Simplot Games: short distance and high jump

Last weekend the Judge Memorial track and field team traveled to Pocatello, Idaho to participate in the annual Simplot gamse, and the bulldogs really excelled. In the 200 meters, junior Kiersten Berg got first place in her heat, even though she was running in the first lane. The first lane is the hardest lane to run in because it is set farthest back and has the steepest curve around the end of the track. Junior Christian Barbiero and sophomore Kevin Ortiz also surpassed in the 200. Paul Clark did very well and was in one of the fastest heats for the 60 meter dash. Mary Morgan, a sophomore, joined Camille Overmoe, Kiersten Berg, and Lizzie Hindert to compete in the Medley relay, while Linda Frank mastered the high jump, jumping over the bar at 4'10''.

Our Town Premiere Tonight

The main stage production this year, Our Town, premieres tonight at 7:00 pm in the Judge Memorial Auditorium. It is directed by our drama and tech teacher Darin Hathaway and stars Pat Thompson, Lexie S. Allen, Nick Shifrar, Alice Gonzalez, Ashlyn Lozano, Lukas Richards, and Ryan Sabol. Our Town is a three act play, meaning there are three intermissions. During these intermissions, donations will be collected for the Road Home charity. If you can't make this performance, you will have the opportunity to attend on Friday or Saturday.

Freshmen Girl's Basketball: Undefeated

All the Girl's Basketball teams are tough to beat. The Varsity squad is heading into the playoffs as region champs and they finished with a regular season record of 19-2. The Freshmen Girls went undefeated, 17-0, in the regular season. Then won the next two games in the Freshmen tournament for an overall record of 19-0 . Their success reflects the hard work of the upperclassmen and the talent of the underclassmen. With the skill of all the teams in the program Judge Girls' Basketball can only get better. Make sure to support your Lady Bulldogs Varsity this Saturday, but don't forget the Freshmen as they play in the semi-finals this Thursday at Judge.

13th South - Illegal Beagle

Boy's Tennis Preview

As spring begins, it means something important for a group of
bulldogs: boy's tennis is starting. After pulling an upset victory in
the 2008 season, the bulldogs are the current 3A state champions and
are hoping to keep it for at least another year. Despite some
graduating players, the varsity team still has depth. Andrew Lamb,
Trey Kennedy, David May, and Kolbe Newton should be returning to the
team for the 2009 season, along with other players. The tennis season
will begin in early March and the bulldogs will start the search for
another state title.

Chamber Night

In the midst of what would be the off-season for Judge Memorial's orchestra and band, seeing as there are no major concerts until the month of May, Chamber Night is a chance for the individual performers to showcase their work. Every February Ramona Mayer organizes Chamber Night; this recital is a collection of soloists, duets and even some quartets. The pieces that are performed are not rehearsed in the early mornings of class, but on the musician's own time, making this a very personal concert.

On the types of music that will be performed Ramona Mayer said, "I encourage classical, but over the years, jazz, Broadway, soft pop and other genres have been added. The idea is to perform close-up and personal with the audience and that often supercedes the style choices. Rap, hip-hop, and alternative are still out, though!"

Be sure and celebrate the talents of your fellow classmates on February 12th at 7:00 PM in the Music Room (across the hall from the auditorium). Admission to watch professional level music being performed by high school students is free and treats will be provided. Come and support!

Girls' Junior Varsity Soccer

Are you looking for a new extra-curricular activity to do here at Judge? Soccer might just be the perfect idea. I recently sat down with a soccer player, Shiona Smith. We talked about how she has enjoyed playing this sport so much.

"It was really fun to get to meet new people before coming to Judge, because on the first day of school I wasn't as nervous as I could have been because I knew a lot of the freshman already." Shiona replies. "It's a really fun sport and I encourage everyone and anyone to get involved." She has been playing soccer since she was just five years old and her favorite position is defense.

This year there is a new soccer coach. Shiona says that she just recently met him and is very excited to get to know him more out on the field. "This season, I am really looking forward to getting to know the new coach." Shiona says smiling. "I'm also looking forward to new training and conditioning."

"I would tell anyone to get involved in soccer. It's fun, it gets you moving." I can tell how excited Shiona is about this upcoming season. "I love getting to interact with the other players and the coaches. It's a great way to get to know new people."

Shiona's advice to future soccer players is, "Try your hardest and do your best, don't be put down by the fact that someone else is better than you." The season will be starting soon. If you would like information on how to get involved with the soccer team, please contact Wayne Voorhes.

Girls Golf

Spring sports are now upon us and the girl's golf team is one of the sports quickly gaining interest. The number of senior girls now looking to play the sport has grown drastically since last year, not to mention the several juniors and underclassmen planning to join the team. The girls will start practice on March 2nd under the coaching of Patty Brimley and they are all very excited to start playing. "It's mostly about learning and the experience, but we are all really excited to play," said senior Marquel Reddish. The girls will compete in 6 upcoming tournaments and they are all hoping for the best.

Bulldog Basketball

This week is a big week for Judge basketball; the Varsity boys' team had a 40-39 win over Wasatch leaving them with a 7-0 region record. The Varsity girls had a tough 50-51 loss to the Wasps; this leaves them with a region record of 6-1. Wednesday the freshmen girls and boys will take on Highland, while the sophomore and JV boys will play Wasatch. Sophomore, JV and Varsity boys and girls all take on Uintah on Thursday. Good luck bulldogs!

Our Team, Our Town, Our State

With basketball state championships and the opening of the main stage production on the horizon, Judge students everywhere are getting pumped up and excited. Whether part of the cast or part of the team, we are all part of the community- and that's why JM's Student Council created "Our Team, Our Town, Our State". You've heard it all before: As a community, it's important to support each other in every way. But now's the time to enforce it- Judge is getting ready for some amazing things.

"I'm having a lot of fun- I'm really excited-it's my last year," says Varsity Basketball member Danny Franks. The team hasn't qualified yet- but things look promising. With a region record of 7-0, the boys are well on their way to the glory of the state title.

On February 2, students piled into the auditorium for Judge's first ever Directors Night, in honor of Our Town. As Mr. Hathaway says: "The play is the closest thing you can get to classic American." Although the play has a dry script, it is infused with meaning and emotion that are present in the lives of real people. Our Town is moving and deep, it explores the deepest sense of community possible. Our Town premiers on February 19th and closes the 21st.
So, with these two big events looming in the distance, it's time to gather your friends and support your school, whether part of the team or in the bleachers. Reserve those tickets and practice your cheers, because it's Our Team, Our Town, Our State.

Judge Swimming

The Judge swim team is seeing its season come to a close and state is moving ever closer; the girls looking to redeem themselves after last year's close loss to Park City in the state championships. The boys looking to improve from a 4th place finish. The girls being led by captains Kate McMinimee, Melissa Nichols, and Megan Bush, and the boys being led by Oliver Diamond and Will Bowers. The girls rank 1st going into the races and the boys 5th. The event takes place February 6th and 7th at the BYU swimming pool.

Wall of Service

While soldiers sacrifice their time and risk their life for the safety of others, students at Judge have created a sort of memorial to commemorate those serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other areas of the world. Aptly named the Wall of Service, students are encouraged to tack up the name of a loved one that is serving in a war or has served in the army, navy, air force, marines, you name it. Catholic Schools Week is all about service, and by passing this reminder and seeing the names of those who serve our nation, it's easier to see how our service can influence others. Even something as small as volunteering at your old elementary school or helping an older neighbor organize their attic, we can all make a difference. Seeing how we affect the people around us makes us realize that we can all change the world, together or alone.

Drama Teacher Hosts Director's Night

Judge's drama department is gearing up to perform this year's main stage play, Our Town. Mr. Darin Hathaway – the drama teacher and director of the production – chose this American classic for many reasons, namely because it is noted as one of the most important American pieces ever written.

Hathaway wanted to be sure that viewers of the Judge performance would understand the significance of the play, and furthermore why Thornton Wilder, the playwright, wrote such a profound – and often abstract – play.

For this reason, Hathaway hosted "Director's Night" on Tuesday, February 2, in the Judge auditorium. The cast was present to talk about their characters and Hathaway discussed the life of Wilder, the history of the play, the play's plotline and structure, and why Our Town is important.

"So many people have come up to me and said, 'I was in Our Town' or 'I remember where I was when I first saw the play.' And I think that is what's so cool about Our Town. It has sort of established this tight community of people," said Hathaway.

Director's Night was an insightful look into the life of Wilder and Our Town as a whole. The commentary that Hathaway provided was interesting and will help those who attended appreciate and understand the play.

The production runs February 19-21 in the Judge Auditorium. All shows are at 7 PM. Come and support the very talented Judge drama department.

indoor track kicks off

It's been a slow start for Track and Field, but the season's meets won't wait for the last person to catch up. Indoor season will be in and out the window, like a cold chill in the night. So far we've had a high of nine participants in one meet, ranging from 2 to 9 people at each new event. This year the team seems to be recuperating from the loss leaders, but it simply needs new talent to step into the spotlight. A couple think you need experience and skill in order to run, jump, and throw, well you can't meet the bar if you don't face it, meaning you won't get any better unless you try. From sprinter/hurdler/thrower/jumper Jenna Sliwinski, to distance pro Luke Puskedra, part of their success attributes to their constant trial, practice, and dedication even after facing failure. There is still much talent on the team, and if you haven't tried racing give it a shot, because you can only gain once you've begun.

Judge Basketball vs Wasps

On Tuesday February 3, 2009 the Judge Memorial Bulldogs face off against the Wasatch Wasps in what could be the most important basketball game of the season. There will be a good match-up between the teams and the bulldogs will have to work hard if they want to come up with the "W." The game will be at Judge at 7:30 P.M. Chuck Edmunds, a senior on the Judge Varsity basketball team said, "It should be a great game and be sure to look for D-Franks [Danny Franks] to come up big from behind the ark [3-point line]." Be sure to show up and show the basketball team your support in the game that could be the deciding factor for who becomes the region champ's.

Nerd Show

Last Saturday, four ska bands, Illegal Beagle, The Mooks, The Fast Food Kings, and The In-key Dropouts, performed for at Kilby Court, a car garage converted into a music venue. As you may know, Illegal beagle is a six-member band, three of whom are students at Judge. These students are Andrew Arredondo on tenor saxophone, Diandra Ryan-Mas on guitar and keyboard, and Jimin Brelsford on trumpet, fiddle, and baritone saxophone. It was a great show and the fans were getting very into it. Illegal Beagle has a new album with five songs. To purchase an album, I reccomend that you talk to a member of the band.

Engineering Club

Engineering Club at Judge began the end of the first semester and the club is planning for many entertaining activities for this semester. Michael Robinson, a junior at Judge, the one who created this club tells, "The Engineering Club at Judge is an opportunity for students at Judge with an interest in Math, Science, and Engineering to explore the current world of engineering as a possible career path in college and beyond. We are working directly with the University of Utah's Engineering Department to explore ways of using engineering to solve some of our world's challenges of energy conversion and pollution emissions." They are now focusing on the use of fuel cells and renewable source of energy and preparing for the presentation at the University this summer about fuel cells.

Michael Robinson seems very positive about the club. He says, "I think that the club is a great opportunity for students to get a head start on college correspondence, and will look very good in a resume. The activities that we will be doing are both fun and educational, and we have the potential of making strides toward improving the world we live in." Anyone who is interested in Engineering Club can contact Michael Robinson by email at mrobinson801@gmail.com, find and talk to Mr. Angelo or just show up at their meetings. The meetings are on every Thursday, in Room 211.