seemed to enjoy this year's pep rally. At the end of the pep rally, they announced the winners. The podium score was eighth grade first, teachers second, sixth grade third, and seventh grade fourth. 

After they announced the winners, they announced that all kids would come down to the field, and sixth graders would need to make a one, seventh graders would need to make a five, and eighth graders would need to create a zero for 150 years. After that, we all found our homeroom teachers and returned to the school. We watched movies, played games, and had lunch. This basically sums up our Yankton Middle School pep rally of 2025.

Homecoming Dress-Up Days Survey!

 by Saige N. and Josie A.

Please take a moment to fill out this survey for our story! Let us know what you thought of our dress-up days:

DRESS UP DAYS SURVEY LINK

This survey will close on Tuesday at 3:30. 

Get Reading, YMS!

by Slone H. 

Books are a very important part of education. They teach reading skills and writing skills; they quiz us on our memory, focus, and imagination. But most books are very specific, and sometimes it can be extremely hard to find the right book for the right person. You could look for hours in a library and still not find a single book for your liking. That’s why I, Sloane Hardy, sixth grader at Yankton Middle School (YMS), am writing a newspaper article to assist.

I’ll be talking about the three most popular (according to the YMS librarian, Mrs. Lange) types of novels. They are Sports, Horror, and Romance. All of which don’t have any pictures or graphics.

The authors mentioned in this article are Mike Lupica (sports), Robert Imfeld (horror), and Margarita Engle (Romance)

Mike Lupica makes reading one of his novels feel like going to a baseball or football game, sitting in the crowd, watching the game, and cheering like you're really there! The way he describes the character’s surroundings and point of view is just phenomenal.

His Home Team series is all the more interesting. With long, strong paragraphs, it feels rather poetic. The Only Game is my personal favorite of his collection, telling the story of a baseball player, Jack, and his teammates. I don’t even watch or play baseball, and I just loved reading this novel. The sheer athleticism and care Mike puts into his stories are what make them such great reads!

We are very aware that October is the time of Halloween. All the costumes, treats, and tricks, it’s such a fun holiday! And we can’t forget all the great activities, like carving, painting, or even smashing pumpkins. I especially like watching horror films, all the thrill and mystery.

Robert Imfeld is a great author of horror. He brings ghosts and spirits to reality with his bestselling books, A Guide to the Other Side and Baylor’s Guide to Dreadful Dreams. Both books tell the amazing story of thirteen-year-old Baylor and his dead twin sister, Kristina. Baylor has a unique ability to see and talk to the dead. They go on adventures and end up in all sorts of situations. Both books are very fun to read and only mildly scary.

If you are not open to horror or sports books, try YMS’s romance collection. We have quite a large variety from many great authors, such as Mary McCoy or Kelly Gilbert. Another great romance author is Margarita Engle. She wrote Wings in the Wild, Wild Dreamers, and Singing with Elephants.

All are greatly authored books, but my favorite part of her collection is Wings in the Wild! It tells a wonderful story of 16-year-old Soleida and 16-year-old Dariel. Soleida has parents who have a nasty habit of committing feral art crimes by making sculptures of endangered birds. She runs away to Costa Rica and meets Dariel. Dariel’s family had their fair share of fame, so did he. He has an amazing singing voice that makes animals rush to listen. His grandfather invites him down to Costa Rica, and Soleida walks into his life.

The words and paragraphs are aligned beautifully in a poem on every page. Spanish words are sneaked in the story every couple of pages, easy to understand, but very frequent.

There’s no way to love books without visiting a library, but of course, we all have questions. Mrs. Lange has been so kind as to answer some of my questions about books, libraries, and the YMS library.

According to Mrs. Lange, the most popular books in the YMS library are Diary of a Wimpy Kid, I Survived (graphic novels and fiction versions), and books by Riana Telgemeier (like Smile, Guts, sisters, Drama, and Ghosts)

The number of books checked out last year, according to Mrs. Lange, is 2,962. Right now, however, over 100 books are checked out each day by YMS students.

It was so fun to make this article! With the help of Mrs. Andrews and Mrs. Lange, this went so much faster! Most of the statements here are my personal opinion. If you want to check out any of the books mentioned, go to Yankton Middle School Library and check them out!

Huber's Big Move!

Story and Photo by Peyton K. 

This month I interviewed Mr. Huber in his new room. I also interviewed Ms. Buechler on how she feels about Mr. Huber's move since she has been in the same hallway with him for her years of teaching at YMS. 

Starting with Mr. Huber's interview: Because Mr. Huber now teaches 8th graders I asked him how he felt about that, Mr. Huber does enjoy teaching 8th graders and he believes that they are easier to talk with. Mr. Huber also believes that 8th graders have stronger opinions on different topics in history. They were currently learning about the industrial and economic growth from 1865 through 1914. Moving on to the room itself, I asked how he liked it, Mr. Huber said it's a lot different from his old room and smaller. But a pro to the room is his hall mates. Mr. Huber said that he likes all the great teachers in the hallway which makes it better. His favorite part of the room was that he's right next to the water fountain and doesn’t have to walk to the end of the hallway like in his old classroom. On the bright side of teaching 8th graders, Mr. Huber is excited to teach the Cold War. But on the other hand, he isn’t very excited to teach the late 90s. Mr. Huber feels it wasn’t a very interesting time period and not a very positive time. And if you know Mr. Huber personally, you know he's a very happy person. As our interview came to an end, Mr. Huber wanted everyone to know that his room is always open to talk, and history is the best subject.


Moving forward to Ms. Buechler's interview with her opinion for how she felt about the new arrangement. I asked her how she felt about Mr. Huber's big move and because Mrs. Anderson took his old room she missed not being next door to her. But most cons come with pros, she was happy to be friends with Mr. Hohn. Ms. Buechler also did miss Mr. Huber, and Ms. Savey. The three teachers used to be called the North Wing legends, and that was sadly broken with both teachers moving. I asked her if she could have anyone move into Mr. Huber's room, who would it be and why. She chose Mrs. Blaha because they're friends, and it would be nice for a few reasons. Ms. Buechler likes social studies and she enjoys the fact of more female teachers in the same hallway. Next I asked if she liked who was in Mr. Huber's old room. Ms. Buechler and Mrs. Anderson have a long connection, Mrs. Anderson taught Ms. Buechler and they still talk a lot. I asked her how she planned to talk to Mr. Huber and if it would result in more or less communication. Ms. Buechler said it would likely be less just because of distance but it's also just harder to see him because of different subjects and now grades. She also said that she would talk to him through the teacher group chat and after school with Mrs. Anderson. At the end she just wanted to remind everyone that even though we had teachers leave there are now two new teachers in the 6th and 7th grade and come say hi!

Meet Mr. Ohlendorf!

photo submitted by Mr. Ohlendorf

story by Hattie H. 

Mr. Ohlendorf is the Orchestra teacher at both YMS and YHS. When asked to describe working here at YMS for 2 years, he said, "YMS is fun, interesting, and always a new adventure to explore." 

As he works with different types of instruments daily, he responded with a surprising "baritone" when asked what his favorite instrument was. 

Going along with the last question, when asked what his favorite orchestra instrument is, he said the cello, which was unsurprising. 

Working at YMS means working and interacting with students and staff throughout the school day; however, when asked who he enjoys working with most out of anyone he interacts with, he picked Mrs. Bray and Mrs. Belgum. However, this answer was not very surprising, as they tend to be two of the people he interacts with most throughout the school day. 

Seeing as in past responses he enjoys both orchestra and band when asked which he preferred, the choice of orchestra wasn't shocking, seeing as he teaches the subject; however, with that, he stated that he preferred them equally in the topic of playing in either of the categories. 

Seeing as Mr. Ohlendorf spends much of his time in the music room and his office, his favorite part of either of the rooms might have been his bow collection or his rubber duck, but no, it's the fridge in his office. When asked if he felt there was anything else he wanted people to know about him, he responded with a great big NO.

Intimidating or Exciting?

story and photo by Sydney S.

 

This hallway may look imitating, but there’s no reason to be afraid! 6th grade is exciting and an awesome place to learn! Yes, you may be wondering what fellow 6th graders have been worried about in 6th grade and excited about. Maybe you are wondering how other 6th graders are adapting to this year of excitement? I have interviewed a few people to answer these questions and more.

I interviewed a 5th grader, Savannah S., to better understand what 5th graders are feeling and wondering about in their giant new step into 6th grade next year. When I asked Savannah if she was excited about 6th grade, she said, “Yes, but I’m nervous about having 3 minutes to go to my locker and go to class . . . and pretty much everything.” I then asked her if she thinks she will adapt well to middle school. She replied, “Yes, because I’m organized and most of the time I know where all my supplies are.” She said that being organized, responsible, respectful, and not forgetting things are probably important skills for 6th grade.

A 6th grader, Kenley, who I also interviewed, thought being a leader, listening, and following directions were important skills for 6th grade. When asked if she thinks she is adapting well to 6th grade she says, “Ya, I think it gets better as you go on.” I agree, being a 7th grader this year, that 6th grade does get better as you go on. I also agree that all the skills they have said from being responsible to being able to listen are important skills going into 6th grade, but the most important skill for 6th grade is trying your best. As long as you try your best you will do great things this year! Good luck!

YMS Tennis

by Addie E.

The YMS tennis team has had a few games and practices already! Recently I interviewed a tennis player named Kayden S. about how she is doing in tennis. Kayden only has been doing tennis for a couple weeks so she is trying something new! One of her recent matches was on the 13 of September. They were playing Mitchell and Kayden said "It went good” and she scored 2 points each round. I say that is pretty good for someone who just started. The tennis team usually practices when the high school is not using their gym, like when they are at a game. They usually practice normal tennis stuff like serving. The tennis team's next match is Thursday, September 25. Let's wish them luck!

YMS Homecoming Dress-Up Days

by Josie A. and Saige N. 

Homecoming week is Monday, September 22 through Friday, September 26. These are the dressup days for Homecoming.

Monday, September 22nd: Twin Day - Match with a friend or group of friends.

Tuesday, September 23rd: Jersey Day - Wear your favorite jersey

Wednesday, September 24th: Country VS. Country Club - Wear your favorite country or country club clothes.

Thursday, September 25th: Decade Day

• 6th grade: 1960s
• 7th grade: 1970s
• 8th grade: 1980s

Friday, September 26th: Spirit Day - Wear school colors - white, red, and black

We'll Be Back This Fall!

by Mrs. Andrews

Hello out there! I hope you are having a lovely summer break. If you are a YMS student and are interested on joining the YMS Happenings Student Newspaper staff, watch the daily announcements from your homeroom teacher when you come back to school in the fall. I will host a meeting to go over the two activities that I advise (Newspaper and Yearbook). After that meeting, signups will happen. 

See you soon!