This year the Miss Santaquin crown was passed on from Nicki Mortensen to Payson High School junior Devyn Olson. For Olson’s talent she sang “Don’t Rain On My Parade.” Her two attendants were fellow PHS students Erin Miller, 1st attendant, and Liz Waters, 2nd attendant. Payson High School is privileged to be home to such outstanding ladies!
The Nebo School Board of Education appointed Dr. David Rockwood as the Assistant Principal of Payson High for Nebo School District.
David earned is bachelor’s degree in Psychology Teaching from Brigham Young University and his master’s degree in Educational Psychology and doctorate’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy, both from University of Utah. He received the Milton Bennion Scholarship in 2017-18.
The Nebo School Board of Education appointed Tona Graff as the Assistant Principal of Springville High for Nebo School District.
Tona earned her bachelor’s degree in Mathematics Education from Brigham Young University and her Education Administration at Southern Utah University. Ms. Graff was the Dean of Students at Payson High for the last two years and taught mathematics at Payson High for 23 years. She also coached basketball, softball, volleyball, and speech/debate for 20 years.
March is here and it came in like a lion, as our front page picture captures perfectly. Just because the weather is less than ideal, it doesn't mean that there aren't great stories happening at PHS. This month we feature stories on CTE month, concurrent enrollment classes, upcoming spring sports, and of course a story on our state champion PHS wrestling team. Like always, all stories are completely student produced and edited.
The Payson Lions opened the boys’ tennis season with a solid showing at the annual Stephen Wade tournament in St George on March 8 and 9. Twelve teams participated in the varsity tournament, including several perennial powerhouse schools like Olympus, Desert Hills, and Wasatch. Day one play determined which players and teams would participate in the three performance groups: gold, silver and bronze.
The saying, “We should learn from our past, or we are doomed to repeat it.” is the basis of the history classes at Payson High School. The school has 3 history based teachers: Mr. Clark, Mr. Sisneros, and Mrs. Christensen. Their classes have similar teaching curriculum, but these teachers make every class they teach different and interesting! Right now, the students are learning about WWII, and the students in Mrs. Christensen's class just got finished learning about the holocaust and other major events from the last Great War.
“SEEKING NEW CARETAKER. Must be responsible, adaptable, and willing to perform emergency dental surgery on a fog giant,” reads the teaser flyer on the back of Brandon Mull’s “Fablehaven,” the book that got me reading like a madman and loving it.
Why? Partly because reading relieved me and gave my life purpose. It was my passion clear back then. Still is.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month happens every February and is used to advertise what classes are available to sophomores and juniors as they make schedules for the next school year. Head CTE coordinator Brian Blake said, “CTE month is an entire month because there are so many great skills and activities that students have access to gain.” Some of the feature events of CTE Month are the Region Culinary Arts competition FCCLA competes in, Sweethearts week and dance put on by FFA, and the state DECA competition.
Two students were selected to be "Lions of the Week" on Friday, March 1st. The students chosen were Casandra John and Wyatt Hone. Both were chosen for excellence in the fields they pursue. The "Lions of the Week" were announced during a broadcast of The Pride, with Principal RaShel Shepherd as the presenter.
The first student selected was Wyatt Hone, who represented our school's wrestling team. Shepherd commented, "Wyatt's been a three time state placer, and has won second place twice. He's also a multi-sport athlete. He plays baseball, and he's amazing at academics."
