When students walk down the hallways of SJHS, there is noise and busy bodies, but once class starts a new sound can be heard in the southeast corner of the school. That’s where band class has begun. Students start the hour with scales to warm up their instruments and then move on to practice their weekly playing test. Then Star Wars theme songs and Swahili Folk Hymns can be heard.
Students at Springville Junior High have many ways of expressing themselves. One of these is music. There are several music classes at SJHS, but, until now, there has never been a bluegrass band. Bluegrass music is a genre of American folk music that can be played on many instruments, including the violin, viola, base, cello, ukulele, dulcimer, guitar, mandolin, and even the pennywhistle. SJHS’s bluegrass band meets during Quest Time (SJHS’s new intervention/enrichment rotation program between third and fourth period) on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is taught by Dr. Samuel Tsugawa, who also teaches orchestra class at SJHS.
Mrs. Aleta Breakwell is a new English teacher at Springville Junior High School. Here is what Mrs. Breakwell did before she became a teacher and also before she came to SJHS. “Before I became a teacher, I worked as a copy editor but wanted to become a professional musician. I began my college career as music major, but I had to switch majors because I couldn’t get over stage fright,” said, Mrs. Breakwell. According to Mrs. Breakwell, once she changed careers from music to teaching, she found that it was really fun and never looked back. When she was first a teacher and before she came to SJHS, she taught English at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, and also at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah.
Students at Springville Junior High have a new quest! Every year, Ms. Lori Caras, a seventh-grade science teacher at SJHS, gives her students the project of making a cell model. These cells can be made out of whatever students like. Students in the past have made really creative ones out of Playdough, cake, brownies, jello, clear glycerin soap, styrofoam, and so much more. “It’s an activity that’s been around for years,” Mrs. Caras said, “I believe this allows students to use their creativity and non-scientific abilities to develop something that will ultimately help them learn the cell organelles more easily.”
Greek mythology has been admired and studied for years, and it is now Springville Junior High’s turn to learn about this topic. Mrs. Aleta Breakwell, an English teacher at SJHS, is teaching the eighth and ninth graders about mythology.
The class is also learning about some of the main gods and goddesses such as: Cronos, Zeus, Aphrodite, Athena, Hera, Hermes, and many more.
At Springville Junior High, students are learning how to become magicians. With the help of Mr. Brain Rice, eighth and ninth-grade English teacher, students can learn the secrets behind some of the best magic tricks. On Monday, October 25th, students have the opportunity to show Mr. Rice and other students a magic trick they have mastered.
Students at SJHS in Mrs. Mary Rice’s English class are learning about Edgar Allan Poe. Some things that the students are learning about are his life and his works like “The Raven,” “The Telltale Heart,” and “The Masque of the Red Death.”
Students learned that Poe was an American author and poet. They also learned that Poe was a very brilliant man, and that his writing shows it. Students also learned that Poe was very good at describing things and that he was a very unique kind of writer and person, and that the way he wrote showed his personality.
Ever since 1970, kids of all ages from all across the nation have been getting together to express themselves through a program called “Reflections.” Reflections is an annual program sponsored by the PTA that encourages students’ artistic talents. This year, Springville Junior High is participating in the Reflections program again.
This year, the theme is: “Together We Can…” When a student does Reflections, they create something that has to do with the theme. They can make or create anything in the categories of musical composition, dance, photography, 3-D art, visual arts, film/video, theater and/or literature. Reflections entries are due Wednesday, October 20th for Springville Junior High.
A few weeks ago, Mr. Sam Dahl’s science enrichment class started an unusual and exciting project: rockets. According to Alexandria Sorenson, a seventh grader at SJHS, students got to decorate rockets, build them with a team, and launch them in the field. Some students, including Alexandria, decided to name their rockets.
According to Mr. Dahl, science enrichment is a class where students get to explore science in more depth than they do in regular science classes. “The rockets were really mostly for fun,” said Mr. Dahl, “but I think we learned a lot about the history of space travel along the way.”
Teachers at Springville Junior High keep parents informed about what is happening in their child’s classroom through email. If parents have questions for a teacher, or vice versa, emailing helps get answers faster and easier. According to Ms. Rachel Neeley, seventh grade English teacher at the junior high, her emails to parents help keep them informed as to what is going on in class.
