One of the many great successes of this school year is Quest Time!  Quest Time is going to be here next year because of how well it went this year.  Mrs. Johnson, vice principal, said, “ It was very effective.  The grades changed dramatically, the A’s and B’s went up, and the D’s and F’s went down.”  It helped kids try and get their grades up so they could party in enrichment.  It also helped the students be aware of their grades every single day except Wednesday.  

There is a class in SJHS, during sixth period, which is different than any other class. For one thing, some of the students aren’t in class, but they are in other classes talking to their peers. This class is a writing class, but it’s not a typical writing class. In this class the students get to write about whatever they want! This class is journalism.

Cutting, carving, molding, and shaping all have to something do with one new class SJHS is offering next year. Mr. Cudney, the art teacher at SJHS, will be teaching sculpting class for all students that have a creative side and love to do things with their hands or just want to have fun. 

Camilla Dunn, student at SJHS, said, “I think it’s a good opportunity for people who want more with art.” Some of the projects include sculpting monsters, making sculptures out of junk, and looking and learning about famous sculptures.  Mr. Cudney wanted to teach a sculpting class because in past years they have done a unit of sculpting and he (and the students) really enjoyed it.

Teachers.  Everyday we go to class and learn more than we knew the day before, but do we ever stop and thank them for what they have done for us?  Ms. Parker, aerobics and jogging teacher at SJHS, will be leaving the school this year, and we would like to thank her for all that she has done for her students and for the school.  

Ms. Parker first started as a teacher six years ago and has been a favorite teacher ever since.  Tyler Werner, seventh-grade student at SJHS, said, “I love how she’s more than your average day teacher, she joins the workout with you, and she makes class really fun. She’s the bomb!”  

Mr. Cole Nelson is a eighth grade history teacher at Springville Junior High School. He used to live in Elba, Idaho and will return there at the end of this year. “I am moving back to Idaho in order to teach and run the family farm,” he said, “My future plans are to move to Idaho at the end of the month and stay there for the rest of my life.” 

While at SJHS, Mr. Nelson was not just a history teacher, he was also the girls’ basketball coach along with Mr. Strong. But that is not all Mr. Nelson did this year at SJHS. He actually was one of the sprinter coaches of the track team this spring. “I've always wanted to teach U.S. History and coach basketball along with track and field.” He has done exactly that.

    Mrs. Breakwell came to Springville Junior High to teach English for an internship; but sadly she is leaving at the end of this year.  Other than teaching English here, she teaches English at UVU.  Mrs. Breakwell said, “I liked working at SJHS very because I love the students and the faculty. I would come back next year if I could because I like the environment. I’m sorry to leave.”

Imagine a class where a student can read all period long. A class where a student can get ideas from other students about book, where they can think more about their books, and where they can read for a whole thirty minutes. This class is not just a fantasy, it is a reality.  This class is Reading for Enjoyment.

Teachers work pretty hard. Eight hours of the day, five days a week, plus grading and planning after school. And how many times do we say thank you? Well, during the week of April 4th, the PTA, student council, and service learning class showed appreciation for the teachers and other faculty members every day. They made nice posters for each door and gave the teachers gifts every day!

This semester eighth-grade students in Mr. Dahl’s science class had the opportunity to make mousetrap cars.  The students were required to have them done and at school by April 25th. They tested them in the hall. To test them, the student got their car ready, set it on the starting line, and let the car go. If it went eighteen feet then it passed.

As far as requirements, the mousetrap cars had to have at least three wheels, two axels, must be at least a foot long in length, and they could only have one mousetrap. Rat traps were not allowed. “Students made the mousetrap cars in order to put their knowledge of motion, energy, and simple machines into action,” said Mr. Dahl, a science teacher doing mousetrap cars.

A new school, a locker combination to memorize, and classes all over the school. It’s no wonder seventh graders are so stressed out when they first come to SJHS. The administration has come up with a solution to this.

Next year, seventh graders will come a day before everyone else; this half day is dedicated to helping the seventh graders out, because their first day of seventh grade is the hardest. The administration will be there to help with lockers and to direct students to their classes. They will also have an assembly to welcome the new seventh graders to the school.