December 2025 | Vol. 11 Iss.12
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West Jordan
Sourdough
Local baker turns hobby into at-home business Page 6
Dancing with the Stars
Copper Hills ballroom dance brings the concept home Page 15
Strength beyond the bar By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com How a world champion powerlifter and special education advocate found his strength.
W
est Jordan High teacher Sheldon Russell is fueled by grit, redemption and purpose. The man who holds more than 80 state, national and world powerlifting records — and once deadlifted 700 pounds at age 47 to become the oldest Utahn ever to do it — was once told he’d never even graduate high school. “My second-grade teacher told my parents I wouldn’t graduate,” Russell said, who holds a doctorate degree. “I nearly died at age 16 in what was an attempt; my heart rate got down to 15.” From his lowest point to the top of the lifting platform, Russell’s journey is powered by the same force that drives him today — not the weight on the bar, but the weight he helps lift from others’ shoulders. “I grew up in a very dysfunctional home,” he said. “I dropped out of school and I went and got LSD at Sugar House Park when I was 16 years old.” When he returned to school, administrators told him he couldn’t come back without meeting strict requirements. But one man, his high school counselor, Dean Collett, stepped in. “He said, ‘No, give him a chance.’ He was like a dad to me. He was even the best man at my wedding,” Russell said. That second chance, combined with a new love for the weight room, sparked a new way of thinking. “I took weightlifting when I was in the ninth grade at Highland High,” he said. “I had five Fs and two As. The As were in basketball and weightlifting. I broke a record, deadlifting 530 pounds at 17, at a buck 80 (180 pounds). When I realized that, I thought, ‘If I can do this, why can’t I be a straight A student?” That realization of grit and drive became his driving force. “I suddenly made this connection in my
mind — if I can lift this heavy weight up with hard work and determination, I could do that to succeed in school and life,” he said. “So, I stuck with that. I carried that mentality all the way to a doctorate degree in educational leadership.” Married, working odd jobs and scraping through college — earning $4.90 an hour as an apartment maintenance worker — Russell stumbled into what would become his life’s calling.
“We teach them skills to become independent adults, to learn social skills, job skills and transportation skills.” Sheldon Russell “Jordan Valley School needed a 17hour (part-time) assistant,” he says. “I was going to major in criminal justice, be a police officer. It just didn’t feel right. Special ed is my passion.” For 31 years, Russell has been a force in public education. He served in administration, but he chose to return to teaching special education and coaching unified sports at West Jordan High. His class focuses on life skills, helping students with intellectual disabilities learn to live independently. “We teach them skills to become independent adults, to learn social skills, job skills and transportation skills,” he said, adding he takes his students out into the community every week. “We do a lot of community-based training with shopping and managing a budget. I’m proud of that, because I’m the one who got that ball rolling. Now all the high schools are doing it.” Russell also coaches the school’s unified sports team which brings together students with and without disabilities to play side by
Sheldon Russell, a West Jordan High special education teacher, has more than 80 state, national and world powerlifting records. (Photo courtesy Sheldon Russell)
side. One of his four soccer teams was runner-up at the state championship. “This team has made monumental progress from their first game to now; they pass better and they’re more aggressive,” he said. “They’ve honed in on some drills, that’s
helped a lot. They’ve understood the game more, which has helped them to get to this ability. Anytime they can improve is celebratory, for sure. It’s a win.” Continued page 4