he Springville Junior High School Knights have many successful sports programs, from football, to track, to tennis.  But what many people do not know is that SJHS also has a winning golf team.

This school year, the team has been to many meets around the district, and even won third place at their last tournament on September 27th.  Coached by Mr. Dallin Krebs, the team headed down to Gladstan Golf course in Payson.  They competed against Mapleton, Spanish Fork, Diamond Fork, Mount Nebo, and Payson Junior Highs.  

Quest Time, the new program at Springville Junior High, brings many enrichment activities. One of which is Recreational Math-a “doing math for fun” activity.

Recreational Math is a Quest Time activity every Monday in Mr. James Anderson’s class room (59) the class is meant to challenge students who enjoy trying to figure out mind-boggling math problems, or just finish up some homework or play a game.  Mr. Anderson, a math teacher at SJHS who is in charge of the activity, said, “We plan one challenging math problem that students can try, then answer at the end of Quest Time. We [also] allow ‘thinking games’ to be played.” 

Mr. Trent Mikesell is one of the many teachers at SJHS. He teaches seventh-grade English and one period of creative writing. Mr. Mikesell is also on the School Community Council and the Quest Time Committee. “I love all my classes,” said Mr. Mikesell. “I have taught seventh grade the longest, so I am most familiar with it. Seventh graders are so fun to be around; they have so much energy, and it is contagious.” He has been teaching for five year and helped with the gifted and talented group last year. “He is my favorite teacher,” said Anna Gurney, a seventh grader at SJHS.

Front row, left to right:  Anna Bunnell, Sarah Cheney, Emilee Christensen, Zoe Baldwin, Sage Petersen, and Shannon Lott.  Second row, left to right:  Taylor Bennett, Claire Hatch, Melissa Jenson, Rachel Standley, and Amanda Ripley.  Third row, left to right:  Faith Atkinson, Kallie Whitby, Mason Barnes, and Cody Woolsey.  Back row, left to right:  Michelle Herrera, Andalyn Hall, Christopher Taylor, Andrew Creer, and Tyler Condie.

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ll the eighth graders at SJHS got the opportunity to see the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall.  Students arrived in Spanish Fork on September 10th to view the wall.  As students arrived, a helper told the students that this memorial was to honor the soldiers who had died to save our freedom.

Leah Morales, an eighth grader at SJHS said, “As soon as I glimpsed the wall it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!” She also said, "Those people who sacrificed their lives for freedom--that was a great responsibility.”

This year at Springville Junior High School there is a new principal: Mr. Ken Van Ausdal. Before coming to SJHS, Mr. Van Ausdal was principal at Salem Elementary for four years.

Mr. Van Ausdal has done a lot of different jobs professionally. He was a resource teacher at Santaquin Elementary, an assistant principal at Eastmont Middle School and West Hills Middle School, and the principal of Butler Elementary and Salem Elementary.

  
Springville Junior High School students and teachers are finding unique ways to get to school. On weekdays everyone needs a way of getting to the junior high. There’s the usual: walking, taking the bus, or getting a ride from a parent. But this year, SJHS is uncovering new ways to get from point A to point B.

Trust Lands is a state program that gives schools money to buy new equipment and other supplies that make learning for the students easier.  This year at Springville Junior High the money has been put towards many different things to improve the students’ learning progress.

This year in Honors English the ninth graders have been making a “this”. Mrs. Mary Rice, Honors English teacher at SJHS, said,  “A ‘this’ is called a ‘this’ because there are many folded pieces to it, and as I explained the folding to students, I found myself constantly using phrases like ‘then fold this’ or ‘bring this together with that.’  And thus a ‘this’ was born.”  A “this” consists of specially folded pieces that contain specific information about a text that students used their summer reading to create, with Mrs. Rice’s assistance. 

At Springville Junior High School, eighth-grade students in Mr. Greg Shields's U.S. History class are learning to be cartographers.  A cartographer is someone who makes a map. Students are in charge of making a map of the United States. Students will add all of the rivers, mountain ranges, regions, and most of the lakes. Students get to use their personality and imagination as they make their maps. They are allowed to decorate the maps in any way that they want. The project is worth 180 points and is due on October 21st. Students will be graded on creativity, neatness, completeness, and total effort put into the project.