May 2014: Senior Edition

Read the May 2014 online HERE.

Signs of Spring

Limits

You're on the last lap of your motocross race.  You're in second place with a three second gap between you and first place. You think you can put on your charge and go for the win, but then again it’s the last lap so what’s the point, you can’t, it’s not within your limits.

There it is, that one word that can ruin everything for you. No it’s not the word can’t. It’s the word limits. Do you truly know what your limits are? No. Then why have them?

You're probably telling yourself yeah right, everybody has limits. No we don’t. We are just in this mindset of people saying you can’t do something because you aren’t capable.

If you tell your mom you’re going skydiving what's she going to tell you? She’s going to say no you’re not, you can’t. Have you asked her why not, other than the fact she doesn’t want you to? She’s going to tell you just because its not within your limits. Who’s to say that you can’t do something because your limits won’t allow you to? No one can. Just yourself.

When you think of the word limit you think everybody has them and we all know what they are.  Who’s to tell you that you can’t handle school, sports, work, and a good relationship with others? That life would be easier if some of those thing were given up? The only thing you will think of is the regret you will have when you think about what you gave up.

So why give all of it up? You give it up because someone tells you its not within your “limits”. I came up with the conclusion that we set our own limits based on opinion and society. That’s a sad reality to face actually.

People tell you you can only go so far and “the sky’s the limit”. What about when you reach the sky? Then what? That’s it you're done. You can’t possibly do anything more to better yourself.

At the end of this year don’t you want to be able to say that you made sure you did everything without limits? That you went as far as possible with everything you did, and that you had no limits? That you didn’t let anyone tell you what you couldn’t do and that you just set your own limits to make yourself happy? Don’t you want to be more successful than anyone else because they stopped where they thought their limits were?

Have the self satisfaction of knowing you went above and beyond their limits. You only have mental limits and they might seem like they’re permanent and you can do nothing about them. Now I only have one question to ask you. What are your limits?

Spring Break

Spring Break is the long awaited vacation that happens right  at the beginning of fourth quarter.  It comes just in time to save weary students from the hum drum of everyday school life.  This year spring break starts on April 7th and ends on April 11th. Most people already have an idea of what they want to do for Spring Break.  A lot of families have a tradition of doing a specific activity, something that they have done every year. 

Spring break is a great time to see family or to hang out with friends.  Some people like to travel to exotic places during spring break.  “Arizona baby! That is where I’m going” said Nate Smith.  “Spring break is a great time to spend with family, but I also like to spend it with friends” said Thela Mitchell.

Another great thing about spring break is the weather.  It is just getting warm enough to do some outdoor activities.  “I like to go shed hunting”  said Dakota Taylor.  If you own a boat this is the perfect time to go spend a day on the lake.  “During spring break my parents ditch me and go to lake Powell” said Ashley Whimpy. 

If you usually spend spring break at home, take some advice from your fellow students at Juab High and do something you would really enjoy for spring break.  

“I want to go skydiving” said Brock Durffee.  

“I want to go river rafting” said Riley Owens.  If you can’t do something as awesome as either of those ideas then think about doing something a little more realistic.  

“I love spring break!  I plan on catching up on sleep and eating easter candy” said Hannah Jacobson.  

No matter what your plans are for spring break, it is a great time to relax and take a break from school.  Remember to stay safe.

April Fools!

Check the calendar, because it’s almost April first. April first is known for what my friends? April Fools Day, the only Holiday in the month. That makes it special. You want to do so many fun things that day right? Give it all the pranks and laughs it deserves. I’ll help you out a little with a few ideas.

• There’s only one- Steal just one shoe of each pair of your victims’ shoes. Watch them with amusement as they search and search for at least one matching pair.
• Bottomed out- Does your victim have a weakness for that good ol’ Cap’n Crunch, or maybe those Chicken in a Biskit crackers? Here’s an idea for you. Take the box, cut out the bottom, place it on the shelf (right side up) and then empty the contents into the box. When your victim goes to grab a little snack, they will end up with a little surprise of contents on the floor.
• Door Ambush- Now this trick is a classic. Fill a plastic cup with water, then place it on top of the door you know your victim will walk through. They wanted a refresher. They really did.
• Please Leave a message- This prank is acceptable on April first, and April first only. Hide your victims’ phone, then call and laugh as they hunt frantically for that device that rules their life.
• No Spring Break for you- Fake a letter saying that there actually is school during Spring Break.
• More Mayo- Replace your victims’ lotion with mayonnaise. They will smell great, just wait and see.
• Soggy Socks- Place a water balloon in your victims shoes.
• Not my plot- Leave a notebook out with your “prank” checklist written on it. Your victim will have anxiety all day when you don’t end up doing anything to them at all.
• Leave ‘em in the dust- Wait until your victim enters the bathroom, and then slide a piece of paper with baby powder on it under the door. Quickly plug a blow dryer in, then listen for your victims yelps as the baby powder flys everywhere.
• Test their patience- Trick your friend into thinking there’s a test that day by saying, “Are you ready for the test?” as you’re walking into class.
• Animal cruelty- attach an animal leash, a collar, and a stuffed animal onto the bumper of your victims car.

If you were clueless before how to prank those you call friends, you now have many jokes to achieve now. Your welcome, and good luck.

It's Just the Beginning

You recall that feeling as if it was yesterday. That feeling of anxiety that you awoke to on the morning of your freshmen year. Where will you sit at lunch? What if you can’t find your classes? What if you don’t know anyone? All of these questions and more were bolting through your head as you walked through the doors of High School for the first time.

“I was scared because I thought the school was so much bigger! I was going into unknown territory and I was scared,” Said Juab High School senior, Alex Rosquist.

Although it was a scary moment, looking back as a senior, don’t you just wish you could go back? Wouldn’t you love to just make it all slow down. Although, our days in High School are coming to a close, our lives in the real world are just beginning.

That same anxiety you felt as a freshman in high school is about to hit all over again. This time, on a bigger scale. Yes, I’m talking about college. Although, it seems scary to step outside of the town and lifestyle you’ve known forever and exchange it for the glamour of a poor college student, just think of it as a new start.

College is a second chance. A chance to stop being the procrastinator you were in high school. A chance to leave behind the reputation you had. Think of college as a new beginning.

Just because you are leaving high school doesn’t mean you should forget it. Remember these times you've had in high school.

Reminisce on the moment you lost your voice cheering in the student section at a sporting event, maybe the first time you went to prom, the first time you went on a real date, and the first time you walked through the doors of your high school. High school from a senior’s point of view might seem like a lot of lasts, but waiting outside of high school is endless amounts of firsts.

You still hear countless times from adults around you, “This isn’t the end, it is just the beginning.”

Savannah Behrmann summed it up best, “It's definitely bittersweet. I'm excited to move on and make new adventures, but I'll miss high school of course and all the friends and memories I've made here!”

It is easy as a Senior, and fourth quarter begins, to feel like the life we have known for 12 years is ending, with nothing else to look forward to.

It becomes easy to be close minded to the outside world and think there is nothing that will compare to the experiences we have had during high school. However, like everyone has told us, this isn’t the end, this really is just the beginning.

Photo by Savannah Behrmann

Photo by Alex Rosquist

Photo by Aubrey Jones

Photo by Karlie Stephenson

Photo by Aubrey Jones

Photo by Aubrey Jones

Photo by Savannah Behrmann

Photo by Savannah Behrmann

Photo by Aubrey Jones

Muppets

Let’s list some names. Kermit the Frog. Miss Piggy. Fozzy Bear. Gonzo the Great. Animal. What do all of these names have in common? They’re all weirdos.

But since their debut in 1955, the Muppets have become some of the most iconic characters in the world. Their blend of humor, music, heart, and genuine optimism has made them a staple of American pop culture.

There’s just one problem. The Muppets are sorely underappreciated today. Despite being comedy legends, the Muppets don’t get a whole lot of love from Juab students.

“I just never watched them as a kid,” says Ryan Hughes.

It’s a crying shame. Thus, we at the Clarion staff, in anticipation of the new hit movie, Muppets Most Wanted, have compiled a simple yet essential beginner’s guide to the Muppets.

The Origins

Creative genius, Jim Henson, created the Muppets in 1955 for a local childrens show, Sam and Friends. The show ran for six years and earned Henson and his Muppets multiple appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, but the only character to last from the show was Kermit the Frog.

In 1969, after years of working in commercials, Jim Henson accepted an offer to use the Muppets on a new children's program called Sesame Street. The show became a massive show and made Kermit the Frog, Big Bird, Ernie, Bert, and Cookie Monster household names.

          

Wanting to bring the Muppets to more adult audiences, Henson created characters in 1975 for a new variety show, Saturday Night Live. Unfortunately, the Muppet segments only lasted for SNL's first season because the show's writers refused to keep writing for a bunch of puppets.

         

Luckily, Henson and crew had been planning a weekly show of their own starring the Muppets. A British production company picked the series up, and CBS started airing it in the US in 1976. The Muppet Show finally brought Henson's unique comic sensibilities to a primetime audience and introduced the world to its legendary cast of characters.

The Characters

The most famous Muppet, of course, is Kermit the Frog. Kermit is the franchise's ringleader; the man in charge. He works hard to keep the Muppets together and to keep their performances running. He’s a friend to everyone, and can often be called upon to give a motivational speech, but this doesn’t mean he can’t become exasperated. After all, “it’s not easy being green”. It can get hard keeping the Muppets in check, what with bears making bad jokes, “whatevers” blowing holes in the wall, and pigs falling deeply in love with you. But Kermit the Frog, the Muppets’ everyman, manages to keep it all together.

Miss Piggy is the group’s demanding diva. She fancies herself a model of beauty, grace, and fashion. She’s obsessed with Kermit the Frog and ignores the fact that her advances aren’t returned. Beneath her  surface though, is a raw rage that is most often unleashed in the form of kung fu. Let’s just say you don’t want to be on the receiving end of Miss Piggy’s karate chop.

Fozzie Bear is Kermit’s best friend and the Muppets’ resident comedian. He’s always cracking jokes, followed by his catchphrase, “Wocka, wocka!” The problem is that his jokes are truly unbearable. This doesn’t deter Fozzie’s optimism though and just motivates him to keep telling jokes until one lands, which as of press time, still hasn’t happened yet.

Gonzo the Great is the Muppets’ greatest mystery. Is he a bird? Is he a mammal? Is he an alien? Though this question tried to be answered in 1999’s Muppets from Space, official Muppet canon classifies Gonzo as a “whatever”. What we do know about Gonzo is that he’s daredevil stuntman, always ready to be shot from a cannon or have heavy objects be hurled at his head. He also has a strange attraction to chickens, which, no, we don’t understand either.

Animal is the drummer for Electric Mayhem, the Muppets’ in-house band. What kind of animal Animal actually is is unclear, but he sure is an angry one. That anger is best manifested in his energetic drumming. Other animalistic tendencies include a lack of vocabulary skills and an unbridled lust for attractive women.

Rounding out the Muppet cast are Dr. Teeth, the wide-grinned frontman of the Electric Mayhem; Scooter, the cast’s preppy manager; Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, a well-meaning inventor and Beaker, his mute and tortured assistant; Rizzo the Rat, Gonzo’s sarcastic best friend; Pepe le Prawn, a sexy, foreign shrimp; Sam the Eagle, the patriotic, moral center of the Muppets; and many, many more.

The Movies

Below is a chronological list of every theatrical Muppet movie so far. Each is comedy dynamite with one notable exception. All are worth seeing though for a good taste of how the Muppets, and comedy itself, have evolved over the years.

• The Muppet Movie (1978): The story of the Muppets meeting each other for the first time and making the road trip to Hollywood.
• The Great Muppet Caper (1981): Kermit and Fozzie play reporters, with Gonzo as their photographer, investigating a stolen diamond.
• The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984): This one takes place in a world where the Muppets all went to college together, separate for their careers, and come back for one last great show.
• The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992): The Muppets take supporting roles while Michael Caine plays Ebenezer Scrooge in what may be the best film version of Charles Dickens’ classic novel.
• Muppet Treasure Island (1996): Humans once again take center stage while the Muppets steal the show is this swashbuckling adaptation.
• Muppets from Space (1999): The only truly disappointing Muppet movie tries to explain Gonzo’s origins (spoiler alert: he’s from space!), but a poor reaction from fans has lead the Muppet creators to once again say Gonzo is just a “whatever”.
• The Muppets (2011): Possibly the best Muppet movie (certainly the best since Jim Henson’s death in 1990), this one follows an enthusiastic Muppet and Muppet fan named Walter who assists the Muppets in staging a reunion show in order to save the Muppet Show’s original theatre.
• Muppets Most Wanted (2014): The Muppets’ newest outing picks up directly after The Muppets as the gang embarks on a world tour and Kermit is kidnapped by his evil Russian doppelganger, Constantine.

Seating Segregation

Segregation exists on the buses of Juab High School: not a racial segregation, but a gender segregation.

Any Juab team or club who steps on an away bus is likely to be seated according to gender.  Boys and girls are not allowed to sit together.  They can not share seats.  Sometimes, they can’t share bus sections, like the front or back, or even share the same bus.  

This “segregation”, as I’ve called it, isn’t a bad seating situation... it’s just not the most preferable either.  

Many students have friends of the opposite gender, and they don’t see why they must be kept apart.  As Bailee Jones said, “A lot of girls and guys are friends anyway, so they shouldn’t have to be separated on buses.”  

Bus rides can easily become boring and monotonous, except for the conversations and games with friends.  Why should friends be separated because of gender?  There may be some flirting, but the vast majority of us students aren’t even thinking of anything beyond that.  We just want to laugh, joke, and chatter through our fear or excitement as we ride toward our upcoming event.  

“[The rule should be changed so boys and girls can sit together] because there’s more friends to talk to,”  said Brannun Allred.  Most students would agree; we would like the rule changed so we could talk to all of our friends, rather than just those of the same gender.  

So why, if most of us just want to talk, would this gender division be imposed?  

“We have amazing kids,” said Principal Darrington when I interviewed him about the bus-seating situation.  He assured me that the school does trust the great majority of students to behave appropriately if they were allowed to sit together, but even so the school has a huge responsibility over us students.  Since we are all minors, when we are in the school’s care on a bus the school is charged with our safety.  That means the school administration needs to take the precautions they can to prevent any harmful behavior.  

Principal Darrington also said, “I must ask what most parents would want in that situation.”  The school must consider the parents’ point of view, and the majority of parents, while they might trust their kid, would probably agree with gender seat separation.  At least, they’d agree with at night.

This brings up a main point:  the rule was made for the night (mostly).

The boy-girl division on the bus is an unofficial rule that Principal Darrington requested the coaches and supervisors enforce as they please with particular attention to dark hours.  He told me that he was fine with the rule being relaxed during the day, but after dark it needs to be enforced.  At night, there are blankets and pillows to help hide misbehavior in the dark.  During the day though, coaches can make their own decisions with the rule.  Coaches are free to let students mingle during the day or to just enforce the rule at all hours because the seating situation makes it easier to monitor the students.

“... I understand their reasoning,” said Alyssa Willmore.  She, along with plenty of others, understands the school’s reasoning and agrees with the night policy.  

When asked about whether he thought boys and girls should be able to sit together, Joel Smith said, “It depends on the event, but for daylight conditions it’s ok.  I can see it on night trips in the dark.”  This fits exactly with the view Principal Darrington expressed.

The students of Juab don’t want to always be segregated from friends of the opposite gender on bus rides to or from school activities.  In daylight hours and with coach permission, they don’t need to be, but in the night or by coaches’ direction the segregation will stand.

Do You Believe in Juab's State Curse?

You may be a believer in creating your own luck, or you might believe that your luck is inevitable. Either way, there’s no doubt that luck plays into any competition.

Juab High School is one of the most consistent schools for sports in 3A. We are incredibly well-rounded and confident in sports such as football and basketball to teams such as debate and choir. Flying high and proud at the north side of our gym are countless region banners, showcasing umpteen successes.

But, lacking towards the west side of the gym are only 16 state banners.

How can a school that is so dominant in region play always come up short on the state level?

Many students and athletes attending the high school call it Juab’s “state curse.”

First, we’d have to look at what this so-called “curse” actually is. Many athletes and students explain it as being a continuous string of bad luck, many just “wanting to catch a break.” This continuing time of bad luck has thus been nicknamed, Juab’s “state curse.”

Whether or not you believe in a streak of bad luck, there’s some reasoning behind these beliefs.

In 2006, the Juab Wasps boys basketball team played against South Sevier for the state championship. The Wasps were down 48-45 near the end of the game, and missed a deep shot with the ball ricocheting off the backboard. One of the Juab players caught it, and successfully shot the ball, which appeared to go in before the buzzer.

If the official would’ve counted the shot the teams would’ve tied at 48. Thus, sending them into overtime, and battling for the state title.

Coach Shane Blackett, who was a senior and player at the time, says, “We will put it this way. If there was instant replay, they would have had to watch it a few times to see if it was good or not.”

The last state title Juab has won was in 2010 for the speech and debate program.

Especially this year, Juab has made a name for itself often dominating in all sports.

Our football program showed tremendous success this year. 4 players were named to the All-State first team, two players were second team, and three had honorable mentions. On top of that we had one of the best, if not the best, offensive lines in the state.

After a spirited win against perhaps our biggest rivals this year, the Grantsville Cowboys, the Juab Wasps travelled down to SUU, with the biggest fan section Juab has ever seen, to play in the semi-finals against Judge Memorial.

Junior player Jake Hatfield, says, “I think that if Nick hadn’t broken his arm, it would’ve been a better game.”

Literally minutes into the game, on our second possession of the ball, Juab’s own superstar quarterback Nick Robins was tackled, and broke his arm bad enough, that he was quickly taken to the hospital.  

The quarterback from the past season, senior Jeff Rowley, stepped up somewhat heroically for the Wasps.

Standout player, Dedric Davidson says, “Jeff did very well being put in a tough position where he hadn’t repped quarterback that season. He and everyone else gave it all they had despite the crucial injury to Nick.”

Senior Brandon Morgan added on, “For him (Rowley) to be able to come into a game with little practice at that position and give the performance he did, he did a great job. We couldn’t have asked for better effort.”

Without Robins though, who averaged 2097 passing yards and 30 touchdowns with 61% completions making him #1 in 3A and #4 in the whole state, the Wasps weren’t able to execute as well as they had in the past.

This was perhaps the start of this year’s “bad luck.”

Davidson says, “I do have no doubt in my mind that Juab could have won that game if Nick had remained healthy, because that was our perfect formula throughout the season, and I also believe that the winner of Judge and Juab would later win the state championship.”

Judge Memorial did go on to win the state championship.

Perhaps another glaring example of the so-called “curse” was at the play-in game for boys basketball this year, played at Juan Diego Catholic High School.

At the end of the third quarter of the low scoring, but very defensive ballgame, the score was 26-23 with the Soaring Eagles slightly ahead. With literally one second left in the quarter, Dillon Douglas dribbled twice, and shot from half court to make the buzzer shot as time expired, tying the Wasps with the Soaring Eagles at 26.

Juab soon scored again, seeming as if they’d close out the game in what would’ve been a thrilling victory. The Wasps led for the majority of the fourth quarter, until about 12 seconds left in the ballgame.

Then, the Soaring Eagles, with 22 seconds remaining, shot at the top of the key and swished a 3-pointer. Juan Diego shot once more, and we had the chance to tie it back up but with only one second in the game. Jeff Rowley shot it, barely missing, and Chance Carlton got the rebound and shot successfully, but time had expired.

Standout junior player, Dillon Douglas, says, “I promise the curse will be broken next year! But this year was fun, and I could think of anyone else to play with. I won’t believe in the curse after next year.”

Perhaps the most recent example of this ongoing unlucky streak was at state debate this year.

2010 was the first year Juab entered 3A, and the last year since we’ve won a state title. That last title earned was in speech and debate, where Juab thumped Juan Diego 103-79 to take home the trophy.

In the four years since, Juan Diego has always edged slightly past Juab, and this year, it was only by three points, perhaps making the sting that much worse, since Juab had been ahead and neck-to-neck with Juan Diego for the duration of the tournament.

The debate team is one the most successful program/team in the school, dominating every tournament they go to. They brought home another consecutive region trophy (the number is literally unknown, but is thought to be in the high teens).

Even though the debate team came up slightly short at the state tournament they don’t consider their rankings bad. They consider themselves lucky for the whole year even if that luck didn’t carry over fully into the state tournament.

Debate President Cameron Welburn, says, “I think everyone always had bad luck, but we can’t blame taking second on luck. We all gave it our best and did really well, but so did Juan Diego. We started this year in pieces, and with our excellent coach, we picked it up.”

But, even presented with all of these coincidences, coaches shake their heads at the “state curse”.

Coach Jeff Wallace, who’s been coaching for Juab for 25 years, and who is also the varsity coach for the girls basketball team, says, “I don’t believe in the curse. I believe in our circumstances. We are a small 3A school who have many students who are multi-athletes, not allowing them to focus yearly on a program to allow it to excel like even the larger 3A schools. We are talented, but our location and size make it difficult. We have to travel far down south or north to be able to compete in tournaments like all the other teams do, and that’s tough to do.”

Coach Blackett, coach of freshman basketball and football, agrees, “I don’t believe in curses necessarily. Since 1997, we have played in four basketball titles, two football titles, and two baseball titles. We have had opportunities, more than other schools, we just haven’t capitalized. I think you create your own luck through hard work. We were a few breaks away from winning championships.”

But, you can’t help but feel a little bitter as you walk away from games such as the football semifinals, or the boys basketball play-in game. It’s quite obvious as you watch those games our athletes are evenly matched with the other team, and in many instances standout from the other team.

Nick Robins says, “Personally, I think the curse is real. For some reason, things in the past haven’t gone right for Juab. We are all working hard to change that!”

Whether or not this “curse” is real, or even if you believe in it, it has been obvious that our sports have been beyond dominating this year, even if we haven’t walked away with a state trophy.

Along with the sports mentioned above Juab has been strong, consistently. This was the first year since 2010 that volleyball has been to the state tournament. Golf did a great job as well, placing 8th. After a region title, the drill team placed sixth in state, placing third with Character. Our cross country team showed dominance at both region and state. Girls basketball made it into the state tournament, the first time since 2012. Wrestling placed second at state, bringing home three individual state champions.

Now, the spring sports will be in full force, and it’ll be exciting to see what they can accomplish on both a region and state level.

As new teams step up and fight for titles next year, hopefully they’ll be able to break the “curse”, and bring home what we haven’t been able to: a shiny state trophy with “Juab” proudly engraved.