Hinkletown Mennonite School
Annie Zimmerman
7th Grade
Sweet-sounding music comes from Annie Zimmerman as she strums on her ukulele and sings. Music is a big part of Annie’s household, where she lives with her parents, Jesse and Bethany Zimmerman, and her five siblings. Outside of music, Annie enjoys volleyball, reading, and spending time with her two dogs and chickens. She loves music and is eager to share God’s love to all around her.
Anyone who has ever met Annie would say she is a friendly person with a heart for God. However no one realizes how extreme her love for Christ is until they have heard her sing. She says, “Whenever someone is playing any other type of music, I get up and turn it to worship music.” That simple action shows her love for Christ. Annie is in seventh grade at HMS and is super excited to be a part of the worship team this year. She is hopeful of the possibility of using the skill of playing an instrument. Just recently Annie decided to start playing the ukulele, and has been doing so for a little over a year. She also enjoys learning more about the Bible and is excited to do Bible quizzing at her church, Good Shepherd Community Church. Her favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11, which says, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper but not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Annie wants to follow God for the rest of her life and cannot wait to see what He has in store for her.
Written by: Cora Thomas
Garrett Hess
8th Grade
Garrett Hess excels in school, especially math. He continues to keep good grades throughout the year. Although he keeps himself busy with his school requirements, he is also involved in extracurricular activities, such as playing soccer and the trombone. Garrett is in 8th grade, and his parents are Greg and Lanessa. He and his family attend Manheim Brethren in Christ Church. In his free time, Garret enjoys playing video games, reading fantasy, and staying active in the community.
One of his favorite ways to stay active is by playing soccer whenever he has the option. Garrett plays soccer for the Hinkletown team and is an amazing teammate. Garrett knows all the rules by heart, so he is very helpful. Not only that, he also plays soccer for his community. Also he enjoys kicking a soccer ball around in his backyard.
Something else that is very important to him is making sure to practice his trombone. Garrett plays the trombone for his school band where he is a great addition. His practice helps him to expand his skills and learn new things. It is very obvious that Garrett excels in all of his activities and hobbies, which will definitely help him in the future.
Garrett is a very fun and interesting person. He loves to expand his skills and get involved with his community. Although Garrett does not know exactly what he wants to do when he is older, he would like to do something that includes designing or building. He will definitely continue to grow in his love for the Lord throughout his life no matter what he chooses to do.
Written by: Rosene Weber
Ashlyn Kanagy
7th Grade
Milk, fruit juice, honey, salt, and cinnamon make up a drink that Ashlyn Kanagy concocted in first grade! She went on from there to continue creating in the kitchen. Ashlyn is the daughter of Shelby and Mathew Kanagy. She has two siblings and a dog named Bailey. She attends Petra and is in 7th grade at Hinkletown Mennonite School. In her free time, Ashlyn loves to bake, cook, and make new recipes.
Ashlyn has been experimenting with food since first grade when she invented her own refreshment called “Really Special Drink.” One thing she enjoys making is smoothies, but it is not limited to that. She will bake anything, including her own creations. For example, when baking cakes she adds her own flavoring and throws in all kinds of different fruits while making smoothies. She also likes making pasta recipes, especially mac ‘n’ cheese! She dreams of opening a cafe when she gets older. Ashlyn thinks she would like to do that with someone easy to work with, and have it close to her house.
Ashlyn does not have a specific plan for her future other than owning a cafe, but she plans to stay at HMS at least until 8th grade. As of now, college is not something that Ashlyn plans to do. She will keep baking, cooking, and experimenting in the kitchen no matter what!
Written by: Lily Zimmerman
Cole Eshleman
8th Grade
Cole Eshleman is a student at Hinkletown Mennonite School. He is in 8th grade and enjoys playing the trombone and is even in the Senior Band at school. His parents are Megan and Christopher Eshleman. He has one sibling and three dogs that he enjoys playing with.
Cole does not take a liking to sports, so he takes an interest in video games, photography, and cars. Cole enjoys cars and hopes to be a mechanic someday.
He hopes to be a mechanic when he grows up and work on cars. He is currently working on an engine with his dad in his basement. His dad found and bought the engine and it was not working, so he and his dad started working on it to fix it! He is enjoying working on this project with his dad and hopes it will work. Cole’s favorite kind of car is a Dodge. He took an interest in cars when his dad bought a Dodge and he took a liking to them. Cole’s dream of being a mechanic is strong, and he probably will continue his love of cars. He hopes to get a job at a car dealership to learn more about doing what he loves.
In the end, Cole is a great student who enjoys many things and enjoys being a part of his school’s music program and helping others. He is a great addition to Hinkletown Mennonite School and an awesome student.
Written by: Katie Zimmerman
Alayna Horst
8th Grade
Alayna, the encouraging, competitive leader of the 8th grade class is the daughter of Darwin and Bonita Horst. Alayna is the third sibling of four in her family. Alayna’s family attends Weaverland Anabaptist Faith Community Church, and she also attends that youth group, where she enjoys growing in her faith. She attends Hinkletown Mennonite School and is in 8th grade. Alayna likes playing her guitar, and she draws inspiration from her family and friends. Alayna has a dog and a cat and likes to eat pizza. Her favorite color is light blue. Alayna likes gym class, and her favorite pastime is sports; her favorite sports are volleyball and track.
Alayna is very involved in the Hinkletown girls volleyball team. In fact Alayna is the captain of the team. Alayna is a natural born volleyball player, and she was inspired to play volleyball by her older sister, Alexis, who played volleyball in high school and college. Alayna liked to watch her play, and because of that she now loves to play volleyball. Another reason Alayna likes to play volleyball is because it is a fun thing to do with her friends and family. Last year, she had an injured knee so she could not play volleyball, so now she is very glad to be able to play the sport she loves. She also likes to play because she is very competitive and because it is a fun sport to play. One of her teammates says that “she dives for everything” and another says that she cheers others on and is a very encouraging person to play with.
Although Alayna does not know what she wants to do in the future, she will surely be used by God to do good things.
Written by: David Umble
Natalie Burkholder
8th Grade
According to some of Natalie’s friends, she is friendly and always smiling. Natalie Burkholder is in 8th grade at Hinkletown Mennonite School. Her parents are Durrel and Christine, and she has three siblings. Her family goes to Dove Gateway church. Natalie works at Yoder’s, and in her free time, she enjoys playing soccer and drawing. After 8th grade, Natalie will be going to Garden Spot for high school and plans on taking a CTC class so she can help her dad, a mechanic, and make money for college. Natalie plans on going to college to become a pediatric surgeon.
Natalie has always had an interest in the medical field. From a young age, Natalie has been interested in medicine. She learned from her friend’s mom who drove an ambulance, as well as looks up to her aunts for inspiration, as most of them have a medical degree. She also grew up helping her mom care for her siblings and has memories of those times. She does not hope to jump right up to becoming a surgeon though, and will most likely become a RN, then a doctor, then on up to a pediatric surgeon.
Though it’s still a long way off, she definitely has a plan on how to get to her dream job. Natalie is hard working and enjoys spending time with her friends.
Written by: Weston Martin