High School Sports, REGION 9: A Force to Be Reckoned With

Southern Utah Schools have become a force in the Utah High School Sports Arena. In the last five years, we’ve had state titles in football, girls’ and boys’ basketball, baseball, tennis, volleyball, and more. It would take several blogs to do the Region 9 schools justice in celebrating their athletic presence. In fact, look for some in the future.

Now is the time to enjoy the fall sports season which include: football, volleyball, girls’ tennis, cross country, golf, swimming. Whether you are the athlete or the spectator, there is an air of excitement as these young athletes begin to compete. Check out the "sports passes" that some of the high schools offer and cheer on these young athletes.

Schools in the Saint George area fall under the umbrella of the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA). As in other states, schools are grouped into classifications based on the size of enrollment. In Utah, the UHSAA has divided most sports into classifications ranging from the schools with the lowest number of enrolled students at 1A to the schools with the largest number of enrolled students at 5A. Football has the added classification of 3AA in addition to the other five classifications. Within each classification, schools are grouped into geographic regions for competition.

Desert Hills, Dixie, Hurricane, Pine View and Snow Canyon High Schools all compete against each other in Region 9. These schools are 3AA schools for football and 3A for the remaining sports.  The top four finishers in Region 9 advance to the state tournament.

While not the largest classification, 3A and 3AA sports provide a high level of competition. Each year, several of the best senior players move on to play sports competitively in college. Local residents can enjoy seeing past Region 9 athletes represent Dixie State University and Southern Utah University on a regular basis. This year, Pine View High School’s senior quarterback, Kody Wilstead, is reported to have received a scholarship offer and verbally committed to Brigham Young University to play quarterback. Also, Hurricane’s kicker, Corey Edwards, Snow Canyon's Adam Hine, and Dixie's Nate Carter will play for BYU this fall.

Let us help you to find a home in the right area for you.

Call Chris at 435-313-3966

or

Visit www.whystgeorge.com

Educating our children: Early Morning Strings

(scroll down to the bottom of the page to see a hilarious video about one person's cello experience.)

If your children want to learn to play one of the string instruments--violin, viola, cello, bass--we have an excellent opportunity in Washington County to get our kids started early.  Fossil Ridge, Lava Ridge, Sunrise Ridge & Tonaquint Intermediate Schools and Hurricane Elementary all offer programs called “Early Morning Strings”.  The program is aptly named as the classes begin at 7:00 am.

The instruction is free. All you need to do is contact one of the early morning teachers, sign up and find an instrument. As a general rule, early morning strings is offered to 4^th and 5^th graders, but talk to the individual teacher. We have seen kids younger than 4^th grade participate, and in our own family, we have had a child love it so much that he opted to do both early morning and regular school day orchestra in order to learn a second instrument.

The ensembles perform in recitals a couple of times throughout the year. The instruction is quality and quite personalized as only the dedicated few make it to the early morning class. This is a hidden jewel in our community.

Of course, you are responsible for their transportation to and from the class.

Here is the contact information:

Sunrise Ridge Intermediate School (Desert Hills Cone Site):

• SRI Early Morning Strings website
• Kirsten Candland, 1^st year strings :kirsten.candland@washk12.org    
• Megan Powell, 2^nd year stings: 15powell.megan@gmail.com                    

Fossil Ridge Intermediate School (Pineview cone site):

• Ed Candland eddie.candland@washk12.org
• Liz Heaton

Lava Ridge Intermediate School (Snow Canyon cone site):

• Jeri Crosby jeri.crosby@washk12.org

Tonaquint Intermediate School (Dixie cone site):

• Robin Keith robin.keith@washk12.org

Hurricane Elementary (Hurricane cone site):

• Debbie Thornton website, debra.thornton@washk12.org
• Barbara Bennett, Kay Emerson, Stacey King, and Steven Saline

Southern Utah is certainly a place where our children can thrive. We simply have to find the best fit for their talents and personalities.

Let us help you find the best real estate fit for you.

Call Chris Jones 435-313-3966

Or

Visit www.whystgeorge.com

Educating Our Children: Schools in Washington County, Utah

Raising children in Southern Utah naturally leads parents to be highly interested in the community’s schools. Personally, having children at all levels in the charter and public school system, we have had quite a bit of experience with different schools.

Washington County school district is somewhat unique in that there are four different schools in the progression of schools from kindergarten to 12^th grade: Elementary is K-5, Intermediate School is 6-7, Middle School is 8-9, High School is 10-12. The areas that feed into each high school are referred to as cone sites. In Washington County, we have the Desert Hills, Dixie, Hurricane, Pine View, Snow Canyon and Enterprise cone sites. In addition, there is Millcreek, an alternative high school, that is fed from all of the cone sites. A list of all the schools can be found on the county website: http://www.washk12.org/

There are also several private and charter schools that are worth, at least, considering as you choosing which area to purchase a home and lay down roots. Currently, the charter schools are George Washington Academy, Success Academy at Dixie State, Tuacahn, Valley Academy and Vista at Entrada. http://www.charterschooltools.org/charterSchools.cfm?stateID=44

One of the first things I find myself researching is test scores and comparisons of schools in the area. And one place to start is at the Utah Department of Education site. https://psdreports.schools.utah.gov/Gateway  Type in the school that you are curious about; see what scores pop up.

But as helpful as scores can be as a starting place, I find that talking to locals helps me find out more about the personality of each school and the meaning behind some of the scores. For example, East Elementary in St. George in recent years has posted low test scores, but when I talk to people whose children attend the school, I hear about wonderful, dedicated teachers and fantastic teaching. The explanation (that is completely unquantifiable and subjective) I hear from parents is that there is a high percentage of students who are not native English speakers. Despite the quality of teaching, this seems to drag down the test scores as a whole.

In the following posts, I will look a little closer at the schools, but there is nothing like talking to the locals. We can be some of the locals you talk to as you look for homes in the area. We have heard the praises and the frustrations. We want to help you find the best situation for you.

Contact us:

Chris Jones 435-313-3966

Or

www.whystgeorge.com