Midvale Journal | March 2024

HARD WORK AND POSITIVITY LEAD HILLCREST DRILL TO HISTORIC WIN

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

“We’ve

just had an amazing season; it’s been one for the books.”

The record books, that is.

Hillcrest High’s drill team, fondly known as HD, had tears of joys, screams of delight and hard-earned applause as they were announced 4A state champions.

“There were so many tears; I was so proud,” said the team coach Chelsea Divine. “They did amazing. Winning truly felt like a dream. It’s been a movie script.”

That script isn’t over.

This month, they will compete in the 57th annual Miss Dance Drill Team USA national competition in California.

Afterward, “we get to celebrate the season at the happiest place on earth,” Divine said.

The 22-member team had an “epic” start of their season, being honored with the Epic Choice Award at their summer dance and drill camp.

“That kicked things off for us,” said Divine, who is assisted by coaches Carter Williams, Sydney McArther and Abby McCleary.

At their first invitational at Utah Valley University in December, the Huskies tied for first with two other teams, Desert Hills and Skyview high schools. In the tiebreaker, they were awarded third place.

“It was good because it kept us hungry and had us evaluate where we can improve,” she said.

At their second invitational, the Davis Valley Classic in Jan-

Continued page 8

Hillcrest High drill team was crowned 4A state championships Feb. 1 after winning its region title earlier this year. (Photo courtesy of Chelsea Divine/Hillcrest High)

High-quality, innovative health care with a heavy dose of compassion

With a focus on health care excellence, community service and faith – the doctors, nurses and care teams at Holy Cross Hospital – Salt Lake are committed to compassionate and highquality care for their neighbors.

It has been nearly a year since CommonSpirit Health took over five Wasatch Front hospitals that now bear the name Holy Cross, a reference to the Sisters of the Holy Cross, who brought Catholic, faith-based health care to the people of Utah nearly 150 years ago.

Today, the hospitals are reinvigorating the Sisters’ vision while caring for all with open arms, including at the original hospital they opened in 1875 that cares for patients 24/7 on S. Temple Street.

“We have returned to our roots in the way we care for the people of the Salt Lake Valley, and we are so excited to re-emphasize community-focused, faithbased health care for the people of Utah,” said Kevin Jenkins, Market CEO for the Holy Cross hospitals. “Our care is truly focused on neighbors helping neighbors.”

Besides innovative health care in services that include orthopedics, bariatrics, neurosurgery, heart care, and robotic-assisted technology, the hospital’s teams are actively involved in helping to make their communities better outside the walls of the hospital. These efforts range from food pantry donations and first aid sponsorships with local arts festivals to partnering with the American Heart Association to educate our communities about heart health.

Through its Hello Humankindness program, CommonSpirit is actively promoting the health benefits

of kindness and recognizing employees who go above and beyond the call of their jobs to help those in need.

“We believe that simple acts of kindness have a profound impact on the lives of our patients and communities, in addition to the medical expertise that our doctors and nurses provide,” Jenkins said.

The Holy Cross hospitals have also re-started volunteer and chaplaincy programs, which had not been a priority for the previous owner.

“We have a Director of Mission and Ministry who leads our chaplaincy program to provide prayer and other support for our patients – regardless of who they are or faith tradition - and is making sure our healing mission is carried out in our hospitals,” Jenkins added.

CommonSpirit’s mission includes advancing social justice for all, and last fall, it bestowed eight grants from its Health Equity & Advancement Fund to local nonprofits that are working every day to improve lives in ways that include health screenings for Spanishspeaking neighbors and mental health treatment for children and families.

With a long legacy of service and healing, CommonSpirit is just getting started in extending health care excellence for all Utahns at the Holy Cross hospitals.

“Our vision is a healthier future for all – inspired by faith, driven by innovation, and powered by our humanity,” Jenkins said.

Learn more about the services, care providers and mission-driven work of the Holy Cross hospitals and CommonSpirit Health at www.holycrossutah.org.

Orthopedic care with compassion at its core.

Our physicians provide the most advanced care and treatment options in orthopedics, including hip and knee replacement, total joint replacement, and sports medicine. We are committed to creating personalized treatment plans and providing extraordinary care to every patient.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Kevin Jenkins, Market CEO

Officials discuss possible code change to ‘activate’ Main Street by allowing alcohol in designated public places

Alcohol could be allowed in public spaces

such as outdoor patios attached to bars or events that include beer gardens if Midvale City officials change city code.

The possibility comes after a discussion at Midvale’s Feb. 20 City Council meeting that saw city staff present the option as a way to “activate” Main Street.

In the staff’s report it said this would “be pivotal in activating Midvale Main through events, creating a controlled environment for the consumption of alcohol when appropriate for the event.”

The change is similar to models in other cities such as Salt Lake City, Ogden, Park City and Moab. Councilmember Bryant Brown

By Travis Barton | travis.b@thecityjournals.com

pointed to a pizza place downtown that has small gating onto the sidewalk allowing alcohol consumption outside.

Kate Andrus, the city’s RDA program manager, told the council this process started after recent restaurant and entertainment businesses on Main Street approached the city to enter agreements allowing outdoor dining.

“That was the catalyst was that we wanted to make that available…to really help activate the street and continue having outdoor dining opportunities,” she said.

As long as businesses followed regulations and had appropriate liquor licenses to serve alcohol in those areas, she said, they could do so. It would also allow events to host

beer gardens (outdoor areas where beer and food are served, typically near greenery on shared tables).

Andrus emphasized this would only be allowed if the licensed location has an approved site plan filed with the city and is also compliant with state and local regulations. The state is known for its stringent laws on alcohol consumption.

The idea is to offer more benefits to local businesses while still maintaining public safety and following state law.

Councilmember Dustin Gettel was concerned about other ramifications of the code change. He said during the meeting he understood doing this on Main Street with the proper

licensing, but was nervous about its effect on other public spaces, like parks.

“The public parks and public places (portion of the code) gives me a little bit of pause,” Gettel said.

Councilmember Heidi Robinson said these businesses would have licenses and permits on the line if they don’t remain accountable, adding that well-run and well-attended businesses can attract people to Midvale.

“It’s not going to be the wild, wild west,” she said.

The matter was only up for discussion in February and would still need to come before the council again before any potential approval. l

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Public spaces along Midvale’s Main Street, seen here during a walk and talk tour last fall, could see alcohol consumed outside under specific conditions. (File photo City Journals)

The catalyst for such a change is due to previous agreements on Midvale’s Main Street allowing outdoor dining. (File photo courtesy Midvale)

Racing the clock:

Canyons high school students unleash creativity in four-hour art contest

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Jordan High junior Olivia Hill was surrounded by about 60 other high school artists all busily drawing, painting, sculpting, printmaking and perfecting other art techniques.

The clock was ticking.

Their mission was to create a piece of work from scratch in four hours. While they could bring in any reference and could explore any medium, there was no theme. Their artwork only had to fit into five categories: fantasy, contemporary, traditional, 3D sculptural and 3D functional.

This is Artstock, Canyons School District’s art competition for students in six high schools: Alta, Brighton, Corner Canyon, Diamond Ridge, Jordan and Hillcrest. A Utah Arts Festival juror would judge their pieces and medals given to the top three in each category as well as best of show and Sweepstakes for best school overall. Every student would receive feedback from the art teachers and the students also could vote for a people’s choice award.

It’s a contest that has been around for at least 20 years.

“Competition brings out the best of us,” Brighton High art teacher Derek Chandler said. “It goes along with Canyons School District’s motto of getting students ready for college and career. This is what artists do. We not only compete with ourselves and try to make a living, whether or not it’s our full-time job, but we create and like to see what others create. This is a good way for students to see all the different spices and varieties, and what’s possible. It advances their own art tremendously. Students are seeing what works, what doesn’t, what others are doing, what’s possible.”

Hill had never participated in an art competition before.

“Just being around other people who like to paint and like art is cool,” she said as she used watercolor on her mermaid painting. “I wanted to do something that had a lot of movement so I thought mermaids and then I thought it would be cool if the mermaid was restrained somehow. I like acrylics but I wanted a challenge so I’m doing watercolor.”

She is enrolled in Advanced Placement Drawing, so she was planning to include this piece of art in her portfolio.

Chandler said that is the point behind not having a theme.

“A lot of these students are AP artists, meaning they submit a portfolio for college credit,” he said. “We wanted to keep the theme open so they could use their artwork from Artstock for that portfolio.”

Jordan High fine arts teacher Collette

Baddley said that it’s “an awesome opportunity for them to pursue their interests.”

“My students tell me that it really helps them to learn time and how to pace creating their art,” she said. “They get to see techniques other schools are doing and talk to them about their common interest. I love watching what they come up with; it’s just impressive.”

Nearby, Brighton High’s Corbin Stewart has been doing art ever since he could remember.

At Artstock, he was using dip pens to create a comic art style painting.

“I like the DC Comics art; it’s pretty aesthetic looking,” he said. “I love dip pens and to experiment with textures that they can give me. I prefer how they work compared to other paints because you can do a lot with them.”

The high school junior is looking into architecture as a possible career.

“I thought this would be fun and something I can put on my resume. I can zone out and destress from school. It’s something I enjoy; art has always been a joy for me.”

Nearby Brighton junior Chiara Onwuegbu was using watercolor to create a humorous dog painting.

“I saw this on Pinterest, and I just think it’s funny,” she said. “I think I’m good at drawing animals so I thought I’d do it here. I’m going to put it on my wall of my room. Watercolor works well with this. It’s very forgiving; I can fix things easy. I love the shading that you can do with watercolors.”

Onwuegbu started art lessons in first grade.

“It’s fun, it’s creative, it can make you think, feel and be expressive,” she said. “The best part is finishing. It makes me feel proud at the end, seeing it all come together.”

This year, Alta High won the Sweepstakes, ending Hillcrest High’s two-year winning streak to claim the traveling trophy. Corner Canyon was second and Hillcrest placed third.

Overall individual winners went to Alta’s Blake Carter for best in show and Hillcrest’s Faith Furgeson for people’s choice.

Fantasy category winners were Elizabeth Nelson, Alta, first; Romana Beaver, Jordan, second; and Kripa Thapa, Corner Canyon, third. In contemporary, Mia Bell, Alta, first; Brooklyn Jackson, Corner Canyon, second; and Josilyn Stevens, Jordan, third. In traditional, the winners were Kale Davis, Corner Canyon, first; Annika Amundson, Hillcrest, second; and McKenna Gibbons, Corner Canyon, third.

3-D functional winners were Evan Wolf, Corner Canyon, first; Taylor Allen, Jordan, second; and Ellie Bouck, Hillcrest, third. 3-D sculpture winning students were Kaden Huffman, Alta, first; Kay Allen, Diamond Ridge, second; and Tyler Pullmer, Hillcrest, third.

Honorable mentions went to Brigh-

ton’s Ohwnuegbu; Corner Canyon’s Vivian Huh, Alex Jensen, and Sarah Naylor; Diamond Ridge’s Hailey Dyoree; Jordan’s Grace Mahoney and Lynslie Calacino; and Hillcrest’s Cecily Bennett, Cassidy Boykin and Ares Lou. l

About 60 Canyons School District high school students took in the four-hour Artstock competition where they could explore any medium in the District-wide contest. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Painting was just one of several mediums high school students chose during the annual Canyons School District Artstock competition. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Former top Hillcrest High athlete finding skeleton racing ‘invigorating’

Few people have goals set for the year.

According to U.S. News and World Report, about 80% of the people lose their resolve and motivation in February after setting new year’s resolutions.

Fewer people have goals for five years out or even have a 10-year plan.

But a 24-year-old Hillcrest High alumna does, and she wants to be on the world’s stage.

Gracie Otto is a skeleton racer.

She will jump onto her sledge, her face just inches away from the track as she looks ahead at the icy path. Her shoulders and legs control the direction of the sled, making the best line on each of the curves.

Otto has a plan for each day, each season, each year. Ultimately, she’d like to race in the Winter Olympic Games in 2030 or 2034.

“I would love to make that happen, and especially on our home track, that would be amazing,” she said.

Otto knows she has work ahead of her.

“USA bobsled and skeleton has a push standard for athletes to qualify for each race circuit. I’m working on trying to meet the standard,” she said. “Next year, I want to start competing in the North American Cup. Then I’ll make my way up to the European Cup and the World Cup.”

This March, the 5-foot-3-inch racer will submit her analytics, including her 40-yard dash time, her vertical jump, her long jump and other statistics, in hopes of an invitation to the national rookie camp in New York.

Otto knows her goals are ambitious; she’s willing to work for them.

“I have my eye on trying to make it to Lake Placid next season,” she said. “My coaches are telling me I should totally strive for that. They’re supportive and remind me that I’ll get there; it just takes time. I’m training hard and hope Team USA will recognize and move me forward.”

Otto didn’t grow up racing skeleton, just going down a steep hill in the Daybreak community.

“As a little kid I’d go down face first on my sled all the time. Sometimes, I’d go backward. Sometimes, I’d build little jumps, just to make each run unique and more exciting. I grew up skiing, but when I hit middle school, my friend got me into snowboarding because it was cooler,” she said. “I’ve always been a warm weather gal, an ocean person. I get cold easily, so I never saw myself as an avid winter sports athlete.”

It was in December 2022, she had returned to her parents’ home in South Jordan for the holidays, when she had her first run at the Olympic Park as part of a Discover Skeleton day.

“I wasn’t nervous. I was excited and thought, ‘This is so cool to try out.’ I convinced CeCe (her older sister) to do it because it was literally just me in a room of teenage boys that day,” she said. “We started at curve 11. The coaches said we’d likely hit the wall going down the track, but to just continue and it would be fine.”

Otto had “a completely clean run” while her older sister, “the poor thing, she hit the walls a lot. She did it, but she was ‘a one-and-done girl.’ She’s always erring on the side of caution. I’m definitely more of a wild child.”

The coaches liked what they saw in the adventurous Otto.

“They said that my run was amazing and to think about joining for the upcoming season. I went home and talked to my family about it. I was applying to grad school, but they said I can always go back to school, and I could only be an athlete for a limited time in my life,” she said, adding others echoed their support. “I decided that I’d take a year as a trial run. If I hated it, then I’d go to school. But, I loved it from that moment forward. I never thought that this would blossom into

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

something bigger that I pursue.”

The 2021 University of Hawaii marine biology graduate had moved to California where she had been a divemaster and taught scuba diving and marine education for kids on Catalina Island. She packed up her belongings and put her application to University of California Santa Barbara’s doctorate program in predator research on hold.

On Jan. 7, 2023, Otto began training under coaches Nick Vienneau and Matt Griff. She progressed from that initial time on the ice, where she hit 40 miles per hour, working her way to the top of the hill. The Park City 1,335-meter competitive course has an 8% average gradient over its 15 curves.

“The whole season, I just wanted to go down from the top of the track. I was super eager, and my coach kept saying you have to be patient and take time,” she said.

Otto did her homework as well.

“As athletes, we help each other be aware of how each pressure and each curve on the track will affect us and our sleds. We talk about navigating the track and navigating pressure. With coaches, we put crampons on over shoes and walk the track so we look at each curve and see what the ideal line would be. My mind never stops thinking about how to improve,” she said.

Otto remembers her first full run.

“I approached it as a situation where I could relax. I knew the track and had done a lot of studying on it. I knew to get a feel of how I was on the sled, and I could go from there,” she said. “When I got to the end of the track, I was ready to go again. It was freakin’ fantastic. It was so invigorating. Skeleton definitely fuels my fire.”

The next day, Otto competed in her first race, the Western Regionals held at Park City.

“It literally was my second run down from the top of the track,” she said.

Otto placed fourth finish in the women’s division, clocking her first run at 55.43, and reaching a top speed of 75.7 miles per hour. Run two, she improved to 54.95, racing at 76 mph.

She continued her workouts throughout the summer and fall on the simulation metal push track, “which is one of the fundamental parts of the sport. Now I’m back on the ice.”

In December 2023, she was “pumped” to slide down the track as a forerunner for the North American Cup race held at Park City.

Otto continues to train at the Olympic Park five days a week in two-hour sessions. Her speed has increased to about 78 miles per hour, approaching typical Olympic speeds of about 80 mph, she said. Her fastest run is 52.40; “I definitely have a lot of room for improvement.”

Skeleton is challenging in many aspects.

“You only have a certain amount of time on the ice in a training session. On a good day, you’ll take three runs down. On average, two, so it’s literally less than two minutes on the ice. The season is fairly short and can be weather dependent on ice conditions and snow. It’s also a mental game with so many different facets to it. You need to know the track that you’re on because each track is unique. They all have different curves, different pressures. You really have to do your homework. You have to be aware of where you are at all times and

Hillcrest High alumna Gracie Otto is training in hopes of qualifying to compete in next year’s North American Cup. (Photo courtesy of Cece Otto)

In December 2023, Gracie Otto slides down the track as a forerunner for the North American Cup race held at Park City. (Photo courtesy of Cece Otto)

New Hillcrest High baseball coach implementing a culture with purpose

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Whenthe Huskies step out onto the baseball field, there’s intention. When they’re in the weight room, there’s effort. When they’re in the doing drills, there’s dedication.

That’s the goal of first-year baseball coach Trevor Thornton.

“The biggest thing we are implementing this year is building a strong culture in everything that we do, whether that is conditioning or getting better hitting in the cages,” he said. “We don’t want to just go through the motions. We want to make sure that everything that we do has a purpose and put forth 100% effort.”

By doing so, Thornton foresees the team improving from its 1-18 season last year.

“We don’t have the numbers of players other schools do, so we got to create a culture where kids want to come play. A lot of that is showing a good product on the field. My motto is ‘respect all and fear none.’ We’re going to go play any team with respect and we aren’t going to fear them even if statistically, they may appear better. We’re just going to put that 100% effort into it,” he said.

It’s what Thornton preached in open gyms prior to the Feb. 26 tryouts. It’s what he’ll advocate leading into their season opener, a March 5 home game against Provo High.

Prior to tryouts, Thornton noted in fall and winter open gyms he had some “really good seniors who have been putting a ton of work in offseason and are trying to make it their best year this year. We have a couple sophomores that will probably play varsity and then a freshman. We have a good senior catcher and so we’re trying to find pitchers on the JV level who could step up to play that position if we need them to.”

However, he knows there may be some multisport athletes he hasn’t seen play or even some who haven’t played for years who could return to the sport.

know how to drive your sled,” she said.

Otto, who grew up tumbling, graduated as Hillcrest High’s 2017 top athlete. She was a state competitor in swimming and cross country and set the state pole vault record in track. Since then, she has participated in U.S. Masters Swimming and competed in triathlons “as a hobby.” Otto takes her competitive spirit and her flexibility from her athletic background and combines it with her calm mindset from scuba as she approaches her new sport.

“After that physical sprint at the beginning, it’s all about learning the track, knowing the pressures and making a game time decision on each curve. Besides training on the ice, I’m working on my speed and doing weightlifting,” she said.

Three early mornings per week, Otto is doing interval training, circuit work and foot speed with her former high school swim coach, Ryan Thierbach. She’s also working

“I was a multisport athlete sport myself,” said the former Box Elder High School baseball and football player who also played hoops for two years. “I love we have the culture where this is a place I can play baseball and still play football, basketball or wrestle. It helps kids be better in every facet of the game and it gives them a break from the grind of baseball. When they come back, they’re refreshed and ready to go.”

This year, Thornton, along with two other coaches, will oversee varsity and JV squads.

“The goal is within the next couple years, we’ll get the numbers that we can fill three teams,” he said, adding that he wants to hold a summer camp for third to eighth graders and have his players work with them.

Right now, Thornton is concentrating on the games ahead. The 4A state tournament starts May 3 and 4 at home sites.

“Juan Diego, Cottonwood, they’re going to be tough. It’s a pretty tough region all around. We got our work cut out for us, but we’re excited for the challenge,” he said. “I’ve been doing check-ins, making sure how the players are doing as a person. That’s one thing I wish I had in a school; it helps the kids see that you’re not just this guy who’s just in charge of a baseball team; you’re actually someone that they trust. I’ll also check with them academically because we’re student-athletes, we’re not athlete-students. At almost every open gym, I’ve been asking, ‘Hey, how are you doing? How’s school going?’ I hope they know we have an interest in their education and we’re not here just to focus on baseball.”

The physical education teacher at Roots Charter High School in West Valley grew up on the mound.

“I always loved pitching because as a pitcher I always had the ball in my hand and there’s a lot of action going on. I had a strong

on her own, focusing on her pushing dynamics.

“I have a deconstructed roller skate (from when her sister performed in Hillcrest’s production of “Starlight Express”) and I set a weight on top of it. I push that so I can work on sprinting in that hunched-over position and know my hand placement. Everybody at the gym looks at me like I’m crazy,” she said.

This spring, Otto will train with skeleton Olympic silver medalist and Utah Sports Hall of Famer Noelle Pikus-Pace at the Olympic Oval.

“My former pole vault coach (Kody Pierce) is friends with her and connected me. I’m really excited about training with her because she knows the sport and the intricacies of it. I’ve been able to watch Olympian Katie Uhlaender at the Olympic Park as she’s making a play for the 2026 Olympics. Seeing how she navigates the track and how her pushes has been so cool,” she said.

connection to the game. That just grew more and more,” he said.

But it was after watching New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter that his passion deepened.

“I was not a Yankees fan. My brother was a big Yankees fan; I was an Angels fan. But when I saw Derek Jeter play the A’s running across the field right by home plate and gets the cut-off and then, he throws it to get the guy out, I was like ‘Wow.’ After that, my number was two; I wanted to replicate what he did,” said Thornton, who still has the poster of Jeter that he had as a boy that he got at his elementary school bookfair.

He then played other positions, but from sixth grade through high school, “I was playing third base and shortstop and just trying to mimic a lot about what he did.”

The love for baseball never left Thornton, even throughout serving a church mission or studying behavioral science at Utah Valley University.

To support her training, Otto works three part-time, flexible jobs—assistant coaching the Alta High swim team, tutoring students in STEM subjects and helping with an adventure after-school program.

“I’m using an Olympic Park slide which I’m grateful for because those cost $5,000 to $10,000,” she said.

Otto is customizing the 29.8-kilogram sled designed and produced by Bromley Technologies, founded by Great Britain’s former skeleton racer Kristan Bromley and his brother, Richard. Otto, who weighs in at 130 pounds, plans to add more weight to the sledge, saying the maximum combined sled and athlete weight allowed is 102 kilograms or about 225 pounds.

“Ideally, I will have more speed, but it will change the balance points, how I feel on the ice and the pressures of the curve. The G-forces on your head and neck are quite a bit so we’re wearing Q-collars around our necks

“I knew I wanted to be involved in sports; it was a passion of mine since I was a little kid clipping out the box scores from newspapers. I knew I needed to find a career that I was passionate about so, I decided to coach; I wanted to be involved helping kids and I love sports,” he said.

He returned to his high school and helped coach football and baseball before moving on to West Ridge Academy in West Jordan, where he coached baseball, boys basketball and girls basketball. During COVID-19, he took a break from coaching until he saw Hillcrest High’s opening posted.

“I’ve always had a passion for baseball; there’s lessons that translate to life,” Thornton said. “If you strike out, what are you going to do? Everybody’s going to strike, but it’s what do we do when we strike out that counts. Do we give up and not play or do we go up to bat again?” l

to stabilize our heads,” she said.

Each run, Otto is learning something new and making improvements.

“It’s never going to be boring even though I’m taking run after run after run on the same track. There’s always something to figure out, work on or adjust,” she said.

While Otto has yet to name her sled, she may become known as America’s glitter gal.

“I love glitter so my motto is ‘sparkles for speed.’ I always have either glitter on my face, or a little glitter star sticker on my sled,” said the local who doesn’t just want to watch races of the World Cup or Olympics online. “I’m one of the youngest people in my training group. A lot of the people who are competing and World Cup and European Cup are 27, up to 35 years old. I’m happy I switched up; it’s been really fun. Skeleton has won my heart.” l

Hillcrest High’s baseball team will host Provo High in the season opener on March 5. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Continued from front page

uary, HD “swept first place in every dance and that was really cool.”

The third competition, the Royal Classic invitational, they beat Ridgeline High, who had been ranked first in RPI all season.

“That propelled us to sweep region and right into state,” Divine said. “Our theme this year is ‘the time is now.’ The captains and coaches emphasized the time is now to be the best that we can be. I didn’t want us focused on perfection. We really focused on being 1% better every day. The girls showed up to work every single day. They are the hardest-working team. They are positive, unified and unselfish. Everything we did was for Hillcrest, and what was going to be best for our team.”

The team is led by the only seniors on the team, Lola Nielson, the head captain, and Angelina Hickcok. Hickcok along with junior Aniyah Hassell are the dance captains. Junior Eden McFarland is the spirit captain.

Divine said as HD, they talked about championships teams prior to being crowned 4A state and Region 10 champs.

“We asked what a championship team looks like? How do we become one and how all the pieces in that puzzle work together?” she said.

One practice Divine came with a huge suitcase.

“The girls asked, ‘Are you going on a trip? What’s going on?’” she said. “I wheeled my suitcase and said, ‘I’ve been thinking about

all the things that are going to hold us back this year.’ I went through my list. Then, I pretended the suitcase was heavy and I laid it down. I asked, ‘Can somebody come over here and help me unpack this?’ I said that it contained all the things that are going to hold us back. One of my juniors jumped up and opened it up. The only thing that was inside was a picture of the team. We talked about

how the only thing that can get in our way is us and if we go all in and we give our very best, we’re going to win. It was really motivating,” she said.

The team that practices a couple mornings and two days after school weekly, is athletic.

“We put a lot of work into conditioning and strengthening so they could do more advanced skills. Our full team could do both right aerials and left aerials. We’ve had a full team do right aerial in the past, but this year, they also performed left aerials; it’s hard to do both sides,” Divine said.

In addition to team practices, Hillcrest and other community middle school and high school dancers attended the new Hillcrest Community Dance last summer. Designed as a training program that had offered technique, jazz and hip hop lessons at an affordable price, it focused on dance technique and helped build their confidence, she said.

“The priority was helping these girls with their turns and jumps and kicks and for them to build their confidence,” Divine said of the 10-week summer and 10-week fall sessions. “But I also wanted the dancers to have an opportunity to dance and remember why they loved it; they were able to train in a fun environment and be inspired by other dancers.”

Hip hop, which was taught by a guest instructor, was selected as it was one of the state routines this year.

“HD’s routines are amazing, every single one of them. I love our military routine because it’s creative and extremely athletic. The technical skills required for our dance routine are advanced and our girls really handled it well. They put a lot of emotion into their dance. Carter choreographed our third dance, which was Princess Peach. Those costumes are bright and fun and it’s a character that our girls could connect to,” she said.

After winning state, Hillcrest held a pep rally assembly.

“The girls got to perform for the school and they presented the trophy to the school, which was really cool,” Divine said.

The close-knit team that bonded last summer at Classic Skating —“we discovered we’re not great at skates”—performed at football and basketball games and at Dance for Life suicide awareness gala and competed to win the region and state titles, will hit the floor once more at nationals.

“We’re fine-tuning their routines, including pom and a captain’s routine that weren’t part of the state competition,” she said.

Additionally, Hassell, who placed in the top 10 at Miss Drill Utah, will compete for the Miss Drill USA title.

Divine is looking forward to tryouts in mid-April, with the likely return of most of her team that includes seven strong freshmen.

“We’re gonna be rockin’,” she said.

However, Divine is excited to have one last opportunity for this team to compete together.

“This is one of the sharpest teams that I’ve coached; it’s exciting to watch them,” she said. “This team appreciates and values their drill team experience; it means a lot to them that they got to be together. This team works hard and they’re consistent; that’s why they succeed.”

Other HD honors this year include Nielson, Hickcox and Hassell named to the 4A all-state drill team; junior Mia Ochoa Del Rio receiving the region hero award; juniors Jayden Graham, Eden McFarland and Samantha Sherrod honored as part of the all-region drill team; and 12 girls earning all-region academic awards: Nielson, Hickcox, McFarland, Ochoa Del Rio, Sherrod, freshman Leah Sherrod, Adalyn Cox, Bethany Stevenson, Ellie Runnells and Ruby Hurst; sophomore Ayanna Silvers and junior Maile Gonzalez. l

In addition to competing, Hillcrest High drill team performs at basketball and football teams, as seen here at homecoming last fall. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Midvalley students discover the wonders of science and technology

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

“I want to do all activities here.”

First-grader Amelia Smith was excited to see Midvalley Elementary’s STEAM night. Her dad, Brady, was by her side.

“I hope she can see and enjoy all the different disciplines of science and math and all these cool things,” he said. “We absolutely love doing these things at home. We build a lot of LEGOs. Here, we can stretch her mind in different ways. I just want her to have a mind that solves problems and thinks through things. I want her to be able to create and have that skill set that goes along with all these STEAM activities.”

That’s the goal behind STEAM night, said Canyons School District’s Digital Teaching and Learning Specialist Chandra Martz, who created the STEAM kits for schools to use with a portion of a grant she received from the Utah STEM Action Center.

The kits come with dozens of challenges as students rotated through the gym. They learned to ask questions, analyze data, investigate and recognize similarities and patterns. They could develop and test solutions and explore learning using tools—or in many cases, fun learning tools such as coding a robotic dog or exploring snap circuits.

“We included the activities they can do at home so they learn STEAM is anywhere,” she said. “As long as they’re asking the right questions, STEAM can be implemented into pretty much any activity.”

Some of those questions may be “how can you break down the problem to make it easier to solve” or “what resources can you use to solve the problem.” Afterward, Martz said parents could ask students to explain what they did to solve the challenge and if the results make sense.

At each of the stations, teachers and volunteers were modeling that, allowing students to figure out the tasks at hand.

Third-grade teacher Emily Walker was observing students who were “productively struggling. I’m letting them try to figure it out and direct them with guided questions. They get excited about what happens. With this snap circuit station, they build a machine and then, the propeller takes off and flies. It’s really cool. I’m hoping that they start to understand how the pieces connecting this makes a machine and how they work together to make something happen.”

It ties in her class curriculum of studying forces in motion.

“It’s pretty applicable and it’s fun. We do a lot of experiments in class in science. We just did a forces in motion experiment where we used pieces of cardboard little toy cars to see how fast they go down the ramp, depending on the steepness of the ramp. They learned a bit of the scientific method by predicting how fast they’d go and collecting data and determining why or why not the cars went as fast as they thought they would,” she said. “This night just

has a lot of opportunities for students and their families.”

At each station, Martz provided how the activities connected to academic core standards in both English and Spanish, which was helpful for the dual immersion school.

Kim Coller brought her granddaughter, Bella, a kindergartner, to STEAM night.

“It’s a good learning experience for my granddaughter; she loves activities like this, and I get to spend time with her at her school,” Coller said. “She’s a busy kid; she likes to do everything. She’s already built a car ramp to test how fast and how far they can go, now she likes putting together K’NEX and spinning them.”

Nearby, Addie Parkin was at another station. She is a preschooler who loves to play chef and paint fingernails.

“Last time, she told me she wanted to either be a nail tech or bake and sell pizza at the beach, or maybe be a scientist so she can figure out things,” said her mother, Angela. “Addie loves putting things together; she’s great at puzzles. She’s tried the marble run and the Hot Wheels. She’s loving this tonight. We don’t have nearly the space at home, but we do go to Grandpa’s and do some activities where she can explore and create. With the sheet they’ve provided, we’ll be doing some more.”

That likely would be something Martz hopes to hear more often.

“I want as many kids as possible to be able to see STEAM in their future. I want girls to be able to see that they can be engineers. I want children of color to see that they can get a job in the field that pays well. I feel a lot of people in some of our Canyons communities are working three jobs just to try to make ends

meet. There are careers that their children can enter, and they can make $100,000 out of high school. I just want them to be able to see that this could be their future,” she said.

Martz said this is in line with the school district’s motto: “Every student who attends Canyons School District will graduate college

and career ready.”

“That’s what we’re doing with STEAM, AI (artificial intelligence), technology—it’s the way of the future,” she said. “We’re giving them problem-solving skills and skills in critical thinking, so when they graduate, they are college and career ready.” l

UTOPIA Fiber exceeds 60,000 subscribers

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

It’s been more than 20 years since the Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency introduced the idea to build a fiber optic network with an investment from several cities in the state. Now those cities are considered pioneers for having the foresight to predict the need for high-speed internet connectivity for residents.

UTOPIA Fiber has demonstrated 14 years of consecutive growth, with the company releasing its 2023 numbers that include five new city buildouts and more than 62,000 subscribers. Last year, the fiber-optic company installed 1.5 million linear feet of underground conduit and 2.7 million linear feet of fiber-optic cable, and it connected more than 23,000 new homes and 1,270 businesses.

“This past year has been one of UTOPIA Fiber’s best yet,” said Roger Timmerman, UTOPIA Fiber executive director. “By partnering with communities across Utah and the West, we’ve built vital infrastructure that aims to ensure residents and businesses benefit from fast, reliable, and affordable fiber internet connectivity, while leveraging UTOPIA’s expertise and proven track record in efficient network operation, maintenance, and exceptional customer service.”

Midvale City was one of the original cities to invest in UTOPIA Fiber and many of its businesses are connected to the system, including Overstock.com. More than 20 years ago, Midvale’s elected officials were willing to support the project, even in the face of harsh criticism.

“Midvale is one of those small cities that everyone goes through but nobody knows, but it was one of our founding cities,” said Kim McKinley, chief marketing officer of UTOPIA Fiber. “Midvale has always been

this city that’s the heart of the Wasatch Valley because there’s so much going on. We’re seeing tremendous growth and we’ve loved Midvale being part of this network since the beginning.”

Since 2009, UTOPIA Fiber has designed, built, and financed nearly half-a-billion dollars worth of community broadband projects in Utah and the Intermountain West. While UTOPIA Fiber doesn’t provide internet services, it builds out the infrastructure with an “open access” model that allows private service providers to tap into the system.

“Utopia wouldn’t be here unless the community stood up and said what they wanted in their community, and I never knew the power of your voice until I’ve been to some of these city council meetings where people want fiber and understand how that really can direct the city’s future,” McKinley said. “So it’s been a great ride. It’s a new UTOPIA and we’re here to see what 2024 brings. We’re always up for a challenge.”

Timmerman said UTOPIA Fiber’s growth has been spurred by residents and city officials who were tired of waiting for fast internet to become available in their communities.

“They took the matter into their own hands, correctly characterizing fiber as vital infrastructure and demanding more choice and affordable pricing,” he said. “We continually build networks that deliver among the fastest speeds in the United States, consistent reliability, and the freedom to choose your own internet service provider, most of which are fantastic local Utah companies themselves.”

For more information, visit UTOPIAFiber.com. l

In 2023, UTOPIA Fiber installed 1.5 million linear feet of underground conduit and 2.7 million linear feet of fiber-optic cable. Plus, it connected more than 23,000 new homes and 1,270 new businesses. (Courtesy of UTOPIA)

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

Council Message

By Bonnie Billings, District 1

Engaging Residents through Enhanced Communication Channels

Hello Midvale,

I hope this message nds you well. I am Bonnie Billings; your recently elected District 1 councilmember and I want to take a moment to share some thoughts with all of you across our diverse and vibrant city. Representing the Fort Union area is both an honor and a learning experience—it has been lled with insightful conversations about the unique fabric of Midvale. Along the way, I have had the pleasure of meeting many District 1 residents, and I am eager about the prospect of extending those connections to residents from every corner of Midvale as we work together to shape our future.

You might be wondering why I decided to dive into local politics. Well, it boils down to a deep-seated belief in the strength of community. I believe that when residents actively engage in the decision-making process and participate in all that the city has to o er, it transforms a city into a thriving and vibrant home. My goal is to encourage all Midvale residents to be active contributors and participants in the shared vision of our city. I believe that to build an engaged community, we need to create and organize the tools necessary to engage as many residents as possible.

Today, I want to shine a light on a topic close to my heart –communication. Communication is the cornerstone of a thriving community, and I want to commit to regular, timely, and accessible communication (not everyone is on social media, right?). In a world buzzing with technology, accessible and e ective communication is more important than ever, and I want to make sure that our methods of reaching out and engaging with our residents are e ective and useful for you and members of the council. Regular communication not only increases trans-

parency and accountability for elected o cials but also nurtures relationships between residents and those who represent them. It is about building bridges, opening lines of dialogue, and creating a sense of unity.

To organize this communication e ectively, I am collaborating with Mayor Stevenson and city sta to develop the necessary tools to increase district-speci c communication. Step one in this process is collecting email addresses so that your councilmember has the option to send a regular digital newsletter to residents in their dis-

tricts. In my brief time on the council, I am learning about so many incredible activities and amenities Midvale o ers and I want to create a culture of ensuring that you know about every opportunity to participate in, and support, our community. For example, did you know that every Saturday in February, the Midvale Arts Council hosted free movies (check out upcoming events: midvalearts.com)?

Picture a scenario where you are directly and promptly informed (and encouraged to participate) about the latest happenings, events, and crucial notices in Midvale. That is the kind of community engagement I am aiming for – one where information ows easily, timely, and encourages strong engagement. This kind of communication also provides us the opportunity to share timely updates in the event of an emergency or last-minute noti cations. It is about being there for you when you need information the most.

Information about the process for collecting email addresses will be forthcoming. I am looking forward to connecting better with each of you!

My commitment to open communication, accessibility, engagement, and community building is unwavering. I am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and am fully dedicated to learning, growing, collaborating, and participating with you all. Together, let us make Midvale a place where everyone’s voice is heard, where community engagement and participation thrive, and where our shared dreams shape the narrative of our city.

Looking Forward,

Bonnie Billings, District

1

In The Middle of Everything

E ciency and Engagement: Midvale City’s Report a Problem System

Midvale City has taken a proactive approach to address community concerns through its innovative “Report a Problem” system. This initiative, managed by Midvale City’s Public Works Department, offers

residents a streamlined platform to report issues and communicate directly with Public Works, fostering efficiency, transparency, and community engagement.

One of the key features of Midvale City’s “Report a Problem” system is its accessibility. Residents can easily access the platform through the city’s website (Midvale.Utah.gov/Report), making it convenient to report issues anytime, anywhere. Whether it’s a pothole on a neighborhood street, a malfunctioning streetlight, or sidewalk issue, residents can quickly submit their concerns with just a few clicks.

Emergencies like water leaks, downed stop signs, or sewer backups should be reported to Public Works at 801-567-7235. For non-emergencies, residents can use the portal to submit a request. Requests go to the relevant city division, and users receive email updates on their status. This two-way communication fosters a sense of partnership between the community and its leaders, encouraging collaboration to maintain and enhance the city’s infrastructure and quality of life.

Midvale Senior Center To-Go Meals

On February 20, Midvale Senior Center returned to their standard, pre-covid To-Go Meal process. To reduce waste and protect our environment, to-go meal containers and bags will no longer be provided at Salt Lake County Senior Centers. But you can still take your meal to-go! Please bring your own to-go containers and bags. You can order a regular dine-in meal and transfer your food into your container to enjoy at your convenience, which is a return to our pre-pandemic To-Go Meal process.

Join the Conversation: Get Engaged with Midvale City!

Are you looking for ways to have your voice heard and make a difference in Midvale City? Look no further! EngageMidvale.com is your gateway to getting involved and helping shape the future of our community. EngageMidvale.com is Midvale City’s engagement platform, offering residents opportunities to participate in decision-making processes and community initiatives. One of the easiest and most impactful ways to get involved is by completing surveys on the platform. These surveys cover a wide range of topics, from local infrastructure projects to community events and beyond. Your feedback helps city officials and planners understand the needs and desires of Midvale residents, ensuring that future developments align with the values of our community.

Your participation matters. By taking the time to engage with EngageMidvale.com, you’re helping to shape the future of Midvale City in a meaningful way. Your input ensures that our community continues to thrive and grow in ways that benefit everyone.

So why wait? Visit EngageMidvale.com today and join the conversation. Together, let’s make Midvale City the best it can be!

MIDVALE. UTAH. GOV

Adopt a Shelter Pet

Salt Lake County Animal Services

In 2023, Salt Lake County Animal Services welcomed 6,326 animals into the shelter, with 2,277 finding new homes through adoption. If you’re considering adding a pet to your loving family, please consider adoption as your first choice. The most compelling reason to adopt is the opportunity to save a pet’s life. Choosing a shelter pet provides them with a second chance and contributes to breaking the cycle of pet overpopulation.

We are in desperate need of families and individuals to adopt a pet and help free up some of our kennel space for the stray pets that come in every day. Visit our website at AdoptUtahPets.org to explore our adoptable pets or come see us Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm to meet your new furry best friend. The adoption process includes low-cost adoption fees, all pets available for adoption will already be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, and will even go home with a new leash and collar.

Salt Lake County Animal Services provides a diverse range of highly adoptable pets, including dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets, reptiles, and birds. Our collection includes various cat and dog breeds, covering different ages, genders, and personalities. The diverse selection ensures there’s a perfect match for every potential adopter.

Questions about adoptions? Email: Adoptions@slco.org

Granite Credit Union invests in students

Granite Credit Union awarded four scholarships to students in Salt Lake County during its annual member meeting in February. The winners were selected by the GCU board of directors after reviewing dozens of applications.

High school seniors Eleanore Croft (Highland High School), Jaelyn Forsyth (Murray High School), Ethan Luker (Cottonwood High School) and Thomas Marchant

(Anthem Preparatory School) each received $3,500 to help cover costs as they move on to college.

Students were selected for the scholarship based on academic achievement, extracurricular activities and community service. GCU has been awarding scholarships for several years as a way to invest in education in the county. l

Eleanore Croft

Ethan Luker

Jaelyn Forsyth

Thomas Marchant

WOMeN’S SECTION

A publication covering local influential women in honor of International Women’s Day

Utah-educated doctor chosen to lead National Institutes of Health

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

For the first time, a University of Utah medical school graduate sits at the helm of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Monica Bertagnolli, M.D., was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in November 2023. She is the second woman to serve as NIH Director since its inception in 1887 and the first surgeon in that role.

The NIH is located in Bethesda, Maryland and is comprised of 27 institutes and centers. The organization has a budget of more than $47 billion and serves as the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world.

President Biden stated: “Dr. Bertagnolli has spent her career pioneering scientific discovery and pushing the boundaries of what is possible to improve cancer prevention and treatment for patients and ensuring that patients in every community have access to quality care. Dr. Bertagnolli is a world-class physician-scientist whose vision and leadership will ensure NIH continues to be an engine of innovation to improve the health of the American people.”

Bertagnolli first earned an engineering degree from Princeton University, then she attended and graduated from the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine in 1985. She was interested in immunology but discovered a different passion. “I signed up for surgery as my very first clinical rotation, just because I wanted to get it out of the way. I still vividly remember my first day in an operating room because I immediately knew that’s where I belonged,” she told the ASCO Post.

In more recent years, she served as chair of the Huntsman Cancer Institute’s External Advisory Board. Bertagnolli was previously a professor of surgery at Har-

vard Medical School and chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She has been president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and leader of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology.

Prior to her current role at the NIH, Dr. Bertagnolli was the first female director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a role she took in October 2022. NCI is a component of NIH. One month into her time at the NCI, a routine mammogram led to Bertagnolli being diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Since then, she has called herself a cancer survivor. “Fortunately, my prognosis is excellent. And this is due to NIH-funded research over the last several decades. And the many women who participated in clinical trials before me,” she said.

Her upbringing on a ranch in rural Wyoming as the daughter of first-generation immigrants has shaped her professional approach by providing an understanding of the medical challenges rural communities experience. An NIH press release said, “Equity is a core value that drives all her efforts, which includes ensuring NIH research is equitable and accessible to all people from all walks of life regardless of income or zip code.”

Huntsman Cancer Institute CEO Mary Beckerle, who has known Bertagnolli almost since her Utah med school days, compares her to the late Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who also grew up on a ranch: A “bundle of wit, resilience, and can-do spirit,” Beckerle said in Science magazine, December 2023 edition.

Beyond being a cancer surgeon for more than 35 years, her research has

DR. MONICA BERTAGNOLLI is a 1985 graduate of the University of Utah medical school. She served on an advisory board for the Huntsman Cancer Institute and was recently confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH) which is made up of 27 institutes and centers for biomedical research.

focused on the genetic mutations that lead to gastrointestinal cancer and how inflammation stimulates cancer growth. In her current role, she hopes to leverage commonalities such as how inflammation causes cancer but is also a component of Alzheimer’s, autoimmune disorders, arthritis, Long COVID and other diseases.

In 2023, she was named one of the 100 Influential Women in Oncology by Onco Daily.

Bertagnolli said in a December 2022 NCI statement, “Having been an oncologist my entire career, it was always—and still is—all about the patients and survivors. It’s one thing to know about cancer as a physician, but it is another to experience it firsthand as a patient as well. To anyone with cancer today: I am truly in this together with you.” l

Photo credit: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang/NIH

‘Look Good, Feel Good’ conference focuses on inclusion for Pacific Islander women

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

The inaugural “Look Good, Feel Good” conference, held in February at Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy, was organized to empower Pacific Islander women in Utah. In partnership with the Creative Pacific Foundation, the Women’s Executive Alliance held the event to celebrate women of the PI community through education and connection.

La Wolfgramm serves as president of the WEA, the women in business arm of the Utah Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce, that just celebrated its first anniversary. As the owner of Pasifika Kitchen, Wolfgramm wanted to bring women together and provide a fun environment where they could learn about holistic empowerment, covering physical and mental health, hair and fashion.

“We started WEA because we felt that there was nothing out there for PI women,” she said. “I wanted our PI women to see that there’s someone that looks like them, that talks like them and walks like them. It’s a comfort thing to know they can come in, and if they want to, they can start a business.”

The “Look Good, Feel Good” event marked the first time Utah PI experts in food, health, entertainment and fashion joined together in one place to offer support and information.

Guest speakers included Aveda beauty and hair expert Ben Powell, “Project Runway” designer Afa Ah Loo, mental health expert Celia Moleni (owner of Manaaki Mental Health) and wellness expert Alex Millions, RN, (owner of ModeRN Hydraesthetics). The conference ended with a keynote address from Sui Lang L. Panoke, senior vice president of culture at Zions Bank.

In addition to workshops, the event featured a DJ, a 360-degree photo booth, catered food and mocktails.

Analei Samasei’a serves on the WEA board of directors. She wants PI women to understand that they belong in these spaces and that what they contribute to the community has value.

“A lot of our women are caretakers. They stay home with their families, they take care of their aunties or uncles or mothers or fathers. That’s what we inherently do in our culture,” Samasei’a said. “So they’re not always available to go to these types of events, nor do they have accessibility. But now, we have all these experts here in the room. They were all mingling together and asking questions.”

Partnering with Creative Pacific allowed WEA to host the “Look Good, Feel Good” conference with a focus on inclusion while

strengthening bonds between PI women. Creative Pacific is a nonprofit that celebrates cultural diversity.

For information about WEA and the Utah Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce visit

Upichamber.org. To learn about Creative Pacific, visit CreativePacific.org.

“We had a mental health expert who walked us through some exercises to connect back to ourselves and understand the sensations we were feeling and how

our thoughts determine actions. It was like a good therapy session,” Samasei’a said. “And so it unified everybody in that room. We’ve all shared this experience together, and now we can talk about it to our friends.” l

“PROJECT RUNWAY” designer Afa Ah Loo talks to Pacific Islander women about fashion at the “Look Good, Feel Good” conference.

City Journals

MORE THAN 70 WOMEN attended the first “Look Good, Feel Good” conference for Pacific Islander women at Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy. The event celebrated women of the PI community.

City Journals

LA WOLFGRAMM is president of the Women’s Executive Alliance, the women in business branch of the Utah Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce.

City Journals

Salt Lake Community College President Deneece Huftalin leaves behind a legacy of student-centered leadership

By Rachel Aubrey | r.aubrey@mycityjournals.com

For more than 30 years Deneece Huftalin has been a student-focused leader at Salt Lake Community College serving in various capacities within administration. What began in September 2014, when she became president of SLCC, will come to a conclusion in June of this year as Huftalin officially retires. She will have been the longest serving female president within the Utah System of Higher Education.

With the most diverse student body in the state, Huftalin said she always aimed to keep true the SLCC mission “[to] engage and support students in educational pathways leading to successful transfer and meaningful employment.”

To “support students” is something that she spent her career being focused on.

A Salt Lake City native, and a University of Utah graduate, Huftalin spent some time outside of Utah on various higher education campuses including Northwestern University, Stanford University and University of California, Los Angeles. But it was a job at Harper Community College in Palatine, Illinois that helped open her eyes to the community college system.

“I worked in orientation, but they considered their student affairs people faculty, which was a really cool model,” Huftalin said. “I was able to teach a little and serve on the college senate, but also have kind of a staff role.”

That position at Harper, although brief, left an impression. As Huftalin found herself back in Utah, returning so her husband could take a job opportunity, she found herself looking for work again on another college campus.

“There’s something [magical] about campuses,” Huftalin said. “People are thinking, discovering, laughing, having fun and testing waters, and it’s a good place to be.”

As Salt Lake Community College was booming with growth and expansion in the early 1990s, Huftalin realized that her time at Harper’s gave her a bit of competitive edge when it came time to apply for positions at SLCC. She began her tenure as the director of academic and career advising in 1992.

“I always feel fortunate that Harper College gave me a little bit of knowledge and a kind of step into a community college role,” Huftalin said.

That first role led to her eventual “dream job” in the mid-1990s, as the dean

of students. Being involved with students was always where she saw herself.

“I just love being with students,” said Huftalin said.

Over the years, colleagues took notice of that student-centered persona. Alison McFarlane, who became the Vice President of Institutional Advancement in 2012, worked closely with Huftalin, who was the Vice President of Student Services at that time.

“Deneece is the most student-focused leader I could have possibly imaged,” McFarlane said. “You always hear about Deneece being the voice for students.”

Cassidy Behling has been the Administrative Assistant to the President for the last 10 years, and has watched as Huftalin, who often gets pulled in so many different directions, has been able to focus on what truly matters in higher education.

“Her care and concern for her students is always her guiding force,” Behling said.

Huftalin admitted that she worries

about current and future students and how heavy the world is on them, especially when it comes to mental health.

“It takes a lot to break through and come and be courageous and learn and try something new,” Huftalin said.

Despite never seeing herself in the role of president of SLCC, Huftalin said that being in leadership roles has allowed her to model behavior that she has witnessed over the years. Throughout her career, she was able to be a part of women-led communities, allowing for the formation of friendships and connections.

“Younger women are experiencing things differently than I ever have,” Huftalin said. “But I do think there’s some continuity of support…and having lived longer and navigated different things, I can give advice and support or encouragement.”

While in office, Huftalin realized several goals such as, but not limited to, the addition of the Westpointe Workforce Training and Education Center in Salt Lake City and

the Juniper Building in Herriman which has increased geographical access to classes and the Open Education Resources (OER) initiative that allows students access to public domain textbooks for general education courses.

According to McFarlane, who retired in October 2023, one of the many ways that Huftalin has been able to accomplish these goals is because she is a “connector” of people and ideas, fostering collaboration within the college and the surrounding communities.

“When she sees opportunities, she’s very [eager] to give them to other people,” McFarlane said.

Those connections have led to great relationships with students, faculty and staff, and Huftalin said she will miss those the most after retirement.

“…Those relationships are hard to step away from,” Huftalin said. “Because they’ve just meant so much.” l

DENEECE HUFTALIN has been president of Salt Lake Community College since 2014 and when she retires in June, she will have been the longest serving female president within the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE).

Photo courtesy of Salt Lake Community College

From pages to predator: Peregrine falcon brings novel to life for students

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Aperegrine falcon taught a Midvale Middle School class a lesson: The “Skye” is the limit.

Now, those students’ reading comprehension may be soaring a bit higher.

To kick off reading Jean Craighead George’s “My Side of the Mountain,” a novel about a boy living in the wilderness and his falcon, sixth-grade English/Language Arts special education teacher Alycia Bradshaw welcomed the school’s instructional coach, Krista Edwards and her peregrine falcon, Skye, to introduce falconry to the students.

“Any kind of hands-on learning really helps define abstract concepts for students; in this book is this character training a bird to help him hunt is really abstract,” said Bradshaw, who includes this book in her teaching every year. “They don’t have any idea what that looks like.”

Bradshaw said that through Edwards bringing in her falcon and discussing falconry with her students, “Now, they get it.”

After a few words of preparation, Edwards, who has both state and federal licenses for falconry and wildlife education, pulls out the raptor.

“The first thing you guys are going to notice about her is that she has something on her face; we are covering her eyes for a reason to

help her stay calm,” she told the class. “When I take the hood off, she’s just going to look around to get used to everybody in the room.”

Skye is a 3-year-old falcon.

“I want you to imagine you’re living in the wild and you want to get some meat to cook over fire. How is this bird going to help you? We call her a hunter. She doesn’t eat berries and plants. What do we call that? Yes, a carnivore, a predator,” Edwards said. “Now, turn to your partner and share three things you already know about falcons.”

It’s part of a worksheet where students needed to identify what they know about falcons, what they wanted to learn and what they did learn about falcons in class.

After a few minutes, Edwards continued.

“Falcons are extremely fast. Anybody know how fast a cheetah can go? Sixty miles an hour. A peregrine falcon flies 240 miles an hour. People drive on I-15, drive about 70 miles an hour. So that means that your parents are going 1/3 of the speed of the peregrine falcon,” she said.

Then Edwards encouraged her bird to spread her wings.

“Are her wings more round, or are they more pointy? They are more pointy, indeed. Everything about this bird is pointy. That helps them travel through the air extremely fast. Look

at her from the side. She kind of looks like a football. Why are footballs shaped the way they are? So they go faster. That’s called aerodynamic. It’s something that is kind of pointy and it travels through the air faster. She has a very aerodynamic body,” she said. “She has another thing in common with sports. Raise your hand if you’ve ever seen an athlete put black under their eyes. She’s got that black on her cheeks. Anybody know the purpose of that? When she’s flying high in the sky, above the trees,

there’s no shade up there. The black is there so the sun doesn’t hit her eyes just like when athletes put it on, to prevent from being blinded by the sun. She also has incredibly sharp eyesight. If you’re on one end of the football field, she can read a newspaper on the other end. That’s how good her eyesight is.”

Edwards answers students’ questions about Skye.

“Does she know her name? When you call a dog, it comes running. She does not do that;

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Midvale Middle instructional coach Krista Edwards shared her peregrine falcon, Skye, with students to familiarize them with falconry which is in the class reading of Jean Craighead George’s “My Side of the Mountain.” (Julie Slama/City Journals)

she does not know her name, but she knows food. When I let her free fly in the desert and I want her to come back, I raise my arm up and I throw some food in the air. She sees that and comes in. She’s a hunting bird. Whatever she hunts is what I feed her. The other day we were out in the desert, she caught pigeons and that is what I fed her that night. If she doesn’t catch anything, I have leftover food from other meals that she caught,” she said. “She’s hard to train because she is a wild animal. I formed a bond with her through food. She was 6 months old when I got her.”

Then, Edwards asked the students to think about living in the wild and what they would worry about and what they would need to learn to survive. Then, she related it back to the text.

“When reading ‘My Side of the Mountain,’ I want you to think about how this bird helps Sam Gribley, our main character, survive and why a peregrine falcon is a good choice for a survival companion,” she said.

Edwards knows the book. She has a collection of the novel in the “little library” of falconry books at her home. It’s the one that inspired her to become a falconer.

“When I was about 6 years old, I told my parents I wanted a peregrine falcon. They got me a parakeet for Christmas. He was a great little companion bird, but I’ve always wanted birds of prey. There was something about them that was just so enchanting, and so powerful and wild,” she said.

The next year, she saw a red-tailed hawk eat a dove she was feeding.

“He came in, grabbed it and ate it right in front of me. I remember thinking this is the coolest thing, which is not a normal reaction for a 7 year old. I gravitated toward raptors early on. I think there’s something to do with the spirituality, the symbolism of them; they contain a different type of magic,” she said. “My parents gave me a bird identification book for Christmas, and I thought it was normal to read it from front to back. So early on, I had this vast knowledge of birds. My parents fostered that love. I remember when I was in third and fourth grades, we’d take trips to go see bald eagles.”

She moved from New Jersey to attended Brigham Young University when she noticed a Facebook post by someone her age that said, “I just got my first bird.”

“I thought it was rare doing falconry at my age because usually most people are retired. I noticed he was in Provo, so I reached out and thought ‘we’re going to be best friends.’ He invited me over that night, and I got to hold my first bird,” she said. “It was incredible. It was amazing. I knew, this is what I really want to do.”

The current president of the Utah Falconers Association remembers after passing a test, finding a sponsor to train her and following other laws and regulations. She got her first bird at age 22.

“I was living in BYU housing and kept my small American Kestrel in my apartment. Because they are so small, it’s recommended you keep them indoors. But I didn’t know what I was doing with that first bird. Nobody ever

does. With your first bird, you feel like a deer in the headlights,” she said. “It’s a huge learning curve because you’re dealing with a wild predatory animal that knows it can survive without you and now, you’re trying to convince it to hunt collaboratively with you.”

She named her bird after the falcon god of Egypt.

“A lot of falconers they start with these really epic names. Eventually you start naming your birds names like Joe and Frank,” she said.

Six months later, her kestrel was released to the wild.

“It was hard, yes and no. You develop a relationship with the animal, but you know you borrowed it from the wild, so it’s fair to return what was borrowed. For me, I knew I helped this bird through its first winter. Historically, first-year birds do not do well because they don’t have the experience to survive,” she said.

The seven-year falconer, who has more than 25,000 followers on her Instagram account (@Kristafeather), has traveled the world learning about falconry from a royal falconer to visiting a falconry education center.

“I got to handle and experience some birds I’ve never seen before,” she said. “I would love to win the Utah Sky Trials one these days. Last year, I was the first woman to compete in the 48 years of its history.”

Mostly, she flies Skye in the desert and has introduced her to students at Union Middle and Alta High schools, where Edwards previously worked. It gives students an opportunity to see the bird up close.

“She’s a good bird. She surprises me every day with just how mellow and calm and easygoing she is. Not all falcons are that way,” Edwards said. “Nobody gets to see them this close in the wild. It’s a way for the love of nature and that passion for the environment to be built into the classroom.”

She plans to return to that Midvale Middle classroom as the students continue their reading.

“It just makes the book come alive to the students. This helps them visualize what Sam Gribley is talking about,” Edwards said. “I’ll go teach them vocabulary and the equipment that falcons wear. I’ll demonstrate here’s what the jess is. Here are the leather straps and how you assemble them. Maybe they won’t use those words again, but it’s firsthand experience and learning that they’ll be able to relate to it when they go back in and doing a close read, or reread, for specific vocabulary.”

It may also inspire them to look more up about falconry as the main character did at his local library when he decided he wanted a hunting bird.

“I would say about 75% of the falconers here in America probably got their start from that book. I think that children’s novel made us realize is something that we can do,” Edwards said. “By introducing Skye to students, it helps them in understanding their reading and I can give them a glimpse into the life of a falconer. They’re getting an understanding of the opportunities that are available to them through literature and the people around them.” l

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Making history: Hillcrest High will debut its girls lacrosse team this season

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Sanctioned girls’ high school lacrosse was supposed to begin in March 2020, but was delayed with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While many other schools began the following year, Hillcrest High is rolling out its inaugural season this year.

It came after some girls interested in the sport played on nearby teams and one, in particular, freshman Claire McMann, petitioned the school’s athletic director.

“She was just begging the athletic director (Scott Carrell) to make the team, so he said, ‘If you want to put forth the effort in recruiting and make sure we have a team, I will put in the money to make sure we have one,’” said firstyear coach Tucker Gamble. “She’s the reason we have a team and as many girls here as we do.”

McMann, who also runs cross country and track for the Huskies, is one of the three players with experience.

“She helped during open gyms run and teaches the new girls,” Gamble said. “And now, during moratorium before tryouts, Claire has been getting them to play at a local field on their own. If it’s snowing, they’ll go to a church and practice catching there.”

True to his word, Carrell got the team balls, goals, jerseys. a bunch of sticks, eye protection and goalie gear.

The team will play 12 on the field at a time—four on defense (including the goalkeeper), four midfielders or middies, and four on offense or attackers. They’ll face other teams on the school’s football field, with a slightly larger painted field.

“In our open gyms, we’ve been teaching the sport and we’ve had 21 players, mostly freshmen and sophomores, consistently coming. We should have a good-sized team,” Gamble said prior to the team selection on Feb. 27, which is one week before the first game against Uintah High. There is no JV squad this year.

“I set up preseason games against some JV games (against Bountiful and Skyridge) so that the team will get some experience. I just don’t want them to be blindsided going into our region season, not having enough experience to know how the games played. We also have games against other new teams (Uintah and Weber),” he said. “In region, we play each team twice. Our region has some teams with newer programs and then, we are in the region that includes the smaller schools in 2A and 3A in it.”

Even with little lacrosse experience, Gamble is optimistic.

“I have pretty high hopes for my team,” he said. “We have a lot of girls from different sports, and those from the soccer team and basketball learned the defense movements are the same—same type of footwork, same type

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of everything. You can just do a few different things with the stick. They’ve picked that up and then, they’ve picked up the cradling, passing, catching, shooting as well. Then, we transitioned into game scenarios and they’ve been doing well there. I’m hopeful that we do well.”

Gamble also said the team has been fortunate to have their goalie, sophomore Savvy Watson, a newcomer to the sport.

“She’s a natural. I’ve really impressed. I had our boys’ team goalie come to give her a few tips. He said that he didn’t have much for her and he’s been playing for a while,” he said.

Gamble started playing lacrosse in fourth grade.

“It was just something that all the kids in my area did growing up, so I started to play, and I just developed a love for it. I’ve played close to 17 years now and supported the girls’ lacrosse team at my high school, Viewmont. I went to play in college (Utah State University), but it was a club sport, and I couldn’t afford the fees,” he said, adding that he buckled down in his studies.

Since then, Gamble earned his doctorate at Rocky Mountain University in physical therapy and works with students at nearby Jordan Valley School.

“I’ve been around lacrosse my whole life. It’s a fun game. It teaches a lot of discipline. There’s a lot of running so it’s a fast-moving

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Tucker Gamble will coach the inaugural season of Hillcrest High girls lacrosse. (Photo courtesy of Jordan Valley School website)

As I’ve gotten older (but never wiser), I expected the hot flashes, mood swings and irritability. What I didn’t expect was that my age would turn my hair into a mortal enemy. Each morning, I stare in the mirror and prepare for what feels like a battle to the death.

If the indignity of having my face turn a heat-blasting shade of scarlet at any given moment wasn’t enough, I suddenly developed cowlicks along my hairline, giving my head the appearance of constant swirling, like Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” My hair suddenly changed directions and refused to be bullied into lying flat.

In fairness, my hair and I have been through some stuff. We endured the spongy, pink curlers mom twisted onto my head every Saturday night. We survived my feathery Farrah Fawcett era, the spiral perms, the lemon bleaching in the summer, the sky-high bangs of the ’80s and a decade of nothing but ponytails when my daughters were little.

Maybe my hair never forgave me because now there is no amount of styling products or heated irons that make my hair manageable. It usually looks like newlywed hawks nested on my head to raise their young.

After another morning struggling to arrange my hair in some semblance of

Letting my hair down

control, I threw my hair straightener down the hall and burst into tears. My husband walked out of his office and asked what was wrong. I pointed at my head and kept bawling.

“I don’t care if your hair looks like a tornado emoji,” he said. “You’re always beautiful to me.”

“I don’t want to be beautiful to you,” I sobbed. “I want to be beautiful to complete strangers.”

He doesn’t get it. Men can be bald or gray or have a comb-over or just a Van Dyke beard and they’ll still be considered handsome, even distinguished. But if a woman can’t style her hair using a tube sock, a bottle of mousse and a barrette, the TikTok police jump out of nowhere and create harsh videos for public shaming.

But it’s not just the random cowlicks that give my scalp the appearance of a tropical storm weather map, it’s the breakage and the sensitive scalp and the way my

hair just refuses to comply. My hair breaks so often, it looks like my stylist started to give me a bowl cut and then got bored after trimming the first layer.

I’ve invested in expensive shampoos and luxury leave-in conditioners with no effect. My hair just twirls insolently from my head. I purchased soft brushes and vitamin supplements and I paid someone good money to rub my scalp for 45 minutes. The pampering hasn’t paid off.

There’s no such thing as “styling” my hair. I have to distract it, wrestle it into place, staple it down and spray it with a light coat of cement. It doesn’t matter.

Within minutes it’s spinning around my face like it drank too many mimosas for breakfast.

Maybe the lack of compliance is the reason many older women end up cutting their hair into cute pixie styles, easy crops or elegant bobs. But my face is too round for a short haircut. I end up looking like a basketball wearing a toupee.

I hope at some point my hair and I can become friends again. Between my mood swings and hot flashes, I don’t have the patience to be irritated at one more thing.