Kara Dunn
SJHS Staff Writer

Springville Junior High school is undergoing a few changes this year in appearance and staff. Mrs. Courtney Johnson has been added to the staff at Springville Junior High as the new vice principal. “I love how well-rounded the school is. Mr. Rolfe and Mr. Knudsen really understand the kids here, and you can tell they really care,” Mrs. Johnson explained.

Mr. Dave Knudsen, another vice principal at SJHS, shared his thoughts on working with Mrs. Johnson when he said, “I enjoy working with Mrs. Johnson; she’s really funny and a hard worker. She’s also very energetic about her work.”

Mrs. Johnson said, “I had just finished my administrative degree, and I’ve wanted to be a principal for twelve or so years. These kids are at my favorite age. They’re funny, honest, and make me laugh.”

Just like anyone else, Mrs. Johnson also has outside interests, besides being a vice principal. She has written one book, and is in the process of writing two others.  Mrs. Johnson also had a dream to be an airline pilot. “I originally wanted to work for the airlines, but I fell in love with the kids when I was student teaching and decided to give up my airline career,” she explained. Mrs. Johnson’s husband, however, is a pilot, and they are able to fly together.

Mrs. Johnson loves working at Springville Junior High because of the overall atmosphere and the excitement that goes on inside the halls. “I hope to stay here for a long time,” she explained.

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!

Lily Girot busy working on the posters for the upcoming Halloween Dance.

Chelsea Ricks
SJHS Staff Writer

The Service Learning class is busy working on posters for the upcoming dance. The Halloween dance will be held on Thursday, October 29 at 7:00 p.m. The posters help make the dance more “colorful, make it sparkle and have the atmosphere,” said Liz White, a Sercive Learning student at SJHS.

The students in Service Learning make posters for every dance. The requirements for a good poster are: “They have to be neat, you have to take pride in your poster, and the posters have to do with the subject,” said, Cami Sumsion, a Service Learning student.

Students are allowed to dress up for the dance, but they have to follow the school ndress code. “The rules of the dress up dance are: students have to be modestly dressed, no blood and gore, and there can’t be masks or face paint,” said Mr. David Knudsen, vice principal at Springville Junior High School. Students also have to follow the rules of school, like any other dance.

SJHS Fall Semester Student Council, left to right:  Jace Hartman, Katie Bair, Sara Ripley and Cami Sumsion

Chelsea Ricks
SJHS Staff Writer

As the school starts, students are getting ready for another great year at SJHS, with the help of the new student council. Student council for the first half of the year is Jace Hartman, president, Cami Sumsion, Sara Ripley, and Katie Bair, vice presidents. These students serve the school for half the year.

Students on the council “serve the school and work on projects,” Sara Ripley said, “We are supposed to be examples to the school, and encourage responsibility and kindness.”

“Student council is fun,” Jace Hartman said, “We make the school fun, and we make contributions to the school.” Student council takes Service Learning where they do service projects for the school and the community. They also learn how to be a better council. They learn how to give ideas for the school’s behalf. The student council learns how to be successful learners, effective communicators, and responsible citizen, so they can be the best council.

The students got on the council because they campaigned last year and gave reasons why they should be on the council. Some of the responsibilities of student council members are, “Decorating for the dances, doing service projects, coming to the administration with concerns and suggestions, and doing the pledge of allegiance on Mondays,” said assistant principal Mr. David Knudsen.

Emily Regan
SJHS Staff Writer

It’s the end of the year and students are itching for summer. The school’s faculty is bustling with action in preparation for the end of year. One of the things coming up is very important: locker clean out!

Locker clean out will be held on May 26th, during seventh period. All students will be called out of class to clean out and wipe down their lockers.

“We have locker clean out so that the students will make sure they bring everything home and leave the locker in good repair for next year’s students,” said Mr. David Knudsen, vice principal at Springville Junior High.

Once students have cleaned out their lockers they will need to find the teacher responsible for their section to check them off. Students should bring extra bags or backpacks to carry all of their things home in. Keep everything that’s important, recycle the rest!

Autumn Hathaway
SJHS Staff Writer

Sunshine, wind, laughter, and blue skies are what students at Springville Junior High look forward to hearing and seeing since they’re able to enjoy their lunches outside.  Announced last Friday at SJHS, students during the first lunch are now able to eat outside.  The cafeteria workers and lunch room supervisors decided that students were doing a pretty good job of cleaning up after themselves.

You may be wondering how this matter got brought up.  Well, here at SJHS we have a group called The Knights of the Round Table that meets every Monday to discuss the issues and things students want at our school, and then they act on it.

Amanda Wood, an eighth grader at SJHS and member of The Knights of the Round Table, stated, “It was really up to the staff to decide if the students could eat outside.”

According to Mr. David Knudsen, the vice principal at SJHS, the students who eat first lunch really earned their way into eating outside by showing they could clean up after themselves.  The students who eat first lunch will all enjoy the time that they have to be outside in the fresh sunshine and air while they’re all munching away at their lunches.

Assistance Principal Mr. Knudsen was taped to the cafeteria wall as part of RASK Week at SJHS.

KresLynn Knouse
SJHS Staff Writer

Random Acts of Selfless Kindness Week (R.A.S.K. Week) is a week that can be appreciated by everyone, from any school, in any city. Some schools may have a”P.J. Day”, others may have a “Crazy Hair Day,” but here at Springville Junior High School, the last day of R.A.S.K. Week was officially made into  “Tape Mr. Knudsen” day.

On Friday, April 10th, during lunch, students at SJHS were given the valuable opportunity to pay one dollar to tape Mr. Dave Knudsen, assistant principal, to the wall in the cafeteria. This source of entertainment for students was also used as a fundraiser to take the SJHS custodians out to lunch.

“It was really fun, except he fell off the wall after lunch because there wasn’t enough tape.” said Robin Anderson, a ninth grade student at SJHS.

When asked why he agreed to let students tape him to the wall, Mr. Knudsen said, “I think the students always see a serious side of me, so I thought it would be a nice experience for the students to see me in a situation where I am having fun.”

This fundraiser was a great adieu to the SJHS R.A.S.K. Week. Nothing could be kinder than to reward a few of the kindest people at the school, the custodians. Students have enjoyed R.A.S.K. Week, and everyone is looking forward to next year!

Emily Regan
SJHS Staff Writer

Head, heart, hands, and health are the ingredients that make up a 4-H Utah State Youth Council. At Springillve Junior High School the Knights of the Round Table are student representatives that stand for the student body and meet every Monday, voting on and discussing issues that might affect our school. Recently, the Knights have been talking about beginning after school clubs at SJHS.

There would be a large variety of clubs that would be available to just about anyone. Some of the clubs that might be offered are things like karate, cinematography, interior design, skiing/snowboarding, fashion design, yoga, bowling, robotics, and many others. Parents and citizens are also welcome to suggest any ideas that they might have for clubs. Teachers or community members would supervise these clubs, and there would be a permission slip that parents would have to sign, but the fun and excitement of these after school activities would be worth it.

“I think anytime a student can have fun in an extracurricular activity is important,” said Mr. David Knudsen, vice principal at SJHS.

The Knights have been discussing this for about the last month, but there are still things that need to be done to put the idea into action. First, they have to finalize the details of the plan, then they have to wait for a Utah State Grant to receive a budget for the after school clubs. Many things, like cost and off-campus trips, are still in the very early stages of planning.

The chance for SJHS to come together after school to have a good time and learn cool things sounds exhilarating. Many of the students are very excited and looking forward to the opportunity.

“It would be great to keep the students busy after school in a fun way,” said Zach Hansen, a seventh grade member of the Knights of the Round Table.

The school holds its breath in anticipation for the closing decision of the Knights of the Round Table on after school, 4-H clubs.

Kara Dunn
SJHS Staff Writer

This year we have been busy with our presidental election, and now Springville Junior High is preparing for the election of the student council for 2009-10. Students who wish to participate in student council for next year must be going into ninth grade next year. Students will be able to pick up a packet containing information on March 6th in the front office. Students who wish to apply must have a 3.0 GPA or higher.

Student council members are the student leadership of the school. They are in charge of getting ready for the dances, Red Ribbon Week, and Random Acts of Kindness Week. They are the leaders and examples in the school. Student council members also have the opportunity to give input about our school.

Students who apply and get elected to student council will have to sign a contract saying that they will do their best to keep order in the halls and throughout the school. “They are the youth leaders of our school,” Mr. Knudsen, vice principal at Springville Junior High, explained.

Mr. Knudsen went on to say, “I encourage anyone who is willing to work hard and wants to make a difference to apply.”

When asked why he applied, this year’s Vice President Mike Bartholomew said, “I thought it would be a fun thing to try out for, plus I wanted to try and help make the school a more fun place to be.”

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.

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.

by Kristi Hatch
SJHS Staff Writer

“At Springville Junior High we are effective communicators, responsible citizens, and successful learners.” That code of conduct, or the “Knights’ Code,” is repeated after the pledge of allegiance each Monday at Springville Junior High School. This code of conduct explains about the goals at SJHS.

The Knights’ Code is very important to a lot of people at SJHS. Kara Dunn, an eighth grader, said it “helps me be better.” Jim Anderson, a pre-algebra and algebra teacher, said that “it is a great outline of how we should approach schooling.”

Teachers and students talked about what it means to be an effective communicator, a responsible citizen, and a successful learner. Effective communicators listen and “effectively communicate their feelings, thoughts, and emotions,” said David Knudsen, a vice principal at SJHS. Responsible citizens “do the right things for the right reasons,” Jim Anderson said. “To be a successful learner, you need to be prepared, and be on time,” said Samantha Child, a seventh grader at SJHS.

The Knights’ Code greatly affects the students. “If everybody follows [the Knights’ Code], the school’s not as chaotic,” explained Samantha Child. It affects the teachers as well. “Each time I hear it, I am reminded that education is not just learning math… It is learning to become a productive member of society,” said Jim Anderson.

Not only is it a motto to help build good members of society, it’s also in Utah State Law 53A-13-109. David Hansen, a history teacher at SJHS, explained that we have the responsibility to “develop our character” so we can keep our freedom. He pointed out that the Knights’ Code of SJHS is actually in the law. Utah State Law 53A-13-109 states “public schools fulfill a vital purpose in the preparation of succeeding generations of informed and responsible citizens who are deeply attached to essential democratic values and institutions, and the happiness and security of American society relies upon the public virtue of its citizens which requires a united commitment to a moral social order where self-interests are willingly subordinated to the greater common good.”

Everyone has their opinion on the Knights’ Code. “I think it’s very important for us to have the Knights’ Code,” said Kara Dunn. Samantha Child said she really likes our Knights’ Code. Administration hopes that through the Knights’ Code, the students will build helpful characteristics and goals. The Knights’ Code of Springville Junior High School is there to build the future citizens of America.