By Cathy Miller

What’s better on a hot August day than a romp in a river?

Eight-year-old Winnie, a third grader from Allamuchy, did just that!

Wading across the Musconetcong River at Alumni Park in Hackettstown, Winnie noted, “The water is a perfect temperature for today.” Also looking for a spot to cool off, she was joined in the river by Tootsie, a friendly eleven-year-old schnauzer mix owned by Linda Gregg.

Winnie advised wearing hiking water shoes in the water. “I can’t go barefoot because it’s really rocky or I might step on something sharp or get pinched by crawfish!” She’s not fond of walking through the plant life on the surface of the river because she gets stuck in it.

On this day, Winnie collected four petite green shells from the riverbed. In the past she’s gathered small purple shells, noting they looked like “wampum,” traditional shell beads from Eastern Native American tribes. She also enjoys looking for turtles, tadpoles, and little fish in the river.

As back-to-school approaches (however that will look), Winnie said she’d like to learn more about space. “No question about it,” she stated emphatically, “I’ve been interested in space forever.”

She added, “I like space because all the planets are really interesting and the constellations are fun to find.”

Winnie plans to study astronomy, particularly “planets like Pluto because it’s a dwarf planet.” She’s eager to learn about their presence in other planetary systems.

She explained, “When I grow up I want to be an astronomer. I want to design space ships to send people to space – I want to go to space myself. I want to visit all the planets.”

She is also an avowed animal lover, her favorite critter being a fox, although she’ll rescue a firefly or a frog or anything else!

Art is another area that interests Winnie. “I like to create art,” she said with a smile, and especially enjoys working with oil pastels and making things from clay. “I’m very crafty,” she quipped.

In her spare time, Winnie likes to hike, ride her bike, and skate – both on ice as a figure skater, and on the track in junior roller derby.

We wish Winnie and all the students heading back to school this fall a very successful year!