This week The Icon talked with third graders, Neo Walther (Mrs. Kingsley’s class), Justin Bishop (Raeburn), Brooklyn Smallwood (Bogart) and Kaden Basil (Armstrong).

Is fourth grade going to be more difficult than third grade?
Brooklyn: It’s going to be harder.
Neo: Harder tests and harder homework. We’ll have three papers to do.
Justin:  We’ll switch classes.
Kaden: It’s a pain to switch that quick. (Switch classes)

Compare third grade to second grade:
Brooklyn: Second grade was easy. The papers weren’t as hard.
Justin: Second grade was fun.
Neo: It was good. The homework was easier.

If you were going to build a large building with material that you don’t usually use to construct buildings, what material would you use?
Neo: One-half rubber and one-half sticks and mud. I'd paint flames on it.
Brooklyn: Purple rubber and lime green. I’d put a “B” on it.
Kaden: Bricks colored neon. It would be a hotel with a million stories.

If you were to start a zoo, name the first animals you’d put in it.
Justin: I’d combine a lion, alligator and a caterpillar.

Fantastic. What if you were going to put real animals it in?
Brooklyn: I’d start with lions, leopards, honey badgers and mastiff dogs.
Kaden: A Bengal tiger, any bird, a zebra and a pig.
Neo: (combining animals) A lion with a dragon and a cat with a lion.

If you could live on a planet, which planet would you choose?
Neo: Jupiter. It looks cool.
Justin: Mars. Aliens might live there. They'd make good neighbors.
Brooklyn: Pluto. That was my dog’s name.
Kaden: Earth!

Tell me about some difficult math problems you have in the fourth grade.
Brooklyn: 3 times a 4-digit number.
Kaden: 90 times an 8-digit number.
Neo: 12 times 12.
Kaden: That’s 144.
Justin: Any 12s by 12s.

What’s your favorite third grade subject?
Kaden: I’d have to go with Science. It’s fun.
Brooklyn: Library. I like to read. I’m reading a chapter book right now and it’s long.
Justin: Science. I love experiments and learning about life and magnets.
Neo: Science. Measuring weights. Anything in science with soil. It’s going to be dirty.

Describe your favorite pizza.
Kaden: Pepperoni, sausage, extra cheese, breadsticks and a sub.
Brooklyn: Pepperoni, extra mushrooms and extra cheese.
Justin: Cheese. Just plain cheese.
Neo: Cheese, pepperoni and everything…except onions and hot peppers.

How long have you ever stayed awake?
Brooklyn: Almost two nights in a row. We put cool water on our faces to stay awake.
Kaden: One night we played Monopoly until 1:30.
Justin: A day. It was hard to fall asleep in the car. We were traveling.
Neo: Three days. In Florida. Orlando. It was too exciting.

Tell me about your favorite book or author.
Kaden: Harry Potter. I’m reading the seventh book. It’s long. It’s going to take eight weeks to finish.
Brooklyn: Judy Moody. Her hair is messy and she does funny and sometimes mean things to her little brother.

Oh, there’s time for just one more question before you return to class. Have you ever thought what you’d like to be called if you had a new name?
Kaden: Bob. I like Bob.
Brooklyn: (long pause) Sue.
Justin: Steve.
Neo: Matrix.

Well, Bob, Sue, Steve and (everyone laughs), Matrix. It’s been nice talking with you.