Sophie Chats With ... Meg Rojahn

Margaret "Meg" Rojahn, 28, is a character attendant at Walt Disney World. She earned a bachelor's degree  in Creative Writing/Theater performance from Susquehanna University and is currently working on a master's degree in Arts and Culture Management and Marketing from the University of Denver.

Meg is originally from Manchester, Pa., and graduated from Northeastern High School. She currently lives in Clermont, Fla.

Fun fact: Growing up, Meg's family loved Disney World and when she was in Kindergarten, she told everyone she'd work for Mickey when she grew up! And she did!

How did you get your job working at Disney World?

I got my job at Disney with what they call the Disney College Program! It’s open to college students so they can get work experience. I graduated college on Sunday, and started working the next week! Then I liked it so much, I decided to stay, and now it’s been six years!

(Courtesy of Meg Rojahn)

What do you do as a character attendant?

My job as a character attendant is to help out. I make sure our Disney Character friends are getting to meet as many new friends as possible, and that everyone feels safe! It can be a lot when there are so many people excited to talk to you, or when you get to meet a big celebrity like Mickey Mouse. I’m there to help make sure that nobody feels left out or sad and that everyone can have a picture and a hug from our friends!

 

Meg loves her job! (Courtesy of Meg Rojahn)

What do you plan to do when your job at Disney is over?

Right now, I’m back in school with what Disney calls the Aspire program. They're helping me go to school! I’m majoring in Arts and Culture Management with an emphasis in Marketing, which is a really fancy way of saying I’m learning how to run an Arts business like a Museum or a Theater. I should be graduating early next year, and then I’m hoping to do a little exploring and traveling while looking for my next job!

What is your favorite memory from your time working at Disney World?

Oh boy! I have so many. I love getting to help people with their Make-a-Wish trips, for kids who are really sick. I’ve gotten to help a couple people decide to get married, or tell their families they’re having a baby! That’s always a lot of fun.

I think though, my favorite is when somebody gets to meet their favorite character. Ariel and I were together one day, and these two grown-up ladies came in to meet her. Both spoke Spanish and Ariel and I don’t, so that can be hard. But the one lady sat down next to Ariel, and was so excited, she started crying! And Ariel sat and held her hands, and talked quietly with the lady, even though they didn’t speak the same language. When the ladies left, they gave me and Ariel big hugs! Even though I didn’t speak the same language as the lady, I understood how happy she was to get to meet her favorite princess.

Sometimes, we forget that grown-ups are really just big kids, and I love getting to see them be big kids.

Who are your favorite Disney characters and why?

Another hard question!

Belle is my favorite princess, ever since I was really little. But Tiana and Moana are also really special to me too, because we used to spend lots of time together. Tiana taught me how to make gumbo, and Moana has been teaching me how to dance.

And then there’s Goofy! I also really love him. He’s been one of my best buddies since I moved to Florida. He always makes me feel pretty special.

I feel very lucky that my favorite characters are now some of my very best friends!

Thanks Miss Meg! I loved learning all about your job at Disney World! And thank you for sending so many great pictures too!

Friday Fiction: by Daddy

Art courtesy of Gclipart.com

Late-arriving story leads to deadline excitement

It was nearly deadline as I glanced at the final proofs of the next day's newspaper.

The cover of The Fayetteville Bugle was filled with hard-hitting stories.

"Mayor of Flavortown implicated in onion ring" read one headline. 

"PAW Patrol rescues snowboard instructor, youth" read another.

"Minnie Mouse tearful in testimony during Pete the Cat racketeering case" read still another.

My newspaperman's heart beat proudly knowing our readers would be better informed because of these important stories.

But I couldn't shake this nagging feeling, a feeling like I'd forgotten something. The newsroom clock read 4:21 p.m., just nine minutes before deadline. (Since the printing press was dismantled a decade ago, our paper is printed on another press more than an hour away, forcing us to have a very early deadline.)

Anyway, I was just about to tell the A1 page designer to send the final proof for plating when I remembered: My ace reporter, Sophie, was still at the scene of a major train derailment near Brendam Docks on the Island of Sodor. She was supposed to file that story by 4 p.m.!

I pulled out my iPhone and popped up a text message to Sophie.

"Where's my story?" I tapped out.

A moment later, "It's on it's way" appeared on my screen, "with photos!"

I hollered over to the page designer and said to pull the feature story about the new stained glass window at the castle in Enchancia and move the PAW Patrol rescue there.

"I'm going to have a new lede centerpiece story with art," I told her.

I hit refresh a dozen times on our content management system until — pop — there it was. The story slug was "062620nwsthomasderailment". I double-clicked and began to read.

"Tank engine derails after 'chasing a rainbow'" the headline read.

"TIDMOUTH, Sodor — A blue tank engine, dispatched to haul engineers to repair telephone lines downed by severe storms, told Sodor Railway Co. officials he derailed after crashing into utility poles across the tracks because he was 'chasing a rainbow.'"

The story went on to detail how the engine, known as Thomas, grew distracted by the rainbow because its terminus seemed to keep changing. 

Through several sources, Sophie learned that Thomas sped along the tracks, ignoring his friends. After crashing, his driver couldn't call anyone because the phone lines were down.

Sophie had a few quotes from another engine, Percy, who heard Thomas' whistle tooting and brought help.

"At first, I thought he was ignoring me, just like I'd ignored him while chasing the rainbow," Thomas said.

Man, I thought, Sophie got some really great quotes.

But then, the last quote of the story is the kicker. Thomas makes it back to Tidmouth, and what does he see? The rainbow ends at the train sheds!

"My friend, Edward, told me that at the end of the rainbow, there's something magical," Thomas said. "And I can tell you, that something magical is my friends."

Wow, I thought. Great story! And the photos with Thomas and Percy looking at each other showed the strength of their friendship.

I checked the time. 4:27 p.m.

A quick spell-check and I sent the story to the page designer, who promptly slapped it on the page. I looked over her shoulder, saving her the time of making another proof. I did the short-short version of my proofing routine. 

Double-check the headline. Cutline looks good. Story ends properly.

"Let 'er go!" I hollered.

The clock ticked over to 4:30 p.m. just as the computer's progress bar hit 100%.

I texted Sophie.

"Great story! It's the A1 lede! You just made deadline."

A few second later, my screen read:

"Yesss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The end

Sophie Chats With... Ku'uipo Tom

Kuuipo Tom, 60, is the head women's volleyball coach at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa. He graduated from Weatherly Area High School and studied at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah and Gulf Coast College in Panama City, Fla. He also graduated from the Pennsylvania State Police Academy and went on to long career with the State Police.

He lives in Montoursville, Pa., with his wife, Lou, who is a professor at Susquehanna.

Fun fact: His first job as a teenager was as a telephone solicitor selling tickets for a Fraternal Order of Police Vaudeville show fund raiser. "I received a commission on every ticket I sold. In 1976 I was 16 years old, had a really low, professional voice and could keep up adult conversations with anyone that I called. I made more money in my 6 months doing that than in any other job I had until I went into the State Police." 

Coach Ku'uipo (with volleyball) in action.

(Courtesy of Susquehanna University Sports Information)

What is your proudest accomplishment in your time as the volleyball coach at Susquehanna University?

​I have coached here for 17 seasons. While I have numerous accomplishments of which I take great pride, my proudest moment was probably getting the team into the National Tournament for the first time. It happened in 2016 when we received a "Pool C" (at large) bid based on our strength of schedule and success throughout the season. Volleyball became an NCAA sport in 1977 and until 2016, Susquehanna had never been in the tournament. As a matter of fact, only one time previously had any conference team received a bid.

What are some similarities between your former career as a state trooper and being a coach?

​Coaching is teaching...so is being a State Trooper. While you hope that your police job doesn't get too dangerous, you spend a lot of time teaching lessons. If you decide to give someone a ticket, it's because you're trying to teach them to make better choices. When you're coaching, you're also teaching and trying to have your team make good choices. You also have to have a lot of understanding and patience. You have to be a good listener, a good analyzer, and able to change things when things change on you. You also have to help people get through really tough times and disappointment as well as guide them into making great decisions that will have an affect on others.

When you take Susquehanna students on the GO Hawai'i program, what food do you absolutely have to have while you’re there?

​There is a Hawaiian staple called, "Poi." It's made from the corm (kind of like the bulb of a root) of the Taro plant. It gets pounded into a pudding-like texture and I love it! Most of our students don't care for it. I think it's an acquired taste, but it's really good for you and no one is allergic to it!! I also must have sushi/sashimi called "Poke" (po-kay) from my favorite restaurant in Kaneohe called "Fresh Catch." They have so many different types of poke! I also love kalua pork...the pig that is cooked in an "imu" (underground fire pit made from hot rocks and banana leaves).

You and your wife have driven all over the United States. What has been our favorite state to visit and why?

Other than Hawai'i (naturally!😉) we really like the west and southwestern states. We don't have a particular one that's our favorite, but Utah would be really high on our list. There is so much openness and beauty with tons of National Parks...which we love to visit. We have a National Parks Passport that we take with us everywhere. Whenever you visit a park, you get to officially stamp the book with that park's stamp. I also like to collect walking stick medallions that I attach to my walking stick. It shows all of the places that my stick and I have hiked.

What is your favorite spot in Hawai'i? ​

I have lots of favorite spots in Hawai'i for so many different reasons, but there is one spot that I might be able to argue as my favorite. It's called Wailua Falls and it's on the most beautiful island of Kaua'i. It's posted so that you can only view it from above...where all of the tourists are...but I know a special path that I follow to the bottom, then swim over to the falls and climb behind them. I always take our students there because I know that they will never experience that again. It's a special place for me and my wife. We exchanged our sappy love for each other under there and promised that whenever we got into a fight...which married people sometimes do...we would remember how special we felt toward each other that day and make the bad feelings go away. It works!

Lou and Ku'uipo in Hawai'i.

(Courtesy of SU alumna Kelly Weigle)

A bonus fact about Coach Ku'uipo: "My name is John Robert Ku'uipo Tom on my birth certificate. In Hawaiian culture you get a few 'Christian names' (often times honorary names of someone in your ancestry...John and Robert were my mother's brothers. She was white as were they). I grew up being known only as "Kuuipo Tom" but when I went into the State Police they didn't like that name, so they made me use my first name and had me officially change it on all my legal documents. I was so angry about it but I wanted to get through the academy without a lot of nonsense, so I complied. For 25+ years new people in my life would know me as 'John' but my friends and family would only call me 'Ku'uipo.' You can imagine how crazy that was. Once I retired I went back to using 'Ku'uipo' but it's too hard to change it on my official documents."

Thank you Coach Ku'uipo for being a very fun and informative interview!! I love U.S. history and geography and I loved hearing your stories of places I haven't seen!

Friday Fiction: Circus Day, by Sophie

Art courtesy of 1001freedownloads.com

One day, me and my family went to a circus. We saw amazing animals like giraffes, elephants like Dumbo, and so much more!

We also saw a clown shoot a cannon at a boat, and a whale saved it from sinking by lifting it up.

When we got home, I went to my room and wrote a story all about our day.

The end.

Note: I was inspired to write this story while cloudgazing this afternoon. That was one of my birthday missions from Absolutely Mindy on Kids Place Live. I’m just a little behind on that.

Sophie Chats With... Quintyn "Q" Flemister

Quintyn "Q" Flemister, 21, is a rising senior guard on the Penn State Mont Alto men's basketball team, which won the 2020 PSUAC championship in March. He was the 2018-19 PSUAC West Defensive Player of the Year, the 2019-20 PSUAC West Player of the Year and a USCAA Second Team All-American this season.

He is a Harrisburg resident and graduate of Harrisburg High School. At Mont Alto he is majoring in human development and family studies.

Fun fact: Q's favorite super hero is The Flash (which happens to be Dwyane Wade's nickname)!

What have you done to practice basketball during the pandemic?

Q takes it to the hoop against Penn State Beaver

(Photo courtesy of PSUMA Sports Information)

Since many of the gyms and courts have been shut down it was hard to find any courts that were open. Once I found a location that was still available, I found a routine to go there every few days or so to get plenty shots up and work on in game moves. Going to the court so often has kept me and my skills in good shape.

What are you hoping to accomplish during your senior year of college?

Hopefully my main goal is accomplished, which would be getting my degree. As coach Jack says, it’s the most important thing you’ll ever get from Mont Alto. Along with that, another goal I have is to win another championship with my team, going back to back would really cap off a great journey here at Mont Alto. Along with all of that, I do have a personal goal of making it to 1,000 points this year which seems more than likely I can achieve if all goes well this season.

What do you plan to do after you graduate?

After I graduate I plan to take a short break to relax after the long years of school lol. After a short break, I’m going to try and look for a career job so I can work on building my future. I’m not sure at the moment on what is next, but it will come to me.

If you could play a one-on-one basketball game with one of the most famous basketball players, who would it be and why?

I’d love to play Dwyane Wade one-on-one, he’s my favorite player! Growing up, he was such an exciting player to watch. He did everything on the court that I wished I could do when I got older and that helped me change my game to what it is today. He also is a great man off the court as well, which makes me respect him even more than just a hall of fame hooper.

Q takes a foul shot as the Mont Alto cheerleaders cheer him on.

(Courtesy of PSUMA Sports Information)

Thanks Q! It was fun to interview my favorite basketball player! Readers, you can follow his senior season this year through the Penn State Mont Alto Athletics website.

Friday Fiction: by Aunt Andrea

*Editor's note: This is the first in a series of short stories written by members of Sophie's family. She enjoyed the Ghost Writer writing provokes so much that she decided to turn the tables and give provokes to others!

Provoke: A wedding host forgot the cake! Think of a way to remake the cake in time!

Courtesy of Clipart Library

I'm so excited to be a guest at Sophie and Orrin's wedding!  Today is the day.  I arrived at the church where I was greeted by a frantic mother of the bride.

"We forgot to order a cake! Can you help us?"

I found Fr. Luis and asked if there was anything in the parish center kitchen that I could use.  He said I could use whatever I could find.

I went to the parish center and found pans, flour, sugar, vanilla, eggs, oil and milk.  I whisked all of the ingredients together and poured them into the pans and got them into the oven.  Then I found some butter and mixed it with sugar and milk to make some icing.  Once the cakes were baked, I put them into the walk-in freezer to cool quickly.  Once they were cool, I iced them and stacked them.  Then I asked if there were any extra flowers.  I used the fresh flowers to decorate the cake.

Whew! I finished just in time to go to the ceremony!

Kassandra's Life (a short story by Sophie)

There was a girl named Kassandra Kyrchil (Kassie for short) who lived in San Diego, California.

She was 21 years old.

She was junior in college.

It was Tuesday, August 23^{rd ,}2005.

She was an artist.

She majored in graphic design because she hoped to have a career making book covers.

Her class’s book: Lady on Field won the Book of the Year prize of 2004.

It was about a lady named Mellissa McCarty whose family lived on a farm; Melissa, her parents, and two brothers and one sister, Joey, Danny and Laura.

(I named the boys after two of my favorite singers in the same band NKOTB also called New Kids on the Block. You can find them on YouTube, or I can try to give them a shout out or post a few of their songs if you’re interested. Comment and I can try to make a post on it if you want)

They would run through the field that’s why it’s called Lady on Field.

Kassandra was awesome.

She even became a professional!!

The End

   

Sophie Chats With... Casey Kauffman

Casey Kauffman, 17, is a professional photographer specializing in sports photos -- Casey K Sports Photography! She is a rising senior at Chambersburg Area Senior High School and lives in Chambersburg. She loves sports, hiking, photography, swimming and shopping.

Fun fact: her Pap is in the Semi Pro Football Hall of Fame!

Casey in action taking sports photos!

 

How did you become a professional photographer?

I became a professional sports photographer with the support of my mom who is a family photographer. I love sports and started taking the camera with me to take a pics at local sports events and the rest is history!

What are your interests besides photography?

My other interests are sports and sports media, shopping and doing activities outdoors!

Why are sports pictures your favorite?

Sports pictures are my favorite because I LOVE taking action shots! 

What is your dream sporting event to photograph?

My dream sporting event to photograph would probably be a Penn State HOME football game or a New York Yankees baseball game!

If you weren’t taking pictures of sports, what would you be taking pictures of?

If I wasn't taking pictures of sports I probably wouldn't be taking pics at all just because I like photographing sports so much. In the future though, I plan to focus more on sports media and social media marketing in sports rather than photographing it.

The Shippensburg HS cheerleaders stunting, taken by Casey. I picked this photo because I love cheerleading!

Thanks Casey for being my interview this week!! You can see her awesome photos at Casey K Sports Photography on Facebook and Instagram!

Duck Watch 2020: We have ducklings!

They hatched!!!
They hatched!!!
They finally hatched!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They hatched under the arborvitae. We haven't seen the dad, though.

We don't know how many there are, so any of you could be right.

Mom saw them out of the nest and out from under the arborvitae but they hustled back in as soon as she saw them.

The mother was as fat as Santa Claus. Believe me, she was.

They stayed under the arborvitae for a while. Then, they quacked, quietly, but quacking. My sister, Annabelle, thought she saw them.

Then, they moved out from under the arborvitae. The ducklings were in our garden. We thought they were searching for food, but we were wrong. We thought they were stuck in the garden, but they got out.

We hoped they didn't get hit by a golf ball.

We think there were seven or eight ducklings. Mom saw two more eggs in the nest. So there could be about ten or nine or eight or seven.

They went around the hosta plant and under the holly bush and out.

Mom looked up some information online and said mother ducks will lead their babies to water up to a mile away even right after they hatch. There is a big pond over past the clubhouse.

Where is the dad, though?

A golfer took three shots.

Annabelle thought she saw them & movement & them coming back; she was incorrect.

Why? Golfer taking shots.

They're probably scared.

I was worried about the ducks.

A golfer rode past our yard

Annabelle thought there was one behind the maple tree & one that whooshed north of us.

We thought they abandoned the nest but Mom reminded us that it's a long walk down to the pond for tiny ducky legs. They will probably be back closer to night-time.

We said a prayer to St. Francis of Assisi for a safe journey.

We will keep watching and update you! Hopefully we can get an official count of how many ducklings there are!

Sophie Chats With... Caitlin Lloyd

Caitlin Lloyd was my kindergarten and 1st grade teacher at Corpus Christi Catholic School. She went to Big Spring High School and has a degree in psychology from Penn State and her PreK-4 teaching certification from Wilson College. She lives in Newville with her daughter, Rylie.

Fun facts: She marched with the Penn State Blue Band for three years, she has three younger brothers, her favorite color is pink (like me!) and she loves country music.

Why did you decide to be the kindergarten teacher at Corpus?

I knew that I wanted to teach in a Catholic school and was so excited to hear that Corpus was hiring!  When I interviewed, I found out that Corpus was hiring a Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade teacher.  My top choice was 2nd because that was the grade that I taught when I was a student teacher.  I was hired for the Kindergarten position with Ms. Martin and ended up falling in love with teaching Kindergarten -- I hope to teach this grade again!

What is your favorite thing about being a 1^st grade teacher?

My favorite thing about being a 1st grade teacher is getting to know my students and watching them learn and grow each day.  They are so funny and make me laugh.

What would you be if you weren’t a 1^st grade teacher?

If I weren't a teacher, I would like to be a psychologist -- maybe even a school counselor!

What is your favorite subject to teach and why?

My favorite subject to teach is science because I love to do experiments and STEAM challenges with the students.  I also love to read writing assignments because it always amazes me how smart and creative my students are.

What is your bright side during the pandemic?

I get to spend so much time with my daughter, Rylie.  She is loving life and wants to learn new things each day.  We have been practicing her letters, arts & crafts, and even planted a garden!

Thank you Miss Lloyd for being my teacher for as long as you could!! You are the best!! Thank you again!!!!!!