Hayde Blanco
SJHS Staff Writer

SJHS has a lot of hard working teachers. One of them is Mrs. Diane Bird, who teaches three classes: service learning, CTE, and sewing. She has been teaching here for one year and has loved it. Even though she is busy with school work she still has time for her family, pets and her big yard at home.

This year is Mrs. Bird’s fifth year teaching. Before coming to SJHS, she taught sewing, service learning, CTE, foods, child development and Interior Design at Provo High School. Before teaching, she helped with her husband’s business and has been busy raising four children.

Mrs. Bird may seem too busy, but she doesn’t let work stand in her way of doing things at home. She likes to cook, sew, hike and hang out with her kids. “My kids are my hobbies,” said Mrs. Bird. Mrs. Bird also likes to travel. She has been to places like Arizona, California, Hawaii, Canada and Europe. Her all-time favorite place to go is the Teton Mountains in Wyoming, and she loves the beach!

Students have nothing but good things to say about Mrs. Bird. Brittney Hooley, an eighth-grade student, said, “Mrs. Bird is a really good teacher. She takes time with you so you can understand what you are doing.” Another eighth grader, Laurelin Webb, said, “Mrs. Bird is a fun, easy-going teacher.”

Spencer Duncan
SJHS Staff Writer

Springville Junior High just finished a food and clothing drive.  Natalie Shaw, Liz White, Taylor Martin, Shawnee Henderson, and Thalia Berriel, members of the service learning class, were in charge of the drive.

The drive went from Monday November 29 through Monday December 7.  The winning class gets a donut party from Reams in Springville.  According to Natalie Shaw, the party is used to encourage students to donate.

Mrs. Bird, service learning teacher, said, “The purpose of the drive is to help people less fortunate than us.”  Tyler Ercanbrack, a first period student in Mrs. Rebecca Murdock’s class, said “It helps other people.”

The food and clothing donations are being sent to the Food and Care Coalition.  Some of the shoes may go to Deseret Industries.

Jacob Buhler, Oscar Portillo and Jace Hartman sold stars during lunch.

Katya Wagstaff
SJHS Staff Writer

The first wish granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation was for Christopher James Greicius in Arizona.  Since that time, Make-A-Wish has grown to become a non-profit organization that has granted wishes all over the world.  Springville Junior High students have helped grant the wish of Jessenia, a seven-year-old girl who has ALL leukemia.  Jessenia wishes to go to Disneyworld and meet all the Disney princesses.

Students in the service learning class at SJHS, taught by Mrs. Diane Bird, are in charge of the Make-A-Wish fundraiser for Jessenia.  During lunch, stars can be purchased for a dollar each.  Each student puts their name on the star and places it on the wall, showing that they have donated.  If students donate $1,000, an SHS Student Council member, Josh Buhler, will have half of his body shaved.  Though the stars were a dollar each, any amount of money given was appreciated.  These stars were sold November second through the ninth.

The service learning students in charge of this fundraiser are Jace Hartman, Oscar Portillo, and Jacob Buhler.  Jacob Buhler and Oscar Portillo both feel that they have a bond with Jessenia even though they haven’t met her.  A ninth-grade student who has helped sell stars, Cami Sumsion, said, “Even though I don’t know her, I’ve come to love her.”

SJHS students aren’t the only ones donating money for Jessenia’s wish, Springville High and Mapleton Junior High are helping out too.  SJHS hopes that Josh gets shaved, and everyone can’t wait to see Jessenia’s wish come true!

Hayde Blanco
SJHS Staff Writer

The annual Make-a-Wish Carnival was held at Springville High School on Monday, November 9 from 6 to 8:30. This carnival helped raise money to make Jessenia’s wish come true. Jessenia has ALL Leukemia, and her wish is to go to Disneyworld and meet all of the Disney princesses.

This carnival had games like pie throwing, an ice cream eating contest, miniature golf, face painting, standing long jump, skateboard races and pin the tail on the devil. Springville Junior High’s service learning class had the chance to help out in some of the events. The events that service learning helped out were skateboard races and standing long jump. Participants sat on the skateboard and pushed off with plungers for the skateboard races. Then for the standing long jump people stood on a line and jumped as far as they could. The further participants jumped, the more candy they won.

Springville Junior High is hoping to raise $1,000 for Jessenia.  If they do, Josh Buhler, a member of the Springville High School student council, has volunteered to help motivate people to buying more stars by shaving half of his hair off. Mrs. Diane Bird, service learning and sewing teacher at SJHS, said, “It would really be nice to see Josh Buhler’s head shaven.” Haley Norman, a seventh grader here at Springville Junior High said that her favorite games were miniature golf and the face painting. Haley also said, “This was a really good way to earn money for Jessenia.”

Mrs. Diane Bird, clothing teacher, helps students lay out their patterns for aprons.  Left to right:  Eighth graders Ben Johnson, Tori Glassford, Katelynn Marshall, Kaity Hansen and Savannah McNitt.

Max Schreiner
SJHS Staff Writer

There are a lot of elective classes at Springville Junior High. One of these is the clothing class; in the clothing class students have the opportunity to learn new sewing techniques and how to use the techniques on their own sewing projects. Students come each morning and work on their projects. Ms. Diane Bird, who also teaches service learning, is the teacher in clothing.

Every two weeks students in the class are expected to turn in a project. Some of the projects are book bags, aprons, and pajama bottoms. Right now, the students are either finishing up their book bag or starting an apron. Brittany Hooley, a member of the class, said, “I look forward to the clothing class everyday because I love learning new things about sewing.”

The class is available to eighth and ninth grade students. The clothing class is taught periods one and three. Lots of people have fun in the class. Laurelin Webb, another member of the class, said, “I love sewing! I just feel good when I’m sitting there working on my project.” So if you’re looking for a fun way to spend your elective credits, take clothing next year!

Kaity Hansen shows off her completed apron.

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Ben Johnson sewing his apron.

Shawnee Henderson, Liz White, and Taylor Martin make a poster in Service Learning.

Jack Setzer
SJHS Staff Writer

Service Learning is a class that is all about doing service in the community and school.  Mrs. Diane Bird is the teacher. In a basement classroom at SJHS, the Service Learning class plans what to do and carry out their charitable plans. And they do it all because… they like doing service.

Mrs. Bird organizes her class by giving small groups of people different tasks, and boy, is there a lot to do! They make all the posters in the school, and they do announcements for all the school promotions. Also, they read to Third Graders at Brookside every Tuesday.

The Service Learning class also goes on special trips to the Humanitarian Center, the home for Senior Citizens and other service projects. They also “go to the forest service and help clean,” according to Cami Sumsion, one of Mrs. Bird’s students.

Students join the Service Learning class for different reasons. Some are on the student council, so joining is mandatory. Others like helping. When service learning student Oscar Portillo was asked why he joined, he replied, “This class is legit!”

Kaydie Kerby
SJHS Staff Writer

Mrs. Kathryn Crandall, the service learning, foods, and sewing teacher, is leaving SJHS to go to Maple Mountain High School (MMHS). Mrs. Crandall is going to teach Clothing one and two, Designer Clothing, Child Development, and Adult Roles. Mrs. Crandall is an amazing teacher and loved by many students and faculty.  Mrs. Crandall said, “I have mixed emotions. I’m looking forward to new challenges at MMHS and the changes it will bring. However, I couldn’t be sadder because I will miss my friends here at SJHS.”

Not only are the students and faculty sad, but one of her closest workers and friend, Mrs. Natalie Luke, the other foods teacher and a CTE teacher at SJHS, said “Mrs. Crandall is so amazing.  It’s hard to imagine how she can do all she does and still stay sane! I appreciated all of her help as I began when a new teacher. She makes my day better.”

Mrs. Diane Bird, another CTE teacher and friend, said “I’m so sad that she’s leaving. She’s going to be missed. We have been friends since we went to junior high. She’ll make an outstanding high school teacher. I wish her the best of luck.”

SJHS is going to be different knowing that Mrs. Crandall will be gone. We will miss you Mrs. Crandall and good luck to you next year.

Halley Rencher
SJHS Staff Writer

Mrs. Diane Bird is SJHS’s newest career and technical education (CTE) teacher. She teaches the Family and Consumer Science area, which includes child development, clothing and textiles, nutrition and food science. “Nutrition is probably my favorite area to teach, and I feel it is probably the most important,” she said, “If we are healthy we have a much better chance of being successful and happy.”

Mrs. Bird grew up in Mapleton, and went to Springville Junior High. Here she met some of her best friends, and, in her opinion, had a lot of fun.

When asked why she decided to teach, Mrs. Bird stated, “I had an excellent teacher in high school that taught Family and Consumer Science. She was enthusiastic and enjoyed her job. I thought she was the greatest, and I wanted to do exactly the same thing.”

Why would one want to teach CTE? For Mrs. Bird the reasons are clear: “I enjoy getting to know the students. I feel the subjects I teach can impact all of us.”

Please help us welcome Mrs. Bird to the staff at Springville Junior High.