During the 2012-13 school year, the Icon posted a series of interviews with Bluffton third graders. We’ve revisited one of those interviews eight school years later, thanks to BHS student Tayler Nowak-Valentine, who completed a follow-up interview this month. She also took the follow-up photo.
The four students interviewed were Caitlin Dailey, Delaney Maple, Kylie Monday and Libby Frazier, now juniors at Bluffton HS.
This story has two parts. The first part is the 2012-13 interview. The second part is this school year’s interview, where we tried to ask as many of the same questions as we did the first time around.
Also provided are third grade photos with corresponding junior photos. Here goes:
• 2012-13 interview by Fred Steiner
Tell me about the first time you lost a tooth:
Caitlin: I think I was outside wiggling it and I pulled it. Then my dad grabbed a napkin and pulled it off. I wrote a note to the tooth fairy and put it under my pillow.
Delaney: I think it was this one (pointing to a front tooth). My dad helped me with it.
Kylie: I was playing tug of war with my brother. I don’t know why it came out, but it really hurt the first time.
Libby: It was at the swimming pool after my fifth birthday. I was going to dive off the diving board and when I hit the water it jerked my jaw and I pulled it out.
What kind of things do you learn in the third grade?
Kylie: Math, spelling and science.
Libby: Social studies.
Caitlin: Recess (everyone laughs).
Delaney: We go up to the math board and write stuff.
Is third grade harder than second grade?
Caitlin: In second grade at the end of the year we learned multipliers, 2, 1, 0, 10 and 5. We are learning more of them in third grade.
Libby: We are learning division in third grade. Third grade is harder than second. In second grade we had more time to do stuff and there was less homework. Every week we learn stuff harder and harder and your mind just blows up.
Caitlin: We are now learning the meaning of words like transcontinental, Lewis and Clark and George Washington.
Delaney: And we are studying about the Civil War.
Caitlin: Daniel Boone.
Libby: Sacajawea.
Tell me about her:
All: She helped Lewis and Clark find the way on their journey. George Washington hired Lewis and Clark to find the Pacific and they discovered lots of new places.
Tell me what you are thinking about the fourth grade, next year:
Libby: I’m a little worried about learning the recorders. You know, the difference between F and G.
Caitlin: We’ll do more division, like 14 divided by 20.
You mean dividing smaller numbers by larger numbers?
Caitlin: Yeah.
Kylie: We’ll do more math.
Delaney: There will be more science tests.
Libby: Now we are in home groups and you have a class. In the fourth grade you go to other rooms, but we don’t do that in third grade.
Kylie: It will be confusing on where you go next (from one room to the next).
What subject do you like best in school?
Delaney: Probably math.
Caitlin: Math or social studies. In social studies you learn things from the past.
Kylie: Probably math and science. I like science. I can do projects.
Libby: Social studies is what I personally like. In science we had a bean plant.
Delaney: There was no soil in it, just water, but it still grows. It has lots of roots. I didn’t think there could be so many.
Caitlin: Right now we are having a guessing thing with leaves – carrots, radishes, lettuce and tomatoes. You have to guess the plant by the leaf.
Libby: The hardest is the tomato.
Delaney: The hardest for my group was the radish.
If you could have any pet in the world, what would it be?
Delaney: A dog and cat. I have a dog and I like her. I just have wanted a cat for a long time.
Caitlin: Well, I have lots. I have a puppy and dog. My puppy is a lot meaner than my dog, George. I’d have a rabbit and named it Carrot.
Kylie: I’d have a puppy and a bunny. I’ve never had a puppy before. When I’m older I want a bunny and a horse.
Libby: A horse and bunny. The horse would be Windspiker. The bunny would be Mr. Fluffy. I’d also like an alligator about this long (indicating with her hands about 2 feet). I love reptiles.
Tell me about some of the books you are reading:
Delaney: I’m reading fairy books. I have almost all of them.
Caitlin: Ramona Forever.
Would you like to be Ramona?
Caitlin: Yes.
Kylie: Cam Jansen. She’s a girl whose name is really Jennifer. She remembers everything. That’s why her name is Cam (as in camera – photographic memory).
Libby: The Escape of the Dirty Plant That Eats Socks. It’s about two boys. One owns that plant. The other has a plant that eats clean socks.
What famous person would you like to meet?
Delanie, Caitlin and Kylie all at once: Taylor Swift. (It was determined as part of this question that Hannah Montana is not liked by any of the four).
What would you like to be when you grow up?
(Long pause before anyone answered)
Delaney: A teacher. Second grade or kindergarten.
Kylie: A vet – my sister explained what they do – or a teacher.
Caitlin: A veterinarian. Because I have lots of animals, five hens, two frogs, two snails (lots of other animals that the interviewer didn’t have time to write down).
Libby: An engineer. I like to build stuff.
Thanks everyone, now let’s take your picture.
• 2020-21 interview by Tayler Nowak-Valentine
What classes are you taking?
Libby: Latin III, English 11 CP, Chemistry, Advanced Math Juniors, Band, Choir, Sociology (at the University of Findlay)
Caitlin: Government, Algebra II, Chemistry, Spanish III, College Prep English, Psychology.
Delaney: Government, Latin, Algebra II, Choir, Chemistry, English
Kylie: Spanish III, Chemistry, Algebra II, CP English 11, Photography, Government
Which one is the most difficult?
Caitlin: Chemistry or Algebra II
Libby: Sociology
Delaney: Chemistry, because I am not good at memorizing formulas and chemicals.
Kylie: Photography.
What kind of things have you learned in your nearly three years of high school?
Libby: Time management is the biggest thing. How to use the time that you have, even if it’s little, to study for all the classes.
Kylie: To not procrastinate.
Delaney: Organization.
Caitlin: Social interactions. Just finding out who you want to be friends with and that school really matters now.
If you could have any car in the world, what would it be?
Libby: A four-door 2019 Jeep Wrangler.
Kylie: I was about to say the exact same thing – four-door 2019 Jeep Wrangler.
Delaney: Probably a sports car.
Caitlin: Sports car.
What are some of the choice books you have been reading this year?
Libby: I have been reading a lot of different styles, but my favorite is murder mysteries, Tik Tok by James Patterson.
Delaney: Romance books.
Caitlin: More like grown-up books about adulthood.
What famous person would you like to meet and what would you say to them?
Kylie: Zendaya, I don’t know what I would say to her but I feel like she’s such a good person.
Delaney: Zendaya, I would just thank her for being so inspirational, too.
Libby: I would love to meet Ruth Bader Ginsburg, just having a conversation with her and hearing her thoughts would just be amazing. The most important thing in our lives that she cared about.
Caitlin: Harry Styles, he’s like inspiration and I just like listening to him.
What career path would you like to follow after high school?
Libby: I would really like to be a civil rights attorney and explore why people do the things they do and the social construct behind it and I would really like to help the people who can’t afford good lawyers and help get them protection.
Kylie: I really want to be an elementary teacher.
Delaney: Early Childhood Education.
Caitlin: A veterinarian.
If you could describe yourself as a type of coffee, what would you be and why?
Libby: A black coffee, because not a lot of people like me, but enough people do that matters.
Kylie: I feel like that would be the same for me. (black coffee)
Delaney: Same. (black coffee)
Caitlin: A macchiato, because I just have different layers to my personality, like once you get to know me.
What is your favorite type of music?
Libby: I’ve been really into ‘60s classical music, like some nice pretty Frank Sinatra.
Kylie: I like all kinds of music.
Delaney: All kinds.
Caitlin: Country.
What app do you use most of the time?
Kylie: Snapchat, my highest streak is over 1,000.
Caitlin: Pinterest.
Delaney: Probably Tik Tok or Instagram.
What do you remember from Kindergarten? Who did you sit beside and who was your teacher?
Libby: Mrs. Luginbuhl.
Kylie: Mrs. McKinley. I was really shy.
Delaney: Mrs. McKinley.
Caitlin: I remember hanging out with my brother a lot.
What’s your all-time favorite movie?
Libby: I guess it’s not a movie, but Hamilton.
Kylie: I liked the Maze Runners.
Delaney: Marvel movies.
Caitlin: ‘80s action movies.
Tell about your most interesting tee-peeing experience.
Delaney: Campus Life.
Caitlin: We tee-peed the same girl 10 times and it stormed.
Libby: I’ve never been.
Kylie: I’ve only been twice in 8th grade.
If you could take any famous living person to dinner in Bluffton, where would you go and who would be it?
Kylie: I would probably choose Zendaya again and probably Luke’s.
Caitlin: Harry Styles and I think he’s pescatarian so Greenhorn.
Delaney: Either Chris Evans or Tom Holland and Luke’s.
Libby: I would probably go to Luke’s
Do you buy or pack for lunch? Who do you sit with?
Libby: I always pack, I can’t remember the last time I bought lunch. I sit with close friends: Regan Mittendorf, Regan Garmatter, Elle Nickel and Amy Jebson.
Kylie: It just depends on the day, when I do buy lunch, I normally just get a salad. I sit by Lauren Swartzlander and Taylor Schwab.
Delaney: I normally buy and pizza, I sit by Sofia Goodwin.
Caitlin: I buy. I like the burrito bowl and I sit with my brother and his friends.
