During the week of February 20th through the 24th Bear River High School had a spirit week for the FFA. The BRHS FFA chapter does this every year as do most schools across the country As part of the FFA week everyday they would have a dress up and some sort of activity before and after school.
Students were told to wear blue and gold: national FFA colors (national colors for the FFA are corduroy blue and corn gold). After school the chapter had a FFA sweethearts competition for the girls At the competition they were required to throw a hay bale over a bar, hammer a nail into a board, carry water buckets a certain distance, milk a cow, and take a test. After the competition was over points were contributed to the pageant itself., which would take place that Friday. Wednesday the dress up was Western Wednesday. Students wore button up shirts, cowboy hats, vests, and other items classified as western wear. That day was also drive your tractor to school day. Only three students drove their tractors, Carter Wilkinson, Aiden Hansen, Stetson Westmoreland were the students. This year, Not many students did because it was raining that day and not all tractors are closed cabs. “I got soaking wet,” said Carter, who drove a zero turn lawn mower. After school the chapter did a dance. At the dance they had cornhole in the commons, dancing in the mechanic shop, and roping in the welding shop. With the competition on Thursday going on, multiple other FFA chapters were in town and invited to come to the dance. The dress up for Thursday asked students to wear their FFA apparel which could be their hoodies, shirts, and other stuff. During this they also had the NUI, which stands for the Northern Utah Invitational. This is a competition hosted at the Box Elder fairgrounds and USU Tremonton where FFA chapters from around the state come to compete. Bear River had a few teams compete and two teams placed first. One of the teams was milk quality. Leland Ivers, a Junior at Bear River, said, “I was surprised we won. We normally place really well but overall we came in first.” The milk quality team beat second place by 93 points which is a much bigger win gap compared to the 20 points between second and third place. Leland came first on his team and third overall. Friday students wore FFA jackets to school. Before school the advisors made breakfast burritos and fed them to anyone who came. After school they had the sweethearts pageant where the competing girls would have a guy escort them. They’d say something about themselves and then sit down. After all the girls walked, they showed a video of the officers interviewing each competitor asking them questions about the competition. At the end of the competition they had rewards for a lot of girls, but the overall winner was Kori Garn. Oakley Ward, who competed, said, “ I had so much fun during the competition and pageant! I really enjoyed the opportunity to compete against the girls my own age and to watch those girls do their best. They all did so good and looked so good with their escorts.” We want to thank everyone who participated in this year’s FFA Spirit week! Here’s to another amazing year of FFA!
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Throughout history, different types of art have been created by new societies. These arts, such as painting, dancing, and music, have brought people together through emotion and collaboration. This year, a number of students in Bear River High School’s Theatre Department have worked for many hours to create their fabulous version of Oliver! by Lionel Bart.
Lionel Bart’s Oliver! is based on Charles Dickens’ novel, Oliver Twist. Dickens wrote this book partially after his own life. When he was 12, his father went to a debtors’ prison, forcing the rest of his family to go and work in the workhouses for the poor. The story of Oliver Twist is about an orphan boy in England around the 1840s. Similar to Dickens, the story follows Oliver as he goes from a child labor workhouse to coffin making, to a thief in London. Each situation he finds himself in is quite terrible, however, Oliver is able to find the good side to each new situation. One student, Andi Farnsworth (a senior), expressed what she has learned from working on this show. “Situations, when it's abusive it's not good … but happiness is a mindset, not necessarily your situation, it can impact it a lot but being able to find the things that you're happy about and that you're grateful for is super important.” Farnsworth plays a character called The Artful Dodger. Dodger is the boy that finds Oliver when he reaches London. He takes Oliver under his wing and shows this new world to Oliver. Shortly after, Oliver meets many other characters, including Nancy. Nancy is played by Olyvia Richards (senior). She was raised in a similar situation to Oliver and Dodger. She often comes to visit because the group of thieves is the closest thing she has ever had to a family. Richards said that Nancy is unlike the many other roles she has done. “The other characters I've played there are mostly like silly goofy characters. This time, Nancy is serious,” she said. Richards also has done lots of prep work for her role. “I have done so much research on the time period…” she said, “Liljenquist [the director] also gave us a history lesson the first day too.” Allison Liljenquist, the director, has also done endless work to get this show to where it is. Liljenquist explained how when she chooses shows, she picks ones that will get people to come and watch, and ones that allow an opportunity for cast, crew and audience to learn something. For Oliver! specifically, she said, “I’ve done a lot of research… It’s been really, not humbling…humbling but in a bad way, how humans were treated, especially children… we’re not going to be executing kids the way that they did in the 1840s, but there are still very, very real ways that we dehumanize other people around us because of differences.” These students have put hours upon hours of work to get this show to where it is. The show opens on February 29th and runs to March 4th. Come support these incredibly hard working students and learn about hard, complicated topics in a live, onstage performance of Oliver! Photo Caption: Andi Farnsworth and Olyvia Richards rehearsing I’d Do Anything for Oliver! at their first dress rehearsal. Taken by Rebecca Hayden By Rebecca Hayden Some people struggle with getting noticed by a guy or a girl. It can be super awkward. So how does this work right here at BRHS? Five guys at Bear River High shared how they notice a girl and how they think they get noticed. Wyatt Stocking, a sophomore, said he notices girls when they are nice, if they come up to talk to him. Looks could also play a part in it, but generally comes down to personality, he said. Ricky Campbell, a Junior, said that it comes down to style and athletics. “If they’re super smart, then I can look to them for questions and stuff.” When it comes to looks for Ricky, he likes ripped jeans, cool Nike shoes, and dirty blonde hair. Nathan Hughes, a junior, says that when it comes to a girl noticing the guys, it’s all about good hygiene and when they wear cologne. Girls are more interested in the type of guys that have a positive attitude and are respectful towards them. Girls also find it attractive when guys treat their families with respect, especially when it comes to their mom. The last two guys, Jason Madsen and Denver Rhodes, both sophomores, talked about looks. “When it comes to noticing girls, they need to have a good smile, and have confidence.” Denver loves when a girl’s hair is pulled up and curled, whereas Jason just likes it when his food isn’t stolen by the ladies. Four girls at Bear River were also asked their opinions. Sophomores Ainsley Mackley and Chloe Hoffmeister both agreed that they get noticed by talking a lot, and just being loud and crazy. For Chloe she likes it when a guy is tall but she said “6’2” is the limit” Brylee Nelson, Junior, said she notices guys “if they are funny and confident but not cocky.” She also said she thinks girls get noticed if they are confident. Ainsley, Chloe, and Brylee all agreed that hair plays a big part in them noticing a guy. Destiny Thompson, Junior, said she gets noticed because “My innocence is just real cute.” She also said she notices cute clothes on a guy. The guys and girls' answers were similar in some ways. Confidence, smile, style, looks, being funny, talking a lot, not being obnoxious are all big things that most of these people agreed on. In the article “ Why don’t guys approach me? 8 steps to get noticed” the top two answers are when people smile and their style which connects to what students said. Students at Bear River have different perspectives and opinions that give advice on how to get noticed.There are a lot of the answers that connect so what would you do to get noticed? Credits: Photo taken by: Brooklyn Hadley Written by: Carli Miller and Brooklyn Hadley Featured: Brylee Nelson, Chloe Hoffmeister, Ainsley Mackley, Destiny Thompson, Ricky Campbell, Denver Rhodes and Nathan Hughes Not pictured: Wyatt Stocking and Jason Madsen https://michellejacoby.com/how-to-find-love/why-dont-guys-approach-me/ Western swing dancing originated in the early 1930s and peaked in the 1940s, but due to a tax on any clubs that advertised dancing, it declined shortly after World War 2. Rebecca Curtis, a senior at Bear River High School has been swing dancing for over 2 years. “I love dips, lifts, and the really fun, cute basics. I don’t necessarily have a specific favorite move, but I love the lifts best of all.” Swing dancing spans a wide level of skill. The moves range from basic turns to complex stunts.
Although Rebecca’s passion now lies in the more extreme stunts she didn’t always feel so comfortable in her dancing shoes. “I wanted to dance for a while, but I felt like I couldn’t because I didn’t know how. There were a few years where I wouldn’t really go to dances or join in because I felt like you had to know how to dance to dance.” Many people feel that dancing is a “natural talent” that some people are gifted with while others are not. Rebecca didn’t let this common conception stop her. “One year I had a friend who got me into dancing and taught me some new stuff. I learned a few things and that made me more confident and I learned that dancing is a learn-as-you-go kind of thing, and that it’s ok to not know exactly what you need to do.” Rebecca worked hard, learning new moves, attending the USU swing nights, and even teaching her friends. She has been dancing with Ben Hone for about a year and a half. “He isn’t necessarily my best friend, but we just are able to dance the same. We understand each other's cues the best.” Learning to stunt with a partner can be scary, especially when they are flipping their partner, spinning them upside down, or throwing them up in the air. “There definitely is a level of trust there, in which I trust him to do bigger lifts with me because I know his abilities. Because the trust was built over time, he’s the one I’m the most comfortable doing moves with.” While Rebecca has enjoyed the complex side of swing dancing, she remembers how overwhelming it was to her at the beginning. Her advice to a beginner is “Try it out. Don’t be scared because that's what held me back for several years. Don’t let your fears control you. I don't believe in making everyone dance, but I do believe it’s important for those who want to do it and have a passion for it. [They ] should do it and not hold back because of their fears.” Dancing has become less common in society today, and many, fearing failure, don’t learn. Rebecca has found joy not only in her dancing, but also in the reward of facing her fears. Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear” and that is exactly what Rebecca has done. Article by Felicity Michaelis Photo by Rachel Epling According to Dawn Richards, a math teacher at Bear River High School, almost no students in her sophomore math classes have ever failed. Which must have something to do with how hard she fights for her students' success. Mrs. Richards offers after school tutoring each day for one hour. During that hour she sees what students are struggling with, which she can’t do as easily in class, and either goes through problems with them or allows them to take a test. In “The Benefits of One on One Math Tutoring,” it says, “In one-on-one math tutoring, the tutor can use a customized learning strategy depending on the student's learning preferences, areas of strength, and areas of weakness.” On average around 5 to 7 students show up for after school tutoring daily, and Mrs. Richards has seen much improvement in the grades of students who do take the time to come, “they want [their grades] to improve.”
Samantha Pearson is one of the many students that Mrs. Richards has helped. Samantha (Sam) had Mrs. Richards class during the first and second trimesters of her sophomore year. She had a C and was not sure how to get it up. “I was afraid to ask for help,” Sam explained when talking about her struggles with math. When Sam did get the chance to go to Mrs. Richards' tutor session after school, she said that, “they took me step by step through the problems.” Sam also said that Mrs. Richards tries to help the students during class as well. Sam says that Mrs. Richards gives time in class to work, answers all questions, and often sits down with students to explain problems in depth. “I would get help again, it has helped me so much in future units and on other tests.” While it may be hard for some students to get in after school, like it was for Sam, “my school schedule was busy and I just couldn’t find a day to go in,” it seems to pay off for those who try. The effort put in by Mrs. Richards helped Sam’s grade move up from a C to an A after just one tutoring session. Her experience shows how helpful and important this after school time can be. Mrs. Richards believes that having open communication is extremely important in teaching, and it has helped hundreds of students from failing. Other teachers also do after school one-on-one tutoring. According to Mrs. Richards, most teachers will stay after school if a student requests it. There are always options if a student is struggling in a class, whether that is talking to a teacher or spending some extra time on homework. No matter how hard it seems there is always a way to keep students from failing. Article by Savannah Thompson and Alyssa Hamilton Prom is coming up, and there may be many questions on what to do to prepare for Prom. Hunter Christensen, a junior, and Taylor Manscill, a junior, are preparing for prom, seeing as they are going together. Some of the things they are doing to prepare are asking and answering, planning the day date, and getting the dress and the suit.
Hunter knew he wanted to ask Taylor because she was the first person who popped into his head because they are good friends. After getting asked and creating the posters, the second step is getting the dress. Taylor said, “I haven’t gotten my dress yet, but I probably will towards the middle of February.” Taylor talked about what dress she is planning on getting and if it was similar to her dream dress. She responded, “I think our group is doing pastels, and I’m getting a light purple dress. My dream dress is a light yellow dress, it’s similar to the one that Andie Anderson wears in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” Taylor went shopping, and ended up buying an orange dress that she loves. Where this dance is a boy's choice, the boys in the group have the responsibility of planning the day-date, who’s driving, paying for the dance, splitting it evenly, and figuring out what food they’re eating. They don’t have everything planned quite yet but as far as the day-date goes, Hunter said “We might go to Rush or Boondocks” These places are very similar and provide lots of fun activities for the couples to do. As far as getting ready for Prom, they both have lots to do starting now and leading up to the dance day. Taylor answered Hunter after she had a chance to consider her dress and what makeup she’d wear. She went out and bought a poster, decorated it, and took it to him. Taylor says she is having her mom do her hair and makeup, and it should take around an hour for her to get ready; however, on a typical day, it only takes her around 15 minutes. As a girl, this shows it takes a long time to get ready for Prom. For Hunter, he is preparing by getting a haircut and getting his suit. Preparing for and planning for one of the biggest events of the school year is a lot of work, but in the end, they both agree that it will be so much fun and definitely worth it. There are so many fun memories created and lots of experiences to look back on when you’re older. Prom is on Saturday, March 2, at the Castle Manor. Photograph taken by: Brooklyn Hadley Written By: Carli Miller and Brooklyn Hadley Music is one of the most common obsessions in our day, especially for teens. The average person spent roughly 20.7 hours a week listening to music in 2023, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, but many more hours are spent by musicians learning, perfecting and performing music for our entertainment.
Keegun Jensen, a senior at Bear River High School, has entangled himself in music ever since he decided to join band during his sixth grade orientation. Over the years, he has seen how taking this class has helped him in very simple ways. “For the longest time,” he said, “...the reason I was going to school in general, was to go to [my] sixth hour band. It was nice it was a sixth hour band because I had to go through the whole day before I got to go to band. It definitely helps me through just keeping me motivated.” Jensen plays the trumpet in the jazz band, the marching band, and the concert band; he sings bass in the Madrigals choir; and he plays acoustic, electric and bass guitar in his free time. He also “dabbles” in trombone, clarinet, and percussion. He said that music has built the world around him. “This is very stereotypical of me, but it really did give me a purpose, it really gave me a life… [Music] really gave me a perspective into my potential and how I can grow and become a person, not only musically…but also my personality and better ways of being a person,” Jensen said. Belle Christensen is a junior at Bear River High School and she has played instruments since the age of 5. She was heavily encouraged to play by her parents. “They would always say that if we didn’t play an instrument we would have to pay rent,” she said. She has yet to find out if this is true. Christensen is a very outgoing student. She is a fabulous violinist and a very upbeat person. Christensen said she learns much better when music is present. “ I’ve always been able to learn things a lot better when it’s put to a song,” she said. She also believes music has helped her in other ways too. “I think that practicing an instrument and learning instruments has made it easier to practice and learn things otherwise, and it’s also kind of helped me to schedule things and stick with them. I think that’s very valuable.” Beck Burrell is a senior at Bear River High School; he has been surrounded by music for his entire life. His family, especially his father, has participated in music and some in instruments. In the ups and downs of life, Burrell has turned to music to help. “If there is ever a hard time in school, or just anytime really, Music is where to go… Music is always there.” he said. Burrell has had music in his life for as long as he can remember, but it has impacted him greatly. “Music can be more powerful than just talking…” he said. “It just helps get different messages across and I can feel it rather than just understanding what the words are saying. It deepens the meaning.” These students have all worked hard to get where they are now. As they continue to sharpen their skills and pursue their passions, they are positioned for success, not only in their musical endeavors, but also in their chosen career paths. Although none of them intend to pursue music as a career, music has helped them become stronger people. Their commitment and determination indicate that they have bright futures ahead for each of them. Written by Rebecca Hayden Edited by Skylynn Thompsen, Brooklyn Hadley, Carli Miller Mrs. Joelle Beard is not just a high school language arts teacher but a record breaking, extraordinary swimmer. Mrs. Beard grew her deep love for swimming in the ninth grade but has been competitively swimming since she was just 7 years old. Mrs. Beard was raised in a swimming family; her mother and each of her siblings also swam in high school. Over the years Mrs. Beard has done 8 total marathon swims and still continues to do a marathon swim each summer. The first swim Mrs. Beard ever did was one that most swimmers finish their career with. She swam the English Channel at age 24. Through the frigid waters between the South coast of England and the North coast of France, she swam 26 miles without stopping even after she had been stung by jellyfish. Mrs. Beard shared how her motivation for this was simply to prove she could accomplish her goals. She said, “ For me it was honestly just to prove everyone wrong.” Mrs. Beard felt that many people thought the furthest you could go in a swimming career was a high school scoreboard. She wanted to show that you can go beyond these expectations people have set for swimmers. Being a swimmer, especially a competitive one, takes a lot of mental power. On the website, Swimming World, it states, “The key to Unlocking your speed: A Positive Mindset.” One of the reasons Mrs. Beard swims is because it is her way of de-stressing and enjoying life. Adelaide Aquatic Centre shows that it is important for swimmers to be able to enjoy what they are doing to succeed. Mrs. Beard uses her experiences to inspire many young athletes while she coaches the swim teams here at Bear River, as well as in the private lessons she gives. One swim she has participated in is the Bear Lake crossing swim. Her completion of this particular swim inspired one of her students so much he wanted to try it himself. He reached out to Mrs. Beard after he had graduated and she was very pleased to know she had made such an important impact on his life. Mrs. Beard has overcome many obstacles in her swimming career, like being stung by a jellyfish and swimming in shark infested waters. Her longest swim was 20 hours non stop and the swim she is the most proud of accomplishing is the Triple Crown, which got her into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. She likes to remind her students of one important factor that has helped her succeed in life, she says, “Don’t let other people tell you your dreams are too big.” By, Autumn Henry My Image Information: Images are of Mrs. Beard swimming in (the image of her in the water with the sailboat) the English Channel on September 3rd 2012. The next image of her sitting on the boat is her after swimming for 20 hours straight between Molokai and Oahu in Hawaii on August 18th, 2021. Students everywhere have been a part of a long lasting debate. Though high school has been around for many years, students ask almost daily if high school is really preparing them for life. Two seniors, Aleksia Nielsen and Trayton Lund, have conflicting views on this topic.
Aleksia’s dream has always been to attend college and study art or marketing, and she believes that high school is extremely important. Aleksia said, “High school is so amazing! Look at all the opportunities.” She later said that teachers are a huge part of the opportunities. Whatever career path it is, there are classes and teachers to help achieve it. There are so many clubs available at our school for students, including FBLA, FFA, FCCLA, and many more. Aleksia also said, “I think any situation you can be in can be valuable if you make it valuable.” According to the Butts County School System, ”FBLA-PBL inspires and prepares students to become community-minded business leaders.” Upon coming to the high school, Aleksia soon realized that it was teaching her how to communicate, manage her time, and work with others. All of these are extremely important life skills that everybody needs to be taught, according to Aleksia. Trayton (Tray) at the moment is not sure what he wants to do, and would like to change multiple things about the high school curriculum. He believes that, “school should teach more about taxes and how to make a resume, then unimportant stuff like math and english.” While there may be multiple people who have the same belief, the International Mathematical Union has some points that say differently, “mathematical knowledge plays a crucial role in understanding the contents of other school subjects such as science, social studies, and even music and art.” For people like Aleksia who want to go into art, math is going to be incredibly important. He also has a point when thinking about what high school is really trying to teach students, “School is more towards remembering sequences than preparing you.” As stated in Education Week, “there is significant pressure put on students by teachers, parents, and students to achieve.” Tray mentioned, “Most classes people take for easy A’s,” when students choose classes for the next year, their first thought is what class will be the easiest and get them the best grade, not what class will be the best for them to take. With these varying views, some may find it hard to determine if high school is important or not. Aleksia says that high school is full of valuable opportunities that should be taken advantage of, but Tray believes that the importance of high school has changed over the years. That it’s going from learning interesting topics to getting good grades. While both of these are crucial views on how and if high school is preparing students, it is important to remember that high school was originally meant to be a place to grow and learn different career paths, according to Acceleration Academies. By Alyssa Hamilton and Savannah Thompson |
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February 2024
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