Chelsea Ricks
SJHS Staff Writer

The Springville Junior High boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at played games on December 3, 2009. Both teams played against Murray Junior High School.

The girls played hard, but lost their game 33 to 35. The boys won their game 62 to 56. Cole Bertelsen, a member of the boys basketball team, said, “We played pretty good against Murray. Our defense was really good against the team.”

Jantzen Dalley had the most points for his team with a total of 18. Mindy Stapel had the most points for her team with the total of 21 points. Mr. Shaun Blakey, the boys basketball coach, said, “We would love to see more students at the games to support the basketball teams.”

The next girls and boys basketball home basketball game will be on Tuesday, January 5, 2010. They will be playing Payson Junior High.

Team Captain Derek Boyer

Max Schreiner
SJHS Staff Writer

Twelve people made the boys basketball team this year, and two of those twelve were voted team captain. One of those captains is Derek Boyer. Derek has been playing basketball since he was born and has always loved it. This year he made the junior high basketball team by using his amazing shooting, dribbling, and passing skills.

On the day of the third practice before the team started practicing, Coach Shaun Blakey called everyone over and had them vote on team captains. He said “I want you to vote for someone who you think would be a good leader, be able to push you to your limits, and make us better as a team.” The vote was unanimous; Derek would be one of the captains.

Derek’s favorite thing about playing basketball is scoring! “I just love the feel of knowing I got my team points to help us win.” He also loves making a nice assist and having that sweet sensation just knowing that he was responsible for making that happen.

His basketball idol is Michael Jordan because he had so much heart for the game and that’s what Derek wants to be known as, the guy with all the heart.

Jantzen Dalley, team captain

Max Schreiner
SJHS Staff Writer

Twelve people made the boys basketball team this year, and two of those twelve were voted as team captains. One of those captains is Jantzen Dalley. Jantzen loves basketball; he has been playing basketball since he was in third grade and has loved it from the beginning. This year he made the junior high school basketball team. Before the third practice, the team voted on team captains for the year. Mr. Shaun Blakey, basketball team head coach, told the team, “You should vote for someone who you think will be a good leader, will be able to push you to your limits and make us a better team as a whole.”

Jantzen said, for him, basketball is the best sport because, “It’s a high intensity, quick paced, fun game,” When he went to one of the games last year he said he thought the intensity level was a lot higher than his accelerated games which made him look forward to playing on the team even more than before.

His basketball idol is Michael Jordan, with LeBron James as a close second. The reason Michael is ahead of LeBron is because he was the best there ever was, and Jantzen wants to be the best there ever was.

Max Schreiner
SJHS Staff Writer

Fridays at Springville Junior High are always fun because Friday is the day we spin the wheel at lunch. For most students, Friday is the day they get their awesome prizes such as iPods, chips, fifteen and five dollar gift cards to Wal-Mart, Yuda Bands, one dollar bills, and coming soon, Krispy Kreme Doughnut gift cards.

To spin the wheel students must get ten stickers from teachers and then they can spin. Teachers give out stickers to students for many reasons.  Students receive stickers for being effective communicators, responsible citizens, successful learners, having good attendance, and high test scores. Mr. Shaun Blakey, SJHS counselor, said, “Teachers can also give out stickers for whatever they feel students deserve them for.” When students receive stickers they can put them into their planner on the page marked for stickers, and after they receive ten stickers they can take their planner filled with stickers and spin the wheel.

The counselors and Mr. David Knudsen, assistant principal, are in charge of the wheel with little help from the student council. Students spin the prize wheel at lunch and then go to the front office and pick up their prizes after school. Kaitie Bair, a student at SJHS, said “I’ve only spun once and got a candy bar, but other kids get the big prizes like iPods and gift cards.”

So, just reminder students every Friday bring your planners and be ready to spin!

Max Schreiner
SJHS Staff Writer

As the first term comes to an end at Springville Junior High, another one starts right back up. For students this is an opportunity to get it right the second term; students like Kaleb Barnum, an eighth grader at SJHS, said, “it’s a fresh start, all my grades are A’s.”

During term two, many students are bound and determined to get better grades from last term. Mr. Shaun Blakey, school counselor, said that one way to get better grades is to “Just do it!” He also suggested that students stay organized and use the writing and math labs after school if they fall a little behind.

The second term and the fourth term are both 45 days long, two of the shorter terms. But the second term includes more holidays, which means more days off which for students is one thing to look forward.  Term two began on November 2, 2009 and will conclude January 14, 2010

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.

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.

Kara Dunn
SJHS Staff Writer

This year, counselors at Springville Junior High decided that they would try something new in order to help new students succeed. “Peer Pals” is a program in which students try their hardest to look out for new students and make sure no one feels excluded or left out. Teachers recommended students who are good leaders and able to include others.

“Sometimes students notice things that teachers or the other councilors don’t notice,” Mrs. Monica Distefano, a counselor at Springville Junior High, said. Mrs. Distefano went on to say, “We’re going to try to meet with new students at least once a term to see how they are doing.”

Although there are a few selected students to be peer pals, Mr. Shaun Blakey, another counselor, said, “Students don’t need to be a ‘Peer Pal’ to help other students. We hope all students will look for anyone who needs a friend and invite them to hang out with them.”

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.

KresLynn Knouse
SJHS Staff Writer

Ninth grade students at Springville Junior High are excited about the new Electronic High School, or E.H.S., that is currently offered to them. E.H.S. is a program that provides free courses for 9th-12th grade students enrolled in any public school in Utah. This is a convenient way to take classes that aren’t available at the high school.

The website is http://ehs.uen.org and is available for enrollment from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. Once students are enrolled, they can choose from a variety of classes and earn credit that is accepted at both SJHS and Springville High School.

“You do have to pay for your books, but even with that added cost, it’s still a cost-efficient way to earn high school credit,” said Mrs. Joy Maughan, the SJHS counseling secretary.

Although it sounds easy, the class work from Electronic High School is mostly just like a normal high school class. However, since it is an online service some students may need to adjust to a different atmosphere. There is no teacher, no classroom, and communication with the teachers is mostly through email.

“I would recommend the Electronic High School to any self-motivated student,” said Mr. Shaun Blakey, the ninth grade counselor at SJHS.  If you feel like the Electronic High School is for you, you can check out the website, or pick up some more information in the Springville Junior High counseling office.

Mindy Stapel of SJHS received a first place medal for the 100 meter hurdles at the district junior high track meet.

Kara Dunn
SJHS Staff Writer

With the school year wrapping up, so is Springville Junior High’s track team. On Friday May 8th, the track team had the opportunity to run in the district track meet at Springville High School. For some events the top six runners from each school participate, while participants in the jumping and throwing events had to acheive a certain distance.

Springville did well this year. We placed third overall in boys with a grand total of 71 points. Girls also came in third with a total of 64 points. Congratulations Springville! Everyone worked hard to achieve their goals and a few went above and beyond on their previous goals.

Five district track records were broken by Springville Junior High students. Jackson Dozier broke the discus record for seventh grade boys with a throw of 8’ 11”. Justina Carter broke the seventh grade girls’ 100 meter dash with a time of 13.62 seconds. Danica Nusink broke the girls’ seventh grade discus record with a throw of 68’ ½”. Mindy Stapel broke the girls’ eighth grade record for 100 meter dash at 16.59 seconds. Aimee Wheeler broke the girls’ ninth grade long jump record with a jump of 16’ 3”.

“The district track meet was a lot of fun,” Mindy Stapel, an eighth grade track runner said. “It was a really good experience, and we all tried our best.”

Mr. Blakey, a counselor at Springville Junior High, as well as one of the track coaches, said, “It was fun for everyone to come out and support us.”

The track team will be sad to be saying goodbye to running, jumping, and throwing, but they all had a good experience and will have memories to remember for a lifetime.

Rylee Vest
SJHS Staff Writer

This year at Springville Junior High there is a new program where students use laptops in their classrooms in order to make testing easier. End of year testing started on Tuesday, April 21st and will end on the 13th of May. Make-up testing will start after the 13th.

Tests are taken in English, math, and science. The English testing lasts for four days, math testing lasts for two days, and science testing lasts three days.  Each individual section of the tests last about 25-30 minutes.

A counselor at the junior high, Mr. Shaun Blakey, said, “The advantage to the mobile lab is that students can test in the classroom they have been in all year.”

Kara Dunn
Staff Writer

After a year of sweat, blood, and tears, this school year is beginning to wrap up. That means end of year testing. Most students groan at the thought of taking end of year testing. Autumn Hathaway, your average student at Springville Junior High, said, “I think that it’s boring, but it’s also necessary for us to do.”

Mrs. Marthea Jackson, a math teacher at Springville Junior High explained the way that the state has set up testing. “Each class has a State Core that the state has set up. It’s basically what each class has to know for end of year testing. The tests are written around the State Core.”

In preparation for testing, students are encouraged to get lots of sleep, have a healthy breakfast, not to stress, and most importantly, to take your time and not to rush. This isn’t a final grade. It’s an overview on how you have done this year.

Mrs. Jackson went on to explain that the State Testing isn’t meant to scare you, but to check up on yourself and as long as you have tried your best, you have succeeded.

This year we are starting a new system for testing. Mr. Shaun Blakey, the counselor in charge of end of year testing, explained, “This is now a computer-based test, so the first day or so will be more of a learning how to use the system, day.” As part of the new system, the results will also be faster. “We will hopefully be able to get our results a lot sooner than before,” Mrs. Jackson said hopefully.

KresLynn Knouse
SJHS Staff Writer

For the past few weeks, the Springville Junior High track team has been training rigorously all for this one day. SJHS competed in their first track meet on Friday, April 10th against Mount Nebo and Diamond Fork Junior Highs. SJHS took first place, the girls earned 98 points, and the boys earned 111 points.

The 2009 track team is larger than any track team SJHS has ever had. Last year the track team consisted of about 100 students, but this year 170 students signed up. To put it into perspective, about 20 percent of the entire school is currently participating in track.  “We, as coaches, are thrilled about the number of students that signed up. We hope that the number continues to grow throughout the years,” said Track Coach Shaun Blakey.

Many events took place, including shot-put, discus, hurdles, high jump, long distance, and several different lengths of races.

Mckell Metcalf, a ninth grade student at SJHS, has participated in track once before, and placed third in discus last year. “I did pretty good last year, but I plan on taking first this year. I love both throwing events, but discus is really my thing,” she replied.

We hope the SJHS Track team will get the same phenomenal score for the next track meet!