On Tuesday, October 12, 2010, the cross country team at Springville Junior High ran their final race. Just to compete and have fun, the team members gathered at Memorial Park with all the other schools in our district-Springville, Mapleton, Diamond Fork, Payson, and Mount Nebo Junior High Schools to compete, and just have fun.

Mrs. Natalie Luke is Springville Junior High’s foods teacher. She absolutely loves teaching in the foods class. Mrs. Luke said, “I love seeing kids succeed in making things with their hands. It is also always fun to see the teamwork that takes place in my classroom.” Mrs. Luke also loves to teach about the tools students use to make the different kinds of foods.

In history class, students learn about a variety of different governments, societies, and cultures. But, to most students, the most important thing they will learn is how our own United States government functions. Through participating in the democratic process, U.S. citizens can have an effect on the way they and others around them live. Government and law is a class at SJHS that focuses on the way our government works and how we can better utilize and enrich it.

Sarah Cheney has been selected as the Scientist of the month. She is an eighth grader at SJHS. Sarah loves to draw, read and do ballroom dance. In one of her ballroom dance competitions, she was able to win 5th place out of 40 couples in the high school category. She also plays the piano, ice skates, and is on the journalism staff here at SJHS. She loves school, and her favorite subjects are art and English.

Here at Springville Junior High, there are many types of students who enjoy many different things. Some of these people enjoy the thrills of hunting.

“My favorite part of hunting is being with family,” said Allan Maughan, a ninth-grader at SJHS. Hunting can bring people close together. Hunters are out in the wilderness looking for a certain animal, but a lot of it is just relaxing with their families. Hunters can discover new bonds they never knew existed and find knew things out about eachother.

Mrs. Rice, honors English teacher at Springville Junior High School, is working students’ minds to the maximum with Trivia. On Fridays during Quest Time Mrs. Rice puts on Trivia Games as a fun way for students to learn and be enriched.

Mrs. Rice’s class allows students to learn a variety of new and fun facts. Mrs. Rice asks students trivia questions on popular culture, sports, history, geography and Walt Disney. Some days students get the opportunity to write their own questions. Then they take turns asking their questions. These questions, from the students, can end up being school-related or completely random. Students enjoy learning both.

Students have all heard about Springville Junior High’s new Quest Time program. Some students may have attended many different enrichment activities with many different teachers. One of these activities is sign language. The sign language enrichment class is held by Ms. Diane Hamilton, pre-algebra and algebra 1A teacher at SJHS, and takes place in room 74 every Tuesday. Ms. Hamilton teaches this enrichment class because she thinks it is important for students to know another language, and she thinks it should be a regular class.

A group of students at Springville Junior High was taken out of classes on October 7th and October 8th for an activity requiring critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership skills. The purpose of this activity was to “develop communication and problem-solving skills by working in groups, using higher-level thinking skills, while having fun in the process,” said Mr. David Hansen, Gifted and Talented supervisor at SJHS.  The students participating in the activity were given a problem, and they had to solve the problem using common items. According to Mr. Hansen, the success rate of this activity was excellent.

This year Mr. Ken Van Ausdal, principal at SJHS, and Mr. Dave Knudsen, assistant principal at SJHS, have given students an opportunity to show their accomplishments in and out of the school community. Together they have given students the Path to Knighthood. Similar to what the knights in the medieval ages had to accomplish, students will have to complete activities in physical fitness, academics, arts, and service to move along the Path to Knighthood. “I think it’s a good experience,” said seventh grader Sarah Christensen, “I’m excited to start.”

The creative writing class is a popular class at Springville Junior High School where students can practice their writing skills and have opportunities to write.  Mr. Trent Mikesell, English teacher at SJHS, is the new creative writing teacher at the junior high.

The creative writing class is held in first period, in Mr. Mikesell’s class- room 54. Mr. Mikesell took over the class from Ms. Tiffanie Miley and Ms. Rachel Neeley who taught it in years past. The class won’t be too different from last year; this year the class is doing many of the same assignments