In preparation for their fall concert, the Salem Hills High School Singers visited both Mt. Loafer Elementary School and Foothills Elementary on Wednesday, October 6th. They performed selections for their concert and the students in the audience really loved the assemblies! Salem Elementary came to Salem Hills on Tuesday morning, October 5th for a similar assembly. The style was very casual, and everyone had a very good time.

Kamela Poulsen Kamela Poulsen is a senior at Salem Hills. She is unable to pinpoint how she was chosen for this award but holds her dazzling smile and vibrant personality. Kamela enjoys being on the debate team and participating in mannerly arguments that at some times can become heated. In her free-time she takes pleasure in counting dots on the ceiling and having Halo parties in parking lots. Who is Kimber Christiensen? Kimber is a junior and has a lot of great things that people have had to say about her. “She’s an all around good person” states Megan Wilson of Jr. Student Council. I met up with Kimber in her photography class taught by Mr. Call; all he had to say about her was “WOW”. Take that as a good comment. I asked Kimber why she was chosen to be student of the month. “ I really don’t know” she said “I walked in Mr. Callahan’s class one day and he said ‘I chose you to be student of the month’” This left me with asking Mr. Callahan why he had chosen Kimber. “I was looking through my role one day trying to find a good choice and Kimber walked in. I thought, ‘who could be better?’” Mr. Callahan replied. Kimber says she doesn’t quite know why this happened, for nothing like this has happened before. “All I know is that my parents were happy which is very good for me” she laughs. Melanie Phillips Melanie Phillips holds the age of a senior but the wisdom of a student of the month. She was hand-picked by Mrs. Boothe because she always tries to include people, generate team unity and overall strives to be a good leader. What makes Melanie successful is that she will never quit on a job until it is done. She always gives everything her best shot. Melanie enjoys tripping, being a “spaz” and raising sheep. Alexis Larsen Alexis Larsen is a sophomore at Salem Hills High School. She is a student of the month for the month of October. She was selected by Mr. Call, the photography teacher. Mr. Call chose Alexis for several reasons which include: her photography was inspiring, she was always helpful during class and she was always kind to her fellow classmates. Alexis is a very good student who gets her homework done before she gets home for the day. She also gives advice to students who want to succeed by saying, “if you want to succeed, study.” I’m sure that several students can agree with that statement. We can all look up to her amazing example. Tevyn Tanner Tevyn Tanner is attending Salem Hills in her senior year. She was chosen by Mr. Macdonald for student of the month. Tevyn values school because to her, schooling determines the future. Her favorite class is Spanish. She also enjoys painting and likes to take part in her art class she has with Miss Shuler. When she has a minute, Tevyn likes to spend time shopping and driving on the freeway in her car. Noah Talley Noah Talley is a student that pushes himself inside and outside of school. Noah has been rocking a 4.0 since He was entered into the grading system. Not only does he strive to do the best he can in school, he is a accomplished cyclist. Racing motorcycles, mountain bikes, and pedal bikes. One of Noah’s most recent accomplishments is he took second in nationals for mountain bikes. Ms. Sheperd thinks of Noah as a very knowledgeable student who strives his hardest. He knows more about food and nutrition than any high school student ever should. Odds are if you see Noah he will probably be training for racing doing homework or eating the healthiest foods you have never heard of. Noah is a hard worker in every sense, he even runs his own bread business.

On Thursday, September 23, Salem Hills High School girls Volleyball team played against Springville High School. The Skyhawks forced a 5 Set match but Springville came out victorious winning three out of the five matches. The match was well played on both sides and Salem won the first match. The second match was won by Springville to begin the rollercoaster battle. Salem was close behind in the second set with a final score of 26 to 24. Salem won the third match. Springville caught up and rallied in the end and beat the Skyhawks in the final two sets. Each team played their hardest and did an excellent job. Stefani Diamond from Salem Hills said, “Our team is great! The game was so intense!”

On Thursday evening, the Salem Hills Girls Soccer Team enjoyed a hard earned victory against the Payson Lions. With a final score of 3-1, each and every one of the girls put forth their best effort to help lift the lady Skyhawks to an impressive victory over the lady lions of Payson. Margo Brockbank and Madi Eidem both scored unassisted goals in the waning minutes of the first half. “Starting strong was a big contributing factor in the teams win.” Coach Gillie said after the game. Midway through the second half Sarah Armstrong assisted Erika Egbert for a stunning goal moving the Skyhawks into a strong 3-0 lead. “The team was very unselfish,” said Gillie, “they played for each other, and were very self motivated to beat Payson”. Although the lady Skyhawks’ play was not perfect (allowing a goal off a penalty kick in the last three minutes). Coach Gillie expressed how extremely proud he was of his team and the way they played. “The girls came to practice with victory in mind and worked very hard to achieve it,” he said “the girls did an expert job getting ready for the game both physically and mentally, they where very focused and got each other motivated to play to their full potential.”

Salem Hills volleyball played their first home match Thursday, September 2nd. Pursuing their victories, the team took a win over Timpanogos High School. Salem Hills accomplished their victory by winning their first three sets against Timpanogos with the ending score 3-0 for Salem Hills. After the match sophomore Mckenzie Treanor said, “I thought are defense played very well, we were loud and attacked great!” Her mother, Kathy Treanor, head coach for the Salem Hills volleyball team, agreed saying “Our attacks have greatly improved and our defense did great.” She also stated, as most coaches do, “There is still plenty of room for improvement.” The volleyball team usually plays on Thursdays at 6:30 PM. So come on out and support out girls and cheer them on to their next victory. You might find it more intense and exciting then you think. So far this season the volleyball team has a record of 2-2. Pre-Season ends Sept. 14 and region starts on September 21st.

On August 30, the Skyhawk’s Cross Country team hosted their first home meet of the season with Payson, Juab, and Spanish Fork participating. The Cross Country team had a phenomenal showing running their first 5K, with Nathan Peck (time 17:53), Matt Chesnut(17:59), and James Wright(18:31) taking the top three spots in boys. The Salem girl’s team managed to take five of the top six, with only third place being taken by Juab. After the game was finished coach Bart Thompson said,” Our team ran a really good race today. We beat a really good Juab team and I’m really pleased with where we’re at for our first home meet.”

Skyhawk girls tennis team faced Payson’s girls tennis team on Tuesday, Salem being the home team. Salem dominated: Varsity 4-1 and JV 4-1. Salem Hills girl’s varsity team has a few secret weapons explaining such a vast victory on Tuesday. The varsity lineup is Morgan Miller: first seat, Jennica Dutson: second seat, Kenzie Saunders: third seat. And for doubles it is Hannah and Katherine Riley: first seat, and Katie Cook and Mckenna Davis: second seat. Coaches and parents had a lot to brag about. “Morgan’s backhand is unstoppable!” accounted the Assistance Coach Clarke. This being a strong point because more often than not, forehands tend to be the better of the two for most; this backhand is an extraordinary secret weapon for Morgan. Not only Morgan, but Jennica Dutson is one of the most competitive players on the team. Her drive is what leads to her wins along with her consistency with her shots. However, Kenzie Saunders being one of the youngest players on the team is dominating her third seat spot for single. Currently Kenzie is undefeated, even bringing home a win against the infamous Maple Mountain. Kenzie’s hard work for years resulted in perfect form, ace serves and beautiful tennis playing ability. “She is excited about her freshman year on the tennis team!” Recounts her Father. “Her secret weapon is the mango Gatorade!” For doubles varsity, the Riley Twins are a great pair. Despite being sisters they play extremely well together. These girls are charming and polite on the court yet their heads are always in the game. The ‘Twinners’ won it with a great fore hand hit by Katherine, they won all three sets. Mckenna and Katie took their match also. Skyhawks are looking at a great tennis season!

In the early morning of Wednesday, the first of September, an ultimate bonding experience occurred between this year’s seniors as they all met at the high school in the wee hours of daybreak for the annual Senior Sunrise. An exceptional breakfast of pancakes, bacon and eggs was served by the faculty and student council as they helped add yet another lasting memory to the senior year of the graduating class of 2011. Michael Roberts chipped in “I was so tired but there was a ton of bacon so it made up for it!!” It is more than safe to say that this activity will not go down unappreciated. A group of seniors could be seen huddled closely as they watched the sun rise atop the mountains, almost as if Mother Nature were trying to convey the fact we can all rise above our challenges and shine brightly with success as we climb the hill of life.

On February 25 and 26, students from Salem Hills High School’s DECA chapter traveled to Layton, Utah and competed at the State DECA Career Development Conference. This two-day event was filled with leadership training workshops, competitive events, and social activities. Eight students participated in four different categories. Competitors included:  Zack Beck (Hotel and Lodging Management), DeBryn Saunders (Sports and Entertainment Marketing), Jennica Dutson and Elizabeth Leach (Business Law and Ethics Team Event), Alyssa Wood and Logan Bennett (Business Law and Ethics Team Event).  Yuriko Nagao and Delite Orton served as “service associates” for the event. Congratulations go to Zack Beck, who placed 8th in Hotel and Lodging Management.  In addition, Logan Bennett and Alyssa Wood, placed 3rd, in the team event of Business Law and Ethics which qualified them to attend the International DECA Career Development Conference, held in Louisville Kentucky April 23 through April 28.   Logan and Alyssa had the opportunity to compete at the national conference, along with 11,000 students, representing 5,000 chapters, from around the world. DECA is an association of marketing students. Salem Hills’ DECA Chapter wishes to thank their advisor Shauna Whittekiend, Salem Hills High School, and many others throughout the community, for their generous support of the DECA program. The following businesses sponsored student travel to Louisville: Temkin International, Shepherd’s Foods, Shepherd’s Poultry Farms, Capital Community Bank, Crisp’s Grocery, and Drew Briney--Attorney at Law. 

  The Salem Hills High School Envirothon team competed in the 2010 Utah State Envirothon which was held at the Wasatch State Park near Midway on April 30th & May 1st. The Envirothon is a natural resource competition for high school students. Teams of five students must prepare themselves for this two-day outdoor competition. Teams are tested on their knowledge in five designated study areas: aquatic ecology, forestry, soils/land use, wildlife and a current environmental issue. This was the first time a school from Nebo School District has competed in this event.  The team placed 3rd overall out of 26 teams from across the state. They also placed first in Wildlife, third in Forestry, and third in Current Issue. The five team members were: Bryanne Colver, Serena Hunsaker, William Behling, Zachary Jolley, and Troy Shuler. Also participating as alternates at the event were: Michael Haskell and Joseph Ashton. The advisors of the Salem Hills Envirothon teams were Brad Shuler and Steve Haskell. The team was sponsored by the Timp-Nebo Conservation District and also earned money by doing a fundraiser in which they did soil testing for local residents. The Envirothon Team and the AP Environmental Science class are continuing the Soil Testing Fundraiser Through May 17th. The money earn will help buy environmental science equipment as well as help fund a WeatherBug weather station at the school in Salem. Any one interested in supporting the fundraiser by having their soil tested or making a donation please contact Brad Shuler at brad.shuler [at] nebo.edu (brad[dot]shuler[at]nebo[dot]edu) or calling 801-423-3200.