May 2016 | Vol. 13 Iss. 05
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Upholding a Winning Legacy: Brighton High School Boys Tennis By Sarah Almond | sarah@mycityjournals.com
page 21
The Bengals gather for a group cheer before a match against Cottonwood High School. The team is hoping to maintain an undefeated record in the 2016 season.
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Page 4 | May 2016
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center Hosts First Fundraiser
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ottonwood Heights residents took a dip for a good cause. In the first annual Spring Splash event, residents swam in the Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center outdoor pool on March 19, despite the chilly weather, in order to raise money for leukemia. “It’s the first year we’re doing this, but we’re hoping to make it an annual thing for different charities,” said Katie Romney, the marketing director at the Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center. The idea for the charity event came from
one of the recreation center’s employees, whose father passed away from leukemia. The center decided to host the charity fundraiser this year and continue on with the annual tradition. Next year’s charity has yet to be determined. The center ended up raising $400. Guests paid $20 to swim, though some donated without diving in. “It’s similar to the polar plunge but not as cold,” Romney said. “People didn’t have to participate. They just donated and supported.” Those who participated received an
embroidered beanie. Next year, Romney hopes the center will be able to give out entire swag bags to participants. Representatives from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society were at a booth to give out educational information to the public. The turnout was small, but Romney said she didn’t expect a large crowd since it wasn’t official until two weeks before the event. “If we had 20 to 50 people, I would have been stoked,” Romney said. l
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LOCAL LIFE
Cottonwood H eightsJournal .com
May 2016 | Page 5
Teens Enjoy Easter Egg Hunt Specifically for Them By Kelly Cannon | kelly@mycityjournals.com
T
eenagers enjoyed their very own Easter egg hunt during the special event hosted by the Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center and Cottonwood Heights City. Held on March 25 at the Cottonwood Heights Ice Arena, the event was free and open to all teens ages 13 to 18. Warren Hallmark, the program manager at the recreation center, explained that the idea for the event came from the children’s event, which is held the Saturday before Easter. “The teens needed to have their own specified event away from the kids in a separate area,” Hallmark said. “We weren’t worried about them stealing candy or anything. There was just a need for a teen event that was not being met with the younger kiddos.” The teen event originally started at the same field as the kids’ event, but the turnout was dismal. About three years ago, the event moved to the ice arena, where there was free ice skating and free pizza. While the turnout has never been near what the kids’ event has, they still see 60 to 70 teens on average.
“We used to bring a DJ, but the kids never seemed to pay attention to him, so now we just play our own music,” Hallmark said. “It’s very chill, very relaxed.” At the end of the evening was the actual Easter egg hunt. The teens put on their shoes, lined up on the ice and then were let loose to grab candy that had been thrown out on the ice. “The ice has been chopped up enough by the skating that we don’t really have that many slips,” Hallmark said. While the teen event is special for that age group, the turnout pales in comparison to the children’s Easter egg hunt that took place on March 26. Hundreds of kids and their families showed up to Butler Middle School. The fields were divided into five sections, each for a specific age group. The kids were then let loose to grab Easter eggs. “The setup takes about two hours and it’s over in five minutes,” Hallmark said. After the actual egg hunt, face painting and balloons were available for the kids. The Easter Bunny was also available for photos. l
Teens gather Easter eggs at the Cottonwood Heights Ice Arena. —Warren Hallmark
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local Life
Page 6 | May 2016
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
Freelance Columnist Awarded for Her Passion On and Off the Slopes By Rachel Hall | r.hall@mycityjournals.com
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Above: Harriet Wallis was honored for the second year with Ski Utah’s Local Media Member Award. –Harriet Wallis Right: Wallis never considered herself athletic as a young woman, but learned to ski in her 30s with her husband and children. Since then, the winter sport has become a passion for her personally and professionally. –Harriet Wallis
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hen it came time for gym class in high school, Harriet Wallis was always picked last for team sports. “I was ‘Harriet, go with that team,’” Wallis said. “I’m an outdoor girl, but I never figured I was athletic until I was in my 30s.” Now sports are an essential part of her lifestyle and career, and she is no longer chosen last. On April 1, Wallis was honored as the first-place recipient for the Local Media Member Award by Ski Utah. The annual award is given to the individual that shares his or her passion for winter sports in Utah through their work. This was the second year Wallis received the award — the first time was for the 2010–2011 ski season. “I do a consistent, solid job, and so it’s really wonderful to be rewarded for it,” she said. Nominated as the only freelance writer, along with five other media members from various reporting outlets, was an honor before she even found out she had won for the 2015–2016 ski season. “I was ecstatic, because I am a freelancer. I am on my own. I don’t have a staff,” she said. “Other people who were nominated are with magazines, newspapers and television. It’s pretty neat to be the lone wolf.” Wallis never plans to retire from reporting or from skiing, even though she has undergone knee-replacement surgeries for both knees and also had both hips replaced. Her passion and energy keep her motivated every day. “I just have a different attitude. I feel like I’m picking up ahead of steam as far as motivation,” Wallis said. “I’m avid about being out in the yard for the exercise and fresh air.” She is no stranger to getting a little dirt on her clothes when it comes to working in the yard, or even during her former career as a potter. “In my former life, I was a full-time potter. I made things out of clay,” Wallis said. “I got tired of wearing clay, dusty blue jeans and firing kilns three nights a week.” With experience under her belt in the fine arts field, which included writing for craft publications, Wallis approached her local newspaper in Connecticut after reading an article about energy conservation in the ’80s.
“I approached the newspaper and said, ‘Hey, that’s great having those articles about people who are doing things to conserve their energy, but how about some articles for people who are low income — like the elderly or single?’ And they said, ‘Nah, we don’t hire freelancers, but if you want to write a story you can.’” Wallis wrote four stories about what a woman can do to conserve energy and the newspaper used all four in its publication. A month later, they asked if she could write for a special section and she agreed. She continued writing for the special section on topics such as car mechanics and a historical look at weddings until one day she was offered a job. “The editor did not hire people with a journalism background. He wanted to hire people with diverse backgrounds, and mine was in fine arts,” Wallis said. The leap of faith it took to change gears from firing kilns and working with clay to seeing a need for articles on energy and writing them has turned into a bit of a “zig zag, but a great career,” according to Wallis. “Unless you change directions, you’ll end up where you started out to go. I started out as a full-time artist and ended up as a full-time writer,” she said. “To me, it’s all the same thing — making sense out of a ball of clay or making sense out of a ball of words. It’s all very creative and fun.” She and her husband also changed directions 25 years ago when their children married and moved away from home. The Wallises decided it was time to move closer to a city that offered skiing nearby, and so they both quit their jobs with the intention of finding jobs elsewhere closer to the slopes. “We had to have jobs, because it supports our habit of eating,” Wallis said jokingly. “We lived in Connecticut at that time, but that’s not ski country. We wanted a real city and real skiing and so we chose Salt Lake City.” With additional experience as a ski instructor, mountain host and many years in a career as a ski columnist under her belt, Wallis has found that her passion has turned into a paycheck. She has one piece of advice for young girls, women, seniors and anyone else contemplating their path in life. “Keep going. The road ahead is wonderful,” Wallis said. l
local Life
Cottonwood H eightsJournal .com
May 2016 | Page 7
Wheeler Farm Hosts Dog Easter Egg Hunt By Kelly Cannon | kelly@mycityjournals.com
E
aster went to the dogs during a special Easter egg hunt just for canines. In the event held on March 25 at Wheeler Historic Farm, over 125 dogs, some dressed in Easter outfits, searched the fields and nearby woods for plastic Easter eggs filled with dog treats. At the end, every dog got a special bag full of dog treats and coupons to local pet stores. The tradition of the dog Easter egg hunt has been going on for five years.
prices and they’d still come. But I won’t do that. We just love seeing the different breeds.” Bailey said the egg hunt is an opportunity for the dogs to socialize with each other. Over the years, groups with a specific breed have come together as a group. “There’s a group of Weimaraners,” Bailey said. “There’s also a group of Pomeranians who dress up each year. We call them the
“It’s so fun to see all the dogs, and everyone gets along.” “We love having people’s dogs here on leashes and people love their dogs,” said Kathleen Bailey, the director at Wheeler Historic Farm. “It’s a win-win for us.” Each of the dogs was registered by size, and their owners could choose to search on the lawn or in the nearby woods. Each dog could find up to 10 eggs, and everyone took home a gift basket. The Easter bunny was also available for photo opportunities. “We sell out each year. It’s becoming more popular,” Bailey said. “I could raise the
Girls.” Debbie and Randy Jentzsch brought their two dogs, a pug named Barkley and a Coton de Tulear named Emmie, and a friend’s dog that they were babysitting, a border collie named Pilot. It was the couple’s third year coming to the annual event. “It’s so fun to see all the dogs, and everyone gets along,” Debbie said. “It’s so interesting to watch.” Debbie explained that Barkley does well each year and finds several Easter eggs, but it
Dogs search for Easter eggs.
was Emmie’s first time. “We’ll see how Emmie does,” Debbie said. Michelle Smith and her daughter drove all the way from Roy to attend the event with their basset hound Lucy. It was their second time at the hunt, but it was Lucy’s first time. Last year
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they took their Labrador retriever, Bella. “I really like it,” Smith said. “It’s fun and it’s good to get out with the dog.” Even though it was Lucy’s first time, Smith said she did really well. “She did good,” Smith said. “She’d find the eggs and scratch at them.” l
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local life
Page 8 | May 2016
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
Lift House Owner Retires After 40 Years By Kelly Cannon | kelly@mycityjournals.com
A
fter over 40 years, Lift House owner Dave Larsen is retiring and handing the reins over to his sons Luke and Zac. Dave Larsen purchased the Lift House, which has been around since 1972, in 1978. “He grew up in Sugar House and became a ski instructor at Brighton out of high school and in college,” Zac Larsen said of his father. “After he got married, he bought his first ski shop.” Shortly after the purchase, Dave Larsen consolidated the shops he owned into the Lift House. Now 75 years old, Dave Larsen lives in St. George year-round with his wife. His sons threw him a retirement party at the beginning of April. “We were kind of scared at first because it was a surprise party for him,” Zac Larsen said. “There were a lot of old employees and old friends there. He was really excited and got kind of emotional.” Zac Larsen and his brother, Luke Larsen, who are now the co-owners, have been skiing for as long as they can remember. “We grew up in the mouth of the canyon around King’s cove,” Zac Larsen said. “We were always skiing at Brighton. We’d ski on the weekends while dad was running the shop.”
When Zac Larsen was 16 years old, he started working in the shop in the rental area. Over the years, he worked his way up through the ranks of the shop. “I worked all through high school and on and off in college,” he said. “When I was 24 years old, I decided this is what I wanted to do.” Zac Larsen said he loves working in the shop because he’s passionate about skiing and loves that he gets to talk about it. “People come from all over the world to ski here,” he said. “I get to meet and talk to really interesting people.” The Lift House is both a retail and rental ski and snowboard shop. The shop is most known for its custom boot fittings and discounts on lift tickets. This includes tickets for Alta, Brighton, Snowbasin, Snowbird and Solitude. Now that the two brothers are co-owners of the Lift House, a few changes are in the works. The biggest one is the shop is shifting to being open year-round. Before, the shop would close during the summer months. Now, the shop will remain open and begin to sell items for trail running and trail hiking. The other big change is the shop will be
Luke and Zac Larsen give a present to their dad, Dave, as his retirement party. —Harriet Wallis
moving to the old Canyon Inn. The Larsens purchased the building this last winter, and they have been in the process of remodeling and renovating it. Zac Larsen said it’s a bigger building and they will own rather than lease it. Zac Larsen said even with the changes, he and his brother hope to honor their father with the business.
“He’s run a successful business for over 40 years,” Zac Larsen said. “My brother and I are going to keep it going strong.” For more information about the Lift House, visit www.thelifthouse.com or call 801-943-1104. l
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Cottonwood H eightsJournal .com
May 2016 | Page 9
Cottonwood Heights Bringing Public Works Home, Parting Ways with TerraCare By Cassandra Goff |
O
n March 19th Cottonwood Heights City Council discussed their options for public works services. After contracting with the public works provider, TerraCare since 2013, the council acknowledged the need for a change. Cottonwood Heights Assistant City Manager, Bryce Haderlie, led the discussion and provided the council with information about having a self-providing public works model. His overall suggestion was to move public works in-house, which would consist of buying equipment and hiring a team for the winter season. “Cottonwood Heights will be a better city having public works in-house,” Haderlie said. Mayor Cullimore mentioned how big an issue snowplowing is for the city. “Fire and police deal with less than ten percent of the population; they don’t see residents every day. If you screw up on snowplowing, every resident is affected.” After a few more introductory points, he said, “Bryce has come up with a great plan, which includes renting front end loaders, when it’s cheap, throughout the winter.” Cullimore continued by mentioning his concerns about personnel issues. “Return employees are a good thing. Drivers are not necessarily the same year to year and having to retrain every year makes for a slow start. You can solve the equipment and management problem but I just don’t know how you assure the personnel and training.” After a lengthy discussion between the council members, they turned to the staff members for opinions on what the city should do. Public Relations Specialist, Dan Metclaf, said, “How your citizens will perceive any move you make or don’t make is something you need to consider. To take public works in-house could be a good move to bring local control to the residents of this city. It will help to build new and better perceptions.” Public Works Director, Mike Allen, discussed how operations would continue if public works were changed. “There would be more control over what the manpower is doing and the personnel may be more qualitied. Full time people would have
more pride because the paycheck would be coming from the city, it’s another step up. We would have more control over overtime. It would be better quality of work for the same cost.” Community and Economic Development Director, Brian Berndt, said “This is a situation where you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t.” Chief of Police, Robby Russo, voiced his concerns. “We might need more people because staffing numbers are low. It could be difficult to juggle the employees. The costs will go up but if you’re willing to pay to get the product, we will get a better product.” Finance Director, Dean Lundell, added, “There is flexibility with doing it in-house.” After hearing the opinions from the city staff, Cullimore said, “The reality is we are living with a perception that was set within that first year. TerraCare’s contract renews next year and there are high expectations that we do not renew the contract. Personnel issues are the same either way.” In response, Councilman Scott Bracken said, “I don’t expect that the product will get worse.” Councilman Mike Peterson added, “We became a city so we could self-direct; we have an opportunity to do something. We can be selfproviding to determine own destiny and hold own people accountable.” Councilman Tee Tyler said, “Success relies on us, we have to have confidence in our plan. We have been leading TerraCare in snowplowing, instead of them leading us. We can’t have that to be successful. If we change, I don’t think we can change again. This is a long run decision.” Councilman Mike Shelton said, “I have a lot of confidence in Bryce’s plan. His experience is greater than all of ours.” Mayor Cullimore concluded with the statements, saying, “Whatever decision we make, we need to own it and we need to sell it. This may include neighborhood meetings. We don’t have the luxury of failing. We need to get equipment and financing lined up so we are not panicked in September when we are moving into our new building. We have resources that we have never
@mycityjournals.com
Cottonwood Heights Public Works will purchase this truck for in-house services. Photo credit – Dan Metcalf, PIO.
“Cottonwood Heights will be a better city having public works in-house.” had before. We need to wipe the slate clean and start over again, having new expectations. There is a bigger risk to not do anything.” During the work session meeting on April 12, 6pm, the Council announced their decision. Cottonwood Heights City and TerraCare agreed to cancel their contract. TerraCare will assist the city in transitioning to an in-house public works model so by the time snowfall hits the city, Cottonwood Heights will be ready. City Manager, John Park, will meet with TerraCare and work out a plan. He plans to take over public works services in increments. Public Works Operations Specialist, Danny Martinez, previously oversaw the county operations for the city. With his expertise, the city has confidence that they will have a better operation of snowplowing services. Haderlie proposed which equipment the city should acquire after having close discussions with
Martinez. He suggests that the city acquires: four 10-wheel dump trucks, four 4-wheel drive Bobtails (smaller dump trucks), three 2-wheel drive Bobtails, three one-ton trucks and four loaders. “Bobtails will serve a better purpose in the cul-de-sacs,” Haderlie said. Along with the snowplowing equipment, the city plans to acquire its own sweeper that will be used year-round to “improve the appearance of the city.” The city has never owned a street-sweeper, but contracts that service. During the business meeting at 7pm the same night, “Resolution No. 2016-20 Authorizing Staff to Commit to Purchases for Public Works Equipment” was passed unanimously. After the meeting, Metclaf said, “We appreciate the relationship that we have established with TerraCare over the past two and a half years. We look forward to working with them as we transition to our own public works initiative.” l
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GOVERNMENT
Page 10 | May 2016
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
New Officers for Cottonwood Heights By Cassandra Goff | cassandra@mycityjournals.com
O
n Tuesday, March 29, during a city council business meeting at Cottonwood Heights City Hall, Braden Wyatt was sworn in as a Cottonwood Heights Police (CHP) officer. The room was full of family members, friends and fellow officers. Many conversations flew through the room as the council members took their seats at the podium. Mayor Kelvyn Cullimore began by asking everyone to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. The room fell silent as everyone stood to recite the pledge. A lone voice led additional voices to follow in repeating the well-rehearsed words. After everyone returned to their seat, Robby Russo, Cottonwood Heights Police Chief, stood to introduce the new recruit. He gestured to Detective Wyatt, Braden’s father and thanked him for being there. “Braden has gone through training at an accelerated rate,” Russo began to introduce the young police officer, continually looking back at Detective Wyatt. “We’ve never had a bad experience from the kid,” he continued. Family ties are increasingly more common within police departments. “It will be hard for him to do things well, especially when his dad is so extraordinary,” Russo joked to the council members before stepping aside. Detective Wyatt and Braden, father
and son, took their place beside the podium. Detective Wyatt pinned a badge to his son’s uniform, swearing him into the same police department. After applause, Mayor Cullimore asked Braden to tell the audience about himself. He stood behind a microphone as he explained how the men in his family have all been involved with law enforcement. His grandfather, father and both of his uncles have worked in blue uniforms. Growing up in Murray for twenty years, Braden feels he can do a great job within Cottonwood Heights. He “hopes to find somewhere closer to live.” As Detective Wyatt and Officer Wyatt took their seats, Russo explained that Braden will be on reserve for the next three months. “We are thrilled to have him,” Mayor Cullimore concluded. On Tuesday, April 12, Kevin Salmon was sworn in as a Cottonwood Heights Police Officer, during the business meeting at 7pm. The meeting room, usually only occupied by empty chairs, filled with conversation. Many Cottonwood Heights Police Officers were joking with one other in back of the room, some in uniform, some without. A voice from their radios began echoing through the room, interrupting many conversations. Almost instantaneously, they reached down to lower
the volume on the devices, showing support to the new officer and his family. As the council members took their seats, the room became mostly silent. Mayor Cullimore asked Robby Russo to introduce the newest CHP officer, Kevin Salmon. “Kevin has great experience,” Russo said. He turned around to face Salmon’s family. “His mom actually thanked us for taking him, but we are really getting the better end of the deal. We promise to send him home safe. It takes a family to support a police officer. It’s a hard life for the family members, as well as the officer.” Russo then stood aside so Salmon and his son could join him at the front of the room. Salmon’s son, Carson, barely stood below Kevin’s knees. Russo helped the boy find hold of the badge. Kevin kneeled down so Carson could reach the appropriate place on his ironed uniform. After applause from the audience, Salmon introduced the rest of his family, who stood nervously in front of the crowded room. The all smiled as they were introduced, before returning to their seats. As Salmon turned to join them, Cullimore asked, “Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself?” Cullimore laughed from Salmon’s reactions, “They didn’t warn you about that?”
Carson, son, pins his father’s badge as he is sworn into the Cottonwood Heights Police Department. Photo Credit – Dan Metcalf.
“No, they didn’t,” Salmon laughed as he shot a smirked glance to his coworkers. Kevin is the third generation in his family to wear a blue uniform. His dad worked as an officer in West Valley and his grandfather retired from the Pennsylvania police. “I worked in West Valley for nine years and in Woods Cross for one and a half.” “This is a great community and a great city,” he said. “There is a respect for law enforcement within the city.” “I’m excited to ride those beautiful Harleys in the summertime and enjoy the nice weather,” Salmon said. l
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The Bronze Bobcat Hunt
GOVERNMENT
May 2016 | Page 11
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utler Elementary is in the process of constructing a new school that is expected to be open for the 2016-2017 school year. The old building will be demolished as soon as the new building is completed. A resident group called “Friends of Butler” is fundraising for the purchase of a statue, designed to look like the school’s mascot, a bobcat. The finished color of the statue will be a bronze color so it is referred to as the bronze bobcat. Once completed, he will find a home at the new building. Friends of Butler is comprised of “old and new friends of Butler Elementary,” including Debbie Tyler, Cottonwood Heights Parks and Recreation Service, Board of Trustees elected candidate for District 3; Mike Peterson, Cottonwood Heights Councilman for District 3; along with Cottonwood Heights residents who previously attended Butler Elementary and/or have children attending the school, Eric Jensen, Lisa Devashrayee, Kelly Guymon, Brenda Eichers, and Nalene Dunkley. “The bobcat has been the Butler Elementary mascot of over 20 years and it represents a proud tradition for thousands of young people who have walked its halls,” Friends of Butler Elementary representatives said. The bronze statue will be a “true-to-life” representation of the bobcat. Many statue designs were submitted for consideration to the school. Students and their parents voted for their favorite designs at the fall parent teacher
conferences. “It was amazing to feel the enthusiasm and interest of the students as they cast their ballots,” an organizer from Friends of Butler said. The winning vote was cast for a design proposed by David Jackson, Utah artist. He will work on the statue at his studio in Mountain Green, Utah. The bronze bobcat is estimated to cost $12,000. In order to reach this estimated goal, donations are needed from the community. So far, $6,000 has been raised, so about half of the estimated cost is still needed. Donations are funneled through the Canyons Education Foundation, which allows the donated money to be tax deductible. Any extra accumulated funds from the donations will be aimed towards purchasing new school supplies for the students. “Friends of Butler” hopes to receive the needed money before the beginning of the school year. They wish to have the bobcat home “for the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony planned for the beginning of the 2016-17 school year.” “Friends of Butler Elementary” has a Facebook page where the community can find more information about the project. A running thermometer can be found on the cover picture of the page where the community can see how many funds have already been raised and how much is still needed. Pictures of the old and
The Go Fund Me page for donations is currently raising money for the project. Photo Credit – Friends of Butler
new building can be found in the albums on this page. Pictures of previous Butler Elementary classes, dating back all the way to Mrs. Hill’s class in 1918, are also available in the photo albums. The page is found at this address: www. facebook.com/ButlerBobcatFriends. Any additional questions or comments can be sent to the Friends of Butler email at FriendsofButlerElem@gmail.com. Donations can be sent directly to the Canyons Education Foundation, or instantly through the web page, www.gofundme.com/ bronzebobcat. Currently, donations from this page have been contributed by 14 people within two months. The running total for this page is $450 and does not include donations from the Canyons Education Foundation. Donations directly to the foundation have an estimated total of $5550. The Butler Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is hosting an open house in the evening of May 24th. This will be the last opportunity for residents to say goodbye to the old Butler Elementary school building before the demolition. l
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Page 12 | May 2016
EDUCATION
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
Utah Educator Day on the Hill Brings Teachers to the Legislature
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By Stephanie Lauritzen |
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A graphic created by the Canyons Education Association promoting the importance of increased school funding.
I
s it possible for parents, teacher, and government officials to all work together to improve education? CEA President Jen Buttars believes it’s possible. Every year During the Utah Legislative session, Canyons Education Association members and teachers from around the state of Utah meet with legislative members each Friday to participate in Educator Day on the Hill, an event sponsored by the Utah Education Association designed to facilitate collaboration between teachers and legislatures. “We help the community as a whole by being a voice for educators when they can’t be. Together with PTA, we help paint a picture for leaders about the successes and the needs our students. We are ultimately and primarily concerned with providing a high quality education to every student regardless of their zip code,” Buttars said. This year, teachers fought for an increase in the Weighted Pupil Unit, or WPU. The WPU is the funding mechanism through which districts receive their money from the states, and then allocated through the district yearly budget. According to Buttars, an increase in the WPU would give districts greater decision making power in funding their individual schools. “. I believe that each local district, working with their employee associations, is the best place to make decisions that impact students. For example, who better to know about the needs of Bell View Elementary, or any local school, than the patrons and employees of that school and the district personnel who support us?” At the end of this year’s session, educators were dismayed to see the WPU raised only 3%. In a letter written to the legislature, UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh noted that educators “believe Utah public school students are best served by allocating as much funding as possible directly to the WPU. Specifically, we are requesting that rather than designate line items for technology, professional development or other earmarked
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uses, those funds be rolled into the WPU.” Buttars agrees with this assessment. “As a point of reference, we have not yet returned to pre-recession levels of education spending, in spite of a healthy Utah economy. There was much debate this session about the use of block grants and other ‘below the line’ funding mechanisms. While these may raise the money that districts receive, it often comes with requirements attached which may or may not be in the best interest of the students of that district. This also takes funding from the WPU, which again, is where the most local control of resources is available.” The Utah Superintendents Association, UEA and the Utah School Board Association all requested a 4.5-5% increase in WPU as part of a solution to Utah’s teacher shortage. In another part of her letter to the legislature, Gallagher-Fishbaugh said “We face arguably the most critical teacher shortage of our lifetime. A student today faces a greater chance of sitting in a classroom with an unqualified teacher than perhaps ever in modern history.” Despite setbacks, Buttars remains optimistic that parents and teachers can make a difference in improving Utah education. “Get out there and do it. Be a part of your PTA, either with your time or your dues. Run for a position on your School Community Council. Reach out to your child’s teachers,” Buttars said. She likewise believes the relationship between teachers and legislatures remains important. “I want to emphasize that the UEA has a very collaborative relationship with most of our legislators. Oftentimes the legislators are open and receptive to the input of the UEA. This year, the UEA is working to help legislators understand that the teacher shortage is here in Utah. We need the most money possible on the WPU in order for each district to recruit and retain the best of the best teachers for Utah’s children.” l
EDUCATION
Cottonwood H eightsJournal .com
May 2016 | Page 13
Brighton Students Create New Businesses in the “Shark Tank.” By Stephanie Lauritzen |
I
magine creating a new business idea-brainstorming an original concept, developing a business plan and presenting the business plan to a panel of successful venture capitalists. Now imagine doing so in less than three hours. It’s certainly not a relaxing way to spend a Wednesday, but on March 23rd, ambitious Brighton High School students came together to formulate and pitch potential new businesses as part of a mock “Shark Tank” competition based on the popular reality television show. Peri Kinder, director of Business Development and Licensing for the Cottonwood Heights Business Association partnered with DevMountain, a local coding school dedicated to empowering the next wave of computer programmers as entrepreneurs and designers. Together, they contacted the Career and Technical Education (CTE) department at Brighton High in order to organize the first high-school Shark Tank. “We wanted to show students that by working together effectively and creatively as a team, they could create a business that could work in the real world” Kinder said. Students registered for the event in
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advance without knowing any of the other members of their team until the day of the event. Each team consisted of a business, marketing, or IT student, who were given forty-five minutes to develop their business concept. After a short snack break (these were teenagers, after all,) students had another forty-five minutes to finalize their business plan, followed by one hour to design their presentations to “sell” to the judges for hypothetical investment. The event coincided perfectly with Brighton High’s CTE program, which “prepares students for the future by developing academic and technical skills in high demand, providing career exploration and work-based learning opportunities, and creating pathways leading to future education training or employment.” A high-school version of Shark Tank is also part of DevMountain’s mission to offer “high impact, hands on, project-based curriculum” to their students. In fact, Kinder contacted the organization to help create the Brighton High event hoping they would help students develop skills that would help them in a competitive job market, especially since
DevMountain not only teaches coding, but encourages students to “launch their careers, build their startups and achieve their goals.” For the remainder of the day, each business plan was judged and evaluated by a team of local venture capitalists. According to Kinder, the judges looked for a concept that “could be created quickly, adapted easily, and do something no one else does.” The winning business? An online company called “Brava,” which offers women online bra fitting and designs a personalized bra based on size, style, and color. “The judges liked the business plan because it filled a nice market and hadn’t been done before,” said Kinder. While students missed a full day of academic classes, teachers and students agreed that the “real life” experience offered them valuable opportunities to practice the skills they learn in their CTE classes. Canyons School District CTE Director Janet Goble praised the event as a “huge success.” For Kinder, she was pleased with the creativity and hard-work shown by the students. “I think the students learned that it’s worth the risk to try something. You never know what idea is going to take off.” l
Brighton High students present their business plan during the “Shark Tank” competition.
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Page 14 | May 2016
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
Is There a Cure for Senioritis? By Stephanie Lauritzen |
Brighton High School social studies teacher Aaron Hadfield
E
very year a strange virus contaminates high-schools across the nation. Suddenly, seventeen and eighteen- year-old teenagers can no longer concentrate, suffer from a deliberating need to be outside and even experience a form of situational amnesiaespecially when homework is involved. Experts refer to the virus as “Senioritis,” with educators, parents and school counselors left desperate for a cure. Fortunately, some innovative teachers and programs in Canyons school District may provide an anecdoteengaging classroom lessons and career-based learning opportunities that help students stay engaged in their learning even after the commencement ceremony. Lisa Willis, the Work-Based Learning facilitator at Brighton and Jordan High School organizes “career exploration opportunities” for students throughout the
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district. “It’s important that students leave high-school prepared for the future,” Willis said. “Students stay engaged when they know they are heading off to college with an idea of what working in their chosen career might look like. We organize activities all year long that help students imagine life after highschool.” From activities like “Green Day,” where students visit Utah Valley University’s Thanksgiving Point campus to study alternative fuel, to “DigiGirlz” a Microsoftsponsored program for girls interested in coding and tech careers, Willis believes helping students become aware of all of their options helps them stay motivated during their senior year. “Exploring career options in high-school helps students make sure they don’t waste money in college trying to figure out what type of job they would like. By starting during high-school, students might realize they don’t want to be a nurse, but would love working as a surgical technician instead. It also helps students realize what a job is really like, what kind of money they can expect to earn, and how to function as an independent adult.” In addition to off-campus activities, Canyons schools are also offering Career Fairs, as well as opportunities to job shadow
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professionals in a variety of occupations. “This allows students to meet a professional working in their field of interest one- on -one, and experience what it feels like to ‘go to work’ every day,” Willis said. “It also helps students feel more like adults. They’re learning, but they aren’t in the school all day, and it can be very freeing and rewarding.” Students also stave off Senioritis when teachers provide unique learning experiences inside the classroom. Willis often works with teachers to coordinate guest-speakers and experts to come talk to students as part of a teacher’s curriculum. “It’s important for work-based learning facilitators to build relationships with teachers in order to work together and back up the teacher’s classroom instruction.” Furthermore, some teachers might modify their curriculum and try new things in order to keep students focused and in class. At the end of each year, Brighton High social studies teacher Aaron Hadfield teaches a government unit requiring students to develop their own governments-complete with military systems and heads of state. For instance, for two weeks all of the students simulate living under a totalitarian regime, complete with uniforms and secret-police. Afterward, they study the U.S. Constitution
and democracy. Hadfield believes that by making learning fun students are more willing to “buy-in” to learning-especially since they are heavily involved in directing the classroom activities. Hadfield’s class is now something each class of seniors readily anticipates. “I’m fortunate because word has spread in our community about this activity, and kids look forward to it at the end of every year,” he said. “So it’s often the big thing that keeps the students involved in learning up until the day they walk across the graduation stage.” l
Cottonwood H eightsJournal .com
May 2016 | Page 15
Residents Invited to Experience Utah Premiere of Elaborate Horse Show By Kelly Cannon | kelly@mycityjournals.com
P
art horse show, part live theater, part Cirque du Soleil and part concert, Cavalia presents Odysseo in its Utah premiere performance in Sandy. Opening April 14, this elaborate show is a multi-media experience staring 65 horses and 48 riders, acrobats, dancers and musicians. The show will take place under the White Big Top at South Towne Center. Valued at $30 million, Odysseo is the largest touring company in the world. The show began its tour in 2011 in Montreal. Since then, more than 1.8 million spectators in Canada, the United States, and Mexico have seen the show. Cavalia describes the Odysseo as a show unlike any other on the planet. “These magnificent animals play in complicity and with freedom, in a respectful relationship with the riders, acrobats, and aerialists, charming and fascinating everyone who has the chance to witness this moving artistic and emotive partnership,” according to a press release from Cavalia. Benoit Fontaine, logistics director, explained the tent used is the biggest big top tent in the world made special out of Italy. “The surface of the big top is 60,000 square feet, about the same size as a NFL football field,” Fontaine said. The tent can hold 2,000 people at a time. Sixty employees fly in to each location to help with the set up and 110 trucks hall the equipment, not including the horse transportation.
Marie-Pierre Ouellet has been the equestrian back stage manager since 2012. Prior to this job, she had no horse experience. Now, she manages a team of 12 employees who help make sure the horses are taken care of at the stables. All 75 horses are male. Cowboy and Mikko are two of the horses. “These two operate as a team and are very fond of each other,” Ouellet said. “These two exhibit the strength of this bond more than others. If separate, they will cry for each other.” Ouellet explained the horses don’t like to be alone. When they retire, they are adopted out together. Rachel Karabenick is one of the aerialists in the show. She said she was a regular girl with a regular desk job five years ago when she hear about aerial performing. After joining various circuses, she was able to quit her desk job “because I had enough work in the circus.” Karabenick said she was hesitant to work with Odysseo because she had no experience with horses, being raised in Chicago. Now she feels fully comfortable around them, even riding one during the show. Parts of the performance include a stateof-the-art video screen three times the size of the world’s largest cinema screens, a threestory mountain for added perspectives and a real lake made of 40,000 gallons of recycled water which appears for the finale. Spectators should pay special attention to the music in the show. The music is performed
Riders perform acrobatic tricks on horses during the Odysseo performance. —Dan Harper
by a singer and five members of the band. Unlike traditional shows where the band sets the pace for the music, the horses instead set the pace. The band leader watches the horses steps, timing the beat to the music to match the horse’s trots. Presale tickets are already available and are priced from $39.50 to $129.50 plus applicable fees. A Rendez-Vous package is also available which offers the best seats in the house, a dinner before the show, an open bar, desserts
during intermission and an exclusive visit to the stables after the show. This VIP experience takes place in a tent alongside the White Big Top. The Rendez-Vous package prices range from $159.50 to $249.50 plus applicable fees. Special pricing and packages are also available for families, groups, children ages two to 12 years old, juniors from 13 to 17 years old and seniors 65 years old and above. Tickets are available at www.cavalia.net or by calling 1-866-999-8111. l
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Page 16 | May 2016
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
Underneath the Uniform By Cassandra Goff | cassie@mycityjournals.com
PART I “So you want to do a ride-along?” the police chief asked as he sat down next to me. I was shocked and it must have been apparent on my face. The chief was confused by my blank stare. “Rachel? She’s your editor. Right? She mentioned that you wanted to go for a ride-along.” I never liked cops. I hated seeing red and blue lights. I hated seeing cops parked on the side of a street and having to drive on my best behavior. In elementary school, kids are taught that cops are friends, that they are here to protect. How are they protecting when six of them swarm my car at 17 years old? How are they my friends when they stop me on a latenight walk? I’d never had an instance where they acted as a protective friend — more like an overly strict parent. Then again, I guess a ride-along would be interesting. I had never had an opportunity to do one before. I’d heard through the grapevine that they could be exciting and fun.
“I’ll put you with my best guys. Nothing will happen, don’t worry. You’ll have a great time.” Why not? “Sure,” I said, trying to sound sure myself. “Good!” he said excitedly, “Call me and I’ll set up a time for you. I’ll put you with my best guys. Nothing will happen, don’t worry. You’ll have a great time.” I pulled up to the police station around 6:30 on a Saturday night in February. I parked next to a bright blue sedan and pulled out my phone to call someone named Gary. The police chief had told me that Gary would be the sergeant that night and I should call him when I had arrived. “I’m here,” I said, trying to sound cheery when he answered. “I’ll have someone pick you up shortly,” he said, all business. I got out of my car and walked to the door. I noticed a security panel on the side of the doorframe, and decided it would just be better to wait outside. It was a cold night and the
air seeped through my jacket. I paced, waiting for a police car to show up, past parking spots designated for police. After I had significantly chilled from the air, a police truck pulled up. Gary backed around to park, the bright red tail lights stunning my eyes. The door of the truck swung open as a massive man swung out and sauntered toward me. “Are you here for me?” I asked, suddenly feeling very small. He nodded as he went around to his passenger seat to clean out some clutter. I was nervous. I was talking to a police officer. This time, I wouldn’t be walking away with a ticket, but the anxious feeling wouldn’t subside, no matter how much I told it to. Gary turned around to face me. “We need to go inside and have you fill out a form, just in case you die.” I started to laugh nervously until I realized that he wasn’t joking. I could die tonight. I didn’t know if I would, or how I might die, but it remained a possibility. I was going to sign over my name so that if I died tonight, it would be all right. I followed Gary inside and down a long, narrow, white hallway, my eyes on his back, his blue uniform a stark contrast with the color of the walls. His balding head nearly touched the ceiling and his broad shoulders seemed to span the width of the corridor. His belt sagged, full of the typical police hardware — flashlight, handcuffs and of course, his gun. He was a giant. He moved like a giant and his voice was deep. But I couldn’t imagine this enormous man running. Don’t police need to run? I wondered. He opened the door to the police department and I walked in. There was a bulletin board littered with flyers; many desks, some messy, some neater; chairs and scattered paper. He searched through the scatterings within an area where two cubicles had been pushed together, unsuccessfully, for the form I needed to sign. He thumbed through a handful of files, his giant fingers giving him trouble as he searched through the sheets of paper. “I just saw it, I knew you were coming,” he said, almost apologetically. “Here,” he pulled a paper from a shelf. “Read it and sign at the bottom,” he instructed, handing the form to me. The paper instructed me to listen to the police officers, dress in a presentable manner, act like an adult and stay in the car
unless instructed otherwise. The paper had no mention of death, so that was a good sign. I wrote out my name and the date, then signed my night away. Gary looked over the paper form as I stood up to follow him. “So what do you know about police officers?” he asked. How was I supposed to answer that question? I’d seen police before, both in person and on screen, but admittedly Officer Gary Young some of my information was probably not so accurate. “You guys have to do a lot of paperwork,” I said, immediately flinching at my own answer. Gary laughed at my attempt and followed up with, “Have you been arrested or given a ticket?” “Yes,” I said nervously, hoping he wouldn’t ask a followup question. “Did the police officers treat you with respect?” I thought about past events with police officers for a moment. “Yes, they had,” I said. We made our way back to his truck. “Climb into the passenger seat,” he instructed as we approached the driver’s side. I walked around the back of the truck and up to the enormous door. I reached for the door handle, pulled it open and opened the door, with some effort. I stared, aghast, at the mountain I had to climb to get into the passenger seat. Not only was Gary an enormous human being, but his truck was made for people bigger than me, too. I managed to grab the handle inside and hoist myself awkwardly into the truck. I nearly sat on Gary’s laptop in the passenger seat as I finally made it inside the cab. I assessed my surroundings. The laptop was small and inexpensive but the truck itself was pretty fancy: colored headlights, a touch screen for temperature control and a radio.
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Cottonwood H eightsJournal .com And it was clean, which was not what I was expecting after seeing many man-owned trucks in my life. “Nothing bad is going to happen to you tonight.” Gary said, easing behind the steering wheel. “Oh, good,” I sighed with relief. Gary turned the ignition and the truck’s massive engine rumbled to life. He started to talk, eyes looking straight ahead, but occasionally looking over at me to make sure I was listening. “There is never a good situation with a cop. If there is a police officer involved, it’s probably a bad situation,” he explained. He told me about how when his wife gets pulled over, she calls him to complain. His answer is always pretty much the same: “Sweetheart, your husband is a police officer.” “No one wants to be a cop these days,” he said in a half sigh, explaining how the repeatedly bad situations lead to people not wanting to be involved with the job. As we talked, my own unease began to fade away. Maybe that was his intention all along. I laughed at his jokes and began to notice his facial features instead of his uniform. His eyes were bright and blue, his moustache seemed to dance on his lip as he talked and his laugh lines dug deep. He flipped open the small laptop and showed me what I would be seeing throughout the night. He turned the wheel, pulling away from the curb. “Days are usually pretty boring, but maybe we’ll see something exciting tonight,” he said as I looked at the screen. As we were pulling out of the parking lot, a female voice filtered on the radio, notifying the officers about an incoming call. Gary’s voice became sprinkled with excitement. The details of the call appeared on the screen in front of me. “Teenage male dressed in all black and scream mask jumping fences,” it read. “Have you seen the movie?” Gary asked. “No,” I said. He explained the movie and described the mask, and though I knew what it looked like, I didn’t interrupt him. “Do you get that a lot?” I asked “People in scream masks?” “No,” his answer surprised me, “I mean, around Halloween it’s common but that’s about it.” We drove over to the area where the call was reported from. Voices from other police officers responding to the same call crackled over the radio. We drove around the dark streets, keeping our eyes peeled. “Why did you become a police officer?” I asked. He told me how his grandfather, father, and brother were all police officers, so his career path was never a question. “I’ve been on the force since ’88,” he said. He had been through many departments, including SWAT. But Gary also seemed born for the job; he was the happiest police officer I
SPECIAL FEATIURE
May 2016 | Page 17
Officer Gary Young speaks to local school children.
had ever encountered. As we drove around the quiet neighborhood, another police car passed us. The sun had just set behind the mountains, casting darkness over the Cottonwood Heights homes. I gazed out my window, watching the neighbors as they were getting things from their car, taking out trash, doing everyday tasks. A few looked up at us momentarily as we drove by, but most continued on with their task. Cottonwood Heights police are frequently seen scattered throughout the city, which explained the lack of interest from the neighbors. I knew what they were seeing from the outside, the familiar “Cottonwood Heights Police” lettering colored with blue and gray, surrounding a blue stripe that curved up toward the hood with a flare. A white background peeking through the letters that covered the doors and the black paint that covered the hood and trunk. I knew the familiar “Solve the Problem” logo that appeared across the back of the cars. I knew the view from outside. As I sat in the passenger seat, it was hard to comprehend that the paint I could instantly recognize was just on the other side of my door. I could only see the interior of the vehicle. I could only look out the window to view familiarity. It was odd to be inside the police car, instead of being the outside neighbor. I felt out of place. The neighbors didn’t know I was in the passenger seat, on the inside. All they saw were symbols and colors correlating with police; all they knew was that there
was a police officer inside this vehicle. What would they have thought to see me, a 21-year-old girl, without a uniform, sitting in that car, underneath the red and blue lights? Gary kept talking, “editorializing,” as he called it, and I was glad. I had all sorts of questions and he was answering some of them without even knowing it. “Police officers have to be especially careful in every situation,” he continued, recounting the story of Officer Barney, a Holladay officer who had been killed while on duty. Barney had pulled over a car for a traffic violation that has since been lost in insignificance. He parked after the suspect had stopped, climbed out of his seat and walked toward the car, expecting another grumbled conversation with an inconvenienced driver. Just another normal traffic stop. When Barney approached the driver, the driver pulled out a gun and pulled the trigger. The driver fled from the scene, obviously engaged in something much more illegal than a traffic violation. “We try to prepare for that,” Gary said. “We never know if someone is going to pull a gun or try to hurt us.” For that reason, Gary will “light up cars,” turning on his flashing red and blue lights, bright headlights, some other supporting lights and sometimes a spotlight. “We want to keep control of the situation and see as much as we can,” he said. Police officers get a bit nervous when drivers begin searching in their glove box for their license and
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Page 18 | May 2016 registration during a normal traffic stop. Gary will usually ask to see their hands when he approaches. “Do drivers get upset or irritated?” I asked. “I’d rather have a bad encounter than for someone to pull a gun from that glove box,” he explained. Every stop can be a matter of life or death for police officers so they proceed with caution. As we were talking, we saw two teenage boys walking on the sidewalk. Gary pulled over and waited for the boys to walk into the beam of his headlights. As they did, I noticed one of them dressed in all black while the other wore a purple, black and white patterned sweatshirt with some tan pants; this boy had his hands in his sweatshirt pockets. “What do you think?” Gary asked, keeping his eye on the two boys. They walked by our truck and unlocked a jeep parked on the street. I didn’t see a scream mask but one was dressed in all black. “We’ll talk to them,” Gary said, and turned his truck to park behind the jeep. He flipped his red and blue lights on. The combination of flashing lights and additional truck lights made the jeep extremely visible. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the teenagers. I’d been in this position before, being pulled over at night. Those lights are blinding in the rearview mirror and, like Gary said, it’s never a good situation when an officer is involved. I watched as Gary walked out from the safety of the truck, toward the driver’s side of the jeep, while I stayed in the passenger seat, as I had been told to stay in the vehicle unless instructed otherwise. His left hand swung by his hip. The other hand, cocked by his right ear, held a flashlight. He talked to the driver, looking inside of the vehicle with the little beam of light. Another police officer pulled up behind me and one more pulled in front of the parked jeep. I watched as one
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
officer joined Gary and the third went around the passenger side with the same type of flashlight, looking (I assumed) for a weapon. I watched as their lips began to move, talking with the teenagers. I could not hear anything that was said beyond the truck doors. I could only pretend to read lips that were not directly facing me. After a few unsuccessful attempts to figure out what they were saying, I tried to identify the passenger from my seat. I could see the silhouettes of both teenagers, sitting nervously in their seats. They seemed stiff and rigid, movement undetectable within their shadows. As their conversation lingered, I looked around the car, once again. I looked behind my seat, curious to what Gary liked
“We work as a team. It’s always better to have more than one person, especially with two people in a car, in case they do have weapons or ill intentions.”
to drive around with. After discovering nothing of interest, I settled back in my seat, resting my head against the door, and looked out the window. I noticed the flashing lights reflecting off the fallen snow. The lights made a lawn of snow reflect entirely red, and then entirely blue, over and over again. Each change of color caught different gleams of light from fallen snowflakes. Small sparkles jumped every few seconds, dying when the color illuminating them suddenly disappeared. It was quite beautiful, something I never imagined to observe
from police lights. I wondered if the officers ever stopped somewhere abandoned to watch their lights bounce of walls or landscape. My lost thoughts were broken as Gary walked halfway to the truck, pulling his walkie-talkie to his mouth. “They’re acting a little nervous,” he said, his voice crackled unintelligibly through the radio. Isn’t everyone a little nervous around officers? I thought. What constituted being a little bit more than just a little nervous? Eventually each of the officers stepped back from the jeep; one returned to his cruiser while Gary rejoined me in the truck. The other officer came over to Gary’s window. “Go to lunch,” Gary said through the window. It seemed like such a normal thing to say, which made it feel strange. “Any luck?” I asked Gary as we pulled away from the curb. “No,” he said, “but I definitely think they were involved somehow.” The teenager wearing all black was extremely pale. Maybe the resident who called in had let her imagination get the better of her. We passed another police officer down the road and Gary informed me of an officer who had inspected the fence where the teenagers supposedly jumped. There was a 15-foot drop, high enough that teenagers probably wouldn’t want to jump it, and there were no footprints in the snow. Something didn’t add up. “Why did the other officers show up?” I asked, referring the two back-up cruisers at the scene. “We work as a team. It’s always better to have more than one person, especially with two people in a car, in case they do have weapons or ill intentions.” He went on to discuss how they can’t possibly know who
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“What is the most difficult part of your job?” I asked. His immediate answer was working with children (in fact, every officer I talked to that night told me the same thing).
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May 2016 | Page 19 they are pulling over. It’s hard to see into a driver window. As we slowed at the whim of a red light, he pointed to a car we were creeping up on and asked, “Can you see the driver in the car next to us? Man or woman? Race? Age? Distinguishing features?” I looked, but I couldn’t tell much besides a vague silhouette. Gary nodded his head. “I can’t tell who is in another car either.” Gary pulled closer to the car, looking down at an elderly lady in the passenger seat of a small car. She looked up at him, uneasy, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “What is a typical day like for you?” I asked as we drove on. “Every day is different,” he began. “There is nothing typical about the police officer job. He comes to work, gathers his stuff and heads out. He does things that most would consider normal for a supervisor: making sure his team is doing what they are supposed to, being aware of lunch breaks, checking in on everyone to make sure they are all right. Any inkling of a “normal” day includes driving around the city, making stops and responding to calls. “What is the most difficult part of your job?” I asked. His immediate answer was working with children (in fact, every officer I talked to that night told me the same thing). He shared a story with me that had really “messed him up for a few days.” A mother was feeding her child, absentmindedly. She overfed him, with too much formula for his little body. When Gary arrived at the home, he intended to do CPR, but couldn’t get a clean airway because of all the formula causing blockage throughout the child’s throat and mouth. The child couldn’t be saved. He told me another story, involving a dead body in
the middle of the road. When he arrived on the scene, the bystanders looked at him with the thought of “oh good, a police officer is here, so it’s okay now” clear on their faces. Gary started CPR on the dead body before paramedics arrived, working and working, but nothing would help. On a different occasion, Gary was doing CPR on a man who had eaten spaghetti and peas beforehand. In response to the CPR, the man vomited the spaghetti and peas, directly into Gary’s mouth. I made a grossed-out noise as he told me the story and he acknowledged, “Yeah, it was gross.” “What is the best part of your job?” I asked him as we parked at the station, awaiting another officer I was to ride with. His instant answer was “saving people. Any time where the story ends with saving a life instead of losing a life, I am rewarded, even if it does involve puke,” he joked. It was obvious that Gary really enjoyed his job. He was one of the happiest, jolliest police officers I had ever met. I wondered how he was able to stay so positive, especially with the stories he was sharing. And the ones he wasn’t. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a police charger parking next to us. The driver door opened as a police officer got out and walked toward Gary’s window. He rolled it down and introduced me to the new officer. “She wants to be a police officer,” he joked. Gary just smiled smugly as I awkwardly maneuvered out of the truck. I tucked my bag under my arm and walked around to Gary’s side of the truck to thank him. I was sad I wouldn’t be spending any more time with him. He’d eased my tension and made me laugh — the first officer ever to do that. But I was looking forward to riding with this new officer, Damien. l
To Be Continued Next Month
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SPORTS
Page 20 | May 2016
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
It’s Touch and Go for Brighton High School Boys Soccer By Sarah Almond | sarah@mycityjournals.com
T
he Brighton High School boys soccer team started off its 2016 season strong: The team won its first three non-region games by an average of two goals and closed out longtime challenger Taylorsville 1-0 in its first region game. “We started off really strong,” senior captain Kade Peterson said. “We were playing well and making progress.” Following their game against Taylorsville, the Bengals struggled to find their rhythm. Copper Hills and Bingham both beat Brighton in week four of the season, resulting in the most consecutive losses the team has had in over five years. “We played at Taylorsville to start the region and got a win, and we were real happy with that,” head coach Tom Cushing said. “But then the wheels kind of came off the week before spring break when we lost two in a row.” After losing to Bingham at home, the Bengals had two weeks to practice hard and polish up their game. “We’re not where we want to be in the region right now,” Cushing said. “But there is still a lot of soccer left to play, so we’ll see how we do the rest of the season.” While it’s easy to get discouraged in the face of defeat, the Bengals have kept their heads up and focused on improving as individuals and as a team. “We’re getting better every day,” Peterson said. “We’ve really had to work on our communication and focus on getting better as a group.” Cushing elaborated. “Our focus is always to play our best,” he said. “In order to make it to the state tournament, we have to play our best.” Though Cushing doesn’t think the early season losses
indicate serious underlying issues within the team, he knows that his players can perform at a higher level. “I don’t think we’re stuck in a rut, but I also don’t think we’ve been playing to our full potential either,” he said. “You know, region is important, but playing your best is even more important. We gave up seven goals in one week. That’s really unusual for us.” Despite the challenges the Bengals have faced this season, Cushing is still pleased with the talent and determination of his players. “We’ve got good players everywhere,” Cushing said. “We’ve got strong players on offense and defense; we just have to be locked in together. Everyone on the field has to be connected and working together.” Fortunately, many of the Bengal’s 45 members are returning players from last year, meaning they know how to operate as a successful team. This year the team also has several underclassmen with considerable talent. “This year we’re starting six seniors, two juniors and two sophomores, and our whole backline are returners,” Cushing said. “I’ve got about five new guys, too.” The Bengals’ varying experience and skill levels make for an ever-changing atmosphere within the team. “The dynamics are always a work in progress, you know? Improvement is never a straight line, and things don’t always run smoothly,” Cushing said. “You just deal with issues as they come up and work on everybody buying into what you’re coaching them.” Now, the Bengals are focused on fine-tuning the skills and
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Senior captain Kade Peterson races an Alta player to the ball last year during the state tournament. The Bengals hope to return to the state tournament this season beginning May 17. – Kade Peterson
sportsmanship they need to win. “We’re working on getting everyone to have one vision and one direction,” Cushing said. “And it’s always kind of the same message year to year: It’s about trusting each other, trusting yourself, trusting your coaches and playing for the people around you. It’s about putting the team first.” The Bengals’ goal is to make it to the Class 5A state tournament beginning May 17 at local home sites. l
M 2016 | P SPORTS Upholding a Winning Legacy: Brighton High School Boys Tennis
Cottonwood H eightsJournal .com
ay
age 21
By Sarah Almond | sarah@mycityjournals.com
F
or the 27 boys on Brighton High School’s tennis team, this year is all about working hard to maintain an undefeated season and uphold the winning legacy of the BHS boys tennis program. With a 5-0 record, the Bengals are well on their way to achieving this goal. “This season is going really well,” head coach Natalie Meyer said. “The boys all get along really well with each other; they’re very supportive of one another, and I love their team unity.” For returning players, the group’s strong camaraderie is what separates this season from years past. “As the season goes on, we become more of a family,” sophomore Parker Larson said. “One of our strengths is cheering for each other and lifting each other up. We get on a totally different level, and it just gets everyone hyped.” For Meyer, who has been coaching tennis at Brighton for 12 years, what makes this year’s team special is the boys’ humble confidence in both their individual skills and the abilities of their teammates. “There are no egos on the team this year,” Meyer said. “They are pretty mellow kids, but they are also very competitive, and I think it’s a great mix because we have lot of seniors and a lot of freshmen. When you have nine seniors
on your team, there’s going to be a lot of good leadership.” This even distribution between underclassmen and upperclassmen has created a unique balance for the Bengals this season. “When you bring in young blood, it stirs things up,” Meyer said. “All I have to do is tell my older guys ‘Hey, we have some really good ninth-graders coming in,’ and the rest of the guys who have already been on the team go out and work that much harder because they don’t want these younger kids to take their spot.” Whether players are new to tennis or have been playing for years, Meyer is adamant about emphasizing the importance of commitment and dedication to both the Brighton team and the sport of tennis in general. “We’ve set a pretty high precedence and level of excellence in tennis, and the players know that if they get to be a part of this team, it’s a big deal,” Meyer said. “They know that they have to come in and be serious about their tennis and that the level of expectation is pretty high.” Prior to last season, Brighton had gone undefeated in the region for 15 straight seasons. Similarly, the Bengals have claimed the state championship for the past seven years, making them the biggest threat in their Class 5A.
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Twenty-seven Brighton tennis players pose for a group photo before a match. With nine seniors making up a third of the team, head coach Natalie Meyer is pleased with this year’s strong leadership.
“I feel like we have a good chance of holding the title again this year,” junior Braxton Pardoe said. “But next year will be a challenge, because we won’t have our seniors.” With seniors making up a third of the Bengal’s team, the underclassmen are aware of the challenges they’ll likely face next year to defend their reputation. However, with strong team camaraderie and a talented group of younger players, the players are confident they will uphold a successful winning streak for years to come. Looking forward to the rest of this season, Meyer is excited to see how the boys
continue to bond and excel as a team. With a larger group than normal though, she’s still fine-tuning skills and determining how to best utilize the talent. “I have the great problem of too many kids and not enough spots,” Meyer said. “So the challenge is always to find the right combination that will have the best outcome. I think we’re getting pretty close.” With just a few weeks left in their season, the Bengals are playing with more energy and excitement than Meyer has ever seen in her team. The Boys Tennis State Tournament is at Liberty Park May 19–21. l
SPORTS
Page 22 | May 2016
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
Bengals Baseball Battle Though A Challenging Season By Sarah Almond | sarah@mycityjournals.com
Bengals players Adam Wright, Conner Olsen, and CJ Bertram pause for the national anthem before a game.
A
s the Brighton High School baseball team heads into the second half of their season, head coach Jonnie Knoble is hoping the group will finish out stronger than they started. Though their 2-13 overall record in indicative of the challenges the team has faced this year, it doesn’t reflect their effort or unity as a team. “We’ve had a pretty bad year, record wise,” head coach Jonnie Knoble said. “We have an older group, and they are really good kids, they just haven’t played to their full potential.” Being in one of the most competitive regions in the state, the Bengals’ are playing through a consistently tough schedule this year. “CJ Bertram has kept us pretty much every single game we’ve player,” Knoble said. “He’s pitched awesome and we’ve had a chance to win every game he’s pitched. Other than that we just really haven’t had anyone step up.” However, with 31 boys on the team this year, Knoble is hoping that more his players will take the initiative and improve their leadership on the field. “I’ve got 10 seniors on the team with quite a bit of experience,” Knoble said, “So I keep reminding them that baseball is a funny game, you just get hot at the right time and sometimes you never know what that’s going to be. But I don’t think that they’ve played to their full potential so I hope that’s a sign that they’ll figure it out, hopefully before its too late.” Though they had a rough start to the year, the Bengals had mid-
Bengals leading pitcher Adam Wright winds up for a fast pitch during a game against Copper Hills.
As one of the Bengals top players, senior CJ Bertram has been leading the team this year. Head coach Erik Hansen hopes other players will follow Bertram’s lead and play to their full potential as the season comes to a close.
season break that Knoble thinks might motivate the players to finish out the season strong. Over the school’s spring break, the Brighton players traveled to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. “We played four teams, one from Illinois and three from Florida, and we were in most of those games as well; we put up some really good competition,” Knoble said. Along with playing multiple games, the team attended the Miami Marlins’ home opener against the Detroit Tigers. “It was really cool to see. I have never been to a home opener ever and the guys hadn’t either, so that was really neat,” Knoble said. “It was cool that the boys were able to get that experience. We got to see professional baseball, we had good weather and got to go to the beach and things like that in our free time so I think that was good for all of us.” The Bengals’ baseball team has made a tradition out of spring break travel, jet setting to places like San Diego and Pescadero, CA. “I think this trip gave players confidence,” Knoble said. “But the main reason I do these trips is for the memories. These kids will remember this the rest of their lives. Obviously winning is important, but more important than that is they won’t remember their record when they are older, but they will remember the memories they made playing baseball.” Thanks to the unique Utah climate, fluctuating spring weather has played a big role in the Bengals’ practice and game time.
“This year we’ve been really struggling with the weather,” Knoble said. “We’ve probably had one solid team practice in the last month.” When the team does get time to practice, however, Knoble says that the improvements are obvious. “When I get two or three hours of their full attention, that’s when they get better,” Knoble said. “A lot of kids play year round on travel teams and stuff and that’s great, but a lot of these kids don’t take the time to practice. When they are younger they aren’t taking the time to really learn the game and then they get in the game and even though they’ve played 80 games a year, they don’t know how to do basic things like a rundown or execute a pick off.” With enough dedication from the players, Knoble hopes that the group will find the time to fine tune the fundamental skills needed to become a successful team. Though they have tough, competitive games in the coming weeks, Knoble thinks as long the Bengals keep working hard and focusing on their individual growth, they can finish out the season strong. The Bengals play their last home game against Jordan High School on May 10 at 4 pm. Brighton High School 2220 E Bengal Blvd. Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121 l
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May 2016 | Page 23
C ottonwood H eightsJournal .com
Coventry at Cottonwood Heights
C
aring for our seniors is a noble, important, and challenging task. As the population of seniors surpasses the population of children, issues related to long-term care take center stage. Noted expert on quality in long-term care Dr. Robert Applebaum summed up the balancing act quite well when he said, “What we want is autonomy for ourselves and safety for those we love.” What the elderly want is clear - they want to “age in place” with both choices and safety. The Coventry at Cottonwood Heights is the perfect place to find that perfect balance. The Coventry at Cottonwood Heights is a state-of-theart independent living and assisted living provider located in scenic Cottonwood Heights. They take pride in offering the perfect mix of personal care and hospitality tailored to meet the individual needs of residents. Coventry believes in giving residents control over their lives and encouraging independence and socialization all while providing exceptional care. The friendly and relaxed atmosphere makes it easy to meet new friends and fill your day with a number of fun and engaging activities.
The newest addition to The Coventry at Cottonwood Heights is their memory care program, Beacon Place. Beacon Place is designed to provide a supportive environment where individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia have the opportunity to live a fulfilling and dignified life. Beacon Place focuses on the total well-being of residents, not simply on the disease, but, more importantly, on the person living with it. This comprehensive program promotes active resident participation, respects individuality, and supports resident’s well-being at each stage of the disease. “[With the addition of Beacon Place], we are now an all-inclusive campus where our residents can stay in one place as their needs progress,” says Ryan Keele, Regional Director of Operations. The Beacon Place program focuses on the five unique elements that guide families, residents, and staff through the day-to-day journey of memory loss. These components are: physical wellness, social well-being, spirituality, supportive community, and engagement. Each component plays an integral role in addressing the
needs of the residents, caregivers, and families within the community. The many layers of these components allow Beacon Place the flexibility to meet individualized needs and to personalize our program while providing a nurturing environment. We aim to set a new standard in programming excellence for all who call our community home. We are looking to cutting edge research to continuously improve each and every part of our program and community. The Coventry is located in the scenic Cottonwood Heights area of Salt Lake City. On the campus there are two communities with three levels of care: Independent, Assisted Living – Level 1 and Memory Care 6898 S. 2300 East, 801-943-5858 Assisted Living – Level 2 6895 S. Whitmore Way, 801-943-3909
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Page 24 | May 2016
SPORTS
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
It’s Touch and Go for Brighton High School Boys Soccer By Sarah Almond | sarah@mycityjournals.com
T
he Brighton High School boys soccer team started off its 2016 season strong: The team won its first three non-region games by an average of two goals and closed out longtime challenger Taylorsville 1-0 in its first region game. “We started off really strong,” senior captain Kade Peterson said. “We were playing well and making progress.” Following their game against Taylorsville, the Bengals struggled to find their rhythm. Copper Hills and Bingham both beat Brighton in week four of the season, resulting in the most consecutive losses the team has had in over five years. “We played at Taylorsville to start the region and got a win, and we were real happy with that,” head coach Tom Cushing said. “But then the wheels kind of came off the week before spring break when we lost two in a row.” After losing to Bingham at home, the Bengals had two weeks to practice hard and polish up their game. “We’re not where we want to be in the region right now,” Cushing said. “But there is still a lot of soccer left to play, so we’ll see how we do the rest of the season.” While it’s easy to get discouraged in the face of defeat, the Bengals have kept their heads up and focused on improving as individuals and as a team. “We’re getting better every day,” Peterson said. “We’ve really had to work on our communication and focus on getting better as a group.” Cushing elaborated. “Our focus is always to play our best,” he said. “In order to make it to the state tournament, we have to play our best.” Though Cushing doesn’t think the early season losses
indicate serious underlying issues within the team, he knows that his players can perform at a higher level. “I don’t think we’re stuck in a rut, but I also don’t think we’ve been playing to our full potential either,” he said. “You know, region is important, but playing your best is even more important. We gave up seven goals in one week. That’s really unusual for us.” Despite the challenges the Bengals have faced this season, Cushing is still pleased with the talent and determination of his players. “We’ve got good players everywhere,” Cushing said. “We’ve got strong players on offense and defense; we just have to be locked in together. Everyone on the field has to be connected and working together.” Fortunately, many of the Bengal’s 45 members are returning players from last year, meaning they know how to operate as a successful team. This year the team also has several underclassmen with considerable talent. “This year we’re starting six seniors, two juniors and two sophomores, and our whole backline are returners,” Cushing said. “I’ve got about five new guys, too.” The Bengals’ varying experience and skill levels make for an ever-changing atmosphere within the team. “The dynamics are always a work in progress, you know? Improvement is never a straight line, and things don’t always run smoothly,” Cushing said. “You just deal with issues as they come up and work on everybody buying into what you’re coaching them.” Now, the Bengals are focused on fine-tuning the skills and
Senior captain Kade Peterson races an Alta player to the ball last year during the state tournament. The Bengals hope to return to the state tournament this season beginning May 17. – Kade Peterson
sportsmanship they need to win. “We’re working on getting everyone to have one vision and one direction,” Cushing said. “And it’s always kind of the same message year to year: It’s about trusting each other, trusting yourself, trusting your coaches and playing for the people around you. It’s about putting the team first.” The Bengals’ goal is to make it to the Class 5A state tournament beginning May 17 at local home sites. l
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May 13, 2016
General Session: 8:30 am - 1:30 pm Mentoring and Networking: 1:30 pm- 3:30 pm
Salt Lake Community College Larry H. Miller Campus Cost: $25 RSVP online at www.slchamber.com/mac
Walsche
50th Chaplins Celebrate ary Wedding Annivers
Timothy and Don na Walsh Wrightwoo d of birth of thei have announced the Walsh, on r son, Brendan Rya n Satu at 12:03 p.m rday, May 22, 201 1 . in Summit at Overlook Hospita . l pounds and Brendan weighed 6 7 of ces and in oun 19¼ dinch Chapl measured es in leng Mr. and Mrs. Edwar 50th th join ateds histheir brother, Con at birth. He Westfield celebrbab ay, nor, age y’s onmatSaturd rsary 2. The annive ern ng weddi theirgrandparen by al Harriso hosted ts n, 3rd June 20, at a party and on Carol Sm are WrightWard Mansi ith of children at the James wood. mas and York Walsh of NewTho Patricia in Westfield. A nativeof Fon a are his gran graduatedtanfrom paternal City, Mr. Chaplindparents. Bre lor nda Bache a great-grwith andparents He n’s maternal New York University lism. are Harrison, 2nd and in Journa of Arts degree Marianne Fola of Fontana editor withn the EvelynanDum and was employed as ares in q of gPin retirin paternabefore l great-grandr Misson Hills. His New York Times the forme mother is Ber in,Phe Chapl lsh of 1999. Mrs.Wa tha lan, CA. yed as a emplo been had Ryan, Mary Green Company the with ary secret 2000. The couple before retiring in local American is active with the t for Humanity. Legion and Habita includes two The Chaplins’ family and Timothy. sons Tyler, Tracey
Mr. and Mrs. William Calloway of Sandy annoucne with great pride the graduation of their daughter, Claire Elizabeth Calloway from Sandy High School. Claire graduated with honors and is lookign forward to attending Utah State University in the fall where she will be studying accounting. A reception to celebrate her achievements will be held at the 5th Stake House in Sandy at 1pm. While you’re under no obligation to give a gift, even if you aren’t attending a party and aren’t close to the family, a card of congratulations or a handwritten note is something the graduate will appreciate. Thank you and congratulations Claire. We love you!!
Call City Journals at 801-254-5974 for more information and to place a Tribute.
May 2016 | Page 25
C ottonwood H eightsJournal .com
LOCAL FOOD COURT
Daylight Donuts Offers a Healthier Option By Rachel Hall | r.hall@mycityjournals.com
A
healthy donut may sound like an option only available in one’s dreams, but that’s not the case. Daylight Donuts, located at 5471 South State Street across from Murray High School, provides hungry customers of all ages with a variety of options. “We have the lightest donuts around,” owner Kevin Harper said. “Because our donuts are so light, they fry much faster than any other donut. And because of that, they don’t absorb as much grease from the fryer. So you can say that we have the healthiest donuts around.” Families, and especially children, looking to grab a quick breakfast, lunch or snack are pleased with the sweet selection. “Our most popular donut is the Pinecone,” Harper said. “It has cinnamon and powdered sugar. We roll it and cut it in the shape of a pinecone.” Bear claws with cream cheese and fruit filling,
such as raspberry, blueberry or strawberry, are another popular selection according to Harper. “We have a chocolate raised bear claw with chocolate filling we do on Saturdays,” he said. While most customers drop by in the mornings on their way to work or school, customers can also dine in at the restaurant to enjoy a donut and drink, ranging from tummy-yummies to hot chocolate to coffee and milk. “We do have a small seating area for those who would like to stay and eat in the store,” Harper said. “We are located at the south end of the building.” Daylight Donuts is open Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., or until they run out of donuts. “We have a loyalty program. For every 100 points, you get a free $10, which is equivalent to a free dozen,” Harper said. For more information, call 801-904-2318.
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Page 26 | May 2016
Cottonwood Heights City Journal
Mom… I’m Bored…. The Cheapest and Easiest Way to Entertain the Kids this Summer
C
an you believe it? Summer is almost here, that time of year where kids take a break from their structured routine and turn to the adults in their lives for entertainment ideas. What will you do to help your kids enjoy their time off? One only need to turn to Pinterest and Youtube to find dozens of Millennial Mama experts sharing all kinds of amazing ideas for summer fun. Turn an old rain gutter into a river, paint with flyswatters or, there’s always the old standby of making rainbow unicorn poop slime, (Google it) that’s not to be confused with rainbow unicorn puke slime. You’ll want to save that for another day. Parenting has become very precious to the digital generation. The pressure to have the perfect house, perfect marriage and perfect children seems to be stronger than ever. Leaving them feeling that in order to be a “good parent” they must create an utterly magical fairytale, and delightful childhood experience for their kids, right down to the bug bite sandwiches and peanut butter snails. Holy Crap! I get shaky hands, a sick panicky feeling and a stress rash just thinking about it. Staring at twelve long and unobstructed weeks trying to figure out how to keep the kids entertained so they won’t sleep too late, lose brain cells and ruin their vision playing computer games, or utter those dreaded words “Mom, I’m bored”. How can a parent these days possibly balance it all? Parents out there, I’m about to share with you a secret
trick, a plan of attack that moms for generations have been using for decades. A place so magical your kids will never forget it and will look back on it fondly for a lifetime. It’s a place where your kids will learn to build, socialize, exercise and dream all without your help. It’s cheap, easy to get to and will provide hours of entertainment. Are you ready for it? It’s called outside. Prior to the digital drama of today it never occurred to our moms to entertain kids non-stop, fund expensive summer activities or endeavor to create stimulating and crafty projects for brain development. Our mom’s simply said “get your butts outside” and we did. We built forts from broken branches, made city roads in the dirt for our matchbox cars, choreographed dance routines, made up songs and rode our bikes. It’s these very activities that allowed our minds to develop coping skills, learn for ourselves to be creatvie and dream the seemingly impossible. What better gift and life skills can you give a child than the ability to imagine, dream and build for them selves? This summer save yourself the fret and stress of building a bowling ally with coconuts or a carwash with PVC pipe and give them a pool noodle and pack of plastic cups from the dollar store and the gift of figuring out what do with them on their own. If we don’t remove easy entertainment from our children’s lives they will never learn the skills to create and l invent on their own.
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May 2016 | Page 27
C ottonwood H eightsJournal .com
Gee. Thanks, Mom
F
rom the moment I was born, my mom looked for ways to make my life miserable. Admittedly, I don’t remember anything before the age of 4, but I’m sure her pattern of behavior extended back to my birth. For instance, my mom insisted I play with my little sister, even though my little sister was a demon who wailed like a banshee whenever I pinched her. Mom had this harebrained scheme that being forced to play with my siblings would make us friends. (Okay, she was right on that one. My siblings are pretty cool.) But here’s another example of my mom’s ruthless conduct. After school I could only watch TV for ONE HOUR. That’s all. Once my 60 minutes of Zoom and School House Rock was over, I had to engage my mind with something “enlightening.” Mom would force me to listen to classical music or make me memorize a poem she taped on the fridge. (I still randomly recite “The Highwayman.”) And there were books she required me to read like “Jane Eyre” or the Nancy Drew series. She even made me write book reports. “But it’s Saturday! School’s over!” I exclaimed when she handed me the illustrated book of Shakespeare. “Learning is never over,” she’d reply. Now I can’t go anywhere without a book. Gee. Thanks, mom.
When Atari hit the market, mom made it perfectly clear we would not be getting a game console. She told me video games would rot my brain, then she had the nerve to send me OUTSIDE where I had to resort to bike riding, playing baseball in the street or shooting hoops with the neighbors. (Eventually she caved and bought a game system, but even then there were strict usage guidelines.) Mom was a homework Nazi. She’d drill me on times tables (which I still hate) and spelling (which I admit comes in handy at times) and she insisted on attending every single parent teacher conference, just to embarrass me. Attendance at dinner was mandatory. Mom had read somewhere that family dinner time was vastly important and would lead to the decline of society if families didn’t eat their meatloaf together. She force fed me vegetables from her garden, peaches from her tree and raspberries from the bushes in the backyard. And there was no fluffy Wonder Bread for my lunches. Instead, I had to consume peanut butter sandwiches made with home-baked bread that was denser than granite, but kept me full for several days. It doubled as a blunt object if a boy was chasing me at recess. When it came to dessert, she was heartless. Even though I begged her to purchase Oreo cookies or Chips Ahoy (because no one else in the universe had to gag down homemade
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chocolate chip, oatmeal or gingersnap cookies), she would only buy them on special occasions. Like never. But the final straw was when she rolled pink, spongy curlers into my long hair every Saturday night so I’d have ringlets for church. Before she added a curler, she’d dip a comb in water and run it through my hair, dripping ice-cold water down my back. And in the morning, removing those curlers was akin to being scalped. As Mother’s Day approaches, I grudgingly acknowledge that once in a while my mom probably wasn’t trying to make my life miserable. But for all her nefarious efforts, all I learned from her was to love my family, enjoy learning, get outside, eat real cookies and get dressed up for special occasions. Gee. Thanks, Mom. l
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