Draper Journal | April 2024

CITY PURCHASES PROPERTY FROM SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR POTENTIAL CEMETERY

By Mimi Darley Dutton | m.dutton@mycityjournals.com

Draper City has been trying to find a site for a second cemetery for nearly a decade. It’s been a recurring topic at city council meetings. All of the plots at the historic Fort Street cemetery have been sold, though it has yet to reach capacity for people buried there.

“The need for more land for a cemetery is something we’ve heard for years. Draper residents love Draper as a place to grow up, to raise our families, and as an eternal resting place. I think that’s a beautiful thing we need to honor,” Draper City Councilmember Tasha Lowery said.

Soaring land prices have made finding a second cemetery site within the city difficult, particularly knowing that cemeteries are a break-even business at best. “A cemetery is just one more piece of the puzzle in terms of meeting all constituents’ needs,” Lowery said. Other residents prioritize open space, parks, community gatherings and recreational programs.

Enter the Canyons School District (CSD) into the equation. They’ve owned approximately 10 acres at 12695 S. 1700 East since 2009. “That property was acquired by the Jordan School District in the 1990s as a potential elementary school site and CSD inherited it in 2009 when the District split. It’s not optimally located for us. Most development (where younger families live) is further west. We remain committed to building an elementary to serve the Draper community, but it’s a matter of timing and location. We want it to be conveniently located for families,” said CSD spokesperson Kirsten Stewart.

The District reached out to Draper City first under a state

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‘Lore of the Rings’

Draper City signed a real estate purchase agreement with Canyons School District (CSD) for approximately 10 acres located at 12695 S. 1700 East. CSD no longer needs the property for a school in that area. Draper City hopes to create a new cemetery on five of the acres and sell the other five to recoup their investment. In an agreement designed to benefit both parties, the city will split the profits with CSD for any of the land the city resells. (Mimi Darley Dutton/City Journals)

Talkin’ trash, ‘wish-cycling,’ and recycling right

What is it about trash that makes us want to forget about it? Is it because it’s stinky, dirty and disgusting? What is “wish-cycling?” Why should we care enough to take a little extra time to recycle right, or to care about trash in general?

“A lot of times when garbage is picked up, it’s out of sight and out of mind. People don’t realize a landfill is storing all that garbage. Eventually we’re going to run out of space, but there are things we can do to help keep waste out of the landfill so we won’t be wasting valuable materials that can be made into new materials through the recycling process,” said Jill Fletcher, public education and community outreach coordinator for the Trans-Jordan Landfill.

Fletcher leads tours of the landfill, including for school children. She also visits third-grade classrooms to talk about the importance of thinking about garbage and recycling right. Garbage and recycling are topics often covered in third-grade curriculum.

Fletcher explains that Trans-Jordan is a landfill as opposed to a dump and that’s an important distinction. A dump doesn’t have liners in the ground to protect the soil or groundwater where garbage is kept, nor does it have a cap on top to prevent methane gas from going into the atmosphere. Conversely, a landfill has three layers of protective liners, a drainage system that collects garbage water (called leachate) and a protective cap that goes on top of a landfill to seal it when it’s full. Sealing it makes it a “digester” meaning that methane gas is generated and pulled out to make renewable energy. “We’re protecting air, groundwater and soil contamination,” Fletcher said.

Draper is one of seven member cities of the Trans-Jordan Landfill. Being a member means Draper has paid into properly caring for and disposing of the city’s waste, and by investing in the landfill, Draper is guaranteed a place for its trash to go for at least the next 100 years. Membership also means lower rates for residents.

“Draper City pays $24 per ton instead of the regular $39 per ton. That means Draper has saved millions,” said Jaren Scott, Trans-Jordan’s executive director. According to Scott, Draper’s annual rate for curbside garbage collection is 22,000 tons.

The current Trans-Jordan landfill on Bacchus Highway in South Jordan has eight years of capacity left, so Trans-Jor

By Mimi Darley Dutton | m.dutton@mycityjournals.com

dan is building a transfer station next to Sandy Public Works. It will open in spring 2025. A second transfer station will be open in South Jordan in 2032. Those two transfer stations will replace the landfill when it closes, but they’re called transfer stations because all that waste will be transferred to an 800-plus acre landfill in Utah County known as Bayview. “There will never be another landfill in Salt Lake County because the land is so valuable and there is no land left,” Scott said.

The transfer stations will be state of the art indoor facilities with automatic doors to help with odor and noise control and concrete pads for people to easily drive in and dump their waste on. They’ll have air filtrations systems to clean the air three times every hour and a misting system to keep odors under control. In order to make things quicker for residential customers, the transfer stations will have separate entrances for residential and commercial drop-offs. On Saturdays, they’ll only be open to residential customers, not commercial loads.

Salt Lake County is no longer hosting collection events for residential hazardous waste such as oil, paint, pesticides, batteries and antifreeze, but residential customers can drop those items off for free at both the Trans-Jordan landfill and the Salt Lake Valley Landfill.

Electronic waste is not currently being accepted at Trans-Jordan, but it is accepted at the Salt Lake Valley landfill. “We’re trying to find some funding for that, but for now, all e-waste is being thrown away in the landfill,” Fletcher said.

Trans-Jordan used to offer a green waste program. They had planned to phase it out, then a fire at the facility caused that program to end earlier than planned. Now, all green waste is mixed in with the rest of the garbage. Scott said the benefit is that green waste in a landfill works as an “anaerobic digester.”

Then there’s recycling: Utah has a 30% contamination rate compared to the national average of 17%. That high contamination rate means people are putting things into their recycling that don’t belong, or “wish-cycling” items they hope can be recycled that actually can’t be.

It’s important to understand that recycling is picked up curbside and taken to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) where it’s put on a conveyor belt and sorted by hand to remove any “contamination” (items that can’t be recycled and are therefore garbage). Contamination from improper recycling and “wish-cycling” is problematic and more expensive because after it is sorted out as garbage at the MRF, it then has to be hauled to the landfill.

The three basic things sorted at the MRF to be recycled are plastic, aluminum/steel, and paper/carboard.

Fletcher offered these important, basic recycling tips:

1) Don’t bag recycling! Put items in loose and make sure they are clean, dry and empty

2) Every city website has a list of what can and can’t go in recycling. Be sure to review it.

3) No plastic bags (grocery bags, Ziploc baggies, produce bags, etc.)

4) No plastic film (bubble wrap, Saran wrap, shrink wrap, etc.)

5) Avoid “wish-cycling.” When in doubt, throw it out!

Items that can be recycled and have an end-use market are bailed and shipped off to be made into new products. Foreign countries used to be willing to take recycling from America, but that’s happening less and less. The upside to that is more recycling companies are opening in the United States. “It’s opened up a demand for local recycling,” Fletcher said. l

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This behemoth vehicle that compacts trash at the Trans-Jordan Landfill weighs the equivalent of a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house. Still, there’s only so much space for all that garbage to go, even after it’s compacted. (Courtesy Trans-Jordan Landfill)

Morethan 22,000 high school students, teachers, advisers, alumni and business professionals will gather at the DECA international career development conference this month.

Many of the 10,000 DECA members will demonstrate their knowledge by participating in the competitive events program, which will be held April 27-30 in Anaheim, California. They had to qualify at their state competitions.

In Utah, hundreds of high school students dressed in their finest packed the Davis County Conference Center for the statewide business or DECA competition in late February.

DECA’s mission to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges worldwide. There are more than 255,000 DECA members who are students, teachers, advisers, alumni and professionals.

At the statewide competition, next year’s student officers were announced, including Corner Canyon’s Maddie Bloom, who will serve as the central region vice president.

Alta High was one of several Salt Lake Valley teams that competed. Its DECA club has 85 members and 30 competed at state.

“I’m so proud of these kids, watching how far the seniors on stage have come and seeing the progress already made for our younger students,” said Alta’s adviser Shaley Louder. “These students have a bright future.”

Corner Canyon was recognized as one of five chapters of the year.

Top finishers from Alta, Bingham, Brighton, Corner Canyon, Cottonwood, Jordan, Hillcrest and Murray high schools include: Business Administration Exam — Thomas Hansen, Brighton; McKenna Fuller, Bingham; Surya Kapu, Corner Canyon; Stephanie Ball, Corner Canyon

Business Management and Administration Exam — Russ Storm, Bingham

Entrepreneurship Exam — Nathan Laker, Corner Canyon; Kimball Shill, Brighton; Zachary Naylor, Corner Canyon Hospitality and Tourism Exam — Allen Liang, Hillcrest; Sophia Lin, Hillcrest; Maximilian Schneider, Jordan; Nathan Williamson, Corner Canyon; Grace Norton, Corner Canyon; Sang Chun, Hillcrest; Teagan Kay, Hillcrest; Daniel Whalen, Murray

Marketing Exam — Kiara Collins, Brighton; Vishnith Ashok, Hillcrest; Dovan Lapin, Corner Canyon; Kayla Nguyen, Corner Canyon; Savanna Barlow, Alta; Max White, Cottonwood; Mia Palmer, Corner Canyon; Gwen Holt, Cottonwood; Sathwik Boya, Hillcrest; Draven Hodges, Jordan; Vincent Liang, Hillcrest; Colton Woodley, Alta; Jonathan Arulanandam, Hillcrest

Automotive Services — Dima Kurdi, Alta

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Business Finance — Veeranshu Danech, Hillcrest

Business Growth Plan team — Corner Canyon

Business Law and Ethics team — Bingham

Business Services Marketing — Aditi Vandanapu, Corner Canyon

Business Services Operations Research team — Brighton; Hillcrest

Business Solutions Project Management team — Corner Canyon

Buying and Merchandising Operations Research team – Hillcrest

Buying and Merchandising team — Hillcrest

Career Development Project Management team — two teams from Corner Canyon

Community Awareness Project Management team — two teams from Corner Canyon Community Giving Project Management team — Alta

Entrepreneurship — Kalash Rimal, Bingham; Thomas Pepper, Cottonwood

Financial Literacy Project Management team — Hillcrest

Financial Services team — Alta

Food Marketing — Allie Hammond, Corner Canyon

Franchise Business Plan team — Corner Canyon Hospitality and Tourism Operations Research — two teams from Hillcrest Hospitality Services team — three teams from Corner Canyon Hotel and Lodging Management — Grace Norton, Corner Canyon; Amy Baer, Corner Canyon

Human Resources Management — Haley Neff, Corner Canyon; Maria Salazar, Murray

Independent Business Plan team — Alta; Hillcrest; Corner Canyon

Personal Finance Literacy — Ava Lindman, Corner Canyon

Principles of Business Management & Administration — Jake Catten, Cottonwood

Principles of Finance — Gabriel Quebodeaux, Corner Canyon; Thomas Hansen, Brighton

Principles of Hospitality and Tourism — Alexandra Franklin, Bingham

Principles of Marketing — Stephanie Ball, Corner Canyon; Jet Piper, Corner Canyon; Jessica Cederlof, Bingham

Professional Selling — Dovan Lapin, Corner Canyon

Quick Serve Restaurant Management

— Daniel Whalen, Murray; Teagan Kay, Hillcrest; Sienna Yang, Hillcrest

Restaurant & Food Service Management

— Sang Chun, Hillcrest

Retail Merchandising — Colton Woodley, Alta

School Business Enterprise Event team

— Alta; Brighton; Jordan; Corner Canyon Sports & Entertainment Marketing team two teams from Hillcrest; Cottonwood

Start-up Business Plan team — Hillcrest; Corner Canyon l

Alta High students show their medals earned at the state DECA contest this spring. (Photo courtesy of Shaley Louder/Alta High)

Celebrating a lifelong commitment: Tributes to Canyons School Board VP

Five years ago this month, Canyons Board of Education member Mont Millerberg jumped onto an excavator.

He was wearing a gray suit and tie and dress shoes that slid a bit in the muddy ground on what had recently been a grassy field at Midvalley Elementary.

Music was blaring as the announcer asked, “Are we ready for a countdown to move some dirt on this brand new home of the Junior Huskies?”

Before the countdown expired, Millerberg had already figured out how to move the scoop to grab dirt for the first ceremonial dig of the new Midvalley Elementary. When the countdown quickened, he pivoted the steel arm to the right. Then, after the crowd finished 3, 2, 1, he swung it back to drop the dirt in the same spot. He got a second scoop and received applause from one of the largest crowds in recent history to watch a groundbreaking.

“Right before the groundbreaking started, he leaned over and showed me the keys and said, ‘I’ve arranged for you to be able to use the excavator to dig dirt; it’s going to be so much fun,’” former Midvalley Principal Tamra Baker said. “I told him, ‘There’s no way for me to do that without having tried.’ He had a twinkle in his eye, and I could see the 10-year-old boy awaken in him. He hopped right up there, didn’t give it a second thought that he hadn’t done it before, and shoveled some dirt. The kids thought it was great. I laughed the whole time. I admired him very much. He was fun; always quick with a joke. He was a faithful public servant who knew what needed to be done and was willing to sacrifice a tremendous amount of time to make it happen.”

Millerberg died unexpectedly Feb. 23 following complications from a stroke. He was the Canyons Board of Education vice president, having been elected to the inaugural Canyons School Board in 2008, then re-elected in 2016 and 2020. He served District 1, which included most Midvale schools and Union Middle in Sandy.

He grew up and lived most of his life in that community and was influential in forming Canyons, the first new school district in 100 years.

“He was a committed community leader and fierce advocate” even winning over and forming an ally in former Midvale Mayor JoAnn Seghini, who had worked as a teacher and an assistant superintendent over curriculum in Jordan School District, with a promise to rebuild Midvale Elementary that had a coal-burning boiler, said Susan Edwards, Canyons’ public engagement and legislative liaison. “He fought for the students and to update those schools in the Midvale community. That was huge. He had so much pride in his community.”

Baker said he had a built-in resource

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

that helped him guide his decisions on what was best for children.

“I remember him telling me once, “I am not an educator, but I sleep with one,’” Millerberg had told her with a smile, referring to his wife, Kris, who had taught at Union Middle. “Mont really listened and valued what you said and continually worked with students and teachers, and systems and schools to make things better.”

As a youngster, Millerberg visited his grandparents and great-grandparents in a neighborhood south from Midvalley Elementary, where on school grounds, he would fly his model airplane early in the morning, much to the chagrin of the neighbors who “would call the police because the motors are very loud,” he said.

Millerberg said he grabbed his stuff and headed out the school’s back gate not to get caught and thought he got away with it—until a sign showed up prohibiting flying model airplanes on school grounds.

As kids, Paul Glover lived three houses away from Millerberg on State Street and went through school—Midvale Elementary, Midvale Middle and Hillcrest High—together. As kids, they often jumped on Millerberg’s trampoline and were in the same Boy Scout troop.

“We camped; made trouble; did flips on the trampoline, just did things that kids do,” Glover said. “He was always on top of his schoolwork. He ended up being an accountant, a CPA.”

Millerberg worked in several accounting firms before opening his own practice, Millerberg & Myers. He had studied accounting at Weber State University.

What the community noted most was

his dedication to Hillcrest, his high school alma mater, where he had played football, sang in the choir and played drums in a band with friends.

“I have always felt that he has a special place in his heart for our school,” said Stacey Timmerman, Hillcrest school community council chair. “He had a special loyalty to Hillcrest. He was a great listener and would come to the SCC meetings and want to know our perspective, our needs on Hillcrest. He was a huge advocate for Hillcrest, and I’d

always see him at Hillcrest events—a lot of sporting events and almost every theater performance.”

Hillcrest High Principal Greg Leavitt agrees.

“Mont was a cheerleader of Hillcrest in the education process and making sure Midvale got its fair share,” he said. “He was integral in making sure the bonds (2010 and 2017) were passed.”

During Millerberg’s time on the board, Canyons invested $270 million, or roughly

Without a second thought, Canyons Board of Education member Mont Millerberg jumped into the excavator to “move some dirt” at the groundbreaking of Midvalley Elementary in April 2019. (Julie Slama/ City Journals)

Hillcrest High Principal Greg Leavitt pins a flower on Canyons Board of Education Vice President Mont Millerberg before he confers seniors to be graduates; Millerberg is a 1968 Hillcrest alum. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Canyons Board of Education member Mont Millerberg, who served on the first school board for the district, helps cut the 10-year anniversary cake along with other board members. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

35%, of its bond money on improvements for Midvale-area schools.

“He was passionate about making sure the schools in the community were rebuilt. He came to every planning meeting for this school and was gracious asking our opinion and making sure the teachers got what they wanted. It was important to him to make sure we had a say in what we’d like and need and made sure the District knew,” Hillcrest High Principal Greg Leavitt said.

Leavitt said Millerberg also made it a point to highlight students whether it was taking part in a mock interview in a hallway or helping to arrange for a memorable escort to the school for the state-winning theater program last spring.

The two worked closely “spending hours talking about what’s best for Hillcrest, the kids, the teachers” and also, when the time came to tear down the former school where Millerberg attended, to help decide artifacts to save and be incorporated in the new design.

Hillcrest High Alumni Association President Craig Conder credits Millerberg for getting the former school building’s bricks and sections of the basketball floor for the alumni to sell as a fundraiser and to install in the athletics hallway.

“I remember Greg (Leavitt) telling me that the district said they wouldn’t do that, but I knew people would want them,” he said. “Turned out Mont pulled strings because his class, 1968, was the year Hillcrest took state in basketball. Next thing I knew, Greg tells me, ‘We’ve got some pieces here in our woodshop you can come get.’ Part of the deal was giving Mont 50 feet of it. I don’t know what he ended up doing with it, but I’m grateful we got it.”

Millerberg was instrumental in establishing the Canyons Education Foundation.

“We wouldn’t have Canyons Education Foundation without his enthusiasm,” said former Canyons Board member Paul McCarty. “He was dedicated to the children and personally went to different businesses and got commitments. He was a fantastic CPA who gave us guidance in the early beginnings of the district before we hired a chief financial officer. He was always on top of it asking, ‘Where is the money coming from?’”

Each year, a golf tournament is held to help fundraise for the foundation, and in his true fashion, Millerberg would show up in his trademark shorts and sandals to Wasatch Mountain State Park, even when it was below freezing.

It was one of his favorite events; Millerberg started it.

“He always found a way to use the things that brought him joy, to build relationships with people that he worked with so that he understood them and got to know them better. I was with him at the state foundation conference, and he insisted we go shooting at the skeet range. He did a lot of head shaking, but it is one of my fondest memories and a bonding moment for us,” Edwards said,

adding that he also went pheasant hunting with board members.

Millerberg was known to be a straight talker.

Jordan Board of Education President Tracy Miller, who served on the Utah School Boards Association Board of Directors with him, said, “Mont was a fierce advocate for kids and our public schools. In tough discussions, he wasn’t afraid to speak up and say what needed to be said.”

Edwards remembers Millerberg getting his point across at a Canyons board meeting.

“We were discussing something at a board meeting and he knew it was going to be tense and he knew that he was maybe not going to be on the majority on this,” she said. “He was dressed in his normal suit, but partway through the meeting, he unbuttoned that shirt and had a T-shirt on under it that said, I am getting ‘pisseder’ and ‘pisseder.’ That remained our mantra for Mont. He would call us out, ‘I’m feeling like you’re telling me what I want to hear. I’m asking for the facts. Tell it to me straight.’ He’d do that so he could make the best decisions for the schools, the teachers, the staff and the students of Canyons.”

McCarty said Millerberg’s sense of humor could often ease stressful times.

“There were times when the discussion was getting quite intense, which was often in the early birth pains of the school district, and Mont would crack a joke,” he said. “It was always an appropriate opine on what we were discussing. It would just crack us up and ease the tension in the room. He had a wonderful way of canceling out all those other feelings with humor and get us to refocus.”

Millerberg was the person to ask if someone wanted something done.

When RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath

limelight, McCarty said.

“He’s a very humble individual who worked his heart out. He had a huge heart and was generous with his time and his own funds,” McCarty said. “He had the institutional knowledge and was a true leader.”

Millerberg served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Zurich, Switzerland. He and his wife also served a mission in an intercity Salt Lake City ward, where he met and befriended Sam McCall.

“Mont is just fun and he’s funny, just a neat guy; I got a kick out of him, and we’d go out golfing,” he said. “Every time I stopped by his house, he’d welcome me in, and we were always laughing. It was always a threehour conversation with Mont that just flew by.”

Miller said Millerberg “was generous, personable and fun to be around. His impact was felt large and wide.”

visited Midvale Elementary and learned many students couldn’t afford tickets to a soccer game, he arranged for tickets to be donated. When Millerberg learned this, he was instrumental in arranging free transportation to the stadium for the Midvale families.

It was the community that was at the heart of his work. Many years, he would wave to his neighbors along the Midvale Harvest Days parade, never missing the opportunity to listen to someone or share about what was happening in schools.

Millerberg was often in the schools. His reach was far. He’d volunteer to help Union eighth graders learn to balance their checkbooks as part of Reality Town, a simulation of real life, then be seen at a Family Learning Center recognition. When Jordan Valley got a new chameleon mascot in 2021, Millerberg took a paper cut-out of him and sent the students photos of their mascot biking the Virgin River Trail in St. George.

At last year’s Midvale Elementary literacy night, he rotated to the different stations along with the students.

“I love to see what’s going on inside our schools, to see what the kids are learning, what’s being taught,” he had said.

Canyons Board of Education Vice President Amanda Oaks said he had a deep commitment to the Midvale community.

“With all his skills and talents, he could have done anything in his retirement,” she said. “He chose to spend his time fully engaged in public service and worked especially hard for the populations of his community who needed a person of his strength and caliber to represent their interests. It’s humbling and inspiring to think of all of children whose lives have been positively impacted by his work on the board of education.”

Millerberg wasn’t one who wanted the

Friends and neighbors remember him for sharing his homemade sourdough bread, which his six children remember never being able to eat the bread fast enough. It was often a staple for Sunday family dinners along with homemade ice cream and meat he smoked as Millerberg often quipped, “I have a smoking problem.”

The former National Guard serviceman could also be found with “my best friends,” what Millerberg called his 16 grandchildren as they went boating, skiing, biking and played Hearts. He had had no qualms playing to win cards. He often was remembered saying, “I play for fun; what’s not fun about winning?”

Millerberg served as a Boy Scout master for 12 years, in which he helped his sons perfect their pinewood derby cars. They recall spending hours making their cars ready to race. What he didn’t account for was his 8-year-old dripping his hot dog’s mustard and ketchup into the axles and wheels to spoil the anticipated victory.

Millerberg was known to be able to pack the family Suburban to perfection, tease his daughter’s first date by sitting on the porch with his shotgun and ensure each of his children and grandchildren set goals and did their homework.

He spoke to Hillcrest Class of 2023 at their graduation, even quipping they were most excited for him since he was the last speaker.

He bid them simple, but meaningful advice: “Whatever you choose to do, do it well. Be good at what you do. Work hard, work smart and be diligent in what you do. Seek adventure, go do something fun, laugh. Keep moving, figure out where you are, where you want to be and where you want to go next.”

Canyons District is required to fill Millerberg’s vacancy within 45 days of his death according to state law. Applicants could apply for his seat by March 18. A new board member, who will serve the remainder of Millerberg’s term ending in December 2024, will be appointed by April 8. l

Mont Millerberg, Canyons board of education member, was a fixture at Midvale’s Harvest Days parade. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Donations needed: Help make a dream prom come true for students with special needs

April 18 will be a day to celebrate in Canyons School District.

That’s the prom date for students with special needs that is being planned by their peers in the high schools.

Specifically, high school students with the Essential Elements Curriculum (grade-level alternate core standards for students with significant cognitive disability) are invited to attend the prom that will be more sensory friendly and less overstimulating than a typical high school prom, said Kelsie Wilson, Corner Canyon High School special education teacher.

The dance, which will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., is being organized by Corner Canyon High School’s Peer Leadership Team, peer mentors and other students who have extended the invitation to the other four Canyons comprehensive high school students to join in the planning.

“I’m very fortunate to have some mind-blowing PLT and peer tutors who want to make it so our EEC kids can do whatever they do and have as many of those high school experiences,” Wilson said.

Already the high school students have secured Lone Peak Park pavilion for the dance, partially paid for with the help of a private donor, and food, with the contribution from Chick-fil-A.

However, as students are working on decorations, music, flowers, photos and more, they could use help.

“We would love if there were any other donors out in the community to contact us if they’re willing to donate anything to help put this prom on,” said Linda Hall, Canyons School District’s special education administrator. “We’re always looking for community

Continued from front page

law that says cities get first right of refusal to purchase surplus land from school districts for community purposes, and also because the city had expressed interest. “They approached us that they wanted to sell it, so that’s what started the process,” Mayor Troy Walker said.

The purchase price for the 10.87 acres is $5.6 million. According to City Manager David Dobbins, $2 million had previously been set aside by the city for a new cemetery, so the remaining $3.6 million is being borrowed from the General Fund, the Capital Improvement Fund and the Fund Balance. “The intent is we’d buy the roughly 10 acres, sell half of it for single family home developments, and the city would pursue the option of putting a cemetery on the other five acres,” Dobbins said.

Knowing that a portion of it could be developed after being resold, and even before they entered into a real estate contract with CSD, the council took action to rezone the land from agriculture to 20,000-square-foot

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

partners. For example, if there was someone with a flower shop that would like to donate flowers or if somebody who owns a drink shop would like to do drinks or if someone has some way to help, we’d appreciate making this special for these students.”

Wilson said those wishing to make donations can contact her at Kelsie.Wilson@canyonsdistrict.org for more information.

Wilson’s PLT and peer mentors are partnering up with EEC students as dates to the dance, which has the theme, “Once Upon a Time.”

“My peer tutors and PLT members have talked about meeting to curl the girls’ hair and help the boys with their ties. We want this to be very special for these kids and by doing it at a neutral location it makes it a bit more of a bigger deal, and have it be a special occasion like a typical high school prom,” she said.

Wilson has hopes for the students beyond the dance.

“At our school, EEC students have known each other most of their lives. They’re in a special class and they go to whatever elective classes they can go to. But really, all my students have known each other since elementary, and they just grew up together and they’re all best friends. After high school, they may go to Life Skills Academy (formerly Canyons Transitional Academy) together, along with Hillcrest, Brighton, Jordan and Alta students. Then, the kids will be divided by their abilities and intermixed. My thought is this prom can get them together so they can do something fun and meet and interact with each other before they go to Life Skills Academy,” she said. Additionally, it provides an optional social opportunity for her students.

lots. “Every house around it is a half-acre or bigger. The council thinks that fits there the best and I agree with them. Whoever purchases it will have to commit to half acres,” Walker said. According to the mayor, no decisions have been made as to which portion of the 10 acres might be set aside for a cemetery and which portion will be sold for development. Lowery worked on the terms of the sale with the school district. She said strong relationships have been built between the two entities over the years. The parties agreed that Draper City will split the profits with CSD for any parts of the property that the city resells. “Both entities are 100% invested in serving the public. Profit sharing helps us both to attain our goal: serving our communities,” Lowery said.

Still, the future of the city’s soon to be acquired property isn’t set in stone. The problem remains that cemeteries are more of a subsidized civic service than they are a moneymaker or even a break-even business

“My students, love, love, love dancing, and they love going to school dances, but they can only go for the first half an hour when nobody else is there. A typical high school dance can be a little rowdy. There always seems to be a mosh pit. The music is always crazy loud. The lights are always strobing,” Wilson said about dances where 2,500 students in a high school could attend. “This dance would be a good opportunity to provide more of a sensory friendly prom where wearing headphones is totally acceptable and there won’t be any crazy

model. “I don’t know that you can find a municipal cemetery in the country that makes money,” Walker said. According to the mayor, the city’s historic cemetery on Fort Street was a gift from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the city long ago. That means that Draper City is responsible for digging the graves and providing water and maintenance. The city also handles the sale of plots. “There’s a waiting list. We don’t up the price, we sell them for whatever that plot’s first purchase price was. We’re not making money on it,” Walker said.

Walker warns that if the newly purchased land does become the city’s second cemetery, that won’t happen quickly. There’s also the possibility of it being contracted out or sold to a private cemetery operator. “The reality is, we really can’t afford this cemetery. If we sell half of it and hopefully recoup the other half’s value…we’re going to have to pay off the land before we start burying people. We have no money in our budget to create and

strobe lights or fog that’s getting pushed into the dance. It gives them a chance to interact and hang out with each other.”

Staff members will be there to chaperone the event, and parents also are welcome to attend.

Last year, Corner Canyon High’s PLT held a districtwide field day for EEC students that had carnival games, face painting, bounce house and a visit from the fire department. l

operate a new cemetery. I don’t know when we’ll be in the financial situation to start…we have a lot of other bills to pay,” Walker said.

The mayor’s grandmother is buried at the Fort Street cemetery and he appreciates the ability to visit her there. “I recognize the need, it’s an integral part of the culture, but I’m not 100% sure it’s a business we should be in. We need to pay for police, fire, all the stuff the living want,” Walker said.

The transaction closing date between the city and the school district is scheduled for April 30.

“The council’s view was this is really nice property and it only comes around once. We’d like to do a cemetery, it’s what the public wants. But there are a whole lot of details that have to be worked out,” Walker said. “If the cemetery doesn’t pencil out, I don’t think the city council is going to get hurt on the land if they have to sell it.” l

Lone Peak Park pavilion will be the site of Canyons School District’s unified prom this month. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Corner Canyon junior Camila Alejo is looking for opportunities to figure out possible careers.

“I want to figure out what I want to do and take classes that I’m interested in,” she said. “I like science and saw this was a medical talk and thought that it sounded like something that I want to do because I already tried coding and know it’s something I don’t want to.”

Alejo came to listen to Corner Canyon High’s Meet the Pro speaker, Mikel Borup, and learned more about his route in emergency medicine and a possible one for her.

“I learned there is a possibility of paying for my medical training through a military scholarship so that gives me a new option,” she said.

The point of the Meet the Pro series is to give students a chance to widen their perspectives about professions, said Canyons School District Career and Technical Education Director Janet Goble.

“Students are able to ask questions to industry professionals to deepen their understanding of the careers,” she said. “We want students to know more about their field of interest and in particular with this one, learn the career options within medicine.”

Borup did his residency at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, and was stationed in the panhandle of Florida. During his three years there, one of his deployments was with an emergency care team to Somalia to treat Afghan refugees.

“We’d do a surgery on a patient, then we had to transport them in a C-130 to a larger base or a hospital where they could take care of them long term,” he said. “We did 14 surgeries in a very small, sterile environment. We tried to limit the surgeries to as little as possible because of that. The area I was in, there were military working dogs and no veterinarian on that base. So, we treated military working dogs that got injured.”

A few years later when the government pulled troops out of Afghanistan, Borup teamed up with the Navy and Army medical staff to provide examinations for “civilians who had helped us throughout the war and were at risk with the Taliban. We made sure those refugees weren’t bringing any diseases into the U.S. that would be dangerous.”

Borup owes his medical career to his freshman college computer class.

“I wanted to do computer animation, so I started with my first computer programming class and decided it was awful. I switched my major to genetics, and that’s when I decided I wanted to do medicine,” he said. “In my third and fourth year of medical school, I did clinical rotations and one of those I did was emergency medicine. After my first week, I knew this is what I want to do.”

Borup said “it’s a long road into medicine” with about a dozen years of college and several exams. Every specialty in medicine, he said, attracts a different personality.

“In emergency medicine, I feel it attracts those who are adrenaline junkies. I love freestyle skiing—jumping out of planes to ski. I also love going downhill on a bike. It gives me a rush and that’s how I feel when I can help someone who comes in the ER,” he said.

Borup balances his time in the ER with his recreation and family life. He works about 15 shifts per month, from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. He often works weekends and holidays, but he can request off on days his children have events.

Another benefit? Wearing scrubs.

“I don’t like to dress up, so it works better for me,” he said.

During his residency, Borup made about $13 per hour or “about what a Walmart employee makes,” he said. “For three or four years you’re living off minimum pay and working as hard as you can in your life, but it is one of the most memorable times. You make some of your best friends in residency because you’re together constantly.”

In medicine, Borup told students that they work as a team, especially in residency.

“Every shift, I’m calling a specialist about a patient. Every single shift, I’m consulting another doctor, or working as a team with nurses, techs, respiratory therapists. It’s incredibly important that you’re on the same page,” he said. “It’s also important that if you want to do medicine, you can’t have any real bad semesters on your transcript. It’s extremely competitive to get into medical school.”

Borup said that many people don’t realize that emergency medicine is a board-certified specialty as it is often overlooked by other specialties.

“When someone has a heart attack, they are treated by the cardiologist, or if it’s a broken bone, they go to the orthopedic surgeon.

treated not only abroad, but also locally as he explained the endoscopy procedure to see that a child swallowed a snowflake keychain that got lodged in his esophagus. He said his skills have been used outside the operating room, such as using his kitchen table to examine his nephew who got hit with a baseball bat.

He showed students how he uses an EKG to determine if a patient is having a heart attack and X-rays to see where a teen’s chest was punctured with glass during a car accident.

“This is what’s called a tension pneumothorax,” Broup explained to students. “The lung collapsed on this side, and it’s pushing the whole trachea because of the pressure on this side. You can go into respiratory failure and not get any oxygen and you can die pretty quickly from this because it’s reducing the amount of blood returned to the heart. We do what’s called a forward pass and we put a chest tube in to relieve that pressure so the lung expands again. It’s all what we do in the ER.”

There was a time during school when he considered quitting his medical pathway, but he’s glad he pushed through.

But it’s the emergency doctor that sees them first and kind of resuscitates them until the specialist can see them,” he explained.

Borup’s talk highlighted some of those he

“I love the fact that I’m able to help people at their most desperate time. That’s really what attracted me to this specialty,” Borup said. “It is extremely gratifying to be able to help those who are in need.” l

Meet the Pro speaker Mikel Borup speaks to Corner Canyon High students about his pathway and what it’s like to be an emergency physician. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Alta High assistant principal to run Boston Marathon to help fund cancer research

Growing up to Turkish immigrants who practiced their traditional customs, Melissa Lister didn’t dream of running the Boston Marathon. It was a stretch for her to have permission to try out for her high school JV soccer team.

In April, the Alta High assistant principal will lace up her running shoes to race 26.2 miles of familiar roads not just for herself, but to help those battling cancer.

Lister’s journey began growing up with her siblings in Fort Lauderdale; her parents moved there in the 1970s. Her dad, who used to sell newspapers on the subway stations as a boy, and her mother both worked hard in Florida. He was the true Turkish man, having a passion for eating feta cheese and olives every day.

“Literally, for 50 years he worked as a waiter every day, so he wasn’t around for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter; I barely saw him because he was working seven days a week,” she said.

Lister bonded with him over soccer.

“My dad played pickup soccer as a kid in Turkey and he would watch the Turkish satellite TV to watch the Turkish soccer games, so he let me try out for the JV soccer team,” she said.

When the captain and goalkeeper got hurt, the coach told Lister she would take over both positions.

“I had never played soccer in my life other than that year. When my dad found that out, he said. ‘we’re going to the park. I’m going to kick balls at you and you’re going to catch them,’” she said. “He approached that like everything, with that hard work ethic. He always appeared to be in good health. I never thought anything would happen to my dad.”

Lister graduated from high school while taking honors classes. She was involved in student government, worked at a supermarket 35 hours per week and got a year of college completed while in high school. That allowed her to graduate college at Florida State one year early and land a teaching position before a hiring freeze. She eventually earned her master’s degree at Florida Atlantic.

“It’s that work ethic that my parents ingrained in me. I can’t even think about how my life would be not having an education,” she said.

While in Florida, Lister had a rocky relationship and began running to overcome that. Without racing a 5K or 10K, she ran the Fort Lauderdale Half Marathon in 2009 and again, in 2010.

“Those were my first races. That unhealthy relationship kickstarted my journey into running, just recovering from the trauma. A lot of people go to therapy or take medication, for me, racing was my answer,” she said.

Soon after, Lister moved from Florida to Boston, where her sister and family lived. She ran the Boston Half Marathon three times and the New York City Half Marathon, five times.

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

She also got into Spartan racing, which “helped me heal from that relationship.”

Spartan races are a series of obstacle races with varying difficulty, ranging from three miles to ultramarathon distances, Lister said.

“I wanted to push myself. I was doing CrossFit six days a week to prepare for the Spartan Races that I did in the summer. It’s 15 races each year,” said the previously nationally and world-ranked competitor. “My mom was OK with the running, but as soon as I started obstacle course racing, the mountain running and high mileage running, she wasn’t so sure. She wasn’t as worried as my dad. My dad was always worried I was going to run too much and die of a heart attack.”

In 2014, Lister’s dad started coughing and he figured it was allergies.

“He never went to the doctor because in his mind, he was fine. But at 71 years old, and still coughing, he went to a hospital and was told he has fluid in his lungs. They found blood in the fluid and on Christmas Day 2014, he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. They determined because he was a nonsmoker that it must have been the secondhand smoke from being a child selling newspapers in the smokefilled subways and then, also from being a waiter at restaurants where smoking wasn’t outlawed then,” she said. “For two months, he went through radiation on his brain because the cancer had spread to his brain.”

On Ash Wednesday in 2015, Lister’s father died.

What helped was her obstacle races.

“Those obstacles needed mental toughness,” Lister said. “I thought of my dad, and what he went through, without complaining to provide for us. My dad used to always say that to me: ‘You go to work, you go to school, you don’t complain. You put your head down. You do your job. You go home.’ That is what I would do with the races. Put my head down, do the obstacle, not complain. It would be painful, but I knew I would get through it.”

Fast forward a few years, Lister and her husband moved to Utah. The South Jordan resident has taken up trail running and mountain biking—competing in races that reach the top of ski resorts and back down. She averages 12

races from April to August and has goals of running area marathons.

“My dad would go ballistic if he knew I was doing these things, but I did it because of him. I feel that connection every time when I run and do these crazy races,” she said. “Running gives me a feeling of joy. It’s a euphoric experience when you run. It feels good. It feels powerful. I have a picture in my office of my 40,000 medals that has become a conversational piece. When students ask me about it, I tell them I got started running to help me deal with my anxiety. It’s become a way for us to talk about their anxiety and find a way, maybe it’s running, that can help them.”

Lister decided to run and was training to race her first marathon, the REVEL Big Cottonwood marathon, last fall. She hoped to qualify there to run the Boston Marathon this April.

It didn’t happen.

Sidelined with strained calf muscles, she didn’t race and turned to another way to qualify— running for charity.

Before her 16-week training schedule be-

gan in late October, Lister shared her story on her race application with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

“Dana-Farber is one of the top three leading cancer research hospitals in the world and everything they do, their innovative research, is trying to find a cure for cancer. I want to help Dana-Farber make those advances in medication and treatment because I don’t want another child to lose their father,” she said about her goal to raise $15,000 as the only Utahn dedicated to helping race for the cause. “I want to give awareness. Telling my story, whether it’s people who currently have cancer or who have had loved ones they’ve lost, I want people who are in pain to know the importance of early detection. I still can’t believe my dad died of lung cancer. He was just someone who worked hard for his family and was one of the healthiest guys on paper.”

To support Lister in raising $15,000 for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute: go to danafarber. jimmyfund.org. l

Alta High’s assistant principal Melissa Lister lost her dad to lung cancer, now she’s running the Boston Marathon to help raise money for cancer research. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Lister)

Alta High Assistant Principal Melissa Lister, a trail runner and mountain biker, competes in races that reach the top of ski resorts and back down and next month, she’ll race in the Boston Marathon. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Lister)

Corner Canyon High senior Konnor Spencer was fourth in the 100 breaststroke and sixth in the 200 Individual Medley at the 6A state swimming championships Feb. 23-24 at Brigham Young University. He also swam legs on the third-place 200 medley relay whose lineup also included Sam Lloyd, Brayden Towns and James Lillian as well as the fourthplace 200 freestyle relay team of Spencer, Liam Merkeley, Tate Johnson and Towns. His high placements led the Chargers boys squad to a fourth-place finish.

The 200 medley relay team of Reagan Smith, Rosemary Akins, Halle Walker and Kathryn Armendariz was the top showing for the girls who came in 17th.

“The kids swam great this year,” said CCHS head coach Pat Thurman. “We relied on some incredibly talented boys to lead the team to a high finish.”

Also placing for the boys were Jacob Hamblin (sixth, 400 free relay; 12th, 500 free; 15th, 200 free), Lillian (sixth, 400 free relay; ninth, 200 IM, ninth, 100 backstroke), Johnson (sixth, 400 free relay), Lloyd (sixth, 400 free relay; 10th, 100 back; 13th, 50 free) and Towns (sixth, 100 fly; 10th, 50 free).

On the girls side, Halle Walker (11th, 100 back; 16th, 100 butterfly), Kate Broadbent (14th, 200 free relay), Alyssa Meadows (14th,

200 free relay), Nora Walker (14th, 200 free relay), Jane Weiler (14th, 200 free relay), Rosemary Akins (15th, 400 free), Layla Anderson (15th, 400 free relay), Brinlee Baxter (15th,

100 free; 15th, 400 free relay) and Helena Galbreath (15th, 400 free relay) also represented in the top 16.

“I was thrilled that we had so many boys

and girls qualify for state. So many younger swimmers had their first experience at state and handled it well,” Thurman said. “I was also so happy for our seniors, who have put in so much work over the years, to finish with a bang.”

In the unified mixed races, Jordan Barlow won the boys 50 free while the girls 100 free relay also came in first. The girls 100 free relay finished second while Jadon Medina (third, 50 free) and Bryce Armendariz (sixth, 50 free) also placed at state for Corner Canyon.

Spencer also won the Region 2 title in the 100 breast at the region championships at Juan Diego Catholic High School Feb. 3 in helping the boys take a second-place finish. Other top placers were the 200 free relay lineup (first), the 200 medley relay team (second), Spencer (second, 200 IM), Lillian (third, 200 IM), Hamblin (third, 200 free; third, 500 free), Towns (third, 100 fly), Lloyd (third, 100 back) and the 400 free relay squad (third).

For the sixth-place girls at the Region 2 meet prior to the state championships, Walker was third in the 100 fly and third in the 100 back.

“We graduate some great kids but the future is bright for Charger swimming,” Thurman said. l

Corner Canyon High senior Konnor Spencer placed fourth in the 100 breast and sixth in the 200 IM while also swimming a leg on two top-four relays at the 6A state championships Feb. 23-24 at Brigham Young University. (Photo courtesy Patrick Thurman)

Two CCHS wrestlers win nationals

By Catherine Garrett | c.garrett@mycityjournals.com

Corner Canyon High junior Leimana “Mana” Fager and freshman Tanner Telford brought home national titles from the USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals March 15-17 at Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Fager won the 18U 190-pound division while Telford was tops in the 16U 106-pound category.

“This was our first ever national champions,” said CCHS assistant wrestling coach John Fager.

“It felt unreal,” said Mana Fager. “It was great seeing all my hard work pay off. It was definitely one of the best feelings I have ever had.”

“Seeing Mana win the title gave me a lot more confidence,” Telford said.

Mana Fager defeated Hugh Meyer of North Dakota’s Dickinson Wrestling Club, in the final match after beating Noah Weaver, of Central Indiana Academy of Wrestling, in the semis and Missouri Club’s Gabriel Willett in the quarterfinals.

In his first nationals appearance, Telford defeated MWC (Nebraska) Wrestling Academy’s Cole Caniglia in the finals after a semifinal win over Greysen Packer, of Team Idaho Wrestling Club, and beating Alabama’s David Hill in the quarters.

“Watching Tanner, a fellow teammate, win nationals as a freshman got me excited to watch him grow and progress as a whole,” Mana Fager said. “He did something that I couldn’t do my freshman year and that’s amazing. Tons of respect for that guy.”

Four other Chargers—Clarion Fager, Gage Brady, Makayla Walden and Kinsey Byrge—earned All-American honors in the 16U category at the national event.

Clarion Fager placed second in the 16U girls division at 170-pounds division, losing to Oklahoma’s Millie Azlin in the finals. She reached the championship round by defeated Nora Wilson, of Uintah (Utah) Girls Wrestling, in the quarterfinals and Nebraska’s Makayla Vasser in the semis.

Brady lost to eventual champion Brody Sendele, with the Hononegah (Illinois) Wrestling Club, in the 157-pound semifinals after beating Askren (Wisconsin) Wrestling Academy’s Markus Fletcher in the quarters.

Walden lost to eventual champion Jayden Moehle of Missouri West Championship Wrestling in the semis of the 235-pound division after a quarterfinal bye.

Byrge lost to eventual finalist Veronica Madrid, of Derby (Kansas) Wrestling Club, in the quarters.

“It was amazing watching everyone from Utah wrestle,” said Mana Fager. “They all did great and wrestled hard.”

Mana Fager was introduced to wrestling 15 years ago because of his dad’s lifelong involvement in the sport. “It’s kind of

Corner Canyon High’s Tanner Telford and Mana Fager won the 106-pound and 190- pound divi sions at the USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals at Cedar Falls, Iowa March 15-17. (Photo courtesy John Fager)

some sort of religion in our house, and I actually hated it all the way until my soph omore year,” Mana Fager, who also plays football for Corner Canyon, said. “It was then that I realized that I was raised and made to be a wrestler.”

Mana, the son of Rowanna and John Fager of Draper, has placed fourth twice in a national event previously. “It felt amaz ing to win, but it’s on to the next thing,” he said. “I have a lot of things to improve on.”

Parents, coaches and teammates have helped Mana Fager’s growth in wrestling and with the mental toughness required in the sport. “They have helped me to get where I am today and I couldn’t have done this without them,” he said.

Telford has been wrestling since he was 5 years old when he “just decided to try it out” and his love of the sport has only grown from there.

The son of Paul Telford and Amber Telford, who lives in Taylorsville, said that wrestling has helped him learn about hard work, determination, discipline, commit ment and gratitude. His continued goals on the mat include more national champion ships and being able to wrestle collegiately.

“I’m very grateful for my coaches and teammates and how much they have helped me to get better and make everything pos sible for me,” he said. l

‘May the Fourth Be with You Fun Run’ to support unified sports in local schools

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

“Iget to make basketball hoops.”

“I’ve made friends on my team.”

“I’m part of my school now.”

“I’m so thankful my daughter is given the chance to play alongside her peers.”

“It brings out the best of these kids (partners).”

“It makes my heart happy.”

These, and more comments, were made by student-athletes, parents and school administrators at a recent Canyons School District unified middle school basketball tournament.

Unified sports are where Special Olympians are teamed up with peers or partners to compete together on the court, field, track and pool.

Canyons Education Foundation is hosting a family-friendly fun run, walk and roll to raise funds for costs involved in unified sports uniforms and tournaments, said Denise Haycock, Foundation development officer.

“It fosters inclusion and mentoring opportunities in our schools,” she said. “We are

hoping to have unified sports across all grade levels.”

The “May the Fourth Be with You Fun Run” will be held at 8 a.m., Saturday, May 4. The race begins on the track at Jordan High School, 95 E. Beetdigger Lane, Sandy. There will be a 1-mile option, which will remain on the track, or a 5K, which will run along the nearby trail. Registration is $25 and participants can register at: www.fundraise. givesmart.com/f/4ole/n?vid=14gzqm

“It is definitely a fun run and not a timed run; 100% of funds raised from the fun run will go toward supporting and expanding unified sports teams at our schools,” Haycock said.

Each participant will receive a themed fanny pack at the event, said Linda Hall, Canyons School District’s special education administrator.

“It will be a really fun event for all the families and a great fundraiser to hold every year to support our unified sports teams,” she said. “This builds mentorship, leadership and lifelong friendships.” l

JDCHS girls golf team wins first two tourneys to begin season

By Catherine Garrett | c.garrett@mycityjournals.com

The Juan Diego Catholic High girls golf team has placed third at the 3A state golf championships the past two years, led by senior Grayson Gagnon who earned All-State honors over that span for two individual seventh-place finishes. She is back to co-captain an experienced Soaring Eagle squad who hopes to give it another run this year.

“We’re looking forward to competing again for a state championship,” JDCHS head coach Jason Andersen, who is in his eighth year, said. “We have great players and are poised for another really strong season.”

Seniors Zoe Pappas and Lindley Whittaker, junior Abby Quercia and sophomore Bella Werner will team with “phenomenal” freshman twins Camilla and Sabrina Macias to help anchor the squad.

The focus of the offseason for the team has been course management. “We’ve got girls that can absolutely swing the club,” Andersen said. “We’re now trying to finetune playing the game of golf where we walk through multiple holes of playing with them and helping them talk through where they are aiming, what they are trying to accomplish and why they are thinking that way. Taking that time with them will help the girls get their games to the next level.”

Also on the JDCHS team this season are junior Lauren Foy; sophomores Camryn Wolfcale and Hadleigh Johnston; and freshman Devon Sliwa.

Andersen is being assisted on the coaching staff by Juan Diego alum Alexis Winter

who played on the team five years ago.

So far this season, Juan Diego won a St. George tournament March 13-14 behind Gagnon’s medalist honors. Werner and Whittaker rounded out the top three for the Soaring Eagle team who shot 360 as a group.

At Mountain View March 20, Gagnon and Werner were co-medalists with Macias taking third and Quercia fourth. “The team did great,” Andersen said. “We shot a 331 and won.”

Juan Diego is also scheduled to compete in Region 14 tournaments at, Glendale April 8, Glenmoor April 16, Riverbend April 20, Sun Hills April 25 and Mountain View April 29. l

The JDCHS girls golf team won a St. George tournament March 13-14 and at Mountain View March 20. (Photo courtesy Lori Gagnon)

Chargers boys basketball second in 6A; girls make final four

By Catherine Garrett | c.garrett@mycityjournals.com

The defending 6A state champion boys basketball team worked themselves back to the title game this season but this time the Chargers were on the opposite end of the result they enjoyed last season. No. 4 Corner Canyon lost to second-ranked Lehi 78-67 March 1 at the University of Utah to finish as runners-up this time around.

“Overall, we had an outstanding year,” said head coach Dan Lunt. “This team faced all kinds of adversity throughout the year and did an outstanding job dealing with it.”

The CCHS girls squad reached the state final four for the first time in the 6A classification, losing to eventual champion Lone Peak 63-40 Feb. 28 at the U of U. [At the end of the 2018-19 season, the Chargers lost to East in the 5A championship game.]

“What a season the girls had,” said head coach Craig Morris. “We made it to the semis and restored confidence and belief in being one of the best in the whole state.”

Boys The boys were up 9-2 early in the state title game before the Pioneers came back and the teams were tied 17-all after the first quarter. Lehi proceeded to score the game’s next 21 points and were up 17 points by halftime and again at the end of three. Junior Noah Bendinger hit two 3-pointers and completed a 3-point play to open the final eight minutes and close the gap, but Lehi continued to outrebound Corner Canyon and make clutch shots to maintain their lead. The Chargers were led by senior All-Region center Derelle Desire, who had 20 points and nine rebounds, along with 2023’s 6A Player of the Year and this year’s Region 2 MVP Brody Kozlowski who added 16 points and seven rebounds.

At the 6A state tournament, fourth-seeded Corner Canyon defeated Pleasant Grove 90-59 Feb. 23 in the second round—after a bye in the first round—behind 19 points and 11 rebounds from Kozlowski and Neibaur’s 17 points.

In the quarterfinals against American Fork Feb. 26, Kozlowski went off for a career-high 39 points to lead the Chargers past the Cavemen 67-58.

Corner Canyon dominated No. 1 Layton in the semis Feb. 28, winning 89-60. Neibaur led four players in double figures with 21 points while senior Taylor Feroah added 18, Kozlowski 17 and Desire 16. Feroah was tops on the boards with 14 in helping the Chargers reach the title game.

Desire, Kozlowski, All-Region senior Isaac Neibuar and junior Bryton Valdez were named All-Tournament while Kozlowski, Neibaur and Feroah were recognized on the Academic All-Region team.

Kozlowski nearly averaged a double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds a game to lead Corner Canyon while Desire had 11 points a game and seven boards and Feroah added eight points and seven rebounds. Lunt credited them and his other three seniors—

Neibaur, Hayden Gribble and Wells Robertson for their contributions to the program the past four years. “They are top-notched,” he said. “I think the world of every one of them.”

Bendinger also put in nine points a game for the 19-8 squad who swept through region play for the second consecutive season. Also on the CCHS team this season were Hudson Brown, Mo Brown, Archer Burke, Diesel Dart, Brigg Jensen, Tagg Jensen, Peterson Lunt, Tyler Mortensen and Dillon Roberts.

Girls

At the 6A state tournament, the seventh-seeded Chargers received a first-round bye before facing Herriman Feb. 22 and avenging two region losses during the season, beating the Mustangs 49-27. All-State forward Elina Mortensen scored 23 points while fellow senior Maia Rhay added 16 in the win.

In the quarterfinals, Corner Canyon pulled out a 59-56 overtime victory over No. 2 Davis Feb. 26. Rhay nearly had a triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to go with five steals and four blocks in a stats-sheetstuffer game. Mortensen added 13 points while junior guard Addi Yeomans had 12.

“That game was unbelievable,” coach Morris said. “We’re a team built on defense, and when we play together, we’re really hard to score against. We just said, ‘We don’t let anyone do what they want to do.’ We’re gonna make them do the things that they’re less comfortable doing, and the girls did it, and I’m just so proud of them.”

In the semifinal loss against Lone Peak, Mortensen’s 11 points and nine rebounds led the Chargers who were down 23 points at halftime. A 30-point second-half effort was matched by the Knights so the loss margin remained the same.

Mortensen led Corner Canyon this season with 21 points and nine rebounds while Rhay added 15 points and six boards.

Also on the CCHS squad who finished

16-10 this year are juniors Brooke Luper, Sorrelle Nielsen and Kenzie Randall and sophomores Addy Hamilton, Hallee Johnsen, Kate Leroy and Lexi Leroy. l

Corner Canyon High senior Derelle Desire had 11 points and seven rebounds this season in leading the Chargers to a 19-8 record and a second-place finish in 6A. (Photo courtesy All-Star Photography)

Corner Canyon High senior Isaac Neibaur had 12 points and five rebounds in helping the Chargers to a 19-8 record and a second-place finish in 6A. (Photo courtesy All-Star Photography)

Region 2 MVP senior Brody Kozlowski led the Chargers this season with 20 points and nine rebounds. (Photo courtesy All-Star Photography)

Off Broadway Theatre presents the Tolkien parody, ‘Lore of the Rings,’ at Draper Historic Theatre

By Katherine Weinstein | k.weinstein@mycityjournals.com

The Off Broadway Theatre’s latest original musical comedy, “Lore of the Rings,” is a parody of J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic adventure saga, “The Lord of the Rings.” The brand new script by Off Broadway Theatre cofounder Eric Jensen and his son, Austinn, will have its premiere on the stage of Draper Historic Theatre April 5 through 27.

“It’s basically ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ but a comedy,” Oliver Gavriliuc explained. The 10 year old and his sister, Lexie, age 8, play a variety of roles in the production. “It’s really funny!” Lexie said.

Director Jake Anderson explained that the show strikes a balance between being an adventure story and a comedy. “It has action, comedy, singing, dancing and a lot of heart,” he said.

The plot of “Lore of the Rings” loosely follows that of Tolkien’s original tale. Frollo, an unassuming Half-wit, sets out to destroy the powerful One Ring and save the world from the Dark Lord Sowrong. He is accompanied by a small band of fellow Half-wits, elves, dwarves and humans. With the help of their wizard friend, Grandalf, they battle d’orcs, a dragon and even a giant spider along the way.

The movie adaptations of “The Lord of the Rings,” directed by Peter Jackson, serve as the springboard for Off Broadway Theatre’s comic re-telling. “It’s fun to see these iconic characters parodied,” Anderson said.

The characters in “Lore of the Rings” are exaggerated versions of the originals. Andrew Reid, who plays “Ericcorn,” said of his character, “He’s different from Aragorn. I love that they take the idea of him being manly and make it over the top. Everything he does is so cool. It’s just really funny!”

Janae Hoggins plays “Galliteral," an elf who is known for

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her power and beauty. “On a scale of one to 10, I’m elven,” she said, quoting the script.

Even the treacherous dark wizard “Sowrong” is made to look ridiculous. Steve Hedman, who plays Sowrong, said, “He thinks he’s all powerful, he’s got the orcs trying to control Middle Earth. In the end, he gets defeated by Grandalf.”

Taking on these iconic roles, even silly versions of them, can be a bit intimidating to the actors. Pierce Jones, age 12, plays

the ring-obsessed creature, "Collem." "It's more of a challenging part with the makeup and costume," Jones said. To create the character's signature raspy voice, "I thought of a cat coughing up hairballs," he said.

Jessica Nguyen, who plays "Murray" the Half-wit, said, "If you're a fan of ‘Lord of the Rings,’ there are a lot of fun moments that will have you laughing." She emphasized that the show is for everyone, even those who may be unfamiliar with the books and films. "No matter your age, you will have a lot of fun at this show," she said.

The theme of "Lore of the Rings" centers on the bonds of friendship and camaraderie among the characters. In describing the ragtag group who come together to defeat evil, Anderson said, “They all accept each other for their strengths.” Hoggins added that even though some of the characters don’t like each other, “They work together so that they can save the world."

That sense of camaraderie extends to the cast in real life. "There's a special energy to a group of people putting on a show together," Reid said. For Abigail Borsos, who plays a d'orc, the best part of being in the production is, "the friends I've made along the way. It's the journey. It's been a blast and a half."

"This show defies expectations," Joseph Tuttle said. The actor, who is making his stage debut as Grandalf, explained, "You'll be very surprised as to what this ends up being. It caught me off guard in a good way. Expect the unexpected!"

Off Broadway Theatre presents "Lore of the Rings" on the stage of Draper Historic Theatre April 5 through 27. Performances are Monday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. Draper Historic Theatre is located at 12366 S. 900 East. For tickets visit theobt.org. l

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From left to right, Boston Smith as “Grimly,” Karlie Parrish as “Leggless” and Andrew Reid as “Ericcorn” set off on their heroic journey in Off Broadway Theatre’s comic parody, “Lore of the Rings” at Draper Historic Theatre. (Photo by Nic Brown)

What’s new at the Aquarium? Penguins on TikTok, a new baby octopus and an Earth Day celebration

There’s a lot happening at Loveland Living Planet Aquarium this month. It’s breeding season for the 20 gentoo penguins who live in the Aquarium’s Antarctica habitat. Their dating and mating habits are the focus of a new TikTok reality series, “Love on Thin Ice.” Meanwhile, in the Ocean Explorer wing, a baby giant Pacific octopus is settling into his new habitat and interacting with the aquarists who take care of him. At the same time, an Earth Day celebration focusing on flowers and pollinators is planned for April 22. “Love on Thin Ice”

Contrary to popular belief, not all penguin species mate for life. Each year, during a breeding season that lasts approximately from February through May, both male and female gentoo penguins will “play the field” before settling down to raise chicks with a particular mate. About 90% of the time, the penguins will return to their mates from previous seasons. However, as the Aquarium’s social media specialist, Ashley Mitchell, explained, “The drama comes from penguins exploring other options.”

Squabbles over mate stealing and changing preferences ensue during breeding season. Mitchell said that the endotherm team, who take care of the Aquarium’s warm-blooded animals, had long observed quite a bit of dramatic behavior among the gentoo penguins. The idea to produce a “dating” reality series documenting their romantic foibles on TikTok is yet another way in which the Aquarium seeks to connect people to the animals.

“‘Love on Thin Ice’ is a reality dating series but also educational,” Mitchell added. “We want to debunk myths about penguin behavior.”

Visitors to the gentoo penguin habitat will notice an abundance of small, smooth stones scattered about. Male penguins will choose one of these stones to present to a female. If the female is impressed with his offering, she will find a stone for him. The couple will continue to collect rocks until a nest is built. In the end, it takes a male and female to raise their chicks. “It’s a two penguin job,” Mitchell said.

The new reality series has attracted thousands of new followers to the Aquarium’s TikTok. To view the series and other Aquarium-related content, visit tiktok.com/@livingplanetaquariumut

A new baby octopus

Last January, a baby giant Pacific octopus was introduced to his new habitat at the Aquarium. The 6 month old has been getting used to his new living space and accustomed to the aquarists who take care of him.

By Katherine Weinstein | k.weinstein@mycityjournals.com

Saltwater aquarist Krissy Lindsey said of his species, “They’re very smart. They learn to interact with the aquarists. They’ll come to the surface and enjoy the sensation of splashing.”

Lindsey expressed that she was surprised at the octopus’ strength. “The force of their suckers is stronger than I thought,” she said, noting that they can leave bruises on human skin.

The new octopus is still quite small at only 4 1/2 pounds. Measuring from the tip of one tentacle to the end of another, he is approximately 4 feet long. A fully grown giant Pacific octopus can measure 16 feet across and weight 100-130 pounds. “He’s got a lot of growing to do,” Lindsey said.

The giant Pacific octopus is not only the largest octopus species, but has the longest life span at three to five years. The new baby octopus enjoys a diet of crabs, shrimp, clams and different types of fish.

Like many animals at the Aquarium, he is given physically and mentally stimulating toys and activities. “We give them all sorts of puzzle toys where you have to work to get the food out,” Lindsey explained. “They can also open lids. We give them jars and other containers that have lids like a Tupperware or plastic Easter egg.”

In the wild, the species is found along the Pacific Coast from California to Alaska as well as across the ocean in Japan. They prefer fairly shallow, cold water. While the giant Pacific octopus is not currently classified as endangered, ocean warming trends threaten their habitat. The water in the baby octopus’ habitat is kept at a cool 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

A sign outside the habitat asks that visitors refrain from using flash photography. “Octopuses are more sensitive to bright, flashing light,” Lindsey said. “They like to live in dark, tight places such as a hole in a rock.”

Nocturnal by nature, the octopus is most active earlier in the morning and later in the day.

The octopus habitat is located next to that of the bioluminescent flashlight fish in the Ocean Explorer wing.

Earth Day at the Aquarium

On April 22, Loveland Living Planet Aquarium will celebrate Earth Day with edu-

cational activities, craft projects and live music throughout the day. All of the festivities will be included with the price of admission. Event Manager Leanna Read said, “All of our guests can enjoy it.”

One of this year’s event themes focuses on flowers and pollinators such as bees, butterflies and birds. All visitors will receive a wildflower seed packet and there will be a flower-making activity.

“We’re also going to be focusing on native Utah wildlife and species so that guests can learn how to take care of the Earth right here at home,” Read said. Some of the Utah species that will be highlighted include river chubs, boreal toads and the river otters. Live

animal spotlight presentations are planned for the day.

Aquarium visitors can also enjoy live musical performances by the drum group, Trash Panda. “It’s a party for the planet,” Read said. “We’ve been doing this for the past few years. This year we will have more activities and things to do. We want to encourage people to become better stewards of the world around them.”

Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is located at 12033 Lone Peak Parkway in Draper. For more information, visit livingplanetaquarium.org. l

A new baby giant Pacific octopus explores his habitat at Loveland Living Planet Aquarium. (Photo courtesy Loveland Living Planet Aquarium)

Meg, Coco, Loki, Scamper, Runner and Indy demonstrate the fact that gentoo penguins can swim faster than any other species of penguin. (Photo courtesy Loveland Living Planet Aquarium)

As part of their mating behavior, these gentoo penguins select just the right stones to give to prospective mates. (Photo courtesy Loveland Living Planet Aquarium)

Bantam basketball team wins state championship third year running

By Catherine Garrett | c.garrett@mycityjournals.com

The Corner Canyon’s seventh-grade bantam basketball team won the Utah Bantam Basketball “A” Division state championships for the third year in a row. On March 16, the Chargers defeated Davis 48-34 in the title game at Alta High School. During the three-day championship tournament, Corner Canyon went 4-1 with a 56-point differential among the five games. The Chargers squad also won the Salt Lake County Bantam championship March 9 at Summit Middle School, defeating Alta in the final game. The team— coached by Dave Davis and Aaron Call—consisted of Cort Boman, Bridger Call, Bridger Davis, Logan Dorny, Locke Fisher, Ty Kozlowski, Landon Mattice and Garrett Woodward. (Photo courtesy CJ Dorny)

Rockwell the rock snake surpasses expectations and continues to grow

By Mimi Darley Dutton | m.dutton@mycityjournals.com

What began as a feel-good project for a local mom and her young children has far exceeded expectations, much to the delight of many in the community. It’s been especially fun for creators Kelsee Sellers and her children, Libby and Lee.

“Rockwell” the rock snake started last June where the Porter Rockwell Trail intersects with Boulter Street. It began with a rock painted to resemble a friendly snake head. Signs were added to explain that anyone is welcome to add their own artistic creations.

Rockwell runs parallel to the Porter Rockwell Trail along the abandoned train tracks. Sellers and her kids visit their creation frequently to see and count the additions and Sellers paints milestone rocks to indicate the total number of rocks at that point along the trail and encourage its continued growth.

Those milestone rocks began with markers for the hundreds, but then grew into markers for milestones such as 1,000 and 3,000.

Rockwell will soon reach 4,000 specially-decorated rocks, something Sellers and her kids didn’t dream would happen when they began. But their goals have continued to grow along with Rockwell.

“The kid’s goal is for their snake to reach Draper Park. I’d say it’s roughly 500 feet or so for their snake to connect. They are extremely hopeful it will happen before the end of summer this year, and perhaps start ‘coiling’ it’s way back on the other side of the tracks,” Sellers said.

They’ve recently added a “tail” so that people coming from Draper Park can add rocks from that direction without having to walk too far. Sellers’ mom helps her clear trees and debris from along the path so that people can continue to add their colorful creations. The decorated rocks are an assortment of art by all ages and abilities, from novices to near professionals. Some feature inspirational phrases and quotes, others resemble animals, fish, fruits or vegetables, American flags, basketballs and even candy bars.

“Spring has sprung and the rock snake supporters have already started visiting,” Sellers said. “We hope people continue to add and be respectful of others’ artwork throughout the summer months. It’s been such a joy to see all the creations popping up along Rockwell.” l

Colorful, decorated rocks line the abandoned train tracks that run parallel to the Porter Rockwell Trail, beginning where the trail intersects with Boulter Street and heading toward Draper Park. Creators Kelsee Sellers and her children Libby and Lee have a goal of reaching Draper Park by this summer if not sooner

(Mimi Darley Dutton/City Journals)

Life Skills Academy offers training for students with special needs seeking independence

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

New student orientation will be April 23 through April 25 at Canyons School District’s newest school, Life Skills Academy.

Life Skills Academy, formerly known as Canyons Transitional Academy, provides instruction and support to students with special needs who have aged out of traditional high school and would benefit from additional training in the classroom and community and with job training.

The doors opened in January at the students’ new school, in the former Crescent View Middle School, 11150 S. 300 East, in Sandy. LSA offers many of the facilities as a traditional school with a cafeteria and gym, but also some vocational and home life classrooms so students learn those skills, said Linda Hall, who is in her second year as the principal.

“Our numbers have grown from 38 students to 55, and we’re projecting next year, we will be over 60 students,” she said. “This school is amazing for our students because now every teacher has a classroom where before we shared open spaces. We have a kitchen lab where they practice their skills. We turned one classroom into a studio apartment, so they’re able to practice their skills there. We have a partnership with the state’s vocational rehabilitation office so our students are learning skills and are connected to job placements. We have students who are in paid internships. The LSA staff is trained as job coaches; we are teaching our students independence so they will be job ready as possible.”

LSA is for students between ages 18 to 22, who have completed their senior year in high school and have an individualized education plan team determine that pre-employment services are needed. Many students are working to complete graduation requirements or are achieving a certificate of completion.

“At age 14, the IEP team at each school begins discussions about transitions—graduation, skills, training, goals, interests—with the student and family so we know the best way to help students,” Hall said.

Once a student ages out of LSA, she said the staff helps to connect families to Social Security Disability and Utah Parent Center.

“We have Medicaid right here on site that families can access,” Hall said, adding that the school partners with the state’s workforce services to offer additional student support.

Grayson Argyle likes being a LSA student.

“I come to Life Skills Academy to

learn life skills and learn how to become an adult, do some math and money management,” he said.

Hall said that students often make purchases with replica dollar bills at the school store so they can learn the value of money and purchase school supplies.

Argyle travels on TRAX to his job placement at Cal Ranch.

“I organize things on the shelves. It’s great. I make sure everything is in place,” he said.

He isn’t the only one. Many LSA students learn to ride TRAX and use other public transportation to get around the community to get to their job training or internships “because a lot of our students will never drive,” Hall said.

LSA has partnerships with about 15 area businesses, such as Scheels, Treehouse Athletic Center, Sam’s Club and Draper’s branch of the Salt Lake County Library.

“We’re always looking for more opportunities for students to have work experience,” she said, adding that many positions within Canyons School District are filled by her students. “Students pick jobs based on their interests, and can learn about jobs in-house, like the district cafe. At school, we have the cooking facility so they learn about recipes and cooking and then, will be familiar with that. We have a flower shop here on our campus where the kids are learning about flower arrangements and that may be an area of interest, we can help them find an interest in the

community.”

Argyle said that in class, he has learned how to prepare menus and then, cook the meals.

“We’ve made pizza, soup and rolls and even, sushi sandwiches,” he said.

Also offered in the summer is a workbased learning program that pairs students with special needs with employers so students gain hands-on experience in the work setting. Students work with job coaches who guide students to meet the employer’s needs for four to eight weeks.

“It provides a meaningful experience for our students as well as the businesses,” Hall said.

To prepare students, LSA has weekly community access days, where what students learn in the classroom translates to the community. For example, they may look at a recipe, create a grocery list and then on their community access day, go shopping and learn about pricing and purchasing needed items.

“One class recently was learning about security disability and how do I access that or apply for that? The students then went out to a disability Social Security office and did a tour of it and learned all about it. Another time, our students learned about cosmetology and then visited a beauty salon and learned to how to become a cosmetologist and own or work in a community business,” she said, adding that another class tied in what they were learning to touring the state capitol.

Students attend classes Monday

through Thursday and pick their own classes from those the LSA staff designs to help students learn skills.

“Every semester is a different set of classes based on the students’ interests. As a team we meet to offer classes based on the needs of students’ IEPs, which then they, with the help of their guardians, can sign up for,” Hall said.

For example, students’ IEP goals may be improving written language. So the course may be about finding a job, that will include writing resumes and letters of interests. Another course may focus about internet safety, and they will learn how to safely email someone and search safe websites. They also have a leadership class which enrolls about 10 students. Students learn planning skills as they organize activities for the school and learn how to design and make fliers to promote the events.

“We teach those skills they’ll need to be independent in the community, and then, we’ll have centers every morning that may tie into the classes, such as mock interviews for verbal and social interaction or counting coins to learn budgeting or other skills based on students’ IEP goals,” she said, adding that others may include learning about route planning, stranger danger, AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) devices, multistep directions and more.

Argyle realizes he will need to be able to communicate at his job placement and in his dream of becoming a voice actor. He was planning to perform his aptitude at the school’s upcoming talent show.

Graduation this year, the first in their new school, will be special, Hall said.

Eight students will be given their certificates of completion by Canyons Board of Education members Nancy Tingey and Karen Pedersen at commencement, 12:30 p.m., May 14 at the school. Their graduation theme, “No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else,” is by P.T. Barnum.

The PTSA has arranged to get North Face backpacks from Scheels, which they’ll pack with useful items, from first aid kits to umbrellas, the students will need post-graduation. They will be given at the graduation lunch.

“We wanted to do something special for our students because we are the end of public schools when they reach 22, so we try to help them be as independent as possible, and reach whatever goal that they have,” she said. “We take that very seriously. My staff is incredible. They love their students, and they want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to support those students.” l

Flower arranging is one of the job skills students can learn at Life Skills Academy, which has made its home at former Crescent View Middle School. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Corner Canyon High senior Alyssa Meadows, who was an All-State golfer the last two seasons, is back to lead the Chargers after a second-place finish at the 6A state championship last spring.

“Alyssa has been on our team for four years and is a huge asset to our team,” said coach Alexis Gagon, who is in her fifth year as head coach and seventh with the program.

Gagon said junior Rylee Reinbold and sophomores Ashlyn Cline and Mylie Matthews will also be key contributors on the Chargers squad this year. “They all competed at state last year, and we are excited to see what they will accomplish this season,” she said.

Also on the 2024 CCHS team are junior Becca Rogness; sophomores Allie Wahlquist, Sophie Tripp, Charli Short, Meredith Laitinen, Kate Broadbent, Kelley Dunn and Lily Fullmer; and freshmen Charlote Archer and Samantha Rogness.

“I am really excited about this team! We have crazy potential where the sky really is the limit,” Gagon said. “We hope to have fun and continue improving throughout the season.”

Corner Canyon girls golfers off to a strong start

By Catherine Garrett | c.garrett@mycityjournals.com

In its first tournament this season at Fore Lakes March 14, Corner Canyon finished second to Bingham by three strokes.

“The girls played so well,” Gagon said. “It was the perfect way to start the season.”

At Glenmoor March 20, Meadows shot a 78, tying for medalist honors, in leading the Chargers to a first-place finish as a team. Corner Canyon had a 348 team score to defeat the Miners by two strokes.

At the Ridge March 21, Meadows had a round of two-under 70 to win medalist honors outright, helping the squad to shoot a 331, two strokes ahead of Bingham.

“The girls all played great,” Gagon said. “I am very proud of this team and how much they have already improved in a short amount of time.”

The CCHS team is also scheduled to play in tournaments at TalonsCove April 10, Mountain View April 17, River Oaks April 18, Meadowbrook April 24, Sleepy Ridge April 29, Lakeside April 30 and Schneiter’s Bluff May 6 before the 6A state tournament May 2021 at Soldier Hollow. l

JDCHS basketball squads finish season in early rounds of state playoffs

By Catherine Garrett | c.garrett@mycityjournals.com

The Juan Diego Catholic High School

boys basketball team finished a second year in the 5A ranks, reaching the second round of the state tournament before losing to No. 8 Brighton 70-53 Feb. 21.

The game was a tight affair throughout until the fourth quarter when the Bengals went off for 30 points and broke open the game.

Region 4 Most Outstanding Player Luke Meyer had 21 points to lead the Soaring Eagle team with Region 4 Honorable Mention guard Javier Aguirre and Region 4 Second Team guard Stockton Young also scoring in double figures with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

“It didn’t turn out how we wanted last night but the guys battled hard and played well,” said head coach Drew Trost. “I’m very proud of how much we improved this season. We lived up to our EAT [Effort, Attitude, Teamwork] mantra.”

In the first round of state, the ninth-seeded Juan Diego squad defeated No. 24 Clearfield 52-51 Feb. 20. The Soaring Eagle team was up eight points going into the final quarter and narrowly held off the Falcons to win and advance. Meyer’s 12 points led the way with Region 4 First Team guard Caden Fenger and Aguirre adding 10 points each.

Trost noted his three seniors—Fenger, Aguirre and Region 5 Third Team senior guard Tevarii Pacqueux—for their contributions to the program for the past few years. “I just thank them for all their hard work,” Trost said. “We will miss them!”

Meyer led the team with 17 points and eight rebounds a game this season while Young averaged 10 points and four rebounds.

Also on the JDCHS team that finished with a 15-10 this year were Zach Abraham, Keurik Bare, Anthony Barnard, Hunter Chamberlain, Jack Clark, Evan Colarusso, Deng Deng, Garang Deng, Devan James, Aidan Janiga, Chris Jimerson, Luke Lowery, Jordan Montoya, Trey Nicolodemos, Andrei Olivo, Cameron Orchard, Darion Otto, Easton Putzke, Niko Salgado, Kingston Taban, Rahiti Tinirauarii, Sam Vansice, Jake Wyatt and Anthony Young.

Girls

The girls team, seeded 19th, lost in the first round of the 3A state tournament to No. 14 Union 54-32 Feb. 13. A two-point game at halftime got away from the Soaring Eagle squad as they gave up 34 points over the final two quarters—while scoring just 14.

Sophomore guard Ella Sabit and sophomore center Ayen Kuath combined for 30 points, and nearly all of the offense, in the loss.

The sophomore tandem led the team in scoring this year with six points each.

Juan Diego finished with a 3-21 record on the season.

Also on the JDCHS squad this year were Elly Clark, Madyson Cruz, Olivia Fry, Tea Gostevcic, Avie Hernandez, Kaitlin Hulverson, Maile Mataele, Malena Modtland, Ellie Palmer, Zoe Pappas, Olivia Prosper, Rahiti Tinirauarii, Ava Tita, Gig Trujillo, Leini Tui, Sienna Vonderohe and Denver Whaley. l

The CCHS girls golf team has won two of its three tournaments so far this season. (Photo courtesy Brett Fullmer)

The JDCHS boys basketball team went 15-10 this year, competing for the second season in the 5A ranks, losing to Brighton in the second round of the state tournament. (Photo courtesy JD Media Club)

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Former collegiate All-Americans heading up Corner Canyon’s boys volleyball program

New Corner Canyon High boys volleyball coach Michael Burke—who was an All-American middle blocker on the 1994 national championship BYU squad—brought former Cougar teammates, and fellow All-Americans Fernando Pessoa and Jonathan Alleman to help head up the newly-sanctioned program this spring.

Between the new coaching staff, which also includes Nigel Wood, Zane Minnick and Kylee Finch, Burke has been busy organizing the structure of the program with CCHS girls volleyball coach Mindy Ricks and Athletic Director Pat Thurman.

“It has been a somewhat chaotic rush to get things put together and functioning,” Burke said. “There is a lot that goes into scheduling, staffing, equipping and organizing a totally new program, but Mindy and Patrick have been very helpful and assisting in this process and also have other experienced coaches who are carrying a lot of the burden.”

Burke, who has been coaching club volleyball for 15 years and assisted the Lone Peak girls program in winning four state titles, wanted to get involved in his Draper community and be a part of building the Corner Canyon program.

“We should be competitive over time but will just start the building process this year,” he said. “Our goal for this year is to simply establish long-term systems and processes to develop our players. We obviously want to win as many matches as possible, but we are taking the long approach. We feel confident that this will differentiate us from our competition over time.”

To begin the season, the Chargers were ranked fifth among the 18 6A teams and expected to be led by junior

By Catherine Garrett | c.garrett@mycityjournals.com

outside hitter Cooper Varner and sophomore setter Archer Burke. “They have a lot of high-level experience and have been steady and valuable,” said coach Burke, while also noting the addition of freshman Phillip Mayer who “has a lot of potential and is progressing quickly.”

Also on the CCHS squad are seniors Hudson Hoopes, Bryce Hyer, Scott Larsen, Vincent Navratil, Aidan Wankier, Nik Winans and Logan Young; juniors Tenuun Amgalanbayar, Porter Curtis, Aidan Featherstone, Jackson Jensen, Jack Knab, Robert Muse, Mason Story and Vinicius Tenorio-Cavalcante; sophomores Atticus Candell, Christian Dayton, Nicholas Heilig, Laired Larkin and Cooper Young; and freshmen Vance Alleman, Carson Burnett, Braxton Crawford, Miles Free, Alex Knab and Max Lloyd.

“Most of the players need a lot of technical training and we saw some good progress in the offseason, but there is a lot of work still to do,” said coach Burke.

So far this season, the Chargers, who are currently ranked fourth in 6A with a 9-6 record, have defeated Lone Peak 3-1, Lehi 3-0, Timpanogos 2-1, Logan, 3-0, Alta 3-0, Riverton 3-1, Olympus 2-0, Viewmont 2-1 and Skyline 2-1 while losing to Riverton 3-0, Pleasant Grove 3-0, Herriman 3-2, Skyridge 2-0, Wasatch 2-1 and Mountain View 2-1.

Corner Canyon is also scheduled to face American Fork and Brighton before Region 2 home-and-away matches against Copper Hills, Bingham, Mountain Ridge and Riverton. l

teammates from their national championship playing days at BYU. (from left to right): Nigel Wood, head coach Michael Burke, Fernando Pessoa, Zane Minnick, and KyLee Finch.

Tumbleweed takeover

By Mimi Darley Dutton | m.dutton@mycityjournals.com

Tons of tumbleweeds have accumulated in the IFA parking lot four times in the past six months, much more than in years past. “I don’t remember it ever being like that. They come from the empty fields across the street from the IFA when the wind blows to the north,” said Rhett Ogden, Parks and Recreation director. Even though the tumbleweeds didn’t come from city property, a

small crew from the Parks and Recreation Department was sent to clean them up. City crews loaded enough tumbleweeds to fill three one-ton dump trucks to be hauled away. “I appreciate city staff helping out on that,” said Draper City Councilmember Fred Lowry at a recent city council meeting. (Courtesy Draper City) l

The inaugural sanctioned boys volleyball team from Corner Canyon is currently ranked fourth in the state in 6A with a 6-2 record. (Photo courtesy Taylor Maughan, Taylor Shae Media)

The Corner Canyon High boys volleyball squad is being coached by Michael Burke and two of his fellow All-American

(Photo courtesy Taylor Maughan, Taylor Shae Media)

Lone Peak Elementary celebrates culture during Chinese New Year festival

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Through centuries of shared history, Chinese customs has endured.

For a decade, Lone Peak Elementary has immersed students in that culture, celebrating Chinese food, arts and traditions.

Instead of limiting a Chinese New Year celebration to a school assembly, Lone Peak incorporated parts for the 15-day festival into a week to give students a better understanding of the importance of Chinese New Year, said organizers Debbie Jorgensen and Sarah Erwin.

“We want the kids to get a feel for the culture. Since Chinese New Year is such a big event, it's impossible to do it in one day,” Jorgensen said. “You want the kids to feel like they've been transported to China or Taiwan, but we can’t take away a lot from instruction time. It's worth the time we have given to share with them Chinese culture. If we can open these kids minds to the grander picture of a human family, we've done something good for them. We're helping them to see the world.”

Jorgensen and Erwin have headed the Lone Peak celebration for eight years, so they’ve been able to accumulate a lot of ideas and adjust it for every year—including during COVID-19.

“The kids love it, and the teachers love it. We involve the entire school,” she said, adding that this year, the school’s morning announcements were in Chinese and English.

Each morning, students also took part in morning exercises in their classes; those were shared by a kung fu teacher Erwin knows.

“We wanted our kids to get a sense of how students in Chinese start out their school day with everybody in the schoolyard doing the same exercises in rows; it's pretty cool to see,” she said. “We wanted to have them try those exercises. It's good for them physically and mentally to start the day. Since it's such a strong tradition there, we knew it was one thing we can do so they can get the feeling of how it is for them.”

Erwin also contacted a teacher who filmed her Chinese students doing a new year presentation in English and again in Chinese, which was shared with Lone Peak students along with pictures of places, food and traditions.

“We watched four videos, one each day that were three to five minutes long,” Jorgensen said. “One was on new year’s traditions, one was on food, one was on places in China and one was what we did over COVID, a Chinese shadow puppet show, which is a big Chinese tradition. It was made three years ago when my son Scott was in the fifth grade and a bunch of kids were over, so they did a puppet show that we filmed it. It’s kind of fun because 10 years ago, Sarah and a couple other dual immersion parents

had to fundraise to have Chinese New Year activities before PTA budgeted for it and they did the first shadow puppet show for the school.”

Another tradition the school did was to have a parade through the school with its lion head, mastered by Principal Tracy Stacy. With an extended red fabric, they performed under the pretense it was a dragon for the Year of the Dragon. School children lined the hallways to take part in the celebration. Then, each day during the week, teachers in every classroom would randomly draw or select students to get their photos taken with its head.

“It was simple, but fun. They got excited about that,” Jorgensen said.

Each day during the week, students and staff received red envelopes with little presents, much like the Chinese tradition.

“Everyone gets the gift every day— lucky coins, bookmarks, candy, chopsticks, water bottle stickers of zodiac animals and dragons for the Year of the Dragon. Again, simple, but an important custom,” she said. “With those, I asked our five immersion teachers what their favorite Chinese quote or saying is so we gave each of those quotes to every single kid in the school.”

On Friday, the school welcomed Su Mama Chinese Club from Taiwan. Those older students paraded in a lion dance, played Chinese music, took part in cultural dances and demonstrated their traditional yo-yo performance much to the cheering and delight of Lone Peak students.

It was an amazing and nearly flawless performance, Erwin said.

“My favorite moment was when the yo-

ing exercises they did all week.

“Everything has been really fun, but those are my favorites,” she said.

Her classmate, George Ellsworth, was the monkey in the play.

“My favorite part was learning about each character’s traits,” he said. “The hardest part for me was memorizing my lines, but once I got it down, it was easy. I was excited about performing my first play in front of 600 people.”

George wants to continue to study Chinese through high school and college.

Both students began learning the language in first grade, as did Jorgensen’s and Erwin’s children. The two parents were amongst those who lobbied the state legislature to continue funding the dual language immersion program.

yo girl had a little bit of a problem. I think she wanted to stop and then our students started cheering her on. I started crying in that moment. It was just really a cool message for our kids. A lot of high-functioning families and students feel like everything has to be perfect. I love that message that even when you're exceptional at something, like she is, sometimes she'll drop it and you can just keep going. It was pretty cool because even though they’re learning the language, they weren’t speaking it to them. It was just this moment of human encouragement that I loved,” she said. “It’s just really special to have this performing group come because you can’t find a group of this talent in the U.S.”

Lone Peak fifth-grade students also took to the stage performing “The Great Race” written and directed by Jorgensen based on a play by Andrew Forbes. Janie Owens was the assistant director.

While the play featuring zodiac animals has been performed in previous years, this year Jorgensen rewrote it twice to adjust for more students and to include characters based on Chinese historical figures.

Fifth-grader Addison Pack was one of the new characters; she was Jade Empress’ scribe.

“I liked being on a ladder under the blue sky,” she said about the set designed by Bonny Steele and Becky Goins. “I’ve been able to learn about ‘The Great Race’ and how the Chinese zodiac came to be.”

Addison, who hopes to go to Shanghai with her family next year, said she loved the Chinese dancing and yo-yo performed by the Su Mama Chinese Club as well as the morn-

“My family started our dual immersion journey about 11 years ago when I was looking for just kind of an advanced educational option for my oldest son,” Jorgensen said adding her other three students also are part of Chinese dual immersion. “I feel strongly about being bilingual, and the opportunities that will offer children and into their adulthood. It opens their mind culturally to different people, languages and culture. When you can speak to someone in their own language, you really move beyond the boundaries of mere communication and to move into understanding. My hope and my goal is to open people's eyes, feel the love of the program, and the love of people and of culture. We're more alike than we are different.”

The week-long celebration ended with students rotating to try Chinese calligraphy on bookmarks or paper cutting, play with the Chinese drum or Chinese yo-yos, or learn Chinese jump rope and Chinese shuttlecock.

“Each activity engaged students in cultural highlights of life in China and Taiwan. We wanted the kids, whether they are in dual immersion or not, to have fun, be a world citizen and give them real cultural exposure,” Erwin said.

Much as generations share Chinese tradition, so too, will be the way of Lone Peak. After nine years at Lone Peak, Stacy will serve as Butler Elementary’s principal next fall; Jorgensen will move on to help with Chinese customs at the middle school level where her youngest son will be enrolled, and Erwin will help bridge Lone Peak’s Chinese New Year celebration to others.

“It’s been a long time since we held a Chinese book fair to raise funds for a new year celebration,” Erwin said. “But every year, the kids are super excited. The teachers are appreciative, and it feels like we're honoring others before us. I love seeing our kids be enriched with language and culture.”l

During Lone Peak Elementary’s Chinese New Year celebration, fifth-grade students had the opportunity to present an original play written by parent volunteer Debbie Jorgensen. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

I’m not sure what Utah legislators think happens in women’s restrooms, based on the ridiculous bathroom bill that was recently passed. Do they imagine we walk into a restroom, disrobe, dance around drinking martinis and chat like teenagers in a TV sitcom?

Otherwise, I can’t imagine why our “leaders” thought banning trans women from public bathrooms would protect my privacy. If there was a creepy man dressed as Mrs. Doubtfire, accosting women in the restroom, yes, that would be terrible. And it’s already illegal.

But I’m letting the legislators in on a little secret. Here’s what happens in a public restroom. I walk to the bathroom and wait in line (because there’s always a line). I make no eye contact with the women around me. When a stall is available, I scurry into it, do my business as quietly as possible and rush to wash my hands. I glance in the mirror to make sure there’s no popcorn stuck to my face, and I leave.

I wouldn’t know if there was a trans woman in the bathroom with me because (and hear me out) trans women are women. Legislators, you continue to create fear and disconnection. Stop it.

This unenforceable law could mean

we must carry a small copy of our birth certificate, next to the mini-Bible and a pocket-sized copy of the Constitution we’re already toting around. But…scanning my scriptures…I see one that reads, “Love thy neighbor.” Interesting. I don’t see an asterisk that explains *Unless your neighbor has a lifestyle of which you don’t approve.

Speaking of protecting privacy, as the legislative session wrapped up last month, our “leaders” passed a law that blocks access to the daily calendar of elected officials. (I think they confuse “privacy” with “secrecy.”)

Imagine you hire an employee and tell them you’ll be tracking their work, checking their calendars and watching their emails. You want to see how they spend their time, who they hang with and if they’re misbehaving.

Then imagine that employee said

you had no right to do any of that. That it’s none of your damn business. Well, you’d fire that employee in a heartbeat. Elected officials work for the people and we deserve to know what they do.

The Freedom of Information Act grants access to government records so the media and the public can see how the sausage is made. But Utah legislators continue to pass bills making government less transparent. It’s like painting over a window, one thin coat at a time.

In 2011, Utah’s governor and legislators were presented with the Black Hole Award by the national chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists because of a bill they passed (HB477) limiting access to government records. Five years later, Attorney General Sean Reyes received the same award from the Utah chapter.

Sensing a theme?

Overall, the legislators passed nearly 600 bills this year, including one that eliminates Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs at universities and some government entities. That’s nice. As if Utah wasn’t white, wealthy, male and straight enough already.

And through a law signed by Gov. Spencer Cox, teachers are now encour-

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aged to bring guns to school because how do we address a gun control problem in this country? More guns!

For a state that declares it’s against big government control, a lot of bills passed this year seem glaringly hypocritical.

As the year goes along, I’m sure we’ll hear more from our “leaders” about book bans, school vouchers, revised history curriculum, church-protected abusers and the benefits of coal. Legislators seem just as clueless about those things as they are about women’s bathrooms.