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Show 28, 2009 • Bl Guardian of Your Community News Alexa Johnson STAFF WRITER High school seniors Candace Wride and Haydn Richardson were both recently voted homecoming queen. Haydn attends Salem Hills High, and Candace attends Spanish Fork High, and each of them do as much as they can to help out in their schools. These girls also have something else in common — they just happen to be cousins. Candace is the dance captain of the show choir group. Singers, is the SBO secretary, seminary president, and is also a part of NHS, Hope Squad and Impact International. Her favorite classes include. Singers, student council and exercise science. She hopes to attend BYU to major in the medical field and longs to take a foreign aid trip to help out with medical needs or in orphanages. Candace has loved being so involved with school. "I just love going to school because I get to see all my many different friends," she said. "We have an amazing administration, and faculty that make it even better." Outside of school, Candace, is involved with gymnastics. She coaches it, and loves to watch it. Singing, playing the piano and guitar, spending time with her family and goofing off with friends are all things that she enjoys doing in her free time. Hadyn is president of Impact International, cocaptain of the Salem Hills Cheer Squad, and is a pan of seminary council. Her favorite classes include seminary, guitar and painting. Being involved in school has been a big part of her high school years. *i love being involved in school," she said. "The games and the school spirit from all the kids, and the dances have been fun." Haydn hopes to attend BYU to become a dental hygienist, or to attend a cosmetology school. She looks forward to taking part in the Miss Salem Pageant this May. In her free time she enjoys playing spoils, being with her family, taking pictures and making home videos with her little brothers. "I like to be doing something ... housework or yard work," she said. Both of the girls agreed that it was a surprise to be voted homecoming queen. Candace said, "I just wasn't expecting it ... it was a great honor to be voted by Alexa Johnson / The Sentinel STOP TO SMELL THE ROSES: Pictured above, from left to right, are Haydn Richardson of SHHS and Candace Wride of SFHS, stopping to enjoy the roses of the rose garden at Spanish Fork City Park. my peers. "It was so exciting, I was so surprised. My favorite pan was feeling like a princess for a day ... because that's kind of always been my dream," said Hadyn. Candace and Haydn each said they could see why the other was chosen to be queen. "Candace is just amazing. She is never mean to anyone. She's very happy and has a smile on always. She's really welcoming and can make friends easily," said.Haydn. "Haydn was voted homecoming queen because of her so sweet, bubbly personality — because everybody loves her, because of who she is. She can make anybody's day," Candace said. Candace and Haydn have loved high school and.hope that others will make the most of it as they have. Their advice is, "Be involved — get out and do things. Don't be afraid to just have fun. High school is for learning, so don't be afraid if you make mistakes ... just keep going. Live it up. It's fun!" Vandalism reveals layers on SFHS Rock Jeril Bills STAFF WRITER The painting of the large rock in front of Spanish Fork High School has been an important tradition for decades. The rock has been painted so many times over the years that rumors abound about the thickness of the layers of paint, and the size of the unpainted rock when it was first placed there. Recently some of the paint on the rock was chipped off in what may have been an act of vandalism. Although the damage is unfortunate, the result provided a rare glimpse of the thickness of the paint layers. While the paint is not nearly as deep as some of the rumors suggest, to go through the rock layer by layer would be to travel through time, uncovering a history of dances, major sports events and every time someone from an opposing school plastered their colors on the rock as a prank. It would uncover over 30 years of memories at Spanish Fork High. The idea for the rock originated with Mike Morley, who currently serves as a representative in the state legislature. Morley was elected student body president at the school for the 1975-76 school year, the year America would celebrate the bicentennial of its independence. One of Morley's goals for the school year was to unify the student body. He and his fellow council members had, over the summer, painted poles and other things at the school in the colors of the nation's flag. Morley's parents, who had attended College of Eastern Utah in Price, had told him about a spirit rock at CEU that the students painted from time to time. Morley decided he wanted to start the tradition of a spirit rock at Spanish Fork High. One problem with CEU's spirit rock was that it was small enough that people from rival schools would sometimes steal it. When Morley presented the idea of the SF rock to thenPrincipal J. Rulan Nelson, he was told to "just make sure it's big enough that nobody comes and tries to drag it off." That he did. The giant rock was hauled out of Payson Canyon on a pickup, and dropped off in front of the school. "The truck actually came up on its hind wheels." said Morley. He also noted that the rock remains in the same position it was in when it fell out of the pickup. Originally Morley and those who were with him wanted the rock to stand up rather than staying in the lying-down position in which it fell. "We tried to jack it up," said Morley. "It just didn't go anywhere." So they left it as it was, as it still sits today. At the opening assembly of that school year, Morley spoke of the heat and pressure required to form a rock. He then charged the students to become unified, saying the administration would "apply the heat," the faculty would apply the pressure and the school would "come together like a rock." Hence the rock became a symbol of school unity. Later in the school year they painted it red, white and blue to celebrate the bicentennial. The rock was painted again several more times that year, and has been painted several times each year since. It has been used to advertise dances and other student activities, and has given students a unique opportunity to express themselves. "It's just the perfect shape," said Morley. "It's been a football, a hat, a person — everything." Narnon Bills / The Sentinel ROCK OF AGES: Pictured to the left is the large rock that sits on the front lawn of Spanish Fork High School, an area of damage exposed on one of its faces. Pictured above is a detail of the vandalism that reveals a glimpse of over 30 years of Spanish Fork High School history. State Representative Mike Morley, student body president in 1976, was responsible for the placing of the rock in front of SFHS in that year. Morley began the tradition of painting the rock in hopes of creating more school unity during the USA's bicentennial year. » |