Embedded Files
We are accepting student work for our paper! You can find more details in the Art Gallery.
What Makes BJHS Special
Brea Junior High is a school that strives for collaboration, encourages others to listen to one another, wants students to aspire for excellence and be their best selves, appreciates the diverse and welcoming community of BJH. Everyone shows school spirit to show their love for Brea Junior High.
The students, teachers, and staff here make the school a special place. Many of the teachers have been working here for many years. They all love the school for different reasons.
Mrs. Nasitka has been teaching at Brea Junior High for nine years. She said her favorite parts about working at Brea Junior High are the students and the staff. Mrs. Nasitka says she thinks the school is special because all the staff here want the students to have fun and a good time. Some activities that are special and fun at the school are the lunchtime activities. An example of one is last year, when they had an event for kids to dump water on the teachers if you donated. Everyone is always coming up with new ideas for everyone's enjoyment. Mrs. Nasitka thinks the students are special, or her favorite part about them is that they are all kind and want to do well.
Another teacher at Brea Junior High is Mr. Rivera. He has been working here for 24 years, and his favorite part about working here is that he gets to work with his best friends. His best friends are Mr. Morrill and Mr. Knaus; he loves working with all the other teachers, too. Mr. Rivera thinks that the school is special because the staff here at the school is a family, and they all want what's best for the students. Some fun or special activities they have at the school are the different variety of electives. They have some electives that other schools don't have, like robotics and newspaper. Mr. Rivera's favorite part about his students, or what he thinks makes them special, is that they are all polite, friendly, and respectful.
Mrs. Dauphin is also a teacher at Brea Junior High. She has been teaching here for 24 years, and her favorite part of teaching at Brea Junior High is the students. She thinks what makes the school special is Dr. Risburg because she celebrates the students, makes the school great, and rewards us, too. Some events she says are fun are cultural events to celebrate everyone, hero points events, and other surprises throughout the year. An example of one event was one that happened last year when they did a dancing event with the teachers, where the students had to guess who was dancing since they would wear a mask. This was to reward students. Mrs. Dauphin's favorite part about her students is that they really care. They care about learning, each other, the future, and everything. They all also support one another.
Ms. Bott is another teacher at Brea Junior High, and she has been teaching here for 25 years. Her favorite part about teaching here is that the students are motivated to do well in everything, and the parents are very supportive. She thinks a special thing about the school is that many of the staff members went to school in Brea and now they work here; because of that, they all feel more connected, and it feels like a sort of small-town feeling. It’s now a good feeling for the teachers and good for the students when everyone is connected. Ms. Bott’s favorite part about her students is that she likes to say she gets the best students, and she believes that. They are all good sports, patient, and even though she is the teacher, she learns from her students all the time. She also generally has very likable students.
Dr. Risberg, the principal at Brea Junior High, plays one of the biggest roles in making the school what it is. She has been the principal at Brea Junior High for two years. Her favorite part about being the principal here is the fact that she gets to watch everyone grow. She watches the teachers, staff, and students all grow. She thinks that Brea Junior High is special because so many students at the school have special skills and backgrounds. Also, everyone at the school can be themselves. Some of the fun events are the soak the staff fundraiser, mini golf, and masked dancer. These are all events to celebrate the students and have fun. Dr. Risburg loves the students here because she gets to see kids do what they love and see them do their activities.
The students here all love the school too. A few students here, Katelyn Nakashima, Kathalena Navarro, and Mila Chou all love Brea Junior High because of their friends. Mila Chou says that the classes and electives make the school special, and Katelyn Nakashima thinks the school dances make the school special. They also like the school food here, and have favorite classes.
All of the staff, teachers, and students make the school a welcoming place, and they think it is special for many different reasons. They all show what the school is about and what Brea Junior High wants everyone to strive for. They show their CLAWS, and thoroughly support everyone and their differences.
Written by Mackenzie Siemsen
Edited by Gabby Joo
Photos by Gabby Joo
9/29/25
Page updated
Report abuse