SJHS News

Two PE students playing pickleball in Mrs. Anderson’s class.

Jack Setzer
SJHS Staff Writer

Every year, girls’ PE teacher Mrs. Kelly Anderson has her students play a sport with a paddle and wiffleball. The sport is called pickleball. “Most students seem to enjoy it,” said Mrs. Anderson. The girls are all done for this year, but they play pickleball every year.

Students use different strategies. “In rallies, I always aim for the person who looks bored, because they probably aren’t paying attention,” said Jamie Devenish, a seventh grader. Eighth-grade student Darby Farr said, “If they’re far back, I hit it softly, and if they’re close, I hit it hard so they can’t get it.”

“I would play pickleball at least twice a day, no doubt,” said seventh grade PE Girls student Amanda Ripley, “If I had the time.”

Students watch the annual flag football game at SJHS.

Jose Martinez
SJHS Staff Writer

Every year at Springville Junior High there is a special event:  students vs. teachers flag football.  Each year, students think they will win but are always proven wrong.

“There are six teams, five student teams and one teacher team; the overall winner is the team that has the most wins,” said Mr. Brian Rice.  Even though it seems like the student would have an advantage with more student, the teachers are usually  the victors because they are bigger, smarter and more handsome than the students, as Mr. Rice put it.

The flag football game consists of ten minute games and whoever accumulates the most wins is the winner. “It was fun and unexpected,” said Dan Nava, student at Springville Junior High School.  Students have always been willing to challenge the teachers in everything, whether it is in sports, academic progress or just life. The students always want a new challenge.

“Hopefully the students will just have fun,’’ said Mr. Rice.  The game was held on Tuesday, November 10th and the teachers won again, undefeated.

Jacob DeRosia
SJHS Staff Writer

Basketball open gym is an after school program were anyone can come in and do some fine tuning on their skills.  If students are looking to polish up on their skills or just to play some basketball, open gym is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 3:00 pm to 4:30pm.  So far, open gym is very popular with, on average, 20 people per day!

“Anyone can come and improve their skills or just come to shoot some hoops.” said Mr. Blakey, counselor at SJHS, and supervisor of open gym.  The rules are simple: don’t mess around, play basketball. Easy enough? Sure is. Coming to open gym ensures a good time and good pointers.

The SJHS Golf Team: Zach Droubay, Allen Maughan, Gregg Davis, Radley Nelson, Kyle Englund and Coach Krebs

Andrew Garza
SJHS Staff Writer

This year Springville Junior High took 5th place in the Nebo School District tournament.  The team missed 4th place by just a few strokes. The golf tournament was held at Hobble Creek Golf Course, where students form Springville, Mapleton, Payson, Mt. Nebo, Spanish Fork, and Diamond Fork Junior High Schools competed to see who the best was.

The golfers played eighteen holes and the best four scores from each team were totaled to determine the winner. This year Gregg Davis, Allen Maughn, Kyle Englund, Radley Nelson, and Zach Droubay went to the district tournament at Hobble Creek. Gregg Davis said that he and his team did well.

Gregg Davis loves to golf and is looking forward to next year and says that he will tryout next year. Mr. Dallin Krebs, the golf coach and an SJHS math teacher, said, “I think the golf team is important because it gives students another opportunity to participate in another school activity and golf also teaches values and more. Students who participate are required to be model students. The values students learn from playing golf will stay with them the rest of their lives.”

Julie Barbosa
SJHS Staff Writer

With all the illness in the world today, obesity is a common threat. But not for the girls at Springville Junior High. Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday girls have the opportunity to meet after school from 2:45-3:45 with their instructor Mrs. Claire Mills.

Mrs. Mills has been teaching for three years at Springville Junior High, not only teaching the girls work out club, but also the special education program at the school. Mrs. Mills said, “I think that we do need this program. It helps promote a healthy life style, it’s fun and everyone makes new friends.” Even with the hectic schedule of students day-to-day lives, girls still have the opportunity to relieve their stress and have fun at the same time.

Seventh-grader Nina Tuttle said, “I think the club is a good idea; girls can interact more with people outside of class.”  Nina isn’t the only one who shares a love for the club. Ninth-grader Maddie Alispach said, “Girls get the chance to get to know each other and be fit. It’s good that people be fit.”  Everyone’s hopes are high as more after school programs begin to grow.

Even with the first term ending for students, everyone is encouraged to join the club, where instead of textbooks and tests, students do healthy activities such as, sports, making healthy treats, yoga, free weights, pilates and so much more. So take a stand for health like many other girls at Springville Junior High.

Hayde Blanco
SJHS Staff Writer

Ready, set, SCORE! Basketball tryouts are happening November 9th at Springville Junior High. The ninth-grade boys are going to be able to participate in this event and show off there skills to Mr. Shaun Blakey, the basketball coach and counselor here at Springville Junior High.

Basketball tryouts start on Monday, November 9th, and will go for two days. They will begin at 3:00 and go until 5:00 pm. Basketball tryouts will be held in the boys’ gym at the junior high. There will be a mandatory meeting for all the ninth grade boys who would like to tryout on October 20th after school in the auditorium. Mr. Blakey is also holding an open gym on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for anyone who would like to come and prepare for tryouts.

Mr. Blakey has been coaching basketball for two years. He said, “I always look for talent, like any other coach, but also players that are willing to work hard and never give up!” He also feels it is important for a player to be a good student and respect others on and off the court. He wants a team that will give all they have no matter what is asked of them. There will be 12 players on the team, and he would also like to have three or four managers to help.

Some students that will be trying out are Joseph Carter and Jantzen Dalley. Both Joseph and Jantzen think that they will have a good team this year. They both have had a lot of experience. Joseph has been playing since he was three years old, and Jantzen doesn’t even remember! They both like Mr. Blakey. “He’s so tight,” said Jantzen Dalley.

As you can see, both students and Mr. Blakey are very excited for this year’s basketball season. Mr. Blakey believes that we will have a very good team this year.

Jacob Simmons
SJHS Staff Writer

Springville Junior High School is committed to excellence, it is in their “Knight’s Code.” One of the many people who help make the school so great is Mr. Shaun Blakey, counselor and boys’ basketball coach.

Mr. Blakey was born and raised in Springville, Utah, and graduated from Springville High. After high school he went on to get a bachelors degree in business marketing, and a masters degree in counseling from the University of Phoenix. He then came to SJHS to be a counselor.

Aside from being a counselor, Mr. Blakey coaches the boys basketball team at SJHS. He starts his second season as coach this September, although he has been involved with basketball even during the summer. During the summer, Mr. Blakey opened the gym for students to have a place to go to practice and play.  He is still involved now. After school each day except Wednesday, he opens the gym for students to go play and learn. “I’m looking forward to a fun and successful year,” Mr. Blakey said, referring to the ninth grade team.

Outside of school and basketball, Mr. Blakey enjoys spending time with his family, and going on vacations. Some of his favorite vacation spots are Disneyland and Park City, however, he likes going anywhere to spend time with his family.

Mr. Blakey has also worked in sales and retail management, and while in high school he worked at a daycare. Besides being a counselor, his favorite job was working at the daycare, “I loved working with the kids and going on the fun field trips with them during the summer,” he said. Obviously, he knew from an early age that he would like to work with children.

Katya Wagstaff
SJHS Staff Writer

Girls taking Physical Education at Springville Junior High have started a dance unit.  This unit gives them a chance to try something besides what they consider “normal” sports.  The girls choose group members and choreograph a dance to music of their choice.

Some may wonder why Mrs. Kelly Anderson, the girls’ P.E. instructor, strays from a curriculum of traditional sports such as soccer and volleyball.  Mrs. Anderson said, “I think the girls really enjoy being creative and performing the dances.”

Just because Mrs. Anderson lets the girls use their creativity doesn’t mean there aren’t rules for them to abide by.  The rules are as follows: the dance must be two to three minutes long, props may be used, no cost to anyone can be involved, music must be school-appropriate, the dance is performed in front of the class, and if you are absent on performance day, you get a zero unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Girls have opposing opinions on whether or not normal sports are better than the dance unit.  Anna Bunnell, a seventh grader, thinks normal sports are better, she’s not really into dancing, and Kourtney Joyner, an eighth grader, think it’s more fun to do sports.  On the other side of the debate is Darby Farr, an eighth grader.  She likes dance because you can “express yourself in different ways.”  Another eighth grader that prefers dance is Madison Joyner.  She said, “Dance is funner.  You get to have more fun, and it’s not as competitive.”

Badger cheerleaders holding up their banner for the football team to rip through at the beginning of the footbal game.

Hayde Blanco
SJHS Staff Writer

“G-O Lets Go! Springville, G-O Lets Go!!!!!” These words are very familiar to the Springville Junior High football players. Here at Springville Junior High we have cheerleaders supporting and gathering the crowd for the football players.

According to Cynthia Esklund, Springville Junior High cheerleader, cheerleaders help the football players. Cheering gets them “pumped up.” Alyssa Nance, another Springville Junior High cheerleader, said “Heck Yes!” cheerleading is a sport.

Some things that cheerleaders do at football games are dances during half time, tumble, and pump up the crowd. A unique thing that Cynthia Esklund and her team, the Badgers, do is make a banner and then hold it up while the football players run through it at the beginning of the game.

Max Schreiner, eight grade student and football player at Springville Junior High, likes having the cheerleaders at the games because they are “cute,” but when they do their dance during half time it is hard to hear his coach. Kaleni Neiufi, seventh grade football player, said, “It gets the crowd and a lot of people cheering for us.” But according to Kaleni, his team mates pay more attention to the cheerleaders than the game.

Kara Dunn
SJHS Staff Writer

Springville Junior High is now offering basketball intramurals everyday except for Wednesdays, from 2:45-3:45.  Intramurals is an after-school program for any student who needs to make up an absence in PE, or just wants to play basketball.

Basketball intramurals end November 6th and tryouts for the school basketball teams will be November 9th-13th.

Volleyball intramurals will begin sometime in the month of November.

Ninth-grader Autumn Hathaway serves against Payson Junior High.

Morgan Bowser
SJHS Staff Writer

Now that school is underway, so is girl’s tennis. The tennis season started in early September and goes until early October.  Mr. Brian Rice, teacher at SJHS, is the coach and has been for four years. The girls love him as their coach. Victoria Ireland, an eighth grade student, said, “Mr. Rice is really patient and nice; if I mess up he doesn’t criticize me. He just corrects me and helps me do better.”

A lot of the girls feel they are improving with their tennis skills. Sydney Watts, an eighth grade student, said, “I am hitting the ball more and understanding the game more.”  Mr. Rice also said he feels the girls are improving.  There are a lot of first year girls and they are most definitely getting better.

Many girls said they would sign up for tennis again because it is so fun. The girls said that the reason why tennis is so fun is because of the competition, but also being able to do it with a friend and for the love of the game.

So far the girls have won three out of four matches and are hoping to make it far in the district championships which are coming up this week. Good luck tennis team!

Kaleb Barnum
SJHS Staff Writer

Utah has the greatest snow on earth, and winter sports here are taken pretty seriously.  For example, snowboarding is one of the sports that a lot of people do around the globe.  It is where you ride a board side ways, and you have to figure out how to turn, stop, and how to go faster.

Utah has a lot of places people can visit and have a good time on the slopes. There is Sundance, Canyons, Alta, and Snowbird, jus tot name a few.  Those are pretty popular places in Utah.  Chelsea Ricks, ninth grader at Springville Junior High School, said, “I love snow boarding. I love the snow, the mountain, and the outdoors. I hope I can go this year.” Jacob DeRosia, eighth grader at SJHS, has been snow boarding almost his whole life. He said, “I love it. I like the high speeds and all the risks you have to take. I usually go around ten to fourteen times a year.”

So if anyone hasn’t ever been snow boarding, this year would be a great year to try it. So, as you can see, it is loved by some people.

Sunroc Lions facing the Payson Giants…It’s a bad idea to come into the Lion’s den.

Jacob DeRosia
SJHS Staff Writer

Last Tuesday evening the streets of Springville were quieter than normal. Of course! That’s why; the Sunroc Lions faced an intimidating opponent: The Payson Giants.

Immediately after the Reams Badgers defeated their opponent, the Lions took the field and amazed crowds from the start. From amazing kicks to two touchdowns within the first half, the Lions kept the crowd in their seats for the duration of the game.

Although they won, Tyler Sumsion, a player on the team, said, “We did really well in the first half, but in the second half we could have given 80% more effort.” Many SJHS students showed up for the football game and all said it was the best game so far.

As the quarterback soon found out, mistakes can be to your advantage. Late in the second half, the announcer said, “The pass is a beauty! Wait, what has happened here?! The ball carrier is the quarterback!! He threw to himself!”  As the audience was trying to figure out what had happened, the announcer said, “The pass was tipped of toward the quarterback!”

Though the audience got a good laugh out of it, the boomerang pass was short lived. And people wanted to see who would win the game. At the end of the day, the Lions had a great game, and won 24- 20.

The SJHS Golf Team, front row left to right:  Radley Nelson, Allan Maughan and Cooper Fullmer.  Back row:  Coach Dallin Krebs, Kyle Englund and Zach Droubay.

Max Schreiner
SJHS Staff Writer

The most exciting thing for a golfer is making the golf team. This year the golf team members consist of eighth graders Gregg Davis, Allan Maughan, Gabe Hargett, Radley Nelson, Cooper Fullmer, Kyle England, Zachary Droubay, and ninth grader Tanner Bunnell.

The golf team practices at Hobble Creek Golf Course every Tuesday at 4:00 p.m., but “team members are strongly encouraged to practice on their own during the week,” said Coach Dallin Krebs, who is also a math teacher at Springville Junior High.

There are four tournaments each season plus districts which is where the winning school will be determined. Zachary Droubay, golf team member, said he joined the golf team, “Because it’s awesome!” He also remarked that Mr. Krebs has taught him a lot of things. The golf team had their first tournament on Monday, September 14, 2009, at 3:00 p.m. at Hobble Creek Golf Course.

The girls Cross Country team starts a meet at Springville Junior.

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Christopher Taylor
SJHS Staff Writer

At Springville Junior High, there are a lot of opportunities for sports. One of these is Cross Country.  Cross Country is basically long distance running.  Kids compete in one and a half mile meets each week on Thursdays. On Monday through Wednesday they practice, usually running two to four miles each day.  Ms. Carrie Parker, the aerobics and body conditioning teacher, coaches the team.  All grades can run and compete.

Kids on the Cross Country team run about three and a half to four hours each week. Sometimes they do special activities, like hill sprints. In hill sprints kids run up a steep hill as fast as they can several times. Most kids think it is hard, but worth it.  Spencer Duncan, an eight grader on the team, said that they are good “because they get you used to running hills.” Kids are challenged each day. Owen Gardner, another eighth grader, said that “You use your physical ability and your mental ability to keep going.”

Kids have lots of fun in Cross Country. Alex Hawker, a seventh grader, said that “Running clears my mind.”   Emily Daybell, one of the ninth graders on the team, said, “I love running to cool places.”

Ms. Parker is very enthusiastic about the team. She said, “We have a good turnout of a great group of runners. I love being a coach.” According to her, it is a great experience because she gets to watch runners get better at what they do.

Many team members think that meets are an important and fun part of Cross Country.  There have been two meets so far. In both meets, the boys took first and the girls took third.  Unlike other sports, where how good the team does is based on whoever got in first, Cross Country depends on the five fastest runners on the team. Their placements are added together to give the team a score. The school with the lowest score wins.

Many people are curious about how the new seventh grade team members will turn out.  Ms. Parker said, “The seventh graders are a strong addition to our team.”  Most seventh graders are glad to participate in Cross Country.  According to Alex, everyone has been very nice to the seventh graders even though they are new.