Mrs. Gleave’s geometry class sings math Christmas carols to a seventh-grade English class.

Jacob Simmons
SJHS Staff Writer

A new tradition has sprung at SJHS in Mrs. Corrin Gleave’s most advanced math classes. A unit she started just last year is her Christmas caroling unit, which she has decided to revive again this year.

Last year Mrs. Gleave had her students take a little bit of time from math, and had them rewrite words to the tunes of familiar Christmas carols. The words the students wrote all had to relate to math formulas and theorems from their book. This year the students are required to do the same thing.

Once the masterpieces have been written by the students, the whole class learns each others songs. They then go around to different teachers throughout the school to sing their formulas and theorems.

“Last year was our first caroling event, but I immediately knew it should be an annual tradition,” said Mrs. Gleave. The unit has also proven to be a great way to help students remember the formulas; students from last year remember the songs, and even those who were sung to remember them.

“The slope formula set to ‘Feliz Navidad’ and the Order of Operations set to ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ were both exceptionally hilarious!” Mrs. Gleave commented, “It is really difficult to choose favorites because students are amazingly adept at “spoofing” songs!” She continued.

Kenia Martinez
SJHS Staff Writer

Mrs. Corrin Gleave is the Geometry and Algebra 1A teacher at Springville Junior High School. She has been teaching at SJHS for three years. “Over the last 25 years, I’ve taught mostly by request, and not as a classroom teacher in other schools,” she said.

She’s also taught math at Le Jordan Academy in Kailua, Hawaii, dance for BYU Children’s Program, at BYU Hawaii as a quest artist and substitute teacher, and for the state of Hawaii as an “Artist in the School”

Mrs. Gleave grew up in American Fork, Utah and always wanted to be a dancer and teacher.  As part of her education, she went to AFHS, UVU  and U of U. She has a Bachelor’s degree from BYU for dance and math major.  And, finally, at SUU, she got a Masters in Education.

“The atmosphere in my class is fun and respectful-but watch out for serious.” Mrs. Gleave explained, “I think learning should be fun, don’t you?”  In Mrs. Gleave’s class, kids do a lot of group work. She said that teaching others is the best way to learn. Most people say that Geometry is easier than Algebra, but Mrs. Gleave thinks that Geometry is just Algebra in action. Algebra II comes next, and then there are a few choices such as college algebra, pre-calculus, and even statistics.  “I love SJHS, and I hope that I can make students love it here, too!” Mrs. Gleave exclaimed.

Jose Martinez is a ninth grade student in Mrs. Gleave’s algebra class. He said that the level of difficulty depends on what she is teaching. Like everyone else, he describes the class and the teacher as fun. “It is fun most of the time,” Jose explained. Usually, in her class, students can have fun and mess around, but if it gets to a point when it’s too much, Mrs. Gleave does take command. She’s not a teacher that will let bad behavior pass.

Jose likes Mrs. Gleave’s teaching style because she makes it easy and he describes the atmosphere in the class as friendly. His favorite part of the class is the being able to chat with friends while he works.

Quadrilateral art projects displayed in Mrs. Gleave’s classroom.

Christopher Taylor
SJHS Staff Writer

“What’s the point of learning math if we can’t apply it?” asked Mrs. Corrin Gleave, the geometry teacher at SJHS. Geometry students are learning to apply the math they have learned to various shapes, angles, and lines. One of these shapes is the quadrilateral, or four-sided shape. Students recently made special art projects using all seven of the special quadrilaterals which include the kite, trapezoid, isosceles trapezoid, parallelogram, rhombus, rectangle, and square.  Students can make anything from a rocket to a house, and many of them have enjoyed this activity very much.

Many students feel that using the seven special quadrilaterals to make art is a good way to help you remember and understand them. Elizabeth Elliot, a ninth grader in geometry who made a paper house for her project, said, “It’s really visual. It’s a different and fun way of learning.” Mrs. Gleave said, “We deal with so many shapes in geometry that sometimes it gets tricky keeping track of them all. By using the seven special quadrilaterals to generate an art project, each student has the chance to analyze these shapes.” Students in geometry agree with Mrs. Gleave that this project has not only been fun, but has helped them learn about the seven shapes they were using as well.

Kara Dunn
SJHS Staff Writer

Mrs. Marthea Jackson is a math teacher at Springville Junior High, as well as a friend to her fellow faculty members and the students she has taught in the past.

Mrs. Jackson started her teaching career at Springville Junior High fourteen years ago and has loved every minute of teaching. “I love how everyday is different; the experiences we have everyday in class, watching a kid be so happy that they did well on a math test when they didn’t think they would.”

Mrs. Jackson never thought she would be a math teacher until she got into college. “I took a class about education, and both my parents were teachers. I got hooked.”

Tyler Bartholomew, a seventh grade student of Mrs. Jackson’s, described her as “awesomely awesome.”  He went on to say, “I love playing math games in her class.”

After fourteen years of teaching here, Mrs. Jackson has not gotten tired of teaching math. “I feel so old. Students I had when I first started teaching are now married with kids of their own. Crazy!  I love my job. I love the interaction with the kids and being able to teach them more than just math. It’s hard being a teenager, and it’s nice to help students realize how smart they really are,” Mrs. Jackson explained.

Jose Martinez
SJHS Staff Writer

There are various math teachers at Springville Junior High, one of those teachers is Mr. Dallin Krebs, who other than being here for almost three decades is also  very loved by his students, former and present.

“My career goal at a young  age was to be a farmer like my dad,” said Mr. Krebs.   Mr. Krebs was born in North Logan, Utah, where he and his five brothers and two  sisters often helped their father with the farming right after school was over for the day.  Which of course is where Mr. Krebs got his ambition to become a farmer at a young age, but due to the poor economics of farming he was unable to do that.

“I then decided I wanted to be a electrician, so I enrolled at Utah State University with my major as Electrical Engineering. I completed all but two years of the required math courses my first year and then left for two years, said Mr. Krebs.  After two years Mr. Krebs returned to USU,  the teachers told him he would have to start all over again in order to be in Electrical Engineering.  He didn’t want to start over again, so he just decided to choose Industrial Education.

“Since I had all those math courses I was asked to teach math in addition to the vocational courses at my first school,” said Mr. Krebs.  With time and help of his college math classes he started teaching math more frequently.  When he came to Springville Junior High School he saw there were no vocational courses so he just decided he would teach math, which he has been teaching for  twenty nine years now.

“I like teaching here at Springville Junior High. The best part is the students,” said  Mr. Krebs.  Over the years Mr. Krebs has taught some very smart students whom he liked, and they liked him back. He still gets invitations from his former students to go to weddings or other important events, all due to their very close friendship with Mr. Krebs.

Christopher Taylor
SJHS Staff Writer

Every year in school brings changes, but math is something that remains constant for your entire education. SJHS is just like any other school in this regard.  However, our school is different from others because of the kids and teachers that participate in the math program. We not only learn, but many kids have fun as well.

There are five different math classes offered at SJHS: Seventh grade math, Pre Algebra, Algebra 1a, Algebra 1, and Geometry. Next year there will also be an Algebra 2 class. The classes are similar in many aspects, but move at different paces. Seventh grade math is a slower paced Pre-Algebra, and Pre Algebra and Algebra 1a are slower paced  versions of Algebra 1.  According to Mr. Dallin Krebs, an Algebra 1 teacher, his class is fun because it is like solving a puzzle.  Geometry takes the things that you learned in Algebra 1 (as well as the preceding classes) and applies them to real life.  Mrs. Corrin Gleave, the Geometry and Algebra 1a teacher said that “Geometry is my favorite! You get all the satisfaction of solving for x, but you also get the shapes, colors and, wait for it… ANGLES!”

Teachers are probably one of the most important factors in learning math. Students at SJHS feel that we have very helpful teachers. Many teachers feel the same way about the kids at our school. Mrs. Kaycie Sorenson, a new math teacher at SJHS, said “The students are great, they are so excited and willing to learn, which makes it 100 times better for me!”  An example of this willingness to learn is seen in Lear Burton, an eighth grader.  He said, “I like being in Geometry because it’s fun and it makes me feel high and mighty to be in an advanced math class.”

Autumn Hathaway
SJHS Staff Writer

At Springville Junior High we have some amazing teachers.  Ms. Shellie Anderson a seventh grade math and English teacher is staying here next year to continue into her fourth year of teaching at SJHS.

When our parents tell kids to do something we love that we’ll enjoy doing the rest of our lives some usually ignore it, but not Ms. Anderson.  She loves working with her students.  She stated, “It is always so fun to see students’ eyes light up when they learn something new and have success.  I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t teach.”

Ms. Anderson has had many different teaching experiences.  She taught ten years in Green River, Utah.  “I was at a school that had grades seven through twelve in it and the average size of the student body was 100,” Ms. Anderson stated.

Compared to Green River, SJHS has a total of 863, big difference in teaching there!

Ms. Anderson is loved by her students.  Stacia Davenport, a seventh grader in both her English and math classes, stated, “I love Ms. Anderson because she is a nice and fun teacher!” she also said, “I’m going to miss her very much.”

Ms. Anderson, like her students, is looking forward to summer.  She said, “I like summer because I can sleep in. If I don’t want to get dressed up I don’t have to.  I see my family more and it is fun to have my nieces and nephews sleep over.”

Sounds like Ms. Anderson is looking forward to a fun summer just like all of us here at SJHS!

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.

SJHS student Delon Lier shows off the origami airplane he made in math.

KresLynn Knouse
SJHS Staff Writer

Although end of level testing has been winding down, classes have not stopped just yet. Every teacher at Springville Junior High has been coming up with creative ideas on how to end the year with some interesting assignments.

Mrs. Corrin Gleave, a math teacher at SJHS, is one of these teachers. “We experiment with origami airplanes and modify the folding and paper used to achieve a desired result. For example, some students choose to fold a plane for distance where others prefer height, tricks or aesthetics. The students then conduct test flights and gather data. This data must be represented in an infomercial and be mathematically accurate. I film the infomercials, and we spend a couple of days watching them.”  She assigned all of her math classes the same project, and the classes have been working on them all week.

The Spanish and Chinese classes plan to celebrate by playing a game of soccer.  “We’ve been waiting to play for a while now, I’m so glad we’re finally doing it. I heard the Spanish classes won all their games, I guess we’ll find out soon!” said Dean Robertson, a ninth grade student currently taking Mandarin Chinese.

The Honors English classes have been finishing up their unit on Dracula, and Mrs.  Rice’s classes have started their own “To Do Lists.”

“The To Do lists are student generated lists of projects to complete before the end of the year. They represent a chance to revisit and revise assignments completed earlier in the year according to a writer’s workshop model which helps the students maintain an identity as a writer,” said Mrs. Rice, “I love to observe and participate in the literate practices of my students. I am really fascinated with the artistic sophistication, which includes writing that lives and grows in this community.”

Although some may be guilty of counting down the days until the last day, students have been enjoying these final weeks of school, thanks to our creative teachers here at SJHS.

Madie Dockstader
SJHS Staff Writer

At Springville Junior High we have some awesome teachers; one of them is Mr. Dallin Krebs. He is one of the math teachers. “When I didn’t have him as a math teacher I didn’t really understand math, but now I do,” said Kaydie Kerby, a student at Springville Junior High.

Mr. Krebs graduated from Sky View High School. He also graduated from Southern Utah University (SUU). Mr. Krebs said, “SUU was a small university, and you got to know your teachers and classmates really well.”

Mr. Krebs loves being a teacher. He enjoys working with young adults. “They are so interesting and fun,” he said. Mr. Krebs has always enjoyed helping others and when he was in school he was always helping other students understand.

Students love Mr. Krebs’s class.  Courtney Middlebrook, student at SJHS, said “He goes over all the questions that kids miss. He shows how to do it on the board.” Eric Mageno, another student at Springville Junior High, said, “I like the class because Mr. Krebs really knows how to keep the class on track and learning.”

Aside from all his schooling and teaching Mr. Krebs enjoys doing anything that involves his family. He also enjoys working with his hands, building or fixing things. “I like being busy!”

Ria Swapp
SJHS Staff Writer

It’s easy to see why Miss Diane Hamilton has such a good reputation in her fifth period class. She is caring, loving and kind to all her students. According to her student Hailey Reese, “The class goes at a steady pace for students. It never goes too quick or slow.”

Miss Hamilton is a very good teacher when it comes to rewards and punishments. If the students are doing well, they get candy, class parties, and they get to sit wherever they want on a daily basis as long as they stay in their seats for the lectures. But if they are not behaving well, then they get their seating privileges taken away, and Miss Hamilton talks to them and tries to see what is bothering them.

Many people think that Miss Hamilton’s class is an easy “A” only if you pay attention, but according to Miss Hamilton, that is not true. They still have as much work to do as any other class; they just take it slower and don’t move on if someone is stuck.

There are after school options for those who choose to do them. If you are having trouble, then you are totally welcome to come to Miss Hamilton’s class after school hours, and she will give you all the help you need to understand your assignment.

Miss Hamilton doesn’t give very much extra credit throughout the year. She just does it as a special treat once in a while.  So if you ever want to enroll in Miss Hamilton’s class, just do it and don’t doubt her and her ten years of experience.

Ms. Hamilton helps Hailey Reese with her math assignment.

Mrs. Jackson answers a student’s question during math.

Kara Dunn
SJHS Staff Writer

Springville Junior High is full of amazing teachers and faculty. Math students are most privileged to have Mrs. Marthea Jackson as one of our many amazing teachers.

Mrs. Jackson started her teaching career thirteen years ago here at Springville Junior High. When asked why she wanted to teach math, she said “I’ve always loved math, I felt like I could help kids learn to love it too.”

But why junior high students, you may ask? Mrs. Jackson went on to say, “I love how it’s different every day. You never know what’s going to happen. Also, kids at this age are still deciding if they like math or not. If I can convince even one kid that they are smart enough to continue to learn and love math, then I have done my job. We also have lots of fun too.”

Maddy Alishpach, one of Mrs. Jackson’s many students, says this about learning from Mrs. Jackson, “Mrs. Jackson teaches well and makes sure that everyone understands what she’s teaching.”

Samantha Child, another one of Mrs. Jackson’s students said, “Mrs.  Jackson is nice, funny, and amazing. She gives us lots of time to work on our homework and doesn’t give us a ton of homework”

Many students have the opportunity to learn from such an amazing teacher.

Rylee Vest
SJHS Staff Writer

The state math competition is a fun and exciting chance for students to test their math skills for on behalf of Springville Junior High. The students will participate in the competition on March 18th at Utah Valley University (UVU). Mr. Jim Anderson, the math teacher in charge of the competition said, “At the competition, the students work on the 30 problem test. The teachers receive a copy of the test, and discuss with each other the teaching of mathematics.”

Seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students will compete at UVU. The students attending have been given a set of former state math exam problems to review their skills. “These problems are challenging, so it is exciting when you can solve at least some of them,” said Mr. Anderson.

When one of the students attending the competition, Mitchell Murray, was asked if he thought the competition was going to be challenging, he said, “From the past it looks like it was hard, and so I am assuming that it’s going to be hard this year also.” The school wishes the best to the students competing and good luck for all!

Corieshae Nunley
SJHS Staff Writer

Here at Springville Junior High School, we have some amazing teachers. One of them is Mrs. Corrin Gleave; she is a math teacher here at SJHS–a truly outstanding teacher!

Mrs. Gleave enjoys learning new things and wanted to become a math teacher because of the not so great math teachers she had. She thought, “there’s got to be a way to have a little fun!”

Mrs. Gleave also enjoys dancing. She has a bachelor’s degree in dance and had done some professional dancing and theater, and now she enjoys doing choreography.

Mrs. Gleave said that Springville Junior High School is her dream job and she loves it here and hopes she sticks around for a very long time!

Robin Anderson
SJHS Staff Writer

At Springville Junior High, there is one particularly small class- this class is algebra 2. All the students in algebra 2 are ninth graders, yet they are learning eleventh grade math. How is this possible?

The students in algebra 2 got to where they are by taking a test and skipping pre-algebra. By doing so they were able to take algebra in seventh grade, geometry in eighth grade, and moved up to algebra 2 in ninth grade.

Although it may sound like a hard class, the students say it isn’t hard. There is not much homework, and Mrs. Gleave explains things really well, which makes it easy to understand.

“If you don’t get it, you ask,” said Kenzee Hargett, a student in algebra 2.

“It’s my favorite class,” said Makenzie Milner, another student in algebra 2. In Algebra 2 they do interesting activities. One time they made up Math carols by taking Christmas carols and putting algebra equations as the words, and caroled in classes around the school.

The students in algebra 2 like it very much. According to the students, Mrs. Gleave makes it fun.