Wood, table saws, and fun

Mr. Rencher, Sarah Patrick, Derek Black making the tops of their boxes.

Tori Jones
SJHS Staff Writer

At SJHS, there’s a class taught by Mr. David Rencher, where students are allowed to use power tools and wood to make boxes or, if they’re in ninth grade, and took the class the previous year, anything they want. The class is woodworking.

Most students that take this class say they like woodworking because they get to learn to use power tools and make cool stuff. “I like the speed and accuracy of the machines, but I really like the creativity of hand tools. Power tools are loud and hand tools are usually quiet,” Mr. David Rencher, woodworking teacher, explained, “I started with power tool like my students, but the more I work with wood the more I like the feel and satisfaction I get from using hand tools.”

Most students say they love woodworking and would recommend that other students take the class next year. “Classes like woodworking and drafting in junior high and high school are where I found I had some talent, and I would like others to see that talent in themselves. One of my goals is to teach my students the satisfaction that comes from a job well done. In a class like woodworking, it is there for everyone to see,” Mr. Rencher stated.

Students' Grades Hit the Web

The Student Information System allows parents and students to access grades and attendance at any time--just start at the district website.

Jacob Simmons
SJHS Staff Writer

The Student Information System (SIS) has helped students, parents, teachers, and administrators alike to know where students stand, and it has made it easier for teachers to enter scores and assignments. Nebo School District first started using this system in the fall of 2000.

SIS is a program that allows teachers to enter their students’ scores online. Now students can see their grades online, their missing assignments, their attendance, the whole shebang. “SIS can be very beneficial,” the Springville Junior High assistant principal Mr. Mark Bake said.

Students and parents were mailed a username and a password to access this program prior to the beginning of the school year. This is all that you need to access SIS, aside from a computer with internet access. If you have lost or simply forgotten your password or username, you are in luck! Mrs. Joy Maughan, the counseling office secretary, can access passwords and usernames for each and every student in the school, and would be very happy to help you get your information.


SIS makes things much easier for teachers as well. Gone are the days of the old grade books and roll sheets. Now teachers can enter all of this information straight into the computer. “It's definitely better than the way we used to do things. It has the potential to be very helpful, but it is a great challenge to keep it current,” Mr. Bake commented.

SIS has made things much easier, and is a great program, with the potential to become even better.

New Year’s Eve Traditions

Whitney Norman
SJHS Staff Writer

New Year's Eve is one of the greatest times of the year. When everyone gets with their family, and either watches the news to wait until midnight, or just do family traditions and activities. Students at Springville Junior high explained that New Year’s Eve is a fun time to get together, and to just be with family and friends.

“We get together with our friends and stay up, and we dance to Mexican music. It’s just really fun!” Abi Santiago, an eighth grader at SJHS, explained, “Its very fun to see the New Year, and to spend the first day of the year with our favorite people.” Abi has a very special tradition that she does for New Year's. She and her family get 12 grapes, one for every month. Then they eat them all, and they make a wish after each one that they eat. They also like to drink apple to go with the grapes.

Eighth grader Shiri Stewart’s tradition on New Year’s is that her family gets to go over to her house, and they get to play games. One of her most favorite memories from New Year’s was when her uncle came down from Kansas to spend New Year’s Eve with her family.

“For our family traditions, friends and family comes over, and we do fireworks. It’s a lot of fun,” Trevor Bartholomew, another eighth grader, explained what his traditions were. “Once, my brother bought a whole bunch of fireworks, and when we lit it, it flew back into my house!”

SJHS Choir Concert a big success

M. Dayton
SJHS Staff Writer

On December 3, 2008 Springville Junior High School’s choirs took the stage with grand articulation. SJHS has three choirs, the seventh grade Apprentice Singers, the eighth and ninth grade Knightingales, Ladies Chorus, and the ninth grade Master Singers. Each choir had 15 to 20 minutes to showcase what the had been working all semester long. “I was astounded by the sound of the three choirs,” Kristi Hatch, an eight grade student, said. Many others share her same view. “The songs were so pretty,” Brooke Caswell, another SJHS student, reported. Over all, people are seeing the night as a big success.

“I was really proud of my choir [the Knightingales] and all the other choirs,” Maddie Patten reports. There was an array of songs ranging from classic carols to unheard melodies. Many family members and friends were thrilled with the program. “I loved the whole thing, especially seeing my sister and all her friends sing the songs,” said Camden Dayton.

The night was a success in large part because of SJHS’s choir teacher, Mrs. Leslie Walker. “Mrs. Walker always does an amazing job with the kids. She makes them work hard and it shows,” said Jill Dayton, parent of a SJHS student. Many parents, teachers, and students all agree that they are very lucky to have such a wonderful lady directing the choirs.

It was a great night that the performers and on lookers all enjoyed. “Mrs. Walker and all the chorus students should be commended for an excellent performance!” Arynn Patten, parent of a SJHS student, happily reflects. “Over all, it was a great performance and I’m looking forward to the next concert,” Camden Dayton readily commented. Camden is not the only one. Many parents, students, friends, and teachers also await the next performance in January. But more than anyone, the performers are looking forward to the next concert so once again they can enhance the lives of others through the gift of music.

SJHS Is Going Green—and Wants YOU!

Kristi Hatch
SJHS Staff Writer

At Springville Junior High School, Mr. David Kindrick’s eighth grade science students are “going green.” For a classroom assignment in the month of November, Mr. Kindrick presented the idea to design T-shirts that promote being environmentally friendly. The assignment started out as just a design on a piece of paper, but it quickly grew throughout the day. The students wanted to actually make the T-shirts and give them out throughout the school. Their first idea was to have every student bring three or four dollars to Mr. Kindrick to pay for their shirts, but it grew to find sponsors to support the cause.

A couple of weeks ago, Mr. Kindrick gave the assignment to design a logo that could be put on a T-shirt. The students reacted very positively, so Mr. Kindrick presented the option of actually getting the best logo put on a T-shirt. “I just thought a T-shirt would be a great way to get the going green idea out there. Plus using my contacts, I knew it would be possible to do for a low price,” Mr. Kindrick explains.

Students think that it’s a great idea and that it will promote being environmentally friendly. “Everybody will have a T-shirt and they’ll think it’s cool to go green,” said Hannah Packard, one of Mr. Kindrick’s eighth grade students. Holly Sumsion, also an eighth grader in Mr. Kindrick’s class, agrees with her. “People will be interested in it and be more aware.”

Mr. Kindrick did this assignment for the first time this year. “During the section on the environment I noticed that a lot of students didn’t even know what the recycling symbol looked like, and I realized it was because we don’t recycle much here in Utah and they never see it,” Mr. Kindrick said.

SJHS is going green already. “We recycle papers, and we’ll use milk cartons for projects,” said Samantha Child, a seventh grader at SJHS.

Students at SJHS think it’s a good idea to “go green.” “[The students] need to do it, and they are trying,” said Zach Hansen, a seventh grader at SJHS. McKenzie Prothero likes the idea of going green. “I think it’s good because [students] want to recycle,” she explained.

If you would like to sponsor this assignment, you can do so by going to www.nebo.edu. Click on “Departments” and go down to “Nebo Foundation.” When you click on “How to donate,” it will tell you how. Donate under Mr. David Kindrick’s name from Springville Junior High and help SJHS go green!

English as a Second Language at SJHS

Brooke Caswell
SJHS Staff Writer

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to speak English as a second language? It is difficult to communicate with the teachers and learn the information presented in class for those students who speak other languages. This year Ms. Josie Jarvis, Mrs. Lise Carpenter and Mr. Trent Mikesell, teachers at Springville Junior High, are taking Teaching English as a Second Language classes at Riverview Elementary School.

The teachers learn a lot of great information at these classes. “We basically are learning how to be better teachers to our ESL students. We are learning how to incorporate language activities into our lessons, so that our students can learn and not have to worry about a language barrier,” Ms. Jarvis, Springville Junior High computer teacher, said.

The teachers who are taking these classes really enjoy taking them. “They are very educational and very meaningful. It is a great opportunity to make myself a better teacher for my ESL students,” Ms. Jarvis explained.

These teachers have worked hard to improve their teaching ability. Great job and keep the good work!

SJHS Brings the Christmas Spirit to the Christmas Dance

Brooke Caswell
SJHS Staff Writer

Guess what students of SJHS? It’s that time again! It is time for the Christmas dance! The dance will be at Springville Junior High on Thursday, December 18th from 7:00 pm until 9:00 pm. For this dance and the Valentines dance it is best dress. It will cost three dollars with your ID card and four dollars without your card.

The Christmas dance is decorated to be sparkling and stunning. “I like the dance because everyone was pretty with their dresses on,” Taylor Earnshaw, SJHS student, said. “I like how the dance is best dress, except it stinks in heels but other than that it’s fun being in dresses,” Taylor explained. By dressing up the dances are very elegant and fun. “Dressing up makes the Christmas dance a little more special,” said Maddie Patten an eighth grade student at SJHS.

“Everyone should go to the dances because they are a blast and everyone has a good time,” said Sarah Fawson, another eighth grader. The Christmas dance is going to be a lot of fun this year so come and attended it.

Seventh Grade English with Mr. Robbins

Mr. Robbins and his students participate in a class discussion.

Carolyn Brown
SJHS Staff Writer

Here we have taken an inside look into Steven Robbins's seventh grade English class at Springville Junior High School. The class is two periods long, so Mr. Robbins splits things up. In the first period they do things that concern reading. The students read for a while and then Mr. Robbins reads to them. Right now Mr. Robbins is reading the novel Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Soon they will have turned in their fist book report, and the next one is coming up soon. They will then have five more to do.

The second part of the class is writing and literature. The students have journals where they keep a record of the things that happen to them in seventh grade. For literature, the students have to do spelling lists through the week. The students have to do a worksheet called “4 and 1's.” Students look up a set of twenty words in the dictionary and find the words’ definition and etymology. They will also be writing autobiographies by doing papers throughout the year.

Mr. Robbins has very few rules. “Be quiet, be prepared, be productive, be honest, and show respect. Those are my only rules and they are very easy to follow,” explained Mr. Robbins. “They are very important and they help to keep the class in order.” Being quiet helps the students so that they can focus on their work and get the most out of it. To be prepared you must have a book, pencil, and paper. Being productive helps the students so they don’t have to have homework. Being honest speaks for itself, and showing respect helps the student work well together.

SJHS Movie Night--Girls Basketball Fundraiser

The 9th grade girls basketball team will host a fundraiser movie night this Saturday, December 13th. Kung Fu Panda will start at 6:00 p.m., followed by Elf at 7:45 p.m. The cost is $3 per person, and the movies will be shown in the auditorium of the junior high school. Concessions will be sold. Families are welcome to come!

The movies are both rated PG, and since it is a school sponsored event, students must have parent permission to watch the movies. So send your student with a signed permission slip. Permission slips will be given out in each second period class, and will also be available at the door. The girls basketball team is looking forward to a fun night!

The Power to Fly

McKenna Gleave
SJHS Staff Writer

Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to flip through air on your own power and momentum? To have to ability to push yourself to do the incredible? John Anderson has studied and trained, tried and succeeded, determined and accomplished. He’s become master in his skill, and gymnastics is the name of the game.

Similar to many of histories great musical prodigies, John Anderson discovered his calling at a young age. “When I was five or six, I did crazy stuff on the trampoline, so my parents put me in gymnastics so I wouldn’t kill myself,” John said.

After all the hard work he’s put in, John Anderson definitely deserves what he is able to achieve. He’s been practicing for seven and a half years, four hours a day, five days a week, testing himself in six extreme areas. Pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, high bars, and flour tumbling.

John’s accomplishments are astounding. He’s a three-time state champion on floor; he’s placed first at level seven two years in a row, and first last year at level nine. He qualified and competed in nationals where he then made finals on parallel bars. Unfortunately John was unable to compete due to problems with airline tickets. His future is unlimited. Possibilities, endless. The world will never forget the August Bejing Olympics where Michael Phelps earned his place in history. Who knows, John Anderson could be next in line.

SJHS Band Concerts on Dec. 11

Zachary Nemelka
SJHS Staff Writer

On December 11th the Springville Junior High Band will be having three concerts--one for each grade's band. The bands will play in the SJHS auditorium. The seventh grade concert will start at 6:00 p.m. The eighth grade band will begin at 7:00, and the final performance will be the ninth grade at 8:00. The band will play six pieces of music, which will all be different types of music.

The music the band will be play is holiday music, traditional band music, cultural music, an African folk song, music from movies and classic rock music. The pieces will be played with ten different types of instruments: flutes, clarinets, oboes, saxophones, French horns, trumpets, trombones, baritones, tubas, and all kinds of percussion instruments. Please and support the SJHS band classes by going to the concerts.

It is important for the performers to have fun while playing in the concerts or else they might make more mistakes then usual. “We practice for two class periods during school, and then we perform for our parents that night. I like seeing my parents proud of me,” Michael Martinez a 9th grade band student, commented. He is never nervous during the concerts he is always calm because he is with his friends

Students learn woodworking in SJHS intro to manufacturing class

Mr. Rencher watches Dustin Brinton carefully as he uses the table saw.

Shelby Anderson
SJHS Staff Writer

Some may say fun, but others may say scary. Why scary? High-powered machines, hands-on working, this class is taught by Mr. David Rencher. This year will be Mr. Rencher's 17th year at Springville Junior High. Mr. Rencher teaches three different classes: Introduction to Manufacturing (Woodworking) and CTE Introduction (TLC), and Exploring Technology.

The Intro to Manufacturing class is for hands-on working. The first thing students in the classes make is a small wooden chest. “The students that take the class again get to come up with their own project and plans,” Mr. Rencher explained. Before the students even get to work with the high-powered machines they have to take the safety test and the general safety test. Each student must get 100% to even begin working on their chest or working with any high-powered machine.

You may think that the high-powered machines scare away the girls. Even though there are more boys that take the class, there are still some girls that take it. Some girls think it would be fun, and it gives them a chance to meet boys. “There are not very many girls that take the class. I would like to see more take it. The girls that do take it do a very good job,” Mr. Rencher said. One of Mr. Rencher's hobbies is woodworking. “If I had to pick a class that I like the most, it would probably be woodworking because it’s one of my hobbies,” Mr. Rencher stated.

Hands-on working, learning to work with tools, and learning to build things out of wood. Why is it so scary? Maybe if your student takes it, they might like it so much that I becomes one of their hobbies too!

Jazz Band to Swings into Action!

Matthew Fitzgerald
SJHS Staff Writer

Jazz band, two words most of us love to hear. So full of solos, drum beats, and jazzy piano riffs all in one to create a fun piece of music. After Christmas break, Mr. David Booth will swing his SJHS jazz band into action.

“Jazz band is an after school performing group made up of ninth grade band students,” Mr. Booth explained. The group plays jazz of course, but they also play other genres including Latin, rock, and funk. About twenty ninth grade students fill the instrument positions of trumpets, trombones, saxophones, bass, piano and drums. (Only one student apiece may play bass, piano and the drums.)

Jazz band will begin to play their melodious tunes after Christmas break. They will continue until their concert in the spring. “The concert is always held sometime in April or May,” Mr. Booth said.

Thoroughly Modern Millie

Ethel Peas, played by Genevieve Belknap

Whitney Norman
SJHS Staff Writer

Springville High School has brought great amusement to their school. Thoroughly Modern Millie was a huge hit that everyone loved. The play was based on a country girl who moves to the city to get a life and a job. She bumps into a small number of people, and later on, they become her friends.

“It was great! I loved all of the actors, and I thought that they all did very well,” Eric Mageno, one of the viewers of the play, said. “It was really worth the money.” On a scale one through ten, he rated it an absolute ten.

Viewers loved the play, but what about the cast and crew? Genevieve Belknap played Ethel Peas in the play. “It was a lot of fun, but it took up lots of time,” she explained. She said that it was so excellent that she couldn’t find anything wrong with it, and wouldn’t change anything. On a scale one through ten, she rated it a definite ten.

At Springville Junior High school, Mrs. Gleave was one of the choreographers for the high school play. “It was fun. You get to blend ideas. I only choreographed dances for the China men and Sweet Mystery of Life,” Mrs. Gleave explained. “It was a blast! The students were excited to go to rehearsal, and create something for their friends to go see.” Mrs. Gleave couldn’t find anything to change about the play, because the students helped to choreograph the dances, and worked very hard to make it happen. Mrs. Gleave also rates this play a ten. Thoroughly Modern Millie was one of her favorites.

So, there you have it. The SHS school play was a huge success, and filled with fun entertainment, Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Photography Books for Brookside

Ethan Trunnell
SJHS Staff Writer

On Thursday, November 20th, Mr. Jethro Gillespie’s 6th and 7th period photography classes went to Brookside Elementary to talk to the kids they would be creating books for. Groups of three students will work together to create a children’s book for a Brookside student.

The photography students will use a program called Gimp 2. Each photo album is four inches wide, and six inches long. The albums contain 36 pages, and were fairly cheap in cost.

The books will be centered on the student’s level in reading, learning discerning shapes, etc. Many books are alphabets with a picture and name for each letter of the alphabet. Some are full of shapes colors and letters. Mr. Gillespie’s photo students' creative ability has been greatly challenged.

The books should take several weeks to complete and must be 20 pages minimum. The project is worth a whopping 200 points on the students' grades. However, Mr. Gillespie hopes that it will be more than just another assignment. “I think it helps my photo students to be motivated to come up with a tangible product for a real, cute, little kindergartner,” he explained.

As for publishing cost and technicalities, the books will be printed at Costco for about five dollars each. The books will be paid for with the photography budget. A ten dollar fee that the students paid at the beginning of the year created this budget.

This project is sure to be a great success, and the students at Brookside will appreciate their books for a long time into the future.

Game Show Fun

Carolyn Brown
SJHS Staff Writer

In October the Springville Junior High School sold cookie dough as a fundraiser. The reward for selling four tubs of cookie dough was the opportunity to participate in an ultimate game show! The game show was a way to reward students with something that everyone wants, MONEY!! The game shows took place in the auditorium. “I am always changing the reward 'show' to keep the things different and mix it up,” Alan Anderson, the game show host and representative of the Great American Fundraiser Company, said “and I thought that it would be cool to give away cash prizes."

The students loved it. At the beginning of the year the school had a assembly that introduced the fundraiser. When the students learned that they would be getting money during the game show, everyone yelled and screamed. “It was really exciting to go and win money,” said one student that went to the game show, “it was also really easy. All you had to do was sell four tubs of cookie dough.”

There was a lot of work that went into the game show though; the schools had to provide all the money for the game show, and the Great American Fundraising Company had to provide the actual game show. SJHS provided six hundred dollars and gave it all away. There are about 30 other schools through out the Box Elder and Utah counties that participated in the game show.

Chinese 101 at SJHS

Maddi Dayton
SJHS Staff Writer

There is no better way to start the school day than in what is no doubt the most unique class at SJHS, Chinese. This class may be hard, but learning to speak another language is a fun, satisfying and a great life skill. “I think that studying a new language is very mind-expanding thing to do,” explains Mrs. Debra Wells, the Chinese teacher. Most students in that class agree.

Many students in the class find it challenging and fun. Ninth grader Illiana Monico says she likes to do hard things that make her think. That’s why she and many others chose to take this class.
Many people, like Kevin Dayton, parent of a SJHS student, as well as future SJHS students, feel that Chinese is the language of the future and says it would be wise for young adults to study this language, in order to position themselves for a competitive place in the new world market. As China branches out and opens businesses throughout the world, foreign trade increases the need for people who speak Chinese will also increase.

Preparing kids for future is one thing that SJHS does well. Whether it is teaching kids reading, writing, and arithmetic, or giving kids a life skill such as the ability to speak a foreign language, SJHS is on the cutting edge. The world gets smaller every day as technology connects us with each other. Students in Mrs. Debra Wells’s Chinese class will be prepared for the future.

WARNING – no snowball throwing!

Matthew Fitzgerald
SJHS Staff Writer

We all know the one rule that is the most tempting to break - the snowball policy. At Springville Junior High you can’t throw any snowballs, at any time. That includes everyone, teachers and students alike.

“We feel throwing snowballs is unsafe and should not be done,” Mr. David Knudsen, assistant principal, stated. SJHS has had some injuries in the past. “We have adult supervisors, including administrators, actively watching students anytime there is a large group on the school grounds. Assistant Principal Mark Bake said. “We also have cameras recording activities on a constant basis.”

For throwing a snowball, you could be punished by suspension, fines levied by judges, and criminal prosecution in a court of law. Mr. Knudsen said that there could also be personal injury lawsuits, medical bills to pay, and monetary judgments issued. “Always think this: 'What's the worst thing that can happen if I throw this snowball?' Picture that worst possible outcome, and we might think twice about throwing a snowball,” Mr. Bake advised.

Chivalry in Action at SJHS

Kristi Hatch
SJHS Staff Writer

At Springville Junior High School, students are achieving excellence by being effective communicators, responsible citizens, and successful learners. These qualities are in SJHS’s motto. SJHS teachers give out slips of paper called “Chivalry in Action” awards. They award students with these papers when the students achieve something academically or things that you don’t normally learn in school.

Teachers give Chivalry in Action awards out to students when they are doing something without being asked. “When someone cleans up or helps someone else on an assignment without being asked, this can be a motivation for some students to be more helpful or chivalrous,” explained Elizabeth Bass, an English teacher at Springville Junior.

SJHS has Chivalry in Action awards to award students for good behavior. It helps students feel good when they do something right, so they will want to do it again. Mr. David Knudsen, a vice principal at SJHS, explained that the Chivalry in Action awards have been around for five years. “The Chivalry in Action notes were thought up by a coalition of teachers and Brigham Young University professors that were studying the positive impact of teaching social skills in school,” he continued.

The students like the positive effects of the Chivalry in Action awards as well. “It helps you to be motivated and you can have something to look forward to if you do something good,” said Carolyn Brown, an eighth grader at SJHS. Millie Brady, a ninth grader, explained that it’s a good way to enforce rules because kids get awarded for their positive actions.

All in all, the Chivalry in Action awards have improved SJHS a lot throughout the years. It helps motivate students to do good actions and have academic progress. The students at SJHS are moving forward and making the future of America bright.