Volleyball intramurals will run from March 15 until April 1.

Indoor Soccer will be offered after volley.  More details TBA.

Jack Setzer
SJHS Staff Writer

Some would say that Springville Junior High has been a very lucky school for 10 years straight. They would be referring to the fact that the boys’ PE coach, Michael Parker, has been instructing students for 10 years at Springville Junior High. “I hate grading, so PE seems the spot for me!” said Coach Parker. According to Coach Parker, he received a minor in PE which let him teach, even though his Bachelor’s degree is in Geology.

Throughout the semester, students play a variety of sports in boys’ PE. Eighth-grade student Tyler Condie’s favorite sport played in boys’ PE is volleyball. “It’s a fun and easy game that anyone can get,” said Tyler. “And it’s easy rules, so [there are] no mistakes.” Another eighth-grade student, Jay Biesinger, said that his favorite PE sport is pickleball. “It’s like tennis, except with a wooden paddle and a wiffleball,” said Jay.

“[Coach Parker] does a good job of letting us play, and not so much talking!” said Max Schreiner, an eighth-grade boys PE student.

Jose Martinez
SJHS Staff Writer

At Springville Junior High there have been various physical education teachers throughout the years, and they have all come and gone. But Mrs. Kelly Anderson, the girls’ PE teacher, has been teaching at Springville Junior High for over twenty years, and those twenty years have been very fun for her.

“I thought Springville would be a great community to teach in. I had done my student teaching at Springville Junior High School in 1981 with Mrs. Harding. She was the girls PE teacher back then,” Mrs. Anderson explained.  Teachers have to have a little bit of experience before they start teaching at a new school, that often helps them to have a more fluent and precise teaching style.

“It’s been fun, challenging, and I’ve taught a lot of great students and met many wonderful faculty members,” said Mrs. Anderson.  “I can retire in three years, but I’m not so sure I will be ready then,” said Mrs. Anderson.  Mrs. Anderson’s students have enjoyed their stay with her, and she the same with her students.

Two PE students playing pickleball in Mrs. Anderson’s class.

Jack Setzer
SJHS Staff Writer

Every year, girls’ PE teacher Mrs. Kelly Anderson has her students play a sport with a paddle and wiffleball. The sport is called pickleball. “Most students seem to enjoy it,” said Mrs. Anderson. The girls are all done for this year, but they play pickleball every year.

Students use different strategies. “In rallies, I always aim for the person who looks bored, because they probably aren’t paying attention,” said Jamie Devenish, a seventh grader. Eighth-grade student Darby Farr said, “If they’re far back, I hit it softly, and if they’re close, I hit it hard so they can’t get it.”

“I would play pickleball at least twice a day, no doubt,” said seventh grade PE Girls student Amanda Ripley, “If I had the time.”

Girls taking Physical Education at Springville Junior High have started a dance unit.  This unit gives them a chance to try something besides what they consider “normal” sports.  The girls choose group members and choreograph a dance to music of their choice.

Some may wonder why Mrs. Kelly Anderson, the girls’ P.E. instructor, strays from a curriculum of traditional sports such as soccer and volleyball.  Mrs. Anderson said, “I think the girls really enjoy being creative and performing the dances.”

Just because Mrs. Anderson lets the girls use their creativity doesn’t mean there aren’t rules for them to abide by.  The rules are as follows: the dance must be two to three minutes long, props may be used, no cost to anyone can be involved, music must be school-appropriate, the dance is performed in front of the class, and if you are absent on performance day, you get a zero unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Girls have opposing opinions on whether or not normal sports are better than the dance unit.  Anna Bunnell, a seventh grader, thinks normal sports are better, she’s not really into dancing, and Kourtney Joyner, an eighth grader, think it’s more fun to do sports.  On the other side of the debate is Darby Farr, an eighth grader.  She likes dance because you can “express yourself in different ways.”  Another eighth grader that prefers dance is Madison Joyner.  She said, “Dance is funner.  You get to have more fun, and it’s not as competitive.”

Springville Junior High is starting after school intramurals March 16th. Indoor Soccer! Anyone and everyone can come. The soccer games are going to be held after school in the boys’ gym. The games start at 2:45 pm and ends at 3:45 pm.

Parents, if your child needs to make up absences or earn extra credit in any of their gym classes, indoor soccer is the solution. Not everyone going has to be there for extra credit, most people just go for the fun of it. Indoor soccer is a good way for your child to have fun, boost their grade, and be active and social. When asked what is needed to play, Coach Michael Parker said, “We provide the indoor ball. A pair of good tennis shoes helps, and that’s it. Oh, and a good attitude!”

If you need any other information about what is going on with the soccer intramurals you can always contact the school; also if needed, you can talk to the teacher in charge of the intramurals, who is Mr. Michael Chipman. We are all very excited for indoor soccer and can’t wait to see your children there.

The physical education classes at SJHS are introducing new ways to stay active. Boys in Mr. Michael Parker’s PE classes learned how to snowshoe last week. One of the main purposes of physical education classes, according to the Utah State Core Curriculum, is that “Students begin to see the relationship between proper nutritional choices and physical activity for the maintenance of a lifelong healthy lifestyle.” Coach Parker hopes that his students will be active for life, and explained that snowshoeing “adds variety and is fun!”

by Jaqueline Fry
SJHS Staff Writer

Many of the students at SJHS say that Mrs. Kelly Anderson teaches a wonderful PE program, and helps people become and stay fit. “We all need to exercise to be cardiovascularly fit,” says the girls’ PE teacher, Kelly Anderson.

Sadly for half of the girls at SJHS, last year Kelly Anderson was out for a semester due to severe stenosis of the spine in the lower region of her back. Basically, she had to have an incision about ten inches long and a very complicated surgery in her back. This school year, she is back on her feet and recovered. “I LOVE being back,” Kelly Anderson said.

The girls that go to Mrs. Anderson’s class have opinions too. “She really makes PE really fun,” says Alondra Lopez, a ninth-grader at SJHS. Another student, Brooke Caswell, agrees. “I love her. She is so nice and so fun, and she’ll help you do anything.”

Mrs. Anderson has a husband named Alan. She also has three sons. Matt is on a mission; Tim is going to college at UVU; and John who is an eighth grader at SJHS. She has one daughter, Melanie, who is a sixth grader at Brookside. Mrs. Anderson also has a dog called Dolly, a cat called Mim, and a bird named Tanzie.

Mrs. Anderson’s favorite color is pink, because it is perky and fresh. She loves softball because she loves pitching and hitting. Her favorite food is cheesecake, because it’s deliciously rich. Her favorite movie is Finding Nemo because the dad and son never give up looking for each other. She hates raisins, loves Diet Coke, and loves to read.

Mrs. Anderson has been teaching for twenty six years. Twenty five of those years were taught at SJHS, and the other one was taught at Gunnison, Utah. She has taught PE, Health, and weight lifting, and she has a Masters Degree.

Clearly students at SJHS love her and think she is great. “We do a lot of fun activities to help us stay fit,” says Sarah Fawson, another SJHS student. You could agree that Mrs. Anderson is a wonderful addition to SJHS.

Every week students get together with the PE teachers after school to participate in intramurals. Intramurals are fun after school activities in which students can express themselves through physical activity. This program has physical benefits, but it can also help the students make friends.

There are a couple reasons that we have these activities. The first reason is that the PE teachers need a make-up program for those who have injuries, illnesses, absences, etc.

Another reason that the PE department hosts intramurals is that some students and teachers may be worried about their physical fitness or health. So they go to these intramurals and participate in the activities available. “It’s good for me. I go in there and leave feeling better having worked hard,” Mr. Hansen, a history teacher, explained. For the most part, intramurals are on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The teachers have meetings after school on Wednesdays, so there are no intramurals after school that day.

Teachers are in the gyms for the different events held each day. The different activities held are: Weight lifting, sports (whatever they are doing in PE, for the most part), and martial arts.

Weightlifting is usually taught by Mr. Hansen. Martial arts are usually taught by Mr. Hatfield, a science teacher. Mr. Parker, a PE teacher, and other teachers switch off on teaching the different sports. Sometimes they have all of the activities, sometimes they don’t. It depends on the day.

Intramurals are a great way to get active and spend your after-school time. It’s all in the consistency though; better attendance means better results and a fantastic way to get active. Recommend it to your kids; it’s a way to get them moving. If you’re a kid, come on and join in!

As the last bell rings announcing the end of school, students from all grades jump from their seats, grab their stuff, and book it to intramurals. After-school intramurals is a program offered to all students in the school and can also be used to make up absences from P.E. Intramurals give students a chance to come have fun and get healthy.

Intramurals are held after school on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 2:45 to 3:45. Mr. Hansen is currently running weight lifting intramurals. This will continue throughout the year. Mr. Hatfield will be coaching martial arts intramurals soon. Coach Parker is usually in charge of badminton. He also sponsors the intramural tournaments held in Payson, Spanish Fork, or Mapleton.

“Intramurals are really fun, and they’re also a good way to get into sports and stay active,” eighth grader Abi Santiago says. “They are a blast,” Coach Parker agrees, “You can come to play with friends, compete, and have a great time staying active.” So if you’re looking for a way to stay fit and have fun, go to after-school intramurals!