April 2016

All ninth grade English honors students have been working on podcasts in Ms. Dunn’s class. A podcast is an audio file that you can listen to on a smartphone or computer. Often times podcasts are made for informational purposes. The students got to choose their own topics. The topics are all uniquely individual. Ms. Dunn, the English honors teacher, said, “There is such a fun variety of topics- Bigfoot, the history of names, stupid criminals, the education grading scale, Disneyland injuries, water bears, ASL etc.” 

At the end of Page Hall there is a class that is loved by all that walk in.  Mrs. Gleave is a math teacher who teaches ninth grade and eighth grade honors math. 

According to Kaitlyn Gee, a ninth grade student, Mrs. Gleave has an awesome teaching style. 

Mrs. Gleave said,  “Math is all about problem solving.  We use numbers and relationships to sift through facts and find solution.  Math class is where we practice problem solving strategies for real life challenges.  Pretty cool huh?”

Mock Trial is an after school club that is run by Mr. Hansen, a history teacher. Many people have no clue what mock trial is all about, and it is about time they did. Mock trial is where students have a case that contains witness statements, exhibits, and other things all related to a crime. Students participating in mock trial study this case and take the positions of attorneys, bailiffs, and  witnesses. They meet everyday after school where they compile evidence and do run throughs of the trial.  Wesley Rey, a ninth grade student, said, “I like the way it makes you think.” 

Here at SJHS, we have an all girls seventh grade choir class called Apprentice Singers. This year, the class takes place during second period, and according to Ms. Utrera, the choir director, there are usually 35-40 girls in the class. 

According to Victoria Hunt and Kloey Iese, both participants in the class, Apprentice Singers is a really fun class, and they like having so many friends in the class. 

“If I had to describe the class in one word, it would definitely be fun,” said Bryton Miller, one of the girls in the class. 

Sophie Mendevil, a student in Apprentice Singers, said, “It’s a really relaxing class. It’s a nice break from all my other classes.”

If you are looking for a fun elective to take, sign up for Ms. Clement’s drama class! Drama is a class for students who love theater, acting, dancing, and singing. In drama, you learn all of those things, and it is a fun opportunity to practice and tune up your skills. There are classes available for all grades: Drama 1 is for seventh graders, Drama 2 is for eighth graders, and Drama 3 is for ninth graders. 

Drama teaches you a lot of different skills to use in the theater world. Meagan Jones, an eighth grader in Drama 2, said, “My favorite thing about drama is learning stage combat. It is super fun!” 

Looking for a fun elective that you can learn a lot from too?  Take Mrs. Bird’s sewing class!  She teaches you how to sew many different types of things like pajama pants, duffle bags, pillowcases, aprons, a mystery project, etc.  Every day in her class students learn more and more. 

The school year is almost over, and with that excitement there are more opportunities to complete the requirements for SJHS’s very own Path to Knighthood program. The Path to Knighthood program has a series of tasks or requirements, fourteen in total, from the following categories: Academics, Physical Fitness, Arts, Service, and Other (Miscellaneous). These can be completed through the course of the year. They can be found on the back of the student handbook. Lots of them are super easy. One is to participate in the school's intramural program. Another is attend a school play or concert and write a review. Lots of these you could even do with friends!   

On Tuesday, March 8th, the seventh grade students in the Gifted and Talented program went on a field trip to the State Capitol. According to Joey Hammond, one of the seventh graders who was able to go on the field trip, the busses came at 8:05 in the morning, and once they got to the Capitol, they took a tour, ate lunch at 11:30, then came back to the school. 

According to Daniel Kawaii, a seventh grader in Gifted and Talented, they picked students who have good SAGE test scores and good grades to be part of the program. “It’s for kids who are future leaders,” said Jane Wilson, one of the participants in the program. 

Kari Lindsey, Jose Soto, Ben Barter, and Salma Nizam, all slam poets attending University Of Utah, came to SJHS on March 15th, to teach the students of SJHS about Slam poetry. Kari, Jose, Ben, and Salma, went to different seventh and ninth grade English classes and taught the students about poetry. The Slam poets were at SJHS throughout the whole school day, and during Quest Time they went to the cafetorium where they each performed a poem, and then answered any questions students had.

On March 9th, when all the students were gathering into their classrooms, the ninth grade students from band were all dressed in suits and dresses to play in a festival. The festival started at 9:00 a.m., and students got back during seventh period. 

The band classes of Nebo School District all gathered at Springville High School to play the songs they learned over the semester. Our school did awesome!

“We had a really good performance, and we celebrated it with pizza,” said Matt Rawle, a ninth grader at SJHS in band. 

“My favorite part was performing our awesome songs, and being able to celebrate with pizza,” said Joseph Harrison, another ninth grader at the school.