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AFTER MIDVALE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB WINS SURPRISE MAKEOVER By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

he chances were slim, but when Aaron’s announced the winner of the $20,000 teen center makeover, the Midvale Boys & Girls Club came out on top. “Out of hundreds of submissions, we were chosen,” said Jaimie Dunn, director of operations for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake. “Not only did the team do the work to win, Aaron’s included them in the entire project.” Aaron’s has been the leader in lease-to-own furniture and appliances since 1955. Through a partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the company surprises clubs around the country with updated rec rooms, gaming areas and homework stations. Associates from Aaron’s meet with teens and leaders in brainstorming sessions to discuss how the room can best serve members of the club. After five months of planning, the 24-hour renovation was completed in May and unveiled to the teens in a surprise reveal May 17. The space includes several Playstation 5s, three 50-inch TVs for gaming, a Nintendo Switch, new couches, a 75-inch TV, a ping pong table, gaming chairs, air hockey, pool table, board games and a homework area. “It’s really exciting,” said Midvale Boys & Girls Club Director Presley Austin. “I think it’s incredible and the kids are sure to love it. I feel like it’s something our kids deserve. It’s been a long time since Continued page 4 Teens at Midvale Boys & Girls Club try out the new gaming chairs, part of a $20,000 makeover the club received through a partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Aaron’s. (Photo courtesy of Aaron’s)

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Hillcrest forensics team members to compete at nationals in June By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

illcrest High junior Priyanka Mathews will spend time editing and rewriting her original oratory before she competes in nationals this month. She and junior Michael Chen will compete in person at the National Speech and Debate Association tournament June 12-17 in Louisville, Kentucky. Teammates Sofia and Sara Moeinvaziri will compete virtually. “I’m wanting to improve the writing of the speech itself and practice a ton in front of a bunch of people to get their feedback,” said Mathews, who competed virtually at nationals last year. “My speech is about obedience and its role in society. First, I talk about the Stanley Milgram campaign conducted in the 1960s and his shocking tests on obedience and conformity as well as a couple other experiments. Then, I shift into this culture of political conformity where we feel like we need to be in line with our party and not rebel within the party.” Mathews finished second at state. Chen will compete in Lincoln Douglas debate. The Moeinvaziri sisters qualified in public forum, but since they are virtual, they will compete in pro/con online contest. First-year coach Emily Kunz said after having turnover of coaches the past few years, mixed with the COVID-19 pandemic, it has resulted in a small Hillcrest team of about 12 consistent members. “It’s been a rebuilding year,” she said. “These students have really had a lot of determination and tenacity to keep going. They’ve really done things on their own; they’re go-getters.” Kunz said that while many schools have an academic class that supports the team, Hillcrest does not. So, labs have been optional and experienced students have stepped up to coach younger classmates. “Our students are dedicated to find the time to research their own material, write their speeches and practice. We’ve had students step up in leadership roles to mentor these younger students so they’re not only exception in their events, but exceptional and generous in their time and willingness to help others,” she said. She pointed out that Sofia has taken on the leadership role of coaching newcomers, especially in public forum. At state, newcomers Nayantara Nair and Marla Tumenjargel were quarterfinalists after placing fourth at region. “I’m excited about next year and the direction the team is heading. We have a lot of promise and it’s just fun being around these students,” she said. That new direction includes the introduction of not one, but two speech and debate classes as more than 50 students have expressed interest.

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Some of the Hillcrest High’s speech and debate team gathered at the end of the school year. (Photo courtesy of Emily Kunz/Hillcrest High)

“I’d love to win regionals with a bigger team,” Kunz said. This year, she had some top region finishes including Mathews, first in oratory; Moeinvaziri sisters, second in public forum; Dheeraj Vislawath, third in Lincoln Douglas; Thomas Lu, fifth in Lincoln Douglas; Saisha Vankayalapati, fifth in Informative; and Sona Kannan, sixth in student congress. The Moeinvaziris qualified at the March 5 Sundance national qualifying tournament, one of three tournaments they had in four weeks, sandwiched between other club state competitions and advanced placement and International Baccalaureate classes. “Debate is always a high stakes competition,” Sofia said. “It was definitely a relief to get first and qualify.” Now Kunz plans to review judge feedback with the national contenders and be working to do mock competitions. “I’ve lined up people who have judged at nationals come in and give them feedback, which is always valuable,” she said. Kunz, who took part in policy debate in high school, is a new teacher at Hillcrest who also practiced law for nine years in New York City. “As an English teacher, we’re always talking about communicating effectively and supporting it with evidence. I know how to craft an argument and support it with evidence and can help students with that. What they’re doing is so important. I’ve seen the practice side and importance of making an effective argument,” she said. “We have some incredible students at Hillcrest. It has just been a joy to work with these amazing kids and mentor them.”l

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we’ve been able to do anything like this. The teens helped come up with all the ideas.” Midvale Boys & Girls Club Keystone President Yoaltici Espericueta, 16, is a student at Hillcrest High School and has been coming to the club for five years. She and others on the team worked with Aaron’s to create a vision for the updated space. “We’ve never done a renovation here and we’ve never changed anything, except I think we moved the couches once,” she said. Midvale Boys & Girls Club (7631 S. Chapel St.) hosts 40-50 students every day after school during the school year and many more in the summertime. Programs are available for kids from first to 12th grade and costs only $20 for the school or the summer program. This renovation is number 55 for Aaron’s. Its mission is to provide healthy, safe environments for teens so they can thrive in the community and bring awareness to the club and its programs. “We believe strongly in equipping our future leaders with the tools they need to succeed, and our partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America gives us a tremendous opportunity to impact youth in a meaningful way,” said Joe Villasenor, Aaron's regional manager for Utah. “On a local level, it was an honor for me and my team of eight employees, all of whom work in the greater Salt Lake area, to make the refresh a reality for the teens at the Midvale Boys & Girls Club. Nothing beats the smiles on their faces when they see their new space and knowing how much they'll thrive in their new teen center.” For more information about Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake, visit gslclubs.org. “It’s nice for the teens to have something to be really excited about,” Dunn said. “We want to provide the best club with something that’s fun and a vibrant place to be.” l

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Hillcrest FBLA chapter excels at state contest, will send members to compete at nationals By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

n more than 35 contests, Hillcrest High snagged top-10 honors at the Future Business Leaders of America state conference, qualifying several members for nationals. Among those state results, the Huskies snagged three first-place finishes: senior Selena Yu in business communications; freshman Brian Wei in introduction to financial math; and seniors Humzah Khan, Achintya Mahajan and Anika Balakrishnan in hospitality and event management. Junior Sofia Moeinvaziri, who got fifth in impromptu and was named to the state FBLA board, plans to compete at nationals June 29-July 1 in Chicago, with her younger sister, Sara, in social media strategies. The two won the event at region, and at state they finished eighth. However, others ahead of them elected to compete in other contests or were unable to go, clearing the path for the sister team. For the event, they created a social media campaign for a Persian restaurant, identifying primary and secondary target audiences, and platforms to reach those patrons. “We really learned about what all goes into creating a campaign and how to build a good platform,” Moeinvaziri said. “FBLA is genuinely fun. I’ve learned general life skills, interviewing, public speaking and being able to work together, which I can use in my career in business, finance or maybe math and engineering. Plus, during the down time at competitions, it’s fun meeting new people and being with my team. Sara and I do a lot together, so it will be fun to compete together at nationals.” Before they go, Moeinvaziri, who placed sixth in intro to business presentation at the virtual nationals last year, wants them to not only present in front of more audiences to get feedback, but also “go over rubrics and through the presentation to improve any ‘boring’ parts.” Junior Amber Parker also plans to compete in nationals. While she and her partner, junior Sowmya Paritala, competed in publication design and graphic design at state, earning second and sixth, respectively, Paritala will be unable to compete in Chicago so Parker will present on her own in publication design. Last year, the two competed in introduction to social media strategy virtually for both state and nationals. This year, the two worked together using the prompt of making a logo suite that carried through various media and a website for men’s high-end clothing. “We decided our target was for businessmen from the southern states and used it for both contests,” Parker said. “We wanted it to have a sleek and high-end look, so we had that idea when we designed our logo for that audience. We used the same colors and

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fonts throughout it, so it looked professional.” Paritala added, “We focused on being able to present the publications we’re capable of that promoted a specific product or company.” She joined FBLA to gain experience to have more practice in communication, presentations and teamwork, but added it’s also been fun. “It was pretty exciting to get second; we got silver medals,” said Paritala, who also got a silver in business communication. “I’ve learned how it’s important to emphasize certain key points when presenting professionally. It was interesting to see more of the business type setting and how you have to put yourself out there with all the things you prepare. I think that was a good experience.” Paritala said those presentation skills may come in handy at medical meetings as she wants to enter that field. Parker said she also may use those skills in her future career in aerospace. Parker liked the creativity of making a campaign. “I learned about the design process and what is involved to get to their final product of logos, websites, clothing designs, marketing and all,” she said. “I really liked the artistic part of it, but there’s also an understood industry standard and you have to show you know the professional design process with the rubric. I learned about that and I learned about small things like color theory and how colors affect people. I learned how to make things look professional and be able to incorporate the same things over several designs using the same color palette and same fonts. We researched why certain colors do certain things, why brands of certain types have certain advertising and we had to be able to get that information across in seven minutes.” The duo had seven minutes to present and three minutes to answer questions. Parker will be on her own to do that in Chicago. “I’ll review any comments we got from the state judges and then go over the bullet points from key ideas we said so I make sure to present Sowmya’s critical points,” Parker said. “It’s going to be challenging as there will be so many others competing. I like presenting to judges; and afterward, it’s going to be fun being in Chicago with my friends.” Other Hillcrest silver medalists are freshman Benjamin To, introduction to FBLA; and sophomores Thomas Lu, Dheeraj Vislawath and Vishwa Murugappan, coding and programming. Hillcrest third-place state-finishers include sophomores Murugappan, Vivaan Rajesh and Shreyas Sundar, data analysis; senior Anika Balakrishnan, future business leader; and senior Akash Chandrashekar and freshman Paritosh Mahanthi, mobile appli-

Hillcrest High’s FBLA students placed in the top 10 in more than 35 contests at state this spring. (Photo courtesy of Hillcrest High)

cation development. Hillcrest had two fourth-place teams: juniors Mahika Acharya, Aparnaa Narayanan and Saisha Vankayalapati; broadcast journalism; and Murugappan and Rajesh, management information systems. Junior Laura Curtis competed in organizational leadership placing fifth as she did when she teamed up with junior Swetha Iyer in business management. Freshman Ayush Chandrashekar grabbed sixth place in introduction to parliamentary procedure. Other sixth-place finishers include Amqi Su in supply chain management; Iyer in public speaking; juniors Michael Chen, Kunal Kamtekar and Adharsh Ramakrishman in website design; and senior Shivani Srinivasan and junior Campbell Hone, sales presentation. Hillcrest seventh-place state finishers were sophomore Sang Hyun Chun, intro-

duction to parliamentary procedure; Acharya, organizational leadership; sophomore Sophia Lin, introduction to event planning; and juniors Devika Rajeev, Acharya and Narayanan in public service announcement. Eighth-place state finishers include Chun, introduction to financial math; and senior Erin Zhang, UX design. Hillcrest’s students who earned ninth place include Chandrashekar, introduction to FBLA; and Vislawath, introduction to information technology. Tenth-place state finishers are Chun, agribusiness; freshman Jacklyn Wei, business calculations; sophomore Thomas Lu, introduction to financial math; sophomore Abhimanyu Iyengar, introduction to business presentation; Zhang, journalism; and Yu, political science.l

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June 2022 | Page 5

Newcomers learn about movie history, filmmaking through Canyons Film Festival submissions

or the past 10 years, Jordan Valley teacher Glenda Folkersen thought it would be fun to make a short film with her students, but the idea was always put on pause. This year, while teaching her students about the 2021 opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, Folkersen decided to hit record as her students brought the history of filmmaking to life. Fast forward to April 28 as one of her students, Nathan Curtis, representing himself and his 10 classmates, was able to roll down the red carpet to claim the golden film canister as winners at the Canyons Film Festival. It was the first film Jordan Valley has entered in the 12-year contest. “Every year when the film festival rolls around, I’m always saying, ‘Why doesn’t Jordan Valley participate in this?’ I’ve always thought it would be fun to make a short film with my students and enter it,” Folkersen said, who bounced around making a film with her student teacher Cora Bentley, who also liked the idea. “Without even stopping, I went to my back closet and pulled out a bin of hats and decided to let the kids choose which hat they liked and then we created the storyline.” Folkersen followed where her students’ eyes looked as a way of selecting their hats. “With their disabilities, some of them have their own form of communication. They will gaze if they want something or if I’m holding up a squid hat versus a sombrero, they’ll gaze to say yes at the one they want,” she said about students at the school who have severe multiple disabilities and can be extremely medically fragile. Part of the goal at Jordan Valley School is to improve the quality of life for students, age five to 22, and their families and Folkersen saw this as an opportunity her students could participate in, similarly to mainstream students. As the project unfolded, Jordan Valley achievement coach Brett Taylor stepped up to help with the filming and even arranged for Canyons School District to paint his office wall green as a form of a green screen for the students in the film. “We would dress our kids up, take them into the green room and if they had a speaking part, we would record it onto a switch device, so the kids could activate the switch to say their lines,” Folkersen said, adding that when one student was studying from home, Folkersen even went to her house to record her to ensure she was part of the film.

Page 6 | June 2022

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com Tying into the opening of the motion picture museum that her students were studying, the cast of room 261 created, “Making Movie History.” The opening scene has Miles Askvig dressed as a construction worker as he fits in with other workers to build the museum. Then, the movie history tour begins with Stephanie Moreno-Cervantes as a silent movie star. Abby Wilburn emerged in the first color movie as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” followed by Curtis as Mr. (Fred) Rogers in “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Next, students explore documentary films as Ahmed Hmeida and Sam Willardsen, wearing squid hats, discover the underwater world. From there, the students’ movie moves into animation films starring Jade Stephens dressed as Jessie and Caleb Kirk appearing as Andy in “Toy Story,” and Emily Jensen wearing Elsa’s hairstyle in “Frozen.” All the students were part of the “Ghostbusters” scene before Willardsen, joined by Monique Lopez and Connor Bruce, wearing sombreros highlighted the movie, “Coco.” The Jordan Valley studios’ film ends with fireworks. During the process, Folkersen said it created happy memories for her students. “We had so many smiles and fun while doing this. Nathan loves Mr. Rogers and one of my favorite experiences with this whole production was getting him in a sweater and tie to play the part of Mr. Rogers. When I turned him around in front of a full-length mirror, he laughed so hard. It was the most joyous memory because he was so proud of himself and happy to play the part of Mr. Rogers in our production,” she said. It ended up being more than just a movie as a class project. “We thought this would be a great short movie for families to get out and watch with popcorn and just really enjoy, but we had so much more. We had so much attention and clapping from the audience. Yes, we have students with disabilities, and it was our first time we’ve participated, but so many people came up and said how meaningful the movie was for them and how their own kids can’t watch it without smiling,” she said. “That’s what these kids do, they just make you happy.” There were other first-time entries, like Hillcrest High’s Jayashabari Shankar, who won the high school public service announcement category with “Buy Local, Think Global.” “I went out shopping and saw signs to buy locally produced items and that really sparked my interest so I did some research on that and thought it would be a really

Jordan Valley’s Nathan Curtis, seen with his teacher Glenda Folkersen, represented his classmates and accepted the best short film award as he appears as Mr. Rogers in the school’s first-ever film entry shown on the giant screen at the Canyons Film Festival. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

cool idea to do that for a film,” she said. “I’ve always been interested in writing and artistically spreading a message. I decided this would be a new challenge, especially after the last two years when so many things were virtual or canceled so I wanted to give it a try. I’ve never done a video in this format before, so I’ve learned about filmmaking. I liked the fast-paced tone of the PSA; it’s catchy and I could add music so people would remember it. It’s really been a good learning experience.” They marked just some of the winners of the 600 students and faculty who submitted films this year. It was the largest in the film festival’s history, which marked the return of the event after a one-year absence because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the ceremony was held virtually. Other PSA winners include: Lilyaina Moore, Brookwood Elementary, “Sunburns;” and Jacob Despain, Eastmont Middle, “The Easter bunny does not approve of cyberbullying.” Other short-film winners include Scarlette Matheson, Ben Hunt, Parker Bates, Jacob Do, Adelle Booth, Helena Mabonza, Sydney Merkley, Syniva Angilau, Brooklyn Thomson, Landen Williams, Luke Hobby and Abner Larsen, Ellie Holt, Cooper Wennerholm, Charlie Gulini, Charlie Gulini, Kaleb Faraimo, Ronan Christensen, Marina Araujo and Graham Abbott, Oakdale Elementary, “The Case

of the Missing Pickles;” Maya Yrungaray, Draper Park Middle and Linda Vogel, Liz Vance, Emma Bodell, and Noah Garcia, Corner Canyon High, “Struck.” Animation winners include: Abigail Felt, Lucas Felt and Cara Swinyard, Canyon View Elementary, “The Snowman and the Chick;” Gretel Diederich, Indian Hills Middle, “Mini Lifeguard;” and Cameron Tillman, Brighton High, “Laughter is the Best Medicine.” Newscast winners were Sprucewood Elementary Falcon Report; Draper Park Middle Mrs. Steel’s first semester fifth period newscast; and Jordan High School NewsBEET and El NewsBEET. Documentary winners include: Sadie Young, Peruvian Park, “How to make a fun after-school snack;” and Campbell Hone, Amber Parker and Abigail Slama-Catron, Hillcrest High, “Voting Rights.” Other winners include World Language film by Mathias Olsen, Butler, “Omelette;” best film for digital citizenship: Maya Yrungarya, Draper Park Middle, “Netiquette;” Ava Harvey, Jordan High, for film festival poster; and a tie for teacher film with Daniel Croshaw, Dallin Maxfield, Clark Ashland and Joe Wale, Albion Middle, “Basketball Bros;” and Wade Harman, Diamond Ridge, “An Invitation to Freedom.”l

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Hillcrest High students excel in Science Olympiad, U of U Science & Engineering Fair By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

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n her first year of teaching and advising her science club members, Hillcrest biology teacher Zahra Barkley couldn’t be more proud of not only her students’ successes, but also of their initiative and drive. “We have a group of really intelligent, driven and initiative-taking students,” she said. “Our students had success at science fair, and we battled and overcame some obstacles with Science Olympiad to do well there too. I was taken back by how awesome they did with everything that had been thrown at them.” Six Hillcrest High students independently competed at the University of Utah Science & Engineering Fair, all of them placing and two earned special awards. In addition, two juniors Sowmya Paritala and Saisha Vankayalapati teamed up and were awarded an invitation to the Regeneron International Science and Engineering fair that invites 1,750 scientists from 63 countries, regions and territories around the world. At the state Science Olympiad, 14 team members took fourth place out of 17 teams competing. The students all are part of the school’s science club that also offered noncompetitive activities this year, including guest speakers and a documentary night. Weeks after the University of Utah Science & Engineering Fair, where Paritala and Vankayalapati got second in Medicine, Health Sciences and Biomedical with their entry, “Development of Novel, Selective, Orally Available Small Molecule CDK-9 Inhibitors for Prostate Cancer Therapy - Mechanistic studies,” the two were preparing to travel to Atlanta in May to present at ISEF. The basis of their project stemmed from working with a compound the Huntsman Cancer Institute developed specifically to treat prostate cancer. “We conducted preliminary trials to see where the compound works with invitro cell lines, Paritala said. “We shadowed there some of the last two years. I was interested in shadowing there because of the cancer research, specifically I was intrigued how they treat cancers.” Paritala said that through the experience, she learned how “meticulous lab work is and how important every single detail is important. The smallest of mistakes can have very big impact especially when you’re dealing with such small concentrations of compounds.” At the April state Science Olympiad, Barkley said there was a lot of moving parts not just because of being a new adviser with a new club president in junior Priyanka Mathews, but with changing events and information.

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Dinner Seminar

Learn more about Advanced Funeral Planning, Wills, Trusts, Burial Plots, and Cremation. Hillcrest High’s Science Olympiad team snagged fourth place at the state contest held in April at Southern Utah University. (Photo courtesy of Scott Catron)

“We pulled in the parking lot after competing at state at SUU (Southern Utah University) at 10 p.m. and I told my team, ‘I’m so proud of you all. I don’t think you get enough credit for everything you’ve stepped up and done.’” Mathews and Barkley prepared study sessions. Individuals created their own event materials. “Priya really took a lot of initiative with the team and club this year,” she said. “We have a really intelligent group of kids here at Hillcrest who are really involved in their academics. That reflected in their events, even the trial events. We did phenomenally; it was great to get fourth with less than a full team.” The team also competed at two regional tournaments. “I’m really excited what we’ll be able to accomplish next year now that we know more of what’s going on and can be organized to hold practice events,” Barkley said. “We’ll have experienced students who can help build up their events and help younger students.” Mathews, who was accepted to Clark Scholars Program to do research at Texas Tech this summer, competed in both Science Olympiad and at the U of U Science & Engineering Fair. In Cedar City, she teamed up with senior Ryan Chen to place first in experimental design. Then she paired with senior Selena Yu to grab third in home horticulture and junior Ruth Woodland to get bronze in cell biology. At the science fair, she placed third in biology and microbiology division with her entry, “Identifying Lead Compounds for

Cyanobacterial Quorum Sensor Inhibitors for Use in Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Control through Deep Learning Methods.” She also was special award winners with the Stockholm Junior Water Prize and GENIUS Olympiad. Mathews also reflected on Hillcrest’s year with the science club. “I tried to diversify what all we do in science club; I wanted to expand all aspects, make it more inclusive. We welcomed students who just wanted to do activities as well as those who wanted to compete with Science Olympiad or science fair. I just tried to get the ball in motion. Next year, I want to get it rolling more.” Other Hillcrest University of Utah Science & Engineering Fair winners included: sophomore Aarav Parkih, first place in earth and environmental sciences, and American Meteorological Society and GENIUS Olympiad special award-winner; senior Warren Ellsworth, second place in physics, astronomy and math; and junior Jayashabari Shankar, third place, computer science and applied computational methods; and sophomore Vishwa Murugappan, fourth place, computer science and applied computational methods. Additional Hillcrest Science Olympiad state winners: Woodland and senior Lucas Bolster, first, agricultural science; sophomore Evie Pendleton and senior Gigi Liu, first, botany; juniors Swayam Sapkal and Abigail Slama-Catron, second, in solar power; Chen and sophomore Ivan Chen, second, in trajectory; and sophomore Dheeraj Vislawath and junior Akash Chandrashekar, second, in wright stuff. l

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As their classmates and Boeing’s Scott Chapple watches, two East Midvale fifth-grade students learn its harder to break ice when chenille stems are frozen in with the water. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Hands-on learning from industry experts leaves East Midvale students excited about STEM By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

t East Midvale Elementary, students weren’t just getting a lesson about composites that tied into fifth-grade core curriculum, they were getting a chance to have hands-on learning from industry experts. In one classroom, Boeing Metal Manufacturing Engineer Scott Chapple explained to students that composites have a high strength-to-weight ratio, can be bent to any shape needed and are designed for environmental exposure. Chapple also walked them through different kinds of composites. “Our planes are designed to stay in the air; the composites are designed so they don’t crack at the altitude or change of weather or other conditions,” he said about their planes made of carbon fiber. To better understand composites, he showed students how he created one by putting in chenille stems and a plastic astronaut into water, then freezing it. He provided students safety glasses and a hammer to take a crack at it. “Two or more things can come together as a composite and you can see how strong they can be,” Chapple said. It went along with the lesson, “What is a Composite?” where students created a composite timeline, described the matrix and reinforcement of composites and identified some advantages of using composites in products. It was all part of the school’s engineer-

Page 8 | June 2022

ing week, where about 100 second-graders discovered how airplanes fly, looking at the wing design and the pressure put upon them, then made paper airplanes looking critically at how the wings affected their flight before flying them in the school hallways. Fifth-grader Connor Wilkes was excited to gain an insider’s knowledge of airplanes. “It was really cool,” he said. “He told us how much fuel the planes use and how much composite is part of the plane. It’s like 50% and it’s stronger than aluminum. Did you know that the laminate glass windows don’t break or even shatter?” Boeing Metals/Composition Manufacturing Engineer Paul Filatov said it’s part of their outreach to teach STEM to students. “The kids are excited; it’s cool stuff,” he said. “Everyday technology is evolving and we’re trying to help make sure kids are ahead of the curve.” Filatov said students were challenged to create their own airplane after using one that had guidelines. “There was a lot of happy kids jumping for joy making airplanes and not just learning how to make them fly better, but why changing little things can help them do so. They were having fun experimenting with what works; I told them they were learning why we need engineers in the world,” he said. Filatov also taught students about aero-

Midvale City Journal

space careers. “We tell them, ‘if you love math and science you’re learning here, there’s this amazing aerospace field you can go into’ and we’re hoping to spark a dreamy kid into thinking and going into this career. I tell them, ‘I’m 23 and one of the youngest engineers at Boeing. Fifteen years ago, I was in elementary like you guys so if you love airplanes and space and this stuff, come join us.’ There are careers if they like to draw, they can design planes; if they like to work with tools, we need mechanics. There’s a lot of positions with a range of opportunities,” he said. Boeing, which also had an engineering manager and industrial engineer demonstrating to the fifth-graders, has offered the outreach program for at least five years out of Salt Lake City and West Jordan. The area operations build horizontal stabilizers made of composites for the 787s, and consoles and overwing exit doors for the 737s as well as work on military aircraft, Filatov said. Fifth-grader Avery Umberger said that she learned that carbon fiber not only is pliable, but also strong. “It makes a lot of sense why composites are used in the plane’s wings,” she said. “Planes’ windows are small and made out of stretched acrylic so they can handle the pressure and it’s a lot lighter than glass. I learned a lot about planes; I didn’t know what they were made of. I like math and science, so it’s a cool job.” Her teacher, Danna Caldwell, said this was another opportunity for her students to learn about careers beyond their parents’ occupations or what they see at school— or what they will experience at the Junior Achievement mock city, which they plan to go to this spring. “A lot of students aren’t aware of job opportunities, and this teaches them what they can apply with what they’re learning in school—their math, their science, their writing,” she said. “We’re studying composites this spring, so it directly ties into what they’ll be learning, but it really opens their eyes as to what is out there. I’m sure half of them have never been on a plane, so this just excites them.”l

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Summer meals available for youth at four Canyons schools By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

his summer students are able to eat school breakfast and lunch. The free school meals are provided to all children 18 years and younger at four Canyons School District elementary schools, three in Midvale and one in Sandy. They are East Midvale Elementary, 6990 S. 300 East, Midvale; Midvale Elementary, 7830 South Chapel Street, Midvale; Midvalley Elementary, 217 E. 7800 South, Midvale; and Sandy Elementary, 8725 S. 280 East, Sandy. At all locations, breakfast will be served from 8:15 to 9:15 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on weekdays. There will be no meal service on July 4 and July 25. The meals, provided through the federally approved food service program, will begin on June 1 and run through July 29. Meals will be served inside school cafeterias; there will be no curbside sack distribution. l

Canyons School District will serve meals this summer for children 18 years and younger in four school locations. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

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This is a possible design for a food truck plaza just north of Midvale City Hall. (Midvale City)

Food trucks may roll onto Main Street if city says yes to plaza By Erin Dixon | e.dixon@mycityjournals.com

idvale City has put a lot of money and

2022-2023 work into reviving Main Street turning

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Page 10 | June 2022

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the old museum into an art house and paying artists to cover building walls in murals. Both ventures are works in progress. Nate Rockwood, Midvale community development director, is behind the push for improvements on Main Street. Just north of Midvale City Hall and Main Street is a space filled with lawn that is never used. Rockwood suggested the city turn the space into a plaza, with trees, seating and open concrete, that would regularly host food trucks and other events to help bring people to Main Street and business to the area. “I like to look at other ways the city can participate other than just…infrastructure and parking, which are hugely important but not always the most exciting things,” Rockwood said. Food trucks tend to bring a crowd. More people in the area encourages business. “There are developers on the north end of Main Street waiting for things to take off,” Rockwood said. For summer 2022, the city is hosting a

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food truck gathering on Holden Street, without the built-in plaza. If there is community support, the city will consider building the plaza. On the Facebook group Midvale residents, there was resounding support for the idea. Over two dozen residents voiced their support. “Food trucks, concerts, farmers market, artwork, is an absolute must and go-to for our family,” resident Glenette Romero said. “We'll be there.” The city’s goal for the food truck plaza is to use empty space around city hall, make Main Street more visible and desirable, including public art, festival type lighting and seating. The space will be able to hold seven food trucks at a time. The city is partnering with The Food Truck League, a business that manages food truck events. “[We will] bring food trucks to the parking lot for the summer to get a feel for what the market is,” Eliot Steimle, The Food Truck League operations manager said. Food truck events usually draw people locally, but many people travel across the county to get to them. l

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Midvale City Journal

In The Middle of Everything MIDVALE CITY DIRECTORY City Hall Finance/Utilities Court City Attorney’s Office City Recorder/Human Resources Community Development Public Works Ace Disposal/Recycling Midvale Historical Museum Midvale Senior Center SL County Animal Services Police Dispatch Unified Fire Authority Fire Dispatch Communications

801-567-7200 801-567-7200 801-567-7265 801-567-7250 801-567-7228 801-567-7211 801-567-7235 801-363-9995 801-567-7285 385-468-3350 385-468-7387 801-743-7000 801-743-7200 801-840-4000 801-567-7230

MIDVALE CITY ELECTED OFFICIALS MAYOR Marcus Stevenson 801-567-7204 Email: mstevenson@midvale.com CITY COUNCIL District 1 - Quinn Sperry Email: qsperry@midvale.com District 2 - Paul Glover Email: pglover@midvale.com District 3 - Heidi Robinson Email: Hrobinson@midvale.com District 4 - Bryant Brown Email: bbrown@midvale.com District 5 - Dustin Gettel Email: dgettel@midvale.com

WHO TO CALL FOR… Water Bills Ordering A New Trash Can Reserving the Bowery Permits GRAMA requests Court Paying For Traffic School Business Licensing Property Questions Cemetery Water Line Breaks Planning and Zoning Code Enforcement Building inspections Graffiti

801-567-7200 801-567-7202 801-567-7202 801-567-7212 801-567-7207 801-567-7265 801-567-7202 801-567-7213 801-567-7246 801-567-7235 801-256-2575 801-567-7231 801-567-7208 801-567-7228 385-468-9769

EMERGENCY OR DISASTER CONTACT Public Works Fire Dispatch – Unified Fire Authority Midvale Police Precinct or Police Dispatch Unified Police Department EMERGENCY

801-567-7235 801-840-4000 385-468-9350 801-743-7000

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JUNE 2022

City Hall – 7505 South Holden Street • Midvale, UT 84047

CITY NEWSLETTER

Marcus’s Message

By Mayor Marcus Stevenson

As mayor, I’m committed to be transparent, honest, and open in my communication to residents. That’s why it’s important to me that I let you know a property tax increase is being proposed for this year. The fact that our city will be considering a property tax increase in our current time of high inflation and cost of living increases, is not something I take lightly. However, just as inflation is impacting all of us, the same is true for our city. That’s why I wanted to explain the reasoning behind this proposed increase and describe the budgetary challenges we face as a city. Before I go on, I’ll also add that all of this is tentative and things do, and will, change. It’s mid-May as I write this, and by the time you read this, things could have changed drastically. Only a small amount of your property taxes come to Midvale City. While looking at my own property taxes, last year I paid a total of $2,367, of which $182 went to Midvale City. This was a mere 7.7% of the property tax I paid. The largest part of our property taxes goes to our schools and Salt Lake County. So, what exactly is your Midvale City property tax going towards? It’s simple: Unified Police Department. Every cent of property tax collected by Midvale City pays for law enforcement, but it only covers 31% of the total cost. This means the other 69% of our law enforcement is funded by sales tax and other smaller revenue streams. Just a year ago, our member fee to Unified Police Department was $9.2 million, but that is increasing to $11.7 million – a $2.5 million increase that our city must come up with. Projections show that our current property tax rate will now only cover 23% of our entire police costs and that 45% of our entire general fund budget will go to law enforcement services. Understanding how much (or rather how little) our property taxes cover our contract cost with the Unified Police Department, and how much of our general fund budget is dedicated to law

enforcement, becomes critical in understanding how challenging it is to keep costs low while providing the daily services that we all expect to have as residents. As far as Midvale City’s own budgetary increases are concerned, we are proposing to fund a cost-of-living increase for all our employees. Last year we had 32% of our staff turnover, which meant services for our residents were impacted as staff tried to cover multiple jobs. That’s why we are proposing an 8% cost of living pay increase for all employees to help our city stay competitive in the job market and ensure that the critical services we provide are maintained for our residents. Outside of this, the budgetary requests from our staff were minimal, as we work to keep costs as low as possible. We expect in the upcoming fiscal year that our city revenues will increase by 10% and our expenses will increase by 14%. This means we are left with approximately a $700,000 funding deficit that we must make up for by either increasing property taxes, using our rainy-day fund to help offset the cost for this year, cutting back city services, or some combination of these options. At this point, projections show that by using property taxes to cover this entire deficit, a 26% property tax increase would be necessary (a $48 increase for the average homeowner per year). However, by using some of our rainy-day funds, we could cut that back to 10.8% (a $20 increase for the average homeowner per year) or use both rainy-day funds and cut back city services to do a 4.8% increase (a $9 increase for the average homeowner per year). As I stated at the beginning, much of this is still in the air at the time of this writing, but any proposed property tax increase would need to be announced by June 22nd, which is why I feel it’s so important to be transparent about these budgetary restrictions our city faces and I hope our residents see how hard we working to keep costs low in these uncertain times with inflation and cost of living increases.

June Classes and Special Meals COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM at Midvale Senior Center Midvale Senior Center will be hosting The Aging Mastery Program that will be held on Tuesdays starting June 14 through August 23 at 1:00 PM. The program covers Navigating Longer Lives, Exercise and You, Sleep, Healthy Eating and Hydration, Financial Fitness, Medication Management, Advance Planning, Healthy Relationships, Falls Prevention and Community Engagement. With the rising gas, housing, and inflation costs; we will be hosting a Money Matters Series of classes. Topics include Protect Yourself from Scams and Financial Exploitation, Tax Relief, AARP Smart Driver Course, Vital Aging: Ways to Live on Less, and Surviving Rent Increases on a Fixed Income. Call for dates, times and to register. We will be having two special lunches in June. We will be celebrating Father’s Day on Friday, June 17, and will be serving Pot Roast. On Tuesday, June 21, we will be celebrating Juneteenth and will be serving Grilled Bratwurst. To register for the Aging Mastery Program, Money Matters classes, or lunch call 385-468-3350.

Midvale is happy to announce the reestablishment of our Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). This team along with other CERT team members from around the county prepare citizens to respond effectively in disaster. CERT trains residents to prepare their families and neighborhoods to mitigate, respond to and recover from disaster. Our goal is to strengthen our community and make it more resilient, neighborhood by neighborhood. If you are interested in CERT or have further questions, please contact our Emergency Manager Brad Jewett at BJewett@unifiedfire.org

In The Middle of Everything

WWW . MIDVALECITY . ORG

Connecting Midvale

New e Paradime t S art Ta.m. 9:00

Save the Dates August 1 & 2 Neighborhood Block Parties

Wednesday, August 3 Midvale Arts Council Hall of Honors

Friday, August 5 Midvale Arts Council Summer Concert Series

Saturday, August 6 Harvest Days Parade, Festival, Concerts & Fireworks

Saturday, August 6 Baby Goat Yoga Kids Activities Bingo Food Trucks Carnival Games Basketball Tournament Booth Vendors

Evening Concerts Featuring Coco's Rumba Libre Crescent Super Band

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The Midvale City Harvest Days Festival Committee is pleased to announce that plans are underway for the annual Harvest Days Festival. The festival will take place on Saturday, August 6, 2022, at Midvale City Park. Harvest Days is an honored tradition that brings a fun-filled day that residents look forward to every year. In addition to free live entertainment, fireworks, parade, baby goat yoga, and activities, Midvale Harvest Days provides a venue for area merchants, artists, and home crafters to display and sell their products in a family-oriented atmosphere. Vendors can participate FREE OF CHARGE. Prospective vendors can visit the Harvest Days website (www.MidvaleHarvestDays.com) to complete the online application. Spaces fill up quickly. So, please submit your application as soon as possible.

JUNE 2022 CITY NEWSLETTER WWW . MIDVALECITY . ORG

Water Efficient Landscaping (Xeriscaping & Localscaping) Implementing waterwise practices in your landscape can help conserve a great deal of water. Xeriscaping and localscaping are two waterwise landscaping techniques that incorporate native, drought-resistant plants and arrange them in efficient, water-saving ways. Both approaches conserve water while creating a simplified landscape that is more resilient and sustainable in Utah’s climate. Localscapes was developed by a team of horticulturists, landscape designers, maintenance professionals, irrigation experts, and members of the water industry. The goal was simple: create a landscaping approach that takes all the complex and confusing science behind landscape design and simplifies it to create landscapes that thrive in Utah. Plus, a localscaped yard uses two-thirds less water than a traditional Utah landscape.

Does Midvale City allow localscaping?

Midvale allows, and encourages, localscape design in landscaping a property. An excerpt on landscape requirements from one of Midvale’s single-family zones: “…yard and setback areas visible from street access, including park-strips…shall be landscaped. Landscaping shall include the treatment of the ground surface with live materials such as, but not limited to, sod, grass, ground cover, trees, shrubs, vines, and other growing horticultural plant material. In addition, a combination of xeriscape plantings and designs that may include other decorative surfacing’s such as bark chips, crushed stone, mulch materials, decorative concrete or pavers shall also meet landscaping requirements”. As is stated, xeriscape (or localscape) is allowed, with no minimum or maximum coverage. If you are considering replacing, updating, or even installing new landscape on your property, “localscape” away!

Saving water saves you money

Adopting waterwise landscaping techniques can help you save money on yard operation and maintenance costs. Midvale City partners with Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District to provide rebates and free workshops to further encourage residents to be water smart. Learn more about these great programs that are really making a difference:

Localscapes

Become a part of the landscaping movement spreading throughout Utah. If you’re localizing your landscape, you may be eligible for some rewards! Create an account on utahwatersavers.com to see if you qualify.

Conservation Garden Park

Conservation Garden Park models the best use of water in Utah landscapes and empowers communities to make the most of our shared water resources. Jordan Valley Water’s Conservation Garden Park showcases landscapes suited for Utah’s unique climate that are not only beautiful and easier to maintain but are also designed to efficiently use water. A variety of community classes are held at the Conservation Garden Park ranging in topic from irrigation to vegetable gardening. These classes will teach you how to conserve water in a beautiful and lush landscape.

Utah Water Savers

From rebates to free landscape consultations, utahwatersavers.com is helping Utahns save both money and water. Visit utahwatersavers.com today to create a free account and start saving! Most of the programs listed on this page are available.

Bringing Life and Color to Midvale’s Historic Main Street TRANSFORMING MIDVALE’S HISTORIC MAIN STREET INTO AN ARTS, CULTURE, AND FOOD DISTRICT Midvale’s historic Main Street will be overrun with talented muralists, scissor lifts, and ladders, and bathed in hundreds of gallons of paint during the Midvale Main Street Mural Festival on Saturday, June 18, 2022, from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The festival, a partnership between Midvale City and ALL CAPS Art Gallery, brings talented muralists to adorn building walls, enliven streetscapes, and beautify the community. Attendees can expect to see a variety of styles and will be able to witness the creative process in action. In addition to the art, there will be festivities for the whole community from music to food trucks, and vendors. Whether you make it to the festival or not, it’s worth making a trip to marvel at the finished masterpieces. The Redevelopment Agency of Midvale City is working to transform Midvale’s Main Street into an arts, culture, and food district. The Midvale Main Street Festival is an early step towards achieving this goal. Beautifying public areas improves the quality of life for Midvale residents and enhances Midvale’s unique culture, identity, and community spirit. To learn more about the future of Midvale’s historic Main Street visit www.MidvaleCity.org/mainstreet.

Area high school students honored with Aspirations in Computing awards

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

urray High School senior Mary Seeley knows a thing or two about science and technology. She has been part of a five-time first-place underwater robotics team; learned about making computer chips, coding, circuits, wiring, ethics, personal privacy and other aspects of cybersecurity at Brigham Young University camps; competed with VEX robotics and Science Olympiad on her high school team; been involved with Murray High’s tech club; was named Murray High’s Sterling Scholar in computer technology; served as a SheTech statewide student board member; started a SheTech club at her school; and has interned with both SheTech and Murray School District’s CyberCorp. The 4.0 soon-to-be Spartan graduate recently was honored as a state award winner of National Center for Women & Information Technology Award for Aspirations in Computing. She was one of 60 area high school students honored at the April 30 ceremony held at the University of Utah. “This award highlights all of my activities that I’ve done in tech, in STEM and computing,” said Seeley, who plans to attend BYU in the fall to study for a possible career in software development. “It showcases all the hard work I’ve put into it. It means a lot as I really enjoy the opportunities tech has given me and those opportunities have opened up a lot more. This year, and last year, there were some amazing women who spoke (at the ceremony) and really inspired me.” The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing honors ninth- through 12th-grade students for their com-

puting-related achievements and interests, and encourages them to pursue their passions. Award recipients are selected based on their aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing, as demonstrated by their computing experience, computing-related activities, leadership experience, tenacity in the face of barriers to access, and plans for post-secondary education. Other area students who were honored include: Rachel Arlen, Cottonwood High; Daniella Black, Herriman High; Delaney Borg, Herriman High; Izabelle Davis, JATC; Annie de Bry, Brighton High; Joselyn Gardner, Herriman High; Taya Ginn, Herriman High; Acacia Hansen, Kearns High; Sage Hardman, Herriman High; Victoria Hollingsworth, Herriman High; Kailee Kim, Herriman High; Grace Ivers, JATC; Ashley Larson, Herriman High; Zoey Later, Herriman High; Casey Lumley, Herriman High; Micaela Madariaga, Hillcrest High; Katherine Numbers, Alta High; Leonardo Rivas, Olympus High; Madelyn Sadler, Bingham High; Abigail Slama-Catron, Hillcrest High; Katrina Snelgrove, Herriman High; Angelina Stokes, JATC; Adelina Trionfo, JATC; Allison Williams, Hillcrest High; and Julia Young, Herriman High. Since 2007, nearly 20,000 students have received an Aspirations in Computing award and are then inducted into the AiC Community—a network of 20,000 technical women, genderqueer or non-binary individuals who work in universities, companies, nonprofits, and government organizations and are working to increase the influence and meaningful participation of girls and women from every community.

Murray High senior Mary Seeley was one of 60 area high school students recently honored for their computing-related achievements. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

According to its website, NCWIT was chartered in 2005 by the National Science Foundation and is a nonprofit community that convenes, equips, and unites change leader organizations to increase the influential and meaningful participation of girls and women— at the intersections of race, ethnicity, class, age, sexual orientation, and disability status—in the field of computing, particularly in terms of innovation and development.l

Salt Lake County to xeriscape 132 of the worst park strips and parking lot islands

n light of the ongoing drought, cities are looking for ways to save water without impacting the quality of life for residents. Salt Lake County has proposed to xeriscape 132 of the largest park strips and parking lot islands that are currently grass. The proposal is expected to save 5.2 million gallons of water each year. “The drought has increased our sense of urgency for water conservation, but that need already existed with Salt Lake County’s growing population,” said Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson. “Last year, we made a commitment to reduce our water use, and we did. This is one of many long-lasting conservation solutions that will help protect our residents’ quality of life, our watershed, and the future of the Great Salt Lake.” Park strips and parking lot islands to be targeted were selected based on size. The xeriscaping project will span nearly 40 county facilities and totals the size of three football fields. The large water footprint will make a significant impact on water reduction in the county. According to Utah Water Savers, the average park strip consumes 5,000 to 8,000 gallons of water each year. Sprinkling systems at the Salt Lake County Government Center will also be made more efficient by targeting priorities, like trees. American Rescue Plan Act funds will cover the $2 million it will take to xeriscape the 132 park strips and islands. “This proposal represents a proactive investment in water conservation measures by the county,” said

Page 14 | June 2022

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com Michael Shea, Salt Lake County’s Environmental Sustainability director. In 2021, Wilson said the county reduced its water use by 13% after she challenged operations to cut use by at least 5%. These new water-saving measures build on the county’s long-term water-wise strategies, furthering the county’s water reduction. County residents are asked to participate in the Flip Your Strip rebate program to help with water savings. The program will pay residents up to $1.25 per square foot when they replace their park strip lawn with water-efficient xeriscaping. The program is expected to save thousands of gallons of water each year. For more information, visit UtahWaterSavers.com. To learn about Salt Lake County’s water conservation measures and information shared at the 2022 Water Summit, visit slcoh20.org. “We are no longer looking at just cutting back water use,” Shea said, “but making concrete changes which will help us reduce in the long term.”l

Salt Lake County will xeriscape more than 130 park strips and parking lot islands, saving the county 5.2 million gallons of water each year. (Photo courtesy of the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District)

Midvale City Journal

All Canyons District’s schools to dismiss early on Fridays to allow for teacher collaboration By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

ith a 5-1 vote, Canyons Board of Education approved to have all Canyons School District’s elementary and secondary schools dismiss early on Fridays starting in fall 2022, allowing teachers to have time to collaborate. It was not without many discussions and considerations, said Canyons Superintendent Rick Robins. “We’re excited that this will give our teachers the opportunity to collaborate, not just amongst their peers in the building, but also with other colleagues who are teaching the same grade or subject as well as vertically with grade school or high school teachers working with the middle school teachers,” he said. “The ultimate goal is to improve student academic outcomes.” The proposed times for early outs on Fridays in elementary schools are similar to existing pick-up times this school year with dismissals around 1:10 to 1:55 p.m. Middle school students will no longer have a late start on Fridays beginning in August. The early out dismissal times on Fridays are estimated to be around 1 to 1:30 p.m. High school students will be dismissed at about 12:55 p.m. on Fridays beginning in the fall. Alta High will discontinue its late start. Robins said the district will finalize the times and share those with patrons. Much discussion focused on determining the day and time of the collaboration during the third presentation to the board. Student safety, busing availability, staffing at external day cares or availability of older siblings taking care of younger brothers and sisters, ability to have after-school activities or jobs, family time, research on late starts benefitting other students, school schedules, before-school and after-school programs, patron input, and other topics were discussed. “I appreciate the board seeing the value of allowing our teachers to have collaboration time and making that a priority. We looked at every consideration to see what has the least impact on students and families in providing our teachers this valuable time,” he said. “This is really a commitment to provide our educators embedded time for better student outcomes. They will really understand how and what our students need to learn and what’s best for them. This collaboration time has been proven over and over that it does improve instruction in the classroom.” Robins also provided data to the board on the least missed days for elementary, middle and high school students as well as teachers on those levels. He said data also was reviewed for high school teachers who serve as coaches or advisers to teams and extracurricular activities as well as students who are involved in those. “Those kids are out of school anyway often on Friday afternoons leaving for a game or a competition or performance, so this actually has less impact on them missing school,” he said. “And only about 3% of our faculty will be impacted.” Even with early dismissals, students will receive more than the 990 required hours of education the state requires, Robins said, adding that currently that requirement is waived during the COVID-19 pandemic. Four principals, who talked to patrons as well as teachers in their schools, also addressed the board. They pushed for the board to make a decision so they could plan for the upcoming school year. Midvale Middle School Principal Mindy Robison added that teacher collaboration time “matters because it changes the trajectory of the day for the students,” both with academics and behavior. Sprucewood Elementary Principal Cathy Schino supported Friday afternoon collaboration time because it allows teachers not

MidvaleJournal.com

Early dismissal on Fridays, which has been a routine in elementary schools, will now extend to Canyons School District secondary schools as well this fall. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

only the chance to collaborate, but also to reflect on student progress from the past week to prepare for the next week. Copperview Principal Colleen Smith told the board the need for this collaboration time is critical. “The workload of educators is unrecognizable in comparison to what was expected just a few years ago,” she said. Brighton High Principal Tom Sherwood said this is the time to align all schools and offer this time for teachers to better their craft, especially as he has seen more time to collaborate has been needed at the high school level. “In the changing educational environment we’ve all seen in the past couple years, collaboration has become more important than ever,” he said. “Things are changing faster than ever; technology is changing faster than ever. We really need something unified to help our teachers integrate all these changes to education. This combined time allows us to share their expertise, not just in our buildings, but throughout the district. Our teachers will thrive in this environment. We’re going to have more opportunities to have a culture of continuous improvement with results focused more on student learning and success.” l

June 2022 | Page 15

JUNE 2021 EVENTS

2022

E VAmphitheater EEVENING N I Parking: N G495SERIES SEastE5300RSouth IES

Ticket Information:$49 801-264-2614 www.murray.utah.gov Season Tickets: Adult,or$45 Senior, $29 Child June 3 .......................................................................................The Sound of Music, Movie Sing-Along June 4 .......................................................................................Murray Symphony Amphitheater Parking: 495 EastPops 5300 South June 16-18, 20, 23-24.........................................................Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical Info: 801-264-2614 or Concert www.murray.utah.gov JuneTicket 25 ....................................................................................Murray Band

July 9 .........................................................................................Jenny Oaks Baker Violin & Cello Student Workshop JulyJune 15-16, 18, 21-23 ............................................................Sister Act 4 ................................. Les Miserables, Movie Sing-Along July 29-30................................................................................A Celtic Summer’s Night, featuring Mairead Nesbitt

June 5 ................................................... Murray Concert Band LUNCH CONCERT SERIES June 17-19, 21-23 ........................ Disney's The Little Mermaid Tuesday at Noon in Murray Park Pavilion #5, FREE 26 ...................................................... Murray JulyJune 12 ................................................................................................... The Lazlos, Roots & RollSymphony

July 19 ................................................................................................... Iris (Britney Holman), Indie Pop/Folk July 26 .................................................................................................. Infusion Rock, Rock Band

L U N CLIBRARY H C OSUMMER N C E RSHORTS T SERIES

Wednesday at 1 p.m. in Murray Park Pavilion #5, FREE * Tuesday at Noon in Murray Park&Pavilion July 6 ......................................................................................................Scales Tails, Reptile#5, ShowFREE July 13 ....................................................................................................Scariff Irish School of Dance 1 - BD Howes ...................................................... JulyJune 20 ...................................................................................................Monroe’ s Mountain Melodies,Acoustic with Puppets JulyJune 27....................................................................................................Longwings, Bird Show 8 - Vaudeville Nouveau ................................... 50's - 80's

June 15 - Wasatch Jazz Syndicate ........................ Jazz Quartet CHILDREN MATINEE SERIES June 22 - Riding Gravity .............................. Surf & Rockability Thursday at 2 p.m. in Murray Park Pavilion #5, FREE

July 14 ................................................................................................... Kenshin Taiko, Japanese Drumming July 21 ................................................................................................... Rick Schwemmer, German Cow Bells July 28 .................................................................................................. Paul Brewer, Magic Show

LIBRARY SUMMER SHORTS * Wednesday atFAMILY 1 PM inNIGHT MurraySERIES Park Pavilion #5, FREE

The 2nd Monday of every month at 7 p.m., FREE Paul Brewer June Murray 2 ............................................. Magic Show, Senior Recreation Center (#10 E 6150 S – 1/2 block west of State) June 9 ........................................... Scales & Tails Animal June 13..................................................................................................The Flashback Brothers, ClassicShow Rock JulyJune 11 ....................................................................................................Neo Vintage, Jazz & Bossanova 16 ................................................................ Mad Science This program received funding support from residents ofDJ Salt Juggling Lake County, SL& County Zoo, Arts & Parks June 23 has .......................................... Magic Show (ZAP), Utah Division of Arts & Museums, Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement, Utah Humanities, and National Endowment for the&Arts. June 30 ......................................... Woody Jessie, Characters

Page 16 | June 2022

CHILDREN MATINEE SERIES

Midvalley Elementary Assistant Principal Dan Ashbridge read “A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee” as part of the school’s literacy night. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Midvalley students listen, retell stories around campfire By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

irst-grader Paetyn Mills was very excited about going back to school to go camping. That’s because Midvalley Elementary offered “Camp Read-a-Lot,” billed as a fun night of reading and activities for the family. The theme stretched from grilled hot dogs eaten on cafeteria tables covered in picnic tablecloths to stories around the campfire with packaged s’more kits. Assistant Principal Dan Ashbridge, who took a break from the grill to read “A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee,” said it was a fun way to promote literacy. “It is so great to build literacy support for our families and it’s just a great feel to have people in our building,” he said. The current Midvalley Elementary opened in fall 2020 when visitors were restricted inside because of COVID-19 safety and health guidelines. “We came for the reading and activities,” Paetyn’s mother, Christy Gulbransen, said. “We also got the opportunity to say what additional resources we want as our school becomes Title I.” As Midvalley Elementary is transitioning this school year to be a Title I school, parent feedback is being collected to see where the need and desire is to provide students support from federal funds in addition to a family learning center, extended learning opportunities, free meals and other resources. Initially input included all-day kindergarten, technology and additional intervention aides. Parents can continue to provide that information this spring. The questionnaires were in English and Spanish as well as the stories and activities that evening. Following first-grade teacher Eva Maria Bonilla Rodriguez reading “El Monstruo de

Colores,” students had the chance to fold paper to create story retelling cubes. There, students could color pictures of the title, characters, setting, problem, solution and lesson learned from the stories read to them that evening. Then after creating a cube, they could roll it to help with retelling the story at home. “It’s an activity they can do with any story they read,” Midvalley Community School Facilitator Wendy Heath said. “This deepens their reading experiences they have at home and helps with their literacy as the communicate every day, both verbally and written, as well as with their comprehension.” Even the s’mores kits had a senses activity where students could record their smell, feel, sound and taste; the last being a favorite with the kids. “It helps with their retelling and they’re reading and sharing as a family,” said Heath, who said Midvalley Elementary is planning to hold a math night in early May. “This is a way to connect the community with the school and give them support. I’m hoping they come away with an excitement to read at home, just to sit down and read and talk about the stories. They can toss this retelling story cube and find out answers to the questions in the book and just have fun engaging together.” That’s what Troy Fochtman planned to do with his kids, third-grader Evan and second-grader Jase. “They’re already fantastic readers at home, but they wanted to participate tonight,” he said. “There’s teaching more ways to help them with their comprehension and reading skills, I’m all for that.”l

Midvale City Journal

Hillcrest High crowned state champs; students to compete at international HOSA contest By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Monday, July 4, 2022

illcrest High junior Ashtyn McVey is certified in CPR and first aid and has completed the nursing assistant program at Canyons Technical Education Center. Now, she and junior Ryder Dietz, who has the same qualifications, can use their knowledge and skills as they compete at the internationals in June. The two and several other Hillcrest students will compete in contests at the international conference of HOSA—Future Health Professionals, formerly known as health occupation student association, June 22-25 in Nashville, Tennessee. HOSA, which began in 1975 in six states, now involves more than 260,000 members in 54 chapters throughout the U.S. and across the world. Hillcrest students recently were crowned state champions, placing 37 of the 42 students who competed at state in the top 10, said Hillcrest HOSA adviser Mathew Hart, who said because of bus driver shortage, they couldn’t take their entire team of 106 members. “We had more than 20 of our students qualify in events for the international conference,” he said. “I set high expectations for my students, and they’ve delivered so I’m very proud of them.” After finishing fourth at state in their event, McVey said she and her teammate are practicing leading up to the competition “so we’re confident in our skills.” Their contest begins with a 50-question written test. Then, top teams advance to a 12-minute scenario where they have to use their CPR and first aid knowledge and are evaluated for their practical knowledge. At state, they were given a scenario where two hikers were injured; one was unconscious and needed CPR and the other needed a splint for a compound leg fracture. “We were super, super surprised at state,” she said. “The first part was super hard, like on an EMT level, so we weren’t sure we’d make it past that, but once we did, we were glad because we could do the skills portion.” McVey also worked with junior Lukas Rohde on health career display on prosthetics. Rohde said he is familiar with the field because his dad had his leg amputated after being “injured in Afghanistan by a man-made explosive that shattered his leg, so he has a prosthetic. I’ve met those who work in the field and it’s really a cool engineering process and a job that helps people.” Rohde, who is the club vice president, also worked for about four weeks researching then giving presentations for the health education contest with the club historian Aryanna Hinckley and club president Sowmya Paritala. “We presented lessons on promoting a healthy body image and body neutrality to

MidvaleJournal.com

Murray 2022 Fun Days Breakfast

Rotary Club Community Breakfast 6:30 – 10:00 am Murray Park Pavilion #5 $8 Adults, $6 Child (12 & under)

Sunrise Service

7:00 am Murray Park Amphitheater Music by Murray Concert Band

Chalk Art Contest

Hillcrest students recently were crowned champions at the HOSA state contest. (Photo courtesy of HOSA)

teachers to help them use that information in their classrooms and with themselves,” Hinckley said. “A healthy body image is accepting your body, and body neutrality is more focusing on your body functions rather than what it looks likes. So, for example, if you’re overweight, but your body still functions properly, it does not matter unless it’s affecting your lifestyle or your health or if it’s something you want to work on to get better.” During their presentation, the group highlighted statistics and showed how social media aspects affects males and females. “We wanted to reach teachers because teenagers get this information all the time, but if they have adults in their lives who are negatively affecting themselves or physically affecting them, it’s going to hurt them more. If we give adults the information, they can help their students whom they interact with. Instead of ignoring the problem, they can be there for them,” she said. About 30 schoolteachers came to their presentation and shared their thoughts and stories, which not only helped get the information to faculty, but also validated their research, Hinckley said. She also competed with sophomore Natalie Dickison in the health career display on pediatric hematology oncologists. Much to her surprise, as well as Rohde’s, that event time slot got moved to the same time as their health education event, so junior Campbell Hone and sophomore Kalli Van Dijk stepped in; they, along with Paritala, presented the project to judges—and won gold. “It was really surprising (to get a medal) because we were ready, but then at the last minute, we had to get everything together with two new people,” Paritala said. “Honestly, they did great job with the presentation; without them, we wouldn’t have moved on.” Paritala said it speaks volumes to the club members and culture. “It’s been the coolest thing this year was

being an officer,” she said. “Our team is really smart, and we work together to figure things out, whether it’s holding a blood drive, doing some hard dissections, or competing. We just come together. Everyone has a good work ethic and it’s a really good environment.” Paritala, who also is a school international baccalaureate officer, said her class schedule is filled with those required classes so she appreciates the chance to further her interest in health education since she wants to pursue a career in the medical profession. It also has given her leadership experience. That is something Hart appreciates. “This is a student organization. It’s student-lead and adviser supported. I have eight officers and I have team captains and they hold students accountable, make practice schedules and report to me what’s going on,” he said. “The fundamental knowledge and skills they’re learning in leadership and in health science is going to help propel them into the workforce.” Hillcrest’s state HOSA results include Achintya Sai Yoganath, Stephen Rhoades and Edward Loh, Creative Problem Solving, first; Van Dijk, dental terminology, second; Taylor Simpson, pathophysiology, second; Hillcrest team, health career display, second; Aiden Reid, prepared speaking, third; Miles Vlam, medical reading, fourth; Hillcrest team, biomedical debate, fourth; Hillcrest team, health education, fourth; Hillcrest team, medical innovation, fourth; Alexis Larson, persuasive writing and speaking, fifth; Sandhya Senthilkumar, medical law and ethics; fifth; Hillcrest team, health career display, fifth; Vlam, human growth and development, sixth; Swetha Iyer, persuasive writing and speaking, seventh; Esha Patel, persuasive writing and speaking, eighth; Iyer, job-seeking skills, eighth; Hone, prepared speaking, ninth; Avery Worth, persuasive writing and speaking, ninth; and Simpson, medical spelling, ninth.l

6:00 am – 2:00 pm, Winners announced at 2:30 pm **Pre-registration Required 5K and Kids Race Both races begin and end near Constitution Circle, Murray Park 5K Race 8:00 am, Kids Race at 9:00 am $20 early registration until June 19 $25 registration June 20-24 $10 for Kids Race by June 24 Register online at mcreg.com no later than June 24 No day of registrations.

Coed Doubles Outdoor Volleyball Tournament

Adults, Youth, Parent/Child Divisions 8 am – 4 pm, Softball Field in Murray Park $30 per team Register online at mcreg.com no later than June 30 No day of registrations.

Parade

8:30 am Begins at Fashion Place Mall and ends at Murray Park

Activities

10 am – 4 pm ...... Car & Bike Show (Behind swimming pool) 11 am – 4 pm ........ Food Trucks & Game Booths 1 pm – 2 pm .......... Bingo 12 pm – 4 pm ........ Park Center Hours 12 pm – 6 pm ........ Aquatic Center Hours

Activities for Kids

11 am – 2 pm ......... Games 11 m – 2 pm ............ Fishing Booth, Face Painting (minimal fee)

12:00 om ..................................Balance Bike Race (pre-register) 12:30 pm .................. Firemen Squirt (free)

Daytime Entertainment

Murray Park Gazebo 11:00 am .................. Noa Polynesia, Dance 11:45 am.................... Arts in the Park Musical Reviews 12:30 pm .................. Michael Paine Band

Evening Entertainment

Murray Park Softball Field 8:30 pm .................... The Current, Party Band 10:00 pm Fireworks

(leave personal fireworks at home)

June 2022 | Page 17

Champions of preservation—How one nonprofit helps save historic Utah buildings By Deb Schoenberg Hafner | d.hafner@mycityjournals.com

hen David Amott was little, he built entire cities from the heavy clay soil in his backyard in Cottonwood. He was fascinated by form, and his yard became a diorama where he built everything from native adobes to engineered masterpieces modeled from books. “As a five year old I had a book about a haunted house,” recalls Amott, “and I didn’t care about the ghosts. I wanted to remove the cobwebs and paint it and fix it up.” Amott, without exception, is “absolutely riveted by structure.” He earned a degree in historic architecture and is the Executive Director of Preservation Utah, a nonprofit that advocates for historic preservation in Utah. At the end of April, Preservation Utah hosted their annual conference, after a hiatus for the pandemic, at the renovated and preserved Art Castle on the west side in Salt Lake City. This year’s conference, “Preservation Engaged: Celebrating Utah’s Communities,” hosted representatives from cities throughout Utah who were in attendance to learn how to combine economic development with community driven, comprehensive downtown revitalization and historic preservation. Preservation Utah advocates for preservation-oriented public policies by supporting legislation, working with elected officials and administrators, and providing creative and sustainable solutions in collaboration with property owners. But the preservation seed has to be planted deep at the local level, with individuals, towns, and communities coming together to initiate, advocate and sow preservation projects. The preservation movement has swept across America in the last few decades and has established itself as powerful and an important part of cities and towns, with preservation being an accepted practice at the local government level. Draper’s historic committee has spearheaded efforts to preserve aspects of the soon-to-be-relocated prison, Taylorsville recently added its first building to the National Register of Historic Places, and Millcreek recently nominated a seven-member Historic Commission to work on preservation efforts and to fix outdated ordinances. Their first meeting was in May, and they have a big job ahead. “The greenest building,” says Amott, touting the quintessential preservationist belief, “is the one that’s already been built.” At any given time, Preservation Utah has 25 to 30 preservation projects from around the state that need funding for preservation. These days, with housing prices reaching all-time highs, residents in towns and cities across America have become increasingly interested in turning existing buildings around with adaptive reuse—restoring and

Page 18 | June 2022

The inside main room of the Art Castle where conference attendees gathered for the keynote speaker, Claudia Loayza, the communications and community engagement coordinator for the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs. (Deb Hafner/City Journals)

updating historic buildings and utilizing the space in new ways to meet the needs of the community. The Art Castle is one such example. According to the EPA, a new, green, energy-efficient office building that includes as much as 40% recycled materials would take approximately 65 years to recover the energy lost in demolishing a comparable existing building. “A remarkable example of adaptive reuse in Salt Lake is the Granary,” Amott said. One of Salt Lake City's oldest districts, it used to be a busy manufacturing, processing and storage center, but it was in danger of being demolished. It was rescued and restored and today is home to restaurants and shops. The Granary took part in the Main Street America initiative, a federal program adopted and administered in every state. In Utah, the program falls under the auspices of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, and the Utah Main Street America Program helps communities revitalize their economy, appearance, and image of downtown commercial districts. Salt Lake City (The Granary), Brigham City, Price, Heber and Tooele, in addition to about 15 more Utah cities, have a Main Street designation and have received funding for revitalization. Brigham City and Price were Utah Main Street pilot program cities, each receiving facade rehabilitation grants and ultimately seeing increased economic activity and success from the program. Nan Groves Anderson, the Utah Main Street Program Director, on a panel at the Preservation Utah conference, reported that

nationwide, since 1980, over 2,000 communities have participated in the Main Street program, with $61 billion in new investment, 525,000 net new jobs, and 251,000 buildings rehabilitated. Closer to home, Preservation Utah has advocated in many cities in Utah, including Millcreek. Amott said they have two historic easements on houses in the city that are regularly monitored, the summer house of the Silver Queen and a modern glass house by architect John Sugden. But, as with all preservation efforts, you win some and lose some. After Millcreek City was established, recalls Amott, Preservation Utah advocated for the George Merrill Estate, which was eventually demolished and is now an Ivory Homes development. Preservation Utah also stepped in on the Old Meeting House building, which became controversial when it was approved to be demolished and replaced with townhomes. Garbett Homes has been approved to build on the site, and since the meeting house sits on a fault line and is structurally older, it was determined it was not a good candidate for adaptive reuse. Although the effort to save the building was lost, some good came out of it. Preservation Utah helped advocate for an improved city preservation ordinance and the establishment of the new historic commission, and city officials requested Garbett install an historical marker to commemorate the building. Preservation and sustainability models have gained traction in the race to develop places to accommodate the population

A view of the Art Castle, a project by Utah Arts Alliance to acquire, preserve, renovate, and activate the historic 120-year-old 15th Ward Chapel located at 915 W. 100 South. (Deb Hafner/City Journals)

The Old Meeting House at 4120 Highland Drive in Millcreek is important historically because it was designed by the grandson of Brigham Young, Joseph Don Carlos Young, and his son Don Carlos Young, and built in 1905. (Photo credit EstateSales.org)

growth. “You can’t build your way to affordability,” Amott said. It is greener to remodel a home and to repurpose a large building or district, and through community effort and advocacy, new resources and funding it is a path many are taking. At their conference, Preservation Utah shared myriad resources, including how to access the Main Street America Program, tax credits, and funding available to anyone interested in preserving a home, district or land. If you are interested in finding out more about the home you live in, discovering more about historic places in your city, or how to place make and advocate, Preservation Utah website is a good place to start (preservationutah.org). l

Midvale City Journal

Honorees selected at the inaugural Comcast RISE Black Excellence Event By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

ardware Creative Collective and Comcast partnered to host the inaugural Comcast RISE Black Excellence Event in Salt Lake City on Apr. 20. The celebration honored Utah Black Creatives in a range of industries from the arts, business, education and film to mental health, armed forces, tech and venture capital. Honorees were selected based on their ability to showcase their creativity through inspiration, intersection and innovation. “It was truly amazing to see something that started as a vision and brainstorming with folks around a kitchen table turn into an extraordinary celebration of Utah’s Black creatives,” said Deneiva Knight, External Affairs Director, Comcast Mountain West Region. “For me, Hardware Collective is a platform for Black creatives to acknowledge and celebrate themselves and their peers versus waiting and hoping to receive accolades from outsiders. The love and appreciation in the room that night were unmatchable.” Honored at the event were Kenneth Boggs (fashion), Kimmy Paluch (tech), Dr. Jackie Thompson (education), Col. Jenise M. Carroll (military), Melanie D. Davis, LCMHC (mental health), Mauli Bonner (music), and Tenisha “Isha” Hicks (beauty). The celebration acknowledged the efforts of talented entrepreneurs who continue to innovate and succeed despite facing financial challenges. Comcast RISE recognizes small business owners through its brands Comcast Business and Effectv. Empowering business owners with knowledge and resources allowed them to navigate economic difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. “As I was sewing, Motown music used to play all the time,”

said Boggs, CEO of Kenneth Boggs Suit. “Most people wanted to be like Michael Jackson, but I wanted to be David Ruffin from The Temptations because he looked really good in his suit. . . By the end of the day, my goal is to create your own story. I’m proud to be a chosen honoree for the Hardware. It makes me feel blacknificent.” Honoree Carroll serves as the 75th Air Force Wing Commander at Hill Air Force Base. She is the first African American female to hold this position in the 75 years of the Air Force. “I ask that everyone look at me as being an American first. Don’t judge me by the color of my skin or by my gender. Look at me as an American serving proudly in her country wearing this uniform,” Carroll said. “I’m standing before you letting you know there’s nothing impossible if you believe.” “Thank you to our presenting sponsors, Comcast and Zions Bank, for co-sponsoring the inaugural launch of the Hardware Creative Collective, '' said Sui Lang L. Panoke, founder, Hardware Creative Collective. “Additionally, we thank our investment sponsor, the Andrus Family Foundation, and our community sponsors, the Utah Black Chamber, and Utah Arts Alliance.” Panoke and Scott Anderson, president and CEO, Zions Bank, were inspired by the honorees and their accomplishments. “As I look upon your faces and I listen to your stories, I have been touched,” Anderson said. “I thought of the comment from the prophet Gibran, 'Through the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes He smiles upon the earth.’ So thank you, thank you very much.” “The most advanced levels of diversity, equity and inclusion are evident when communities and organizations maximize and capitalize on their ability to stimulate and cultivate creativity

Seven honorees were recognized at the Comcase RISE Black Excellence Event including (from left) Col. Jenise M. Carroll, Installation Commander, Hill Air Force Base; Dr. Jackie Thompson, Assistant Superintendent, Davis County School District; Mauli Bonner, Director/Filmmaker/Producer/Artist, Lift Up Voices. Photo courtesy of Comcast.

and innovative thought,” said Panoke. “And that… is how Utah does business!” Find out if you qualify to apply for small business support at www.comcastrise.com. l

Former U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch lies in state, had Midvale ties By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

n spring 2015 during his last term in office, then U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch welcomed a Midvale Middle student into his office, sharing with her that Midvale has a special spot in his heart. “Midvale is home,” he said, adding that he used to visit his mother in her home. Helen Kamm Hatch lived in Midvale for 25 years until she preceded him in death in 1995. Hatch died April 23 and lay in state in the Utah capitol rotunda on May 4. His funeral and the procession to his burial followed two days later. He was 88. He was first elected in 1976 and served 42 years in the U.S. Senate until retiring after his seventh term in 2019. l

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In spring 2015 during his last term in office, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch hugged a Midvale Middle student in his Washington, D.C., office, telling her that he considered Midvale his home. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

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Midvale City Journal

Hillcrest’s golf season finishes sixth in region, anticipates moving up next season By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

ith inclement weather, it’s hard to practice golf. When players can’t get out to play daily, it’s hard to improve their game. That’s what Hillcrest High golf coach Dave Richardson says, and why he is more than pleased at the way sophomore Nyah Cox shot this season. “She massively improved,” he said about the sophomore student-athlete. “She began shooting a 140 and ended the season with 105 (strokes for 18 holes). It’s a huge improvement. (Freshman) Paige Henderson played well for us, too.” With Cox, No. 1 player junior Ava Perkins, and a strong number of returning players as well as incoming freshmen, Richardson is hopeful the Huskies can improve upon their sixth-place region finish this year. Richardson is hopeful some changes can be made in Hillcrest’s golf program, such as introducing a golf class, much like other team sports at the school have, so the student-athletes can use the time for training. He also would like to have more access to golf courses for his players. Right now, he has made an agreement with River Oaks that his players can collect the range balls once per week in exchange for a tee time.

“Golf is not like riding a bicycle,” he said. “You don’t just hop back on and you’re good at it. You got to practice.” Richardson said that next year’s schedule likely won’t have back-to-back tournaments, which is hard for the student-athletes to miss two consecutive days of school to play 36 holes of golf. “It’s just too much,” Richardson said. “They miss class discussion or labs, and then, they have homework from missing classes. It’s also hard because we have such a long drives to play against almost every team in our region. The other coaches and girls are nice, but it’s more time away and golf already is an all-day sport.” Zoe Welch, one of the team’s three graduating seniors, agrees. “I think we all got burnt out on those back-to-back tournaments,” she said, adding that for all the tournaments, except the one in Vernal when they shared a bus with Cottonwood High, student-athletes had to drive themselves or carpool, which also wore them down. Still, she said it was a good team to “hang out” with this season. Richardson agrees: “The team, the kids, they are just awesome. They got along great. I couldn’t ask for a better group.” l

Hillcrest sophomore Nyah Cox “massively improved” this golf season, taking 35 fewer shots in 18 holes, her coach said. (Dave Richardson/Hillcrest High)

Six Hillcrest High athletes sign to play collegiate sports By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

illcrest High senior and goalkeeper Isabella Andrews signed to play soccer for Louisiana Christian University in Pineville, Louisiana in front of family, teammates and friends, who all gave her the claws in support for her future home with the Wildcats. Andrews, who also played basketball and competed in track, will join her new team in the fall. The Wildcats finished 162-1 last season. She sat out her senior soccer season with an ACL tear, but was able to return for region play on the basketball court for the Huskies. Her dad, Shane, said he was glad Real Salt Lake came to Utah in 2005 as he bonded with his daughter watching the professionals play while she also grew up playing soccer; he referees the sport. “She had the desire ever since she was about five years old to kick the snot out of people and take prisoners and be where she’s at today,” he said. Her mother, Elisa, recounted her recreational soccer coach calling her a “dyno defender. She definitely has the tenacity. We frequently said she may be small, but she is fierce; she definitely is fierce out on the soccer field.” Andrews joins the ranks of other Hus-

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Hillcrest senior Isabella Andrews commits to play soccer for Louisiana Christian University; she’s the sixth Husky to sign to play collegiate athletics. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

kies this year who have signed to play collegiate athletics including Bryce Young, baseball, McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois; Gabe Moore, baseball, Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, Virginia,

Ryder Mathis, baseball, Utah Valley University; Carter Wolf, football, Salt River Community College in Scottsdale, Arizona; and Amir-Leo Beharic, soccer, Snow College. l

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Government 101: Does my vote count? By Erin Dixon | e.dixon@mycityjournals.com

o elect a president of the United States, the votes of electoral delegates decides the winner. The popular vote, the vote of the citizens, is supposed to determine the electoral college votes. But in local, city and county elections, the popular vote directly decides the outcome. A small number of votes made a difference in West Jordan. In 2017, the population was roughly 114,000. But only 14,000 of those residents (number of residents includes 18 and under, who are not eligible to vote) voted to change the form of government. The margin was 68 votes. According to the U.S. Vote Foundation, “Fully half of all government spending...takes place at the local level.…Local government spending tends to impact our day to day lives in very direct ways: how we fund our schools, how we deal with key issues like transportation, healthcare, schools, public safety, housing, among others.” Some elections have clear winners. In 2020, South Jordan Mayor Dawn R. Ramsey won 11,951 of the votes, while Stone Fonua took 1,090. During that same election, Copperton Metro Township council at-large seat was won by one vote, Kevin Severson with 63 votes, Ronald Patrick with 62.

With smaller numbers, a single vote means more and can push an election either way. While the federal government has widespread influence, the leaders in a city decide what to do with the federal support. The New York Times said in 2018, “Nationwide, only 27% of eligible voters vote in the typical municipal (local) election. “The result is that an extraordinarily unrepresentative set of residents determines how local governments distribute services and spend the almost $2 trillion that local governments control.” However, when four Utah city Facebook groups were polled about the importance of voting in local elections, there were few responses. Of the local residents that commented, there was passion in their encouragement. White City resident Marry Stewart has worked as a delegate in primary elections and votes regularly. “In a few elections it has been so close, requiring recounts and not for conspiracy theory reasons,” Stewart said. “[People] need to know their vote does count,” Stewart said. “So many people died so they could have the freedom to vote! Why waste that sacrifice?” (Writer’s note: All the voting percentages listed here are from traditional voting, not ranked choice voting.) l

Less than one-fourth of voters submit an election form for local elections. (Photo by Edmond Dantès)

Professional cornhole league hosts tournament in Sandy By Greg James | g.james@mycityjournals.com

ornhole, played at the professional level, took over Sandy’s Mountain America Expo Center this past month. The American Cornhole League is the highest tier of talent the game has to offer. The ACL has over 250 registered pro players and their matches are televised on ESPN. “I was tailgating,” ACL founder and commissioner Stacey Moore said about starting the league. “We were using cornhole as an activation for sponsors at NASCAR races and NFL games. I saw a group of players playing the game way more seriously than I was. The more I talked to the serious players I realized there is a lot of strategy to it.” ACL has been in existence for six years. It has a following of professional players that compete in several tournaments held across the country. Salt Lake City is the home of one of the platform sponsors. Allcornhole is the title manufacturer of the professional board used on the circuit. The opportunity to host the league here was delayed by the pandemic, but this year event number three was held in Sandy. The league has over 150,000 active players and several formats including singles, doubles, and teams format. The teams have a season of 16 matches. Professional players are drafted to a team and play against the oth-

Page 22 | June 2022

er drafted teams, similar to the NFL. The top team in the standings will win the championship at the end of the year. The Woodchucks sit atop the current ACL team standings. Sharpshooters are second and the Freeze third. “The pros come from all over the United States. The sport has increased in popularity. People play it casually all over the place, but more and more people are playing competitively. We are being proactive, cornhole is on track to become an Olympic sport. The singles and doubles divisions are gender-neutral. Last year, a male was against a female to become world champion,” Moore said. Isabella Surprenant, a 15-year-old from Lawton, Oklahoma is one of the youngest players in the ACL pro division and has become a top-ranked player. “I started playing beach cornhole in Florida nearly 15 years ago,” Harry Stoltzfus from Fort Collins, Colorado said. “I bought a set of boards at an RV show and now we travel the country playing in tournaments.” The ACL hosts Superhole competitions at all of the season events. They match a professional player with a celebrity all in the name of charity. “The celebrities play in a mini tournament. They get to know the sport and get some

Celebrities such as Lisa Barlow and Kyle Van Noy were among the participants at the ESPN-televised cornhole event in Sandy. (Photo courtesy Marlon LeWinter)

tips along the way. We are starting to see celebrities catch the bug and more and more are taking this seriously,” Moore said. There are local leagues around the country. To find the nearest organization or for more information go to www.iplaycornhole.com “I am from Mississippi originally and my brother had this set up in his backyard,” Salt Lake City resident Ricky Mcgowan said. “I came home and bought a set off Amazon.”

Salt City Cornhole is a local group of players. They host tournaments at Allstar Lanes and Pins and Ales in West Valley. There are also several other groups in the state. “It is a place for a beginner to more advanced players,” Mcgowan said. It is not just a backyard barbecue game anymore. Anyone can play. Anyone can win. l

Midvale City Journal

A one-horse race

hen I was in eighth grade, I was elected to the class senate. In ninth grade, I was elected as a cheerleader. Did I deserve these titles? Probably not. But I’d bribed fellow students with copious amounts of candy because that’s the American way. After a series of decidedly terrible life choices, my scholastic career drove off the rails and I never ran for election again. When I turned 18, I registered to vote and I’ve cast a vote in every election since. I also respond to Twitter polls, fill out Amazon reviews and take surveys at the bottom of yard-long Kohl’s receipts. Now that I’m a semi-functioning adult, it’s up to me to choose the right people to lead us into the future. Since the future is nuclear bomb-shaped, we won’t need leaders much longer, but elections are important, at least until that mushroom cloud rises over the mountains. Here’s why voting is funny. You’ll get a kick out of this. When I vote for new leadership or more progressive ideas, the person/issue I’m voting for rarely wins. Why? Because I live in conservative Utah.

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People tell me to just move to a different state. I don’t want to. At least not until I can afford a lighthouse on the East Coast where I can replace the light bulb with a bat signal. So, for now, I’m here in Utah, voting for things that matter to me and to many other people, without a Popsicle’s chance in hell of it working out. In fact, we started an election night drinking game. For every winner who isn’t a conservative white male, we take a shot of tequila. We’ve been sober for decades. Because here’s the truth: My vote rarely counts in Utah. Oh, our esteemed leaders say my vote counts, but they know it’s a lie. With their abstract-painting, gerrymandered districts they’ve effectively shut down my voice. I feel all I can do is

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June 2022 | Page 23