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Eric Perez
Editor-in-Chief The practice test most high school students are stressed about, it is the test that could determine someone's future in school. The PSAT or the Practice Scholastic Assessment Test is a chance for Sophomores to prepare for next year's SAT. The SAT could determine what kind of college someone could attend. Due to the possibility of the SAT being important for one’s future, the practice can be very beneficial. It is an important test, therefore having a practice test can help students tremendously. BHS, Bonneville High School has an amazing program run by Bonneville’s counselors Mrs. Thompson and Ms. Hinson. The program is having a big change this year. Instead of being taken on paper, the PSAT and SAT will be taken online on computers. Students in this day and age are so used to using technology; therefore, the online test could be easier for students than writing the test on paper. An interview was conducted with Ms. Hinson, and she had some interesting things to say. She stated, “There's different features on the test that you can grant people options they would not normally attain on a paper test.” The change to an online test can benefit students who might not be as prepared as others. “...everyone can have a split screen, and there's a calculator already on the computer for anyone to use. There's different highlighting options and things similar, that are excellent tools.” Some students that come unprepared without the right tools now have the chance to use the best resources available to them. Bonnevilles college counselor Ms. Hales had some wise words to say about the PSAT. She was asked how the SAT scores differ from someone who takes PSAT and does not take the PSAT. Her response was, “We find that [the] students who take the PSAT and the NMSQT do significantly better on the SAT.” The PSAT is free for all sophomores. If it does not cost anything to gain an advantage, students should use their resources wisely and take advantage of their options. On Monday October 23rd, the Sophomores got the chance to take the PSAT. In April, the juniors will take the SAT. Juniors have a good time frame to study and prepare for the SAT. School testing can be very stressful for countless students. The chance to take the tests online is something new and exciting. The PSAT is a wonderful opportunity for students to obtain a head start on the SAT.
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Joanna Dickson
Staff Writer On October 19, 2023 at 7 p.m. in Bonneville High School's Little Theatre, the BHS orchestra performed their fall concert. The orchestra worked extremely hard to perfect their pieces for everyone's enjoyment. By endlessly rehearsing and planning, the BHS orchestra always finds many ways to make their concerts amazing after working on their music for weeks and months on end. Dr. Baldwin, the orchestra director at Bonneville and Rocky Mountain, was asked some questions. When asked why he decided to teach the orchestra, he said “I have developed quite a love for the orchestra. Imagine Star Wars without the orchestra music!” Being a huge fan of cinema and music, Baldwin finds inspiration from a variety of movies and soundtracks. Baldwin explained his music-choosing process, which includes meeting a set criterion. According to Baldwin, the music had to be "Halloween themed in some way, and [it] had to be fun." Some Halloween costumes include “Monster Mash,” “Stranger Things," “Ghost of John,” “Zombie Tango” and others following the Halloween criteria. After the concert, Baldwin's appreciation for music is at an all-time high. Baldwin believes music "offers a lot of feelings." Baldwin is driven by "developing those relationships and feelings when teaching his students to grow within music. When asked what words can be used to describe the music you played he said, “The music is spooky and fun. Everything from banging on kitchen utensils to TV show music. All of the students will be dressed up in costumes and the hall will be decorated as well.” The orchestra was dressed up in costumes for their fall performance. They had some Halloween decorations in the halls, and they were dressed in Halloween costumes including a pumpkin, chicken, secret agents, tiger, vampire, etc. The orchestra made the concert entertaining by dressing up and utilizing kitchen utensils such as pots, pans, cups, forks, etc. in their music. They made all the songs played entertaining for everyone in the crowd, including all the orchestra’s use of creativity in their music, working hard on every piece making it sound spectacular. Ash Merritt
Assistant Editor Parent Teacher Conferences (PTC) are a get together for parents and teachers to converse about their students. These conferences include teachers telling the parents how their child is doing and what they can improve on, and the teacher hearing about their students from a parent’s perspective. Parents can find the dates for the conferences via PowerSchool messages as well as on the Bonneville website, calendar, and social media. According to a few upper-level teachers, freshmen teachers have more to prepare for when parent-teacher conferences come around; however, for seniors the teachers have less to prepare. Mrs. Martindale claims that this year's conferences went well, but there is always room for improvement. The most frequent students to come to PTC are students that do well in their classes; however, the students who should come to these meetings are not seen. Having the conferences less important and more of a friendly talk among teachers and parents. “90% of the time the kids who need to be here are not,” exclaims Martindale. Having parent teacher conferences can be a pleasant experience; however, the chit chat and small get together is not always what the conference is for. Bonneville High School has staggered time with Rocky Mountain Middle School so that parents can attend both school meetings. Plus the schools alternate times so that teachers at the high school or middle school must stay late every time the conferences come around. Having PTC at a set time can mess with parents coming in and seeing the teachers; instead some teachers set meetings with parents at a different time and that just eliminates the point of having the set day for parent teacher conferences. Mr. Owens says, “With the availability of information from PowerSchool, School Status, and other platforms, I feel like parents and students should be informed of how kiddos are performing. Teachers and parents have myriad opportunities to communicate about student performance outside of an organized PTC. However, some parents still request the opportunity to visit on a formal PTC night.” In summary, the parent teacher conference nights are well planned for teachers; however, they are not the most effective for parents. These nights could be eliminated by having teachers and parents set up meetings on their own time and more virtual if possible. Cooper Ruesch
Staff Writer Since Bonneville High School opened its doors in 1951, many new employees have joined the staff. Each faculty member has impacted a variety of students who are on their own road to success. Although Bonneville High School has been fortunate to have decades upon decades of effective teachers, there will always be room for new teachers to join the team. Bradley “Brad” Hansen graduated from Idaho State University in Pocatello, and he teaches 11th grade U.S. History and 12th grade Government. Before coming to Bonneville, Hansen taught 8th grade history for seven years at Rocky Mountain Middle School. Hansen was ready to move up in the teaching world; Hansen explained “moving across the field to the high school and seeing and teaching so many of my past students again.” Hansen obtained the idea from his previous students, who were seniors at the time, to move to the high school and teach there in order to see what school he preferred: Bonneville or Rocky. When asked what is the best part of working with the Bonneville High School community, his response was “[b]eing a part of the culture and environment of a high school.” Bonneville High School has been known to have enthusiastic sports teams, as well as clubs for everyone to enjoy. Hansen's inspiration for his work comes from “a belief [that the] youth are what push progress.” Hansen “want[s] to do [his] small part in helping the future be brighter by helping students reach their potential.” Having the belief that the upcoming generations are the world's future is a huge motivator for teachers. Many, like Hansen, find themselves helping students identify and unlock their true potential in life. Hansen spends his days teaching over in the trailers and wishes to see all of the other teachers and students. Hansen hardly knows much of the other faculty, however the students he knows quite well. One of the things that Hansen looks forward to is the conversations with his students mainly because “High school students understand the world more than eighth grade students.” Hansen enjoys listening to his students having real laughs and seeing his past students and how much they have grown. Since opening its doors over seven decades ago, Bonneville High School has seen a variety of faces; some old, some new. No matter what year it is, everyone can rest assured that only the best staff resides at BHS. Whether they have been a Bee for three months or thirty years, each faculty member is crucial in the development and growth of all students. Elliot Kidd
Social Media Manager Hear ye, hear ye, the attendance policy has changed… kind of. In 2020, COVID-19 swept the nation, causing schools across the country to temporarily update their schedules and rules. Such as school rules and policies, for Bonneville’s “old” attendance policy inasmuch the same was the “new” one except for a few new add-ons. For both the old and new policy students can only miss each class up to six times. Every six tardies in a class adds up to be one absence. However, with the new add-ons with attendance, after missing a class seven to nine times students have to make up time for that class on a monday afternoon. Then, afterwards the next ten to twelve absences it becomes a pass or fail. While also getting ten to twelve absences students will lose privileges of school clubs and extracurriculars. As well as the verification for drivers ed or license. If a student misses class the only few absences that do not count against a student are school related activities. Even with a doctor's note for why a student is missing school, it is still required for documentation for the front office. When a student is found out to be skipping class they will be marked truant, aka the action of staying away from without a good reason. Which can lead to students and their guardians being trialed in court, after 30 to 100 hundreds hours of missing school unverified, as it is the law for teens and children to be in school. Afterwards a parole officer will be keeping track of the said student. This is not a new add on to the attendance policy this was a rule before COVID 19. During the time of the policy being reinforced calls to the school have increased. As the lovely attendance ladies, that most students pass by in the morning, deal with the said calls. Kail Belnap has so kindly shared that the shortest call she and Amanda Van Orden have dealt with “was about 15 minutes long.” Nevertheless, COVID 19 has caused everyone to freak out over the slightest bit of sickness. Add the stricter rules of the attendance policy before covid and there's a whole new mess. During COVID 19 Bonneville was quite lenient on the attendance. Grisel Gonzalez
Editor Bonneville High School's homecoming week this year was filled with playful dress up days that were enjoyable for the students and staff. Starting the 19th and ending the 22nd, each day had different prompts that the students were allowed to follow. Kicking off the week, Tuesday was pajama day and Wednesday was tourist day. Warm and snug pajamas were seen around the school on Tuesday, and Hawiian shirts and bucket hats were worn on Wednesday. Thursday paid tribute to the famous Adam Sandler; baggy shirts and shorts accompanied with socks and slides are what most people were wearing. Lastly, Friday was the day to celebrate Bonneville High School with the dress up day being school spirit! Colors like black, white, green, and gold are what acknowledged our school and its notable efforts to make homecoming week amusing for everyone. Mrs. Yorgason, student council advisor, expressed her thoughts on how the week went by saying, “ I thought it was really fun seeing how all the teachers got into it and the students.” She also talked about the inspiration behind the ideas for the dress up days, stating, “I think it’s just stuff that the kids wanted to do. There’s a group of people and they plan the dress up days just based on what they thought the student body would enjoy.” The student council took into consideration the opinions of the students at Bonneville by giving everyone options they would most likely enjoy. Schools from other districts did not have the same days as Bonneville, which makes it extra special and different. The students this year really went out and showed their school spirit, and the teachers and staff did as well. The whole week was a great way to celebrate not only homecoming, but Bonneville High School too. Friday ended off the amazing week on a good note by showcasing Bonneville’s signature colors: black, white, green, and gold. This year’s homecoming dress up week was filled with excitement and enthusiasm, which means topping it next year will be a tough one! Ash Merritt
Assistant Editor Art is time consuming, whether it be a class that is taken or a hobby that is pursued. Bonneville High School has many art classes available to take, some being Introduction (Intro) to Art, Intermediate Art, Advanced Art, and Digital Photography. In Intro to Art, students use mostly graphite pencils, a bit of interaction with watercolours, and coloured pencils, later they learn about how to achieve different shading by using different textures, such as cloth and fur. While taking intermediate art they use graphite, charcoal, and chalk pastels. In the Advanced Art class, students use the aforementioned mediums and tools, as well as acrylics and oil paints. In the advanced class, art students learn how to create body portraits and how to take good photos with the right lighting. Digital Photography uses cameras and takes pictures to construct art and uses references to form similar pictures. Mr. Jason Coles is the teacher who instructs all these different art classes. He explains that he got into art because in his elementary years Coles had worked on drawing when his teachers were reading. He took his first art class in junior high, “I loved it” Coles exclaims. He thought it would be a cool career to have, to teach art. Coles has taught art classes for 28 years, and he taught 19 of those years at Snake River High School in Blackfoot, afterwards he spent two years in Cascade, Idaho and eight years at Bonneville. Coles says he would prefer more time because he has numerous lessons he would like to teach; however, Coles does not have enough time to teach all of the lessons he wants. Only a few classes so far this trimester have least completed one lesson. Intermediate Art, finished their Flag shading project, which is currently hung up in the art room. A project based on learning different angles, light, and different shadows types. Advanced art just finished their “Buddy Portrait” which involves learning camera angles and lights and as well with the models knowing different facial expressions. Art is a time consuming process; however, learning and using different mediums and tools is an experience that not many people choose to pursue. Taking art in levels makes it thus students can learn in increments and use tools that are within that level. Which allows each student to learn and grow in art. Taylor Smith
Staff Writer The first day of school: the beginning of a new chapter for students and many new faces for teachers. Not many teachers left this year, but Bonneville did gain 12 new teachers. Mr. Owen, head principal, believes “[t]eachers leave their school for many reasons.” For example, some teachers wanted to be closer to home, while some wanted to experience a different path in life. No matter the decision to leave or stay, Bonneville’s new staff members are worth a mention. Micheal Strobel is a history teacher who teaches freshmen and juniors. Strobel has taught Sandcreek Middle School’s 7th and 8th grades for four years respectively. One of his life goals is to teach all grades, so he can teach the entirety of world history at least once. Another dream of his is to eventually teach college students. Strobel’s favorite period in history is the Roman Empire because it shows the world’s exponential growth in such a short time. According to Strobel, two of his junior year teachers influenced him into liking history. Although there has been change in the history department, other wings in the school have experienced staff change as well. Cody Baxter is a new chemistry teacher at Bonneville this year; he currently teaches freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. Baxter taught for two years at Sandcreek before coming to Bonneville. When Baxter moved to Bonneville, he said he “[e]njoyed the school and liked the scientist staff.” Baxter claims the way to help the school is to never give up on the students and to set high expectations. Many students believe “when they fail, it's one and done.” According to Baxter, “[students] should do [the work] over and over until they get it.” Baxter’s first choice in job ideas was not teaching: it was to be a dietetic technician. He moved into teaching because of sports and the anatomy of physics to become a better athlete and the nutrition and fitness you get. Teean Drollinger teaches freshmen and sophomores in algebra and geometry. When the students talk to her as a friend and buddy she loves it as she “wants a safe and happy atmosphere in her classroom.” This was her first year teaching, the first job of choice was actually interior designing. She had a lot of hiccups down that path and the job just did not work out. Math always came easy to her, so she decided to give teaching a chance. Drollinger enjoys the core moment when the math finally clicks.. Teachers from all over come and go from different schools. They all improve and help the school as much as possible. Bonneville will not always get new teachers but when the school does it is very fortunate for everyone. This year we got quite a few such as Strobel, Baxter, and Drollinger. When walking through the halls, make them welcomed and appreciated to the Bonneville community. Asher Montaño
Staff Writer The Homecoming parade of Bonneville High School has been celebrating school pride for many years. All the clubs and sports teams around the school have the option to participate in the parade by decorating a float, gathering the group members, and spreading bee spirit throughout the D93 community. Days of careful consideration went into the planning of the parade. This year Ethan Smith, a junior in Student Council, was in charge of the Homecoming parade. Mrs. Yorgason, the student council advisor, shared some valuable information regarding planning steps for the parade. She declared, “Planning entails working with the community to set up the route, organizing all clubs that would like to participate, setting a day and time, contacting elementary schools and letting them know when the parade will be, and working with admin to moderate the route and what the flow to traffic will look like.” All of these aspects that may seem truly miniscule are all exceedingly important when it comes to planning this event, although there are also rules and regulations that must be followed. There are also many rules and guidelines that the students and staff are required to follow when the event comes around. Yorgason listed the following: “No water balloons, drivers must be 21+ with a valid driver's license if they are to be driving a float, no profane music, candy must be tossed from the sidelines, and floats must be decorated appropriately.” The rules and regulations are put in place to ensure the safety of the students, school, and community. Although water balloons may seem safe, they can cause bruising when thrown, and they create litter if not properly disposed of. A licensed and competent driver is undeniably important to ensure that no one gets hurt and prevents any damage. If anything goes wrong, whether it is the fault of students or a simple mistake, it could mean the end of the Homecoming parade all together. Luckily, decorating and throwing together a float brings more fun to the parade. Putting together the floats brings anticipation for the parade. School clubs have the option to decorate and bring food and candy to participate in the event. Students who are involved in a variety of groups, such as Walker Steffen, a junior at BHS, are forced to choose which float they will be on for the parade. Steffen explains that choosing a float, “was actually significantly hard because both floats were full of people … I ended up choosing the Performing Arts float over Hope Squad because I've been in choir for longer and I am ultimately more passionate.” These floats provide the opportunity for the students to throw the school pride out to the community around them, furthermore it allows elementary, and middle schools to see how entertaining high school can be. Bonneville High School has numerous exciting activities throughout the year and it is an amazing opportunity to be a part of Bonnevilles Homecoming parade. GO BEES! Lucy Ker
Staff Writer Homecoming is a tradition in the United States in which parades, assemblies, games, and a dance welcome staff and students returning from summer break. Bonneville High School’s Homecoming dance took place on September 23 from eight o'clock to eleven o'clock in the evening. Students who attended Homecoming were able to go by themselves, in a group, or on a date. This year's theme was Ancient Greece, and Bonneville’s very own Student Council was responsible for the planning and execution. Although other groups, such as Hope Squad or the cheer team, may organize some dances, Student Council (StuCo) typically charges the Homecoming planning. The first step: choosing a theme. Student Council brainstormed and workshopped the potential themes; nevertheless, the student body activity leaders had the final say. Once the theme was chosen, the StuCo staff joined together and started to plan the decorations, music, and more. Jaicee Clinger, a senior and the student body activity leader, shared her response to the matter. Clinger claimed, “At first we thought about doing “There's No Place Like Homecoming”; however, we decided to keep looking. [W]e found the theme on Pinterest and said we will keep it!” Students at BHS could have matched the theme, or they could have worn something more traditional. Although the theme was quite historic, no togas were permitted at the event. In terms of photography, Bell Photography, Bonneville’s go-to for sports and portrait photos, was hired to work the dance. Having set up a photo booth, Bell Photography allowed students to pose for a free single, duo, or group photo. From the photography to the decorations, planning and executing Homecoming was not a small feat! Every time there is a school event, it takes plenty of planning and prepping to make every detail absolutely perfect. This year, StuCo worked fervently to ensure the dance was a hit for all students. |
CampusCampus News is where stories relating directly to Bonneville reside. Most are reports on school activities and events. Archives
October 2023
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