October 2015

This year at SJHS is exciting for ninth graders for one big reason- everyone is so happy to turn 15. Some kids say it is like a preadult card is given to you in the form of a permit. Yes, kids can finally get their permits and start driving. 

“Driving is such a thrill,” said Aydan Marshall, a ninth grader at SJHS. And he is right according to Jesse Viaria, a 15 year old  here at SJHS, driving makes you feel free. And it is such a thrill that ninth graders cannot get enough of it. 

Springville Junior High wants the 2015 seventh graders to know twenty different physical features of the state of Utah, but instead of writing they made Utah out of candy in Mrs. Porter’s Utah History Class. 

Mckay Dalley, a seventh grader, stated that it helped him learn about Utah because he could see where the physical features were. Samuel Gee, another seventh grader, said, “It helped me learn about Utah because to me it made it as realistic as possible.”

Mrs. Porter said, “I think you learn when you are enjoying yourself, and this activity definitely is a good mix of fun and learning.”

Agricultural Science is a class offered to all ninth grade students and counts as a science credit.In Ag Science you learn about agriculture, FFA or Future Farmers of America, animals, plants, food, public speaking and leadership. According to Kosner Lewis, a ninth grade student at SJHS, you learn about how science is used in agriculture.

Since 1995, Mr. Krebs has coached the SJHS Golf Team for students.  Tryouts were held on the week before Labor Day. The team practices at the Hobble Creek Golf Course once a week for two to three hours.  The SJHS golf team plays to win and to have fun.  

According to Mr. Krebs, the golf coach and a math teacher here, the golf team was an intramural program offered by Coach Perkins, a former coach here.  In 1995, Mr. Krebs took over as coach of the team. 

Cellphones are a huge part of our society and that includes school. So how serious is the cell phone threat, and is it even a threat?  Many teachers are for cell phones being allowed in school as an emergency tool, calculator, or even a way of entertainment (if allowed by the teacher).  Here at SJHS there is no standing rule about cellular devices, instead it hinges on how the teachers feel. If a teacher is against cellphones in their classroom, that is their choice.

Springville Junior High eighth graders learned how to play basketball a different way in Mrs. Porter’s US history class. In Mayan basketball you can not use your hands or feet, but you can use your body to play,and it was intense. If you lost they would kill you as a human sacrifice; it  was huge in that time. You also had to get the ball in rings, and the ball had to weigh nine pounds. Mrs. Porter, a US and Utah history teacher who has been at the school for two years, taught her students to play.         

The SJHS Girl’s Tennis team is off to a great start with a lot of great girls. This year, the SJHS Girl’s Tennis team tryouts were held on August 25.  Girl’s Tennis will go until early October.  According to Christy White, a seventh grader here at Springville Junior High, the practices are held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and sometimes on Fridays.  The matches are every Tuesday and Thursday.  According to Mr. Dahl, a science teacher and the tennis coach, the practices go from 2:50-4:00.  

Christy White said about Mr. Dahl, “He is really nice, and he pushes us hard to do our best.” According to Kelsey Sumsion, a seventh grader at SJHS, he is a great coach, and one of her favorite teachers.  

This year is the eighth year that Mr. Shields, a US History teacher at SJHS, has been doing the “Sweet 16” to help students study for the States of USA test. Mr. Shields has two students stand up and try to say the state he points to as fast as they can. They eliminate each student until there are the top three of each class, and those three go into the Sweet 16.  It was a close competition between Parker Stewart and Monte Taylor. Parker Stewart came out on top. 

Every year technology keeps advancing, getting cheaper and faster. Springville Junior High School is benefitting from this because it allows us to incorporate technology into teaching and learning. 

Every English classroom has its own Chromebook cart, and teachers have been using this in many ways. In addition there are many more carts are available for teachers to share with each other and three computer labs. Every classroom has a media center including a sound system, projector, document camera, Blue-ray player, and a computer for the teachers to use.

The eighth graders in science class this semester got to see a demonstration from Sub Zero Ice Cream on Friday, September 18th here at SJHS. The demonstration featured liquid nitrogen freezing ice cream by pouring it onto bowls of ice cream mixture, expanding, and contracting at extreme temperatures, according to Mr. Bass, a science teacher at SJHS. At the end students also got to eat the ice cream. 

“The college or high school student made the demonstration more interesting and exciting,” said Sam Daybell, an eighth grade student at SJHS. According to Sam, all of the students learned something and got a better understanding of how science is used in the real world.