Lions

Ponder Junior High Newsletter

By: Gifted and Talented Students September 12

Mrs. McCage

Mrs. McCage

A Letter From The Principal

Dear Lion Families,

Homecoming week is just around the corner, and we can feel the excitement in our building! Our students and teachers are hitting their stride---diving into curriculum, building strong study habits, and stacking up lessons learned along the way. As we close out our first six weeks, we're proud to see our Lions finishing strong, working hard, and having fun while they do it. Together, we're writing a story that 's full of school spirit, big dreams, and positivity! I am proud to be leading a campus with your children and the amazing staff at PJH! WE ARE LIONS!

-Mrs. McCage

PJH Lions at Lunch/Recess

Did you know? PJH has recess!

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Ponder junior high now has recess because there is a new principal. This new principal has now made it to where we can go to recess for about 5 to 10 minutes at the end of lunch. You can stay in the cafeteria if you want but most people choose to go outside.

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Inside the Classroom

By: Truitt Laney, Parker Jackson, Logan Mueller, Kendall Custy, Maddie Wright, and Katelyn Starr

Mrs. Berte's class is learning how to write ratios. So exciting!!!           

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GT is checking out their songs made on code.org

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Mr. Moore teaching new vocabulary words!

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6th Grade learning about mixtures.

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Mrs. North's math class learning how to classify rational numbers by doing a sorting worksheet.

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Student Spotlight

By:Liam Lapinski, Cooper Moore, Triston Sands, Eddie Jones, Andrea Soto

Cade Aldrich

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This is Cade Aldrich, and he likes basketball. His favorite food is pizza and he likes to play with friends in his free time. He gets good grades by focusing and he keeps going by finding energy to push through.

Andison Smith

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What’s your favorite subject? Algebra 1

How many years have you lived in ponder? And why did you choose to move/live here? She’s lived here for five years and they moved here because her dad got a horse!

How many siblings do you have? 0

Do you enjoy school? Why or why not?Sometimes when she’s in a good mood!

Who do you look up to? And why do you? Her mom because she’s a good influence! 

Boys Athletics

By: Beau Penland, Levi Davis
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Bridgeport Stadium Taken First Game Tuesday, September 2

First game was an away game in Bridgeport, Texas on 9-2-25.

  • 8th grade lost 36-12

  • 7th A team WON 0-42

  • 7th B team lost 12-0

Ponder Lions are getting ready for the next game. We're not gonna lose again!


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Ponder Junior High Boys Cross Country Team

The first meet was on August 27th in Brock.

The second meet was on September 3rd in Sanger

Our next meet is this weekend on Saturday in Pilot Point at 8am.

Come out and support the junior high boys cross country team!

Boys Athlete of The Week

By: Truitt Morris, Mason Garcia, Parker Calhoun

Madden San Miguel

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Interview questions

  1. What do you think about your 5 touchdowns?  It felt good but I should have got more.

  2. How was the first game?  It was good.

  3. How did it feel to hurdle somebody? It was crazy.

  4.  What was your favorite part of the game?  My hurdle

  5. What was your favorite play call? Swing route


Girls Athletics

By: Madi Reid, Georgia Angeley, Cori Johnson
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Cross Country Junior High Girls Team

8th grade-Hadley, Alejandra, Carol, Sophia, Maesyn, Madi, Mckinley, Sadie, Gabby, Shammita, Georgia, kaysn, Jole, Cameron.

7th-Maddy, Amayiah, Georgia, Calaye, Isa, Bayleigh, Layla, Gerardo, Maysn, Jesiah

The first meet was on August 27th in Brock.

The second meet was on September 3rd in Sanger

Our next meet is this weekend on Saturday in Pilot Point at 8 am.

Come out and support both junior high girls and boys!

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Ponder Junior High Girls Volleyball Highlights

  • 7A and 7B won against Whitesboro

  • 8A and 8B won against Whitesboro

  • Highlights- Georgia made the winning point spiking a down ball to the opposite team!

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Girls Athlete of the Week

By: Lilli Allred and Kaylee Martin

Kynlee Felderhoff

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Interview Questions

What does leadership mean to you! Being kind to everyone and being a leader on the court!

What does sportsmanship mean to you! Being kind to the other team and your teammates and not having a bad attitude

What's your favorite sport and why? Volleyball because it’s a good atmosphere. It's a fun sport and she loves to hit and she loves playing with her friends.

Favorite candy! Sweet tart ropes.

What’s your favorite sport and why? Athletics because you like to play sports and workout.

Happenings at PJH

By: Mason Hanes, Easton Nordie, Tucker Dishman, Rozalee Sanchez, Iker Carcia, and Jesus Jimenez, Leiter Hagemann

Smile pretty for picture day Thursday, September 4.

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Ms. Boatright and Ms. HB looking slay!

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Starting next week PJH will have an advisory every day.

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Pep Rally Schedule

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Choir Social

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9-11-2001

happened 24 years ago on a Thursday, a day that will always be remembered.

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All About Books

By: Braxton Wood and Eve Raymond

Book spotlight!

Series of unfortunate events is a gloomy book series that follows the Bodalare orphans whose parents died in a house fire. Throughout the series the deadly villain Count Olaf (No not the snowman he is not in this book)  who wants their fortune, however in the will it states that nobody gets ANY money until Violet (the eldest) comes of age. So to solve this problem Olaf decides that he (Olaf) will marry her (Violet). Fortunately the Bodalare  orphans ( Sunny [the youngest] Violet [ the eldest]and Klaus [ the middle child]) are very smart,  and they get away. But Olaf keeps chasing them down when they get to a different guardian. If you read this book here is a warning : This book does NOT have a happy ending in fact there are only roughly 3 happy parts in the book. Though is a good read even though its dark

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2nd Author spotlight! 

You probably all know Dr. Seuss. He’s a famous children's book author and cartoonist, and has made many well-known books like Cat in the Hat or Green Eggs and Ham. His distinct art style also allows him to be recognized easily by a reader.

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A character by the name of Sam-I-Can asks his friend to eat his green eggs and ham. Declining this offer, his friend tells him that he does not like green eggs and ham. Sam-I-Can repeatedly asks his friend in various locations, times, and with various animals as his dining partner. Finally, when his friend does try out the green eggs and ham, he likes it and thanks Sam-I-Can.

Weather

By: Ethan Johnson

The theoretical upper limits:

The Enhanced Fujita scale only goes up to an EF5, and the Saffir-Simpson scale only goes up to a CAT5, but theoretically, the scales go further. If it were to exist, an EF6 tornado would have winds of 318+ mph and where EF5 winds can wipe a house down to just a concrete slab, EF6 winds could tear the slab out of the ground, rip a storm shelter clean out of the ground, and potentially even compromise underground bunkers. Beyond a CAT5, there could potentially be a CAT6, which would have winds of 188+ mph, but a CAT6 pales in comparison to what lies beyond, Mega hurricanes and climate driven superstorms would bring storm surges taller than the average 2 story house and winds well over 200 mph, but even they fail to compare to the most powerful. At the very edge of the realm of possibility, mainly theory and speculation, lies what would be the most powerful weather event on earth, the hypercane. If the ocean warms to 50 degrees celsius or more, a hypercane could form. A hypercane would have winds of over 500 mph,and could be as big as North America, in order for this to happen, it would likely require an asteroid strike to heat up the oceans enough. If there was a hypercane, it would punch into the stratosphere and inject water where it isn’t supposed to be; recovery from this could take centuries.

Fun Facts

By: Jackson Fairbanks

Did u know that the average person blinks 14 to 17 times per minute?

Did u know that a silverback gorilla can lift up to 1,736 pounds Wow thats so 677777!!!!!

Did u know that the longest english word is longer than 189,892 letters long? It also takes 3 hours to recite from beginning to end.

Did u know that when u put a lemon in water it floats but a lime will sink?

Did u know that the shortest war in history only lasted 38 minutes?

Did u know that the great wall of china is 13,000 miles long, or 68,640,00 feet?

Teacher Spotlight

By:Madeline Hunt, Charlie Chappell, Saylor Nightengale

Mrs. Thedford 8th Grade Science

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1. What is your favorite unit to teach in science?
It’s impossible to pick just one—I love all branches of science! Earth & Space Science totally rocks, Life Science makes me feel alive, Chemistry always sparks a reaction, and Physics keeps me in motion.

2. What inspired you to be a teacher?

I had amazing teachers who made learning exciting, and I wanted to do the same. Also, where else can you make something explode in the name of science and not get in trouble?

3. What is your favorite snack or drink?
Sour belts or Sour Patch Kids—if it makes your face scrunch up, it’s perfect. And always a Coke Zero on standby. Basically, sugar keeps me running.

4. How many years have you been teaching?
Enough years to know that middle schoolers are never boring—and that I should always keep a stash of pencils ready! I’ve been in education for six years and this is my third year as a science teacher. That means I’ve had three solid years of cool experiments and bad science puns. 

5. What do you find in teaching that keeps you doing it?
Definitely the “aha!” moments when a student figures something out. It’s like watching a lightbulb flick on—except cooler, because it’s science.

6. What do you like doing out of school?
I love being outdoors—gardening, hiking, fishing, swimming—and spending time with my family. Whether it’s exploring nature or just hanging out, they help keep my world in balance.

Ponder Junior High UIL

By: Kannon Barksdale

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UIL A+ Academics Tryouts – Coming Soon!

UIL A+ Academics gives students in grades 6–8 the chance to shine in a variety of academic and performance events. This program builds on classroom learning while helping students grow in confidence, teamwork, and problem-solving.

Tryouts will be held the week of September 15-19. Students may try out for more than one event as long as they are not scheduled on the same day. To participate, students should talk with the teacher sponsoring each event. Permission forms will be coming home soon!

Events include:
Art • Calculator Apps • Chess • Dictionary Skills • Editorial Writing • Impromptu Speaking • Listening • Maps, Graphs, & Charts • Mathematics • Modern Oratory • Music Memory • Number Sense • One Act Play • Oral Reading • Ready Writing • Science • Social Studies • Spelling • Theatrical Design (Pilot)

We can’t wait to see our Lions showcase their talents at UIL!

Teacher Favorites

Teacher Websites

HOCO is next week!

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Ponder Junior High

940-479-8220

501 Shaffner Street. Ponder, TX 72259