Midvale Journal June 2017 by The City Journals

June 2017

Vol. 3 Iss. 06

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TWO HILLCREST HIGH, THREE MIDVALE MIDDLE STUDENTS take Science Fair to next level By Julie Slama | Julie@mycityjournals.com

Midvale Middle School sixth-grade students Abigail Slama-Catron and Eric Snaufer took ﬁrst place in the regional Salt Lake Valley Science and Engineering Fair and received an invitation to apply to the national fair. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

ways to solve problems.” Solving real-world problems, such as birds striking airplanes commonly made known through “The Miracle on the Hudson” was an underlying motivation for Midvale Middle School sixth-graders Eric Snaufer and Abigail Slama-Catron, both who live in Sandy. Their air scare device prototype worked in relocating birds from nesting in the air fields after two weeks of testing it at Salt Lake International Airport. “We used an anemometer to determine the air flow in a connector to the portable device we built as well as determine the air flow for various air socks we sewed,” said Eric, who said they worked on the project for months. “I was surprised we did so well.” In addition to winning their elementary division category of mechanical engineering with their project, “Rough Air”, they also won special awards from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Utah Department of Transportation. Marianne Liu, who finished second in earth and

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Hillcrest High student may have discovered a faster, more accurate way to identify macular degeneration. “When it is treated sooner, there will be less damage and hopefully, not result in blindness,” said Alex Cheng, who is a sophomore. “The earlier to detect it, the better. Some judges at the science fair seemed really interested since they or their family members have macular degeneration.” Alex said that currently 11 million people are affected by the disease, but projections are that it will double by 2050. “This could help serve as a pre-screening, especially for people who live in rural areas,” he said about his science fair project that results in an initial diagnosis in 30 seconds instead of current longer methods. Alex, who entered his method that combines medical diagnostics with computer science in “Analysis of Retinal Fundus Images to Detect Macular Degeneration Using Machine-learning Methods,” not only won his materials and biomedical engineering senior division category, but he was one of two Hillcrest High school students who won Salt Lake Valley Science and Engineering Fair to advance to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles. Joining him to compete for college scholarships are Alex Sun, who with his sister, Emma Sun, of Waterford, won first place with their behavioral and social sciences project, “Understanding Compassion Fade.” Hillcrest High’s Sai Parsawar was second in medicine and health sciences with “MS of MS: An Investigation of the Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteome of Multiple Sclerosis Patients Using Bruker maXis II ETD Mass Spectrometry” and Hillcrest High’s Alan Zhao was third in physics, astronomy and math, with “Modeling Traffic Flow Using Advanced Mathematics.” Alex said although he has spent about six months doing research on his own, his method is in its infancy and will still need more development. “I like that through science fair, I’ve learned there is not one set solution. I can creatively think in different ways and discover my own findings ways to approach problems,” he said. In addition to the high school students, three Midvale Middle School sixth-grade students received an invitation to apply to the National Broadcom Science Fair. Fair Manager Jody Oostema said that 41 projects or the top 10 percent of the Salt Lake Valley’s fair receives invitations. From there, it is narrowed to about 300 semi-finalists nationwide. “We usually have two to six students reach semifinals and a few in the finals,” she said. “We’ve seen some new innovative

environmental sciences with “Savvy Salt” also received an invitation to apply to the National Broadcom Science Fair. Other special award winners include Wensen Zhang from the American Meteorological Society with the project, “Trajectory Prediction of Atlantic Hurricanes With A MultiLayer Perceptron Artiﬁcial Neural Network”; Alan Zhao with the Mu Alpha Theta award; and Sai Parsawar with an award from the U.S. Navy. All the winners are Hillcrest High students. Oostema said that this year, Salt Lake Valley’s 15th annual fair had 724 elementary through high school participants, a record number of students, with 57 percent being female. That is an increase of about 500 students since 2005 and the number of projects this year is up 16 from last year to 573. In addition to private and charter schools, the fair includes public school students from Salt Lake, Granite, Murray, Tooele, Park City and Canyons school districts. Next year, the fair will undergo a name change to University of Utah Science and Engineering Fair, which will reﬂect the host school, she said. 

Small cast brings high-energy comedic mystery to Midvale City council works on next ﬁscal year’s budget . . . . . . . . . Copperview students learn at Career Day . . . . . . . . . . . Local 15 year old wins bowling championship . . . . . . . .

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MIDVALE CITY JOURNAL

Midvale Historical Society to celebrate 40 years with treasure hunting By Ruth Hendricks | Ruth.H@mycityjournals.com The Midvale City Journal is a monthly publication distributed directly to residents via the USPS as well as locations throughout Midvale. For information about distribution please email circulation@mycityjournals.com or call our ofﬁces. Rack locations are also available on our website. For subscriptions please contact: circulation@mycityjournals.com The views and opinions expressed in display advertisements do not necessarily reﬂect or represent the views and opinions held by Loyal Perch Media or the City Journals. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the owner.

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he Midvale Historical Society was founded on June 15, 1977. The society will be celebrating its 40th anniversary on Saturday, June 17 from noon to 4 p.m., which will include a chance to hunt for treasure in the museum’s backyard. “For our anniversary party, we’re going to have the Utah Treasures Association come,” said Bill Miller, president of the society. “They’re a club of treasure hunters, and I’m talking about maybe stamp collecting, postcards, marbles, bottles and metal detecting of course is their big thing.” Treasures will be planted in the back, where there is some bare ground. Members of the Utah Treasures Association will be there with their metal detectors and people can look for treasure. “What you ﬁnd, you keep,” said Miller. “Now, I have no idea what you’re going to ﬁnd, but I’m sure there will be some new coinage and some old stuff too.” The goals of the Midvale Historical Society are to publish Midvale history and to support a museum in the city. Miller explained that 40 years ago the Daughters of Utah Pioneers (DUP) approached the cities to see if they wanted to take some of their artifacts and create their own museums since the DUP had so much stuff they didn’t know what to do with it. “Boyd Twiggs was the mayor at that time,” said Miller, “and in order to raise funds for the museum, the city donated a spot in the city hall, and they would charge a family $500 for a display case.” The museum’s current location at 7697 South on historic Main Street in Midvale is owned by the city, which also takes care of the lighting and some maintenance costs. Other than that, the museum is run by volunteers and features donated items. “People ask what kind of museum is it, and I call it a family history museum, simply for the fact that the majority of the items are from the residents of Midvale,” said Miller. “It’s a fun place. I want people to feel like they are part of the history. I want the people of Midvale to know that this is their museum.”

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Bill Miller, president of the Midvale Historical Society, displays an old telephone switchboard. (Ruth Hendricks/ City Journals)

Miller likes that many things in the museum can be touched, and thinks that probably the most important item in the museum is an old typewriter. He said that kids who have never used a typewriter gravitate to it and enjoy trying it out. “I just want you to feel comfortable and to keep coming back,” said Miller. “I have been here 12 or 13 years, and I swear, every time I walk up and down these aisles, I see something new.” The museum has many historic photographs,

including most of the old schools in the Jordan School District. “Whenever a school closes, we go in there and try to get a souvenir or two,” said Miller. The museum acquired an old piano from an elementary school that closed, and Miller let an 8-year-old boy play it recently. Another important feature of the museum is that they have copies of the City Journal going back to 1925. Issues from 1925 to 1950 are being digitized now. “We have enough money to do that many and we have to come up with a solution to getting the rest of that money,” said Miller. There is one mystery that Miller would like to solve. The museum has a collection of school yearbooks. One of those donated yearbooks was sent from Liberal, Kansas, and had some paperwork with it, including a check for $45. Miller said he’s Googled the address, but it just shows up as an open field. And he’s run the names, too. “I’d like to return that check to the owner, which is probably the daughter of the person from Kansas,” he said. Andy Pazell, a member of the society’s board, said, “I grew up in Midvale and I’ve always been nostalgic about how it was here. It was such a small town, a close-knit community. It was a great place to grow up. There was so much to do, we had stores and bowling alleys and a drive-in movie theater.” “It’s always been a very sports-minded town,” said Miller. “You go back 100 years ago and we always had a sports league of some type.” “It was a smelter town, and they always had baseball teams and a league,” said Pazell. The biggest need for the historical society is to find more people to help. “We’re getting old, so we need to find new blood,” said Miller. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next five years unless we get some help.” “We have a future here,” said Miller. “The city is absolutely fantastic, they support us 110 percent,” Pazell said. “I think our big thing is we really need to find the next generation of people interested in preserving the history.” 

JUNE 2017 | PAGE 3

M IDVALEJOURNAL .COM

Family run, family fun: Midvale’s Cinco de Mayo celebrates 30 years By Travis Barton | travis@mycityjournals.com

hat started with a few dozen people in 1988 has blossomed into one of the largest Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Salt Lake Valley. Midvale City Park played host to the 30th annual Midvale Cinco de Mayo Celebration on May 5-6. “It’s a lot of work but we love it and we do it every year because we love it,” said Dave Leimsieder, director of the Boys & Girls Club and event board member. The two-day event saw bingo, multiple booths and tents, games, a drum bus, face painting, Latin American cuisine, bounce houses and live music. While the event has been ongoing since Ronald Reagan was in the Oval Ofﬁce, it began with Fausto Rivas in 1988. “His vision is to do everything we can, invite everybody, have a good party, have some really good music and really good food,” said Dolores Pahl, vice president of the event and Rivas’s daughter. It started at Rivas’s family restaurant on Center Street growing bigger and bigger every year until the city offered the park more than 15 years ago. The family has continued to carry it on with Pahl and her husband Michael serving as the event directors and other members of the family serving as primary volunteers. “It’s been fascinating having it in the family. It’s challenging at times and it’s not easy ‘cause what we do, and what all of us do, is 100 percent of our time is volunteered,” Pahl said adding it was her father’s vision to have no entrance fee for the occasion. Pahl said they strove to make sure everyone was welcome. While there was Mexican food to go along with pupusas (a Salvadoran dish) empanadas and horchata, they also had hot dogs, hamburgers and funnel cakes. “We encompass diversity. We want to be all inclusive no matter what it is, we want you here,” she said.

With thousands attending the event throughout the two days, many probably saw the constant live music being played at the amphitheater. Whether it was Rivas’s granddaughter Sonia Lopez performing the national anthem or his other grandchildren presenting traditional folk dances found throughout Mexico. “It’s intergenerational,” Leimsieder said. “Because it’s run through the family, now this third generation is starting to take on some leadership opportunities and roles.” Event organizers also wanted to honor those who have performed at the event throughout the years—many musicians donate their time. “We wanted to highlight the greatest bands we’ve had in last 30 years and honor the heritage of the actual event itself,” Leimsieder said. Such honors extended to this year’s closing band, Grupo Fuego Tropical. Pahl said they have performed almost every year of the celebration and this was their ﬁrst time closing the festival. Leimsieder said the celebration is an opportunity for lesser known artists to attain more visibility. “There’s some really great artists, we’re able to expose a lot of really young and upcoming Latino artists in Utah,” he said. Pahl had to turn down eight bands this year because they ran out of room, she’s hopeful of adding a second stage in the bowery adjacent to the amphitheater to incorporate more musical acts. “I hate turning them down, I can see why my dad is so passionate about bringing them in,” Pahl said. The music is meant to be beneﬁted in the long run with any leftover proceeds from the festival going to the neighboring Boys & Girls Club to upgrade the recording studio in the Midvale location. “We’re trying to modernize that to not only be invigorated

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Live music performed throughout the day at the amphitheater for the Midvale Cinco de Mayo celebration. (Midvale Cinco de Mayo Facebook)

about music, but also give them to the chance to participate in musical opportunities,” Leimsieder said. The event also included what Pahl described as a “beautiful speech” from Mayor JoAnn Seghini. Pahl and Leimsieder expressed their appreciation for the support they receive from the mayor, city officials, Unified Fire and the Midvale Police precinct. “Chief of Police [Jason Mazuran] has been here most of the day. That has never happened, we’ve never had the chief of police out here,” Pahl said. “It’s been awesome to see them all out here and so very willing to just be here and available for whatever we need.” The festival serves as possibly the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the valley. For Dahl, it holds significant meaning having in Midvale. Dahl grew up in Midvale attending Copperview Elementary School and Midvale Middle School. Her kids attended Midvale Elementary School and she said its programs, like ones found at those schools or the Boys & Girls Club, that proved vital for her family. “I think that’s what inspires me and gives me more, just that energy to keep going because I want to give back. They directly helped me, they directly helped my children,” Dahl said. 

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PAGE 4 | JUNE 2017

MIDVALE CITY JOURNAL

Small cast brings high-energy comedic mystery to Midvale By Natalie Conforto | natalie.c@mycityjournals.com

omedy, romance, mystery, intrigue, a dance-off and murder most foul: these elements comprise West Jordan’s Sugar Factory Playhouse’s upcoming production of “Curtains” to be performed at the Midvale Performing Arts Center this June. “Think ‘Clue’ meets ‘Oklahoma’ meets ‘42nd Street,’” Jen Crabb, a principal actress in “Curtains,” said, comparing the play to other well-known shows. “Our protagonist is a detective who is an amateur drama fan, who would rather be performing in the show than investigating the murder.” Like “42nd Street”, the show contains a play-within-aplay, and includes large-scale dance numbers like “Oklahoma”. “Curtains” is also a period piece set in 1959. “This musical is like Sherlock Holmes—if he were investigating a Broadway production,” said Alex Taylor, a young adult actor in the show. Debuting on Broadway in 2008, “Curtains” is a relatively new show for a community theater to obtain. Most scripts they perform are decades old because newer scripts are too expensive. While many scripts require actors to perform what’s written verbatim, Theatrical Rights Worldwide, or TRW, provides allowances for family-oriented communities like West Jordan. When asked if “Curtains” would be appropriate for children to see, Gull said, “there are three murders in the show, but the nice thing about this company is that they give you substitute lines if your audience does not appreciate certain explicit language.” The West Jordan group will perform the milder version of “Curtains”. Gull mentioned her hopes that West Jordan will have its own theater someday. “I love Midvale, but it’s Midvale and not West Jordan,”

The cast of “Curtains” practices dance moves for the number “Show People” at West Jordan’s old library. (Natalie Conforto/City Journals)

she said. Still, Gull’s group is grateful that the Midvale Performing Arts Center was willing to rent to them within their budget. Gull said that the small theater is “much more reasonably priced than schools we try to rent. They know what it’s like. It’s such a charming place.” She described how the undersized auditorium will actually enhance the experience for viewers. “The audience gets to feel like they’re part of it, and not just watching it, because of the kind of venue it is,” said Gull. Gull said there will be “great visibility from every seat in the house” during “Curtains”, especially because she has planned for some scenes to be performed in the aisles. The tight quarters of the theater limited the number of actors Gull was able to cast. The group’s 2015 production of “Joseph”

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comfortably ﬁt 40+ actors on the Copper Hills High School stage, but “Curtains” will max out at 25 performers. However, a smaller cast means fewer costumes to create, which is helpful to Gull because she is also this show’s costumer. Many of the costumes are from her personal collection. Although she lives in Orem, Gull considers the Sugar Factory Playhouse/West Jordan Theater Arts to be her “home theater.” She and her family have been consistently involved with the group—performing or directing—since its inception 22 years ago. “This is my ﬁrst love. I’m blessed to be able to do it,” she said. “My girls literally grew up in theater. Now they’re both choreographer-actresses. It truly is an addiction.” Gull’s daughter, Kassi, is the choreographer for “Curtains”. The Gulls also volunteer their talents closer to home at Timpanogos High School, where they have directed and choreographed productions for the past several years. “Curtains” is West Jordan actor Alex Taylor’s second show with this group. “Community theatre allows me to create friendships and help bring our community together,” he said. “Sugar Factory Playhouse is unique for its ability to help all feel included and develop the performance level of each individual.” Performances will be June 22, 23, 24, 26, 29, 30 and July 1 at 7:30 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee on June 24 at the Midvale Performing Arts Center (695 W Center Street). Tickets are $8 for general admission and $5 for children 12 and under, seniors 60 and over, students (with ID) and groups of 10 or more. Tickets will be available at Macey’s grocery store in West Jordan or at the door. 

JUNE 2017 | PAGE 5

M IDVALEJOURNAL .COM

Midvale receives grant for transit-oriented development planning By Ruth Hendricks | Ruth.H@mycityjournals.com

idvale is one of 16 Wasatch Front communities to receive a Transportation and Land Use Connection (TLC) program grant for projects encouraging economic development around TRAX community and transportation centers. The TLC grant program is led by the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) and funded through a partnership with Salt Lake County, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and the Utah Transit Authority (UTA). TLC uses grant funds to support local governments with technical expertise and resources, which further local planning efforts and advance the individual vision of each community. Ted Knowlton, deputy director at WFRC, said that there are two goals of the grant. The first is to help communities achieve their long-term vision to improve the city. The second goal is to have a land use planning focus for new development. “The focus is on where development happens,” said Knowlton, “especially where there is a transportation benefit along with the other benefits.” Utah’s population is expected to nearly double by 2050, so the grant is to help cities plan for a future that includes better connectivity, greater mobility, balanced development and increased prosperity. This year’s grantees will use the funding to initiate plans and projects to foster more active transportation; encourage zoning and land use patterns that offer transportation choices; analyze and plan for the future of major corridors in the Salt Lake Valley; and develop centers within communities to support economic development and affordable living. Knowlton explained that “Placing new development by

The Bingham Junction TRAX station with surrounding buildings is an example of transit-oriented development. (Ruth Hendricks/City Journals)

a TRAX stop makes it likely that people nearby will use it, which is good for all. It makes the region a great place by reducing demands on the roads, as well reducing air pollution and emissions.” Cities applied for the competitive grant. “Midvale did a great job talking about their vision for the city and had a compelling application that showed how the greater metropolitan area would beneﬁt,” said Knowlton. Midvale’s area plan will address land use and economic

development around the TRAX Midvale Fort Union and TRAX Midvale Center stations. Analysis of the stations and surrounding neighborhoods, a conceptual plan and an implementation plan make up the key components of the project. Transit-oriented development surrounding the Midvale stations will bolster ridership and economic development through the creation of growth centers, as well as strengthen the overall sense of community in these areas. Now that the resources have been granted, the city is in complete control of the planning process. Phillip Hill, Midvale assistant city manager and community development director, said that the grant Midvale received is for $65,000, plus there is a $10,000 match from the city. The funds will be used to look at the current zoning ordinances for small area planning, which looks at architecture, parking, and the transition from higher density land use to the single-family neighborhoods. “Putting people next to transit is good. We’re suburban, so we want to give people the option to use transit. But we are concerned about how this transitions to the single-family homes,” said Hill. The city plans to hire a consultant who will do 3-D modelling of the plans. “A committee and the city council will review it,” said Hill. The next ﬁscal year’s budget for Midvale will be set after July 1. Hill hopes that starting around August they can begin the process to select a consultant. They plan to have a steering committee which would include residents, city staff and a council member. 

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MIDVALE CITY JOURNAL

City council works on next ﬁscal year’s budget

Introducing...

By Ruth Hendricks | Ruth.H@mycityjournals.com

Andrew K. Moore, MD Board Certiﬁed Infertility Specialist NOW PART OF Reproductive Care Center & accepting new patients!

Projected revenue for the 2018 fiscal year he Midvale City Council has begun the comes from the following sources: process of setting the budget for the fiscal • Taxes - $12.9 million year beginning on July 1, 2017. Starting with • Licenses and permits - $571,000 a budget retreat in March, the city council met • Intergovernmental revenue (such as grants with staff to learn about available revenue and and state funds) - $1.3 million projections for the coming year. • Charges for services - $1.8 million City staff had put together the tentative • Fines and forfeitures - $1 million budget based on the priorities the council set • Miscellaneous revenue and contributions during the retreat. At the council meeting on $439,500 May 2, Laurie Harvey, assistant city manager, presented the tentative budget. Part of the Midvale City Hall. (Ruth Hendricks/City Journals) The total projected revenues for the coming council meeting was set aside for a public budget are $18.1 million. hearing on adopting this tentative budget. As Seghini stated in her letter in the May issue of the City Journal, Mayor JoAnn Seghini emphasized that, “This budget is a working document that can be changed, not a final budget.” The council needs “We invite you to participate in our budget process… The tentative budget someplace to start from and discuss, so that is what this tentative budget will be posted on our website at www.midvalecity.org. At each Council meeting between May 2 and June 13, the Council will review and discuss does, Seghini explained. At city council meetings during May and until June 13, the council the budget with department directors. The Council will hold a second will meet with each department and hear presentations about their budget public hearing on June 6, 2017, followed by adoption of the final Fiscal requests. The council will develop a list with all the options for projects, Year 2018 budget on June 20, 2017.” Seghini’s letter goes on to state: “As Mayor, I can assure you that whether they are on-going or one-time, and will prioritize that list. “This year we have enough to go quite far down the priority list,” said your elected officials and City staff understand the importance of spending City funds wisely. Collectively, we weigh wants versus needs, and we Harvey. “The sizable property tax increase helps.” Harvey explained that the reasons for having adequate revenue during value your input as taxpayers. We view the stewardship of City funds as the coming year are due to the property tax increase and the growth in sales sacred and we appreciate your opinions and ideas as well as your trust and tax, which is around 8 percent this year. Harvey said her forecast for the support.”  coming year is about 4 percent growth in sales tax.

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RCC physicians also conduct research and studies to stay ahead of the curve. Dr. Andrew K. Moore, an infertility specialist at the clinic, recently completed a major research study that showed a strong correlation between healthy habits combined with couple’s therapy and its improvement on natural conception. With all the success that Reproductive Care Center has achieved, it hasn’t always come easy. For a long time, infertility was a topic that was not discussed openly. Through continued research and scientific advancements, as well as the openness of many high-profile people, Reproductive Care Center is finally seeing the shift in the perception of infertility. Patients seek out a specialist much sooner than before because they know it is available and acceptable. Another major challenge is that most insurance companies do not offer infertility treatment benefits. While they do often cover consultations and diagnostic treatment, they do not typically provide benefits for intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF). Legislators are looking at how to improve coverage, but in the meantime, RCC has worked tirelessly to provide affordable

treatment options to patients including incomebased discounts, military discounts, ﬁnancing for IVF, multiple IVF Cycle package discounts, and a 100% Money-Back Guarantee IVF Program for qualifying patients. “We understand that so many of our patients, especially those that need IVF, are having to pay for it out of pocket,” said Rachel Greene, the marketing coordinator at RCC. “It is a difﬁcult hurdle to jump and we do as much as we can to accommodate.” Resolve.org, a national organization, has pushed the discussion of infertility to the national level with legislators and insurance companies. They initiated the National Infertility Awareness Week which was April 23-29. RCC participated by offering daily giveaways and providing a free seminar. RCC also sponsored a date night hosted by Utah Infertility Resource Center, a local counseling and support resource with whom RCC has chosen to partner. RCC is focused on providing compassionate and quality care to their patients. Reproductive Care Center has affordable consultation prices and are ready to see new patients in all their locations, visit www.fertilitydr.com to learn more. 

JUNE 2017 | PAGE 7

M IDVALEJOURNAL .COM

Hillcrest High sends 26 students to compete at FBLA Nationals By Julie Slama | Julie@mycityjournals.com

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Hillcrest High FBLA students started the year being awarded about 35 top-place ﬁnishes at the fall Aggie Invitational competition in Logan and 26 of those students later earned invitations to compete at nationals in June. (Hillcrest High School)

illcrest High Senior Emily Johnston knew they blew their chance. “We were done with our presentation and there was one question we couldn’t answer,” she said about the state Future Business Leaders of America management information systems contest, which she teamed up with junior Pooja Annigeri and senior Kayla Kelsey. “I told them here it was International Women’s Day and we were letting all these boys beat us.” Much to Emily’s surprise, the team was called up on stage for the announcement of the top 10 places. Once again, she muttered they probably finished 10th, even though her teammates thought otherwise. When it was announced they had won, she was shocked. “We were ridiculously screaming. I didn’t expect it at all,” she said. This team was one of 23 other top Hillcrest finishers who will compete at the national FBLA competition in late June in Anaheim, California. Three additional students qualified for nationals, but are unable to attend, said teacher Jennifer Walters, who joined Manny Kepas in advising the team this year. Emily, who said she focused more on her other event, said preparing for this one was more last-minute by researching different types of management information systems and using the abilities they already had, such as critical thinking, organizational skills and business experience. Luck also prevailed as the role-play focused on food truck management and one of the team members had experience working on a food truck. “We were able to put our presentation together pretty quickly,” she said. “This was a lot more fun than my written test.” However, as they prepare for nationals, she anticipates it will become more intense. Plus, Pooja won’t be able to attend so senior Yunha Hwang will step into the team. “We’ll practice more role plays and look up more about security issues, maybe even shadow people in the field,” Emily said. The FBLA season began in early fall, when 60 students attended the Aggie Invitational, earning

about 35 first- and second-place finishers. In the metro regionals for the Greater Salt Lake area, the team received first place high school chapter award. Walter said about 40 students finished in the top three. At state, the team of 50 students placed in every event, Walters said. They also received an outstanding chapter award along with the gold seal chapter award of merit. In addition, Hillcrest students had leadership opportunities, including junior Jaehyun Han as voted state president. This year, senior Soyoung Jeon and senior Abby Olson served as state secretary and state webmaster respectively. “I was told this was a great group of kids who perform well and I’m still in an element of shock and surprise,” Walters said. “They’ve shown real dedication and hard work.” As students prepare for nationals, two sophomores, Aisha Khan and Sydney Larsen, are reviewing judges’ notes and asking upperclassmen for advice. The two are competing in a social media campaign where after they made a trailer starring Sydney’s dog, Bentley, they learned how to advertise it on social media. They also had to determine a target audience as well as an advertising plan within a set budget. “We’re looking over the score sheet and getting feedback to see how we can improve,” Aisha said. “We felt confident with our performance and we worked really hard. Our trailer was strong and we felt that dogs appeal to all audiences.” Sydney said that through FBLA she has sharpened her presentation skills. “I love the FBLA environment and the people,” she said. “I’m pretty proud of what we’ve done and can’t wait until we compete at nationals.” Other Hillcrest students who will be nationals include Bryson Armstrong, Rishab Balakrishnan, Rylee Brown, Samuel Campbell, Aidan Copinga, Juile Fu, Jaehyun Han, Brady Hartog, Sarah Hu, Tess Jorgensen, Sean Kuo, Gaurav Mishra, Annabella Oliver, Sraavya Pinjala, Hayden Prince, Saraj Ramkumar, Yunye Sun, Vivek Vankayalapati, Eric Yu, Stephen Yu and Christine Yun. 

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PAGE 8 | JUNE 2017

MIDVALE CITY JOURNAL

DECA students represent Hillcrest High well at state, national competitions By Julie Slama | Julie@mycityjournals.com

hen Hillcrest High junior Suraj Ramkumar and his teammate, junior Rylee Brown, received their medals for making the final round at the national DECA competition, the audience knew they were happy. “When it was announced we were one of the teams in the finals, we were jumping and hugging,” Suraj said. He even flashed a U with his forefingers and thumbs to represent the team from Utah. “We were so excited.” The duo making the finals and fellow DECA teammates and seniors Jared Liddiard and Parker Uber scoring in the top 10 percent on their tests were amongst Hillcrest High’s highlights at the national contest held in late April in Anaheim, California. DECA, a non-profit student organization, prepares emerging high school leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. There are more than 215,000 members in 3,500 high school chapters across the United States. Making the final round had been one of Suraj’s goals since he began as a freshman. “I had a friend who was a senior get me into DECA. I sent him a text to let him know we made it to the finals and he was so happy for us,” he said. Once the announcement was made, Suraj and Rylee realized they only had minutes before their final round began. “It was probably a good thing because I felt we had so much adrenaline and energy in our final role play,” he said. Suraj said that he has a lot to be thankful through his experience in DECA. “I love DECA and how much it has done for me. At first, I was nervous talking to people and couldn’t look them in the eye.

Fifty Hillcrest High DECA students competed and took the top three places at state. (Emily Merrell/Hillcrest High School)

I was nervous to get up in front of people,” he said. In three years, Suraj not only has become more comfortable with his presentations in front of judges, he also has served this past year as state DECA central region vice president and this spring, won his state presidency election. “I am passionate about DECA and that shows through my excitement when I talk to people. I’d like to get more people involved statewide and to connect and build relationships with other chapters,” he said. Besides Suraj, Rylee, Jared and Parker, 20 other Hillcrest High students competed at nationals after placing in the top honors at the state DECA competition in February. Several others qualiﬁed, but had conﬂicts that prevented them from

attending. At state, 50 students were in the finals and the team took seven first-place honors, eight in second place and 11 thirdplace finishes. There were 11 repeat winners and two students had three-peated. Students Tyler Ball, Parker Uber and Emily Johnston placed in the top 10 percent in their written tests, said adviser Emily Merrell. In addition to Suraj and Rylee, the state winners include Tyler Ball, Ben Bown, Paul Edwards, Sean Kuo and Jalen Rasmussen. Second-place awardees include Michelle Chung, Gabrielle Ciet, Sophia Khalaji, Jared Liddiard, Ismael Pinto, Ellie Runk, Christopher Turner and Parker Uber. Third place finishes included Michael Alverson, Tyler Ball, Rylee Brown, Jaehyun Han, Emily Johnston, Sujar Ramkumar, Jose Rodriguez, Harini Srinivasan, Vivek Vankayalapati, Cameron Welch and Angie Zheng. “We really have talented students,” said Merrell. “In individual events, students usually study and prepare on their own. With team events, they get together reviewing role plays and tests. They practice problem-solving skills with different scenarios. Often, the role plays call for them to think on their toes and be creative to come up with a plan. Then, they need to work together as a team to prepare a seamless presentation.” She said that a solid understanding of marketing can be applied to any category. “They can compete in something they may not know as well, but it’s still marketing something so the same skills and understanding is being used,” Merrell said. “It’s a skill they will be able to use in their future as well as with DECA.” 

In The Middle of Everything City Hall – 7505 South Holden Street • Midvale, UT 84047 MIDVALE CITY DIRECTORY City Hall Finance/Utilities Court City Attorney’s Office City Recorder/H.R. Community Development Public Works Ace Disposal/Recycling City Museum Senior Citizens Center SL County Animal Services Midvale Precinct UPD Police Dispatch Unified Fire Authority Fire Dispatch

801-567-7200 801-567-7202 801-255-4234 801-567-7250 801-567-7225 801-567-7211 801-567-7235 801-363-9995 801-569-8040 385-468-3350 385-468-7387 385-468-9350 801-743-7000 801-743-7200 801-840-4000

MIDVALE CITY ELECTED OFFICIALS MAYOR JoAnn B. Seghini Email: joanns@midvale.com CITY COUNCIL District 1 - Quinn Sperry Email: qsperry@midvale.com District 2 - Paul Glover Email: pglover@midvale.com District 3 - Paul Hunt Email: phunt@midvale.com District 4 - Wayne Sharp Email: wsharp@midvale.com District 5 - Stephen Brown Email: sbrown@midvale.com

801-567-7204

801-255-5428 801-561-5773 801-842-8524 801-567-8709 801-783-0962

(801)567-7258 (801)567-7202 (801)567-7202 (801)567-7212 (801)567-7207 (801) 255-4234 (801)567-7202 (801)567-7213 (801)567-7246 (801)567-7235 (801) 256-2575 (801)567-7231 (801)567-7208 (801)256-2537 (801)256-2541

EMERGENCY OR DISASTER CONTACT Public Works (7 am to 5 pm) (801)567-7235 Public Works On-Call (after business hours) (801)580-7274 OR (801)580-7034 Fire Dispatch – Unified Fire Authority (801)840-4000 Midvale Police Precinct (385) 468-9350 or Police Dispatch Unified Police Department (801)743-7000 EMERGENCY 911

CITY NEWSLETTER

By Mayor JoAnn B. Seghini

AS I See IT We have had our spring clean-up and we are all involved with planting and getting our yards ready for spring and summer. We must also be aware of the requirements related to the maintenance of our properties. Some of you have chosen to have yards that use less water. Your landscape design should ﬁt into the neighborhood. Conserving water is important because it helps to preserve our environment and reduces the energy required to process and deliver water, in addition, it saves money. Saving water now means having water available in the future too. Leaving your outside area un-kept, makes your property less valuable and impacts the value of homes near you. Midvale City ordinance requires that properties are kept in clean and sanitary conditions. The property owner must make sure that grass and weeds do not exceed a height of six inches. When weeds are removed, or cut down, they should be disposed of within 72 hours of the cutting. Failure to control growth of weeds or grasses can result in the city contracting for the maintenance service and then passing that cost on to the property owner. Each residence with a park strip is also required to maintain this area as well. Many of us have shrubs and hedges. These also must be trimmed so that they do not grow over the sidewalk areas. They must also be trimmed so that they are not high enough to restrict the view of drivers backing out of the property. It might be necessary to trim those near the sidewalk and driveway more than once a

season. Safety first is a good slogan. It is also important to keep your property clear of junk and debris. If you have high weeds, grass and collections of wood, abandoned or discarded equipment or furniture, cans or containers, solid waste, or flammable materials represent a fire danger for residents and their neighbors. If you are interested in finding ways to save water, the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy has a demonstration garden at 8215 South and 1300 West in West Jordan. They have examples of irrigation systems, and plantings that are draught resistant as well as garden planning ideas. Graffiti is another problem that we see around the City and, for that matter, in all parts of the county. If you should you have someone deface your property with graffiti, call Midvale City Code Enforcement for help in removal. The City cannot do this without your permission. Simply put, property maintenance is required and it’s up to each owner, lessee, tenant or occupant to be responsible for the continued proper maintenance to present a healthy, neat, and orderly appearance in our neighborhoods and throughout the City. Thank you for your efforts in making your homes and your yards beautiful. Welcome to Spring and Summer.

The Best Kept Secret in Midvale FREE Summer Concerts in the Park

WHO TO CALL FOR… Water Bills Ordering A New Trash Can Reserving the Bowery Permits GRAMA requests Court Paying For Traffic School Business Licensing Property Questions Cemetery Water Line Breaks Planning and Zoning Building Inspections Code Enforcement Graffiti North of 7200 S Code Enforcement/Graffiti South of 7200 S

As I See It

JUNE 2017

The Midvale Arts Council Free Summer Concert Series is beginning its fourth year in the Midvale City Park Amphitheater every Friday beginning June 9 through August 4, 2017. The concerts are family friendly and begin at 6:30 with lawn seating— bring your blankets and lawn chairs. The Midvale Park is located at 455 West 7500 South, Midvale, Utah. These concerts give the community the opportunity to enjoy a variety of free entertainment while enjoying an evening in the park. Added to the entertainment will be other activities in the park sponsored by organizations such as Tyler Library and the Midvale Boys and Girls Club. Entertainment this year includes: Bent Fender, Incendio, Joshua Creek, 23rd Army Band, Mary Kaye, Cityjazz Big Band, Assembly 6.0, Jarabe Mexicano, and Channel Z. Food Trucks will be on site for each concert. For additional information go to: www.midvalearts.com

In The Middle of Everything

WWW . MIDVALECITY . ORG

Springtime = Garden Time!

It’s time to plant at the Mountain View Community Garden Midvale has a thriving Community Garden, located at 8050 South 300 East, that is now open for applications for the 2017 gardening season. If you don’t have space at your home, or if you want to garden alongside other enthusiasts, or if you simply want to try a garden for the first time, then the Community Garden might be perfect for you. We have 50 raised-bed gardens that are available to our Midvale neighbors, all of which are watered automatically through our drip irrigation system. Our soil is very fertile, and we have unlimited sunlight. What could be easier? As something fun to do together, we have a community pumpkin patch, and are adding a large raspberry patch for this coming season. While providing residents a chance to grow food for themselves and others, one goal of the Community Garden is to become a community gathering place that facilitates cross-cultural and inter-generational connections between Midvale residents; many friendships have been formed between gardeners and neighbors. The Garden facilitates educational and volunteer opportunities for schools and clubs, creates opportunities to teach and practice concepts of environmental stewardship, and enriches the local community through preservation of our urban greenspace. The Garden is a member of the Wasatch Community Garden network, which provides outreach to teach gardeners by teaching concepts of planting, growing, harvesting, seed storage, cultivation, and pest control.

Midvale City Receives TAP Award At City Council Meeting May 16, 2017, Doug Folsom, Utah Local Governments Trust presented Midvale City with the 2016 TAP Award, a recognition for implementation of best practices for loss prevention for both liability and workers compensation. City staff has implemented programs as a requirement for safety, losses and liability. He congratulated the City and gave a special thanks to Rori Andreason and Midvale City Staff for their participation and hard work.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: We will rent to you a raised-bed garden that’s either five-, ten-, or fifteen-feet long. The costs for these gar-

dens are $20, $40, or $60, respectively, for the entire season. This includes water and compost for you to add to your garden as you see fit. We have tools that you can borrow, and plenty of folks alongside with you to answer any questions that you may have. We have two ADA-accessible garden beds for those who may be disabled or use a wheelchair, but still love to garden. Sound good? The only thing we ask in return is that you agree to donate five hours of your time between now and October to help with various types of garden projects and chores. Once you join the garden, your own garden plot will be automatically reserved for you for as many years as you wish to keep gardening. Our new garden space is available on a firstcome, first-served basis, and this year, we have approximately 10 garden beds to rent out. Don’t delay and lose this opportunity! If you’re not sure and just want to see the garden, please drive or bicycle over to the garden between dawn-to-dusk and pay a visit. If you’re ready to dig in and join up with us, here’s how to contact us: Via email (preferred): mvcgarden@gmail.com Via telephone: please call (801) 561-5911 on Monday, or Wednesday through Friday. The helpful person who answers the phone will take a message for you to be called back as soon as possible. Springtime = garden time. We hope to see you at the Community Garden soon! We are looking for several experienced gardeners to come along side and help us manage and expand our beautiful garden. If you are interested, please contact Dale at mvgarden@gmail.com.

Midvale City Summer Construction Update Crack Seal and Slurry Crews Start Date: May 3, 2017 Crews will be working on various neighborhoods throughout the City. You will be notified 24 hours in advance of contractor crews arrival. Expect no on-street parking during the surface applications. Limited travel on roads will cause minor inconveniences. VEHICLES PARKED ON THE ROAD AFTER NOTIFICATION WILL BE TOWED. Adams Street Waterline Start Date: May 9, 2017 Crews will be replacing the existing 4” water main with an 8” water main. Road closures are expected with limited street access and no on-street parking.

Grant Street Reconstruction - 7720 South to 7615 South Start Date: June 1, 2017 Crews will be removing trees that are causing damage to curb, sidewalks and road area. An 8” water main will be installed and the side walk and curb will be replaced while a new asphalt roadway is constructed. Expect road closures, no on-street parking and limited access during some phases of construction. Allen Street Reconstruction Between Fern Street and Wasatch Street Start date: June 15, 2017 End Date: August 15, 2017 Crews will be removing trees that are causing damage to sidewalks and curbs. Sidewalk and curbs will be replaced as well as select drive approaches. New asphalt will be installed. Expect parking and traffic in the area to be impacted. There will be no on-street parking during construction.

JUNE 2017 CITY NEWSLETTER

WWW . FACEBOOK . COM / MIDVALECITY

RECYCLING FAQ

Be Bright,

Recycle Right!

Where can I recycle electronics?

Trans-Jordan Landﬁll, 10473 Bacchus Highway

Where can Styrofoam be recycled?

Styrofoam is not accepted in curbside recycling but you do have other options for recycling if you are willing and able to make the effort. Most UPS Store locations will gladly take foam packaging peanuts to be re-used as long as they are not the dissolvable variety. ACH Foam Technologies in Murray recycles larger foam packaging like the kind used to protect electronics. Please visit www. achfoam.com for more information.

I always carry garbage out to the trash can in garbage bags, is it OK to bag recycling?

NO! Please do not bag your recycling. Plastic bags of any kind do not belong in curbside recycling bins. If you must line your indoor recycling, empty the recycling into the curbside recycling bin without the liner. Some grocery store recycle plastic bags. For drop off locations please visit www. plasticﬁlmrecycling.org.

Where can I recycle batteries?

Trans-Jordan recycles rechargeable batteries free of charge. Murray City Public Works accepts all types of batteries, including alkaline batteries, from Salt Lake County residents. Murray Public Works ABOP Facility is located at 4646 S. 500 W.

Does green waste like yard clippings and wood go in the curbside recycling bin?

No! Please do not put green waste in curbside recycling. Yard trimmings are considered green

Paper & Cardboard waste and can be dropped off at the landﬁll for a small fee for residents who do not have a third green waste curbside bin. Green waste is transformed into woodchips and compost that beneﬁts parks and residents throughout the valley.

Why is there no glass in curbside recycling?

Glass is not accepted at the Material Recovery Facility where your curbside recycling is taken. Neither of the two facilities are set up to receive glass and broken glass contaminates good recycling. There are many drop off locations around the valley for glass recycling. Some areas have the option to sign up for curbside glass recycling through Wasatch Front Waste & Recycling District for a monthly fee. Visit www.wasatchfrontwaste. org for more information.

Can clothing and shoes be recycled in the curbside bin?

NO! Curbside recycling is no place for your wardrobe. Donating clothing and shoes to be reused by charity is a great way to help others, but it will not get their by way of curbside recycling. In fact, clothing and shoes that make it to recycling facilities end up in the landﬁll as trash.

Employee Spotlight Rori Andreason

HR Director, City Recorder, Public Info. Officer Rori started her career at Midvale City as the City Recorder. Over the 13 years serving the citizens of Midvale City, Rori has added a few additional job titles to her responsibilities. She serves as the Human Resource Director, City Recorder, and Public Information Officer. Within those roles, she is Risk Manager, Official Records Officer of the City, and manages and directs the departments of Human Resources and City Recorder’s Office. She attends all City Council meetings, ensures the minutes are transcribed and approved correctly, is responsible for GRAMA records requests, as well as all official records of the City. In her Human Resource role, she is responsible for risk management claims and safety, training, creating and implementing policies and procedures, oversees payroll and benefits, oversees reservations of some City facilities, market surveys and other responsibilities associated with serving as the Human Resource Director. She has also taken on the responsibility of serving as the Public Information Officer, which at this point has

Paper & Cardboard

Aluminum & Steel

Plastic Bottles & Containers

Office Paper Junk Mail Magazines Newspaper Paper Bags Paperboard Boxes Cardboard Egg Cartons Cardboard Clean Pizza Box Lids

Plastic Bottles & Containers

Empty Aerosol Cans Aluminum Cans Steel Cans

NO plastic bags, foam, or glass!

Containers & Lids Food Bottles & Containers Drink Bottles Plastic Jugs

KEEP IT CLEAN! All items must be free of food & liquids.

Recycling Questions? Visit Transjordan.org/recycle Draper • Midvale • Murray • Riverton • Sandy • South Jordan • West Jordan

Collectively dedicated to conserving resources for a sustainable future.

Morning Person or Night Person? Neither, but prefer mornings. If you could meet any famous person, who would you meet? Chris Hemsworth (THOR) What is your favorite fairy tale, myth, or legend? Beauty and the Beast. What is the weirdest food you have ever eaten? Alligator. If someone made a movie of your life, who would play you? Sandra Bullock. If you were a wrestler, what song would they play while you walked to the ring? When asked the following questions, Rori’s re- Thunderstruck by AC/DC. sponses were… What is your favorite dinosaur? Tyrannosaurus Rex. Coke or Pepsi? If you had to change your ﬁrst name, what would Coke – Diet Coke. you change it to? Who is your favorite author? Abigail, Madison or Ella. Stephen King. included a lot of training in case of an emergency. Before joining Midvale City, Rori served West Jordan City for 16 years giving her nearly 30 years’ experience in local government. She is a Master Municipal Clerk, and certiﬁed in Human Resources. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration. Rori has two amazing boys she is so proud of, both of which are married to the most beautiful amazing women. She also has two absolutely beautiful grandkids that are the love of her life. When not at work, Rori faithfully attends her boot camp workout and tends to her yard. She also enjoys horseback riding, hiking, camping, ATVs, jigsaw puzzles, and absolutely adores her dogs.

In The Middle of Everything MIDVALE CITY HARVEST DAYS 2017 Schedule Of Events

This is your PERSONAL INVITATION to attend the traditional community event that started in 1939 MONDAY & FRIDAY, AUGUST 7TH & 11TH AND THE FOLLOWING MONDAY, AUGUST 14TH NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCK PARTIES Kick-off the festival with neighbors and family in your own Midvale neighborhood. This establishes relationships that strengthen our union of communities. PLEASE CALL (385) 468-9350 TO ARRANGE A VISIT FROM THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, STAFF, UNIFIED POLICE & UNIFIED FIRE Limited to 10 party visits per night First Come First Serve

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9TH HALL OF HONORS, ART SHOW & YOUTH AMBASSADORS INDUCTION CEREMONY Midvale Performing Arts Center (695 W. Center St.-7720 S.) 5:00 – 9:00 pm Arts Show

FRIDAY, AUGUST 11TH NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCK PARTIES PLEASE CALL (385) 468-9350 TO ARRANGE A VISIT FROM THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, STAFF, UNIFIED POLICE & UNIFIED FIRE Limited to 10 party visits per night First Come First Serve

HARVEST DAYS PARADE

ENTERTAINMENT & GAMES FOR THE FAMILY Noon to 5:00 pm Bounce Houses, Face Painting, Pictures with Princesses, Food Trucks and more! ENTERTAINMENT ON THE STAGE: Midvale Main Street Theater, The Walker Brothers, & Quick Wits

7:00 pm Opening Band TBD 8:00 – 9:30 pm Feature Entertainment OSMOND-CHAPMAN ORCHESTRA Starring DAVID OSMOND

Light refreshments will be served.

FIREWORKS 10PM

5:30 – 6:30 pm

Fire & Police Demonstrations

5:30 – 6:30 pm 6:30 pm

Dinner – Midvale Mining

Free Bingo in the Bowery

Must be 12 or older to play & win. Rafﬂe for kids under 12. Bingo sponsored by Midvale City and local merchants. *Free giveaways for adults & children

Sister Missionaries from Temple Square Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints.

10:00 am – Locate the parade route at: www.midvaleharvestdays.com

Midvale City honors those who have dedicated their lives to making Midvale a better place. Midvale artists of every level are also showcased in the annual juried arts show.

DINNER AND BINGO IN THE BOWERY

Cinco de Mayo was celebrated at the Midvale Senior Center on the ﬁfth of May. More than 200 people were served a wonderful lunch and enjoyed a program of music and dance from Mexico. This holiday is a time to acknowledge the battle between the Mexican people and the French army. A small group of citizens of Mexico overcame a group of French Army soldiers and maintained control of their country and protected as well part of their northern border that would become the southern border in America. A group of missionaries from the LDS Church of Latter Day Saints acted as waitresses for the crowd that came together to celebrate a day enjoyed by many citizens of our community. Thank you to all who participated and to Salt Lake County for helping the Midvale Senior Center to have this wonderful event.

MIDVALE CITY PARK - 455 W. 7500 S.

Hall of Honors Inductees: Trent Jepson & Iris Buhler

THURSDAY, AUGUST 10TH

Cinco De Mayo Celebrated at Midvale Senior Center

SATURDAY, AUGUST 12TH

FREE CONCERTS AMPHITHEATER STAGE Food Trucks Available Bring blankets and chairs

7:00 pm Induction Ceremony /Awards

WWW . MIDVALECITY . ORG

Order of the Eastern Star Donates Stuffed Animals to Midvale City Betsy Jones, Order of the Eastern Star which is an international organization that both men and women can belong. Internationally they give over 1 million dollars a day to charity. They presented several bags full of stuffed animals for Midvale City to be used by the police department for children who have been is a difficult position. They gave 100 stuffed animals for the police and homeless shelter for their use. Chief Mazuran, Unified Police Chief, said he would take the stuffed animals also to the crime victim advocates for their use.

JUNE 2017 | PAGE 13

M IDVALEJOURNAL .COM

Copperview students learn about future professions at Career Day By Julie Slama | Julie@mycityjournals.com

Your Career Begins

with Us!

Member Care Representative While painting mascot masks, Career Day presenter and artist Mary Evans tells students to pick a career they’d enjoy doing. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

ary Evans asked Copperview Elementary students: “What do you like? What are you good at?” Then, she said, “I like art. My teachers told me I was good at it.” So, Evans told students she rethought jobs she has had such as putting stickers on papers, cleaning and calling people to ask for money. “I wanted a job that I’m happy doing. For me, that’s art,” she said. Evans now creates mascots’ masks, carefully applying paint to their faces. “I was taught the skills and then, I practiced and practiced until I became conﬁdent. When you look at a job, look for something you love and you’re good at so you’ll be happy doing it,” she told students. Throughout several presentations, Copperview students learned from parents and community volunteers about the pros and cons of their professions and letting them know what class subjects have been helpful in careers ranging from a truck driver to a rocket scientist. Keeping students engaged in school and learning their passion for careers is why Canyons School District hosts career days, said Cher Burbank, work-based facilitator. “We want students to look around their community and explore careers and have a variety to learn about,” she said. Pizza Pie Café owner Robin Mullins said that one perk of her job is that she can eat pizza any time she wants. “I make the dough and throw it up in the air,” she said. “Then I turned it around before adding sauce and cheese. Then, I add pepperoni and more pepperoni and more pepperoni. When it’s done, I use a big shovel to get the pizza out of the oven so I don’t burn my hands. Then, I can eat pizza every day.”

Mullins uses math to calculate the amounts of ingredients to add to the pizza dough. She uses business management and organizational skills to run her company. “I learned how to read and write, and I wanted a job that would be fun. It’s hard work, but I wanted to own my own business and wanted to be involved in my community,” she said. Third-grade teacher Lynda McBride said that the career day offers students the opportunity to learn more about careers besides those of their family or neighbors. “These presenters give students a lot of ideas of careers they can explore and look more into,” she said. “We want them to embrace the importance of learning and how training is often needed for their careers. We want them to know they can be anything they want to be. We want them to be lifetime learners and to choose careers they love. I’m lucky I love the job I have.” Third-grader Zoe Godinez appreciated the veterinarian presentation. “I love helping pets and want to take care of pets of the sea as a marine veterinarian,” she said. “I want to help all sea animals from dolphins to alligators because I think it will be interesting and challenging.” Zoe already has looked into her career. “I know it will take eight years of school. I know that it can be dangerous working with some animals so they will need their mouths taped closed, but I don’t want them to be uncomfortable either. My favorite subject is math and I’m a pretty good reader so I’m already learning about as much as I can about it,” she said. Still, she has learned from the Career Fair. “I learned that you have to practice to be good at what you do and that we should be getting good at being students now,” Zoe said. 

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PAGE 14 | JUNE 2017

MIDVALE CITY JOURNAL

Breathe in, breathe out and bowl By Travis Barton | travis@mycityjournals.com

Emily Pelzer, a Hillcrest High freshman, bowls at Fat Cats in April. Pelzer had major lung reconstruction in January and will be heading to nationals in July. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

idvale’s Emily Pelzer is a 15-year-old used to winning bowling championships, sending a 16 pound bowling ball down the lane. So, she wasn’t about to let dime-sized holes in her lung ruin her game. “It’s the only hobby I felt like I could connect with and the only thing that makes me happy,” said Pelzer, who started bowling at age 7 at Big City Bowl. The Hillcrest High School freshman won the past seven Pepsi Youth Bowling championships and is now preparing for the Junior Gold Championships in Cleveland, Ohio July 15-22. But at one point last year, she almost lost her chance to keep bowling. One morning in September, Pelzer felt pains in her chest—pain strong enough to force her onto the floor and for her mom to rush her to the doctor. “Heart rate was perfectly fine,” recalled Pelzer’s mother Sherry Harding. “(Then) they took a chest X-ray and they go ‘oh, you have holes the size of a dime.’” Three of them. In her right lung. Doctors rushed her in for a successful chest tube procedure and then every two weeks she had to go in for a check-up. Pelzer was back bowling a week after the lung collapse, though she couldn’t last long due to the pain it caused in her chest. “It got to the point where I need to get this fixed so I can continue bowling where I don’t have to take any breaks,” she said. On average, she bowls five days a week and averages a score of 176 (the highest average in the high school league). In January, Pelzer went in for major lung reconstruction surgery where surgeons repaired the dime-sized holes in her lungs. “That was a scary situation,” Harding said of the lung surgery. “I didn’t know if she would ever be able to go back bowling because of her lungs, but she fought hard and kicked right back.” The day after surgery, when Pelzer asked if

she could go bowling, the nurse suggested she go to the play room and bowl with the plastic pins and a ball. “She was like ‘that’s an insult to me,’” Harding recalled her daughter saying. A few months later, recovered at 100 percent health, Pelzer won the qualifying tournament sending her to this summer’s nationals. “[Her] one quote is ‘champions will always find a way to win.’ That has actually kind of kept her going since she had major lung reconstruction,” said her mom. Pelzer has also broken both wrists, both prior to the lung surgery, one while skating and the other when she fell backwards, affecting her ability to bowl. “Those are her trials,” Harding said. Despite difficulties and broken bones, she’s earned a bowling scholarship to Texas A&M. “I’m pretty pumped,” Pelzer said adding her first reaction to being offered a scholarship was to work harder. “I was like ‘wow, I didn’t even know I was this good…okay, I have to work harder now,’” she said. For Harding, seeing her daughter’s progression has evoked constant happiness— from watching Pelzer win her first tournament to being set for college. “I’m very proud of her for what she’s done with bowling. I think she’ll go far,” Harding said. Pelzer may only be 15, but she knows exactly what she wants to do. Her aspirations include becoming an ultrasound technician and bowling coach, especially for people with disabilities. “That would just make my life complete,” she said. But, before she gets there, Pelzer has high school to complete and a national competition to attend. Prior to leaving Midvale, you’ll find her at Big City Bowl where she’ll be practicing and breathing deeply. 

JUNE 2017 | PAGE 15

M IDVALEJOURNAL .COM

Sandy City Youth Council students honor outstanding Midvale teachers By Julie Slama | Julie@mycityjournals.com

illcrest High School senior Melissa Regalado had one science teacher for three years during her high school career, but it wasn’t until last year when she learned to appreciate him. “It was during my junior year when I got very distracted and wasn’t focusing on my school work,” she said. “I procrastinated doing it and then would finally turn it in late. When Mr. (Phil) Talbot thanked me for turning it, but still marked me down for being late, it made me feel miserable. I knew I needed to make a change and he helped me see that.” While Regalado did turn around her scholastic work, she remembers he always supported her. “He was always willing to answer questions. He’s one of the first teachers at school and one of the last to leave. He’s always patient and has a sense of humor. I’d groan when he announced a test and he’d just respond, ‘oh well,’ and make me laugh,” she said. Talbot, who teaches advanced placement, international baccalaureate and honors biology, was one of five teachers in Midvale who were recently recognized as one of Sandy City Youth Council’s outstanding teachers at their 23rd annual teacher appreciation dinner. “It was a surprise when Melissa told me she nominated me for this recognition,” Talbot said. “I’m a little surprised when she admitted turning in her homework late. It’s nice to get an award and be recognized for what you love doing. I’ve received some nice awards through the years, but when a student nominates you, it means so much more since it’s coming from their heart.” This may be one of the last teaching recognitions the 41-year teaching veteran receives since he will be retiring this school year. Talbot, who took students to study evolution in the Galapagos Islands when he

taught for 31 years at Skyline High, has been honored with national Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Education, the National Association of Biology Teachers outstanding biology teacher award, the national Tandy award and Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s most inspirational teacher award and distinguished teacher recognition. “I’ve always had a fascination with animals and plants. I like to think I was born a biologist. I’d hike with my two brothers when I was little and I’d just look into the water in a ditch and be interested in algae and critters. I hoped I’ve shared that love with students,” he said. Sandy City Mayor Tom Dolan said that he thinks the world is in good hands because of the teachers’ encouragement with students. “These students are our main successes with their scholarship and their service to our community and we thank our teachers for their influence,” he said. “We appreciate our teachers and what they mean to us, to our students. Every teacher has the right heart and how they express it and how students remember it is moving.” For junior Megan Okumura, it was having her English teacher, Shelly Edmonds, be supportive of her as she had transferred to Hillcrest from another school. “She can be fun and stern, understanding and loving, but you can tell how much love she has for her students,” Megan said. “She helps us see our potential so we can be better students.” “It’s a privilege to teach these kids, who are both community and academically orientated, and especially, to be honored by one of them,” Edmonds said. “I had some great teachers in my life who had significant influence on me and so I’m thankful when Megan says I inspired her. It’s about getting to share great literature with them, watching

Local teachers Shelly Edmonds, Phil Talbot, Kenneth Herlin, Heather Gooch, Rita Egbert, Robert Violano and John Henrichsen recently were awarded plaques when they were nominated and honored by Sandy City Youth Council. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

them discover and learn from it and having fun doing it.” Sophomore Alex Cheng said learning some of the toughest math principles was made fun through memory techniques with songs and sayings, such as “the integration by parts, d(uv) – udv =vdu, is ultraviolet voodoo.” “Mr. (Kenneth) Herlin is one of the best math teachers I’ve ever had,” Alex said. “He can answer any question on the spot and he can find fun ways to review math that we’ll remember.” Around the holidays, those fun ways may be singing about calculus to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” or about tangents or Pi to other songs of the season. However, the 32-year veteran teacher, who said this is his first teaching award, is quick to admit that he doesn’t make those songs up. “I’ve found them on the internet and one year, a student wrote one,” Herlin said. “I just try to have a little fun with the topic and find it interesting that this is something Alex remembers. I just try to have some patience and a sense of humor.” Alex also appreciates Herlin’s help outside class when he has been the school’s adviser for math competitions, including this year’s State Math Contest, where Hillcrest won the 4A division, and the American Mathematics Competition, where Alex and classmate Alan Zhao advanced to the American Invitational Mathematics Exam. Starting and advising the extracurricular activity of FIRST LEGO League at her middle school was part of the reason sophomore Amelia Slama-Catron nominated her former middle school science teachers, John Henrichsen and Robert Violano. “Not only did we learn how to design, make and program a robot, Mr. Henrichsen and Mr. Violano guided us to work as a team to create a project based on a theme,” she said. “Under their leadership, we ended up having our project win an award which was both surprising and exciting.” They also inspired her in the classroom. “Mr. Henrichsen always joked around with us and made the lessons interactive. One time, when we were learning about genetics, we each received a paper butterfly in which our job was to camouflage it within the classroom. It was not only fun, but educational. The same can be said about Mr. Violano when he encouraged us to create a rap song to remember the rock cycle. Mr. Henrichsen and Mr. Violano work together to make sure the curriculum flows between the two grades and they’re both passionate about science, which was obvious when they both helped design the science wing of the new Midvale Middle,” Amelia said. 

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PAGE 16 | JUNE 2017

MIDVALE CITY JOURNAL

Cohesive Husky baseball ﬁnishes season with sweep

Word of mouth helps Husky softball team grow

By Travis Barton | travis@mycityjournals.com

Senior Collin Everett throws a pitch against Kearns on May 8. Everett only allowed two runs on the day. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

or more than 20 years, Gary Daniels has been teaching at Hillcrest that included an initial spell as head baseball coach from 1995 to 2007. After a hiatus in which he helped some friends with coaching, he returned to the Husky dugout in 2014. “I enjoy coaching the kids I teach. You see these kids every day so you kinda want to go to battle with your own kids. It’s been fun being back,” Daniels said shortly after the Huskies’ ﬁnal game of 2017. In his third year back, Daniels oversaw a senior- and sophomore-heavy team that couldn’t quite put it together for a playoff berth. But the season did end on a high note with a three-game sweep of Kearns that included a 14-2 shellacking. “It’s been a crazy year for us, but we’re a pretty good team,” Daniels said. The team has been competitive in its region losing various close games to miss out on the playoffs by two games, but did see them win against Olympus and Skyline. “We beat some of the better teams by playing what we were capable of doing,” Daniels said. The perfect examples being the 14-2 victory and a 10-8 victory, both over Kearns, that featured multiple clutch hits in the closing innings to rally from a 7-8 deﬁcit. “At times pitching’s good, sometimes hitting’s been good, we’ve just kinda been all over. And when it does (come together) we do a pretty good job,” Daniels said. The 2017 Huskies were known for their unity, made possible partly by the team’s trip to Anaheim, Calif. for the second consecutive year where the team can play, attend baseball

Senior Brendan Begley rips his second home run of the day during a 14-2 win over Kearns. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

games, visit the beach and most importantly, connect. “That’s where they get to know each other a little bit. They’re able to kinda bond young kids with old guys,” Daniels said. “It’s a tight knit group, they get along, they enjoy being together which is fun.” While the team loses eight seniors, including some important contributors behind the plate and in the outﬁeld, Daniels expects a strong pitching rotation next season. “I think the program’s in good shape, we lose some seniors we can’t replace, but hopefully as a group we can ﬁll in here and there and be better,” Daniels said. Expect a junior-laden team in 2018 with at least three pitchers who spent lots of time on the varsity mound this season. “I’ve got some experience coming back, they just need to take it up a notch and we’ll see if they can,” Daniels said. 

Teammates celebrate with senior Brendan Begley after his three-run home run. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

The Hillcrest ﬁrst baseman goes to catch the ball at ﬁrst base. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

our years ago, Steve Carrell was starting his first season as head coach of the Hillcrest softball team with 15 players showing up for tryouts. Fast forward to the 2017 season where he had 57 girls tryout and kept 30. “Last year, I did a lot of recruiting (in the school), this year I didn’t have to do much because word of mouth between last year and this year really spread,” Carrell said. It’s a sign of the program’s growth. With many freshmen trying out every year having never played the sport coaches are teaching the game of softball. “We’ve grown, every game we’ve gotten a little bit better. We’ve had some ups and downs just due to the fact of inexperience,” Carrell said. With five wins on the year, the growth might not appear on the scoreboard, but it’s coming Carrell said as they look to build a feeder program at younger ages. Carrell said having those programs so they’re not teaching how to play the game at the high school level, is the only way to compete for region and state titles. “It’s hard to get them built but once you get them built, it’s pretty good,” Carrell said. He said it’s part of a seven to eight year process creating that infrastructure. “We figure by the time I’m in my seventh, eighth year we should be to that point where we start competing,” Carrell said. “In the long run, we’re right where we want to be.” At the halfway point, with 57 girls trying out and the possibility of an eighth-grade team next year, Carrell is feeling positive about the future. “With the sophomores, freshmen and juniors I have playing varsity already, that

A Hillcrest pitcher releases a pitch against during a region game against Olympus. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

experience is going to put us a good spot next year so I actually feel really good,” he said. Some players developed quicker than expected this season that moved into starting varsity positions, including a primary pitcher who just started pitching last season. The end of the season also saw the completion of Carrell’s ﬁrst class of seniors he’s nurtured since they were freshmen: Emalee Egelund, Lexi Guidash, Mariah Nielsen and Autumn Richards. “They’re the ones that really instilled what we wanted as far as mentality, as far as work ethic and really pushed it onto the team,” Carrell said about his graduating seniors. “They’re the ones that really helped to build the program and from their start to where they’ve gotten us to now is huge.” The returning girls will continue playing with teams over the summer, which Carrell hopes leads to an improved team next year. “My overall goal every game, every practice, every pitch is 1 percent better. If we can get 1 percent better every time, we get better all the way around,” he said. 

Hillcrest scores a run against Olympus. (Travis Barton/ City Journals)

JUNE 2017 | PAGE 17

M IDVALEJOURNAL .COM

Three valley school districts increase teacher pay, beneﬁts By Mandy Ditto | m.ditto@mycityjournals.com

hree school districts—Granite, Canyons and Jordan—have increased teachers’ pay for the upcoming school year, in an effort to retain and hire enough teachers for growing classrooms in the valley. Granite School District Even if every graduate with a teaching degree from Utah colleges and universities chose to stay and teach in Utah, there still wouldn’t be enough to ﬁll classrooms across the state, said Ben Horsley, communications director for Granite School District. “The reality is that we’ve been in a teacher shortage crisis for quite some time. Granite District has been fortunate that we’ve been able to almost 100 percent staff the last two years,” Horsley said. “Our board feels strongly that every kid deserves a great, instructional leader, a full-time teacher that is there and committed to that class for the full year.” However, as the district looked into hiring for the coming year, they found they had about half the applications they would typically receive, and would be short around 100 needed hires to ﬁll positions across the district, he said. The board looked at their options, and seeing that Jordan and Canyons districts were looking to raise their pay as well, decided to make changes. The increases include the starting salary going up to $41,000 annually, which includes a 3 percent Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) across the board for all teachers and administrators. The board also added an 8.67 percent market adjustment to salary schedule across the board, making it the 11.67 percent increase for all in the district, Horsley said. He said the district does anticipate some sort of tax increase through the local levy to offset the costs. The board is looking at any other cuts they can make to pursue other funds, and will use the 4 percent increase in the Weighted Pupil Unit (WPU) from the legislature to help with increase, as well as increase in levy. The legislature funds education through the WPU, which is money from the general PACs fund from the state, and that money is given to state districts to pay teachers, fund programs and other needs. Whatever increase the WPU goes up to each year—currently 4 percent—is what teachers can typically expect to negotiate as a raise amount each year. As for the increase in the local levy, “it would be anywhere from $75 to $100 on a $250,000 home within Granite School District (boundaries),” Horsley said. It isn’t just about increasing pay because it’s fair, said Susen Zobel, Granite Education Association president and a seventh-grade history teacher at Bonneville Junior High. It’s about keeping teachers in the districts they work in, while continuing to hire.

Those attending the Association Representative meeting for Granite School District in April wave the newly presented salary schedule that had to later be approved by the district board. (Granite Education Association/Cindy Formeller).

“What Granite did was honor the existing salary schedule and send it all the way across, so every single teacher will see an increase,” Zobel said. “This is a good start, we’ve got a really great salary schedule, if you look at the schedule and starting and where you could retire, it is more comparable to other professional salary schedules. I would hope they keep this momentum up.” Other states pay at higher rates, even with increases in these districts, meaning that districts in Utah need to be competitive, Zobel said. “If we are going to get teachers to come, we need to be competitive and Granite has made a great start. Our school board has done an amazing job to make this happen for us this year, but it’s not over,” Zobel said. “I think that this shows what a good working relationship between a teacher’s association and a school district can do to benefit teachers, that regardless this was a collaborative effort between the association and the school district and without that strength of membership in the association, it would not have happened.” Since the presentation and then official approval of the pay increase this spring, the loss of contracted teachers has slowed significantly, and many who opted out of contracts have come back to the district, Horsley said. Canyons School District Pay increases were approved for Canyons School District on April 25, with increases for beginning teacher’s salaries going to $40,500, said Jeff Haney, director of communications for Canyons School District. Every licensed educator in the district will receive at least a 4 percent increase, though the average increase is at 6.5 percent for teachers across the board, according to their teaching experience and education. “The Board of Education believes, and always has believed, it’s important to invest in the district’s people. The reason for that is

that we believe the students will benefit, we want our classrooms to be led by the best and the brightest educators that we can attract and retain, especially in this era of a national teacher shortage,” Haney said. Along with these pay increases to create a competitive pay schedule, the Canyons District has been working to make sure that other benefits are clear to potential educators since the district creation in 2009, he said. Since voters approved a $250 million bond to renovate and build new schools, the district has almost completed all 13 projects identified in 2010. A new middle school and elementary school will open this upcoming fall, Haney said. Achievement coaches and technology specialists are also at every school in the district to improve the teaching experience, he said. As for how the increases will be paid for by the district, taxes aren’t expected to go up as an increase in the local levy. “The law governing countywide equalization sunsets at the end of 2017. Under the parameters of this law, and because of increasing assessed valuations, Canyons District expects the certified tax rate to remain virtually unchanged in order to collect the funds necessary to operate the district at the same level of service while also providing a salary increase for teachers,” Haney said. Potential teachers from the valley and elsewhere were instantly interested in applying for Canyons District positions when they heard about the increases in the starting salary, he said. “The students will benefit from this. The vision of the Canyons School District is to make sure that every student graduates college and career ready, and the way to do that is to have amazing teachers in every classroom, in every grade level,” he said. “This new salary schedule will help us attract the best and the brightest to our classrooms.”

Jordan School District Jordan School District is no different from others in Utah looking to constantly fill teacher positions, and with their newly approved salary schedule they are hoping to continue to attract quality employees. Negotiations for a new salary schedule in the district began with a committee of five teachers from the Jordan Education Association, two administrators and three board members that met every other week through February. The new salary schedule has been officially approved by the Jordan Education Association and the district board, said Janice Voorhies, president of the Jordan School District Board of Education. The beginning salary has been raised to $40,000 a year, and every teacher on the scale has been moved up through the schedule from that, Voorhies said, effective for the upcoming fall. “We are working on a phase two for our experienced teachers with the Jordan Education Association, and our goal is to increase compensation for them through a menu of things they may already be doing or would like to opt into, like mentoring or teacher leadership or curriculum development,” she said, “and we’ll pay them more for that.” Another change the board approved was to take away a cap in the salary schedule, so that experienced teachers can now continue to get increased compensation after 15 years of teaching. The district will also be paying for increases in benefits costs for teachers in the coming school year. To pay for the increases, the district has adjusted their budget and are “applying a portion of our unassigned resources to increasing teacher pay for the next several years,” Voorhies said. “Additionally, we appreciate the legislature’s generous WPU allotment this past session and we intend to use those taxpayer dollars very carefully in order to continue to support reasonable compensation for all employees.” 

William Pettit assists students during web design lesson. (Allie Nannini/City Journals).

PAGE 18 | JUNE 2017

MIDVALE CITY JOURNAL

How to Afford Your Bucket List Travel

JOANI TAYLOR

ave you noticed all the bucket list articles lately? I don’t know what it is, but all of a sudden, I’ve seen article after article about sky diving over Dubai, riding a camel in the Sahara Desert, or cycling though South African vineyards on a carbon negative tour. I was wondering, if perhaps, I missed a sale on buckets at my local bucket store or maybe it was “national buy a bucket day” last week and everyone but me stocked up on buckets. And now to get some use of them, they are stufﬁng them up with dreams and lofty visions of travel grandeur. Being a self-proclaimed master planner, this all should be well and good to me. Besides, who am I to tell folks how to use their buckets? But it seems to me that creating a fantasy travel dreamland could end up in a wide-awake letdown when you hit the road. So, in keeping in the spirit of adventurous travel, here are some ideas to keep your dream bucket a reality. Understand your Travel Fund: Part of making travel a reality is to make a budget. Figure out your travel style. Are you a higher maintenance traveler that needs pricier hotels and to be entertained or does camping at a beach or hiking through the mountains meet your needs? No matter which kind of traveler you are and what your ﬁnancial situation is, you’ll want to make sure to allow extra money for spontaneity and little luxuries. A general rule for us has been to plan for the vacation to cost 15 to 25% more than we think.

Set up an automatic savings account: Have your bank put aside a small amount into a travel fund and use it ONLY for travel. It doesn’t have to be much, because as it begins to grow you’ll start to make plans for where you’ll go. Now your travel vision is becoming a reality and this will encourage you to save even more in your day-to-day spending in effect tricking yourself into making it grow faster. Utilize Long Weekends: There’s a lot that can be accomplished in a 3 or 4-day weekend. No, I don’t mean giving the dog a bath and cleaning out the garage. Hop in the car and go explore the gems close to home. I am always surprised how many people I’ve met who have not been to Capitol Reef, taken a ride on the Utah Valley Railroad train, or gone for a dip in the Crater. Yet these places are at the top of someone’s bucket list in other parts of the world. Keep your Expectations in Check: With all the resources we have at our ﬁngertips it’s easy to, over plan, set yourself up for failure, or just expect too much. I recently stumbled on a travel article for a roadside attraction I’ve been to on more than one occasion. I ﬁrst discovered it while traveling between states and randomly stopped to stretch my legs and let the kids’ blow off some steam. It’s since become a traditional resting stop that we enjoy every time we pass through. The article however, made this destination look AMAZING, like some kind of bucket list fairytale. It had stunning photos accompanied with an article of

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interest. A quick search landed me on several similar accountings. In reality, this tiny attraction takes less than an hour to explore and by the articles standard would be a bit of a letdown. Had we gone with the expectations the media set we would have been disappointed. It’s much better to adopt an attitude of discovery, this way you aren’t disappointed. Don’t Over Plan: This is my personal stumbling block. I tend to research and attempt to plan every minute of my vacation. Thinking that it would set my mind at ease and we wouldn’t miss a thing. With many failed attempts, I’ve ﬁnally learned that no matter how well planned I was I still going to miss something and having to be accountable for every activity in everyday just made the getaway stressful and me super annoying to my fellow travelers. While researching your destination is imperative, especially if there are tickets you’ll need in advance, it’s important to break from your normal self and let your adventurous side loose to let things roll. Most of us will only be able to afford a very few dreamy bucket list travel destinations, but taking time off is crucial for our mental and physical wellbeing. Travel freely to affordable destinations and restrain yourself from dreaming of what a vacation should be. With the right attitude your affordable travel can become your bucket list …. checkmark. Joani Taylor is the owner of Coupons4Utah. com a blog dedicated to helping people save money on their day-to-day living and 50Roads.com a lifestyle and travel blog for the empty nester. 

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ordes of families will go to Disneyland this summer because parents continue to be stupid. Touted as “The Happiest Place on Earth,” its creators have obviously never been on the Tequila Tour in Cancun. Parents announce “We’re going to Disneyland!” and because kids have no sense of perspective they’ll ask hundreds of times when you’re leaving. You’ll consider canceling the trip to avoid spending any more time with your adorable screeching goblins. Whether you fly (unwise) or drive (equally unwise), the trip to California is never part of the fun. When we took our kids to Disneyland in a covered wagon, they didn’t have iPads to entertain them. Instead, it was 10 hours of whining until my kids finally told me to shut up. Once you find your motel (which is ten times as dumpy as it looked online) and gently scoot the homeless lady out of the doorway, your kids can run to the outdoor pool to contract cholera while you unpack the car. The night before your first day in Disneyland, no one sleeps. Not because everyone’s excited but because your 5-year-old is crying because she’s afraid of clowns. Even though there are no clowns in the area. And you haven’t discussed clowns. And you can’t convince her she won’t be chased by clowns. So you arrive at the Happiest Place on Earth with everyone scowling. If you forked out extra money to eat breakfast with fairies (suckers), you’ll discover everyone else in the universe has done the same thing. Your breakfast with fairies turns into breakfast with someone who might be a fairy but you’re too far away to tell. Turning on your we’re-going-to-have-fun-at-all-costs voice, you’ll exclaim, “Who’s ready for some rides?!” and wander into Disneyland (henceforth called the Park—like Madonna, Cher and God). Everyone wants to go in different directions which begins the first of several fistfights. You must have a plan to tackle the Park. Hopefully, this eliminates the identical rides where you sit in a little car that takes you through a colorful re-enactment of classic Disney cartoons. (Keep saying “Wow!” until you’re

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convinced everyone’s having fun.) Random Disney villains will walk through the Park to excite/terrify your child. Seeing Maleficient striding toward her, your 5-year-old will scream and hide behind a garbage can, crying until she passes by. For meals, there are a variety of food options. But instead of purchasing food in the Park, take a flight home for meals. It will be cheaper. At some point, a random clown will walk by, throwing your 5-year-old into hysterics. Just when you think you’ll collapse if you see one more pirate or ride one more roller coaster, the evening events begin. You’re exhausted, covered in all types of stickiness, and are carrying bags full of souvenirs while wearing mouse ears, but your kids don’t care and dart away to watch light parades, water shows and other adventures that usually end in at least one visit to the Park’s Magical First Aid Center. Repeat this entire experience for 3-7 days. Leaving California, the drive (or flight) home is subdued as family members slump with Disney hangovers and your 5-year-old sniffles quietly in the Belle costume she’s worn all week. Next year, you’ll want to take a closer look at that Tequila Tour. 

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