April 2014

This year on our boys tennis team at SJHS, we have sixteen boys. There is Jake Leavitt, Zach Miller, Kevin Sumsion, Tyler Jessee, Zac Follette, Cole Monson, Ethan Bird, Benton Aegerter, Luke Gleave, McKay Carr, Kaden Jepperson, John Andelin, Andrew Hammond, Jackson Chambers, Kolby Carter, and Stone Harding. 

Cole Monson, a boy on the tennis team, said, “I decided to do tennis because I love it. It’s super fun and a great sport.” The boys said practices are not too hard. They usually run drills and challenge each other.        

The Latinos in Action class raised over $2,000 for kids with cancer! Since they raised so much money, they decided that they were going to do a reward for the school on Tuesday, April 1. During lunchtime, they threw pies in teachers’ faces! 

“I really liked collecting the money and make money for kids with cancer. It was really fun, and I enjoyed it,” said Michael Lopez, a member in Latinos in Action.

“I liked going to pick up the money. I am so proud of how much money we earned for a good cause,” said Nathalia Cerbantes, a member in Latinos in Action. 

On March 24, Mr. Rencher, a C.T.E teacher, gave the seventh graders a project where they had to build an artificial arm. It was a home project, so the students could get help from their parents. They could use whatever materials they wanted. 

According to Mr. Rencher he likes the different ways you could solve the problem of building a mechanical arm. He also said, “It gives the students a challenge to think about how to solve the problem of building an arm, and for them to know that they did it on their own.”

It is getting closer to the end of year here at SJHS, and teachers are preparing their students for the new SAGE test that we must take. The English teachers have already begun to test in the computer labs. 

“We just finished taking the writing portion of the SAGE test,” said Ms. McBride, an English teacher at SJHS. “We spent a lot of time preparing by working on argument essays, as well as expository essays, like compare and contrast.” 

If you love to write, or are looking for a different type of writing to do, then journalism is the class for you!  Journalism is the class where we write the very articles that you are reading right now.       

Ms. Dunn, an English teacher at SJHS, also teaches journalism.  “For many years, Ms. Miley taught journalism,” Ms. Dunn said. “At the end of last year, she asked me if I would like to teach journalism this year.  It sounded like something I would enjoy, and I got the privilege of teaching it.”       

As you may know, we are going to be in a new building next year. And along with that, we now have a brand new assistant principal, and his name is Mr. Rowley. He started here on Monday, March 24th. According to Mr. Van Ausdal, the principal at SJHS, the school is very excited to get the chance to know him, and to move to the new building. He says he is a good guy and a very hard worker. “There is a lot of work to be done and I think he is the man to do it,” said Mr. Van Ausdal.        

We all know and love Mr. Argyle, the assistant principal, and Thursday, March 20th was his last day! “I am going to miss all the faculty and staff and the students, getting to know them is amazing and I love it. I am also going to miss seeing the new school which is really sad,” said Mr. Argyle, the assistant principal.

“Mr. Argyle is always working to make things better. I’m always able to ask him questions, and he has really good ideas for problem solving! He’s a great man who cares about the students, and I hope he’s happy [at Payson High School],” said Mrs. Linton, one of the school counselors. 

Most of us know about the school play, Guys and Dolls.  Guys and Dolls ran March 13 - 15, and 17.  But what exactly does it take to put on a show?  A lot more than you would think.         

The chaos starts with auditions.  Anyone who would like to be in the show has to audition.  They are expected to prepare music to sing for the directors, and be ready to learn a dance quickly, right after they sing.  In the hallway, you can feel the anxiety and tension.  Whether their parents made them audition, or they have a passion for the theatre, everyone is really nervous, whether they like it or not.  

At SJHS, we are lucky to have many student teachers. Some teachers are Ms. Jack and Mrs. Carney, who are teaching Mrs. Gleave’s math classes. They both study at BYU and have always enjoyed math.

Ms. Jack said, “I knew I wanted to have a math-related career. When I went back to visit my high school after my freshman year of college, I knew math teaching was the right career.” 

 Do you want to sign up for clothing exploration? You should. It is a fun class to participate in here at Springville Junior High. You make all sorts of fun things. Mrs. Bird teaches the clothing class. It is a fun way to learn how to sew different things. The things that they learn to sew are pajama pants, an apron, a bag, and something of their own choice.        

Alyssa Gardiner, an eighth grader at Springville Junior High School, said “I think sewing is fun and wanted to learn more about how to sew.”  Mrs. Bird said, “It teaches kids about measurement and to be creative.”