May 2019

Comings and Goings!

Submitted by lori.cunningham on Fri, 05/24/2019 - 08:24
Attachment Size
LundellDaniel.JPG 1.55 MB
mr downey.png 39.73 KB
SopenaMadison.JPG 1.01 MB
ThompsonBart.JPG 1.25 MB
HowdenEmily.JPG 1.44 MB
HansenLaurie.JPG 1.93 MB
JamsaRalph.jpg 4.97 KB

We are so sad to announce that some of our dear friends are leaving us to go on to new adventures. We will miss them so much! Thanks to these wonderful members of our faculty and staff for all they have accomplished here and the countless students lives they have enriched. We wish you all the best!

Madison Sopena, Laurie Hansen, Steve Downey, Bart Thompson, Emily Howden, Danny Lundell, Ralph Jamsa, Kathy Christensen

Here are some final comments from some of them:

Thanks to all the administrators over the years!  They have all been supportive of the programs I have been involved in, and have allowed me my own teacher autonomy!  Special shout out to Liz Blanton for being my travel companion!

Even more, thanks to all the students who have sat in my classroom, listened to my soapbox lectures, sang my silly songs, filled out a lot of papers, and took all my tests!  They have made my life full and worthwhile! 

I’ll miss not seeing all the staff and teachers at Salem Hills, but I won’t miss scheduling my life around “the bell!”  

Wishing you all the best

Laurie Hansen

 

 

It has been a dream come true for me to spend the past 11 years here at Salem Hills High School.  It was always a desire of mine to be able to be a part of a new school, and when that opportunity arose in 2008, I didn't hesitate at the chance. It has been an amazing journey for me and my family, and I will miss the day-to-day connection to SHHS.  Luckily, we live here in Salem, so my children will have the incredible good fortune of being Skyhawks over the next few years.

 

I am extremely excited about the next adventure as the Dean of Students at Diamond Fork Junior High School. It will be strange not coaching and teaching any longer, but I feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to hopefully make an impact on even more students each year.  I am incredibly grateful to all my dear friends--both faculty/staff and students--that have had such a major impact on who I am today as an educator.  GO SKYHAWKS!

 Bart Thompson

 

 

My time at SHHS has been a wonderful experience that I had never planned on, but I'm so glad I was given the opportunity to teach here. Interacting with our faculty and students has enriched my life and I will cherish the memories from these past four years. I am a better person because of my students and I have loved being able to share my passion for photography and drafting with them. We have some amazing young people and I'm honored that I was able to interact with them and watch them succeed at their dreams. I will miss seeing students create and discover their talents, but I am excited for where my new adventures will take me. 

Emily Howden

 

 

 

This is a very bittersweet ending to my years here at Salem Hills High School. I’ve been so fortunate to be here for the past 5 years. I’ve loved the classes that I’ve been able to teach but more importantly I’ve loved the interactions I’ve been able to have with the students here. I’ve really enjoyed watching kids come in as Sophomores, who are trying to figure out High School,  who become Seniors who are going to go out and conquer the world. I’ve seen students who go through struggles and have some pretty low moments in their life but who have kept pushing through those tough times and who haven’t given up and have found so much success and have been able to accomplish things that they never thought were possible. I will miss the relationships that have been formed with my students, they are incredible individuals who are going to achieve some amazing things in their lifetime, and I look forward to hearing about them.

 I’ve loved being a part of the SHHS Girls Soccer team for the last couple of years. I’m grateful for Lee Gillie and his willingness to let me help coach these girls and for the mantle of trust that he put on me for that. I’ve really enjoyed watching these girls and the hard work and dedication that they put into a sport that they love. I will miss those relationships that I have made with them and having the opportunity to watch them grown not only on the soccer field but in the classroom and in their personal life as well.

 I have been so fortunate to work under Mr. Peery. He is an incredible Principal who has such care and concern for every single student and staff member at his school. He goes above and beyond to make sure that everyone feels important. I’ll miss everything from the high fives he gives to everyone to his “Goooooo Skyhawks” cheer. Salem Hills has an amazing administration and I will miss every single one of them and their passion for helping our students succeed. I knew walking in to this school 5 years ago for my interview that this was a special place and that I wanted to be a part of it! I was treated so kindly and the interview was so personal that it already felt like home. I’ll miss the smiles from our secretaries and them asking about life. The awesome teachers in the PE/Health department who helped me feel welcome right from the beginning. There are too many people here at this school who have had a great impact on my life and I will cherish those memories forever.


I look forward to this new adventure that I will be starting next school year. I will be heading to Lake Mountain Middle School which is a brand new middle school in Alpine School District located in Saratoga Springs. I look forward to opening a new school and working towards building a culture there. The strong culture that I’ve been a part of at Salem Hills is one that I want to take with me, and hope that I can create a culture similar to that at Lake Mountain. Even though I have absolutely loved my time here, I have always tried to better myself in all areas of life. One area that I pursued was a position that would give my family more security through a full time teaching position. I was able to get that through Lake Mountain Middle School. Full-time status, productivity pay, and opening up a brand new middle school were just too good of opportunities to pass up. It was a tough decision to make, but in the end, this position will assist my family more in the end. Again, I’ll miss every moment here at Salem Hills but I look forward to the new adventure that awaits.

Madi Sopena

 

It has been an amazing adventure working at SHHS for the past 11 years. It was such a great experience to help open a new school and get to work with so many amazing students, parents, and co-workers.  We have become like family, sharing many happy and wonderful experiences as well as some extremely sad and difficult situations.  Positivity always triumphs though and we grow closer together as a team and community when we come out on the other side.  I will truly miss being at Salem Hills!

Danny Lundell

 

http://shhs.nebo.edu/sites/shhs.nebo.edu/files/HansenLaurie.JPG

http://shhs.nebo.edu/sites/shhs.nebo.edu/files/LundellDaniel.JPG

http://shhs.nebo.edu/sites/shhs.nebo.edu/files/mr%20downey.png

http://shhs.nebo.edu/sites/shhs.nebo.edu/files/SopenaMadison.JPG

http://shhs.nebo.edu/sites/shhs.nebo.edu/files/HowdenEmily.JPG

http://shhs.nebo.edu/sites/shhs.nebo.edu/files/ThompsonBart.JPG

http://shhs.nebo.edu/sites/shhs.nebo.edu/files/JamsaRalph.jpg

Schedule for the rest of the Week!!

Submitted by lori.cunningham on Wed, 05/22/2019 - 09:04
Wednesday- Early Out Bell Schedule ( See Below)         Thursday- Regular Schedule           Friday- Early Out Bell Schedule ( See Below)

 

Early Out

Bell Schedule

 

1st:   7:50-8:30

2nd: 8:35-9:10

3rd:  9:15-9:50

4th:  9:55-10:30

5th:  10:35-11:15

Comings and Goings!

Submitted by lori.cunningham on Thu, 05/16/2019 - 14:23
Attachment Size
017809E.JPG 196.67 KB
Mr. Burton Pic.jpg 20.8 KB

Comings and Goings

Change is always hard and it is especially hard to say bon voyage to a great leader and friend at Salem Hills High School. Mrs. Liz Reynolds Blanton will be leaving Salem Hills to travel to Alabama with her husband Noel this summer for a three year Air Force assignment. Mr. Peery’s response when he heard about her new assignment was a passionate, “Roll Tide.”  We all know she will be very successful there.

Mrs. Blanton served as the Assistant Principal at Salem Hills High for the past three years and also taught special education here for three years when the school opened in 2008.  In that time here, she has become a dear friend to all of us. Students, faculty, and administration will miss her immensely.

In her district bio, Mrs. Blanton said, “I believe that all students can learn. I believe that if we help students to feel safe and confident that they can grow and flourish in our schools. I believe that all students need an advocate.” All of us have witnessed her belief in helping all of the students at SHHS feel belonging and safety. They know she has been their advocate.

We will miss Liz’s outstanding leadership. She is a go-getter and natural leader with tremendous work ethic. No one makes you feel heard and listened to like she does no matter what the discussion is about. She has helped students every day that she has been here.

 “I have had great role models in education my whole life, starting with my own parents and grandparents. I have had many amazing mentors in this district, and I feel immense gratitude for the patience and wisdom of my colleagues,” said Liz. “I am excited about my new adventure!”

We wish her the very best of adventures as she serves students in Alabama and wherever else her pathway takes her.

We have a new assistant principal next year at Salem Hills High School. Curtis Burton is a familiar face here and we are excited to have him come back to our school. Curtis served as a Dean of Students here just 4 years ago. Mr. Burton has been serving as the Assistant Principal at Spanish Fork High for the past three years.   

Curtis earned his bachelor’s degree in History and English from University of Utah and his master’s degree in Education Administration from Southern Utah University. He taught English, yearbook, and supervised the student council at Payson Junior High for 11 years. He also taught at Spanish Fork High for two years.

In a Nebo District news article, Mr. Burton stated, “I believe that everyone can learn; and that as an educator, it’s my duty to find what works best for different individual students, which can be challenging for an administrator that has 1,400 plus students in a school. But that’s what makes this job so rewarding, helping these young men and women find their personal path to success and helping them stay on it. It’s the best job in the world!”

An administrator said, “Curtis has done a fantastic job. He works well with students. They respect him and still have fun with him. He has had to deal with difficult situations with students and parents, and he performs well under pressure.”

Curtis loves to spend time supporting his kids in their various activities which have included football, basketball, baseball, track and field, cheerleading, musical theater, and dance just to name a few. He personally loves to golf and stay active physically with running and weight training. Curtis enjoys reading, theater, and playing the guitar. He loves supporting his alma mater’s, the University of Utah’s, athletic teams with his family. Curtis is married to Jill, and they have three children.

“I appreciate my parents and all the teachers and coaches in my life who’ve taught me how to deal with the various situations I’ve encountered,” stated Curtis. “There’s one quote that I’ve always loved and tried to live by that comes from the former great football coach, Vince Lombardi, which reads, ‘There is only one way to succeed at anything and that is to give it everything!’”

We are excited to welcome Curtis Burton to our school. Curtis will be a wonderful addition to our team. We look forward to deepening our friendships with him.

http://shhs.nebo.edu/sites/shhs.nebo.edu/files/017809E.JPG

http://shhs.nebo.edu/sites/shhs.nebo.edu/files/Mr.%20Burton%20Pic.jpg

 

Mr. Peery gets PTSA Outstanding Administrator Award!!

Submitted by lori.cunningham on Thu, 05/16/2019 - 10:46
Attachment Size
IMG_2686.JPG 7.37 KB
IMG_2687.JPG 13.11 KB
IMG_2689.JPG 13.94 KB

This morning, Bart Peery was recognized at the Utah State PTA Convention with the Outstanding Administrator Award! We are grateful to have a principal who cares so much about his students. Thanks to the PTSA for recognizing him for all he does for students. 

 

http://shhs.nebo.edu/sites/shhs.nebo.edu/files/IMG_2686.JPG

http://shhs.nebo.edu/sites/shhs.nebo.edu/files/IMG_2687.JPG

http://shhs.nebo.edu/sites/shhs.nebo.edu/files/IMG_2689.JPG

 

 

Former student becomes a Marine!

Submitted by lori.cunningham on Fri, 05/03/2019 - 14:45
Attachment Size
IMG_2638.jpeg 1.67 MB

http://shhs.nebo.edu/sites/shhs.nebo.edu/files/IMG_2638.jpeg

This week, SHHS got a visit from a former student. Wyatt Webb dropped by and let us know he had just become a US Marine. He finished 13 weeks of boot camp on April 26th and will be serving in security forces guarding the base in Benghazi. He is excited to be able to travel a lot and serve his country. His unit created a YouTube video called “One more day” which you can find if you’re interested. We are proud of Wyatt for this accomplishment and want to congratulate him and wish him good luck as he serves!

Tags