SJHS News

Jacque Kass, SJHS’s Scientist of the Month

Each month in eighth grade science, SJHS teacher Mr. David Kindrick selects a “Scientist of the Month.”  Jacque Kass received the honor in October because, according to Mr. Kindrick, not only is Jaque a great student, but she is also “very friendly and has a positive attitude about everything.”

Jacque Kass was born June 7th and has lived in Springville her whole life.  She has one “awesome brother name Mitch and two chill parents that I love to death, and I have a pet fish that is a beta.”

Jacque’s best friend is Elaine, and they have been friends since they were one.  Some of Jacque’s hobbies include softball, basketball, volleyball, and she really loves playing the piano.  Jacque loves rap music, playing video games, and her favorite holiday is Halloween.

Jacque wants to live where it snows all the time, maybe the North Pole.  She loves being outside, and if she could choose a profession it would be some kind of scientist that studies things outside.

Kenia Martinez
SJHS Staff Writer

Here at Springville Junior High School we have many students from a variety of different countries.  For example, Cheira Enriquez, a student at SJHS, is from Mexico where she lived and went to school until her family moved to America five years ago. “In Mexico you have to wear uniforms and here you don’t,” said Cheira, explaining the difference between schools in Mexico and schools in America.  She says she moved to America to get a better education.

Vicky Ha, another student enrolled at Springville Junior High, came from China. She’s been living in America for eight years. She said she moved to America because her dad and his family were here.  Vicky explained why she likes living here, “In America, people are more well mannered, and I feel it more safe here. The place is more clean and I have friends here.” But then she added that she likes China because people are more out-going and her family is there.

Max Sunjidmaa, a ninth grader at SJHS, is from Mongolia and moved to America a of couple years ago. According to Max, Mongolia is quite like many countries outside United States. “Doubtlessly, from culture to language, the countries differ,” Max explained, “American culture is based on individualism rather than group based culture.” Max believes it’s good in many ways because here in America there are vast amounts of opportunities that are impossible in numerous other countries, such as careers and education.  He says that schools in his country have a different academic system that is quite distinguishable when compared to schools here. “American schools provide you with many options and choices for the subjects you are interested to learn,” he said, “It is better, of course, if you can identify the opportunities that you have today that many other kids don’t have.”

All the different kids, including the kids from different countries find friends here and are treated equally by the teachers. If a student does not know English, someone who does know their language can assist them in their process of learning.

Bronson Bartholomew and Vicky Ha are Library TA’s at Springville Junior High.

Jack Setzer
SJHS Staff Writer

Ever wondered how librarians get so much done? Well, Mr. Gary Brimhall, SJHS librarian, has designated 8th and 9th graders to assist him with his library duties during their free periods. They help out in the library and make copies for teachers. They say that they became TA’s because they like helping out. More specifically, Library TA Bronson Bartholomew said he likes his job because “you get to help out teachers and other students.”

According to Mr. Brimhall, the responsibilities of a Library TA are to “check out and check in books, put books away once they’re checked in, and do all the copy jobs.”

How does a student become a Library TA? According to Vicky Ha, one of these designated helpers, they just ask their counselor. “They will help you, and they’re nice!” said Vicky.

New seventh graders Camilla Dunn, Peggy Sorenson and Sean Tedrow

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Kara Dunn
SJHS Staff Writer

With the new school year starting to pick up speed, Springville Junior High is excited to get to know and teach the new seventh graders. The new seventh graders are also excited to get to know the school a little better and begin their classes. “It’s kind of scary, but fun because you get to try something new!” Peggy Sorenson, a seventh grader at Springville Junior High, explained.

Mr. Shaun Blakey, the seventh grade counselor at SJHS, told us what he thought about getting to work with the new seventh graders. “I’m looking forward to getting to know them this year, and the next two years.” He went onto say, “I expect great things from this group. They are helpful and seem to really look out for one another.”

“Everyone seems really friendly,” Camilla Dunn, another seventh grade student at Springville Junior High, said. The new seventh graders are all very excited to spend the next three years of their life in halls and classrooms here at Springville Junior High and Springville Junior High faculty and students are excited to have them with us.

Sariah Morris
SJHS Staff Writer

Mrs. Natasha Shurtz, a Springville Junior High School math teacher, is leaving us. Mrs. Shurtz is moving to Memphis, Tennessee. She is pregnant with a baby boy and will be due in August. She and her husband hope to be settled in by then and will be moving in the end of June.  Mrs. Shurtz is moving so her husband can go to optometry school to be an eye doctor. He will be attending Southern College of Optometry for four years.

Ms. Rachel Neeley, an English teacher, said, “Mrs. Shurtz has a great ability to create a safe and happy environment in her classroom.  Her students were lucky to have a teacher that was so knowledgeable about math and cared about them so much.”

Mrs. Shurtz said, “There are a lot of things I will miss about this school. Most of all, I will miss the people though. This school really has a lot of good students, and I am glad that I have had the opportunity to meet them and teach them. I have also really enjoyed working with all of the faculty and staff.”

Mrs. Linton, the seventh grade counselor, said, “Mrs. Shurtz always seems happy to give her time and energy to anyone who needs it. She’s willing to do extra work with students during class or after school to help them catch up or get ahead and feel successful.”

Mrs. Shurtz has decided that after she has her baby she will be a stay at home mom. Mrs. Shurtz said, “I might go back to teaching when my kids are all grow up, or maybe when they’re in high school.”

Ashley Crookston, a student for two years of Mrs. Shurtz, said, “I will be really sad when she leaves. She is a good teacher. One of my favorite things that we do in her class is play Bingo to study for tests, and then get lots of candy.”

When Mrs. Shurtz was asked what she would do once her husband finished schooling, she said, “I’m not really sure, we will move wherever he gets the best job offer, we might even move out of the U.S.”

Mrs. Corrin Gleave, math teacher said, “Mrs. Shurtz has been a huge asset to our school!  She is crazy intelligent, dedicated to her students, and a dear friend!  She is an outstanding teacher who made our school a better place. We will miss her immensely!”

Obviously lots of people at this school love and appreciate Mrs. Shurtz. We will all miss her very much.

Gregg Davis (left) and John Anderson (right) recently competed in a National gymnastics competition in Cincinnati.

Kara Dunn
SJHS Staff Writer

Springville Junior High students dream, and dream big, and for two lucky students at Springville Junior High, their dreams have become a reality. On May 8, 2009, Gregg Davis, seventh grader, and John Anderson, eighth grader, both went to Cincinnati, Ohio where they had the opportunity to compete in national gymnastics.

Of course, their journey had to begin somewhere, as all journeys do. Six to seven years ago, John Anderson and Gregg Davis were introduced to the sport called gymnastics. After training and lots of hard work, they had the opportunity to compete in regions.

Regions are the first big step in taking it all the way to nationals. There are a few different regional teams of a combination of different states. The top six teams are chosen to sponsor the states that they competed against as a team.

After tackling and succeeding in regions, the final step was something that most people dream their whole lives about, competing in national gymnastics.

“John is really amazing,” Mrs. Anderson, John’s mother and SJHS PE teacher, said about her sons abilities. “He’s also a really hard worker.”

When asked, Gregg Davis told us what he thought about going to nationals. “It was a lot of fun and a great experience.”

Students have the opportunity to dream as big as they want and who knows, maybe someday their dreams will come true.

Ripley Tew, Addison Singer and Natalie Shaw, students at SJHS, have bright futures in store for them.

Sariah Morris
SJHS Staff Writer

Springville Junior High students are already thinking about possible career paths for when they get older. Springville Junior High School student Natalie Shaw said, “I think it is important to think about your future career because then you will know which colleges you want to go to and which subjects to study.”

Natalie told me she is thinking of becoming a nurse or a hair stylist. She wants to help with babies after they are born, but she doesn’t want to help with birth because she can’t handle all the blood.

Another student, Addison Singer, said, “I want to be an artist. I’ve loved art ever since I was little, and I want to pursue this career.” Currently, Addison is being paid one hundred dollars for some of her ballerina drawings. Addie says she mostly draws still-life.

When Chiny Henriques was asked whether or not she liked Addie’s drawings she said, “Yes! I love them, she is amazing. I definitely think she should pursue this career.” Addison said, “Art is my favorite thing in the world. I love art almost as much as I love boys!”

Another student, Ripley Tew, is already pursuing her career. Ripley has written a book called Rain and it is being published by Booksirge South Publishing Company. The book is about a young girl’s life and is a mix between fantasy and adventure. Ripley said, “In my book I wrote this quote, ‘Losing a friend is like losing an arm or a leg, you just can’t function without it until you decide to try.’ It is my favorite one that I have written.”

Many students at Springville Junior High have been thinking about careers they want to pursue and think it is really smart to start looking at different colleges.

Eighth graders at SJHS had a mousetrap car competition last week.  The average distance traveled by the cars was 10 to 15 feet.  Braden Peterson (left) broke the previous mousetrap car record of 91 feet this week when the car he built traveled 129 feet.  Braden attributes his success to the amount of time he spent designing it, tinkering with it, messing with the body design and science concepts that would maximize the cars effort.  “I think I could of adjust the string diffently to have it even go further,” Braden said.

Miranda Grigg, Robin Anderson and Emily Daybell are junior high members of Mr. Tsugawa’s SHS Folk Ensemble.

Emily Regan
SJHS Staff Writer

On an unlucky Friday the 13th a very lucky thing occurred for those who knew about it. Springville High School Folk Ensemble, also known as Sam’s Club, played an enriching performance at the Theuson Barn in Mapleton.

A barn was the perfect place to hold a bluegrass concert. Audience members were able to sit and watch our youth play traditional folk music. People were even stomping their feet and singing along while the songs were being played.

Sam’s Club is made of mostly high school students, even some graduates, but there are three very special members. Robin Anderson, Miranda Grigg, and Emily Daybell are all students at SJHS that are gifted in their musical talents.

“It was fun doing a performance to show off our skills,” said Robin Anderson, ninth grade student at Springville Junior High and member of Sam’s Club.

The only admission to the concert was to bring a dessert. Afterwards, the performers and audience members were able to eat and talk together about the fun they’d had.

Miranda Grigg, ninth grade student at SJHS and member of Sam’s Club, said, “It made me, as a performer, feel accomplished—like I was giving out free smiles and laughs.”

The performers were thrilled at the chance they had to participate. They enjoyed learning from each other and playing together. When asked is she’d do it again, Emily Daybell, eighth grade student at SJHS and performer in Sam’s Club, replied that she found it scary, stressful, and hard, but it was all definitely worth it.

Springville High School Folk Ensemble (Sam’s Club) have regular performances that are available to the public. Mr. Sam Tsugawa, ensemble director, is already planning one in the next month or so. If you enjoy the time-honored sounds of our past then be sure to look into our local folk enthusiasts—you won’t be disappointed.

Halley Rencher
SJHS Staff Writer

In Mr. Rob Bentley’s World Civilizations class, students were given two days to create a presentation on Asia and a few students got pretty creative. Ninth grader Caleb McClellan did a report on the culture of Taiwan.

“This was an important assignment because it introduced the students to Asia,” said Ms. Whiting, student teacher. “We feel it helped the students get excited for the Asia unit.”

What did Caleb do to make the class so excited? “He brought in a Chinese dragon,” said Ms. Seegmiller, another student teacher in Mr. Bentley’s class. A lot of students found the report was much more exciting to have it there.

“We had a lot of great presentations. Some students got really creative!” said Ms. Whiting.  Let’s hope these students do have fun in the Asia unit.

Emily Regan
SJHS Staff Writer

Unbeknownst to the regular, every-day students at Springville Junior High School, there is a student among them that is very special. Fourteen-year-old Jonathan Bassett is far beyond the general standards of his generation. Jonathan is currently a full time student at BYU.

From kindergarten through the fourth grade, Jonathan went to a public school, but was home-schooled after that. While learning at home, Jonathan was able to skip two grades, and in the tenth grade he took the California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE). The CHSPE is the equivalent of a General Educational Development test which allows him to graduate high school early with a diploma. He is now attending BYU on a regular basis, only coming to first period each day at SJHS.

“The workload is just right,” Jonathan said. “The pace is good and I don’t feel like I’m learning the same thing over and over again.”

Jonathan is very excited about his chance to go to BYU. His family is very supportive of him and encourages him to keep going in a positive direction. Since Jonathan hasn’t been to high school, though, he is still trying to learn how to manage his time in a way that will allow him to balance school work and his growing social life at SJHS. Of the many things that might be problematic for him, this is the only real trouble he’s had.

Currently, Jonathan is majoring in physics, and he is already planning on his Master’s degree. He enjoys what he’s doing and is thrilled about the direction in which he is venturing.

When asked what advice he might give to others in his situation he said, “Learn to be independent.” He recommended trying to provide for yourself as much as you can, and taking charge of your school career.

The life of a college student as young as Jonathan must be stimulating but also very complicated. We are very glad to welcome Jonathan Bassett to Springville.

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.

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.

Darryl Barnes
SJHS Staff Writer

Every so often a student named Kate Baxter grabs her pencil (and various other art tools), sits down at her desk, and creates art. She is an artist of great skill they say. Now we will see the methods of her greatness.

Kate Baxter is a 9th grade student who is an artist. “I’ve been drawing as long as I remember,” Kate explains. She really enjoys it and loves to draw. Kate uses a Japanese-style of drawing called Manga (pronounced Monga).

Kate gets inspiration from many sources, some of which include books, magazines, pictures, stories, and comics. She has found it enjoyable to read and write books and short stories. She has great talent in writing and drawing both.

The process in creating her drawings is usually the following: First, she will come up with the idea and visualize the drawing in her head. Second, she sketches the outline. Third, she sketches the inside. Fourth, Kate finalizes the drawing. Fifth, Kate decides what to do with the drawing (keep it or give it away).

Kate also loves to show off her ability to her friends. She likes to hear their opinion on her work. With their opinion in mind, she’ll make changes to benefit the drawing and make it look better.

With all of this in mind, many students feel that Kate Baxter is an outstanding artist! Many enjoy her work and envy her ability to manipulate a pencil and paper to make greatness. You ought to check out her art!

By Mitchell Rose
SJHS Staff Writer

At Springville Junior High, most students would agree that there are a lot of interesting people at this school. One on the list would be Zach Nemelka. Zach Nemelka is a 9th grade student from SJHS and just recently came back from living in Germany for 15 months. He and his family went there to just take a vacation and to learn European customs.

Zach lived in Starnberg, a small town in Bavaria Germany, which is south west of the city Munich. He ate a variety of food including bratwurst, which is a type of meat composed of pork, beef, or veal. He also ate schnitzel which is an Austrian cuisine that is a slice of veal coated in bread crumbs and then fried.

Zach liked to play basketball and volleyball. He also enjoyed eating lots and lots of food. “There isn’t a lot you can do there you can’t do here,” Zach explains.

Zach went to 33 other countries last year as well which include England, France, Spain, Austria, and Russia. He traveled a lot, and he found his way around by using the Subway to get into the city.

“School was pretty much the same in Germany as it is here, except for we only had six classes a day and we had a hour and a half for lunch,” Zach says. “I liked to go swimming in lake Starnberg. I saw tons of castles including Neuschwanstien. I liked to be with friends, go to cities, and eat food,” Zach continued.

Zach says he would like to go back, but not quite sure when. He is very excited about going back to Germany.