June 2025 | Vol. 35 Iss. 6
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Murray
Midfield trio lead
Murray soccer earned the No. 1 seed for the playoffs Page 7
Love, Murray
Campaign launched to celebrate community spirit Page 20
Riverview Junior High bids farewell: A legacy of memories and a future of promise By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com Alumni, staff and community reflect on six decades of history as ground breaks on a new era of education.
I
n the early 1980s, ninth-grader David Garcia and eighth-grader Stacey Oliver would spend afternoons together after school. As friends, he played the piano while she sang. Over time, their bond grew, and they shared secret kisses behind the bushes near the bike racks outside the gym. As the school year ended and Garcia prepared to attend Murray High, he wrote in Oliver’s yearbook, “Have a terrific summer. I’m sure going to miss you next year.” That “next year” turned into many, as Oliver moved to West Valley City and attended a different high school. They went their separate ways and started families of their own—until they reunited 17 years ago. “We found each other and it was like nothing had changed,” Garcia said. “Our relationship just picked up and continued.” Ten years ago, shortly after his junior high girlfriend began working at Riverview as a paraprofessional, they got married. The Garcias were among many alumni who gathered recently at Riverview Junior High to witness the beginning of a new chapter. On April 25, ground was broken on a modern school which will replace the current building, which has served the community for 61 years. The $90-million project is part of a $125-million voter-approved bond, with the remaining funds going toward an expansion at
Riverview Junior High Principal Earl Kauffman talks to a crowd who gathered to witness the beginning of Riverview’s new
Continued page 4 school. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
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