Savana Carter
Staff Writer Behind the act on the Little Theater stage, there are dozens of tasks happening for both the technical and drama class. There are many projects happening before, during, and after the show like running through every detail, scene, and line. The technical theatre students work behind the curtain making props and scenes, practicing placement, and moving the set while the drama students are on stage delivering crafted lines, scenes, and emotions. The technical theatre students take time out of their day to work hard to put up the show, work with the sound, find the right lighting, make props, make costumes, and much more. Especially when preparing for opening night, the technical theatre students work before, during, and after school to get everything finished. Kendra Vickers, a senior tech student, is in charge of sound effects and actors' microphones. When Vickers was asked what her favorite part of technical theatre was, she responded, “The people in tech; it becomes a community.” In both small and large groups, the students work on projects such as sets, props, painting, and more to ensure the show runs smoothly. In both small and large groups, the students work on projects such as sets, props, painting, and more to ensure the show runs smoothly. While the technical theatre team handles the behind-the-scenes, drama students are working on their acts. According to Aubrey Barnard, a junior and melodrama actress, “[practice] takes a lot of pausing and redoing scenes.” Drama students rehearse lines and acts until each word and emotion is memorized. To help students remember their parts, they often use improvisation games to help! How improv goes according to Barnard is “you get a topic or scene [or] scenario and have to act it out bouncing off of each other and see where it goes.” Barnard explains that she admires drama because she "love[s] the family dynamic and the way [they] make new friends." Taking drama allows new students to find more friends and improving their improv skills, working everyday, whether at home or school, on the acts and performances. Barnard claims: “The best thing about it is that it will never be perfect.” No matter how much actors work, they can always mess up making the mistake look as if it was part of the act. Students in both technical theatre and drama classes work extensively and unyielding to show their passion in the performing arts. Even with the immense amount of practice the actors go through, mistakes can be made while acting on the stage. The students love doing their best because of their ever-growing passion.
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Lucy Ker
Staff Writer Hey, Bees! Most people do not know that Bonneville High School (BHS) has a mixed choir. Well, BHS has many different choirs. One of those choirs, the Bonnevaires, had their annual dinner show on February tenth at six o’clock in the BHS commons. The dinner show included Bonnevaires students singing, while the others gave out food to the people. The Bonnevaires had many business sponsors such as Logan Glass, Holst Truck & Auto, In Step Clogging, Idaho Fall Music Academy, Sam's Club, Kneaders, Chick-fil-a and Olive Garden. The Bonnevaires put on a dinner show every year to help raise money for competitions. Steven Dresen, the choir teacher, states that he believes the dinner “went really well” and was “definitely better than last year.” Dresen was impressed with the amount of people that showed up in support of the Bonnevaires. Dresen claimed, “I have watched these kids grow so much this year and learning from their mistakes and then correcting them.” The choir staff does a reflection of themselves and the class. With that being said, Walker Steffen (11) has been a part of Bonnevaies for two years. Steffen is a part of the tenor section in choir believes "the dinner show went okay" even though the tables were too close together. Without the amount of tables that they had, they would not have had the room for all the people that showed up. The Bonnevaires have put a bunch of work into the dinner show and many more things that they do! The dinner show went better than last year, and the group is excited to start planning next year's event because they love watching the people show up and having fun eating and watching the show. Dresen added that he hopes as long as hes here they will be able to do the dinner show every year. Dresen thinks that doing the dinner show is good for the choir students because they learn basically how to work. He tries to make it fun while they're doing the jobs that they get assigned. All of the “staff” are happy to answer any questions that students and staff may have. Grisel Gonzalez
Editor The Culture and Dance club started around April of 2021 when a group of Latin students asked Mrs. Bair if they could dance in her classroom at lunch. Bair expressed that she loved how enjoyable the dances were and how well it represented their culture, so she asked them if they wanted to turn it into a club. The purpose of the club was to allow more cultures to be represented at Bonneville High School and to bring people together. To join the Culture and Dance club all students have to do is talk to Bair in room 110 to receive a form and pay a small club fee. Meetings usually take place a couple times a month during lunch time. Currently there are eleven committed members, along with a few other students who pitch in occasionally. Isabel Trujillo, a senior, serves as the club president. Bair speaks of the activities the club partakes in. “Currently we have been doing fundraising, practicing a dance for Hope Week, and float for homecoming, selling Mexican candy, and last year we were able to throw a multicultural dance at the highschool with music representing more than one culture.” A great amount of effort is put into all the events the Culture and Dance prepare and set up. Bair also shares her favorite memory saying, “the multicultural Jairpeo themed dance was amazing and so fun!” Apart from all their achievements so far, Bair mentions how she wants to continue expanding the club. “We are still growing and fundraising, but someday I hope we will be able to do way more in the community. I love that anyone can join without any grade point average, [and] that anyone can belong somewhere.” The Culture and Dance club provides various opportunities for not only the hispanic community, but for every other community of students here at BHS. It allows students to venture out and explore different cultures. No matter who they are, any student is welcome to join Culture and Dance. Mrs. Bair is located in room 110, so stop by with any questions. Students should continue to support the Culture and Dance club as it promotes diversity, enhances their ability to work outside of their comfort zone, and creates new memories and friendships. Eden McIsaac
Staff Writer Ms. Pilgrim is a math teacher at Bonneville High School (BHS), she has been teaching here for 31 and a half years, all in the same classroom. The Bonneville Buzz was able to interview Pilgrim about her experiences and the changes throughout the years. One of the questions Pilgrim was asked was how the school has changed over the years. She replied by listing a variety of things; however, she mostly focused on how the technology at the school has changed. She declared, “Technology is vastly different. I did not even have a computer in my classroom when I started.” Pilgrim additionally mentioned how keyboards have changed, she says, “Classes like 'keyboarding' are no longer offered.” Nowadays teachers expect their students to have already learned typing skills. Another technological change she mentioned was cell phones. Pilgrim did not have a phone until “several years into [my] career;” however, her students had smartphones before she did. The biggest difference is Pilgrim "managed to survive day-to-day without constant contact," while many students consider their phone their lifeline. Pilgrim remarked that the bell schedule has undergone a huge change as well. When Pilgrim started teaching, Bonneville was on the A/B block schedule; the change to a six-period day was “a big switch” for her. Along with the change in the schedule, Pilgrim commented that there used to be semesters instead of trimesters. Besides the technology change and scheduling, Pilgrim revealed that Bonneville has changed the courses and classes they offer. Now BHS offers a way to receive an associates degree while still in highschool, Pilgrim mentioned that what the school offers has more varieties now than it did in the past. Students are now able to graduate from high school with an associate’s degree through universities such as Idaho State University. Pilgrim commented that she wished she could have had that option when she went to school here at Bonneville. Pilgrim went to school at BHS in 1986 and graduated from BYU. Before coming to teach at BHS, Pilgrim worked at a grocery store. Pilgrim enjoys a variety of things such as sewing, hiking, quilting, reading, and watching old movies. When Pilgrim was first hired, the BHS newspaper wrote an article on her, to introduce her as a new staff member. One thing the article mentions is that when Pilgrim was hired, she still had siblings that attended school. Upon getting hired, she stated, “The only draw-back, is that people might think I am favoring my siblings who attend BHS.” In addition, The Buzz asked Pilgrim what her favorite subject to teach is and why. Pilgrim responded, “I love to teach pre-calculus and calculus because the students are more motivated, and the subject matter is more challenging.” Pilgrim decided to become a math teacher because she is good at math. When her friends struggled in class they came to her for help. The last question asked to Pilgrim was what is the biggest challenge while teaching at (BHS). Pilgrim proclaimed, “Exhaustion and overwork. I am something of a perfectionist, and I like things just so. That takes a lot of work to keep up.” Ash Merritt
Assistant Editor Taking care of babies can be a difficult experience as well as a look into the delightful parts of having a baby. Bonneville High School provides students with a Child Development class to learn about becoming a parent. Taught by Mrs. Child, the class teaches students about all aspects of childbirth and parenting like anatomy, conception, development, and cost. One of the main projects called the “Baby Think it Over.” This project consists of taking a robotic baby for a three to four day period and taking care of the baby as if it was real. Many individuals choose the weekend to take a baby because they would prefer to care for the baby outside of school hours. Aspen Gooding, a freshman, explains she did not want the baby during school as she “didn't want to be embarrassed at school” because of the baby crying in the middle of class or carrying a baby around the halls. Additionally, she could spend more time with the baby if she took it for the weekend. Other students choose to take the baby from Tuesday evening to Thursday morning instead of over the weekend. Ashley Delehanty, a freshman, explains that she took the baby for the weekdays because she “didn't want to have [her] weekend dedicated to a baby doll.” Similarly, to having a real child, caring for the robotic baby comes with a few challenges. One of the many dilemmas parents faces is not having the tools to take care of the child. Unlike reality, this class gives students some tools: a bottle, two diapers, and a carrier. Since parents are not given all necessities in real life, students must bring one outfit and a blanket for the baby because parents are not given everything it would need in real life. Other challenges are nighttime; the robotic babies do not care what time it is, and it will cry in the middle of the night. Delehanty discloses that “Some challenges I face[d] while with the baby [were] definitely when I was woken up at night by [the baby]. It helped me realize how hard it must be to be a parent of a real baby.” The babies have four goals the student has to achieve: burping, feeding, rocking, and changing the diaper. Full of sensors, the baby releases different cries based on its needs. The diapers have two different colored sensors to show the student has changed the diaper; furthermore, the baby coos once the sensors on the baby and diaper connect. As for feeding the baby, there is a magnet on the bottle tip that connects to a sensor in the baby's mouth. Once the bottle is inserted, the baby will begin "eating" and finish with a drinking sound to indicate its done. After eating, the baby must be burped for a maximum of twenty minutes or until a burping sound is made. Just as real-life babies these robot babies need to be rocked, and this action is difficult to achieve. Students may accidently rock the baby too harshly or too softly. Once the baby coos, the students can stop rocking the baby. The students are graded based on achieving the needs of the baby and head support. The babies are set up as newborns to teach students to support the head of a baby. If head support is not being done the baby will scream and wail for three minutes; furthermore, the student will be docked ten points for each head support mishap and unmet needs. The project adds up to 200 points. Child Development's baby project shows how difficult childcare can be. Furthermore, the students gain a new experience. These sensitive babies may not be real: however, it may leave a deep bond between the student and child. Lia Hendrix
Staff Writer Everyone needs a break once in a while; for some people, it could be going on a run or reading a book. For many students at Bonneville High School, that break is going to choir. Two students, Mikaila Young and Walker Steffen, provided additional information on this. Mikalia Young, a senior at Bonneville, is a member of Bonnevaires, the top choir at Bonneville. Young is an alto section leader and in Chanteuse. Young reported that “going to choir is a bit of relief from the rest of high school.” At Bonneville, there are several choirs available for students to join. Two of those choirs, Bel Cantos and Bonnevaires, are “audition-based choirs” according to Director Steven Dresen. Bel Cantos is an all-women choir, while Bonnevaires is mixed. Joining Bonnevaires is a significant achievement because students must compete against others and try out for a spot in the group. Another student in Bonnevaires, Walker Steffen, declared that since he has been in choir for a long time, auditioning was not really a problem for him. However, for some students who have never gone through an auditioning process, it might be stressful. After auditioning, the students who have been selected start rehearsing for their various concerts and performances. Although rehearsals may differ, each practice follows a similar structure. When asked what a normal day of rehearsal looked like, both Young and Steffen responded by saying they warm up first by doing scales and some sort of vocal exercise. After warm ups, the students break off into groups to dive deeper into the music. The chosen piece is usually dependent on the upcoming event or performance. The last five minutes are reserved for talking about goals and how the group can accomplish them together. In choir, it is essential for individuals to work together to ensure that the end result is the best it can be. Young mentioned that the choir's friendly atmosphere creates a positive working environment. She stated: “There's something so beautiful about being surrounded by people who love music as much as you, and just being able to create with them is a pleasure.” Steffen stated that the only thing he would change about choir would be the time. Steffen wished the classes and rehearsals were longer to avoid being rushed. Even though the classes may be on a time crunch, a devoted vocalist will dedicate the necessary time to be successful. Bonneville provides students the chance to unwind by joining a choir. Regardless of whether it is men's, women's, mixed, Bel Cantos, or Bonnevaires, everyone is offered the chance to feel included and relaxed. Elliot Kidd
Social Media Manager One of the many joys of Bonneville High School (BHS) is theatre. The art of theatre established itself during the Ancient Greek era. There are even different spellings of theater (the location) and theatre (the art/class). To this day it is still appreciated with performances ranging from schools to lights of New Yorks’ Broadway theater. An anonymous interviewee of BHS theatre stated: “I've always like[d] [seeing] plays, so I decided to take a drama class” and was “ totally invested.” The majority of students in technical and drama are juniors and seniors. Together as a majority, most students have spent two to three years at BHS in theater. Most of the time and dedication spent in theater is on working each scene's scenery and learning memorizing skills for play scripts. Memorizing lines for some actors can take only a few hours; for others memorization may take up to weeks or months. These students dedicate themselves to theatre and even as they “put [in] time and effort” while still finding time to socialize. Most preparation for performances may take anywhere from seven to ten weeks. Shaun Nichols, drama teacher, has stated there is “no requirement theater class like Drama One, Musical Theatre (fall), or Intro to Stagecraft.” Other classes such as advanced drama and musical courses “require [prior classes], teacher approval, [or] [an] audition.” While technical theater does not need prior knowledge of construction; students will be taught how to build sets and use tools safely. Several students, who had played characters, enjoyed last year's performance of BrightStar. Throughout each year, the process of choosing the next show is when Nichols “tries to rotate the genre so that [they] don't always end up doing the same kind of show.” The next step requires Nichols to “read four to five plays” and “assess the talent pool” to “meet the needs of the show.” Once the show idea is picked, it heads off for approval by the school board. This year's fall musical is Seussical, a dream come to true for Nichols. He has been wanting to present a production like Seussical for years. In relation to dreams coming true, these theatre students dream of what they would like to do after high school. Not all of their dreams are theater related, some have used drama as a way to communicate, like a communication class. While others with a more theatre based career path, have opportunities throughout the school year to compete district wide in competitions. As well share their love for theater to the elementary children. If theatre ever sounds interesting, give the class a shot. Sometimes people never know the perfect path is right there. It is never too late to try! Buzz out! Cooper Ruesch
Staff Writer College is something that people are either excited for or want to skip entirely. For some students, college may seem far away; however, the time to decide is getting closer. There are some ups and downs for attending a college. Some of the positives include gaining the skills and knowledge on how to be a doctor, electrician, or any other career. On the other hand, the downside to attending a post-secondary program is potentially earning debt. Tylene Hales and Alexis Tucker are the College and Career Advisor at Bonneville High School. Her job is to help students build the best plan, earn financial aid, and succeed in their chosen college or career. One thing students need to know before attending a college is that they need to complete a FAFSA which stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. An application needs to be completed before the specific college’s deadline. Besides FAFSA, there are always other opportunities, such as private scholarships, that are available to qualifying students. Hales explains, “There are so many scholarships available out there. [Students] can start applying as soon as [their] freshman year. If [they] don't have access, [they] can come see us in the library, and we will get [them] added!” Having a scholarship application filled out and ready in the first few years of high school is something that does not take too long to do. However, some students may choose to not attend a college and go to a trade school or the workforce. Hales explains, “Though for some others, it matters of the cost of schooling, and some students are just burnt out after high school and want to take a break.” For students who feel too burnt out to begin more schooling, Tucker warns about taking a gap year. She states: “Gap years are great for some people and very detrimental for some people. If the student has a plan for the gap year, and has a commitment to doing something after, then they are beneficial. If the student doesn't have a plan of action for the gap year, it can become increasingly difficult to convince themselves to go back to school.” Without knowing the next step, taking a gap year may cause students to fall off the educational wagon entirely. If one does not want to go to college that is their choice, nonetheless there are a few career options where a student does not need a college degree though still needs some kind of certification or license. Examples of that include being an Electrician, mechanic, firefighter, Distribution Manager Plumber, cosmetologist, paramedic, and welding, ect. There are always options such as CTE programs which provide students and adults with the academic and technical skills, knowledge and training necessary to succeed in future careers. Which can be completed in high school, or the opportunity to join the military as well as other options. The percentage of this year's graduating class planning on attending college or another post-graduation program is around 80-85%. Hales described: “Freshman year is one of the most crucial years to start preparing for college. Start building good study and attendance habits early… I have had a senior sit down in my office and realize that [the] things they did or didn't do as a freshman.” Tucker said students need to learn to attend class, get involved, be productive, and be punctual. Not all students need college to be successful in life, especially in today's society where there are opportunities that have opened up a whole world of possibilities around each corner. Some examples for other possibilities include Social media by making videos, CTE training, apprenticeship for business etc. The most important thing is to obtain education and training beyond high school to be proficient and capable at the job. Eric Perez
Editor-in-Chief Parent teacher conference (PTC) is a chance for teachers, parents, and students to l get together and talk about what the teacher and student do in school. PTC took place on January 22nd, at Bonneville High School. There are not that many teachers at Bonneville High School (BHS), and a little over 1000 students. With all the work the teachers put in, the parent teacher conference gives parents an excellent chance to understand how their student is doing and how the teachers are instructing their child. An interview was conducted with Mr. Smock from the English department, who teaches junior and senior english. Smock was asked how PTC affects him. He responded by saying, “Parent teacher conferences give [him] a chance to actually put kids in a different perspective… It gives students a more [real life] perspective.” Meeting with parents and teachers helps students get a real world perspective and can help their education by seeing what goes on in the background. Smock believes PTC can help students by putting in an easy understanding perspective. Smock was asked what he does to prepare for parent teacher conferences. Towards the beginning of Smock's career he was doing “a lot more preparation.” In preparing for his PTC meetings,Smock would set up slideshows and get the curriculum laid out. However, since BHS’ PTCs are open-house style, Smock just “plays it by ear.” He focuses on “[what] the parent want[s] to talk about, and what the student wants to talk about.” Smock works relentlessly making vocabulary units and content lessons for students everyday in class. Having teachers and parents talk about what is discussed and expected in class helps parents understand what the student is learning. Smock's craziest experience during the parent teacher conference was at the beginning of his teaching career when a parent was wearing an inconvenient shirt. He explained to parents, “I firmly believe, respecting one another. It's easier to give respect and you'll get respect, and I'm not a fan of respect is earned aspect.” Unlucky for Mr. Smock, a parent in the audience that was wearing a shirt that showed, “Respect is earned not given, and he did not agree with my stance on that which created an awkward moment.” Mr. Smock and many other teachers learn a great deal from meeting parents. Knowing what students are learning in class, whether their behavior is excellent or not so excellent, can help parents better understand their child. Ash Merritt
Assistant Editor Bonneville High School (BHS) provides three different types of art classes for its students. BHS offers Art, Ceramics, and Photography classes, each having their own unique styles and techniques. Ceramics is taught by Mrs. Schrey, a teacher with a love for ceramics since being in college, Schrey chose to pursue it as a career here at BHS. The ceramics classes she provides include: Ceramics I, Ceramics II, and Ceramics III [fill with proper name of class]. The Ceramics classes advance in order and are level based. Ceramics I is all about the beginning of attaining this art style, learning about basic building techniques, and how to not explode the clay in the kiln. Ceramics II teaches advanced building techniques and surface finishes: underglaze, oil paint, and acrylics. While Ceramics III gives a bit more freedom and lets the students use the skills they learned in their previous classes to create masterpieces of their own. The tools for ceramics are mostly the same for each class. Each student receives an assigned tool bag. Ceramics have classroom tools for students to use instead of their own. Traditional wooden tools and loop tools are the norm; however, sometimes students must be creative and use a piece of a comb for scoring the clay. Loop tools are used for taking controlled amounts of clay out of the ceramic piece. Some of the many uses of traditional wooden tools: which are used for cutting, slicing, smoothing, contouring, and pattern decorating. Mrs. Schrey expresses that she can tell when a student is struggling with their project by looking at their work, time management and craftsmanship to show if they need help or not. She walks around the room to correct anyone who is not understanding or getting their work done in a timely manner. The rules Mrs. Schrey gives her classes are, be responsible for yourself, be respectful to others, and never run with scissors. Taking a Ceramics class is a learning experience and can be a creative outlet. For many students taking a lump of clay and making it into something they enjoy or can use is rewarding. |
CampusCampus News is where stories relating directly to Bonneville reside. Most are reports on school activities and events. Archives
March 2024
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