Helper Middle School Approaches End of Year With Spirit and Accomplishment

Carbon School District Press Release

There are a lot of things that have happened this winter and spring as Helper Middle School heads into the last days of the school year.

“One of the things that we are doing this year is a school play at the Rio Theater,” said Robert Bradley, Principal at Helper Middle School. “Our students are doing a performance of ‘Aladdin’ on May 17 and 18 at the Rio Theater.”

In the past couple of months, many students at the school have excelled in competitions regionally and at the state level. Jared Saccomano took second place at the regional spelling bee after taking first in the district spelling bee at Mont Harmon Middle School.

Bradley also discussed an eighth grade student who has excelled with words in a different way. Jayden Allred has doubled the district reading challenge of 40 books read by an individual in the school year by reading over 100 by April 1.

“She has just devoured books this year,” said Bradley. “She is near to tripling the challenge and has read 104 already.”

A number of students at the school also participated in the state FCCLA competition recently. Family, Career and Community Leaders of America is a non-profit, national career and technical student organization for young men and women in Family and Consumer Sciences education in public and private schools through grade 12.

Winners from Helper included Ella Anderson for advocacy, silver and second place; Gentrie Hansen, Makayla Pugliese and T’Kiah McArthur with focus on children, silver; Emma Holm for entrepreneurship, gold and third place; Belle Pugliese and Kaylee Leffler in entrepreneurship, bronze; Jadyn Nef in focus on children, silver; and Kelton Stockdale and Gavin Fausett for sports nutrition, silver.

At the regional science fair in Cedar City, a group of students did well and the school received awards for discipline areas. Students who won included Hannah Ludington in animal science, honorable mention; Veronica Cartwright in computer science with a third-place finish; Allena Ison for chemistry with a first place win; and Cole Yoklavich in environmental science, also taking first place. The school also got the Southern Utah University Geology Club Award and the Eighth Grade Observer ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair).

Students at the school also competed at the regional history fair on March 11 at the Carbon County Fairgrounds. Seven students from Helper competed using this year’s theme “Triumph and Tragedy in History.” Gentrie Hansen, Sarah Ludington, Sophie Arrieta and Bradley Sweeney all competed in the website category. Emma Holm created an exhibit for the competition while Hannah Ludington and Jayden Allred competed in the historical paper category. All seven students qualified for the state competition, which will take place at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center in West Valley City.