Pride of The Pack

Reported By Amy Stott

Timpanogos High School has some pretty talented kids, and we want to recognize every one of them. School principal Mr. Murphy says, "We’re just creating a culture where students' talents and abilities are recognized, whether they're individual or team accomplishments. A lot of the time, if we don’t focus on great things and great individuals, they often go unnoticed or unrecognized. We truly feel that we have the best students and faculty at Timpanogos High School."

The girls' soccer team is full of some very talented and intelligent girls. They are very athletic and desire to do well academically. At the championship game, they tied for first place. Coach Lewis and Coach Barth are doing an excellent job leading the girls to an amazing season.

Seniors Kaleo Li and Trevor Giles are both National Merit semifinalists. They both received outstanding scores on the PSAT. Another person who did a fantastic job on the PSAT is senior Collin Smith. He is a National Merit commended student.

Senior Brooke Hodson took region for girls' cross country, her second time as region champion. Her time this year was an astonishing 18 minutes and 56 seconds in the 5K race. Senior Matthew Liddle took region for boys' cross country, finishing the 5k race in 16 minutes and 12 seconds. Coach Benson says, "It's been really exciting to see the how the cross country team can succeed."

Sophomore Lauren Folau is fighting against tobacco with her Polynesian Anti-Tobacco group. Tobacco companies focus on the youth of minorities, and she protests against it. Why is she so involved? "I do it to reach out to my peers," says Lauren, who is determined to make a difference.

Where would we be without the creator of the T-wolf TV intro to Pride of The Pack? Senior Mike Misbach is in Mr. Collette’s 3D animation class and is using his mind-blowing skills to serve our school. He said that it took him a total of around six hours to complete the intro.

Senior Courtney Brown has somehow managed the amazing feat of keeping up a 4.0 GPA, as well as performing as an outstanding athlete. This season she took academic all-state for girls' volleyball. When I asked Courtney how she does it, she flashed a brilliant smile and said, "My parents influence me positively."

Senior Jason Messenger is using his art abilities to take a stand against reckless driving. His work is displayed in the Highway Patrol's  2009 calender. Mr. Mills, the school's art teacher, says "Jason is an all around hard-working student. He's using our art computers to design a T-shirt for the National Honors Society, and he often comes in after school to work on projects as well."