THS Chamber Strings
The Tooele High School Chamber Strings recently played for Harris, East, Northlake and West elementary school students to get them interested in stringed instruments. Sixth-grade students can sign up for beginning orchestra class in junior high. Elementary students can sign up for early morning orchestra class beginning in August.
The THS Chamber Strings group consists of about 20 advanced orchestra students playing violins, violas, cellos and bass. It is taught by Mrs. JoAnne Hinkle. They practice every other day at 6 a.m.
The THS Chamber Strings along with the orchestra group will be competing at the Anaheim Heritage Music Festival April 29 through May 4 in California. They will play music by Bartok, Handel, Bach, Grainger and Rachmaninoff.
THS Orchestra and Chamber Strings will be performing these pieces at Tooele High School on Thursday, May 15 along with the TJHS orchestras and elementary orchestras, at 7 p.m. The public is invited to this free concert.
Exchange Club of Tooele presents A.C.E. Award
Ryan DePonte and Brittany Aragon, seniors at Tooele High South Campus were presented the A.C.E. Award by the Exchange Club of Tooele on April 24. They were also presented with a full year scholarship to Utah State University Tooele Campus by Dr. Kathleen Robinson, outgoing executive director of USU-Tooele.
The A.C.E. (Accepting the Challenge of Excellence) Award recognizes high school students who have had to overcome great physical, emotional or social obstacles and are now eligible for high school graduation.
This is a positive program with two key objectives. First, it helps encourage students to overcome their hardships and get back on track toward a high school diploma. Second, the award recognizes those students who are often overlooked for their accomplishments. This special recognition serves as a powerful example to all students that hard work and perseverance really do pay.
Exchange, America's Service Club, is a group of men and women working together to make our communities better places to live through programs of service in Americanism, Community Service, Youth Activities, and its national project, the Prevention of Child Abuse. The first Exchange Club was organized in 1911. The Exchange Club of Tooele was organized in 2002. For more information on Exchange, call Bruce Dunn at 840-8644.
Tooele County recipients of the College of Eastern Utah Ambassadors
Almost 200 students applied for the 19 College of Eastern Utah Ambassador positions open for the 2008-09 academic year. After weeks of interviews, Ashton Scarlet of Kaysville; Austin Gray, Clinton; Blake Tucker, Huntington; Bruce Jensen, Elsinore; Cambria Murray, West Point; Carly Smith, Magna; Beth Maddox, Wendover; Farrah Nelson, Price; Jessie Kelley, Roy; Katherine DeBry, Ferron; Kaylen Walton, Vernal; Kelton Wells, Price; Mike Gingell, Myton; Sarah Bailey, Willard; and Whitney Oliver, Spring Glen, all from Utah. There will also be four out of state students joining the team this year.
These students will join the returning ambassadors: Alyson (Jensen) Madsen from Springville; Ashree Atterton, Pleasant Grove; Becky DeLeeuw, Tooele; Indra Gines, Kearns; and Kylee Ragan, Roy.
"College of Eastern Utah Ambassadors is a leadership group responsible for public relations work between the college and outside community. They are liaisons between CEU and prospective students and their families" said director Terry Johnson, Associate Director of High School & Prospective Student Relations.
The process to get into the ambassador program is highly competitive. The procedure a high school student goes through to become an ambassador is to first submit a scholarship application indicating that they would like to be considered for the ambassador program. The students are then invited to come and give a presentation before the office of admissions and scholarships staff and current ambassadors. After their presentation, there is an extensive interview process much like a job interview. "It was very competitive this year with numerous awesome candidates," said Johnson.
"It's a difficult process to choose those individuals who we feel will give the team the strength we need for the coming year. Ambassadors are primarily responsible for recruitment efforts. Each ambassador gives around 7-10 hours minimum of service each week towards recruitment. Duties include bulk mailing, campus tours, phone calling, and visiting all the high schools in Utah several times throughout the year.
"To maintain their ambassador status, Ambassadors are held to the "Five A's" of Being an Eastern Utah Ambassador." These are: ambassador, academics, attitude, accountability and activity," he said. "We expect each one to be an ambassador at all times no matter where they are. We hold them to a high academic standard. We expect them to maintain a positive attitude. We hold them accountable for the performance of their duties. We encourage them to be actively involved in the school and community."