[music playing] Rameen: Tomco Insurance Agency is a full service insurance# agency offering auto, home, farm, toys, busine.. health, and life.

Tomco is proud to support School# Talk on WEIU.

More information is available at## 217-345-6750 or email info@tomcoagency.com.

Tomco# is an independent, family owned operated insurance## agency in Charleston.

[music playing] Brayden: Hi, I am Brayden Armstrong, host of## School Talk.

Today I'm here with Ava Reinhart.# So Ava, tell me a little bit about yourself.

Ava: I'm 13, I'm in seventh grade.

I like art,## music and watching TV.

Brayden: Tell me a little bit about how you like art.

Ava: It lets people express themselves# and it's just fun to do.

Brayden: What is your favorite thing to make in art?

Ava: People, because you get to give them different## appearances and give them different expressions.

Brayden: That sounds fun.

I have another question for# you here.

What has been your favorite school## memory this year?

Ava: First and second quarter, probably, because I was# getting us.. switching classes.

Brayden: Who are your teachers this year?

Ava: Mr. Veach, Ms. Mellott, Ms.# Stranz and Ms. Beabout.

Brayden: What do they teach?

Ava: Mr. Veach teaches## social studies.

Ms. Stranz teaches science.

Ms.# Mellott teaches ELA and Ms. Beab.. Brayden: Out of those subjects,## what do you think your favorite is currently?

Ava: Probably science, Ms. Stranz.

Brayden: Why is science your favorite?

Ava: Because she actually lets us participate in more# things where we just don't have .. to them reading off of something.

Brayden: What have been some of the things in science# you've done that you've liked doing?

Ava: We got to do a small project## on anti-matter, like black holes and stuff.

And# we're also learning about Punnett squares and## phenotypes and genotypes.

Brayden: Science sounds fun and seems like I would probably# like it too.

Do you feel that our school is a good## place to learn daily?

Ava: Yeah.

Most of the time, yeah, it is fun.

Brayden: And what about our school makes# you think that way specifically?

Ava: The people you're learning## with and the teachers are really fun and they# make you engage with other people a lot more.

Brayden: What kinds of things do your teachers## do that make your learning fun?

Ava: Mr. Veach, he's funny and he talks more like the# students at the school, so not old talk I guess,## but he actually engages.

Brayden: Sounds just like Mr. Kinnas.

Ava: He actually engages with the students way more# than the other teachers.

Ms. Stranz.. she makes us participate more, which she kind# of forces us to be friends with other people,## which makes us actually friends sometimes.

Brayden: I can see how that works.

Got another question for you.

Do you have a set## time to study for tests and quizzes we may have?

Ava: Not really.

Maybe whenever we have free# time after lessons in class or after school,## but I don't really study after school# because I have a lot of other stuff to do.

Brayden: Going along with that,## do you get nervous when you have a test at all?

Ava: Depends on the subject.

I can do a science test# and ace it in five minutes, but if I did a math## test, it would take me an hour.

Brayden: Is there anything you do to help cope with# that or make you think better or anything?

Ava: Ask lots of questions during class## whenever you're learning it, and then make sure to# take more notes then you have room on your paper.

Brayden: So I've heard you participate## in extracurricular activities at our school.# Tell me about what some of those are and... Ava: Well, I'm on student council, which we have to## meet before class.

And this Friday since we have# the dance, we have to stay after class to help set## up and we participate in concessions to pass out# to the other kids.

I'm also in news team.

We write## the CMS press articles, which is after class on# Wednesdays every other Wednesday.

This Wednesday## it was in the morning.

And I'm in Taekwondo, which# is after school, but it still takes a while.

Brayden: Those sound pretty fun.

Moving on to my next## question here, what is your favorite lunch food,# either at school or that you bring or anything?

Ava: That's a hard question because there's## several, but probably tacos# or nachos or tater tots.

Brayden: [chuckle]## ...tater tots.

Tell .. Ava: I don't know, I just like the way they taste.

Brayden: Okay.

Ava: And the other foods aren't as appealing, I guess.

Brayden: How is middle school different from the other## schools we have attended so far?

Ava: We have to switch classes every hour instead of# last year we had to switch every three hours,## I think.

Brayden: Yeah, about that w.. And before we never had to switch at all,# so my legs hurt every day, but it's fine.

Brayden: Do you like that or do you not like it?## What are your feelings on switching classes?

Ava: I think it's fun to have different teachers and# new courses every single hour in a different## setting, but I also miss not having# to walk around the school every hour.

Brayden: Yeah.

Ava: Wherever I'm going to class, I have to run.

Brayden: That's about what is with me too, sometimes.

What are your feelings on going to high school# here in a few years?

About two or three years.

Ava: Terrified.

Brayden: What do you think it'l.. Ava: I think it'll be close,## similar to the middle school, but more teachers,# since there's four different years you have to go.## And hopefully a bigger cafeteria.

Brayden: Is there anything specific that you'd like to# do there while you're there or take part in any## extracurriculars again?

Ava: I was going to join Chorus and/or band# there.

And probably if there's a news team,## I was going to do that there too.

I was# thinking about taking the theater set class## where you get to actually make the sets for# the different musicals that Ms. Sharp leads.

Brayden: So you seem to## have a bit of an interest in theater and art.# Tell me a little bit.. Ava: I just really like music and I think## lots of musicals have good stories.

For example,# I know it's cringey, I guess, but Shrek.

It does.

Brayden: Yeah, everybody knows about Shrek.

That's fine.

Ava: And Guys and Dolls.

Didn't really## like the message, but the story was cool.

Brayden: Since we just got into seventh grade, about# half a year ago, what was it like at the start?

Ava: Same thing about going to high school, terrified.

Brayden: So going along with that,## would you have any advice for a younger student# starting at middle school in seventh grade next## year from Jefferson in sixth grade?

Ava: Don't be as scared as you are because once you# get used to it's not bad at all.

You just have## to get used to new teachers because# they can be kind of scary at first,## but nice after a couple months or weeks,# depends on how much you interact with them.

Brayden: Since the beginning of school,## and since now we're at the end, how do you think# you've grown since you got in seventh grade or## just as a person in general?

Ava: Quite literally, I've grown two inches,# maybe three.

I don't know.

But definitely## have a better sense of appreciating when you're# able to sit down because you don't have to walk## everywhere.

Brayden: Yeah.

Ava: And appreciating the friends you have because a#.. new challenge I had to face.

Brayden: Do you feel like you've matured since the school# year started?

And if so, why do .. Ava: A little, because now I don't## really laugh at immature jokes anymore, but like I# said last question, I have a better understanding## of some different types of things.

Brayden: So I've been thinking a bit on when you# were talking about student council.

Tell## me some other things you've done in student# council besides the dance and concessions.

Ava: Well,## we also plan a bunch of different fundraisers for# the school and diffe.. for Valentine's Day, we had a bunch of people sign# up for, they paid a dollar for Crush soda because## a it's Valentine's Day and we had a bunch of# different flavors that had a little pun for## Valentine's Day on them and we passed them# all out a week later and everyone just had## a bunch of fun with it.

And we also raised a# lot of money for the school.

And sometimes we## just choose other things to donate to, like the# animal shelter we did last year at Jefferson,## but this year we also did the animal shelter, but# we also did more of fundraising for the school.

Brayden: That sounds great.

Fundraising## for all these different causes and everything is# quite a nice thing to do.

So you told me you're## on the news team or something.

Tell me a little# bit about that.

What do you do for planning or to## actually do something?

Ava: We make a bunch of... We put a list on Mr.# Pitcher's computer of a bunch of different .. and we each sign up for one or two, depending on# how many topics there are, and we have the entire## quarter to write about it.

And we can do a bunch# of different articles or just one.

But then at## the end of the year we publish it and then give a# bunch of copies.

We send a bunch of digital copies## to a bunch of the students' parents.

Brayden: Well, thank you for being here, Ava, and thanks# for joining us on School Talk.

I'm Brayden## Armstrong, thank you for watching.

Rameen: Tomco Insurance Agency is a full service insurance# agency offering auto, home, farm, toys, business,## health, and life.

Tomco is proud to support School# Talk on WEIU.

More information is available at## 217-345-6750 or email info@tomcoagency.com.

Tomco# is an independent, family owned operated insurance## agency in Charleston.

[music playing]