“It’s really fun. I like it because it’s a class where, instead of homework, you get to play music. It’s different from other classes,” said Sena Warren, an eighth grader at SJHS. This quote describes an amazing elective class available at Springville Junior High School: orchestra.

Dr. Tsugawa directs and teaches the orchestra during first, second, and third period. There are some cool instruments, which include bass, violin, viola, and cello. Students warm up with scales and other exercises, then get their fingers moving with faster songs. Then they tackle their concert songs. The orchestra is looking forward to performing in upcoming concerts, including one in January.

Students in Mr. Cudney’s photography classes this year are learning a lot of new skills.  They get to go outside during class and take all sorts of pictures.  Then they edit and share their photos with the class.  Riley Jeffers, a ninth grader at SJHS, said, “It’s cool to see how the pictures turn out.”  According to Alyvia Woolsey, an eighth grader at SJHS, students get to take different kinds of pictures.  The class takes pictures that fall into certain categories, such as abstract, perspective, black and white, and much more.  Mr. Cudney, photography teacher at SJHS, said, “Each assignment, we focus on a different concept or technique.” 

Have you ever made anything that was so great that you just had to show everyone?  Well heres your chance. SJHS is making it possible for your art to be seen all over Springville in Springville Junior High School’s school newspaper! Emily Baugh, an eighth grader at SJHS, said, “I love seeing my art in the school newspaper!” Kallie Powell, a ninth grader at SJHS, said, “Entering my picture was fun! It was fun to see it in the newspaper!”         

Recently, there was an assembly at the Springville Junior High. Cherie Davis came and told stories to SJHS students.  She also taught them about good storytelling abilities. Carter Call, seventh grader at SJHS, said, “She taught us that you can use actions to make the story come alive and that by switching your tone, you could change the feeling of the story. She also taught us that you should look at the people in the audience while you were telling the story so that you kind of had a connection with them.” Mrs. Davis is a professional, and she told several fairy tales to the students. Many students enjoyed the event.

This past semester, Springville Junior High has had many events happen. Many students have good memories of the things they experienced. From August through December, many things have happened at SJHS, from Cross Country in September to Election Day in November. This article is dedicated to these past months of the the first semester.

August of course, many students will recall the first day of school, but according to Carter Call, a seventh grader at SJHS, he had a pretty interesting day. Carter said, “I was happy to see there were vending machines. I also got lost a couple times.”

At Springville Junior High School there are teacher assistants, also known as T.A.’s,  that help with lots of tasks for teachers. According to Mr. Hatfield, a science teacher at SJHS, T.A.’s help with a lot of things like copying papers, running errands, and scheduling meetings. 

Most T.A.’s help with things like stapling papers, printing and copying papers, scheduling meetings, and a lot more when the teacher is busy teaching. “If I could go back I would still be a T.A. because it’s fun, and it’s really cool to feel like a teacher,” said Preston Wilkins, a ninth grade student at SJHS.

On Wednesday, December 12th, Sue Jones, from Intermountain Donor Services, came to Springville Junior High.  She taught the students in Mr. Chambers’s health classes all about the importance of organ donations.

An organ donor is a person who is willing to donate their organs to people who need them to live.  Did you know that you can donate several organs?  Some of the organs you can donate include: your heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver.  If fact, just one donor can save at least nine lives!

Have you ever written a thank you letter to someone? Perhaps you got to see their faces when they received the letter. Or maybe you even have received a thank you letter. According to www.operationgratitude.com, the men and women who are serving in the Armed Forces love to get letters from really anyone! Whether a family member, or just a student they had no idea existed, they will cherish those letters forever. According to Mrs. Murray, the Service Learning class at SJHS, the letters go to men and women working away from their families. That’s why this year at Springville Junior High, the Service Learning class is collecting letters from different classes that want to participate.

Every Friday during Quest Time, students at Springville Junior High let loose and sing karaoke. This enrichment activity is held at Ms. Neeley’s classroom, #58. Karaoke is singing along to a machine that plays music. Carlie Maughan, an eighth-grade student, said, “Karaoke is where you sing along to awesome songs!”

Sometime during eighth or ninth grade, students at Springville Junior High will be taking a class that teaches them how to use different computer programs that they may need in later life.  The class is called Computers in Business, and it is taught by Mr. Taylor.  According to Mr. Taylor, the class does a lot of stuff with marketing and money, and they are almost always on the computers.  “The overall goal of the class is to show students how you can use different computer programs in real life,” said Mr. Taylor.  According to Brendon Tolley, an eighth grader at SJHS, sometimes the class will go on different websites, such as E-Trade, where they will learn about stocks.