Episode 39: Timpview Graduating Seniors

May 17th, 2024 /
Shauna Sprunger /

Sup with the Sup

00:00 / 15:28

Welcome everyone to the next episode of Provo City School District’s What’s Up With The Sup podcast. I am Superintendent Wendy Dau. For the next two episodes of the podcast, I will be visiting our high schools to speak with graduating seniors. This week I visited Timpview High School and next week I will be at Provo High School and Independence High School. I want to hear from these seniors about their high school experience and have them share advice they might have for students coming into high school. But first, here are our updates.

Congratulations to our graduating seniors across Provo City School District. We are at the end of the year and graduations are taking place next week. Check with your local high school to find out dates and times and locations for those graduations.
Congratulations to Joseph Tsai, a senior from Timpview High School. Joseph was recently announced a 2024 US Presidential Scholar. Joseph is only one of two students in Utah to receive this recognition this year. And there’s only 160 of these across the country from all seniors across the United States that are recognized. So this is amazing.
Another special congratulations to Shari Payne, a kindergarten teacher at Wasatch Elementary School. She was recognized at our last school board meeting as the Provo City School District Teacher of the Year. And if you have been to her kindergarten class, you will understand why that is a work of magic.
Next week is the final week of school. The last day will be Friday, May 24th. We have made it officially almost.
Thank you to those that attended the four community meetings to discuss the district’s construction and capital facilities needs for the next five years and to discuss options for addressing and funding these needs. We appreciate all of the feedback and the questions. And the genuine desire to have an ongoing transparent conversation with our community.
If you are interested in hearing updates regarding the construction projects happening throughout the district, please visit the district website and click on the new construction newsletter sign up link. The next newsletter will be sent out following the May 28th board meeting.
The Board of Education currently has one draft document available for community input on the district website. From the main page of the district website, click on the Policies, Forms, and Documents button. On the next page, at the top left, there is an orange Review Draft Policies Here button. The document is a draft culture of belonging statement. Feedback on the culture of belonging statement will be accepted through May 24th and reviewed by the board prior to voting at the June 11th board meeting.
The next school board meeting will be on Tuesday, May 28th at the district office. This meeting is open to the public. Times will be posted as we get closer to that meeting.
Look for the weekly videocast from me every Friday. In this short video, I provide important information and updates about work happening throughout the district.

And now, on to our graduating seniors.

Wendy: I’m here at Timpview High School, and we are interviewing seniors to talk about their experience at high school, and maybe advice that you could give to students, and you’re gonna share some memories with us, but tell us your name first.

Michael: My name is Michael Oteo.

Wendy: Excellent. And how long have you been a student at Timpview? All four years?

Michael: Four years.

Wendy: Awesome. Okay. What has been your best memory of Timpview High School?

Michael: I would say I did sports, so I would say all the, we won state this year. I would say all that stuff was super cool and like attending the football games and everything. So that was super cool.

Wendy: That was definitely awesome. Tell us about, uh, what’s one of your favoritest teachers or a coach or an adult that has really just made a huge impact on you?

Michael: Miss Holly. She’s super cool. I don’t know if you’ve met her. She’s super cool. She lets you stay in her room. Um, she can help you with assignments and everything. So Mr. Whittingham, super cool as well. Sometimes, I don’t know, if you bother him, he’ll, be a little grouchy, but he’s super cool as well.

Wendy: That’s all right. So these are individuals that have kind of helped you get through high school. Super cool. Tell us one piece of advice you could give to students that are coming up through Timpview High as they’re looking towards graduating.

Michael: Don’t procrastinate.

Wendy: That’s pretty good advice. That’s awesome. Well, thank you so much. Appreciate your time. Congratulations.

Michael: Thank you very much.

Wendy: So, I’m here at Timpview High School. We’re interviewing seniors, and I’m here with one of our Timpview seniors. Hello, tell us your name.

Jamison: Hi, I’m Jamison Johstoneaux.

Wendy: Awesome, and how long have you been a student at Timpview? Have you been here all four years?

Jamison: Yep, all four years.

Wendy: Awesome. Okay, tell me what is the best part about Timpview? Of Timpview High School.

Jamison: Yeah, really for me, it’s just the community here. I really enjoy all the other students here. I really love all of my teachers, especially this year. I’ve had such amazing teachers. It just really makes it a good learning environment. It makes me feel comfortable here, and I’m just excited by all the opportunities that we also have here. There’s a lot of extracurricular activities that I’m involved with here and I just really enjoy all that.

Wendy: What has been one of the best memories that you’re going to leave Timpview High School with and say, wow, I will never forget this?

Jamison: Probably being on the debate team. I’ve done that for the past three years and I’ve just really, really enjoyed it. Uh, the people there have been so exciting and I’ve been able to grow as a speaker, as a debater so much. throughout it. It’s just been so exciting for me and a lot of fun. We went to state this last year and that was so fun. We competed in a lot of different events, had some really exciting people win some things. So yeah, that’s just something that I’ll never forget.

Wendy: Just something you really bonded with other students about. Tell me a favorite moment with a favorite teacher.

Jamison: Yeah, probably my favorite teacher here is Miss Van Orden. She teaches AP Research, AP English, and a lot of other classes. She’s just such an amazing teacher, has been so supportive, uh, especially throughout AP Research, which I’ve been in this last year. Probably my favorite moment has been these last few weeks after we finished the AP test. She has just been so fantastic in helping us set up a paper. Tons of different fun activities that we’ve been doing. We played games, we set up a whole gala thing and had that. It was ton of fun. We’ve just done so much and she’s just such a fantastic teacher.

Wendy: And you need to do that because you work so hard throughout the whole school year. You’ve got to have a little bit of fun at the end, right?

Jamison: Yeah, well, we learned in this class how much you have to work, especially to write a research paper, which we did. So having this at the end of the year has been so exciting and just a culmination of all the efforts that we’ve had.

Wendy: That’s incredible. Okay, tell us what your plans are after high school.

Jamison: Yeah, so I plan on going to the University of Utah. I’ll start there in the fall. I’m planning on studying pre-med there and eventually becoming a doctor or PA or something like that.

Wendy: Oh, that’s incredible. And just full disclosure, I am truly a Ute fan. So nicely done. I see that there are other people in this room that might be Ute fans, but some people not so much. So, piece of advice that you would give to, say, underclassmen.

Jamison: Uh, really put yourself out there. There’s a lot, like I talked about earlier, there’s a lot of extracurricular activities here at Timpview. So, find what you want to do, find what interests you, uh, and join them. There’s tons of clubs, tons of competitive events, there’s fine arts groups and performing groups. There’s so much out here that you can do. So, really just put yourself out there, challenge yourself. Even if you think it might be difficult, just go for it because I promise you, you’ll have a ton of fun doing it.

Wendy: That’s awesome. Thank you so much.

Wendy: So tell us your name.

Marissa: Uh, my name is Marissa Heaton.

Wendy: And how long have you been a student at Timpview High School?

Marissa: I’ve been here all four years and I’ve had all of my family go through Timpview.

Wendy: Oh, so this is like a huge family tradition here. Okay. So tell us what your favoritest part of Timpview High School is.

Marissa: Probably the people, like my friends, and hanging out with everyone, so.

Wendy: That’s good. And what has been one of your best memories in terms of maybe an extracurricular activity, or a class that you’ve had, or just something that you’re going to take with you and say, this is really something I’m going to remember forever.

Marissa: So I’ve taken physics and AP physics the past this year and past last year. And the people I’ve taken it with have done some of the wildest things ever. And it’s just been like the weirdest class period ever, but I’ll definitely never forget.

Wendy: Not very many people will pick AP physics as their awesomest memory from high school. So this is pretty incredible. Tell us who your AP physics teacher is.

Marissa: Uh, his name is Mr. McIlmoil. We just call him Mac.

Wendy: There you go. So, we have to do a shout out to your AP Physics teacher there. Okay, so tell us about maybe a piece of advice that you would give underclassmen who are coming through Timpview High School.

Marissa: Don’t stress too hard about stuff and enjoy your high school experience. You only get to go through high school once, so you want to live it up as much as you possibly can.

Wendy: Excellent. And what are you planning to do after you graduate?

Marissa: Uh, I’m going to BYU and I’m going to study psychology.

Wendy: Oh, excellent. Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for being on our podcast and for talking to us a little bit about Timpview High School.

Wendy: Okay, what’s your name?

Grant: Um, my name is Grant Reeve.

Wendy: And how long have you been a student at Timpview High School?

Grant: All four years, but I’m the first in my family.

Wendy: Oh, first of your family. Do you have younger siblings, though, that are going to come up through Timpview?

Grant: Yes, three brothers, but two of them are here at Timpview right now.

Wendy: That’s awesome. Okay, so tell us what you feel like has been the very best part about Timpview High School that you’re always going to remember.

Grant: This AP research class, it’s been awesome. My teacher, Mrs. Van Orden, she really pushed us to do really high quality work and the project that I did and all the work that I did, it’s really near and dear to my heart and I’m really grateful for the opportunity that I had to be able to learn so much about the research process, gathering data, analyzing data, writing a paper. That’s been really helpful. Probably the most helpful project I’ve ever done in high school to help bolster my academics and skills.

Wendy: And you feel like that’s definitely gonna help you in the next phase, right? So tell us what your plans are after high school.

Grant: I’m going to serve a mission, um, first, and then I’m going to Canada, and then afterwards I’m going to study engineering at BYU.

Wendy: Excellent, and I forgive you even though you’re going to BYU. No, I’m just kidding. BYU is awesome too. I have a degree from BYU and the University of Utah, so I’m kind of a split soul. Tell us what advice you would love to give underclassmen.

Grant: I would say find good friends that can help support you in your interests and in your goals and keep you on the right path because you can find friends that, you know, can turn you to make poor decisions and that who you choose to be friends with, it really makes a big influence on you. And so choosing good friends will help you be a better person.

Wendy: I think you’re right. I think that’s what we’re hearing from all of the seniors here, right? Okay, so besides our huge shout out to Mrs. Van Orden, give me another teacher that’s been like, influential in your experience here at Timpview High School that you’re like, I’m so glad I was in that class.

Grant: Um, Russell Oliphant, the choir director. He is awesome. I’ve been in his, uh, in choir all four years of high school and the way that he runs the class is very organized and structured, but then also he talks about things outside of choir, like personal development and, you know, goals and being ready for life. And it’s really helped me be a better person, reach out to more people socially and to grow in so many ways. I’m super grateful for my experience with choir.

Wendy: I’m hearing this common theme that high school students really appreciate teachers that make things very relevant to them, of stuff that they can use later on. So besides the research skills and personal development that your teachers are helping you with, what are some, maybe some other skills that you’ve picked up in high school that you’re like, I really appreciate this because this is going to help me a ton.

Grant: Probably the skill to be able to push yourself, like, to be able to find your limits and to be able to, you know, work hard. And something I’ve really struggled with is time management. It’s been really hard for me to do that all throughout my high school experience. But like, certain classes, the way that they’re structured, have pushed me to be better and to work harder on my assignments and things like that. And then in choir one thing that Mr. Olly always tells us is that you have to be 1 percent better every day. And I try to do that, and that’s really helped.

Wendy: That’s awesome. Thank you so much. Congratulations. I’m so excited for you.

Grant: Thank you.

Wendy: Okay. Tell us your name.

Lily: My name’s Lily. Wendy: And how long have you been a student at Timpview High School? All four years?

Lily: Yeah, all four years.

Wendy: What has been the best part about Timpview High School?

Lily: Probably the dance program. I’m a dancer.

Wendy: Uh, what do you love most about dance?

Lily: I just love the people in the program. It’s like a really welcoming space and it’s just been so fun.

Wendy: Good, and what do you love most about performing, or what type of dance do you love, or what do you want to share about the dance program to encourage other kids to get involved with it?

Lily: Yeah, I think it’s just really fun because we do so many pieces, she’s in dance as well, we do so many different pieces at the end of the year and it’s just really fun to like take a piece like from the beginning and like work through it and just be able to perform with like all my friends and it’s just like, it’s just like so different from every other part of school and it’s so different from, kind of like anything else I do, really. It’s just a fun experience.

Wendy: So you’re kind of coming together, and you’re seeing a piece that you start off with, and you’re like, oh, this isn’t good. But by the end, it’s magnificent, right?

Lily: Yes, absolutely. Our concert is this weekend, so.

Wendy: Oh! Okay, give a plug for your concert. When is it?

Lily: It’s Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Wendy: Okay, here at Timpview High School in the Auditorium?

Lily: Yes, okay.

Wendy: Okay, I’m gonna have to come. That sounds amazing. Okay. What advice would you give to underclassmen as you’re getting ready to graduate?

Lily: I’d say, like, get involved with things. I think it’s, like, really helpful to, like, have something that, like, makes you want to come to school, whether it’s, like, a club or a team or something like that. I think, like, dance is an example for that for me, but also, like, just finding things at school that, like, make it fun.

Wendy: That’s awesome. What are your plans after high school?

Lily: Yeah, I’m going to school in the fall. I’m going to BYU, which I’m excited for, and I’m going to keep dancing, which will be fun. Um, I don’t know what I’m going to major in yet though.

Wendy: That’s all right. Keep dancing. Go to BYU. You’ll figure it out. It’ll be awesome. Congratulations.

Lily: Thank you so much.

Wendy: Thank you for joining me for this week’s episode of What’s Up With the Sup. As always, all episodes will be posted on the district website, YouTube, and anywhere you get your podcasts. If you have any topics or questions you would like us to discuss on the podcast, please email us at podcast@provo.edu.

Be sure to tune in again next week to hear the second part of my visits with graduating seniors at Independence High School and Provo High School. Have a great weekend, everyone.