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This past year Payson High School has had the privelidge to have Mr. White as an assistant principal.

Sadly, we have to give him up to our hated rivals, Salem Hills High. They are incredibly lucky to have him, as he has been a great addition to this school. Maybe with Mr. White SHHS can finally be as cool as Payson.

“I’m not excited to leave Payson, but going over to Salem will be a new adventure,” said Mr. White. “I’ll miss interacting with the students and going to all the sporting events. I’ll really miss the color green.”

His place will be taken by former wrestling coach and computer technology teacher: Chris Loveless.

“We will miss Mr. White, but Mr. Loveless is awesome,” said Pricipal Ford. “He’s going to be a great fit for the position.”

Mr. Loveless has given the Payson Wrestling team all of his time and has really made a name for Payson in our region and across the entire state. He works very hard for Payson High and we will all be sad to give him up as a teacher and coach.

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The boy’s soccer season is quickly coming to an end. These boys have had an amazing season; they tied for first in region and got second in state. Our lions won their first state playoff game against Bear River. Team captain Tyler Watson scored the winning goal to take them to the next game. “Our boys have worked hard and have done really well this season. I am proud to say I am the coach of these awesome boys!” says Wright. We all wish you luck Mighty Lions!

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By Spencer Durrant

      Springtime isn’t a time to clean out the house and the yard – it’s a time for football. Spring practices for college teams are happening, and the NFL draft provided plenty of excitement, even though the NFL season doesn’t start until August.

     Here in Payson, the Lions Football team is getting ready for next season, holding practices every Tuesday. Last season, the Lions went 3-7. The highlight of the season was the nail-biting win against archrival Salem Hills High School, a game where junior quarterback Devan Judd threw for 483 yards and 5 touchdowns. His performance was notable enough to get the Lion’s win mentioned on Sports Beat Sunday that weekend.

     The Lions are looking to make big strides next season, but head coach Jeremy Chapman says he’s most excited to see how much his players can improve.

      “I’m excited to see the fruits of their labors,” Chapman said.

        The Lions were a young team last season, but most of the improvements fans will see on the field are going to be a result of the maturity and growth of the players.

        “There’s going to be more balance, a natural transition into a balanced offense,” said Chapman.

         To go with a more balanced offense, the Lion’s are going to be sporting a revamped defense, headed by Coach Clint Peery.

         “Defensively, we’re looking to stop the run, lock down receivers in the passing lanes, be more aggressive, and knock some people’s heads off this year,” said junior linebacker Jacob Buckner.

         With all the adjustments and improvements, the Lions are looking to have a very productive season.

          Two players that could add to the productivity are junior quarterback Devan Judd and junior linebacker Jacob Buckner.

          Judd played last season in a very pass-oriented offense, throwing the ball the majority of the time. The run game was virtually non-existent. In the game against Salem Hills, Judd attempted 48 passes. Compare that to the average 29 pass attempts by the top 120 FBS college football teams, and the Lions offense looks very unbalanced. But the Lions are committed to bringing a more balanced attack to the table, and you can look for Judd to be the leader of the new – look attack.

       On the defensive side of the ball, junior linebacker Jacob Buckner will be seeing his first high school football action in over a year.

        “Words can’t even describe how excited I am. Not playing last year made my hunger and drive for football even greater,” said Buckner.

        “I’m going to make a lot of plays, and encourage a lot of people to make plays, and be technically sound. Those are my goals,” Buckner said.

        Hopefully his infectious attitude will rub off on his other defensive teammates and inspire great play from the Lions in their 2012 campaign. They’ll continue to practice hard over the summer and will be ready to take the field in September.

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PHS Librarian, Judy Skinner, is retiring after a 24 year career in education. Skinner has been an employee at Payson High for 18 years, 6 years spent as a P.E. and health teacher, and 12 years as the librarian.

During her years as librarian Skinner has witnessed many advances in technology, including the addition of a new computer lab.

“It was really exciting to have the library remodeled and get a computer lab,” Skinner said.

Recently, Skinner made Kindles available for check out, making PHS the first high school in the district to have such a luxury.

“She’s up to date on technology and she is kind to everyone,” said coworker Anna Pearson.

Mrs. Skinner will miss the association she has here with the students and faculty.

“My favorite thing about my job is when a student is doing research and I’m able to help them find the best information they can to complete a project,” Skinner said.

The English teachers at the high school appreciate her kind disposition and willingness to help.

“We will miss having Mrs. Skinner in the library. She is so helpful to all the students. I can send any student her way and she won’t let them leave the library until they have a book to read or resources for a class project,” said English teacher Krystal Baker.

After retiring, Skinner hopes to travel, take oil painting classes, quilt and, of course, read.  In her spare time, Skinner is also a dancer in the Golden Girls, a dance company for women.

Loved by students and faculty alike, this one of a kind librarian won’t soon be forgotten.

“Mrs. Skinner is one of the kindest, energetic, professional women I have ever met. And I am really going to miss my friend,” said English teacher Eloise Bridges.