By: Patrick Rampton The week of February 18-21 was FFA week at our high school. This week consists of tractors, competitions, hypnotists, and even dancing! This week is a true redneck week to show off who has the biggest tractor, or the best crap kickers (muck boots).
Dustin Halat, a BRHS sophomore, shared his thoughts about FFA week and what being in FFA is to him. Halat likes being able to compete in something that he has grown up in. This is a community that has a lot of agriculture and Halat is one that has really embraced this part and enjoys all the different aspects of it. Halat participates in parliamentary procedure competitions which means evaluating the abilities of a student to conduct a meeting. Halat actively participated in FFA week; he followed the dress-ups and even drove his grandpa's tractor to school. His favorite day of the week was, of course, drive-your-tractor-to-school day. He may not have had the biggest tractor, but he still had fun participating in the day. Halat loves that this day really gives members of agriculture a chance to show off what they get to use every day to complete their hard work. Although agriculture is not something everyone likes, it is something that everyone needs. From building houses to aviation, agriculture is something that is very widespread and covers and creates a lot of different jobs.. FFA is something that may not be represented in every school, but Bear River fully uses this opportunity to dedicate a full week to what it brings to our great community.
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By: Kassidy Johnson We all know that every year the ACT comes around sooner or later (this year it is on Tuesday, March 3). This day is known as the worst day for juniors, and the best day for every other grade in high school. The ACT is a test that measures your previous eleven years of schooling. This test also helps colleges decide who should be accepted into their school. One very long day of sitting in a room with a bunch of other people taking a test that will determine the rest of their lives. This seems to be the most stressful day in high school. Yet, after the test is done and over with, it seems as if it really wasn’t as hard or as stressful as people thought.
Kate Wood, an experienced senior, shared her feelings and some tips about taking the ACT. She believes that one test can’t prove all of your knowledge and everything that you know. Wood also doesn’t think that any test in general should be three hours long. Even though she doesn’t agree with the test, she expressed that she was grateful for the option to retake the test, as long as you have $46. Wood has a few tips that she feels will help anyone preparing for this year’s ACT. First: “Just show up and guess your best or just answer C for everything.” Second: “Don’t get dressed up that day; just come in comfy clothes.” Third: “Retake the ACT as much as you personally feel that you need.” Fourth: “Just relax, take the ACT, and enjoy the rest of junior year.” One of the only bonuses that Wood feels the ACT provides is having a high score means that you get more money in academic scholarships. She is glad that she got a high score to help her pay for college. Remember that the ACT is just a test and the world won’t end if you don’t get a perfect score. Chances are that you will live through the test and be just fine. By: Patrick Rampton Bear River’s Hi-Steppers were awarded the 4A Sportsmanship award on January 31. Kelbie Jackson, the Hi-Stepper coach, is proud of her team and what they have done this season. The Hi-Steppers placed 3rd in the quarter finals, but did not place at the State competition; however, because of their respect and team spirit, they were given the Sportsmanship award. The Hi-Steppers also placed third for highest GPA showing they work hard off the dance floor as well. Coach Jackson spoke very highly of her athletes and their accomplishments saying, “It’s difficult to be a student athlete, so when they are nice and smart student athletes it’s especially notable.” Coach Jackson sees leadership ability in all of the girls in and is very proud to say this is her group.
Taya Jeppsen, a member of the Hi-Steppers, remarked that this is her favorite coaching staff. Jeppsen believes that the team has done very well for having no seniors on the team to take on a more experienced role. Even though there are no seniors on the team, Jeppsen feels that all of the juniors have really taken their skills and used them to help the younger dancers improve. Jeppsen didn't know the sportsmanship award existed, but was very happy when the team received it. There were 19 drill teams that competed at state, so having the third highest average GPA is an admirable achievement that the team worked hard for. Overall, both Coach Jackson and Jeppsen have a good outlook on the team and their overall abilities in competition and in school. This team has an excellent mindset for success and have really stepped above the competition this year. By: Tonya Newbold Bear River High School's Theatre Department is currently showing “Cinderella.” The show opened on February 20 and has one more showing tonight, Monday, February 24 at seven pm. The play’s run time is 2 hours and 15 minutes, including one intermission. Audio, video, and photography are strictly prohibited during the performance. The star of the show is Paige Petersen playing Cinderella. Petersen says, “I think that the first night was a big success! It’s our best performance yet for our school. I hope that we can get more people coming to the other performances.” This performance is said to be the best yet because it has spectacular transitions. The theater tech has been working after school as long as they can to get the best effects and the music is out of this world. This play follows the same story as the original Cinderella, but it has a new character that adds to the brilliance of the play. There’s a plot twist that will keep you reeled in. Characters that are in the Disney version didn’t have names but now they do. For example, the fairy godmother’s name is Marie. The play consists of about 50 people and they have all been practicing since the end of November. The cast has given their all to make the best performance ever! Costumes for the play are gorgeous. Cinderella’s gown at the ball is white with some added blue for the mesh. The gowns help take you into the world of fantasy. Each night the show has seen a great turn out. Seats are being filled fast! Come bring your family, friends, anyone to this last showing. Come get the experience of a lifetime from our very own Bear River High School Theatre Department. By: Kassidy Johnson Bear River High School’s annual blood drive was held on Monday, February 10, in the main gym. Every year, students of all grades participate in donating blood to help those in need. Most teens don’t know why donating blood is so important, but it is used for transfusions, surgeries, medicine, and blood loss. In a recent survey done by the American Red Cross, they found that only 3% of people donate blood and that there is a shortage for those who are in need. On average, 4.5 million Americans need a blood transfusion each year. The American Red Cross encourages everyone to donate as often as they possibly can.
Courtney Noorda, a sophomore, has seen first hand how giving blood can help someone. Noorda has a brother who has hemophilia: he is missing a blood clotting factor. This doesn’t seem alarming unless you know that without all your clotting factors a person is not able to stop bleeding. Hemophilia also causes spontaneous bleeding and causes a person to bleed and bruise easily. Noorda explained that the way her brother benefits from blood is through his medication. After blood is donated, it is taken to a lab where they extract the different factors needed. Noorda shared that it is such an important part of her life that people donate because this situation “is not just an off chance, it is everyday.” Her brother can not miss a day taking his medicine; it is vital for him to have it. Noorda is very excited to get to donate blood once she is 16 because she wants to be able to help others just like those who help her family. She is very passionate about giving blood and hopes that everyone else who has the chance, takes the chance. For those that made Monday a day to give back, you are saving lives. For those that didn’t donate this time, take the next chance you get and help someone in need. You never know who you might be helping. By: Tonya Newbold This year, National Wear Red Day was on February 7. National Wear Red Day is about raising awareness of women’s heart health. In today's world, heart disease is the number one killer of women. One way to prevent this heart disease is by being aware of it. Heart disease can attack anyone, but women are more prone to this.
Some activities that happened that day, and could be done next year, were people asking their parents to schedule a visit with their doctors. Asking your doctor how your heart is can help prevent heart disease in the future. Heart disease can attack anyone, even kids and teens. An early detection could make all the difference. Another thing that some did to celebrate National Wear Red Day was to get moving and exercise with their friends. Taking a break from daily life and relaxing was another thing people did to be aware of their heart health. Some ideas to help you relax can be getting in a bubble bath or listen to soothing music. Juliet Laing, a senior and a dedicated participant in National Wear Red Day, suggests curling up on a couch and reading your favorite book. One thing that people could do next year to help promote awareness of women’s heart health is talk to friends or people they know, be open about the facts, and spread the word. Laing said, “I hope that next year people will be more aware of the number one cause of women’s death[s].” This year, Macy’s department store will round up their in-store purchases to the nearest dollar (up to $.99) and donate to Go Red for Women. This will be going on all month and it will be used to support education, resources and tools for women to improve their health and well-being through physical activity. They will also be featuring a limited-edition Calvin Klein red dress for $119 in select stores. 10 percent of the purchase will benefit Go Red for Women throughout February. Even though the seventh has past, let us support National Wear Red Day throughout the rest of the month and again next year by spreading awareness such as Laing suggests and supporting the cause through local stores such as Macy’s. Hopefully next year even more people will be aware of women’s heart health. By: London Hillis In December 2019, the Utah Legislature passed a bill which re-shuffled the way Utahns were taxed. The bill changed many things including, but not limited to, Allocated funds to Utah state University and University of Utah, exempted menstrual products from taxation, and increased sales tax rate on groceries, gas, diesel and special fuel. The Utah population was in an uproar about this tax reform and how it was enacted without the consent of the public. This in turn caused the public to start a referendum (a general vote by the electorate on a single political question which has been referred to them for a direct decision) to repeal the law. In a short time, the referendum gained over 100,000 signers.
The House voted on bill HB185 and after little debate the vote was 70-1 in favor of the repeal, the Senate voted 27-0 also in favor of the repeal.The recently repealed bill proposed an amendment to the Utah Constitution to remove a designation of funds on income tax revenues for education to further increase budget flexibility, and ways to make it easier to replace that funding source, likely through local property tax increases. This bill in particular had been worked on for almost an entire year only to be reversed shortly after it was ratified. Skylee Pollock, a student at BRHS, remarked, “I felt like a lot of students and adults didn’t really understand what the referendum was; I accidentally told my dad to sign it because I had heard that the bill was ‘bad’ but I wish I hadn’t because I hadn’t researched anything and based my entire opinion off of what I heard.” Pollock’s mom works at USU and the reform heavily affected the funds allocated to the school which also heavily affected Pollock’s opinion on the referendum. Forming an opinion on a government issue like this is hard when you are a student because not only is every government document almost impossible to read unless you have a masters in English, but it's also hard because every adult around you has probably formed an opinion about the topic which leaves the student to just think what they are told. By: Kassidy Johnson Hope Week, February 3-8, is a week for suicide prevention that is recognized school wide. During this week, students reflect on why suicide is not the answer and are reminded to be here tomorrow. Every year, Hope Squad and the student council work together to make this week centered around students coming together and finding hope. Andre Archibald, the senior class president, stated, “Hope Week is important because it makes people aware of mental health and it is an avoided topic that needs to be talked about.” Archibald shared his insights on Hope Week and the events that will be held. Each day of the week will have a theme and a dress-up to get students involved. There will also be lunch time activities that will promote suicide prevention. There will be an assembly with guest speaker Dr. Schramm to conclude the week. Friday night, there will be a home basketball game with a white-out theme in honor of Hope Week. There will be a Stomp in the commons following the basketball game. Archibald expressed his excitement that all students should come to the Stomp because it is free, there will be a DJ, and even black lights. The presenter for Friday’s, Dr. Schramm aka Dr. Dave, is a motivational speaker who has a message of hope for everyone. Dr. Dave travels to high school to share his message.He has already visited Box Elder High School and has many positive reviews, including one from the Box Elder School District Superintendent. According to DrDaveSpeaks.com, Superintendent Steven Carlsen commented, “Dr. Dave is packed with powerful messages that all high school students (and their parents) need to hear. Dr. Dave has an ease about him that touches both teenagers and adults, so they want to hear and understand his message.” In Dr. Schramm’s presentation, he has a dear friend of his share the story of his failed suicide attempt in hopes to deter young teens from doing the same. So, this year remember Hope Week and have fun participating in the events to come. Suicide Prevention Resources:
-SafeUT app -National Suicide Preventzon Lifeline: Call 1-800-273-8255, Available 24/7 -Crisis Text Line: Text TALK to 741-741 to text with a trained crisis counselor from the Crisis Text Line for free, Available 24/7 By: Patrick Rampton Raigan Gee is the mastermind behind the decor and snacks and expects a good turn out for MORP this year. This will be the last girls’ choice dance of the school year and it’s supposed to have a lot of good snacks and tasty drinks. Refreshments will include a chocolate bar with strawberries and grapes, giving a healthier option, and a chocolate-covered, delightfully sugary option. The drinks are going to be like lime rickeys and should be a tasty complement to the sweet snacks and bless your taste buds. Other drink mixtures will be available as well.
The decorations of the party will be white, gold, and maroon which are three great colors for your pictures. There will be balloons and pom poms covering the walls to hopefully give the students a better setup for photos and memories. Raigan loves the decorations and hopes that everyone else loves them too. Masks are not required, but it is a masquerade ball so Raigan hopes some of the guests at this dance will attend wearing masks. If guests choose to wear masks, they need to be half masks as seen in many movies. Masquerade masks are very decorative and have a lot of pizzazz, if you would like to name its style, and can complement the dress or suit of the wearer. We all hope that the DJ is lit so we can keep the party poppin’. Hopefully we can all enjoy this dance, and be safe and respectable to the leaders of our school. |