Get to Know your Teachers & Peers

To begin this story, I sent questionnaires to four Steffen MS teachers! Those four will be featured in the Two Truths and a Lie Quiz! Before we dive into that, I will give some get-to-know information on all four teachers. This should make it easier for you to figure out the truths and lies! I will do the same for the seven students as well. Ready? Let's begin.

First up is a 6th-grade teacher. Her students would call her outgoing, nice, and helpful! Guess who she is, yet? It's Mrs. Flores from the sixth-grade wing.

Name: Alexis Flores.

Favorite Candy: This changes often, but at the moment - Twix.

Favorite Animal: My favorite animal is a penguin.

Any Pets?: I have a German Shepherd named Daisy and a cat (Gray Tabby) named Kitty Friend.

Favorite Color: My favorite color is Black.

Any Hidden Talents?: Sadly no major hidden talents.

Where do you like to shop: 7. Target! (It is Disney World for adults.)

Early bird or night owl: An early bird.

If you could pick any holiday to live in, which would it be and why?: I would pick Thanksgiving because I love to cook and eat and spend time with family. It is just such a positive holiday that does not get the recognition it deserves (thanks to Christmas and Mariah Carey.)

Favorite Store and 3 Beauty Must-Haves: Target is my favorite store - and before the pandemic I would say my 3 beauty must-haves were mascara, lipstick, and a nice nude eye shadow :) Now - chapstick, face wash, and charcoal moisturizer :)

Favorite Sport: My favorite sport to watch is swimming or gymnastics and my favorite sport to play is swimming or kickball.

DIY or Buy?: I am not patient enough for DIY unless it is cooking or baking - so buy.

If you had a superpower what would it be and why?: My superpower would be the ability to travel through time and know every language that exists and has ever existed.

Two Truths and a Lie: 1) I like to sail in the summer. 2) I do not eat pork. 3) I have been to every museum in Chicago.

Second, I have an 8th-grade teacher from Steffen, and she is an English and Social Studies teacher! Welcome…Mrs. Lepold!

Name: Mrs. Lepold.

Favorite Candy: Swedish Fish.

Favorite Animal: Domestic - dogs. Wild - dolphins.

Any Pets?: I have a 7-year-old Pit Bull named Boomer.

Favorite Color: Purple.

Any Hidden Talents?: Playing the piano and singing.

Where do you like to shop: TJ Maxx/Marshalls, Target, and Macy's.

Early bird or night owl: Night Owl.

If you could pick any holiday to live in, which would it be and why?: I love Thanksgiving...all the fun and food and family with less stress than Christmas.

Favorite Store and 3 Beauty Must-Haves: Ulta. I have to have a straight-iron, mascara, and lip balm.

Favorite Sport: Football.

DIY or Buy?: Buy.

If you had a superpower what would it be and why?: I would time-travel. So I could go back and see people I've lost in the past.

Two Truths and a Lie:

1). I was once stung by a bee on my eyelid.

2). I sang the National Anthem at a Milwaukee Bucks game.

3). I had a pet Boa Constrictor.

Next up, Mrs. Zimmermann from 7th Grade, who is also a Student Council advisor!

Name: Ms. Zimmermann.

Favorite Candy: Sour Patch Kids, Take 5, or 100 Grand.

Favorite Animal: Otter or Lion.

Any Pets?: A dog (3 1/2 years old, golden retriever) named Keelah.

Favorite Color: Green or Pink.

Any Hidden Talents?: No, but I am proud of my artistic abilities to make a quick sketch of the Earth... that counts right? :)

Where do you like to shop: Target, Loft, Homegoods.

Early bird or night owl: Both, but an early bird is easier if I'm being forced to either get up earlier or stay up later than I want to.

If you could pick any holiday to live in, which would it be and why?: Christmas, because it is a holiday of joy and I have always loved the traditions with my family and having a cozy day in together.

Favorite Store and 3 Beauty Must-Haves: Target... A good mascara, a good perfume, and a good moisturizer/SPF.

Favorite Sport: To watch hockey or baseball, to play soccer.

DIY or Buy?: Buy... or bribe someone else with baked goods to DIY for me.

If you had a superpower what would it be and why?: I would choose teleportation, because it would make travel way easier and cheaper!

Two Truths and a Lie: 1- I'm allergic to chapstick. 2- I don't know how to dive in a pool. 3- I was almost a business major in college.

And last but not least, Ms. Clark from the 8th grade, who some of us, requested:

Name: Ms. Clark.

Favorite Candy: Lemonheads.

Favorite Animal: Siberian tiger.

Any Pets?: Lots! I have a dog, cat, fish, and a hedgehog :)

Favorite Color: Any shade of green except for lime green.

Any Hidden Talents?: I know the first 20 digits of pi.

Where do you like to shop: Amazon.

Early bird or night owl: Neither.

If you could pick any holiday to live in, which would it be and why?: Fourth of July, because I love summertime!

Favorite Store and 3 Must-Haves if you were stranded on an abandoned island: If I was stranded on an island, I would need my entire family to keep me company, my entire church to hang out with, and a Chick-fil-a.

Favorite Sport: I love to watch football, but I love to play Ultimate Frisbee.

DIY or Buy?: During the school year, buy. During the summer, DIY.

If you had a superpower what would it be and why?: I would love to have the power to learn how to do anything.

Two Truths and a Lie: 1) I have 50 first cousins and talk to almost all of them regularly. 2) Everyone in my family, including my pets, have the letter "J" as the first letter in their first name. 3) One of my younger siblings had me as a teacher.

Okay, so which is the lie and what are the truths? One teacher had a pet Boa Constrictor, One teacher does not eat pork, and One teacher almost had a business major in college.

Answers: Mrs. Lepold had a pet Boa Constrictor, Mrs. Flores does not eat pork, and Ms. Zimmermann actually took one business required course and strongly disliked it.

So any final guesses on what the lie was from all the teachers? It was that Mrs. Lepold did not have a bee sting her on her eyelid, Mrs. Flores does not like to sail in the summer, Ms. Clark has not yet had one of her younger siblings in her classes, and Ms. Zimmermann did not almost have a business major in college, she actually hated taking it!

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In addition to Steffen staff, I have a few students that I have interviewed:

One boy and two girls from Steffen MS’s eighth grade, one boy and one girl from seventh grade, and two girls from sixth grade. Let’s learn a little about each and then decide what the lies and truths are! Are you ready? Great.

First, from eighth grade we have Elias Ulmen, Cameron Longworth, and Sayla Thierl. Then, we have Chloe Chen and Kolbe Moyerko from seventh grade. Finally, we have Sofia Anton and Anna Chudnow from sixth grade.

Name: Elias Ulmen.

Favorite Candy: Candy Corn.

Favorite Animal: Bat or Dragon.

Any Pets?: 1 Bearded Dragon.

Favorite Color: Orange.

Any Hidden Talents?: I have a really good imagination so I can make up entire worlds or book concepts on a whim.

Where do you like to shop: I generally hate shopping so I don't really know any stores.

Early bird or night owl: Early Bird.

If you could pick any holiday to live in, which would it be and why?: Christmas because I love the festivity in the air mixed with the cold snowy weather.

3 Must-Haves if you were stranded on an abandoned island: If I was stranded on an island I would have a fire starter, a machete, and a metal pot.

Favorite Sport: My favorite sport would be cross country.

DIY or Buy?: I prefer to DIY if I can.

If you had a superpower what would it be and why?: My superpower would be the ability to control and manipulate the elements of magic (Fire, water, earth, nature, light, dark, ice, air, and storm). I would have this power because it would be cool, and I could help a lot of people with it.

Two Truths and a Lie: I read a whole lot in my spare time, I do good in school, I only have one friend.

Name: Sayla Theirl.

Favorite Candy: Caramel M&Ms or any chocolate candy.

Favorite Animal: Sloth.

Pets: 1 dog.

Favorite color: Gold/yellow

Hidden talents: None really.

Where I like to shop: Target obviously.

Early Bird or Night Owl: Early Bird.

Holiday to live in: Halloween because it includes everybody (like you don't have to be in a certain religion or anything) and it is basically centered around candy and hanging out with your friends.

Favorite Store: Once again Target.

3 Must-Haves on an abandoned island: Food, Water, and an endless supply of murder mystery books.

Favorite Sport: Favorite sport to PLAY would be just running (like cross country) or skiing. Favorite sport to WATCH would be football.

DIY or Buy: Depends on what it is and if I'm motivated but probably buy.

Superpower: I'm not sure but probably to shoot either electricity or ice out of my hands.

Two truths and a lie: 1) I was born in New York City 2) I was on TV (in like a picture) 3) I broke my arm in kindergarten.

Name: Cameron Longworth.

Favorite Candy: Hershey’s Milk Chocolate.

Favorite Animal: Elephant and Cheetah.

Any Pets?: Two dogs, one is a golden retriever and the other is an english cream golden retriever.

Favorite Color: Pink and Blue. But I also like green and yellow.

Any Hidden Talents?: I can raise one eyebrow, curl my tongue, have one eye look one way while the other stays put, and I can create lots of stories based on my dreams (good imagination).

Where do you like to shop: App Store, Roblox, Old Navy, and American Tall.

Early bird or night owl: Both, but I wake up happy but hate waking up early. And I also love to stay up late, but get tired easily at night.

If you could pick any holiday to live in, which would it be and why?: Christmas because I love giving and getting gifts, cookie-making, and spending time with family and friends.

3 Must-Haves if you were stranded on an abandoned island: Clean water, food, and my family.

Favorite Sport: Cross country.

DIY or Buy?: DIY.

If you had a superpower what would it be and why?: Teleportation, because then I could teleport and go anywhere I wanted to, including seeing my family in Australia. But I also would want Elemental powers because I would love to help the environment and change climate control, as well as being Invisible and Reading Minds.

Two Truths and a Lie: I am really good at lying, I have had surgery two times in my life so far, and I am a chocoholic.

Based on Elias and Sayla, their responses for their favorite colors are similar, orange and gold/yellow are in the same warmth category, they both like cross-country, they both are early birds, and they both would like to survive on an abandoned island rather than die on an abandoned island. Their differences though are drastically different. Elias hates to shop, and Sayla loves Target. Sayla likes Sloths, and Elias likes reptiles. She likes to buy and he likes to DIY.

With Elias and Cameron, they both have good imagination, both like running, and both also want to survive rather than die on an abandoned island. But one is in-between a night owl and an early bird, one does not like to shop, one likes to shop and drop, and one likes dragons, and one doesn’t even have one. With the two girls, they both like cross country, both like to shop, and both have one or more dogs.

Although the internet thinks that a thirteen year old boy would like Kitkats, Tootsie Rolls, or Reeses more, and for a thirteen year old girl gummies or Sour Patch. For the two truths and a lie, Sayla actually has never broken anything or gone to the hospital for a reason related to her, Elias has more than one friend, and Cameron is actually terrible at lying. She has a tell that gives her away.

In the seventh grade, we have Kolbe Moyerko and Chloe Chen!

Name: Chloe Chen.

Favorite Candy: Skor Bar.

Grade Level: 7th.

Favorite Animal: Panda.

Any Pets?: Had 2 fish that died in 1 day.

Favorite Color: Blue.

Any Hidden Talents?: I can play ping pong really well.

Where do you like to shop: Outpost.

Early bird or night owl: Night Owl.

If you could pick any holiday to live in, which would it be and why?: Christmas, because there are gifts, good food/sweets, and snow.

Favorite Store and 3 Must-Haves if you were stranded on an abandoned island: Food, water, a way of communication.

Favorite Sport: Soccer.

DIY or Buy?: Buy, then DIY what I bought.

If you had a superpower what would it be and why?: Teleporting, I could see all of my family that live in China.

Two Truths and a Lie: I don't like swimming, I've been playing piano for 7 years, my favorite sports team is Chelsea F.C.

Name: Kolbe M.

Favorite Candy: Caramel.

Grade Level: 7th.

Favorite Animal: Jaguar.

Any Pets?: One small dog (morkie-poo)

Favorite Color:

Any Hidden Talents?: Piano.

Where do you like to shop: Convenience Stores.

Early bird or night owl: Night Owl.

If you could pick any holiday to live in, which would it be and why?: Easter because it is the resurrection of Christ!

Favorite Store and 3 Must-Haves if you were stranded on an abandoned island: Walmart - Constant food supply, Telecommunication, and my family.

Favorite Sport: Baseball.

DIY or Buy?: DIY.

If you had a superpower what would it be and why?: Teleportation - I hate driving far distances

Two Truths and a Lie: I have a pet. Church is my safe place. I hate basketball.

Seventh graders are known to have funny and quick responses, as well as sharp lies. For example, Chloe has actually been playing piano for eight years, not seven, and Kolbe does not hate basketball. Our seventh graders also have more in common than the eighth graders do! They both like piano, both are night owls, both like furry animals, and they both like DIY. Additionally, they also appreciate communicating with others and have a desire to teleport places.

For the following sixth graders, we have a special twist! Will Sofia and Anna write the same things? Or will they have different answers?

Name: Anna Chudnow.

Favorite Candy: 100 grand.

Grade Level: 6th.

Favorite Animal: Panda.

Any Pets?: 1 fish.

Favorite Color: Blue.

Any Hidden Talents?: I am a dancer and I am good at makeup.

Where do you like to shop: Kohl's.

Early bird or night owl: Night Owl.

If you could pick any holiday to live in, which would it be and why?: Halloween. I love candy and costumes.

Favorite Store and 3 Must-Haves if you were stranded on an abandoned island: Blanket, food, and water.

Favorite Sport: Baseball.

DIY or Buy?: DIY.

If you had a superpower what would it be and why?: Talk to the dead.

Two Truths and a Lie:

1. I have never been out of the country.

2. I used to play soccer.

3. I am getting my babysitting license.

Name: Sofia Anton.

Favorite Candy: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups w/ Reese's Pieces.

Grade Level: 6th.

Favorite Animal: Cat & Dog.

Any Pets?: Yes, 10-year-old American shorthair cat, Nellie, and 6-month-old Australian labradoodle Frida.

Favorite Color: Teal.

Any Hidden Talents?: I am pretty good at storytelling and writing stories.

Where do you like to shop: Mayfair Mall.

Early bird or night owl: Early bird, all the way.

If you could pick any holiday to live in, which would it be and why?: Christmas, because I love the nostalgic feeling.

Favorite Store and 3 Must-Haves if you were stranded on an abandoned island: Target. I would need to have food, freshwater, and a cell phone, either to call for help or Google how to build a raft.

Favorite Sport: Basketball.

DIY or Buy?: DIY, totally.

If you had a superpower what would it be and why?: Shapeshifting, because I could essentially go anywhere if I could shapeshift.

Two Truths and a Lie: 1) I hate soda. 2) I like fishing. 3) I have two little brothers.

Sofia and Anna both like sports with balls in them as well as a love for the color blue. If they were stranded on an island, both would request water and food for their survival. Final fun fact, both girls enjoy a good DIY. While Anna and Sofia have much in common, they also have many differences. For example, one is an early bird and the other is a night owl, one likes Christmas while the other prefers Halloween, and one has 1 cat and 1 dog while the other has 1 fish. Overall I think that they have a few more differences than similar preferences, but they could be similar in other ways that we do not know of! Final noteworthy facts, Sofia has two little sisters and Anna has never played soccer.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this piece! I look forward to bringing you some new material soon. Stay tuned :)