Jan. 20, 2026—Swenke Elementary School third grade student Finn McNeely is applauded by his teachers for being a hard worker with a creative mind.  

School: Swenke Elementary School

Age: 9

Grade: 3

Accomplishments: McNeely loves to learn new things and often teaches his fellow classmates about new things, too. He is working on publishing a book titled “Cat” and hopes to be an author one day.

Favorite class: “Writing and science, because I like writing books and learning about space and Earth.”

Favorite things to do after class: “Listen to my Storybutton, build new things with Legos, play outside and find treasures.”

Favorite song: “Steve’s Lava Chicken by Jack Black.”

Favorite website/app: “YouTube, because I like watching Minecraft.”

Favorite TV show: “Science shows and animal shows on Netflix.”

Favorite movie: “A Minecraft Movie.”

Ambition: “Get my book named ‘Cat’ published because I want to be an author.”

What topics/things are you passionate about?: “Building robotics and writing stories about animals and space.”

What inspires you?: “To write my books, I get ideas from things that have happened to me.”

What three things can’t you live without?: “Family, pets, books and my Nintendo Switch.”