Murray February 2016

February 2016 | Vol. 16 Iss. 02

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From Italy to Murray – The Mash Family

By Alisha Soeken | alisha.s@mycityjournals.com

page 6 The Mash family, residents of Murray City. Frank and Felicia pictured with seven of their eight children.

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page 15 Scan Here: Interactive online edition with more photos.

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EDUCATION

Page 2 | February 2016

Murray Journal

Cottonwood High Students Help Four-Year-Old Boy

By Julie Slama | Julie@mycityjournals.com

Cottonwood High studentbody officers rally around four-year-old Magnus and raised $6,000 during December that they gave to Make-a-Wish Foundation for his dream of going “on a big boat with a slide.” –Amy Thomas

Four-year-old Magnus received a “colt” from a Cottonwood High studentbody officer Kaycee Perks as the students pledged to raise funds for his family to go on a cruise through Make-a-Wish Foundation. –Amy Thomas

“The students also see the great amount of need that is out there, they begin to see the world with a broader vision, not just themselves,”

A

four-year-old boy suffering with brain tumors told high school students he wishes to “go on a big boat with a slide.”

Together, in December, Cottonwood High students, staff, faculty and the community, raised $6,000 — $1,000 more than their goal — to send Magnus, who lives in Salt Lake City, and his family on a cruise through the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

“Every year, we choose a charity to help, but this year, we wanted our money to stay in the Salt Lake Valley and through Make-A-Wish, the money directly stays locally,” Amy Thomas, Cottonwood High studentbody officer adviser, said. “When we had our assembly, Magnus and his family came on stage and explained what he’s been through and what is going on with him. It really hit home for our kids.”

At the Dec. 5 assembly, the students gave Magnus a stick horse, representing their school mascot, the Colts. Magnus trotted around the stage on his horse and has been asking about his Colt friends ever since, Thomas said.

To help raise funds for Magnus, the students collected donations between acts at the assembly that featured the school’s jazz band and dance company, as well as student rock bands, a piano solo, the boys

drill team and other performances.

There were class competitions to raise funds, an auction for parking spots and dates with studentbody officers and a huge letter “C” piggy bank that officers walked around at half-time of basketball games to collect donations.

A poster in the hallway of Magnus going down a slide indicated the students’ progress in getting the youngster his wish.

Thomas said students were motivated by Magnus to talk to other classmates, make friends, network and try to help him.

“It means so much to these high school students if it’s personable and relatable,” she said.

On Dec. 18, the studentbody officers presented the check to Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Thomas said her students learned much from doing the fundraiser.

“The students see just how much effort and organization a fundraiser takes, they have to be prepared themselves and be responsible for having several other people follow through on assignments. The students also see the great amount of need that is out there, they begin to see the world with a broader vision, not just themselves,” she said. l

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Wright said a lot of the kids had to earn the money to attend the program, and they came away with a better appreciation for the value of money after being shocked at the cost of rent for a small 450-square-foot apartment. They had nightly conversations about what they learned each day, and among other topics, discussed the impact of starting a career and budgeting for living costs, including wages, rent and subway fares. The experience also gave them a better appreciation of how people do things differently on the East Coast. The New York rush and hustle exposed all participants to a new culture and “by the fifth day, they loved it.”

“Overall it opened my eyes to communication. Living in Utah is like a protective bubble,” Wright said.

They program focused on interactive tours and discussion to teach the students about how to market, advertise, finance and start a business. The agenda included a special behind the scenes tour of Madison Square Garden, one of the world’s most famous sporting arenas that hosts approximately 320 events

a year, a tour of the financial district, Madam Tussauds Wax Museum, The Empire State Building, Radio City Music Hall, Macy’s department store on Herald Square, the 9/11 Memorial and the opportunity to interact with New York business owners.

By the end of the experience, DECA exposes participants to real examples of the concepts students learn in marketing, finance, hospitality and fashion merchandising classes. They expect students will be able to explain different types of financial markets, understand career opportunities in merchandising and hospitality, know global retail trends, realize the impact of customer service, and describe the role of sales and promotion in marketing.

The impact of the program, according to Sarah Williams, high school division assistant director with DECA, is that participants “see what business actually looks like in New York City. They see the principles teachers tell them about in action on a daily basis. They interact with one another and get the larger picture. They realize the world is bigger and experience a different culture and lifestyle.”

DECA also offers leadership conferences throughout the year and competitive events in the late fall and spring. Students prepare all year for the opportunity to talk about their own business plans and share marketing and promotional ideas for business case studies.

Most participants become introduced to DECA through chapters formed at a local high school or college. To make a donation, find a chapter or volunteer visit the website at http:// www.deca.org/connect/. l

F 2016 | P LOCAL LIFE Murray Strives to Save Water

M urrayJournal.com

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By Alisha Soeken | alisha.s@mycityjournals.com

Dave Frandsen receives the 2015 WaterSense award from an EPA representative on behalf of the Murray City Corporation

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t was moved by Moses, spiritualized by poets and painted by Monet. It sustains life and takes it, occurs naturally, yet we spend billions to find it. And here in Murray, people work to preserve it.

The Murray City water department was given the 2015 WaterSense award for their efforts in teaching about water conservation, offering rebate programs for water efficient products and providing marketing for the WaterSense program.

WaterSense is a partnership program run by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency.

Its purpose is to protect the nations water by offering simple ways to use less of it, with products that are more efficient.

“We decided to get involved with WaterSense as part of our conservation efforts. We wanted to take a much more active approach to water conservation and felt like partnering with the EPA’s WaterSense program was important for us to be successful,” Dave Frandsen, Murray’s water distribution supervisor, said.

Murray City is unique in that it has its own utility company. Frandsen attributes the support of the mayor, city council and city employees to the achievement of this award, as well as to the future success of Murray’s water conservation efforts.

The earth’s surface is 70 percent water, yet less than one percent of that is available for human use. Murray City, as well as individuals in the community, want to preserve that priceless one percent.

“Water conservation is important to me, the ecosystem is a very well balanced thing and water is crucial to that balance. I’m a mother of five girls, and I feel it’s important to teach them that just because water might come directly into your home whenever you want it, that doesn’t mean there is an endless supply of it. We are lucky, many people in the world don’t have that luxury, so be smart about it,” Eliza Struthers said.

Change, even in slight increments, amounts to sizable differences. By installing water efficient fixtures and appliances, an average home saves $170 per year and reduces water use by 30 percent. And if all inefficient toilets in U.S. homes were converted to more efficient models, we could save more than 640 billion gallons of water per year, the equivalent to 15 days of flow over Niagara Falls.

One of the obvious benefits to Murray’s conservation efforts was the water saved due to more efficient fixtures and appliances.

“I feel our efforts have gone much further than efficient toilets,” Frandsen said.

Less obvious was their work in the community. Murray City hosted a traveling booth at local farmers markets and youth sporting events to educate the community about how to be more water efficient. They also visited schools and taught kids about water efficient practices, such as short shower times and turning off running water while brushing teeth.

Murray City also partnered with local plumbers and plumbing suppliers during “Fix a Leak Week” to fix leaks using the city’s rebate program and offering discounts to their customers to do so.

Murray is proud of their efforts in conservation and continues to have goals for its future.

“We are looking to reduce per capita water consumption by five percent over the next 10 years. Continued efforts will be made with the WaterSense rebate program, and we are hoping to construct a water conservation garden to help educate and promote water wise landscaping,” Frandsen said.

All these efforts will help to ensure that years from now artists will still paint and poets will still write about our most precious resource. In the words of public service director Doug Hill: “Every gallon of water saved is an investment in our future.” l

ON THE COVER

Page 6 | February2016

Murray Journal

From Italy to Murray – The Mash Family

By Alisha Soeken

Felicia Mash being featured in the Deseret News back in 1968 for her dolls.

N

Joe and Tony Mash, sons of Frank and Felicia Mash, farming in Murray City.

Blake and Kim Mash owners of the old 1915 farmhouse in Murray City.

ot far from Rome sits quietly a town atop a rocky spear of land, called Agnone. With green pastures and forests, rock houses and rivers that run next to ancient sheep paths, Agnone’s beauty is bewitching.

In 1885, Felicia Maria Casciano was born into that beauty, the town of bells as it’s called, and there met her husband Francisco Masciotra, a peasant farmer about nine years her senior. Felicia was from a prominent family and Francisco’s, a poor one.

“Grandma married Frank because she wanted to come to America,” Blake Mash said of his grandmother.

Francisco had previously been to America, and with plans to return, Felicia designed to be his wife. So in 1905, and against her family’s wishes, Felicia and Francisco married, sowing a seed in a Catholic ceremony, the fruitfulness of which could not then have been imagined.

Francisco sailed across the great Atlantic, later sending for his wife. Felicia braved that journey hiding her infant son John in a basket full of laundry.

“Grandma heard that they weren’t allowed to bring illness into the country. That if a baby got sick they would throw it overboard. So when John got sick on the journey, Grandma panicked,” Mash said.

Though this was rumor, scared and unable to speak English, young Felicia smuggled her small piece of posterity into America.

Once there, the Masciotras, like other immigrants, adopted a new name, thus becoming Felicia and Frank Mash.

The small Mash family, along with many other immigrating

Italians, made their home in Murray City. The American Smelting & Refining Company, along with the idea of farmland and a better life, brought them here.

That American dream in the hearts of two Italians was ultimately made in increments, one of the first increments being the building of their home. Felicia and Frank dug out the side of a hill on 4800 South with horse and leveler to make ground for that site. Their home was built in 1915, which, incidentally, is the same year that a direct railroad was opened in their hometown of Agnone, making the trek to America for future immigrants easier.

Sharing in work, Felicia and Frank built on their sprawling acreage: two barns, a chicken coop and two springhouses that stood over flowing wells. Their estate grew as well as their family. Felicia gave birth to eight children, six boys and two girls. They all lived together in that small three-room farmhouse. The Mash family knew well the bother of cramped space, and with no bathroom, the bother of an outhouse. But they knew also the warmth of a close Italian family and the reward of hard work.

Being an immigrant wasn’t easy.

“The Italians were not very well liked, they were Catholic and had dark hair and dark skin. My grandpa told us stories of being picked on, of people throwing rotten tomatoes at him,” Bridget Gibbons said of her grandfather.

In a land whose language she couldn’t speak, read or write, Felicia should been have timid, yet she was plucky.

“Grandma knew her kids were being picked on and she

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ON THE COVER

M urrayJournal.com

February 2016 | Page 7

Frank and Felicia Mash, Italian immigrants who lived in Murray for 78 years.

The Mash family, residents of Murray City. Frank and Felicia pictured with seven of their eight children.

taught them how to handle themselves, she was feisty,” Catherine Prehn said of her grandmother.

The Mash family was demeaned but never daunted. They had a substantial community of family, friends and faith that supported each other. They fused into their city Italian traditions and Italian love.

“Father Carley of St. Vincent’s Catholic parish dropped into Murray as a young Irish priest and said that the Mash women insisted on feeding him. They overwhelmed him with love, food and advice. He learned to love zucchini, garlic, tomatoes, peppers and all things Italian,” Gibbons said.

Food was an indispensable part of the Mash family. It was part of their livelihood. They grew apples, pears, peaches, apricots and cherries, garlic, beans, rhubarb, squash, potatoes and beets. Food was also their passion. Felicia cooked bread for the community in her round igloo shaped oven, and Easter bread shaped like bunnies for her grandkids. She made her own cheese, butter and pasta and the beloved foods of her hometown.

“I remember Grandma making pasta. She never needed to

measure. She’d hand mix on a huge board then roll it to exactly the right thickness. She was always precise just by practice.

When the pasta had been sliced to the right thickness there would be dowels everywhere in the kitchen with pasta hanging to dry,” Prehn said.

Not only food, the Mash family loved to drink and Felicia cooked a family favorite, apricot brandy.

“The apricot brandy tradition was handed down. On Christmas morning, we would make the rounds to all the relatives and we would each get half a cordial glass of that apricot brandy,” Prehn said.

One day during the Prohibition, Felicia was cooking a big pot of brandy when a constable came to the door. She thought she’d been caught and dumped the brandy out the back window. When she found the constable was there not because of her, but because her son was in a fight, that son had to answer not only to the constable for his fight, but to his mother for her brandy.

That same mother later became known as the doll lady. She

was featured in the Deseret News for making hundreds of doll dresses by hand that sold to people as far away as Germany.

Felicia and Frank lived out the rest of their lives in the original farmhouse on 4800 South. Murray was their home for 78 years, during which their posterity grew. Ten homes along 4800 South still house Mash family members. And fitting to Italian tradition, Blake Mash, the youngest grandchild, now lives in that farmhouse with his wife Kim. From the marriage of two came posterity of over 200 and counting. And though they might look unrecognizably at their old land and farmhouse, they would find within that posterity their legacy still pulsing.

The Mash family decedents still grow the original seed garlic brought from Agnone 100 years ago. They all make homemade pasta and Pitzel. Fruit trees planted by Frank still bear fruit. The wells at the farmhouse spring water, and flowing through their veins is Italian blood that inclines them, even without knowing, to the traditions and characteristics of a young couple from a small town in Italy. l

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education

Page 8 | February2016

Murray Journal

Horizon Students Earn State Title in Creative Pursuits

By Julie Slama Julie@mycityjournals.com

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Horizon’s Knights of Shining Armor was named sixth-grade champions Dec. 1 at the state Creative Pursuits Bowl. –Amber Robison

F

or the first time ever, Murray students have earned the state title in the Creative Pursuits Bowl. The team of Horizon sixth-graders created a museum medieval exhibition model that matched the theme of “Night of the Museum” that helped them to win the first-place trophies.

At the bowl, each school district in the state could send two top teams in fifth and sixth grades to compete in a three-part competition: an original museum model, a skit to highlight the model and a demonstration of impromptu thinking skills. The students have to meet guidelines, such as materials they can use, a $10 cost limit and time period.

Horizon sixth-graders compete in the skit presentation of the state Creative Bowl Pursuits Bowl. –Merissa Graves

“I couldn’t give them any creative ideas; it was all them,” she said.

“They went to the computer lab, researched materials that tied into their core curriculum and made everything by hand that they put into their museum. The more ideas they had, the more they creative they became and then, scored better.”

Using the supply list, they created a castle covered by boxes with butcher paint; costumes created with sheets and safety pins; a catapult with Popsicle sticks and rubber bands; and a dress created out of felt.

So with their creative juices working overtime, the fifth- and sixth-

“I couldn’t give them any creative ideas; it was all them.”

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Since September, Horizon’s Knights of Shining Armor team met after school to research medieval times and practice impromptu questions. They also created and practiced their skit. Then, they had to win their school competition on Nov. 12 to advance to the Murray School District contest that was Nov. 20. Horizon’s Knights beat 13 other teams to compete at the state bowl, which was held Dec. 1 at South Jordan Middle School.

The first place state sixth-grade team consists of Emma Robison, Breann Burningham, Gabby Gratton, Jaxon Davis and Rachel Christensen.

“At the beginning, we were all really good friends, but at the end we were better friends. We were a team that was undefeated,” sixthgrader Emma Robison said. “We actually went through all the stages when forming a small group or team. You know, the forming, storming, norming and then performing. My mom always talks to me about this and tells me that it is normal and will make us stronger as a team. Each member of the team contributed something different. For example, Breann had been in a lot of plays and really helped us learn to project for our skit. Rachel was definitely into the details and wanted things to be just right. Gabby was good at painting and did most of the painting.

Jaxon was the master typer and did a lot of the research for our museum.

He was also really funny in our skit. And Mrs. Graves was super nice to let us take over her classroom and hallway for three months.”

Merissa Graves, Horizon teacher and their coach, is a first-year Creative Pursuits adviser.

grade teams went up against each other to showcase their models in skits. Each team created their own props and costumes from a list of items, with the more items included, the more points awarded.

Horizon’s costumes included colorful sheets pinned together, a hair piece created from a plastic milk jug and gray yarn.

Graves said that the team learned not only about the subject matter of medieval times, but also how to research, come up with their own ideas, collaborate, be organized and take initiative — all on their own.

Through designing and building a museum display, students needed to use skills in research, social studies and technology. With the impromptu part of the competition, students used language arts skills, and in their performances, they used public speaking, memorization, theater and gained self-confidence.

Another aspect of the competition is for students to have impromptu responses. There were two prompts which asked students to identify unusual and varied answers, again rewarding students for not only answering, but for being creative and original, Graves said.

In each area, they also learned to collaborate and work as a team.

“What really helped these students is their team dynamics. They were comfortable with one another and could work together. They also have artistic abilities and added some amazing paintings and details to their skit that set them apart,” Graves said.

Creative Pursuits started out in the Salt Lake School District in 1979 as a less expensive option to Odyssey of the Mind. The other districts were invited to participate so it would be a friendly competition. l

New Digital Dashboard Lets Residents Track Progress

S

alt Lake County is launching our firstever dashboard to track the progress we are making on the services we provide for residents and businesses. Just as you use information displayed on the dashboard of your vehicle to gauge performance on your travels, the county wants the public to see how well government is performing. The dashboard can be viewed on the home page of our website: https://dashboard.slco.org A dashboard in this case is a software-based solution that transforms sets of data into easy-to-read data charts. Thanks to our ability to collect and analyze a lot of data, the county dashboard will be a reliable tool for the public to use to answer questions such as “Where are our tax dollars being spent?” and “How safe are our neighborhoods?”

In deciding what we would track and what metrics we’d use as a way to measure our progress, we surveyed many residents to find out what they would most like to see. The survey results ranked public safety, addressing homelessness, air quality, job opportunities and support for education as top priorities.

Residents also said they’d like to know about the availability of parks and trails, the current state of repair of roads and buildings, and what

the county is doing to operate efficiently and save money.

We also asked ourselves what are the quality of life conditions we would like to see for children, adults and families who live in the county. Our discussion produced four broad categories: Healthy People – county residents are safe, have a place to call home and are healthy.

Some of the indicators we will track include the crime rate; the number of homeless individuals and children in the county; the number of children who lack health insurance; and the percentage of teens who are physically active.

Healthy Places – county residents have clean

air and clean water; they participate in and have access to recreation, arts and culture; and have transportation choices that are safe, efficient and meet their needs for commuting, school and recreation.

Expanded Opportunities – county residents have access to good-paying jobs in the private sector; children arrive at kindergarten ready to learn; youth graduate from high school; and businesses have the resources they need to expand into and compete in global markets.

Responsive Government – county residents deserve a government that operates efficiently and effectively, including a 9-1-1 emergency response system that gets life-saving personnel

rapidly to where they are needed.

We believe that our dashboard is a tool that will help Salt Lake County make better decisions about how we use our resources, and it will hold us accountable to our customers for accomplishing our jobs and enable residents to track our progress. Local governments around the country are learning that there is almost nothing that needs to be done that can’t be done, if there is the will to do it, and a commitment to measuring progress. Take a look at our dashboard and please send me your comments and ideas about how we can improve it and make it more useful to you. l

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education

Page 10 | February2016

Murray Journal

Playworks Teams Up with Parkside Elementary

By Julie Slama | Julie@mycityjournals.com

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Parkside Elementary teamed up with Playworks this school year so students could have more positive interactions and have more fun on the playground.

Here fourth graders learn a new game during their physical education time that they’ll later play at recess. –Nichole Penix

A

fter learning the positive impact Playworks has had with other schools at recess time, Parkside Elementary decided to team up with the organization that is providing students an opportunity for increased fun and involvement on the playground.

“Last school year, the faculty and school community council identified increasing positive student interactions, particularly on the playground, as a school improvement goal,” Parkside principal Colleen Smith said. “Using school data and observations, we also noticed students were not engaging in a variety of structured play, meaning they frequently wandered the playground or played the same few games over and over.

At about the same time, I’d heard good things about Playworks and their contribution to schools in neighboring districts.”

After their application to Playworks was approved, Parkside Elementary became the first Playworks TeamUp partnership in Murray School District.

The TeamUp model has a dedicated coach, Nicole Wintch, at their school. Wintch introduces new games from a Playworks manual each week to individual classes during physical education time, then reinforces those activities outside at recess. The idea is that all students, even the 15 percent who have disabilities, are involved in the structured game time or are given alternatives.

Assisting Wintch are 14 selected fifth- and sixth-grade students who are called junior coaches and are peer mentors as they take a leadership role at all grade-level recesses.

“We had an application process and identified those who are stellar students or ones who could step up into this leadership role. They’re making new friends and communicating with people they may not usually talk to, while being responsible to lead games and engage peers in games,” Penix said.

Wintch had Playworks training and receives support from five-year veteran coach Ryan Moore, who is a Playworks site coordinator. Moore comes to Parkside for one week each month, rotating amongst three other schools in other districts.

“The kids just love him. They look forward to him coming and working with them,” Penix said.

Moore said that while at Parkside, he works with Wintch to teach games during the classroom physical education rotation as well as play on the playground.

“Each school has a different school culture and different needs, so it’s rewarding to see the junior coaches help others to get along and resolve their own conflicts using methods we’ve taught them,” he said.

Moore said that one way is through “ro-sham-bo” or rockpaper-scissors. They’ve also talked through issues on their own before complaining to an adult.

“We’re slowing changing the culture and empowering

students, starting with choosing the activities they want to do.

We’ve also evaluated things that have caused conflict. Before students could only bring out equipment from their teachers and couldn’t change their mind or felt responsible and wouldn’t share. Now there is new playground equipment — balls for four-square, basketball and soccer; hula hoops; jump ropes — that is just brought out so there are more options. I love working at Parkside. They have a faculty and administration that cares and is supportive, and the students are great. I’m incredibly happy we’re building relationships in Murray School District,” he said.

Moore also has brought three junior coaches to a Dimension Data conference where they learned from others, as well as participated in the largest Follow the Leader game to set a world record.

During Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, junior coaches were invited to create care packages and cards for children in hospitals.

“We’re having the students become leaders in several areas — school, service, on the playground and in their lives — and watching how they’re becoming responsible leaders,” Moore said.

With the influence of peer mentors on the playground, Penix said the number of referrals on aggressive behavior has decreased 30 percent from this time last year.

Playworks program director Ben Cromwell said that is similar to studies that Stanford University conducted on Playworks schools.

“Schools that have Playworks have 43 percent reduced bullying on the playground, so students feel safer and are more vigorously active,” he said. “Students also have better selfmanagement skills and are more responsible. They know how to make decisions and can use conflict resolution skills.”

Utah schools that are involved in Playworks support Cromwell’s statement. According to Playworks website, 97 percent of those Utah schools that responded, say it has had a positive impact on school culture, and 96 percent say there has been an increase amongst students in conflict resolution strategies. Responses show a 99 percent increase in the level of participation in academic activities and 91 percent report a decrease in the number of bullying incidents.

Playworks began in 1996 and was introduced in Utah in 2011. According to the Playworks website, Playworks is serving more than 13,600 students in 24 low-income schools.

“It all starts with a simple change. By having start-up games on the playground, we see students who have caused trouble in the past emerge as leaders for their peers and more students being active and having fun. It’s an amazing change,” Cromwell said. l

February 2016

FREQUENTLY REQUESTED NUMBERS

Mayor’s Message

Attorney ............................................. 801-264-2640 Business Licensing ............................. 801-270-2432 Cemetery ........................................... 801-264-2637 City Council ........................................ 801-264-2603 Finance Department .......................... 801-264-2513 FIRE DEPARTMENT Administrative Office ..................... 801-264-2781 Non-Emergency Calls .................... 801-840-4000 General Information........................... 801-264-2525 Heritage Center (Sr. Center)................ 801-264-2635 Human Resources............................... 801-264-2656 Library ............................................... 801-264-2580 Mayor’s Office..................................... 801-264-2600 Municipal Court.................................. 801-284-4280 Museum ............................................. 801-264-2589 Murray Park Outdoor Pool .................. 801-266-9321 Murray Parkway Golf Course............... 801-262-4653 PARKS AND RECREATION Administrative Office ..................... 801-264-2614 Rain-out Information .................... 801-264-2525 Park Center (indoor pool) ................... 801-284-4200 Passports............................................ 801-264-2660 POLICE DEPARTMENT Administrative Office ..................... 801-264-2673 Animal Control .............................. 801-264-2671 Code Enforcement ......................... 801-264-2673 Non-Emergency Calls .................... 801-840-4000 POWER DEPARTMENT Administrative Office ..................... 801-264-2730 After Hours Emergency.................. 801-264-9669 PUBLIC SERVICES Administrative Office ..................... 801-270-2440 Building Inspection ....................... 801-270-2431 Green Waste Trailers ...................... 801-270-2440 Planning and Zoning ..................... 801-270-2420 Solid Waste.................................... 801-270-2440 Water, Sewer, Streets..................... 801-270-2440 Zoning Enforcement ...................... 801-270-2426 UTILITIES After Hours Emergency.................. 801-264-9669 Billing Questions ........................... 801-264-2626

WEBSITE:

murray.utah.gov

On January 19, in the Murray City Council Meeting, I had the opportunity to give the State of the City address. It is always an honor to report on such a fine city, I’d like to share a portion of the address with you. ”I hope that our Murray City founding fathers would be proud of the way that we, as employees and residents, have continued to build on the foundation they laid, and to honor their ideal of independence, self-sufficiency and service to others.

“Just a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to witness the oath of office ceremony for three of our city council members.

I congratulate them and look forward to the exciting developments that we will be working on together in the coming years.

We are so fortunate, as a city, to have such a council that represents the interests of this city with dedication, independent thinking and integrity.

“As the words of the oath of office were read and repeated by each councilman, I was deeply impressed and reminded what each of us, who are elected officials, swear to do. There was a phrase that particularly struck me. As local officials, we swear to support, obey and defend the Constitution of the United States.

“I remember having to memorize its preamble while in junior high school and thought of its application to us as someone who publicly promises to uphold it.

As public servants, we do our best to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.

“The rest of the constitution lays out how a government should be formed and we are so fortunate to be one of the few cities in Utah to follow this pattern of the

separation of branches of government and to respect the distinct delineation and responsibilities of each.

“What a privilege to live in this great country and have a sworn duty to do all we can to insure the promises contained in the constitution to the residents of Murray, Utah.

MAYOR’S OFFICE Ted Eyre, Mayor Jan Wells,

Chief Administrative Officer

801-264-2600 5025 S. State Street Murray, Utah 84107 city residents. Our departments all have duties that focus on meeting the needs of our citizens. Each year they prepare a report outlining the work they have accomplished in the previous 12 months. I hear the day-to-day reports of what is going on in the city, but to look at what our departments have accomplished in a year’s time, it is very impressive.”

In future Mayor Messages, I’ll continue to highlight departments and their accomplishments in the city. In summary, it is the combination of employees and residents who make our city so unique and successful. I’m happy to report, the state of Murray City is great.

“The tenants of the Constitution are not just important parts of our federal and state government, but play a key role in the everyday services that are provided to our

Sincerely,

Ted Eyre, Mayor

Message from the Council Municipal government and the responsibilities of elected officials is sometimes a mystery to the citizens. You know the City provides for utilities, streets, police, fire and community development, but how does council action affect those areas and what goes on at council meetings?

Specific duties of the council are detailed in City and State Code. Murray’s form of government is the council-mayor form and mimics the federal and state systems with a legislative branch (city council) and the executive branch (mayor). This creates a structure that is highly responsive to the citizens of the city, who elect these persons into office.

The executive branch is responsible for the day to day operation of the city and consists of the elected mayor, the administrative departments of the city with the department directors and employees of the city.

The city council is made up of five members elected from their respective five council districts. The mayor and council members each serve four year terms.

In brief, the city council passes the ordinances (laws) and resolutions of the city. The legislative branch is responsible for broad general policies to be followed by the mayor in his administrative duties.

A major focus of the city council is to appropriate funds and tax levy for the city. This is a process that begins with the departments and the mayor to request specific funding for staffing, services, capital and operational requirements. The finance director works to anticipate projected revenues in relation to the requests and together with the mayor achieves a balanced budget. Once the mayor presents this budget to the council, the council reviews

income and spending with the departments to understand the needs and may alter or amend recommendations to bring spending into line with council intent for the city. By June 22 of each year the final budget must be approved by the council. This process includes a public hearing when citizens may voice their opinions in a council meeting prior to adoption.

Establishing utility rates for power, water, sewer, solid waste and storm water are duties of the city council. It is our intent to keep these rates very reasonable and historically we have charged less than most Salt Lake valley cities for these services. Reliability is also a priority that the council keeps at the forefront, therefore, we finance infrastructure maintenance and build out as necessary. We boast a 99% reliability rate in our power department.

The city council provides advice and consent for mayor’s appointments of department directors, boards, commissions and committee members that assist with the operation of the city.

The city council has responsibility for land use decisions within the city. The General Plan is the guideline for decision-makers to direct desired future development in the City. It is currently being updated and the council will review recommendations, make amendments and suggestions and provide final approval of the Plan.

At Murray City we are a tight community and the council is always anxious for residents and businesses to be involved in the public process. We invite you to attend council meetings to see your city government in action and contribute input as a vital participant in city decisions. It is our mission to promote a high quality of life by providing superior governmental services in a professional, friendly, innovative and proactive manner.

Murray Library ADULT WINTER READING AT MURRAY LIBRARY Write a review to enter our prize drawing for a Chance to win a GIFT CARD or a KINDLE Must be at least 18 years old to enter

MAKE SMALL CHANGES

MURRAY CITY COUNCIL Council District 1

Dave Nicponski

801-913-3283 dnicponski@msn.com Council District 2

D. Blair Camp

801-214-8547 blair.camp@murray.utah.gov Council District 3

Jim Brass

801-598-7290 jim.brass@murray.utah.gov Council District 4

Diane Turner

801-635-6382 diane.turner@murray.utah.gov Council District 5

Brett A. Hales

801-882-7171 brett.hales@murray.utah.gov Council Administrator

Jan Lopez

801-264-2622 jlopez@murray.utah.gov

FOR BIG IMPACTS

Review only those books you have read Jan. 1 – Feb. 29 Review forms are available at the front desk and online Monday - Thursday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Friday & Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Murray Library Home

Visit us online at murraylibrary.org OR CALL US AT 801-264-2580 FOR MORE INFORMATION 166 e. 5300 South, Murray, UT 84107

Murray Library Calendar

For more recycling information: Visit recycle.slco.org Or email us at recycle@slco.org

For additional information, please contact Mary Ann Kirk at 801-264-2638

Murray Arts Beat and style you like best. Grand Prize winner receives $100 cash award or up to $400 toward a writer’s conference of his/her choice. Categories include children’s picture book w/text, children’s chapter book, poetry, short story, personal narrative and novel. Competition is open to Murray residents from grade 9 through adult with limit of one entry per person, per individual category.

Upcoming Events: Feb. 17 - Choral Fest, MHS/CHS choirs with Salt Lake Choral Artists, MHS, 7 p.m. free March 3-5, 7 – “Our Town,” MHS Play, MHS, 7 p.m. $5-$6 adv, $7 door

Auditions for “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown,” produced by the Murray Arts Council, will be held Feb. 18-19 from 7-8:30 p.m. with callbacks by invitation on Feb. 20 from 9-11 a.m. at the Murray Theater located

March 11 - Celebrate! Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT), MHS, 7:30 p.m. $10 March 12 - Murray Storytelling Festival, Murray High Choir Room and Little Theater, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

March 12 - Tribute to the 3 Bs, Murray Symphony, MHS, 7:30 p.m. $6, under 10 free March 17-19 - “Wizard of Oz” Original Fairytale Ballet, Murray Ballet Center, 7 p.m. $7

at 4961 South State. There is limited street parking, additional parking is located on the east side of Murray City Hall. Please do NOT park in the post office parking lot.

Limited to ages 16-40. Those auditioning should prepare up to 32 bars of a Broadway show tune, short comedic monologue, and be prepared to dance. Accompanist will provided, no CD or a cappella. There are 7 roles—4 male, 2 female, though Snoopy could be either. Performances are scheduled for April 22-23, 25, 27-29.

Murray City Presents RDT on Friday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Murray High in a “celebratory” concert filled with variety, innovation and athleticism spotlighting work from Repertory Dance Theatre’s 50th Anniversary collection of renowned choreography. Enjoy an excursion into classical and contemporary dance featuring RDT’s outstanding performers with a guest appearance by Murray’s Junior and Senior High dance students.

Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at the Murray Parks and Recreation Office for $10.

Murray’s Annual Storytelling Festival will be held on Saturday, March 12 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Murray High Little Theater and Choir rooms. Sessions will begin every hour featuring youth and adult storytellers who have been selected from local storytelling residencies. Bring your family – it is FREE! Up to 15 city finalists will be invited to participate in the first ever Salt Lake County storytelling festival in April called Story Crossroads.

March 15-16, 21-22 - “Mocking Bird,” CHS Play, CHS, 7 p.m. with noon matinee only on March 19, $7 Literary Competition entries for Murray’s biennial literary competition are due by 5 p.m. Feb. 15, 2016 in the Parks and Recreation Office. Entry forms are available online or at the Parks Office. Use your creative ideas in a genre

TEST YOUR EARTHQUAKE KNOWLEDGE Did you know that Utah is a seismically active region?

How knowledgeable and prepared are you for the next earthquake? Here are a couple of questions to put your knowledge to the test: 1. Should you stand in a doorway during an earthquake?

2. Should you run outside during an earthquake?

3. Should you get out of your car during an earthquake to avoid being trapped inside?

Before those questions are answered, let’s talk about how to become more prepared. Participating in drills is a great start. At precisely 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, April 21, 2016, a statewide earthquake exercise called the Great Utah ShakeOut will be held in Utah. Similar drills have already been held throughout the United States.

The objective of the drill is self-preparedness, survival and recovery from an earthquake. In the event of a large emergency, the services of the city are quickly overrun. For example, the Murray City Fire Department currently operates three ambu-

lances. Without a disaster these ambulances are busy on a daily basis. In the event an earthquake hit the Salt Lake Valley, there could be thousands of people needing help simultaneously in the Murray area alone. It would be futile to think that all those in need would get the help they may require in a timely manner. That is the reason why it is so important for people and businesses to learn what they can do to help themselves in case of an emergency.

So, how do you get involved? Start off by registering on the 2016 ShakeOut website shakeout.org/utah. It only takes a few minutes. Last year over 960,000 people in Utah participated in the annual earthquake drill! On the website, you can sign up as individuals, families, schools, businesses, or other groups.

Let’s take a look at the answers to the questions above and see how well you did.

1. Standing in doorways is not recommended for most modern homes. Contrary to popular belief, doorways are not stronger than any other part of the house. You are safer under a table.

2. Do not run outside during an earthquake. The area near the exterior walls of a building can be the most dangerous place to be.

3. There are very few items that will crush a car completely. By exiting your vehicle you could easily be hurt by falling debris or other moving cars. You are safer to remain inside of your car.

Sign up for the Shakeout Drill today. Be a part of changing the culture of “waiting for help” to “being prepared”. Remember on April 21st to “Drop!, Cover!

And Hold On!” For more comprehensive information on how to protect yourself during an earthquake, please visit beready.utah.gov or earthquakecountry.info/ dropcoverholdon/

Pickleball

If you are new to the sport, receive pickleball introduction and instruction: Thursdays from 8-9 a.m. at the Heritage Center

Pickleball is the most exciting sport sweeping the country— part tennis, part badminton, but loads of fun. This racquet sport is played on a 20’ x 40’ court that limits the amount of mobility required to play the game.

Heritage Center pickleball (in the dining room or on the outdoor courts as soon as weather permits.): • Mondays from 10:15 a.m.-noon • Thursdays from 9 -11 a.m.

Heritage Center

Aging Mastery Program

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) has a program to help baby boomers forget being “over the hill” and enjoy the many wonderful years they have ahead. The Aging Mastery Program (AMP) was created to help those 55 and older develop behaviors that will allow them to lead lives with improved health, stronger financial security and overall higher well-being. Experts will lead activities that help participants take an active part in their own aging. Topics include sleep, exercise, healthy eating, medication management, financial fitness, falls prevention and community engagement.

This 10-week class, in partnership with Salt Lake County Aging and Intermountain Health Care, is coming to the Heritage Center on Thursdays beginning February 25 to April 28, 2016, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. A light dinner will be provided each week. The cost is $50 per person or $90 per couple.

Scholarships are available. Deadline for registration is February 18.

For information on these and other great Heritage Center programs call 801-264-2635

education

M urrayJournal.com

February 2016 | Page 15

Murray High Students Star in Musical Revue

VA Accredited Attorney Kent M. Brown Presents

By Julie Slama | Julie@mycityjournals.com

Planning to Live is More Important than Planning to Die

Thursday, Feb. 11 – 3:30 to 5:30pm Saturday, Feb. 13 – 10am to Noon Thursday, Feb. 18 – 3:30 to 5:30pm Saturday, Feb. 20 – 10am to Noon Workshop is Located at Home Care Assistance 7833 South Highland Dr., Salt Lake City, UT 84121

It does no good to have a terrific estate plan if, at the end of the day, nothing is left for the surviving spouse!

Savvy seniors need more than just a will or a living trust.

The Wall Street Journal reports that 86% of widows live in poverty after their life savings are spent for care of their spouse. You need to know what you can do today to protect yourself and your surviving spouse in the future.

One of the biggest fears that many people have today is having their life savings wiped out if they end up in a nursing home.

Don’t Go Broke in a Nursing Home! Learn how to be empowered, not impoverished at a free workshop hosted by VA Accredited Attorney Kent M. Brown of Strong & Hanni Law Firm.

IN THIS WORKSHOP YOU WILL LEARN: 1. How to protect your retirement income; 2. What your will, living trust and financial power of attorney may likely be missing that can lead to substantial financial loss; 3. How to protect your assets from catastrophic illness and nursing home costs without purchasing long-term care insurance; 4. How to protect your home and avoid nasty hidden medical taxes; 5. The hidden trigger in your revocable trust that can trap your Kent M. Brown money irrevocably; 6. The truth about trusts and why most advisors are unaware of how to use them for your benefit.

If you are approaching retirement, are currently retired, or a homeowner with assets you want to protect, this workshop is for you. SEATING IS LIMITED.

Call (801) 323-2079 now to reserve your seat.

Murray High musical theatre students sing “Dancing Queen” as part of their 8th annual Broadway Revue. –Julie Slama

M

ore than 40 students showcased 18 musicals during Murray High’s eighth annual Broadway Revue: “Dream Big.” Through their musical theatre class, students selected the musical pieces, casted classmates, rehearsed and directed the show that was held Jan. 13-15 at the school’s Little Theatre.

“It gave students a chance to star in a role, or their friends just to star in musical theatre that students directed,” theatre teacher Will Saxton said. “They only had four or five days of class time to showcase 30 numbers for me and together, we cut it to 18.”

The show opened with “Believe” from “Finding Neverland,” occurring during the closing night of the school’s fall musical “Mary Poppins.”

“We wanted the audience to think they were talking about what musical they’d do next year while striking the ‘Mary Poppins’ set. So the dialog they wrote reflected the pretend of closing night of the cast,” he said.

Other numbers performed were from the musicals “Shrek,” “Once Upon a Mattress,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “Dancing in the Rain,” “Legally Blonde,” “Company,” “Cinderella,” “Chicago,” “Lion King,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Hello Dolly,” “Hairspray,” “American Idiot” and “Mamma Mia.” An acapella performance was from “Man of the Mancha.”

The closing number, “Seize the Day”

from the musical “Newsies,” was performed before Saxton announced next fall’s musical — “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

“It’s impressive to see 39 kids singing and dancing together and doing everything themselves,” Saxton said.

Saxton said some of the students are sophomores, and this may have been their first musical theatre performance while others are performing their third musical revue at the school.

The idea behind the Broadway Revue stemmed from his musical theatre class still being in session after the fall musical annually wraps up. So Saxton thought this would give students an additional chance to put on a performance, creating and practicing it in class with minimal after school rehearsals.

“It’s been a cool opportunity for these students and a great way to visit Broadway in one night,” he said.

An hour improvisation comedy routine performed by students opened each night’s performance of the show.

Murray High will next put on “Our Town”

by Thornton Wilder at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 3 through Saturday, March 5 and again Monday, March 7 in their Little Theatre.

On Thursday, May 5 through Saturday, May 7, students will perform William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” in their Little Theatre. The show begins at 7 p.m. l

Songs from the musical “Chicago” were part of Murray High’s 8th annual Broadway Revue: “Dream Big” that was performed Jan. 13-15. –Julie Slama

Murray High students performed songs from 18 musicals as part of their 8th annual Broadway Revue, Jan. 13-15. –Julie Slama

Page 16 | February2016

EDUCATION Woodstock Elementary Students Learn About Emergency Preparedness

Murray Journal

By Julie Slama | Julie@mycityjournals.com

A

t the end of a 45-minute introduction to being prepared for a natural disaster, Woodstock Elementary students received a pillowcase to fill with necessary items should an emergency occur.

As part of The Pillowcase Project, American Red Cross educates students about natural disaster preparedness as well as gives them a pillowcase they can fill with items such as water, a blanket, first aid kit, soap, radio, clothes and other items and keep by their bed to grab in an emergency. Each third, fourth and fifth grader also received a workbook to fill out and review in class.

The free national program has reached about 3,000 students in Utah this past year and is sponsored by Disney.

“We hope they will be better prepared in case of earthquakes and fires and other disasters and go over the kits with their families,” Eric Christoffersen, AmeriCorps member who gave the presentation along with Rebecca Jones, Red Cross individual and community preparedness manager, said.

During the presentation, students answered questions from what is an earthquake and how long does it last to learning and practicing how to protect themselves through, “stop, drop and cover.”

“You want to curl up as small as possible to protect yourself.

If there is a desk or something to get under, then go there. Hold on with one hand and protect your neck and head with the other,” Christoffersen said.

Students also learned what to do if it became scary, such as lights going out or loss of other amenities.

“How do we deal with a stressful situation during a disaster is something we can practice as well,” Jones said as she had students close their eyes and think of calming colors. “When

we’re scared and can’t figure out what’s going on, just breathe deeply. If we can remain positive, we can help our classmates and family. The more we can do ahead of time to prepare, the more we will be ready.”

The workbook further addresses issues such as having a home fire escape plan, emergency communication plan and contacts, a map in case of emergencies and road closures, what to do and who to contact in case of emergencies and more. It also included a household emergency kit, as well as what to include in their pillowcases.

“Photos of your family are a good thing to include in emergency kits because they can provide you comfort to look at them, but you can also show them to the fire department or other emergency workers who can try to locate them,” Christoffersen said.

“I knew about earthquakes from watching ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy’ and talking about them a little in class,” thirdgrade student Zavion Long said. “I know we’re prepared in our basement with snacks in case of an earthquake, and I have supplies by my bed.”

His teacher, Colleen Luck, said although the school prepares students for fires, lock downs, stranger dangers and earthquakes, this program is valuable.

“They have to know how to take personal responsibility for themselves and how to calmly think through the situation,” she said. “They need to take the steps and practice them so if a disaster occurs, they will respond automatically. This program empowers them and that knowledge they can share with family and friends to help them.” l

Eric Christoffersen and Rebecca Jones gave Woodstock third through fifth graders an introduction to being prepared for national disasters as part of the American Red Cross and Disney Pillowcase Project. –Julie Slama

SPORTS Rebuilding For Success: The Cottonwood High Girls Basketball Team

By Sarah Almond | sarah@mycityjournals.com

T

hough they have yet to win a game in the 2015-2016 season, the Cottonwood High School girls basketball team is working hard and leaving everything on the court each time they play.

“This season is most definitely a rebuilding year,” Janae Hirshi, head coach for the Colts, said. “We had a bunch of strong seniors graduate and this year we have a pretty young, inexperienced team. A lot of the girls haven’t seen much varsity floor time.”

Cottonwood lost five of last year’s strong, starting seniors – a loss that will take at least a year to recover from.

“I only have two girls returning that played real varsity minutes,” Hirshi said. “I do have some seniors on my team now, but they never played varsity. So it’s definitely a rebuilding year for sure.”

Along with having a majority of first-time varsity players on the team this year, the Colts also face an uphill battle in terms of numbers.

“We are very short on numbers. We always have been at this school, but it’s getting worse and worse,” Hirshi said. “We have about 25 girls but that’s including all three teams.”

With 25 girls expanding across the sophomore, junior varsity and varsity teams, Hirshi has to utilize the skills of many players in every game – a demand that results in pretty worn-out players.

Thankfully, the school is accepting ninth graders next season.

“I think with the incoming ninth graders, within the next few years this will help sort of re-boost the program,” Hirshi said.

As head coach of the Colts for eight years, this is not Hirshi’s first time having to work through a rebuilding season. She and

the Colts underwent another rebuilding year back in 2013. The next season they made it to the first round of the championship playoffs.

“The odds are against us, but it’s really been that like since I’ve been here,” Hirshi said. “Even then, though, pretty much every season we’ve done a really good job – we’ve made point records and things like that.”

“Their very best is going to equal our success. This has been our philosophy every year.”

Despite disadvantages the team is facing this season, Hirshi is proud of the group and has high hopes for the future.

“This is a really, really great group of girls,” Hirshi said.

“They are very coachable and they are just really good kids. This is actually one of my favorite seasons, even though we aren’t winning. It’s fun because the girls want to get better, they don’t have drama on or off the court and they are really tight-knit.”

Despite not having much playtime on the varsity team, this young group of girls has experience playing together in past seasons and their chemistry on the court is undeniable.

“One of the things that is just so cool about this season is watching the team’s support for one another and watching the structure of the team develop,” Hirshi said. “Even in a rebuilding

year, it’s cool to see the off-court support they have and to know that the program in general is still thriving. When you’re winning all the time, you often times forget to check if your program is thriving off the court and thriving in team chemistry, and we really are.”

Hirshi explained that positive team chemistry, even if they aren’t winning on paper, is a very good sign for the future success of the program.

“It shows that the kids are really buying into everything we are coaching,” Hirshi said. “Its shows us that everything is functioning and good within the team – there’s no broken pieces, and that’s really cool to see as a coach.”

Despite having many inexperienced players on the team this year, a few who have never played competitive basketball before, Hirshi is incredibly satisfied with the growth and improvement of the girls.

“The kids don’t see how fast they are improving,” Hirshi said. “It’s pretty mind blowing how fast they improve. And the box scores don’t give justice to where they started and where they are now, especially watching these girls step up to the challenge and put up a fight.”

With their season ending on Feb. 16, the Colts are taking each practice and game one day at a time and focusing on simply becoming a better, more experienced team.

“Their very best is going to equal our success. This has been our philosophy every year,” Hirshi said. “We aren’t going to base our success on wins or losses. It’s all about giving their very best: if they give their very best, then that will equal success.” l

LOCAL LIFE

M urrayJournal.com

February 2016 | Page 17

Retiree Devotes Time to Creating Items for Others

By Kelly Cannon | kelly@mycityjournals.com

L

ooking at Charles Comstock, one would never know the 83-year-old was in declining health. His movements are deliberate, his voice is clear and precise and his pleasant personality is infectious. But probably the most surprising thing about Comstock is he is a talented artist, creating wooden boxes, sculptures and other intricate works of art. He doesn’t do it for money or praise. He gives away most of his work.

His journey of creation started eight years ago when leadership in his church asked him to help with service projects. However, his poor health caused him not to be able to follow through.

“I would commit, but then I couldn’t fulfill it and that bothered me,” Comstock said.

What Comstock found he could do is make wood boxes, fill them with candy and give them to people in his neighborhood as gifts. He retired from working at Salt lake Dental Laboratory and so was used to working with his hands.

“I never had any lessons,” Comstock said. “I just learned how to do it.”

Comstock estimates he’s made over 200 boxes, each one different and given for a special occasion or a time of bereavement.

“Anybody that I could cheer up with a box, I made them a box,” he said.

He then moved on to making canes. When he entered into hospice for his health, a nurse pointed out a cane he was using.

After explaining he had made it himself, the nurse asked if he could make more for the people she worked with. Comstock

then made between 20 to 25 canes. He then made more, always keeping one in his car to give to someone in need.

One day, he saw a man struggling to walk into a grocery store. He walked up and gave the man a cane he had made. The man attempted to pay Comstock but he refused any money.

“You can’t pay me because then it’s not service,” Comstock said.

After that, Comstock began collecting hobbies. He learned how to quilt, make more intricate boxes and eventually sculpture. His first sculpture was of a dog he made out of clay and would later have bronzed. He’s also created busts of Native Americans. One piece he created ended up winning at the state fair.

One piece he is truly proud of is a bust of Jesus Christ.

However, the bust is of Christ in the Jewish tradition with shorter hair and a plain face rather than the beautiful, longhaired renaissance-inspired tradition. He ended up winning third place at the Murray fair for the bust.

Perhaps the most inspiring work Comstock creates are intricate metal eggs. He began making them for his wife, Bonnie, for their anniversary. Each one takes about a year to make and are decorated on the outside with coils of metal and different colorful stones. When the eggs are opened up, inside are small porcelain flowers or animals Comstock has also created. A collection of those eggs won first place at the state fair and the Creative Arts Theme Award.

The only sign of Comstock’s declining health is in the shaking of his hands and the occasional wince of pain. About

two years ago, he fell and broke his ribs. He said he went into a decline rapidly after that, almost losing his life. He currently has leukemia of the red blood cells, arthritis, scoliosis, fibromyalgia and congestive heart failure with an artificial valve. Comstock confessed there isn’t a moment when his pain isn’t below a three on the pain scale. However, when he’s working on his hobbies, he feels better.

“If I can get my pain down and I can get to my hobbies, I can usually get my pain down another number,” he said.

However, Comstock isn’t slowing down. He is currently teaching himself to draw. Though he complains he’s poor at drawing Native American faces, there are pieces he’s created that look strikingly like their subject, like Thomas S. Monson and Jeffrey R. Holland from the leadership for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is also teaching himself to doodle. But true to his past, he gives away most of his work.

“I don’t want to leave this world without helping other people,” he said. l

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sports

Page 18 | February2016

Unsung Heroes

Spartans Strive for Success on Basketball Court

In Our Community sponsored by:

Murray Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The motto for Rotary International is “Service Above Self,” with areas of focus in: promoting peace, fighting disease and poverty, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, supporting education and growing local economies. Rotary International has many complex parts to it. There are rotary clubs within most countries of the world, which are then broken down into zones and districts.

The state of Utah is District 5420, with over 40 Rotary Clubs, Murray Rotary Club being one of them.

Murray Rotary Club was started over 50 years ago by twenty local community leaders and is composed of like-minded individuals, from all walks of life, who enjoy making a difference in the community, country and world.

Their motto, “Fun with a Purpose,” fits them to a tee. Members of the Murray Rotary enjoy many opportunities to do service together. These projects include: cleaning up the trails and parks; planting seeds and other tasks at the Murray Green House; cooking and serving meals at the Ronald McDonald House; working with the kids at Murray Boys and Girls club; providing bathrooms and clean water to third world countries; providing dictionaries to 3rd graders; and much, much more.

“I really enjoy that the Rotary gives me the opportunity to do service that I wouldn’t have ever done otherwise,” says Tyson Soffe, board member for the Murray Rotary Club. “This [last December] I was able to be a bell-ringer for the Salvation Army. That was something I never would have done if it wasn’t for the Rotary, and we had so much fun together being bell ringers.”

The Murray Rotary invites anyone who likes to help make a difference to join them. Thank you for your service to the community!

Murray Journal

By Sarah Almond | sarah@mycityjournals.com

T

he Murray High School boys basketball team is off to a stellar start in the 2015-2016 season. With a current eight-and-five overall record, the varsity team of 17 players is feeling confident that the remainder of their season will hold great success.

“We are getting better every single game we play,” Zach Dickerson, a 6’2” senior guard, said.

With the official season beginning Nov. 12, the Spartans have already put in well over 100 hours of court time. They practice more than two hours a day, Monday through Saturday, and compete in two or three games a week. As a group, the Spartans understand that they must fine-tune every aspect of their game in order to win at the championship tournament Feb. 24-28.

Bountiful in the first round of the championships last season.

“Last year we went to the playoffs and played Bountiful, the number one team, and lost in a game winner,” Christman said. “So that’s been giving us all the motivation.”

Murray and Bountiful were neck and neck throughout the entire game. The Spartans had a one-point lead with 2.5 seconds left on the clock, when Bountiful player Zac Seljaas sunk a three-pointer, ending the game with a final score of 58-56 and moving Bountiful on to the quarterfinals.

“At this point, the guys need to forget about that game,” Workman said. “They’ve put all the work in, and that’s driven them to get to this point, but now they need to focus on the task at hand. The job is done.”

“Now we need to take every night and put in our best effort, because if we play our best and our smartest every night, I think we have a good chance of winning every game we play.”

“Public schools are a different beast. They change drastically every year; you don’t have recruited kids, you have to change what you do constantly because you have a different talent set every year,” Jason Workman, head coach for the Murray Spartans, said. “Fortunately this year we have a group that’s been playing together for a long time.”

Of the eight seniors on the varsity roster, six were starters in the 2014-2015 season. Not only does this establish solid leadership, but it also benefits the group’s ability to communicate and hold each other accountable on the court.

“We have a lot of good chemistry as a group, and that definitely plays out well on the court,” Peyton Christman, a senior guard and one of the Spartans’ top scorers, said. “I think this gives us really good energy that everyone feeds off of and we’re able to get really good runs.”

Though Murray won eight of their 13 preseason games, they’re not letting off the gas until they make it to the state championships. This drive for success is powered greatly by the team’s disappointing loss to

With determination and drive backing the group’s years of experience on the court, Workman knows the potential of his team and holds to expectations he’s confident they can reach.

“Their dedication to the game – I’ve never had that before. I’ve never had that many kids willing to work so hard, even on their own during the off season,” Workman said. “And that’s why we’ve been expecting so much out of them, because they’ve been putting everything into it for years.”

Making it past the playoffs to the state championship is Murray’s ultimate goal. In order to meet this goal, the team needs to keep practicing their hardest and playing their best.

“Now we need to take every night and put in our best effort, because if we play our best and our smartest every night, I think we have a good chance of winning every game we play,” Workman said.

The Spartans play their last home game against Cyprus High School on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Murray High School gymnasium. l

Members of the Spartans varsity team run offensive plays during a Monday practice.

The team is scoring more than 68 points per game this season, significantly more than the national average.

The Spartans practice close to 15 hours each week. In the off-season, eight of the 17 varsity players practice club basketball at the Murray Recreation Center at least five days a week.

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February 2016 | Page 19

M urrayJournal.com

Medallus Medical

T

here is no doubt that we are in the middle of a healthcare crisis. Some call it a “healthcare demise”. Obamacare, so far, is here to stay. As long as it is here, people are forced to buy health insurance whose premiums are uncontrollable and whose policies make the insured pay more out-of-pocket expenses.

Some families have filed for bankruptcy due to medical bills, others have loved ones who have passed on because they denied medical care and medications due to the higher healthcare costs. It can seem alarming, and cause many people wonder what they can do about it.

The key to navigating through healthcare safely is to become as healthy as possible, minimizing any chances of accessing expensive medical care. The best, and most

affordable, approach to accomplish this is to pre-pay a family doctor for routine care, while having a health insurance policy for catastrophic events.

This model allows health insurance to be set aside and be used as “true insurance”--to cover unexpected major medical needs--while allowing a person to visit the doctor as often as needed without concern for cost. This increases the person’s well-being and overall healthiness. While this scenario is ideal, it can be difficult to find quality medical professionals who allow you to pre-pay for expenses. That is where Medallus Medical is here to help.

Medallus Medical has 9 clinics across the Wasatch Front that provide urgent care, primary care, and work medicine, with three

ways to be seen in any of them. First, you can use your insurance. Pay your insurance copay at the visit, and Medallus will send claims to them to be processed. Second, you can pay cash at the time of service, with a flat fee ranging from $119 to $199, depending on the procedure. Third, you can join Medallus’s Medical Membership program. Under this program, members pay a monthly fee, then are able to recieve the care they need for only $10 per visit, for most procedures.

There are several ways to benefit from Medallus’s Medical Membership. One way is to add Medallus Medical Membership alongside your current health insurance plan.

This allows you to reduce your out-of-pocket costs, using the membership to stay healthy

with urgent and primary care visits, and setting your insurance aside for major medical needs.

Another way is to modify your current health insurance plan to have a higher deductible, with a much lower premium, adding Medallus Medical Membership for your routine and sick visits. By both modifying your plan to reduce premiums, and using Medallus to reduce outof-pocket expenses, the average person can save thousands of dollars a year.

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What is the Role of a Funeral Home?

By Spencer Larkin

Very few people know what to expect from their funeral home until the day they have to make some difficult decisions and deal with seemingly mundane details during a time of duress. These distractions postpone a healthy grieving process, one that begins the moment arrangements for the service begin. Choosing the right funeral home can make all the difference.

First, the logistics. Behind the scenes, the funeral home arranges for the removal of the body, obtains all the required legal documents, prepares the loved one for viewing, helps plan the service, arranges for the final disposition, provides facilities for the visitation and funeral service and the transportation to the final resting place. An experienced funeral home is essential in getting all these details right---in the sense that they make the funeral appropriate to the family’s wishes and not just offer cookie-cutter solutions.

Experience goes a long way. An idea that sounds good at the time, may not turn out the way you plan. Having a funeral director with a lot of experience you can trust to guide you is essential. Especially if you are doing a cremation with a service, mixed religion services, coordinating mixed families, or having the service outside the funeral home at say a farm, or ski resort, in the National Forest, at a private estate or repatriated in a different country. A savvy funeral home will be sensitive to the story you are trying to create and make sure all the necessary laws are met and all feelings are respected. There are other considerations, too; like special services for children, vets, public servants and religious leaders. A good funeral home will have experience in all these areas and have helpful suggestions.

Lastly, you have to like and trust them. Emotions will be a little raw during this time.

Hugs will come often and honest feelings shared easily. It’s important to have a friend and confidant in the funeral director; one you should feel confident hugging when the day is over, the service was perfect and friends have all gone home. Believe me when I tell you, funeral directors are moved by the tributes and shared feelings of every funeral they manage. It’s OK to give them a thanks and an embrace. They probably need it too.

Page 20 | February2016

MURRAY CHAMBER

Corner

SPORTS

Murray Journal

Cottonwood High School Swim Team Wraps Up Season

By Sarah Almond | sarah@mycityjournals.com

Benefits of Being a Member of the Murray Area Chamber of Commerce

By Wendy Kelly, Special Events Consultant, and Member of the Murray Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

S

o, you’ve been asked to be a member of the Murray Area Chamber of Commerce.

You’re thinking about it, you have a little extra money left over in your annual budget that you can use for marketing and networking, so you naturally start wondering about the real value of a chamber membership. What exactly will a chamber membership do for your business?

You ask, “Is it worth it to join a ‘real’ social group as opposed to all of those online social groups you see?” If your primary goals are to build local business to business (B2B) relationships and grow your own business alongside that, then the Murray Area Chamber of Commerce is a good place for you.

What exactly is the chamber of commerce? It’s actually quite simple – we are a group of business professionals dedicated to protecting and promoting the local business community. The primary goal? To help business owners of all kinds network and grow within that community.

Chambers host a multitude of networking events such as monthly and weekly luncheons that feature local business presenters as well as local eating establishments, fundraisers to support the chamber’s mission, as well as local youth business groups, workshops, and other activities, all with the aim of connecting local business owners and build a solid business foundation within the community, and Murray is no exception.

Did you know that according to a 2012 study conducted by the Schapiro Group, 49 percent of consumers were more likely to think favorably of a local business if it was a member of the local chamber— and 80 percent were more likely to purchase a product or service from a chamber member?

In addition to the social and networking aspect, the chamber encourages its members to offer discounts to other members on everything from office supplies to continuing education. Depending on your membership level, you may have access to email lists, first dibs on booths for annual tradeshows and other events, and ease of access to upper level staff that you may not have had before.

Time is an issue yes, and attendance at all functions, while encouraged, is not required – but we do encourage your strong involvement. As a bonus, we can bring the chamber to you! Ribbon cuttings, open houses, special promo events, Business After Hours (BAH) at your office, Women in Business events, you name it, we can probably help you out with it. After all, we are here for you and your business, but remember, networking takes time and effort, and you really do get out of it what you put into it.

Only when you actively participate, volunteer, and join committees do you truly get the opportunities to form valuable business relationships. The Murray Area Chamber and its board can and will help you find ways to make it work effectively for you.

It is important to note that that the Murray Area Chamber of Commerce is not a magical business solution where you’ll see an immediate return on your investment, no matter what, just like with anything in a business, you’ll have to work hard to get what you want out of it. You might run into your competitors, and that’s game face time! But no matter the situation, the Murray Area Chamber of Commerce will support you and help you get the best out of your investment. Talk to us, we’ll listen!

The Murray Area Chamber of Commerce is constantly evolving and growing to better meet the needs of our local businesses. So come on, check us out.

You’ll be glad you did.

If you would like more information on how to join, volunteer or need to find a business, call us at 801-263-2632.

Members of the Colts’ swim team swim laps to warm up for afternoon practice. The team swims anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 yards per day.

F

or the Cottonwood High School swim team, Jan. 14 meant the end of a very successful swimming season. The team of 40 swimmers has only lost one dual meet out of seven total.

“We’ve had a really great season,” Sarah Ratzlaff, senior captain for the girls team, said. “We broke several Granite District records at our holiday invitational.”

The Colts did, in fact, break four Granite School District records: boys 200-yard medley relay, boys 100-yard backstroke, boys 100-yard breaststroke and the girls 100-yard backstroke. Freshman swimmers broke all but two of these records.

The team’s age gap is significant, with only five graduating seniors and about 20 new freshmen. Though the amount of experience might vary from swimmer to swimmer, the group as a whole is incredibly strong.

“I think we have a lot of good depth this year,” Ratzlaff said.

With practices being held every Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., the Colts train at least 10 hours a week.

“We also have swim class on “B” day mornings,” Ratzlaff said. “That’s mainly where we do dryland exercises, conditioning, and an hour or so of swimming.”

“A highlight of the year, for me, has been team bonding,” Ratzlaff said. “We’ve had several team dinners, we had holiday party with a white elephant which was really fun, and we have waffle parties. Swimming is a little bit of a different sport just because you’re in the water all the time, so we don’t get a lot of time to talk. So I think it’s really important just to create that team unity with everyone.”

Cottonwood High School is unique in the fact that it’s essentially two schools in one. Students from the Ames Academy are included in Cottonwood’s enrollment and thus allowed to participate in Cottonwood athletics.

“We have a lot of swimmers from Ames

this year,” Ratzlaff said. “So we don’t see each other in the halls and stuff and that makes team bonding even more important.”

As far as other members of the swim team are concerned, team unity is one of the groups biggest strengths.

“We always cheer each other on during swim meets and that’s not something you see in every team,” freshman Thomas Micklos said. “It’s so awesome to have your whole team supporting you. It gives you so much confidence.”

Ratzlaff agreed.

“I think establishing team unity is especially important this year because we have such a young team. It’s important to create that bond for the freshman because they’ll have four full years together,” she said. “Even though our team is smaller than most of the other schools we swim against, I think that’s kinda what helps us be successful, you know? We’re small, but we’re a really powerful, united team.”

Though the Colts did graduate a few strong senior swimmers last year, this year’s group isn’t lacking leadership neither in nor out of the water.

“We’ve got a lot of kids back this year that have been doing a really great job,” Ron Lockwood, head coach of the Colts, said.

Senior Jonah Simon, the 2015 5A boy swimmer of the year, has been a strong leader this season, as has sophomore Rhyan White, the 2015 5A girl swimmer of the year.

“We’ve got a bunch of really strong athletes at the top,” Lockwood said. “It’s taken several years to build the depth of the program up, and we’re still looking to build the up volume of the team rather than just the talent of individual kids.”

Though the Colts, like all teams, have faced their fair share of challenges this year, all in all both Lockwood and his swimmers agree that the 2015-2016 season has been nothing short of a success. l

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Page 22 | February2016

Murray Journal

Chew on This

T

here’s a divide in our country, and it’s not about whether the Founding Fathers believed every citizen should own an AK-47.

It’s between people who eat only organic foods and people who treat their meals as a deathdefying extreme sport.

Let’s address these two groups in a completely stereotypical manner.

First, the Organictonians never let processed foods pass their lips. Refined sugar is the equivalent of sprinkling arsenic in their coffee. A meal usually consists of a piece of kale with three garbanzo beans and a forkful of sustainable tuna. They obnoxiously tell you the backstory of every snack they put in their bodies.

Example: “The leaves in this green tea are only found in the Himalayas and are naturally crushed under the hoofs of grass-fed mountain goats.” Shut up, already.

You can often find these Whole Foods free-range aficionados grazing through the aisles in their yoga clothes, purchasing wheatgrass smoothies, kohlrabi burgers and amaranth water, and not-so-silently judging the person slurping a Coca-Cola in the check-

PROVALUE FESS ION ALS

out line. (It was my first Coke for January!

Stop sneering at me!)

These people have eliminated greasy grease, sugary sugar and fatty fats from their diets. They are usually praying mantis-thin with a penchant for anger because they’re pretty hungry. (Oreos are stealthily stashed under couch cushions for late-night sugar binges.)

On the opposite (and larger) end of the spectrum, we have the Couldn’t-Care-Less connoisseur who consumes 3/$1 hot dogs from the corner gas station, drinks bacon-flavored Mountain Dew and gorges on deep-fried, chocolate-covered butter cubes.

Throwing grease on the fire are restaurants

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How ‘bout an organic beef patty topped with onion marmalade (ew!), green apple slices, pureed chicken livers (double ew!) Swiss cheese and arugula. Well, if there’s arugula on it, we’re good.

The phenomenon that makes our bodies puff up like a marshmallow in the microwave is referred to by nutritional scholars as “lardbutt syndrome,” caused by eating thousands of calories per day.

There has to be some middle ground between snacking on three crunchy wasabi peas and downing a hot fudge baklava shake.

Isn’t it time we stopped the food shaming and made some reasonable choices?

Let’s agree to meet somewhere in the middle where we eat more fruits and vegetables (but not eggplant), cut back on sugary snacks (except Butterfinger bars), make meat a side dish (no more 16-ounce prime rib dinners) and enjoy an occasional splurge (movie theater popcorn!) to keep us pleasant and easier to live with—on both sides.

And those Founding Fathers can go back to worrying about whether we can eat buffalo chicken wings while carrying a firearm. l

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Even “healthy” burgers are out of control.

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your murray schools

february 2016

Murray City School District newsletter

Online

Website: Facebook: Twitter: Instagram: General email:

5102 South Commerce Drive, Murray, UT 84107 Phone 801-264-7400 • Fax 801-264-7456 The Your Murray Schools section is a Murray City School District publication, under the direction of D. Wright, MCSD communications & public information.

www.murrayschools.org Murray School District UT MurraySchoolsUt SUPTHIRASE (username Steven Hirase) info@murrayschools.org

A Message from Superintendent Steven Hirase Schools and school districts face critical times during the school year that set the tone for success and direction for the future. The beginning of the school year is a time for excitement, hope and the promise; the end of the school year is a time to celebrate a year’s worth of accomplishments and reflect on growth, and for our seniors, it marks the beginning of promise that lies ahead. This time of the year may seem to be somewhat uneventful, however, it is during this time of year that we are preparing for the upcoming Utah Legislative Session and aware of the impact it will have on our schools, including the types of services we can provide.

I often have the opportunity to speak with parents who are concerned about many issues, such as the size

of student classes, the amount of testing for students, or safety concerns regarding the cancellation of a bus route because it does not meet criteria for state funding.

Many of these concerns are a reaction to decisions that we have made at the district in response to legislation or funding received as a result of the previous year’s legislative session. Parents and teachers often wonder why our class sizes seem to be larger than they have been in the past? Generally speaking, we have lost some of the flexibility we have had to add additional teachers when our classes exceeded certain numbers. Perhaps a better way to illustrate the point is the fact that Murray School District received $1.2 million dollars less in state funding in 2015 than we received in 2007. That money translates into approximately 15 new teachers, or the

New Logo; New District Offices

A

new district logo has been designed for the offices and administration of the Murray City School District. With a new office location, a new junior high school and several new district goals, a new look for the district logo seemed suitable. Graphic artist and Murray High art teacher Eric Himle was contracted to design a new logo to represent a district goal of high school completion and post high school education or training for all students in MCSD. Stop by the new offices at 5102 South Commerce Drive in Murray.

Horizon Elementary Creative Pursuits Team #1 at State The 6th grade Knights in Shining Armor team from Horizon Elementary School won the state Creative Pursuits Bowl in December. This is the first time a Murray school has won on the state level! ! Congratulations, Horizon Knights!

Dr. Hirase reads to kindergarten students. ability to provide teachers with 12 additional days of professional development.

I am bringing this information to your attention

Two Teachers Awarded Learning Grants Founded in memory of long-time Murray Board of Education member Laura Baker, the aim of the Laura Baker Professional Learning Grant is to provide MCSD licensed professional staff with opportunities to attend conferences, workshops, or acquire training and new skills to help strengthen instructional methods. A review board chooses from applicants two deserving candidates who are then awarded their training opportunity expenses. This year’s recipients are Laurel Brown, RJH, MHS, Murray Adult Transition; and Amber Rydalich, MHS Instructional Coach. Ms. Brown attended the American Speech-Language Hearing Association Convention at Denver in November 2015; and Ms. Rydalch will be attending the Instructional Coaching Institute in July 2016.

ARTS & MUSIC

• Guitar for Children – For children 8-12 • Guitar for Beginners – For Ages 13 and up • Guitar for Intermediates – For all ages

SELF-IMPROVEMENT Murray Community Education (MCE) classes are open to everyone, whether or not you live in Murray City. For more information and to enroll, go to the MCSD website under Community Education; also, if you have ideas for a class or want to teach a course, contact Tricia at 801-264-7468 or email tdrake@murrayschools.org. Here is a rundown of the Winter MCE classes:

FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNERS • French for Beginners • Intermediate French • Spanish 101, Part 1 • Spanish, Part 2 • Spanish 102

PHYSICAL FITNESS

L to R: Team Adviser/3rd grade teacher Melissa Graves, Rachel Christensen, Emma Robison, Gabby Gratton, Breann Burningham and Jaxon Davis.

because now is an important time to take action on so many education-related issues! Contact your state legislators and express your concerns so when faced with critical decisions, they can vote to reflect your desires and expectations for a better future for your children. If you don’t know your state senator and representative, please go to http://le.utah.gov/ Documents/find.htm. Write, email or telephone them and share your concerns. Don’t let this opportunity to make a difference pass you by. Be an active participant in the legislative process, and be a positive influence on the direction of education for your child. If you have questions regarding issues that you would like to discuss prior to contacting your legislator, please do not hesitate to contact me.

• Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers • Bodyweight Bootcamp • CPR/AED/First Aid Certification • Tai Chi Dance • Tai Chi Basics (stand 24 short form) • Vinyasa Flow Yoga • Gentle Yoga • Zumba®

• Avoid Falling for a Jerk or Jerkette • Parenting the Love and Logic Way™ • Discover Your Strengths • Make-Up Artistry • The Power of Positive Self-Talk • Selling Your Home: “For Sale by Owner” • Understanding Legal Process of Divorce, Custody, Child Support & Alimony • Understanding Social Security, Medicare, Long Term Care and Retirement Options • Utah Concealed Firearms Permit Class (no firearms or ammunition to class)

STUDENT COURSE

Summer Driver’s Education – Registration for summer driver’s education will begin April 6, 2016 at 7:30 AM at the district office.

Call or come in to register. The cost is $130 and payment must be made at time of registration. The student must have a learner’s permit at the time the class starts and be able to attend every day of class. Sessions are limited to 15 students.