Hinkletown Mennonite School
Adriana Rasmussen
7th Grade
Adriana Rasmussen is in seventh grade at Hinkletown Mennonite School and she goes to Hinkletown Mennonite Church. Her mom’s name is Jinepher Rasmussen, her favorite color is al-most any shade of blue, and her favorite shape is a star. At 12 years of age, she enjoys horse riding and playing with her pets.
Her love for animals has made her own roughly 38 pets in her whole life. On December 30, 2024, her pet hamster, Hammy, came to live with Adriana. One thing she likes to do with Hammy is take him outside. “He’s a soft, warm-blooded creature with long fluffy hair and big, bold eyes,” she explains. Around half a year later, on May 1, Adriana got Kimmy her kitten. “She’s a funny cat with a silly personality and big moon-shaped eyes,” she continues. “My cat sees my hamster yet chooses not to kill it.” She has had a lot of other pets before, which include birds, bunnies, turtles, and a lot more cats and hamsters. She also takes horse riding lessons. She says that horse riding is “therapeutic” and “helps calm the mind.”
Overall, it’s clear Adriana loves animals! She has had a lot of pets over the years, and she enjoys horse riding lessons, using it as a calm retreat.
Written by: Ana Swartz
Benji Rissler
8th Grade
The lights are blazing onto the stage as Benji walks on. Benji Rissler is an 8th grader at Hinkletown Mennonite School who loves to be involved in the Middle School play and many other activities. He attends Bowmansville Mennonite Church with his parents, Robert and Deborah Rissler, and his two older brothers. Benji is very friendly and loves to make new friends, which is one of the many reasons he loves acting. He says he likes how he gets to know the cast better each day. However, acting is not the only way Benji is involved in his community inside and outside of school.
Along with acting, Benji enjoys being on the Hinkletown Hawks volleyball team where he plays outside hitter. Benji enjoys being involved in the team and playing for many reasons, especially because he is involved in the school community. “I like volleyball because you have to work together as a team,” he says. Benji has been on the team for one season and plans on playing again in the upcoming season.
In addition to volleyball, Benji is a part of Trail Life USA, a faith-based outdoor activity organization. He has been a part of it for over five years. Benji loves growing his friendships during the Trail Life activities, and he says his favorite part is blacksmithing at mancamp because he gets to use his creativity to design and make things. Although Benji is not a part of Trail Life anymore, he continues to carry out the things he learned in his everyday life.
Although Benji does not know what career he wants to pursue in the future, he does know he wants to stay involved in his community by attending Weaverland Church’s youth group and follow the path God has for him to further His kingdom.
Written by: Dayton Kanagy
Brooklynn Martin
8th Grade
If anyone is looking for a star, they should look for Brooklynn Martin! Brooklynn is in 8th grade and attends Hinkletown Mennonite School. Her parents are Eric and Rita Martin, and she attends Weaverland Anabaptist Faith Community. She has a bunny, two cats, and a dog. Brooklynn values participating in extracurricular activities. She plays volleyball for the Hinkletown Hawks. She also plays the cello skillfully and loves to read, but her favorite past-time is acting.
In 2024, HMS put on the play, Robin Hood. She took on the role of Salome, an energetic, creative teenager who was the sheriff’s daughter. In 2025, Brooklynn played Robin, the shy assistant director, until she wasn’t. Brooklynn has been acting for four and a half years, in multiple places. Her first play was for Piercing Word Camp. At the camp, they were separated into groups and given a 15 minute skit to perform. At the end, they would combine them into one long play.
While Brooklynn is not sure what profession she wants to pursue when she is older, she does plan to go to Garden Spot High School. She has also considered going into the missions field. Whatever her future holds, Brooklynn plans to keep on acting!
Written by: Trent Weaver
Asher Fulton
7th Grade
The great outdoorsman, Asher Fulton, is the son of Michael and Amanda Fulton. He is in the seventh grade of Hinkletown Mennonite School and attends Ephrata Bible Fellowship Church. He is the middle sibling in his family of two younger sisters and two older brothers. Asher is outdoors so much that even when he can not be playing outside, he is playing games about it.
Asher is almost always outside with his two older brothers. They usually play in the woods near their house. Asher also enjoys catching crayfish in the Susquehanna River and then eating them with his family. He is very attached to his dogs, Pumpkin, Ducky, and Slug, because he likes to play with them outdoors as well. Asher also has two snakes, Pickles and Medusa. Even though he loves his pets, he also likes to hunt for other animals to keep their skins and sometimes to cook their meat.
Asher’s family likes to go on vacations, play sports, and are trying to foster a baby. His family’s thrill of adventure inspires Asher to be the person he is. However, when he absolutely cannot go out, he is playing a survival game called Zelda. He also builds LEGO sets which are usually rescue helicopters.
Asher hopes to continue being outside and wants to eventually become an outdoor animal specialist for his career to show others about God’s amazing creation as well.
Written by: Judah Zimmerman
Symon Stoltzfus
8th Grade
Five seconds left in the game, all tied up, who will take the lead? Swish, a three pointer just made, but who is this outstanding player? Symon Stoltzfus! Symon excels at basketball, is in 8th grade at Hinkletown Mennonite School, and has been attending HMS for 10 years. He also attends New Covenant Church with his parents, Sammy and Michelle. Symon is very creative, and all his friends say that he has a good sense of humor. He is involved in many sports, such as volleyball, basketball, soccer.
Symon plays sports for Hinkletown Mennonite School. His favorite out of all the options is basketball, and the position he plays is shooting guard. Symon has been playing basketball for four years. He likes playing basketball because he gets to be with his friends and gets to be active at the same time. Symon also likes playing soccer and volleyball. He plays goalie in soccer, and this is his first year playing soccer at Hinkletown. Symon also plays volleyball in the spring. He plays as an outside hitter. This is Symon’s second year playing volleyball. He says that he likes playing sports because “it is fun and I like to see how much I grow.” Symon believes that everyone needs to have good sportsmanship in all the different kinds of sports that he has played.
When Symon is not playing sports, some of the things he likes to do are playing video games, drawing, and being with his dogs, Tucker and Fluffy. Symon plans to attend Hinkletown Mennonite School for high school, and would like to be a butcher when he is older. Even though he still does not know what will happen in the future, he will still trust God.
Written by: Aubrey Kurtz
Anna Swartz
7th Grade
Anna Swartz is a 12-year-old 7th grader who attends Hinkletown Mennonite School where she enjoys learning about the Bible and loves her amazing friends. She lives with her parents, Coleen and Jeffery Swartz, and her siblings Lydia, Luke, Kezia, and Abilene. She and her family go to Redford Presbyterian Church. Anna is passionate about children around her at school, home, and church.
Anna spends most of her time helping with the kids around her, preparing herself for the future. Anna is the oldest of four siblings and enjoys helping out her parents with her brother and sisters. Anna’s involvement with kids does not stop when she leaves her house, but continues throughout school and church. Anna always has a positive attitude at school, which affects the kids around her. She has helped out with the community by doing a club called Parents Night Out. They sold tickets at the HinkleFEST auction, where parents bid on tickets to send their kids for a fun day of activities. On Sundays, she helps out at church during worship with the little kids, and parents are grateful for her help.
In conclusion, what Anna is doing now in school will help with her future job. Anna has a couple ideas of what she wants to do in the future, which include teaching, being a nurse, and being a stay at home mom.
Written by: Kacey Smith
Ben Myers
8th Grade
Ben Myers is a valuable asset to 8th grade at Hinkletown Mennonite School. From volleyball to soccer to acting, Ben can be found almost anywhere in Hinkletown’s programs. Ben is the son of Eric and Jennifer Myers and goes to New Life Fellowship Church. He loves to play sports, but if he had to pick between his top two, volleyball and soccer, he would pick soccer.
Ben has been playing soccer since kindergarten at his old school, Alliance Christian School. When he came to Hinkletown in 6th grade, he started soccer here. Ben likes to play defense more than any of the other positions in soccer. He says his coach moves him around, but his favorite position to play is defense. He likes to play defense because it does not involve as much running as the other positions.
For high school Ben is planning to continue going to Hinkletown and will continue to play soccer when he goes. Ben’s favorite thing to do in soccer is win while connecting with his teammates and overall having an enjoyable time. He connects with others on the field by directing them on what to do and he also shows good sportsmanship on and off the field. Ben said, “Some good characteristics to have when playing soccer are good sportsmanship and a good attitude even if you win or lose.” Silas, one of Ben’s teammates and friends said, “Ben is a good player for our team because he moves to the ball, meaning he is dedicated to playing soccer.”
To sum it all up, Ben Myers has a memorable history at Hinkletown Mennonite School. Hopefully Ben continues to play soccer in high school and follows what God has planned for him.
Written by: Ryan Regitz