"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."

-- Greg Anderson

We've come to the halfway point of the year, and now is a good time to reflect on the first half of the year and to evaluate how things have gone here at SHHS. I'm sure we've (students, parents, teachers, and community members) experienced varying degrees of success and failure so far, and I'm sure we've had some really good times and maybe some not so good times as well. As we transition into the second half of this school year, let's recommit to being "Positive in the Present" and making the most of every opportunity we have here at SHHS. I look forward to what the second half of this school year holds in store for all of us associated with this great school; let's find joy and satisfaction in helping our students do and participate in their various studies and activities as well as finishing them.

Skyhawk Highlights:

SHHS DECA: Our students who competed in the Southern Region Competition for DECA did very well. Rylan Christensen and Sierra Draper placed 2nd in Sports and Entertainment Marketing, which was a team event. In the Product Service Marketing event, James Ebert took third place. Congratulations to these students for their accomplishment!

SHHS Drill Team: The drill team had a great performance on Friday night at halftime of the girls' basketball game. They have been working hard in preparation for their region competition next Thursday, January 29, at Maple Mountain HS. Come out and cheer them on as they compete for the region championship! 

SHHS Wrestling: Last week the boys wrestled some very tough competition. After wrestling the top ranked team in the state the week before in Wasatch HS, our boys followed that up by facing the number three ranked team in the state: Maple Mountain HS. They wrestled and competed tough, but came up a bit short on points needed to win. Our team also competed in the Rocky Mountain Rumble at UVU last weekend where Jacob Armstrong, who has committed to wrestle at Nebraska next year, faced the sixth ranked wrestler nationally from Pocatello, Idaho for the championship of his weight class; though he finished 2nd, Jacob had a great tournament!   

SHHS Cheer: Last Saturday (1/17) our cheer team competed in the southern regional cheer competition which was held here at our school. Over 20 teams were here to compete, and our girls took first in the 4A division again this year. The accomplishment was quite remarkable in and of itself but that they did it after one of their team members suffered a significant tendon injury during the week made it even more so. The team rallied around their injured teammate and performed great demonstrating talent and heart! They will next compete in the state competition on January 31 at Salt Lake Community College, and on February 13 they will travel to participate in the West Coast Championship in Anaheim, California. Great job, and good luck ladies!

SHHS Girls' Basketball: Last Friday night the girls got another big region win over the defending state champions, Springville HS. The game was close at half, but the ladies pulled away in the 4th quarter for a 48-37 point victory. Our girls will next play the Timpview Thunderbirds on Friday (1/23) night at 5:15 PM at Timpview HS.

SHHS Boys' Basketball: The boys also got a win against the Red Devils last Friday night. After a hard-fought, low-scoring first quarter and half, the boys pulled away for a 43-29 point win. The boys will also play the Thunderbirds on Friday (1/23) night at Timpview HS at 7:00 PM following the girls' game.

Skyhawk Happenings:

• Grades for 2nd term were posted on January 22.
• On January 29 the HOSA club will be sponsoring a school blood drive. Students can sign up to donate blood in Mrs. Lyman's room (E203) or during lunch on January 27.
• The Senior Dinner Dance will held this Saturday, January 24, beginning with dinner at 6:00 PM. This year's senior dinner/dance is not a date dinner/dance.  It will be a true masquerade; however, students are not required to dress in masquerade attire. Tucanos will be catering the dinner.  This masquerade should be a night of merry memory making for our seniors and future graduates.
• On February 5 selected seniors from our school will be participating in the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) Test. Seniors have been contacted and the test will be in the library. This test is given to formulate a national report card for how our students and schools are performing academically.
• The SHHS Choirs will have professional portraits taken on Friday, February 6 for Men's Camerata, Singers, and Women's Chorale; and Monday, February 9 for Serendipity and Concert Choir. Students need to make sure they bring their choir uniform with them to school on the day of their picture. Megan Heaps, the photographer, will be available for group ($15) and individual ($30) portraits; order forms are available in the choir room.
• The SHHS TV Broadcasting class has been working hard to create content for their daily show Skyhawks News Network (SNN).  You can watch previous shows by going to thecube.com and searching for Salem Hills High School.  You can also watch many of the standalone videos by visiting the SNN YouTube page at youtube.com/skyhawksnewsnet.
• As a note of reminder, cell phone use is allowed in class only under the direction and supervision of classroom teachers. Therefore, if a teacher does not allow cell phone use in his/her class, phones must be put away and remain put away for the duration of school/instruction time. Please help us maintain this use agreement.  
• Detention will be held before school, during lunch, and after school in room C207 with Ms. Houghton and before school with Mr. Schwenke (room D104).
• Ammon Clark continues to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House by collecting pop tabs from soda cans. We can help Ammon in his collection efforts by bringing our pop tabs to the school and turning them into the front office, the counseling office, and (or) Mrs. Wilder's room.

Next Week at a Glance: (1/26/15 - 1/31/15)

Monday: N/A

Tuesday: SHHS Girls Basketball here versus Provo HS (5:15 PM) 

                  SHHS Boys Basketball  here versus Provo HS (7:00 PM)

Wednesday: Softball Workouts (3:00 PM)

Thursday: SHHS Region Drill Competition at Maple Mountain HS

                    SHHS Blood Drive

                    Soccer Open Gym (7:00 PM)

Friday: Soccer Open Gym (3:00 PM)

              SHHS Girls Basketball at Spanish Fork HS (5:15 PM)

              SHHS Boys Basketball  at Spanish Fork HS (7:00 PM)

              SHHS Region Swim at Provo HS

Saturday: SHHS Region Swim Provo HS

Registration is now open for girls to register and for volunteers and mentors to sign up.   

SheTech Explorer Day is a conference for high school girls 9th through 12th grade. Come interact with different companies that have technology at their core and see if it is a right fit for you. This day-long eventwill include hands-on activities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Website:  www.shetechexplorer.com

Twitter:  #shetechexplorer

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/shetechexplorer?sk=info&tab=page_info

“You’re not obligated to win. You’re obligated to keep trying. To the best you can do everyday. ” 

 -- Jason Mraz

It's been a few weeks since I sent out our last newsletter, and since that time, a lot of things have happened with and for our students. It's been a pleasure to watch them participate in their education and extracurricular activities the way they do. Though they don't win or have supreme success each time they participate in their activities, they compete, work, and try to be their best. It's a pleasure to watch them give their best, and I look forward to watching them compete throughout the rest of the school year.

Skyhawk Highlights:

U.S. Army All-American Bowl: On January 3, Porter Gustin, a senior here at Salem Hills High School, participated in the annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, and he represented our school and community very well. He was named the defensive MVP as the West defeated the East 39-36 in an exciting game; Porter earned the game's defensive MVP honor for intercepting a pass and running it in for a touchdown, getting a key sack in the 4th quarter, and securing an onsides kick. Congratulations Porter!

SHHS Drill Team: The drill team participated in a competition at Corner Canyon HS on Saturday (1/10). The ladies performed very well. They finished the competition placing 2nd in kick routine, 4th in hip hop, 4th in military, and 5th in dance. They will next compete in the region drill competition at Maple Mountain HS on January 29; their state competition will be on February 6 at UVU. Come and support our awesome drill team!  They've put a lot of time and practice into the precision of their routines, and their performances are great!

SHHS All-State Selections: The Salt Lake Tribune recently honored a number of Salem Hills High School students as all-state football players. Senior Tyler Christensen was selected as a first team all-state offensive lineman, Senior Porter Gustin was also named to the all-state first team as a linebacker. Senior Jordan Taylor was named second team all-state as a defensive back, and sophomore Vili Wolfgramm was given honorable mention for his play as a linebacker. Congratulations guys!    

*Academic All-State winners were mentioned in a previous newsletter, and McKenzi Hancock was not mentioned at that time; however, we would certainly like to recognize and congratulate her for receiving that honor in girls tennis. Congratulations McKenzi!

SHHS Wrestling: Our wrestling team had a hard-fought match with Wasatch last Thursday night (1/8), and they came up a bit short on points needed to win the match. The team, however, wrestled well and each individual really competed hard. At the Iron Town Duals in Cedar City over the weekend (1/9-1/10) the wrestling team took 1st place and had six 1st place undefeated wrestlers: Austin Davis, Kyle Larsen, Jaxon Van Tassell, Brennen Gerratt, Jacob Armstrong, and Jaxon Bowden.  Great job wrestlers!

SHHS Cheer: This Saturday, January 17, our school will be hosting the Southern Regional Cheer Competition at 10:00 AM. Come and support our awesome cheer team as they compete to advance to the state competition on January 31. They perform with a lot of energy and excitement and are really fun to watch. They've worked hard on their routines, and their performances show it.   

SHHS Girls Basketball: The lady Skyhawks pushed their record to 12-2 over the break and last week starting with a loss to Timpview HS (54-41) but wins over Provo HS (67-22), Spanish Fork HS (63-46), and Maple Mountain HS (58-35). They played Wasatch HS Tuesday night (1/14) in a thrilling overtime game, getting the win by a score of 66-62. Next up for the girls will be the Springvile Red Devils on Friday evening. 

SHHS Boys Basketball: The boys competed in the KSA Orlando Tournament just before the break and won two of three games, their loss coming in the championship of their pool. Over the break and last week, they had losses to Bingham HS (67-48) and Spanish Fork HS (61-52) before bouncing back with a good win against Maple Mountain HS (53-43) on Friday night (1/9). The boys  played at Wasatch HS on Tuesday night as well. They competed well, but fell to the Wasps by a score of 60-52. They next play Springville HS here on Friday night.

SHHS Dance Company: Last week the SHHS Dance Company performed their Emotions show on Wednesday and Thursday night. The show's performers and its choreography captured and interpreted the emotions we all experience very well. Our students' expression through dance and their talent to dance was awesome; the time and effort they spent practicing and preparing for the show were certainly evident.       

Nebo School District's Captain's Academy: On Thursday, January 8, students from SHHS participated in the winter sports Captain's Academy held at the Nebo School District's boardroom. Participants were selected by their coaches and advisors to represent their respective teams and groups. At the academy, SHHS students interacted with other captains from around the district's schools and were treated to the key note address from Coach Roger Reid. Abbie Tuttle (girls basketball), Megan Rittmanic (swim), Connor Peterson (swim), Nick Trotter (band), Maddie Jones (drill), Isaac Parrish (wrestling), Jeff DeGraffenried (boys basketball), and Hayden Albrecht (student council) did a great job representing our school.

Skyhawk Happenings:

• It's time to enroll in spring concurrent enrollment courses through UVU for those that need to. Dates to remember: January 21 is the last day to complete UVU admission; the last day to submit prerequisite test scores to the CE office; the last day to submit "Sophomore by Exception Application" to the CE office. January 23 is the last day to complete course signup; is the day tuition is due ($5/credit). February 13 is the last day to drop concurrent enrollment classes without a 'W'.
• Again this year we are encouraging our sophomore students (only sophomores are eligible) to apply for the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Conference. To apply, students must submit a 400-500 word response to the following questions: What defines a great leader? How are you a great leader? What leadership roles have you fulfilled and are presently fulfilling? Responses are due to Mr. Gillie in room D200 by January 15, 2015. Two winners from the school, preferably a boy and a girl, will participate in the conference held at Aspen Grove up Provo Canyon from May 7 to May 9; all expenses will be covered. The conference will focus on developing leadership skills and instruction on how students can make a positive difference. If you have questions regarding this conference opportunity, talk to Coach Gillie.
• The Senior Dinner Dance will held on Saturday, January 24, beginning with dinner at 6:00 PM. The dinner/dance is not a date dinner/dance.  It will be a true masquerade; however, students are not required to dress in masquerade attire. The cost is $20, which should be paid to the finance office by January 21; Tucanos will be catering the dinner.  This masquerade should be a night of merry memory making for our seniors and future graduates.
• The SHHS Choirs will have professional portraits taken on Friday, February 6 for Men's Camerata, Singers, and Women's Chorale; and Monday, February 9 for Serendipity and Concert Choir. Students need to make sure they bring their choir uniform with them to school on the day of their picture. Megan Heaps, the photographer, will be available for group ($15) and individual ($30) portraits; order forms are available in the choir room.
• The SHHS TV Broadcasting class has been working hard to create content for their daily show Skyhawks News Network (SNN).  You can watch previous shows by going to thecube.com and searching for Salem Hills High School.  You can also watch many of the standalone videos by visiting the SNN YouTube page at youtube.com/skyhawksnewsnet.
• Indoor track practice has begun and will be held after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. If you have questions about being involved with indoor track, talk to Coach Thompson.
• As a note of reminder, cell phone use is allowed in class only under the direction and supervision of classroom teachers. Therefore, if a teacher does not allow cell phone use in his/her class, phones must be put away and remain put away for the duration of school/instruction time. Please help us maintain this use agreement.  
• Detention will be held before school, during lunch, and after school in room C207 with Ms. Houghton and before school with Mr. Schwenke (room D104).
• Ammon Clark continues to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House by collecting pop tabs from soda cans. We can help Ammon in his collection efforts by bringing our pop tabs to the school and turning them into the front office, the counseling office, and (or) Mrs. Wilder's room.

Next Week at a Glance(After the Break): (1/20/15 - 1/23/15)

Monday: No School

Tuesday: SHHS Third Term Begins

                 Soccer Open Gym (7:00 PM)

Wednesday: Softball Workouts (3:00 PM)

                        SHHS Jazz Band Concert (7:00 PM)

Thursday: SHHS Orchestra Concert (3:00 PM)

                    SHHS Wrestling @ Spanish Fork HS (7:00 PM)

Friday: SHHS Wrestling @ Pineview Invitational

              SHHS Boys Basketball @ Timpview HS (7:00 PM)

              SHHS Girls Basketball @ Timpview HS (5:15 PM)

Saturday: SHHS Wrestling @ Pineview Invitational

                  SHHS Swim @ Uintah

                  SHHS Senior Dinner Dance (Dinner at 6:00 & Dance at 7:00 PM)

After midnight this Thursday January, 15 the free class scheduler in Aspire will be closed to student use for second semester changes.  Any necessary class changes after that point and for the first week of the term will be charged a $10 fee paid to the finance office and the change will need to be made by appointment with the students counselor.  After the first week of the term you will need Administrator apporval.

The class scheduler in Aspire is now open for all students to make any necessary changes to their schedules for 2nd semester.  This scheduler is an integrated part of Aspire; it is not the same one we used before.  There may be some bumps in the road.  If you encounter trouble contact your counselor early next week.

There is a basic tutorial on how to access this option in our website along the left hand side of the site titled “Scheduling Instructions”.  This link will give you very basic information but enough to help you navigate the process and make most changes.

There are certain class options that may require counselor help such as TA’s, ALC, Internships, MATC etc.

Please be careful while making any changes to your schedule, for instance, if you drop a class you may not be able to add it back.

Join us for a free parent seminar with information on substance abuse, bullying, mental health and Internet safety.  For parents of secondary school-age children.  Monday, January 12th 6:30-8:00pm.  Spanish Fork High Auditorium,  99 N 300 W,  Spanish Fork, Utah

 “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.”

 -- Plato

 I love the festive music that envelops us this time of year. It seems like wherever  I go or whatever I do, the songs of the season permeate the air.  So, I was particularly excited about our students' performances in last week's Wintertide concert. They did a tremendous job giving "life" to the numbers they performed;  they certainly performed their music with an authenticity and sincerity that was captivating. The decor, the lights, and the musical performances all combined to create an awesome show. I'm grateful that we have such dedicated faculty and staff here at our school that help our students realize and share their talents with the rest of us, and I was grateful that I could be enveloped in their music.

 I hope your holiday season is full of cheer and music that brings "life to everything."          

Skyhawk Highlights:

SHHS Pursuing Victory with Honor: On Friday morning of last week, students who participated in each of our fall sports were honored for their example of "Pursuing Victory with Honor" as members of their respective teams at our fall "Pursuing Victory with Honor" Assembly. Those who were honored for their impeccable example of conduct were paid tribute to by their coaches and given a "Pursuing Victory with Honor" Trophy. Winners for each of the fall sports were Quinton MacCabe (band), Hayden Albrecht (football), Alexis Van Tassel (soccer), Celine Christensen (volleyball), Amber Edmondson (girls cross country), Mitchell Stone (boys cross country), Hayden Hullinger (tennis), and Nathan Oliver (golf).  We are proud of these students for representing our school so well.

SHHS All-State and Academic All-State: Congratulations to Porter Gustin  who was awarded the 4A MVP and first team all-state in football this year. Jordan Taylor, also a senior, made second team all-state in football as well. Congratulations also to Andrea Hale who was selected first team all-state in volleyball. We also had a number of students make their respective academic all-state teams: Chad Peterson (football), Hayden Hullinger and Emily Paulson (tennis), Bethany Wride (soccer), and Celine Christensen (volleyball). Paige Robins was named to the all-valley soccer team as well. We are proud of these students for doing so well on and off their fields and courts of competition.

SHHS Artists: Elizabeth Mitchell, a senior here at SHHS, won the district Christmas card cover art competition. Her painting be featured on the district's annual Christmas card. Haley Johnston, a junior who is also a student at our school, placed second in the contest, and her artwork will be featured on the Nebo Education Foundation Christmas card.    

SHHS Wintertide Concert: As mentioned previously, members of our choirs, orchestra, and band treated their audience to a spectacular holiday performance on Wednesday evening (12/10) of last week. All of the numbers performed were very well done, and "The Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah performed by members from the choir, orchestra, and band was particularly good. We have some tremendously gifted musicians at our school, and Mr. Bills, Mr. Wells, and Mr. Larsen do a fabulous job cultivating their talents.

SHHS Wrestling: The wrestling team  had dominant wins over Springville HS and Timpview HS last week. The team also participated in the Juab Winter Classic Tournament over the weekend and placed fifth out of 24 teams.  The team next takes the mat against Payson HS on Wednesday evening, December 17 at Payson HS.

SHHS Girls' Basketball: The girls' basketball team had three solid wins last week. On Wednesday (12/10) they defeated Lehi HS, in Lehi, by a score of 72-42. They next played Juab HS at home Friday night (12/12), getting a 74-41 win.  And their basketball week came to a conclusion on Saturday (12/13) with another dominant win against Hillcrest HS, 70-31. The ladies next play on Tuesday evening (12/16) at Morgan HS.   

SHHS Boys' Basketball: The boys basketball team added two more victories to their season record last week. The boys defeated Tooele HS on Wednesday (12/10), 60-40. They next faced Payson HS on Friday night (12/12) in a hard-fought, classic barn burner that saw our team pull out a win in the waning minutes by a score of 55-50. The team next travels to Florida this week to play in a holiday invitational tournament. 

Skyhawk Happenings:

• We will be having a Hope Squad Anti-bullying Assembly on December 16 during school; we will be following our assembly schedule.
• As a school community, we would like to continue to help Mr. Layne Moody collect new stuffed animals to donate to the IHC hospital in Provo, the  hospital that provided his daughter care before her passing last year. If you would like to donate to this cause, you can deliver a new stuffed animal to Mr. Layne Moody's room (D206) or the school's front office by December 19; the stuffed animals will be delivered to the hospital on December 22.
• Again this year we are encouraging our sophomore students (only sophomores are eligible) to apply for the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Conference. To apply, students must submit a 400-500 word response to the following questions: What defines a great leader? How are you a great leader? What leadership roles have you fulfilled and are presently fulfilling? Responses are due to Mr. Gillie in room D200 by January 15, 2015. Two winners from the school, preferably a boy and a girl, will participate in the conference held at Aspen Grove up Provo Canyon from May 7 to May 9; all expenses will be covered. The conference will focus on developing leadership skills and instruction on how students can make a positive difference. If you have questions regarding this conference opportunity, talk to Coach Gillie.
• Indoor track practice has begun and will be held after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. If you have questions about being involved with indoor track, talk to Coach Thompson.
• As a note of reminder, cell phone use is allowed in class only under the direction and supervision of classroom teachers. Therefore, if a teacher does not allow cell phone use in his/her class, phones must be put away and remain put away for the duration of school/instruction time. Please help us maintain this use agreement.  
• Detention will be held before school, during lunch, and after school in room C207 with Ms. Houghton and before school with Mr. Schwenke (room D104).
• Ammon Clark continues to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House by collecting pop tabs from soda cans. We can help Ammon in his collection efforts by bringing our pop tabs to the school and turning them into the front office, the counseling office, and (or) Mrs. Wilder's room.

Next Week at a Glance(After the Break): (1/05/15 - 1/09/15)

 Monday: Open

Tuesday: SHHS Boys Basketball versus Spanish Fork HS (7:00 PM)

Wednesday: SHHS Dance Company Winter Concert here at 6:00 PM (auditorium)

                        SHHS Boys Basketball versus Bingham HS (7:00 PM)

Thursday: SHHS Dance Company Winter Concert here at 6:00 PM (auditorium)

                   SHHS Wrestling with Wasatch HS (7:00 PM)

Friday: SHHS Boys Basketball versus Maple Mountain HS (7:00 PM)

              SHHS Wrestling @ Iron Town Duals (Cedar City)

Saturday: SHHS Wrestling @ Iron Town Duals (Cedar City)

                  SHHS Drill Competition at Corner Canyon HS

Have a fabulous holiday break, and go Skyhawks!

Skyhawk Parents, Students, and Community,

“I wanted to figure out why I was so busy, but I couldn't find the time to do it.”  -- Todd Stocker

We certainly are in the busy season here at SHHS with our bands, choirs, clubs, orchestras, and teams practicing, performing, and playing every night it seems. So, though I know we're all incredibly busy this time of year, take the time to come and enjoy the many talents that our students have worked so hard to share. I know our students appreciate your support, and it is a real pleasure to watch them perform and compete.

Skyhawk Highlights:

SHHS Drill Team: The drill team had a very successful beginning to their competition season this last Saturday at UVU.  The team's hard work and preparation was made evident by the quality of their performances, with each of the team's dances placing in the top five. The ladies next competition will be at Copperhills HS on Dec 20. Great job ladies! 

 SHHS Debate: Our debate team competed  in two debate tournaments last weekend. In the Tournament of Champions, our students competed valiantly facing  the best debaters from over 15 states ranging from coast to coast.  Though the team didn't compete as well as they would have liked, it was a good experience for them to match their skills against the best in the country. In the Carbon Combat Tournament,  Jenessa Pratt took 1st place in Oratory and Storytelling; Mike Sanders took 3rd Place in Lincoln-Douglas; Hayden Albrecht took 4th in Oratory; and Chad Peterson took 2nd in Extemporary. Well done debate team!

SHHS Cross Country: Our school had 48 athletes compete in the Footlocker Western Regional at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California over the weekend.  Our runners competed against several thousand athletes from all over the western United States.  The students ran very well, and, as Coach Bart Thompson pointed out, represented Salem Hills HS very well, not just in the race, but throughout the entire trip.  

SHHS Wrestling: The wrestling team  took 1st place and claimed the hardware at their annual Skyhawk Showdown Tournament this last Friday and Saturday here at SHHS. Of the 16 teams that participated, our Skyhawks proved to be the best with Jaxon Van Tassell, Brennen Gerratt, Jacob Armstrong, and Jaxon Bowden each taking first in their weight classes;  Kyle Larsen took 2nd in his weight class; Dallin Goold and Conner Sorensen took 3rd in their weight classes; Isaac Parrish and Quinn Morley took 4th in theirs, and Bryton Shepherd took 5th in his; Collin Sorensen took 1st place in the J.V. tournament. Great job wrestlers!

SHHS FBLA Competition: Four students from our school participated in the FBLA Central Region Competition last Thursday at UVU, and all four of our students placed in at least one event. Lauren Bennett placed 2nd in Database Design & Application and 2nd in Word Processing; Sierra Draper took 2nd in the Future Business Leader category as well as 4th in Public Speaking 2; Hannah Wheelwright placed 3rd in Impromptu and 4th in Word Processing; Mary Menlove and Sierra Draper placed 5th in Sports & Entertainment Management. We'd like to congratulate these students on their excellent performance. 

SHHS Girls' Basketball: The girls' basketball teams played very well in the Desert Hills Invitational on Friday (12/5) and Saturday (12/6). The sophomore team went 3-0, the JV team was 3-0, and our varsity team went 2-1.  So far on the year, the entire program is 13-1. The team next plays Lehi HS in Lehi on December 12 at 6:00 PM and Hillcrest HS here on Saturday afternoon at 3:30.

 SHHS Boys' Basketball: The boys basketball team is 3 and 1 on the season with victories last week over Uintah HS (68-53) and Mountain View HS (82-55). They next face Tooele HS this Wednesday (12/10) in Tooele at 7:00 PM and local rival Payson HS here on Friday night (12/12) before traveling to Florida next week to play in a holiday invitational. 

Skyhawk Happenings:

• The Salem Hills High School Fine Arts Department proudly presents "Wintertide: A Holiday Musical Celebration" featuring the combined Salem Hills choirs, orchestras, and bands on Wednesday, December 10 at 7:00pm.  Tickets are $8 for adults; $6 for students, children, senior citizens, and military; and $30 for a Family Pass.  There will also be a reception following the concert with light refreshments.  Come support the over 400 students involved with this incredible production. Tickets are available for purchase at the Salem Hills Finance Office or at the door.
• As a school community, we would like to help Mr. Layne Moody collect new stuffed animals to donate to the IHC hospital in Provo, the  hospital that provided his daughter care before her passing last year. If you would like to donate to this cause, you can deliver a new stuffed animal to Mr. Layne Moody's room (D206) or the school's front office by December 19; the stuffed animals will be delivered to the hospital on December 22.
• On December 12 there will be a Pursuing Victory with Honor Assembly here at the school during the school day, the assembly will follow our assembly schedule.
• The ACT will be given on December 13 here at the school for those who have pre-registered for this date.
• December 15 will be a Monday Make-up Day. The make-up time will run from 1:55-4:00 PM, and students can receive double detention time for participating.
• We will be having an Anti-bullying Assembly on December 16 during school; we will be following our assembly schedule.
• As a note of reminder, ALL attendance detentions must be made up to be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities and sports. Parents may excuse absences dating back a week, but unexcused absences that date back further than a week must be served as detention.
• Detention will be held before school, during lunch, and after school in room C207 with Ms. Houghton and before school with Mr. Schwenke (room D104).
• Ammon Clark continues to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House by collecting pop tabs from soda cans. We can help Ammon in his collection efforts by bringing our pop tabs to the school and turning them into the front office, the counseling office, and (or) Mrs. Wilder's room.

Next Week at a Glance: (12/15/14 - 12/19/14)

Monday: Monday Make-up Day

Tuesday: SHHS Girls' Basketball @ Morgan HS (6:00 PM)

                  SHHS Orchestra Christmas Concert here at 7:30 PM (auditorium)

Wednesday: SHHS Wrestling @ Payson HS (7:00 PM)

                        SHHS Band Christmas Concert here at 7:00 PM (auditorium)

Thursday: SHHS Wrestling with Provo HS (7:00 PM)

Friday:  SHHS Girls' Basketball with Carbon HS (7:00 PM)

               SHHS Boys' Basketball in Florida

               SHHS Wrestling @ Viewmont Invitational

Saturday: SHHS Wrestling @ Viewmont Invitational

                  SHHS Drill Competition at Copperhills HS

                  SHHS Boys' Basketball in Florida

Have a fabulous week, and go Skyhawks!

Yours in service, the service of our students, and our community,

Curtis Burton

SHHS Dean of Students

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”              --  J.R.R. Tolkien

Maybe it's because I'm particularly excited about the third Hobbit movie coming out soon, but when I came across this Tolkien quote, it really resonated with me. I think it resonated with me because it seems to capture the essence of what we're striving for this year with our "Positive in the Present" focus here at SHHS. Shawn Achor, the author of The Happiness Advantage and advocate of living positive in the present, says that if we keep looking to the horizon for happiness, we may never get there. Therefore, he advocates that we find happiness where we are, and like Tolkien might say, not worry about "hoarded gold" or the accumulation thereof.  Tolkien claims we can find merriment (happiness) in valuing our food, cheer, and song, and  I would add that happiness really comes from the sincerity with which we value our food, cheer, and songs and, most importantly, those with whom we share them.   So let's enjoy some good food, some good times, and some good tunes with the people we enjoy most; the world will be a better place for it.

Skyhawk Highlights:

2014-2015 SHHS Sterling Scholars: We would like to recognize and congratulate this year's Sterling Scholars: Art – Kenny Van Ausdal; Math – Joe Cromar; Social Science – Juliana Millet; English – Bethany Wride; Vocal Performance – Nicole Flinders; Instrumental Performance – Kaytlin Davis; Speech/Theater Arts/Forensics – Sariah Lee; Skilled and Technical Sciences – Rylee Beckstead; Family and Consumer Sciences – Hayden Hullinger; Computer Technology – Katelyn Gallacher; Business and Marketing – Lauren Bennett; World Languages – Mitchell Stone; Dance – Kenadee Limb; and Science – Devri Adams. We are proud to have these students represent our school.

SHHS Girls' Basketball: The ladies continued their winning ways by defeating Orem HS last night by a score of 68 to 47. The team will next compete in a tournament this weekend at Desert Hills HS in St. George. We'd like to wish the ladies luck!

 SHHS Boys' Basketball: The boys basketball team got a win to tipoff their season last Tuesday night (11/26). They defeated Cedar HS for their first win of the year, 77-56. Last night they battled a good Pleasant Grove High team, eventually succumbing to the Vikings 81-63. They get right back at it, though, traveling to Vernal to play Uintah HS tonight.

Skyhawk Happenings:

• The Salem Hills High School Fine Arts Department proudly presents "Wintertide: A Holiday Musical Celebration" featuring the combined Salem Hills choirs, orchestras, and bands on Wednesday, December 10 at 7:00pm.  Tickets are $8 for adults; $6 for students, children, senior citizens, and military; and $30 for a Family Pass.  There will also be a reception following the concert with light refreshments.  Come support the over 400 students involved with this incredible production. Tickets are available for purchase at the Salem Hills Finance Office or at the door.
• As a school community, we would like to help Mr. Layne Moody collect new stuffed animals to donate to the hospital that provided his daughter care before her passing last year. If you would like to donate to this cause, you can deliver a new stuffed animal to Mr. Layne Moody's room (D206) or the school's front office by December 19; the stuffed animals will be delivered to the hospital on December 22.
• On December 12 there will be a Pursuing Victory with Honor Assembly here at the school during the school day, following our assembly schedule.
• The ACT will be given on December 13 here at the school for those who have pre-registered for this date.
• December 15 will be a Monday Make-up Day. The make-up time will run from 1:55-4:00 PM, and students can receive double detention time for participating.
• We will be having an Anti-bullying Assembly on December 16 during school; we will be following our assembly schedule.
• As a note of reminder, ALL attendance detentions must be made up to be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities and sports. Parents may excuse absences dating back a week, but unexcused absences that date back further than a week must be served as detention.
• Detention will be held before school, during lunch, and after school in room C207 with Ms. Houghton and before school with Mr. Schwenke (room D104).
• Ammon Clark continues to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House by collecting pop tabs from soda cans. We can help Ammon in his collection efforts by bringing our pop tabs to the school and turning them into the front office, the counseling office, and (or) Mrs. Wilder's room.

Next Week at a Glance: (12/08/14 - 12/13/14)

Monday: Open

Tuesday: Wintertide Orchestra Rehearsal @ 3:00 PM

                 SHHS Wrestling @ Springville HS (7:00 PM)

Wednesday: SHHS Boys' Basketball @ Tooele HS (7:00 PM)

                         SHHS Girls' Basketball @ Lehi HS (6:00 PM)

                        SHHS "Wintertide: A Holiday Musical Celebration" @ 7:00 PM

Thursday: SHHS Wrestling with Timpview HS (7:00 PM)

Friday:  SHHS Girls' Basketball with Juab HS (5:15 PM)

               SHHS Boys' Basketball with Payson HS (7:00 PM)

               Winter Stomp (following the game)     

               SHHS Wrestling @ Juab Classic

Saturday: ACT (for students who have pre-registered) 8:00 AM - 12:00

                  SHHS Wrestling @ Juab Classic

                  SHHS Girls' Basketball with Hillcrest HS (3:30 PM)