Midvale Journal | July 2024 by The City Journals

LOS MUROS ON MAIN CONTINUES TO IMPRESS IN THIRD YEAR

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Artists from across the United States and Canada joined forces to participate in a celebration of creativity and community at the third annual Los Muros on Main: Midvale City Mural Festival on June 8.

Visitors to the festival could watch artists create their work in real-time and talk to the muralists about their inspiration, background and contribution to Main Street. Amir Santiago aka Muta Vision was excited to be invited to his first mural festival at the Midvale event. His painting of “Guabancex” is a nod to the storm and chaos deity of Taino mythology.

In an Instagram post, Santiago said, “I chose to paint in metaphor of the winds of my culture, home, and upbringing, allowing me to take art all across the states and hopefully world. At the same time, I also thought of my mother and all of the strong women who had raised me with their ferocity and strength, allowing this to also become a small tribute to them.”

Florida artist Amir Santiago aka Muta Vision was invited to his first mural festival at Los Muros on Main. His painting “Guabancex” is a deity of Taino mythology. The painting is located at the Purple Penguin Car Wash (762 W. Smelter St.). (Courtesy Midvale City/Bryton Sampson)

Holy Cross Hospital – Jordan Valley honored for commitment to patient safety

By Christine McSweeney

Each and every day, our incredible physicians and nurses work relentlessly to uphold our values of excellence, innovation and compassion. Central to this effort is our unyielding commitment to the safety of our patients.

That is why we are honored at Holy Cross Hospital – Jordan Valley to receive recognition from The Leapfrog Group with an “A” grade for Hospital Safety in Spring 2024. Leapfrog is a national nonproﬁt watchdog that assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 measures of errors, accidents, injuries and infections as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them.

Our recognition of an “A” grade at Holy Cross Hospital – Jordan Valley belongs to our exceptional physicians and care teams who constantly strive to improve our care and protect patients from preventable harm. We are grateful for the dedication of all our caregivers to the safety of our patients and ensuring they are protected at every stage of their care journey.

“Everyone who works at these Mountain Region hospitals should be proud of this ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “It takes complete dedication of everyone at every level, and an ironclad commitment to putting patients ﬁrst. It is our patients who illuminate not just our common spirit, but our shared mission to improve health, advance social justice, and make known the healing presence of God. We are proud to serve all in our communities, and nothing is more important than the safety of every person who comes through our doors. Together, we will achieve our vision of a healthier future for all.

As CommonSpirit Health, we make the healing presence of God known in our world by improving the health of the people we serve, especially those who are vulnerable, while we advance social justice for all.

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By Christine McSweeney CEO, Holy Cross Hospital Jordan Valley

Dancing the night away: Unforgettable moments uniting students at prom

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Hillcrest High student Javier Garcia admitted his feet hurt, but he wasn’t going to stop dancing.

“Dancing with Abbi is the best part, but I liked the arcade and food too,” the freshman said about his date while attending Canyons School District’s first unified prom.

He knows Hillcrest sophomore Abbi Clark as a peer tutor. She also is a unified sports partner.

“Being with all the kids and watching them have fun is what tonight’s all about,” she said. “A bunch of us went to the Nickel Arcade together beforehand and played all the games. It’s great that they’re getting to have this opportunity.”

While individual students pushed for a districtwide unified dance the past few years, it was Corner Canyon’s Peer Leadership Team and adviser Kelsie Wilson who were able to get the nod and coordinated the efforts for the dance. It was held in Sandy’s Lone Peak Park Pavilion shortly before the end of the school year.

Corner Canyon senior Natalie Lawson was part of that team.

“I became a peer tutor as a sophomore and fell in love with the students in the class,” she said. “They’re always happy and in turn, they make me happy and grateful. Being a part of this effort is a way I can give back to them. We had other schools’ PLT reach out to help so it really united the community.”

Lawson asked her date, junior Jonas Osterhout, to the prom through a poster. He replied affirmatively the same way.

“It’s part of the tradition and fun to make and leave a poster at the door of your date, so I wanted him to have the same experience,” she said. “He’s getting the whole dance experience. A small group of us went bowling today, then we’ve had food, popcorn, cotton candy and danced here tonight. This is a better experience for these students than just attending the first hour or so of a school dance where it’s loud and it gets late so it’s not as much fun for them.”

When the dance was scheduled to be over, Osterhout didn’t want to leave. He insisted on photo after photo with all his friends, taken by his father, who was there to get him home.

“He loves being social,” his father Devin Osterhout said. “This is a blessing in our lives that he is getting to be at this dance with his friends. He loves to spin (in his wheelchair) and he’s so happy. These kids are his heroes.”

Jordan High student Cheyenne Patrick also was there at the end of the prom.

“This party was a jam,” said the senior who has a 20-year-

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old cousin who has special needs and she also helps with the Miss Amazing pageants. “We go beyond ourselves; we make the whole night about them. We make sure they’re having fun and tons of pictures to remember this by. This is all about friendship and fun.”

Corner Canyon junior Jonas Osterhout and senior Natalie Lawson pose during Canyons School District’s first unified prom. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Canyons’ unified prom gave students a memorable night of dancing and fun. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Canyons Teacher of the Year shares insights on trying new teaching methods

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Walking into a math room across from Alta High’s commons, something is amiss.

The desks are missing—intentionally.

This past year, Alta High math teacher Kevin Clyde traded desks for more white boards which grace three of the four classroom walls. Students stand, working together at the boards to solve problems. They look to one other, not Clyde, to figure out the steps on how to reach the answer.

“When they do ask me questions, some are returned with other questions,” he said. “What I’m trying to do is get students to think.”

Canyons School District’s 2024 Teacher of the Year said his approach isn’t traditional.

“I’ll set things up for them and give them some things to think about. I ask a couple questions; then they work together. I check in with the groups and I ask more questions. ‘How did you get this answer? Tell me how you came to that. Why do we know this happens the way it does?’” Clyde said.

There is a psychology to the approach, he said.

“When kids have their notebook paper and their pen, they’re afraid of making a mistake. Erasing or crossing it out seems to be a block for them. When they’re at a whiteboard, they can wipe it off and start over again. They’re learning that making mistakes is OK and they become less afraid to make a mistake. Often, they’re quicker to spot their own mistakes. It’s a subtle element to the learning process that sometimes gets missed,” Clyde said.

However, he is open when a student approaches while puzzling out a problem.

“They’re learning advocacy, asking for what they need,” he said. “The students have developed a relationship with somebody who she trusts. That’s a big thing in life. You don’t always know what to do, but if you have people around you, you can ask for help.”

Building relationships and having those connections were key to Clyde’s decision to teach.

“I asked myself some of my best memories of high school. Was it things I learned or was it the people around me? When I asked myself about my favorite teachers, I can think who have more of an impact and the relationships we have years after high school as compared to six months after they leave high school, they’ll forget most of what they remembered most of what they learned. I don’t take that for granted in 10 years, they likely won’t remember how to factor a quadratic, but they’ll remember me,” he said.

Two teachers—Angela Herrin at Thomas Jefferson Junior High and Robert Lake at Kearns High—impacted his life, and his teaching. Herrin played John Williams’ music and “she sparked a really good conversation

about how music makes you feel things” and Lake used wit and sarcasm in his teaching.

Clyde has incorporated those qualities in his teaching and often takes the lead from students if they want to build upon the teacher-student relationship. As a former high school athlete, he can talk sports from Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan sinking the shot against the Utah Jazz in the NBA finals to the Northwest Derby rivalry of Manchester United versus Liverpool. He supports the arts, even having watched “The Great British Bake Off Musical” that premiered in 2022. He is knowledgeable about history, understanding strategies he has learned at World War II museums.

“Kids will ask about English, and I’ll talk about English. Then we will talk about science. Teaching is not what I do; it is who I am,” he said, adding as they talk, often times, students will pick up one of the many logic puzzles on his desk to give it a try.

As a boy, Clyde would choose a letter and sit down to read the World Book Encyclopedia.

“I was a curious person. The subject doesn’t matter to me,” he said, but admitted he wasn’t the family champion of Trivia Pursuit. “It was my dad’s game. If we didn’t answer it verbatim, we wouldn’t get the pie wedge.”

After working in youth ministry, Clyde decided to continue his passion of working with teenagers in high school.

“Growing up, math made the most sense to me. I’d ask a ton of questions, and I had a good memory so it just came together in a way that clicked,” he said. “I can relate to a

lot of the kids and talk to them about a number of subjects. I encourage them to think, to ask questions. Carl Sagan was talking to Johnny Carson about children asking a lot of questions and pointed out future generations will need people who ask questions. He said if they’re not asking questions, they can’t problem solve.”

Another thing Clyde learned from his teachers is to be a lifelong learner.

“I realized my best teachers are the ones who want to keep learning new things and were the ones who always were never afraid of being wrong,” he said. “I started challenging the paradigms and the norms.”

Learning about task-based learning by reading books by Stanford University’s Jo Boaler and a Canadian math education professor Peter Liljedahl, he discovered the best approach for students to learn is through exploration.

“Jo wrote that kids achieve higher levels when they’re doing the tasks and Peter said by doing that as they’re standing, there is improved student behavior. Their posture is better, their mood is better, they persevere,” he said.

So, two years ago, Clyde transitioned to starting his class by students working together at a white board or paper on the wall.

“It was really hard to get the kids to commit to a task, so I reflected on what I was doing, the best way to approach it, what they needed to learn and understand and how we could get there,” he said. “This past year I simplified what I’m doing. Rather than give them a page of notes, a bunch of definitions, or eight different points to solve something,

I’ve given them pieces of the problem and we build up from there. Before I would do something, but I wouldn’t say what I did or how I did it. Now I’m slicing it and building upon that. If I had done that earlier, I might have seen more success. My teaching has evolved through these eight years.”

At Westminster College, where Clyde earned his bachelor’s and master’s in math, he learned about educational psychology and social learning theory like “how kids learn in groups and how to group things and consequences like behavior management. In my early years, I was figuring out content and how do I best manage behaviors. Now I am able to look at the best ways for them to learn, and not just the math. I want them to become better learners for all subjects.”

While he continues to reflect and fine tune his teaching—“I’m not afraid to try new things” — Clyde often gets good suggestions from his wife, Anne, who is an educator at Union Middle.

“She’ll ask, ‘how do you really approach learners who might be struggling?’ She asks me a lot of questions to get me thinking on purpose,” he said.

At the Teacher of the Year ceremony, Clyde was first congratulated by his own kids, who scrambled onto his lap on stage to a standing ovation. Then, he was congratulated by 200-some Alta High students in his Secondary Math 2, Secondary Math 2 honors, Advanced Placement, Stats and concurrent enrollment classes.

He also will be Canyons’ representative in the 2025 Utah Teacher of the Year selection process, which is part of the National Teacher of the Year competition.

As the teacher of the year, Clyde received a $1,000 cash prize from the Canyons Education Foundation. Park Lane’s Jamie McDonald and Eastmont Middle’s Stephanie Davis were the top elementary and middle school finalists; they both received $500 from the Foundation.

About 5,000 nominations were submitted by students, parents and employees for deserving teachers. All Canyons school and program Teachers of the Year received gifts and prizes, including a $250 cash card, from the Foundation. In addition, Canyons first-ever Preschool Teacher of the Year is Sandy Elementary’s Kristen Stevenson. The inaugural Instructional Coach of the Year is Glacier Hills’ Jeny Wariner, and top paraprofessionals were honored at each of the Canyons’ schools.

“What has been most gratifying is through the years, I’ve gotten all these notes and thank-you cards that say, ‘you affected me,’ ‘you loved my kid,’ ‘you were a person and didn’t treat me like a number’ and I’ve kept everyone,” Clyde said. “It reminds me what I do matters. I love what I do.” l

Alta High’s Kevin Clyde helps a student puzzle out steps in a math problem. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Showcasing culture: Students share cultural heritage through dance, art, food

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Shortly before 7 p.m. one May evening, eighth-grade students Ziary Diaz and Luciana Gonzales were anxious to get back to Midvale Middle School’s auditorium.

The two Latinos In Action girls already had taken the stage performing a Latin dance they worked with others to choreograph; now, they wanted to see their friends’ dances from other countries.

“It was fun to make a dance that represented my culture,” Ziary said. “I had a great time doing it.”

Luciana agreed.

“We like the dances that we have, and we want to spread that to everyone so they can see how amazing they are,” she said.

The LIA group, which has students from Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Venezuela, worked on the dance for 30 minutes every week since December, before performing in May at We are Midvale – Cultural Night.

In the first session of student performances with LIA were dances from Tonga, Southern India, Guanajuato, South Africa and Hawaii. The second set of performances featured dances from Western Samoa, Venezuela, India, Tahiti and Mexico.

Midvale Middle counselor Matt Magee said the school is composed of students from more than 30 countries. He, joined by instructional coach Krista Edwards, were in a room with many students’ displays about their own culture from around the world to right here in Midvale.

“Any student who wanted to make a display could,” Magee said. “These displays are from so many different countries, but they unite us here at Midvale Middle.”

Edwards said it was a night for the entire community.

“It’s an opportunity for students and families to celebrate their unique individual culture and to honor the rich heritage that forms our school,” she said. “Students are excited about the opportunity to share heritage and try the international foods from the food trucks. They’re sharing with their parents what they’ve been working on and what they’re proud of.”

Assistant Principal Courtney Long was helping food truck drivers circle on the back patio of the school.

“Our food trucks are our current students’ families, who are part of this community,” he said. “This has become much more of a community and a student-driven event and we get a great turnout. We have kids from past years coming back to say hi, we’ve got our current students, and it has become a beloved tradition in our community.”

This is the third year of the cultural night in recent years. Previously, Midvale Middle had cultural events, but not to

this extent.

“We have students who are part of the planning committee, and they came up with the ideas of what they wanted to see. We have parents who are involved and together, we’re able to bring this event for everyone,” he said.

Midvale Middle Community School Facilitator Jessica Olmos, who coordinated the event, said the 20-student committee gave guidance to the event.

“They were fantastic and offered ideas of what we should do,” she said. “They came up with the photo booth, the myths and folktales from other countries and offering candy samples from different countries.”

Seventh-grader Brooke Wallace had just sampled some candy. Her sixth-grade sister made a poster and was helping with the events, following her footsteps.

“I like culture night because it’s just fun to see where all these people who I go to school with come from and it just makes me love and understand them all the more because I can empathize with them,” she said. “I’ve learned about the hardships of Japanese people in my Utah Studies class because we were learning about the internment camps, but here, we can learn about their culture. I’ve learned a lot from my friend from India and about her traditions which is cool. I’d love to go to Ireland and Scotland someday to learn about my heritage.”

Upstairs from her, students could make a craft or if they continued down the hall, they could learn a Latin dance near where there were handprints of some of the 900 Midvale Middle students displayed on the walls.

Olmos, with teachers Shelley Allen and Alex Jensen, used the handprints as a lesson to teach students about culture and how to incorporate things about themselves. Some drew the school in Midvale and symbols of their culture—international flags, henna, Native American jewelry, religious symbols, dog prints, food, the word “family.”

“We have a student who is big into skateboarding and has won competitions. So, he decided his culture was going to include his skateboard on his hand,” Olmos said. “It brings everybody in our school together. We have so many kids from so many different areas, with many different experiences in life so this is a great way for us to come together as a community. It’s a great goal for our school to have.” l

Student Sivaani Narendra Babu performed a Southern Indian dance at Midvale Middle’s cultural night. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

We are Midvale – Cultural Night, in its third year, featured more than 10 student performances at Midvale Middle School. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Harvest Days returns July 29 to Aug. 3

Neighbors play tug of war at a Harvest Days block party in 2021. Block parties kick off Harvest Days this year on Monday and Tuesday, July 29 and 30. (File photo Sarah Morton Taggart/City Journals)

Friday, Aug. 2, will feature a car show and concert in the park at Midvale City Park. (File photo City Journals)

The Harvest Days Parade runs Saturday morning, Aug. 3. A tradition for more than 50 years, the parade starts at 9 a.m. from Copperview Elementary and runs along Monroe Street, Grant Street, turns onto Center Street before ending at Midvale City Park. (File photo Julie Slama/City Journals))

Fireworks at Midvale City Park conclude the Midvale Harvest Days on Saturday, Aug. 3. (Photo courtesy Amanda Isaacs)

Summer Off Socials: Gen Zers encouraged to ditch social media

By Bailey Chism | bailey.c@thecityjournals.com

Issocial media really social? That’s the question two students at Brigham Young University asked themselves before coming up with a plan.

Macy Dial had been on social media for a decade—half her life—before she decided she was done with it. Looking back on that decade, she saw how social media “fundamentally altered” her brain.

“Anything beautiful or precious in life became an opportunity for a photo op,” she wrote. “I began to think in Instagram captions.”

Dial said her push from social media came after reading a book called “4,000 Weeks” by Oliver Burkeman, a book about how we use our time. Dial said she realized how much time she was wasting on social media and decided it was time to make a change.

Fellow BYU student Kristen Hansen also felt put-off by the social media she’d grown up with. So, they teamed up to encourage Gen Zers to get off social apps and experience the shock for themselves.

“But the more research we did, the more we realized, like, just what a big piece of the puzzle digital wellness was, and how much social media and excessive technology use was impacting, like the mental health of

Gen Z and just young people in society at large,” Dial said.

They call the movement “Summer Off Socials”—participants will ditch at least one social media app and replace it with in-person connections. To help push participants in the right direction, Summer Off Socials will

send out weekly texts with challenges, like going for a 30-minute phoneless walk, calling a long-distance friend or meeting someone new. The initiative launched June 1 and already has approximately 500 participants. According to reports, the average Gen Zers typically spend up to seven hours on

screens every day. Dozens of efforts have been made to curb screen time through usage tracking apps, time limit settings and even a 3D-printed brick that temporarily removes apps from your phone.

Hansen and Dial aren’t necessarily expecting participants to swear off social media forever, but they do hope people become more thoughtful about their digital choices.

There are obviously some drawbacks to living off social media. You may not stay with current trends or slang, and some small businesses only post updates on social media. Plus, you’ll definitely miss out on some life updates.

“There’s definitely a cost to being out of touch in this way,” Dial wrote. “Without social media, I feel like I’ve lost a certain cultural cachet. I’ve missed life updates from friends. I miss the creative and funny content.”

Dial said the pros to leaving social media far outweighed the cons, including her newfound peace of mind and the amount of time she now has.

Maybe someday there will be a mass exodus off social media, but for now, Dial and Hansen are encouraging people to take a break. l

Salt Lake Men’s Choir commemorates its 40th anniversary with summer concert

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

For

40 years, the Salt Lake Men’s Choir has provided an inclusive community for singers of all backgrounds to come together with their love of music. To celebrate four decades of musical excellence, the choir held a summer concert at Murray High School in June that featured its favorite songs from stage and screen.

Dennis McCracken has served as the choir’s artistic director for 18 years. He conducted the performance that had the audience cheering, laughing and emotionally connecting with songs that included “Pure Imagination” from “Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory,” “For Good” from “Wicked” and “Make Them Hear You” from “Ragtime.”

“Over the years the men’s choir has done about every genre of music available and we always come back to ones that we love to sing, and that is Broadway show tunes,” McCracken said.

Several soloists performed during the event including Darrell Peterson, Buck Patton-Hedger, David Haslam, Berry Payne and Conor Reese. The “Circle of Life” rendition, from “The Lion King,” featured flutist Jarod Smith and drummers Allen Anderson, Rhys Davidson and Brad Meehan.

The choir celebrated Pride Month with “The Rainbow Connection” from “The Muppet Movie” and incorporated lighter numbers like “Lydia, the Tattooed Lady” from “At the Circus” and “Sing!” from “A Chorus Line.”

Davidson has performed with the choir for six years. The West Valley resident said being part of the organization allows him to be around like-minded people who love music.

“We like to sing, and I get to see all of my friends each week,” Davidson said. “I tell people all the time, if you like to

Darrell Peterson prepares for his solo in “God Help the Outcasts” from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” during the Salt Lake Men’s Choir summer concert. (City Journals)

sing show tunes or acapella, our concerts are super fun. It’s just a good time.”

The Salt Lake Men’s Choir’s reputation is one of welcoming acceptance. Many of the members identify as gay or bisexual and the choir is a safe place that offers support, social connection and encouragement.

“It’s a big family. So it’s more than just getting together and singing, they really take care of each other and love each other,” McCracken said. “The mission of the choir is to be inclusive, take our music everywhere and let people see what a great bunch of people we are.”

More than 70 choir members participated in the summer concert that featured 18 songs and a medley of showstoppers. The audience was filled with supportive family and friends, cheering everyone on.

More than 70 singers performed in the

Reese, originally from South Dakota, now lives in Salt Lake and is enjoying his first season with the choir.

“I’ve been singing since I was in grade school but there was a big gap after college and I realized I had more time on my hands and there was something in my life that was missing,” he said. “I got with the choir and it’s been great.”

Anyone interested in joining the choir can attend rehearsals on Thursdays at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church (777 S. 1300 East). For more information, visit SaltLakeMensChoir.org

“Everybody has different backgrounds, different voices, but we all come together and make it work,” said choir member Mitchell Eddards. “We have people that come from all over the state. It’s a lot of fun to put together. And a lot of work.”l

Gen Zers are challenged to delete one social media app for the summer. (Bailey Chism/City Journals)

Salt Lake Men’s Choir's 40th anniversary performance at Murray High School in June. (City Journals)

Serving Families Since 1885

LARKIN MORTUARY HONORS FAMILY PIONEER HERITAGE

Larkin Mortuary is one of the most respected funeral homes in the Salt Lake Valley. Its pioneer founder, George William Larkin, arrived in Utah in 1863, having emigrated from Cambridge, England. He started the Larkin tradition of arranging funerals in 1885. Today, with seven generations of history serving Utah families, four mortuaries, cremation facilities and two cemeteries, Larkin Mortuary remains locally family owned and managed.

Larkin’s vertically integrated services also provide a premier floral shop, monument, urn and vault manufacturing facilities, along with beautiful memorial meeting and luncheon facilities. Multilingual staff honor and facilitate important traditions of many cultures.

LOCAL FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED

Postpartum support group holds annual ‘Climb’ event in Midvale

By Tom Haraldsen | t.haraldsen@mycityjournals.com

Hundreds of mothers, along with their children and partners, gathered at Union Park on June 22 for the Postpartum Support International’s annual Climb event. The Utah Chapter of PSI joined with other chapters across the country and around the world on “the longest day of the year,” the traditional date for the Climb events on the first day of summer.

This was not a rock wall climbing activity, but it was focused on helping many mothers who face challenges before, during and after childbirth climb out of the despair they may feel.

“Our main goal is to raise awareness,” said Heather Dopp, a member of Utah Chapter board who handles media relations. “We work with maternal mental health during pregnancy, postpartum, and connect parents with resources around the valley and around the state.”

Though this was the 12th time the event has been held in Utah, Dopp said, “Utah’s is a pretty new chapter. It grows exponentially as we get more people and more providers trained—which is one of our big goals with PSI Utah. We teach about what medications are safe for breastfeeding and pregnancy. And this year, we are doing a paternal health training in October to talk about fatherhood and mental health in the reproductive years.”

Dopp said one in five mothers in the United States will develop some sort of perinatal mental illness. Typically, it’s called postpartum depression, but she said the reality is it’s a spectrum.

“It starts in pregnancy and we see it up to two years postpartum. It’s a big spectrum,” she said.

The Climb is a fundraising event, including a silent auction to raise funds so PSI can train more providers and get parents in touch with the right resources to help them connect with doulas, physical therapists, massage therapists, acupuncture and doctors who are trained for everything along the postpartum spectrum.

Anna Gabbott, the Climb leader, said the goal was to raise about $20,000. “There’s no rock climb—just a metaphorical climb out of the pits of depression…the dark places where you are,” she said. There were a number of booths set up at the park with service providers and community organizations designed to help mothers and their families.

Amy Rose White, a perinatal psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker, started the chapter “when it was the Utah Maternal Mental Health Collaborative in 2015. We were just a stakeholders organization working to effect policy change, to improve the education, prevention, detection and treatment of all mental health and emotional health issues with childbearing women especially that first year after having a baby.”

She said the organization has grown from a gathering of 15-20 people in a room at the University of Utah Hospital to now hosting annual benefits and awareness events, social media, and doing a lot of policy work at the legislative level to bring awareness in public health domains and major hospitals. White said she suffered her own PTSD shortly after the birth of her first son, which pushed her into looking for resources that she couldn’t find at that time.

You can find more information at www. postpartum.net. l

The Climb event was hosted by the Postpartum Support International Utah chapter on June 22. (Tom Haraldsen/City Journals)

DDorothy Adams takes helm of Salt Lake County Health Department

orothy Adams, the new Salt Lake County Executive Health Director, brings a wealth of experience and a passion for public health to her role. In an interview with the City Journals, Adams shared insights into her personal journey, professional background, leadership style, and vision for the future of public health in Salt Lake County.

Previous director, Dr. Angela Dunn, left the department in February to take on a new role at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adams was deputy director of the health department from 2014 until becoming executive director this year.

Adams' career in public health began with a temporary position in the health department, driven by her interest in environmental health.

"I began working for the health department as a temporary employee with the desire to work in environmental health. My degrees were primarily focused on environmental health, and I was really interested in working in a capacity that allowed me to provide education around environmental regulations while also meeting the needs of the community," Adams said.

This foundational experience ignit -

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ed her passion for public health and provided numerous opportunities for her to make significant contributions. Throughout her career, Adams has developed and managed various public health programs, which she believes have prepared her well for her current role.

"I’ve spent most of my career developing and managing public health programs. Through that experience, I developed a deep understanding of the role relationships with partners play in meeting the growing and ever-changing needs of the community," she said.

One notable experience was her participation in the Emerging Leadership in Public Health (ELPH) program, funded by the Kresge Foundation. "That connected me with many national leaders in public health. I am a firm believer that we all have opportunities to learn from each other—we are truly stronger together—so I continue to look for opportunities to connect and learn from others who have a mutual goal of improving our community."

As Adams steps into her new role, she is eager to immerse herself in the community and collaborate with various partners to improve public health outcomes.

"There are many partners who are essential components of ensuring that people within Salt Lake County have access to resources that help them be healthy. The health department is a part of that landscape, with our work to ensure everyone has access to immunizations, STD testing and treatment, education about how to lead healthy lives, disease surveillance, and environmental health work," Adams said.

Adams' leadership style is rooted in inclusivity and innovation. "I try to be a very inclusive decision maker and find that different perspectives build a more complete understanding of the issue at hand and, with that, ultimately lead to better decisions. I also know that being innovative means there will be times when things don’t go as hoped or planned; creating an environment where people feel supported to try new and different things will truly allow our department to make a difference when working to address health outcomes across Salt Lake County," Adams said.

Her personal motivations stem from a deep-seated commitment to developing and implementing programs that directly address public health issues.

"I have been fortunate over my career to work on projects that were important to me. While working in environmental health, I started the state’s first household hazardous waste collection program, which over the last 30 years has grown in popularity, including with a new centrally

located facility in Sandy opening in early July," Adams said.

She also highlighted her work on Utah’s waste tire program, which successfully cleaned up waste tires throughout the state. "Developing and implementing programs that directly address public health issues really gives me a lot of personal satisfaction," she said.

Adams recognizes the significant challenges her role entails but remains optimistic about balancing these with opportunities for impactful changes. "The biggest challenges many, if not all, public agencies face is finding ways to fund emerging issues. Nothing ever gets taken off our plate, but more things are added as our community grows and faces challenges associated with that growth," Adams said.

Looking ahead, Adams has a clear vision for the health department. "For as long as I have worked for the health department, there have been areas of our county with poorer health outcomes; for example, there are data that show that life expectancy between neighborhoods— sometimes adjacent neighborhoods—differs by as much as 10 years. It is important to me that we start changing things that can only be done when community members understand and have access to our programs and services," Adams said.

Building upon lessons learned from the COVID pandemic, Adams aims to offer programs directly in the community through outreach events, requiring strong relationships with community partners.

Community engagement is a cornerstone of Adams' strategy. "Every five years the health department conducts a community health assessment to inform and update our community health improvement plan. We have historically worked with health care systems to conduct this assessment, as the information in it should inform the work that we all do," Adams said.

This year, there is a renewed emphasis on involving community partners in the process, ensuring the assessment becomes a guiding document for both the health department and its partners.

Innovation is also a key focus for Adams.

"The COVID pandemic demonstrated that we need to invest in a public health infrastructure so decision makers can access timely and important data. That is not an easy process, but with funding that will last until 2027 we plan to assess our current structure and work with other local health departments and the Utah Department of Health and Human Services to improve upon our current system and capabilities," Adams said.

Outside of her professional life, Adams enjoys the natural beauty of Utah through activities like gardening, hiking, biking, skiing and camping. With her three grown children, she now has more time to explore these interests. More information on the Salt Lake County Health Department can be found online at slco. org/health/. l

New SLCO Health Director Dorothy Adams at a hazardous waste collection event. (Photo courtesy of Salt Lake County Health)

MIDVALE CITY DIRECTORY

City Hall

801-567-7200

Finance/Utilities 801-567-7200 Court 801-567-7265

City Attorney’s O ce 801-567-7250

City Recorder/Human Resources 801-567-7228

Community Development 801-567-7211

Public Works 801-567-7235

Ace Disposal/Recycling 801-363-9995

Midvale Historical Museum 801-567-7285

Midvale Senior Center 385-468-3350

SL County Animal Services 385-468-7387

Communications 801-567-7230

MIDVALE CITY ELECTED OFFICIALS

MAYOR

Marcus Stevenson 801-567-7204

Email: mstevenson@midvale.com

CITY COUNCIL

District 1 - Bonnie Billings

Email: bbillings@midvale.com

District 2 - Paul Glover

Email: pglover@midvale.com

District 3 - Heidi Robinson Email: Hrobinson@midvale.com

District 4 - Bryant Brown Email: bbrown@midvale.com

District 5 - Dustin Gettel Email: dgettel@midvale.com

WHO TO CALL FOR…

Water Bills

801-567-7200

Ordering A New Trash Can 801-567-7202

Permits 801-567-7213

Court 801-567-7265

Paying For Tra c School 801-567-7202

Business Licensing 801-567-7214

Cemetery 801-567-7235

Planning and Zoning 801-567-7231

Code Enforcement 801-567-7208

Building inspections 801-567-7213

Graffiti 385-468-9769

PUBLIC SAFETY & EMERGENCY CONTACTS

EMERGENCY 911

UFA Fire/UPD Police

> Non-emergency 801-840-4000

Uni ed Police Department

> Midvale Precinct 385-468-9350

Public Works 801-567-7235

Rocky Mountain Power 877-508-5088

In The Middle of Everything

City Hall – 7505 South Holden Street • Midvale, UT 84047

Marcus’ Message

2024-2025 Proposed Budget

Budgeting overview: Municipal budgets run from July 1 to June 31 of each year, which is called a scal year. As our new scal year is upon us, I’d like to shed some light on our upcoming budget. The annual budget serves as a strategic tool that re ects the City’s values, guides operations, and allocates resources, while considering past, present, and future needs. The budget is crafted based on a year’s worth of data, public input, policymaker priorities, regularity changes, and strategic plans. This message is not intended to be an in-depth look at our upcoming budget, but rather a high-level overview while touching on some of the high points.

General Fund - $30.3 million

The General Fund is where your property tax and sales tax ow into. This fund pays for the day-to-day operational expenses of the city including police services, road, sidewalk, and park maintenance, building inspections, planning e orts, the justice court, I.T., and many other operational expenses.

Employees (wages & bene ts) - $8 million: With 94.5 employees serving 36,000 people, sta retention is a high priority. Each year, we try to keep up with in ation to support our sta and better ensure our community has the services they deserve. This year we are proposing a 3% cost of living adjustment for all employees.

Uni ed Police - $13.7 million: Last year, State Legislation forced a reorganizing of the Uni ed Police Department by removing Salt Lake County from the department. This change has created signi cant cost increases due to the lost economies of scale. While our community should not see a change in service levels from the reorganization, we will see a $1.7 million increase (14.4%). Law enforcement alone represents 45% of our General Fund.

General Government - $3.8 million: General government encompasses the city’s administration, the mayor and city council, legal, human resources, employee services, and Harvest Days. There are no signi cant changes to these budgets.

Public Works - $3.4 million: Public works covers streets, sidewalks, facilities, parks, and cemetery maintenance. There are no signi cant changes to these budgets.

By Mayor Marcus Stevenson

Community Development - $1.6 million: The Community Development department oversees planning and zoning processes, city engineering e orts, code enforcement, and building inspections. Currently, Midvale City contracts out our building o cial and building plan review responsibilities. The city will begin the transition this year to provide this service in-house as a cost-neutral change. We believe this will provide better service to our businesses and residents, while keeping costs stable.

Administrative Services - $2.6 million: The Administrative Services department oversees nance, information technology, and the Midvale Justice Court. The largest change to this fund is bringing in new software to enhance cross-department e ciency and increased security.

To adequately support the services provided by the general fund, namely the increases from the Uni ed Police Department, the city is

proposing a 14.8% property tax increase, or $32 more per year on the average home. This will generate $451,000 per year. While a challenging increase to propose, I believe the $2.67 per month will be worth ensuring we do not see decreased service levels.

Redevelopment Agency - $16.4 million

Midvale City has three Redevelopment Agency (RDA) areas: Main Street, Jordan Blu s, and Bingham Junction. If you live in one of these areas, 70-80% of all your property tax is reinvested back into the area to support redevelopment in the form of infrastructure and economic development. It’s through the RDA that we are investing in the revitalization of Main Street. Further, by State law, 20% of all RDA revenues must go towards a ordable housing programs.

Main Street Improvements - $3 million: The RDA is continuing to invest in public art, nishing the construction of the new community and food truck plaza at city hall, continuing our successful small business loan program, beginning the design of our rst above ground parking structure, and continuing to support the many events along the street.

A ordable Housing Programs - $4.5 million: These a ordable housing dollars will support bringing on new a ordable units with public-private partnerships, as well as continue our investment in the Down Payment Assistance program and the Home Repair Loan Program, which were both released last October.

Infrastructure Improvements - $2.7 million: Infrastructure improvements are used to upgrade outdated and insu cient infrastructure in the Main Street area and bring in new infrastructure to the Jordan Blu s and Bingham Junction project areas. These funds are used to improve street lighting, upgrade sewer systems, and support other utilities.

In The Middle of Everything

MAYOR’S MESSAGE CONTINUED

Enterprise Funds - $20.5 million

Everything you see on your utility bill paid to Midvale City is an enterprise fund. These funds are paid for by fees attributed to the cost of service. As an example, everything you pay for water to the city gets invested into the city’s water system. Legally, we can’t use enterprise funds to o set other funds. Example: the city can’t use water fees to pay for policing.

Water Utility Fund - $7.8 million: The water fund pays for the cost of water and the infrastructure to deliver water. In 2020, the Midvale City Council adopted a tiered water rate and supported raising water rates by 8% each year for ve years to ensure the city could a ord needed infrastructure upgrades.

Sewer Utility Fund - $4 million: The sewer fund pays for the cost of processing sewage and the infrastructure to deliver the sewage to the processing plant. Like the water fund, new sewer rates were adopted in 2020 and are increasing by 8% to ensure the city can a ord needed infrastructure upgrades.

Storm Water Utility Fund - $2.3 million: The storm water fund is responsible for the maintenance, cleaning, and inspection of all storm water infrastructure within the city. This year, the city is conducting a storm water master plan which will help identify long-term infrastructure needs and associated costs. In anticipation of the results of this master plan, the city is proposing a 4% fee increase.

Sanitation Fund - $1.6 million: The sanitation fund is what the city pays for to provide garbage and recycling pick-up, as well as the bulky-waste, and glass recycling programs. ACE Disposal provides garbage pickup in Midvale, they have an automatic increase in what they charge us each year. This year that means garbage will go from $12.11 to $12.59 and recycling from $4.14 to $4.31.

Street Lighting Fund - $424,000: Several years ago, the city issued a bond to pay for maintenance, repairs, and the installation or removal of streetlights throughout the city. This year, that bond will be paid o . However, the city is recommending not eliminating the street lighting fee, and instead conducting a street lighting master plan. As lighting deters criminal activity and makes our city safer, I want to ensure we are actively investing in long-term sustainable plans.

Capital Improvement Projects Fund - $28.1 million

The Capital Improvements Projects Fund accounts for nancial resources to be used for the acquisition of major capital facilities. This year, there are a few major capital projects: $19 million for a new Public Works building, which is nearing the end of its life. The city has outgrown this facility if we wish to be able to maintain or improve current service levels; $2 million for improvements to Center Street, directly funded by the State of Utah; $5.5 million for Stagg Street improvements to ensure the needed infrastructure for a successful Main Street is in place; $1 million for pavement and sidewalk improvements throughout the city.

Thanks for diving into the Midvale City budget!

City budgets are big and confusing, and I’m proud of all the work that goes into ensuring we spend our community’s tax dollars wisely. If you have questions/comments, don’t hesitate to reach out, or join us at our Truth & Taxation hearing in August.

PUBLIC MEETING PUBLIC MEETING

TRANSPORTATION

Midvale Museum & Historical Society Celebrates 45 Years

Did you know that the Midvale Museum and Historical Society turns 45 years old this year? Founded in 1979 by a group of dedicated Midvale residents, the Society aimed to preserve the rich history of our community. One signi cant achievement was the publication of the Green Midvale History book, which contains numerous stories from Midvale’s early years.

The Green Midvale History Book, published in 1979, had a limited edition of 3,000 copies. It took 44 years to sell every last one, with the nal copy purchased in 2023. These books were originally sold for just $10. Didn’t get one? Good news! You can now access a free copy online at the J. Willard Marriott Digital Library at the University of Utah at Lib.utah.edu. Just search for “Midvale History.” Don’t forget to look for the separate index as well!

You can save, print, and even enlarge the text from the digital copy. Although the History Book was once preserved on CDROM, we now o er it along with about 1,200 photos of Midvale on thumb drives, available for sale at the Museum. These are currently being prepared and can be preordered at the Museum. Stop by and order yours now!

Looking for more history? Check out the Utah Digitized Newspapers for the Midvale Journal, which has been digitized from 1925 to the 1980s. Available online at DigitalNewspapers. org or Newspapers.lib.utah.edu

JULY 2024 CITY NEWSLETTER

MIDVALE. UTAH. GOV

MIDVALE HARVEST DAYS

Midvale Harvest Days, a vibrant week-long celebration that captures the essence of community spirit and cultural richness. For more than 80 years, Harvest Days brings together residents and visitors alike for a series of unforgettable events.

Neighborhood Block Parties

Monday, July 29 and Tuesday, July 30

Neighborhood Block Parties, always a favorite of Midvale Harvest Days, are a fun way to meet neighbors, build friendships, and develop a sense of belonging and security among residents. Complete the online Neighborhood Block Party Form available at EngageMidvale. com/2024-Midvale-Harvest-Days to schedule your block party.

Midvale Arts Council Art Show and Hall of Honors

Wednesday, July 31

Midvale Arts Council Performing Arts Center, 695 W Center St., Midvale

The Art Show starts at 5:00 p.m., o ering local artists a venue to showcase and sell their work, spanning mediums like watercolor, oil, acrylic, mixed media, 3D art, and photography. Admission is free, encouraging all to appreciate the diverse creative expressions featured.

The Hall of Honors celebrates Midvale’s own, individuals who have made substantial contributions to the community or garnered recognition for Midvale. The recipient of this year’s award will be honored at a Ceremony and Reception beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 1

Midvale Museum Night

Celebrate our museum’s 45th birthday during Harvest Days! Join us from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for games, refreshments, and unique experiences. The museum will be open from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., with festivities starting at 5:00 p.m. Enjoy a night of community and celebration honoring our museum’s history!

Midvale Arts Council Car Show & Concert in the Park Friday, August 2

Don’t miss out on this FREE concert at Midvale City Park featuring James Romero y Los Amigos Three Generations! The concert starts at 7:00 p.m. Bring your blankets or chairs and join us for an evening of music and fun. Plus, enjoy a car show alongside the tunes.

Midvale Harvest Days Parade, Fun Run, Festival, Concerts, and Fireworks

A day of laughter, excitement, and family-friendly fun

Saturday, August 3

The Midvale community is gearing up for a spectacular day of laughter, excitement, and family-friendly entertainment at the highly anticipated Midvale Harvest Days Festival. The event promises to be an unforgettable experience for kids and kids-at-heart alike. Mark your calendars for Saturday, August 3, 2024, and get ready to indulge in a day lled with free activities that will leave you beaming from ear to ear.

The festivities kick o bright and early with the exhilarating Fun Run at 7am, a one-mile loop around Midvale City Park. Whether you’re a seasoned runner or prefer a leisurely walk, this event welcomes participants of all ages and tness levels. Fun and appropriate costumes are encouraged, and well-behaved, leashed dogs are invited to join in the fun and dress up too!

The Harvest Days Parade begins at 9am, lling the air with joy and excitement as the community gathers to celebrate in style. This beloved event showcases Midvale’s rich history and vibrant, diverse community, attracting thousands of spectators each year.

From 3pm to 7pm, the Harvest Days Festival o cially begins with a plethora of FREE activities designed to ignite the imaginations and spark the joy of every attendee. Kids will have a blast testing their skills and winning big at the Carnival Games, while the epic Nerf Wars adventure will keep the adrenaline pumping. Bounce Houses will o er endless entertainment for those seeking an exhilarating jump. The Scales & Tales Shows will introduce festival-goers to fascinating creatures, and the Uni ed Police Department and Uni ed Fire Authority will have fun activities for the kids. The Sumo Wrestling Tournament will captivate audiences with thrilling battles of strength and strategy, and Hillcrest High School Athletic teams will provide a variety of engaging activities for the kids.

From 3pm to 5pm, bingo enthusiasts can try their luck for a chance to win fantastic prizes! Everyone aged 12 and older is welcome to join in on the bingo fun at no cost. Children under 12 can participate in our exciting ra e for a chance to win amazing prizes, also free of charge!

The evening entertainment promises to be equally thrilling. At 7pm, the Junk Percussion Band takes the stage. This Stomp-like group performs on chairs, trash cans, buckets, brooms, pots, pans, water bottles, plastic tubes, and even rubber chickens—the world is their drum set. Following them, at 8pm, the New Soul Brigade Band will take over. This group delivers today’s most explosive hits along with classic tunes from decades past. This world-class collection of vocalists and musicians has been cultivated for their expertise, incredible talent, and ability to perform together live.

And the excitement doesn’t end there! At 10pm, a breathtaking reworks display will illuminate the night sky, casting a mesmerizing glow over the festival and creating a memorable nale to an extraordinary day.

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to create lasting memories and enjoy a day of free fun for kids of all ages. Join us on Saturday, August 3, at the Midvale Harvest Days Festival, where the spirit of play and community will unite to create an atmosphere of joy and togetherness. For more information and updates about the event, visit www.EngageMidvale.com/2024Midvale-Harvest-Days. Follow us on social media using the hashtag #MidvaleHarvestDays to join the conversation and share your excitement. We look forward to seeing you there!

For Hillcrest High, spring sports season is a wrap

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Three new teams—girls lacrosse, boys lacrosse and boys volleyball—were added to Hillcrest’s spring sports line-up, adding depth to its strengths this season in boys tennis, boys soccer and track and field and the solid play of girls softball. Here’s a look at the teams’ seasons.

Husky boys tennis won back-to-back region championships, winning 11 matches this season. Their only two losses came to East and Alta high schools.

The team’s eighth place at the state championships at Liberty Park was the best finish in the last 20 years; it came with the usual challenges for the spring sports team that earned the highest grade point average with a 3.92 average, and four players being named to the Academic All-State team, coach Creighton Chun said.

“Some of their matches were set at about the same times their IB (international baccalaureate) tests were,” he said.

For example, senior Aarav Parikh, who was region champion in third singles, took penalties and almost had to forfeit as he was late getting to his match.

“Aarav came 30 seconds from for being disqualified because his test was at nine in the morning at Hillcrest. He got done around 10, then he had to drive to the park. When my brother saw him, he jumped in the driver’s seat to save Aarav the two minutes of parking the car, which would have cost him the match,” he said. “Most coaches are accommodating for academics, especially when a student-athlete’s IB diploma and scholarship to UC Berkeley depend on it.”

Parikh lost in the semifinals to the eventual state champion.

The Huskies’ No. 1 player, freshman Harith Sathish, won his first round, but he lost in the second. He placed third in region.

Senior Payton Bell, No. 2 singles, lost in quarterfinals after winning region.

Both doubles teams lost in the second round at Liberty Park. At region, the first doubles team of sophomore Lars Dalgleish and junior Rohan Khakural placed third, while the second doubles team of sophomore Crew Hutchings and freshman Kabir Kandakuri were region champions.

The team will lose five seniors: Parikh, Bell, Aarnav Kandakuri, Briggs Hunt and Ivan Chen.

“Even with these players graduating, we’ll still be strong next year,” Chun said.

In the region JV championship, freshman George Wang finished second in first singles; sophomore Om Sanghvi won second singles; junior Vineet Subramanyan took third in third singles. The first doubles JV team of freshmen Brian Wei and Alex Liu placed third and the second doubles team of junior Ryan Graves and sophomore Caleb Timmerman finished second.

“Our students, they succeed academical-

ly and they’re region champions,” Chun said. “We are strong and deep, which helped since the whole year we didn’t play the same varsity team because there was something going on— state FBLA, state HOSA, theater, orchestra, choir, and our players were in all of those. We were always moving someone up or changing where they played, and they stepped up every time.”

In track and field, coach Scott Stucki was not surprised senior Anna Ames was crowned state pole vault champion, after placing second the past two seasons.

“She was by far the best pole vaulter in 4A,” Stucki said. “When she came in (to vault), I think everybody else had already gotten out. As soon as she cleared her height, she was the champion.”

He hoped Ames would set the record, but she missed that mark.

“She had a pretty decent season, but she didn’t vault quite as high as she did last year,” he said, adding that Ames is talking to the Utah Valley University coach about possibly competing for the Wolverines next season.

Ames was joined in the top 10 in pole vault by teammates junior Charly Nelson, third place; freshman Katie Zimmerman, fourth place; freshman Kallie Doverspike, sixth place; and sophomore Lindsay Siavrakas, seventh place.

Overall, Stucki was pleased with the 80-member boys’ and girls’ track teams, which finished third and fourth, respectively, at region this year. At state, the boys finished 18th and the girls placed 22nd.

At state for the girls, senior Edith Neslen, who has committed to run for Salt Lake Community College, ran the 3200; sophomore Sophie Peterson competed in both the 100 and

300 hurdles; freshman Ella Goodman ran the 800; and junior Dayana Mulamba and freshman Coco Collins threw the discus and shot put.

Three of the four relays also qualified to run at state. The 4x100 relay team consisted of Zimmerman, sophomore Isabella Christensen and seniors Sarah Pruden and Jessi Johnson; the 4x400 included Goodman, Peterson, Pruden and sophomore Claire McCann; and the 4x800 relay was Neslen, Goodman, McCann and freshman Tavia Wilde.

On the boys’ side at state, senior Josiah Gonzales got fourth in the 400 meters.

“He had a good season and is talking to college track coaches about competing next year,” Stucki said.

Coming in fifth place in pole vault was senior Wesley Ellsworth, joined by teammate junior Carter Hill, who took seventh; they both performed their best vaults.

Sophomore Drew Grimshaw competed in the 110 and 300 hurdles, juniors Adam Collins and Mika’ele Alcivar threw the discus, Collins threw the shot put, junior Lyrik Martinez threw the javelin, and senior Patrick Oviatt did the high jump.

Junior Josh Martin ran the 1600 and teamed up with Gonzales, senior Mateo Paul and junior Hunter Hanson for the 4x400 relay. The 4x100 relay team was seniors Alex Gonzalez, Marcus Sollers, Tayden Black and junior Thomas Harris and the 4x200 relay was Black, Paul, Hanson and Gonzales. Hillcrest’s 4x800 relay included Martin with teammates seniors Zack Glover and Joel Andrews and junior Matt Keller.

Stucki noted Andrews had “a pretty good season. He went into the year with a PR (personal record) of a 5:36 for the 1600 and ran 5:02 at region.” A few days after state, he post-

ed a 4:57.

“He and Zack are going to run a trail 50K in the fall,” said Stucki, adding they will join Hillcrest’s cross country team on summer workouts.

The boys soccer team won its first state playoff game against Bear River High before falling in the second round to Dixie High in St. George.

The team finished fourth in region play at 5-5, and were 7-9 overall with wins against Mountain Crest, Park City, Stansbury, Cottonwood and Jordan high schools.

“There was a three-way tie for third place; our high RPI from playing tough teams early in the season helped with our placing,” coach Brett Davis said. “Most of the teams in our preseason tournament were all in the top of their classifications in 5A and 6A and we did quite well against them. We had a pretty good year considering we were in the toughest region in the state.”

The Huskies had nine seniors, three— Kayden Burton, Collin Scarbrough and Jackson Braun—were starters. Junior Bridger Healy along with Scarbrough were named to the 4A honorable mention all-state soccer team.

“Most of the team is playing on summer club teams, but we still will have open gym opportunities. We have a young team and a lot of them got varsity experience that will bode well in the future. We even had a couple of freshmen get playoff time,” he said.

Davis hopes members of both the boys and girls soccer teams will hold free clinics for the community following Midvale’s Harvest Day Parade as they did last year. They also provided a free clinic at Copperview.

“We want to be out in the community, serving those who have supported us,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to get kids excited about being active and learning soccer.”

Two Husky softball players, seniors Kyli Carrell and Brooklyn Ricci, were named to the 4A All-State First team.

Carrell, who pitched for the team, compiled stats this season of 182 strikeouts, a .627 batting average, 52 hits, 10 homeruns and 52 runs batted in. Catcher Ricci’s stats were a .587 batting average, 37 hits and 16 homeruns.

They led the team to beat Carbon, Park City, Ben Lomond, Green Canyon, Cottonwood, Brighton, Jordan, Olympus, Kearns and Corner Canyon high schools, finishing 13-11 overall and 6-6 in region to place fourth this season.

Ricci, Carrell, plus pitcher Lily Hutchings, have signed to play college ball. Ricci has committed to Utah Valley University; Carrell to College of Southern Idaho; and Hutchings to Dawson Community College in Montana.

At bat on the baseball field, senior Matt Miller has been known as the player to count on.

“I’ve had the most hits on the team. I hit

Hillcrest High junior Skylynn Bell runs home after hitting a home run against Tooele High. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

gaps, hit singles. My strikeout ratio is low. My (junior) season, I only struck out four times,” he said.

Now, Miller is expecting to play baseball every day this summer, preparing for his freshman year at the College of Idaho, where he signed to play ball. With his academic preparation of international baccalaureate, Advanced Placement and concurrent enrollment classes, he plans to pursue studies in the medical or business field.

Playing “straight baseball every day” is something Miller has done for years. He traveled the country last summer playing.

Miller started playing at age 3 when his parents signed him up for T-ball.

“T-ball was the best; I always hit home runs,” he said. “I stuck with baseball because I love it. My heart always has been with it through the ups and downs. I love competing in the game. It’s super fun no matter how bad or good I’m doing, but I put in a lot of time and effort so it feels good when I go out to play.”

This year, the team likely felt good when they beat Ben Lomond High 14-4. The Huskies finished sixth in region 10.

Girls lacrosse, in its inaugural year, finished fourth in region play.

“We surpassed expectations for our first year,” said Tucker Gamble, Hillcrest High’s girls’ lacrosse coach. “We went on to get a win, which nobody expected. We also ended up with enough girls to form a JV team, which was amazing.”

“They were sad the season was over, and we weren’t going to have daily practices. They were begging to practice. I didn’t expect that. This group of girls formed a tight relationship that’s going to last for a long time. They love the team and even though they got beat by some high-quality teams, they stayed positive. Our seniors were in tears wishing they would be able to play longer,” he said. “It’s

In fact, the team beat Jordan High twice—9-8 and 13-10.

The Huskies lost in the first round of the state tournament to second-ranked Payson High.

“We knew we were losing and it was going to be the end of the year, but they still fought their hardest. They were smiling and happy with themselves afterwards because they played well and put forth their best effort. It was amazing to see as a coach,” he said.

At the end of the season, sophomore Claire McCann was named to 4A second team all-state; during the season she amassed 16 goals, 23 ground balls and seven caused turnovers. Teammate sophomore Taylor Jones was named to All Region First Team and three others were second team: freshmen Josie Haddock and Avi Mossman and sophomore goalkeeper wwSavvy Watson.

With only four graduating seniors, Gamble expects most of the team will return. Many of the returnees are planning to improve their skills at summer camps or play on club teams in addition to practicing at open gyms which will be held in the offseason. Gamble already has eighth graders asking him about the team.

“Most of our girls play multiple sports and were recognized at the Husky Athletic Awards Night,” he said.

Haddock, who also plays soccer and basketball, earned Hillcrest’s rookie of the year and Watson was named the team’s MVP.

The team was excited to be reunited, Gamble said.

Movies

been heartwarming. I’ve been proud to be their coach.”

Rounding out the spring sports’ teams, boys lacrosse, in its inaugural year, placed fifth in region playing eight region games and 16 games overall; girls golf finished seventh in region 10 play and boys volleyball, in its first year, beat Tooele High 3-0 to finish 1-18 overall. l

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Hillcrest High senior Aarav Parikh was the third-seed single region champion and played in the state tournament. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Girls lacrosse, new to Hillcrest High this spring, had two wins this season. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Santiago was one of nine muralists who added their contributions to the collection of murals on Midvale’s Main Street, transforming the area into an open-air gallery with walls used as canvases for largescale artwork.

Along with the murals, Bohemian Brewery hosted a beer garden featuring local handcrafted brews, food trucks offered a variety of international dishes and the vendor marketplace showcased local artisans. DJ Soul Pause played music during the event and a free concert featuring the David Bowie Tribute Band, Major Tom & The Moonboys was held that evening.

Visitors to the event also got a first look at the Midvale Art House, a community art studio open to the public for hosting creative activities. The Art House features an indoor mural painted by Ximena Jimenez, an acclaimed muralist from Bogota, Columbia. To learn more about the murals, visit EngageMidvale.com. l

This mural, painted at the Salt Lake County Senior Center (7550 S. Main St.) was created by Darion Fleming aka DaFlemingo. An artist from North Carolina, DaFlemingo started painting full time in 2018. (Courtesy Midvale City/Bryton Sampson)

Erik Burke aka OU Public Works, an artist from Nevada, painted his mural at Big Mountain Barbell (741 W. Smelter St.). It’s the second mural at this location. (City Journals)

This mural represents the wildflowers growing in Midvale. It was painted by Kristen De Palma aka KDP Letters and will be placed at the Old Fire Station (7683 S. Holden St.). A resident of Nova Scotia, this was KDP’s first time painting outside of Canada. (Courtesy Midvale City/Bryton Sampson)

The stunning mural “By Lamplight” was created by Canadian artist Megan Oldhues. It can be seen at The Canary Apartments (7555 S. Main St.). (City Journals)

Continued from front page

Honolulu artist Eric Karbeling aka Squiggle Papi is known for his “squiggle” style of painting. His mural is located at Architecture Belgique (7583 S. Main St.) close to where his favorite show was filmed, “The Sandlot.” (City Journals)

Arkansas muralist Jason Jones released the Kraken during Los Muros on Main: Midvale City Mural Festival. His painting can be found on the west side of Nowhere Tattoo (7624 S. Main St.). (City Journals)

Daisuke Okamoto aka Okaina Image traveled from California to create “Into the Elk,” a mural for the Los Muros on Main: Midvale City Mural Festival. It can be found at Rick Service (7584 S. Main St.).

(Courtesy Midvale City/Bryton Sampson)

Josh Scheuerman is known throughout Utah for his murals that promote community and environmental activism. His mural is located at Utah Partners for Health (7651 S. Main St.). (City Journals)

7 outdoor concert venues perfect for summer nights

By Rebecca Olds | rebecca.o@thecityjournals.com

Justimagine a warm summer evening, the sun starting to set and sitting on a grassy lawn listening to live music—this is the epitome of summer and community for some. It’s a time to unwind, listen to good music and enjoy the beauty of summer.

Here’s a list of seven outdoor venues in or near the Salt Lake Valley with live music to enjoy this summer, some even offering free shows for the public.

First Credit Union hosts live events all throughout the warmer months. Their 2024 lineup includes artists Niall Horan, A Day To Remember, Neil Young, Thirty Seconds to Mars and Sam Hunt.

5. DEER VALLEY SNOW PARK OUTDOOR AMPHITHEATER (PARK CITY)

Cost of tickets: $21+

EMPOWERING OUR HEROES

• NOT medicine • NOT shock therapy

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for depression in adolescents 15 and older!

1. SANDY AMPHITHEATER (SANDY)

Cost of tickets: $39+

Summer’s playlist at the Sandy Amphitheater will include the voices of Norah Jones, Air Supply, Koe Wetzel, the Old Crow Medicine Show, the Brothers Osborne and more.

Several free events are offered throughout the summer, including the “Jazz in the Park'' that falls on May 18 this year and the venue’s celebration of its 25th anniversary in August, with more details to be released later this summer.

2. RED BUTTE GARDEN AMPHITHEATER (SALT LAKE CITY)

Cost of tickets: $40+

also

with little to no wait time to be seen.

Featuring artists Kaleo, Mat Kearney, Stray Cats, Slash, The Revivalists and more, there’s plenty of concerts to enjoy at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheater. The whole lineup can be found online.

3. GALLIVAN CENTER (SALT LAKE CITY)

Cost of tickets: $50+

With events such as the Twilight Concert Series and 2024 Utah Blues Festival hosted at the Gallivan Center, there’s plenty going on this summer. The summer lineup includes local artists like Alli Brown and international musicians like Laufey.

4. UTAH FIRST CREDIT UNION AMPHITHEATRE

(WEST VALLEY CITY)

Cost of tickets: $46+

Formerly known as USANA, the Utah

From groovy ’70s music to sophisticated classical by Tchaikovsky, and anything in between, Deer Valley offers a little bit for everyone all summer long at a good price. The “Disney in Concert: Once Upon a Time” event is sure to be a family-wide function.

6. MIDVALE OUTDOOR STAGE IN THE PARK (MIDVALE)

Cost of tickets: free

A free concert series created by the Midvale Arts Council will be playing every Friday night at 7 p.m., running from June 16 until Aug. 4 and sponsored by Midvale City, Salt Lake County, and Utah Department of Arts and Museums.

“MAC is grateful for [our sponsors’] generous support of our programs which allow us to bring the concert series back year after year at no cost to the community,” MAC treasurer Stephanie Johnson said. “We encourage people to bring a picnic dinner, blankets, and/or camp chairs and enjoy a great evening of music and community.”

The concert will always be family friendly and cycle through different genres of music and different artists, with food trucks nearby.

7. THE KENLEY AMPHITHEATER (LAYTON)

Cost of tickets: free

Every Sunday starting on June 2 at 7 p.m., the Kenley Amphitheater will host a weekly outdoor concert free to the public. The lineup includes local musicians such as the Riverton Jazz Band, Clayton Smalley and The Reel Folk.

Concertgoers listen to a live concert at Kenley Amphitheater. (Courtesy Davis Arts Council)

Midvale Elementary students celebrate the arts through joy of music and dance

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Forthe year-end school celebration, Midvale Elementary kept with their tradition, showcasing different cultural dances to family, friends, district administrators and the community at Midvale City Park.

The Spanish dual immersion school’s Culture/Family and Community Engagement Committee set the framework, and teachers from each grade level chose their songs, some in English and some in Spanish.

“The focus of the event is a celebration of learning, of unity, of tradition, of joy and to share this with our families and community,” said Heidi Sanger, Midvale Elementary’s community school facilitator.

Kindergartners began the program with “Hello to all the Children of the World,” followed by first graders performing to Disney’s “Moana’s” “Where You Are.” Firstand second-grade dual immersion students

showcased their talents to “De Colores” by Joan Baez before second graders performed to “Waka Waka (This time for Africa)” by Shakira.

Third grade took the stage to a mix of songs that included “Cupid Shuffle” and “Happy.” Fourth-grade dual immersion students performed to “Saca las Manos” and then were joined by the rest of the fourthgrade class for “Ah-Yah! Dance (Time of

our Lives)” by DJ Raphi.

Fifth graders performed to “Bareto” and “We are the Champions” before the staff took to the stage to dance to the Spice Girls.

“We also honored our students who had perfect attendance as well as Assistant Principal Aimee Wagner who will be moving to Silver Mesa to be principal,” Sanger said. l

Midvale Elementary students sang and performed dances during their year-end showcase. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Hillcrest High celebrates 16 Academic All-State student-athletes

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Three

Hillcrest High student-athletes topped the Utah High School Activities Association’s Academic All-State lists this year.

Seniors Anna Ames and Joel Andrews earned accolades in both cross country and track and field while classmate Rhett Robinson received the honors in basketball and golf.

Joining them in cross country are Sang Chun, Wesley Ellsworth and Andrew Tuttle and golfers Analee Larsen and Sarah Pruden. In tennis, Anna Fetzer and Ashima Puri made the mark for girls, while in boys’ tennis, the honors were awarded to Ivan Chen, Briggs Hunt, Aarnav Kandukuri and

Aarav Parikh.

Rounding out the All-Academic State student-athletes were Scott Person in swimming and Acintya Yoganath in boys’ volleyball.

Many of these student-athletes are at the top of their class academically, many earning a perfect 4.0 grade-point average and

having high scholastic test scores. The Utah High School Activities Association awards the Academic All-State honors to the top student-athletes of the 85,000 who compete in the sanctioned high school sports and activities. l

Hillcrest senior Joel Andrews was named an Academic All-State student-athlete in cross country and track. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Huskies basketball player and golfer Rhett Robinson was named an Academic All-State student-athlete. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Senior Anna Ames earned Academic All-State accolades in two sports while competing for Hillcrest High. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

With exit doors blowing off, landing gear falling on neighborhoods, wings ripping apart and engine covers shooting into the skies, you’d think airlines would be handing out free puppies and hundred-dollar bills, trying to convince people to support air travel. You’d be wrong.

Instead of lowering ticket prices (in your dreams), dropping baggage fees (you’re bonkers) or making flights more comfortable (ROFL), airlines double down on lazy, expensive service.

Even when Southwest Airlines (whose motto is “Sit Down and Shut Up”) was fined $140 million for leaving thousands of holiday passengers stranded, the industry knows we will travel. And we’ll pay any price.

If airlines have open seats, and the flight takes off in a week, instead of offering reduced prices, ticket costs rise. Once, after we purchased airline tickets, we got an alert that prices had jumped $1,000 per ticket. That’s bananas!

Recently, my husband and I flew Hawaiian Airlines for the first time. With its slogan, “Well, you could just drive to Honolulu,” we didn’t expect great service, and we weren’t disappointed.

We settled into our six-hour flight with its panic-inducing, claustrophobic seating, only to find movie screens weren’t provided.

Peri Kinder

Life and Laughter

Fight or Flight

However, we could download the airline’s app to watch movies on our phones, as long as it was downloaded an hour before boarding. So, as soon as time travel is invented, I can go back, download the app and have access to movies for our flight.

We left early in the morning and breakfast sandwiches were offered to passengers with normal digestive systems. If your body treats gluten like poison, you get to starve or purchase a box of gluten-free crackers and hummus. I’ve learned to pack snacks because, like the United Airlines motto states, “Suck it up. We’re not your mom.”

As we flew through the skies, we played games like, “Is it turbulence or did we just lose the landing gear?” and “Annoy Fellow Passengers.” I think I won that when I reclined my seat from 90 degrees to 95 degrees. The woman behind me sighed like a passive-aggressive parent who was not mad, just extremely disappointed.

On the way home from the Big Island

of Hawaii, we ended up running through the Honolulu airport because our connecting flight was late. We dashed to our terminal, which is not the best way to end a vacation, especially after eating your weight in kalua pork and fish tacos.

Net profits for the airline industry are set to hit more than $30 billion this year. Even Boeing (“Safety is Our 15th Priority”) knows it can install faulty parts, disregard safety inspections and hunt down whistleblowers because people will always want to fly.

Boeing stock is dropping faster than its Max 737s but the company doesn’t seem concerned. Even when people bounce off the ceilings due to cockpit issues or have to make an emergency landing in Denver be-

cause a passenger is stuck in the bathroom, Boeing knows people will fork over handfuls of cash to travel.

Passengers expect delays, cancellations and lackadaisical assistance. Any other industry would hire a fancy PR team to encourage people to use its services but the airline industry doesn’t give a flying fig about its image.

Even with its rock-bottom reputation, the airline industry has us over a barrel. With wheels ricocheting off the runway, engines catching fire and toilet waste flooding the cabin, passengers continue to pay increasing costs for the “luxury” of travel. And, like the Delta slogan states, “We Really Don’t Care.”

Midvale Journal | July 2024

LOS MUROS ON MAIN CONTINUES TO IMPRESS IN THIRD YEAR

Holy Cross Hospital – Jordan Valley honored for commitment to patient safety

Dancing the night away: Unforgettable moments uniting students at prom

Canyons Teacher of the Year shares insights on trying new teaching methods

Read more about what’s happening in Midvale schools online

Showcasing culture: Students share cultural heritage through dance, art, food

Harvest Days returns July 29 to Aug. 3

Summer Off Socials: Gen Zers encouraged to ditch social media

Salt Lake Men’s Choir commemorates its 40th anniversary with summer concert

Serving Families Since 1885

LARKIN MORTUARY HONORS FAMILY PIONEER HERITAGE

LOCAL FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED

Postpartum support group holds annual ‘Climb’ event in Midvale

DDorothy Adams takes helm of Salt Lake County Health Department

MIDVALE CITY DIRECTORY

WHO TO CALL FOR…

In The Middle of Everything

City Hall – 7505 South Holden Street • Midvale, UT 84047

Marcus’ Message

2024-2025 Proposed Budget

Redevelopment Agency - $16.4 million

In The Middle of Everything

Enterprise Funds - $20.5 million

Capital Improvement Projects Fund - $28.1 million

Thanks for diving into the Midvale City budget!

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Midvale Museum & Historical Society Celebrates 45 Years

JULY 2024 CITY NEWSLETTER

MIDVALE. UTAH. GOV

MIDVALE HARVEST DAYS

For Hillcrest High, spring sports season is a wrap

Movies

7 outdoor concert venues perfect for summer nights

EMPOWERING OUR HEROES

(WEST VALLEY CITY)

Midvale Elementary students celebrate the arts through joy of music and dance

Hillcrest High celebrates 16 Academic All-State student-athletes

Fight or Flight