Farmingdale Elementary School, Pleasant Plains, Illinois
Cue the balloons and party hats because we’re celebrating a student who got not one but three 100+ streaks on Fast ForWord!
Meet Daniel Pottoff, a 3rd grader at Farmingdale Elementary School in Pleasant Plains, Illinois, who recently got 139, 193, and a whopping 285 correct answers in a row on Ocean Explorer, an exercise in the Elements 1 component of Fast ForWord.
“I knew Daniel would respond well to the challenge to keep improving,” says Reading Aid Missy Coffey, who has worked with Daniel on Fast ForWord since Daniel’s 1st grade days. “He’s very competitive, and he loves sports. So at first, he was motivated to do as well as or better than his peers, and then it became about beating his own record. The fact that the Fast ForWord activities have a game-like feel to them helped Daniel stay on track.”
Daniel, who plays football, basketball, and baseball, says that one of the keys to his success with FastForward came from staying laser focused—just like he does on the field, court, or diamond.
“I find a quiet place to sit in the classroom,” Daniel says, “and I give myself space, put my headphones on, and focus really hard.”
“I can tell when Daniel is in the zone with his Fast ForWord exercises,” says Ms. Coffey, “Because he gets this intense look of concentration on his face. He’s a very determined kid when he has something concrete to work towards.”
Both Daniel and Ms. Coffey agree that Daniel’s hard work is paying off. “I’m starting to read longer books,” Daniel reports. “With chapters. And reading definitely is not as hard as it used to be.”
“I can really see a change in Daniel’s literacy abilities and confidence level,” Ms. Coffey confirms. “And his classroom teacher agrees that she has seen his confidence improve a lot. He’s not afraid to try new things or take on challenges because he knows that, as long as he puts in the necessary effort, he’ll get there.”
As far as advice for students new to Fast ForWord, Daniel advises them to “keep working hard and stay laser focused.”
Thanks for the excellent advice, Daniel. Congratulations on all your success, and welcome to the 100-in-a-Row Club!
Jacob Metcalf from Pleasant Plains High School in Pleasant Plains, IL received state recognition at the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leadership Conference on April 15, 2023. Jacob competed in Business Management and received a top four place, which qualifies him to attend and compete at the FBLA National Leadership Conference in Atlanta, GA from June 27-30.
It is estimated FBLA has over 216,000 high school members from across the nation and abroad, many of which contend for the opportunity to compete at the conference held in Atlanta. Jacob is the first student from Pleasant Plains High School to qualify for competition at the National Conference. To do this, Jacob had to qualify in two parts, the first of which was an objective test that included 100 questions covering competencies in Information and communication system; Human resource management; Financial management; Business operations; Management functions and environment; Business ownership and law; Strategic management; Ethics and social responsibility; Marketing; Economic concepts; and Careers. The second part was a case study where he was given 20 minutes to prepare for a problem encountered by managers in the following areas: human resource management, financial management, marketing management or information systems management. He had to assume the role of management and present a solution to a panel of judges.
The award was part of a comprehensive competitive events program sponsored by FBLA that recognizes and rewards excellence in a broad range of business and career-related areas. For many students, the competitive events are the capstone activity of their academic careers. In addition to competitions, students immersed themselves in interactive workshops, visited an exhibit hall, and heard from motivational speakers on a broad range of business topics
Congratualtions to our Scholastic Bowl team on their Sectional Championship!
On February 8, our students participating in ACES (Academic Challenge in Engineering and Science) competed at LLCC. The tests are based on first-year college courses in the select areas. The team scored a perfect score of 500 and advanced to the Eureka sectional to be held in March.
Below are the individual medal winners in which each of our students placed and in the particular categories:
Biology
1st - Faith Thompson
Chemistry
1st - Hugh Beeler
2nd - Landon Blakeman
3rd - Sydney McAffe and Marek Boltz
Computer Science
1st - Cole Payne
Engineering Graphics
1st - Landon Blakeman
English
2nd - High Beeler
Mathematics
1st - Cayden Donelly
3rd - Rylin Hill
Physic
1st - Cayden Donelly
Congratulations to our 2023 Illinois State Scholars!! ...Ameilia Hopkins, Peyton Bergschneider, and Kinsley Shultz
PPMS softball brought home a sectional championship after defeating Pittsfield 9-3. They will compete in the first round of the 2A state tournament in Normal at 2:00pm on Friday, September 23.
New Culinary Class at PPHS.....Chicken Stir Fry Anyone?
Boys Track Places 3rd in State.
The boys track team competed in the 2022 IHSA State Track and Field Finals over the weekend. The boys had their highest finish in team history, placing third as a team and took home their first ever team trophy. All state athletes include:
400: Zach Powell, State Champion
100: Danny Carney, 4th Place
110 High Hurdles: Nathan Cain, 4th Place
4x100: Jayden Veesenmeyer, Danny Carney, Nathan Cain, Tyler Conn, 4th Place
4x200: Jayden Veesenmeyer, Danny Carney, Tyler Conn, Jack Pearce, 6th Place
4x400: Jack Pearce, Danny Carney, Michael Carter, Zach Powell, 5th Place
In addition ,the following school records were set over the weekend:
400 Meters: Zach Powell, 44.24, breaking his own record of 50.09
4x200 Meter Relay: Jayden Veesnmeyer, Danny Carney, Tyler Conn, Jack Pearce 1:30.25, breaking the mark of 1:30.81 set in 2012 by Jake McNamara, Taylor Ray, Josh Cornett, and George Wayda
Congrats to the boys on a great season!
PPHS Class of 2022 Latin Award Winners
Kyle Abraham wins 2022 Illinois DAR Good Citizens Award
The Springfield Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is proud to announce that Kyle James Abraham, son of Jim and Dawn Abraham, has won the 2022 Illinois DAR Good Citizens Award.
The DAR Good Citizens Award is presented to a high school senior who is active in both his or her school and community. Students must present a copy of their transcripts and provide two letters of recommendations, as well as detailing their school and community activities. If students wish to be eligible for a DAR Scholarship, they must also write an essay on an aspect of citizenship selected by the DAR.
Kyle was chosen by Pleasant Plains High School for the competition. In addition to his application, five other applications from local high schools were submitted to the Springfield DAR Chapter. All six applicants were honored at a ceremony in February, and Chapter Regent Susan Meister announced that Kyle was chosen as the Chapter winner. He received a certificate, pin, and financial award.
Competing against twelve other Chapter winners, Kyle won at the District level. His paperwork was forwarded to the State level, where he competed against the winners of six other Districts. At the Illinois DAR State Conference in Bloomington, Illinois, it was announced that Kyle was chosen as the 2022 Illinois DAR Good Citizens winner.
In Bloomington, Kyle was recognized for his District win. For his accomplishments at the State level, Illinois State Regent Debra Coe presented him with a certificate, pin and financial award, as well as a flag of the United States of America that was flown over the U.S. Capitol in his honor. It was also announced that his paperwork had been forwarded to compete with six other States at the Division level, and that he had won the North Central Division award. His paperwork was sent to Washington, DC to compete at the national level.
Illinois State DAR Good Citizens Chairman Lynn Gray states that Kyle is a stellar student. He has stated his intention to attend Yale University in the Fall and to pursue a degree in molecular and cellular biology with a minor in Spanish. In the future, he hopes to become a US Air Force physician.
PPMS April Students Of The Month
5-4-22
PPMS April Students of the Month- Congratulations to the following students for earning Student of the Month honors for April: Ellie and Abby McCann, Owen Johnson, Grayson Dodd, Bella Langiano, Sean Brennan, Maddy Hegele, and Andrew Potthoff
PPMS Wax Museum
5-4-22
PPMS recently hosted our 5th grade Living Wax Museum Open House. Students had a great time portraying historical figures such as: Bob Dylan, Amelia Earhart, Elvis Pressley, and many more.
PPHS Art Winners
The following students represented PPHS very well at the 2022 New Berlin Art Show. The students finished in the following categories:
1st - Mason Cook - Painting
1st - Aaron Eisenmann - Digital Painting
1st - Farah Helton - Drawing
2nd - Cinzia Pacione - Digital Painting
2nd - Ellie Yates - Painting
2nd - Joanna Harney - Drawing
3rd - Preston Allender - Ceramics
4th Jasmine Baxter - Painting
4th - Joanna Harney - Drawing
5th - Jenna Tabb - Drawing
5th - Sophia Smith - Painting
5th - Nina Gasparini - Painting
5th - Julia Redmon - Drawing
HM - Abi Wolters - Drawing
HM - Rilee Moon - Painting
HM - Breeonna Needham - Painting
HM - Joanna Harney - Painting
HM - Jenna Tabb - Drawing
HM Mason Cook - Painting
Below are pictures of the first place pieces.
College Fair
4-8-22
In March, PPHS Juniors attended the Illinois Regional College Fair at Illinois College
MC3 Program
Jason Fanning and Josh Patton in the MC3 program attending the Springfield Clinic addition hosted by O'Shea Builders and site superintendent Paul Grussenneyer. Their visit focused on lean principles of construction as well as career pathways in the industry.
PPHS Scholastic Art Show Winners
3-11-22
Congratulations to the following students on their outstanding art work!
Preston Allender - bottom left
"Deja Blue" - Honorable mention - Ceramics
Cinzia Pacione - top right
"Foresight" - Honorable mention - Digital Art
Jenna Tabb - top left
"Self Portrait 4" - Silver Key - Drawing & Illustration
Farah Helton - bottom right
* "Mystic Cyclops" - Honorable Mention - Drawing and Illustration
* "Rage" - Silver Key - Drawing and Illustration
* "Rainbow Demon" - Gold Key, and American Visions Award Nominee (this will go on to New York, and is in the running for best of show in the nation.)
Congratulations to Jayden Veesenmeyer!
Jayden set a new school record in the indoor 60 with a time of 7.22.
FFA Week
3-1-22
Attached are some picture of our students during FFA Week! Bring your tractor to school day is always a sight to see.
Clothing and Textiles Class
2-23-22
One of the more exciting things in teaching is getting to see kids produce work and be creative in their own ways. The clothing and textiles class has been doing some great work recently. Attached are some pictures of some of the items they have been making in class from bags to pants to pillow cases!
Two new clubs added at PPHS
2-23-22
This year we were fortunate to formally add two new Clubs/Organizations to PPHS. We have added FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) and FCCLA ( Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America). Congratulations to FBLA members Elyse Griminger (1st place Business Calculations), Jacob Metcalf (1st place Business Concepts), and Lydia Severino (1st place Organizational Leadership). These individuals will move on to compete at a state competition.
Last week FCCLA was able to go to their first leadership conference with FCCLA and Vanessa Tyler was elected as a section officer for the 2022-23 school year.
PPHS ACES Competition
2-23-22
On February 10, our students participating in ACES (Academic Challenge in Engineering and Science) competed at LLCC. The tests are based on first-year college courses in the select areas.
In our 700 Division, PPHS placed first with 496.9/500 points
Below are the results in which each of our students placed in the particular categories:
Biology
1st - Kyle Abraham
2nd - Carys Lacy
3rd - Sydney Collins
Chemistry
1st - Izzy Dossett
2nd - Julia Drake
3rd - Conner Dove
Computer Science
1st - Conner Dove
2nd - Patrick Conner
3rd - Alex Sloman
Engineering Graphics
1st - Campbell Beeler
2nd - Patrick Conner & Alex Sloman
English
3rd - Anna Moore
Mathematics
1st - Nathan Hutcherson
Physic
1st - Julia Drake
2nd - Nathan Hutcherson
3rd - Izzy Dossett
Illinois State Scholars
2-23-22
Congratulations to the following students for being named an Illinois State Scholar!
Kyle Abraham
Jasmine Baxter
Carly Bowsher
Sydney Collins
Isabella Dossett
Julia Drake
Katie Ebers
Kylee Garrett
Emma Griffeth
Nathan Hutcherson
Carys Lacy
Anna Moore
Adeline Niebrugge
Cinzia Pacione
Ashley Wolters
Hannah Yohannes
PPMS February Students of The Month!
2-23-22
Congratulations to the following students for earning PPMS student of the month honors. Destiny Scott, Will Reiss, Olive Johnson, Ryan Driskill, Madeline Welch, Amelia Krispinsky, Brody Bryant.
