The 40 Book Club Party is just around the corner! Each year, hundreds of students from Payson Junior accept the challenge to read 40 books throughout the school year. Any student who meets this demanding task is rewarded with a ticket to the party. That party takes place at the Payson pool complete with pizza, prize drawings, diving board contests, and much more! This is a wonderful opportunity for students to celebrate this major accomplishment with their peers!

It’s that time of year again for the school poetry slam where feelings and emotion are used to bring beautiful words to life!. The talent and work put into the poems this year has been amazing! Students wrote or found a poem at least twelve lines and spent time memorizing them to a perfection that they could SLAM it! They would perform for their English class and two representatives would be selected from each class to perform in the school slam.

For this Teacher Spotlight we decided to hit up the English department. We rounded up some  of the teachers in that department and interviewed them. The questions that we asked were, what is your biggest fear, your least favorite class and, what is your advice for students at Payson Jr. High.

This Teacher Spotlight highlights the PE teachers. This week we asked the teachers the following questions: what was their favorite teacher moment was, their favorite excuse to skip class and,   what were some of the fashion trends back when they were in school.

The students at Payson Junior have been working hard this month, leaving teachers debating which students to recognize as Students of the Month. The task has been completed, and March top students are as follows:

On March 3, 2014, Diamond Fork Junior High School hosted the District Powerlifting Competition. Offering a variety of lifts and events for each weight division, the competition is held for all junior high students in the district and is held 2 or 3 times a year due to increasing popularity.

At 6am (yes, am,) on March 27, PJHS hosted its Singles Badminton tournament. This tournament was Payson’s second of the year, and the reasoning for the insanely early start is that it allows students to participate even if their after school schedules are busy.

Payson Jr. has headed Into the Woods this week! This years new drama teacher, Mr.Aintablian, has been preparing along with his student cast for the delightful musical “Into the Woods”. A mash-up of fairytales where characters like Cinderella, Jack, two Princes, the Baker and his wife, the witch, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel head into the woods in search for something they wish for. It’s hilarious and heartwarming and an exciting play for all who come to see.

St. Patricks Day, 2014.  The world drummers were prepared sitting in the Payson Junior High Auditorium.  They were dressed in colorful clothing, and had made a half circle, prepared to begin the school’s 4-H showcase.  They played along to traditional songs, and Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” led by the school’s talented band teacher, Mrs. Erickson.  There was even a song where the audience participated by clapping beats along.  It ended strong, and everybody clapped loudly.

The Payson Junior High Choirs Presented “All Nature Sings.”  This amazing event happened Thursday, February 27, 2014 in the Payson Junior High School Auditorium.  It was Directed by the wonderful choir teacher Ingrid Bolz, with the just as amazing accompanist Janice Lindsey.