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Kimmie Barnes
Editor-in-Chief Dear Reader, Howdy! My name is Kimmie, and I am the Editor-in-Chief for The Bonneville Buzz newspaper 2022-2023. The chances that you are reading this, and you are either not a part of The Buzz or have a loved one on the staff is fairly slim; however, if you do not fall under these two categories, your presence is a welcome surprise. Today or whenever you are reading this, I will be telling you, dear reader, about The Bonneville Buzz newspaper and The Buzzcast podcast because we are gravely underrated and unappreciated. I would say that about 92 percent of the students and staff at Bonneville High School are unaware that BHS even has a newspaper let alone a podcast! I do not have any real data to make that potentially hyperbolic claim, but after four years of being on the newspaper staff, I have a pretty good idea of our standing in this school. I will concede that our “popularity” has significantly decreased because we do not print the paper anymore *sad face*. Well-known or not, The Buzz is still pumping out articles and episodes. I will start by telling you about how the class works. First things first, we are officially known as the journalism class, and we write the school newspaper. The staff is made up of an eclectic group of people who love to write. A passion and appreciation for writing is a must to be successful in journalism. As a staff, we try to focus on Bonneville and community based topics for both our website and podcast. If you play a sport, participate in theater or choir, are a new teacher, or have accomplished something impressive, there is a chance we have written about you or the people around you. Time in class is spent brainstorming, writing or recording, editing, publishing, and partying if deadlines are met. The work can be challenging and motivation is often difficult to find, but the final product is rewarding and almost as fulfilling as the relationships made in the class. The Buzz staff is composed of staff writers and different editors, but everyone writes and edits. While there is a form of hierarchy, our advisor and editors work hand-in-hand to make decisions that will benefit the staff. There is no looming authority that one person is better than the other because of their “status” or “title”. The first trimester is typically the biggest our group gets because people sign up for the class without knowing what it is or it just appears on their schedule. The number of people who deliberately join the class is not significant. While the extra bodies are always nice, the numbers tend to diminish by the time the second trimester rolls around, with the exception of a few stragglers who wander into the class; however, with the decrease in size, a stronger connection between the staff writers, editors, and advisor begins to grow. By the middle of second and third trimester, the staff is usually a very close and comfortable team. In journalism, we talk, laugh, procrastinate, and cry together. We are much like a family in the sense that editors still get angry when deadlines are missed, we do not always agree with each other, and we definitely annoy each other sometimes. At the end of the day, or the end of the class hour I should say, we love and care about each other and only wish the best for one another (apologies for the sap). To end my final rantings about the small but significant journalism class, I want to express my appreciation for The Bonneville Buzz. I never imagined a class where pretty much all you do is write would create such a lasting impact on my life. I learned so many life and grammatical lessons. I made countless meaningful relationships. I saw great people grow. As my time as a member of The Buzz staff comes to a close, I sincerely hope that writers will meet their deadlines, interviewees will answer their emails, journalism will spark a passion in more students, and that this newspaper will last forever. In retrospect, not many people are going to read this article, but whether this is your first or a millionth time reading our newspaper, thanks for stopping by, and I hope you find an article you like and come back again soon. Go Bees! Signing Off as Editor-in-Chief, Peace Out! Kimmie Barnes
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Grisel Gonzalez
Staff Writer Bonneville High School has been a home for Taelor Evans, one of the Algebra 2 and Honors Algebra 2 teachers, for five years. Through the ups and downs at BHS, Evans’ passion for education and students is the reason she started. Although her journey at BHS is coming to an end, her time in the classroom is not over. She will begin her new teaching journey at Shelley High School. Despite some indifferences with administrators, parents, and students, she has continued teaching due to her love of educating others. Obstacles she faced along the way included “[h]aving long discussions with parents who do not see [her] point of view and administration has to get involved, or scolding students for disruptive and improper behavior in class and in the school.” However, these incidents were not what drove Evans to say goodbye to BHS. Her need to grow as a teacher and start a new chapter in her life is what ultimately led her to this new path. Evans mentioned that she is planning to keep an eye on her old students, as she is not moving far. Evans’ actions continue to demonstrate her passion for teaching, including her love for her students. One of her favorite memories with her students is “field day.” Evans mentions, “When we are in our statistics unit in Algebra 2, we have a ‘field day’ where we go outside and throw and kick different balls around and collect data. We then use it in our lessons, and the students love it!” Unorthodox ways of teaching help students build closer relationships with peers and their teacher along with helping them better learn the subject at hand. Various methods of teaching are key for all different types of learners in the classroom. Evans creates a fun, interactive environment in which students are not only learning math, but they are enjoying the process as well. Without a doubt, Evans will be missed at BHS, especially by her students. She left a positive impact by showing how teaching and learning can be enjoyable by thinking outside of the box. The math students at Shelley High School are lucky to be gaining a teacher as amazing as Ms. Evans. Kimmie Barnes
Editor-in-Chief Mr. Bonneville is a long-running, beloved institution of Bonneville High School which is heavily inspired by the Miss Bonneville pageant. In this comical competition, male students from all grades showcase their skills in various events and compete for the title. These events include talent, walk, and on-stage questions. The cherished pageant is organized by BHS Student Council (STUCO). This year, senior Isabella Cartier headed the committee in charge of the competition. In an interview, she explained what the show entails and what work goes into the planning, and she discussed the challenges and rewards of leading the guys. Mr. Bonneville gives the contestants a chance to show off their expertise, Cartier teased some of the talents such as eating, dancing, and synchronized swimming. Because the pageant is a friendly competition, there had to be a panel of judges. When asked how the judges are selected, Cartier explained “We wanted to pick judges that are unbiased, fair, and hilarious!” The final decision was three moms who have never had sons attend BHS. Part of the planning of Mr. Bonneville is creating a theme; this year’s theme is Top Gun. Cartier mentioned that there was no real inspiration for the theme, but rather there was the idea that the well-loved movie could create a fun atmosphere everyone could enjoy. Taking charge of the pageant was not an easy feat. Cartier’s greatest challenge was keeping everything organized because there were multiple parts of the show moving and happening all at once. She also mentioned that seeing the pageant come together has been the most rewarding part of her experience. Cartier expressed her gratitude towards the boys and her fellow STUCO members for their help participating and organizing. This year’s competition was held on April 7th. The show began with a brief self-introduction and dance number to the tune of “I Ain’t Worried” by OneRepublic from the contestants. Following the choreography, the talents began. Skills such as stand-up comedy from sophomore Riley Smith, lemon eating from senior Kole Bergren, and even math magic from sophomore Max Toussaint. The pageant continued with the walk and on-stage question. When senior Grant Andrus was asked who was someone he would choose to have dinner with dead or alive, his answer was Morgan Freeman because of the advice the esteemed actor must be keeping to himself. Finally, the time came for the judges to deliberate and choose their winner. This year's pageant had a variety of ten contestants, but only a few took home awards and only one took the title of Mr. Bonneville. The second runner-up was sophomore Isaac Johnson. The first runner-up was senior Grant Andrus, and the new 2022-2023 Mr. Bonneville is senior Garrett Steffen! All the contestants did great and provided the audience with humor and entertainment. Simply put, the pageant provided a night of laughs. Brandy Hellberg
Staff Writer Nintendo has recently shut down the Wii and 3DS stores for good. This means that, as of 27 March 2023, no one will be able to purchase anything from the Nintendo eShop, whether it be new games, downloadable content, demos, or anything else sold on the online shop. While the closure wrought major disagreements from the general Nintendo fanbase, their complaints have since been mitigated by the release of a new game in the Legend of Zelda series. The Nintendo eShop shut down due to various reasons. Firstly, the costs for its upkeep were expected to become more than its profits sometime past the shutdown date. Secondly, its security is not up-to-date and has major safety concerns for user data. In short, this shutdown was planned for a reason, as was discussed by the company on their Q&A page about the topic: "This is part of the natural lifecycle [sic] for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time." However, this shutdown does bring the company one problem: old games exclusive to that shop can no longer be obtained through legal means. Players will most likely resort to piracy and emulators to preserve the games, or they might buy overpriced physical copies sold by collectors and scalpers. Yet not all is lost for Nintendo fans. A new game in the famous Legend of Zelda series has been released as a direct sequel to their best-selling Breath of the Wild title. Nintendo plans to release the game on 12 May 2023, with pre-orders available at most retailers. Fans of the company have shown excitement for the game’s potential release, demonstrated by the various reactions to the gameplay trailer. According to Polygon writer Nicole Carpenter, many new features are planned for the upcoming release, including the unique yet useful building tool in the game called Ultrahand, yet only what the game trailer has shown is known. “There’s plenty to analyze in… 10 minutes -- but there’s certainly also plenty that Nintendo’s decided to keep secret.” While the Nintendo eShop closing is regrettable, the release of the new game has kept fans eager for the future. Grace Wiklund
Staff Writer With the third trimester started and only three months to go until the school year ends, the class of 2023 will soon be leaving to achieve great things or pursue a further education somewhere else. The junior class will be moving up to their final year at BHS in the fall of this year, and the question of what is in store for the senior year arises. The transition between grades can be confusing at times, along with hasty preparation for graduation. Counselors of the school were interviewed with a few questions about what will entail for the seniors in the upcoming year. The main concerns of the questions concerned the topic of what a student has to do to graduate from high school and general things such as grades and classes. College advisor Lexi Tucker explains that colleges require a seventh semester transcript, also known as a tenth trimester transcript, that displays the grades a student has received in every class they have taken. This could affect if the colleges accept a student or not, some taking back their offers upon seeing failed classes. For missing high school graduation credit, Devyn Hinson (Office Counselor) responds “You can make up for missing credit over the summer and conversations about it and the right route to take ASAP. The earlier you are in getting it taken care of the better you can enjoy your senior year with minimal stress.” Tying up loose threads is something a high schooler might need to consider when approaching their senior year. The second half of the interview was dedicated to life after graduation. Jared Smith (Office Counselor) recommends that the students try to seek out classes that they need beforehand. “Critically consider what you still need to learn and where can I find it?” College counselors have many connections to programs and academics that precede after graduation, meeting with juniors at least once and seniors twice. A question was asked of what if the student was unsure of what to do after high school. “Part of what we do is that we can sit down and talk about different interests that they have that might relate to a different job. We have different programs online, as well as surveys that can link you up with jobs based on your interests.” replies Mrs. Tucker. Others in the interview agreed uncertainty of the next steps is completely valid. Talking with an assigned counselor can be productive brainstorming. In any way the case may be or presented, senior year is the end of an era and the beginning of a new time with many possibilities and opportunities to take advantage of. The end of high school should be a year to celebrate and have fun. Special thanks to the counselors for the work they do and the support they offer to every student, as well as giving consent to do the interview. May the next graduating class enjoy their final year to the fullest. Baylie Kress
Staff Writer Saint Patrick's Day originated nearly 1,000 years ago and has been celebrated by many since the feast of Saint Patrick’s Day. Saint Patrick, a patron saint and apostle in Ireland, was a sponsor for the Saint of Ireland, he died about fifty centuries ago; twelve centuries before the current holiday was ever started. Although this holiday is filled with clovers and threats of being pinched, Saint Patrick’s Day goes far beyond a modern-day celebration. Saint Patrick was a bishop for the church and is often credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. Having been born in Britain, he was later brought to Ireland by a group of Irish raiders. The raiders held Patrick captive for six years to work as a farmhand and shepherd. During his imprisonment, Patrick became a devout Christian, and some believe he began planning how to convert the Irish to Christianity upon his release. One day, he had a dream that he was going to escape and return to Britain to see his family again; the dream did come true, Saint Patrick found refuge upon a ship, and he reunited with his family. Upon his return to Ireland in 1433, he began preaching sermons, converting nonbelievers, and building churches for worship. After nearly four decades of sharing his truth, Saint Patrick eventually passed away on the 17th of March; thus, Saint Patrick’s Day was born. Saint Patrick was known in Ireland for the spread of Christianity, even though much of his life remains a mystery. Throughout the years, many rumors have surfaced regarding the apostle's life and death. Some claimed Saint Patrick baptized hundreds of converts within a single day. Others believe Saint Patrick was responsible for driving all snakes out of Ireland in an effort to cleanse the land of Paganism. Whether or not his life was as miraculous as scholars claim, the death of Saint Patrick will always serve as a historical, viridescent tradition. Grisel Gonzalez
Staff Writer All District 93 high school students are invited to bring their cowboy boots and belts to the Jaripeo dance on March 11, 2023. This dance is held at Bonneville High School; tickets are not only sold on location, but at Thunder Ridge and Hillcrest as well. Tickets cost $15 for a single ticket, and $20 per couple. If these tickets are bought at the door the day of the dance, a five-dollar fee is added. Students are required to show their school identification cards at the door to make sure they attend a D93 High school. If they want to bring a student that is outside of D93, they can ask their front office for a guest form to fill out that is due Friday, March 10, 2023. Not only will music be provided at the dance, but food and drinks as well. Aguas Marias, a new local Mexican beverage shop, will be selling their refreshments, and Taco H will be serving their famous tacos and other fares at 7:30 p.m. After dining, the dance will commence at 8:30 until 11:00 p.m. This Jaripeo was planned and executed by the Culture and Dance club at Bonneville High School with the assistance of Thunder Ridge’s Bailemos club. Attending the dance is an exceptional way to recognize and support BHS’s hardworking group. Prom, homecoming, and formal are the most common school dances, but Jaripeos are rarely heard of. A Jaripeo is a Mexican style dance that includes cowboy style clothing, Mexican food, traditional music, and sometimes even bull riding! Usually, Jaripeos are hosted outside on dirt, so attendees are able to ride bulls and dance freely. Indoor Jaripeos include loud, Latin music that everyone dances to together. Although there is no dress code for a Jaripeo, most people wear cowboy boots, belts, and hats. Jaripeos were originally just bull riding and rodeo events that originated in the Jalisco province of Mexico. The event started off as a sport that people practiced, and spectators would stand on the sides and cheer them on. As time went on, they later evolved into events where people can dance, eat, and celebrate. BHS is allowing everyone, regardless of who they are, to get a feel of a part of Hispanic culture. Everyone attending the Jaripeo will enjoy themselves, and the dance will definitely create a night to remember. Eric Perez
Assistant Editor The Bonneville High School’s very own choir team: The Bonnevaires is a mixed choir that is audition based, run by Steven Dresen. They pride themselves to be the choir team chosen from the best of the best at BHS. If someone has an interest in choir, it will benefit them to try out for this team. The choir is made up of both boys and girls, separated into multiple sections such as alto, soprano, tenor, and bass. Within the Bonnevaires, there is a format with similarity to army ranks. There is a variety of officers, all with different and important challenges with their specific role. The officers are then given their titles, such as the President of the group, the Vice President, etc. The diversity in the Bonnevaires allows the group to get more notice, more voices to hear, and more ears to listen. There are select smaller groups inside of the Bonnevaires, one being only men and the other only women. Apollo 6 is the group that consists of only men. They rehearse in the mornings before school, three days per week. The other group is the Chanteuse, who are only women. There rehearsals are also three days a week. Both of these groups are just as hardworking as the Bonnevaires or any other group. A member was interviewed, and stated, “The groups are amazing people with amazing voices.” Bonneville’s very best voices have brought joy to people's ears. The Bonneviares, Apollo 6, Chanteuse, and any other choir group have done a tremendous job with what they do and sing. Their lovely voices matching pitch and collaborating songs. Auditions may be over, but listening to the amazing Bonnevaires is a treat for anyone. They did an amazing job at the Hope Week assembly, and the singers will continue to do so wherever they go. Gianmarco Quinzi
Staff Writer Bonneville High School is well known for having the biggest exchange program in Idaho Falls and Ammon. The exchange student program is a way for students to improve their English skills and learn to be more independent without direct guidance from parents. As reported by Mr. Jolley, there are roughly 30 exchange students from different countries currently at Bonneville. At the beginning of 2023, Bonneville gained three new exchange students: two from Germany and one from Italy. Leonie Vogler, an exchange student from Germany, came to the United States on January 14, 2023. She was assigned to Bonneville High School to continue her educational journey. In response to why she decided to join an exchange program, Vogler stated she chose “ this experience to learn English, but also because of American life.” Choosing a shorter program, Vogler will only be at Bonneville for half a year. Vogler’s motivation behind a partial year is because she “love[s] [her] family and friends too much” to be gone for a full year. Luckily, Vogler has her “whole life ahead” to continue her travels and see the world. Hailing from Italy, Thomas Tituri is a seventeen years old boy who arrived in the United States about three weeks ago. Tituri’s first impression of the United States was that everything is different in its own way, which makes the country such a unique place. According to Tituri, “I chose to participate in an exchange student program because I want to learn something new about myself.” Tituri also expressed interest in learning about different cultures and strengthening his English skills. Expressing a different point of view. Marlene Nour Leopold, from Mainz, Germany, chose to come to the United States to experience the American lifestyle. According to Leopold, many people in the United States are open-minded and kind, so adjusting to her new life has been a breeze. Having been here for about three weeks, her goals include “learn[ing] English” and finding her own independence. In regards to Bonneville High School, Leopold feels that “[Bonneville] is a good school, the teachers are nice” and the school is full of great classes, like fashion strategies. Along with great classes, Leopold appreciates her fellow exchange students as they welcome her and understand the difficulties of leaving one’s home. Taking an exchange student program or half of it, is a big opportunity to explore the world, to discover the diversity of any country. An experience and to learn and understand the habits that the people have, anyway this experience is also a way to make friends around the world. Roman Davis
Staff Writer Broadcasting on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Anchor is The Bonneville Buzzcast. This podcast is operated by the newspaper team at Bonneville High School to speak on the school and events going on in the South-Eastern Idaho region. The podcast started in the later part of May 2022, and took a summer break along with the students of BHS. When The Buzzcast first premiered, the members of the newspaper recorded an interview with the School Resource Officer, Dan Sperry. The episode featured many of the adventures he had experienced, his journey of becoming an officer, and his experiences with the places he has been. Only this episode has been published thus far, as the team had a setback: loss of a few staff members, summer break, and more. A significant problem the staff ran into was quite a few issues with recording, especially the difficulties of the WiFi shutting them out. Sadly, this took away a bit of time and forced ideas to be shelved for another few months; one of those ideas was about some of Idaho Falls' own supernatural sightings and experiences. Back in October 2022, the staff planned to highlight supernatural experiences and thoughts on the supernatural from the students at Bonneville High School. A form was sent out to the students of Bonneville High School, getting a total of 98 responses from peers and faculty. However, the staff had technology issues during this time, causing it to be pushed back for next school year and another idea took place: an interview with Mrs. Killian! Killian teaches Practical English, Math, and Social Studies in room 201, helping those with learning deficiencies succeed in high school. In the episode, there was talk about supporting them and spreading awareness, as well as the proper terms to use and her own personal experiences teaching teenagers. One of the main things that stuck out in this interview was “Students before Disabilities,” Killian’s own personal motto. While all students have a differing learning style, they should not be defined by their disability, and instead choose to define them as a student of BHS. While the newspaper team has had a few setbacks with recording issues, IT issues, and more—the new episode is to be posted on February 7th 2023! Catch it on most podcasting websites and apps! Wondering how to support The Bonneville Buzzcast? Check below:
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Buzz StaffMeet our talented staff, including our advisor and our editors! The Buzzcast PodcastWe have a podcast! By the students and for the students, we supply ideas, entertainment, school events, world news, and more! To stay engaged with the students, staff, and community of Bonneville High School, listen on Spotify, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, and most podcast streaming platforms!
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