Blackout was a Knockout

Busy. The word that hangs on the tip of my tongue all the time. “How are you?” “Busy.” “Are you free later?” “No, sorry I’m busy.” While “busy” has been my word of the year, it has become the word of the month at Canyon View High School. In a frenzy of games, musicals, conferences, projects, portfolios, posters, work, and assignments, our student body struggles to find a moment of solitude. Yet, although being busy may not always be better, it does reap its rewards.

Over the past few months, our student council has been absorbed in one thing, blackout. Blackout is a basketball game in which our administration presents the proceeds from the Steve Hodson Cancer Classic Invitational, a basketball tournament dedicated to the memory of Steve Hodson, a former basketball coach who died in 2008 from cancer, to selected individuals in the community who are battling cancer. Poster after poster, week after week, we prepared for blackout. I myself made several fruit-themed posters to be hung in the gymnasium. However, a lot of the work can be attributed to our Artisan, Regan Miller. Not only did she make many phenomenal posters, but she also designed cool glow-in-the-dark t-shirts for the event, and took charge of the creative process.

To our delight, none of this work went in vain. I must admit, I was slightly late to the game, but when I arrived the bleachers were packed. I was forced to squeeze into a tiny space at the very top of the student section. Shortly after my arrival the CVHS Talons and CVHS Trash Can Band blessed both our eyes and ears with their halftime performances. Afterwards, our administration presented 5,500 dollars to the family members of Payton Higgins and Cashdyn Brindley, the recipients of the proceeds from the Hodson Classic! The rest of the game was nerve-wracking as Canyon View and Richfield chased each other's scores, which made our win all the more satisfying.

Blackout was not the only note-worthy event occurring on January 18th. A couple of hours prior our school acknowledged the accomplishments of our sterling scholars in the library, of whom, I am one. At this recognition night, we all were presented with sterling scholar medallions, showcased our work, enjoyed the melodic playing from some of our orchestra students as well as delicious desserts from our culinary students, and visited with friends and family. It was an extremely special experience that I will always remember.

January has also been an extremely busy month for our drill team, the Talons, and our cheer squad. Cheer recently competed in their central-region state qualifier and earned 1st place in Time Out Cheer, 2nd place in Fight Song, and 3rd place in Time Out Dance. They will be competing in state in all 3 of these categories! Additionally, Nikki Allen placed 2nd place in the Jump Off Competition. Likewise, our Drill team did exceptional at their last invitational placing 1st in Pom, Dance, Show, and Military, making them 1st overall! A special shoutout to Kamryn Creamer for placing 3rd in Drill Down. I am confident in the Talons’ ability to go all the way this season, and excited to see it!

Our drama department has been preoccupied as well this month. Currently, they are rehearsing for their upcoming play in March, Macbeth. Furthermore, many drama students recently attended Utah Theatre Association, a conference for aspiring performers, directors, writers, and even technicians. While there, they attended workshops to help hone their skill set. UTA also granted incredible opportunities to many of the drama students. Some were able to audition for different colleges; some were able to showcase their talents, Charlotte Pulga had the opportunity to read her beautiful poem “My Symphony” in the talent show; and some were able to compete, Marina Paul earned 1st place for the Playwriting Festival for her play “Dear Margaret.”

Additionally, a selected few of our choir students had the opportunity to attend State Honor Choir, hosted by the Utah Music Educators Association. Each of these incredible students practiced songs on their own time, then headed up to Murray High School where they had a 9-hour rehearsal and then performed the next day at Abravanel Hall for a full house. Faith Velazquez exclaimed, “It was a lot of work crammed into the 2 days we were there, but it was an incredible experience overall!”

It seems as though the entire school has been busy as of late, even this article is a bit too busy for my taste. Nevertheless, in the end, all of our hard work paid off. Left and right students at Canyon View are finding success. I just hope that they stop to take a breath and enjoy it for a moment.