Well Said:
Don’t yield to pressure when facpressu ing diffi di culties, just follow your heart, complainingg doesn doesn’t reverse histoory. ry.
Students mentor Latino children
Commented author Ji-Li Jiang, at the recent assembly about her book “The Red Scarf Girl� and the Chinese cultural revolution
Upcoming events: Today: Boys’ Basketball Richfield @ NS
Thursday: Wrestling duel @ Emery Girls’ Basketball @ Emery
Friday: Speech Tourna-
Photo byy Sadie Ivie
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BY SADIE IVIE
ment Copper Classic NS Wrestling tournament Boys’ Basketball @ Emery
By the Numbers:
Number of years Bull Kiesel has coached at North Sanpete.
Number of students at NS who voted in a New Year’s resolution survey for self improvement.
Percent of all elementary students in NS School District who are Hispanic according to the District.
Score of the recent girls basketball game against Manti.
Percent of students at NS High who resolved to quit a habit this year as one of their New Years resolution
Contents A & E.................7 Crossword..........8 Features..............4 News...................1 Sports.................5
While looking through the halls and playgrounds of North Sanpete’s elementaries, you might find a surprising amount of young, Latino students. According to the NS District Office, 11% of all elementary students in the district are Hispanic. Many of these students know little English and some are also recent immigrants to the US.
The struggles these children face with the language barrier and being in a foreign environment have off ten hold them back from the educational success they can achieve. Members of NS High’s multicultural club have recognized these problems and want to help the students improve their education. In order to do this, the club has joined the “Latinos in Ac-
of the club who volunteered will travel to these elementary schools to work with students. Their main focuses are tutoring them in the subjects they need, helping them with their English and being good examples for the children. “We hope to be positive role models to the Latino youth and show them that education is important,� said Maria Reyes, president of the multicultural club. “Just by being Mexican a lot of people think they can’t succeed or get good grades,� said Adilene Orozco, member of the multicultural club. The club members hope that by helping students with their education, it will eliminate this stereotype. The club members hope that in the future they will be able to expand from preschool to middle school and also to adults. “I think it’s going to grow into something bigger,� said O’Dee Hansen, advisor of the club. “Moroni Elementary has already asked if we would help interpret for parents at Parent Teacher Conferences,� said Hansen. According to the Utah Off fice of Ethnic Affairs, ff 22.6%
tion� program to implement will receive high school credthe activities and skills the it for participating. program offers. ff For now the club is mainThe program will be put ly focusing on the areas with into eff fect here at our district starting sec ond quarter. There will be about five- the highest populations six students from the club of Latino students. These that will participate. These schools are Mt. Pleasant, students will use this as an Moroni and Spring City eleinternship opportunity and mentaries. The members SEE PAGE 3, LATINO’S IN ACTION
Chinese author addresses NS Mao. Any landowners, wealthy families, religion or people with a high ranking or title were prosecuted. Even store names that had to do with personal success were destroyed and renamed. Many people were tortured and killed during the Cultural Revolution. Jiang personally encountered the brutality that existed in those hard times; her grandfather had been a landowner and she nearly had to denounce her own father. Jiang shared many firsthand experiences she faced during the Cultural Revolution and advised students to read her book to hear more about them. Her most haunting memory of the Revolution was waking up and realizing where she was and then feeling her heart sink. This feeling followed her for many years. “The most frightening and Photo byy Hannah Aldridge horrifying feeling I faced, was ! " of my family being arrested, my $ $ ! # ! mother being detained and my fa ! ! ! " ! ther being killed,� said Jiang. During her presentation she said BY CHANA A T HOMPSON Last Wednesday, NS had the very special that there were two reasons she wrote Red opportunity to listen to a presentation shared Scarf Girl; the first was that she doesn’t want by Ji-Li Jiang, award-winning author of Red people to forget this dark time in Chinese history in order to prevent it from happenScarf Girl. North Sanpete doesn’t often have the ing again. The second was because she was chance to have an author come and speak, so impressed 20 years ago, when she came to and it was an especially good history lesson America, with the American lifestyle, which she wanted to help youth to appreciate more. that left a good message to student body. “I don’t want people to forget this dark Jiang shared her personal story of the Cultural Revolution in Shanghai, China, from time in Chinese history,� said Jiang, “In order 1966-76; she was 12 years old during the to prevent it from happening again.� Jiang feels that she is a much better speaker event and was 22 when it finally ended. The Cultural Revolution was a time where than writer. “I didn’t plan Communism was advocated strongly and SEE PAGE 2, JI-LI JIANG the country of China worshipped Chairman to be an author,
New math policy causes controversy for students BY KIMBERLY LY LARSEN As students looked at their grades over the past semester, many found—with shock—that they were failing their math class with scores as high as 85%. Some were confused until they talked with their teachers about this problem and remembered that a new math policy had been implemented at the beginning of this school year. In each of the math rooms hangs a poster that tells what the new policy entails They show that, for students to pass their math classes, they must turn in 100% of their assignments, get 70% or higher on all tests and have no lower than a C- as an overall grade for both semesters. This has been a problem for some, but overall, math teachers believe that the new policy has helped a lot. In most classes the amount of homework turned in has increased and grades are higher than in previous years before when no such policy was in place. In years before, Shawn Ledingham, a Geometry, Intermediate Algebra and College Algebra teacher, has offered ff doughnut parties for his classes if they averaged 80% or higher. This year he hasn’t needed to do this. “They don’t need any incentive that way,� said Ledingham. Because of the policy students in his classes have been workk ing harder and have, many times, averaged 80% or higher on their tests anyway. David Harris, who teaches Geometry and Pre-Calculus, felt that the policy really did affect ff the test scores that students received last semester but didn’t help too much with the homework. “For my classes, kids who really want to do their homework do it anyway,� said Harris. One problem that teachers have found is that many students have waited to the very end of the semester to turn in their assignments. If a student turns an assignment in after it is due, it is worth 50% of its original points until the unit test. After the test it is worth 0.01%. As the end of the semester was drawing near, many of the students rushed to turn in missing assignments in order to insure them or a passing grade. This resulted in teachers having many last minute papers to grade and record. Another problem with students not turning their assignSEE PAGE 2, MAT A H POLICY
2
Application
Essay Help BY JESSE RICHMOND BRANDI PEAHL
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For those who missed the priority deadlines, a little despair is justified. There is hope, however. These aren’t the final deadlines for admission, nor for scholarships. Those still wishing to get higher education can still send in their applications with a reasonable chance of success. A priority deadline is an optional, earlier deadline for college applications that some colleges use. Students who submit their applications by this date will be considered first when it comes to admission.
The priority deadline is by no means the end. Counselor O’Dee Hansen said that it is more than possible to get into college without making it, but students who do make it do tend to have an advantage. One such student is Senior Derek Erickson. “It took awhile, but to get [the application] in early was worth it,� Erickson said. Erickson’s said his punctuality was rewarded with a full tuition scholarship to Snow College, and advises his fellow students to try to make priority deadlines in the future. So, if you missed the priority deadline, don’t sweat it. There’s still plenty of time to
send in your admission application to the college of your choice (unless you’re planning on going to BYU: admissions deadline is Feb. 2). In fact, most colleges off fer open admission, meaning that applications are accepted until the start of term. Although admission deadlines are farther in the future, scholarship deadlines aren’t. Most scholarship applications are due on Feb 1, and those that aren’t are due on the first of March. Since some colleges bundle the scholarship application with the admissions application, it’s probably best to fill these out in a hurry. So, those seeking higher education should take note. Priority deadlines are passed, Scholarship deadlines are coming, and admissions deadlines are relatively far off. ff Punctuality is a virtue, and it might just make the difference ff between admission and rejection.
BYU Scholarship deadline: February 1 Dixie State Admission deadline: Open Admission Scholarship deadline: March 1 Snow College Admission deadline: Open Admission Scholarship deadline: February 1 SUU Admission deadline: August 1 Scholarship deadline: February 1 U of U Admission deadline: April 1 Scholarship deadline: February 1 USU Admission deadline: April 1 Scholarship deadline: February 1 UVU Admission deadline: August 15 Scholarship deadline: First priority, Februaary 1 Weber State Open Admission
These tips (provided by collegescholarships.com) can help with your essay: Brand Yourself: Everyone is capable of filling in the blanks on a college application, but not everyon http:// wsa.wesleyan.edu/wp-content/uploads/textbooks2. jpg e can apply their wits and creativity to writing the typically required essay. Make yourself individual. Be Original: Allow your “voice� to show through When you struggle to make the essay formal and stiff, ff it
Scholarship deadlines are soon coming, while Having trouadmissions are far ooffff in ble writing an the future. Some deadentrance essay? lines:
will lose its appeal very quickly. Proofread, Rewrite, and Edit: A good piece of writing doesn’t come easily. Wellwritten prose is hard work. Offer ff enough details so that the reader is very clear what the experience, idea, or event has meant to you and what your role has been. About Plagiarism: There is no better and quicker way to getting yourself rejected from any college application process. You will be discovered. Paid Services: There Th ere are pplenty of paid services thhat will promise you an “original� essay for $10. Colleges wantt to see your work, nnot the work of som meone else. Professiional editing servicces alone will cost over $10, so you ccan guarantee that whatever is beingg sold for $10 will be unoriginal and/or junk thatt is worth far less than the paper it is printed on.
FBLA club led by underclassman Math Policy, continued from page 1 BY KIMBERLY LY LARSEN NS, the clubs and organizations are led by the upper classmen of the school who have been in that club for a while. This year though, that pattern has changed in the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) club. Early this January, Sean Rawlings, a freshman at NS, was elected for the President of FBLA. Despite his age, Rawlings seems to have the potential for being a good leader. Some of his qualities are determination and hard work. Rawlings started to show these qualities at the beginning of the school year. “He impressed me the very first day of school,� said Tina Mitchell, one of the FBLA advisors and a teacher at NS. Rawlings came that day to Mitchell and asked, on his own accord, how to join the club. This didn’t just show his determination but his enthusiasm for the club also. Mitchell said that she felt this enthusiasm will help other members to get more involved. In the first week of being president, Rawlings played a big part in the FBLA membership week. This was held January 4 - 8 and its purpose was to get other students to join.
“I think his friendly personality will draw people to the organization,� said Mitchell. He was part of the group that sat during this week in the commons and encouraged others to sign up for both the club and their region competition. He also made a video that had pictures that were taken during some of the FBLA activities. It was played in the commons area during lunches. FBLA wasn’t Rawlings’ first experience with business and technology. In middle school he took a class in multimedia. After learning how to make and design websites from this class he made one for the middle school office and they are still using that as their current webpage. Rawlings was also a part of a group of students at the middle school who were called Tech specialists. The advisor, Wayne Nielson, taught them how to fix computers. Because of this experience, Rawlings plans on being a tech specialist and working with computers in his future career. These plans of being in the fields of business and technology were part of what brought him to join FBLA. “I want to be a future business leader of America,� said Rawlings. SEE PAGE 3, FBLA L
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ments in until the last minute is that they don’t learn the lessons when they should. “Math’s built upon the previous concepts,� said Elizabeth Tanner, an Algebra 1 teacher. When students don’t finish assignments when they are assigned they can easily get behind. For those who didn’t turn in all of their assignments on time and didn’t complete all of the other requirements to pass cannot continue in the math class that they were takk
ing during the first semester. They either will have to take on-line or credit recovery classes or wait until next year and retake the class. To do credit recovery a fee of $25 per quarter credit is charged. The students at NS also have their differing ff opinions of the math policy. “I think it’s good because it’s preparing us for college,� said Tyson Hunt, a junior at NS. Getting assignments in on time is very important in colleges and universities.
Galen Brady, a junior at NS, said he didn’t think the policy was good for the school. “You can have an “A� and be failing,� said Brady. In the near future the staff expects to revisit the math policy, discuss its pros and cons and possibly revise it. For the rest of this school year, however, the school will keep following through with the policy as before.
Ji-Li Jiang, continued from page 1 but I just wanted to share my story,� said Jiang, “So I just wrote. I would write in evenings and it took me ten years to finish.� Besides wanting to share her story, Jiang said that she was inspired to begin writing her award-winning novel by a family that she lived with in America who showed her The Diary of Anne Frank and told her they would be very happy to someday read her story. After Jiang published her book she started doing presentations on the Cultural Revolution at schools. A normal day for her is to read e-mails from readers and teachers and scheduling to speak at schools all around to reach more students. “I was worried at first to publish my book because the story was very foreign,� said Jiang, “But the feedback was very positive.� Before Jiang became an author, she tried other careers. She was a science teacher at the science and technology center in Shanghai when she
was 26. Then she worked in Chicago as a budgeting director in health care when she came to the U.S., but she didn’t like the corporate style or the laying off. ff Although Jiang faced many struggles in her life, she got through them and chooses a career of teaching the youth of what has happened in the past and educates them so history is not repeated. Jiang relates her life during the Cultural Revolution to that of the daily pressures each person faces. “We all deal with difficulties in life, they are different ff than the ones I faced in China,� said Jiang, “My biggest wish for you is that you can gain courage and use your brains to make good choices.� Jiang’s lesson from her book is that the reader will see a little more. During the Cultural Revolution the people of China were brainwashed to believe what Chairman Mao was doing was right. Jiang believes that this can happen again if one does not have accurate information. She wants to broaden the knowledge we have of this event. “Don’t yield to pressure when facing diff ficulties,� said Jiang, “Just follow your heart, complaining doesn’t reverse history.�
3 NS Times Staff Editor-in-Chief Chana Thompson Managing Editors Brandi Peahl Sadie Ivie Advisor Ben Cox News Brandi Peahl, editor Hannah Aldridge Mitch McClellan Whitney Nafus Shayla Ricks Features Jesse Richmond, editor Kim Larsen Alexis Fryer A&E Carly Chapman, editor Amanda Johansen Kim Larsen Sports Amy Bangerter, editor Paul Cook Alisha Peckham Lexi Turley Clay Mitchell Amanda Clark Layout Sadie Ivie, editor Chana Thompson Brandi Peahl Photography Hannah Aldridge, editor
FBLA,
continued from page 2 Even though Rawlings is younger than most club presidents at NS, his age doesn’t seem to be hurting FBLA. From what has been seen so far he has only helped. “He just keeps everything organized,� said Trevor Carter, the vice president of FBLA. Along with organization, the FBLA president has certain responsibilities. Among those are conducting meetings, overseeing other officers, getting information to members and representing the NS chapter of FBLA at competitions. The competitions that Rawlings represents at are region, state and any other ones that FBLA participates in. In these competitions Rawlings expects to do pretty well. He is competing in computer science and computer networking because of his interest in technology. “I want to take first,� said Rawlings, referring to both state and nationals. He hopes to do this all four years of high school.
Latinos in action, continued from page 1 of students in Utah who dropped out of school in 2004 were Hispanic, despite the fact that only 11% of the student population is Latino. North Sanpete’s Multicultural Club members hope that by informing young students about the importance of education and helping them with their language barrier through the “Latinos in Action� program it will decrease that percentage and provide a better future for local Latino students. In 2000, Jose Enriquez,
a student from Timpview High School started the “Latinos in Action� program. Since then, the program has spread to seven surrounding states. Members of the program are bilingual volunteers who utilize their language skills to help younger students have successful futures. The purpose of this program is to help young Hispanic students push through the language barrier, improve social skills and have the opportunity to improve their educations.
Photos courtesy of the SBO’s
Students participated in various activitites last week as part of Spirit Week. The week was designed to help students get exx cited for the renewed rivalry with Manti.
Student expresses concern for school song I write to you regarding our school song. Over the years it has served North Sanpete High well, but it is time for a change. And I don’t mean a change in song. It is time for a change in our attitudes towards our school song and the way we sing it! Currently when the student body sings the school song it is more like a hymn that the fight song it was intended to be. And though I hold sporting events dear to my heart, the last time I checked they weren’t the time for hymns. Those should be reserved for church and seminary. I have noticed that a lot of students become self conscious while singing the song. Though I understand not wanting to sing in public that is the joy of a fight song, it isn’t meant to be sung “pretty.� The last thing you want when trying to psych our a
competitor or pump up your team is to sound “pretty.� We don’t want a pretty fight song and we aren’t going got the “choir effect.� ff We want tan epic fight song with lots of yelling and screaming. Yell your voice away! Year ago a tradition was brought for in which students clapped along as they san the school song. In my years at North Sanpete I have noticed this tradition falling apart While it is nice when a few members of the audience and student body are clapping, nice also is not what we are going for during pep assemblies and at the beginning of ball games. We want epic! And the only way for us to get epic is for everyone to join in the singing and clapping. And I don’t mean those horrid slow claps we are known for. Clap where you are supposed to ad make it loud. Just clap like you mean
it. As for our attitudes when we sin the song, well they could use some work to say the least. It is more common to see kids standing with their pone out trying to get their text to sen than putting any effort ff towards singing the song. That is rather pathetic. The recipient of your text can wait. Put away your phone, ipod, and other gadgets long enough to belt out the school song with the rest of us. We have tried earlier this year to liven the song with help from the volleyball team and the girls soccer team. As nice as their performances were, they were just that, performances for our entertainment. It is going to take more than girls dancing to turn our school song back into a fight song. It is going to take a desire from the student body
School song important to bolster school spirit BY CHANA A T HOMPSON Tradition and spirit are fading at North Sanpete High School. Students have lost respect towards the once strong and prideful school song. How can you change this? Become involved and show pride of being a Hawk through belting out the school song. By showing Hawk pride and being a part of cheering, you are contributing to a great effort. ff You
show faith in NS and the abilities of yourself and your peers. Give your fellow peers hope when there is none. That is the beauty of school spirit, is having it even when there is one minute left in a basketball game and NS is down by 20 points. It is important to carry on traditions, and to believe in each-other. The school song is everything NS stands for. Sing it with pride, sing it with the intention of bringing fear
into the hearts of opposing teams. Change your attitude and realize that no matter what the score at a sporting event or however lame an assembly may be, that you are a Hawk. Even through loss you can show your pride for this school, winning is not only a score on a board. Be involved, put your heart into bringing back the school song. Great things can happen if you believe in the difference ff you can make.
and help from the staff. ff We need encouragement, examples, and practice! Lets bring back the NS fight song if for nothing else than emotionally messing with and psyching out the opposite teams. Let us, students and staff ff of North Sanpete High, bring back the fight song that invokes fear and stirs the hearts of listeners. Lets do it ‘For Dear Old NS High’! Sincerely, Kathryn Peel.
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Students’ at NS share their new year’s resolutions BY SHAYLA A RICKS Another year has come and gone. A new year means a fresh start. Many students have made new years’ resolutions to improve something in their life. Many students believe it is hard to keep resolutions when their day to day lives are so busy. With scheduling and planning, they can make things work out. Here are the NS results for the most popular resolutions:
Cameron Sego, Sophomore from Mt.Pleasant “My new years resolution is to treat my cat to a sushi dinner at 7:06 every second Saturday of the month and to stop beating up my imaginary friend’s friends.�
A day in the life of Mr. Bowles BY BRANDI R PEAHL
Walking quickly through the halls is something that Mr. Bowles is used to doing as he makes his way around the school. Students and teachers alike have a hard time keeping up with him. One may not realize what it takes to be an administrator on a day-to-day basis. On Friday, January 22, we shadowed Bowles, the principal at NS, while he went about his day. A principal has many responsibilities, from leading the other teachers to ensuring every student gets to class. These responsibilities vary from day to day, but everything is done for the benefit of the school. For example, a live band played at NS and Bowles had to ensure that learning could continue in the classrooms. While they were setting up, he had to have them turn the music down. “Now everyone in the newspaper is going to know
I’m ’ a fun-sucker f k bbecause I told them to turn it down,� said Bowles. While some believe that Bowles is too strict, he says has what is best for the students at heart. “I want to help the kids be successful,� Bowles said. Helping kids is the reason Bowles became a principal. When he was a teacher, he felt that he could only help up to 30 kids at a time. Becoming a principal has allowed him to help more students. Doing what is in the best interest of the students isn’t always easy for Bowles. He doesn’t like to give out punishments, but it’s something that has to be done. “It’s my job,� said Bowles. “I have to do it.� Doing his job has benefits both for him and the students at NS. He enjoys what he does and looks forward to coming to work each day. “I love to come to work everyday because of the people who are here,� said Bowles.
Highlights of Mr. Bowles’ day: Before, during, and after school, Bowles is in the hallway interacting with students 8:55 am Secret meetings begin 10:15 Three cops and Bowles go into another secret meeting 10:45 Mr. Strate called Bowles on his cell phone and they talked for 15 minutes 11:30 Lunch Duty 12:15 pm. Meeting with students and their parents where two students were suspended 1:30 Meeting ends and then shuffling students off to class 2:10 Meeting with Becky Rees (not secret) 2:25 Meeting with Brenda Aagard (not secret) 2:30 Secret meeting with a parent 2:50 Out of meeting and then preparing for basketball game 3:10 Bus Duty
Spanish Club Celebrates Three Kings’ Day
Shane Mickel, Junior from Spring City “ I want to annihilate and break into tiny bits and pieces more varmints than I have in previous years.�
Lindsay Clark, Sophomore from Spring City “ I want to make new friends, go to state for FCCLA, get better grades and talk to more people.�
Sophomore from Moroni “My new year’s resolution is to get better grades. I feel like I haven’t gotten as good as grades as I did last year.� Photo Byy Lexi Turley T
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Girls’ basketball breaks region losing streak, beats Manti rivals
Photo by y Amanda Clark
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BY AMANDA CLA L RK The girls’ basketball team began region play earlier this month with games against Emery, Delta and Juab. Despite their dedication, they came up empty in the win column. On January 14, the girls’ basketball team played Juab at home, keeping the game close and leading in the fourth quarter. In the last two minutes, however, Juab pulled out a fivepoint win. Coach Cheryl Hadley says that teamwork is vital to the game and was part of the problem for the team. Although skill and accuracy are important, they are useless without proper teamwork, she said. Each individual player can bring something different, ff unique and vi-
tal to the team, but if one person isn’t on-par, the team will suffer. ff Additionally, if there is disparity of effort, ff she said, the entire team suffers. ff The players also notice the difference ff it makes when the team works together. “[Teamwork] is essential; if you don’t have teamwork, you’re not a team,� said senior Laurel Bailey. “If you don’t have a team, there is no reason to play.� Senior Shelby Earl said that, although personal problems do get in the way, they have improved a lot since the beginning of the year. She also said that in order to keep improving, each team member needs to encourage everyone, on the court and off. ff Thursday the team showed their improvement when they took the game by 21 points,
Coaches at North Sanpete act out of service, sacrifice much NS coaches work with athletes to bring progress, although they do not receive a very high salary, they enjoy coaching for other reasons. BY PAUL COOK AND A CHA HANA T HOMPSON They make very little money, they work long hours, they sacrifice their time and their money for their jobs and often face losses and discouragements. So what motivates these ordinary people to keep going? Several NS coaches shared that they enjoy coaching to watch the athletes improve and they are inspired to continue coaching through watching how determined the athletes are to succeed. “I enjoy watching the athletes succeed and watching them improve,� said Cheryl Hadley, head coach of the girls’ basketball team. Hadley has been coaching at NS for approximately 17 years—13 of them being the head coach. For the amount of time that each coach puts in and the salary they get paid, coaches usually make less than a dollar per hour, according to Hadley who is also a math teacher at NS. Coaches salaries at NS are low, but for the coaches, it isn’t about the money. “[I coach] because of the determination of the girls and being able to be the one to teach them how to become role models,� said Sheri Anderson, advisor of the NS Cheerleaders. For Bull Keisel, head coach of the boys’ basketball team, it’s obviously not about the money. Kiesel donates his entire salary toward the boys’ basketball program and he coaches for love of the game and the players. Other coaches find attitude change and confidence growth in the athletes to be rewarding. “I get paid enough,� said Cowan. “I should pay them. I just get to hang out with kids and do what I love to do.�
Some of the disadvantages of being a coach is how much personal time is taken away from them. “[Coaching] takes a lot of your personal and family time away,� said Hadley. According to Alisa Cheney, head advisor of the NS Spiriteers, coaching takes a lot of time out of her life. She has to order costumes, make schedules, keep track of their accounts and spends many early morning and afternoon hours teaching the girls’ the dances. Many do not realize that drill team is only off ff season for 12 weeks of the year. Many coaches have participated in the sport that they are currently coaching for most of their lives. Although much of their personal time is put towards practices and events, the sport they are involved with has always been a part of them. They coach not only for the athletes but because they truly love that sport. Anderson has danced from age five and did cheer for one year in high school and drill team for three. She has coached cheer for 17 years, four of which have been at NS. She is mainly the coach of routines and dance. While coaching at West Hills Middle School, Anderson led her cheer team to two National Championships. Cowan has been involved with wrestling from age four, and did wrestling all four years of high school winning three state titles. Cowan had a high school record of 156-6. Bull Keisel has been coaching at NS for 26 years and has been the head coach for four years. Keisel played basketball for Manti in high school and was on the 1966 State Champion team. Cheryl Hadley played basketball in high school for four years. Hadley loves sports and coached girls’ basketball at two state championships. Alisa Cheney has been the head advisor of the Spiriteers for approximately two years and started dance at age three. “When it all comes down to it, it’s all worth it,� said Cheney. “I enjoy the girls and they make it worth it.�
beating Manti 52 to 23, thus winning their first game of the region. Not only was it their first win, but it was a defeat over long-standing NS rival. Five of the players shot three pointers, due to good passing on the team’s part. This performance helped reignite the essence of the game, according to Kara Anderson, senior. “I think that something we forgot about was that it is a game and it’s supposed to be fun,� said Anderson. “It was finally fun again.� The recent win against Manti gave the girls confidence and helped to compound their anticipation for the season. Sorenson notes that the game gave them the necessary posi-
tive attitude to keep going and improving and believes they will prove victorious. Anderson thinks that a win is something they really needed to pull them out of the slump they were in. The members of the basketball team’s spirits are high as the recent victory still lingers in the air. As teamwork is essential, Coach Hadley said that it is something that the team struggles with and that there have been very close games that they would have won had they been more aware of their teammates. “When we don’t have teamwork, it’s stressful; we argue and blame each other,� said team captain Erika Draper, senior from Mt. Pleasant. “But we can tell the difference ff when there is no conflict; it goes smoothly. We remember we are here to play basketball.� Although team members agree that they do get along most of the time, all of them think it is something that they have a lot of room to improve on. Draper said that once the team doesn’t let the personal drama get into the mix, they play well. The drama seems to sometimes be a problem in addition to the lack of teamwork. “Team members have to be positive to teammates not only on the court but off ff of it as well,� Coach Hadley said. Senior Shelby Earl said that although personal problems do sometimes get in the way, they have improved a lot since the beginning of the year. She also said that in order to keep improving, each team member needs to encourage everyone not only during practice but in their personal lives. Coach Hadley also said that other ways she tries to improve team unity, she tries to mix it up, during practice so that people who don’t normally choose to play together, to get them to be closer with everyone. “Sometimes it doesn’t matter what you say or do, they have to be the ones to work at getting along,� Hadley said. “I can only do so much.� “I think that the team has great potential, if we figure out teamwork, we will finish off ff the season very well,� Hadley said.
Cheerleaders perform well despite lack of support
Photo provided byy Bradi Goble
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BY AMYY BANGER A TER AND A PAUL COOK Last Saturday NS cheerleaders attended the UCA cheer championship in Sandy, despite lack of support from the school district. “The [district] wouldn’t support us because they said cheer is too dangerous and isn’t a sport,� said co-captain Chelsey Peckk ham. According to Peckham, even the girls who didn’t make grades were able to cheer since it wasn’t sanctioned by the school. But the cheerleaders did exceptionally well, taking first in the time-out dance category while competing against 5A schools. “We went against Kerns and we just had to bring it,� said Peckham. “It was all or nothing.� Practices and long hours paid off ff in the end even though the squad struggled when they were told they would not be able to compete just two days before the competition. “I knew we could do it but not having the [district] behind us stressed us out,� said captain Bradi Goble. “But we proved them wrong that we could do it no matter what.� During the competition the Hawks received enough points to qualify for nationals, which will be held in California in February. However there is no out-of-state travel in our district which means the cheer squad will have to find a way to the competition on their own. According to Goble, the cheerleaders had to find their own way up to the competition because the district would not provide a bus. “The Board had not approved them as a competition squad--they’re a spirit squad,� said Principal Jim Bowles. Since the squad had not been approved
through the district board, they were not granted any support. “I thought it was okay,� said Bowles. “I didn’t know we had to get them approved through the board.� The fact that the squad didn’t know they had to be approved for competition is what caused many of the problems. But the coaches and girls are proud of their success. “We had to go knowing that we were not NS cheerleaders,� said head coach Sheri Anderson. “We’re not too happy, but we’re still way proud.� According to Anderson, Bowles and viceprincipal Strate are supportive, but in order to go to Nationals the squad will need major donations and complete support from the parents. “It’s a possibility,� said Anderson, “but I don’t see it happening.�
6
NS boys’ basketball suffers ff loss and defeat BY PAUL COOK Midway through region basketball, the Hawks are struggling with a record of 0-4. But the team has set goals to reach the state tournament, and to do this they will have to win the majority of their remaining games. One of the Hawks’ major problems comes in the third quarter. “We play well through the first half then struggle in the third,� said center Carl Peckham. “We try to make it up during the fourth but it is usually too late.� This can be said of the first region game of the season against the Emery Spartans who are currently ranked third in state. The Hawks were up by two at the half but lost control of the game midway through the third quarter. Emery pulled ahead of the Hawks due to several consecutive turnovers that led to fast break points by the Spartans. North Sanpete regained their composure late in the fourth but were unable to make up the ground they had already lost. The final score was 62-48 in favor of the Spartans. But the third quarter has hardly been the only challenge the Hawks have faced. Rhett Bird, North Sanpete’s leading scorer is out because of a broken foot. He averages twelve points a game and scored 23 in the previous game against Emery. “Rhett’s absence has been a big problem,� said guard Parkk er Christensen. “We lost a starter and a great player.� Bird’s absence took a serious toll in the following game against Delta. Although Dallen Bird scored 12 and Peckham added another ten from the line, the Hawks were unable to finish. This was not only due to the absence of Bird but to additional struggling in the third quarter as well. The Hawks were up at the half once again but were outscored in the third and the game went downhill from there. The final score was 54-43. “The boys aren’t always intense enough for all four quarters of the game,� said head coach Bull Keisel.
Photo byy Paul Cook
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The following Friday the Hawks played one of their best games of the season. Despite losing to the Juab Wasps, the Hawks played extremely well the last half of the game. Dallen Bird racked up 21 points to help the Hawks along. The hawks were down by as many as thirteen but gradually closed the gap until the game was tied. But a few missed free-throws and turnovers helped the Wasps gain their second region win. The score was 52-48. After a bye on Wednesday, the Hawks faced their rivals, the
Manti Templars. The Hawks rebounded well in the first half and at the close the score was 22-24 for the Templars. But the Hawks suffered ff through the third quarter yet again and the score was 30-39 to start the fourth. The Hawks played better throughout the fourth, but were unable to come back. The hawks lost the game 49-63. “We worked hard but it doesn’t matter how much effort ff you put in if you don’t use it right,� said senior Nathan Aagard.
Drill team performs at Region, results were not as they had hoped BY AMYY BANGER A TER The NS Drill Team put in months of strenuous practice for success at region and state. Although the results at region were not what the team was hoping for, the girls are staying positive about the experience and are working towards better results at the state competition. “It felt like we did a good job,� said sophomore Aubrey Blackham. “I felt like we should have gotten higher than we did, but it was still fun. It just makes it so we’re more ready and helps us know what we need to work on.� The coaches were proud of the team but upset with
the rankings. “It’s hard not to be positive,� said head advisor Alisa Cheney. “I don’t know how you put it—I feel like we got robbed and the judges were biased.� The region competition was held at Snow College Richfield on Jan. 20. There were three categories the teams had to compete in: military, dance, and kick. NS supporters were positive about each category and felt that the Spiriteers would score well. However the results were far from what was expected. In military, Richfield placed first, Emery second, and Juab third. For the dance and kick categories, Emery
was first, with Manti second and Richfield third. The final scores placed Emery as the Region 12 champions. Richfield left with second place and Manti received third. The Spiriteers were disappointed but are ready to perform well at the state competition at UVU on Jan. 30. “We’re going to work harder and try harder,� said junior Amber Mecham. The team feels that the region competition helped them understand what they need to work on. “We need to work on our timing and our presentation,� said senior captain Sadie Ivie. The evaluations from the judges helped the team realize their mistakes so that they can perform better at state. “We need to work on things in showmanship category like our facial expressions and we need to point our toes,� said freshman Ana Bentley. “We have to work on our spacing.� Even though the team wishes they would have placed higher, not all of them have regrets. Rather, they have tried to find the positive and make the best of the situ-
Photo byy Amyy Bangerter
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ation. “We worked really well as a team that day,� Ivie said. “We didn’t have any drama so it brought us closer as a team.� Ivie is not the only one who feels this way. “I think we did really well,� Bentley said. “I just wish it would have shown better in the results.� The team is confident going into the state competition. “It’s a whole new competition—a whole new set of judges,� Cheney said. “So I hope the outcome will be
more fair.� The Spiriteers feel that their caoches have pushed them and have helped them to perform well and stay strong as a team. “Their critique helps a lot,� Bentley said. “I like how they’re hard on us—it helps us to get better. I like how they push us to get better because they know we have a higher potential than what we want to try for.� Even though region did not turn out as hoped, the girls feel that they have accomplished a lot. “I think it was a good end-
ing to the year,� Ivie said. “It would have been great if we would have placed better but I was still proud of what we did.� Ivie won the drill down competition—an individual contest against all of the drill members in the region. “I was really surprised,� Ivie said. “It was pretty cool.� The coaches are pleased with the Spiriteers and are impressed with their performances. “I feel proud of the way the girls performed and the way they handled themselves,� Cheney said.
Wrestlers defeat region rival Manti at home BY ALISHA HA PECKHA HAM Wrestling has always been one of the more prominent sports at NS and it seems this year should be no different. ff The team had many wrestlers place at state last year and the team is expecting no less this year. “It’s been a building season for the program but we’ve been improving the whole year so it’s definitely been good,� said Jared Watts. The team is very young this year but they are all hoping to pull through and meet everyone’s expectations. “We have a lot of young and first year kids but they have learned a lot from the first of the season till now,� said Coach Keaton Cheney. Watts agreed stating, “There are a lot of younger kids on the team and yeah they help but it’s also a lot of pressure to put on underclassmen to make them go varsity.� The team recently competed in the Rocky Mountain Rumble held in Orem at Utah Valley University where sixty-four teams came out to compete. Jared Watts made it the furthest in the tournament placing 8th. “The Rumble was good because it showed each person how they compared to the best wrestlers around,� said Taylor Walker. “We’ve had a young team all year but both
Mark and Tanner have worked with everyone a lot and it showed at the tournament. The rumble also showed the underclassmen what we’re competing with.� The latest duel for the wrestling team was at NS where they hosted the Manti Templars. Much to the satisfaction of home crowd fans, NS came out victorious. They had many members come out with a win including, Hayden Stansfield, Chad Watts, Taylor Walker, Jared Watts, Bradee Sunderland, Ryan Sackett, and Marcos Marillo. “We beat them but it was a very close duel,� said Cheney. “It was a really good match and it’s always good to beat Manti.� Walker agreed saying, “We lost to them earlier in the season so it was a good one to win. It also showed us as wrestlers what happens when we really get warmed up.� Regions is coming up on the 5th and 6th of February and state is the following week on the 11th, 12th, and 13th. “We should do pretty good,� said Watts. “You never know for sure but we should be in the top three at region and do pretty good at state.� Walker echoed Watts saying, “If everyone comes out to wrestle we should do pretty good; there are some tough teams but there is no reason we can’t be right behind them.�
7
Music programs struggle to get funding, pay for repairs BY ALEXIS FRYER If you are associated with the fine arts you have likely had a conversation over the recent drop in concern over education in the arts. Recently many teachers, parents and professionals have expressed frustrations regarding the lack of opportunity for performing and visual art students. One program greatly threatened in many high schools is music. Carisa Roberson, choir director at NS, said she was concerned with the shortage of class options as well as little funding for new music, technology and performance equipment. Roberson had to work hard to garner approval for her second music class. “What we really tried to push is that the students still need the fine arts in their education,� said Roberson. Several music students are workk ing together to get an advanced choir class in addition to what is taught now. Currently both beginning students and those with more experience have to be mixed into one group. “It’s hard for those that are dedicated because they have no growth options,� said Roberson. The biggest dilemma is funding—not only for teachers’ salaries but also for equipment. Many high school music programs are given a definite budget each year. Manti High School’s music program gets a set amount of
Photo byy Alexis Fryer
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$3,500 each year. This goes toward music, repairs and anything extra they need. Additionally the band department received a large grant a couple of years ago for the purchase of percussion instruments and tubas. “South Sanpete district is pretty good about funding the art program; they know it’s important,� said Ron Litteral, band teacher at Manti High. Gunnison High School is in a similar situation receiving a bud-
get of $2,500 from the district each year for usual purchases such as music. The district gives separate funding for any approved instrument repair. In addition the music department was granted $20,000, which has been divided and used to build the program over the last five years. The NS department does not get any sort of allotment, though they may request money for special purchases. “[The district] has been really
good about covering our needs,� said Tim Kidder, NS band instructor. The district has paid for things like the summer band program, transportation and some major instrument repair. However, common repairs and other expenses, such as music, come from funds collected by the students. The choir and the band both sell cookie dough for a fundraiser, and each sell adds to their concert programs. $5 to $15 class fees and $50
Musical review presents favorites
instrument rental fees go into the account as well. Music students must also pay $15 for pep-band uniforms and/or $62 to $105 for concert attire. According to assistant Superintendent Leslie Keisel, the district gives the music program a set budget because they pay for similar things each year. She said that other funding should come from the school, which receives money based on its number of students. NS principle Jim Bowles said that the high school receives $42 for each student enrolled in high school. This then goes into the general school fund and is distributed on a need basis. The NS band program has received approximately $1,000 in music this year. Kidder is expanding his jazz music collection. Roberson bought $700 worth of new music, but this did not come out of the school account; the cost was covered by insurance due to water damage on the old collection. The school also paid for a professional development conference for both teachers at about $100. Kidder was also able to make a special purchase of an upright bass, which cost $2,300. This purchase, Bowles said, put them above their usual range. Each teacher talked about the fact that it’s just as important for music programs to receive their supplies as it is for other programs to get things like textbooks.
NS artists prepare for state competition at Springville Museum BY CARLYY CHA H PMA MAN
Photo byy Amanda Johansen
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BY AMANDA JOHA HANSEN Broadway: the home of chaos, creativity, intimidation, and success. Night on Broadway is the latest production of the drama department performed on Jan.19 and 20. The serious question to be considered is not how did they do, but what does it take to be, figuratively, on Broadway for a night? Despite the pleading of those who perform at NS there are many plays that are out of reach because of finances, and not enough students with the desire to drive them to what they wanted in the beginning. As a reaction to this director, Mrs. Roundy took a short cut and put together a few excerpts from Broadway musicals. “This was a show where I could give them favorites,� said Roundy. To be given these favorites students mush first audition. “I was thinking to myself; I’m going to have fun with this,� said performer, Sharice Roberson. Hopefuls were required to sing 30 seconds, or 16 measures worth of a song performed on Broadway. Being prepared for auditions makes a huge impact on the part a participant receives.
Then judging by talent and recent dedication, Roundy would assign pieces that matched the performers personality, and their capability. Casting was posted, practice began, and so did the chaos that comes with being in a production. It takes complete time and dedication from the start. Group projects usually rehearsed with Roundy present, while soloists often worked on their own most of the time to memorize and perfect their pieces. The production itself was supposed to be more of a learning experience on being a soloist and being in charge of choreographing a performance. Along with the stress of making something perfect, there is the painful chance of all the hard work getting cut. “Only the good stuff ff will end up on stage,� said Roundy. With the production being mainly for the upper class men there was much disappointment when the freshmen and sophomore classes were more serious about the production than some of the seniors and juniors. When auditions were held to most of them it was serious business and then for some reason it wasn’t as important to them as before. This brought on stress for the director
and those performing with them. “They don’t realize that that production needs to become their priority,� said student director, Dominick Kiefer. Generally when a student goes into a performance they have the idea that it’ll all be fun and games. They see the spot light, and themselves being on the stage. What the average student misses is the concept of all the hard work that truly goes into successful performance. With the production being a part of the drama class curriculum it was easy for some students to be serious about it. the performance was more of a learning experience for those in the classes. Mostly the classes have been studying theory, and performance is the only way for students to understand the mechanics of real Broadway theater, says Roundy. Despite difficulties the show went on opening at 7:00 as promised. Performances went as well as could be expected by dedicated performers. “We did well, but we had potential to be a whole lot better,� said performer, Carli Clements. Crazy and stressful, fun and intriguing. The ideals of performance still stand, but are you still willing to live for a night on Broadway?
Will NS graduate the next DaVinci? Or maybe the modern Michealangelo? Either way, up to six NS students will enter an art piece into the 38th state-wide art competition and show at the Springville Art Gallery in Springville, Utah. Over 14 students at NS are vying for a chance to compete in the show; there is a preliminary judging at Snow College to eliminate NS’s art entries to the six allowed. One artist from each school may have up to two pieces entered into the Springville show. Motives for entering the competition range. “I’m just doing it for the heck of it,� said Shane Mickel, junior from Spring City. He said he felt some prodding to enter from his mother and Paul Allred, NS art teacher. Others are participating in hope to pad portfolios, but all are competing to gain experience to see how their work compares to their peers’. Alexis Fryer, senior from Spring City, completed a portrait piece over the summer and decided to enter it with enthusiastic encouragement from Allred. “I did the portrait before because I wanted to, then Mr. Allred really liked it,� Fryer said. Last year Fryer won three awards at the Springville Art Competition, including the Director’s Award, an equivalent to Best of Show. She feels that more may be expected of her this year because of last year’s accomplishments, but she is grateful for her previous experience. One of the artists, Michelle Atwood, senior from
Fairview, describes her piece as unique, large, orange, and blue. “Over the summer I went to Japan, and I went to a shrine,� Atwood said. While there, she took a picture of big orange gates leading to the beach. “That’s what I’m painting,� she said. She describes her piece as a landscape oil painting. “I’m just hoping it will actually get in to Springville because I’ve put so much work in it,� Atwood said. Her competing peers share this hope and many are nervous about completing their art pieces before the deadline. Art entries were due January 20; the selected for Springville are due to be sent February 6. Dyllon Tabler, a senior from Fairview, plans to submit a set of pencil drawings to the competition. He has liked drawing since he was little, but took his first formal art class his senior year—Art Foundations. “When it’s all said and done,� Tabler said, “my goal is to be proud of my piece.� At the same time as the student show, the Springville Gallery will be hosting a contemporary art show featuring professional artists including Steven Assael. Allred is planning a trip for art students to observe the shows held in the Gallery, though he will first visit the Gallery to make sure the art is appropriate for students. “It’s good to have kids look at this [art] and know what they’re up against,� Allred said. There are hopes that students will see their art in conjunction with the art of professionals and aspire to continue developing their visual talents.
8
Heard
Countries Around the World Clayton Mitchell, Whitney Nafus, Carly Chapman
IN THE
Halls
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While walking down the halls at the school, you hear some bizarre things that make no sense when taken out of context. Here are a few of the funniest ones we’ve heard.
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Freshmen What is Mr. Bowlesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; middle name?
Sophomore How many taught at NS?
years
has
Mr.
Ericksen
Junior How many computers are currently in the library?
Senior What does the acronym UBSCT stand for?