As many SJHS students may know, there are various enrichment activities for Quest Time. One of those enrichment activities is a sewing club. In Mrs. Bird’s sewing room on Thursdays, the students who come get to work their magic for twenty minutes. According Mrs. Bird, a sewing club advisor, her favorite part about teaching is she gets to help the kids learn to do something new and creative.
At Springville Junior High School, there is a new seventh-grade English teacher, Ms. McBride. According to Ms. McBride, she didn’t want to be a teacher while she was growing up, but she has always loved reading. Before Ms. McBride came to SJHS, she was an editor, an advisor who set up internships for students that wanted to become lawyers, and a piano teacher. She became interested in teaching while she was working as an editor. She then realized that she really liked helping people become better writers.
This year Springville Junior High goes thoroughly modern with the school musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie. Many students have already been working hard with Mrs. Walker, the director of the play, and Mrs. Gleave, the choreographer. But, more hard work goes into this than meets the average student’s eye.
Mrs. Walker, the director of the school musical and choir teacher at SJHS, said, “I felt like we had just the right types of kids for this play.” Mrs. Walker has been working at SJHS for several years now and has directed all of the plays that have taken place in those years.
Last month there was a state competition going on at SJHS. Eighth-grade students in US History studied for two to two and a half weeks for this competition. The eighth graders studied all 50 states and then had a competition to yell them out before the people they’re competing against them does!
This year at Springville Junior High we have a new CTE teacher, Mr. Taylor. According to Mr. Van Ausdal, SJHS principal, Mr. Taylor has brought new ideas to his classroom. Mr. Van Ausdal said that Mr. Taylor is very enthusiastic, and he works hard.
Before Mr. Taylor came to SJHS, he was a computer technology teacher at Diamond Fork Junior High. But Mr. Taylor is enjoying his new job at SJHS, and he thinks that the school mascot is awesome. His favorite part of teaching is interacting with his students. He said, “Students can only be successful if they apply themselves.”
What is Service Learning? It’s an elective class at Springville Junior High where students get to do service projects for the school! But the class isn’t just about doing service. Students get to plan Red Ribbon Week, go to Brookside Elementary and work with kindergarten students, take decorations to the Senior Citizen’s Center in Springville, and make decorations for the school dances.
It can be very hard being a new student at Springville Junior High School, especially at the beginning of the year. When students come in midway through the year, everybody knows that they are a new student. But, according to Mrs. Distefano, an SJHS counselor, a large number of new students enroll during the summer, and teachers don’t always know they are new. That is why SJHS counselors have come up with a fun way to help new students meet others. Counselors recently organized pizza parties for all students who moved to SJHS over the summer.
Here at Springville Junior High, we are effective communicators, responsible citizens, and successful learners. This year at our school, we have a new teacher that is an example of all of these! “She’s kind, intelligent and helpful!” said Skyler Wasler, a student at Springville Junior High. “She’s fun, and she always knows what shes doing!” said Megan Gashler, another student at SJHS. But who is this mystery teacher? Introducing Mrs. Morrell, the new history teacher at SJHS!
Quest Time is a small, 20 minute period where the many students, teachers, and administrators at Springville Junior High School can have a little fun, or where other students can get some extra help. Mr. Mikesell, the Dean of Students, said, “The biggest goal is to help students understand concepts that they may have missed in class or didn't understand.”
Cross country is not just an after school activity. It’s a great way to get fit, and have fun. The season for cross country is throughout the fall, and it is for anyone in the grades seven through and nine. The team practices every day after school for about an hour and a half.
Many members of the cross country team have agreed that they enjoy cross country, and that it is a great opportunity to get out in the fresh air and run. Nathan Merrill, an eighth-grader at SJHS, said, “It’s very painful, but it’s worth it.” Most team members enjoy that sometimes after practice, they chill and eat otter pops, or play ultimate Frisbee.
