This year at Springville Junior High we have a new CTE teacher, Mr. Taylor.  According to Mr. Van Ausdal, SJHS principal, Mr. Taylor has brought new ideas to his classroom.  Mr. Van Ausdal said that Mr. Taylor is very enthusiastic, and he works hard.

Before Mr. Taylor came to SJHS, he was a computer technology teacher at Diamond Fork Junior High.  But Mr. Taylor is enjoying his new job at SJHS, and he thinks that the school mascot is awesome.  His favorite part of teaching is interacting with his students.  He said, “Students can only be successful if they apply themselves.” 

What is Service Learning? It’s an elective class at Springville Junior High where students get to do service projects for the school!  But the class isn’t just about doing service.  Students get to plan Red Ribbon Week, go to Brookside Elementary and work with kindergarten students, take decorations to the Senior Citizen’s Center in Springville, and make decorations for the school dances. 

It can be very hard being a new student at Springville Junior High School, especially at the beginning of the year.  When students come in midway through the year, everybody knows that they are a new student. But, according to Mrs. Distefano, an SJHS counselor, a large number of new students enroll during the summer, and teachers don’t always know they are new.  That is why SJHS counselors have come up with a fun way to help new students meet others.  Counselors recently organized pizza parties for all students who moved to SJHS over the summer. 

Here at Springville Junior High, we are effective communicators, responsible citizens, and successful learners. This year at our school, we have a new teacher that is an example of all of these!  “She’s kind, intelligent and helpful!” said Skyler Wasler, a student at Springville Junior High.  “She’s fun, and she always knows what shes doing!” said Megan Gashler, another student at SJHS. But who is this mystery teacher? Introducing Mrs. Morrell, the new history teacher at SJHS!

Quest Time is a small, 20 minute period where the many students, teachers, and administrators at Springville Junior High School can have a little fun, or where other students can get some extra help. Mr. Mikesell, the Dean of Students, said, “The biggest goal is to help students understand concepts that they may have missed in class or didn't understand.” 

Cross country is not just an after school activity. It’s a great way to get fit, and have fun. The season for cross country is throughout the fall, and it is for anyone in the grades seven through and nine. The team practices every day after school for about an hour and a half.

Many members of the cross country team have agreed that they enjoy cross country, and that it is a great opportunity to get out in the fresh air and run. Nathan Merrill, an eighth-grader at SJHS, said, “It’s very painful, but it’s worth it.” Most team members enjoy that sometimes after practice, they chill and eat otter pops, or play ultimate Frisbee.

Some of you may not know this, but your fellow students are already hard at work making this year's yearbook.  A staff of 12 students was selected to be in the yearbook class. They are going to be working all year long on the SJHS yearbook. They put things in it like Quest Time, dances, school sports, and highlights of the year.  This class takes place seventh period in Ms. Neeley’s classroom.

Ms. Neeley, the yearbook advisor, said ,“I hope my students learn to be responsible, creative and learn how to design.” Also, according to Ms.Neeley, SJHS students should buy a yearbook, because it will be fun to look at all the memories you had in junior high.  

At  Springville High School there is a girls tennis team. Four of Springville Junior High School ninth graders that are on the team. The ninth graders are Sarah Skinner, Stephanie Aragon, Maddy Brenchley, and Allyson Smith.

Springville Junior High School has a special singing program made specifically for eighth-grade boys. It’s called the Journeymen, and it is revolutionizing how boys learn to sing. It’s a boys-only class, which eases the transition for boys and their changing voices. This class is held at Springville Junior High School, is one semester long, and is taught by our fabulous choir teacher Mrs.Walker.

Most people think that the life of a cheerleader is easy. The ninth grade cheerleaders at Springville Junior High practice 24/7. So how do they do it all? Well listen up and I will explain how they do it all.

 The cheerleaders have to practice a lot to get all the routines right. According to Jacqueline Bradford, ninth-grade cheerleader, this may take some girls two days, but for others it might take two weeks. “It all depends on the person,” Jacqueline said. So if students started cheering in seventh grade, the routines might be easier for the students when they hit ninth grade because they are all the same. Most girls on the cheer team practice for one hour and 30 minutes every day so they get the routines perfect.