Mr. Booth, the SJHS band teacher, organizes a jazz band every year, composed mainly of students from his ninth grade band class.  

After trying out, the students start meeting Wednesday mornings and Tuesdays after school.  Mr. Booth thinks it is a great way for his students to learn a wide variety of musical styles.  

The students in the jazz band are excited for this year’s concert.  “It’s fun,” said Elizabeth Setzer, a ninth grade student playing keyboard for the jazz band, “but it does take practice.”  Another jazz band student, Jack Layton, said that being in jazz band is a good way for him to broaden his perspective.  

Some of you may be asking “What is peer tutoring?” Peer tutoring is a semester long class where you help students here at SJHS who are struggling academically or have a difficult time being in a regular class. You go with a student  to a class and help them with their work.

Mrs. Hunsaker, the peer tutor teacher at SJHS, said, “Peer tutors are like extra hands and brains. Since every kid is at a different level, I can’t work with every kid all the time, so the tutors are a really big help then.”

Everyone at SJHS is getting ready for the new school, coming to us next year!  To commemorate moving to a new school, we have put together a time capsule, to be opened 20 years from now!       

Over the summer Mr. Rencher, a CTE teacher at SJHS, spent lots of time in his classroom making our time capsule.  He said that he made it from old doors that were in the basement of the school.  The whole capsule is made of items from the school, except for the rope that holds it up.       

 Yes that’s right, the December Super Knights have been awarded!  At the assembly on Friday December 20, at SJHS, all six were announced.  Sarah Reber and Kaiden Exon are the seventh grade Super Knights, followed by Marissa Roper and Jonathan Young as the eighth grade Super Knights, and finally Maryn Giles and McCaiden Begay as the ninth grade Super Knights.  Here are some of the comments that teachers said about them!  

Sarah Reber: 

* She always has a positive attitude.  Sarah is eager to learn and is always nice and friendly to everyone.* Sarah is what every student should be, happy and willing to try her best on every assignment

 On Friday, December 20th, 2013, Mrs. Gleave, a math teacher at SJHS, took most of her classes Christmas caroling around the school.  However, these songs had a strange twist.  Instead of singing about the joys of Christmas, the songs taught about math formulas and when they are used.  It all started at the beginning of the week before Christmas break.  The students got into their own groups and picked one of the Christmas carol options.  They then proceeded to change the lyrics to be about a math formula and how to use it.        

Did you know that the SJHS Choir goes on tour? It is just a mini tour to all the  elementary schools in Springville, and the Provo Towne Center mall, but it is still pretty sweet!       

This year they went to Art City, Brookside, Cherry Creek, and Westside, on December 17.  The choirs that went were the Master Singers, Journeymen, and Knightingales. They all performed “Feliz Navidad,” “One Candle,” and “I Sing Noel”. The Journeymen sang, “Masters in This Hall,” “Jingle Bell Celebration,” and “Shepherd's Spiritual”.  The Master Singers sang, “Bidi Bom,” “Brazilian Christmas Carol,” and “The First [Noel]”.       

Everyone enjoys a break from school, whether it’s the sleeping in, or the not having to get ready. It could be that you can hang out with your friends earlier and later, or maybe you just have fun because you don’t have as many worries, and you don’t have to even think about school.         

Everyone does different things over the break. Zach Jenkins, a seventh grader at SJHS, got to ride in a hot air balloon and hang out with his friends.  Kallysta Strong, a seventh grade girl at our school said that she made gingerbread houses at her grandma’s house.       

“I just grabbed a bunch of cans and put them in the bag, because I feel good donating, but l never know where to donate to,” said Holly Hill, an eighth grader at SJHS. “It's a good way to serve and help people in need, especially at this time of year during the holiday season.  An added bonus is that the winning classes receive a pizza party,” said Mr.Beebe, the Spanish and Latinos in Actions teacher at SJHS.  All the food went to Community Action Food Bank in Provo. 

 Bridges, many people ride on them but very few make them. However Mr. Hatfield, a science teacher, had all his students make bridges out of plastic straws, and with all the competition for candy there were some crazy ideas for bridges. Many strange ideas included: one half straw, 20 straw bundle, and a cube. The more successful ideas looked more like real bridges. A school record was set by a truss bridge (a common bridge with struts) that held six pounds, it may not seem like a lot but these are straw bridges, so they aren't very strong.       

 “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is the inevitable question that all teens encounter. Some dread it, some take it on with a planned out answer, but no matter the circumstance, everyone must choose. In order to help out, Springville Junior High School’s counselors have invited parents to present about their career to the students in the library during Quest Time.